cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Static and dynamic measurements of accommodation in individuals with down syndrome.

Poor accommodative accuracy is a common finding in individuals with Down syndrome (DS).1,2 Several studies have used dynamic retinoscopy to measure accommodative lag in subjects with DS,2–10 and bifocal prescriptions have been evaluated as a treatment option.11–13 However, the cause of poor accommodative accuracy is still unknown. One possible explanation is that poor accommodative accuracy is related to a mechanical deficit of the eye in which the accommodative mechanism is limited in its ability, such as with presbyopia. Another possibility is that deficits in the sensory pathway fail to detect changes in blur, such as would be seen in individuals with an increased depth of field.1,5 A recent study supports the explanation of sensory deficits based on observed improvements of accommodative accuracy in young subjects with DS after a period of bifocal wear.13 The authors of that study suggested that the improvement would not have occurred if accommodation were limited by mechanical deficits.13 Knowledge of accommodative dysfunction in individuals with DS is limited to lag. One previous study attempted to measure accommodative amplitudes in these subjects,2 but a later publication by the same laboratory acknowledged that this goal may not have been met.5 The purpose of the present study was to objectively measure both static (maximum accommodative response and lag) and dynamic (latencies, peak velocities, microfluctuations) aspects of accommodation in individuals with DS to enable a more complete assessment of accommodative function. Prior studies of accommodative deficiencies in subjects with DS have not included dynamic aspects of accommodation. Measurements of dynamic accommodation will address whether increased accommodative lag is related to a sensory or motor deficit by comparing measures that are assumed to be primarily reflexive and sensory driven (latencies) versus those that are primarily motor driven (peak velocities) to measurements from normal controls.
The Effects of a Dorsiflexion-Stopped Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Walking in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

After incomplete spinal cord injury, the plantar flexor (PF) muscles commonly are weakened, compromising forward progression of body weight over the foot. One means of counteracting this deficit is by the use of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). Some clinicians have hesitated to prescribe an AFO, concerned that its use reduces PF activity and limits strength improvements. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a dorsiflexion-stopped AFO on walking characteristics following incomplete spinal cord injury with PF weakness. Walking patterns were compared for nine individuals walking in an AFO and in shoes. Use of an AFO significantly increased gait velocity, lengthened stride length, and improved stance knee position without altering muscle activity patterns in the calf or quadriceps. These results suggest that use of a dorsiflexion-stopped AFO improved walking patterns without hampering muscle activity.
The effect of the specification model on the complexity of adding masking fault tolerance

In this paper, we investigate the effect of the representation of safety specification on the complexity of adding masking fault tolerance to programs - where, in the presence of faults, the program 1) recovers to states from where it satisfies its (safety and liveness) specification and 2) preserves its safety specification during recovery. Specifically, we concentrate on two approaches for modeling the safety specifications: 1) the bad transition (BT) model, where safety is modeled as a set of bad transitions that should not be executed by the program, and 2) the bad pair (BP) model, where safety is modeled as a set of finite sequences consisting of at most two successive transitions. If the safety specification is specified in the BT model, then it is known that the complexity of automatic addition of masking fault tolerance to high atomicity programs - where processes can read/write all program variables in an atomic step) - is polynomial in the state space of the program. However, for the case where one uses the BP model to specify safety specification, we show that the problem of adding masking fault tolerance to high atomicity programs is NP-complete. Therefore, we argue that automated synthesis of fault-tolerant programs is likely to be more successful if one focuses on problems where safety can be represented in the BT model.
Statistical Issues in Assessing Forensic Evidence

Summary In 2009, the National Academy of Sciences released a report that emphasized the need for more scientific research in the evaluation of methods in the forensic science disciplines. This needed research includes statistical issues such as bias quantification, validation and estimates of accuracy and precision in different contexts. This article reviews statistical aspects of forensic science with particular reference to the design of studies that are essential to evaluate inferences from forensic evidence. Many sources can affect both the accuracy and the consistency of decisions at each stage of the process, from specimen collection to final decision. The article discusses the importance of identifying these sources and the statistical principles involved in the quantification of, and uncertainty in, estimated probabilities of error. By contrasting the design of a successful community clinical trial with two previous fingerprint studies and with bullet lead studies, this article emphasizes the need for reduced subjectivity, the types of measurements on physical evidence that can lead to more accurate and consistent decisions and the importance of carefully designed studies in the evaluation of forensic evidence.
The effects of layering and encapsulation on software development cost and quality

