cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Replicon: a software to accurately predict DNA replication timing in metazoan cells.

Eukaryotic DNA replication follows a strict temporal program where genomic loci are replicated at precise times during the S phase of the cell cycle. Yet, the mechanism in control of the timing program in metazoan cells is poorly understood. In a recent publication, the authors proposed an intuitive stochastic model of DNA replication and showed that it predicts replication timing with an accuracy approaching the level of experimental biological repeats. Here, we discuss an extended software implementation of the mechnaistic model: Replicon. This package allows interested reseaerchers to predict the global replication timing program in human cells from chromatin data.
Structural Alignment during Similarity Comparisons

Similarity comparisons are a basic component of cognition, and there are many elegant models of this process. None of these models describe comparisons of structured representations, although mounting evidence suggests that mental representations are well characterized by structured hierarchical systems of relations. We propose that structured representations can be compared via structural alignment, a process derived from models of analogical reasoning. The general prediction of structural alignment is that similarity comparisons lead subjects to attend to the matching relational structure in a pair of items. This prediction is illustrated with a computational simulation that also suggests that the strength of the relational focus is diminished when the relational match is impoverished, or when competing interpretations lead to rich object matches. These claims are tested in four experiments using the one-shot mapping paradigm, which places object similarity and relational similarity in opposition. The results support the hypothesis that similarity involves the alignment of structured representations.
Integration of Nutrition Education into a Multidisciplinary Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Abstract The multidisciplinary Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP) at Wilford Hall Medical Center was redesigned to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of services offered to patients following recovery from either myocardial infarction or cardiac bypass surgery. Services were redesigned to provide a "one stop shop" approach for minimizing inconvenience to patients and for achieving the CRP's goals of increasing functional cardiac capacity, improving quality of life, and reducing risk of future cardiac events. To preclude problems encountered in the old program such as record unavailability, multiple patient visits to referral clinics, and lack of communication between referral clinics and the Primary Care Provider, several innovations were introduced. The CRP was reorganized into two phases of rehabilitation. During Phase 1, psychological and physical education sessions were provided in a group format followed by a second phase of rehabilitation highlighted by close individual follow-up. Nutrition Education was incorporated during Phase 1 through a six-week behavior modification program that included stress reduction and goal setting. A total of 75 patients have graduated from Phase 1 of the program. Eighty Percent have achieved weight loss of 5–10 pounds in 6 weeks and/or 15–25 pounds in 6 months. Eighty-five percent of nutrition goals set have been achieved. Ninety percent of patients have a perceived improvement in the quality of their lives and 95% have increased energy to complete activities of daily living. During Phase 2 of the program, the dietitian involved in the cardiac rehabilitation provides individual follow-up or consultation to the appropriate nutrition class. To date, 26 Phase 2 patients have been referred to the nutrition clinic for education. Thirteen of these received instruction from the cholesterol reduction program taught by the outpatient nutrition clinic. Seventy-seven percent of these patients have seen a decrease in their cholesterol levels. Multidisciplinary clinics have the unique ability to successfully provide effective and efficient patient care.
Adult acute idiopathic scrotal edema

We report here a rare case of adult acute idiopathic scrotal edema (AISE). Its characteristics and management are the same for adults as for prepubertal boys. AISE typically affects prepubertal boys, with an acute onset of a relatively painless scrotal erythema and subcutaneous edema, which resolves spontaneously, without sequela, in 1 to 3 days. The erythema and swelling can also extend to the perineum, abdomen, or penis. Its diagnosis is primarily made by exclusion. Vital signs, urinalysis, urine and tissue culture, and white blood cell count are normal. Palpably normal scrotal contents on physical examination and thickened scrotal wall and normal testis arterial flow on scrotal ultrasound with color flow Doppler further confirm the diagnosis. Differentiating AISE from a scrotal surgical emergency is essential in order to avoid unnecessary exploration.
Analytical Sedimentation of the IIAChb and IIBChb Proteins of the Escherichia coli N,N′-Diacetylchitobiose Phosphotransferase System: DEMONSTRATION OF A MODEL PHOSPHOTRANSFER TRANSITION STATE COMPLEX

