cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A pilot study investigating the efficacy of brief, phone-based, behavioral interventions for burnout in graduate students.

OBJECTIVE This pilot study tested the efficacy of two brief, phone-administered, behavioral interventions derived from behavioral activation in reducing burnout among doctoral students. METHODS Sixty-six doctoral students demonstrating current high burnout were randomly assigned to one of three intervention conditions: (1) Reward: increasing pleasant, rewarding behaviors, (2) Approach: approaching important goals that they have been avoiding, or (3) Control: monitoring only. RESULTS Results indicated that doctoral students treated with the approach intervention reported significantly lower burnout compared to participants in the control condition immediately after the intervention and at a 1-week follow-up. Results also suggested that students in the approach intervention also reported higher well-being compared to students in the control condition. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that this approach intervention is an effective treatment for school burnout for doctoral students that can be delivered remotely through phone and web technology.
Hoigne Syndrome Secondary to Intravenous Lidocaine in a Woman with Metastatic Ewing Sarcoma.

Introduction: Palliative care providers are increasingly using lidocaine infusions for refractory cancer pain. Hoigne syndrome (HS) is a rare psychiatric reaction that has been reported after local anesthetic usage, but has not been described in the palliative care setting. Case Report: We report a case of a young woman with metastatic Ewing sarcoma who developed HS days after starting a lidocaine infusion. Given the improvement in her pain since initiation of lidocaine, the decision was made to continue the infusion and medically manage her HS. She had improvement with the addition of benzodiazepines and lowering the lidocaine infusion rate. Discussion: Palliative care providers should be aware of HS as a possible side effect of lidocaine infusions and the unique challenges in managing it in patients near the end of life.
Surgical Treatment of Pediatric Dog-bite Wounds: A 5-year Retrospective Review.

Introduction Dog bites are a significant health concern in the pediatric population. Few studies published to date have stratified the injuries caused by dog bites based on surgical severity to elucidate the contributing risk factors. Methods We used an electronic hospital database to identify all patients ≤17 years of age treated for dog bites from 2013-2018. Data related to patient demographics, injury type, intervention, dog breed, and payer source were collected. We extracted socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey. Data related to dog breed was obtained from public records on dog licenses. We calculated descriptive statistics as well as relative risk of dog bite by breed. Results Of 1,252 injuries identified in 967 pediatric patients, 17.1% required consultation with a surgical specialist for repair. Bites affecting the head/neck region were most common (61.7%) and most likely to require operating room intervention (P = 0.002). The relative risk of a patient being bitten in a low-income area was 2.24, compared with 0.46 in a high-income area. Among cases where the breed of dog responsible for the bite was known, the dog breed most commonly associated with severe bites was the pit bull (relative risk vs German shepherd 8.53, relative risk vs unknown, 3.28). Conclusion The majority of injuries did not require repair and were sufficiently handled by an emergency physician. Repair by a surgical specialist was required
The combining of Discourse Markers – A beginning

Abstract While Discourse Markers (DMs) have been studied as individual markers (e.g., but, so, instead), little work has been done on their ability to combine. In this paper I explore what combinations of Contrastive Discourse Markers (CDM) occur in English (e.g., but, on the other hand), what combinations of Implicative Discourse Markers (IDM) occur (e.g., so, as a result), and what combinations occur when one member is taken from each class (e.g., but, as a result; so, instead). Whereas the combinations of CDMs are permitted relatively often, combinations of IDMs are fewer, and cross-class combinations of CDM-IDM and IDM–CDM still fewer. No satisfactory explanation is available yet for why certain DMs combine while others do not. In addition, there is the possibility that different genres, social dialects and styles may further muddy the waters.
A New ADI Scheme for Solving Three-Dimensional Parabolic Differential Equations

A new alternating-direction implicit (ADI) scheme for solving three-dimensional parabolic differential equations has been developed based on the idea of regularized difference scheme. It is unconditionally stable and second-order accurate. Further, it overcomes the drawback of the Douglas scheme and is to be very well to simulate fast transient phenomena and to efficiently capture steady state solutions of parabolic differential equations. Numerical example is illustrated.
Impact of Arrivals on Departure Taxi Operations at Airports

Aircraft taxi operations are a major source of fuel burn and emissions on the ground. Given rising fuel prices and growing concerns about the contributions of aviation to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, recent research aims to develop strategies to reduce fuel burn at airports. In order to develop such strategies, an understanding of taxi operations and the factors that affect taxi-out times is required. This paper describes an analysis of taxi-out times at two major U.S. airports in order to identify the primary causal factors affecting the duration of taxi-out operations. Through an analysis of departures out of John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, several variables affecting taxi-out times were identified, including primarily the number of arrivals and number of departures during the taxi-out operation of an aircraft. Previous literature suggests that the number of arrivals on the surface has limited influence on taxi-out times; however, this analysis demonstrates that the number of arrivals is in fact significantly correlated with taxi-out times. Furthermore, we find that arrivals have a greater impact on taxi-out times under runway configurations where there is increased interaction between arrivals and departures.
The Effects of Direct Instruction Flashcards on Sight Word Skills ofan Elementary Student with a Specific Learning Disability

