cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spectral Dependencies of the Quantum Yield of Photochemical Processes on the Surface of Wide Band Gap Solids. 3. Gas/Solid Systems†

The spectral dependencies of quantum yields of photostimulated adsorption of oxygen on KBr and ZrO2 specimens were assessed during photoexcitation into the F centers produced by preirradiation with UV light. The spectral limits of this adsorption were shifted to wavelengths longer than the absorption band edge of the specimens. However, of great import are the spectral dependencies of the quantum yields of photochemical processes for the original state(s) of metal oxides irradiated in the intrinsic and extrinsic absorption bands. Such dependencies for the photoadsorption of donor (H2 and CH4) and acceptor (O2) molecules in gas/solid systems are reported for a variety of metal oxides of varying band gaps (Eg), namely TiO2 (rutile form, Eg = 3.0 eV), ZnO (3.0 eV), ZrO2 (5.0), Sc2 O3 (5.4 eV), MgO (8.7 eV), and CaO (7.5 eV) as well as for Bi2 O3 (3.2 eV), CeO2 (3.4 eV), Ga2 O3 (4.4 eV), In2 O3 (3.1 eV), Nb2 O5 (3.3 eV), and Y2 O3 (5.5 eV). The approach taken to model and compare with experimental results was...
Diastereoselective Synthesis of an Isoprostane: (±)-8-epi-PGF2α Ethyl Ester

A total synthesis of the isoprostane (±)-8-epi-PGF2α ethyl ester (5) is described, based on the diastereoselective cyclization of α-diazo ketone 7. This ketone is assembled by aldol condensation between α-diazo ketone 8 and aldehyde 9. The sequential α-diazo ketone aldol/insertion described here offers a powerful new approach to cycloalkane construction.
Poverty-Environment Traps

Remote less-favored agricultural lands (LFAL) are regions in developing countries that face severe biophysical constraints on production and are in geographical locations that have limited market access. We estimate that, across developing countries, 130 million people with high infant mortality live in such areas, and the incidence is 40%. In low-income countries, the population in remote LFAL with high infant mortality increased 25% over 2000–2010 to 57 million, and the incidence is 94%. From case study evidence, we identify the key environmental and economic characteristics that influence the ability of rural households in remote LFAL to avoid poverty. We incorporate these characteristics in a model analyzing the behavior of a representative household, which illustrates conditions that enable the household to escape subsistence-level poverty. We also show empirically for 83 developing countries that the share of rural population on remote LFAL in 2000 affects the poverty-reducing impacts of per capita income growth over 2000–2012.
Targeting extracellular nutrient dependencies of cancer cells

Abstract Background Cancer cells rewire their metabolism to meet the energetic and biosynthetic demands of their high proliferation rates and environment. Metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells may result in strong dependencies on nutrients that could be exploited for therapy. While these dependencies may be in part due to the nutrient environment of tumors, mutations or expression changes in metabolic genes also reprogram metabolic pathways and create addictions to extracellular nutrients. Scope of review This review summarizes the major nutrient dependencies of cancer cells focusing on their discovery and potential mechanisms by which metabolites become limiting for tumor growth. We further detail available therapeutic interventions based on these metabolic features and highlight opportunities for restricting nutrient availability as an anti-cancer strategy. Major conclusions Strategies to limit nutrients required for tumor growth using dietary interventions or nutrient degrading enzymes have previously been suggested for cancer therapy. The best clinical example of exploiting cancer nutrient dependencies is the treatment of leukemia with l -asparaginase, a first-line chemotherapeutic that depletes serum asparagine. Despite the success of nutrient starvation in blood cancers, it remains unclear whether this approach could be extended to other solid tumors. Systematic studies to identify nutrient dependencies unique to individual tumor types have the potential to discover targets for therapy.
Application technique for model-based approach to estimate fault location

Impedance-based algorithms commonly used for determining the fault location in transmission lines are prone to several sources of error and are specific to the line and system configuration. Furthermore, these algorithms do not utilise available valuable information about the power system surrounding the faulted line. These issues can be overcome using a model-based fault location (MBFL) approach. It uses a circuit model to simulate possible fault scenarios and compares the simulated fault currents with the measured currents recorded by the relay to identify the fault location. However, there are several difficulties and limitations while applying MBFL. There is a loss in accuracy and precision based on the number of simulated scenarios and a requirement to store voluminous simulation results. Hence, this study presents a novel application technique for implementing model-based approach efficiently to estimate the fault location and fault resistance using artificial neural networks-based approach. A key highlight of the proposed approach is the ability to identify the location of a fault present on neighbouring lines using the measured through fault current. The study also presents representative scenarios to demonstrate the capability and potential of the proposed approach.
Re)Constructing Democracy in Crisis

