cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Internal reinforcement in a connectionist genetic programming approach

Abstract Genetic programming (GP) can learn complex concepts by searching for the target concept through evolution of a population of candidate hypothesis programs. However, unlike some learning techniques, such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), GP does not have a principled procedure for changing parts of a learned structure based on that structure's performance on the training data. GP is missing a clear, locally optimal update procedure, the equivalent of gradient-descent backpropagation for ANNs. This article introduces a new algorithm, “internal reinforcement”, for defining and using performance feedback on program evolution. This internal reinforcement principled mechanism is developed within a new connectionist representation for evolving parameterized programs, namely “neural programming”. We present the algorithms for the generation of credit and blame assignment in the process of learning programs using neural programming and internal reinforcement. The article includes a comprehensive overview of genetic programming and empirical experiments that demonstrate the increased learning rate obtained by using our principled program evolution approach.
Contribution of the pentose cycle to glucose metabolism in muscle.

Abstract Glucose-2-C14 has been incubated with abdominal muscle, diaphragm, and slices of heart from baby and adult mice. Glucose from glycogen and ribose from nucleotides have been degraded. From the C14-distribution in the glucose, the pentose cycle contribution to over-all glucose metabolism in abdominal muscle and diaphragm could not definitely be established, but it does not exceed 2%; in heart it appears to be somewhat higher. Distributions of C14 in glucose from glycogen and ribose are in accord with incorporation of C14 via the oxidative and nonoxidative portions of the cycle. While incorporation via the oxidative portion can be attributed to synthesis, incorporation via the nonoxidative portion may occur via exchange reactions rather than synthesis.
Dangers of multiple time step methods

Abstract In this work we demonstrate two potential dangers of multiple time step techniques for numerical integration of differential equations. This idea of using different time steps for different interactions was proposed in 1978 for molecular dynamics but undoubtedly has other useful applications. The use of multiple time stepping with the popular Verlet method was proposed in a 1991 paper. However, the method advocated in this paper does not retain the symplectic (or canonical) property of the Verlet method, which is an abstract property satisfied by the flow of any Hamiltonian system, of which molecular dynamics is an example. Recent work reported in the literature suggests that this property is important for the long-time integration of Hamiltonian dynamical systems. We perform experiments on linear and nonlinear problems comparing symplectic and nonsymplectic multiple time stepping extensions of the Verlet method. We observe that in the nonsymplectic case either instability or dissipation becomes evident after a long integration. However, our experiments also indicate that it is quite possible to obtain an artificial "resonance" for the symplectic method that is much worse than that for the nonsymplectic methods.
Abstract 1325: Profilin-1 overexpression downregulates phosphorylation of p27kip1 leading to its nuclear accumulation in breast cancer cells

Profilin-1 is a ubiquitously expressed actin-binding protein that is downregulated in human breast cancer. Overexpression of profilin-1 in human breast cancer cells suppresses their tumorigenic potential. We had previously shown that profilin-1 overexpression elevates the expression level of p27kip1 leading to cell-cycle arrest in G1 phase. In the present work, we explore the underlying mechanism. Our studies showed that profilin-1-induced accumulation of p27kip1 in breast cancer cells occurs most dramatically in the nuclear compartment and this is due to impaired protein degradation. Consistent with these observations, we found that phosphorylation of p27kip1 at T187 (a prerequisite for p27kip1 degradation by SCF-Skp2 complex in the nucleus) and S10 (a post-translational event that promotes nuclear export of p27kip1) residues are both significantly inhibited by profilin-1 overexpression. Elevating profilin-1 level suppresses AKT activation, and hyper-activating AKT through overexpression of a constitutively active mutant relieves profilin-1-induced inhibition of T187 phosphorylation and elevation of p27kip1. These data demonstrate that profilin-1 can control the cellular level of p27kip1 in breast cancer cells through affecting its post-translational modification in an AKT-dependent pathway. These findings may provide mechanistic insights underlying the tumor-suppressive action of profilin-1. Citation Format: Chang Jiang, William Veon, Partha Roy. Profilin-1 overexpression downregulates phosphorylation of p27kip1 leading to its nuclear accumulation in breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1325. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1325
Taming the beast: Guidance for administrators on managing museum computerization

(1992). Taming the beast: Guidance for administrators on managing museum computerization. Museum Management and Curatorship: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 45-60.
Extraction of Resonance Parameters from Nuclear Scattering Data

A procedure is described for extracting the pole position of a resonant amplitude from a knowledge of the phase shift versus energy. Pole positions are determined for the four $p$-wave resonances in the nucleon-$\ensuremath{\alpha}$ system with high precision. The use of the pole position to define the mass of unstable nuclear states is discussed.
Measuring the effects of antiepileptic medications on balance in older people