Software engineers often espouse the importance of using abstraction and encapsulation in developing software components. They advocate the "layering" of new components on top of existing components, using only information about the functionality and interfaces provided by the existing components. This layering approach is in contrast to a "direct implementation" of new components, utilizing unencapsulated access to the representation data structures and code present in the existing components. By increasing the reuse of existing components, the layering approach intuitively should result in reduced development costs, and in increased quality for the new components. However, there is no empirical evidence that indicates whether the layering approach improves developer productivity or component quality. We discuss three controlled experiments designed to gather such empirical evidence. The results support the contention that layering significantly reduces the effort required to build new components. Furthermore, the quality of the components, in terms of the number of defects introduced during their development, is at least as good using the layered approach. Experiments such as these illustrate a number of interesting and important issues in statistical analysis. We discuss these issues because, in our experience, they are not well known to software engineers. >
Engineered CO2 injection: The use of surfactants for enhanced sweep efficiency

Abstract Poor CO 2 displacement efficiency can exacerbate hydro-chemo-mechanically coupled phenomena in CO 2 storage reservoirs, increase the area affected by CO 2 in the reservoir, and negatively impact the long-term geological storage of CO 2 . The injection of CO 2 can be engineered using surfactants to improve displacement efficiency. Pendant and sessile drop tests show that a surfonic copolymer decreases the interfacial tension γ fl and increases the contact angle θ under reservoir conditions. The combined changes in surface tension and contact angle have a pronounced effect on the capillary factor γ fl ·cos θ . Injection tests using micro-models and pore network simulations show that a smaller capillary factor transforms the displacement pattern and enhances the pore-scale sweep efficiency of CO 2 , surpassing 40% in 2-D applications. Surfactant cost may offset the technical advantages identified in this study.
A New Hybrid Approach for Unsupervised Gene Selection

In recent years, unsupervised gene (feature) selection has become an integral part of microarray analysis because of the large number of genes and complexity in biological systems. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) is one of the approaches which has been applied, even though Principal Components (PCs) have no clear physical meanings. In this paper, we present a PCA based feature selection within a wrapper framework called PFSBEM (hybrid PCA based Feature Selection and Boost-Expectation-Maximization clustering). PFSBEM uses a two-step approach to select features. The first step retrieves feature subsets with original physical meaning based on their capacities to reproduce sample projections on PCs. The second step then searches for the best feature subsets that maximize clustering performance. Experiment results clearly show that our feature sets improve the class prediction with respect to the chosen performance criteria.
Metal Cluster Topology. 1. Osmium Carbonyl Clusters.

Abstract Important theoretical approaches to metal cluster bonding including the Wade-Mingos skeletal electron pair method, the Teo topological electron count, the King-Rouvray graph theory derived method, and Lauher's extended Huckel calculations are shown to agree in their apparent skeletal electron counts for the most prevalent metal cluster polyhedra including the tetrahedron, the trigonal bipyramid (both ordinary and elongated), square pyramid, octahedron, bicapped tetrahedron, pentagonal bipyramid, and capped octahedron. The graph theory derived method is used to treat osmium carbonyl clusters containing from five to eleven osmium atoms. In this connection most osmium carbonyl clusters can be classified into the following types: (1) Clusters exhibiting edge- localized bonding containing multiple tetrahedral chambers (e.g., Os 5 (CO) 16 , Os 6 (CO) 18 , H 2 Os 7 (CO) 20 and HOs 8 (CO) 22 − ); (2) Capped octahedral clusters derived from osmium carbonyl fragments of the type Os 6+ p (CO) 19+2 p ( p = 0, 1, 2, and 4) (e.g., Os 6 - (CO) 18 2− , Os 7 (CO) 21 , Os 8 (CO) 22 2− , and H 4 Os 10 - (CO) 24 2− ). Other more unusual osmium carbonyl clusters such as the planar Os 6 (CO) 17 [P(OCH 3 ) 3 ] 4 , the Os 9 cluster [Os 9 (CO) 21 C 3 H 2 R] − , and the Os 11 cluster Os 11 C(CO) 27 2− can also be treated satisfactorily by these methods. The importance of the number of ligands around isoelectronic Os n systems in determining the cluster polyhedron is illustrated by the different cluster polyhedra found for each member of the following isoelectronic pairs: HOs 6 - (CO) 18 − /H 2 Os 6 (CO) 18 . Os 7 (CO) 21 /H 2 Os 7 (CO) 20 , Os 8 (CO) 22 2− /HOs 8 (CO) 22 − . The tendency for osmium carbonyl clusters frequently to form polyhedra exhibiting edge-localized rather than globally delocalized bonding relates to the facility for osmium carbonyl vertices to contribute more than three internal orbitals to the cluster bonding. In this way Wade's well-known analogy between boron hydride clusters and metal clusters, which assumes exactly three internal orbitals for each vertex atom, is frequently no longer followed in the case of osmium carbonyl clusters.
Developmental influences of science process skill instruction

