cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Induction of Human Methionine Adenosyltransferase 2A Expression by Tumor Necrosis Factor α ROLE OF NF-κB AND AP-1

Two genes (MAT1A and MAT2A) encode for methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), an essential cellular enzyme responsible for S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis. MAT1A is expressed mostly in the liver, whereas MAT2A is widely distributed. We showed a switch from MAT1A to MAT2A expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which facilitates cancer cell growth. Using DNase I footprinting analysis, we previously identified a region in the MAT2A promoter protected from DNase I digestion in HCC. This region contains NF-κB and AP-1 elements, and the present study examined whether they regulate MAT2A promoter activity. We found nuclear binding of NF-κB and AP-1 to the MAT2A promoter increased in HCC. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), which activates both NF-κB and AP-1, increased MAT2A expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner, binding of both NF-κB and AP-1 to the MAT2A promoter and MAT2A promoter activity, with the latter effect blocked by site-directed mutagenesis of the NF-κB and AP-1 binding sites. Blocking NF-κB with IκB super-repressor or AP-1 with dominant-negative c-Jun led to decreased basal MAT2A expression and prevented the TNFα-induced increase in MAT2A expression. Although blocking NF-κB had no influence on the ability of TNFα to increase AP-1 nuclear binding, blocking AP-1 with dominant-negative c-Jun prevented the TNFα-mediated increase in NF-κB binding. In conclusion, both NF-κB and AP-1 are required for basal MAT2A expression in HepG2 cells and mediate the increase in MAT2A expression in response to TNFα treatment. Increased trans-activation of these two sites also contributes to MAT2A up-regulation in HCC.
Natural Literacy Theory and Practice for Preschool Intervention Programs

This article suggests that preschool intervention classrooms are ideal settings for providing young children with rich early literacy experiences. Because contemporary research indicates that child...
Relation between thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk score and one-year outcomes for patients presenting at the emergency department with potential acute coronary syndrome.

The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score, derived from unstable angina/non–ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction patient population, predicts 14-day cardiovascular events. It has been validated in emergency department (ED) patients with potential acute coronary syndrome with respect to 30-day outcomes. Our objective was to determine whether the initial TIMI score could risk stratify ED patients with potential acute coronary syndrome with respect to the 1-year outcomes. This was a prospective cohort study of patients presenting to the ED with chest pain who underwent electrocardiography. Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (acute myocardial infarction) were excluded. Follow-up was conducted by telephone and record review >1 year after the index visit. The main outcome was the 1-year mortality, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or revascularization stratified by the TIMI score. Of 2,819 patients, 253 (9%) met the composite outcome. The overall incidence of the composite 1-year outcome of death (n = 119), acute myocardial infarction (n = 96), and revascularization (n = 90) according to TIMI score was TIMI 0 (n = 1,162), 4%; TIMI 1 (n = 901), 8%; TIMI 2 (n = 495), 13%; TIMI 3 (n = 193), 23%; TIMI 4 (n = 60), 28%; and TIMI 5 to 7 (n = 8), 88% (p
Issues in scalable library design for massively parallel computers

The authors examine some critical issues raised in the design of libraries for MPCs, such as scalability, portability, recompilation, and flexibility. They advocate a layered structure of library design, comprising a high-level language layer, a machine-independent node layer, a machine-dependent node layer, and an object code layer for different demands and requirements. They discuss the impact of various data decomposition strategies on program performance and the computation and communication analysis techniques used at different layers. They also propose the concept of the range of scalability as a metric for selecting the most appropriate implementation. A linear system solver based on the Gaussian elimination method is used as an example to illustrate various design alternatives.
Selective Emotional Processing Deficits to Social Vignettes in Schizophrenia: An ERP Study

Schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in emotional processing and social cognition. However, it remains unclear whether patients show abnormal neurophysiological responses during fast, online appraisals of the emotional meaning of social information. To examine this question, event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected while 18 schizophrenia patients and 18 demographically matched controls evaluated 2-sentence vignettes describing negative, positive, or neutral social situations. ERPs were time locked to a critical word (CW) in the second sentence that conferred emotional valence. A late positivity effect to emotional (vs neutral) CWs was seen in both groups (in controls, to negative and positive CWs; in patients, to negative CWs only). However, the controls showed a greater late positivity effect to the negative and positive (vs neutral) CWs than the schizophrenia patients at mid-posterior (negative vs neutral) and at right posterior peripheral (positive vs neutral) sites. These between-group differences arose from reduced amplitudes of the late positivity to the negative and positive CWs in the patients relative to the controls; there was no difference between the 2 groups in the amplitude of the late positivity to the neutral CWs. These findings suggest that schizophrenia is associated with a specific neural deficit during the online evaluation of emotionally valent, socially relevant information.
Justice Downwind: America's Atomic Testing Program in the 1950s

