cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Students’ Expressed Academic Concern, Learning Outcomes, and Communication Motives

There were two purposes of this study. First, this study sought to examine the extent to which students’ expressed academic performance concern to their instructors is associated with the students’ learning outcomes (i.e., affective learning, cognitive learning, and use of learning indicators) and to students’ motives (i.e., relational, functional, excuse-making, participatory, and sycophantic) for communicating with their instructors. Second, this study sought to determine if students’ expressed academic performance concern is a unique reason (i.e., motive) why students communicate with their instructors. Undergraduate students (N = 365) completed a series of self-report measures. The results of Pearson correlations indicated that students’ expressed academic performance concern is related positively to their learning outcomes and motives for communicating with their instructors. Furthermore, an exploratory factor analysis revealed that students’ expressed academic performance concern is a unique motive ...
DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR BANDS TOWARD HD 62542

Diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) have been detected for the first time along the peculiar translucent line of sight toward HD 62542, which passes through a diffuse cloud core. Although only a small fraction (18 out of more than 300) of generally weak DIB features have been shown to correlate with C_2 and C_3 (the "C_2 DIBs"), it is predominantly these DIBs that are observed toward HD 62542. The typically strong DIBs λλ5780 and 5797 are detected but are significantly weaker than toward other lines of sight with similar reddening. Other commonly observed DIBs (such as λλ4430, 6270, and 6284) remain noticeably absent. These observations further support the suggestion that the line of sight toward HD 62542 crosses only the core of a diffuse cloud and show that the correlation between the C_2 DIBs and small carbon chains is maintained in environments with very large fractions of molecular hydrogen, f_(H_2) > 0.8. A comparison of CH, CN, C_2, and C_3 column densities and C_2 DIB strengths toward HD 62542, HD 204827, and HD 172028 suggests that the line of sight toward HD 204827 passes through a diffuse cloud core similar to that seen toward HD 62542, as well as what might be referred to as a diffuse cloud envelope. This indicates that the bare core toward HD 62542 may not have significantly different relative chemical abundances from other diffuse cloud cores and that the C_2 DIBs may serve as a diagnostic of such cores.
The significance of increased left ventricular outflow tract velocities in the elderly measured by continuous wave Doppler

Forty-four elderly patients (mean age 80 +/- 7 years) with elevated left ventricular outflow tract velocities and corresponding outflow tract gradients documented by continuous wave Doppler are reported (mean peak gradient 50 +/- 28). They had severe left ventricular hypertrophy, small left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions, and supernormal ejection fractions. Thirty-nine percent had a history of hypertension. They were predominantly female, had uniform concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, and had a high incidence of congestive heart failure. Diastolic function was found to be reduced in the elderly group compared to young patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and to age- and sex-matched normal controls. It is concluded that most elderly patients with increased left ventricular outflow tract velocities are etiologically distinct from young patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AMN107: Tightening the grip of imatinib

The Abl inhibitor imatinib is a highly effective therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Relapses are relatively uncommon in newly diagnosed patients, but are the rule in patients with more advanced disease. Mutations in the BCR-ABL gene are the most common cause of relapse. Working from the imatinib chemical structure, a higher-affinity family member, AMN107, was designed. AMN107 is approximately 20-fold more potent than imatinib, and this translates into improved inhibitory activity against most of the common BCR-ABL mutations. The implications of these results, and the potential role this and other novel ABL inhibitors may have in treating patients with CML, are discussed.
Finding counterexamples from parsing conflicts

Writing a parser remains remarkably painful. Automatic parser generators offer a powerful and systematic way to parse complex grammars, but debugging conflicts in grammars can be time-consuming even for experienced language designers. Better tools for diagnosing parsing conflicts will alleviate this difficulty. This paper proposes a practical algorithm that generates compact, helpful counterexamples for LALR grammars. For each parsing conflict in a grammar, a counterexample demonstrating the conflict is constructed. When the grammar in question is ambiguous, the algorithm usually generates a compact counterexample illustrating the ambiguity. This algorithm has been implemented as an extension to the CUP parser generator. The results from applying this implementation to a diverse collection of faulty grammars show that the algorithm is practical, effective, and suitable for inclusion in other LALR parser generators.
Females exhibit shorter paraspinal reflex latencies than males in response to sudden trunk flexion perturbations.

