cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allergic Diseases and Immune-Mediated Food Disorders in Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome.

Background: The prevalence and impact of allergic and immune-mediated food disorders in pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) are mostly unknown. Objective: We sought to explore the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), IgE-mediated food allergies (FAs), and other immune-mediated food disorders requiring food avoidance in patients with PANS. In addition, to further understand the extent of food restriction in this population, we investigated the empiric use of dietary measures to improve PANS symptoms. Methods: Pediatric patients in a PANS Clinic and Research Program were given surveys regarding their caregiver burdens, allergic and food-related medical history, and whether food elimination resulted in perception of improvement of PANS symptoms. A review of health records was conducted to confirm that all responses in the survey were concordant with documentation of each patient's medical chart. Results: Sixty-nine (ages 4-20 years) of 80 subjects who fulfilled PANS criteria completed the surveys. Thirteen (18.8%) had AD, 11 (15.9%) asthma, 33 (47.8%) AR, 11 (15.9%) FA, 1 (1.4%) eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, 1 (1.4%) food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, 3 (4.3%) milk protein-induced proctocolitis syndrome, and 3 (4.3%) celiac disease. Thirty subjects (43.5%) avoided foods due to PANS; elimination of gluten and dairy was most common and was associated with perceived improvement of PANS symptoms (by parents). This perceived improvement was not confirmed with objective data. Conclusions: The prevalence of allergic and immune-mediated food disorders in PANS is similar to the general population as reported in the literature, with the exception of AR that appears to be more prevalent in our PANS cohort. More research will be required to establish whether diet or allergies influence PANS symptoms.
Internal Audit Outsourcing: A Literature Synthesis and Future Directions

The internal audit function (IAF), which has traditionally been an in‐house function, is increasingly being outsourced to outside consultants, in line with global trends for other services. This study synthesises research on the outsourcing and co‐sourcing of internal audit services over the last three decades, and suggests directions for future research. It draws from professional and academic literature to highlight the nature of organisations that outsource the IAF, and the main reasons behind the outsourcing decision. The study further examines the financial impact of outsourcing, as well as its impact on financial reporting, internal audit quality and auditors’ independence. The study shows widespread adoption of outsourcing of internal auditing services, largely due to the perceived cost benefits as well as perceived improved access to specialised internal auditing resources. There are mixed findings on the impact of outsourcing of internal auditing services on quality, cost, independence and availability of resources. This study contributes to internal and external audit, corporate governance and outsourcing literature in general, by synthesising the existing research and providing a roadmap with which to understand the origins, development, present state and impact of outsourcing of internal auditing.
Remarks on the Mossin Theorem

We establish several new results regarding the Mossin Theorem under both nonrandom initial wealth and random initial wealth. For the nonrandom initial wealth case, we show that the Mossin Theorem h...
Small-Area Family Forest Ownerships in the USA

Sixty percent of family forest ownerships in the United States of America (USA) own between 0.4 and 4.0 ha (1–9 ac). Yet, little is known about this segment of family forest ownerships because they are often excluded from data collection or analyses. We utilized national data for the USA collected through the National Woodland Owner Survey to examine small-area ownerships, as well as compare attributes of this ownership group to larger-area ownerships. Small-area ownerships are less active than ownerships of greater than 4.0 ha, but not inactive. Approximately 60% of small-area ownerships have undertaken at least one of the following activities in the previous 5 years: harvesting for personal use, treating invasive plants, reducing fire hazards, and reducing unwanted insects/diseases. While 74% of small-area ownerships rate wildlife habitat protection as an important ownership objective, only 11% have undertaken a wildlife habitat improvement project in the previous 5 years. Both small- and large- (> 4.0 ha) area ownership classes are most interested in the amenity aspects of woodland ownership, but small-area ownerships are significantly less interested in ownership for firewood, timber, recreation and hunting on their land than larger ownerships. Neither ownership class is very likely to have received professional advice about their forestland in the previous 5 years, but the percentage of small-area ownerships who have done so is half that of larger-area ownerships. Both area ownership classes want their forestland to remain forested in the future. Our findings suggest needs and opportunities to engage small-area forest landowners, but likely in different ways and on different topics than when dealing with larger-area ownerships.
Cultural Inheritance and Evolutionary Ecology

