cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The association between cigarette smoking, cancer screening, and cancer stage: a prospective study of the women's health initiative observational cohort.

Objective To assess the dose-dependent relationship between smoking history and cancer screening rates or staging of cancer diagnoses. Design Prospective, population-based cohort study. Setting Questionnaire responses from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. Participants 89 058 postmenopausal women. Outcome measures Logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of obtaining breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening as stratified by smoking status. The odds of late-stage cancer diagnoses among patients with adequate vs inadequate screening as stratified by smoking status were also calculated. Results Of the 89 058 women who participated, 52.8% were never smokers, 40.8% were former smokers, and 6.37% were current smokers. Over an average of 8.8 years of follow-up, current smokers had lower odds of obtaining breast (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.59), cervical (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.59), and colorectal cancer (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.76) screening compared with never smokers. Former smokers were more likely than never smokers to receive regular screening services. Failure to adhere to screening guidelines resulted in diagnoses at higher cancer stages among current smokers for breast cancer (OR 2.78; 95% CI 1.64 to 4.70) and colorectal cancer (OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.01 to 5.05). Conclusions Active smoking is strongly associated with decreased use of cancer screening services and more advanced cancer stage at the time of diagnosis. Clinicians should emphasise the promotion of both smoking cessation and cancer screening for this high-risk group.
Regulation of HCN2 Current by PI3K/Akt Signaling.

It has long been known that heart rate is regulated by the autonomic nervous system. Recently, we demonstrated that the pacemaker current, I f , is regulated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling independently of the autonomic nervous system. Inhibition of PI3K in sinus node (SN) myocytes shifts the activation of I f by almost 16 mV in the negative direction. I f in the SN is predominantly mediated by two members of the HCN gene family, HCN4 and HCN1. Purkinje fibers also possess I f and are an important secondary pacemaker in the heart. In contrast to the SN, they express HCN2 and HCN4, while ventricular myocytes, which do not normally pace, express HCN2 alone. In the current work, we investigated PI3K regulation of HCN2 expressed in HEK293 cells. Treatment with the PI3K inhibitor PI-103 caused a negative shift in the activation voltage and a dramatic reduction in the magnitude of the HCN2 current. Similar changes were also seen in cells treated with an inhibitor of the protein kinase Akt, a downstream effector of PI3K. The effects of PI-103 were reversed by perfusion of cells with phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (the second messenger produced by PI3K) or active Akt protein. We identified serine 861 in mouse HCN2 as a putative Akt phosphorylation site. Mutation of S861 to alanine mimicked the effects of Akt inhibition on voltage dependence and current magnitude. In addition, the Akt inhibitor had no effect on the mutant channel. These results suggest that Akt phosphorylation of mHCN2 S861 accounts for virtually all of the observed actions of PI3K signaling on the HCN2 current. Unexpectedly, Akt inhibition had no effect on I f in SN myocytes. This result raises the possibility that diverse PI3K signaling pathways differentially regulate HCN-induced currents in different tissues, depending on the isoforms expressed.
Predictors of Initial Status and Change in Self-Control During the College Transition.

Abstract Although self-control tends to increase through late adolescence, there are individual differences in patterns of growth. Latent growth modeling was used to investigate change in self-control across students’ first year of college (N = 569, Mage = 18.03; 70.3% female; 89.6% White), and whether attachment to parents predicted this change when controlling for personality and demographic variables. Self-control decreased linearly across five assessments, with significant heterogeneity in intercepts and slopes. Personality was associated with initial self-control, and greater avoidant attachment to mothers and openness to experience predicted greater declines. Overall, self-control changes across late adolescence, and attachment and personality explain individual differences in that change, indicating potential intervention targets during emerging adulthood.
Robotic inguinal hernia repair in patients aged eighty and older

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic inguinal hernia repair (RIHR), have potential benefits for patients in various clinical scenarios. However, the value of RIHR in older age groups has not yet been established, as increased age may place patients at a higher risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of RIHR in patients ≥80 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among patients who underwent RIHR between February 2013 and August 2020, patients ≥80 years old were included. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were reviewed. Postoperative complications were assessed according to the Clavien–Dindo (CD) classification and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI®) scoring system. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the risk factors for patients with complications. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients were included in the study. The average operative time was 58.7 min. The average length of stay was 0.5 days. Urinary retention and seroma were the commonly encountered complications (CD Grades 1 and 2). A procedural intervention and overnight intensive care unit follow-up were needed in two patients for each (CD Grade-3a and-4a). The maximum morbidity CCI score was 43.3. There was no hernia recurrence or reoperation during the mean follow-up period of 42 months. No statistically significant difference was found between patients with and without complications. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of RIHR in patients ≥ 80-year-old. Although advanced age is associated with increased comorbidities and physiological irregularities, RIHR may be performed with short operative time, length of hospital stay, and low rate of postoperative complications in these patients.
Differential Activity of APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G, and APOBEC3H in the Restriction of HIV-2.

