cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dietary β-Cryptoxanthin Inhibits High-Refined Carbohydrate Diet-Induced Fatty Liver via Differential Protective Mechanisms Depending on Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes in Male Mice.

BACKGROUND β-Cryptoxanthin (BCX), a provitamin A carotenoid shown to protect against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), can be cleaved by β-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (BCO1) to generate vitamin A, and by β-carotene-9',10'-oxygenase (BCO2) to produce bioactive apo-carotenoids. BCO1/BCO2 polymorphisms have been associated with variations in plasma carotenoid amounts in both humans and animals. OBJECTIVES We investigated whether BCX feeding inhibits high refined-carbohydrate diet (HRCD)-induced NAFLD, dependent or independent of BCO1/BCO2. METHODS Six-week-old male wild-type (WT) and BCO1-/-/BCO2-/- double knockout (DKO) mice were randomly fed HRCD (66.5% of energy from carbohydrate) with or without BCX (10 mg/kg diet) for 24 wk. Pathological and biochemical variables were analyzed in the liver and mesenteric adipose tissues (MATs). Data were analyzed by 2-factor ANOVA. RESULTS Compared to their respective HRCD controls, BCX reduced hepatic steatosis severity by 33‒43% and hepatic total cholesterol by 43‒70% in both WT and DKO mice (P < 0.01). Hepatic concentrations of BCX, but not retinol and retinyl palmitate, were 33-fold higher in DKO mice than in WT mice (P < 0.001). BCX feeding increased the hepatic fatty acid oxidation protein peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α, and the cholesterol efflux gene ATP-binding cassette transporter5, and suppressed the lipogenesis gene acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (Acc1) in the MAT of WT mice but not DKO mice (P < 0.05). BCX feeding decreased the hepatic lipogenesis proteins ACC and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (3-fold and 5-fold) and the cholesterol synthesis genes 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and HMG-CoA synthase 1 (2.7-fold and 1.8-fold) and increased the cholesterol catabolism gene cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (1.9-fold) in the DKO but not WT mice (P < 0.05). BCX feeding increased hepatic protein sirtuin1 (2.5-fold) and AMP-activated protein kinase (9-fold) and decreased hepatic farnesoid X receptor protein (80%) and the inflammatory cytokine gene Il6 (6-fold) in the MAT of DKO mice but not WT mice (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION BCX feeding mitigates HRCD-induced NAFLD in both WT and DKO mice through different mechanisms in the liver-MAT axis, depending on the presence or absence of BCO1/BCO2.
Lysosomal Membrane Stability in Hemocytes and Micronuclei in Gills of Perumytilus purpuratus Lamarck 1819 (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) Exposed to Copper.

The aim of this study was to determine the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of copper on the bivalve Perumytilus purpuratus. The individuals were exposed to three copper concentrations: 1, 30 and 45 μg L−1 for 24, 48 and 96 h. Lysosomal membrane stability in hemocytes was determined through the neutral red retention time (NRRT) and micronucleus (MN) frequency tests in hemocytes and gills. The results show that the NRRT decreased significantly at 30 μg L−1 after 48 h of exposure. The frequency of MN was significantly greater in gills after 24 h in all concentrations tested. Copper is cytotoxic from 30 μg L−1 and genotoxic from 1 μg L−1. The use of these biomarkers of effects in P. purpuratus is proposed as an early warning tool for monitoring in environmental assessment of coastal ecosystems impacted by mining activities.
A Naturalistic, single-blind comparison of rapid dose administration of divalproex ER versus quetiapine in patients with acute bipolar mania

Objective When treating acute bipolar mania, the speed of onset of anti-manic effects is crucial. Quetiapine and divalproex ER are widely used agents to treat acute mania. Rapid dose administration regimens for divalproex ER and for quetiapine have been described. We conducted a naturalistic, head-to-head, pilot study comparing the efficacy and safety of rapidly titrated divalproex ER and quetiapine in acutely manic inpatients, with the primary outcome being improvement within the first seven days. Method Thirty consenting bipolar patients with acute mania (Young Mania Rating Scale >17 ) needing hospitalization due to acute mania were randomized to receive rapidly loaded divalproex ER (30mg/kg/day) or rapidly titrated quetiapine (200mg Day 1, raised by 200mg/day up to 800mg as tolerated). Assessments were made on Day 1 (baseline), Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 21 and included Young Mania Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impressions-Severity, Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. Raters but not patients or treating physicians were blinded (single-blinded study). Results Subjects in both treatment groups exhibited significant and rapid improvement in their mania starting at Day 3 with few significant adverse effects; however, there were no significant differences in the degree or rate of improvement between the two treatment groups in any of the efficacy or adverse effects scales. Conclusion RESULTS of this small study indicate that rapid-dose administration of both quetiapine and divalproex ER produce rapid improvement in acute mania within the first seven days and both seem to be well tolerated.
Gender differences in college student physical activity, and campus recreational facility use, and comfort.

