cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The photochemistry of liquid 1,4-dioxane at 184.9 nm and 147.0 nm☆

Abstract Photodecomposition of 1,4-dioxane in a condensed phase at 184.9 nm proceeds with quantum yields as follows: φ(C2H4) = 0.55, φ(H2) = 0.26 and φ(CO) = 0.03. Quantum yields at 147.0 nm are φ(C2H4) = 0.52, φ(H2) = 0.28 and φ(CO) = 0.03. Quenching studies coupled with these quantum yield measurements in the liquid phase afford Stern—Volmer quenching constants in the range 17 – 36 M−1. Nitrous oxide and benzene are used as quenchers of the excited state leading to H2 and C2H4 photolysis products following irradiation at 184.9 and 147.0 nm. The quantum yield for the production of N2 at 184.9 nm has been determined to be ≈ 0.70. At 147.0 nm φ(N2) ≈ 0.42 in 1,4-dioxane—N2O solutions. The transfer of energy proceeds less efficiently in the higher excited state than in the ground state at 184.9 nm for N2 production. At 147.0 nm experiments in solution using I2 as a radical scavenger show that 51% of the initially produced hydrogen atoms are scavenged by 2 × 10−2M I2. Fluorescence quenching experiments employing C6H6 and N2O show Stern—Volmer quenching constants of 28 and 38 M−1, respectively. The quenching results show that the excited state involved in fluorescence is the same as that involved in photodecomposition.
The State's Role in Water Quality: Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners and the Agricultural Status Quo

The continued transformation of farmland in Iowa is intimately linked to the state—a collection of policies, bureaucracies, and procedures—which has offered concessions and subsidies to those that farm the land. These initiatives are designed to encourage farmers to alter their farming methods and the landscape to develop better conservation ethics, prevent soil erosion, and improve water quality. Local-level nominally elected politicians, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) commissioners, are the primary point of contact farmers have with the state. While SWCD commissioners are charged with evaluating farmers' eligibility for government assistance, they have become more than implementers of social policy. Through the establishment of funding priorities, SWCD commissioners are also de facto policy creators. In this research, we find that instead of challenging and shaping the way farmers work their land, SWCD commissioners often implicitly support intensive agricultural production, reaffirming met...
Newly synthesized polyribosomal RNA of duck erythroid cells

Abstract Duck erythroid cells incubated in vitro with [3H]uridine synthesize predominantly 10 S messenger RNA for globin and 18 S and 26 S ribosomal RNA. More 10 S RNA is synthesized than ribosomal RNA. No polyribosomal precursor to 10 S RNA has been detected by RNA-complementary DNA hybridization. In this new hybridization technique the complementary DNA is bound to nitrocellulose filters.
Infestation Rates and Tiller Morphology Effects by the Switchgrass Moth on Six Cultivars of Switchgrass

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a potential biomass crop for native species-based biofuel systems in North America. A recently identified pest of switchgrass, the switchgrass moth, Blastobasis repartella (Dietz) (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae), feeds in the basal above-ground internodes and below-ground in the proaxis and rhizomes, causing premature tiller and rhizome loss. Our goal was to determine genetic and temporal variation among six upland cultivars for frequency of tiller infestation by larvae of the switchgrass moth in mature stands in the northern Great Plains and if variation in biomass production was associated with variation in frequency of infestation. Data were collected in 2011 and 2012 for tiller density, biomass, frequency of infestation, number of leaves per healthy and infested tiller, and weights of healthy and infested tillers. Differences were found among cultivars for tiller density, biomass yield, and numbers of leaves per healthy and infested tillers. ‘Summer’, ‘Sunburst’, ‘Pathfinder’, and ‘Cave-In-Rock’ were the highest yielding cultivars. Mean frequency of infestation was different between 2011 (6.7 %) and 2012 (9.6 %). Infested tillers had one less collared leaf than healthy tillers. The weights of healthy tillers were ca. 3× those of infested tillers in both years, suggesting an impact on biomass accumulation and economic value. Levels of infestation were similar for all six cultivars, indicating no feeding preference by the switchgrass moth larva among genetically diverse cultivars of switchgrass. Regression of biomass yield on frequency of infestation showed negative linear relationships for ‘Carthage’ and ‘Kentucky 1625’.
Contingent genetic regulatory events in T lymphocyte activation

Interaction of antigen in the proper histocompatibility context with the T lymphocyte antigen receptor leads to an orderly series of events resulting in morphologic change, proliferation, and the acquisition of immunologic function. In most T lymphocytes two signals are required to initiate this process, one supplied by the antigen receptor and the other by accessory cells or agents that activate protein kinase C. Recently, DNA sequences have been identified that act as response elements for one or the other of the two signals, but do not respond to both signals. The fact that these sequences lie within the control regions of the same genes suggests that signals originating from separate cell membrane receptors are integrated at the level of the responsive gene. The view is put forth that these signals initiate a contingent series of gene activations that bring about proliferation and impart immunologic function.
The search for organic nutrient standards