The extraordinary story of how the US exploded atomic weapons on its own soil, and the subsequent conflict between the citizens who lived downwind of the test site and their government over the resultant health hazards.
The Growth of Federal Criminal Justice Policy Making The Role of U.S. Civil Rights Legislation

To expand the federal criminal justice role, Congress has generally used one of three authorities: (a) the interstate commerce clause, (b) the power to tax, and (c) the “power of the purse” to provide grants-in-aid to states and localities. This article, however, focuses on the use of the federal responsibility to protect the constitutional and statutory rights of citizens to expand this role. Specifically, it analyzes the instrumental (tangible) and expressive (symbolic) functions of civil rights laws on the (a) trafficking of persons; (b) civil rights of persons institutionalized in state prisons, jails, and juvenile justice facilities and systems; and (c) conduct of state and local law enforcement agencies. This analysis will contribute to our understanding of how such laws have expanded the federal criminal justice role by establishing new federal crimes and violations and defining good policy and practice for state and local criminal justice systems.
Genotypic and Environmental Contributions to Baked Potato Flavor

This study was carried out to determine the relative contributions of genotype and environment to baked potato flavor variation in standard potato cultivars. In addition, relationships between individual flavor components and overall quality perception scores were determined. The study was carried out for 2 years using stored potatoes. In addition, fresh potato tubers were evaluated in the second year. Taste panels evaluated potato varieties within four market classes, russets, whites, reds, and specialty clones. Flavor attributes included mealiness, sweetness, flavor intensity, off-flavor, and overall quality perception. Differences among cultivars and production environments were found. Stored potatoes received higher quality perception scores than fresh potatoes. Mealiness was the most variable flavor attribute and was influenced by both genotype and environment. Sweetness and flavor intensity were positively associated with quality perception. A strong negative association between off-flavor and quality perception was also detected.
CONGENITAL ANOMALIES OF THE LARYNX AND TRACHEA

A variety of congenital anomalies may present within the laryngo- tracheal airway, with symptoms ranging from mild stridor to severe res- piratory distress requiring emergent airway management immediately af- ter birth. Some of these lesions may be relatively asymptomatic in the neonatal period and present later in life, whereas the most severe cases may not be incompatible with life? The most common causes of stridor in infants are laryngeal in origin. There are numerous tracheal anomalies, however, that may present with stridor. In addition to stridor, symptomatology often may include aspi- ration or other feeding disorders. Hoarseness or aphonia also may be involved with congenital laryngeal anomalies, and often accompanies symptoms of airway obstruction. Any child with this symptomatology complex presenting soon after birth should be evaluated thoroughly for the possible existence of a congenital laryngotracheal anomaly. Some of the more common congenital laryngeal and tracheal anomalies are dis- cussed with respect to their diagnostic evaluation, clinical presentation, and management.
MR angiography of the spine: update

The role of MRA, as an adjunct to conventional MR imaging of the spine and spinal cord, is evolving. The older MRA methods that have been applied to spinal vascular imaging include 2D and 3D phase contrast techniques and a derivative of 3D time-of-flight techniques with data acquired for about several minutes after gadolinium contrast injection (standard 3D CE MRA). Newer 3D gradient-echo techniques, which allow the acquisition of each volume of data in tens of seconds as a contrast bolus traverses the region of interest (fast 3D CE MRA), offer the possibility of temporally resolving intradural arteries and veins. The appearance of normal and abnormal intradural vessels, primarily veins, on the standard 3D CE MRA method has been described for the thoracolumbar region. Normal intradural arteries have been more difficult to detect, although preliminary results with the fast 3D CE MRA method, are promising. Only by establishing the MRA appearance of normal arteries and veins, can one begin to define "abnormal" with greater confidence (presuming that the variability in the appearance of normal vessels is not so great as to preclude differentiation). In striving for this goal, MRA has already encountered competition from CT angiography. In the characterization of spinal vascular lesions, the value of MRA has been demonstrated most convincingly for dural AVF. This lesion is more accurately localized and more sensitively detected (by neuroradiolologists and others experienced in spine imaging) with combined MR imaging and standard 3D CE MRA than with MR imaging alone. Preliminary results suggest that sensitivity and specificity may be further improved if fast 3D CE MRA is combined with conventional MR imaging. Although less well documented, the value of MRA in characterizing other lesions, such as AVMs and vascular tumors, has been reported in recent publications. In the future, the role of MRA will depend on technical advances, such as parallel acquisition techniques and possibly implantable RF coils, which permit improved detection of, and differentiation between, intradural arteries and veins. With these improvements, MRA may play an expanded role in the characterization of spinal vascular abnormalities, encompassing trauma and degenerative spine disease and vascular malformations and tumors.
PS2-28: The Association of Body Composition Indices and Hormonal Contraceptive Use in Adolescent and Young Adult Women

