cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The spatial and temporal variability of groundwater recharge in a forested basin in northern Wisconsin

Recharge varies spatially and temporally as it depends on a wide variety of factors (e.g. vegetation, precipitation, climate, topography, geology, and soil type), making it one of the most difficult, complex, and uncertain hydrologic parameters to quantify. Despite its inherent variability, groundwater modellers, planners, and policy makers often ignore recharge variability and assume a single average recharge value for an entire watershed. Relatively few attempts have been made to quantify or incorporate spatial and temporal recharge variability into water resource planning or groundwater modelling efforts. In this study, a simple, daily soil–water balance model was developed and used to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater recharge of the Trout Lake basin of northern Wisconsin for 1996–2000 as a means to quantify recharge variability. For the 5 years of study, annual recharge varied spatially by as much as 18 cm across the basin; vegetation was the predominant control on this variability. Recharge also varied temporally with a threefold annual difference over the 5-year period. Intra-annually, recharge was limited to a few isolated events each year and exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern. The results suggest that ignoring recharge variability may not only be inappropriate, but also, depending on the application, may invalidate model results and predictions for regional and local water budget calculations, water resource management, nutrient cycling, and contaminant transport studies. Recharge is spatially and temporally variable, and should be modelled as such. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A proposed microwave and millimeter-wave spectrum analyzer

The system that performs real-time spectrum analysis of large-bandwidth radio-frequency signals is proposed. The apparatus allows the simultaneous monitoring of all frequencies within the band of interest, and operates in the presence of multiple frequencies. The approach also overcomes the slowness and ambiguity of scanning methods. >
Phagosome maturation: going through the acid test

Phagosome maturation is the process by which internalized particles (such as bacteria and apoptotic cells) are trafficked into a series of increasingly acidified membrane-bound structures, leading to particle degradation. The characterization of the phagosomal proteome and studies in model organisms and mammals have led to the identification of numerous candidate proteins that cooperate to control the maturation of phagosomes containing different particles. A subset of these candidate proteins makes up the first pathway to be identified for the maturation of apoptotic cell-containing phagosomes. This suggests that a machinery that is distinct from receptor-mediated endocytosis is used in phagosome maturation.
Thermodynamic Basis of the Allosteric Acitvation of Protein Kinase A

Phosphorylation by cAMP dependent Protein Kinase A (PKA) is a ubiquitous signaling enzyme that regulates a variety of cellular functions. The regulatory and the catalysis subunits of PKA exist as a holoenzyme in an inactive state until cAMP releases the catalytic subunit (PKA-C). PKA is the prototypical kinase and has served as a benchmark for allosteric signaling in kinases. Previous work has demonstrated that binding of the nucleotide to PKA-C acts as a dynamic activator for the kinase, who's structural dynamics are retained by substrate selection and is quenched by binding of an inhibitor. However the thermodynamic basis for the selection of ligand and substrate for kinase function is not fully understood and ongoing research has suggested that this is a critical aspect of drug discovery. Here we investigate the allosteric activation of PKA-C upon binding various nucleotides using a combination of thermodynamic data and NMR spin relaxation measurements of the kinase side-chain methyl groups.
Carbon disulfide mediates socially-acquired nicotine self-administration.

The social environment plays a critical role in smoking initiation as well as relapse. We previously reported that rats acquired nicotine self-administration with an olfactogustatory cue only when another rat consuming the same cue was present during self-administration. Because carbon disulfide (CS2) mediates social learning of food preference in rodents, we hypothesized that socially acquired nicotine self-administration is also mediated by CS2. We tested this hypothesis by placing female adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats in operant chambers equipped with two lickometers. Licking on the active spout meeting a fixed-ratio 10 schedule triggered the concurrent delivery of an i.v. infusion (saline, or 30 µg/kg nicotine, free base) and an appetitive olfactogustatory cue containing CS2 (0–500 ppm). Rats that self-administered nicotine with the olfactogustatory cue alone licked less on the active spout than on the inactive spout. Adding CS2 to the olfactogustatory cue reversed the preference for the spouts. The group that received 500 ppm CS2 and the olfactogustatory cue obtained a significantly greater number of nicotine infusions than other groups. After extinction training, the original self-administration context reinstated nicotine-seeking behavior in all nicotine groups. In addition, in rats that received the olfactogustatory cue and 500 ppm CS2 during SA, a social environment where the nicotine-associated olfactory cue is present, induced much stronger drug-seeking behavior compared to a social environment lacking the olfactogustatory cue. These data established that CS2 is a critical signal that mediates social learning of nicotine self-administration with olfactogustatory cues in rodents. Additionally, these data showed that the social context can further enhance the drug-seeking behavior induced by the drug-taking environment.
A note on corrected scores for logistic regression

