cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The strong competitive role of 2n pollen in several polyploidy hybridizations in Rosa hybrida.

2n pollen play a strong competitive role in hybridization and breeding of multiploids in Rosa hybrida. The ploidy inheritable characteristic of ‘Orange Fire’ × ‘Old Blush’ were analyzed. The results of the cytological observations indicated that 2n pollen developed from the defeated cytoplasmic division or nuclear division in the meiosis metaphase II of PMC (pollen mother cell) in ‘Old Blush’. The natural generation rate of the 2n pollen in ‘Old Blush’ (2x) was about 1.39 in percentage of all male gametes, whereas the tetraploids in the F1 offspring possessed a high rate, i.e., 44.00%. The temporal and spatial characteristics of ‘Old Blush’ pollen germination on the stigma and growth in pistil of ‘Orange Fire’ and ‘DEE’ were observed, and the results suggested that the germination rate of 2n pollen on the stigma was not superior to that of 1n pollen, but that the proportion of 2n pollen increased to 30.90 and 37.20%, respectively, while it traversed the stigma and entered into style. The callose plug in the 2n pollen tube was significantly thinner than that of 1n pollen tube. And each trait involved in our experiment probably is very important for F1 morphological phenotypes. We conclude that 2n pollen are involved in hybridization and have a competitive advantage while it traversed the stigma and entered into style. The callose plug in the 2n pollen tube was may have strongly influenced the competitive process in R. hybrida.
The impact of direct‐acting anti‐virals on the hepatitis C care cascade: identifying progress and gaps towards hepatitis C elimination in the United States

Background The hepatitis C virus (HCV) care cascade has changed dramatically following the introduction of direct-acting anti-virals (DAAs). Up-to-date estimates of the cascade are needed to monitor progress, identify key gaps and inform policy. Aim To estimate the current and future HCV care cascade in the United States, nationally and in select subpopulations of interest. Methods We used a previously validated mathematical model to simulate the landscape of HCV in the United States from 2011 onwards, accounting for HCV screening policy updates, newer HCV treatments and rising HCV incidence. Results By the end of 2018, of 4.29 million HCV persons alive, 2.71 million (63%) were actively viremic, 2.24 million (52%) aware and 1.58 million (37%) cured. By 2030, under the status quo, of 3.65 million HCV persons alive, 1.88 million (51%) would be viremic, 2.25 million (62%) aware and 1.77 million (49%) cured. The HCV care cascade in 2018 differed substantially by subpopulation: of 1.34 million incarcerated HCV persons, 96% were viremic, 36% aware and 4% cured; of 0.87 million HCV persons in Medicare, 31% were viremic, 72% aware and 69% cured; and of 0.37 million HCV persons in Medicaid, 49% were viremic, 54% aware and 51% cured. Implementing universal screening, providing unrestricted treatment and controlling HCV incidence were factors found to have the largest effect on improving the HCV care cascade. Conclusions Since the launch of DAAs, the HCV care cascade has shifted towards higher awareness and treatment rates; however, additional interventions are needed to move towards HCV elimination.
Varietal Differences in the Chemical Composition of Sugarcane

Summary The sugarcane stalk consists of approximately 75% water with the remainder divided between fiber and soluble solids. Fiber is a general term to describe the solid residue left after the juice (water and soluble solids) is extracted by milling, and consists primarily of cellulose and lignin. The proportion of both fiber and soluble solids increases as the cane matures, and the relative rate of increase and the relative level of these components at maturity are heritable. Sucrose, the major component of soluble solids at maturity and the economically most important constituent of sugarcane, can reach a concentration in the juice of over 20%. Besides water and sucrose, other constituents of the juice are glucose, fructose, minerals, protein, gum and polysaccharides, organic acids and miscellaneous minor constituents. These constituents may vary in concentration with age of stalk, varieties, weather patterns and plant growth, nutrient uptake and availability, crop damage due to insects, diseases, wind damage and early freezes, and application of chemical ripeners. This paper will discuss the differences in chemical composition of the juice of the cane stalk as it relates to varieties, with emphasis on sucrose, glucose, fructose, deterioration products, mineral constituents and colorants.
Caught Between a Rock & a Hard Place: How Spatial Facets of Refugee Crisis Shape Institutional Work

The institutional work scholarship has come of age and is starting to pay closer attention to the role of materiality and particularly the contribution of spatiality to institutional change. In thi...
International Comparisons of Emotionally Reactive Problems in Preschoolers: CBCL/1½-5 Findings from 21 Societies.