Abstract Background Dizziness and ataxia are among the most common adverse events associated with antiepileptic medications. Despite this, few studies have attempted to quantitatively assess the effects of antiepileptic therapies on equilibrium. This study was undertaken to prospectively compare quantitative measures of balance in older people taking carbamazepine, gabapentin and lamotrigine. Methods Thirty patients on monotherapy for idiopathic partial or generalized epilepsy were enrolled after giving informed consent. Patients had to be at least 50 years old, able to give consent, and on a stable dose of carbamazepine, gabapentin or lamotrigine for at least 30 days. Since this was a study of asymptomatic patients, all patients had to be without complaint of dizziness or imbalance. Patients with a history of alcohol or drug abuse or any medical or neurological condition expected to adversely affect equilibrium were excluded. Each patient underwent a history and examination, computerized dynamic posturography, the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) scale, Fregly ataxia battery, and the Berg balance scale. Serum drug levels of carbamazepine were obtained to eliminate patients with toxic levels upon enrollment. Two-tailed paired t-tests were used to determined statistical significance among those on each antiepileptic medication. Results Thirty patients were enrolled: 10 on gabapentin, 10 on lamotrigine and 10 on carbamazepine monotherapy for epilepsy. There were no differences in age or sex among those in each treatment group. The average dosages were 1120 mg/day for those on gabapentin, 335 mg for lamotrigine, and 640 mg for carbamazepine. There were no differences in the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) or the Berg balance scale scores. All patients had normal vestibular function by quantitative testing. Posturography showed no statistically significant differences. The Fregly ataxia battery includes the sum of timed trials in the sharpened Romberg (SR) position, standing on one leg with eyes closed (SOLEC), and when walking in tandem with eyes closed (WITEC). The patients on lamotrigine exhibited ability to maintain balance in these positions significantly longer than did those on carbamazepine: SR (P Conclusions The effects of antiepileptic medications on equilibrium in asymptomatic older people may require more dynamic and challenging measures of equilibrium than are commonly employed in physical therapy to monitor risk of falls. Although the sample size is small, this study suggests that lamotrigine may induce less disequilibrium than does carbamazepine in older people on monotherapy for epilepsy. Further study in this area is needed, particularly given the risks of falling from imbalance in the elderly.
A Lagrangian Vorticity Method for Two-Phase Particulate Flows with Two-Way Phase Coupling

A Lagrangian vorticity-based method is presented for simulating two-way phase interaction in a two-phase flow with heavy particles. The flow is computed by solving the vorticity transport equation, including the particle-induced vorticity source, and the mass conservation equation for particle concentration on separate sets of fluid control points and particle control points, respectively. The fluid control points are advected with the local fluid velocity, plus a diffusion velocity for viscous problems to account for the spread of the vorticity support via diffusion, while the particle control points are advected by solution of the Lagrangian particle momentum equation. The particle concentration and vorticity transport equations are evaluated using volume-averaged particle velocity and contact force fields, obtained by a weighted average over nearby particle control points. One novel feature of the numerical method is the scheme for calculation of the particle-induced vorticity source using a “moving least-square” differentiation scheme across the two sets of control points. Another feature of the method is its ability to absorb the vorticity generated by particle forces through an adaptive scheme for generation of new fluid control points. Test calculations with a vortex patch filled with particles show that the numerical results compare well with the results obtained both by a traditional finite-difference method and by an asymptotic approximation valid for small Stokes numbers. Other features of the numerical method are demonstrated for calculations involving a particle cloud falling under gravity and a two-phase mixing layer flow.
Effects of M3 Curriculum on Mathematics and English Proficiency Achievement of Mathematically Promising English Language Learners

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Mentoring Mathematical Minds (M3) units on gains in mathematics achievement and English proficiency of mathematically promising English language learners (MPELLs) in the third grade. The M3 program, developed by Gavin et al., was implemented for 1 year with treatment MPELLs (n = 86) but not with comparison MPELLs (n = 85). Treatment teachers attended 5 days of professional development provided by the program development team members. Researchers analyzed findings using hierarchical linear modeling and found that treatment students demonstrated significantly higher gains in mathematics achievement than comparison students (d = .63), but not in English proficiency. Qualitative data focused on treatment teachers’ instructional behaviors were collected and included in considerations for high- and low-fidelity implementation with treatment students and teachers. The results supplemented the evidence that students’ achievement gains in mathematics could be...
Increased p63 phosphorylation marks early transition of epidermal stem cells to progenitors.