This chapter argues that cultural adaptation can yield qualitatively different outcomes than those predicted from conventional fitness optimizing theory, even if one assumes that the capacity for culture has been shaped solely by natural selection acting on genetic variation. It presents the circumstances under which culture is superior to genetic transmission and individual learning as a means of adaptation. The chapter argues that there are processes of cultural adaptation that lead to different outcomes than would be predicted based on fitness maximization, but are nonetheless favored by natural selection because they make social learning more effective. It also argues that some cultural processes may lead to "maladaptive" outcomes, but only if guided variation and direct bias are weak forces. When cultural variation is transmitted nonparentally, natural selection may favor genetically maladaptive cultural variants.
19 – Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Power distortions such as power interruptions, voltage sags and swells, voltage spikes, and voltage harmonics can cause severe impacts on sensitive loads in the electric systems. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are used to provide uninterrupted, reliable, and high-quality power for these sensitive loads. Applications of UPS systems include medical facilities, life-supporting systems, data storage and computer systems, emergency equipment, telecommunications, industrial processing, and online management systems (Karve, 2000; Carle, 1995; Krishnan and Srinivasan, 1993). The UPS systems are especially required in places where power outages and fluctuations occur frequently. A UPS provides a backup power circuitry to supply vital systems when a power outage occurs. In situations where short-time power fluctuations or disturbed voltage occur, a UPS provides constant power to keep the important loads running. During extended power failures, a UPS provides backup power to keep the systems running long enough so that they can be gracefully powered down.
Common Causes, Diagnostic Evaluation, and Treatment in Men

Chronic urogenital pain in men is divided into pain emanating from the scrotal contents and pain emanating from the prostate. Presented are clinical findings, diagnostics, and treatment strategies.
Carbon isotope measurements of foods containing sugar: A survey

Over 200 sugars, high sugar content foods, and sugar-free alternative products found in Canadian supermarkets were analyzed for carbon isotope (δ13C) values, adding to the record of food items with reported δ13C values, which can aid in food authentication and human diet studies. The δ13C values of the products were mostly consistent with the photosynthetic pathway of the plant from which the main ingredients were derived. With the exception of those sugars and syrups derived from known C3 sources, all of the sugars and syrups and most of the sugar added to food products were from C4 plants such as sugar cane or corn syrup. Many sweeteners are chemically manufactured, and most reflect an intermediate δ13C value. A mixing model estimated the contribution of C3- and C4-based ingredients in foods with high sugar content, which may be used to evaluate the percentage of added sugar from C3- or C4-sources.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Quadriceps Tendon Autograft in Adolescent Athletes

Purpose: The ideal graft material for pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is controversial with many options available. Use of hamstrings tendon can compromise dynamic stability in an ACL-reconstructed knee, and patellar tendon harvest can lead to anterior knee pain and numbness. Allografts avoid donor-site morbidity, but have been associated with infection and rejection. To date, there have been no studies reporting the use of quadriceps tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction in adolescent athletes in the United States. The purpose of this study is to report the outcomes of quadriceps tendon autograft with …
Conversion of NOx1- (x = 2, 3) to NO using an oxygen-deficient polyoxovanadate-alkoxide cluster.

We report the activation of nitrogen-containing oxyanions using an oxygen-deficient polyoxovanadate–alkoxide cluster. Reduction of NO21− and NO31− results in near-quantitative oxygen atom transfer to the coordinatively unsaturated VIII ion, and selective formation of NO. These results provide insight into possible mechanisms of oxyanion reduction by polyoxometalates.
The Reg4-CD44ICD pathway and tumor aggression in early-stage colon adenocarcinoma.

234Background: Reg4, or regenerating islet-derived protein 4, is highly expressed in gastrointestinal malignancies and acts as a mitogenic factor. Our prior work suggests a direct invitro interacti...
Internal audit of an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for radical cystectomy

To perform an internal audit 5 years after implementation of our enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol for patients undergoing radical cystectomy and to investigate the importance of physician driven compliance on outcomes. Using a prospectively maintained database, 472 consecutive patients were identified who underwent radical cystectomy with ERAS from July 2013 to July 2017. Compliance was measured by a Composite Compliance Score (CCS) generated as a percentage of 16 interventions. Patients with higher than median compliance were compared to patients with lower compliance. The primary outcome was length of stay. Secondary outcomes included complication and readmission rates. Multivariable regressions were used to control for differences between groups. In 2013, median CCS was 81% and subsequently ranged from 81 to 88%. Five-year median CCS was 88%. Patients with higher compliance (CCS ≥ 88%, n = 262), as compared to those with lower compliance (CCS < 88%, n = 210), were younger (median 70.3 vs 72.7 years, p = 0.047), healthier (ASA3–4 81% vs 89.9%, p = 0.007), received more orthotopic diversions (59.2% vs 37.6%, p < 0.0001), more often had open surgery (78.5% vs 51.9%, p < 0.0001) and had shorter median operative times (5.5 vs 6.3 h, p = 0.005). Median length of stay was 4 days. Higher compliance was associated with shorter hospital stays (β = − 0.85, 95% CI − 1.62 to − 0.07) and decreased 30-day readmissions (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.35–0.96). Greater ERAS compliance was achieved in younger and healthier patients. Patients with greater compliance had a decreased length of stay by almost 1 day and reduced odds of 30-day readmissions.
Coral accurately bridges paired-end RNA-seq reads alignment