Abstract The phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose transferase system (PTS) is a prototypic signaling system responsible for the vectorial uptake and phosphorylation of carbohydrate substrates. The accompanying papers describe the proteins and product of theEscherichia coli N,N-diacetylchitobiose ((GlcNAc)2) PTS-mediated permease. Unlike most PTS transporters, the Chb system is composed of two soluble proteins, IIAChb and IIBChb, and one transmembrane receptor (IICChb). The oligomeric states of PTS permease proteins and phosphoproteins have been difficult to determine. Using analytical ultracentrifugation, both dephospho and phosphorylated IIAChb are shown to exist as stable dimers, whereas IIBChb, phospho-IIBChb and the mutant Cys10SerIIBChb are monomers. The mutant protein Cys10SerIIBChb is unable to accept phosphate from phospho-IIAChb but forms a stable higher order complex with phospho-IIAChb (but not with dephospho-IIAChb). The stoichiometry of proteins in the purified complex was determined to be 1:1, indicating that two molecules of Cys10SerIIBChb are associated with one phospho-IIAChb dimer in the complex. The complex appears to be a transition state analogue in the phosphotransfer reaction between the proteins. A model is presented that describes the concerted assembly and disassembly of IIAChb-IIBChb complexes contingent on phosphorylation-dependent conformational changes, especially of IIAChb.
Electron-cytochemical localization of alkaline phosphatase to G cells of Necturus maculosus antrum

Electron-cytochemical localization of alkaline phosphatase activity was performed on G cells of Necturus maculosus antral mucosa. Alkaline phosphatase activity was localized to the nuclear membrane, the Golgi/endoplasmic reticulum, and the limiting membranes of G cell peptide-secretion vesicles. There was no specific localization of alkaline phosphatase activity to the plasma membrane. Treatment of the tissues with levamisole (an alkaline phosphatase inhibitor) did not markedly reduce the specific alkaline phosphatase activity. Specific lead deposition was reduced by removal of the substrate from the reaction mixture. The results from this study on N. maculosus G cells demonstrate that alkaline phosphatase activity can be found in a non-mammalian gastric endocrine cell and that specific activity was localized primarily to those intracellular structures involved with protein biosynthesis.
Conductive and dielectric defects, and anisotropic and isotropic turbulence in liquid crystals: Electric power fluctuation measurements.

Fluctuations of the injected electric power during electroconvection (EHC) of liquid crystals are reported in both the conductive and the dielectric regime of convection. The amplitude and the frequency of the fluctuations, as well as the probability density functions have been compared in these two regimes and substantial differences have been found both in defect turbulence of EHC and at the DSM1 → DSM2 transition.
Transformational partnerships: translating research into practice through culturally competent evaluation practices in American Indian communities

Educational leaders have been held increasingly accountable for demonstrating significant gains in student achievement in the wake of education reform policies such as No Child Left Behind. This achievement is often defined as positive gains in attendance and test scores as discipline referrals and suspension numbers decrease. Socioeconomic and cultural contributions to student achievement are often relegated to secondary analyses, are used as deficit explanations when achievement is not increased, or are ignored completely. While this approach may give a snapshot of conditions at a given moment, it does not provide program evaluators with enough information to appropriately assess the implementation of interventions. This qualitative study examines the implementation and evaluation of a prosocial intervention in 10 schools serving American Indian families designed to reflect the culture of program participants and community stakeholders. Findings of the study demonstrate that the relationship between lea...
Assessing demand for graduate and professional programs

New demographics have far-reaching implications both for the demand for advanced-degree programs and for their delivery and evaluation.
Automated Diagnosis of Craniofacial Pain

One of the techniques of automated diagnostic classification, pattern recognition, was applied to the problem of classifying patients with craniofacial pain. Dental data relevant to the classification process and the automated classifier are presented. Classifier training and accuracy of the automated process are discussed.
Notes From the Field: Service Learning and the Development of Multidisciplinary Community-Based Research Initiatives

Recent literature suggests that community-based research (CbR) is a model of service learning that can advance student learning, as well as support the research interests of community organizations. For the pedagogy to be successful, however, faculty must overcome a number of challenges. This article discusses these challenges and illustrates how multidisciplinary, multiyear CbR initiatives are important vehicles for furthering university–community partnerships. We conclude that, as with other service-learning models, successful multidisciplinary, community-based efforts require institutional investments to facilitate successfully linking faculty, students, and community organization in research initiatives that promote positive social change.
The Resolution of Anger in Psychotherapy: A Task Analysis

Anger often is conceptualized as a disruptive emotional force, but it may be seen as an adaptive internal signal that cues self-protective action. In this study, an adaptation of task analysis was used to develop a model of how anger is resolved in psychotherapy. Episodes with markers of client anger (N = 10) were identified in audio-taped psychotherapy sessions by using clients' feedback. From this analysis, two distinct types of processes leading to the resolution of anger were identified in Paths I and II. Across these paths, clients engaged in interventions such as planning action for the future, meta-communicating about the use of emotions, and differentiating and exploring aspects of emotional experience.
Elastic scattering of 6–12 MeV deuterons by 48Ti

Abstract Angular distributions of deuterons elastically scattered from 48Ti have been measured in 1 MeV steps from 6 to 12 MeV; and the data have been analysed with the nuclear optical model. The optical-model parameters were found to vary smoothly with energy. Good fits have been obtained with an average set of parameters. No anomalous energy dependence of the optical-model parameters V and W was found.
Dual-label retrograde transport: CNS innervation of the mouse thymus distinct from other mediastinum viscera.

