cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis of technology-related distracted biking behaviors and helmet use among cyclists in New York City

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly utilized mode of transportation in New York City. Technology-related distracted bicycling and helmet use are behaviors that can impact bike safety. The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to determine rates and types of technology-related distracted behaviors among bicyclists in the borough of Manhattan in New York City; and (2) to assess the rate of bicycle helmet use among these cyclists. Bicyclists in five popular riding areas in Manhattan were observed for a total of 50 h using a digital video camera during summer months in 2014. Videos were coded and enumerated for the total number and gender of cyclists, type of bicycle, number wearing headphones/earbuds and/or using a mobile phone, and whether the cyclist was wearing a helmet. Almost 25,000 cyclists were observed across the five selected locations (n = 24,861). Riders were almost four times more likely not to wear a helmet on rental bikes as compared with non-rentals (Citi Bike(®) OR 3.8; 95% CI 2.5, 5.9: other rental OR 3.8; 95% CI 3.0, 4.9). Significantly increased odds of not wearing a helmet were observed for females relative to males (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1, 1.8) across varied times and locations. Overall, rates of technology-related distraction were low, with headphone use being most prevalent. Males were more likely to wear headphones/earbuds (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.4, 2.9), as were cyclists on Citi Bikes relative to other rental bikes (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.3, 3.6). Findings from this study contribute to the growing literature on distracted biking and helmet use among bike share program riders and other cyclists and can inform policymakers and program planners aiming to improve bicycle safety in urban settings.
Incest Laws and Absent Taboos in Roman Egypt

For at least two hundred and fifty years, many men in the Roman province of Egypt married their full sisters and raised families with them. During the same era, Roman law firmly banned close-kin marriages and denounced them both as nefas, or sacrilegious, and against the ius gentium, the laws shared by all civilized peoples. In Egypt, however, Roman officials deliberately chose not to enforce the relevant marriage laws among the Greek metic, hybrid, and native Egyptian populations; the bureaucracy also created loopholes within new laws which tolerated the practice. This policy created a gap between the absolute theoretical ban in Roman law and the reality of common incestuous unions in Egypt. Since Roman Egypt was both an important and a dangerous province, Rome needed both to pacify its people and to weaken Egypt’s status with its neighbors. By permitting incestuous marriages among non-Romans in Egypt, the Roman governors simultaneously pleased the local population while causing Jews and North Africans to hold their neighbor in contempt.
Effects of population density on the spread of disease

The effect of population density on the epidemic outbreak of measles or measles-like infectious diseases was evaluated. Using average-number contacts with susceptible individuals per infectious individual as a measure of population density, an analytical model for the distribution of the nonstationary stochastic process of susceptible contact is presented. A 5-dimensional lattice simulation model of disease spread was used to evaluate the effects of four different population densities. A zero-inflated Poisson probability model was used to quantify the nonstationarity of the contact rate in the stochastic epidemic process. Analysis of the simulation results identified a decrease in a susceptible contact rate from four to three, resulted in a dramatic effect on the distribution of contacts over time, the magnitude of the outbreak, and, ultimately, the spread of disease. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Calcium-43 NMR study of calcium salts in various solvents

Abstract The influence of the immediate chemical environment of Ca2+ ion on the 43Ca resonance was studied in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions by calcium-43 NMR.
Quantitative in vivo solubility and reconstitution of truncated circular permutants of green fluorescent protein.

Several versions of split green fluorescent protein (GFP) fold and reconstitute fluorescence, as do many circular permutants, but little is known about the dependence of reconstitution on circular permutation. Explored here is the capacity of GFP to fold and reconstitute fluorescence from various truncated circular permutants, herein called “leave-one-outs” using a quantitative in vivo solubility assay and in vivo reconstitution of fluorescence. Twelve leave-one-out permutants are discussed, one for each of the 12 secondary structure elements. The results expand the outlook for the use of permuted split GFPs as specific and self-reporting gene encoded affinity reagents.
Abnormal personality and the mood and anxiety disorders: Implications for structural models of anxiety and depression

Substantial overlap exists between the mood and anxiety disorders. Previous research has suggested that their comorbidity can be explained by a shared factor (negative emotionality), but that they may also be distinguished by other unique components. The current study explicated these relations using an abnormal personality framework. Current diagnoses of major depression and several anxiety disorders were assessed in 563 Gulf War veterans. Participants also completed the schedule for nonadaptive and adaptive personality (SNAP) to determine how these disorders relate to abnormal personality traits. Analyses of individual diagnoses indicated that depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more strongly related to personality than were other anxiety disorders. The Self-Harm Scale distinguished major depression from all other disorders, highlighting its significance for future structural models. Our results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that GAD and PTSD have more in common with major depression than with their anxiety disorder counterparts.
Regulation of Yeast mRNA 3′ End Processing by Phosphorylation

