cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arabidopsis mRNA secondary structure correlates with protein function and domains

RNAs fold into intricate structures that are determined by specific base pairing interactions encoded within their primary sequences. Recently, a number of transcriptome-wide studies have suggested that RNA secondary structure is a potent cis-acting regulator of numerous post-transcriptional processes in viruses and eukaryotes. However, the need for experimentally-based structure determination methods has not been well addressed. Here, we show that the regulatory significance of Arabidopsis RNA secondary structure is revealed specifically through high-throughput, sequencing-based, structure mapping data, not by computational prediction. Additionally, we find that transcripts with similar levels of secondary structure in their UTRs (5' or 3') or CDS tend to encode proteins with coherent functions. Finally, we reveal that portions of mRNAs encoding predicted protein domains are significantly more structured than those specifying inter-domain regions. In total, our findings show the utility of high-throughput, sequencing-based, structure-mapping approaches and suggest that mRNA folding regulates protein maturation and function.
Tomorrow's hospital: how technology will be transforming both inpatient and at-home care.

The hospital of the future will work much more quickly and efficiently to provide better and faster care. From emergency room visits to surgery to hospital stays to outpatient care, the coming hospital will seamlessly integrate high-tech systems to improve patient outcomes. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other clinicians will be able to easily confer and communicate. That future may not be here yet, but it will be soon.
Quadratic Congruences with an Odd Number of Summands

(1966). Quadratic Congruences with an Odd Number of Summands. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 73, No. 2, pp. 138-143.
Consumer Co-production in Prolonged and Complex Services: The Case of Medication Adherence in Chronically Ill Individuals

This study examines customer co-production in a prolonged, complex, and negative service context—medication adherence in chronically ill individuals. We integrate services and medical perspectives to develop a novel theoretical framework of adherence as a nested system of co-production behaviors, characterized by temporal and scope dimensions. Utilizing a qualitative approach, our findings point to two key insights about co-production in the customer sphere. First, the enactment and form of regular-restricted, intermittent-intermediate, and irregular-expansive co-production behaviors are determined by the characteristics of the customer sphere—that is, co-production is contextualized. Second, the co-production system in the customer sphere is complex, and the different levels are interdependent. Our research contributes to the emerging literature on service co-production by elucidating the behaviors through which customers strive towards adherence. The identified co-production framework holds important implications for providers of prolonged and complex services and future research directions.
Nationalism and the Right: The PAN

The discourse of members and supporters of the main conservative opposition party in Mexico, the PAN, in party documents, reported comments, and in the publications La Nacion and Palabra , reveals that the right also searched for a new legitimizing formula during the Salinas period. In particular, individualizing trends in Mexican political culture associated with a new civil society contributed to the modification of traditional conceptions of nationality in much PAN discourse. PAN ideology had traditionally been constructed upon a non-materialist source of legitimacy delimiting the public and private realms with moral principles and generating a political vision opposed to both centralizing statism and possessive individualism. During the Salinas period, a doctrinal debate took place in which ‘neopanismo’ – the new vision of an expanding, national PAN dominated by businessmen and reflecting liberal democratic concerns – challenged a traditional notion of nationality and advanced a more materialist conception of legitimacy deriving from the liberal preoccupation with individual enterprise and social stability. Neopanismo can be seen as the concrete expression of the individualizing political culture emphasizing freedom, universal human rights and social pluralism that has accompanied democratic change in Mexico. As the PAN grew into a national opposition whose emphasis upon liberal democratic political and economic ideas deriving from this more strident individualism grew in relation to its traditional conservative principles, party ideologues found themselves confronting similar issues to the PRI, and to a lesser extent the PRD, about how to reconcile the individual and the social.
Chplvis: A Communication and Task Visualization Tool for Chapel

Tasks and locales are the two primary abstractions in Chapel, tasks for parallelism and locales for data and execution locality. Chapel contains constructs that implicitly or explicitly specify tasks and inter-locale communication. When writing Chapel programs, it is sometimes difficult, especially for new Chapel programmers, to know how tasks and inter-locale communication are generated by the program. We present a new tool, chplvis, that visually presents to a programmer this important information.
Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice

W. Au (Ed.). (2014). Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice (2nd ed.). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools. 418 pages, $24.95 (paperback). ISBN: 9780942961539.Th...
Selective removal of mercury using zinc sulfide

Selective removal of mercury from cyanide leaching solutions while retaining silver has been a long-standing problem, due to the chemical similarity of mercury and silver. In order to be practical, a mercury removal process needs to be both highly selective and use inexpensive materials. This paper reports the use of zinc sulfide (ZnS) as a precipitant for mercury. The mercury cyanide complex (Hg(CN) 4 2− ) undergoes a replacement reaction with the zinc sulfide, forming insoluble HgS, while the silver cyanide complex (Ag(CN)2−) remains in solution. Under appropriate conditions, the separation of mercury from silver is nearly quantitative, with close to 100% removal of mercury, while nearly none of the silver is precipitated.
Photo Quiz: A 46-Year-Old Man with a Lung Mass and History of Hemoptysis.

