cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformational Dynamics and Energy Landscapes of Ligand Binding in RyR1

Using experimental single-particle cryo-EM snapshots of ryanodine receptor (RyR1), a Ca2+-channel involved in skeletal muscle excitation/contraction coupling, we present quantitative free-energy landscapes, reaction coordinates, and three-dimensional movies of the continuous conformational changes associated with the binding of activating ligands. Our results show multiple routes to ligand binding with comparable branching ratios. All high-probability routes involve significant conformational changes before and after the binding of ligands. We also present new insights into the local structural changes along the ligand-binding route, including accommodations at the calcium, ATP, and caffeine binding sites. These observations shed new light on the mechanisms and conformational routes to ligand binding.
Temporal encoding strategies result in boosts to final free recall performance comparable to spatial ones

The method of loci is a highly effective mnemonic that recruits existing salient memory for spatial locations and uses the information as a scaffold for remembering a list of items (Yates, 1966). One possible account for the effectiveness of the spatial method of loci comes from the perspective that it utilizes evolutionarily preserved mechanisms for spatial navigation within the hippocampus (Maguire et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97(8), 4398-4403, 2000; O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978; Rodriguez et al. in Brain Research Bulletin, 57(3), 499-503, 2002). Recently, though, neurons representing temporal information have also been described within the hippocampus (Eichenbaum in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(11), 732-744, 2014; Itskov, Curto, Pastalkova, & Buzsaki in The Journal of Neuroscience, 31(8), 2828-2834, 2011; MacDonald, Lepage, Eden, & Eichenbaum in Neuron, 71(4), 737-749, 2011; Mankin et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(47), 19462-19467, 2012; Meck, Church, & Matell in Behavioral Neuroscience, 127(5), 642, 2013), challenging the primacy of spatial-based functions to hippocampal processing. Given the presence of both spatial and temporal coding mechanisms within the hippocampus, we predicted that primarily temporal encoding strategies might also enhance memory. In two different experiments, we asked participants to learn lists of unrelated nouns using the (spatial) method of loci (i.e., the layout of their home as the organizing feature) or using two novel temporal methods (i.e., autobiographical memories or using the steps to making a sandwich). Participants' final free recall performance showed comparable boosts to the method of loci for both temporal encoding strategies, with all three scaffolding approaches demonstrating performance well above uninstructed free recall. Our findings suggest that primarily temporal representations can be used effectively to boost memory performance, comparable to spatial methods, with some caveats related to the relative ease with which participants appear to master the spatial versus temporal methods.
Physical Therapy in the Management of Chronic Pain

A multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach to chronic pain utilizing conservative modalities such as physical and occupational medicine helps facilitate functional restoration, decrease pain, and improve return-to-work rates. Addressing mobility and preventing and correcting deformity can not only slow the progression of disease and decrease pain but can also substantially improve quality of life. Individualized therapy programs should be designed and overseen by medical providers and implemented by physical therapists. By specifically addressing muscle strength, flexibility, neuromuscular control, myofascial dysfunction, functional mobility, endurance, balance, and locomotion, patients can maximize function and ultimately better manage their chronic pain.
The Genetics of Miscellaneous Factors That Affect Wood

This book has attempted to generally classify genetic factors that affect wood properties. However, several important items do not fit any general categorization and are reported in this chapter. Disease and insect attacks can have a major effect on wood and hybridization is rapidly becoming more important since the hybrids can be used with vegetative propagation techniques. Currently, biotechnology is being used in an attempt to improve wood quality.
Walking away from an American Dream, or how a million strategic defaults helped America rethink homeownership

This essay examines the relationship between homeowners strategically defaulting on their mortgages and a public shift in the American Dream of homeownership. It argues that the spike in strategic ...
Neonatal sepsis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a review of 151 bacteremic neonates.

Neonatal sepsis continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. A retrospective record review of the 542 infants admitted to the neonatal unit of the Ethio-Swedish Childrens Hospital in Addis Ababa Ethiopia with sepsis in 1992-93 was conducted. There were 322 neonatal deaths (15% of total admissions) in the study period. Bacteremia was confirmed in 151 children (28%). 195 children died for a case fatality rate of 36%. This included 59 deaths from "proven sepsis" (39%) and 136 (61%) from "presumptive sepsis." The incidence of sepsis was 11/1000 live births. The mean gestational age was 36 weeks in both groups and low birth weight was a predisposing factor for both the development of sepsis and neonatal mortality. The most common etiologic agent was Klebsiella (38% of cases) which is resistant to most available antibiotics. Signs and symptoms most often encountered included poor feeding (83%) temperature instability (63%) and respiratory distress (33%). Rapid accurate detection of infected infants remains the most effective means of curbing sepsis-related mortality.
A program to train medical physicists for direct patient care responsibilities

