cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The emergency nurse practitioner: The role and training of an emerging health professional

In recent years, the roles of var ious hea l th care professionals have changed to be t te r provide hea l th services to the consumer. Ra the r than increas ing the numbers of hea l th care personnel , the role and funct ioning of ex is t ing hea l th care providers has expanded. For example, jus t a few of the new t i t les given to these va r ious expanded roles a re p h y s i c i a n a s s i s t a n t , ped i a t r i c a s s i s t a n t , emergency medical technic ian, communi ty hea l th medic, fami ly nurse pract i t ioner , ger ia t r ic nurse p rac t i t ioner and nurse midwife. The development of the nurse prac t i t ioner has many impl icat ions for the medical community: 1) nurses are provided with upward mobi l i ty wi th in nursing; 2) physic ians are rel ieved of care of the nonacute pat ients , thus being able to devote more t ime to provide care for the cr i t ical ly ill pat ient , 1 3) ex is t ing hea l th providers are be t te r used with increased product iv i ty (G. L. S tearns ' Research Note: Acceptance Ut i l iza t ion of Phys ic ian Assis tants , December, 1971, p 1); 4) the conception of the role of the nurse changes from tha t of an office or clinic ass i s tan t to tha t of a p r ima ry hea l th care provider. 2 Here, we describe the inception, t r a i n i n g and role of~he nurse prac t i t ioner , compare the nurse prac t i t ioner to the physic ian 's a s s i s t an t and phys ic ian surrogate, and examine the need for and role of the emergency de pa r tme n t nurse pract i t ioner .
Urban Coaching Fellowships: A New Framework for Hiring and Supporting Sports Coaches in Urban Schools.

Many public high schools in large urban school districts face challenges staffing their sports programs with knowledgeable and well-qualified coaches. Compared to smaller and more suburban districts, these schools have low student participation in sports and high coach attrition rates. These challenges make it difficult for districts to provide equitable educational opportunities for their youth through school-based sports. This article presents a vision for how these issues could be addressed by outlining a conceptual framework for an urban coaching fellowship (UCF) program. Inspired by alternative teaching pathway programs like Teach for America, the New York City Teaching Fellowship, and the Boston Teacher Residency, UCF programs would use partnerships between large urban school districts, colleges and universities, and local nonprofits to recruit, train and staff schools with well-trained coaches. Such UCF programs would aim to help urban schools increase student participation in high school sports by...
Questions 111–120

This chapter illustrates a variety of different scenarios of rheumatic disease in succinct question and answer format. It contains ten complex cases with potentially unusual diagnoses designed to stimulate thought and further reading in this rapidly evolving specialty.
A New Threat to Immigrants’ Health — The Public-Charge Rule

A New Threat to Immigrants’ Health The Trump administration is aiming to expand the criteria for deeming an immigrant likely to become a “public charge.” Such a change would have important consequences for access to medical care and for the health of millions of immigrants and their families.
Educating Educators: Implementing Quality Online Teaching Certification Programs

ABSTRACT The online teaching platform has a firm foothold on many university campuses. With the majority of schools now offering online courses, e-learning facilitators have been creating and offer...
Mobility and Identity in Europe: A Mobile Ethnographic Approach

This book demonstrates that mobility in Europe is not a synonym for European mobility, showing how certain mobile individuals are more likely to develop an explicitly European identity than others. Through a series of mobile ethnographic accounts with truck drivers, musicians and MEPs, the author lays out the complexities behind assumptions about mobility and European identity, providing a clear contrast between individuals for whom this process certainly is true and others who, in spite of their high levels of mobility, do not consider themselves European, or for whom the notion of being European is simply insignificant. Ultimately, as this book shows, the enactment of a European identity, through practices of mobility, has more to do with social class than with a mobile condition per se, with mobility in Europe being transformed into European mobility only when it empowers individuals, solidifying their elevated position in the social pyramid. An account of European identity and its connection to mobility and notions of class, Mobility and Identity in Europe also explores the ways in which mobile ethnography can be practised as a method and what conclusions can be drawn from it. As such, it will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, anthropology and geography.
New Materialism? A View from Sociology of Knowledge

New materialism and related turns confront social research with serious criticisms for neglecting the role of things and materiality in its research. It proposes a new ontology and epistemology for such research linked to the promise of a better understanding of the worldly given and its processes. This paper acknowledges the need for some correction or complexification of social analysis and sociological research, but it rejects the harshness of the critique as well as its basic arguments. Against this it recalls the conception of objects and materiality established in interpretative sociology of knowledge and argues for a material sensitive sociological research in such a perspective, with a particular attention to discourse studies. Therefore it first presents core critical arguments against new materialism and related turns in sociology. In a second step it argues how questions of materiality can (and have been) dealt with in the sociology of knowledge. A third step will consider how materiality comes into play in sociology of knowledge-based discourse studies.
Nose-gaping: The Smells of Mason & Dixon

