cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutrient mediation of behavioral plasticity and resource allocation in a xylem-feeding leafhopper.

Phenotypic plasticity may be critical for nutrient-limited organisms that allocate ingested nutrients to the competing demands of reproduction and survivorship. Leafhoppers that feed on xylem fluid allow assessment of plasticity in response to the constant selective pressure of nutritional inadequacy. We examined feeding behavior (host selection and consumption rates) and nutrient allocation (fecundity, change in body mass and composition) of the xylem fluid-feeding leafhopper Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera:Cicadellidae) on ten genotypes of related Prunus germplasm when adults first seasonally appear, and later during population peaks, to examine the effects of genotypes and season on plasticity of life history and behavioral traits. Behavior and resource allocation to life history traits were both mediated by xylem nutrients, although nutrients impacting behavior differed from those mediating life history. Host selection and consumption varied with genotype between June and July, yet behavior consistently reflected concentrations of dietary glutamine. Resource allocations also increased linearly with nutrient concentrations, but were best correlated to ingested essential amino acids rather than glutamine. Body mass and composition were highly correlated to dietary essential amino acids in June; 6 weeks later, fecundity was instead proportional to essential amino acids. The discrepancy in nutrients which impact behavior versus those mediating life history may explain the weak preference–performance linkage documented for many insects. The demarcation in allocating resources to biomass in June to fecundity in July suggests increased allocation to reproduction during periods of nutrient stress as predicted by the theory of optimal resource allocation; other contributing biotic and abiotic factors are also discussed.
A solid state theory of oxidative phosphorylation.

Abstract A theory of oxidative phosphorylation utilizing phonons for energy transfer and chemical bond formation is presented. It is hypothesized that the phonons released during redox reactions of the electron transport chain can be propagated through the lattice structure of the proteins concerned with coupling. Energy loss of the phonons through rapid thermalization is prevented by hydrophobic bonding which serves as a thermal insulator of the lattice from the external environment. It is shown that respiratory control, reversed electron flow, uncoupling interchangability of energy among sites, utilization of two electron transfer to accomplish one bond formation are compatible with this theory. Experimental tests for the theory are proposed.
A new species of Ionactis (Asteraceae: Astereae) from Southern Nevada and an overview of the genus

Ionactis caelestis Leary & Nesom is a new species known from a single population that occurs on the Aztec Sandstone near Bridge Mountain in the Spring Mountains of Clark County, Nevada. It is placed in the genus Ionactis (=Aster subg. Ianthe) on the basis of its crowded, multicipital crown, lack of persistent basal leaves and presence of densely arranged cauline ones, strongly carinate phyllaries, blue rays, disc style branches with linear-lanceolate appendages, asymmetric carpopodia, double pappus, and chromosome number of 2n = 9 II. A key to the four species of the genus emphasizes the distinction of the new species in its taproot, the abundant, large, glandular trichomes on its stems and leaves, and disc flowers with sterile ovaries. Ionactis is more similar to the goldenaster (Heterotheca) lineage than to Aster, with which it has been allied formerly. The core of the goldenaster genera differ from Ionactis primarily in their yellow-rayed heads, the crystal complement within cells of their disc corollas, and their primarily multinerved achenes.
Comparison of the hydrolytic stability of S-(N,N-diethylaminoethyl) isobutyl methylphosphonothiolate with VX in dilute solution.

The stability of S-(N,N-diethylaminoethyl) isobutyl methylphosphonothiolate—a V-type nerve agent developed by the former Soviet Union—in the environment is an important parameter in threat assessment analysis and for the determination of use, production, testing and storage of this chemical warfare agent. S-(N,N-Diethylaminoethyl) isobutyl methylphosphonothiolate is a structural isomer of the nerve agent VX developed by the USA and the UK and will be referred to as VXA (VX analog) in this presentation. Because VXA and VX differ structurally, even though they do have the same molecular formula, it is expected that their physical and chemical properties would be different. This preliminary investigation was undertaken to determine the relative hydrolysis rate of VXA compared with VX. The hydrolysis of each compound at approximately 1 mg ml−1 in unbuffered water at pH 7 was determined side-by-side. The half-lives for VXA and VX were determined to be 12.4 days and 4.78 days, respectively. Agent VXA hydrolyzed 2.6 times more slowly than VX, and each agent followed second-order hydrolysis kinetics. These results imply that VXA is more persistent in the environment and therefore poses a greater threat. These results also imply that VXA is more likely to be detected, if present, during an inspection in support of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prognostic Value of Pinprick Preservation in Motor Complete, Sensory Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Oleson CV, Burns AS, Ditunno JF, Geisler FH, Coleman WP. Prognostic value of pinprick preservation in motor complete, sensory incomplete spinal cord injury. Objective To assess sacral and lower-extremity pinprick preservation as prognostic indicators for ambulation in motor complete, sensory incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Design Retrospective analysis. Setting Twenty-eight tertiary care centers in the United States and Canada. Participants Subjects (N=131; mean age, 31.6y) with motor complete, sensory incomplete SCI. Interventions Not applicable. Main outcome measure Ambulation at 26 and 52 weeks postinjury (modified Benzel scale). Results A higher percentage of subjects with sacral pinprick preservation at baseline were ambulating at 26 (39.4% vs 28.3%) and 52 weeks (53.6% vs 41.5%). This finding did not reach statistical significance. The presence of sacral pinprick preservation at 4 weeks postinjury was significant for predicting ambulation at 52 weeks postinjury (36.0% vs 4.4%, P=.011) and approached significance at 26 weeks (15.2% vs 0.0%, P=.056). Significant differences in ambulation rates were also observed between subjects, based on the presence of baseline lower-extremity pinprick preservation (≥50% of lower-extremity L2-S1 dermatomes) at both 26 (50.0% vs 28.8%, P=.048) and 52 weeks (66.7% vs 40.3%, P=.023) after injury. Conclusions Baseline lower-extremity pinprick preservation and sacral pinprick preservation at 4 weeks postinjury are associated with an improved prognosis for ambulation.
Measurement of the long-range correlation length of S F 6 very near the critical point