Author(s): Brown, Derek W; Atwood, Todd F; Moore, Kevin L; MacAulay, Robert; Murphy, James D; Mundt, Arno J; Pawlicki, Todd | Abstract: ObjectivesTo develop a training program designed to meet the specific needs of medical physicists as they transition into a clinical role with direct patient care responsibilities.Materials and methodsThe training program was designed in collaboration with the faculty at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and incorporates training techniques that have been shown to be effective in improving communication skills. The program emphasizes experiential, practice-based learning over didactic presentations.ResultsThe training program is comprised of 5 components: 1) a 1-day Clinician-Patient Communication Workshop run by the UC San Diego School of Medicine, 2) Communication Strategies for Radiation Oncology, which consists of two, 2-hour sessions designed to provide trainees with patient communication skills that are specific to patient interactions in radiation oncology, 3) Simulated Patient Interactions, in which trainees perform mock physicist-patient consults with trained patient actors, 4) Faculty-Observed Patient Consults, and 5) a Case-Based Treatment Toxicity Course. A competency assessment mechanism was also developed to provide a clear set of objectives and to guide trainer feedback. [Correction added after first online publication on November 7, 2018: The phrase ", which consists of two, 2-hour" was added above.] CONCLUSIONS: The training program that we have developed incorporates an array of established education techniques and provides a comprehensive, accessible, means of improving medical physicists' patient communication skills.
Infections Complicating Neurosurgical Procedures/Devices

Advances in neurosurgery techniques have prolonged the survival and improved the quality of life of children with otherwise incapacitating diseases such as hydrocephalus, CNS tumors, spasticity, and intractable epilepsy. As with any invasive medical procedure, neurosurgery comes with an attendant risk of infection. One particular challenge in the management of neurosurgical infections in the pediatric population is that patients are often dependent on some form of continued surgical intervention or device (e.g., patients with hydrocephalus often require continued CSF diversion even in the setting of infection). In this chapter we review the medical literature on the epidemiology, clinical features, management, and prevention of infections complicating neurosurgery and neurosurgical devices in children and provide both an infectious diseases and neurosurgical perspective on these problems.
Improving the utility of the Tox21 dataset by deep metadata annotations and constructing reusable benchmarked chemical reference signatures

The Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) project seeks to develop and test methods for high-throughput examination of the effect certain chemical compounds have on biological systems. Although primary and toxicity assay data were readily available for multiple reporter gene modified cell lines, extensive annotation and curation was required to improve these datasets with respect to how FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) they are. In this study, we fully annotated the Tox21 published data with relevant and accepted controlled vocabularies. After removing unreliable data points, we aggregated the results and created three sets of signatures reflecting activity in the reporter gene assays, cytotoxicity, and selective reporter gene activity, respectively. We benchmarked these signatures using the chemical structures of the tested compounds and obtained generally high receiver operating characteristic (ROC) scores, suggesting good quality and utility of these signatures and the underlying data. We analyzed the results to identify promiscuous individual compounds and chemotypes for the three signature categories and interpreted the results to illustrate the utility and re-usability of the datasets. With this study, we aimed to demonstrate the importance of data standards in reporting screening results and high-quality annotations to enable re-use and interpretation of these data. To improve the data with respect to all FAIR criteria, all assay annotations, cleaned and aggregate datasets, and signatures were made available as standardized dataset packages (Aggregated Tox21 bioactivity data, 2019).
Multiple Identifications in Multi-Armed Bandits

We study the problem of identifying the top m arms in a multi-armed bandit game. Our proposed solution relies on a new algorithm based on successive rejects of the seemingly bad arms, and successive accepts of the good ones. This algorithmic contribution allows to tackle other multiple identifications settings that were previously out of reach. In particular we show that this idea of successive accepts and rejects applies to the multibandit best arm identification problem.
A Model Ethics Board for Innovative Practice and Centers of Excellence.

Jake Earl (2019) in his target article “Innovative Practice, Clinical Research, and the Ethical Advancement of Medicine” provides a good review of the literature on the need for prior ethical revie...
Endometrium-free uterine closure technique and abnormal placental implantation in subsequent pregnancies

Background: Abnormal placentation can result in massive hemorrhage, which is the leading cause of severe maternal morbidities and mortality in its management. Over the past 50 years, the incidence ...
Short-term, high-dose hydroxychloroquine corneal toxicity.

