cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phylogeography and polyploid evolution of North American goldenrods (Solidago subsect. Humiles, Asteraceae)

Aim We analysed range-wide chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) variation in a clade of North American goldenrods (Solidago subsect. Humiles) to infer its biogeographical history and evolution. Our objectives were to: (1) examine the structuring of cpDNA diversity in this widespread species complex, (2) reconstruct Pleistocene refugia and post-glacial migration of the study species, and (3) test hypotheses relating to the frequency of polyploidization. We expected the glacial history of Solidago to differ markedly from that of temperate trees and forest understorey plants. Location North America (Canada, continental USA, Mexico). Methods 1466 bp of chloroplast intergenic spacer DNA (cpDNA) were sequenced from 368 individuals representing 72 populations of subsect. Humiles, which consists of the widespread Solidago simplex and four geographically restricted species. Estimates of NST and GST were compared as a test of phylogeographical structure, and spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA) was used to examine cpDNA variation. Rarified haplotype diversity and chromosome diversity (ploidy levels) were used to infer locations of glacial refugia and post-glacial expansion, and to determine origins of polyploidy, respectively. Results A total of 46 haplotypes were recovered. While there was significant phylogeographical structure (NST > GST), cpDNA variation was not strongly partitioned across species boundaries, geography or ploidy levels, and six haplotypes were shared among species. The highest haplotype diversity was located in western North America, followed by the south-eastern USA and the formerly glaciated Great Lakes region. Main conclusions Solidago simplex recolonized formerly glaciated eastern North America from refugia in western North America and near the perimeter of the ice margin. The south-eastern USA had only limited involvement in recolonization of these northern regions. The geographical disjunction and scattered positions of polyploids in the haplotype network provide evidence of multiple polyploid origins within S. simplex, and the restriction of endemic, polyploid taxa to post-glacial habitats provides evidence of Holocene polyploid speciation. The results highlight polyploidization as a source of adaptive genetic variation and speciation in novel and post-glacial habitats.
The Optimization of Roll Force Model in Hot Strip Mill

The accuracy of roll force model and the rationality of roll fore adaptive model play a key role in obtaining the thickness of strip with high precision. The roll force model has been established. It includes the elastic flattened roller model and deformation resistance model considering the chemical composition of strip. A deformation resistance-based fitting curve is proposed in rolling force adaption, it can be inherited to any other thick range class. Application results show that the rolling force model and its adaptation are with high prediction accuracy and it has improved the strip thickness accuracy.
Effects of diet and feeding on postprandial serum gastrin and insulin concentrations in adult horses

Gastrin is the only hormone known to stimulate secretion of hydrochloric acid. It also has trophic effects on specific parts of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Using radioimmunoassay techniques, postprandial serum gastrin and insulin concentrations were measured in six adult horses to establish effects of different diets on gastrin concentrations. Insulin concentrations were measured to provide support to the patterns of gastrin secretion because patterns of insulin secretion were already known. The horses were fed coastal bermuda hay, or twice daily 5 kg of a complete pelleted ration, 5 kg of commercial sweet feed or 5 kg of the sweet feed together with hay. There was little change in serum gastrin or insulin concentrations after feeding hay alone. Rations containing more readily available nutrients (pellets, sweet feed) produced significant increases in postprandial serum gastrin and insulin concentrations. Gastrin concentrations also varied according to the duration of feeding each diet, but this was not seen with insulin. These results indicated that gastrin secretion, and therefore possibly gastric acid secretion, were markedly influenced by dietary composition and duration of feeding a diet. There appeared to be some adaptation of the stomach (gastrin secretion) to changes in diet, but this was not accompanied by indications of adaptation in the endocrine pancreas (insulin secretion).
Participatory medicine: a driving force for revolutionizing healthcare.

Healthcare is undergoing a profound revolution as a consequence of three contemporary thrusts: systems medicine [1-4], big data and patient involvement in their own health through social networks. This convergence is leading to a medicine that is predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (P4) [4-7]. The first three Ps, predictive, preventive and personalized, were delineated in the early 2000s [1,2], whereas the fourth P, participatory, was added later. To achieve a participatory healthcare system, major technical and societal challenges will need to be overcome, and this will require close integration with systems medicine and big data. Before commenting further on participatory medicine, let us first delineate the essence of systems medicine and big data and their implications for P4 medicine. Systems medicine, the application of systems biology approaches to disease [3,4,6,8,9], is already changing how healthcare is practiced (Table 1). We predict that in 5 to 10 years each patient will be surrounded by a virtual cloud of billions of data points - molecular, clinical chemistries, cellular, organ, phenotypic, imaging, social networks, and so on. We also predict that we will have the analytical tools to reduce this big data cloud to simple models that will guide improvements in health and minimize disease. This requires addressing two grand challenges: the signal-to-noise issues intrinsic to big data and integration of multi-scale data into predictive models. Table 1 How systems medicine is transforming healthcare In addition, for each individual patient we foresee that we will be able to integrate an individual’s genetic, molecular, cellular, organ and social networks into an overall 'network of networks’ [10]. Disease leads to the perturbation of the network of networks and this alters the information the network manages. The availability of a personal data cloud will allow one to characterize an individual’s network of networks in its normal or disease-perturbed states. This altered, disease-perturbed information will provide deep insights into disease mechanisms, new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics, and a platform for participatory medicine.
Technetium-99m labeling of DNA oligonucleotides.