A 46-year-old man, who was a nonsmoker, presented to a hospital in Missouri for evaluation of a left upper lobe lung mass. He had initially presented to his primary care physician 7 months earlier, complaining of throat irritation, cough, and hemoptysis. He had reported coughing up about a
Laparoscopic Loop Ostomy (Loop Ileostomy and Sigmoid Colostomy)

Laparoscopic ileostomy or sigmoid colostomy may be performed for temporary or permanent diversion of the fecal stream in a patient who is fit for laparoscopy. This chapter details the indications, essential steps, common technical variations, and complications of this procedure. A detailed template operative dictation note is included.
Emergency endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography within 24 hours of hospitalization with or without endoscopic papillotomy reduced the incidence of biliary sepsis in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis

Source Citation Fan ST, Lai EC, Mok FP, et al. Early treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis by endoscopic papillotomy. N Engl J Med. 1993 Jan 28;328:228-32.
A research coding method to evaluate a smoking cessation model for training residents—A preliminary report

Abstract Objective Develop a reliable coding method of a cigarette cessation model used to train residents – a preliminary report. Methods Two trained (30 h) undergraduates coded videotaped interviews from 161 resident-simulated patient (SP) interactions. To establish reliability, coders coded 33 (20%) of 161 study set tapes for the BHTM. Cohen’s Kappa and percent of agreement were used to measure coders’ reliability in unitizing and coding residents’ skills for eliciting 5 variables: Educating, Informing, and Motivating (3 items); Commitment and Goals (3 items); Negotiate Plan (7 items); Patient-Centered Skills (9 items); Emotional Skills (6 items). Results 50 items were dichotomized a priori from analysis of the training model and were reduced to 28 during training. Kappa ranged from 0.73 to 0.87 for the 5 variables and 28 individual items. The overall kappa was 0.84, and percent of agreement was 93%. Percent of agreement by item ranged from 82 to 100%. Conclusions A highly reliable coding method, weighted (by no. of items) to highlight the key elements of the teaching, is recommended for investigators wishing to better focus on the partnership, emotions, and planning. Practice implications This is a unique way to integrate patient-centered skills into motivational interviewing.
Odontomas in two long-finned ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris):

Two adult long-finned ocellaris clownfish ( Amphiprion ocellaris) from 2 different aquaculture facilities were examined at the University of Florida, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory for oral masses. Incisional biopsies were obtained from the masses under anesthesia, and histologic examination revealed both to be odontomas. Most benign odontomas are classified as hamartomas (disorganized proliferations of tissues found normally at the site of origin). Odontomas have previously been reported in wild teleost fish in association with viral infections and pollution.
Ajmaline-Induced Slowing of Conduction in the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Cannot Account for ST Elevation in Patients With Type I Brugada ECG

See Article by Leong et al The Brugada syndrome (BrS), and more recently the early repolarization syndrome (ERS), have been associated with the development of prominent J waves and a risk for development of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, leading to sudden cardiac death.1,2 The electrocardiographic and arrhythmic manifestations of these syndromes generally manifest in young adults and occasionally in infants, leading to sudden infant death syndrome.3–5 The region of the heart most affected in BrS is the anterior right ventricular (RV) outflow tract (RVOT), accounting for why the accentuated J wave typically appear, as a coved-type ST-segment elevation, in the right precordial leads, V1-V3 (see Antzelevitch and Yan2 for references). The electrocardiographic J wave is thought to be inscribed as a consequence of transmural differences in the manifestation of the action potential (AP) notch (Figure 1). This distinction is due to the presence of a prominent transient outward current ( I to ) in the epicardium but not endocardium of the RVOT. This heterogeneity gives rise to a net inward current during the early phases of the AP that inscribe the J wave or ST-segment elevation.6 The available data suggest that an outward shift in the balance of currents active during phases 1 and 2 of the RV epicardial AP via either a reduction of inward current ( I Na or I Ca) or increase in outward current ( I to, I Kr, or I K-ATP) allows the intrinsically prominent I to in RV epicardium to accentuate phase 1 repolarization. When phase 1 repolarizes to a voltage below that needed to activate the L-type Ca+2 channels, the Ca+2 channels fail to activate, resulting in loss of the AP plateau in the RV subepicardial cells where I to is most prominent. …
Suicide Among South Asian Youth in America

Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority population in the United States (US). South Asians (SA) comprising Bangladeshis, Burmese, Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis, and Sri Lankans form the third largest subgroup of Asians in America. SA children are raised with values of respecting elders, obedience to parental authority, and prioritizing the family’s needs over the individual’s. This upbringing, in conjunction with acculturation stress, intergenerational conflict experiences of racial discrimination, and stigma surrounding mental health treatment, likely plays a role in placing SA American youth at increased risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. The scope of the problem is difficult to determine as research studies so far have tended to focus on Asian Americans as a group with few studies focusing on SA in particular. However, the experiences of SA Americans as a group are worth examining as there are differences in culture of origin, immigration history, and phenotypic differences, to name a few, that set them apart from the larger Asian American community. The following chapter aims to discuss the interplay of the history and experiences of SA Americans with mental health. It offers a culturally informed perspective on symptom presentations and approach to treatment interventions.
Grading in Physical Education

