cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Landing Fees on Airlines’ Choice of Aircraft Size and Service Frequency in Duopoly Markets

A one-shot simultaneous game-theoretic model is applied in a duopoly market to investigate how airport landing fees could influence airlines’ decisions on aircraft size and service frequency. It is found that higher landing fees will force airlines to use larger aircraft and less frequency, with higher load factor for the same number of passengers. It is also found that airlines will be better off if some of the extra landing fees are returned to airlines as a bonus for airlines using larger aircraft, which consequently reduces airport congestion.
Effectiveness of Factor IX complex concentrate in reversing warfarin associated coagulopathy for intracerebral hemorrhage.

The objective of this study is to show the effectiveness of Factor IX complex concentrate (FIXCC) for rapid reversal of an elevated International Normalized Ratio (INR) in patients with anticoagulation-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (AAICH). We, retrospectively, analyzed the clinical data of 19 patients with the diagnosis of AAICH from January 2005 to May 2006. A comparison was made among patients treated with FFP and Vit.K [FFP-group (n = 9)] and patients treated with FIXCC in addition to FFP and Vit.K [FIXCC-group (n = 10)]. INR of 1.4 or less was taken as target. Mean INR on admission for FFP and FIXCC group was 1.84 ± 0.31 and 2.44 ± 1.48, respectively (P = 0.315). After administration of therapy, the INR was reduced from 1.84 ± 0.31 to 1.34 ± 0.08 (P < 0.05) in FFP group and 2.44 ± 1.48 to 1.34 ± 0.07 (P < 0.005) in FIXCC group. Three patients in FFP group (33%) and 8 patients in FIXCC group (80%) reached their target INR in 3–4 h after initiation of therapy (P = 0.012). Mean time taken by both FFP and FIXCC groups to reach the target INR was 8.52 ± 5.60 h and 4.25 ± 2.12 h, respectively (P < 0.05). The mean rate of INR correction was 0.06 ± 0.03 and 0.27 ± 0.25 per hour for the FFP and FIXCC group, respectively (P < 0.005). There was one death in FIX group and two in FFP group and no thrombotic complications. Our data suggests that FIXCC in combination with FFP and Vit.K may result in decreased time required when compared to FFP and Vit.K alone for correction of warfarin associated coagulopathy in neurosurgical emergencies.
Aberrant sphingomyelin/ceramide metabolic-induced neuronal endosomal/lysosomal dysfunction: potential pathological consequences in age-related neurodegeneration

Alterations in the trafficking and function of the endocytic pathway have been extensively documented to be one of the earliest pathological changes in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the pathophysiological consequences of these endosomal/lysosomal changes are currently unknown, several recent studies have suggested that such changes in endocytic function are able to cause a redistribution of several lysosomal hydrolases into early endosomes, leading to the overproduction of neurotoxic amyloid peptide. Recently, we and others have demonstrated that abnormal endocytic pathology within post-mitotic neurons can, in part, be attributed to alterations in sphingomyelin/ceramide metabolism, resulting in the intracellular accumulation of ceramide. Once inside the cell, the ability of ceramide to physically alter membrane structure, formation, and fusion, rather than serving solely as a lipid secondary messenger, may severely compromise normal endocytic trafficking. In this review, we will discuss the potential pathological effects of abnormal sphingomyelin/ceramide metabolism on intracellular vesicular transport in relation to both amyloid accumulation in AD and various neurodegenerative diseases associated with lysosomal abnormalities.
The immune reactivity of heterologous antisera against a solubilized human lymphoid membrane component.

Purified HL-A antigen bearing cell membrane components were prepared from human lymphoid cells by papain digestion and physicochemical fractionation. Rabbits immunized with these components produced antisera which had high cytotoxic titers against human lymphoid cells and other human tissue culture cells. The cytotoxicity was inhibited only by those membrane fractions which contained HL-A activity. Absorption and cytotoxicity inhibition studies showed that the antisera possessed antibodies against antigens shared by humans and monkeys, antigens common to different human tissues, lymphoid antigens and allotypic antigens. To determine if the heterologous antisera reacted with immunoglobulin-like receptor sites on the lymphoid cell surface, purified human immunoglobulins were tested for their ability to inhibit the cytotoxic antisera. The evidence obtained from complement and noncomplement dependent systems indicated that the surface components recognized by the antisera did not include immunoglobulins. Addition of IgM to the complement dependent cytotoxicity assay, however, did interfere with the reaction by binding complement.
Silver deposition at poly(4‐vinylpyridine) films on glassy carbon: Effects of polymer cross‐linking

