cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic versus augmented maximum parsimony method for estimating superimposed mutations in the divergent evolution of protein sequences. Methods tested on cytochrome c amino acid sequences.

Abstract Two ways of estimating superimposed fixed mutations in the divergent descent of proteins are examined. One method counts these in terms of a Poisson process operating within selective constraints. The other uses the maximum parsimony method to connect the contemporary sequences through intervening ancestral sequences in an evolutionary tree, and then, from the distribution of fixed mutations in dense regions of this genealogy, estimates how many fixations should be added to sparse regions. An algorithm is described which determines such augmented distances. The two methods yield similar estimates of genetic divergence when tested on a series of cytochrome c amino acid sequences. Within those constraints imposed by Darwinian selection, the dynamic behavior of the evolutionary divergence of proteins is described by the probabilistic pathways of the stochastic model. The parsimony model provides a valid Aufbau-Prinzip for examining which of those pathways occurred along a particular lineage. Concordance of the numerical magnitudes of genetic divergence estimates made by the two methods reveals them as logically consistent complements, not as mutually exclusive antagonists. Both methods indicate that cytochrome c has evolved in a non-uniform manner over geological time and more rapidly than previously estimated.
Meso-Synoptic Scale Interactions during AVE/SESAME II and a Comparison with AVE/SESAME I

Abstract A diagnosis of the scale interactions between areas of organized convective activity and their larger scale environment is presented for AVE/SESAME II, 19–20 April 1979. Two distinct areas of deep convection occurred during the period, one associated with frontal thunderstorms over the Great Plains and Southwest (referred to as CB1) and the other associated with a persistent region of airmass thunderstorms over the Texas–Louisiana Gulf Coast (referred to as CB2). It is found that a significant source of kinetic energy in both areas was the generation of energy due to the interaction between different scales of mass and motion. Furthermore, most of the scale-interaction generation occurred in the upper troposphere during the period of most active convection. In CB1, nearly all of the energy enhancement appears to be due to large-scale flow interesting with mesoscale (thunderstorm-produced) height gradients (referred to as GLD). In CB2, two processes appear to be equally important: GLD and the gene...
Friend or foe? Why US energy efficiency nonprofits collaborate with business and government

Relations between business, government, and environmental nonprofits have changed significantly over the past two decades. The energy efficiency field in the United States exemplifies these shifts. While in the past their interactions were usually adversarial, today many in these sectors collaborate in running a gamut of energy efficiency programs focused on changing household and business use of energy. This paper offers a unique glimpse into how and why these partnerships have evolved. We analyze sixteen interviews with individuals that have upper-level decision-making experience at 11 different US energy efficiency nonprofit organizations. Our data provide support for a number of organizational factors theorized in the literature to influence nonprofits’ decision to partner with business to achieve their goals. However, most decisive were a series of legislative wins and losses which forced both sides to negotiate face to face, changing intergroup perceptions and ultimately leading to more cooperative ...
The envelope approach for multiobjeetive optimization problems

A multiobjective optimization problem is usually solved by finding the set of all noninferior solutions to the problem. A methodology termed the envelope approach is presented for generating the set of noninferior solutions. The relationship between the envelope approach and multiobjective optimization is explored. Investigation of the use of the envelope approach in multiobjective dynamic programming and in the parametric decomposition method shows that this approach is very suitable for solving certain classes of multiobjective optimization problems by decomposition and coordination.
Health behaviors and obesity among US children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by gender and medication use

Abstract Objective We examined the levels of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and obesity among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by gender and medication use and estimated the associations between health behaviors and obesity. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of children 6–17 years-old enrolled in the National Survey of Children's Health 2003 (n = 66,707). Odds ratios were adjusted for multistage-sampling and survey-design effects. Results ADHD prevalence was 8.6%. In general, children with ADHD engaged in less physical activity, organized sports, and reading than their counterparts. Children with ADHD had increased risk of obesity for boys [24.9% vs. 21.6%, OR(95% CI): 1.42(1.13–1.77)] and girls [21.9% vs. 16%, 1.85(1.26–2.73)], if not medicated. Only girls with ADHD and not on medication were more likely to have higher media time (52.7% vs. 42%) and this was associated with higher odds for obesity [27.7% vs. 19.5%, 2.51 (1.24–5.08)]. Children with ADHD on medication had higher prevalence of depression than those not taking medication [boys: 29.5% vs. 26.3%; girls: 30.9% vs. 23.6%] and the odds of being depressed remained significant after controlling for obesity [boys: 1.45 (1.09–1.94); girls: 2.27 (1.48–3.49)]. Conclusions Health promotion and obesity prevention programs targeting children with ADHD should take gender and medication use into consideration.
Is the growth of temperate forest trees enhanced along an ambient nitrogen deposition gradient