The search for organic nutrient standards is approached from two sides. On the one hand, useful standards are selected from currently available SRMs; on the other hand, a representative food is developed representing the daily intake of a typical consumer. It is a composite of 201 foods, collected and prepared in a table-ready fashion.
Human parotid IgA and periodontal disease.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of unstimulated parotid salivary IgA concentration and rate of secretion with degree of periodontal inflammation. Radial immunodiffusion was utilized to estimate the IgA levels in unstimulated parotid saliva from 54 systemically healthy adults. Twelve subjects were edentulous and free of any apparent oral inflammation. The other 42 subjects had at least 24 permanent teeth and received a clinical oral evaluation for degree of periodontal inflammation. Results indicated that unstimulated parotid salivary IgA concentration and secretion rate are independent of degree of periodontal inflammation and tobacco consumption.
Comparison of systemic and otic administration of ofloxacin.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of delivering ofloxacin across the intact tympanic membrane; to compare middle ear bioavailability of ofloxacin after otic and systemic administrations; to determine distribution of otically delivered ofloxacin to other tissues. Study Design: A prospective, controlled animal study. Methods: Rats underwent surgery wherein the middle ear cavity was opened and filled with saline. An equivalent amount of ofloxacin was delivered intraperitoneally or into the external ear canal. Saline within the middle ear was sampled and completely replaced in 15-minute intervals for 3 hours. Blood was collected twice after the initial application of ofloxacin for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Animals were sacrificed 3 hours after the initial addition of ofloxacin; the temporal bones were harvested for histological analysis ; urine and colon mucosa were collected for HPLC analysis. Results: Both systemic and otic applications led to a comparable accumulation of ofloxacin in the middle ear over the 3-hour period after the initial administration. The pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin penetration into the middle ear was sporadic and subject-dependent. Both methods of administration led to drug accumulation in blood serum, urine, and colonic mucosa. Conclusions: Topical application of ofloxacin to the intact tympanic membrane allows for drug penetration into the middle ear space. Similar middle ear ofloxacin levels could be achieved with systemic and topic applications, but drug concentrations were inconsistent. The accumulation of ofloxacin in other tissues suggests applications designed to be ototopical may also result in systemic absorption.
Maternal and Newborn Outcomes Related to Unplanned Hypothermia in Scheduled Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery Births

Neuraxial (spinal or epidural) anesthesia is the most common form of pain management during labor and birth and the method of choice for cesarean births because it allows mothers to be awake for the birth of their infant. A side effect of neuraxial anesthesia is vasodilatation, core-to-peripheral redistribution of body heat, and loss of cold perception, placing the patient at risk for developing hypothermia. Perioperative hypothermia increases the patient risk of developing morbid myocardial outcomes, coagulopathy, and increased incidence of surgical wound infection. In addition, hypothermia in the cesarean delivery patient places the newborn at risk for hypothermia. In a retrospective review of low-risk scheduled cesarean deliveries, N = 143, covering a 6-month period, 21% of mothers and 36.5% of newborns experienced hypothermia. Newborns also experienced hypoglycemia and respiratory instability.
Deficiencies in the essential Smp3 mannosyltransferase block glycosylphosphatidylinositol assembly and lead to defects in growth and cell wall biogenesis in Candida albicans

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are essential for viability in yeast and have key roles in cell wall construction. Assembly of Saccharomyces cerevisiae GPIs includes the addition of a fourth, side-branching mannose (Man) to the third Man of the core GPI glycan by the Smp3 mannosyltransferase. The SMP3 gene from the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans has been cloned. CaSMP3 complements the inviable S. cerevisiae smp3 null mutant and, when expressed in an S. cerevisiae smp3/gpi13 double mutant, it permits in vivo conversion of the Man3-GPI precursor that accumulates in that mutant to a Man4-GPI. One allele of CaSMP3 was disrupted using the ura-blaster procedure, then the remaining allele was placed under the control of the glucose-repressible MAL2 promoter. Repression of CaSMP3 expression leads to accumulation of a GPI precursor glycolipid whose glycan headgroup contains three mannoses and bears a phosphodiester-linked substituent on its first Man. Under repressing conditions, cells exhibited morphological and cell wall defects and became inviable. CaSmp3p therefore adds a fourth, α1,2-linked Man to trimannosyl GPI precursors in C. albicans and is necessary for viability. Because addition of a fourth Man to GPIs is of less relative importance in mammals, Smp3p is a potential antifungal target.
Biochemistry of microfilarial exsheathment.

