cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHARACTERIZATION OF AMPHORA AND SEMINAVIS FROM SOUTH FLORIDA, U.S.A.

Species in the genera Amphora and Seminavis were investigated in marine and coastal environments of South Florida. Taxa were compared with published descriptions, type specimens and photographic micrographs of type specimens obtained from several museums, resulting in refinement and revision of some nomenclatural concepts. We describe nineteen new species and two new varieties of Amphora (A. americana, A. archibaldii, A. caribaea, A. crenulata, A. floridae, A. gramenorum, A. indentata, A. lacinia, A. lunulata, A. luteum, A. montgomeryi, A. pseudoproteus, A. pseudotenuissima, A. scutella, A. spriggerica, A. subtropica, A. tegetum, A. vadosini, A. acuta var. parva, A. cymbifera var. heritierarum) and three new species of Seminavis (S. cyrtorapha, S. delicatula, S. witkowskii). Rare taxa for which we could not find descriptions are also presented with detailed descriptions and images. Ecological affinities are provided and compared to those reported in the literature. We use the broad representation of these...
Isolating behavioral mechanisms of intertemporal choice: nicotine effects on delay discounting and amount sensitivity.

Many drugs of abuse produce changes in impulsive choice, that is, choice for a smaller–sooner reinforcer over a larger–later reinforcer. Because the alternatives differ in both delay and amount, it is not clear whether these drug effects are due to the differences in reinforcer delay or amount. To isolate the effects of delay, we used a titrating delay procedure. In phase 1, 9 rats made discrete choices between variable delays (1 or 19 s, equal probability of each) and a delay to a single food pellet. The computer titrated the delay to a single food pellet until the rats were indifferent between the two options. This indifference delay was used as the starting value for the titrating delay for all future sessions. We next evaluated the acute effects of nicotine (subcutaneous 1.0, 0.3, 0.1, and 0.03 mg/kg) on choice. If nicotine increases delay discounting, it should have increased preference for the variable delay. Instead, nicotine had very little effect on choice. In a second phase, the titrated delay alternative produced three food pellets instead of one, which was again produced by the variable delay (1 s or 19 s) alternative. Under this procedure, nicotine increased preference for the one pellet alternative. Nicotine-induced changes in impulsive choice are therefore likely due to differences in reinforcer amount rather than differences in reinforcer delay. In addition, it may be necessary to include an amount sensitivity parameter in any mathematical model of choice when the alternatives differ in reinforcer amount.
Motivational Factors in a Japanese Labor Supply Organization

In late 1949, while working as a member of the Japan Occupation's sociological research unit, the writer was assigned the task of investigating the motivational factors that blocked the Occupation's attempts to eliminate the so-called "labor boss system." The Occupation's Labor Division, insistent upon a more rational and more democratic labor program for Japan, claimed that between two and three million workers were controlled by an anachronistic "boss" system. These officials charged that the labor boss required "kickbacks" of from 10 to 50 percent of the workers' wages; that he prohibited them from changing their jobs at will; and that he blocked any attempt by workers to exercise their rights. The problem of the Division, then, was how to free this sizable bloc of Japan's labor force from the yokes of the bosses.
The effect of pancreatic warm ischemia on islet isolation in rats and dogs.

Abstract Warm ischemia (WI) has been shown to be detrimental to organ function following transplantation. We investigated the effect of increasing warm ischemic time (WIT) on islet isolation in rats and dogs. Rat isolations were performed by collagenase digestion and Ficoll purification after increasing periods of WI. Dog isolations were performed after similarly increasing periods of WI by ductal perfusion with collagenase, counts being performed on unpurified tissue. Viability studies were performed on isolated purified rat islets by in vitro perifusion. Islet counts decreased as WIT increased such that after 45 min WI islet counts were only 45.7% of those at 0 WIT (P
Lava flows at Arsia Mons, Mars: Insights from a graben imaged by HiRISE

Abstract HiRISE has imaged a graben wall on the western flank of Arsia Mons volcano, Mars. This graben is ∼ 3 × 16 km in plan-view size and is oriented almost perpendicular to the general volcano slope. We have identified 1318 individual sub-horizontal layers, which we interpret to be lava flows, in the 885 m high, nearly vertical, eastern wall of this graben. The average and median outcrop widths of each layer are 149 and 85 m, respectively. No layers extend >1.72 km across the width of the section, arguing against these being either areally-extensive ash or paleo-glacial deposits, which has implications for the reoccurrence interval of glacial events and/or the long-term magma production rate of the volcano. Measurements ( N = 118 ) made at a 100-m spacing across the width of the section reveal that there are, on average, 17.3 layers at each location. This implies an average layer thickness of ∼51 m. Locally, however, as many as 7 layers can be counted within a 70 m-high part of the section, implying, if these layers are indeed lava flows, that Arsia Mons occasionally erupted flows that were only ∼10 m thick.
Hedonic Motivations and the Effectiveness of Risk Perceptions–Oriented Revenue Management Policies