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mutagenesis is driven by a variety of internal and external sources, including the host APOBEC3 (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypetide-like 3; A3) family of restriction factors, which catalyze G-to-A transition mutations during virus replication. HIV-2 replication is characterized by a relative lack of G-to-A mutations, suggesting infrequent restriction by A3 proteins. To date, the activity of the A3 repertoire against HIV-2 has remained largely uncharacterized, and the mutagenic activity of these proteins against HIV-2 remains to be elucidated. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive characterization of the restrictive capacity of A3 proteins against HIV-2 in cell culture using a dual fluorescent reporter HIV-2 vector virus. We found that A3F, A3G, and A3H restricted HIV-2 infectivity in the absence of Vif and were associated with significant increases in the frequency of viral mutants. These proteins increased the frequency of G-to-A mutations within the proviruses of infected cells as well. A3G and A3H also reduced HIV-2 infectivity via inhibition of reverse transcription and the accumulation of DNA products during replication. In contrast, A3D, did not exhibit any restrictive activity against HIV-2, even at higher expression levels. Taken together, these results provide evidence that A3F, A3G, and A3H, but not A3D, are capable of HIV-2 restriction. Differences in A3-mediated restriction of HIV-1 and HIV-2 may serve to provide new insights in the observed mutation profiles of these viruses.
Statistics and Research & Diagnostic Imaging

Not to be confused with the significance level of a test, which is set by the researcher at a predetermined level (.05) and reflects the threshold at which he/she is willing to accept the likelihood of a type I error.
A family of quasi-white random signals and its optimal use in biological system identification

The functional properties of the photoreceptor of Calliphora erythrocephala are studied through the white noise method using CSRS stimuli. A procedure for the optimal choice of the important test parameters is also outlined, which allows the effective use of CSRS stimuli in biological system identification.
Dietary β-glucan Leads to Increased TNF-α Production in the Lung

Problem statement: Beta (β)-glucan is notable for its ability to stimulate the immune system and as such β-glucan and products containing β-glucan are used as dietary supplements for livestock and companion animals. β-glucan has been shown to activate macrophages and neutrophils and modulate the production of certain cytokines, including the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α). Because TNF-α is a contributing factor in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases and is present at higher concentrations in bronchoalveolar fluid from patients with asthma a preliminary experiment was designed to determine if a diet supplemented with β-glucan leads to increased TNF-α production in response to chitin, an ubiquitous environmental antigen that is associated with airway inflammation. Approach: Mice were divided into two groups. One group was given normal rodent chow and water while the other group was given normal rodent chow and water containing β-glucan (1 mg mL-1) for 14 days. After 14 days, two experimental protocols were conducted to evaluate TNF-α production. In experimental protocol 1, mice were injected intraperitoneally with 4% thioglycollate broth and TNF-α production from the immune cells elicited into the peritoneal cavity was evaluated. In experimental protocol 2, mice were exposed to either chitin or PBS (as a control) via intranasal administration for two consecutive days. Six hours post secondary exposure, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) was collected and ELISA for TNF-α performed. Results: TNF-α expression by thioglycollate-elicited cells isolated from animals that consumed β-glucan was greater (27 fold) than controls. Similarly, dietary β-glucan was also associated with increased TNF-α expression (four fold) in the lung, after chitin exposure in vivo. Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that dietary β-glucan may promote inflammatory responses after exposure to chitin and therefore could be contributing factor to lung inflammation particularly in animals prone to airway inflammatory diseases.
Goodness and Justice: A Consequentialist Moral Theory

1. Introduction Part I. A Better Consequentialism: 2. Multiple-act consequentialism 3. Three objections Part II. Hedonism: 4. Intuitive hedonism 5. Natural good Part III. MAXIMIN: 6. Just Construction 7. Maximin, risks, and flecks Part IV. Advice for Atomic Agents: 8. A coda.
Tuned Local Regression Estimators for the Numerical Solution of Differential Equations

The first meshfree method was SPH. Central to its formulation is the statistical “kernel density estimator” which generalizes the histogram and was introduced by Rosenblatt in 1956. Stone introduced the improved “local regression estimator” in 1977, which generalizes the least-squares linear fit. Given a set of data, local regression finds a locally-weighted least-squares fit for a Taylor series expansion from a given evaluation point to nearby data points. The coefficients in the Taylor series fit are estimates for all derivatives of the data, computed simultaneously. The moving-least-squares estimator used in EFG, RKPM, and MLSPH is algebraically identical to the zeroth-derivative estimate of local regression. As with finite element and smoothing kernel interpolations, local regression estimates can be expressed as an expansion in shape functions. In the finite-element and meshfree methods, derivatives of the data are estimated by taking explicit derivatives of the shape function expansion. With local regression, the estimate of the derivative is equal to the derivative of the estimate only in the limit of small smoothing length. In familiar finite element and meshfree methods for solving differential equations, a Galerkin variational approach leads to a finite-dimensional system involving derivatives of the shape functions. Since local regression estimates all derivatives of the data simultaneously, constraining those estimates to satisfy a differential equation results in an estimate of a solution near the data. A constrained least-squares approach is the result. The paper proposes a formal setting for these ideas and supplies some very simple examples. Indications are made as to how the technique might be expanded.
Behavior of bacterial spores in aqueous polymer two-phase systems.

