cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Medicaid Expansion and Health Plan Quality in Medicaid Managed Care.

Objective To assess the effect of the 2014 Medicaid expansion on Medicaid managed care plan quality. Data Sources Three composite measures of plan-level quality constructed from the Health Care Effectiveness Data and Information Set. Study Setting One hundred and sixty-three plans in 27 Medicaid expansion states and 100 plans in 14 nonexpansion states. Study Design Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DID) analysis, comparing quality before (2011–13) and after (2014–15) Medicaid expansion in states that elected to expand Medicaid eligibility and those that did not. Principal Findings Mean plan enrollment increased from 130,533 to 274,259 in expansion states and from 105,449 to 148,194 in nonexpansion states. The proportion of enrollees receiving recommended preventive care increased from 62.6 to 65.2 percent in expansion states and from 59.3 to 62.5 percent in nonexpansion states (adjusted DID: −0.7 percentage points [95% CI −2.2, 0.7]). The proportion of enrollees receiving recommended chronic disease care management increased from 65.4 to 66.0 percent in expansion states and from 62.5 to 63.1 percent in nonexpansion states (adjusted DID: 1.1 percentage points [95% CI −0.5, 2.6]). We observed similar patterns for the receipt of recommended maternity care. Conclusions Medicaid expansion increased enrollment in managed care plans, but it did not result in erosion of quality.
Cooperative localization from imprecise range-only measurements: A non-convex distributed approach

This paper presents a distributed method to locate a target object using multi-agent systems with only knowledge of the agent position and distance between them and the target. The problem is formulated as a non-convex quadratically constrained program, which is then solved using an optimization dynamics approach. The method presented can be applied to an arbitrary undirected network, and only requires agents communicating their estimate of the target's position and their calculated dual variables. The proposed method is derived from the Range-Based Least-Squares method, and becomes the Maximum Likelihood Estimator for this problem under Gaussian noise. We present the convergence results and also numerical simulations of this method.
Biomimetic Desymmetrization of a Carboxylic Acid

The enantioselective desymmetrization of carboxylic acids by chiral Bronsted base catalysis is reported, leading to bridged bicyclic lactones with up to 94% ee. Crystallographic analysis of a substrate–catalyst complex suggests an origin of stereocontrol, reminiscent of functional Bronsted bases in biological settings, and enabled reaction optimization. The products contain an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter and can be derivatized to functionalized cyclopentanes.
Fear and Death in the Outback: Barbara Baynton’s Bush Studies

This chapter examines the two stories which bookend Barbara Baynton’s Bush Studies (1902), “A Dreamer” and “The Chosen Vessel,” and discusses how these stories contribute to a Colonial Gothic tradition which foregrounds women’s tenuous existence in a harsh colonial environment. The chapter begins with an overview of Baynton’s early life in the Australian bush, which influenced her later fiction. It then moves on to a discussion of Baynton’s experience publishing in Great Britain and Australia. In “A Dreamer,” Baynton presents a hostile bush landscape that works against a young woman trying to return to her mother’s home after a long absence. The suffering on the part of the daughter continues as she enters the mother’s home only to discover that her mother is dead. “The Chosen Vessel” is examined as an even more unflinching portrait of women as victims of both a hostile environment and men’s physical, verbal, and sexual violence.
Primary Spine Tumors

Primary tumors of the spine are rare; however, it is important that the features of primary spine tumors are familiar to spine surgeons so that treatment is not compromised. The purpose of this chapter is to assist the reader in developing a rational approach to patients with tumors of the spine rather than to serve as a comprehensive text on neoplastic conditions in the spine.
ORGANIZATION OF SEQUENCES AT LAMBDOID BACTERIOPHAGE ORIGINS OF REPLICATION

ABSTRACT We have determined the DNA sequences of several mutants in the origin of replication of bacteriophage λ. These include the substitution hybrids λ rep 82:λ λ rep 0:λ, and a pseudorevertant of the λ r 93 ori mutant, λ r 93 hot 5. The origin sequences of the three lambdoid phages all have repeated sequences, termed iterons, and an A-T rich zone. A similar arrangement of sequences is also found in several other procaryotic replication origins. λ and ϕ80 have four iterons, 82 has five, and λ r 93 hot 5 has only three. Analysis of the pseudorevertant shows that the spacing of iterons is critical to origin function, whereas their number is not.
Cadmium in Marine Phytoplankton

