cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the factors related to HIV/syphilis infection of male clients over 50 years old in the low-grade places

Objective To understand and analyze the influencing factors of HIV/ syphilis infection in low-grade places among male clients over 50 years old in Guigang City, so as to provide scientific basis for prevention and treatment strategies for acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS). Methods Data from the 2012 survey were analyzed by SPSS19.0. Results In 430 research subjects, average age was 61.06±7.67 years; primary school education level accounted for 65.8%; married or cohabiting status accounted for 85.5%, The peasants constituted 90.0%. 70.47% people had known AIDS. The average age of first commercial sexual behavior was 50.82±10.02 year. The average frequency of commercial sexual behaviors in the last month were 1.73±0.89. The rate of insisting on using condom in commercial sex sexual behaviors was 9.30%. The rate of occasional condoms use was 33.5%.Never using condoms composed 57.2%. In the absence of using condom, there were 77.85% people thinking "uncomfortable",11.16% people thinking "both healthy" and other causes accounting for 9.74%.The ratio of using aphrodisiac in all research subjects was 14.90%(64/430). In all research subjects, the positive rate of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C were 1.16%, 5.35% and3.49%, respectively. Multivariate analysis found that syphilis was a risk factor of HIV infection, and having a spouse or a fixed partner was a protective factor of syphilis infection in older clients. Conclusion Commercial sexual behavior is the main route of HIV infection in the elderly male clients. The main reason of infection is the low rate of condom use. Aphrodisiac increases the risk of HIV infection in elderly clients.
Review on Mechanical Fault Diagnosis of High-voltage Circuit Breakers Based on Vibration Diagnosis

This paper reviews the development of mechanical fault vibration diagnosis of high-voltage circuit breakers during the past decade.It analyzes comprehensively the vibration signal feature extraction and fault identification methods of mechanical fault in detail.It also proposes the trend of vibration diagnosis technology for mechanical fault diagnosis of high-voltage circuit breakers,and builds the foundation for further studies.
Three new species of Eupithecia Curtis from Arizona and New Mexico with discussion of associated species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Eupitheciini)

Eupithecia macfarlandi, new species, and Eupithecia penablanca, new species, from southern Arizona, and Eupithecia nonanticaria, new species, from southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and Chihuahua, Mexico are described. Adults and male and female genitalia are illustrated. Eupithecia anticaria Walker and E. nonanticaria are compared.
White matter and reaction time: Reply to commentaries

We appreciate the many comments we received on our discussion paper and believe that they reflect a recognition of the importance of this topic worldwide. We point out in this reply that there appears to be a confusion between the role of oscillations in creating white matter and other functions of oscillations in communicating between neural areas during task performance or at rest. We also discuss some mechanisms other than the enhancement of white matter that must influence reaction time. We recognize the limited understanding we have of transfer and outline some future directions designed to improve our understanding of this process.
Evidence for Horizontal Transfer of P Transposable Elements

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the evidence for P element horizontal transfer that has accumulated during the past two decades. There are two main advantages of using P elements for studying horizontal transfer. First, the P element is one of the best described eukaryotic transposable elements, and provided one of the earliest reports of transposable element horizontal transfer and subsequent invasion of a naive contemporary species. Second, the evolutionary history of the genus Drosophila has been well-studied and reasonable estimates exist for species divergence times. This provides a context to evaluate the timing of horizontal transfer events. It reviews evidence for the multiple instances of horizontal transfer of the P transposable element in Drosophila and related genera. Evidence for the horizontal transfer of a number of transposable element families has accumulated during the past two decades. Prominent among these are several members of the Class II elements, which transpose by means of a DNA intermediate. This group of elements includes P elements, mariner elements, and hobo elements.
Infantile Spasms, Hypsarrhythmia, and Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)

An 8 1/2 month-old girl with seizures beginning at 5 days, hypsarrhythmia in the EEG, severe retardation, and a clinical diagnosis of infantile spasms was discovered to have biochemical and pathological features of adrenoleukodystrophy, as reported from the John F. Kennedy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
A Reconsideration of Social Control and Differential Association Theories: An Empirical Investigation of Parental and Peer Influences on Delinquency

This paper presents an integrated framework of juvenile delinquency that includes vari­ables from social control and differential association theories in addition to a reconceptual­ization of the role of parents as discussed in these theories. The reconceptualization reflects our argument for the need to consider how antisocial parents may serve to facili­tate delinquency. A path model was developed for testing a set of hypotheses generated from the model. The predictor variables include parental conventionality, parental supervi­sion, parental attachment, school commitment, delinquent peer association, and delinquent attitudes. We examined both the direct and indirect effects each of these had on delin­quency. The data were obtained from a sample of 891 urban high school and junior high school students identified as early adolescent and late adolescent girls and boys. The path model is separately estimated for these four groups. Although the amount of variance our model explains for each of these groups is quite significant, we did discover some differ­ences in the strength of the predictor variables across age groups. While parental influence proved to be more significant than peer association for early adolescents, we found the opposite to be true for late adolescents. Finally, our findings support our argument for a reconceptualization of the role of parents in influencing delinquency.
Electroluminescent devices from ionic transition metal complexes