The effect of increasing the cross-linking of poly(4-vinylpyridine) films on glassy carbon substrates for the electrochemical deposition of Ag microparticles has been investigated. Cyclic voltammetric patterns for the deposition and stripping processes are elucidated. The electrochemical potential required for the deposition shifts to more negative values with cross-linking. These shifts can be attributed to the polymer becoming more compact and to increased electrical resistance. There are two different components to this resistance. One is related linearly to the thickness of the film, while the other is independent of thickness. Both components are, however, related to the degree of cross-linking. For the first component, the effect may be due to an increase in the resistance for electrolyte transport through the polymer channels constricted by the cross-linking. The other is attributed to the increased resistance for water and electrolyte penetration from the solution phase into the polymer, whose hydrophobicity is increased by the cross-linking and, thereby, is unwetted and insulative. Useful information regarding the permeability of the cross-linked polymer is obtained by using silver as a probe.
Larval diapause of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis: Further experiments examining its hormonal control

Abstract The possible involvement of juvenile hormone (JH) in controlling the mature larval diapause of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, was examined using biological and chemical assays for JH titres, topical applications of JH mimic, and injections of 20-hydroxy-ecdysone. Bioassays of extracts of larval haemolymph showed that (1) 4th instar pre-diapausing larvae had a higher JH titre (ca. 1450 Galleria Units (GU)/ml) than equivalent non-diapausing larvae (ca. 340 GU/ml), and that (2) 5th instar pre-diapausing larvae contained a JH titre of ca. 320 GU/ml, which declined to ca. 90 GU/ml in newly-diapaused larvae. Chemical assasys carried out on extracts of whole larvae showed that early diapausing larvae contained an extremely low titre of JH. In addition, the application of JH mimic or 20-hydroxy-ecdysone or both agents to diapausing larvae failed to reveal the presence of a functional JH titre during diapause. The application of JH mimic to early 5th instar non-diapausing larvae produced moribund larval-pupal intermediates rather than supernumerary larvae. Our results, therefore, suggest that although JH may control some phases of diapause induction, it is not involved in maintaining diapause.
Influence of the estrous cycle on hypoxic failure in the female rat heart

Background: Clinical studies have shown that fluctuation in the plasma concentrations of estrogen during the menstrual cycle has an effect on myocardial health in premenopausal women. When estrogen levels are low, the number of ischemic events experienced is increased. Objective: To determine whether the increased ischemic events reported with low plasma estrogen concentrations in women could be reproduced in an animal model, cardiac function was measured during hypoxia in the female rat at different time points of the estrous cycle. Methods: Hearts from female Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused in the working mode at the diestrous (low estrogen; n = 7) and proestrous (high estrogen; n = 6) phases of the estrous cycle, confirmed by plasma estradiol concentrations. Hearts were perfused under aerobic conditions with 5.5 mM glucose, 100 μU/mL insulin, and 1.2 mM palmitate, followed by a 30-minute period of hypoxia with 95% N2-5% CO2 gassing. Results: There were no significant differences in heart function between diestrous and proestrous groups prior to hypoxia. However, hypoxia induced perturbations in function that were dependent on the estrous cycle. Reductions in left ventricular systolic and diastolic pressure occurred with hypoxia, but no significant differences in these pressures were observed between groups. Left ventricular pulse pressure and coronary flow also decreased significantly during hypoxia (both, P < 0.05), but hearts from the proestrous group maintained a significantly higher pulse pressure (P < 0.05). Hearts from the proestrous group also maintained significantly higher rates of coronary flow during hypoxia (P < 0.05), compared with hearts from the diestrous group. However, despite the effect of proestrus, correlation coefficients between plasma estradiol concentrations and indices of cardiac function were not significant. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the estrous cycle of the female rat affects cardiac function during hypoxia. This model may be useful to study the impact of the estrous cycle on metabolic and cardiovascular function.
Crystallization history of Obsidian Dome, Inyo Domes, California

Samples obtained by U.S. Department of Energy research drilling at the 600-year-old Obsidian Dome volcano provide the rare opportunity to examine the transition from volcanic (dome) to plutonic (intrusion) textures in a silicic magma system. Textures in the lavas from Obsidian Dome record multiple periods of crystallization initiated in response to changes in undercooling (ΔT) related to variable degassing in the mag-ma. Phenocr)ysts formed first at low ΔT. A drastic increase in ΔT, related to loss of a vapor phase during initial stages of eruption, caused nucleation of microlites. All of the lavas thus contain phenocrysts and microlites. Extrusion and subsequent devitrification of the dry (0.1 wt% H2O) magma crystallized spherulites and fine-grained rhyolite at high ΔT. A granophyric texture, representing crystallization at a moderate ΔT, formed in the intrusions beneath Obsidian Dome. Textures in the intrusion apparently represent crystallization of hydrous (1–2 wt% H2O) rhyolitic magma at shallow depths.
Moving mountains in Motown: trailblazing technology at the Wayne State University PC clinic