The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a Direct Instruction (DI) flashcard system to teach sight word acquisition to a 6 th grade student with a documented Specific Learning Disability. Multiple baseline designs were used across word sets with each student to evaluate the effectiveness of the flashcard procedures. A functional relationship was demonstrated between the use of the strategies and the reading of sight words for the participant. The study showed that DI flashcards are able to be an effective way to teach students with specific learning disabilities (SLP). Both staff and students enjoyed the intervention.
Utility of magnetic resonance imaging in the management of breast cancer: evidence for improved preoperative staging.

PURPOSE: The staging and treatment for breast cancer are changing; there is an increase in the incidence of ductal carcinoma-in-situ, the use of fine-needle aspiration and stereotactic biopsy for diagnosis, and the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Thus, there is a need for a tool to assess more precisely the extent of cancer in the breast before surgery. To better plan surgical and chemotherapeutic interventions, we evaluated high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as such a tool. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with 58 cases of breast cancer were evaluated preoperatively with MRI using a technique called the triple-acquisition rapid gradient echo technique to maximize anatomic detail. Imaging results were compared with mammography and subsequent pathology results. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging correctly identified residual or primary cancer in 55 of 58 cases and accurately predicted the extent of the cancer in 54 of 58 cases. The anatomic extent was more accurately defined with ...
The modern era of HIV-1 vaccine development

More than 30 years after the discovery of HIV-1, where are we in our quest to develop a vaccine that could prevent human infections and help stem the global HIV-1 pandemic? The truth is, unfortunately, that we are not yet close. Even at the laboratory bench, we do not have a vaccine that can induce cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies—the type of response likely needed to provide high-level protective immunity ( 1 , 2 ). This goal of inducing neutralizing antibodies has proved especially intractable and remains a focus of HIV-1 vaccine researchers. A major culprit in this story is the structurally complex surface envelope glycoprotein (Env) that mediates entry of HIV-1 into host cells ( 3 ). On pages 154, 191, and 156 of this issue, Sanders et al. ( 4 ), Chen et al. ( 5 ), and Jardine et al. ( 6 ), respectively, and another study ( 7 ), provide new insights into the nature of the HIV-1 Env trimer, its potential use as a vaccine, and how the humoral immune system generates antibodies with the necessary characteristics to neutralize HIV-1.
Evaluation of patency of synthetic and autogenous venous and arterial micrografts in rats

Long-term patency rates of synthetic and autogenous venous and arterial microvascular grafts in rats were compared. The grafts were interposed between the carotid arteries. The geometry of the anastomoses was designed in a manner intended to be comparable to the situation commonly encountered in cerebral revascularization procedures in man. Patency rates were 37.5% for synthetic grafts, 90% for venous grafts, and 60% for arterial grafts. Venous grafts are the best currently available microvascular prostheses.
Molecular simulation study of structural and dynamic properties of mixed DPPC/DPPE bilayers

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study structural and dynamic properties of fully hydrated mixed 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) bilayers at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mol % DPPE. Simulations were performed for 50 ns at 350 K and 1 bar for the liquid-crystalline state of the mixtures. Results show that the average area per headgroup reduces from 0.65 ± 0.01 nm2 in pure DPPC to 0.52 ± 0.01 nm2 in pure DPPE systems. The lipid tails become more ordered with increasing DPPE concentration, resulting in a slight increase in membrane thickness (3.43 ± 0.01 nm in pure DPPC to 4.00 ± 0.01 nm in pure DPPE). The calculated area per headgroup and order parameter for pure DPPE deviates significantly from available experimental measurements, suggesting that the force field employed requires further refinement. In-depth analysis of the hydrogen-bond distribution in DPPE molecules shows that the amine groups strongly interact with the phosphate and carbonyl groups through inter/intramolecular hydrogen bonds. This yields a bilayer structure with DPPE headgroups preferentially located near the lipid phosphate and ester oxygens. It is observed that increasing DPPE concentrations causes competitive hydrogen bonding between the amine groups (hydrogen-donor) and the phosphate/carbonyl groups or water (hydrogen-acceptor). Due to the increasing number of hydrogen-donors from DPPE molecules with increasing concentration, DPPE becomes more hydrated. Trajectory analysis shows that DPPE molecules in the lipid mixtures move laterally and randomly around the membrane surface and the movement becomes more localized with increasing DPPE concentrations. For the conditions and simulation time considered, no aggregation or phase separation was observed between DPPC and DPPE.
Computerized condition-specific templates for improving care of geriatric syndromes in a primary care setting