To examine disparities in physical activity, campus recreation facility (CRF) use, and CRF comfort of college students. Methods: Students (n = 319) responded to an online survey that assessed their...
False, Reversed but Not True: A Curious Case of Hyperkalemia

Falsely elevated potassium levels are common in routine laboratory tests and should be differentiated from true hyperkalemia. If the patient is inappropriately treated for hyperkalemia, the resulting hypokalemia can lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. We present the case of a 67-year-old woman with a past medical history of stable chronic lymphocytic leukemia, who presented for chest pain and had an elevated potassium level of 5.8 mEq/L, which, upon repeat laboratory testing, was then 6.7 mEq/L. She was initially treated for hyperkalemia. Laboratory test results showed creatine kinase levels at 43 U/L, lactate dehydrogenase levels at 177 U/L, phosphorus levels at 4.5 mg/dL, and uric acid levels at 6.4 mg/dL, indicating no evidence of tumor lysis syndrome. The patient was later diagnosed with reverse pseudohyperkalemia, indicated by falsely elevated plasma potassium levels in the presence of serum potassium levels within normal limits and venous blood gas samples.
Foreword: Transparent Adjudication and Social Science Research in Constitutional Criminal Procedure

Constitutional criminal procedure decisions are often characterized today by pseudo-empirical statements about the importance of law enforcement and the sanctity of individual liberty. Without seriously taking account of empirical research, the Supreme Court strikes down rules of criminal procedure because they "fail to protect privacy...and impede effective law enforcement." The Court upholds other rules, again without really assessing the empirical evidence, because they embody a "carefully crafted balance designed to fully protect both the defendant's and society's interests." As we all recognize, these are purely rhetorical statements intended to render authoritative the Court's decisions. In this respect, the 1999 Term was business as usual. Without so much as discussing or even citing in a footnote the considerable research that had been conducted on police custodial interrogation in the 1990s, the Chief Justice, writing for a seven-member majority in Dickerson v. United States, concluded that there was no adequate justification for overruling the requirement of Miranda warnings. Writing for the Court in Wardlow as well, the Chief Justice acknowledged the empirical nature of the question - whether flight from a police officer amounted to reasonable suspicion - but stated that there were "no available empirical studies dealing with inferences drawn from suspicious behavior" and, therefore, that the Court had to rely on its own "commonsense judgements about human behavior." These types of assertions, we argue, are not self-evident or common sense. They are contested empirical claims that are hotly debated in legal and social scientific circles. And, we suggest, there are data and studies that discuss these empirical issues. Though we have differences of opinion as to the outcome in some of these cases, and though we have sharply disagreed in the past about the soundness of other criminal procedure decisions, in this Foreword we put aside our differences and link arms to call for a new generation of criminal procedure jurisprudence, one that places empirical and social scientific evidence at the very heart of constitutional adjudication. We are calling for a mode of judicial decision-making and academic debate that treats social scientific and empirical assessment as a crucial element in constitutional decision-making, thereby making criminal procedure decisions more transparent. By more transparent, we mean to describe adjudication that expressly articulates the grounds for factual assertions and, as a result, more clearly reflects the interpretive choices involved in criminal procedure decision-making. We are not so naive or idealistic as to think that increased attention to empirical evidence will guarantee right answers in criminal procedure cases. But use of empirical evidence will produce a clearer picture of the existing constitutional landscape and spotlight the normative judgments at the heart of criminal procedure cases.
A theory of quantifiable beliefs

Abstract Building upon the works of Anscombe and Amuann [Ann. Math. Stat. 34 (1963) 199] and Karni and Schmeidler [An expected utility theory for state-dependent preferences. Working Paper 48-80, Foerder Institute for Economic Research, Tel Aviv University], we develop a general axiomatic theory of quantifiable beliefs—a form of probabilistic sophistication that does not preclude state-dependent preferences and does not require the reduction of compound lotteries. The theory includes the state-dependent expected utility model of Karni and Schmeidler [An expected utility theory for state-dependent preferences. Working Paper 48-80, Foerder Institute for Economic Research, Tel Aviv University] and the state-independent non-expected utility model of Machina and Schmeidler [J. Econ. Theory 67 (1995) 106] as special cases. The theory is flexible enough to admit recursivity in the decision-making process.
1G.005 Drug-related disorder diagnoses and demographic characteristics associated with legal intervention-related injuries