Background/Aims Hormonal contraception is a popular contraceptive choice among sexually-active women. Yet its association with body composition in younger women is not well understood. We compared body composition measures by duration of Depo-Provera (DMPA) use and dose and duration of oral contraceptive (OC) use in adolescent and young adult women. Methods Study participants were Group Health Cooperative members. DMPA use (new prevalent or none) was collected in 170 adolescents aged 14-18 years and in 440 women aged 18-39 years. OC use was gathered in 301 adolescents aged 14-18 years and 305 women aged 19-30 years. Among OC users ethinyl estradiol (EE) dose (=30mcg vs. <30mcg) and months of use were also collected. For all participants weight BMI and truncal and total fat and lean mass were estimated using DEXA. Mean differences in baseline body composition by dose and duration of hormone contraception use were compared cross-sectionally using ANOVA. Results Adolescents who were prevalent DMPA users had higher baseline truncal and total fat mass compared to adolescent non-DMPA users. For example baseline mean (SE) total fat mass was 23.3 (1.2) kilograms for prevalent DMPA users but was 19.9 (0.9) kilograms for non-DMPA users (p<0.05). No mean differences in the body composition measures were observed between new DMPA vs. non- DMPA adolescent users or among young women regardless of DMPA use. With OC use baseline BMI and truncal and total fat mass differed by EE dose in young adult women. Baseline mean (SE) total fat mass in kilograms for women using =30mcg EE doses <30mcg EE doses and for non-OC users was 20.8 (0.9) 19.0 (0.9) and 22.2 (0.9) respectively (p=0.02). No differences were noted between EE dose and body composition indices in adolescents. For both adolescents and young women baseline body composition was not associated with duration of OC use. Conclusions Our results suggest that DMPA use is associated with fat mass in adolescents and that EE dose in OCs is associated with fat mass in young adult women. Analysis of follow-up data to determine if these relationships continue to be seen longitudinally is needed.
Carrier loop architectures for tracking weak GPS signals

The performance of various carrier recovery loop architectures (phase lock loop (PLL), Doppler-aided PLL, frequency lock loop (FLL), and Doppler-aided FLL) in tracking weak GPS signals are analyzed and experimentally validated. The effects of phase or frequency detector design, oscillator quality, coherent averaging time, and external Doppler aiding information on delaying loss of lock are quantified. It is shown that for PLLs the metric of total phase jitter is a reliable metric for assessing low C/N performance of the tracking loop provided the loop bandwidth is not too small (~> 5 Hz). For loop bandwidths that are not too small, total phase jitter accurately predicts carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N) at which loss of lock occurs. This predicted C/N is very close to the C/N predicted by bit error rate (BER). However, unlike BER, total phase jitter can be computed in real-time and an estimator for it is developed and experimentally validated. Total phase jitter is not a replacement for BER, since at low bandwidths it is less accurate than BER in that the receiver loses lock at a higher C/N than predicted by the estimator. Similarly, for FLLs operating at small loop bandwidths, it is found that normalized total frequency jitter is not a reliable metric for assessing loss of lock in weak signal or low C/N conditions. At small loop bandwidths, while total frequency jitter may indicate that a loop is still tracking, the Doppler estimates provided by the FLL will be biased.
Russian Jews and “Gypsy Punks”: The Performance of Real and Imagined Cultural Identities within a Transnational Migrant Group

This article will discuss the implications of the construction of cultural space among Russian Jews in New York City and the narratives employed to collectively produce and claim this space, particularly the repeated notion of being without a “home” or “place.” Analysis of these narratives will address the uniqueness of Russian Jewish identity and the historical factors that contributed to the isolation of Russian Jews in their homelandandinNewYork.SpecialattentionwillbepaidtophysicalRussian Jewish spaces, considering these spaces as mediating agents in constructing cultural identity, as well the role of the music scene as it relates to cultural cohesion. This focus is drawn from communications scholar David Morley’s assertion that media technologies tend to “transport the individual or small family group to destinations (physical, symbolic or imaginary) well beyond the confines of home or neighborhood, combining privacy with mobility” (149). Considering Russian Jews as a highly mobile group that centers on the exclusion of others, inclusion manifests itself through the construction of, and participation in, spaces that represent their physical and imagined communities. Using historical and theoretical research, a literature review, ethnographic techniques, interviews, analyses of songs and media, and the presentation of personally recorded media, Russian Jewish identity and alienation will be used as a means of understanding the “gypsy punk” movement that has emerged in the popular New York City nightclub, Mehanata, also known as “The Bulgarian Bar.” The rising fame of the selfproclaimed gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello will be considered, along with the textual, audio, and visual media that presents this scene to participants. Finally, the music scene as a whole will be contextualized within historical
A model for cochlear implant electrode insertion and force evaluation: results with a new electrode design and insertion technique.