INTRODUCTION: As the U.S. population ages, primary care clinicians (PCCs) will encounter more patients with geriatric syndromes, such as urinary incontinence (UI) and falls. Yet, current evidence suggests that care of these conditions does not meet expected standards and that PCCs would benefit from tools to improve care of these conditions. Little is known about the role of computerized condition-specific templates for improving care of geriatric syndromes. AIM: We sought to develop and assess the usefulness of condition-specific computerized templates in a primary care setting. SETTING: A large academic Veterans Affairs medical center. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: We developed and tested the usefulness of 2 condition-specific computerized templates (UI and falls) that could be added on to an existing electronic health record system. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Semistructured interviews were used to identify barriers to use of computerized templates. Usefulness and usability were assessed through a randomized-controlled trial involving standardized patients. DISCUSSION: Use of condition-specific templates resulted in improved history and physical exam assessment for both UI and falls (P<.05). Our computerized, condition-specific templates are a promising method for improving care of geriatric conditions in a primary care setting, but require improvement in usability before widespread implementation.
Antibiotic prophylaxis against postoperative wound infections.

Hospital-acquired infections pose a large health burden. Fortunately, much can be done to improve infection control. The value of antibiotic prophylaxis for certain types of surgery is backed by strong evidence, and clear guidelines for its implementation have been issued by surgical societies. This article reviews the evidence for antibiotic prophylaxis in surgeries with minimal expected contamination of the wound site; discusses the timing, type, and duration of antibiotic administration; and highlights topics of controversy in preventing and managing perioperative infections. Methods of instituting new standards for a hospital team are also discussed.
Characterization of group C meningococcal polysaccharide by light-scattering spectroscopy. III. Determination of molecular weight, radius of gyration, and translational diffusional coefficient.

Group-specific polysaccharides isolated by means of a cetavlon procedure are immunogenic in man and induce protective immunity against meningococcal meningitis. Minute quantities of the polymers in solution can act as vaccines. We now report the first characterization of a fractionated (C-1) group C polysaccharide in 0.4KM KCl and 0.05M sodium acetate by means of light-scattering spectroscopy. Independent measurements of refractive index increments, absolute scattered intensities, angular scattering intensities and line widths as a function of scattering angles and delay times at different concentrations using incident wavelengths of 632.8 nm from a He–Ne laser and of 488 nm from an argon–ion laser yield information on aggregation properties, molecular weight (Mr), radius of gyration 〈r0g〉1/2z, translational diffusion coefficient 〈D〉0z, and second virial coefficients A2 and B2 of C-1 polysaccharide. At relatively high ionic strength (0.04M KCl + 0.05M sodium acetate), we obtain for the C-1 polysaccharide in solution Mr = 5.15 × 105, 〈r2g〉1/2z = 345 A, A2 = 1.25 × 10−4 ml/g, 〈D〉 = 1.16 × 10−7 cm2/sec with a corresponding Stokes radius of 240 A and B2 = 4.4 ml/g. A2 and B2 are the second virial coefficients from intensity- and diffusion-coefficient measurements. The C-1 polysaccharide aggregates in solution and behaves hydrodynamically like random coils. Viscosity and sedimentation studies further confirm our conclusions that the fractioned C-1 polysaccharide aggregates in solution and EDTA can partially break up those aggregates. However, the system remains polydisperse even after adding an excess amount of EDTA. The weight-average molecular weight of the C-1 polysaccharide in solution depends upon ionic strength and exhibits a minimum at ∼0.2M KCl. Finally, viscosity, light-scattering, and sedimentation results all show that the aggregated macromolecular system behaves like random-coiled polymers with no measurable shape factors.
Optimal regimes of facilitated transport

Abstract An optimization of facilitated transport in liquid membranes is accomplished to determine the maximum facilitation factor and corresponding dimensionless equilibrium constant for a given inverse Damkohler number, ϵ, and a parameter, α, which is directly proportional to the initial carrier concentration. The analysis covers the entire range of diffusion-limited to reaction-limited mass transport. A wide range of downstream permeate concentrations are also considered. The existence of the maximum is demonstrated. The optimal facilitation factor and optimal dimensionless equilibrium constant are plotted for a range 0.001 ≤ ϵ ≤ 10.0 and 0.01 ≤ α ≤ 100.0 For this range the optimal dimensionless equilibrium constant lies between 1.5 and 10. The optimal facilitation factor increases with decreasing ϵ and is strongly dependent on α. As the downstream permeate concentration increases, the optimal facilitation factor and dimensionless equilibrium constant both decrease. The results can be used to select optimal operating conditions and/or carriers, or to compare actual to optimal results.
Frontolimbic structural changes in borderline personality disorder.

