cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Stereoelectronic Effects in Biofilm Eradication: Synthetic β-Amino Human Milk Oligosaccharides Impede Microbial Adhesion As Observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Alongside Edward, Lemieux was among the earliest researchers studying negative hyperconjugation (i.e. the anomeric effect) or the preference for gauche conformations about the C1-O5 bond in carbohydrates. Lemieux also studied an esoteric, if not controversial, theory known as the reverse anomeric effect (RAE). This theory is used to rationalize scenarios where predicted anomeric stabilization does not occur. One such example is the Kochetkov amination, where reducing end amines exist solely as the β-anomer. Herein, we provide a brief account of Lemieux's contributions to the area of stereoelectronic effects and apply this knowledge toward the synthesis of -amino human milk oligosaccharides (βA-HMOs). These molecules were evaluated for their ability to inhibit growth and biofilm production in Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and Staphylococcus aureus. While the parent HMOs lacked antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, their β-amino derivatives significantly inhibit biofilm formation in both species. Field Emission Gun-Scanning Single Electron Microscopy (FEG-SEM) revealed that treatment of the β-amino HMOs significantly inhibits bacterial adherence and eliminates the ability of both microbes to form biofilms.
Follicular pathway role in chemical warfare simulants percutaneous penetration.

Chemical warfare (CW) exposure could be fatal to military and civilians through skin contamination. Our work and others focus on investigating stratum corneum reservoir with less regards to skin appendageal routes including hair follicles. Here, C-14 CW simulants (CWS) with specific activity of 0.1 mCi/ml were tested on abdominal and scalp human cadaver skin using flow-through diffusion system. Quantitative analysis of simulants in skin compartments were performed using scintillation counter. Scalp permeation of dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGME), diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP) and methyl salicylate (MeS) exceed abdominal skin by 8%, 15%, and 6% (p value 0.05). The percentage of applied dose of MeS in scalp showed higher partitioning in stratum corneum and viable epidermis than abdominal skin (p value <0.05). In conclusion, human scalp showed greater total skin absorption than abdominal skin. This work points to a qualitative importance of high follicular density body regions in percutaneous penetration and suggests that transfollicular pathway might have a significant role in early stage permeation of chemical warfare simulants. However, the difference noticed here between scalp and abdominal skin could be attributed to regional variability in anatomy, physiology, and barrier characteristics.
Basic Measurement Concepts

Consistent and understandable terminology is essential in metrology. Uniform terminology facilitates comparison of results and uncertainties between metrology organizations and measurement practitioners. Despite the importance of correct terminology, misinterpretation of common terminology still abounds in scientific, engineering, and academic communities. This chapter covers basic measurement terminology and concepts that are necessary to proper understanding of measurement data and associated uncertainties. The difference between accuracy, precision, resolution, repeatability, reproducibility, uncertainty, and other terms are discussed. The International Vocabulary of Metrology (referred to as “the VIM”), fundamentally a dictionary of metrology terms, serves as the basis for common terminology.
JA:2021-39. Development of Safety Scores for Selected Greenhouse Production Facilities in North America

Purpose: Greenhouse crop production is increasing as consumer demand increases, specifically in areas where the natural climate is more hostile to the desired production. However, no formal scienti...
Case Report: Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome Associated With Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2 and Acetylcholine Receptor Autoantibodies in the Setting of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma:

Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare immune-mediated paraneoplastic or para/-post-infectious syndrome characterized by “dancing” eye movements, myoclonus, and ataxia. Neuropsychiatric symp...
The Emergency Surgery Score is a powerful predictor of outcomes across multiple surgical specialties: Results of a retrospective nationwide analysis.

Abstract Background The Emergency Surgery Score was recently validated in a prospective multicenter study as an accurate predictor of mortality in emergency general surgery patients. The Emergency Surgery Score is easily calculated using multiple demographic, comorbidity, laboratory, and acuity of disease variables. We aimed to investigate whether the Emergency Surgery Score can predict 30-day postoperative mortality across patients undergoing emergency surgery in multiple surgical specialties. Methods Our study is a retrospective cohort study using data from the national American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2007-2017). We included patients that underwent emergency gynecologic, urologic, thoracic, neurosurgical, orthopedic, vascular, cardiac, and general surgical procedures. The Emergency Surgery Score was calculated for each patient, and the correlation between the Emergency Surgery Score and 30-day mortality was assessed for each specialty using the c-statistics methodology. Results Of 6,485,915 patients, 173,890 patients were included. The mean age was 60 years, 50.6% were female patients, and the overall mortality was 9.7%. The Emergency Surgery Score predicted mortality best in emergency gynecologic, general, and urologic surgery (c-statistics: 0.97, 0.87, 0.81, respectively). The Emergency Surgery Score predicted mortality moderately well in emergency thoracic, neurosurgical, orthopedic, and vascular surgery (c-statistics 0.73–0.79). For example, the mortality of gynecology patients with an Emergency Surgery Score of 5, 9, and 13 was 2%, 27%, and 50%, respectively. The Emergency Surgery Score performed poorly in cardiac surgery. Conclusion The Emergency Surgery Score accurately predicts mortality across patients undergoing emergency surgery in multiple surgical specialties, especially general, gynecologic, and urologic surgery. The Emergency Surgery Score can prove useful for perioperative patient counseling and for benchmarking the quality of surgical care.
Peatland microbial community responses to plant functional group and drought are depth-dependent.

