cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of caring for children with medical complexity and high resource use on family quality of life.

Purpose This study examined the impact of caring for children with medical complexity (CMC) and high resource use on family quality of life (QoL). Methods Families of CMC enrolled in a complex care program completed the PedsQL Family Impact module (PedsQL FIM) and Healthcare Satisfaction module (PedsQL HCS) at enrollment then 1 and 2 years after enrollment. Tertiary center resource utilization and staff care coordination time were collected for the two years. Results PedsQL FIM scores were low at enrollment and did not improve over time. Social Functioning, Worry, and Daily Activities were the lowest domains. PedsQL HCS scores were higher at enrollment, but also failed to improve over the two years. Changes in resource use were not associated with changes in PedsQL FIM or HCS scores. Staff care coordination time was highest for patients with ≥ 10 hospital days per year. Conclusion CMC families' low QoL did not appear to be related to healthcare satisfaction or a shift from inpatient to outpatient resource use. Less staff support for families of CMC who spent more time at home may have contributed to their continued low QoL. Further study is required to identify causes of and strategies for improving the low QoL of families of CMC.
Spectrum-conservation techniques for fixed-service systems

An investigation of the tradeoffs in system design factors in a communication system that affect the utilization of the spectrum is reported. These design factors include antenna characteristics, modulation type, transmitter output filters, RF output devices, receiver noise figure, and signal processing. The analysis includes the development of a computer model to assess the individual effects of each factor on spectrum conservation, using the definition of spectrum utilization given in CCIR Report 662. The results of the analysis indicated that in the assessment of spectrum conservation for a fixed-service system, the effects of the system design factors acting in combination need to be considered. The results also show that system antenna characteristics and modulation type have a major role in spectrum conservation. >
Ulysses' Second Orbit: Remarkably Different Solar Wind

By the time of the 34th ESLAB symposium, dedicated to the memory of John Simpson, Ulysses had nearly reached its peak southerly latitude in its second polar orbit. The global solar wind structure observed thus far in Ulysses’ second orbit is remarkably different from that observed over its first orbit. In particular, Ulysses observed highly irregular solar wind with less periodic stream interaction regions, much more frequent coronal mass ejections. and only a single, short interval of fast solar wind. Ulysses also observed the slowest solar wind seen thus far in its ten-year journey (~270 km s−1). The complicated solar wind structure undoubtedly arises from the more complex coronal structure found around solar activity maximum, when the large polar coronal holes have disappeared and coronal streamers, small-scale corona] holes, and frequent CMEs are found at all heliolatitudes.
Origins of topography in the western U.S.: Mapping crustal and upper mantle density variations using a uniform seismic velocity model

To investigate the physical basis for support of topography in the western U.S., we construct a subcontinent scale, 3-D density model using ~1000 estimated crustal thicknesses and S velocity profiles to 150 km depth at each of 947 seismic stations. Crustal temperature and composition are considered, but we assume that mantle velocity variations are thermal in origin. From these densities, we calculate crustal and mantle topographic contributions. Typical 2σ uncertainty of topography is ~500 m, and elevations in 84% of the region are reproduced within error. Remaining deviations from observed elevations are attributed to melt, variations in crustal quartz content, and dynamic topography; compositional variations in the mantle, while plausible, are not necessary to reproduce topography. Support for western U.S. topography is heterogeneous, with each province having a unique combination of mechanisms. Topography due to mantle buoyancy is nearly constant (within ~250 m) across the Cordillera; relief there (>2 km) results from variations in crustal chemistry and thickness. Cold mantle provides ~1.5 km of ballast to the thick crust of the Great Plains and Wyoming craton. Crustal temperature variations and dynamic pressures have smaller magnitude and/or more localized impacts. Positive gravitational potential energy (GPE) anomalies (~2 × 1012N/m) calculated from our model promote extension in the northern Basin and Range and near the Sierra Nevada. Negative GPE anomalies (−3 × 1012N/m) along the western North American margin and Yakima fold and thrust belt add compressive stresses. Stresses derived from lithospheric density variations may strongly modulate tectonic stresses in the western U.S. continental interior.
Tumour regression after endostatin therapy

It was with great interest that we read the report1 on the lack of acquired drug resistance to repeated doses of endostatin in experimental cancers in mice. Of particular interest is the unprecedented finding that each tumour type became indefinitely dormant after a varying number of treatment cycles. We believe one explanation for this phenomenon might be found in the clinical observation that, after complete regression of large bulky tumours, rebiopsy of the primary tumour site will frequently show large amounts of fibrosis or scarring.
A stochastic microgrid operation scheme to balance between system reliability and greenhouse gas emission

