cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Differences among Populations of Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Abstract Biochemical genetic variation was found among populations of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the Russian and Karluk river systems in Alaska. Significant differences in allele frequencies of lactate dehydrogenase (Ldh-4), phosphoglucomutase (Pgm-1), and cis-aconitase (Aco) were found between the early and late runs in both the Karluk and Russian rivers, and between fish from the two rivers. The most common allele for Aco in the Russian River fish was lacking in fish from the Karluk River. Gene frequencies were stable between years, except for 1 year in Karluk River fish. Within the Karluk system, there were no significant genetic differences between groups of early-run fish, or between groups of late-run fish. Average heterozygosities (H) fell within ranges reported for other populations of sockeye salmon. Our data suggest that the two runs of sockeye salmon in each river system are now reproductively isolated as a result of natural events. Received August 8, 1983 Accepted November 28, 1984
Differential effects in vivo of thyroid hormone on the expression of surfactant phospholipid, surfactant protein mRNA and antioxidant enzyme mRNA in fetal rat lung.

Antenatal administration of triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) to late gestation rats resulted in decreased lung antioxidant enzyme (AOE) activity but increased surfactant phospholipids. In fetal rat lung explant cultures, T3 decreased the expression of surfactant proteins (SP) A and B. There have been no reported studies of the simultaneous in vivo developmental influence of T3 on both pulmonary AOE and SP gene expression. We hypothesized that antenatal T3 treatment would cause differential regulation of surfactant phospholipid, SP, and AOE genes in the late gestation fetal rat. Timed pregnant rats received intramuscular injections of either T3 (7 mg/kg) or placebo on days 19 and 20 of gestation and fetuses were delivered on day 21. Fetal lung SP-A, SP-B, SP-C, and AOE mRNA levels were studied by Northern analysis. AOE mRNA levels were further quantitated by solution hybridization. Total lung phospholipids (TPL) and disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) content were quantitated by a phosphorus assay. T3 significa...
Finite difference neuroelectric modeling software.

Abstract This paper describes a finite difference neuroelectric modeling software (FNS), written in C and MATLAB, which can be executed as a standalone program or integrated with other packages for electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. The package from the Oxford Center for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), FMRIB Software Library (FSL), is used to segment the anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) image for realistic head modeling. The EEG electrode array is fitted to the realistic head model using the Bioelectromagnetism MATLAB toolbox. The finite difference formulation for a general inhomogeneous anisotropic body is used to obtain the system matrix equation, which is then solved using the conjugate gradient algorithm. The reciprocity theorem is utilized to limit the number of required forward solutions to N − 1, where N is the number of electrodes. Results show that the forward solver only requires 500 MB of random-access memory (RAM) for a realistic 256 × 256 × 256 head model and that the software can be conveniently combined with inverse algorithms such as beamformers and MUSIC. The software is freely available under the GNU Public License.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa endocarditis in drug addicts

Abstract Six intravenous heroin users with P. endocarditis were seen between 1970 and 1972. Five out of six (83 per cent) had tricuspid valvulitis. Fever and a significant murmur were found in all cases, a subacute presentation and splenomegaly were found in 83 per cent, and chest pain with cavitating infiltrates on x-ray was observed in 67 per cent. Three patients died of infection. Three patients survived; one was cured with medical therapy alone, and two required surgical removal of the infected valve as well. The success of surgical ablation of the tricuspid valve in these patients is encouraging, particularly in view of their poor response before surgery to combinations of antibiotics with proved in vitro efficacy. Prior bacteremia with more virulent organisms may be important in the pathogenesis of endocarditis with Pseudomonas .
Control of Wave Propagation in Sandwich Plate Rows with Periodic Honeycomb Core

The wave propagation in sandwich plate rows with cellular core is analyzed and controlled. Honeycomb core materials of different geometry placed periodically along the structure introduce the proper impedance mismatch necessary to obstruct the propagation of waves over specified frequency bands ~stop bands!. The location and the extension of the stop bands can be optimized by proper selection of the geometrical and physical properties of the core. An optimal configuration of the core can be identified to design passive sandwich structures, which are stable and quiet over desired frequency bands. A theoretical model is developed to describe the wave propagation characteristics and the vibrations of a three-layered sandwich plate simply supported along its longitudinal edges. The core properties of the plate change periodically along the plate length. The wave propagation characteristics are estimated by analyzing the transfer matrix of each cell of the resulting periodic structure. The transfer matrix is also properly recast to obtain the cell's dynamic stiffness matrix and to formulate a spectral finite element model for the periodic sandwich plate. The spectral finite element model allows predicting the dynamic behavior of the structure with a significantly reduced number of elements as compared to conventional finite elements. The numerical model is used to predict the dynamic response of the considered class of plates and to study their propagation and attenuation characteristics for various core configurations. The presented numerical results demonstrate the simplicity and the effective- ness of the proposed treatment, which reduces the transmission of waves and the plate vibrations over specified frequency bands without the need of additional passive or active control devices. Such unique characteristics can be employed to design lightweight composite panels behaving as mechanical filters. The filtering capabilities of such passive composite panels can be properly modified and optimized to fit required transmissibility levels over desired frequencies without compromising the size and the weight of the structure.
Langue et lieu dans l’univers de l’enfance

