cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drospirenone: An Antihypertensive in Waiting

Drospirenone (DRSP) is a compound with mingled identities having been viewed as a diuretic,1 a progestational agent,2 and/or an antimineralocorticoid agent with an ability to reduce blood pressure (BP).3–6 The multiple personalities of this compound can be seen by examining the position adopted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency on its use as a diuretic in athletes. Until January 2005, athletes were prohibited from using the fixed-dose combination contraceptive product (3-mg DRSP/0.03-mg ethinylestradiol [EE]) in or out of competition specifically because it contained the diuretic DRSP, albeit a compound with very weak diuretic properties.1 This restriction on DRSP use in athletes has been lifted, although the use of spironolactone is still outlawed. More recently, DRSP has gained some momentum as an antihypertensive agent.3–6 All along, DRSP has been a progestational agent used in combination with estrogen for birth control or treatment of vasomotor symptoms relating to menopause.2 DRSP, formerly called dihydrospirorenone, is chemically related to 17α- spironolactone. It is a synthetic progestogen, which more closely resembles natural progesterone than conventional synthetic progestogens. As such, it possesses clinically recognizable antimineralocorticoid activity and is estimated to be 8 times more potent than spironolactone (3 mg of DRSP=25 mg of spironolactone).7 DRSP pharmacokinetics are such that it has an oral bioavailability of &80%, a half-life of 30 to 35 hours, and is without active metabolites, a characteristic that distinguishes it from spironolactone.7 In early studies, administration of 2 mg of DRSP daily for 6 days …
Analysis of differential gene regulation in adequate versus inadequate secretory-phase endometrial complementary deoxyribonucleic acid populations from the rhesus monkey.

The ability to create artificial menstrual cycles in the rhesus monkey provides a model for studies on the regulation of genes and gene networks by estradiol or progesterone (P) in the primate endometrium. This model allowed us to create both a normal level of secretory phase P or an inadequate level of secretory phase P, i.e. endometria that cannot support implantation. The objective of our present study focused on PCR analyses of genes for several factors that are believed to be important in the proper maturation of the endometrium. Complementary DNA (cDNA) populations were prepared from endometria harvested on day 13 (peak E level), days 21-23 of an adequate secretory phase (PcDNA) and days 21-23 of an inadequate secretory phase (IcDNA). Although placental protein 14, leukemia inhibitory factor and 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase displayed highly upregulated levels in PcDNA (P-activated genes), there was little or no up-regulation in IcDNA. Transforming growth factor-beta 2 and its receptor and insulin growth factor-I and its receptor were up-regulated in PcDNA, whereas little or no expression was observed in IcDNA. Regulators of the cell cycle and transcription, such as retinoblastoma, c-fos, and c-jun genes, were also greatly underexpressed in IcDNA compared with PcDNA. Interestingly, one gene that we studied, keratinocyte growth factor, that was up-regulated by P (peak E levels vs. PcDNA) was more highly expressed in IcDNA. This latter result suggests that low levels of circulating P are sufficient for expression of this gene, whereas high sustained P levels result in an autologous down-regulation. These data show that the regulation of genes that may play pivotal roles in endometrial maturation are differentially expressed in IcDNA vs. PcDNA and may, in part, characterize improper endometrial maturation.
Distinct Capacity Limits for Attention and Working Memory Evidence From Attentive Tracking and Visual Working Memory Paradigms

A hallmark of both visual attention and working memory is their severe capacity limit: People can attentively track only about four objects in a multiple object tracking (MOT) task and can hold only up to four objects in visual working memory (VWM). It has been proposed that attention underlies the capacity limit of VWM. We tested this hypothesis by determining the effect of varying the load of a MOT task performed during the retention interval of a VWM task and comparing the resulting dual-task costs with those observed when a VWM task was performed concurrently with another VWM task or with a verbal working memory task. Instead of supporting the view that the capacity limit of VWM is solely attention based, the results indicate that VWM capacity is set by the interaction of visuospatial attentional, central amodal, and local task-specific sources of processing.
Does diversity impact competitiveness? A cross country analysis

Purpose – In today's global economy, a country's level of competitiveness has emerged as an important policy tool for business leaders and the impact of many economic and institutional “hard” factors on competitiveness have been studied. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact that diversity, a “soft” factor, has on a country's level of competitiveness.Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 102 countries, a multiple regression analysis is performed in which the relationship between a country's competitiveness, as proxied by the global competitiveness index, and diversity, as proxied by ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity, are tested while controlling for other factors known to affect competitiveness. Further, a cluster analysis is performed in an effort to illuminate global patterns in competitiveness.Findings – The results indicate that greater levels of ethnic diversity negatively and significantly affect a country's competitiveness, but greater levels of linguistic diversity...
A differential approach to the repeated prisoner's dilemma

The repeated prisoner's dilemma game is converted into a differential game by assuming that the players, instead of making decisions individually for each repetition of the prisoner's dilemma game, make decisions on the ratio of cooperative and noncooperative games that they wish to play over the next few moves, and that the actual plays are then determined using this ratio and a randomizing procedure. Although it sounds like a significant departure, this assumption is probably not too different from reality.
The effect of diabetes of pancreatectomy on the pituitary cytology of dogs.

