cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The luxury of environmental concern in the US: evidence from Google Trends data

Google Trends data are correlated with income per capita at the state-level to examine the relationship between search intensity related to environmental issues and economic growth. Depending on the search term or topic and if said term or topic is measured in nominal or real terms, a simple cross-section regression yields an inverted-U shaped relationship between the two. Over a relatively lower range of income, search intensity is positively correlated to economic growth but, after a certain threshold income level is reached, further economic growth is negatively correlated with search intensity. The results hold when controlling for education rates, unemployment rates, and presidential voting patterns within a state. Our results imply that individuals within relatively poorer states tend to seek out information about the natural environment with greater frequency than individuals within relatively richer states, and perhaps for a few different reasons. We discuss the implications of these results within the context of the limitations of the data.
Product Value Modeling for a Natural Gas Liquid to Liquid Transportation Fuel Process

Light alkanes from shale resources can potentially be converted to an easy-to-transport liquid hydrocarbon product by catalytic dehydrogenation followed by catalytic oligomerization. The chemical s...
The mesenchymal stromal cell secretome impairs methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms via cysteine protease activity in the equine model

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from various species, such as humans, mice, and horses, were recently found to effectively inhibit the growth of various bacteria associated with chronic infections, such as nonhealing cutaneous wounds, via secretion of antimicrobial peptides. These MSC antimicrobial properties have primarily been studied in the context of the planktonic phenotype, and thus, information on the effects on bacteria in biofilms is largely lacking. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of the MSC secretome against various biofilm-forming wound pathogens, including the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and to explore the mechanisms that affect bacterial biofilms. To this end, we used equine MSCs, because the horse represents a physiologically relevant model for human wound healing and offers a readily translatable model for MSC therapies in humans. Our salient findings were that the equine MSC secretome inhibits biofilm formation and mature biofilms of various bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that equine MSC secrete cysteine proteases that destabilize MRSA biofilms, thereby increasing the efficacy of antibiotics that were previously tolerated by the biofilms. In light of the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains as an increasing global health threat, our results provide the rationale for using the MSC secretome as a complementary treatment for bacterial skin infections in both humans and horses.
Ceftriaxone-induced radiation recall dermatitis.

Background Radiation recall dermatitis (RRD) is an acute inflammatory skin reaction occurring in a skin area previously exposed to radiotherapy and triggered by subsequent intake of a drug, most commonly a chemotherapeutic agent. RRD secondary to antibiotics has also been reported but is a rare phenomenon overall and there are no reports of RRD in association with ceftriaxone exposure. Methods We report on a 59-year-old patient who had received radiotherapy to the neck bilaterally and who developed RRD 6 months later after a single dose of intramuscular ceftriaxone. Results The patient's rash resolved without further intervention over the ensuing 2 days following administration of a single dose of ceftriaxone. Conclusion This case illustrates that while RRD secondary to antibiotic exposure is rare, it is part of the differential diagnosis to be considered for acute dermatitis when there is a past history of radiotherapy to the same skin area.
Learning Strategies and Population Dynamics During the Pleistocene Colonization of North America

Being able to identify individual populations has long been of interest in archaeology, but within the last several decades it has become a specific focus as researchers have linked evolution-based theoretical models of cultural transmission with innovative analytical methods to better understand how groups of agents use culturally acquired information to navigate across fitness landscapes. Other animals learn, but humans have the unique ability to accumulate learned information rapidly and to pass it on to future generations. Nowhere is this interest in applying models of cultural transmission more evident than in the archaeology of the late Pleistocene colonization of North America, where researchers are beginning to identify distinct populations and to trace their movements across complex physical and cultural landscapes.
Scrutiny for Child Abuse and Neglect During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The extant infrastructure for child abuse surveillance, dependent on reporting by schools and healthcare professionals, has been disrupted by the pandemic. Using Google Trends and MediaCloud data, we find a drop in Internet searches and news reports about child abuse and neglect during the pandemic, which may reflect decreased scrutiny.
Modeling neural tuning in human ventral temporal cortex predicts the perception of visual ambiguity