Background Law enforcement official (LEO) use of force during suspect restraint/apprehension is a serious concern resulting in suspect and LEO injuries. Drug use has been identified as a factor in use-of-force incidents. Methods This study characterized Kentucky LEO and suspect legal intervention (LI) related injuries and assessed associations between substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses and demographic characteristics with ICD-10-CM coded LI emergency department (ED) injury visits for years 2016–2018. Logistic regression models examined the most common LEO and suspect injuries. Results There was a larger proportion of LEO LI hand injury ED visits compared to suspects; there was a larger proportion of suspect LI head injury ED visits compared to LEOs. Among suspect LI ED visits, there were higher odds of head injury ED visits with a SUD (adjusted OR = 1.92), Appalachian county residence (adjusted OR = 1.45), or manhandling LI (adjusted OR = 1.42). No association was found between SUD diagnoses or demographic characteristics and LEO legal intervention hand-related injury ED visits. Conclusions When de-escalation techniques fail and LI is required, LEO tactics other than use-of-force are recommended to reduce injuries. Crisis Intervention Team and other trainings may prove beneficial by reducing the need for force; in cases involving SUDs, it is recommended that suspects be referred to treatment. Learning Outcomes LEOs should employ alternative tactics to reduce officer and suspect use-of-force injuries during LI. Safer options include control techniques, striking zones on suspects, and other tools and body parts when LEO de-escalation training techniques have failed.
Modeling Substrate Coordination to Zn-Bound Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2

The spike protein in the envelope of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with the receptor Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the host cell to facilitate the viral uptake. Angiotensin II (Ang II) peptide, which has a naturally high affinity for ACE2, may be useful in inhibiting this interaction. In this study, we computationally designed several Ang II mutants to find a strong binding sequence to ACE2 receptor and examined the role of ligand substitution in the docking of native as well as mutant Ang II to the ACE2 receptor. The peptide in the ACE2-peptide complex was coordinated to zinc in the ACE2 cleft. Exploratory molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to measure the time-based stability of the native and mutant peptides and their receptor complexes. The MD-generated root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) values are mostly similar between the native and seven mutant peptides considered in this work, although the values for free peptides demonstrated higher variation, and often were higher in amplitude than peptides associated with the ACE2 complex. An observed lack of a strong secondary structure in the short peptides is attributed to the latters greater flexibility and movement. The strongest binding energies within the ACE2-peptide complexes were observed in the native Ang II and only one of its mutant variants, suggesting ACE2 cleft is designed to provide optimal binding to the native sequence. An examination of the S1 binding site on ACE2 suggests that complex formation alone with these peptides may not be sufficient to allosterically inhibit the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. However, it opens up the potential for utilizing AngII-ACE2 binding in the future design of molecular and supramolecular structures to prevent spike protein interaction with the receptor through creation of steric hindrance.
Toll-Like Receptor 2 Induces Pathogenicity in Th17 Cells and Reveals a Role For Interactor Protein for Cytohesin Exchange Factors 1 (IPCEF) In Regulating Th17 Cell Migration

Pathogenic Th17 cells drive inflammation in autoimmune disease, yet the molecular programming underlying Th17 cell pathogenicity remains insufficiently understood. Activation of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) increases Th17 cell inflammatory potential, but little is known regarding the mechanistic outcomes of TLR2 signaling in Th17 cells. Herein we demonstrate that TLR2 is comparable to IL-23 in inducing pathogenicity and increasing the migratory capacity of Th17 cells. We performed RNA sequencing of Th17 cells stimulated though the TLR2 pathway and found differential expression of several genes linked with the Th17 genetic program as well as genes not previously associated with pathogenic Th17 cells, including >Ipcef1. Enforced expression of Ipcef1 in Th17 cells abolished the TLR2-dependent increases in migratory capacity and severely impaired the ability of Th17 cells to induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. This study establishes the importance of the TLR2 signaling pathway in inducing Th17 cell pathogenicity and driving autoimmune inflammation
Internet.org's "Free Basics": Can Free Internet Initiatives Improve the Lives of Kenya's Rural Poor?

The global Internet penetration rate is 62.0%, indicating that many people are offline. This divide raises questions regarding Internet accessibility and the repercussions of the absence of quality Internet provision. Internet.og's Free Basics aims to make the world more open and connected and aid the poorest of the poor by offering pared-down web services, such as Facebook and BBCNews. Critics have characterized Internet.org as an anti-net neutrality service that is anti-innovation. They also condemn Free Basics for its limited websites offerings and external links that require paid-for Internet, which they argue, renders the app useless. Most research concerning the value of free Internet initiatives focuses on the urban poor, yet the digital divide is intensified in rural regions of developing countries. This study aims to measure the impact of Internet.org's Free Basics app on Kenya's poor rural population. The questions that guide this research are: Does Free Basics reach the poorest of the poor? If so, do they benefit from the product, or are free Internet initiatives exacerbating the digital divide? By subsetting household data collected by Sauti za Wananchi and performing statistical analysis, I find that ?Free Basics services are available to only 2% of the rural poor population. The question then becomes: what about Free Basics makes it helpful to that 2%? I conclude that Free Basics is marginally relevant due to the app's restricted websites and information. This research ccallsInternet.org's mission into question and suggests alternative ways Free Basics could address the global digital divide.
New blood in contemporary cinema: women directors and the poetics of horror