Recent studies have found that the phosphatase Glc7 associates with the yeast cleavage/polyadenylation factor (CPF), but the role of Glc7 in 3' end processing has not been investigated. Here, we report that depletion of Glc7 causes shortened poly(A) tails in vivo and accumulation of phosphorylated Pta1, a CPF subunit. Removal of Glc7 also gives extract defective for poly(A) addition but normal for cleavage at the poly(A) site. Polyadenylation is rescued by addition of Glc7 or Pta1, but not by phosphorylated Pta1. Moreover, Ypi1, a Glc7-specific inhibitor, or the Cka1 kinase blocks poly(A) addition in wild-type (wt) extract. Pta1 interacts physically and genetically with Glc7, suggesting that Pta1 may also regulate Glc7 or recruit it to CPF. A weakened association of Fip1 with phosphorylated CPF may explain the specific effect on polyadenylation. These results support a model in which poly(A) synthesis is controlled by cycles of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation that require the action of Glc7.
Shape Characterization of a Simply Supported Beam in Morphing

Rather than address morphing in the conventional way of applying forces to a fixed-compliance structure, this work addresses morphing in a structure that can exhibit variable compliance. Specifically, this work addresses the shape morphing of a simply-supported elastic beam from a forward approach perspective, that is, determining beam shape due to applied forces. The focus on this study is on the spatial distribution of the structure due to local/total modulus change in its steady state condition. The resulting morphed shapes are quantified in terms of the characteristic parameters, such as spatial distribution of the peaks of the shapes, deviation from the axis of the symmetry and, in case of flat-top shapes, the width of the flat portion.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Low temperature condensation from the solar nebula

Abstract Two models of the low temperature condensation accretion process for different extreme assumptions are investigated. In one extreme the time scale for accretion is taken to be long compared to the time scale for cooling of the nebula: in this case detailed chemical equilibrium is maintained at all temperatures, and the low temperature condensation process is characterized by solid hydrates such as NH3·H2O and CH4·8H2O. In the opposite extreme, accretion is assumed to be rapid compared to the time scale for cooling: here condensates, once formed, are assumed to be isolated from further chemical interaction with the gas. This inhomogeneous accretion model is closely analogous to condensation sequences in solar-composition planetary atmospheres, and is characterized by formation of aqueous NH3 solution, solid NH4SH, and solid NH3. The results of these models are compared and their relevance to processes in the solar nebula is discussed.
Synthesis and degradation of cytochrome oxidase subunit mRNAs in neurons: differential bigenomic regulation by neuronal activity.

Cytochrome oxidase (CO) plays a key role in oxidative capacity of neurons and serves as a sensitive indicator of neuronal activity. The mechanism(s) involved in the regulation of this bigenomic-encoded mitochondrial enzyme is still not clearly understood. Previous studies have shown changes in the level of its subunit mRNAs encoded by the nuclear or mitochondrial genome in response to changing neuronal activity. Our goals in the present study were to determine whether such changes were due to RNA synthesis rate or stability or both. The level of CO activity of neurons in primary cultures assayed histochemically was increased after depolarizing KCl treatment. The steady-state levels of CO subunit II (CO II; mitochondrial-encoded) and IV (CO IV; nuclear-encoded) mRNAs were up-regulated in response to 5 hr of 20 mM KCl treatment. By using gene-specific probes, the relative rates of synthesis of CO II and IV mRNA were elevated significantly after KCl treatment (P < 0.05). The degradation of CO II and IV mRNAs was monitored by (3)H-uridine pulse-chase labeling, which revealed half-lives of 84 min for CO II mRNA and 50 min for CO IV mRNA. Under KCl treatment, the half-life of CO IV was increased to 102 min, but there was no statistically significant change in the half-life of CO II mRNA. These results indicate that mitochondrial subunit CO II mRNA is regulated mainly at the transcriptional level, whereas the nuclear subunit CO IV mRNA is regulated at both the synthetic and the degradative levels. Both subunits, however, are tightly governed by neuronal activity.
Composition of the pecan truffle (Tuber texense)

Abstract The proximate composition of the ascomata of Tuber texense Heimsch, a truffle collected from the soil beneath pecan trees in Southwestern Georgia, USA, was determined. The moisture content was 72.5%. Dry material consisted of 16.1% protein (N × 4.38), 2.8% lipid, 75% carbohydrate (by difference) and 6.1% ash. Protein was deficient in methionine, but contained a higher percentage of cystine compared to fruiting bodies of several edible fleshy fungi. Oleic (45.9%), linoleic (38.0%) and palmitic (11.4%) acids constituted the major fatty acids of T. texense lipid. Potassium (2.49%), phosphorus (1.29%) and sulfur (0.68%) were the major elements detected in dried ascomata.
Studies of the catabolism of myelin basic proteins of the ratin situ andin vitro

Abstract The catabolism of myelin basic proteins was investigated by direct experimental procedure. A significant decrease in the quantity of these proteins occurred during autolysis within hours after death. This proteolytic decomposition is pH-dependent and proceeds at different rates in various regions of the CNS. The degradation of myelin basic proteins was reproduced in vitro . Crude myelin preparations contain enzymes which convert myelin basic protein to at least two faster migrating breakdown products. This decomposition did not take place in purified myelin preparations. The catabolism of myelin basic proteins was shown to be catalyzed by enzymes in brain lysosomal preparations. There are regional differences in the proteolytic activity of such preparations as well as variations with the stage of myelination.
Fruit ripening in Vitis vinifera: light intensity before and not during ripening determines the concentration of 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine in Cabernet Sauvignon berries.