Our goal was to conduct international comparisons of emotion regulation using the 9-item Emotionally Reactive (ER) syndrome of the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5. We analyzed parent ratings for 17,964 preschoolers from 21 societies, which were grouped into 8 GLOBE study culture clusters (e.g., Nordic, Confucian Asian). Omnicultural broad base rates for ER items ranged from 8.0% to 38.8%. Rank ordering for mean item ratings varied widely across societies (omnicultural Q = .50) but less so across culture clusters (M Q = .66). Societal similarity in mean item rank ordering varied by culture cluster, with large within-cluster similarity for Anglo (Q = .96), Latin Europe (Q = .74), Germanic (Q = .77), and Latin American (Q = .76) clusters, but smaller within-cluster similarity for Nordic, Eastern Europe, and Confucian Asian clusters (Qs = .52, .23, and .44, respectively). Confirmatory factor analyses of the ER syndrome supported configural invariance for all 21 societies. All 9 items showed full to approximate metric invariance, but only 3 items showed approximate scalar invariance. The ER syndrome correlated . 65 with the Anxious/Depressed (A/D) syndrome and .63 with the Aggressive Behavior syndrome. ER items varied in base rates and factor loadings, and societies varied in rank ordering of items as low, medium, or high in mean ratings. Item rank order similarity among societies in the same culture cluster varied widely across culture clusters, suggesting the importance of cultural factors in the assessment of emotion regulation in preschoolers.
Burnout in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellows.

Objectives Assess the overall level of burnout in pediatric critical care medicine fellows and examine factors that may contribute to or protect against its development. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs across the United States. Subjects Pediatric critical care medicine fellows and program directors. Interventions Web-based survey that assessed burnout via the Maslach Burnout Inventory, as well as other measures that elicited demographics, sleepiness, social support, perceptions about prior training, relationships with colleagues, and environmental burnout. Measurements and main results One-hundred eighty-seven fellows and 47 program directors participated. Fellows from 30% of programs were excluded due to lack of program director participation. Average values on each burnout domain for fellows were higher than published values for other medical professionals. Personal accomplishment was greater (lower burnout) among fellows more satisfied with their career choice (β 9.319; p ≤ 0.0001), spiritual fellows (β 1.651; p = 0.0286), those with a stress outlet (β 3.981; p = 0.0226), those comfortable discussing educational topics with faculty (β 3.078; p = 0.0197), and those comfortable seeking support from their co-fellows (β 3.762; p = 0.0006). Depersonalization was higher for second year fellows (β 2.034; p = 0.0482), those with less educational debt (β -2.920; p = 0.0115), those neutral/dissatisfied with their career choice (β -6.995; p = 0.0031), those with nursing conflict (β -3.527; p = 0.0067), those who perceived burnout among co-fellows (β 1.803; p = 0.0352), and those from ICUs with an increased number of patient beds (β 5.729; p ≤ 0.0001). Emotional exhaustion was higher among women (β 2.933; p = 0.0237), those neutral/dissatisfied with their career choice (β -7.986; p = 0.0353), and those who perceived burnout among co-fellows (β 5.698; p ≤ 0.0001). Greater sleepiness correlated with higher burnout by means of lower personal accomplishment (r = -1.64; p = 0.0255) and higher emotional exhaustion (r = 0.246; p = 0.0007). Except for tangible support, all other forms of social support showed a small to moderate correlation with lower burnout. Conclusions Pediatric critical care medicine fellows in the United States are experiencing high levels of burnout, which appears to be influenced by demographics, fellow perceptions of their work environment, and satisfaction with career choice. The exclusion of fellows at 30% of the programs may have over or underestimated the actual level of burnout in these trainees.
Chapter 2 – Basic Definitions

Publisher Summary This chapter presents precise definitions for the notion of cellular space, various symmetries which such a space may possess, and various behaviors which it may or may not be able to support. The cellular space regarded as a plane assemblage of a countable number of interconnected cells. The location of each cell is specifiable by its Cartesian coordinates in regard to some arbitrarily chosen origin and set of axes. Each cell contains an identical copy of the finite automaton (V, v0, f), and the state vt (α) of a cell α at time t is precisely the state of its associated automaton at time t. An allowable assignment of states to all cells in the space is called a configuration. An allowable assignment of states to all cells in the space is called a configuration. The two categories of symmetries of cellular spaces are: those pertaining to the neighborhood function g and those to the transition function f.
Root finding algorithms and persistence of Jordan centrality in growing random trees

We consider models of growing random trees $\{\mathcal{T}_f(n):n\geq 1\}$ with model dynamics driven by an attachment function $f:\mathbb{Z}_+\to \mathbb{R}_+$. At each stage a new vertex enters the system and connects to a vertex $v$ in the current tree with probability proportional to $f(\text{degree}(v))$. The main goal of this study is to understand the performance of root finding algorithms. A large body of work (e.g. the work of Bubeck, Devroye and Lugosi or Jog and Loh) has emerged in the last few years in using techniques based on the Jordan centrality measure and its variants to develop root finding algorithms. Given an unlabelled unrooted tree, one computes the Jordan centrality for each vertex in the tree and for a fixed budget $K$ outputs the optimal $K$ vertices (as measured by Jordan centrality). Under general conditions on the attachment function $f$, we derive necessary and sufficient bounds on the budget $K(\epsilon)$ in order to recover the root with probability at least $1-\epsilon$. For canonical examples such as linear preferential attachment and uniform attachment, these general results give matching upper and lower bounds for the budget. We also prove persistence of the optimal $K$ Jordan centers for any $K$, i.e. the existence of an almost surely finite random time $n^*$ such that for $n \geq n^*$ the identity of the $K$-optimal Jordan centers in $\{\mathcal{T}_f(n):n\geq n^*\}$ does not change, thus describing robustness properties of this measure. Key technical ingredients in the proofs of independent interest include sufficient conditions for the existence of exponential moments for limits of (appropriately normalized) continuous time branching processes within which the models $\{\mathcal{T}_f(n):n\geq n^*\}$ can be embedded, as well as rates of convergence results to these limits.
Breast Cancer Population Attributable Risk Proportions Associated with Body Mass Index and Breast Density by Race/Ethnicity and Menopausal Status.

