cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age-related changes in kappa opioid receptors in the guinea-pig brain: A quantitative autoradiographic study

Abstract Investigation into the effect of aging on kappa opioid receptors in the brains of guinea-pigs was carried out in animals aged one, six, 24 and 36 months. Quantitative autoradiography was used to monitor the concentration of kappa receptors in various anatomic regions at five rostrocaudal levels in each age-group. Areas of high binding were found in the deep layers (laminae V, VI) of the neocortex and in the internal band of the periallocortical, dorsal agranular insular cortex. Among non-cortical areas examined, the nucleus accumbens and the substantia nigra possessed kappa binding levels equal to those seen in the deep neocortical layers. In all cases where an age-related change in the level of kappa receptors was detected, the direction of the change was one of decreased binding with advancing age. Statistical analysis of the binding data revealed that the one-month-old animal possessed the highest levels of kappa binding among all age groups examined. The vast majority of age-related changes in kappa binding levels occurred in laminae V and VI of neocortical regions. The per cent decreases (18–42%), as well as their age of onset (six to 36 months) varied in different anatomical regions. Possible mechanisms to explain the age-related decreases in kappa opioid binding are presented. The majority of the age-related decreases in kappa opioid binding are found in areas of the neocortex which are characterized by their motor, sensory and associative functions. It is within these three areas of function that diminutions in performance are most apparent in senescence.
A novel transmembrane Ser/Thr kinase complexes with protein phosphatase-1 and inhibitor-2.

Abstract Protein kinases and protein phosphatases exert coordinated control over many essential cellular processes. Here, we describe the cloning and characterization of a novel human transmembrane protein KPI-2 (Kinase/Phosphatase/Inhibitor-2) that was identified by yeast two-hybrid using protein phosphatase inhibitor-2 (Inh2) as bait. KPI-2 mRNA was predominantly expressed in skeletal muscle. KPI-2 is a 1503-residue protein with two predicted transmembrane helices at the N terminus, a kinase domain, followed by a C-terminal domain. The transmembrane helices were sufficient for targeting proteins to the membrane. KPI-2 kinase domain has about 60% identity with its closest relative, a tyrosine kinase. However, it only exhibited serine/threonine kinase activity in autophosphorylation reactions or with added substrates. KPI-2 kinase domain phosphorylated protein phosphatase-1 (PP1C) at Thr320, which attenuated PP1C activity. KPI-2 C-terminal domain directly associated with PP1C, and this required a VTFmotif. Inh2 associated with KPI-2 C-terminal domain with and without PP1C. Thus, KPI-2 is a kinase with sites to associate with PP1C and Inh2 to form a regulatory complex that is localized to membranes.
THE ROLE OF CRIME IN HOUSING UNIT RACIAL/ETHNIC TRANSITION

Previous research frequently has observed a positive cross-sectional relationship between racial/ethnic minorities and crime and generally has posited that this relationship is entirely because of the effect of minorities on neighborhood crime rates. This study posits that at least some of this relationship might be a result of the opposite effect—neighborhood crime increases the number of racial/ethnic minorities. This study employs a unique sample (the American Housing Survey neighborhood sample) focusing on housing units nested in microneighborhoods across three waves from 1985 to 1993. This format allows one to test and find that such racial/ethnic transformation occurs because of the following effects: First, White households that perceive more crime in the neighborhood or that live in microneighborhoods with more commonly perceived crime are more likely to move out of such neighborhoods. Second, Whites are significantly less likely to move into a housing unit in a microneighborhood with more commonly perceived crime. And third, African American and Latino households are more likely to move into such units.
Cidofovir in the Treatment of Cytomegaloviral Disease

OBJECTIVE:To review the clinical pharmacology and microbiology of cidofovir in the therapy of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.DATA SOURCES:Pertinent literature was identified via a MEDLINE search (October 1986–February 1997), and data from abstracts presented at recent scientific meetings were also included; unpublished information was provided by the manufacturer.STUDY SELECTION:Antiviral activity data were included if widely accepted methodology was used. All clinical data currently available from human studies were also included.DATA SYNTHESIS:Cidofovir is similar to ganciclovir in mechanism of action; however, cidofovir does not require viral enzymes for activation. Although the half-life of cidofovir in plasma is only 2.6 hours, the intracellular half-life may be much longer, allowing efficacy with biweekly maintenance dosing. In vitro, cidofovir appears to be equally or more effective than the other agents currently available for the treatment of CMV. In vivo, cidofovir appears to be effective in dela...
Collocation: Integrating Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Services

This article presents findings from a process evaluation of a pilot program to address parental substance abuse in the child welfare system. By placing substance abuse counselors in a local child welfare office, the collocation program was designed to facilitate early identification, timely referral to treatment, and improved treatment engagement of substance-abusing parents. Frontline child welfare workers in 6 of the 7 pilot sites endorsed the program as they found that the collocated substance abuse counselors provided additional resources and facilitated case processing. Findings suggest that clearly defined procedures and sufficient staffing of qualified substance abuse counselors could lead to better programs.
Cell Growth and By‐Product Formation in a Pyruvate Kinase Mutant of E. coli

In this paper, we report on the analysis of acid formation in an E. coli pyk mutant. The results demonstrate that acid formation is insignificant for both the wild-type and the mutant at low glucose concentrations. However, at relatively high glucose concentrations, acid formation remains very low for the mutant but is significant for the wild-type. This substantial reduction in acids is accompanied by an increase in CO(2) production. Moreover, unlike the B. subtilis pyk mutant, the E. coli pyk mutant did not show a substantial increase in the PEP pool.
Palmar Sweating and the Presence of an Audience.

