cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control of Flock Uniformity of Broiler Breeder Pullets Through Segregation According to Body Weight

Abstract Broiler breeder replacement stock was housed in six floor pens with 100 females and 15 males per pen. All birds were fed an 18% protein starter ration and grown under the same management conditions to 4 weeks of age. At 4 weeks, 300 females were weighed and divided into three groups consisting of the heaviest, middle, and lightest birds. These three groups were designated the treatment flock and were fed 13%, 15%, and 17% protein rations, respectively. The remaining 300 pullets were divided according to body weight in the same manner and fed a 15% protein ration throughout the growing period. These birds were designated as the control flock. Both flocks were fed according to a skip-a-day regimen and provided with 12 hr of light. At 8, 12, and 16 weeks, both flocks were weighed, rearranged according to body weight, and fed the ration appropriate as outlined above. The average body weight of the two flocks at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks did not differ from each other by more than 44 g. Both flocks averaged 2.4 kg at 20 weeks of age. The treatment flock exhibited higher degrees of uniformity than the control flock from 8 to 20 weeks of age. The difference in uniformity was attributed to the feeding of a high protein diet to the light birds and a low protein diet to the heavy birds. It was concluded that the method of segregating broiler breeder pullets according to body weight as a part of a restricted feeding program can result in a more uniform flock at 20 weeks of age.
Characterization of the Auto-inhibitory Sequence within the N-terminal Domain of Importin α

Protein cargoes that contain a classic nuclear localization signal (NLS) are transported into the nucleus through binding to a heterodimeric receptor comprised of importin/karyopherin alpha and beta. An evolutionarily conserved auto-inhibitory sequence within the N-terminal importin beta binding (IBB) domain of importin alpha regulates NLS-cargo binding to the NLS binding pocket on importin alpha. In this study, we have used site-directed mutagenesis coupled with in vitro binding assays and in vivo analyses to investigate the intramolecular interaction of the N-terminal IBB domain and the NLS binding pocket of Saccharomyces cerevisiae importin alpha, Srp1p. We find that mutations within the IBB domain that decrease the binding affinity of the auto-inhibitory sequence for the NLS binding pocket impact importin alpha function in vivo. In addition, the severity of the in vivo phenotype is directly correlated to the reduction of auto-inhibition measured in vitro, suggesting that the in vivo phenotypes are directly related to the loss of auto-inhibitory function. We exploit a conditional auto-inhibitory mutant, srp1-55, to study the in vivo functional overlap between the N-terminal IBB domain of importin alpha and other factors implicated in NLS-cargo release, Cse1p and Nup2p. We propose that the N-terminal IBB domain of importin alpha and Cse1p function together in NLS-cargo release, whereas Nup2p contributes to cargo release/importin alpha recycling through a distinct mechanism.
Steroid hormones acutely regulate expression of a Nudix protein-encoding gene in the endometrial epithelium of sheep.

Steroid hormones regulate endometrial gene expression to meet the needs of developing embryos. Our hypothesis is that steroid hormones transiently induce expression of genes in the endometrial epithelium to make the uterine environment different between the earliest days of pregnancy. We identified one such gene product using differential display-polymerase chain reactions. The gene product that was strongly induced in ewes between day 3 and 6 of the estrous cycle was cloned and sequenced to identify it as encoding a member of the Nudix family of hydrolase enzymes. Northern blot analyses indicated that NUDT16 mRNA concentrations were elevated 10-fold in the endometrium of sheep from day 5 to 9 of the estrous cycle and returned to basal levels by day 11. In assays of RNA samples from 15 different tissues from an adult ewe, the concentrations of NUDT16 mRNA were greatest in endometrium. In situ hybridization localized NUDT16 mRNA exclusively to the endometrial epithelial cells of the glands and uterine lumen. In ovariectomized ewes, NUDT16 mRNA was induced by a regimen of alternating estrogen and progesterone therapy designed to mimic the hormonal experiences of a ewe at day 6 of the estrous cycle. The final estrogen treatment in the regimen was critical to the expression of NUDT16 as well as progesterone receptor and estrogen receptor-β genes. Characterization of the NUDT16 gene identified putative steroid hormone response elements, which can now be investigated to understand its unique pattern of regulation in the earliest days of pregnancy. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 967–976, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Accurate anchoring alignment of divergent sequences

