Relationship Between Scholastic and Health Behaviors and Reading Level in Adolescent Females

This was a study of 102 adolescent females, 12-20 years of age, presenting to a central city clinic for medical care. Participants completed an oral questionnaire that included demographics, and questions regarding scholastic history, sexual behavior, and substance use. Each subject completed the Accuracy Level Test (ALT), a reading test. The subject\u27s reading test grade level was subtracted from her appropriate grade in school to give a reading delay level (RDL). The mean reading grade level for all subjects was 6.7 ±2.6 and the average reading delay was 4.5 ±2.5 grades. Poor school attenders had greater reading delays (5.8 ±3.4 grades behind vs. 4.3 ±2.2 for good attenders

Asteroid team

The purpose of this task is to support asteroid research and the operation of an Asteroid Team within the Earth and Space Sciences Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The Asteroid Team carries out original research on asteroids in order to discover, better characterize and define asteroid properties. This information is needed for the planning and design of NASA asteroid flyby and rendezvous missions. The asteroid Team also provides scientific and technical advice to NASA and JPL on asteroid related programs. Work on asteroid classification continued and the discovery of two Earth-approaching M asteroids was published. In the asteroid photometry program researchers obtained N or Q photometry for more than 50 asteroids, including the two M-earth-crossers. Compositional analysis of infrared spectra (0.8 to 2.6 micrometer) of asteroids is continuing. Over the next year the work on asteroid classification and composition will continue with the analysis of the 60 reduced infrared spectra which we now have at hand. The radiometry program will continue with the reduction of the N and Q bandpass data for the 57 asteroids in order to obtain albedos and diameters. This year the emphasis will shift to IRAS follow-up observations; which includes objects not observed by IRAS and objects with poor or peculiar IRAS data. As in previous year, we plan to give top priority to any opportunities for observing near-Earth asteroids and the support (through radiometric lightcurve observations from the IRTF) of any stellar occultations by asteroids for which occultation observation expeditions are fielded. Support of preparing of IRAS data for publication and of D. Matson for his participation in the NASA Planetary Astronomy Management and Operations Working Group will continue

Monotelechelic Poly(oxa)norbornenes by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Using Direct End-Capping and Cross-Metathesis

Two different methodologies for the synthesis of monotelechelic poly(oxa)norbornenes prepared by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) are presented. The first method, termed direct end-capping, is carried out by adding an internal cis-olefin terminating agent (TA) to the reaction mixture immediately after the completion of the living ROMP reaction. The second method relies on cross-metathesis (CM) between a methylene-terminated poly(oxa)norbornene and a cis-olefin TA mediated by the ruthenium olefin metathesis catalyst (H_(2)IMes)(Cl)_(2)Ru(CH-o-OiPrC_(6)H_4) (H_(2)IMes = 1,3-dimesitylimidazolidine-2-ylidene). TAs containing various functional groups, including alcohols, acetates, bromides, α-bromoesters, thioacetates, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl esters, and Boc-amines, as well as fluorescein and biotin groups, were synthesized and tested. The direct end-capping method typically resulted in >90% end-functionalization efficiency, while the CM method was nearly as effective for TAs without polar functional groups or significant steric bulk. End-functionalization efficiency values were determined by ^(1)H NMR spectroscopy

Organizational and Operating Structures of a National Pork Producers Cooperative; Evaluation of Alternatives for Implementation of the Pork America "Umbrella" Model

This paper summarizes the structural components, activities and processes evaluated during the implementation of a national pork producers' cooperative. It reviews and compares various organizational structures considered and identifies the components, activities and processes that would best allow Pork America to fulfil its mission. The paper adds detail to the organizational structure of the "umbrella model" designed by the National Pork Producers Council Cooperative Task Force. More concretely, it outlines, evaluates, and compares alternative activities and processes to implement operations within that structure. It identifies strengths and weakness of each alternative, needs for internal and external competencies, potential business models, management scenarios, and financing options for the alternative approaches considered by Pork America. This approach supported the development of Pork America's master business plan. Governance and operational structures to allow Pork America to function successfully; incorporating local, state and regional groups as members; and be responsive to the restructuring occurring in the pork industry were described. The paper describes the essential components of each structure that was considered, including, but not limited to the following areas: (1) Relationships within operating units, among operating units, between a national headquarters and operating units, and between the board and management. (2) Groupings of employees into departments or operating divisions, within business units, and between business units and the scope of those operating divisions or business units. (3) Systems for communications, coordination, and integration among various divisions and units that make up Pork America, both vertically and horizontally. Methodologically this report is a descriptive case study of the Pork America Cooperative. It outlines the structure of the pork industry in which the cooperative is operating, and develops aspects of the New Generation Cooperative structure that are applicable to this cooperative. Furthermore, the paper identifies alternative activities and processes that Pork America considered or will be considering to implement this structure. Advantages and disadvantages of potential activities and processes are identified and compared. The organizational models discussed are based on those actually considered by the NPPC Task Force and the Pork America Board including: (1) a large-scale three-plant model; (2) a large-scale single-plant format, (3) a service company model, (4) a joint marketing model and (5) a national network model. The paper identifies the alternatives judged to best fulfill Pork America's objectives given the structural components implied in the umbrella model and the changing structure of the pork industry.Agribusiness,