The mammalian epidermis is maintained by epithelial stem cells (SCs) capable of selfrenewal and differentiation (Fuchs, 2009). While the transcription factor p63 is critical for the proliferative potential of epithelial SCs (Senoo et al., 2007), the molecular events underlying their transition to more differentiated progenitors remain largely unknown. Technical challenges in distinguishing SCs from transit-amplifying (TA) cells, early progeny of SCs (Watt, 2001), complicate such analyses and impedes development of new strategies to improve SC quality for therapeutic transplantation and SC-directed gene therapy.
Assessing the Value of Formal Control Mechanisms on Strong Password Selection

Applications often use behavior control mechanisms in order to ensure that individuals create sufficiently strong passwords. Behavior controls, which force individuals to utilize specific password characteristics, are assumed to be the best mechanism to encourage strong password creation. However, an over reliance on them could lead to counterproductive security behaviors. This study examines the efficacy of formal controls in the password creation process to determine if their use does indeed result in meaningfully stronger passwords than informal control techniques. Findings demonstrate that controls used during the password creation process do indeed shape password strength, but that behavior controls do not produce significantly stronger passwords than informal controls. Using an Agency Theory perspective, control techniques are considered in their ability to align principal-agent goal and risk perceptions. Findings illustrate the importance of using both informal and formal controls as a means of creating strong and effective passwords.
Du style indirect libre à la pensée representée : quelques nouvelles hypothèses sur un style littéraire

Je revisite dans cette presentation les origines du style indirect libre et les hypotheses que j’avais defendues en 1978/82, a savoir que ses premieres apparences indiscutables datent du 17ieme siecle et non de l’epoque medievale, comme le soutiennent Cerquiglini (1984), Cuevas (1988) et Marnette (1998). L’examen des donnees suggere une apparition de ce style en trois phases. Des le 12ieme siecle, une phrase libre apres du discours indirect est interpretable comme la continuation du discours rapporte a la 3ieme personne, mais pas encore comme du style indirect libre, au plein sens du terme tel que le definit Bally. Une phrase libre fournit le contexte crucial pour l’exclamation, mais des exclamations attribuables a une 3ieme personne ne se trouvent pas avant la fin du 16ieme siecle. La cotemporalite d’un temps du passe et de maintenant en francais ou de now en anglais a une origine differente. Elle est effectivement attestee dans Paradise Lost de Milton mais n’y est pas interpretable comme de la pensee representee. Mais la conjonction de la phrase libre, du passe cotemporel avec maintenant et des exclamations attribuables a une troisieme personne qui constitue la pensee representee se trouve dans George Gascoigne (1573), La Fontaine (1668) and Mme de la Fayette (1678). Je chercherai a etablir si l’hypothese d’une evolution en trois etapes permet d’isoler les formes transitionnelles que doit inclure toute tentative d’explication historique selon Adamson (2001). Ma conclusion offrira quelques remarques sur la contribution majeure des etudes sur le francais pour la resolution de cette question et sur la place exceptionnelle de la stylistique et des etudes linguistiques des arts langagiers dans le monde francophone.
The Use of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression in Elderly Patients With Cognitive Impairment and Physical Illness

The authors performed a prospective study to assess the impact of cognitive impairment and medical burden on the Hamilton Ratingh Scale for Depression (Ham-D) scores in older psychiatric inpatients. Over 1 year, all patients admitted to an acute-care geriatric psychiatry unit were assessed with an instrument that includes an anchored version of the 17-uten Ham-D. Ham-D scores of 72 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for a major depressive episode were compared with the scores of 31 patients who did not. The scores of a depressed and nondepressed patients were significantly different on admission but not at discharge. By contrast, the Ham-D scores of 11 depressed patients with a primary dementia did not differ either on admission or at discharge from the scores of 61 depressed patients without dementia. Controlling for psychiatric diagnosis, cognitive impairment had no significant effect on Ham-D scores. Medical burden accounted for less than 6% of the variance in admission Ham-D yields valid ratings of the severity of depressive symptoms in elderly patients with a broad range of cognitive impairment and physical illness.
‘Death in the Shape of a Young Girl’: Feminist Responses to Media Representations of Women Terrorists during the 'German Autumn' of 1977

This article examines feminist responses to mainstream media coverage of female terrorists in West Germany during 1977. Women in left-wing terrorist groups like the Red Army Faction (RAF) and ‘Movement 2. June’ (‘Bewegung 2. Juni’) inspired a gendered discourse reflecting a cultural unease about women participating in political violence, in which the media propagated notions that posited female terrorists as ‘unnatural’ women. This analysis demonstrates how different ‘Alltagstheorien’ (everyday or common sense theories) on female terrorists we find in West German media publications in the 1970s and 1980s served as a springboard for West German feminist activists to examine arguments about violence as legitimate means in their own political communities. This essay begins by briefly outlining key feminist positions on political violence that have made invisible the complex debates taking place in the 1970s. The second part of the essay uses images of female terrorists circulated by the West German media, su...
Neoliberalism as a state-centric class project: The Italian case

This essay sheds light on the neoliberal aspects of the Italian political-economic system exemplified in the relationship between capital, state and media. The main argument is that the specific marriage between neoliberalism and neocorporatism that characterizes Italy reveals a distinctive characteristic of neoliberalism: a class project relying heavily on the state. As Polanyi has suggested through the concept of ‘embeddedness’, capitalism has consistently developed through the double movement of preaching the independence of the free market from the state and requiring the state's protectionist interventions. After describing this state-centric framework to interpret neoliberalism, in the second part of the paper, I consider the political-economic history of Italy's recent decades, paying particular attention to the media system. I will examine the ‘communicative performance’ of neoliberalism in Berlusconi's discourses and concrete political decisions taken in the name of neoliberalism. The articulated...
An approach to creating a more realistic working model from a protein data bank entry.