Contemporary concerns about democratic backsliding in the United States and elsewhere have produced an important new literature on democratic crisis and the ways in which political actors can undermine institutions and norms of constitutional democracy. This Article complements the democratic backsliding discourse by focusing on another set of questions: In what ways has democracy been chronically or systemically weakened and prevented, and what kinds of new institutional and organizational forms do we need to realize democratic aspirations in the twenty- first century? To develop this argument, this Article advances three main points. First, while the backsliding literature has thus far tended to focus on the sociological and institutional factors shaping the collapse of democratic regimes, this Article begins from the inverse premise: the sociological and institutional factors that affirmatively facilitate democratic equality, inclusion, and political action (Part I). This exploration of the affirmative drivers of democracy helps cast into sharper relief the more systemic and chronic ways in which current political and institutional dynamics make genuine democratic equality and participation impossible for many constituencies. In particular, democracy is undermined not only by more chronic crises of unequal power but also by systemic exclusion (Part II). This critique in turn helps inform an affirmative account of democracy-building reforms and movements (Part III).
Correction to: Under pressure: investment behaviour of insurers under different financial and regulatory conditions

In the first published version of this article the acknowledgements contained an error. The sentence ‘I would like to thank Joseph Comprix, Randell Elder, Susan Albring, Craig Nichols, William Horrace, Tyler Leverty, Norma Nielson, Dara Marshall, Lamont Black, Stephani Mason, Phebian L. Davis-Culler, Noelle Butski and Menna Bizuneh and worship participants at West Virginia University, New Mexico State University, DePaul University, Miami University.’ was replaced with the sentence ‘I would like to thank Joseph Comprix, Randell Elder, Susan Albring, Craig Nichols, William Horrace, Tyler Leverty, Norma Nielson, Dara Marshall, Lamont Black, Stephani Mason, Phebian L. Davis-Culler, Noelle Butski and Menna Bizuneh and workshop participants at West Virginia University, New Mexico State University, DePaul University, Miami University.’
Uncovering hidden members and functions of the soil microbiome using de novo metaproteomics

The fundamental task in proteomic mass spectrometry is identifying peptides from their observed spectra. Where protein sequences are known, standard algorithms utilize these to narrow the list of peptide candidates. If protein sequences are unknown, a distinct class of algorithms must interpret spectra de novo. Despite decades of effort on algorithmic constructs and machine learning methods, de novo software tools remain inaccurate when used on environmentally diverse samples. Here we train a deep neural network on 5 million spectra from 55 phylogenetically diverse bacteria. This new model outperforms current methods by 25-100%. The diversity of organisms used for training also improves the generality of the model, and ensures reliable performance regardless of where the sample comes from. Significantly, it also achieves a high accuracy in long peptides which assist in identifying taxa from samples of unknown origin. With the new tool, called Kaiko, we analyze proteomics data from six natural soil isolates for which a proteome database did not exist. Without any sequence information, we correctly identify the taxonomy of these soil microbes as well as annotate thousands of peptide spectra.
Expanding Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring Technology to a Broader Population.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 88 million people have prediabetes, and another 34.2 million have diabetes (1). Projections indicate that, by 2060, the number of adults with diabetes in the United States will triple (2). The literature is rife with data indicating that a large majority of people with diabetes fail to reach optimal glucose control despite advances in diabetes care and technology (3). Similarly, a large majority of individuals with prediabetes develop diabetes, despite widespread public health interventions (4,5). Technological advances in diabetes care to address these shortcomings are needed. Since the introduction of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) more than 20 years ago, rapid advancements in its accuracy, reliability, and ease of use have occurred (6). As CGM technology continues to evolve, it has become clear that appropriate use of CGM can lead to improvements in glycemic control, although assessment of patient preference, willingness to wear a CGM device, potential for adherence, cost, need for alarm features, and ability to integrate with an insulin pump need to be considered for each patient (7). Although use of real-time CGM has improved, rates of adoption remain less than anticipated and lower than what is likely to be beneficial to patients in clinical practice (8). On the other hand, use of flash CGM (sometimes called intermittently scanned CGM) continues to increase rapidly in the United States …
Unsupervised Mode Extraction and Group Velocity Estimation for Ultrasonic Guided Waves Propagating in Dispersive Material

In this paper, we develop an approach for characterizing frequency-dependent mode properties of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in dispersive material. The approach exploits the relation between propagation group velocity and signal group delay changes to study a highly-localized time-frequency representation. The mode separation is achieved using unsupervised clustering with minimum spanning trees; nonlinear curve fitting is then used to model each extracted mode. The performance of the method is demonstrated using simulations.
'It's A Cookbook': Animal Welfare Cascades

Informational and reputational cascades often arise in the presence of four factors: (1) preference falsification; (2) diverse thresholds; (3) social interactions; and (4) group polarization. In the context of animal welfare, cascades have often occurred, and more consequential ones are possible. First: In this domain, preference falsification has run and is running rampant. Those who care about animal welfare, or are inclined to want to say or do something about it, often silence themselves. They know that if they speak or act, they might incur social disapproval or worse. Second: People have different thresholds for disclosing their views or for taking action. With respect to animal welfare, some people really will speak out or act, even if no one else does. Others need someone to follow – but only one. Still others need two, or three, or a hundred, or more. Third: Social interactions are and continue to be crucial to the movement for animal welfare. Who is seeing whom? When? Who is talking to whom? Are visible people speaking and acting in ways that support animal welfare? Are they credible? With whom? Fourth: In many times and places, believers in animal rights, animal welfare, or both have created communities of like-minded people. These communities can be highly effective. They create a commitment to a belief that might have been held tentatively. They make that belief salient, potentially part of people’s identity. They increase confidence and unity.
Vaginal microbiome Lactobacillus crispatus is heritable among European American women.