Implementing renewable generation becomes one of the most practical approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the power sector. A microgrid, with its flexible scale and structure, can be a good platform to integrate distributed conventional and renewable generation resources. In this paper, a stochastic operation scheduling scheme is proposed to co-optimize carbon emissions and generation fuel costs while mitigating the impact of the intermittence of renewable energy. Two different stochastic approaches based on Sample Average Approximation and Probabilistic Constrained Stochastic Programming are formulated. Corresponding solution methods are developed and implemented in an experimental microgrid to illustrate and compare the effectiveness of different stochastic models for the intended applications.
Piezoelectricity in nylon 5,7

The authors have investigated nylon 5,7 as a piezoelectric polymer which can potentially exhibit very high activity. Nylon 5,7 is synthesized using improved procedures, and the product polymer is characterised by X-ray diffraction, calorimetry, and the thermally stimulated current. Films are prepared by quenching from the melt. The piezoelectric response is compared to that of other polyamides. Initial measurements a field strength of 175 kV/cm resulted in a piezoelectric strain coefficient d/sub 31/=0.4 pC/N. By comparison, d/sub 31/ values in the literature for nylon 11 and nylon 9 at 400 kV/cm are 0.6 and 1.1 pC/N, respectively (film-forming conditions, poling time, and temperature being the same). This indicates that at an equivalent field strength, nylon 5,7 could surpass the piezoelectric activity of nylon 9 and verify the theoretical prediction of increased activity in the lower odd nylons. >
Radio-frequency integrated circuits for portable communications

A new market has emerged in the form of portable wireless communications devices, operating in the 900 MHz to 2 GHz range, where miniaturization and low-energy operation is sought through the aggressive large-scale integration typical of silicon ICs, yet the circuit design style at times resembles MMICs. Early indications suggest that silicon will be the technology of choice in this application, because analog and digital functions can freely intermingle on the IC, and because the transistor f/sub T/ both in production bipolar and CMOS technologies is adequate for operation in this range. This paper summarizes some of the key radio-frequency integrated circuit developments in the last thirty years, the majority of which have been developed for consumer use. From this survey, it projects what developments may be reasonably expected in the architectures and circuit blocks of RF ICs over the next five to ten years. >
Potential dependence of the structure of water at the hydrophobic liquid interface

Abstract Potential dependant infrared visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) spectra of the aqueous/alkanethiol interface in the OH stretching region are presented. Spectra have been mathematically fit to extract information used to elucidate the structure and conformation of H2O at these electrochemical interfaces and the existence of a ‘flip–flop’ model for water in these environments is investigated. Comparison to recent work on Ag(1 1 1)/aqueous interface and other works on hydrophobic/aqueous interfaces corroborates assignments of OH bands in the 3800–2800 cm−1 region.
Trypanosoma brucei: Two mitogen activated protein kinase kinases are dispensable for growth and virulence of the bloodstream form

Mitogen activated protein kinase cascades function in eukaryotic responses to the environment and stress. Trypanosomatid parasites possess protein kinases with sequences characteristic of kinases in such cascades. In this report we use gene knockouts to demonstrate that two mitogen activated kinase kinase genes, MKK1 (Tb927.3.4860) and MKK5 (Tb927.10.5270), are not essential in the pathogenic bloodstream stage of Trypanosoma brucei, either in vitro or in vivo. Bloodstream forms lacking MKK1 showed decreased growth at 39°C as compared to the parental line. However, unlike its Leishmania orthologue, T. brucei MKK1 does not appear to play a significant role in flagellar biogenesis.
The effects of chronic prenatal exposure to nicotine on the behavior of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus).

Three groups of 15 offspring from guinea pig dams were injected twice daily throughout gestation with one of three doses (0.5, 1.5 or 2.5 mg/kg) of nicotine-hydrogen tartrate. These offspring and 15 saline-exposed offspring were tested on several behavioral measures. Offspring of nicotine-treated dams had significantly lower rates of spontaneous alternation as neonates. The 1.5 and 2.5 mg/kg nicotine-exposed offspring also alternated less at puberty than control offspring and would not enter an unfamiliar stimulus alley that a majority of controls entered. Nicotine offspring, as adults, performed significantly poorer than their controls on errors and trials to criterion on a discrimination and reversal task
Rice Yield Response to Biochar Application Under Different Water Managements Practices

Increasing rice grain yield is critical for feeding rapid increasing of Asian population. However, global warming effect may be negative for sustainable rice production. Therefore it is essential to develop technologies not only for increasing grain yield but also for reducing global warming effect. Biochar, which is carbonized biomass, has a great potential of carbon sequestration and soil quality improvement, which can contribute grain yield increasing. In this study, rice yield responses to biochar application on the rice cropping system were evaluated with field experiments under different water management practices at the research farm of the University of Missouri-Columbia Delta Research Center, Portageville, MO. Biochar (i.e., 4 Mg ha -1 ) was produced using field scale pyrolyzer and incorporated into the field 4 months prior to planting. Rice was grown under three different water management practices. Result showed that no significant yield difference was found in the biochar application plots compared to rice hull and control plots from the 2 years field study at the very fertile soil. However, rainfed management results in severe reduction of yield. Research concludes that the biochar application does not significantly influence on rice yield increasing especially for very fertile soils.
A Compositing Approach for Preserving Significant Features in Atmospheric Profiles

