cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prior experiences associated with residents’ scores on a communication and interpersonal skill OSCE

Abstract Objective This exploratory study investigated whether prior task experience and comfort correlate with scores on an assessment of patient-centered communication. Methods A six-station standardized patient exam assessed patient-centered communication of 79 PGY2-3 residents in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine. A survey provided information on prior experiences. t -tests, correlations, and multi-factorial ANOVA explored relationship between scores and experiences. Results Experience with a task predicted comfort but did not predict communication scores. Comfort was moderately correlated with communication scores for some tasks; residents who were less comfortable were indeed less skilled, but greater comfort did not predict higher scores. Female gender and medical school experiences with standardized patients along with training in patient-centered interviewing were associated with higher scores. Residents without standardized patient experiences in medical school were almost five times more likely to be rejected by patients. Conclusions Task experience alone does not guarantee better communication, and may instill a false sense of confidence. Experiences with standardized patients during medical school, especially in combination with interviewing courses, may provide an element of “deliberate practice” and have a long-term impact on communication skills. Practice Implications The combination of didactic courses and practice with standardized patients may promote a patient-centered approach.
Do voters have a cue? Television advertisements as a source of information in citizen–initiated referendum campaigns

Abstract. In this article we examine the scope for campaign effects in citizen-initiated ref-erendum (CIR) elections. Given the context of CIR elections, television effects can be seento be even bigger and more important than in candidate elections. We use survey data oninformation demands made upon voters in CIR campaigns,and the information sources theyuse, in order to gauge the relative importance of various sources that voters rely upon inmaking voting decisions. We then examine the relative importance of television advertisingas a source of information in CIR campaigns. We ﬁnd that voters report using many sourcesof information, with few voters relying exclusively upon television advertisements. Ratherthan telling voters which way to vote, television campaigns may simply raise awareness ofCIRs and so encourage voters to seek cues elsewhere,in particular from ballot guides wherecues are more readily discerned. Information demands and voting on referendums Citizens in the United States, particularly in the western states, are frequentlypresented with ballots that ask them to make decisions about many candidatesand about numerous policy questions referred to voters by legislators and bycitizen-initiative petitions. It is not unusual for some state ballots to have asmany as 10 citizen-initiated referendums (CIRs) and legislative referendumslisted. Although measures referred by legislatures tend to be relatively banal‘housekeeping’ issues,CIRs often touch upon fundamental social,moral,ﬁscaland constitutional questions (Magleby 1984; Cronin 1989; Bowler et al. 1998;Gerber 1999). Budgets of many CIR campaigns are often minimal, but issuesthat affect narrow economic interests, or that touch on broader social cleav-ages, often see campaign spending for television advertisements that match orexceed high-proﬁle candidate contests.These lengthy ballots place substantial information demands on voters, yetalmost all state-level candidate contests offer voters simple cues that mightguide their choice, the most powerful being partisan labels. There is little sys-tematic empirical evidence that information from television advertisementsranks as a major determinant of voter choice in candidate contests, given thatvoters have so may easily obtainable cues when deciding in candidate races.
Metal Oxides as Catalyst Promoters for Methanol Oxidation

The Transition metal oxides such as TiO2 and CeO2 as catalyst and co-catalyst materials were studied for methanol oxidation. The metal oxide nanoparticles were impregnated into carbon aerogel and Pt-Ru/C (Tanaka) by modified sol-gel Pechini method and heat-treated at different temperatures. Crystal structure, particle size and composition of the catalyst particles were studied using XRD, TEM and EDS techniques. The electrochemical activity and stability of these catalyst materials were studied in acidic medium and the results were compared to their corresponding specific and active surface areas. The aerogel supported metal oxides were stable and proved for better methanol oxidation, while a significant synergetic effect in electro-oxidation is observed when the metal oxides were impregnated into the structure of Pt-Ru/C catalyst. The methanol-oxidation was further improved after heat treatment due to its improved structural and surface properties.
The Absorption of One-Half Centimeter Electromagnetic Waves in Oxygen

The absorption of electromagnetic waves in the one-half cm wave-length range has been measured for ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$-${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ mixtures as a function of pressure. The apparatus employs a klystron oscillator, crystal-rectifier frequency-multiplier, wave guide absorption path, and crystal detector. The measured values are in agreement with the theory of Van Vleck both as regards the absolute value of the absorption (which is as great as 67 db/km at the band center for pure ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ at a pressure of one atmosphere) and the dependence on pressure.
Genomic instability in silica- and cadmium chloride-transformed BALB/c-3T3 and tumor cell lines by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