La biochimie du processus d'emergence de la gaine larvaire a ete etudiee chez les microfilaires afin d'examiner la regulation du developpement de ces parasites. L'origine et la composition de cette gaine sont presentees
A survey of power management techniques in mobile computing operating systems

Many factors have contributed to the birth and continued growth of mobile computing, including recent advances in hardware and communications technology. With this new paradigm however come new challenges in computer operating systems development. These challenges include heretofore relatively unusual items such as frequent network disconnections, communications bandwidth limitations, resource restrictions, and power limitations. It is the last of these challenges that we shall explore in this paper---that is the question of what techniques can be employed in mobile computer operating systems that can reduce the power consumption of today's mobile computing devices.
Evaluation of CeF/sub 3/ as a scintillator for high speed dynamic PET imaging

A group of experimental tests and a set of computer simulations were run to evaluate the feasibility of building PET detector modules (blocks) with CeF/sub 3/ crystals. The experimental tests were conducted (1) to compare the light collection efficiencies of photomultiplier tubes with different types of entrance windows (i.e. quartz, UV glass and borosilicate glass); (2) to evaluate the light collection efficiency using different types of reflective materials; and (3) to evaluate how many crystals could realistically be decoded using CeF/sub 3/ and a block design. Monte Carlo computer simulations were run to determine the coincidence aperture functions for different CeF/sub 3/ crystal configurations (with and without intercrystal septa). Overall, a detector block built with CeF/sub 3/ will have a speed advantage over an equivalently designed BGO detector block. However because of the relatively low light output of CeF/sub 3/, the recommended crystal block geometries would be either a 4/spl times/4 or a 5/spl times/5 crystal block coupled to two R1548 dual photocathode PMTs. Furthermore even with these relatively conservative decoding configurations, UV glass window PMTs would be required in order to collect enough light for energy thresholding and position decoding. >
Auditory Progress Bars: The effects of Feedback, Endpoint and Free Response on Estimations of Time Remaining

Auditory Progress Bars (APB) are non-speech auditory displays that indicate the status and progress of ongoing tasks. In on-hold telephone settings they may provide the caller with a means of estim...
The Timing of Births: A Marriage Market Analysis ∗

We argue that one of the key channels linking the labor and marriage markets is the decision of when to become a parent. We develop art equilibrium model of marriage, divorce, and human capital accumulation that allows for differential timing of fertility. We calibrate the model to US panel data and analyze the effects of raising women's wages relative to men's, and increasing the rate of return to experience for women. We find that an increase in the returns to experience for women is causes an increase in fraction of children born to women over age 30, and that raising women wages reduces marriage rates.
The Role of mTOR Inhibitors and P13K Pathway Blockade in RCC

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an important intermediary of the signaling transduction cascade that reacts to external nutrient abundance, to external growth factor and hormonal signaling, and to internal cellular energy levels. There are two major complexes formed with mTOR: mTORC1 and mTORC2. mTORC1 is rapamycin (also known as sirolimus) sensitive, and acts as a signaling intermediary for nutrient availability, energy levels, and growth factor signaling. mTORC2 is less well defined, and is capable of upregulating AKT activity. Two mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors were FDA approved for use in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the past 5 years. Temsirolimus, an intravenous sirolimus ester was shown to improve overall survival in a study of 626 patients with untreated metastatic RCC and poor risk features. Everolimus, an oral rapamycin analog, was shown to improve progression-free survival compared to placebo in patients with metastatic RCC who progressed on sorafenib, sunitinib, or both. New agents are being investigated that function upstream of mTOR to block activity of phosphoinositide-3 phosphate kinase (PI3K), AKT, or are capable of blocking mTORC1 and mTORC2 simultaneously.
Development of a low-cost low-loss polymer waveguide technology for parallel optical interconnect applications

We report on the material evaluation, design, fabrication, and characterization of low-loss multimode polymer waveguides that are compatible with standard PCB manufacturing processes for use in large-area high-density high speed optical backplane interconnects.
Fusion of time delayed measurements with uncertain time delays

In this paper we consider the problem of estimating the state of a dynamic system from a sequence of observations that are imprecisely timestamped. We argue that this problem can be addressed using the covariance union (CU) technique, and we demonstrate its application in a particular example.
A Survey of Personnel Preparation Practices in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Researchers indicate that special education is grappling with many issues and challenges that point to the need to examine the nature and type of personnel preparation for educators working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to survey teacher educators at colleges and universities to (a) determine the prevalence of programs training teachers in this area; (b) identify the nature of the autism-specific coursework and programs currently being offered (e.g., the motivation for developing these courses, the number of such courses offered); and (c) ascertain the topics included in ASD coursework and the depth at which these topics are addressed. Survey forms were mailed to personnel at 184 institutions of higher education (IHEs) in 43 states; responses were received from faculty members at 87 IHEs in 34 states. Current patterns in personnel preparation are discussed and followed by recommendations for future action.
Transcriptional control of Shh/Ptc1 signaling in embryonic development.