Objectives and Hypothesis: This study has the specific aim of evaluating the insertion characteristics of a new cochlear implant electrode. Techniques for evaluation of fluoroscopic real time mechanical insertion dynamics, histologic electrode position and trauma results, hydraulic force, and mechanical insertion forces are presented. In addition, this study should serve to present a novel model for cochlear implant electrode insertion evaluations. Study Design: Prospective analysis using a series of analytical techniques. Methods: All studies are conducted in fixed cadaveric temporal bones. Real time fluoroscopic insertion evaluations, histologic evaluations for trauma and electrode position in embedded bones, hydraulic measures, and mechanical intracochlear force measurements are conducted with a current and new electrode. Results: The Contour Advance electrode provides a more reliable and less traumatic insertion when deployed with the Advance Off Stylet technique. This is largely because of a reduction in intracochlear outer wall force generation. Fluoroscopic and histologic analysis reveal a smooth insertion without reliance on cochlear outer wall contact. No hydraulic forces were detected when measured from the superior semicircular canal ampulla. Conclusion: The model used for this study provides valuable information to cochlear implant surgeons and design engineers. The Contour Advance electrode, inserted with the Advance Off Stylet technique, represents an improvement over the Contour electrode inserted with the standard insertion technique.
Rights and Strikes in Healthcare

The bioethics literature on collective labor protest actions by health professionals is modest and recent, focusing almost exclusively on strike actions—although that is beginning to change. The essays in this special section of the Cambridge Quarterly seek to further explore many of the key ethical issues in some detail. The authors analyze existing ethical tensions and propose responses (none presume to call them solutions) to the increasingly hostile conflicts between licensed health professionals and the new corporate management of healthcare organizations.
Journal Publication Performance of Economic History Programs: 1960–1969 and 1970–1974

This paper reviews the output of journal publications by the twenty five leading economic history programs during the past fifteen years. At present, there are no formal ratings of the quality of economic history programs at the various academic institutions, but journal publications can serve as a partial indicator of quality. The Roose-Andersen ratings graduate programs provide separate rankings of economics and history programs, but this information may not be appropriate in evaluating economic history programs, and the ratings have not been updated since 1969. Journal publications are certainly not the only measure of quality academic institutions, but journals are regarded as the standard outlet for disseminating new research findings and expanding the frontiers of knowledge. Those institutions that have concentrated their publication efforts on books, textbooks, monographs, working papers, and other nonjournal forms of publication will of course be underrepresented by the procedures followed in this paper.
Unintentional Weight Loss Predicts Decline in Activities of Daily Living Function and Life-Space Mobility Over 4 Years Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background. The relationship between body mass index (BMI), weight loss, and changes in activities of daily living (ADL) function and mobility in older adults is not clear. We sought to study the relationship between BMI and weight loss on the rate of decline in ADL function and life-space mobility over a 4-year period among older African Americans and whites. Methods. The participants were 983 enrollees in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Study of Aging, a longitudinal study of mobility among community-dwelling older adults stratified to achieve a balanced sample in terms of sex, race, and residence. Primary outcome measures were changes in ADL function and mobility assessed by the UAB Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (LSA) which were measured every 6 months. Results. Relative to normal weight participants, those with BMI levels in the obese range did not show more rapid ADL functional decline, but a history of unintentional weight loss predicted more rapid decline. Relative to normal-weight participants, other BMI categories were not associated with more rapid decline in LSA scores. However, unintentional weight loss predicted more rapid declines in LSA. Intentional weight loss had no relation to ADL function or LSA decline. Conclusions. In this population of community-dwelling older African Americans and whites, neither BMI nor intentional weight loss had an association with rate of functional decline. Unintentional weight loss had a negative relation with rate of functional decline, regardless of baseline BMI. Whether this is causal remains to be determined.
Acceleration of the thermal pauson-khand reaction by coordinating ligands

Abstract Coordinating ligands in the homo- and bishomopropargylic position of a 1,6-enyne have been found to enhance the rate of the thermal Pauson-Khand cycloaddition.
Loss of Biphasic Effect on Na/K-ATPase Activity by Angiotensin II Involves Defective Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor-Nitric Oxide Signaling