Results are reported of measurements of the long-range correlation length $\ensuremath{\xi}$, made along the critical isochore. The measurements were made using two different light-scattering techniques and cover the temperature range $4.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}\ensuremath{\le}\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}\ensuremath{-}1\ensuremath{\le}3.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$. All of the results are accurately fit by the expression $\ensuremath{\xi}=2.016{(\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}\ensuremath{-}1)}^{\ensuremath{-}0.621}$ \AA{}. Measurements of the isothermal compressibility ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{T}$, in the temperature range $1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}\ensuremath{\le}\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}\ensuremath{-}1\ensuremath{\le}3.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ are also reported and yield the result ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{T}=1.327\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}{(\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}\ensuremath{-}1)}^{\ensuremath{-}1.223}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/dyn. From these measurements the value of the exponent $\ensuremath{\eta}$ may be deduced as 0.03 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.03. The measured values of $\ensuremath{\xi}$ are used to interpret existing measurements of the Rayleigh linewidth in terms of mode-mode coupling theories. Experimental results are also presented which indicate that stirring may be used to eliminate gravitationally induced density gradients near the critical point without affecting the fluid's critical properties.
A Proposed Typology for the Production and Operations Management Core Course

In many business programs, a single production and operations management (POM) course is included in the core curriculum to provide a brief overview for students who do not pursue the subject as a major. This article offers a simple two-dimensional, four-cell typology, well grounded in various POM sources, for facilitating instruction under the constraints and requirements of such a course. The typology can also serve non-POM faculty who might be asked to teach the course, as well as authors and instructors providing reviews of POM in management principles courses and texts.
Potential tumor- or organ-imaging agents. 28. Radioiodinated esters of cholesterol and pregnenolone

Previous studies had shown radioiodinated esters of cholesterol and pregnenolone to accumulate in steroid-secreting tissues of the rat. This was particularly true for radioiodinated iopanoate esters. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of the iopanoyl amino group on the tissue distribution of these esters. While the tissue distribution profiles for cholesteryl iopanoate and the desamino analog (III) were somewhat comparable, such was not the case for the corresponding esters of pregnenolone. Moreover, this subtle structural change of removing the amino group was observed to affect the in vivo stability of the esters to hydrolysis. This conclusion is in accordance with the observation that the tissue distribution profiles for the free acids I and II are not significantly different from each other. These studies serve to demonstrate that relatively minor modifications of the acyl moiety have a profound effect on both the uptake and distribution of these sterol esters in various tissues.
On the Construction of a Comprehensive General Catalogue of Star Positions

The procedures that would lead to the construction of a comprehensive general catalogue of star positions are outlined and discussed. Attention is drawn to the problems faced by a definitive reduction of the Astrographic Catalogue. The importance and necessity of the repetition of the original work in this connection are stressed. This would provide at present—barring the development of revolutionary new and fast techniques—the only chance for the very desirable wholesale computation of the proper motions of all stars down to about 13m.
The Ultrasonic Radiation Field of a Quartz Disk Radiating into Liquid Media

The radiation pressure of sound waves on a spherical obstacle is used to determine the distribution of intensity in the sound field of a quartz disk radiating into a liquid medium. The measured distribution of intensity along the axis normal to a crystal face is compared to that to be expected from a plane piston radiating into a semi-infinite medium, and the agreement shows that the theoretical assumptions are fulfilled for the case used and that the "effective area" of the piston is essentially the actual area of the quartz disk.
Progress in recoil spectrometers for separation of fast nuclear reaction products

A review is presented of electromagnetic instruments used for detection and separation of heavy nuclear species emitted from or recoiling from targets in fusion, spallation or fission processes. In the case of fusion reactions, the nuclei, called evaporation residues, are emitted in a narrow cone about zero degree and hence have to be separated from the beam. The beam separation process is a major function of the apparatus.
LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION IN THE AUTOANALYZER. DETERMINATION OF TAURINE.

