cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Barriers to Integrating Mental Health Services in Community-Based Primary Care Settings in Mexico City: A Qualitative Analysis

Objective:Despite the high prevalence of mental disorders in Mexico, minimal mental health services are available and there are large gaps in mental health treatment. Community-based primary care settings are often the first contact between patients and the health system and thus could serve as important settings for assessing and treating mental disorders. However, no formal assessment has been undertaken regarding the feasibility of implementing these services in Mexico. Before tools are developed to undertake such an assessment, a more nuanced understanding of the microprocesses affecting mental health service delivery must be acquired.Methods:A qualitative study used semistructured interviews to gather information from 25 staff in 19 community-based primary care clinics in Mexico City. Semistructured interviews were analyzed by using the meaning categorization method. In a second phase of coding, emerging themes were compared with an established typology of barriers to health care access.Results:Prima...
Effect of slice excitation profile on ungated steady state cardiac perfusion imaging.

In cardiac perfusion imaging, choice of flip angle is an important factor for steady state acquisition. This work focuses on presenting an analytical framework for understanding how non-ideal slice excitation profiles affect contrast in ungated 2D steady state cardiac perfusion studies, and to study a technique for estimating flip angle that maximizes enhanced/unenhanced myocardial contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in single slice and multi-slice acquisitions. A numerical simulation of ungated 2D golden ratio radial spoiled gradient echo (SPGR) was created that takes into consideration the actual (Bloch simulated) slice excitation profile. The effect of slice excitation profile on myocardial CNR as a function of flip angle was assessed in phantoms and in vivo. For fast RF pulses, the flip angle that yields maximum CNR (considering the actual slice excitation profile) was considerably higher than expected, assuming an ideal excitation. The simulation framework presented accurately predicts the flip angle yielding maximum CNR when the actual slice excitation profile is taken into consideration. The prescribed flip angle for optimal contrast in ungated 2D steady-state SPGR cardiac perfusion studies can vary significantly from that calculated when an ideal slice excitation profile is assumed. Consideration of the actual slice excitation can yield a more optimal flip angle estimate in both the single slice and multi-slice cases.
Disaster factor screening using SoS conceptual modeling and an LVC simulation framework

Abstract Reliability and safety of engineered systems often extends to a system composed of autonomous and heterogeneous systems. Systems integration enables formation of larger system of systems with greater, encompassing scope and goals. Nuclear power station reliability and safety involves an extensive system of systems. Failures at Chernobyl and Fukushima underscore the rare but catastrophic ripple-effect of a failed system within a system of systems conceptual model. Modeling and simulation of systems with various scenarios increases confidence in conceptual models, particularly scenarios that are too costly or risky to assess by other means. This research implements a system of systems conceptual model of a notional Fukishima-like disaster using a Live-Virtual-Constructive simulation framework. Focusing on a conceptual model involving an unmanned aerial system intervention, the research illustrates the framework's utility and effectiveness for assessing system reliability and safety within the conceptual model. Novel use of a screening experiment demonstrates the framework's capability to rapidly identify critical factors and their significance. A framework encompassing live, virtual, and constructive simulations provides a generalized capability to compose, simulate, and evaluate from multiple perspectives the suitability of various systems and conceptual models to accomplish a broad range of emergency response missions including the one investigated here.
Perinatal and infant mental health in Australia: moving forward towards REAL prevention and early intervention - can we do it?

Objectives:Australia has been at the forefront of appropriate early intervention. Prevention of mental illness in infants by early identification and intervention in the mental health of their moth...
A quantitative assay of telomerase activity.

Purpose. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that extends telomeres at the ends of chromosome. Increased telomerase activity is associated with cellular immortality. The currently available assay for telomerase, i.e., telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), consists of 2 steps: (a) telomerase-mediated extension of an oligonucleotide primer by the enzyme-containing extracts of cells and tissues, and (b) amplification of the telomerase-extended primer products by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and detection of the PCR products. It is generally accepted that the current TRAP assay lacks quantitative precision. The present study was to develop a quantitative telomerase assay with greater precision and sensitivity.
Short sleep duration as a contributor to racial disparities in breast cancer tumor grade

Although African Americans (AAs) are less likely to get breast cancer than European Americans (EAs), they get more aggressive forms. We previously showed that short sleep is associated with higher tumor grade. It is well documented that AAs get less sleep, on average, than EAs. We studied the contribution of short sleep to racial disparities in breast cancer aggressiveness among 809 invasive breast cancer patients who responded to a survey on their lifestyle. Multivariable regressions and mediation analyses were performed to assess the effect of sleep duration on the association of race with tumor grade. AAs reported shorter average sleep (mean [standard deviation] 6.57 [1.47] h) than EAs (mean [standard deviation] 7.11 [1.16] h; P
An averaging method for the analysis of adaptive systems with small adjustment rate

