cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
School Counselors’ Self-Efficacy in Knowledge of the College Process:

This study examined the self-efficacy of school counselors’ college knowledge in the college process. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five characteristic factors: school counselors’ knowledge ...
Three cultural contrasts in search of specificities and commonalities: Acculturation in Japanese, South American, and South Korean immigrant families

Abstract Three cultural comparisons address specificities and commonalities in the acculturation of infant behaviors and maternal parenting practices. Immigrant Japanese, Korean, and South American families were compared to nonmigrant families in their respective cultures of origin (Japan, South Korea, and South America) and their single common culture of destination (United States). Altogether, 13 infant behaviors and 15 maternal parenting practices in 408 5½-month-old infants and their mothers were examined. About half of infants' and half of mothers' behaviors showed specificity and half commonality in group-level acculturation comparisons. Immigrant infants differed from infants in their cultures of origin and destination with respect to emotional expression, vocalization, and physical development. Immigrant mothers differed from mothers in their cultures of origin and destination in speech to their infants, permitted sounds in the environment, and encouraging infants' physical development. Implications of specificity and commonality in acculturation of infant and mother behaviors across groups are discussed.
Nasal angiofibroma treatment outcome using intensity-modulated radiation therapy in a dog.

A 6-year-old dog presented with a modified Adams stage 3 angiofibroma of the right nasal cavity, causing fluid accumulation along the right frontal sinus. Treatment consisted of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiation therapy in 12 daily treatments of 3.5 Gy, for a total dose of 42 Gy to 95% of the planning target volume. The dog developed self-limiting grade 2 oral mucositis which resolved within 2 weeks of course completion. A recheck exam 668 days after treatment confirmed a stable disease response by RECIST and a tumor volume decrease of 55.4%.
The Representational Effects of Communal Property: Evidence from Peru’s Indigenous Groups:

Why do some indigenous groups achieve coethnic political representation while others do not? In this paper, I highlight the primary role of communal property in shaping indigenous representation. W...
A Nurse Case Management HIV Prevention Intervention (Come As You Are) for Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Protocol for a Randomized Wait-list Controlled Trial.

Background: Youth experiencing homelessness are more likely than housed youth to experience premature death, suicide, drug overdose, pregnancy, substance use, and mental illness. Yet while youth experiencing homelessness are 6 to 12 times more likely to become infected with HIV than housed youth, with HIV prevalence as high as 16%, many do not access the prevention services they need. Despite adversities, youth experiencing homelessness are interested in health promotion programs, can be recruited and retained in interventions and research studies, and demonstrate improved outcomes when programs are tailored and relevant to them. Objective: The study aims to compare the efficacy of a nurse case management HIV prevention and care intervention, titled Come As You Are, with that of usual care among youth experiencing homelessness aged 16 to 25 years. Methods: The study is designed as a 2-armed randomized wait-list controlled trial. Participants (n=450) will be recruited and followed up for 9 months after the intervention for a total study period of 12 months. Come As You Are combines nurse case management with a smartphone-based daily ecological momentary assessment to develop participant-driven HIV prevention behavioral goals that can be monitored in real-time. Youth in the city of Houston, Texas will be recruited from drop-in centers, shelters, street outreach programs, youth-serving organizations, and clinics. Results: Institutional review board approval (Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) was obtained in November 2018. The first participant was enrolled in November 2019. Data collection is ongoing. To date, 123 participants have consented to participate in the study, 89 have been enrolled, and 15 have completed their final follow-up. Conclusions: There is a paucity of HIV prevention research regarding youth experiencing homelessness. Novel and scalable interventions that address the full continuum of behavioral and biomedical HIV prevention are needed. This study will determine whether a personalized and mobile HIV prevention approach can reduce HIV risk among a hard-to-reach, transient population of youth at high risk.
Sex vs Gender: An unanswered paradox.

The origins of bodily sex are well understood, but consensus on any origins for gender is absent. While gonadal sex and sexual orientation are accepted as emanating from genetic and hormonal templates, the existence of gender, when acknowledged, currently has so far originated either from strictly social origins, a nebulous ‘somewhere’ in the brain or from some combination of sources. We propose gender identity emanates from previously unrecognized universal early stable dimorphic sex differences in cognitive signalling relevant to reproduction, and removed from the behaviors widely accepted as a sex/gender mosaic. The neural networks associated with these behaviors thus provide a biological or anatomical location for gender as opposed to sex.
Surgical management of acute pelvic infection refractory to conservative therapy