Abstract Purpose To describe the corneal findings and management of a 61-year-old female with vortex keratopathy following short term, high dose hydroxychloroquine used in the setting of a clinical trial for recurrent breast cancer. Observations The patient was found to have significant corneal vortex keratopathy without retinal pathology within 3 months of 1200 mg daily hydroxychloroquine treatment as an adjuvant medication for cancer therapy. Cessation of the medication led to the resolution of the corneal verticillata within 1 month yet the vision did not return to baseline. Ultimately, remaining irregular astigmatism and ocular surface disease required a scleral contact lens to achieve a BSCVA of 20/25 OU. Conclusions and Importance Hydroxychloroquine-induced vortex keratopathy is largely considered dose and duration dependent and is uncommon with most standard treatment algorithms. However, with increasing use of high-dose hydroxychloroquine in adjunct cancer therapy, corneal findings are likely to become more frequent. Persistent visual impairment may occur, thus increased understanding of this pathology can aid in counseling patients and guiding treatment recommendations.
Conserved conformational hierarchy across functionally divergent glycosyltransferases of the GT-B structural superfamily as determined from microsecond molecular dynamics

Abstract It has long been understood that some proteins to undergo conformational transitions enroute to the Michaelis Complex to allow chemistry. Examination of crystal structures of glycosyltransferase enzymes in the GT-B structural class reveals that the presence of ligand in the active site is necessary for the protein to crystalize in the closed conformation. Herein we describe microsecond molecular dynamics simulations of two evolutionarily unrelated glycosytransferases, HepI and GtfA. Simulations were performed using these proteins in the open and closed conformations, (respectively,) and we sought to identify the major dynamical modes and communication networks which allow conformational transition between the open and closed structures. We provide the first reported evidence (within the scope of our experimental parameters) that conformational hierarchy/directionality of the interconversion between open and closed conformations is a conserved feature of enzymes of the same structural superfamily. Additionally, residues previously identified to be important for substrate binding in HepI were shown to have strong negative correlations with non-ionizable residues distal to the active site. Mutagenesis of these residues produced mutants with altered enzymatic efficiency exhibiting lower Km values, while the kcat is effectively unchanged. The negatively correlated motions of these residues are important for substrate binding and forming the Michaelis complex, without impacting the activation barrier for catalysis. This suggests that in the bi-domain HepI, the enzyme dynamics did not impact the transition state stabilization or chemistry, but rather earlier steps along the reaction coordinate, leading to the reorganization of the active site electrostatic environment required for catalysis.
Cylindrical Aperture Synthesis with Metasurfaces

A general method to realize arbitrary, azimuthally-invariant aperture fields using a metasurface is presented. The metasurface, consisting of cascaded inhomogeneous electric sheet impedances, is placed within a cylindrical waveguide to generate specified aperture fields through mode conversion. The surface impedance profiles of the electric sheets are found using optimization. Rapid optimization is enabled by modal network theory, and the Discrete Hankel Transform (DHT). As an example, a radially polarized Gaussian beam launcher is designed.
Authentication of olive oil based on DNA analysis

Olive oil, which has been produced mainly in the Mediterranean area since the ancient times, has a high nutritional value linked to many health benefits. Extra virgin, which is the purest form of olive oil, has excellent quality and premium prices. Many cases of adulteration and fraud necessitate the development of reliable and accurate methods for olive oil authentication. DNA-based methods analyze the residual DNA extracted from olive oil and use molecular markers for genetic identification of different species, subspecies or cultivars because these markers act as signs which reflect distinct genetic profiles. This study reviews the process by which DNA from olive oil is extracted and analyzed by the most recently used markers in the authentication of olive oil, such as Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) or microsatellites and the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Methods of analysis such as qPCR and digital PCR are also discussed with a special emphasis placed on the method of High-Resolution Melting (HRM), a post-polymerase chain reaction method, which enables rapid, high performing identification of genetic variants in the DNA regions of interest without sequencing, and may differentiate very similar cultivars which differ in only one nucleotide in a specific locus.
Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of N,N,O-Trisubstituted Hydroxylamines from Alcohols and Amines by N–O Bond Formation

Magnesium dialkylamides react with alcohol-derived 2-methyl-2-tetrahydropyranyl alkyl peroxides (MTHPs) in tetrahydrofuran at 0 °C to give N,N,O-trisubstituted hydroxylamines suitable for medicinal...
Envisioning Indigenous Models for Social and Ecological Change in the Anthropocene

Indigenous societies provide alternatives to hegemonic social institutions that global capitalism spread around the world, contributing to human caused environmental degradation called the Anthropocene, coterminous with the development of the modern world-system. In this work we describe Indigenous communities using ten social spheres, that balance human needs through ecological mindfulness, including spirituality, and then we model how these social spheres can be adapted to contemporary world-systems using a radical imaginary, building off Indigenous works by Fenelon (2015; 2016), social perspectives of Pellow (2017) and Norgaard (2019), and environmental geospatial sciences (Lui, Springer, and Wagner 2008; Jankowski 2009). We identify four social constructs from Indigenous peoples—(1) decision-making, (2) land tenure and resource management, (3) economic and (4) community—which we model for societies in world-systems through the ten imagined social spheres, to present foundations that empower communities to resist the coming climate change futures of the Anthropocene.
Crazy ants craving calcium: macronutrients and micronutrients can limit and stress an invaded grassland brown food web