Abstract The usefulness of the palmar sweat print technique as an indication of changes in arousal when learning a complex motor task in the presence of a passive audience was determined. Sweat prints were taken periodically on 24 subjects who learned alone and 24 subjects who learned in the presence of an audience. Results showed significant increases in palmar sweating when learning in the presence of an audience.
Analysis of Room Taxes Levied on the Lodging Industry

This article summarizes a study of the impacts of room taxes on the lodging industry by (1) reporting on the findings of Phase II of an overall study assessing the negative impacts on number of rooms rented of room taxes levied on the lodging industry, and (2) applying the price elasticity of market demand found in step 1 to the average amounts of room taxes paid, as measured in Phase I of the overall study. The elasticity measurement comes from a statistical model based on data from a national probability survey of the properties owned by members of the American Hotel and Motel Association taken in spring 1990.
Gap Junctions Are Essential for Generating the Correlated Spike Activity of Neighboring Retinal Ganglion Cells

Neurons throughout the brain show spike activity that is temporally correlated to that expressed by their neighbors, yet the generating mechanism(s) remains unclear. In the retina, ganglion cells (GCs) show robust, concerted spiking that shapes the information transmitted to central targets. Here we report the synaptic circuits responsible for generating the different types of concerted spiking of GC neighbors in the mouse retina. The most precise concerted spiking was generated by reciprocal electrical coupling of GC neighbors via gap junctions, whereas indirect electrical coupling to a common cohort of amacrine cells generated the correlated activity with medium precision. In contrast, the correlated spiking with the lowest temporal precision was produced by shared synaptic inputs carrying photoreceptor noise. Overall, our results demonstrate that different synaptic circuits generate the discrete types of GC correlated activity. Moreover, our findings expand our understanding of the roles of gap junctions in the retina, showing that they are essential for generating all forms of concerted GC activity transmitted to central brain targets.
A portable parallel algorithm for VLSI circuit extraction

The authors describe a new portable algorithm for parallel circuit extraction. The algorithm is built as part of the ongoing ProperCAD project: a portable object-oriented parallel environment for CAD applications that is built on top of the CHARM system. The algorithm, unlike prior approaches like PACE is asynchronous and is based on a coarse-grained dataflow execution model. Performance of circuit extraction is presented on four parallel machines: an Encore Multimax, a Sequent Symmetry, a NCUBE 2 hypercube, and a network of Sun Sparc workstations. The extractor runs unchanged on all these machines. >
Primate Retroviruses and AIDS

Retroviruses have been incriminated as the primary agent of human AIDS (1,2). Further strengthening this probable etiologic association has been the discovery that an AIDS-like syndrome, which occurs spontaneously in monkeys and shows many similarities to human AIDS (3,4), is also apparently caused by an exogenous retrovirus. In this paper we briefly review the evidence for a retroviral etiology of SAIDS and compare the human and monkey syndrome and their respective retroviruses.
Spectroscopic quantification of covalently immobilized oligonucleotides

Quantitative determination of surface coverage, film thickness and molecular orientation of DNA oligomers covalently attached to aminosilane self-assembled monolayers has been obtained using complementary infrared and photoelectron studies. Spectral variations between surface immobilized oligomers of the different nucleic acids are reported for the first time. Carbodiimide condensation was used for covalent attachment of phosphorylated oligonucleotides to silanized aluminum substrates. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the surfaces after each modification step. Infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy of covalently bound DNA provides orientational information. Surface density and layer thickness are extracted from XPS data. The surface density of immobilized DNA, 2–3 (×1013) molecules cm−2, was found to depend on base composition. Comparison of antisymmetric to symmetric phosphate stretching band intensities in reflection–absorption spectra of immobilized DNA and transmission FTIR spectra of DNA in KBr pellet indicates that the sugar–phosphate backbone is predominantly oriented with the sugar–phosphate backbone lying parallel to the surface, in agreement with the 10–20 A DNA film thickness derived from XPS intensities. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum-dependent phagocytosis of paraffin oil emulsified with bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