In vivo profiling of signal-directed gene expression patterns is a major bottleneck in studying developmental biology. A signal molecule initiates its specific gene expression pattern through the activation of certain transcription factor (TF); however, tissue heterogeneity often masks this pattern due to intercellular complexity of other signal transduction pathways. To decipher the synergistic regulation of signal-directed gene expression in the tissue level, we report here a unique transcriptional responsive element (TRE) existing in the 5′-upstream promoter regions (5′UPR) of the genes responding to the Shh/Ptc1 signal transduction pathway during feather placode development in chicken embryos. By locating the TRE homologue and its interactive TF, we were able to reveal the gene expression pattern of the Shh/Ptc1 signaling. We firstly demonstrated that homology profiling of the 5′-UPR of the genes, Gli1, TGF-β2 and Msx2, responding to the Shh/Ptc1 signaling showed a more than 70% conserved region. Computer alignment of the consensus sequences in the conserved region revealed a 37-nucleotide TRE sequence, containing two regulatory elements homologous to human and mouse Gli-binding sites. Activation of this newly identified Shh/Ptc1-responsive TRE by active Smo signaling in chicken hepatoepithelial carcinoma cells elicited a strong synergistic expression of the Shh/Ptc1-downstream genes. Based on previous bioinformatics and the present experimental findings, we successfully established an in vivo signaling model for the Shh/Ptc1-directed embryonic feather morphogenesis. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effector CD8+ T-cell Engraftment and Antitumor Immunity in Lymphodepleted Hosts Is IL7Rα Dependent

Adoptive cellular therapy, in which activated tumor-reactive T cells are transferred into lymphodepleted recipients, is a promising cancer treatment option. Activation of T cells decreases IL7 responsiveness; therefore, IL15 is generally considered the main driver of effector T-cell responses in this setting. However, we found in lymphodepleted mice that CD8(+) T cells activated with IL12 showed enhanced engraftment that was initially dependent on host IL7, but not IL15. Mechanistically, enhanced IL7 responsiveness was conferred by elevated IL7Rα expression, which was critical for antitumor immunity. Elevated IL7Rα expression was achievable without IL12, as polyclonal CD8(+) T cells activated with high T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation depended on T-cell IL7Rα expression and host IL7 for maximal engraftment. Finally, IL12 conditioning during the activation of human CD8(+) T cells, including TCR-modified T cells generated using a clinically relevant protocol, led to enhanced IL7Rα expression. Our results demonstrate the importance of the donor IL7Rα/host IL7 axis for effector CD8(+) T-cell engraftment and suggest novel strategies to improve adoptive cellular therapy as a cancer treatment.
Structural Basis for Light-dependent Signaling in the Dimeric LOV Domain of the Photosensor YtvA

The photosensor YtvA binds flavin mononucleotide and regulates the general stress reaction in Bacillus subtilis in response to blue light illumination. It belongs to the family of light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) proteins that were first described in plant phototropins and form a subgroup of the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) superfamily. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of the LOV domain of YtvA in its dark and light states. The protein assumes the global fold common to all PAS domains and dimerizes via a hydrophobic interface. Directly C-terminal to the core of the LOV domain, an α-helix extends into the solvent. Light absorption causes formation of a covalent bond between a conserved cysteine residue and atom C(4a) of the FMN ring, which triggers rearrangements throughout the LOV domain. Concomitantly, in the dark and light structures, the two subunits of the dimeric protein rotate relative to each other by 5°. This small quaternary structural change is presumably a component of the mechanism by which the activity of YtvA is regulated in response to light. In terms of both structure and signaling mechanism, YtvA differs from plant phototropins and more closely resembles prokaryotic heme-binding PAS domains.
Definitive proof of endothelialization of a dacron arterial prosthesis in a human being

A 10 mm woven Dacron axillofemoral bypass graft was removed from a 65-year-old patient during redo surgery after an implant period of 26 months, because of a large seroma that surrounded the entire length of the graft. Tissue blocks were taken from representative areas along the entire length of the graft surface and evaluated by light microscopy with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome staining, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and immunocytochemical staining. Paraffin-embedded sections were stained with smooth muscle cell α-actin, which demonstrated smooth muscle cells in the pseudointima, and Ham 56 stain to identify macrophages. Endothelial factor VIII/von Willebrand factor and Ulex europeaus agglutinin identified human endothelial cells on the flow surface, in areas far removed from the anastomoses to the native vessels. This is the first definitive proof in a human of endothelialization of a synthetic arterial graft beyond the pannus ingrowth zone.
THE SIXTIES: THE CALM AGAINST THE STORM, OR, LEVELS OF CONCERN