Peatlands store one-third of Earth's soil carbon, the stability of which is uncertain due to climate change-driven shifts in hydrology and vegetation, and consequent impacts on microbial communities that mediate decomposition. Peatland carbon cycling varies over steep physicochemical gradients characterizing vertical peat profiles. However, it is unclear how drought-mediated changes in plant functional groups (PFGs) and water table (WT) levels affect microbial communities at different depths. We combined a multiyear mesocosm experiment with community sequencing across a 70-cm depth gradient, to test the hypotheses that vascular PFGs (Ericaceae vs. sedges) and WT (high vs. low) structure peatland microbial communities in depth-dependent ways. Several key results emerged. (i) Both fungal and prokaryote (bacteria and archaea) community structure shifted with WT and PFG manipulation, but fungi were much more sensitive to PFG whereas prokaryotes were much more sensitive to WT. (ii) PFG effects were largely driven by Ericaceae, although sedge effects were evident in specific cases (e.g., methanotrophs). (iii) Treatment effects varied with depth: the influence of PFG was strongest in shallow peat (0-10, 10-20 cm), whereas WT effects were strongest at the surface and middle depths (0-10, 30-40 cm), and all treatment effects waned in the deepest peat (60-70 cm). Our results underline the depth-dependent and taxon-specific ways that plant communities and hydrologic variability shape peatland microbial communities, pointing to the importance of understanding how these factors integrate across soil profiles when examining peatland responses to climate change.
Intersectional Identities and Conceptions of the Self: The Experience of Transgender People

Transgender people in the United States change genders in relation to androcentric, heterocentric, and middle-class whitenormative cultural narratives. Drawing on ethnographic data primarily with transgender people of color, I analyze the ways in which gender, race, social class, and sexuality all combine to create specific background identities – intersected identity frames – which others attribute in interaction. We can better understand these intersected identity frames through the experiences of transgender people, who actively engage in identity management. The meanings others attach to specific combinations are foregrounded in the context of transitioning; some audiences employ dominant, white cultural narratives, while others draw upon ethnic cultural narratives. In all cases, transitioning throws the multi-dimensionality of intersected identity frames into sharp relief against the background of intersecting social and cultural structural arrangements.
Inter- and Intra-Individual Variations during the Progress of Motor Learning

Abstract The effects of practice and the passage of time on individual differences (true-score variance) and intra-individual variation were investigated. One hundred and twenty male university students were tested on a Koerth type pursuit rotor. One group was tested on six days spaced over a three-week period. Another group performed the same motor task two days only—test and retest being separated by an interval of three weeks. Each day of practice was the same for both groups—sixty 15-second trials separated by a 10-second intertrial rest. It was concluded that true-score variance as well as intra-individual variance tend to parallel the initial increases in performance and then stabilize in later practice. Since the true-score variance increased greatly as compared with intra-individual variance in early performance, the correlation between adjacent trials increased. The effect of the lay-off was to increase both individual differences and intra-individual variance to a substantial and statistically s...
Chapter 27 Generational policy

Abstract Generational policy is a fundamental aspect of a nation's fiscal affairs. The policy involves redistributing resources across generations and allocating to particular generations the burden of paying the government's bills. This chapter in Volume 4 of the Handbook of Public Economics shows how generational policy works, how it is measured, and how much it matters to virtual as well as real economies. The chapter shows the zero-sum nature of generational policy. It then illustrates the difference between statutory and true fiscal incidence. It also illuminates the arbitrary nature of fiscal labels as well as their associated fiscal aggregates, including the budget deficit, aggregate tax revenues, and aggregate transfer payments. Finally, it illustrates the various guises of generational policy, including structural tax changes, running budget deficits, altering investment incentives, and expanding pay-as-you-go-financed social security. Once this example has been milked, the chapter shows that its lessons about the arbitrary nature of fiscal labels are general. They apply to any neoclassical model with rational economic agents and rational economic institutions. This demonstration sets the stage for the description, illustration, and critique of generational accounting. The chapter's final sections use a simulation model to illustrate generational policy, consider the theoretical and empirical case for and against Ricardian Equivalence, discuss government risk sharing and risk making, and summarize lessons learned.
Seeing red : The story of prodigiosin

