cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF A CHEMICALLY DEFINED DIETARY SUPPLEMENT ON NITROGEN BALANCE AND SERUM LIPIDS IN CHILDREN WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of a chemically defined dietary supplement on nitrogen balance and serum lipids of children with cystic fibrosis. Ten children with confirmed diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, minimal complications and failure to achieve growth potential were selected for the study which consisted of two consecutive two-week periods (control and experimental). The children were admitted to the hospital for the final six days of each period. Nutrient and food energy intake were provided at levels representing usual intakes based on a prestudy dietary assessment. A chemically defined formula providing one third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein was given to the children during the experimental period. Nitrogen balances and other metabolic parameters were determined. During the experimental period mean nitrogen balance increased significantly and percentages of dietary nitrogen excreted in the feces and urine decreased significantly. Apparent efficiency of utilization of protein was significantly higher during the experimental period as were total lipid, triglycerides and phospholipid concentrations. Nutrition supplementation with a chemically defined formula was an effective method of improving nitrogen retention. These children will now be studied prospectively in order to ascertain whether improvement in protein utilization will result in significant improvements in growth velocity, resistance to infection and general health status. Grant #74-153, Eaton Lab.
Embedded Information Literacy in the Basic Oral Communication Course: From Conception Through Assessment

This article explores the process of embedding information literacy into a basic oral communication course. Discussion includes student performance as an impetus for change, collaborative course design between the oral communication teaching team and instructional librarians, and assessment initiatives. Suggestions for future collaborative work are articulated.
Reliability comparison of BTEL and bilayer organic LEDs

Organic structures consisting of two distinct layers (bilayer), a hole transport layer and an electron transport/emitter layer are compared to structures using a bipolar transport and emitting layer (BTEL). Reverse bias and different duty cycle did not significantly affect reliability. The BTEL structure had significantly improved reliability compared to the bilayer structure. The relative change in device voltage was found to be linearly proportional to the relative change in luminance and the constant of proportionality was a function of the contact. This constant of proportionality can be used as a figure of merit for voltage increase during operation. The BTEL structure also gives improved reliability at elevated temperature.
Left ventricular ejection fraction as a prognostic guide in surgical treatment of coronary and valvular heart disease.

The immediate and short-term prognostic values of increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, reduced cardiac index and depressed ejection fraction determined during preoperative evaluation were compared in 128 patients undergoing coronary revascularization and 44 patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement. A modification of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification was used to evaluate pre- and postoperative left ventricular decompensation. One hundred fifty-eight of the 172 patients did well postoperatively (NYHA classes I and II), including the majority of patients with either an abnormal left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (> 15 mm Hg), reduced cardiac Index (< 2.5 liters/min per m2) or depressed ejection fraction (< 0.50). However, of the 14 patients who did not survive surgery or had progressive postoperative deterioration, 10 had a depressed ejection fraction and 7 had combined abnormalities of left ventricular end-dlastolic pressure and cardiac index. Because these latter values may often be borderline, or occur as isolated abnormal findings, the ejection fraction is probably the most useful of the readily obtainable, single hemodynamic measurements in assessing the import of deranged left ventricular function on the outlook for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Isovortical orbits of autonomous, conservative, two degree-of-freedom dynamical systems

For an autonomous, conservative, two degree-of-freedom dynamical system, vorticity (the curl of velocity) is constant along the orbit if the velocity field is divergence-free such that: $$u\left( {x, v} \right) - \psi _y , v\left( {x, y} \right) = - \psi _x .$$ Isovortical orbits in configuration space are level curves of a scalar autonomous function Ψ (x, v) satisfying a second-order, non-linear partial differential equation of the Monge-Ampere type: $$2\left( {\psi _{xx} \psi _{yy} - \psi _{xy}^2 } \right) + U_{xx} + U_{yy} = 0,$$ where U(x. y) is the autonomous potential function. The solution Soc the time variable is reduced to a quadrature following determinatio of Ψ. Self-similar solutions of the Monge-Ampere equation under Birkhoff's one-parameter transformation group are derived for homogeneous (power-law) potential functions. It is shown that Keplerian orbits belong to the class of planar isovortical flows.
Mono- and sesqui-terpenoid differentiation of Pseudotsuga of the United States and Canada

Nineteen composite samples of cortical oleoresin from Pseudotsuga menziesii and P. macorcarpa of different geographic origin were analyzed for the content of their essential oils. A dendrogram derived from this analysis revealed that the populations of P. menziesii from the Sierra Nevada are chemically closer to the inland var. glauca than to the coastal var. menziesii. Sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons included in the essential oils proved to be chemosystematically as valuable as monoterpenoids in classifying the races.
The computer revolution in medical imaging systems: Computers have become an essential part of medical imaging, where their many uses include control of hardware and image enhancement and generation

