cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agnophilogenia Monotis, New Genus and Species of Dragonfly from Humid Northwestern Ecuador (Odonata: Megapodagrioninae)

In April of this year I received from the collector, Mr. David Laddey, Esq., a few envelopes of dragonflies collected at La Lorena, Santa Domingo de Los Colorados, Prov. Pichincha, Ecuador. This is at a low elevation, 550 meters, in the humid northwestern corner of Ecuador. It is an extension into the northwestern corner of Ecuador of the southernmost tip of the very humid area that forms the west coast of Colombia. In Ecuador at least, it is very malarious. It rains so nearly continuously that professional collectors cannot make even pin money. It is the occasional new or inexperienced collector that ventures into Santo Domingo de Los Colorados and who returns with prizes but not in sufficient quantity to get his accounts out of the red. Among fifty specimens or less brought out by Laddey were a new Perilestes (one male), a new Miocora (one male), the new genus to be described postea (one female), a short series of males of Calvert‗s Neocordulia longipollex known previously from one male and a small series of what is probably a new Heteragrion. In the two weeks‗ trip the collector found only a few hours of sunshine. This particular coastal strip from Panama south to northwestern Ecuador is so wet and malarial that its fauna is one of the least known in South America. It is full of prizes. It awaits the collector immune to its diseases and depressing weather.
Ankylosis of teeth following thermal injury.

Thermal injury to the periodontium via the root canal was produced in 12 squirrel monkeys in order to study the sequence of events leading to ankylosis. Three days and one week following such injury an area of necrosis was found in the periodontal ligament which was circumferential, involved both periodontal ligament and alveolar hone, extended approximately l/3 the length of the root and did not involve the epithelial attachment. Two and 3 weeks following thermal injury new fibroblasts and blood vessels were seen at the periphery of neerotic areas and progressively decreased the area of necrosis. This was accompanied by frontal resorption of bone and cementum. Rear resorption took place adjacent to areas where the periodontal ligament was still neerotic. By one month, healing had progressed so that neerotic tissue was no longer present, bone apposition was more prominant than resorption and in some areas tooth and bone had fused. Ankylosis persisted but a continuous remodeling process was taking place as evidenced by further resorption and bone formation until the end of the study (6 months).
Modeling the dynamics of three functional groups of macroalgae in tropical seagrass habitats

A model of three functional groups of macroalgae, drift algae, rhizophytic calcareous algae, and seagrass epiphytes, was developed to complement an existing seagrass production model for tropical habitats dominated by Thalassia testudinum(Turtle-grass). The current modeling effort simulates annual biomass dynamics for each of the three functional groups under a variety of stress regimes imposed by nutrient-laden freshwater discharges into a well-flushed coastal bay in South Florida. The model is parameterized based on multiple years of experimental data collected from Biscayne Bay, as well as literature values reported for other Florida and Caribbean seagrass habitats. Calibration of the model yields a good fit of predicted-to-observed biomass (r 2 > 0.85) for sheet-flow and oceanic-influenced sites, but a poor fit ( r 2 = 0.13) under canal-influenced conditions. This is hypothesized to be related to the lack of adequate observed data on seagrass epiphyte dynamics to parameterize the model. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model is easily perturbed by changes in intrinsic growth parameters of the algae (daily growth rate, mortality rate, carrying capacity), while it is much less sensitive to changes in the functional form of the response curves that are used to characterize the stress tolerances of the algae to light, temperature, salinity, and nutrient conditions. This model is considered suitable for use in seagrass habitats similar to those occurring in South Florida, as these are the conditions to which the model was calibrated. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Anatomy and affinities of permineralized gymnospermous trunks with preserved bark from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica

Abstract Permineralized gymnosperm axes with pycnoxylic wood from the Middle Triassic Fremouw Formation of the Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, are assigned to the corystosperms (seed ferns) and conifers. Both groups have been previously described from this formation based on juvenile stems with attached leaf bases and decorticated trunks. Here we describe large axes with preserved bark from the Fremouw Peak permineralized peat locality. The specimens are characterized by a small parenchymatous pith with clusters of sclereids, a thick cylinder (> 10 cm) of pycnoxylic wood, and 1–2 cm of bark containing distinctive clusters of sclereids and a complex system of cortical vascular bundles. Comparison with axes previously described from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica shows that the new specimens are most similar to Kykloxylon, a corystosperm genus based on young stems bearing Dicroidium leaves, and with a portion of axis previously described as Rhexoxylon like. We suggest that both the new specimens and the Rhexoxylon-like axis represent proximal parts of a Dicroidium/Kykloxylon plant that possibly had a fluted trunk base, and we discuss the problem of delimiting features in corystosperm axes.
Typologies of local government decision making behavior