We have an amazing ability to categorize objects in the world around us with millisecond precision. Nevertheless, how cortical regions in human ventral temporal cortex (VTC), which is critical for categorization, support this behavioral ability, is presently unknown. Here, we used a model-based approach to examine the relationship between neural tuning and behavioral tuning using morphed silhouettes of faces and hands, which are animate categories processed in cortically adjacent regions in VTC of humans and non-human primates. Surprisingly, our results reveal that the combination of neural tuning from regions selective for different domains more accurately explains behavioral categorization than neural tuning from just one region selective for either domain. Furthermore, we built a generalizable model that predicts a person9s behavioral tuning after being trained on neural tuning from other people. These findings support a new theoretical idea: cortical regions from different domain-specific networks work together to achieve accurate perceptual categorization.
Recent advancements in the genetic engineering of microalgae

Abstract The development of more sustainable food, feed, and bio-products is critical to mitigating the environmental stresses facing our world today. Algae, which includes seaweeds, eukaryotic microalgae, and cyanobacteria, are a promising platform to achieving this, as they have low energy and space requirements, are safe for human and animal consumption, and can be manipulated to produce a diversity of valuable bioproducts. This review focuses on microalgae, both eukaryotic and cyanobacteria. In the past, addressing the major challenges of bringing microalgal production systems to an economically viable scale only had a relatively small genetic toolset to work with, in comparison to other microbial systems such as bacteria and yeast. Expanding the molecular tools available for genetic engineering of microalgae will lead to higher product yields, and accelerate the development of new microalgal bioproducts for commercial applications, thereby supporting the shift towards more environmentally friendly products. In this review, we highlight significant advances from recent years on the design of microalgal expression vectors, discovery of genetic regulatory elements (promoters and transcription factors), optimization of transformation methods, and development of new strain improvement techniques, all aimed at advancing microalgae to become a more efficient biomanufacturing platform. We then discuss how these tools have been applied to improving recombinant protein production, and to enhance metabolic pathway engineering.
Continuous Whole-Body 3D Kinematic Recordings across the Rodent Behavioral Repertoire.

In mammalian animal models, high-resolution kinematic tracking is restricted to brief sessions in constrained environments, limiting our ability to probe naturalistic behaviors and their neural underpinnings. To address this, we developed CAPTURE (Continuous Appendicular and Postural Tracking Using Retroreflector Embedding), a behavioral monitoring system that combines motion capture and deep learning to continuously track the 3D kinematics of a rat's head, trunk, and limbs for week-long timescales in freely behaving animals. CAPTURE realizes 10- to 100-fold gains in precision and robustness compared with existing convolutional network approaches to behavioral tracking. We demonstrate CAPTURE's ability to comprehensively profile the kinematics and sequential organization of natural rodent behavior, its variation across individuals, and its perturbation by drugs and disease, including identifying perseverative grooming states in a rat model of fragile X syndrome. CAPTURE significantly expands the range of behaviors and contexts that can be quantitatively investigated, opening the door to a new understanding of natural behavior and its neural basis.
Differences in calculated percentage improvement versus patient-reported percentage improvement in pain scores: a review of spinal cord stimulation trials

Introduction Spinal cord stimulation is frequently used for the treatment of intractable chronic pain conditions. Trialing of the spinal cord stimulator device is recommended to assess the patient’s response to neurostimulation before permanent implantation. The trial response is often assessed by Numeric Rating Scale changes and patient-reported percentage pain improvement. Using number rating scale changes between prespinal and postspinal cord stimulation trial, a calculated percentage pain improvement can be obtained. The aim of this study was to assess the difference between calculated and patient-reported percentage improvement in pain scale during spinal cord stimulation trials. Methods This study was a retrospective single center review of all spinal cord stimulation trials from January 1 2017 to July 1 2019. A total of 174 patients were included. The paired t-test was used to compare numeric pain scores obtained prestimulation versus poststimulation. The mean difference between methods (patient-reported minus calculated) was compared with zero using the 1-sample t-test. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was computed with a 95% CI, calculated using Fisher z-transformation; and a bootstrapping approach was used to compare the concordance correlation coefficient between groups. In all cases, two-tailed tests were used with p Results Based on prestimulation and poststimulation numeric rating scale scores, the mean±SD calculated percentage improvement in pain scale was 54±28. The mean±SD patient-reported percentage improvement in pain scale was 59±25. The overall 95% limits of agreement for the two methods are −30% to +41%. The overall concordance correlation coefficient was 0.76 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.81). Conclusion Although the two methods are highly correlated, there is substantial lack of agreement between patient-reported and calculated percentage improvement in pain scale, suggesting that these measures should not be used interchangeably for spinal cord stimulator trial outcome assessment. This emphasizes the need for improved metrics to better measure patient response to neuromodulation therapies. Additionally, patient-reported percentage improvement in pain was found to be higher than calculated percentage improvement in pain, potentially highlighting the multidimensional experience of pain and the unpredictability of solely using Numeric Rating Scale scores to assess patient outcomes.
Disentangling the individualisation argument against non-medical egg freezing from feminist critiques