Two different retrogradely transported tracers were identified and used to distinguish between the innervation of the thymus gland and the innervation of adjacent tissues residing within the mouse mediastinum. To determine the best procedure for peripheral dual-labeled retrograde transport, several different tracers, vehicles, and injection protocols were developed and/or tested. In the periphery, it proved ineffective to use Rhodamine latex microspheres (Luma-Fluor) as a retrograde transport agent. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) suspended in the water-soluble carrier KY Jelly and Fluro-gold (FG) in an aqueous solution was the most effective combination of retrograde transport tracers. Equivalent doses of each of these tracers were determined, and injections of HRP or FG into the thymus and the esophagus produced distinct and separate patterns of labeled neurons in the spinal cord or brain stem. Throughout these CNS areas, some neurons contained both tracers suggesting that (1) these areas are innervated by neurons that give rise to collaterals to these tissues, (2) that the retrograde tracers are transported by nerves that innervate the lymphatics of the mediastinum, and/or (3) that some diffusion of the tracers occurs from the test organs and tissues to other organs and tissues of the mediastinum.
Multiple differentiated functions in an unusual clonal strain of hepatoma cells

A clonal strain of rat hepatoma cells (MH1C1) has been established from Morris hepatoma 7795. The cells grow slowly and have been serially propagated in culture without evidence of senescence for over 2 years. They perform the following differentiated functions in vitro: 1. MH1C1 cells produce serum albumin and secrete it into the culture medium. The rate of production of albumin is stimulated 3- to 12-fold by adding hydrocortisone to the medium. 2. The ninth component of complement (C9) is synthesized by MH1C1 cells, a finding which gives evidence that this trace complement component may be a liver product. The synthesis of C9 is not stimulated by hydrocortisone. 3. Testosterone is metabolized by the MH1C1 cells by pathways which are very similar to, or the same as, those found in normal liver. Evidence for the following testosterone metabolizing enzymes has been obtained: 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, Δ4-3-ketosteroid 5α-reductase, 6β-, 7α-, and 16β-hydroxylases, urindine diphosphate glucuronyl transferase, and 17β-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase. 4. MH1C1 cells produce tyrosine aminotransferase and respond to hydrocortisone by rapidly increasing the activity of this enzyme.
Snowflake vitreoretinal degeneration (SVD) mutation R162W provides new insights into Kir7.1 ion channel structure and function.

Snowflake Vitreoretinal Degeneration (SVD) is associated with the R162W mutation of the Kir7.1 inwardly-rectifying potassium channel. Kir7.1 is found at the apical membrane of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells, adjacent to the photoreceptor neurons. The SVD phenotype ranges from RPE degeneration to an abnormal b-wave to a liquid vitreous. We sought to determine how this mutation alters the structure and function of the human Kir7.1 channel. In this study, we expressed a Kir7.1 construct with the R162W mutation in CHO cells to evaluate function of the ion channel. Compared to the wild-type protein, the mutant protein exhibited a non-functional Kir channel that resulted in depolarization of the resting membrane potential. Upon co-expression with wild-type Kir7.1, R162W mutant showed a reduction of IKir7.1 and positive shift in ‘0’ current potential. Homology modeling based on the structure of a bacterial Kir channel protein suggested that the effect of R162W mutation is a result of loss of hydrogen bonding by the regulatory lipid binding domain of the cytoplasmic structure.
Tracing fossil history.

In their Perspective “New and ancient trace makers” (16 January, p. 346), S. Bengtson and B. Rasmussen implied that trace fossil workers (in general) assume that all trace fossils are the result of animal activities. According to the operational definition that I have used since student days,
Life testing of semiconductor rectifiers with energy sparing synthetic circuits

Abstract Owing to enormous power demand, in single-phase rectifier circuits with the usual ohmic or capacitive load, large-scale life testing of semiconductor power rectifiers cannot be carried out. “Separated” forward current and reverse voltage tests produce over-optimistic results due to the lack of periodic interactions between the two above-mentioned loading modes. Consequently some failure mechanisms resulting from volumetric inhomogeneities of the resistivity and current flow pattern of the tested rectifiers, which are often accompanied by thermo-electric feedback and the formation of “hot spots”, do not occur. It seems that the only economical method is the use of “synthetic” circuits, where the forward and reverse half periods are separated by an electronically controlled high voltage, high current switch, such as a thyristor, allowing the use of low voltage, high forward current and high reverse voltage, low current transformers and rendering energy sparing possible by a factor of 10–100. The method is suitable for both maximum average current testing (as a rectifier circuit with ohmic load) and periodical peak current testing (as a mains rectifier with capacitive load). The only difference in operation between the usual rectifier and “cheater” circuit is the absence of the recombination current transient in the synthetic circuit method but since, in comparison to the forward and reverse power losses of the tested rectifiers, the peak and average power of this transient is negligible and thus had no significant effect on the degradation mechanism.
Assembly lines: web generators as hypertexts