Background Females have a higher risk of experiencing low back pain or injury than males. One possible reason for this might be altered reflexes since longer paraspinal reflex latencies exist in injured patients versus healthy controls. Gender differences have been reported in paraspinal reflex latency, yet findings are inconsistent. The goal here was to investigate gender differences in paraspinal reflex latency, avoiding and accounting for potentially gender-confounding experimental factors.
Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Lymphatic Flow and Limb Volume in the Rat

Background and Purpose. The mechanism by which electrical stimulation affects edema has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether subcontraction high-voltage stimulation (SC-HVS) (ie, electrical stimulation that did not elicit a visible contraction) applied to the right hind limbs of rats would (1) alter the rate of lymphatic uptake of injected albumin labeled with Evans blue dye (AL-EBD) and (2) affect experimentally induced edema. Subjects and Methods. The paws of 28 anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats (mean weight=263 g, SD=48 g) were injected with AL-EBD. The experimental group (n=13) received 1 hour of SC-HVS, and the control group (n=15) received sham treatment consisting of the same treatment administered to the experimental group but without the SC-HVS. Blood samples and volume measurements were obtained at intervals over a 7-hour period. Results. Analysis of variance and post hoc testing indicated that higher amounts of AL-EBD were taken up by the lymph of the experimental group animals as compared with the control group animals at each time period following the treatment. The experimental group's AL-EBD reached significance immediately after treatment, whereas the control group required an additional 4 hours. There was no significant reduction in limb volume in either group. Conclusion and Discussion. The SC-HVS significantly increased the uptake of AL-EBD by lymphatic vessels, but it did not cause a significant decrease in the induced edema. The results of this study indicate that SC-HVS has the potential to reduce edema by increasing lymphatic uptake of proteins.
An overview of computer security

Presented is an overview of computer security, including concepts, techniques, and measures relating to the protection of computing systems and the information they maintain against deliberate or accidental threats. Motivations for security measures are discussed. Security strategies are considered. Actions and events that threaten security are described, along with technical problems that can prevent the computer from adequately dealing with threats. Security models are surveyed. Specific technical and administrative measures for promoting security are described. Among the technical measures discussed are design of secure systems, hardware and operating systems, identification of users, encryption, and access control packages. Administrative measures include personnel, physical security of the computing system, and auditing. Also presented is the establishment of a security program. Reviewed are special problems and their solutions, including communications and networks, data base management systems, and statistical data bases. This paper is based on a paper by the author published in The Handbook of Computers and Computing, edited by Arthur H. Seidman and Ivan Flores, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, Inc., New York (1984).
Fundamental Analysis in Research on Well-Being: Distress and the Sense of Control

Fundamental analysis defines the basic terms of social and behavioral research. It usually follows the rule "one concept to a measure." However, some responses inherently reflect more than one underlying attribute, as when a test score reflects both knowledge of the subject and practice with taking tests. The standard methods of fundamental analysis break down in the presence of such cross-cutting factors. In this article, we discuss two instances of confusion and disagreement among social and behavioral scientists generated by the effects of cross-cutting factors on critical measures. In the first instance, a tendency to agree with the statements of others can make beliefs about personal control over events and outcomes seem unrelated to beliefs about control by chance, fate, or powerful others. The tendency to agree correlates positively with age. In the second instance, emotional expressiveness can make the frequency or intensity of sadness seem unrelated to the frequency or intensity of happiness. Women, who make up the large majority of older Americans, express themselves more freely than men. The apparent disjointedness of internal and external attributions of control, or of positive and negative emotions, results from methods assuming that the response to each question reflects one and only one underlying factor. Cross-cutting factor models eliminate the bias and confusion produced by response tendencies and help isolate and define the essential dimensions of response.
HIV Infection, Sexual Risk Behavior, and Substance Use Among Latino Gay and Bisexual Men and Transgender Persons

Objectives. We examined HIV prevalence and the socioeconomic correlates of HIV infection, sexual risk behaviors, and substance use among Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender persons in Chicago and San Francisco.Methods. Data were collected from a sample of 643 individuals (Chicago: n=320; San Francisco: n=323) through respondent-driven sampling and computer-assisted self-administered interviews.Results. HIV prevalence in San Francisco (0.325; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.260, 0.393) was higher than in Chicago (0.112; 95% CI=0.079, 0.163). In San Francisco, HIV prevalence was higher among US-born residents than among those born outside the country; in Chicago, the opposite was true. Heavy use of alcohol was prevalent, especially in Chicago (0.368; 95% CI=0.309, 0.432; San Francisco: 0.154; 95% CI=0.116, 0.192). Drug use and more education were positively correlated and greater age was negatively correlated with unprotected anal intercourse.Conclusions. Heavy alcohol drinking and use of drugs remai...
Rereading Canonical Identity: A Sexual Ethics of Bible Interpretation

With all the damage biblical religion from the “West” has inflicted upon bodies, psyches, cultures, and lands, how can we engage ourselves with such a problematic text and history? What might ethics of interpretation mean in the context of this tradition? In this essay, I propose that many of us already have deep psychological entanglements with the text and tradition through our cultural, if not personal and familial, histories. I also argue that sex and gender theorists (particularly for this essay, Julia Kristeva and Judith Butler) offer the best modes for thinking about the relationship between the biblical canon and identity as well as some ethical considerations in interpretation. I articulate this ethics of interpretation through the noncanonical text the Gospel of Mary and point to ways in which “unmaking” is always already part of an ethical making of meaning.
Value of Urinary Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio as a Predictor of Type 2 Diabetes in Pre-Diabetic Individuals

