cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approximations to the distribution of a test statistic in covariance structure analysis: A comprehensive study.

In structural equation modelling (SEM), a robust adjustment to the test statistic or to its reference distribution is needed when its null distribution deviates from a χ2 distribution, which usually arises when data do not follow a multivariate normal distribution. Unfortunately, existing studies on this issue typically focus on only a few methods and neglect the majority of alternative methods in statistics. Existing simulation studies typically consider only non-normal distributions of data that either satisfy asymptotic robustness or lead to an asymptotic scaled χ2 distribution. In this work we conduct a comprehensive study that involves both typical methods in SEM and less well-known methods from the statistics literature. We also propose the use of several novel non-normal data distributions that are qualitatively different from the non-normal distributions widely used in existing studies. We found that several under-studied methods give the best performance under specific conditions, but the Satorra–Bentler method remains the most viable method for most situations.
Limited incision harvest of the rectus abdominis muscle flap

Rectus abdominis muscle harvest typically uses a long and continuous paramedian approach. To limit donor site morbidity, the senior author performs a limited incision approach particularly useful in medically vulnerable patients, including patients with sternal wound infections. All patients of a single surgeon from 2000 to 2014 who underwent rectus harvest by one or two transverse incisions and use of lighted retractor were identified. Patients were categorized by indication, for “sternal wound coverage” or “non-sternal wound coverage.” Co-morbidities, operative notes, and post-operative courses were evaluated. Comparisons were made to patients undergoing harvest by paramedian approach. Seventeen patients with a mean age of 61 underwent limited-incision rectus harvest. Nine patients had indication for “sternal wound coverage.” Three patients had single transverse incision and six patients had double transverse incisions. One patient expired post-reconstruction day 3. One patient had complete abdominal and partial sternal wound dehiscence. No other donor site complications were observed. Eight patients had indication for “non-sternal wound coverage,” including seven patients requiring free rectus for lower extremity defects and one a pedicled rectus abominis for pelvic osteomyelitis. No post-operative complications were observed in these non-sternal wound coverage patients. There was a trend toward improved wound healing and hospitalization time using the transverse compared to paramedian technique, although this was not significant. The morbidity of the traditional paramedian incision for rectus harvest may be avoided using a limited skin incision approach. This is useful in patients with attenuated healing capacity and offers a lower risk approach to a traditionally risky donor site. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study.
Genetic Consequences of Polyploidy in Plants

Most eukaryotes have a history of whole-genome multiplication events followed by a progressive return to a more diploid state. The initial state of polyploidization, in which more than two copies of the genome are present, is considered here and the various types of genetic consequences that occur depending on the nature of the polyploid formed. The degree of association of chromosomes in meiosis is determined by the relative homology and will affect the segregation of the chromosome which determines the genetic properties. If all the chromosomes are quite similar and form associations of like type, this situation is referred to as autopolyploidy. If the different sets of multiple chromosomes are sufficiently dissimilar to each other, then the homologs will pair in meiosis with themselves and segregate independently of the different but related chromosome pair. This situation is referred to as allopolyploidy. Gene expression in ploidal series typically follows a per cell level correlated more or less with the number of sets of chromosomes present. Variation of individual chromosomes, or aneuploidy, produces a greater number of modulations of gene expression in parallel to classical studies noting that aneuploids have greater impact on the phenotype than changes in the copy number of the whole genome. The genetic properties of odd-number ploidies, such as triploids, are also described as well as higher ploidal levels such as hexaploidy and octoploidy.
Application to Teamology

This chapter gives an example applying the quantitative theory to the on-the-spot construction of problem-solving teams from a personnel pool, in this case fourteen sophomores in the author’s 2009 Stanford Seminar on “Teamology”. Their majors were not recorded, but about half seemed to have an inclination toward science or engineering.
Science, Technology and Innovation: Issues for the Neostructuralist Approach to the Socioeconomic Development in Latin America

That the accumulation of technological capacity is a prerequisite for sustained socioeconomic development, I will take as a given, although the notion is insufficiently appreciated in some quarters.1 There are numerous indications that technology capacity-building in Latin America remains a marginal consideration. In this paper I will claim that, if the role of science, technology and innovation is to move closer to center stage in Latin America, neostructuralists will need to play a major role. Neostructuralists are building on structuralist foundations, while accepting some significant insights from neoclassical economics, a situation which does not bode well — neither school of thought gets acceptable marks for their understanding of the process of technology capacity-building. Yet, I will attempt to demonstrate that several important elements and interests associated with current neostructuralist thought offer convenient bridging mechanisms between their agenda and the fostering of viable and useful scientific, technological and innovative activities. The paper continues in Section I by asserting that, although there are bright spots here and there, the contributions of science and technology to socioeconomic development in Latin America are suboptimal. In Section II the neostructuralists are identified and a case is made that, by default if for no other reason, their contributions are direfully needed for fostering the accumulation of internal technology capacity. Section III discusses several areas of science and technology policy that need to be addressed, most of which should be compatible with current neostructuralist strengths and concerns. A short section concludes the paper with some reflections as to what actions might further the cause of explicitly incorporating science, technology and innovation policy into the broader panorama for fostering socioeconomic progress.
Background Material on Linear Algebra