Abstract The use of case studies in local government research is viewed with mixed emotions by political scientists. They readily admit that case studies often provide refreshing, thought provoking insights about real people making real decisions. However, political scientists also point out that case studies are not additive. Each study remains a unique statement of a behavioral event as subjectively interpreted by the researcher. This paper contends that case studies can be made additive by using new research tools to analyze how decision makers perceive themselves, community issues and the outcomes of their actions. These tools consist of appreciative data gathering techniques and nonmetric multidimensional scaling and preference mapping. The results, while quantitative, are clearly consistent with policy typologies developed through traditional methods of case study research [1].
Enlarged symmetry groups of finite-size clusters with periodic noundary conditions

Any system that approximates an infinite lattice by a family of finite clusters (with periodic boundary conditions) passes through an intermediate region with enlarged (hidden) symmetry as the system size is increased. The hidden symmetry allows for extra degeneracies and level crossings and has application to exact-diagonalization studies, Monte Carlo simulations, lattice gauge theories, and renormalization group calculations.
Secondary Structure and Interfacial Aggregation of Amyloid-β(1−40) on Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelles†

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of large numbers of fibrillar amyloid deposits in the form of senile plaques in the brain. The fibrils in senile plaques are composed of 40- and 42-residue amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides. Several lines of evidence indicate that fibrillar Abeta and especially soluble Abeta aggregates are important in the pathogenesis of AD, and many laboratories have investigated soluble Abeta aggregates generated from monomeric Abeta in vitro. Of these in vitro aggregates, the best characterized are called protofibrils. They are composed of globules and short rods, show primarily beta-structure by circular dichroism (CD), enhance the fluorescence of bound thioflavin T, and readily seed the growth of long fibrils. However, one difficulty in correlating soluble Abeta aggregates formed in vitro with those in vivo is the high probability that cellular interfaces affect the aggregation rates and even the aggregate structures. Reports that focus on the features of interfaces that are important in Abeta aggregation have found that amphiphilic interactions and micellar-like Abeta structures may play a role. We previously described the formation of Abeta(1-40) aggregates at polar-nonpolar interfaces, including those generated at microdroplets formed in dilute hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). Here we compared the Abeta(1-40) aggregates produced on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles, which may be a better model of biological membranes with phospholipids that have anionic headgroups. At both HFIP and SDS interfaces, changes in peptide secondary structure were observed by CD immediately when Abeta(1-40) was introduced. With HFIP, the change involved an increase in predominant beta-structure content and in fluorescence with thioflavin T, while with SDS, a partial alpha-helical conformation was adopted that gave no fluorescence. However, in both systems, initial amorphous clustered aggregates progressed to soluble fibers rich in beta-structure over a roughly 2 day period. Fiber formation was much faster than in the absence of an interface, presumably because of the close intermolecular proximity of peptides at the interfaces. While these fibers resembled protofibrils, they failed to seed the aggregation of Abeta(1-40) monomers effectively.
Fabrication of spatially confined complex oxides.

Complex materials such as high Tc superconductors, multiferroics, and colossal magnetoresistors have electronic and magnetic properties that arise from the inherent strong electron correlations that reside within them. These materials can also possess electronic phase separation in which regions of vastly different resistive and magnetic behavior can coexist within a single crystal alloy material. By reducing the scale of these materials to length scales at and below the inherent size of the electronic domains, novel behaviors can be exposed. Because of this and the fact that spin-charge-lattice-orbital order parameters each involve correlation lengths, spatially reducing these materials for transport measurements is a critical step in understanding the fundamental physics that drives complex behaviors. These materials also offer great potential to become the next generation of electronic devices 1-3. Thus, the fabrication of low dimensional nano- or micro-structures is extremely important to achieve new functionality. This involves multiple controllable processes from high quality thin film growth to accurate electronic property characterization. Here, we present fabrication protocols of high quality microstructures for complex oxide manganite devices. Detailed descriptions and required equipment of thin film growth, photo-lithography, and wire-bonding are presented.
A Democracy principle and strategy-proofness

In some social choice applications we want more than one alternative to be selected in some situations. This allows the construction of strategy-proof social choice rules that are not dictatorial. But if we also require x alone to be selected if it is at the top of some ordering that is submitted by more than half of the individuals then the rule cannot be strategy-proof. We prove this for rules that sometimes select one alternative, and sometimes two, but never more than two.
Prospective studies of exposure to an environmental contaminant: The challenge of hypothesis testing in a multivariate correlational context