Our earlier studies using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis have shown genetic instability in human lung cancer tissues. Here we have investigated the potential for genetic instability in silica- and cadmium chloride (CdCl2)-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cell lines. Non-transformed, transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells, and tumor cell lines (obtained by injecting nude mice with transformed cell lines) were analyzed for genomic changes. DNAs from 10 different transformed clones and their corresponding tumor cell lines were amplified individually by RAPD analysis using 10 arbitrary primers. DNA from non-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells was used as a control to compare genetic alterations, if any, between non-transformed, transformed and tumor cell populations. PCR products from RAPD were electrophoretically separated on agarose gels and the banding profiles were visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Five of the 10 primers tested revealed genomic changes in silica-transformed cell lines when compared to non-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells. Comparison of all 10 transformed and tumor cell lines showed varied degrees of genomic changes using all 10 primers. CdCl2-transformed cell lines displayed fewer genomic changes, only three of 10 primers showed a positive result. CdCl2-transformed cells and their corresponding tumor cell lines showed specific banding pattern differences in six of the 10 samples tested with six of the 10 primers. Changes in band intensity were the most commonly observed changes both in silica- and CdCl2-transformed and tumor cell lines. The results seem to indicate a progressive change in genomic rearrangements which may directly or indirectly be associated with progression of tumorigenesis.
Analysis of mixing efficiency in polymer processing equipment

Flow patterns In various processing equipment were obtained based on 3D isothermal flow simulations. These flow patterns were further processed for mixing efficiency analysis. The dynamics of the mixing process was studied numerically by means of tracers and their trajectories In the processing equipment. Dispersive mixing efficiency was studied in terms of shear stresses and elongational flow components distributions. Distributive mixing efficiency was characterized using length stretch distributions and average values. Features of chaotic flow were also analyzed. The framework developed to analyze mixing efficiency opens the way for an unambiguous evaluation of equipment performance and for process optimization.
Immunology of Human Tuberculosis: Perspectives for Vaccine Development

Tuberculosis is reemerging as a matter of global concern, partly because of questions concerning efficacy and safety of vaccination with BCG, partly because of its occurrence in patients with AIDS, and partly because of recent advances in biomedical technology which offer the promise of an effective recombinant vaccine. This review examines the current concepts of the human immune response in tuberculosis with emphasis on: I) immunosuppressive microbial constituents and cellular networks which must be circumvented in seeking an effective vaccine, and 2) direct screening of potentially protective mycobacterial antigens with human T-cells.
Asynchronous stochastic optimization for sequence training of deep neural networks

This paper explores asynchronous stochastic optimization for sequence training of deep neural networks. Sequence training requires more computation than frame-level training using pre-computed frame data. This leads to several complications for stochastic optimization, arising from significant asynchrony in model updates under massive parallelization, and limited data shuffling due to utterance-chunked processing. We analyze the impact of these two issues on the efficiency and performance of sequence training. In particular, we suggest a framework to formalize the reasoning about the asynchrony and present experimental results on both small and large scale Voice Search tasks to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of asynchronous stochastic optimization.
Cropping sequence effect of pea and pea management on spring wheat in the northern Great Plains

Annual legumes permit intensified cropping in no-till systems in the drought-prone northern Great Plains. Our objectives were to compare cropping sequence effects of pea (Pisum sativum L.) with fallow, mustard (Sinapis alba L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and to measure the effects of pea harvest timing and shoot biomass presence on soil water use and N contribution, and yield and grain quality of subsequent wheat. Pea, mustard, wheat, and fallow preceded spring wheat at three sites in Montana. In the first year, two harvest timings (anthesis and maturity) were included and managed for presence or absence of crop shoot biomass. In the second year, a wheat test crop was grown at four N fertilizer rates. Regardless of management, pea used equal or less soil water, contributed equal or greater soil N, and had equal or greater positive impact on subsequent wheat growth than mustard or wheat. Compared with maturity, midseason harvest timing of pea increased soil N (30-39 kg NO 3 -N ha -1 ) and soil water (19-39 mm) available in the spring to the subsequent wheat test crop at two of three sites. Under severe drought, midseason harvest of pea increased wheat yield 50% and critically increased grain density compared with the mature pea harvest. At the N-limited site, midseason harvest of pea increased wheat yield 14% and grain protein 9% compared with mature pea harvest. Pea shoot biomass presence did not affect soil water or N, or growth of a subsequent wheat crop.
Non‐bonded interatomic potential functions and crystal structure. Correction of the functions for use with macromolecules and application to polypeptide helixes