The Wayne State University (WSU) division of Computing & Information Technology (CI providing Wayne-centric services, like ResNet and WSU licensed software. Other successes include tight integration with Housing, Telecomm, C&IT Help Desk, and the departmental technical support community. Our most popular service is the security tune-up service that I'll explain at length. By providing these services call waiting times and volumes have decreased at the Help Desk. Challenges include staff scheduling, customer queuing, liability, terms of service to include in customer agreements, and cost recovery. This paper will also include the past, present, and future in regards to facilities and services.
Comparison of two optimization techniques as applied to three-phase induction motor design

In order to develop the best method for the optimization of three-phase induction motor designs, two advanced optimization techniques, the method of boundary search along active constraints and the Han-Powell method, have been compared as applied to a 5 hp three-phase induction motor design. The relations between the optimal efficiency and the material cost, the power factor, the starting torque ratio, and the type of steel have been studied. The limited validity of motor model law is discussed based on extensive calculations. For the 5 hp motor under investigation the Han-Powell method results in a higher maximum efficiency than the method of boundary-search along active constraints. However, the latter method provides a clear visualization of the relations between the motor dimensions and the motor performance characteristics through plotting the results in planes, and it is very useful in the analysis of induction motor optimization from an engineering point of view. >
Change in the impression of rooms with interior wood finishes arranged differently: questionnaire survey with the use of photographs for the analysis of impressions of rooms concerning living activities

Efforts were made to quantify the impact of visual stimulation from interior wood finishes on the impression of room interiors, using feelings about living activities as indicators. Four types of room interiors with interior wood finishes used in different proportions were simulated. The room interiors were photographed from the same viewpoint. A survey was conducted by interviewing 200 test subjects. As a result of the analysis of principal components, it was found that desires of living activities obtained from the four photographs consisted of two factors: desires for calmness and desires for activities. A great desire for calmness was obtained from photographs showing wood materials. A weak desire for calmness and a strong desire for activities were obtained from a photograph that showed no wood materials. Great desires for both calmness and activities were obtained from a photograph showing wood materials used only as flooring material. As for an evaluation of “living,” the photograph of a room interior without wooden materials was evaluated as a place that test subjects did not feel like living in. The photograph showing wood materials used only as flooring material was evaluated as the place that test subjects most felt like living in, and considered most suitable as a living space.
Electrical, structural and processing properties of electrically conductive adhesives

There is growing interest in the potential of electrically conductive metal-loaded polymer adhesives. Eight commercial electrically conductive adhesive pastes for solder replacement in surface mount technology (SMT) and other microelectronic applications were selected for study, including both thermosetting and thermoplastic examples. All were silver based, except for one nickel-polymer composite. The properties on which this work was focused were the microstructure and electrical characteristics, with the specific purpose of determining the conduction mechanisms. The electrical measurements established that the primary source of electrical resistance is in the silver particles, with negligible contact effects between them. Differential scanning calorimetry results indicated that drifts in the electrical properties are not attributable to incomplete cures. Electrical measurements on simplified structures prepared in the laboratory are also reported. >
On optimizing the selection of business transformation projects

To compete and thrive in a changing business environment, a business can adapt by initiating and successfully carrying out business transformation projects. In this paper we propose a methodology for the optimal selection of such transformational projects. We propose a two-stage methodology based on (1) correlation analytics for identifying key drivers of business performance and (2) advanced portfolio-optimization techniques for selecting optimal business-transformation portfolios in the face of resource constraints, budget constraints, and a rich variety of business rules. We illustrate our methodology through a case study from the electronics industry.
Fundamental limits on performance of autocatalytic pathways with chain topologies

In this paper, we develop some basic principles to study dynamical networks and exploit their structural properties in order to characterize their existing hard limits and essential tradeoffs. Our main focus is on an important class of interconnected network of dynamical systems so called autocatalytic networks. In an interconnected dynamical system with autocatalytic structure, the system's output is necessary to catalyze its own production. We study cascade interconnection of autocatalytic pathways with chain topologies. It is shown that whenever autocatalytic feedbacks are active in all pathways, some fundamental tradeoffs between transient behavior of the network and its net production emerges. We use glycolysis pathway as our motivating example and develop our network models around this canonical model.
A Pilot Study of Healing Touch and Progressive Relaxation for Chronic Neuropathic Pain in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

This pilot study assessed the role of Healing Touch (HT), an energy-based therapy, in modulating chronic neuropathic pain and the associated psychological distress from post spinal cord injury. Twelve veterans were assigned to either HT or guided progressive relaxation for six weekly home visits. The instruments selected showed sensitivity, although there was a large variation among the groups. There was a significant difference in the composite of interference on the Brief Pain Inventory (t = -2.71, p = .035). The mean score of the fatigue subscale of the Profile of Moods decreased (ns) in the HT group and in the subscale of confusion yet remained stable in the control group. The Diener Satisfaction With Life Scale showed increased well-being in the HT group and no change in the control group. Participants reported various experiences with HT sessions indicating that it may have benefit in the complex response to chronic pain.
Fundierung as a Logical Concept