Publisher Summary S. marcescens has played an important role in the history of bacterial taxonomy, in research on the transmission of bacterial aerosols, in the study of emerging nosocomial infections, and in the understanding of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. The prodigiosin pigments have intrigued organic chemists and pharmacologists, and play roles in the treatment of infectious diseases such as malaria, and perhaps as immunosuppressant agents. Undecylprodiginine played an important role in the first cloning of a gene, playing a defined role in the biosynthesis of an antibiotic. An O-methyltransferase gene was isolated by complementation and the color of undecylprodiginine was used as the selectable phenotype. The regulation of prodigiosin biosynthesis is complex, being influenced by increased glucose levels and decreased by increased phosphate level. The antibiotic resistance of many strains of S. marcescens is a serious problem with rapid horizontal transfer of drug resistance by plasmids.
Neural selective activation and temporal regulation of a mammalian GAP-43 promoter in zebrafish

Neurons throughout the vertebrate nervous system selectively activate the gene for a growth cone component, GAP-43, during embryonic development, and then decrease its expression abruptly as they form synapses. Distal interruption of mature axons in the central nervous system (CNS) of fish and amphibians, but not in the mammalian CNS reverses the developmental down-regulation of GAP-43 expression. To explore functional conservation and divergence of cis-acting elements that regulate expression of the GAP-43 gene, we studied activation, in transgenic zebrafish embryos, of mammalian GAP-43 genomic sequences fused to a marker gene. The DNA fragments containing the GAP-43 promoter, including a short fragment of 386 base pairs, were preferentially activated in the embryonic fish nervous system at times when extensive neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth take place. After 2 days of development, expression of the mammalian transgenes was specifically downregulated in the fish spinal cord but increased in more rostral regions of the CNS. This expression pattern was well correlated with the regulation of the endogenous fish GAP-43 gene revealed by in situ hybridization. Elements of the mammalian gene located a substantial distance upstream of the minimal promoter directed additional expression of the marker gene in a specific set of non-neural cells in zebrafish embryos. Our results indicate that cis-acting elements of the GAP-43 gene, and signaling pathways controlling these elements during embryonic development, have been functionally conserved in vertebrate evolution.
Parallel computation of higher order moments on the MasPar-1 machine

The design of efficient parallel processing implementations for speeding up the computationally intensive estimation of higher order statistics (HOS) has been recognized as an important task by the signal processing community. We report on the synthesis of minimum running time (latency) data-parallel algorithms that can be employed to compute all moment lags, up to the 3rd or 4th-order, on the MasPar-1 single instruction multiple data (SIMD) parallel system. By construction the synthesized SIMD algorithms require constant memory per processing element (PE), thus allowing the processing of 1-D input data sequences with as many as M=2/sup 10/ data samples. Simulation results are presented showing the gain in speedup and execution times, as compared to optimized versions of the serial estimation algorithm running in powerful workstations.
A function theoretical view of fuzzy sets: new extension principle

By definition, a fuzzy set is uniquely characterized by its membership function. Mathematically, a membership function is a unit-interval valued function. So a fuzzy set theory can be viewed from such a functional view. In this paper, fuzzy theories are examined for categories of classical sets, topological spaces (with nice conditions, such as compact Hausdorff) and smooth spaces (closed manifold in Euclidean space). The last two are often required in control theory. Taking this view the traditional extension principle is not valid in these categories, because the principle does not produce continuous/smooth membership function. In this paper, a new general extension principle is established.
Design of an XRF system for in vivo measurement of lead in bone

The toxicological effects of lead in humans have been long known. The long-term exposure is best measured by the lead in bone, which is known to contain over 90% of the body's lead burden. We are in the process of developing a faster, more accurate measurement system based on the latest techniques pioneered in astrophysics and synchrotron light source research. We report here on the first phase of the program, which is aimed at determining the parameters for obtaining the maximum sensitivity with L X-ray fluorescence; a further phase will be concerned with K XRF. The studies are being carried out at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL NSLS) using a monochromatic, polarized X-ray beam, tunable over the energy range from 8 keV (well below the L/sub III/ binding energy of 13.035 keV) to 30 keV (well above the L/sub I/ binding energy of 15.86 keV). We used cylindrical bone phantoms made from plaster of paris, doped with 17 ppm and 115 ppm of lead, and covered with 5 mm of Lucite to simulate the overlaying skin tissue. At an excitation energy of 16.5 keV, and with an available planar Ge detector in an XRF geometry that made effective use of the polarized beam, we were immediately able to measure 17 ppm of lead in bone phantom in a few minutes.
Detecting tides and gravity at Europa from multiple close flybys

[1] This paper presents the expected accuracy of the tides and gravity of Europa that can be measured by tracking a spacecraft during close flybys of Europa. A reference trajectory was designed for flyby science observations and consists of a total of 36 flybys of Europa at 100 km altitude. Earth-based Doppler measurements were created during ±2 hours of each periapsis passage and were simulated with realistic dynamical and measurement assumptions. The result shows that the degree 2 tidal Love number,k2, can be estimated to σk2 = 0.045 and σk2= 0.009 (1-sigma formal uncertainty) assuming X-band and Ka-band tracking capabilities, respectively, which is sufficient to confirm the existence of a global subsurface ocean.
Jet-based Photonic Crystals for Terahertz Technology - A Need for Higher Resolution

