cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Schooling, Sexual Orientation, Law, and Policy: Making Schools Safe for All Students

Sexual minority youth are in the news as never before, and they are the topic of many public controversies. Research suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are often exposed to school environments that are hostile to them. As one might expect in these circumstances, sexual minority youth report feeling depressed, isolated, and even suicidal more often than do their peers. Laws and policies designed to make schools safer for sexual minority youth, greater inclusion of LGBT-related material in the curriculum, and establishment of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) have all been proposed as ways to make schools safer for sexual minority students. The limited research evidence available now shows that the social climate for LGBT youth is more positive at schools with GSAs, but much remains to be learned. Overall, making schools safer for LGBT youth will require cooperation among school officials, teachers, parents, and others.
Darier's disease associated with cutaneous malignancies.

There have been no reports of cutaneous malignancies arising in lesions of patients with Darier's disease. Two such cases are herewith reported, one a carcinoma of adnexal origin, and the other of several basal-cell carcinomata. Possible predisposing factors are briefly discussed and speculated upon.
Features of a reattaching turbulent shear layer subject to an adverse pressure gradient

Experimental data have been obtained in an incompressible turbulent flow over a rearward-facing step with superimposed adverse pressure gradient. Mean velocities, Reynolds stresses and triple-products measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter are presented for two cases of adverse pressure gradient. Mixing lengths, eddy viscosities, production, convection, turbulent diffusion, and dissipation terms are extracted from the data. These data are compared with various mixing length and eddy-viscosity turbulence models. Numerical calculations incorporating the k-epsilon and the algebraic-stress turbulence models are compared with the data. When determining quantities of engineering interest, the modified algebraic-stress model (ASM) is a significant improvement over the unmodified ASM and the unmodified k-epsilon model
In vitro measurements of physiological glucose concentrations in biological fluids using mid-infrared spectroscopy

Predictions of glucose concentrations throughout the physiological range are obtained in vitro using partial least squares regression analysis of mid-infrared transmission spectra. Concentrations as low as 30 mg/dL are predicted to clinical accuracy.
Ultrasonic fatigue of a single crystal Ni-base superalloy at 1000 °C

Abstract An ultrasonic fatigue testing system capable of operating at temperatures up to 1000 °C has been developed and utilized to study the fatigue behavior of a single crystal superalloy (PWA 1484) at a temperature of 1000 °C and loading frequency of approximately 20 kHz. The stress-life data generated from the ultrasonic testing system were comparable to those from conventional servo-hydraulic fatigue tests for similar single crystal alloys. Interior Ta-rich carbides were the major microstructural feature responsible for crack initiation in the alloy. Crack growth under ultrasonic loading frequency at 1000 °C for PWA 1484 occurred in a crystallographic manner on {1 1 1} octahedral slip planes, in contrast to the normal Mode-I growth mode typically observed for single crystal superalloys at high temperature (>850 °C) with conventional servo-hydraulic loading frequencies (
Role of magnetic resonance urography in the diagnosis of single-system ureteral ectopia with congenital renal dysplasia: a tertiary care center experience in India.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this article is to study the role of magnetic resonance urography (MRU) in single-system ureteral ectopia with congenital renal dysplasia in children. Materials and Methods Patients of incontinence with an otherwise normal voiding pattern were investigated by MRU and conventional radiology. All the patients underwent laparoscopic nephroureterectomy after MRU. Results Magnetic resonance urography picked up the dysplastic moieties and their location as well as functional status and also depicted the course of the ectopic ureter in all the 7 patients. Conclusion Magnetic resonance urography is the better method of investigation for the diagnosis of this condition than conventional radiologic investigations and renal scan.
Individual Preference versus Role-Constraint in Policy-Making: Senatorial Response to Secretaries Acheson and Dulles

Frequently debated, infrequently resolved, but crucial to the study of international relations is the issue of the relative influence of personal factors and role factors in decision-making. Are national decision-makers so constrained by their roles that they have little individual freedom? Or, conversely, are their policies shaped in major ways by their own individual preferences
New methodology: Measuring racial or ethnic disparities in child welfare

Abstract Understanding the disparate treatment of African American children in the child welfare system requires consideration of the dynamics at a community level and the state level. Looking across a state allows one to target policies and practices to areas within the state that are most in need. This paper argues for a new method of assessing disparate treatment in child welfare that takes into consideration the racial or ethnic makeup of the community in conjunction with the racial or ethnic makeup across the state. This paper uses decision based enumeration which helps to pinpoint decisions where disparities are the greatest, and helps target decisions that most impact disparate treatment. This paper utilizes a methodology that is both accessible to state and county child welfare administrators and utilizes data that is readily available to child welfare policy makers and administrators. Using data from Illinois to illustrate this methodology, this paper highlights the regions within the state where limited resources may be targeted to address disproportionate representation and disparate treatment in Illinois' child welfare system.
Human Biotransformation of the Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Rilpivirine and a Cross-Species Metabolism Comparison