Abstract Composite profiles of thermodynamic and kinematic variables are prepared to represent the characteristics of the environment within which a particular atmospheric phenomenon occurs. During the averaging process, it is desirable to retain the dominant features and associated gradients found in the individual profiles so that representative values of quantities such as flux parameters, energy budgets, convective available potential energy, and various stability indices can be computed from the composite profiles. The conventional compositing approach, where averages are computed at common heights, reduces or even smooths out a significant feature when the height and vertical extent of the feature differ from one individual profile to the next. To retain a desirable feature in the composite profile, it is necessary to compute averages at the heights where the feature occurs and to compute the average height of the feature itself. As an example of the capabilities of this scaling or feature-preservin...
Ultrasonic Determination of Bond Strength Due to Surface Preparation Variations in an Aluminum-To-Aluminum Adhesive Bond System

This study demonstrates the application and use of analytical models in the experimental ultrasonic evaluation of interface conditions in an Aluminum-FM-47-Aluminum adhesive bond system. The result...
Direct Numerical Simulations of Transitional and Turbulent Flow on a Turbine Airfoil

A direct numerical simulation of transitional/turbulent flow on a low-speed turbine airfoil is presented here. The nonconservative form of the Navier–Stokes equations for compressible flows is used for this simulation. The numerical method used to solve these equations is a high-order-accurate upwind-biased iterative-implicit finitedifference scheme and is also presented here. The algorithm and the simulation are extensions of earlier efforts in direct simulations of transition and turbulence on flat plates. The present investigation has additional features, such as surface curvature, an adverse pressure gradient region on the airfoil, and trailing-edge vortex shedding. The results provided in the paper include the time-averaged pressure and the Stanton number distribution on the airfoil surface and turbulence statistics and flow visualization in the transitional/turbulent regions. Comparisons with experimental and computational data obtained for flows over flat plates and in channels are provided. The results indicate that the essential features of transition and turbulence have been captured.
Karyotypically normal spontaneous premature ovarian failure: evaluation of association with the class II major histocompatibility complex

Patients with premature ovarian failure (POF) have been reported to have an increased frequency of the major histocompatibility class (MHC) class II antigen HLA-DR3. Here we attempt to confirm this association. We performed MHC class II immunophenotyping of HLA-DR antigens 1-10 on 102 North American caucasians with confirmed POF and 102 control caucasian women. All patients had experienced amenorrhea before the age of 40 yr and had elevated serum gonadotropins on repeated study. We found no significant increase in HLA-DR3 frequency in patients with POF when compared to our control group (P = 0.52) or even when compared to a large reference population (n = 1927) that did not differ significantly from our control group (P = 0.47). Our patients did have an increased frequency of HLA DR4 compared to this large reference population (41% vs. 23%; P < 0.001), but we were unable to demonstrate increased HLA DR4 frequency using our control group (31%; P = 0.14). In conclusion, despite a power of 99%, we were unable to confirm a significant increase in MHC class II HLA-DR3 frequency in patients with POF.
Optimization of the Central Heterocycle of α-Ketoheterocycle Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase

The synthesis and evaluation of a refined series of α-ketoheterocycles based on the oxazole 2 (OL-135) incorporating systematic changes in the central heterocycle bearing a key set of added substituents are described. The nature of the central heterocycle, even within the systematic and minor perturbations explored herein, significantly influenced the inhibitor activity: 1,3,4-oxadiazoles and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles 9 > tetrazoles, the isomeric 1,2,4-oxadiazoles 10, 1,3,4-thiadiazoles > oxazoles including 2 > 1,2-diazines > thiazoles > 1,3,4-triazoles. Most evident in these trends is the observation that introduction of an additional heteroatom at position 4 (oxazole numbering, N > O > CH) substantially increases activity that may be attributed to a reduced destabilizing steric interaction at the FAAH active site. Added heterocycle substituents displaying well-defined trends may be utilized to enhance the inhibitor potency and, more significantly, to enhance the inhibitor selectivity. These trends, exemplified ...
A Boosted Adaptive Particle Filter for Face Detection and Tracking

A novel algorithm, termed a boosted adaptive particle filter (BAPF), for integrated face detection and face tracking is proposed. The proposed algorithm is based on the synthesis of an adaptive particle filtering algorithm and an AdaBoost face detection algorithm. A novel adaptive particle filter (APF), based on a new sampling technique, is proposed to obtain accurate estimates of the proposal distribution and the posterior distribution to enable accurate tracking in video sequences. The AdaBoost algorithm is used to detect faces in input image frames, while the APF algorithm is designed to track faces in video sequences. The proposed BAPF algorithm is employed for face detection, face verification, and face tracking in video sequences. Experimental results show that the proposed BAPF algorithm provides a means for robust face detection and accurate face tracking under various tracking scenarios.
Comparative intelligence and intelligent comparisons