Background: Overweight/obesity and dense breasts are strong breast cancer risk factors whose prevalences vary by race/ethnicity. The breast cancer population attributable risk proportions (PARP) explained by these factors across racial/ethnic groups are unknown. Methods: We analyzed data collected from 3,786,802 mammography examinations (1,071,653 women) in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, associated with 21,253 invasive breast cancers during a median of 5.2 years follow-up. HRs for body mass index (BMI) and breast density, adjusted for age and registry were estimated using separate Cox regression models by race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian) and menopausal status. HRs were combined with observed risk-factor proportions to calculate PARPs for shifting overweight/obese to normal BMI and shifting heterogeneously/extremely dense to scattered fibroglandular densities. Results: The prevalences and HRs for overweight/obesity and heterogeneously/extremely dense breasts varied across races/ethnicities and menopausal status. BMI PARPs were larger for postmenopausal versus premenopausal women (12.0%–28.3% vs. 1.0%–9.9%) and nearly double among postmenopausal Black women (28.3%) than other races/ethnicities (12.0%–15.4%). Breast density PARPs were larger for premenopausal versus postmenopausal women (23.9%–35.0% vs. 13.0%–16.7%) and lower among premenopausal Black women (23.9%) than other races/ethnicities (30.4%–35.0%). Postmenopausal density PARPs were similar across races/ethnicities (13.0%–16.7%). Conclusions: Overweight/obesity and dense breasts account for large proportions of breast cancers in White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian women despite large differences in risk-factor distributions. Impact: Risk prediction models should consider how race/ethnicity interacts with BMI and breast density. Efforts to reduce BMI could have a large impact on breast cancer risk reduction, particularly among postmenopausal Black women.
Fischer-tropsch synthesis in monolith catalysts coated with hierarchical ZSM-5

Abstract Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is explored as a candidate one-step process for the selective conversion of synthesis gas to short and branched hydrocarbons. Novel structured catalysts for in-situ upgrading of FTS products to gasoline-range hydrocarbons are synthesized by coating controlled-thickness ZSM-5 films on the surface of Co-Al2O3/monolith substrates. FTS catalysts with coating of microporous and mesoporous ZSM-5 are synthesized, characterized and tested. These catalysts leverage the benefits of monolith reactors as efficient mass and heat transfer structures, with the ZSM-5 layer as a hydrocarbon cracking and isomerization agent. Hierarchical ZSM-5 co-catalysts are shown to relax mass transfer limitations through the zeolite film, thus improving conversion and selectivity. The proposed co-catalysts exhibit high CO conversion and high gasoline selectivity with high octane number. Loss of catalyst activity was observed and attributed to ZSM-5 pore plugging by C13+ saturated hydrocarbons. In-situ regeneration of the catalysts enabled stability in FTS performance.
5-HT3/7 and GABAB receptors mediate inhibition of trigeminal nociception by dietary supplementation of grape seed extract.

Background: Temporomandibular joint disorder is a prevalent orofacial pain condition involving sensitization and activation of trigeminal nociceptive neurons. Dietary supplementation with a proanth...
Technical and clinical study of x-ray-based surface echo probe tracking using an attached fiducial apparatus

