cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adherence to Validity Testing Recommendations in Neuropsychological Assessment: A Survey of INS and NAN Members

Objective The National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) has published recommendations for best validity testing practices, as has the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychologists (AACN) in their review of critical issues in the field. However, surveys show not all neuropsychologists follow these recommendations consistently. Examiner characteristics (e.g., training history) and current practice characteristics (e.g., type of practice setting) may affect systematic adherence to these recommendations. Further, previous surveys focused on distinct countries or continents rather than an international sample. This study sought to provide better understanding of examiner factors that contribute to recommendation adherence and identify opportunities for improving validity testing training and practice. Method A sample of 654 NAN and International Neuropsychological Society (INS) neuropsychologists responded to online survey questions about their demographic, training, and practice characteristics, as well as validity testing practices. Results Findings indicate that neuropsychologists from other countries generally adhere to NAN and AACN recommendations as closely as United States neuropsychologists. Across all neuropsychologists, those who work with pediatric and geriatric populations do not follow recommendations as consistently as those who work with adults, despite research supporting that recommendations should be followed with all patients. Neuropsychologists who have been practicing longer were also less likely to adhere to recommendations, suggesting that continuing education would be beneficial even for more experienced neuropsychologists. Conclusions Results highlight the need for continued training on the importance of validity testing practices across different countries and all assessment settings, and identify groups of neuropsychologists to whom training could be targeted to maximize effectiveness.
Campaign Finance Reform

This essay provides an overview of the current federal laws and regulations governing the financing of federal campaigns and suggests areas of possible reform. The discussion centers on funds raised and spent by candidates, as well as monies raised by parties and other independent groups and organizations, in their efforts to affect the outcome of elections for federal offices. Included is an overview of the major areas in which reforms are being pursued and the possible effects of these reforms on the federal campaign finance system.
Titanium Sulfides as Intercalation-Type Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Aluminum Batteries.

We report the electrochemical intercalation–extraction of aluminum (Al) in the layered TiS2 and spinel-based cubic Cu0.31Ti2S4 as the potential cathode materials for rechargeable Al-ion batteries. The electrochemical characterizations demonstrate the feasibility of reversible Al intercalation in both titanium sulfides with layered TiS2 showing better properties. The crystallographic study sheds light on the possible Al intercalation sites in the titanium sulfides, while the results from galvanostatic intermittent titration indicate that the low Al3+ diffusion coefficients in the sulfide crystal structures are the primary obstacle to facile Al intercalation–extraction.
Track Placement and the Motivational Predictors of Math Course Enrollment

BackgroundVirtually all high schools offer a range of courses to allow students to enroll in four years of high school mathematics. However, only two thirds of U.S. high school graduates took mathe...
No Colonial Working Class, No Post-Colonial Development: a Comparative-Historical Analysis of Two Oil-Rich Countries

Development sociologists generally agree that states play a critical role in promoting, as well as in impeding, development. However, far less scholarly consensus exists on the precise historical processes that lead either to strong or to weak states. This paper investigates the factors that shape varied state capacities through a comparative-historical analysis of two similar countries with divergent development outcomes—Trinidad and Tobago and Gabon. In the 1960s, both countries had comparably large amounts of oil wealth, minimal state involvement in the economy, and low levels of development. In the 1970s, state capacity in Trinidad and Tobago dramatically increased and the country went on to achieve high levels of development. The Gabonese state, on the other hand, remained weak resulting in persistent low levels of development. This paper traces the divergence in state capacity to variations in working class mobilization, specifically the particular type of working class movements in each country and the political opportunity contexts. In doing so, this paper reveals new agents and contingencies producing state capacity that are not predominantly discussed in the contemporary development literature, and the meso-level mechanics by which these agents are successful or constrained in doing so.
Interlimb Force Coordination in Bipedal Dance Jumps: Comparison Between Experts and Novices.

Bipedal tasks require interlimb coordination that improves with practice and acquisition of skills. The purpose of this study was to compare interlimb force coordination during dance-specific rate-controlled consecutive bipedal jumps (sautes) between expert dancers and nondancers. To analyze coordination of vertical ground reaction forces recorded under each leg, the vector coding approach was used. Although there were no differences in the patterns of interlimb force coordination between groups, the dancers exhibited less variability of interlimb force coordination during the transition phase from weight acceptance to propulsion as well as during the propulsion phase itself. The interlimb force coordination variability was associated with task performance only during the transition phase, which highlights the potential importance of control during this phase. In conclusion, expert dancers were better at reducing interlimb force coordination variability during the task-relevant transition phase, which was related to better performance at maintaining jump rate and jump height consistency.
Comparative effects of stressors on behavioral and neuroimmune responses of fawn-hooded (FH/Wjd) and Wistar rats: Implications for models of depression.