The diversity and dominant bacterial taxa in the vagina are reported to be influenced by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including but not limited to pregnancy, contraceptive use, pathogenic states, socioeconomic status, and ancestry. However, the extent to which host genetic factors influence variation in the vaginal microbiota is unclear. We used a biometrical genetic approach to determine whether host genetic factors contribute to inter-individual differences in taxa from a sample of 332 twins who self-identified as being of African (44 pairs) or European ancestry (122 pairs). Lactobacillus crispatus, a major determinant of vaginal health, was identified as heritable among European American women (narrow-sense heritability = 34.7%, P-value = 0.018). Heritability of L. crispatus is consistent with the reduced prevalence of adverse reproductive disorders, including bacterial vaginosis and preterm birth, among women of European ancestry. Wright et al. apply biometric genetic approach to identify the extent to which host genetic factors influence species-level variation in the vaginal microbiota. Their study suggests that Lactobacillus crispatus, a major determinant of vaginal health, is heritable among European American women, consistent with the reduced prevalence of adverse reproductive disorders in them.
Stephan Oroszlan and the Proteolytic Processing of Retroviral Proteins: Following A Pro

Steve Oroszlan determined the sequences at the ends of virion proteins for a number of different retroviruses. This work led to the insight that the amino-terminal amino acid of the mature viral CA protein is always proline. In this remembrance, we review Steve’s work that led to this insight and show how that insight was a necessary precursor to the work we have done in the subsequent years exploring the cleavage rate determinants of viral protease processing sites and the multiple roles the amino-terminal proline of CA plays after protease cleavage liberates it from its position in a protease processing site.
BANKING AND FINANCE Financial Institutions: Provide for Nationwide Reciprocal Banking

Ending Georgia's participation in the Southeast Regional Banking Compact, the Act allows Georgia banks and bank holding companies to expand into any state that allows interstate banking and allows banks and bank holding companies from such states to expand into Georgia. The Act may be preempted, however, by pending federal legislation.
ADAMs Regulate Cell–Cell Interactions by Controlling the Function of the EGF-Receptor, TNF α and Notch

Proteolytic processing of membrane-anchored growth factors, cytokines, and receptors has emerged as a means to control several major signaling pathways, including TNFα-dependent signaling, activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and activation of Notch. This chapter will focus on the functions of a family of cell surface metalloproteinase called ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) in the regulation of TNFα, EGFR and Notch signaling, with an emphasis on their roles in development and human disease.
Grammatical Families of Languages

Publisher Summary This chapter surveys the results about grammatical families. A grammatical family is a special kind of family of languages. These families are sets of context-free languages and have a rich and mathematically interesting structure. A language is any subset of a finitely-generated free monoid. The chapter focuses on context-free languages. Context-free languages are languages generated by context-free grammars and are characterized as the languages accepted by pushdown acceptors. The chapter discusses the background of context-free grammars and languages as well as families of languages. The definition and basic properties of grammatical families are provided. The alternate characterization as well as the structure of grammatical families is also discussed in the chapter.
Degradation of Wood Preservatives by Fungi

Wood-inhabiting fungi, not necessarily responsible for major decay, are shown to be capable of degrading a toxic compound into a less potent form, thus rendering it less effective in protecting wood from decay by less-tolerant basidiomycetous wood-destroyers. Sweetgum or pine sapwood blocks treated with preservatives (ammoniacal copper arsenate, fluor-chrome-arsenate-dinitrophenol, a creosote or pentachlorophenol) were exposed progressively to two different wood-inhabiting fungi with sterilization between the first and second exposure. The fungus in the first exposure was usually an Ascomycete or a Fungi Imperfecti—Chaetomium globosum, Phoma, Orbicula, Graphium, Pestalozzia, or Trichoderma species, isolated from wood below the ground. In one experiment, the fungus in the first exposure was a basidiomycete, Lenzites trabea or Polyporus versicolor. The second fungus, a prominent Basidiomycete—Coniophora puteana, Lentinus lepideus, or Lenzites trabea—was the bioassay fungus, since its purpose was to show whether the first fungus had degraded the preservative. Generally, the treated block, except where exposed to another fungus, remained virtually untouched by the bioassay fungus. Clearly, therefore, the first fungus had rendered the preservative ineffective but without appreciably decaying the wood itself Chemical analyses of treated blocks indicated that in the first exposure the fungi had substantially depleted sodium arsenate and pentachlorophenol.
Human immunodeficiency virus infection in hemophiliac patients: A three-year prospective evaluation