This article describes a method for constructing a corrected score for logistic regression that is effective in reducing bias incurred through covariate measurement error. Stefanski (1989) showed there does not exist a corrected likelihood score for the logistic model with normal additive measurement error. To circumvent this result, an approximate likelihood score is defined for the logistic model that is conceptually and computationally straightforward and that is nearly efficient in the absence of measurement error. It is shown that the approximate likelihood score admits a corrected score. The results are extended to the Probit regression model.
Endmember variability resolved by pixel purity index in hyperspectral imagery

Endmember variability presents a great challenge in endmember finding since a true endmember may be contaminated by many unknown factors. This paper develops a pixel purity index (PPI) based approach to resolving this issue. It is known that endmember candidates must have their PPI counts greater than 0. Using this fact we can start with all data samples with PPI counts greater than 0 and cluster them into p endmember classes where the value of p can be determined by virtual dimensionality (VD). We further develop an endmember identification algorithm to select true endmembers from these p endmembers. So, in our proposed technique three state processes are developed. It first uses PPI to produce a set of endmember candidates and then develops a clustering algorithm to group PPI-generated endmember candidates into p endmember classes and finally concludes by designing an algorithm to extract true endmembers from the p endmember classes.
Influence of magma supply and spreading rate on crustal magma bodies and emplacement of the extrusive layer: Insights from the East Pacific Rise at lat 16°N

Seismic reflection data from the East Pacific Rise at lat 16°N, which is spreading at the high end of intermediate rates, suggest that the depths at which axial magma chambers reside do not vary smoothly as a function of spreading rate. Rather, magma-chamber depths form two distinct populations, each associated with a distinct axial morphology and with an abrupt transition occurring within the intermediate-spreading-rate range. Our data (1) show that the melt lens at high-intermediate-spreading ridges lies at a shallow level similar to lens depths at faster-spreading ridges, and (2) provide further support for the spreading-rate invariance of ridges with axial highs noted in other ridge properties. The axial morphology of the two ridge segments within the study area differs markedly, and a large contrast in magma supply is inferred. The ridge segment with greater magma supply is associated with a broader and more continuous melt lens, a wider region over which the extrusive crust accumulates, and a thicker extrusive layer off-axis where supply to the ridge segment appears to be centered. However, on-axis, the extrusive layer is thinnest where magma supply is robust and a shallower melt lens is observed, consistent with a model in which magma pressure controls the thickness of the extrusive layer accumulated above the magma lens.
Color holography using DuPont holographic recording films

DuPont has developed holographic photopolymer films capable of producing high diffraction efficiency in full-color volume holograms and holographic optical elements. The properties of these films allows for a greater range of applications than has been considered feasible for color holograms. The recording mechanism and methods for holographic color recording in these materials is considered. Methods for full-color mastering and copying to achieve optimal performance in three-color recording are discussed. Examples of full-color holograms are presented.
Characteristic Input Harmonics of DC-DC Converters and their Effect on Input Filter Design

Design curves are presented from which the individual harmonics generated at the input to a dc-dc chopper can be determined. The effect of the chopper output ripple current on the input harmonics is included. These generalized curves can be used to determine the input filter component ratings as well as to compute the harmonics injected into the source. Using harmonic superposition, the input current and voltage waveforms as a function of time are determined and thus the peak voltages and current stresses are obtained. A practical example illustrates the use of the curves and serves to verify the analysis.
Challenges in environmental detection of human viral pathogens

There is substantial potential for human exposure to viruses in environmental matrixes. Identification of virally contaminated environmental reservoirs requires assays with sufficient sensitivity to detect low copy numbers of viral targets. However, low detection sensitivity frequently requires sample concentration during which inhibitors to downstream assays co-isolate with desired target. Conventional detection assays (e.g., cell culture, polymerase chain reaction) require a priori selection of appropriate cell lines or primers and probes based on the viruses anticipated to be present in the sample. This can underestimate exposure risks by excluding unidentified or unknown virus. Emerging methods including nonspecific adsorption/elution, filtration, and total nucleic acid sequencing, that are capable of concentrating, purifying, and detecting total virus and/or total virus nucleic acid will aid in estimates of exposure risk, source tracking, intervention efficacy, and evaluation of virus fate and transport. Development and implementation of novel virus detection techniques must integrate quality assurance guidelines to validate results and provide opportunities for interstudy comparison.
Quantitation of isomeric ion mixtures using collisional activation mass spectra