In this chapter, we recall some basic definitions and facts concerning exterior products (which are essential in the discussion of differential forms in Sect. 9.5) and tensor products (which are essential in the discussion of holomorphic line bundles in Chap. 3). In this book, we mostly consider exterior and tensor products in vector spaces of dimension 1 or 2.
Towards the Development of Analog Neuromorphic Chip Prototype with 2.4M Integrated Memristors

We have designed and fabricated a neuromorphic accelerator chip which features 180-nm CMOS circuitry and 2.4-million 0.04-μm2-footprint Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2—x memristors. Memristors were passively integrated on top of the CMOS wafer into 48×48 crossbar circuits, with a total of 1032 crossbars on a chip. Each memristive crossbar is accessed via on-chip CMOS interface circuits which are controlled by a custom FPGA board. The whole system is designed to implement a variety of deep neural networks by performing vector-by-matrix multiplication, a core operation of any neural network, with a memristive crossbar circuit in analog domain. In this this paper we provide details of the on-chip CMOS circuits and the FPGA board, both of which have already been successfully tested. We also briefly discuss integration results and the on-going work.
Multi-objective Multiagent Credit Assignment Through Difference Rewards in Reinforcement Learning

Multiagent systems have had a powerful impact on the real world. Many of the systems it studies air traffic, satellite coordination, rover exploration are inherently multi-objective, but they are often treated as single-objective problems within the research. A very important concept within multiagent systems is that of credit assignment: clearly quantifying an individual agent's impact on the overall system performance. In this work we extend the concept of credit assignment into multi-objective problems, broadening the traditional multiagent learning framework to account for multiple objectives. We show in two domains that by leveraging established credit assignment principles in a multi-objective setting, we can improve performance by i increasing learning speed by up to 10x ii reducing sensitivity to unmodeled disturbances by up to 98.4% and iii producing solutions that dominate all solutions discovered by a traditional team-based credit assignment schema. Our results suggest that in a multiagent multi-objective problem, proper credit assignment is as important to performance as the choice of multi-objective algorithm.
Exposure-based assessment of chemical teratogenicity using morphogenetic aggregates of human embryonic stem cells

Pluripotent stem cells recapitulate many aspects of embryogenesis in vitro. Here, we established a novel culture system to differentiate human embryonic stem cell aggregates (HESCA), and evaluated its utility for teratogenicity assessment. Culture of HESCA with modulators of developmental signals induced morphogenetic and molecular changes associated with differentiation of the paraxial mesoderm and neuroectoderm. To examine impact of teratogenic exposures on HESCA differentiation, 18 compounds were tested, for which adequate information on in vivo plasma concentrations is available. HESCA treated with each compound were examined for gross morphology and transcript levels of 15 embryogenesis regulator genes. Significant alterations in the transcript levels were observed for 94% (15/16) of the teratogenic exposures within 5-fold margin, whereas no alteration was observed for 92% (11/12) of the non-teratogenic exposures. Our study demonstrates that transcriptional changes in HESCA serve as predictive indicator of teratogenicity in a manner comparable to in vivo exposure levels.
Area deprivation amplifies racial inequities in premature mortality: Analysis of 242,667 deaths in Washington State, USA 2011-15

Abstract Racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health are consistently reported, but less is known about the interplay between racial and deprivation-related inequities. We used geographically-localized data on all deaths recorded in Washington state 2011 to 2015 (n = 242,667 decedents) and multi-level regression models to examine premature (
Going against the (Appropriate) Flow: A Contextual Integrity Approach to Privacy Policy Analysis

We present a method for analyzing privacy policies using the framework of contextual integrity (CI). This method allows for the systematized detection of issues with privacy policy statements that hinder readers’ ability to understand and evaluate company data collection practices. These issues include missing contextual details, vague language, and overwhelming possible interpretations of described information transfers. We demonstrate this method in two different settings. First, we compare versions of Facebook’s privacy policy from before and after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Our analysis indicates that the updated policy still contains fundamental ambiguities that limit readers’ comprehension of Facebook’s data collection practices. Second, we successfully crowdsourced CI annotations of 48 excerpts of privacy policies from 17 companies with 141 crowdworkers. This indicates that regular users are able to reliably identify contextual information in privacy policy statements and that crowdsourcing can help scale our CI analysis method to a larger number of privacy policy statements.
Chapter VIII – FEATURE EXTRACTION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the feature extraction. Vector and grammatical classification methods presuppose the existence of features that can be measured. Finding the features is often a considerable step toward solving the problem. There are two general ways to approach feature analysis, depending upon the assumptions one wants to make about the most primitive measures. In the multivariate analysis approach, each primitive measure is treated as a continuously measurable combination of the underlying features. The problem is seen as one of reducing the description space from the m-dimensional space defined by the original measures to a smaller k-dimensional space defined by the features. The classification problem is then studied in the reduced space. The second approach to feature detection regards the basic measurements on an object as a sequence of binary vectors. The features are assumed to be subsets of the basic measurements. The problem is to define a useful set of such subsets.
Vitamin E analog, α-TEA, induces apoptosis in cisplatin sensitive and resistant human ovarian cancer cells and sensitizes resistant cells to cisplatin induced apoptosis: mechanistic study of signaling pathways

