cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of promoters for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates in recombinant strains of Wautersia eutropha

Recombinant strains of Wautersia eutropha expressing an artificial polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthesis operon under the control of different native promoters linked to polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) (P(phb)), acetoin (P(acoE), P(acoD), and P(acoX)) or pyruvate (P(pdhE)) metabolism were constructed and tested. The promoters were representative either of the enterobacterial sigma70 (P(phb), P(acoE), and P(pdhE))- or sigma54 (P(acoD) and P(acoX))-dependent promoters. To obtain polymers consisting of C4-C12 monomer units, an artificial operon consisting of the PHA synthase gene from Pseudomonas sp. 61-3 (phaC1 (Ps)) tandemly linked to the W. eutropha genes encoding beta-ketothiolase (phbA (We)) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate dependent acetoacetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) reductase (phbB (We)) was constructed. All recombinant strains produced PHA, indicating that the PHA biosynthesis genes were expressed under the control of the different promoters. Cell growth and PHA synthesis on MS medium complemented with gluconate or octanoate, and different concentrations of acetoin (0, 0.15, and 0.3%) clearly differed among the recombinant strains. While the P(acoD) and P(acoX) promoters mediated only low PHA yields (<1%) in the presence of the inducer acetoin, the remaining promoters-independent of the addition of acetoin-resulted in the production of PHA polymers with high 3HB fractions (90-100 mol%) and with high 3HO contents (70-86 mol%) from gluconate and octanoate, respectively. Interestingly, on octanoate-MS medium with 0.15% acetoin, the P(acoE) promoter mediated the synthesis of PHA with a relatively high 3HB fraction (48 mol%). While PHAs with high 3HB contents were obtained, the overall PHA product yields were low (<10%); thus, their potential application for further commercial exploitation appears limited.
Seismic Risk to the Charleston, SC Transportation Network

Earthquakes pose a considerable threat to lifeline systems in regions of high or moderate seismicity, such as Charleston, SC. In particular, in areas such as Charleston, where the last significant earthquake occurred over 120 years ago, most of the existing transportation facilities were designed with little to no seismic consideration. However, a growing public awareness of the seismic threat has motivated an assessment of the potential risk to the transportation network to support decision-making on mitigation strategies and emergency planning and preparedness efforts, such as emergency route (lifeline) selection. This paper presents the findings of the first phase of the project, which applies the seismic risk assessment framework with state-of-the-art tools and relevant data specific to the region of interest. This includes an inventory analysis of the roughly 340 bridges in Charleston County, and convolution of the seismic hazard with fragility curves analytically derived for classes of bridges common to this part of the country, and bridge damage-functionality relationships using region-specific data. The study includes assessment and comparison of the distribution of bridge damage for a number of different hazard levels or scenario events. The potential bridge functionality is also presented to aid in identification of emergency routes. The results provide insight for decision-makers as to the potential seismic risk to the transportation network in Charleston, and identification of emergency routes or regions in need of strengthening.
Lithium 1‐Methyl‐2‐(2‐methyl‐1‐(E)‐propenyl)cyclopropyl(phenylthio)cuprate

(E) [87084-08-0] C14H18CuLiS (MW 288.88) InChI = 1S/C8H13.C6H6S.Cu.Li/c1-6(2)4-8-5-7(8)3;7-6-4-2-1-3-5-6;;/h4,8H,5H2,1-3H3;1-5,7H;;/q;;+1;/p-1/t8-;;;/m0.../s1 InChIKey = ZUECAIQDKMYAGV-CZDIJEQGSA-M (intermediate for the synthesis of natural products, terpenes, and substrates for Cope rearrangement, divinylcyclopropane and [3,3]-sigmatropic shift studies) Preparative Methods: to a stirred solution of 1.03 g (5.4 mmol) of 1-bromo-1-methyl-2-(2-methyl-1-propenyl)cyclopropane in 50 mL of dry THF–ether (1∶1) at −78 °C under nitrogen was added dropwise a solution of tert-Butyllithium (10.8 mmol) in pentane. After the pale yellow solution had been stirred at −78 °C for 30 min, 0.93 g (5.4 mmol) of Phenylthiocopper(I) was added from a bent tube attached to the reaction flask. The suspension was warmed to −20 °C and stirred for 30 min, which gave a red brown solution of the cuprate. The solution was cooled to −78 °C for addition to the iodo enone.2 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: best used immediately following its preparation. THF and ether need to be anhydrous (distill from sodium benzophenone). Air and moisture should be excluded.
Memory Development in Evolutionary Perspective