The distribution of cadmium in the ocean is very similar to that of major nutrients suggesting that it may be taken up by marine phytoplankton at the surface and remineralized at depth. This interpretation is supported by recent data on Cd isotope distribution showing an increase in the 112Cd/110Cd ratio in Cd-depleted surface water. While at high concentrations, Cd is toxic to phytoplankton as it is to many organisms, at relatively low concentrations, Cd can enhance the growth of a number of phytoplankton species under zinc limitation. Kinetic studies suggest that Cd is taken up through either the Mn or the Zn transport system, depending on the ambient concentrations of these metals. In addition to inorganic Cd complexes (including the free Cd2+ ion), Cd complexes with relatively weak organic ligands may also be bioavailable. Cd is very effective to induce the production of phytochelatin and other thiols in phytoplankton, probably as a detoxification mechanism as well as a control of Cd homeostasis in cells. The only known biological function of Cd is to serve as a metal cofactor in Cd-carbonic anhydrase (CDCA) in diatoms. The expression of CDCA is regulated by Cd and Zn availabilities and by the pCO2/pH of the ambient seawater in cultured diatoms and natural assemblages. The conformation of CDCA active site is similar to that of β-CA and both Zn and Cd can be used as its metal cofactor and exchanged for each other. Understanding of the biological role of Cd in marine phytoplankton provides insights into the biogeochemical cycling of this element in the ocean.
Las predicaciones de un bufón: «A los pies de la Fortuna», Romance de Quevedo a don Álvaro de Luna

The topic of «privanza» was very important in the Spanish Literature of the 17th century. Don Alvaro de Luna represented the rise to power and the tragic fall of the «privados» or favourites. Quevedo wrote a poem around 1627 about the personality of the favourite in which he used his history to warn the Count duke of Olivares on the dangers of power. The buffoon adopts the role of a preacher and becomes the spokesperson of the author to give advice and recriminate the noble for his life. The critical and annotated edition of the «romance» will help us to know better Quevedo’s political and philosophical thought.
Secondary phloem inPinus radiataD. Don: 1. Structure of differentiating sieve cells

Light and electron microscopy have been used to describe the structure of developing sieve cells in the secondary phloem of Pinus radiata D. Don. These cells develop walls consisting of oriented lamellae of cellulose microfibrils, the thickness of the wall increasing rapidly with distance from the cambial zone. The sites in the cell wall at which sieve areas are destined to form may be identified at an early stage in differentiation by the absence of the cellulose lamellae from these regions. A thick region of callose is produced at these sites which appears structureless in the electron microscope. No simple pits are present in the cambial zone to indicate the sites of future sieve areas. Sieve area pores are apparently produced de novo simultaneously with callose thickening. Plastids occur in differentiating sieve cells, and the structural changes they undergo are described. The possibility is discussed that the plastids, in those conifers studied so far, perform the functions of the slime bodi...
E-Banking Users’ Profiles in Lebanon Exploration of the Role of Socio-Demographic Factors

Referring to the model developed by Rogers [8] on the diffusion of innovations and that of Venkatesh and Morris [9], this article aims to explore and identify the role of the socio-demographic factors in the adoption of e-banking by the clientele of a big commercial bank operating in Lebanon. The analysis and processing of data emanating from the bank through the SPSS software allow us to draw representative profiles of customers based on their socio-demographic criteria. The obtained results are consistent with previous researches and confirmed the impact of age, income, educational level and profession on the adoption of e-banking by the Lebanese consumer. These results provide an in-depth understanding of the role of socio-demographic characteristics in the use of electronic distribution channels and help Lebanese banking institutions better establish strategies for promoting online banking services in the future.
PCI PROVIDES COSTLY MORTALITY REDUCTIONS FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: PROPENSITY SCORE AND MACHINE LEARNING AUGMENTED NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF 30 MILLION+ HOSPITALIZATIONS

Since the optimal management of coronary artery disease (CAD) and breast cancer is unknown, we sought to conduct the first known nationally representative study of mortality and cost effectiveness for breast cancer and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Backward propagation neural network
Influences on memory for naturalistic visual episodes: sleep, familiarity, and traits differentially affect forms of recall

The memories we form are composed of information that we extract from multifaceted episodes. Static stimuli and paired associations have proven invaluable stimuli for understanding memory, but real-life events feature spatial and temporal dimensions that help form new retrieval paths. We ask how the ability to recall semantic, temporal, and spatial aspects (the "what, when, and where") of naturalistic episodes is affected by three influences-prior familiarity, postencoding sleep, and individual differences-by testing their influence on three forms of recall: cued recall, free recall, and the extent that recalled details are recombined for a novel prompt. Naturalistic videos of events with rare animals were presented to 115 participants, randomly assigned to receive a 12- or 24-h delay with sleep and/or wakefulness. Participants' immediate and delayed recall was tested and coded by its spatial, temporal, and semantic content. We find that prior familiarity with items featured in events improved cued recall, but not free recall, particularly for temporal and spatial details. In contrast, postencoding sleep, relative to wakefulness, improved free recall, but not cued recall, of all forms of content. Finally, individuals with higher trait scores in the Survey of Autobiographical Memory spontaneously incorporated more spatial details during free recall, and more event details (at a trend level) in a novel recombination recall task. These findings show that prior familiarity, postencoding sleep, and memory traits can each enhance a different form of recall. More broadly, this work highlights that recall is heterogeneous in response to different influences on memory.
Far Lateral Approach (Transcondylar, Transtubercular) for Bypass and Trapping of a Ruptured, Dissecting PICA Aneurysm