5359 Cisplatin resistance is a major cause for treatment failure in ovarian cancer; 90% patients die with metastatic disease, highlighting the urgent need of more effective strategies for overcoming drug resistance either by direct killing of tumors or sensitizing the cancer cells to first line drug treatments. α-TEA, an analog of RRR-α-tocopherol (RRR-α-tocopherol ether-linked acetic acid) induces both cisplatin (CDDP) sensitive A2780 and resistant A2780/cp70 human ovarian cancer cells to undergo apoptosis in a dose dependent manner; whereas, CDDP induces apoptosis only in the A2780 cells. Treatment of A2780/cp70 cells with α-TEA + CDDP produces high levels of apoptosis significantly greater than separate treatments. Combination treatments with α-TEA + CDDP significantly reduced tumor burden, visible lung metastases, and microscopic lung metastases of A2780/cp70-GFP (green fluorescent protein) CDDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells transplanted into immunodeficient mice when compared to control or either treatment alone. α-TEA-induced apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells is mediated via restoration of pro-apoptotic Fas/ Fas-ligand signaling pathway, induction of increased intensity and prolonged activation of the pro-apoptotic MAPK c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and its down-stream target, c-Jun transcription factor, and suppression of constitutively activated pro-survival Akt and MAPK extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2). These events trigger a caspase 8 and JNK-involved mitochondria-dependent apoptotic cascade; namely, Fas/FADD/caspase 8/Bid/Bax/cytochrome c/caspase 9/caspase 3/apoptosis and Fas/Daxx/JNK/Bax/cytochrome c/caspase 9/caspase 3/apoptosis, and a caspase 8-mediated mitochondria-independent apoptotic pathway; Fas/FADD/caspase 8/caspase 3/apoptosis. We speculate that α-TEA-induced suppression of constitutively activated pro-survival Akt and MAPK extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2) may be one of the mechanisms whereby α-TEA sensitizes A2780/cp70 ovarian cancer cells to CDDP-induced apoptosis. In summary, α-TEA is a potential therapeutic agent for CDDP sensitive ovarian cancer, and mediator to sensitize CDDP treatment for CDDP resistant ovarian cancer. Supported by CA59730, ES07784, and the Foundation for Research.
Recipient age and outcomes following simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation in the new millennium: Single-center experience and review of the literature.

The influence of recipient age on outcomes following simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) in the modern era is uncertain. METHODS We retrospectively studied 255 patients undergoing SPKT from 11/01 to 8/20. Recipients were stratified according to age group: age <30 years (n = 16); age 30-39 years (n = 91); age 40-49 years (n = 86) and age ≥50 years (n = 62 [24.3%], including 9 patients ≥60 years of age). RESULTS Three-month and one-year outcomes were comparable. The eight-year patient survival rate was lowest in the oldest age group (47.6% vs 78% in the 3 younger groups combined, p < .001). However, eight-year kidney and pancreas graft survival rates were comparable in the youngest and oldest age groups combined (36.5% and 32.7%, respectively), but inferior to those in the middle 2 groups combined (62% and 50%, respectively, both p < .05). Death-censored kidney and pancreas graft survival rates increased from youngest to oldest recipient age category because of a higher incidence of death with functioning grafts (22.6% in oldest group compared to 8.3% in the 3 younger groups combined, p = .005). CONCLUSIONS Recipient age did not appear to significantly influence early outcomes following SPKT. Late outcomes are similar in younger and older recipients, but inferior to the middle 2 age groups.
Comprehensive Patient-Specific Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance Comparing Mobius3D/FX to Conventional Methods of Evaluation.