Rilpivirine is a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used to treat HIV-1. In the present study, the pathways responsible for the biotransformation of rilpivirine were defined. Using human liver microsomes, the formation of two mono- and two dioxygenated metabolites were detected via ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Mass spectral analysis of the products suggested that these metabolites resulted from oxygenation of the 2,6-dimethylphenyl ring and methyl groups of rilpivirine. Chemical inhibition studies and cDNA-expressed cytochrome P450 (CYP) assays indicated that oxygenations were catalyzed primarily by CYP3A4 and CYP3A5. Glucuronide conjugates of rilpivirine and a monomethylhydroxylated metabolite of rilpivirine were also detected and were found to be formed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) UGT1A4 and UGT1A1, respectively. All metabolites that were identified in vitro were detectable in vivo. Further, targeted UHPLC-MS/MS-based in vivo metabolomics screening revealed that rilpivirine treatment versus efavirenz treatment may result in differential levels of endogenous metabolites, including tyrosine, homocysteine, and adenosine. Rilpivirine biotransformation was also assessed across species using liver microsomes isolated from a range of mammals, and the metabolite profile identified using human liver microsomes was largely conserved for both oxidative and glucuronide metabolite formation. These studies provide novel insight into the metabolism of rilpivirine and the potential differential effects of rilpivirine- and efavirenz-containing antiretroviral regimens on the endogenous metabolome.
Assessments of Textbook Usage and the Relationship to Student Course Performance

The authors conducted two studies regarding student textbook preferences; the first developed an original measurement tool (the Collegiate Student Assessment of Textbooks [CSAT]), including an examination of the relationship between student textbook preferences with learning- and grade-oriented attitudes. The second study was a large-scale national study administering the CSAT and the Textbook Assessment and Usage Scale (TAUS; Gurung and Martin 2011) to introductory psychology students; a portion of the study includes actual student course performance data. CSAT and TAUS subscale comparisons indicate (a) converging validity, (b) significant relationships to percentage of textbook read, and (c) relationships between GPA and expected course grades. An indirect link appears between the effect of pedagogical aids, percentage of textbook read, and actual course outcomes. The authors discuss a possible moderating variable and the potential benefits from continued study of textbook pedagogical aids and student p...
The effect of salinity on the osmotic, sodium, and chloride concentrations in the hemolymph of the freshwater shrimps, Macrobrachium ohione smith and Macrobrachium rosenbergii de man

Abstract 1. 1. Adult Macrobrachium ohione are capable of weak hypoosmotic regulation and hypoionic regulation with respect to sodium and chloride regulation at an external osmolality of 822 mOsm/kg, and very strong hyperosmotic and hyperionic regulation in freshwater. The isosmotic crossover osmolality is 643 mOsm/kg and the isoionic concentration is 236 mM/1 for sodium and 224 mM/1 for chloride. 2. 2. Juvenile M. rosenbergii are also strong hyperosmotic and hyperionic regulators in freshwater but at high salinities they are slightly hyperosmotic to the media, isoionic with respect to sodium, and hypoionic with respect to chloride. The isoionic crossover concentration for chloride is 189 mM/1. 3. 3. Although both species are able to maintain a relatively constant hemolymph concentration in tapwater diluted with deionized water, M. rosenbergii is a more effective hyperosmotic and hyperionic regulator than M. ohione at very dilute concentrations ( 4. 4. The percentage of the osmotic concentration due to sodium and chloride suggests that protein in the hemolymph may be osmotically significant.
Demand characteristics and the response suppression hypothesis

College student subjects were given the opportunity to pull a plunger (Linsley manipulandum) or press a small panel in a three-stage design. Five minutes of free access (baseline) was followed by a 5-min contingency phase in which 10 responses to the plunger were required to free the panel for a single press. This was followed by a 5-min return to baseline. From a postexperiment questionnaire, subjects were judged to have been either aware or unaware of the contingent relation between the plunger and the panel. Those judged to have been aware yielded much higher rates of plunger pulling during the contingent phase and were more active during baseline measurement. These results raise problems for the response suppression methodology of Eisenberger, Karpman, and Trattner (1967), since they can be as readily accounted for by Orne’s (1962) demand hypothesis.
Testing for a change in the hazard rate with staggered entry

Abstract We develop a likelihood-ratio based procedure for testing for a change in the hazard rate of the patients' survival distribution when the patients enter the trial at random times. We show that the profile log-likelihood ratio process converges weakly to a non-stationary Gaussian process and obtain the upper percentiles of the supremum of the limiting process using an approximation for the tail distribution of the supremum of the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. We also discuss the power of the test.
The Neighbor Between Rosenzweig and Lacan