Abstract An analytical method, requiring a liquid-liquid extraction with an organic solvent, has been adapted to the AutoAnalyzer. Standard curves and example analyses are presented. This particular method, the determination of taurine, may be used, also, without the extraction, in which case about one-half of the sensitivity is lost. Some data are presented to define further the specificity of this test. Satisfactory analyses are obtained over the range 6 to 84 μg/ml taurine.
Translating Temporal Logic to Controller Specifications

The problem of designing hybrid controllers in order to satisfy safety or liveness specifications has received much attention in the past decade. Much more recently, there is an increased interest in designing hybrid controllers in order to achieve more sophisticated discrete specifications, such as those expressible in temporal logics. A great challenge is how to compose safety and liveness controllers in order to achieve more complex specifications. Existing approaches are predominantly bottom-up, in the sense that the overall control and composition (or switching) logic requires verification of the integrated closed-loop hybrid system. In this paper, we advocate and develop a top-down approach for this problem by synthesizing controllers which satisfy the specification by construction. Given a flat linear temporal logic specification as an input, we develop an algorithm that translates the temporal logic specification into a hybrid automaton where in each discrete mode we impose controller specifications for the continuous dynamics. In addition to achieving the desired specification by construction, our methodology provides a very natural interface between high level logic design and low level control design.
Stewart, O’Reilly, and The Rumble 2012: Alternative Political Debate in the Age of Hybridity

This study explores the internet-only political debate held in the run-up to the 2012 U.S. presidential election between political-entertainment personalities Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly. Independently produced and financed through a version of crowd-funding, the debate offers a window into the fundamentally hybrid nature of contemporary mediated political discourse. A novel form of hybrid celebrity politics afforded by emergent technological, economic, and cultural forces, the so-called “Rumble in the Air Conditioned Auditorium” interwove televisual celebrity, political advocacy, affective spectacle, and deliberative exchange. In so doing, it spoke to the increasingly complicated nature of representation, authenticity, and the possibilities of political speech in a hybrid media age.
Autoradiographic quantitation of β-adrenergic receptors on neural cells in primary cultures. II. Comparison of receptors on various types of immunocytochemically identified cells

We have developed a microcomputer-based video method to quantify neurotransmitter receptors on single, immunocytochemically labeled cultured cells. This method has been applied to determine whether beta-adrenergic receptors are more numerous on neurons, astroglia, oligodendroglia or fibroblasts in primary neural cell cultures, and to assess the heterogeneity of receptor expression within a single cell type. Dissociated cells from perinatal rat cerebral cortex were grown in very sparse cultures on polylysine-coated glass slides. The cultured cells were fixed and permeated, then stained with fluorescently labeled immunocytochemical markers for astroglia (glial fibrillary acidic protein), fibroblasts (fibronectin), oligodendroglia (galactocerebroside) or neurons (A2B5). beta-Adrenergic receptors were labeled with [125I]pindolol or [125I]cyanopindolol, and dry-mount autoradiography was carried out on the fixed cells. Cells were identified according to their morphology and cell-type specific staining, then autoradiographic grains associated with the defined cells were visualized by reflected polarized light microscopy and counted with a microcomputer-based video digitizing system. Using this technique, we have determined that fibroblasts have less than 15% of the number of beta-adrenergic receptors expressed by polygonal astroglia, whereas oligodendroglia and neurons had no detectable binding of 125I-labelled ligands. This suggests that in these mixed neural cell cultures, the great majority of beta-adrenergic receptors are associated with astroglia. Furthermore, we determined that process-bearing astroglia have less than 5% of the number of beta-adrenergic receptors expressed by polygonal astroglia. Since process-bearing astroglia are thought to be derived from polygonal astroglia, these results suggest that the beta-adrenergic receptor is lost from this population of astroglia during development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A multilevel neuromolecular architecture that uses the extradimensional bypass principle to facilitate evolutionary learning

Abstract A multilevel neuronal architecture integrating memory and internal dynamics is presented. The architecture has two levels of pattern processing neurons, called enzymatic neurons, orchestrated by two levels of memory access neurons, called reference neurons. The neural activity of the enzymatic neurons is controlled by information processing on the membrane cytoskeleton, modeled with cellular automata. The reference neuron selects a repertoire of enzymatic neurons to perform coherent functions. Evolution occurs at three levels: at the level of readout enzymes that respond to cytoskeletal signals, at the level of proteins that control signal flow in the cytoskeleton, and at the level of reference neurons that orchestrate the repertoire of enzymatic neurons. The system was tested in a maze-like environment in which the organism must learn to use patterns of barriers in its “field of vision” to find a target. The integrated system effectively employs synergies among the different levels of processing and learning to acquire pathfinding capabilities in a complicated environment. It also exhibits substantially greater problem solving power when the dimensionality of the system is increased by adding more types of components and more weak interactions.
Ultrafiltration Failure in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Due to Excessive Peritoneal Cavity Lymphatic Absorption