Purpose To determine the appropriateness of implementing Mobius3D/FX (Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA) as not only a pretreatment secondary check but as an alternative to measurement-based patient-specific intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA). Methods Mobius3D/FX was commissioned and stock beam models were tweaked so that an independent recalculated 3D dose distribution can be obtained. Then, 50 patient-specific treatment plans for various indications were delivered across a 2D ion chamber array, radiochromic film setup, and electronic portal imager and analyzed with MobiusFX and gamma analysis. The concordance of plans scored as passing between MobiusFX and the conventional methods of QA was determined. Results All analyzed treatment plans passed with a gamma passing rate >90% across all conventional QA methods, most commonly using a 3%/3mm gamma criterion except for film measurements where a 5%/3mm criterion was applied. There was good agreement and concordance between MobiusFX and conventional methods when using a 3%/3mm criteria for MobiusFX, whereas a 2%/2mm criteria appeared too stringent as it failed treatment plans deemed clinically acceptable using conventional methods. Conclusions Using a 50-sample subset of clinically delivered treatment plans this non-inferiority-type comparison shows Mobius3D/FX based on log file analysis to be a suitable alternative to conventional QA methods when utilizing the 3%/3mm gamma criterion. Methods based on log file analysis can provide an opportunity for resource sparing, improving the efficiency, and workflow for evaluating IMRT treatment plans.
Determining associations of bovine respiratory disease intertreatment interval with case fatality risk and factors influencing intertreatment interval

Judicious and appropriate antimicrobial therapy is a critical topic in beef cattle production. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most frequent syndrome requiring antimicrobial therapy in postweaned beef calves; however, little published information has described factors impacting the actual intertreatment interval (ITI) and potential associations of ITI with case outcomes. The objective of this retrospective research is to determine associations between ITI of first and second BRD treatment with antimicrobials with case fatality risk (CFR) and secondarily to identify factors influencing ITI in BRD cases treated at least twice with antimicrobials.
Fostering intercultural communication through transactional rhetoric: A problem-based service-learning model for professional and technical communication

This teaching case illustrates a service-learning model for professional and technical communication instructors that positions the students, the instructor, and the client into a dialogue to work toward understanding workplace culture through a problem-based learning project. In this model, the problem of communicating effectively unites course stakeholders to share their expertise and experiences with each other while clarifying and qualifying their ideas through regular interaction and discussion.
Mechanisms of insulin signal transduction

The peptide hormone insulin is secreted from pancreatic β-cells, binds to cell surface receptors, and exerts a broad spectrum of anabolic effects in multiple tissues. In mediating its pleiotrophic actions, insulin engages multiple signal transduction, pathways that affect the expression and posttranslational modification of proteins, and regulates enzymatic pathways, subcellular protein localization, and the activation state of membrane transport systems. There are three major steps that provide for divergence of insulin signal transduction, leading to different functional effects: (i) the family of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) docking molecules, (ii) activation of phosphatidylinositide 3 (PI-3) kinase, and (iii) activation of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB). Stimulation of the glucose transport system involves activation of two parallel pathways, the IRS/PI-3 kinase pathway (resulting in activation of Akt/PKB and PKC-λ/ζ) and the CAP/Cbl/TC10 pathway, that then interact with systems regulating trafficking of GLUT-4-containing vesicles and the cytoskeleton. Furthermore, multiple mechanisms modulate insulin signal transduction by affecting the serine/threonine phosphorylation state of tyrosine kinase substrates and phosphoinositides, and the tyrosine phosphorylation state of insulin receptors and IRS molecules. Thus, promulgation of the insulin action is most accurately viewed as a flexible pattern of network interactions involving a web of signal molecule cascades and effector systems. Complex patterns of interactions among signal and effector systems allow for greater plasticity in adaptive responses, and present an increasing number of targets for therapeutic intervention in treating human insulin resistance. Keywords: insulin signaling; insulin action; insulin receptor; insulin receptor substrate; phosphatidylinositide-3 kinase; Akt/protein kinase B; glucose transport; glucose transporter; GLUT-4
A Survey of Galactic Sources for Submillimeter Emission from High Excitation Molecules

We report the results of a survey of galactic sources for submillimeter emission from the J = 4 → 3 lines of HCN and HCO+ and the J = 7 → 6 line of CS. The purpose of the survey was to determine how common these lines would be in regions of star formation and, by extension, how useful submillimeter spectroscopy can be in determining the physical conditions in molecular clouds. For this purpose, we selected sources known to be regions of active star formation.
Radiation burdens for humans on prolonged exomagnetospheric voyages.