An averaging method for proving weak convergence of a sequence of non-Markovian processes to a diffusion, together with an averaged Liapunov function stochastic stability technique, are applied to an automata model for route selection in telephone routing. The model is chosen because it is a prototype of a large class to which the methods can be applied. A useful method for applying the basic theorems to such processes is illustrated. Suitably interpolated and normalized "learning or adaptive" processes converge weakly to a diffusion, as the "learning or adaption" rate goes to zero. For small learning rate, the qualitative properties (e.g., asymptotic (large-time) variances and parametric dependence) of the processes can be determined from the properties of the limit. The general approach can be used to study adaptive routing methods in computer and other networks, as well as the asymptotic properties of stochastic difference equations.
High Brightness, Low Noise CW and GHz Repetition Rate Mode-Locked Semiconductor Disk Lasers

Optically-pumped semiconductor disk (vertical external cavity) lasers offer marked advantages over high power edge emitters. They offer high brightness, high noise suppression, no facet damage, multiple tens of Watt CW TEM00 single frequency, narrow line emission and enormous flexibility in intra-cavity tunable SHG and DFG high efficiency sources. Optically-pumped semiconductor disk lasers (OPSLs), also referred to as vertical external-cavity semiconductor lasers (VECSELs), offer enormous flexibility in their compact cavity design, excellent TEM00 beam quality as single frequency multiple tens of Watts wavelength agile sources and high brightness raw power sources with demonstrated power exceeding 100 Watts from a single emitter. At the latter power levels, there is evidence for strong lateral ASE and lasing when the spot size exceeds 1 millimeter. The compact cavity arrangement facilitates high power intra-cavity SHG generation in the visible and UV and OPSL technology now underlies Coherent's main product line of commercial semiconductor laser sources. The high circulating intra-cavity powers have also enabled the demonstration of record high power room temperature tunable THz emission via intra-cavity DFG. High peak and average power mode-locking has been demonstrated when a saturable semiconductor absorber mirror (SESAM) is inserted in the cavity. The short cavity lengths provide for high repetition rates in the 1–10 GHz range and such sources are currently being investigated as seed sources for frequency comb generation. Current challenges lie in SESAM degradation that becomes evident when pulse durations decrease towards 100 fs and peak power densities reach the multi-kW range. The current short pulse record is 95 fs. Different SESAM growth methodologies are being investigated including ultrafast surface state recombination of a near surface grown QW, low temperature QW growth, graphene and other saturable absorber sources.
Design Guidelines For Sequestration Feedback Networks

Integral control is commonly used in mechanical and electrical systems to ensure perfect adaptation. A proposed design of integral control for synthetic biological systems employs the sequestration of two biochemical controller species. The unbound amount of controller species captures the integral of the error between the current and the desired state of the system. However, implementing integral control inside bacterial cells using sequestration feedback has been challenging due to the controller molecules being degraded and diluted. Furthermore, integral control can only be achieved under stability conditions that not all sequestration feedback networks fulfill. In this work, we give guidelines for ensuring stability and good performance (small steady-state error) in sequestration feedback networks. Our guidelines provide simple tuning options to obtain a flexible and practical biological implementation of sequestration feedback control. Using tools and metrics from control theory, we pave the path for the systematic design of synthetic biological systems.
Key based Deep Data Locality on Hadoop

Apache Hadoop is a famous framework for big data science. Most of the research for improving the speed of big data analysis is researching based on Hadoop modules such as Hadoop common, Hadoop Distribute File System (HDFS), Hadoop Yet Another Resource Negotiator (YARN) and Hadoop MapReduce. The paper focuses on data locality on HDFS and MapReduce to improve the performance. The input data is divided into several blocks and stored in HDFS. Each block has sever key-value fair in map stages. The paper use the keys in block to make key-based Deep Data Locality (DDL). The MapReduce with key-based DDL reduce some steps on map stage, shuffle stage, and reducer stages to improve the performance of MapReduce. We tested the performance of MapReduce with block-based DDL and key-based DDL to compare with default MapReduce. According to the test, MapReduce with key-based DDL is 28% faster than default MapReduce and 15.4 % faster than MapReduce with block-based DDL. Additionally, key-based DDL can be combined other data locality methods to improve the Hadoop. Combined key-based DDL and block-based DDL improve the Hadoop performance up to 52.5%.The paper also introduced the simulator for testing the performance of MapReduce with applied data locality methods on Hadoop. The simulator display a performance of each stage of MapReduce using graph. Key-based DDL can be combined with other data locality research to get optimized performance in various data types and node’ status in the simulator.
Different roles of frontal versus striatal atrophy in HIV‐associated neurocognitive disorders