PURPOSE Several types of structural heart intervention (SHI) use information from multiple imaging modalities to complete an interventional task. For example, in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), placement and deployment of a bioprosthetic aortic valve in the aorta is primarily guided by x-ray fluoroscopy (XRF), and echocardiography provides visualization of cardiac anatomy and blood flow. However, simultaneous interpretation of independent x-ray and echo displays remains a challenge for the interventionalist. The purpose of this work was to develop a novel echo/x-ray co-registration solution in which volumetric transthoracic echo (TTE) is transformed to the x-ray coordinate system by tracking the three-dimensional (3D) pose of a probe fiducial attachment from its appearance in two-dimensional (2D) x-ray images. METHODS A fiducial attachment for a commercial TTE probe consisting of rings of high-contrast ball bearings was designed and fabricated. The 3D pose (position and orientation) of the fiducial attachment is estimated from a 2D x-ray image using an algorithm in which a virtual point cloud model of the attachment is iteratively rotated, translated, and forward-projected onto the image until the average sum-of-squares of grayscale values at the projected points is minimized. Fiducial registration error (FRE) and target registration error (TRE) of this approach were evaluated in phantom studies using TAVR-relevant gantry orientations and four standard acoustic windows for the TTE probe. A patient study was conducted to assess the clinical suitability of the fiducial attachment prototype during TTE imaging of patients undergoing SHI. TTE image quality for the task of guiding a transcatheter procedure was evaluated in a reviewer study. RESULTS The 3D FRE ranged from 0.32 ± 0.03 mm (mean ± SD) to 1.31 ± 0.05 mm, depending on C-arm orientation and probe acoustic window. The 3D TRE ranged from 1.06 ± 0.03 mm to 2.42 ± 0.06 mm. Fiducial pose estimation was stable when >75% of the fiducial markers were visible in the x-ray image. A panel of reviewers graded the presentation of heart valves in TTE images from 48 SHI patients. While valve presentation did not differ significantly between acoustic windows (P > 0.05), the mitral valve did achieve a significantly higher image quality compared to the aortic and tricuspid valves (P < 0.001). Overall, reviewers perceived sufficient image quality in 76.5% of images of the mitral valve, 54.9% of images of the aortic valve, and 48.6% of images of the tricuspid valve. CONCLUSIONS Fiducial-based tracking of a commercial TTE probe is compatible with clinical SHI workflows and yields 3D target registration error of less than 2.5 mm for a variety of x-ray gantry geometries and echo probe acoustic windows. Although TTE image quality with respect to target valve anatomy was sufficient for the majority of cases examined, prescreening of patients for sufficient TTE quality would be helpful.
Advances in lymphatic imaging and interventions in patients with congenital heart disease

Abstract The lymphatic system was discovered in the early days of medicine, however, the ability to image and treat lymphatic abnormalities has only developed over the last 10 to 15 years. In this time, the presence of lymphatic disorders with congenital heart disease has been described and better understood. Advances in imaging modalities have led to novel MRI techniques including dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance lymphangiograms (DCMRL) as well as conventional lymphangiograms to better delineate lymphatic pathology. Using these modalities, it is now possible to diagnose and treat a wide array of lymphatic abnormalities including chylous effusions, chylous ascites, plastic bronchitis, and protein losing enteropathy. Therapies have advanced to involve percutaneous, transabdominal thoracic duct access with treatment of lymphatic problems using liquid embolic material, covered stents, and coils. In cases of thoracic duct occlusion, re-establishing flow is the first line of treatment which can be performed using a novel microsurgical lympho-venous anastomosis technique. In patients with single ventricle physiology, it is essential to image the lymphatics using intra-nodal, intra-hepatic, and intra-mesenteric DCMRL prior to intervening. In these patients, care must be taken to prevent complete occlusion of the thoracic duct to avoid creating another source of lymphatic problems. Current and future lymphatic management involves a combination of catheter-based and surgical interventions as well as the use of novel medical therapies, such as MEK inhibitors, to remodel abnormal lymphatic architecture. Synopsis This article strives to review the current status of the field of lymphatic imaging and interventions in congenital heart diseases and briefly outlines future directions as the field evolves.
Differential methylation and expression patterns of microRNAs in relation to breast cancer subtypes among American women of African and European ancestry

Aggressive high-grade, estrogen receptor negative (ER-) breast cancer is more common among American women of African ancestry (AA) than those of European ancestry (EA). Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation and altered microRNA (miRNA) expression, may contribute to racial differences in breast cancer. However, few studies have specifically characterized genome-wide DNA methylation-based modifications at the miRNA level in relation to ER+ and ER- subtype, and their functional role in the regulation of miRNA expression, especially among high risk AA women. In this study, we evaluated DNA methylation patterns of miRNA encoding genes and their effect on expression in breast tumors from both AA and EA women. The genome-wide methylation screen identified a total of 7,191 unique CpGs mapped to 1,292 miRNA genes, corresponding to 2,035 unique mature miRNAs. We identified differentially methylated loci (DMLs: (|delta β|)>0.10, FDR<0.05) between ER- and ER+ tumor subtypes, including 290 DMLs shared in both races, 317 and 136 were specific to AA and EA women, respectively. Integrated analysis identified certain DMLs whose methylation levels were significantly correlated with the expression of relevant miRNAs, such as multiple CpGs within miR-190b and miR-135b highly negatively correlated with their expression. These results were then validated in the TCGA dataset. Target prediction and pathway analysis showed that these DNA methylation-dysregulated miRNAs are involved in multiple cancer-related pathways, including cell cycle G1-S growth factor regulation, cytoskeleton remodeling, angiogenesis, EMT, and ESR1-mediated signaling pathways. In summary, our results suggest that DNA methylation changes within miRNA genes are associated with altered miRNA expression, which may contribute to the network of subtype- and race-related tumor biological differences in breast cancer. These findings support the involvement of epigenetic regulation of miRNA expression and provide insights into the relations of clinical-relevant miRNAs to their target genes, which may serve as potential preventative and therapeutic targets.
Spectra of Reduced Fractals and their Applications in Biology