This paper treats web generators as a form of online hypertext and provides a taxonomy of some of the most popular generator types. It also characterizes the ideology of participatory culture associated with the generator phenomenon – along with its subversion through parody – and how specific processes that produce user-generated digital ephemera often mimic the constraints of familiar software applications and online forms. It includes a consideration of some of the knowledge-sharing practices of PHP coders and of members of the general public who exchange information about and from these digital phenomena.
The development of cognitive models of planning for use in the design of project management systems

The research presented in this paper is concerned with the planning component of project management and describes the use of interviewing techniques to develop cognitive models of planning for project management systems. Interviews were conducted with six project managers from six different problem domains. Protocol analysis was used to develop two types of cognitive models: process models that provided detailed descriptions of planning actions; and a higher level model of the planning process based on the Hayes-Roth theoretical model of planning. A visual representation of the planning process, called DMAP, was created to identify the type of planning that occurs at each stage of the planning process in project management. The discussion focuses on the use of cognitive models in the design of knowledge-based systems for project management.
GENETIC STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF CALIFORNIA CONDORS

Abstract The last wild California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) was brought into captivity in 1987. Captive breeding was successful and reintroduction efforts began in 1992. The current population is descended from 14 individuals belonging to three genetic “clans.” This population bottleneck led to the loss of genetic variation and changes in allele frequencies, including a probable increase in the frequency of the putative allele for chondrodystrophy, a lethal form of dwarfism. We use studbook data to analyze the current genetic and demographic status of the population and explain how it is managed to meet specific goals. In August 2002 the population consisted of 206 individuals distributed among three captive-breeding facilities and three reintroduction sites. The population is managed to preserve genetic diversity using the concept of mean kinship. Growth of the total population has been between 10% and 15% per year since 1987, but the growth of the captive population has been only about 5% per yea...
An animal model to study the clinical significance of interictal spiking.

Interictal spikes (IIS) are paroxysmal discharges commonly observed in patients with epilepsy which represent an abnormally-synchronized population of hyperexcitable neurons firing as an aggregate. Due to conflicting studies on the clinical significance of IIS, research focusing on IIS has been sparse. However, recent attention on IIS has increased for patients undergoing surgery for intractable epilepsy as a means to identify epileptic foci for surgical resection. There is growing evidence that IIS are not asymptomatic as has been commonly accepted. Other than epilepsy, IIS have been associated with a wide range of behavioral and psychiatric disorders, including attention deficit disorder, anxiety disorders and psychoses. For these reasons, a well-characterized animal model of interictal spiking which accurately mimics the human phenomenon would be a valuable tool to gain insights both into the pathophysiology of epilepsy as well as a broad variety of human neuropsychiatric diseases. Here, we review the literature on the clinical significance of IIS in humans and on animal models where IIS has been observed. We then demonstrate the utility of using tetanus toxin to generate a reproducible pattern of progressive IIS for future studies into their clinical significance.
A C2 Symmetry-Based HIV Protease Inhibitor, A77003, Irreversibly Inhibits Infectivity of HIV-1 In Vitro

A C2 symmetry-based HIV protease inhibitor, A77003, exerts potent antiviral activity against a wide spectrum of HIV isolates in vitro. In this study, we asked whether A77003 could cause irreversibl...
Nucleotide sequence of coliphage HK620 and the evolution of lambdoid phages.

HK620 is a temperate lambdoid bacteriophage that adsorbs to the O-antigen of its host, Escherichia coli H. The genome of a temperature-sensitive clear-plaque mutant consists of 38,297 nucleotides in which we recognize 60 open reading frames (orfs). Eighteen of these lie in a region of the genome that we call the virion structure domain. The other 42 orfs lie in what we call the metabolic domain. Virions of HK620 resemble those of phage P22. The virion structural orfs encode three kinds of putative proteins relative to the virion proteins of P22: (1) those that are nearly (about 90 %) identical; (2) those that are weakly (about 30 %) identical; and (3) those composed of nearly and weakly identical segments. We hypothesize that these composite proteins form bridges between the virion proteins of the other two kinds. Three of the putative virion proteins that are only weakly identical to P22 proteins are 71, 60 and 79 % identical to proteins encoded by the phage APSE-1, whose virions also resemble those of P22. Because the hosts of APSE-1 and HK620 have been separated from each other by an estimated 200 My, we propose using the amino acid differences that have accumulated in these proteins to estimate a biological clock for temperate lambdoid phages. The putative transcriptional regulatory gene circuitry of HK620 seems to resemble that of phage lambda. Integration, on the other hand, resembles that of satellite phage P4 in that the attP sequence lies between the leftward promoter and int rather than downstream of int. Comparing the metabolic domains of several lambdoid phage genomes reveals seven short conserved sequences roughly defining boundaries of functional modules. We propose that these boundary sequences are foci of genetic recombination that serve to assort the modules and make the metabolic domain highly mosaic genetically.
Reversibly Temperature Sensitive Phototransduction Mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