Oxidative stress causes changes in angiotensin (Ang) type 1 receptor (AT1R) function, which contributes to hypertension. Ang II affects blood pressure via maintenance of sodium homeostasis by regulating renal Na(+) absorption through its effects on Na/K-ATPase (NKA). At low concentrations, Ang II stimulates NKA; higher concentrations inhibit the enzyme. We examined the effect of oxidative stress on renal AT1R function involved in biphasic regulation of NKA. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received tap water (control) and 30 mmol/L of L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an oxidant, with and without 1 mmol/L of Tempol (antioxidant) for 2 weeks. BSO-treated rats exhibited increased oxidative stress, AT1R upregulation, and hypertension. In proximal tubules from control rats, Ang II exerted a biphasic effect on NKA activity, causing stimulation of the enzyme at picomolar and inhibition at micromolar concentrations. However, in BSO-treated rats, Ang II caused stimulation of NKA at both of the concentrations. The effect of Ang II was abolished by the AT1R antagonist candesartan and the mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor UO126, whereas the Ang type 2 receptor antagonist PD-123319 and NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester had no effect. The inhibitory effect of Ang II was sensitive to candesartan and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, whereas PD-123319 and UO126 had no effect. In BSO-treated rats, Ang II showed exaggerated stimulation of NKA, mitogen-activated protein kinase, proline-rich-tyrosine kinase 2, and NADPH oxidase but failed to activate NO signaling. Tempol reduced oxidative stress, normalized AT1R signaling, unmasked the biphasic effect on NKA, and reduced blood pressure in BSO-treated rats. In conclusion, oxidative stress-mediated AT1R upregulation caused a loss of NKA biphasic response and hypertension. Tempol normalized AT1R signaling and blood pressure.
Effects of cranberry extracts and ursolic acid derivatives on P-fimbriated Escherichia coli, COX-2 activity, pro-inflammatory cytokine release and the NF-κβ transcriptional response in vitro

Cranberry, the fresh or dried ripe fruit of Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. (Ericaceae), is currently used as adjunct therapy for the prevention and symptomatic treatment of urinary tract infections. Data from clinical trials suggest that extracts of cranberry or cranberry juice reduce the bacterial load of E. coli and also suppress the inflammatory symptoms induced by E. coli infections. A methanol extract prepared from 10 kg of dehydrated cranberries did not directly inhibit the growth of E coli strains ATCC 700336 or ATCC 25922 in concentrations up to 256 mug/mL in vitro. However, the methanol extract (CR-ME) inhibited the activity of cyclooxygenase-2, with an IC(50) of 12.8 mug/mL. Moreover, CR-ME also inhibited the NF-kappabeta transcriptional activation in human T lymphocytes with an IC(50) of 19.4 mug/mL, and significantly (p < 0.01) inhibited the release of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha from E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro, at a concentration of 50 mug/mL. The extract had no effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase activity in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. The compounds responsible for this activity were identified using a novel LC-MS based assay as ursolic acid and ursolic acid derivatives. Taken together, these data suggest CR-ME and its constituent chemical compounds target specific pathways involved in E. coli-induced inflammation.
Factors associated with parental use of restrictive feeding practices to control their children's food intake

There is a critical need to identify risk factors that make parents more likely to restrict their child's food intake. Child weight and ethnicity, parent weight, parent body dissatisfaction, and parent concern of child weight were examined as correlates of parent use of restrictive feeding practices in a diverse sample of 191 youth (ages 7-17). Participants attending a pediatric outpatient visit completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire (parent feeding practices and beliefs), the Figure Rating Scale (body dissatisfaction) and a demographic form. Parent BMI and child degree of overweight were calculated. Parent use of restrictive feeding practices was positively associated with parent BMI and was moderated by parent body dissatisfaction. Parent concern of child weight mediated the relationship between increasing child degree of overweight and parent use of restrictive feeding practices. There were no differences by child gender or ethnicity in parent use of restrictive feeding practices. These preliminary findings highlight the importance of assessing for underlying parent motivations for utilizing restrictive feeding practices and may help to identify and intervene with families at-risk for engaging in counterproductive weight control strategies. Continued identification of correlates of parent use of restrictive feeding practices is needed across child development and among individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Case 79: A Complication of Central Venous Cannulation?

Today you are scheduled to anesthetize a 5.5-year-old boy (20 kg) for bone marrow aspiration, lumbar puncture, and insertion of a subclavian vein cannula. He was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia but now he was having a relapse. He is otherwise healthy except for a platelet count of 20,000. Prior to the anesthetic, he is transfused with platelets and his count improves to 90,000.
Cyclic AMP-Mediated Suppression of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation and Apoptosis by the Bordetella pertussis Adenylate Cyclase Toxin

The adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) of Bordetella pertussis intoxicates target cells by generating supraphysiologic levels of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP). Since ACT kills macrophages rapidly and potently, we asked whether ACT would also kill neutrophils. In fact, ACT prolongs the neutrophil life span by inhibiting constitutive apoptosis and preventing apoptosis induced by exposure to live B. pertussis. Imaging of B. pertussis-exposed neutrophils revealed that B. pertussis lacking ACT induces formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), whereas wild-type B. pertussis does not, suggesting that ACT suppresses NET formation. Indeed, ACT inhibits formation of NETs by generating cAMP and consequently inhibiting the oxidative burst. Convalescent-phase serum from humans following clinical pertussis blocks the ACT-mediated suppression of NET formation. These studies provide novel insight into the phagocyte impotence caused by ACT, which not only impairs neutrophil function but also inhibits death of neutrophils by apoptosis and NETosis.
Evolutionary diversity and ecology of endemic small mammals of southeastern Alaska with implications for land management planning