We describe a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patient who developed failure of ultrafiltration for no apparent cause during the first year of treatment. Further investigation showed that peritoneal cavity lymphatic reabsorption during the dwell time exceeded cumulative transcapillary ultrafiltration and so caused negative net ultrafiltration. Peritoneal lymphatic drainage should be added to the list of causes that, either singly or in combination, lead to loss of ultrafiltration in CAPD.
Tide model errors and GRACE gravimetry: towards a more realistic assessment

SUMMARY The manner in which errors in tide models affect monthly gravity solutions from GRACE satellite data is re-examined. We perform a complete simulation of GRACE gravity estimation, including allowance for accelerometer calibrations and satellite state-vector adjustment. Errors in monthly geoid estimates are for most regions of a order of 0.5 mm, or roughly 1 cm of equivalent water height when smoothed over radii of 600 km. In polar regions where ocean tide models are suspect, errors can grow significantly larger: over 2 mm in geoid height, although over very localized regions. Errors from diurnal tides tend to cancel, but they are not completely eliminated, inducing geoid errors of the order of 0.3 mm. The currently accepted GRACE total error budget is roughly an order of magnitude larger than the component arising from tide modelling errors.
Human single-nucleotide polymorphisms alter p53 sequence-specific binding at gene regulatory elements

p53 coordinates the expression of an intricate network of genes in response to stress signals. Sequence-specific DNA binding is essential for p53-mediated tumor suppression. We evaluated the impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in p53 response elements (p53RE) on DNA binding and gene expression in response to DNA damage. Using a bioinformatics approach based on incorporating p53 binding strength into a position weight matrix, we selected 32 SNPs in putative and validated p53REs. The microsphere assay for protein-DNA binding (MAPD) and allele-specific expression analysis was employed to assess the impact of SNPs on p53-DNA binding and gene expression, respectively. Comparing activated p53 binding in nuclear extracts from doxorubicin- or ionizing radiation (IR)-treated human cells, we observed little difference in binding profiles. Significant p53 binding was observed for most polymorphic REs and several displayed binding comparable to the p21 RE. SNP alleles predicted to lower p53 binding indeed reduced binding in 25 of the 32 sequences. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing in lymphoblastoid cells confirmed p53 binding to seven polymorphic p53 REs in response to doxorubicin. In addition, five polymorphisms were associated with altered gene expression following doxorubicin treatment. Our findings demonstrate an effective strategy to identify and evaluate SNPs that may alter p53-mediated stress responses.
Routine peritoneal drainage of the surgical bed after elective distal pancreatectomy: is it necessary?

Abstract Background Recent literature suggests that peritoneal drainage (PD) is not helpful after elective pancreatectomy and may be detrimental. Data specific to distal pancreatectomy (DP) have not received prior evaluation. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent DP. Factors examined included postoperative morbidity and the need for therapeutic intervention. Results Sixty-nine patients had DP, 30 without PD. Thirty-four patients suffered 45 complications, most were intra-abdominal in nature. Twelve, 19, and 3 patients required radiologic drainage, reoperation, or both, respectively. There was no difference between groups relative to intra-abdominal complications or the need for therapeutic intervention. Of 39 patients undergoing PD, 19 had abdominal morbidity. The drain was useful in identifying and/or treating the complication in 3 patients. Conclusions First, PD after DP does not confer a reduction in morbidity or the need for therapeutic intervention versus patients with no drains. Second, the presence of a drain infrequently was helpful in detecting complications. Third, a multi-institutional, randomized study is recommended.
Sequences in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 U3 Region Required for In Vivo and In Vitro Integration

A series of mutants with alterations in the U3 region of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat were made, and the effects of these mutations were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. When the subterminal 6 to 8 nucleotides of the U3 long terminal repeat were mutated, the resulting provirus was unable to efficiently replicate in vivo, and a mutant oligonucleotide which mimicked the mutation could not be efficiently cleaved but could be joined to target DNA by wild-type recombinant integrase protein in vitro. These results suggest that this region is important in the specific recognition of the viral DNA by the integrase protein.
A method for quick assessment of CO2 storage capacity in closed and semi-closed saline formations