An accurate model of three-dimensional protein structure is important in a variety of fields such as structure-based drug design and mechanistic studies of enzymatic reactions. While the entries in the Protein Data Bank ( http://www.pdb.org ) provide valuable information about protein structures, a small fraction of the PDB structures were found to contain anomalies not reported in the PDB file. The semiempirical PM7 method in MOPAC2012 was used for identifying anomalously short hydrogen bonds, C–H⋯O/C–H⋯N interactions, non-bonding close contacts, and unrealistic covalent bond lengths in recently published Protein Data Bank files. It was also used to generate new structures with these faults removed. When the semiempirical models were compared to those of PDB_REDO ( http://www.cmbi.ru.nl/pdb_redo/ ), the clashscores, as defined by MolProbity ( http://molprobity.biochem.duke.edu/ ), were better in about 50 % of the structures. The semiempirical models also had a lower root-mean-square-deviation value in nearly all cases than those from PDB_REDO, indicative of a better conservation of the tertiary structure. Finally, the semiempirical models were found to have lower clashscores than the initial PDB file in all but one case. Because this approach maintains as much of the original tertiary structure as possible while improving anomalous interactions, it should be useful to theoreticians, experimentalists, and crystallographers investigating the structure and function of proteins.
Surveys and benchmarks

This chapter examines surveys and benchmarks used by community colleges to track student success, engagement, and satisfaction as well as to monitor institutional effectiveness and to identify areas for improvement.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS AND CHANGES IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIVITY IN CHINA, 1980–1995

Abstract Industrial productivity is a measure of the efficiency of aggregate input (labor, capital, and raw materials) relative to output. If the economic objective of regional development is primarily to increase per capita income, its success depends upon increases in productivity. Despite the rapid growth of industrial output in China, there are increasing signs of a decline in the efficiency and profitability of industry, especially in state-owned firms. This has significantly changed the spatial distribution of regional industrial productivity. Most eastern coastal provinces have experienced faster decline than the rest of the country. As a result, the traditional east-west division is no longer the best description of the spatial pattern of productivity. Using data from the second and third censuses of industry, this research reveals regional disparities and changes in both labor and capital productivity in China during the 15-year period from 1980 to 1995. This paper also investigates factors that ...
3.6%-CZTSS Device Fabricated From Ionic Liquid Electrodeposited Sn Layer

Cu/Sn/Zn stacked layers were electrodeposited and subsequently annealed in a tube furnace in elemental sulfur and selenium at 570oC. Cyclic voltammogram of Sn-salt in ionic liquid was recorded. Thin films were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The device was characterized by current-voltage (I-V) and quantum efficiency (QE). The device fabricated using electrodeposited precursor film resulted in efficiencies of 3.6%.
The calculation of regular solution interaction parameters between elements from groups III, IV and V of the periodic table

Abstract The regular solution interaction parameters necessary for the calculation of binary and ternary phase diagrams have been derived in terms of the Hildebrand solubility parameters and electronegativities of the constituent elements. The calculated interaction parameters agree with those obtained by fitting calculated liquidus curves to experimental data.
William Gladstone: New Studies and Perspectives. Edited by Roland Quinault, Roger Swift, and Ruth Clayton Windscheffel. (Farnham, England: Ashgate, 2012. Pp. xvii, 350. $144.95.)

The near proximity of the centennial of William Gladstone's death [1998] and the bicentennial of his birth [2009] has proven that, though new perspectives on Gladstone's life are virtually inexhaus...
Analysis of various two synodic period Earth-Mars cycler trajectories

Trajectories that regularly encounter Earth and Mars but use small or no propulsive maneuvers are known as cycler trajectories, or cyclers. For cyclers that repeat after two Earth-Mars synodic periods, several variations are possible. A detailed investigation is presented of a simple two synodic period cycler, along with several promising variations using combinations of one year and half-year phasing orbits. Analysis is included for both the circular co-planar model and with actual Earth and Mars ephemerides.
Liquor and Poverty: Skid Row as a Human Condition

(1980). Liquor and Poverty: Skid Row as a Human Condition. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 179-179.
Rubber Ducks and Their Significance in Contemporary American Culture