The study proposes that deal-seeking travelers’ perception of risk may have a dual and contradicting impact on expected utility and, consequently, on their propensity to search for a better deal an...
New and interesting North American lichen records from the alpine and sub-alpine zones of Mt. Katahdin, Maine

Abstract Ten lichen species: Buellia miriquidica, Catillaria contristans, Fuscidea gothoburgensis, Hymenelia cyanocarpa, Lecanora caesiosora, “Lecidea” commaculans, Metamelanea umbonata, Micarea coppinsii, M. marginata and Stereocaulon plicatile are reported for the first time for North America from Mt. Katahdin, Maine. A further 22 taxa for which the Mt. Katahdin records represent a significant extension of their range on the continent, mostly being first reports from either eastern North America or the contiguous United States, are also reported.
Cost thresholds for dynamic resource location

The traditional dynamic resource location problem attempts to minimize the cost of servicing a number of sequential requests, given foreknowledge of a limited number of requests. One artificial constraint of this problem is the presumption that resource relocation and remote servicing of requests have identical costs. Parameterizing the ratio of relocation cost to service cost leads to two extreme behaviors in terms of dynamic optimizability. The threshold at which a specific graph transitions between these behaviors reveals certain characteristics of the graph's decomposability into cycles.
Optimization of a fuse opening switch for a compact power conditioning unit

The results from an investigation into the performance of a fuse opening switch, to be used as a component of a compact power conditioning unit, PCU, in an explosively driven high power microwave system, is presented. A pulse forming network designed to mimic the current action of a flux compression generator is utilized for these experiments. The investigation focused on the effect of altering fuse parameters, such as the diameter of fuse conductors and conductor winding geometry, on voltage and power levels delivered to a resistive load. Also, experiments were conducted with a thin layer of Semicosil, a commercial silicon material used in slower fusing opening switches, applied to fuse conductors, to investigate the possible advantages of using such a coating. Experiments showed that an increased number of conductor wires (with an approximately constant total cross-sectional area) resulted in similar voltages delivered to the resistive load, and that coating fuse conductors with Semicosil had a negligible effect on power delivery. A detailed description of these experiments will be given, along with data and waveforms illustrating the effects of these parameter variations on power levels delivered to the load.
A model for work activity schedules with synchronization for multiple-worker households

This paper presents a hybrid discrete choice-duration model for work activity scheduling with interactions between workers in a multiple-worker household. The model operates in discrete space with a fine level of temporal resolution. The key innovative feature of the model is the introduction of intra-household interactions through worker schedule synchronization mechanisms. The model was estimated based on a large Household Travel Survey from the San Francisco Bay Area. The estimation results confirmed that individual work schedules for workers in a multiple-worker household are subject to strong synchronization and should be modelled jointly rather than independently. In particular, workers in the same household tend to align their schedules and create time window overlaps for joint activities before and after work. Relative strength of the synchronization mechanisms proved to be a function of the person characteristics and household composition.
Estimating how quality characteristics and marketing services affect alfalfa hay prices

Contributions to Nevada alfalfa hay prices of physical measures of quality, marketing services and terms of sale were estimated using regression analysis. Data was obtained from a 1980 survey of Nevada alfalfa producers. Factors associated with higher protein content and more digestible matter per unit of weight had statistically significant positive effects on prices. Alfalfa hay prices are also significantly affected by marketing services (i.e., processing, transportation, and membership in hay grower cooperatives) and variations in terms of sale. Overall, about 52% of the differences in prices received were explained by 15 explanatory variables.
Relationships Between IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐1 and Adiposity in Obese African‐American and Latino Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine interrelationships between insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs), and adiposity in 49 African-American and 77 Latino obese adolescents (15.3 ± 0.1 and 15.4 ± 0.2 years; BMI: 33.0 ± 0.7 and 35.0 ± 1.0 kg/m(2), respectively). Immunoradiometric assays were used to measure IGF-1, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3. Total fat and soft lean tissue were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT), and hepatic fat fraction (HFF) were measured by magnetic resonance imaging. IGF-1 levels were 23.1% higher and IGFBP-1 were 40.4% higher in African Americans compared to Latinos after adjustment for total lean and total fat mass. IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 were inversely correlated with BMI, total fat mass, VAT, and HFF (r = -0.20 to -0.33, P < 0.05) while IGFBP-1 was inversely correlated with SAAT (r = -0.22, P < 0.05). These relationships did not differ by ethnicity, however, the relationship between IGF-1 and SAAT, as well as IGFBP-1 and HFF, differed by ethnicity. Predicted mean IGF-1 levels were 30.7% higher for African Americans at the 75th compared to 25th percentile of SAAT and only 11.7% higher for Latinos. Predicted mean IGFBP-1 levels were 158% higher for African Americans at the 25th compared to the 75th percentile of HFF while IGFBP-1 levels were 1.7% higher for Latinos at the 75th compared to the 25th percentile. These results demonstrate that the relationship between IGF-1 and SAAT as well as IGFBP-1 and HFF are different in African-American and Latino adolescents and may contribute to the higher IGF-1 levels in African-Americans.
Quantum chemistry of semiconductor clusters