OBJECTIVE —The albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) reflects urinary albumin excretion and is increasingly being accepted as an important clinical outcome predictor. Because of the great public health need for a simple and inexpensive test to identify individuals at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, it has been suggested that the ACR might serve this purpose. We therefore determined whether the ACR could predict incident diabetes in a well-characterized cohort of pre-diabetic Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A total of 3,188 Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) participants with a mean BMI of 34 kg/m 2 and elevated fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and baseline urinary albumin excretion measurements were followed for incident diabetes over a mean of 3.2 years. RESULTS —Of the participants, 94% manifested ACR levels below the microalbuminuria range and 21% ultimately developed diabetes during follow-up. Quartiles of ACR (median [range] within quartiles: 1, 3.0 [0.7–3.7]; 2, 4.6 [3.7–5.5]; 3, 7.1 [5.5–9.7]; and 4, 16.5 [9.7–1,578]) were positively associated with age, markers of adiposity and insulin secretion and resistance, blood pressure, and use of antihypertensive agents with antiproteinuric effects and inversely related to male sex and serum creatinine. An elevated hazard rate for developing diabetes with doubling of ACR disappeared after adjustment for covariates. Within the DPP intervention groups (placebo, lifestyle, and metformin), we found no consistent trend in incident diabetes by quartile or decile of ACR. CONCLUSIONS —An ACR at levels below the microalbuminuria range does not independently predict incident diabetes in adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Spherical scattering of superpositions of localized waves

Summary form only given. The acoustic scattering of the MPS (modified power spectrum) pulse from hard spheres was investigated. The authors synthesized the effect of launching and approximation to the MPS pulse from a finite array of transducers by superimposing the results obtained from a single transducer when it transmits an appropriate signal from a particular location. In this way they synthesized the array launching of a number of different MPS pulses, and measured the backscattered signal from steel spheres of various sizes. They showed how the backscattered data may be used to describe the characteristics of the scatterer. They also indicated how the backscattered data from two spheres may be used to determine the separation of the scatterers. >
Combating NBTI Degradation via Gate Sizing

NBTI is becoming one of the dominant circuit reliability concerns in nano-scale technologies. We believe that designers can combat NBTI degradation using appropriate circuit constraints. This paper presents a design technique to tolerate NBTI degradation by gate sizing. We provide an NBTI-aware gate sizing problem formulation and propose a solution method. The experimental results for MCNC'91 benchmark circuits show that for NBTI tolerance the purposed method results in less than 1% area increase in most cases while a formulation based on traditional performance focused methods may lead to over 4% area increase
Cost differences between hospice and nonhospice care. A comparison of insurer payments and provider charges.

Although it has been postulated that hospice care savings are "biased" when costs are measured in terms of insurerpayments instead of provider charges, this claim has not been documented by research. This article examines cost differences between hospice and nonhospice care, first, by analyzing Medicare Part A payments and, second, by studying provider charges for services rendered to a population of 24 cancer patients during their last 24 weeks of life. The exploratory results of the study showed that although the cost savings derived from analyzing provider charges were about double those based on Medicare Part A payments, both approaches to the measurement of cost strongly indicated that hospice home care was less costly than nonhospice care. Further analysis showed that variations in the rates of Medicare reimbursement accounted for 22 to 42% of the differences in the derived cost savings between the two approaches to measuring cost, and that payments to hospitals played a major role in determining th...
NMR solution structure of a cyanovirin homolog from wheat head blight fungus

Members of the cyanovirin-N homolog (CVNH) lectin family are found in bacteria, fungi and plants. As part of our ongoing work on CVNH structure-function studies, we determined the high-resolution NMR solution structure of the homolog from the wheat head blight disease causing ascomycetous fungus Gibberella zeae (or Fusarium graminearum), hereafter called GzCVNH. Like cyanovirin-N (CV-N), GzCVNH comprises two tandem sequence repeats and the protein sequence exhibits 30% identity with CV-N. The overall structure is similar to those of other members of the CVNH family, with the conserved pseudo-symmetric halves of the structure, domains A and B, closely resembling recently determined structures of Tuber borchii, Neurospora crassa, and Ceratopteris richardii CVNH proteins. Although GzCVNH exhibits a similar glycan recognition profile to CV-N and specifically binds to Manα(1-2)Manα, its weak carbohydrate binding affinity to only one binding site is insufficient for conferring anti-HIV activity. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Global seiching of thermocline waters between the Atlantic and the Indian-Pacific Ocean Basins