Death is the persistent kernel of a human life in both Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory and Franz Rosenzweig’s theology. Lacan’s reformulation of the Freudian drive conceives of death as the annihilating force behind each person’s desire. Accordingly, the other assumes death’s absolute impenetrability. Rosenzweig likewise insists that perpetual acknowledgement of death must individuate a human life; however, his theology of revelation allows for the disclosure of the absolute Other in a commandment to love. Two ethics proceed from these two figures of death: a Lacanian ethics of distance and a Rosenzweigian ethics of communitarian love. Finally, I consider whether a Rosenzweigian posture toward the neighbor must be predicated on a transcendent faith.
A Simple Allele-Specific PCR Assay for Detecting FAD2 Alleles in Both A and B Genomes of the Cultivated Peanut for High-Oleate Trait Selection

In cultivated tetraploid peanut (2n = 4x = 40, AABB), the conversion of oleic acid to linoleic acid is mainly catalyzed by the Δ12 fatty acid desaturase (FAD). Two homoeologous genes (FAD2A and FAD2B) encoding for the desaturase are located on the A and B genomes, respectively. Abolishing or reducing the desaturase activity by gene mutation can significantly increase the oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio. F435-derived high-oleate peanut cultivars contain two key mutations within the Δ12 fatty acid desaturase gene which include a 1-bp substitution of G:C→A:T in the A genome and a 1-bp insertion of A:T in the B genome. Both of these mutations contribute to abolishing or reducing the desaturase activity, leading to accumulation of oleate versus linoleate. Currently, detection of FAD2 alleles can be achieved by a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker for the A genome and a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) marker for the B genome; however, detection of these key mutations has to use different assay platforms. Therefore, a simple PCR assay for detection of FAD2 alleles on both genomes was developed by designing allele-specific primers and altering PCR annealing temperatures. This assay was successfully used for detecting FAD2 alleles in peanut. Gas chromatography (GC) was used to determine fatty acid composition of PCR-assayed genotypes. The results from the PCR assay and GC analysis were consistent. This PCR assay is quick, reliable, economical, and easy to use. Implementation of this PCR assay will greatly enhance the efficiency of germplasm characterization and marker-assisted selection of high oleate in peanut.
Human Rights, Claimability and the Uses of Abstraction

This article addresses the so-called ‘claimability objection’ to human rights. Focusing specifically on the work of Onora O'Neill, the article challenges two important aspects of her version of this objection. First: its narrowness. O'Neill understands the claimability of a right to depend on the identification of its duty-bearers. But there is good reason to think that the claimability of a right depends on more than just that, which makes abstract (and not welfare) rights the most natural target of her objection (section II). After examining whether we might address this reformulated version of O'Neill's objection by appealing to the specificity afforded to human rights in international, regional and domestic law (in section III), the article challenges a second important feature of that objection by raising doubts about whether claimability is a necessary feature of rights at all (section IV). Finally, the article reflects more generally on the role of abstraction in the theory and practice of human rights (section V). In sum, by allaying claimability-based concerns about abstract rights, and by illustrating some of the positive functions of abstraction in rights discourse, the article hopes to show that abstract rights are not only theoretically coherent but also useful and important.
Investigations of Zeolitic Materials at the NIST Center for Neutron Research

Crystallographic studies of four zeolitic materials using neutron powder diffraction data are presented. In most cases, these projects benefited from the combined use of neutron and x-ray measurements.
A statistical study of the combined effects of substrate temperature, bias, annealing and a Cr3Si2 undercoating on the tribological properties of r.f. sputtered MoS2 coatings

Abstract We have completed a study of the effects of (1) substrate temperature, (2) substrate bias, (3) post-deposition annealing and (4) the presence of a Cr3Si2 undercoating on the tribological properties of MoS2 coatings 300–500 nm thick which were r.f. sputter deposited on annealed type 304 stainless steel substrates. It was determined that a Cr3Si2 undercoating and substrate bias are the most important individual factors in order to obtain MoS2 coatings with low coefficients of friction, 0.07 in laboratory air. The highest coefficients of friction, 0.12, occured for coatings which were not heated during deposition nor annealed afterwards and which were deposited onto substrates that were not biased during deposition or precoated with Cr3Si2. Coatings which were deposited onto substrates that were precoated with Cr3Si2, subjected to a deposition temperature of 300°C, biased during deposition and annealed afterwards were able to withstand the most wear. The best MoS2 coatings with regard to both coefficient of friction and wear occur over a broad range of substrate biases from -50 to -100 V. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that there are significant differences in the morphology of the MoS2 coatings which occur in conjunction with the different deposition conditions studied.
Isolation and characterization of a new fumonisin from liquid cultures of Fusarium moniliforme

A new fumonisin has been isolated from liquid cultures of Fusarium moniliforme. The new compound was separated from fumonisin B 1 by preparative hplc and characterized by liquid sims, gc-ms analysis of TMSi and TFA derivatives, and 1 H and 13 C nmr. The new compound, fumonisin C 1 {2} lacked the amino-end terminal-methyl group of fumonisin B 1 and is the diester of 13,14-propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylicacid and 1-amino-11,15 -dimethyl-2,4,9,11,14-pentahydroxynonadecane
Cooperative communications in the fading channel