THE pituitary may show characteristic changes after certain “target glands” have been removed. The “thyroidectomy cell” and “castration cell” in the pars distalis of the hypophysis of the rat are two well known examples (Severinghaus, 1938). The present report concerns the changes in the pituitary cytology in dogs with diabetes of pancreatectomy.
Density functional theory study of O2 electroreduction when bonded to a Pt dual site

Abstract The B3LYP hybrid density functional theory (DFT) was used to study the four-electron reduction mechanism of oxygen on platinum in aqueous acid electrolytes. The calculations indicate that, (a) O2 bonded to a dual site on Pt2 does not dissociate before the first electron transfer and the product for this step, OOH, easily dissociates with a small 0.06 eV activation barrier to form adsorbed O and OH; (b) the first electron transfer step has the highest activation barrier and hence it is rate determining, in agreement with the proposed kinetic model in the literature; (c) the electric field of the reacting solvated hydronium ion significantly increases the electron affinities of the species being reduced, indicating that a proton is involved in the rate determining first, as well as in the subsequent steps of the reduction; (d) the symmetry factor β for the first step is 0.5 (or less) in the high over-potential region and about 1.0 in the low overpotential region, in approximate agreement with Tafel plots in the literature; (e) the calculated activation energy at 1.23 V (SHE) for the first step is 0.6 eV, close to the experimental effective activation energy value of 0.44 eV on Pt(111) in H2SO4.
A Multivariate Assessment of Individual Differences in Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity as Predictors of Amphetamine Self-Administration and Prefrontal Dopamine Function in Rats

Drug abuse vulnerability has been linked to sensation seeking (behaviors likely to produce rewards) and impulsivity (behaviors occurring without foresight). Since previous preclinical work has been limited primarily to using single tasks as predictor variables, the present study determined if measuring multiple tasks of sensation seeking and impulsivity would be useful in predicting amphetamine self-administration in rats. Multiple tasks were also used as predictor variables of dopamine transporter function in medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex, as these neural systems have been implicated in sensation seeking and impulsivity. Rats were tested on 6 behavioral tasks as predictor variables to evaluate sensation seeking (locomotor activity, novelty place preference, and sucrose reinforcement on a progressive ratio schedule) and impulsivity (delay discounting, cued go/no-go, and passive avoidance), followed by d-amphetamine self-administration (0.0056–0.1 mg/kg/infusion) and kinetic analysis of dopamine transporter function as outcome variables. The combination of these predictor variables into a multivariate approach failed to yield any clear relationship among predictor and outcome measures. Using multivariate approaches to understand the relation between individual predictor and outcome variables in preclinical models may be hindered by alterations in behavior due to training and thus, the relation between various individual differences in behavior and drug self-administration may be better assessed using a univariate approach in which a only a single task is used as the predictor variable.
Determination of Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastic and Dielectric Properties from the Shape of a Capacitance-Voltage Curve

Abstract This paper shows how capacitance-voltage curves can be used to determine nematic liquid crystal dielectric and elastic constants and surface tilt angles. Careful analysis of the C-V curves reveals that distortion free energy theory is useful up to a V/Vc of about two. A detailed curve of tilt angle as a function of SiO deposition angle is also presented along with temperature variation in liquid crystal properties. Pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB) was used throughout the study.
Movement disorders in cerebrovascular disease

Summary Movement disorders can occur as primary (idiopathic) or genetic disease, as a manifestation of an underlying neurodegenerative disorder, or secondary to a wide range of neurological or systemic diseases. Cerebrovascular diseases represent up to 22% of secondary movement disorders, and involuntary movements develop after 1–4% of strokes. Post-stroke movement disorders can manifest in parkinsonism or a wide range of hyperkinetic movement disorders including chorea, ballism, athetosis, dystonia, tremor, myoclonus, stereotypies, and akathisia. Some of these disorders occur immediately after acute stroke, whereas others can develop later, and yet others represent delayed-onset progressive movement disorders. These movement disorders have been encountered in patients with ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebrovascular malformations, and dural arteriovenous fistula affecting the basal ganglia, their connections, or both.
Acute and chronic mastoiditis and chronic suppurative otitis media