Abstract A brief discussion of acute pelvic infections and various methods of management has been presented. The extreme importance of recognizing all cases which do not respond to conservative management is emphasized. Such cases are termed “refractory” and require additional definitive surgical therapy in order to prevent the death of the patient. All admissions to the Gynecology Service of the United States Naval Hospital, San Diego, California, were reviewed for the 3 year period from July 1956, to June 1959. A total of 87 admissions for acute pelvic infection were noted and 9 cases “refractory” to conservative medical management were studied in detail. The surgical treatment of these 9 “refractory” cases was compared to both conservative management and similar operative treatment by other investigators. The surgical technique, postoperative care, and subsequent complications were presented and discussed in detail.
Social Semantic Bookmarking

In this paper we present the novel paradigm of Social Semantic Bookmarking. Social Semantic Bookmarking combines the positive aspects of semantic annotation with those of social bookmarking and tagging while avoiding their respective drawbacks like the cumbersome maintenance of ontologies or the lacking semantic precision of tags. Social semantic bookmarking tools allow for the annotation of internet resources based on an ontology and the integrated maintenance of the ontology by the same people that use it. We introduce Social Semantic Bookmarking and present the SOBOLEO application as an implementation of this paradigm.
Creative Cognition in Secondary Science: An exploration of divergent thinking in science among adolescents

The divergent thinking skills in science of 282 US high school students were investigated across 16 weeks of instruction in order to determine whether typical academic time periods can significantly influence changes in thinking skills. Students’ from 6 high school science classrooms completed the Scientific Structures Creativity Measure (SSCM) before and after a semester of instruction. Even the short time frame of a typical academic term was found to be sufficient to promote both improvements in divergent thinking skills as well as declining divergent thinking. Declining divergent thinking skills were more common in this time frame than were improvements. The nature of student performance on the SSCM and implications are discussed.
Using grouped data for constructing inequality indices

Abstract This paper discusses the relative merits of parametric versus non-parametric methods in constructing indices of income inequality utilizing grouped data. The information content is higher from the parametric specifications with a cost of possibly misspecifying the functional form. We conclude that the indices should be constructed using the parametric method and then the results checked using a non-parametric method.
Adolescents' emotional engagement in friends' problems and joys: Associations of empathetic distress and empathetic joy with friendship quality, depression, and anxiety.

Although empathetic distress (i.e., taking on a friend's emotional distress as one's own) has been examined as a "cost of caring" especially common among girls, relations with adjustment remain untested. The current study tested associations of empathetic distress with friendship quality, depression, and anxiety. Adolescents (N = 300, ages 12-18) reported on their perceived experience of empathetic distress following a conversation with a friend about problems. The study also considered youths' emotional engagement in friends' positive life events, referred to as empathetic joy. Results indicated that girls reported greater empathetic distress and empathetic joy compared with boys. Findings also suggest that although empathetic distress may have positive implications for youths' friendship adjustment, this may come at the expense of emotional well-being. In contrast, empathetic joy was associated with greater positive friendship quality and fewer internalizing symptoms.
Spectral properties of Schrödinger operators arising in the study of quasicrystals

We survey results that have been obtained for self-adjoint operators, and especially Schrodinger operators, associated with mathematical models of quasicrystals. After presenting general results that hold in arbitrary dimensions, we focus our attention on the one-dimensional case, and in particular on several key examples. The most prominent of these is the Fibonacci Hamiltonian, for which much is known by now and to which an entire section is devoted here. Other examples that are discussed in detail are given by the more general class of Schrodinger operators with Sturmian potentials. We put some emphasis on the methods that have been introduced quite recently in the study of these operators, many of them coming from hyperbolic dynamics. We conclude with a multitude of numerical calculations that illustrate the validity of the known rigorous results and suggest conjectures for further exploration.
Inner Workings of a Transcription Factor Partnership

The transcription factor GABPa binds to DNA alone, but it binds more tightly when coupled with its partner GABPb. Graves describes in her commentary how the structure of portions of the two proteins bound to a segment of DNA (reported on p. 1037 of this issue by Batchelor et al.) reveals the molecular changes that the b subunit induces to improve the binding of GABPa to DNA. These results yield generalizable principles that may explain how other non-DNA binding partners influence the specificity of transcriptional regulation.
Studies on the Role of Ribosomes in the Regulation of Protein Synthesis in Hypophysectomized and Thyroidectomized Rats

Abstract Polyribosomes were obtained from the livers of hypophysectomized and control rats. Although sucrose gradient analysis disclosed that polyribosome profiles of the livers of hypophysectomized animals were identical with those of livers derived from intact controls, the rate of amino acid incorporation into hepatic protein in vitro was lower in the polyribosomes derived from hypophysectomized animals. Furthermore, the stimulation of phenylalanine-14C incorporation that followed the addition of polyuridylic acid was less when the disaggregated polyribosomes were obtained from hypophysectomized rats than when similar preparations obtained from control animals were used. Similar findings were obtained with polyribosomes from thyroidectomized rats. These studies suggest that hypophysectomy and thyroidectomy influence protein synthesis predominantly by action at the level of the ribosome.
Einstein Observations of the Virgo Cluster

The Virgo cluster lies at a distance of only 20 Mpc and is therefore the nearest rich cluster of galaxies. This relatively small distance allows us to study both the individual galaxies and the cluster as a whole using the Einstein X-ray Observatory. With Einstein’s tremendous increase in sensitivity over previous X-ray experiments, we can study in some detail the indivudual galaxies in the cluster.
QT or not QT, that is the question: routine electrocardiograms for individuals in methadone maintenance treatment.