Motivation: Obtaining high quality alignments of divergent homologous sequences for cross-species sequence comparison remains a challenge. Results: We propose a novel pairwise sequence alignment algorithm, ACANA (ACcurate ANchoring Alignment), for aligning biological sequences at both local and global levels. Like many fast heuristic methods, ACANA uses an anchoring strategy. However, unlike others, ACANA uses a Smith--Waterman-like dynamic programming algorithm to recursively identify near-optimal regions as anchors for a global alignment. Performance evaluations using a simulated benchmark dataset and real promoter sequences suggest that ACANA is accurate and consistent, especially for divergent sequences. Specifically, we use a simulated benchmark dataset to show that ACANA has the highest sensitivity to align constrained functional sites compared to BLASTZ, CHAOS and DIALIGN for local alignment and compared to AVID, ClustalW, DIALIGN and LAGAN for global alignment. Applied to 6007 pairs of human-mouse orthologous promoter sequences, ACANA identified the largest number of conserved regions (defined as over 70% identity over 100 bp) compared to AVID, ClustalW, DIALIGN and LAGAN. In addition, the average length of conserved region identified by ACANA was the longest. Thus, we suggest that ACANA is a useful tool for identifying functional elements in cross-species sequence analysis, such as predicting transcription factor binding sites in non-coding DNA. Availability: ACANA software and test sequence data are publicly available at http://BioMedEmpire.org/ Supplementary information: Supplementary materials are available at Bioinformatics online. Contact: li3@niehs.nih.gov
Stereospecific cleavage of carbon‐phosphorus bonds: Stereochemical course of the phosphinoyl curtius (harger) reaction

The homochiral phosphinic azides (R,R)-1 and (S,S)-1 were prepared in enantiomerically pure form by resolution of diastereomeric phosphinamides derived from (S)-l-phenylethylamine and (R)-phenylglycine. Irradiation of the azides in methanol induced a photo-Curtius rearrangement to phosphonamidates in which the stereogenic carbon unit migrated to a nitrogen atom. Hydrolysis of the phosphonamidates produced 1-phenylethylamine, which was 99.0% e.e. and of the same configuration as the carbon unit in the starting azide (99.0% retention). Chirality 14:241–257, 2002.© 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Understanding Adolescent Caffeine Use: Connecting Use Patterns With Expectancies, Reasons, and Sleep

Little is known about adolescents' caffeine use, yet caffeinated soda, and more recently coffee and energy drinks, are part of youth culture. This study examines adolescents' caffeine use and, using cluster analysis, identifies three groups of caffeine users who differed in their reasons for use, expectancies, and sleep behaviors. In this high school student sample (N = 197), 95% of participants reported recent caffeine use-most often soda-where typical first use of the day was in the evening. Results reveal that adolescents in the mixed use and high soda use groups consumed similar amounts of soda, reporting significantly more use than the low caffeine use group. In contrast with high soda users, mixed users drank more coffee, expected more dependence symptoms and energy enhancement from caffeine, and were more likely to report getting up early, daytime sleepiness, and using caffeine to get through the day.
Vision Aided Stabilization and the Development of a Quad-Rotor Micro UAV

Micro Unmanned Air Vehicles are well suited for a wide variety of applications in agriculture, homeland security, military, search and rescue, and surveillance. In response to these opportunities, a quad-rotor micro UAV has been developed at the Robotic Vision Lab at Brigham Young University. The quad-rotor UAV uses a custom, low-power FPGA platform to perform computationally intensive vision processing tasks on board the vehicle, eliminating the need for wireless tethers and computational support on ground stations. Drift stabilization of the UAV has been implemented using Harris feature detection and template matching running in real-time in hardware on the on-board FPGA platform, allowing the quad-rotor to maintain a stable and almost drift-free hover without human intervention.
South China Sea Wave Characteristics during Typhoon Muifa Passage in Winter 2004

The responses to tropical cyclones of ocean wave characteristics in deep water of the western Atlantic Ocean have been investigated extensively, but not the regional seas in the western Pacific such as the South China Sea (SCS), due to a lack of observational and modeling studies there. Since monsoon winds prevail in the SCS but not in the western Atlantic Ocean, the SCS is unique for investigating wave characteristics during a typhoon’s passage in conjunction with steady monsoon wind forcing. To do so, the Wavewatch-III (WW3) is used to study the response of the SCS to Typhoon Muifa (2004), which passed over not only deep water but also the shallow shelf of the SCS. The WW3 model is forced by the NASA QuikSCAT winds and tropical cyclone wind profile model during Typhoon Muifa’s passage from 0000UTC 16 on November to 1200UTC on 25 November 2004. The results reveal the unique features of the SCS wave characteristics in response to Muifa, such as non-decaying, monsoon-generated swell throughout the typhoon period and strong topographic effects on the directional wave spectrum.
An AlGaAs/InGaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) for X- and Ku-band power applications

A PHEMT with record-high output power, gain and power-added efficiency at 10 and 18 GHz has been achieved due to the use of a novel method to improve the gate-drain reverse breakdown voltage. A critical surface problem was uncovered and resolved. Silicon nitride was deposited as surface passivation. The results of this work suggest that, in addition to superior low-noise performance, the PHEMT is also very promising for high-performance, power amplications in the X- to Ku-band frequency range. >
Using an unplanned experiment to evaluate the effects of hatcheries and environmental variation on threatened populations of wild salmon