Two-dimensional hexagonal photonic crystals of air columns in a wax substrate were fabricated by jet-based methods. By modifying the structure of the photonic crystals (PC), electromagnetic waves can be controlled, enabling the design of novel devices for waveguides, filters, and couplers. The jet-based processing is a solid freeforming method that can fabricate complex 2D or 3D photonic structures quickly and easily as compared to micro-machining and lithographic methods. The resolution of our 3D Systems ThermoJet® solider object printer is 300 x 400 x 600 dpi (XYZ) with the layer thickness of 0.042 mm. The wax used is a thermopolymer build material, similar to production investment casting wax material. The periodicity of the lattice of our 2D PC structures was designed to form bandstop filters in the 0.1 - 0.3 THz range. Transmission spectra of the structures were measured with a Bruker IFS 66v FT-IR interferometer. Photonic band gaps were observed at 0.17 THz and 0.23 THz along the TM direction for both the TM and TE polarized incident beam for the PC structures with lattice constant of 0.787 mm and 0.586 mm, respectively. The location and width of the bandgaps agree with theoretical calculation based on a block-iterative frequency-domain method for Maxwell’s equations in a planewave basis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a jet-based process has been used successfully to fabricate PC structures at these high frequencies. However, the ThermoJet® printer as well as other current available solid freeforming technologies lack the resolution to PC structures operating in the terahertz regime. To extend this technology to terahertz applications, such as terahertz lasers, waveguides, and imaging system, a 10-fold increase in machine resolution is required to produce finer structures. Engineering materials with lower electromagnetic absorption and higher dielectric constants at terahertz frequencies are also critical to developing THz photonic bandgap technology.
Usefulness of pulmonary function tests and blood gases in acute neuromuscular respiratory failure

Background and purpose: Define the usefulness of pulmonary function tests (PFT) and arterial blood gases (ABG) in patients admitted to the ICU with acute neuromuscular respiratory failure (NMRF). Methods: We reviewed 76 patients admitted to an ICU at Mayo Clinic (Rochester) between 2003 and 2009 with acute NMRF defined as need for mechanical ventilation (MV) because of primary impairment of the peripheral nervous system. Poor functional outcome was defined as a modified Rankin score >3. Results: Median age was 65 years. The most frequent diagnosis was myasthenia gravis (25 patients); 54% of patients had no known neuromuscular diagnosis before admission, and 11% had no specific diagnosis at discharge. Median MV time was 16 days; 14% of patients died during hospitalization, and 63% were severely disabled at discharge. Maximal expiratory pressure ≤30 cm H2O and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) worse than −28 cm H2O before MV were associated with need for invasive MV for longer than 7 days (P = 0.02). Indicators of chronic respiratory acidosis (low pH, high pCO2, and high HCO3) before MV were associated with in-hospital death and poor functional outcome, but mostly in patients with progressive, untreatable neuromuscular diagnoses. Conclusions: In patients with primary acute NMRF, bedside PFT and ABG before MV can be used to predict evolution and outcome. Lower MIP and MEP portend prolonged MV and are more useful than forced vital capacity. Presentation with chronic respiratory acidosis is associated with high risk of in-hospital mortality and severe disability, especially in patients without treatable diagnoses.
A human laboratory study investigating the effects of quetiapine on marijuana withdrawal and relapse in daily marijuana smokers

Marijuana withdrawal contributes to the high relapse rates in individuals seeking treatment for marijuana-use disorders. Quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic, reduces characteristic symptoms of marijuana withdrawal in a variety of psychiatric conditions, including mood lability, sleep disruption and anorexia. This human laboratory study investigated the effectiveness of quetiapine to decrease marijuana withdrawal and relapse to marijuana use in non-treatment-seeking marijuana smokers. Volunteers were maintained on placebo or quetiapine (200 mg/day) in this double-blind, counter-balanced, within-subject study consisting of two 15-day medication phases, the last 8 days of which were in-patient. On the first in-patient day, active marijuana [6.2% delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)] was repeatedly smoked under controlled conditions. For the next 3 days, inactive marijuana (0.0% THC) was available for self-administration (withdrawal). On the subsequent 4 days, active marijuana (6.2% THC) was available for self-administration (relapse). Volunteers (n = 14) who smoked an average of 10 marijuana cigarettes/day, 7 days/week, completed the study. Under placebo, withdrawal was marked by increased subjective ratings of negative mood, decreased sleep quality, and decreased caloric intake and weight loss. Compared with placebo, quetiapine improved sleep quality, increased caloric intake and decreased weight loss. However, quetiapine increased marijuana craving and marijuana self-administration during the relapse phase. These data do not suggest that quetiapine shows promise as a potential treatment for marijuana dependence.
The Drosophila double-timeS Mutation Delays the Nuclear Accumulation of period Protein and Affects the Feedback Regulation of period mRNA