Sound comparative psychology and modern evolutionary and developmental biology emphasize powerful effects of developmental conditions on the expression of genetic endowment. Both demand that evolutionary theorists recognize these effects. Sound comparative psychology also demands experimental procedures that prevent experimenters from shaping the responses of human and nonhuman beings to conform to theoretical expectations.
The Complex Politics of Catastrophe Economics

The purpose of this essay is to explore the implications for public policy of the assumption that policy makers exhibit the same cognitive and perceptual problems as other citizens regarding catastrophic events. The key conclusion is that the same factors that cause citizens to behave inefficiently in preparing for and responding to disasters also will cause inefficiencies in policies concerning catastrophic events. Among the more important expected pathologies of disaster policies are: (1) a failure to balance benefits and costs at the margin for different types of disasters, due to cognitive pathologies such as availability and overconfidence; (2) a tendency for policy to underinvest in protection and overinvest in response; and (3) a skepticism for policies based on sound insurance principles for spreading costs and assessing claims.
Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA.

Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA. Kathleen S. Fine-Dare. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. 250 pp.
Infrared diode laser spectra of the Δv = 1 band of AIF and the Δv = 2 band of KF

Abstract High-resolution diode laser spectra of AIF and of KF were measured between 827 and 855 cm −1 . Measurements were made on the v = 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 transitions of AIF at temperatures between 1000 and 1190 K. The band centers were determined to be at 792.6882 ± 0.0004 cm −1 , 783.1633 ± 0.0004 cm −1 , and 773.7534 ± 0.0007 cm −1 , respectively. For KF, temperatures between 1150 and 1250 K were used to measure the v = 2-0, 3-1, and 4-2 transitions for which the band centers were determined to be at 837.9702 ± 0.0003 cm −1 , 828.3966 ± 0.0003 cm −1 , and 818.9350 ± 0.0005 cm −1 , respectively. These infrared measurements were combined with microwave measurements, reported by others, to obtain new Dunham constants for AIF and for KF. The values for ω e , B e , and the Dunham a i potential constants were obtained directly from the observed transitions by means of a nonlinear least-squares analysis.
Electrolyte Orders in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit: Worth the Value or Waste?

To assess the value of the practice of obtaining frequent electrolyte measurements in patients with extended stay in a neuroscience intensive care unit (NICU). We identified consecutive patients 18 years or older, admitted to the NICU between January 1 and July 31, 2009 with length of stay ≥5 days. We collected potassium, sodium, magnesium, ionized calcium, phosphorus laboratory measurements and hemoglobin levels, and recorded electrolyte replacement orders and red blood cell transfusions. Average laboratory costs were estimated. 93 patients were included in the study (54 men, mean age 54 years, range 18–85 years). Mean length of stay was 10.4 days (range 5–36 days). Sodium and potassium were the electrolytes most frequently measured (averages of 14.1 and 13.1 per patient, respectively). More than 75% of the results were within normal range for all electrolytes measured and critical values were extremely uncommon. The number of phlebotomies for electrolyte measurements was strongly associated with the degree of hemoglobin drop (P < 0.0001). Electrolyte panels were ordered much more often than individual electrolytes with average cost exceeding $2200 per patient. Replacing half of these electrolyte panels with single sodium or potassium orders would have resulted in savings greater than $100,000 in our population. Electrolytes measurements are very frequent in the NICU, but results are most often normal and only exceptionally critical. The phlebotomies required for these tests significantly worsen hemoglobin levels. A more conservative use of electrolyte measurements can result in reduction of blood loss and substantial cost savings.
Teaching, Collaboration, and the Internet: Joining a Global Conversation

Sometimes, as I do research on the campus where I serve as a teaching assistant, I feel like the famous Dr. Jekyll. I sit in the Southern Historical Collection Manuscripts Department poring over nineteenth-century diaries, with only the hum of my PowerBook and the shuffle of papers from the desks nearby to disturb the silence. Here, I work within myself, asking questions of the documents before me and imagining the answers of their long-dead authors. The other people I come into contact with inside that room are deeply engaged in similar pursuits, lost in their own intellectual worlds, nodding vaguely in passing on the way to the water fountain. It is within this quiet solitude that I struggle to understand the southern women whose stories will become my dissertation, my book, and, in a way, my career. While research is a long-term process, carried out mostly in isolation, the other half of my academic responsibilities teachingrequires me to become a more animated, more public Ms. Hyde. When I walk across campus from the archives toward the students waiting in my classroom, I start thinking about how to construct history out loud, in collaboration with others. Standing in front of the room, I face fifteen young, amateur scholars who look to me for answers. In the archives I was alone, but here I am alone in a different sense. A lecture that worked well a year ago may seem totally inappropriate to the students before me this semester. A student may raise a question that causes me to rethink the way I am interpreting historical material or the way I have chosen to present it. When there are questions or problems in the classroom, I am the one responsible for and capable of providing answers and solutions. I have found that teaching questions are uniquely suited to collaborative searches for answers. Often when I have a concern about my teaching, I need to come up with a solution before the next class meeting. I may find an answer on my own, but more often, I look to my colleagues for help. In research, we each deal with specific documents with which our colleagues often have only passing familiarity, so we are often of only limited use to one another. In teaching, however, we share a broad body of historical knowledge and a common goal -to make his-
Wage Theory and Theories