A great insight afforded by evolutionary thinking is that an animal’s perceptual and cognitive abilities have been as much adapted to their ecological niche over time as have their morphology or physiology. So long as an animal grows up in conditions similar to that experienced by its ancestors, one can expect that its cognition will be well adapted to its current environment. That is, one can expect a species-typical pattern of cognitive development when one experiences a species-typical rearing environment. This is no less true of memory as for other cognitive systems, and remarkable memory abilities associated with Darwinian fitness have been demonstrated for some species, such as the ability of scrub jays (Aphelocoma californica) to cache and later locate hundreds of hidden food morsels (e.g., Clayton & Dickinson, 1999). Humans are no exception, and much has been written about the adaptive function and evolution of human cognition. The principal target of scholars’ attention (usually expressed as “what cognitive abilities truly separate Homo sapiens from other species”) has varied over the decades, from the cognition underlying tool use and manufacture to symbolic representation, language, and, in current times, social cognition (e.g., Alexander, 1989; Bailey & Geary, 2009; Bjorklund, Causey, & Periss, 2010; Dunbar, 1995, 2010; Flinn & Ward, 2005; Tomasello & Moll, 2010). In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to memory, or more specifically, the acts of remembering. One reason for this is that what is special about human memory is intricately tied to our symbolic/representational abilities, making “memory,” in one sense, more of a symptom than a cause of human cognitive uniqueness. And when we conceptualize memory as “acts of remembering,” humans, unlike scrub jays, do not appear to have exceptional recollection abilities, nor do they routinely travel long distances to the places of their birth to mate and give birth themselves, as some species of salmon do. Nonetheless, humans’ memory abilities, many tied to a general representational system, were well suited to the demands of ancestral environments and continue to be adaptive today. Moreover, what is special (and, in some cases, possibly unique) about human memory emerges over infancy and
Opinions and practices of clinicians associated with continuation of exclusive breastfeeding.

Background. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. Recent statistics indicate that initiation and maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding are low in the United States. Unfortunately, little information is available on how clinicians and health care organizations can best promote continuation of exclusive breastfeeding. Objective. To identify clinicians’ opinions and management practices that are associated with continuation of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study of low-risk mother-newborn pairs in a large, multispecialty group practice in which the mother was breastfeeding at 4 weeks. Mothers completed telephone interviews at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum, and their data were linked with their obstetric and pediatric clinicians’ responses to a cross-sectional mailed survey conducted during the same time period. Obstetric and pediatric clinicians included medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives. Overall response rates were 63% for mothers and 82% for clinicians (54 obstetric and 67 pediatric clinicians). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the characteristics of clinicians and mothers that predicted exclusive breastfeeding at 12 weeks. Results. Of the 288 mothers who were breastfeeding at 4 weeks and had a complete 12-week interview, 152 (53%) were exclusively breastfeeding their infants at 12 weeks. Mothers who discontinued exclusive breastfeeding were more likely to have experienced problems with their infant latching on or sucking (odds ratio [OR]: 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–9.7) or report that a health care provider recommended formula supplementation (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1–5.0). Clinicians reported limited time during preventive visits to address breastfeeding problems as a very important barrier to promoting breastfeeding. Obstetric providers were least confident in resolving problems with mothers not producing enough breast milk. Pediatric providers were least confident in resolving problems with breast pain or tenderness or cracked or painful nipples. In the final multivariate model, mothers whose pediatric providers recommended formula supplementation if an infant was not gaining enough weight (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.04, 9.7) or who considered their advice to mothers on breastfeeding duration to be not very important (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2–3.9) were more likely to have discontinued exclusive breastfeeding by 12 weeks postpartum. Black mothers were significantly more likely to discontinue exclusive breastfeeding by 12 weeks. Conclusions. Clinicians’ practices regarding formula supplementation of healthy infants and their opinions about the importance of their breastfeeding advice are associated with the likelihood that mothers will continue exclusive breastfeeding. Policies to enhance clinicians’ abilities to address breastfeeding problems within the constraints of busy practices could improve their ability to support exclusive breastfeeding.
Group SAX: extending the notion of contrast sets to time series and multimedia data

In this work, we take the traditional notation of contrast sets and extend them to other data types, in particular time series and by extension, images. In the traditional sense, contrast-set mining identifies attributes, values and instances that differ significantly across groups, and helps user understand the differences between groups of data. We reformulate the notion of contrast-sets for time series data, and define it to be the key pattern(s) that are maximally different from the other set of data. We propose a fast and exact algorithm to find the contrast sets, and demonstrate its utility in several diverse domains, ranging from industrial to anthropology. We show that our algorithm achieves 3 orders of magnitude speedup from the brute-force algorithm, while producing exact solutions.
A Comparative Analysis of Master Production Scheduling Techniques for Assemble‐To‐Order Products

This paper studies the master production scheduling (MPS) activity of manufacturing firms that produce assemble-to-order (ATO) products. It describes four techniques for master scheduling ATO products: end-product bills, modular bills, super bills, and percentage bills. These procedures are compared in terms of the percentage of customer orders delivered late, the mean tardiness of customer order deliveries, and the total cost of inventory using simulation analysis. The results indicate that the performance of an MPS technique is affected by the level of uncertainty of the end products' demands and the degree of component commonality in the product structure. In particular, modular bills produce the highest customer service level and super bills produce the lowest total inventory cost under most operating conditions. The conclusions also suggest that the choice of a particular MPS technique is often a compromise between the benefits of improved MPS performance and the costs of implementing and executing the MPS system.
Metabolism and biological activities of angiotensin II and des-Asp1-angiotensin II in isolated adrenal glomerulosa cells.