This article examines Pynchon’s evocations of smell in Mason & Dixon as a vehicle for critiquing notions of the rational subject and the bounded text. The nose is posed as a carnivalesque counterpart to the eye, the sense organ most readily associated with empiricism. The directional gaze, crucial to the eponymous characters’ work as astronomer and surveyor, often gives way to enveloping odors, producing an embodiment inimical to Enlightenment. Anthropologist David Howes has argued that smell is most vividly experienced in liminal spaces or at cognitive thresholds. I draw on his work to illuminate Pynchon’s association of smells with the dissolution of distinctions between abstract categories like civilization/wilderness, mind/body, past/present, and text/reader. I argue that this novel about the delineation of a boundary is primarily concerned with interpretive indeterminacy, figured and produced through textual smells.
Mitigation of Spectral Slicing Penalty Using Binary Polarization-Shift Keying

Polarization-shift keying (PolSK) is shown theoretically and experimentally to improve performance of optical links based on spectrally-sliced sources. BER floors observed with on-off keying (OOK) at 5 Gb/s are eliminated when 2-PolSk is used.
Nutrient enrichment increases soil bacterial diversity and decomposition rates of different litter types in a coastal plain wetland

Anthropogenic disturbances have led to increased deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into soils. Nutrient enrichment of soils is known to increase plant biomass and also increase rates of microbial litter decomposition. Thus, examining plant-soil-microbial interactions and their influence on decomposition rates is essential for predicting microbial contributions to carbon (C) cycling as atmospheric deposition persists. This study explores how changes in organic C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) caused by long-term nutrient enrichment and known litter-type composition influence soil microbial community structure and function. It is hypothesized that long-term nutrient enrichment causes shifts in soil microbial community structure that lead to higher rates of litter decomposition. Further, plant litter with a lower C: N ratio (compared to high C:N ratio litter) is expected to decompose faster due to an available N source provided to nutrient-starved microbes. We leverage a long-term experimental fertilization and disturbance by mowing experiment to test how nutrient enrichment affects decomposition and soil bacterial community structure in a nutrient poor coastal plain wetland. In each of eight replicate mowed/fertilized and mowed/unfertilized plots, bags of two different litter types (high C:N ratio rooibos tea and low C:N ratio green tea) were buried for 111 days. We characterized litter-associated and bulk soil microbiomes using 16S rRNA bacterial sequencing and quantified litter mass losses. As predicted, the green tea litter decomposed faster than the rooibos tea litter. Results also revealed that distinct bacterial communities were involved in decomposing rooibos tea litter (higher C:N ratio) more quickly in fertilized compared to unfertilized especially under drier soil conditions, while decomposition rates of green tea litter (lower C:N ratio) were similar between fertilized and unfertilized plots. Bacterial community structure in part explained litter decomposition rates, and long-term fertilization and drier hydrologic status affected bacterial diversity and increased decomposition rates. This study provides insight into long-term fertilization effects on soil bacterial diversity and composition, related rates of decomposition, and the increased potential for soil carbon loss as nutrient enrichment continues to affect historically low nutrient ecosystems.
Short-Term Practice Effects and Amyloid Deposition: Providing Information Above and Beyond Baseline Cognition.

BACKGROUND Practice effects, which are improvements in cognitive test scores due to repeated exposure to testing materials, may provide information about Alzheimer's disease pathology, which could be useful for clinical trials enrichment. OBJECTIVES The current study sought to add to the limited literature on short-term practice effects on cognitive tests and their relationship to amyloid deposition on neuroimaging. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-seven, non-demented older adults (9 cognitively intact, 18 with mild cognitive impairment) received amyloid imaging with 18F-Flutemetamol, and two cognitive testing sessions across one week to determine practice effects. RESULTS A composite measure of 18F-Flutemetamol uptake correlated significantly with all seven cognitive tests scores on the baseline battery (r's = -0.61 - 0.59, all p's<0.05), with higher uptake indicating poorer cognition. Practice effects significantly added to the relationship (above and beyond the baseline associations) with 18F-Flutemetamol uptake on 4 of the 7 cognitive test scores (partial r's = -0.45 - 0.44, p's<0.05), with higher uptake indicating poorer practice effects. The odds ratio of being "amyloid positive" was 13.5 times higher in individuals with low practice effects compared to high practice effects. CONCLUSIONS Short-term practice effects over one week may be predictive of progressive dementia and serve as an affordable screening tool to enrich samples for preventative clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease.
Hydrodynamic attraction of bacteria to gas and liquid interfaces

Near an interface, the distribution of swimming microorganisms such as bacteria is distinguished from inert colloidal particles because of the interfacial hydrodynamics induced by swimming. In this work, we use nontumbling flagellated bacteria, Escherichia coli, to study cell distribution near gas and liquid interfaces and compare it to the case of a solid wall. For low-viscosity ratios such as gas interfaces, we observe a stronger cell accumulation compared to that near liquid and solid surfaces. This contradicts known theoretical predictions. Therefore, we develop a model based on Brownian dynamics, including hydrodynamic effects and short-range physiochemical interactions between bacteria and interfaces. This model explains our experimental findings and can predict cell distribution near clean and surfactant-contaminated interfaces. By considering higher order singularities, this study helps explain bacteria orientation, trajectories, and cell density.
Which smokers adopt e-cigarettes and at what price? An experimental estimation of price elasticity of demand and factors correlated with e-cigarette adoption