Recent scholarship on women’s relationship to the horror genre has focused on theorizing both the labor and artistic choices of women filmmakers. Patricia Pisters’ new book, New Blood in Contempora...
The Path of Cyberlaw

If you're not a cyberspace maven, but mill around a bit among those who talk about this cyberspace stuff-if you surf, as it is said, the information superhighway-there are two questions that you might ask about how this new space will get regulated. The first question goes roughly like this: Should this new space, cyberspace, be regulated by analogy to the regulation of other space, not quite cyber, or should we give up analogy and start anew?' In Bruce Ackerman's terms, should we muddle into this new space as ordinary observers, just applying our old ways of thinking, or should we enter this world as scientific policymakers, armed with a comprehensive view, structuring the environment of this world to fit with this comprehensive view?2 The second question follows the first: Is cyberspace really anything new? Is there really a form of life here that we haven't known before, or is cyberspace just an electronic version of ordinary space, where the electronics might add something, but not really very much?
'Chipping at the Landmarks of our Fathers': The Decline of the Testimony against Hireling Ministry in the Nineteenth Century

One of the distinctive features of Quakerism from the 1650s until the 1870s was its stance against any kind of pay for ministers, what Friends referred to as ‘hireling ministry’. Friends viewed a paid, authoritative pastoral ministry as contrary to Scripture, as tending toward preaching that pleased humans rather than God, as limiting the leadings of the Holy Spirit, and as generally corrupting. One of the criticisms of Orthodox by Hicksite Friends in the 1820s was that the Orthodox were compromising this testimony by associating with clergy of other denominations in reform and humanitarian causes, and both Orthodox and Hicksite Friends in the United States invoked this tradition to discourage Friends from joining abolition societies after 1830. Between 1860 and 1900, however, most Friends softened their stance. Hicksites, while eschewing paid ministry, came to view labeling other minister as ‘hirelings’ as being uncharitable and judgmental. American Gurneyites, swept up in a wave of revivalism in the 187...
Curriculum design of a case-based knowledge translation shift for emergency medicine residents.

Background: Principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) may be inconsistently applied to clinical decision-making due to lack of practice-based training, experience, and time. Objectives: The authors sought to design, implement, and test the feasibility of an experiential learning model for senior emergency medicine (EM) residents to apply EBM principles during real-time clinical practice. Methods: Targeted program evaluation of this learning model was conducted through a prospective observational cohort study involving EM residents at a large, urban, 4-year EM residency program. The curriculum development of a case-based knowledge translation shift followed Kern’s six-step design process. Subjects asynchronously completed a 1-hour EBM tutorial and were then assigned to clinical shifts in which they contributed to the care of emergency department (ED) patients by completing formal literature searches related to active management questions. Pre- and post-intervention self-assessments of practice norms and attitudes were used to evaluate the effect of this experiential learning model for individual residents. Self-assessments of the likelihood that the experience would result in future practice change were reported on a five-point Likert scale (1 = greatly impeded, 2 = somewhat impeded, 3 = no change, 4 = somewhat improved, 5 = greatly improved). Subjects presented available evidence to the primary ED team, formally disseminated their findings as a brief “EBM rounds” at sign-out and completed an “EBM consult note” and case log to document shift performance. Changes in patient management and/or disposition were recorded. EBM search questions and resultant findings were entered in a local database. Results: Of the 45 eligible senior EM resident shifts, 91% resulted in complete sets of performance data and self-assessments. A total of 80 patient encounters were documented during 45 scheduled shifts over a 3-month study period. Literature review took a mean (±SD) of 36.2 (±26.4) minutes per case. During the 3-hour interval before or after shift sign-out, residents completed a mean (±SD) of 2.11 (±1.4) literature searches and recorded a mean (±SD) of 3.0 (±1.5) articles for each case. Alterations in ED management for 13 of 80 patient encounters (16.3%) were documented to be the direct result of on-shift literature searches. Conclusions: Case-based knowledge translation shifts for senior EM residents can provide opportunities to practice EBM skills in the ED. This experiential learning model may result in future practice change by resident learners, as well as affect the management of active patients in the ED. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:S42–S48 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Mammalian MutS homologue 5 is required for chromosome pairing in meiosis