Abstract Patients with depression and rodent models of depression show increased cytokines and activated microglia. Fawn Hooded (FH/Wjd) rats have long been used as a model of depression based on their depressive-like behaviors, high basal corticosterone levels and altered serotonergic levels, but little is known about the neuroimmune function in this model. To test whether depressive-like behaviors relate to dysfunction of the neuroimmune system, depressive-like behaviors in the forced swim test (FST) and corticosterone (CORT) response to the swim test were compared in male Fawn Hooded versus Wistar rats, and cytokine levels in plasma and brain and plasma CORT in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS, an endotoxin that activates the neuroimmune system) or 1 h restraint were measured. Fawn Hooded rats had more depressive-like behaviors in the FST (decreased swim time and increased immobility) and increased overall plasma CORT compared with Wistar rats. Additionally, Fawn Hooded rats exhibited blunted brain and plasma cytokine response to LPS compared with Wistar rats, an effect that might be related to the blunted plasma CORT response to LPS. No strain differences were found on these measures in response to restraint stress. These results suggest that Fawn Hooded rats have a depressive-like phenotype potentially more closely associated with serotonin dysregulation and a dysregulated HPA axis and remain a relevant model for further defining the role of these systems in depressive conditions.
A Survey of the Goals and Accomplishments of the Seasat Mission

During some 3 months of orbital operations, Seasat—the first satellite dedicated to establishing the utility of microwave sensors for the remote sensing of the earth’s oceans—collected a unique set of synoptic data on ocean winds, waves, temperature and topography. After 100BD years of intensive analysis of a relatively small subset of this data, a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and analysts has concluded that the majority of goals for measuring geophysical parameters have been met. Consequently, the overall project objective of demonstrating the concept of a global, nearly all-weather, microwave ocean surveillance capability has been accomplished.
A Significance Test for Morisita’a Index of Dispersion and the Moments when the Population is Negative Binomial and Poisson

The moments of Morisita’s index of dispersion are derived assuming the observed counts follow negative binomial and Poisson distributions. The moments are expressed as truncated infinite series. Bounds are placed on the truncation error. The rate of convergence to normality of the index appears to be slow for populations with low mean density. A significance test for the comparison of the dispersions of two populations is suggested. Data from a census of the presence of the southern green stinkbug (Nezara Viridula) on three crops are used to examine the effect of sample size and quadrat size on the power of this test and on confidence interval coverages.
Qualitative Model Formulation

Building a model is like eating an elephant: it’s hard to know where to begin. As with almost all problems, it is helpful to break a big problem into smaller, more manageable pieces. We do this with model formulation (Fig. 2.1) by first creating a qualitative model and then converting this to a quantitative model (Chapter 4). Qualitative model formulation, then, is the conversion of an objective statement and a set of hypotheses and assumptions into an informal, conceptual model. This form does not contain explicit equations, but its purpose is to provide enough detail and structure so that a consistent set of equations can be written. The qualitative model does not uniquely determine the equations, but does indicate the minimal mathematical components needed. The purpose of a qualitative model is to provide a conceptual framework for the attainment of the objectives. The framework summarizes the modeler’s current thinking concerning the number and identity of necessary system components (objects) and the relationships among them.
The Role of Gβ Protein in Controlling Cell Expansion via Potential Interaction with Lipid Metabolic Pathways.

Heterotrimeric G-proteins influence almost all aspects of plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants, likely via their interaction with specific effectors. However, the identity of such effectors and their mechanism of action are mostly unknown. While investigating the roles of different G-protein subunits in modulating the oil content in Camelina (Camelina sativa), an oil seed crop, we uncovered a role of Gβ proteins in controlling anisotropic cell expansion. Knockdown of Gβ genes causes reduced longitudinal and enhanced transverse expansion, resulting in altered cell, tissue, and organ shapes in transgenic plants during vegetative and reproductive development. These plants also exhibited substantial changes in their fatty acid and phospholipid profiles, which possibly leads to the increased oil content of the transgenic seeds. This increase is potentially caused by the direct interaction of Gβ proteins with a specific patatin-like phospholipase, pPLAIIIδ. Camelina plants with suppressed Gβ expression exhibit higher lipase activity, and show phenotypes similar to plants overexpressing pPLAIIIδ, suggesting that the Gβ proteins are negative regulators of pPLAIIIδ. These results reveal interactions between the G-protein–mediated and lipid signaling/metabolic pathways, where specific phospholipases may act as effectors that control key developmental and environmental responses of plants.
Pregnancy-Related Mortality in the United States, 2011–2013

OBJECTIVE:To update national population-level pregnancy-related mortality estimates and examine characteristics and causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States during 2011–2013.METHODS:We conducted an observational study using population-based data from the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillan
Emergency Action Planning in Secondary School Athletics: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Current Adoption of Best Practice Standards

Context Emergency action plans (EAPs) are policies that improve response times and ensure access to emergency equipment for the management of patients with acute injuries and medical conditions, ye...
Exome-wide association of deltamethrin resistance in Aedes aegypti from Mexico.