On the basis of a set of nonbonded interatomic potential functions derived earlier from heats of sublimation and experimental crystal structures, we derive a second, less repulsive, set which is to be used in the absence of the expansion caused by thermal motion and in particular in macromolecular systems where thermal motion is much reduced compared with crystals of small molecules. Working with a pair of octane molecules, we calculate the intermolecular potential (U) in the presence of thermal motion from potentials U° (in the absence of thermal motion), by letting a system of pairs of molecules assume a Boltzmann distribution over the intermolecular distance, in the presence of a force of varied magnitude applied to obtain different equilibrium distances. The potential U° is adjusted until the calculated and the empirical potentials U agree. Finally, best interatomic Lennard-Jones potentials which reproduce the function U° are calculated. The resulting functions are tested by calculating the crystal structure of benzene and comparing it with experimental data at low temperature, by energy minimization of the crystal structure of polyethylene and of the β-structure of poly-L-alanine, and by comparing the energy of the α-helix and the β-structure of poly-L-alanine. In all cases, the corrected functions give more satisfactory results than the uncorrected set.
On the transverse electromagnetic field in a plasma

Abstract For a particular class of initial states, a closed equation for the distribution function of the transverse electromagnetic field in a plasma is derived. It is shown that the formal expression for the transverse conductivity of the plasma can be derived, in lowest-order approximation, without the use of external fields.
Substituent effects on the geometric and electronic properties of tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ): a theoretical study

Electron acceptors are classes of molecules that are important in organic devices as they help to improve the conductivity of organic semiconducting molecules by forming p-type complexes or anion radical complexes. These molecules can be doped into hole transporting materials to provide good ohmic contact with the anode and to improve the carrier density of the hole transport layer. This results in organic light-emitting devices with low driving voltages and high power efficiencies. In this study, we investigate a series of tetracyano-p-quinodimethane derivatives with substituents expected to facilitate the electron-acceptor capabilities of the quinones using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT). As expected, the cyano substitution stabilises both highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels and increases the adiabatic electron affinity of the dopants. The stabilisation effect on the LUMO levels is greater, and as a result...
Endotracheal intubation for airway protection during endoscopy for severe upper GI hemorrhage

Background: Aspiration of blood may cause significant morbidity during emergent endoscopy for severe upper GI bleeding. Endotracheal intubation is widely performed for airway protection in this setting, but there are few data regarding its efficacy. Methods: Outcomes were compared for intensive care unit patients with upper GI bleeding for 1 year (1988) during which prophylactic endotracheal intubation was seldom performed before endoscopy, with outcomes during a subsequent year (1992) in which endotracheal intubation was routine for airway protection before or during EGD when there was hematemesis, altered mentation, unstable cardiopulmonary status, or large amounts of blood in the proximal GI tract, or before endoscopic treatment of lesions at high risk for bleeding. Results: Background variables were similar for intensive care unit patients in 1988 (n = 101) and 1992 (n = 119) with respect to number of patients who had shock (respectively, 66.3% vs. 67.2%), cirrhosis (34.7% vs. 38.6%), variceal/portal hypertensive bleeding (22.8% vs. 33.6%), and endoscopic therapy (37.6% vs. 42.0%). Although use of endotracheal intubation specifically for EGD increased significantly between 1988 and 1992 (3.0% vs. 15.1%; p < 0.05), there were no significant changes in endotracheal intubation at any time during hospitalization (24.8% vs. 28.6%), in all EGD-related cardiopulmonary complications (5.0% vs. 3.4%), in new pulmonary infiltrates after EGD (12.9% vs. 15.1%), in mean number of intensive care unit days (7.1 vs. 6.4), or in mortality (15.9% vs. 11.8%). New infiltrates developed in 10 (48%) of 21 patients after EGD despite endotracheal intubation specifically for airway protection. However, in 1992 there were no fatal episodes of aspiration during EGD (2.0% vs. 0%; p = 0.21), no emergent post-EGD endotracheal intubation (6.0% vs. 0%; p < 0.05), and fewer in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrests (12.9% vs. 5.0%; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Frequent use of endotracheal intubation for airway protection during EGD for upper GI bleeding requiring intensive care unit admission did not significantly change the relatively high frequency of acquired pneumonia or cardiopulmonary events, but may have prevented the rare fatal episode of massive aspiration. Endotracheal intubation may benefit selected patients with upper GI bleeding, but its specific role remains unclear, and alternative methods of airway protection should be investigated. (Gastrointest Endosc 2003;57:58-61.)
Effects of monovalent cations on light energy distribution between two pigment systems of photosynthesis in isolated spinach chloroplasts.

