cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reading fluency assessment and instruction: What, why, and how?

This article explains the elements of reading fluency and ways to assess and teach them. Fluent reading has three elements: accurate reading of connected text, at a conversational rate with appropriate prosody. Word reading accuracy refers to the ability to recognize or decode words correctly. Reading rate refers to both word-level automaticity and speed in reading text. Prosodic features are variations in pitch, stress patterns, and duration that contribute to expressive reading of a text. To assess reading fluency, including all its aspects, teachers listen to students read aloud. Students' accuracy can be measured by listening to oral reading and counting the number of errors per 100 words or a running record. Measuring reading rate includes both word-reading automaticity and speed in reading connected text using tests of sight-word knowledge and timed readings. A student's reading prosody can be measured using a checklist while listening to the student. To provide instruction in rate and accuracy, variations on the repeated readings technique are useful. To develop prosody, readers can listen to fluent models and engage in activities focused on expression and meaning. Opportunities to develop all areas of reading fluency are important for all readers, but especially for those who struggle.
The O(g4) Lipatov kernels

Abstract Leading plus next-to leading log results for the Regge limit of massless Yang-Mills theories are reproduced by reggeon diagrams in which the Regge slope α′ → 0 and reggeon amplitudes satisfy Ward identify constraints at zero transverse momentum. Using reggeon unitarity together with multiple discontinuity theory a complete set of such diagrams can be constructed. The resulting two-two, one-three and two-four kernels which generalise the Lipatov equation at O ( g 4 ) are determined uniquely.
Comparison of Three Methods of Fluorescent Dye Application for Marking Juvenile Steelhead

Abstract Steelhead Salmo gairdneri, 50–60 mm in total length, were tested for dye retention, indication of stress, and survival after they were marked either with compressed air, by immersion in a hyperosmotic solution, or with an acrylic paint brush. All fish sprayed with compressed air retained dye throughout the 90-d study. Dye in the paint brush group lasted up to 27 d on all fish, but dye was fully retained less than 3 d on hyperosmotically marked fish. No mortalities were observed in any of the three experimental groups. Fish marked by the compressed air method exhibited a 7-h interruption in their feeding; fish in the other two groups showed no interruption of feeding.
Adaptions in the life cycle of Dermacentor variabilis (Say) and Ixodes dammini (Spielman, Clifford, Piesman, and Corwin) marginal populations (Acari: Ixodidae).

Both theDermacentor variabilis andIxodes dammini adult diapause seasons are followed by a breeding period. At the edge of the ticks' range, where diapause and breeding occur under adverse climatic conditions, the species still conserves its fixed response for the onset of diapause. As a result, most of the following breeding effort is wasted; the population can only be maintained by an aberrant breeding period during the normal diapause season.
The effects of proton radiation on the prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times of irradiated ferrets

Purpose : To determine whether proton radiation affects coagulation. Material and methods : Ferrets were exposed to solar particle event-like proton radiation at doses of 0, 25, 100, or 200 centigray (cGy), and dose rates of 50 cGy/minute (high dose rate or HDR) or 50 cGy/hour (low dose rate or LDR). Plasma was isolated from blood collected prior to radiation exposure and at 3 – 7 h postradiation. Prothrombin time (PT) assays and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) assays were performed as were mixing studies to determine the coagulation factors involved. Results : HDR and LDR exposure led to statistically signifi cant increases in PT values. It was determined that the HDR-induced increase in PT was due to Factor VII, while Factors II, V, and VII contributed to the LDR-induced increase in PT values. Only acute LDR exposure caused an increase in aPTT values, which remained elevated for 48 h post-irradiation (which was the latest time assayed in these studies). Mixing studies revealed that Factor IX contributed to the increased aPTT values. A majority of the animals exposed at the LDR had an International Normalized Ratio approaching or surpassing 2.0. Conclusions : PT/aPTT assays resulted in increased clotting times due to diff erent coagulation factors, indicating potential radiation-induced coagulopathy.
Highly Available Path Routing in Mesh Networks Under Multiple Link Failures

We study the problem of maximizing path availability in mesh networks against simultaneous failures of multiple links without using protection schemes. The links belong to shared risk link groups (SRLGs) that have arbitrary failure probabilities. This problem is NP-hard, so we propose heuristic algorithms for networks with large numbers of SRLGs, as well as optimal solutions for networks with smaller numbers of SRLGs. The solutions are evaluated through simulations.
Brain infusion of lipopolysaccharide increases uterine growth as a function of estrogen replacement regimen: Suppression of uterine estrogen receptor-α by constant, but not pulsed, estrogen replacement