E-cigarette use has surged in recent years. Many of these new users are cigarette smokers. It is unclear whether e-cigarette adoption by smokers will lead to improved public health due to uncertainty about whether e-cigarettes help smokers quit using cigarettes and about whether ongoing dual use reduces exposure to toxins. A third source of uncertainty is whether providing cigarette smokers with sample e-cigarettes increases e-cigarette adoption. To provide insight into this final issue, we follow up with cigarette smokers who left an experimental auction with an e-cigarette, contacting them after two weeks, six weeks, and six months to determine which demographic and smoking-related characteristics predict continued e-cigarette use. We find that smokers who have made a serious quit attempt, have been advised to quit smoking, or have previously tried e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to report continued e-cigarette use. Women and smokers from racial and ethnic minority groups are significantly less likely to use e-cigarettes at follow up, as are those who said they would rather quit than switch to e-cigarettes. We also use experimental auction bids to estimate the price elasticity of demand for e-cigarettes, finding that a 10% increase in price results in a 5.6% reduction in quantity demanded. This suggests e-cigarette demand is less price sensitive than some earlier studies have found. While a tax on e-cigarettes can still be an effective tool for reducing e-cigarette demand, the reduction in demand may be smaller than some earlier studies would suggest.
Semitic and Indo-European: Volume I: The Principal Etymologies. With observations on Afro-Asiatic

This volume presents the key examples of morphological correspondences between Indo-European and Semitic languages, afforded by nouns, verbal roots, pronouns, prepositions, and numerals. Its focus is on shared morphology embodied in the cognate vocabulary. The facts that are brought out in this volume do not fit comfortably within either the Indo-Europeanists’ or the Semitists’ conception of the prehistoric development of their languages. Nonetheless they are so fundamental that many would take them for evidence of a single original source, ‘Proto-Nostratic’. In this book, however, it is considered unsettled whether proto-IE and proto-Semitic had a common forerunner. But the IE-Semitic combinations testify at least to prehistoric language communities in truly intimate contact.
Seneca the Younger on Tyranny in On Mercy

Seneca the Younger on tyranny in On Mercy (Clemency). Advice on political morality addressed to his pupil, the future tyrant Nero. The tyrant unleashes an overpowering sense of fear among those whom he seeks to reduce to servitude. Apologist for the imperial regime, the principate.
Pancytopenia and TTP-like picture secondary to pernicious anaemia

A 21-year-old man presented to the emergency department with generalised weakness, weight loss and decreased appetite for few weeks. He had evidence of severe pancytopenia and haemolysis. His peripheral smear with many schistocytes was suspicious for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). He was supported with blood transfusions and daily plasmapheresis. His platelet counts worsened despite 4 days of therapy. Bone marrow biopsy was significant for hypercellular bone marrow with megaloblastic changes. Further workup revealed normal ADAMTS13 level, low vitamin B12, positive intrinsic factor antibodies and high methylmalonic acid. Diagnosis of pernicious anaemia was established and he was started on daily treatment with intramuscular vitamin B12 which subsequently improved his symptoms and haematological parameters. This report highlights the importance of checking vitamin B12 level in patients presenting with pancytopenia and TTP-like picture before making a diagnosis of TTP.
Left Ventricular Mass Index Is Associated With Cognitive Function in Middle-Age: Bogalusa Heart Study

Background: Elevated cardiovascular disease risk factor burden is a recognized contributor to poorer cognitive function; however, the physiological mechanisms underlying this association are not we...
Longitudinal Viral Load Monitoring Using Home-Collected Dried Blood Spot Specimens of MSM Living with HIV: Results from a Feasibility Pilot Study