A generic examination is presented of the manner in which a computer carries out its functions in X-ray radiography, fluoroscopy, and tomography systems. These applications, advantages, and drawbacks of each of these imaging modalities are examined.
Apoptosis of glutamatergic neurons fails to trigger a neurogenic response in the adult neocortex

Adult neurogenesis is actively studied in part because of the potential to manipulate endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells for tissue repair. Although constitutive generation of neurons in the adult rodent olfactory bulb and hippocampal dentate gyrus is widely accepted and stroke-induced generation of striatal inhibitory neurons consistently observed, evidence supporting the generation of neurons in the neocortex after neuronal loss remains slim. Nevertheless, a few studies suggested that targeted apoptosis of neocortical glutamatergic neurons could trigger the generation of new ones in the adult brain. In light of such studies, we tested whether apoptosis of glutamatergic cortical neurons using two novel transgenic approaches in mice, an inducible Caspase-8 protein and an inducible diphtheria toxin gene, results in new neurons. After a thorough analysis, no new neurons were detected in the neocortex. Interestingly, an increase in the expression of the neuroblast marker DCX was observed in both models, in some cases in cells with morphologies previously associated with poststroke neuroblasts, but DCX+ cells coexpressed the oligodendrocyte precursor marker Olig2, suggesting caution when using DCX as a marker for neuroblasts after injury. Given that the adult neocortex lacks an innate potential to regenerate lost glutamatergic neurons, future strategies should concentrate on manipulating the differentiation potential of endogenous or exogenous precursor cells.
Substrate inhibition of pigeon liver fatty acid synthetase and optimum assay conditions for over-all synthetase activity

Abstract The effects of the substrates acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, and NADPH on the activity of pigeon liver fatty acid synthetase have been studied over a wide range of concentrations. Double-reciprocal coordinate plots for each of the substrates have been found to be linear at low concentrations. At higher concentrations two of the substrates, acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, inhibit the rate of fatty acid synthesis. This double substrate inhibition is apparently of a competitive type. Inhibition by acetyl-CoA is very strong as compared to that by malonyl-CoA. At a 4:1 ratio of acetyl- to malonyl-CoA, inhibition is about 75%, whereas at a 4:1 ratio of malonyl- to acetyl-CoA fatty acid synthesis proceeds at the maximum rate. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a competition between acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA occurs for the occupany of the 4′- phosphopantetheine site, a prosthetic group of the synthetase complex, and possibly also for the hydroxyl binding site (or sites). The relative concentrations of these substrates and the binding constants for each then determine whether these sites are occupied by acetyl or malonyl groups, and whether inhibition of fatty acid synthesis occurs. Based on our results, assays for pigeon liver fatty acid synthetase activity should be conducted at substrate concentrations of 15 μ m , 60 μ m , and 100 μ m for acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, and NADPH, respectively.
From Twitter to Megaphones: Seven Lessons Learned about Public Health Crisis Communication

In Boston we took the availability and quality of our tap water for granted until May 1, 2010, when a major water pipe break interrupted water service to two million Greater Boston residents. Information spread quickly to citizens about the problem and what to do, all the more notable because the water main break occurred on a Saturday. In this age of consumer paranoia about withheld information, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) was in front of cameras and online, communicating what they knew and what they were doing. Tufts University and the Boston Public Health Commission used communication channels ranging from Twitter to megaphones to get the word out. Their behind-the-scenes emergency planning processes, their response to this incident, and seven lessons learned from this short-lived crisis are applicable to many other crises.
Structural Evolution of Iowa Mutant β-Amyloid Fibrils from Polymorphic to Homogeneous States under Repeated Seeded Growth

Structural variations in β-amyloid fibrils are potentially important to the toxicity of these fibrils in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We describe a repeated seeding protocol that selects a homogeneous fibril structure from a polymorphic initial state in the case of 40-residue β-amyloid fibrils with the Asp23-to-Asn, or Iowa, mutation (D23N-Aβ1−40). We use thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to track the evolution of fibril structure through multiple generations under this protocol. The data show that (i) repeated seeding selectively amplifies a single D23N-Aβ1−40 fibril structure that can be a minor component of the initial polymorphic state; (ii) the final structure is highly sensitive to growth conditions, including pH, temperature, and agitation; (iii) although the initial state can include fibrils that contain both antiparallel and parallel β-sheets, the final structures contain only parallel β-sheets, suggesting that a...
From 2D-planar to 3D-non-planar device architecture: A scalable path forward?