Science educators have claimed that well-conceived instructional strategies and curricular sequences, emphasizing the process aspects of science, will foster an understanding of the nature of science. Furthermore, a process emphasis on science has been cited for its ability to promote logical thinking skill, develop a locus of control “shift,” and enhance science content acquisition. The intent of this investigation was to examine the purported influence and developmental nature of a science process emphasis during a given semester of study, as well as over extended curricular sequences, each sequence being representative of three recognized preservice elementary science teacher preparatory programs. Data were collected from 135 elementary preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses at the endpoint of one of three sequences: (a) introductory process instruction with three subsequent semesters of integrated science content and teaching methods, (b) process instruction with separate subsequent content and teaching methods, and (c) only science content with subsequent teaching methods. Another 29 preservice teachers, assessed prior to entry into instructional sequences, provided a cross-sectional sample for examining developmental changes in locus of control, logical thinking, nature of science, and science content knowledge. Statistical procedures included Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Wilcoxon tests. Results indicated that a one-semester process skills course was influential in developing a basis for science content acquisition and in fostering an understanding of the nature of science. Results further indicate that expected additional gains are significant in science content acquisition through matriculation in an extended curricular sequence. Implications for science educators are discussed.
Who Should Place Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters

BackgroundNephrologists are often thwarted in their attempts to grow their peritoneal dialysis programs because of suboptimal surgeon performance in placing catheters. A rallying call is heard amon...
Agitation in the ICU: part one Anatomical and physiologic basis for the agitated state

The term 'agitation' describes a syndrome of excessive motor activity, usually nonpurposeful and associated with internal tension. For intensivists, agitation is not so much a diagnosis, but a consequence of more fundamental etiologies that, when expressed, result in disquietude. Agitation is important in the intensive care unit (ICU) because it can alter the diagnosis and course of medical treatment. It can cloud the etiology of underlying disease processes like a smoke screen, making effective diagnosis difficult or impossible. It may result in the inability of the patient to cooperate with monitoring and therapeutics that requires them to lie relatively still and quiet. Treatment of agitation without considering underlying causation gives the false impression of wellness when in reality end-organ damage is occurring either as a result of agitation itself, or as a result of exacerbation of underlying pathology. Prior to the technological revolution in critical care medicine, agitation was a relatively minor issue. Little could be done for critically ill patients but make them as comfortable as possible and observe them for treatable decompensations. Modern ICUs now have the potential to return critically ill patients to productivity using technological advances in monitoring and closely titrated care, effectively pinning the patient firmly to the bed with tubes and appliances. As a result of our high-tech hemodynamic monitoring and support devices, we have conferred upon the already hemodynamically unstable patient new kinds of stress we never had to deal with before, and simplistic, symptomatic 'shotgun' sedation no longer applies.
Kinematic design of serial link manipulators from task specifications

The Reconfigurable Modular Manipulator System (RMMS) consists of modular links and joints that can be assembled into many manipulator configurations. This capability allows the RMMS to be rapidly reconfigured to custom tailor it to specific tasks. An important issue related to the RMMS is the determination of the optimal manipulator configuration for a specific task. This article addresses the problem of mapping kinematic task specifications into a kinematic manipulator configuration. For the design of two-degrees-of-freedom (2- DOF) planar manipulators, an analytical solution is derived. Because analytical solutions become impractical for problems with more than two design parameters, we have also developed a numerical approach for the design of 6-DOF manipulators. The numerical procedure determines the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) parameters of a nonredundant manipulator with joint limits that can reach a set of specified positions/orientations in an environment that may include parallelepiped-shaped obstac...
Riccati equations arising in boundary control of fluid structure interactions

We consider a boundary control system for a fluid structure interaction model. This system describes the motion of an elastic structure inside a viscous fluid with interaction taking place at the boundary of the structure, and with the possibility of controlling the dynamics from this boundary. Our aim is to construct a real time feedback control based on solution to the Riccati equation. We show that the boundary control problem arising in fluid structure interaction falls in the class of SECS. Once this is accomplished, application of the theory in Lasiecka and Tuffaha (2007) leads to the main result of this paper which is wellposedness of Riccati equations and of Riccati feedback synthesis. In addition to the theoretical results, an explicit formulation of the Differential Riccati equation associated with this control system provides a basis for an effective computational treatment of the system under consideration.
An overview of adakite petrogenesis

The term adakite was originally proposed to define silica-rich, high Sr/Y and La/Yb volcanic and plutonic rocks derived from melting of the basaltic portion of oceanic crust subducted beneath volcanic arcs. It was also initially believed that adakite only occurs in convergent margins where young and thus still hot oceanic slabs are being subducted, but later studies have proposed that it also occurs in other arc settings where unusual tectonic conditions can lower the solidus of older slabs. Currently, adakite covers a range of arc rocks ranging from pristine slab melt, to adakite-peridotite hybrid melt, to melt derived from peridotite metasomatized by slab melt. Adakite studies have generated some confusions because (1) the definition of adakite combines com- positional criteria with a genetic interpretation (melting of subducted basalt), (2) the definition is fairly broad and relies on chemistry as its distinguishing characteristic, (3) the use of high pressure melting experiment results on wet basalts as unequivocal proofs of slab melting and (4) the existence of adakitic rocks with chemical characteristics similar to adakites but are clearly unrelated to slab melting. Other studies have shown that adakitic rocks and a number of the previously reported adakites are pro- duced through melting of the mafic lower crust or ponded basaltic magma, high-pressure crystal fractionation of basaltic magma and low-pressure crystal fractionation of basaltic magma plus magma mixing processes in both arc or non-arc tectonic environments. Despite the confusing interpretations on the petrogenesis of adakite and adakitic rocks, their in- vestigations have enriched our understanding of material recycling at subduction zones, crustal evolu- tionary processes and economic mineralization.
The role of patient education in achieving national health objectives

