cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Network Characteristics, Perceived Social Support, and Psychological Adjustment in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined the characteristics of the support networks of 106 mothers of children with ASD and their relationship to perceived social support, depressed mood, and subjective well-being. Using structural equation modeling, two competing sets of hypotheses were assessed: (1) that network characteristics would impact psychological adjustment directly, and (2) that network effects on adjustment would be indirect, mediated by perceived social support. Results primarily lent support to the latter hypotheses, with measures of network structure (network size) and function (proportion of network members providing emotional support) predicting increased levels of perceived social support which, in turn, predicted decreased depressed mood and increased well-being. Results also indicated that increased interpersonal strain in the maternal network was directly and indirectly associated with increased maternal depression, while being indirectly linked to reduced well-being. Study limitations and implications are discussed.
Sustained low influenza vaccination rates in US healthcare workers

The influenza virus poses a substantial annual burden of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with an annual average of 200,000 influenza-related hospitalizations and 36,000 influenza-related deaths (Salgado et al, 2007). Pandemic influenza outbreaks are a significant threat to public health worldwide, as highlighted by the recent introduction of swine-derived H1N1 virus into humans (CDC, 2009). US healthcare systems, particularly hospitals, lack preparedness to adequately address the threat of pandemic influenza (Toner et al, 2006). Over the past 30 years, approximately 900,000 influenza-related deaths have occurred in the US, making influenza one of the leading causes of death among vaccine-preventable infections (Simonsen et al, 2005). Since 1984, influenza vaccination has been recommended for specific health care workers (such as nurses, doctors, and other health professionals) who experience substantial occupational risk for infection during influenza seasons (Fiore et al, 2007). These workers often continue to work when infected with influenza, and can transmit the virus to their patients. Results from a placebo-controlled clinical trial showed a cost savings of $46.85 per vaccinated worker based on the observed decreases in sick leave and visits to physicians for upper respiratory illness (Walker et al, 2006). Despite this evidence and recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to direct vaccine first to priority groups including healthcare workers (Fiore et al, 2007), vaccination coverage among these workers has been documented to be substantially low since 2002. Our objective was to evaluate influenza vaccination rates and their 5-year trends within the major occupational healthcare worker groups using a nationally representative sample of the non-institutionalized US population, and to compare these trends to the workforce as a whole.
STUDIES ON MIDDLE AMERICAN BEGONIA (BEGONIACEAE) II

Begonia breedlovei, B. chiapensis, andB. jaliscana, new species in sectionGireoudia from Mexico, are described, illustrated, and discussed.
Calcium-Phosphate Matrix With or Without TGF-β3 Improves Tendon-Bone Healing After Rotator Cuff Repair

Background: Rotator cuff tendon heals by formation of an interposed zone of fibrovascular scar tissue. Recent studies demonstrate that transforming growth factor–beta 3 (TGF-β3) is associated with tissue regeneration and “scarless” healing, in contrast to scar-mediated healing that occurs with TGF-β1.Hypothesis: Delivery of TGF-β3 in an injectable calcium-phosphate matrix to the healing tendon-bone interface after rotator cuff repair will result in increased attachment strength secondary to improved bone formation and collagen organization and reduced scar formation of the healing enthesis.Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.Methods: Ninety-six male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent unilateral detachment of the supraspinatus tendon followed by acute repair using transosseous suture fixation. Animals were allocated into 1 of 3 groups: (1) repair alone (controls, n = 32), (2) repair augmented by application of an osteoconductive calcium-phosphate (Ca-P) matrix only (n = 32), or (3) repair augmented with C...
Coexistence of intracranial and spinal cavernous malformations: a study of prevalence and natural history.

Object The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of intracranial cavernous malformations (CMs) in a large series of predominantly Caucasian patients with spinal cord CMs. The authors also studied the natural history of spinal CMs in patients who were treated nonoperatively. Methods The medical records of 67 consecutive patients (32 female and 35 male patients) in whom a spinal CM was diagnosed between 1994 and 2002 were reviewed. The patients’ mean age at presentation was 50 years (range 13–82 years). Twenty-five patients underwent resection of the lesion. Forty-two patients in whom the spinal CM was diagnosed using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were followed expectantly. Thirty-three (49%) of 67 patients underwent both spinal and intracranial MR imaging. All available imaging studies were reviewed to determine the coexistence of an intracranial CM. Fourteen (42%) of the 33 patients with spinal CMs who underwent intracranial MR imaging harbored at least one cerebral CM in addition to the s...
Electric field activated combustion synthesis in the Ti + Al system under terrestrial and reduced gravity conditions