The effects of estrogen therapy can differ depending on the regimen of estrogen administration. In addition, estrogen can modulate the effects of stressors. To examine the interaction between these systems, we infused adult female rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the fourth ventricle of the brain for 6 d and compared the effects of constant and pulsed estrogen replacement. Constant, but not pulsed, estrogen treatment reduced estrogen receptor-α (ERα) protein by 90% in the uterus and increased heat-shock proteins 70 and 90 by 74 and 48%, respectively, whereas progesterone receptor levels increased in all ovariectomized rats receiving estrogen replacement. In contrast to the uterine decline in ERα, no changes in ERα were observed in the hypothalamus or hippocampus, and ERβ levels were unchanged in all regions tested. Brain infusion of LPS did not alter these proteins but increased the number of activated microglia in the thalamus and reduced body weight in all rats as well as activated the hypothalam...
Correlates and Prevalence of Menthol Cigarette Use Among Adults With Serious Mental Illness

Author(s): Young-Wolff, Kelly C; Hickman, Norval J; Kim, Romina; Gali, Kathleen; Prochaska, Judith J | Abstract: IntroductionWith a focus on protecting vulnerable groups from initiating and continuing tobacco use, the FDA has been considering the regulation of menthol in cigarettes. Using a large sample of adult smokers with serious mental illness (SMI) in the San Francisco Bay Area, we examined demographic and clinical correlates of menthol use, and we compared the prevalence of menthol use among our study participants to that of adult smokers in the general population in California.MethodsAdult smokers with SMI (N = 1,042) were recruited from 7 acute inpatient psychiatric units in the San Francisco Bay Area. Demographic, tobacco, and clinical correlates of menthol use were examined with bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and prevalence of menthol use was compared within racial/ethnic groups to California population estimates from the 2008-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.ResultsA sample majority (57%) reported smoking menthol cigarettes. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that adult smokers with SMI who were younger, who had racial/ethnic minority status, who had fewer perceived interpersonal problems, and who had greater psychotic symptoms also had a significantly greater likelihood of menthol use. Smokers with SMI had a higher prevalence of menthol use relative to the general population in California overall (24%).ConclusionsIndividuals with SMI-particularly those who are younger, have racial/ethnic minority status, and have been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder-are vulnerable to menthol cigarette use. FDA regulation of menthol may prevent initiation and may encourage cessation among smokers with SMI.
Characteristics of oxide thin films from carboxylate precursors

Oxide thin films on Si substrates were prepared from carboxylate precursors by the reaction of the metal nitrates and ammonium trimethylacetate. Precursor salts were characterized with respect to purity, structure, thermal pyrolysis, and phase development during calcination. A solvent system, based on carboxylic acid/amine mixture, was developed to dissolve the synthesized precursors, resulting in increased solubility, viscosity, and stability. Smooth, fine-grained ZrO{sub 2}, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and YSZ films were obtained on Si wafers by spin-coating and subsequent heat treatment above 500 {degree}C. Films heat treated below 700 {degree}C were generally adherent, amorphous, or microcrystalline, while YSZ and ZrO{sub 2} showed (111) preferred orientation above 700 {degree}C. These oxide films show promise as protective or buffer layers on Si wafers.
Learning team coordination constraints through execution

Agents working together in teams can tackle user-defined tasks more complex than those they can perform as individuals. However constructing such teams remains a difficult challenge. In particular current approaches to designing agent teams are highly labor-intensive. Human designers must deal with overwhelming complexity in trying to manage the large number of interactions and dependencies that may exist between agent activities. Even if the designer is able to come up with a plan that seems to work, he cannot be sure that it will continue to work in all possible situations. We propose to use machine learning techniques to assist a user in building robust, multiagent team plans. This is done by logging information during team plan executions and attempting to find the cause of failure from this data. We present a method for learning temporal coordination constraints on actions in a multiagent reactive plan. We also briefly discuss the effect of new coordination constraints on team organization.
The Number and Quality of Representations in Working Memory

Flexible-resource theories characterize working memory as a flexible resource that can store either a large number of low-quality representations or a small number of high-quality representations. In contrast, limited-item theories propose that the number of items that can be stored in working memory is strictly limited and cannot be increased by decreasing the quality of the representations. We tested these fundamentally different conceptualizations of working memory capacity by determining whether observers could trade quality for quantity in working memory when given incentives to do so. We found no evidence that observers could increase the number of representations by decreasing their quality in working memory, but observers could make such a trade-off at earlier processing stages. Our results show that the capacity limit of working memory is best characterized as a limit on the number of items that can be stored and not as a limit on a finely divisible resource that simultaneously determines the number and quality of the representations.
THE VISUAL SYSTEM AND VITAMINS A OF THE SEA LAMPREY