‘‘Duck mania started in 1970 when Ernie sang ‘Rubber Duckie’ on Sesame Street.’’ This statement, part of a 2004 press release issued by the Ettore company on its Web site, http://www. ettore.com, for its new shower squeegee which featured a yellow handle shaped like a duck, provides useful historical information about the current popularity of a simple toy: the small, squeezable, yellow rubber duck. In the 35 years since the song ‘‘Rubber Duckie’’ was released, this toy has gained remarkable visibility and popularity in contemporary American culture. Primarily associated with children’s bathtime, rubber ducks have simultaneously emerged from the tub into a variety of new settings. The toy has assumed a number of specific functions: a symbol for infants, childhood, bathing, and bathrooms; a tool to teach developmental and cognitive skills to infants; a design on toddler’s clothing; a theme for baby showers and birthday parties; and a frequent image and character in children’s books. Adults have discovered many creative uses for rubber ducks including artwork, protest actions, parody, sports connections, retail business names, and fundraising with duck races. Plain yellow ducks have been joined by ones outfitted as cowboys, pirates and medieval knights, imprinted ones bearing a child’s name or message (e.g., I ! you) and ducks with celebrity or historical faces. Why are rubber ducks so popular at this time in the lives of both children and adults? The prevalence of the toy on so many levels raises numerous important questions concerning its cultural significance. This article seeks to explore rubber duck popularity by examining its causes and dimensions and argues that the so-called ‘‘fun morality’’ child-rearing philosophy, which emerged in the 1960s, has contributed substantially to the duck’s popularity. The philosophy influenced not only parents, but also provoked educators and organizations, such as the Children’s Television Workshop which produced Sesame Street, to inject ‘‘fun’’ into learning. Linking the duck with fun eventually influenced many areas of adult culture, including retailing, sports, and the workplace. The article thus additionally argues that rubber ducks illuminate the interaction between children’s culture and the larger adult popular culture. 1
Measurements of the effect of rain-induced sea surface roughness on the QuikSCAT scatterometer radar cross section and wind stress

Changes in the sea surface roughness from the combined effects of wind and rain, on scales of tens of kilometers, are being studied using the QuikSCAT scatterometer (NRCS) and simultaneous NEXRAD three-dimensional measurements of rain. The studies of air-sea interaction, related to surface fluxes. The results to be presented were acquired during a significant rain event in the Gulf of Mexico, to the east of Corpus Christi, and just south of Houston, TX in May 2005. Preliminary results in NRCS caused by rain, relative to that in nearby regions with negligible rain shows distinct characteristics. Three regions with different wind speeds (4-6, 6-8 and 8-10 m/s) show definitive variation of this total NRCS with respect to wind magnitude, satellite-relative wind direction, polarization and rainrate. Relative changes are stronger in the lower wind region for both polarizations, with H-pol providing a more definitive signature. At higher wind speeds (e.g. 10 m/s) the relative splash induced increases in NRCS are still significant, and show distinct differences between polarizations.
Ser18 and 23 phosphorylation is required for p53-dependent apoptosis and tumor suppression

Mouse p53 is phosphorylated at Ser18 and Ser23 after DNA damage. To determine whether these two phosphorylation events have synergistic functions in activating p53 responses, we simultaneously introduced Ser18/23 to Ala mutations into the endogenous p53 locus in mice. While partial defects in apoptosis are observed in p53S18A and p53S23A thymocytes exposed to IR, p53-dependent apoptosis is essentially abolished in p53S18/23A thymocytes, indicating that these two events have critical and synergistic roles in activating p53-dependent apoptosis. In addition, p53S18/23A, but not p53S18A, could completely rescue embryonic lethality of Xrcc4−/− mice that is caused by massive p53-dependent neuronal apoptosis. However, certain p53-dependent functions, including G1/S checkpoint and cellular senescence, are partially retained in p53S18/23A cells. While p53S18A mice are not cancer prone, p53S18/23A mice developed a spectrum of malignancies distinct from p53S23A and p53−/− mice. Interestingly, Xrcc4−/−p53S18/23A mice fail to develop tumors like the pro-B cell lymphomas uniformly developed in Xrcc4−/− p53−/− animals, but exhibit developmental defects typical of accelerated ageing. Therefore, Ser18 and Ser23 phosphorylation is important for p53-dependent suppression of tumorigenesis in certain physiological context.
Soil Water Stress and Photosynthesis in Cotton

An experiment was conducted in SPAR systems at Florence, S.C., to obtain a data set for use in the simulation of the effect of drying soil on photosynthetic rates in cotton. The plant water status was monitored using leaf water potential and stem diameter meaurements. Reductions were noted in apparent photosynthesis rates after only 5 days of soil drying, and as anticipated, there was uniform displacement of the diurnal cycle of leaf water potential, and corresponding decreases in transpiration and CO2 uptake. The photosynthesis-light response curves indicated that an average two-fold reduction in photosynthesis rates occurred for solar radiation greater than 250 W/m2. Stem diameter change (from a nonstress pre-sunrise value) and integrated stem stress were found to be good indicators of maximum daily plant water stress. The integrated stem stress gave a measure of the duration of the stress along with its magnitude. A simulation method for predicting leaf water potential from stem diameter measurements was used to show that the magnitude and duration of plant water stress increased uniformly during the experiment. This increase was representative of the decreased rates of photosynthesis measured. These data will be used in the simulation of cotton growth and yield.
Rehospitalization in the first two weeks after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit.

