cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbon Isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C) in Shell Carbonate, Conchiolin, and Soft Tissues in Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica)

Biogeochemical analyses of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are frequently included in environmental monitoring and paleoecological studies because their shells and soft tissues record environmental and dietary signals. Carbon isotopes in the mineral phase of the shell are derived from ambient bicarbonate and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), while organic carbon present in soft tissue is of dietary origin. Mineral-bound organic matter within the carbonate shell matrix (“conchiolin”) is studied less frequently. The purpose of this study was to compare carbon isotope composition (δ13C and Δ14C) of conchiolin to those of shell carbonates and soft tissues in eastern oysters and assess the extent to which conchiolin can provide insight into paleoecological records. Eleven oyster specimens were live-collected from Apalachicola Bay, USA, as well as a set of environmental samples (water, sediment, and terrestrial plants). Overall, the δ13C values in all studied oyster tissue types record environmental signals related to carbon sources, with conchiolin being enriched in 13C by an average of 2.3‰ relative to bulk soft tissues. Δ14C values in oyster shell carbonates generally reflect the marine versus riverine source of DIC, while conchiolin Δ14C values are impacted by variable relative contributions of young and old organic matter. Environmental samples indicate a significantly large difference in Δ14C among sources, from –127‰ in particulate organic matter to approximately +15‰ in DIC. Conchiolin is significantly depleted in 14C relative to other tissue types, by as much as 56.6‰, posing a major obstacle to the use of conchiolin as an alternative material for radiocarbon dating.
The Convex Hull of the Prime Number Graph

Let pn denote the n-th prime number, and consider the prime number graph, the collection of points (n, pn) in the plane. Pomerance uses the points lying on the boundary of the convex hull of this graph to show that there are infinitely many n such that p2n < pn−i + pn+i for all i < n. More recently, the primes on the boundary of this convex hull have been considered by Tutaj. We resolve several conjectures of Pomerance and Tutaj by giving improved bounds on the number and distribution of these primes as well as related forms of ‘extreme’ primes.
Metabolic consequences of DNA damage: the role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase as mediator of the suicide response.

DNA damage such as adducts, strand breaks and cross-links may have direct toxic or mutagenic effects. DNA damage may also initiate metabolic alterations that have indirect toxic or mutagenic effects. These metabolic changes, consequent to DNA damage, can alter the fidelity of DNA replication,1 alter the regulation of macromolecular synthesis2,3 or alter the cell’s ability to repair damage and maintain its viability.4,5,6
Exploring Youth Mental Health First Aider Training Outcomes by Workforce Affiliation: A Survey of Project AWARE Participants

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a public education program designed to improve youth mental health outcomes by training adults to notice mental health problems and help youth in seeking treatment. This study used a pre–post 3-month follow-up design to explore whether mental health literacy (MHL), perceived mental health stigma (MHS), and confidence in helping behavior differed across time between Youth Mental Health First Aiders (i.e., involved in Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) who are and are not members of the mental health workforce. As expected at pretest, mental health workforce first aiders scored significantly higher than non-mental health workforce first aiders for MHL and confidence in helping behavior (p < .001), but no differences were found for MHS. Non-mental health workforce aiders scored significantly better from pretest to posttest for MHL and confidence in helping behavior (p < .001), to levels consistent with participants from the mental health workforce, who did not show improvements at posttest over relatively high pretest levels. With no additional training, non-mental health workforce participants were able to maintain the positive gains at the 3-month follow-up. Results suggest that YMHFA training is effective in increasing non-mental health workforce professionals’ MHL and confidence to a level similar to that of their mental health workforce colleagues. Study findings suggest that YMHFA training may be too basic for mental health workforce professionals, and alternative trainings should be provided for them.
Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR1), a suppressor of double-stranded RNA–triggered innate immune responses

Herbert "Herb" Tabor, who celebrated his 100th birthday this past year, served the Journal of Biological Chemistry as a member of the Editorial Board beginning in 1961, as an Associate Editor, and as Editor-in-Chief for 40 years, from 1971 until 2010. Among the many discoveries in biological chemistry during this period was the identification of RNA modification by C6 deamination of adenosine (A) to produce inosine (I) in double-stranded (ds) RNA. This posttranscriptional RNA modification by adenosine deamination, known as A-to-I RNA editing, diversifies the transcriptome and modulates the innate immune interferon response. A-to-I editing is catalyzed by a family of enzymes, adenosine deaminases acting on dsRNA (ADARs). The roles of A-to-I editing are varied and include effects on mRNA translation, pre-mRNA splicing, and micro-RNA silencing. Suppression of dsRNA-triggered induction and action of interferon, the cornerstone of innate immunity, has emerged as a key function of ADAR1 editing of self (cellular) and nonself (viral) dsRNAs. A-to-I modification of RNA is essential for the normal regulation of cellular processes. Dysregulation of A-to-I editing by ADAR1 can have profound consequences, ranging from effects on cell growth and development to autoimmune disorders.
Domestic Protests and Foreign Policy: An Examination of Anti-China Protests in Vietnam and Vietnamese Policy Towards China Regarding the South China Sea:

AbstractThe Sino-Vietnamese relationship is characterized by asymmetry, yet Vietnam’s post-Cold War foreign policy towards China encompasses three paradigms: (a) internal and external balancing aga...
Identification of Marek's disease virus genes associated with virulence of US strains.