MSH5 (MutS homologue 5) is a member of a family of proteins known to be involved in DNA mismatch repair. Germline mutations in MSH2, MLH1 and GTBP (also known as MSH6) cause hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) or Lynch syndrome. Inactivation of Msh2, Mlh1, Gtmbp (also known as Msh6) or Pms2 in mice leads to hereditary predisposition to intestinal and other cancers. Early studies in yeast revealed a role for some of these proteins, including Msh5, in meiosis. Gene targeting studies in mice confirmed roles for Mlh1 and Pms2 in mammalian meiosis. To assess the role of Msh5 in mammals, we generated and characterized mice with a null mutation in Msh5. Msh5-/- mice are viable but sterile. Meiosis in these mice is affected due to the disruption of chromosome pairing in prophase I. We found that this meiotic failure leads to a diminution in testicular size and a complete loss of ovarian structures. Our results show that normal Msh5 function is essential for meiotic progression and, in females, gonadal maintenance.
Antagonism of PII signalling by the AmtB protein of Escherichia coli.

Summary Escherichia coli AmtB is a member of the MEP/Amt family of ammonia transporters found in archaea, eubacteria, fungi, plants and animals. In prokaryotes, AmtB homologues are co-transcribed with a PII paralogue, GlnK, in response to nitrogen limitation. Here, we show that AmtB antagonizes PII signalling through NRII and that co-expression of GlnK with AmtB over
A new genus and two new species of subterranean amphipod crustaceans (Hadziidae) from the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands

Bahadzia, new genus, and two new species of amphipod crustaceans are described from anchialine caves in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. One of the species is recorded from three caves on Grand Bahama Island and one cave on Great Abaco Island, whereas the other species is recorded from two caves on the island of Providenciales. The new genus is apparently more closely related to Metaniphargus and Saliweckelia than other hadziid genera in the peri-Caribbean region, but it also shares some important characters with Mayaweckelia.
Catalytic activity of the SO4− radical for photodegradation of the azo dye Cibacron Brilliant Yellow 3 and 3,4-dichlorophenol: Optimization by application of response surface methodology

Abstract Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) generate in situ active radicals with a high oxidation potential, allowing for the destruction of polluting agents through organic compound mineralization. The use of experimental design is a tool that allows adjustment of factors to obtain an optimal response in experimental analysis. We used multivariate analysis to optimize the process of organic removal from wastewater in a cylindrical reactor, using UV radiation (254 nm) and peroxodisulfate as an oxidant. We used 3,4-dichlorophenol and Cibacron Brillant Yellow 3 (CBY-3) as model organic compounds. Both of these compounds are characteristic polluting agents present in industrial wastewater. We used a factorial 2 n design to obtain the best experimental conditions to efficiently remove the compounds from the solution, using time and oxidant concentration as experimental variables. The initial concentration of both compounds was 100 ppm, and we obtained 90% dichlorophenol removal, with a rate constant of 0.0386 min −1 . Degradation of azo dye was more efficient reaching 98%, with a rate constant of 0.0908 min −1 . In both cases, the optimal time for reducing the maximum concentration was 60 min of irradiation. Total organic carbon (TOC) reduction was analyzed to determine the efficiency of the UV/K 2 S 2 O 8 process in mineralization, where we obtained 90% TOC reduction for both organic compounds. At the same time, the dye compound, CBY-3, whose organic structure is more complex, generated nitrate and chloride ions as mineralization products. The efficient mineralization of both compounds is based on the in situ formation of the strong oxidant sulfate anion radical ( E = 2.5–3.1 V).
Pharmacokinetics of gentamicin during exchange transfusions in neonates

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Modeling smoke movement through compartmented structures

The paper describes a model of fire growth and smoke transport for compartmented structures, with emphasis on those aspects which are important to making correct predictions of smoke movement in multicompartment structures. In particular, the authors are interested in the ability to model the movement of toxic gases from the room of origin of a fire to a distant compartment. The newest phenomena in the model are vertical flow and mechanical ventilation. Finally, they have improved the radiation transport scheme which affects energy distribution, and therefore the buoyancy forces. These are very important in actual situations relevant to fire growth and smoke propagation, as is demonstrated.
Alcohol use disorders after bariatric surgery

Background The increased incidence of alcohol use disorders (AUD) after bariatric surgery has been proposed despite limited empirical support. We sought to determine the prevalence of current and lifetime AUD and other Axis I diagnoses in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, and to test the hypothesis that greater weight loss is associated with a higher incidence of AUD following surgery.
The anthracite smokers of eastern pennsylvania: $$P_{S_2 (g)} $$ -T stability diagram by TL analysis