[1] Proxy climate data from the Greenland icecap and marine deposits in the Pacific indicate that warm conditions in the North Atlantic are linked to cool conditions in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific, and vice versa. Our ocean models show that the surface branch of the overturning circulation connecting the North Atlantic to the Equatorial Pacific adjusts by exchanging thermocline water between ocean basins in response to changes in deep water formation in the northern North Atlantic. Planetary ocean waves give rise to a global oceanic seiche, such that the volume of thermocline water decreases in the Pacific-Indian Ocean while increasing in the Atlantic Ocean. We conjecture that the remotely forced changes in the thermocline of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific may trigger El Nino events. These global seiches have been previously overlooked due to the difficulty of integrating high-resolution climate models for very long time-scales.
Credit Cards as Spending Facilitating Stimuli A Conditioning Interpretation

Four experiments and one study were conducted to test the hypothesis that stimuli associated with spending can elicit spending responses. In all experiments, credit card stimuli were either present or absent in situations in which subjects were given an opportunity to spend. Credit card stimuli directed spending such that the probability, speed, or magnitude of spending was enhanced in the presence of credit card cues. A conditioning explanation was used to interpret the results.
Compositions of modern dust and surface sediments in the Desert Southwest, United States

[1] Modern dusts across southwestern United States deserts are compositionally similar to dust-rich Av soil horizons (depths of 0–0.5 cm and 1–4 cm at 35 sites) for common crustal elements but distinctly different for some trace elements. Chemical compositions and magnetic properties of the soil samples are similar among sites relative to dust sources, geographic areas, and lithologic substrates. Exceptions are Li, U, and W, enriched in Owens Valley, California, and Mg and Sr, enriched in soils formed on calcareous fan gravel in southeast Nevada. The Av horizons are dominated by dust and reflect limited mixing with substrate sediments. Modern dust samples are also similar across the region, except that Owens Valley dusts are higher in Mg, Ba, and Li and dusts both there and at sites to the north on volcanic substrates are higher in Sb and W. Thus, dust and Av horizons consist of contributions from many different sources that are well mixed before deposition. Modern dusts contain significantly greater amounts of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Sb than do Av horizons, which record dust additions over hundreds to thousands of years. These results suggest that modern dust compositions are influenced by anthropogenic sources and emissions from Owens (dry) Lake after its artificial desiccation in 1926. Both modern dusts and Av horizons are enriched in As, Ba, Cu, Li, Sb, Th, U, and W relative to average crustal composition, which we interpret to indicate that the geologic sources of dust in the southwestern United States are geochemically distinctive.
Ant colony optimization for microgrid multi-objective power management

Steadily increasing needs for electrical power, progress in power deregulation, tight construction constraints on new high voltage lines for long distance power transmission, and global environmental concerns have created increased interest in alternative energy (AE) generation. Hybrid combination of AE sources can significantly improve their reliability and better deliver power to customer loads without reliance on centralized electricity production. It is expected that alternative energy distributed generation (AEDG) microgrids that capitalize on diverse energy sources, are controlled in a decentralized way, and reduce the burden on the utility grid by generating power close to the consumer will penetrate the existing grid-infrastructure in the near future. This paper presents a framework for an intelligent supervisory controller that utilizes ant colony optimization (ACO) methods for AEDG microgrid dispatch control. The novelty of this work is the application of ACO to the rapid microgrid power management problem given complex constraints and objectives including: environmental, fuel/resource availability, and economic considerations. Given the compound nature of the multi-objective, multi-constraint energy management problem for integrated AEDG systems, this paper develops a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) algorithm capable of finding Pareto optimal dispatch solutions. Microgrid power management control is not an easy problem, but its development is critical for widespread AEDG system implementation.
Epistemology and the Sociology of Knowledge

Epistemology, I will argue, is of crucial importance to the sociology of knowledge— not just by way of definition of the phenomenon under study, but also because approaches to the sociology of knowledge rely on too-often implicit epistemological stances. I will make this argument through a series of categorizations: first, I will classify the field of epistemology into its three main forms; second, I will classify the sociology of knowledge into epistemological categories; third, I will classify the sociology of science into these same categories. All the while, I will be making an argument for an empirical epistemology and "agnostic" studies of knowledge. This article does not cover the field of epistemology exhaustively, but tries to offer an orderly overview of classic positions for the benefit of social scientists.
Head and neck lymph node region delineation using a hybrid image registration method