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is the most well-cited example of vaccine-driven virulence evolution. MDV induces a lymphoproliferative disease in chickens, which is currently controlled by widespread vaccination of flocks. Unfortunately, Marek’s disease (MD) vaccines, while effective in preventing tumours, do not prevent viral replication and mutation, which has been hypothesized as the major driving force for increased MDV virulence of field strains during the past 40 years in US commercial flocks. To limit future virulence increases, there is interest in characterizing MDV strain genomes collected over the years and associating genetic variations with variation in virulence. In this study, we characterized 70 MDV genomes with known virulence by complete or targeted DNA sequencing, and identified genetic variants that showed association with virulence. Our results revealed a number of MDV genes as would be expected for a complex trait. In addition, phylogenetic analysis revealed a clear separation of strains that varied by virulence. Interestingly, high virulence isolates from the same farms persisted over years despite eradication attempts, which has implications on control efforts. Given the growing ability to bioengineer the MDV genome, it should be feasible to experimentally test whether these individual variants influence virulence markers alone or combinations. Once validated, these markers may provide an alternative to live bird testing for evaluating virulence of new MDV field strains.
Acute mesenteric ischemia in an African American patient with heterozygous factor V Leiden deficiency.

It is well documented that factor V Leiden mutation (FVL) is a common hypercoagulable risk factor in the Caucasian population. Patients with homozygous FVL mutation have an increased risk for venou...
Getting a head start: identifying pretreatment correlates associated with early weight loss for individuals participating in weight loss treatment.

Early weight loss is associated with greater weight loss following treatment cessation and years later. The present study aimed to identify pretreatment correlates associated with early weight loss in adults participating in weight-loss treatment in primary care. Participants (N = 89) were in the overweight/obesity range seeking weight-loss treatment in primary-care settings and randomized to one of three treatments: Motivational Interviewing and Internet Condition (MIC), Nutrition Psychoeducation and Internet Condition (NPC), or Usual Care (UC). At baseline, participants were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview and completed self-report measures of emotional overeating, exercise, exercise self-efficacy, and depression. Percent weight loss at week six was used as the Early Weight Loss variable. MIC/NPC groups had significantly greater Early Weight Loss than UC. Among MIC/NPC participants only, greater Early Weight Loss was associated with significantly lower pretreatment disordered eating and depressive symptoms. Participants in MIC/NPC who achieved clinically meaningful weight loss (>2.5%) by week six compared with those who did not (<2.5%) reported lower pretreatment disordered eating. Demographic factors and binge-eating disorder diagnosis were unrelated to Early Weight Loss. Our findings suggest that greater early weight loss may be associated with less pretreatment disordered eating and depressive symptoms. CLINICAL TRIALS NCT01558297.
L2 pronunciation networking and conferences

Abstract Professional conferences are a critical part of a growing and thriving field. L2 pronunciation has a growing number of dedicated conferences, and other long-standing conferences that are related to L2 pronunciation have seen greater participation from L2 pronunciation researchers as the field has grown. This article describes conferences that are of interest to the field of L2 pronunciation.
What to do with our days

Boredom is often inescapable these days, as social distancing guidelines keep many of us at home. The key to mastering boredom, write John Eastwood and James Danckert in their intriguing new book Out of My Skull, is understanding its purpose.
Suffering in science: Care and recovery in evidence-based psychiatric treatments

Summary Escalating numbers of depressed, anxious, and suicidal persons in the United States have led to increased demands for clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines are designed by and for medical professionals to locate and promote the best evidence-based treatments. Clinicians suggest that a widespread application of substantiated treatments will curtail trends of increased despair, but there are a wider range of ethical and socio-political limitations that are not always immediately addressed in these assessments. Issues regarding social stigma, control and normalization, diverse life stressors, and disproportionate access to resources are often diluted in depictions of treatment efficacy. Consistent interpretations of the concepts illness, disorder, health, recovery, and need are also lacking. In this paper, I unravel the limitations of several leading evidence-based treatments and propose principles of care as preconditional commitments for future practice. This analysis specifically assesses treatment options for depression and anxiety. In response, I argue that clinical practice guidelines require a deeper engagement with the theoretical foundations of prominent therapeutic models and must consider the effects of those premises beyond controlled treatment sessions. I recommend more substantial collaborations with mental health sociology and bioethics, with a particular emphasis on care ethics.
Outcomes in Patients With Severe Chronic Lung Disease Undergoing Index Cardiac Operations.