Paraffin oil containing oil red O and emulsified with lipopolysaccharide obtained from Escherichia coli was ingested rapidly by guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes or human peripheral blood granulocytes and monocytes after opsonization by fresh homologous serum. The initial rate of engulfment of the particles was spectrophotometrically assayed by determination of cell-associated oil red O and reflected the opsonic activity of the serum. This activity was resistant to dialysis but labile to heat, hydrazine, and zymosan, required divalent cations, and was maximal in the presence of Ca++ and Mg++. It was associated with the fixation of [125I]C3 to the lipopolysaccharide particles. Genetically C3-deficient serum had no opsonic activity, and this activity was restored by the addition of purified C3. Normal and C4-deficient guinea pig serum and normal, C2-, and C4-deficient human sera were equally effective in opsonizing lipopolysaccharide particles and lipopolysaccharide particles sensitized with heat-inactivated lipopolysaccharide immune serum. Cord serum deficient in glycine-rich beta-glycoprotein (GBG) (properdin factor B) had diminished opsonic activity which was improved by addition of purified GBG. Thus, C3 fixation to lipopolysaccharide particles occurs by means of the properdin system, and the opsonization and ingestion of lipopolysaccharide particles constitutes a quantitative functional assay of this pathway.
Effect of Surface Tension from MD Simulations on Size-Dependent Deliquescence of NaCl Nanoparticles

The deliquescence of sodium chloride is size dependent for particles smaller than 100 nm, with some discrepancies between measured and predicted deliquescence relative humidity as a function of size. Two sources of uncertainty in current models are the solid–liquid/solid–vapor surface tensions and the curvature dependence of surface tension. Molecular Dynamics simulations are used to calculate surface tensions and their corresponding upper bounds, which compare well with measured values of liquid–vapor (LV) interfaces and significantly reduce uncertainty compared to experimental estimates of solid–liquid (SL) and solid–vapor (SV) interfaces. Surface tensions calculated for nanoparticles in the 2–10 nm size range are related to the corresponding flat interface values using the first-order Tolman length ( δ ). At 1 atm and 300 K, the Tolman length determined from the test-area method is of the order of 0.1 nm with a precision between 5% and 10%. The δ LV (water–air) is 0.15 nm, δ LV (soln–air) is 0.10 nm, δ...
The swine Ig heavy chain locus has a single JH and no identifiable IgD

Sequence analysis of 84 V region cDNAs expressed with IgM, IgG and IgA from both adult and newborn swine suggested that their JH segments had been derived from the same germline JH. Only a single hybridizing JH segment could be identified in genomic DNA, in a JH-C mu cosmid and in a Sacl fragment of the cosmid extending 5 kb 5' of the EnhH. The single germline JH segment mapped 6 kb 5' to C mu. This JH had a sequence identical to 40 of 42 JH segments expressed in a newborn piglet and 25 of 42 expressed by adult swine. None of the 19 JH segments which varied from the germline sequence were identical to each other and half of the nucleotide changes were silent. No cosmid DNA hybridizing with heterologous probes for C delta could be found within 20 kb 3' of C mu and C delta could not be cloned from genomic or cDNA libraries. A conserved IgD fragment could be amplified from human, mouse and rat genomic DNA but not from rabbit, swine or cattle. We hypothesize that heavy chain organization and constituency in homeothermic vertebrates is correlated with the site of secondary antibody repertoire development and the mechanism(s) used.
Using a probabilistic source model for comparing images

We propose a probabilistic model for image retrieval. To obtain the similarity between the query image IQ and any image I' in the collection, the model computes the probability of generating the image I' given the observation of the query image I/sub Q/. We compare our probabilistic model for image retrieval with a color histogram based image retrieval method and the IBM QBIC image search engine. The evaluation used the 11-hour video retrieval collection (80,000 extracted images) and associated queries from the 2001 TREC-10 information retrieval evaluations. The experimental results show that the probabilistic model dramatically outperforms the color histogram based image retrieval method and the IBM QBIC image search engine by 40%.
AN IN VITRO TECHNIQUE FOR REAGGREGATION OF DISSOCIATED TISSUE IN A CENTRIFUGAL FIELD.

Abstract A technique for the reaggregation of dissociated cells in a centrifugally-rotating medium is reported. Myogenic and embryonic connective tissue cells cultivated in this system organize into a single toroidal explant. Histologically, this aggregate contains bundles of pre-muscle cells separated by connective tissue. Cell aggregability with this technique is retarded by decreasing rotation frequency and cell number, but accelerated by decreasing medium viscosity. The contrasting character of the physical forces associated with this system as well as the comparable results obtained from it suggest the concomitant application of the centrifugal aggregation technique with the centripetal aggregation technique in future reaggregative studies.
Sites, truths and the logics of worlds: Alain Badiou and human geography

This paper argues for the political importance of Alain Badiou’s ‘site’ in human geography. A site is a place of radical politics capable of destroying old worlds and creating new ones. Badiou’s recently published Logics of worlds (2009, Continuum, London) is an account of how worlds come to exist. Critical to understanding this work is Badiou’s critique of ‘democratic materialism’, an umbrella term used for Deleuzian and postmodern philosophies, deﬁned by the phrase: ‘there are only bodies and languages’. Badiou counters this with his ‘materialist dialectic’, which emphasises the intervention truth can make in a world: ‘there are only bodies and languages, except that there are truths’. The subversion of the appearance of a world by the inﬁnite potential of the site is cast as the emergence of a truth. Current theorisations of the site in human geography do not take into account truth as a political category. The paper is thus a defence of the site as an exceptional place of politics, where the materialist dialectic conviction: ‘except that there are truths’ is rendered visible.
Chemo-rheology of curing in structural adhesives I: Epoxy-phenolic systems