Coal seams and culm banks associated with mine fires in the anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania have been burning for decades. Many of the fires may have ignited by spontaneous combustion or by the burning of trash. Minerals associated with the combustion of anthracite form by the condensation of gas exhaled through surficial gas vents or “anthracite smokers.” A Pressure-Temperature (P-T) stability diagram is constructed for the condensation of orthorhombic sulfur from anthracite gas using “Thermodynamic Loop Analysis” (TL analysis). This method of analyzing chemical systems incorporates Kirchhoff's Law into a four step procedure structured around a closed thermodynamic cycle or “thermodynamic loop.” The four steps, referred to us “The Four S ′S of Thermodynamic Loop Analysis,” include: (1) “Set Up”—graphical characterization of the problem. (2) “Sum”—the application of thermodynamic principles. (3) “Substitute”—the use of materials data available from the literature, and (4) “Solve”—computation of one or more variables. The example presented demonstrates that thermodynamic loops can incorporate any number of polymorphic phase transformations. In addition, thermodynamic loop analysis is applicable to any geologic process involving the condensation of minerals from a gas. The stability diagram derived by TL analysis may have applicability in monitoring the release of sulfur gas into the atmosphere.
Reported distribution of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States.

Lyme disease, caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most frequently reported arthropod-borne disease in the United States. To develop a national map of the distribution of the vectors of B. burgdorferi to humans (Ixodes scapularis Say and Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls ticks), we sent questionnaires to acarologists, health officials, and Lyme disease researchers; surveyed the 1966-1996 MEDLINE data base; and reviewed 1907-1995 National Tick Collection data. Tick collection methods cited included flagging and dragging, deer surveys, small- and medium-sized mammal surveys, CO2 baiting, and receipt of tick submissions. A total of 1,058 unique, county-specific I. scapularis and I. pacificus records was obtained. Tick populations were classified as "reported" ( or = 6 ticks or > 1 life stage identified). Established populations of I. scapularis were identified in 396 counties in 32 states in the eastern and central United States, whereas established populations of I. pacificus were found in 90 counties in 5 western states. Counties with established populations were most concentrated in the northeastern, upper northcentral, and west-coastal states but were also clustered in southeastern and Gulf-coastal states. A less concentrated distribution was found in the south-central states. Reports were notably missing from all but a few counties in Ohio, West Virginia, western Virginia and North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They were absent in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions and from large areas of western states east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada cordilleras. These data are useful for identifying areas of Lyme disease risk, for targeting Lyme disease prevention strategies, and for monitoring trends in spatial distribution of Lyme disease vector ticks.
Surface and Subsurface Contributions of Oxidation and Moisture to Room Temperature Friction of Molybdenum Disulfide

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a lamellar solid lubricant, is used extensively in space applications due to its exceptional performance in vacuum and inert environ- ments. The friction and wear of MoS2, however, increase in the presence of atmospheric contaminants, such as water. Despite numerous studies of the moisture-sensitive friction response of MoS2 over the decades, important fundamental questions remain unanswered. Two leading hypotheses suggest that water affects friction by causing the MoS2 to oxidize or by physically bonding to edge sites, and thereby disrupting easy lamellar shear. This paper presents a parametric study to (1) isolate the effects of water and oxygen on ambient MoS2 friction, (2) identify the effect of water and oxygen on MoS2 oxidation, and (3) distinguish between the effects of water diffusion and surface oxida- tion on the frictional response of MoS2 coatings. The experimental findings were used to develop a qualitative model for the effects of environment on MoS2 friction; the model is used to explain transients, hysteretic effects, oxidation effects, and effects of physically bound water.
Assessment of clinical performance without adequate analytical validation: A prescription for confusion

Abstract Objectives Lp-PLA2 is a biomarker with promise for predicting cardiac risk. The lack of reproducible results has limited its use. In evaluating a new reagent kit, we investigated conditions for optimal reproducibility. Methods The Auto-PLAC reagents were evaluated on the Cobas instrument. Performance characteristics, stability, and population ranges were determined. Results Analytical performance characteristics replicated manufacturer's claims. The stability profile of the analyte was unusual, with increasing results observed with storage at 4 °C or − 20 °C. Only storage at − 70 °C gave acceptable stability. Population median values with properly preserved samples were much lower than the cut off previously validated for increased risk. Conclusions It is postulated that variability in specimen handling was a major contributor to the lack of traceability of the current reagents to the earlier clinical studies demonstrating its utility. We are now unsure how to identify reliable criteria for result interpretation.
Topographic signatures in Aquarius radiometer/scatterometer response: Initial results

The effect of topography on remote sensing at L-band is examined using the co-located Aquarius radiometer and scatterometer observations over land. A correlation with slope standard deviation is demonstrated for both the radiometer and scatterometer at topographic scales.
Gravitational attenuation and the internal heating of planetary bodies