Abstract The effects of monovalent cations on the light energy distribution between two pigment systems of photosynthesis were studied in isolated spinach chloroplasts by measuring chlorophyll a fluorescence and photochemical reactions. The addition of NaCl to the chloroplast suspension produced a 40–80% increase in fluorescence yield measured at 684 nm at room temperature. The fluorescence increase was completed about 5 min after the addition. The effect saturated at 100 mM NaCl. Low-temperature fluorescence spectra showed that NaCl increased the yields of two fluorescence bands of pigment system II at 684 and 695 nm but decreased that of pigment system I at 735 nm. Similar effects on chlorophyll a fluorescence at room and at low temperatures were obtained with NaBr, NaNO 3 , Na 2 SO 4 , LiCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, NH 4 Cl and CH 3 NH 3 Cl. NaCl suppressed the quantum efficiency of NADP + reduction supported by the ascorbate-2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP) couple as an electron donor system in the presence of 3-(3′,4′-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU). On the other hand, NaCl only slightly enhanced the quantum yield of photoreaction II measured by the Hill reaction with DCIP. It is concluded that the monovalent cations tested suppressed the excitation transfer from pigment system II to pigment system I; the effects were the same as those of alkaline earth metals and Mn 2+ (refs. 1, 2).
Astrocyte Regulation of Endothelial Tissue Plasminogen Activator in a Blood-Brain Barrier Model

Expression of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) substantially determines endothelial-dependent fibrinolysis. We used a blood-brain barrier (BBB) model to analyze regulation of brain capillary endothelial tPA and its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). This model consists of coculture of murine astrocytes with bovine brain capillary endothelial cells grown as capillary-like structures (CS); after 1 week, astrocytes become extensively associated with CS, and the BBB-associated enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is present. We measured tPA and PAI-1 mRNA and tPA activity in this model. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies showed similar tPA and PAI-1 mRNA levels after 1 day mono-culture (endothelial cells only) versus astrocyte-endothelial coculture preparations. After 7 days (i.e., when elements of the BBB are present), astrocyte-endothelial cocultures (compared with endothelial mono-cultures) showed a 50.7%+/-27.1% (mean +/- SD) reduction in tPA mRNA (P < 0.03) and a 183.3%+/-86.9% increase in PAI-1 mRNA expression (P < 0.02). Moreover, 7-day cocultures demonstrated reduced tPA activity compared with mono-cultures (14.6+/-2.9 IU/mL versus 30.2+/-7.7 IU/mL, P < 0.01); 1-day cocultures and mono-cultures had similar tPA activity. These findings demonstrate that astrocytes regulate brain capillary endothelial expression of tPA when elements of the BBB phenotype are present in this model. These data suggest an important role for astrocytes in the regulation of brain capillary endothelial fibrinolysis.
The Elg1-RFC clamp-loading complex performs a role in sister chromatid cohesion.

It is widely accepted that of the four Replication Factor C (RFC) complexes (defined by the associations of either Rfc1p, Ctf18p, Elg1p or Rad24p with Rfc2p-Rfc5p), only Ctf18-RFC functions in sister chromatid cohesion. This model is based on findings that CTF18 deletion is lethal in combination with mutations in either CTF7ECO1 or MCD1 sister chromatid cohesion genes and that ctf18 mutant cells exhibit cohesion defects. Here, we report that Elg1-RFC not only participates in cohesion but performs a function that is distinct from that of Ctf18-RFC. The results show that deletion of ELG1 rescues both ctf7eco1 mutant cell temperature sensitivity and cohesion defects. Moreover, over-expression of ELG1 enhances ctf7eco1 mutant cell phenotypes. These findings suggest that the balance of Ctf7pEco1p activity depends on both Ctf18-RFC and Elg1-RFC. We also report that ELG1 deletion produces cohesion defects and intensifies the conditional phenotype of mcd1 mutant cells, further supporting a role for Elg1-RFC in cohesion. Attesting to the specificity of these interactions, deletion of RAD24 neither suppressed nor exacerbated cohesion defects in either ctf7eco1 or mcd1 mutant cells. While parallel analyses failed to uncover a similar role in cohesion for Rad24-RFC, it is well known that Rad24-RFC, Elg1-RFC and Ctf18-RFC play key roles in DNA damage responses. We tested and found that Ctf7pEco1p plays a significant role in Rad24-RFC-based DNA response pathways. In combination, these findings challenge current views and document new and distinct roles for RFC complexes in cohesion and for Ctf7pEco1p in DNA repair.
ILLNESS SEVERITY PREDICTS THYROID FUNCTION IN VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT (VLBW) INFANTS DURING THE FIRST 9 POSTNATAL WEEKS. † 545

ILLNESS SEVERITY PREDICTS THYROID FUNCTION IN VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT (VLBW) INFANTS DURING THE FIRST 9 POSTNATAL WEEKS. † 545
Ensemble streamflow prediction adjustment for upstream water use and regulation

Summary Hydrologic model forecasts are commonly biased in watersheds where water use and regulation activities cause flow alterations. Furthermore, direct accounting of such biases in forecast preparation is impractical as the information required is extensive and usually unavailable. This article introduces a new method to characterize the aggregate flow alteration biases and associated uncertainty in watersheds with important but largely undocumented water use and regulation activities. It also uses these assessments to adjust the ensemble streamflow predictions at downstream locations. The method includes procedures to (a) detect the presence of significant upstream regulation and water use influences; (b) correct the ensemble streamflow predictions and associated uncertainty for any biases in periods when such influences are detectable; and (c) assess the adjusted forecast reliability improvements. Applications in three watersheds of the American River in California demonstrate that the new method leads to significant forecast skill improvements and is also readily applicable to other regions.
The effect of asymmetrical association on positive and negative semantic priming.