The objectives of this article are to enhance the clinician's ability to (1) diagnose mastoiditis and chronic suppurative otitis media, (2) effectively treat these infections, and (3) appropriately refer patients to an otolaryngologist for possible surgical intervention. When inflammation of the mastoid is diagnosed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging as an incidental finding in which there is no evidence of mastoid osteitis or signs or symptoms of acute mastoiditis, the disease is most likely a natural extension of otitis media (ie, acute mastoiditis-otitis media) and should be managed as any other episode of otitis media. When there are clinical signs of acute mastoiditis (eg, protrusion of the pinna and postauricular erythema) but no radiographic evidence of mastoid osteitis (ie, acute mastoiditis with periostitis), the child should have a tympanocentesis and myringotomy and receive parenteral antimicrobial therapy: referral for possible mastoidectomy is indicated if the child does not rapidly improve with this management. Presence of a subperiosteal abscess or radiographic evidence of mastoid osteitis, or both (ie, acute mastoid osteitis), also calls for mastoid surgery. Likewise, referral is indicated whenever acute mastoiditis is associated with another suppurative complication of otitis media-mastoiditis and when acute mastoiditis develops in a child who has chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) or cholesteatoma, or both. Treatment of CSOM with appropriate ototopical antimicrobial medications or oral antibiotics, or both, is frequently effective. If the child does not respond to these measures, he or she requires parenteral administration of an antimicrobial agent. Referral to an otolaryngologist may be necessary.
Capacitive microbeam resonator design

Resonant clamped-clamped microbeams sealed in a hard vacuum cavity are classified as transducers, which can measure physical variables by converting them into axial strain using an appropriate silicon microstructure. These devices can be constructed, using surface micromachining technology, on a single-crystal silicon substrate. They have fundamental resonant frequencies with high sensitivity to strain. Such devices use resonant frequency changes by variables such as pressure, temperature, force, and acceleration to measure these quantities. Electrostatically driven and sensed microbeam resonators may be used for sensor applications. In order to design such microbeam resonators it is useful to use electrical network theory. This requires that the mechanical parameters for the resonator are converted to electrical equivalents. For electrostatically driven and sensed microbeam resonators the drive voltage must contain a dc bias and a small amplitude sinusoid in order to drive the resonators at the resonant frequency. The effects of these dc biases and parasitics on the resonant frequency and the quality factor are clarified here with theoretical calculations using the electrical equivalents of electrostatic microbeam resonators and experimental results. As a result the dc bias and parasitics are dominant factors in determining the performance of capacitive microbeam resonators, especially effecting the resonant frequency and quality factor. The maximum vibration amplitude requirements for pure sinusoidal operation with low power dissipation in the capacitive microbeam resonator have also been identified.
BRCA1: exploring the links to transcription

Progress on determining the function of the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 suggests it might be involved in two fundamental cellular processes: DNA repair and transcriptional regulation. Recent developments indicate that BRCA1 is a multifunctional protein, and disruption of its transcriptional activity could be crucial for tumor development.
The Role of Self-Control in Resistance to Persuasion

Four studies investigated a self-control theory of resistance to persuasion. This theory asserts that resistance to persuasion requires and consumes self-control resources. Study 1 showed that resistance to a persuasive message reduced the ability to engage in a subsequent self-control task. Studies 2 and 3 showed that self-control depletion leads to increased persuasion. Study 4 showed that self-control depletion increased persuasion, particularly under effortful resistance (i.e., strong arguments). Together, these findings suggest that self-control plays a vital role in the process of resistance to persuasion. People must have self-control resources to fend off persuasive appeals; without them, they become susceptible to influence.
Ionic transport in super ionic conductors: a theoretical model

Abstract Ionic solids exhibiting exceptionally high levels of ionic conductivity are found among the cation disordered ionic compounds of the silver halide-chalcogenide type, the various cation substituted beta aluminas, and certain defect-stabilized ceramic oxides. We present in this paper a theoretical model for ionic transport phenomena in such “super” ionic conductors. The model is based on the hypothesis that there exists in the ionic conductor an energy gap ϵ0 above which ions of mass M, belonging to the conducting species, can be thermally excited from localized ionic states to free-ion like states in which an ion propagates throughout the solid with a velocity vm and energy ϵ m = 1 2 M v m 2 . On account of the interaction with the rest of the solid such an excited free-ion like state is supposed to have a finite life-time τm. On the basis of a postulated Boltzmann transport equation for the thermal occupations of the various free-ion like states, simple expressions are derived for the ionic conductivity σ, thermal conductivity KI, and thermoelectric power Q. The theoretical result for Q is well substantiated by available experimental data. The result for σ may be used to deduce empirical values for the characteristic “mean-free path”, l0 = v0τ0, of the free-ion like state excited at the gap entry ϵ0. The characteristic life-time τ0 could be deduced in principal from measurements of the frequency dependent ionic conductivity σ(ω) which, according to the model, should be of the Drude type.
Toll-Like Receptors and Human Disease: Lessons from Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a large group of proteins which recognize various pathogen-associated molecular patterns, are critical for the normal function of the innate immune system. Following their discovery many single nucleotide polymorphisms within TLRs and components of their signaling machinery have been discovered and subsequently implicated in a wide range of human diseases including atherosclerosis, sepsis, asthma, and immunodeficiency. This review discusses the effect of genetic variation on TLR function and how they may precipitate disease.
Critical Branching Captures Activity in Living Neural Networks and Maximizes the Number of Metastable States

Recent experimental work has shown that activity in living neural networks can propagate as a critical branching process that revisits many metastable states. Neural network theory suggests that attracting states could store information, but little is known about how a branching process could form such states. Here we use a branching process to model actual data and to explore metastable states in the network. When we tune the branching parameter to the critical point, we find that metastable states are most numerous and that network dynamics are not attracting, but neutral.
Identification of preschool children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders: development and validation of a universal screening system.