This article describes how standards-based grading may be one way that the profession can move toward an accepted mode of grading students in physical education, which would demonstrate what studen...
Same-sex courtship behaviors in male-biased populations: evidence for the mistaken identity hypothesis

Same-sex sexual behaviors (SSSB) have been recorded in nearly all major animal groups and are often found in populations with skewed sex ratios (SR). Here, we study the role of sex ratios in the frequency of SSSB to better understand the conditions that give rise to such puzzling behaviors. We observed SSSB in multiple populations of the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) after manipulation of sex ratios. We also recorded male responses after being pursued by other males. We found more male-male sexual interactions in male-biased populations and a significant decrease of these behaviors after consecutive days of observation. Males pursued by other males reacted to such encounters. Our results provide support for the mistaken identity hypothesis, in which males are unable to differentiate between sexes at first encounter. With this work, we help elucidate possible social conditions that facilitate the appearance of such intriguing behaviors in nature.
Microbial Associations and Response to Antimicrobials Seen in a Psoriasis Clinic

Microbial agents have often been reported in association with flares of psoriasis and psoriasis often clears when treated with antimicrobial agents or tonsillectomy.2, 8–12 All patients seen at the University of Tennessee Psoriasis clinic are studied for evidence of relevant micro-organisms. We report a survey of the microbial findings in 95 patients chosen at random from the 693 psoriasis patients seen during 1995.
Culture and Mental Illness

Culture, consisting of symbols, language, artifacts, rules, is a pool of memes. Memes enter the brain and take up residence in the brain through long-term potentiation of neural network patterns. Endemic (cultural) memes introduced in childhood are strongly potentiated as they are repeatedly introduced during a period when the filtration system for meme introduction is immature. Eventually, existing memes contribute to the formation of the filtration system which filters out new memes that may conflict with or contradict the preexisting potentiated memes. In each culture, there are memes for being ill and being “crazy.”
Some Observations on Current Practice

In previous chapters we have traced the slow and halting development of a law applicable to situations of civil strife. During the course of the American Civil War the nature of that law was etched, and its metes and bounds defined. Following the War, with a change in the nature of the international system, belligerency developed to serve the needs of an international society organized on the balance of power principle, began to decline, and ultimately fell into disuse.
Methane and carbon dioxide dynamics within four vernal pools in Maine, USA

Vernal pools are small, seasonal wetlands that are a common landscape feature contributing to biodiversity in northeastern North American forests. Basic information about their biogeochemical functions, such as carbon cycling, is limited. Concentrations of dissolved methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and other water chemistry parameters were monitored weekly at the bottom and surface of four vernal pools in central and eastern Maine, USA, from April to August 2016. The vernal pools were supersaturated with respect to CH4 and CO2 at all sampling dates and locations. Concentrations of dissolved CH4 and CO2 ranged from 0.4 to 210 μmol L−1 and 72–2300 μmol L−1, respectively. Diffusive fluxes of CH4 and CO2 into the atmosphere ranged from 0.2 to 73 mmol m−2 d−1, and 30–590 mmol m−2 d−1, respectively. During the study period, the four vernal pools emitted 0.1–5.8 kg C m−2 and 9.6–120 kg C m−2 as CH4 and CO2, respectively. The production fluxes (production rates normalized to surface area) of CH4 and CO2 ranged from − 0.02 to 0.66 and 0.40–4.6 g C m−2 d−1, respectively, and increased significantly over the season. Methane concentrations were best predicted by alkalinity, ortho-phosphate and depth, while CO2 concentrations were best predicted with only alkalinity. Alkalinity as a predictor variable highlights the importance of anaerobic respiration in production of both gases. Our study pools had large concentrations and effluxes of CH4 and CO2 compared to permanently inundated wetlands, indicating vernal pools are metabolically active sites and may be important contributors to the global carbon budget.
Activity of fixed direct electrical current in experimental Staphylococcus aureus foreign-body osteomyelitis

Abstract Fixed DC was compared to ceftriaxone, ceftriaxone with 200 μA fixed DC, or no treatment in a rat model of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus foreign-body osteomyelitis. After 3 weeks, fewer bacteria were present in bones of the ceftriaxone group (5.71 log10cfu/g [P = 0.0004]) and the ceftriaxone/DC group (3.53 log10cfu/g [P = 0.0002]) than untreated controls (6.70 log10cfu/g). Fewer bacteria were present in the ceftriaxone/DC group than in the ceftriaxone-alone and DC-alone groups (P = 0.0012 and 0.0008, respectively). There were also fewer bacteria on the implanted wires in the groups treated with ceftriaxone (5.47 log10cfu/cm2) or ceftriaxone/DC (2.82 log10cfu/cm2) than in the untreated controls (6.44 log10cfu/cm2 [P = 0.0003 and 0.0002, respectively]). There were fewer bacteria in the ceftriaxone/DC rats than in the ceftriaxone-alone– and fixed DC-alone–treated rats (P = 0.0017 and 0.0016, respectively). Fixed DC with an antibiotic may be useful for treating foreign-body infections caused by S. aureus.
Variable Step-Size Switching Frequency Modulation for Synchronous Buck Converter