The extent to which atmospheric N deposition is enhancing primary production and CO2 sequestration along the ambient N deposition gradients found within many regional temperate forest ecosystems remains unknown. We used tree diameter measurements from 1984 and 2004, allometric equations, and estimates of wet N deposition from 32 permanent plots located along an ambient N deposition gradient in the Adirondack Park, New York, U.S.A., to determine the effects of N deposition on the basal area and woody biomass increments (BAI and WBI, respectively) of individual stems from all the major tree species. Nitrogen deposition had either a neutral or positive effect on BAI and WBI, with the positive effects especially apparent within the smaller size classes of several species. The nature of these growth responses suggests that other co-varying factors (e.g., temperature, tropospheric ozone, soil acidification) may be partially counteracting the species-dependent fertilization effect of N deposition that was suggested by recent foliar N data across this gradient. Nevertheless, in documenting a fertilization effect from chronic, low-level, ambient rates of N deposition, this study underscores the need for more research on how N deposition is affecting rates of primary production, CO2 sequestration, and even vegetation dynamics in many forests worldwide.
An Approximate Analytical Model of the Vapor Deposition and Aggregation Growth of Snowflakes

Abstract It is well known that snowflakes tend to distribute exponentially with respect to their melted diameter. This fact is used to formulate an approximate analytical model of the deposition and aggregation growth of snow in stratiform clouds. The model predicts the height evolution in a steady-state, vertically heterogeneous cloud of the slope and intercept parameters, N(h) and λ (h), of the size distribution of snowflakes which is assumed to be given by n(D,h)=N(h) exp[−λ(h)D], where h is the height in the cloud and D the snowflake diameter. Solutions for N(t) and λ(t) for a time-dependent spatially homogeneous cloud are also presented. Results from this technique compare well with numerical integrations for the case of perfect geometric coalescence of raindrops. This stratiform snow model predicts the existence of radar reflectivity-snowfall rate relations although, for this first-order model, there is fair agreement between theoretical and observed values. The model suggests that “equilibrium” sno...
A character sum evaluation and Gaussian hypergeometric series

Abstract Evans has conjectured the value of a certain character sum. The conjecture is confirmed using properties of Gaussian hypergeometric series which are well known for hypergeometric series. Several related questions are discussed.
Almost Common Value Auctions: An Experiment

In almost common value auctions one bidder has a higher (private) value for the item than the other bidders. Theory predicts that even a small private value advantage can have an explosive effect in English auctions, with advantaged bidders always winning and sharp decreases in revenue. These predictions fail to materialize for experienced bidders who have learned to avoid the worst effects of the winner’s curse. Bidding is better characterized as proportional, with advantaged bidders tending to bid as in a pure common value auction after adding their private value advantage to their estimated value of the item.
American Rhinologic Society member survey on "maximal medical therapy" for chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background“Maximal medical therapy” is the standard of care for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) treatment before the recommendation for surgery. However, this therapy is not consistent. Therefore, as ...
Relationships among body mass, brain size, gut length, and blood tryptophan and serotonin in young wild-type mice

The blood hyperserotonemia of autism is one of the most consistent biological findings in autism research, but its causes remain unclear. A major difficulty in understanding this phenomenon is the lack of information on fundamental interactions among the developing brain, gut, and blood in the mammalian body. We therefore investigated relationships among the body mass, the brain mass, the volume of the hippocampal complex, the gut length, and the whole-blood levels of tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) in young, sexually immature wild-type mice. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the hippocampal complex were obtained from serial, Nissl-stained sections and the gut was allowed to attain its maximal relaxed length prior to measurements. The tryptophan and 5-HT concentrations in the blood were assessed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the sex of mice was confirmed by genotyping. Statistical analysis yielded information about correlative relationships among all studied variables. It revealed a strong negative correlation between blood 5-HT concentration and body mass and a strong negative correlation between the brain mass/body mass ratio and gut length. Also, a negative correlation was found between the volume of the hippocampal complex and blood tryptophan concentration. The study provides information on the covariance structure of several central and peripheral variables related to the body serotonin systems. In particular, the results indicate that body mass should be included as a covariate in studies on platelet 5-HT levels and they also suggest a link between brain growth and gut length.
The mesoglea of Hydra. IV. A qualitative radioautographic study of the protein component

The synthesis of the collagen-elastin-like protein of the mesoglea of Hydra pseudoligactis was studied using tritiated proline. Radioproline was incorporated by direct incubation in “hot” hydra culture medium and by feeding Hydra labeled Artemia nauplii. Hydra cells are permeable to proline in the culture medium and exhibit radioproline incorporation within two hours in regenerating animals. Non-regenerating Hydra exhibit incorporation only after a longer time. Isolated mesoglea of Hydra also exhibits incorporation of radioproline subsequent to its appearance in the cells. Epithelio-muscular cells and digestive cells appear to be responsible for mesoglea synthesis. The distribution of radioproline label in Hydra mesoglea can be explained on the basis of the theory of directed cell movement previously presented by the authors and the observed synthesis of mesoglea protein.
The Mössbauer effect in 191Ir and 189Os