One's actively ignoring a stimulus can impair subsequent responding to that stimulus. This negative priming effect has been argued to generalize to semantically related items as well, but the evidence for this is still somewhat weak. This article presents a new experiment in which participants made lexical decisions toasymmetrically associated prime-target pairs presented in either the forward (e.g.,stork-baby) or backward (e.g.,baby-stork) direction. The critical new finding was that bothattended positive andignored negative semantic priming occurred only for prime-target pairs presented in the forward direction. The results support either (1) aspreading inhibition model in which items associated with an ignored distractor are inhibited during prime selection or (2) a version of episodic retrieval theory in which the prime distractor and items associated with it are tagged as “to-be-ignored” during prime selection.
Discrepancy between fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching diffusion measurements of G-protein-coupled receptors

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) are the two most direct methods to measure the diffusion of molecules in intact living cells. Ideally, these methods should produce similar results for an identical system. We have used these methods to monitor the diffusion of two G-protein-coupled receptors and their associated proteins in the plasma membranes of cells that do not or do contain invaginated protein domains called caveolae. FRAP studies show that caveolae domains increase the immobile fraction of receptors without significantly changing their mobility. On the other hand, FCS studies show an unexpected increase the mobility of caveolae-associated proteins. Our data suggest that the geometry of caveolae domains gives rise to a confined diffusion of its attached proteins, resulting in an apparent increase in mobility.
On the solutions of two-dimensional gauge theories with area-preserving symmetry

Abstract We study the generalization of the exact solution of two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory to the space of all two-dimensional gauge field theories with the symmetry of area-preserving diffeomorphisms. We show that these theories are exactly solvable when formulated in the space of first-order lagrangians. The equivalence between the space of first-order lagrangians and the space of original lagrangians is interpreted by the standard renormalization theory.
Peer Leadership in Sport: Links with Friendship, Peer Acceptance, Psychological Characteristics, and Athletic Ability

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend the work of Glenn and Horn (1993) by examining relationships between peer leadership in sport and social, psychological, and ability characteristics. The sample consisted of 71 female and 67 male high-school soccer players and their coaches. Players completed questionnaires measuring social (peer acceptance and friendship quality) and psychological (perceived competence, instrumentality, and expressiveness) variables, and leadership behavior for self and teammates. Coaches assessed each player on leadership behavior and soccer ability. For female athletes, all psychosocial variables were predictive of self-ratings of leadership, while coach and teammate ratings were related to ability only. For male athletes, all psychosocial variables and ability were related to self-ratings and teammate ratings of peer leadership, while coaches' ratings were related primarily to ability. These results are discussed with regard to social exchange theory and commonalit...
A constrained dual-energy reconstruction method for material-selective transmission tomography

Abstract A new reconstruction method has been developed for material-selective tomography that allows non-negativity and maximum density constraints to be enforced on each pixel. In addition, uncertainty in the projection data is appropriately accounted for. Results of applying the constrained reconstruction to simulated data demonstrate significant improvements over unconstrained reconstructions.
Comod: a program for standardizing mineral-resource commodity data

Abstract The computer program COMOD is a portion of a system for analysis of mineral resources. Objectives of the total system are estimation of production and control of nonrenewable mineral-resources development. The system analyzes data which comprise the quantity and value of resource production by year and two other groups of variables: (1) a group of geological variables and (2) a group of socioeconomic variables. In order to compare production of mineral resources from different areas, a standard set of commodities and a set of rules for mapping raw commodities into this standard set is created. The purpose of COMOD is to standardize the mineral-resource data. The input to the program consists of a data base of production records. These records are in a standard format which is designed so that each record is a complete description of the annual production of a standardized commodity from a specific location. Thus, the records are machine independent. The output from COMOD is quantity in metric units, value in deflated dollars and a ratio of accumulated production prorated through the area from which the production came, that is its unit-regional value. This output is given in the form of five tables each of which represents a specific manipulation of the data. Accompanying each table is a series of graphs.
A new approach for neural network training and evaluation with applications to sensing systems