Abstract Sacks, L. E. (Western Regional Research Laboratory, Albany, California), and Gordon Alderton. Behavior of bacterial spores in aqueous polymer two-phase systems. J. Bacteriol. 82:331–341. 1961.—Free spores of various species of the Bacillaceae enter the upper phase in a two-phase aqueous polymer system containing polyethylene glycol 4000 and potassium phosphate. Vegetative cells appear in the lower phase and subcellular debris is concentrated chiefly at the interface. The high selectivity of the upper phase for spores makes possible the preparation of greatly enriched concentrates of spores directly from complex natural materials, such as soil and feces. Attraction of spores for the upper phase is not diminished by autoclaving and the release of dipicolinic acid. Loss of attraction of spores for the upper phase is associated in time with the shedding of the spore coat, upon outgrowth. The partition behavior of one preparation of Bacillus megaterium showed the presence of two classes of spores.
Finitary winning in ω-regular games

Games on graphs with ω-regular objectives provide a model for the control and synthesis of reactive systems. Every ω-regular objective can be decomposed into a safety part and a liveness part. The liveness part ensures that something good happens “eventually.” Two main strengths of the classical, infinite-limit formulation of liveness are robustness (independence from the granularity of transitions) and simplicity (abstraction of complicated time bounds). However, the classical liveness formulation suffers from the drawback that the time until something good happens may be unbounded. A stronger formulation of liveness, so-called finitary liveness, overcomes this drawback, while still retaining robustness and simplicity. Finitary liveness requires that there exists an unknown, fixed bound b such that something good happens within b transitions. While for one-shot liveness (reachability) objectives, classical and finitary liveness coincide, for repeated liveness (Buchi) objectives, the finitary formulation is strictly stronger. In this work we study games with finitary parity and Streett (fairness) objectives. We prove the determinacy of these games, present algorithms for solving these games, and characterize the memory requirements of winning strategies. Our algorithms can be used, for example, for synthesizing controllers that do not let the response time of a system increase without bound.
A self-adjusting oscillator controller for robots exploring dynamic or unknown environments

This paper describes an oscillator-based controller that was implemented on a two-wheeled, differential drive robot. The controller is loosely based on the central pattern generator circuits seen in many animals, and was developed to operate in unknown or changing environments. A unique feature is that the controller adjusts its oscillator parameters based on the pattern of sensory feedback. The controller's performance in a test arena with random obstacles and changing light patterns is evaluated. The Goal of the robot was to seek out areas of bright light and "collect" as much light as possible during a trial. The results of the indicate that the performance of the self-adjusting oscillator-based controller is better than that of a fixed-oscillator controller.
Site-directed mutations in the Sindbis virus E2 glycoprotein identify palmitoylation sites and affect virus budding.

Abstract The assembly and budding of Sindbis virus, a prototypic member of the alphavirus subgroup in the family Togaviridae, requires a specific interaction between the nucleocapsid core and the membrane-embedded glycoproteins E1 and E2. These glycoproteins are modified posttranslationally by the addition of palmitic acid, and inhibitors of acylation interfere with this budding process (M.J. Schlesinger and C. Malfer, J. Biol. Chem. 257:9887-9890, 1982). This report describes the use of site-directed mutagenesis to identify two of the acylation sites in the E2 glycoprotein as the cysteines near the carboxyl terminus of the protein which is oriented to the cytoplasmic domain of this type 1 transmembrane protein. Additional mutations were made at two prolines within a hydrophobic sequence of E2 that is highly conserved among several alphaviruses, and the mutant viruses were aberrant in assembly and particle formation. These data support earlier studies indicating that the native structure of the cytoplasmic domain of E2 is essential for proper assembly of this enveloped virus.
Magnified Neutron Radiography with Coded Sources

Abstract A coded source imaging (CSI) system has been developed and tested at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) CG-1D beamline at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The goal of this system is to use magnification to improve resolution of the imaging system beyond the detector resolution. For this system, coded masks have been manufactured at 10 μm resolution with 9 μm thick Gd patterned on Si wafers, a system model base iterative reconstruction code developed, and experiments have been performed at resolutions of 200 μm, 100 μm, 50 μm, 20 μm, and 10 μm with the object place greater than 5.5m from the detector giving magnifications up to 25 times.
Rapid method for determining free and esterified cholesterol in plasma extracts