Labor-purchase theory of wages, 256. — A Crusoe or collective analysis, 257; inapplicable for competitive purposes, 258; but invoking the selective working of the iron law, 261. — Property as affecting iron law, 262. — Predation and survival, 263. — Minima of living and death rate, standard of living and birth rate, as bearing on wages, 264. — Both the minimum and the standard doctrine are cost doctrines for the supply of men who have no costs of production, 265. — Bearing of numbers on per capita product, 268. — Flexibility of standards of living, 270. — Population limited by increasing product, 271. — The causal nexus, 272. — Wage-fund theory, 274. — Labor-pain theory, 278. — Productivity theories, 280; in ethical implications, 280; in distributive precision, 282. — Surplus-value theory, 286. — Reconstruction, 288. — Production in competitive meaning, 288. — No outlook for higher wages at expense of employers, 288. — Possible lines of amelioration, 289. — Institutional conditions and competitive processes as affecting (1) the distribuend, (2) the distribution rations, 291. — Conclusion, 297.
Event History Analysis of the Formation of Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils

This article investigates the impacts of community contexts such as divergence with the city, differences within the community, and community capacity on the successful formation of Neighborhood Councils (NCs) in the City of Los Angeles. To date, 86 certified NCs out of 97 communities submitted application for certification. Event history analysis is conducted as an effective method to understand NC formation and the timing of the event. The results indicate that community heterogeneity characteristics such as race/ethnicity and income heterogeneity have dissimilar influence on the formation of NCs. Community capacity is also found to be positively related to earlier formation of NCs.
Gene therapy for long-term expression of erythropoietin in rats

Abstract The injection of recombinant erythropoietin (Epo) is now widely used for long-term treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure, cancer, and human immunodeficiency virus infections. The ability to deliver this hormone by gene therapy rather than by repeated injections could provide substantial clinical and economic benefits. As a preliminary approach, we investigated in rats the expression and biological effects of transplanting autologous vascular smooth muscle cells transduced with a retroviral vector encoding rat Epo cDNA. Vector-derived Epo secretion caused increases in reticulocytes, with peak levels of 7.8-9.6% around day 10 after implantation. The initial elevation in reticulocytes was followed by clinically significant increases in hematocrit and hemoglobin for up to 11 weeks. Ten control and treated animals showed mean hematocrits of 44.9 +/- 0.4% and 58.7 +/- 3.1%, respectively (P < 0.001), and hemoglobin values of 15.6 +/- 0.1 g/dl and 19.8 +/- 0.9 g/dl, respectively (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between control and treated animals in the number of white blood cells and platelets. Kidney and to a lesser extent liver are specific organs that synthesize Epo in response to tissue oxygenation. In the treated animals, endogenous Epo mRNA was largely down regulated in kidney and absent from liver. These results indicate that vascular smooth muscle cells can be genetically modified to provide treatment of anemias due to Epo deficiency and suggest that this cell type may be targeted in the treatment of other diseases requiring systemic therapeutic protein delivery.
On N0-quasi-continuous exchange rings

An associative ring R with identity is said to have stable range one if for any a,b∊ R with aR + bR = R, there exists y ∊ R such that a + by is left (equivalently, right) invertible. The main results of this note are Theorem 2: A left or right continuous ring R has stable range one if and only if R is directly finite (i.e xy = 1 implies yx = 1 for all x,y ∊ R), Theorem 6: A left or right N 0o-quasi-continuous exchange ring has stable range one if and only if it is directly finite, and Theorem 12: left or right N 0-quasi-continuous strongly π-regular rings have stable range one. Theorem 6 generalizes a well-known result of Goodearl [10], which says that a directly finite, right N o-continuous von Neumann regular ring is unit-regular
FLIES PLAN SPEEDY GETAWAY

![Figure][1] Biologists have long been fascinated by how animals escape certain death. Perhaps it's because escape behaviors are so strong and easy to reproduce, or perhaps it's just that we can't help cheering a little bit when an animal outsmarts something that is determined to kill it. One
Gas Separation Membrane Material Selection Criteria: Weakly and Strongly Interacting Feed Component Situations.