The effect of size on the electronic structure of semiconductor clusters is discussed and the evolution of the absorption spectrum with cluster size is quantitatively modeled using pseudopotentials.
Apiaceous Vegetable Consumption Decreases PhIP-Induced DNA Adducts and Increases Methylated PhIP Metabolites in the Urine Metabolome in Rats

Background: Heterocyclic aromatic amines, such as 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), are carcinogenic compounds produced during heating of protein-containing foods. Apiaceous vegetables inhibit PhIP-activating enzymes, whereas cruciferous vegetables induce both PhIP-activating and -detoxifying enzymes. Objective: We investigated the effects of these vegetables, either alone or combined, on PhIP metabolism and colonic DNA adduct formation in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed cruciferous vegetables (21%, wt:wt), apiaceous vegetables (21%, wt:wt), or a combination of both vegetables (10.5% wt:wt of each). Negative and positive control groups were fed an AIN-93G diet. After 6 d, all groups received an intraperitoneal injection of PhIP (10 mg · kg body weight−1) except for the negative control group, which received only vehicle. Urine was collected for 24 h after the injection for LC–tandem mass spectrometry metabolomic analyses. On day 7, rats were killed and tissues processed. Results: Compared with the positive control, cruciferous vegetables increased the activity of hepatic PhIP-activating enzymes [39.5% and 45.1% for cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 (P = 0.0006) and CYP1A2 (P < 0.0001), respectively] and of uridine 5′-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase 1A (PhIP-detoxifying) by 24.5% (P = 0.0267). Apiaceous vegetables did not inhibit PhIP-activating enzymes, yet reduced colonic PhIP-DNA adducts by 20.4% (P = 0.0496). Metabolomic analyses indicated that apiaceous vegetables increased the relative abundance of urinary methylated PhIP metabolites. The sum of these methylated metabolites inversely correlated with colonic PhIP-DNA adducts (r = −0.43, P = 0.01). We detected a novel methylated urinary PhIP metabolite and demonstrated that methylated metabolites are produced in the human liver S9 fraction. Conclusions: Apiaceous vegetables did not inhibit the activity of PhIP-activating enzymes in rats, suggesting that the reduction in PhIP-DNA adducts may involve other pathways. Further investigation of the importance of PhIP methylation in carcinogen metabolism is warranted, given the inverse correlation of methylated PhIP metabolites with a biomarker of carcinogenesis and the detection of a novel methylated PhIP metabolite.
Complications of Intralesional Bleomycin in the Treatment of Orbital Lymphatic Malformations

AbstractPurpose: Lymphatic malformations (LM) are associated with significant morbidity, and in the orbit, can lead to vision loss. Treatment of these lesions is complicated by their infiltrative nature, making surgical excision challenging. Bleomycin has been used since the 1970s for sclerosis of LM to reduce the need for or improve the success of surgical excision. This paper reviews the complications associated with intralesional bleomycin in the treatment of orbital LM. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed. Thirty full-length English articles were reviewed. Results: The pathophysiology and imaging characteristic of LM were first reviewed. The head and neck literature was heavily cited given the dearth of specific orbital data. This review highlights the common techniques and dosages for injection, the overall success rate of this treatment, and its common side effects. The orbital data were then reviewed, and differentiated from the head and neck literature. Conclusion: S...
Endoscopic ultrasound in Barrett's esophagus

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has become, at the turn of the century, the most accurate imaging modality for local-regional staging of malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. For patients with adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's esophagus, EUS has a significant role in tumor staging, and some investigators have suggested that the techniques may be useful in determining when to operate in patients with high-grade dysplasia who have no endoscopic evidence of carcinoma. This article is an update of the current status of EUS in Barrett's esophagus, from staging adenocarcinoma to its role in patients with dysplasia.
Local Anesthetic Block of Batrachotoxin-Resistant Muscle Na+ Channels

Local anesthetics (LAs) are noncompetitive antagonists of batrachotoxin (BTX) in voltage-gated Na+ channels. The putative LA receptor has been delineated within the transmembrane segment S6 in domain IV of voltage-gated Na+ channels, whereas the putative BTX receptor is within segment S6 in domain I. In this study, we created BTX-resistant muscle Na+ channels at segment I-S6 (micro1-N434K, micro1-L437K) to test whether these residues modulate LA binding. These mutant channels were expressed in transiently transfected human embryonic kidney 293T cells, and their sensitivity to lidocaine, QX-314, etidocaine, and benzocaine was assayed under whole-cell, voltage-clamp conditions. Our results show that LA binding in BTX-resistant micro1 Na+ channels was reduced significantly. At -100 mV holding potential, the reduction in LA affinity was maximal for QX-314 (by 17-fold) and much less for neutral benzocaine (by 2-fold). Furthermore, this reduction was residue specific; substitution of positively charged lysine with negatively charged aspartic acid (micro1-N434D) restored or even enhanced the LA affinity. We conclude that micro1-N434K and micro1-L437K residues located near the middle of the I-S6 segment of Na+ channels can reduce the LA binding affinity without BTX. Thus, this reduction of the LA affinity by point mutations at the BTX binding site is not caused by gating changes induced by BTX alone. We surmise that the BTX receptor and the LA receptor within segments I-S6 and IV-S6, respectively, may align near or within the Na+ permeation pathway.
Subband-based, memory-efficient JPEG2000 images indexing in compressed-domain