In this paper, we respond to the criticisms and concerns raised by D.V. Cicchetti, A.S. Kaufman, & S.S. Sparrow (this issue) in their review of the PCB literature, with particular attention to our own research in Michigan. We agree that multiple comparisons and functional significance are issues that would benefit from more discussion. However, because the effects associated with exposure to environmental contaminants are generally subtle, the risk of Type II error would be unacceptably high if researchers were to adopt the authors' recommendation to use a Bonferroni correction. We describe the hierarchical approach we have used to deal with the issue of multiple comparisons, which emphasizes the need to base interpretation on consistent patterns in the data and on replicated findings. The issue of confounding is one that has received considerable attention in the PCB studies and, given that one can never measure every possible confounder, the range of control variables that have been evaluated is impressive. We disagree with the authors' assertion that only standardized test scores are sufficiently reliable for use in these studies; behavioral teratogens often involve subtle effects, which can be identified most effectively by innovative, narrow-band tests that have not yet been normed. Moreover, longitudinal statistical analysis is not necessarily the method of choice for the issues being addressed in this literature. One important new development that Cicchetti et al. fail to note is the emergence of evidence from both the Michigan and Dutch cohorts indicating that breast-fed children are markedly less vulnerable. It is not yet clear to what degree this protective effect is attributable to nutrients in breast milk or to more optimal intellectual stimulation by nursing mothers, or both. However, the discovery of effect modifiers that can explain individual differences in vulnerability marks an important advance in our growing understanding of the teratogenic effects of exposure to environmental contaminants on child development. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 625–637, 2004.
Cuticular lipids of insects

Cuticular lipids cover nearly all parts of insect and are the chief agent for restricting water loss. The structure of insect epicuticles is reviewed, with emphasis on the role of cuticular lipids and the metabolism of cuticular lipids. The chemical composition of insect cuticular lipids are discussed with particular emphasis on the types in which hydrocarbons, was esters and fatty alcohols predominate. What little evidence is available on the biosynthesis of insect cuticular lipids is discussed.
CREATING STABLE RACIALLY INTEGRATED COMMUNITIES: A Review

: Policies aimed at eliminating racial discrimination in the housing market are not sufficient to achieve stable racially integrated neighborhoods. The latter require active intervention into local housing markets so that demand by both whites and blacks, at levels that represent stability, are maintained. This paper explores these intervention efforts and examines the prospects for their success in relation to seven topics: the goals of an integration strategy, the definition of stable integration, the types of communities in which integration should be pursued, the guidance given by theories of neighborhood change, the types of policies and program design, and the content of federal policy in support of integration. The paper concludes that weaknesses and conflicts within each of these areas, in conjunction with powerful forces in support of continued segregation, make the creation of stable integrated neighborhoods very difficult.
Teaching legal medicine in law schools.

(1987). Teaching legal medicine in law schools. Journal of Legal Medicine: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 104-114.
A Distributed Computer System for Hierarchical Control of a Clinical Vestibular Laboratory

A vestibular testing laboratory with five test stations was implemented as a clinical research and testing facility, automating and adapting tests for patients with inner-ear balance disorders. These were designed to quantitate postural control, and eye movement response to rotational, caloric, and visual (optokinetic) stimuli. Microprocessors were used as satellite processors in a star network under hierarchical control of a host minicomputer. All disk storage was controlled by the host, with data transfer from satellites via parallel interfaces. Network software was designed and implemented to be under control of the host in a foreground-background structure. The practical operation of this laboratory required that technicians at each satellite test station initiate, perform, and complete an individual test independently of other tests. Examples from two test stations are presented. A 2-year data base of test results provides important multitest correlations for use in diagnostic evaluations.
Axiomatics of particle interactions

The main point of this presentation is to explain a connection between the now celebrated work of Yang and Mills on gauge fields and some work of the authors which goes back to the same period. The work of Yang and Mills was published in 1954 and the main results were independently found by Shaw and included in his 1954 Ph.D. thesis. The authors work was done in the early 1950's, but was first published in 1963 in a long survey article on group representations. This article was based on lectures given in 1961. This work did not overlap with that of Yang, Mills, and Shaw and was done in a completely different spirit. The connection between the two is explained later in the paper. The so-called Yang-Mills trick' emerges naturally from a development of the authors old work on the axiomatics of quantum mechanical free particles, and in such a way as to make at least one ad hoc definition appear naturally.
Colloidal stability of Al2O3 nanoparticles as affected by coating of structurally different humic acids.

The colloidal stability of three structurally different humic acid (HA)-coated Al2O3 nanoparticles (HAs-Al2O3 NPs) was studied in the presence of Ca2+. HAs were obtained after sequential extractions of Amherst Peat Soil. Highly polar HA1-coated Al2O3 NPs exhibited strong aggregation in the presence of Ca2+. HA3 and HA7-coated NPs showed weaker aggregation due to their increased aliphaticity and low polarity. HA7-Al2O3 NPs displayed the weakest aggregation behavior even at relatively high Ca2+ concentration. The inverse stability ratio (α = 1/W) was the lowest for HA7-Al2O3 NPs, reflecting that strong steric stabilization enhanced colloidal stability. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of pure Al2O3 NPs on Ca2+-saturated mica clearly demonstrated significant aggregation following classical Derjaguin−Landau−Verwey−Overbeek (DLVO) model for hard spheres. On the contrary, weakly polar HA fraction produced approximately 10 nm thick corona of adsorbed layer around each Al2O3 NP, thus stabilizing coated NP suspension...
Comments on extensions of the allosteric model for haemoglobin.