Efforts to conserve depleted populations of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) often rely on hatchery programs to offset losses of fish from natural and anthropogenic causes, but their use has been contentious. We examined the impact of a large-scale reduction in hatchery stocking on 15 populations of wild coho salmon along the coast of Oregon (USA). Our analyses highlight four critical factors influencing the productivity of these populations: (1) negative density-dependent effects of hatchery-origin spawners were �5 times greater than those of wild spawners; (2) the productivity of wild salmon decreased as releases of hatchery juveniles increased; (3) salmon production was positively related to an index of freshwater habitat quality; and (4) ocean conditions strongly affect productivity at large spatial scales, potentially masking more localized drivers. These results suggest that hatchery programs’ unintended negative effects on wild salmon populations, and their role in salmon recovery, should be considered in the context of other ecological drivers. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Ocean acidification accelerates dissolution of experimental coral reef communities

Abstract. Ocean acidification (OA) poses a severe threat to tropical coral reefs, yet much of what is know about these effects comes from individual corals and algae incubated in isolation under high pCO2. Studies of similar effects on coral reef communities are scarce. To investigate the response of coral reef communities to OA, we used large outdoor flumes in which communities composed of calcified algae, corals, and sediment were combined to match the percentage cover of benthic communities in the shallow back reef of Moorea, French Polynesia. Reef communities in the flumes were exposed to ambient (~ 400 μatm) and high pCO2 (~ 1300 μatm) for 8 weeks, and calcification rates measured for the constructed communities including the sediments. Community calcification was reduced by 59% under high pCO2, with sediment dissolution explaining ~ 50% of this decrease; net calcification of corals and calcified algae remained positive but was reduced by 29% under elevated pCO2. These results show that, despite the capacity of coral reef calcifiers to maintain positive net accretion of calcium carbonate under OA conditions, reef communities might transition to net dissolution as pCO2 increases, particularly at night, due to enhanced sediment dissolution.
Dobutamine Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Results Predict Cardiac Prognosis in Women With Known or Suspected Ischemic Heart Disease

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic utility of dobutamine cardiac magnetic resonance (DCMR) stress test results in women. Background To date, the preponderance of studies reporting the utility of DCMR stress results for predicting cardiac prognosis have been performed in men. We sought to determine the utility of DCMR results for predicting cardiac prognosis in women. Methods Two hundred sixty-six consecutively referred women underwent DCMR in which left ventricular wall motion (LVWM) was assessed at rest and after intravenous dobutamine and atropine. Inducible LVWM abnormalities were identified during testing. Women were contacted to determine the post-DCMR occurrence of a cardiac event. All events were substantiated according to defined criteria and then were verified after a thorough medical record review by individuals blinded to testing data. Results Women were contacted an average of 6.2 ± 1.6 (median 6.2, range 0.8 to 10.4) years after DCMR; 27% of the women experienced an inducible LVWM abnormality during testing. In those with and without inducible LVWM abnormalities, the proportion of women with cardiac events were 63% versus 30%, respectively, (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8 to 4.3 for the presence of inducible LVWM abnormalities p Conclusions Inducible LVWM abnormalities during DCMR predict cardiac death and MI in women. Similar to men, these results indicate that DCMR is a valuable noninvasive stress imaging modality for identifying cardiac risk in women with known or suspected ischemic heart disease.
Degradation of optoelectronic properties of semiconductors by biofluids and mitigation by polymer overlayers

We are investigating optoelectronic properties of integrated structures comprising semiconductor light-emitting materials for optical probes of microscopic biological systems. Compound semiconductors are nearly ideal light emitters for probing cells and other microorganisms because of their spectral match to the transparency wavelengths of biomolecules. Unfortunately, the chemical composition of these materials is incompatible with the biochemistry of cells and related biofluids. To overcome these limitations, we are investigating functionalized semiconductor surfaces and structures to simultaneously enhance light emission and flow of biological fluids in semiconductor micro cavities. We have identified several important materials problems associated with the semiconductor/biosystem interface. One is the biofluid degradation of electroluminescence by ionic diffusion into compound semiconductors. Ions that diffuse into the active region of a semiconductor light emitter can create point defects that degrade the quantum efficiency of the radiative recombination process. This paper discusses ways of mitigating these problems using materials design and surface chemistry.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Data Security: Introduction and Motivation