According to Petersen, ‘the individualization argument against NMEF [nonmedical egg freezing]’ states: ‘it is morally wrong to let individuals use technology X [NMEF] – in order to try to handle a problem that is social in nature – if the use of X [NMEF] will somehow work against a social solution to a social problem P [gender inequality in the labor market]’. While there may be individuals making individualisation argument against NMEF, I do not read the scholars he discusses—Karey Harwood,1 2 Lynn Morgan, Janelle Taylor3 and Angel Petrapanagos4—as making this argument. These scholars agree with the premise of the individualisation argument that NMEF ‘is an individualistic and morally problematic solution to the social problems that women face’ (p. 4), but this does not mean that they agree with the conclusion ‘women should not use NMEF’ (p. 4). In fact, several admit that NMEF can be a good choice for some women; Petropanagos, for example, states ‘individual women may benefit from egg freezing to satisfy their reproductive desires’.4 In this commentary, I argue that Petersen incorrectly reduces these scholars’ positions to the individualisation argument by neglecting three pertinent factors: their feminist orientation, their multifaceted critiques of NMEF and how the rapidly advancing field of reproductive medicine informs their ethical analysis. While Petersen …
Use of Impella in Patients Listed for Heart Transplantation

Purpose The new United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policy has resulted in significantly higher number of temporary mechanical support device use including IMPELLA due to provision of higher priority with its use while on waitlist. We aimed to identify temporal changes in IMPELLA use and its outcomes in patients awaiting heart transplant (HTx). Methods The UNOS thoracic organ transplant database was queried between years 2015 and 2019 for patients aged >17 years, listed to undergo HTx. The available dataset was stratified in 2 groups based on implementation of UNOS policy (Oct 18, 2018); new and old era. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results A total of 378 patients had IMPELLA awaiting HTx. The IMPELLA use skyrocketed from 2015 (1%) to 2019 (4%, Cochran-Armitage p Conclusion The IMPELLA use as a temporary support device for bridge to HTx has significantly increased after UNOS policy change. This increase has resulted in more patients transplanted while supported by Impella on waiting list. This increase in IMPELLA use shows a substantial change in practice patterns of listing and managing patients on the HTx waitlist.
Neighborhood characteristics associated with COVID-19 burden-the modifying effect of age.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood characteristics have been linked to community incidence of COVID-19, but the modifying effect of age has not been examined. OBJECTIVE: We adapted a neighborhood-wide analysis study (NWAS) design to systematically examine associations between neighborhood characteristics and COVID-19 incidence among different age groups. METHODS: The number of daily cumulative cases of COVID-19 by zip code area in Illinois has been made publicly available by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The number of COVID-19 cases was reported for eight age groups (under 20, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+). We reviewed this data published from May 23 through June 17, 2020 with complete data for all eight age groups and linked the data to neighborhood characteristics measured by the American Community Survey (ACS). Geographic age-specific cumulative incidence (cases per 1000 people) of COVID-19 was calculated by dividing the number of daily cumulative cases by the population of the same age group at each zip code area. The association between individual characteristics and COVID-19 incidence was examined using Poisson regression models. RESULTS: At the zip code level, neighborhood socioeconomic status was a more important risk factor of COVID-19 incidence in children and working-age adults than in seniors. Social demographics and housing conditions were important risk factors of COVID-19 incidence in older age groups. We additionally observed significant associations between transportation-related variables and COVID-19 incidences in multiple age groups. SIGNIFICANCE: We concluded that age modified the association between neighborhood characteristics and COVID-19 incidence.
Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics of Pitch-Bearing Defects in an MW-Scale Wind Turbine Using Pitch Symmetrical-Component Analysis