The steroidogenic activities and receptor-binding properties of angiotensin II and des-Asp1-angiotensin II were analyzed and compared with the metabolism of each peptide during incubation with isolated rat and canine adrenal glomerulosa cells. In isolated rat glomerulosa cells, equimolar concentrations of each peptide stimulated aldosterone production similarly over the first 20 min of incubation. However, at later times, the des-Asp1 heptapeptide was consistently less active, with one third the potency of the octapeptide at 40 min, and only one tenth that of the octapeptide after 120 min. In dog glomerulosa cells, the des-Asp1 heptapeptide was less rapidly inactivated and retained one third the potency of the octapeptide after 120 min of incubation. In each species, the maximum aldosterone response to the two peptides was similar at all time intervals studied up to 120 min. Also, no additivity between maximal concentrations of angiotensin II and des-Asp1-angiotensin II was observed. Assay of angiotensin ...
Normobaric Hyperoxia Reduces the Neurovascular Complications Associated With Delayed Tissue Plasminogen Activator Treatment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Background and Purpose— A major limitation of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) thrombolysis for ischemic stroke is the narrow time window for safe and effective therapy. Delayed tPA thrombolysis increases the risk of cerebral hemorrhage and mortality, which, in part, is related to neurovascular proteolysis mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We recently showed that normobaric hyperoxia treatment reduces MMP-9 expression and blood–brain barrier disruption in the ischemic brain. Therefore, we hypothesized that normobaric hyperoxia could increase the safety of delayed tPA thrombolysis in stroke. Methods— Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to normobaric hyperoxia (95% O2) or normoxia (21% O2) during 5-hour filament occlusion of the middle cerebral artery followed by 19-hour reperfusion. Thirty minutes before reperfusion, saline or tPA was continuously infused to rats over 1 hour. Outcome parameters were neurological score, mortality rate, brain edema, hemorrhage volume, and MMP-9. Hemorrhage wa...
Early Paleoindian Women, Children, Mobility, and Fertility

If we take the archaeological record at face value, the colonization of unglaciated North America appears to have been very rapid. The highly consistent dating of Clovis archaeological sites (11,500-10,800 B.P.) suggests that this continent was populated within a matter of centuries. To explain the spatial and temporal scales of this phenomenon, it is necessary to invoke both high mobility and high fertility rates during the initial colonization process. However, it is widely believed that it is maladaptive for mobile foragers to have large numbers of offspring due to the costs of transporting those children. Thus, the archaeological record presents us with a paradox. Using a mathematical model that estimates the costs of raising children for mobile hunter-gatherers, this paper asks the question-is high mobility compatible with high fertility? It is concluded that high mobility, if defined as the frequent movement of residential base camps, is quite compatible with high fertility, and that early Paleoindians could indeed have been characterized by high reproductive rates. Therefore, it is quite possible that the Americas were populated very rapidly by highly mobile hunter-gatherers.
Usefulness of Rectal Biopsy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

With careful "standardized" technique and proper handling, rectal biopsies can be useful diagnostic and therapeutic adjuncts in the initial evaluation and then long term observation of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Dynamics of a Thunderstorm Outflow

Abstract The kinematic and thermodynamic structures of a thunderstorm outflow are examined by means of dual Doppler radar analysis, mesonet, lower, and sounding data. The data were collected in the Denver, Colorado area during June 1984. The dual-Doppler analysis shows that the cold outflow is ducted beneath the PBL inversion. Along the gust front there is a narrow quasi-two-dimensional updraft. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) developed along the top of the gust front head near the surface front, and propagated backwards, dissipating in the wake of the head region. An isothermal layer aloft appears to have limited billow amplification to the quasi-neutral layer below. The gust front's leading edge had numerous inflections which are believed to result from barotrophic instabilities. Small vortices develop at some of the inflection points. Detailed analysis of one such circulation shows evidence of the formation of two enhanced updrafts separated by an occlusion downdraft. These observations are the firs...
Algebraic Groups and Homogeneous Spaces

We now develop the theory of linear algebraic groups and their homogeneous spaces, as a preparation for the geometric approach to representations and invariant theory in Chapter 12.
Taxonomic note on Sarata tephrella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Pyralidae: Phycitinae)

The female of Sarata tephrella Ragonot is described for the first time. Variation in males and females is illustrated and discussed. Photos of the habitat are presented, and the larval host is postulated.
Pulmonary mass in an immunocompromised patient: think outside the box.