Novel viral load monitoring strategies are needed to help individuals maintain an undetectable viral load (UVL). In 2018, U.S. MSM living with HIV with a past detectable VL received a dried blood spot (DBS) kit at baseline and 3-month follow-up and returned specimens to a research laboratory. Of 56 consenting participants, 91% returned specimens at baseline and 77% at 3-month follow-up; 74% who returned two specimens had UVL at both time points. At-home DBS collection and longitudinal VL monitoring is feasible among U.S. MSM with fluctuating viral load. This complementary approach to clinical care could improve viral suppression maintenance.
The Clinical Utility of a Brief Psychological Stress Measure (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) in Youth with Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVE To preliminarily examine the psychometric properties (i.e., internal consistency reliability, construct validity) and clinical utility of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) psychological stress experiences scale in a sample of youth with chronic pain. METHODS Participant data were gathered from an institutional review board (IRB) approved clinical data registry. One hundred sixty-eight children and adolescents (age: mean = 14.97, SD = 2.78) with chronic pain presenting to a tertiary pain treatment clinic were included in the data set. Internal consistency estimates (i.e., Cronbach's alpha), bivariate correlations, and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to preliminarily examine reliability and validity. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between PROMIS psychological stress and pain-related and psychosocial outcomes. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis and correlational results indicated that the PROMIS psychological stress experiences scale shows promising reliability and validity in the current sample of youth with chronic pain. Additionally, the results indicated that almost 50% of youth with chronic pain report "high" or "very high" stress (T ≥ 60) and significantly higher rates of stress when compared with national validation samples (P < 0.001). The results also indicated that the PROMIS psychological stress experiences scale was significantly associated with both pain-related and psychosocial outcomes (all P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS The PROMIS psychological stress experiences scale shows promising psychometric properties in youth with pediatric pain and may be useful in assessing for psychological impairment. Future research should further examine the use of this brief measure to assess psychological stress in medical clinics as a way to enhance intervention and prevention efforts in these youth.
Stratigraphic Identification with Airborne ElectromagneticMethods at the Hanford Site, Washington

Abstract. Stratigraphic units can influence the fate and transport of subsurface contaminants within groundwater. Units having coarse-grained sediments act as preferential flow pathways, and therefore can accelerate the transport of contaminants to reach human and ecological receptors. At legacy waste sites, detailed knowledge of subsurface stratigraphy can be used for effective monitoring and remediation planning to help minimize risk to human health and the environment. Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) methods can non-invasively provide information on kilometer-scale or larger subsurface stratigraphic features and fill informational gaps in directly sampled data from sparsely located boreholes. In this paper, we present inversion results of a 412 line-km frequency-domain AEM survey to delineate subsurface stratigraphic features at the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State. The inversion was performed using a massively parallel 3D electromagnetic modeling and inversion code, where the modeling is based on solving frequency-domain Maxwell’s equations using an unstructured-mesh finite-element method and the inversion employs a Gauss-Newton optimization scheme. The results are compared to an underlying geologic framework model (GFM), built by interpolating contact depths of stratigraphic units interpreted from site borehole datasets. In areas with good borehole coverage, the inversion results show a good match with the GFM to a depth of about 60 m. Outside of these areas, the inversion results exhibit inconsistencies from the assumptions made to create the GFM, demonstrating that the AEM survey results can be used to improve the understanding of the geological conceptual model.
Processing-microstructure-property correlations for temperature-controlled friction stir welding of 304L SS plates

Abstract Friction stir welding (FSW) is being considered as a potential repair welding technique for various engineering applications. In this study, an effort was made to explore the correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties in FSWed 304L stainless steel (SS) plates. An in-house developed weld temperature control algorithm was used during FSW of 304L SS plates. FSW was performed at two different temperatures, 725 and 825 °C, in order to repair simulated cracks introduced by electrical discharge machining (EDM) in the 304L plates. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed ultrafine grained microstructure in some parts of the stir zone (SZ) of the FSW nugget, which is attributed to dynamic recrystallization occurring during FSW. A significant decrease in the fraction of ∑3 special boundaries with concomitant decrease in the number of annealing twins was noticed in SZ as compared to the base metal. Vickers microhardness profiles across the SZ showed increase in hardness which was due to significant grain refinement. Tensile tests were carried out across the weld bead, and failure was found to occur in the base metal, indicating an overmatching FSW nugget.
A simple method of preparation for [123I]-(S)-(−)-IBZM

Abstract Sterile, apyrogenic [123I]IBZM was prepared in a sealed, capped ‘V’ vial, followed by SEP-PAK C-18 cartridge purification, and then was placed under sealed vial condensation. The quantity of BZM present in the final product ranged from 3.3–5.9 μg, as measured by a UV spectrophotometer at 254 and 308 nm. Animal biodistribution studies revealed that the [123I]IBZM prepared by this method which contained 5.9 μg of BZM, compared to the standard preparation method containing 0 μg of BZM, resulted in identical brain uptakes at 15, 30, 60, and 120 min post-injection. The in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that a small amount of BZM presence in the final product did not affect the radiochemical purity, nor the D2 receptor binding capacity in the rat brain of [123I]IBZM. The preparation time can be shortened to 1.5 h compared with at least 2–4 h needed for the standard method of preparation. This factor may be important in routine clinical application.
Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges From Language Proficiency to Academic Achievement by Margo Gottlieb

In Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges From Language Proficiency to Academic Achievement, Margo Gottlieb offers readers in-depth discussion and practical guidance related to the assessment...
Lower Esophageal Sphincter and Gastric Acid Responses to Intravenous Infusions of Synthetic Human Gastrin I Heptadecapeptide

