cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matrix properties of data from electrical capacitance tomography

Some properties of the matrix of capacitance-data collected by the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) technique are studied. These data are used to extract information in various industrial process applications and, in particular, about flows in pipelines. The features in the eigenvalue distribution of normalized capacitance matrices for three practical classes of permittivity distributions, namely core flows, annular flows, and stratified flows, are investigated and compared by numerical solution. It is shown that the leading eigenvalue is strongly related to the area ratio of permittivity contrast in the cross-section of the flow, while the next two eigenvalues provide a basis for distinguishing among these three classes of flows. In particular, for core and annular flows, the difference between the second and third eigenvalues is shown to be related to the eccentricity of permittivity profile. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate how the area ratio for some permittivities that do not belong to these classes can be effectively estimated.
Zinc deficiency increases the frequency of single-strand DNA breaks in rat liver

Zinc affects the structural configuration of DNA and chromatin. The objective of this study was to determine whether zinc deficiency alters the frequency of single-strand breaks in rat hepatic DNA using an alkaline elution assay. After alkaline elution for 18 h 55% of hepatic DNA from zinc deficient rats was retained on a polycarbonate filter while 91% and 85% of hepatic DNA from pair-fed or ad libitum control rats were retained, respectively (P<0.0001). The initial elution rate of hepatic DNA isolated from zinc deficient rats (0.2260±0.0747) was increased compared with the elution rates of DNA from pair-fed (0.0049±0.0002) or ad libitum fed rats (0.0231±0.0094) (P<0.05). The decreased retention and the increased elution rate of hepatic DNA from zinc deficient rats indicate the presence of smaller fragments caused by single-strand breaks. The elution of splenocyte DNA or nephrocyte DNA from zinc deficient rats was not different from control values. The combination of zinc deficiency and a single injection of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) (10 mg/kg body weight) two h before sacrifice, results in the highest frequency of single-strand breaks of all treatments (P<0.0001).
Amphotericin B-resistant Aspergillus flavus infection successfully treated with caspofungin, a novel antifungal agent.

Abstract Invasive aspergillosis is uncommon in immunocompetent hosts but is the second most common opportunistic fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of life-threatening aspergillosis during the past 2 decades, and the morbidity and mortality of these infections despite antifungal therapy remain unacceptably high. We describe a patient with amphotericin B-resistant Aspergillus flavus successfully treated with caspofungin, an agent belonging to a new class of antifungal drugs. Caspofungin shows great promise in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;46:945-7.)
Sex differences in compatibility of pair‐housed adult longtailed macaques

This research was designed to evaluate the effects of same-sex pair housing on the psychological well-being of adult wild-born longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). We studied behavioral compatibility and stress as measured by urinary cortisol excretion in 15 pairs of each sex. Before they were housed together, the pairs were categorized by noncontact pairedpreference testing as preferred, nonpreferred, or randomly assigned partners. Every aspect of data analysis indicated that the success of pairing was strongly related to gender. Whereas 100% of female pairs were compatible, only eight of the 15 male pairs were still together after two weeks, and only five (33%) showed a degree of compatibility resembling that of females. The psychological well-being of virtually all females seemed to be improved during the physical contact paired-housing conditions; they spent more than one-third of the day engaged in social grooming. Paired adult males had much lower interaction rates than adult females. On average, males were initially somewhat stressed by the introduction to a cagemate as indicated by increased urinary cortisol excretion. The noncontact preference testing procedure was no more predictive of pair success than random assignment. For males, the presence of fighting combined with the absence of grooming during the first 90 min opportunity for physical contact (“introduction”) was associated with pair incompatibility, but not to a statistically significant extent. For research protocols permitting social grouping of this species, the social contact requirement of the USDA Animal Welfare Rules usually can be met for adult females by pair housing. For males, pairing with other adult males often is unsuccessful; by our estimates, at least 20% of males cannot be pair-housed with other males. These sex differences in response to same-sex adults are consistent with the known socioecology of macaques. Further research is necessary to determine whether adult males have a lower need for social contact than females, or whether their needs are better met by other types of social contact. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: ITS ROLE IN IMPROVING PRACTICE THROUGH CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

A vigorous new teacher of dentistry in public health tosses his philosophical hat into the ring.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of linear invariants in phylogenetic inference

The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of linear invariants under semigroups of probability transition matrices are derived. It is found that a biologically meaningful nucleotide substitution model has linear invariants if and only if it is a submodel of one of the three most general models, which include the so-called balanced and unbalanced transversion models. Each of these three general models is a nucleotide substitution model with six parameters.
Wave- and Anemometer-Based Sea Surface Wind (WASWind) for Climate Change Analysis