Recently, multiple wind turbine failure databases have reviewed that the pitch system is one of the subassemblies with the highest failure rates and largest contributors to the overall downtime. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest to provide remote health monitoring for wind turbine pitch system. While most of the research articles are discussing pitch actuation system (hydraulic or electric actuator) faults only, there is very limited research on pitch-bearing-defect detection. This article provides a remote and hardware-free solution to monitor multiaxis pitch-bearing health condition called pitch symmetrical-component analysis. It leverages readily available low-resolution (100 Hz) electrical measurements, mechanical measurements, and control signals from the existing pitch control platform, and innovatively applies symmetrical-component analysis in multiphase ac system to multiaxis pitch control system and introduces multiaxis pitch-bearing degradation trending curves. This hardware-free solution can be directly applied to the existing wind turbines and successfully give the wind farm operator an early warning before multiaxis pitch bearing fails. It has been proved to be accurate, low cost, and has minimum impacts on turbine normal operation, and has been validated by field data from several North America MW-scale wind farms. This approach turns out to be the first hardware-free (no additional hardware needed) method to remotely monitor and diagnose multiaxis wind turbine pitch-bearing condition.
Energetics of Surface Reactions

After the preceeding discussion of the possible binding forces which can act on an atom or molecule impinging on a metal surface, the energetics of the adsorption and desorption processes will now be considered in more detail. The first step is to define various quantities such as heats of adsorption, heats of activation, and the like which will be used in the following. In this connection, the reader is referred to the excellent presentation by E. Huckel [325] and the work of Hill [312], from which one can obtain definitions which are more rigorously founded thermodynamically.
Chapter 10 – Zinc in the Ocean

Publisher Summary Reported concentrations of zinc in seawater vary widely, probably due both to variability in concentrations actually present and to sample contamination. Zinc and iron often seem to co-occur in seawater samples. The concentrations of zinc in seawater are anomalously high. A large fraction of the zinc entering the oceans of the world is derived from aerial deposition. Between 11,000 and 60,000 metric tons of dissolved and particulate zinc is deposited from the air into the ocean each year. An additional 6,000 tons of dissolved zinc enters the oceans each year in river flows. Flux rates of zinc from the atmosphere vary widely in different geographic regions. Zinc concentrations in estuaries and coastal waters frequently are much higher than those in the ocean, with concentrations often as high as 4 μg/L and occasionally as high as 25 μg/L. A large fraction of the zinc in contaminated and uncontaminated sediments is residual, rendering it non-bioavailable. The residual zinc may be associated with the mineral lattice of clays or with a variety of heavy minerals.
Comparative investigation of fast photodetector responses to complex shaped optical pulses

Summary form only given. An important feature for the 40 kJ/sub UV/, 60 beam OMEGA laser system is a flexible pulse-shaping system that produces complex temporally shaped optical pulses for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. Accurate characterization of the temporal pulse shape at the input and output of the laser system is important for characterizing the laser, as well as modeling fusion target reactions. In this paper we have tested several commonly used fast photodetectors used for analyzing these pulses.
Identification of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor subtypes in the lacrimal gland and their signal-transducing components.