The Drosophila double-time (dbt) gene, which encodes a protein similar to vertebrate epsilon and delta isoforms of casein kinase I, is essential for circadian rhythmicity because it regulates the phosphorylation and stability of period (per) protein. Here, the circadian phenotype of a short-period dbt mutant allele (dbt(S)) was examined. The circadian period of the dbt(S) locomotor activity rhythm varied little when tested at constant temperatures ranging from 20 to 29 degrees C. However, per(L);dbt(S) flies exhibited a lack of temperature compensation like that of the long-period mutant (per(L)) flies. Light-pulse phase-response curves were obtained for wild-type, the short-period (per(S)), and dbt(S) genotypes. For the per(S) and dbt(S) genotypes, phase changes were larger than those for wild-type flies, the transition period from delays to advances was shorter, and the light-insensitive period was shorter. Immunohistochemical analysis of per protein levels demonstrated that per protein accumulates in photoreceptor nuclei later in dbt(S) than in wild-type and per(S) flies, and that it declines to lower levels in nuclei of dbt(S) flies than in nuclei of wild-type flies. Immunoblot analysis of per protein levels demonstrated that total per protein accumulation in dbt(S) heads is neither delayed nor reduced, whereas RNase protection analysis demonstrated that per mRNA accumulates later and declines sooner in dbt(S) heads than in wild-type heads. These results suggest that dbt can regulate the feedback of per protein on its mRNA by delaying the time at which it is translocated to nuclei and altering the level of nuclear PER during the declining phase of the cycle.
Parallel encoding of direction of wind, head, abdomen, and visual pattern movement by single interneurons in the dragonfly

1. The self-movement detectors whose detailed properties are introduced here are among the largest interneurons in the ventral nerve cord of the dragonflyAnax junius. They combine information from a wide variety of sensory structures including the compound eyes, mechanosensory frontal hairs, antennae, neck proprioceptors, and wind sensitive hairs in the neck region (Fig. 6). They fall into 8 classes, each with a specific pattern of multimodal inputs (Fig. 1). 2. Their visual receptive fields are large, anteriorly weighted, and selective for animal rotation in a given direction (Figs. 1, 2). 3. They show directionally selective responses to air puffs delivered to the front of the head and to shifts in direction of a stream of air onto the head (Fig. 8). 4. They show directionally selective responses to air puffs from the sides, above, and below the animal into the neck region (Figs. 3, 4, 5). 5. They respond directionally to rotations of the head in still air in the dark (Figs. 3, 4, 11). The receptors mediating these proprioceptive responses are probably different from those mediating the responses to air puffs to the neck. 6. Four of the eight classes respond when the animal actively flexes its abdomen (Fig. 12). 7. Within each modality, they are inhibited by stimulation in the non-preferred direction. Pairwise presentations of stimuli to different inputs showed that each sensory channel is capable of inhibiting self-movement-detector responses to stimulation through any other channel (Figs. 13, 14). 8. For each class, the receptive fields of the various inputs are all aligned to detect rotation of the animal or the head within the same plane in space (Figs. 3, 4, 5). Two classes are aligned in the horizontal plane, and the other six in oblique planes (Fig. 1). 9. The precise alignment of directional selectivity of several input modalities within the same plane, combined with the finding that individual self-movement detectors drive adjustments in wing position (Olberg 1978) indicates that these interneurons are critical elements of a feedback control system for flight control.
What's new with CO2? Recent advances in its copolymerization with oxiranes

The present review highlights recent advances in the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO2) and epoxides (oxiranes) to produce polycarbonates with specific regard for catalysts designed to afford high selectivity for copolymer versus cyclic carbonate formation.
Primordial Carbonylated Iron-Sulfur Compounds and the Synthesis of Pyruvate

Experiments exploring the potential catalytic role of iron sulfide at 250°C and elevated pressures (50, 100, and 200 megapascals) revealed a facile, pressure-enhanced synthesis of organometallic phases formed through the reaction of alkyl thiols and carbon monoxide with iron sulfide. A suite of organometallic compounds were characterized with ultraviolet-visible and Raman spectroscopy. The natural synthesis of such compounds is anticipated in present-day and ancient environments wherever reduced hydrothermal fluids pass through iron sulfide–containing crust. Here, pyruvic acid was synthesized in the presence of such organometallic phases. These compounds could have provided the prebiotic Earth with critical biochemical functionality.
Baryon stopping in proton–nucleus collisions