Gas Separation Membrane Material Selection Criteria: Weakly and Strongly Interacting Feed Component Situations
Survival and Time of Development for Creophilus maxillosus (L.) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) at Three Constant Temperatures

The hairy rove beetle, Creophilus maxillosus (L.) (Staphylinidae), is a common fly predator associated with decomposing cadavers and carcasses. Developmental studies were conducted at constant temperatures of 16, 24, and 32°C, 50% relative humidity, and 12:12 h L:D photoperiod. Laboratory-collected eggs were reared in a Caron Products® Insect Growth Chamber. All insects were housed in separate cups and fed frozen secondary screwworm larvae, Cochliomyia macellaria (F.) (Calliphoridae). Beetles from 1,889 eggs were studied (n = 323 at 16°C; n = 504 at 24°C; and n = 1,062 at 32°C). Mean developmental times for all life stages decreased as temperature increased. Mean total developmental times for C. maxillosus at 16, 24, and 32°C were 1,523.3, 857.8, and 571.3 hours, respectively. Developmental times were significantly different for temperature, life stage, and temperature × life stage interactions. All Tukey-Kramer pairwise comparison tests for developmental times per temperature were significant, while all life stage comparisons were significantly different except for the egg and second instar. Tukey-Kramer pairwise comparison tests for developmental time for all temperature × life stage interactions are discussed. All stages reared at 16 and 32°C showed increased mortality, with the highest mortality in the third instar and pupal stages (>60 and 90%, respectively). Attainment of adulthood was extremely low for 16 and 32°C (0.01 and 0.008%, respectively), whereas 47% of eggs at 24°C reached adulthood. Developmental times established at 24°C may potentially contribute to future postmortem estimations of deceased humans and wildlife based on accumulated degree days.
An electro—optical detector for focal plane mass spectrometers

Abstract An electro—optical ion detector for a Mattauch—Herzog focal plane mass spectrometer is described. The detector consists of a channel electron multiplier array, phosphor screen, fiber optic image dissector and vidicon camera system. Experimental verification of the concept is discussed with particular attention given to intense stray magnetic fields, resolving power, sensitivity and channel electron multiplier array geometry.
Postcranial stem tetrapod remains from the Devonian of Scat Craig, Morayshire, Scotland

Abstract The postcranial stem tetrapod remains from Scat Craig include a neural arch, humerus, tibia, femur, and incomplete pectoral girdles and ilia. These elements are all large or very large compared with the corresponding bones of other stem tetrapods. They correlate well in size with the proportions ofElginerpeton, the known stem tetrapod from Scat Craig, and probably belong to this genus. The neural arch has weak zygapophyses, and the ilia and shoulder girdles resemble those ofIchthyostega. The femur is strongly twisted, with the intercondylar fossa facing anteroventrally, so the hind limb probably functioned as a paddle. The tibia is broad, as inAcanthostegaandIchthyostega. The humerus is approximately intermediate in shape between those of osteolepiforms and later stem tetrapods, but seems to have a ventral radial facet likeIchthyostega. Overall, the postcranial bones combine apparent synapomorphies withIchthyostegaand characters which are uniquely primitive among stem-group tetrapods. This character combination is incongruent. A recently discovered postorbital bone from the site is, strictly speaking, indeterminable but may belong toElginerpeton; it broadly resembles the postorbitals ofIchthyostegaandAcanthostega, and demonstrates that the typical stem tetrapod facial morphology had evolved before the end of the Frasnian.
Raman Spectroscopy of Laminated Polymer Films by Integrated Optical Techniques

Abstract Raman spectra have been observed from two adjacent thin polymer films and the interfacial region. This has been made possible by the application of integrated optical techniques to Raman spectroscopy. The observed Raman spectra have their strongest intensity contributions from regions near the optical field intensity maxima, which can occur in either film or at the interface. Both the optical intensity and the scattering volume are increased significantly and Raman spectra with good signal-to-noise ratios can be obtained. The method will be briefly illustrated and spectra for a thin film of poly(styrene) on a film of polyvinyl alcohol) will be shown for various (modes) optical profiles.
The use of silicone material for impressions of deep-seated cavities

The setting time, elasticity and dimensional stability of silicone rubber base materials are described. An impression technic for deep-seated proximal cavities is presented which takes advantage of the properties of the silicone material and avoids the preoperative treatment of the gingival tissues with astringents or vasoconstrictors.
Adolescent gender-related abuse, androphilia, and HIV risk among transfeminine people of color in New York City.

Public health research has indicated extremely high HIV seroprevalence (13%–63%) among low-income transfeminine people of color of African, Latina, and Asian descent living in the U.S. This article...
Core genome components and lineage specific expansions in malaria parasites Plasmodium

Background The increasing resistance of Plasmodium, the malaria parasites, to multiple commonly used drugs has underscored the urgent need to develop effective antimalarial drugs and vaccines. The new direction of genomics-driven target discovery has become possible with the completion of parasite genome sequencing, which can lead us to a better understanding of how the parasites develop the genetic variability that is associated with their response to environmental challenges and other adaptive phenotypes.
Ultrasonography in renal lymphoma

