cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 227 – River Blindness

Publisher Summary This chapter describes river blindness diseases cause by a filarial (threadlike) worm in the phylum Nematoda, Onchocerca volvulus. It is a nonfatal, human disease that affects the skin and vision and can ultimately lead to blindness in infected persons. The name river blindness reflects both the place where the disease is most common and severe, and its ultimate outcome. The disease is found in 37 countries, 30 of which are in Africa, 6 in the Americas, and 1 in the Arabian Peninsula. In humans, the disease takes three progressive forms: first, skin lesions and intense, often violent, itching occur; second, painless nodules containing adult worms form where tissues are thin over bones, such as pelvis, ribs, and scalp, and these nodules are the sites of reproduction for the worms; and third, eye lesions form that can lead to blindness. The third phase can be devastating to communities; 10% of the people in vast areas can be blind, with levels of adults being blind in individual villages sometimes exceeding 30%. This disease is most prevalent among the rural villages that occur in some of the poorest areas of the poorest countries of the world. In these areas, subsistence whether through agriculture or freshwater fishing is difficult to achieve; the large proportion of blind adults makes the burden of the disease devastating to these communities.
Three-dimensional transient simulation of niagnetoresistive head temperature during an ESD event

Melting of the sensing element in MR (magnetoresistive) heads for disc drives due to ESD events is a commonly seen mode of damage. The temperature in an MR head during an ESD event is modeled in 3 dimensions using finite-elements. Results will be given for a range of thermal and electrical properties, dimensions, and discharge time constants.
A Transformer-less Hybrid PV Inverter with Integrated Battery Energy Storage

In this paper a transformer-less hybrid PV inverter with integrated battery energy storage is proposed. The proposed converter integrates both solar PV and battery sources with the ability to control for maximum power transfer as well as control the charge discharge functions of a battery energy storage system. The proposed control employs a single current and single voltage sensor with perturb and observe based method to achieve maximum solar power and battery state of charge control. The proposed interleaved modular multilevel converter boosts the dc link voltage to suitable value to enable transformer-less interface to the electric commercial utility grid. It is shown that ZVS operation will yield higher conversion efficiency. Simulation results validate the concept over a wide operation range. Preliminary experimental results are discussed.
A Modern Laboratory XAFS Cookbook

We have recently demonstrated a very favorable, inexpensive modernization of lab- based x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and high-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) using only commercially-available optics and x-ray tube sources. Here, we survey several proven instrument designs that can be readily implemented in any laboratory setting to achieve synchrotron-quality XAFS and XES for many systems in the 5 keV to 10 keV energy range. These approaches are based on our immediate experience with the development of: (1) an inexpensive, low-powered monochromator capable of performing either XAFS or XES, (2) a mid-scale XAFS user facility having 106/sec flux with sub-eV bandwidth on each of two independent beamlines, and (3) multiple XES spectrometers having outstanding performance that can complement synchrotron XAFS studies in battery and actinide research.
Rethinking sustainability through synthetic biology.

The use of bacterial biofilms provides a bioplastic that is biodegradable, water processable, and coatable, opening new avenues for plastic alternatives.
STRategies to Improve Pain and Enjoy life (STRIPE): Protocol for a pragmatic randomized trial of pain coping skills training and opioid medication taper guidance for patients on long-term opioid therapy

Abstract High-dose, long-term opioid therapy (LtOT) is associated with risk for serious harms. Rapid opioid discontinuation may lead to increased pain, psychological distress, and illicit opioid use, but gradual, supported opioid taper may reduce these risks. We previously demonstrated that an opioid taper support and pain coping skills training intervention reduced opioid dose more than usual care (43% vs 19% dose reduction from baseline), with no increase in pain intensity and a significant reduction in activity interference. We aim to adapt and test this intervention in the Kaiser Permanente Washington healthcare system with STRategies to Improve Pain and Enjoy life (STRIPE, NCT03743402 ), a pragmatic, randomized trial. Our goal was to randomize 215 participants on moderate-high dose (≥40 morphine milligram equivalent/day) LtOT to either cognitive-behavioral therapy-based pain coping skills training involving 18 telephone sessions over 52 weeks with optional opioid taper support or usual care. Data are collected from electronic health records, claims, and self-report. The primary outcomes are mean daily opioid dose and the pain intensity, interference with enjoyment of life, and interference with general activity (PEG) score at 12 months (primary time point) and 6 months (secondary time point). Secondary outcomes include having ≥30% opioid dose reduction from baseline, and patient-reported problem opioid use, opioid-related difficulties, pain self-efficacy, opioid craving, global impression of change, and anxiety and depressive symptoms at 6 and 12 months. If effective, this treatment could reduce opioid exposure and associated risks to patients, families, and communities while offering patients an alternative for managing pain.
Aneurysmal and arteriovenous malformation hemorrhage during pregnancy: An update on the epidemiology, risk factors and prognosis.