IN the past few years, several laboratories have used the principle of single step mutation in attempts to probe the visual processes of Drosophila melanogaster1–4 and have found several loci, mutations of which result in impaired vision and either complete absence of, or alteration of, the shape of the electroretinogram (ERG).
Heat Transport Capability in an Oscillating Heat Pipe

A mathematical model predicting the oscillating motion in an oscillating heat pipe is developed. The model considers the vapor bubble as the gas spring for the oscillating motions including effects of operating temperature, nonlinear vapor bulk modulus, and temperature difference between the evaporator and the condenser. Combining the oscillating motion predicted by the model, a mathematical model predicting the temperature difference between the evaporator and the condenser is developed including the effects of the forced convection heat transfer due to the oscillating motion, the confined evaporating heat transfer in the evaporating section, and the thin film condensation in the condensing section. In order to verify the mathematical model, an experimental investigation was conducted on a copper oscillating heat pipe with eight turns. Experimental results indicate that there exists an onset power input for the excitation of oscillating motions in an oscillating heat pipe, i.e., when the input power or the temperature difference from the evaporating section to the condensing section was higher than this onset value the oscillating motion started, resulting in an enhancement of the heat transfer in the oscillating heat pipe. Results of the combined theoretical and experimental investigation will assist in optimizing the heat transfer performance and provide a better understanding of heat transfer mechanisms occurring in the oscillating heat pipe.
Optical absorption spectrum of Cr 3+ in yttrium aluminum garnet

Optical absorption measurements, made on yttrium aluminum garnet doped with 0.1% chromium, have been used to derive a crystal field potential expansion which predicts the locations of optical absorptions in this material. The locations of the 4FΓ5 and 4FΓ4, 4PΓ4 levels were determined to be 16700, 23200, and 35700 cm-1, respectively, by optical absorption measurements. From these results, the crystal field parameter Dq was found to be 1670 cm-1. The locations of the two Γ4 levels were fitted within 2.8% to the theory of Finkelstein and Van Vleck which predicts that the 4FΓ4 and 4PΓ4 states are coupled by the octahedral crystal field perturbation. The resulting crystal field expansion is Vj = -41400[ Y0 + (10/7)½(Y43 - Y4-3)].
Laser micromachined hybrid open/paper microfluidic chips

Paper-based microfluidics are an increasingly popular alternative to devices with conventional open channel geometries. The low cost of fabrication and the absence of external instrumentation needed to drive paper microchannels make them especially well suited for medical diagnostics in resource-limited settings. Despite the advantages of paper microfluidics, many assays performed using conventional open channel microfluidics are challenging to translate onto paper, such as bead, emulsion, and cell-based assays. To overcome this challenge, we have developed a hybrid open-channel/paper channel microfluidic device. In this design, wick-driven paper channels control the flow rates within conventional microfluidics. We fabricate these hybrid chips using laser-micromachined polymer sheets and filter paper. In contrast to previous efforts that utilized external, macroscopic paper-based pumps, we integrated micro-scale paper and open channels onto a single chip to control multiple open channels and control complex laminar flow-pattern within individual channels. We demonstrated that flow patterns within the open channels can be quantitatively controlled by modulating the geometry of the paper channels, and that these flow rates agree with Darcy's law. The utility of these hybrid chips, for applications such as bead-, cell-, or emulsion-based assays, was demonstrated by constructing a hybrid chip that hydrodynamically focused micrometer-sized polystyrene beads stably for >10 min, as well as cells, without external instrumentation to drive fluid flow.
Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk in a nationally representative cohort.