A method has been developed for the quantitative measurement of free and esterified cholesterol in extracts of rat plasma after separation by thin-layer chromatography. As little as 0.2 ml of plasma may be used in the determinations.
Toward interactive narrative

What is the future of interactive entertainment? Can we tap deeper emotions? Can we go beyond game-like experiences to create powerful interactive literary narratives? Are these even meaningful questions? In this paper I will address one possible way to make these questions meaningful, and one possible path to their answer.
Incontinence and vesical neck strictures following radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the incidence and severity of vesical neck strictures and urinary incontinence after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for prostate cancer. Methods Between August 1983 and December 1991, 481 consecutive patients underwent RRP by 1 of 2 senior surgeons. Strictures were treated by passing a urethral sound. Incontinence was measured by asking patients for a daily “pad count” of pads required to control urinary leakage. Results were compared to patient age, tumor volume, number of neurovascular bundles spared, preoperative urinary complaints, and previous transurethral resection of the prostate. Results Of 456 patients with adequate follow-up to determine stricture formation, 82.5% had no strictures, 6.8% required a single dilation, 3.7% required 2 dilations, 3.1% required 3 dilations, and 3.9% required more than 3 dilations. Risk of stricture formation was unrelated to every variable studied. Of 458 patients with adequate follow-up to determine recovery of continence, 80.1% required no pads, 8.1% required 1 to 2 pads a day, 6.6% required 3 to 5 pads a day, and 5.2% were totally incontinent 1 year or more after surgery. Incontinence was closely associated with postoperative urinary urgency. Conclusions Strictures are a common but easily managed complication of RRP for prostate cancer. Despite substantial surgical experience, we report a somewhat higher rate of postoperative incontinence than other recently reported series. Our experience is more closely matched by published surveys of patient-reported complications after RRP.
An open system kinetic transport model for the Hodgkin-Huxley equations.

A discrete state “ion-hopping” mechanism is developed for the description of potassium ion flows in voltage clamped squid giant axon membranes. Although the mechanism differs from the “gating” mechanism proposed by Hodgkin & Huxley, it yields an identical mathematical description. The discrete state transport mechanism requires interaction between the ions and the channel and is based on the concept of an “open” system. The bathing solutions on each side of the membrane act as ion sources for states within the membrane. The feasibility of a sequential mechanism is explored and the experimental procedures of Hodgkin & Huxley are re-examined to show their consistency with both the gating and sequential, kinetic mechanisms. The basic sequential kinetic scheme i ⇌ 4 β ( 1 ) α ⇌ 3 β ( 2 ) 2 α ⇌ 2 β ( 3 ) 3 α ⇌ β ( 4 ) 4α → with the Hodgkin-Huxley rate constants α and β yields the mathematical form of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations. The sequential kinetic model can be differentiated from the gating model by a straightforward experiment which is discussed.
A numerical study of the transverse modulus of wood as a function of grain orientation and properties

Finite element analysis was used to study the effective transverse modulus of solid wood for all possible endgrain patterns. The calculations accounted for cylindrical anisotropy of wood within rectangular specimens and explicitly modeled wood as a composite of earlywood and latewood. The effective modulus was significantly reduced by growth ring curvature or off-axis loading, The large changes were attributed to the low transverse shear modulus of wood. The explicit, or heterogeneous, model was compared to prior numerical methods that homogenized properties in the transverse plane. The two models gave similar effective modulus results, but a heterogeneous model was required to capture details in modulus calculations or to realistically model stress concentrations. Various numerical methods for modeling transverse stresses in wood are discussed.
Quantifying anatomical shape variations in neurological disorders

Abstract We develop a multivariate analysis of brain anatomy to identify the relevant shape deformation patterns and quantify the shape changes that explain corresponding variations in clinical neuropsychological measures. We use kernel Partial Least Squares (PLS) and formulate a regression model in the tangent space of the manifold of diffeomorphisms characterized by deformation momenta. The scalar deformation momenta completely encode the diffeomorphic changes in anatomical shape. In this model, the clinical measures are the response variables, while the anatomical variability is treated as the independent variable. To better understand the “shape—clinical response” relationship, we also control for demographic confounders, such as age, gender, and years of education in our regression model. We evaluate the proposed methodology on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database using baseline structural MR imaging data and neuropsychological evaluation test scores. We demonstrate the ability of our model to quantify the anatomical deformations in units of clinical response. Our results also demonstrate that the proposed method is generic and generates reliable shape deformations both in terms of the extracted patterns and the amount of shape changes. We found that while the hippocampus and amygdala emerge as mainly responsible for changes in test scores for global measures of dementia and memory function, they are not a determinant factor for executive function. Another critical finding was the appearance of thalamus and putamen as most important regions that relate to executive function. These resulting anatomical regions were consistent with very high confidence irrespective of the size of the population used in the study. This data-driven global analysis of brain anatomy was able to reach similar conclusions as other studies in Alzheimer’s disease based on predefined ROIs, together with the identification of other new patterns of deformation. The proposed methodology thus holds promise for discovering new patterns of shape changes in the human brain that could add to our understanding of disease progression in neurological disorders.
Analyzing convergence and synchronicity of business and growth cycles in the euro area using cross recurrence plots