Purpose. To determine the presence of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor (VIPR) subtypes in the lacrimal gland and to determine if the components of the VIP signaling pathway for protein secretion also are present. Methods. Immunofluorescence studies using conventional fluorescence microscopy or confocal microscopy were performed on fixed sections from rat lacrimal glands using antibodies raised against VIPRs types I and II, and four antibodies against five isoforms of adenylyl cyclase (AC) (II, III, IV, V/VI). Guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins were detected by Western blotting. Changes in intracellular [Ca 2+ ] ([Ca 2+ ] i ) were measured on fura-2-loaded acini in response to VIP. The effect of a myristoylated peptide corresponding to the pseudosubstrate sequence of protein kinase inhibitor (myr-PKI), the endogenous inhibitor of cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA), was tested on VIP-stimulated peroxidase secretion. Results. The VIPRs, types I and II, were found on the basolateral membranes of acinar and ductal cells and on myoepithelial cells. Western blotting showed the presence of α subunits of G s , G i3 , G 0 and G β . The AC II was found exclusively on myoepithelial cells; AC IV was located intracellularly in all cells; AC III was found on ducts and possibly nerves; no AC V/ VI was detected. The VIP (10 -8 M) caused a small but significant increase in [Ca 2+ ] i of 26 ± 9 nM. The VIP-stimulated protein secretion was inhibited 71% by myr-PKI. Conclusions. All components of the VIP signal transduction pathway in the lacrimal gland were present. These findings are consistent with a pathway where VIP released from parasympathetic nerves binds to VIPRs types I and II, activating G proteins, which in turn stimulate AC present on myoepithelial and acinar cells. The AC increases the intracellular cAMP concentration, which activates PKA to stimulate protein secretion. The VIP also stimulated Ca 2+ influx, which could play a role in secretion.
Simulated Phosphorus and Sediment Loadings in Two Representative Subbasins of the Illinois River

Quantification of the factors affecting phosphorus (P) loading to surface waters is important in assessing the contribution from agricultural activities to water quality. This study investigated the long-term impact of applications of P in poultry litter on the loadings of P and sediment to streams in two subbasins of the Illinois River Watershed. The influences of application rate and environmental characteristics were examined utilizing a transport model, a geographical information system (GIS), and 30 years of daily weather data. Simulated runoff and sediment concentrations of P increased linearly with poultry litter application rate. Most P loadings to streams were in the dissolved form, as overall sediment transport was low, particularly in areas with excellent stands of forage. Because only pasturelands received poultry litter and the initial concentrations of P in the soils in the forested areas were low, the forested areas contributed little runoff and sediment P to streams. Areas of high P loadin...
X-ray absorption spectroscopy, simulation and modeling of Si-DLC films

Amorphous silicon-containing diamond-like carbon (Si-DLC) films were deposited on silicon wafers by Ar+ Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) at various energy conditions. The films were examined with X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The Si K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) results indicate that Si-DLC films have an amorphous structure, where each Si atom is coordinated to four carbon atoms or CHn groups. This short-range order, where a Si atom is surrounded by four C atoms, was found in all Si-DLC films. The XANES spectra do not indicate Si coordination to oxygen atoms or phenyl rings, which are present in the precursor material. A structural model of Si-DLC is proposed based on XAS findings. Simulated X-ray absorption spectra of the model produced by FEFF8 show a good resemblance to the experimental data.
Extending Access to Electronic Resources of a Merged Community College and University Library

Utah State University and the College of Eastern Utah merged in July 2010, necessitating the renegotiation of all electronic resource licenses. The author discusses the process of renegotiating licenses, providing access to electronic collections remotely, troubleshooting and other important areas regarding libraries and mergers in higher education. This paper will provide an Electronic Resource Merger Guide to assist future library mergers.
Forest Transitions in Mexico: Institutions and Forests in a Globalized Countryside

Abstract Forest-transition theory suggests that economic development eventually leads to forest recovery, but there is great uncertainty about the existence, the characteristics, and the mechanisms of forest transitions that might be occurring under current socioeconomic conditions. A case study in a small region of highland Mexico finds agricultural abandonment and forest regeneration, but also forest degradation due to woodcutting. A discussion locates those findings in the international political economy of agriculture and emigration in Mexico, which are substantially different from the conditions associated with forest recovery in developed countries. Although regional forest transitions are possible in marginal agricultural areas such as that studied here, their environmental implications depend on the evolution of social institutions coordinating rural people's environmental actions. * The author would like to acknowledge the useful critiques from four anonymous reviewers and express his thanks to J...
The smoking population in the USA and EU is softening not hardening

