cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wastewater Treatment Effluent Reduces the Abundance and Diversity of Benthic Bacterial Communities in Urban and Suburban Rivers

In highly urbanized areas, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent can represent a significant component of freshwater ecosystems. As it is impossible for the composition of WWTP effluent to match the composition of the receiving system, the potential exists for effluent to significantly impact the chemical and biological characteristics of the receiving ecosystem. We assessed the impacts of WWTP effluent on the size, activity, and composition of benthic microbial communities by comparing two distinct field sites in the Chicago metropolitan region: a highly urbanized river receiving effluent from a large WWTP and a suburban river receiving effluent from a much smaller WWTP. At sites upstream of effluent input, the urban and suburban rivers differed significantly in chemical characteristics and in the composition of their sediment bacterial communities. Although effluent resulted in significant increases in inorganic nutrients in both rivers, surprisingly, it also resulted in significant decreases in the population size and diversity of sediment bacterial communities. Tag pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes revealed significant effects of effluent on sediment bacterial community composition in both rivers, including decreases in abundances of Deltaproteobacteria, Desulfococcus, Dechloromonas, and Chloroflexi sequences and increases in abundances of Nitrospirae and Sphingobacteriales sequences. The overall effect of the WWTP inputs was that the two rivers, which were distinct in chemical and biological properties upstream of the WWTPs, were almost indistinguishable downstream. These results suggest that WWTP effluent has the potential to reduce the natural variability that exists among river ecosystems and indicate that WWTP effluent may contribute to biotic homogenization.
Alteration of red blood cell (RBC) physicochemical properties by t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBP) and glutaraldehyde (GA)

(1981). Alteration of red blood cell (RBC) physicochemical properties by t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBP) and glutaraldehyde (GA) Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation: Vol. 41, No. sup156, pp. 275-275.
The S-Word: Discourse, Stereotypes, and the American Indian Woman

What's in a name? Plenty when it comes to the ability of words to establish identity. In 2005 in Oregon, for example, 142 land features carried the name “squaw”—Squaw Gulch, Squaw Butte, Squaw Meadows, and Squaw Flat Reservoir (U.S. Geological Survey, 2008). This article examines the term squaw, its presentation in popular culture, and how this framing constructs Native womanhood in the public imagination. Two primary representations are revealed in the discourse defining squaw: as sexual punching bag and as drudge. The opinions and attitudes of reporters, citizens (Indian and non-Indian), government officials, agencies, and tribal representatives are included as reflected in journalistic accounts of the land form debate about the use and meaning of the label squaw. The psychological impact of this racial and sexual slur has a significant negative impact on quality of life, perceptions, and opportunities for Native American women (ethnostress) due to the consistent use and reification of the squaw stereot...
Transcriptome analysis of the ependymal barrier during murine neurocysticercosis

Central nervous system (CNS) barriers play a pivotal role in the protection and homeostasis of the CNS by enabling the exchange of metabolites while restricting the entry of xenobiotics, blood cells and blood-borne macromolecules. While the blood–brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (CSF) control the interface between the blood and CNS, the ependyma acts as a barrier between the CSF and parenchyma, and regulates hydrocephalic pressure and metabolic toxicity. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is an infection of the CNS caused by the metacestode (larva) of Taenia solium and a major cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. The common clinical manifestations of NCC are seizures, hydrocephalus and symptoms due to increased intracranial pressure. The majority of the associated pathogenesis is attributed to the immune response against the parasite. The properties of the CNS barriers, including the ependyma, are affected during infection, resulting in disrupted homeostasis and infiltration of leukocytes, which correlates with the pathology and disease symptoms of NCC patients. In order to characterize the role of the ependymal barrier in the immunopathogenesis of NCC, we isolated ependymal cells using laser capture microdissection from mice infected or mock-infected with the closely related parasite Mesocestoides corti, and analyzed the genes that were differentially expressed using microarray analysis. The expression of 382 genes was altered. Immune response-related genes were verified by real-time RT-PCR. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software was used to analyze the biological significance of the differentially expressed genes, and revealed that genes known to participate in innate immune responses, antigen presentation and leukocyte infiltration were affected along with the genes involved in carbohydrate, lipid and small molecule biochemistry. Further, MHC class II molecules and chemokines, including CCL12, were found to be upregulated at the protein level using immunofluorescence microcopy. This is important, because these molecules are members of the most significant pathways by IPA analyses. Thus, our study indicates that ependymal cells actively express immune mediators and likely contribute to the observed immunopathogenesis during infection. Of particular interest is the major upregulation of antigen presentation pathway-related genes and chemokines/cytokines. This could explain how the ependyma is a prominent source of leukocyte infiltration into ventricles through the disrupted ependymal lining by way of pial vessels present in the internal leptomeninges in murine NCC.
Incorporation of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid into phospholipids by polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro

