cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation Thermodynamics and H/D Kinetic Isotope Effect of the Hox to HredH+ Transition in [FeFe] Hydrogenase.

Molecular complexes between CdSe nanocrystals and Clostridium acetobutylicum [FeFe] hydrogenase I (CaI) enabled light-driven control of electron transfer for spectroscopic detection of redox intermediates during catalytic proton reduction. Here we address the route of electron transfer from CdSe→CaI and activation thermodynamics of the initial step of proton reduction in CaI. The electron paramagnetic spectroscopy of illuminated CdSe:CaI showed how the CaI accessory FeS cluster chain (F-clusters) functions in electron transfer with CdSe. The Hox→HredH+ reduction step measured by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed an enthalpy of activation of 19 kJ mol–1 and a ∼2.5-fold kinetic isotope effect. Overall, these results support electron injection from CdSe into CaI involving F-clusters, and that the Hox→HredH+ step of catalytic proton reduction in CaI proceeds by a proton-dependent process.
Viewing Sexually Explicit Media and Its Association with Mental Health Among Gay and Bisexual Men Across the U.S.

Gay and bisexual men (GBM) have reported viewing significantly more sexually explicit media (SEM) than heterosexual men. There is evidence that viewing greater amounts of SEM may result in more negative body attitude and negative affect. However, no studies have examined these variables within the same model. A national sample of 1071 HIV-negative GBM in the U.S. participating in a larger study completed an online survey, which included measures of SEM consumption, male body attitudes, anxiety, and depression. Participants reported viewing 3 h of SEM per week, on average, and 96% of participants reported recently viewing at least some SEM. Greater consumption of SEM was directly related to more negative body attitude and both depressive and anxious symptomology. There was also a significant indirect effect of SEM consumption on depressive and anxious symptomology through body attitude. These findings highlight the relevance of both SEM on body image and negative affect along with the role body image plays in anxiety and depression outcomes for GBM. They also indicate a potential role for body image in explaining the co-occurrence of SEM consumption and negative affect. For interventions looking to alleviate negative affect for GBM, it may be important to address SEM consumption and body image as they are shown to be associated with both anxious and depressive symptomology.
Counterfactual attitudes and the relational analysis

In this paper, I raise a problem for standard precisifications of the Relational Analysis of attitude reports. The problem I raise involves counterfactual attitude verbs. such as ‘wish’. In short, the trouble is this: there are true attitude reports ‘S wishes that P’ but there is no suitable referent for the term ‘that P’. The problematic reports illustrate that the content of a subject’s wish is intimately related to the content of their beliefs. I capture this fact by moving to a framework in which ‘wish’ relates subjects to sets of pairs of worlds, or paired propositions, rather than—as is standardly assumed—sets of worlds. Although other types of counterfactual attitude reports, for example those involving ‘imagine’, may be similarly problematic, at this stage it is unclear whether they can be handled the same way.
The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio as a prognostic indicator in head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between the pre-treatment lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and prognosis in HNC. PubMed (via the Web), Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched. A systematic review and meta-analysis was done to generate the pooled hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Our analysis included the results of 4260 patients in seven cohorts. The pooled data demonstrated that an elevated LMR was associated with significantly improved OS (HR 0.5; 95% CI 0.44–0.57), and DFS (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.62–0.80). Of note, there was no detectable heterogeneity in either OS (I2 = 0%) or DFS (I2 = 0%). An elevated LMR may be an indicator of favorable prognosis in HNC. However, our results should be interpreted with some degree of caution due to the retrospective nature of cohort studies. Further research with high-quality prospective studies is needed to confirm the effect of LMR in HNC prognosis.
Developmental Benefits of Play for Children

Children occupy so much of their daily time and energy with play that philosophers, researchers, teachers, and parents alike have all wondered about the role of play in the child's development. Cle...
Developmental and Thyroid Hormone Regulation of Na,K-ATPase Isoforms in the Brain

The sodium pump (Na,K-ATPase) is a plasma membrane bound enzyme found in all animal cells and subserves many specialized functions in nerve cells. It maintains transmembrane cationic gradients by pumping three sodiums out of the cell for two potassiums into the cell fueled by ATP hydrolysis (1). The resultant electrochemical gradients are crucial for normal neuronal activity, and drive the transport of nutrients and reuptake of neurotransmitters into the nerve cells (1, 2).
Information systems ethics in the USA and in the Arab world

This chapter explores similarities and differences between two cultures, the USA and the Arab World, in BIS ethics, through a survey of American and Arab students on personal use of organizational computers, use of organizational IS resources for non-organization gain, and monitoring of organizational IS resource use. While interesting statistical differences were found in the average strength of several responses, there was no disagreement as to the ethicality or non-ethicality of any survey item. The authors view this consistency as encouraging evidence of a common foundation for IS-related commerce between the two cultures. The findings of this study can be a basis for future cooperation, as legislators, educators, and employers in the Arab World and the USA develop acceptable BIS practices.
Physiology of Glycemic Recovery and Stabilization After Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemic Clamp in Healthy Subjects