Organic electroluminescent devices are currently under development for display and lighting applications due to their high efficiency, ease of fabrication and facile color tunability. Within the class of organic electroluminescent materials, ionic transition metal complexes (iTMCs) are receiving increased attention as materials capable of yielding efficient light-emitting devices with air-stable electrodes, iTMCs can support all three processes of charge injection, charge transport, and emissive recombination, enabling the fabrication of efficient, single-layer devices. When paired with an appropriate counterion, iTMCs are mixed conductors, possessing significant ionic conductivity in addition to electronic conductivity. As a result, the operational characteristics of iTMC devices are dictated by the redistribution of ionic charge, which serves to assist electronic charge injection. This interplay between ionic and electronic conductivity in iTMC devices offers rich physics and unique device opportunities. This dissertation describes my efforts with iTMC devices to understand the underlying physics, improve efficiency, extend the range of available colors, ascertain modes of degradation, and invent practical architectures for display and lighting applications. Concerning device physics, I have used electric force microscopy to measure the in situ electric field profile across an iTMC device and discerned its operation to conform to an electrodynamic model of operation. I have investigated the temperature-dependence of the current, radiant flux, external quantum efficiency and photoluminescence efficiency of iTMC devices and thin films, extracting data regarding charge injection, charge transport and light emission in these materials and devices. In achieving novel colors of electroluminescence in iTMCs, I have demonstrated efficient yellow and green devices with ionic iridium complexes with power efficiencies as high as 10 lumens per electrical Watt. By use of in situ Raman spectroscopy, I have confirmed the formation of oxo-bridged dimers during iTMC device operation to be a significant source of device failure, understanding that could lead to improved device lifetime. Finally, I have fabricated monolithic, scalable lighting panels from iTMC devices that show intrinsic fault tolerance and direct 120 volt, 60 hertz operation.
Searching for Antibiotic Resistance Genes in a Pristine Arctic Wetland

Antibiotics are the foundation of modern medicine, and the sustainability of antibiotic use depends on overcoming the challenge of antibiotic resistance (AR). This may be extremely difficult, given that antibiotic production by environmental microbiota is a natural process and AR is widespread in nature. AR has been shown to spread readily and quickly, as well as to exist in the absence of anthropogenic forcing (i.e., the application of antibiotics by humans). This study compared a range of approaches to identify AR gene sequences in microbial community genomes in three habitats (Palsa, Bog, and Fen) across a permafrost thaw gradient in Abisko, Sweden. Depending on the search algorithm used, we found a range of 0.72–1.29% AR protein-coding genes across all habitats, with model-based search algorithms resulting in greater sensitivity than traditional identity-based approaches for identifying AR sequences. Though each habitat within the permafrost gradient showed different cell densities, pH, bioavailable carbon, water content, nutrient availability, and other factors that impact microbial life, the difference in overall AR protein abundance between habitats was not significant. Examination of AR at this location will contribute to our understanding of AR presence in natural environments and how AR may be impacted by permafrost thawing related to global warming.
Application and evaluation of NODDI in the cervical spinal cord of multiple sclerosis patients.

Introduction There is a need to develop imaging methods sensitive to axonal injury in multiple sclerosis (MS), given the prominent impact of axonal pathology on disability and outcome. Advanced multi-compartmental diffusion models offer novel indices sensitive to white matter microstructure. One such model, neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), is sensitive to neurite morphology, providing indices of apparent volume fractions of axons (vin), isotropic water (viso) and the dispersion of fibers about a central axis (orientation dispersion index, ODI). NODDI has yet to be studied for its sensitivity to spinal cord pathology. Here, we investigate the feasibility and utility of NODDI in the cervical spinal cord of MS patients.
Investigating Adherence to an Online Introductory Mindfulness Program

A growing body of empirical research supports the position that mindfulness-based interventions are effective in treating psychological problems, as well as benefiting healthy individuals. The current study used a sample of undergraduate students at a public university with no prior meditation experience (n = 169). Adherence predictors, benefits, and obstacles experienced during a 10 session online mindfulness meditation (MM) intervention were examined. Level of motivation, as well as conscientiousness and trait mindfulness, predicted the level of adherence. The current study also found that adherent and non-adherent participants did not significantly differ in the number and severity of obstacles experienced. Results also show that brief online MM interventions can increase mindfulness and psychological flexibility in adherent individuals. However, these findings should be viewed in the context of high attrition rates and small effect sizes.
An 8 cm Subserosal Fibroid in a Patient with Unexplained Infertility and Pain