Abstract The electric field-activated combustion reaction between Ti and Al was investigated under terrestrial and microgravity conditions with different ignition modes. Samples were reacted with and without an igniter layer and the effects of pre-ignition heating and convective heat transfer on combustion wave velocity were investigated for both cases. The contribution of these effects relative to the effect of the electric field was found to depend on the strength of the field, being less significant at high applied fields. The threshold level of the electric field for the formation of stable combustion waves was higher under reduced gravity conditions and increased further in the top ignition experiments; these observations were attributed to the decrease of preheating to the sample due to the reduction of gravity driven convection effects. Observations on the distribution of the molten reactant (aluminum) in quenched and self-extinguished samples were analyzed in terms of the contribution of forces of gravity, surface tension, and viscosity through calculations of the Bond (Bo) and Capillary (Ca) numbers. The results showed the dominance of the surface tension contribution even under microgravity conditions. Marangoni flows are influenced by concentration gradients due to differences in the Ti content in the molten aluminum.
Nucleus-nucleus correlation function in non-Born-Oppenheimer molecular calculations: Vibrationally excited states of HD+

Abstract In the present work, we studied HD + ( dpe ) molecular ion in the framework of variational method without assuming the Born–Oppenheimer approximation. The non-adiabatic wave function was expanded in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions. An algorithm for calculating the nucleus–nucleus correlation function (i.e., the probability density of one nucleus in the reference frame where the other one is at the origin) was derived, implemented, and used to depict all bound states of HD + with zero rotational energy.
African American and Black Caribbean Mutual Feelings of Closeness: Findings From a National Probability Survey

African American and Black Caribbean relations are described as strained. Standard portrayals of Black Caribbeans as a “model minority” that has effectively assimilated into the American landscape ...
Infrared determination of traces of sulfate in reagent chemicals

Abstract A method for determining traces of sulfate in reagent-grade chemicals is presented. The sample is passed through an alumina column in acid solution to isolate the sulfate, which is then eluted with ammonia. Potassium bromide is added to an aliquot of the eluate, and the solution is freeze-dried. The resulting powder is pressed into a disk whose infrared spectrum is recorded. The method is reasonably accurate and requires a minimum of operator time per sample because a large number of samples can be processed together
A Comparison of Observed Versus Documented Physician Assessment and Treatment of Pain: The Physician Record Does Not Reflect the Reality

Study objective The Joint Commission requires "appropriate assessment" of patients presenting with painful conditions. Compliance is usually assessed through retrospective chart analysis. We investigate the discrepancy between observed physician pain assessment and that subsequently documented in the medical record. Methods This was an observational study using a trained investigator watching bedside interactions of emergency physicians. Using a priori definitions, the investigator recorded whether the patient volunteered the presence of pain, physician inquiry about pain, attempts to quantify the pain, treatment offered/rendered, and any assessment of the response to therapy. An independent investigator subsequently assessed the patient's chart for documentation of pain assessment, therapy rendered, and response to treatment. Children younger than 5 years and patients with major trauma, altered mental status, or nontraumatic chest pain were excluded. The institutional review board approved the protocol, the physicians agreed to participate in an "ergonomic study" without knowing the exact nature of data collection, and patients released their records. Results The investigator observed 209 patient encounters. Physicians acknowledged the patients' pain 98.1% of the time but documented its presence in 91.7%. Physicians attempted to quantify the patient's pain in 61.5% of encounters but documented that attempt in only 38.9%. Treatment was offered in 79.9% and recorded in 31.7% of charts. When treatment was offered, the patient's response to the therapy was recorded only 28% of the time. Conclusion Physicians almost always assess and treat patient pain but infrequently record those efforts. The patient's chart is a poor surrogate marker for pain assessment and care by emergency physicians and may not be suitable for use as a compliance assessment tool. Research methodology using retrospective chart analysis may be affected by this phenomenon, suggesting the potential for underestimation of patient pain assessment and treatment by emergency physicians.
Sodium concentration in saliva along the time course of experimental Coriolis sickness.

Procedures designed to evaluate the severity of motion sickness have included subjective reporting of changes in salivation. In order to increase objectivity, we studied the sodium concentration of saliva, which is directly related to the flow rate. Healthy adults with normal vestibular function underwent a modified Coriolis Sickness Susceptibility Index (CSSI) test, utilizing a staircase profile. Saliva was collected without interrupting the stimulus by means of cotton placed beneath the subject's tongue for one minute. Samples were obtained 5 min prior to stimulation, 30 and 45 min following stimulus onset, and/or upon reaching the “nausea II” endpoint. Saliva for analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry was obtained by centrifugation of the cotton. A significant difference in sodium concentration was found between the baseline and 30-min sample (p<0.01). Although the amount of salivation was rather variable, the pattern of changes in sodium concentration was similar in all experimental cases.
Chloroquine diverts ACTH from a regulated to a constitutive secretory pathway in AtT-20 cells