The contribution of this paper is the development of a fast, subband-based JPEG2000 image indexing system in the compressed domain which achieves high memory efficiency. This is the extended work on a previously block-based indexing system. The feature extracted is variance of each wavelet subband in the compressed domain with the emphasis that subbands are not buffered to maintain memory efficiency. Retrieval performance on VisTex image database indexing has shown the effectiveness and speed up of execution of the proposed features.
Sodium Flux in Necturus Proximal Tubule under Voltage Clamp

Na transport and electrical properties of Necturus renal proximal tubules were analyzed, in vivo, by a voltage clamp method which utilizes an axial electrode in the tubule lumen for passage of current and simultaneous determination of net fluid (or Na) flux by the split droplet method. When the average spontaneous transepithelial potential difference of –8 mv (lumen negative) was reduced to zero by current passage, net Na flux doubled from a mean of 107 to 227 pmoles/cm2 per sec. The relationship between flux and potential over the range –25 to +10 mv was nonlinear, with flux equilibrium at –15 mv and droplet expansion at more negative values. Calculated Na permeability at flux equilibrium was 7.0 x 10–6 cm/sec. Voltage transients, similar to those caused by intraepithelial unstirred layers, were observed at the end of clamping periods. Tubular electrical resistance measured by brief square or triangle wave pulses (<100 msec) averaged 43 ohm cm2. The epithelial current-voltage relationship was linear over the range –100 to +100 mv, but displayed marked hysteresis during low frequency (<0.04 Hz) triangle wave clamps. The low transepithelial resistance and large opposing unidirectional ion fluxes suggest that passive ionic movements occur across extracellular shunt pathways, while the voltage transients and current-voltage hysteresis are consistent with the development of a local osmotic gradient within epithelium.
Emotional valence and arousal effects on memory and hemispheric asymmetries

This study examined predictions based upon the right hemisphere (RH) model, the valence-arousal model, and a recently proposed integrated model (Killgore & Yurgelun-Todd, 2007) of emotion processing by testing immediate recall and recognition memory for positive, negative, and neutral verbal stimuli among 35 right-handed women. Building upon methodologies of previous studies, we found that words presented to the right visual field/left hemisphere (RVF/LH) were recalled and recognized more accurately than words presented to the left visual field/right hemisphere (LVF/RH), and we found significant valence by visual field interactions. Some findings were consistent with one of the models evaluated whereas others were consistent with none of the models evaluated. Our findings suggest that an integration of the RH and valence-arousal models may best account for the findings with regard to hemispheric lateralization of memory for emotional stimuli.
Unaccusative verb production in agrammatic aphasia: the argument structure complexity hypothesis

Abstract This study examined patterns of verb production in narrative samples of eight individuals with agrammatic aphasia and seven education- and age-matched normal subjects. Comprehension and constrained production of two types of intransitive verbs—unaccusatives whose argument structure triggers a complex syntactic derivation and unergatives that are considered syntactically simple—was also tested. Results showed that in narrative tasks a hierarchy of verb production difficulty as seen in previous studies [Aphasiology 11 (1997) 473; Brain and Language 74 (2000) 1] emerged for the aphasic participants, with a preference noted for production of verbs with a fewer number of arguments. Both normal and agrammatic subjects also showed fewer productions of unaccusative intransitive verbs in their narrative samples as compared to other verb types (supporting findings reported by Kegl [Brain and Language 50 (1995) 151]. In contrast to relatively spared comprehension of both unaccusative and unergative intransitives, the aphasic participants showed significantly greater difficulty producing unaccusatives as compared to unergatives in the constrained task. These findings suggest that deficits in accessing verbs for production are influenced by the verb's argument structure entry and led to what is referred to as the ‘argument structure complexity hypothesis’. When verbs become more complex in terms of the number of associated arguments or when the argument structure entry of the verb does not directly map to its s-structure representation, production difficulty increases.
Evaluating the use of register queues in software pipelined loops

In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of a new hardware mechanism, called register queues (RQs), which effectively decouples the architected register space from the physical registers. Using RQs, the compiler can allocate physical registers to store live values in the software pipelined loop while minimizing the pressure placed on architected registers. We show that decoupling the architected register space from the physical register space can greatly increase the applicability of software pipelining, even as memory latencies increase. RQs combine the major aspects of existing rotating register file and register connection techniques to generate efficient software pipeline schedules. Through the use of RQs, we can minimize the register pressure and code expansion caused by software pipelining. We demonstrate the effect of incorporating register queues and software pipelining with 983 loops taken from the Perfect Club, the SPEC suites, and the Livermore Kernels.
Assessment of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty by Atrial Pacing and Thallium-201 Myocardial Imaging: A Case Report