The present study demonstrated that the patterns of the incorporation of [1-14C] arachidonic acid and [1-14C] eicosapentaenoic acid into individual phospholipids by polymorphonuclear leukocytes were similar. However, human leukocytes exhibited higher activity than guinea pig periotoneal leukocytes in the formation of arachidonoyl- and eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidic acid. Cells from both origins showed a decrease of label in phosphatidylcholine accompanied by an increase of label in phosphatidylethanolamine after a longer period (30–120 min) of incubation, suggesting that part of the arachidonoyl or eicosapentaenoyl moiety in phosphatidylethanolamine may be derived from that of phosphatidylcholine. The observed difference between human cells and elicited cells in the time-course of the incorporation of both fatty acids into phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine appears to be due to different contents of the diacyl and ether-linked class compositions of these phospholipids in cells from different origins. Both labeled fatty acids were incorporated more rapidly into the diacyl-linked class, but were retained to a greater extent in alkylacyl-phosphatidyl-choline and alkenylacyl-phosphatidylethanolamine. The data suggest that, in addition to alkylacyl-phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol, alkenylacyl-phosphatidylethanolamine may be an important endogenous source of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in stimulated human leukocytes.
MMG and EMG responses of the superficial quadriceps femoris muscles.

Abstract Eighteen adults performed isometric muscle actions of the leg extensors at 25, 50, 75, and 100% maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC) at leg flexion angles of 25, 50, and 75°. The results indicated that isometric torque production increased as leg flexion angle increased (75°>50°>25°). For each muscle tested (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis), the EMG amplitude increased up to 100%MVC at each leg flexion angle (25, 50, and 75°). The MMG amplitude for each muscle, however, increased up to 100%MVC at 25 and 50° of leg flexion, but plateaued from 75 to 100%MVC at 75° of leg flexion. We hypothesize that the varied patterns for the MMG amplitude–isometric torque relationships were due to leg flexion angle differences in: (1) muscle stiffness, (2) intramuscular fluid pressure, or (3) motor unit firing frequency.
Reversible inactivation of rabbit muscle aldolase by o-phenanthroline

Abstract Rabbit muscle aldolase is progressively inactivated when incubated in the presence of low concentrations of o -phenanthroline. This inactivation is caused by the oxidation of sulfhydryl groups to disulfides by atmospheric oxygen, catalyzed by a metal- o -phenanthroline complex. It is prevented by the presence of metals which bind o -phenanthroline, as well as by chelating reagents which react with traces of copper. The inactivated enzyme is fully reactivated by reduction with mercaptoethanol and partially reactivated by treatment with cyanide or borohydride, but is not reactivated by any of a large number of metal ions tested. Inactivation of the enzyme is associated with the formation of 4–5 disulfide bonds, all of which appear to be intrasubunit in nature. Inactivation in the presence of cupric- o -phenanthroline is prevented by the presence of substrates and substrate analogues. These and other results suggest that the enzyme contains 4–5 essential sulfhydryl groups, or approximately one or two per active center, which are capable of forming disulfide bridges involving an equal number of nonessential sulfhydryl groups.
Tests of a mechanistic model of one hormone regulating both sexes in Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae)

A mechanistic model of sex determination in flowering plants, which assumes that one hormone has male and female cell receptors to inhibit one sex and induce the other independently, was tested in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) by applications of hormones and their inhibitors. Applications of gibberellic acid (GA) and an inhibitor of its synthesis (paclobutrazol) showed that GA had dual effects on sex expression of promoting maleness and inhibiting femaleness. Conversely, applications of Ethrel (an ethylene release agent) and AgNO3 (an ethylene action inhibitor) indicated that ethylene induced femaleness and inhibited maleness. Results of various combined applications of the two hormones and their inhibitors suggested that ethylene had overriding effects on GA and acted more directly on sex expression in cucumber. These experiments indicated that there is only one hormone, not two, regulating sex expression in cucumber, and that the sex hormone is likely to be ethylene. Results thus supported the assumption of the model that one hormone can regulate both sexes by inducing one and inhibiting the other independently. Model predictions were confirmed that from a monoecious line, female plants could be induced by increasing the ethylene level, and male plants induced by decreasing the ethylene level. On the other hand, as the model predicts, applications of ethylene or its inhibitor induced gynomonoecious, female, and trimonoecious plants from a hermaphroditic line. In conclusion, all assumptions and predictions of the one-hormone model were confirmed in the experiments.
Postextraction osteomyelitis in a bone marrow transplant recipient

This report describes a case of mandibular osteomyelitis after a dental extraction in a patient who subsequently underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for lymphoblastic lymphoma. Surgical guidelines consistent with National Cancer Institute recommendations were followed for the extraction, which was performed before initiation of the myelosuppressive conditioning regimen. However, moderate tenderness developed at the extraction site beginning 10 days after marrow infusion. On day 26 the patient became febrile and blood culture-positive for Staphylococcus epidermidis. Radiographs exposed on day 28 demonstrated changes consistent with low-grade osteomyelitis, including diffuse loss of lamina dura and an irregular osseous rarefaction extending 1 cm posterior to the extraction site. Although the indwelling Hickman catheter was the presumed source for bacteremia, clinical and radiographic data led to consideration of mandibular osteomyelitis as an alternative cause. Characteristics of this infection in BMT recipients are reviewed. Recommendations for dental extractions and prophylactic antibiotic regimens for catheterized BMT recipients are also discussed. Although mandibular osteomyelitic lesions are not common in profoundly immunosuppressed BMT recipients, prompt recognition and treatment are essential when the disease occurs.
Dimensions of Blood Vessels from Distributing Artery to Collecting Vein