Les voix de l’enfance, rappelees par les auteurs en exil ou de la diaspora, temoignent des liens forts et permanents qui unissent la langue, le lieu, les souvenirs et l’identite. La recherche en socialisation langagiere nous offre une perspective complementaire pour comprendre comment les enfants sont socialises et integres dans des univers sociaux existants et comment ils en construisent de nouveaux a leur image. Des donnees ethnographiques et sociolinguistiques recueillies en Dominique (dans les Antilles orientales) et en territoire Kaluli (en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinee) illustrent l’importance du lieu et le role que jouent la ou les langues dans la negociation des relations sociales et les souvenirs qui s’y rattachent. La langue fournit aussi a l’enfant les ressources symboliques qui lui sont necessaires pour determiner quelle langue utiliser ou, dans quelle circonstance et avec qui et pour construire ses narrations et son jeu. Puisque les activites langagieres sont toujours localisees dans des lieux particuliers et portent souvent sur des lieux particuliers, les enfants qui commencent juste a parler sont deja sensibles et inities aux significations du lieu et aux facons de parler du lieu qui sont propres a leur culture.
Differing responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia following pneumotaxic center ablation.

Abstract The respiratory responses of 21 cats were examined upon exposure to hypercapnia and isocapnic hypoxia. Animals having bilateral electrolytic lesions localized in the pontile pneumotaxic center exhibited hypercapnia-indueed minute volumes which were significantly less than those of unlesioned control cats. The hypoxia-induced minute volumes of pneumotaxic lesioned animals, examined at isocapnic alveolar gas partial pressures, were likewise significantly less than control animals at end-expired oxygen partial pressures (P A o 2 ) in excess of 65.0 mm Hg. At P A O 2 , levels below 65.0 mmHg, the minute volume of experimental animals rose sharply and became statistically indistinguishable from that of the unlesioned cats. The placement of control brain stem lesions typically produced no significant alterations in the respiratory responses to hypoxia or hypercapnia. It was concluded that the pneumotaxic center constitutes an integral component of the central chemoreeeptor CO 2 -H + controlling subsystem. The concept of differing anatomical sites within the brain stem serving integrative functions for central chemoreeeptor and peripheral chemoreeeptor afferent stimuli is also supported.
Normal B cell homeostasis requires B cell activation factor production by radiation-resistant cells.

The cellular source of B cell activation factor (BAFF) required for peripheral B cell survival/maturation is unknown. To determine the nature of BAFF-producing cells we established and analyzed reciprocal bone marrow (BM) chimeras with wild-type (WT) and BAFF-deficient mice. The results revealed that BAFF production by radiation-resistant stromal cells is completely sufficient to provide a necessary signal for B cell survival/maturation, as BAFF−/− BM cells transferred into lethally irradiated WT mice gave rise to normal numbers of follicular (FO) and marginal zone (MZ) B cell subpopulations. On the other hand, transfer of WT BM into BAFF−/− lethally irradiated mice resulted only in minimal reconstitution of mature FO B cells and no restoration of MZ B cells. Thus, in the absence of BAFF+/+ stromal cells, BAFF production by BM-derived cells, presumably by macrophages, dendritic cells, and/or neutrophils, was not at all sufficient to support normal B cell homeostasis. Interestingly, immunization of both types of chimeras stimulated high levels of antigen-specific antibody secretion, indicating that either stromal cell– or hematopoietic cell–derived BAFF is sufficient for B cell antibody responses.
EXCITATION FUNCTIONS FOR THE (p,pn) AND (p,2p) REACTIONS ON Ce$sup 142$, 0.37 TO 2.85 Bev

The cross sections for the reactions ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{142}(p, pn){\mathrm{Ce}}^{141}$ and ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{142}(p, 2p){\mathrm{La}}^{141}$ have been measured at 0.37, 1.0, 2.0, and 2.85 BeV. Radiochemical techniques were used. The results indicate that over this energy range the ($p, \mathrm{pn}$) cross section declines gradually from about 70 to about 60 mb, while the ($p, 2p$) cross section declines from about 20 to about 15 mb. These results are in sharp contrast to some of those obtained for the same reactions in other investigations. The discrepancy is discussed and it is concluded that the present results are more reliable because of improvements in experimental procedures and because of greater consistency with other ($p, \mathrm{pn}$) and ($p, 2p$) reactions.
Mechanisms of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Pathogenesis and Innate Immunomodulation