In the last few years, the amount of information stored in electronic media has increased significantly. Information which is stored in some medium is usually called data. An important aspect of the storage of information is the way in which access is performed; this is commonly called information retrieval. Here, practically always some knowledge is required in order to be able to access the information. This knowledge can come in many different forms. For example, in order to be able to withdraw money from an automated teller, a certain code must be sup­plied. This code is assigned to the account holder personally and is to be kept confidential. It should be noted that this is indeed an example of limiting access to information, as it is the stored information (“How much money is left in the account?”) which is ultimately translated into more tangible resources (i.e., bank notes). Of crucial importance is the requirement that without this knowledge the stored information cannot be accessed. Clearly, it would be highly undesirable if someone other than the account holder, i.e., someone who does not know the code, could withdraw money from the account. Since this vital knowledge is deliberately hidden, presumably by the owner of the resource, access becomes impossible for anybody but the original owner. Thus the re­source is protected, the information is secret.
Assay of Lipoprotein Lipase in Postheparin Plasma after Suppression of the Hepatic Triglyceride Lipase with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), released by heparin into the circulating blood, is thought to originate from the capillary endothelium of a variety of tissues, including muscle and adipose tissue (1). Much evidence suggests that this enzyme is of primary importance in the degradation and removal of triglyceride from plasma chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins (2–4). Assay of LPL in postheparin plasma has been complicated by the presence of a second triglyceride lipase which is of hepatic origin (5–7). The function of this hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) in triglyceride clearance has not been elucidated, though it is possible that it plays a role in the removal of partially degradated lipoproteins following LPL action.
Chain Folding and the Location of the Amorphous Component in Poly(Trans 1,4 Butadiene) Single Crystals

The preparation of uniform monolayer crystals of poly (transit -1, 4 butadiene)-PTBD-crystals by a “minimum dissolution” temperature techniques is described. Epoxidation in benzene suspension of PTBD crystals grown from various solvents shows that the fraction of double bonds available for reaction varies with the growth solvent and polymer molecular weight. The number of monomer units per chain fold is calculated from the epoxidation results, the chain repeat distance and the crystal thickness and is found to depend upon the growth solvent. Infrared spectra, differential scanning calorimetry and broad-line n.m.r. spectra show that the total amorphous fraction in PTBD crystals grown from some media substantially exceeds the fraction of material at the crystal surfaces available for epoxidation. The results of preliminary solvent dissolution studies are also reported.
COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN THE STANFORD FIVE-CITY PROJECT METHODS AND INITIAL EXPERIENCE

The Stanford Five-City Project is a long-term field evaluation of the effects of community health education on cardiovascular disease risk factors and event rates. One major end point of the project is the difference between treatment and control group trends in morbidity and mortality rates ascertained through community-wide surveillance of deaths and hospital discharges. This surveillance system includes continuous review of death certificates and hospital discharge records, interviews with the families and physicians of decedents who died outside the hospital, abstraction of the hospital records of possible myocardial infarction and stroke cases (fatal and nonfatal), and systematic validation of diagnosis by the use of standard criteria. Initial experience with information access, availability of diagnostic information, costs, and reliability are described. This standardized approach to community surveillance of cardiovascular disease events rates, both fatal and nonfatal, is a feasible method for evaluating large-scale intervention programs and may be applicable to monitoring secular trends in the absence of intervention.
Oxygen reduction reaction: A framework for success

Oxygen reduction at the cathode of fuel cells typically requires a platinum-based material to catalyse the reaction, but lower-cost, more stable catalysts are sought. Now, an intrinsically conductive metal–organic framework based on cheaper elements is shown to be a durable, structurally well-defined catalyst for this reaction.
Analysis of the surveillance data on host animals in the national monitoring sites of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Hebei province

Objective To get an insight into the composition, distribution and HV-carrying condition of host animals in the national monitoring sites of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Hebei province, providing scientific evidence for the prevention and control of the epidemic. Methods Investigations of host animals were carried out in spring and autumn, respectively, in the four national monitoring sites, with the trap-night method used for the detection of the density of rats and immunofluorescence technique for that of the pulmonary virus antigen of the pests. Results It was found that from 2005 to 2009 the density of rats in the populated area in the monitoring sites fluctuated between 0.63% and 2.50%, and the density of rats in the open country between 0.37% to 0.71%, with a higher density of the pests in the populated area than in the open country (χ2=177.05, P0.01). The virus-carrying rate of rats in the populated area was 1.76% with the rate being 0.84% in the field. In terms of the composition of the host animals, Rattus norvegicus was the dominant host (77.39%), followed by Tscherskia triton (12.42%) and Mus musculus (8.70%). In the 12 positive rodents, 10 were R. norvegicus (83.33%), 1 was M. musculus (8.33%), 1 was T. triton(8.33%). Conclusion R. norvegicus is the main host animal and source of infection in Hebei province, playing an important role in the transmission of HFRS. Both the density of rats and the Hantavirus-carrying rate were low, indicating that it is less likely for HFRS to have an outbreak in Hebei province.
4 PARATHYROIDECTOMY PREVENTS CALCIUM LOADING AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN RATS WITH ALDOSTERONISM.