A 37-year-old nulligravid woman presents with a chief complaint of a 1-year history of infertility. Prior to this, she used oral contraceptives for 18 years, and she does not currently take any medications. Her menses occur every 28–30 days, are of moderate flow, and last 3–4 days. There have been no recent changes in her menstrual flow volume or duration. She also complains of >6 months of gradually increasing abdominal discomfort that she describes as a feeling of abdominal fullness with weekly episodes of severe cramping pain. Her pain is unrelated to activity or menses. She also complains of urinary frequency, but denies any other urinary symptoms or changes in bowel habits or dyspareunia. Her past medical, surgical, and social histories are unremarkable.
Social impacts of ethical artifical intelligence and autonomous system design

With the introduction of autonomous systems becoming more and more prevalent in modern society a major focus of research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Systems (AS) ethics is becoming important. There are many questions in the public about how these AI/AS programs will make ethical decisions as well as what ethical issues will be dealt with at a developmental level. Darning AI/AS development, these choices are mainly developed by personal choice of the developers which is an objective view of any issue on how to handle difficult situations. In most conversation about AI/AS control, people have an issue with how ethical decisions are made or which decision is made prompting them to want human intervention during these situations. The IEEE Standards Association (SA) has been developing a set of basic guidelines to help alleviate some of the ambiguity of these sensitive issues. This paper is a literature review of AI/AS design guidelines and a case study of different incidence that AI/AS systems could be involved in producing many of the social and ethical quandaries brought on by AI/AS system development.
Docetaxel (Taxotere) in combination with vinorelbine in non-small cell lung cancer.

Following encouraging preclinical evidence suggesting anticancer synergy when docetaxel (Taxotere; Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Antony, France) and vinorelbine are administered together, a clinical trial was designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the combination when given with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support to 27 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Doses were escalated in stages to a maximum of 45 mg/m2 vinorelbine and 60 mg/m2 docetaxel, both administered on day 1 of a 2-week cycle. Hematologic toxicity was mild, with febrile neutropenia complicating only four of the 209 cycles delivered. Clinically significant fluid retention and peripheral neuropathy were also uncommon. Major response was seen in 37% of patients. The median survival was 9 months and 1-year survival was approximately 35%. The combination of 45 mg/m2 vinorelbine and 60 mg/m2 docetaxel has now moved into a phase II trial.
The Yin and Yang of arterial inflammation.

The recent wave of enthusiasm for including inflammation as one of the primary pathophysiologic processes in cardiovascular disease has substantial merit [(1)][1]. Arterial inflammation is central to plaque progression and plaque rupture. Among clinical markers of inflammation, C-reactive protein (
Metal Cations in Biological Systems: Modeling Metal Ions in Ionophores and DNA

Studying complex molecules of organic and biological interest usually demands the employment of molecular mechanical methods. Unlike first principle quantum mechanical electronic structure methods, molecular mechanical methods (e.g. eq. 1) require that chemical bonds in the system be specified and these are present throughout the calculation. This is straightforward for the atoms that make up an organic molecule, but the situation is more complex for metal cations, which interact with electron rich centers. These interactions usually have considerable ionic and covalent character, whereas the typical molecular mechanical model requires that one choose a fully non-covalent or fully covalent interaction. A non-covalent model employs only the van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between metal cation and the other atoms [1], or if non-additive effects are included in the model, also polarization effects [2] and, perhaps, three body exchange [3]. It appears that this approach is reasonable for mainly electrostatic interactions such as those involving alkali ions with “hard” Lewis bases such as N and O.
Capturing change in a community--university partnership: Si Se Puede! Project.

BACKGROUND Community health interventions are increasingly employing partnerships combined with multilevel intervention models to achieve their objectives. Resources and methods for project evaluation are often limited to changes in population health status or health behaviors, while broader contextual questions that may illuminate mechanisms for change across ecological levels and project sustainability may not be addressed. CONTEXT This paper describes a project to prevent and control diabetes in a Latino community and presents practical methods for addressing some challenges to evaluation, using data sources that often may be overlooked. METHODS A case study method was used to examine approaches to capture data that can help explain changes across ecological levels. An ecological framework was used to organize sources of data. Data sources and findings are related to project timelines and goals. CONSEQUENCES Although not a direct focus of the original research, substantial changes in community capacity were observed and measured over the course of the five-year project. Documentation on community change was found in routine project reports, logs, the news media, meeting minutes, and community documents. INTERPRETATION A logical progression of community change across ecological levels became evident. A modest post hoc evaluation was feasible, using data routinely available from project and target community sources. Specific questions for future research on how community change occurs and how such changes may relate to population health and sustainability are suggested.
Structure — Function of LH-RH Analogs and Design Applications to other Peptide Systems

