cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The uncertain connection: free trade and rural Mexican migration to the United States.

would otherwise occur, as NAFTA critics allege? This article argues that it is easy to overestimate the additional emigration from rural Mexico owing to NAFTA-related economic restructuring in Mexico. The avail? able evidence suggests four major reasons why Mexican emigration may not increase massively, despite extensive restructuring and dis? placement from traditional agriculture. First, many rural dwellers in Mexico already have diversified their sources of income, making them less dependent on income earned from producing agricultural com? modities like corn that will be most affected by NAFTA. Second, a free trade zone might induce more U.S. agricultural producers to expand in Mexico during the 1990s, creating additional jobs there instead of in the United States. Third, the links between internal migration in Mexico and emigration from Mexico are not as direct as is often assumed; even if economic restructuring increases internal population movements in Mexico, this may not translate into a great deal of international emigration. Finally, European experience teaches that free trade and economic integration can be phased-in in a manner which does not produce significant emigration, even under a freedom of movement regime. NAFTA-related economic displacement in Mex?
An Ab Initio Model for Solvent Effects in Organic Molecules

An ab initio formulation for calculating solvent effects for organic molecules is presented. The solvent effects are treated in two parts using different models for the solvent. For calculating the...
Oltipraz, a novel inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) replication

Glutathione (GSH) levels are markedly depleted in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and supplementation of media with high concentrations (5-20 mM) of low-molecular weight thiols prevents HIV-1 replication in cultured cells. We were intrigued whether chemopreventive enzyme inducers might represent a more pharmacologically feasible method to inhibit HIV-1 replication since these compounds elevate intracellular concentrations of GSH at nontoxic doses in vivo. After establishing that all inducers surveyed were able to elevate GSH levels in human T-cell and monocytoid cell lines, we were surprised to find that oltipraz (5-pyrazinyl-4-methyl-1,2-dithiole-3-thione) was uniquely able to inhibit HIV-1 replication (IC50 = 5-15 microM). Oltipraz and other antiviral 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones (DTTs) appear to inhibit acute HIV-1 replication by inactivating reverse transcriptase (RT). However, among DTTs that inhibit HIV-1 replication in acutely infected cells, only oltipraz was able to inhibit HIV-1 replication in a chronic infection model. Thus, in addition to inactivating RT, oltipraz appears to have an additional antiviral mechanism distal to viral integration. Our laboratories are attempting to determine the mechanism by which oltipraz inhibits HIV-1 replication in chronically infected cells; we are also attempting to determine the bioorganic mechanism for the inactivation of RT. Since the covalent modification of schistosomal proteins and transcription factor(s) are thought to be responsible for the antiparasitic and chemopreventive activities of DTTs, respectively, our studies should be relevant to understanding the diverse medicinal properties of DTTs. Oltipraz, an antischistosomal drug undergoing clinical evaluation as an anticarcinogen, inhibits HIV-1 replication at concentrations achievable in human serum. It is intriguing to consider oltipraz as a therapeutic agent not only for its antiretroviral activity, but also for the prevention of HIV-1 associated neoplasms.
Organization and Access of Image Data by Areas

This paper concerns methods for indexing areas in twodimensional array data. A method for naming subpictures from rasterscan image data is presented with notation that eases their subsequent storage access. Equations are given for converting each subpicture name into a storage-location pointer. A function ``NUMERIC'' is described that aids this task. Algorithms enabling efficient retrieval of subpicture areas from sequential and direct access files are presented. Examples are given that show that improved retrieval response is possible from using NUMERIC to sort lists of areas to be recalled. The paper includes an overview of tree data structures, the subject implemented by these techniques. An overlapping picture subareas storage scheme is discussed.
Auroral spectra as a tool for detecting extraterrestrial life

One of the most prominent emissions from the aurora is the greenish-white light from oxygen atoms, while the Jovian aurora contains atomic hydrogen emissions [Clarke et al., 1989]. Most of the processes leading to the production of oxygen atoms are directly or indirectly related to molecular oxygen produced near the ground level. Thus, the oxygen emission, the so-called “green line” (557.7 nm), of the terrestrial aurora, arises mostly from the fact that plants release abundant free oxygen into the atmosphere by the photosynthesis process. Thus, the green line shows that plant life exists on Earth.
A survey of temporal decorrelation from spaceborne L-Band repeat-pass InSAR

Abstract In this paper we quantify the effects of temporal decorrelation in repeat pass synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR). Temporal decorrelation causes significant uncertainties in vegetation parameter estimates obtained using various InSAR techniques, which are desired on a global scale. Because of its stochastic nature temporal decorrelation is hard to model and isolate. In this paper we analyze temporal decorrelation statistically as observed in a large swath of SIR-C L-Band InSAR data collected over the eastern United States, with a repeat pass duration of one day in October 1994 and a near zero perpendicular baseline. The very small baseline for this particular pair makes the effect of volumetric scattering on correlation magnitude statistics nearly imperceptible, allowing for a quantitative analysis of temporal effects alone. The swath analyzed in this paper spans more than a million hectares of terrain comprised primarily of deciduous and evergreen forests, agricultural land, water and urban areas. The relationships of these different land-cover types, phenology and weather conditions (i.e. precipitation and wind) on the measures of interferometric correlation is analyzed in what amounts to be the most geographically extensive analysis of this phenomenon to date.
Ionization and energy pooling in laser-excited Na vapor