Abstract The dynamic geological history and naturally fragmented landscapes of southeastern Alaska create an environment with a high potential for endemism. The temperate rainforest of the region regenerates and develops slowly, and old-forest characteristics do not appear until ≥300 years following disturbance. The challenges of managing forest resources are intensified in island archipelagos because of the increased sensitivity of indigenous biota to disturbance and higher rates of extinction, especially among endemic organisms. Early expeditions of the large islands of the Alexander Archipelago (≈1% of all named islands) documented 27 endemic mammalian taxa. More recent studies with modern techniques found that some reputed endemics showed nominal levels of genetic divergence from other conspecific populations, but more divergence existed among several taxa than was reflected in the current taxonomy. Furthermore, the mammal fauna of southeastern Alaska has a nested structure with complex phylogeographic patterns suggesting multiple colonization events. Of eight taxa examined through phylogeographic analyses, five species showed acute genetic variation and divergence in mitochondrial sequences. Four species were comprised of coastal and continental clades (i.e. populations of recent common descent), whereas the fifth species showed a third clade. Conversely, the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) were represented by relatively shallow divergent lineages. Still, G. sabrinus showed a distinct mitochondrial lineage on 11 islands (Prince of Wales Island complex), which exhibited severely reduced genetic variation. Moreover, flying squirrels in southeastern Alaska are genetically distinct from populations in the Pacific Northwest; as different as each is from the southern flying squirrel (G. volans). Recent ecological studies of endemic populations of the northern flying squirrel and the southern red-backed vole (reputed old-growth associates) suggest that risk of extirpation in managed landscapes is likely less than was presumed during recent land management planning in the region because: (1) abundant noncommercial forests apparently contribute to breeding populations of northern flying squirrels, which appear to have a more general lifestyle than populations in the Pacific Northwest; and (2) red-backed vole populations may be able to exist in managed young-growth stands that originated from clearcut logging. Still, there are essential questions for both species regarding the influence of annual population fluctuations on habitat distribution and population demography, stand and landscape features that restrict dispersal, and vegetative and structural characteristics of second-growth stands that will sustain breeding populations of both species.
Reproductive health in southern Africa: report of a WHO workshop.

Since 1994 a series of workshops held under the auspices of the World Health Organization has led to creation of an operational network in southern Africa which would foster rational use of country regional and international resources to strengthen national health development in areas of common interest. A recent workshop considered country needs in the development of policies and programs to integrate reproductive health services within primary health care and the need to develop networks to support reproductive health services training research and advocacy. This workshop resulted in the following: 1) endorsement of the concept of reproductive and sexual health; 2) a commitment to foster this understanding of reproductive health at the country level and to identify needs and strategies to address the needs; 3) a recommendation that national authorities adjust existing programs to reflect a reproductive and sexual health perspective; 4) agreement that in-country networking and coordination must be strengthened; 5) a recommendation that global regional and national collaboration should increase; and 6) a recommendation that all efforts should be made to strengthen networking. This workshop has resulted in significant reproductive health activity in the region.
The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession. Dana Goldstein. New York: Doubleday. 2014. 349 pp. $26.95 (hardcopy).

In February 2015, Congress began the task of revising and reauthorizing the most significant and comprehensive federal education legislation ever enacted, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Since the pas...
La narrativa de Florencia Abbate y la descripción de la catástrofe.

El presente ensayo estudia la narrativa de Florencia Abbate y se concentra en la representacion de la catastrofe y sus consecuencias en la vida intima de sus personajes. El trabajo pone especial atencion al retrato de la crisis economica ocurrida en Argentina en el 2001 y su repercusion en los jovenes. En efecto, la obra de Abbate muestra el modo en que la crisis social transforma las relaciones familiares y personales de los personajes asi como su capacidad para entender el presente y vislumbrar un futuro compartido. Palabras clave: literatura argentina reciente, crisis, catastrofe, relaciones personales, familia.
Reversible Switching of Tb(III) Emission by Sensitization from 2,3-Dihydroxynaphthalene in an Isothermally Reversible Ionic Liquid