Background This study evaluated the impact of severe chronic lung disease on outcomes of index adult cardiac operations. Methods A single-center, retrospective study of adult patients with severe chronic lung disease (as defined by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons) undergoing index cardiac operations between 2010 and 2018 was performed. Multivariable Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate survival. Results Three hundred fifty-four patients (median age, 69 years; 32.77% women) were identified. Current smokers comprised 42.66% of the population, and 34.65% of patients required home oxygen. Median preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 48% of predicted (interquartile range, 41%-56%), and median diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide was 78% of predicted (interquartile range, 55%-101%). Most patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass (57.06%) or isolated aortic valve replacement (19.49%). Overall, 33 patients (9.07%) required a tracheostomy (median of 10 days from surgery) for a median of 49 days (interquartile range, 25-114) until decannulation. Preoperative home oxygen use was an independent predictor of 30-day (hazard ratio, 2.91; P = .030) and 1-year (hazard ratio, 2.12; P = .009) mortality. One-year and 5-year postoperative survival were 83.62% and 58.34%, respectively. Conclusions Although severe chronic lung disease is a predictor of mortality and morbidity after index cardiac operations, only 9% of patients required a tracheostomy, and most were alive at 5 years after surgery. Home oxygen use may serve as a further stratification tool in this higher risk subset; however the presence of severe chronic lung disease alone should not deter from surgery in otherwise reasonable surgical candidates.
The ‘return’ of a diasporic Hebrew literary culture in Berlin

The increase in Israeli emigration and Israeli dual citizenship over the past fifteen years has created growing expatriate communities and Hebrew literary production outside of Israel. The emigrati...
A modular vision language navigation and manipulation framework for long horizon compositional tasks in indoor environment

In this paper we propose a new framework - MoViLan (Modular Vision and Language) for execution of visually grounded natural language instructions for day to day indoor household tasks. While several data-driven, end-to-end learning frameworks have been proposed for targeted navigation tasks based on the vision and language modalities, performance on recent benchmark data sets revealed the gap in developing comprehensive techniques for long horizon, compositional tasks (involving manipulation and navigation) with diverse object categories, realistic instructions and visual scenarios with non-reversible state changes. We propose a modular approach to deal with the combined navigation and object interaction problem without the need for strictly aligned vision and language training data (e.g., in the form of expert demonstrated trajectories). Such an approach is a significant departure from the traditional end-to-end techniques in this space and allows for a more tractable training process with separate vision and language data sets. Specifically, we propose a novel geometry-aware mapping technique for cluttered indoor environments, and a language understanding model generalized for household instruction following. We demonstrate a significant increase in success rates for long-horizon, compositional tasks over the baseline on the recently released benchmark data set-ALFRED.
Shallow mixing layers between non-parallel streams in a flat-bed wide channel

When two converging flows of unequal velocities and different flow directions come into contact, large-scale coherent structures are generated. For shallow conditions and small angles between the incoming streams, the mixing layer (ML) forming downstream of the confluence apex contains quasi-two-dimensional, Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) vortices. Due to flow shallowness (e.g. stabilizing effect of bed friction), these vortices gradually lose their coherence at large distances from the ML origin. For large angles between the incoming streams, the spatial development of the shallow ML is more complex as strongly coherent, streamwise-oriented-vortical (SOV) cells form in the vicinity of the shallow ML and helical cells of secondary flow are generated due to curvature effects. The present paper uses three-dimensional eddy-resolving numerical simulations to study the effects of varying the angles between the two incoming channels and the downstream channel, the velocity ratio (VR) of the incoming flows and the flow depth on flow, turbulence structure and sediment entrainment mechanisms inside the ML and its surroundings. The simulations are performed for highly idealized conditions in which the ML develops in a wide channel (no interactions with the channel banks), over a flat bed and the flow depth is constant. Simulation results show that the SOV cells play an important role in the redistribution of the streamwise momentum. Some of the SOV cells are subject to bimodal oscillations in the lateral direction which induce strong interactions between the SOV cells and the ML vortices and sharply increase mixing. As for the case of a shallow ML developing between parallel streams, vortex pairing ceases some distance from the ML origin, the KH vortices start losing their coherence and the ML assumes an undulatory shape. The paper describes the effects of VR, angle between the incoming streams (α = 0° and 60°), planform geometry (symmetric vs. asymmetric confluences with α = 60°) and flow shallowness on the transverse shift of the ML centreline, ML width, dynamics of the KH vortices and on the formation, position and circulation of the SOV cells. In most of the α = 60° cases, the largest bed shear stresses are induced beneath the SOV cells rather than beneath the high-speed stream and the SOV cells play a major role in enhancing mixing between the two streams.
Can Eco-Evo Theory Explain Population Cycles in the Field?*