Purpose Congestive heart failure (CHF) is accompanied by a systemic illness that includes oxidative stress in diverse tissues and bone wasting. To simulate one aspect of the neurohormonal activation seen in the CHF syndrome, aldosterone (ALDO, 0.75 μg/h) is administered by implanted minipump to uninephrectomized rats to raise plasma ALDO levels to those found in human CHF. Aldosteronism is associated with hypercalciuria, hypermagnesuria, and fecal loss of these divalent cations; each contribute to a fall in plasma-ionized [Ca2+ ]o and [Mg2+ ]o. Despite these losses of Ca2+ and a decline in its extracellular concentration, total intracellular and cytosolic-free [Ca2+ ]i are increased, together with an induction of oxidative stress. This includes peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), heart, and skeletal muscle. The resulting elevation in plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) and reduction in bone mineral density seen with ALDO/1% NaCl treatment (ALDOST) led us to hypothesize that Ca2+ loading and altered redox state are due to secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). Methods Accordingly, in rats receiving ALDOST, without or with a Ca2+ -supplemented diet and/or parathyroidectomy (PTx), we monitored urinary Ca2+ and Mg2+ excretion; plasma [Ca2+ ]o, [Mg2+ ]o and PTH; PBMC [Ca2+ ]i and H2O2 production, and plasma a1-antiproteinase activity, an inverse correlate of oxidative stress; total Ca2+ and Mg2+ in bone, myocardium, and rectus femoris; and gp91phox labeling in the heart as a marker of NADPH oxidase activation. Results We found the hypercalciuria, hypermagnesuria, and decline (p Conclusions Aldosteronism is accompanied by SHPT with PTH-mediated Ca2+ overload of PBMC, heart, and skeletal muscle leading to the induction of oxidative stress. SHPT plays a permissive role in the genesis of the proinflammatory vascular phenotype in aldosteronism.
The critical care management of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding is a common and potentially lethal medical emergency. Some signs indicate that a decline in mortality from acute UGI bleeding has been occurring over the past 10 years. It is likely that improved endoscopic therapies, the wider availability and increased sophistication of intensive care units, and better-trained personnel have been responsible for the improvement.
Sweetened beverage consumption is a risk factor for depressive symptoms among adolescents living in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Objective To investigate the relationship between sweetened beverage consumption and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Design In a cross-sectional study, adolescents were asked how often they drank soda and fruit drinks in the past 7 d. Depressive symptoms were measured using a brief adapted version of the Modified Depression Scale. Summation scores were standardized using the Z-transformation. We used multilevel multiple linear regression models to estimate the association between soda and fruit drink consumption and depressive symptoms. Setting The 2008 Boston Youth Survey. Subjects Adolescents (n 1878), high-school students in grades 9-12 of Boston public schools, Massachusetts, USA. Results Compared with those who never drank soda in the past 7 d, those who consumed soda 2-6 times/week (β=0·18; 95 % CI 0·04, 0·32) or ≥1 times/d (β=0·29; 95 % CI 0·13, 0·45) had higher depressive symptoms. Similarly, those who consumed fruit drinks 2-6 times/week (β=0·14; 95 % CI 0·00, 0·28) and those who consumed ≥1 times/d (β=0·22; 95 % CI 0·04, 0·40) had higher depressive symptoms. Conclusions Frequent consumption of both soda and fruit drinks is associated with greater depressive symptoms among adolescents.
Pixels or Pixie Dust? Grading of mitral regurgitation using intensity analysis of continuous wave Doppler

Accurate quantification of mitral regurgitation (MR) plays a critical role in clinical decision making for mitral valve disease. Doppler echocardiography has emerged as the primary method used to quantitate mitral regurgitation in clinical practice but remains challenging. Current recommendations integrate multiple Doppler-derived parameters to determine MR degree,1 mainly colour-flow jet area, vena contracta (VC) width and effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA). As is well known, each colour Doppler parameter has limitations based on technical issues or inaccurate geometric assumptions. Colour-flow jet area is semi-quantitative, while VC width reflects orifice size, not MR regurgitant volume. There are well-known limitations of these variables including sensitivity to load, gain settings (jet area) and narrow measurement range (VC). EROA is a quantitative measure that is calculated using geometric assumptions based on the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method. The MR regurgitant volume is calculated by multiplying the EROA by the time velocity integral. Although in theory EROA calculated using the PISA method provides an accurate quantification of MR flow and volume, in practice EROA is technically challenging with varying reproducibility, which has limited widespread adoption in clinical practice. Importantly, none of these …
Speech Production Characteristics of the Hearing Impaired

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses speech production characteristics of the hearing impaired. It focuses on language skills only in those instances where there is no clear-cut separation between language and speech. One of the most devastating effects of congenital hearing loss is that normal development of speech is often disrupted. Production of non-articulatory aspects or suprasegmentals also contributes to the overall patterns of speech production in the hearing impaired. Perhaps of all the speech production errors characteristic of the severely and profoundly hearing impaired, the area that has received the greatest attention is that involving the articulation of consonants, vowels, and diphthongs. The chapter also discusses characteristics such as timing, intonation, and stress assignments of non-articulatory patterns in the speech of severely and profoundly hearing-impaired speakers. The majority of information available on the speech of hard-of-hearing children involves analyses of articulatory skills. Although profoundly hearing-impaired children produce more segmental errors than hard-of-hearing children, the relative proportion of errors for each error type is similar for both groups of children.
Three-dimensional simulations of backflows from ion thruster plumes using unstructured grid refinement