Striving to avoid presentism, staving off some of my own memories, I turned to Educational Theory in the decade of the “Sixties.” Because of my associations with the unrest of that period, I looked back with considerable expectancy where educational philosophy was concerned. I was sure, somehow, that there would be responses to what seemed to be a variety of philosophical questions inherent in the Civil Rights movement, with its stress upon civil disobedience, nonviolence, and redemptive suffering. There were issues like conscientious objection to a draft occasioned by what seemed to increasing numbers to be an unjust war. It would appear, even from the present vantage point, that appeals to intuition and to the moral law (in tension with rationality and the civil law), while warranted by war or cruel circumstances existing in the South, held implications for the schools. There were the demonstrations, mostly peaceful, some of them not, and odd alliances among those Norman Mailer called “armies of the night.”1 Legislation having to do with educational equality, compensatory education, and sexual equality raised an unprecedented set of problems, some of them linguistic, some arising from generations of discrimination scarcely questioned before. I realize I was looking through lenses partly derived from recollections of participation in the 1963 March on Washington, of taking buses to peace demonstrations, of trying to convince colleagues to take positions on the war in Vietnam. And, of course, there were the three assassinations that shook our faith in political possibility. Somehow in connection with that, I recall what now seems an absurd conviction that America was really undergoing a “greening”: a relaxation of constraints; an unprecedented mutuality, even across differences; a devotion to compassion and peace. Few people worked out ways of attaining all this, with or without reliance on the schools. Images of open spaces, communal living, flowers in the muzzles of guns lulled numbers of people into (for a while) a kind of bland complacency. But then the bombings began in Cambodia and Vietnam, and optimism gave way to other modes of protest, some of it focused on the schools.
Identifying psychopathy subtypes on the basis of personality structure.

The authors used model-based cluster analysis to identify subtypes of criminal psychopaths on the basis of differences in personality structure. Participants included 96 male prisoners diagnosed as psychopathic, using the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL–R; R. D. Hare, 1991). Personality was assessed using the brief form of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ–BF; C. J. Patrick, J. J. Curtin, & A. Tellegen, 2002). The best-fitting model yielded two clusters. Emotionally stable psychopaths were characterized by low Stress Reaction and high Agency. Aggressive psychopaths were characterized by high Negative Emotionality, low Constraint, and low Communion. These results suggest that psychopaths as defined by the PCL–R includes distinct subtypes, distinguishable in terms of personality structure, that may reflect different etiologies.
The Power of the Social Environment in Motivating Persons with Dementia to Engage in Occupation: Qualitative Findings

ABSTRACTA key element in persons with dementia's occupational engagement is the degree to which the social environment supports participation. This article summarizes the results of a qualitative study of eight assisted living facility residents, that explored volition in persons with moderate dementia. Extensive interviewing and observation were followed by the primary researcher's engagement and documentation of each resident in therapeutic activity sessions. Data were analyzed using van Manen's phenomenological approach, and three themes emerged. One, potency of the social environment, is the focus of this article. From the eight participants, two case studies are presented, one demonstrating the positive impact of therapeutic communication and social support on volitional behavior and occupational engagement and the other demonstrating the inhibiting effect of lack of therapeutic social interaction. Each case is analyzed using Epp's (2003, Person-centred dementia care: A vision to be refined. The Cana...
Sensitivity of copepod populations to bottom-up and top-down forcing: a modeling study in the Gulf of Maine region

The spatio-temporal variability of marine copepods, like other aquatic and terrestrial organisms, is controlled by both bottom-up (through changes in food resource) and top-down (through changes in predation) forcing. Canonically, climate-related changes in hydrography, nutrient chemistry and circulation can modulate phytoplankton production, thus imposing a bottom-up control on marine copepods, whereas human activities such as fishing may affect the predation mortality of copepods through food-web re-organization such as trophic cascading. Evaluating the sensitivity of copepod populations to bottom-up and topdown forcing is an essential step toward the prediction of future marine planktonic ecosystem changes. In this study, we used a coupled hydrodynamics/food-web/ population-dynamics model to identify the key processes controlling the observed seasonality and distributional patterns of two copepod groups in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) region, including Pseudocalanus spp. and Centropages typicus. Numerical experiments were conducted to assess the sensitivity of the modeled species to changes in phytoplankton biomass and bloom timing, as well as the changes in mortality regime. The results show that both copepod groups are more sensitive to changes in mortality rates than to food availability and peak timing. Bottom-up processes alone cannot explain the observed variability in Pseudocalanus and Centropages population sizes, while top-down controls play a critical role in copepod population dynamics in the GoM region.
Drawbacks with the use of microsatellites in phylogeography: the song sparrow Melospiza melodia as a case study