RECENTLY Edelstein1 has concluded on the basis of a numerical analysis that the sequential model as formulated by Koshland, Nemethy and Filmer (KNF)2 describes the oxygen binding curves of a number of species of human haemoglobin less well than does the two-state allosteric model of Monod, Wyman and Changeux (MWC)3. This communication demonstrates that Edelstein's analysis is incomplete and that extension of his analysis reveals that no such conclusion can be drawn from the data considered.
Training college faculty members in the educational uses of computers

The problems encountered in training faculty members in the instructional uses of computers are explained. How to establish a successful training program is detailed, including organization of the course and its content.
Phosphonate isosteres of phospholipids

Abstract A facile synthesis of phosphonolipid isosteres of the platelet activating factor(PAF) and the anticancer ether lipid ET-O-18 is described.
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. Preoperative evaluation with a Swan-Ganz catheter.

A balloon-tipped catheter was used in the preoperative assessment of a patient with a solitary pulmonary arteriovenous fistula and coexistent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic heart disease. Studies before and two months following surgical excision of the fistula showed that the increase in arterial oxygenation (49 mm Hg vs 77 mm Hg) and the reduction in the fraction of the shunted cardiac output (37 percent vs 6 percent) closely approximated the predicted preoperative estimates.
Soot Volume Fractions in the Overfire Region of Turbulent Diffusion Flames

Overfire soot volume fractions and mixture fractions, flame heights, and characteristic flame residence times, were measured for turbulent acetylene, propylene, ethylene and propane diffusion flames burning in still air. Test conditions ranged from highly buoyant pool-like flames to buoyant jet flames, using three burners (with exit diameters of 5, 50, and 234 mm) and a wide range of fuel flow rates. Soot generation efficiencies (the percentage of fuel carbon converted to soot and emitted from the flame) were uniform throughout the overfire region for a given flame condition. Soot generation efliciencies increased with increasing flame residence times but tended to approach asymptotic values for residence times roughly ten times longer than residence times at the normal smoke point. Within the asymptotic region, soot volume fractions are directly related to mixing levels, analogous to the laminar flamelet concept for nonpremixed flames, which offers substantial simplifications for analysis of the continuum radiation properties of the overfire region.
A manipulative appliance

Abstract An appliance for a patient who has lost the use of her extremities because of a cervical neurologic injury is described. It is designed so as to enable the patient to perform such morale-boosting activities as grasping, lifting, and moving objects; thus she can play checkers and other games (Fig. 6).
ANALOG QUANTUM ERROR CORRECTION

Quantum error-correction routines are developed for continuous quantum variables such as position and momentum. The result of such analog quantum error correction is the construction of composite continuous quantum variables that are largely immune to the effects of noise and decoherence.
Microarray analysis of port wine stains before and after pulsed dye laser treatment

Background and Objectives: Neither the pathogenesis of port wine stain (PWS) birthmarks nor tissue effects of pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment of these lesions is fully understood. There are few published reports utilizing gene expression analysis in human PWS skin. We aim to compare gene expression in PWS before and after PDL, using DNA microarrays that represent most, if not all, human genes to obtain comprehensive molecular profiles of PWS lesions and PDL-associated tissue effects. Materials and Methods: Five human subjects had PDL treatment of their PWS. One week later, three biopsies were taken from each subject: normal skin (N); untreated PWS (PWS); PWS post-PDL (PWS þ PDL). Samples in- cluded two lower extremity lesions, two facial lesions, and one facial nodule. High-quality total RNA isolated from skin biopsies was processed and applied to Affymetrix Hu- man gene 1.0ST microarrays for gene expression analysis. We performed a 16 pair-wise comparison identifying either up- or down-regulated genes between N versus PWS and PWS versus PWS þ PDL for four of the donor sam- ples. The PWS nodule (nPWS) was analyzed separately. Results: There was significant variation in gene expres- sion profiles between individuals. By doing pair-wise com- parisons between samples taken from the same donor, we were able to identify genes that may participate in the formation of PWS lesions and PDL tissue effects. Genes associated with immune, epidermal, and lipid metabolism were up-regulated in PWS skin. The nPWS exhibited more profound differences in gene expression than the rest of the samples, with significant differential expres- sion of genes associated with angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and inflammation. Conclusion: In summary, gene expression profiles from N, PWS, and PWS þ PDL demonstrated significant varia- tion within samples from the same donor and between donors. By doing pair-wise comparisons between samples taken from the same donor and comparing these results between donors, we were able to identify genes that may participate in formation of PWS and PDL effects. Our pre- liminary results indicate changes in gene expression of angiogenesis-related genes, suggesting that dysregulation of angiogenic signals and/or components may contribute to PWS pathology. Lasers Surg. Med. 45:67-75, 2013. 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Strategyproof Mechanisms for Ad Hoc Network Formation