Background. High-risk newborns are known to have higher than average utilization of services after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Most studies on this subject report aggregate data over periods ranging from 1 to 3 years postdischarge. Little is known about events that are temporally close to NICU discharge. Objectives. To characterize rehospitalizations within the first 2 weeks after discharge from six community NICUs. Methods. We scanned electronic databases and reviewed the charts of rehospitalized infants from six NICUs in the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. We subdivided infants into five groups based on gestational age (GA) and birth hospitalization length of stay (LOS): 1) ≥37 weeks9 GA with Results. There were 6054 newborns discharged alive from the six study NICUs between August 1, 1992 and December 31, 1995, and 99.5% of these infants remained in the health plan during the 2 weeks after NICU discharge. The overall rehospitalization rate was 2.72%, which is 20% higher than the rate among healthy term newborns in the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (2.26%). The two most common reasons for rehospitalization were jaundice (62/165, 37.6%) and feeding difficulties (25/165, 15.2%). Infants with 33 to 36 weeks9 GA and Conclusions. The rate of rehospitalization among NICU graduates is higher than among healthy term infants. Most of the rehospitalizations among infants with from 33 to 36 weeks9 GA and
Discontinuity in fish assemblages across an elevation gradient in a southern Appalachian watershed, USA

– We examine patterns in fish species assemblages in the Toxaway and Horsepasture rivers, two high elevation streams in North Carolina, USA. This region is noted for extreme topographical relief, high cumulative annual rainfall and many rare and endemic plants and animals. The study area encompasses a portion of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the associated Brevard Fault Zone. We hypothesise that major waterfalls and cascade complexes have acted to limit invasion and colonisation by fishes from downstream. This hypothesis is supported by longitudinal fish assemblage patterns in our study streams. Fish species richness in Toxaway River increased from 4 to 23 between Lake Toxaway and Lake Jocassee, a distance of 10 river km. We found similar discontinuities in neighbouring Horsepasture River and Bearwallow Creek. We found no instances of species replacement along this elevation gradient, and the trend in increased diversity downstream showed discontinuities coincident with sharp elevation breaks. With regard to theories posited to explain community formation in headwater stream fish communities (especially in those characterised by high topographical relief), we suggest coloniser ‘access’ may be more important than other factors including competitive interactions. Resumen 1. En este estudio examinamos patrones en los ensamblajes de peces de los rios Toxaway y Horsepasture, dos rios de elevada altitud de Carolina del Norte (USA). Esta region se caracteriza por rupturas topografias extremas, gran cantidad de lluvia anual y numerosos endemismos animales y vegetales. El estudio incluye una porcion de la region del Blue Ridge Escarpment y la zona asociada de Brevard Fault. 2. Nuestra hipotesis es que los complejos sistemas de cataratas han limitado la invasion y la colonizacion de los peces desde las localidades aguas abajo. Los patrones longitudinales de los ensamblajes de peces fueron consistentes con esta hipotesis. La riqueza de las especies de peces en el rio Toxaway incremento desde 4 a 23 especies en una distancia de 10 Km de rio, entre los lagos Taxoway y Jocasee. Encontramos discontinuidades similares en los vecinos rios Horsepasture y Bearwallow. No encontramos ningun caso de re-emplazamiento de especies a lo largo del gradiente de altitud y la tendencia a incrementar la diversidad aguas abajo mostro discontinuidades que coincidieron con rupturas de altitudes. 3. Al considerar teorias que explican la formacion de comunidades en zonas altas de rios (especialmente en regiones caracterizadas por rupturas topografias), sugerimos que el acceso para los colonizadores puede ser mas importante que otros factores incluyendo interacciones competitivas.
Family Structure and Community Context: Evaluating Influences on Adolescent Outcomes.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file, this article examines the relationship between living in four different family structures on key measures of youth well-being, studied separately by race. The authors also examine whether contextual factors mediate these associations. For Black youth, we find no effects of family structure on youth well-being; however, community context measures are associated with youth outcomes. For White youth, single parenthood and cohabitation are associated with poorer youth outcomes; however, in some cases, these associations are mediated with the inclusion of the community context measures.
Atrial natriuretic factors stimulate accumulation and efflux of cyclic GMP in C6-2B rat glioma and PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cell cultures.

