cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mapping and understanding dry season soil water drawdown by California montane vegetation

The ability of soil to supply plant available water during dry periods is a poorly understood but critically important ecosystem property that affects vegetation health and regional hydrology. We estimated and analyzed the cumulative dry season drawdown of soil water across montane California using a spatially resolved water balance model that combined field, meteorological, and remote sensing observations. Dry season soil water drawdown varied markedly with elevation, increasing from <200 mm/yr below 500 m, to ~425 mm/yr at 1000 to 2000 m, before decreasing to <200 mm/yr above ~3000 m. Soil water drawdown was comparatively low at drier (mean annual precipitation < 1000 mm/yr) or colder (mean annual temperature < 4°C) locations; soil water drawdown was greater at wetter and warmer locations, including conifer forests. The reduced soil water drawdown at low-elevation dry locations may reflect inadequate precipitation to recharge the soil; the reduced water drawdown at high, cold locations presumably reflects limited storage capacity or sparse vegetation development. Soil water drawdown was reduced at locations that were glaciated during the Pleistocene and was only weakly related to rock type. The amount of soil water drawdown implies that many California ecosystems are deeply rooted, with conifer forest rooting to at least 3.6 m. Deep rooting allows many California ecosystems to limit current summer moisture limitation and suggests some of these ecosystems may be able to also limit future increased moisture stress with climate warming if they are able to support increased evaporative demand by further tapping belowground moisture.
Ultrasound saline infused sonohysterography based in-vivo strain imaging for the evaluation of uterine abnormalities

We demonstrate the feasibility of ultrasound saline infused sonohysterography based strain imaging, for the determination of variations in the stiffness of uterine masses in-vivo. Strain images are estimated using a two-dimensional multilevel hybrid algorithm developed for ultrasound sector array transducers. Coarse displacements are initially estimated using envelope data, followed by guided finer displacement estimation using window lengths on the order of 4 wavelengths and 5A-lines on RF data. Strain images are obtained by estimating displacement slopes using least squares estimation. The strain images provide additional new information that may supplement current clinical B-mode imaging, used for diagnosis of uterine abnormalities. Stiffer masses such as fibroids are clearly differentiated on the strain images, which appear to be darker on the strain images with the characteristic decorrelation “halo” when compared to the normal uterine tissue. In addition, uterine polyps are visualized with a lighter grayscale when compared to the background myometrium, indicating the presence of a softer mass. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of improving clinical diagnosis based on strain imaging.
Reasoning with uncertainty for expert systems

We discuss a methodology for handling uncertain information in expert and other intelligent systems. This approach combines the theories of approximate reasoning and Dempster-- Shafer.
Agri-food supply chain: evolution and performance with conflicting consumer and societal demands

Modern consumers increasingly demand that their food satisfies multiple ‘quality’ dimensions including those pertaining to its location, sustainability and humane treatment of livestock. Society increasingly demands that, in addition to supplying plentiful and cheap food, agriculture also supply fuel, meet environmental goals and distribute income in an equitable manner. We consider the food chain's evolution and evaluate its performance in meeting these challenges, analyse the impacts of these multidimensional demands on the welfare of the various supply-chain actors, and evaluate agricultural policies in light of the challenges facing modern agricultural markets, including producing at least 70 per cent more food by 2050.
Solubility, Solubilization and Dissolution in Drug Delivery During Lead Optimization

At this symposium, as in much of the literature over the last 5-10 years, there has been continued discussion regarding ways to reduce drug candidate attrition during the more costly drug development phases. Much of this discussion has revolved around the recognized importance of selecting drug candidates that have “drug-like” properties, i.e. physical, chemical and structural properties that appear to differentiate nondrug and drug molecules (Kennedy, 1997; Lipinski et al., 2001; Kola and Landis, 2004). As a result, there has been a conscious effort made to move from highly potent ligands toward a molecule that has “drug-like” properties, presumably with a lower risk to attrit during development. In an effort to address these properties sooner, preclinical groups such as pharmaceutics, metabolism and toxicology have been brought into the drug candidate selection process.
An Adaptive Fixed-Point Iteration Algorithm for Finite-Element Analysis With Magnetic Hysteresis Materials

In this paper, an adaptive fixed-point iteration algorithm for 2-D/3-D finite-element analysis with hysteresis is proposed. The iteration starts with the $B$ -correction scheme. If the solution is not converged to a given accuracy after a certain number of iterations, the iteration will be continued by switching to the $H$ -correction scheme. Based on the combined use of the two correction schemes during the whole iteration process, the solution with the minimum error together with the scheme type is recorded and will be used as the final solution at the current time step. At the same time, the recorded scheme type will be used as the initial scheme type for the next time step. The numerical validation shows that the proposed algorithm not only has very fast convergence rate, but is also very stable.
Development of high-throughput and high sensitivity capillary gel electrophoresis platform method for Western, Eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis (WEVEE) virus like particles (VLPs) purity determination and characterization.