Agents in a peer-to-peer system typically have incentives to influence its network structure, either to reduce their costs or to increase their ability to capture value. The problem is compounded when agents can join and leave the system dynamically. This paper explores the use of mechanism design techniques to offset the incentives for strategic behavior and facilitate the formation of networks with desirable global properties.
Age-Related Defects in Moesin/Ezrin Cytoskeletal Signals in Mouse CD4 T Cells

Cytoskeletal proteins of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family contribute to T cell activation in response to Ag, and also to T cell polarization in response to connective tissue matrix proteins and chemokine gradients. Previous work has shown that T cells from aged mice are defective in their ability to develop molecular linkages between surface macromolecules and the underlying cytoskeletal framework, both for proteins that move to the synapse and those that are excluded from the site of T cell-APC interaction. T cells from aged mice also show defective cytoskeletal rearrangements and lamellipodia formation when placed in contact with slides coated with Abs to the TCR/CD3 complex. In this study, we show that old CD4 T cells differ from young CD4 T cells in several aspects of ERM biochemistry, including ERM phosphorylation and ERM associations with CD44, CD43, and EBP50. In addition, CD4 T cells from aged mice show defects in the Rho GTPase activities known to control ERM function.
A biomechanical comparison of transosseous-suture anchor and suture bridge rotator cuff repairs in cadavers

BackgroundSeveral biomechanical studies comparing open and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair methods have shown inferior performance of arthroscopic repairs. Suture anchor–augmented transosseous repairs and suture bridge repairs have shown superior biomechanical performance when compared with other methods, but these 2 repair methods have not been directly compared.HypothesisThere will be no difference in the biomechanical performance of the transosseous–suture anchor and suture bridge techniques.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsEight paired cadaveric shoulder specimens (16 specimens) had creation followed by repair of a complete tear of the supraspinatus, with the first member of each pair undergoing repair by a transosseous–suture anchor technique and the second member undergoing repair by the suture bridge technique. Specimens were then cycled from 10 to 180 N for 200 cycles, followed by testing to failure at 33 mm/s. Elongation was measured during cyclic testing, and failure load and stif...
Transglutaminase 2 exacerbates α-synuclein toxicity in mice and yeast

α-Synuclein is a key pathogenic protein that aggregates in hallmark lesions in Parkinson's disease and other α-synucleinopathies. Prior in vitro studies demonstrated that it is a substrate for cross-linking by transglutaminase 2 (TG2) into higher-order species. Here we investigated whether this increased aggregation occurs in vivo and whether TG2 exacerbates α-synuclein toxicity in Mus musculus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Compared with α-synuclein transgenic (SynTg) mice, animals double transgenic for human α-synuclein and TG2 (TG2Tg/SynTg) manifested greater high-molecular-weight insoluble species of α-synuclein in brain lysates and developed α-synuclein aggregates in the synaptic vesicle fraction. In addition, larger proteinase K-resistant aggregates developed, along with increased thioflavin-S-positive amyloid fibrils. This correlated with an exaggerated neuroinflammatory response, as seen with more astrocytes and microglia. Further neuronal damage was suggested by greater morphological disruption of nerve fibers and a trend toward decreased c-Fos immunoreactive neurons. Finally, the performance of TG2Tg/SynTg animals on motor behavioral tasks was worse relative to SynTg mice. Greater toxicity of α-synuclein was also demonstrated in yeast cells coexpressing TG2. Our findings demonstrate that TG2 promotes the aggregation of α-synuclein in vivo and that this is associated with aggravated toxicity of α-synuclein and its downstream neuropathologic consequences.—Grosso, H., Woo, J.-M., Lee, K.-W., Im, J.-Y., Masliah, E., Junn, E., Mouradian, M. M. Transglutaminase 2 exacerbates α-synuclein toxicity in mice and yeast.
Discharge before noon: Effect on throughput and sustainability.

BACKGROUND Late afternoon hospital discharges are thought to contribute to admission bottlenecks. We previously described an intervention that resulted in a statistically significant increase in the discharge before noon (DBN) rate on 2 inpatient medicine units. OBJECTIVE To evaluate (1) the effect of an increased DBN rate on the admission arrival time and the number of admissions per hour and (2) the sustainability of our DBN initiative. DESIGN Pre-/postintervention retrospective analysis. SETTING Two acute-care inpatient medicine units in a tertiary care, urban, academic medical center. PATIENTS: For the admission arrival time and admissions per hour analysis, all inpatients admitted to the medical units from June 1, 2011 to June 31, 2013. For the sustainability analysis, all patients discharged from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014. INTERVENTION A multidisciplinary intervention to increase the DBN rate. MEASUREMENTS: Date and time of arrival to all inpatient sites, and discharge date and time of all patients from 2 inpatient medicine units. RESULTS Concurrent with our increase in DBN rate, we found a statistically significant change in the median arrival time of emergency department (ED) admissions and transfers from 5 pm to 4 pm. High-frequency admission peaks were statistically significantly reduced for ED admissions. The statistically significant increase in DBN rate is sustained at 35%. CONCLUSIONS Increasing the DBN rate correlates with admissions arriving earlier in the day and reductions in high-frequency peaks of ED admissions. Statistically significant improvements in DBN rates are sustainable. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;10:664–669. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine
Modifiable factors associated with sleep dysfunction in adults with heart failure