Aedes aegypti is the major vector of a number of arboviruses that cause disease in humans. Without vaccines or pharmaceuticals, pyrethroid insecticides remain the major tool for public health protection. Pyrethroid resistance is now widespread. Replacement substitutions in the voltage-gated sodium channel (vgsc) that reduce the stability of pyrethroid binding account for most of the resistance, but metabolic mechanisms also inactivate pyrethroids. High-throughput sequencing and the A. aegypti L5 annotated physical map has allowed interrogation of the exome for genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with pyrethroid resistance. We exposed females of A. aegypti from Mexico to a deltamethrin discriminating dose to designate them as resistant (active after 1 h) or susceptible (knocked down with no recovery after 4 h). The vgsc on chromosome 3 had the highest association, followed by genes proximal to vgsc. We identified potential detoxification genes located singly (eg HPX8C) or within clusters in chromosome 2 [three esterase clusters, two of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP)] and chromosome 3 (one cluster of 16 CYP325 and seven CYP9 genes). Deltamethrin resistance in A. aegypti is associated with mutations in the vgsc gene and a large assortment of genes.
ESTIMATE SPATIOTEMPORAL IMPACT OF BRAIN VARIANTS

Background Functional characterization for genetic variants is a major challenge in whole-genome sequencing-based studies. Recent approaches, such as TiSAn (Vervier et al., 2017) or GenoSkyline (Lu et al., 2016), estimate tissue-specific impact of variations, in particular in human brain tissues. However, such annotations do not provide insights on which brain regions or development time points might be especially vulnerable to a given variant. Methods In this work, we propose to integrate spatiotemporal gene expression from BrainSpan (BrainSpan, 2014) to estimate what the 'context matrix' of a variant is. Variants found in non-coding regions are represented as a combination of gene expression matrices, where weights are based on associations demonstrated in SLINGER models (Vervier et al., 2016). Results We validate our approach on psychiatric disorder datasets, and use temporal patterns to discriminate early- and late-onset damaging variants. Brain region-specific variants also help to identify combined mechanisms of action, in complex traits. Discussion Spatio-temporal profiles could also be combined with polygenic risk score approaches, and provide new dimensions to study psychiatric disorders.
Methods for including uncertainty in modeling and simulation of acoustic propagation in ocean waveguides

Two main classes of uncertainty are associated with modeling and simulation of acoustic fields in ocean waveguides. These classes, generally known as aleatory and epistemic uncertainties, represent opposite ends of a spectrum of possible types of imperfect knowledge concerning the system. Aleatory uncertainty can be interpreted physically as natural ocean variability which is typically characterized by probability density functions, provided sufficient information is available to justify their specification. On the other hand, epistemic uncertainty is associated with incomplete scientific knowledge concerning some aspect(s) of the system under analysis. While epistemic uncertainty can be reduced by the inclusion of additional information, e.g., data refinements, acquisition of additional data or more realistic modeling of the system, aleatory uncertainty cannot be eliminated or reduced because it is judged by the modeler to be inherent in the structure of the system. Both types of uncertainty are discussed, with an emphasis on the aleatory contribution based on stochastic basis expansions. Tradeoffs with Monte-Carlo and Bayesian methods are also considered. When density functions are not available, weaker inferential estimates based on epistemic approaches are appropriate and a hybrid aleatory-epistemic framework is outlined for treating these situations. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]
GEODESIC ALGORITHMS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract. The figure of the Earth can be modelled either by a cartesian plane, a sphere or an (oblate) ellipsoid, in decreasing order with respect to the approximation quality. Based on those models, we experimentally study the accuracy-performance trade-offs of various methods for some basic geodesic problems. For our experiments we use the open source libraries Boost Geometry and GeographicLib. Our results can be used as a reference for practitioners that want to use the most efficient method with respect to some given accuracy. Geodesic computations are building blocks for many higher level algorithms such as k-nearest neighbour problems, line interpolation, area and buffer, to name a few.
Functional Assessment in Myelodysplasia- Numerical Recovery of Neutrophils May Be Insufficient for Adequate Neutrophil Function.