Human gastrin I heptadecapeptide was administered by constant intravenous infusion to 7 adult male volunteers without gastrointestinal disease, and serum gastrin concentrations and responses of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and gastric acid output were measured and compared. Significant responses in LES pressure were found at gastrin infusion rates which produced submaximal gastric acid output. These LES pressure responses were quantitatively smaller than those occurring concomitantly with similar total immunoreactive gastrin levels evoked by administration of a protein meal in the same subjects. These observations suggest that, although increases in serum gastrin concentrations may contribute to increases in LES pressure seen under physiological conditions after feeding, the increase in LES pressure produced by feeding cannot be explained exclusively on the basis of endogenous gastrin release.
Assessment of Quantum Dot Penetration into Skin in Different Species Under Different Mechanical Actions

Skin penetration is one of the major routes of exposure for nanoparticles to gain access to a biological system. QD nanoparticles have received a great deal of attention due to their fluorescent characteristics and potential use in medical applications. However, little is known about their permeability in skin. This study focuses on three types of quantum dots (QD) with different surface coatings and concentrations on their ability to penetrate skin. QD621 (polyethylene glycol coated, PEG) was studied for 24 h in porcine skin flow-through diffusion cells. QD565 and QD655 coated with carboxylic acid were studied for 8 and 24 h in flow-through diffusion cells with flexed, tape stripped and abraded rat skin to determine if these mechanical actions could perturb the barrier and affect penetration. Confocal microscopy depicted QD621 penetration through the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum (SC) and fluorescence was found in the SC and near hair follicles. QD621 were found in the intercellular lipid layers of the SC by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). QD565 and 655 with flexed and tape-stripped skin did not show penetration; only abraded skin showed penetration in the viable dermal layers. In all QD studies, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis for cadmium (Cd) and fluorescence for QD did not detect Cd or fluorescence signal in the perfusate at any time point, concentration or type of QD. These results indicate that porcine skin penetration of QD621 is minimal and limited primarily to the outer SC layers, while QD565 and 655 penetrated into the dermis of abraded skin. The anatomical complexity of skin and species differences should be taken into consideration when selecting an animal model to study nanoparticle absorption/penetration. These findings are of importance to risk assessment for nanoscale materials because it indicates that if skin barrier is altered such as in wounds, scrapes, or dermatitis conditions could affect nanoparticle penetration deeper into the dermal layers and skin is an important organ and can serve as a potential route of exposure and should not be overlooked.
Effectiveness of Two Commercial Rotenone Formulations in the Eradication of Virile Crayfish Orconectes virilis

AbstractThe virile or northern crayfish Orconectes virilis is an invasive species throughout much of the USA, damaging aquatic communities where it is introduced. Therefore, identification of effective methods for its eradication from areas in which it is unwanted is important. We studied the effectiveness of two commercial formulations of rotenone, Chem Fish Regular and CFT Legumine, for virile crayfish control. Although both formulations were effective for fish eradication, earlier observations by fisheries managers suggested that the relative effectiveness of the two formulations differs for crayfish. The only noteworthy difference between the formulations is that the former contains a synergist. In our first experiment, we tested each toxicant at the maximum labeled dosage (5 ppm) and found CFT Legumine to be 100% ineffective (0% mortality), while the Chem Fish Regular treatment resulted in 12.5% mortality. After we deemed Chem Fish Regular to be the only toxicant with any effectiveness against virile...
Experimental study on current collapse of GaN MOSFETs, HEMTs and MOS-HEMTs

We report on the experimental results of current collapse measurements, using both conventional pulse method and a new DC method, performed on GaN MOSFETs, HEMTs and MOS-HEMTs. The current collapse phenomena were measured and compared between the different device types, epilayer dopings, RESURF region lengths and MOS channel lengths, at both room temperature and elevated temperatures.
The Role of Sell-side Analysts in the Enron Debacle

This case study documents the failure of sell-side analyst independence with respect to their coverage of Enron. More independent intermediaries including short sellers and the financial press ultimately raised important questions about the quality of Enron's management, the integrity of its reported results, and the viability/profitability of its business model - all questions the analyst community should have raised.
Xenopus Distal-less related homeobox genes are expressed in the developing forebrain and are induced by planar signals

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to isolated five Xenopus homeobox clones (X-dll1 to 5) that are related to the Drosophila Distal-less (Dll) gene and we propose a subdivision of the vertebrate distal-less gene family according to sequence similarities. cDNA clones were isolated for X-dll2, 3 and 4, and their expression was studied by RNase protection and in situ hybridization. X-dll2, which belongs to a separate subfamily than X-dll3 and 4, is not expressed in the neural ectoderm. X-dll3 and X-dll4, which belong to the same subfamily, have a similar but not identical pattern of expression that is restricted to anterior ectodermal derivatives, namely the ventral forebrain, the cranial neural crest and the cement gland. X-dll3 is also expressed in the olfactory and otic placodes while X-dll4 is expressed in the developing eye. X-dll3 differs from the other Xenopus genes and the previously isolated Dll-related mouse genes, in that localized expression can be detected by in situ hybridization very early in development, in the anterior-transverse ridge of the open neural plate. Based on that early expression pattern, we suggest that X-dll3 marks the rostral-most part of the neural plate, which gives rise to the ventral forebrain. Finally, we have used these Xenopus distal-less genes to show that the anterior neural plate can be induced by signals that spread within the plane of neural ectoderm, indicating that at least the initial steps of forebrain development do not require signals from underlying mesoderm.
Vowel processing by a model of the auditory periphery: A comparison to eighth‐nerve responses