Background: Sleep dysfunction contributes to poor quality of life in adults with heart failure (HF). The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with sleep dysfunction that may be modifiable. Methods: Data were collected from 266 subjects enrolled from three sites in the U.S. Sleep dysfunction was measured over the past month with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, using a score > 10 to indicate sleep dysfunction. Potentially modifiable clinical, behavioral, and psychological factors thought to be associated with sleep dysfunction were analyzed with hierarchical logistic regression analysis. Results: When covariates of age, gender, race, data collection site, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class were entered on the first step, only NYHA was a significant correlate of sleep dysfunction. When the clinical, behavioral, and psychological factors were entered, correlates of sleep dysfunction were the number of drugs known to cause daytime somnolence (OR = 2.08), depression (OR = 1.83), worse overall perceived health (OR = 1.64), and better sleep hygiene (OR = 1.40). Although most (54%) subjects had sleep disordered breathing (SDB), SDB was not a significant predictor of sleep dysfunction. Discussion: Factors associated with sleep dysfunction in HF include medications with sleepiness as a side-effect, depression, poorer health perceptions, and better sleep hygiene. Sleep dysfunction may motivate HF patients to address sleep hygiene. Eliminating medications with sleepiness as a side-effect, treating depression and perceptions of poor health may improve sleep quality in HF patients.
Fabri Choking in a Two-Dimensional Reacting Flow Mixer-Ejector

Flow in a two-dimensional mixer-ejector has been studied to determine the effects of mixing and entrainment between ambient air and a rocket exhaust plume. A number of flow analysis techniques have been combined to give a more complete picture of the flow in the mixing duct. The flow is described from the point of view of the ejector aerodynamic flow patterns and the corresponding shear layer interactions. The flowfield has been studied analytically and experimentally for various primary to secondary pressure ratios that govern the ultimate velocity of the secondary flow. The aerodynamic flow patterns are compared for cold and hot flow experiments in a fixed rectangular duct with plume interactions in the mixing duct visible through optically clear glass. Primary to secondary pressure ratio’s above 74 produce choking of the secondary flow. The compressible shear layer is approximately ten percent of the overall duct width during the first expansion and compression of the primary flow.
Face detection using spectral histograms and SVMs

We present a face detection method using spectral histograms and support vector machines (SVMs). Each image window is represented by its spectral histogram, which is a feature vector consisting of histograms of filtered images. Using statistical sampling, we show systematically the representation groups face images together; in comparison, commonly used representations often do not exhibit this necessary and desirable property. By using an SVM trained on a set of 4500 face and 8000 nonface images, we obtain a robust classifying function for face and nonface patterns. With an effective illumination-correction algorithm, our system reliably discriminates face and nonface patterns in images under different kinds of conditions. Our method on two commonly used data sets give the best performance among recent face-detection ones. We attribute the high performance to the desirable properties of the spectral histogram representation and good generalization of SVMs. Several further improvements in computation time and in performance are discussed.
PRISE2: software for designing sequence-selective PCR primers and probes

PRISE2 is a new software tool for designing sequence-selective PCR primers and probes. To achieve high level of selectivity, PRISE2 allows the user to specify a collection of target sequences that the primers are supposed to amplify, as well as non-target sequences that should not be amplified. The program emphasizes primer selectivity on the 3’ end, which is crucial for selective amplification of conserved sequences such as rRNA genes. In PRISE2, users can specify desired properties of primers, including length, GC content, and others. They can interactively manipulate the list of candidate primers, to choose primer pairs that are best suited for their needs. A similar process is used to add probes to selected primer pairs. More advanced features include, for example, the capability to define a custom mismatch penalty function. PRISE2 is equipped with a graphical, user-friendly interface, and it runs on Windows, Macintosh or Linux machines. PRISE2 has been tested on two very similar strains of the fungus Dactylella oviparasitica, and it was able to create highly selective primers and probes for each of them, demonstrating the ability to create useful sequence-selective assays. PRISE2 is a user-friendly, interactive software package that can be used to design high-quality selective primers for PCR experiments. In addition to choosing primers, users have an option to add a probe to any selected primer pair, enabling design of Taqman and other primer-probe based assays. PRISE2 can also be used to design probes for FISH and other hybridization-based assays.
The Stone-Weierstrass theorem and its application to neural networks