Abstract Ship-based measurements of sea surface wind speed display a spurious upward trend due to increases in anemometer height. To correct this bias, the authors constructed a new sea surface wind dataset from ship observations of wind speed and wind wave height archived in the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). The Wave- and Anemometer-based Sea surface Wind (WASWind) dataset is available for wind velocity and scalar speed at monthly resolution on a 4° × 4° longitude–latitude grid from 1950 to 2008. It substantially reduces the upward trend in wind speed through height correction for anemometer-measured winds, rejection of spurious Beaufort winds, and use of estimated winds from wind wave height. The reduced global upward trend is smallest among the existing global datasets of in situ observations and comparable with those of reanalysis products. Despite the significant reduction of globally averaged wind speed trend, WASWind features rich spatial structures in trend patter...
Ask no questions: Sociolinguisticissues in experimental and testing contexts*

Several researchers have suggested that neither experiments nor testing situations are context-free. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that contextual variations which influenced children's understanding of an experimental task called into question the validity of assessment procedures used to determine differences in children's monitoring comprehension. A sociolinguistic analysis of children's listening behavior revealed three patterns: a case of cultural misunderstanding, a case of a child labeled deficient in a decontextualized, standardized testing situation who was highly competent in an interactive, contextualized language situation, and a case of a gifted child whose nonresponses arose from boredom. The discussion focuses on the implications of these patterns in terms of changing assessment procedures.
Eyes on DNA methylation: current evidence for DNA methylation in ocular development and disease

Epigenetic modulation of chromatin states constitutes a vital component of the cellular repertoire of transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. The development of new technologies capable of generating genome-wide maps of chromatin modifications has re-energized the field. We are now poised to determine how species- and tissue-specific patterns of DNA methylation, in concert with other chromatin modifications, function to establish and maintain cell- and tissue-specific patterns of gene expression during normal development, cellular differentiation, and disease. This review addresses our current understanding of the major mechanisms and function of DNA methylation in vertebrates with a historical perspective and an emphasis on what is known about DNA methylation in eye development and disease.
Agricultural sequestration called useful stop‐gap mitigation measure for reducing atmospheric carbon

Increasing the agricultural sequestration of carbon is an important stop-gap measure for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, even though the agricultural sector is not the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, scientists and other experts told a U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee. The 8 July hearing was held to examine the potential for such sequestration. Agricultural soils can sequester carbon, but can also release it to the atmosphere; for example, through poor land management practices.
High‐Precision Earth Rotation and Earth—Moon Dynamics: Lunar Distances and Related Observations

The last decade or so has seen the practical development of a number of high-precision, space-related geodetic techniques, specifically, lunar laser ranging (LLR), satellite ranging, and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). One consequence has been an enlarged and improved data base available for studies of lunar motion and earth rotation. The impact on lunar studies has been particularly striking. The vast improvement in lunar positioning data provided by the LLR experiment has revived interest in the previously lethargic business of modeling the lunar orbit and librations (librations are rotational displacements of the moon about its center of mass). Several numerical and analytical models of the orbit and librations have been developed over the past few years. Numerical models, constructed by numerically solving appropriate differential equations, are generally more accurate than existing analytical models and are, in principal, better suited to removing the effects of lunar motion from the LLR residuals. On the other hand, results from numerical models are less amenable to physical interpretation, and so analytical models continue to receive attention. Analytical models are particularly useful in trying to understand the lunar librations, both because of the possibility of excited free librations and because the dynamical behavior of the moon during the forced librations is not completely understood.
High Affinity Hormone Binding to the Extracellular N-terminal Exodomain of the Follicle-stimulating Hormone Receptor Is Critically Modulated by Exoloop 3

The human follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSH-R) consists of two distinct domains of >330 amino acids, the N-terminal extracellular exodomain and membrane-associated endodomain. The exodomain alone binds hormone with high affinity, whereas the endodomain is the site of receptor activation. Coordination of these two domains is essential for successful hormone action but little is known about their functional and structural relationship. In this communication, we report that exoloop 3 of FSH-R constrains follicle-stimulating hormone binding to the exodomain. When the FSH-R exodomain was prepared by truncating its endodomain, the hormone binding affinity of the exodomain was slightly improved, compared with the wild type receptor. The binding affinity was further improved by >3-fold when the exodomain was attached to the membrane-associated domain of CD8. These results suggest that the FSH-R endodomain attenuates hormone binding at the exodomain. As a first step to test this hypothesis, the 11 amino acids except Ala589 of exoloop 3 were individually substituted with Ala. Ala substitution for Leu583 or Ile584 improved the hormone binding affinity by 4-6-fold while totally abolishing cAMP induction, indicating an inverse relationship. The Ala substitution for Lys580 or Pro582 had a similar trend but to a lesser extent. This significant improvement in the binding affinity suggests that the four residues at the N-terminal region of exoloop 3 interact with the exodomain and constrain the hormone binding in the wild type receptor. This effect is specific since substitutions for other than the 4 residues did not improve the hormone binding affinity. Computer modeling shows that the 4 residues can be positioned on one side of exoloop 3. This result and the apparent inverse relationship of hormone binding and cAMP induction suggest that these two essential functions may work against each other. Therefore, hormone binding might be compromised to preserve cAMP inducibility while maintaining a reasonably high, but below maximum, binding affinity.
Scheduling periodic events