AbstractEfforts to explain animal population cycles often invoke consumer-resource theory, which has shown that consumer-resource interactions alone can drive population cycles. Eco-evo theory inst...
Children's Psychological Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This paper reviews the literature on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and the reactions of vulnerable children. Research reveals increases in clinically significant depression, suicidal ideation and behavior, and some anxiety symptoms. Substance use studies suggest an inadvertent decrease in substance use in some youth though findings are inconsistent across substances and for males and females. Children with pre-existing emotional and behavioral problems are especially vulnerable though some children appear to improve in the context of public health measures which have decreased the stresses associated with school and socialization. In addition, children with pre-existing problems are likely to have established resources and relationships that may protect them relative to other children. COVID-19 has had a major effect on the mental health of children around the world, but findings should be considered preliminary until more rigorous research has been conducted.
What’s so bad about second-order logic?

Second-order logic is generally thought problematic by the philosophical populace. Philosophers of mathematics and logic may have sophisticated reasons for rejecting second-order logic, but ask the average philosopher-on-the-street what’s wrong with second-order logic and they will probably mumble something about Quine, ontological commitment, and set theory in sheep’s clothing. In this paper, I try to get more precise about exactly what might be behind these mumblings. I offer four potential arguments against second-order logic and consider several lines of response to each. Two arguments target the coherence of second-order quantification generally, and stem from concerns about ontological commitment. The other two target the expressive power of ‘full’ (as opposed to ‘Henkin’) second-order logic, and give content to the concern that second-order logic is in fact “set theory in sheep’s clothing”. My aim is to understand the dialectic, not take sides; still, second-order logic comes through looking more promising than we might have initially thought.
Ablation of ventricular tachycardia with a saline-cooled radiofrequency catheter: anatomic and histologic characteristics of the lesions in humans.

Saline-Irrigated RF Catheter Ablation. Introduction: In animal models, active cooling of the electrode during radiofrequency (RF) ablation allows creation of larger lesions, presumably by increasing the power that can be delivered without coagulum formation. These RF lesions have not been characterized in human myocardium in regions of infarction and scarring. Methods and Results: Cooled-tip RF catheter ablation of ventricular tacbycardias (VTs) was performed in two patients who had severe congestive heart failure and subsequently underwent cardiac transplantation. The first patient bad four different monomorphic VTs. RF applications along the inferoseptal margin of a scarred region abolished all inducible VTs. The second patient had sarcoidosis involving the myocardium and four different inducible VTs. RF current applied at an inferobasal VT exit and at the right and left septa failed to abolish the VTs. The explanted hearts were examined at the time of cardiac transplantation 18 and 21 days later, respectively. Lesions extended to depths up to 7 mm, reaching clusters of myocardial cells deep to regions of fibrosis. Microscopically, the ablation sites contained coagulation necrosis with hemorrhage, surrounded by a rim of granulation tissue. Conclusion: Saline-irrigated RF catheter ablation produces relatively large lesions capable of penetrating deep into scarred myocardium.
A distributed hash table

DHash is a new system that harnesses the storage and network resources of computers distributed across the Internet by providing a wide-area storage service, DHash. DHash frees applications from re-implementing mechanisms common to any system that stores data on a collection of machines: it maintains a mapping of objects to servers, replicates data for durability, and balances load across participating servers. Applications access data stored in DHash through a familiar hash-table interface: put stores data in the system under a key; get retrieves the data. DHash has proven useful to a number of application builders and has been used to build a content-distribution system [31], a Usenet replacement [115], and new Internet naming architectures [130, 129]. These applications demand low-latency, high-throughput access to durable data. Meeting this demand is challenging in the wide-area environment. The geographic distribution of nodes means that latencies between nodes are likely to be high: to provide a low-latency get operation the system must locate a nearby copy of the data without traversing high-latency links. Also, wide-area network links are likely to be less reliable and have lower capacities than local-area network links: to provide durability efficiently the system must minimize the number of copies of data items it sends over these limited capacity links in response to node failure. This thesis describes the design and implementation of the DHash distributed hash table and presents algorithms and techniques that address these challenges. DHash provides low-latency operations by using a synthetic network coordinate system (Vivaldi) to find nearby copies of data without sending messages over high-latency links. A network transport (STP), designed for applications that contact a large number of nodes, lets DHash provide high throughput by striping a download across many servers without causing high packet loss or exhausting local resources. Sostenuto, a data maintenance algorithm, lets DHash maintain data durability while minimizing the number of copies of data that the system sends over limited-capacity links. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Bcl-2, bax, bcl-xL and bcl-xS expression in neoplastic and normal cervical tissue