The Stone-Weierstrass theorem and its terminology are reviewed, and neural network architectures based on this theorem are presented. Specifically, exponential functions, polynomials, partial fractions, and Boolean functions are used to create networks capable of approximating arbitrary bounded measurable functions. A modified logistic network satisfying the theorem is proposed as an alternative to commonly used networks based on logistic squashing functions. >
Cdc7–Drf1 is a developmentally regulated protein kinase required for the initiation of vertebrate DNA replication

Cdc7, a protein kinase required for the initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication, is activated by a regulatory subunit, Dbf4. A second activator of Cdc7 called Drf1 exists in vertebrates, but its function is unknown. Here, we report that in Xenopus egg extracts, Cdc7-Drf1 is far more abundant than Cdc7-Dbf4, and removal of Drf1 but not Dbf4 severely inhibits phosphorylation of Mcm4 and DNA replication. After gastrulation, when the cell cycle acquires somatic characteristics, Drf1 levels decline sharply and Cdc7-Dbf4 becomes the more abundant kinase. These results identify Drf1 as a developmentally regulated, essential activator of Cdc7 in Xenopus.
Survey of the 1998 optical biosensor literature

The utilization of optical biosensors to study molecular interactions continues to expand. In 1998, 384 articles relating to the use of commercial biosensors were published in 130 different journals. While significant strides in new applications and methodology were made, a majority of the biosensor literature is of rather poor quality. Basic information about experimental conditions is often not presented and many publications fail to display the experimental data, bringing into question the credibility of the results. This review provides suggestions on how to collect, analyze and report biosensor data.
Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease in Patients with Known or Suspected Peripheral Vascular Disease: Safety and Efficacy of Gadofosveset-enhanced MR Angiography—Multicenter Comparative Phase III Study

PURPOSE: To prospectively determine the safety and efficacy of the gadolinium-based blood pool magnetic resonance (MR) imaging contrast agent gadofosveset in patients known to have or suspected of having peripheral vascular disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethical committee approval and patient written informed consent were obtained. This study was compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Adults known or suspected to have peripheral vascular disease received gadofosveset (0.03 mmol per kilogram of body weight) for MR angiography of the aortoiliac region. Gadofosveset-enhanced MR angiography and unenhanced two-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography were compared with the reference standard, conventional angiography, for the presence of vascular stenosis. All patients were monitored for adverse events with hematologic analysis, analysis of blood chemistry, urinalysis, and electrocardiographic parameters; these methods were analyzed to determine safety. RESULTS: A total of 27...
Population Stratification, Adjustment for

Population stratification is a major concern in genetic association studies. Failure to control it effectively can lead to excess false-positive results and failure to detect true associations. Many methods have been designed to adjust for population stratification, which mainly belong to the following categories: (1) genomic control, (2) structured association, (3) principal component or multidimensional scaling adjustment, (4) stratification score method and (5) other approaches. No method is likely to be superior in all situations. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the assumptions of the method are met and that the method is used for its intended purpose. Keywords: population stratification; genomic control; structured association; principal components; multidimensional scaling; stratification score
Effects of Stem Girdling by the Threecornered Alfalfa Hopper on Soybean Yields

The effects of soybean stem girdling by Spissistilus festinus (Say) were determined for individual plants. Ca. 60% of the plants that were girdled low on the main stem early in the season did not survive to harvest. Mean yields from plants with the main stem girdled were significantly lower than plants without a girdle. Mean yields per plant for each category were: main stem girdled after July 11—1.11g; survivors with main stem girdled prior to July 11—2.68g; girdled high on main stem after July 11—4.41g; no main stem girdle but more than 50% of lateral branches girdled—8.39g; and no main stem girdle with less than 50% of lateral branches girdled—11.4g.
Effect of Deposition Parameters on the Microstructural Evolution and Electrical Properties of Charge-Balanced Barium Strontium Titanate Ferroelectric Thin Films Deposited on Ceramic Substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Barium strontium titanate (Ba0.60Sr0.40TiO3) thin films are the main materials of interest in tunable phase shifter for microwave antenna applications. Ba0.60Sr0.40Y0.05Ta0.05Ti0.90O3 thin films, of nominal thickness ranging from 1.7 μm to 2.3 μm, were synthesized on MgO (100) substrates, at substrate temperatures ranging from 500°C to 900°C, at oxygen partial pressures 20 and 50 mTorr, at 500 mJ energy fluence on 3 mm x 1 mm spot size and 10 pulses per second using the pulsed laser deposition technique. All film synthesized at temperatures greater than 500°C were crystalline. The effect of the ionic substitution and substrate temperature in conjunction with the effect of the oxygen partial pressure on the microstructure, and mechanical and electrical properties of the thin films have been studied using shallow angle x-ray diffraction, SEM, nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and focused ion beam analysis (FIB) and are reported in detail. We are currently in the process of measuring the capacitance of these films by various methods.
Mechanically Reinforcing Polyacrylate/Polyacrylamide Hydrogels through the Addition of Colloidal Particles