From the time Dole and Nyswander 1 demonstrated the effectiveness of methadone maintenance in treating heroin addiction on an outpatient basis, this therapy has been responsible for rehabilitating ...
On synchronous strictly non-blocking concentrators and generalized-concentrators

The optimal bound of (n-m+c)c+(m-c) and an Omega (k(n-m+c)c/sup 1/k/) lower bound on the size of synchronous strictly non-blocking c-limited (n,m)-concentrators with depth 1 and depth k respectively are proved. A consequence of the lower-bound result is an Theta (n/sup 1+1/k/) bound on the size of synchronous strictly non-blocking fixed ratio gamma n-limited ( alpha n, beta n)-concentrators ( gamma >
Synthesis of Some Substituted Quinazolinediones as Potential Inhibitors of Smooth Muscle Contraction

3-Substituted 2, 4(1 H, 3H)-quinazolinediones were prepared from the corresponding N-substituted 2-aminobenzamides by treatment with ethyl chloroformate and KOH in ethanol. Also, a series of 3-substituted and 1-methyl-3-substituted 2, 4(1 H, 3H)-quinazolinediones were synthesized by the reaction of 1-methyl-1, 4-dihydro- and 1, 4-dihydro-2, 4-dioxo-3(2H)-quinazolineacetic acid with the corresponding N-substituted piperazines. The 13C NMR spectra and mass spectra of the compounds were measured and signals were assigned. Some of the compounds showed inhibitory action on contractile function of smooth muscle.
Quadruple adaptive observer of the core temperature in cylindrical Li-ion batteries and their health monitoring

Temperature monitoring is a critical issue for lithium ion batteries. Since only the surface temperature of the battery can be measured, a thermal model is needed to estimate the core temperature, which can be higher and hence more critical. In this paper, an on-line parameter identification scheme is designed for a cylindrical lithium ion battery thermal model, by which the parameters of the thermal model can be identified automatically. An adaptive observer is designed based on the on-line parameterization methodology and the closed loop architecture. A linear battery thermal model is explored first, where the internal resistance is assumed to be constant. The methodology is later extended to address temperature dependent internal resistance with non-uniform forgetting factors. The capability of the methodology to track the long term variation of the internal resistance is beneficial for battery health monitoring.
Stress effects on mood, HPA axis, and autonomic response: Comparison of three psychosocial stress paradigms

Extensive experimental psychology research has attempted to parse the complex relationship between psychosocial stress, mood, cognitive performance, and physiological changes. To do so, it is necessary to have effective, validated methods to experimentally induce psychosocial stress. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is the most commonly used method of experimentally inducing psychosocial stress, but it is resource intensive. Less resource intense psychosocial stress tasks include the Socially Evaluative Cold Pressor Task (SECPT) and a computerized mental arithmetic task (MAT). These tasks effectively produce a physiological and psychological stress response and have the benefits of requiring fewer experimenters and affording data collection from multiple participants simultaneously. The objective of this study was to compare the magnitude and duration of these three experimental psychosocial stress induction paradigms. On each of four separate days, participants completed either a control non-stressful task or one of the three experimental stressors: the TSST, SECPT, or MAT. We measured mood, working memory performance, salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (AA), and heart rate. The TSST and SECPT exerted the most robust effects on mood and physiological measures. TSST effects were generally evident immediately post-stress as well as 10- and 20-minutes after stress cessation, whereas SECPT effects were generally limited to the duration of the stressor. The stress duration is a key determinant when planning a study that utilizes an experimental stressor, as researchers may be interested in collecting dependent measures prior to stress cessation. In this way, the TSST would allow the investigator a longer window to administer tasks of interest.
Comment on “Observations on an equation of state for water confined in narrow slit-pores” [J. Chem. Phys. 116, 2565 (2002)]

Giaya and Thompson recently investigated some predictions of our molecular theory for water and proposed a strategy for improving its predictions for ambient conditions. We clarify some of their observations and explain why their proposed strategy will prevent the theory from capturing water’s thermodynamic anomalies.
In0.53Ga0.47As(100) native oxide removal by liquid and gas phase HF/H2O chemistries