AtT-20 cells, a mouse pituitary line, externalize a viral membrane glycoprotein and the precursor of ACTH constitutively, that is, rapidly without storage or regulation1. They also have a regulated pathway in which they cleave the precursor to mature hormones, ACTH and β-endorphin2, store them in secretory granules3 and discharge them only in the presence of a secretagogue. An analogy exists for newly synthesized lysosomal enzymes which are either delivered to the lysosome or secreted from the cell4,5. Targeting to the lysosomes may require a low pH step, since chloroquine causes the enzymes to be secreted from the cell5,6. Here we show that chloroquine (200 µM) also appears to block the storage of newly synthesized ACTH in secretory granules and instead diverts it to the outside of the cell via the constitutive pathway. Chloroquine has no effect on the constitutive pathway and does not block the exocytosis of pre-packaged ACTH. Thus like lysosomal enzymes, peptide hormones are not sent to their correct destinations in the presence of chloroquine, but are diverted instead to a constitutive pathway that is chloroquine-insensitive.
Negative urgency and risky sexual behaviors: A clarification of the relationship between impulsivity and risky sexual behavior ☆

Abstract How does impulsivity relate to risky sexual behavior? Whereas some research has attempted to answer this question in terms of global impulsivity, past research has demonstrated the need to conceptualize impulsivity as a multifaceted trait ( Whiteside & Lynam, 2001 ). Research has been mixed as to which facets of impulsivity predict risky sexual behavior. The major aim of this project was to further the understanding between the five facets of impulsivity (positive urgency, negative urgency, lack of premeditation, sensation-seeking, and lack of perseverance) and risky sexual behavior. This study used a longitudinal design and showed that risky sex was highest among people who act rashly on the basis of negative emotion (negative urgency) and who crave novel, exciting situations (sensation seeking). These findings add to a growing body of literature on the importance of different facets of impulsivity in predicting risky sexual behavior.
Reply to “Comment on ‘A study on tetrahedron-based inhomogeneous Monte-Carlo optical simulation’”

We compare the accuracy of TIM-OS and MMCM in response to the recent analysis made by Fang [Biomed. Opt. Express 2, 1258 (2011)]. Our results show that the tetrahedron-based energy deposition algorithm used in TIM-OS is more accurate than the node-based energy deposition algorithm used in MMCM.
Digital infrared photography to develop GSR patterns

Digital infrared photography can be used by crime scene investigators as a nondestructive test for examining gunshot residue (GSR) on dark and multi-colored fabrics found at the crime scene. When a firearm is discharged a plume of gunshot residue exits the barrel and creates a visible powder pattern on light-colored clothing at specific muzzle-to-target distances. GSR consists of nitrates and nitrites from burned and partially burned smokeless powder and carbon. When GSR patterns are found on dark or multi-colored clothing, the GSR pattern is not readily visible because of the background color of the cloth. A procedure for recording digital infrared images of GSR patterns on dark and multi-colored fabric was developed and tested on 10 samples of dark and multi-colored fabric. A 9 mm pistol was used to produce the GSR patterns on fabric-covered cardboard targets. Digital infrared images were photographed with a 35 mm Nikon D-70 camera using a 67 mm Tiffen® #87 infrared filter. † This paper was presented at...
Simple recurrent networks can distinguish non-occurring from ungrammatical sentences given appropriate task structure: reply to Marcus.

Les As. developpent un modele connexionniste du traitement mental des phrases ou les predictions implicites jouent un role important dans la comprehension et la production du discours. Ce modele rend comptede l'apprentissage de la structure d'une langue naturelle sans retroaction negative explicite en l'absence de mecanismes innes precis de l'acquisition du langage
A methodology for using SPECT to reduce intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dose to functioning lung

Purpose: Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) provides a map of the spatial distribution of lung perfusion. Thus, SPECT guidance can be used to divert dose away from higher-functioning lung, potentially reducing lung toxicity. We present a methodology for achieving this aim and test it in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment-planning. Methods and Materials: IMRT treatment plans were generated with and without SPECT guidance and compared for 5 patients. Healthy lung was segmented into four regions on the basis of SPECT intensity in the SPECT plan. Dose was sequentially allowed to the target via regions of increasing SPECT intensity. This process results in reduction of dose to functional lung, reflected in the dose–function histogram (DFH). The plans were compared using DFHs and F 20 /F 30 values (F x is the functional lung receiving dose above x Gy). Results: In all cases, the SPECT-guided plan produced a more favorable DFH compared with the non-SPECT-guided plan. Additionally, the F 20 and F 30 values were reduced for all patients by an average of 13.6% ± 5.2% and 10.5% ± 5.8%, respectively. In all patients, DFHs of the two highest-functioning SPECT regions were reduced, whereas DFHs of the two lower-functioning regions were increased, illustrating the dose "give-take" between SPECT regions during redistribution. Conclusions: SPECT-guided IMRT shows potential for reducing the dose delivered to highly functional lung regions. This dose reduction could reduce the number of high-grade pneumonitis cases that develop after radiation treatment and improve patient quality of life.
Marketing the ‘health and wealth gospel’ across national borders; evidence from Brazil and the United States