Thermosetting adhesives undergo a chemo-rheological transition during cure which transforms the material from an initial compliant bonding state to a rigid high strength holding state. The results of combined application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Instron thermomechanical analysis (TMA) in a study of reaction kinetics and physical state changes in epoxy-phenolic adhesives are reported. A special reduction of DSC data isolates the apparent heat of polymerization DELTAH p and activation energy E* of curing. Analysis of a repetitive extension-recovery cycle, at low strain amplitude, isolates the temperature-time efforts of curing upon the tensile modulus E, the work of deformation W T = W L + W S , and the work ratio W P /W S =work loss/work stored per cycle. Correlated results of DSC and TMA analysis of two epoxy-phenolic adhesives isolates the effects of metal fillers upon both the curing kinetics and mechanical response of the cured material.
High speed monolithically integrated pin-MODFET transimpedance photoreceivers

The performance characteristics of transimpedance and transimpedance/voltage photoreceivers using an In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As p-i-n photodiode integrated with a 0.1 /spl mu/m gate length regrown pseudomorphic In/sub 0.60/Ga/sub 0.40/As MODFET realized by MBE have been investigated. The photodiode exhibits very low dark current and a responsivity of 0.6 A/W at /spl lambda/=1.55 /spl mu/m. The regrown MODFETs have extrinsic transconductance values as high as 610 mS/mm and channel currents up to 350 mA/mm at a drain bias of 1.5 V. The measured temporal response of the photoreceiver with a transimpedance amplifier exhibits a FWHM value of 90 ps and a transimpedance gain of 45 dB/spl Omega/ with a 800 /spl Omega/ feedback resistor. This photoreceiver demonstrated 24 dB optical-to-electrical conversion gain at 9.3 GHz. The photoreceiver with a transimpedance/voltage amplifier shows a FWHM of 200 ps and a transimpedance gain of 63 dB/spl Omega/ with a 1.2 K/spl Omega/ feedback resistor. >
Mutations in the NPH1 Locus of Arabidopsis Disrupt the Perception of Phototropic Stimuli

The phototropic response is an important component of seedling establishment in higher plants because it orients the young seedlings for maximal photosynthetic light capture. Despite their obvious importance, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the perception and transduction of the light signals that induce phototropic curvatures. Here, we report the isolation of eight mutants of Arabidopsis that lack or have severely impaired phototropic responses. These nph (for nonphototropic hypocotyl) mutants comprise four genetic loci: nph1, nph2, nph3, and nph4. Physiological and biochemical characterization of the nph1 allele series indicated that the NPH1 locus may encode the apoprotein for a dual-chromophoric or multichromophoric holoprotein photoreceptor capable of absorbing UV-A, blue, and green light and that this photoreceptor regulates all the phototropic responses of Arabidopsis. It appears that the NPH1 protein is most likely a 120-kD plasma membrane-associated phosphoprotein because all of the nph1 mutations negatively affected the abundance of this protein. In addition, the putative NPH1 photoreceptor protein is genetically and biochemically distinct from the HY4 protein, which most likely acts as a photoreceptor for blue light-mediated hypocotyl growth inhibition. Furthermore, the NPH1 and HY4 proteins are not functionally redundant because mutations in either gene alone affect only one physiological response but not the other, thus providing strong support for the hypothesis that more than one blue light photoreceptor is required for the normal growth and development of a seedling.
Periodic neutropenia and monocytopenia.

A patient with periodic neutropenia exhibited simultaneous monocytopenia, and epinephrine infusion revealed no monocytes in the marginating pool during neutropenia. Lymphocytes, eosinophils, and platelets also fluctuated periodically, but serial bone marrow studies and epinephrine infusion data indicate these fluctuations could have represented epiphenomena rather than a more global form of periodic hematopoiesis. Bone marrow descriptions of most cases of periodic neutropenia have indicated a ''maturation arrest'' at the promyelocyte or myelocyte stage prior to development of neutropenia; peripheral blood monocytes are usually normal or fluctuate out of phase with neutrophils. In the present case, ''maturation arrest'' occurred at the myeloblast stage, and neutrophils and monocytes cycled together. Morphologically normal eosinophilopoiesis with a mean eosinophil to erythroid ratio in the marrow of 0.27 +/- 0.10 (SD) persisted despite a sustained disappearance of promyelocytes.
Characterization of Microvascular-Based Self-healing Coatings