Thirty-seven heterosexual hemophiliac patients underwent prospective evaluation with clinical examinations, serologic studies for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and tests of immune function for an average of 37 months. At the time of entry into the study in 1982 to 1983, 18 subjects (49 percent) were already seropositive for HIV and 11 (30 percent) had persistent generalized lymphadenopathy. Seventy percent of the total population were clinically asymptomatic. In nine subjects, seroconversion occurred during the study such that 81 percent of the population was seropositive at the conclusion. During the same period, lymphadenopathy developed in six subjects, there was progression to AIDS-related complex (ARC) in four, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) developed in one patient. Thus, at the end of the study, 54 percent were clinically asymptomatic, 32 percent had persistent lymphadenopathy, and 11 percent had ARC. Subjects who remained seronegative had received less factor concentrate than seropositive subjects, remained asymptomatic, and had normal results on tests of immune function. In those who had experienced seroconversion, there were decreased absolute numbers of CD4+ lymphocytes prior to seroconversion, and abnormalities of lymphocyte function developed after seroconversion. The development of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy was associated temporally with seroconversion. The presence of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy did not appear to be associated with an increased risk for AIDS in seropositive persons, since the condition of most hemophiliac patients with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy at the time of initial evaluation remained clinically and immunologically stable. In contrast to patients with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, asymptomatic seropositive subjects had progressive abnormalities of lymphocyte function over time that were independent of the numbers of CD4+ cells in the peripheral blood.
Persistent Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection in the Nasopharynx of Cattle; Tissue-Specific Distribution and Local Cytokine Expression

Tissues obtained post-mortem from cattle persistently infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) were analyzed to characterize the tissue-specific localization of FMDV and partial transcriptome profiles for selected immunoregulatory cytokines. Analysis of 28 distinct anatomic sites from 21 steers infected with FMDV serotype A, O or SAT2, had the highest prevalence of overall viral detection in the dorsal nasopharynx (80.95%) and dorsal soft palate (71.43%). FMDV was less frequently detected in laryngeal mucosal tissues, oropharyngeal mucosal sites, and lymph nodes draining the pharynx. Immunomicroscopy indicated that within persistently infected mucosal tissues, FMDV antigens were rarely detectable within few epithelial cells in regions of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Transcriptome analysis of persistently infected pharyngeal tissues by qRT-PCR for 14 cytokine genes indicated a general trend of decreased mRNA levels compared to uninfected control animals. Although, statistically significant differences were not observed, greatest suppression of relative expression (RE) was identified for IP-10 (RE = 0.198), IFN-β (RE = 0.269), IL-12 (RE = 0.275), and IL-2 (RE = 0.312). Increased relative expression was detected for IL-6 (RE = 2.065). Overall, this data demonstrates that during the FMDV carrier state in cattle, viral persistence is associated with epithelial cells of the nasopharynx in the upper respiratory tract and decreased levels of mRNA for several immunoregulatory cytokines in the infected tissues.
The Tobacco Pack Surveillance System: A Protocol for Assessing Health Warning Compliance, Design Features, and Appeals of Tobacco Packs Sold in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Background: Tobacco remains the world’s leading preventable cause of death, with the majority of tobacco-caused deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The first global health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), outlines a set of policy initiatives that have been demonstrated as effective in reducing tobacco use. Article 11 of the FCTC focuses on using the tobacco package to communicate tobacco-caused harms; it also seeks to restrict the delivery of misleading information about the product on the pack. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish a surveillance system for tobacco packs in the 14 low- and middle-income countries with the greatest number of smokers. The Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS) monitors whether required health warnings on tobacco packages are being implemented as intended, and identifies pack designs and appeals that might violate or detract from the communication of harm-related information and undermine the impact of a country’s tobacco packaging laws. The protocol outlined is intended to be applicable or adaptable for surveillance efforts in other countries. Methods: Tobacco packs were collected in 14 countries during 2013. The intention was, to the extent possible, to construct a census of “unique” pack presentations available for purchase in each country. The TPackSS team partnered with in-country field staff to implement a standardized protocol for acquiring packs from 36 diverse neighborhoods across three cities in each country. At the time of purchase, data on price and place of acquisition of each pack was recorded. The field staff, according to a standardized protocol, then photographed packs before they were shipped to the United States for coding and archiving. Results: Each pack was coded for compliance with the country-specific health warning label laws, as well as for key design features of the pack and appeals of the branding elements. The coding protocols were developed based upon prior research, expert opinion, and communication theories. Each pack was coded by two independent coders, with consistency of personnel across the project. We routinely measured intercoder reliability, and only retained variables for which a good level of reliability was achieved. Variables where reliability was too low were not included in final analyses, and any inconsistencies in coding were resolved on a daily basis. Conclusions: Across the 14 countries, the TPackSS team collected 3307 tobacco packs. We have established a publicly accessible, Internet archive of these packs that is intended for use by the tobacco control policy advocacy and research community. [JMIR Public Health Surveill 2015;1(2):e8]
Biochemical differentiation in a mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum defective in cyclic AMP chemotaxis and in intercellular cohesion.