The Mossbauer effect has been observed in 191Ir following the decay of 191Pt (T12 = 3.0 d, Eγ = 82.4 keV) and in 189Os following the decay of 189Ir (T12 = 13.3 d, Eγ = 69.6 keV).
Piezoelectric Controlled Pulsed Microjet Actuation

A piezohydraulic actuator has been designed and tested for broadband flow control of a microjet actuator. This actuator is under development to understand fundamental flow characteristics near a pulsed flow microjet for active flow control on a number of aircraft structures including impinging jets, cavities, and jet inlets. Recent research has shown substantial reductions in flow separation and noise reduction using steady blowing microjets. This approach often leads to inefficiencies due to excessive mass flux that is typically bled off of an aircraft compressor. Reductions in mass flux without performance losses are desired by actively pulsing the microjet. A piezohydraulic actuator design is presented to investigate this concept. The actuator includes a piezoelectric stack actuator and hydraulic circuit to achieve sufficient displacement amplification to throttle a 400 μm diameter microjet. This system is shown to provide broadband pulsed flow actuation up to 900 Hz. Key parameters contributing to dynamic actuation are shown to include hydraulic fluid behavior, biased microjet air pressure, and voltage inputs to the stack actuator.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Testing for Gaussianity and Linearity of a Stationary Time Series.

Abstract : Stable autoregressive (AR) and autoregressive moving average (ARMA) processes belong to the class of stationary linear time series. A linear time series is Gaussian if the distribution of the independent innovations (sigma (t)) is normal. Assuming that E sigma (t) = 0, some of the third order cumulants sub c xxx (m,n) = Ex(t)x(t+m)x(t+n) will be non-zero if the sigma (t) are not normal and E sigma cube(t)=0. If the relationship between x(t) and sigma (t) is non-linear, then (x(t)) is non-Gaussian even if the sigma (t) are normal. This paper presents a simple estimator of the bispectrum, the Fourier transform of (sub c xxx (m,n)). This sample bispectrum is used to construct a statistic to test whether the bispectrum of (x(t)) is non-zero. A rejection of the null hypothesis implies a rejection of the hypothesis that (x(t)) is Gaussian. A related test statistic is then presented for testing the hypothesis that (x(t)) is linear. The asymptotic properties of the sample bispectrum are incorporated in these test statistics. The tests are consistent as the sample size (N approaches infinity.
Response of slanted chiral sculptured thin films to dipolar sources

Abstract A theoretical investigation of the electromagnetic response of a slanted chiral sculptured thin film (STF) to dipolar sources is presented. Dyadic Green functions (DGFs) for a slanted chiral STF sandwiched between two vacuous half-spaces are formulated as planewave angular spectrums. First, the response of the slanted chiral STF to obliquely incident plane waves is obtained by rigorous coupled-wave analysis implemented with a stable algorithm; then, asymptotic evaluation of the DGFs is carried in the far-field limit. The radiation patterns of Beltrami source configurations close to a slanted chiral STF are computed and discussed. In particular, certain characteristic features – which are closely related to the circular Bragg phenomenon – in the radiation patterns are found to be spatially asymmetric, because of the effective transverse periodicity of the chosen thin film.
Characterisation of coliphage K30, a bacteriophage specific for Escherichia coli capsular serotype K30

Coliphage K30, a bacteriophage specific for strains bearing the Escherichia coli serotype K30 capsular polysaccharide, produced plaques surrounded by extensive haloes, a characteristic of phage which produce capsule depolymerase (glycanase) enzymes. Klebsiella K20, a strain producing a capsular polysaccharide chemically identical to that of E. coli K30, was not lysed by coliphage K30, although the bacteriophage encoded glycanase enzyme did degrade the K20 polysaccharide. Morphologically, coliphage K30 belonged to Bradley group C. The coliphage K30 particle comprised 20 structural polypeptides which varied from 9.5–136 kDa and genomic DNA of 38.7 ± 1.0 kb.
Erratum: Adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer: A time that has not yet come

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;95:530–531
Mesoscopic transport properties of in-plane gate defined quantum wires

Abstract We study the resistance of narrow AlGaAs/GaAs in-plane gate quantum wires versus gate voltage and magnetic field at 1.2 K. A practical method of determining the effective width of the wire is presented. A tarnsition to boundary dominant scattering occurs as the effective width is decreased and becomes comparable to the mean free path. Beyond this transition, an alternative mean free path, l = αW , is used. Results for effective width compare well to those from the estimate due to the onset of Landau quantization at W ≈ r C . The in-plane gate structure is proposed as a suitable system for studying mesoscopic phenomena, specifically the scaling of universal conductance fluctuations.
Monitoring same/different discrimination behavior in time and space: Finding differences and anticipatory discrimination behavior