Accomplishments in health promotion and disease prevention during the past decade underscore the vital role of education in helping individuals develop behaviors conducive to better health. The growing body of scientific evidence linking personal health practices with premature morbidity and mortality justifies support for health education as a primary mechanism for improving the Nation’s health.
T-Cell-Derived Interferon-γ Contributes to Arteriolar Dysfunction During Acute Hypercholesterolemia

Objectives— T-lymphocytes and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) contribute to leukocyte recruitment in postcapillary venules during hypercholesterolemia. Our objectives were to determine whether: (1) T-lymphocytes are the source of this IFN-γ, and (2) whether T-cell–derived IFN-γ also mediates the accompanying arteriolar dysfunction and platelet adhesion. Methods and Results— Intravital videomicroscopy was used to quantify arteriolar responses to acetylcholine, and leukocyte and platelet adhesion in postcapillary venules of wild-type (WT), immunodeficient (SCID), and IFN-γ −/− mice on a normal (ND) or high-cholesterol (HC) diet. Acetylcholine-induced arteriolar dilation was impaired in WT-HC, compared with WT-ND. This endothelial dysfunction was absent in SCID-HC or IFN-γ −/− -HC mice. Vasodilation was impaired by transfer of WT, but not IFN-γ −/− , T-cells to these immunodeficient mice. WT-HC mice exhibited elevated leukocyte and platelet adhesion in venules, versus WT-ND. This blood cell recruitment was attenuated to ND levels in SCID-HC and IFN-γ −/− -HC mice, but restored to WT-HC levels by transfer of WT, but not IFN-γ −/− , T-lymphocytes. Conclusions— These data reveal a novel role of T-lymphocyte–derived IFN-γ in the development of endothelial dysfunction in arterioles during hypercholesterolemia and extend our previous observations that IFN-γ mediates both inflammatory and thrombogenic responses to hypercholesterolemia in postcapillary venules.
Profilin-1 Serves as a Gatekeeper for Actin Assembly by Arp2/3-Dependent and -Independent Pathways

Summary Cells contain multiple F-actin assembly pathways, including the Arp2/3 complex, formins, and Ena/VASP, which have largely been analyzed separately. They collectively generate the bulk of F-actin from a common pool of G-actin; however, the interplay and/or competition between these pathways remains poorly understood. Using fibroblast lines derived from an Arpc2 conditional knockout mouse, we established matched-pair cells with and without the Arp2/3 complex. Arpc2 −/− cells lack lamellipodia and migrate more slowly than WT cells but have F-actin levels indistinguishable from controls. Actin assembly in Arpc2 −/− cells was resistant to cytochalasin-D and was highly dependent on profilin-1 and Ena/VASP but not formins. Profilin-1 depletion in WT cells increased F-actin and Arp2/3 complex in lamellipodia. Conversely, addition of exogenous profilin-1 inhibited Arp2/3 complex actin nucleation in vitro and in vivo. Antagonism of the Arp2/3 complex by profilin-1 in cells appears to maintain actin homeostasis by balancing Arp2/3 complex-dependent and -independent actin assembly pathways.
Simultaneous cases of traumatic coin aspiration.

e An 18-year-old woman was intubated en route to the emergency department due to a closed head injury and concern for airway compromise following a motor vehicle crash. A chest radiograph demonstrated appropriate positioning of the endotracheal tube and a round metallic radiodensity, consistent with a coin, lodged in the esophagus at the level of the aortic arch (Fig 1). Esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed to remove the foreign body, which was a dime. At the same time, a 20-year-old woman in the same vehicle, who had been intubated in the field secondary to loss of consciousness and need for airway protection, presented with an endotracheal tube with the tip in the proximal trachea and a round metallic density lodged in the hypopharynx demonstrated on a cervical spine radiograph (Fig 2). The object was removed under direct visualization and found to be a penny. Coin aspiration is uncommon in adult populations. Subsequent patient interviews uncovered that both individuals, below the legal age for purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages, had placed coins in their mouths before the motor vehicle crash in an effort to defeat a potential “Breathalyzer” alcohol test. According to these patients and several popular media sources, an urban legend exists that describes placing coins in the mouth or oropharynx, especially pennies,
Fetal skeletal dysplasias: sonographic indices associated with adverse outcomes.