Convergence and synchronisation of business and growth cycles are important issues in the efficient formulation of euro area monetary policy by the European Central Bank (ECB). Although several studies in the economics literature address the issue of synchronicity of growth within the euro area, this is the first study to address this issue using cross recurrence analysis. The main findings are that member state growth rates have largely converged since the introduction of the euro, but there is a wide degree of different synchronisation behaviours which appear to be non-linear in nature. These differences could cause problems in future implementation of a single (ECB-determined)monetary policy in the euro area.
Functional properties of polylactic acid starch-based loose-fill packaging foams

ABSTRACT In this study, attempts were made to improve the characteristics of starch-based plastic foams by blending starch with polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer made from renewable sources. Formulations of the foams (types of starch, ratio of starch to polymer, and moisture content) were optimized. Physical and mechanical properties of the foams, including expansion, unit density, bulk density, water solubility index (WSI), spring index, and compressibility on both single piece and bulk samples were determined. The addition of the PLA polymer to regular (25% amylose) and waxy corn starches significantly improved the physical and mechanical properties of the extruded foams. Foams made from waxy starch had better radial expansions, higher WSI, higher compressibilities, and lower spring indices than those of regular starch foams. Both regular and waxy starches produced foams with similar unit and bulk densities, bulk compressibilities, and bulk spring indices. Increasing PLA polymer contents in...
Acquisition of teleological descriptions

Teleology descriptions capture the purpose of an entity, mechanism, or activity with which they are associated. These descriptions can be used in explanation, diagnosis, and design reuse. We describe a technique for acquiring teleological descriptions expressed in the teleology language TeD. Acquisition occurs during design by observing design modifications and design verification. We demonstrate the acquisition technique in an electronic circuit design.
Obesity and women—I. A closer look at the facts

Synopsis These two papers provide a new perspective on obesity. This first paper is concerne with challenging the prevailing orthodoxy that fatness is self-induced, that fat people overeat and need only to stick to a diet in order to eliminate obesity. It reviews research which indicates that ‘obese people do not, on the average, eat more than anyone else’, and that contrary to frequent medical insistence on the desirability of dieting, there are many undesirable facets, for there is an almost inevitable weight gain after dieting so that ‘the major treatment for obesity may also be the major cause of obesity’.
An analytical analysis of energy release rate in bonded composite joints in a mode I condition

Abstract A complete analytical solution of mode I strain energy release rate, G I , was derived for bonded composite joints based on an augmented double cantilever beam (DCB) model. Good agreement was obtained between current and existing comparable theoretical solutions for this joint with a long adhesive bond. For a short bond length joint, the current solution can greatly reduce the degree of the mathematical singularity encountered in analyses of thick, short beams and avoid it entirely for thin, long beams. A correlation between the current theoretical and associated ASTM solutions was established. A bonded DCB laminate test case was conducted, and good agreement was obtained between the experimental and current theoretical results. Commentary was included regarding the tested critical strain energy release rate and the deduced critical adhesive peel stress.
Ultra-high-capacity optical transmissions

Employing PDM-RZ-8QAM modulation, digital coherent detection and EDFA-only amplification, we demonstrated 25GHz-spaced, 320×114Gb/s DWDM transmission through seven spans of ultra-low-loss fiber with a record capacity of 32Tb/s.
PALEOCLIMATE CONTROLS ON LATE PALEOZOIC SEDIMENTATION AND PEAT FORMATION IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIAN BASIN (U.S.A.)