In this paper, we describe development of a high-throughput, highly sensitive method based on Lab Chip CGE-SDS platform for purity determination and characterization of virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines. A capillary gel electrophoresis approach requiring about 41 s per sample for analysis and demonstrating sensitivity to protein initial concentrations as low as 20 μg/mL, this method has been used previously to evaluate monoclonal antibodies, but this application for lot release assay of VLPs using this platform is unique. The method was qualified and shown to be accurate for the quantitation of VLP purity. Assay repeatability was confirmed to be less than 2% relative standard deviation of the mean (% RSD) with interday precision less than 2% RSD. The assay can evaluate purified VLPs in a concentration range of 20-249 μg/mL for VEE and 20-250 μg/mL for EEE and WEE VLPs.
Advanced cardiac imaging techniques assist in characterizing a cardiac mass and directing management

Advanced imaging techniques, including contrast echocardiography and CMR, provided valuable characterization and evaluation of a boy with an unusual cardiac mass. Imaging features assisted with differentiation of benign from malignant etiology and excluding thrombus. Accurate imaging techniques saved our patient risks associated with unnecessary surgery or anticoagulation. The ability to accurately define size serially assisted in guiding expectant management. He died from a noncardiac cause at age 28, and autopsy demonstrated a hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes.
A Proposal for a Curriculum in Behavioral Biology and Medicine in Medical Schools

A curriculum in behavior for medical students is proposed that has several aims in mind: 1) To help students synthesize the diverse disciplines taught in the first two years using the integrative approach of behavioral biology using the familiar language of physiology. 2) To provide them with an unified concept of health, illness and disease. 3) To acquaint them with the varieties of ill-health in order to counteract the bias that only structural disorders—disease—causes it. At the same time they should be taught non-pharmacological approaches to treatment. 4) To acquaint them in the third year with the broad range of illness and disease, in settings which do no only house terminally or exotically sick patients. 5) To reach the skills explicitly that make for the recognition of distress in patients: compassion can be taught in the manner of any other skill.
The Queerness of Precocious Play in John Webster’s The White Devil

The child character Giovanni, in John Webster’s The White Devil, serves as a locus for reconsidering a monolithic sense of the Child and the heteronormative views of cultural reproduction it reinforces. As heir to two dukes, Giovanni’s position as guarantor of and vessel for patrilineal descent and linear temporal progression seems assured. However, this boy rejects his elders’ models of adulthood and masculinity. Webster depicts Giovanni as a quick-witted, precocious child whose unusually swift development does not align with the expected vertical trajectory of growing up. Kathryn Bond Stockton’s concept of growing sideways resonates with the character’s changeability, but recognizing Webster’s emphasis on Giovanni’s precocity introduces speed as a potential facet of queer children, in addition to their more frequent association with delay and lingering.
Infection of Human Marrow Stroma by Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) Is Both Required and Sufficient for HIV-1–Induced Hematopoietic Suppression In Vitro: Demonstration by Gene Modification of Primary Human Stroma

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection often present with bone marrow (BM) failure that may affect all hematopoietic lineages. It is presently unclear whether this failure reflects a direct viral impairment of the CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells or whether the virus affects the BM microenvironment. To study the effects of HIV-1 on the BM microenvironment, we examined the stromal cell monolayers in long-term BM culture (LTBMC), which are the in vitro equivalent of the hematopoietic microenvironment. We assessed the hematopoietic support function (HSF) of human stromal layers by determining the cellular proliferation and colony-forming ability of hematopoietic progenitors from BM cells grown on the stromal layers. We show that the HSF is reduced by in vitro infection of the human stromal cell layer by a monocytotropic isolate of HIV-1 (JR-FL). There is no loss of HSF when the stromal cell layer is resistant to HIV-1 replication, either using murine stromal cell layers that are innately resistant to HIV-1 infection or using human stromal cells genetically modified to express a gene that inhibits HIV-1 replication (an RRE decoy). Decreased HSF was seen using either human or murine hematopoietic cells, if the stromal cells were human cells that were susceptible to HIV-1 infection. These in vitro studies implicate HIV-1 replication in the stroma as the essential component causing decreased hematopoietic cell production in HIV-1 infection.
Countertransference Issues in Working with a Group Surviving the Traumatic Homicide of a Colleague

This paper will deal with my experience in working as a group leader with a group of Russian immigrant psychotherapy trainees whose colleague was murdered by a patient. After the homicide, they suffered from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and survivor guilt. The uniqueness of this experience is confirmed by a survey of the literature on post-traumatic stress, grief reactions, and adaptation to trauma (Shalev, 1996). Although the field is replete with literature about surviving traumatic events such as homicides (Rynearson, 1994), and natural or man-made disasters (Van Der Kolk, 1993), there appears to be nothing that describes psychotherapist reactions to a colleague's murder. Responses to traumatic events are quite familiar to psychotherapists. The manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder include flashbacks and recollections of the event, recurring distressing dreams about the event, physiological reactivity, and sleep disturbance. Chronic symptoms of this phenomenon include affective
Meta-analysis: Tools