The roles of light and temperature in the accumulation of the vegetal impact compound 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine (MIBP) in grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berries were determined. Individual clusters were exposed to various light intensities using neutral density shade cloth before ripening, during ripening or throughout the season in three growing seasons. A recently developed method using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with GC-MS in the selected ion-monitoring mode was employed to measure MIBP in berries. Berry MIBP concentration increased subsequent to berry set, reached a maximum prior to onset of ripening, and then decreased thereafter until harvest. Complete shading of clusters increased the concentration of MIBP more than 100% compared to unshaded controls in 2 out of 3 years. Light increasingly inhibited MIBP concentrations up to 25–50% of ambient light intensities (1500 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ). However, only changes in light intensity before ripening had any effect on MIBP accumulation or final MIBP concentration. Analyses of weather data showed that the 1 year in which shading was ineffective was unusually warm, warm early in the season, and had more hot days and higher early season degree days than the other 2 years. In controlled environment experiments, warm growth conditions reduced MIBP concentrations in fruit about as much as light exposure reduced MIBP concentrations in the field experiments. The results indicate that both light and temperature significantly affect MIBP in harvested fruit, but that the light environment during ripening does not significantly affect MIBP concentrations in the berries at harvest.
Cover crops and cultivation: Impacts on soil N dynamics and microbiological function in a Mediterranean vineyard agroecosystem

Abstract Impacts of cover crops, tillage and abiotic factors on soil nitrogen (N) dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, and microbiological functions were investigated in a vineyard in California's Mediterranean climate. Treatments had been established in fall 2001 and were composed of two cover crops [Trios 102 ( Triticale × Triosecale ), (‘Trios’), Merced Rye ( Secale cereale ), (‘Rye’)] and cultivation (‘Cultivation’). Soils were sampled every 2–3 weeks from November 2005 to November 2006. Effects of season and treatment on potential nitrification and denitrification also were determined. Gravimetric water content (GWC) reflected winter and spring rainfall, and soil temperature generally did not differ among treatments. Microbial biomass N (MBN) typically was 2–3-fold greater in ‘Rye’ and ‘Trios’ than ‘Cultivation’ in winter and spring, but these differences among treatments disappeared in summer. Soil nitrate (NO 3 − –N) was consistently greater in cultivated soils, with little temporal change in any treatment. In contrast, soil ammonium (NH 4 + –N) in cover crop treatments was 2–3-fold greater than ‘Cultivation’ in winter and spring, increasing in all treatments in summer after cover crops had been mowed and ‘Cultivation’ had been tilled. Significant multiple linear regressions of MBN on GWC, soil temperature, NH 4 + –N and NO 3 − –N for all treatments indicated that GWC significantly explained changes in MBN. Soil temperature also was significant for ‘Trios’ only, but its standard coefficient value was low, indicating its lesser importance in determining MBN. Despite a significant multiple linear regression of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) efflux on GWC, soil temperature, NH 4 + –N and NO 3 − –N in ‘Trios’ only, no single variate explained the observed variation. However, increases in N 2 O were detected after both cultivation and increases in GWC from precipitation in winter, late spring, and fall. Mean daily N 2 O efflux was greater in cover crops, but annual N 2 O efflux was low as compared to fertilized and unfertilized annual cropping systems. Potential nitrification, N mineralization and denitrification were generally 2–4-fold greater in cover crop treatments than ‘Cultivation’. Thus, cover crops enhanced the soil's capacity for supporting greater MBN, potential N mineralization, and the microbiological functions of nitrification and denitrification. Also, N dynamics appear to be more sensitive to changes in soil water content than temperature. We suggest that potential impacts of greater N 2 O emissions from cover crop soils be evaluated with reference to other benefits of cover cropping, such as increased soil organic matter content, improved microbiological activity, and N availability.
A Case Study Using Animal-Assisted Therapy to Promote Abstinence in a Group of Individuals Who Are Recovering from Chemical Addictions

This research describes the influence of animal assisted therapy on a group of individuals recovering from chemical addiction. King's theory of goal attainment provided a framework. Six to eight individuals responded to questions, outlined by a semi-structured discussion guide, related to their recovery in the presence of a dog. The presence of the dog resulted in altered barriers to communication between the nurse and clients, which in turn resulted in enhanced transactions. The transactions allowed the participants to assimilate information and improve their feelings of self-esteem. The improved self-image allowed the volunteers a greater understanding of their recovery process.
Resource sharing and cooperative acquisitions: A guardedly optimistic view

Resource sharing and cooperative acquisitions programs for libraries are neither recent innovations nor panaceas. The author first places such programs in historical perspective, and then details some of their more conspicuous successes and failures, but such cooperative undertakings can achieve maximal effectiveness only if librarians acquaint themselves with, and profit from the experience acquired by, previous experiments in the enterprise.
Effects of renin and thyroxine in rats treated with corticosteroids and in rats with regenerating adrenals.