Abstract Motivation The established high-throughput RNA-seq technologies usually produce paired-end reads. A challenging problem is therefore to computationally infer the alignment of entire fragments given the alignment of the two mate ends. Solving this problem essentially provide longer RNA-seq reads, and hence benefits downstream RNA-seq analysis. Results We introduce Coral, a new tool that can accurately bridge paired-end RNA-seq reads. The core of Coral is a novel optimization formulation that can capture the most reliable bridging path while also filter out false paths. An efficient dynamic programming algorithm is designed to calculate the top N optimum. Coral implements a consensus approach to select the best solution among the N candidates by taking into account the distribution of fragment length. Coral is modular, can be easily incorporated into existing RNA-seq analysis pipeline. We show that Coral can improve transcript assembly by a large margin: on average over 2377 RNA-seq samples from GTEx, the improvement (measured with adjusted precision) is 7.5% and 11.2% when Coral is incorporated with StringTie and Scallop, respectively. Availability Coral is open-source, freely available at GitHub (https://github.com/Shao-Group/coral) and Bioconda. Scripts, datasets and documentations that can reproduce all experimental results in this paper are available at https://github.com/Shao-Group/coraltest.
Infant mental health home visiting therapists’ fidelity to the Michigan IMH‐HV model in community practice settings

Implementation research suggests that fidelity to a therapeutic model is important for enhancing outcomes, yet can be difficult to achieve in community practice settings. Furthermore, few published studies have reported on characteristics of treatment fidelity. The present study examined fidelity to the Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV) model among 51 therapists with a range of experience practicing in community settings across the state of Michigan. IMH therapists completed fidelity checklists after every session with participating families to track use of 15 treatment strategies central to the IMH-HV model across the 12-month study period. Results indicated that the most commonly endorsed components utilized in home visits were developmental guidance and infant-parent psychotherapy, followed by the provision of emotional support. Use of IMH-HV components did not vary over time for the entire sample; however, patterns of strategies used showed somewhat more variability among more experienced therapists and when serving higher risk families. Findings demonstrate that IMH-HV therapists report a range of adherence to the model in community settings, with greatest fidelity to several model core components. Ongoing training in the flexible use of all core strategies may further enhance fidelity and contribute to positive outcomes for caregivers and their children receiving IMH-HV services.
βT87Q-Globin Gene Therapy Reduces Sickle Hemoglobin Production, Allowing for Ex Vivo Anti-sickling Activity in Human Erythroid Cells.

Lentiviral addition of βT87Q-globin, a modified β-globin with an anti-sickling mutation, is currently being used in gene therapy trials for sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia patients. βT87Q-globin interferes with sickle hemoglobin (HbS) polymerization. Here, we generated the SCD mutation in an immortalized human erythroid cell line (HUDEP-2) to investigate the anti-sickling activity of βT87Q-globin. Sickle HUDEP-2 (sHUDEP-2) cells produced robust HbS after differentiation and sickled under deoxygenated conditions, comparable with SCD CD34+ progeny. Lentiviral transduction provided 9.5–26.8 pg/cell βT87Q-globin (R2 = 0.83) in a vector copy number (VCN)-dependent manner, resulting in a significant reduction of sickling ratios (R2 = 0.92). Interestingly, βT87Q-globin transduction markedly reduced endogenous βS-globin (R2 = 0.84) to an undetectable level (0.4–16.8 pg/cell) in sHUDEP-2 cells, as well as endogenous β-globin in human CD34+ cell-derived erythroid cells. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis with βT87Q-transduced sHUDEP-2 and human CD34+-derived cells revealed activation of inflammation- and proliferation-related programs, suggesting minimal changes in background gene expression except for βT87Q-globin expression and endogenous β/βS-globin suppression. In summary, using sHUDEP-2 and CD34+-derived cells, we demonstrated that lentiviral addition of βT87Q-globin strongly reduced endogenous β-/βS-globin expression, resulting in an anti-sickling effect. Our findings should be helpful to understand the anti-sickling effects of therapeutic genes in SCD gene therapy.
La evaluación de escalas de conocimiento político entre países: evidencia de América Latina

An informed public is viewed as essential for democratic representation. Exist- ing work suggests individual-level characteristics such as education affect political information. But contextual factors such as level of democracy and type of electoral system may also impede or facilitate the acquisition of knowledge. However, survey questions often vary across countries, making it difficult to identify the role of con- textual factors. Using the AmericasBarometer surveys from Latin America and the Caribbean, this paper compares alternative scaling methods and demonstrates that the conclusions about knowledge cross-nationally depend on the measure used. The analyses compare a raw additive scale, a standardized additive scale, factor scores, item response scores with anchoring, and item response scores with bridging. The conventional additive scale suggests that very little predicts variation in knowledge across countries, while the alternatives show that factors such democracy, telecom- munications, ethnolinguistic diversity, and electoral system have substantial effects on knowledge.
The comparative study of cognitive function among schizophrenic patients and their children