A protocol is described to assess self-healing of crack damage in a polymer coating deposited on a substrate containing a microvascular network. The bio-inspired coating/substrate design delivers healing agent to cracks in the coating via a three-dimensional microvascular network embedded in the substrate. Through capillary action, monomer flows from the network channels into the crack plane where it is polymerized by a catalyst embedded in the coating. The healing efficiency of this materials system is assessed by the recovery of coating fracture toughness in a four-point beam bending experiment. Healing results for the microvascular networks are compared to data for a coating containing microencapsulated healing agents. A single crack in a brittle epoxy coating is healed as many as seven times in the microvascular systems, whereas microcapsule-based healing occurs for only one cycle. The ability to heal continuously with the microvascular networks is limited by the availability of catalyst in the coating.
Augmented Reality for Teaching Science Vocabulary to Postsecondary Education Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the use of an emerging technology called augmented reality to teach science vocabulary words to college students with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. One student with autism and three students with an intellectual disability participated in a multiple probe across behaviors (i.e., acquisition of science vocabulary words) design. Data were collected on each student's ability to define and label three sets of science vocabulary words (i.e., bones, organs, and plant cells). The results indicate that all students acquired definition and labeling knowledge for the new science vocabulary terms. Results are discussed in the context of applying universal design principles with emerging technologies to create authentic opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders to learn science vocabulary. (Keywords: augmented reality, autism, intellectual disability, science vocabulary, universal design for learning)
Consensus in the marital dyad: couples' perceptions of contraception, communication, and family life.

Abstract The present study was based on data collected (separately for husbands and wives) from 365 couples to determine levels of consensus on a series of variables related to the family forming process. Following Scheff (1967), consensus was operationalized as both agreement and coorientation in the marital dyad. The data generally indicated low levels of consensus on such variables as contraceptive efficacy, desired family size, child spacing, unwanted pregnancies, communication with spouse, and levels of alienation. The results are discussed within the framework of family planning and effective fertility control.
Oral Health and the Epidemiology of Oral Disease in Older Adults

The most common oral diseases in older adults (≥60 years of age) are dental caries, chronic periodontal disease and tooth loss, with oral cancer also important. Dental caries are caused by metabolic changes in a biofilm. Dry mouth is an important risk factor. Preventions include fluorides, toothbrushing and flossing. Periodontal disease (i.e., gingivitis, periodontitis) is associated with pathological changes in oral biofilm microbial ecology, supragingival biofilm in gingivitis and subgingival in periodontitis. Both cause localized gingival tissue inflammation, but periodontitis can result in destruction of tooth-supporting bone and gingival tissue, leading to tooth loss. Risk factors include genetic and other immune-response-altering factors. Preventions include daily personal oral hygiene for gingivitis, professional dental hygiene for periodontitis and smoking cessation for both. Tooth loss was once expected with aging, but now more tooth-retaining approaches to oral disease management are used. Lower income and less educated individuals have fewer retained teeth and higher rates of complete loss of teeth. Oral cancer is most common in older adults, with tobacco use being the most important risk factor. Overall, oral disease can detrimentally affect social functioning and quality of life.
The Promise of Carolene Products: A Footnote to the Footnote

The Supreme Court’s upholding of Congress’s Filled Milk Act of 1923 which banned the shipment in interstate commerce of skimmed milk compounded with certain fats or oils excited little comment at the time. Yet a seemingly passing observation arising out of the decision has continued to hold enduring, almost obsessive, significance for academics and judges alike. I refer, of course, to Justice Stone’s famous footnote 4 in U.S. v. Carolene Products. That footnote, arguably the most famous in legal history, reads in relevant part: “…It is unnecessary to consider now whether legislation which restricts those political processes which can ordinarily be expected to bring about repeal of undesirable legislation, is to be subjected to more exacting judicial scrutiny under the general prohibitions of the Fourteenth Amendment than are most other types of legislation…Nor need we enquire whether similar considerations enter into the review of statutes directed at particular religious, or racial minorities…whether prejudice against discrete and insular minorities may be a special condition, which tends seriously to curtail the operation of those political processes ordinarily to be relied upon to protect minorities, and which may call for a correspondingly more searching judicial inquiry.”The promise of this brief reference to a heightened role for judicial review where political processes were likely to work against discrete and insular minorities served to inspire John Hart Ely’s Democracy and Distrust. Forty years after Carolene Products had been decided, Ely agreed that “discrete and insular minorities” could often be failed by political processes and that courts should step in to remedy such failures. Ely realized, as Justice Stone did, that discrete and insular minorities could forge political alliances and “mutual defense pacts” with other minorities as well as with broader majorities. He knew, however, that such wheeling and dealing has its limitations – sometimes political allies simply cannot be found.
Social Enterprise Among University-Based Centers in US Schools of Social Work

Globally, social enterprise is used increasingly by nonprofit organizations to create new funding streams in the face of dwindling public funds. In light of evidence that institutions of higher education are making similar adaptations, this study explores the extent to which academic centers in US schools of social work are using social enterprise strategies to fund mission efforts. Interviews with the directors of 16 social work research centers in 14 states reveal incentives and barriers that exist at multiple levels and considerably impact the potential viability of social enterprise in the social work academic setting. Implications for institutions of higher education and social work scholars are discussed.
Genomic Aspects of Nitrogen Fixation in the Clostridia