The hypothesis of gravitational attenuation is discussed and several theoretical problems with possible solutions are noted. It is pointed out that, if energy were attenuated out of the gravitational field by matter, it would ultimately be thermalized. Geothermal data are then employed to establish an upper limit to the gravitational attenuation coefficient, some fifteen orders of magnitude smaller than the currently accepted value. The internal heating of other planetary bodies is investigated to see if a yet smaller upper limit is deducible therefrom – with negative results. Die Hypothese der Gravitationsabschirmung wird diskutiert und verschiedene theoretische Probleme mit moglichen Losungen behandelt. Es wird gezeigt, das falls Energie durch das Gravitationsfeld der Materie abgeschwacht wird, diese letztlich thermalisiert wird. Es werden dann geothermische Daten herangezogen, um eine obere Grenze fur den gravitativen Abschirmungskoeffizienten festzulegen, der um etwa funfzehn Grosenordnungen kleiner ist als der gegenwartig angenommene Wert. Die innere Erwarmung anderer planetarischer Korper wird untersucht um festzustellen, ob von ihnen ein noch kleinerer Grenzwert ableitbar ist. Das Ergebnis ist negativ.
Striatal Dopamine Modulates Basal Ganglia Output and Regulates Social Context-Dependent Behavioral Variability through D1 Receptors

Cortico-basal ganglia (BG) circuits are thought to promote the acquisition of motor skills through reinforcement learning. In songbirds, a specialized portion of the BG is responsible for song learning and plasticity. This circuit generates song variability that underlies vocal experimentation in young birds and modulates song variability depending on the social context in adult birds. When male birds sing in the presence of a female, a social context associated with decreased BG-induced song variability, the extracellular dopamine (DA) level is increased in the avian BG nucleus Area X. These results suggest that DA could trigger song variability changes through its action in Area X. Consistent with this hypothesis, we report that DA delivered to Area X weakens the output signal of the avian cortico-BG circuit. Acting through D 1 receptors, DA reduced responses in Area X to song playback and to electrical stimulation of its afferent cortical nucleus HVC (used as a proper name). Specifically, DA reduced the response to direct excitatory input and decreased firing variability in Area X pallidal neurons, which provide the output to the thalamus. As a consequence, DA delivery in Area X also decreased responses to song playback in the cortical output nucleus of the BG loop, the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium. Further, interfering with D 1 receptor transmission in Area X abolished social context-related changes in song variability. In conclusion, we propose that DA acts on D 1 receptors in Area X to modulate the BG output signal and trigger changes in song variability.
Improving community-based mental health care for children: a commentary.

In their article, “Improving Community-Based Mental Health Care for Children,” Garland and colleagues explore and confront quality issues that are endemic to outpatient specialty mental health care for children in the United States. Their article presents evidence supporting the lack of effectiveness of usual care and draws on implementation science to explore areas for improving the quality of outpatient mental health care for young people. This commentary accepts these basic arguments and strategies, explores policy options that support the suggested reforms, and examines evidence-based programs in a broader context that draws on the systems of care approach. Specific issues addressed in this commentary include workforce capacity, policy options for improving care quality, provider incentives, systematic implementation supports, strategies to incorporate evidence-based approaches into practice, youth-guided and family-driven care, and the need to expand the definition of evidence-based practice to include the concepts of community-defined evidence and practice-based evidence.
Role of infant feeding practice, sex, and age on fatness and subcutaneous fat distribution in infancy: Longitudinal analysis of multiple skinfold measurements.

The aim of this study was to determine whether subcutaneous fatness and fat distribution differ on the basis of feeding practice and sex during the first 6 months of life. Longitudinal principal components analysis (PCA) was done on skinfolds measured at five sites in 45 breast-fed and 41 formula-fed infants. The first component represented fatness, the second component change in fatness, and the third component upper body/lower body fat distribution. Analysis of the components indicated that fatness and the proportion of lower body fat were greater in breast-fed than in formula-fed infants; however, when race was included as a predictor, the differences in lower body fat did not persist. The interpretation of components and the group differences were confirmed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the sum of skinfolds (fatness) or simple skinfold ratios (fat distribution). Group differences for fatness and upper body/lower body fat persisted when race was included as a predictor. Longitudinal PCA of another indicator, the Rohrer index, suggested that fatness was greater in formula-fed than breast-fed infants. Collectively, these findings suggest that formula-fed infants have less subcutaneous fat than breast-fed infants; however, formula-fed infants may have either more internal fat or more lean body mass. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:179-190, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reversal of the adverse chronic effects of the unsaturated derivative of valproic acid--2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid--on ketogenesis and liver coenzyme A metabolism by a single injection of pantothenate, carnitine, and acetylcysteine in developing mice.