: Atrial natriuretic factors (ANFs) were tested for their effects on cyclic GMP production in two neurally derived cell lines, the C6–2B rat glioma cells and the PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. These cell lines were selected because both are known to possess high amounts of the particulate form of guanylate cyclase, a proposed target of ANF in peripheral organs. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that ANF selectively activates paniculate, but not soluble, guanylate cyclase in homogenates of a variety of rat tissues and that one class of ANF receptor appears to be the same glycoprotein as particulate guanylate cyclase. In the present study we found that four analogs of ANF stimulate cyclic GMP accumulation in both C6–2B and PC12 cells with the rank order of potency being atriopeptin HI = atriopeptin II ≥ human atrial natriuretic polypeptide ≥ atriopeptin I. Atriopeptin II (100 nM) for 20 min elevated cyclic GMP content in C6–2B cells fourfold and in PC12 cells 12-fold. Atriopeptin II (100 nM) for 20 min also stimulated the efflux of cyclic GMP from both C6–2B cells (47-fold) and PC12 cells (12-fold). Accumulation of cyclic GMP in both cells and media was enhanced by preincubation with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (250 μM). After 20 min of exposure to atriopeptin II, cyclic GMP amounts in the media were equal to or greater than the amounts in the cells. Although the function of cyclic GMP in neural tissue is at present unclear, the cyclic GMP response observed in C6–2B and PC12 cells may provide important clues concerning the molecular mechanisms of action of ANF in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Since a significant amount of the generated cyclic GMP is released from these cells in response to ANF, extracellular as well as intracellular cyclic GMP may be important in mediating the actions of ANF in neural tissues.
Prognostic factors influencing survival from regionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the penis after preoperative chemotherapy.

Objective To describe both clinical and pathological response rates, survival, and predictors of survival when using contemporary perioperative chemotherapy and surgical resection for patients with regionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis. Patients and Methods Retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with SCC of the penis and regional lymph node metastases that were treated with chemotherapy with the intent to undergo lymphadenectomy. Clinical and pathological responses were reported. Recurrence-free and overall survival was estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess factors for survival. Results In all, 61 patients were identified, of which 54 (90%) received chemotherapy with paclitaxel/ifosfamide/cisplatin. In all, 39 patients (65%) had either a partial (PR) or complete response (CR) to chemotherapy. The 5-year survival varied significantly (P = 0.045–0.001) among patients achieving a CR/PR (50%), stable disease (25%), and progression (7.7%). In all, 10 patients (16.4%) were rendered pN0 with combined therapy and 20 patients (33%) were alive and disease free at a median follow-up of 67 months, while 32 (52%) died from disease. Long-term survival was associated with response to chemotherapy and favourable pathological findings after resection. Conclusion Contemporary chemotherapy resulted in clinically significant responses among patients with regionally advanced penile cancer. About 50% of such patients with an objective response to chemotherapy who undergo consolidative lymphadenectomy will remain alive at 5 years.
Orientation and spatial-frequency discrimination for luminance and chromatic gratings.

We have examined the accuracy of orientation and spatial-frequency discrimination for sine-wave gratings that vary in either luminance or color. The equiluminant chromatic gratings were modulated along either a tritanopic confusion axis (so that they were detectable on the basis of activity in only the short-wavelength-sensitive cones) or an axis of constant short-wavelength-sensitive cone excitation (so that they could be detected on the basis of opposing activity in only the long- and medium-wavelength-sensitive cones). Grating contrasts ranged from the detection threshold to the highest levels that we could produce; the contrasts of the luminance and color patterns were equated for equal multiples of their respective detection thresholds. Discrimination thresholds for all patterns showed a similar dependence on stimulus contrast, rising sharply at low contrasts and becoming nearly asymptotic at moderate contrasts. However, even at threshold contrasts, observers could still reliably discriminate sufficiently large differences in the orientation or spatial frequency of all patterns, and they could also reliably identify the type of variation (luminance or which color) defining the grating. For most conditions the discrimination thresholds did not differ from the two types of color grating and reached values as low as 1 deg (orientation) or 4% (spatial frequency). Thus observers were able to make accurate spatial judgments on the basis of either type of chromatic information. However, these thresholds were slightly but consistently higher than the thresholds for comparable luminance gratings. This difference in the color and luminance discrimination thresholds may reflect somewhat coarser orientation and spatial-frequency selectivity in the mechanisms encoding the chromatic patterns.
Stratal Order in Peritidal Carbonate Sequences

ABSTRACT Speculation on the depositional origins and geological significance of meter-scale cycles in peritidal carbonates is becoming an increasingly prominent facet of sequence stratigraphic theory, the understanding of which bears directly on their appropriateness as chronostratigraphic entities as well as their usefulness as records of periodic extrabasinal forcing during sediment accumulation. In spite of the generally wide acceptance of the stratigraphic importance and interpretational significance of meter-scale parasequences, little has been done to quantitatively document the stratigraphic nature of regularly recurring lithologic associations or to verify the predominance of such cyclicity in shallow-water limestone/dolostone sequences. In order to determine the statistical extents and stratigraphic scales of stratal order in such sequences, we have examined several long sections of peritidal carbonate both with respect to the presence or absence of Markovian lithologic transitions and with respect to the "upward-shallowing" character of lithofacies associations. In contrast to common wisdom, these measures of stratal order suggest that lithologic manifestation of meter-scale cyclicity is relatively uncommon. All of the several sequences deemed "cyclic" via qualitative inspection in fact contain relatively few intervals of demonstrable lithologic order, and even fewer exhibit any tendency for contained units to shallow upsection. In reality, most parts of most shallow-water carbonate sequences exhibit little more str tal order than would be apparent in random sequences of peritidal lithologies. On the basis of these considerations, we suggest that discrimination of meter-scale cyclicity in epicratonic carbonates is perhaps more perceptional artifact than stratigraphic reality. Imminent and future efforts intended to fruitfully evaluate the importance of intrabasinal versus extrabasinal processes of sedimentation in shallow low-latitude settings should perhaps eschew more generic perceptions of periodic paleoclimatic forcing in favor of a less regimented view toward the importance of stochastic processes of carbonate accumulation.
Magnetization of a dolomite bed in the Monterey Formation: Implications for diagenesis