The native oxide removal, surface termination, and stoichiometry of InGaAs(100) surfaces using liquid and gas phase HF/H"2O etching were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Oxide removal in liquid phase HF stopped at the As layer, producing either elemental or H-terminated As. The surface oxidized upon air exposure, forming a 4.8A As"2O"3 layer on an As rich InGaAs sub-surface (17% In, 16% Ga, 66% As). A sub atmospheric gas phase HF/H"2O process (100Torr, 29^oC, 0.5min) completely removed As"2O"3 and produced mainly In and Ga fluorides, since As fluoride is volatile at these experimental conditions. Once enough F accumulated on the surface, the water sticking probability decreased and the etching reaction proceeded at a much lower rate. The highest oxide removal (4.2A residual oxide) was achieved after 5min of etching. As"2O"3 and As"2O"5 were completely removed and considerably more InF"3 and GaF"3 were produced. The surface contained a group III-fluoride rich overlayer (34% In, 36% Ga) on a slightly As rich bulk (21% In, 21% Ga, and 58% As). The As rich InGaAs sub-surface produced with both liquid and the longer gas phase HF treatments is intrinsic to HF-InGaAs chemistry, although the oxide removal mechanism is likely different.
Calculation of transverse effects in optical bistability using fast Fourier transform techniques

Abstract The bistable system consists of a unidirectional ring cavity containing off-resonance saturable two-level atoms. Fourier transform techniques permit an efficient solution of the free-space and medium propagation equations. Dynamic outputs showing critical slowing down and overshoot switching explicitly display the role of diffractive coupling in a bistable device.
Animal models of autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is difficult to study in humans because of the late diagnosis, the heterogenic genetic background and the lack of tissue specimens. Therefore, animal models have been used for more than 90 years to study liver-specific immune regulation. This article summarizes how early studies of experimental AIH established the importance of T cells for causing the liver injury and how regulatory pathways were detected. Studies in transgenic models demonstrated that T cells can be tolerant to liver antigens by ignorance, deletion, anergy, and receptor downregulation. They furthermore defined functions in antigen presentation for hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells. Studies in cytokine-induced models show common effector cascades resulting from T-cell activation and the interaction of innate and adaptive immune response. The use of animal models of AIH will improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and might help to explore new possibilities for therapy and prevention.
Sustaining school-based asthma interventions through policy and practice change

BACKGROUND Schools are an ideal setting for implementation of asthma interventions for children; however, sustaining school-based programs can be challenging. This study illustrates policy and practice changes brought about through the Childhood Asthma Linkages in Missouri (CALM) program to sustain such programs. METHODS Researchers analyzed caregiver-reported quantitative data regarding asthma-related outcomes in preintervention and postintervention surveys and qualitative data regarding sustainability efforts in schools reported by CALM grantees. A grounded theory approach was used to identify key concepts and themes that emerged. RESULTS In 330 children, significant improvements were seen in asthma symptoms, rescue inhaler use, health care utilization, school absenteeism, and activity limitations. Overall, 27 school-based policy and practice changes supporting program sustainability were reported, with policy changes most often concerning the assessment and/or monitoring of children with asthma in the school setting, and practice changes most often regarding institution of regular asthma education programs for students and school personnel. CONCLUSIONS Sustaining school-based asthma programs is challenging, but can be realized through the participation of diverse partners in enacting policy and practice changes that support the institutionalization of programs into the day-to-day processes of the schools.
Photoexcited carrier diffusion near a Si(111) surface: Non-negligible consequence of carrier-carrier scattering

Photocarrier diffusion in Si at ambient temperature in the carrier density range of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{17}$ to $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{19}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ has been characterized by the transient grating technique. Measurements show a strong density dependence in ambipolar diffusivity with a minimum of $4.7{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}{\mathrm{}\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1},$ a factor of 4 lower than the intrinsic value, at ${10}^{19}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}.$ The decrease is a result of carrier-carrier scattering at high densities. Measurements on both a Si(111) surface (reflection geometry) and a Si film (transmission geometry) indicate that there is no significant surface effect in diffusivity for carriers generated near the surface.
Generating Bessel beams with a tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction lens

The Tunable Acoustic Gradient Index of Refraction (TAG) lens is shown to be an alternative method of generating Bessel beam for optical manipulation. The TAG lens exhibits a combination of tunability, optical throughput, and fast switching speed, overcoming many limitations linked with conventional Bessel beam techniques. A refractive fluid is contained within a circular piezoelectric that is driven with an AC signal to establish a periodic index of refraction in the liquid. Simple changes in amplitude or frequency of the driving signal allows for the rapid modification to the transmitted pattern. The switching speed is characterized by the time to reach a steady state pattern, which is shown to depend primarily on the viscosity of the filling liquid. Times between 300 and 2000 μs are obtained corresponding to fluids with viscosity of 640 cs and 0.65 cs respectively.
Mixed-Mode Dynamic Crack Growth in Functionally Graded Glass-Filled Epoxy