Aneurysms of the posterior circulation pose a unique challenge due to higher rupture rates, higher recurrence rates following endovascular treatment, and extended open cranial base approaches required to reach the ventrally located brainstem circulation. While endovascular therapy has made tremendous strides in successful treatment for most posterior circulation aneurysms, open microscopic approaches remain essential in specific circumstances. Here, we present a case of a patient who presented with acute, severe headache, and sixth nerve palsies, and who was found to have hydrocephalus and a dissecting aneurysm at the anterolateral medullary segment of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Interestingly, this patient had a history of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency that has been linked with spontaneous aortic and cervical arterial dissections. The fusiform geometry of the dissecting aneurysm was deemed suboptimal for endovascular treatment, so an open microsurgical approach for occipital artery to PICA bypass and aneurysm trapping was planned. Because this patient had cerebral edema in the setting of a ruptured aneurysm and hydrocephalus, a far lateral craniotomy combined with drilling of the occipital condyle and jugular tubercle was critical to enhance exposure of the first segment of the PICA and to minimize brain retraction. In this video, we highlight the key steps and nuances for harvest of the occipital artery, achieving control of the extracranial vertebral artery, performing the transcondylar and transtubercular far lateral approach, and bypass with trapping technique for these challenging posterior circulation aneurysms. The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/dqgblwX6t0Q .
An Integrated Perspective on the Constitutive and Interactive Dimensions of Autonomy

Enaction's claim of continuity between life and mind is a bold one. We investigate one aspect of this claim using a glider in the Game of Life as a toy model. Specifically, we study the relationshi...
Reply to letter to editor by McCullough.

We reviewed the concerns raised by Dr. McCullough about our article, “Hydroxychloroquine: A comprehensive review and its controversial role in coronavirus disease 2019”, and appreciate this opportu...
Modeling Multi-Channel Advertising Attribution Across Competitors

The bursts and multiplicity of Internet advertising have made multi-channel attribution an immediate challenge for marketing practitioners. Existing attribution models predominantly focus on analyzing consumers’ converting path with respect to one focal firm while largely overlooking the impact of their interactions with competing firms, leading to biased advertising effectiveness estimates. We address this problem by developing an integrated individual-level choice model that considers consumers’ online visit and purchase decisions across all competitors within one industry. We specifically analyze the effects of multi-channel advertising on: (1) consumer choice of entry site, (2) consumer search decisions concerning the competing websites, and (3) subsequent purchase at one of the searched websites. We quantify the impact of different digital advertising channels on consumers’ decisions at different purchase funnel stages based on individual-level click stream data for the online air ticket booking industry. We find that information stock of all online channels considered - search, display, referral, email, direct - contributes significantly to consumers’ visit and purchase decisions, among which search is the most effective channel in driving all three decisions. We map the estimates to the conversion attribution of different channels, which reveals that the relative contribution of display/referral channel was grossly underestimated by the popular single-firm attribution models by a factor of two on average. In terms of predictive performance, our model consistently outperforms the single-firm model in predicting the occurrences of future purchases.
Breadth of Ownership and the Cross-Section of Corporate Bond Returns

We investigate the effects of short sale constraints on asset mispricing in the corporate bond market. Consistent with Miller (1977)’s theory that short sale constraints can lead to asset overpricing, we document a significant positive relation between changes in ownership breadth (a proxy for short sale constraints) and the cross-section of future corporate bond returns. The return predicative power of changes in breadth is shown to be relatively short-lived in the corporate bond market, possibly due to the bounded upside payoffs of debt. Further analysis shows that the return predictability of changes in breadth is stronger among bonds with higher credit risk and during periods of high investor sentiment, and is mainly driven by bond overpricing rather than underpricing. Overall, the impact of short sale constraints on bond mispricing appears to be more pronounced when overpricing is more likely.
Health and Physical Education Program for Boys in Ohio High Schools

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the status of the health and physical education program for boys in 101 Ohio secondary schools and to determine the relationship of school size, community size, accreditation, geographic area, type of school district, and consolidation to this status. According to the results of this study, accreditation and school size have considerably more influence upon the quality of the program than any other factor studied. Schools enrolling 500–999 students have a significantly better health and physical education program than schools enrolling less than 500 students. Enrollment above 1,000 tends to have a slight negative influence upon the quality of the program.
In Defense of Judicial Review: A Reply to Professor Kramer