Objectives To assess the utility of biometric indices and amniotic fluid volume in identifying fetuses with lethal skeletal dysplasia. Methods A review of pregnancies with sonographic diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia between January 1997 and March 2012 from a single institution was conducted. Biometric indices and amniotic fluid volumes were reviewed from the initial targeted sonograms and all subsequent examinations. Outcomes were verified in all cases. Pregnancies that resulted in fetal or neonatal death were considered to have lethal dysplasia, and those with survival to hospital discharge were considered to have nonlethal dysplasia. Results Of 45 fetuses with suspected skeletal dysplasia, 27 (60%) survived to hospital discharge; 9 (20%) died in the immediate neonatal period; 2 (4%) resulted in stillbirth; and in 7 cases (16%), pregnancy termination was elected. Those with lethal dysplasia were more likely to have hydramnios on initial detection than those who survived to hospital discharge (83% versus 27%; P < .01). Pregnancies complicated by lethal skeletal dysplasia had a significantly lower femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio and were more likely to have a ratio below 0.16 than those with neonatal survival (91% versus 11%; P < 0.01). The lowest femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio and the proportion with a ratio below 0.16 at any point in gestation were significantly different between those with lethal and nonlethal dysplasia (P< .01). As fetal size increased with advancing gestation, the relationship of sonographic parameters (eg, femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio) became more pronounced. There was no infant survival when hydramnios was encountered at any point during gestation in the setting of a femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio below 0.16. Conclusions In our series, a femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio below 0.16 in conjunction with hydramnios effectively identified fetuses with lethal skeletal dysplasia.
A precursor to a minor species of yeast tRNASer contains an intervening sequence

Abstract Certain tRNAs in S. cerevisiae (tRNA Tyr and tRNA Phe ) arise via precursor molecules which are mature at the 5′ and 3′ termini but contain intervening sequences adjacent to the anticodon (Knapp et al., 1978; O'Farrell et al., 1978). In addition to these molecules, precursors to several other tRNAs accumulate in a temperature-sensitive mutant (ts136) at the nonpermissive temperature. We have analyzed one of these species and shown that it is a precursor to a minor species of tRNA Ser . This precursor is also mature at both termini and contains an intervening sequence of 19 nucleotides adjacent to the hypermodified A residue 3′ to the anticodon. The sequence can be arranged in a secondary structure in which the anticodon stem is extended by additional base-pairing, and contains the sites of excision and ligation within two looped regions. Support for this structure was provided by analysis of the products of limited digestion with RNAase T1. Recently Piper (1978) reported the isolation of a minor species of tRNA Ser which decodes UCG. He found this species to be structurally heterogeneous and determined that the less abundant form corresponds to the tRNA which is altered in the recessive lethal SUP-RL1 amber suppressor. Our data now suggest that the more abundant form may be restricted to reading UCA in vivo; thus mutation of the minor species would result in complete loss of UCG-decoding ability and explain the recessive lethality of SUP-RL1 . We have shown that the precursor which accumulates in ts136 corresponds exclusively to this minor tRNA UCG Ser species. Our results suggest that this may be the only gene for tRNA Ser in yeast which contains an intervening sequence.
Novel Experimental Systems for Determining Cellular Competence and Determination

Plants are aggressive in their development. They can overcome severe injuries, such as removal of a limb or decapitation, by forming new centers of cell division called meristems that develop into roots, vegetative shoots or flowers. A major, albeit elusive, goal in plant developmental biology is to understand the molecular basis for the plasticity that allows differentiated cells to embark upon new developmental programs.
A two-phase epidemic driven by diffusion

In this paper, I present and analyse a model for the spatial dynamics of an epidemic following the point release of an infectious agent. Under conditions where the infectious agent disperses rapidly, relative to the dispersal rate of individuals, the resulting epidemic exhibits two distinct phases: a primary phase in which an epidemic wavefront propagates at constant speed and a secondary phase with a decelerating wavefront. The behavior of the primary phase is similar to standard results for diffusive epidemic models. The secondary phase may be attributed to the environmental persistence of the infectious agent near the release point. Analytic formulas are given for the invasion speeds and asymptotic infection levels. Qualitatively similar results appear to hold in an extended version of the model that incorporates virus shedding and dispersal of individuals.
Rapid field measurement of the assimilation rate versus internal CO2 concentration relationship in green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.): the influence of light intensity