A model of peripheral auditory processing that incorporates processing steps describing the conversion from the acoustic pressure‐wave signal at the eardrum to the time course activity in auditory neurons has been developed. It can process arbitrary time domain waveforms and yield the probability of neural firing. The model consists of a concatenation of modules, one for each anatomical section of the periphery. All modules are based on published algorithms and current experimental data, except that the basilar membrane is assumed to be linear. The responses of this model to vowels alone and vowels in noise are compared to neural population responses, as determined by the temporal and average rate response measures of Sachs and Young [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 470–479, (1979)] and Young and Sachs [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 1381–1403, (1979)]. Despite the exclusion of nonlinear membrane mechanics, the model accurately predicts the vowel formant representations in the average localized synchronized rate (ALSR) ...
Schistosoma mansoni: purification and characterization of the major acidic proteinase from adult worms.

Abstract We report purification of the major digestive proteinase from adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni. This enzyme is a thiol proteinase with a pH optimum of 5 and is activated by thiol reagents. It was purified 300-fold using a combination of gel chromatography and chromatofocusing. It readily hydrolyzed hemoglobin with an apparent Km of 0.29 μM and a specific activity of 27 μg degraded/min/mg enzyme at 37 C. Peptides with positively charged amino acids were preferentially cleaved. The enzyme degraded Boc-Arg-Arg-7-amino-4-methyl coumarin with a k cat K m of 9083 M−1sec−1. Lengthening the peptide chain to 3 amino acids or substituting glycine for the amino terminal arginine resulted in decreased activity. The enzyme was inhibited by chloromethylketone-derivatized peptides of similar sequence and by leupeptin. The purified proteinase exhibits microheterogeneity in different preparations with forms ranging in molecular weight from 30,000 to 35,000, and pI 5.7–6.0.
Carbohydrate Amino Acids: The Intrinsic Conformational Preference for a β-Turn-Type Structure in a Carbopeptoid Building Block

Infrared ion-dip spectroscopy coupled with DFT and ab initio calculations are used to establish the intrinsic conformational preference of the basic structural unit of a peptide mimic, a cis-tetrahydrofuran-based “carbopeptoid” (amide−sugar−amide), isolated at low temperature in the gas phase. The carbopeptoid units form a β-turn-type structure, stabilized by an intramolecular NH → OC hydrogen bond across the sugar ring, thus forming a 10-membered, C10 turn. Despite the clear preference for C10 β-turn structures in the basic unit, however, the presence of multiple hydrogen-bond donating and accepting groups also generates a rich conformational landscape, and alternative structures may be populated in related molecules. Calculations on an extended, carbopeptoid dimer unit, which includes an alternating amide−sugar−amide−sugar−amide chain, identify conformers exhibiting alternative hydrogen-bonding arrangements that are somewhat more stable than the lowest-energy double β-turn forming conformer.
Epidermal growth factor stimulates macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) mRNA expression and M-CSF release in cultured murine stromal cells

Summary Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) released by stromal cells of the bone marrow microenvironment plays a crucial role in the growth and proliferation of mononuclear cells. Several peptide mitogens including interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor, platelet-derived growth factor and fibroblast growth factor stimulate the release of M-CSF and may be important in mediating the haematopoietic response to inflammation. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), released from platelets during aggregation, is mitogenic for a variety of cell types and may cause the release of certain cytokines. In this study we used the TC-1 murine stromal cells which constitutively secrete M-CSF as a model to study the regulation of M-CSF in response to EGF. EGF markedly stimulated the steady state expression of M-CSF mRNA with a peak effect observed at 3 h. This was associated with the release of M-CSF protein as determined by radioimmunoassay. EGF also stimulated DNA synthesis in a concentration dependent manner. Although TC-1 cells express GM-CSF mRNA, this was not induced by EGF. These findings suggest that EGF is a key regulatory molecule for M-CSF and may indirectly effect haematopoiesis via the release of M-CSF from stromal cells.
Health Care Supply Chain Design for Primary Care: Reducing Disparities in Behavioral Health Care

This study empirically evaluates the delivery of behavioral health care through the supply chain for primary care. We place the health care supply chain in the broader community environment and cen...
The Physicochemical and Electrochemical Properties of 100 and 500 nm Diameter Diamond Powders Coated with Boron-Doped Nanocrystalline Diamond