Almost thirty years ago, I decided to go to law school because I wanted to be a civil rights lawyer. Although I have been a law professor for over two decades, at heart I am still very much the civil rights lawyer that I set out to be. Thus, as I read Professor Kramer's stunning new book about popular constitutionalism,' I kept thinking about what his theory would mean for civil rights and civil liberties litigation. The answer is chilling. Popular constitutionalism would mean that courts would be far less available to protect fundamental rights. The rights of minorities would be largely left to the whims of the political majority with severe consequences for racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and language minorities as well as criminal defendants, public benefits recipients, and others. Literary theorists tell us that the reader always brings his or her experiences to a text. I have spent much of my time the last few years representing several individuals who are serving life sentences for shoplifting under California's "three strikes" law. In fact, I literally began reading Professor Kramer's manuscript on the plane returning from arguing one of those cases before the Supreme Court. My client, Leandro Andrade, received a life sentence, with no possibility of parole for fifty years, for shoplifting $153 worth of videotapes. What would Professor Kramer's "popular constitutionalism" have meant for him? California's "three strikes" law was adopted by the state legislature and then reenacted by the voters through an initiative. This must be the epitome of "popular constitutionalism": the people expressing their interpretation of the Constitution. Indeed, the people of California, wittingly or not, were implicitly limiting the reach of due process and sanctioning a life sentence for shoplifting as within the bounds of the Eighth Amendment. Although
The path to the heart and the road not taken

Understanding which molecules induce an embryonic precursor cell to become one tissue instead of another has long fascinated developmental biologists. In his Perspective, Olson describes new findings that identify the Wnt signaling molecules Wnt3a and Wnt8 as inhibitory factors produced by the neural tube that prevent embryonic mesoderm cells from becoming heart tissue and instead induce them to become blood.
Local Convective Flows in Partly Solidified Alloys

The occurrence of segregation channels in the solid-liquid mushy zone of ingots is described with examples from an aqueous system, NH4Cl-H2O, and a low melting point metallic system, Pb-Sn. Such channels are a few (<10) interdendritic spacings wide and several orders of magnitude longer, running approximately vertically; they arise from compositional-density-variations within the interdendritic and bulk liquid regions. The problems of channel nucleation, propagation and prevention are considered for the particular case of growth vertically upwards, with solute less dense than solvent. It is shown that channels are initiated behind double diffusive perturbations, immediately ahead of the dendritic growth front; the conditions for channel formation and inhibition are discussed with reference to the system parameters and physical properties.
Workplace Bullying and the Law: U.S. Legislative Developments 2013-15

In 2014, California and Tennessee enacted statutes covering workplace bullying, making them the first American states to codify laws addressing this form of interpersonal mistreatment at work. These two statutes led a procession of recent legal and policy initiatives concerning workplace bullying in the United States, which also included a vetoed state bill and continued advocacy at the state levels for enactment of comprehensive workplace anti-bullying legislation. This essay, a follow-up to my panel presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, will discuss significant legislative developments concerning workplace bullying at the state levels, covering 2013 through early 2015. It is the latest in my series of periodic law review commentaries about workplace bullying and American employment law.
Novel multi-wavelength cascaded-Raman source based on tunable fiber Sagnac loop filter

We have experimentally demonstrated a multiwavelength fiber Raman source based on a tunable high birefringence fiber Sagnac loop filter. Using the novel scheme, we have demonstrated a generation of a broad cascaded Stokes waves with wavelength between 1.12/spl sim/1.57 /spl mu/m and the generation of approximately 20 wavelength channels within the 4th order Stokes waves. By adjusting the pump power and the cavity, the multi-wavelength operation is possible within a particular Stokes waves or all the Stokes waves. Such multi-wavelength laser source is expected to be useful in many applications including the WDM and sensing area.
Evaluation of glucose turnover, body mass and recycling with reversible and irreversible tracers.

1. Methods are presented for the calculation of rates of synthesis or loss, mean transit time and total body pool of compounds from specific-radioactivity curves, without assuming a multicompartmental model and without fitting the data by exponential expressions. The methods apply to the steady state after either single injection or continuous infusion of a labelled compound. 2. The use of irreversible and reversible tracers and the effects of recycling of carbon on the estimations of the parameters of glucose metabolism are discussed. Methods for quantitatively determining recycling of glucose carbon by the use of glucose doubly labelled with 14C and 3H are presented.
Laser Cooling and Trapping the Most Magnetic Atom, Dysprosium

We report the first laser cooling and trapping of 5x108Dy atoms using a repumper-free magneto-optical trap (MOT). The MOT confines this electronically complex atom due to Dy’s unsurpassed magnetic dipole moment.
Handshaking vs. instant broadcast in VANET safety message routing

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) rely on multi-hop communication in order to disseminate information to locations beyond the transmission range. In this paper, the use of handshaking mechanism is evaluated against instant transmission for safety message routing in VANETs for the first time. It is argued that due to the small size of VANET safety message (mean payload size of 100 bytes), handshaking may not be advantageous to avoid hidden node problem and may incur overhead delay. The simplified instant broadcast routing without the use of handshake mechanism is recommended. Theoretical analysis of message propagation delay using instant broadcast routing is shown which can be easily extended for any broadcast method. Two prominent handshake based broadcast routing schemes are implemented in ns-3 along with instant broadcast scheme. The simulation results reveal that instant broadcast effectively lowers the message propagation delay by 100% each hop and guarantees reliable dissemination of safety messages to all endangered vehicles on the road.
Transverse combustion instabilities: Acoustic, fluid mechanic, and flame processes