Microsatellites are commonly used molecular markers in phylogeography, and many view them as superior to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene trees. Being based on frequencies of alleles, and not gene trees, microsatellites exhibit the same analytical drawbacks that resulted in the abandonment of allozymes in genetic studies of population history. I illustrate some these familiar drawbacks by reanalyzing microsatellite data on the song sparrow. Subspecies were previously evaluated with hierarchical analyses of molecular variance, suggesting that subspecies explain 8% of the total variance in microsatellite frequencies. However, this useful heuristic technique only evaluates a priori groupings, and the objective of the study ought to be to discover such groupings, not assume them. In fact, other arbitrary groupings of samples explained the same or greater amounts of variance, and I suggest that for testing subspecies limits, a gene tree is preferable. Grouping population samples by subspecies in the San Francisco Bay area accounts for 1.2% of the microsatellite variation, and despite claims that this informs conservation planning, the data do not support any particular population or subspecies as being genetically or evolutionarily significant. A distance phenogram was used to infer a sequential colonization of the Aleutian Islands, but because individuals were pooled into a priori groups and the phenogram was arbitrarily rooted, this conclusion is tenuous. A plot of heterozygosity vs number of alleles per sample showed that an equally parsimonious interpretation is that current genetic diversity tracks effective population size. Microsatellites should be replaced in nuclear-gene phylogeography by analyses of sequences, which will benefit the study of phylogeography, comparison of nuclear and mtDNA results, and aid in interpreting the results in a conservation context.
Spatial distribution of species populations, relative economic values, and the optimal size and number of reserves

We examine the tradeoff between the number and average size of nature reserves. When the costs of enforcing reserve boundaries are negligible, we find analytically that the relative price of biodiversity has a positive impact on the optimal total reserved area but an ambiguous impact on the optimal number of reserves. Simulation modeling of floral diversity in a tropical timber concession reveals that the resolution of this ambiguity depends on spatial distributions of the populations of tree species: whether or not they are spatially aggregated (clumped). The impact of biodiversity price on optimal reserve number remains analytically ambiguous when enforcement costs are not negligible. Multiple reserves being economically superior to a single reserve now requires, in addition to aggregation, a biodiversity price that is sufficiently high to offset the effects of enforcement costs. Most of our simulation scenarios generate threshold biodiversity prices that do not exceed a leading estimate of the marginal value of a higher plant species in the bioprospecting literature. Several smaller reserves evidently can be economically superior to a single larger one even in the presence of enforcement costs.
Constipation Prophylaxis Is Rare for Adults Prescribed Outpatient Opioid Therapy From U.S. Emergency Departments.

Objectives Constipation is a common and potentially serious side effect of oral opioids. Accordingly, most clinical guidelines suggest routine use of laxatives to prevent opioid-induced constipation. The objective was to characterize emergency provider prescribing of laxatives to prevent constipation among adults initiating outpatient opioid treatment. Methods National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) data from 2010 were analyzed. Among visits by individuals aged 18 years and older discharged from the emergency department (ED) with opioid prescriptions, the authors estimated the survey-weighted proportion of visits in which laxatives were also prescribed. A subgroup analysis was conducted for individuals aged 65 years and older, as the potential risks associated with opioid-induced constipation are greater among older individuals. To examine a group expected to be prescribed laxative medication and confirm that NHAMCS captures prescriptions for these medications, the authors estimated the proportion of visits by individuals discharged with prescriptions for laxatives among those who presented with constipation. Results Among visits in 2010 by adults aged 18 years and older discharged from the ED with opioid prescriptions, 0.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.7% to 1.3%, estimated total n = 191,203 out of 21,075,050) received prescriptions for laxatives. Among the subset of visits by adults aged 65 years and older, 1.0% (95% CI = 0.5% to 2.0%, estimated total n = 18,681 out of 1,904,411) received prescriptions for laxatives. In comparison, among visits by individuals aged 18 years and older with constipation as a reason for visit, 42% received prescriptions for laxatives. Conclusions In this nationally representative sample, laxatives were not routinely prescribed to adults discharged from the ED with prescriptions for opioid pain medications. Routine prescribing of laxatives for ED visits may improve the safety and effectiveness of outpatient opioid pain management.
Determinants Of Efficient Networks: An Empirical Analysis

Although management support and user involvement have been reported to be contributors of network success, vendor support may be one of the most determinants of network efficiency. The user of any system takes what has been given to him or her by vendors and is only perfected by habituation. The other factor that may determine the implementation of effective network is traffic measurement, which is achieved by measuring server performance, network performance and application performance.
Applying Novel Methods for Assessing Individual- and Neighborhood-Level Social and Psychosocial Environment Interactions with Genetic Factors in the Prediction of Depressive Symptoms in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Complex illnesses, like depression, are thought to arise from the interplay between psychosocial stressors and genetic predispositions. Approaches that take into account both personal and neighborhood factors and that consider gene regions as well as individual SNPs may be necessary to capture these interactions across race and ethnic groups. We used novel gene-region based analysis methods [Sequence Kernel Association Test (SKAT) and meta-analysis (MetaSKAT), gene-environment set association test (GESAT)], as well as traditional linear models to identify gene region and SNP × psychosocial factor interactions at the individual- and neighborhood-level, across multiple race/ethnicities. Multiple regions identified in SKAT analyses showed evidence of a significant gene-region association with averaged depressive symptom scores across race/ethnicity (MetaSKAT p values <0.001). One region × neighborhood-environment interaction was significantly associated with averaged depressive symptom score across race/ethnicity after multiple testing correction (chr 18:21454070-21494070, Fisher's combined p value = 0.001). The examination of gene regions jointly with environmental factors measured at multiple levels (individuals and their contexts) may shed light on the etiology of depressive illness across race/ethnicities.
Our schools are safe: Challenging the misperception that schools are dangerous places.