Cooperative coding is a communication paradigm that pools distributed resources of different nodes in a network, such that the nodes act like a collaborative system instead of greedy adversarial participants. Cooperation has shown promise in increasing throughput and providing better power efficiency in wireless networks. In this work, we consider a basic example of cooperative communication, relay coding, and consider methods to improve the power efficiency by employing feedback and using power control. We consider power control policies based on the degree of transmitter channel knowledge. First, when perfect feedback is available, we show results for the optimal power control policy for any network code. We show that by using the decode and forward relaying protocol, in some cases it is possible to approach the universal lower bound on the outage probability for the block fading relay channel. Second, when a finite rate of feedback is available, we see that only a few feedback bits are necessary to achieve most of the gains that the perfect feedback policy has over constant power transmission. Based on these results, it is evident that future network protocols should utilize feedback in order to fully exploit the potential gains of network coding.
DIFFERENCES IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS-ASSOCIATED PROPERTIES OF THE BLUEGREEN ALGA SYNECHOCOCCUS CEDRORUM CROWN AT 30 AND 40 C1

The growth of Synechococcus cedrorum Saug. (UTEX 1191) at 40 C resulted in structural and functional alteratons relative to cells grown at 30 C. Structural variations included cell morphology and the chemical composition of the membrane. Growth at 40 C. produced cells that were longer and thinner than those at 30 C. The fatty acid composition changed substantially upon growth at 40 C. yielding a distribution with a higher ratio of: i) saturated to unsaturated fatty acids and; ii) longer chain unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the pattern of membrane proteins as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis was distinctly different. The functional changes were typified by photosynthetic rates which were approximately half those of the 30 C grown cells. A number of spectral parameters were also seen to change in 40 C. grown cells: absorption spectra indicated a higher phycocyanin : chlorophyll ratio. Low temperature fluorescence spectra were consistent with a lowered efficiency of energy transfer from phycocyanin to chlorophyll. It is suggested that the fatty acid changes at 40 C. yield a more fluid membrane which is responsible for the functional alterations. The modification of phycocyanin. chlorophyll ratios, as well as the appearance of P750, is discussed with respect to membrane fluidity.
Termination of immunological tolerance in mice to human IgG by human IgA

Abstract The termination of a state of immunologic tolerance in mice to human IgG by the injection of human IgA was investigated in vivo by immune elimination and in vitro by passive hemagglutination. For this study, C57Bl mice were rendered immunologically tolerant by the intraperitoneal injection of 1.0 mg of human IgG (tolerogen). Twenty days after the injection of the tolerogen, mice were injected subcutaneously with the cross-reacting antigen human IgA in Freund's incomplete adjuvant once a week for 3 weeks. Seven days after the last immunizing dose of human IgA, the mice were injected intraperitoneally with 125 I-labeled human IgG. The course of elimination was followed by whole-body counting. The results of this investigation demonstrated that tolerance to human IgG in mice may be terminated by injection of human IgA. It is postulated that homology among the three major classes of human immunoglobulins could explain the ability of IgM and IgA to terminate tolerance to IgG in mice.
Elevated Preoperative Neutrophil:Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Postoperative Disease Recurrence in Esophageal Cancer

Background The prognosis for patients with esophageal cancer is poor, even among those who undergo potentially curative esophagectomy. The neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is hypothesized to reflect the systemic inflammatory response created by a tumor and is possibly predictive of tumor aggressiveness and propensity for metastasis.
Toxicity of β-chloroprene (2-chlorobutadiene-1,3): Acute and subacute toxicity☆

Abstract A study of the toxicity of β-chloroprene, which consisted of acute inhalation toxicology, Class B poison test, and a 4-week range study, was conducted to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicity of the β-chloroprene and the preliminary work prior to a 2-year inhalation study on rats and hamsters. β-Chloroprene appears to have a low acute toxicity. The Approximate Lethal Concentration (ALC) in rats after 4 hr of exposure is approximately 2280 ppm. It is not a Class B poison. Repeated exposures by inhalation in the range-finding studies—4 weeks, 6 hr a day, 5 days a week—demonstrate, however, that β-chloroprene does have cumulative toxicity. Range-finding inhalation studies in rats and hamsters at approximately 625, 160, and 40 ppm show toxic effects even at the lowest level. The primary effects seen at the low level were skin and eye irritation and weight loss in rats. At higher levels tissue damage, especially lung and liver, and mortality were observed. Hair loss was observed, primarily at the two highest levels in female rats.
Reliability of home observation for victims of mild closed-head injury

Victims of mild closed-head injury who do not require hospitalization frequently are observed at home. The efficacy of home observation for such cases and the extent to which after-care management plans are executed in this setting, however, are unknown. We studied 47 consecutive victims of mild closed-head injury discharged from the emergency department for home observation under the care of a responsible individual with a set of written after-care instructions for management. The instructions were reinforced verbally by ED staff before discharge. Followup was performed within 24 hours by telephone, and a questionnaire was sent. Three patterns emerged. Nine patients (19%), Group A, denied having received written after-care instructions despite documentation to the contrary in the medical record. Seventeen patients (36%), Group B, received the instructions alone and were told to convey them to the individual responsible for performing the home management. In the remaining 21 cases (45%), Group C, the instructions were given directly to the individual responsible for providing the home management. Although the after-care management plan specified observing or awakening the patient every two hours, this was done in only two patients (22%) in Group A and in four patients (24%) in Group B (NS). Fourteen patients (67%) in Group C, by comparison, were observed correctly as specified by the after-care instructions ( P P
Noble gases in ancient asteroidal atmospheres