Background It has been argued that as smoking prevalence declines in countries, the smokers that remain include higher proportions of those who are unwilling or unable to quit (a process known as ‘hardening’). Smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes have been promoted as a strategy to deal with such smokers. If hardening is occurring, there would be a positive association between smoking prevalence and quitting, with less quitting at lower prevalence. There would also be a neutral or negative association between prevalence and the number of cigarettes smoked. Methods We examined US state-level associations using the Tobacco Use Supplement (1992/1993–2010/2011) and Eurobarometer surveys for 31 European countries (2006–2009–2012) using regressions of quit attempts, quit ratios, and number of cigarettes smoked on smoking prevalence over time. Results For each 1% drop in smoking prevalence, quit attempts increase by 0.55%±.07 (p 0.24), with significantly lower consumption at any given prevalence level as time passed in the USA (−0.15 (cig/day)/year±0.06, p Conclusions Consistent with prior research using different data and methods, these population-level results reject the hypothesis of hardening as smoking prevalence drops, instead supporting softening of the smoking population as prevalence declines.
Reducing Mental Health Civil Commitments through Longer Temporary Detention Periods

Abstract Objective To determine whether holding an individual suffering from a mental health crisis for a longer period under a temporary detention order (TDO) reduces the number and length of involuntary commitments. Data Source Data were obtained from the Virginia Court System and matched to Medicaid claims files between July 2008 and March 2009. The court data provides information on length of TDO and TDO hearing outcome and location of hearing. Medicaid data add information on the length of the subsequent hospital stay, as well as the patient’s primary diagnosis, age, sex, and race. Principal findings First, longer TDO periods were correlated with an increased probability of a dismissal rather hospitalization following a TDO. Second, among the individuals who were hospitalized, longer TDO periods were correlated with an increased likelihood of the individual agreeing to voluntary hospitalization. Finally, longer TDO periods were correlated with shorter post-TDO hospitalizations, although the net care time (TDO period plus post-TDO hospitalization) increased for those individuals whose TDO length was greater than 24 hours.
Detection and Estimation

The concepts of echo detection and parameter estimation are introduced in this chapter by considering point scattering which is the simplest scattering model. It results from signal propagation in a homogeneous non-dispersive medium and reflection from a single distant point that may be moving at constant speed with a velocity component along the line of sight. The resulting echo is a Doppler dilated and delayed signal with the same fundamental form as the transmitted waveform (2.26). An understanding of approaches to its detection and the estimation of its constituent parameters is fundamental to an understanding of the signal processing required for the more complex echos treated in later chapters. Common examples are those that are delay and/or Doppler spread because of multiple propagation paths (multipath) especially in shallow water, boundary reverberation, and scattering from fish schools.
Sequence Divergence in the 3′ Untranslated Regions of Human ζ- and α-Globin mRNAs Mediates a Difference in Their Stabilities and Contributes to Efficient α-to-ζ Gene Developmental Switching

The developmental stage-specific expression of human globin proteins is characterized by a switch from the coexpression of zeta- and alpha-globin in the embryonic yolk sac to exclusive expression of alpha-globin during fetal and adult life. Recent studies with transgenic mice demonstrate that in addition to transcriptional control elements, full developmental silencing of the human zeta-globin gene requires elements encoded within the transcribed region. In the current work, we establish that these latter elements operate posttranscriptionally by reducing the relative stability of zeta-globin mRNA. Using a transgenic mouse model system, we demonstrate that human zeta-globin mRNA is unstable in adult erythroid cells relative to the highly stable human alpha-globin mRNA. A critical determinant of the difference between alpha- and zeta-globin mRNA stability is mapped by in vivo expression studies to their respective 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs). In vitro messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) assembly assays demonstrate that the alpha- and zeta-globin 3'UTRs assemble a previously described mRNP stability-determining complex, the alpha-complex, with distinctly different affinities. The diminished efficiency of alpha-complex assembly on the zeta 3'UTR results from a single C-->G nucleotide substitution in a crucial polypyrimidine tract contained by both the human alpha- and zeta-globin mRNA 3'UTRs. A potential pathway for accelerated zeta-globin mRNA decay is suggested by the observation that its 3'UTR encodes a shortened poly(A) tail. Based upon these data, we propose a model for zeta-globin gene silencing in fetal and adult erythroid cells in which posttranscriptional controls play a central role by providing for accelerated clearance of zeta-globin transcripts.
NO-Independent Vasodilation to Acetylcholine in the Rat Isolated Kidney Utilizes a Charybdotoxin-Sensitive, Intermediate-Conductance Ca++-Activated K+ Channel