Abstract We calculate the inclusive small- x valence quark production cross section in proton–nucleus collisions at high energies. The calculation is performed in the framework of the Color Glass Condensate formalism. We consider both the case when the valence quark originates inside the nucleus and the case when it originates inside the proton. We first calculate the cross section in the quasi-classical approximation resumming the multiple rescatterings with the nucleus. Then we include the effects of double logarithmic reggeon evolution and leading logarithmic gluon evolution in the obtained cross section. The calculated nuclear modification factor for the stopped baryons exhibits Cronin enhancement in the quasi-classical approximation and suppression at high energies/rapidities when quantum evolution corrections are included, providing a new observable which can be used to test Color Glass physics.
High-Resol Ution Spectroscopy of Stored Ions

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the high-resolution experiments that have employed the stored ion technique. The main advantage of the stored ion techniques is that the ideal of an unperturbed species at rest in space is approached to a high degree. Four types of “traps” have been most commonly used for high-resolution work—namely, the Paul (or rf) trap, the Penning trap, the Kingdon (or electrostatic trap), and the magnetostatic trap (magnetic bottle). The Paul or rf trap has the advantage that the trapped ions are bound in a (pseudo) potential well in all directions and no magnetic fields are required for confinement. An important practical advantage of the Penning trap is that parasitic heating mechanisms (like rf heating in the Paul trap) are nearly absent. It can also be best suited for studies of magnetic field-dependent structure. The Kingdon trap has the advantage of being simpler than the Paul or Penning trap, requiring only a dc voltage for trapping. Because a potential minimum in free space cannot exist for purely electrostatic fields, the Kingdon trap relies on angular momentum of the ions about a central axis to provide dynamical stability. Certainly, the prevalent method for creating ions is from direct ionization of neutrals inside the trap by an externally injected electron beam. However, many times it is desirable to rid the trap of extraneous ions. In the rf trap this can be accomplished by operating the trap in the “mass-selective” mode.
Studies in aging. II. The effects of injecting hemolymph from younger and older donors on the fecundity and the adult life span of hosts in Drosophila.

Attempts were made to study the effects on Swedish inbred Drosophila melanogaster females of replacing equivalent volumes of hemolymph from younger and older donors of the same strain. The physiological effects on hosts were studied by examining the fecundity and the adult life span. Nine to ten-day-old hosts, receiving 0.25 μl of hemolymph from 3-4-day-old donors, do not differ appreciably either in fecundity or longevity from the controls. Similarly, 12–13-day-old hosts, undergoing replacements of 0.25 μl and 0.50 μl of hemolymph from freshly emerged donors, fail to show an improvement in the egg production or in the life span. It is suggested that the hemolymph donated by younger females lacks the properties that are associated with a higher fecundity or a higher expectation of life. Freshly emerged hosts, in which 0.25 μl of hemolymph from 12–13, 16–17 and 23–24-day-old hosts was replaced, undergo a remarkable life-shortening without a decrease in the egg production. In individuals, deprived of 0.25 μl of hemolymph, similar results are obtained; that is, only reduction in the life span is realized, the fecundity being unaffected. The reduction in the life span of hosts injected with the hemolymph from older females is explained as due to the presence of deleterious factors in the hemolymph of older individuals. Such factors are considered in terms of “accumulation and depletion phenomena” commonly observed in insects. The absence of reduced egg production in females under stress is interpreted as due to homeostatic mechanisms which tend to insure the period of active reproduction. The bearing of these results on the evolution of life span in organisms is discussed.
Comparative application of indices of biotic integrity based on periphyton, macroinvertebrates, and fish to southern Rocky Mountain streams

Abstract To assess the relative sensitivity of assessments using community metrics for macroinvertebrates, periphyton, and fish assemblages, we compared the results of three parallel assessments using these assemblages at 86 stream reaches sampled in 1994 and 1995 by the Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (R-EMAP) in the mineralized zone or historical mining region of the Southern Rockies Ecoregion in Colorado. We contrasted assessments using community metrics for each taxa group selected to be diagnostic of the two large-scale stressor gradients identified in this ecoregion: discharges from historical hardrock metal mines and agriculture, particularly pasturing of livestock. While principal components analysis (PCA) extracted axes from the metrics for all three assemblages correlated with increased metal concentrations, the axes differed in their sensitivity to different environmental gradients. Two axes extracted from the fish metrics were correlated with dissolved metals, suspended solids, and sediment embeddedness or with sediment metals. Two axes extracted from the macroinvertebrate metrics partially separated these two stressor gradients, while the single correlated axis extracted from the periphyton metrics did not. The second macroinvertebrate PCA axis was correlated with an environmental gradient correlated both with agricultural effects and with stream size, as were the second and third periphyton PCA axes. The third fish PCA axis was correlated with stream size and slope, but was not sensitive to agricultural effects. Fish, macroinvertebrates, and periphyton differ in their sensitivity to different stressors, and combining metrics for these assemblages into a mixed assemblage index of biotic integrity may increase the utility of the multimetric approach to diagnose environmental stressors at impaired reaches.
KANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGES: POPULISM IS ALIVE AND WELL