Abstract Three studies were designed to measure various indicators of the reliability and validity of the Preschool Behavior Screening System (PBSS) as a screening instrument for emotional and behavioral disorder risk status of children of preschool age. Study 1 and Study 2 served to establish evidence for content validity. Study 3 investigated one type of reliability evidence (i.e., internal consistency) and four types of validity evidence (i.e., internal structure validity, validity evidence based on external relations, concurrent validity, and cross-informant agreement).Teachers and parents of children ( N = 113) enrolled in preschool and childcare programs completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the PBSS and the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2). Cross-informant agreement between parent and teacher ratings on the PBSS was generally moderate, and internal consistency was high. PBSS Phase 1 and PBSS Phase 2 were correlated in the expected directions, and sensitivity and negative predictive value were high. Results suggest that the PBSS may yield psychometrically sound scores for helping states meet child-find requirements. Directions for future development of the PBSS are provided.
Rural Political Violence and the Origins of the Caste War

Between 1840 and 1847 the Mexican province of Yucatan witnessed a remarkable explosion of rural political violence. Contemporaries were well aware of the trend, for they referred to it through vivid phrases such as “uprisings,” “murder and other excesses,” “restless and turbulent spirits,” and “the storm which threatens us close at hand.” And by all accounts these episodes were something new to the society. Indeed, Yucatan had suffered a good deal less violence than had other regions of Mexico. Until 1847 nothing here had remotely approached the chaos of the Hidalgo revolt or the Morelos insurgency. It is impossible for historians, just as it was for contemporary observers, to avoid connecting the violence to the Caste War, the massive rural rebellion which would erupt in 1847. But what was the connection? And what does the political violence tell us about the nature of rural Mexican society?
A simplified binary arithmetic for the Fermat number transform

A binary arithmetic that permits the exact computation of the Fermat number transform (FNT) is described. This technique involves arithmetic in a binary code corresponding to the simplest one of a set of code translations from the normal binary representation of each integer in the ring of integers modulo a Fermat number F t = 2b+ 1, b = 2t. The resulting FNT binary arithmetic operations are of the complexity of 1's complement arithmetic as in the case of a previously proposed technique which corresponds to another one of the set of code translations. The general multiplication of two integers modulo F t required in the computation of FNT convolution is discussed.
Role of the coronary sinus in maintenance of atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Bursts of tachycardia arising in the pulmonary veins may play an important role in perpetuating atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the role of the coronary sinus (CS) in the perpetuation of AF has been unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether the CS plays a role in perpetuation of AF. Methods and Results: Pulmonary vein isolation was performed by segmental ostial ablation with radiofrequency energy in 22 consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF. Bipolar and unipolar electrograms recorded in the left atrium and CS were analyzed during atrial pacing from the mitral annulus and during AF. There was a mean of 2.5 ± 0.5 electrical connections between the CS and the left atrium. The electrical connections between the left atrium and CS were ablated with a mean of 6.2 ± 2.7 minutes of radiofrequency energy applied along the atrial side of the inferior mitral annulus. During AF, episodes of intermittent tachycardia alternated between the left atrium and the CS. Among the 22 patients, sustained AF was still inducible in 9 after pulmonary vein isolation. After electrical disconnection of the CS from the left atrium, sustained AF was inducible in only 3 of these 9 patients. Conclusion: The CS may be a source of rapid repetitive electrical activity during AF. The lower probability of inducible sustained AF after electrical disconnection of the CS from the left atrium suggests that the CS may play a role in perpetuating AF. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 14, pp. 1329-1336, December 2003)
Analysis of interspecific interactions in a coastal plant community—a perturbation approach

Most studies of plant communities attempt to correlate species distributions with environmental variables1–5. Such studies provide some insight into the contribution of density-independent variables to plant community structure1–6 but contribute little to our understanding of niche relationships and levels of competitive interactions among coexisting species. In contrast, experimental perturbation studies where species are added or removed, have the advantage of testing specific biotic interactions among community components in natural conditions. Such approaches, for example, have proved valuable in elucidating the role of competition and predation in structuring sessile marine invertebrate communities7–9. Despite an empirical approach championed by Clemments10, few terrestrial plant ecologists have conducted analogous perturbation–response studies11–14. We have performed perturbation experiments on a set of closely adjacent coastal plant communities. Our observations indicate that species interactions are important in structuring these plant communities, and that these interactions may be specific or diffuse, reciprocal or non-reciprocal and may vary in different environments. We suggest a general approach to quantifying species interactions, derived from perturbation experiments, as a framework for generalizations and comparisons of biotic interactions in natural communities.
Flocculectomy and unit activity in the vestibular nuclei during visual-vestibular interactions.