There is a need for advanced, corrosion-resistant electrocatalyst support materials for use in fuel cells. To this end, electrically conducting diamond powder was prepared by depositing a layer of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond on 100 and 500 nm diam diamond powders. The doped layer was deposited by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition using an Ar-rich CH 4 /H 2 /Ar/B 2 H 6 source gas mixture. After coating, the 100 nm doped diamond powder had a specific surface area of 27 m 2 /g and an electrical conductivity of 0.41 S/cm. The 500 nm doped diamond powder had a specific surface area of 8 m 2 /g and an electrical conductivity of 0.59 S/cm after coating. The specific surface area of both powders decreased by ca. 50% after diamond coating due mainly to particle-particle fusion. The electrical measurements provided conclusive evidence for a doped diamond overlayer as the uncoated powders possessed no electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the fact that the electrical properties were unaltered by acid washing confirmed that the conductivity arises from the doped diamond overlayer and not any adventitious sp 2 carbon impurity on the particle surface, which is removed by such chemical treatment. Scanning electron microscopy images and Raman spectroscopy yielded further evidence in support of a nanocrystalline diamond overlayer. Both powders exhibited electrochemical responses for Fe(CN) 3 6 -/4- , Ir(Cl)) 6 -2/-3 , and Fe +2/+3 that were comparable to typical responses seen for high-quality, boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes. The electrochemical behavior of the powders was assessed using a pipette electrode that housed the packed powder with no binder. The 100 nm doped diamond powder electrodes were more plagued by ohmic resistance effects than were the 500 nm powder electrodes because of reduced particle contact. Importantly, it was found that the doped diamond powder electrodes are dimensionally stable and corrosion-resistant during anodic polarization at 1.4 V vs Ag/AgCl (1 h) in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 at 80°C. In contrast, glassy carbon powder polarized under identical conditions underwent significant microstructural degradation and corrosion.
Electron-paramagnetic-resonance investigations of divalent einsteinium-253 in Sr Cl 2 and Ba F 2

The electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) spectrum of $^{253}\mathrm{Es}^{2+}$ ($5{f}^{11}$ electronic configuration) has been observed in the cubic single-crystal hosts Ba${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ and Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$. The spectrum obtained at \ensuremath{\sim}24 GHz and a temperature of 4.2 K exhibited a well-resolved eight-line hyperfine pattern ($I=\frac{7}{2}$) for $^{253}\mathrm{Es}^{2+}$ in both host crystals. The magnetic field positions of the observed transitions were independent of the magnetic field orientation, but linewidth anisotropies were present. The EPR spectrum of $^{253}\mathrm{Es}^{2+}$ was described by the spin Hamiltonian $\mathcal{H}=g{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{H}}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{S}}}^{\ensuremath{'}}+A\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{I}}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{S}}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, with ${S}^{\ensuremath{'}}=\frac{1}{2}$, $I=\frac{7}{2}$, and $g=5.825(6)$, $A=0.1218(3)$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ for the Ba${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ host, and $g=6.658(3)$, $A=0.1382(2)$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ for Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$. The significant difference between the measured $g$ values for the two hosts indicates that the ${\mathrm{Es}}^{2+}$ ground state is a ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{6}$ doublet in Ba${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ and a ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$ doublet in Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$. Although a similar change in ground states between Ba${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ and Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ has been observed for the rare-earth analog of ${\mathrm{Es}}^{2+}$ (i.e., ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{2+}$ with a $4{f}^{11}$ electronic configuration), a corresponding effect is not necessarily expected for ${\mathrm{Es}}^{2+}$ in view of the known importance of intermediate-coupling effects in the actinide series. The observation of such a correspondence provides an additional example of the increasing "rare-earth-like" behavior of the actinides with increasing atomic number.
Molecular dynamics study of compositional order in a binary fluid mixture

Molecular dynamics is used to investigate the connection between strong compositional order in a binary liquid mixture and the interactions between the unlike species of the mixture. Two classes of models are examined. The first has strong attraction between the unlike species and the second has purely repulsive interactions with a nonadditive diameter for the unlike pairs which is less than the average of the diameters of the like pairs. Both models lead to compositional ordering. This structure is characterized in terms of both pair and three-particle correlation functions which are constructed during the molecular dynamics computations. The connection of these models with observations of compositional ordering in alloys is discussed. Also, the possible utility of purely repulsive models for characterizing a wide range of binary liquid mixture properties is mentioned.
Synthesis of nanoporous activated iridium oxide films by anodized aluminum oxide templated atomic layer deposition.