Analytical and numerical results presented here suggest that acceleration of photoions by the solar wind motional field is a significant loss process for Xe on asteroids about 200 km in radius or larger, if the Xe is thermalized by its interactions with the surface. For Ar, photoion acceleration can only become important for asteroids nearly 500 km in radius. Thus photoion acceleration, previously invoked for lunar samples, could be responsible for excess fission-produced Xe found associated with solar wind Xe in howarditic meteorites. The lack of such Xe in other types of meteorites may reflect either smaller parent bodies or later times of regolith exposure. Similarly, the failure to observe solar-wind-associated radiogenic Ar-40 in meteorites is consistent with the much smaller likelihood that Ar will be photoionized.
Zinc induces exposure of hydrophobic sites in the C-terminal domain of gC1q-R/p33

Endothelial cells and platelets are known to express gC1q-R on their surface. In addition to C1q, endothelial cell gC1q-R has been shown to bind high molecular weight kininogen (HK) and factor XII (FXII). However, unlike C1q, whose interaction with gC1q-R does not require divalent ions, the binding of HK to gC1q-R is absolutely dependent on the presence of zinc. However, the mechanism by which zinc modulates this interaction is not fully understood. To investigate the role of zinc, binding studies were done using the hydrophobic dye, bis-ANS. The fluorescence intensity of bis-ANS, greatly increases and the emission maximum is blue-shifted from 525 to 485nm upon binding to hydrophobic sites on proteins. In this report, we show that a blue-shift in emission maximum is also observed when bis-ANS binds to gC1q-R in the presence but not in the absence of zinc suggesting that zinc induces exposure of hydrophobic sites in the molecule. The binding of bis-ANS to gC1q-R is specific, dose-dependent, and reversible. In the presence of zinc, this binding is abrogated by monoclonal antibody 74.5.2 directed against gC1q-R residues 204-218. This segment of gC1q-R, which corresponds to the beta6 strand in the crystal structure, has been shown previously to be the binding site for HK. A similar trend in zinc-induced gC1q-R binding was also observed using the hydrophobic matrix octyl-Sepharose. Taken together, our data suggest that zinc can induce the exposure of hydrophobic sites in the C-terminal domain of gC1q-R involved in binding to HK/FXII.
Dislodged Essure microinsert

A woman presented with symptoms of vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain shortly after hysteroscopic sterilization. Sonographic and hysteroscopic images of a dislodged Essure microinsert (Conceptus Inc., San Carlos, CA) are provided.
Agonists Cause Nuclear Translocation of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase γ A Gβγ-DEPENDENT PATHWAY THAT REQUIRES THE p110γ AMINO TERMINUS

In hematopoietic cells, the signals initiated by activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family have been implicated in cell proliferation and survival, membrane and cytoskeletal reorganization, chemotaxis, and the neutrophil respiratory burst. Of the four isoforms of human PI3K that phosphorylate phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, only p110γ (or PI3Kγ) is associated with the regulatory subunit, p101, and is stimulated by G protein βγ heterodimers. We performed immunolocalization of transfected p110γ in HepG2 cells and found that, under resting conditions, p110γ was present in a diffuse cytoplasmic pattern, but translocated to the cell nucleus after serum stimulation. Serum-stimulated p110γ translocation was inhibited by pertussis toxin and could also be induced by overexpression of Gβγ in the absence of serum. In addition, we found that deletion of the amino-terminal 33 residues of p110γ had no effect on association with p101 or on its agonist-regulated translocation, but truncation of the amino-terminal 82 residues yielded a p110γ variant that did not associate with p101 and was constitutively localized in the nucleus. This finding implies that the intracellular localization of p110γ is regulated by p101 as well as Gβγ. The effect of PI3Kγ in the nucleus is an area of active investigation.
UPS on Weinreb resin: a facile solid-phase route to aldehyde and ketone derivatives of "unnatural" amino acids and peptides.