Gray matter (GM) atrophy is frequently detected in persons living with HIV, even in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), but the specificity of regions affected remains elusive. For instance, which regions are consistently affected in HIV? In addition, atrophy at which regions is frequently associated with neurocognitive impairment in HIV? Resolving these questions can potentially help to establish the possible neural profiles of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) severity, which currently is solely defined by neurobehavioral assessments. Here, we addressed these questions using a novel meta-analysis technique, the colocalization-likelihood estimation (CLE) technique, to quantitatively synthesize the findings of GM atrophy in HIV+ adults. Twenty-one of 386 studies published between 1988 and November 2017 and identified in PubMed were selected, plus four identified in other resources. In the end, 25 studies (1,370 HIV+ adults, 889 HIV- controls) were included in the meta-analysis. This technique revealed that GM atrophy in HIV+ adults was dominated by two distinct but nonexclusive profiles: frontal (including anterior cingulate cortex, [ACC]) atrophy, which was associated withHIV-disease and consistently differentiated HIV+ adults from HIV- controls; and caudate/striatum atrophy, which was associated with neurocognitive impairment. The critical role of caudate/striatum atrophy in neurocognitive impairment was further supported by a separate data analysis, which examined the findings of correlation analyses between GM and neurocognitive performance. These results suggest that the frontal lobe and the striatum play critical but differential roles in HAND. A neural model of HAND severity was proposed with several testable predictions.
Neutral face and complex object neurophysiological processing deficits in long-term schizophrenia and in first hospitalized schizophrenia-spectrum individuals.

Abstract Background Face processing is impaired in long-term schizophrenia as indexed by a reduced face-related N170 event-related potential (ERP) that corresponds with volumetric decreases in right fusiform gyrus. Impairment in face processing may constitute an object-specific deficit in schizophrenia that relates to social impairment and misattribution of social signs in the disease, or the face deficit may be part of a more general deficit in complex visual processing. Further, it is not clear the degree to which face and complex object processing deficits are present early in disease course. To that end, the current study investigated face- and object-elicited N170 in long-term schizophrenia and the first hospitalized schizophrenia-spectrum. Methods ERPs were collected from 32 long-term schizophrenia patients and 32 matched controls, and from 31 first hospitalization patients and 31 matched controls. Subjects detected rarely presented butterflies among non-target neutral faces and automobiles. Results For both patient groups, the N170s to all stimuli were significantly attenuated. Despite this overall reduction, the increase in N170 amplitude to faces was intact in both patient samples. Symptoms were not correlated with N170 amplitude or latency to faces. Conclusions Information processing of complex stimuli is fundamentally impaired in schizophrenia, as reflected in attenuated N170 ERPs in both first hospitalized and long-term patients. This suggests the presence of low-level visual complex object processing deficits near disease onset that persist with disease course.
1,2-(Bis)trifluoromethylation of Alkynes: A One-Step Reaction to Install an Underutilized Functional Group

Modifying the electronic properties of olefins is the quintessential approach to tuning alkene reactivity. In this context, the exploration of trifluoromethyl groups as divergent electronic modifiers has not been considered. In this work, we describe a copper-mediated 1,2-(bis)trifluoromethylation of acetylenes to create E-hexafluorobutenes (E-HFBs) under blue light in a single step. The reaction proceeds with high yield and E/Z selectivity. Since the alkyne captures two trifluoromethyl groups from each molecule of bpyCu(CF3 )3 , mechanistic studies were conducted to illuminate the role of the reactants. Interestingly, E-HFBs exhibit remarkable stability to standard olefin functionalization reactions in spite of the pendant trifluoromethyl groups. This finding has significant implications for medicine, agroscience, and materials.
A Systems Theoretic Perspective on Transfer Learning

The machine learning formulation of transfer learning is incomplete from a systems theoretic perspective. It focuses on algorithm parameters, features, and samples, and neglects the perspective offered by considering system structure and system dynamics. Furthermore, while the machine learning formulation serves to classify methods and literature, the systems theoretic formulation presented herein serves to provide a framework for the top-down design of transfer learning systems, including a novel definition of transfer learning and identification of key design parameters. We dichotomize the transfer learning problem into a question of transferring system structure and dynamics. We formulate our framework in the context of input-output systems. We use an actuator system as a case study throughout the paper to ground the discussion in a real-world transfer problem.
Dual-Method Contraception Among Adolescents and Young People: Are Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Users Different? A Qualitative Study.

Abstract Study Objective The purpose of this study was to understand the factors and influences that affect dual-method contraception in adolescent and young adult women using long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and whether these are unique to LARC users. Design Qualitative semistructured interview study. Setting and Participants Adolescents and young women aged 14-24 years using LARC methods, adolescents and young women aged 14-24 years using short-acting reversible contraception (SARC), and men aged 14-30 years. Interventions Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was reached. Main Outcome Measures The team used a grounded theory approach to identify common themes relating to dual-method contraception. Results Interviews were conducted with 20 LARC users, 26 SARC users, and 13 men. There were no differences in dual-method contraception use between LARC users and SARC users. Most participants used condoms primarily for pregnancy prevention rather than sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention. Relationship context played an important role in dual-method contraception among all 3 groups; participants were less likely to use condoms in a long-term or monogamous relationship than with new or casual partners. Most participants perceived themselves to be at low risk for STI acquisition, although even those who identified themselves to be at risk did not consistently use condoms. Immediate availability of condoms was a determinant of condom use in all 3 groups, whereas knowledge, access, and negotiation of condom use were not. Conclusion LARC users are similar to SARC users in their decision-making about condom use. Relationship factors and STI risk assessment are important components to be included in contraceptive counseling.
UNIT 12.3 Inhibition of N-Linked Glycosylation