Artificial neural networks are widely used in pattern recognition for sensing systems and other areas. In this paper, we propose to improve the performance of neural networks from the perspectives of output encoding rules, determination of training sample sizes, training performance index and evaluation of generalization error. We propose a new output encoding rule which significantly reduces the training error as compared to classical output encoding methods. Moreover, we develop a new training performance index which is closely relate to the generalization error and is a smooth function suitable for optimization by virtue of nonlinear programming. Furthermore, motivated by the crucial impact of training sample size on the generalization error and the computational complexity of training, we propose a rigorous method for determining appropriate number of training samples. Since the development of a neural network requires many cycles of training and performance evaluation, we introduce adaptive methods for estimating the generalization error. The new techniques of neural network training and evaluation have potential to improve the power of modern sensing systems.
Evaluation of the origin hypotheses of Pantheon Fossae, central Caloris basin, Mercury

The origin of Pantheon Fossae, a complex structure consisting of radial graben in the center of the Caloris basin, Mercury, has been debated since the structure was first imaged by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Three different formation hypotheses have been suggested, i.e. an origin associated with the Apollodorus impact into a previously domed Caloris basin floor, graben formation as surface expressions of dike intrusions and basin-interior uplift alone. In order to test the scenarios, detailed observations from the currently available imagery were compared to the proposed formation mechanisms. We evaluate these origin hypotheses by means of detailed interpretations of the graben characteristics and patterns, by comparing to radial structures from Earth and Venus, and by mechanical analyses for each formation hypothesis. Results indicate that the formation of Pantheon Fossae as the result of doming in the central part of the Caloris basin is more likely than it having formed in association with a radially symmetric stress field centered at or near the Apollodorus crater, that would have been created by a magma chamber or been superimposed on a pre-existing dome due to impact mechanics.
Simulated real-time lunar volatiles prospecting with a rover-borne neutron spectrometer

Abstract In situ resource utilization (ISRU) may one day enable long duration lunar missions. But the efficacy of such an approach greatly depends on (1) physical and chemical makeup of the resource, and (2) the logistical cost of exploiting the resource. Establishing these key strategic factors requires prospecting: the capability of locating and characterizing potential resources. There is already considerable evidence from orbital and impact missions that the lunar poles harbor plausibly rich reservoirs of volatiles. The next step is to land on the Moon and assess the nature, “ore-grade”, and extractability of water ice and other materials. In support of this next step, a mission simulation was carried out on the island of Hawai’i in July of 2012. A robotic rover, provided by the Canadian Space Agency, carried several NASA ISRU-supporting instruments in a field test to address how such a mission might be carried out. This exercise was meant to test the ability to (a) locate and characterize volatiles, (b) acquire subsurface samples in a volatile-rich location, and (c) analyze the form and composition of the volatiles to determine their utility. This paper describes the successful demonstration of neutron spectroscopy as a prospecting and decision support system to locate and evaluate potential ISRU targets in the field exercise.
Oral Language Expectations for African American Children in Grades 1 Through 5

Reference profiles for characterizing the language abilities of elementary-grade African American students are important for assessment and instructional planning. H. K. Craig and J. A. Washington (2002) reported performance for 100 typically developing preschoolers and kindergartners on 5 traditional language measures: mean length of communication units, amount of complex syntax production, number of different spoken words, responses to wh-questions, and understanding of active/passive sentence construction. The present study reports performances on the same measures for 295 typically developing African American children in the 1st through 5th grades. Findings revealed increasing performance scores with increasing grades on 4 of the tasks. A ceiling effect was evident on the task that assessed comprehension of active and passive voice. Gender, socioeconomic status, and community influenced the values in systematic ways, and responses to requests for information varied relative to vocabulary skill. These ...
All joint moments significantly contribute to trunk angular acceleration

Computationally advanced biomechanical analyses of gait demonstrate the often counter-intuitive roles of joint moments on various aspects of gait such as propulsion, swing initiation, and balance. Each joint moment can produce linear and angular acceleration of all body segments (including those on which the moment does not directly act) due to the dynamic coupling inherent in the interconnected musculoskeletal system. This study presents quantitative relationships between individual joint moments and trunk control with respect to balance during gait to show that the ankle, knee, and hip joint moments all affect the angular acceleration of the trunk. We show that trunk angular acceleration is affected by all joints in the leg with varying degrees of dependence during the gait cycle. Furthermore, it is shown that inter-planar coupling exists and a two-dimensional analysis of trunk balance neglects important out-of-plane joint moments that affect trunk angular acceleration.
Medical literature searches: a comparison of PubMed and Google Scholar