ABSTRACT: Like treatment with the parent compound valproic acid (VPA), acute and/or chronic treatment with the unsaturated derivative, 2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid (4-en-VPA), decreased ketogenesis and lowered free CoA, acetyl CoA, and free carnitine levels in the livers of normal developing mice. Concomitantly, there were manifold increases in the content of medium-chain acyl CoA esters (4-en-VPA CoA and 4-en-VPA CoA metabolites). Acute cotreatment of 4-en-VPA-treated animals with pantothenate, carnitine, and acetylcysteine caused significant amelioration of these metabolic aberrations. In animals chronically treated with 4-en-VPA, a single injection of pantothenate, carnitine, and acetylcysteine returned the 4-en-VPA-depressed levels of β-hydroxybutyrate in plasma and free CoA and acetyl CoA in liver to normal. These findings support the hypothesis that VPA-and 4-en-VPA-induced hepatic dysfunction is produced by CoA sequestration rather than by irreversible inhibition by alkylation of the enzymes of fatty acid β-oxidation by reactive intermediates. The findings also support the important but little-known role of carnitine in CoA metabolism—carnitine relieves the inhibition of pantothenate kinase, the rate-controlling first enzyme in the pathway of CoA synthesis by its product, free CoA, and by CoA esters.
Structure and reactivity of highly substituted cyclobutyl tosylates

Abstract The solvolyses, in 80% aqueous ethanol, of cis- and trans-3-hydroxy-2,2-4,4-tetramethylcyclobutyl tosylates and of cis- and trans-3-hydroxy-2,2,3,4,4-pentamethylcyclobutyl tosylates have been studied. The observed rate differences are explained in terms of steric effects on the transition states for the reactions.
Structural and electrical properties of electrophoretically deposited KNN and PZT thick films

KNN, (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 powder was synthesized from raw materials, and the PZT powder was prepared from commercial PZT powder (Alpha ceramics, Inc.). After a ball milling process, each KNN and PZT powder was uniformly deposited on Pt coated alumina plates up to 200µm and 230µm thick films, respectively. Several chemical additives such as PEI dispersant, PVB as polymer binder, glacial acetic acid and tetrumethyl ammonium hydroxide were varied to investigate their roles in the sintering process and the stability of chemical solution for electrophoretic deposition. The effect of additives on the sintering was not significant, but the stability of the solution and uniformity were strongly influenced by additives. Deposited films were sintered ranging from 850°C to 1100°C. The densest film was obtained at a sintering temperature of 1050°C. Excess addition of raw material K 2 CO 3 could eliminate secondary phases in KNN thick films after sintering. Electrical properties of thick films were investigated by characterizing the ferroelectric hysteresis loops, dielectric properties, and piezoelectric properties.
Author's reply to comments on "Propagation of EM pulses excited by electric dipole in a conducting medium"

It is not surprising that our paper attracted Dr. Wait's interest, since this subject is one of his many contributions. We mentioned that previous studies are "incomplete" because they report either magnetic fields or electric fields excited by a step-junction excitation that is only a special case (as reaffirmed by Dr. Wait). We presented both electric and magnetic fields excited by an impulsive excitation from which the EM field excited by any arbitrary excitation can be obtained by a convolution. This information was needed because we attempted to find the optimal excitation that can excite a maximum electric field. In our humble opinion, our solution is "exact" because we solved Maxwell's equation exactly within the assumption of frequency independent conductivity and permittivity. The adjective "complete" means that we have presented complete expressions for both the electric and magnetic fields. It is not our intention in using these adjectives to be immodest. >
Photochemistry of the gaseous hydrogen peroxide-carbon monoxide system: Rate constants for hydroxyl radical reactions with hydrogen peroxide and isobutane by competitive kinetics

Abstract The reaction between hydrogen peroxide and carbon monoxide initiated by absorption of 254 nm light at 298 K in a static system has been studied. Hydroxyl radicals were formed in the primary process and reacted with carbon monoxide to yield carbon dioxide and hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen atoms reacted with hydrogen peroxide either to yield H2O and OH or to yield H2 and HO2. For these processes the rate constant ratio was found to be kH2O/kH2 = 3.0 ± 1.0. With sufficient added oxygen hydrogen atoms reacted only with oxygen to yield HO2 and it was possibel to obtain a rate constant for the reaction of OH with H2O2. With both oxygen and isobutane added, it was possible to obtain a rate constant for the reaction of OH with (CH3)3CH. The constants obtained were kOH+H2O2 = 1.2 ± 0.3 × 10−12 and kOH + (CH3)3CH = 3.5 ± 0.8 × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 sec−1.