Meta-analysis is the process of employing statistical models to summarize statistical evidence from multiple studies. Study results are typically expressed as effect sizes that make results from different studies comparable. These effect sizes are combined into a common estimate. Inference about that estimate may be conditional or unconditional, depending on the universe to which one wishes to generalize. Conditional inferences are made using fixed-effects models; unconditional inferences require random-effects models. In either inferential context, one may apply models that investigate variability in effect sizes using study characteristics as predictors. Meta-analytic models may be viewed as special cases of the hierarchical linear model.
Visual-Somatosensory Integration and Quantitative Gait Performance in Aging.

Background: The ability to integrate information across sensory modalities is an integral aspect of mobility. Yet, the association between visual-somatosensory (VS) integration and gait performance has not been well-established in aging. Methods: A total of 333 healthy older adults (mean age 76.53 ± 6.22; 53% female) participated in a visual-somatosensory simple reaction time task and underwent quantitative gait assessment using an instrumented walkway. Magnitude of VS integration was assessed using probability models, and then categorized into four integration classifications (superior, good, poor or deficient). Associations of VS integration with three independent gait factors (Pace, Rhythm and Variability derived by factor analysis method) were tested at cross-section using hierarchal regression analyses. Given overlaps in neural circuitry necessary for both multisensory integration and goal-directed locomotion, we hypothesized that VS integration would be significantly associated with pace but not rhythm which is a more automatic process controlled mainly through brainstem and spinal networks. Results: In keeping with our hypothesis, magnitude of VS integration was a strong predictor of pace (β = 0.12, p < 0.05) but not rhythm (β = -0.01, p = 0.83) in fully-adjusted models. While there was a trend for the association of magnitude of VS integration with variability (β = -0.11, p = 0.051), post-hoc testing of individual gait variables that loaded highest on the variability factor revealed that stride length variability (β = -0.13, p = 0.03) and not swing time variability (β = -0.08, p = 0.15) was significantly associated with magnitude of VS integration. Of the cohort, 29% had superior, 26% had good, 29% had poor, and 16% had deficient VS integration effects. Conclusions: Worse VS integration in aging is associated with worse spatial but not temporal aspects of gait performance.
Approximation with Rates by Perturbed Kantorovich–Choquet Neural Network Operators

This chapter deals with the determination of the rate of convergence to the unit of Perturbed Kantorovich–Choquet univariate and multivariate normalized neural network operators of one hidden layer. These are given through the univariate and multivariate moduli of continuity of the involved univariate or multivariate function or its high order derivatives and that appears in the right-hand side of the associated univariate and multivariate Jackson type inequalities. The activation function is very general, especially it can derive from any univariate or multivariate sigmoid or bell-shaped function. The right hand sides of our convergence inequalities do not depend on the activation function. It follows (Anastassiou, Quantitative Approximation by Perturbed Kantorovich–Choquet Neural Network Operators (2018) [1]).
Approaches to Teaching All My Sons: Making the Play Matter Across the Curriculum

In teaching All My Sons as a play about social responsibility, I first engage students personally with a Reader Response approach, and then combine it with an eclectic mix of critical approaches in order to point to the play’s moral vision.
The Long and the Short of BRD4: Two Tales in Breast Cancer.

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Wu et al. (2020) describe studies that establish oncogenic versus tumor-suppressive functions of two BRD4 isoforms in the regulation of gene expression and breast cancer development.
On the Economic Value of Mobile Caching

Recent growth in user demand for mobile data has strained mobile network infrastructure. One possible solution is to use mobile (i.e., moving) devices to supplement existing infrastructure according to users’ needs at different times and locations. For instance, vehicles can be used as communication relays or computation points. However, it is unclear how much value these devices add relative to their deployment costs: they may, for instance, interfere with existing network infrastructure, limiting the potential benefits. We take the first step towards quantifying the value of this supplemental infrastructure by examining the use case of mobile caches. We consider a network operator using both mobile (e.g., vehicular) and stationary (small cell) caches, and find the optimal amount of both types of caches under time- and location-varying user demands, as a function of the cache prices. In doing so, we account for interference between users’ connections to the different caches, which requires solving a non-convex optimization problem. We show that there exists a threshold price above which no vehicular caches are purchased. Moreover, as the network operator’s budget increases, vehicular caching yields little additional value beyond that provided by small cell caches. These results may help network operators and cache providers find conditions under which vehicles add value to existing networks.
The Gender Penalty: Reasons for Differences in Reported Weekly Work Hours Among Male and Female Family Physicians.