Reduced fractals, with different levels of self-similarity and magnification, are defined and used to introduce discrete spectra of reduced fractals. To justify the concept of reduced fractals and their spectra, some specific applications to biological systems, such as green algae, are performed and it is demonstrated how these spectra can be used to classify biological systems. The ranges of these spectra for the considered systems are determined and their extension to other natural science systems is suggested.
A negative regulator of ribosomal RNA processing specifies R-gene-independent cell death in barley - powdery mildew interactions

iii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 THESIS ORGANIZATION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 2 REFERENCES 8 CHAPTER 2. A NEGATIVE REGULTOR OF RIBOSOMAL RNA PROCESSING SPECIFIES R-GENE-INDEPENDENT CELL DEATH IN BARLEY – POWDERY MILDEW INTERACTIONS 15 ABSTRACT 15 INTRODUCTION 16 RESULTS 19 DISCUSSION 26 MATERIALS AND METHODS 29 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 32 REFERENCES 33 CHAPTER 3. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 70 GENERAL DISCUSSION 70 RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 71 REFERENCES 72 APPENDIX. ADDITIONAL DATA 73 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 75
Application of the Variable Component Method to Multirate Periodic Discrete-Time Systems

This paper extends the variable component method to a class of multirate discrete-time systems with parameters which vary periodically with time. The variable component method may then be utilized to obtain information useful for the synthesis and tuning of periodic and multirate discrete-time controllers. A brief tuning example is given.
Sepsis outcomes in patients receiving statins prior to hospitalization for sepsis: comparison of in-hospital mortality rates between patients who received atorvastatin and those who received simvastatin

The purpose of this study is to compare the in-hospital mortality rates between septic patients receiving statins and those that did not prior to developing sepsis. We compared subgroups receiving atorvastatin and simvastatin because these two drugs differ in their pharmacologic properties. This study was a retrospective analysis of patients selected from an institutional data base of patients hospitalized with sepsis. The study patients were drawn from a data base of 1,961 hospitalized patients with sepsis and included patients who met selection criteria and who were studied for HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) use both prior to and during hospitalization. The in-hospital mortality rates of patients receiving statins and those that did not prior to developing sepsis were compared. In-hospital mortality rates of patient subgroups receiving atorvastatin and simvastatin were also compared. A multivariable analysis was conducted with in-hospital mortality as the outcome variable and with multiple risk factors to include atorvastatin and simvastatin use. The mortality rate for 359 patients receiving statins prior to hospitalization for sepsis was not significantly different than that for 1,302 patients who did not receive pre-hospital statins (26.5% versus 30.4%, p > 0.05). The mortality rate for 92 patients who had received atorvastatin prior to hospitalization was significantly less than that of 253 patients who received simvastatin (18.5% versus 30.0%, p = 0.032). The use of atorvastatin prior to sepsis was independently associated with lower in-hospital mortality in a multivariable analysis of sepsis risk factors (p = 0.021, OR = 0.455). Patients who received atorvastatin prior to hospitalization for sepsis and had statins continued in hospital had a very low mortality rate that was significantly less than that of those patients who never received statins (15.7% versus 30.8%, p = 0.007). Pre-hospital atorvastatin use was associated with improved in-hospital mortality in septic patients when compared with pre-hospital simvastatin use and was independently associated with an improved outcome when compared to other sepsis risk factors. The effect of statins in patients with sepsis may be different for individual statins.
Multiple cointegration and structural models: applications to exchange rate determination

Structural models of the exchange rate have performed very poorly for the industrialized nations during the post-Bretton Woods period. A number of studies found that the out-of-sample forecasts of structural models are no better than those of the random walk model. This result is readily explained if the fundamental determinants of exchange rates (e.g., money supplies, income levels, and interest rates) are themselves near-random walk processes. However, some studies provide evidence that there are no cointegrating relationships between bilateral nominal exchange rates and the so-called fundamentals;One aim of this research is to estimate a structural exchange rate determination model. To this end, the Johansen cointegration technique is used to re-examine the existence of cointegrating vector(s) between the exchange rate and the supposed fundamentals;The second aim of the research is to propose a modelling strategy for models with cointegrated variables. In that regard, each cointegrating vector is viewed as either a behavioral or a reduced form equation stemming from a structural model. Identification of the behavioral equations can be facilitated by the imposition of zero restrictions on the cointegrating vector(s). Given that these equations represent long-run static properties of the data, a more complex dynamic structure can be derived combining this prior analysis to the system. This can be achieved by using conventional innovation accounting (variance decomposition and impulse response functions) techniques based on the error-correction representation;We apply the procedure to estimate a structural model of the French Franc/U.S. Dollar and Italian Lira/U.S. Dollar exchange rates. Using quarterly data from the post Bretton Woods period, we find multiple cointegrating vectors which we identify as (1) the money market equilibrium relationship(s) and (2) the modified Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) relationship consistent with the Dependent Economy Model of exchange rate determination. We also estimate the error-correction representation (with the restricted and unrestricted equilibrium errors) in order to characterize the short-run properties of the system. Using conventional accounting techniques, we show that a reasonable proportion of exchange rate variability is explained by the fundamentals.
Dynamic Modeling of Business Strategies