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of oligoclonal hematologic disorders characterized by variable cytopenias and dysplastic changes in the bone marrow. Novel, remittive therapies designed to treat the cytopenias of myelodysplasia, induce apoptosis, differentiation, and antiangiogenesis, in vitro. The success of remittive therapy for myelodysplasia typically depends on clinical criteria of hematopoietic recovery but seldom address functional disturbances. We present a case of an 81 year old man with a one-year history of mild pancytopenia (ANC 0.7 x 103/μL, Hemoglobin 10.3 g/dl MCV 101.7, platelets 51 x 103/μL). A bone marrow biopsy at diagnosis revealed findings consistent with refractory anemia with excess blasts; an initial karyotype revealed no clonal cytogenetic abnormalities. Four months after diagnosis, the patient developed transfusion-dependent thrombocytopenia. A repeat bone marrow biopsy showed equivalent pathology, but cytogenetic analysis demonstrated trisomy 8 in 4 of 20 cells karyotyped. The patient was started on a 12-week trial of paricalcitol, a vitamin D derivative. His treatment course was characterized by persistent moderate pancytopenia and hypercalcemia. Nine months after diagnosis, the patient was admitted to hospital with one week of headache, fever, and visual disturbance. Leukocytes were 28.67 x 103/μL with 11% segmented neutrophils and 70% band forms, Hgb 8.9 g/dl, and platelets 73 x 103/μL. Over the first 24 hours, the patient developed rapidly progressive proptosis leading to MRI of the skull that revealed an abnormal signal in the left frontal lobe. A CT 2 days later revealed extensive sinusitis with a left orbital mass. At resection, rhinocerebral mucormycosis involving the paranasal sinuses, orbit, and cerebral cortex was identified. We performed neutrophil function studies which showed two distinct populations; 59% showed normal oxidative burst capacity, but 41% showed impaired capacity. NBT test also sugested a broadened population of stimulated neutrophils. By light microscopy, numerous pale, agranular, Pelgeroid cells were visible. Despite extensive resection and systemic antibiotics, the patient expired on the 25th hospital day. This case illustrates that normal neutrophil number, in the setting of myelodysplasia, may not denote normal neutrophil function. Functional criteria of response should be considered in clinical studies of remittive therapy for myelodysplasia.
Provider Consensus on Candidate Protective and Risk Factors for Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes Following Discharge From a PICU: A Modified Delphi Study

Objectives Pediatric palliative care promotes interdisciplinary, family-centered care when children are faced with diagnoses threatening length and/or quality of life. A significant knowledge gap remains in how to best match pediatric palliative care resources to palliate the psychosocial impact of a PICU admission. This study was designed to identify drivers of adverse post-PICU psychosocial outcomes related to social determinants of health to inform pediatric palliative care services and improve post-PICU psychosocial outcomes. Design Modified Delphi technique to develop consensus regarding social determinants of health and clinical factors affecting post-ICU psychosocial outcomes. Setting All Delphi rounds were via an electronically mailed survey link. Subjects First-round participants were PICU and pediatric palliative care clinicians at the study institution. Subsequent rounds invited participants from national PICU and pediatric palliative care professional online listserves. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Consensus was defined a priori as items assigned a score greater than or equal to 4 (5-point scale) by greater than75% of respondents. One-hundred twenty-six surveys were returned and scored. Social determinants of health risk factors included child protective services involvement (91%), caregiver with intellectual disability (87%), lack of friend or family support (82%), caregiver with behavioral health diagnosis (81%), teenage caregiver (79%), transportation challenges (79%), and language/cultural barrier (76%). Clinical risk factors included new home ventilator (94%), new tracheostomy (90%), greater than or equal to 3 hospitalizations in the prior 6 months (88%), and greater than or equal to 3 hospitalizations in the prior 12 months (82%). Social determinants of health protective factors included extended family support (91%), caregivers in a committed relationship (79%), and caregiver optimism (78%). Respondents reported that pediatric palliative care services had the greatest impact on caregiver satisfaction with the healthcare system (90%) and increased family involvement with state social services programs (80%). Conclusions Consensus on candidate risk and protective factors for post-ICU psychosocial challenges and candidate pediatric palliative care-sensitive variables were identified. Further research is needed to operationalize and optimize a screening tool based on these consensus items and test it prospectively.
Water Shutoffs in Older American Cities: Causes, Extent, and Remedies:

We highlight a worrisome situation in American cities—rising water bills that growing numbers of residents cannot afford to pay, leading to water shutoffs. A study of each state’s two largest water...
Impact of Length of Hospice on Spending and Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Lung Cancer.

Objectives:To estimate differences in spending and utilization between hospice users and non-users with lung cancer by length of hospice enrollment.Study Design:Retrospective analysis using 2009-20...
Etiology, Pathology, and Classification of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a disorganized tachyarrhythmia with significant public health importance due to high morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs. Incidence rate of AF is on the rise and there are several modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors that are responsible. Exact mechanisms and pathogenesis of AF are still poorly understood, yet they still have great implications in management. The aim of this article is to summarize the epidemiology, major risk factors, and their role in the pathogenesis of AF. Finally, we have reviewed the classification of AF as per professional society guidelines.
Depth-graded multilayers as neutron Doppler converters at pulsed neutron source

A moving diffractor changes the energy of elastically diffracted neutrons by the Doppler effect. Depth-graded multilayers can diffract neutrons over a large band of energy. Using a pulsed neutron source, such a depth-graded multilayer, decelerating synchronously with the incident neutron pulse, can shift the reflected neutrons into a compressed energy window. This focusing in energy is associated with a broadening of the pulse in time, but the process does not involve a significant decrease in the neutron phase-space density. The proposed method can be used to design long pulse or quasi-continuous sources of cold, very cold or ultra cold neutrons (UCN). The analysis concentrates on enhanced production of UCN at pulsed neutron sources.
Impact of High-Density Lipoprotein Levels on Cardiovascular Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Drug-Eluting Stents.