The role of K+ channels in the nitric oxide-independent renal vasodilator effect of acetylcholine (Ach) was examined to address the hypothesis that the mechanism underlying this response was different from that of bradykinin, because an earlier study indicated the possibility of different mediators. We used the rat isolated, perfused kidney that was constricted with phenylephrine and treated with nitroarginine and indomethacin to inhibit nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase, respectively. The nonspecific K+ channel inhibitors, procaine and tetraethylammonium (TEA), reduced vasodilator responses to Ach and cromakalim, but not those to nitroprusside. Glibenclamide, an inhibitor of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, reduced vasodilator responses to cromakalim but did not affect those to Ach or nitroprusside. Charybdotoxin, an inhibitor of Ca(++)-activated K+ channels, reduced vasodilator responses to Ach without affecting those to cromakalim or nitroprusside. Iberiotoxin and apamin, inhibitors of large- and small-conductance Ca(++)-activated K+ channels, respectively, did not reduce vasodilation induced by Ach, cromakalim or nitroprusside. The inhibitor of cytochrome P450, clotrimazole, reduced the renal vasodilator effects of Ach and bradykinin but not those of nitroprusside or SCA 40, an agonist for Ca(++)-activated K+ channels. These results suggest that in the rat kidney, Ach, like bradykinin, utilizes a charybdotoxin-sensitive Ca(++)-activated K+ channel of intermediate conductance to elicit vasodilation and that this effect may be dependent on cytochrome P450 activity.
A learning/adaptive robot controller

The authors explore the relationship of learning and adaptations in robot control. Learning, in this context, is the process of identifying the robot dynamics and its interaction with the environment for the purpose of improved tracking over an infinite horizon. Adaptation is the process of adjusting the controller to comply with the regulation and tracking needs of the closed-loop system. It is thus demonstrated that learning conflicts with adaptation in its tendency to increase the present tracking error, due to the minimization of different criteria (dual control principle). Exploratory schedules (ES) are reference trajectories which are specifically designed to provide efficient closed-loop learning. The authors relate ES design to the issue of input richness (or persistent excitation). >
Photonics: transparency on an optical chip.

A two-laser trick that renders opaque media transparent can be achieved in systems of tiny optical resonators — with potentially profound consequences for optical communication and information processing.
Thyroxine 5’-Deiodinase Activity in Anterior Pituitary Glands Transplanted under the Renal Capsule in the Rat*

The conversion of T4 to T3 by the anterior pituitary gland appears to be of considerable physiological importance in the control of pituitary function. To determine a possible role of hypothalamic factors in controlling this enzymatic process, iodothyronine 5’-deiodinase (I5’D) activity was studied in rats 6 weeks after homologous transplantation of pituitary (implanted animals) or muscle tissue (sham animals) under the renal capsule. Intrasellar pituitaries remained intact, and serum T3, T4, and TSH levels were similar in both groups. I5’D activity was determined by quantifying T3 production rates in tissue homogenates at T4 concentrations of 0.002–4 μm, and with 20 mm dithiothreitol. Sellar pituitaries from sham and implanted animals displayed similar nonlinear reaction kinetics, suggesting the presence of two enzymatic processes having approximate Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) values of 2 nm and 0.3 μM. Maximum velocity (Vmax was 51.3 ± (se) 4.0 fmol T3/ minmg protein (units) and 40 ± 6 U for the low ...
Tridymite: Effect of hydrostatic pressure to 6 kbar on temperatures of two rapidly reversible transitions