Graph theoretic methods are used to analyze a problem concerning periodically recurring events that has applications to transportation efficiency. Bounds on the optimum, results on complexity and an algorithm for the solution are obtained.
Transition From Elementary to Middle School and Change in Motivation: An Examination of Chinese Students

Abstract This study examines whether a change in motivation occurred from 5th-grade elementary school to 6th-grade middle level school for students in the People's Republic of China, as had been identified among U.S. students. A total of 260 Chinese students, 138 in the 5th grade and 122 in the 6th grade, participated in the study. The students' motivation was examined using the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey in the following aspects: personal achievement goal orientations, perceptions of the classroom goal structure, academic efficacy, academic self-handicapping strategies, and cultural dissonance between home and school. While no significant difference was reported between male and female students, significant main effects were found between students in the 5th and 6th grades. Specifically, a significant difference was found in two out of eight subcategories: performance approach goal orientation and cultural dissonance between home and school. The findings indicate that the causes of difference i...
The age of the Hengistbury Beds (Eocene) and its significance for the structure of the area around Christchurch, Dorset

Further evidence is adduced for correlating the Hengistbury Beds with the lower part of the Barton Beds (Upper Eocene, Hampshire Basin, England). The palaeontological evidence for the age of the Hengistbury Beds is reviewed and, although much of this is inconclusive, several elements are considered to indicate definitely a Lower Barton and not a Bracklesham age. The palaeoecology of the Hengistbury Beds is discussed and their apparently anomalous location is ascribed to the action of a fold system en echelon with the Bouldnor and Thorness synclines and the Porchfield anticline to the east. This whole group of folds is tentatively interpreted as a drag phenomenon associated with left-lateral movement along the line of the Purbeck-Isle of Wight tectonic disturbance.
Accessing data through ontologies with ONDA

Accessing distributed and heterogeneous data sources through domain-oriented conceptual models (ontologies) facilitates the development of smarter information systems, as per the Semantic Web vision. To apply this vision to industrial grade applications, concept-based query answering must be efficient and scalable. This paper describes ONDA, a technology developed at the IBM Center for Advanced Studies of Rome which enables intelligent access to legacy relational information systems by means of ontologies. With ONDA, users can map rich conceptual models to existing or new relational data sources, and can query actual data through business concepts instead of the specific schemas of the data sources. By adopting a language of limited expressiveness ONDA ensures sound and complete query answering to conjunctive queries with the same efficiency and scalability of the underlying relational sources. This paper illustrates ONDA's basic principles, outlines the system architecture and implementation, and presents prototypical applications. Finally, further research and development plans are discussed.
Policy-Relevant Treatment Effects

Accounting for individual-level heterogeneity in the response to treatment is a major development in the econometric literature on program evaluation. A substantial body of empirical evidence demonstrates that econometric models fit on individual-level data manifest heterogeneity in treatment effects that is present even after conditioning on observables. An important distinction is the one between evaluation models where participation in the program being evaluated is based, at least in part, on unobserved idiosyncratic responses to treatment and models where participation is not based on unobserved idiosyncratic responses. This is the distinction between selection on unobservables and selection on observables. The validity of entire classes of evaluation estimators hinges on whether or not they allow agents to act on unobserved idiosyncratic responses. In a wide variety of applications, the available evidence suggests that not only are ex post (postenrollment) responses heterogeneous, but that ex ante decisions to participate in programs are based, in part, on these heterogeneous responses (Heckman and Vytlacil, 2000b, 2001).
Comparison of fat-free mass in super obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2) and morbid obesity (BMI <50 kg/m2) in response to different weight loss surgeries.