It is probable that more synthetic analogs of LH-RH have been made than any other peptide. This considerable research effort, carried out by many groups over a 12 year period since the initial sequencing of the LH-RH decapeptide by Matsuo et al. (1971), has been aimed at the development of increasingly more active competitive antagonists. In the process, the research has provided a tremendous stimulus for improvement of rapid peptide synthesis techniques and general strategies for the speedy development of improved analogs of other peptides. Events leading to the discovery of weak LH-RH antagonists followed by their steady improvement have been frequently reviewed (see for instance, Coy et al. (1981) and Schally et al. (1981). Of tremendous importance to this process was the discovery of the LH-RH superagonist series which was based on the presence of D-amino acids, particularly those with large, aromatic side-chains in place of glycine in position 6 (Monahan et al., 1976; Coy et al., 1976). The increased rigidity and stabilization of the preferred receptor binding conformation produced by D-amino acids has been further utilized in many other positions of the antagonist sequences. The D-amino acid substitution strategy has also become perhaps the prime design approach in many other peptide systems and has yielded many impressive results of late.
Voter Habituation in Developing Democracies: Evidence from South Africa's First Democratic Election

In a developing democracy, can elections change the behavior of participating citizens? I identify the effect of participating in South Africa's first democratic election in 1994 on future electoral participation, and present the first well-identified evidence that past participation increases future participation in a developing democracy. Participating in 1994 has an intent-to-treat effect of 2.9 percentage points on future participation, and an average treatment effect of between 3.5 and 8.5 percentage points. Given low turnout rates, these effects account for 7-20% of the size of the electorate. To explain this result I introduce a novel theoretical explanation that draws on psychological research -- affective experience habituation. I argue that persistence (or habituation) in voting behavior is partly driven by the creation of associations between first time voting and positive emotional states. The theory is tested within the context of the 1994 election by exploiting racial and geographic variation in electoral experiences.
Oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation with valvular heart disease and bioprosthetic heart valves.

Objective Current guidelines endorse the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, little is known about their safety and efficacy in valvular heart disease (VHD). Similarly, there is a paucity of data regarding NOACs use in patients with a bioprosthetic heart valve (BPHV). We, therefore, performed a network meta-analysis in the subgroups of VHD and meta-analysis in patients with a BPHV. Methods PubMed, Cochrane and Embase were searched for randomised controlled trials. Summary effects were estimated by the random-effects model. The outcomes of interest were a stroke or systemic embolisation (SSE), myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events, major bleeding and intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). Results In patients with VHD, rivaroxaban was associated with more ICH and major bleeding than other NOACs, while edoxaban 30 mg was associated with least major bleeding. Data combining all NOACs showed a significant reduction in SSE, MI and ICH (0.70, [0.57 to 0.85; p Conclusions NOACs performed better than warfarin for a reduction in SSE, MI and ICH in patients with VHD. Individually NOACs performed similarly to each other except for an increased risk of ICH and major bleeding with rivaroxaban and a reduced risk of major bleeding with edoxaban 30 mg. In patients with a BPHV, results with NOACs seem similar to those with warfarin and this needs to be further explored in larger studies.
Highly active cationic cobalt(II) hydroformylation catalysts

The cobalt complexes HCo(CO)4 and HCo(CO)3(PR3) were the original industrial catalysts used for the hydroformylation of alkenes through reaction with hydrogen and carbon monoxide to produce aldehydes. More recent and expensive rhodium-phosphine catalysts are hundreds of times more active and operate under considerably lower pressures. Cationic cobalt(II) bisphosphine hydrido-carbonyl catalysts that are far more active than traditional neutral cobalt(I) catalysts and approach rhodium catalysts in activity are reported here. These catalysts have low linear-to-branched (L:B) regioselectivity for simple linear alkenes. However, owing to their high alkene isomerization activity and increased steric effects due to the bisphosphine ligand, they have high L:B selectivities for internal alkenes with alkyl branches. These catalysts exhibit long lifetimes and substantial resistance to degradation reactions.
A Performance Comparison of Low-Cost Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectrometers to a Conventional Laboratory Spectrometer for Rapid Biomass Compositional Analysis

The performance of a conventional laboratory near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer and two NIR spectrometer prototypes (a Texas Instruments NIRSCAN Nano evaluation model (EVM) and an InnoSpectra NIR-M-R2 spectrometer) are compared by collecting reflectance spectra of 270 well-characterized herbaceous biomass samples, building calibration models using the partial least squares (PLS-2) algorithm to predict five constituents of the samples from the reflectance spectra, and comparing the resulting model statistics. The prediction models developed using spectra from the Foss XDS spectrometer were slightly better than the prediction models developed using spectra from either the TI NIRSCAN Nano EVM and the InnoSpectra NIR-M-R2 as measured by the root mean square error (RMSECV) and the correlation coefficient (R2_cv) for “leave-one-out” cross-validation (CV). The models built from the two prototype units were not statistically significantly different from each other (p = 0.05). The Foss spectrometer has a larger wavelength range (400–2500 nm) compared with the two prototypes (900–1700 nm). When the spectra from the Foss XDS spectrometer were truncated so their wavelength range matched the wavelength range of the two prototype units, the resulting model was not statistically significantly different from the models from either prototype.
Perioperative Physiological Parameters Associated with Severe Acute Kidney Injury after Pediatric Heart Transplant