Recently Bass and Bowers have criticized methods for calculation of isomeric composition of gaseous ions based on mass spectra from collisionally activated dissociations (CAD). They fault values from this laboratory on the proportion of benzyl and tropylium ions calculated by two methods from product ion abundances. However, a careful remeasurement of the relevant yields of CAD product ions shows that neither calculation method affected the result outside experimental error, as the ion yields for at least 14 higher energy dissociations are insensitive to both isomeric identity and internal energy. Reducing the [C7H7]+ internal energy by 1.5 eV does give a 25% reduction in the ion yield for the lowest energy process, supporting the accepted recommendation that these be omitted for quantitative spectral comparisons. A calculation error was made in one of our previous reports on [C7H7]+, and corrected isomeric composition values are presented. The disparate values from recalculation by Bass and Bowers of other data from this laboratory on [C2H4O]+˙ ions are shown here to be consistent with the large experimental error of those measurements; the medians of their values are actually near the values originally reported. In direct contrast to their assertions, we find no evidence that previous calculation methods have produced misleading conclusions, or that the assumption of linear superposition of CAD spectra in ion mixtures has yielded unreliable results.
Learning from error and the design of task environments

Abstract Errors constitute a major source of information for the learner while practising an unfamiliar task The main principles of the proposed theory of learning from error are that (1) actions are always the result of (possibly implicit) choices among relevant options, (2) initial task knowledge is overly general, (3) errors occur because incorrectly activated options displace the correct ones, (4) the detection of errors requires task-specific knowledge, (5) error correction requires blame assignment, and (6) erroneous task knowledge is corrected through specialization. Two realistic errors are analyzed in detail, one from a symbolic task in chemistry and one from a concrete household task. Four implications for the design of training and performance environments are derived from the theory. Differences and similarities to a leading alternative theory are discussed.
Acute metabolic acidosis inhibits muscle protein synthesis in rats

In this study, we investigated the effect of acute metabolic acidosis on tissue protein synthesis. Groups of rats were made acidotic with intragastric administration of NH(4)Cl (20 mmol/kg body wt every 12 h for 24 h) or given equimolar amounts of NaCl (controls). Protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and a variety of different tissues, including lymphocytes, was measured after 24 h by injection of l-[(2)H(5)]phenylalanine (150 micromol/100 g body wt, 40 moles percent). Results show that acute acidosis inhibits protein synthesis in skeletal muscle (-29% in gastrocnemius, -23% in plantaris, and -17% in soleus muscles, P < 0.01) but does not affect protein synthesis in heart, liver, gut, kidney, and spleen. Protein synthesis in lymphocytes is also reduced by acidosis (-8%, P < 0.05). In a separate experiment, protein synthesis was also measured in acidotic and control rats by a constant infusion of l-[(2)H(5)]phenylalanine (1 micromol.100 g body wt(-1).h(-1)). The results confirm the earlier findings showing an inhibition of protein synthesis in gastrocnemius (-28%, P < 0.01) and plantaris (-19%, P < 0.01) muscles but no effect on heart and liver by acidosis. Similar results were also observed using a different model of acute metabolic acidosis, in which rats were given a cation exchange resin in the H(+) (acidotic) or the Na(+) (controls) form. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that acute metabolic acidosis for 24 h depresses protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and lymphocytes but does not alter protein synthesis in visceral tissues. Inhibition of muscle protein synthesis might be another mechanism contributing to the loss of muscle tissue observed in acidosis.
Developmentally regulated transcription from Drosophila melanogaster chromosomal site 67B

Abstract We have cloned and characterized an insert of the Drosophila melanogaster genome chosen for study because it is homologous to RNA expressed more abundantly in early pupae than in embryos. This insert contains a cluster of five transcript coding segments within 8.5 kilobases. All of the transcripts that we describe are developmentally regulated, being at maximal abundance in late-third-instar larvae and early pupae, and not detectable or very rare in third-instar larvae about 1 day prior to puparium formation and in late pupae. Some of the transcripts are detectable at low levels in embryos. Unexpectedly, this cloned insert overlaps the previously described heat-shock gene cluster at cytological location 67B. Sequentially, we find a previously unknown coding segment within the heat-shock cluster, the two heat-shock coding segments, and two more previously unknown coding segments beyond the heat-shock coding segments. Thus, two genes which are induced by heat shock are also found to be expressed with the developmental regulation described above.
Tourism and the Market Revolution

The nearly simultaneous publication of these three books on nineteenthcentury mineral springs resorts marks the maturation of the history of tourism and its inclusion in the mainstream of historical studies. For years the study of tourism stood outside traditional historiography, regarded as a subject for sociology or cultural studies. Even the most important works to emerge over the past decade or so, including John Sears' Sacred Places (1989), Dona Brown's Inventing New England (1995), and Cindy Aron's Working at Play (1999), addressed broader issues such as tourism's cultural importance, its commercial development, or the concept of leisure in American life. The appearance of Orvar Lofgren's theoretical work, On Holiday (1999), and the reissue of Dean MacCannell's classic sociological study, The Tourist (1976; reprint, 1999), might lead some readers to assume that theory and the most general questions about tourism's historical significance were again dominating the subfield. But Charlene Lewis, Jon Sterngass, and Theodore Corbett have used the archetypal method of social history, the case study, to remind historians of nineteenth-century America that tourism and leisure were central to American culture and society. The resorts that these historians study both created and responded to the major changes of nineteenth-century America: the Market Revolution, the process of class formation, the commercialization of leisure time, and the construction of regional identities. What some scholars might see as the esoteric diversions of a dissipated leisure class
Mentoring Alternatives: The Role of Peer Relationships in Career Development