Husserl’s Third Logical Investigation,1 ostensibly dealing with the phenomenology of whole and parts, is meant to introduce the notion of Fundierung. Fundierung is frequently used in phenomenological literature, although little has been written about it since Husserl introduced it. Husserl himself, while using Fundierung extensively, never felt the need to reopen the discussion.
Perivascular tethering modulates the geometry and biomechanics of cerebral arterioles

Recent studies have renewed interest in the effects of perivascular tethering on vascular mechanics, particularly growth and remodeling. We quantified effects of axial and circumferential tethering on rabbit pial arterioles from the ventral occipital lobe of the brain. The homeostatic axial pre-stretch, which is influenced by perivascular tethering, was measured in situ to be 1.24±0.04. Using a cannulated microvessel preparation, wall mechanics were then quantified in vitro for isolated arterioles at low (1.10) or normal (1.24) values of axial stretch and for tethered arterioles having perivascular support. Axial stretch did not significantly affect changes in circumferential stretch or stress upon pressurization, but circumferential tethering caused arteriolar geometry to change from a circular cross-section at normal pressure to an elliptical one at pressures above and below normal. Calculations suggested that the observed levels of ellipticity could cause a modest decrease in volumetric blood flow, but also a pronounced variation in shear stress around the circumference of the arteriole. An elliptical cross-section could thus increase vascular resistance or promote luminal remodeling at pressures different from normal. This characterization of effects of perivascular tethering on pial arterioles should prove useful in future studies of roles of perturbed cerebral blood flow on the propensity of the cerebral microcirculation to remodel.
Fatal Cerebral Phaeohyphomycosis Due to Curvularia lunata in an Immunocompetent Patient

Curvularia infections in humans are relatively uncommon despite the ubiquitous presence of this soil-dwelling dematiaceous fungus in the environment. Originally thought to be solely a pathogen of plants, Curvularia has been described as a pathogen of humans and animals in the last half-century, causing respiratory tract, cutaneous, and corneal infections. Only three previous cases of central nervous system involvement by Curvularia have been documented in the medical literature. We report a fatal case of cerebral Curvularia infection in which there was no known history of immunocompromise or prior respiratory tract or sinus infection in the patient.
Effect of shared contraceptive experiences on IUD use at an urban abortion clinic.

Abstract Background We studied the effect of contraceptive social networking on postabortion intrauterine device (IUD) uptake. This study explores whether women who have heard personal stories of IUD use are more likely to use an IUD for postabortion contraception. Study Design We surveyed 299 women undergoing induced abortion at San Francisco General Hospital's Women's Options Center before and after contraceptive counseling. Both English- and Spanish-speaking women, aged 15 years and older, were surveyed. Results Fifty percent of women surveyed chose to use an IUD for postabortion contraception. Women choosing IUDs were more likely than women choosing other contraceptives or no contraceptives to be multiparous, Latina and interested in IUDs prior to contraceptive counseling. Disclosure of personal IUD use by a clinic staff member was independently associated with the decision to use an IUD (odds ratio 8.1, 95% confidence interval 3.8–17.2). Conclusions Women undergoing abortion in an urban clinic have knowledge and high acceptance of IUDs, and sharing of contraceptive experiences is common among women of all demographics. Controlling for demographics and prior knowledge of IUDs, sharing of personal IUD experiences by providers is significantly associated with IUD use.
Role of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in acetaldehyde-induced disruption of epithelial tight junctions

Acetaldehyde-induced cytotoxicity is an important factor in pathogenesis of alcohol-related diseases; however, the mechanism of this toxicity is unknown. We recently showed that acetaldehyde increa...
Automated design of self-stabilization

Self-stabilization is a property of a distributed system such that, regardless of the legitimacy of its current state, the system behavior shall eventually reach a legitimate state and shall remain legitimate thereafter. The elegance of self-stabilization stems from the fact that it distinguishes distributed systems by a strong fault tolerance property against arbitrary state perturbations. The difficulty of designing and reasoning about self-stabilization has been witnessed by many researchers; most of the existing techniques for the verification and design of self-stabilization are either brute-force, or adopt manual approaches non-amenable to automation. In this dissertation, we first investigate the possibility of automatically designing self-stabilization through global state space exploration. In particular, we develop a set of heuristics for automating the addition of recovery actions to distributed protocols on various network topologies. Our heuristics equally exploit the computational power of a single workstation and the available parallelism on computer clusters. We obtain existing and new stabilizing solutions for classical protocols like maximal matching, ring coloring, mutual exclusion, leader election and agreement. Second, we consider a foundation for local reasoning about self-stabilization; i.e., study the global behavior of the distributed system by exploring the state space of just one of its components. It turns out that local reasoning about deadlocks and livelocks is possible for an interesting class of protocols whose proof of stabilization is otherwise complex. In particular, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions — verifiable in the local state space of every process — for global deadlock- and livelock-freedom of protocols on ring topologies. Local reasoning potentially circumvents two fundamental problems that complicate the automated design and verification of distributed protocols: (1) state explosion and (2) partial state information. Moreover, local proofs of convergence are independent of the number of processes in the network, thereby enabling our assertions about deadlocks and livelocks to apply on rings of arbitrary sizes without worrying about state explosion.
Absorption of ultrashort, ultra-intense laser light by solids and overdense plasmas