Summary: The modulation of the immune response is a common practice of many highly pathogenic viruses. The emergence of the highly pathogenic coronavirus severe acute respiratory virus (SARS-CoV) serves as a robust model system to elucidate the virus-host interactions that mediate severe end-stage lung disease in humans and animals. Coronaviruses encode the largest positive-sense RNA genome of ∼30 kb, encode a variety of replicase and accessory open reading frames that are structurally unique, and encode novel enzymatic functions among RNA viruses. These viruses have broad or specific host ranges, suggesting the possibility of novel strategies for targeting and regulating host innate immune responses following virus infection. Using SARS-CoV as a model, we review the current literature on the ability of coronaviruses to interact with and modify the host intracellular environment during infection. These studies are revealing a rich set of novel viral proteins that engage, modify, and/or disrupt host cell signaling and nuclear import machinery for the benefit of virus replication.
Effect of Specific Allergen Inhalation on Serum Adiponectin in Human Asthma

Background Adiponectin is associated with asthma. The direction of this association is not known in humans. In mice, this association is bidirectional: allergen inhalation affects serum adiponectin, and exogenous adiponectin administration affects asthma. We sought to evaluate whether allergen inhalation affects serum adiponectin in human asthma. Methods This study included eight sensitized subjects with mild asthma and six healthy control subjects. Asthmatic subjects were challenged with inhaled specific allergen (positive allergen skin test), methacholine, and irrelevant allergen (negative allergen skin test). Control subjects were challenged with irrelevant allergen. Sequential serum samples were obtained before and nine times after each challenge. Serum adiponectin- (primary outcome), leptin-, adiponectin-to-leptin ratio-, eotaxin-, and tumor necrosis factor-α-response curves, area under the curves, and baseline and peak concentrations were evaluated. Statistical analysis used repeated-measures analysis of variance and paired t tests. Results There were no significant differences in outcome measures among the challenges in asthmatic subjects or when compared to control subjects. Type II error is an unlikely explanation for these findings because the study was adequately powered to detect changes in serum adiponectin, as reported in the literature. Further, pooled data showed that serum adiponectin diurnal variation curves were lower in asthmatic subjects than in control subjects. Conclusions Serum adiponectin concentrations are lower in asthmatic subjects than in control subjects. Specific allergen inhalation in asthmatic subjects does not acutely affect serum adiponectin concentrations. The reverse association ( ie , effect of adiponectin on asthma) needs further study. If future studies prove adiponectin to be a protective factor for asthma, modulating adiponectin may open a new approach toward managing asthma.
Distributed detection of a nuclear radioactive source based on a hierarchical source model

Detection of a nuclear radioactive source is considered using a parallel sensor network architecture and a fusion center. A Poisson-Gamma hierarchical model is used to represent the distribution of the count data received by the sensors. Local sensors are assumed to be single threshold binary quantizers that send a vector of sensor decisions over time to the fusion center for global decision-making. Using the developed count model, a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) using a restricted range MLE (RMLE) is proposed to declare the global decision. The performance improvement resulting from using the restricted range MLE over the unrestricted MLE while implementing the GLRT is depicted using simulated as well as real data collected from a test-bed using radiation sensors. Using bootstrap, 95% confidence bounds on the ROC curves, evaluated using real data, are obtained.
Respiratory Difficulty Following Bismuth Subgallate Aspiration

Bismuth subgallate, an agent that initiates clotting via activation of factor XII, has been advocated for use in controlling bleeding during tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Direct aspiration of bismuth has produced pulmonary complications in laboratory animals, but no clinical correlation in humans has been previously described. We report 2 cases of bismuth aspiration that resulted in respiratory difficulty after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Neither child's respiratory compromise required airway intubation. This report of pulmonary complications secondary to bismuth aspiration should alert surgeons to the potential for airway problems when using bismuth as a hemostatic agent for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
Primary basins and their boundaries in the deep-water northern Gulf of Mexico: Origin, trap types, and petroleum system implications

Primary basins form stratigraphically continuous successions on autochthonous salt and, therefore, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, contain all the components of a petroleum system (source, reservoir, trap, and seal). Most primary basins are encased entirely in salt or in some combination of salt and welds. Petroleum exploration in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico is currently focused on primary basin targets and increasingly those at their lateral boundaries. However, as these boundaries are commonly poorly imaged, robust structural models are critical to interpretation of their structural evolution and relative petroleum system risk. Using three-dimensional seismic data, we define three tectonostratigraphic provinces that characterize primary basin depocenters: (1) a disconnected salt-stock-canopy province in Mississippi Canyon; (2) an amalgamated salt-stock-canopy province in northern Atwater Valley, southeastern Green Canyon, Walker Ridge, and southern Keathley Canyon; and (3) a bucket-weld province in western Green Canyon, Garden Banks, and northern Keathley Canyon. We recognize six trap types in the primary basins: (1) autochthonous salt-cored folds, (2) turtle structures, (3) base-of-salt truncations, (4) salt feeders, (5) salt ridges, and (6) bucket welds. Most primary basin explorations to date have targeted traps in one of the first four styles. Future primary basin exploration will increasingly focus on the traps formed by bucket welds and salt-cored ridges. The contrasting evolution of these features has implications for reservoir continuity, charge access, and trap configuration. Of primary basin boundary trap types, salt feeders have the lowest petroleum system risk followed by bucket welds, with salt-cored ridges having the highest risk.
Use of the Internet as a medical resource by rural physicians.