We have observed ion formaion (both Na/sup +/ and Na/sub 2//sup +/) and radiation from high-lying Na states when low-density vapor (approx. 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/) is irradiated with a cw dye laser tuned to one of the D lines. The Na/sup +/ ions probably results from photodissociation of Na/sub 2//sup +/ formed by Na(3p) -Na(3p) associative ionization, while the high-lying radiating states are formed in energy-pooling reactions.
Comparison of direct-current and radio-frequency-current lesions in the rostral hypothalamus with respect to sexual maturation in the female rat.

Several methods for eliminating or transecting brain tissue cause deposits of metallic ions and/or hemorrhage that results in scar formation. These methods include direct-current (d-c) lesioning with stainless steel or platinum electrodes, knife cuts and suctioning. Both metallic ions and scar tissue are said to stimulate the tissue around the lesion. Because radio-frequency-current (r-f-c) lesioning minimizes such irritation, this study was designed to compare effects of d-c and r-f-c lesions in the rostral hypothalamus of 21-day-old rats to determine whether accelerated puberty is due to stimulation or ablation of brain tissue. The two kinds of lesions produced similar effects: significant advancement of vaginal opening; first ovulation and ovulation by 100 days of age advanced or blocked depending on lesion site and size and not on type (the d-c group had more “large” lesions with greater damage to the suprachiasmatic area and, accordingly, more examples of blocked ovulation); and, finally irregular va...
Identification of small juvenile stem cells in aged bone marrow and their therapeutic potential for repair of the ischemic heart

Stem cell-mediated cardiac regeneration is impaired with age. In this study, we identified a novel subpopulation of small juvenile stem cells (SJSCs) isolated from aged bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) with high proliferation and differentiation potential. SJSCs expressed mesenchymal stem cell markers, CD29+/CD44+/CD59+/CD90+, but were negative for CD45−/CD117− as examined by flow cytometry analysis. SJSCs showed higher proliferation, colony formation, and differentiation abilities compared with BMSCs. We also observed that SJSCs significantly expressed cardiac lineage markers (Gata-4 and myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C) and pluripotency markers (octamer-binding transcription factor 4, sex-determining region Y box 2, stage-specific embryonic antigen 1, and Nanog) as well as antiaging factors such as telomerase reverse transcriptase and sirtuin 1. Interestingly, SJSCs either from young or aged animals showed significantly longer telomere length as well as lower senescence-associated β-galactosidase expression, suggesting that SJSCs possess antiaging properties, whereas aged BMSCs have limited potential for proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, transplantation of aged SJSCs into the infarcted rat heart significantly reduced the infarction size and improved left ventricular function, whereas transplantation of aged BMSCs was less effective. Moreover, neovascularization as well as cardiomyogenic differentiation in the peri-infarcted area were significantly increased in the SJSC-transplanted group compared with the BMSC-transplated group, as evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that SJSCs possess characteristics of antiaging, pluripotency, and high proliferation and differentiation rates, and, therefore, these cells offer great therapeutic potential for repair of the injured myocardium.
Language skills in developmentally disabled children

Abstract Language measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary, story telling, and immediate verbal memory, as well as two perceptual tests, were administered to a group of developmentally disabled children, and three groups of normal children, one matched for chronological age, one for mean length of utterance, and one for performance on one of the perceptual tests. When diagnostic subgroups of “autism,” “childhood schizophrenia,” and “other severe disturbance” were formed using standard diagnostic tools, no language differences were found between diagnostic subgroups. When compared with the normal control groups, many of the language skills of the entire group of disabled children, and of the autistic children alone, were rather evenly delayed, showing only a relative sparing of the naming function, and a relative deficit on immediate verbal memory. Furthermore, a high correlation was found in a small subsample between the difficulty levels of morphemes in the disabled children and those reported for young normal children. Experienced special-education and early-childhood teachers could not discriminate the stories of the disabled children from those of young normal children. Analysis of the disabled children's error strategies, however, revealed features of their language not found in normal children's language: (1) extreme perseveration in test answers and stories, (2) attention to minor features of test stimuli, and (3) failure to adopt alternate, flexible communicative strategies. We conclude that the language acquisition of the developmentally disabled children is delayed but not deviant in its semantic and syntactic competence, and that current diagnostic practice does not differentiate linguistically distinct subgroups. We further argue that where developmentally disabled children do exhibit aberrant features of language, such deviance parallels similar features in other cognitive skills, and is not unique to language.
A multigrid method based on graph matching for convection-diffusion equations

In this paper we propose a practical and robust multigrid method for convection–diffusion problems based on a new coarsening techniques for unstructured grids. The idea is to use a graph matching technique to define proper coarse subspaces. Such an approach is based on the graph corresponding to the stiffness matrix, and is purely algebraic. We prove that our coarsening technique preserves the M matrix property. We also give several numerical examples illustrating the robustness of the method with respect to the variations in both the diffusion and convection coefficients. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What determines the emission peak energy of the blue luminescence in highly Mg-doped p-GaN?