The effect of diagenesis upon natural remanent magnetization (NRM) has been studied at two sites within a single bed of dolomite from the Monterey Formation in Santa Barbara County, California. Paleomagnetic direction demonstrates that the NRM is primary at one site and remagnetized at the other site. Magnetic separates from samples carrying a primary NRM yielded detrital magnetite. Separates from samples carrying secondary NRM yielded an unusual form of authigenic magnetite. Evidence suggests that the formation of the authigenic magnetite accompanied late stage dolomite diagenesis. Correlating the remagnetization direction to the paleomagnetic history of the region gives a probable age of 0.72–2.47 m.y.b.p. for both of these diagenetic events.
The Cost-effectiveness, Health Benefits, and Financial Costs of New Antiviral Treatments for Hepatitis C Virus

Background New hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments deliver higher cure rates with fewer contraindications, increasing demand for treatment and healthcare costs. The cost-effectiveness of new treatments is unknown. Methods We conducted a microsimulation of guideline testing followed by alternative treatment regimens for HCV among the US population aged 20 and older to estimate cases identified, treated, sustained viral response, deaths, medical costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of different treatment options expressed as discounted lifetime costs and benefits from the healthcare perspective. Results Compared to treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PR), and a protease inhibitor for HCV genotype (G) 1 and PR alone for G2/3, treatment with PR and Sofosbuvir (PRS) for G1/4 and treatment with Sofosbuvir and ribavirin (SR) for G2/3 increased QALYs by 555 226, reduced deaths by 80 682, and increased costs by $26.2 billion at an ICER of $47 304 per QALY gained. As compared to PRS/SR, treating with an all oral regimen of Sofosbuvir and Simeprevir (SS) for G1/4 and SR for G2/3, increased QALYs by 1 110 451 and reduced deaths by an additional 164 540 at an incremental cost of $80.1 billion and an ICER of $72 169. In sensitivity analysis, where treatment with SS effectiveness was set to the list price of Viekira Pak and then Harvoni, treatment cost $24 921 and $25 405 per QALY gained as compared to PRS/SR. Conclusions New treatments are cost-effectiveness per person treated, but pent-up demand for treatment may create challenges for financing.
Cultural Evolution of Ensemble Learning for Problem Solving

As the complexity of problem spaces increases in terms of their inherent dimensionality and the interaction between the dimensions, it becomes increasing harder to rely on a small subset of dimensions to guide an evolutionary optimizer to a solution. In this paper we integrate a popular machine learning technique, ensemble learning, into the evolutionary process using the cultural algorithms framework. Each of five different knowledge sources in the cultural algorithms belief space is viewed as part of an ensemble where each interacts with the other to control the exploration of the population. We apply the prototype to the design of a tension compression spring and demonstrate the advantages of evolving such ensembles for optimization applications.
Breakthrough sensor technology for space exploration in the 21/sup st/ century

The Breakthrough Sensors and Instrument Component Technology (BSICT) thrust area fosters the develop of breakthrough technology in the areas of detectors, sensors, lasers, coolers and electronics to enable a new set of exciting NASA missions in the new millennium, including: highly miniaturized in situ analysis instruments for use in the detection of life signatures on Mars, Europa and other planetary bodies. Advanced active radar and lidar probes providing a highly detailed, continuous monitoring of the Earth's surface, oceans, and atmosphere. Suites of quantum-limited focal planes that span the electromagnetic spectrum for detection of extrasolar planets and determining the structure of the early universe. Robust and miniaturized sensors enabling novel life support and medical support strategies for long term human exploration missions. The BSICT thrust area supports sensor developments that will dramatically lower cost, mass, and resource requirements, while simultaneously providing higher sensitivity, lifetime, ruggedness, and capabilities. Activities in the BSICT are supported from initial concept through laboratory proof of concept and, for some high technologies, into the beginning of space qualification and testing. The emphasis is on identifying sensor concepts and underlying technologies that will offer high value to a broad range of NASA missions. The development of such cross cutting capabilities enables a higher return for NASA investments.