Compositionally graded glass-filled epoxy sheets with edge cracks initially along the gradient are studied under dynamic loading conditions. Specimens with monotonically varying volume fraction of reinforcement are subjected to mixed-mode loading by eccentric impact relative to the crack plane. The optical method of Coherent Gradient Sensing and high-speed photography are used to map transient crack tip deformations before and after crack initiation. Two configurations, one with a crack on the stiffer side of a graded sheet and the second with a crack on the compliant side, are examined experimentally. To elucidate the differences in fracture behavior due to functional grading, a homogeneous sample is also tested. The differences in both pre- and post-crack initiation behaviors are observed interms of crack initiation time, crack path, crack speed and stress intensity factor histories. When a crack is situated on the compliant side of the sample, it kinks significantly less compared to when it is on the stiffer side. Crack tip mode mixity histories show small but positive values during crack growth from the stiffer side of the sample towards the compliant side whereas a small but negative mode mixity prevails for the opposite configuration.
Upregulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in response to hepatocellular oxidative stress: studies with diquat.

The expression of hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, E.C. 1.1.1.49) is hypothesized to be modulated by free radicals during oxidative stress. The ability of diquat, a compound known to enhance oxidative stress through generation of reactive oxygen species, to modulate the expression of G6PDH in primary cultures of Fischer-rat hepatocytes was examined. Diquat-treated hepatocytes maintained in a chemically defined medium showed both a time- and concentration-dependent increase in G6PDH enzyme activity. This increase in enzyme activity was accounted for by an increase in both G6PDH mRNA and immunoreactive protein, suggesting control at a pretranslational level. The possibility that diquat increased transcription by transfecting cells with a chimeric gene containing 935 bp of the G6PDH promoter (-878 to +57) linked to the gene for chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CAT) was examined. Hepatocytes transiently transfected with this chimera, and subsequently treated with diquat, exhibited an increase in CAT activity. However, hepatocytes transfected with a chimera containing 287 bp of the G6PDH promoter (-230 to +57) exhibited only basal CAT activity in the presence of diquat. These results suggest that regions in the DNA sequences required for diquat-induced expression of G6PDH lie between base pairs -878 and -230 of the G6PDH gene. These findings are suggestive that oxidative stress in hepatocytes increased the expression of G6PDH activity and protein and that the increased expression is controlled at the transcriptional level.
The Different Benefits from Different Gestures in Understanding a Concept.

Explanations are typically accompanied by hand gestures. While research has shown that gestures can help learners understand a particular concept, different learning effects in different types of gesture have been less understood. To address the issues above, the current study focused on whether different types of gestures lead to different levels of improvement in understanding. Two types of gestures were investigated, and thus, three instructional videos (two gesture videos plus a no gesture control) of the subject of mitosis—all identical except for the types of gesture used—were created. After watching one of the three videos, participants were tested on their level of understanding of mitosis. The results showed that (1) differences in comprehension were obtained across the three groups, and (2) representational (semantic) gestures led to a deeper level of comprehension than both beat gestures and the no gesture control. Finally, a language proficiency effect is discussed as a moderator that may affect understanding of a concept. Our findings suggest that a teacher is encouraged to use representational gestures even to adult learners, but more work is needed to prove the benefit of using gestures for adult learners in many subject areas.
Pharmacologic management of obstructive lung disease: Current perspectives

Abstract Pharmacotherapy of obstructive lung disease has improved both quantitatively and qualitatively in recent decades: quantitatively with improvements in adrenergic and methylxanthine drugs and qualitatively with the addition of new classes of drugs, such as steroids, cromolyn, and, most recently, anticholinergic agents. Management of airways disease is based upon several principles: (1) near-normal airways function should be aimed for; (2) long-term, systemic, moderate-to-high-dose corticosteroids should be avoided if at all possible; (3) the judicious use of polypharmacy should be undertaken whenever necessary to provide effective treatment while minimizing drug side effects; and (4) the therapeutic program for a given individual should be tailored to that patient's specific responses to various treatments. Available pharmacologic agents have varying efficacies and adverse effects. The various agents may be used in a number of combinations.
Market Structure, Durability, and Maintenance Effort12