Objective To explore the cognitive function of schizophrenic patients and their children.Methods All of the subjects were assessed by WAIS-RC,Cancellation Test(CT),logical memory and Wisconsin Card Sorting test(WCST).Results In comparison with their children groups,significant defects on FIQ,logical memory,CT and WCST performance were found in the schizophrenic patients,and the performance of the patients were worse than that of their children.The children of schizophrenic patients were worse than the children of health controls on the performance of logical memory,CT and WCST performance,except that of IQ(86.87±11.57 vs 90.58±12.32),the cancellation error number of CT(0.38±1.25 vs 0.19±0.87)and categorization number of WCST(2.89±1.53 vs 3.42±1.63).Conclusion Both the schizophrenic patients and their children exhibited cognitive deficits,which explored the presence of genetic vulnerability. Key words: Schizophrenia; Children; Cognitive function
Teamwork in the time of coronavirus: An MGH experience

The global pandemic of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) caused by coronavirus has had a profound impact on the delivery of health care in the United States and globally. Boston was among the earliest hit cities in the United States, and within Boston, the Massachusetts General Hospital provided care for more patients with COVID-19 than any other hospital in the region. This necessitated a massive reallocation of resources and priorities, with a near doubling of intensive care bed capacity and a halt in all deferrable surgical cases. During this crisis, the Division of Cardiac Surgery responded in a unified manner, dealing honestly with the necessity to reduce Intensive Care Unit resource utilization for the benefit of both the institution and our community by deferring nonemergent cases while also continuing to efficiently care for those patients in urgent or emergent need of surgery. Many of the interventions that we instituted have continued to support teamwork as we adapt to the remarkably fluid changes in resource availability during the recovery phase. We believe that the culture of our division and the structure of our practice facilitated our ability to contribute to the mission of our hospital to support the community in this crisis, and now to its recovery. We describe here the challenge we faced in Boston and some of the details of the structure and function of our division.
Influence of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine series initiation and completion on influenza vaccination among adolescents

Abstract Background Influenza vaccine participation in adolescents is low. Barriers to the influenza vaccine may be shared with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Methods We studied adolescents aged 13–17 years who participated in the National Immunization Survey-Teen between 2011 and 2017 (N = 129,200). Data were analyzed to determine whether MMR vaccination status was associated with being up-to-date on the influenza vaccination. Results A total of 49% adolescents received at least one dose of the influenza vaccine within the past 3 years, and 92% completed the MMR series. In multivariable analysis, not initiating or not completing the MMR series was associated with lower odds of being up-to-date on influenza vaccination. Conclusions Adolescents who do not initiate or complete the MMR vaccine series have lower odds of being up-to-date on their influenza vaccination. Lower influenzavaccine participation is associated with lower socioeconomic status, lack of insurance, increased time since last child visit, and higher maternal education.
Life history mediates the effects of habitat variation on salamander abundance: a multiscale assessment

The conservation of aquatic and semi-aquatic species is dependent on our understanding of species responses to fine and broad-scale habitat heterogeneity. This is particularly true for species of semi-aquatic salamanders, which show dramatic differences in life history strategies. To better conserve salamander biodiversity, it is therefore important to identify how species within stream communities respond to environmental conditions at multiple spatial scales. Stream salamanders are a group of amphibians that require permanent stream flow for reproduction and larval development. While research focusing on plethodontid salamander abundance exists, few have identified how abiotic factors at different scales influence stream salamander density. We aim to determine how responses to habitat factors at different scales differ between species of stream salamanders that have variable life history strategies. We conducted area-constrained repeated count surveys in stream reaches across three watersheds in western North Carolina. We surveyed each plot on three occasions and estimated salamander density based on fine and broad-scale habitat covariates. We found species’ responses to stream water-quality and broad-scale landscape variability were dependent on larval period and adult life history. Species with more aquatic life histories had stronger responses to both water-quality and broad-scale variables, while more terrestrial species responded more strongly to broad-scale variables. Responses to fine and broad-scale habitat variation by stream-salamanders is associated with species larval period and adult life history. Proper assessment of communities of semi-aquatic salamanders, therefore, requires an understanding of both upland and stream conditions, especially when diverse life histories are present.
Abstract 2638: Developing 3d hydrogel model for patient-derived organoids of metastatic colorectal cancer