Background The hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (HEC) is the gold standard for measuring insulin sensitivity, but glycemic recovery and stabilization after the procedure have not been well studied. Here, we assessed the physiological determinants of postclamp recovery. Methods We analyzed data from 207 healthy subjects [102 African American (AA) and 105 European American (EA)] who underwent HEC in the Pathobiology of Prediabetes in a Biracial Cohort study. At the end of HEC, insulin infusion was stopped, and dextrose (20%) infusion was tapered and stopped when plasma glucose stabilized ≥20 mg/dL above the preclamp value (∼100 mg/dL). Glucose recovery time (GRT) was defined as the interval from cessation of insulin infusion to discontinuation of dextrose infusion. Insulin clearance was calculated under basal and clamp conditions. Results The mean (± SD) age and body mass index were 46.3 ± 9.96 years and 30.7 ± 8.43 kg/m2, respectively. Plasma glucose (mg/dL) was 92.2 ± 6.26 preclamp and 124.2 ± 26.9 postclamp. The median GRT (minutes) was 65 (range, 30 to 270); mean GRT was 77.1 ± 42.7 (men: 82.9 ± 45.5; women: 74.4 ± 42.3; AA, 82.0 ± 49.6; EA, 72.3 ± 34.2; P > 0.1 for sex or race). The 90th percentile for GRT was 119 minutes. In regression models, significant predictors of GRT were age (P = 0.03), weight (P = 0.009), 2-hour plasma glucose (P = 0.0002), insulin sensitivity (P = 0.03), disposition index (P = 0.017), and basal insulin clearance (P = 0.02). Conclusions In our biracial cohort, glycemic recovery after hyperinsulinemic clamp was independent of sex or race but was significantly predicted by age, weight, and glucose tolerance and by insulin sensitivity, secretion, and clearance. We recommend that monitoring be maintained for ∼2 hours postclamp to ensure adequate glycemic stabilization.
Preclinical evaluation of PARP inhibitors in combination with DNA-damaging agents in a Ewing sarcoma orthotopic xenograft model.

10073 Background: Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is an aggressive malignancy of childhood with a dismal prognosis in patients with metastatic or recurrent disease. Previous research demonstrated EWS cell line...
Risk Factors for Post-Operative Sepsis and Septic Shock in Patients Undergoing Emergency Surgery

Background: Sepsis after emergency surgery is associated with a higher mortality rate than elective surgery, and total hospital costs increase by 2.3 times. This study aimed to identify risk factors for post-operative sepsis or septic shock in patients undergoing emergency surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) by identifying patients undergoing emergency surgery between 2012 and 2015 and comparing those who developed post-operative sepsis or septic shock (S/SS) with those who did not. Patients with pre-operative sepsis or septic shock were excluded. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for the development of S/SS in patients undergoing non-elective surgery. Results: Of 122,281 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 2,399 (2%) developed S/SS. Risk factors for S/SS were American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) class 2 or higher (odds ratio [OR] 2.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.19-3.02; p < 0.0001), totally dependent (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.38-2.83; p = 0.00021) or partially dependent (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.35-2.00; p < 0.0001) functional status, and male gender (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.18-1.45; p < 0.0001). Compared with colorectal procedures, patients undergoing pancreatic (OR 2.33, CI 1.40-3.87; p = 0.00108) and small intestine (OR 1.27; CI 1.12-1.44; p = 0.00015) surgery were more likely to develop S/SS. Patients undergoing biliary surgery (OR 0.38; CI 0.30-0.48; p < 0.0001) were less likely to develop S/SS. Conclusions: Risk factors for the development of sepsis or septic shock are ASA PS class 2 or higher, partially or totally dependent functional status, and male gender. Emergency pancreatic or small intestinal procedures may confer a higher risk. Greater vigilance and early post-operative screening may be of benefit in patients with these risk factors.
Low-Power Deep Learning Inference using the SpiNNaker Neuromorphic Platform

With the successes deep neural networks have achieved across a range of applications, researchers have been exploring computational architectures to more efficiently execute their operation. In addition to the prevalent role of graphics processing units (GPUs), many accelerator architectures have emerged. Neuromorphic is one such particular approach which takes inspiration from the brain to guide the computational principles of the architecture including varying levels of biological realism. In this paper we present results on using the SpiNNaker neuromorphic platform (48-chip model) for deep learning neural network inference. We use the Sandia National Laboratories developed Whetstone spiking deep learning library to train deep multi-layer perceptrons and convolutional neural networks suitable for the spiking substrate on the neural hardware architecture. By using the massively parallel nature of SpiNNaker, we are able to achieve, under certain network topologies, substantial network tiling and consequentially impressive inference throughput. Such high-throughput systems may have eventual application in remote sensing applications where large images need to be chipped, scanned, and processed quickly. Additionally, we explore complex topologies that push the limits of the SpiNNaker routing hardware and investigate how that impacts mapping software-implemented networks to on-hardware instantiations.
A Prediction-Optimization Framework for Site-Wide Process Optimization