Summary Assimilation rate (A) versus intercellular CO2 concentration (C,) relationships for leaflets of five-yearold green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) trees were computed from gas exchange measurements obtained in the field with a closed-circuit, portable photosynthesis measurement system comprising an LI-6200 gas analyzer and an LI-6000 computer, (Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, Nebraska, USA). Observations were made over a range of light intensities achieved by attenuating direct sunlight with neutral density filters, and over a range of ambient CO1 concentrations achieved by breathing into the assimilation chamber and then lowering the CO, concentration to the desired level with the LI-6200’s soda-lime scrubber. Boundary layer conductance was determined by use of a leaf replica made of moist filter paper. Typically, A-C, curves at four light intensities were obtained in three to four hours. The initial slope (when A = 0) of the A-C, curve obtained at a light intensity of 1750 pmol m-* s-l (full sunlight) was similar to that obtained at a light intensity of 840 kmol mm2 SK’. However, when light intensity was reduced further (to 370 and 160 pmol mm2 s-l), the initial slope of the A-C, curve also decreased, indicating that at these light intensities, assimilation was limited by photochemical energy supply, as well as CO, concentration.
The development of EMC laboratory standards and procedures

The authors describe how standards and procedures for an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratory were developed over a five-year period. As with any process, there was a need for an effective system to be in place so that the operation and maintenance of process activities can be performed. The need for applicable standards in the EMC testing of industrial products and easily understood operating procedures would provide lab users the information needed in the proper testing of products. This, in turn, would help in reducing the time required to get a new product to market with customer-expected EMC robustness. >
Thermotolerance and rapid cold hardening ameliorate the negative effects of brief exposures to high or low temperatures on fecundity in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis.

Summary Although the immediate effects of temperature stress are well documented, the longer-term effects of such stresses are more poorly known. In these experiments, we investigate the effects of suboptimal and supraoptimal temperatures during pharate adult development on fecundity in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart. A 1 h cold shock at −10°C during the red-eye pharate adult stage decreases the fecundity of both sexes. Induction of rapid cold hardening by pre-treatment at 0°C for 2 h partially prevents reproductive impairment. Heat shock of pharate adults for 1 h at 45°C also reduces fecundity in both sexes, but inducing thermotolerance by pre-treatment at 40°C for 2 h affords protection only to females. Males heat shocked at 45°C or first pre-treated at 40°C consistently fail to transfer sperm to the females. The injury inflicted on males by heat shock is most pronounced when the stress is administered to pharate adults or adults; wandering larvae and true pupae are unaffected. The implications of these data for naturally occurring populations are discussed.
Neighborhood Characteristics and Depression An Examination of Stress Processes

Neighborhoods with poor-quality housing, few resources, and unsafe conditions impose stress, which can lead to depression. The stress imposed by adverse neighborhoods increases depression above and beyond the effects of the individual's own personal stressors, such as poverty and negative events within the family or work-place. Furthermore, adverse neighborhoods appear to intensify the harmful impact of personal stressors and interfere with the formation of bonds between people, again increasing risk for depression. Neighborhoods do not affect all people in the same way. People with different personality characteristics adjust in different ways to challenging neighborhoods. As a field, psychology should pay more attention to the impact of contextual factors such as neighborhoods. Neighborhood-level mental health problems should be addressed at the neighborhood level. Public housing policies that contribute to the concentration of poverty should be avoided and research should be conducted on the most effective ways to mobilize neighborhood residents to meet common goals and improve the context in which they live.
LONG-TERM VEGETATION DYNAMICS IN A CUT WESTERN JUNIPER WOODLAND

Abstract Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis Hook.) expansion in the northern Great Basin has reduced shrubsteppe productivity and diversity. Chainsaw cutting of western juniper woodlands is commonly applied to remove tree interference and restore sagebrush plant communities. Studies assessing understory response following cutting have been limited to early successional stages and have not evaluated the effects of western juniper debris on plant succession. Cutting western juniper produces a large amount of debris which is commonly left on site, occupying a significant portion of treated areas. This study evaluated successional dynamics spanning 13 years after western juniper cutting. Four 0.45-ha blocks were selected on Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon. Western juniper cover averaged 26% and mature tree density averaged 250 trees · ha−1. Blocks were cut in late summer 1991. Understory standing crop, cover, and density were compared among 3 locations: old canopy litter mats (ca...
Molecular mechanisms of Tetranychus urticae chemical adaptation in hop fields

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch is a major pest that feeds on >1,100 plant species. Many perennial crops including hop (Humulus lupulus) are routinely plagued by T. urticae infestations. Hop is a specialty crop in Pacific Northwest states, where 99% of all U.S. hops are produced. To suppress T. urticae, growers often apply various acaricides. Unfortunately T. urticae has been documented to quickly develop resistance to these acaricides which directly cause control failures. Here, we investigated resistance ratios and distribution of multiple resistance-associated mutations in field collected T. urticae samples compared with a susceptible population. Our research revealed that a mutation in the cytochrome b gene (G126S) in 35% tested T. urticae populations and a mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (F1538I) in 66.7% populations may contribute resistance to bifenazate and bifenthrin, respectively. No mutations were detected in Glutamate-gated chloride channel subunits tested, suggesting target site insensitivity may not be important in our hop T. urticae resistance to abamectin. However, P450-mediated detoxification was observed and is a putative mechanism for abamectin resistance. Molecular mechanisms of T. urticae chemical adaptation in hopyards is imperative new information that will help growers develop effective and sustainable management strategies.
The truth about trauma readmissions