On page 333, Vol. 25, No. 3, January 20, 1942, the cuts for Figs. 1 and 3 should be interchanged. The legends should remain where they now appear.
Developing a Predictive Gene Classifier for Autism Spectrum Disorders Based upon Differential Gene Expression Profiles of Phenotypic Subgroups.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders which are currently diagnosed solely on the basis of abnormal stereotyped behavior as well as observable deficits in communication and social functioning. Although a variety of candidate genes have been identified on the basis of genetic analyses and up to 20% of ASD cases can be collectively associated with a genetic abnormality, no single gene or genetic variant is applicable to more than 1-2 percent of the general ASD population. In this report, we apply class prediction algorithms to gene expression profiles of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from several phenotypic subgroups of idiopathic autism defined by cluster analyses of behavioral severity scores on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised diagnostic instrument for ASD. We further demonstrate that individuals from these ASD subgroups can be distinguished from nonautistic controls on the basis of limited sets of differentially expressed genes with a predicted classification accuracy of up to 94% and sensitivities and specificities of ~90% or better, based on support vector machine analyses with leave-oneout validation. Validation of a subset of the “classifier” genes by high-throughput quantitative nuclease protection assays with a new set of LCL samples derived from individuals in one of the phenotypic subgroups and from a new set of controls resulted in an overall class prediction accuracy of ~82%, with ~90% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Although additional validation with a larger cohort is needed, and effective clinical translation must include confirmation of the differentially expressed genes in primary cells from cases earlier in development, we suggest that such panels of genes, based on expression analyses of phenotypically more homogeneous subgroups of individuals with ASD, may be useful biomarkers for diagnosis of subtypes of idiopathic autism. [N A J Med Sci. 2013;6(3):107-116. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2013.0603107]
Social selection and evolution of human diseases

Disease incidences in human populations depend on etiology of the disease, the fitness of individuals, and demographic changes of the population. The fitness of an individual is determined not only by the disease but also by other factors such as cultural and social reaction to the disorder and demographic changes of the population. Social selection studies the effect of the social behavior on the incidence of a trait. In studies of Huntington's disease, it has been shown that the fitness of the normal sibling of an affected individual is reduced as much as that of the affected individual himself or herself. A similar social effect has been observed for mental retardation. Thus, even if an individual has a normal genotype, mate finding and fertility may be changed considerably by the presence of affected family members. At the present time, the way in which genetic variabilities are maintained is poorly understood even for clearcut genetic diseases. Studies of social selection indicate that such information should be acquired by considering both the nature of the disease and its social effect.
Survey of electronic safety systems in accelerator applications

This paper presents the preliminary results and analysis of a comprehensive survey of the implementation of accelerator safety interlock systems from over 30 international labs. At the present time there is not a self consistent means to evaluate both the experiences and level of protection provided by electronic safety interlock systems. This research is intended to analyze the strength and weaknesses of several different types of interlock system implementation methodologies. Research, medical, and industrial accelerators are compared. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) was one of the first large particle accelerators to implement a safety interlock system using programmable logic controllers. Since that time all of the major new US Accelerator construction projects plan to use some form of programmable electronics as part of a safety interlock system in some capacity.
Population biology of Paragonimus kellicotti metacercariae in central Ohio

The distribution of Paragonimus kellicotti metacercariae in a mixed population of crayfish from a small central Ohio stream was studied for two seasons. The distribution of worms in crayfish approximates the negative binomial distribution. Prevalence and intensity of infection increased with crayfish body weight. Although no difference in intensity of infection was noted between male and female crayfish, the prevalence of infection was higher in males. The data demonstrate a seasonal recruitment of metacercariae into the crayfish only during late summer and autumn. Metacercariae can live for over 1 year but some die and become mineralized. There is no apparent detrimental effect of P. kellicotti infection on the crayfish. The seasonal timing of life-cycle events is postulated.
LacZ Transgenic Mice and Immunoelectron Microscopy : An Ultrastructural Method for Dual Localization of β-Galactosidase and Horseradish Peroxidase

Transgenic animals bearing the reporter gene, LacZ, encoding the histochemical enzyme, β-galactosidase, are increasingly becoming available. Similarly, antibody conjugates consisting of specific IgGs coupled to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) are widely used for Western blotting, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. Here we provide a detailed fixation and histochemical protocol for the simultaneous electron microscopic visualization and discrimination of β-galactosidase and peroxidase reaction products within mouse kidney. After incubation of transgenic LacZ tissues with IgG-HRP conjugates, samples were lightly fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde and 0.4% glutaraldehyde and processed for peroxidase histochemistry. Tissues underwent β-galactosidase histochemistry, were refixed with glutaraldehyde, osmicated, and embedded. In Flk1/LacZ mice, we immunolocalized anti-laminin β1 chain IgG-HRP specifically to developing glomerular basement membranes, whereas Flk1/LacZ was expressed only by glomerular endothelial cells. In ...
Continuous particle separation by size via AC-dielectrophoresis using a lab-on-a-chip device with 3-D electrodes