Nitrogen and phosphorus are thought to be the most important limiting nutrients in most terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known about how other elements may limit the abundance of arthropods. We utilized a fully factorial fertilization experiment that manipulated macronutrients (N and P, together) and micronutrients (calcium, sodium, potassium, separately), in large 30 × 30 m plots and sampled litter arthropods via pitfall trapping to determine the nutrients that limit this group. An invasive ant, Nylanderia fulva, numerically dominated the community and increased in abundance 13% in plots fertilized by Ca. Detritivores were not limited by any nutrient combination, but macronutrients increased predator abundance 43%. We also found that some combinations of macronutrients and micronutrients had toxic or stressful effects on the arthropod community: detritivores decreased in abundance 23% with the combination of macronutrients, Ca, and K, and 22% with macronutrients and K; and N. fulva decreased in abundance 24% in plots fertilized by K and 45% in plots fertilized by the combination of Na and K. Our work supports growing evidence that micronutrients, especially Ca and K, may be important in structuring grassland arthropod communities, and suggests that micronutrients may affect whether or not invasive ants reach numerical dominance.
Police officers’ job satisfaction: combining public service motivation and person-environment fit

This study examines front-line police officers’ job satisfaction in mid-sized municipal departments in the Midwestern United States. We use a 2019 cross-sectional survey of seven police departments...
Incidence and Factors Associated With Androgenetic Alopecia Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients Treated With Masculinizing Hormone Therapy.

This cohort study examines the proportion of transgender and gender-diverse individuals patients receiving masculinizing hormone therapy who developed androgenetic alopecia.
Ambulatory blood pressure data is the best approximation of central aortic pressure in coarctation of aorta

Abstract The purpose of the study was to determine which out-of-office BP measurement modality has the best correlation with central aortic systolic BP, arterial stiffness (a determinant of central aortic pressure) and LV mass index (LVMI) which represents LV adaptation to elevated central aortic pressures. In this prospective study, we demonstrated that 24h ambulatory systolic BP has better correlation with central aortic systolic BP (arterial load) and LVMI as compared to home systolic BP. 24h ambulatory systolic BP also correlated with arterial stiffness (determinant of arterial load), although this correlation was comparable to that observed with home systolic BP. Collectively, these results suggest that ambulatory systolic BP provides the best approximation of arterial load, which is the underpinning hemodynamic stress leading to LV remodeling, end-organ dysfunction, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with COA. These findings provide a foundation for further studies to determine whether titrating antihypertensive therapy based on ambulatory BP indices will slow the progression of LV remodeling and end-organ dysfunction due to hypertension, and in turn, reduce cardiovascular death in this population.
Cerebrovascular Disease Risk Factor Burden in LGBTQ PoC

Despite emerging evidence of LGBTQ heart health disparities, few studies focus on racial/ethnic LGBTQ. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. There are separate bodies of literature indicating there are modifiable cardiovascular risk factor disparities among racial/ethnic and sexual minority/gender-diverse people. However, what is missing is an intersectional focus on risk factor differences, which may shed light on differential risk for CVDs among racial/ethnic LGBTQ. Guided by the minority stress theory, this chapter focuses on how minority stress (in the form of intersectional discrimination) is a possible pathway for CVD risk for LGBTQ people of color (PoC). Thus, this chapter focuses on the small, yet emerging, literature on CVDs for LGBTQ PoC, with a centering of the associations of intersectional discrimination with CVD health for these communities.
Superimposition: Forms of Moving Image Site-Specificity

This chapter looks to the notion of superimposition. Superimpositions employ the moving image’s enchanting properties to produce transformations of our understanding of place. This chapter begins with projects that puncture their sites with windows or wormholes, including works by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Dan Graham, John Gerrard, Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz, and Paul St George. This chapter then turns to the notion of haunting through works by Judith Barry and Tony Oursler. Recent figural projections by Krzysztof Wodiczko expand the artist’s heralded architectural practice to produce human-scaled apparitions that demand a right to appear for marginalized people. I conclude by examining works produced outside or against the grain of public art organizations in the spirit of Situationist detournements.
Bilayer thick structures based on CoFe2O4/TiO2 composite and niobium-doped PZT obtained by electrophoretic deposition