@ngIe-stranded RNAand DNAoligonucleotides may be useful as radiopharmaceuticais for antisense and other in vivoappli cations ifconvenient methods for stably attaching radionuclides such as @â€˜Tc can be developed. Methods: To radiolabel DNA with @â€˜1c, we have used the hydrazino nicotinamkle (SHNH) rnolety devebped elsewhere. The diethylenetriaminepenta acetic acid (DWA)chelate was used to label DNAwith 111lnfor comparison. Complementary 22-base, single-stranded oligonu cleotides were obtained, each wfth a pnmary amine attached to eitherthe 3' or 5' end and witha biotinmoietyon the opposite end. The DNAwas conjugated with SHNH by a N-hydroxy succinimide derivative and with DTPAby the cyclic anhydride. Results: Reversed-phaseHPLCanalysisshowed that essen tially complete conjugation was achieved in both cases. The purifiedSHNH-DNA was radiolabeledwith @rc by transche lation from glucoheptonate at labeling effiCiencieSof up to 60% and DTPA-DNA@4th 111Inacetate at up to 100% efficiency. After labeling, the ability of the DNAs to bind to streptavidin throughthe biotinmoietiesand to hybridIzewiththeir compie mentary DNAin saline was retained for both radiolabelsas determined by size-exclusion HPLCanalysis. HPLC radiochro matograms of serum incubates showed a shift of @â€˜@â€˜Tc, but not 1111n, to a high molecularweight, stronglysuggesting serum protein binding in the fomier case only. Low-molecular wsight degradation products were seen with â€˜11ln, but not with @Tc and may be related to the use of phosphodiester-linked oligo nucleotides. As a further measure of label stability, the DNAs were bound to strepta@Adin-conjugatedmagnetic beads and incubated in fresh 37Â°C human serum. Less than 4% of @Fc and 14% of 1111n was lost in 24 hr. Conclusion:Amino-modi fled,single-strandedDNA can be stablyradiolabeledwith @1c by the SHNHmoietywithoutloss of function.
Energy-efficient self-organizing communication protocols for wireless sensor networks

A challenge in the design of wireless microsensor networks is the preservation of battery life in the microsensor nodes. Energy is expended not only in transmitting packets, but also in listening to the channel. This paper presents energy-preserving channel-access and routing protocols for self-organized communication in a wireless microsensor network containing a large number of low-cost nodes and a base station. The routing protocols are designed to use the remaining energy of the radios in making routing decisions. Performance is compared to a protocol that does not utilize energy information.
Drug Absorption III: Effect of Membrane Storage on the Kinetics of Drug Absorption

Monoexponential and biexponential disappearance of drug was observed both from the simulated gut phase of a three-phase in vitro model for drug absorption and from the lumen of an in situ rat gut. Monoexponential disappearance occurred when accumulation of drug in the membrane phase was low or absent, whereas biexponential disappearance occurred when membrane accumulation was appreciable. In all cases, overall transfer of drug to blood was essentially irreversible. Kinetic analysis of biexponential lumen phase data, in terms of a two-compartment open model, was accomplished by applying the technique of “feathering.” An analog computer was programmed with the calculated rate constants and the computer generated curves were compared with experimental absorption data from the three phases of the in vitro model. Good agreement between the computer curves and the experimental data confirmed the validity of the computational technique and the accuracy of the individual rate constants. An analog computer was also used to simulate the fraction of the dose of drug in the membrane for the in situ experiments since the membrane was not available for analysis.
OFMspert for the 727: an investigation into intent inferencing on the flight deck

A description is presented of a research effort investigating the intent inferencing/activity tracking capabilities of the knowledge-based system, OFMspert, in the domain of the commercial flight deck of the B-727. The research entails deriving an operator functional model for the cockpit, modifying the present implementation of OFMspert to an aviation scenario, and validating that the activity tracker does in fact infer pilot intentions and understand the real-time complex actions on the flight deck. >
Six Normative Principles for the Contracting-Out Debate

Six normative principles are developed for consideration in the debate as to when and how government should directly administer its activities versus contract them out. These differ from the inherently governmental and economic efficiency criteria commonly espoused. The principles are inspired by the purposes of government stated in the Preamble to the Constitution and are developed according to Friedrich’s concept of public administration as a disciplined taking of measures. Even though illustrative rather than comprehensive, the principles collectively show how public administration has moral, legal, and economic obligations.
Sox9b is required for epicardium formation and plays a role in TCDD-induced heart malformation in zebrafish