The success of radiation therapy depends critically on accurately delineating the target volume, which is the region of known or suspected disease in a patient. Methods that can compute a contour set defining a target volume on a set of patient's biomedical images will contribute greatly to the success of radiation therapy and drastically reduce the workload of radiation oncologists, who currently often draw the targets by hand on images using simple computer drawing tools. We are developing methods for automatically selecting and adapting standardized regions of tumor spread based on the location of lymph node regions in a standard or reference case, using image registration techniques. Previously available image registration techniques (deformable transformations computed using mutual information ) appear promising and can be supplemented by utilizing landmark correspondences in the optimization process to come closer to achieving a clinically acceptable match.
The Discard of Study Evidence by Literature Reviewers

Literature reviewers have drawn dramatically different conclusions about the effectiveness of management by objectives (MBO). Some reviewers drew quite optimistic conclusions about the value of MBO...
Characterization of gap junction channels in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells

Recent evidence suggest that coordination of blood flow in the microcirculation involves cell-to-cell coupling via gap junctions. In this study, using A7r5 cells as a model of vascular smooth muscle, we have characterized the gap junctions in terms of the unitary conductances of the observed channels, the responses to second messengers, and subunit protein composition. The cells were typically well coupled several hours after plating, with junctional conductances on the order 20-40 nS. Channels with mean conductances of 36 and 89 pS were observed in low-conductance cell pairs and in cell pairs whose macroscopic conductance was reduced by exposure to halothane. Connexin43 was the only known gap junction sequence detected by Northern blots (low and high stringency), immunoblots, or immunohistochemical studies. Junctional conductance was reduced 15% by 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate had no effect. The results suggest that connexin43 can form stable channels of at least two distinct conductances and gap junctions with differing responses to second messengers.
Simultaneous particle morphology and temperature measurements of burning pulverized coal

Simultaneous, in situ measurements of the morphology, temperature and velocity of individual pulverized coal particles are presented. Particle temperatures are measured using two-color pyrometry and shapes are obtained from two-diemnsional images. From these images, estimates of particle external surfac area and volume are obtained using a discrete revolution technique. This method provides more accurate determination of the surface area of irregularly shaped particles than the equivalent sphere method typically referred to in the literature. The results of simultaneous morphology, temperature and velocity measurements obtained for a Pittsubrgh seam coal (35% volatile matter by weight) 30 msec after particle ignition in various bulk gas oxygen concentrations are presented. At oxygen concentrations of 10 and 15% by volume, two types of particles are observed: low temperature particles with large, irregular shapes and high temperature particles with more compact shapes. Examination of collected particles using scanning electron microscopy showed the low temperature particles to be lacy, soot-like formations and the high temperature particles to be partially burned coal particles. A comparison is made between calculated particle burning rates (μg/s) obtained using the discrete revolution technique and those obtained using the equivalent sphere method. Burning rates obtained from the images are approximately 30% higher than those obtained from the equivalent sphere method. The two-dimensional images provide a better estimate of the higher surfaces areas associated with irregular shaped particles and hence the higher calculated particle burning rates (μg/s) are more accurate.
Estimate of large CZT detector absolute efficiency

This work presents a simulation study about the absolute spectroscopic performances of two large CZT coplanar detectors 1.5/spl times/1.5 cm/sup 2/ area, 1.0 cm thick. A code based on the Geant libraries and classical Monte-Carlo sampling has been developed for the simulation of the experimental scenarios. This tool adapts the Geant capabilities for simulating complex detection systems to the particular needs in spectroscopic studies. Initially, detectors with perfect charge transportation and collection have been simulated. Prior to the application to the CZT devices under research, the code is checked in the simulation of a reliable HPGe detector. The result for this detector is considered as reference for estimating the code capabilities. Some preliminary considerations are exposed in order to correctly define the true sensitive volume of the CZT detectors. Results from the simulation of this basic detector model are presented and commented. Subsequently, the effects of a possible realistic electric field profile in the coplanar detector unable to efficiently deflect the produced negative charge to the collecting anode is studied. From the analysis of the differences found between the simulated and real results, some conclusions relating the electrode design and detector quality are proposed.
Geostatistical three-dimensional modeling of oolite shoals, St. Louis Limestone, southwest Kansas