The severity of radiation exposure for astronauts outside the magnetosphere poses a critical unanswered question bearing on the use of manned vehicles in extended exploration of the solar system (moon, Mars). Such prolonged exomagnetospheric voyages (1-3 years) enter a radiologic environment more severe than that of low earth orbit, an annual dose equivalent in the range of 0.3-0.5 Sv (30-50 rem), and a lifetime excess cancer fatality risk of 3-5% due to low linear-energy-transfer components of galactic cosmic radiation alone. To this calculus must be added estimates for high-atomic-number, high-energy particles, the probability of solar particle events, and the limited effectiveness of shielding. For a 3-year Mars voyage these could elevate the dose equivalent to 1.5-2.25 Sv (150-225 rem) total (0.5-0.75 Sv [50-75 rem] annual) and risks to 5-9% excess cancer fatality. Both the mission (civilian scientific research) and the alternatives (unmanned robotic devices) enter the policy decision here. This paper...
Seismic Imaging and Detection of Underground Tunnels

To investigate the problem of detecting and imaging underground tunnels, an experimental system that utilizes seismic waves has been constructed. Seismic reflections from the tunnel are transformed into a 3D image using a synthetic aperture time- delay backprojection algorithm. Results from experimental data show that the tunnel is directly visible in the backprojected image. Nevertheless, tunnels with low signal to noise ratio (SNR) are located using 2D and 3D Radon Transforms followed by a detection algorithm. A simulation is performed on the performance of the Radon transform for detecting lines in noisy images and it is shown how lines in very low SNR images can be detected. Also it is observed that longer lines have higher probability of detection at the same noise level.
Co-Teaching an Online Action Research Class / Co-enseignement et classe de recherche-action en ligne

Two instructors report our experience co-teaching an action research (AR) required as part of an e-learning master’s degree. Adopting a practice-centered stance we focus on the course activities of participants (instructors and students), with particular attention to the careful crafting of course elements with the goal of achieving an excellent learning experience for students. The case narrative describes the course and ways in which we have modified the course based on a variety of considerations. We also outline problems and areas still in need of improvement. We reflect on the role of theory in our own pursuit of excellence, and the role of theory in our students’ inquiry processes. We find that theory is just another tool or resource to apply to the work, with the core concerns being the needs of students and the learning environment. Deux enseignants font le rapport de leur experience de co-enseignement d’un projet de recherche-action requis pour un cours de formation en ligne au niveau de la maitrise. A l’aide d’une approche axee sur la pratique, nous nous sommes concentres sur les activites de cours des participants (enseignants et etudiants), avec une attention particuliere pour l’elaboration minutieuse d’elements de cours. Il s’agissait finalement de creer une experience d’apprentissage enrichissante pour les etudiants. L’expose decrit le cours et les facons par lesquelles nous avons modifie le cours a partir de considerations diverses. Nous donnons egalement un apercu des problemes et secteurs necessitant des ameliorations. Nous nous sommes penches sur le role de la theorie dans notre propre quete d’excellence et dans le processus d’enquete de nos etudiants. Nous concluons que la theorie n’est qu’un outil ou une ressource s’appliquant au travail et qu’il faut davantage se preoccuper des besoins des etudiants et de l’environnement d’apprentissage.
Evaluating workloads using multi-comparative functional coverage

In this paper we present a technique for comparing multiple tests and workloads. We show how to automatically determine what each test does uniquely and how to present the information as succinctly as possible. This technology has a number of uses, including in understanding the contribution of tests in regression buckets, especially of legacy systems, and in evaluating what is missing in tests compared to customer usage. We also show that the technology used in the analysis is superior to previous technology in that it can automatically find holes that were previously only found manually.
AN EXPANDED ROLE FOR IN VITRO SYMBIOTIC SEED GERMINATION AS A CONSERVATION TOOL: TWO CASE STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA (PLATANTHERA LEUCOPHAEA AND EPIDENDRUM NOCTURNUM)

Interest in using mycorrhizal fungi to cultivate orchids from seed in vitro (=symbiotic seed germina- tion) has intensified in recent years and this approach is now an important conservation tool worldwide. In North America, symbiotic germination has been attempted for a growing number of orchid species in peril as a means to acquire seedlings suitable for reintroduction.
High Temperature Compatibility Issues for Fusion Reactor Structural Materials

The primary functions of the blanket in a deuterium/tritium-fueled fusion reactor are to convert neutron kinetic energy into heat, breed tritium for the fuel cycle and accommodate a heat transfer system. Various blanket concepts have been considered including those incorporating liquid metals, molten salts, water and He. The objective of this review is to outline some of the critical compatibility issues associated with structural materials being considered for designs operating at >500 deg. C. Examples are given for vanadium alloys, magnetohydrodynamic coatings, oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic alloys and silicon carbide composites.
Pediatric care for migrant workers: an opportunity for teaching and investigation.