Measurements of lengths, diameters, and numbers of post-capillary vessels were made in the bat9s wing. The cross-sectional area and capacity in the various portions of the vascular bed were calculated. The greatest total cross-sectional area in the entire vascular bed was found in the venules, a result not in agreement with similar reports made by others using measurements from vessels in fixed preparations. This discrepancy probably results from disagreement regarding the diameter of capillary vessels. Calculations to determine the per cent of total volume in each portion of the vascular bed showed that the venous system accounts for as much as 80% of the total vascular volume.
Extended normal forms of quadratic systems

A set of extended quadratic controller normal forms of linearly controllable systems with single input is given. These normal forms are considered as the extension of the form due to P. Brunovsky (1970) to the nonlinear systems. It is proved that, given a nonlinear system, there exists a dynamic feedback so that the extended system has a linear approximation which is accurate to the second or higher degree. All the results are restricted to the single-input nonlinear systems. The idea of finding quadratic normal forms and extending the state space is also successfully used in the problem of finding nonlinear observers. >
Transmuting Resistance to Change.

Correlating characteristics of underprepared students with undesirable outcomes is a popular but ineffective attempt to meet challenges posed by increasing student diversity and pressures for institutional accountability. This volume highlights how campus environments—the rules, practices, facilities, and climates of community colleges—might be sculpted to better foster student success.
Using Consumption and Asset Return Data to Estimate Farmers' Time Preferences and Risk Attitudes

The generalized expected utility model is fitted to U.S. farm data to estimate farm operator's time preferences and risk attitudes. The estimated farmer's utility parameters are quite “reasonable” and exhibit high accuracy. The forward‐looking expected utility model is soundly rejected in favor of the generalized expected utility paradigm. Importantly, the generalized expected utility model is also found to fit the data better than the myopic model typically used to study agricultural production under risk. Finally, U.S. farmers' relative aversion to risk appears to have diminished significantly over time
The impact of a decision aid about heart disease prevention on patients' discussions with their doctor and their plans for prevention: a pilot randomized trial.

Low utilization of effective coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention strategies may be due to many factors, but chief among them is the lack of patient involvement in prevention decisions. We undertook this study to test the effectiveness of an individually-tailored, computerized decision aid about CHD on patients' discussions with their doctor and their plans for CHD prevention. We conducted a pilot randomized trial in a convenience sample of adults with no previous history of cardiovascular disease to test the effectiveness of an individually-tailored, computerized decision aid about CHD prevention against a risk factor list that patients could present to their doctor. We enrolled 75 adults. Mean age was 53. 59% were female, 73% white, and 23% African-American. 66% had some college education. 43% had a 10-year CHD risk of 0–5%, 25% a risk of 6–10%, 24% a risk of 11–20%, and 5% a risk of > 20%. 78% had at least one option to reduce their CHD risk, but only 45% accurately identified the strategies best supported by evidence. 41 patients received the decision aid, 34 received usual care. In unadjusted analysis, the decision aid increased the proportion of patients who discussed CHD risk reduction with their doctor from 24% to 40% (absolute difference 16%; 95% CI -4% to +37%) and increased the proportion who had a specific plan to reduce their risk from 24% to 37% (absolute difference 13%; 95% CI -7% to +34%). In pre-post testing, the decision aid also appeared to increase the proportion of patients with plans to intervene on their CHD risk (absolute increase ranging from 21% to 47% for planned medication use and 5% to 16% for planned behavioral interventions). Our study confirms patients' limited knowledge about their CHD risk and effective risk reduction options and provides preliminary evidence that an individually-tailored decision aid about CHD prevention might be expected to increase patients' discussions about CHD prevention with their doctor and their plans for CHD risk reduction. These findings should be replicated in studies with a larger sample size and patients at overall higher risk of CHD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00315978
UV light inactivation of human and plant pathogens in unfiltered surface irrigation water.