ADMINISTRATION of renin to rats pretreated with salt and desoxy-corticosterone (DCA), cortisone or 17-hydroxycorticosterone (cortisol) (1, 2, 3) elicits an eclampsia-like state associated with widespread acute destructive vascular lesions. This condition is attributable, in part, to the enhanced pressor effect of renin associated with the presence of excess adrenosteroids (4). Recently, a somewhat similar syndrome has been described in rats given thyroxin together with salt and DCA plus cortisone (5). In this situation the pressor and nephrosclerotic actions of thyroxine (6) may be additive to those of the steroids or it may act by specific sensitization of pressor mechanisms. The present experiments constitute a comparative study of the effects of thyroxine and renin in animals treated with adrenosteroids and also in animals with regenerating adrenals; the latter condition is stimulated by thyroxine (7) and is believed to be associated with hyperfunction or imbalance in steroid secretions (8).
Structural changes in Spanish in the United States: Differential object marking in Spanish heritage speakers across generations

Abstract This study investigated changes with Differential Object Marking (DOM)—the overt morphological marking of animate direct objects—observed in Spanish heritage speakers who are second generation immigrants in the United States. Previous studies of these speakers found that they omit the obligatory use of a with animate, specific direct objects in oral production ( Montrul, 2004 , Montrul and Bowles, 2009 ). The present study assessed the potential effects of quantity and quality of input on the degree of DOM erosion by controlling for age of onset of bilingualism and by establishing whether this phenomenon would also be subject to attrition in the first generation of immigrants. A total of 64 young adult heritage speakers, 23 adult immigrants from Mexico, and 40 native speakers from Mexico matched in age and SES were tested with a written/auditory comprehension and a written production task. Main findings indicated that native speakers from Mexico performed largely at ceiling in both tasks, whereas the three immigrant groups, including the first generation immigrants, omitted obligatory a in written production and made errors in comprehension. These findings suggest that structural changes with DOM in US Spanish occur at the representational level in some individuals are due to both insufficient input in middle childhood and different parental input in adolescence and early adulthood, in addition to potential transfer from English.
Phase and microstructure evolution in precursor plasma-sprayed YIG coatings

Abstract Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) coatings were prepared using a liquid precursor plasma spray (PPS) method. Regular and reverse co-precipitated feedstock sols were directly sprayed through a radio frequency (RF) plasma torch. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed the formation of amorphous coating in the as-sprayed condition. Post-annealing treatments resulted into nanostructured garnet coatings and the crystallinity of the coatings increased as a function of increasing annealing temperature. Coating annealed at 1000 °C/h exhibited a saturation magnetization of 65 emu/cc and a coercivity of 37 Oe. PPS approach feeds on molecularly mixed precursor liquids or sols, obviating the need for pre-mixed powders and thus opening up new avenues for developing nanostructured magnetic oxide coatings.
Style Over Substance in Interventions for At-Risk Students: The Impact of Intrusiveness

Academic advisors charged with developing and implementing student success strategies should ask: To what extent is the process of intervention, rather than the nature of any specific intervention,...
Ovarian hormones and food intake in female guinea pigs and rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Food intake was measured during ovarian cycles of female guinea pigs and rhesus monkeys. In both species, the period of lowest food intake occurred around the expected time of ovulation. Feeding levels were lowest in the guinea pig during the time of estrus, estrus being estimated on the basis of vaginal membrane changes. Minimum food intake in the rhesus occurred prior to the midpoint of the menstrual cycle, on Day 13, approximately 15–16 days before the next menstruation. In ovariectomized females of both species, either multiple or single estradiol injections significantly lowered food intake. Single progesterone injections to such females were found to have no significant effect on levels of feeding.
Somatic growth after fontan and mustard palliation.

Objective. Patients with complex congenital heart disease frequently develop early growth failure; however, the long-term outcome for growth after surgery for single ventricle or anatomic right ventricle as systemic ventricle is not clear. This study was designed to determine long-term growth in patients following the Fontan and Mustard operations. Method. We retrospectively reviewed the growth parameters of children who had previously undergone the Fontan (n = 80) or Mustard (n = 66) palliation at the Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana. Results. Both the Fontan and Mustard groups had normal height and weight at birth. At the time of their Fontan or Mustard palliation, there was a significant retardation in weight (Z-score: −0.98 and −1.79, respectively) and height (Z-score: −0.96 and −1.03, respectively). Both cohorts postoperatively demonstrated significant catch-up in their weights. Although the Mustard group normalized their heights, the Fontan patients continued to demonstrate short statures in long-term follow-up. Conclusion. Children with single ventricles and those with palliated d-loop transposition of the great arteries suffer somatic growth delay prior to definitive surgery, despite being of normal size at birth. Catch-up growth in weight occurs after the Fontan and Mustard operations. In the Mustard population, height also normalizes, whereas in patients with univentricular circulation, height remains abnormally low.
Progress in quality and design