The microelectronics industry is in the process of transitioning from 2D-planar devices to 3D-non-planar (FinFET). In this paper, a metric is developed to assess the impact of scaling and device performance on chip (circuit) power as it is migrated node-to-node. The impact of node migration is assessed at product level as it is moved from 32 nm (2D-planar) to 22 nm (3D-non-planar device). Some of the limitations of the existing 22 nm 3D-device is reviewed that may explain some of the short comings in the product performance. Going forward it is critical that in two areas the FinFET needs to be improved: Multi-VT implementation and move away from the tapered fin shape.
Radio Regulation Revisited: Coase, the FCC, and the Public Interest

It is now more than forty years since Ronald Coase's seminal article on the Federal Communications Commission first appeared in the pages of the Journal of Law and Economics. The article remains important for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it offered his first articulation of the Coase Theorem. Of even greater importance for our purposes, the article literally redefined the terms of debate over American broadcast regulation, in both historical and contemporary treatments of the subject.
Ethnic Economies in Metropolitan Regions: Miami and Beyond

T7is article surveys the labor market status of racial and ethnic groups in seventeen metropolitan areas. Five Asian groups (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Asian Indians) and three Hispanic groups (Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans) are coniipared to non-Hispanic whites and blacks. Minority business concentrations are found niostly in a few low-wage sectors with low capitalization, low levels of unionization, and high proportions of femiiale employees. Patterns of economic incorporation meeting a minimal definition of an enclave economy are identified for several groups. Of these, the Cuban economy in Miami (along with Japanese in Honolulu and Koreans in Los Angeles) is unusual in terms of both size and sectoral diversity; the typical "enclave" appears to be based on a combination of apparel manufacturing and ethnicfoods. We study the incorporation of racial and ethnic minorities into the United States economy as of 1980. We begin with questions framed at the level of the country as a whole. In what parts of the economy is business ownership especially common for each minority group? What distinguishes those sectors in which whites predominate from those in which minority owners are strongly represented? We then turn to analyses of patterns of incorporation of specific groups in those metropolitan areas that have large numbers of group members. It is in these local analyses that we may expect to find ethnic economies, i.e., distinctive constellations of business ownership and/or employment of group members in certain economic sectors. We describe the contours of these ethnic economies, comparing them across minority groups and metropolitan regions.
Age- and hormone-regulation of opioid peptides and synaptic proteins in the rat dorsal hippocampal formation

Circulating estrogen levels and hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions decline with aging. Moreover, the responses of hippocampal synaptic structure to estrogens differ between aged and young rats. We recently reported that estrogens increase levels of post-synaptic proteins, including PSD-95, and opioid peptides leu-enkephalin and dynorphin in the hippocampus of young animals. However, the influence of ovarian hormones on synaptic protein and opioid peptide levels in the aging hippocampus is understudied. Here, young (3- to 5-month-old), middle-aged (9- to 12-month-old), and aged (about 22-month-old) female rats were ovariectomized and then, 4 weeks later, subcutaneously implanted with a silastic capsule containing vehicle or 17β-estradiol. After 48 h, rats were subcutaneously injected with progesterone or vehicle and sacrificed 1 day later. Coronal sections through the dorsal hippocampus were processed for quantitative peroxidase immunohistochemistry of leu-enkephalin, dynorphin, synaptophysin, and PSD-95. With age, females showed opposing changes in leu-enkephalin and dynorphin levels in the mossy fiber pathway, particularly within the hilus, and regionally specific changes in synaptic protein levels. 17β-estradiol, with or without progesterone, altered leu-enkephalin levels in the dentate gyrus and synaptophysin levels in the CA1 of young but not middle-aged or aged females. Additionally, 17β-estradiol decreased synaptophysin levels in the CA3 of middle-aged females. Our results support and extend previous findings indicating 17β-estradiol modulation of hippocampal opioid peptides and synaptic proteins while demonstrating regional and age-specific effects. Moreover, they lend credence to the "window of opportunity" hypothesis during which hormone replacement can modulate hippocampal structure and circuitry to improve cognitive outcomes.
A COMPARISON OF INTRAVERBAL TRAINING PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

We compared the effectiveness of three training procedures, echoic and tact prompting plus error correction and a cues-pause-point (CPP) procedure, for increasing intraverbals in 2 children with autism. We also measured echoic behavior that may have interfered with appropriate question answering. Results indicated that echoic prompting with error correction was most effective and the CPP procedure was least effective for increasing intraverbals and decreasing echoic behavior.
Frequency-Stabilized Diode-Pumped Tm, Ho: YLF Local Oscillator with + 4 GHz of Tuning Range

A tunable, single-frequency, frequency-stabilized, diode- pumped Tm,Ho:YLF laser is described. The laser, which demonstrates the function of a local-oscillator for coherent Doppler lidar in space, has continuous frequency tunability of more than 8 GHz. Active frequency stabilization is achieved by feedback electronics which allow for controlled tuning capability. Output power of more than 20 mW in single-transverse and -longitudinal mode operation with a short term frequency jitter of less than 100 kHz/ms is obtained.
Bronchospasm secondary to replacement estrogen therapy.