A temperature-sensitive mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum has been isolated based on its lack of chemotaxis toward cyclic AMP at the restrictive temperature, 27 degrees C. The mutant develops normally at the permissive temperature, 22 degrees C, but fails to aggregate or complete development at the restrictive temperature. The temperature-sensitive phenotype can be bypassed by allowing cultures to grown into late log phase or to starve for 60–90 min at 22 degrees C prior to a shift to 27 degrees C. At 27 degrees C, the mutant overproduces cell surface cyclic AMP receptors of both high and low affinity and is capable of spontaneous oscillations in light scattering in cell suspensions. Despite its complete lack of morphological development, the mutant undergoes extensive biochemical differentiation. At the onset of starvation, it shows increased levels of N-acetylglucosaminidase, it express cyclic AMP receptors at the normal time and, although somewhat slowly, suppresses those receptors as if aggregation had been achieved. Metabolic pulse labellings with [35S]methionine revealed that the mutant at 27 degrees C displays the same changes in the patterns of newly synthesized proteins observed during the vegetative-to-aggregation and the aggregation-to-slug stages of normal development. The only clear difference from wild type was the failure of the culmination-stage isozyme of beta-glucosidase to appear. The mutant is defective in establishment of intercellular cohesion mechanisms, correlated with poor agglutination by concanavalin A, at the restrictive temperature. The properties of the mutant place severe constraints on models regarding the role of chemoreception and intercellular cohesion in regulation of gene expression.
Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage

Negative attitudes of heterosexual people toward same-sex marriage relate to the degree to which they are homophobic. However, it has been understudied whether there exists a gender difference in this association. Our results indicated that homophobia was the best predictor of attitudes toward gay male and lesbian marriage, and this was equally true for both heterosexual men and women. However, the attitudinal difference between gay male and lesbian marriage was related to homophobia in men but not in women. That is, for men only, being less homophobic toward lesbians than toward gay men was associated with favoring lesbian over gay men marriage. Considering these results, the role of gender in attitudes toward same-sex marriage seems to be as an important moderator of homophobia.
A Control Design Method for Underactuated Mechanical Systems Using High-Frequency Inputs

This paper presents a control design technique which enables approximate reference trajectory tracking for a class of underactuated mechanical systems. The control law comprises two terms. The first involves feedback of the trajectory tracking error in the actuated coordinates. Building on the concept of vibrational control, the second term imposes high-frequency periodic inputs that are modulated by the tracking error in the unactuated coordinates. Under appropriate conditions on the system structure and the commanded trajectory, and with sufficient separation between the time scales of the vibrational forcing and the commanded trajectory, the approach provides convergence in both the actuated and unactuated coordinates. The procedure is first described for a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) system with one input. Generalizing to higher-dimensional, underactuated systems, the approach is then applied to a 4DOF system with two inputs. A final example involves control of a rigid plate that is flapping in a uniform flow, a 3DOF system with one input. More general applications include biomimetic locomotion systems, such as underwater vehicles with articulating fins and flapping wing micro-air vehicles.
Nodular foci in parathyroid adenomas and hyperplasias: an immunohistochemical analysis of proliferative activity.

Samples of normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic parathyroid tissues were analyzed for proliferative activity to determine (1) whether a higher number of proliferating cells were detectable in adenoma and hyperplasia versus normal tissues; (2) whether there was a difference in the number of proliferating cells in adenoma versus hyperplasia; and (3) whether there was a relationship between nodularity and proliferative rate in both adenoma and hyperplasia. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 21 patients with parathyroid adenoma and 10 patients with hyperplasia (two primary, six secondary, and two tertiary) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with the monoclonal antibody PC10 to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and, in a subset of cases, with Ki-67 (MIB 1) as markers of cell proliferation. The results were that (1) no proliferating cells were found in normal glands or residual rim of "suppressed" parathyroid tissue; (2) the most intense proliferative activity was confined to nodular areas in both adenomas (57% nodular) and hyperplasias (80% nodular); (3) when fields of highest number of labeled nuclei were chosen, PCNA counts were higher in adenomas than in hyperplasia in both nodular and diffuse areas (P < .05); and (4) the number of nuclei immunoreactive for Ki-67 (MIB-1) was consistently and proportionally lower (range, 13% to 45%; mean, 32%) than the number of those immunoreactive for PCNA, although the nodular pattern was maintained. These findings demonstrate that nodules within parathyroid adenomas and hyperplasias contain subpopulations of cells with a consistently higher proliferative rate than nonnodular areas. Cells within these nodules may be more likely to develop genetic abnormalities that have been observed in hyperplastic and neoplastic parathyroid tissues.
Bargaining with revoking costs