Abstract Background Differences in excess weight loss, body mass index (BMI) change, and body composition have been related to different types of bariatric procedures. Our objective was to explore these alterations related to body mass in superobese (SO) and morbidly obese (MO) patients in a university hospital setting. Methods Patients provided written informed consent and had their body composition measured before and after surgery using bioimpedance (Tanita 310). The t test was used to compare MO and SO. Pearson's correlations were used to examine the BMI, excessive BMI loss, percentage of body fat (BF) change, and fat-free mass. Results A total of 133 MO patients had a BMI of 43.3 kg/m 2 and 88 SO patients had a BMI of 59.4 kg/m 2 . The percentage of BF was 46.7% and 51.9% ( P P = .62) and patient age (43.4 and 42.5 yr) were not significant, but the gender distribution was significant ( P = .003). After surgery, the MO patients had a BMI of 30.9 ± 5.7 kg/m 2 and the SO patients had a BMI of 37.3 ± 9.0 kg/m 2 . The percentage of BF was not different between the 2 groups (MO, 33.1% ± 9.6% and SO, 35.0% ± 12.4%; P = .21). Gender differences in the percentage of BF were present before surgery; however, after surgery, these were absent for the men in the 2 groups (24.8% and 26.6%; P = .51). The change in the BMI and the change in the BF had a stronger correlation for the MO patients ( r = .83 versus r = .53) than for the SO patients. The fat-free mass loss correlated with the change in BMI without regard to procedure. The percentage of excessive BMI loss was 65.1% for the MO and 63.4% for the SO patients ( P = .64). Conclusions The SO patients achieved excessive BMI loss similar to that of the MO patients, with more SO men choosing biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch. At a BMI of 37.3 kg/m 2 , the SO patients had a percentage of BF that was not different from that of the MO patients at 30.9 kg/m 2 . The fat-free mass losses correlated with the change in BMI.
A Mg2+-dependent, Ca2+-inhibitable Serine/Threonine Protein Phosphatase from Bovine Brain

The Mg(2+)-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatases, also known as type 2C phosphatases (PP2C), belong to a gene family distinct from the other serine/threonine phosphatases and tyrosine phosphatases. Here we report the purification to apparent homogeneity of a novel Mg(2+)-dependent, Ca(2+)-inhibitable serine/threonine protein phosphatase from bovine brain. It is a type 2C enzyme in view of its Mg2+ requirement, resistance to okadaic acid and calyculin A, inability to use phosphorylase alpha as substrate, and a segment of amino acid sequence typical of all PP2C type phosphatases known to date. However, it differs from the other PP2C enzymes, particularly the mammalian PP2C alpha and -beta isoforms, in that its molecular weight, 76,000, is considerably larger and that it is inhibited by Ca2+, NaF, and polycations, but not by orthovanadate. The Ca2+ inhibition may not be related to its cellular regulation because of Ki values in the 20-90 microM range, but this property permits distinction of this enzyme from the other phosphatases. Although the precise physiological role of this phosphatase is not yet known, its ability to dephosphorylate a wide variety of phosphoproteins and its broad distribution, as shown by a survey of mouse tissues for its activity, suggest that it may serve an important cellular function.
Stochastic Hard-Sphere Dynamics for Hydrodynamics of Nonideal Fluids

A novel stochastic fluid model is proposed with a nonideal structure factor consistent with compressibility, and adjustable transport coefficients. This stochastic hard-sphere dynamics (SHSD) algorithm is a modification of the direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithm and has several computational advantages over event-driven hard-sphere molecular dynamics. Surprisingly, SHSD results in an equation of state and a pair correlation function identical to that of a deterministic Hamiltonian system of penetrable spheres interacting with linear core pair potentials. The fluctuating hydrodynamic behavior of the SHSD fluid is verified for the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle suspended in a compressible solvent.
Classical solutions for the pressure-gradient equations in non-smooth and non-convex domains

We establish the existence of the classical solution for the pressure-gradient equation in a non-smooth and non-convex domain. The equation is elliptic inside the domain, becomes degenerate on the boundary, and is singular at the origin when the origin lies on the boundary. We show the solution is smooth inside the domain and continuous up to the boundary.
Combinatorial gene editing in mammalian cells using ssODNs and TALENs

The regulation of gene editing is being elucidated in mammalian cells and its potential as well as its limitations are becoming evident. ssODNs carry out gene editing by annealing to their complimentary sequence at the target site and acting as primers for replication fork extension. To effect a genetic change, a large amount of ssODN molecules must be introduced into cells and as such induce a Reduced Proliferation Phenotype (RPP), a phenomenon in which corrected cells do not proliferate. To overcome this limitation, we have used TAL-Effector Nucleases (TALENs) to increase the frequency, while reducing the amount of ssODN required to direct gene correction. This strategy resolves the problem and averts the serious effects of RPP. The efficiency of gene editing can be increased significantly if cells are targeted while they progress through S phase. Our studies define new reaction parameters that will help guide experimental strategies of gene editing.
The Development of Pneumonic Plague in Mice and the Effect of Paralysis of Respiratory Cilia upon the Course of Infection.