Little is known about work relationships, other than mentoring relationships, that contribute to adult and career growth. A biographical interview study of 25 relationship pairs indicated that rela...
A numerical comparison between two unconstrained variational formulations

Abstract In an effort to relieve the often cumbersome burden of meeting the requirements of the end conditions and to unify the solution formulation for boundary- and initial-value problems, unconstrained variational statements have been introduced in conjunction with some approximate methods. In the case of a boundary value problem, it is shown in this paper that two different variational statements can be established: one is arrived at by the use of the Lagrange multipliers, the other by energy considerations. The numerical convergence of the solutions associated with finite element schemes involving use of one of these two different variational statements is compared with that of the other. In the case of an initial value problem, both formulations can again be established when the adjoint field variable and the adjoint variational statement are introduced. The numerical data presented here indicate that while both methods generate excellent convergent results for the boundary problem, the method of stiff springs yields results which show much better convergence for the initial value problem than those achieved by Lagrange multipliers.
Effect of parietal lobe damage on the performance of reversible operations in space

Abstract Patients with cerebral damage were tested on three tasks requiring the performance of reversible operations in space. Damage to either the right or the left parietal lobes resulted in impairments on all three tasks; lesions in other cortical areas resulted in slight, if any, deficits. It is suggested that the inability to assume different perspectives in imagery underlies many of the impairments associated with parietal lobe damage, such as constructional apraxia and right-left disorientation.
Purification to homogeneity and reconstitution of the individual components of the epoxide carboxylase multiprotein enzyme complex from Xanthobacter strain Py2.

Epoxide metabolism in the aerobic bacterium Xanthobacter strain Py2 proceeds by an NADPH- and NAD+-dependent carboxylation reaction that forms β-keto acids as products. Epoxide carboxylase, the enzyme catalyzing this reaction, was resolved from the soluble fraction of cell-free extracts into four protein components that are obligately required for functional reconstitution of epoxide carboxylase activity. One of these components, component II, has previously been purified and characterized as an NADPH:disulfide oxidoreductase. In the present study, the three additional epoxide carboxylase components have been purified to homogeneity and characterized. These component proteins are as follows: component I, a homohexameric protein consisting of 41.7-kDa subunits; component III, a dimeric protein consisting of 26.0- and 26.2-kDa polypeptides; and component IV, a dimeric protein consisting of a single 25.4-kDa polypeptide. Component I contained 5 mol of tightly bound zinc per mol of protein. Component I was specifically inactivated by methylepoxypropane, a time-dependent irreversible inactivator of epoxide carboxylase activity, suggesting that this component plays an integral role in epoxide binding and activation. No metals or organic cofactors were detected for components III and IV. The molecular weights, N-terminal sequences, and amino acid compositions of the purified epoxide carboxylase components were determined and found to correlate with open reading frames within and adjacent to a cloned fragment of DNA that complements Xanthobacter Py2 mutants defective in epoxide degradation. Using the purified epoxide carboxylase system, epoxide carboxylation was found to be stoichiometrically coupled to the transhydrogenation of pyridine nucleotide cofactors according to the following equation: epoxypropane + CO2 + NADPH + NAD+ → acetoacetate + H+ + NADP+ + NADH.
Scaling test of quenched hypercubic smeared staggered fermions

Abstract We investigate the scaling behavior of the hypercubic smeared (HYP) staggered fermion action in the quenched limit at lattice spacings a = 0.165, 0.135 and 0.095fm with pion masses as low as 250MeV. Even on the coarsest lattice we find no scaling violations for hadronic observables suggesting that HYP smearing removes most lattice artifacts.
Finite-element modelling of femoral shaft fracture fixation techniques post total hip arthroplasty