We address the problem of site-wide operational optimization of production plants in the context of Industry 4.0 with an emphasis on sensor data-driven approaches. A multi-plant production site is a complex network of plants and intermediate storage tanks with a continuous flow of materials that get transformed from raw inflows into product outflows. A site-wide production strategy is a time-indexed operational plan for operating the network in real-time and computing various plant flow rates and corresponding tank inventories. It needs to be dynamic to respond to changes like breakdowns or shifting economic objectives, thereby requiring the ability to capture the run-time behavior of each process to alter any controls as needed. We present a novel solution based on the use of machine learning to learn process relationships from sensor data and converting the process network into a surrogate network representation of regression-based transformers that are coupled via inventory balances and physical constraints like capacity limits. We discuss some physical and modeling considerations that need to be handled in practice for realizing such a representation from sensor data. We emphasize the choice of segmented linear models and couple them with integer-linear modeling techniques to devise a prediction-optimization framework for site-wide optimization. We illustrate the application and the effectiveness of the proposed framework with a case study based on the oil sands processing industry.
A putative lysozyme and serine carboxypeptidase from Heterorhabditis bacteriophora show differential virulence capacities in Drosophila melanogaster

Nematode virulence factors are of interest for a variety of applications including biocontrol against insect pests and the alleviation of autoimmune diseases with nematode-derived factors. In silico "omics" techniques have generated a wealth of candidate factors that may be important in the establishment of nematode infections, although the challenge of characterizing these individual factors in vivo remains. Here we provide a fundamental characterization of a putative lysozyme and serine carboxypeptidase from the host-induced transcriptome of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Both factors accelerated the mortality rate following Drosophila melanogaster infections with Photorhabdus luminescens, and both factors suppressed phenoloxidase activity in D. melanogaster hemolymph. Furthermore, the serine carboxypeptidase was lethal to a subpopulation of flies and suppressed the upregulation of antimicrobial peptides as well as phagocytosis. Together, our findings suggest that this serine carboxypeptidase possess both toxic and immunomodulatory properties while the lysozyme is likely to confer immunomodulatory, but not toxic effects.
Developing Employee Resilience: The Role of Leader-Facilitated Emotion Management:

The ProblemTo create resilient organizations, Human Resource Development (HRD) must foster the conditions (both internal and external to the employee) that enable learning and development in the fa...
Pathology in Relationships.

Committed, long-term romantic relationships are ubiquitous among modern society. They are one of the most important contexts for the development, maintenance, and treatment of psychopathology. In t...
Association between bed bugs and allergic reactions.

AIMS To evaluate whether bed bugs are associated with allergic reactions in patients seen in the emergency department (ED). METHODS AND RESULTS This retrospective study included data from 9 EDs in Ohio between February 2011 and February 2017. The study comprised 332 patients with bed bug infestation matched 1:15 with 4952 control patients without bed bugs on the basis of age, sex and the presenting ED. Compared with uninfested patients, patients infested with bed bugs were more likely to have an ED or inpatient diagnosis of pruritus, hives or urticaria (odds ratio [OR], 9.12 [95% CI, 3.41-24.42]) and to be treated in the ED with an antihistamine (OR, 3.20 [95% CI, 1.87-5.50]) or albuterol (OR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.07-2.36]) (P ≤ .02 for all). There were no significant differences in the rates of anaphylaxis and angioedema diagnosed in patients with and without bed bugs, which occurred in <1% in both groups. CONCLUSION Bed bug-infested patients are more likely to be diagnosed and treated for itchy cutaneous rashes, but are not clearly associated with more severe allergic reactions.
PrEP, HIV, and the Importance of Health Communication

In this chapter, we argue that communication, specifically mass media, interpersonal communication, and app-based communication, can be valuable tools to increase awareness and adoption of PrEP among MSM. When employed strategically, mass media can function to inform audiences about PrEP and influence individuals to discuss it with their healthcare provider. Interpersonal communication, particularly doctor-patient communication, can be a way for healthcare providers to build relationships with their patients and encourage healthy behaviors, such as the adoption of PrEP. Lastly, dating/hookup apps such as Grindr and Scruff, allow for the opportunity to reach MSM in innovative ways and to provide them with hyper-local information about PrEP, HIV, and other sexual health resources.
Fighting the trauma demons: what men in nursing want you to know.

aymanProblem Occupations develop a tradition of what is sex-role appropriate, and the ramifications for both men and women are tremendous. Methods This qualitative research was conducted to provide a detailed understanding of the lived experiences of men in nursing through their own voice. Findings To increase equity in the medical professions, researchers should examine nontraditional male career choices alongside women who work in male-dominated occupations. Sayman
Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis of rock-forming minerals