In this paper, we present a novel, simple lab-on-a-chip device for continuous separation of particles by size. The device is composed of a straight rectangular microchannel connecting two inlet reservoirs and two exit reservoirs. Two asymmetric, 3-D electrodes are embedded along the channel wall to generate a non-uniform electrical field for dielectrophoresis. Particles with different sizes are collected at the different exit reservoirs. Main flow is induced by pressure difference between the inlet and the exit reservoirs. The device is used successfully for the separation of the 5 and 10 mum latex particles and for the separation of yeast cells and white blood cells. A numerical simulation based on Lagrangian tracking method is used to simulate the particle motion and the results showed a good agreement with the experimental data.
Frequency Regulation of a Slow Rhythm by a Fast Periodic Input

Many nervous systems contain rhythmically active subnetworks that interact despite oscillating at widely different frequencies. The stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis produces a rapid pyloric rhythm and a considerably slower gastric mill rhythm. We construct and analyze a conductance-based compartmental model to explore the activation of the gastric mill rhythm by the modulatory commissural neuron 1 (MCN1). This model demonstrates that the period of the MCN1-activated gastric mill rhythm, which was thought to be determined entirely by the interaction of neurons in the gastric mill network, can be strongly influenced by inhibitory synaptic input from the pacemaker neuron of the fast pyloric rhythm, the anterior burster (AB) neuron. Surprisingly, the change of the gastric mill period produced by the pyloric input to the gastric mill system can be many times larger than the period of the pyloric rhythm itself. This model illustrates several mechanisms by which a fast oscillatory neuron may control the frequency of a much slower oscillatory network. These findings suggest that it is possible to modify the slow rhythm either by direct modulation or indirectly by modulating the faster rhythm.
Authorship Attribution Using Probabilistic Context-Free Grammars

In this paper, we present a novel approach for authorship attribution, the task of identifying the author of a document, using probabilistic context-free grammars. Our approach involves building a probabilistic context-free grammar for each author and using this grammar as a language model for classification. We evaluate the performance of our method on a wide range of datasets to demonstrate its efficacy.
Editorial: molecular endocrinology articles in the spotlight for September 2012.

genes in the mouse mammary gland, and is required in vivo for the formation of a low-molecular-weight coactivator complex composed of AIB1 and ER. Cyclin D1 associates in the context of chromatin with genes regulated by estrogen and induces genes governing growth factor receptor signaling modules. Therefore, cyclin D1 may be considered a chromatin chaperone for ER, regulating the composition of regulatory complexes at individual genes and thereby impacting the biological re
Finite element implementation of a macromolecular viscoplastic polymer model

SUMMARY This paper presents a time-integration method for a viscoplastic physics-based polymer model at finite strains. The macromolecular character of the model resides in (i) the viscoplastic law based on a double-kink molecular mechanism, and (ii) a full chain network model inspired by rubber elasticity to describe the large-strain orientation hardening. A back stress enters the constitutive model formulation. Essential aspects of a three-dimensional finite-element implementation are outlined, the main novelty being in the back stress formulation. The computational efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm are examined in a series of parameter studies. In addition, because a co-rotational formulation of the constitutive equations is employed using the Jaumann rate in the hypoelastic equation and the back stress evolution equation a detailed analysis of stress oscillations is carried out up to very large strains in simple shear. Subsequently, three-dimensional FE analyses of compression with friction and instability propagation in tension are used as a means to demonstrate the robustness of the implementation and the potential occurrence of stress oscillations and shear bands in large-strain analyses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On-Site Calibration for High Precision Measurements of Water Vapor Isotope Ratios Using Off-Axis Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy

AbstractStable isotope ratio measurements of atmospheric water vapor (δ18Ov and δ2Hv) are scarce relative to those in precipitation. This limitation is rapidly changing due to advances in absorption spectroscopy technology and the development of automatically calibrated field-deployable instrument systems. These systems allow high throughput, in situ monitoring of the temporal variability in δ18Ov and δ2Hv. This paper presents a robust calibration procedure for reliable, high-precision δ18Ov and δ2Hv measurements at less than hourly intervals in this study. The method described here was developed and tested using a coupled system consisting of a commercial water vapor isotopic source device and a commercial water vapor isotope analyzer [Los Gatos Research (LGR) model WVIA-24] based on the off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (off-axis ICOS) technique. The isotope analyzer shows a time-dependent response that varies with water vapor mixing ratio, suggesting the need of regular (hourly) calibratio...
Data‐driven approaches to information access