Activation of the transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) prevents the formation of the epicardium and leads to severe heart malformations in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio). The downstream genes that cause heart malformation are not known. Because TCDD causes craniofacial malformations in zebrafish by downregulating the sox9b gene, we hypothesized that cardiotoxicity might also result from sox9b downregulation. We found that sox9b is expressed in the developing zebrafish heart ventricle and that TCDD exposure markedly reduces this expression. Furthermore, we found that manipulation of sox9b expression could phenocopy many but not all of the effects of TCDD at the heart. Loss of sox9b prevented the formation of epicardium progenitors comprising the proepicardium on the pericardial wall, and prevented the formation and migration of the epicardial layer around the heart. Zebrafish lacking sox9b showed pericardial edema, an elongated heart, and reduced blood circulation. Fish lacking sox9b failed to form valve cushions and leaflets. Sox9b is one of two mammalian Sox9 homologs, sox9b and sox9a. Knock down of sox9a expression did not cause cardiac malformations, or defects in epicardium development. We conclude that the decrease in sox9b expression in the heart caused by TCDD plays a role in many of the observed signs of cardiotoxicity. We find that while sox9b is expressed in myocardial cells, it is not normally expressed in the affected epicardial cells or progenitors. We therefore speculate that sox9b is involved in signals between the cardiomyocytes and the nascent epicardial cells.
Mycosis fungoides: An overview

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a lymphoma that appears to have a unique relationship with the skin. In recent years our knowledge about this disease has increased considerably, in particular regarding the nature of the malignant cells and their functional characteristics. Furthermore, there is mounting evidence suggesting a viral etiology. Since its first description by Alibert in the early part of the past century, MF has been the subject of much controversy in regard to fundamental issues such as clinical and histological criteria for the establishment of the diagnosis [1] as well as its relationship to other lymphomas and skin diseases. Some of this controversy remains today. Mycosis fungoides is a relatively uncommon disease, the incidence being in the order of 1-2 million per year [1,2]. As is the case with most neoplastic diseases, the incidence increases with age; however, relatively speaking MF is not exceptional among individuals in their twenties or thirties. As for sex distribution there is a slight preponderance of men [3-5].
Failure to migrate: lack of tree range expansion in response to climate change

Tree species are expected to track warming climate by shifting their ranges to higher latitudes or elevations, but current evidence of latitudinal range shifts for suites of species is largely indirect. In response to global warming, offspring of trees are predicted to have ranges extend beyond adults at leading edges and the opposite relationship at trailing edges. Large-scale forest inventory data provide an opportunity to compare present latitudes of seedlings and adult trees at their range limits. Using the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis data, we directly compared seedling and tree 5th and 95th percentile latitudes for 92 species in 30 longitudinal bands for 43 334 plots across the eastern United States. We further compared these latitudes with 20th century temperature and precipitation change and functional traits, including seed size and seed spread rate. Results suggest that 58.7% of the tree species examined show the pattern expected for a population undergoing range contraction, rather than expansion, at both northern and southern boundaries. Fewer species show a pattern consistent with a northward shift (20.7%) and fewer still with a southward shift (16.3%). Only 4.3% are consistent with expansion at both range limits. When compared with the 20th century climate changes that have occurred at the range boundaries themselves, there is no consistent evidence that population spread is greatest in areas where climate has changed most; nor are patterns related to seed size or dispersal characteristics. The fact that the majority of seedling extreme latitudes are less than those for adult trees may emphasize the lack of evidence for climate-mediated migration, and should increase concerns for the risks posed by climate change.
ZR: A 3Dd API transparent technology for chunk rendering

This paper presents ZR (Zone Rendering), a 3D graphics technology that addresses ever-increasing bandwidth requirements using chunk rendering technique, and at the same time solves 3D API compatibility issues commonly associated with chunk rendering graphics devices. We apply a pipeline serialization technique to handle the cases causing compatibility issues. However, excessive frequency of serializations may offset the performance advantage of ZR. In order to manage potential performance problems we developed software and hardware techniques to optimize ZR performance for most events that might cause the serialization. Comprehensive validation experiments were conducted for popular 3D applications to show that after the optimizations the residual impact of the serialization is very small. Finally, using the results of Intel® 830 graphics, which implements ZR, we demonstrate that ZR provides significant 3D graphics performance improvement. This result is achieved within a limited bandwidth budget, and at the cost of modest micro-architectural changes to traditional graphics pipeline.
Asthma and asthma severity among African American adults in the Jackson Heart Study.