Abstract Background: The relative risk of breast cancer associated with the use of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) continues to be debated. We used a nationally representative cohort to study the issue. Methods: This analysis utilized data from the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Subjects were interviewed in 1971 through 1974 and four waves of follow-up interviews were conducted through 1992. Survival analysis of 5761 postmenopausal women provided estimates of the relative risk of breast cancer in users of HRT when compared with non-users, controlling for potential confounders. Results: There were 219 incident cases of breast cancer in 73,253 person-years of follow-up. The incidence rate was 326 per 100,000 person-years in women who had never used HRT and 255 per 100,000 in women who had ever used HRT. There was no statistically significant association between the HRT use and subsequent development of breast cancer: relative risk (RR) = 0.8, 95% confidence interval 0.6, 1.1. There was no trend in RR by length of HRT use: less than 3 years HRT use, RR = 0.9; 3 to 9 years , RR = 0.5; 10 or more years, RR = 0.8. Conclusions: This study, based on a nationally representative cohort followed for up to 22 years, failed to find an increased risk of breast cancer associated with the use of HRT. It provides further evidence that if there is an increased risk of breast cancer associated with HRT use, this risk is small.
Modeling organic solutes in peatland soils using acid analogs

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dominates the chemistry of porewaters in many peatland soils. Yet modeling its contribution to acid-base chemistry and to anionic charge has not been attempted for peatland porewaters. Using 3 yr of field data, we investigated the effectiveness of four analog organic acid models in describing the acid-base chemistry of DOC in porewaters from two acidic (mean pH = 4.0-4.2), high-DOC (mean DOC = 4.2-5.4 mmol C L -1 ) peatlands in southern Michigan. Although developed for dilute lake waters, we applied these models to porewaters of peatland soils. All sites exhibited a large deficit in anionic charge (mean = 229 μmol c L -1 ), which was strongly correlated with DOC (r 2 = 0.82) and accounted for 70 to 80% of the total anionic charge. We, therefore, used charge balance to evaluate the models. The four models varied in effectiveness; variations in model organic anion accounted for between 50 and 84% of the variation in anion deficit. Representing organic acid anions with a triprotic acid analog model yielded the best results (r 2 = 0.84, slope = 0.96), while a monoprotic acid model was least effective (r 2 = 0.50, slope = 0.91). Mean charge densities of the DOC pool (44-52 μmol c mmol -1 DOC) varied little with differences in site characteristics (i.e., water levels and emergent plant communities) and were consistent with other studies. The triprotic acid model appears to be an effective analog for the acid-base and ionic charge contributions of DOC in porewaters of acidic peatland soils.
Nontraumatic headholders for mammals

Abstract Headholders are described for the cat, rat, squirrel, monkey, opossum and tree shrew which are relatively painless and minimize damage to the head. This type of headholder permits easy access to the head and various orientations of the head. It is stable enough for extracellular recordings of the electrical activity of CNS neurons. The general plan is to hold the head in a clamp bearing up on the upper hard palate or upper teeth, and down on the frontal bones or infra-orbital ridge. These headholders should be particularly useful in sensory experiments since the ear is not damaged by ear pins. They are easy to construct, and should be applicable to all mammals.
An evolutionarily biased distribution of miRNA sites toward regulatory genes with high promoter-driven intrinsic transcriptional noise

miRNAs are a major class of regulators of gene expression in metazoans. By targeting cognate mRNAs, miRNAs are involved in regulating most, if not all, biological processes in different cell and tissue types. To better understand how this regulatory potential is allocated among different target gene sets, we carried out a detailed and systematic analysis of miRNA target sites distribution in the mouse genome. We used predicted conserved and non-conserved sites for 779 miRNAs in 3′ UTR of 18440 genes downloaded from TargetScan website. Our analysis reveals that 3′ UTRs of genes encoding regulatory proteins harbor significantly greater number of miRNA sites than those of non-regulatory, housekeeping and structural, genes. Analysis of miRNA sites for orthologous 3′UTR’s in 10 other species indicates that the regulatory genes were maintaining or accruing miRNA sites while non-regulatory genes gradually shed them in the course of evolution. Furthermore, we observed that 3′ UTR of genes with higher gene expression variability driven by their promoter sequence content are targeted by many more distinct miRNAs compared to genes with low transcriptional noise. Based on our results we envision a model, which we dubbed “selective inclusion”, whereby non-regulatory genes with low transcription noise and stable expression profile lost their sites, while regulatory genes which endure higher transcription noise retained and gained new sites. This adaptation is consistent with the requirements that regulatory genes need to be tightly controlled in order to have precise and optimum protein level to properly function.
Commonality and variability analysis for resource constrained organizations

This position paper describes our current work in adapting a software product line technique to the constraints of a development organization. We report on applying a commonality and variability analysis with an organization adopting a software product line approach while facing sever resource constraints because of current product development commitments. The immediate focus of the paper is on blending commonality and variability analysis into the organization's existing requirements development process. The longer-term goal of this work is to facilitate the transition to product lines in a minimally intrusive way. The paper describes how the approach was introduced and implemented, and summarizes the benefits achieved and the issues arising from the work to date.
Analyses with the FSTATE code; fuel performance in destructive in-pile experiments