Abstract Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis (SXRFA) is compared with other microanalytical techniques including electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). X-ray fluorescence spectra were taken of 21 feldspars and synthetic glasses to establish an experimental protocol and suitable standards for routine microprobe analysis of minor and trace elements. The white X-ray beam from a bending magnet of the 2.5-GeV National Synchrotron Light Source was apertured to 0.03 × 0.06 mm. The fluorescent X-rays were detected with an energy-dispersive system oriented at 90° to the incident beam. Spectra were obtained from each polished thick-section oriented at 45° and two sets of spectra were obtained for the crystalline feldspars at different orientations to evaluate the diffraction interference. Each spectrum was stripped using an interactive Gaussian-fitting program STRIP and elemental sensitivities were determined theoretically by the NRLXRF X-ray fluorescence analytical program without the use of external standards. Detection levels (part per million weight: 2σ) are: Ba and Ti (40), Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Rb, and Sr (2) and Pb (20). The higher values for Ba and Ti result in part from spectral overlap, and that for Pb from lower sensitivity for L spectra. The resulting standard-less elemental concentrations were compared with electron microprobe analyses of the same thick-section of each feldspar, and with atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) of a fragment or slice. Concentrations determined by the three techniques agree to within ∼ ±20% with two exceptions. Rb contents determined by AAS agree with standard-less SXRFA and standard-controlled EMPA within only a factor of 2. Ba contents appear to be underestimated by standard-less SXRFA by ∼30% probably due to systematic errors in fundamental parameters used to obtain theoretical yields for Ba- L α fluorescence: hence, an external standard or an empirical correction is desirable. These results demonstrate that many trace elements in feldspars can be usefully determined by a simple standard-less technique referred to the major elements. Although the goal of this work has been the development of analytical protocols, valuable crystal-chemical data have been obtained including definitive evidence for substitution by Cu and Zn.
Modeling and simulation of the thermal and psychrometric transient response of all electric ships, internal compartments and cabinets

This paper introduces a general computational model for all electric ships and internal compartments (open and closed domains) that contain heat sources and sinks. A simplified physical model, which combines principles of classical thermodynamics and heat transfer, is developed and the resulting three-dimensional differential equations are discretized in space using a three-dimensional cell centered finite volume scheme. Therefore, the combination of the proposed simplified physical model with the adopted finite volume scheme for the numerical discretization of the differential equations is called a volume element model (VEM). Two case studies are presented: a simulation of a whole ship at sea, and one of the ship's internal compartments (or cabinet). The proposed model was utilized to simulate numerically the steady state responses of the systems in both cases. Of particular interest in the first case is the possibility of predicting the ship's thermal signature at sea. Mesh refinements were conducted to ensure the convergence of the numerical results. The converged mesh in both cases was relatively coarse (175 and 320 cells), therefore the solutions were obtained with low computational time. Since accuracy and low computational time are combined, the model is shown to be efficient and could be used as a tool for simulation, design, and optimization of thermal management of all electric ships, internal compartments and cabinets.
Evaluation of acidity of strong acid catalysts I. The strength of boron trifluoride-water systems

Abstract The method of determining a thermodynamic acidity function from the chemical shift changes of 13 C signals of unsaturated ketones at infinite dilution in the investigated acid established by the authors was applied to the system boron triftuoride-water ( III ) ranging from the monohydrate (BF 3 · H 2 O) to the trihydrate (BF 3 · 3H 2 O). The indicators used were mesityl oxide and 4-hexen-3-one. It was found that III is significantly stronger than indicated by earlier measurements conducted by the classical Hammett method based on UV-visible spectroscopy. The mixtures with about 1.25 mol of water per mol of BF 3 or less are stronger than pure sulfuric acid and are therefore superacidic. The stronger acidity of III can be understood because boron triftuoride is a much stronger Lewis acid than sulfur trioxide; therefore the complex with a hydroxyl anion of the former (hydroxytrifluoroborate anion) should have a lower affinity for a hydron than the corresponding complex of sulfuric anhydride (bisulfate anion). Preliminary experiments indicate that the 13 C NMR method can be applied successfully to working catalysts based on III , which are colored and contain dissolved organic materials.
Giant moment of Fe16N2 as evidenced by 57Fe NMR studies.

A nuclear-magnetic-resonance study of ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{16}$${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}$N, and bcc \ensuremath{\alpha}-Fe phases, along with magnetization experiments on samples containing these phases, show that the average Fe moment for ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{16}$${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ is between 2.7${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$ and 2.9${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$. This is in contrast to previous studies which report values ranging from 2.3${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$ to 3.5${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$. The results reported here indicate an average Fe moment for ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{16}$${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ which is significantly enhanced compared with that for \ensuremath{\alpha}-Fe, and a moment for Fe atoms at the 4d sites which is greater than 3.0${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
HIV testing practices among Latina women at risk of getting infected: a five-year follow-up of a community sample in South Florida.