A postmenopausal woman with severe obstructive airways disease and bronchospasm developed increased airflow limitation with the reintroduction of estrogen therapy for osteoporosis. Discontinuation of the estrogen caused symptomatic improvement and decreased her corticosteroid requirement. Readministration of estrogen caused recrudescence of her symptoms and a decline in her peak expiratory flow rate and spirometric data, which reversed with withdrawal of the estrogen therapy. Bronchospasm during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is well known, 1-3 but exacerbation of reactive airways disease with the administration of exogenous estrogen has not previously been reported; however, with the increasing practice of reintroducing estrogen in postmenopausal women to reduce the risk of symptomatic osteoporosis, other susceptible women may suffer clinically significant deterioration of their underlying pulmonary disease.
Risk Attitudes and the Incumbency Advantage

Explanations for the incumbency advantage in American elections have typically pointed to the institutional advantages that incumbents enjoy over challengers but overlook the role of individual traits that reinforce this bias. The institutional advantages enjoyed by incumbents give voters more certainty about who incumbents are and what they might do when (and if) they assume office. We argue that these institutional advantages make incumbents particularly attractive to risk-averse individuals, who shy away from uncertainty and embrace choices that provide more certainty. Using data from 2008 and 2010 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we show that citizens who are more risk averse are more likely to support incumbent candidates, while citizens who are more risk accepting are more likely to vote for challengers. The foundations of the incumbency advantage, we find, lie not only in the institutional perks of office but also in the individual minds of voters.
Soma Weiss, Alfred S. Reinhart, and the Care of the Patient

Soma Weiss, a brilliant clinician, researcher, and teacher at Harvard Medical School, cared for Alfred S. Reinhart, who succumbed to subacute bacterial endocarditis in his final year at Harvard Medical School. Reinhart recorded his observations and experiences while a patient in the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory at the Boston City Hospital, and Weiss incorporated these in a paper some 10 years after Reinhart's death. In the tradition of Francis Weld Peabody, Weiss used Reinhart's memoir to emphasize the importance of listening to patients, of projecting sympathy, and of understanding and responding to their psychological needs.
Systems ecology, people ecology, and the anthropology of fishing communities

Ecological approaches within maritime anthropology are reviewed, particularly those concerned with resource management in fisheries and characterized by certain assumptions of systems ecology. The systems ecology approach used in anthropology exhibits certain problems, including the assumption of equilibria, the tendency to restrict analyses to immediate and “natural” environmental relations, and the reification of analytical systems. Under the rubric of “people ecology,” data from research among commercial fishermen of Fogo Island, Newfoundland, are used to explore an alternative that emphasizes people rather than systems as starting points for study, and underscores the role of larger social and political processes in affecting local man — environment relations.
Hindered Hydrogen Bonding in 2,6-Di- tert -butylphenols with Para Aza-Heterocyclic Rings

A crystallographic study of several 2,6-di-tert-butylated phenols having 4-azaheterocyclic substituents showed phenolic OH···N hydrogen bonding despite the steric hindrance of the tert-butyl groups, with O(H)···N donor-to-acceptor distances less than 3 A in several cases. The OH···N angles are substantially bent from ideal near-linearity. Infrared spectroscopy in KBr matrixes for some of the tert-butylated systems shows broadened OH stretching bands that are shifted to lower energy than is typical of 2,6-di-tert-butylated phenols. This is consistent with hydrogen bonding, whereas narrow OH stretching bands are more typical for systems such as 2,6-di-tert-butylated phenols that are too sterically hindered for effective phenolic hydrogen bonding. Head-to-tail 1-D chains of phenolic OH···N interactions are present in a number of the crystal lattices. Although the set of studied molecules has limited conformational flexibility to allow for optimizing hydrogen-bond geometry within the constraints of ortho-tert...
Perceived Structural Barriers and Academic Performance among American Indian High School Students

American Indian students have long registered significantly lower academic performance than their White counterparts. The primary theoretical explanation for this differential that has guided research for many decades is the cultural discontinuity thesis. Drawing on a diverse literature, we propose an alternative to this conventional wisdom in which we emphasize the role of perceived structural barriers to mobility within the stratification system. We test both of these hypotheses on a sample of 352 American Indian and more than 1,000 White high school students who participated in a 1991 survey in selected Oklahoma public schools. Our findings show that perceived structural constraints play a significant role in reducing academic performance among American Indian students. Consequently, we argue that the impact of cultural discontinuities has likely diminished over time, whereas the impact of perceived structural barriers has likely increased—a development which seems to parallel Wilson's (1978) “declinin...
Beyond biologics: is there a role for systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy in neuroendocrine tumors?