The JABFM policy brief by Wilkensen et al[1][1] highlights gender differences in work hours between male and female family physicians, with men reporting significantly more hours of total and direct patient care across age groups. This comes as no surprise to me as a female family physician with 3
Inclusive. pi. /sup -/ production with 200 MeV protons: Radiochemical study of the /sup 209/Bi(p,. pi. /sup -/xn)/sup 210-x/ At reactions

The results of a radiochemical study of the /sup 209/Bi(p,..pi../sup -/xn)/sup 210-x/At reactions for x = 0 to 5 are reported. 200 MeV protons were utilized in an investigation of these pion production reactions as well as secondary processes such as /sup 209/Bi(p,/sup 3,4/He)X followed by /sup 209/Bi(/sup 3,4/He,xn)/sup 213-x/ At. The relative importance of such secondary reactions was reduced through variation of the target thickness and from a survey of available data from on-line investigations of /sup 3,4/He production by other medium energy proton-induced reactions on /sup 209/Bi. An inclusive cross section of 48 +- 13 ..mu..b is determined for the /sup 209/Bi(p,..pi../sup -/xn)/sup 210-x/At reactions at 200 MeV. The relative yields of such (p,..pi../sup -/xn) products are found to be suggestive of a pion production mechanism involving ..pi../sup -/ emission through coherent interactions with the target nucleons.
Measuring Student Progress: Assessing and Providing Feedback

Assessment is an integral part of education. It provides for the systematic development, collection, and analysis of information to foster student learning and retention of course material. Assessment provides opportunity to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, monitor semester learning, evaluate methods of constructions, and measure institutional effectiveness. Carnegie’s Educating Lawyers and CLEA’s Best Practices have prompted the American Bar Association’s renewed focus on assessment and consequently captured the attention of law schools to in particular, development and implementation of assessment techniques beyond the end of the semester essay exam. This morning, this interactive presentation is going to showcase diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments using a variety of reliable, valid techniques that can be used to evaluate conceptual understanding and mastery of transactional skills. Sue Chesler and I are going to highlight four different techniques. We’re going to start by talking about something called one-minute papers. Then we’re going to talk about contract drafting and revising exercises. Third, we’re going to discuss selective response questions, and fourth, we’re going to talk about role play simulations.
Special Populations in Child Welfare Practice

This chapter describes how to work with special populations involved with the child welfare system (e.g., youth in care; children with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning [LGBTQ] youth; immigrant or refugee children) to ensure professionals work collaboratively alongside them to ensure their voice is heard and, that as practitioners, child welfare professionals are providing optimal services to ensure child and family well-being. The chapter also discusses best practices when working with siblings and youth experiencing human and sex trafficking.
Weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents.

Abstract Objective In this study, we examine associations between objectively measured weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Five Minnesota high schools that started early (7:30 or 7:45 AM) in Spring 2016. Participants Ninth grade students, ages 14.5-16 years (n = 284). Measurements Students completed surveys, had body measurements taken, and wore sleep (wrist) actigraphs for 1 week (n = 284). We examined weekend night-school night differences in sleep duration and sleep timing. We then assessed whether these factors were related to weight status and weight-related behaviors (eating behaviors, food consumption, physical activity, beverage consumption) using generalized linear mixed models. Results On average, students slept 1.5 hours (95% confidence interval 1.3-1.7) more and had a sleep midpoint 1.9 hours (1.8-2.1) later on weekend nights compared to school nights. Female students had larger increases in sleep duration on weekend nights than males but similar timing differences. Sleep duration differences were uncorrelated with sleep timing differences (r = 0.01). Neither duration nor timing differences were associated with overweight, obesity, or any of the eating behaviors we examined. However, sleeping longer on weekend nights than on school nights was associated with lower probability of being active 6-7 days per week (p = .02). Conclusions Adolescents have substantial sleep duration and sleep timing differences on weekend nights vs. school nights. While these differences may not be associated with weight status or weight-related behaviors, they reflect the reality that most adolescents have schedules that restrict their sleep.
[F-18]FDG PET/CT appearances of tumor thrombi in pediatric solid tumors