This unit describes the use of inhibitors in cultured cells to prevent N-linked glycosylation of proteins to yield glycoproteins containing missing or altered chains. This approach is useful for examining potential functional role(s) of oligosaccharides on specific proteins or intact cells. First, the optimal concentration of inhibitor for the experiment (i.e., highest nontoxic concentration) is determined by monitoring [35S]methionine incorporation as a measure of protein biosynthesis. The inhibitor's ability to inhibit oligosaccharide processing is then determined by analyzing cells labeled with [3H]mannose using TCA precipitation or endo H digestion. A support protocol details a method for concentrating proteins by acetone precipitation.
Biological invasions drive biotic homogenization of North American crayfishes

The invasion of non-native species, and declines or extinctions of native species, can act together to drive either biotic homogenization or differentiation between regions over time. To date, no studies have investigated whether high incidence of biological invasions, as well as high risk of extinction, among freshwater crayfishes has resulted in biotic homogenization consistent with other taxonomic groups globally. We used Jaccard’s dissimilarity index to calculate taxonomic beta diversity of native crayfishes between and within major regions of North America, the most species-rich region on the planet for these organisms, and subsequently decomposed beta diversity into its turnover and nestedness components. To estimate biotic homogenization or differentiation, we next added introduced and established non-native crayfishes to these beta diversity calculations, and then incrementally subtracted native crayfishes on a gradient of high to lower vulnerability to extinction. We found that North American native crayfishes have extremely high beta diversity between major geographic regions of this continent, driven by turnover rather than nestedness, whereas beta diversity and its components are more heterogenous within major geographic regions. Further, we found that biological invasions by introduced non-native crayfishes drive biotic homogenization, rather than differentiation, between all regions of North America, and this effect was substantially greater than that of potential future extinctions. Within major regions of North America, biological invasions resulted in either biotic homogenization or differentiation, although the magnitude of homogenization when present was greater than that of differentiation. Cumulatively, biological invasions by non-native crayfishes are driving biotic homogenization of North American crayfishes. Management interventions are urgently needed to protect native species and ecosystems from the negative effects of these invasive crayfishes, as well as to conserve the antiquity and novelty of crayfish communities across North America.
Azetidine-based selective glycine transporter-1 (GlyT1) inhibitors with memory enhancing properties.

Abstract A strategy to conformationally restrain a series of GlyT1 inhibitors identified potent analogs that exhibited slowly interconverting rotational isomers. Further studies to address this concern led to a series of azetidine-based inhibitors. Compound 26 was able to elevate CSF glycine levels in vivo and demonstrated potency comparable to Bitopertin in an in vivo rat receptor occupancy study. Compound 26 was subsequently shown to enhance memory in a Novel Object Recognition (NOR) behavioral study after a single dose of 0.03 mg/kg, and in a contextual fear conditioning (cFC) study after four QD doses of 0.01–0.03 mg/kg.
A Fully Automated Method for Segmenting Arteries and Quantifying Vessel Radii on Magnetic Resonance Angiography Images of Varying Projection Thickness.

Author(s): Avadiappan, Sivakami; Payabvash, Seyedmehdi; Morrison, Melanie A; Jakary, Angela; Hess, Christopher P; Lupo, Janine M | Abstract: Purpose:Precise quantification of cerebral arteries can help with differentiation and prognostication of cerebrovascular disease. Existing image processing and segmentation algorithms for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) are limited to the analysis of either 2D maximum intensity projection images or the entire 3D volume. The goal of this study was to develop a fully automated, hybrid 2D-3D method for robust segmentation of arteries and accurate quantification of vessel radii using MRA at varying projection thicknesses. Methods:A novel algorithm that employs an adaptive Frangi filter for segmentation of vessels followed by estimation of vessel radii is presented. The method was evaluated on MRA datasets and corresponding manual segmentations from three healthy subjects for various projection thicknesses. In addition, the vessel metrics were computed in four additional subjects. Three synthetically generated angiographic datasets resembling brain vasculature were also evaluated under different noise levels. Dice similarity coefficient, Jaccard Index, F-score, and concordance correlation coefficient were used to measure the segmentation accuracy of manual versus automatic segmentation. Results:Our new adaptive filter rendered accurate representations of vessels, maintained accurate vessel radii, and corresponded better to manual segmentation at different projection thicknesses than prior methods. Validation with synthetic datasets under low contrast and noisy conditions revealed accurate quantification of vessels without distortions. Conclusion:We have demonstrated a method for automatic segmentation of vascular trees and the subsequent generation of a vessel radii map. This novel technique can be applied to analyze arterial structures in healthy and diseased populations and improve the characterization of vascular integrity.
Economic impacts and significance of the cruise ports in the USA