Objective Frontolimbic dysfunction is observed in borderline personality disorder (BPD), with responses to emotional stimuli that are exaggerated in the amygdala and impaired in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This pattern of altered function is consistent with animal models of stress responses and depression, where hypertrophic changes in the amygdala and atrophic changes in the ACC are observed. We tested the hypothesis that BPD patients exhibit gross structural changes that parallel the respective increases in amygdala activation and impairment of rostral/subgenual ACC activation.
Environmental management and economic development

Environmental degradation threatens the productivity of agricultural and forest resources on which developing countries depend for their economic growth. The problem is most pervasive in the poorest countries, where poverty and population pressures compel people to deplete the natural resources to meet their immediate needs for survival. Forests are burned to make room for food crops, the soil is depleted when cow dung must be used for cooking fuel instead of fertilizer - and both the environment and prospects for economic betterment suffer. This volume shows clearly that much environmental damage is the result of either shortsighted policies or lack of knowledge, as when insecure land tenure, artificially low farm prices, and illiteracy keep farmers from practicing soil conservation. The authors analyze the relation between environmental factors and economic development and focus on how developing countries can protect and even improve their natural environment while continuing to improve the economic and social welfare of their people. They look at analytical and methodological questions, illustrate in detail many of the problems, and point to possible solutions. Contrary to other recent studies, this book finds cause for some optimism: governments are turning their attention to these issues, examining the environmental effects of various economic policies, and taking steps to preserve the environment and prevent further damage.
Anharmonic aspects of magnetomechanical damping

Abstract Nonlinear aspects of the magnetization process in vibrating iron are studied by using the harmonics of both acoustic and magnetic coil signals. The prediction of elementary hysteresis theory that the harmonics should all vary as e 2 is borne out to a considerable extent, and some of the exceptions appear to mark the onset of another mechanism of damping at the higher amplitudes. The prediction of only odd harmonics is less well obeyed by these data.
Regulation of Chromatin Organization and Inducible Gene Expression by a Drosophila Insulator

Insulators are multiprotein-DNA complexes thought to affect gene expression by mediating inter- and intrachromosomal interactions. Drosophila insulators contain specific DNA-binding proteins plus common components, such as CP190, that facilitate these interactions. Here, we examine changes in the distribution of Drosophila insulator proteins during the heat-shock and ecdysone responses. We find that CP190 recruitment to insulator sites is the main regulatable step in controlling insulator function during heat shock. In contrast, both CP190 and DNA-binding protein recruitment are regulated during the ecdysone response. CP190 is necessary to stabilize specific chromatin loops and for proper activation of transcription of genes regulated by this hormone. These findings suggest that cells may regulate recruitment of insulator proteins to DNA to activate insulator activity at specific sites and create distinct patterns of nuclear organization that are necessary to achieve proper gene expression in response to different stimuli.
Chair Summaries from the 2006 Innovative Confinement Concepts (ICC) Workshop

The goal of the ICC program within the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) is to improve magnetic and inertial fusion concepts and to advance plasma science. ICC2006 is a continuation of the ICC series, which last year met in Madison, Wisconsin. It provides a forum for an exchange of ideas through presentations and discussions on the science and status of Innovative Confinement Concepts research, and for new ideas. The meeting provides feedback from the ICC community to the DOE OFES. In addition to invited talks on these topics, contributed papers are solicited describing experimental, theoretical, or computational work presently done in the ICC program, and also papers describing new ideas for possible proposals. The contributed papers were presented as posters, which were displayed during the workshop. The program committee also selected a subset of the contributed papers for oral presentation. A “skunkworks” session is included for completely new ideas (and novel twists to old ones).
Effect of Procainesterase Levels on Duration of Procaine Local Anesthesia

This study originated with the observation that rabbit serums consistently exhibited low levels of cholinesterase activity while having variable levels of procainesterase activity. This finding enabled the authors to determine the effects of procainesterase on the duration of procaine anesthesia using a single species. On conducting double blind duration studies, an inverse correlation between serum procainesterase activity and duration of conduction anesthesia existed which was highly significant ( p
Competency-based training “Helping Mothers Survive: Bleeding after Birth” for providers from central and remote facilities in three countries

Abstract Objective To validate a new training module for skilled and semiskilled birth attendants authorized to provide care at birth—Helping Mothers Survive: Bleeding After Birth (HMS:BAB)—aimed at reducing postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. BAB training involves single-day, facility-based training that emphasizes simulation of scenarios related to prevention, detection, and management of postpartum hemorrhage. Methods A total of 155 skilled and semiskilled birth attendants participated in training in India, Malawi, and Zanzibar, Tanzania. Knowledge and confidence were assessed before and after training. Skills and acceptability were assessed after training. Results Knowledge and confidence scores improved significantly from pre- to post-training among all cadres in all three countries. The proportion of providers with passing knowledge scores increased significantly from pre- to post-training among all cadres except for those already high at baseline. On three post-training skills tests the overall proportion of individuals with a passing score ranged from 83% to 89%. Conclusion BAB training in prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage increased knowledge and confidence among skilled and semiskilled birth attendants. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of this training on skills retention and clinical outcomes following postpartum hemorrhage, after broader implementation of the training program.
NEUROBEHAVIORAL EVALUATION OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS WITH INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE 1177