Abstract We simultaneously assessed bcl-2, bax, bcl-x L and bcl-x S expression levels by Western blotting on 53 primary untreated cervical cancers and 15 normal samples. Bcl-2 showed a trend to be lower in neoplastic than in normal samples ( P L . Bcl-x S was barely detectable in only a few samples. Interestingly, in cervical cancer, bcl-2 and bcl-x L were directly correlated ( P P P L levels in responding and non-responding patients were not differently distributed. Bcl-2, bax and bcl-x L are likely to play a role in the natural history of cervical tumors, but their clinical significance in predicting response to treatment and clinical outcome needs long-term follow-up studies.
An Inverse Problem in Viscoelasticity

Calculation of attenuation and dispersion spectra for a general anelastic body may be posed as an inversion problem. We observe the time-dependent strain due to “instantaneous” changes in stress in order to characterize the anelastic response. This experimental technique reaches a range of frequencies which is lower than that used in resonance bar experiments, but we can make only indirect measurement of the viscoelastic properties. We employ the most general anelastic model which states that the observed compliance is due to the summed effect of an arbitrary spectrum of mechanisms. The analysis requires the solution of Fredholm integral equations of the first kind. It is well known that this problem is ill-conditioned so that any numerical scheme will have to involve some smoothing to obtain accurate solutions. The present work employs Butler’s method of constrained regularization which takes advantage of the fact that the solution is positive and uses data dependent smoothing. This work indicates that the imposition of the positivity constraint makes the computation of the solution much better conditioned. Computations with the method of constrained regularization employing near-optimal smoothing demonstrate its superiority over the method of Shapery for obtaining accurate solutions when the data are very noisy.
A kinetoplastid‐specific kinesin is required for cytokinesis and for maintenance of cell morphology in Trypanosoma brucei

Kinesins are motor-based transport proteins that play diverse roles in various cellular processes. The trypanosome genome lacks the homologues of many conserved mitotic kinesins, but encodes a number of trypanosome-specific kinesins with unknown function. Here, we report the biochemical and functional characterization of TbKIN-C, a trypanosome-specific kinesin, which was initially identified through an RNAi screen for cytokinesis genes in T. brucei. TbKIN-C possesses in vitro ATPase activity and associates with cytoskeletal tubulin microtubules in vivo. It is distributed throughout the cytoskeleton with a focal enrichment at the posterior end of the cell during early cell cycle stages. RNAi of TbKIN-C resulted in distorted cell shape with an elongated posterior filled with tyrosinated tubulin microtubules. Silencing of TbKIN-C impaired the segregation of organelles and cytoskeletal structures and led to detachment of the new flagellum and a small portion of the cytoplasm. We also show that RNAi of TbKIN-C compromised cytokinesis and abolished the trans-localization of TbCPC1, a subunit of the chromosomal passenger complex, from the central spindle to the initiation site of cytokinesis. Our results suggest an essential role of TbKIN-C in maintaining cell morphology, likely through regulating microtubule dynamics at the posterior end of the cell.
Char formation in polyvinyl chloride. III. Mechanistic aspects of isothermal degradation of PVC containing some dehydrochlorination/charring agents

We pyrolyzed PVC with and without the char-promoters iron (III) pyromellitate, zinc pyromellitate, and MoO3 (1 phr) under isothermal conditions (207°C, nitrogen) and analyzed the soluble and insoluble residues to characterize the reactions important to charring. Both pyromellitates, apparently acting as their metal chlorides, catalyze dehydrochlorination and crosslinking that could lead to rapid charring; however, the zinc additive also catalyzes undesirable fragmentation. MoO3, possibly acting as an oxychloride, has only a small effect on PVC degradation under the conditions used; however, it does suppress fragmentation. The relative rates of crosslinking to fragmentation are important in determining char yields.
A comparison of mutagen production in fried ground chicken and beef: effect of supplemental creatine

Ground chicken breast and ground beef with either endogenous or a 10-fold increase in the concentration of creatine were fried at 220 degrees C for 10 min per side. One patty (100 g) of chicken meat yielded 120,000 Salmonella (TA1538) revertants following metabolic activation. The pan residues had 39% of the total activity. Added creatine (10-fold the endogenous level) increased mutagen yields an average of 2-fold. Beef cooked under identical conditions yielded 150,000 revertants/100 g for the meat patties and pan residues combined. Added creatine to beef prior to cooking increased mutagen yields 3-fold. The mutagenic profiles following initial HPLC separation showed that chicken samples with endogenous or added creatine were remarkably similar. Chicken and beef HPLC mutagenicity profiles were also similar to each other, but not identical. This suggests that the general mutagen-forming reactions with the two different types of muscle are qualitatively similar with only minor quantitative differences. The pan residues from both meat types with and without added creatine showed some significant differences in the mutagen peak profile. This work suggests that the types of mutagens formed in chicken are similar to those formed in beef and that creatine appears to be involved in the formation of all the mutagenic compounds produced from fried muscle tissue.
Humanitarian intervention and paradoxes of moral authority: lessons from the Balkans