Ion thruster plumes are simulated under a framework that was recently developed to take advantage of the large scalability of unstructured grids using adaptive mesh refinement. Momentum and charge-exchange collisions occurring between neutral and ion species, as well as the induced electric field due to ions, have been performed using multiple adaptive mesh refinement meshes to study the backflow of an ion thruster to a spacecraft surface. Furthermore, the ions and neutral species are directly coupled, which is found to have a 15% effect on the neutral species velocity profiles. The backflow for ions is found to occur when charge-exchange and momentum-exchange collisions are present, and then it is strongly enhanced when the induced electric field is considered. The ion energy distributions in the backflow region are obtained, and it is found that the inclusion of the electric field modeling is the most important factor in determining its shape. The plume backflow structure is also examined for a triple-t...
Unwrapping the Thick Coat of Armor: A Conversation With Susan Albrecht:

Susan Albrecht’s career has spanned more than 40 years. During those years she has served as an English teacher, school psychologist, behavior consultant, coordinator of services, and special education faulty member. Her contributions to the field include leadership positions with the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. Susan shared her reflections on her career and her view on the challenges facing the field in the future.
Resistance Sintering Under Pressure

Resistance sintering under pressure is a method of hot pressing in which a powder compact is subjected to pressure and simultaneously heated by passing a low voltage high amperage current through it. Equipment for this process is described. Its basic characteristics such as resistance requirements for powders and compacts, temperature distribution in compacts, and gas reactions during resistance sintering are discussed. Examples of the sintering process in compacts made of a single metal or an alloy powder and in compacts made of mixtures of powders are presented. Potential commercial applications of the process are evaluated.
Jailing polymer jacketed guide-wires during bifurcation coronary interventions is associated with procedural myocardial infarction

Jailing polymer jacketed guide-wires during bifurcation coronary interventions is associated with procedural myocardial infarction
Statistical learning for inference between implementations and documentation

API documentation is useful for developers to better understand how to correctly use the libraries. However, not all libraries provide good documentation on API usages. To provide better documentation, existing techniques have been proposed including program analysis-based and data mining-based approaches. In this work, instead of mining, we aim to generate behavioral exception documentation for any given code. We treat the problem of automatically generating documentation from a novel perspective: statistical machine translation (SMT). We consider the documentation and source code for an API method as the two abstraction levels of the same intention. We use SMT to translate documentation from source code and vice versa. Our preliminary results show that the direction of statistical learning for inference between implementations and documentation is very promising.
Born of fire: In search of volcanoes in U.S. national parks, four striking examples

ABSTRACT Geologic features, particularly volcanic features, have been protected by the National Park Service since its inception. Some volcanic areas were nationally protected even before the National Park Service was established. The first national park, Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most widely known geothermal and volcanic areas in the world. It contains the largest volcanic complex in North America and has experienced three eruptions which rate among the largest eruptions known to have occurred on Earth. Half of the twelve areas established as national parks before the 1916 Organic Act which created the National Park Service are centered on volcanic features. The National Park Service now manages lands that contain nearly every conceivable volcanic resource, with at least seventy-six managed lands that contain volcanoes or volcanic rocks. Given that so many lands managed by the National Park Service contain volcanoes and volcanic rocks, we cannot give an overview of the history of each one;...
Training trends: Macro, micro, and policy issues.

Abstract The scope of the training enterprise is vast, the field is dynamic, and multi-level issues confront training researchers. After identifying three “mega trends” – globalization, technology, and demographic changes - this paper reviews training trends at the macro level, the micro level, and emerging policy issues and links each one to the mega trends. The macro-level trends - increasing demands for personal and professional development by job seekers and employees, the effects of digital technology on work, structural changes in labor markets, increasing training opportunities for non-standard workers, and training as an important aspect of an employer's brand - reflect broad trends in the economy. Micro-level trends - better understanding of requirements for effective learning; use of short, digital lessons; and options for optimizing learning and preventing skill and knowledge decay - each focus on improving the quality of training. Policy issues - training needs in small and medium-sized enterprises, the need for “middle skills”, and vocational education - raise vexing issues for all stakeholders. Together, macro, micro, and policy issues reflect ongoing challenges for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers everywhere.
Proteomics of viruses

Publisher Summary Proteomics is a promising approach for the study of viruses allowing a better understanding of disease processes and the development of new biomarkers for diagnosis and early detection of disease, thus accelerating drug development. Viral proteomics has included the analysis of viral particles to determine all proteins that compose the infectious virus, the examination of cellular proteins associated with a single viral protein in the hopes of determining all the functions of that viral protein, or the determination of cellular proteins induced or altered during a particular disease state. Viral particles of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV-8) have been recently examined. During the herpesviral replicative cycle, different viral particles are formed. For HCMV, this includes mature, infectious virions, noninfectious enveloped particles, and dense bodies. A proteome database of B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), before and after transformation, has been developed to identify the cellular mechanisms of virus-induced immortalization. 2DE is used to first separate proteins based on their relative charge (pI) and then based on their molecular weight. Proteomic analysis has provided a unique tool for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers, evaluation of disease progression, and drug development. It is also an important approach for clinical diagnostics.
Palladium Oxidative Addition Complexes for Peptide and Protein Cross-linking.