Combined atrial pacing and thallium-201 scintigraphy were performed in a man with multiple coronary artery lesions unable to perform exercise stress testing. Severe angina and ischemic ST depression in the inferior and anterior ECG leads occurred at a peak double product of 22,400 beats-mm Hg/min; thallium-201 scintigraphy showed reversible perfusion defects of the inferior, posterior, and septal segments. After angiographically successful angioplasty of a 95% right coronary artery lesion, repeat atrial pacing/thallium-201 scintigraphy (peak double product 27,750 beats-mm Hg/min) produced mild angina no ST depression in the inferior leads, and a normal thallium-201 scan. This case illustrates the value of the atrial pacing/thallium-201 stress test for evaluating the need for, and results of, coronary angioplasty in patients unable to perform exercise stress testing.
Use of Autosuture Surgiport for pleural drain insertion

The insertion of pleural drains (tube thoracostomy) is associated with serious complications in up to 10 per cent of cases. A safe and efficient technique of tube thoracostomy using the Autosuture Surgiport is described.
Characterization of In Vitro Biofilm-Associated Pneumococcal Phase Variants of a Clinically Relevant Serotype 3 Clone

An increasing proportion of children with acute otitis media due to Streptococcus pneumoniae have serotype 3 infections since licensure of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. These serotype 3 strains are genetically related by molecular subtyping. During otitis media with effusion and recurrent otitis media, biofilms commonly develop. Pneumococcal in vitro biofilms are comprised of phase variants that differ in colony morphology. By using a representative strain of the mucoid serotype 3 clone, rough phase variants with a diverse array of mutations were detected in biofilms formed in vitro. Most phase variants had mutations in the cps3D gene, the first gene of the capsular operon. Eleven had single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cps3D gene, one had an SNP in the −10 promoter, and three had large deletions in the cps3D gene. Reversion to the mucoid phenotype was associated with reversion of the mutation in the cps3D gene. Unlike the phase variants detected in the nasopharynx, which have at least 20% of the parental amount of capsule, the in vitro biofilm-associated phase variants had ≤12% of the parental amount of capsule, as determined by capsule enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Using real-time reverse transcription-PCR, we determined that capsule expression in the phase variants was likely regulated at multiple levels. These in vitro phase variation data, which underscore the plasticity of the pneumococcus, need to be confirmed with in vivo analyses of the middle ear mucosa during otitis media.
Interclutch Variation in Sex Ratios Produced at Pivotal Temperature in the Red-eared Slider, a Turtle With Temperature-dependent Sex Determination

Many reptiles exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in which the incubation temperature of the egg determines the sex of the embryo. The purpose of the current study was to examine intraspecific variation in temperature sensitivity during TSD. Two aspects of temperature sensitivity were evaluated in the Red-Eared Slider, Trachemys scripta: (1) clutch-specific variation in sex ratios produced at pivotal temperature and (2) variation in clutch sex ratios produced over the nesting season (e.g., early nesting season, midnesting season, late nesting season). Relatively large numbers of clutch sex ratios were examined from two or three time periods (e.g., early nesting season, midnesting season, late nesting season), during each of three nesting seasons. The results indicate that pivotal temperatures vary significantly among clutches, with clutch sex ratios ranging from all male to all female when incubated near the putative pivotal temperature. The results on seasonal variation in clutch sex ratios were more ambiguous. Data from two of the nesting seasons do not reveal significant variation between time periods. During the third nesting season, sex ratios from the first two time periods were not significantly different from one another, but the sex ratios from the very end of the nesting season were significantly different from those of the two earlier time periods. In summary, the results reveal a clutch-specific variation in pivotal temperatures, but the results from the seasonal study of sex ratios did not consistently reveal a shift in sex ratios over each nesting season.
Consumers Believe They Will Have More Control Over the Future than They Did Over the Past

Consumers repeatedly fail to bring about desired outcomes, and yet they also fail to learn from their own and others’ mistakes. This paper proposes a potential cause for this failure to learn: people believe that they will have more control over the future than they had over the past. Across several real-life and hypothetical scenarios, participants express the belief that, despite the uncertainty inherent in the future, future outcomes will be more under their control than were identical past outcomes. This is true in self-control contexts as well as for more general behaviors and life circumstances. The difference does not arise due to a sense of general optimism, but instead is related to the fact that people perceive it to be more important to have control over events and behaviors in the future than it was in the past.
Contraceptive Use among Adolescents

Successful contraceptive use among adolescents depends upon many factors. Medical, social, psychological, and economic issues all may exert independent effects on the young patient. Medical concerns are important in the choice of any therapeutic regimen, but they may be secondary or of minor importance in selection of a contraceptive method that an adolescent will utiHze successfully. Successful contraceptive use depends upon resolution of both medical and nonmedical concerns of the patient.
Enzymatic Characterization of Recombinant Food Vacuole Plasmepsin 4 from the Rodent Malaria Parasite Plasmodium berghei.

The rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei is a practical model organism for experimental studies of human malaria. Plasmepsins are a class of aspartic proteinase isoforms that exert multiple pathological effects in malaria parasites. Plasmepsins residing in the food vacuole (FV) of the parasite hydrolyze hemoglobin in red blood cells. In this study, we cloned PbPM4, the FV plasmepsin gene of P. berghei that encoded an N-terminally truncated pro-segment and the mature enzyme from genomic DNA. We over-expressed this PbPM4 zymogen as inclusion bodies (IB) in Escherichia coli, and purified the protein following in vitro IB refolding. Auto-maturation of the PbPM4 zymogen to mature enzyme was carried out at pH 4.5, 5.0, and 5.5. Interestingly, we found that the PbPM4 zymogen exhibited catalytic activity regardless of the presence of the pro-segment. We determined the optimal catalytic conditions for PbPM4 and studied enzyme kinetics on substrates and inhibitors of aspartic proteinases. Using combinatorial chemistry-based peptide libraries, we studied the active site preferences of PbPM4 at subsites S1, S2, S3, S1’, S2’ and S3’. Based on these results, we designed and synthesized a selective peptidomimetic compound and tested its inhibition of PbPM4, seven FV plasmepsins from human malaria parasites, and human cathepsin D (hcatD). We showed that this compound exhibited a >10-fold selectivity to PbPM4 and human malaria parasite plasmepsin 4 orthologs versus hcatD. Data from this study furthesr our understanding of enzymatic characteristics of the plasmepsin family and provides leads for anti-malarial drug design.
Structure-Activity Relationship Studies and Molecular Modeling of Naphthalene-Based Sphingosine Kinase 2 Inhibitors.

The two isoforms of sphingosine kinase (SphK1 and SphK2) are the only enzymes that phosphorylate sphingosine to sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which is a pleiotropic lipid mediator involved in a broad range of cellular processes including migration, proliferation, and inflammation. SphKs are targets for various diseases such as cancer, fibrosis, and Alzheimer’s and sickle cell disease. Herein, we disclose the structure–activity profile of naphthalene-containing SphK inhibitors and molecular modeling studies that reveal a key molecular switch that controls SphK selectivity.
RFIC Transformer With 12x Size Reduction and 15x Performance Enhancement by Self-Rolled-Up Membrane Nanotechnology

Two types of on-chip RFIC transformers based on CMOS compatible strain-induced self-rolled-up membrane (S-RuM) nanotechnology, with extremely small footprint, are demonstrated. The rolled-up transformers, with their 3D tubular form factors, dramatically reduce the substrate parasitic effects and push the maximum working frequency into millimeter wave bands with a coupling coefficient, k, as high as 0.92. The 3D stand-up nature also allows the tube transformers to be less susceptible to residue stress in the substrate and thus compatible with flexible platforms for wearable RF applications. The demonstrated samples with a turn ratio, n, of 5.5:1 only occupies 805 μm2 on-chip area (s) which is 12x smaller than that of the best planar transformer with the same turn ratio, and its figure of merit n·k/s, is therefore ∼ 6046/mm2, enhanced by 15x.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Structural basis of stereospecificity in the bacterial enzymatic cleavage of β-aryl ether bonds in lignin

Lignin is a combinatorial polymer comprising monoaromatic units that are linked via covalent bonds. Although lignin is a potential source of valuable aromatic chemicals, its recalcitrance to chemical or biological digestion presents major obstacles to both the production of second-generation biofuels and the generation of valuable coproducts from lignin's monoaromatic units. Degradation of lignin has been relatively well characterized in fungi, but it is less well understood in bacteria. A catabolic pathway for the enzymatic breakdown of aromatic oligomers linked via β-aryl ether bonds typically found in lignin has been reported in the bacterium Sphingobium sp. SYK-6. Here, we present x-ray crystal structures and biochemical characterization of the glutathione-dependent β-etherases, LigE and LigF, from this pathway. The crystal structures show that both enzymes belong to the canonical two-domain fold and glutathione binding site architecture of the glutathione S-transferase family. Mutagenesis of the conserved active site serine in both LigE and LigF shows that, whereas the enzymatic activity is reduced, this amino acid side chain is not absolutely essential for catalysis. The results include descriptions of cofactor binding sites, substrate binding sites, and catalytic mechanisms. Because β-aryl ether bonds account for 50-70% of all interunit linkages in lignin, understanding the mechanism of enzymatic β-aryl ether cleavage has significant potential for informing ongoing studies on the valorization of lignin.
Towards an employment policy: optimum control theory and input-output analysis as instruments to planning

The objective of this paper is to integrate optimum control theory and input-output analysis in a model designed to provide elements toward policies of sectoral unemployment minimization. In the paper, the deterministic version of the optimum control problem with linear dynamic equation and quadratic performance criterion is briefly presented. In the model, the objective function contains an index that is regarded as representing the unemployment due to underutilization of sectoral capacity, which is minimized. The state variables are the sectoral gaps between actual output and potential (full-capacity) output; the control variables are the variations in the sectoral final demands accomplished by the government. In the empirical simulations, data from the Brazilian input-output table, built by IBGE, are used. The results show that the service and the civil construction sectors are the most responsive to policies intended to minimize sectoral unemployment, due to its wage coefficients and backward linkages, respectively. Other good reasons to stimulate those sectors are the acceptable degree of government intervention and the small consumption of imported inputs, which characterize them. Government intervention is then recommended to be concentrated on those two sectors.
Comparisons of Scores on Quick Test and Stanford-Binet Form L-M, for Retarded Children