We report a study of the 2.8 eV blue luminescence (BL) in heavily Mg-doped p-GaN via resonant excitation with a tunable blue dye laser. The dependence of the BL on the excitation photon energy (Eex) is unlike that of the yellow luminescence found in n-type GaN. An Urbach-type band tail, with Urbach parameter of 33 meV is observed in the vicinity of the BL energy. We propose that the peak energy of the BL marks the transition from localized states to delocalized states within this band tail.
Recent advances in personalizing rheumatoid arthritis therapy and management

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disorder characterized by synovial inflammation in diarthrodial joints. There are significant interindividual variations in the degree of inflammation, disease course and the rate of joint progression in patients with RA. A number of clinical, serological, environmental and genetic severity factors have been identified in patients with RA and can be used to help guide treatment. Therapeutic options for RA have significantly expanded in the last decade and now include both synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs as well as biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Owing to the variety of new drugs, their cost and incomplete information on side effects, markers of treatment response are needed. The study of treatment-specific genetic and protein biomarkers of response and toxicity in RA has produced exciting, yet inconsistent, results. Large scale genetic and proteome studies, which can now be performed at a relatively low cost, wi...
Diabetes and obesity: part 2.

Perspectives on the News commentaries are part of a free monthly CME activity. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, designates this activity for 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. If you wish to participate, review this article and visit www.diabetes.procampus.net to complete a posttest and receive a certificate. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. This is the fifth in a series of articles based on presentations at the American Diabetes Association's 67th Scientific Sessions, 22–26 June 2007, Chicago, Illinois. Clinical observations related to interrelationships between diabetes and obesity are presented. Paul Whelton (New Orleans, LA) discussed approaches to lifestyle modification for weight loss, pointing out that the Nurses’ Health Study showed that, compared with a BMI of 22 kg/m2, BMI >25 and >30 kg/m2 were associated with 5- to 10-fold and 30-fold increases in risk of developing type 2 diabetes, respectively, with each 5-kg increase in body weight associated with a 40% increase in diabetes (1). Of course, he pointed out, “it's not just diabetes”; obesity was also strongly associated with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, as well as with mortality (2). For a risk factor, Whelton pointed out, two features should be considered in calculating overall impact: the degree of risk of the condition and its prevalence in the population. In the U.S., >70% of men and >60% of women are overweight, and one-third of both sexes have obesity—“a combination of high risk and huge prevalence.” Overweight shortens life 3 years, and obesity 6 and 7 years for men and for women. Medical costs are 36% higher for obese than for nonobese persons, with a cost in the U.S. of approximately $75 billion annually for …
Switched-capacitor dc-dc converters with output inductive filter

Analysis and optimization of switched-capacitor (SC) dc-dc converters with a series inductive filter are developed. The steady-state output impedance of such SC resonant converters is calculated for a 2∶1 conversion ratio. In addition, the necessary conditions for proper application of the output inductive filter are derived. The proposed optimization methodology applies numerical optimization to evaluate different loss components in order to find the optimal design point of highest conversion efficiency. This optimization method is verified through SPICE simulations on a 2∶1 SC power stage in 65-nm CMOS process.
A Needs Assessment of Elderly Hispanics in an Inner City Senior Citizen Complex: Implications for Practice

In an effort to provide better services to a specific ethnic population, a study was undertaken to determine the needs of elderly Hispanics in the Tampa Bay area. Items of inquiry included perceived needs, awareness/knowledge of community services, and extent to which the community is meeting their needs. A questionnaire was developed by a bilingual team and administered in Spanish to 45 elderly residents (62-85 years of age) of an inner city retirement facility in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. The results show service gaps in the areas of health, finance and specific tasks of daily living. The majority of respondents were unaware of most community resources and many were reluctant to use any services because of "pride, " communication difficulties and the fear of being poorly received. The problem areas are discussed and recommendations made vis-a-vis assessment of ethnic groups and service delivery to such diverse populations.
Diet of the Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri) in Texas

Abstract Considering the breadth of research evaluating amphibian population declines and the lack of natural history information on this invasive frog species, we identified prey items in the diet of Rana berlandieri in south and west Texas. During 2000, adult frogs were collected in the spring and fall from each of five sites in Texas: (1) Santa Ana; (2) Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge complex; (3) near Falfurrias; 4) a privately owned ranch in south Texas; and (5) Big Bend National Park. In total, the stomach contents of 85 frogs were analyzed. Prey items identified indicate that individuals of this species, like other Ranids, are generalist, opportunistic predators whose diet is most strongly influenced by prey availability.
Performance evaluation of a realtime fault tolerant distributed system