A new method for cysteine–lysine cross-linking in peptides and proteins using palladium oxidative addition complexes is presented. First, a biarylphosphine-supported palladium reagent is used to transfer an aryl group bearing an O-phenyl carbamate substituent to a cysteine residue. Next, this carbamate undergoes chemoselective acyl substitution by a proximal lysine to form a cross-link. The linkage so formed is stable toward acid, base, oxygen, and external thiol nucleophiles. This method was applied to cross-link cysteine with nearby lysines in sortase A*. Furthermore, we used this method for the intermolecular cross-linking between a peptide and a protein based on the p53-MDM2 interaction. These studies demonstrate the potential for palladium-mediated methods to serve as a platform for the development of future cross-linking techniques for peptides and proteins with natural amino acid residues.
Resolution, Precision, and Entropy as Binning Problem in Mass Spectrometry

The analysis mass spectra is dependent on the initial resolution and precision estimation. The novel method of relative entropy, combines the detection of the false precision, statistical binning problem, and the change of information content into one task. The methodological approach as well as relevant objectives are discussed in the first two parts of the work, including mathematical justification. The method of relative entropy has comparable results to the false precision detection, however using different approach. The binning problem solution is estimated via maximization of the relative entropy as a criterion parameter for objective magnitude rounding. The approach is verified on the real high resolution measurements with known presence of false precision. The method could be generalized for wider spectrum of data binnig/precision tasks.
Axillary Surgery for Early-Stage, Node-Positive Mastectomy Patients and the Use of Postmastectomy Chest Wall Radiation Therapy

We examined axillary surgery in mastectomy patients with tumor-positive nodes and how the type of axillary surgery impacted use of postmastectomy chest wall radiation therapy (PMRT). Using the National Cancer Data Base, we selected patients with AJCC cT1/T2c N0 breast cancer with one to three tumor-positive lymph nodes treated between 2013 and 2014. Type of axillary surgery was analyzed using the FORDS scope of regional lymph node surgery variable. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to identify independent predictors associated with SNB alone and the use of PMRT. Of 8089 patients, 2482 (30.7%) underwent SNB alone, 1339 (16.6%) underwent axillary dissection (ALND) alone, and 4268 (52.7%) underwent SNB followed by ALND. Fifty-seven percent of patients with micrometastases underwent SNB alone compared with 22.6% of patients with macrometastases. Independent predictors of SNB alone for patients with micrometastases were African American race, number of nodes positive, and PMRT. For patients with macrometastases, age, facility type and location, and PMRT were independent predictors for SNB alone. Of 2449 patients who underwent SNB alone, 1538 (62.8%) had no PMRT, 261 (10.7%) had PMRT alone, and 650 (26.5%) had PMRT with regional nodal irradiation. Patients undergoing SNB alone were 1.70 times [96% confidence interval (CI) 1.45–2.00] more likely to undergo PMRT than upfront ALND and 1.51 times (96% CI 1.34–1.71) more likely than SNB followed by ALND. Surgeons are omitting completion ALND in a third of early-stage, node-positive mastectomy patients. SNB alone patients are more likely to undergo PMRT than patients undergoing ALND.
A fast and effective lookahead and fractional search based scheduling algorithm for high-level synthesis

We present a latency-constrained iterative list scheduling type algorithm, FALLS, to minimize the total number of functional units (FUs) allocated, and thus the total area, in high-level synthesis designs. The algorithm incorporates a novel lookahead technique to selectively schedule available operations by allocating the needed FUs earlier or reserving available FUs for scheduling more timing-urgent operations later, such that no additional FU is needed and higher FU utilization is obtained. Further, a fractional search framework is developed to iteratively estimate the number of FUs of each function type required in the final design based on the current scheduling solution and FU utilization, and reiterate the lookahead-based list scheduling with the new FU allocation estimate to further increase FU utilization. Extensive experiments conducted over several DFGs and a wide range of latency constraints demonstrate that FALLS is much more effective than other approximate state-of-the-art algorithms in both number of FUs and total FU area, and has a much smaller runtime. Results also show that FALLS has only an average 5.5% optimality gap compared to an optimal integer linear programming (ILP) formulation, but is 278k times faster. FALLS also performs much better in architectural (FU + mux/demux + register) area, interconnect congestion and number of interconnects than approximate algorithms, and is at most 4.0% worse in them than the ILP method.
Abstract Algebra, By I. N. Herstein

(1987). Abstract Algebra, By I. N. Herstein. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 94, No. 8, pp. 804-806.
Recent Instrumental Developments on Endor Spectroscopy