Abstract A simple two stage bilateral bargaining game is analyzed. The players simultaneously demand shares of a unit size pie. If the demands add up to more than one, the players simultaneously choose whether to stick to their demand or accept the otherʼs offer. While both parties sticking to their offers leads to an impasse, accepting a lower share than the original demand is costly for each party. The set of pure strategy subgame perfect equilibria of the game is characterized for continuously differentiable payoff and cost functions, strictly increasing in the pie share and the amount conceded, respectively. Higher cost functions are shown to improve bargaining power. The limit equilibrium prediction of the model, as the cost functions are made arbitrarily high, selects a unique equilibrium in the Nash Demand Game that corresponds to a Proportional Bargaining Solution of Kalai (1977).
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Community‐Acquired Pneumonia Core Measures Lead to Unnecessary Antibiotic Administration by Emergency Physicians

Objectives: The objectives were to assess emergency physician (EP) understanding of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) core measures for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) guidelines and to determine their self-reported effect on antibiotic prescribing patterns. Methods: A convenience sample of EPs from five medical centers in North Carolina was anonymously surveyed via a Web-based instrument. Participants indicated their level of understanding of the CMS CAP guidelines and the effects on their prescribing patterns for antibiotics. Results: A total of 121 EPs completed the study instrument (81%). All respondents were aware of the CMS CAP guidelines. Of these, 95% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 92% to 98%) correctly understood the time-based guidelines for antibiotic administration, although 24% (95% CI = 17% to 31%) incorrectly identified the onset of this time period. Nearly all physicians (96%; 95% CI = 93% to 99%) reported institutional commitment to meet these core measures, and 84% (95% CI = 78% to 90%) stated that they had a department-based CAP protocol. More than half of the respondents (55%; 95% CI = 47% to 70%) reported prescribing antibiotics to patients they did not believe had pneumonia in an effort to comply with the CMS guidelines, and 42% (95% CI = 34% to 50%) of these stated that they did so more than three times per month. Only 40% (95% CI = 32% to 48%) of respondents indicated a belief that the guidelines improve patient care. Of those, this was believed to occur by increasing pneumonia awareness (60%; 95% CI = 52% to 68%) and improving hospital processes when pneumonia is suspected (86%; 95% CI = 80% to 92%). Conclusions: Emergency physicians demonstrate awareness of the current CMS CAP guidelines. Most physicians surveyed reported the presence of institutional protocols to increase compliance. More than half of EPs reported that they feel the guidelines led to unnecessary antibiotic usage for patients who are not suspected to have pneumonia. Only 40% of EPs believe that CAP awareness and expedient care resulting from these guidelines has improved overall pneumonia-related patient care. Outcome-based data for non–intensive care unit CAP patients are lacking, and EPs report that they prescribe antibiotics when they may not be necessary to comply with existing guidelines.
The Yersinia pestis YscY Protein Directly Binds YscX, a Secreted Component of the Type III Secretion Machinery

Human pathogenic yersiniae organisms export and translocate the Yop virulence proteins and V antigen upon contact with a eukaryotic cell. Yersinia pestis mutants defective for production of YscX or YscY were unable to export the Yops and V antigen. YscX and YscY were both present in the Y. pestis cell pellet fraction; however, YscX was also found in the culture supernatant. YscY showed structural and amino acid sequence similarities to the Syc family of proteins. YscY specifically recognized and bound to a region of YscX that included a predicted coiled-coil region. These data suggest that YscY may function as a chaperone for YscX in Y. pestis.
XPS characterization of the reactions of Li with tetrahydrofuran and propylene carbonate

The reaction of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and propylene carbonate with thin (6–10 nm) films of Li vapor deposited on Al(111) at 120–135 K was studied in UHV by C 1s and O 1s core-level photoemission. THF and PC condensate layers were formed by dosing the Li overlayer surfaces at 120–135 K, with the reaction observed by subsequent warming of the sample. Activation of the first layer of THF molecules by Li, probably as ring-opening, starts at a temperature as low as 120 K. Polymerization of THF (forming poly-THF) occurs upon melting near 180 K, but is accompanied by chain-terminating reactions that form Li alkoxide(s) and hydrocarbon gas(es), such as ethylene and/or propylene. Between 180 and 320 K, there is progressively greater conversion of poly-THF to alkoxide such that at 320 K, the surface film is almost entirely composed of alkoxide. Only a few monolayers of the Li film react with the THF under these conditions. At or near its bulk melting temperature of 220 K, essentially all of the PC remaining on the surface has reacted with Li to form an alkyl carbonate. With increasing temperature, part (25–33%) of the alkyl carbonate decomposes to form an alkoxide, and in the temperature interval of 270–320 K there may be a small amount (<5% of the carbon present) of Li carbonate formed. The alkyl group in the organo-Li compounds derived from PC is most probably propylene. There is no evidence of the formation of any gaseous products at temperatures below 320 K under the conditions of these experiments. As with THF, only a few monolayers of the Li film have reacted with the PC. Of particular relevance to battery technology, however, is the fact that in both cases the organo-Li layers that have formed at 270 K were formed in the presence of excess (unreacted) Li.
AN ACOUSTIC METHOD FOR MEASURING INFANT BODY VOLUME