Background: Internet has become an integral tool for modern physicians, and those not ready to embrace this new technology will be missing a valuable resource. This pilot study reviews rural physicians’ usage patterns of the Internet as a medical resource and examines the barriers that might preclude rural providers from using this technology. Methods: We undertook a questionnaire survey of rural providers in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Information was elicited about the physicians’ Internet access, frequency of Internet use, the different Internet categories used, and the barriers they encountered to using the Internet. A background MEDLINE search was performed using the MeSH headings “Internet,” “medical informatics,” “and rural health.” Results: Eighty-five percent of providers had Internet access, and 75% of respondents reported using the Internet either daily or one to four times a week. E-mail was the most frequently used category. The next most frequent categories were on-line literature search, professional organizations, special interest Web sites, clinical reference Web sites, on-line journals, and patient education. Lack of time and having no computer were the most important barriers cited. Conclusions: Although the findings of this survey suggest that, compared with broader physician populations, rural physicians are using the Internet with the same frequency, their scope of use might be much more limited. Barriers to using the Internet are difficult to determine, but lack of time, hardware, and a sense of need appear to be important factors.
Visualization of caveolin-1, a caveolar marker protein, in living cells using green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimeras. The subcellular distribution of caveolin-1 is modulated by cell-cell contact

Caveolin-1, a suspected tumor suppressor, is a principal protein component of caveolae in vivo. Recently, we have shown that NIH 3T3 cells harboring anti-sense caveolin-1 exhibit a loss of contact inhibition and anchorage-independent growth. These observations may be related to the ability of caveolin-1 expression to positively regulate contact inhibition. In order to understand the postulated role of caveolin-1 in contact inhibition, it will be necessary to follow the distribution of caveolins in living cells in response to a variety of stimuli, such as cell density. Here, we visualize the distribution of caveolin-1 in living normal NIH 3T3 cells by creating GFP-fusion proteins. In many respects, the behavior of these GFP-caveolin-1 fusion proteins is indistinguishable from endogenous caveolin-1. These GFP-caveolin-1 fusion proteins co-fractionated with endogenous caveolin-1 using an established protocol that separates caveolae-derived membranes from the bulk of cellular membranes and cytosolic proteins, and co-localized with endogenous caveolin-2 in vivo as seen by immunofluorescence microscopy. We show here that as NIH 3T3 cells become confluent, the distribution of GFP-caveolin-1 and endogenous caveolin-1 shifts to areas of cell-cell contact, coincident with contact inhibition. However, unlike endogenous caveolin-1, the levels of GFP-caveolin-1 expression are unaffected by changes in cell density, serum starvation, or growth factor stimulation. These results are consistent with the idea that the levels of endogenous caveolin-1 are modulated by either transcriptional or translational control, and that this modulation is separable from density-dependent regulation of the distribution of caveolin-1. These studies provide a new living-model system for elucidating the dynamic mechanisms underlying the density-dependent regulation of the distribution of caveolin-1 and how this relates to contact inhibition.
The Paradox of National Identity and Independence: Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia

Since Eritrean independence 1993, there has been a reversal of status of Eritreans in Ethiopia. First, with the outbreak of two-year border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea (1998-2000), Eritreans who lived Ethiopia were expelled in mass and soon after, paradoxically, Eritrean started to flow into Ethiopia as refugees. There were kept in three refugees camps in northern Ethiopia. Based on fieldwork on Eritrean urban refugees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from June-August, 2012, I examine coping mechanisms of undocumented Eritrean urban refugees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I argue that like all other refugees in Africa and elsewhere, Eritrean refugees come with familial, kinship and ethnic networks and skills and experiences that would mitigate their status of being stateless or displaced people. I focus on the economic, social and cultural coping mechanisms of Eritrean refugees to the demands of urban life and the state mechanism of control of their movement in Addis Ababa. By looking at the reversal of fortunes of Eritreans, I examine the paradox of how gaining national identity, solidarity and belonging to a nation can also lead to naturalization of the state imposed strict boundaries and divisions between peoples who once did not see any natural boundaries between them.
Nonpersistent Insecticides for Control of Pacific Coast Wireworm