ABSTRACT Fruit and vegetable growers continually battle plant diseases and food safety concerns. Surface water is commonly used in the production of fruits and vegetables and can harbor both human- and plant-pathogenic microorganisms that can contaminate crops when used for irrigation or other agricultural purposes. Treatment methods for surface water are currently limited, and there is a need for suitable treatment options. A liquid-processing unit that uses UV light for the decontamination of turbid juices was analyzed for its efficacy in the treatment of surface waters contaminated with bacterial or oomycete pathogens, i.e., Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, and Phytophthora capsici. Five-strain cocktails of each pathogen, containing approximately 108 or 109 CFU/liter for bacteria or 104 or 105 zoospores/liter for Ph. capsici, were inoculated into aliquots of two turbid surface water irrigation sources and processed with the UV unit. Pathogens were enumerated before and after treatment. In general, as the turbidity of the water source increased, the effectiveness of the UV treatment decreased, but in all cases, 99.9% or higher inactivation was achieved. Log reductions ranged from 10.0 to 6.1 and from 5.0 to 4.2 for bacterial pathogens and Ph. capsici, respectively.
Investigation of dissipativity for control of smart dampers via LMI synthesis

This paper investigates the effects of dissipativity on the performance of semiactive systems with smart dampers via linear matrix inequality (LMI) methods. First, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem is defined in terms of a linear objective function and several LMI constraints. Second, two dissipativity indices are proposed to quantify the dissipative nature of a force. One of the dissipativity indices is appended as an LMI constraint in its weak form to the LMI-LQR problem to exploit the dissipative nature of a smart damper. The dissipativity indices and the proposed controller are employed for a two-degree-of-freedom structure with a clipped optimal control problem. It is observed that the proposed method is able to improve the dissipative nature of the controller, improving the semiactive performance.
A High-Performance Hardware Architecture for Spectral Hash Algorithm

The Spectral Hash algorithm is one of the Round 1 candidates for the SHA-3 family, and is based on spectral arithmetic over a finite field, involving multidimensional discrete Fourier transformations over a finite field, data dependent permutations, Rubic-type rotations, and affine and nonlinear functions. The underlying mathematical structures and operations pose interesting and challenging tasks for computer architects and hardware designers to create fast, efficient, and compact ASIC and FPGA realizations. In this paper, we present an efficient hardware architecture for the full 512-bit hash computation using the spectral hash algorithm. We have created a pipelined implementation on a Xilinx Virtex-4 XC4VLX200-11 FPGA which yields 100 MHz and occupies 38,328 slices, generating a throughput of 51.2 Gbps. Our fully parallel synthesized implementation shows that the spectral hash algorithm is about 100 times faster than the fastest SHA-1 implementation, while requiring only about 13 times as many logic slices.
Impact of a pharmacist-directed educational program on the long-term knowledge and use of folic acid among college women: a 12-month follow-up study

Few studies have examined the impact of educational interventions on participants’ long-term knowledge and use of folic acid for prevention of neural tube defects (NTD).Objective: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate changes in knowledge and behaviors in a sample of college women one year after such a program.Methods: Female students of a residential college campus voluntarily attended the event, which was advertised to the campus community as a women’s health seminar. Participants completed a multiple-choice test assessing knowledge of folic acid and NTD and frequency of multivitamin use before and immediately after a 30-minute oral presentation. Following 3 reminder messages sent via email or mail, knowledge and multivitamin use were re-assessed 1-month and 12-months post-intervention.Results: Thirty-two college women participated in the educational intervention; 27 (84%) completed the 12-month post-test. At 12 months, statistically significant increases in knowledge from baseline remained for questions pertaining to food high in folic acid (p=0.023); completion of spinal column (p=0.011); and 2 questions on NTD prevention (p=0.044). Increases in knowledge regarding recommended daily allowance of folic acid (p=0.817) and difficulty in receiving adequate folic acid from diet alone (p=0.617) were not statistically significant from baseline. Regular multivitamin use (≥4 times per week) was not statistically significantly increased from baseline (p=0.592).Conclusion: Although it was encouraging that the women retained much of the information learned during the program, it appears that the changes in multivitamin use seen at 1-month were not sustained at 12-months. Further study with larger groups of college women is recommended.
Derivational Morphophonology: Exploring Errors in Third Graders' Productions

Purpose This study describes a post hoc analysis of segmental, stress, and syllabification errors in third graders' productions of derived English words with the stress-changing suffixes -ity and -...
Students’ partitive reasoning

Abstract In building models of students’ fractions knowledge, two prominent frameworks have arisen: Kieren's rational number subconstructs, and Steffe's fractions schemes. The purpose of this paper is to clarify and reconcile aspects of those frameworks through a quantitative analysis. In particular, we focus on the measurement subconstruct and the partitive fraction scheme, as well as the role splitting operations play in their construction. Our findings indicate a strong connection between students’ measurement conceptions and their construction of partitive unit fraction schemes. On the other hand, generalizing the partitive unit fraction scheme to partitive reasoning with non-unit fractions seems to require conceptions that exceed most researchers’ descriptions of measurement. Such a generalization also seems to require mental operations beyond splitting.
Urban Political Development