A teaching clinic, staffed by the Department of Pediatrics, was conducted in nearby (central New York) migrant camps during the summer under the auspices of the State Health Department. It was well received by public health nurses and parents. It was valuable to the Department as a teaching operation and as a source of information in an area of pediatrics hitherto little explored. The nature of the clinic and timing of its activities made it appropriate as an elective for a few interested students or as a rotating house staff assignment. This report is submitted in the hope that other medical centers may consider similar combined teaching, service, and investigative ventures.
A smoothness/shock indicator for the RKDG methods

Abstract A smoothness/shock indicator is proposed for the RKDG methods solving nonlinear conservation laws. A few numerical experiments are presented as evidence that the indicator helps in detecting shocks, high order discontinuities, regions of smooth solutions, and numerical “instability”.
Intraspecific Cladogram Estimation: Accuracy at Higher Levels of Divergence

Because phylogenies play a central role in many evolutionary and population ge? netic questions, it is vital to have confidence in phylogeny reconstructions for particular data sets. An algorithm recently introduced by Templeton et al. (1992, Genetics 132:619-633) simul? taneously estimates cladograms from a given set of restriction site or nucleotide sequence data and calculates a confidence set of alternatives while allowing for the possibility of recombination within the data set. This method was developed for use at the intraspecific level, where mutational differences between operational taxonomic units are few. Because of the strengths of this method, it would be desirable to use it at higher levels of phylogenetic analysis. I tested the accuracy of the method of Templeton et al. using a known phylogeny from bacteriophage T7, which simulates higher levels of diversification. This method has greater statistical power and more accurately reconstructs phylogenetic relationships than does maximum parsimony when few molecular characters are available for analysis, even at higher levels of diversification. (Phylogeny recon? struction; parsimony; resampling methods.) Phylogenies are critical tools in compar? ative analyses at both intraspecific and in? terspecific levels. At the intraspecific level,
Coding problem in proteins.

IN a previous publication1 a hypothesis was proposed to the effect that if a nucleic acid serves as a template for the linear array of amino-acids in a protein, it prescribes only the positions to be occupied by the aromatic amino-acids in that protein. It was postulated that the planar rings of the aromatic amino-acids would be differentially bound in cavities formed by two adjacent bases in such a way that the aromatic amino-acids with only six-membered rings (group 1) would occupy the space between two pyrimidines and those with five-membered rings (group 2) would occupy that between two purines. This hypothesis imposes certain restrictions on the arrangement of these amino-acids in proteins. It requires that, sandwiched between a pair of aromatic amino-acids belonging to the same group, there will be either none or an even number of non-aromatic amino-acids, and that an odd number will separate aromatic amino-acids of different groups.
Turbulent Flow over Low-Order Models of Highly Irregular Surface Roughness

Low-order representations of surface roughness replicated from a turbine blade damaged by spallation (denoted as "full surface") are devised using singular value decomposition, and the impact of these low-order surface models is assessed in turbulent channel flow. The intent of this effort is to determine the level of topographical detail of the full surface that is required to reproduce the statistical character of turbulent flow over the full surface. Particle-image velocimetry measurements of flow at a fixed Reynolds number over a smooth surface, the full surface, and four low-order representations of the full surface reveal that a surface model based on the first 20 basis functions of the decomposition (9 % of the total number of modes) yields an accurate reproduction of the statistics of flow over the full surface. In particular, the mean velocity profile, profiles of the Reynolds normal and shear stresses, and even the instantaneous turbulent events that contribute heavily to the generation of turbulent shear stress as assessed via quadrant analysis show consistency for flow over this low-order model as well as the full surface. Because the low-order modes included in these models reflect only the large-scale topographical features of the full surface (meaning finer-scale topographical details are excluded), these observations indicate that the larger-scale features of the full surface predominantly dictate its impact on the flow.
Vortex structure and Josephson supercurrents in stacked double Josephson junctions

In Josephson-junction stacks consisting of two junctions having identical maximum Josephson supercurrent ${I}_{c}$, the measured ${I}_{c}$ vs external magnetic flux $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ characteristics exhibit two distinct oscillation periods with the oscillation period for $\ensuremath{\Phi}g{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{0}$ being smaller than that when $\ensuremath{\Phi}l{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{0}$, where ${\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{0}$ is the flux quantum. The observations provide clear evidence that a structural phase transformation to a triangular vortex lattice occurs with increasing $\ensuremath{\Phi}$.
The effects of various treatments of truncation remainders on tests of hypotheses in distributed lag models

Abstract In the maximum likelihood estimation of distributed lag models, it makes no difference asymptotically whether one drops or estimates the ‘truncation remainder’ terms. However, in small samples the decision to drop or estimate these terms does have an effect on tests of hypotheses. This paper reports the results of a Monte Carlo experiment performed to see which treatment of these terms leads to the most accurate tests of hypotheses. The results are mixed, but generally it seems better to estimate the truncation remainder than to drop it.
On Testing the Adequacy of a Regression Model

In this note a decision rule presented by Suich and Derringer [12] for aiding model validation is examined and contrasted to others in the literature. These decision rules which lead to preliminary test estimators are compared under squared error loss to the risk of the conventional estimator. Finally an estimator is identified which is uniformly superior to (dominates) the pretest estimator over the entire range of the parameter space.
A 4.5-mW Closed-Loop $\Delta\Sigma$ Micro-Gravity CMOS SOI Accelerometer