Abstract The idea that religious practice leads to material prosperity forms the basis of a branch of Pentecostalism that has spread rapidly across the globe. Known as the “health and wealth movement,” it has been popularized by multinational churches through mass broadcasting. However, little is known about how the health and wealth message might differ across countries. This paper examines the issue by analyzing the television programs produced by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, for Rio de Janeiro and New York City audiences. Comparing six months of programming, I find that shows in both cities share similar representations about the material and physical rewards that can be obtained through religious adherence, but communicate different causal narratives about how religious practice leads to prosperity. The Rio programs emphasize that prayer, the ritualistic use of sacred objects, and miracles bring about prosperity. In contrast, the NYC programs emphasize that prayer, in conjunction with perseverance and struggle, lead to such gains. The findings indicate the nuanced ways that global and local institutional contexts shape the diffusion of the health and wealth gospel, and suggest that multinational churches navigate these contexts by adapting key elements of their messages.
On the in-line motion of two spherical bubbles in a viscous fluid

The motion of two equal spherical bubbles moving along their line of centres in a viscous liquid is studied numerically in bispherical coordinates. The unsteady Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a mixed spectral/finite-difference scheme for Reynolds numbers up to 200. Free-slip conditions at the bubble surfaces are imposed, while the normal stress condition is replaced by the sphericity constraint under the assumption of small Weber number. The vorticity shed by the upstream bubble affects the drag on the trailing bubble in a very complex fashion that appears to be quite beyond the power of existing asymptotic analyses. The separation between two equal bubbles rising in line under the action of buoyancy is predicted to reach an equilibrium value dependent on the Reynolds number. This result is at variance with experiment. The explanation offered of this difference casts further doubt on the feasibility of a simplified simulation of bubbly liquid dynamics.
Tunneling conduction in disordered dissipative systems

We consider in this paper the incoherent transport via tunneling of an electron among randomly distributed impurity centers in a heat bath. The heat bath is modeled as a collection of harmonic oscillators. A general expression is first derived using standard instanton methods for the distance dependence of the rate of tunneling between two spatially separated impurity centers coupled to a heat bath. We find that there are two leading terms in the tunneling rate: (1) the standard e−r/r0 from the wave function overlap and (2) the dissipation correction e−ηr2,η the friction of the medium. Using this rate, we solve the pair approximation to the master equation for incoherent tunneling transport among N randomly distributed impurity sites and obtain the time dependent diffusion coefficient and the site return Green function. From the long‐time limit of the return Green function, we show that as a result of dissipation, there is at long times strictly no diffusion when d=1, 2 at low impurity concentrations. A c...
Inhibitors of glutamate dehydrogenase block sodium-dependent glutamate uptake in rat brain membranes.

We recently found evidence for anatomic and physical linkages between the astroglial Na+-dependent glutamate transporters (GLT-1/EAAT2 and GLAST/EAAT1) and mitochondria. In these same studies, we found that the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) inhibitor, epigallocatechin-monogallate (EGCG), inhibits both glutamate oxidation and Na+-dependent glutamate uptake in astrocytes. In the present study, we extend this finding by exploring the effects of EGCG on Na+-dependent L-[3H]-glutamate (Glu) uptake in crude membranes (P2) prepared from rat brain cortex. In this preparation, uptake is almost exclusively mediated by GLT-1. EGCG inhibited L-[3H]-Glu uptake in cortical membranes with an IC50 value of 230 µM. We also studied the effects of two additional inhibitors of GDH, hexachlorophene (HCP) and bithionol (BTH). Both of these compounds also caused concentration-dependent inhibition of glutamate uptake in cortical membranes. Pre-incubating with HCP for up to 15 min had no greater effect than that observed with no pre-incubation, showing that the effects occur rapidly. HCP decreased the Vmax for glutamate uptake without changing the Km, consistent with a non-competitive mechanism of action. EGCG, HCP, and BTH also inhibited Na+-dependent transport of D-[3H]-aspartate (Asp), a non-metabolizable substrate, and [3H]-γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In contrast to the forebrain, glutamate uptake in crude cerebellar membranes (P2) is likely mediated by GLAST (EAAT1). Therefore, the effects of these compounds were examined in cerebellar membranes. In this region, none of these compounds had any effect on uptake of either L-[3H]-Glu or D-[3H]-Asp, but they all inhibited [3H]-GABA uptake. Together these studies suggest that GDH is preferentially required for glutamate uptake in forebrain as compared to cerebellum, and GDH may be required for GABA uptake as well. They also provide further evidence for a functional linkage between glutamate transport and mitochondria.
Interdisciplinary analysis of digital government work