Activity of neurons in the vestibular nuclei of alert monkeys was recorded extracellularly after total unilateral and bilateral flocculectomy and partial paraflocculectomy. Type 1 horizontal cells that were encountered after flocculectomy responded to visual and vestibular stimuli and to conflict stimulation, i.e., to rotation in a subject-stationary visual surround, as do vestibular neurons in the normal animal. The major difference between neurons in the normal and lesioned animals was that more time was needed to reach steady state firing levels during optokinetic stimulation at a constant velocity after operation. As shown previously (Waespe et al. 1983) the longer time course is related to increased initial retinal slip velocities that occur after flocculectomy as a result of an inability to change eye velocity rapidly in response to visual stimulation. It does not signify a change in the dynamics of neurons in the vestibular nuclei that mediate the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). The similarity in modulation of horizontal Type 1 vestibular neurons in normal and flocculectomized monkeys makes it unlikely that floccular Purkinje cells suppress the horizontal VOR in the monkey during conflicting visual and vestibular stimuli by inhibiting or disfacilitating secondary or tertiary vestibular neurons. This is consistent with earlier findings that indicate that visual-oculomotor pathways responsible for ocular pursuit or for rapid changes in OKN do not go through the vestibular nuclei. Rather the point of interaction of the flocculus output with the VOR appears to be external to the vestibular nuclei. There was a close correspondence between the slow phase velocity of nystagmus and unit activity in the vestibular nuclei under a wide variety of test conditions after flocculectomy. This is consistent with the postulate that frequencies of vestibular nuclei neurons represent a summation of activity in direct vestibulo-oculomotor pathways and indirect pathways that include the velocity storage mechanism. These are the major remaining sources of activity that generate slow phases of nystagmus after the direct visual-oculomotor pathways have been partially interrupted by flocculectomy (Waespe et al. 1983). Horizontal Type 1 neurons which responded to vestibular and optokinetic stimulation with increases in frequency above 1 spike/s/degree/s were rarely encountered after flocculectomy. These cells were present on the normal side in a monkey after unilateral flocculectomy. We infer that vestibular nuclei neurons that project mossy fibers to the flocculus are inactivated or disappear as a result of surgical ablation of their axons. This could also contribute to the reduced gain of vestibular nystagmus, OKAN and off-vertical nystagmus that was observed in some of the animals after lesion.
Functional Modularity of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element Contributes to the Success of USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The USA300 community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) lineage causes the majority of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and is highly associated with the carriage of the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME). However, the contribution of ACME to USA300's success in SSTIs is not completely understood. We show that the constitutive ACME-encoded arginine-deiminase system (Arc) allows USA300 to thrive in acidic environments that mimic human skin. Consequently, the ACME-Arc system drives excessive production of host polyamines, compounds uniquely toxic to S. aureus. To mitigate this, ACME also encodes SpeG, a polyamine-resistance enzyme that is essential for combating excess host polyamines in a murine SSTI model. Inhibiting host polyamine production not only restored ΔspeG persistence within infected wounds but also severely altered the host healing process, implying that polyamines play an integral role in coordinating the wound-healing response. Together, these data underscore the functional modularity of ACME and its contribution to the success of USA300 CA-MRSA.
Evaluation of Systemically Treated Squash Trap Plants and Attracticidal Baits for Early-Season Control of Striped and Spotted Cucumber Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and Squash Bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in Cucurbit Crops

In 1992, sentinel squash plants treated with carbofuran successfully attracted and killed squash bug, Anasa tristis (De Geer), and cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (F.), emerging from overwintering at 5 locations in Atoka County, Oklahoma. In 1993, responses of cucumber beetle and squash bug to carbofuran-treated squash trap plants and to Adios or Adios-AG attracticidal baits were compared in 90% of the estimated squash bug population but were less effective in squash. In all cases, squash trap plants treated with carbofuran killed >90 and 16-37%, respectively, of the cucumber beetles and squash bugs found on the plants. Single applications of attracticidal baits provided up to 70% cucumber beetle mortality for 3-5-d post treatment. Studies conducted in 1994 showed that significantly greater numbers of cucumber beetles, primarily Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardii Barber, were attracted to ‘Blue Hubbard’ than Lemondrop squash trap plants that were treated with systemic insecticides, carbofuran at 0.15 g (AI) or imidacloprid at 0.04 g (AI), and positioned in a field of watermelon. Imidacloprid was as effective as carbofuran, each provided >90% cucumber beetle mortality. In this study, an estimated 46.7% of the total cucumber beetle population was attracted to the squash trap plants. Results from these studies suggest that minimal plantings of systemically treated squash can be used effectively to suppress early season populations of cucumber beetle and squash bug in seedling cantaloupe, squash, and watermelon.
Observations of bluegills fed selenium-contaminated Hexagenia nymphs collected from Belews Lake, North Carolina.