Discrimination behavior in a standard, two-alternative forced choice same/different task is usually measured by the pigeon’s pecking one or the other of two arbitrary report areas. We found that pigeons make anticipatory, discriminative responses to the visual display during the stimulus observing period prior to the availability of the report areas; the spatial distribution of these anticipatory discriminative responses strongly correlated with the upcoming choice response. These anticipatory pecks provide evidence that the process of discrimination occurs well before the moment of choice and that key aspects of this process can be revealed by looking at the distribution of observing responses. We also manipulated the variability of the displayed items to study the nature of these anticipatory responses; again, the spatial distribution of responding during the stimulus observing period strongly correlated with the upcoming choice response. The distribution of these prechoice pecks supports the theory that pigeons search for differences in the displayed items. If differences are found, then pigeons prepare to report “different”; if not, then they report “same.”
On the history of AI applications. I: IEEE Expert-the first nine years

Using IEEE Expert articles from the past nine years as its source, this article initiates a history of AI applications by codifying research subject areas and researchers, along with features of their sponsoring organizations. >
Integrated estimation of measurement error with empirical process modeling—A hierarchical Bayes approach

Advanced empirical process modeling methods such as those used for process monitoring and data reconciliation rely on information about the nature of noise in the measured variables. Because this likelihood information is often unavailable for many practical problems, approaches based on repeated measurements or process constraints have been developed for their estimation. Such approaches are limited by data availability and often lack theoretical rigor. In this article, a novel Bayesian approach is proposed to tackle this problem. Uncertainty about the error variances is incorporated in the Bayesian framework by setting noninformative priors for the noise variances. This general strategy is used to modify the Sampling-based Bayesian Latent Variable Regression (Chen et al., J Chemom., 2007) approach, to make it more robust to inaccurate information about the likelihood functions. Different noninformative priors for the noise variables are discussed and unified in this work. The benefits of this new approach are illustrated via several case studies. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009
Sparse modeling of spatial environmental variables associated with asthma

Overview of methods for Sparse Spatial Environmental Analysis (SASEA) using data from electronic health record, environmental risk factors, and geographic locations. Caption: EHR (electronic health records), SPC (sparse principal components).Display Omitted We geocode patients from an electronic health record to their corresponding block group.We identify sparse environmental variables associated with asthma considering spatial variation.Sparse principal component analysis and Logistic thin plate regression splines were utilized.Dogs and rental housing were associated with asthma in specific regions. Geographically distributed environmental factors influence the burden of diseases such as asthma. Our objective was to identify sparse environmental variables associated with asthma diagnosis gathered from a large electronic health record (EHR) dataset while controlling for spatial variation. An EHR dataset from the University of Wisconsin's Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Departments was obtained for 199,220 patients aged 5-50years over a three-year period. Each patient's home address was geocoded to one of 3456 geographic census block groups. Over one thousand block group variables were obtained from a commercial database. We developed a Sparse Spatial Environmental Analysis (SASEA). Using this method, the environmental variables were first dimensionally reduced with sparse principal component analysis. Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling was then used to identify block group variables associated with asthma from sparse principal components. The addresses of patients from the EHR dataset were distributed throughout the majority of Wisconsin's geography. Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling captured spatial variation of asthma. Four sparse principal components identified via model selection consisted of food at home, dog ownership, household size, and disposable income variables. In rural areas, dog ownership and renter occupied housing units from significant sparse principal components were associated with asthma. Our main contribution is the incorporation of sparsity in spatial modeling. SASEA sequentially added sparse principal components to Logistic thin plate regression spline modeling. This method allowed association of geographically distributed environmental factors with asthma using EHR and environmental datasets. SASEA can be applied to other diseases with environmental risk factors.
A computational platform to maintain and migrate manual functional annotations for BioCyc databases

Background: BioCyc databases are an important resource for information on biological pathways and genomic data. Such databases represent the accumulation of biological data, some of which has been manually curated from literature. An essential feature of these databases is the continuing data integration as new knowledge is discovered. As functional annotations are improved, scalable methods are needed for curators to manage annotations without detailed knowledge of the specific design of the BioCyc database. Results: We have developed CycTools, a software tool which allows curators to maintain functional annotations in a model organism database. This tool builds on existing software to improve and simplify annotation data imports of user provided data into BioCyc databases. Additionally, CycTools automatically resolves synonyms and alternate identifiers contained within the database into the appropriate internal identifiers. Conclusions: Automating steps in the manual data entry process can improve curation efforts for major biological databases. The functionality of CycTools is demonstrated by transferring GO term annotations from MaizeCyc to matching proteins in CornCyc, both maize metabolic pathway databases available at MaizeGDB, and by creating strain specific databases for metabolic engineering.
Detection of Metastatic Disease in Cardiophrenic Lymph Nodes: FDG PET/CT Versus Contrast-Enhanced CT and Implications for Staging and Treatment of Disease.