pestis has been studied extensively. The literature has recently been reviewed by Meyer,1 Girard,2and Pollitzer.3 However, relatively few of the reports deal with the pathogenesis of experimental primary pneumonic plague. It appeared, therefore, that a comprehensive study of the development of pneumonic plague following exposure of mice to aerosols of Past, pestis should yield information of value in the understanding of this infection.
Enhanced temperature-dependent magnetoresistivity of Fe/Cr superlattices

The temperature dependence of the magnetoresistivity is found to be much larger in Fe/Cr superlattices with rough interfaces (high magnetoresistance) than those with sharp ones (small magnetoresistance). We discuss the mechanisms which produce this temperature dependence and point out that symmetry conditions restrict the putative mechanisms in superlattices. We show that the enhanced temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance can be explained by the existence of local spin excitations at the roughened Fe/Cr interfaces.
Thyrotropin‐releasing hormone stimulates a calcium‐activated potassium current in a rat anterior pituitary cell line.

1. The ‘giga-seal’ patch-electrode technique (Hamill, Marty, Neher, Sakmann & Sigworth, 1981) was used for constant current and voltage-clamp recordings in the GH3 rat anterior pituitary cell line. 2. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) causes a membrane hyperpolarization that is mediated by a selective increase in K+ permeability. The hyperpolarization cannot be evoked when the cell is internally perfused with a Ca2+ chelator but persists when the external solution that bathes the cell is Ca2+-free or contains a Ca2+-channel blocker. 3. Under voltage clamp the TRH-induced current is approximately linear at negative potentials (-90 to -30 mV) but markedly enhanced at voltages above -30 mV). Thus, the affected conductance has a voltage-dependent component. 4. The TRH-induced increase in K+ permeability is sensitive to inhibition by 30 mM-TEA and 200 nM-apamin, inhibitors of two distinct Ca2+-activated K+ permeabilities in GH3 cells. 5. The time course of the TRH-induced K+ current is similar to the time course of a TRH-induced transient peak elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ that is due to mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. 6. The effects of TRH on the K+ current and the rise in cytosolic Ca2+ are half-maximal at 7 nM and 1.7 nM, respectively. 7. It is concluded that the TRH-induced hyperpolarization is mediated by two distinct Ca2+-activated K+ conductances that are activated by release of Ca2+ from an intracellular site.
The adiabatic matching section solution for the source injector

Abstract Typical designs for a Heavy Ion Fusion Power Plant require the source injector to deliver 100 beams, packed into an array with a spacing of 7 cm. When designing source injectors using a single large aperture source for each beam, the emitter surfaces are packed into an array with a spacing of 30 cm. Thus, the matching section of the source injector must not only prepare the beam for transport in a FODO lattice, but also funnel the beams together. This can be accomplished by an ESQ matching section in which each beam travels on average at a slight angle to the axis of the quadrupoles and uses the focussing effect of the FODO lattice to maintain the angle. At the end of the matching section, doublet steering is used to bring the beams parallel to each other for injection into the main accelerator. A specific solution of this type for an 84-beam source injector is presented.
Amplification, absorption, and lossless propagation of femtosecond pulses in semiconductor amplifiers.

Light propagation in semiconductor amplifiers is investigated numerically for femtosecond pulses whose frequency spectra are fully inside the gain region. Whereas amplification is observed for low-intensity pulses, lossless propagation and even pulse absorption are found for large input intensities. These novel features arise from the competition between amplifying and absorbing states in the semiconductor continuum.
Cotton lint yield variability in a heterogeneous soil at a landscape scale

Abstract Landscape variability associated with topographic features affects the spatial pattern of soil water and N redistribution, and thus N uptake and crop yield. A landscape-scale study was conducted in a center pivot irrigated field on the southern High Plains of Texas in 1999 to assess soil water, soil NO 3 -N, cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) lint yield, and N uptake variability in the landscape, and to determine the spatial correlation between these landscape variables using a state-space approach. The treatments were irrigation at 50 and 75% cotton potential evapotranspiration (ET). Neutron access tubes were placed at a 15-m interval along a 710 m (50% ET) and 820 m (75% ET) transect across the field. Soil NO 3 -N in early spring was autocorrelated at a distance varying between 60 and 80 m. Measured soil volumetric water content (WC), total N uptake, and lint yield were generally higher on lower landscape positions. Cotton lint yield was significantly correlated to soil WC ( r =0.76), soil NO 3 -N ( r =0.35), and site elevation ( r =−0.54). Differences of site elevation between local neighboring points explained the soil water, NO 3 -N and lint yield variability at the micro-scale level in the landscape. Soil WC, cotton lint yield, N uptake, and clay content were crosscorrelated with site elevation across a lag distance of ±30–40 m. The state-space analysis showed that cotton lint yield was positively weighted on soil WC availability and negatively weighted on site elevation. Cotton lint yield state-space models give insights on the association of soil physical and chemical properties, lint yield, and landscape processes, and have the potential to improve water and N management at the landscape-scale.
A survey of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a sewage treatment plant in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA

Abstract Antibiotic resistance is becoming a very large problem throughout the world. Antibiotics are used as prescribed medications to fight infections and prevent secondary bacterial infections during primary viral infections; they are also included in feeds for livestock and poultry. After passing through the human or animal body the antibiotics enter into the wastewater treatment process, where water is processed and cleaned and then returned to the environment. During sewage treatment, antibiotics come in contact with bacteria entering the treatment process, as well as bacteria used in the treatment process. The bacteria exposed to these antibiotics can become resistant during the treatment process and then expose the resistance genes to the environment upon release of treated water from the plant. Bacteria can become resistant via several mechanisms, including spontaneous mutation, induced mutation, genetic transformation, conjugation, and transduction. Because of the contact between bacteria and antibiotics during the treatment process, sewage plants are considered prime habitat to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There was a lack of research documenting the changes and flow of resistance between the stages of the wastewater treatment process or the possibility of uptake of resistant DNA in the environment into which the treated water is released. Therefore, this work was conducted to study the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in various stages of sewage treatment. The results show the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in raw sewage, as well as treated sewage. The results also indicate the possible release of antibiotic-resistant free DNA into the final discharge point in the nearby wetland.
Introduction to the Volume on Articles From the National Survey of Children's Health

At the beginning of the 21st century, researchers, policymakers and advocates had surprisingly few sources of analytic data concerning key issues in the healthy development and well-being of children and their families in the United States. Moreover, there was often no information about the health of children in individual states beyond the perinatal period. The Health Services Resources and Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), which is charged with promoting and improving the health of the nation's mothers and children, implemented a set of new data initiatives to address those gaps. In 2001, the MCHB, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), conducted the National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs, a random-digit-dial survey of almost 40000 children considered to have special needs. The survey was designed to provide both national- and state-level estimates for this population.1 From January 2003 through July 2004, the MCHB conducted the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The NSCH was created to serve a number of purposes. Its primary purpose was to provide estimates at the both the national- and state-level for a variety of physical, emotional, and behavioral child health indicators. These data were designed to help guide policymakers, advocates, and researchers on child health. Another purpose was to provide baseline estimates for a number of federal and state programs, such as the Title V maternal and child health performance measures, Healthy People 2010, and each state's 5-year Title V needs assessment. The NSCH was conducted through random-digit dialing. Interviews were conducted in either English or Spanish; 5.9% of interviews were conducted in Spanish. To increase efficiency and lower costs, the NSCH shared the sampling frame of the National Immunization Survey. All interviews used computer-assisted telephone interviewing. The survey was … Address correspondence to Michael D. Kogan, PhD, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18-41, Rockville, MD 20857. E-mail: mkogan{at}hrsa.gov
Modeling of Liquid Water on CM Meteorite Parent Bodies and Implications for Amino Acid Racemization

Abstract We have constructed an asteroid model with the intent of tracking the radial and temporal dependence of temperature and composition throughout a 100-km-diameter CM-type parent body, with emphasis on constraining the temperature and duration of a liquid water phase. We produce a nonuniform distribution where liquid water persists longest and is hottest in the deepest zones and the regolith never sees conditions appropriate to aqueous alteration. We apply the model predictions of the liquid water characteristics to the evolution of amino acids. In some regions of the parent body, very little change occurs in the amino acids, but for the majority of the asteroid, complete racemization or even destruction occurs. We attempt to match our thermal model results with CM meteorite observations, but thus far, our model does not produce scenarios that are fully consistent with these observations.
Preneural limitations on letter identification in central and peripheral vision