A variable step-size switching frequency selection algorithm with fast convergence performance for power converters is presented in this paper. The algorithm can automatically track and detect the optimal switching frequency for a DC-DC converter in order to achieve the highest possible power conversion efficiency. This technique is theoretically analyzed and developed based on synchronous buck converter loss model and its behaviors. A digital control system is designed to apply the selected optimal switching frequency to modulate the PWM duty cycle accordingly. An experimental prototype is built to verify the proposed algorithm and validate the theoretical efficiency improvement.
Modeling and Verification of Electrical Stress in Inverter-Driven Electric Machine Windings

This article develops a high-fidelity physics-based modeling approach to predict the voltage stress and current distributions in individual conductors of electric machine windings driven by pulsewidth modulation (PWM) voltages. This is the first step to better understand how PWM voltages stress the winding insulation of inverter-driven electric machines. The high-fidelity finite element (FE) models of electric machine windings in this article account for frequency-dependent winding parasitic parameters, and are capable of investigating the impact of wire positions on the winding parasitic parameters, hence the voltage stress and current distributions of individual conductors. A stator core with manually wound windings was built to verify the fidelity of the FE model. First, simulations and tests were conducted to obtain the voltage stress and current distributions in individual conductors in a simple form-wound coil, then a simple random-wound coil with a reduced number of conductors. Then, the model was extended to a complicated winding structure, including multiple coils, turns, and parallel strands. Tests were conducted to obtain the voltage and current of each conductor for this complicated winding. The measured and simulated results show good consistency. The effects of wire positions on voltage stress and current distributions were also investigated in both simulations and tests.
CoAP and MQTT Based Models to Deliver Software and Security Updates to IoT Devices over the Air

The Internet of Things (IoT) is poised to revolutionize how people, industries, and enterprises connect to customers and individuals. Network Protocols, Technology and Standards such as Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), LTE-M, 5G, LoRaWAN, Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), Device management such as Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) for Machine to Machine (M2M) are being developed to support a variety of IoT applications and services. IoT ecosystem is creating tremendous business opportunities and opening the doors for innovation. With the explosive growth of connected devices, approximately five quintillion bytes of data is estimated to be generated by the Internet every day. Not all these connections and ecosystems are secure; the security vulnerabilities are steadily increasing in parallel due to the lack of secure updating mechanisms especially for IoT ecosystem. This paper proposes three different models using the CoAP and MQTT application protocol, which aims at providing efficient mechanisms and methods for Over the Air delivery of Software Updates and Security Patches to IoT devices and evaluates which protocol is better suited for proposed models and applications.
Blood and scripture: how the Islamic State frames religion in violent video propaganda

The Islamic State captured the world’s attention with the declaration of a global caliphate in 2014. In the subsequent 3 years, the Islamic State showed significant success at attracting foreign fi...
Fluorescence Energy Transfer in Membrane Biochemistry

In the two decades since its first application to biological systems (Stryer and Haugland, 1967), fluorescence energy transfer has become a standard technique for measuring distances in biological systems. Early studies usually measured distances between a single donor and a single acceptor each at a specific location. The extension to transfer between multiple donors and multiple acceptors has proven quite useful for the study of multienzyme complexes (Hahn and Hammes, 1978; Angelides and Hammes, 1979). Most of the applications to membrane biochemistry also represent a situation in which multiple donors and multiple acceptors are present. These applications have a long history as well, starting with the initial study of energy transfer from chlorophyll in monomeric films (Tweet et al., 1964). This early work relied heavily on Foerster’s derivation of energy transfer between multiple acceptors and multiple donors in three dimensions (Foerster, 1949) and derived the appropriate expression for two dimensions. Unfortunately, these results went unnoticed and identical expressions have been derived in several subsequent works. The first studies on lipid bilayer systems were aimed at determining the depth of a chromophore in the membrane (Shaklai et al., 1977) or at determining the surface density of an acceptor (Fung and Stryer, 1978). These have been the two observables of major interest in membrane systems. Energy transfer has subsequently been used to monitor a variety of membrane processes and interactions. A representative example of the diversity of applications is given in Table I. Additional references may be found in recent reviews (Hammes, 1981; Blumberg, 1985; Tron et al., 1987).
Climate Crisis Impact on AIDS, IRIS and Neuro-AIDS

Our awareness of the climate crisis/catastrophe is a convoluted story, which began in chemistry laboratories several decades ago. In that context, scientists first described the greenhouse effect: the potential CO2 accumulation allows solar heat to penetrate the atmosphere, but prevents radiated warmth to escape from it. A theoretical proposition at first, scientists first described the greenhouse effect as the potential accumulation of CO2, allowing solar heat to penetrate the atmosphere while simultaneously preventing the radiated warmth from escaping it. This increase in atmospheric CO2 would hypothetically then raise the planet’s temperature, and if left unchecked, this phenomenon could lead to a multitude of issues including the melting of polar ice caps, rising of oceanic waters, alterations in the acidity and temperature of global water reservoirs (i.e., rivers, lakes, and seas), and changes in the patterns and strength of the gulf streams and consequently the jet stream.
Transcriptional and imaging-genetic association of cortical interneurons, brain function, and schizophrenia risk.