Abstract Introduction Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating condition with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation (AVM) rupture are two common etiologies leading to ICH. Here we provide an update on ICH during pregnancy with a focus on those caused by aneurysm or AVM rupture. Methods Here we systematically review 25 studies reported in the literature to provide an update on ICH during pregnancy focusing on aneurysm or AVM rupture. We also reviewed the prognosis of ICH during puerperium. Results Discrepancies exist between studies supporting or refuting the hypothesis of a higher rate of ICH during pregnancy, obscuring the overall rate of aneurysm and AVM rupture in pregnant ICH patients. However, risk factors such as maternal age and hypertension have shown to increase the frequency of ICH in pregnant patients. We also show increased morbidity and mortality in patients suffering from preeclampsia/eclampsia. Discussion ICH is rare, but the various studies demonstrating its increased frequency, morbidity, and mortality during pregnancy should raise our awareness of this condition. The management and treatment decisions for a pregnant ICH patient should follow the same principles as nonpregnant patients, but with the knowledge that not all medications are appropriate for use in the pregnant patient. Although there seems to be a higher frequency of AVM rupture, further research must be conducted in order to fully determine the effects of pregnancy on aneurysm and AVM ruptures.
4 3D PRINTING IN CONSUMER MARKETS

The 3D printer has not become the household appliance its most avid enthusiasts predicted in the early 2010s, but it is making definite inroads into mass markets. While CAD file creation primarily remains the province of trained, skilled technicians, consumer 3D printing has taken off in schools. Finally, even though most people may not print their own, 3D printed products are emerging in more markets every year.
Exploring the Effects of Organizational Structure Variables on the Organizational Justice Perceptions of Correctional Staff

Research examining the effect of organizational justice on the correctional environment is typically limited to its consequences on various outcomes. Absent from this body of literature is how perc...
An Analysis of the Components of Tests of Semicircular Canal Function and of Static and Dynamic Balance

(1939). An Analysis of the Components of Tests of Semicircular Canal Function and of Static and Dynamic Balance. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 33-52.
Practices and Pitfalls of Mouse Cancer Models in Drug Discovery

Mouse models of cancer are critical tools for elucidating mechanisms of cancer development, as well as for assessment of putative cancer therapies. However, there are ongoing concerns about the value of mouse cancer models for predicting therapeutic efficacy in humans. This chapter reviews the most commonly used transplanted tumor models, including subcutaneous and orthotopic tumors in mice. It also reviews commonly utilized in vivo study endpoints. Even small improvements in predictive value achieved through careful selection of models and endpoints have the potential to have large impacts on productivity and overall drug development costs.
Residential load control through real-time pricing signals

The concept of shaping residential loads can be an effective way of controlling the load profile of a distribution company. Flat energy rates do not provide incentives to customers to use power as would be optimal from a utility point of view. With the restructuring of the power industry it is expected that prices will fluctuate in any given day. Actually real-time pricing (RTP) and demand side management have been discussed for quite some time since the 1970s. However, RTP is still a concept, and often misused with time of use. This paper describes how to design an RTP system for residential customers, by looking into some of the current problems in the electricity market, and the potential impact of demand response from residential customers.
A novel immune competent murine hypertrophic scar contracture model: A tool to elucidate disease mechanism and develop new therapies

Hypertrophic scar (HSc) contraction following burn injury causes contractures. Contractures are painful and disfiguring. Current therapies are marginally effective. To study pathogenesis and develop new therapies, a murine model is needed. We have created a validated immune-competent murine HSc model. A third-degree burn was created on dorsum of C57BL/6 mice. Three days postburn, tissue was excised and grafted with ear skin. Graft contraction was analyzed and tissue harvested on different time points. Outcomes were compared with human condition to validate the model. To confirm graft survival, green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice were used, and histologic analysis was performed to differentiate between ear and back skin. Role of panniculus carnosus in contraction was analyzed. Cellularity was assessed with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Collagen maturation was assessed with Picro-sirius red. Mast cells were stained with Toluidine blue. Macrophages were detected with F4/80 immune. Vascularity was assessed with CD31 immune. RNA for contractile proteins was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Elastic moduli of skin and scar tissue were analyzed using a microstrain analyzer. Grafts contracted to ∼45% of their original size by day 14 and maintained their size. Grafting of GFP mouse skin onto wild-type mice, and analysis of dermal thickness and hair follicle density, confirmed graft survival. Interestingly, hair follicles disappeared after grafting and regenerated in ear skin configuration by day 30. Radiological analysis revealed that panniculus carnosus doesn't contribute to contraction. Microscopic analyses showed that grafts show increase in cellularity. Granulation tissue formed after day 3. Collagen analysis revealed increases in collagen maturation over time. CD31 stain revealed increased vascularity. Macrophages and mast cells were increased. qRT-PCR showed up-regulation of transforming growth factor beta, alpha smooth muscle actin, and rho-associated protein kinase 2 in HSc. Tensile testing revealed that human skin and scar tissues are tougher than mouse skin and scar tissues.
Relationships between primary emissions and regional air quality and acid deposition in Eulerian models determined by sensitivity analysis