Latinos are more likely to delay HIV testing, present to care with an AIDS defining illness, and die within one year of learning their HIV-positive status than non-Latino blacks and whites. For this paper, we explore the role of partner-relationship characteristics and health behaviors, in predicting HIV testing among Latina adult women who engaged in risky sexual behaviors (i.e., unprotected vaginal and/or anal sex). Data from a convenience sample of 168 Latina adult women who engaged in risky sexual behavior in the year prior to assessment were analyzed for this paper. Rates and predictors of HIV testing among this sample were assessed after a five-year follow-up. Descriptive and analytical estimates include incidence rates and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) from multilevel models. At five-year follow-up, 63.7% (n = 107) women reported having been tested for HIV, of whom 12.2% (n = 13) were women who never tested before. Main reasons for not having been tested at follow-up included: low risk perception (62.1%) and trusting their partner(s)/being in a monogamous relationship/knowing their partner's HIV status (17.2%). Predictors of HIV testing included: age (AOR: 0.96; 95% CI = 0.92-0.99), provider endorsement of HIV testing (AOR: 4.59; 95% CI = 1.77-11.95), poor quality of their romantic relationships (AOR: 1.12; 95% CI = 1.03-1.26), and knowing the HIV sero-status of sexual partner (AOR: 3.61; 95% CI = 1.46-8.95). This study characterizes a group of Latina women at high risk for HIV infection and their HIV testing behaviors. Our findings underscore the need of increasing access to quality health-care services and HIV behavioral interventions, and to strengthen the adherence to HIV/sexually transmitted disease testing recommendations and guidelines among local health-care providers serving the Latino community in South Florida.
United States Biofuel Production as Climate Policy: Tensions between Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Agricultural Economies, And Agro-ecological Practice

This article discusses U.S. biofuel production as a strategy for climate change mitigation, describing how energy independence and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals may not be met as easily as initially hoped. Alternatively, it positions biofuel production as an "environmental fix," a socio-ecological project indicative of the contradictory imperatives to conserve, exploit, and create resources for accumulation. It examines how this "fix" has developed in rural production areas, focusing on Iowa, in the United States. It also describes how rural residents negotiate a biofuels future that bears significant ecological and economic risks, while it maintains accumulation opportunity for dominant energy and agro-industry actors.
STOCHASTIC GRAVITY AND THE LANGEVIN-RAYCHAUDHURI EQUATION

We treat the gravitational effects of quantum stress tensor fluctuations. An operational approach is adopted in which these fluctuations produce fluctuations in the focusing of a bundle of geodesics. This can be calculated explicitly using the Raychaudhuri equation as a Langevin equation. The physical manifestation of these fluctuations are angular blurring and luminosity fluctuations of the images of distant sources.
Pulsed Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma for Endodontic Disinfection $^{\ast}$

A new plasma dental probe (PDP), powered with 4-6-kV ~100-ns electric pulses at repetition rates of up to 2 kHz, generates a room-temperature > 2-cm-long ~2-mm-diameter plasma plume at ambient atmospheric pressure. The shape of the plasma plume depends on the gas flow rate and the pulse voltage. Growth of Bacillus atrophaeus on nutrient agar plates is completely inhibited by exposure to both He and He/(1%)O2 plasmas for 60 s. A 300-s treatment with the He/(1%)O2 plasma disinfected a human tooth root canal colonized with saliva-derived biofilms, demonstrating the potential of the PDP as a simple, safe, and effective tool or adjunct for the disinfection of root canals during endodontic therapy. He/(1%)O2 plasma is more effective than He alone for B. atrophaeus growth inhibition, and the emission spectrum of the He-O2 plasma supports the identification of atomic oxygen as the likely primary reactive chemical species contributing to bacterial inactivation.
Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Linkage Isomerism in Metal−Thiocyanate Complexes

We developed an experiment suitable for an advanced inorganic chemistry laboratory that utilizes a cooperative learning environment, which allows students to develop an empirical method of determining the bonding mode of a series of unknown metal−thiocyanate complexes. Students synthesize the metal−thiocyanate complexes and obtain the FT-IR spectrum of each one, along with reference complexes of known coordination. They are then asked to develop a quantitative approach of comparing the unknown metal−thiocyanate complexes to the references and deduce the most feasible bonding mode of each metal to the thiocyanate ligand, whether via the sulfur or nitrogen atom. The students can then explain their results using hard−soft acid−base concepts.
Synergistic man: outcome model for counselors

In this article the author revisits human nature in order to present it as a basis for guiding the quest for a working model of “optimal man.” The author postulates that our primordial human nature encompasses the possibilities for both good behavior and evil behavior. Accordingly, the perennial challenge facing guidance workers is helping to establish conditions that will actualize positive potentials while defusing the less beneficent ones. Drawing on the insights of Ruth Benedict and Abraham Maslow in their search for an ethical gauge by which to rate personal-social health, the author proposes “synergistic man” as the desired outcome model for counselors and educators.
Melanin may promote photooxidation of linoleic acid