A validated fault-tolerant distributed computer system architecture for real-time aerospace applications, the advanced information processing system (AIPS), is discussed. AIPS consists of fault-tolerant data processors, fault-tolerant networks which interconnect processors to each other and to sensors, actuators, displays and subsystems, and a set of system services embodied in the system software. A performability database is one part of the total knowledgebase that will aid in the validation of the building blocks. A performability knowledgebase will also enable the system designer to configure the building blocks to meet specific mission requirements with a high degree of confidence. The performability knowledgebase consists of analytical and empirical relationships between major domains: performance, reliability, and architectural parameters. A set of performance and reliability metrics that characterize real-time distributed fault-tolerant architectures is described. The performability data obtained empirically from an engineering model of AIPS are also presented. >
Evidence-Based Mini-Review: Is Indium-Labeled Autologous Platelet Scanning Predictive of Response to Splenectomy in Patients With Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia?

Clinical scenario: An otherwise healthy 25-year-old woman returns to your office for management of chronic primary immune thrombocytopenia. She was diagnosed 6 months earlier and continues to require prednisone 15 mg daily and periodic infusions of intravenous immunoglobulin to maintain a hemostatic platelet count. You discuss second-line treatment options, including splenectomy. The patient asks if there are any means by which to predict likelihood of response to splenectomy. You have heard about the use of indium-labeled autologous platelet scanning for this purpose and wonder what the evidence shows. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by autoimmune-mediated platelet destruction by tissue macrophages in the spleen and elsewhere, variable impairment of thrombopoiesis, and an elevated risk of bleeding. Splenectomy remains a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients refractory to or intolerant of first-line therapy with long-term complete response rates of 66%. 1‐3 Nevertheless, splenectomy is not without its drawbacks, including complications related to surgery and anesthesia in the short-term and lifelong risks of serious infection and possibly thromboembolism. 2 Indium-labeled autologous platelet scanning (ILAPS) is a nuclear imaging modality in which autologous platelets are reinfused into the patient after ex vivo labeling with 111 In. Subsequent scintigraphy demonstrates the site(s) of platelet sequestration and clearance. It has been proposed that patients with purely or predominantly splenic sequestration determined by ILAPS may be more likely to respond to splenectomy than those exhibiting hepatic, mixed, or diffuse patterns. 4 To evaluate the potential of ILAPS to predict response to splenectomy, we performed a comprehensive literature review of all studies in which ILAPS was performed prior to splenectomy in patients with ITP.
Role of a Dynamic Loop in Cation Activation and Allosteric Regulation of Recombinant Porcine Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase†,‡

A disordered loop (loop 52-72, residues 52-72) in crystal structures of fructose-1,6- bisphosphatase (FBPase) has been implicated in regulatory and catalytic phenomena by studies in directed mutation. A crystal structure of FBPase in a complex with three zinc cations and the products fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) and phosphate (Pi) reveals loop 52-72 for the first time in a well-defined conformation with strong electron density. Loop 52-57 interacts primarily with the active site of its own subunit. Asp68 of the loop hydrogen bonds with Arg276 and a zinc cation located at the putative potassium activation site. Leu56 and Tyr57 of the loop pack against hydrophobic residues from two separate subunits of FBPase. A mechanism of allosteric regulation of catalysis is presented, in which AMP, by binding to its allosteric pocket, displaces loop 52-72 from the active site. Furthermore, the current structure suggests that both the R- and ‚-anomers of F6P can be substrates in the reverse reaction catalyzed by FBPase. Mechanisms of catalysis are proposed for the reverse reaction in which Asp121 serves as a catalytic base for the R-anomer and Glu280 serves as a catalytic base for the ‚-anomer.
A Global Comparison of Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) Microbial Communities

The potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli Sulc) is an economically important insect pest of solanaceous crops such as potato, tomato, pepper, and tobacco. Historically, the potato psyllid's range included central United States, Mexico, and California; more recently, populations of this insect have been reported in Central America, the Pacific Northwest, and New Zealand. Like most phytophagous insects, potato psyllids require symbiotic bacteria to compensate for nutritional deficiencies in their diet. Potato psyllids harbor the primary symbiont, Candidatus Carsonella ruddii, and may also harbor many secondary symbionts such as Wolbachia sp., Sodalis sp., Pseudomonas sp., and others. These secondary symbionts can have an effect on reproduction, nutrition, immune response, and resistances to heat or pesticides. To identify regional differences in potato psyllid bacterial symbionts, 454 pyrosequencing was performed using generic 16S rRNA gene primers. Analysis was performed using the Qiime 1.6.0 software suite, ARB Silva, and R. Operational taxonomic units were then grouped at 97% identity. Representative sequences were classified to genus using the ARB SILVA database. Potato psyllids collected in California contained a less diverse microbial community than those collected in the central United States and Central America. The crop variety, collection year, and haplotype did not seem to affect the microbial community in potato psyllids. The primary difference between psyllids in different regions was the presence and overall bacterial community composition of Candidatus Carsonella ruddii and Wolbachia.
Community College Revenue Disparities: What Accounts for an Urban College Deficit?