Iridium oxide (IrOx) has been widely studied due to its applications in electrochromic devices, pH sensing, and neural stimulation. Previous work has demonstrated that both Ir and IrOx films with porous morphologies prepared by sputtering exhibit significantly enhanced charge storage capacities. However, sputtering provides only limited control over film porosity. In this work, we demonstrate an alternative scheme for synthesizing nanoporous Ir and activated IrOx films (AIROFs). This scheme utilizes atomic layer deposition to deposit a thin conformal Ir film within a nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide template. The Ir film is then activated by potential cycling in 0.1 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} to form a nanoporous AIROF. The morphologies and electrochemical properties of the films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The resulting nanoporous AIROFs exhibit a nanoporous morphology and enhanced cathodal charge storage capacities as large as 311 mC/cm{sup 2}.
The influence of surfactant impurities on colloid stability and dispersion of powders in aqueous suspensions

Surfactants have been used for different industrial and cosmetic purposes for decades. Most industrial formulations are complex mixtures of many different chemicals. Often, more than one component is surface active. In this paper we present the results of studies on the colloid stability and dispersion of metal oxide powders in anionic surfactant solutions with nonionic or long chain anionic surface-active impurities. Dodecanol dramatically influenced anionic surfactant adsorption and powder dispersion in mixed surfactant solutions. The enhancement of anionic surfactant adsorption modified the colloid stability of dispersed metal oxides. At the same concentrations where powders were flocculated in the presence of pure anionic surfactants, stable dispersions were observed after addition of less than 1 wt.% of dodecanol. Similar effects were observed in the presence of 1 wt.% of long chain anionic surfactant impurities. The modified flocculation/dispersion behavior is caused by the enhanced coadsorption of nonionic and anionic surfactants at the oxide-water interface. Even more interesting behavior was observed at pH values above the isoelectric point of oxides where particles and surfactants bare negative charge. Pure anionic surfactants cannot stabilize oxides at such pH values, but mixtures containing less than 1 mol% of dodecanol significantly stabilized hematite and anatase at pH values above the isoelectric point.
Inclusion of Mesoscale Updrafts and Downdrafts in Computations of Vertical Fluxes by Ensembles of Tropical Clouds

Abstract Ensembles of convective clouds, especially in the tropics, often have widespread precipitating anvils associated with their deeper convective clouds. Mesoscale downdrafts occur below the middle-level bases of the anvils, and mesoscale updrafts may occur within the anvils themselves. Often, the special characteristics of these mesoscale anvil vertical motions are not taken into account in diagnosing or parameterizing the large-scale effects of cloud ensembles. This paper describes calculations of the differences in diagnosed ensemble mass and heat fluxes obtained when mesoscale motions are accounted for in comparison to when they are not. One dimensional models are used to represent both the convective-scale updrafts and downdrafts and the mesoscale anvil updrafts and downdrafts occurring within the cloud ensemble. All ensembles are constrained to account for the observed convective and anvil precipitation in Phase III of the Global Atmospheric Research Program's Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE...
Impulsive phase explosive dynamics

Observational evidence and theoretical models for explosive mass motion in the impulsive phase of solar flares are reviewed. Data showing X-ray blueshifts and H-alpha redshifts are presented in graphs and diagrams and interpreted in terms of upward-moving material at 10 million K and downward-moving material at 10,000 K. This motion is found to be most simply explained in terms of explosive chromospheric evaporation.
Severe serum sickness-like reaction to oral penicillin drugs: three case reports.

Background Because the use of heterologous sera has diminished, the incidence of serum sickness has declined. However, serum sickness-like reactions to nonprotein drugs continue to occur. Methods We report three cases of severe serum sickness-like reactions in adults to oral penicillin drugs. Results In each patient, significant symptom resolution occurred within 24 hours of starting therapy with oral corticosteroids. Conclusions Serum sickness-like reactions to oral penicillin drugs may be more common than reported in the literature and can be very severe. No specific laboratory finding is universally present or definitively diagnostic. As with classic serum sickness, the diagnosis of serum sickness-like reaction is made clinically. In severe cases such as those presented here with debilitating joint symptoms or life-threatening angioedema, a diagnostic-therapeutic trial of prednisone, 40 to 60 mg at least once daily, is warranted.
Cnot1, Cnot2, and Cnot3 Maintain Mouse and Human ESC Identity and Inhibit Extraembryonic Differentiation

Embryonic stem cell (ESC) identity and self-renewal is maintained by extrinsic signaling pathways and intrinsic gene regulatory networks. Here, we show that three members of the Ccr4-Not complex, Cnot1, Cnot2, and Cnot3, play critical roles in maintaining mouse and human ESC identity as a protein complex and inhibit differentiation into the extraembryonic lineages. Enriched in the inner cell mass of blastocysts, these Cnot genes are highly expressed in ESC and downregulated during differentiation. In mouse ESCs, Cnot1, Cnot2, and Cnot3 are important for maintenance in both normal conditions and the 2i/LIF medium that sup ports the ground state pluripotency. Genetic analysis indicated that they do not act through known self-renewal pathways or core transcription factors. Instead, they repress the expression of early trophectoderm (TE) transcription factors such as Cdx2. Importantly, these Cnot genes are also necessary for the maintenance of human ESCs, and silencing them mainly lead to TE and primitive endoderm differ entiation. Together, our results indicate that Cnot1, Cnot2, and Cnot3 represent a novel component of the core self-renewal and pluripotency circuitry conserved in mouse and human ESCs.