The use of airborne imaging spectrometer data to determine experimentally induced variation in coniferous canopy chemistry

It was experimentally determined whether induced differences in forest canopy chemical composition can be detected using data from the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS). Treatments were applied to an even-aged forest of Douglas fir trees. Work to date has stressed wet chemical analysis of foilage samples and correction of AIS data. Plot treatments were successful in providing a range of foliar N2 concentrations. Much time was spent investigating and correcting problems with the raw AIS data. Initial problems with groups of drop out lines in the AIS data were traced to the tape recorder and the tape drive. Custom adjustment of the tape drive led to recovery of most missing lines. Remaining individual drop out lines were replaced using average of adjacent lines. Application of a notch filter to the Fourier transform of the image in each band satisfactorily removed vertical striping. The aspect ratio was corrected by resampling the image in the line direction using nearest neighbor interpolation

Genes for selenium dependent and independent formate dehydrogenase in the gut microbial communities of three lower, wood-feeding termites and a wood-feeding roach

The bacterial Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for CO_2-reductive acetogenesis is important for the nutritional mutualism occurring between wood-feeding insects and their hindgut microbiota. A key step in this pathway is the reduction of CO_2 to formate, catalysed by the enzyme formate dehydrogenase (FDH). Putative selenocysteine- (Sec) and cysteine- (Cys) containing paralogues of hydrogenase-linked FDH (FDH_H) have been identified in the termite gut acetogenic spirochete, Treponema primitia, but knowledge of their relevance in the termite gut environment remains limited. In this study, we designed degenerate PCR primers for FDH_H genes (fdhF) and assessed fdhF diversity in insect gut bacterial isolates and the gut microbial communities of termites and cockroaches. The insects examined herein represent three wood-feeding termite families, Termopsidae, Kalotermitidae and Rhinotermitidae (phylogenetically 'lower' termite taxa); the wood-feeding roach family Cryptocercidae (the sister taxon to termites); and the omnivorous roach family Blattidae. Sec and Cys FDH_H variants were identified in every wood-feeding insect but not the omnivorous roach. Of 68 novel alleles obtained from inventories, 66 affiliated phylogenetically with enzymes from T. primitia. These formed two subclades (37 and 29 phylotypes) almost completely comprised of Sec-containing and Cys-containing enzymes respectively. A gut cDNA inventory showed transcription of both variants in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (family Termopsidae). The gene patterns suggest that FDH_H enzymes are important for the CO_2-reductive metabolism of uncultured acetogenic treponemes and imply that the availability of selenium, a trace element, shaped microbial gene content in the last common ancestor of dictyopteran, wood-feeding insects, and continues to shape it to this day

Gravity Modes Reveal the Internal Rotation of a Post-mass Transfer Gamma Doradus/Delta Scuti Hybrid Pulsator in Kepler Eclipsing Binary KIC 9592855

We report the discovery of a post-mass transfer Gamma Doradus/Delta Scuti hybrid pulsator in the eclipsing binary KIC~9592855. This binary has a circular orbit, an orbital period of 1.2 days, and contains two stars of almost identical masses ($M_1=1.72M_{\odot}, M_2=1.71M_{\odot}$). However, the cooler secondary star is more evolved ($R_2=1.96R_{\odot}$) while the hotter primary is still on the zero-age-main-sequence ($R_1=1.53R_{\odot}$). Coeval models from single star evolution cannot explain the observed masses and radii, and binary evolution with mass-transfer needs to be invoked. After subtracting the binary light curve, the Fourier spectrum shows low-order pressure-mode pulsations, and more dominantly, a cluster of low-frequency gravity modes at about $2$ day$^{-1}$. These g-modes are nearly equally-spaced in period, and the period spacing pattern has a negative slope. We identify these g-modes as prograde dipole modes and find that they stem from the secondary star. The frequency range of unstable p-modes also agrees with that of the secondary. We derive the internal rotation rate of the convective core and the asymptotic period spacing from the observed g-modes. The resulting values suggest that the core and envelope rotate nearly uniformly, i.e., their rotation rates are both similar to the orbital frequency of this synchronized binary.Comment: ApJ accepted. We have added the following discussions: (a) the evidence of Am stars in the spectra; (b)two examples of the effect of mass-transfer on stellar oscillations;(c) the evolution of unstable frequency range of p-modes in Figure 7. We have corrected a mistake in the labeling of effective temperatures in Table