This article focuses on three dilemmas often associated with the use of US military power for humanitarian ends, specifically, to prevent massive assaults on human rights in societies torn by conflicts between ethnic groups or other major segments of society. The first dilemma stems from a perceived need to protect a weak party against a stronger party in a context in which they both have predatory intentions toward each other, but cannot be otherwise distinguished by ‘good’ or ‘bad’ qualities. The dilemma is rooted in the fact that the intervention may alter the balance of power between the two, thus simply reversing their roles – with little gain in terms of the basic ethical predicament the intervention was designed to address. The second dilemma is associated with the fact that military intervention often results in considerable damage to the life and security of innocent civilians, thus marring its ethical content. The third dilemma inheres in the circumstance that intervention in defence of basic va...
Multiplex PCR for detection of Enterobacteriaceae in blood

BACKGROUND: Rapid and sensitive methods are needed to detect the small numbers of bacteria that may sometimes contaminate units of blood during collection. A multiplex 5′-nuclease TaqMan PCR assay (PE Applied Biosystems) was used to detect several bacterial species that may contaminate blood. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Oligonucleotide primers were made for regions of the 16S rRNA gene conserved in four different bacterial species: Yersinia enterocolitica and Serratia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter species. Two probes were designed: SL-1 detected Serratia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter species, and YE-3 detected Y. enterocolitica. RESULTS: When TaqMan PCR was performed with chromosomal DNA isolated from pure cultures of Serratia liquefaciens, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterobacter agglomerans, the limit of detection with probe SL-1 was 1 to 2 CFUs. For S. marcescens, the sensitivity was 8 CFUs. The limit of detection for Y. enterocolitica with probe YE-3 was 2 CFUs. When total chromosomal DNA was extracted from whole-blood samples spiked with different numbers of Y. enterocolitica, S. liquefaciens, E. cloacae, or K. pneumoniae bacteria, the TaqMan PCR detected 12 to 16 organisms in 1 mL of blood. CONCLUSION: The 5′-nuclease TaqMan PCR assay takes only 3 hours to perform and has the potential to detect very small numbers of bacteria.
Cataloging Oral Histories: Creating MARC Records for Individual Oral History Interviews

Cataloging oral histories presents many difficulties, especially for catalogers who have primarily worked with published materials and for institutions without funds or staff dedicated to managing oral history collections. Methods for cataloging oral histories can vary widely among institutions. In this article I examine the issues and considerations involved in providing intellectual access to oral history interviews and offer a possible cataloging method to libraries holding unprocessed oral history materials. The cataloging procedures discussed here have worked well from a workflow standpoint as one of the initial steps to create access to oral histories at Columbus State University, a medium-sized academic library.
Nucleotide changes in rat liver slices during incubation.

Abstract Concentrations of reduced and oxidized pyridine nucleotide, ATP, and ADP were measured in rat liver slices before and after a 1-hr. aerobic incubation in a Warburg apparatus. Total reduced pyridine nucleotide and ATP were significantly decreased in the incubated slices. There were no alterations in total oxidized pyridine nucleotide and ADP.
An Empirical Examination of the Minimax Hypothesis

In this article we examine empirically the minimax hypothesis. The hypothesis holds that individuals are motivated to incur the minimal costs of voting in order to avoid the maximum regret: Their preferred candidate losing by a single vote. The results of our study suggest that a substantial number of people apparently do employ a minimax decision-making process. Over one-third of the individuals interviewed reported sometimes worrying that if they abstain from voting their favorite candidate might lose. In addition, these respondents were significantly more likely than those who expressed no worry to claim they voted in 1984 and to say they planned to vote in 1986. And perhaps most intriguing, further analysis suggests that individuals may be more likely to employ minimax decision making than expected utility decision making.
Protein Folding Dynamics: Quantitative Comparison between Theory and Experiment†

The development of a quantitative kinetic scheme is a central goal in mechanistic studies of biological phenomena. For fast-folding proteins, which lack experimentally observable kinetic intermediates, a quantitative kinetic scheme describing the order and rate of events during folding has yet to be developed. In the present study, the folding mechanism of monomeric lambda repressor is described using the diffusion-collision model and estimates of intrinsic alpha-helix propensities. The model accurately predicts the folding rates of the wild-type protein and five of eight previously studied Ala left and right arrow Gly variants and suggests that the folding mechanism is distributed among multiple pathways that are highly sensitive to the amino acid sequence. For example, the model predicts that the wild-type protein folds through a small number of pathways with a folding time of 260 micros. However, the folding of a variant (G46A/G48A) is predicted to fold through a large number of pathways with a folding time of 12 micros. Both folding times quantitatively agree with the experimental values at 37 degrees C extrapolated to 0 M denaturant. The quantitative nature of the diffusion-collision model allows for rigorous experimental tests of the theory.
ESCAPE SYNTHESIS OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE.