Peter Swan [11, 12] has recently shown that under a number of strong assumptions a profit-maximizing monopolist should produce durable goods of exactly the same durability as a competitive industry with the same cost structure.3 The present paper relaxes one of Swan's assumptions and allows maintenance to be performed on the durable good in question in order to reduce the rate at which it deteriorates. We investigate market equilibrium in such a situation, and we show that durability is not independent of market structure when the good is sold rather than rented. Consumers, who may be firms or households, are assumed not to value durability as such; they are only concerned with the available flow of services of the good. This flow is assumed proportional to the stock of the good, and, without loss of generality, we take the proportionality constant to be unity. When the good is sold, it is assumed that buyers in turn can buy, sell, or rent in perfect secondhand markets. Capital markets are also perfect, so that producers and their customers can borrow or lend unlimited amounts at the same (continuously compounded) rate of interest. Strictly constant returns to scale are posited, in that the marginal cost of producing a unit of the good depends only on its built-in durability and not on the rate of production.4 Customers are assumed to have perfect foresight.5 The good involved is assumed to deteriorate or decay exponentially. The new assumption is that the decay rate depends on the built-in decay rate, i.e. the durability the good is endowed with when it is manufactured, and on the level of maintenance spending per unit. Maintenance services are thus assumed to be in perfectly elastic supply. It is assumed that maintenance spending is always determined by the owner of the good, who is the manufacturer when the good is rented but the buyer when the good is sold. As these parties have different objectives, they may choose different maintenance policies. To the extent that they do this, the equilibrium values of the quantities under the manufacturer's control may depend on whether the good is rented or sold. The following notation is employed:
Studies for the Total Synthesis of Amphidinolide P

A convergent, enantiocontrolled total synthesis of the 15-membered macrolide, amphidinolide P, is described. The synthesis utilizes three nonracemic components for an efficient assembly of the macrolactone in 12 steps via the longest linear pathway. Key developments include studies of the Hosomi–Sakurai reaction for the formation of the C6–C7 bond, a “ligandless” palladium-mediated Stille cross-coupling of the vinylic stannane 4 and the alkenyl bromide 5 to produce a highly functionalized dienol, and a thermally induced, intramolecular lactonization via the late-stage formation of an intermediate α-acylketene.
Mapping L1 ligase ribozyme conformational switch.

L1 ligase (L1L) molecular switch is an in vitro optimized synthetic allosteric ribozyme that catalyzes the regioselective formation of a 5'-to-3' phosphodiester bond, a reaction for which there is no known naturally occurring RNA catalyst. L1L serves as a proof of principle that RNA can catalyze a critical reaction for prebiotic RNA self-replication according to the RNA world hypothesis. L1L crystal structure captures two distinct conformations that differ by a reorientation of one of the stems by around 80A and are presumed to correspond to the active and inactive state, respectively. It is of great interest to understand the nature of these two states in solution and the pathway for their interconversion. In this study, we use explicit solvent molecular simulation together with a novel enhanced sampling method that utilizes concepts from network theory to map out the conformational transition between active and inactive states of L1L. We find that the overall switching mechanism can be described as a three-state/two-step process. The first step involves a large-amplitude swing that reorients stem C. The second step involves the allosteric activation of the catalytic site through distant contacts with stem C. Using a conformational space network representation of the L1L switch transition, it is shown that the connection between the three states follows different topographical patterns: the stem C swing step passes through a narrow region of the conformational space network, whereas the allosteric activation step covers a much wider region and a more diverse set of pathways through the network.
Dispersal Behavior and Its Implications for Reserve Design in a Rare Oregon Butterfly

To identify reserve design strategies for an endangered species, we need to understand the dispersal behavior of the species. For example, constructing corridors for an endangered species makes sense only if that species remains in its primary habitat and rarely strays into adjoining areas. I investigated the dispersal behavior of the Fender's blue butterfly ( Icaricia icarioides fenderi ) to assess possible reserve designs for it. The Fender's blue is a rare butterfly that survives in 13 remnants of upland prairie in the Willamette Valley in Or- egon. I observed butterfly flight patterns in primary lupine habitat, in nearby abandoned fields, and at the boundaries between the habitats. Observations indicate that, on an individual basis, the butterflies weakly bias their movements toward lupine areas; on a population basis, however, more than 95% are found within 10 m of lupine patches. These observations imply that although the Fender's blue is usually found in lupine patches, they stray into nonlupine areas frequently enough to call into question the effectiveness of a corridor. Butterfly flight paths were mapped in lupine and nonlupine areas to determine how their rates of spread de- pended on the habitat in which they were found. Butterflies within lupine areas dispersed at relatively slow rates ( , 3 m 2 /s), whereas those flying outside lupine areas disperse much more rapidly ( . 15 m 2 /s). Observa- tions of daily activity patterns suggest that the butterflies fly about 2.3 hours a day, and a mark-recapture- release experiment indicates that butterflies live about 9.5 days. I used the estimates of diffusion and total flight time to suggest the range Fender's blue butterflies disperse in their lifetime. I estimate that a Fender's blue might disperse about 0.75 km in its lifetime if it remains in lupine habitat but more than 2 km if it dis- perses between lupine patches. Historically, the Willamette Valley was a mosaic of upland and wetland prai- rie, with lupine patches rarely more than 0.5 km apart. At that time, the Fender's blue would have had a high probability of dispersing between patches. Today, however, lupine patches are isolated, with 3-30 km be- tween patches. Thus, it is extremely unlikely that dispersing butterflies find new patches when they leave their natal lupine patch. Dispersal observations suggest that stepping stones between existing patches may be more effective than corridors at facilitating the exchange of individuals.
Web site design resources for the librarian: a selective annotated bibliography