A 41-year-old man with a history of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (last CD4 count was 40 cells/mL) presented to the emergency department complaining of sore throat for 2 weeks, which was worse with swallowing. He denied fever, dyspnea, cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, or epistaxis. Initial evaluation found tachypnea and a peripheral oxygen saturation of 90% on room air. Auscultation revealed normal breathing sounds and no additional sounds. There were no skin or mucus-membranes lesions. He had a history of vitiligo, and his surgical history included repair of an inguinal hernia and removal of a kidney stone. He was on highly active retroviral therapy, dapsone, and azithromycin. He was a smoker and his family history was positive for lung cancer and coronary artery disease. Chest radiograph showed a left-upper-lobe mass (Fig. 1). Arterial blood gas analysis showed a pH of 7.43, a PaCO2 of 35.5 mm Hg, a PaO2 of 56 mm Hg, and an oxygen saturation of 86%. Contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) showed an enhancing leftupper-lobe mass with feeding pulmonary blood vessels, which was diagnostic of a pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) (Fig. 2). His hypoxia was not improving with supplemental oxygen. An arterial blood sample taken while he was breathing 100% oxygen showed a pH of 7.39, a PaCO2 of 38 mm Hg, a PaO2 of 86 mm Hg, and an oxygen saturation of 95%. The shunt fraction was calculated at 27%. Given his symptoms, hypoxemia, and the size of the PAVM, he underwent pulmonary angiography, which confirmed a large PAVM with 2 feeding arteries, which were successfully embolized (Fig. 3). His symptoms improved and he was discharged home. A few weeks after the embolization, chest radiograph showed resolution of the leftupper-lobe mass (Fig. 4), and his arterial blood gas values on 100% oxygen were: pH 7.43, PaCO2 37 mm Hg, PaO2 367 mm Hg, and oxygen saturation 97%.
Setting Conventional Force Requirements: Roughly Right or Precisely Wrong?

The author analyzes the basic quanititative methodologies employed in the open literature to assess conventional forces and evaluates the extent to which they can be used to set military requirements with a new degree of reliability and accuracy. The recent proliferation of literature on conventional forces has begun to fill an important gap in the strategic studies field. Insufficient understanding of essential elements of ground combat, the context sensitivity of key variables, and inaccurate and unreliable data bases mean, however, that the output of both static and dynamic methodologies contains high levels of uncertainty. This seemingly irreducible uncertainty precludes the use of existing models to make definitive judgment about military needs. Nevertheless, because such uncertainty enhances deterrence, it may not only be unavoidable, but also preferable.
Recent advances in thermoplastic elastomer synthesis

Abstract A variety of living polymerization systems are now available for the controlled synthesis of block copolymers. Although living anionic polymerization remains as the method of choice for the most precise structural control, living polymerizations proceeding via other mechanistic types provide extremely useful extensions of this methodology to a wider variety of monomers.
Deep-Level Dominated Current-Voltage Characteristics of Novel Semiconductor Heterostructures

Current-voltage characteristics of Au contacts formed on buried implanted oxide silicon-on-insulator structures and molecular beam epitaxially grown GaAs on (1012) sapphire and silicon-on-sapphire substrates indicate that the dominant transport mechanism in these films is space-charge-limited current conduction in the presence of deep-level states. The deep-level parameters, determined using an analysis of the current-voltage characteristics, appear to be sensitive to the nature of crystallographic defects present in the grown layers. Conduction in the GaAs film on SOS was dominated by one discrete state located ~ 0.28eV below the conduction band-edge, which is close to the El center uniquely observed in the molecular beam epitaxially grown GaAs-on-Si. Discrete levels are also observed in annealed buried implanted oxide silicon-on-insulator films. In contrast, the GaAs films deposited directly on (1012) sapphire substrates and rapid-thermally annealed high-dose As implanted buried oxide SOI films appear to have a continuous distribution of states. The distributed states in GaAs films deposited directly on sapphire probably arise from the electrical activity of the double-position boundaries present in this material system.
The Context, Content, and Credibility of La Florida del Ynca *

Even if the narrative is ornate, elegant, and copious of words Even if persons, places, and times are conveniently displayed Even if the shape of towns and the site and order of battles are fully described Even if the mind of the reader is artfully attracted to the material If the truth is missing it can never be called history. The historical writings of Garcilaso Inca de la Vega (1539-1616) have evoked varying responses since they appeared. Consideration of his work has concerned its historical value rather less than it has examined Garcilaso's literary style, indigenist perspective, ambicultural dilemma, and irrepressible imagination. In turn most of this commentary has concentrated on Garcilaso's account of Inca history and customs as embodied in the Comentarios reales. Garcilaso's integrated, coherent, and circumstantial account was long regarded as the orthodox version of Inca matters, if only because it so congenially mirrored European ideas of what historical writing should be all about. Of late, however, it has come under fire as it becomes increasingly apparent that the weight of archeological, ethno-historical, and cultural evidence fails to sustain Garcilaso's projection of imperial status, utopian social norms, and quasi-Christian habits to the very beginnings of the Inca polity.
Mill's Principle of Government as a Basis of Democracy