Inhibitory interneurons orchestrate information flow across the cortex and are implicated in psychiatric illness. Although interneuron classes have unique functional properties and spatial distributions, the influence of interneuron subtypes on brain function, cortical specialization, and illness risk remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate stereotyped negative correlation of somatostatin and parvalbumin transcripts within human and non-human primates. Cortical distributions of somatostatin and parvalbumin cell gene markers are strongly coupled to regional differences in functional MRI variability. In the general population (n = 9,713), parvalbumin-linked genes account for an enriched proportion of heritable variance in in-vivo functional MRI signal amplitude. Single-marker and polygenic cell deconvolution establish that this relationship is spatially dependent, following the topography of parvalbumin expression in post-mortem brain tissue. Finally, schizophrenia genetic risk is enriched among interneuron-linked genes and predicts cortical signal amplitude in parvalbumin-biased regions. These data indicate that the molecular-genetic basis of brain function is shaped by interneuron-related transcripts and may capture individual differences in schizophrenia risk. Interneuron subtypes have distinct properties and spatial distributions. Here, the authors show that the molecular-genetic basis of cortical resting-state brain function is shaped by distributions of interneuron-related transcripts and may capture individual differences in schizophrenia risk.
Biochemical Factors Affecting East Asian Consumers’ Sensory Preferences of Six Beef Shank Cuts

The objective of this study was to evaluate biochemical factors affecting Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and East Asian consumers’ eating preferences of 6 different beef shank cuts cooked by moist heat. Six different beef shank muscles were collected from 12 USDA Choice beef carcasses (N = 72). Shank cuts from the left sides were cooked with moist heat and used for East Asian consumer sensory evaluation and WBSF, and shank cuts from the right sides were left uncooked and used for biochemical analysis and visual panels utilizing the same group of consumers. A correlation analysis was conducted to determine the driving factors that contributed to WBSF and East Asian consumers’ overall liking for beef shanks. Biceps brachii and flexor digitorum superficialis-pelvic received the greatest sensory overall liking, with deep digital flexor from the foreshank having the lowest scores (P 0.10). Correlation analysis showed that cooked collagen content and insoluble collagen percentage as well as raw PYD densities had positive correlations with WBSF (P < 0.05) and negative correlations with consumer overall liking (P < 0.01). Surprisingly, collagen content from uncooked shank cuts did not have a direct relationship with consumers’ overall liking nor with WBSF. The results demonstrated that raw PYD density may be a great indicator for cooked beef tenderness in beef cuts with a high concentration of connective tissue prepared with moist heat cookery.
Common liquidity shocks and market collapse: Lessons from the market for perps

Abstract We show how a high degree of commonality in investor liquidity shocks can diminish incentives for intermediaries to keep markets open and lead to market collapse, even without information asymmetry or news affecting fundamentals. We motivate our model using the perpetual floating-rate note market where two years of explosive growth – in which issues by high quality borrowers were placed with institutional investors and traded in a liquid secondary market – were followed by a precipitous collapse when market intermediaries withdrew due to large order imbalances. We shed new light on the trade-off between ownership concentration and market liquidity.
Detecting Epigenetic Changes: DNA Methylation

This unit provides protocols for assessing the state of DNA methylation, including assays for determining the overall DNA methylation levels, measuring DNA methyltranseferase (MTase) activity, determining gene-specific methylation and overall chromatin condensation patterns.
A determination of the ionization threshold for the Mg(3s3p3P0) · Ar(3Π0−) metastable state: The bond energy of MgAr+

Abstract The ionization threshold for the metastable Mg (3 s 3 p 3 P 0 ) · Ar ( 3 Π 0 − ) state has been determined to be 38744 ± 5 cm −1 by two-color photoionization via Mg (3 s 4 s 3 S 1 ) · Ar ( 3 Σ + , ν′) resonance states. From several experimental measurements and an ab initio calculation, D 0 ( Mg (3 s 3 p 3 P 0 ) · Ar ( 3 Π 0 − )) = 160 ± 40 cm −1 , from which D 0 (MgAr + ) is calculated to be 1237 ± 40 cm − . This value is consistent with, but more accurate than, previous experimental and ab initio estimates of D 0 (MgAr + ).
Comparing gay and bisexual men on sexual behavior, condom use, and psychosocial variables related to HIV/AIDS