The genus Clostridium is a diverse collection of rod-shaped, spore-forming, obligately anaerobic bacteria, which do not carry out dissimilatory sulfate reduction and usually stain gram positive in young cultures (Collins et al., 1994). At present, more than 160 named species are included in the traditional genus Clostridium (according to the database maintained at the National Center for Biotechnology Information or NCBI, USA). However, it has been proposed that, on the basis of phenotypic criteria and the results of phylogenetic analyses, the diverse species in the traditional genus Clostridium be rearranged into different genera (Collins et al., 1994). In this proposed rearrangement, the genus Clostridium is reserved for species that belong to the rRNA group I of Johnson and Francis (1975). The redefined genus Clostridium, based on Clostridium butyricum, retains the better known nitrogen-fixing species of the traditional genus Clostridium. The genus Paenibacillus contains nitrogen-fixing species that form spores under anaerobic conditions (Rosado et al., 1997). The former Clostridium durum or Paenibacillus durum, the dominant organism found in a sediment core from the Black Sea, has been reclassified as a member of the species Paenibacillus azotofixans (Rosado et al., 1997). Criteria used in the reclassification include the DNA relatedness at the genome level as measured by the DNA-DNA reassociation technique. Thus, some of the spore-forming, nitrogen-fixing rods do not belong to the genus Clostridium. The genus Clostridium has been closely associated with the advancement of our knowledge about biological nitrogen fixation. Modern biochemical studies on nitrogen fixation became possible when consistently active cell-free extracts were
Biology and Control of the Sorghum Midge. 3. Importance of Stage of Bloom and Effective Residual of Selected Insecticides

Grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, boots were covered with pollination bags prior to head emergence and a series of 10 bags were removed at 4 stages of grain head development to subject them to attack by field populations of the sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillett), for a 24-hr exposure period. Seed damage patterns indicated that minor oviposition occurred prior to the appearance of blooms and after most blooms had been sheet. Maximum egg deposition occurred during the 24-hr exposure period when the heads were in 50% yellow and 50% red blooms. Tests of the control effectiveness of residues of 4 insecticides were made in plots with heads protected from midge, treated, and then recovered with pollination bags or net cages. Heads were subsequently exposed to field midge populations or to midges introduced into the cag’s at 24-hr intervals. Results indicated that all insecticides were effective for 48 hr. Parathion was much less effective by the 3rd day, carbophenothion by the 4th day, and disulfoton and endrin by the 5th day, demonstrating the need for a minimum 3-4 day interval in the spray schedule for midge control when using some of these compounds.
Circuits, Membranes, and Pumps

The ECLS circuit is composed of a variety of specialized devices that need to function separately and in concert to support the patient. As each case and patient will demand different solutions, circuits vary in their features. This chapter provides a fund of knowledge regarding these components: what function they provide, the general principles involved, and how to identify device compromise or failure. It therefore serves as a guide for building a circuit for each patient; balancing the various needs at hand requires an understanding of such matters. Also discussed are priming of the circuit and patient–circuit interactions such as drug adsorption and inflammation due to blood–surface interaction.
A Survey on Power System Wide-Area Protection and Control

The challenges and opportunities, which power grids are confronted with at present, are analyzed. The development of the functions, control strategies and related technologies of wide-area protection system at home and abroad is presented. The difficulties that current research on wide-area protection is faced with are expounded. The authors point out the development trends of wide-area protection system in the future, they are: being integrated with traditional protections and SCADA/EMS, adopting multi-agent architecture and establishing new mechanisms for information exchange and pre-warning.
Evaluating the effect of a selective piscivore fishery on rockfish recovery within marine protected areas

Author(s): Oken, KL; Essington, TE | Abstract: Although ecosystem-based fisheries management is often associated with trade-offs between conflicting demands for ecosystem services, the holistic ecological considerations the approach promotes may sometimes lead to novel solutions that benefit both conservation and fisheries. Directed fishing on large piscivorous fish can reduce predation on prey and thereby benefit those populations, but incidental take of prey species in these fisheries may negate or even reverse the benefit. Whether benefits from reduced predation outweigh the costs of increased fishing will depend on the relative strength of each mortality source and the sensitivity of the population to mortality at different life stages. In the California Current, predatory lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) populations recovered rapidly from fishing exploitation over the past two decades, while recovery of some rockfish species (Sebastes spp.) has been slow, mainly because of low natural productivities. One management tool has been the adoption of rockfish conservation areas (RCAs) that prohibit bottom contact fishing gear. Because lingcod also inhabit RCAs, fishers have been unable to catch their sustainable lingcod quotas. Therefore, we explored the conditions under which opening RCAs to a selective lingcod fishery might permit rockfish recovery despite the potential bycatch. We developed a joint equilibrium model of the two populations and analysed scenarios to assess the sensitivity of the model's predictions to key uncertainties. The model suggests a wide range of fishery and ecological conditions under which a lingcod fishery may not harm rockfish populations. However, a sensitivity analysis indicated that the range of fishing scenarios where rockfish are not harmed is highly sensitive to assumptions regarding the nature of the trophic linkage between lingcod and rockfish. We conclude that consideration of trophic interactions may reveal new fishing opportunities that meet both ecological and human goals, but precise predictions of the outcomes will require more detailed models and adaptive management.
Simultaneous determination of six anions in vegetables by ion chromatography