The founders and 19th-century leaders of the American demo cratic experiment sought to base their institution on a rationalist and individualist model of political reality. As characterized by D. M. Levit?n, they distrusted representative government and power ful executives, subscribing to a laissez-faire philosophy: he governs best who governs least.1 Levit?n goes on to accentuate the intimate relationship of the political system to its philosophical foundation. While he notes that Liberal ideas were well adapted to the needs of the plutocracy, he does not play down the importance of Liberalism to the particular form taken by political institutions in democracy.2 A paradigm of this Liberal doctrine is John Stuart Mill's famous Principle: "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will is to prevent harm to others."3 This Principle, if not the source, can certainly qualify as a rationalization for a great part of what passes for "policy" in a democracy.
Water and soil quality at two eastern-Kentucky (USA) coal fires

In this study, volatile organics and other relevant constituents in soil and water were analyzed at two fires in eastern Kentucky (the Truman Shepherd fire in Knott County and the Lotts Creek fire in Perry County). The samples were analyzed for a number of relevant constituents, notably benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX); and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). No water contamination was noted at either site and relatively low levels of soil contamination [defined as exceeding EPA soil screening levels (SSLs)] were observed at Truman Shepherd, but numerous Lotts Creek soil samples exhibited PAH concentrations above EPA SSLs. Specifically, benzo (a)anthracene, considered a highly carcinogenic PAH, was found at over 7000 times higher than the EPA SSL for soil (32 mg/kg). BTEX concentrations were low even where PAH and other constituents were high. This is likely due to the low atomic masses and high volatilities of BTEX compounds. The PAHs with the highest concentrations at Lotts Creek were in the mid- to high atomic mass range. The discrepancy in soil contamination between the two sites is consistent with differences in total organic carbon concentrations, which may reflect differences in soil cover.
How does evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of the vertebral artery test influence teaching of the test in a professional physical therapist education program

The purpose of “Evidence in Practice” is to illustrate the literature search process to obtain evidence that can guide clinical decision making. This article is not a case report. The examination, evaluation, and intervention sections are purposely abbreviated. Although faculty members have always had the obligation to remain current in their teaching,1 they are now being called on to provide evidence to support classroom teaching.2 We believe evidence-based teaching leads to several positive outcomes. First, the importance of using evidence to make decisions is modeled to students. Second, students are shown that, for some topics, the evidence is contradictory or sparse. Addressing this ambiguity in the classroom also models ways to address similarly ambiguous clinical situations. Third, evidence-based teaching provides faculty with one standard for deciding what should or should not be included in a curriculum. When teaching tests and measures to physical therapist students, we believe faculty should teach not only psychomotor competency, but also the appropriate use of test information in the clinical reasoning process. In order to draw confident conclusions from a clinical test, clinicians must understand the diagnostic characteristics of that test. Faculty should present the available evidence on diagnostic accuracy—including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios—particularly when the test itself puts the patient at risk. In the case of vertebral artery (VA) testing, the information gained from the test must outweigh the risk to the patient. Vertebral artery testing is a traditional component of cervical spine examination for the assessment of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI),3–7 a syndrome of brainstem ischemia.8 This syndrome can result from pathologies such as atherosclerosis of the subclavian, vertebral, and basilar arteries; postural hypotension; Stokes-Adams attacks; and mechanical compression from cervical spondylosis.9 It also has been attributed to cervical spine examination …
Sarcomas arising from chronic osteomyelitic sinuses. A report of two cases.

The case reports of two unusual sarcomas arising in chronic draining osteomyelitic sinuses are reported, and the literature is reviewed. It appears that although some sarcomas arising in these sinuses are fibrosarcomas that have a good long-term prognosis. others are rapidly fatal because of widespread metastases.
Passive NaCl transport in the flounder urinary bladder: predominance of a cellular pathway