Objective: To determine whether FDG PET/CT was more sensitive than CT in detecting metastatic disease in the cardiophrenic space and whether the presence of disease in this location would change the staging and clinical management. Methods: 1200 PET/CT scans were retrospectively reviewed over 20 months for the presence of FDG-avid cardiophrenic lymph nodes. The SUVmax was used to quantify the metabolic activity in each of the lymph nodes. The radiographic data was used for correlation. A retrospective review of diagnostic CT reports performed within a one month period of time of the PET/CT in the same subset of patients determined whether cardiophrenic lymph nodes were mentioned. Results: 9 (0.8%) of the 1200 studies were found to have FDG-avid cardiophrenic lymph nodes (4 males and 5 females with a mean age of 55 years; range 7-69, median 59). The mean SUVmax was 2.4 (range 1.2-7.9; median 1.9). Only 3 of the patients were found to have suspicious lymph nodes on CT. The presence of cardiophrenic lymph nodes had the potential to change the staging and/or management in 3 of the patients. Conclusion: PET/CT is more accurate in the detection of pathologic cardiophrenic lymph nodes than CT, especially when they are subcentimeter in size. When present, staging and/or management was potentially affected in 33%. Therefore, these nodes should be included in the TNM staging classification.
The influence of racial experimenter effects upon mean length of utterance

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of racial experimenter effects upon a group of children's linguistic output as measured by mean length of utterance (MLU). Forty-two children, equally distributed by race, who were enrolled in a day-care centre were engaged in conversation twice, once by a black examiner and once by a white examiner. MLUs were computed on the basis of the race of both the examiners and subjects. The results of an analysis of variance for repeated measures indicated that the subjects performed almost identically for both black and white examiners. The implications of these results are discussed.
The influence of annuloplasty ring geometry on mitral leaflet curvature.

Background The effect of mitral leaflet curvature on stress reduction is an important mechanism in optimizing valve function. We hypothesize that annuloplasty ring shape could directly influence leaflet curvature and, potentially, repair durability. We describe an echocardiographically based methodology for quantifying mitral valve geometry and its application to the characterization of ovine mitral valve geometry before and after implantation of an annuloplasty ring. Methods Multiple mitral annular and leaflet geometric variables were calculated for 8 naive adult male sheep using real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic images. These indexes were recalculated after annuloplasty using a 30-mm Carpentier-Edward Physio ring (n = 4; Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) or a 30-mm saddle ring (n = 4). Results After implantation of the Physio ring, the annular height to commissural width ratio (AHCWR) decreased from 19.4% ± 2.3% to 11.1% ± 2.5% ( p = 0.06). After implantation of the saddle ring, AHCWR increased from 19.6% ± 1.3% to 24.3% ± 1.3% ( p Conclusions Annuloplasty ring shape affects leaflet curvature. Implantation of a saddle ring reflecting normal human annular geometry augmented ovine annular nonplanarity and increased three-dimensional leaflet curvature across the entire mitral valve surface. The Physio ring decreased annular nonplanarity and increased leaflet curvature only across limited regions of the posterior leaflet. These findings confirm the hypothesis that ring design influences leaflet curvature.
Book Review: Living Beyond the “End of the World”: A Spirituality of Hope. Margaret Swedish. 2008. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY. 256 pp. $18.00 paperback.

In this book, the author presents and reviews a number of ecological problems and challenges. She begins with the devastating experiences caused by natural disasters—earthquakes, hurricanes, floods...
Liver transplantation for massive hepatic haemangiomatosis causing restrictive lung disease

A 34-yr-old man with hepatic haemangiomatosis presented for orthotopic liver transplantation. His massively distended abdomen caused thoracic compression and severe restrictive lung disease. Respiratory failure was the principal indication for transplantation. Increased airway pressures, pulmonary hypertension, systemic hypotension caused by aorto-caval compression, and blood loss, complicated the intra-operative anaesthetic management. Weaning from mechanical ventilation was impaired by acute and chronic metabolic alkalosis, and diaphragmatic laxity.
Play therapy with learning disabled children

Abstract While play therapy has been an accepted treatment for years for children with emotional disturbances, it has not been as widely employed for children with adjustment difficulties secondary to primary disorders of an essentially physical origin. In recent years, children with learning disabilities, hyperactivity syndrome, physical handicaps, and mild retardation have been receiving play therapy conducted by their parents, with positive results, at The Individual and Family Consultation Center of The Pennsylvania State University. Concentration on the deficits created by the primary problem seems to result frequently in overlooking other essential components of the development of the learning disabled. Parents serving as play therapists, can promote the parent‐child relationship, reduce their own considerable stress, and improve their children's behavior. This paper presents a description and rationale for the use of Filial Therapy by clinicians interested in dimensions of child and parent developm...
Validity of Pain Behaviors in Persons with Mild to Moderate Cognitive Impairment