The solid-phase synthesis of “unnatural” amino aldehydes, amino ketones, peptide aldehydes, and peptide ketones was accomplished from commercially available resin in a series of room temperature reactions. The initial step involved addition of an “unnatural” side chain to the N-terminus of a benzophenone imine-activated Weinreb resin-bound amino acid or peptide derivative. The alkylated imine was hydrolyzed, and the amine was converted to the Boc-, Cbz-, or naphthoyl derivative. The resin-bound substrate was then cleaved with DIBAL-H or a Grignard reagent to give the amino aldehyde, amino ketone, peptide aldehyde, or peptide ketone products. Twenty-four reactions were carried out simultaneously using a “Billboard” reaction apparatus to give products in 27−87% (59% average) isolated yield.
I131-labeling of proteins by the iodine monochloride method

Abstract A detailed study has been made of the iodine monochloride method of protein iodination. In particular, the losses of I131, which may be incurred in the preparation of labeled γ-globulins of high specific activity and low degree of iodination, have been investigated. Modifications of McFarlane's procedure, which eliminate or minimize these losses, are described.
Synthesis and characterization of aromatic polyisoimides derived from PMDA and para-diamines. An approach to in situ generated rigid-rod molecular composites

Abstract A new concept for the processing and fabrication of rigid-rod molecular composites aiming at the elimination or minimization of phase separation is proposed. This approach calls for a coil-like aromatic polyisoimide which is soluble and compatible with an amorphous matrix polymer or thermosettable oligomer and can undergo facile transformation to the corresponding rigid-rod polyimide in solid composite state, thus imparting the inherently high strength/high modulus properties to the final form. To this end, various synthetic routes were explored to obtain para -diamines which could afford high molecular weight and aprotic-solvent-soluble polyisoimides upon polymerization with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA). Four such polyisoimides were prepared, with their inherent viscosities ranging from 0.25 to 1.89 dl g −1 in dimethylacetamide at 30°C. Facile thermally induced isoimide-imide conversion was demonstrated by solid-state (film) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A preliminary evaluation of the compatibility of the polyisoimide/matrix resin was made. In one instance, a film prepared from the polyisoimide derived from PMDA and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) showed no visually detectable phase separation.
Separation of derivatives of 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic and 3,6-dichlorosalicylic acids and their acetic homologs by gas chromatography.

Abstract Methods are described for the separation and identification of two herbicides, dicamba and its acetic homolog, from their suspected metabolites by gas chromatography. The two herbicides are the methyl ethers of the suspected phenolic acid metabolites. Derivatives prepared included (1) acetyl methyl esters, (2) mixed methyl ester alkyl ethers, and (3) unmixed alkyl ester ethers. The alkyl groups used were ethyl, n-propyl, isobutyl, and n-butyl, introduced by means of the diazoalkanes. The mixed ester ethers were prepared by treatment with boron trifluoride in methanol before treatment with a diazoalkane. The acetyl methyl ester derivatives were not stable. Boron trifluoride in methanol esterified all of the acids studied except dicamba. All of the alkyl ether esters prepared were stable for several days except the n-butyl ester of homodicamba. Most of the alkyl ether esters, both mixed and unmixed, provided good separation of the phenolic acid esters from their ethers. The method is promising for other similar separations, as among the urinary acids.
Electrical phenomena in the nephron.

The epithelia lining the nephron form single cell layers that manifest distinctive physical properties such as transepithelial electrical potential differences and electrical conductances. The electrical behavior of epithelia is important to the understanding of ion movements across these structures since these are seen as electric current and ultimately depend on their conjugate force, the electrochemical potential difference and a membrane property, the ionic conductance. In addition to earlier reviews [1, 2] we have recently surveyed electrical potential differences and resistances of renal tubules [3]. The majority of the presently available experimental data are derived from observations that treat the epithelium as a single diffusion barrier. However, transepithelial flows cannot be adequately understood from a description of the electrical properties of the full epithelial layer. First, morphologically renal epithelia constitute multicompartmental systems where several ion diffusion boundaries, in series or in parallel, exist rather than a single one. Moreover, electrolyte flows may appear macroscopically as electroneutral while, at the microscopic level of a single barrier, electroneutrality may be violated. Finally, electrochemical potential gradients across a complete epithelium may imply the active or passive nature of ion movements whereas entirely different inferences would follow from the driving forces that govern individual intraepithelial barriers. The present study aims at an explanation of overall transepithelial electrical phenomena as a function of the discrete electrical characteristics of single barriers, more often single cell membranes. Clearly the cell membrane approach is only one level of analysis more advanced than the overall epithelial approach. Thin biological membranes are presently treated as black-boxes because of our lack of a molecular description of ion permeation channels within the membrane phase itself. Thus, the level of understanding of renal transport processes at which we aim in this paper remains essentially phenomenological in nature. In the following we will successively discuss electrical potential differences, electrical conductances and, finally, how these properties control ion flows through single barriers or through the full epithelial thickness. In each instance our focus will be on the single boundaries of tubule cells. The only segments that have been investigated at the single membrane level are the proximal convoluted, distal and cortical collecting tubule [3]. As a rule intracellular impalements by means of microelectrodes are a prerequisite for information about individual cell membranes. Amphibian preparations such as Necturus , Triturus or Amphiuma are most useful because of the large size and less extensive basal infoldings of the tubule cells. Potentials in mammalian cells can be studied in vivo but only after extensive immobilization of the kidney [4, 5], in kidney slices [6] or in isolated tubules [7].
Silencing urease: a key evolutionary step that facilitated the adaptation of Yersinia pestis to the flea-borne transmission route.