In a discussion of quality and design, the fourth article in our series on Design looks at progress of engineering manufacture in the field of heavy engineering
Study of strain balance in long wavelength infrared InAs/GaSb superlattice materials

The epitaxial growth parameters optimized for mid wavelength infrared (MWIR) InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) growth are not necessarily the best parameters for very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) SL growth. While the cutoff wavelength of the SL structure can be easily extended from a MWIR to a VLWIR spectral range by increasing InAs layer thickness with a fixed GaSb layer thickness, the structural and optical properties of SLs are changing as well, and these changes are not necessarily beneficial to the material quality of VLWIR SLs. For instance, tensile strain in the SL rapidly increases as InAs layer thickness increases. This impacts the interface growth processes used to strain balance the average lattice constant of the SL to match the GaSb substrate, the interface engineering in a VLWIR SL is very different than that in a MWIR SL. Using a baseline SL design of 16 monolayers (MLs) InAs/7 MLs GaSb, a systematic study of controlling the Sb/As background pressure and shutter sequence during interface formation was performed in order to minimize tensile strain in the VLWIR SLs. The effect of various shutter sequences on the SL morphological quality and their impact on optical spectral response is reported. By inserting 0.5 MLs of InSb-like interfaces, using a migration-enhance-epitaxy technique, in the baseline SL design, while maintaining a total SL period of 23 MLs, we achieved a high structural quality, strain balanced LWIR SL with a photoresponse onset at 15 μm.
New approaches to delivering metal-labeled antibodies to tumors : Synthesis and characterization of new biotinyl chelate conjugates for pre-targeted diagnosis and therapy

Abstract Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies are widely used in the detection and treatment of cancer. However, several problems still prevent full clinical exploitation of these reagents. Low tumor/background ratios in immunoscintigraphy and high background radioactivity in therapy are limiting factors. The strategy of pre-targeting may overcome these limitations. One of the strategies is based on the avidin-biotin system. The use of biotinylated antitumor antibodies, followed by avidin and then by a biotin-chelate conjugate in a three step procedure to image cancer sites has been demonstrated (G. Paganelli et al., Cancer Res. 51 (1991) 5960–5966). In this report we describe the synthesis of several biotin-chelate conjugates. Among these chelate conjugates, biotinyl-LC-DOTA binds the diagnostic and therapeutic radiometals 111 indium, 90 yttrium and 67 copper with the required stability and has excellent physiological properties for pre-targeted diagnosis and therapy. Biotinyl-LC-DOTA can be prepared from 2- p -nitrobenzyl-DOTA via p -aminobenzyl-DOTA and 6-((biotinyl)amino)caproic acid (biotin X) in a simple two-step synthesis in 90% yield.
Racial and ethnic patterns of allostatic load among adult women in the United States: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004.

Abstract Objective: This study provides a descriptive sociodemographic profile of allostatic load (AL) among adult women of all age groups, focusing on how age patterns of AL vary across racial/ethnic groups. Allostatic load, an index of cumulative physiological dysregulation, captures how the cumulative impact of physiological stress responses from person-environment interactions causes wear and tear on the body's regulatory systems, which in turn can lead to disease outcomes and health disparities. Methods: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004, this study examines AL in a nationally representative sample of women ≥18 years of age (n=5765). Measures of AL using 10 biomarkers representing cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic system functioning were created. Multivariate negative binomial regression models were used, and predicted AL scores were computed. Results: Black women had the highest predicted AL scores relative to other racial/ethnic groups...
Paraffin Inhibitor Formulations for Different Application Environments: From Heated Injection in the Desert to Extreme Cold Arctic Temperatures††Presented at the 10th International Conference on Petroleum Phase Behavior and Fouling.

Paraffin inhibitors are used in petroleum production operations to reduce wax deposition and/or reduce viscosity or complete gelling of high-wax-content petroleum fluids. When the treatment is for viscosity reduction or gel prevention, the paraffin inhibitor is commonly called a pour-point depressant. The active chemistries of paraffin inhibitor/pour-point depressant products are specialty polymers that alter the wax crystallization process, which, in turn, changes the characteristics of wax deposits and wax gel networks. The polymers are typically formulated in a carrier fluid for easy delivery (with a simple injection pump) to the petroleum stream that is to be treated. Most commonly, the polymer is dissolved in a solvent. This formulation must, of course, be stable and suitable for use in its particular application environment. The environment (principally ambient temperature) can vary widely depending on the geographical region and the season of the year. Similarly, constraints placed on paraffin inhi...
Professionalism Deficits Among Medical Students: Models of Identification and Intervention