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been associated with adverse cardiovascular events in epidemiologic studies. Evidence regarding its role in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is scarce. We evaluated consecutive patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents from 2012 to 2017, excluding those with unavailable baseline HDL, age
Sustainable local economic development indicator framework: A tool for property building redevelopment projects

Sustainable Local Economic Development has been an emerging approach to economic development for more than a decade, with the goal of enhancing economic, social, and environmental sustainability. A...
Child Neurology: Recurrent Brainstem Strokes and Aphthous Ulcers in a Child With Mutations in the ADA2 Gene

An 18-year-old woman with a history of episodic diplopia, oral ulcers, joint pain, rash, and fatigue presented to the emergency department with acute onset of diplopia. At 9 years of age, she had an episode of diplopia, with MRI of the brain showing a small T2-hyperintense, nonenhancing area of restricted diffusion in the right midbrain (Figure, A). An extensive laboratory workup, including hypercoagulability screening, rheumatologic evaluation, infectious studies, and CSF analysis, was notable for mild lymphopenia, neutropenia, and von Willebrand Factor antigen at the upper limit of normal. Echocardiogram did not show structural deficits. She subsequently presented at 11 years of age with a second episode of diplopia. Laboratory results were again notable for lymphopenia and neutropenia. Brain MRI revealed a new left paramedian pontine area of restricted diffusion (Figure, B). Diplopia self-resolved over the course of 1 to 2 months with each event.
Formal Languages, Deep Learning, Topology and AlgebraicWord Problems

This paper describes relationships between various state-of-the-art neural network architectures and formal languages as, for example, structured by the Chomsky Language Hierarchy. Of particular interest are the abilities of a neural architecture to represent, recognize and generate words from a specific language by learning from positive and negative samples of words in the language. Of specific interest are some relationships between languages, networks and topology that we outline analytically and explore through several illustrative experiments. By specifically comparing analytic results relating formal languages to topology via algebraic word problems with empirical results based on neural networks and persistent homology calculations, we see evidence that certain observed topological properties match analytically predicted properties. Such results are encouraging for understanding the role that modern machine learning can play in formal language processing problems.
Enhancing Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice within Kosovo: Evaluating the Challenges in Rule of Law Reform in a Post-conflict Developing Democracy

After almost 20 years after the final Balkan conflict in which thousands of innocent civilians were killed and a few hundred thousand were displaced, the government of a unilaterally declared independent “Republic of Kosovo” continues to move toward a functional democratic government and eventual European Union membership. Under the supervision of international actors, most notably the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States, Kosovo government administrators continue to be mentored and supported into shaping a free democracy and creating a credible and effective rule of law mechanism. When examining the law enforcement and criminal justice mechanisms, much has been accomplished in creating professionally functioning actors, but both the local Kosovo Police and international law enforcement professionals are still plagued by overwhelming caseloads involving organized crime, war crimes, and corruption, reportedly associated with major government actors. The identified successes and challenges in establishing and coordinating rule of law in Kosovo by international organizations will provide insight into similar issues faced by other post-conflict developing democracies across the globe. Finally, a number of recommendations have been proposed to move Kosovo into an acknowledged and effectual democratic future.
Goal-Oriented Care

Inspired in part by psychologists’ concept of goal attainment scaling nearly 50 years ago, this chapter describes a practical, patient-centered, goal-oriented model of geriatric medical care. This customized care approach requires clinicians to be aware of and able to set aside their own, personal preferences and values in order to more actively attend to those of their patients, many of whom live with multimorbidity. Benefits and barriers to implementing this paradigm shift from disease to patient focus are addressed, and possible solutions are offered.
Assessment of in-situ bioremediation at a refinery waste-contaminated site and an aviation gasoline contaminated site