This bird-of-a-feather session attempts to break interdisciplinary ground in the context of work content, workflow, and work context analysis in Digital Government. The authors argue that using and connecting multiple theories and disciplines might yield more robust results and deeper understanding of the Digital Government evolution than strictly disciplinary research.
Postinfarct ventricular septal defect repair: Effect of coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract Between June 1968 and April 1991, 75 patients who had undergone coronary angiography underwent repair of a postinfarction ventricular septal defect. Group 1 (n = 33) includes patients who had two- or three-vessel serious (>75% narrowing) proximal coronary artery disease and underwent complete revascularization in addition to repair of the ventricular septal defect. Group 2 (n = 19) patients also had two- or three-vessel coronary artery disease but bypass grafting was not performed; only the ventricular defect was repaired. Group 3 (n = 23) patients had only single-vessel coronary artery disease that corresponded to the region of the infarct; they underwent ventricular septal defect repair only. Follow-up of hospital survivors was 96% complete at a mean of 86.2 months (range, 1 to 288 months). Hospital mortality after ventricular septal defect repair was 21.2% in the cohort with bypassed coronary artery disease (group 1), 26.3% in those with unbypassed disease (group 2), and 26.1% in those with only single-vessel coronary artery disease (group 3) ( p = 0.88). With follow-up after 5 and 10 years, the actuarial survival was 72.2% ± 8% and 47.8% ± 10%, respectively, in the bypassed group, 29.2% ± 11% and 0%, respectively, in the unbypassed group, and 52.2% ± 10% and 36.5% ± 11%, respectively, in the cohort with single-vessel disease. Bypassing associated coronary artery disease significantly increased long-term survival when compared with patients with unbypassed coronary artery disease ( p = 0.0015).
Response to letter regarding article, "Traditional risk factors are not major contributors to the variance in carotid intima-media thickness".

We thank Santilli et al for their interest in our article and for emphasizing the potential important contribution of psychological factors to the development of subclinical atherosclerosis. Psychological factors, such as depression, anger, sustained anxiety, and alexithymia, have been associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and in HIV-infected patients.1,2 There are many psychological, social, and cultural factors that may be potentially important determinants or modifiers of the atherosclerosis pathway from subclinical to overt vascular disease. Health-damaging psychological factors, …
The whisker nuisance task identifies a late-onset, persistent sensory sensitivity in diffuse brain-injured rats.

Abstract Post-traumatic morbidity reduces the quality of life for traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors by altering neuropsychological function. After midline fluid percussion injury (FPI), diffuse pathology in the ventral posterior thalamus suggests that somatosensory whisker function may be impaired post-injury. The goals of the present study were to design and validate a task to detect injury-induced somatosensory morbidity (Experiment 1), and to evaluate preliminary applications of the task (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to moderate FPI (∼1.9 atm) or sham injury. Over an 8-week time course, the whiskers on both mystacial pads were stimulated manually with an applicator stick in an open field for three 5-min periods. Behavioral responses in this whisker nuisance task were recorded using objective criteria (max score = 16). Sham animals were ambivalent or soothed by whisker stimulation (4.0 ± 0.8), whereas brain-injured rats showed aggravated responses at 1 wee...
Molecular identification of bacteria in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from children with cystic fibrosis.

Culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is the gold standard for detection of pathogens in the lower airways in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, current culture results do not explain all clinical observations in CF, including negative culture results during pulmonary exacerbation and inflammation in the absence of pathogens. We hypothesize that organisms not routinely identified by culture occur in the CF airway and may contribute to disease. To test this hypothesis we used a culture-independent molecular approach, based on use of rRNA sequence analysis, to assess the bacterial composition of BALF from children with CF and disease controls (DC). Specimens from 42 subjects (28 CF) were examined, and ≈6,600 total clones were screened to identify 121 species of bacteria. In general, a single rRNA type dominated clone libraries from CF specimens, but not DC. Thirteen CF subjects contained bacteria that are not routinely assessed by culture. In four CF subjects, candidate pathogens were identified and include the anaerobe Prevotella denticola, a Lysobacter sp., and members of the Rickettsiales. The presumptive pathogens Tropheryma whipplei and Granulicatella elegans were identified in cases from the DC group. The presence of unexpected bacteria in CF may explain inflammation without documented pathogens and consequent failure to respond to standard treatment. These results show that molecular techniques provide a broader perspective on airway bacteria than do routine clinical cultures and thus can identify targets for further clinical evaluation.
Structural Plasticity of the Coiled-Coil Domain of Rotavirus NSP4