Field tests for control of Limonius canus LeConte in potatoes were conducted in eastern Washington during 1964–1967. Fumigation of soil in autumn with ethylene dihromide, 3 gallons of 83% solution per acre; Telone® (mixed dichloropropenes), 20 gal/acre; or dichloropropane-dichloropropene mixture, 25 gal/acre, gave excellent control. The following broadcast treatments, applied as granular formulations (5-14.3% active ingredient), gave similar results: 2 lb per acre of Dyfonate®( O -ethyl S -phenyl ethylphosphonodithioate), 3–4 lb/acre of diazinon Shell or parathion, and 4 lb/acre of carbofuran or Bay 37289 (O -ethyl 0-2,4,5-trichlorophenyl ethylphosphonothioate). In 1967, treatments of 5 lb/acre of Bay 37289 in an emulsifiable formulation were superior to all other broadcast treatments except Dyfonate. Broadcast treatments tended to be more effective and less variable than band or sidedress treatments with the same chemicals. These latter treatments with 2–3.3 lb/acre of granular phorate gave good control but were phytotoxic in 2 tests. A band treatment with 4 lb/acre of granular disulfoton and SD 8530 (3,4,5-trimethylphenyl methylcarbamate) broadcast treatments with up to 6 lb/acre of granular Shell SD 8530 (3,4,5-trimethylphenyl methylcarbamate) were inferior to other treatments.
The Technical Communicator as Evangelist: Toward Critical and Rhetorical Literacies of Software Documentation

In spite of a critical turn in technical communication research, discussions of software documentation continue to forward a singularly instrumental understanding of how these types of texts are co...
Experimentally restrained molecular dynamics simulations for characterizing the open states of cytochrome P450cam.

Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) were used as restraints in fully solvated molecular dynamics simulations of reduced substrate- and carbonmonoxy-bound cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1), a 414-residue soluble monomeric heme-containing camphor monooxygenase from the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida. The 1DNH residual dipolar couplings used as restraints were measured in two independent alignment media. A soft annealing protocol was used to heat the starting structures while incorporating the RDC restraints. After production dynamics, structures with the lowest total violation energies for RDC restraints were extracted to identify ensembles of conformers accessible to the enzyme in solution. The simulations result in substrate orientations different from that seen in crystallographic structures and a more open and accessible enzyme active site and largely support previously reported differences between the open and closed states of CYP101A1.
425 Evaluation of Patients with Dyspnea with Utilization of Submaximal Exercise Study with SHAPE -HF™ Test Shows Benefits of Cost Saving and Better Patient Care

Purpose: Dyspnea is the most common marker for respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. Patients with dyspnea undergo intensive testing before proper diagnosis can be established. Hypothesis We evaluated if a single test such as sunmaximal exrsice study (SHAPE HFTM) can be utilize as a tool to establish causes of dyspnea and trigger proper pulmonary or cardiac follow up. Methods and Materials: All patient available for exercise testing in underwent Sub Maximal Heart and Pulmonary Evaluation (SHAPE_-HF TM) test. The tested using a standard protocol that included 2 minute rest, three minutes step exercise and 1 minute recovery. The report in addition to basic demographic and vitals included : breathing efficiency slope (VE/VCO2), O2 uptake efficiency slope, O2 pulse (VO2 /HR) and peak RER. Retrospective review of patients charts was done to calculate cost and number of previous tests and consultations performed in each patient before visit in our clinic. Results: We performed 124 tests. The mean age of population was 56 . 10 years. The most common diagnosis was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (72 cases), and congestive heart failure (CHF) (52 cases). All patients CHF were NYHA class III. All patients were able to finish study, the mean VE/CO2 was 44 (normal 26). The mean O 2 uptake efficiency slope range from 0.8 to 1,2 (normal 2.12). The peak O2 pulse was 6.3. The trigering for evaluation for pulmonary hypertension (primary and secondary) was done in 30 cases with the right heart catheterizations confirming diagnosis. The cost of SHAPE test was $204 00. The mean charges for patients previous tests ranged from $1500.00 to $ 4000.00. Conclusions: We found that in outpatient clinical practice submaximal exercise with SHAPE HF TM test was easy and safe to perform and cost effective. The results allowed us to establish precise diagnosis and follow up care. Further studies are needed to evaluate this test as tool for screeening patients with dyspnea.
Trust in government institutions: The effects of performance and participation in the Dominican Republic and Haiti:

This article analyzes theories of institutional trust in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, two developing countries that have shared some historical legacies but currently manifest divergent econom...
Gait training with a robotic leg brace after stroke: a randomized controlled pilot study.

ABSTRACTObjectiveRobot-aided exercise therapy is a promising approach to enhance walking ability in stroke survivors. This study was designed to test a new robotic knee brace for restoring mobility in stroke survivors.DesignTwenty-four ambulatory individuals with chronic hemiparesis after stroke wer
Mechanism of MenE Inhibition by Acyl-Adenylate Analogues and Discovery of Novel Antibacterial Agents