This paper summarizes three lines of research that are motivated by the practical problem of helping users find information from external data sources, most notably computers. The application areas include information retrieval, text categorization, and question answering. A common theme in these applications is that practical information access problems can be solved by analyzing the statistical properties of words in large volumes of real world texts. The same statistical properties constrain human performance, thus we believe that solutions to practical information access problems can shed light on human knowledge representation and reasoning.
Minimax Robust Discrete-Time Matched Filters

The problem of designing finite-length discrete-time matched filters is considered for situations in which exact knowledge of the input signal and/or noise characteristics is not available. Such situations arise in many applications due to channel distortion, incoherencies, nonlinear effects, and other modeling uncertainties. In such cases it is often of interest to design a minimax robust matched filter, i.e., a nonadaptive filter with an optimum level of worst-case performance for the expected uncertainty class. This problem is investigated here for three types of uncertainty models for the input signal, namely, the mean-absolute, mean-square, and maximum-absolute distortion classes, and for a wide generality of norm-deviation models for the noise covariance matrix. Some numerical examples illustrate the robustness properties of the proposed designs.
Luteolin and Chrysin Differentially Inhibit Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression and Scavenge Reactive Oxygen Species but Similarly Inhibit Prostaglandin-E2 Formation in RAW 264.7 Cells

Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with cancer, atherosclerosis, and other chronic diseases. Dietary flavonoids have been reported to possess antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties, but their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relations have not been fully investigated. We hypothesized that differences in antioxidant activity between the structurally similar flavones, luteolin and chrysin (differing only in B-ring hydroxylation patterns), would differentially affect inflammation-associated Cox-2 expression and PGE2 formation. Pretreatment of RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells with 25, 50, or 100 micromol/L concentrations of luteolin inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Cox-2 protein expression (P < 0.0001). Chrysin pretreatment did not reduce LPS-induced Cox-2 protein expression at any level tested. Conversely, both luteolin and chrysin completely suppressed LPS-induced PGE2 formation (P < 0.001). Luteolin, but not chrysin, inhibited xanthine/xanthine oxidase-generated superoxide formation at 100 micromol/L in a cell-free system (P < 0.001). Although both luteolin and chrysin reduced LPS-induced hydroxyl radical formation relative to the positive control (P < 0.001), luteolin was superior to chrysin (P = 0.003). In summary, luteolin and chrysin suppressed PGE2 formation equally well, despite differential effects on Cox-2 protein expression and on superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging. These data indicate that flavones may display similar antiinflammatory activity via different mechanisms.
Osteopontin, a Novel Substrate for Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 (Stromelysin-1) and Matrix Metalloproteinase-7 (Matrilysin)

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted phosphoprotein shown to function in wound healing, inflammation, and tumor progression. Expression of OPN is often co-localized with members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family. We report that OPN is a novel substrate for two MMPs, MMP-3 (stromelysin-1) and MMP-7 (matrilysin). Three cleavage sites were identified for MMP-3 in human OPN, and two of those sites were also cleaved by MMP-7. These include hydrolysis of the human Gly166-Leu167, Ala201-Tyr202 (MMP-3 only), and Asp210-Leu211 peptide bonds. Only the N-terminal Gly-Leu cleavage site is conserved in rat OPN (Gly151-Leu152). These sites are distinct from previously reported cleavage sites in OPN for the proteases thrombin or enterokinase. We found evidence for the predicted MMP cleavage fragments of OPN in vitro in tumor cell lines, and in vivo in remodeling tissues such as the postpartum uterus, where OPN and MMPs are co-expressed. Furthermore, cleavage of OPN by MMP-3 or MMP-7 potentiated the function of OPN as an adhesive and migratory stimulus in vitro through cell surface integrins. We predict that interaction of MMPs with OPN at tumor and wound healing sites in vivo may be a mechanism of regulation of OPN bioactivity.
Foramen magnum choroid plexus papilloma with drop metastases to the lumbar spine

We report the MR findings in an unusual case of a primary foramen magnum choroid plexus papilloma with drop metastases to the lumbar spine
A modeling approach to study the normal mammary gland growth process

Terminal end buds (TEBs) are bulb-like structures at the growing tips of elongating mammary ducts, and the growth of a TEB is a complex, organized biological process. In this paper, we present a hybrid continuum-discrete agent-based model to provide quantitative insight into the properties of cell symmetric and asymmetric division on the spatial and developing cell rearrangement within the TEB during ductal elongation. An interplay of endocrine-paracrine signaling and cell lineage has been implemented in the model. Our results show that higher symmetric division rates resulted in more progenitor cells remaining in the TEB, while lower rates resulted in more differentiated cells in the TEB. Moreover, pure proliferation alone was enough to result in ductal elongation in the absence of any cellular migration, a result consistent with current experimental data. This model can also serve as a platform to study how mutation-induced phenotypic changes contribute to developmental defects in mammary gland development.
Diel patterns of cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) egg and fecal deposition.