The presence of a femoral prosthesis superior to a shaft fracture severely complicates fixation and treatment. This study uses two-dimensional, multithickness, plane stress finite-element models of a femur with prosthesis to investigate the stresses developed with the application of three popular fixation techniques: revision to a long stem prosthesis, lateral plating with a cortical bone allograft strut and cerclage wires, and custom plate application with proximal Parham band fixation with distal cortical screws (Ogden plate). The plate and bone contact as well as the fracture site contact were modelled by using orthotropic elements with custom-fit moduli so that only the normal stress to the interface was significant. A thermal analogy was used to model the cerclage and Parham band preloads so that representative preloads in the proximal fixation of the two types of plate treatments could be modelled. A parametric study was performed with the long-prosthesis model to show variations in stem lengths of one, two and three femoral diameters distal to the fracture site. The Ogden plate model showed a transfer of tensile stress near the proximal-most band, with the highest tensile stress being at the fracture site with evidence of stress shielding of the proximal lateral cortex. The cortical bone strut model showed a transfer of tensile stress to the bone strut but showed less shielding of the proximal cortex. The cerclage wires at the base of the bone strut showed the highest changes in load with the distalmost wire increasing to almost four times its original preload.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Characterization of microconcentric nebulizer uptake rates for capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract There is demonstrated interest in combining capillary electrophoresis (CE) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for speciation determinations. When self-aspirating nebulizers are used for this application, it is important to offset the suction effect to avoid degradation of the separation. In this study, sample uptake rates for three microconcentric nebulizers of the same model, in combination with a cyclonic spray chamber, were characterized and compared for future utilization in CE–ICP-MS interfaces. The specific model studied was a MicroMist with a nominal uptake rate of 100 μl/min at 1 l/min argon gas flow rate per the manufacturer's specifications. Sample uptake rates at various nebulizer gas flows were measured by aspirating water from a weighed container and calculating the uptake rate in microliter per minute. The nebulizers studied provided good reproducibility from day to day, but a comparison of the different nebulizers reflected a significant difference in performance. A characteristic observed during the study was that uptake rates decreased with increasing nebulizer gas flow. This can be used for sample introduction for CE–ICP-MS. Interestingly, very different performance was observed when comparing the three different nebulizers of the same model. Uptake rates showed strong dependence on argon gas flow rates and the dimensions of the sample uptake tubing.
Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) expression in the neural retina and optic nerve of zebrafish during optic nerve regeneration

Fish, unlike mammals, can regenerate axons in the optic nerve following optic nerve injury. We hypothesized that using microarray analysis to compare gene expression in fish which had experienced optic nerve lesion to fish which had undergone a similar operation but without optic nerve injury would reveal genes specifically involved in responding to optic nerve injury (including repair), reducing detection of genes involved in the general stress and inflammatory responses. We discovered 120 genes were significantly (minimally two-fold with a P-value < or = 0.05) differentially expressed (up or down) at one or more time point. Among these was ATF3, a member of the cAMP-response element binding protein family. Work by others has indicated that elevated cAMP could be important in axon regeneration. We investigated ATF3 expression further by qRT-PCR, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry and found ATF3 expression is significantly upregulated in the ganglion cell layer of the retina, the nerve fiber layer and the optic nerve of the injured eye. The upregulation in retina is detectable by qRT-PCR by 24 h after injury, at which time ATF-3 mRNA levels are 8-fold higher than in retinas from sham-operated fish. We conclude ATF3 may be an important mediator of optic nerve regeneration-promoting gene expression in fish, a role which merits further investigation.
Prediction-based policy adaptation for QoS management in wireless networks

We propose a framework for adaptive policy-based quality of service (QoS) management in wireless networks. The proposed framework is a multi-layer agent system where agents cooperate to dynamically adapt network behavior to maintain the delivered QoS level to the user. QoS prediction agents utilize user information such as the user profile, location and terminal characteristics, to predict future changes in the supplied QoS. These changes are then reported to a set of QoS adaptation agents, which dynamically adapt the network policies to meet the user's requirements. The proposed adaptive approach assembles policies at run-time given sets of imposed constraints and goals to be satisfied. The new approach gives more flexibility to users and applications to dynamically change their QoS requirements while maintaining a smooth delivery of QoS.
A fast pipelined CORDIC-based adaptive lattice filter

CORDIC-based adaptive lattice prediction algorithms and a pipelined CORDIC architecture for unnormalized lattice predictors are presented. One directly updates the CORDIC rotation angles theta /sub i/, i=1 . . . N, rather than the predictor unnormalized reflection coefficients, k/sub i/=tanh theta /sub i/. This updating scheme guarantees the minimum phase condition and will take full advantage of the CORDIC architecture. Moreover, to facilitate fully pipelined operation a delayed updating algorithm which updates the rotation angle based on delayed prediction errors is developed. This algorithm leads to a modular architecture and fast throughput VLSI implementation. The authors also study the application of the delayed updating algorithm to adaptive QRS detection, for the analysis of electrocardiographic (ECG) signals. >
Shin Buddhist Women in America

This article introduces the position of Shin Buddhist women in the United States. It explores how they have negotiated within and without their organizations on local, regional, national and transnational levels.
Predictions for Future Human Influenza Pandemics

Will there be another human influenza pandemic? The certainty is that there will be, and the probability is that the virus will emerge from Eurasian aquatic bird reservoirs and involve reassortment between a human and avian strain, with accumulation of mutations or true recombinational events (or both) that will permit spread and pathogenicity among humans. This process will probably occur in pigs because they possess receptors for both avian and human influenza viruses, and emergence may occur in southern China. Prediction of the subtype is impossible, but there is a hypothesis based on seroarcheology that only H1, H2, and H3 subtypes can infect humans; however, it is arguable that H7 or H2 strains might be equally capable of infecting humans.
Pressure Ulcers Among Elderly Patients Early in the Hospital Stay