This paper models the flow of innovations in fundraising practices among institutions of higher education. The value of undertaking a consensus modeling process as a foundation for the building of analytical models is demonstrated. Five reasons why modeling can add to knowledge and understanding of complex systems are suggested, and « ten commandements » crucial to the process of dynamic modeling are outlined. The modeling of the flow of innovations in fundraising practices is described in some detail, and statistically-derived parameters are extracted and analyzed. The primary aim of the paper is to demonstrate how modeling can be employed as an invaluable process that can lead researchers to a deeper understanding of the behavior of a complex system.
Basic Electrophysiology of Febrile Seizures

Temperature affects multiple processes in brain relevant to brain excitability, and no one simple mechanism is likely to account for febrile seizures. Possible mechanisms range from effects on ion channels to effects on complex networks giving rise to seizures. Kinetics of sodium and calcium ion channel activation and deactivation change so as to increase excitability of tissue. Action potentials narrow with increasing temperature, which could enhance excitation or inhibition, depending on underlying circuitry. Few studies have looked at changes in synaptic potentials with hyperthermia; however, excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) are altered in the hippocampal slice model system and so is paired-pulse inhibition. Post-burst after-hyperpolarizations, generated by outward potassium currents in response to inward calcium currents, decrease with higher temperature. Hyperpolarizing sodium-potassium pumps are temperature-sensitive, decreasing with cooling, but information is not available as to whether the pumps are altered in hyperthermia. Neurotransmitter systems change in complex ways with temperature. Activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase, the synthetic enzyme for GABA, decreases considerably with increased temperature. A variety of other potentially excitatory effects of temperature are observed on glutamate, acetylcholine, opiates, serotonin, and vasopressin neurotransmitter systems. Febrile seizures have been linked to several different genes, some of which code for ion channels. It therefore is reasonable to consider that functional disturbances of ion balance may underlie some febrile seizures. One such functional disturbance is spreading depression. Experiments in hippocampal slices from young rats demonstrate that hyperthermia consistently provokes spreading depressions. These are accompanied by negative DC shifts and large increases in extracellular potassium activity. During the depolarizing phase of the spreading depression, neurons generate synchronous bursting. Whether clinical febrile seizures involve a component of spreading depression will await further studies in whole animal neural sys
Mealtime Behaviors and Food Consumption of Perceived Picky and Nonpicky Eaters through Home Use Test

Picky eating has been investigated through numerous surveys and food recalls, but few studies have applied in-home meal evaluations as a method to investigate behaviors and food preferences of children perceived by their parent to be a picky eater (PE) or nonpicky eater (NPE). A 2-wk in-home meal study was completed to investigate differences in PE and NPE mealtime behaviors and food selections using real-time parental observations. Parents (n = 170) and their 2- to 4-y-old children (83 PE and 87 NPE) evaluated 5 standardized meals in-home. Parents recorded their child's and their own hedonic liking of the products and completed an assessment of their child's behavior and consumption at each meal. Significant differences were found between perceived PE and NPE children for all 16 behaviors assessed. On average, perceived NPE were assessed to consume a higher percentage of the meal served and to have higher acceptance scores for most of the foods evaluated. Some foods, though, like breaded chicken and plain pasta, were liked equally by PE and NPE. Several significant differences in hedonic liking were revealed when PE children were compared to their parents. Yet, few differences in liking occurred between NPE children and their parents or between the 2 parental groups. Because study participants evaluated meals real-time rather than memory recall, the differences and similarities found between perceived PE and NPE may be considered direct experiential evidence with reduced subjective bias as created when subjects recall past experiences. Thus, findings from this study can provide the foundation to establish an objective definition and classification of PE and NPE.
The Use of Vertebral Osteoarthritis and Osteophytosis in Age Estimation

Previous research on age and vertebral degenerative change has focused on osteophytosis. The present study expands this research by examining the association between osteoarthritis and osteophytosis and by assessing their relationship to age. Researchers scored the bodies and facets in 104 individuals. Statistical analyses assessed relationships between age and degenerative change for the bodies and facets, both separately and combined, for all vertebrae collectively, and for subcategories of vertebral types. Separate analyses were conducted which included only regions that experience heavier stress loads. Results indicate that osteophytosis and osteoarthritis are not associated with each other for all subcategories of vertebrae. Also, the inclusion of osteoarthritis does not enhance the relationship between age and degenerative change, nor does limiting analyses to areas of heaver stress. Finally, although both conditions are significantly correlated with age, the relationship is not strong enough to yield predictive power for establishing age beyond a general estimate.
Organizational Health in Our Educational System.