The arthropod-borne transmission route of Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague, is a recent evolutionary adaptation. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the closely related food-and water-borne enteric species from which Y. pestis diverged less than 6,400 y ago, exhibits significant oral toxicity to the flea vectors of plague, whereas Y. pestis does not. In this study, we identify the Yersinia urease enzyme as the responsible oral toxin. All Y. pestis strains, including those phylogenetically closest to the Y. pseudotuberculosis progenitor, contain a mutated ureD allele that eliminated urease activity. Restoration of a functional ureD was sufficient to make Y. pestis orally toxic to fleas. Conversely, deletion of the urease operon in Y. pseudotuberculosis rendered it nontoxic. Enzymatic activity was required for toxicity. Because urease-related mortality eliminates 30–40% of infective flea vectors, ureD mutation early in the evolution of Y. pestis was likely subject to strong positive selection because it significantly increased transmission potential.
Molecular Donuts and Donut Holes

The molecular host-guest complex reported by Miras et al. on page 72 of this issue ( 1 ) provides insight into a remarkable system in which a template molecule forms, builds a host around itself, and then exits once its job is done. By using a flow reactor system, the authors capture an early stage in this process, where a molecular donut has its “hole” still inside (see the figure, panel A). In this complex, the two metal oxide anions are held together by a ring of Na+ ions and hydrogen bonds. The success of this approach suggests possibilities for finding other transient host-guest complexes and designing new open framework structures.
The effect of global warming on severe thunderstorms in the United States

AbstractHow will warming temperatures influence thunderstorm severity? This question can be explored by using climate models to diagnose changes in large-scale convective instability (CAPE) and wind shear, conditions that are known to be conducive to the formation of severe thunderstorms. First, an ensemble of climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) is evaluated on its ability to reproduce a radiosonde climatology of such storm-favorable conditions in the current climate’s spring and summer seasons, focusing on the contiguous United States (CONUS). Of the 11 climate models evaluated, a high-performing subset of four (GFDL CM3, GFDL-ESM2M, MRI-CGCM3, and NorESM1-M) is identified. Second, the twenty-first-century changes in the frequency of environments favorable to severe thunderstorms are calculated in these high-performing models as they are forced by the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emissions pathways. For the RCP8.5 scenario, the models predict consistent CONUS-mean fracti...
Economics of Fall Tillage for Early and Conventional Soybean Plantings in the Midsouthern USA

Conventional soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production in the midsouthern USA has involved planting Maturity Group (MG) V and later cultivars in May and later months in a seedbed that has been shallow-tilled in the fall or spring just before planting. Moisture deficits that frequently occur from April through September reduce yield of soybean cultivars used in this traditional production system. Field experiments using MG IV DP 3478' and MG V Hutcheson' were conducted at Stoneville, MS (33°26' N lat) on Sharkey clay (very fine, smectitic, thermic chromic Epiaquert) in 1995, 1996, and 1998. The objective was to compare yields and economic returns from April and May or later plantings of MG IV and V soybean cultivars grown without irrigation on clay soil following shallow (ST) and deep (DT) fall tillage. Net returns were calculated as the difference between income and all direct and indirect costs, excluding those for land, management, and general farm overhead. Costs for the DT treatment were $22 to $27 ha -1 greater than those for ST. Yields and net returns resulting from DT were greater than those from ST in 1 yr. Yields and net returns from April plantings were greater than those from May or later plantings in 2 of the 3 yr. These results indicate that April plantings will result in greater yields and net returns over the long term, but increased profits from DT are infrequent.
Calcium Requirements of the Turkey Breeder Hen

Abstract LOW EGG production, fertility and hatchability in turkey breeder hens has stimulated researchers in recent years to attempt to find ways of increasing the reproductive potential of the turkey hen. The effects that dietary calcium has on chicken egg production and hatchability have been well established, but little research has been conducted with mineral requirements for turkey breeders. Published calcium requirements for the turkey breeder hen have been based mostly on research with chickens. Jensen et al. (1963) reported that egg production of turkey breeders was depressed when a diet containing less than 1% calcium was fed. Increasing the calcium levels beyond 1.75% did not increase production, and levels of 2.5 or 3.25% calcium caused a significant reduction in hatchability. In a later experiment Jensen et al. (1964) observed no detrimental effects in either egg production or hatchability when levels of calcium up to 6.25% were fed. Balloun and Miller …
Learning Styles and Correlates

In the first of two investigations, 116 college freshmen and senior men and women from middle-class backgrounds responded to measures which assessed their preferred learning styles. Differences between classes indicated that, whereas freshmen were heterogeneous in the choices of learning style, seniors preferred learning through abstract conceptualization. Canonical discriminant functions further differentiated sexes and classes. In a follow-up study, 29 seniors who participated in the first study as freshmen again responded to the measures. As seniors they were predominantly abstract conceptualizers, suggesting that learning styles do shift over the four-year college experience. Discriminant functions correctly classified 73% of cases by sex and class. Results are discussed in light of Kolb's theory as related to this significant shift in preferred learning style.
Automated Assessment of Upper Extremity Movement Impairment due to Stroke