Significant differences in neurobehavioral examination were noted in 11 premature infants (BW 836 +/- 193g, GA 26.1 +/- 2.2wks) with IVH compared to 16 controls (BW 1072 +/- 242g, GA 28.7 +/- 2.2wks). The standardized Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) exam was applied at 34-36 wks. The results were expressed as a ratio between raw and normative data[*p<0.03]: Table
Lanonia (Arecaceae: Palmae), a New Genus from Asia, with a Revision of the Species

A recent phylogenetic study based on molecular data indicates that Licuala (Arecaceae: Palmae) is not monophyletic. A highly supported group of species is resolved separately from Licuala and the rest of the Livistoninae, and is closely related to Johannesteijsmannia, requiring that the segregate group be placed in a new genus. In this study a phylogeny based on seven gene regions resolves highly supported generic relationships of the Livistoninae. A survey of Licuala specimens from several herbaria indicates that, based on morphology, eight species should be recognized within this genus. A complete description of the new genus, Lanonia, is given. A review of morphology distinguishes synapomorphies in leaf morphology and dioecy of Lanonia species. All eight species are described with complete synonymy, their distributions are mapped, and lists of specimens examined are given. One species occurs in Hainan, one in Java, and six are endemic or nearly endemic to Vietnam. The following new combinations are made: L. acaulis, L. calciphila, L. centralis, L. dasyantha, L. gracilis, L. hainanensis, L. hexasepala, and L. magalonii.
Beneficial effects of lifelong caloric restriction on endothelial function are greater in conduit arteries compared to cerebral resistance arteries

Endothelial dysfunction occurs in conduit and cerebral resistance arteries with advancing age. Lifelong caloric restriction (CR) can prevent the onset of age-related dysfunction in many tissues, but its effects on cerebral resistance artery function, as compared with conduit artery function, have not been determined. We measured endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) in the carotid artery and middle cerebral artery (MCA) from young (5–7 months), old ad libitum fed (AL, 29–32 months), and old lifelong CR (CR, 40 % CR, 29–32 months) B6D2F1 mice. Compared with young, EDD for old AL was 24 % lower in the carotid and 47 % lower in the MCA (p 0.05), but was 25 % lower than young in the MCA (p 0.05), with no effect in young or old CR (p > 0.05). In the MCA, incubation with TEMPOL or the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin augmented EDD in old AL (p < 0.05), but reduced EDD in young and old CR (p < 0.05). Thus, age-related endothelial dysfunction is prevented by lifelong CR completely in conduit arteries, but only partially in cerebral resistance arteries. These benefits of lifelong CR on EDD result from lower oxidative stress and greater NO bioavailability.
Zuyin Pu Receives 2012 International Award: Citation

Zuyin Pu received the 2012 International Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 5 December 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. The award honors “an individual scientist or a small team for making an outstanding contribution to furthering the Earth and space sciences and using science for the benefit of society in less favored nations.
On the delay-dependent involvement of the hippocampus in object recognition memory

The role of the hippocampus in object recognition memory processes is unclear in the current literature. Conflicting results have been found in lesion studies of both primates and rodents. Procedural differences between studies, such as retention interval, may explain these discrepancies. In the present study, acute lidocaine administration was used to temporarily inactivate the hippocampus prior to training in the spontaneous object recognition task. Male C57BL/6J mice were administered bilateral lidocaine (4%, 0.5 microl/side) or aCSF (0.5 microl/side) directly into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus 5 min prior to sample object training, and object recognition memory was tested after a short ( 5 min) or long (24 h) retention interval. There was no effect of intra-hippocampal lidocaine on the time needed for mice to accumulate sample object exploration, suggesting that inactivation of the hippocampus did not affect sample session activity or the motivation to explore objects. Lidocaine-treated mice exhibited impaired object recognition memory, measured as reduced novel object preference, after a 24 h but not a 5 min retention interval. These data support a delay-dependent role for the hippocampus in object recognition memory, an effect consistent with the results of hippocampal lesion studies conducted in rats. However, these data are also consistent with the view that the hippocampus is involved in object recognition memory regardless of retention interval, and that object recognition processes of parahippocampal structures (e.g., perirhinal cortex) are sufficient to support object recognition memory over short retention intervals.
Dissociation of bacteriophage T4 DNa polymerase and its processivity clamp after completion of Okazaki fragment synthesis