We have previously shown that laser-exposed melanin granules isolated from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are capable of oxidizing ascorbic acid. We are now characterizing the reactions of light- activated melanin with other cellular components such as linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Commercial linoleic acid, and melanin granules isolated from bovine RPE cells, are mixed and exposed to the broad band output of a 150 W Xenon arc lamp or the CW output of an Argon laser. Native linoleic acid is separated from its hydroperoxides by HPLC, and the relative amounts of each are detected by UV absorbance at 210 and 232 nm, respectively. Exposure of the linoleic acid alone to the xenon arc source results in production of linoleic hydroperoxides (LHP) in an intensity-dependent reaction that doubles in extent over the temperature range of 0° to 80°C. Addition of melanin granules at a density of 108 granules/ml reduces the production of LHP, probably because of light absorption and self-screening by the melanin. At or below a density of 107 granules/ml, however, the light-driven production of LHP is enhanced, especially during exposure to the blue- green output of the Argon laser. Physiological antioxidants (Vit. C,E protect the linoleic acid from photo-oxidation in the presence or absence of melanin. These observations support the hypothesis that light-activated melanin can react with some cellular components and thereby contribute to photochemical damage, especially if endogenous antioxidants are depleted.
Photorhabdus luminescens W-14 Insecticidal Activity Consists of at Least Two Similar but Distinct Proteins PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TOXIN A AND TOXIN B

Both the bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens alone and its symbiotic Photorhabdus-nematode complex are known to be highly pathogenic to insects. The nature of the insecticidal activity of Photorhabdus bacteria was investigated for its potential application as an insect control agent. It was found that in the fermentation broth of P. luminescens strain W-14, at least two proteins, toxin A and toxin B, independently contributed to the oral insecticidal activity against Southern corn rootworm. Purified toxin A and toxin B exhibited single bands on native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and two peptides of 208 and 63 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The native molecular weight of both the toxin A and toxin B was determined to be approximately 860 kDa, suggesting that they are tetrameric. NH2-terminal amino acid sequencing and Western analysis using monospecific antibodies to each toxin demonstrated that the two toxins were distinct but homologous. The oral potency (LD50) of toxin A and toxin B against Southern corn rootworm larvae was determined to be similar to that observed with highly potent Bt toxins against lepidopteran pests. In addition, it was found that the two peptides present in toxin B could be processed in vitro from a 281-kDa protoxin by endogenous P. luminescens proteases. Proteolytic processing was shown to enhance insecticidal activity.
The Genesis and Repression of Conflict: Choiseul Island1

IN THE course of an analysis of social control among the Plateau Tonga, Colson was led to question what was then the dogma that "societies organized on the lineage principle" obtain and maintain their "stability" by virtue of that principle. An examination of vengeance activities among the Tonga led her to conclude instead that stability or, in particular, control of violent conflict is the indirect (in the sense of being unintended) result of the "presence within each local group of people with a diverse set of ties linking them to those in other areas" (see Colson 1962, especially p. 121). Gluckman (1955:1-26) elaborated this theme in relation to such peoples as the Nuer, demonstrating that the obligations and interests attaching to lineage and locality compete in particular persons and instances and make for peace among the Nuer at large. Thus it is now generally accepted that in societies without formal juridical institutions but with values which lead often to violent conflict between persons and groups there are, nevertheless, conditions-I prefer this term to "institutions"-through which a modicum of peace persists throughout the society at large, even if not always between particular local groups. Such an arrangement of social relations is essential to the persistence of any such more-or-less organized "larger society," and this "functional" aspect of vengeance systems has been the focus of Gluckman's analyses. More recently he has stated the broader implications of his argument and related it to similar propositions formulated by Simmel (1955) in regard to larger or more complex societies. He notes: "In fact, it is a marked characteristic of all societies that persons belong to a series of different sub-groups, and relationships which associate them with different fellows, so that their 'enemies' in one set of relations are their 'allies' in another; and a diversity of distinct ties inter-relates the members of a society, each set of ties striking into the autonomy and isolated loyalty of the members of another set" (Gluckman 1962:40). This fact, of course, accounts for a good deal more than what Gluckman terms paradoxically the "peace in the feud," yet I confine my remarks to that point. I demonstrate how a similar though not identical social situation operated in one Melanesian society, that of Choiseul Island in the northwestern corner of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. It is shown how certain conditions, some of them arising from the nature of membership in the primary residentialproprietary segments2 themselves, exerted pressures to conflict and, in the end, helped resolve that conflict too. This is, I think, an interesting and more generally relevant case, for it deals with a situation in which the primary residen-
Optically tunable nanoparticle contrast agents for early cancer detection: model-based analysis of gold nanoshells