The advances in the development of preclinical models for various cancers have tremendously helped study of the biology and genetics of human cancers as well as for development of therapeutics. Recently, patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have emerged as a robust preclinical platform that can provide insight into the patient specific genetic mechanisms, cancer progression and drug susceptibility. We have developed a novel PDO platform by embedding patient-derived organoids in a 3D hydrogel suspension culture. Our previous studies have shown that, when cultured in hydrogel, spheroids derived from cancer cell lines demonstrated upregulated gene expression signatures in relation to migration and angiogenesis compared to cultures in media, suggesting a more hypoxic, nutrient deficient environment. Given that hypoxia and nutrient deficiency are important feathers of solid tumors, the hydrogel environment could provide a good platform for in vitro study of tumor development and resistance to treatment. In the current study, we embedded PDOs derived from liver metastasis of colorectal cancer into the 3D suspension hydrogel culture. The PDOs adapted well in the hydrogel gel environment. We assessed the response of PDOs in hydrogel to anticancer agents, and compared that to those cultured in media. The PDOs cultured in hydrogel showed significantly elevated resistance to the treatments. The IC50s of chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin are increased by ~5-10 fold when cultured in hydrogel compared to those in media. Further studies through RNAseq analysis revealed differentially activated signaling pathways. In particular, the levels of the CXC ligand family chemokines are significantly up-regulated in the PDOs cultured in the hydrogel. The CXC ligand family chemokines are important immune stimulants that are known to play key role in the chemotaxis and tumor recruitment of immune cells including neutrophil, T-cell and B-cells. Interestingly, the elevated levels of CXC-ligands have been shown to relate to resistance of colorectal cancer against drug treatment such as 5-fluorouracil. Our hydrogel model could help elucidate the mechanisms behind such resistance. Future study will focus on evaluating how well the hydrogel PDO platform can recapitulate tumor microenvironment and its potential in screening for personalized medicine. Citation Format: He Wei, Eveliina Karelehto, Karen Dubbin, Aimy Sebastian, Robert Warren, Monica Moya, Gaby Loots, Elizabeth Wheeler, Matthew Coleman. Developing 3d hydrogel model for patient-derived organoids of metastatic colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2638.
Two results in term rewriting theorem proving

Two results are presented in this paper. (1) We extend the term rewriting approach to first order theorem proving, as described in [HsD83], to the theory of first order predicate calculus with equality. Consequently, we have showed that the term rewriting method can be as powerful as paramodulation and resolution combined. Possible improvements of efficiency are also discussed.
Photon neutrino-production in a chiral EFT for nuclei and extrapolation to $E_{\nu}\sim$ GeV region

We carry out a series of studies on pion and photon productions in neutrino/electron/photon--nucleus scatterings. The low energy region is investigated by using a chiral effective field theory for nuclei. The results for the neutral current induced photon production ($\gamma$-NCP) are then extrapolated to neutrino energy $E_{\nu}\sim$ GeV region. By convoluting the cross sections with MiniBooNE's beam spectrum and detection efficiency, we estimate its $\gamma$-NCP, event number, and conclude that such photon production can not fully explain its low energy event excess in both neutrino and antineutrino runs.
Crinone 8% (90 mg) given once daily for progesterone replacement therapy in donor egg cycles.

Abstract Objective: To determine whether once-daily dosing of Crinone 8% (90-mg progesterone vaginal gel; Serono Laboratories, Inc., Norwell, MA) is sufficient for normal endometrial development and pregnancy support. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Academic medical center. Patient(s): Eighty-six women who required complete progesterone replacement for a donor egg cycle. Intervention(s): Crinone 8% (90 mg) once daily or IM progesterone (100 mg) once daily was administered from day 15 onward. Both groups underwent an endometrial biopsy on day 26 of a mock cycle, followed by a second cycle in which ET was performed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Endometrial development, serum progesterone levels, pregnancy rates, implantation rates, and bleeding patterns. Result(s): Mean (±SD) serum progesterone levels on day 26 were 11.3 ± 6.5 ng/mL in the Crinone group and 65.2 ± 12.5 ng/mL in the IM progesterone group. At histologic examination, endometrial biopsy specimens were found to be "in phase" for 100% (42/42) of women in the Crinone group and 95.5% (42/44) of women in the IM progesterone group. Although 8 of 42 patients had serum progesterone levels of Conclusion(s): Crinone 8% administered once daily appears to produce the same endometrial development and pregnancy rates as IM progesterone in women who require complete progesterone replacement, and it does not cause early bleeding.
Polymorphism and selection at the SerH immobilization antigen locus in natural populations of Tetrahymena thermophila.

The SerH locus of Tetrahymena thermophila is one of several paralogous loci with genes encoding variants of the major cell surface protein known as the immobilization antigen (i-ag). The locus is highly polymorphic, raising questions concerning functional equivalency and selective forces acting on its multiple alleles. Here, we compare the sequences and expression of SerH1, SerH3, SerH4, SerH5, and SerH6. The precursor i-ags are highly similar. They are rich in alanine, serine, threonine, and cysteine and they share nearly identical ER translocation and GPI addition signals. The locations of the 39 cysteines are highly conserved, particularly in the 3.5 central, imperfect tandem repeats in which 8 periodic cysteines punctuate alternating short and long stretches of amino acids. Hydrophobicity patterns are also conserved. Nevertheless, amino acid sequence identity is low, ranging from 60.7 to 82.9%. At the nucleotide level, from 9.7 to 26.7% of nucleotide sites are polymorphic in pairwise comparisons. Expression of each allele is regulated by temperature-sensitive mRNA stability. H mRNAs are stable at 36°. The H5 mRNA, which is less affected by temperature, has a different arrangement of the putative mRNA destabilization motif AUUUA. Statistical analysis of SerH genes indicates that the multiple alleles are neutral. Significantly low ratios of the rates of nonsynonymous to synonymous amino acid substitutions suggest that the multiple alleles are subject to purifying (negative) selection enforcing constraints on structure.
Changing the Theory of Theory Change: Reply to My Critics