The mechanism of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase (gp43) and clamp (gp45) protein dissociation from the holoenzyme·DNA complex was investigated under conditions simulating the environment encountered upon completion of an Okazaki fragment. Lagging strand DNA synthesis was approximated using a synthetic construct comprised of a doubly biotinylated, streptavidin-bound 62-mer DNA template, paired with complementary primers to generate an internal 12-base gap where the 5‘-end primer contained either a 5‘-OH (DNA primer) or a 5‘-triphosphate (RNA primer) group. Rapid kinetic measurements revealed that upon encountering the blocking primer, the holoenzyme either dissociates from DNA (∼40%) or strand-displaces the blocking strand (∼60%). The two blocking oligonucleotides (DNA or RNA) induce a 30−50-fold increase in the rate of holoenzyme dissociation, with both polymerase and clamp proteins dissociating simultaneously. Inhibition of ATP hydrolysis by ATP-γ-S did not have a measurable effect upon holoenzyme dissoc...
Nafcillin Entry into Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

The entry of nafcillin into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of humans was studied in the absence of meningeal inflammation. Twenty studies were performed in 18 patients receiving 40 mg of sodium nafcillin per kg intravenously over 30 min. The CSF specimens were obtained at 1, 2, 3, and 4 h postinfusion, and sera were obtained at 5 min and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h. Nafcillin was uniformly detected in the lumbar CSF at 1 h, peaked at 2 h postinfusion, and was still detectable in the CSF of three of four patients studied at 4 h.
Corrosion of polymer–concrete composites in hydrochloric acid at elevated temperature†

A series of polymer-concrete (PC) materials were evaluated in 30% hydrochloric acid at 90/sup 0/C. It was shown that a polymer aggregated with quartz sand is a potential candidate for use in coating or construction materials for hydrogen-chlorine energy storage systems. The results have shown that the corrosion rate of PC in this solution is a diffusion-controlled process. The major weight loss can be attributed to the presence of cement in the PC samples. The influence of the sand/cement ratio, and the crosslinking agent content on the corrosion of PC samples is also discussed.
Integrated bioprinting and imaging for scalable, networkable desktop experimentation

Adaptations of mass-market consumer electronics are increasingly used to aid experimentation in engineering, life sciences, and education. Inspired by recent bioprinting and imaging research, we have developed a low-cost, networkable, scalable bioprinter with integrated imaging that enables automated fluid deposition with monitoring biological materials over a large area that can interface with standard plasticware. We re-engineered a desktop printer and scanner with mechanical workarounds (rather than software) to leverage the unmodified software, creating a complete system for ∼$700. We found that the resulting print accuracy and precision of this system were close to those of the unmodified printer and scanner. We demonstrate the reach of this system by printing multiple strains of Escherichia coli, performing quantitative time-lapse recordings of bacterial growth, and then separating different fluorescent strains according to color. A fluid-deposition and imaging platform, like the one developed here, could be integrated for do-it-yourself research, remote experimentation, and (on-line) education.
Laser Doppler measurement of cutaneous blood flow.

This work describes an instrument for the noninvasive measurement of cutaneous blood flow velocity. The system utilizes the Doppler shift of laser light backscattered from moving red blood cells in the cutaneous microcirculation, the shift being obtained by an optical heterodyning technique. Comparison is made between this technique and the 133 xenon clearance technique in measuring cutaneous flow in the forearms of normal volunteers. Variations in flow were obtained by inducing different degrees of solar erythema with an ultraviolet sunlamp. A Y on X linear regression yielded a regression coefficient=0.89 (p n = 16) between the two methods. The laser Doppler method appears to represent a practical technique for clinical evaluation of cutaneous blood flow in any skin surface.
Initial increase in the cryoglobulin level after rituximab therapy for type II cryoglobulinemia secondary to Waldenström macroglobulinemia does not indicate failure of response.

Type II (mixed) cryoglobulinemia is a systemic vasculitis that may affect many organs, including the skin, leading to ulcerations secondary to immune complex deposition. We report a patient who presented with a large necrotic ulcerative lesion on the right ankle secondary to type II cryoglobulinemic vasculitis due to Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia that was resistant to multiple modalities of therapy. Amputation to prevent further necrosis and infections was almost performed. Treatment with rituximab was initiated and the patient had a dramatic response. This case report highlights the effectiveness and prompt response to rituximab when used in patients with small vessel vasculitis and skin ulceration. We describe a rise in the cryoglobulin level that may occur initially after rituximab therapy.
Phenanthrene Sorption to Sequentially Extracted Soil Humic Acids and Humins