Saline aquifers of high permeability bounded by overlying/underlying seals may be sur- rounded laterally by low-permeability zones, possibly caused by natural heterogeneity and/ or faulting. Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection into and storage in such ''closed'' systems with impervious seals, or ''semi-closed'' systems with non-ideal (low permeability) seals, is different from that in ''open'' systems, from which the displaced brine can easily escape laterally. In closed or semi-closed systems, the pressure buildup caused by continuous industrial-scale CO2 injection may have a limiting effect on CO2 storage capacity, because geomechanical damage caused by overpressure needs to be avoided. In this research, a simple analytical method was developed for the quick assessment of the CO2 storage capacity in such closed and semi-closed systems. This quick-assessment method is based on the fact that native brine (of an equivalent volume) displaced by the cumulative injected CO2 occupies additional pore volume within the storage formation and the seals, provided by pore and brine compressibility in response to pressure buildup. With non-ideal seals, brine may also leak through the seals into overlying/underlying formations. The quick- assessment method calculates these brine displacement contributions in response to an estimated average pressure buildup in the storage reservoir. The CO2 storage capacity and the transient domain-averaged pressure buildup estimated through the quick-assessment method were compared with the ''true'' values obtained using detailed numerical simula- tions of CO2 and brine transport in a two-dimensional radial system. The good agreement indicates that the proposed method can produce reasonable approximations for storage- formation-seal systems of various geometric and hydrogeological properties.
HYDROLOGIC REGIMES AND RIPARIAN FORESTS: A STRUCTURED POPULATION MODEL FOR COTTONWOOD

Riparian cottonwood (Populus deltoides) forests form the one of the most extensive deciduous forest ecosystems in arid regions of the western United States. However, cottonwood populations are threatened by flow alteration and channel degradation caused by dams, water diversions, and groundwater pumping. We developed a stochastic, density- dependent, population model to (1) consolidate information concerning cottonwood pop- ulation dynamics in a conceptual and analytical framework, (2) determine whether complex forest stand dynamics can be predicted from basic cottonwood vital rates and river hy- drology, and (3) aid in planning prescribed floods by projecting how altered flow regimes might affect populations. The model describes how annual variation in the hydrograph affects cottonwood mortality (via floods and droughts) and recruitment (via scouring of new habitat and seedling establishment). Using parameter values for the undammed Yampa River in Colorado, we found that abundances of seedlings and younger trees followed a boom-bust cycle driven by high flood mortalities while reproductive adult abundance fol- lowed a less erratic 5-15-yr periodicity driven by multiyear sequences of flows favorable to stand recruitment. Conversely, chance occurrences of multiple drought years eliminated cottonwood from up to 50% of available habitat, providing opportunities for competing plant species to establish. By simulating flow alterations on the Yampa ranging from chan- nelization (many floods/droughts) to damming (few floods/droughts), the model suggested that mature cottonwood forest should be most abundant near the observed natural flow regime. Model analysis also suggested that flow regimes with high flood frequencies result in stable (albeit small) population sizes, while stable flows result in highly variable pop- ulation sizes prone to local extinction.
Patterns in the outer parts of galactic discs

This paper describes test-particle simulations of the response of the outer parts of Galactic discs to barring and spiral structure. Simulations are conducted for cold Mestel discs and warm quasi-exponential discs with completely flat rotation curves, subjected to pure quadrupoles and logarithmic spirals. Even though the starting velocity distributions are smooth, the end-points of the bar simulations show bimodality and multipeaked structures at locations near the outer Lindblad resonance (OLR), although spirality can make this smoother. The growth of a bar may cause the disc isophotes to become boxy at the OLR, as stars accumulate particularly along the minor axis. The growth of a bar is also accompanied by substantial heating of the disc stars near the OLR. For the growth of a 10 10 -M ○. bar, the radial velocity dispersion is typically quadrupled for initially cold discs (initial σ u ∼ 10 km s -1 ), and typically doubled for discs with final σ u ∼ 45 km s -1 . Simulations performed of the growth and dissolution of bars give very similar results, demonstrating that the heat once given to disc stars is very difficult to remove.
Challenges of Scaling Algebraic Multigrid Across Modern Multicore Architectures

Algebraic multigrid (AMG) is a popular solver for large-scale scientific computing and an essential component of many simulation codes. AMG has shown to be extremely efficient on distributed-memory architectures. However, when executed on modern multicore architectures, we face new challenges that can significantly deteriorate AMG's performance. We examine its performance and scalability on three disparate multicore architectures: a cluster with four AMD Opteron Quad-core processors per node (Hera), a Cray XT5 with two AMD Opteron Hex-core processors per node (Jaguar), and an IBM Blue Gene/P system with a single Quad-core processor (Intrepid). We discuss our experiences on these platforms and present results using both an MPI-only and a hybrid MPI/OpenMP model. We also discuss a set of techniques that helped to overcome the associated problems, including thread and process pinning and correct memory associations.
Youth Repeatedly Hospitalized for DKA: Proof of Concept for Novel Interventions in Children’s Healthcare (NICH)