Abstract‘Changing the Theory of Theory Change: Towards a Computational Approach’ (Tennant [1994]; henceforth CTTC) claimed that the AGM postulate of recovery is false, and that AGM contractions of ...
Analysis of Mortgage Backed Securities: Before and After the Credit Crisis

To appear in Credit Risk Frontiers: Subprime Crisis, Pricing and Hedging, CVA, MBS, Ratings, and Liquid-ity, Tomasz Bielecki, Damiano Brigo, and Frederic Patras, Eds, January 2011OAS calculations Monte Carlo, OAS server and Linux cluster work by Alexander Belikoﬀ, Kirill Levin,Harvey Stein and Xusheng Tian, Quantitative Finance R&D group, Bloomberg LP. Prepayment modelingby Warren Xia and Sherman Liu, Prepayment Modeling Group, Blomberg LP. Special thanks to Liuren Wu,Quantitative Finance R&D Group, Bloomberg LP, for his work on the 2 factor normal model, Michael Gellerfor discussions about the CMO market, and James Hook for discussions about GPUs.
Professionalization as a brand activity: occupational identity and the dialectic of inclusivity-exclusivity

The current literature yields contrasting diagnoses of the diversity problem in the professions: (a) a dominant ‘absence’ view, which explains the exclusion of certain people as a lack to be rectified and (b) an alternative ‘presence’ view, which explains exclusion as a consequence of tacit inclusion. Although the latter challenges the former by exposing the historical interdependence of exclusion and inclusion, it fails to illuminate a path towards contemporary inclusion. This article develops a third, dialectical, view, which theorizes the inclusivity-exclusivity relation as a contemporary crisis of representation managed through occupational branding. The proposed stance mediates between the optimism of the absence view and the scepticism of the presence view by placing historical formations in undetermined tension with contemporary exigencies. By analysing how specific inclusivity-exclusivity tensions are confronted through strategic interventions in the marketplace of occupational identity, the dialectical view stands to generate novel possibilities for social change.
Image motion compensation for step-stare systems by focal plane and optics manipulation

AbstractThe derivation of earth relative motion (or "smear rate ") in a step -stare spaceborne optical system ispresented. Suggested methods of compensating for the smear by focal -plane manipulation are also given.The simulation results of smearing for a 4 -hour orbit optical system operating in a step -stare mode(above 45° North Latitude) are provided. Introduction A spaceborne optical system, staring at the earth within a relatively small field -of -view (a few degreesat most), generally requires a finite integration time during which it is desirable that all earth points, withinthe field -of -view, remain motionless in the focal plane to prevent smearing.Because of satellite and earth motions the first step is to "track" or control the system telescope totrack a single point on the earth. This removes most of the relative motion or "smearing" that would occurduring the integration time. However, other points within the field -of -view will still undergo smearing.The purpose of this paper is to isolate, label, and determine the several sources of smearing, andtheir relative importance as functions of the overall scenario and optical system geometry.A further purpose is to simulate the system in order to obtain data on the smear changes, as variousforms of smear compensation are employed.Problem descriptionsatellite
An investigation of the generalizability and dependability of Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to measure academic engagement and disruptive behavior of middle school students

A total of 4 raters, including 2 teachers and 2 research assistants, used Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to measure the academic engagement and disruptive behavior of 7 middle school students across multiple occasions. Generalizability study results for the full model revealed modest to large magnitudes of variance associated with persons (students), occasions of measurement (day), and associated interactions. However, an unexpectedly low proportion of the variance in DBR data was attributable to the facet of rater, as well as a negligible variance component for the facet of rating occasion nested within day (10-min interval within a class period). Results of a reduced model and subsequent decision studies specific to individual rater and rater type (research assistant and teacher) suggested degree of reliability-like estimates differed substantially depending on rater. Overall, findings supported previous recommendations that in the absence of estimates of rater reliability and firm recommendations regarding rater training, ratings obtained from DBR-SIS, and subsequent analyses, be conducted within rater. Additionally, results suggested that when selecting a teacher rater, the person most likely to substantially interact with target students during the specified observation period may be the best choice.
Validating FDG-PET as a biomarker for frontotemporal dementia.