2193 Objectives To elucidate the value of FDG PET/CT in detecting large tumor thrombi in the setting of pediatric solid tumors, and to describe the characteristic FDG PET/CT findings in tumor emboli/thrombi. Methods Patients with clinical, or other radiographic evidence of tumor thrombus, who had undergone FDG PET/CT evaluation at our institution were selected and their medical records reviewed for demographic information, primary diagnosis, indication for FDG PET/CT, correlative imaging and clinical follow-up. In summary, after a minimum 4-hour fast, the patients received an IV injection of 0.15 mCi per kg body weight (min 2.0 mCi, max 12.0 mCi) FDG. Approximately one hour later, image acquisition began with a low dose CT for attenuation correction and lesion localization. The CT was followed by emission imaging using a GE Discovery LS PET/CT scanner in 2D mode at 5 minutes per bed position. Tumor thrombus SUVmax was measured and compared to primary tumor and blood pool SUVmax. Results We identified 7 patients with a solid tumor and evidence of tumor emboli who had been evaluated by FDG PET/CT. Two patients had histological confirmation of tumor thrombus. Primary tumors were osteosarcoma (n=3), hepatoblastoma (n=2), high-grade sarcoma, and adrenocortical carcinoma (n=1 each). Tumor thrombi showed FDG avidity within the lumen of the right atrium, inferior vena cava, common iliac vein and pulmonary arteries (tumor thromboembolism). The SUVmax of tumor thrombus was blood pool activity. Thrombi typically showed a linear pattern of intraluminal increased FDG uptake that could be heterogeneous in FDG avidity and configuration. Conclusions In our series, FDG PET/CT could identify tumor thrombi and pulmonary thromboemboli developed in the context of various pediatric solid malignancies. A linear or focal pattern of increased intraluminal FDG uptake throughout the thrombus is characteristic of tumor thrombus
Sensorimotor Processing Model: How Vasotocin and Corticosterone Interact and Control Reproductive Behaviors in an Amphibian

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews research on amphibians, focusing on questions about the hormonal mechanisms that regulate reproductive behaviors. In the wild, animals usually perform courtship and mating behaviors during specific seasons; and in species-specific contexts, typically, when conspecific males and females are in breeding condition, and when environmental conditions are favorable and appropriate. There is considerable complexity in the external and internal cues affecting courtship and mating behaviors, and, as a result, considerable complexity in the hormonal regulation of these behaviors. Hormones control the development of sex- and species-specific neural circuitry, and sexual structures bring the animals into breeding condition at the appropriate season and regulate the animals' behavioral state in response to the immediate environmental conditions. These hormonal mechanisms include stimulatory and inhibitory pathways that control when animals are ready, and able to initiate courtship with prospective partners and to mate successfully.
Customized compliance: exploring patterns of quality practice adoption in a multidivisional context

When quality management is implemented in multidivisional organizations, uniform adoption is often desirable. This study explores differences in quality practices adopted by divisions following a general implementation stimulus from headquarters.
Costate approximation in optimal control using integral Gaussian quadrature orthogonal collocation methods

Summary Two methods are presented for approximating the costate of optimal control problems in integral form using orthogonal collocation at Legendre–Gauss (LG) and Legendre–Gauss–Radau (LGR) points. It is shown that the derivative of the costate of the continuous-time optimal control problem is equal to the negative of the costate of the integral form of the continuous-time optimal control problem. Using this continuous-time relationship between the differential and integral costate, it is shown that the discrete approximations of the differential costate using LG and LGR collocation are related to the corresponding discrete approximations of the integral costate via integration matrices. The approach developed in this paper provides a way to approximate the costate of the original optimal control problem using the Lagrange multipliers of the integral form of the LG and LGR collocation methods. The methods are demonstrated on two examples where it is shown that both the differential and integral costate converge exponentially as a function of the number of LG or LGR points. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An invitation to operator theory

Odds and ends Basic operator theory Operators on $AL$- and $AM$-spaces Special classes of operators Integral operators Spectral properties Some special spectra Positive matrices Irreducible operators Invariant subspaces The Daugavet equation Bibliography Index.
Implementation of an interdisciplinary Behavior Management Program

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Frail older adults are especially vulnerable in a health system that is fragmented and fails to focus on preservation or restoration of function. The School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, together with the School of Medicine and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, established the Collaborative Assessment and Rehabilitation for Elders (CARE) Program to meet the needs of this population. We used the British Day Hospital as a model because it provides a comprehensive approach to care and a bridge between acute, home-based, and institutional long-term care. We have designed our program to provide innovative, interdisciplinary care as well as to be reimbursable under current and future payment structures. This nurse-managed, collaborative practice seeks to maximize independent functioning, promote health, and enhance quality of life for chronically ill, frail older adults living in the community whose needs are left unmet by existing services. The program was certified as a Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) in December 1993 to maximize reimbursement of services through Medicare and other third party payers. With a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner as care manager, clients receive an intensive, individualized, time-limited program of nursing, rehabilitation, mental health, social, and medical services in one setting several days each week. Additional geriatric services, such as primary care, are available in the same location when needed. SETTING: The program is housed in renovated space devoted to the care of older people. The academic and clinical offices of the University of Pennsylvania's nursing and medical gerontologic and geriatric faculty are in the same building. PARTICIPANTS: We have targeted those persons older than age 65 who have complex health problems and are living at home. Individuals must need multiple services, including at least one rehabilitation therapy, and they must be unsuitable-for inpatient rehabilitation. DESCRIPTION OF THE POPULATION: In its first 8 months of operation, the program received 97 referrals and admitted 53 clients. Clients were, on average, 78 years of age. Over three-fourths (77%) were women and 58% were black. The average stay in the program was 6 weeks. FIM scores, which improved a mean of 2.4 points, were found to lack sensitivity to the functional improvements achieved by clients. CONCLUSION: Under existing Medicare and third party reimbursement policies, it is feasible to establish a nurse-managed comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation program designed to meet the needs of frail older persons. Preliminary data support the beneficial effects of the program as well as the economic feasibility of this approach.
Functional Genomics Requires Ecology