Abstract Thermoacoustic oscillations associated with transverse acoustic modes are routinely encountered in combustion chambers. While a large literature on this topic exists for rockets, no systematic reviews of transverse oscillations are available for air-breathing systems, such as in boilers, aircraft engines, jet engine augmentors, or power generating gas turbines. This paper reviews work on the problem for air-breathing systems, summarizing experimental, modeling, and active control studies of transverse oscillations. It then details the key physical processes controlling these oscillations by describing transverse acoustic wave motions, the effect of transverse acoustic waves on hydrodynamic instabilities, and the influence of acoustic and hydrodynamic fluid motions on the unsteady heat release. This paper particularly emphasizes the distinctions between the direct and indirect effect of transverse wave motions, by arguing that the dominant effect of the transverse acoustics is to act as the “clock” that controls the frequency and modal structure of the disturbance field. However, in many instances, it is the indirect axial flow disturbances at the nozzles (driven by pressure oscillations from the transverse mode), and the vortices that they excite, that cause the dominant heat release rate oscillations. Throughout the review, we discuss issues associated with simulating or scaling instabilities, either in subscale experimental geometries or by attempting to understand instability physics using identical nozzle hardware during axial oscillations of the same frequency as the transverse mode of interest. This review closes with a model problem that integrates many of these controlling elements, as well as recommendations for future research needs.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a guideline for diagnosis and management of children and adults

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP, also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura) affects both children and adults. In childhood, the peak age is 2-4 years, girls and boys are equally affected, and in most children, the disease is self-limited with spontaneous recovery occurring in several weeks to several months. In adults, ITP is most common among young women, and the disease is more insidious in its onset and chronic in its course. In both children and adults, there are important unresolved issues in diagnosis and management that have major cost implications. For this reason, the American Society of Hematology chose ITP as the disease topic for its initial practice guideline in 1993. In 1996, the practice guideline was published in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology. This review describes the principle features of ITP in children and adults, the process of development of the practice guideline for ITP, and the implications of the guideline for the diagnosis and management of patients with ITP.
Dramatic expansion of the black widow toxin arsenal uncovered by multi-tissue transcriptomics and venom proteomics

Animal venoms attract enormous interest given their potential for pharmacological discovery and understanding the evolution of natural chemistries. Next-generation transcriptomics and proteomics provide unparalleled, but underexploited, capabilities for venom characterization. We combined multi-tissue RNA-Seq with mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analyses to determine venom gland specific transcripts and venom proteins from the Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) and investigated their evolution. We estimated expression of 97,217 L. hesperus transcripts in venom glands relative to silk and cephalothorax tissues. We identified 695 venom gland specific transcripts (VSTs), many of which BLAST and GO term analyses indicate may function as toxins or their delivery agents. ~38% of VSTs had BLAST hits, including latrotoxins, inhibitor cystine knot toxins, CRISPs, hyaluronidases, chitinase, and proteases, and 59% of VSTs had predicted protein domains. Latrotoxins are venom toxins that cause massive neurotransmitter release from vertebrate or invertebrate neurons. We discovered ≥ 20 divergent latrotoxin paralogs expressed in L. hesperus venom glands, significantly increasing this biomedically important family. Mass spectrometry of L. hesperus venom identified 49 proteins from VSTs, 24 of which BLAST to toxins. Phylogenetic analyses showed venom gland specific gene family expansions and shifts in tissue expression. Quantitative expression analyses comparing multiple tissues are necessary to identify venom gland specific transcripts. We present a black widow venom specific exome that uncovers a trove of diverse toxins and associated proteins, suggesting a dynamic evolutionary history. This justifies a reevaluation of the functional activities of black widow venom in light of its emerging complexity.
The Chiari V malformation

Dear Editor: We thank this author for his interest in our case report. Rather than debate the semantics of nomenclature, we would reiterate that our case was unique in that the occipital lobe herniated through the foramen magnum. Other internal brain herniations are common in the Chiari II malformation (e.g., contralateral protrusion of the occipital or parietal lobes when the falx cerebri is hypoplastic or absent). It is true that our patient had the common features of the Chiari II malformation, but so do patients with the Chiari III malformation. Therefore, a new type was suggested, the Chiari V malformation.
Transient Noise Bounds using Vectorless Power Grid Verification

Efficient power grid verification, critical in modern integrated circuits, is computationally demanding because of increasing grid sizes. Vectorless approach to grid verification estimates worst-case voltage noises without detailed evaluation of load current excitations. We study voltage noise assessment in RLC models of VDD and GND networks in integrated power grids. Transitory circuit behaviours are captured by transient constraints, while abstract grid model is utilized to accelerate convergence. Heuristics are proposed to extract constraints that restrict power consumption profiles to realistic scenarios. Bounds on voltage overshoots and undershoots are evaluated by formulating multiple optimization problems. We propose ways to mitigate storage and computational requirements on processing resources, enabling users to deploy computations on economical Cloud Computing platforms. Recommended solution is parallelizable, thereby reducing the overall verification time. Experimental results suggest that the proposed technique is practical and scalable for industrial grids.
Learning deficits after lesions of dentate gyrus granule cells.