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI), a common complication of pediatric heart transplant (HT), is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The perioperative hemodynamic alterations associated with postoperative AKI are not well studied in children. The evaluation of high-fidelity, continuous hemodynamic monitoring data in the intensive care unit (ICU) allows for improved characterization of potentially modifiable physiologic variables associated with postoperative AKI. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between perioperative clinical variables and post-operative hemodynamic indices available in the first 12 hours after surgery with …
High-Dimensional Gene Expression and Morphology Profiles of Cells across 28,000 Genetic and Chemical Perturbations

Abstract Populations of cells can be perturbed by various chemical and genetic treatments and the impact on the cells’ gene expression (transcription, i.e. mRNA levels) and morphology (in an image-based assay) can be measured in high dimensions. The patterns observed in this profile data can be used for more than a dozen applications in drug discovery and basic biology research, but both types of profiles are rarely available for large-scale experiments. We provide a collection of four datasets with both gene expression and morphological profile data useful for developing and testing multi-modal methodologies. Roughly a thousand features are measured for each of the two data types, across more than 28,000 thousand chemical and genetic perturbations. We define biological problems that can be investigated using the shared and complementary information in these two data modalities, provide baseline analysis and evaluation metrics for multi-omic applications, and make the data resource publicly available (http://broad.io/rosetta).
Evolutionary allometry of sexual dimorphism of jumping performance in anurans

Sexual dimorphism is a common feature in animals, yet the degree of sexual dimorphism is not constant across taxa. Sometimes the magnitude of sexual dimorphism varies systematically with body size, resulting in evolutionary allometry of sexual dimorphism. While such patterns are commonly investigated for traits such as overall size, allometric variation in sexual dimorphism of other traits remains underexplored. Here, we characterize the evolutionary allometry of sexual dimorphism in a functional phenotypic trait (jumping performance) in anurans. Using morphology and anatomical approximations of jumping performance across 146 species, we test for evidence of the correlated selection model of sexual dimorphism evolution. We analyze patterns of evolutionary allometry of sexual dimorphism in key phenotypic traits, including: body size (snout-vent length and mass), relative leg length, relative leg muscle volume, mass-specific peak jumping energy, and peak jumping velocity. We find that as previously reported, sexual size dimorphism scales isometrically between species and is independent of sexual dimorphism in jumping performance. Notably, however, we found significant trends in the evolutionary allometry of sexual dimorphism in relative limb length, and in two components of jumping performance. Additionally, we found greater rates of evolution for females versus males in relative limb length, but not jumping performance. We also observed that the allometric trends in limb length dimorphism were related to performance allometry. Sexual dimorphism in jumping performance increased in species with high performance while females in high performance species displayed increased relative limb length. Thus, we hypothesize that selection acting on functional performance explains allometric patterns of sexual dimorphism in morphology. We discuss biological implications of our findings in relation to natural and sexual selection. This study highlights the types of insights one may gain by studying the allometry of sexual dimorphism from a functional perspective to learn about both patterns and processes in evolution.
A study of energy band gap versus temperature for Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films

Abstract The temperature dependent band gap energy of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film was studied in the temperature range of 77–410 K. Various relevant parameters, which explain the temperature variation of the fundamental band gap, have been calculated using empirical and semi-empirical models. Amongst the models evaluated, the Varshni and Passler models show the best agreement with experimental data in the middle temperature range. However, the Bose–Einstein model fits reasonably well over the entire temperature range evaluated. The calculated fitting parameters are in good agreement with the estimated value of the Debye temperature calculated using the Madelung–Einstein approximation and the Hailing method.
Education for Ethics and Human Resource Management

Many public administration ethicists argue that a single stand-alone course in ethics should be a part of every M.P.A. curriculum, but some programs may prefer to incorporate ethics into several courses. This article suggests that a series of courses would be a promising alternative to a standalone ethics course. It would begin in the M.P.A. introductory course by setting a foundation for the study of ethics and then relate ethics to human resource management (HRM) in a sequence of required and elective HRM courses. The long and evolutionary relationship between ethics and HRM can provide a strong basis for ethics education with two purposes in mind: first, to show the generalist public administration student the ethical issues involved in managing personnel systems, and second, to acquaint students interested in careers in HRM to be ethically aware in situations they are likely to face in their careers. The literature in HRM and ethics is reviewed to develop a conceptual linkage between the two topics. T...
Messaging/queuing in Oracle8/sup TM/

There is an ever growing interest in messaging and queuing technology; one needs only to look at the many new products that have been made available within the last few years. Oracle's approach is unique since it represents the only product that offers messaging and queuing fully integrated into a database server, Oracle8/sup TM/.
Characterization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe mcm7+ and cdc23+ (MCM10) and Interactions With Replication Checkpoints