The quantity of eggs and feces deposited by replicate populations of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), from domestic house cats. Felis catus, were recorded at 1-h intervals over a 24-h period, in a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) (photophase, 0600-1800 hours [EST]). Egg production averaged 23.96 +/- 0.83 eggs per female per day and was greatest from 2400 to 0300 hours and lowest from 0700 to 0900 hours and from 1700 to 1900 hours. Daily fecal deposition was 0.77 +/- 0.03 mg feces per flea and did not vary significantly among hours. Flea eggs and adult feces were dropped continuously from infested cats, but significantly more eggs were shed at times of day when cats normally rest. More feces are concentrated in the small areas where cats rest than over the large areas they roam. Consequently, eggs and feces would not be deposited uniformly throughout the hosts home range, resulting in a clumped distribution of larval development sites at host resting areas.
Immunonephelometric Quantitation of Central Nervous System IgG Daily Synthesis in Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical Evaluation Using Predictive Value Theory

With a laser nephelometric immunoassay and an empirical formula for the quantitation of central nervous system (CNS) daily IgG synthesis, we studied prospectively a population of 101 individuals divided into four groups: 31 normals, 25 patients with definite multiple sclerosis (DMS), 18 patients with probable or possible multiple sclerosis (PMS), and 27 patients with neurologic disease other than multiple sclerosis (NMS). By the Kruskal-Wallis, test the results of the DMS and PMS patients were significantly different from the normals and NMS patients (P less than 0.0003). Considering normals, DMS, and NMS patients only, the sensitivity of the test was 96%, the specificity was 98%, the positive predictive value was 96%, the negative predictive value was 98%, and the efficiency was 98%. Based on our study data, we applied the predictive value theory to different hypothetical populations (our Neurology Ward, Northeastern U. S., and patients with optic neuritis and chronic progressive myelopathy). In all these situations, the test gave a diagnostic efficiency for multiple sclerosis greater than 95%.
Effects of Thyroparathyroidectomy on the Teeth of the Rat.

The effects observed by Erdheim1 and later by Toyofuku2 in the teeth of parathyroidectomized white rats led Erdheim to emphasize the relation of the parathyroids to calcium metabolism. The uncertainty as to the mode of action of the parathyroids caused us to undertake a similar study of the teeth of some thyroparathyroidectomized rats which had been produced for another purpose.The two rats whose teeth were studied were males and had been kept, like the others, on a standard diet of 60% cracked corn, 20% powdered milk, 16% powdered casein, 3% alfalfa meal, 0.5% sodium chloride, and 0.5% calcium carbonate. Both showed typical tetany after the operation, and both showed gross dental defects before death. Rat 1 had a brown line along the anterolateral edge of the right upper incisor when it died on the 29th day; rat 2 had suffered a spontaneous fracture of both lower incisors and marked elongation of the opposing upper incisors before it died on the 82nd day. Microphotographs, with detailed descriptions, of ...
Combustion Characteristics of a Natural Gas-Propane Composite Fuel

CFD modeling was used to study the combustion and emission characteristic of the natural gas/propane composite fuel in a non-premixed or diffusion flame mode. The propane/natural gas fuel mixture combines the merits of higher energy density of propane and cleaner combustion of natural gas, and therefore, is a promising solution to the current problem associated with storage, transportation, and volumetric density of natural gas. Laminar diffusion flame at a Reynolds number of 500 was investigated with various propane/natural gas composition ratios (5-50%). The temperature and Oxygen concentration fields were simulated numerically, and qualitative information about CO and NOx emissions was deduced. The results and analysis showed that the optimal composition ratio of propane in the natural gas-based mixture is about 35% (by volume).
Vaginal cuff dehiscence: risk factors and associated morbidities.

Background and objectives To evaluate whether the route and surgical technique by which hysterectomy is performed influence the incidence of vaginal cuff dehiscence. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of total hysterectomy cases performed at Brigham and Woman's Hospital or Faulkner Hospital during 2009 through 2011. Results During the study period, 2382 total hysterectomies were performed; 23 of these (0.96%) were diagnosed with cuff dehiscence, and 4 women had recurrent dehiscence. Both laparoscopic (odds ratio, 23.4; P = .007) and robotic (odds ratio, 73; P = .0006) hysterectomies were associated with increased odds of cuff dehiscence in a multivariate regression analysis. The type of energy used during colpotomy, mode of closure (hand sewn, laparoscopic suturing, or suturing assisted by a device), and suture material did not differ significantly between groups; however, continuous suturing of the cuff was a protective factor (odds ratio, 0.24; P = .03). Women with dehiscence had more extensive procedures, as well as an increased incidence of additional major postoperative complications (17.4% vs 3%, P = .004). Conclusion The rate of cuff dehiscence in our cohort correlates with the current literature. This study suggests that the risk of dehiscence is influenced mainly by the scope and complexity of the surgical procedure. It seems that different colpotomy techniques do not influence the rate of cuff dehiscence; however, continuous suturing of the cuff may be superior to interrupted suturing.
Negro News in the Daily Press: A Publicity Frame of Reference