Absorption mechanisms for ultra-intense (I>10/sup 17/ W/cm/sup 2/) laser pulses incident on solids and overdense plasma slabs are discussed. We focus on the ultrashort pulse regime, i.e., where the laser pulse length is only a few to perhaps thousands of femtoseconds. Starting from well-known results at low intensity and long pulse length, we begin with absorption mechanisms such as inverse Bremstrahlung and classical resonance absorption and survey several additional absorption mechanisms significant for ultrashort, ultra-intense laser light interacting with overdense plasmas. Estimates for the fraction of laser energy absorbed by various mechanisms are given. It is found that the fraction of energy absorbed by the plasma, and the resulting electron temperatures, can depend considerably on the scale length of the plasma at the critical surface. It is also found that two-dimensional (2-D) effects greatly increase the amount of absorption into hot electrons, over the amount predicted using one-dimensional (1-D) theory. The inclusion of kinetic effects, collisionless absorption, and multidimensional effects are crucial to obtaining a complete picture of the interaction. We also review some of the experimental efforts to understand this complex process of absorption.
An Active Approach to Calculus.

We describe an approach to teaching calculus that emphasizes problem solving through its stress on in-class activities and context-rich projects.
Real time observation of the thermal bar and spring stratification of Lake Michigan with the GLUCOS coastal observatory

During the spring of 2008 a subset of the WATER Institute's Great Lakes Urban Coastal Observing System (GLUCOS) was deployed to demonstrate the ability of the observatory to remotely monitor, in real time, the seasonal transition from a mixed state to a stratified state in coastal Lake Michigan. A prominent feature of this transition is the spring thermal front, also known as the thermal bar, a boundary of 4degC water that extends from top to bottom and separates near-shore stratified water from colder, mixed water further off-shore. Three Pioneer II buoys were deployed in a west to east line at 20 m, 40 m and 60 m depths and at distances of 2 km, 6 km and 12 km from shore respectively. Each buoy was equipped with a string of temperature sensors spaced one meter apart from the bottom to about 3 meters below the surface. The buoys communicated with a shore station using 900 MHz radio modems. An Internet connection was established between the WATER Institute and the buoys via the shore station permitting two-way communication for real-time data retrieval and control of the buoys. The spring thermal transition was remotely observed at the 20 m buoy along with its characteristic 4degC thermal bar. This paper will present the data on the spring thermal evolution of the lake as measured by the GLUCOS observatory and will describe the design of the new Pioneer II buoy that made-up the buoy array for this experiment.
Supporting multidimensional arrays in Java

The lack of direct support for multidimensional arrays in JavaTM has been recognized as a major deficiency in the language's applicability to numerical computing. It has been shown that, when augmented with multidimensional arrays, Java can achieve very high-performance for numerical computing through the use of compiler techniques and efficient implementations of aggregate array operations. Three approaches have been discussed in the literature for extending Java with support for multidimensional arrays: class libraries that implement these structures; extending the Java language with new syntactic constructs for multidimensional arrays that are directly translated to bytecode; and relying on the Java Virtual Machine to recognize those arrays of arrays that are being used to simulate multidimensional arrays. This paper presents a balanced presentation of the pros and cons of each technique in the areas of functionality, language and virtual machine impact, implementation effort, and effect on performance. We show that the best choice depends on the relative importance attached to the different metrics, and thereby provide a common ground for a rational discussion and comparison of the techniques. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human peripheral blood in tissue culture and the action of phytohemagglutinin.

Phytohemagglutinin a transforme en cultures breves plus de 70% des petits lymphocytes de personnes normales, de nouveau-nes et d'hypo-γ-globulinemiques en cellules blastoides, mais moins de 3% des lymphocytes de malades avec leucemie lymphatique chronique. L'action blastogenique existe dans l'absence erythrocyte-agglutinante. On discute la signification de ces decouvertes.
Serious Use of a Serious Game for Language Learning

The Tactical Language and Culture Training System (TLCTS) helps learners acquire basic communicative skills in foreign languages and cultures. Learners acquire communication skills through a combination of interactive lessons and serious games. Artificial intelligence plays multiple roles in this learning environment: to process the learner's speech, to interpret and evaluate learner actions, to control the response of non-player characters, to generate hints, and to assess the trainee's mastery of the skills. AI is also used in the authoring process to assist in the generation and validation of lesson content. This article gives an overview of the system, and describes the experience to date in transitioning the system from research prototype into a training system that is in regular use by tens of thousands of users in the United States and elsewhere. Experimental results from field studies are presented, relating learning outcomes, motivational effects, and the role of game-based learning and intelligent tutoring in achieving the learning outcomes.
Active Sample Selection for Named Entity Transliteration