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on model organisms as yeast, Drosophila, C. elegans, and mice because the tools to generate genetic mutations and gene disruptions to study specific gene function are already available. However, the principles are general and can be applied to similar enterprises in any species. The chapter provides numerous examples where ecological approaches reveal phenotypes that were undetectable in the laboratory. The chapter also demonstrates that even for mutations with known phenotypes, fitness testing is a useful screen for additional unknown phenotypes and to quantify the relative importance of the mutation in the evolutionary currency of fitness. Various lines of reasoning have been invoked to explain the surplus of gene knockouts that yield no phenotype in animals homozygous for the mutation. The era of functional genomics presentsa great opportunity for organismal biologists to collaborate with molecular biologists to truly evaluate how genes function through all levels of biological organization. The enterprise of determining the function of genes is by far the most difficult portion of genome projects. This reflects the sheer complexity of the genome, with genes interacting to influence function (epistasis), genes influencing more than one function (pleiotropy), the involvement of many genes to effect one function (polygenic traits), and countless gene associated phenotypes yet to be discovered. Functional genomics often require an understanding of ecology and behavior to gain a useful understanding of gene function.
Gold bowtie nanoantennas: improving the mismatch between light and nanoscale objects

Using two-photon-excited photoluminescence of Au, local intensity enhancement factors for Au "bowtie" nanoantennas have been experimentally determined for the first time. Enhancements >10/sup 3/ occur for 20 nm gap bowties, in good agreement with theoretical simulations.
Endolithic photosynthetic communities within ancient and recent travertine deposits in Yellowstone National Park

Molecular and culture based methods were used to survey endolithic, photosynthetic communities from hot spring-formed travertine rocks of various ages, ranging from<10 to greater than 300 000 years. Much of this travertine contained a 1–3-mm-thick greenish band composed mainly of cyanobacteria 1–5 mm below the rock surface. The travertine rocks experienced desiccation in summer and freezing in winter. A total of 83 environmental 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained from clone libraries and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Small subunit rRNA gene sequences and cell morphology were determined for 36 cyanobacterial culture isolates from these samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 16S rRNA gene sequences fell into 15 distinct clusters, including several novel lineages of cyanobacteria.
Design and preliminary results for a fast bipolar resonant discharge pulser using SCR switches for driving the injection bump magnets at the ALS

A fast (4.0 /spl mu/s half period) resonant discharge pulser using SCRs has been designed and constructed to drive the injection bump magnet system at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). The pulser employs a series-parallel arrangement of Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs) that creates a bipolar high voltage (+/-10 KV), high peak current (6600 amps.) and a high di/dt (6000 ampspl mu/s) switch network that discharges a capacitor bank into the magnet load. Fast recovery diodes in series with the SCRs significantly reduces the SCR turn-off time during the negative current cycle of the magnet. The SCR switch provides a very reliable and stable alternative to the gas filled Thyratron. A very low impedance transmission system allows the pulser system to reside completely outside the storage ring shielding wall. >
PTPN22 Variant R620W Is Associated With Reduced Toll-like Receptor 7–Induced Type I Interferon in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective Protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) is associated with an increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). PTPN22 encodes Lyp, and a disease-associated coding variant bears an R620W substitution (LypW). LypW carriage is associated with impaired production of type I interferon (IFN) by myeloid cells following Toll-like receptor (TLR) engagement. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of LypW carriage on TLR signaling in patients with SLE. Methods Plasma IFNα concentrations and whole-blood IFN gene scores were compared in SLE patients who were LypW carriers and those who were noncarriers. TLR-7 agonist R848–stimulated IFNα and tumor necrosis factor levels, IFN-dependent gene expression, and STAT-1 activation were determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and/or plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) obtained from these patients. The effect of LypW expression on the systemic type I IFN response to R848 stimulation in vivo was assessed in transgenic mice. Results Plasma IFNα levels and whole-blood IFN gene signatures were comparable in SLE patients who were LypW carriers and those who were noncarriers. However, PBMCs from LypW carriers produced less IFNα and showed reduced IFN-dependent gene up-regulation and STAT-1 activation after R848 stimulation. The frequency of PDCs producing IFNα2 and the per-cell IFNα2 levels were significantly reduced in LypW carriers. LypW-transgenic mice displayed reduced TLR-7–induced circulating type I IFN responses. Conclusion PDCs from SLE patients carrying the disease-associated PTPN22 variant LypW showed a reduced capacity for TLR-7 agonist–induced type I IFN production, even though LypW carriers displayed systemic type I IFN activation comparable with that observed in noncarriers. LypW carriage identifies SLE patients who may harbor defects in TLR- and PDC-dependent host defense or antiinflammatory functions.
Paleohydrogeology of the San Joaquin basin, California