The urinary bladder of the winter flounder is a high-resistance epithelium that can absorb Na and Cl in an electrically silent manner. This active absorption (mucosa-to-serosa) of NaCl is, apparently uniquely, inhibited by mucosal hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). These experiments evaluated the notion that virtually all of the cellular Na and Cl permeation could be inhibited by mucosal HCTZ. Mucosal Ba2+ reduced the transepithelial conductance from 0.74 +/- 0.08 to 0.60 +/- 0.06 mS/cm2. Mucosal HCTZ reduced the serosa-to-mucosa flux (backflux) of Na from 0.70 +/- 0.08 to 0.29 +/- 0.03 mueq.cm-2.h-1 and the backflux of Cl from 1.92 +/- 0.22 to 0.38 +/- 0.03 mueq.cm-2.h-1. The treatment with these two agents caused the sum of the partial ionic conductances for Na and Cl to approximate the measured transepithelial conductance. In response to the imposition of a transepithelial voltage, the HCTZ-insensitive Na and Cl backfluxes behaved largely as predicted by the laws of simple ionic diffusion, although there was still a detectable cellular backflux. As judged from dilution voltages and tracer fluxes, the diffusional (paracellular) pathway(s) is nonselective for Na and Cl. The HCTZ-sensitive cellular Na and Cl backfluxes are dependent on the presence of mucosal Na and Cl. Neither backflux is significantly inhibited by serosal application of commonly used inhibitors of Na or Cl transport. The results demonstrate that the majority of passive Na and Cl flux is via a cellular pathway. The translocation across the apical membrane probably involves the same NaCl cotransport process responsible for NaCl absorption.
The Present Need to Reconsider the Free-Trade Doctrine

Forty years after the end of the Second World War, the momentum for greater freedom of international trade has been exhausted. The Tokyo Round was its last hurrah. These forty years of remarkable gains in the reduction of impediments to international trade, and in the volume of international trade, may come to be known as the golden years of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (the GATT). Now, in the eighties, the forces of protectionism are gaining strength and clamour against imports is heard throughout the industrial world. Ranged against these resurgent forces for protectionism are conservative politicians who have complete faith in the workings of a system of markets, and a hard core of international economists who rank any departure from unsullied free trade with one of the deadly sins. Both groups cleave to the doctrine of free trade with something approaching a religious fervour. This fervour, on the part of the economists at least, probably derives from the destructiveness of the protectionism of the thirties, and possibly from the preoccupation of modern economics with formal welfare analyses. There is a close affinity between the orthodox, factor-proportions theory of international trade, and the derivative doctrine of free trade, and welfare economics. Both are based on models which are severely constrained in their applicability to reality by the assumptions under which they are developed.
Catechol- O -Methyltransferase Inhibitors in Parkinson’s Disease

Although orally administered levodopa is the mainstay treatment for Parkinson’s disease, its use is often complicated by a fluctuating response. This may be improved by strategies that provide more constant dopaminergic stimulation.
Non-Medical Use of ADHD Stimulants for Appetite Suppression and Weight Loss

The non-medical use of prescription stimulants is a public health concern. Medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a side effect of appetite suppression and some college students misuse stimulants for weight loss. These individuals are more likely to report appearance-related motivations, stress-related eating, poorer body image, unhealthy weight loss behaviours (e.g. smoking cigarettes), and eating disorder symptomatology (e.g. vomiting). This is concerning given the emphasis many young adults place on body image. Stimulant medication may seem like an easy way to lose weight. Future research should assess other young adult samples, adolescents, and situations that promote this behaviour.
The Andes Physics Tutoring System: An Experiment in Freedom

The Andes physics tutoring system is an experiment in student freedom. It allows students to solve a physics problem in virtually any legal way. This means that Andes must recognize an extremely large number of possible steps occurring in an extraordinarily large number of possible orders. Such freedom raises several research questions. (1) How can Andes solve the technical challenge of understanding student’s behavior in such a wide-open context? (2) How can Andes give pedagogically useful help and guidance? In particular, how can it guide students who are floundering without curtailing the freedom of students who are not floundering? (3) Will Andes be effective in getting students in real classrooms to learn physics? (4) What does it take to scale up Andes and disseminate it widely? The Andes project, which began in the mid 1990’s, has achieved workable solutions to the first three goals: Andes can understand student behavior; It provides pedagogical help similar to that of human experts; Most importantly, Andes causes large, reliable learning gains compared to control classes taught with convention, paper-based instruction. This chapter summarizes the first three results and discusses our progress on the fourth goal, scale-up.
What Is ‘The Meaning of Our Cheerfulness’? Philosophy as a Way of Life in Nietzsche and Montaigne

Robert Pippin has recently raised what he calls ‘the Montaigne problem’ for Nietzsche's philosophy: although Nietzsche advocates a ‘cheerful’ mode of philosophizing for which Montaigne is an exemplar, he signally fails to write with the obvious cheerfulness attained by Montaigne. We explore the moral psychological structure of the cheerfulness Nietzsche values, revealing unexpected complexity in his conception of the attitude. For him, the right kind of cheerfulness is radically non-naive; it expresses the overcoming of justified revulsion at calamitous aspects of life through a reflective, higher-order affirmative attitude. This complex notion of cheerfulness turns out to have roots in Montaigne himself, and it must (according to both philosophers) be thought of as a kind of second nature cultivated through practice, as a kind of second nature. Understanding the meaning of cheerfulness thereby sheds light on the conception of philosophy as a way of life in both Nietzsche and Montaigne.
Confirmatory factor structure and psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale.

The Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS; Mynard and Joseph, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 51-54 2000) is a 16-item self-report scale that captures peer victimization across four dimensions: physical victimization, verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property. Performance of the scale has not been evaluated among older adolescents. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and performance of the scale in two separate epidemiological U.S. samples representing different age groups: 9–14 year olds (N = 610) and 15–17 year olds (N = 524). The four-factor structure of the scale was affirmed in both samples, however; there was not metric invariance by gender in the younger age group. The scale and its subscales were found to have good internal consistency. Expected relationships between the MPVS and measures of irritability, anxiety, and depression were affirmed. Results support continued use of the MPVS among child and adolescent samples.
Career Education: A New Dimension in Education for Living:

After discussing the recent increase of interest in career education, the recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education, and the goals established by the U.S. Office of E...
Oligonucleotide-based drugs in the control of cytokine synthesis

As cytokines play key roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes, substantial research has been directed to identifying and elucidating the structures and functions of various cytokines and to understanding the processes that regulate them. Significant efforts have also been directed toward the identification of selective inhibitors of many of the cytokines (for review, see [1]).
EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION WHEN THERE IS NO EXERCISE TEST: THE TALK TEST

The Talk Test is a subjective measure of exercise intensity which, like RPE, has come to be accepted as an alternative to objective measures (%HRR, %VO2max) for exercise evaluation and prescription. This paper reviews the history and indications for using the Talk Test as a tool for both exercise evaluation and exercise prescription. The Talk Test, in one form or the other, has a long history, dating from at least 1937. It appears to be robust relative to the method of provoking speech and to the exercise mode. In the most widely used version, the subject recites a standard paragraph of 30-100 words, and responds to the question ‘Can you speak comfortably?’ With answers of ‘Yes’ (POSITIVE), ‘Yes, but…’ (EQUIVOCAL), and ‘No” (NEGATIVE), the Talk Test appears to be able to identify exercise intensities closely associated with the ventilatory (VT) and respiratory compensation (RCT) thresholds, and to bracket subjects into %HRR intensities closely associated with the accepted exercise/training intensity guidelines, without the need for performing a maximal exercise test. The Talk Test appears to work well in a range of populations from college students, healthy adults, elite athletes to patients with chronic diseases. It also seems to be a valid and reliable marker of the presence of exertional ischemia. In a variety of populations, the Talk Test appears capable of being translated into absolute exercise training intensities, on the basis of a commonsense step down sequence. The Talk Test appears to work by allowing detection of when the suppression of breathing frequency, which is necessary for speech, begins to lead to CO2 trapping, which interferes with breathing comfort. Its response to disrupting stimuli such as stochastic exercise, exercise training and blood donation follow predictable patterns. Guiding exercise intensity using the Talk Test instead of %HRR provides comparable responses during exercise training, without the need for an anchoring maximal exercise test. In summary, the Talk Test seems to offer a considerable promise as a means of exercise evaluation and prescription, in a wide variety of exercising individuals, without the need for a preliminary exercise test.Key words: exercise prescription, breathing, ventilatory threshold
Sound and rehabilitation robotics for pediatric cerebral palsy

Robots for pediatric rehabilitation are expected to have sensory-motor components and mixed media elements to enhance rehabilitation outcomes and make robotic therapy amenable to children. We have investigated the effect of sound in voluntary movement trajectory formation of children with cerebral palsy. The results indicate that including a musical melody during the execution of movement may be beneficial in robotic applications designed for the treatment of children with spastic cerebral palsy.
CCBD: A Record of Accomplishment.

A personal history of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) is given, with special attention to CCBD's beginnings. The development of the organization is traced since its incept...
The modulation of ovine T-lymphocyte subsets and lymphocyte blastogenesis by leucine and leucine metabolites

30 INTRODUCTION 31 MATERIALS AND METHODS Animals and Experimental Design 33 Diets 33 Blood Sampling and Lymphocyte Preparation 35 Lymphocyte Blastogenesis Determinations 35 Antibodies 36 Immunofluorescent Staining 37 Flow Cytometric Analysis 37 Determination of Serum Cortisol, Glucagon and Insulin Concentrations 38 Statistical Analysis 38 RESULTS 40 DISCUSSION 45 LITERATURE CITED 48
Urban Migration of Sexual Minorities in the United States: Myth or Reality?