Abstract In view of developing new structures and processes for the production of magnetoelectric materials, bilayer thick structures made of cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 )/titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) composite and niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZTN) were grown on silver-coated alumina substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from ethanol-based colloidal suspensions. A first co-deposition from a CoFe 2 O 4 /TiO 2 suspension was followed, after heat treatments of the electrodeposited composite layer, by a second deposition from a PZTN suspension. Each deposition was performed at constant voltage while recording the current. High density structures keeping the same stoichiometry of the deposited particles were observed after sintering. Composition, thickness and relative density of the layers were investigated by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses, while the crystalline phases were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Ferroelectric, hysteresis loops and piezoelectric response of the bilayer thick structures were measured resulting in good piezoelectric activity of the poled structures.
Discrimination against Caregivers? Gendered Family Responsibilities, Employer Practices, and Work Rewards

This chapter discusses economic inequalities between caregivers and other workers, the mechanisms that produce them, and the possibility of using anti-discrimination law to challenge them. I first examine the consequences of gendered family responsibilities, specifically motherhood, for occupational status and wages. Then I present common explanations for the economic consequences of caregiving, contrasting human capital theory with a structural perspective that investigates the organizational mechanisms—the concrete policies and practices and the unquestioned assumptions in workplaces—that help create these inequalities. I review the legal strategies proposed by feminist legal scholars and then draw on empirical studies of changes in organizational policies and practices in the wake of anti-discrimination law to discuss the likely effects of those strategies. I suggest that defining the economic marginalization of caregivers as discrimination would provide a new language and legitimacy for workers faced with work-family conflicts but the resulting organizational changes would not fully erase the inequalities documented here.
Laboratory Detection of Vancomycin Nonsusceptible Staphylococcus aureus

In 2009, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute introduced new guidelines for staphylococcal susceptibility testing, indicating that Kirby Bauer disk diffusion is not a reliable method for detection of reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in this genus. In this unit, we describe a method using a brain-heart infusion medium containing 3 µg/ml of vancomycin (BHI-V3) to screen for isolates of S. aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin; this medium represents a sensitive and cost-effective method for detection of such isolates in the clinical or research laboratory. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 22:17.6.1-17.6.5. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; vancomycin; vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus; susceptibility testing; screening agar
Stability of n-covered circles for elastic rods with constant planar intrinsic curvature

A stability index is computed for the n-covered circular equilibria of inextensible-unshearable elastic rods with constant planar intrinsic curvature u and constant values for the twisting stiffness and two bending stiffnesses. A simple expression is derived for the index as a function of u, ρ (the ratio of bending stiffness out of the plane of curvature to bending stiffness in the plane of curvature), and γ (the ratio of twisting stiffness to bending stiffness in the plane of curvature). In particular, for intrinsically straight rods (u = 0) we prove that the 1-covered circle is stable if and only if ρ ≥ 1, and the n-covered circle (n>1) is stable if and only if γ>1, ρ>1, and $$\frac{{n - 1}}{n} \leqslant \sqrt {\frac{{\gamma - 1}}{\gamma } \cdot \frac{{\rho - 1}}{\rho }} .$$
A dynamic approach to MPE and weighted MAX-SAT

The problem of Most Probable Explanation (MPE) arises in the scenario of probabilistic inference: finding an assignment to all variables that has the maximum likelihood given some evidence. We consider the more general CNF-based MPE problem, where each literal in a CNF-formula is associated with a weight. We describe reductions between MPE and weighted MAX-SAT, and show that both can be solved by a variant of weighted model counting. The MPE-SAT algorithm is quite competitive with the state-of-the-art MAX-SAT, WCSP, and MPE solvers on a variety of problems.
Extradural Thoracic Spinal Lesion Presenting as Low Back and Leg Pain