Objective This study compares the instruments and interventions utilized to identify and remediate unprofessional behaviors in medical students across U.S. psychiatry clerkships.
Advances in polarization metrology

Three new polarimeters are described which represent advances in polarization metrology capabilities. Two are at a new polarization laboratory started at the University of Arizona’s Optical Sciences Center, (1) a Fiber Optic Spectropolarimeter and (2) a High Speed Mueller Matrix Imaging Polarimeter. The third is a new visible Mueller Matrix Spectropolarimeter for optical component test from a startup company, Axometrics, which is useful for detailed characterization of optical components and thin films via spectra of diattenuation, retardance, and depolarization.
Contrasting lifestyles of rolling-circle phages and plasmids

The rolling-circle mechanism of DNA replication is used by small prokaryotic genomes, such as single-stranded phages and plasmids. However, phages and plasmids have adapted the rolling-circle mechanism differently to suit their contrasting biological needs. The phi X174 phage uses a monomeric initiator protein catalytically, displays incomplete termination and recycles the initiator protein, in order to mass-produce phage progeny. By contrast, to control replication precisely, the pT181 plasmid uses a dimeric initiator protein stochiometrically, completes termination and inactivates the initiator after each replication cycle. The phi X174 phage and the pT181 plasmid represent paradigmatic adaptations of the rolling-circle mechanism and could provide models for other replicons.
Protein crosslinking, tissue transglutaminase, alternative splicing and neurodegeneration.

Abstract Increasing interest and awareness of protein aggregation as being implicated in neurodegenerative processes has developed in recent years. One novel mechanism for this may be transglutaminase (TGase)-mediated protein crosslinking, that is involved in a variety of natural processes ranging from the stabilization of fibrin clots to production of the epidermal cell envelope and the fluid barrier of the skin. TGases are also implicated in both function and dysfunction of the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. The most ubiquitously expressed member of the TGase family, known as tissue TGase (tTG) or TG2, which, in addition to catalyzing the production of e-lysine to γ-glutaminyl isodipeptide bonds, serves a dual function as the G-protein Gαh and is both expressed and active in PNS and CNS. It differs from other members of the TGase gene family in this regard and may implicate it in ‘switches’ from life or trophic signaling to those associated with apoptosis. In this regard, recent data indicate that one or more TGases are involved in neurodegenerative disorders such as the Qn/CAG repeat disorders, as well as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. As do many genes, particularly those highly expressed in the CNS, tTG undergoes alternative processing. Elevated expression and alternative splicing, resulting in a short (S) isoform of tTG with more active crosslinking activity, are associated with increased neuronal loss in affected regions in the demented brain. Our recent and novel data indicate that tTG mRNA, protein, and TGase activity are elevated in certain neurodegenerative diseases, and are accompanied by transcription of this S splice variant that results in unregulated crosslinking, unique to neurodegenerative disorders.
α-Fetoprotein gene methylation and hepatocarcinogenesis in rats fed a choline-devoid diet

We studied the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene methylation of DNA from livers of rats fed choline-devoid or control choline-supplemented diets, and from hepatocellular carcinomas induced by the choline-devoid diet. Chronic choline deficiency caused a reduction in the level but not the pattern of methylation in hepatocytes. The tumors, however, had an altered methylation pattern with a marked increase in methylation at the 3' end, even those tumors that had low average DNA methylation. At the same time, there was a decrease in DNA methylation at the 5' end. The tumor methylation pattern resembled that of the active AFP gene of fetal liver but there was no increase in the steady-state level of AFP mRNA in the tumors. The 3' demethylated region is characteristic of the inactive adult liver AFP gene, but it disappears in the final stages of neoplastic transformation of hepatocytes. The methylation changes are not sufficient to activate the gene.
A Prudent Energy Path

The crucial energy problem of this century is the balance between supply and demand for liquid fuels. Our conventional petroleum source is limited and much of it comes from countries that we consider unstable. Our near-term national energy effort should be devoted almost exclusively to reducing our dependence on petroleum, using every means at our disposal. Our present fleet of automobiles should be replaced as soon as possible with cars using less than half as much gasoline and with electrically propelled vehicles. We must move faster on the production of liquid fuels from coal and oil shale. A way must be found to cut through the politics and financial problems of converting our oilfired electricity generating plants to the use of coal or uranium. Houses and stores that are now heated with oil should be insulated to use less fuel and should be converted to heating with electricity, provided that the electricity is produced from coal or uranium. Our transmission lines should be strengthened so that electricity generated from coal or uranium can be wheeled to oil-burning areas of the country. Even with these measures and more, it will take all of the remainder of this century to reach even a moderately comfortable position with respect to liquid fuels. While this is happening we can expect to be sharing our ample supplies of coal with other NATO countries, and what we thought was several centuries' worth of coal will turn out to be more like one century's worth.
Relationship of Disulfide Bond Formation to Altered Rheological Properties of Oleic Acid Modified Egg White