Ultrasonographic findings in malignant lymphoma of the kidneys in four patients are described. In three patients the kidneys were diffusely infiltrated by anechoic masses showing good acoustic transmission. One solitary lymphoma had the ultrasonographic characteristics of any other kidney tumor. Ultrasonographic differential diagnosis of renal masses should include malignant lymphoma.
Year‐long Changes in Protein Metabolism in Elderly Men and Women Supplemented With a Nutrition Cocktail of β‐Hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate (HMB), L‐Arginine, and L‐Lysine

Background: A major contributing factor to the loss of mobility in elderly people is the gradual and continuous loss of lean body mass. Objectives: To determine whether supplementation of an amino acid cocktail daily for 1 year could improve the age-associated changes in protein turnover and lean body mass in elderly people. Design: Elderly (76± 1.6 years) women (n = 39) and men (n = 38) were recruited for a double-blinded controlled study. Study participants were randomly assigned to either an isonitrogenous control-supplement (n = 37) or a treatment-supplement (HMB/Arg/Lys) consisting of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, L-arginine, and L-lysine (n = 40) for the 1-year study. Lean tissue mass was measured using both bioelectrical-impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Rates of whole-body protein turnover were estimated using primed/intermittent oral doses of 15N-glycine. Results: In subjects taking the HMB/Arg/Lys supplement, lean tissue increased over the year of study while in ...
A multi-agent simulation for social agents

Agent-based modeling of human social behavior is an increasingly important research area. Many fully functional multi-agent systems have been developed and have been put to use over the years. But efficient scalable and robust social systems are difficult to engineer, both from the modeling perspective and the implementation perspective. There exist three important difficulties. First, the system needs to have an adaptable agent framework that can successfully make intuitive and deliberative decisions much like a real social participant would. Secondly, the system must have a robust architecture that not only ensures its functioning no matter the simulation, but also provides an easily understood interface that researchers can interact with while running their simulations. Finally, the system must be effectively distributed to handle the necessary number of agents that social research requires to obtain meaningful results. This paper presents our work on creating a multi-agent simulation for social agents that would overcome these three difficulties. Lastly, we present a simulation to test the system and provide the results of that simulation.
An Archaeal Iron-Oxidizing Extreme Acidophile Important in Acid Mine Drainage

A new species of Archaea grows at pH ∼0.5 and ∼40°C in slime streamers and attached to pyrite surfaces at a sulfide ore body, Iron Mountain, California. This iron-oxidizing Archaeon is capable of growth at pH 0. This species represents a dominant prokaryote in the environment studied (slimes and sediments) and constituted up to 85% of the microbial community when solution concentrations were high (conductivity of 100 to 160 millisiemens per centimeter). The presence of this and other closely related Thermoplasmales suggests that these acidophiles are important contributors to acid mine drainage and may substantially impact iron and sulfur cycles.
Selective Plating Medium for Leuconostoc in Mixed Lactic Cultures

Summary Thirty-six strains of starter organisms ( Leuconostoc and Streptococcus ) were tested for their susceptibility to various antibiotics and sulfa drugs. Tetracycline hydrochloride was found to have less inhibitory effect on leuconostocs than on streptococci. Consequently, a simple selective plating medium containing tetracycline (0.15 μ g/ml) in a tomato juice agar base was developed. Five experimentally mixed starters of known composition and seven commercial multiple-strain lactic starters were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the medium. The mixed starters were plated in control and in the experimental agar and incubated at 30C for up to 72 hr. Representative colonies were isolated from the tetracycline agar after 48 hr and after 72 hr and were identified by growth in litmus milk and by biochemical tests. Results showed an incubation period of 48 hr to be optimum for best selectivity of leuconostocs, because a few strains of Streptococcus lactis were not inhibited on further incubation.
A novel approach of three-dimensional hybrid grid methodology: Part 2. Flow solution

Following the previous paper of this series, which addresses the generation approach of three-dimensional DRAGON grids, we demonstrate the capability of effectively performing three-dimensional flow calculations for multi-components complex configurations. The flow solution is conducted by means of using a seamlessly integrated package made up of two well-validated NASA solvers, which are structured- and unstructured-grid codes, respectively.
MCAT to XCAT: The Evolution of 4-D Computerized Phantoms for Imaging Research