Interviews were conducted with 750 men, recruited from a variety of sources in Chicago, who reported sex with men in the past 3 years. Behavioral criteria were used to establish groups of gay and bisexual men. We predicted that gay men, compared to bisexual men, would report more male sexual partners, more experience with receptive sex, and more tolerant attitudes toward homosexuality. The only reliable difference between the gay and bisexual men with respect to number of partners was that gay men were more likely to have had a steady male partner or lover. Gay men were more likely than bisexual men to have engaged in receptive sex, including unprotected receptive anal sex. Bisexual men were more self-homophobic and saw other people as less accepting of same-sex activity. There were no differences between gay and bisexual men in other psychosocial variables. Interventions designed to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS need to consider differences in gay and bisexual men's sexual behavior and attitudes toward homosexual behavior.
The Flesh Made Word: Allegory in The Book of Margery Kempe

(1991). The Flesh Made Word: Allegory in The Book of Margery Kempe. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 6, Autobiography and Mysticism, pp. 169-182.
A phase II study evaluating axitinib in patients with unresectable, recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer

Background Axitinib is an oral, potent, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor with selective inhibition of VEGFR 1,2, 3, as well as inhibition of potential downstream effectors of the EGFR pathway. Given the upregulation of EGFR and VEGFR in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, treatment with axitinib holds promise as a rational targeted therapy. Patients and Methods Patients with unresectable, recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were included in this open label, single arm, phase II trial. Primary endpoint was 6 month progression free survival. All patients received single agent axitinib with planned dose escalation based on tolerability. A planned interim efficacy analysis was performed after enrollment of 30 patients. Results Forty-two patients were registered, 30 were evaluable. While treatment was well-tolerated with no severe bleeding events, only 19 patients were able to achieve full planned dose. The best overall response rate was 6.7 % (two partial responses) with a disease control rate of 76.7 %. Median progression free survival was 3.7 months (95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 3.5–5.7) and overall survival was 10.9 months (95 % CI: 6.4–17.8). Exploratory analysis demonstrated that patients with a smaller sum of diameter of target lesions experienced improved response rates, and better progression-free and overall survival. Conclusion Treatment with single agent axitinib should be considered due to acceptable toxicity profile and favorable median overall survival compared to standard therapies.
1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP): reproductive and developmental toxicity study by inhalation in the rat

A two-generation reproduction study with a developmental toxicity component was conducted. For the reproduction phase, male and female rats inhaled 0, 10, 51, or 116 ppm NMP daily for 6 hr/day, 7 d...
A study of adsorption characteristics of traces of chromium(III) and (VI) on selected surfaces

Abstract The adsorption losses of chromium(III) or (VI) on the walls of Pyrex, flint glass and polyethylene beakers have been investigated. Chromium(III) or (VI) solutions were stored in beakers at different hydrogen ion concentrations, and losses due to adsorption were measured at various contact times by counting the γ-ray activity from chromium-51 radiotracer. At pH 6.95, chromium(III) solutions showed the greatest instability, particularly in polyethylene beakers, where losses up to 25% were observed at the end of the 15-day contact period. Chromium(VI) showed a completely different pattern; losses less than 1% were observed at the end of 15 days on all the three types of containers.
Murine Spinotrapezius Model to Assess the Impact of Arteriolar Ligation on Microvascular Function and Remodeling

The murine spinotrapezius is a thin, superficial skeletal support muscle that extends from T3 to L4, and is easily accessible via dorsal skin incision. Its unique anatomy makes the spinotrapezius useful for investigation of ischemic injury and subsequent microvascular remodeling. Here, we demonstrate an arteriolar ligation model in the murine spinotrapezius muscle that was developed by our research team and previously published1-3. For certain vulnerable mouse strains, such as the Balb/c mouse, this ligation surgery reliably creates skeletal muscle ischemia and serves as a platform for investigating therapies that stimulate revascularization. Methods of assessment are also demonstrated, including the use of intravital and confocal microscopy. The spinotrapezius is well suited to such imaging studies due to its accessibility (superficial dorsal anatomy) and relative thinness (60-200 μm). The spinotrapezius muscle can be mounted en face, facilitating imaging of whole-muscle microvascular networks without histological sectioning. We describe the use of intravital microscopy to acquire metrics following a functional vasodilation procedure; specifically, the increase in arterilar diameter as a result of muscle contraction. We also demonstrate the procedures for harvesting and fixing the tissues, a necessary precursor to immunostaining studies and the use of confocal microscopy.
Determination of density changes with expansion polymerization

Materials that polymerize without substantial volume contraction have numerous valuable applications in dentistry and other fields. Two new symmetrical aliphatic spiro-orthocar-bonates, formulated from cis- and trans-2-hydroxymethyl-cyclohexanol to give 2,3,8,9-di(tetramethylene)-1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspiro [5,5] undecanes, showed, by density determinations in dilute solution, that expansion occurs with polymerization. The cis / cis-spiroorthocarbonate racemic mixture showed a 3.9% expansion upon polymerization, and the trans/trans racemic mixture showed a 3.5% expansion. The densities were determined by pycnometry, with a precision reliable to at least four figures. This method is thus recommended for cases of soluble monomer/polymer pairs for which the density difference will be small and where the partial specific volumes are independent of concentration, thereby avoiding the complexities of variable physical states of monomer and/or polymer. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effect of a pharmacist managed smoking cessation clinic on quit rates.