Abstract Positron emission tomography with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) has been used to study neurodegenerative disease for the past two decades. This imaging method has conclusively demonstrated that dementing diseases are multifocal, rather than global, brain disorders and has shown that clinically similar dementias may have significantly different patterns of regional glucose metabolism. These observations have helped to focus pathological investigations and provided new insights into disease pathophysiology, yet the diagnostic potential of FDG-PET has not been fully exploited. Now that FDG-PET is becoming widely available to clinicians, it is timely to consider how to evaluate its utility in diagnosing dementing diseases. FDG-PET may be especially valuable in the clinical recognition of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD causes a distinctive pattern of cerebral glucose hypometabolism, but can be difficult to distinguish clinically from more common disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and psychiatric disturbances. Currently available studies primarily evaluate metabolic changes in groups of patients and are inadequate to rely upon when evaluating individuals. Additional carefully designed clinical trials are needed to validate FDG-PET as a diagnostic biomarker.
Energy storage and management systems for 42 V architectures

Vehicle manufacturers worldwide have recognized the trend toward increased on-board power demands is causing a need to raise the electrical system voltage from the present standard of 12 V to a higher, yet safe, voltage. One of the major challenges emerging from the transition to higher voltages is the size, weight, volume, cost and complexity of the energy storage system required to support the vehicle system and its loads. This paper discusses these changes, their implications, and presents potential solutions to address the future needs of vehicle manufacturers.
Development of a Water Infrastructure Knowledge Database

AbstractThis paper presents a methodology for developing a national database, as applied to water infrastructure systems that include both drinking water and wastewater. The database is branded as WATERiD and can be accessed through internet. Water infrastructure in the United States is aging poorly and municipal governments are struggling to find easy access to comprehensive information about achieving sustainability of their water infrastructure such as condition assessment, renewal engineering, subsurface utility engineering, best management practices, and cost of technologies. There are more than 50,000 water/wastewater utilities in the United States and no two utilities are alike. However, the lessons learned by a utility in the application of the commonly available technologies can be used as knowledge by other utilities. Because there was previously no easily accessible platform through which successful experiences and lessons learned could be shared, common mistakes including unnecessary change of...
Computation of molecular electrostatics with boundary element methods

In continuum approaches to molecular electrostatics, the boundary element method (BEM) can provide accurate solutions to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. However, the numerical aspects of this method pose significant problems. We describe our approach, applying an alpha shape-based method to generate a high-quality mesh, which represents the shape and topology of the molecule precisely. We also describe an analytical method for mapping points from the planar mesh to their exact locations on the surface of the molecule. We demonstrate that derivative boundary integral formulation has numerical advantages over the nonderivative formulation: the well-conditioned influence matrix can be maintained without deterioration of the condition number when the number of the mesh elements scales up. Singular integrand kernels are characteristics of the BEM. Their accurate integration is an important issue. We describe variable transformations that allow accurate numerical integration. The latter is the only plausible integral evaluation method when using curve-shaped boundary elements.
Lysine 207 as the Site of Cross-linking between the 3′-End of Escherichia coli Initiator tRNA and Methionyl-tRNA Formyltransferase

The specific formylation of initiator methionyl-tRNA by methionyl-tRNA formyltransferase (MTF) is important for initiation of protein synthesis in Escherichia coli. In attempts to identify regions of MTF that come close to the 3′-end of the tRNA, we oxidized 32P-3′-end-labeled E. coli initiator methionine tRNA with sodium metaperiodate and cross-linked it to MTF. The cross-linked MTF was separated from uncross-linked MTF by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, and the tRNA in the cross-linked MTF was hydrolyzed with nuclease P1 and RNase T1, leaving behind an oxidized fragment of [32P]AMP attached to MTF. Trypsin digestion of the cross-linked MTF followed by high pressure liquid chromatography of the digest yielded two peaks of radioactive peptides, I* and II*. These peptides were characterized by N- and/or C-terminal sequencing and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectroscopy. Peptide I* contained amino acids Gln186-Lys210 with Lys207 as the site of the cross-link. Peptide II*, a partial digestion product, contained amino acids Gln186-Arg214 also with Lys207 as the site of the cross-link. The molecular masses of peptides I* and II* indicate that the final product of the cross-linking reaction between the periodate-oxidized AMP moiety of the tRNA and Lys207 is most likely a morpholino derivative rather than a reduced Schiff's base.
Microbial changes leading to the spoilage of hung pheasants, with special reference to the clostridia.

. A spoilage problem affecting hung pheasants is described in which carcasses showed rapid greening and deterioration during hanging. No micro-organisms were detected in samples of muscle tissue taken from abnormal carcasses but clostridia and often coli-aerogenes bacteria were unusually abundant in the duodenum and in the remainder of the small intestine. The clostridia were mainly Clostridium bifermentans/sordellii or strains resembling Cl. welchii and these organisms outgrew all other bacteria in the duodenum under suitable hanging conditions. When grown at low temperatures strains of clostridia and Escherichia coli from pheasants produced large amounts of H2S which is concerned in the greening process. Some other properties of the clostridia are described and the significance of the spoilage problem is discussed.
Experimental magnetic form factor of platinum metal