The aims of this study were to investigate the baseline prevalence of and risk factors associated with asthma, classify asthma severity, and describe medication use in a population-based sample of African American men and women 21 to 84 years of age from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Participants provided responses to respiratory and medical history questions and a medication inventory and underwent spirometry and other clinical examinations. These data were used to examine the extent to which novel and traditional risk factors were associated with asthma. Of the 4,098 participants included in this analysis, 9.4% reported lifetime asthma (5.7% current, 3.7% former), and current asthma was higher in women (6.8%) than in men (3.8%). An additional 9.8% reported an attack of wheeze with shortness of breath or non-doctor confirmed asthma (i.e., “probable” asthma). The mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)% predicted was lower in those reporting current asthma (women: 83.7 ± 18.0; men: 75.2 ± 16.8) ...
Expression of a mitochondrial progesterone receptor in human spermatozoa correlates with a progestin-dependent increase in mitochondrial membrane potential.

The hyperactivation of human sperm necessary for fertilization requires a substantial increase in cellular energy production. The factors responsible for increasing cellular energy remain poorly defined. This paper proposes a role for a novel mitochondrial progesterone receptor (PR-M) in modulation of mitochondrial activity. Basic science studies demonstrate a 38 kDa protein with western blot analysis, consistent with PR-M; while imaging studies with confocal and immunoelectron microscopy demonstrate a PR on the mitochondria. Treatment with a PR-specific progestin shows increased mitochondrial membrane potential, not related to induction of an acrosome reaction. The increase in mitochondrial membrane potential was inhibited by a specific PR antagonist but not affected by an inhibitor to the progesterone-dependent Catsper voltage-activated channel. In conclusion, these studies suggest expression of a novel mitochondrial PR in human sperm with a progestin-dependent increase in mitochondrial activity. This mechanism may serve to enhance cellular energy production as the sperm traverse the female genital tract being exposed to increasing concentrations of progesterone.
Visual tracking using high-order Monte Carlo Markov chain

In this paper, we discard the first-order Markov state-space model commonly used in visual tracking and present a framework of visual tracking using high-order Monte Carlo Markov chain. By using graphic models to obtain the conditional independence properties, we derive the general expression of posterior density function for the mth-order hidden Markov model. We subsequently use Sequential Importance Sampling method to estimate the posterior density and obtain the high-order particle filtering algorithm for tracking. Experimental results show the superior performance of our proposed algorithm to traditional first-order particle filtering tracking algorithm, i.e. particle filtering derived based on first-order Markov chain.
Chemical Analysis of Human Blood for Assessment of Environmental Exposure to Semivolatile Organochlorine Chemical Contaminants

A chemical method for the quantitative analysis of organochlorine pesticide residues present in human blood was scaled-up to provide increased sensitivity and extended to include organochlorine industrial chemicals. Whole blood samples were extracted with hexane, concentrated, and analyzed without further cleanup by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The methodology used was validated by conducting recovery studies at 1 and 10 ng/g (ppb) levels. Screening and confirmational analyses were performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry on samples collected from potentially exposed residents of the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York and from volunteers in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina for 25 specific semivolatile organochlorine contaminants including chlorobenzene and chlorotoluene congeners, hexachloro-1,3-butadiene, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls as Aroclor 1260. Dichlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane residues fell in the range of 0.1 to 26 ppb in a high percentage of both the field and volunteer blood samples analyzed. Levels of other organochlorine compounds were either non-detectable or present in sub-ppb ranges.
Fault displacement-distance relationships as indicators of contractional fault-related folding style

We present a method of using fault displacement-distance profiles to distinguish fault-bend, shear fault-bend, and fault-propagation folds, and use these insights to guide balanced and retrodeformable interpretations of these structures. We first describe the displacement profiles associated with different end-member fault-related folding models, then provide examples of structures that are consistent with these model-based predictions. Natural examples are imaged in high-resolution two- and three dimensional seismic reflection data sets from the Niger Delta, Sichuan Basin, Sierras Pampeanas, and Cascadia to record variations in displacement with distance updip along faults (termed displacement-distance profiles). Fault-bend folds exhibit constant displacement along fault segments and changes in displacement associated with bends in faults, shear fault-bend folds demonstrate an increase in displacement through the shearing interval, and fault-propagation folds exhibit decreasing displacement toward the fault tip. More complex structures are then investigated using this method, demonstrating that displacement-distance profiles can be used to provide insight into structures that involve multiple fault-related folding processes or have changed kinematic behavior over time. These interpretations are supported by comparison with the kinematics inferred from the geometry of growth strata overlying these structures. Collectively, these analyses illustrate that the displacement-distance approach can provide valuable insights into the styles of fault-related folding.
Antifungal properties and target evaluation of three putative bacterial histidine kinase inhibitors.