The relationships between sources, regional air quality and acid deposition are investigated by the use of the sensitivity analysis. A computationally efficient method of calculating sensitivity coefficients is discussed and used to determine source-receptor relations. These techniques are demonstrated using a simplified version of the Sulfate Transport Eulerian Model. The sensitivity analysis is also extended to calculate sensitivities of an objective function by algebraic manipulations of the sensitivity coefficients. The sensitivity coefficients of primary and secondary pollutants with respect to a specific emission are used to study the role of sources in regional air quality. The domain of influence of a source and the maximum value of the response of a receptor region show strong diurnal variations. The source-receptor relations sought by sensitivity analysis show that the ground level sulfate concentration at the receptor region is mainly affected by close-by SO2 sources during day time and by far-away SO2 sources during night time. It is also demonstrated that the fate of pollutants emitted in the model region can be found by calculating the sensitivity coefficients of the appropriate objective functions.
Human histologic responses to guided tissue regenerative techniques in intrabony lesions. Case reports on 9 sites.

Abstract 9 sites of 8 teeth in 5 adults with severe periodontitis were treated by open surgical debridement followed by placement of 1 of 2 Teflon barrier membranes. Teeth were notched at both gingival margins and deepest visible calculus on the root. Barrier membranes were placed apical to alveolar crest and coronal to gingival notch. Flaps were sutured coronally and patients were placed on 1.2% chlorohexodine gluconate twice daily for 2 weeks, post-surgery. Subsequent to suture removal, patients returned for frequent plaque control until block removal. In order to observe early healing responses, 6 sites were harvested 5 to 8 weeks after surgical treatment. 3 additional sites were removed 14, 22 and 30 weeks respectively after surgical treatment. Histologically, new cementum was seen in a linear direction along root surfaces in 6 out of 9 sites (length of cementum = 0.5 to 1.7 mm). 3 sites showed no evidence of new attachment. At sites of cementogenesis, functionally-oriented fibers were inserted. The osseous seams opposite the new attachment often demonstrated osteogenesis. Regenerative responses were seen with both types of teflon membranes and were present as early as 5 weeks after surgery.
A Computational Model Quantifies the Effect of Anatomical Variability on Velopharyngeal Function

Purpose This study predicted the effects of velopharyngeal (VP) anatomical parameters on VP function to provide a greater understanding of speech mechanics and aid in the treatment of speech disorders. Method We created a computational model of the VP mechanism using dimensions obtained from magnetic resonance imaging measurements of 10 healthy adults. The model components included the levator veli palatini (LVP), the velum, and the posterior pharyngeal wall, and the simulations were based on material parameters from the literature. The outcome metrics were the VP closure force and LVP muscle activation required to achieve VP closure. Results Our average model compared favorably with experimental data from the literature. Simulations of 1,000 random anatomies reflected the large variability in closure forces observed experimentally. VP distance had the greatest effect on both outcome metrics when considering the observed anatomic variability. Other anatomical parameters were ranked by their predicted infl...
Positive and Negative Feedback

At the beginning of the book we discussed the importance of positive and negative feedback processes to the dynamic behavior of systems. Much attention has been given by researchers to negative feedback processes, because negative feedback processes lead systems toward equilibrium states. In this chapter we turn our attention to positive feedback processes. Positive feedback reinforces a given tendency of a system and can lead a system away from equilibrium states, possibly causing quite unexpected results.
A background sodium conductance is necessary for spontaneous depolarizations in rat pituitary cell line GH3

The role of Na+ in the expression of membrane potential activity in the clonal rat pituitary cell line GH3 was investigated using the perforated patch variation of patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques. It was found that replacing bath Na+ with choline, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), or N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMG) caused the cells to hyperpolarize 20-30 mV. Tetrodotoxin had no effect. The effects of the Na+ substitutes could not be explained by effects on potassium or calcium currents. Although all three Na+ substitutes suppressed voltage-dependent calcium current by 10-20%, block of voltage-dependent calcium current by nifedipine or Co2+ did not result in hyperpolarization of the cells. There was no effect of the Na+ substitutes on voltage-dependent potassium currents. In contrast, all three Na+ substitutes influenced calcium-activated potassium currents [IK(Ca)], but only at depolarized potentials. Choline consistently suppressed IK(Ca), whereas Tris and NMG either had no effect or slightly increased IK(Ca). These effects on IK(Ca) also cannot explain the hyperpolarization induced by removing bath Na+. Choline always hyperpolarized cells yet suppressed IK(Ca). Furthermore, removing bath Na+ caused an increase in cell input resistance, an observation consistent with the loss of a membrane conductance as the basis of the hyperpolarization. Direct measurement of background currents revealed a 12-pA inward current at -84 mV that was lost upon removing bath Na+. These results suggest that this background sodium conductance provides the depolarizing drive for GH3 cells to reach the threshold for firing calcium-dependent action potentials.
A Worthy Asset: The Adjunct Faculty and the Influences on Their Job Satisfaction