Many optical diagnostic approaches rely on changes in scattering and absorption properties to generate optical contrast between normal and diseased tissue. Recently, there has been increasing interest in using exogenous agents to enhance this intrinsic contrast with particular emphasis on the development for targeting specific molecular features of disease. Gold nanoshells are a class of core-shell nanoparticles with an extremely tunable peak optical resonance ranging from the near-UV to the mid-IR wavelengths. Using current chemistries, nanoshells of a wide variety of core and shell sizes can easily be fabricated to scatter and/or absorb light with optical cross sections often several times larger than the geometric cross section. Using gold nanoshells of different size and optical parameters, we employ Monte Carlo models to predict the effect of varying concentrations of nanoshells on tissue reflectance. The models demonstrate the importance of absorption from the nanoshells on remitted signals even when the optical extinction is dominated by scattering. Furthermore, because of the strong optical response of nanoshells, a considerable change in reflectance is observed with only a very small concentration of nanoshells. Characterizing the optical behavior of gold nanoshells in tissue will aid in developing nanoshells as contrast agents for optical diagnostics.
Lamotrigine (Lamictal IR) for the treatment of bipolar disorder

Introduction: Over the past decade the use of lamotrigine in bipolar disorder has increased. However, the evidence base suggests a more limited role for lamotrigine as part of an overall treatment regimen in bipolar disorder. Areas covered: We reviewed publications of randomized clinical trials of lamotrigine, emphasizing studies in bipolar disorder. The low burden of adverse effects with lamotrigine has been confirmed in these studies. Its lack of benefit in acute mania is established. Despite modest benefits for a subset of depressive episodes in bipolar disorder, it was not superior to placebo in well-designed studies. As monotherapy, in randomized, blinded trials in rapid cycling bipolar disorder it was not superior to placebo. Its role in maintenance treatment is relatively well established as one component of combination therapy, with evidence for benefits when combined with lithium or valproate. Combination regimens including lamotrigine appear to be superior to monotherapy. Monotherapy utilization...
FATAL HUMAN DISEASE FROM VERVET MONKEYS

Abstract About thirty cases of acute illness, with 7 deaths, presented in laboratory workers handling tissues from vervet monkeys imported from East Africa. Both blood and tissues from these patients proved infective to guineapigs and the agent has been maintained in nine serial passages in these animals. The most striking pathological changes were found in guineapig livers where intracytoplasmic bodies resembling rickettsias or psittacosis-lymphogranuloma-group viruses were invariably present. These bodies stained purple-red with Giemsa and red with Machiavello stains.
Coherent electronic and nuclear dynamics for charge transfer in 1-ethyl-4-(carbomethoxy)pyridinium iodide.

Although polaronic interactions and states abound in charge transfer processes and reactions, quantitative and separable determination of electronic and nuclear relaxation is still challenging. The present paper employs the amplitudes, polarizations, and phases of four-wave mixing signals to obtain unique dynamical information on relaxation processes following photoinduced charge transfer between iodide and 1-ethyl-4-(carbomethoxy)pyridinium ions. Pump−probe signal amplitudes reveal the coherent coupling of an underdamped 115 cm-1 nuclear mode to the charge transfer excitation. Assignments of this recurrence to intramolecular vibrational modes of the acceptor and to modulation of the intermolecular donor−acceptor distance are discussed on the basis of a high-level density functional theory normal-mode analysis and previously observed wave packet dynamics of solvated molecular iodine. Nuclear relaxation of the acceptor induces sub-picosecond decay of the pump−probe polarization anisotropy from an initial v...
Symbols in Motion: Katari as Traveling Image in Landless Movement Politics in Bolivia

This case study of the Landless Peasant Movement (MST-Bolivia) looks at the contemporary use and value of the image of Tupac Katari, an anti-colonial hero who led a regional insurgency in 1780. The symbol of Katari as resurrected spirit in political tale-telling and on flags and posters mixes with more contemporary icons of landless peasant politics to serve political and economic purposes: redistributing land and resources to displaced peoples. This essay argues that as this symbol travels through time – from a popular sign of Andean politics to a critical emblem of multiculturalism in the 1990s – it takes on new meanings as indigenous peoples make critical links between ethnic/racial identity, uneven resource distribution, and structural inequality. As people move across geographic space – from MST communities to urban centers, from Santa Cruz to La Paz – their symbols stand against new forms of violence and discrimination and infuse regional spaces with hybrid political identities. However, when an ima...
Chorda tympani nerve transection at different developmental ages produces differential effects on taste bud volume and papillae morphology in the rat