Because many aspects of urbanization are similar in different societies, urban politics provides a rich opportunity for comparative analysis. Most urban political studies tend to focus on government rather than politics. In the case of the books under review, however, political variables are offered as the key to understanding. Anton's work on Stockholm, Baker's on Lagos, Cohen's on Abidjan, Cornelius's on Mexico City, Elkin's on London, Fried's on Rome, Taubman's on cities in the U.S.S.R., and Wolpe's on Port Harcourt share a concern with the ability of political systems to deal with forces of urban growth and change. Studies of industrial countries try to account for the ability of systems to develop policies that control the urban environment, while studies of developing countries attempt to analyze patterns of resource distribution, social mobility, and class formation. Despite their flaws, gaps, and manifold differences, these studies are important steps in the right direction.
Chk1-Mediated Phosphorylation of FANCE is required for the Fanconi Anemia/BRCA Pathway

The eleven Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins cooperate in a novel pathway required for the repair of DNA cross-links. Eight of the FA proteins (A, B, C, E, F, G, L, and M) form a core enzyme complex, required for the monoubiquitination of FANCD2 and the assembly of FANCD2 nuclear foci. Here, we show that, in response to DNA damage, Chk1 directly phosphorylates the FANCE subunit of the FA core complex on two conserved sites (threonine 346 and serine 374). Phosphorylated FANCE assembles in nuclear foci and colocalizes with FANCD2. A nonphosphorylated mutant form of FANCE (FANCE-T346A/S374A), when expressed in a FANCE-deficient cell line, allows FANCD2 monoubiquitination, FANCD2 foci assembly, and normal S-phase progression. However, the mutant FANCE protein fails to complement the mitomycin C hypersensitivity of the transfected cells. Taken together, these results elucidate a novel role of Chk1 in the regulation of the FA/BRCA pathway and in DNA cross-link repair. Chk1-mediated phosphorylation of FANCE is required for a function independent of FANCD2 monoubiquitination.
Magnetically ultraresponsive nanoscavengers for next-generation water purification systems

The development of sustainable, robust and energy efficient water purification technology is still challenging. Although use of nanoparticles is promising, methods are needed for their efficient recovery post treatment. Here we address this issue by fabrication of magnetically ultraresponsive 'nanoscavengers', nanoparticles containing synthetic antiferromagnetic core layers and functional capping layers. When dispersed in water, the nanoscavengers efficiently interact with contaminants to remove them from the water. They are then quickly collected (<5 min) with a permanent magnet, owing to their magnetically ultraresponsive core layers. Specifically, we demonstrate fabrication and deployment of Ag-capped nanoscavengers for disinfection followed by application of an external magnetic field for separation. We also develop and validate a collision-based model for pathogen inactivation, and propose a cyclical water purification scheme in which nanoscavengers are recovered and recycled for contaminant removal.
Soil Carbon Pools in California’s Annual Grassland Ecosystems

Rangeland ecosystems cover approximately one-third of the land area in the United States and half of the land area of California. This large land area, coupled with the propensity of grasses to allocate a considerable proportion of their photosynthate belowground, leads to high soil carbon (C) sequestration potential. Annual grasslands typical of the Mediterranean climates of the western United States differ in their life history strategies from the well-studied perennial grasslands of other regions and thus may also differ in their soil C pools and fluxes. In this study we use the literature to explore patterns in soil C storage in annual grass-dominated rangelands in California. We show that soil C is highly predictable with depth. Cumulative soil C content increased to 2–3-m depth in rangelands with a woody component and to at least 1-m depth in open rangelands. Soil C within a given depth varied widely, with C content in the top 1-m depth spanning almost 200 Mg C ? ha 21 across sites. Soil C pools were not correlated with temperature or precipitation at a regional scale. The presence of woody plants increased C by an average of 40 Mg ? ha 21 in the top meter of soil. Grazed annual grasslands had similar soil C content as ungrazed grassland at all depths examined, although few details on grazing management were available. Soil C pools were weakly positively correlated with clay content and peaked at intermediated levels of aboveground net primary production. Our results suggest that annual grasslands have similar soil C storage capacity as temperate perennial grasslands and offer an important resource for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Resumen
Job Strain, Depressive Symptoms, and Drinking Behavior Among Older Adults: Results From the Health and Retirement Study

Objective. To examine the relationship between job strain and two indicators of mental health, depression and alcohol misuse, among currently employed older adults. Methods. Data come from the 2004 and 2006 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 2,902). Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to determine the association between job strain, indicated by the imbalance of job stress and job satisfaction, with depression and alcohol misuse. Results. High job strain (indicated by high job stress combined with low job satisfaction) was associated with elevated depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 2.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] : 1.99–4.45) relative to low job strain after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, labor force status, and occupation. High job stress combined with high job satisfaction (OR = 1.93) and low job stress combined with low job satisfaction (OR = 1.94) were also associated with depressive symptoms to a lesser degree. Job strain was unrelated to either moderate or heavy drinking. These associations did not vary by gender or age. Discussion. Job strain is associated with elevated depressive symptoms among older workers. In contrast to results from investigations of younger workers, job strain was unrelated to alcohol misuse. These findings can inform the development and implementation of workplace health promotion programs that reflect the mental health needs of the aging workforce.
Effect of Renal Function on the Pharmacodynamics of Argatroban