Abstract The effect of destroying granule cells in the dentate gyrus on learning was examined with a behavioral testing protocol. These neurons were destroyed by microinjections of the selective neurotoxin colchicine in the hippocampal formation of rats. After a 30-day recovery period, the animals were trained in an operant chamber with an appetitive conditioning paradigm. The learning abilities of the animals with lesions were compared with two control groups—naive, unoperated rats and those with control injections of saline. The basic task required the animal to discriminate between two spatially separate visual stimuli which represented positive and negative cues. Testing and training was separated into four progressively more difficult phases with various stimulus schedules, contingencies of reinforcement, and stimulus positions. Colchicine-treated animals demonstrated significantly poorer performance than naive animals and those receiving saline control injections. None of the colchicine-treated animals achieved criterion performance in the stimulus position reversal paradigm, and half had difficulty with variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. Our experiments suggested that granule cells in the dentate gyrus played a pivotal role in certain learning tasks.
Isothermal-expansion melting of two-dimensional colloidal monolayers on the surface of water

Monodisperse distributions of 1.01 mu m and 2.88 mu m polystyrene microspheres in monolayers on the surface of water were used in a study of isothermal-expansion melting in two dimensions. The equation of state, defect structures, and the translational and orientational correlation functions were obtained from digitised particle positions as the particle-number density ranged from the ordered solid to the liquid phase. The 2.88 mu m system showed evidence of defect mediated melting and of an intermediate hexatic phase, in partial accord with theoretical results of other studies. Melting in the 1.01 mu m system appeared to proceed by a weak first-order transition. If so, the difference in melting behaviour of the two samples may reflect differences in defect core creation energies which can be traced to sphere size.
Molybdenum Stable Isotopes: Observations, Interpretations and Directions

The unusual chemistry of molybdenum (Mo) makes this trace element interesting to both geochemists and biochemists. Geochemically, Mo is relatively unreactive in oxygenated, aqueous solutions, and hence is a nominally conservative element in the oceans. In fact, Mo is removed so slowly from seawater that it is the most abundant transition metal in the oceans despite being a ppm-level constituent of the crust. In contrast, Mo is readily removed from solution in anoxic-sulfidic (“euxinic”) settings, so that Mo enrichments in sediments are considered diagnostic of reducing depositional conditions. Few elements possess such bimodal redox behavior at the Earth’s surface. Biochemically, Mo draws attention because it is an essential enzyme cofactor in nearly all organisms, with particular importance for nitrogen fixation, nitrate reduction and sulfite oxidation. Such biochemical ubiquity is surprising in view of the general scarcity of Mo at the Earth’s surface. Isotopically, Mo initially catches the eye because it has seven stable isotopes of 10–25% abundance, covering a mass range of ~8% (Fig. 1⇓). Thus, from an analyst’s perspective, Mo offers both an unusually large mass spread and a number of options for isotope ratio determination. Combined with rich redox chemistry and covalent-type bonding, both of which tend to drive isotope fractionation, these factors make the Mo isotope system a particularly promising target for stable isotope investigation. Figure 1. The average natural abundances of the stable isotopes of Mo as recommended by IUPAC, based on (Moore et al. 1974). In the environment, Mo isotope research began in earnest with the application of multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. While much work remains to be done, this early research points to promising applications in paleoceanography, and beyond. This review is intended to provide an overview of this emerging stable isotope system in the context of Mo environmental biogeochemistry. Special attention …
Comparison of anti-endotoxin activity of apoE and apoA mimetic derivatives of a model amphipathic peptide 18A

Endotoxemia is a major cause of chronic inflammation, and is an important pathogenic factor in the development of metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) and apoA-I are protein components of high-density lipoprotein, which have strong anti-endotoxin activity. Here, we compared anti-endotoxin activity of Ac-hE18A-NH2 and 4F peptides, modified from model amphipathic helical 18A peptide, to mimic, respectively, apoE and apoA-I properties. Ac-hE18A-NH2, stronger than 4F, inhibited endotoxin activity and disaggregated Escherichia coli 055:B5 (wild smooth serotype). Ac-hE18A-NH2 and 4F inhibited endotoxin activity of E. coli 026:B6 (rough-like serotype) to a similar degree. This suggests that Ac-hE18A-NH2 as a dual-domain molecule might interact with both the lipid A and headgroup of smooth LPS, whereas 4F binds lipid A. In C57BL/6 mice, Ac-hE18A-NH2 was superior to 4F in inhibiting the inflammatory responses mediated by E. coli 055:B5, but not E. coli 026:B6. However, in THP-1 cel...
The Empirical Dimensionality of the Job Characteristic Inventory

The article discusses a study designed to asses the cross-sample stability of the job characteristics inventory (JCI). According to the author, the JCI could have utility for task design research. ...
Dietary mineral intakes of rural midlife to older adult women with prehypertension in Midwestern United States.