Egg white modification with oleic acid (OEW) had no effect on disulfide bond formation during the thermal gelation process. Lower transition temperatures were seen for oleic acid treated egg white (70°C) relative to native egg white (EW) (74°C). Torsional failure testing showed increases of 60 and 100% for shear stress and strain at failure, respectively, of OEW over EW. Dialysis, pH-adjustment, and treatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) lowered stress values while shear strain Was affected only by pH-adjustment. Scanning electron micrographs indicated a more dense structure for OEW than that of EW. No visible structural change was apparent due to treatment with NEM.
Feeding selectivity of slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii in southeast Lake Michigan: Implications for species coexistence

Abstract Feeding selectivity was compared between slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii collected from southeast Lake Michigan during 1999–2002 to evaluate the hypothesis that differential prey selection contributes to long-term coexistence of these species. Study results indicated that slimy and deepwater sculpin select different prey types and sizes. Selection for the shrimp-like crustacean Mysis diluviana was consistently greater for deepwater sculpin than for slimy sculpin, whereas selection for the amphipod Diporeia spp. was higher for slimy sculpin than for deepwater sculpin when Mysis was the only other available prey type. Slimy sculpin also exhibited higher selectivity for chironomids (order Diptera, family Chironomidae) compared with deepwater sculpin. Patterns in food resource partitioning were consistent between sampling periods covering different locations, seasons and depths, as well as between locations with varying levels of Diporeia availability. This consistency suggests (1) that differences in food use by the two species are associated with intrinsic differences in food preferences or feeding behaviors and (2) that Diporeia declines had not fundamentally altered the resource partitioning dynamics of the two species as of 2002. The results also indicated that slimy and deepwater sculpin can partition food resources on the basis of prey size since deepwater sculpin tended to select larger Diporeia than slimy sculpin. Differences in prey selection may mediate competitive interactions between slimy and deepwater sculpin directly by reducing diet overlap in areas of sympatry or indirectly by causing these fish to select different depth habitats.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Centenary Social Structure, Race and the Transformation of the Juvenile Court

Within the past three decades, legal changes have transformed the juvenile court from a nominally rehabilitative social welfare agency into a second-class criminal court for young offenders. The migration of blacks from the rural south to the urban north that began more than three-quarters of a century ago, the structural transformation of cities and the economy over the past quarter of a century, and the current public and political linkages between race and serious youth crime provided the impetus for recent punitive juvenile justice policies. Two competing conceptions of young people - innocence and responsibility - have facilitated the juvenile court's metamorphosis from a welfare into a penal organization as policy makers selectively manipulate these competing social constructs to conduct a form of `criminological triage'. At the `soft end', states have shifted non-criminal status offenders out of the juvenile system into a `hidden system' in the private-sector mental health and chemical dependency i...
Yeast use translational control to compensate for extra copies of a ribosomal protein gene

Abstract The efficient assembly of ribosomes requires a balanced synthesis of ribosomal RNA and each ribosomal protein. In an attempt to establish the mechanisms responsible for such balanced synthesis we have altered the gene dosage for one of the components by introducing into yeast an autonomously replicating plasmid containing the gene tcm1 , which codes for ribosomal protein L3. The plasmid is maintained at 5–10 copies per cell by selection for expression of its URA3 gene. The plasmid-containing cells transcribe 7.5 times as much L3 mRNA as control cells, maintain 3.5 times as much L3 mRNA as control cells and synthesize no more than 1.2 times as much L3 protein as control cells. We conclude that the balanced synthesis of ribosomal proteins is maintained by modulating both the efficiency of translation and the lifetime of their mRNAs.
Religion under National Socialism: The Case of the German Adventist Church

In May of 1948 a letter from Major J. C. Thompson, chief of the Religious Affairs Section of the American Military Government in Berlin, arrived at the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists in Washington, D.C. Major Thompson's office was responsible for seeing that all Nazis were removed from leadership positions, and his letter was part of an ongoing correspondence about the denomination's need to come to terms with its Nazi past. The Adventist denomination, he complained, was “one of the very few in Berlin which have not cleaned house politically to date. Most of the denominations finished this task long enough ago to have forgotten about it.” The letter must have been particularly embarrassing to Adventist leaders as it went on to compare Adventists to Catholics, who “actually had little housecleaning to do because of their strong opposition during the reign of Hitler to the entire Nazi regime.”
PHOTOASSISTANCE IN REACTIONS OF THE CIS-(BIS(2,2'-BIPYRIDYL))(CARBONYL)(FORMYL)RUTHENIUM(II) CATION WITH PROTIC REAGENTS