Abstract In the central Appalachian basin, at least two major climate changes affected sedimentation during the late Paleozoic. Stratigraphically, these two changes are indicated by the distribution of coal beds, the variation in coal quality, and the variation in rock lithologies. In latest Mississippian or earliest Pennsylvanian time, the climate changed from dry-seasonal tropical to ever-wet (equable) tropical. The equable climate prevailed into the Middle Pennsylvanian, influencing the morphology and geochemistry in peat-forming environments. Many of the peat deposits, which formed under the equable climate, were probably domed (raised bogs); low concentrations of dissolved solids in peat formation water resulted in low buffering capacity. Organic acids caused acidic (pH Another climate change occurred in late Middle Pennsylvanian time when evapopation periodically exceeded rainfall resulting in an increase of both dissolved solids and pH (4 to ∼ 7) in surface and near-surface water. Throughout the remainder of the Pennsylvanian, the surfaces of peat deposits were probably planar (not domed); water in peat-forming and other depositional environments became more nearly neutral. The coal beds derived from these peats are highly variable in both ash and sulfur contents. Drier or more seasonal climates are also indicated by sequences of (1) calcareous sandstone and shale, (2) nonmarine limestone that shows shallow-water and subaerial exposure features, and (3) calcareous paleosols that have caliche characteristics. Our data and observations indicate that physical depositional environment models for the origin of coal do not adequately explain variations in mineral matter content and composition in commercial quality coal beds in the central Appalachian basin. Stratigraphic variation in mineral matter in coal beds, and in syngenetic and early diagenetic minerals in rocks associated with the coal beds, appears to be better explained by changes in geochemical conditions of nonmarine sedimentation. Paleoclimate was a principle control on these geochemical conditions.
Evidence for a role of C-terminal amino acid residues in skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel (ryanodine receptor) function

The effects of deleting 1, 3 and 15 amino acid residues from the highly conserved C-terminus of the tetrameric skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR) complex were determined. Immunoblot analysis indicated similar expression levels in HEK293 cells for full-length and mutant proteins. Full-length and RyR lacking the last amino acid showed [3H]ryanodine binding and single channel activities typical of native receptors. Deletion of 3 amino acids resulted in decreased activities, whereas deletion of 15 amino acids yielded an inactive RyR. These results suggest that the most 15 C-terminal amino acids are important for the expression of a functional RyR complex.
Integrating Vocational Interest Inventory Results and Expressed Choices.

Abstract Though many studies have examined the predictive power of expressed choices versus that of measured interests, fewer have been concerned with the relationship between the degree to which choices and interests agree and later persistence in an expressed choice. This study explored that relationship, using longitudinal data for 7706 college students and 1372 employed persons. Four levels of congruence between expressed choice and measured interests were identified. Results indicated that persistence in an expressed choice increases systematically as congruence between choice and interests increases. Implications for counselors are noted.
Two distinct classes of functional α7-containing nicotinic receptor on rat superior cervical ganglion neurons

1 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that bind α-bungarotoxin (αBgt) were studied on isolated rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons using whole-cell patch clamp recording techniques. 2 Rapid application of ACh onto the soma of voltage clamped neurons evoked a slowly desensitizing current that was reversibly blocked by αBgt (50 nm). The toxin-sensitive current constituted on average about half of the peak whole-cell response evoked by ACh. 3 Nanomolar concentrations of methyllycaconitine blocked the αBgt-sensitive component of the ACh-evoked current as did intracellular dialysis with an anti-α7 monoclonal antibody. The results indicate that the slowly reversible toxin-sensitive response elicited by ACh arises from activation of an unusual class of α7-containing receptor (α7-nAChR) similar to that reported previously for rat intracardiac ganglion neurons. 4 A second class of functional α7-nAChR was identified on some SCG neurons by using rapid application of choline to elicit responses. In these cases a biphasic response was obtained, which included a rapidly desensitizing component that was blocked by αBgt in a pseudo-irreversible manner. The pharmacology and kinetics of the responses resembled those previously attributed to α7-nAChRs in a number of other neuronal cell types. 5 Experiments measuring the dissociation rate of 125I-labelled αBgt from SCG neurons revealed two classes of toxin-binding site. The times for toxin dissociation were consistent with those required to reverse blockade of the two kinds of αBgt-sensitive response. 6 These results indicate that rat SCG neurons express two types of functional α7-nAChR, differing in pharmacology, desensitization and reversibility of αBgt blockade.
Missing in Action: Vocabulary Instruction in Pre-K