There is a paucity of data on the causes and associated patient factors for unplanned readmissions among trauma patients.We examined patients admitted for traumatic injuries between 2007 and 2011 in the California State Inpatient Database. Using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression models, we determined rates, reasons, locations, and patient factors associated with 30-day readmissions.Among 252,752 trauma discharges, the overall readmission rate was 7.56%, with 36% of readmissions occurring at a hospital different from the hospital of initial admission. Predictors of readmissions included being discharged against medical advice (odds ratio [OR]: 2.56 [2.35 to 2.76]); Charlson scores ≥2 (OR: 2.00 [1.91 to 2.10]); and age ≥45 years (OR: 1.29 [1.25 to 1.33]). Major reasons for readmissions were musculoskeletal complaints (22.29%), psychiatric conditions (9.40%), and surgical infections (6.69%).Health and social vulnerabilities influence readmission among trauma patients, with many readmitted at other hospitals. Targeted interventions among high-risk patients may reduce readmissions after traumatic injuries.
Etiological pathways toward autism and diversities of treatments: from unimodal to multidimensional approaches. Commentary on “An integrative model of autism spectrum disorder: ASD as a neurobiological disorder of experienced environmental deprivation, early life stress, and allostatic overload” by William M. Singletary, M.D.

The diversity of factors that may contribute to autism is enormous. Some lead to therapeutic ideas, most do not. Our own early work focused on possible endogenous opioid excesses in the brain, which lead to the use of low doses of naltrexone (LDN, 0.25 mg/kg, every other day, orally administered). The history of such an intervention is summarized. This strategy, even at much lower doses (such as ∼0.5 mg per day orally), has now been claimed to have benefits for a large variety of bodily problems, including diverse pains, multiple sclerosis, and a variety of other problems. Here I focus on our early experiences in treating autism with LDN, and wonder how it relates to Singletary's fascinating, wide-ranging therapeutic experiences. His interventions, which likely facilitated neuroplasticity (as suggested by the work Singletary reviews by Molly Helt and others), promoted remarkable improvements in seven-year-old Larry, a high-functioning Asperger's child. As Larry progressed from self-centered social alonene...
Detection and possible source of contaminating pleuropneumonialike organisms (PPLO) in cultures of tissue cells.

Summary1) A total of 37 tissue cell lines growing in the presence of horse, calf, human, rabbit or dog serum have been tested for contamination by PPLO. Of these, 22 or 59% contained PPLO. Human, monkey, and mouse cell lines were contaminated. All first and second passages of cell lines were negative. PPLO were isolated from tissue cells growing in human, horse or calf serum. Nineteen positive cell lines were, at some time, grown in presence of human serum. Three positive lines growing in horse serum had never been in contact with human serum. 2) All 25 samples of sera, including pooled lots of human, calf, and horse sera, were negative for PPLO. 3) Possible sources of PPLO contamination of tissue cell cultures are discussed.
The Evolution of U.S. Temperance Movements Since Repeal: A Comparison of Two Campaigns to Control Alcoholic Beverage Marketing, 1950s and 1980s

This paper compares the politics of a failed religious movement to ban alcohol advertising in the 1950s with the politics of a more secular, and partially successful, movement to regulate alcohol marketing in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the contexts of the two marketing control movements were quite different, the continuities were equally striking. Both employed arguments about youth, social order, and the power of mass media.
Evolutionary relationships and functional conservation among vertebrate Max-associated proteins: The zebra fish homolog of Mxi1

In mammals, current evidence supports the view that Myc-responsive activities are regulated in part through an intracellular balance between levels of transcriptionally-active Myc/Max heterodimers and those of transcriptionally-inert Max/Max, Mad/Max and Mxi1/Max complexes. To gain insight into the roles of Mad and Mxi1 in cellular growth and differentiation and to fortify key structure-function relationships from an evolutionary standpoint, low stringency hybridization screens were used to identify potential homologs of these Max-associated proteins in the zebra fish genome. A single class of cDNA clones that cross-hybridized both to human mad and mxi1 probes was shown to encode a putative protein with significantly greater homology to mammalian Mxi1 than to Mad, particularly in the basic and helix-loop-helix (bHLH) regions. The high degree of structural relatedness between vertebrate Mxi1 proteins apparent in molecular modelling studies was consistent with the findings that the HLH/leucine zipper (LZ) region of zMxi1 exhibited the same profile of dimerization specificities as its mammalian counterpart in the two-hybrid system and that zmxi1 could, like human mxi1 (Lahoz et al., 1994), suppress the oncogenic potential of mouse c-myc in a mammalian cell. Finally, a comparison of steady-state zc-myc and zmxi1 mRNA levels during zebra fish embryogenesis demonstrated (i) high levels of zc-myc relative to zmxi1 mRNA during initiation of organogenesis, a period characterized by intense growth and active differentiation and (ii) rising levels of zmxi1 mRNA during progression towards the terminally differentiated state. These contrasting patterns of developmental expression together with the capacity of zmxi1 to repress myc-induced transformation support a model for the regulation, by Max-associated proteins, of Myc functions in the control of normal cell development and neoplastic growth.
Mapping the neuropsychological profile of temporal lobe epilepsy using cognitive network topology and graph theory