MCM proteins are required for the proper regulation of DNA replication. We cloned fission yeast mcm7(+) and showed it is essential for viability; spores lacking mcm7(+) begin S phase later than wild-type cells and arrest with an apparent 2C DNA content. We isolated a novel temperature-sensitive allele, mcm7-98, and also characterized two temperature-sensitive alleles of the fission yeast homolog of MCM10, cdc23(+). mcm7-98 and both cdc23ts alleles arrest with damaged chromosomes and an S phase delay. We find that mcm7-98 is synthetically lethal with the other mcmts mutants but does not interact genetically with either cdc23ts allele. However, cdc23-M36 interacts with mcm4ts. Unlike other mcm mutants or cdc23, mcm7-98 is synthetically lethal with checkpoint mutants Deltacds1, Deltachk1, or Deltarad3, suggesting chromosomal defects even at permissive temperature. Mcm7p is a nuclear protein throughout the cell cycle, and its localization is dependent on the other MCM proteins. Our data suggest that the Mcm3p-Mcm5p dimer interacts with the Mcm4p-Mcm6p-Mcm7p core complex through Mcm7p.
Comparative-effectiveness of vancomycin and linezolid as part of guideline-recommended empiric therapy for healthcare-associated pneumonia

Background Linezolid has been directly compared to vancomycin in pneumonia; however, most clinical trials have not compared outcomes specifically in the healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) population. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of vancomycin and linezolid in a national cohort of hospitalized veterans with HCAP.
Daily multidisciplinary team rounds associated with reduced 30-day mortality in medical intensive care unit patients

Commentary on: MM Kim, AE Barnato, DC Angus, et al.. The effect of multidisciplinary care teams on intensive care unit mortality. Arch Intern Med2010;170:369–76.
TIEG1/KLF10 Modulates Runx2 Expression and Activity in Osteoblasts

Deletion of TIEG1/KLF10 in mice results in a gender specific osteopenic skeletal phenotype with significant defects in both cortical and trabecular bone, which are observed only in female animals. Calvarial osteoblasts isolated from TIEG1 knockout (KO) mice display reduced expression levels of multiple bone related genes, including Runx2, and exhibit significant delays in their mineralization rates relative to wildtype controls. These data suggest that TIEG1 plays an important role in regulating Runx2 expression in bone and that decreased Runx2 expression in TIEG1 KO mice is in part responsible for the observed osteopenic phenotype. In this manuscript, data is presented demonstrating that over-expression of TIEG1 results in increased expression of Runx2 while repression of TIEG1 results in suppression of Runx2. Transient transfection and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays reveal that TIEG1 directly binds to and activates the Runx2 promoter. The zinc finger containing domain of TIEG1 is necessary for this regulation supporting that activation occurs through direct DNA binding. A role for the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway in fine tuning the regulation of Runx2 expression by TIEG1 is also implicated in this study. Additionally, the regulation of Runx2 expression by cytokines such as TGFβ1 and BMP2 is shown to be inhibited in the absence of TIEG1. Co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization assays indicate that TIEG1 protein associates with Runx2 protein resulting in co-activation of Runx2 transcriptional activity. Lastly, Runx2 adenoviral infection of TIEG1 KO calvarial osteoblasts leads to increased expression of Runx2 and enhancement of their ability to differentiate and mineralize in culture. Taken together, these data implicate an important role for TIEG1 in regulating the expression and activity of Runx2 in osteoblasts and suggest that decreased expression of Runx2 in TIEG1 KO mice contributes to the observed osteopenic bone phenotype.
Characterization of an improved procedure for the removal of microglia from confluent monolayers of primary astrocytes.

Abstract Cultures of astrocytes can be readily established and are widely used to study the biological functions of these glial cells in isolation. Unfortunately, contamination by microglia can confound results from such studies. Herein, a simple and highly effective modification of a common procedure to remove microglia from astrocyte cultures is described. After becoming confluent, astrocytes were exposed to a mitotic inhibitor for 5–6 days then treated with 50–75 mM l -leucine methyl ester (LME) for 60–90 min. Unlike previous protocols that employed lower LME concentrations on subconfluent cultures or during passage of astrocytes, this protocol effectively depleted microglia from high-density astrocyte monolayers. This was evidenced by the selective depletion of microglial-specific markers. Purified monolayers appeared morphologically normal 24 h after LME treatment and expressed nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins upon stimulation with LPS plus IFNγ, albeit to a lower level than unpurified monolayers. This difference could be attributed to removal of contaminating microglia from monolayers and not to astrocyte dysfunction, since LME treatment did not alter global protein synthesis and a reactive phenotype could be induced in the purified monolayers. Thus, this modified protocol selectively depletes microglia from high-density primary astrocyte monolayers without compromising their functional integrity.
1-(1-Alkylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride Brönsted acidic ionic liquid catalyzed Skraup synthesis of quinolines under microwave heating