A selective, annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, and electronic resources relating to Web site design aimed specifically at beginning library Web Managers.
Active (9.6 s) and inactive (21 s) oligomers of NHE3 in microdomains of the renal brush border.

Abstract We have previously shown that Na+-H+ exchanger isoform NHE3 exists as both 9.6 and 21 S (megalin-associated) oligomers in the renal brush border (1). To characterize the oligomeric forms of the renal brush border Na+-H+ exchanger in more detail, we performed membrane fractionation studies. We found that similar amounts of NHE3 were present in microvilli and a nonmicrovillar membrane domain of high density (dense vesicles). Horseradish peroxidase-labeled endosomes were not prevalent in the dense membrane fraction. However, megalin, which localizes primarily to the intermicrovillar microdomain of the brush border, was enriched in the dense vesicles, implicating this microdomain as the likely source of these membranes. Immunolocalization of NHE3 confirmed that a major fraction of the transporter colocalized with megalin in the intermicrovillar region of the brush border. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that in microvilli the majority of NHE3 was not bound to megalin, while in the dense vesicles most of the NHE3 coprecipitated with megalin. Moreover, sucrose velocity gradient centrifugation experiments revealed that most NHE3 in microvilli sedimented with an S value of 9.6, while the S value of NHE3 in dense vesicles was 21. Finally, we examined the functional state of NHE3 in both membrane fractions. As assayed by changes in acridine orange fluorescence, imposing an outwardly directed Na+ gradient caused generation of an inside acid pH gradient in the microvilli, indicating Na+-H+exchange activity, but not in the dense vesicles. Taken together, these data demonstrate that renal brush border NHE3 exists in two oligomeric states: a 9.6 S active form present in microvilli and a 21 S, megalin-associated, inactive form in the intermicrovillar microdomain of the apical plasma membrane. Thus, regulation of renal brush border Na+-H+ exchange activity may be mediated by shifting the distribution between these forms of NHE3.
The impact of feeding interval on feeding outcomes in very low birth-weight infants

Test the hypothesis that very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants fed every 2 h (q2) are able to reach full enteral feedings more quickly than infants fed every 3 h (q3). We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing q2 infants (n=103) with q3 infants (n=251). The primary outcome was days from start of a feeding advance to full feedings (120 ml per kg per day). Multivariable regression models were used to control for maternal and perinatal factors that preceded the initiation of the feeding advance. Infants fed q2 reached full feedings 2.7 days sooner than q3 infants (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5, 3.9). After adjustment for confounders, q2 infants reached full feedings 3.7 (95% CI 1.6, 5.9) days more quickly. Infants fed q3 were more likely to receive >28 days of parenteral nutrition (odds ratio (OR) 4.7; 95% CI 1.5, 14.4), and were more likely to have feeds held for ⩾7 days (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.9, 11.7). VLBW infants demonstrate improved feeding tolerance when fed more frequently.
Implementing Transformational Leadership and Nurse Manager Support Through Coaching

This article discusses the influence of nurse manager coaching as a transformational leadership skill and describes an effective process for coaching staff. Although each employee is a unique individual, generational differences that have a direct effect on coaching have been identified. Knowing these differences can assist the nurse manager in using coaching more effectively with these groups. Finally, a primary outcome of coaching is to develop self efficacy of staff. By starting to coach direct reports who have either formal or informal leadership responsibilities, the nurse manager can disseminate a coaching culture within the department as a strategy to foster growth, development, and autonomy at all levels.
T lymphocyte development and maturation in horses.