Mass transport can have a significant effect on chemical diagenetic processes in sedimentary basins. This paper presents results from the first part of a study that was designed to explore the role of an evolving hydrodynamic system in driving mass transport and chemical diagenesis, using the San Joaquin basin of California as a field area. The authors use coupled hydrogeologic models to establish the paleohydrogeology, thermal history, and behavior of nonreactive solutes in the basin. These models rely on extensive geological information and account for variable-density fluid flow, heat transport, solute transport, tectonic uplift, sediment compaction, and clay dehydration. In the numerical simulations, tectonic uplift and ocean regression led to large-scale changes in fluid flow and composition by strengthening topography-driven fluid flow and allowing deep influx of fresh ground water in the San Joaquin basin. Sediment compaction due to rapid deposition created moderate overpressures, leading to upward flow from depth. The unusual distribution of salinity in the basin reflects influx of fresh ground water to depths of as much as 2 km and dilution of saline fluids by dehydration reactions at depths greater than {approximately}2.5 km. Simulations projecting the future salinity of the basin show marine salinities persisting for moremore » than 10 m.y. after ocean regression. Results also show a change from topography- to compaction-driven flow in the Stevens Sandstone at ca. 5 Ma that coincides with an observed change in the diagenetic sequence. Results of this investigation provide a framework for future hydrologic research exploring the link between fluid flow and diagenesis.« less
High incidence of human West Nile Virus infection and risk of mortality, 2003; high Plains/Panhandle, TX

Purpose We seek to explain the high incidence of human West Nile Virus (WNV) infection, and risk of morbidity and mortality, reported from the Panhandle and South Plains regions of Texas in 2003, compared with the rest of the state. A 10-fold increase in human WNV meningoencephalitis cases was reported from this area in 2003, compared with 2002. Information gained will be used to improve area health education, disease surveillance, and medical treatment efforts in a largely medically underserved region. Methods Descriptive techniques and measures characterized the 2003 human WNV cases by person and place within the 41 counties that comprise this region of Texas. These data were age-adjusted for comparison with the remainder of the state. Data from environmental and entomologic sources were also used to provide other quantitative and qualitative explanations for the higher adjusted risk. Results In 2003, this region of Texas reported 24.2% ( n = 105) of the state's 434 cases of WNV meningoencephalitis, from 3.6% of the state's population. The patients were 76.8% Caucasian, 21.2% Hispanic, and 2.0% African American and ‘other’; age range was 12 to 87 years (mean, 54.4; median, 57); 60% were male. Of the 105 cases, 16 (15.2%) died as a result of their WNV infection. Dates of onset were earlier in 2003 than in 2002. In addition, in this region, 170 cases of WNV fever were recorded in 2003 (age range: 6–89 years; mean, 43.2; median, 43.0). In addition, 19 flavivirus and 14 St. Louis encephalitis viral infections were recorded from this region. We have tabular and graphical data presenting incidence (crude, age-specific, and age-adjusted), morbidity, and mortality rates. Conclusion We believe there are three primary explanations for an increased risk of human WNV infection and disease in this region of Texas: a human population that is significantly older than the remainder of the state; large areas of irrigated agricultural land and playa lakes that support varied populations of mosquito species close to human habitation.
Effects of polyamines and histone on the phosphorylation of non-histone proteins in isolated rat liver nuclei

Abstract Addition of polyamines to isolated nuclei increases the rate and extent of phosphate incorporation from ATP into non-histone proteins several-fold. Similar results are obtained when histones are added to phosphorylating nuclei or when nuclei are incubated with DNAase prior to the addition of ATP. Electrophoretic analysis of the reaction products in SDS polyacrylamide gels reveals that specific non-histone proteins are preferentially phosphorylated in the presence of polyamines, some of which appear to be the same as in the presence of histones or DNAase. Removal of protein-bound phosphate during prolonged incubation of nuclei occurs with the same kinetics in the presence or absence of polyamines. Our results suggest that polyamines and histones stimulate nuclear protein phosphorylation by rendering additional phosphate acceptors accessible to the kinases.
Management of early (<30 day) vascular groin infections using vacuum-assisted closure alone without muscle flap coverage in a consecutive patient series.