Dear Editor: It is important for the pain physician to accurately diagnose spinal pathology that requires urgent surgical intervention. When signs of spinal cord compression occur, prompt diagnosis and surgical decompression are necessary ⇓. Thoracic disk herniations account for approximately 0.25–0.75% of all symptomatic disk herniations, with 70% showing signs of spinal cord compression by the time of diagnosis ⇓. Unfortunately, because thoracic spinal lesions are rare, they can often be misdiagnosed at first ⇓. Extradural spinal lesions such as calcified, herniated disks in the thoracic spine most commonly present as localized pain in the uper back or pain along a dermatomal distribution in the chest or abdominal area ⇓. They can also mimic lesions of the lumbar spine and initially mislead a physician who is attempting to manage the symptoms of lumbar radicular pain. We present a case of a patient who presented with severe low back and bilateral lower extremity radicular pain who was found to have an extradural thoracic spinal lesion causing critical spinal stenosis and was successfully diagnosed and managed. A 38-year-old-female presented to the Emergency Department for an acute exacerbation of her 2-year history of chronic bilateral back and lower extremity pain. In her right …
Evaluation of an entomopathogenic nematode and chemical insecticides for control of Metamasius hemipterus sericeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Several chemical insecticides and the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) (All strain), were evaluated for efficacy against the West Indian sugarcane weevil, Metamasius hemipterus sericeus (Olivier), in laboratory and field tests. Three different bioassays and a field study with sugarcane demonstrated that S. carpocapsae were efficacious against larvae but not adults of the weevil. These bioassays also demonstrated that adults of M. h. sericeus were killed by labelled rates of commercial formulations of acephate 75WP, carbofuran 2F, chlorpyrifos 4 EC, cyfluthrin 2 EC, disulfoton 15G, imidacloprid 2F, isofenphos 2I, lindane 25WP, and Vydate L. In a field test with weevil-infested Canary Island date palms, Phoenix canariensis Hortorum ex Chabaud, lindane (25 WP, 1.5 g AI/palm), and imidacloprid (75 WP, 1.2 g AI/palm) had the greatest effect on the percentage mortality of total weevils present per palm (> 60%) followed by S. carpocapsae (8 × 106 infective juveniles [IJs]/palm) (51%) a...
Sperm Membrane Dynamics Assessed by Changes in Lectin Fluorescence Before and After Capacitation

Sperm capacitation is correlated with acquisition of fertilizing ability, and the molecular events underlying this process are only beginning to be understood. A number of membrane changes associated with capacitation have been documented. In this study we used lectin probes to identify changes in glycoprotein localization as a result of capacitation of mouse sperm. Eight lectins (LEA, PSA, PNA, AAA, UEA-1, WGA, STA, and TPA) stained regions of the mouse sperm head, tail, or both. No changes in tail staining patterns were detected when sperm were incubated under capacitating conditions. In contrast, 7 of 8 lectins tested showed clear shifts in staining patterns in the sperm head as a result of incubation under capacitating conditions. When staining patterns were quantified, a distinct heterogeneity within the sperm population was observed. Each lectin displayed 3 distinct staining patterns in both uncapacitated and capacitated sperm samples. The least common pattern represented the acrosome-reacted (AR) pattern, as independently assessed by lectin staining of ionophoretreated sperm that were >95% AR as judged by Coomassie staining. However, a reciprocal shift in the two predominant staining patterns was correlated with capacitation and suggests that changes in distribution of cell surface proteins during capacitation constitute part of the molecular changes which result in changes in sperm function acquired during this process.
Evolution of the unoccupied states in alkali metal-doped organic semiconductor

Abstract The evolution of the electronic structure, especially the unoccupied states, induced by alkali metal doping has been investigated with photoemission and inverse photoemission spectroscopy for organic semiconductors, such as copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) and tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq). The n-type doping leads to a downward shift for the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the organic semiconductors, until the edge of the LUMO reaches the Fermi level. After that, the LUMO intensity decreases monotonically, while a gap state grows in the valence spectra, which gives direct evidence for the origin of the doping-induced gap state in organic molecules. The modification of the LUMO intensity, as well as that of the gap state, suggests the formation of multiply charged anions in heavily doped film.
Factor and subscale structure of a parental health locus of control instrument (Parental Health Beliefs Scales) for use in a mainland United States Puerto Rican community

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine whether the subscale structure of an instrument used to measure parental health locus of control is a valid representation of the concept of locus of control in the Puerto Rican community. Ethnocultural differences in values and attitudes may create different conceptualizations of questionnaire items, which may impact on the subscale factor loadings for these items. Four hundred and twenty parents of Puerto Rican ethnicity living in a mainland inner city community in the United States completed the Parental Health Beliefs Scales (PHBS) instrument, which was developed to measure parental locus of control regarding their children’s health. Results were subject to exploratory factor analysis. The resultant factor structure was then compared to other published factor structures by confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis results show a new five factor solution. Compared to two previously published factor structures for this instrument, the new five factor structure has a better goodness of fit for this Puerto Rican study sample. Through item analysis, we were able to refine the final structure into a four factor, 15 item instrument. We conclude that the new factor structure for the PHBS creates an instrument with subscales that reflect Puerto Rican cultural beliefs and values, especially as it pertains to locus of control issues (e.g. respect of professionals, collectivism, and the importance of fate). When working with ethnocultural minority groups, the health services researcher needs to be certain that the research instruments used are culturally appropriate and sensitive.
Evidence of a right-shift factor affecting infant hand-use preferences from 7 to 11 months of age as revealed by latent class analysis