MenE is an o-succinylbenzoyl-CoA (OSB-CoA) synthetase in the bacterial menaquinone biosynthesis pathway and is a promising target for the development of novel antibacterial agents. The enzyme catalyzes CoA ligation via an acyl-adenylate intermediate, and we have previously reported tight-binding inhibitors of MenE based on stable acyl-sulfonyladenosine analogues of this intermediate, including OSB-AMS (1), which has an IC50 value of ≤25 nM for Escherichia coli MenE. Herein, we show that OSB-AMS reduces menaquinone levels in Staphylococcus aureus, consistent with its proposed mechanism of action, despite the observation that the antibacterial activity of OSB-AMS is ∼1000-fold lower than the IC50 for enzyme inhibition. To inform the synthesis of MenE inhibitors with improved antibacterial activity, we have undertaken a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study stimulated by the knowledge that OSB-AMS can adopt two isomeric forms in which the OSB side chain exists either as an open-chain keto acid or a cyclic lactol. These studies revealed that negatively charged analogues of the keto acid form bind, while neutral analogues do not, consistent with the hypothesis that the negatively charged keto acid form of OSB-AMS is the active isomer. X-ray crystallography and site-directed mutagenesis confirm the importance of a conserved arginine for binding the OSB carboxylate. Although most lactol isomers tested were inactive, a novel difluoroindanediol inhibitor (11) with improved antibacterial activity was discovered, providing a pathway toward the development of optimized MenE inhibitors in the future.
Electro-Active Polymers (EAPs): A Promising Route to Design Bio-Organic/Bioinspired Platforms with on Demand Functionalities

Through recent discoveries and new knowledge among correlations between molecular biology and materials science, it is a growing interest to design new biomaterials able to interact—i.e., to influence, to guide or to detect—with cells and their surrounding microenvironments, in order to better control biological phenomena. In this context, electro-active polymers (EAPs) are showing great promise as biomaterials acting as an interface between electronics and biology. This is ascribable to the highly tunability of chemical/physical properties which confer them different conductive properties for various applicative uses (i.e., molecular targeting, biosensors, biocompatible scaffolds). This review article is divided into three parts: the first one is an overview on EAPs to introduce basic conductivity mechanisms and their classification. The second one is focused on the description of most common processes used to manipulate EAPs in the form of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) materials. The last part addresses their use in current applications in different biomedical research areas including tissue engineering, biosensors and molecular delivery.
Long-term influence of intravertebral anesthesia in painless labor on newborns

Objective To explore the influence of intravertebral anesthesia in painless labor on social adaptability and intelligence of newborns.Methods A total of 221 parturients with single pregnancy by vaginal delivery were divided into painless labor group(n=105)receiving intravertebral anesthesia and non-painless labor group(n=116).All the newborns were followed up for 7years,and were compared the results of Adaptive Behavior Scale and Wechsler Intelligence Test.Results The scores of Adaptive Behavior Scale and Wechsler Intelligence Scale were 192.67±13.54 and 115.30±37.53 in painless labor group,showing no significant difference from those in non-painless labor group(196.31±14.31 and 113.69±34.14)(P0.05).Conclusions Intravertebral anesthesia in painless labor has no significant influence on the long-term social adaptability and intelligence of newborns.
Production of alpha heavy chain mRNA in mucosal and lymphoid tissue of various strains of mice

C3H/HeJ mice, which are non-responsive to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), elicit higher IgA responses, including increased splenic indirect plaque-forming cell and serum antibody responses to orally administered antigen compared to the syngeneic LPS responsive C3H/HeN mice (1). These elevated IgA responses are thought to be due to induction of T helper cell activity in mucosal lymphoid tissue (2).
Quantitative regulation of acetylcholinesterase development in the muscle lineage cells of cleavage-arrested ascidian embryos.

Some embryos of Ciona intestinalis which were permanently cleavage-arrested with cytochalasin B at the 1-cell, 4-cell, or 8-cell stages produced, after 12 or 16 h of development time (18 °C), a level of muscle acetylcholinesterase activity equal to that found in normal early and later larval stage embryos of the same age. Enzyme activity was measured quantitatively in single whole embryos by a colorimetric procedure using microdensitometry. Quantitative regulation of a differentiation end product indicated that the usual transcriptional and translational control mechanisms for that histospecific protein continued to operate normally in the cleavage-arrested embryos. Acetylcholinesterase expression was apparently regulated independently of the usual cell cytoplasmic volume in the muscle lineage cells and possibly also independently of the normal nuclear number in the lineage. There is an egg cytoplasmic determinant that is segregated into the muscle lineage cells during cleavage and which appears to specify the pathway of larval muscle development. Quantitative control of muscle acetylcholinesterase is possibly one of the consequences of how the agent releases genetic expression in the presumptive muscle cells. Quantitative regulation was not, however, a general functional activity of cleavage-arrested embryos. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase, an enzyme whose development is believed to be unaffected by cytoplasmic determinants, was not regulated quantitatively in cleavage-arrested embryos. Cytochrome oxidase activity of cleavage-arrested embryos, measured in single whole embryos by a colorimetric microdensitometry assay, increased only slightly during 16 h of development time whereas the activity in normal control embryos doubled during that time.
MO-B-209-00: Certificate Extension Process for DBT and the Medical Physicist's Role