Abstract Objective Normal cognitive function is defined by harmonious interaction among multiple neuropsychological domains. Epilepsy has a disruptive effect on cognition, but how diverse cognitive abilities differentially interact with one another compared with healthy controls (HC) is unclear. This study used graph theory to analyze the community structure of cognitive networks in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) compared with that in HC. Methods Neuropsychological assessment was performed in 100 patients with TLE and 82 HC. For each group, an adjacency matrix was constructed representing pair-wise correlation coefficients between raw scores obtained in each possible test combination. For each cognitive network, each node corresponded to a cognitive test; each link corresponded to the correlation coefficient between tests. Global network structure, community structure, and node-wise graph theory properties were qualitatively assessed. Results The community structure in patients with TLE was composed of fewer, larger, more mixed modules, characterizing three main modules representing close relationships between the following: 1) aspects of executive function (EF), verbal and visual memory, 2) speed and fluency, and 3) speed, EF, perception, language, intelligence, and nonverbal memory. Conversely, controls exhibited a relative division between cognitive functions, segregating into more numerous, smaller modules consisting of the following: 1) verbal memory, 2) language, perception, and intelligence, 3) speed and fluency, and 4) visual memory and EF. Overall node-wise clustering coefficient and efficiency were increased in TLE. Significance Adults with TLE demonstrate a less clear and poorly structured segregation between multiple cognitive domains. This panorama suggests a higher degree of interdependency across multiple cognitive domains in TLE, possibly indicating compensatory mechanisms to overcome functional impairments.
Very Brief PNB Communications

“Brief communications” concerning vascular neurologic disorders in the same issue of Ann Neurol include the following
Reducing the Danger from Fires in Spent Fuel Pools

ABSTRACTThis article reviews the case of the spent fuel fire that almost happened at Fukushima in March 2011, and shows that, had the wind blown the released radioactivity toward Tokyo, 35 million people might have required relocation. It then reviews the findings by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2013 that the consequences of a loss-of-water event could be drastically reduced if spent fuel were moved to dry storage after 5 years of pool cooling but that the probability of a spent fuel pool fire is too low to make this a requirement. Our atmospheric dispersion and deposition calculations using HYSPLIT for hypothetical releases from the Peach Bottom plant in Pennsylvania find average interdicted areas and populations requiring relocation larger than NRC estimates presented to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and support the NAS findings of errors and omissions in the NRC's cost-benefit calculations. Political pressures from industry on the NRC may be biasing its analyses tow...
Repression of caspase-3 and RNA-binding protein HuR cleavage by cyclooxygenase-2 promotes drug resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma

A well-studied RNA-binding protein Hu Antigen-R (HuR), controls post-transcriptional gene regulation and undergoes stress-activated caspase-3 dependent cleavage in cancer cells. The cleavage products of HuR are known to promote cell death; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms facilitating caspase-3 activation and HuR cleavage remains unknown. Here, we show that HuR cleavage associated with active caspase-3 in oral cancer cells treated with ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel. We determined that oral cancer cells overexpressing cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) limited the cleavage of caspase-3 and HuR, which reduced the rate of cell death in paclitaxel resistant oral cancer cells. Specific inhibition of COX-2 by celecoxib, promoted apoptosis through activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of HuR in paclitaxel-resistant oral cancer cells, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, oral cancer cells overexpressing cellular HuR increased the half-life of COX-2 mRNA, promoted COX-2 protein expression and exhibited enhanced tumor growth in vivo in comparison with cells expressing a cleavable form of HuR. Finally, our ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation and sequencing (RIP-seq) analyses of HuR in oral cancer cells treated with ionizing radiation (IR), determined that HuR cleavage product-1 (HuR-CP1) bound and promoted the expression of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in apoptosis. Our results indicated that, cellular non-cleavable HuR controls COX-2 mRNA expression and enzymatic activity. In addition, overexpressed COX-2 protein repressed the cleavage of caspase-3 and HuR to promote drug resistance and tumor growth. Altogether, our observations support the use of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib, in combination with paclitaxel, for the management of paclitaxel resistant oral cancer cells.