The author explored the intrinsic factors that foster job satisfaction of adjunct faculty members working in the southeastern United States. The literature concerning adjunct work experiences is limited, although adjuncts comprise the great majority of the faculty pool in many community and technical colleges. Twenty-seven adjuncts’ work experiences were examined to identify the key intrinsic workplace factors that impact their job satisfaction. Data were collected concerning the adjuncts’ work environment; professional relationships with administrators, students, and fellow adjuncts; and the overall perceptions on job satisfaction. The findings, implications of the study, limitations of the study, and recommendations for improved adjunct job satisfaction are discussed.
A Review of: “Global Lies? Propaganda, the UN and World Order, by Mark D. Alleyne”

Critical scholarship about the United Nations (UN), its operations, and their meaning for world politics has traditionally been deficient. Unlike many studies that blindly embrace the UN project or...
The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Women’s Physical Health Findings From the Missouri Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem. It has far reaching consequences such as social and economic costs, as well as a negative impact on women's health outcomes. This study assessed the relationship between IPV and health risk factors, health behaviors, and poor mental health in Missouri women utilizing 2005 Missouri Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data ( n = 3,110). Moderators (demographic indicators) of the relationship between IPV and health risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity) and health behaviors (physical inactivity, smoking, and binge drinking) were also examined. Women with a history of IPV were more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors such as smoking and binge drinking, be obese, and report more poor mental health days compared with women without a history of IPV. Demographic variables moderated the relationship between IPV, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These findings underscore the importance that clinics, community, or other health care settings can play in identifying women who are victims of or have a history of IPV and provide them with appropriate resources as well as targeted interventions to reduce morbidity in this population.
Dose-Dependent Mutation Rates Determine Optimum Erlotinib Dosing Strategies for EGFR Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background The advent of targeted therapy for cancer treatment has brought about a paradigm shift in the clinical management of human malignancies. Agents such as erlotinib used for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer or imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia, for instance, lead to rapid tumor responses. Unfortunately, however, resistance often emerges and renders these agents ineffective after a variable amount of time. The FDA-approved dosing schedules for these drugs were not designed to optimally prevent the emergence of resistance. To this end, we have previously utilized evolutionary mathematical modeling of treatment responses to elucidate the dosing schedules best able to prevent or delay the onset of resistance. Here we expand on our approaches by taking into account dose-dependent mutation rates at which resistant cells emerge. The relationship between the serum drug concentration and the rate at which resistance mutations arise can lead to non-intuitive results about the best dose administration strategies to prevent or delay the emergence of resistance.
Crustal structure and signatures of recent tectonism as influenced by ancient terranes in the western United States

The amalgamation of crustal blocks that composes the western cordillera of North America has a long history of deformation across a broad zone. Investigations spanning a range of scales in the region have sought to unravel details of its structure and evolution. By sampling the entire western portion of the United States, the deployment of the Transportable Array component of the EarthScope USArray provides broadband seismic data to study crustal structure across much of this deforming region. Receiver functions recorded across the western United States provide insight into the thickness of the crust and how it varies between tectonic provinces. The thickness of the crust varies from 50 km beneath the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming. Distinct crustal structures characterize the Basin and Range, Snake River Plain, the Sierra Nevada, and the active Cascade volcanic arc, suggesting that the recent tectonic processes that affected the region have shaped the crustal structure. In addition, characteristics of the crust appear to relate to the boundaries of, and structures within, the terranes that formed North America. Patterns of crustal thickness across an expansive region presented here allow for the crustal response to specific tectonic processes to be determined while still imaging small-scale structures that can be more difficult to identify in a continental-scale study. This provides a context for previous and future detailed studies to understand how observed crustal structures relate to the evolution of western North America.
9The Role of Mental Status Measures in Civil Competency Determinations

Abstract This article reviews 12 studies that have used brief mental status exams in competency determinations. When possible, sensitivity and specificity values for determining incompetence were calculated from the available data. Although lower mental status scores were generally associated with incompetence and higher scores were generally associated with findings of competence, the mean sensitivity and specificity values of 69.4% and 74.6%, respectively, reflect that about one-quarter of patients under study would have been misclassified. In no single study did both sensitivity and specificity exceed 75%. The results of bedside mental status measures in competency determinations were particularly misleading in patients with frontal lobe pathology or psychiatric disorders. Although the brevity and simplicity of mental status measures are potentially enticing, clinicians are advised that the exclusive use of mental status exams, regardless of cutoff scores, in competency determinations will lead to a hi...
A study of the foundations of ethical decision-making of nurses.