Belews Lake, a 1563-ha reservoir in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, was impounded in the early 1970's to provide cooling water for a 2240 Mw coal-fired electric generating station. Hatchery-raised bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) fingerlings stocked in several net-isolated Belews Lake coves during 1979 experienced a rapid uptake of coal ash-associated trace elements, principally selenium, in skeletal muscle and visceral tissues. Generally, higher selenium concentrations and evidences of acute toxicity, including exophthalmos and extreme abdominal distention, were observed only among fish having unrestricted access to sediments and benthos. Bluegills which were caged above the sediments in the same coves, and presumably had less opportunity to feed on benthic organisms, concentrated selenium to a lesser degree. Those observations, in addition to information provided by inspection of fish stomach contents and tissue elemental analyses of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates, strongly implicate predation on contaminated benthos as an important pathway for selenium uptake and resulting toxicity to fish in Belews Lakes. However, direct experimental evidence relating levels of dietary selenium to toxic effects among warm water fish species is sparse. The present study was intended to document the occurrence of selenium toxicity in bluegills fed to satiation a diet consisting of a commonmore » benthic food organism found in Belews Lake.« less
The relation of need achievement to hypnotic suggestibility.

Abstract 50 S's participated in an experiment designed to determine whether there is a correlation between need achievement and hypnotic suggestibility. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between need achievement scores and objective and subjective suggestibility scores on the Barber Suggestibility Scale (BSS), supporting Barber's contention that motivation plays a significant role in hypnotic suggestibility. S's were given an induction procedure, tested on the BSS and given the same projective test as that used by McClelland to determine need achievement. Since the correlations between need achievement scores and objective and subjective suggestibility scores were both significant, it appears that need achievement scores are related to hypnotic suggestibility.
Kinetics and mechanisms of reactions of ReO(κ2-edt)(κ2-edtMe): Phosphane displacement of the thioether group and inversion of the thioether sulfur

Phosphanes (PZ3) convert ReO(κ2-edt)(κ2-edtMe) (1) into ReO(κ2-edt)(κ1-edtMe)(PZ3) (2)1,2 in equilibrium reactions that have been studied in benzene at 25.0 °C. The equilibrium constants and rate constants were evaluated by NMR spectroscopy and stopped-flow studies. The equilibrium constants were correlated by the Hammett equation, giving ρK = −1.59, which indicates an electronic effect on the equilibrium that is in agreement with reaction constants for the kinetics, ρfor = −0.07 and ρrev = 1.21, for forward and reverse reactions, respectively. The small reaction constant for the forward reaction and large value for the reverse reaction can be explained by proposing an early transition state of the substitution reaction. In other words, the Re−P bond is not substantially made at the point where the Re−SMe bond is broken to a considerable extent. The kinetics of inversion of the thioether sulfur was investigated by determining the temperature profile of the NMR spectra, from which ΔH⧧ = 24 ± 1 kJ mol-1. Fr...
Learning to Use IT in the Workplace: Mechanisms and Masters

Fluency with information technology (IT), defined as “an ability [to use information technology] to express [oneself] creatively, to reformulate knowledge and to synthesize new information,” (Committee on Information Technology Literacy, 1999, p. ES-1), is an important concern for those who manage workers with jobs that require the use of IT. Training is one mechanism to build fluency, but research about “influential individuals” hints that other mechanisms might also play a role. This article presents an interpretive case study of junior-level knowledge workers at a management consulting firm. To learn to use the IT of their jobs, these workers relied not only on formal training, but also on on-the-job learning through experimentation; reading books, manuals, and online help; and social interaction with their peers. The researcher identified different types of “master users” who were indispensable for this learning to take place. The findings of this study suggest that managers and researchers interested in training users also devote attention to these other mechanisms for learning, especially the “master user” phenomenon.
Factor analysis of the revised UCLA loneliness scale

The Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA) is described and used as a unidimensional measure of loneliness; conceptualizing and assessing loneliness as a unitary, global experience. The present study suggests that the R-UCLA is a multidimensional measure of loneliness that assesses more than one construct of the loneliness experience. Results of principal axis factor analysis suggest that the R-UCLA measures three dimensions of loneliness: loneliness related to (a) “intimate others,” (b) “social others,” and (c) the “affiliative environment.” These findings may affect the utilization of the R-UCLA in future assessment, research, and intervention. These implications are discussed.
Profiling Microbial Communities in Manganese Remediation Systems Treating Coal Mine Drainage