This study takes a political–economic perspective to examine predictors of revenue variation in U.S. community colleges using the IPEDS 2000 Finance Survey data. Descriptive analyses of the IPEDS data indicate it is common for colleges at the 90th percentile of a state’s revenue distribution to have twice the per student resources as colleges at the 10th percentile. Ordinary least square regression results indicate progressive funding explains 7% of the revenue variation. Colleges serving higher proportions of students with financial need have higher revenues relative to other colleges in their states. Colleges located outside urban areas have revenues 13–18% higher than those in large cities, controlling for enrollment size and the proportion of part-time students. These findings, which explain 28% of revenue variation, may indicate differences in entrepreneurial revenue capacity or political compromises that ‘‘level up’’ spending to all legislative districts irrespective of student need. An urban community college research agenda is proposed to examine the political-economic mechanisms that create funding disparities.
FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT SELECTION AT THE LAP LOCUS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Results of fitness estimates for the Lap locus in Drosophila melanogaster revealed that under crowded media conditions gene frequency equilibrium was maintained by frequency-dependent selection. Evidence was obtained that indicated that mating and egg-to-adult viability were frequency dependent.
Potential‐Derived point‐charge model study of electrostatic interaction energies in some hydrogen‐bonded systems

Mulliken's atomic changes (MC) and potential derived (PD) point charges obtained from STO-3G wave functions are used to study the electrostatic interaction energies for a series of representative hydrogen-bonded complexes. The results of the above-mentioned models are compared with the more accurate results of segmental multipole moment (SMM) expansion, and it is shown that the PD model is superior to the MC model. The results of PD model are shown to be well correlated with the results of SMM expansion technique. Results of our calculations using 6-31G and 6-31G** PD charges are also reported here. Electrostatic interaction energies obtained using 6-31G** PD charges are compared with the 6-31G** SCF interaction energies available for the nine hydrogen-bonded dimers of ammonia, water, and hydrogen fluoride and a good correlation between the two is shown. The interrelationship between the results of different basis sets are also examined for the PD point-charge model. The electrostatic interaction energies obtained using STO-3G PD model are shown to be well correlated to the results of 6-31G and 6-31G** PD models.
Dangerous Dualisms in Siegel’s Theory of Critical Thinking: A Deweyan Pragmatist Responds

Harvey Siegel's conception of critical thinking is riddled with unnecessary and confusing dualisms. He rigidly separates 'critical skill' and 'critical spirit', the philosophical and the causal, 'is' and 'ought', and the moral and the epistemological. These dualisms are easily traced to his desire to defend an absolutist and decontextualised epistemology. To the Deweyan naturalist these dualisms are unnecessary. Appealing to the pragmatist notion of beliefs as embodied habits of action evincing emotion, I show how language, meanings and the mind, including the mind of the critical thinker, emerge from our biological being.
Critical Incidents in Student Counselor Development.

Students in a master's degree program in counseling were asked to report critical incidents that had influenced their development as counselors. Participants most frequently cited courses based on experiential learning and field experiences as being influential in their development. Events external to the graduate program also were frequently reported as influencing their professional development.
Cervical cancer therapy: current, future and anti- angiogensis targeted treatment

While the incidence of cervical cancer has declined significantly in the USA, ethnic disparities remain in terms of increased mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, this disease continues to be a significant burden on developing countries, with cervical cancer currently ranked as the second most common cause of cancer-related morbidity and the third most common cause of mortality worldwide. Treatment of cervical cancer has typically been viewed as surgical with possible adjuvant therapy versus initial radiotherapy and platinum-based chemotherapy. Prognosis and therapy for patients with recurrent disease is dependent upon the site of recurrence and ability to pursue curative therapy. This article will review the management of cervical cancer, including studies that have evaluated the treatment of distant metastasis or recurrent disease, as well as discussing the importance of angiogenesis and the use of therapies targeted against this phenomenon.
Photosensitized generation of superoxide radical in aprotic solvents: an EPR and spin trapping study.