BACKGROUND:Argatroban is a direct thrombin inhibitor used to treat heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Argatroban is primarily cleared by hepatic mechanisms, with only small amounts of unchanged drug cleared by the kidneys.OBJECTIVE:To assess the effects of renal function on argatroban dose and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT).METHODS:Patients treated with argatroban were identified and prospectively screened. Patients with liver dysfunction were excluded from the analysis. Charts and laboratory data were reviewed daily until a therapeutic aPTT was reached or argatroban was discontinued. Data points collected included age, weight, gender, admitting diagnosis, past medical history, indication for anticoagulation, indication for argatroban, initial dose, goal aPTT, titration instructions, liver function tests, serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen, and estimated creatinine clearance (Clcr).RESULTS:A total of 66 patients were evaluated and 44 met criteria for inclusion. Baseline Scr was...
Writing the Pregnant Body in Marie Darrieussecq’s Le Pays (2005)

In the early 1990s, a number of commercially and critically successful French writers began examining the lived experiences of the female reproductive body, tapping them for both creative inspiration and critical reflection, while expressing them through the voice of the reproductive subject. Previously, narratives of reproduction recounted from the first-person narrator’s perspective had been few in French fiction and works centrally concerned with these experiences were rare. This paper first identifies some key works within this ever-growing corpus that I refer to as “hysterographies” (writings of the womb). With this term, I unite first-person narratives that capture women’s perceptions of their bodies during reproductive or sterile experiences as they innovate, reflect on their writing, and engage with the contemporary medical establishment. The authors engaging in such works include quite recognizable names from Marie Redonnet, Christine Angot, and Louise Lambrichs to Justine Levy, Marie NDiaye, and Annie Ernaux—just to name a few. Next, this paper takes a closer look at the narrative techniques and formal experimentation that one hysterography, Marie Darrieussecq’s Le Pays (2005), employs to articulate the experiences of the narrator’s shifting relationship to her pregnant body. Structurally, the narrative is recounted from two alternating perspectives—one in the third-person observing the protagonist’s life (external focalization), and the other in first-person interior monologue (internal focalization) visually illustrated with boldface print. The two layers of this work intertwine and diverge exposing a variety of relationships between the body and the world in which it lives. Darrieussecq uses the consistent alternation of these points of view, combined with an innovative fusion of genres highlighting sounds (poetic couplets, transcribed music, onomatopoeia), to communicate the experience of pregnancy. Just as a sonogram reveals a fetus, the two perspectives project sounds that chart both an inner and outer geography of the pregnant body, while exploring its experiences and (pro)creative possibilities.
Mild Nonoxidative Procedure for the Hydrolysis of Dimethylhydrazones

Abstract The past decade has seen amsiderable utilization of dkthylhyldrazones in organic synthesis.1 Their use as carbonyl equivalents depends on the ability of the practitioner to achieve hydrolylsis under mild conditions. Raagenta previously reported to acanplish this end include acid hydrolysis2a, methylation and hydrolysis2a,b, O3 2c,lb, CH3C03H2d, NaI04 lc, Cu(OAc)2 2e, CoF3 2f, NOBF4 2g, MoF6 2h, MoOCl3 2h, UF6 2i, WF6 2j.
Measuring dynamic characteristics of the human arm in three dimensional space

This work describes a method to measure the three-dimensional dynamic characteristics of the human arm. Endpoint dynamics, which characterizes the relationship between hand displacements and resulting forces, was estimated during the application of three-dimensional stochastic displacement perturbations applied to the endpoint of the arm. The dynamic input-output relations between the displacements and the forces were determined using a frequency domain nonparametric system identification technique. Endpoint inertia, viscosity and stiffness parameters were fit to the identified system. A graphical technique was introduced to help visualize these complex dynamic parameters. The results illustrate the importance of studying the endpoint dynamics in three dimensions.
Diabetes in Urban African Americans: Assessment of Diabetes-Specific Locus of Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE This study was conducted to examine the applicability and relationship to glycemic control of the Diabetes Locus of Control (DLC) Scales in a low-literacy, economically deprived, African American population with type 2 diabetes. METHODS The DLC Scales were administered orally to African American patients with type 2 diabetes who had been referred to the diabetes unit of a large urban public hospital. Reliability, interscale correlations, and associations with patient characteristics were compared with those originally obtained for a better educated, predominately Caucasian population. RESULTS The structure and correlates of the DLC Scales in the African American population were more similar than different from those originally obtained from a primarily well-educated, Caucasian population. However, comprehension of some items was difficult for up to 10% of the low-literacy population. A significant relationship was found between belief in chance and both glycemic control at the 6-month follow-up and the change in glycemic control over time. CONCLUSIONS Although the DLC Scales operate similarly in an urban African American population with limited education, further modification is needed to enhance the prediction of glycemic control and provide direction for developing targeted interventions.
How MutS finds a needle in a haystack