Water discharging from abandoned coal mines can contain extremely high manganese levels. Removing this metal is an ongoing challenge. Passive Mn(II) removal beds (MRBs) contain microorganisms that oxidize soluble Mn(II) to insoluble Mn(III/IV) minerals, but system performance is unpredictable. Using amplicon pyrosequencing, we profiled the bacterial, fungal, algal, and archaeal communities in four MRBs, performing at different levels, in Pennsylvania to determine whether they differed among MRBs and from surrounding soil and to establish the relative abundance of known Mn(II) oxidizers. Archaea were not detected; PCRs with archaeal primers returned only nontarget bacterial sequences. Fungal taxonomic profiles differed starkly between sites that remove the majority of influent Mn and those that do not, with the former being dominated by Ascomycota (mostly Dothideomycetes) and the latter by Basidiomycota (almost entirely Agaricomycetes). Taxonomic profiles for the other groups did not differ significantly between MRBs, but operational taxonomic unit-based analyses showed significant clustering by MRB with all three groups (P < 0.05). Soil samples clustered separately from MRBs in all groups except fungi, whose soil samples clustered loosely with their respective MRB. Known Mn(II) oxidizers accounted for a minor proportion of bacterial sequences (up to 0.20%) but a greater proportion of fungal sequences (up to 14.78%). MRB communities are more diverse than previously thought, and more organisms may be capable of Mn(II) oxidation than are currently known.
Setting navigational performance standards for aircraft flying over the oceans

Abstract Aircraft operating over the oceans are not tracked by air traffic control radars. Separation between aircraft in oceanic airspace is maintained by assigning each a block of airspace within which it is expected to remain without benefit of realtime monitoring to detect and correct navigational errors. A collision could occur of one aircraft deviates from its assigned course sufficiently to violate the airspace of another. To keep the risk of collision acceptably low in the heavily travelled North Atlantic region, the frequency of large course deviations is controlled by imposing navigational performance requirements on airspace users, together with separation minima. This paper describes the process by which a minimum navigational performance specification was developed and implemented for this region.
Correction of metabolic acidosis and its effect on albumin in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Serum albumin concentration has been strongly associated with risk of death in hemodialysis patients, with mortality increasing as albumin decreases. Metabolic acidosis stimulates protein catabolism and decreases protein synthesis. A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of increasing predialysis serum bicarbonate (HCO3) concentrations on the nutrition of hemodialysis patients as measured by albumin and total lymphocyte count (TLC). Metabolic acidosis was defined as a predialysis serum bicarbonate concentration of or = 3 months and each had a mean serum bicarbonate concentration of 0.05) between the two groups at the end of the study (control albumin 3.88 +/- 0.28 g/dL v experimental albumin 3.76 +/- 0.26 g/dL and control TLC 1,780.0 +/- 779.4/mm3 v experimental TLC 2,020.1 +/- 888.0/mm3). Potassium, intact parathyroid hormone, interdialytic weight gain, blood pressures, Kt/Vs, and protein catabolic rates did not differ. We found that the change in serum bicarbonate concentration was well-tolerated and was without any demonstrable side effects. We conclude that increasing the serum bicarbonate concentration by 3 mEq/L for 16 weeks has no effect on the indicators of nutrition that we measured (serum albumin and TLC).
Timing control by redundant inhibitory neuronal circuits

Rhythms and timing control of sequential activity in the brain is fundamental to cognition and behavior. Although experimental and theoretical studies support the understanding that neuronal circuits are intrinsically capable of generating different time intervals, the dynamical origin of the phenomenon of functionally dependent timing control is still unclear. Here, we consider a new mechanism that is related to the multi-neuronal cooperative dynamics in inhibitory brain motifs consisting of a few clusters. It is shown that redundancy and diversity of neurons within each cluster enhances the sensitivity of the timing control with the level of neuronal excitation of the whole network. The generality of the mechanism is shown to work on two different neuronal models: a conductance-based model and a map-based model.
Gauging the feasibility of cost-sharing and medical student interest groups to reduce interview costs.

Indirect costs of the interview tour can be prohibitive. The authors sought to assess the desire of interviewees to mitigate these costs through ideas such as sharing hotel rooms and transportation, willingness to stay with local students, and the preferred modality to coordinate this collaboration. A survey link was posted on the Uncle Harvey website and the Facebook profile page of fourth-year medical students from 6 different medical schools shortly after the 2014 match day. There were a total of 156 respondents to the survey. The majority of the respondents were postinterview medical students (65.4%), but preinterview medical students (28.2%) and current residents (6.4%) also responded to the survey. Most respondents were pursuing a field other than neurosurgery (75.0%) and expressed a desire to share a hotel room and/or transportation (77.4%) as well as stay in the dorm room of a medical student at the program in which they are interviewing (70.0%). Students going into neurosurgery were significantly...
Students and independent midwifery practice in Australia

The use of the term 'independent' in this paper refers to midwifery practice in which the midwife acts as primary caret, through pregnancy, birth and thereafter, and takes professional responsibility including attendance at the birth. In most States and Territories that usuaUy means homebirth, or i f hospital is needed the midwife accompanies the woman transferring to hospital. At this point the independent midwife may be expected to assume the rote of support person. In Western Australia and South Australia there is public health funding available for a Limited number of midwife-attended births, most of which are planned homebirths. Where there is no public funding the woman engages a midwife in private practice and pays an agreed sum. It is the absence of funding for midwife primary care, either in the public or private health systems, that restricts access to this option for women, and effectively prevents many midwives from acting as independent primary caregivers.
Anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase in the nigrostriatal pathway after neostriatal kainic acid lesions.