Objectives Midlife to older rural women with prehypertension are at increased risk for hypertension and its impact on cardiovascular health with advancing age. Because modification of dietary factors could help alleviate risk, the objective of this study was to explore calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium intakes of midlife to older rural women, with identification of their top food sources.
Field capacity water as influenced by Na and EC: Implications for subsurface drainage

Abstract Subsurface-tile drainage is designed to remove gravitational water and soluble salts from the soil-root zone. However, soil swelling, as influenced by soil Na and electrical conductivity (EC), will reduce saturated hydraulic conductivity. The objective of the experiments reported in this paper was to determine the influence of Na and EC on the amount of water retained at field capacity (− 33 kPa) in northern Great Plains Na-affected soils. Field capacity water (gravimetric water content) for all soils increased with increasing sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and decreasing EC, respectively. For example, at an EC of 4 dS m− 1, the amount of water retained at field capacity increased from 0.23 to 0.31 g g− 1 as SAR in the treatment solution increased from 7 to 28. For the Exline soil at 30–60 cm depth, field capacity water decreased from 0.31 to 0.18 g g− 1 when EC increased from 0.5 to 15 dS m− 1 at SAR 24. In general, across all SAR values, an EC greater than 4 dS m− 1 was required to prevent swelling. However, for soils with high natural salinity, no significant difference was observed for field capacity water using the above methods; high salt content and the presence of calcite in these soils may have reduced the potential for water retention and may have lower field capacity. Therefore, to maintain drainage performance in sodium-affected soils one should regularly monitor Na and EC within the soil profile so that EC values do not fall below critical threshold values.
Metabolism of alkyldihydroxyacetone phosphate in rat brain.

Abstract Alkyldihydroxyacetone-P is the first detectable product in the biosynthetic pathway for ether-linked glycerolipids that eventually leads to the formation of ethanolamine plasmalogens, a major constituent of myelin. During early postnatal development, the specific activity of NADPH-z: alkyldihydroxyacetone-P oxidoreductase in microsomes from rat brain is maximum at 4–5 days after birth, the time when the specific activity of the enzymes that synthesize alkyldihydroxyacetone-P also peaks. For the oxidoreductase assay, we developed a thin-layer Chromatographie method that separates alkyldihydroxyacetone-P as the dinitrophenylhydrazine derivative from its reduced product (alkylglycerol-P), with excellent resolution. Phosphohydrolases associated with brain microsomes exhibit optimal pH maximums at 5.2–5.6 and 7.5–7.8 for all three substrates tested — alkyldihydroxyacetone-P, alkylglycerol-P and alkylacylglycerol-P. Alkylglycerol-P was most readily dephosphorylated under all experimental conditions. The enzyme(s) that dephosphorylates alkyldihydroxyacetone-P and alkylglycerol-P have similar properties with respect to Mg2+ or EDTA; with both substrates, Mg2+ had no effect and EDTA was highly stimulatory. In contrast, EDTA strongly inhibited the dephosphorylation of alkylacylglycerol-P and although Mg2+ (1 mM) appeared to be required for optimal activity, higher levels inhibited the reaction.
Studies of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase with 3-aminopyridine mononucleotide

3-Aminopyridine mononucleotide, a nicotinamide mononucleotide analog, was prepared by enzymatic cleavage of 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide by a snake venom phosphodiesterase and isolated by means of ion exchange chromatography. The spectrophotometric and fluorometric properties of this analog were studied. Several anions were shown to quench the fluorescence intensity of this analog. pH was shown to have a pronounced effect on the fluorescence intensity. 3-Aminopyridine mononucleotide was shown to be a coenzyme-competitive inhibitor of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase. The 3-aminopyridine mononucleotide was diazotized with the use of nitrous acid. A time dependent irreversible inactivation of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase resulted from incubation with the diazotized 3-aminopyridine mononucleotide at pH 7.0. Incubation of the enzyme with NAD prior to the addition of the diazotized 3-aminopyridine mononucleotid protected the enzyme against inactivation.
Binaural effects in brainstem auditory evoked potentials of jaundiced Gunn rats.