A combination of geochemical, microbiological and isotopic methods were used to evaluate in-situ bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons at one site contaminated with refinery waste and a second site contaminated with aviation gasoline at Alameda Point, California. At each site, geochemical and microbiological characteristics from four locations in the contaminated zone were compared to those from two uncontaminated background locations. At both sites, the geochemical indicators of in-situ biodegradation included depleted soil gas and groundwater oxygen, elevated groundwater alkalinity, and elevated soil gas carbon dioxide and methane in the contaminated zone relative to the background. Radiocarbon content of methane and carbon dioxide measured in soil gas at both sites indicated that they were derived from hydrocarbon contaminant degradation. Direct microscopy of soil core samples using cell wall stains and activity stains, revealed elevated microbial numbers and enhanced microbial activities in contaminated areas relative to background areas, corroborating geochemical findings. While microbial plate counts and microcosm studies using soil core samples provided laboratory evidence for the presence of some microbial activity and contaminant degradation abilities, they did not correlate well with either contaminant location, geochemical, isotopic, or direct microscopy data.
Two‐Component Systems in Microbial Communities: Approaches and Resources for Generating and Analyzing Metagenomic Data Sets

Two-component signal transduction represents the main mechanism by which bacterial cells interact with their environment. The functional diversity of two-component systems and their relative importance in the different taxonomic groups and ecotypes of bacteria has become evident with the availability of several hundred genomic sequences. The vast majority of bacteria, including many high rank taxonomic units, while being components of complex microbial communities remain uncultured (i.e., have not been isolated or grown in the laboratory). Environmental genomic data from such communities are becoming available, and in addition to its profound impact on microbial ecology it will propel molecular biological disciplines beyond the traditional model organisms. This chapter describes the general approaches used in generating environmental genomic data and how that data can be used to advance the study of two component-systems and signal transduction in general.
Shell nebulae around luminous evolved stars

Shell nebulae around luminous Population I Wolf-Rayet, Of, and P-Cygni stars are astrophysically interesting since they are indicators of pre-supernova mass loss and how such massive stars prepare their surrounding interstellar medium prior to explosion. Some twenty-odd such nebulae are known, for which detailed study of their morphological and spectroscopic characteristics have only begun in this decade. In this paper, some of these characteristics are reviewed in general, and new observations are reported. Emphasis has been placed on several 'prototype 'objects (NGC 7635, NGC 2359, NGC 6888, and the Eta Carinae condensations) to illustrate the varied massive-star mass-loss, the physics of their winds and shell ejecta, and related nucleosynthesis effects in the compositions of the winds and shells.
Design of functionally graded dental multilayers

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of a computational and experimental effort to developcrack-resistant dental multilayers that are inspired by the functionally graded dento-enamel-junction (DEJ) structure that occurs between dentin and enamel in natural teeth.The complex structures of natural teeth and ceramic crowns are idealized using flat-layered configurations. The potential effects of teeth-on-teeth contact are then modelledusing finite element simulations of Hertzian contact. The resulting stress distributionsare compared for a range of possible bioinspired, functionally graded architecture. Thecomputed stress distributions show that the highest stress concentrations in the topceramic layer of crown structures are reduced significantly by the use of bioinspiredfunctionally graded architectures. The reduced stresses are experimentally shown to beassociated with significant improvements (∼32%) in the pop-in loads. The implicationsof the results are discussed for the design of bioinspired dental ceramic crown structures.The bioinspired functionally graded layers are also shown to promote improvements inthe critical crack size.INTRODUCTIONIn nature, the structure of natural tooth is composed ofthree layers: enamel, dento-enamel-junction (DEJ) anddentin.Indentistry,theso-called
Subjects in Human Factors: Evaluation of Subject-Condition (SxC) Interactions

The opportunities presented by subjects-condition (SxC) interactions are discussed after an introduction to their nature. Operator Strategy Differences (SDs), Scale-of-Measurement Effects (SOMs), and Condition Requirement Differences (CRDs) are each seen as potential sources of SxC interactions. It is shown that SxC interactions can (1) frequently be detected using an analysis of “error” variances approach, (2) be characterized in terms of their nature, and (3) enhance the utility of research results (once characterized). It is recommended that subjects-condition (SxC) interactions be routinely evaluated in human factors research.
Audit Quality, Alternative Monitoring Mechanisms, and Cost of Capital: An Empirical Analysis

Prior studies document that firms using a Big 4 auditor have a lower cost of capital than other firms. We extend this literature by examining whether using an industry specialist auditor reduces cost of capital for clients of Big 4 audit firms. We document that firms that use Big 4 auditors that are industry specialists have significantly lower cost of both equity and debt than firms that use non-specialist Big 4 auditors. We further investigate whether the benefits of using an industry specialist auditor vary with the strength of alternative monitoring mechanisms. We show that using an industry specialist auditor is especially important when alternative monitoring mechanisms, such as boards of directors or institutional shareholders, are relatively weak. In other words, the benefits of using an industry specialist auditor dissipate when alternative monitoring mechanisms are strong. This evidence suggests some degree of substitutability between audit quality and alternative monitoring mechanisms.
Analysis of electrical resistance monitoring of PCMCIA interconnection failures