Infant hand-use preferences for apprehending objects were assessed three times at 7, 9, and 11 months of age for 154 infants (79 males) using a reliable and valid procedure. Two classification procedures (differing in Type I classification error rates) were used to identify an infant's preference (right, left, no preference) at each age, and these data were examined using two- and three-group latent class analysis models. These analyses revealed the importance of using a handedness classification procedure with low Type I error rates and evidence of a right-shift factor similar to that expressed in child and adult handedness. Thus, infant hand-use preferences for apprehending objects are likely a developmental precursor of adult handedness. The relation of the right-shift factor to increased susceptibility to social influences during development and the evolution of human abilities also is discussed. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 40: 1–13, 2002
Anion chromatography with low-conductivity eluents

A simple system is described for the separation and determination of mixtures of inorganic and organic anions. The anions are separated on a column containing a macroporous anion-exchange resin which has a very low exchange capacity of 0.007–0.07 mequiv./g. Because of the low resin capacity, only a very dilute solution (ca. 10−4M) of an aromatic organic acid salt is needed as the eluent. The eluent conductance is sufficiently low that a suppressor column is not needed, and the separated anions can be detected with a simple conductance detector. Numerous examples of actual separations are shown. In some instances concentrations of anions below 1 ppm could be detected. The applicability of the system to real samples is demonstrated by several examples.
Mortgage Interest Deductions and the Consumption Theory of Land Rent

The internal structure of the city is in part determined by the nature of public institutions, including the manner in which governments tax households. Using the graphical consumption theory of land rent, it is demonstrated that the geography of the city differs between places where deductions are allowed and places where they are not allowed. Changes in mortgage interest payment deductions can offset changes in mortgage interest rates. Without countervailing planning policies, mortgage interest deductions may also provide an impetus for urban decay. La structure interne de la ville est partiellement determinee par les institutions publiques, y compris la methode utilisee par les gouvernements pour determiner l'impot sur le revenu. La theorie graphique de la consommation du loyer des terres demontre que la structure interne d'une ville est differente entre les lieux ou les paiements d'interet d'hypotheque peuvent etre deduits du revenu pour atteindre un revenu imposable reduit, et les lieux ou telles deductions ne sont pas permises. Les changements du paiement des deductions d'interet d'hypotheque peuvent compenser pour les changements de taux d'interet d'hypotheque. Sans contrevaloir les previsions d'organisation, les deductions d'interet d'hypotheque peuvent aussi fournir l'elan pour la decadence urbaine.
Stress control for overlay registration in a‐Si:H TFTs on flexible organic‐polymer‐foil substrates

— Mechanical stress in hydrogenated amorphous-silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is becoming an important design parameter, especially when the TFTs are made on compliant substrates. Excessive stress always has been avoided to prevent film fracture and peeling. Now, attention is turning to the effects of stress on the TFT backplane dimensions and hence on the overlay alignment. The goal is to keep the size of the circuit-on-substrate composite structure the same at successive critical photolithographic steps. This is done most easily by keeping the structure flat. We show that a compensating stress can be dialed into the silicon nitride SiNx) gate dielectric to also keep the substrate size constant. Varying the stress in the SiNx gate dielectric did not significantly change the as-fabricated TFT characteristics.
Tyrosine Aminotransferase Induction Regulation Variant in Tissue Culture

A variant of hepatoma tissue culture cells, described here, has normal basal levels of enzyme but fails to respond to the usual inducing steroids.
Fluorescence and delayed light emission in Tris-washed chloroplasts

Yamashita and Butler [I] have shown that extraction of chloroplasts with a high concentration of Tris (0.8 M, pH 8.0) eliminates flow of electrons from water to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+)* or other Hill oxidants. They suggest that washing with Tris causes a block on the water side of the electron transport chain. Addition of electron donors such as reduced phenylene diamine (PDA) restores the electron flow to NADP’. This donation of electrons by PDA is sensitive to the herbicide diuron (DCMU), a well known inhibitor of photosystem II (PS II) reactions. Measurements of chlorophyll a (Chl) fluorescence in Tris-washed chloroplasts (without any added donor) show a very low level of fluorescence, but the addition of DCMU increases the yield of fluorescence [I]. One could suggest that the low yield of Chl fluorescence in Tris-washed chloroplasts is due to “trickling” of electron flow from some endogenous donor (cf. [ 11). However, if this were so, we should expect the fluorescence yield to slowly rise and reach the maximum yield at longer times. But, this never happens. No satisfactory explanation was available for this peculiar behavior of fluorescence
Involvement of nitric oxide in IFN-γ-mediated reduction of microvessel smooth muscle cell proliferation