A study of nurses and nursing students was conducted to determine the various philosophical positions they hold with respect to ethical decision-making in nursing and their relationship to the subjective-objective controversy in value theory. The study revealed that most nurses and nursing students tend to be subjectivists in value theory, i.e., believe that value judgments are purely personal, private expressions of one's own opinion or inner-feelings and not believe that value judgments are knowledge claims capable of being true or false and therefore not expressions of moral requirements and normative imperatives emanating from an external value structure or moral order in the world. In addition, the study revealed that most nurses and nursing students are inconsistent in the philosophical foundations of their ethical decision-making, i.e., in decision-making regarding values they tend to hold beliefs which are incompatible with other beliefs they hold about values.
Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, andPedagogical Technique

Changes in the aims and methods of the philosophy of mind have occurred in recent decades. In particular, computer simulations have emerged as a means of constructing empirically and conceptually defensible theories of mind. This article explores pedagogical innovations that may be necessitated by these changes. One question raised is whether hands-on teaching of simulation methods should be a standard part of philosophy of mind courses. These courses, because of an increasing empirical orientation, are becoming more interdisciplinary, and certain consequences of this development are elaborated here.
Polymer molecular weight distribution analysis at very high speed using on-line data handling

Abstract In the past severl years, the use of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has grown rapidly in the field of polymer analysis and characterization. Molecular weight can or size distributions can be obtained from the information generated during a GPC run. However, the traditional GPC analyses have required long runs consuming large amounts of mobile phase (solvent) and time, and the data generated required considerable manipulation. The advent of porous glass size-exclusion column packings and very high-quality high-pressure pumps have led to tremendous reductin in the time and cost of GPC analyses. The use of an on-line data handling system allows a distribution analysis to be carried out in less than 15 min with unprecedented analytical precision.
Multiple spinal cavernous malformations with atypical phenotype after prior irradiation: Case report

Objective and importance This is the first reported case of histologically proven multiple spinal cavernous malformations (CMs) associated with previous irradiation. There are only two cases reported in the literature of solitary spinal CM after irradiation. In addition, the lesions in our patient had an atypical magnetic resonance imaging appearance mimicking intraspinal drop metastasis. Clinical presentation A 33-year-old man had an incidental finding of multiple enhancing intraspinal lesions as revealed by magnetic resonance imaging during staging tests for hepatocellular carcinoma. He had a history of Wilms' tumor at a young age with irradiation to the abdomen and pelvis. His family history included a paternal cousin with multiple cerebral CMs. The diagnosis of spinal drop metastasis was made, and further intervention was undertaken for confirmation. Intervention The patient underwent a lumbar laminectomy with durotomy and excision of two of the lesions. Macroscopic analysis revealed mulberry-like appearance with nerve root involvement, and pathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of CM. Genetic testing of the patient and his affected cousin was negative for the CCM1 gene. Conclusion The occurrence of multiple spinal lesions in the context of known neoplasia indicates a diagnosis of metastasis. Spinal CMs were not suspected preoperatively because of the atypical appearance revealed by magnetic resonance imaging scans, with uniform contrast enhancement and absence of hemosiderin rim. This case report is discussed relative to previous literature regarding radiation-induced CMs and other known causes of the disease.
Training the Disadvantaged Can It Reduce Welfare Dependence

Recently, the Job Training Partnership Act has been implemented with the explicit purpose of moving economically disadvantaged individuals toward economic indepen dence through the provision of training. Ideally, we wish to know whether this type of training is a cost-effective expenditure.
Reactive equilibrium of magnetoactive plasma

A statistical theory of the ionization — recombination equilibrium of a non-degenerate plasma in a homogeneous magnetic field is given. It is shown that the magnetic field changes the reactive composition if the quanta of the oscillatory electron motion in the magnetic field — which corresponds classically to the electron gyration — are of the order of or larger than the thermal energy,ħω≳kT. The ionization may be enhanced or depressed depending on whether the background gas of the plasma is diamagnetic or paramagnetic. Some low temperature experiments, where such an anomalous “magnetic ionization” might be observable, are discussed briefly.
Synaptology of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons in the preoptic area of the male rat: effects of gonadectomy.