Abstract Upon reversal of a period of thymidylate starvation, strains of Escherichia coli carrying the F'13 episome show derepression of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) synthesis. The effect is shown to be transferred with the F'13 particle, but does not require the presence of a functional phosphatase gene on the episome. The effect appears to be due to high levels of enzyme activity among a few per cent of the cell population; yet no genetically constitutive clones are recovered.
177 EFFECT OF ISCHEMIA ON MECHANICAL FUNCTION IN THE NEONATAL RABBIT HEART

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of ischemia and reperfusion on myocardial mechanical function in the neonate. Newborn (NB,n=14) and adult (A,n=14) rabbit hearts were studied utilizing the isolated arterially perfused septal preparation that was maintained at 27°C or 33°C and paced at 90 beats/minute. The muscle was perfused initially with an oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution. After stabilization of mechanical function, 60 minutes of global ischemia was induced and then the muscle was reperfused with oxygenated solution. The muscle was kept in a humidified, warm, oxygen-poor atmosphere. Developed tension (DT), maximal rate of tension development (+dT/dt) and resting tension (RT) were recorded continuously. The changes in DT and +dT/dt were similar. During ischemia, +dT/dt declined hyperbolically at the same rate in all groups, and the values after 60 minutes of ischemia were not significantly different from zero. During ischemia, the RT increased significantly in both groups and the increase in the A was significantly (P < 0.001) greater than in the NB. After 60 minutes of reperfusion, the recovery of +dT/dt (97 ± 5% of control at 27°C; 48 ± 12% at 33°C) in the NB was significantly (P<0.001) greater than in the A (58 ± 6% at 27°C; 16 ± 6% at 33°C). After reperfusion, the RT returned to control in the NB, but not in A. These data indicate that the NB myocardium is more resistant to ischemia than the A myocardium.
Competitive displacement? An experimental assessment of nest site preferences of cliff-nesting gulls

Red-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) are colonially breeding seabirds that are endemic to the Bering Sea, where they are sympatric with the more widely distributed Black-legged Kittiwake (R. tridactyla). Moreover, these two species breed interspersed on cliffs and potentially compete for nest sites on St. George Island, Alaska, which is the largest of only four known breeding locations of the Red-legged Kittiwake. On St. George Island, nesting ledges used by Red-legged Kittiwakes are narrower than those of Black-legged Kittiwakes, are more often located beneath overhangs, and are concentrated on high-elevation cliffs. To determine whether the nesting distribution of Red-legged Kittiwakes on St. George Island is shaped by competitive displacement by larger bodied Black-legged Kittiwakes, I compared realized niches of the two species (determined by measuring physical characteristics of natural nest sites) with fundamental niches of the two species (determined by observing nest site preferences of kittiwakes on artificial nesting ledges that differed in width, overhang cover, and elevation). The displacement hypothesis predicted that interspecific overlap in physical characteristics of nest sites would be greater for artificial than for natural nesting ledges (fundamental niches would overlap to a greater degree than realized niches). In contrast, nest site preferences of kittiwakes on artificial ledges differed markedly between species and mirrored the characteristics of natural nest sites: Red-legged Kittiwakes preferred narrower ledges, Black-legged Kittiwakes preferred wider ledges, and both species preferred ledges located within high-density clusters of conspecifics. Thus, I rejected the competitive displacement hypothesis and concluded that interspecific competition does not currently shape the breeding distributions of kittiwakes on St. George Island. Although interspecific competition in the past may have shaped current nest site preferences of kittiwakes, the concordance of habitat preferences with interspecific differences in body size, clutch size, and nest size and structure indicate that Red-legged Kittiwakes are uniquely adapted to exploit small ledges.
Developing managerial skills: a framework to define the faculty role in linking field‐based learning to classroom learning

Since Porter and McKibbin (1988) published their landmark study of the state of management education, business schools have been altering their curricula in response to the alleged criticisms and shortcomings cited in the study. To address the criticism that management education is not necessarily practical and is removed from the realities of the real world, more business schools have begun offering field‐based work experience for academic credit as part of the curriculum. This paper presents a successfully implemented model designed to assist faculty in evaluating student learning in work‐for‐credit programs.
Dynamics of Spatial Interdependence: The Contingent Effect of International Trade on Voluntary Environmental Standards:

Previous research has shown that international trade exposure promotes the diffusion of voluntary environmental standards, such as ISO 14001, from importing nations to exporting nations. However, p...
Compressive strains generated by normal faulting

Hanging-wall blocks of some normal faults located in central and southern Arizona show that both ductile and brittle localized structures formed in response to a compressive stress regime. The structures are believed to result from localized compressive stresses generated within the hanging-wall block during normal fault movement in a regional extensional stress field. Such compressive stresses may be generated by block movement over an irregular normal fault surface or by interactions of sub-blocks in the hanging-wall block.
A globally convergent method for semi-infinite linear programming