There are more than 50 federally authorised ports in the USA that feature cruise ship operations, where the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for construction, operations, and maintenance. However, federal budgetary funds are allocated mostly based on tonnages and commodities shipped rather than the number of passengers served. We aim to establish an economic impact platform to capture the complexity and uniqueness of a cruise port in the value-added chain. From what comprises a cruise maritime cluster and to what extent core cruise business are integrated, the economic impact of a cruise port is much different from the existing literature considering only passenger consumption. A comprehensive model is proposed that analyses cruise ports, cruise line operations, and the role of related business in the supporting industries. Through the use of the proposed simulation platform, economic impacts are calculated for one of the busiest cruise ports in the USA, Canaveral Harbor Florida.
Learning the Law in 1830s Massachusetts: The Contrasting Experiences of Wendell Phillips and Lysander Spooner

In the 1840s, Lysander Spooner and Wendell Phillips espoused opposing abolitionist interpretations of the United States Constitution. The former argued that the document did not sanction the enslavement of human beings, the latter denounced the text as a proslavery “covenant with death, and an agreement with hell.” This essay explores the effects of their contrasting legal educations on these theories. In the 1830s, Spooner worked as a legal apprentice under the tutelage of John Davis, Charles Allen, and Emory Washburn, three prominent lawyers (and politicians) working in Worcester, Massachusetts. By contrast, Phillips, consistent with his Boston Brahmin ancestry, attended the then-nascent Harvard Law School. The essay concludes that Spooner’s legal philosophy shows a far greater indebtedness to his legal education than does Phillips’s. This argument is defended by drawing on the voluminous correspondence and papers of both Phillips and Spooner, and the writings of their legal tutors and mentors.
Nicholas Ridout, Scenes from Bourgeois Life

Nicolas Ridout’s Scenes from Bourgeois Life is a specialized, performance-driven, academic volume on the devolution and reformation of spectatorship in the United Kingdom from the reign of the Geor...
Clinical Outcome of Transcervical Infusion of a Combination of Procaine Penicillin and Gentamicin in Late-term Pregnant Mares.

Abstract Transcervical intrauterine infusion of antibiotics may more effectively treat pathogens associated with fetal and neonatal disease in pregnant mares than standard systemic routes. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of transcervical antibiotic infusion by characterizing the gestational outcome in nine healthy pregnant pony mares following a single transcervical infusion of 2.4 million IU of procaine penicillin and 200 mg of gentamicin in a 10 mL volume during late gestation. Assessment of fetal-placental health was performed through serial measurement of the combined thickness of the uterus and placenta (CTUP) and fetal heart rate and mares and foals were closely monitored in the periparturient period. Fetal heart rate and CTUP remained unchanged after infusion, with no evidence of fluid accumulation or significant increase at the time-points 24, 48, and 72 hours. All mares foaled without complication 12–58 days after antibiotic infusion at a mean gestational age of 322.7 ± 12.7 days. Two out of nine foals displayed signs of mild neonatal maladjustment syndrome that responded to minimal supportive care and all foals survived to weaning without further complications.
Doppelgänger entropies

We report on a systematic study of Boltzmann entropy as a function of state space size. As the state space, characterized by the number of objects N, is increased we find that identical entropies are shared by many different state space configurations. These degenerate states are called doppelganger states. A calculus is developed to predict the occurrence of these states. Theoretical and numerical analysis shows that for large N almost all configurations are doppelgangers. Boltzmann entropy is fundamental to disparate disciplines such as statistical mechanics, mixing theory, combinatorics, and information theory. Our analysis then may have some broad interest.
Recovery of Screening Mammogram Cancellations During COVID-19.

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Society of Breast Surgeons and American College of Radiology released a joint statement recommending that all breast screening studies b...
The Phage Shock Protein Response

The phage shock protein (Psp) system was identified as a response to phage infection in Escherichia coli, but rather than being a specific response to a phage, it detects and mitigates various problems that could increase inner-membrane (IM) permeability. Interest in the Psp system has increased significantly in recent years due to appreciation that Psp-like proteins are found in all three domains of life and because the bacterial Psp response has been linked to virulence and other important phenotypes. In this article, we summarize our current understanding of what the Psp system detects and how it detects it, how four core Psp proteins form a signal transduction cascade between the IM and the cytoplasm, and current ideas that explain how the Psp response keeps bacterial cells alive. Although recent studies have significantly improved our understanding of this system, it is an understanding that is still far from complete.
1,3-propanediol production by Escherichia coli expressing genes from the Klebsiella pneumoniae dha regulon