Humic substances strongly influence the environmental fate of hydrophobic organic chemicals in soils and sediments. In this study, the sorption of phenanthrene by humic acids (HAs) and humins was examined. HAs were obtained from progressively extracting a soil, eight times with 0.1 M Na4P207 and two times with 0.1 M NaOH solution, and then the residue was separated into two humin fractions by their organic carbon contents. The chemical and structural heterogeneity of the HAs and humins were characterized by elemental analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and solid-state 13C NMR. There were significant chemical and structural differences among the HA fractions and humins; the later extracted HAs had relatively high aliphatic carbons content. All sorption data were fitted to a Freundlich equation, S = K(F)C(N), where S and C are the sorbed and solution-phase concentrations, respectively, and K(F) and N are constants. All of the phenanthrene sorptions were nonlinear, and the nonlinearity decreased with further extractions from 0.90 (first extracted HA) to 0.96 (ninth HA) and was the lowest (0.88) for the higher organic carbon content humin. Phenanthrene sorption coefficient by HAs significantly increased with progressive extractions, being the highest for the humins. For HAs isotherms, a positive trend was observed between the sorption coefficient and the aliphaticity, but a negative relation was shown between the nonlinearity and the aliphaticity and between the sorption capacity and polarity of HAs. Phenanthrene sorption was greatly affected by chemical structure and composition of humic substances, even from a same soil. In addition, polarity of humic substances seems to mainly regulate the magnitude of phenanthrene sorption rather than structure.
The Effect of External Conditions on Growth in Latin America

This paper investigates the sensitivity of Latin American GDP growth to external developments using a Bayesian vector-autoregressive model with informative steady-state priors. The model is estimated using quarterly data from 1994 to 2007 on key external and Latin American variables. It finds that 50 to 60 percent of the variation in Latin American GDP growth is accounted for by external shocks. Conditional forecasts for a variety of external scenarios suggest that Latin American growth is robust to moderate declines in commodity prices and external growth, but sensitive to more extreme shocks, particularly a combined external slowdown and tightening of world financial conditions.
Globalization, Democratization, and the Prospects for Civil War in the New Millennium

The last half of the twentieth century was marked by dramatic changes in the patterns of armed conflict in the world. First, whereas wars between sovereign nation-states had defined the contours of international politics for the previous three hundred years, civil wars—revolutions, secessionist wars, and anticolonial revolts—became the most frequent and deadly forms of armed conflict in the post-World War II era. The Correlates of War data indicate that between 1945 and 1999 there were only twenty-five interstate wars (resulting in a total of 3.3 million battle deaths), but five times as many civil wars (127) occurred, resulting in five times as many battle deaths (16.2 million) (Fearon and Laitin 2003:75). Second, whereas the major powers (including Europe, the United States, China, and Japan) had been the site of most of the world's interstate wars, the Third World—Asia, Africa, and Latin America—became the locus of almost all the armed conflict that punctuated the history of the last half-century. While Europe enjoyed what John Gaddis (1986) termed the “long peace” (the longest period in the post-Westphalia era without a major war among the major powers), conflicts in the Third World inflicted all but 176,000 of the 22 million battle deaths that occurred between 1945 and 1989 (Holsti 1992:37). If the restructuring of the international system that occurred in the aftermath of World War II could result in such a profound transformation in the global patterns of armed conflict, we might also expect a similar shift to occur with the end of the Cold War. In this article I will explore the question of what trends, if any, we might expect to see in patterns of civil war in the new century. Will the end of the Cold War bring an end to the age of civil war or simply result …
System security control and optimal pricing of electricity

Abstract Optimal electricity spot pricing internalizes electricity transportation network costs and constraints. We extend spot pricing theory by including system security control issues in the model. The engineering and physics of system security control imposes a need for speed and precision of response. Traditionally this need has been met by central control of centrally owned equipment and little control of customer-owned equipment. We show that socially optimum prices exist which decentralize security control by internalizing its costs. These prices are robust and feasible to determine without unreasonable information requirements by the market maker. Families of optimal prices and price/quantity controls are determined and interpreted. Contingency planning and enhanced centre/market-maker roles are derived. Applications of immediate interest are also discussed, such as pricing of interruptible loads and assignment of power pool reserves. Symmetry between demand side and supply side security control is shown to be optimal.
Prevention of ultraviolet radiation-induced suppression of contact and delayed hypersensitivity by Aloe barbadensis gel extract.

We investigated the ability of Aloe barbadensis gel extract to prevent suppression of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in mice by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Local immune suppression was induced in C3H mice by exposure to four daily doses of 400 J/m2 UV-B (280 – 320 nm) radiation from FS40 sunlamps, followed by sensitization with 0.5% fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) through the irradiated skin. Topical application of 0.167-1.67% Aloe gel after each irradiation significantly reduced this suppression. Aloe treatment partially preserved the number and morphology of Langerhans and Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells in skin, compared to those in the skin of mice given only UVR or UVR plus the vehicle. Experiments using a single (2 kJ/m2) dose of UVR followed by Aloe treatment showed that the effect of Aloe was not due to screening of the UVR. Systemic suppression of DTH to Candida albicans or CHS to FITC was induced in C3H mice exposed to 5 or 10 kJ/m2 UV-B radiation, respectively, on shaved dorsal skin and sensitized 3 d later with a subcutaneous injection of formalin-fixed Candida or FITC painted on unirradiated, ventral skin. Treatment of the UV-irradiated skin with Aloe immediately after irradiation prevented suppression of both DTH to Candida and CHS to FITC. Aloe treatment did not prevent the formation of cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers in the DNA of UV-irradiated skin or accelerate the repair of these lesions. These studies demonstrate that topical application of Aloe barbadensis gel extract to the skin of UV-irradiated mice ameliorates UV-induced immune suppression by a mechanism that does not involve DNA damage or repair.
The role of CD4+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in human solid tumors