When someone wants to build a continuous-wave ENDOR spectrometer, it is usually sufficient to add to a standard ESR spectrometer some ancillary external electronic components. The most important of these external components is the radio-frequency (r.f.) power amplifier which must allow a high r.f. current to flow in the “loop” irradiating the sample inside the microwave cavity. The microwave cavity is the main point in an ENDOR spectrometer. It must be decided if a standard rectangular (TE102) or cylindrical (TE011) cavity is to be used or if one wants to develop a special cavity working in a different mode (for instance TM110). The choice between these two possibilities is conditioned by the conformation of the loop which generates the r.f. magnetic field BE on the sample and by the proper orientation of BE with respect to the static magnetic field B0 and to the microwave field. In fact the BE field has to be orthogonal to B0 and it can be indifferently orthogonal or parallel to the microwave field in order to excite the allowed ENDOR transitions (Amj = ±1). The loop generating the ENDOR field B0 can be 1) a true multi-turn r.f. coil or 2) a single-turn r.f. coil which can be built by metallic rods or strips. In both cases all the metallic parts of the loop must be orthogonal to the electric component of the microwave field in order to reduce to a minimum the coupling between them, if the Q factor of the cavity is to be saved.
Spin-glass behavior of semiconducting K x Fe 2 − y S 2

We report the discovery of ${\mathrm{K}}_{x}$Fe${}_{2\ensuremath{-}y}$S${}_{2}$ single crystals, isostructural to ${\mathrm{K}}_{x}$Fe${}_{2\ensuremath{-}y}$Se${}_{2}$ superconductors. The sulfide compound is a small gap semiconductor and shows spin-glass behavior below 32 K. Our results indicate that stoichiometry, defects, and the local environment of FeCh ($\text{Ch}=\text{S},\text{Se}$) tetrahedra have important effects on the physical properties of isostructural and isoelectronic ${\mathrm{K}}_{x}$Fe${}_{2\ensuremath{-}y}$Ch${}_{2}$ compounds.
The Influence of Severe Malnutrition in Infancy on the Intelligence of Children at School Age: An Ecological Perspective

The rationale for including a chapter on malnutrition in a book dealing with brain dysfunction is that severe malnutrition in infancy may cause central nervous system damage which leads to permanent intellectual impairment The insertion of the word “may” in the preceding sentence is necessary because widely different interpretations have been made of the results of malnutrition studies. Two summaries by reviewers illustrate these differences.
Correlating regional emergency epistaxis visits with internet search activity

Abstract Purpose To investigate the correlation between internet search activity and epistaxis-related Emergency Department visits. Materials and methods Data from Google Trends were obtained ( www.google.com/trends ) for the search term “nosebleed” in Erie County, Pennsylvania during a five-year period. All epistaxis-related CPT code events were obtained from one hospital in this county during the same period. Google total counts were cross tabulated with the following month's ED visits. Graphical analysis and correlation were used to assess the relationship between ED visits and search engine activity. Results A strong positive correlation was observed between epistaxis-related ED visits and search engine activity for the term “nosebleed” (r = 0.655). Conclusion Search engine activities for the term “nosebleed” correlates strongly with epistaxis-related ED visits. This study demonstrates the usefulness of utilizing Google Trends search data to assess regional disease burdens, which may provide a means for epidemiological study that is quicker than conventional methods.
Refining our understanding of the VIA Classification: Reflections on papers by Han, Miller, and Snow

ABSTRACTHan, Miller, and Snow have written three thoughtful critiques of the VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues. In this response, I emphasize five points. First, I suggest the concept of practical wisdom may be understood in terms of three VIA strengths: prudence, judgment, and perspective. Second, recognizing that the VIA Classification is a structural model of individual traits, rather than a moral theory, can address some concerns about the model, including its failure to account for the unity of the virtues. Third, I review a three-virtue model that has emerged in recent research on the VIA strengths may provide essential elements for a taxonomy of virtue. Fourth, I raise several issues associated with the application of the VIA Classification to moral education. Finally, though the model demonstrates substantial generalizabilty across Westernized populations, research in traditional indigenous cultures remains insufficient. I conclude with a series of questions for future research.
Windows of opportunity for the stability of jump linear systems: Almost sure versus moment convergence

In this paper, we examine the role of the switching period on the stochastic stability of jump linear systems. More specifically, we consider a jump linear system in which the state matrix switches every m time steps randomly within a finite set of realizations, without a memory of past switching instances. Through the computation of the Lyapunov exponents, we study δ-moment and almost sure stability of the system. For scalar systems, we demonstrate that almost sure stability is independent of m, while δ-moment stability can be modulated through the selection of the switching period. For higher-dimensional problems, we discover a richer influence of m on stochastic stability, quantified in an almost sure and a δ-moment sense. Through the detailed analysis of an archetypical two-dimensional problem, we illustrate the existence of disconnected windows of opportunity where the system is asymptotically stable. Outside of these windows, the system is unstable, even though it switches between two Schur-stable state matrices.