This paper presents a globally convergent method for solving a general semi-infinite linear programming problem. Some important features of this method include: It can solve a semi-infinite linear program having an unbounded feasible region. It requires an inexact solution to a nonlinear subproblem at each iteration. It allows unbounded index sets and nondifferentiable constraints. The amount of work at each iteration k does not increase with k.
Orientations of social values in medical student assessment

Abstract A study of nine years of selection of medical students involved the analysis of data on predictive criteria and performance criteria. The predictive criteria consisted of traditional variables used by admissions committees, and a series of psychological tests, including an experimental test of social values orientation. Special attention was paid to variables discriminating students who succeeded in the school from those who had to repeat a year, and those who had to withdraw or were dropped because of physical and/or psychological reasons.
Biomarkers of oxidative stress study: are plasma antioxidants markers of CCl4 poisoning?

Antioxidants in the blood plasma of rats were measured as part of a comprehensive, multilaboratory validation study searching for noninvasive biomarkers of oxidative stress. For this initial study an animal model of CCl(4) poisoning was studied. The time (2, 7, and 16 h) and dose (120 and 1200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally)-dependent effects of CCl(4) on plasma levels of alpha-tocopherol, coenzyme Q (CoQ), ascorbic acid, glutathione (GSH and GSSG), uric acid, and total antioxidant capacity were investigated to determine whether the oxidative effects of CCl(4) would result in losses of antioxidants from plasma. Concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and CoQ were decreased in CCl(4)-treated rats. Because of concomitant decreases in cholesterol and triglycerides, it was impossible to dissociate oxidation of alpha-tocopherol and the loss of CoQ from generalized lipid changes, due to liver damage. Ascorbic acid levels were higher with treatment at the earliest time point; the ratio of GSH to GSSG generally declined, and uric acid remained unchanged. Total antioxidant capacity showed no significant change except for 16 h after the high dose, when it was increased. These results suggest that plasma changes caused by liver malfunction and rupture of liver cells together with a decrease in plasma lipids do not permit an unambiguous interpretation of the results and impede detection of any potential changes in the antioxidant status of the plasma.
Impact-parameter-selected two-proton intensity interferometry for 36Ar+45Sc at E/A=80 MeV.

The momentum dependence of the two-proton correlation function is studied for central and peripheral [sup 36]Ar+[sup 45]Sc collisions at [ital E]/[ital A]=80 MeV. Calculations with the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport theory reproduce well the measured momentum dependence of the correlation functions for central collisions, but underpredict the momentum dependence for peripheral collisions.
Antifungal activity of bifunctional sphingolipids. intramolecular synergism within long-chain α,ω-bis-aminoalcohols

Abstract The in vitro antifungal activity of a series of α,ω-bifunctionalized aminoalcohols against Candida glabrata was measured. The dimeric bi-functionalized lipids exhibited activity about ∼10-fold higher higher than d -sphingosine, which is a larger factor than expected from the simple additive effects of vicinal aminoalcohols groups.
Electron injection barrier reduction for organic light-emitting devices by quinacridone derivatives

Water/alcohol-soluble quinacridone derivatives have been synthesized and utilized as an electron injection layer in organic light-emitting diodes. Initial results are very promising, as a device with a layer of Na+QHSO3− adjacent to an Al cathode exhibited a luminance efficiency (1.65 cd A−1) that was significantly enhanced relative to the efficiency (0.85 cd A−1) of a control device with an unstable, lower work function Ba/Al cathode.
Inertial charge-density-wave dynamics in (TaSe4)2I.

Frequency-dependent conductivity measurements are reported in the charge-density-wave (CDW) state of the linear-chain compound (${\mathrm{TaSe}}_{4}$${)}_{2}$I in the spectral range 4.5--94 GHz. In contrast to other CDW systems which are overdamped, the response is underdamped, with a resonant frequency of approximately 35 GHz, a resonance width of approximately 20 GHz, and an effective mass of ${10}^{4}$. The large effective mass, large resonant frequency, and small damping are a consequence of the strong electron-phonon coupling in this system.
Unilateral Pedicle Screw Fixation is Associated with Reduced Cost and Similar Outcomes in Selected Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion for L4-5 Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Study design: Retrospective study of 24 patients who underwent either a bilateral or unilateral TLIF procedure for the treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis.
Thallium-201 production with the idle beam from neutron therapy.

Deuteron reactions have been studied for the possibility of producing 201Tl so that this radioisotope could be made as an adjunct to neutron therapy. The cross‐sections for the (d,x n) reactions for 203Tl and 205Tl target nuclei have been measured for x=3, 4, and 5. From these data the yields of 201Tl for a typical treatment day have been calculated.