Abstract: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a group of biologically and clinically heterogeneous neoplasms that have varying degrees of responsiveness to systemic and targeted therapies. With recent advances in therapeutics, a number of biologic therapies have been incorporated into the management of NETs. In this review, we discuss the role of cytotoxic chemotherapy in the management of NETs with an overview of past and present clinical trials, current treatment guidelines and future directions.
Quantitation of endogenous liver apolipoprotein B mRNA editing

The mRNA for apolipoprotein B is translated into either a high molecular weight (apo BH) or low molecular weight (apo BL) form of the protein depending on a novel form of RNA processing known as RNA editing. Apo BH mRNA editing is both tissue-specific and hormonally regulated and involves transition of cytidine to uridine at codon 2153 thereby converting a glutamine codon (CAA) to a translational stop codon (UAA). Three methods for quantitating the endogenous levels of liver apo B mRNA editing were compared: (1) Southern blot hybridization with discriminative thermal washes, (2) competimer-hybridization with discriminative thermal washes and (3) competimer-polymerase chain reaction (competimer-PCR). The data suggest that hybridization and PCR can yield similar quantitation when competing oligonucleotides are used. Based on competimer-PCR it is proposed that 40% and 85% of normal rat liver and small intestine apo B mRNA (respectively) are edited.
Radially compressed laminated circular plates

Abstract The paper deals with buckling of complete and annular circular plates, made of symmetric laminates with general orientation of the lamina fibers. The plate is subjected to an in-plane, symmetric, destabilizing load. The load is applied at the outer edge for the complete plate and at the outer and inner edges for the annular one. The plate is supported in various ways along its boundaries. The paper includes the derivation of the governing equations and discusses the various methods of solution. Numerical results are presented for a clamped plate.
New results in the analysis of decision-feedback equalizers

This paper considers the decision feedback equalizers (DFE) with finite impulse response (FIR). Although they have been the subject of a number of studies, several longstanding problems in the analysis of these equalizers remained open. For the most part, the problems addressed in this paper are in the domain of high-SNR analysis, including the Diversity-Multiplexing Tradeoff (DMT) for DFE. We find that the DFE fixed-rate diversity follows the DMT analysis, unlike several examples from linear equalization in the recent literature where the fixed-rate diversity departed from the DMT expression. As part of the developments of this paper, the notion of the spectral representation of random processes is used to put the analysis of the decision feedback equalizers on a solid mathematical foundation.
CpG Island Methylator Phenotype Positive Tumors in the Absence of MLH1 Methylation Constitute a Distinct Subset of Duodenal Adenocarcinomas and Are Associated with Poor Prognosis

Purpose: Little information is available on genetic and epigenetic changes in duodenal adenocarcinomas. The purpose was to identify possible subsets of duodenal adenocarcinomas based on microsatellite instability (MSI), DNA methylation, mutations in the KRAS and BRAF genes, clinicopathologic features, and prognosis. Experimental Design: Demographics, tumor characteristics, and survival were available for 99 duodenal adenocarcinoma patients. Testing for KRAS and BRAF mutations, MSI, MLH1 methylation, and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status was conducted. A Cox proportional hazard model was built to predict survival. Results: CIMP + was detected in 27 of 99 (27.3%) duodenal adenocarcinomas and was associated with MSI ( P = 0.011) and MLH1 methylation ( P KRAS mutations ( P = 0.114), as compared with CIMP − tumors. No BRAF V600E mutation was detected. Among the CIMP + tumors, 15 (55.6%) were CIMP + / MLH1 -unmethylated ( MLH1 -U). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that tumors classified by CIMP, CIMP/ MLH1 methylation status, or CIMP/MSI status could predict overall survival (OS; P = 0.047, 0.002, and 0.002, respectively), whereas CIMP/ MLH1 methylation status could also predict time-to-recurrence (TTR; P = 0.016). In multivariate analysis, CIMP /MLH1 methylation status showed a significant prognostic value in both OS ( P P = 0.023). Patients with CIMP + / MLH1 -U tumors had the worst OS and TTR. Conclusions: Our results showed existence of CIMP in duodenal adenocarcinomas. The combination of CIMP + / MLH1 -U seems to be independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with duodenal adenocarcinomas. This study also suggests that BRAF mutations are not involved in duodenal tumorigenesis, MSI, or CIMP development. Clin Cancer Res; 1–10. ©2012 AACR .
An overview of modeling and experiments of vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinders

Abstract This paper reviews the literature on the mathematical models used to investigate vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of circular cylinders. Wake-oscillator models, single-degree-of-freedom, force–decomposition models, and other approaches are discussed in detail. Brief overviews are also given of numerical methods used in solving the fully coupled fluid–structure interaction problem and of key experimental studies highlighting the nature of VIV.
From Strangers to Partners: Examining Convergence within a Longitudinal Study of Task-Oriented Dialogue

Convergence is thought to be an important phenomenon in dialogue through which interlocutors adapt to each other. Yet, its mechanisms and relationship to dialogue outcomes are not fully understood. This paper explores convergence in textual task-oriented dialogue during a longitudinal study. The results suggest that over time, convergence between interlocutors increases with successive dialogues. Additionally, for the tutorial dialogue domain at hand, convergence metrics were found to be significant predictors of dialogue outcomes such as learning, mental effort, and emotional states including frustration, boredom, and confusion. The results suggest ways in which dialogue systems may leverage convergence to enhance their interactions with users.
A time-domain model of a plug-in electric vehicle battery charger

The primary focus of analyzing the widespread adaptation of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) has been to determine what effect, if any, PEV battery charging will have on infrastructure loading and power quality. To date, very little research has been performed to determine: 1) the potential impact of normal utility system operation, e.g. switching of shunt capacitor banks, system voltage variations, etc. on the performance of PEV battery chargers or 2) how multiple PEV chargers interact with one another from a harmonic current injection perspective. Time-domain simulations are required to assess such impacts; however, detailed time-domain models of modern PEV chargers are not readily available in the literature. The following paper presents a detailed EMTP-RV model of an onboard Level 1 PEV charger that can be used to perform detailed system integration assessment of PEV chargers. Model results are validated using measurement data from an actual Level 1 on-board charger.
Ecological Studies and the Ecological Fallacy

Ecological studies involve groups of people, rather than individuals, as the units of study. Since group data are easier to obtain (eg, census or other national survey information), these studies are often used to generate hypotheses for further study. The 2 studies of MMR vaccine and autism reviewed in this issue are ecological studies that examined whether changes in immunization rates correlated with …
Transfer of Bacteroides splanchnicus to Odoribacter gen. nov. as Odoribacter splanchnicus comb. nov., and description of Odoribacter denticanis sp. nov., isolated from the crevicular spaces of canine periodontitis patients

Numerous novel anaerobic bacteria were isolated from the crevicular spaces of dogs with periodontitis. The phenotypic characteristics of these bacterial isolates indicated that they were similar to members of the genus Porphyromonas. However, comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates indicated that they were related to members of the Bacteroides splanchnicus subgroup. A representative of the novel isolates, strain B106T, induced alveolar bone loss in a mouse model of experimental periodontal disease. Based on biochemical, morphological, molecular phylogenetic, and pathogenic evidence, it is proposed that the taxonomic subgroup containing these novel isolates and B. splanchnicus should be classified in a new genus, Odoribacter gen. nov., within the family ‘Porphyromonadaceae’. In addition, it is proposed that B. splanchnicus should be reclassified as Odoribacter splanchnicus comb. nov., and that the newly identified isolates should be classified as representing Odoribacter denticanis sp. nov., the type strain of which is B106T (=ATCC PTA-3625T=CNCM I-3225T).
Motivational Determinants of Family Planning Clinic Attendance

Summary Southern, black, poverty-level, female subjects were classified as Actives, Dropouts, or Never-Beens in regard to attendance at a family-planning clinic. The subjects took a story-telling test designed for lower social class subjects and rated a variety of persons and activities along semantic differential dimensions. Women who had dropped out were significantly lower than the other groups in their needs for achievement and for controlling life events. Actives perceived more difficulty in controlling events. Several significant differences were also found in the semantic differential ratings. The results can be interpreted to yield a consistent set of hypotheses about motivations related to birth control decisions.
Ethical Issues and Potential Solutions Surrounding the Use of Spoken Language Interpreters in Psychology

The need for psychological services to limited English proficient clients is increasing. Psychologists who provide clinical services to limited English proficient clients are frequently required to use the services of spoken language interpreters. Research has shown that the quality and consistency of interpretation services are often in question. Interpreters are generally not required to hold any certifications or to meet training requirements prior to providing interpretation services. This lack of oversight leaves the psychologist responsible for the quality of the interpretation when adhering to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2010 Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. This article includes a discussion of the ethical and clinical issues inherent in providing psychological services through an interpreter, how those issues affect a psychologist’s adherence to the APA Ethics Code, and recommendations for meeting the ethical standards while providing sound clinical serv...
Clinical and dosimetric predictors of acute hematologic toxicity in rectal cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy

Background and purpose To identify clinical and dosimetric factors associated with hematologic toxicity (HT) during chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer.
Chronic fatigue syndrome, coping, optimism and social support

Background: Prior studies indicate that problem-focused coping, a realistic optimistic explanatory style, and appropriate social support appear to be related to positive health outcomes and greater wellbeing. Aims: It was hypothesized that coping styles, optimism, amount of social support and quality of social support would significantly differ among those with chronic fatigue syndrome, idiopathic chronic fatigue, chronic fatigue resulting from a medical condition, and a control group. Results: Participants in the idiopathic chronic fatigue group had the lowest optimism scores and satisfaction with their social supports. Those in the medically explained condition used significantly more venting and focusing on symptoms than those within the control condition. The chronic fatigue syndrome group had higher levels of optimism and satisfaction with social supports than the other two chronically fatigued groups, and behavioral disengagement was related to worse mental composite scores, while maintaining activities and optimism was related to more positive mental composite scores.
The relationship of recombination rate, genome structure, and patterns of molecular evolution across angiosperms

Although homologous recombination affects the efficacy of selection in populations, the pattern of recombination rate evolution and its effects on genome evolution across plants are largely unknown. Recombination can reduce genome size by enabling the removal of LTR retrotransposons, alter codon usage by GC biased gene conversion, contribute to complex histories of gene duplication and loss through tandem duplication, and enhance purifying selection on genes. Therefore, variation in recombination rate across species may explain some of the variation in genomic architecture as well as rates of molecular evolution. We used phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate the evolution of global meiotic recombination rate in angiosperms and its effects on genome architecture and selection at the molecular level using genetic maps and genome sequences from thirty angiosperm species. Recombination rate is negatively correlated with genome size, which is likely caused by the removal of LTR retrotransposons. After correcting recombination rates for euchromatin content, we also found an association between global recombination rate and average gene family size. This suggests a role for recombination in the preservation of duplicate genes or expansion of gene families. An analysis of the correlation between the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) and recombination rate in 3748 genes indicates that higher recombination rates are associated with an increased efficacy of purifying selection, suggesting that global recombination rates affect variation in rates of molecular evolution across distantly related angiosperm species, not just between populations. We also identified shifts in dN/dS for recombination proteins that are associated with shifts in global recombination rate across our sample of angiosperms. Although our analyses only reveal correlations, not mechanisms, and do not include potential covariates of recombination rate, like effective population size, they suggest that global recombination rates may play an important role in shaping the macroevolutionary patterns of gene and genome evolution in plants. Interspecific recombination rate variation is tightly correlated with genome size as well as variation in overall LTR retrotransposon abundances. Recombination may shape gene-to-gene variation in dN/dS between species, which might impact the overall gene duplication and loss rates.
Reduced GABA inhibition of sympathetic function in renal-wrapped hypertensive rats

Animals with bilateral cannulas in the paraventricular nucleus were made hypertensive by a one-kidney, figure eight renal wrap procedure or sham operated. Femoral artery and vein catheters were inserted for arterial pressure measurement and plasma catecholamine determination. After recovery and 4 days after hypertension surgery, bicuculline methiodide or muscimol was microinjected into the paraventricular nucleus. In some rats, nitroprusside was infused intravenously to reflexly stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. In control rats, bicuculline increased blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations. In contrast, in hypertensive rats blood pressure did not change while the heart rate response was maintained. Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine responses were reduced 75 and 68%, respectively. Muscimol injections decreased arterial pressure in the hypertensive rats. Heart rate responses to nitroprusside were similar in the two groups of rats, while the plasma catecholamine responses were attenuated in the hypertensive animals. These data suggest that GABA function in the paraventricular nucleus is reduced in renal wrap hypertension.
An Analysis of Thirty Patients Surviving Longer than Ten Years after Treatment for Osteogenic Sarcoma

An analysis of the clinicopathological features of thirty long-term survivors of osteogenic sarcoma has been presented. We could not identify any specific features which would separate these patients from non-survivors of osteogenic sarcoma. The one common feature shared by all thirty patients was that amputation was the only effective therapeutic method in eradicating the primary disease.
Analysis of the joint spectral radius via lyapunov functions on path-complete graphs

We study the problem of approximating the joint spectral radius (JSR) of a finite set of matrices. Our approach is based on the analysis of the underlying switched linear system via inequalities imposed between multiple Lyapunov functions associated to a labeled directed graph. Inspired by concepts in automata theory and symbolic dynamics, we define a class of graphs called path-complete graphs, and show that any such graph gives rise to a method for proving stability of the switched system. This enables us to derive several asymptotically tight hierarchies of semidefinite programming relaxations that unify and generalize many existing techniques such as common quadratic, common sum of squares, maximum/minimum-of-quadratics Lyapunov functions. We characterize all path-complete graphs consisting of two nodes on an alphabet of two matrices and compare their performance. For the general case of any set of n x n matrices we propose semidefinite programs of modest size that approximate the JSR within a multiplicative factor of 1/4√n of the true value. We establish a notion of duality among path-complete graphs and a constructive converse Lyapunov theorem for maximum/minimum-of-quadratics Lyapunov functions.
Loss and bandgap analysis in air-core photonic bandgap fiber for IR transmission