An acoustic plethysmograph that measures body volume has been developed for body composition studies on premature infants. It is based on the principle that the resonance frequency of a Helmholtz resonator depends, in part, on the volume of the resonator chamber. Thus, when an object is placed inside the chamber, the resonance frequency changes in proportion to the volume of the object. The prototype system consists of a 20 × 20 × 45 cm plexiglass chamber with a hinged front for access. A loudspeaker, driven by a variable frequency tone generator, is aimed at a 7.5 cm diameter opening in the top surface of the chamber. The frequency of this tone is monitored by a frequency counter. The resonance frequency corresponds to the frequency at which the sound level inside the chamber, as detected by a microphone in the chamber, reaches a maximum. Chamber temperature was maintained at 35°C and the sound pressure level below 75 dBa. The device was calibrated by measurement of change in resonance frequency when known volumes were placed in the chamber. The volumes of a number of inanimate objects of unknown volume were measured, first by the acoustic technique, then by water displacement. The two methods differed by less than 2% for volumes between 250 and 1500 ml. Eight anesthetized minipigs were measured acoustically, and after sacrifice, measured by water displacement. The two measurements differed by less than 5%. When the sacrificed pigs were measured acoustically, the acoustic and water displacement measures differed by less than 1%.
Field Dispatch: Up Close and Personal With a Volcanic Eruption

Since mid-August, Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano has experienced more than a thousand earthquakes and two eruptions, with spectacular arrays of lava spraying and flowing from fissures around the caldera. Researchers studying the volcano's seismic activity have been in the field since the beginning, recording the propagation of a dike, which serves as the conduit for the magma that feeds the eruptions.
MitoCOGs: clusters of orthologous genes from mitochondria and implications for the evolution of eukaryotes

Mitochondria are ubiquitous membranous organelles of eukaryotic cells that evolved from an alpha-proteobacterial endosymbiont and possess a small genome that encompasses from 3 to 106 genes. Accumulation of thousands of mitochondrial genomes from diverse groups of eukaryotes provides an opportunity for a comprehensive reconstruction of the evolution of the mitochondrial gene repertoire. Clusters of orthologous mitochondrial protein-coding genes (MitoCOGs) were constructed from all available mitochondrial genomes and complemented with nuclear orthologs of mitochondrial genes. With minimal exceptions, the mitochondrial gene complements of eukaryotes are subsets of the superset of 66 genes found in jakobids. Reconstruction of the evolution of mitochondrial genomes indicates that the mitochondrial gene set of the last common ancestor of the extant eukaryotes was slightly larger than that of jakobids. This superset of mitochondrial genes likely represents an intermediate stage following the loss and transfer to the nucleus of most of the endosymbiont genes early in eukaryote evolution. Subsequent evolution in different lineages involved largely parallel transfer of ancestral endosymbiont genes to the nuclear genome. The intron density in nuclear orthologs of mitochondrial genes typically is nearly the same as in the rest of the genes in the respective genomes. However, in land plants, the intron density in nuclear orthologs of mitochondrial genes is almost 1.5-fold lower than the genomic mean, suggestive of ongoing transfer of functional genes from mitochondria to the nucleus. The MitoCOGs are expected to become an important resource for the study of mitochondrial evolution. The nearly complete superset of mitochondrial genes in jakobids likely represents an intermediate stage in the evolution of eukaryotes after the initial, extensive loss and transfer of the endosymbiont genes. In addition, the bacterial multi-subunit RNA polymerase that is encoded in the jakobid mitochondrial genomes was replaced by a single-subunit phage-type RNA polymerase in the rest of the eukaryotes. These results are best compatible with the rooting of the eukaryotic tree between jakobids and the rest of the eukaryotes. The land plants are the only eukaryotic branch in which the gene transfer from the mitochondrial to the nuclear genome appears to be an active, ongoing process.
Competitive antagonism of nitric oxide synthetase causes weight loss in mice

These studies demonstrate that the competitive antagonist of nitric oxide synthesis, L-NG-nitro-arginine methyl ester (NO Arg ME), produces an L-arginine reversible decrease in food intake in mice. NO Arg ME also blocked the feeding effect of the potent orexigenic peptide, neuropeptide Y. NO Arg ME produced weight loss when administered over 5 days. The studies suggest that nitric oxide is a physiological modulator of food intake and that nitric oxide synthetase inhibitors may be useful in the management of obesity.
Quantification and evidence for mechanically metered release of pygidial secretions in formic acid-producing carabid beetles.