For a sample of 40 young educable retarded children, the correlation between QT IQs and SB-LM IQs was .61. Thus the Quick Test correlates moderately well with the Binet, even with a restricted range of test scores. The QT IQ was significantly higher than the Binet IQ but showed no significant sex differences in test performance. These findings suggest that as with the adult and adolescent retardate, the Quick Test can be useful in assessing functional language ability and screening intellectual levels of young school-age children.
Energy Distributions of Fragments from Fission of U 235 , U 238 , and Pu 239 by Fast Neutrons

The energies of fragments from fission of ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$, ${\mathrm{U}}^{238}$, and ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{239}$ by 14-Mev neutrons, from fission of ${\mathrm{U}}^{238}$ by 2.5-Mev neutrons, and from fission of ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ and ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{239}$ by thermal neutrons have been measured in a single Frisch grid ionization chamber. The energy distributions for fast neutrons are similar to those previously obtained for fission by thermal neutrons. The most probable energies of the light and heavy fragments for fission by 14-Mev neutrons do not change significantly from their values for slow-neutron induced fission. The valley between peaks is higher for fission induced by 14-Mev neutrons than for low-energy neutron-induced fission.A double Frisch grid chamber has been used to measure simultaneously the energies of both fragments from fission of ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ by 14-Mev neutrons. The main change in the distribution of fission modes from that for thermal-neutron-induced fission is the increased probability for symmetrical fission.
688 CELL MEDIATED IMMUNE DEFECTS IN MALNOURISHED HOSPITALIZED U.S. CHILDREN

Severe protein calorie malnutrition is characterized by profound depression of cell mediated immunity. We studied 28 hospitalized U.S. children with various degrees of malnutrition to determine if similar defects existed. Ages ranged from 6 wks to 20 yrs. All had weights less than the fifth percentile for age. Chief diagnoses were chronic diarrhea(7), gastroesophageal reflux (4), Crohn's disease(4), and anorexia nervosa(3). Thirteen/28 eventually required hyperalimentation. 10/28 (36%) had marked depression (<50%) of T lymphocytes(E-Rosette Forming Cells - E-RFC). 5/10 had depressed PHA transformation (Index <40). 8/10 were <2 years. 3 pts had albumin <3gm/dl, 5 had hgb <10gm%. One 2 month old boy had decreased lymphoid tissue, decreased granulocytes and severe infection. 5/28 (18%) had mild decrease of E-RFC(50-60%). PHA index was low in 3 of these pts. 2 had hgb <10gm%, and 1 had alb <3gm/dl. No severe infections were seen. 13/18 (46%) had initially normal E-RFCs. All these had normal albumins; 3 had low hgb. E-RFC decreased to <50% in 3 pts, including one who had candida sepsis. We conclude that depressed T cell function occurs in malnourished U.S. children, may precede clinical infection, and is associated with young age, chronic diarrhea, and wts less than the fifth percentile. Hyperalimentation may be of value in correcting this defect.
Analysis on epidemic characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Qinhuangdao during 2005-2012

Objective To investigate the epidemiological features of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) in Qinhuangdao,and to provide the scientific basis for developing control strategies. Methods By methods of descriptive epidemiology, analyzed the epidemic situation of HFRS in Qinhuangdao from 2005-2012. Results 2 219 cases of HFRS were reported from 2005 to 2012.The average annual incidence was 9.79/lakh. The incidence of man to women was 2.78: 1. The highest incidence appeared in the age group between 30 and 59, accounting for 61.55%. The main occupation was farmers, accounting for 72.46%. Conclusion During2005-2012, HFRS presents a high- low-medium in the epidemiological characteristics. There is a tendency of rising in the prevalence of HFRS in Qinhuangdao, so comprehensive measurements, including the epidemic monitoring in high-risk areas, killing rodents and popularizing vaccine inoculation, are needed.
Directional Growth of Renal Calculi

AbstractThe forces involved in shaping urinary calculi reside in crystalline characteristics and especially in local influences. Box pelves may restrict passage and, by allowing mobility, help shape a round calculus. Fixation, occurring with a rapidly growing infection stone, facilitates initial growth on a matrix mold in a funnel pelvis, further aided by pelviocaliceal paralysis from bacterial endotoxins and later by stasis. Branched calculi are further shaped by contact with the pelvic and infundibular walls. Through pressure and mucous coating they grow only at the ends. Late caliceal obstruction frees the ends for clubbing. Consideration of these forces aids in prognosis and surgicalremoval, and may offer opportunities for prevention.
Gendered Metaphors of Women in Power: the Case of Hillary Clinton as Madonna, Unruly Woman, Bitch and Witch

Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first First Lady to move into the White House with a full-time professional career of her own, the first First Lady to win elected office in the US Senate, and the first woman to seriously contend for a major party’s nomination for the US presidency. As Hillary Clinton stood at the frontier of women’s struggle to break into the public sphere in their own right, she became the target for a number of highly stylised and gendered metaphors used to conceptualise her role in public life. Defenders and critics of Hillary Clinton have characterised her as a Madonna, an Unruly Woman and variants thereof: a Bitch, and a Witch.1 In this chapter, I critically examine the usage of these metaphors in books and newspaper articles about the senator by neutral observers, her supporters and detractors to unpack the layers of resistance that still exist against women in American public life. My thesis is that gendered conceptual metaphors, in variously imposing and/or retracting ‘masculine’ and/or ‘feminine’ traits, empower and disempower woman leaders.2 Indeed, while some gendered conceptual metaphors of women in power (Madonna and Unruly Woman) give only by taking, others (Bitch and Witch) mostly only take.
Aging, Neighborhoods, and the Built Environment

A voluminous body of neighborhood research has accumulated over the past two decades demonstrating that the social, economic, demographic, and physical characteristics of neighborhoods are consequential to residents’ physical and mental health status, mobility and physical activity, independence, capacity to perform activities of daily living, and ability to participate in social activities. Older people generally are considered to be especially vulnerable to adverse neighborhood conditions for several reasons. For example, they tend to have greater exposure to these conditions as a result of spending more time in their neighborhoods than younger adults who leave for work, and exposure is long-term for those who age in place. Daily activities also tend to become increasingly concentrated within a contracting spatial area as a result of age-related declines in health and the onset of mobility disabilities, making older persons increasingly dependent upon their immediate residential communities as sources of social integration, services, and amenities. In addition, greater sensitivity to neighborhood conditions has been attributed to decreased physical and cognitive functioning and increased fragility, and features of the built environment can accelerate the disablement process thereby putting the person at increased risk of developing secondary health conditions. However, the positive adaptations that people make to their environments as they grow older are often overlooked and research perspectives that overemphasize detrimental effects of aging have been criticized. Thus, it is of considerable importance to understand the ways in which neighborhoods and older persons interact with the ultimate objective of creating environments that enable people to attain their goals of continuing to live at home for as long as possible.
The Relationship between Estrogen and Nitric Oxide in the Prevention of Cardiac and Vascular Anomalies in the Developing Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)

It has been known that both estrogen (E2) and nitric oxide (NO) are critical for proper cardiovascular system (CVS) function. It has also been demonstrated that E2 acts as an upstream effector in the nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Results from this study indicate that the use of a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (NOSI) which targets specifically neuronal NOS (nNOS or NOS1), proadifen hydrochloride, caused a significant depression of fish heart rates (HR) accompanied by increased arrhythmic behavior. However, none of these phenotypes were evident with either the inhibition of endothelial NOS (eNOS) or inducible NOS (iNOS) isoforms. These cardiac arrhythmias could also be mimicked by inhibition of E2 synthesis with the aromatase inhibitor (AI), 4-OH-A, in a manner similar to that of nNOSI. In both scenarios, by using an NO donor (DETA-NO) in either NO + nNOSI or E2 + AI co-treatments, fish could be significantly rescued from decreased HR and increased arrhythmias. However, the addition of an NOS inhibitor (L-NAME) to the E2 + AI co-treatment fish prevented the rescue of low heart rates and arrhythmias, which strongly implicates the NO pathway as a downstream E2 targeted molecule for the maintenance of healthy cardiomyocyte contractile conditions in the developing zebrafish. Cardiac arrhythmias could be mimicked by the S-nitrosylation pathway inhibitor DTT (1,4-dithiothreitol) but not by ODQ (1H-[1–3]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one), the inhibitor of the NO receptor molecule sGC in the cGMP-dependent pathway. In both the nNOSI and AI-induced arrhythmic conditions, 100% of the fish expressed the phenotype, but could be rapidly rescued with maximum survival by a washout with dantrolene, a ryanodine Ca2+ channel receptor blocker, compared to the time it took for rescue using a control salt solution. In addition, of the three NOS isoforms, eNOS was the one most implicated in the maintenance of an intact developing fish vascular system. In conclusion, results from this study have shown that nNOS is the prominent isoform that is responsible, in part, for maintaining normal heart rates and prevention of arrhythmias in the developing zebrafish heart failure model. These phenomena are related to the upstream stimulatory regulation by E2. On the other hand, eNOS has a minimal effect and iNOS has little to no influence on this phenomenon. Data also suggests that nNOS acts on the zebrafish cardiomyocytes through the S-nitrosylation pathway to influence the SR ryanidine Ca2+ channels in the excitation-coupling phenomena. In contrast, eNOS is the prominent isoform that influences blood vessel development in this model.
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic - Opportunities in the Postmarketing Setting.

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed allowing public health considerations to be factored into drug-approval decisions for opioids. It may already be possible, however, for the agency to use labeling changes to affect marketing and promotion.