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the validity of traditional pain behaviors (guarding, bracing, rubbing, grimacing, and sighing) in persons with and without cognitive impairment and chronic low back pain (CLBP). DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Outpatient clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-seven cognitively intact and 40 cognitively impaired participants with and without CLBP. MEASUREMENTS: Frequency of traditional pain behaviors. RESULTS: Forty-six of the participants were pain free, and 31 had CLBP. The internal consistency reliability coefficient of the five pain behaviors was 0.32, suggesting that a uni-dimensional scale did not exist. Multivariate analysis of variance analysis according to the independent variables pain status (pain free vs CLBP) and cognitive status (intact vs impaired) with the dependent variable frequency of pain behaviors found significant differences according to pain status (F[5,61] = 3.06, P=.02) and cognitive status (F[5,61] =5.41, P<.001) but without evidence of an interaction (F[5,61] = 1.14, P =.35). Participants with CLBP exhibited significantly higher levels of grimacing (P<.001) and guarding (P =.02) than pain-free participants. Intact subjects exhibited fewer guarding (P =.02) and rubbing behaviors (P<.001) but a higher number of bracing behaviors (P =.03) than cognitively impaired participants. CONCLUSION: These results support the utility of facial grimacing in assessing pain in patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and call into question the validity of guarding and rubbing in assessing pain in persons with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.
Stop and Smell the Roses: An Activity for Teaching the Central Limit Theorem:

Undergraduate psychology students in two statistics classes (N = 77) counted blooms on rose bushes on campus using sample sizes of either 30 or 60 bushes, and submitted sample means and standard de...
Complex systems modeling for obesity research.

The obesity epidemic has grown rapidly into a major public health challenge, in the United States and worldwide. The scope and scale of the obesity epidemic motivate an urgent need for well-crafted policy interventions to prevent further spread and (potentially) to reverse the epidemic. Yet several attributes of the epidemic make it an especially challenging problem both to study and to combat. This article shows that these attributes — the great breadth in levels of scale involved, the substantial diversity of relevant actors, and the multiplicity of mechanisms implicated — are characteristic of a complex adaptive system. It argues that the obesity epidemic is driven by such a system and that lessons and techniques from the field of complexity science can help inform both scientific study of obesity and effective policies to combat obesity. The article gives an overview of modeling techniques especially well suited to study the rich and complex dynamics of obesity and to inform policy design.
Detection of short pulses by Fresnel preprocessing.

Short pulses create unique Fresnel diffraction effects, as they propagate through an acousto-optic signal-processing system, that produce an interference pattern. By following the detection of the interferometric pattern with spectral analysis, we extract information about pulse width, pulse separation, and relative time of arrival. Laboratory models of the Fresnel-transform processing system and an optical spectrum analyzer were built and tested to verify the basic concepts. Pulses as short as the theoretical limit of 20 ns for this system and separated by as little as 60 ns or as much as 17 μs were detected and measured. Short pulses were also detected in the presence of cw signals by use of a frequency-variant matched-filtering operation.
Micromachined plastic W-band bandpass filters

Abstract Results are presented for micromachined plastic waveguide bandpass iris filters for W-band applications using a cost-effective polymer micro hot embossing process in conjunction with metallic electroplating and sealing techniques. The prototype filter has an 8-μm thick electroplated gold layer on a polymeric WR-10 waveguide with a 5-cavity Chebyschev-type design. Measurement results show center frequency of 96.77 GHz with a bandwidth of 3.15%, a loaded quality factor 31.73 and an unloaded quality factor for a single cavity resonator is 1210.6, respectively. A minimum insertion loss of −1.22 dB and return loss of better than −9.3 dB have been measured over the entire passband.
Drought Planning: A Process for State Government

: Drought has been a prevalent feature of the American landscape during the latter part of the 1980s, producing serious socioeconomic and environmental consequences. These recent experiences with drought have renewed concern about the inadequacy of federal and state contingency planning efforts and the lack of coordination for assessment and response efforts between these levels of government. This paper presents the results of research aimed at facilitating the preparation of drought contingency plans by state government in conjunction with a state's overall water management planning activity. The ten-step drought plan development process reported is intended to improve mitigation efforts through more timely, effective, and efficient assessment and response activities. Officials in appropriate state agencies should examine the proposed framework and alter it to best address drought-related concerns, adding or deleting elements as necessary.
Vertical movements following a dip‐slip earthquake

The results of finite element (FEM) computations based on elastic dislocation theory are presented. It is shown that the ratio of fault depth to the lithospheric thickness is a significant factor in the sign of the rebound. Subsidence occurs if the fault penetrates less than approximately 0.68 of the way through the lithosphere. An uplift occurs if the fault cuts deeper. The FEM employed consisted of a 546 node, 500 element grid and a quasi-plane strain algorithm. The situation modeled consisted of a 30 deg dip fault in an initially planar elastic lithosphere overlying a Maxwell viscoelastic asthenosphere. It is suggested that postseismic rebound may be measurable over a several year interval, thus providing data on lithosphere thicknesses.
Distortions in Genealogies due to Purifying Selection and Recombination