The dha regulon in Klebsiella pneumoniae enables the organism to grow anaerobically on glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD). Escherichia coli, which does not have a dha system, is unable to grow anaerobically on glycerol without an exogenous electron acceptor and does not produce 1,3-PD. A genomic library of K. pneumoniae ATCC 25955 constructed in E. coli AG1 was enriched for the ability to grow anaerobically on glycerol and dihydroxyacetone and was screened for the production of 1,3-PD. The cosmid pTC1 (42.5 kb total with an 18.2-kb major insert) was isolated from a 1,3-PD-producing strain of E. coli and found to possess enzymatic activities associated with four genes of the dha regulon: glycerol dehydratase (dhaB), 1,3-PD oxidoreductase (dhaT), glycerol dehydrogenase (dhaD), and dihydroxyacetone kinase (dhaK). All four activities were inducible by the presence of glycerol. When E. coli AG1/pTC1 was grown on complex medium plus glycerol, the yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol was 0.46 mol/mol. The major fermentation by-products were formate, acetate, and D-lactate. 1,3-PD is an intermediate in organic synthesis and polymer production. The 1,3-PD fermentation provides a useful model system for studying the interaction of a biochemical pathway in a foreign host and for developing strategies for metabolic pathway engineering.
Labour Rights in the FTAA

Excerpt] Without an overall trade agreement containing stronger labour rights linkage than that of the NAALC model, advocates will have no central forum or mechanism for dealing with workers' rights in the Americas. This paper suggests that labour rights advocates can and should shape a new viable social dimension in hemispheric trade and demand its inclusion in the FTAA. The emphasis of this paper is on a viable, not a definitive or triumphant, solution. Workers and their advocates do not triumph in the current conjuncture of economic and political forces. They do not will their way to victory with the sharpness of their criticism or the strength of their denunciations; they hold their losses and make small gains where possible. Workers' advocates must coldly calculate what can be done with the reality they are dealt, hoping the outcomes will advance the longer-term struggle for social justice.
Polyomaviruses and human diseases

Polyomaviruses are small, nonenveloped DNA viruses, which are widespread in nature. In immunocompetent hosts, the viruses remain latent after primary infection. With few exceptions, illnesses associated with these viruses occur in times of immune compromise, especially in conditions that bring about T cell deficiency. The human polyomaviruses BKV and JCV are known to cause, respectively, hemorrhagic cystitis in recipients of bone marrow transplantation and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in immunocompromised patients, for example, by HIV infection. Recently, transplant nephropathy due to BKV infection has been increasingly recognized as the cause for renal allograft failure. Quantitation of polyomavirus DNA in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine, identification of virus laden "decoy cells" in urine, and histopathologic demonstration of viral inclusions in the brain parenchyma and renal tubules are the applicable diagnostic methods. Genomic sequences of polyomaviruses have been reported to be associated with various neoplastic disorders and autoimmune conditions. While various antiviral agents have been tried to treat polyomavirus-related illnesses, current management aims at the modification and/or improvement in the hosts' immune status. In this chapter, we provide an overview of polyomaviruses and briefly introduce its association with human diseases, which will be covered extensively in other chapters by experts in the field.
Hydrolytically deficient MutS E694A is defective in the MutL-dependent activation of MutH and in the mismatch-dependent assembly of the MutS.MutL.heteroduplex complex.

The roles of ATP binding and hydrolysis by MutS in mismatch repair are poorly understood. MutS E694A, in which Glu-694 of the Walker B motif is substituted with alanine, is defective in hydrolysis of bound ATP and has been reported to support MutL-dependent activation of the MutH d(GATC) endonuclease in a trans DNA activation assay (Junop, M. S., Obmolova, G., Rausch, K., Hsieh, P., and Yang, W. (2001) Mol. Cell 7, 1-12). Because the MutH trans activation assay used in these previous studies was characterized by high background and low efficiency, we have re-evaluated the activities of MutS E694A. In contrast to native MutS, which can be isolated in a nucleotide-free form, purified MutS E694A contains 1.0 mol of bound ATP per dimer equivalent, and substoichiometric levels of bound ADP (0.08-0.58 mol/dimer), consistent with the suggestion that the ADP.MutS.ATP complex comprises a significant fraction of the protein in solution (Bjornson, K. P. and Modrich, P. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 18557-18562). In the presence of Mg2+, endogenous ATP is hydrolyzed with a rate constant of 0.12 min-1 at 30 degrees C, and hydrolysis yields a protein that displays increased specificity for heteroduplex DNA. As observed with wild type MutS, ATP can promote release of MutS E694A from a mismatch. However, the mutant protein is defective in the methyl-directed, mismatch- and MutL-dependent cis activation of MutH endonuclease on a 6.4-kilobase pair heteroduplex, displaying only 1 to 2% of the activity of wild type MutS. The mutant protein also fails to support normal assembly of the MutS.MutL.DNA ternary complex. Although a putative ternary complex can be observed in the presence of MutS E694A, assembly of this structure displays little if any dependence on a mismatched base pair.
Hunting of the quarton