We created a sequential ideal-observer model that could address the question, How much of letter identification performance and its change with eccentricity can be accounted for by preneural factors? The ideal-observer model takes into account preneural factors including the stimulus rendering properties of a CRT display, the optical imaging quality of the eye, and photon capture and sampling characteristics of the cones. We validated the formulation of the model by comparing its performance on simple psychophysical tasks with that of previous sequential ideal-observer models. The model was used to study properties of the image rendering of letters. For example, the model’s identification of high-resolution letters (i.e., many pixels per letter), but not low-resolution letters, is largely immune to changes in pixel width. We compared human and ideal-observer letter-identification acuity for the lowercase alphabet at 0°, 5°, and 20° retinal eccentricity. Acuity of the ideal observer for high-contrast letters is approximately seven times better than that of the human observers at 0°. Acuity decreased with eccentricity more rapidly for human observers than for the ideal observer such that the thresholds differed by a factor of 50 at 20°. A decrease in stimulus duration from 100 to 33 ms resulted in no decrease in relative threshold size between the human and ideal observers at all eccentricities, indicating that humans effectively integrate stimulus information over this range. Decreasing contrast from 75% to 25%, however, reduced the difference in acuities twofold at all eccentricities between humans and the ideal-observer model, consistent with the presence a compressive nonlinearity only in the human observers. The gap between human and ideal acuity in central vision means that there are substantial limitations in human letter recognition beyond the stage of photoreceptor sampling. The increasing performance gap between human and ideal-observer performance with eccentricity implicates an increasing role of neural limitations with eccentricity in limiting human letter identification.
Examination of aerosol effects on precipitation in deep convective clouds during the 1997 ARM summer experiment

It has been generally accepted that increasing aerosols suppress precipitation. The aerosol-induced precipitation suppression was suggested by the study of shallow stratiform clouds. Recent studies of convective clouds showed increasing aerosols could increase precipitation. Those studies showed that intense feedbacks between aerosols and cloud dynamics led to increased precipitation in some cases of convective clouds. This study expanded those studies by analyzing detailed microphysical and dynamical modifications by aerosols leading to increased precipitation. This study focused on three observed cases of mesoscale cloud ensemble (MCE) driven by deep convective clouds, since MCE accounts for a large proportion of the Earth's precipitation and the study of aerosol effects on MCE is at its incipient stage. Those MCEs were observed during the 1997 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) summer experiment. Two numerical experiments were performed for each of the MCEs to simulate aerosol effects on deep convection. The first was with high aerosol number concentration, and the second was with low concentration. The results showed an increased precipitation at high aerosol, due to stronger, more numerous updraughts, initiated by stronger convergence lines at the surface in convective regions of the MCE. The stronger convergence lines were triggered by increased evaporation of cloud liquid in the high-aerosol case, made possible by higher values of cloud liquid necessary for autoconversion. The generality of these results requires further investigation. However, they demonstrate that the response of precipitation to increased aerosols in deep convection can be different from that in shallow cloud systems, at least for the cases studied here. Copyright (c) 2008 Royal Meteorological Society. (Less)
Have anthropogenic aerosols delayed a greenhouse gas‐induced weakening of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation?

[1] In many climate model simulations using realistic, time-varying climate change forcing agents for the 20th and 21st centuries, the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) weakens in the 21st century, with little change in the 20th century. Here we use a comprehensive climate model to explore the impact of various climate change forcing agents on the THC. We conduct ensembles of integrations with subsets of climate change forcing agents. Increasing greenhouse gases – in isolation – produce a significant THC weakening in the late 20th century, but this change is partially offset by increasing anthropogenic aerosols, which tend to strengthen the THC. The competition between increasing greenhouse gases and anthropogenic aerosols thus produces no significant THC change in our 20th century simulations when all climate forcings are included. The THC weakening becomes significant several decades into the 21st century, when the effects of increasing greenhouse gases overwhelm the aerosol effects.
Differential Item Functioning in the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire

This secondary data analysis investigated differential item functioning (DIF) in the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) across demographic subgroups. The study was conducted at an academic primary care group practice on 3,954 patients aged 60 years and older who completed the SPMSQ during routine office visits. After adjusting for overall cognitive ability, women were more likely than men to respond correctly to name-of-this-place andmother's-maiden-name items. African Americans were more likely than Whites to correctly give their correct telephone numbers. Those with 0 to 8 years of education were less likely to name the current president and correctly answer the serial-threes item than those with 12 or more years of education. Those aged 80 or older were less likely to correctly identify the day of the week than those aged 60 to 69. Future studies seeking to develop newcognitive screening measures should perform DIF analyses in the instrument development phase to eliminate DIF items a pr...
Managing Technical People: Creatively Teaching the Skills of Human Interaction in Today's Diverse Classrooms