Massive public attention to school shootings has created the misperception that schools are dangerous places, even though crime statistics show that schools are one of the safest places in the United States. The fear of school shootings has caused many school systems to divert their budgets to excessive building security measures and adopt dubious crisis response plans. School disciplinary practices have shifted toward the criminalization of student misbehavior and a zero tolerance philosophy that fails to improve school safety and results in high rates of student suspensions and dropouts. The use of a threat assessment approach to evaluate individual student behavior in context and resolve conflicts and problems before they escalate into violence is one promising alternative that has been adopted statewide in Virginia public schools. School safety should focus on the everyday problems of bullying and fighting, and apply public health principles of primary and secondary prevention using well-established psychological interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
Concordance of Tests to Detect Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus

A large variety of new assays are available to test for antibodies to hepatitis C virus. We investigated the concordance of two FDA-licensed screening assays and determined their specificities in relation to two supplemental tests, Abbott’s neutralization assay and Ortho’s second generation RIBA-2. Of 573 serum samples from individuals at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases, 81 (14.1%) were repeatedly reactive by both screening tests and produced positive results by both supplemental assays, while 480 (83.8%) samples were nonreactive. Ten of the positive samples were reactive by the RIBA-2 assay to at least two antigens other than cl00-3, and were neutralized (88% to 100%) by Abbott’s supplemental assay. Twelve samples produced discrepant results, including one false-negative and 10 false-positive screening test results.
Correlation between Sequoia type pollen and lower Oligocene transgressive deposits in the eastern Gulf Coast

Two taxodiaceous conifer pollen species form the dominant components among sporomorphs of the Lower Oligocene Vicksburg Group in the eastern Gulf Coast. The two species, Sequoiapollenites lapillipites and Sequoiapollenites sp. 1, are very prominent (20-70%) in the Mint Spring Marl and Marianna Limestone at two localities in SE Mississippi and SW Alabama. These two lithostratigraphic units constitute the transgressive systems tract of the Tejas A Gulf Coast (TAGC)-4.4 sequence defined by Tew and Mancini (1992). Thus, the concentration of these two Sequoia type pollen species may be used as a marker for these transgressive deposits in the eastern Gulf Coast. This paper provides sporomorph information for all but one of the lithostratigraphic units of the Vicksburg Group, and infers paleoclimatic conditions from the sporomorph assemblage.
Further-Attenuated Measles Vaccine: Characteristics and Use

Further-attenuated strains of measles virus may be distinguished from virulent strains by the following characteristics. Unlike virulent strains, attenuated strains of measles virus can be propagated in chick embryo fibroblast cultures, induce production of interferon in tissue culture cells, and produce plaques that can be distinguished from those produced by virulent strains. Unlike virulent measles virus, attenuated strains induce an inapparent infection in approximately 85% of vaccines. Symptoms such as fever, cough and rash, if present, are usually transient. Bacterial and central nervous system complications associated with natural measles infection are extremely rare after immunization. A 16-year, prospective study of immunologic response of 47 children who had natural measles and of 70 children immunized with live, further-attenuated measles vaccine revealed (1) that all 47 children with natural measles infection had high titers of hemagglutination-inhibiting (HAI) antibody (greater than or equal to 1:64) one month after vaccination and 15% had low titers (1:2-1:4) 16 years after vaccination; and (2) that all 70 children who received live, further-attenuated measles vaccine had high titers of HAI antibody (greater than or equal to 1:64) one month after vaccination, but in 36% of the group the titers declined to less than 1:8 16 years later. Neutralizing antibody was detectable in convalescent sera that had lost detectable HAI antibody. Reimmunization of children with undetectable HAI antibody induced a classic booster response. These prospective immunologic studies confirmed that immunity persists after immunization as well as after natural measles infection.
Safety and Efficacy of Radiation Therapy in Advanced Melanoma Patients Treated With Ipilimumab.