Abstract Thermal-mechanical analysis of a fuel pin is an essential part of the evaluation of fuel behavior during hypothetical accident transients. The FSTATE code has been developed to provide this required computational ability in situations lacking azimuthal symmetry about the fuel-pin axis by performing 2-dimensional thermal, mechanical, and fission gas release and redistribution computations for a wide range of possible transient conditions. In this paper recent code developments are described and applications is made to in-pile experiments undertaken to study fast reactor fuel under accident conditions. Three accident simulations, including a fast and slow ramp-rate overpower as well as a loss of cooling accident sequence, are used as representative examples, and the interpretation of FSTATE computations relative to experimental observations is made.
Mediating Civil War Settlements and the Duration of Peace

In this article, we examine the impact of international mediation attempts during civil war on the duration of peace once the war has ended. We include several aspects of the mediation attempt in our theoretical framework and our empirical tests, but we also control for other characteristics of the conflict and the country. While studies often find that decisive victories lead to a more durable peace, we expect that different types of mediation attempts have a distinct impact on the duration of peace after a civil war. In empirical tests on civil wars from 1945–1995 with Cox and Weibull event history models, we find the presence of mediation leads to a longer peace, while mediated agreements and superpower mediation attempts shorten the peace. In addition, several characteristics of both country and previous conflict impact how long the peace will last.
Effects of the starting channel for spectral reordering on the lossless compression of 3D ultraspectral sounder data

The unprecedented size of ultraspectral sounder data makes its compression a challenging task. Ultraspectral sounder data features strong correlations in disjoint spectral regions affected by the same type of absorbing gases. Previously, we proposed a reordering scheme to better explore these correlations of the ultraspectral sounder data. With this preprocessing scheme, the state-of-the-art compression algorithms such as CALIC, JPEG-LS and JPEG2000 significantly improve the compression ratios up to 15% on average. In this paper, we investigate the effects of different starting channels for spectral reordering on the lossless compression of 3D ultraspectral sounder data obtained from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) observations. It is shown that the compression ratios and reordering indices are dependent on the choice of the starting channel for reordering.
Prevalence and characteristics of children with autism-spectrum disorders.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and associated characteristics among 8-year-old children. Methods This is an ongoing active, population-based surveillance program conducted in South Carolina as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Cases from the state's first two study years (2000 and 2002) have been combined for analysis, resulting in surveillance of 47,726 children who are 8 years of age. Results A total of 295 children met criteria for ASD, yielding a prevalence of 6.2 per 1000. The racial distribution of cases was similar to that of 8-year-old children in the study area, with boys more commonly affected than girls (3.1:1). Seventy-nine percent of cases were served in special education, 36% of these under Autism classification. Analyses by gender showed differences in diagnostic criteria and intellectual functioning. Girls more often were cognitively impaired (IQ ≤ 70) than boys (72.7% vs. 56.4%), although among those most severely impaired (IQ ≤ 34), boys and girls were equally represented. Conclusions Results indicate that ASDs affect 1 in 162 children 8 years of age in South Carolina. Continuing surveillance will permit assessment of potential changes in this prevalence estimate over time.
Factors influencing local recurrence of cancer after partial mastectomy.

From 1957 to 1975, 291 patients underwent partial mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast. In a followup period of 6 to 25 years, 32 patients had local recurrences. These 32 were matched with 3 2 patients without local recurrence but who had had the same treatment during the same periods of time for the same clinical stage of disease. Comparisons were made for age of the patient, family history, size of tumor, proximity of tumor to line of resection, involvement of lymph nodes, and prophylactic radiation. The average age of the patients with recurrence was 7 years less than those without, and the incidence of nodal involvement was three times as high in those with local recurrence as in those without. These were the only factors that showed any significant difference between the two groups. W h e n axillary dissection is done in patients treated by partial mastectomy, valuable information is obtained about the likelihood of local recurrence.
Drugs that interrupt the renin-angiotensin system should be among the preferred initial drugs to treat hypertension.