This presentation will describe the role of medical physicists during FDA’s certificate extension process (CE). The presentation will outline FDA’s CE process, with detailed discussions on training, MEE, and requirements for continued QA for the facility, vis-a-vis medical physicist’s responsibilities. A few important tests will be discussed that need special emphasis for each of the DBT systems currently approved by FDA. What can be accepted as additional didactic and hands on training in fulfilling modality related training will be explained. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the certificate extension process 2. Understand medical physicist’s responsibility in performing QC tests following the QC manual 3. Learn about proper presentation of data in reporting and generating soft copy phantom image 4. Understand on-going responsibilities in monitoring QC technologists’ tests
Why we can still believe the error theory

AbstractThe error theory is a metaethical theory that maintains that normative judgments are beliefs that ascribe normative properties, and that these properties do not exist. In a recent paper, Bart Streumer argues that it is impossible to fully believe the error theory. Surprisingly, he claims that this is not a problem for the error theorist: even if we can’t fully believe the error theory, the good news is that we can still come close to believing the error theory. In this paper I show that Streumer’s arguments fail. First, I lay out Streumer’s argument for why we can’t believe the error theory. Then, I argue against the unbelievability of the error theory. Finally, I show that Streumer’s positive proposal that we can come close to believing the error theory is actually undermined by his own argument for why we can’t believe the error theory.
Contested Notions of National Identity, Ethnic Movements And Democratization in Iran

Since the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, successive regimes in Iran promoted competing conceptions of Iranian national identity. However, the policy of promoting nationalism as a state-sponsored ideology that excludes Iran’s ethnic and religious diversity remained unchanged. Competing discourses around nation building and identity strikingly intersect with the struggle for democratization in Iran. Since the Islamic Revolution, the pro-democracy movement in the country takes place on two fronts: the confrontation between the conservatives and the reformists, and the challenge posed by the ethnic movements towards the official denial of the ethnic and religious diversity of Iran. This article argues that be they reformist or conservative, successive governments in Iran have refused to recognize the multi-ethnic structure of Iranian society and the legitimate rights of the ethnic groups. Therefore, a regime change would be unlikely to alter the social and political status of ethnic and religious minorities unless the ethnic movements and the pro-democracy opposition collaborate. Formation of a common discourse on the question of ‘Iranianness’ is the primary condition for this to be accomplished.
A Review of “Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change since the 1980s”

Jeff Kingston's Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change Since the 1980s is the first in the series A History of the Contemporary World by Wiley and Blackwell. Further volumes are d...
Minimally Invasive Cervical Foraminotomy and Decompression of Stenosis

Many types of degenerative cervical spine disease can be treated with well-established posterior decompressive procedures.1–4 Even as anterior cervical procedures have gained prominence, posterior cervical laminoforaminotomy still provides symptomatic relief in 92–97% of patients with radiculopathy from foraminal stenosis or lateral herniated discs.3, 5 Similarly, posterior cervical decompression for cervical stenosis achieves neurological improvement in 62.5–83% of myelopathic patients undergoing either laminectomy or laminoplasty.4, 6–8 Moreover, these operations avoid the complications attendant to anterior approaches to the cervical spine, namely, esophageal injury, vascular injury, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, dysphagia, and accelerated degeneration of adjacent motion segments after fusion.9–11
Throughput Enhancing Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Strategies for Cognitive Radios

We consider a wireless communication scenario where multiple unlicensed cognitive users seek to access unused frequency channels licensed to the primary users. A main challenge in this case is to design a spectrum sensing strategy that aids the cognitive users acquire the unused spectrum and limits the interference to primary users. Towards addressing this challenge, we propose a cooperative spectrum sensing strategy in which cognitive users collaborate to share their decisions regarding spectrum occupancy of the primary users. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed cooperative sensing strategy which aims to equip all cognitive users with the occupancy information of as many channels as possible, and observe that the proposed cooperative spectrum sensing strategy improves the throughput of the cognitive users and decreases the interference to the primary users as compared to the non-cooperative scheme.
The Many Uses of Error

Human activity is rife with momentary control problems: hesitations, dysfluencies, false starts, memory lapses, and errors. This seems rather strange, because normal human action also tends to be effective, complex, adaptive, and fast. Clearly our action control system is the product of many millions of years of evolution: Why then is it so prone to control problems? This is a paradox that emerges most clearly in the case of inadvertent slips, which may be defined as actions that reveal a mismatch between a reportable intention and overt performance (Baars, 1988; MacKay, 1987; Norman, 1981; Reason, 1979).
Scalable Integration of Highly Uniform MnxCo3−xO4 Nanosheet Array onto Ceramic Monolithic Substrates for Low-Temperature Propane Oxidation