Software engineering curricula typically focus on process and technology yet give little or no attention to teaching the ldquosoft skillsrdquo of managing technical people. While teaching the art of managing people is indeed difficult, it is paramount in todaypsilas global working and learning environments. A new elective, using a highly interactive approach, was developed at Carnegie Mellon University to address specific challenges in managing technical people. Modular class design incorporated various activities including role-plays, case studies, video analysis and scenario-based decision-making to enhance student learning.
Multiscale simulations of porous media flows in flow-based coordinate system

In this paper, we propose a multiscale technique for the simulation of porous media flows in a flow-based coordinate system. A flow-based coordinate system allows us to simplify the scale interaction and derive the upscaled equations for purely hyperbolic transport equations. We discuss the applications of the method to two-phase flows in heterogeneous porous media. For two-phase flow simulations, the use of a flow-based coordinate system requires limited global information, such as the solution of single-phase flow. Numerical results show that one can achieve accurate upscaling results using a flow-based coordinate system.
Alteration of Drug-Protein Binding in Renal Disease

The protein binding of acidic drugs but not basic drugs is decreased in serum from patients with poor renal function. This decreased binding is due to the retention of compounds that displace drugs from their binding sites on albumin. Phenytoin and valproic acid are the 2 drugs that require a change in the values for therapeutic levels to allow for this decreased binding.
Evapotranspiration From Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) in Texas Reservoirs

: Water hyacinth, an attractive, floating aquatic plant, poses a substantial threat of unanticipated water loss from Texas reservoirs. A mature plant will lose about three times as much water through evapotranspiration as is lost from evaporation of an equivalent area of open water. The reservoirs of east and southeast Texas, which comprise the bulk of the state's existing and planned water storage capacity, seem likely to suffer a 20 percent average surface infestation of water hyacinth. A coverage that great will result in a yearly net loss of over 2,000,000 acre-feet of impounded water, based on present water development plans for the state. This would amount to nearly 20 percent of the anticipated yield from the reservoirs affected. An effective aquatic plant control program could head off the threat of this significant water loss.
Obesity Prevention, Screening, and Treatment: Practices of Pediatric Providers Since the 2007 Expert Committee Recommendations

This study surveyed pediatric primary care providers at a major academic center regarding their attitudes and practices of obesity screening, prevention, and treatment. The authors compared the care providers' reported practices to the 2007 American Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Expert Committee Recommendations to evaluate their adherence to the guidelines and differences based on level of training and specialty. Of 96 providers surveyed, less than half used the currently recommended criteria for identifying children who are overweight (24.7%) and obese (34.4%), with attendings more likely to use the correct criteria than residents (P < .05). Although most providers felt comfortable counseling patients and families about the prevention of overweight and obesity, the majority felt their counseling was not effective. There was considerable variability in reported practices of lab screening and referral patterns of overweight and obese children. More efforts are needed to standardize providers' approach to overweight and obese children.
Analysis of German climatic variations during the period of instrumental record

The purpose of this investigation is to characterize climatic changes that have occurred in Germany based on historical observational records. Analyses show that mean annual temperatures in Germany have warmed by 0.66°C over the past 140 years with most of this warming occurring during the low-sun seasons and early in this century. Very long-term records from three German stations, which are similar to long-term data from surrounding stations, reveal no warming over the past 200+ years. All of the temperature records show the period near 1890 to be anomalously cool. As with many other parts of the world, the diurnal temperature range in Germany has declined slightly while precipitation totals and cloud cover have increased; precipitation and the diurnal temperature range have a strong and negative correlation over the period 1950–1989. Historical climatic variations in Germany generally are consistent with patterns found for other mid-latitude locations around the world.
Emergence of Selective Social Referencing in Infancy

Seven and 10-month-old infants were presented with a remote-controlled toy dog that intermittently barked at 30-sec intervals as they faced an experimenter who either attended to them (look toward condition) or looked away (look away condition). Seven-month-old infants' looking toward the experimenter was significantly greater after the dog barking events compared to before regardless of experimental condition. In contrast, 10-month-old infants' looks were significantly greater after the barking events compared to before only when the experimenter was attending to them. These results suggest that by 10 months infants monitor and refer to people in an ambiguous situation depending on their attention toward them. This development is viewed as indexing the emergence of an intentional stance in social referencing by 10 months of age.
A transport layer abstraction for peer-to-peer networks

The initially unrestricted host-to-host communication model provided by the Internet Protocol has deteriorated due to political and technical changes caused by Internet growth. While this is not a problem for most client-server applications, peer-to-peer networks frequently struggle with peers that are only partially reachable. We describe how a peer-to-peer framework can hide diversity and obstacles in the underlying Internet and provide peer-to-peer applications with abstractions that hide transport specific details. We present the details of an implementation of a transport service based on SMTP. Small-scale benchmarks are used to compare transport services over UDP, TCP, and SMTP.