Many, if not all, solid tumors are characterized by a T cell infiltrate, usually consisting of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Characterization of both subsets of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) have shown that each population can be divided into tumor-specific and tumor-nonspecific T cells. A small proportion of tumor-specific CD4+ TIL can directly lyse tumor cells in an HLA class I- or II-restricted fashion. The majority of tumor-specific CD4+ TIL, however, recognize tumor antigens presented on HLA class II molecules by antigen-presenting cells (APC). At the same time, APC in the tumor environment express elevated levels of heat shock antigen (Hsp) 70 (and perhaps other antigens) that can be specifically recognized by tumor-nonspecific CD4+ TIL when presented by HLA class II. Functionally, CD4+ T cells can be distinguished into Th0 (production of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-gamma), Th1 (IL-2 and IFN-gamma), and Th2 (IL-4). In addition, stressed CD4+ TIL have the ability to produce the growth factors heparin binding epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor that support tumor growth. Since the efficacy of an antitumor immune response is codetermined by the net effect of stimulatory and inhibitory cytokines, a detailed understanding of the developmental pathways of CD4+ TIL subsets and their interactions is critical for the design of clinical protocols.
Tissue-Specific Profiling Reveals Transcriptome Alterations in Arabidopsis Mutants Lacking Morphological Phenotypes

Traditional genetic analysis relies on mutants with observable phenotypes. Mutants lacking visible abnormalities may nevertheless exhibit molecular differences useful for defining gene function. To examine this, we analyzed tissue-specific transcript profiles from Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factor gene mutants with known roles in root epidermis development, but lacking a single-gene mutant phenotype due to genetic redundancy. We discovered substantial transcriptional changes in each mutant, preferentially affecting root epidermal genes in a manner consistent with the known double mutant effects. Furthermore, comparing transcript profiles of single and double mutants, we observed remarkable variation in the sensitivity of target genes to the loss of one or both paralogous genes, including preferential effects on specific branches of the epidermal gene network, likely reflecting the pathways of paralog subfunctionalization during evolution. In addition, we analyzed the root epidermal transcriptome of the transparent testa glabra2 mutant to clarify its role in the network. These findings provide insight into the molecular basis of genetic redundancy and duplicate gene diversification at the level of a specific gene regulatory network, and they demonstrate the usefulness of tissue-specific transcript profiling to define gene function in mutants lacking informative visible changes in phenotype.
Recent Developments in the Ames Magnetic Testing Facility

While various NDE techniques can be used on steels, magnetic methods, which rely on the inherent ferromagnetic properties for evaluation of a wide range of materials properties [1], from flaws to residual strain, are unique to steels. In general, the changes in magnetic properties that are observed are large and therefore easily measurable. Unlike ultrasonic methods they do not need high resolution, high speed electronics for their use. Despite these obvious advantages, magnetic methods have yet to be fully exploited compared with other NDE techniques.
An NMR study of ionic motion in ammonium tungsten bronze

Abstract Ammonium tungsten bronze, (NH 4 ) x WO 3 , has been prepared and studied by X ray, and steady-state and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. It has the hexagonal bronze structure. Motional narrowing of the steady-state proton resonance line, corresponding to ionic diffusion, occurs near 200°K. Linewidth vs temperature data yields an Arrhenius activation energy for diffusion of 0.081 eV/ion. A two-pulse technique was used to measure the proton T 1 vs temperature over the range 87–323°K. Evidence for at least two T 1 minima was obtained, one below 85°K due to relaxation presumably caused by ammonium ion rotation with an associated energy barrier of 0.023 eV/ion. Another occurs near 215°K and is due to relaxation related to ionic translation. The motional narrowing experiment infers the presence of another diffusion mechanism, and a related T 1 minimum at temperatures greater than 215°K. Using an adiabatic demagnetization method, the temperature dependence of the correlation time for ionic jumps was also measured. The activation energy for ionic motion obtained from the T 1 data was about 0.075 eV/ion, and from the adiabatic demagnetization experiment was 0.065 eV/ion. With the information at hand it is not possible to identify which of the translational relaxation mechanisms is reflected in the adiabatic demagnetization data. The several possible mechanisms for ionic motion in this crystal structure are discussed, including the feasibility of dissociative equilibrium.