A summary is given of some of the author's results concerning the “CS equations” (C: Congruent S: Schroedinger operators) and the “ACS eqs.” (A: Altered). The CS eqs., respectively ACS eqs. are strongly 2+1-D (two spatial dimensions in addition to time) generalizations of the cornerstone (higher order) Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) eqs.,respectively IMKdV eqs. (I: Integrated, M: Modified) of soliton theory. The operator theoretic context which engenders the CS eqs. and the ACS eqs. is developed. The key to the relation between the CS eqs. and the ACS eqs. is either of the presented semifactorizations of the 2-D Schroedinger operator with potential function. Semifactorizations of the 4-D and 8-D Schroedinger operator are also achieved. Topics for further research are delineated.
Health and Fitness: An Issue for High School Teachers and Students

Abstract Health and fitness are important issues for high school administrators, teachers, and students. Obesity is a growing concern for all ages, and it is particularly relevant for adolescents because they are at a stage in which they may be establishing habits that will last a lifetime. It is also a critical problem at this level because there is frequently limited time for physical education in the high schools. High school faculty can have an important impact by serving as role models for students, reinforcing good health habits, integrating movement into their courses, collaborating with parents and professionals, and sharing ideas about community resources and activities with their students.
Paying Restitution: Experimental Analysis of the Effects of Information and Rationale

Research Summary Most crime victims do not receive the restitution they are owed. This study is an experiment that addresses two reasons offenders give for why they do not pay their court-ordered restitution: (a) lack of understanding of how much they owe and where their payments are directed and (b) a belief that the sanctions are unfair. A total of 771 offenders were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design in which, over a 6-month period, three quarters of the offenders received monthly letters that contained (a) information or no information about the economic sanctions they had paid and what they still owed (Information manipulation) and (b) a statement or no statement about reasons for paying restitution (Rationale manipulation). The remaining offenders did not receive a letter. The results 1 year after the experiment began (6 months after the last letter had been sent) indicated that offenders who had received letters containing information (Information condition) paid significantly more money and made significantly more monthly payments than did offenders in the other three experimental conditions. A cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that for every dollar spent on the experimental manipulation, approximately $6.44 in restitution was received. Policy Implications Research on deterrence has suggested that threatened punishment can lead to compliance only if the threat is real. The problem with such enforcement measures, however, is that this type of deterrence is too expensive to be broadly imposed. By contrast, inducing offenders to act based on internal motivation rather than in response to external contingencies of reward and punishment can lead to long-term behavior change. This study suggests that informing offenders on a regular basis about how much restitution they have paid and how much they still owe can lead them to pay more restitution and to make more monthly payments. We believe these effects primarily are the result of a change in internal motivation because if it were fear of being monitored that led to the increased payments, then the absence of monitoring (i.e., no letters for 6 months) should have reduced that fear, meaning that payments should have been reduced. They were not. Although the question of the generalizability of the procedure remains open, the results of this experiment suggest that, at relatively little cost (because information about payments was gathered from individuals’ court dockets publicly available on the Web), governments can increase restitution payments, benefiting victims, society, and perhaps the offenders themselves.
The Remarkable Sunsets

ON p. 157 of your current volume you ask your, “readers in all parts of the world” to communicate facts relative to the singular sunsets which have been seen.
698.5-Gb/s PDM-2048QAM transmission over 3km multicore fiber

We demonstrate the largest constellation optical transmission of 58.67Gb/s PDM-2048QAM using twelve single-mode cores of a 3km multicore fiber. As a result, 698.5-Gb/s transmission is achieved within an optical bandwidth of 3.4GHz.
Cusped electrostatic fields for dielectrophoretic levitation

Abstract Cusped electrostatic fields can be used for the dielectrophoretic levitation of air bubbles, liquid droplets, and solid particles in dielectric liquids. Using the Taylor series field expansion of Holmes, certain common properties of all axisymmetric cusped fields are examined. These general properties are important to the behavior of all practical dielectrophoretic levitation electrode configurations. If an axisymmetric cusped field has a point on-axis where ϖE z 2 / ϖz is a local maximum (release point), then there will exist some finite locus of stable levitation equilibrium points adjacent to this release point. The other limit of this locus will be determined by either a field null or a marginal radial stability point, beyond which the particle is not stable to radial displacements. Examples of each of these two cases are provided.
Prior x-ray therapy for acne related to tumors of the parotid gland.