Polyacrylamide is a popular material for many bio-related applications ranging from electrophoretic separation to cellular supports. A limitation of polyacrylamide-based hydrogels, however, is their mechanical compliance. The current study examines the effect of colloidal particles as a reinforcing filler phase to enhance the mechanical stiffness of polyacrylamide-polyacrylate hydrogels. Measurements with oscillatory rheology show that for a fixed polymer volume fraction, the presence of colloidal particles with various surface modifications generally results in an increase of the shear storage modulus of the hydrogel-particle composite. Interestingly, this study indicated that no discernable trends can be linked between the values of the shear storage modulus and the particle surface characteristics.
Estimating Grid-Induced Errors in Navier-Stokes Solutions by Euler Discrete-Error-Transport Equations

This paper presents and evaluates a method for estimating grid-induced errors in CFD solutions that recognizes error at one location in the flow domain may not be generated there, but rather generated elsewhere and then transported there. This paper derives a system of discrete error-transport equations (DETEs) to compute the evolution of grid-induced errors in finite-volume solutions of the Euler equations for compressible flows in two dimensions. These DETEs are then used to estimate grid-induced errors of Navier-Stokes solutions obtained by using the Fluent code on the basis that error transport is mostly by convection and not by diffusion. Results for a test problem involving compressible low Mach number flow over an iced airfoil show that if the residuals in the DETEs are modeled accurately, then the DETEs can predict grid-induced errors accurately.
Climate indices strongly influence old-growth forest carbon exchange

We present a decade and a half (1998–2013) of carbon dioxide fluxes from an old-growth stand in the American Pacific Northwest to identify ecosystem-level responses to Pacific teleconnection patterns, including the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This study provides the longest, continuous record of old-growth eddy flux data to date from one of the longest running Fluxnet stations in the world. From 1998 to 2013, average annual net ecosystem exchange (FNEE) at Wind River AmeriFlux was –32 ± 84 g C m–2 yr–1 indicating that the late seral forest is on average a small net sink of atmospheric carbon. However, interannual variability is high (>300 g C m–2 yr–1) and shows that the stand switches from net carbon sink to source in response to climate drivers associated with ENSO. The old-growth forest is a much stronger sink during La Nina years (mean FNEE = –90 g C m–2 yr–1) than during El Nino when the stand turns carbon neutral or into a small net carbon source (mean FNEE = +17 g C m–2 yr–1). Forest inventory data dating back to the 1930s show a similar correlation with the lower frequency Pacific North American (PNA) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) whereby highermore » aboveground net primary productivity (FANPP) is associated with cool phases of both the PNA and PDO. Furthermore, these measurements add evidence that carbon exchange in old-growth stands may be more sensitive to climate variability across shorter time scales than once thought.« less
Vaccination for child clients and employees in St Louis childcare agencies: Vaccine uptake and policies versus parents' perceptions

Background Little is known about childcare agency staff vaccination requirements, parents' perceptions of these requirements, or vaccine uptake in these populations. Methods A questionnaire was administered to St Louis parents and childcare agency staff in fall of 2014. The χ 2 tests compared staff's versus parents' uptake of hepatitis A, pertussis, and seasonal influenza vaccines. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine individuals being fully immunized (ie, having received influenza, hepatitis A, and pertussis vaccines). Results Overall, 351 parents and staff from 23 agencies participated (response rate, 32%). One-third of staff (34.4%, n = 33) and parents (37.6%, n = 96) were fully immunized. Parents and staff were equally likely to have received the influenza vaccine (48.8% and 47.3%, respectively), but more staff received the hepatitis A vaccine (85.3% vs 67.5%, χ 2 = 11.0, P 2 = 12.5, P Conclusions Childcare agency staff vaccination can protect employees and children from disease, but their uptake of vaccines needs improvement. Future interventions should be aimed at increasing uptake to lower disease transmission in childcare settings.
Becoming Physics People: Development of Integrated Physics Identity through the Learning Assistant Experience

Participation in a learning assistant program supports both stronger physics student and instructor identity, and reconciles these into a coherent integrated physics identity.
Avifauna of the University Indian Ruin

Seventy-nine bird bones recovered from various excavations at University Indian Ruin, AZ BB: 9: 33 (ASM), are identified to species when possible, and documented as to their temporal associations. ...
‘The current gold coin of the New Jerusalem’: perception, symbolization, and money in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

ABSTRACTAs an external visual marker of what is supposed by other characters in the novel as its wearer’s ‘internal,’ spiritual state, Hester Prynne’s Scarlet ‘A’ is, among other things, an emblem of a powerful American anxiety regarding the gulf between appearance and reality, symbol and meaning. The desperate and dangerous need for fixed signs and self-evident identities that obsesses Hawthorne’s Puritan-era characters is directly related to the gold-paper money debates that dominated the politics of Hawthorne’s own time, with their concern for issues of ‘character’ and value and what we might now call the gap between the symbolic and the real, or face value and material value.