Background Medical literature searches provide critical information for clinicians. However, the best strategy for identifying relevant high-quality literature is unknown. Objectives We compared search results using PubMed and Google Scholar on four clinical questions and analysed these results with respect to article relevance and quality. Methods Abstracts from the first 20 citations for each search were classified into three relevance categories. We used the weighted kappa statistic to analyse reviewer agreement and nonparametric rank tests to compare the number of citations for each article and the corresponding journals' impact factors. Results Reviewers ranked 67.6% of PubMed articles and 80% of Google Scholar articles as at least possibly relevant (P = 0.116) with high agreement (all kappa P-values < 0.01). Google Scholar articles had a higher median number of citations (34 vs. 1.5, P < 0.0001) and came from higher impact factor journals (5.17 vs. 3.55, P = 0.036). Conclusions PubMed searches and Google Scholar searches often identify different articles. In this study, Google Scholar articles were more likely to be classified as relevant, had higher numbers of citations and were published in higher impact factor journals. The identification of frequently cited articles using Google Scholar for searches probably has value for initial literature searches.
Estimation of Gear Backlash: Theory and Simulation

Machine and product condition monitoring is important to product quality control, especially for unmanned manufacturing. This paper proposes a technique for the estimation of clearance in mechanical systems under dynamic conditions with specific application to the estimation of backlash in gear systems of servomechanisms. The technique is based on a momentum transfer analysis that shows that the change in the speed (defined as bounce) of the primary gear due to impact with the secondary gear is related to the magnitude of the backlash. An algorithm is presented to estimate the bounce in real-time. The algorithm estimates the bounce by computing the standard bounce which is defined as the standard deviation of the demodulated envelope of the primary gear speed. The standard bounce is shown to be a good measure of the bounce when the system is excited sinusoidally. The algorithm’s accuracy and sensitivity are verified through computer simulation of an open-loop DC servomechanism. An approximately linear relationship between the standard bounce and the backlash magnitude is observed. This holds for backlash values exceeding recommended tolerances by ±100 percent. The algorithm is also shown to be insensitive to changes in the simulation model structure, model parameters as well as system and measurement noise. The estimation technique is accurate, computationally simple, and requires no additional sensors if the servosystem to be monitored already has a conventional tachometer.
Optimizing nucleotide mixtures to encode specific subsets of amino acids for semi-random mutagenesis.

In random mutagenesis, synthesis of an NNN triplet (i.e. equiprobable A, C, G, and T at each of the three positions in the codon) could be considered an optimal nucleotide mixture because all 20 amino acids are encoded. NN(G,C) might be considered a slightly more intelligent "dope" because the entire set of amino acids is still encoded using only half as many codons. Using a general algorithm described herein, it is possible to formulate more complex doping schemes which encode specific subsets of the twenty amino acids, excluding others from the mix. Maximizing the equiprobability of amino acid residues contributing to such a subset is suggested as an optimal basis for performing semi-random mutagenesis. This is important for reducing the nucleotide complexity of combinatorial cassettes so that "sequence space" can be searched more efficiently. Computer programs have been developed to provide tables of optimized dopes compatible with automated DNA synthesizers.
Archaeological Site or Natural Marine Community? Excavation of a Submerged Shell Mound in Ninigret Pond, Rhode Island

ABSTRACTSubmerged shell midden sites and natural shell deposits can have similar characteristics and can be difficult to distinguish archaeologically. We excavated two test units from a large (at least 35 m×70 m) submerged shell mound in Fort Neck Cove in southern Rhode Island to assess whether it was natural or cultural in origin. This mound had been recognized as a potential archaeological feature as early as the 1970s. Excavation, radiocarbon dating, and subsequent laboratory analysis of excavated materials suggest that the mound was a natural oyster reef rather than a submerged archaeological site. No artifacts were found; there was no clear evidence for human modification of any shells; small species that would not have been targeted as food were present; and δ13C values of oyster shells from the mound were consistent with freshwater input into their growth environment, suggesting that they grew in an estuarine environment that did not exist prior to the inundation of the ponds. The stratigraphically...
Identification of the components of a putative cytochrome bc1 complex in Rhodopseudomonas viridis

Chromatophore membranes isolated from the bacteriochlorophyll b-containing, photosynthetic purple nonsulfur bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas viridis, have been shown to contain a Rieske iron-sulfur protein, a cytochrome similar to cytochrome c1, and also at least one b-type cytochrome. These observations suggest the presence of a previously undetected cytochrome bc1 complex in this bacterium.
Editorial Commentary: Addressing Disparities in HIV Mortality: Antiretroviral Therapy Is Necessary but Not Sufficient

In this issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, authors from the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ARTCC) have published an important article that examines the influence of geographic origin and race/ethnicity on mortality in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Canada, Europe, and the United States. The authors focused on each region separately and did not specifically make comparisons between regions. There were 3 key findings reported in the article that warrant further discussion. First the authors found that in the European cohort, immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and non-European Western countries had significantly lower mortality (primarily non-AIDS mortality) compared to native Europeans. The authors concluded that this might result from the “healthy immigrant” effect wherein individuals from developing countries who travel to industrialized countries for work are generally healthier than the general population. This theory assumes that these individuals come from environments where healthy lifestyles habits are common and that these individuals maintain the lifestyles of their country of origin rather than acclimate to the lifestyles of their new home. The validity of these assumptions likely differs based upon the emigrants’ region of origin. For example, whereas emigrants from some parts of Asia may come from environments where healthier lifestyles predominate, sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants often come from areas with high rates of poverty, obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking, and may be relegated to similar environments in their new country; thus it is uncertain if their new environment leads to improvement in
Implicit and Explicit Measures of Sexual Orientation Attitudes: In Group Preferences and Related Behaviors and Beliefs among Gay and Straight Men