Background. Pressure ulcers among elderly hospital patients diminish quality of life and increase the cost of hospital care. Evidence suggests that pressure ulcers can arise after only a few hours of immobility. The goals of this study were to estimate the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in the first 2 days of the hospital stay and to identify patient characteristics associated with higher incidence. Methods. A prospective cohort study was performed between 1998 and 2001. A total of 3233 patients 65 years old or older admitted through the Emergency Department to the inpatient Medical Service at two study hospitals were examined by a research nurse on the third day of hospitalization. Pressure ulcers were ascertained using standard criteria and were classified as either preexisting, possibly hospital-acquired, or definitely hospital-acquired. Results. There were 201 patients with one or more possibly or definitely hospital-acquired pressure ulcers for a cumulative incidence of 6.2% (95% confidence interval, 5.4%‐7.1%). Most of the pressure ulcers were stage 2, and the majority were in the sacral area or on the heels. In multivariable analysis, pressure ulcer incidence was significantly associated with increasing age, male gender, dry skin, urinary and fecal incontinence, difficulty turning in bed, nursing home residence prior to admission, recent hospitalization, and poor nutritional status. Conclusions. A small but significant proportion of elderly emergently admitted hospital patients acquire pressure ulcers soon after their admission. New models of care may be required to ensure that preventive interventions are provided very early in the elderly person’s hospital stay.
On Reshaping of Clustering Coefficients in Degree-Based Topology Generators

Recent work has shown that the Internet exhibits a power-law node degree distribution and high clustering. Considering that many existing degree-based Internet topology generators do not achieve this level of clustering, we propose a randomized algorithm that increases the clustering coefficients of graphs produced by these generators. Simulation results confirm that our algorithm makes the graphs produced by existing generators match clustering properties of the Internet topology.
On the Use of MLSE with Non-Optimal Demodulation Filtering for Optical Duobinary Transmission

We experimentally study the use of MLSE electronic equalization with optical duobinary signals demodulated with non-optimal narrowband optical filters. Significant improvement can be obtained for overly wide filters and sub-optimal filter shapes.
Race, socioeconomic status, and health: Complexities, ongoing challenges, and research opportunities

This paper provides an overview of racial variations in health and shows that differences in socioeconomic status (SES) across racial groups are a major contributor to racial disparities in health. However, race reflects multiple dimensions of social inequality and individual and household indicators of SES capture relevant but limited aspects of this phenomenon. Research is needed that will comprehensively characterize the critical pathogenic features of social environments and identify how they combine with each other to affect health over the life course. Migration history and status are also important predictors of health and research is needed that will enhance understanding of the complex ways in which race, SES, and immigrant status combine to affect health. Fully capturing the role of race in health also requires rigorous examination of the conditions under which medical care and genetic factors can contribute to racial and SES differences in health. The paper identifies research priorities in all of these areas.
Reduced Complexity Polynomial Expansion Approximation to MMSE-DFE

In this paper, we investigate polynomial expansion approximation to reduce matrix inversion complexity as encoun- tered in the design of the Minimum Mean Squared Error Decision Feedback Equalizer (MMSE-DFE). The scaling factor needed in this polynomial expansion is optimized for a fixed polynomial approximation order so that the received Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) is maximized. The BER performance of the reduced-complexity MMSE-DFE is comparable to that of the direct matrix inversion based MMSE-DFE and outperforms earlier approaches reported in the literature.
Summary of porcine respiratory disease diagnoses at the Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for the years 1984 and 1986.

Swine are the most common species examined in the General Mammalian Necropsy Section at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL). Diseases of the respiratory tract are second in prevalence to diseases of the digestive tract in Missouri swine. A retrospective study of the respiratory pathogens identified in porcine necropsy accessions from January 1 to December 31, 1986, was performed and the results compared with those from necropsy accessions from January 1 to December 31, 1984. Respiratory pathogens identified in pulmonary tissues submitted from field cases of pneumonia during 1986 also were examined. Bacterial pathogens in lung samples and nasal swabs were identified by inoculation on 5% defibrinated sheep blood trypticase soy agar brilliant green agar, MacConkey agar, and Eugon 10% chocolatized horse blood agar (ECA). The ECA plate was incubated at 37 C in a humid atmosphere of 5% CO, for 24-48 hr. All other plates were incubated in a standard incubator at 35 C. A commercial quad plate was used to determine the X and V requirements of suspected Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae isolates. Criteria previously described were used for final identification, along with serotyping. 1,3 All Salmonella cholerae-suis isolates were H2S-positive and were classified as Salmonella cholerae-suis var. kunzendorf: Respiratory disease was diagnosed in 144 (13%) of 1,073 and 97 ( 12%) of 814 porcine necropsy accessions in 1984 and 1986, respectively. The bacterial isolates from necropsy accessions with pneumonia are listed in Table 1. Pasteurella multocida was isolated from 24% in 1984 and from 23% in 1986. The number and proportion of necropsies in which S. cholerae-suis var. kunzendorf was the cause of pneumonia increased from 5% in 1984 to 14% in 1986. There was little change in the number or proportion of necropsy accessions with pneumonia due to A. (H.) pleuropneumoniae. There was an apparent increase from 5% in 1984 to 12% in 1986 of pneumonia from which Streptococcus sp. was isolated. Isolation of Bordetella bronchiseptica decreased from 3% in 1986 to 1% in 1984. Corynebacterium (Actinomyces) sp. was not associated with pneumonia in 1984, but 3 isolations were obtained in 1986. Table 1. Infectious agents isolated from pneumonic porcine lungs at necropsy.
Expression Cloning and Receptor Pharmacology of Human Calcitonin Receptors from MCF-7 Cells and Their Relationship to Amylin Receptors