Histidine protein kinases have been explored as potential antibacterial drug targets. The recent identification of two-component histidine kinases in fungi has led us to investigate the antifungal properties of three bacterial histidine kinase inhibitors (RWJ-49815, RWJ-49968, and RWJ-61907). All three compounds were found to inhibit growth of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans strains, with MICs ranging from 1 to 20 μg/ml. However, deletion of SLN1, the only histidine kinase in S. cerevisiae, did not alter drug efficacy. In vitro kinase assays were performed by using the Sln1 histidine kinase purified from bacteria as a fusion protein to glutathione S-transferase. RWJ-49815 and RWJ-49968 inhibited kinase a 50% inhibitory concentration of 10 μM, whereas RWJ-61907 failed to inhibit at concentrations up to 100 μM. Based on these results, we conclude that these compounds have antifungal properties; however, their mode of action appears to be independent of histidine kinase inhibition.
Is it safe to reuse a syringe of glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen? A microbiological study.

Purpose: We evaluated the safety of saving partially used syringes of glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen for subsequent treatment sessions in an individual.Materials and Methods: After periurethral injection in an office setting 56 partially used syringes of glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen were stored in a refrigerator for 1 to 61 weeks (mean 15). Collagen from all 56 syringes was then cultured qualitatively using a broth medium at 35C and semiquantitatively using a chocolate agar plate at 22 to 30C for 5 days each.Results: A qualitative broth culture was positive for coagulase negative staphylococcus but the results of semiquantitative chocolate agar culture of material from the same syringe were negative. All cultures of the other 55 syringes were negative.Conclusions: The positive culture most likely resulted from contamination during periurethral injection or the culturing process. Minimal contamination from and the great potential cost savings of reusing glutaraldehyde cross-linked collagen fo...
Access to higher education: Targeted recruitment reform under economic development plans in the People's Republic of China

In the early 1980s, the Chinese government introduced limited economic markets accompanied by educational reforms to counteract an internal “brain drain.” This article explores the effectiveness of four years of recruitment and enrolment reform in technical-professional higher education in meeting the objective. In view of the extreme scarcity of higher education places, the modest enrolment biases evident in the findings are unexpected. Through the recruitment reforms the planned proportion of students from the targeted marginal groups were enrolled. On the other hand, enrolment patterns showed aggravated social class reproduction at the upper and lower end of the stratification. Gender stratification in overall proportions was modest but strongly mediated by social class and subject choice. Though upper and middle class students were poised to gain greater socio-economic mobility than the lower class, nearly half of the latter would be upwardly mobile through technical-professional higher education (TPHE). The findings show that, though economic pull factors were in evidence, the recruitment reforms were effective in preparing a suitable pool of students to carry out macro-economic plans. The reforms advanced the historic function of technical-professional education-extending access to populations hitherto largely excluded.
The Effects of Cognitive Strategy Instruction on Math Problem Solving of Middle-School Students of Varying Ability.

The effects of a mathematical problem-solving intervention on students’ problem-solving performance and math achievement were measured in a randomized control trial with 1,059 7th-grade students. The intervention, Solve It!, is a research-based cognitive strategy instructional intervention that was shown to improve the problem-solving performance of 8th-grade students with and without learning disabilities (LD). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the effectiveness of the intervention could be replicated with younger students. Forty middle schools in a large urban school district were included in the study, with one 7th-grade math teacher participating at each school (after attrition, n = 34). Solve It! was implemented by the teachers in their inclusive math classrooms. Problem-solving performance was assessed using curriculum-based math problem-solving measures, which were administered as a pretest and then monthly over the course of the 8-month intervention. Students who received the intervention (n = 644) embedded in the district curriculum showed a significantly greater rate of growth on the curriculum-based measures than students in the comparison group (n = 415) who received the district curriculum only. Results of the Bayesian analyses indicated that the intervention effect was somewhat stronger for low-achieving students than for average-achieving students. Overall, findings from the present study as well as the previous study with 8th-grade students indicate that the intervention was effective across ability groups and is an appropriate program to use in inclusive classrooms with students of varying math ability.
A quality improvement study: medication error leading to thyrotoxicosis and death.