The relations among implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation attitudes and sexual-orientation-related behavior and beliefs among gay men (Study 1) and straight men (Studies 1 and 2) were explored. Study 1 found relations between implicit and explicit measures of sexual orientation attitudes, large differences between gay and straight men on both implicit and explicit measures, and that these measures predicted sexual-orientation-related behaviors among gay men. Also, only straight men exhibited a negative relation between their attitudes toward homosexuality and heterosexuality. Study 2 found that as straight men held more negative attitudes toward homosexuality, they more strongly endorsed the importance of heterosexual identity and of traditional masculine gender roles. These endorsements mediated the negative relation between their attitudes toward heterosexuality and homosexuality. Implications for assessing attitudes toward sexual orientation and their relations for sexual orientation identity are discussed.
A clustering scheme

In this paper, a new clustering algorithm has been described. The algorithm proposed determines both the number of clusters in a collection, and the number of elements in each cluster before beginning the final clustering process. The complexity assessment of the algorithm and the implementation issues are also emphasized.
Pulmonary lactate release in patients with sepsis and the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract Purpose:Elevated arterial lactate concentrations in patients with sepsis have been interpreted as evidence of peripheral, nonpulmonary tissue hypoxia. These patients often develop pulmonary failure manifested by the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As the result of tissue hypoxia or inflammation, the lungs of patients with sepsis and ARDS may become a source of lactate release into the circulation. Materials and methods:Pulmonary lactate release was measured in 19 patients with sepsis, arterial lactate ≥2.2 mm, and gastric mucosal pH > 7.30. A normal gastric mucosal pH served as a marker of adequate splanchnic oxygenation. Pulmonary lactate release was computed as the product of the cardiac index and the difference in plasma L-lactate concentration in simultaneously obtained arterial and mixed venous blood samples. Lung injury was graded with the Lung Injury Score using radiographic and physiologic data. Results:The lungs of patients with minimal or no lung injury (lung injury score P 2 = .73; P 2 = .59). The Lung Injury Score correlated weakly with the cardiac index (r 2 = .32). Arterial lactate concentration did not correlate with pulmonary lactate release, systemic oxygen transport, or systemic oxygen consumption. Conclusions:The lungs of patients with sepsis and ARDS may produce lactate. Pulmonary lactate release correlates with the severity of lung injury. The contribution of pulmonary lactate release should be considered when interpreting arterial lactate concentration as an index of systemic hypoxia.
Modelling the distribution of a threatened habitat: the California sage scrub.

Aim Using predictive species distribution and ecological niche modelling our objectives are: (1) to identify important climatic drivers of distribution at regional scales of a locally complex and dynamic system – California sage scrub; (2) to map suitable sage scrub habitat in California; and (3) to distinguish between bioclimatic niches of floristic groups within sage scrub to assess the conservation significance of analysing such species groups. Location Coastal mediterranean-type shrublands of southern and central California. Methods Using point localities from georeferenced herbarium records, we modelled the potential distribution and bioclimatic envelopes of 14 characteristic sage scrub species and three floristic groups (south-coastal, coastal–interior disjunct and broadly distributed species) based upon current climate conditions. Maxent was used to map climatically suitable habitat, while principal components analysis followed by canonical discriminant analysis were used to distinguish between floristic groups and visualize species and group distributions in multivariate ecological space. Results Geographical distribution patterns of individual species were mirrored in the habitat suitability maps of floristic groups, notably the disjunct distribution of the coastal–interior species. Overlap in the distributions of floristic groups was evident in both geographical and multivariate niche space; however, discriminant analysis confirmed the separability of floristic groups based on bioclimatic variables. Higher performance of floristic group models compared with sage scrub as a whole suggests that groups have differing climate requirements for habitat suitability at regional scales and that breaking sage scrub into floristic groups improves the discrimination between climatically suitable and unsuitable habitat. Main conclusions The finding that presence-only data and climatic variables can produce useful information on habitat suitability of California sage scrub species and floristic groups at a regional scale has important implications for ongoing efforts of habitat restoration for sage scrub. In addition, modelling at a group level provides important information about the differences in climatic niches within California sage scrub. Finally, the high performance of our floristic group models highlights the potential a community-level modelling approach holds for investigating plant distribution patterns.