Abstract 1-(1-Alkylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride Bronsted acidic ionic liquids are shown as excellent catalysts and reaction mediums for Skraup synthesis of quinolines under microwave conditions without the use of nitrobenzene as an oxidant and metal catalysts.
Adsorption of ZnO, (ZnO)2 and (ZnO)3 on MgO(0 0 1)

Abstract We have investigated the adsorption of ZnO, atomic Zn, atomic O and (ZnO) n on the flat MgO(0 0 1) surface by means of density functional calculations. A single ZnO molecule prefers to bind in a position parallel to the surface with the zinc atom above a surface oxygen atom and the oxygen above a magnesium atom. Adsorption of a pair of ZnO molecules leads to the formation of (ZnO) 2 on the surface with geometric parameters slightly distorted from those of the free molecule, providing an indication of surface interaction with the adsorbate. Finally, the trimer forms on the surface with the same general shape as the gas phase trimer, but with angular distortions influenced by surface-molecule interactions. The effects of increasing surface coverage are also explored.
Sex differences and hormonal control of histamine methyltransferase activity.

Abstract Kidneys from male rats have twice as much histamine methyltransferase (S-adenosylmethionine:histamine N-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.8) activity as kidneys from female rats. Estradiol and testosterone administration to intact males and females respectively does not affect the sex difference in enzyme activity. Castration reduces male activity; the effect of castration can be reversed by a single dose of testosterone. Oophorectomy does not affect female kidney histamine methyltransferase activity. A single injection of testosterone, however, elevates enzyme activity of oophorectomized females. In contrast to rats, the kidneys of female mice contain twice the activity of male kidneys. The sex difference in histamine methyltransferase activity of rat kidneys can explain the sex differences in urinary histamine excretion in rats.
Thermochemical studies of N-methylpyrazole and N-methylimidazole.

The 351.1 nm photoelectron spectra of the N-methyl-5-pyrazolide anion and the N-methyl-5-imidazolide anion are reported. The photoelectron spectra of both isomers display extended vibrational progressions in the X2A‘ ground states of the corresponding radicals that are well reproduced by Franck−Condon simulations, based on the results of B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations. The electron affinities of the N-methyl-5-pyrazolyl radical and the N-methyl-5-imidazolyl radical are 2.054 ± 0.006 eV and 1.987 ± 0.008 eV, respectively. Broad vibronic features of the A2A‘ ‘ states are also observed in the spectra. The gas-phase acidities of N-methylpyrazole and N-methylimidazole are determined from measurements of proton-transfer rate constants using a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube instrument. The acidity of N-methylpyrazole is measured to be ΔacidG298 = 376.9 ± 0.7 kcal mol-1 and ΔacidH298 = 384.0 ± 0.7 kcal mol-1, whereas the acidity of N-methylimidazole is determined to be ΔacidG298 = 380.2 ± 1.0 kcal mo...
Computer-assisted detection and intervention in adolescent high-risk health behaviors.

Because adolescents avoid bringing sensitive issues, such as substance abuse, suicide, and sexual activity, to pediatricians, and may fail to realize that they need health education or services, a computer program was designed to facilitate reporting of high-risk psychosocial and health behaviors and to provide specific health advice and referral for timely professional intervention. Computer printouts done anonymously by a random sample of 265 adolescents after a physical examination were compared with those of a matched group of 294 who were predirected to share the printout with the clinician at their examinations. The former elicited more positive responses to sensitive health problems, but both computer groups responded significantly more often about most high-risk issues than a matched written questionnaire group of 251. Almost all adolescents said that they reported true information to the computer and read all the information if printed. Experience with 3327 teenagers demonstrated that 89% preferred the computer over a questionnaire or personal interview, but nearly all were willing to share the printout with the pediatrician, which should facilitate clinical evaluation. The nonjudgmental computer can identify problem areas and deliver automated medical advice and referral. Automated health assessment and education may become a useful adjunct for addressing adolescent health issues.
Loci of Action of Regulators of Aldosterone Biosynthesis in Isolated Glomerulosa Cells

The effects of angiotensin II (All), ACTH, and potassium on early and late steps of aldosterone biosynthesis were studied in collagenase-dispersed cells from rat adrenal capsules and dog zona glomerulosa. Isolated cells were incubated with a cyanoketone derivative (WIN 19,578) to isolate the nearly and late portions of the biosynthetic pathway. In this way, the formation of pregnenolone and later steps of biosynthetic conversion in the absence of endogenous precursors could be measured independently during stimulation by the three regulators. During incubation for 3 h with 10 nM All, 10 nM ACTH, or 15 mM potassium, marked stimulation of pregnenolone production was observed in glomerulosa cells of both species. In rat glomerulosa cells, each of the three regulators also stimulated conversion of exogenous corticosterone to aldosterone. In dog glomerulosa cells, All and potassium, but not ACTH, stimulated the conversion of corticosterone to aldosterone. In rat glomerulosa cells, aldosterone production from e...
The identification of inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni miracidial transformation by incorporating a medium-throughput small-molecule screen