It is often suggested that sexual minorities in the United States, especially gay men and lesbian women, move to urban areas at a higher rate than heterosexual individuals. Existing analyses of this claim are limited for one or more reasons, such as only examining patterns of current residential context without considering movement between contexts or only examining movement for partnered sexual minorities. Utilizing the General Social Survey, a probability survey of the US adult population, we compare patterns of residential context in childhood and adulthood for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual individuals. Initial findings do suggest that gay and lesbian individuals are slightly more likely than heterosexual individuals to reside in more urban areas as adults. However, this difference is explained away by the more urban childhood contexts of gay or lesbian individuals relative to heterosexual individuals. In sum, we find no robust sexuality effect on urban migration.
Evaluating the Quality of Mine Water Using Hierarchical Fuzzy Theory and Fluorescence Regional Integration

The quality of mine water samples from Hongliulin, Shaanxi Province, China was comprehensively evaluated. The inorganic fraction was analyzed by an analytic hierarchy process, while the main types of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were identified and quantified using fluorescence regional integration. Of the eight samples evaluated, those collected from surface water as well as one coal roof water sample (from the no. 52 seam) were classified as type I. These samples had much lower fluorescence integral values than their counterparts. One water sample from the no. 42 coal face and one from the no. 52 coal haulage roadway were type V, with much higher fluorescence integral values. All of the other water samples evaluated were classified as type II, with intermediate fluorescence integral values. This study showed that sedimentation can improve water quality from type II to type I, allowing it to be safely used for both human consumption and agricultural production. This strategy also reduced DOM by 37.17%.
Linkage of microbiota and osteoporosis: A mini literature review

The gut microbiota (GM) has become a recent topic of interest in the role of many disease states. Assessing patients with osteoporosis (OP), there is a strong correlation between gut microbe dysregulation and decreased bone density. Gut dysbiosis may lead to inflammation, dysregulation of nutrient and calcium transport across the intestine into circulation and systemic inflammation. Investigation of microbial profile relative to normal gut microbiomes, assessment of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Therapies to normalize GM in patients with OP or prevent occurrence of OP to be investigated include: High fiber prebiotic diets to promote growth of normal gut bacteria and short chain fatty acid production, Probiotics to encourage growth of normal gut microbes, and antibiotic treatment followed by fecal matter transplant.
Evaluating Fuel Tax Revenue Impacts of Electric Vehicle Adoption in Virginia Counties: Application of a Bivariate Linear Mixed Count Model:

Increasing electric vehicle (EV) shares and fuel economy pose challenges to a fuel tax-based transportation funding scheme. This paper evaluates such fuel tax revenue impacts using Virginia as a ca...
Phase boundary detection in transient, evaporating high-pressure fuel sprays by rainbow schlieren deflectometry.

The rainbow schlieren deflectometry (RSD) technique is used to simultaneously identify the liquid and vapor boundaries during transient evolution of evaporating high-pressure fuel sprays. Traditionally, liquid and vapor phases require separate diagnostics, whereas this work relies upon a single technique to identify each phase, in addition to the previously demonstrated capability of RSD to measure local fuel-air mixing in the vapor zone. The proposed RSD methodology is a significant improvement over a previously published technique, i.e., it is applicable to the transient period, and much less data and hence, computational effort, is required. Experiments are conducted in a constant pressure flow rig for multiple fuels and test conditions to demonstrate the capability of the proposed RSD diagnostic. For each test condition, multiple injections are performed in quick succession to obtain statistically significant data sets to depict the spray evolution at a spatial resolution of 100 μm, a camera framing rate up to 40 kHz, and an exposure time down to 1 μs. The method and the results are compared and discussed within the context of prior work using RSD, Mie-scattering, and Siebers’ liquid length scaling law.
Digital Immersion − case studies in virtual reality

Digital tools have transformed the ways we generate designs, pushing the boundaries in formal explorations, as well as the ways we represent them. In this vein, the impacts of the digital revolution affect both design practice and design education. We would like to investigate these impacts on our teaching of design studios, focusing on the virtual reality. Our premise is that the use of first-person immersion in a virtual environment is a means for experiencing space. We are interested in ways in which the abilities of virtual reality to simulate ranges of sensorial information could inform design processes. This paper will report in our research in our teaching that speculated about the values and application of these techniques. This paper aims to discuss our learning processes and experiences as well as to reflect on possibilities of digital means effective design pedagogy.
Quality of life after myocardial infarction: more PROgress needed.

The past several decades have seen a marked improvement in outcomes for patients with myocardial infarction (MI). New drug and device discovery, coupled with high-quality randomised trials, have provided clinicians with an armamentarium of evidence-based treatments for MI. MI care is also the focus of numerous regional and national quality improvement efforts, and MI care processes and outcomes are commonly used as measures of overall hospital quality. As a result, treating a patients with MI has become structured and protocoled in many hospitals. Patients with MI receive a common package of interventions and medications and have generally benefited with improved survival and avoidance of recurrent ischaemic events.1 Despite this success, MI remains a feared diagnosis for patients that can have long-term implications for health and quality of life (QOL). Available treatments for MI, and the clinical trials that bring them to market, are primarily focused on reduction of cardiovascular mortality, MI and stroke. The impact of MI on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as angina and QOL is often not assessed in trials or examined only in secondary analyses. Interventions specifically targeted to improve QOL, such as cardiac rehabilitation, are underused. To address this lack of focus on PROs, clinicians and researchers have developed a variety of measures to quantity symptom burden and QOL, some designed specifically for patients with cardiovascular disease. Instruments …