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common reason for hospitalization of youth with type 1 diabetes. The annual cost of care for youth with type 1 diabetes with and without DKA was estimated to be $14,236 and $8,398, respectively (1). There appears to be a subgroup of youth with type 1 diabetes that encounters many psychosocial challenges that put them at risk for repeated hospitalizations for DKA. With intervention, these DKA-related hospitalizations may be avoidable. Thus, consistent with the triple aim of health care reform (i.e., reducing costs, improving health, and improving care) (2), Novel Interventions in Children’s Healthcare (NICH) was developed to address the triple aim in youth with type 1 diabetes (3). NICH is theoretically grounded in Urie Bronfenbrenner’s (4) social ecological …
Pulsing Information Grates, as Parallel Computing Structures with Homogeneous Architecture of Environment

Are considered pulsing information grates (pulsing), as computing structures with homogeneous architecture of environment. Pulsing represent computing with a matrix of one- bit processors, which are connected among themselves. Feature pulsing is that they are projected as a plate pulsing, silicon platform with the appropriate topology of functional elements and communications between them.
Punitive Damages in Special Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been instrumental in ensuring that all qualified children with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public education. Successful pursuit of complaints regarding the provision of an appropriate education entitles parents to a wide range of remedies, such as the recovery of attorneys' fees, reimbursement for residential placements and related services, and compensatory education. Courts, however, have been reluctant to award punitive damages under IDEA and other legal principles (Sections 1983 and 504), although this is legally plausible. This possibility has been severely compromised by the latest Supreme Court case, Barnes v. Gorman (2002).
Conceptual priming and familiarity: Different expressions of memory during recognition testing with distinct neurophysiological correlates

Familiarity and recollection are qualitatively different explicit-memory phenomena evident during recognition testing. Investigations of the neurocognitive substrates of familiarity and recollection, however, have typically disregarded implicit-memory processes likely to be engaged during recognition tests. We reasoned that differential neural responses to old and new items in a recognition test may reflect either explicit or implicit memory. Putative neural correlates of familiarity in prior experiments, for example, may actually reflect contamination by implicit memory. In two experiments, we used obscure words that subjects could not formally define to tease apart electrophysiological correlates of familiarity and one form of implicit memory, conceptual priming. In Experiment 1, conceptual priming was observed for words only if they elicited meaningful associations. In Experiment 2, two distinct neural signals were observed in conjunction with familiarity-based recognition: late posterior potentials for words that both did and did not elicit meaningful associations and FN400 potentials only for the former. Given that symbolic meaning is a prerequisite for conceptual priming, the combined results specifically link late posterior potentials and FN400 potentials with familiarity and conceptual priming, respectively. These findings contradict previous interpretations of FN400 potentials as generic signals of familiarity and show that repeated stimuli in recognition tests can engender facilitated processing of conceptual information in addition to retrieval processing that leads to the awareness of memory retrieval. The different characteristics of the electrical markers of these two types of process further underscore the biological validity of the distinction between implicit memory and explicit memory.
Multiple Transcript Initiation as a Mechanism for Regulating Gene Expression

Transcription is the intermediary process that copies a DNA-encoded gene into a form which is either functional in its own right (stable RNAs, such as ribosomal or transfer RNAs) or can be decoded by the translational machinery into a functional protein. Transcripts destined for translation are called messenger RNAs (mRNAs), since they act as go-betweens from DNA to protein. Although RNAs are transcribed as single-stranded molecules, most can assume complicated secondary and tertiary structures that are critical for proper functioning. As a result, each mRNA contains not only the sequence information required to synthesize a protein, but also structural components that can regulate mRNA localization, stability, and translation efficiency. Thus the initiation of transcription occupies a preeminent place in the regulation of gene expression.
Adaptation of the CHARM DNA methylation platform for the rat genome reveals novel brain region-specific differences

Comprehensive high-throughput arrays for relative methylation (CHARM) was recently developed as an experimental platform and analytic approach to assess DNA methylation (DNAm) at a genome-wide level. Its initial implementation was for human and mouse. We adapted it for rat and sought to examine DNAm differences across tissues and brain regions in this model organism. We extracted DNA from liver, spleen and three brain regions: cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus from adult Sprague Dawley rats. DNA was digested with McrBC, and the resulting methyl-depleted fraction was hybridized to the rat CHARM array along with a mock-treated fraction. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between tissue types were detected using normalized methylation log-ratios. In validating 24 of the most significant DMRs by bisulfite pyrosequencing, we detected large mean differences in DNAm, ranging from 33–59%, among the most significant DMRs in the across-tissue comparisons. The comparable figures for the hippocampus vs. hypothalamus DMRs were 14–40%, for the cortex vs. hippocampus DMRs, 12–29%, and for the cortex vs. hypothalamus DMRs, 5–35%, with a correlation of r2 = 0.92 between the methylation differences in 24 DMRs predicted by CHARM and those validated by bisulfite pyrosequencing. Our adaptation of the CHARM array for the rat genome yielded highly robust results that demonstrate the value of this method in detecting substantial DNAm differences between tissues and across different brain regions. This platform should prove valuable in future studies aimed at examining DNAm differences in particular brain regions of rats exposed to environmental stimuli with potential epigenetic consequences.
Response to the Panel Review of Psychological Hermeneutics for Biblical Themes and Texts: a Festschrift in Honor of Wayne G. Rollins