In this paper, design, implementation and characterization of a 3-V switched-capacitor (SC) DeltaSigma CMOS interface circuit for the closed-loop operation of a lateral capacitive micro-gravity silicon-on-insulator (SOI) accelerometer is presented. The interface circuit is based on a front-end programmable reference-capacitorless SC charge amplifier and a back-end second-order SC DeltaSigma modulator. The accelerometer is fabricated through a dry-release high aspect-ratio reduced-gap process. By incorporating the low-Q transfer function of the microaccelerometer in a feedback loop, the system's dynamic range is improved by 20 dB, leading to a measured resolution of 4 mug/radicHz and an output dynamic range of 95 dB at 20 Hz. The bias instability is 2 to 8 mug for 12 hours. The chip is fabricated in the 0.5-mum standard CMOS process with an area of 2.25 mm2. The integrated circuit (IC) consumes 4.5 mW of power
Ethnic boundaries and ethnic entrepreneurship: A photo‐elicitation study

This paper uses photo‐elicitation to study the relationship between two sub‐populations of Vietnamese refugees; the highly entrepreneurial Chinese‐Vietnamese and the more numerous ethnic Vietnamese. Drawing from in‐depth interviews based upon photographs of Vietnamese and Chinese‐Vietnamese refugees, the project seeks to find if and how refugees can visually determine a person's ethnicity, the traits respondents associate with either of the two sub‐population, and if younger, Americanized refugees understand ethnic boundaries differently than the older, Vietnam‐oriented generation. Result indicate that the Chinese‐Vietnamese and ethnic Vietnamese generally can determine the ethnicity of persons shown, that their characterizations of both themselves and the “other” group are fairly consistent, and that ethnic boundaries appear to be of diminishing importance with the passage of time in the U.S.
Effects of breeding season, testosterone and ACTH on the corticosterone response of free-ranging male fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus).

Abstract An attenuated stress response during the breeding season has been reported for several vertebrate species, but the underlying physiological mechanism has received little attention, particularly in reptiles. Modulation could involve changes in the capacity of the adrenal gland to secrete glucocorticoids in addition to upstream changes in the pituitary or hypothalamus. In this study the magnitude of the corticosterone response to capture and confinement was compared between the breeding and postbreeding season in adult male eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus . Males were captured in both seasons and subjected to the identical stressor of 4 h of confinement. Plasma corticosterone levels in response to confinement were significantly lower in the breeding than the postbreeding season. The effect of testosterone on the stress response was tested by experimentally elevating plasma testosterone levels via silastic implants in free-living males during the postbreeding season. Males with experimentally elevated testosterone exhibited significantly weaker corticosterone responses to 1 h of confinement than sham-implanted males. Finally the capacity of the adrenal glands to secrete corticosterone during the breeding season was tested by challenging males with adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) injections. In spite of naturally suppressed corticosterone responses during the breeding season, males nonetheless responded robustly to ACTH. Altogether these results suggest that modulation resides upstream of the adrenal gland, as has been shown in some arctic-breeding avian species, and likely involves seasonal changes in testosterone levels.
Preclinical investigation of the functional effects of memantine and memantine combined with galantamine or donepezil.

Combinations of drugs approved to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) were tested in older rabbits with delay eyeblink classical conditioning, a form of associative learning severely impaired in AD. In Experiment 1 (n=49 rabbits), low doses (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 0.0 (vehicle) mg/kg) of memantine (Namenda™) were tested. These three doses neither improved nor impaired acquisition at a statistically significant level. The 0.5 mg/kg dose had the greatest effect numerically and did not cause sensitization or habituation in explicitly unpaired controls. In Experiment 2 (n=56), doses of galantamine (Razadyne™; 3.0 mg/kg) and donepezil (Aricept™; 0.75 mg/kg) that had comparable magnitudes of cholinesterase inhibition were tested alone and in combination with 0.5 mg/kg memantine. Older rabbits treated with galantamine and with galantamine+memantine learned significantly better than vehicle-treated rabbits, but adding memantine did not improve learning over galantamine alone. Older rabbits treated with donepezil or a combination of memantine and donepezil did not learn significantly better than rabbits treated with vehicle. Galantamine has two mechanisms of action: mild cholinesterase inhibition and allosteric modulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). When equated for cholinesterase inhibition, galantamine had significant efficacy in the eyeblink conditioning model system, but donepezil did not, indicating that modulation of nAChRs may be the mechanism that significantly ameliorates learning deficits in this model. In the absence of AD neuropathology in older rabbits, memantine had no efficacy alone or in combination with the other drugs.
How to Improve Schooling Outcomes in Low-Income Countries? The Challenges and Hopes of Cognitive Neuroscience