The UV or visible irradiation of pigments such as curcumin, anthralin, benzanthrone, 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone, and rose bengal- or eosine-complexes with cationic surfactants in aerated aprotic solvents, such as benzene, toluene, acetone, n-heptane, cyclohexane, in the presence of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) generates EPR spectra with hyperfine splitting constants (hfsc's) aN = 12.75 G, aβH = 10.50 G, a gamma H = 1.26 G in toluene, 12.83 G, 10.64 G, 1.24 G in benzene, 12.75 G, 10.19 G, 1.35 G in acetone and 12.54 G, 10.46 G, 1.38 G in n-heptane and cyclohexane. These spectra are similar to those observed when DMPO reacts with 18-crown-6 ether-solubilized KO2 in the respective solvents and suggests that the photoinduced EPR spectra can be safely assigned to the DMPO/superoxide radical adduct (1). A correlation between the hfsc's of 1 and solvent parameters, the solvent acceptor number AN and the Kosower Z value, has been evaluated in terms of its usefulness for the identification of the DMPO/s...
Software as Governance

As information technology (IT) becomes ubiquitous, scholars are rethinking notions of governance, as implicated by IT. This chapter examines how software can be used as a form of governance. The Chapter begins with a theoretical informed analysis of governance characteristics of "code." These governance characteristics are analogous to "knobs and levers" that policymakers can manipulate. By manipulating these governance characteristics, it is possible to influence/regulate user behavior. The chapter then focuses on two governance characteristics that have played a crucial role in the formation and processes of e-government - defaults and open standards. For defaults, the chapter offers a framework for setting defaults. In the case of open standards, the chapter focuses on critical issues for governments when adopting open standards.
RNA Extraction from a Mycobacterium under Ultrahigh Electric Field Intensity in a Microfluidic Device

Studies of transcriptomes are critical for understanding gene expression. Release of RNA molecules from cells is typically the first step for transcriptomic analysis. Effective cell lysis approaches that completely release intracellular materials are in high demand especially for cells that are structurally robust. In this report, we demonstrate a microfluidic electric lysis device that is effective for mRNA extraction from mycobacteria that have hydrophobic and waxy cell walls. We used a packed bed of microscale silica beads to filter M. smegmatis out of the suspension. 4000–8000 V/cm field intensity was used to lyse M. smegmatis with long pulses (i.e., up to 30 pulses that were 5 s long each). Our quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR results showed that our method yielded a factor of 10–20 higher extraction efficiency than the current state-of-the-art method (bead beating). We conclude that our electric lysis technique is an effective approach for mRNA release from hard-to-lyse cells and highly ...
Cytokinesis from nanometers to micrometers and microseconds to minutes

Cytokinesis, a model cell shape change event, is controlled by an integrated system that coordinates the mitotic spindle signals with a mechanoresponsive cytoskeletal network that drives contractility and furrow ingression. Quantitative methods that measure cell mechanics, mechanoresponse (mechanical stress-induced protein accumulation), protein dynamics, and molecular interactions are necessary to provide insight into both the mechanical and biochemical components involved in cytokinesis and cell shape regulation. Micropipette aspiration, fluorescence correlation and cross-correlation spectroscopy, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching are valuable methods for measuring cell mechanics and protein dynamics in vivo that occur on nanometer to micron length-scales, and microsecond to minute timescales. Collectively, these methods provide the ability to quantify the molecular interactions that control the cell's ability to change shape and undergo cytokinesis.
Effect evaluation of chocolate medium made of two kinds of animal blood using for isolate Haemophilus influenzae

Objectives To compare the isolate rates of Haemophilus influenzae in sputum by chocolate plates made of sheep and horse blood,and the growth of Haemophilus influenzae on the two kinds of chocolate plates.Methods Sputums and Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 10211 were streaked on the two kinds of chocolate plates and incubated at 36 ℃in a candle jar for 24 hours.The isolate rates of Haemophilus influenzae by two kinds of chocolate plates and the growth of Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 10211 were compared.Results The isolate rates of Haemophilus influenzae in sputum by chocolate plates made of sheep blood,horse blood were 8%,34.5% respectively.Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 10211 grew very well on chocolate plates made of horse blood,its diameter of colony was 0.5~1.0 mm.But it did not grow well on the chocolate plates made of sheep blood,its colony was as small as a sand and hard to be seen with naked eye.Conclusions Chocolate plates made of horse blood can be used to isolate Haemophilus influenzae in sputum was better than the chocolate plate made of sheep blood.
Changes in plasma estrogen, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2 alpha during blockade of luteolysis in pigs after human chorionic gonadotropin treatment.

An injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or estrogen on d 12 of the estrous cycle delays luteolysis in the pig. In an experiment to determine if HCG stimulated estrogen secretion, 21 cyclic pigs received one of five different amounts of HCG-(A) 0, (B) 125, (C) 250, (D) 500 or (E) 1,000 IU-as a single, im injection in 2 ml of distilled water on d 12 of the estrous cycle. Blood was collected from the jugular vein immediately before HCG injection and once daily thereafter until d 20 of the estrous cycle. Plasma progesterone, estrogen (unconjugated) and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGFM) were quantified for pigs in all groups; luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were quantified for pigs in groups A and E. The HCG injection exerted a dose-related increase on the mean interestrus interval (groups A, B, C, D and E were 20.5, 20.2, 22.5, 31.0 and 61.4 d, respectively) and on the delay of luteolysis as measured by mean plasma progesterone on d 16 (A, B and C vs D and E, respectively, 1.9, 1.2 and 10.4 vs 34.1 and 47.1 ng/ml; P less than .05). The HCG injection caused a transitory increase in plasma estrogen from d 12 (5 to 10 pg/ml before treatment) to d 15 (35.5 pg/ml, group D) and to d 16 (90.2 pg/ml, group E) before it decreased to preinjection levels on d 17 (group D) and 18 (group E).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The role of mitogen-activated protein targeting in melanoma beyond BRAFV600