In the Hugoton embayment of southwestern Kansas, reservoirs composed of relatively thin (4 m; 13.1 ft) oolitic deposits within the St. Louis Limestone have produced more than 300 million bbl of oil. The geometry and distribution of oolitic deposits control the heterogeneity of the reservoirs, resulting in exploration challenges and relatively low recovery. Geostatistical three-dimensional (3-D) models were constructed to quantify the geometry and spatial distribution of oolitic reservoirs, and the continuity of flow units within Big Bow and Sand Arroyo Creek fields. Lithofacies in uncored wells were predicted from digital logs using a neural network. The tilting effect from the Laramide orogeny was removed to construct restored structural surfaces at the time of deposition. Well data and structural maps were integrated to build 3-D models of oolitic reservoirs using stochastic simulations with geometry data. Three-dimensional models provide insights into the distribution, the external and internal geometry of oolitic deposits, and the sedimentologic processes that generated reservoir intervals. The structural highs and general structural trend had a significant impact on the distribution and orientation of the oolitic complexes. The depositional pattern and connectivity analysis suggest an overall aggradation of shallow-marine deposits during pulses of relative sea level rise followed by deepening near the top of the St. Louis Limestone. Cemented oolitic deposits were modeled as barriers and baffles and tend to concentrate at the edge of oolitic complexes. Spatial distribution of porous oolitic deposits controls the internal geometry of rock properties. Integrated geostatistical modeling methods can be applicable to other complex carbonate or siliciclastic reservoirs in shallow-marine settings.
Discontinuous Actin Hexagon, a Protein Essential for Cortical Furrow Formation in Drosophila, Is Membrane Associated and Hyperphosphorylated

discontinuous actin hexagon (dah) is a maternal-effect gene essential for the formation of cortical furrows during Drosophila embryogenesis, and DAH protein colocalizes with actin in these furrows. Biochemical fractionation experiments presented here demonstrate that DAH is highly enriched in the membrane fraction and that its membrane association is resistant to high-salt and alkaline washes. Furthermore, it partitions into the detergent phase of the Triton X-114 solution, indicating its tight binding to the membranes. DAH can also interact with the actin cytoskeleton, because a fraction of DAH remains insoluble to nonionic detergent along with actin. These biochemical characterizations suggest that DAH may play a role in the linkage of the actin cytoskeleton to membranes. Using phosphatase inhibitors, we detected multiple phosphorylated forms of DAH in embryonic extracts. The DAH phosphorylation peaks during cellularization, a stage at which DAH function is critical. A kinase activity is coimmunoprecipitated with the DAH complex and hyperphosphorylates DAH in vitro. Purified casein kinase I can also hyperphosphorylate DAH in the immune complex. Both DAH localization and phosphorylation are disrupted in another maternal-effect mutant, nuclear-fallout. It is possible that nuclear-fallout collaborates with dah and directs DAH protein localization to the cortical furrows.
Comparative studies with 18 strains of histoplasma; morphology in tissues and virulence of African and American strains.

Abstract 1.1. A comparison of American and African strains of Histoplasma capsulatum revealed great variations not only in the morphology and growth rate but also in virulence. 2.2. Mortality was always much more pronounced in hamsters; of 17 strains of Histoplasma capsulatum, 13 killed hamsters after intraperitoneal injection of the yeast phase with generalized infection. Only 4 strains produced death in mice under the same conditions. 3.3. Histoplasma farcinimosum was not lethal to any of the animals but produced small "tubercles" in the peritoneum of animals. 4.4. Death in hamsters inoculated with virulent strains occurs in a relatively short time as a consequence of disseminated disease, which makes this species very desirable for therapeutic experiments. 5.5. Of 13 American strains of H. capsulatum, only one was not lethal for hamsters in the conditions of these experiments; of 4 African strains, only one was lethal but all produced disease in hamsters. 6.6. Highly virulent strains (5,20,27,31,63,2764) killed animals within three weeks, but other strains required considerably more time or were not lethal at all. 7.7. Large forms measuring 6 to 27μ, similar to the organisms observed in African human and animal histoplasmosis were found in 12 American and 3 African strains in hamsters. 8.8. From this comparative study, it is concluded that Histoplasma capsulatum occurs with great variation of morphology, cultural characteristics, and virulence; at present there seems to be no safe way to recognize a separate species.
THE ECOLOGY OF NORMAL VALUES IN CLINICAL CHEMISTRY

(1976). The Ecology of Normal Values in Clinical Chemistry. CRC Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 319-330.
Telehealth and Occupational Therapy: Integral to the Triple Aim of Health Care Reform.

Programs and concepts included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 are expected to transform health care in the United States from a volume-based health system to a value-based health system with increased emphasis on prevention and health promotion. The Triple Aim, a framework set forth by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, focuses on improving the health care experience, the health of populations, and the affordability of care. This article describes telehealth as an integral component in achieving the Triple Aim of health care and discusses implications for occupational therapy practitioners. CI - Copyright (c) 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. - Telemedecine
A Note on Hadamard Products

(1970). A Note on Hadamard Products. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 77, No. 10, pp. 1087-1087.
The red nucleus and visual performance in the white rat: A methodological artifact?