The redox reaction between KMnO4 and Co(NO3)2 was designed and readily utilized for the scalable integration of spinel MnxCo3−xO4 nanosheet arrays in three-dimensional ceramic honeycombs by controlling the reaction temperature. The Co2+ can reduce MnO4− to form Mn–Co spinel oxide nanosheet arrays uniformly on the channel surface of cordierite honeycomb. The novel platinum group metal free oxide nanosheet array integrated ceramic honeycomb monolith shows good low-temperature catalytic activity for propane oxidation, with the 50 % conversion temperature achieved at 310 °C, which is a much lower temperature than that over the wash-coated commercial Pt/Al2O3. These integrated Mn–Co composite oxide nanoarrays may hold great promise for the construction of advanced monolithic catalyst for high-performance and low-cost emission control.
Acute Elevated Glucose Promotes Abnormal Action Potential-Induced Ca2+ Transients in Cultured Skeletal Muscle Fibers

A common comorbidity of diabetes is skeletal muscle dysfunction, which leads to compromised physical function. Previous studies of diabetes in skeletal muscle have shown alterations in excitation-contraction coupling (ECC)—the sequential link between action potentials (AP), intracellular Ca2+ release, and the contractile machinery. Yet, little is known about the impact of acute elevated glucose on the temporal properties of AP-induced Ca2+ transients and ionic underlying mechanisms that lead to muscle dysfunction. Here, we used high-speed confocal Ca2+ imaging to investigate the temporal properties of AP-induced Ca2+ transients, an intermediate step of ECC, using an acute in cellulo model of uncontrolled hyperglycemia (25 mM, 48 h.). Control and elevated glucose-exposed muscle fibers cultured for five days displayed four distinct patterns of AP-induced Ca2+ transients (phasic, biphasic, phasic-delayed, and phasic-slow decay); most control muscle fibers show phasic AP-induced Ca2+ transients, while most fibers exposed to elevated D-glucose displayed biphasic Ca2+ transients upon single field stimulation. We hypothesize that these changes in the temporal profile of the AP-induced Ca2+ transients are due to changes in the intrinsic excitable properties of the muscle fibers. We propose that these changes accompany early stages of diabetic myopathy.
Rednecks, Norteños, and the Next American Melting Pot?

When Americans are frightened by ethnic or racial polarization, one response is the melting pot, a metaphor for intermarriage. Marriage across ethnic or racial lines turns distrustful groups into contributors to each other’s demographic future. Melting pots have been multiple in American history. While they often have been constrained by racial prejudice, racial intermarriage is now on a slow but steady upswing. Two groups that bear watching are Rednecks, who descend from British migration to what is now the United States, and Nortenos, a term I use to refer to Mexican migration streams that, like Rednecks, have become a cultural model for a wider spectrum of Americans. Both Rednecks and Nortenos originated as frontier populations in which the struggle for survival selected for self-reliance, distrust of government and the family-first principle. While both are beset by pejorative imagery of machismo, racism and criminality, their strong sense of kinship is a sign that they have more in common than might appear. Just as it is a mistake to reduce all relationships between white and black Americans to racism, it is also a mistake to assume that Nortenos and Rednecks are necessarily hostile to each other. Despite the limitations of the melting pot metaphor, it does provide a plausible alternative to racialism.
Searching for Sheboygans: On the future of small market newspapers:

This article addresses the knowledge gap regarding small market newspapers in the United States. We address a deceptively simple research question: what is the state of small market newspapers in t...
Virtual Histology in Everyday Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Advances in imaging technologies have demonstrated promise in the early detection of dysplasia and cancer. They have also provided the ability to assess submucosal and vascular structures, helping differentiate neoplastic from non-neoplastic tissue. The aim of this concise case-based review is to discuss how optical imaging can impact patient management decisions during endoscopy, using real- life scenarios.
Patients' Positive and Negative Responses to Reading Mental Health Clinical Notes Online.

Objective:This study describes responses to OpenNotes, clinical notes available online, among patients receiving mental health care and explores whether responses vary by patient demographic or cli...
Dextrine-modified chitosan marine polymer coatings

In trying to modify partially acetylated chitosan (CS) marine polymers ground from crab or shrimp shells for use as environmentally benign water-base coatings for aluminum (Al) substrates, CS was dissolved in a solution of HCL acid, and then mixed with corn starch-derived dextrine (DEX) containing Ce nitrate as oxidizing agent in aqueous medium. This blend of polysaccharides was deposited on Al surfaces by a simple dip-withdrawing method, and then heated at 200°C to transform the liquid layer into a solid film. The solution → solid phase transition provided the changes in the molecular conformation of CS and DEX ; the former was transformed into deacetylated poly(D-glucosamine) and the latter referred to the formation of Ce-complexed carboxylate fragments. Furthermore, the chemical reactions between the NH2 groups in deacetylated CS and the carboxylate fragments led to the creation of amide linkages that served in grafting DEX fragments onto the CS. Such fragment-grafted CS polymer coating films deduced from the proper proportions of CS to DEX offered great film-forming performance, low susceptibility to moisture, and low ionic conductivity, conferring a salt-spray resistance of 720 hours.