Current diagnosis and treatment of movement impairment post-stroke is based on the subjective assessment of select movements by a trained clinical specialist. However, modern low-cost motion capture technology allows for the development of automated quantitative assessment of motor impairment. Such outcome measures are crucial for advancing post-stroke treatment methods. We sought to develop an automated method of measuring the quality of movement in clinically-relevant terms from low-cost motion capture. Unconstrained movements of upper extremity were performed by people with chronic hemiparesis and recorded by standard and low-cost motion capture systems. Quantitative scores derived from motion capture were compared to qualitative clinical scores produced by trained human raters. A strong linear relationship was found between qualitative scores and quantitative scores derived from both standard and low-cost motion capture. Performance of the automated scoring algorithm was matched by averaged qualitative scores of three human raters. We conclude that low-cost motion capture combined with an automated scoring algorithm is a feasible method to assess objectively upper-arm impairment post stroke. The application of this technology may not only reduce the cost of assessment of post-stroke movement impairment, but also promote the acceptance of objective impairment measures into routine medical practice.
Mechanisms of action of therapeutic amyloidogenic hexapeptides in amelioration of inflammatory brain disease

Amyloid fibrils composed of peptides as short as six amino acids are effective therapeutics for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Immunosuppression arises from at least two pathways: (1) expression of type 1 IFN by pDCs, which were induced by neutrophil extracellular traps arising from the endocytosis of the fibrils; and (2) the reduced expression of IFN-γ, TNF, and IL-6. The two independent pathways stimulated by the fibrils can act in concert to be immunosuppressive in Th1 indications, or in opposition, resulting in inflammation when Th17 T lymphocytes are predominant. The generation of type 1 IFN can be minimized by using polar, nonionizable, amyloidogenic peptides, which are effective in both Th1 and Th17 polarized EAE.
An iterative semi-implicit scheme with robust damping

An efficient, iterative semi-implicit (SI) numerical method for the time integration of stiff wave systems is presented. Physics-based assumptions are used to derive a convergent iterative formulation of the SI scheme which enables the monitoring and control of the error introduced by the SI operator. This iteration essentially turns a semi-implicit method into a fully implicit method. Accuracy, rather than stability, determines the timestep. The scheme is second order accurate and shown to be equivalent to a simple preconditioning method. We show how the diffusion operators can be handled so as to yield the property of robust damping, i.e. dissipating the solution at all values of the parameter D Δ t , where D is a diffusion operator and Δt the timestep. The overall scheme remains second order accurate even if the advection and diffusion operators do not commute. In the limit of no physical dissipation, and for a linear test wave problem, the method is shown to be symplectic. The method is tested on the problem of Kinetic Alfven wave mediated magnetic reconnection. A Fourier (pseudo-spectral) representation is used. A two-field gyrofluid model is used and an efficacious k-space SI operator for this problem is demonstrated. CPU speed-up factors over a CFL-limited explicit algorithm ranging from ~20 to several hundreds are obtained, while accurately capturing the results of an explicit integration. Possible extension of these results to a real-space (grid) discretization is discussed.
Alterations in Microtubules, Intermediate Filaments, and Microfilaments Induced by Microcystin-LR in Cultured Cells

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is a cyanobacterial hepatotoxin that inhibits intracellular serine/threonine protein phosphatases causing disruption of actin microfilaments (MFs) and intermediate filaments (IFs) in hepatocytes. This study compared the effects of MCLR on the organization of MFs, IFs, and microtubules (MTs) in hepatocytes and nonhepatocyte cell lines and determined the sequence of toxin-induced changes in these cytoskeletal components. Rat renal epithelial cells and fibroblasts were incubated with MCLR at 100 or 200 microM for 6-18 hr. Rat hepatocytes in primary culture were exposed to the toxin at 1 or 10 microM for 2-64 min. Cells were fixed and incubated with primary antibodies against beta-tubulin, actin, and vimentin or cytokeratin IFs, followed by gold-labeled secondary antibodies with silver enhancement of the gold probe. The fraction of fibroblasts and hepatocytes with altered cytoskeletal morphology was evaluated as a function of MCLR dose and exposure time to assess the sequence of changes in cytoskeletal components. Changes in fibroblasts and some hepatocytes were characterized initially by disorganization of IFs, followed rapidly by disorganization of MTs, with the progressive collapse of both cytoskeletal components around cell nuclei. Many hepatocytes exhibited MT changes prior to effects on IF structure. Alterations in MFs occurred later and included initial aggregation of actin under the plasma membrane, followed by condensation into rosette-like structures and eventual complete collapse into a dense perinuclear bundle. The similarity of effects among different cell types suggests a common mechanism of action, but the independent kinetics of IF and MT disruption in hepatocytes suggests that there may be at least 2 sites of phosphorylation that lead to cytoskeletal alterations.