Albino rats, trained in a Thompson-Bryant apparatus without a choice chamber, were found to be deficient in visual discrimination performance after ventral midbrain damage. The results support previous work with rats and raise the possibility of a species difference in functional significance of the red nucleus between white rats and rhesus monkeys.
Statistically Controlling for Confounding Constructs Is Harder than You Think

Social scientists often seek to demonstrate that a construct has incremental validity over and above other related constructs. However, these claims are typically supported by measurement-level models that fail to consider the effects of measurement (un)reliability. We use intuitive examples, Monte Carlo simulations, and a novel analytical framework to demonstrate that common strategies for establishing incremental construct validity using multiple regression analysis exhibit extremely high Type I error rates under parameter regimes common in many psychological domains. Counterintuitively, we find that error rates are highest—in some cases approaching 100%—when sample sizes are large and reliability is moderate. Our findings suggest that a potentially large proportion of incremental validity claims made in the literature are spurious. We present a web application (http://jakewestfall.org/ivy/) that readers can use to explore the statistical properties of these and other incremental validity arguments. We conclude by reviewing SEM-based statistical approaches that appropriately control the Type I error rate when attempting to establish incremental validity.
Darwin’s Hammer and John Henry’s Hammer

Chapter 8 draws together and closes my ethnographic discussion by considering the two forms of Truth by which dominant American scientific and religious discourses appear to be solidly rooted. Using the tools of existential phenomenology and sociocultural theory, I work through problems of epistemology and identity in evolution education. In the US context, how is a public school educator to both remain respective to religious pluralism, while also teaching Creationists that evolution has happened? For a Creationist student, how does one both be a Creationist and accept that evolution has taken place? One way of being, as a matter of public education in science, seemingly obliterates the other.
A gentle introduction to the boundary element method in Matlab/Freemat

The Boundary Element Method is developed in its most simple form; for the solution of Laplace's equation in an interior domain with a straight line approximation to the boundary. The direct and indirect approaches to the boundary element method are included. The methods are developed in Freemat, a language similar to Matlab. The codes for the solution of Laplace's equation in a general domain with a general (Robin) boundary condition are developed. The codes are applied to a typical test problem. The codes are made available as open source and can be downloaded from www.east-lancashire-research.org.uk (report AR-08-14).
Revision of the Ambrysus guttatipennis Stål species complex (Heteroptera: Naucoridae: Cryphocricinae) with the descriptions of six new species from Mexico.

The Ambrysus guttatipennis Stal species complex is revised and includes A. arizonus La Rivers, A. bispinus La Rivers, A. drakei La Rivers, A. guttatipennis Stal, A. mexicanus Montandon, and A. mormon Montandon. Six new species that belong to this complex are described from Mexico: A. ayoyolin n. sp., A. bowlesi n. sp., A. contrerasi n. sp., A. itsipatsari n. sp., A. noveloi n. sp., and A. veracruzanus n. sp. The subspecies A. mormon australis La Rivers, A. m. heidemanni Montandon, and A. m. minor La Rivers are proposed as junior synonyms of A. m. mormon Montandon. A supplemental redescription of A. guttatipennis Stal based on the holotype is provided and a lectotype of A. mexicanus Montandon is designated. Ambrysus arizonus is newly recorded from Mexico and A. bispinus from Guatemala. Most of the species in this complex occur only in Mexico, although A. arizonus and A. mormon are distributed in Mexico and the United States, and A. bispinus is distributed in Mexico and Guatemala. Ambrysus mormon has the widest distribution of any species in this complex. Features uniting these species are related to male genitalia and structures associated with male and female genitalia.
A novel glycan modifies the flagellar filament proteins of the oral bacterium Treponema denticola.

While protein glycosylation has been reported in several spirochetes including the syphilis bacterium Treponema pallidum and Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, the pertinent glycan structures and their roles remain uncharacterized. Herein, we report a novel glycan with an unusual chemical composition and structure in the oral spirochete Treponema denticola, a keystone pathogen of periodontitis. The identified glycan of mass 450.2 Da is composed of a monoacetylated nonulosonic acid (Non) with a novel extended N7 acyl modification, a 2-methoxy-4,5,6-trihydroxy-hexanoyl residue in which the Non has a pseudaminic acid configuration (L-glycero-L-manno) and is β-linked to serine or threonine residues. This novel glycan modifies the flagellin proteins (FlaBs) of T. denticola by O-linkage at multiple sites near the D1 domain, a highly conserved region of bacterial flagellins that interact with Toll-like receptor 5. Furthermore, mutagenesis studies demonstrate that the glycosylation plays an essential role in the flagellar assembly and motility of T. denticola. To our knowledge, this novel glycan and its unique modification sites have not been reported previously in any bacteria. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Intertwined Storylines with Anchor Points

Narrative and dialogue are effective ways for engaging people and helping people organize and memorize information. In this work, we present an automated narration system that takes structured information from the Internet and tailors the presentation to a user using storytelling techniques. It is aimed at presenting the information as an interesting and meaningful story by taking into consideration a combination of factors ranging from topic consistency and novelty to user interests. In particular, the designer of the agent can specify a number of anchor points for the presentation, and the agent will automatically decide its strategy for covering these anchor points and emphasizing them in its presentation using multiple intertwining storylines and contrasts.
Inflammatory cytokine response is greater in acute tibial plafond fractures than acute tibial plateau fractures