Abstract Ultrastructural analysis of the synaptic input to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons has previously shown that in male rats these cells acquire an increased density of innervation with increasing age [Witkin J. W. (1987) Neuroscience 22 , 1003–1013]. To determine if this aging phenomenon might be due to changes in the steroid environment, we examined luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons, using methods identical to the earlier study, in sham operated and 1 day and 4 week castrated male rats. The density of synaptic input to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons did not vary among the three experimental groups. Furthermore, there were no differences in the relative numbers of various morphological categories of synaptic boutons (characterized by vesicle type: clear vs dense and round vs pleomorphic) among the groups. Long term castration did result in a slight decrease in immunocytochemically detectable luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neuron numbers. These results suggest that gonadal steroid deprivation does not alter the total density or morphological characteristics of synaptic input to the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neuron in the male rat.
Catabolite repression of the synthesis of β-galactosidase in Proteus mirabilis F-lac

Abstract The repression of β-galactosidase (β- d -galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.23) synthesis in Proteus mirabilis F-lac was found to differ from that in Escherichia coli. While the induced level of enzyme was markedly repressed by glucose, it was found that the high basal, semiconstitutive (oc) and constitutive (i−) levels in P. mirabilis F-lac were insensitive to glucose. The apparent repression of the induced level was probably due to the inhibition of galactoside premeation by glucose. The absence of true catabolite repression of β-galactosidase may be the result of the absence of a catabolite repression gene in P. mirabilis.
Mineral composition of bermudagrass as influenced by maturity and nitrogen in a cool, temperate environment

Abstract Warm‐season grasses contribute substantially to herbage supply during summer in cool‐temperate environments, when the productivity of cool‐season grasses declines. Herbage digestibility as well as mineral concentration may limit the amount of essential nutrients available to meet grazing animal requirements. A field study was conducted to determine the productivity and quality of a new selection of bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L) Pers.], RSl, which is capable of growth and persistence in areas where other cultivars of bermudagrass are likely to winterkill. Concentrations and uptake of mineral nutrients in RSl bermudagrass were determined in response to N levels (0, 120, 240, and 360 kg N/ha) and delayed initial harvest (advancing maturity) at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after active growth began. Concentrations of P, Ca, K, Mg, and S in early season growth generally declined with advancing maturity. Concentrations of elements showed mixed response to N levels, and generally were not affected by treatmen...
Chiral anion-mediated asymmetric ring opening of meso-aziridinium and episulfonium ions.

Reactions proceeding through cationic intermediates that lack a Lewis or Bronsted basic site present a challenge for traditional asymmetric catalysis based on chiral metals or organocatalysts. We present an enantioselective ring opening of tetrasubstituted meso-aziridinium ions with alcohol nucleophiles proceeding through a chiral ion pair with a binaphthol-phosphate anion. The reaction is initiated by silver-induced ring closure of β-chloroamines using the Ag salt of the chiral anion as in situ generated catalyst. Use of insoluble Ag2CO3 as silver source is essential to obtain high enantioselectivity; we believe the chiral phosphate acts as a “chiral anion phase transfer catalyst” to bring silver ion into the organic phase. The chiral anion concept can also be extended to the related asymmetric opening of meso-episulfonium ions generated by protonation of trichloroacetimidates vicinal to sulfides.
Gordon W. Allport on the Nature of Prejudice

This essay examines the life work of Gordon W. Allport (1921–1967) on the nature of prejudice and racial discrimination.
Asymmetric ligand binding facilitates conformational transitions in pentameric ligand-gated ion channels.

The anesthetic propofol inhibits the currents of the homopentameric ligand-gated ion channel GLIC, yet the crystal structure of GLIC with five propofol molecules bound symmetrically shows an open-channel conformation. To address this dilemma and determine if the symmetry of propofol binding sites affects the channel conformational transition, we performed a total of 1.5 μs of molecular dynamics simulations for different GLIC systems with propofol occupancies of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5. GLIC without propofol binding or with five propofol molecules bound symmetrically, showed similar channel conformation and hydration status over multiple replicates of 100-ns simulations. In contrast, asymmetric binding to one, two or three equivalent sites in different subunits accelerated the channel dehydration, increased the conformational heterogeneity of the pore-lining TM2 helices, and shifted the lateral and radial tilting angles of TM2 toward a closed-channel conformation. The results differentiate two groups of systems ...
Respondent-Driven Sampling with Hard-to-Reach Emerging Adults: An Introduction and Case Study with Rural African Americans.

Obtaining representative samples from populations of emerging adults who do not attend college is challenging for researchers. This article introduces respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a method for...
A renewable-reagent fiber-optic sensor for measurement of high acidities.