Summary. Monoclonal antibodies specific for equine T lymphocyte subpopulations were produced and procedures for the continuous culture of equine lymphocytes were developed. These reagents and procedures were used to analyse the appearance, maturation and functions of T lymphocytes in normal horses and in T lymphocyte deficient horses with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). T lymphocytes appeared as early as the 75th day of fetal development and were normally distributed prior to birth of normal foals. Analysis of thymic T lymphocyte differentiation in SCID foals revealed the presence of both prothymocytes and mature thymocytes, but a virtual absence of cortical thymocytes. The data obtained support the hypothesis that two distinct pathways of T lymphocyte differentiation exist within the thymus. Although the gene defect in foals with SCID blocks the production of mature B and T lymphocytes, such foals do possess large granular lymphocytes which are cytotoxic following induction with interleukin 2. This suggests that lymphoid cells with natural killer cell activity are spared by the gene defect resulting in SCID in horses.
Recent update on the PPARα-null mouse

Short-term treatment of rats and mice with peroxisome proliferators (PP) results in an increase in liver peroxisome number, marked hepatomegaly and induction of several genes encoding peroxisomal and other microsomal and mitochondrial enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism. Chronic treatment of rodents with PP results in hepatocellular carcinoma. Species differences in PP responses have been found. For example, PP such as clofibrate and gemfibrozil, are highly effective lipid and cholesterol lowering drugs in humans but do not cause peroxisome proliferation and there is no evidence for increased liver cancers in patients receiving these drugs. A receptor, designated PP-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) is capable of trans-activating reporter genes containing a PP response (PPRE), but requires the presence of both PP, 9-cis retinoic acid and another receptor called RXR alpha. However, PP may not directly bind to PPAR alpha but probably indirectly disturb cellular metabolism to liberate an endogenous ligand. Subsequent to the first identification of a PPAR alpha, other members of this receptor family were found and designated PPAR alpha, PPAR beta (also called NUC1 and PPAR delta) and PPAR gamma. The alpha form is most abundant in liver and kidney, sites of peroxisome proliferation while the other two receptors are not significantly expressed in these tissues. On the basis of tissue-specific localization and spectrum of target gene activation, the physiological function of PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma appear to be related to fatty acid metabolism and regulation of adipogenesis, respectively. To gain insight into the function of PPAR alpha and its role in the peroxisome proliferator response and hepatocellular carcinogenesis, gene targeting was used to develop a PPAR alpha-deficient mouse. These animals are resistant to the pleiotropic effects of PP and no induction of any known target gene has been found. Recent studies on the phenotypes of these mice have led to an understanding of the mechanism of action of PP. They have also provided a useful model to establish the physiological role of PPAR alpha in fatty acid homeostasis and inflammation.
Hetero-tripodal hydroxypyridonate gadolinium complexes: syntheses, relaxometric properties, water exchange dynamics, and human serum albumin binding.

The synthesis and relaxometric properties of hetero-tripodal hydroxypyridonate-terephthalamide gadolinium (Gd3+) chelates with differing structural features for probing human serum albumin (HSA) interactions are reported. The Gd3+ complexes are divided into two series. The first series (3−5) features a benzyl derivative connected to the hydroxypyridonate (HOPO) moiety. The second series of complexes (6−10) has the common feature of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) attached to the terephthalamide (TAM) moiety and is nonbenzylated. The water exchange of the complexes is in the fast exchange regime with rates (kex) in the range 0.45−1.11 × 108 s-1. The complexes have a moderate interaction with HSA with association constants (KA's) in the range 0.7−8.6 × 103 M-1. Protein binding results in an enhancement in proton relaxivity from 7.7−10.4 mM-1 s-1 (r1p) to 15−29 mM-1 s-1 (r1pb). It is concluded that the interaction of the complexes with HSA (i) is enhanced by the presence of benzyl groups, (ii) is entropically ...
Reproducibility of amino acid compositions in repeated copolymerizations of amino acids

Amino acid analysis has been performed on the products of four simultaneous separate thermal copolymerizations of a set of 18 amino acids. Four analyses have been performed also on aliquots of one of the products. Standard deviations have been calculated for the analyses of the products of the four separate copolymerizations, and for the four aliquots of one copolymerization. All calculations indicate a high reproducibility in the copolymerization reactions.
Revascularization of asymptomatic high-grade stenosis is not indicated with contemporary stroke prevention medical therapy.

The American Stroke Association Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Stroke state that for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis, “the advantage of revascularization over current medical therapy alone is not well established.” So, what is the evidence related to the management of asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis (AHGCAS), and why should we interpret this evidence to conclude that contemporary medical therapy alone is the preferred treatment to reduce ipsilateral stroke risk? Three studies, the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS), the Medical Research Council (MRC) Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial, and the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST), have documented 5-year risks of periprocedural complications and subsequent stroke among patients with AHGCAS treated with revascularization of 5.1%, 6.4%, and 4.6% (estimated), respectively. Conversely, the ACAS and MRC studies documented 5-year risks of stroke for patients with AHGCAS treated with medication alone of 11.0% and 11.8%, resulting in an absolute risk reduction in ipsilateral …