Populism, the emphasis on the needs of the common people, is alive and well in Kansas. It is once and again the strength and weakness of Kansas community colleges. The present day community colleges began long before the great rise of the community college movement of the 1960s. Kansas community colleges began as indicators of small town pride and were designed to meet local needs. This original mission has shaped the colleges, for better or worse, since their inception. Kansas does not have a system of community colleges, and it has the lowest percentage of state funding in the country. As the community colleges evolved, the small towns where they began could no longer afford the new missions and increasing costs so they became county entities, thus expanding their populist base. Today, Kansas community colleges are once again in a funding crisis. Maybe it is time to repeat the successful redefinition of populism by expanding their geography and missions. This change is not without danger, and the needed...
Electron microscopy of plasma-cell tumors of the mouse. I. Mpc-1 and x5563 tumors.

An electron microscope study was made of a series of transplanted MPC-1 plasma-cell tumors carried by BALB/c mice. Large numbers of particles similar in morphology to virus particles were present inside the endoplasmic reticulum of tumor plasma cells. Very few particles were seen outside the cells or in ultracentrifuged preparations of the plasma or ascites fluid. In very early tumors particles were occasionally seen free in the cytoplasm adjacent to finely granular material. In general, the distribution of these particles inside endoplasmic reticulum is similar in early and late tumors. A few transplanted X5563 tumors of C3H mice were also examined. Large numbers of particles were found in the region of the Golgi apparatus in late X5663 tumors. A newly described cytoplasmic structure of plasma cells, here called a "granular body," appears to be associated with the formation of the particles. Particles present in MPC-1 tumors are exclusively of a doughnut form, whereas some of those in the inclusions of the late X5563 tumors show a dense center. Normal plasma cells, produced by inoculation of a modified Freund adjuvant into BALB/c mice. have been compared morphologically with tumor plasma cells of both tumor lines.
Interfacial stability between lithium and fumed silica-based composite electrolytes

Composite electrolytes consisting of methyl-capped poly(ethylene glycol) oligomer (Mw 250), lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Li:O = 1:20), and fumed silica were investigated. In particular, the effects of fumed silica-surface chemistry and weight percentage in the composite on cycling behavior of Li/electrolyte/Li, Li(Ni)/electrolyte/Li, and Li/electrolyte/metal oxide cells were studied. Four types of fumed silieas with various surface groups were employed, A200 (native hydroxyl groups), R805 (octyl-modified), R974 (methyl-modified), and FS-EG3 (ethylene oxide-modifed). The presence of fumed silica enhances lithium cyclability by reducing the interfacial resistance and cell-capacity fading, regardless of surface chemistry. However, the extent of the enhancing effect of fumed silica strongly depends on its surface chemistry, with the largest effect seen with A200 and the least effect seen with FS-EG3. Increasing fumed silica weight fraction intensifies the stabilizing effect.
Utility of l-dopa and Water Loading in Evaluation of Hyperprolactinemia

Basal serum prolactin concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay in normal male and female subjects and patients with functional galactorrhea and pituitary tumors. Mean serum prolactin concentration was 34 ± 25.5 (1 sd) ng/ml for normal males, 45 ± 31.5 ng/ml for normal females, 96 ± 73.5 ng/ml for functional galactorrhea patients, and 12,444 ng/ml for pituitary tumor patients. There was considerable overlap in the serum prolactin levels of functional galactorrhea patients with levels found in normal females. Likewise, basal serum prolactin concentration in 2 of 8 patients with pituitary tumors was not clearly higher than some patients in the functional galactorrhea group. In order clinically to separate patients with pituitary tumors from patients with other causes of hyperprolactinemia, we administered l-dopa and a water load to individuals in each group. l-dopa resulted in greater than 50% suppression of serum prolactin concentration in all normal subjects and all patients with functional galacto...
Protecting low-income children's access to care: are physician visits associated with reduced patient dropout from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program?

Objective Dropout among patients who are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program contributes to a lack of health care access among millions of Americans. The purpose of this study was to determine which, if any, types of clinical contact with physicians are associated with reduced dropout among children who are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Methods The data are from the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 1998-2002. The sample is composed of all children (n = 3043) who were reported to have Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program coverage throughout their first year in the survey and who did not acquire other insurance during the study period. The outcome measure is whether an individual remained enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program by the end of the following year. Exposure variables were clinical contact during an individual's first year in the survey: numbers of office visits, hospital outpatient department visits, emergency department visits, inpatient hospital stays, and dental visits. The analysis uses multivariate logistic regression to control for patient and family characteristics-most important, health status, functional status, and overall health care expenditures. Results Eight percent of the children in the sample had left Medicaid/the Children's Health Insurance Program by the end of the second year in the survey. More frequent contact with clinicians in an office setting was associated with a significantly lower risk for dropping out of Medicaid/the Children's Health Insurance Program among children, even controlling for demographics, health and functional status, and overall health care expenditures. After multivariate adjustment, more frequent contact in hospital outpatient departments also was associated with reduced dropout, with a borderline statistically significant odds ratio. Notably, emergency visits and inpatient stays were not associated with any significant change in the risk of Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program dropout. Conclusions These results suggest that some but not all types of clinician visits are serving an important function in maintaining Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program coverage among low-income patients. Two possible approaches to improve access to care among low-income children therefore would be (1) increased awareness among clinicians, especially in hospitals and emergency departments, regarding Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program retention as an issue in the ongoing care of their patients and (2) Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program reimbursement of clinicians and their staff for assisting patients with the public insurance renewal process.
Power and Focusing Considerations for Recording with a Laser Beam in the TEM 00 Mode