Chorda tympani nerve transection (CTX) results in morphological changes to fungiform papillae and associated taste buds. When transection occurs during neonatal development in the rat, the effects on fungiform taste bud and papillae structure are markedly more severe than observed following a comparable surgery in the adult rat. The present study examined the potential “sensitive period” for morphological modifications to tongue epithelium following CTX. Rats received unilateral transection at 65, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, or 5 days of age. With each descending age at the time of transection, the effects on the structural integrity of fungiform papillae were more severe. Significant losses in total number of taste buds and filiform-like papillae were observed when transection occurred 5–30 days of age. Significant reduction in the number of taste pores was indicated at every age of transection. Another group of rats received chorda tympani transection at 10, 25, or 65 days of age to determine if the time course of taste bud degeneration differed depending on the age of the rat at the time of transection. Taste bud volumes differed significantly from intact sides of the tongue at 2, 8, and 50 days posttransection after CTX at 65 days of age. Volume measurements did not differ 2 days posttransection after CTX at 10 or 25 days of age, but were significantly reduced at the other time points. Findings demonstrate a transitional period throughout development wherein fungiform papillae are highly dependent upon the chorda tympani for maintenance of morphological integrity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005
Normal ordering and the leading logarithm sum

Abstract The MS and normal ordered renormalization prescriptions are compared. The MS prescription is shown to be superior when one is interested in summing the leading logarithm radiative corrections since the normal ordered prescription does not account for the leading logarithm corrections in any simple manner.
Serum lipase activities and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Objective—To determine serum lipase activities and pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (PLI) concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Animals—74 healthy dogs and 25 dogs with EPI. Procedures—A diagnosis of EPI was made on the basis of clinical signs, low serum trypsin like immunoreactivity (TLI) concentration, and response to treatment with enzyme replacement. Median values for fasting serum lipase activity and serum PLI concentrations were compared between the 2 groups with a Mann-Whitney U test. Results—Median fasting serum lipase activity was not significantly different between dogs with EPI (366.0 U/L) and healthy dogs (294.5 U/L), and only 1 dog with EPI had a serum lipase activity less than the lower limit of the reference range. Median serum PLI concentration was significantly lower in dogs with EPI (0.1 μg/L) than in healthy dogs (16.3 μg/L). All dogs with EPI had serum PLI concentrations less than the lower limit of the reference range. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance...
Are children reliable reporters

Fifty children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years, and their mothers were interviewed using the same structured interview, which in its content follows the usual psychiatric examination of a child. Their answers were compared and it was found that there was an 80% average agreement on all questions. The agreement (between child and parent) was highest on questions relating to factual information (84%) and the agreement (between child's interviewer and parent) was lowest in the section dealing with mental status (69%). Girls were more reliable informants than boys.
Outcome Based Codes: Answering The Preliminary Questions

ABSTRACT Policymakers and the public are increasingly interested in reducing energy use. Whether due to a desire to reduce costs, greenhouse gas emissions, or imported energy, achieving these goals will depend on actual and measurable results. Today's building energy codes regulate proxies for energy use, do not require measurement and expression of actual building energy performance, and depend on incremental improvements to prescriptive criteria (e.g. equipment efficiency levels, insulation values, and lighting power allowances). Achieving the ultimate goal of net-zero energy buildings requires a different approach. Outcome-based codes establish an energy use level as well as regular measurement and reporting to assure that the completed building performs at the established level. A shift to outcome-based codes will require a dramatic change within the building community.
Substrate specificity of choline kinase.

Abstract The substrate specificity of choline kinase (ATP:choline phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.32) from brewer's yeast has been examined using multiple analogs of choline, most of which have been reported to be a substrate of one or another choline-using system from other sources. In contrast to many such systems, choline kinase from brewer's yeast has been found to have relatively stringent and straight-forward structural requirements for its substrates. It is hypothesized that there are at least four points of interaction of the substrate with the enzyme—one for the hydroxyalkyl side chain and one for each of the three substituents on the quaternary nitrogen. Of the latter, one site seems relatively more sterically hindered than the other two. Short, single or double alkyl substitutions on the quaternary nitrogen are possible without a large loss of substrate capacity of the analog. Thus N,N-dimethyl-N-propylethanolamine had a relative Vmax of 116% and a relative Km only twice that of choline. N,N-diethyl-N-methylethanolamine had a relative Vmax 96% that of choline and a Kmof 68 ± 15 μm [nearly four times that of choline itself (18 μ m )]. However, N-butyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine and N,N,N-triethylethanolamine were very poor substrates. Analogs with substituents on the quaternary nitrogen of longer chain length were without activity as were aromatic derivatives. None of the bisquaternary compounds of the general structure HOCH2CH2N+(CH3)2-(CH2)n-N+(CH3)2CH2CH2OH (n = 2–10) showed any substrate capacity, as well. Restrictions on the hydroxyethyl side chain were also severe. One additional methylene group in this chain greatly reduced substrate capacity of the analog and two additional ones eliminated it entirely, as did almost any substituent on the β carbon. A single (but not a double) substituent on the α carbon was moderately tolerated, however. Thus α-methylcholine and N-methyl-2-hydroxymethylpiperidine were substrates (although the latter one was a poor one) but β-methylcholine and N-methyl-3-hydroxypiperidine were not. Such information may be of use toward designing cholinergic probes targeting specific enzyme or metabolic functions.