This paper introduces a new method for identifying named-entity (NE) transliterations within bilingual corpora. Current state-of-the-art approaches usually require annotated data and relevant linguistic knowledge which may not be available for all languages. We show how to effectively train an accurate transliteration classifier using very little data, obtained automatically. To perform this task, we introduce a new active sampling paradigm for guiding and adapting the sample selection process. We also investigate how to improve the classifier by identifying repeated patterns in the training data. We evaluated our approach using English, Russian and Hebrew corpora.
Purification and properties of NADP-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Acetobacter hansenii (Acetobacter xylinum).

Abstract The NADP-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Acetobacter hansenii (formerly known as Acetobacter xylinum) has been purified to apparent homogeneity. The sequence of the 10 N-terminal amino acids was determined. The subunit molecular weight of the enzyme is 53,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; gel filtration studies under nondenaturing conditions revealed that the molecular weight of the enzyme is 200,000 to 220,000 at pH 6.5 and 9.5, suggesting that the native enzyme is a tetramer. Specificity studies at both pH 6.5 and 9.5 demonstrated that the enzyme is a typical NADP-preferring glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The enzyme's catalytic activity increases with increasing pH, kcat being approximately 4 times greater at pH 9.5 than at pH 6.7 and the Km for NADP+ being 3 times lower at the higher pH; but the Km for glucose 6-phosphate is nearly 20 times higher at pH 9.5 than at pH 6.7, suggesting that the enzyme is catalytically more efficient at the lower pH. At pH 6.7, initial velocity measurements, product inhibition by NADPH, and inhibition by glucosamine 6-phosphate yielded results that were consistent with a steady-state random mechanism. At pH 9.5, steady-state kinetic analyses suggested that the mechanism is ordered, with coenzyme binding first, but nonlinear double-reciprocal plots were observed in the presence of NADPH when glucose 6-phosphate was varied and a complete kinetic analysis was not undertaken. Among several nucleotides and potential inhibitory ligands examined, only 2′,5′-ADP inhibited the enzyme significantly.
Mutations in folP Associated with Elevated Sulfonamide MICs for Neisseria meningitidis Clinical Isolates from Five Continents

Sulfonamide resistance in meningococci is associated with mutations in the chromosomal gene folP, which encodes dihydropteroate synthase. Several mutations associated with resistance have been previously described, including amino acid substitutions at codons 31 and 194, a glycine-serine insertion at codons 195 and 196, and, recently, an additional mutation at nucleotide 682 (C682A). In this study, sulfisoxazole MICs were determined for 424 geographically diverse clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis, including all major subtypes. A subset of 134 isolates with MICs ranging from 0.5 to >64 μg/ml were assayed for the C682A mutation by real-time PCR, and 25 isolates were selected for folP gene sequencing. All isolates for which the sulfisoxazole MIC was ≥8 possessed the C682A mutation by real-time PCR or folP sequencing, and 34 of 35 isolates with a MIC of ≤2 lacked this mutation. Of 16 sequenced isolates for which the sulfisoxazole MIC was ≥4, 15 possessed previously described mutations, including 10 at codon 31, 1 at codon 194, and 4 with the 2-amino-acid insertion codons 195 and 196; all 16 possessed the C682A mutation. The C682A mutation predicted elevated sulfonamides MICs for a large number of geographically diverse clinical isolates of meningococci. Detection of this mutation by real-time PCR or other methods may allow more wide-scale detection of meningococcal isolates with for which the sulfonamide MICs are elevated without resorting to multiple assays or folP gene sequencing, providing a simple, high-throughput screening method for use in public health and epidemiologic settings.
A GCM Simulation Study of the Influence of Saharan Evapotranspiration and Surface-Albedo Anomalies on July Circulation and Rainfall

The influence of surface albedo and evapotranspiration anomalies that could result from the hypothetical semiarid vegetation over North Africa on its July circulation and rainfall is examined using the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres GCM. It is shown that increased soil moisture and its dependent evapotranspiration produces a cooler and moister PBL over North Africa that is able to support enhanced moist convection and rainfall in Sahel and southern Sahara. It is found that lower surface albedo yields even higher moist static energy in the PBL and enhances the local moist convection and rainfall. Modifying the rain-evaporation parameterization in the model produces changes in the hydrological cycle and rainfall anomalies in distant regions. The effects of different falling rain parameterizations are discussed.
The Association between Psychological Distress and Self-Reported Sleep Duration in a Population-Based Sample of Women and Men