The international Education for All initiative to bring about universal primary education has resulted in large enrollment increases in lower income countries but with limited outcomes. Due to scarcity in material and human resources, all but the better off often fail to learn basic skills. To improve performance within the very limited capacities of low-income educational systems, instructional interventions ought to be designed according to the ways people retain and recall information most efficiently. Without this research-based line of reasoning, donor and government staff may overestimate students’ ability to learn from complex methods and scant practice. Applicable concepts include perceptual learning for scripts, automaticity for basic skills, the limitations of working memory, and formation of cognitive networks in long-term memory. However, education faculties rarely teach these topics. A systematic effort is necessary to popularize cognitive science concepts pertinent to basic skills for staff ...
Hermit crabs alter sea anemone placement patterns for shell balance and reduced predation

Little attention has been given to where on the snail shell symbiotic sea anemones are placed by hermit crabs. Based on previous studies, the locations of the anemones can greatly affect their ability to protect hermit crabs from octopus predators. In the present study, the anemone placement patterns of Pagurus pollicaris Say were studied to determine whether the crabs place Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur) anemones on the snail shell randomly, for balance, or for maximum protection from an octopus predator. The hermit crabs were given access to detached anemones under six conditions: (1) shell weight unaltered, (2) weight added to the right side of shell, (3) weight added to the left side of shell (4, 5, and 6 had the same weight conditions as 1, 2, and 3, respectively, but chemical cues from an octopus were present in each). Under all six conditions, the anemones were placed nonrandomly on the gastropod shells by the hermit crabs. In both conditions with shell weight unaltered (1 and 4), hermit crabs placed anemones primarily on the top and right side of the shell. When the octopus was present, however, more anemones were placed bordering the shell aperture (sites best for protection from octopuses) than in the control (1). When weights were added to the shells, the larger anemones were generally placed in locations furthest from the weight, while the smaller anemones were placed more randomly. The chemical presence of an octopus in conditions 5 and 6 did not greatly affect anemone placement patterns. Overall, balance was apparently the most important factor affecting the placement of anemones on shells by this hermit crab.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ELECTIVE MUTISM IN CHILDREN.

Periodically, children are seen in psychiatric facilities who refuse to speak in school and to strangers, but who can and do speak to certain specific people, usually one or both parents, and sometimes peers. Nearly always, these children speak to their siblings. Elective mutism is the diagnosic term that we have applied to this behavior. This definition excludes all other forms of mutism, including hearing loss, schizophrenia, hysterical aphonia, and aphasia. The children with elective mutism are characteristically immature; most of them have average or above average intelligence and do not seem to suffer from any organic disorder.
The Political Economy of Private Farming in Russia

This article argues that the key to understanding the future of private farming no longer should emphasize directives from the center. In contrast to a legalistic approach, this article argues that a correct understanding of private farming must take account of broader sociological, demographic, financial, and economic influences. Towards that end, this article explores the rural demographic situation, the popularity of private farming among the rural population, the potential of the land market to facilitate the expansion of private farm landholdings, and the impact of financial policies on private farms.
Transnational families, ICTs and mobile learning

This article focuses on findings from an Economic and Social Research Council study in England about the uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among 15 highly mobile migrant workers within their transnational families. Using an extended case study approach including ethnographic methods and a thematic analysis, patterns appeared about learning within transnational families using ICTs. The findings were that their mobile learning was: (1) infused with caring; (2) multi-directional and involved multiple members; (3) translated tacit knowledge; and (4) enabled linguistic gifting. Implications for lifelong education centre on practice and policies that build on how transnational families communicate using ICTs. The study conclusions focus on the complexities of mobile learning within these families, showing that they are difficult to capture, but nonetheless important.
Substrate activity of phosphonic acid analogues of CDPdiglyceride in the synthesis of phosphoglycerides in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Two phosphonic acid analogues of CDPdiglyceride, DL-2-hexadecoxy-3-octadecoxypropylphosphonyl-O-(cytidine 5′-phosphate) (analogue (I), and DL -3,4-dioctadecoxybutylphosphonyl- O -(cytidine 5′-phosphate) (analogue (II)), have been synthesized and examined as substrates for the enzymes involved in the synthesis of phosphoglycerides in Escherichia coli . Both compounds were substrates for CDPdiglyceride: sn - glycerol -3-phosphate phosphatidyl transferase. The analogues had similar K m values ( K m of 0.060 mM for analogue (II): K m of 0.080 mM for analogue (I)) and a V identical to that of CDPdipalmitin ( K m of 0.044 mM). In contrast, the analogues were poor substrates for CDPdiglyceride: L-serine phosphatidyl transferase. The analogues had lower K m values ( K m of 0.40 mM for analogue (II); K m of 0.80 mM for analogue (I)) than CDPdipalmitin ( K m of 1.4 mM). The V , although identical for both analogues, was ten-fold lower than that observed with the natural substrate. An analysis of the products of these enzymatic reactions suggests that phosphatidylglycerophosphate phosphatase and phosphatidylserine decarboxylase may also possess a certain degree of substrate specificity.