Purpose of reviewTargeted therapy in melanoma is well established for patients with tumors harboring BRAFV600 mutations, but less so for other molecularly defined subsets. In this review, emerging preclinical, genomic, and early clinical data are discussed regarding the use of mitogen-activated prot
A nitrogen-fixation gene (nifC) in Clostridiumpasteurianum with sequence similarity to chlJ of Escherichiacoli

The molybdenum-containing nitrogenase contains an iron-molybdenum cofactor, whose synthesis involves at least six nif genes. Genes corresponding to nifE, N, B, and V occur in proximity in Clostridiumpasteurianum, with nifN-B occurring as one gene and with nifVω and nifVα in place of nifV. Between nifN-B and nifVωVα, we found a gene whose sequence is similar to chlJ of Escherichiacoli. chlJ is part of the chlD locus, which is involved in Mo transport. C.pasteurianum actively accumulates Mo in a process coregulated with nitrogen fixation. We propose that nifC is involved in Mo transport. The expression of nifC may be coregulated with nitrogen fixation because of the presence of nif-distinctive promoter and upstream sequences preceding nifC-nifVω-nifVα. NifC contains a region typical of integral membrane proteins. Our findings suggest the involvement of a membrane-located nif gene product in Mo transport in C.pasteurianum.
Rapid water disinfection using vertically aligned MoS2 nanofilms and visible light

Few-layered, vertically aligned MoS2 films can efficiently harvest visible light for photocatalytic water disinfection, allowing >99.999% bacteria to be rapidly inactivated.
RBC storage lesions.

In this issue of Blood, Reisz et al present a proteomic and metabolomic analysis of red blood cells (RBCs) stored in Additive Solution 3 that focuses on the oxidative changes in the active sites of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). The changes accumulate and become irreversible with time but are sufficiently infrequent that it is unclear that they matter for posttransfusion function.1
Fast ensemble representations for abstract visual impressions.

Much of the richness of perception is conveyed by implicit, rather than image or feature-level, information. The perception of animacy or lifelikeness of objects, for example, cannot be predicted from image level properties alone. Instead, perceiving lifelikeness seems to be an inferential process and one might expect it to be cognitively demanding and serial rather than fast and automatic. If perceptual mechanisms exist to represent lifelikeness, then observers should be able to perceive this information quickly and reliably, and should be able to perceive the lifelikeness of crowds of objects. Here, we report that observers are highly sensitive to the lifelikeness of random objects and even groups of objects. Observers’ percepts of crowd lifelikeness are well predicted by independent observers’ lifelikeness judgements of the individual objects comprising that crowd. We demonstrate that visual impressions of abstract dimensions can be achieved with summary statistical representations, which underlie our rich perceptual experience. Perceiving objects as lifelike is an inferential process but whether it occurs quickly and how it applies to groups of objects is not well understood. Here the authors show that observers’ percepts of crowd lifelikeness are fast and represent the average of the individual objects comprising that crowd.
Early Stage Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) in the CHOP-R Era: Does Involved Field Radiation Therapy (IFRT) Impact Outcome?.