A renewable-reagent fiber-optic HNO3 sensor was developed for HNO3 measurement in the 0.1−10.0 M range. The HNO3 sensor employs a tubular Nafion cation-exchange membrane to extract acid species from an external HNO3 sample into an internal flowing reagent solution. In high-concentration HNO3 samples, incomplete HNO3 dissociation results in a significant concentration of neutral HNO3 species in addition to protons. As both neutrals and protons are potentially membrane-permeable species, various reagent compositions were tested to examine the contributions of both acid transfer mechanisms. Continuous reagent flow limited internal acid accumulation and transferred reagent to the sensor optical detection cell. All reagent compositions included cresol red as a colorimetric indicator, which was measured within the sensor detection cell. Careful fiber-optic alignment provided sufficient light throughput in a backscatter illumination mode to allow use of a photodiode array detector for visible spectral acquisitio...
T antigen transgenic mouse models

The study of polyomavirus has benefited immensely from two scientific methodologies, cell culture and in vitro studies on one side and the use of transgenic mice as experimental models on the other. Both approaches allowed us to identify cellular products targeted by the viruses, the consequences of these interactions at the phenotypic and molecular level, and thus the potential roles of the targets within their normal cellular context. In particular, cell culture and in vitro reports suggest a model explaining partially how SV40 large T antigen contributes to oncogenic transformation. In most cases, T antigen induces cell cycle entry by inactivation of the Rb proteins (pRb, p130, and p107), thus activating E2F-dependent transcription and subsequent S-phase entry. Simultaneously, T antigen blocks p53 activity and therefore prevents the ensuing cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. For the most part, studies of T antigen expression in transgenic mice support this model, but the use of T antigen mutants and their expression in different tissue and cell type settings have expanded our knowledge of the model system and raised important questions regarding tumorigenic mechanisms functioning in vivo.
Fixed-Angle Volar Plate Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures in Immunosuppressed Patients

The aim of this study was to define the outcome and complications following open reduction and internal fixed-angle plating of distal radius fractures for patients on chronic immunosuppression medications. A retrospective study identified 11 patients with distal radius fractures that had been on chronic immunosuppressive medication. The mean patient age was 59.9 years (40–82 years). According to the Orthopedic Trauma Association classification, there was one 23A3, one 23B3, and nine 23C type fractures. There were two open fractures. All patients received preoperative antibiotics and underwent reduction and fixation with a volar, fixed-angle plate. Postoperative measurements included postoperative and final radiographic indices, wrist flexion and extension, forearm rotation, and grip strength. Clinical follow-up averaged 13 months, and radiographic follow-up averaged 14.9 months. Statistical analysis was performed comparing means of various parameters with a two-sided t test with an alpha value ≤0.05. All fractures healed, and there were no infections. The final mean ulnar variance, volar tilt, and radial inclination were −0.1 mm (ulnar negative; −2.0 to +2.5 mm), 13° (5–23°), and 21° (15–27°), respectively. The mean articular gap or step was 0.4 mm. There was a small but significant decrease between the final and postoperative mean ulnar variance (p = 0.03). Mean wrist flexion was 47°, extension 47°, pronation 77°, and supination was 76°. Grip strength averaged 16.3 kg versus 25.1 kg for the opposite extremity. The one major complication included a postoperative carpal tunnel syndrome. Fixed-angle volar plate fixation for distal radius fractures in patients with chronic immunosuppression was associated with union (with acceptable radiographic alignment), no wound-healing problems or infections, and with functional wrist and forearm motion and grip strength.
The structure of heat-treated UO2 crystals

An initial examination of UO/sub 2/ crystals provided evidence for the presence of U/sub 2/N/sub 3/ and uranium impurity phases both of which could contribute to the substoichiometric O/U ratios present in the as-received condition. After heat treatments, the crystals were re-examined metallographically. All specimens were characterized by porosity and the absence of any metallographically detectable impurity phases. However, a difference was observed in pore sizes and distributions depending on the heating rate used. The results suggest that the observed porosity in the crystals is the result of the dissociation of U/sub 2/N/sub 3/ particles. From an analysis of the observed structures and the equilibrium forces invluencing porosity, the approximate strength of UO/sub 2/ crystals at 1900 deg C was deduced. (P.C.H.)
Male pelvic hemangiopericytoma on computed tomography

A case of hemangiopericytoma in the male pelvis is presented in which computed tomography demonstrated a well-circumscribed, homogeneous enhancing mass with feeding vessels.
Analysis of Polypeptide Backbone T1 Relaxation Data Using an Experimentally Derived Model

Abstract The time scale of internal motion of the Ala 3 -Leu 4 peptide linkage plane of gramicidin A in its channel conformation is analyzed by interpreting solid-state 15 N T 1 measurements taken at 4.7 and 9.4 T. The T 1 relaxation measurements have been interpreted using a structural model of local motion which has previously been experimentally determined. According to this model, the individual peptide plane motion is a rotational diffusion subject to a harmonic restoring potential about an axis through successive α carbons. The results which best fit the model to the data reported here and to previously determined information about the motions of the gramicidin channel suggest that the correlation time for librations of the Ala 3 -Leu 4 peptide linkage is 36 ns. This suggests that the peptide backbone motions of the gramicidin channel may be on the same time scale as the translational motion of a cation in the channel.
Design and Characterization of a Visible-Light Fourier Transform Raman Spectrometer