Recognizing the importance of starting early, the purpose of our article is to examine if and how vocabulary is taught in commercially prepared early literacy curriculum for pre-K. Ten curriculum programs are reviewed to determine the prevalence of vocabulary instruction and the pedagogical practices used to support the learning of words and their meanings. Results of the analysis indicate a paucity of instructional guidance in vocabulary in pre-K early literacy curriculum programs. إن غرض مقالتنا هذه هو أن يستقصى إذا وكيف يتم تعليم المفردات في منهاج التعلم المبكر الذي قد حضر تجاريا لمرحلة التعليم ما قبل الروضة إدراكا لأهمية الانطلاق المبكر. ولقد تمت المراجعة لعشرة برامج منهاجية كي يحدد انتشار تعليم المفردات والممارسات التعليمية المستخدمة لدعم اكتساب الكلمات ومعانيها. وتشير نتائج التحليل إلى قلة التوجيه التعليمي في المفردات في برامج التعلم المنهاجية ما قبل الروضة. 本文作者意识到及早开始学习字汇的重要性。本文目的是考查由商营机构提供的幼儿前读写课程是否有教授字汇和怎样教授字汇。本文评审了十个课程，考查教授字汇的普遍性，以及为支持学习单字和单字的意思所采用的教学实践。分析结果显示，只有少数的幼儿前读写课程会给予学生在学习字汇方面的教学指引。 Reconnaissant l'importance de commencer tot, notre article a pour but d'examiner si et de quelle facon on enseigne le vocabulaire dans le materiel pedagogique du commerce destine aux enfants d'avant le jardin d'enfants au debut de la lecture-ecriture. On a examine dix materiels afin de determiner la prevalence de l'enseignement du vocabulaire et des pratiques pedagogiques employees en vue de l'apprentissage des mots et de leurs significations. Les resultats de l'analyse montrent un manque de guidage didactique en matiere de vocabulaire dans les materiels destines aux enfants d'avant le jardin d'enfants au debut de la lecture-ecriture. Цель данной статьи: выяснить, предусмотрено ли расширение словарного запаса детей в рамках коммерчески разработанных программ для дошкольников и если да, то как именно это осуществляется. Признавая важность раннего обучения, авторы проанализировали десять учебных программ, чтобы определить, включают ли они в себя работу с лексикой и какими методами достигается усвоение слов и понимание их смысла. Результаты анализа указывают на недостаточность работы со словарем в учебных планах по развитию грамотности дошкольников. Concientes de la importancia de empezar temprano, el proposito de nuestro articulo es el de examinar si y como se ensena el vocabulario en los curriculos preparados por el comercio para los grados pre-K. Se examinaron diez programas para determinar cuan comun era la instruccion de vocabulario y las practicas pedagogicas usadas para apoyar el aprendizaje de las palabras y sus significados. Los resultados del analisis indican una falta de orientacion en la instruccion de vocabulario en los programas curriculares de alfabetizacion en el pre-K.
Effective area of the AXAF X-ray telescope - Dependence upon dielectric constants of coating materials

This study examines the dependence of the effective area of the AXAF X-ray telescope upon the complex dielectric constants of possible mirror coatings, over the energy range 0.1-10 keV. At energies near and above the astrophysically important iron-line complex near 6.7 keV, the effective area is very sensitive to the coating density on the three innermost of the telescope's six mirror pairs. Thus, it is desirable to achieve as high a density as feasible. The telescope's spectral response exhibits sharp features at absorption edges of the coating materials. In view of the exceptional energy resolution of the AXAF spectrometers and uncertainties in reflectivities (especially near absorption edges), the AXAF goal of 1-percent accuracy requires both the precise X-ray calibration of the telescope and improved modeling of the telescope and calibration sources. Presented here in the form of plots, the results are also available (on floppy disks) in tabular form.
Evidence for a Na+/K+/Cl− cotransport system in basolateral membrane vesicles from the rabbit parotid

Sodium (22Na) transport was studied in a basolateral membrane vesicle preparation from rabbit parotid. Sodium uptake was markedly dependent on the presence of both K+ and Cl− in the extravesicular medium, being reduced 5 times when K+ was replaced by a nonphysiologic cation and 10 times when Cl− was replaced by a nonphysiologic anion. Sodium uptake was stimulated by gradients of either K+ or Cl− (relative to nongradient conditions) and could be driven against a sodium concentration gradient by a KCl gradient. No effect of membrane potentials on KCl-dependent sodium flux could be detected, indicating that this is an electroneutral process. A KCl-dependent component of sodium flux could also be demonstrated under equuilibrium exchange conditions, indicating a direct effect of K+ and Cl− on the sodium transport pathway. KCl-dependent sodium uptake exhibited a hyperbolic dependence on sodium concentration consistent with the existence of a single-transport system withK m =3.2mm at 80mm KCl and 23°C. Furosemide inhibited this transporter withK 0.5=2×10−4 m (23°C). When sodium uptake was measured as a function of potassium and chloride concentrations a hyperbolic dependence on [K] (Hill coefficient =1.31±0.07) were observed, consistent with a Na/K/Cl stoichiometry of 1∶1∶2. Taken together these data provide strong evidence for the electroneutral coupling of sodium and KCl movements in this preparation and strongly support the hypothesis that a Na+/K+/Cl− cotransport system thought to be associated with transepithelial chloride and water movements in many exocrine glands is present in the parotid acinar basolateral membrane.
Market-Based Distributed Task Selection in Multi-agent Swarms

We consider the problem of distributed task allocation across swarm units comprising a swarm-based system. We model task allocation as a dynamic pricing problem within a market setup. Experimental results within a simulated environment for a distributed automatic target recognition application show that the market-based task selection mechanism compares favorably with other heuristic-based task selection strategies.
Mammalian adenylosuccinate lyase participation in the conversion of 2′-dIMP and β-d-arabinosyl-IMP to adenine nucleotides