• Findings from this population-based study in Los Angeles County, California, suggest that recently diagnosed tumors of the parotid gland are related to prior x-ray therapy for acne (relative risk = 2.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.07, 6.34). Responses to interviews with 408 patients with a parotid tumor were compared with responses of 408 neighborhood controls. Risk increased with an increase in the number of acne treatments, and the relative risk for 15 or more treatments was 8.0. Clinicians who are still using this form of therapy, as well as those clinicians who care for patients who received this treatment, should be aware of this additional risk associated with its use. (Arch Dermatol.1989;125:921-924)
Segmented-core single-mode fibres with low loss and low dispersion

Single-mode-fibre designs with segmented core for achieving simultaneously low loss and dispersion are described. Results showing dispersion flattening of ± 1.5 ps/km nm over a 280 nm range are presented. Such dispersion flattening is achieved while maintaining spot sizes of 4–5 μm, which compare favourably with those for earlier designs without dispersion flattening.
Anakinra (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist) has positive effects on function and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has severe and lasting effects on quality of life. This review (1) describes the disease progression, disability, and joint destruction that seriously alter a patient’s quality of life, and (2) explains how the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), anakinra, retards the progress of disease, thereby improving outcomes. Relevant articles were reviewed with a focus on RA, anakinra, and functional and quality-of-life outcomes. In randomized, controlled trials, the IL-1 Ra anakinra provided meaningful benefits for patients with active RA, such as decreased signs and symptoms of disease, slower radiographic disease progression, reduced disability, and improved health-related quality of life. The biologic agent, anakinra, provides to patients with RA a valuable treatment option that has a positive impact on both function and quality of life.
2-Tridecanone: A Naturally Occurring Insecticide from the Wild Tomato Lycopersicon hirsutum f.glabratum

A nonalkaloid insecticide was isolated from the wild tomato Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum and identified as 2-tridecanone, a compound 72 times more abundant in the wild tomato than in the cultivated tomato L. esculentum. Lepidopterous larvae (Manduca sexta and Heliothis zea) and aphids (Aphis gossypii) died when confined on 2-tridecanone-treated filter paper.
Arene Complexes as Catalysts

An overview of organic reactions catalyzed by π-arene complexes of transition metals is presented. The chapter summarizes only those transformations that take place at the metal atom, which is coordinated to an arene ligand. Two different mechanisms of formation for catalytically active species have been distinguished: (1) via dissociation of arene-metal bonds and (2) with the η6-arene ligand remaining on the metal. The topic is reviewed with emphasis on the types of organic reactions promoted by arene-metal complexes. The description of each reaction is provided with representative figures or schemes. Catalyst structures and key reaction intermediates are given to explain the reaction outcome. The use of π-arene complexes in the synthesis of complex molecules and industrial applications of arene-metal catalysts are discussed.
The role of partial miscibility on the properties of blends of a polyetherimide and two liquid crystalline polymers

Abstract This paper is concerned with the existence of partial miscibility of a polyetherimide (PEI) with both amorphous and semicrystalline liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) and its effect on the morphology of the blends of these polymers. Partial miscibility was determined by measuring the shift in the glass transition temperatures as determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. With increasing concentration of the LCP in the PEI/LCP blends, the glass transition temperature of the PEI phase shifted to a lower temperature. Annealing and mixing history were also observed to affect the degree of shift in the glass transition temperature. Morphologies of the partially miscible systems were found to be quite different from those of an immiscible system. It is likely that due to partial miscibility in these blends, a PEI-LCP solid solution coexists with the neat LCP phase.
Nitrogen removal in a surface-flow wastewater treatment wetland

From December 1993 through November 1994, we conducted a nitrogen mass-balance study on a 0.74-ha, surface-flow wetland that receives water from an oxidation pond in the municipal wastewater treatment system in Arcata, California, USA. Water samples were collected biweekly and analyzed for concentrations of NO3−N (nitrate), NH4−N (total ammonia), and TN (total nitrogen). Flow was calculated from hydraulic head measurements taken at two inlet weirs. Macrophytes and sediment were sampled during summer to estimate N storage in these compartments. The wetland removed 17% of the 16,600 kg of influent N during the annual cycle. Little removal occurred prior to mid-May; whereas from mid-May through November, 37% of influent N was removed. Expressed on an areal basis, net N removal was 1.84 g N·m−2·d−1 during the warmer months of the year and 1.07 g N·m−2·d−1 during the entire 12-month period. Nitrogen storage in the seasonal, above-ground increment of macrophyte biomass was only 7% of overall N removal by the marsh. From 1986 to 1994, 990–2,390 kg of N (or 0.046–0.11 g N·m−2·d−1) accumulated in the sediment—only 4–10% of overall annual N removal. Mean annual TN removal (1.07 g N·m−2·d−1) considerably exceeded mean influent NO3−N loading (0.64 g N·m−2·d−1), and removal of TN was highly correlated with NO3−N mass loading (r=0.89, P<0.001). Thus, sequential nitrification/denitrification appears to occur in the marsh, and denitrification (estimated at 0.95–1.02 g N·m−2·d−1) appears to be the primary N-removal mechanism.