Bilirubin toxicity causes encephalopathy associated with lesions of the central auditory nervous system. Abnormal brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) in jaundiced Gunn rats made acutely bilirubin toxic suggest abnormal input into the superior olivary complex, which might result in abnormal binaural interaction. Binaural difference waves (BDWs), obtained by subtracting the sum of two monaural BAEPs from a binaural BAEP, were obtained in 16- to 20-day-old jaundiced Gunn rats before and after injection of sulfadimethoxine, which produces bilirubin neurotoxicity by promoting net transfer of bilirubin out of the circulation into brain tissue. Reliable BDWs were recorded with onset 4.5 ms after the stimulus, followed by a large, often bimodal, positive peak occurring at about 6 ms. Following injection of sulfadimethoxine to produce bilirubin neurotoxicity, there was loss of BDW amplitude (21% ± 14% of baseline, P< 0.0001) and increase in latency (0.62 ± 0.42 ms, P = 0.03) in bilirubin-toxic jaundiced rats compared to baseline, but no significant changes in nonjaundiced controls treated similarly. This documents abnormal BDWs in acute bilirubin encephalopathy suggesting that abnormalities of functions dependent on binaural processing of auditory information may be found as neurologic sequelae to bilirubin toxicity. BAEP BDWs may be a sensitive method for detecting neurophysiological abnormalities due to bilirubin toxicity.
High Rate Detection of Volatile Products Using Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry: Combining an Electrode-Coated Membrane with Hydrodynamic Flow in a Wall-Tube Configuration

We present an experimental system that combines differential electrochemical mass spectrometry with hydrodynamic flow consisting of an impinging jet in a wall-tube configuration. This assembly allows simultaneous detection of electrochemical signals along with monitoring of dissolved gas species using differential electrochemical mass spectrometry under well-defined hydrodynamic conditions and over a wide range of mass transfer rates. The working electrode is deposited directly onto a thin, hydrophobic membrane, which also serves as the inlet to the mass spectrometer. This inlet provides extremely rapid mass detection as well as a high flux of products from the electrode surface into the mass spectrometer. The impinging jet is designed in a wall-tube configuration, in which the jet diameter is large compared to the electrode diameter, thus providing uniform and rapid mass transfer conditions over the entirety of the electrode surface. This combination of rapid detection and controllable flow conditions allows a wide range of hydrodynamic conditions to be accessed with simultaneous electrochemical and mass spectrometric detection of dissolved gas species, which is important in the analysis of a range of electrochemical reactions. The capabilities of this configuration are illustrated using a platinum-coated electrode and several electrochemical reactions, including ferrocyanide oxidation, proton reduction, and oxalic acid oxidation.
Mechanistic Studies of an Antibody-Catalyzed Elimination Reaction

Catalytic antibody 43D4-3D12, which was generated against the substituted tertiary amine 1, catalyzes the elimination of HF from β-fluoroketone 2. We have cloned and produced the antibody as a chimeric Fab and constructed a model of the active site−substrate complex. Mutagenesis studies of the active site indicate that GluH50 acts as the general base and suggest that Tyr96L may also play a role in the elimination reaction. Antibody 43D4-3D12 also efficiently catalyzes the elimination of HBr from substrate 4 by an E2 mechanism, again involving selective abstraction of the proton β-to the nitrophenyl ring by GluH50. The antibody-catalyzed reaction affords predominantly the internal olefins, whereas the major product resulting from the uncatalyzed reaction is the alcohol, which arises from the competing substitution reaction. In addition, antibody 43D4-3D12 catalyzes an acetal hydrolysis reaction in which GluH50 likely acts as a general acid. These studies point to the success of this particular hapten desig...
Analysis of the effects of nitric oxide and oxygen on nitric oxide production by macrophages

The interactions between NO and O(2) in activated macrophages were analysed by incorporating previous cell culture and enzyme kinetic results into a novel reaction-diffusion model for plate cultures. The kinetic factors considered were: (i) the effect of O(2) on NO production by inducible NO synthase (iNOS); (ii) the effect of NO on NO synthesis by iNOS; (iii) the effect of NO on respiratory and other O(2) consumption; and (iv) the effects of NO and O(2) on NO consumption by a possible NO dioxygenase (NOD). Published data obtained by varying the liquid depth in macrophage cultures provided a revealing test of the model, because varying the depth should perturb both the O(2) and the NO concentrations at the level of the cells. The model predicted that the rate of NO(2)(-) production should be nearly constant, and that the net rate of NO production should decline sharply with increases in liquid depth, in excellent agreement with the experimental findings. In further agreement with available results for macrophage cultures, the model predicted that net NO synthesis should be more sensitive to liquid depth than to the O(2) concentration in the headspace. The main reason for the decrease in NO production with increasing liquid depth was the modulation of NO synthesis by NO, with O(2) availability playing only a minor role. The model suggests that it is the ability of iNOS to consume NO, as well as to synthesize it, that creates very sensitive feedback control, setting an upper bound on the NO concentration of approximately 1 microM. The effect of NO consumption by other possible pathways (e.g., NOD) would be similar to that of iNOS, in that it would help limit net NO production. The O(2) utilized during enzymatic NO consumption is predicted to make the O(2) demands of activated macrophages much larger than those of unactivated ones (where iNOS is absent); this remains to be tested experimentally.