In Schistosoma mansoni, the miracidium-to-primary sporocyst transformation process is associated with many physiological, morphological, transcriptional and biochemical changes. In the present study, we use a medium-throughput small-molecule screen to identify chemical compounds inhibiting or delaying the in vitro transformation of miracidia to the sporocyst stage. The Sigma-Aldrich Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC) contains 1280 well-characterized chemical compounds with various modes of action including enzyme inhibitors, antibiotics, cell-cycle regulators, apoptosis inducers and GPCR ligands. We identified 47 compounds that greatly reduce or delay this transformation process during a primary screen of live miracidia. The majority of compounds inhibiting larval transformation were from dopaminergic, serotonergic, ion channel and phosphorylation classes. Specifically, we found that dopamine D2-type antagonists, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, voltage-gated calcium channel antagonists and a PKC activator significantly reduced in vitro miracidial transformation rates. Many of the targets of these compounds regulate adenylyl cyclase activity, with the inhibition or activation of these targets resulting in increased cAMP levels in miracidia and concomitant blocking/delaying of larval transformation.
EQUALITY, FREEDOM, AND/OR JUSTICE FOR ALL: A RESPONSE TO MARTHA NUSSBAUM

: This essay is a reply to Martha Nussbaum's “Capabilities and Disabilities.” It endorses Nussbaum's critique of the social-contract tradition and proposes that it might be productively contrasted with Michael Walzer's critique of John Rawls in Spheres of Justice. It notes that Nussbaum's emphasis on surrogacy and guardianship with regard to people with severe and profound cognitive disabilities poses a challenge to disability studies, insofar as the field tends to emphasize the self-representation of people with disabilities and to concentrate primarily on the aesthetic and political representation of physical disability. The essay concludes with an account of a recent exchange with Peter Singer on the question of our social expectations of people with Down syndrome.
The mechanism of patulin's cytotoxicity and the antioxidant activity of indole tetramic acids

In LLC-PK1 cells exposed to patulin (50 μm), lipid peroxidation, abrupt calcium influx, extensive blebbing, and total LDH release appeared to be serially connected events with each representing a step in the loss of structural integrity of the plasma membrane. The aforementioned patulin-induced events were prevented by concurrent incubation with butylated hydroxytoluene, deferoxamine, and cyclopiazonic acid, a fungal metabolite. Patulin also caused depletion of nonprotein sulfhydryls, increased 86Rb+ efflux, dome collapse, and eventually the loss of cell viability. These events were not prevented by antioxidants, results consistent with the hypothesis that the were also serially connected but occurring parallel to those previously mentioned. The earliest events observed in patulin-treated cells were the decrease in nonprotein sulfhydryls and increase in 86Rb+ efflux (5 min) which occurred before statistically significant alterations in protein-bound sulfhydryls. The increased potassium efflux (86Rb+ efflux) occurred via a pathway distinct from BaCl2, quinine, or tetraethylammonium sensitive potassium channels. This is the first published report of the antioxidant activity of indole tetramic acids (cyclopiazonic acid and cyclopiazonic acid imine). The protective effect of tetramic acids in LLC-PK1 cells was restricted to indole tetramic acids, and their prevention of lipid peroxidation did not involve iron chelation. The results of this study demonstrate that cyclopiazonic acid is a potent inhibitor of azide-insensitive, ATP-dependent, a23187-sensitive calcium uptake by the lysate of LLC-PK1 cells. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase is a sensitive target for cyclopiazonic acid in LLC-PK1 cells. These findings raise the interesting possibility that the antioxidant activity of indole tetramic acids may involve multiple novel mechanisms: surface charge alterations on the cytoplasmic surface of plasma membranes, alterations in calcium permeability in the plasma and endoplasmic reticulum membrane, and inhibition of the calcium-dependent ATPase of the endoplasmic reticulum.
Copper(I) and silver(I) carbonyls. To be or not to be nonclassical

The traditional, or classical, picture of M–CO bonding is not a good model for more than 200 metal carbonyl species with average ν(CO) values greater than 2143 cm−1. These “nonclassical” complexes, exemplified in this Perspective by the cations Cu(CO)n+ and Ag(CO)n+ (n = 1–4), possess M–CO interactions that are best described as M←CO σ bonds having a significant electrostatic component. There is relatively little M→CO π backbonding. However, despite the similarity in ν(CO) values, homologous Cu(CO)n+ and Ag(CO)n+ complexes behave differently when subjected to perturbations such as stretching the metal–carbon bonds or adding a pair of weak ligands to the metal center.