A reversible room-temperature ionic liquid (ILO) was prepared by the addition of CO2 to an equimolar mixture of hexylamidine (AD) and butylamine (AN). The ILO and AD/AN mixture were cycled repeatedly by alternating the passage of CO2 and N2 gases through the liquid. The ILO was utilized to sensitize very efficiently energy transfer to and emission by Tb(III) ions when 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) was irradiated. The emission was nearly completely quenched in the AD/AN mixture. The process described here is unique in its use of CO2 and N2 to "switch on and off" the emission by a lanthanide ion, Tb(III) in this case. In the corresponding amidinium dithiocarbamate ionic liquid (ILS), no appreciable Tb(III) emission was found due to quenching of the excited singlet state of DHN by thio groups. The ILS was not reconverted to the AD/AN mixture upon adding N2; N2 bubbling did not result in the displacement of CS2.
Skull X-Rays for Head Injury

The effect of abolishing skull X-rays on the rate of admission, use of computer tomography (CT), radiation dose per head injury, and detection of intracranial injuries was determined in patients, aged 1 to 14 years, presenting to the ED at Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK.
Spodoptera frugiperda Susceptibility to Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Isolates with Reference to Insect Migration

Median lethal doses (LD50's) were determined for geographical isolates of nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) in fall armyworms (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, from several locations in the Western Hemisphere. LD50's ranged from 1.36 to 16.05 and from 0.85 to 11.93 polyhedra per insect in 1983 and 1984, respectively. LD50's for NPV from Louisiana were significantly lower than for other isolates in 1983, and in 1984 LD50's were higher in FAW from Brazil than from other locations. Two methods of cluster analysis of the results indicated that FAW populations in Louisiana were most similar in NPV susceptibility to FAW from Texas, and that populations from around the Gulf of Mexico and Puerto Rico were more similar to one another than to FAW from Brazil. In 1984 the geographical distance between the NPV isolate and FAW colony was significantly ( P < 0.01) and positively correlated with the LD50, but similar analyses were not significant ( P < 0.05) for 1983 or the combined data.
Computational astrophysics

As computers become more powerful and sophisticated, computational astrophysicists will be able to find out more about stellar evolution and other astronomical phenomena.
Subjectivity in Feminist Science and Technology Studies: Implications and Applications for Sociological Research

Feminist science and technology studies calls the researcher to reconsider subjectivity in three ways. First, who or what has subjectivity? Second, is subjectivity a property of an individual being with sentience, or is it a more diffuse process? Third, who or what acts in meaningful ways to impact social relations (and are thus worthy of sociological study)? According to feminist STS, the conferral of subjectivity has been nationalized, racialized, and sexualized, and the influence of non-human life and non-living matter has been underemphasized. We suggest that sociological research could benefit from a more expansive understanding of subjectivity and a more interactive (or “entangled”) notion of social–material relations. Human relations and action need not just be considered in the context of the human and social but can also be considered in relation to the non-human and material. To make the implications of feminist STS more concrete, we offer specific applications of feminist STS methodologies across a range of sociological methods and topics.
The Porphobilinogen Conundrum in Prebiotic Routes to Tetrapyrrole Macrocycles

Attempts to develop a credible prebiotic route to tetrapyrroles have relied on enzyme-free recapitulation of the extant biosynthesis, but this process has foundered from the inability to form the pyrrole porphobilinogen (PBG) in good yield by self-condensation of the precursor δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). PBG undergoes robust oligomerization in aqueous solution to give uroporphyrinogen (4 isomers) in good yield. ALA, PBG, and uroporphyrinogen III are universal precursors to all known tetrapyrrole macrocycles. The enzymic formation of PBG entails carbon-carbon bond formation between the less stable enolate/enamine of one ALA molecule (3-position) and the carbonyl/imine (4-position) of the second ALA molecule; without enzymes, the first ALA reacts at the more stable enolate/enamine (5-position) and gives the pyrrole pseudo-PBG. pseudo-PBG cannot self-condense, yet has one open α-pyrrole position and is proposed to be a terminator of oligopyrromethane chain-growth from PBG. Here, 23 analogues of ALA have been subjected to density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations, but no motif has been identified that directs reaction at the 3-position. Deuteriation experiments suggested 5-(phosphonooxy)levulinic acid would react preferentially at the 3- versus 5-position, but a hybrid condensation with ALA gave no observable uroporphyrin. The results suggest efforts toward a biomimetic, enzyme-free route to tetrapyrroles from ALA should turn away from structure-directed reactions and focus on catalysts that orient the two aminoketones to form PBG in a kinetically controlled process, thereby avoiding formation of pseudo-PBG.
Querying Without Keyboards.