Rollins acknowledges J. Harold Ellens’s work in envisioning and editing the Festschrift and his global contribution to psychological biblical criticism. He offers commentary on the Festschrift reviews by panelists Adela Collins (Yale University), Stuart Lasine (Wichita State University), Andries van Aarde (University of Pretoria), William Morrow (Queens University), and D. Andrew Kille (Bible Workbench). He cites areas for future research in the field and concludes with the advancement of four principal postulates on which a psychological hermeneutic is based.
The evolution of self-compatibility in geographically peripheral populations of Leavenworthia alabamica (Brassicaceae)

Self-compatibility and adaptations to self-fertilization are often found in plant populations at the periphery of species' ranges or on islands. Self-compatibility may predominate in these environments because it provides reproductive assurance when pollinators or availability of mates limits seed production. This possibility was studied in Leavenworthia alabamica, a flowering plant endemic to the southeastern United States. Populations at the center of the species' range retain sporophytic self-incompatibility, but peripheral populations are smaller, self-compatible, and have adaptations for self-fertilization. A reciprocal-transplant experiment was designed to test whether there is pollen limitation of seed set and to examine its strength in central and peripheral populations. Self-compatible genotypes produced more fruit and 17-22% more seed than self-incompatible genotypes in all environments, suggesting that the transition to self-compatibility may be favored by natural selection in all populations inhabited by L. alabamica. Sequence analyses demonstrated that two peripheral populations have 90-100% reductions in genetic variation, consistent with the effects of small population size or historical bottlenecks. Although pollen limitation of seed set occurs in all environments, self-compatibility may evolve at the periphery in L. alabamica because the benefits of reproductive assurance are influenced by population size or bottlenecks following extinction and colonization.
Relative Brauer Groups of Function Fields of Curves of Genus One

Abstract Let Kbe an algebraic function field in one variable over a constant field k. In this paper, we investigate the relative Brauer groups Br(K/k) of Kover kin various cases. When kis a global field, we focus on function fields K = k(C) of genus 1 where Cis the curve of the form y 2 = at 4 + bwith a, b ∈ k − {0}, and we describe the Brauer classes in Br(K/k). More precisely, we show that each algebra in Br(K/k) is a quaternion algebra which can be obtained by taking one of a finite number of the x-coordinates of k-rational points on the Jacobian of the curve C. In particular, for the field ℚ of rational numbers, we determine Br(K/ℚ) precisely in numerous cases and give examples.
A miniature robot for isolating and tracking neurons in extracellular cortical recordings

This paper presents a miniature robot device and control algorithm that can autonomously position electrodes in cortical tissue for isolation and tracking of extracellular signals of individual neurons. Autonomous electrode positioning can significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of acute electrophysiolgical experiments aimed at basic understanding of the nervous system. Future miniaturized systems of this sort could also overcome some of the inherent difficulties in estabilishing long-lasting neural interfaces that are needed for practical realization of neural prostheses. The paper describes the robot's design and summarizes the overall structure of the control system that governs the electrode positioning process. We present a new sequential clustering algorithm that is key to improving our system's performance, and which may have other applications in robotics. Experimental results in macaque cortex demonstrate the validity of our approach.
Far-Ultraviolet Intensities of Orion Stars

Photometric data in the 1050–1180 A and 1230–1350 A wavelength ranges, and electrono-graphic spectra in the 1000–1600 A wavelength range, were obtained in an Aerobee rocket flight on January 30, 1969. The spectral intensities derived from these data for main-sequence stars are in good agreement with the model atmospheres of Morton and co-workers. Giant and supergiant stars, however, appear to be up to one magnitude weaker, at 1115 A, than main-sequence stars of the same spectral class.
A Density Functional Formalism for Condensed Matter Systems

A very large part of research in condensed matter physics may be considered as investigations of inhomogeneous electron systems. The inhomogeneities are due to nuclear charges located in certain geometrical forms (single nuclear charge for an atom, a small number of several nuclear charges distributed spatially to form small molecules, or a large number of nuclei arranged in a regular spatial three-dimensional array to form a solid etc.). We will not be interested here in amorphous systems even though a density functional scheme is being used in the liquid state research. Also we will not be interested in the detailed properties of the nuclei themselves and treat them as merely positively charged entities with no intrinsic character to them. One class of questions concerns the electronic properties including its spin effects and our main attention will be focussed on these. There have been some attempts to examine nuclear motions (molecular vibrations and phonons in solids) using density functional formalism; but this has not yet been explored fully as will be pointed out later. The central theme in the original density-functional formalism was that the ground state (equilibrium) properties depend only on the ground state (equilibrium) density of the electrons and the nuclei. Stated in this way, we may think of these problems as another facet of Relativistic Quantum Electrodynamics of many electrons and structureless charge compensating nuclei, which for all practical purposes can be treated as classical objects.
Peptide Functionalized Gold Nanorods for the Sensitive Detection of a Cardiac Biomarker Using Plasmonic Paper Devices