Stress in the workplace is a common topic. Although some stress is inherent in any activity, excessive stress in the workplace has a negative effect on productivity and on an individual's health. In medicine, burnout describes a physician who has simply had enough of the profession and has lost the ability to cope or face the daily activities of being a health care provider. Burnout is an end point or sequela of stress. Tools such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory are commonly used to measure burnout in 3 domains: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Measuring burnout is great, but we should be identifying stress before it assaults our educational leaders. Numerous stressors in our workplace are recognized. These include poor communication, excessive workload, professional changes, job insecurity, lack of trust, and socioeconomic factors. In addition, stress is magnified by the current uncertainty of how postgraduate surgical education will evolve in the future. Institutional focus is changing, as the demand for revenue generation appears to be trumping educational activities as a priority. How these and other stressors affect our roles as surgical educators is a question worth exploring. We had the opportunity to test a new workplace stress tool, a proprietary product offered by Target Training International as a part of a Beta testing analysis. We asked program directors (PDs) to voluntarily and anonymously answer the survey. A total of 69 PDs graciously responded. The results are preliminary, but it appears that PDs are a stressed group of individuals (Cronbach α 1⁄4 0.858). The most prominent stressors were related to issues involving social support on the job, such as frustration and trust among colleagues and institutional issues surrounding organizational communication and vision. There appeared to be a disconnection between individual and institutional vision, whether real or perceived. Job demands and time management were also commonly mentioned. All this may not be surprising considering the changes postgraduate medical education is facing, but the degree of stress discovered by this survey is alarming. Approximately 3 of 4 (71%) PDs reported some degree of symptoms that they thought were related to stress. The overall results are shown in the Table.
Synchronization of Waveform Analysis with Monitoring of Localized [Ca2+] in the Beating Flagellum of Single Sperm

Much past work indicates that in mammalian sperm Ca2+ is the messenger that controls waveform flagellar symmetry, and that the cAMP messenger controls beat frequency. We have now constructed an imaging system that uses dual pulsed-LED sources and records interleaved stop-motion brightfield and fluorescence images of individual loosely-tethered mouse sperm loaded with the Ca2+ probe fluo-4. The brightfield images report flagellar beat frequencies of 2-4 hertz for resting sperm, and the fluo-4 images report similar [Ca2+] (∼150 nM) in the head, the midpiece, and the cytoplasmic droplet located at the flagellar midpiece/principal-piece junction. Stimulation (10-20s) by local perfusion with alkaline-depolarizing medium K8.6 raises [Ca2+] ∼4-fold in each region. The [Ca2+] rises first in the droplet, then the midpiece, and finally in the head. Recovery towards baseline is slow (t1/2>30s). Analysis of the waveform shows that increases in flagellar beat asymmetry accompany the increased [Ca2+] but that beat frequency remains unchanged before, during, and after stimulus. The delayed Ca2+ responses in midpiece and head are consistent with evoked localized entry through CatSper ion channels in the principal piece with subsequent diffusional redistribution. The accompanying increases in beat asymmetry without increases in frequency suggests that evoked Ca2+ entry does not engage cAMP-mediated signaling in sperm.Support by HD12629-27 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NIH/NICHD by cooperative agreement U54 of the Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research
Assessing seasonal confounding and model selection bias in air pollution epidemiology using positive and negative control analyses

Much of the evidence for health effects of particulate air pollution has come from ecologic time series studies that regress mortality or morbidity event counts on pollutant data routinely collected for other purposes. The modelling approach typically involves selecting both a lag at which the effect of particulates should be evaluated and a level of filtering to remove long-term associations confounded with seasonal variations and secular trend. In this paper we investigate the bias introduced by model selection and residual confounding using simulations based on a previous analysis of data from King County, Washington. In comparison with the original analyses we find that the bias is small in absolute terms but of the same order as the estimated health impacts.
Nonlinear, Barotropic Response to a Localized Topographic Forcing: Formation of a “Tropical Surf Zone” and Its Effect on Interhemispheric Propagation

Abstract The nonlinear response of a barotropic, nondivergent, spherical flow representative of the upper troposphere (but without a tropical Hadley cell) to localized, extratropical topographic forcing is examined using high-resolution contour surgery calculations. The response is shown to vary greatly with forcing amplitude and can be significantly different from the linear response. At large amplitude, Rossby wave breaking occurs in the tropics irrespective of the direction of the equatorial winds, and leads to small-scale stirring and the formation of a “tropical surf zone,” which inhibits the meridional propagation of the disturbance.
Mathematics problems in blocks: how to write them and why