Human breast cell carcinoma MCF-7 cells were found to bind125I-labeled rat amylin (rAmylin) and the peptide amylin antagonist radioligand 125I-AC512 with high affinity. This high affinity binding possessed characteristics unique to the already defined high affinity binding site for amylin in the rat nucleus accumbens [Mol. Pharmacol. 44:493–497 (1993);J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 270:779–787 (1994);Eur. J. Pharmacol. 262:133–141 (1994)]. To further define this receptor, we report results of expression cloning studies from an MCF-7 cell library. We isolated two variants of a seven-transmembrane receptor that were identical to two previously described human calcitonin receptors (hCTR1 and hCTR2). These receptors were characterized by expression in different surrogate host cell systems. Transient expression of hCTR1 in COS cells yielded membranes that bound 125I-AC512 and 125I-salmon calcitonin with high affinity, but no high affinity binding was observed with 125I-human calcitonin (hCAL) or125I-rAmylin. Stable expression of hCTR1 in HEK 293 cells produced similar data. In contrast, expression of hCTR2 in COS cells yielded membranes that bound 125I-AC512,125I-hCAL, and 125I-rAmylin with high affinity. The agonists 125I-hCAL and 125I-rAmylin bound 65% and 1.5%, respectively, of the sites bound by the antagonist radioligand 125I-AC512 in this expression system. This pattern of binding was repeated in HEK 293 cells stably transfected with hCTR2 (125I-hCAL = 24.8%Bmax, 125I-rAmylin = 8%Bmax). In both expression systems, the agonists hCAL and rAmylin were much more potent in displacing their radioligand counterparts than was the antagonist radioligand125I-AC512. For example, the pKi value for displacement of125I-AC512 by rAmylin was 7.2 in HEK 293 cells but rose to 9.1 when displacing 125I-rAmylin. Finally, hCTR2 was expressed in baculovirus-infected Ti ni cells. In this system, only specific binding to the antagonist 125I-AC512 and agonist 125I-hCAL was observed; no binding to125I-rAmylin could be detected. These data are discussed in terms of two working hypotheses. The first is that amylin is a weak agonist for hCTR2 and that this receptor is unrelated to the amylin receptor found in this cell line. The second is that hCTR2 couples to different G proteins for calcitonin and amylin function in different cells. At present, these data cannot be used to disprove conclusively either hypothesis.
Functional Assessment and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaires: Measurement Invariance Across Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites

Purpose of the Study: We tested the ethnic-group measurement invariance of 2 commonly used informant-report scales of patients’ dementia symptoms: the Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ), a measure of functional abilities, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), a measure of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Design and Methods: We conducted multigroup confirmatory factor analyses on 311 Hispanic and 10,863 non-Hispanic White (NHW) outpatients and their informants diagnosed with dementia or normal cognition at their initial Alzheimer’s Disease Center evaluations nationwide. Results: We confirmed our hypothesized one-factor FAQ and four-factor NPI-Q models for each ethnic group. We also found evidence for the configural (i.e., number of factors) and factorial (i.e., pattern of factor loadings) invariance of both scales and structural (i.e., factor covariances) invariance of the NPI-Q across groups. However, we did not obtain evidence for ethnic-group scalar (i.e., intercept) invariance for either scale. Implications: The FAQ and NPI-Q were operating similarly across Hispanics and NHWs, suggesting that they can be meaningfully used within and across these groups to measure informant-reported dementia symptomatology. However, their scalar noninvariance indicates that meaningful ethnic-group comparisons of their latent factor mean values cannot be made.
Complete protein structure determination using backbone residual dipolar couplings and sidechain rotamer prediction.