Purifying selection at many linked sites alters patterns of molecular evolution, reducing overall diversity and distorting the shapes of genealogies. Recombination attenuates these effects; however, purifying selection can significantly distort genealogies even for substantial recombination rates. Here, we show that when selection and/or recombination are sufficiently strong, the genealogy at any single site can be described by a time-dependent effective population size, Ne(t), which has a simple analytic form. Our results illustrate how recombination reduces distortions in genealogies and allow us to quantitatively describe the shapes of genealogies in the presence of strong purifying selection and recombination. We also analyze the effects of a distribution of selection coefficients across the genome.
Reactions in the Annual Medicago Core Germ Plasm Collection to Two Isolates of Peronospora trifoliorum from Alfalfa.

ABSTRACT Peronospora trifoliorum causes downy mildew of alfalfa throughout the temperate regions of the world, but little is known about its host range within the annual Medicago species (medics). Several medics have characteristics potentially beneficial to sustainable agriculture programs and to the genetic improvement of alfalfa. Therefore, we evaluated resistance in 199 accessions representing 33 species of the annual Medicago core germ plasm collection to P. trifoliorum isolates I7 and I8 from alfalfa from Kansas and southern California, respectively. Seedlings at the cotyledonary growth stage were inoculated with conidia suspended in water. One week later, the plants were rated resistant (no conidium production) or susceptible (conidium production). High levels of resistance existed in all species. All plants in 142 (71%) of the accessions were resistant to both isolates, but plants in only 24 of those resistant accessions were free of chlorotic to necrotic hypersensitive reactions on the inoculated...
PET imaging for planning cancer therapy.

Radioimmunotherapy has been under way as a major field of research in nuclear medicine for nearly 20 y. However, advances have been slow, and only now can we expect the first commercial products for cancer therapy to soon become available. What have been the obstacles to this development? The agents
Endoscopic Division of Duodenal Web Causing Near Obstruction in 2-Year-Old with Trisomy 21

Abstract Introduction: Surgical intervention for duodenal atresia most commonly entails duodenoduodenostomy in the neonatal period. Occasionally, type I duodenal atresia with incomplete obstruction may go undiagnosed until later in life. Endoscopic approach to dividing intestinal webs has been reported as successful in patients as young as 7 days of age, and can be a useful modality particularly in patients with comorbidities who may not tolerate open or laparoscopic surgery. Methods: A 2-year-old female with a history of trisomy 21 and tetralogy of Fallot underwent laparoscopic and endoscopic exploration of intestinal obstruction as seen on upper gastrointestinal series for symptoms of recurrent emesis and weight loss. After laparoscopy confirmed a duodenal web as the cause of intestinal obstruction, endoscopic division of the membrane was carried out with a triangle tip electrocautery knife and 15 mm radially dilating balloon. Results: The patient tolerated the procedure well, and also tolerated full ag...
P9.17 Function of CCDC78 in muscle development and muscle disease

Congenital myopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases that typically present in childhood with hypotonia and weakness and are commonly defined by characteristic changes observed on muscle biopsy. Currently, no treatments or disease-modifying therapies have been identified. Therapy development is hindered because approximately 40% of congenital myopathies are genetically unresolved. An overarching goal of our laboratory is to identify and characterize new causes of congenital myopathy. To this end, using whole exome sequencing we recently identified a splice-acceptor variant in the coiled-coil domain containing 78 gene (CCDC78) in a family with autosomal dominant core myopathy. CCDC78 is a previously uncharacterized gene with no known function that is highly enriched in skeletal muscle and localized to the perinuclear compartment and to the excitation contraction coupling apparatus. The specific goals of this study are to determine how mutation in CCDC78 results in muscle disease, establish the relationship between CCDC78 and other congenital myopathies, and to elucidate the normal function of CCDC78. To accomplish these goals we have created both morpholino based and stable genetic models of CCDC78 mutation in the zebrafish, including characterization of a newly developed loss of function CCDC78 mutant (sa3254). We have combined analysis of these zebrafish models with cell culture studies and examination of a range of human muscle biopsies. Current data suggests that CCDC78 participates in both the regulation of excitation-contraction coupling and in the regulation of autophagy. Additional ongoing experimentation will examine expression of CCDC78 in other congenital muscle diseases, will determine interacting partners for CCDC78, and will establish the normal function for CCDC78 in skeletal muscle development and homeostasis. In all, we present the first extensive characterization of this newly identified congenital myopathy gene.
The Emergence and Allocation of Leadership Resources Over Time in a Technical Organization

This paper reports a five-year longitudinal study of the management selection and allocation process in a specific, industrial R&D laboratory. Predictors included intelligence measures, interest pa...
Relation of the Carrier State to Pneumococcal Peritonitis in Young Children with the Nephrotie Syndrome

SummaryIn 6 young children with the nephrotic syndrome who developed pneumocoecal peritonitis, the type of pneumococcus recovered from the nasopharynx was the same as that causing peritonitis. Evidence is presented which indicates that peritonitis may be caused by a strain of pneumococcus of the same specific type as that of the organism known to have been carried in the nasopharynx for a considerable time before the development of the infection; this carrier-state may persist for a prolonged period after recovery from peritonitis.
Variations in the peripheral circulation during pregnancy.