Mrs. Jones was 79 years old when admitted to Shady Rest Nursing Home. Her medical history included arthritis, dementia, hypertension, and decreasing ability to care for herself at home. After 1 week in the nursing home, the primary care physician performed a dementia workup, which included thyroid function tests. These showed mild hypothyroidism, and an order was written for 12.5 g levothyroxine (Synthroid, Abbott Labs, Abbott Park, IL) per day. The order was faxed to the pharmacy, but the copy they received did not show the decimal point in “12.5.” The order sheet consisted of two pages: the original, which was faxed and then returned to the chart, and a carbon copy, which was removed and sent to the pharmacy. The pharmacy was to crosscheck the faxed copy with the carbon copy, but this was not done. Shady Rest Nursing Home had a written policy that required the medication nurse to crosscheck new medications with the physician’s order and the medication administration record (MAR), which was not done. Mrs. Jones was thus started on 125 g levothyroxine per day, 10 times her intended dose. Over the next 2 weeks, Mrs. Jones had a change in her condition, which included accelerated agitation and decreased oral intake. She could not sleep and was unable to sit still, wandering into other patients’ rooms. The primary care physician ordered a psychiatry consultation, and the psychiatrist determined that Mrs. Jones was experiencing agitation related to underlying dementia. A new order was written for 0.5 mg olanzapine (Zyprexa, Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN) twice per day and 50 mg trazodone (Desyrel, Mead Johnson [Squibb], Princeton, NJ) at night before bed. After 3 weeks, Mrs. Jones sustained a fall and was transferred to the hospital. On that day, a Shady Rest staff member discovered the medication error and documented it on the transfer papers. At the hospital, she was pale, hypotensive, had cool extremities and low oxygen saturation. Laboratory values included serum sodium 152 meq/L (normal, 140 –148 meq/L), blood urea nitrogen 37 mg/dL (normal, 7–18 mg/dL), creatinine 1.3 mg/dL (normal, 0.6 –1.0 mg/dL), and elevated CPK with positive MB fraction. Mrs. Jones’ family declined aggressive measures, and she died at 9:30 PM that evening. Mrs. Jones’ death was investigated by the state Department of Health. A review of the initial physician’s order showed that the decimal point in “12.5” was not apparent on the faxed copy that the pharmacy received but was clearly seen on the original. The state cited the home’s nursing staff for not crosschecking the levothyroxine dose with the MAR and the physician’s order according to policy, and the pharmacy for not properly crosschecking the hard copy of the medication order with the fax. The investigator also found that the nursing and medical staff did not appropriately assess a change in behavior.
Variability of neural activation during walking in humans: short heels and big calves

People come in different shapes and sizes. In particular, calf muscle size in humans varies considerably. One possible cause for the different shapes of calf muscles is the inherent difference in neural signals sent to these muscles during walking. In sedentary adults, the variability in neural control of the calf muscles was examined with muscle size, walking kinematics and limb morphometrics. Half the subjects walked while activating their medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles more strongly than their lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles during most walking speeds (‘MG-biased’). The other subjects walked while activating their MG and LG muscles nearly equally (‘unbiased’). Those who walked with an MG-biased recruitment pattern also had thicker MG muscles and shorter heel lengths, or MG muscle moment arms, than unbiased walkers, but were similar in height, weight, lower limb length, foot length, and exhibited similar walking kinematics. The relatively less plastic skeletal system may drive calf muscle size and motor recruitment patterns of walking in humans.
High glycemic index foods, overeating, and obesity.

Objective. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in recent years. However, the role of dietary composition in body weight regulation remains unclear. The purpose of this work was to investigate the acute effects of dietary glycemic index (GI) on energy metabolism and voluntary food intake in obese subjects. Methods. Twelve obese teenage boys were evaluated on three separate occasions using a crossover study protocol. During each evaluation, subjects consumed identical test meals at breakfast and lunch that had a low, medium, or high GI. The high- and medium-GI meals were designed to have similar macronutrient composition, fiber content, and palatability, and all meals for each subject had equal energy content. After breakfast, plasma and serum concentrations of metabolic fuels and hormones were measured. Ad libitum food intake was determined in the 5-hour period after lunch. Results. Voluntary energy intake after the high-GI meal (5.8 megajoule [mJ]) was 53% greater than after the medium-GI meal (3.8 mJ), and 81% greater than after the low-GI meal (3.2 mJ). In addition, compared with the low-GI meal, the high-GI meal resulted in higher serum insulin levels, lower plasma glucagon levels, lower postabsorptive plasma glucose and serum fatty acids levels, and elevation in plasma epinephrine. The area under the glycemic response curve for each test meal accounted for 53% of the variance in food intake within subjects. Conclusions. The rapid absorption of glucose after consumption of high-GI meals induces a sequence of hormonal and metabolic changes that promote excessive food intake in obese subjects. Additional studies are needed to examine the relationship between dietary GI and long-term body weight regulation. glycemic index, obesity, dietary carbohydrate, diets, insulin.
Hindlimb unloading alters nitric oxide and autonomic control of resting arterial pressure in conscious rats

After periods of microgravity or bed rest, individuals often exhibit reduced Vo2 max, hypovolemia, cardiac and vascular effects, and autonomic dysfunction. Recently, alterations in expression of v...
Broadening the Higgs boson with right-handed neutrinos and a higher dimension operator at the electroweak scale

The existence of certain TeV suppressed higher-dimension operators may open up new decay channels for the Higgs boson to decay into lighter right-handed neutrinos. These channels may dominate over all other channels if the Higgs boson is light. For a Higgs boson mass larger than 2m{sub W}, the new decays are subdominant yet still of interest. The right-handed neutrinos have macroscopic decay lengths and decay mostly into final states containing leptons and quarks. A distinguishing collider signature of this scenario is a pair of displaced vertices violating lepton number. A general operator analysis is performed using the minimal flavor violation hypothesis to illustrate that these novel decay processes can occur while remaining consistent with experimental constraints on lepton number violating processes. In this context, the question of whether these new decay modes dominate is found to depend crucially on the approximate flavor symmetries of the right-handed neutrinos.
Parameter setting in second language phonology and syntax