Objective Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy without muscle flap coverage is our primary approach for graft preservation in early, deep groin infections with and without exposed grafts; however, concerns exist regarding its safety. We report our experience in a consecutive series of patients with early groin infections managed without muscle flap closure. Methods All patients with early ( Results Twenty-two patients (26 groins, mean age 69.1 ± 9.5 years [range, 44-86 years]) presented with deep groin infections 16 ± 5 days (range, 7-28 days) after the index procedure (bypass-polytetrafluoroethylene [n = 11], autologous vein [n = 3], endarterectomy/patch [n = 6], extra-anatomic bypass [n = 5], percutaneous closure device [n = 1]). Grafts were exposed in 12 groins (Szilagyi III, nine with suture lines). VAC was started one to six days (median, three) after operative debridement. All had positive wound cultures and received culture-directed antibiotic therapy for 47 ± 45 days (range, 14-180 days). Length of stay was significantly more in Szilagyi III, whereas mean VAC use and time-to-healing were similar. Mean follow-up was 33.4 ± 19.5 months (range, 2-72 months). All wounds healed (mean, 49 ± 21 days). Two treatment failures occurred in the Szilagyi III group (17%). One patient had bleeding from the anastomotic heel eight days after debridement, had graft removal/in situ replacement and one presented with reinfection on day 117 and had partial graft removal/extra-anatomic bypass. There was no perioperative mortality or limb loss, but six late unrelated mortalities and one amputation at 46 months unrelated to the groin infection. Conclusions Management of early, deep groin wound infections with debridement, antibiotics, and VAC treatment is safe and enables graft preservation in the majority of patients with minimal morbidity, no perioperative limb loss, or mortality.
Generate–Sometimes Recognize, Sometimes Not ☆ ☆☆

Abstract We report three experiments testing the extension of Jacoby and Hollingshead's (1990) revised generate–recognize model of recall to a conceptually driven recall test. According to the model, recall involves generation of items plus recognition of some but not all generated items. Inconsistent with this model, production of high-frequency words was greater on a test that required recognition of all generated items than on a recall test (Experiments 1a and 1b), and production of low-frequency words was greater on a recall test than on a generation test that did not require a recognition check (Experiments 1a, 1b, and 2). Further, the production advantage for high-frequency over low-frequency words was greater on a test that required recognition of all generated items than on a recall test. This result is not consistent with the idea that some items are recalled without a recognition check. If so, then high-frequency words should have exhibited a greater advantage over low-frequency words on a recall test than on a test that required recognition of all generated items. The results are interpreted within the view that recall can involve using information from encoding to access target information directly at retrieval.
Letter by Superko and King Regarding Article, “Lipid Treatment Assessment Project 2: A Multinational Survey to Evaluate the Proportion of Patients Achieving Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Goals”

To the Editor: The article by Waters et al1 on the improvement in blood lipid values during the past 10 years is encouraging and certainly in large part the result of national and international cholesterol education programs. Waters et al report that the percentage of surveyed individuals who reached their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) goal improved from 38% to 73%. Although this result is encouraging, the LDL-C–centric vision fails to give proper attention to the fact that many individuals with reduced LDL-C continue to experience cardiovascular events.2 For example, in the West of Scotland study, a relative risk reduction of 31% was reported, …
Adsorption and binding of the transgenic plant proteins, human serum albumin, β-glucuronidase, and Cry3Bb1, on montmorillonite and kaolinite: Microbial utilization and enzymatic activity of free and clay-bound proteins

Abstract Human serum albumin (HSA), β-glucuronidase (GUS), and the Cry3Bb1 protein from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kumamotoensis are expressed by genetically-modified plants. Commercial samples of these proteins adsorbed and bound rapidly on the clay minerals, kaolinite (K) and montmorillonite (M). Adsorption increased as the concentration of protein increased and then reached a plateau. The greatest amount of adsorption and binding occurred with the Cry3Bb1 protein, of which there was no desorption: 6.7 ±0.21 μg adsorbed and bound μg− 1 of M; 2.1 ± 0.39 μg adsorbed and bound μg− 1 of K. With GUS, 2.2 ± 0.29 μg adsorbed and 1.7 ±0.21 μg bound μg− 1 of M; 1.5 ± 0.28 μg adsorbed and 1.0 ± 0.03 μg bound μg− 1 of K. HSA was adsorbed and bound the least: 1.2 ±0.04 μg adsorbed and 0.8 ± 0.05 μg bound μg− 1 of M; 0.4 ± 0.05 μg adsorbed and 0.4 ± 0.03 μg bound μg− 1 of K. However, X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that only HSA intercalated M, and none of the proteins intercalated K, a nonswelling clay. When bound, the proteins were not utilized for growth by mixed cultures of soil microorganisms, whereas the cultures readily utilized the free (i.e., not adsorbed or bound) proteins as sources of carbon and energy. The enzymatic activity of GUS was significantly enhanced when bound on the clay minerals. These results indicated that recombinant proteins expressed by transgenic plants could persist and function in soil after release in root exudates and from decaying plant residues as the result of the protection provided against biodegradation by binding on clay minerals.