Computing devices that use non-traditional methods to interact with data are becoming more popular than those that use keyboard-based interaction. Applications and query interfaces for such devices pose a fundamentally different set of workloads on the underlying databases. We characterize these differences and show how today’s query representation and evaluation techniques are not well-suited to these new non-keyboard interaction modalities. We propose a new database architecture to address these issues, and demonstrate that it can be built using already existing components.
Electronic circuits for adaptive synapses

Publisher Summary The synapse is a primary component of all neural networks. It is the synapses, when modified by appropriate learning paradigms, that embody what is represented by the network. They collectively represent both the memory of the network and its functioning. In concentrating on electronic implementations of synapses, one neglects neuron elements, the network architectures, computational approaches, and any learning techniques. In addition, most of the synaptic circuits presented are modifiable, either by internal or external control, though some can be written only once. This chapter discusses the networks that perform higher cognitive operations such as pattern learning, classification, or association, though some of the techniques might carry over to other types of networks. It also discusses synaptic connections whose weight elements are represented by discrete values, beginning with two-valued weighted connections and proceeding to multibit binary representations. These discrete weight implementations employ a variety of techniques for storing the weights including local static registers implemented with RAM's or latches, or charge stored on a capacitor in discrete quantities that should be periodically refreshed.
Improved spatial resolution in thick, fully-depleted CCDs with enhanced red sensitivity

The point spread function (PSF) is an important measure of spatial resolution in CCDs for point-like objects, since it can affect use in imaging and spectroscopic applications. We present new data and theoretical developments in the study of lateral charge diffusion in thick, fully-depleted charge-coupled devices (CCDs) developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Because they are fully depleted, the LBNL devices have no field-free region, and diffusion can be controlled through the application of an external bias voltage. We give results for a 3512times3512 format, 10.5 mum pixel back-illuminated p-channel CCD developed for the SuperNova/Acceleration Probe (SNAP), a proposed satellite-based experiment designed to study dark energy. The PSF was measured at substrate bias voltages between 3 V and 115 V. At a bias voltage of 115 V, we measure an rms diffusion of 3.7plusmn0.2 mum. Lateral charge diffusion in LBNL CCDs is thus expected to meet the SNAP requirements
Understanding High School Students' Reading, Remixing, and Writing Codeable Circuits for Electronic Textiles

In this paper, we examine students? learning about computing by designing, coding, and remixing electronic textiles with sensor inputs and light outputs. We conducted a workshop with 23 high school students ages 16-17 years who learned how to craft and code circuits with the LilyPad Arduino, an electronic textile construction kit. Our analyses not only confirm significant increases in students' understanding of functional circuits but also showcase students' ability in reading, remixing and writing program code for controlling circuits. In our discussion, we address opportunities and challenges of introducing codeable circuit design for integrating maker activities that include engineering and computing into K-12 classrooms.
Targeting glutamate signalling in depression: progress and prospects

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is severely disabling, and current treatments have limited efficacy. The glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine was recently repurposed as a rapidly acting antidepressant, catalysing the vigorous investigation of glutamate-signalling modulators as novel therapeutic agents for depressive disorders. In this Review, we discuss the progress made in the development of such modulators for the treatment of depression, and examine recent preclinical and translational studies that have investigated the mechanisms of action of glutamate-targeting antidepressants. Fundamental questions remain regarding the future prospects of this line of drug development, including questions concerning safety and tolerability, efficacy, dose-response relationships and therapeutic mechanisms.
Utilizing electropalatography to train palatalized versus unpalatalized consonant productions by native speakers of American English learning Russian

Previous research has shown that English-speaking learners of Russian, even those with advanced proficiency, often have not acquired the contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants, which is a central feature of the Russian consonant system. The present study examined whether training utilizing electropalatography (EPG) could help a group of Russian learners achieve more native-like productions of this contrast. Although not all subjects showed significant improvements, on average, the Russian learners showed an increase from pre- to post-training in the second formant frequency of vowels preceding palatalized consonants, thus enhancing their contrast between palatalized and unpalatalized consonants. To determine whether these acoustic differences were associated with increased identification accuracy, three native Russian speakers listened to all pre- and post-training productions. A modest increase in identification accuracy was observed. These results suggest that even short-term EPG training can be an effective intervention with adult L2 learners.
Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation Among Transgender Youth in California: Findings From a Representative, Population-Based Sample of High School Students

Objective No representative population-based studies of youth in the United States exist on gender identity-related disparities in suicidal ideation or on factors that underlie this disparity. To address this, this study examined gender identity-related disparities in the prevalence of suicidal ideation; evaluated whether established psychosocial factors explained these disparities; and identified correlates of suicidal ideation among all youth and stratified by gender identity. Method Data were derived from the 2013 to 2015 California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS; N = 621,189) and a weighted subsample representative of the Californian student population (Biennial Statewide California Student Survey [CSS], N = 28,856). Results Prevalence of past 12-month self-reported suicidal ideation was nearly twice as high for transgender compared with non-transgender youth (33.73% versus 18.85%; χ2 = 35.48, p Conclusion This study uses the first representative population-based sample of youth in the United States that includes a measurement of gender identity to report on gender identity-related disparities in suicidal ideation and to identify potential mechanisms underlying this disparity in a representative sample.