This paper reports on studies of second language acquisition in two domains, phonology and syntax. The phenomena investigated were the acquisition by native speakers of Hindi, Japanese, and Korean ...
Curricular, Relational, and Physical Spaces in the Japanese Hoikuen

Recent scholarship looks at the relationship of learning to space and place within educational research. The purpose of this article was to put data produced from teaching in four Japanese preschools into conversation with spatial theory and Ma, a Japanese spatial esthetic. We seek to understand how and what spaces (physical, curricular, and relational) are produced in Japanese hoikuen. We engage with Soja’s Firstspace, Secondspace, and Thirdspace in order to examine space in the Japanese preschools. We also think with concepts from Ma esthetics in order to understand the appreciation of unexpected moments and interactions. Specific insights gained from analysis focus on the design of the preschools, flexibility of furniture, shared workspaces, field trips, inquiries with nature, bonds between students, and addressing conflict. We present these insights to add to an emerging discussion of how spatial aspects of environments influence teaching and learning in early childhood education.
Real Exchange Rates And U.S. Bilateral Trade

The persistence of the U.S. trade deficit despite the significant depreciation of the dollar in the second half of the 1980s prompted several studies seeking an explanation for this phenomenon. There has been a renewed interest on the exchange rate trade linkage as the U.S. trade deficit reached a record high despite steady depreciation of the dollar in early 1995. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between real exchange rate and U.S. exports to Canada and Japan. The major finding of this paper is that real income and real exchange rates changes are important determinants of bilateral trade flows.
Satellite Observations of the Wind Jets off the Pacific Coast of Central America. Part II: Regional Relationships and Dynamical Considerations

Abstract Satellite estimates of winds at 10 m above the sea surface by the NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) during the 9-month period October 1996–June 1997 are analyzed to investigate the correlations between the three major wind jets along the Pacific coast of Central America and their relationships to the wind and pressure fields in the Inter-American Seas and eastern tropical Pacific. Comparisons with sea level pressure confirm the conventional view that Tehuantepec wind variations are driven by pressure variations in the Gulf of Mexico associated with North American cold-air outbreaks. The three jets sometimes developed sequentially from north to south. Statistically, however, the Papagayo and Panama jets were poorly correlated with variations of the Tehuantepec jet over the NSCAT observational period. The Papagayo and Panama jets were significantly correlated with each other and were coupled to coherent variations of the trade winds extending from the Caribbean Sea to the eastern tropical Pacific. The det...
Source identification and compression of mixture data from finite observations

We consider the problem of the identification of a mixture of ergodic stationary sources from a limited number of finite-length observations of a mixture. We propose an algorithm based on Bayesian Information Criterion and Expectation Maximization to identify the sources' models and estimate the mixture parameters. Based on this algorithm, the sources' distributions can be computed and used for nearly optimal memory-assisted coding of the sequences generated by the mixture. Further, we provide upper and lower bounds on the entropy of the mixture source and show that it converges to the upper bound as the length of the sequences increases and derive the convergence rate for the per-symbol entropy of the mixture of finite memory sources.
Presidential Leadership and Bureaucratic Appointees: The Clinton Administration and Fair Housing

We investigate fair housing enforcement during the Clinton administration using datasets obtained from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and secondarily relying on archival research at the Clinton Presidential Library. We specifically focus on the questions of how and the extent to which President Clinton provided leadership in fair housing policy and its enforcement by examining two quantitative indicators — presidential statements (direct measures of presidential leadership) and pro-active enforcement at HUD and DOJ under Clinton’s appointees (indirect measures of presidential leadership). Because fair housing is a core civil rights issue, we expected that Clinton would provide leadership in this policy area. However, our analysis reveals few indications of leadership in Clinton’s public rhetoric and limited evidence of pro-active enforcement by his HUD and DOJ appointees.
Gender Neutral Language

Gender neutral language has become both accepted and expected. As a result, gendered language sounds parochial and out-of-date. It also risks offending readers of both sexes. This is particularly true when the language is based on stereotypical assumptions about occupations, as when the language infers that all lawyers are men or that all teachers are women. Gendered language usually comes in one of three forms: (1) the addition of a feminine suffix to an occupation to distinguish female workers ("waitress"), (2) the use of gender-specific nouns ("mankind"), and (3) the use of gendered pronouns ("A doctor should not make his patients wait."). For each form of gendered language, the essay provides examples as well as suggested alternatives.
Markascherite, Cu3(MoO4)(OH)4, a new mineral species polymorphic with szenicsite, from Copper Creek, Pinal County, Arizona, U.S.A.