Abstract The induced magnetic form factor of paramagnetic platinum was measured in an external field of 73 kOe at a temperature of 78 K. The data obtained for the six innermost Bragg reflections show that the spherically average magnetization density is in excellent agreement with that calculated by Watson-Yang. Freeman and Koelling. The result confirms the reliability of the present day band calculations, as well as assuring that the nontrivial orbital contribution to the form factor ( g = 2.61) has been handled properly. The asphericity of the magnetization was more poorly determined, yielding at t 2g population of 70 ± 17%, to be compared with a calculated value of 93%. An attempt at a more direct determination of the role of the orbital contribution is described.
Spatial frequency comparisons of rotated gratings

Reaction time for determining if two square-wave gratings are the same or different is a bimodal function of the relative angular separation (RAS) between them. Response time peaks at 60° and 120° separation and drops siguificantly at approximately 90°, provided that the gratings being compared are of the same spatial frequency. This pattern of results is not in line with those previously reported for more complex figures, nor may it be attributed to any “oblique effect,” since the same function is obtained with the comparison gratings placed at different retinal orientations. One possible explanation is that orthogonally tuned orientation channels interact in a facilitatory fashion in the human visual system.
Effects of amniotic fluid on opioid activity and fetal responses to chemosensory stimuli

The present study provides evidence that milk or amniotic fluid (AF) can promote activity in the endogenous opioid system of the E20 rat fetus. Fetal responses to a chemosensory test stimulus (lemon) were reduced after intraoral infusion of milk (Experiment 1). The effect of milk was mimicked by the kappa opioid agonist U50,488 (Experiment 2), and blocked by pretreatment with naloxone (Experiment 3), confirming opioid involvement. E20 fetuses also showed reduced responses after exposure to AF collected on E20 or E21, but not to AF collected on E19 (Experiment 4). The effects of AF on fetal responses were blocked by pretreatment with naloxone (Experiment 5), and by a selective kappa opioid antagonist, but not by a mu antagonist (Experiment 6). These findings suggest that the fetus may experience activation of the kappa opioid system for several days before birth as a consequence of its exposure to AF in utero. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 33: 235–248, 1998
Behavior of Selected Warm Mix Asphalt Additive Modified Binders and Prediction of Dynamic Modulus of the Mixes

This study evaluated the viscoelastic properties of a performance grade binder modified with different dosages of a selected wax-based warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive (WMA1). The effects of reduced rolling thin film oven (RTFO) aging on the stiffness of the WMA1-modified binder were also evaluated. The viscoelastic properties of the modified binders were then used to estimate the dynamic modulus (E*) values of the WMA mixes through time temperature superposition principles. Furthermore, the effects of a selected liquid anti-stripping agent (ASA), ASA1, on the properties of the WMA1-modified binder were investigated. It was observed that the linear viscoelastic limits of WMA1-modified binders decreased with an increasing dosage of WMA1. Reduced RTFO aging was found to have significant effects on the stiffness of the WMA1-modified binder. The Hirsch model was found to provide better approximations of the E* values than the Witczak model. The Witczak model, based on dynamic shear rheometer data, was found to significantly underestimate the E* values. Although ASA1 did not reduce the beneficial effects of WMA1, it was found to increase the E* values of the WMA mix. The findings of this study are expected to offer transportation professionals a better understanding of the evaluation of WMA binders and mixes.
Anisotropic solute diffusion tensor in porcine TMJ discs measured by FRAP with spatial Fourier analysis.

A new method solely based on spatial Fourier analysis (SFA) was developed to completely determine a two-dimensional (2D) anisotropic diffusion tensor in fibrous tissues using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). The accuracy and robustness of this method was validated using computer-simulated FRAP experiments. This method was applied to determine the region-dependent anisotropic diffusion tensor in porcine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) discs. The average characteristic diffusivity of 4 kDa FITC-Dextran across the disc was 26.05 ± 4.32 μm2/s which is about 16% of its diffusivity in water. In the anteroposterior direction, the anterior region (30.99 ± 5.93 μm2/s) had significantly higher characteristic diffusivity than the intermediate region (20.49 ± 5.38 μm2/s) and posterior region (20.97 ± 2.46 μm2/s). The ratio of the two principal diffusivities represents the anisotropy of the diffusion and ranged between 0.45 and 0.51 (1.0 = isotropic). Our results indicated that the solute diffusion in TMJ discs is inhomogenous and anisotropic. These findings suggested that diffusive transport in the TMJ disc is dependent on tissue composition (e.g., water content) and structure (e.g., collagen orientation). This study provides a new method to quantitatively investigate the relationship between solute transport properties and tissue composition and structure.
Tetrodotoxin affects submembranous cytoskeletal proteins in perfused souid giant axons

Abstract Application of tetrodotoxin or saxitoxin to intracellularly perfused squid giant axons caused the release of protein from the cytoskeletal network underlying the axolemma into the stream of perfusing solution. This protein was analyzed by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and found to be composed of the following major components: tubulin, actin and proteins having molecular weights of 96, 69 and 38 K-daltons. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis (1,2,8) that the integral membrane proteins controlling excitability in the axolemma (channel proteins) interact with the underlying cytoskeleton to maintain the stability of the excitable membrane.