Recent work in the development of computerized phantoms has focused on the creation of ideal ldquohybridrdquo models that seek to combine the realism of a patient-based voxelized phantom with the flexibility of a mathematical or stylized phantom. We have been leading the development of such computerized phantoms for use in medical imaging research. This paper will summarize our developments dating from the original four-dimensional (4-D) mathematical cardiac-torso (MCAT) phantom, a stylized model based on geometric primitives, to the current 4-D extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) and mouse whole-body (MOBY) phantoms, hybrid models of the human and laboratory mouse based on state-of-the-art computer graphics techniques. This paper illustrates the evolution of computerized phantoms toward more accurate models of anatomy and physiology. This evolution was catalyzed through the introduction of nonuniform rational b-spline (NURBS) and subdivision (SD) surfaces, tools widely used in computer graphics, as modeling primitives to define a more ideal hybrid phantom. With NURBS and SD surfaces as a basis, we progressed from a simple geometrically based model of the male torso (MCAT) containing only a handful of structures to detailed, whole-body models of the male and female (XCAT) anatomies (at different ages from newborn to adult), each containing more than 9000 structures. The techniques we applied for modeling the human body were similarly used in the creation of the 4-D MOBY phantom, a whole-body model for the mouse designed for small animal imaging research. From our work, we have found the NURBS and SD surface modeling techniques to be an efficient and flexible way to describe the anatomy and physiology for realistic phantoms. Based on imaging data, the surfaces can accurately model the complex organs and structures in the body, providing a level of realism comparable to that of a voxelized phantom. In addition, they are very flexible. Like stylized models, they can easily be manipulated to model anatomical variations and patient motion. With the vast improvement in realism, the phantoms developed in our lab can be combined with accurate models of the imaging process (SPECT, PET, CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound) to generate simulated imaging data close to that from actual human or animal subjects. As such, they can provide vital tools to generate predictive imaging data from many different subjects under various scanning parameters from which to quantitatively evaluate and improve imaging devices and techniques. From the MCAT to XCAT, we will demonstrate how NURBS and SD surface modeling have resulted in a major evolutionary advance in the development of computerized phantoms for imaging research.
Measurement of Fourier-synthesized optical waveforms

Following the experiments of Shverdin and colleagues [Phys. Rev. Lett.94, 033904 (2005)] , we describe a technique for determining the temporal envelope of an optical beam whose spectrum consists of n discrete, equally spaced frequency components. Four-wave mixing is employed to generate n−1 higher-frequency sidebands. The relative intensities of these sidebands, together with the intensities of the incident sidebands, determine the unknown relative phases of the incident beam.
High-presure liquid chromatographic assay of theophylline in biological fluids

Abstract A method has been developed to determine the level of theophylline in biological fluids. The sample is acidified and then extracted with a mixture of chloroform and isopropanol containing oxaxepam as an internal standard. The methylxanthines are separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography using oxypropionitrile on a Porasil C column packing and quantitated in the effluent by UV absorption. This technique avoids special treatment of the plasma to eliminate caffeine and analyze the materials at temperatures at which they are stable. The method is rapid, specific and precise.
The Mammalian YL1 Protein Is a Shared Subunit of the TRRAP/TIP60 Histone Acetyltransferase and SRCAP Complexes

The multiprotein mammalian TRRAP/TIP60-containing histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex performs critical functions in a variety of cellular processes including transcriptional activation, double strand DNA break repair, and apoptosis. We previously isolated the TRRAP/TIP60 complex from HeLa cells (Cai, Y., Jin, J., Tomomori-Sato, C., Sato, S., Sorokina, I., Parmely, T. J., Conaway, R. C., and Conaway, J. W. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 42733-42736). Analysis of proteins present in preparations of the TRRAP/TIP60 complex led to the identification of several new subunits, as well as several potential subunits including the YL1 protein. Here we present evidence that the YL1 protein is a previously unrecognized subunit of the TRRAP/TIP60 HAT complex. In addition, we present evidence that YL1 is also a component of a novel mammalian multiprotein complex that includes the SNF2-related helicase SRCAP and resembles the recently described Saccharomyces cerevisiae SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex. Taken together, our findings identify the YL1 protein as a new subunit of the TRRAP/TIP60 HAT complex, and they suggest that YL1 plays multiple roles in chromatin modification and remodeling in cells.
Retardation of discrimination reversal by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in monkeys

Abstract Adult monkeys acquired a simultaneous 2-choice color discrimination after which they were given a series of ten successive discrimination reversals. Half of the monkeys received all of this discrimination training under the influence of a synthetic Δ 9 -trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC), the major psychoactive constituent of marihuana, while the other monkeys served as nondrug controls. The drug states for the two groups were interchanged during the eleventh reversal. Although acquisition of the initial discrimination did not differ between the drug and control groups, subsequent discrimination reversals were markedly retarded for the drug group. Performance of the drug group on the initial reversals was characterized by perseveration to the previously reinforced stimulus. Introduction of the drug to the control group during the final reversal also produced an impairment of discrimination reversal performance.
Single-Molecule Tracing on a Fluidic Microchip for Quantitative Detection of Low-Abundance Nucleic Acids

Here, we report a method capable of quantitative detection of low-abundance DNA/RNA molecules by incorporating confocal fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular beacons, and a molecular-confinement microfluidic reactor. By using a combination of ac and dc fields via a trio of 3-D electrodes in the microreactor, we are able to precisely direct the transport of individual molecules to a minuscule laser-focused detection volume (1 fL). A burst of fluorescence photons is detected whenever a molecular beacon-target hybrid flows through the detection region, and the amount of targets can be directly quantified according to the number of recorded single-molecule flow-through events. This assay consumes only attomoles of molecular probes and is able to quantitatively detect subpicomolar DNA targets. A measurement time of less than 2 min is sufficient to complete the detection.