ABSTRACT Rotavirus (RV) nonstructural protein 4 (NSP4) is a virulence factor that disrupts cellular Ca 2+ homeostasis and plays multiple roles regulating RV replication and the pathophysiology of RV-induced diarrhea. Although its native oligomeric state is unclear, crystallographic studies of the coiled-coil domain (CCD) of NSP4 from two different strains suggest that it functions as a tetramer or a pentamer. While the CCD of simian strain SA11 NSP4 forms a tetramer that binds Ca 2+ at its core, the CCD of human strain ST3 forms a pentamer lacking the bound Ca 2+ despite the residues (E120 and Q123) that coordinate Ca 2+ binding being conserved. In these previous studies, while the tetramer crystallized at neutral pH, the pentamer crystallized at low pH, suggesting that preference for a particular oligomeric state is pH dependent and that pH could influence Ca 2+ binding. Here, we sought to examine if the CCD of NSP4 from a single RV strain can exist in two oligomeric states regulated by Ca 2+ or pH. Biochemical, biophysical, and crystallographic studies show that while the CCD of SA11 NSP4 exhibits high-affinity binding to Ca 2+ at neutral pH and forms a tetramer, it does not bind Ca 2+ at low pH and forms a pentamer, and the transition from tetramer to pentamer is reversible with pH. Mutational analysis shows that Ca 2+ binding is necessary for the tetramer formation, as an E120A mutant forms a pentamer. We propose that the structural plasticity of NSP4 regulated by pH and Ca 2+ may form a basis for its pleiotropic functions during RV replication. IMPORTANCE The nonstructural protein NSP4 of rotavirus is a multifunctional protein that plays an important role in virus replication, morphogenesis, and pathogenesis. Previous crystallography studies of the coiled-coil domain (CCD) of NSP4 from two different rotavirus strains showed two distinct oligomeric states, a Ca 2+ -bound tetrameric state and a Ca 2+ -free pentameric state. Whether NSP4 CCD from the same strain can exist in different oligomeric states and what factors might regulate its oligomeric preferences are not known. This study used a combination of biochemical, biophysical, and crystallography techniques and found that the NSP4 CCD can undergo a reversible transition from a Ca 2+ -bound tetramer to a Ca 2+ -free pentamer in response to changes in pH. From these studies, we hypothesize that this remarkable structural adaptability of the CCD forms a basis for the pleiotropic functional properties of NSP4.
Impact of steep-slope transistors on non-von neumann architectures: CNN case study

A Cellular Neural Network (CNN) is a highly-parallel, analog processor that can significantly outperform von Neumann architectures for certain classes of problems. Here, we show how emerging, beyond-CMOS devices could help to further enhance the capabilities of CNNs, particularly for solving problems with non-binary outputs. We show how CNNs based on devices such as graphene transistors -- with multiple steep current growth regions separated by negative differential resistance (NDR) in their I-V characteristics -- could be used to recognize multiple patterns simultaneously. (This would require multiple steps given a conventional, binary CNN.) Also, we demonstrate how tunneling field effect transistors (TFETs) can be used to form circuits capable of performing similar tasks. With this approach, more "exotic" device I-V characteristics are not required -- which should be an asset when considering issues such as cell-to-cell mismatch, etc. As a case study, we present a CNN-cell design that employs TFET-based circuitry to realize ternary outputs. We then illustrate how this hardware could be employed to efficiently solve a tactile sensing problem. The total number of computation steps as well as the required hardware could be reduced significantly when compared to an approach based on a conventional CNN.
The theory of signal detectability

The problem of signal detectability treated in this paper is the following: Suppose an observer is given a voltage varying with time during a prescribed observation interval and is asked to decide whether its source is noise or is signal plus noise. What method should the observer use to make this decision, and what receiver is a realization of that method? After giving a discussion of theoretical aspects of this problem, the paper presents specific derivations of the optimum receiver for a number of cases of practical interest. The receiver whose output is the value of the likelihood ratio of the input voltage over the observation interval is the answer to the second question no matter which of the various optimum methods current in the literature is employed including the Neyman - Pearson observer, Siegert's ideal observer, and Woodward and Davies' "observer." An optimum observer required to give a yes or no answer simply chooses an operating level and concludes that the receiver input arose from signal plus noise only when this level is exceeded by the output of his likelihood ratio receiver. Associated with each such operating level are conditional probabilities that the answer is a false alarm and the conditional probability of detection. Graphs of these quantities called receiver operating characteristic, or ROC, curves are convenient for evaluating a receiver. If the detection problem is changed by varying, for example, the signal power, then a family of ROC curves is generated. Such things as betting curves can easily be obtained from such a family. The operating level to be used in a particular situation must be chosen by the observer. His choice will depend on such factors as the permissable false alarm rate, a priori probabilities, and relative importance of errors. With these theoretical aspects serving as an introduction, attention is devoted to the derivation of explicit formulas for likelihood ratio, and for probability of detection and probability of false alarm, for a number of particular cases. Stationary, band-limited, white Gaussian noise is assumed. The seven special cases which are presented were chosen from the simplest problems in signal detection which closely represent practical situations. Two of the cases form a basis for the best available approximation to the important problem of finding probability of detection when the starting time of the signal, signal frequency, or both, are unknown. Furthermore, in these two cases uncertainty in the signal can be varied, and a quantitative relationship between uncertainty and ability to detect signals is presented for these two rather general cases. The variety of examples presented should serve to suggest methods for attacking other simple signal detection problems and to give insight into problems too complicated to allow a direct solution.
Seasonal Variation in Performance of the Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) on Alternate Hosts