We demonstrate the feasibility of Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy with visible wavelength excitation through design, construction, and characterization of a visible-light FT-Raman spectrometer. Our motivation to explore this approach stemmed from the need for a versatile Raman spectrometer for use in a confocal scanning laser Raman microscope we built. We discuss the spectrometer design features which contribute to efficient and reliable microscope operation and evaluate the spectrometer performance on the basis of a series of measurements chosen because of their impact on confocal microscope function. The measurements include the acquisition of representative Raman spectra from both solids and liquids, a demonstration of the independence of resolving power from input aperture diameter, the measurement of the absolute spectrometer optical efficiency curve, and an evaluation of the short-and long-term spectrometer noise processes.
Editor's Introduction: Language, Methodology, and the Sociologist

I-The Recent Past Sociology is not without some traditional concern for the relationship between language and social research. The turn-of-the century French school (among whose adherents, the best known to American sociologists was Emile Durkheim) seems to have been more influential in directing the attention of anthropologists to language than it has been among sociologists. One exception presents itself in the fascination C. Wright Mills apparently had with Granet's La Pensee Chinoise. Mills, however, did not choose to publish his analysis of Granet and it was left to Horowitz to retrieve the manuscript and include "The Language and Ideas of Ancient China" in his posthumous collection of Mills' works (Horowitz, 1963: 469-524).1 Systematic ground work on the rela tionship between language and patterns of thinking-a version of the sociology of knowledge?was pursued independently (and later, together) by Whorf and Sapir, but in sociology, aside from Mills' abortive effort, there seems to have been little interest. Borrowing a bit, I think, from Kenneth Burke, and a great deal from Charles W. Morris (whom he acknowledges), Mills defines a special field within sociology: sociotics. And it is to this area of sociotics that this issue of SOCIOLOGICAL FOCUS is addressed. "By the term Sociotics I mean to demarcate for analysis (a) all the sociological phenomena that are involved in the functioning of language; and (b) the ways by which lingual phenomena channel, limit, and elicit thought. Sociotics is at once a portion of theory of language and a division of sociology of knowledge." (Mills in Horowitz, 1963: 492).2 But Mills is also part of a more enduring traditional concern with language in sociology. He finds language to be a link in the
Adult Learners in Undergraduate Health Education Professional Education Programs: Planning for Now and the Future

Abstract Adult learners comprise 44 percent of the undergraduate student population in the United States. Professional preparation programs in health education may have a significant number of adult learners currently enrolled or may need to plan for this growing segment of the student population. The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic and motivational characteristics of adult learners in health education undergraduate professional preparation programs in four Illinois public universities. A questionnaire, the Health Education Adult Learner Survey, was mailed to 75 adult learners enrolled in four undergraduate health education programs in Illinois. Data from 38 respondents (51 percent) were used in the analysis. The largest percentage of respondents were Caucasian females between the ages of 40 to 45. Their primary motivation for taking courses was to obtain an undergraduate degree in order to apply for health education positions. Geographic location, convenience of course offering time...
Getting a grip on the intertidal: flow microhabitat and substratum type determine the dislodgement of the crab Pachygrapsus crassipes (Randall) on rocky shores and in estuaries

Hydrodynamic forces can affect survival as well as limit the movement of motile benthic animals. An animal's danger of dislodgement depends on the hydrodynamic forces it experiences in its microhabitat relative to the force required to dislodge it (tenacity) from the substratum. We measured water flow and substratum characteristics in two different habitats of the shore crab Pachygrapsus crassipes: a wave-swept rocky shore and an intertidal mudflat. The maximum water velocities and accelerations in the microhabitats of the crabs at the wave-swept site were three times and two times greater, respectively, than at the mudflat site. In the laboratory, we measured the tenacity of crabs of various sizes on different substrata, and also measured their drag, lift and added-mass coefficients. Using these data, we calculated the flow conditions under which crabs would be overturned or sheared off the substratum in their two habitats. The net horizontal force (drag plus acceleration reaction) required to dislodge a crab on a rugose rock substratum was an order of magnitude greater than on smooth rock and two orders of magnitude greater than on mud. Our calculations indicate that, under non-storm conditions, crabs will not be dislodged from the substratum in either the mudflat or the wave-swept habitat when grasping the substratum with maximum tenacity. Moving crabs have lower tenacity and our calculations predict that hydrodynamic forces will restrict the mobility of large crabs more than that of small ones on smooth, but not on rugose rock.