Purpose Ipilimumab and radiation therapy (RT) are standard treatments for advanced melanoma; preclinical models suggest the potential for synergy. However, limited clinical information exists regarding safety and optimal timing of the combination. Methods and Materials We reviewed the records of consecutive patients with unresectable stage 3 or 4 melanoma treated with ipilimumab. Patients were categorized as having received RT or not. Differences were estimated between these 2 cohorts. Results We identified 88 patients treated with ipilimumab. At baseline, the ipilimumab-plus-RT group (n=44) had more unfavorable characteristics. Despite this, overall survival, progression-free survival, and both immune-related and non–immune-related toxicity were not statistically different ( P =.67). Patients who received ipilimumab before RT had an increased duration of irradiated tumor response compared with patients receiving ipilimumab after RT (74.7% vs 44.8% at 12 months; P =.01, log-rank test). In addition, patients receiving ablative RT had non–statistically significantly improved median overall survival (19.6 vs 10.2 months), as well as 6-month (95.1% vs 72.7%) and 12-month (79.7% vs 48.5%) survival rates, compared with those treated with conventionally fractionated RT. Conclusions We found that both ablative and conventionally fractionated RT can be safely administered with ipilimumab without a clinically apparent increase in toxicity. Patients who received ipilimumab before RT had an increased duration of irradiated tumor response.
Anemia status of primary and middle school students in Pudong new area of Shanghai 2008-2010

[Objective]To know the anemia status of primary and middle school students in Pudong new area of Shanghai,provide the basis for improving the health education in schools and enhancing the self health care consciousness in students and parents. [Methods]The surveillance data of anemia of school students in Pudong new area during 2008-2010 were statistically analyzed. [Results]During 2008-2010,there was significant difference in the incidence of anemia in primary and middle school students in Pudong new area(χ2=68.34,P0.01).The incidence of anemia in primary lower grades was high,which fluctuated around 10%.The incidence of anemia in girls was significantly higher than that in boys(χ2=24.84,P0.01). [Conclusion]It is necessary to improve the implementation of health education in schools and enhance the self health care consciousness in students and parents,change the bad dietary habits in junior and adolescent students,so as to maintain the low incidence of anemia.
Prevention of Contrast-Induced Renal Failure for the Interventional Cardiologist

Patients treated by the interventional cardiologist are now older and more frequently have coexistent renal insufficiency than in the past. Exacerbation of renal function can be a serious, morbid complication of cardiac catheterization or intervention and efforts to avoid this untoward event are important to acknowledge. The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) ranges from 2% in patients with normal baseline renal function to as high as 20% to 30% in patients with a baseline creatinine >2 mg/dL.1,2 The most commonly used definition of CIN is an absolute rise in serum creatinine (SCr) of 0.5 mg/dL or a 25% increase from the baseline value, assessed within 48 hours after the procedure.3 Most CIN risk factors can be accessed from clinical history, physical examination, and common laboratory tests. Preexisting chronic kidney disease is probably the most important preprocedural risk factor for CIN. Because an estimated glomerular filtration rate 75 years, advanced heart failure, left ventricular systolic function <45%, and anemia.5,6 Different scoring schemes have been proposed to predict the risk for CIN, but none has been adequately validated. When at-risk patients are identified, various measures can be offered to reduce CIN occurrence. ### Withdrawal of Potentially Nephrotoxic Medications Patients should be advised to withhold all nonessential medications that may be nephrotoxic for 24 hours before the procedure (Table). Although there has been controversy as to whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers may predispose to nephrotoxicity, a recent study demonstrated no such effect.7 Accordingly, it is reasonable to …
Mexican-style Foodservice Operations: Hazard Analyses, Critical Control Points and Monitoring

Hazard analyses critical control point evaluations were made in four restaurants specializing in Mexican-style foods. Time-temperature evaluations were made of beans, meat products, and rice during cooking, cooling, reheating, and hot-holding, and other food preparation procedures were observed during 3 d of operation. A few samples were collected and tested for Clostridium perfringens and aerobic plate counts (APC). Raw beans harbored C. perfringens , but this organism was not isolated from a few samples of garlic powder, cooked beans, cooked chicken meat, cooked chili pork, cooked ground beef, or cooked chimichanga meat. APCs generally were higher as the depth of the refrigerated product increased, in covered pans with refrigerator air circulation blocked by pans above or below and adjacent, or when the product was left unrefrigerated for several hours. Foods cooked in these establishments, with the occasional exception of ground meat, usually reached temperatures that would have killed vegetative forms of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Foods were usually maintained at satisfactorily high temperatures during hot-holding, except surfaces and regions just below the surface of uncovered foods were frequently below 140°F (60°C). The foods, particularly beans, when put in a traditional manner in pans with lids in refrigerators cooled slowly. Cooling without lids, in freezers, or in pans on top of pans filled with ice led to more rapid cooling. During reheating, products often failed to reach 165°F (74°C). Critical control points in all operations were cooling and reheating. Monitoring of cooling can be done by observing the size and shape of containers, by measuring the depth of product, and by determining whether lids are used during cooling and whether the containers are stored on top of or next to each other. Monitoring of reheating can be done by measuring temperatures at the completion of cooking or during the post-heating temperature rise while products are in steam tables ready for service.