We conducted a series of field experiments to assess whether cool-season grasses were important in maintaining populations of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphisnoxia (Mordvilko), between the summer harvest and fall sowing of winter cereals. All six grass species in a common garden in northern Utah supported aphid population growth from May to September 1991, although aphid densities were unusually low on mature foliage in July. Under conditions of little or no plant competition, each grass species produced at least a few fall tillers before mature shoots had senesced completely and hence provided a continuous source of food for aphids. Indian ricegrass was a consistently good host and bluebunch wheatgrass was a consistently poor one, but the relative suitabilities of the six hosts varied considerably over the season. Neither plant water content nor total nitrogen was correlated with differences in aphid performance among hosts. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to compare estimates of plant quality under field and greenhouse conditions. Differences in aphid perfornlance among hosts in the greenhouse resembled those observed in the field early in the season, but not during the critical “oversummering” period.
Interpretation Tasks for Grammar Teaching

Grammar teaching has traditionally consisted of giving learners opportunities to produce specific grammatical structures. Such an approach may prove ineffective because it does not take account of how learners acquire grammatical structures (e.g., Krashen, 1982). This article examines an alternative approach to grammar teaching— one based on interpreting input. This approach emphasizes helping learners to notice grammatical features in the input, comprehend their meanings, and compare the forms present in the input with those occurring in learner output. The rationale for the approach is discussed as are the principles for designing interpretation tasks for grammar teaching.
Insights on Immunizations From Caregivers of Children Receiving Medicaid‐Funded Services

ISSUES AND PURPOSE. Despite numerous programs aimed at improving immunization rates among American children, under-immunization remains a significant problem. This study was conducted to gain insight into parents' /guardians' knowledge and attitudes regarding childhood immunizations. DESIGN AND METHODS. Thirteen African-American mothers and grandmothers participated in semistructured, audiotaped focus-group interviews. RESULTS. Four major themes emerged: health knowledge and beliefs about immunizations, system barriers that impede obtaining immunizations, facilitators that enhance obtaining immunizations, and suggestions for change. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Immunizations are one of the most important health advantages available to children. Therefore, nurses must become aware of the problem of underimmunization and work to address some of the concerns caregivers have identified in this study. The health and lives of the nation's children depend on it.
Characterization of Commercial Formulations by Combining Several Chromatographic Techniques with Multiple-Internal-Reflection and Mass Spectrometry

Analytical chemists are frequently confronted with the problem of characterizing complex mixtures of compounds. The complex mixtures that are characterized and discussed in this paper are diverse commercial formulations. Although several approaches can be employed for the characterization of these formulations, this paper discusses one which we have found to be convenient and reliable. In this approach liquid—solid partition, thin—layer, and gas—liquid chromatography are employed to isolate and identify the components in a mixture, and multiple-internal-reflection and mass spectroscopy are employed to identify or confirm the identity of the components. This approach has been successfully employed to solve problems in our laboratories for several years. The advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of this approach are discussed in detail.
Detection of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction Is Associated with Hearing Loss in Newborns with Symptomatic Congenital CMV Infection Involving the Central Nervous System

Objective The study sought to determine the relationship between cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia during early infancy and clinical and laboratory outcome events, particularly hearing loss in infants with symptomatic congenital CMV infection involving the central nervous system (CNS). Study design A total of 147 infant patients were enrolled prospectively in 2 clinical trials evaluating ganciclovir for the treatment of symptomatic congenital CMV infection involving the CNS. Aliquots of serum collected at enrollment in either of the 2 trials were available from 50 of the infants, and the degree of viremia was determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Of the 50 infants from whom serum samples were available, 37 had detectable CMV DNA in the serum sample collected at enrollment and were classified as viremic. Viremic infants were more likely to have (1) hearing loss both at enrollment (P = .045) and at the 6-month follow-up testing (P = .035) and (2) other indicators of active CMV disease, including elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, petechial rash, and organomegaly. Conclusion In children with symptomatic congenital CMV infection involving the CNS, viremia during early infancy is associated with hearing loss and systemic CMV disease.
Conveying the configuration of a virtual human hand using vibrotactile feedback