CONTEMPORARY students of Negro-white relations in the United States frequently express the belief that more publicity in the white press would be advantageous to the Negro. Myrdal, after noting that the daily newspapers largely ignore the Negro, states: "To get publicity is of the highest strategic importance to the Negro people." Myrdal contends that the white Northerner succeeds in forgetting about the Negro most of the time, and that he does this partly with the help of his newspaper. "The Northern newspapers help him by minimizing all Negro news, except crime news."'
South Asian adolescents' experiences of acculturative stress and coping.

Despite the significant growth in the South Asian population in the United States over the past 2 decades, the experiences of South Asian adolescents have remained largely invisible. Guided by a socioecological perspective (American Psychological Association, 2012; Garcia Coll & Marks, 2012), this study examined South Asian adolescents' experiences of acculturative stress and approaches to coping with this stress across home and school contexts. A semistructured interview was completed by 16 participants (9 girls, 7 boys; ages 14-18 years) from different South Asian backgrounds, attending an urban public high school in the Northeastern part of the United States. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the interview data, and revealed 4 broad categories or domains related to participants' experiences as young South Asians in the U.S. These domains include the following: (a) Connection to family, community, and heritage; (b) Challenges to acculturation; (c) Stress accompanying the navigation across cultural contexts; and (d) Coping and resilience. Participants' narratives reflect acculturative stress experienced in home and school contexts which can inhibit psychological well-being and bicultural identity development. The findings have important implications for culturally informed research, intervention, and policy. (PsycINFO Database Record.
Improve Quality Assurance Standards Through a Computerized Patient Information System: The Next Generation in System Solutions

It is mandatory that as we attempt to deliver quality patient care we must look to the future for a revolutionary patient information system that not only improves the quality of care delivered but saves time to allow the doctors and nurses to do the one thing they love to do best; deliver care to their patients.
Simulated rock profiles for surface weathering estimation

The estimation of rock surface weathering, much like the estimation of shear strength of rock joints, is facilitated by the use of statistical methods on linear profiles. Unfortunately, a number of factors ranging from the size of the sampling interval used to the mathematics of the roughness index chosen can misrepresent the true roughness of a surface. A method is proposed to simulate rock profiles using a combination of generated signals and a Markov process for the purpose of studying and anticipating the effects of many variables on roughness estimates. The large-scale properties of rock are represented as sine waves, sawtooth waves, and a random Markov process and the small-scale properties are simulated with red noise. The generative parameters are varied to produce a corpus of simulated profiles, where sampling and measurement error is also simulated by lightly deflecting measurements with Gaussian-distributed noise. Using the simulated profiles, five different measures for roughness are compared and the results indicate that no one measure alone exhibits sensitivity to all generative parameters. The Fourier transform is applied to compare the frequency content of these simulated profiles to that of real limestone rock, providing some validation that the conclusions drawn from our simulated profiles also extend to profiles from real rock samples.
Is fear perception special? Evidence at the level of decision-making and subjective confidence

Fearful faces are believed to be prioritized in visual perception. However, it is unclear whether the processing of low-level facial features alone can facilitate such prioritization or whether higher-level mechanisms also contribute. We examined potential biases for fearful face perception at the levels of perceptual decision-making and perceptual confidence. We controlled for lower-level visual processing capacity by titrating luminance contrasts of backward masks, and the emotional intensity of fearful, angry and happy faces. Under these conditions, participants showed liberal biases in perceiving a fearful face, in both detection and discrimination tasks. This effect was stronger among individuals with reduced density in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region linked to perceptual decision-making. Moreover, participants reported higher confidence when they accurately perceived a fearful face, suggesting that fearful faces may have privileged access to consciousness. Together, the results suggest that mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex contribute to making fearful face perception special.
Two‐Step Synthetic Route toward Asymmetric and Symmetric Boron Dipyrromethenes: Synthesis, Optical Properties, and Electrochemistry

A two-step synthetic route toward BODIPY dyes is accomplished by reaction of the readily available naphtho[1,2-c]pyrrole with various aldehydes followed by coordination of BF2. Synthesis of the dipyrromethene is achieved by simply heating the pyrrole and aldehyde at moderate temperatures for less than 30 min. In addition to the absence of solvent this reaction does not require an acid catalyst or an oxidizing agent to achieve the dipyrromethene. Investigation of various aldehydes by this method suggests that the choice of aldehyde plays a role in the formation of either symmetric or asymmetric BODIPYs. The dyes have exceptionally high molar absorptivities (> 100000 m–1 cm–1) in the far visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum with intense emission and high quantum efficiency.
Formal reasoning of web application Firewall rules through ontological modeling