High resolution electrical resistance measurements were used to monitor interconnection failures on PCMCIA test cards. The cards were clamped at the connector end by a fixture which was attached to a shaker. The shaker was excited at the card's first resonant mode to induce interconnect failures. During the vibration, electrical resistance of the interconnects was monitored with sufficient resolution to measure the strain induced resistance change. Three daisy-chained modules on the PCMCIA test card were studied. These modules were: a 176 lead QFP, a 40 lead Type II TSOP, and a 40 lead Type I TSOP. The resistance measuring technique used has been called resistance spectroscopy and had a resolution of better than 1 /spl mu//spl Omega/. Resistance measurements were made on nine test cards, and partial measurements were made on another eleven. A finite element analysis of the surface strain on the card was used to estimate the relative contributions to the measured resistance from the solder joints, leads, and card traces.
Baculovirus-Infected Insect Cells Expressing Peptide-MHC Complexes Elicit Protective Antitumor Immunity

Evaluation of T cell responses to tumor- and pathogen-derived peptides in preclinical models is necessary to define the characteristics of efficacious peptide vaccines. We show in this study that vaccination with insect cells infected with baculoviruses expressing MHC class I linked to tumor peptide mimotopes results in expansion of functional peptide-specific CD8+ T cells that protect mice from tumor challenge. Specific peptide mimotopes selected from peptide-MHC libraries encoded by baculoviruses can be tested using this vaccine approach. Unlike other vaccine strategies, this vaccine has the following advantages: peptides that are difficult to solublize can be easily characterized, bona fide peptides without synthesis artifacts are presented, and additional adjuvants are not required to generate peptide-specific responses. Priming of antitumor responses occurs within 3 days of vaccination and is optimal 1 wk after a second injection. After vaccination, the Ag-specific T cell response is similar in animals primed with either soluble or membrane-bound Ag, and CD11c+ dendritic cells increase expression of maturation markers and stimulate proliferation of specific T cells ex vivo. Thus, the mechanism of Ag presentation induced by this vaccine is consistent with cross-priming by dendritic cells. This straightforward approach will facilitate future analyses of T cells elicited by peptide mimotopes.
Flow of DNA solutions in a microfluidic gradual contraction

The flow of λ-DNA solutions in a gradual micro-contraction was investigated using direct measurement techniques. The effects on DNA transport in microscale flows are significant because the flow behavior is influenced by macromolecular conformations, both viscous and elastic forces dominate inertial forces at this length scale, and the fully extended length of the molecule approaches the characteristic channel length wc (L/wc ∼ 0.13). This study examines the flow of semi-dilute and entangled DNA solutions in a gradual planar micro-contraction for low Reynolds numbers (3.7 × 10−6 < Re < 3.1 × 10−1) and high Weissenberg numbers (0.4 < Wi < 446). The semi-dilute DNA solutions have modest elasticity number, El = Wi/Re = 55, and do not exhibit viscoelastic behavior. For the entangled DNA solutions, we access high elasticity numbers (7.9 × 103 < El < 6.0 × 105). Video microscopy and streak images of entangled DNA solution flow reveal highly elastic behavior evidenced by the presence of large, stable vortices symmetric about the centerline and upstream of the channel entrance. Micro-particle image velocimetry measurements are used to obtain high resolution, quantitative velocity measurements of the vortex growth in this micro-contraction flow. These direct measurements provide a deeper understanding of the underlying physics of macromolecular transport in microfluidic flow, which will enable the realization of enhanced designs of lab-on-a-chip systems.
BIOTIC COMPETITION AND PROGRESS IN THE WORKS OF CHARLES DARWIN

Deutscher's reading of Darwin states that future generations arc conditioned by the work ot natural selection over long periods of time, whereby the random variations that are most favorable to the local conditions prevail over those organisms that are less well adapted. The work of this selection of the favorable varieties is not a human responsibility; rather, it lies in the hands of "chance." However, I believe that, by prioritizing competition between organisms in the process of natural selection, Darwin in fact ends up subscribing to a kind of evolutionary progress. Because Darwin subscribes to a kind of evolutionary progress whereby the "better" varieties push the lower forms into extinction, one cannot say that natural selection is random but, rather, that it follows a general trajectory ofimprovement. The fact that nature proceeds slowly in this fashion must be read alongside Darwin's comments on race as well as the numerous times he explicitly advocates Galton's eugenic program in The Descent of Man.
Collaborative infrastructure for test-driven scientific model validation

One of the pillars of the modern scientific method is model validation: comparing a scientific model's predictions against empirical observations. Today, a scientist demonstrates the validity of a model by making an argument in a paper and submitting it for peer review, a process comparable to code review in software engineering. While human review helps to ensure that contributions meet high-level goals, software engineers typically supplement it with unit testing to get a more complete picture of the status of a project. We argue that a similar test-driven methodology would be valuable to scientific communities as they seek to validate increasingly complex models against growing repositories of empirical data. Scientific communities differ from software communities in several key ways, however. In this paper, we introduce SciUnit, a framework for test-driven scientific model validation, and outline how, supported by new and existing collaborative infrastructure, it could integrate into the modern scientific process.
The ease of DNA unwinding as a determinant of initiation at yeast replication origins