It is useful to present mathematics problems not as isolated exercises without any connection to one another, but as parts of a coherent whole. Today this fact can be said to be universally recognized. The very expression "making connections" is currently quite common in literature on methodology and is even frequently used as a synonym for the expression "doing mathematics." The construction of cycles of interconnected problems has a long and rich history in mathematical writing (e.g. the books of problems [2] and [5], to mention two classics). Oddly, however, such assignments are often lacking at the most basic levels of instruction in current teaching practice. Teachers who wish to offer such problems to their students must think about the best way to construct them, and to reflect on the types of connections that can arise between them. Both issues are investigated below.
Political Participation in the Barriadas A Research Update

This research note updates earlier work that focused on electoral behavior among the urban poor in Lima, Peru. The previous research stopped with the 1983 municipal elections. The data used here extend the analysis through the 1985 presidential election and the 1986 municipal election. The results largely reinforce the hypotheses originally proposed for explaining the observed vacillating support for the left by low-income urban voters.
Integrated management of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) with insect biological control and plant competition under variable soil nutrients.

Abstract Because of economic and environmental constraints, alternatives to chemical management of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) are frequently sought, but adequate nonchemical suppression of this invasive species remains elusive. Combining biological control with other tactics may be an effective approach to suppress Canada thistle, but more information is needed about how environmental conditions affect interspecific interactions. We investigated effects of a biocontrol agent (Hadroplontus litura, a stem-mining weevil) and a potential plant competitor (common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, native annual) on Canada thistle under two soil nutrient regimes in outdoor microcosms. Larval mining damage was relatively light, and weevils negatively impacted only main shoot height and flower number. All measures of Canada thistle performance were reduced when plants were grown with common sunflower or in reduced nutrients, although effects of the latter on root biomass were not significant. Effects of common s...
Recent progress and problems in the geometrical representation of conformal anomalies

We review some current work on conformal anomalies in general dimension from the geometrical point of view, with emphasis on open “constrained dynamics” problems that it raises. Some remarks in the same vein are also made about D = 11 supergravity and open “quantum gravity” problems.
Toward a social theory of psychiatric phenomena

This essay relies on a positivistic/scientific perspective to define psychiatric phenomena. However, it draws a distinction between a biomedical versus a social science approach. The aim is to review some of the theoretical and empirical considerations that pertain to psychiatric phenomena that need to be addressed in order to develop a social theory about them. The object of the theory is to explain how psychiatric phenomena are labeled, interpreted, and handled across societies that differ in terms of social structure and culture. Some of the kinds of variables and questions that would allow for cross-cultural analyses are identified. In addition, two topics that a social theory could address--that of the medicalization and stigmatization of psychiatric phenomena--are introduced. These topics are elaborated by developing propositions that substantively illustrate the questions/hypotheses of a social theory of psychiatric phenomena. The essay illustrates that a social theory constitutes a complex enterprise that requires dealing with philosophical, methodological and empirical issues.
Myth, Memory, Trauma. Rethinking the Stalinist Past in the Soviet Union, 1953–70

Polly Jones has written a first-rate historical monograph that explicates why the dismantling of the Stalin personality cult eschewed a straightforward trajectory and why Stalin's ghost persisted t...
Observations on the potential confinement of a light fermion

We consider possible dynamical models for a light fermion confined by a potential field. With the Dirac equation only Lorentz scalar confinement yields normalizable wave functions, while with the ``no pair'' variant of the Dirac equation only Lorentz vector confinement has normal Regge behavior. A systematic investigation of Regge properties and phenomenological properties is carried out, including calculations of the Isgur-Wise (IW) function. We point out that the Isgur-Wise function provides a sensitive test of confinement models. In particular, the slope of the IW function at the zero recoil point is found to be \ensuremath{\xi}'(1)\ensuremath{\simeq}-0.90 for the Dirac equation with scalar confinement and \ensuremath{\xi}'(1)\ensuremath{\simeq}-1.20 for the no pair equation with vector confinement. Using heavy-light meson data alone we argue against scalar confinement.
Liver transplantation with donation after cardiac death donors: A comprehensive update

Abstract Background Use of donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors has been proposed as an effective way to expand the availability of hepatic allografts used in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT); yet, there remains no consensus in the medical literature as to how to choose optimal recipients and donors based on available information. Methods We queried the United Network of Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database for hepatic DCD allografts used in OLT. As of March 31, 2011, 85,148 patients received hepatic allografts from donation-after-brain-death (DBD) donors, and 2351 patients received hepatic allografts from DCD donors. We performed survival analysis using log-rank and Kaplan-Meier tests. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model. All statistics were performed with SPSS 15.0. Results Patients receiving hepatic DCD allografts had significantly worse survival compared with patients receiving hepatic DBD allografts. Pediatric patients who received a hepatic DCD allograft had similar survival to those who received a hepatic DBD allograft. The optimal recipient-related characteristics were age 3.5 gm/dL, and cold ischemia time Conclusions By identifying certain characteristics, the transplant clinician’s decision-making process can be assisted so that similar survival outcomes after OLT can be achieved with the use of hepatic DCD allografts.