The goal of antihypertensive therapy is to provide effective treatment that can be sustained lifelong, while lowering elevated blood pressure and preventing hypertensive end-organ damage and mortality. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II antagonists (AIIAs) control blood pressure as well as other available classes of antihypertensive drugs. The ACE inhibitors have been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of stroke, reverse left ventricular hypertrophy, and improve congestive heart failure symptomatology and mortality to a similar degree as diuretics and beta-adrenergic blockers. ACE inhibitors reduce postmyocardial infarction recurrence, improve congestive heart failure symptomatology and mortality, and slow the progression of glomerular renal disease. The AIIAs reverse left ventricular hypertrophy. Several of these agents have been shown to improve congestive heart failure symptomology and mortality, to reduce the occurrence of early atherosclerotic vascular disease, and to slow the progression of renal failure in type 2 diabetes mellitus nephropathy. One AIIA has reduced the incidence of end-stage renal disease in non-insulin-dependence diabetes mellitus nephropathy over 3 years. Ideally, antihypertensive therapy should maintain or improve the patients quality of life without creating side effects or adverse laboratory effects. Among the available nine classes of antihypertensive drugs, ACE inhibitors and the AIIAs come close to meeting the description of an ideal drug. AIIAs and ACE inhibitors, two classes of antihypertensive drugs that reduce the activity of the renin-angiotensin II system, should be among the preferred first-step drugs for the treatment of hypertension.
Growth empirics and reality

This article questions current empirical practice in the study of growth. It argues that much of the modern empirical growth literature is based on assumptions about regressors, residuals, and parameters that are implausible from the perspective of both economic theory and the historical experiences of the countries under study. Many of these problems, it argues, are forms of violations of an exchangeability assumption that implicitly underlies standard growth exercises. The article shows that these implausible assumptions can be relaxed by allowing for uncertainty in model specification. Model uncertainty consists of two types: theory uncertainty, which relates to which growth determinants should be included in a model; and heterogeneity uncertainty, which relates to which observations in a data set constitute draw from the same statistical model. The article proposes ways to account for both theory and heterogeneity uncertainty. Finally, using an explicit decision-theoretic framework, the authors describe how one can engage in policy-relevant empirical analysis.
On depletion of an exhausting natural resource

This paper addresses some of the issues currently surrounding natural resource depletion in national income accounting and makes an argument that user costs associated with exhausting natural resources ought not be treated as costs of production and subtracted from net national product in order to arrive at a “net” net national product. Depletion charges should be reflected in income accounts only to the extent that they are actually taken, in which case they should be treated as saving, rather than as a cost. Purely notional disappearances of natural resources should be recorded in off-balance sheet accounts or satellite accounts, not income statements. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the WSSA conference in Albuquerque, NM in April 1997.
Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester Performance Under Different Feed-Loading Frequency

The effect of feed-loading frequency on digester performance was studied on a thermophilic anaerobic digester with a working volume of 27.43 m3. The digester was fed 0.93 m3 of chicken-litter slurry/d, containing 50.9 g/L chemical oxygen demand. The treatments were loading frequencies of 1, 2, 6, and 12 times/d. The hourly pH, biogas production, and methane percent of the biogas were less stable at lower feed frequencies. There was no statistical difference among treatments in methanogenic activity. The feed-loading frequency of six times per day treatment provided the greatest biogas production.
Negative Feelings and Help Seeking Among Older Adults With Chronic Conditions

Older adults with chronic conditions are at greater risk of negative affect, though few studies have focused on older adults' perspectives on how chronic conditions affect their mental well-being. This study involved in-depth interviews that explored how older adults describe their feelings about chronic conditions, the context within which they experience these feelings, and their experiences with help-seeking for negative feelings. Participants reported that older adults experience a range of negative feelings related to their conditions and are only comfortable talking to people who understand their everyday experiences with managing chronic conditions. The findings have implications for health self-management.
Effects of imperfect automation on decision making in a simulated command and control task.

Objective: Effects of four types of automation support and two levels of automation reliability were examined. The objective was to examine the differential impact of information and decision autom...
Structural and Functional Divergence of a 1-Mb Duplicated Region in the Soybean (Glycine max) Genome and Comparison to an Orthologous Region from Phaseolus vulgaris

Soybean (Glycine max) has undergone at least two rounds of polyploidization, resulting in a paleopolyploid genome that is a mosaic of homoeologous regions. To determine the structural and functional impact of these duplications, we sequenced two ~1-Mb homoeologous regions of soybean, Gm8 and Gm15, derived from the most recent ~13 million year duplication event and the orthologous region from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), Pv5. We observed inversions leading to major structural variation and a bias between the two chromosome segments as Gm15 experienced more gene movement (gene retention rate of 81% in Gm15 versus 91% in Gm8) and a nearly twofold increase in the deletion of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons via solo LTR formation. Functional analyses of Gm15 and Gm8 revealed decreases in gene expression and synonymous substitution rates for Gm15, for instance, a 38% increase in transcript levels from Gm8 relative to Gm15. Transcriptional divergence of homoeologs was found based on expression patterns among seven tissues and developmental stages. Our results indicate asymmetric evolution between homoeologous regions of soybean as evidenced by structural changes and expression variances of homoeologous genes.