Mental health and sleep are intricately linked. This study characterized associations of psychological distress with short (≤6 hours) and long (≥9 hours) sleep duration among adults aged ≥18 years. 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (n = 36,859) from Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Tennessee, and Washington included the Kessler 6 (K6) scale, which has been psychometrically validated for measuring severe psychological distress (SPD); three specifications were evaluated. Overall, 4.0% of adults reported SPD, 33.9% reported short sleep, and 7.8% reported long sleep. After adjustment, adults with SPD had 1.58 (95% CI: 1.45, 1.72) and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.79) times higher probability of reporting short and long sleep duration, respectively. Using an ordinal measure showed a dose-response association with prevalence ratios of 1.00, 1.16, 1.38, 1.67, and 2.11 for short sleep duration. Each additional point added to the K6 scale was associated with 1.08 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.10) and 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.03) times higher probability of reporting short and long sleep duration, respectively. Some results were statistically different by gender. Any psychological distress, not only SPD, was associated with a higher probability of short sleep duration but not long sleep duration. These findings highlight the need for interventions.
Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. Implications for understanding erectile dysfunction.

Background and Purpose: There is increasing recognition of the high and rising prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It has been suggested that OSA may contribute to erectile dysfunction. This review will examine the evidence and potential mechanisms, including abnormalities of neural, endothelial and hormonal function, linking OSA to erectile dysfunction. Conclusion: Available data suggest, but do not prove, a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction in OSA. Certainly, the pathologic processes activated by OSA are also those that may predispose to impaired erectile function. Further well-designed and controlled studies are needed to show conclusively that any increased prevalence of erectile dysfunction in OSA is secondary to the OSA per se and not a consequence of the frequently associated comorbidities, such as obesity and vascular disease, that characterize this patient population.
Purification of Aldose and Aldehyde Reductases from Dog Kidney

A broad family of NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases catalyze the reduction of various aldehydes and ketones to their corresponding alcohols. Members include the enzymes aldose reductase (EC 1.1.1.21), aldehyde reductase (EC 1.1.1.2) and carbonyl reductase (EC 1.1.1.184). Aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase, discovered by Hers (1960) in the late 1950’s, were named for their ability to reduce aldonic sugars versus aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes (Felsted and Bachur, 1980; Turner and Flynn, 1982). Aldehyde reductase, however, is also known as L-hexonate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.19) because of its ability to utilize NADP+ to oxidize aldonic acids such as L-gulonate to D-glucuronate (Mano et al., 1961). Carbonyl reductase was first described in the 1970’s as “aromatic aldehyde and ketone reductase” by Culp and McMahon (1968). More recently, it has been referred to as carbonyl reductase (Wermuth, 1981) .
Use of symptoms and risk factors to predict acute otitis media in infants

Abstract Objectives Infants and children with upper respiratory tract infection (URI) often have concurrent acute otitis media (AOM). Young infants have fewer specific symptoms than older children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of symptoms and other risk factors in predicting the presence of AOM in infants. Methods Healthy infants, age less than four weeks, were enrolled and followed prospectively for up to age one year. Infants were scheduled for a research visit when their parents noted the onset of symptoms. At each URI visit, parents first reported the severity of symptoms. An investigator then diagnosed the presence or absence of concurrent AOM. Risk factors and symptom scores for infants with and without AOM were studied. Results Infants ( N = 193, mean age at first URI 3.9 ± 2.5 months) experienced 360 URI episodes and 63 AOM events. Symptoms consisting of fever, earache, poor feeding, restless sleep, and irritability together (ETG-5) were statistically associated with the prediction of AOM ( P = 0.006). A multiple variable statistical model (J-Score) that included day care attendance, age, severity of cough and earache best predicted AOM ( P Conclusions In infants with URI in the first year of life, severity of symptoms was significantly associated with concurrent AOM. Daycare attendance, presence and severity of earache and cough added to better correlation. These observations may have clinical application in identification of infants at risk for AOM.
Primary prevention and adult television viewing: methodological extension.