The sensitivity of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metal nanostructures to adsorbates lends itself to a powerful class of label-free biosensors. Optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures are dependent on the geometrical features and the local dielectric environment. The exponential decay of the sensitivity from the surface of the plasmonic nanotransducer calls for the careful consideration in its design with particular attention to the size of the recognition and analyte layers. In this study, we demonstrate that short peptides as biorecognition elements (BRE) compared to larger antibodies as target capture agents offer several advantages. Using a bioplasmonic paper device (BPD), we demonstrate the selective and sensitive detection of the cardiac biomarker troponin I (cTnI). The smaller sized peptide provides higher sensitivity and a lower detection limit using a BPD. Furthermore, the excellent shelf-life and thermal stability of peptide-based LSPR sensors, which precludes the need for special storage conditions, makes it ideal for use in resource-limited settings.
Adjunctive anticoagulation during peripheral vascular intervention

Endovascular techniques for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease are becoming an increasingly common alternative to open surgery, yet the degree of anticoagulation and choice of anticoagulant to optimize outcomes in these procedures remain uncertain. To date, few randomized trials have directly compared different anticoagulants for use during peripheral vascular interventions. It is also unclear if the approach to anticoagulation should be individualized to each vascular bed or if common principles are shared among them. This has led practitioners across different specialties to use a variety of different methods for anticoagulation, with most extrapolated from techniques used in percutaneous coronary interventions. In this review, we analyze the current literature for anticoagulation used during peripheral vascular intervention of the lower extremity, renal, carotid, and aortic arteries, with special consideration to the choice of anticoagulant used to maximize safe and effective procedural outcomes.
Gender and the pathways to subjective well-being

The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in the pathways to life satisfaction and happiness. The analysis focused on the effects of undesirable events and the intervening influences of subjective assessments and social statuses. Using GSS(NORC) data from 1987–1990 (women = 915 and men = 700) findings suggest that men and women are more similar than different in their responses to undesirable life events. Modifying influences, however, appear to reject some gender-role effects. Women also experienced a persistent influence from distal events on life satisfaction, while men were more responsive to recent conditions in terms of global happiness. Overall, there was mixed support for gender differences found elsewhere in the life events literature.
Ökonomische Ansätze zur Evaluation einer neuen medizinischen Technologie: das Medikament Cimetidin

Das Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es aufzuzeigen, 1. warum und unter welchen Umstanden die okonomische Evaluation einer neuen Technologie (im Gesundheitswesen oder anderswo) von Nutzen sein kann; 2. welche alternativen Ansatze zur Bewertung zur Verfugung stehen; 3. wie diese Ansatze auf den Fall einer neuen Technologie — des Medikaments Cimetidin — angewandt wurden und 4. welche Hindernisse einer Verbesserung der Qualitat der okonomischen Evaluation entgegenstehen. Die okonomische Evaluation eines Medikaments umfast sowohl konzeptuelle als auch empirische Fragen. Viele dieser Fragen treten bei jeder okonomischen Evaluation auf. Die Evaluation technologischer Veranderungen in der Gesundheitsversorgung (wie die Anwendung eines neuen Medikaments) weist zwar viele ungewohnliche Dimensionen auf, doch sollten wir den breiten Evaluationsrahmen, in den sie gehoren, nicht aus den Augen verlieren.
Effect of cesarean section on postpartum ovulation and changes in serum LH in postopartum in rats.

SummaryCesarean section on Day 22 of pregnancy has no effect on ovulation as determined by the incidence of ovulation and the radioimmunoassay of serum LH. This study demonstrates that parturition per se is not the prerequisite to triggering the LH surge responsible for ovulation in the postpartum rat.
Simultaneous Cholecystography and Determination of Liver Function.

Since the introduction of cholecystography by us three years ago, we have instituted many changes and modifications to enhance its value. A short time ago we substituted phenoltetraiodophthalein for tetraiodophenolphthalein for several reasons. A smaller dose is required, the time of filling and emptying of the gallbladder is shortened, and the blood serum is stained so that readings on the excretion by the liver can be obtained.The dose of phenoltetraiodophthalein is 0.04 grams per kilo of body weight, and is preferably given in the morning intravenously on an empty stomach. The dose need not exceed 2.5 grams. Lunch should be omitted, but if hunger demands, the diet should be limited to liquids without fats and low in proteins. Water is allowed. Roentgenograms are taken 4, 8 and 24 hours after the injection.The solution is prepared by dissolving 2.5 grams phenoltetraiodophthalein in 30 or more cc. freshly distilled water, filtered and sterilized in a water bath for 15 or 20 minutes. A specimen of blood i...