We used the anterograde transport of HRP to analyze the nigrostriatal pathway after intrastriatal injections of kainic acid. A total volume of 1 μl kainic acid (3 nM) was injected unilaterally into the neostriatum of adult rats. After 5, 10, or 35 days, HRP was injected into the ipsilateral substantia nigra. Sections stained for Nissl substance revealed that kainic acid damaged as much as three-quarters of the neostriatum. Lesion sites were characterized by gliosis and the absence of neurons. Alternate sections processed for HRP histochemistry and analyzed with bright- and dark-field microscopy revealed labeled axons and terminals in the lesion site. These findings were consistent in all three time periods. Much of the labeling was similar to that seen in neostriata of control animals. However, the normal homogeneous pattern of the nigrostriatal terminal field was disrupted in all experimental groups, illustrated by changes in some labeling characteristics in the lesion site. These findins provide morphologic evidence for the preservation of much of the nigrostriatal pathway but indicate that some axons and their terminals may be altered after kainic acid injection.
An alternative measure of relative brand attitudes

Purpose – This paper aims to report two studies with the purpose of demonstrating and establishing the efficacy of using an alternative method of operationalizing relative brand attitudes based on Cheung's latent congruence model (LCM).Design/methodology/approach – Data are collected concerning brand attitudes related to their product (study 1) and retailer (study 2) preferred and best alternative brands. Structural equation modeling is used to demonstrate and validate the LCM model, as well as to relate relative brand attitudes to satisfaction judgments and loyalty behaviors.Findings – Two separate samples of respondents across two unique marketing settings (product and retailer brands) support the LCM‐based view of relative brand attitude proposed herein. In addition, results suggest that preferred brands are most strongly related to satisfaction with the preferred brand, however, relative brand attitudes are alternatively related to preferred brand loyalty. Thus, relative brand attitudes appear to have...
Microbial reductive transformation of phyllosilicate Fe(III) and U(VI) in fluvial subsurface sediments.

The microbial reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) was investigated in shallow aquifer sediments collected from subsurface flood deposits near the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in Washington State....
Displacement of norepinephrine by α-methylnorepinephrine in the nucleus tractus solitarius of the rat☆

Abstract Rat brain slices from. the dorsomedial medulla containing the nucleus tractus solitarius were loaded with [ 3 H]norepinephrine ([ 3 H]NE) for superfusion. Electrical stimulation (3 Hz, 25 mA, 1 min) resulted in fractional release ratios S 2 S 1 of 0.97 ± 0.02 in normal Krebs-Henseleit (KH) and 0.93 ± 0.06 in the presence of 30 μM cocaine. With cocaine in the KH medium, l -α-methylnorepinephrine (α-MeNE) significantly reduced the [3H]NE release S2/Sl without affecting the basal release ratios. Without cocaine in the KH medium both 0.1 and 1.0 μM α-MeNE increased the basal release B 2 /B 1 that was not affected by yohimbine. Prazosin had no effect on the S 2 S 1 ratio but did attenuate the basal release effects of α-MeNE. In low Ca 2+ studies where the S 2 stimulus was abolished, 1.0 βM α-MeNE induced a sharply elevated increase in the B 2 B 1 ratio. It appears that α-MeNE in the presence of the uptake inhibitor:; reduces presynaptic neurotransmitter release through α 2 -adrenoceptors, whereas when uptake of the monoamines was not blocked α-MeNE was considerably more efficacious as a displacing agent of neurotransmitter.
Dermatitis from transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is an effective treatment modality for chronic pain. Electrical impulses produced by a portable stimulator are transmitted by cable to electrodes which are attached to specific areas of the body by tape or adhesive. A conductive electrolyte jelly is utilized in order to make good electrical contact with the skin. Several dermatologic complications have been associated with the use of this technic, including allergic and irritant contact dermatitis and micropunctate burns caused by the improper use of poorly conductive lubricant jellies. A patient is reported herein who developed allergic contact dermatitis to propylene glycol in a conductive jelly (Neuromod TENS gel). In an attempt to continue therapy, the patient changed to a poorly conductive surgical lubricant jelly which caused irritation and micropunctate burns. Subsequently, electrodes not utilizing conductive jelly were applied, with excellent results.