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that murine cerebral microvessel smooth muscle cells (SMC) activate syngeneic CD4+ T-cells in vitro. These T-cells, or their culture supernatants, in turn, strongly inhibit proliferation of the SMC. The present study focuses on IFN-γ as a mediator of inhibition of SMC proliferation, and addresses the molecular mechanism of this inhibition. IFN-γ profoundly reduced the proliferation of murine brain microvessel smooth muscle cells in vitro. Three lines of evidence indicate that nitric oxide contributed to this effect: (1) IFN-γ-mediated inhibition of proliferation correlated with the quantity of nitrite, a stable breakdown product of nitric oxide, in culture supernatants; (2) the addition of Ng-monomethyl-l-arginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, restored proliferation to control or near control levels; and (3) the addition of hemoglobin, which has a high affinity for, and thus sequesters nitric oxide, also resulted in significant restoration of the proliferative response. However, the nitric oxide donating chemical sodium nitroprusside, at concentrations up to 100 μM, had no direct cytostatic effect. These results suggest that nitric oxide is a necessary but insufficient component in IFN-γ-mediated inhibition of microvessel smooth muscle cell proliferation. TNF-α also stimulated nitric oxide production by the smooth muscle cells, but was not as potent as IFN-γ at inhibiting proliferation. Knowledge of the physiological effects of lymphokines on cells of the brain microvasculature will contribute towards a better understanding of inflammatory processes in diseases such as multiple sclerosis and infectious encephalitis.
Cold-season patterns of reserve and soluble carbohydrates in sugar maple and ice-damaged trees of two age classes following drought.

This study examines the effects of summer drought on the composition and profiles of cold-season reserve and soluble carbohydrates in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees (50–100 years old or ∼200 years old) in which the crowns were nondamaged or damaged by the 1998 ice storm. The overall cold season reserve carbohydrate profiles in twig wood tissue of drought-stressed (DS) trees and non-drought-stressed (NDS) trees were generally similar, although differences were observed in the amount of reserve carbohydrates in DS and NDS trees. The cold-season level of starch stored in DS trees in early autumn in the wood tissue was about one-third to one-fifth that in NDS trees. The cold season sugar content in the DS trees was significantly greater than can be attributed to degradation of stored starch, only. The level of sucrose in DS trees remained high throughout the winter until termination of dormancy and dehardening. The concentrations of winter glucose and fructose in DS trees attained peak levels at th...
Gamma counting of iodine-125 using a metal-loaded liquid scintillator.

Abstract A tin-loaded liquid scintillator has been used with a liquid scintillation analyzer for the routine gamma counting of iodine-125. The most suitable solution gave a counting efficiency of 55% with a background of 40 cpm, which compares favorably with sodium iodide well crystal counting of this isotope. A modified counting vial allows the sample to be kept separate from the liquid scintillator. The advantages of the method are the ease of sample preparation and the use of an automatic counting facility.
U.S. policy: keeping children with special needs safe in America.

This paper reviews the major efforts being made to reform the child welfare system for children with special needs who are in protective placements. Barriers to finding permanent and loving homes result in putting these children at high risk of institutionalization, poor physical and emotional health, and abuse and neglect. Education for prospective parents, foster parents and the child service provider workforce is necessary to minimize these poor outcomes.
Self-protection in adolescents in foster care.

PROBLEM. Adolescents in long-term foster care experience significant health and mental health problems. Little is known about their perceptions of the impact of foster care. METHOD. Seventeen adolescents were interviewed in their foster group homes. Dimensional analysis was used to develop theory on the impact of foster care. FINDINGS. Adolescents in foster care engaged in self-protect ion strategies secondary to experiences of devaluation and uncertainty in foster care, including guarding foster child status, maintaining a defensive posture, distancing self, and keeping relationships superficial. Self-protection resulted in a veneer of self-reliance and social detachment. CONCLUSIONS. Strategies are suggested to address devaluing experiences and promote positive identity development in foster care.
Micro Fluidic Platform for Manipulation of Micro- and Nanoscale Particles

In this paper, we study the manipulation and immobilization of micro- and nano-sized particles, such as living cells, suspended in a liquid. Our technique focuses on dielectrophoresis, that is, the use of spatially nonuniform electric field, while not damaging the manipulated particles or cells. The small size of the particles considered here requires the use of micro-electro-mechanical device (MEMS). We first simulate the suspended system by means of our new computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool based on the distributed Lagrange Multiplier method (DLM), which takes into account not only fluid-particle but also particle-particle interactions. Results for both positive and negative dielectrophoresis are presented. We also show the existence of various regimes for the particle structures depending on the relative magnitude of the dielectrophoretic force and the electrostatic particle-particle interactions. We then design, fabricate and test a MEMS platform containing several microdevices.Copyright © 2003 by ASME