Adenylosuccinate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.4) from rabbit muscle efficiently catalyzes the formation of 2′-deoxyadenylosuccinate and β-d-arabinosyladenylosuccinate from 2′-dIMP and β-d-arabinosylIMP (Spector, T. and Miller, R.L. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 445, 509–517). These novel analogs of adenylosuccinate were synthesized with this enzyme and their kinetic constants were determined with adenylosuccinate lyase purified from Ehrlich ascites cells. 2′-Deoxyadenylosuccinate and β-d-arabinosyladenylosuccinate were readily cleaved to 2′-dAMP and β-d-arabinosylAMP, respectively. Their Km values were similar to that of adenylosuccinate (3–6μM) and their substrate efficiencies (VKm) were 120 for 2-deoxyadenylosuccinate and 32 for β-d-arabinosyladenylosuccinate, compared to a value of 100 for adenylosuccinate. The products of the reactions, 2′-dAMP and β-d-arabinosylAMP, were competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 5 and 87 μM, respectively. ATP and ADP were considerably weaker competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 200–300 μM. IMP, GMP, xanthosine 5′-monophosphate, 6-thioIMP and 6-thioGMP had Ki values >200 μM.
Molecular indicators of Nitrobacter spp. population and growth activity during an induced inhibition event in a bench scale nitrification reactor.

Abstract The Nitrobacter spp. ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and transcript (rRNAt) abundance were quantified in a bench scale nitrification reactor during baseline periods of high nitrification efficiency and an intervening staged inhibition event. The transcript to gene ratio (rRNAt/rDNA) was highly sensitive to changes in the reactor nitrite oxidation rate. During high nitrification efficiency, the rRNAt/rDNA metric displayed a range from 0.68 to 2.01 with one-sided ( α = 0.10) lower and upper prediction intervals of 0.70 and 1.78, respectively. When nitrification was inhibited by disabling the reactor pH control system, this activity metric declined an order of magnitude to ∼0.05, well below the lower prediction interval reflecting high nitrification efficiency. The decline was rapid (2 h) and preceded a significant drop in reactor nitrification performance, which occurred as ammonia accumulated. The rRNAt/rDNA ratio remained low (∼0.05) for several days after the pH control system was re-enabled at a setpoint of 8.0, which otherwise induced rapid oxidation of accumulated ammonia and produced high free ammonia concentrations. The timing of a subsequent increase in the rRNAt/rDNA ratio, which transiently exceeded the upper prediction interval established during the baseline period of high nitrification efficiency, was not coincidental with resumption of pH control at 7.2 that lowered free ammonia concentrations to non-inhibitory levels. Rather, nitrite oxidation resumed and the rRNAt/rDNA ratio increased only after oxidation of accumulated ammonia was complete, which was coincidental with reduced reactor oxygen demand. In summary, the Nitrobacter rRNAt/rDNA activity metric reflected timely and easily recognizable changes in nitrite oxidation activity, illustrating that molecular data can be used to diagnose poor biological wastewater treatment performance.
Do you ever take a sleep history

In this issue, Netzer and colleagues' well-designed study shows that a simple self-administered patient questionnaire is an excellent way of identifying patients at high risk for sleep apnea. The s...
Solids removal in a recirculating aquaculture system where the majority of flow bypasses the microscreen filter

Abstract Solids capture in a sedimentation basin in the lower portion of an external standpipe was compared with solids capture by the drum filter (DF) in a commercial recycle aquaculture system (RAS) with dual-drain culture tanks equipped with sidewall and bottom-center drains. The system had a unique combination of features: sidewall drain effluent, 79% of total from the culture tank, that by-passed the drum filter; center drain effluent of each tank discharged into an external standpipe that functioned as a simple sedimentation basin; daily freshwater inflow was only 1.6% of total system volume, and the waste effluent from the culture building discharged to a septic tank with a perforated tile line that terminated in a pond. The high-pressure backwash spray of the drum filter operated 36% of the time and contributed 40.6% of septic tank inflow. The external standpipe contained three lengths of pipe (a triple standpipe, TSP). It was flushed manually by pulling one of the three standpipes for 10 s once per day. At the start and end of two 27 d intervals, samples of effluent from the DF and TSP were captured from the septic inlet that was exposed immediately following draining of the septic tank. Flushing the TSP (0.34 m3) contributed 59.4% of total inflow to the septic tank and contributed solids that had accumulated in the quiescent zone below the shortest of the three standpipes. TSP accounted for 83.2% biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 71.4% TN, 82.1% total phosphorus (TP), 66.1% suspended solids (SS), 64.1% total dissolved solids (TDS) and 86.5% total suspended solids (TSS) of the total volume of effluent water quality parameters discharging to the septic tank. Only 21% of recirculating flow went through the microscreen of the drum filter. The case study demonstrated the value of an inline sedimentation basin to remove heavy solids and reduce loading of the drum filter.