A new mineral species, markascherite (IMA2010-051), ideally Cu3(MoO4)(OH)4, has been found at Copper Creek, Pinal County, Arizona, U.S.A. The mineral is of secondary origin and is associated with brochantite, antlerite, lindgrenite, wulfenite, natrojarosite, and chalcanthite. Markascherite crystals are bladed (elongated along the b axis), up to 0.50 × 0.10 × 0.05 mm. The dominant forms are {001}, {100}, and {010}. Twinning is found with the twofold twin axis along [101]. The mineral is green, transparent with green streak and vitreous luster. It is brittle and has a Mohs hardness of 3.5~4; cleavage is perfect on {100} and no parting was observed. The calculated density is 4.216 g/cm 3 . Optically, markascherite is biaxial (–), with nα >1.8, nβ > 1.8, and nγ >1.8. The dispersion is strong (r > v). It is insoluble in water, acetone, or hydrochloric acid. An electron microprobe analysis yielded an empirical formula Cu2.89(Mo1.04O4)(OH)4. Markascherite, polymorphic with szenicsite, is monoclinic, with space group P21/m and unit-cell parameters a = 9.9904(6), b = 5.9934(4), c = 5.5255(4) A, β = 97.428(4)°, and V = 328.04(4) A 3 . Its structure is composed of three nonequivalent, markedly distorted Cu 2+ (O,OH)6 octahedra and one MoO4 tetrahedron. The Cu1 and Cu2 octahedra share edges to form brucite-type layers parallel to (100), whereas the Cu3 octahedra share edges with one another to form rutile-type chains parallel to the b axis. These layers and chains alternate along [100] and are interlinked together by both MoO4 tetrahedra and hydrogen bonds. Topologically, the structure of markascherite exhibits a remarkable resemblance to that of deloryite, Cu4(UO2)(MoO4)2(OH)6, given the coupled substitution of [2Cu 2+ + 2(OH
Optimization of Membrane Separation Processes for Protein Fractionation

Optimization of the operating parameters for membrane separation of proteins is usually performed in industry by varying one factor at a time. While this procedure cannot ensure that an optimum is found, it is generally too time-consuming and costly to determine optimal operating conditions by simultaneously varying all factors. This paper presents a procedure that can be generically used by, for example, the biotechnology industry, for determining close to optimal operating conditions for cases where relatively little data are available. The procedure fits a polynomial regression model to the operating parameters and performs a multidimensional optimization of the empirical model with regard to some important operating parameter, for example, a combination of selectivity and purity. The technique is illustrated with a membrane ultrafiltration process for the separation of hen egg lysozyme from ribonuclease A and in a second case study for separating hemoglobin from bovine serum albumin.
Size Effect of Nanoparticle Diffusion in a Polymer Melt

We investigated the dynamics of gold nanoparticles (NPs) within an entangled liquid of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) above the glass transition temperature (Tg). The experiments were performed by using a modified version of fluctuation correlation spectroscopy (FCS), which measured the translational diffusion (D) of the isolated NPs as a function of their size (2R0 = 5–20 nm) and temperature (T). We probed the most interesting but sparsely investigated length regime where the particle size/tube diameter (dt) ratio ranges between ∼1–4. This allowed us to put into direct test recently developed theories and simulations. By measuring the bulk viscosity of the melt, the ratio D/DSE was determined, where DSE is the continuum prediction from Stokes–Einstein (SE) relation. Our results indicate gradual recovery to SE behavior and full coupling to entanglement relaxation would require 2R0 ≈ 7–10dt.
Cross-regional management for migrating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Zhejiang

Objective To assess the current status of cross-regional management for floating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Zhejiang,and to provide scientific evidence for the improvement of cross-regional management system and management mechanism. Methods A combination of quantitative and qualitative method was adopted to conduct a survey in terms of cross-regional management among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from 8counties which had large numbers of TB patients floating across the region in 2011. ResultsThe survey revealed that there were 6.1% of patients migrated into the surveyed area and 9.0% migrated out with the feedback rate of 94.2% and 83.6%,which had no significant difference.However,the feedback rates of sputum examination and treatment outcome for 2months,5months,6or 8months follow-ups were much higher among floating-in patients compared to transferred-out patients(90.3% vs 47.9%,89.5% vs 60.7%,97.6% vs 63.2%,100% vs 69.7%).Moreover,the feedback rates of follow-ups in non Global Fund project counties were significantly lower than that in project counties,in which the average feedback time was much shorter(33.9 vs 53.4days).Individuals interviewed admitted that it was necessary to enhance the cross-regional management for migrating TB patients,but there were a lot difficulties and problems over on the way. Conclusions Cross-regional management for floating TB patients in Zhejiang needs to be further improved and enhanced in order to prevent the spread of TB.