Objective : The purpose of this study was to quantify quit rates, determine factors predicting success, and analyze patients' perceptions at 3 months after participation in the pharmacist-managed Smoking Cessation Group Clinic. Methods : This was a prospective, single group study that was conducted in patients that had participated in the Smoking Cessation Group Clinic at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Clinic participants received structured group counseling covering various topics associated with cessation. Varenicline, bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy were used as smoking cessation aids and selection was based on patient preference and absence of contraindications. The primary outcome of this trial was smoking status at 3 months. The patients were contacted by telephone at 3, and 6 months after the start of the clinic and asked about current smoking status. At 3 months, patients were asked to rate on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 (1=not helpful; 5=very helpful) their perceptions of individual aspects of the clinic and on a scale of 1 to 10 (1=not helpful; 10=very helpful) how they perceived their cessation aid. Results : From February 2007 to January 2008, 21 patients enrolled in the intent-to-treat follow up study. Analysis of data was completed in August 2008. At 3 and 6 months, 47.6% and 52.4%, of patients reported being smoke-free, respectively. At 3 months, factors consistent with success included having more previous quit attempts and type of cessation aid used. These endpoints continued to be significant at 6 months, in addition to attending more clinic sessions, and type of insurance (favoring private insurance). Patients who quit smoking rated their cessation aid as more helpful than those who did not quit smoking (8.56; SD=0.88 verses 6.71; SD=2.81, respectively; p=0.14). The aspect of the clinic most helpful to patients was group interaction (4.53; SD=0.77). Conclusion : This study demonstrates that pharmacists can play a vital role with smoking cessation in a group setting. Group setting patient counseling can be an effective tool for pharmacists to reach more people within the same time frame as individual counseling.
Clinical Manifestations of Brawny Scleritis

We studied four patients with posterior brawny scleritis. Two underwent enucleation for suspected melanoma, and in the other two, the correct diagnosis was made and effective therapy begun. Of seven other eyes with brawny scleritis from other sources, five were enucleated after diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and one for suspected intraocular tumor. This experience and other previous reports indicate the high incidence of diagnostic confusion regarding brawny scleritis. We therefore emphasized clinical symptoms and signs of brawny scleritis: inflammation, tenderness or pain of the globe, history of collagen vascular disease, proptosis, bilaterality, and retinal and choroidal detachment. A preserved normal choroidal vascular pattern over an elevated subretinal mass may be indicative of posterior brawny scleritis. Scleral biopsy is useful for tissue diagnosis. Radioactive phosphorus uptake tests and ultrasonography may erroneously indicate choroidal melanoma and lead to enucleation of a potentially salvageable globe.
Climate Impacts of Land-Cover and Land-Use Changes in Tropical Islands under Conditions of Global Climate Change

AbstractLand-cover and land-use (LCLU) changes have significant climate impacts in tropical coastal regions with the added complexity of occurring within the context of a warming climate. The individual and combined effects of these two factors in tropical islands are investigated by use of an integrated mesoscale atmospheric modeling approach, taking the northeastern region of Puerto Rico as the test case. To achieve this goal, an ensemble of climate simulations is performed, combining two LCLU and global warming scenarios. Reconstructed agricultural maps and sea surface temperatures form the past (1955–59) scenario, while the present (2000–04) scenario is supported with high-resolution remote sensing LCLU data. Here, the authors show that LCLU changes produced the largest near-surface (2-m AGL) air temperature differences over heavily urbanized regions and that these changes do not penetrate the boundary layer. The influence of the global warming signal induces a positive inland gradient of maximum temp...
Single-stranded siRNAs activate RNAi in animals

The therapeutic utility of siRNAs is limited by the requirement for complex formulations to deliver them to tissues. If potent single-stranded RNAs could be identified, they would provide a simpler path to pharmacological agents. Here, we describe single-stranded siRNAs (ss-siRNAs) that silence gene expression in animals absent lipid formulation. Effective ss-siRNAs were identified by iterative design by determining structure-activity relationships correlating chemically modified single strands and Argonaute 2 (AGO2) activities, potency in cells, nuclease stability, and pharmacokinetics. We find that the passenger strand is not necessary for potent gene silencing. The guide-strand activity requires AGO2, demonstrating action through the RNAi pathway. ss-siRNA action requires a 5' phosphate to achieve activity in vivo, and we developed a metabolically stable 5'-(E)-vinylphosphonate (5'-VP) with conformation and sterioelectronic properties similar to the natural phosphate. Identification of potent ss-siRNAs offers an additional option for RNAi therapeutics and an alternate perspective on RNAi mechanism.
Role of NF-κB Activity in Apoptotic Response of Keratinocytes Mediated by Interferon-γ, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, and Tumor-Necrosis-Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand

An important step in tumorigenesis involves loss of sensitivity to various apoptotic signals by malignant cells, imbuing them with an enhanced survival phenotype. NF-κB also regulates epidermal thickness, susceptibility to apoptosis, and tumor formation in skin. Keratinocytes were examined for their susceptibility to apoptosis using cytokines produced during an immunologic response to tumor antigens, i.e., interferon-γ and/or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The role for NF-κB in this response was examined using a retroviral vector containing a degradation-resistant form of IκBα. Whereas interferon-γ and TNF-α either alone or in combination did not induce apoptosis in keratinocytes, after infection with the retrovirus to block NF-κB activation they became susceptible to TNF-α but not Fas-induced apoptosis. Moreover, when keratinocytes with repressed NF-κB activity were simultaneously treated with interferon-γ, there was a synergistic induction of apoptosis by TNF-α that was dependent on FADD, tumor-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), and caspase activation. Molecular abnormalities accompanying repressed NF-κB activity included failure to induce TNF-RII receptor together with enhanced levels of TRAIL death receptor 4. The ability of interferon-γ when combined with TNF-α to mediate keratinocyte apoptosis included induction of TRAIL coupled with diminished capacity of keratinocytes with repressed NF-κB activity to increase the TRAIL decoy receptor-1, as well as lower levels of several NF-κB-dependent antiapoptotic proteins accompanied by enhanced caspase 8 levels. These results indicate that interferon-γ and TNF-α synergistically induce keratinocyte apoptosis when concomitant induction of NF-κB is blocked. Participants in the apoptotic response mediated by NF-κB, besides cell-survival proteins, include modulation of TRAIL and both death and decoy receptors. Thus, not only does NF-κB signaling influence the intrinsic survival pathway for keratinocytes in normal skin, but it may also play a role in determining the apoptotic response to cytokines generated during an immune response via TRAIL produced by the keratinocytes themselves.
Use of DOE for Rapid Development of a Red-Al Reduction Process for the Synthesis of 3,4-Isopropylidenedioxypyrrolidine Hydrotosylate

Statistical design of experiments (DOE) was used to rapidly optimize Red-Al reduction of an imide to produce, after deprotection and salt formation, 3,4-isopropylidenedioxypyrrolidine hydrotosylate (1), an intermediate in the synthesis of Ingliforib. A Red-Al reduction process was successfully scaled to produce multikilogram quantities of 1, thus demonstrating a safer and more economical process. Further development resulted in an optimized procedure, which not only avoided borane reduction but also allowed the three-step procedure to be performed without isolation of the intermediates, solvent exchange, or distillation.
Effects of Noise on the Accurate Identification of a Vibrating System

Analytically derived solutions for a linear multivariable four degree of freedom system are derived using initial conditions allowing equal representation of all the modes. The mechanical system analyzed is a torsional system consisting of four discs mounted on a common shaft fixed at one end. The analytic solution for the displacement of the system is constructed from eigen values and eigen vectors obtained through the Holzer method. The noiseless digitized output displacement is analyzed by a system identification program using maximum likelihood methods. Comparison of the noiseless results are made when measurement and process noise are separately introduced into the known system. Results indicate system estimates degrade much faster under measurement noise than process noise. In addition, there are indications that accurate characterization of the system by the data record, depends on the bandwidth of the system.
Fractionation of palladium and platinum in a Mesozoic diabase sheet, Gettysburg basin, Pennsyvania: implications for mineral exploration

Abstract The York Haven diabase sheet displays clear-cut evidence of fractionation of Pd and Pt during differentiation of a high-Ti (about 1.1%) quartz-normative tholeiitic magma (York Haven type). At York Haven the sheet is about 750 m thick. It is characterized by abundant cumulus MgO-rich orthopyroxene (bronzite), and is markedly depleted in incompatible elements relative to the chilled margins. In contrast, at Reesers Summit, 16 km to the northwest, the sheet is about 500 m thick and consists of evolved rocks that have contents of incompatible elements two to three times greater than in the enclosing chilled margins. These evolved rocks represent complementary fractions to the cumulate rocks at York Haven. Mineralogic, petrologic and geochemical variations suggest considerable lateral migration and fractionation of the initial magma. Chilled margins of both sections have essentially the same Pd and Pt contents (10 ppb each) and similar Pd to Pt ratios (1.2). During differentiation, the cumulate rocks at York Haven were enriched in Pt and depleted in Pd, whereas at Reesers Summit, the low-MgO diabase and ferrogabbro zone were enriched in Pd relative to Pt. Anomalously high contents of Pd (to 165 ppb), Au (to 54 ppb), and Te (to 26 ppb) were found in an iron- (to 18%) and chlorine- (to 0.44%) rich ferrogabbro at Reesers Summit, suggesting possible late or post-magmatic enrichment of precious metals. Field relations, geochemical and petrographic data provide guides for further exploration for Pd and Pt in differentiated high-Ti quartz-normative diabase sheets. Based on present information, the most favorable sites for economic deposits are late-stage differentiates enriched in Fe and Cl.