Prior to the recent report of the synthesis of cis-Ru(bpy){sub 2} (CO)(CHO){sup +}PF{sub 6}{sup -} (1; bpy = 2,2`-bipyridyl) by Tanaka et al., we had also synthesized the compound and begun a study of its reactions. We now describe our observations on the unusual reactions of 1 and suggest explanations for these reactions. Our results with 1 suggest that the photoactivity of C{sub 1} complexes in this series may have a profound impact on catalytic reactions. Complex 1 is unique in being able to place a highly reactive ligand in a photochemically-generated vacant site (or radical site) and then, later, rechelating the bpy ligand. Also, complex 1 appears to be unique among mononuclear formyl complexes in being photolabile. Our results suggest that reactive hydride complexes (such as B in Schemes 2 and 3 ) could be formed from ruthenium formyl complexes and give rise to formate via CO{sub 2} insertion. 19 refs.
Wavelength Tunable Microdisk Cavity Light Source with a Chemically Enhanced MoS2 Emitter

In this work, we report an integrated narrowband light source based on thin MoS2 emissive material coupled to the high quality factor whispering gallery modes of a microdisk cavity with a spatial notch that enables easy out-coupling of emission while it yields high spatial coherence and a Gaussian intensity distribution. The active light emitting material consists of chemically enhanced bilayer MoS2 flakes with a thin atomic layer deposited SiO2 protective coating that yields 20-times brighter chemically enhanced photoluminescence compared to as-exfoliated monolayers on the microdisk. Quality factors ≈ 1000 are observed as well as a high degree of spatial coherence. We also experimentally achieve effective index tuning of cavity coupled emission over a full free spectral range. The thermal response of this system is also studied. This work provides new insights for nanophotonic light sources with atomically thin active media.
Conversion of {Fe(NO)2}10 dinitrosyl iron to nitrato iron(III) species by molecular oxygen

A new {Fe(NO)2}10 dinitrosyl iron complex possessing a 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligand has been prepared. This complex exhibits dioxygenase activity, converting NO to nitrate (NO3−) anions. During the oxygenation reaction, formation of reactive nitrating species is implicated, as shown in the effective o-nitration with a phenolic substrate.
Requirement for Generation of H2O2 for Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Signal Transduction

Stimulation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) transiently increased the intracellular concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This increase could be blunted by increasing the intracellular concentration of the scavenging enzyme catalase or by the chemical antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. The response of VSMCs to PDGF, which includes tyrosine phosphorylation, mitogen-activated protein kinase stimulation, DNA synthesis, and chemotaxis, was inhibited when the growth factor-stimulated rise in H2O2 concentration was blocked. These results suggest that H2O2 may act as a signal-transducing molecule, and they suggest a potential mechanism for the cardioprotective effects of antioxidants.
Mortality of Fish Larvae Exposed to Varying Concentrations of Cyclopoid Copepods

Abstract Cyclopoid copepods can prey on freshwater fish larvae. The magnitude of predation is related to the size and concentrations of the cyclopoid copepods and the size of the fish larva; it is also likely to be specific to certain species. We studied 5-d-old larvae of sunshine bass (female white bass Morone chrysops × male striped bass M. saxatilis), golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas, fathead minnow Pimephales promelas, and goldfish Carassius auratus in four separate experiments. Larvae were stocked at 20/L into 2 L of water containing various concentrations of the cyclopoid copepods Cyclops vernalis and Mesocyclops vericans to ascertain the effect of predation on mortality. We also compared predation rates observed in this study with rates predicted by an empirical model of crustacean predation on fish larvae from the literature. Sunshine bass alone were susceptible to predation mortality at the cyclopoid copepod concentrations used in this study. Mortality at 400 cyclopoids/L was significantly h...
Schedule-induced ethanol dependence and phenobarbital preference.

Abstract Rats exposed to a daily 3-hr session of intermittent food delivery ingested physical-dependence-producing levels of 5% ethanol solution. Although this schedule induced a chronic, voluntary, daily overindulgence, this had no effect on 21-hr home-cage phenobarbital preference. The substitution of water for 5% ethanol during the daily 3-hr binge session did not change home-cage phenobarbital preference, which remained stable and similar to that of a control group of non-binging animals. This experiment and others indicate that physical dependence on ethanol does not play a major role in the maintenance of ethanol abuse or cross-abuse of the barbiturates.
Genetic Testing in Hereditary Colorectal Cancer

CASE PRESENTATION A 29-year-old woman presented to her family physician with a 2-month history of 30 to 44 mL (2-3 tbsp) of bright red blood per rectum with every bowel movement. She was referred to a surgeon, who performed anoscopy and gave her a diagnosis of hemorrhoidal bleeding. She underwent hemorrhoidal surgery of unknown type. The patient again sought medical attention 3 months later, complaining of persistent and unchanged rectal bleeding. She had no change in bowel habits, weight loss, or family history of colorectal cancer or polyps. Examination of her skin did not show osteomas, lipomas, or epidermoid cysts. Direct ophthalmoscopic examination revealed no pigmentation of the retinal epithelium. Abdominal examination was normal. A stool sample taken during rectal examination tested guaiac positive. The results of an upper gastrointestinal tract barium series were normal, but air contrast barium enema showed multiple filling defects throughout the colorectum. Subsequent colonoscopy revealed