Objective:To develop a method with ion chromatography to simultaneously determine six anions in vegetables.Methods: The six anions in samples were extracted by ultrasound and separated by an Ionpac AS 23 column(250 mm×4 mm i.d.) with Ionpac AG23 and 3.5 mM Na2CO3/1.0 mM NaHCO3 as eluent.The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min.Anions were detected by suppressed conductivity detection.Results: The linearity of F-,Cl-,NO-2,NO-3,PO3-4,SO2-4 were good in the range of 0.1 mg/L~10.0 mg/L,1.0 mg/L~20.0 mg/L,0.1 mg/L~10.0 mg/L,1.0 mg/L~50.0 mg/L,1.0 mg/L~50.0 mg/L,1.0 mg/L~50.0 mg/L.The recovery of the method was 92.0%~107.2% and relative standard deviation(RSD) was 5%.The detection limit were F-:0.6 mg/kg;Cl-:7.0 mg/kg;NO-2: 0.6 mg/kg;NO-3: 7.0 mg/kg;PO3-4: 7.0 mg/kg;SO2-4: 7.0 mg/kg.Conclusion: The method was accurate,sensitive,simple and it can be applied for inspection of F-,Cl-,NO-2,NO-3,PO3-4,SO2-4 in vegetable,which simultaneously and completely separated all anions in 30 minutes.
Changes in Triglyceride-Rich Lipoprotein Composition in Response to a High-Fat Meal Promote Endothelial Inflammation in Hypertriglyceridemic Subjects

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and disability globally, despite the realization that much of this burden is preventable. Poor diet, and associated obesity and hyper...
Independent tuning of stiffness and toughness of additively manufactured titanium-polymer composites: Simulation, fabrication, and experimental studies

Abstract Titanium (Ti) alloys are one of the most appropriate metals for bio-medical applications, specifically in making implants. However, the high difference between the stiffness of the Ti alloys and compact bone results in stress shielding of the bone and stress concentration at the implant, both of which are undesirable and could result in implant failure. One method to reduce the stiffness of a dense implants and avoid the stress shielding is adding porosity to the structure. This however results in considerable reduction in the toughness of the structure, which is also undesirable for the long-term success of implants. In this work, we study a new method for independently tuning the stiffness and toughness of the material by adding various polymers to the additively manufactured porous Ti structures. Porous Ti samples with two levels of porosity are fabricated through additive manufacturing. Three different types of thermoplastic polymers are utilized to fill the pores and make the titanium-polymer composite parts. Compression simulations and tests are performed on both porous and composite specimens to compare the mechanical behavior of these structures. Various finite element simulations are conducted on different structures and the results are verified with experiments. Simulation results and experimental findings indicate that filling porous Ti with thermoplastic polymers leads to an increase in the toughness of the structure. The percentage increase of the toughness is assessed as a function of the polymer toughness and the level of porosity in various samples. Our results pave the way for designing polymer-composite structures with independently tunable stiffness and toughness for being employed in a broad range of applications.
Salivary Pepsin Lacks Sensitivity as a Diagnostic Tool to Evaluate Extraesophageal Reflux Disease

Objectives To determine the sensitivity of salivary pepsin compared with multichannel intraluminal impedance with pH testing (pH-MII), endoscopy, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) questionnaires. Study design We prospectively recruited 50 children from Boston Children's Hospital who were undergoing pH-MII to evaluate for GERD. The patients completed 24-hour pH-MII testing, completed symptom and quality of life questionnaires, and provided a saliva specimen that was analyzed using the PepTest lateral flow test. A subset of patients also underwent bronchoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to determine the sensitivity of salivary pepsin compared with each reference standard. Results Twenty-one of the 50 patients (42%) were salivary pepsin-positive, with a median salivary pepsin concentration of 10 ng/mL (IQR, 10-55 ng/mL). There was no significant difference in the distributions of acid, nonacid, total reflux episodes, full column reflux, or any other reflux variable in patients who were pepsin-positive compared with those who were pepsin-negative ( P > .50). There was no significant correlation between the number of reflux episodes and pepsin concentration ( P > .10). There was no positive relationship between salivary pepsin positivity, any extraesophageal symptoms or quality of life scores, or inflammation on bronchoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy ( P > .30). Conclusion Salivary pepsin measurement has a low sensitivity for predicting pathological gastroesophageal reflux in children.
Gas breakdown and plasma generation by dielectric resonator arrays

Dielectric resonators are illuminated by electromagnetic planes waves and used to ignite and sustain arrays of microwave plasmas. The resonators consist of calcium titanate cylinders (nom. 30 mm diam. × 15 mm high). The resonators were arranged in a line with separation distances between 0.5 and 5 mm. We report plasma ignition in the gaps between the resonators using the HEMm resonance1 at 1.1 GHz. Paschen curves of the breakdown field and breakdown voltage are measured in reduced pressure argon. The breakdown is consistent with parallel plate microwave breakdown measurements2 except if the discharge gap is 1 mm or less. Sustained argon plasmas between 0.5 Torr and 1 atm are found to alter the electromagnetic scattering, suggesting applications in plasma-reconfigurable metamaterials and photonic crystals.
Effect of mastic tree( Pistacia lenticus) resins on some blood parameters in rabbits