Web application Firewalls (WAF)s are security tools that protect web application from external attacks. They do so by applying a set of security policy rules on HTTP traffic generated and received by web applications. These policies Rules are in-fact the heart of WAFs which are unable to provide strong protection on their own without well-written policy rules. Unfortunately due to complexity of web application and increased sophistication of application level attacks the rule configuration and management for WAFs is an error prone and tedious task. This paper is an effort to explore the effectiveness of an Ontology based framework for modeling, configuring, querying and reasoning overWAF Firewall configurations.We have tested our framework on a leading open source web application firewalls known as ModSecurity. Our preliminary results show that our framework significantly improves configuration errors in the WAF ruleset that arise because of duplication and policy conflicts.
Finite Element Modeling of Ultrasonic Waves in Viscoelastic Media

Linear viscoelasticity theory offers a minimal framework within which to construct a consistent, linear and causal model of mechanical wave dispersion. The term dispersion is used here to imply temporal wave spreading and amplitude reduction due to absorptive material properties rather than due to geometrical wave spreading. Numerical modeling of wave propagation in absorptive media has been the subject of recent research in such areas as material property measurement [1] [2], seismology [3] [4] [5] and medical ultrasound [6] [7]. Previously, wave attenuation has been included in transient finite element formulations via a constant damping matrix [8] or functionally in terms of a power law relation [9]. The formulation presented here is based on representing the viscoelastic shear and bulk moduli of the medium as either a discrete or continuous spectrum of decaying exponentials [10]. As a first test of the correctness of the viscoelastic finite element formulation, the finite element results for a simple hypothetical medium are compared with an equivalent Laplace-Hankel transform domain solution.
Fathers Matter: Why It’s Time to Consider the Impact of Paternal Environmental Exposures on Children’s Health

Purpose Despite accumulating evidence from experimental animal studies showing that paternal environmental exposures induce genetic and epigenetic alterations in sperm which in turn increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in offspring, there is limited epidemiological data on the effects of human paternal preconception exposures on children’s health. We summarize animal and human studies showing that paternal preconception environmental exposures influence offspring health. We discuss specific approaches and designs for human studies to investigate the health effects of paternal preconception exposures, the specific challenges these studies may face, and how we might address them.
The Importance of Effective Communication: Some Food for Thought.

Having been active in the Society for Young Clinical Laboratorians (SYCL)2 for several years, the opportunity to give something back as a speaker at the SYLC Workshop preceding the 2016 AACC Annual Meeting was an honor. The SYCL workshop centered around the theme of communication and leadership, and I was asked to provide insight into effective communication with staff and trainees—a rare chance to reflect on the soft skills that we all use every day. These are the skills that some believe can't be taught. This may be true, but time spent on thoughtful contemplation of what we do and how we do it is usually time …
Testifying About Trauma: A Call for Science and Civility.

Traumatic events and their impact on the psyche often find their way into legal matters. It is the trauma, the wound to the body and mind, not the label of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that is the substance of the expert witness's message. Trauma is real, but not always measurable,
Pulmonary Monitoring Using Smartphones

Pulmonary assessment is widely employed by medical professionals and has become an important marker of health. It is used for screening, diagnostics, and management of chronic pulmonary diseases like asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, pulmonary assessment has mostly been restricted to self-report and routine monitoring at a physician’s office. Smartphones have disrupted this practice, enabling daily collection of self-reported symptoms and airway testing from a patient’s home. This chapter outlines how various markers of pulmonary health are collected from mobile phones. In particular, discussing the importance of disease specific monitoring and highlighting research studies that employ mobile phones for pulmonary data collection.
The Impact of Prenatal Yoga on Exercise Attitudes and Behavior: Teachable moments from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Objective: Pregnancy serves as an opportune time for “teachable moments” to elicit positive behavior change. We evaluated change in exercise perception, behavior and gestational weight gain in participants engaged in a one-hour educational experience. Methods: Women between 28 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks with no prior yoga experience carrying a non-anomalous singleton fetus participated in a randomized controlled trial on prenatal yoga. The yoga group engaged in a one-hour yoga class; the attention control educational group, in a one-hour presentation on exercise, nutrition and obesity in pregnancy. Maternal perception of yoga, exercise effects and current health status was conducted before and after the intervention. Gestational weight gain (GWG) and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. A postpartum survey was performed to determine self-reported behavioral changes during and after pregnancy. Results: Over 6 months, 52 women were randomized and 46 (88%) completed the study. Women reported a more positiv...