Abstract 1. A large series of determinations made with three different methods of evaluating peripheral blood flow demonstrate a progressive increase in the peripheral circulation during the development of normal pregnancy. 2. A definite mechanical effect of the enlarging gravid uterus on blood flow to the lower extremities was demonstrated coincidentally with the fixation of the fetal head deep in the maternal pelvis, and during gross fetal movements. 3. Within 6 to 10 weeks following delivery values observed in the peripheral circulation had returned to prepregnancy levels.
Studying DHBV polymerase by in vitro transcription and translation.

Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), like all other hepadnaviruses, is a retroid virus that bears a small DNA genome and replicates this DNA genome via reverse transcription through an RNA intermediate called pregenomic RNA (pgRNA; 1). All hepadnaviruses encode a multifunctional polymerase (pol), which is a specialized reverse transcriptase (RT) and plays key roles in several different aspects of the viral life cycle (2–5). Pol has an RNAand DNA-directed DNA polymerase (i.e., RT) activity that is responsible for DNA, genome replication, which also entails its intrinsic RNase H activity being responsible for degrading the pgRNA as the pgRNA is being reverse transcribed into the first (minus) strand of the DNA genome. In addition to the RT and RNase H activities, which are shared with retroviral RTs, the hepadnavirus polymerase displays the unique ability to initiate DNA synthesis de novo using pol itself as a protein primer (protein priming) (6–9). Like its human HBV counterpart, the DHBV polymerase, has a domain structure that is reflective of its multiple functions (Fig. 1A). The central and C-terminal regions constitute the RT and RNase H domains, which share significant homologies with the corresponding domains of retroviral RTs. By contrast, the N-terminal domain does not share any significant homologies with any other known polypeptides, except among the hepadnavirus polymerases. Separated by a tether (or spacer) from the RT domain, the Nterminal domain bears a specific tyrosine residue (Y96) that acts as the primer for the initiation of RNA-directed DNA synthesis during protein priming and thus is termed the terminal-protein (TP) domain. As a consequence of this unusual protein priming reaction, the 5' end of the viral minus, strand DNA becomes covalently linked to the N terminus of the polymerase and remains attached during the entire DNA synthesis process (10–12). In addition to these essential roles in DNA synthesis, both as a catalytic enzyme and a primer, pol is also essential for packaging of the pgRNA into viral core particles, the
Commentaries and Notes to the Philosophical Letters

A letter written by Ekaterina D. Panova to Peter Chaadaev in which she expressed her religious anxieties and also her fears that Chaadaev had suspicions about her real motives in talking with him about religious topics. Since Panova’s letter is a help in understanding the text of “The First Philosophical Letter,” the following is a translation of it from the original French text; the Gershenzon edition left out the postscript. Unfortunately the letter is not dated. The original is in the manuscript division of the Lenin library in the collection Zhikharev i Chaadaev. M.S.1032/41, “Pisma Panovoi, Ekaterini Dmitrievni k Chaadaevu, Petru Yakovlevichu:”For quite a long time, sir, I longed to write to you, the fear of being troublesome, the idea that you no longer have any interest in what concerns me, made me hesitate, but at least I have nonetheless resolved to send you this letter which will probably be the last which you will receive from me. Unfortunately I see that I have lost the good will which you showed to me before; you believe, I know, that there was some fakery on my part in the desire which I manifested to you to instruct myself in religious subject matter: I find this thought intolerable. Undoubtedly I have many faults, but never, I assure you, has the idea of pretending ever had a place in my heart for a moment. I saw you so entirely absorbed in religious ideas that it is my admiration, my profound esteem for your character, which inspired in me the need to devote myself to the same thoughts as you.
KLF4: A new player in plasma cell development.

Plasma cells are critical effectors of the adaptive immune system and are tasked with producing massive amounts of antibodies. Long-lived and quiescent plasma cells develop from B cell precursors i...
A Mild and General Larock Indolization Protocol for the Preparation of Unnatural Tryptophans

A mild and general protocol for the Pd(0)-catalyzed heteroannulation of o-bromoanilines and alkynes is described. Application of a Pd(0)/P(tBu)3 catalyst system enables the efficient coupling of o-bromoanilines at 60 °C, mitigating deleterious side reactions and enabling access to a broad range of useful unnatural tryptophans. The utility of this new protocol is demonstrated in the highly convergent total synthesis of the bisindole natural product (−)-aspergilazine A.