This study is the first to measure the quantity of pygidial gland secretions released defensively by carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and to accurately measure the relative quantity of formic acid contained in their pygidial gland reservoirs and spray emissions. Individuals of three typical formic acid producing species were induced to repeatedly spray, ultimately exhausting their chemical compound reserves. Beetles were subjected to faux attacks using forceps and weighed before and after each ejection of chemicals. Platynus brunneomarginatus (Mannerheim) (Platynini), P. ovipennis (Mannerheim) (Platynini) and Calathus ruficollis Dejean (Sphodrini), sprayed average quantities with standard error of 0.313 ± 0.172 mg, 0.337 ± 0.230 mg, and 0.197 ± 0.117 mg per spray event, respectively. The quantity an individual beetle released when induced to spray tended to decrease with each subsequent spray event. The quantity emitted in a single spray was correlated to the quantity held in the reservoirs at the time of spraying for beetles whose reserves are greater than the average amount emitted in a spray event. For beetles with a quantity less than the average amount sprayed in reserve there was no significant correlation. For beetles comparable in terms of size, physiological condition and gland reservoir fullness, the shape of the gland reservoirs and musculature determined that a similar effort at each spray event would mechanically meter out the release so that a greater amount was emitted when more was available in the reservoir. The average percentage of formic acid was established for these species as 34.2%, 73.5% and 34.1% for for P. brunneomarginatus, P. ovipennis and C. ruficollis, respectively. The average quantities of formic acid released by individuals of these species was less than two-thirds the amount shown to be lethal to ants in previously published experiments. However, the total quantity from multiple spray events from a single individual could aggregate to quantities at or above the lethal level, and lesser quantities are known to act as ant alarm pheromones. Using a model, one directed spray of the formic acid and hydrocarbon mix could spread to an area of 5–8 cm diameter and persisted for 9–22 seconds at a threshold level known to induce alarm behaviors in ants. These results show that carabid defensive secretions may act as a potent and relatively prolonged defense against ants or similar predators even at a sub-lethal dose.
Role of lipid in the formation and function of the respiratory system of Staphylococcus aureus.

Anaerobically growing Staphylococcus aureus, when aerated vigorously, forms a membrane-bound electron transport system that consists of primary dehydrogenases, cytochromes, and cytochrome oxidases. Concomitant with this, there are changes in the composition of the membrane lipids, with increases in glucolipids, vitamin K2 isoprenologues, and phospholipids. The inhibitors benzo(a) pyrene or piperonyl butoxide blocked both the lipid changes and the formation of the electron transport system, suggesting that the lipid changes are an obligatory part of the process. Further evidence of the involvement of lipids in the formation of the respiratory system comes from the study of mutants. A glycerol auxotroph, when deprived of glycerol, stops net phospholipid biosynthesis and forms a defective cytochrome system. Depriving a menadione mutant also forms a defective respiratory system. Present activity is directed toward isolating fractions of the membranes in which the lipid and respiratory pigment changes are occurring. Staphylococcus aureus is an ideal organism in which to study the formation of the membrane-bound electron transport system, since it can grow glycolitically in the absence of oxygen if glucose is present, or can utilize a respiratory system if it is aerated.1-3 If exponentially growing cells are incubated in the absence of air but the presence of glucose, no detectable respiratory system is f ~ r m e d . ~ If such a culture is aerated, a functional respiratory system is formed (FIGURE 1). This involves the synthesis of the primary dehydrogenases, the cytochromes, and cytochrome oxidases, which are readily detectable by difference spectroscopy.3 Since the organism is also capable of efficient oxidative phosphorylation (P. Keyser and D. C. White; unpublished data) and active transport of amino acids,4* the necessary coupling factors are also present in the membrane. Under the conditions of growth utilized in these experiments a cytochrome system with ratios of pigments consistent with the environment of growth is fully active within about 1.5 hours after the onset of aeration. The electron transport system consists of the pigments that form a multienzyme complex, which must have structural integrity to function. Disruption of their spatial relationships by organic solvents interrupts electron transport. The fact that absorbance changes on reduction of the pigments are a measure of function, and are readily measured in living cells, makes the function of the electron transport system a convenient multienzyme-membrane complex to study. In addition to the respiratory system, the staphylococcal membrane also contains lipids. Methods for the quantitative assay of the phospholipids,B* fatty acids,s carotenoids: and vitamin K, isoprenologues lo of the S . aureus membrane were developed. With these methods in hand it was possible to
Symmetric triality relations and structurable algebras

In this paper, some properties of algebras satisfying local symmetric triality relations have been studied, including both generalized symmetric composition algebras and the conjugate algebras of any structurable algebras. We also discuss a general method of constructing Lie algebras from such a system, which can permit a construction of the magic square.