Some of the aspects of recording and reading with a focused laser beam in the TEM00 mode are analyzed. The effects of defocusing and laser power variations on the recorded spot size are presented for various peak-to-threshold intensity ratios. It is shown that by suitably choosing the f/number of the optical system minimum recording power is required. The distinction between optical writing and reading depth of focus is made. It is concluded that the effective depth of focus can greatly exceed the optical depth of focus, thus relaxing mechanical stability requirements in a practical laser recording system.
Osmotic pressure of fungal compatible osmolytes

Filamentous fungi and yeasts control cytoplasmic osmotic pressure through ion accumulation and synthesis of compatible osmolytes including polyhydric alcohols (polyols), proline, and trehalose. Authoritative data on the osmotic effects of these compounds were obtained using vapour pressure deficit osmometry. All osmolytes tested were characterised by nonlinear relationships between concentration and osmotic pressure. At high concentrations larger polyols generated higher osmotic pressures than smaller ones, though differences between the osmotic effects of polyols with three, four, five and six carbon atoms were not pronounced at lower (physiological) concentrations. Proline shared a similar relationship between concentration and osmotic pressure with polyols with five carbon atoms, while at concentrations above 0.5 M trehalose generated higher osmotic pressures than any of the polyols tested. Mixtures of trehalose and glycerol boosted osmotic pressure in a synergistic rather than additive fashion. These data provide new clues to the adaptive significance of glycerol accumulation, and also suggest that complex patterns of osmolyte synthesis are not due to differences between the osmotic effects of these compounds.
The contemporary U.S. women's movement: An empirical example of competition theory

We use competition and resource mobilization perspectives to explain the rise of the contemporary U.S. women's movement. Our competition framework proposes that economic and sociodemographic changes since World War II increased competition between women and men in the marketplace. This increased competition provided motivation for the women's movement. We find support for this framework with national quantitative time-series data.
Effect of Interfacial Alcohol Concentrations on Oil Solubilization by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelles.

Alcohol partitioning and its effect on oil solubilization in Winsor Type I microemulsion systems was investigated. The microemulsion systems consisted of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), pentanol, isopropanol (IPA), and dodecane, with either deionized water or an aqueous solution of 50 mM CaCl(2). Alcohol partitioning between aqueous, oil, and interfacial phases of the microemulsion was described using a pseudophase model in which the alcohol was assumed to self-associate in the oil phase. Partitioning in these miroemulsions was consistent with pentanol self-association in the oil phase. IPA did not self-associate but co-associated with pentanol in the oil phase. IPA concentrations as high as 20 g/kg of water had no effect on pentanol partitioning. The partition coefficient for pentanol between aqueous and interfacial phases was about 220 on a mole fraction basis. However, pentanol saturated the interfacial phase at a mole ratio of 3 : 1 pentanol to SDS. Addition of pentanol beyond that sufficient to saturate the interface resulted in large amounts of pentanol partitioning into the oil, reaching concentrations in excess of 25 g dL(-1) of oil phase. Dodecane solubilization increased linearly with pentanol mole fraction in the interface up to the 3 : 1 pentanol-to-SDS saturation level. The fact that dodecane solubilization was unaffected by pentanol at concentrations beyond those necessary for interfacial saturation suggests that pentanol behaves as a cosurfactant and not a cosolvent in these microemulsion systems. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
Prospective study of the modified atkins diet in combination with a ketogenic liquid supplement during the initial month

The modified Atkins diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate treatment for intractable childhood epilepsy. As data suggest that a stricter diet onset can be more effective, we added a ketogenic supplement to the modified Atkins diet during its initial month. Thirty children with intractable epilepsy were prospectively started on the modified Atkins diet in combination with a daily 400-calorie KetoCal shake. At 1 month, 24 (80%) children had >50% seizure reduction, of which 11 (37%) had >90% seizure reduction. There was no significant loss of efficacy during the second month after KetoCal was discontinued. The use of this ketogenic supplement increased daily fat intake and thus the ketogenic ratio (1.8:1 versus 1.0:1 in the modified Atkins diet alone, P = .0002), but did not change urinary or serum ketosis. The addition of a ketogenic supplement to the modified Atkins diet during its initial month appears to be beneficial.