Historically, patients (pts) with early stage DLBCL treated without consolidative IFRT more commonly relapsed in sites of initial disease. While event-free survival (EFS) was superior with IFRT after CHOP in the short-term in a large randomized trial (NEJM 339:21), prolonged follow-up demonstrated equivalent overall survival due in part to late relapses (Blood 98:724a). The optimal therapy for pts with early stage DLBCL in the rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) era has not been established. To determine the impact of IFRT after R-CHOP treatment on outcome of early stage DLBCL, we reviewed medical records of 67 consecutive pts with stage I and II DLBCL who were primarily treated with R-CHOP with or without IFRT between February 2001 and March 2006. Three to 8 cycles of R-CHOP were administered, and 30–45 Gy IFRT was administered for those irradiated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for the estimates of outcome. EFS was measured from the date of diagnosis until first documented disease progression or death from any cause. Comparisons were adjusted for IPI by Cox proportional hazards regressions, and all tests were two sided. Median follow-up was 2.6 years (range 0.5–5.5). 45 (67%) of the pts were men. Median age at diagnosis was 60 years (range 20–92); 18 (27%) had ‘B’ symptoms; bulky disease (defined as mass >10cm) was present in 15 (22%); 27 (40%) had stage I and 40 (60%) had stage II disease. Stage-adjusted IPI score distribution was: IPI 0, n=6 (9%); IPI 1, n=17 (25%); IPI 2, n=24 (36%); IPI 3, n=16 (24%); IPI 4, n=4 (6%). 39 (58%) pts had extranodal disease (23% soft tissue, 21% head & neck, 56% others). As expected, since the majority of pts had more than 1 IPI risk factor, the 2-year event-free survival (EFS) was 68% (median EFS not reached). 11 (16%) pts had primary refractory disease including 3 pts who died during treatment, and they were excluded from further analysis. Of the remaining pts, 34 (61%) received IFRT, and 22 were treated with R-CHOP alone. The IPI scores of the 2 groups were balanced, but as expected, stage II disease was more common in pts who received R-CHOP alone. The EFS at 2 years for pts treated with consolidative IFRT was 87%, and with chemotherapy alone was 72%. When controlling for IPI score and the presence of bulky disease, there was a significant benefit in EFS for patients treated with R-CHOP + IFRT compared with R-CHOP alone (p=0.027). Therefore, in pts with early stage DLBCL treated with R-CHOP, we find improved outcomes with a combined modality approach including consolidative IFRT compared with chemotherapy alone as was observed in the CHOP era. Our study has inherent biases due to its retrospective nature, and limited follow-up. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study that compare R-CHOP with and without IFRT in early stage DLBCL, and therefore has important implications on future clinical trial designs.
Laryngeal chondrosarcoma mimicking medullary thyroid carcinoma on fine-needle aspiration cytology: A case report of a diagnostic pitfall

Chondrosarcoma (CS) of larynx is a rare laryngeal tumor accounting about 1% of laryngeal malignancies. When CS arises from thyroid cartilage, it may clinically present as a thyroid nodule. Here we report a rare case of CS of thyroid cartilage misinterpreted as medullary thyroid carcinoma. The main aim of this case report is to emphasize the important role of accurate clinical history, appropriate physical examination, and proper localization of the tumor and clear definitive imaging in conjunction with interpretation of cytologic smears. When any of these roles are unclear, it may result in misinterpretation of the cytologic smears. In these unusual circumstances, when cytomorphologic features does not completely fit an entity, communication with the physician and the consideration of a broad differential diagnoses in the head and neck pathology may lead to correct diagnosis and avoid diagnostic pitfalls. Also in certain conditions, ancillary studies including laboratory tests are necessary for definitive classification.
Motion Artifact Mitigation for Wearable Pulse Oximetry

A wearable oximeter is needed to help people safely perform missions in environmental extremes. Key initial needs are monitoring for hypoxemia at high altitudes and monitoring for shock from trauma and hemorrhage. The forehead has been confirmed to be an excellent site for signal quality, but signal corruption due to movement, which causes changes in sensor orientation and contact pressure, needs to be mitigated. In this paper a motion artifact mitigation algorithm is described that uses features derived from a pulse plethysmograph (PPG) and co-located accelerometer to identify and discard motion corrupted signals, thereby retaining high accuracy estimates of heart rate (HR) and blood oxygenation (SpO2) while stationary, walking, and running.
Determination of Hexavalent Chromium Fractions in Plastics Using Laboratory-Based, High-Resolution X-ray Emission Spectroscopy.

Cr(VI) is a well-known human carcinogen with many water-soluble moieties. Its presence in both natural and man-made substances poses a risk to public health, especially when contamination of groundwater is possible. This has led the European Union and other jurisdictions to include Cr(VI) in restriction of hazardous substances regulations. However, for several important industrial and commercial purposes, analytical capability to characterize Cr(VI) is known to be insufficient for regulatory purposes. For example, advanced X-ray spectroscopies, particularly synchrotron-based X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) studies, have shown that species interconversion and under-extraction can be difficult to prevent in many existing liquid extraction protocols when applied to plastics, mining ores and tailings, and paint sludges. Here, we report that wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy taken at energy resolutions close to the theoretical limit imposed by the core-hole lifetime, generally called...
Chip seal aggregate evaluation and successful roads preservation

Abstract The Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative focuses on saving time, resources and money. EDC has brought infrastructure preservation to the forefront of many conversations. Chip seals are a cost-effective pavement preservation strategy, and continued studies verifying their performance benefits continue to be in high demand as agencies struggle to fund preservation programs. This study documents the effectiveness of chip seals when good materials, good construction and good agency oversight work together. Chips seals extend the service life of pavements an average of 5–6 years. This study gathers two years of field performance data (June 2014–June 2016) from chip seal projects constructed in Oregon. The data includes laboratory and field-testing to assess chip seal materials used in construction and tracks the performance of the chip seal pavements, both emulsified asphalts and hot-applied asphalts. Findings show that chip seals constructed with good quality materials enhance the surface texture properties and reduce the appearance of distresses over the two-year monitoring period for most sections.