To increbe public. awareness, an urban television outlet presented mental health programming on its evening news. Eight videotaped segments of 2 to 4 min. in length were aired during a 5-wk. period. The topics included: psychological effects of lupus; parental child abuse; community residences for deinstitutionalixd persons; drug abuse by adolescents; the current professional treatment of juvenile delinquents; cosmetics and the sense of self; the potential psychological side-effects of food additives; and verbal rage on television programming for children. Thirty subjects, serving as their own controls, volunteered to watch nightly and to complete an assessment questionnaire(s) received at the end of each week. The measure(~) stated the mental health topic(s) aired that week and included pre- and postassessments of content acquisition (Beecher, 1959), a post-attitudinal continuum of agree/disagree, a checklist of elicited emotional response, and the total news viewing hours for that week. A post-experimental inquiry of the project's meaningfulness, primary prevention, and television research was conducted. Statistically significant t tests indicated that the longer lupus (r = 3.81, p < .001) and drug abuse (t = 2.68, p < .01) segments resulted in increased knowledge, a consistent finding (Holding, 1974). Atticudinally, subjects agreed w~rh the editors' programming. The lupus, child, and drug-abuse segments elicited anger, the others, curiosity to know more. Total viewers and viewing hours declined by one-third during the 5-wk. experimental period, although no consistent patterns or trends were found. Since 80% of the subjects reported a meaningful experience, and 97% found the questionnaire adequate, it appears that Ball's methodological suggestions (1976) may result in improved viewing assessment. Finally, with respect to primary prevention, previous research, present experimental and self-report data suggest that length of programming is an important methodological variable. This station and another local station presented hour-long programs on child abuse and depression, respectively. Over 400 people called seeking help. Length of programming appears central to efficacy.
Investigating Functional DNA Grafted on Nanodiamond Surface Using Site-Directed Spin Labeling and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are a new and attractive class of materials for sensing and delivery in biological systems. Methods for functionalizing ND surfaces are highly valuable in these applications, yet reported approaches for covalent modification with biological macromolecules are still limited, and characterizing behaviors of ND-tethered biomolecules is difficult. Here we demonstrated the use of copper-free click chemistry to covalently attach DNA strands at ND surfaces. Using site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the tethered DNA strands maintain the ability to undergo repetitive hybridizations and behave similarly to those in solutions, maintaining a large degree of mobility with respect to the ND. The work established a method to prepare and characterize an easily addressable identity tag for NDs. This will open up future applications such as targeted ND delivery and developing sensors for investigating biomolecules.
Can Civility Norms Boost Positive Effects of Management Commitment to Safety

We proposed that civility norms would strengthen relationships between management commitment to safety and workers' safety motivation, safety behaviors, and injuries. Survey data were obtained from working adults in hazardous jobs-those for which physical labor is required and/or a realistic possibility of physical injury is present (N = 290). Results showed that management commitment positively related to workers' safety motivation, safety participation, and safety compliance, and negatively related to minor injuries. Furthermore, management commitment to safety displayed a stronger positive relationship with safety motivation and safety participation, and a stronger negative relationship with minor worker injuries when civility norms were high (versus low). The results confirm existing known relationships between management commitment to safety and worker safety motivation and behavior; furthermore, civility norms facilitate the relationships between management commitment to safety and various outcomes important to worker safety. In order to promote an optimally safe working environment, managers should demonstrate a commitment to worker safety and promote positive norms for interpersonal treatment between workers in their units.
Compactification: Limit Tower Spaces

Convergence approach spaces, defined by E. Lowen and R. Lowen, possess both quantitative and topological properties. These spaces are equipped with a structure which provides information as to whether or not a sequence or filter approximately converges. P. Brock and D. Kent showed that the category of convergence approach spaces with contractions as morphisms is isomorphic to the category of limit tower spaces. It is shown below that every limit tower space has a compactification. Moreover, a characterization of the limit tower spaces which possess a strongly regular compactification is given here. Further, a strongly regular S-compactification of a limit tower space is studied, where S is a limit tower monoid acting on the limit tower space.
The Research on Influence of Using Numerical Simulation Results to Determine Injection-production Structure on the Development Effect

The west of pure oil area of Xing 10 area develops three sedimentation units of SⅡ,SⅢ and PⅠ,which contain 72 subdivision sedimentary units.Now the oilfield exploitation object turns to tabulated thin-poor layer and untabulated reservoirs with worse physical property.The well network and layer series of development are reciprocally overlapping.Condition of employment is complex after flood development.The distribution of oil remaining is highly scattered.The difficulty of adjustment and potential tapping is great.So it is essential to do quantitative research on reasonable development technology index of waterflood at later stage of high water cut.,and combining with pressure distribution do the injection-production structure adjustment so as to guid the water drive oilfield economical and effective development.Based on the established geological model,the numerical simulation for PI22 of the west of pure oil area of Xing 10 area is carried out and the model can be well fitted with the actual formation through modifying reservoir parameters.Relevance between adjustment of injection-production and average reservoir pressure of productive well of sedimentation unit of PI22 is researched,the relevance between adjustment of injection-production and average reservoir pressure of injection well,and the relevance between adjustment of injection-production and average injection pressure of injection well.Development program of sedimentation unit of PI22 in order to determined the optimal scheme is researched.
Spatio-Temporal Difference in Model Outputs and Parameter Space as Determined by Calibration Extent

The wider availability of spatial data and increased computational power have created a renaissance in urban land use modeling. While the proliferation of urban models has benefited the geographic sciences, their use in and implications for public policy decisions may not yet be warranted. There is still much to be understood about these models, especially the calibration of these models, from which forecasts are derived. This paper looks at the calibration of a model for a large geographic region at several spatial extents, showing the differences between the forecasts based on each extent, and the how these differences can proliferate their way into making policy decisions based on these forecasts.