Despite the remarkable fidelity of replicative DNA polymerases (Pols), these enzymes still make mistakes (i.e., mismatches, insertions, deletions) that, if left uncorrected, result in mutations. It is the role of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) to identify and correct these mistakes (1). Lynch syndrome, a human hereditary disorder that increases cancer risk (2), is the result of impaired MMR, while bacterial antibiotic resistance results in part from the combination of error-prone replication and suppression of MMR (3, 4). Taken together, these examples illustrate the biological importance of MMR. Mechanistically, MMR involves three discrete steps: (i) error recognition by the MutS family of proteins; (ii) incision of the daughter DNA strand containing the error by the MutL family of proteins (or MutH in Escherichia coli), ultimately leading to formation of a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gap that can measure hundreds of bases in length; and (iii) resynthesis of the ssDNA gap followed by nick ligation. Although MutS proteins can locate mismatches in vitro using either 1D or 3D searching (5), the specific mechanisms used by MutS in vivo are poorly defined. In PNAS, Liao et al. (6) provide evidence that Bacillus subtilis MutS is recruited to the replication fork through specific interactions with several different replication fork proteins, irrespective of replication errors, possibly facilitating the ability of MutS to carry out a highly efficient 1D search for errors in newly replicated DNA.
Installing a Safety on the ‘Loaded Gun’? China’s institutional reforms, National Security Commission and Sino–Japanese crisis (in)stability

AbstractAs China’s active assertion of its claim to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands has increasingly crowded the surrounding waters and airspace with military and paramilitary forces, the risk of a Sino–Japanese crisis has reached unprecedented heights. Neither side wants conflict, but the increased frequency and proximity at which vessels and aircraft encounter one another means that overall risk has grown proportionately. Were a miscalculation or even an unintended low-level incident to occur, de-escalation would hinge on each side’s respective internal crisis management capabilities and political leaders’ ability to communicate expeditiously. This article analyzes China’s side of the ledger. Specifically, it assesses the extent to which institutional reforms since the 2001 US–China EP-3 crisis have ameliorated longstanding weaknesses in China’s crisis management capabilities and its ability to communicate via hotlines with Japan. While significant issues and obstacles to further urgently needed improvements...
Osmolality: a physiological long-term regulator of lumbar sympathetic nerve activity and arterial pressure.

Acute infusion of hypertonic fluid increases mean arterial pressure (MAP) in part by elevating nonrenal sympathetic activity. However, it is not known whether chronic, physiological increases in os...
Phagocytosis-Inhibiting Properties of Human Serum Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein

Human serum α1 acid glycoprotein (α1A) or orosomucoid has been obtained in a virtually pure state. At a concentration of 0.1% α1A significantly depressed the phagocytosis of Escherichia coli and of Staphylococcus aureus by human neutrophils in vitro. At the same concentration α1A causes a decrease in the hydrophobicity of these microorganisms, as measured by the sessile saline drop contact angle method. Alpha-1 A, purified from Cohn's Fraction V (1), though in most respects identical to our purified product, nevertheless appears somewhat denatured in that its phagocytosis inhibiting properties and its capacity to increase the hydrophobicity of microorganisms are less pronounced. Alpha-1 A is one of the constituents of Mowbray's rat serum fraction which induces a prolongation of skin homografts (2,3).
Modeling and Simulation of Compartmental Cerebellar Networks for Conditioning of Rabbit Eyeblink Response

Continuing previous research, compartmental models of cerebellar networks were developed based on new data from extracellular recordings of cerebellar cortex and interpositus nucleus in rabbit during conditioning of the eyeblink response. Sites of synaptic plasticity were postulated, as suggested by these recordings and by recent cooling probe experiments, and these were incorporated into the models. The models were tested by simulation using the CAJAL simulator, which produces action potential spike trains that can be compared against the experimental time- trace data. Conditioning is simulated by varying parameters in the model synapses at the implicated sites. Results provide further evidence that these cerebellar circuits may be a main neural substrate of this conditioning paradigm.
Testing for Microalbuminuria: Promises and Pitfalls

The term microalbuminuria is used to describe albumin concentrations in the urine that are greater than normal but not detectable with common urine dipstick assays. Microalbuminuria has been found to predict the occurrence of clinical nephropathy in type I diabetes, and to a lesser extent, in type II diabetes. Recent studies have shown that the normalization of blood glucose and blood pressure can delay the progression from microalbuminuria to clinical nephropathy. While recommendations have been made for yearly urine albumin testing for diabetic patients, there is great divergence in urine collection techniques and measurement systems. I recommend collection of a timed overnight specimen, quantitative measurement of albumin and creatinine, and the reporting of the albumin excretion rate and the ratio of albumin/creatinine.
Spatial coding and decoding for subwavelength resolution: analog computational imaging

We describe the use of complementary subwavelength-featured spatial codes to capture evanescent waves at a target and transfer the information to a remote site possessing a decoding complementary structure.
Abstract 819: Black raspberries inhibit N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced rat esophageal tumorigenesis through down-regulation of MAPK and NFκB pathways