The purpose of the study was to compare the inflammatory cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) concentrations in synovial fluid after acute plafond fracture with acute tibial plateau fracture. Between December 2011 and August 2014, we prospectively enrolled patients with acute tibial plateau and plafond fractures. Synovial fluid aspirations were obtained from injured and uninjured joints. The concentrations of IL-1β, IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1, TNF-α, MMP-1, -3, -9, -10, -12, and -13 were quantified using multiplex assays. A Bonferroni correction was used so that the adjusted alpha level for significance was p < 0.004. We enrolled 45 tibial plateau fractures and 19 plafond fractures. Mean patient age was 42 years (range, 20-60) and 64% were male patients. There were 24 low-energy (OTA 41B) plateau fractures and eight low-energy (OTA 43B) plafond fractures. There were 21 high-energy (6 OTA 41B3 and 15 OTA 41C) plateau fractures and 11 high-energy (OTA43C) plafond fractures. All cytokines and MMPs except MMP-13 were significantly elevated in plafond fractures compared to uninjured ankles. When comparing acutely injured joints, IL-8 (p < 0.001), IL-1β (p = 0.002), and MMP-12 (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in plafond fractures compared to plateau fractures. Concentrations of IL-1RA (p = 0.008) and MCP-1 (p = 0.005) were higher in plafond fractures, and MMP-10 (p = 0.01) was higher in plateau fractures, but these differences did not reach significance. In conclusion, several cytokines and MMPs were significantly elevated in acute plafond fractures as compared to acute tibial plateau fractures. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2613-2619, 2017.
Intellectual Disability and Language Disorder

Among parents’ foremost developmental concerns are cognitive delays, in particular delays in language and adaptive function. Both are features of intellectual disability (ID), or, when language is specifically affected, language disorders. Child psychiatrists will frequently encounter these conditions, particularly as they are associated with an increased risk of challenging behaviors and psychopathology. In working with affected children and their families, child psychiatrists should be prepared to identify relevant signs and symptoms, manage psychiatric comorbidities, refer to specialists for comprehensive assessment and multidisciplinary treatments, and foster family-centered care. Child psychiatrists thus play an important role in addressing the multifaceted nature of these conditions and in optimizing independence and functional outcomes.
The Spatial Smoothing Method of Clock Synchronization in Wireless Networks

Wireless sensor networks are networks of devices which collaborate to perform distributed sensing, processing, and possibly even actuation tasks. In this chapter we consider the problem of the synchronizing clocks in wireless sensor networks. We analyze an approach to clock synchronization, called spatial smoothing, that generally synchronizes clocks in a network more accurately than alternative tree-based methods. This approach leads to a distributed least-squares vector estimation problem whose goal is to smooth out the noisy estimates of clock differences of pairs of nodes that can directly exchange packets. We point out connections between the error variance of such a least squares-based clock synchronization and resistance in electrical networks. We determine the limiting clock synchronization accuracy for several types of networks of interest and quantify the improvement over the tree-based method. For random connected wireless sensor networks we show that the clock synchronization error can remain bounded even as the number of nodes in the network increases. This lends support for the feasibility of time-based computation in large networks. We further analyze the convergence time of a distributed iterative algorithm to compute the optimally spatial smoothed estimates. We also propose ways of exploiting the network connectivity graph structure in order to speed up computation.
Ultrasound-Guided Posterior Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Block: A Cadaveric Study.

Objectives To identify any anatomic barriers to local anesthetic spread between the sciatic nerve (SN) and the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PFCN) at the level of the infragluteal crease and to describe a potential technique for an ultrasound (US)-guided subgluteal PFCN block in a cadaveric model. Methods Bilateral US-guided subgluteal injections of a colored latex solution were performed around the SN (15 mL) and PFCN (10 mL) in 4 unembalmed cadavers, for a total of 8 cadaver thighs. The specimens were dissected after latex polymerization to observe the spread of the latex solutions. Results With US guidance, the PFCN was visualized deep to the gluteus maximus and slightly superficial or lateral to the SN at the level of the infragluteal crease. The SN and PFCN were found on dissection to be coated with their respective colored latex in all 8 thighs. The SN and PFCN were consistently separated by the deep investing muscular fascia of the thigh, with only 2 thighs showing substantial mixing of latex injectates. Conclusions The deep investing muscular fascia of the thigh appears to impede the spread of injectate between the SN and PFCN in a most unembalmed cadaver specimens. A US-guided subgluteal PFCN blockade may be a feasible technique to complement an SN block when complete anesthesia of the posterior thigh is required.