Upper-limb prostheses users lack proprioception of their artificial arm, and rely heavily on vision to understand its configuration. With the goal of reducing the amount of energy expended on visual cues during upper-limb prosthesis use, this study investigates whether haptic feedback can relay the configuration of a virtual hand in the absence of sight. Two mappings from waistbelt-mounted tactor vibration patterns to hand configuration are explored: (1) Synergy-based hand motions derived from the results of a principal component analysis run on an aggregate of hand motions and (2) Decoupled hand motions, which include experimenter-selected motions such as finger grasp and finger spread. Results show that users can identify complex hand configurations with vibrotactile feedback patterns based on both the Synergies and Decoupled methods, although 30–45 seconds are required to achieve this task. Also, findings demonstrate that users are likely to memorize correspondence between an overall feeling of the tactor pattern to a hand configuration rather than constructing the hand configuration by isolating and considering each tactor individually. Last, results indicate that hand configuration is most accurately conveyed by maximizing information along a synergy-based space.
Phylogenetic relationships in the cactus family (Cactaceae) based on evidence from trnK/ matK and trnL-trnF sequences

Cacti are a large and diverse group of stem succulents predominantly occurring in warm and arid North and South America. Chloroplast DNA sequences of the trnK intron, including the matK gene, were sequenced for 70 ingroup taxa and two outgroups from the Portulacaceae. In order to improve resolution in three major groups of Cactoideae, trnL-trnF sequences from members of these clades were added to a combined analysis. The three exemplars of Pereskia did not form a monophyletic group but a basal grade. The well-supported subfamilies Cactoideae and Opuntioideae and the genus Maihuenia formed a weakly supported clade sister to Pereskia. The parsimony analysis supported a sister group relationship of Maihuenia and Opuntioideae, although the likelihood analysis did not. Blossfeldia, a monotypic genus of morphologically modified and ecologically specialized cacti, was identified as the sister group to all other Cactoideae. The tribe Cacteae was found to be sister to a largely unresolved clade comprising the genera Calymmanthium, Copiapoa, and Frailea, as well as two large and well-supported clades. Browningia sensu stricto (excluding Castellanosia), the two tribes Cereeae and Trichocereeae, and parts of the tribes Notocacteae and Rhipsalideae formed one clade. The distribution of this group is largely restricted to South America. The other clade consists of the columnar cacti of Notocacteae, various genera of Browningieae, Echinocereeae, and Leptocereeae, the tribes Hylocereeae and Pachycereeae, and Pfeiffera. A large portion of this latter group occurs in Central and North America and the Caribbean.
Depth Picture Percepition in Relation to Cognitive Style and Training in Non-Western Children

The present study tested hypotheses that non-Western subjects' difficulties in judging depth in linear pictures are a function of individual patterns of perceptual organization (operationally defined as cognitive style measured by tests of field dependence/independence), and that training in depth perception tasks or field independence would improve performance in both areas. Nigerian fourth graders (n = 172) were administered depth picture perception tasks and the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) in a Stratified Random Assignment design. Subjects who were more field-independent scored higher on the depth picture perception test and gained more from training than relatively field-dependent subjects, as predicted. Perceptual training on the pictures generalized to the GEFT. Also, GEFT training resulted in improvements on both depth picture perception and GEFT posttests. Child-rearing practices that may increase field independence and subsequent depth picture are discussed.
Coffee grounds emesis: Rare presentation of testicular cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Fewer than 5% of patients with metastatic testicular cancer present with gastrointestinal involvement. Even rarer is testicular metastasis to the duodenum. We present the case of a previously healthy 26-year-old man who had symptomatic gastrointestinal bleeding caused by metastatic testicular cancer. He was treated with orchiectomy, cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and finally, resection of the residual retroperitoneal mass. We believe that neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by surgical debulking, is the appropriate therapeutic sequence when treating an otherwise stable patient with metastatic testicular tumor involving the gastrointestinal tract.
Truncated tyrosine kinase B brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptor directs cortical neural stem cells to a glial cell fate by a novel signaling mechanism

During development of the mammalian cerebral cortex neural stem cells (NSC) first generate neurons and subsequently produce glial cells. The mechanism(s) responsible for this developmental shift from neurogenesis to gliogenesis is unknown. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is believed to play important roles in the development of the mammalian cerebral cortex; it enhances neurogenesis and promotes the differentiation and survival of newly generated neurons. Here, we provide evidence that a truncated form of the BDNF receptor tyrosine kinase B (trkB-t) plays a pivotal role in directing embryonic mouse cortical NSC to a glial cell fate. Expression of trkB-t promotes differentiation of NSC toward astrocytes while inhibiting neurogenesis both in cell culture and in vivo. The mechanism by which trkB-t induces astrocyte genesis is not simply the result of inhibition of full-length receptor with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity signaling. Instead, binding of BDNF to trkB-t activates a signaling pathway (involving a G-protein and protein kinase C) that induced NSC to become glial progenitors and astrocytes. Thus, the increased expression of trkB-t in the embryonic cerebral cortex that occurs coincident with astrocyte production plays a pivotal role in the developmental transition from neurogenesis to gliogenesis. Our findings suggest a mechanism by which a single factor (BDNF) regulates the production of the two major cell types in the mammalian cerebral cortex.