We show that loss is minimized at an air-filling factor of 0.8 with a refractive index of 2.4 in photonic bandgap chalcogenide fiber (/spl lambda/ = 4 /spl mu/m). This air-filling factor also corresponds to the maximum relative bandgap.
Incorporating testability considerations in high-level synthesis

The authors propose an algorithm for module and register binding which generates register-transfer-level (RTL) designs having low testability cost. They also present an algorithm for altering the register and module binding to reduce testability overhead in the final design. These algorithms were coded and several experiments were conducted to check their performance. The results of these experiments are described. The study shows that the designs produced by the method in almost all the cases have reduced testability overhead. >
A lower bound on the schedule time for scheduling tasks on distributed memory systems

Obtaining an optimal schedule for assigning tasks onto distributed memory machines (DMMs) has been proven to be NP-complete. Several heuristic solutions to the scheduling problem have been proposed which are based on certain assumptions that allow the algorithm to be executed in a polynomial time bound. Even though the heuristics do not guarantee an optimal solution, they have been shown to perform reasonably well for many applications. It is difficult to judge the performance of these heuristics because for a given directed acyclic graph (DAG), it is practically infeasible to obtain the optimal solution. The paper proposes a method to compute the lower bound in a polynomial time bound. The idea of the lower bound is to obtain a solution as close to optimal as possible. Also, the lower bound should be less than or equal to the optimal solution. The lower bound with the inclusion of the interprocessor communication costs has been proposed by Al-Mouhamed (1990). The author has observed that for some cases this algorithm does not give a sharp lower bound. The scheme provides a sharper lower bound than the one proposed by Al-Mouhamed. Another scheme was presented by Jain and Rajaraman (1995) which partitions the graph into certain parts and compute the bound for each part to arrive at a sharper bound. To compute the bound of each partition, they use the same method as proposed by Al-Mouhamed. Thus, the scheme can also be used to improve upon the bound proposed by Jain and Rajaraman.
Rapid serial processing in patients with multiple sclerosis: The role of peripheral deficits

This study compared speed of information processing in patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls using the Stroop Test and a Picture Naming Test (PNT). While both tests evaluated processing speed within a format calling for rapid serial processing of stimulus information, the PNT included trials designed to impose greater verbal-motor and ocular-motor challenges by using novel rather than repeated pictures and by presenting the pictures in distributed locations rather than always centered on the screen. The results confirmed that a decrease in the speed of information processing is a key feature of the cognitive impairment occurring in conjunction with MS. When this feature is evaluated with tests requiring rapid serial processing of stimulus information, the contribution of peripheral motor deficits appears to be modest.
Community Psychology and Rural Legal Systems

In recent years increasing attention has been given to the potential contributions of psychology to the legal system. In addition to traditional problems of forensic evaluations (Bonnie & Slobogin, 1980; Poythress, 1979) and of delivery of clinical services in the correctional system (Brodsky, 1972), psychologists have become more involved in research and consultation on general questions of legal policy (Loftus & Monahan, 1980; Tanke & Tanke, 1979). Psychologists have been involved in the study of such diverse problems as: bail reform (Nietzel & Dade, 1973); children’s competency to consent to various procedures (Melton, 1981; Melton, Koocher, & Saks, in press; Saks, 1978); reliability of eyewitness testimony (Loftus, 1979); prediction of dangerousness (Monahan, 1976b), and effects of jury size (Saks, 1977).
Nutritional Noise: Community Literacies and the Movement Against Foods Labeled as 'Natural'

In the face of the $44 billion market—and rising—for foods labeled as “natural” (despite any formal regulatory oversight on the use of this term), this article examines multiple complex layers of community literacies and movements involving foods labeled as “natural,” including an increasing availability of “natural” foods and simultaneous rise in U.S. obesity rates, as well as grassroots movements that have challenged the use of “natural.” Then, using an online survey of 707 respondents in a localized community setting, I provide my own examination of literacies of “natural” foods by assessing specific consumer interpretations and regulatory knowledge of the word “natural” as it is found on food labels. Ultimately, I discuss what role these varying levels of literacies play in the rising U.S. movement to push back against the use of this claim in the face of an otherwise flourishing “natural” food market.