Abstract We have localized the DNA sequence that facilitates unwinding of a yeast replication origin, the H4 ARS. The readily unwound sequence lies adjacent to the previously characterized consensus core sequence of the ARS. Unwinding is detected through the formation of a single-strand-specific nuclease hypersensitive site in H4 ARS mutant derivatives present on super-coiled plasmids. Linker-scanning and linker-deletion derivatives exhibit wild-type nuclease hypersensitivity and ARS function, while large external deletions reduce or eliminate nuclease detectable unwinding and origin function. ARS unwinding and origin function can be rescued in the deletion mutants by inserting a biologically unrelated sequence with DNA unwinding properties similar to a functional ARS. The data clarify the nature of DNA sequence requirements in the ARS by suggesting that small substitutions, insertions, and deletions are tolerated in the region flanking the consensus core sequence because they do not significantly alter the unwinding properties of the region.
The effects of nonpenetrating cryoprotectants added to TEST-yolk-glycerol extender on the post-thaw motility of ram spermatozoa

The effects of adding five different concentrations of 17 polymeric compounds to TEST-yolk-glycerol extender on ram spermatozoa survival was studied. These were Aquacide (I, II, and III); dextran (0.8-1.6, 1.9, 15-20, 70, and 200-300 kDa); three types of Dri-Sweet; hydroxyethyl starch; methylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and Supercol 912. All the compounds tested except the Dri-Sweet compounds and hydroxyethyl starch significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased percentages of motile cells in unfrozen samples. The use of dextran (0.8-1.6 kDa; hydrolyzed dextran separated by ethanol) and Aquacide II significantly (P less than 0.05) increased post-thaw motility of spermatozoa frozen in pellets. Dextran (15-20 kDa), dextran (0.8-1.6 kDa), Aquacide II, and hydroxyethyl starch significantly (P less than 0.05) increased the percentages of post-thaw motility of ram spermatozoa frozen in the presence of glycerol and egg yolk.
Linking sight and sound: fMRI evidence of primary auditory cortex activation during visual word recognition.

We describe two studies that used repetition priming paradigms to investigate brain activity during the reading of single words. Functional magnetic resonance images were collected during a visual lexical decision task in which nonword stimuli were manipulated with regard to phonological properties and compared to genuine English words. We observed a region in left-hemisphere primary auditory cortex linked to a repetition priming effect. The priming effect activity was observed only for stimuli that sound like known words; moreover, this region was sensitive to strategic task differences. Thus, a brain region involved in the most basic aspects of auditory processing appears to be engaged in reading even when there is no environmental oral or auditory component.
The budget and geochemistry of arsenic in a continental shelf environment

Abstract The concentrations of arsenic species in continental-shelf waters of the southeastern U.S. are controlled mainly by simple physical mixing of shelf waters and Gulf Stream intrusions. The biota mediate redox reactions which result in a disequilibrium of arsenic species; up to 20% of the total arsenic (averaging 1.1 μg/l) occurs as unstable arsenite [As (III)] and dimethylarsenic, the remainder consists of thermodynamically favored arsenate [As (V)]. Uptake of arsenic by the biota has a minor effect on arsenic distribution in offshore waters, producing a deep-water arsenate maximum, and minima for arsenite and dimethylarsenic. Riverine and atmospheric arsenic inputs to the shelf waters are relatively insignificant. Southeastern rivers contain only about 0.3 μg/l dissolved arsenic, and the atmosphere adjacent to continental shelf waters contains about 1.7 ng/m3 of As (V), exclusively associated with the particulate fraction.
Solvent interactions with the Trp-cage peptide in 35% ethanol-water.

Intermolecular NOE experiments have been used to explore interactions of water and ethanol molecules in 35% ethanol/65% water (v/v) with the peptide Trp-cage at temperatures from 5 to 25°C. Magnetic dipole–dipole cross-relaxation terms σ and σ for interaction of solvent components with spins of the peptide suggest that ethanol molecules associate with backbone atoms for times of the order of nanoseconds at 5°C. Formation of peptide–ethanol complexes can also account for the larger-than-expected values of cross-relaxation terms at higher temperatures. Hydrocarbon side chains of the peptide do not appear to experience such interactions with ethanol. Cross relaxation resulting from water–peptide interactions are consistent with long-lived water interactions with the backbone atoms. Water cross relaxation with nonpolar side chains of the peptide (Leu2, Ile4, Leu7, and proline residues) are only those expected for bulk solvent. However, long-lived association of both water and ethanol with the polar side chains of Tyr3 and Trp6 is indicated by the data. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 89: 862–872, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com