This study was designed to evaluate the physiological effects of the mastic tree (Pistacia lenticus)resins on some blood parameters in rabbits.Fourteen local domestic rabbits were used, were randomly assigned into two equal groups :control and treatment groups. Treated animals were received mastic tree resin as infusion at a dose of 2g\ rabbit daily for seven days. The studied blood parameters have been estimated at the end of experiment period. The results showed that the use of mastic tree lead to significant increase in RBC, Hb, and MCHC, significant decrease in WBC, MCV, MCH and PLT count, and insignificant changes in the percentage of PCV, monocytes and lymphocytes, and decrease in the granulocytes percentage.
Red Blood Cell S-Nitrosohemoglobin Deficiency in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Recent studies have suggested that binding of oxygen to hemoglobin (Hb) facilitates reactions of nitric oxide (NO) that lead to production of S -nitrosohemoglobin (SNO-Hb), and that vasodilator S -nitrosthiol (SNO) is dispensed by red blood cells (RBCs) at low oxygen tension (pO 2 ) to dilate blood vessels. In human lungs, NO bioactivity serves to attenuate hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). We therefore considered the possibility that RBC-SNO may oppose HPV and that defective vasodilation by RBCs may contribute to the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here we report that RBCs from patients with PAH exhibit substantial depletion of SNO-Hb and consequent impairment in hypoxia-mediated vasodilation. Furthermore, levels of RBC-NO correlated inversely with pulmonary artery pressures. A SNO-Hb deficiency characteristic of PAH was reproduced in control RBCs by hypoxia: loss of SNO-Hb was accompanied by a buildup of heme-NO species that are deficient in the pO 2 -governed intramolecular transfer of NO to cysteine thiol, yielding RBCs deficient in NO bioactivity. SNO-deficient RBCs produced exaggerated HPV responses as compared to SNO-replete RBCs. In PAH patients, SNO-Hb repletion fully restored the hypoxic vasodilator activity of RBCs. Our results suggest that a deficiency in RBC-SNO contributes to pulmonary hypertension and hypoxemia, and that repletion of RBC-SNO represents a rational strategy for treating PAH patients.
Normal Serum-Erythropoietin (S-epo) Level at Diagnosis of Polycythemia Vera (PV) Correlates with LowJAK2V617F Mutant Allele Burden and Indicates Mild Phenotype.

Abstract Abstract 4978 A low serum-erythropoietin (S-epo) level is a minor criterion of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for diagnosing polycythemia vera (PV) even though previous studies indicate that a normal level does not always rule out PV. We wished to determine whether a normal S-epo level correlates with a low JAK2V617F mutant allele burden and a low phlebotomy (PHL) rate, since the relationship between S-epo level, JAK2V617F allele burden, and PHL rate heretofore has not been reported. At diagnosis, we grouped the S-epo levels of 26 PV patients (pts) as follows: low ( 10 U/l). Of the 26 pts, 4 (15.4%) had normal S-epo levels, and 22 had low S-epo levels. The diagnosis of PV in pts with normal S-epo levels was made by quantitative JAK2V617F analysis and elevated Cr51 red cell mass (RCM). All pts had a bone marrow biopsy consistent with PV. We determined the number of phlebotomies required to maintain normal hematocrit (hct) levels ('42% women, '45% men) as an assessment of disease severity during the period prior to myelosuppressive therapy. We then examined the number of phlebotomies per year (PHL/yr) in relation to S-epo level at diagnosis. Of the 26 pts, 14 were treated with PHL-only for a mean of 15 months (mos) prior to beginning other therapies including anagrelide, hydroxyurea, imatinib, and rIFNa-2b. The number of PHL/yr were grouped into 4 categories: 0 (none), 1 – 5 (low), 6 – 10 (moderate), and >10 (high). Of the 14 pts, 3 had a normal S-epo level at diagnosis, all of whom had a low PHL requirement, median 3/yr. The other 11 pts had low S-epo levels at diagnosis and a median PHL requirement of 6/yr (7 moderate and 4 low). Thus, while a low S-epo level at presentation was usually associated with moderate PHL requirement, a normal S-epo level at diagnosis was always associated with a subsequently low PHL requirement during the period of observation (mean 15 mos). Of the 26 pts, 14 had quantitative JAK2 analyses done at diagnosis. The other 12 were diagnosed prior to 2002 and quantitative JAK2 determinations were not available. Of the 14 pts, 2 had a normal S-epo level and a low JAK2V617F mutant allele burden (1-25%). These 2 pts also had a low PHL requirement. Thus, these pts who had normal S-epo levels, had JAK2V617F allele burdens in the lowest quartile, and had low PHL rates. Of the remaining 12 pts, 5 had JAK2V617F allele burdens in the 2nd (25-50%) quartile, 5 in the 3rd (50-75%) quartile, and 1 each in the 1st and 4th quartiles. We conclude (1) as previously reported, about 15% of pts with PV present with normal S-epo levels at diagnosis, suggesting a limitation of this WHO criterion, and (2) those pts with a low JAK2V617F allele burden and a normal S-epo level required fewer PHL/yr, all suggesting a more benign phenotype. This may provide a useful prognostic tool for patients with PV. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.