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Esophageal cancer is the 6th most common cancer worldwide. Our laboratory has used a rodent preclinical model of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to identify putative chemopreventive agents for this disease and to determine their mechanisms of action. In our previous studies, we found that freeze-dried black raspberry (BRB) significantly suppressed N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced tumor development in rat esophagus, at least in part by inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), c-Jun and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NFκB) pathways play important roles in certain aspects of carcinogenesis. However, their roles and effects of BRB on these two pathways in the NMBA model of rat esophageal tumorigenesis have not been investigated yet. In the present study, F344 rats were treated with NMBA (0.30 mg/kg b.w.) three times per week for 5 weeks. After 72 hours, animals were fed AIN-76A diet or AIN-76A diet containing 5% BRB. At week 35, rats were sacrificed and esophageal tumors were counted. The incidence of esophageal tumors was decreased from 100% in NMBA-treated rats to 81.48% (P < 0.05) in rats treated with NMBA+5% BRB. The tumor multiplicity was reduced in rats fed 5% BRB to an average of 1.44 ± 0.25 (P < 0.001) tumors per rat compared with 4.73 ± 2.70 in rats fed the control diet. In preneoplastic lesions, BRB decreased protein expression of phospho-NFκB-p65, phospho-IkBα, phospho-MAPK-p38, phospho-MAPK-p44/42 and phosphor-SAPK/JNK from 4.2-fold, 3.9-fold, 3.1-fold, 4.7-fold and 5.5-fold in rats fed the control diet to 1.2-fold (P < 0.005), 1.3-fold (P < 0.005), 1.3-fold (P < 0.005), 1.4-fold (P < 0.005) and 1.4-fold (P < 0.005), respectively, in rats fed 5% BRB. In papillomatous lesions, BRB reduced protein expression of phospho-NFκB-p65, phospho-IkBα, phospho-MAPK-p38, phospho-MAPK-p44/42 and phosphor-SAPK/JNK from 5.9-fold, 4.7-fold, 5.7-fold, 5.9-fold and 6.1-fold in rats fed the control diet to 1.3-fold (P < 0.005), 1.5-fold (P < 0.005), 1.6-fold (P < 0.005), 1.5-fold (P < 0.005) and 1.6-fold (P < 0.005), respectively, in rats fed 5% BRB. Our results indicated that both MAPK and NFκB pathways were activated in NMBA-induced tumor development in rats and these activations were significantly inhibited by BRB. Collectively, our data suggest that BRB may offer a relatively nontoxic alternative to the prevention of esophageal cancer in humans. (Supported by NCI RO1 CA131073-01A1). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 819. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-819
Blood Iodine in Dogs Receiving Thyroxin or Phlorhizin

ConclusionNeither in normal dogs receiving 10 mg doses of thyroxin intravenously, nor in intact dogs receiving phlorhizin, is there any parallelism between the blood iodine level and the basal metabolic rate. The former result conforms with expectations, since the blood is not the site of action of thyroxin. The latter finding is more unexpected, since the increase in metabolism which phlorhizin produces in dogs is very large and is abolished by thyroidectomy.
Weaning Rate of Brangus and Brahman × Hereford F1 Cows Under Intensive Grazing Management1,2

Weaning rate of Brangus (BG) and Brahman x Hereford F1, (HBR) cows on either Tifton 44 hybrid bermudagrass (T44HB) or common bermudagrass-dallisgrass (CBD) was studied. Simmental-sired calves were born in February-March the following year from each breeding season May 1 to June 30 of years 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. An intensive rotational grazing system with 30 cows on 9.6 ha was used. Each of four 9.6-ha pastures (two of each forage) contained 15 BG and 15 HBR cows. The 9.6-ha pastures were subdivided into three 3.2-ha paddocks, and cows were rotated each week from mid-April through mid-October. The Coastal Plain soils in each pasture received a total of 190 kg of nitrogen (N) per ha per year in five split applications of 38 kg N per ha on 21-d intervals. Cows were wintered on the same pastures with a bermudagrass hay-soybean meal and milo diet. Interactions of year by forage, year by breed, and year by breed by forage were nonsignificant for weaning rate (P>.05). Weaning rate was not affected by the interaction of forage by breed (P .05). These data suggest that the HBR cow was more productive than the BG cow on both T44HB and CBD pastures under intensive grazing management.
Purposeful Haze: A Team Project in Organizational Behavior

This paper describes a team project that is used as an experien-tial exercise in an undergraduate organizational behavior course. The project involves teams of 4-5 students creating an original product that reflects their comprehensive understand-ing of the course content. In order to reflect a more realistic workplace scenario, the project instructions are deliberately vague, and students are warned that the grading process is in-herently subjective. At the end of the course, the teams present their project and share their lessons learned from working as a team. The specifics of this experiential exercise as well as the instructorâ€™s lessons learned will be presented along with project examples and anecdotal feedback from the students. Implica-tions for teaching teamwork and creative confidence in a busi-ness or management curriculum are discussed.