Residual dipolar couplings provide significant structural information for proteins in the solution state, which makes them attractive for the rapid determination of protein structures. While dipolar couplings contain inherent structural ambiguities, these can be reduced via an overlap similarity measure that insists that protein fragments assigned to overlapping regions of the sequence must have self-consistent structures. This allows us to determine a backbone fold (including the correct Cα–Cβ bond orientations) using only residual dipolar coupling data from one ordering medium. The resulting backbone structures are of sufficient quality to allow for modeling of sidechain rotamer states using a rotamer prediction algorithm and a force field employing the Surface Generalized Born continuum solvation model. We demonstrate the applicability of the method using experimental data for ubiquitin. These results illustrate the synergies that are possible between protein structural database and molecular modeling methods and NMR spectroscopy, and we expect that the further development of these methods will lead to the extraction of high resolution structural information from minimal NMR data.
Effects of soil fumigants on methanotrophic activity

Negative impacts on methane (CH4) oxidation capacity have already been observed for a variety of agronomic practices, but the effect of soil fumigation on CH4 oxidation has not been investigated. Fumigation is a common practice in agricultural crop and nursery seedling protection. Soils from various agricultural experiment stations, forest nurseries, and a landfill were evaluated for effects of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), methyl isothiocyanate (MITC), and chloropicrin (CP) on CH4 oxidation capacities. All three fumigants significantly reduced CH4 oxidation rates in historically non-fumigated soils (>50%). 1,3-D enhanced CH4 oxidation in 3 out of 5 previously fumigated soils and MITC increased CH4 oxidation rates in all historically MITC-fumigated soils compared to controls. CP universally decreased oxidation capacity regardless of fumigation history. These results support the conclusion that CH4 oxidation effects are fumigant specific and that prior fumigation history plays a vital role in determining the impact on CH4 oxidizer community functionality, which may have implications on the global CH4 cycle.
Virtual high-throughput ligand screening

In Structural Genomics projects, virtual high-throughput ligand screening can be utilized to provide important functional details for newly determined protein structures. Using a variety of publicly available software tools, it is possible to computationally model, predict, and evaluate how different ligands interact with a given protein. At the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases (CSGID) a series of protein analysis, docking and molecular dynamics software is scripted into a single hierarchical pipeline allowing for an exhaustive investigation of protein-ligand interactions. The ability to conduct accurate computational predictions of protein-ligand binding is a vital component in improving both the efficiency and economics of drug discovery. Computational simulations can minimize experimental efforts, the slowest and most cost prohibitive aspect of identifying new therapeutics.
Two-stage second order training in feedforward neural networks

In this paper, we develop and demonstrate a new 2nd order two-stage algorithm called OWO-Newton. First, two-stage algorithms are motivated and the Gauss Newton input weight Hessian matrix is developed. Block coordinate descent is used to apply Newton’s algorithm alternately to the input and output weights. Its performance is comparable to Levenberg-Marquardt and it has the advantage of reduced computational complexity. The algorithm is shown to have a form of affine invariance.
Initial state fluctuations and final state collectivity in high energy nuclear collisions: Status and Outlook

We review recent developments in the theoretical description of the initial state and collective dynamics in heavy ion and light-heavy ion collisions. After describing the current state of the art in event by event simulations of high energy nuclear collisions we will focus on open issues. These include early time non-equilibrium dynamics, small collision systems (p+p, p+A), hydrodynamic fluctuations, and lower beam energies ( < 200 GeV).
Run-time monitoring using bounded constraint instance discovery within big data streams

This paper presents RM-BCS, a novel run-time monitoring (RM) technique that uses periodic bounded constraint solving (BCS) to monitor streaming systems with undetermined artifacts such as agent roles and message classification. BCS is used to discover maps of interest, mapping a streaming collection of messages to a domain of discourse that consists of a set of known agents, roles, and message meanings; the desired map is one in which an underlying first-order logic constraint is satisfied. We demonstrate the technique for the problem of detecting an, Internet-based terrorist attack coordination session within frames of streaming data such as a Twitter stream. The proposed technique is a third class of RM techniques, the first two being RM of deterministic observation streams and RM of probabilistic observation streams.
The international search and rescue response to the US Embassy bombing in Kenya: the medical team experience.

On 07 August, 1998, a terrorist's bomb exploded outside of the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The explosion caused severe damage to the Embassy and surrounding structures, including almost complete collapse of the Ufundi building adjacent to the Embassy. The U.S. response to this tragedy included the deployment of medical, rescue, and law enforcement personnel to assist the Kenyan government. An integral component of this response was the deployment of an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to aid in the location, extrication, and rescue of entrapped victims. This Task Force was sponsored by the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), a branch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Task Force included a medical team composed of two physicians and four paramedics, whose purpose was to define, create, and provide a medical care system for rescuers and victims in the austere environment at the bombsite. As an international event involving a multinational response, the characteristics and requirements of this event differed in some respects from domestic disaster emergency responses, and the medical team adjusted their operating procedures accordingly.