Trajectories of two reversible phase transitions in a low-Na synthetic tridymite have been determined to 6 kbar by differential thermal analysis (DTA) in hydrostatic apparatus using Ar or CO2. The temperature of the lower transition increases from ≈111 ° C at 1 bar linearly with pressure with slope ∼15 deg kbar−1. Pressure raises the temperature of the upper transition from 157 ±2 ° or 159 ° C (independently determined) at 1 bar witħ a slope of ≈53 deg kbar−1, up to ∼0.7 kbar; for the data above that pressure, the initial slope is ≈64 deg kbar−1. Above 2−1/2 kbar, the variation is linear with slope ≈70 deg kbar−1. No evidence for other transitions was found at any of the apparent changes of slope. Hystereses for both transitions decreased at high pressures compared to 1-bar. Preferred values for the transition enthalpies, together with these slopes and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, yield estimates for the volume changes at the transitions of ≈0.01 (lower) and 0.15 to 0.25 (upper) cm3 gfw−1. These calculated volume changes are not consonant with many of the high temperature volumetric data on tridymites of varying origins.
Adaptive edge-preserving smoothing via adaptive-mean-field annealing

After the stochastic simulated annealing technique was applied in the field of image processing, there have been many research reports on the Markov random field based image processing. These MRF-based edge-preserving smoothing techniques showed good results in the field of restoration, reconstruction, edge detection, and segmentation of the images, however, they have common drawbacks. First, those methods do not work well for smoothing of the nonstationary or signal-dependent noise. In real world images, the noises are often nonstationary and signal-dependent. Second, those edge-preserving smoothing techniques employ implicit or explicit thresholds to determine the existence of the edges, and they use fixed single thresholds throughout the entire image. As a result of these drawbacks, small features in the area of low noise variance are lost or blurred in order to restore the features in the high variance area. In order to cure these problems, we need an adaptive edge-preserving smoothing method which can be applied to nonstationary or signal-dependent noise with adaptive thresholding. The adaptive mean field annealing is an adaptive version of MFA, which fulfills this purpose by taking advantage of the local nature of the MRF and the fact that nonstationary or signal-dependent noise can be approximated by locally stationary additive Gaussian noise. In AMFA, the a priori information about the noise is not necessary and, hence, the difficulty of estimating the parameters is greatly reduced.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Some aspects of Schiff bases of retinaldehyde.

Abstract We have previously described an entity, which we have named Complex II, formed from retinaldehyde (RET) (any isomer) and ethanolamine-phosphoglyceride (EPG) which contains unsaturated fatty acid components. Complex II exhibits a 500-nm absorbance maximum in a spectrum similar to that of mammalian rhodopsin. We has thought perhaps it was the true chromophore of the visual pigment but recent evidence suggests it is not. The other generally accepted binding site for retinaldehyde is the amino acid lysine. Since EPG-RET affords a mechanism for forming a substance resembling rhodopsin as we have shown, we thought Complex II might be a suitable model for the lysine-retinal combination that should exist. We have investigated di- and tri-peptides containing 1-lysine and find that only the tri-peptide alpha-t-Boc-1-lysyl-1-alanyl-1-phenylalanine ethyl ester in combination with retinaldehyde in chloroform/methanol 2 1 shows any change in the predicted direction. Complex II has been shown to consist of a Schiff base, internally protonated, and a pi-pi interaction between the RET chain and an unsaturated fatty acid in the EPG. The peptide forms the appropriate unprotonated Schiff base with RET, but protonation does not cause the appearance of the 500-nm band. Apparently the pi-pi interaction is missing. However, in the unprotonated state there is some enhancement of the spectral extinction at 500 nm. We are led to speculate that this may be due to a charge transfer interaction similar to that proposed by Mendelsohn for the Halobacterium halobium pigment.
Dynamics of kink-kink collisions in the double-sine-Gordon system

We study the double-sine-Gordon kink-kink collisions in a formalism which employs collective variables to describe the internal oscillations of the kinks and their translational motion in their center-of-mass frame. The equations of motion are solved in the absence of the radiation field and dynamical dressing and the results are compared with numerical molecular-dynamics simulations. We investigate the energy exchange between the translational and internal modes, and a mechanism is proposed to explain the values of the translational velocity at which maximum energy is exchanged between the two modes.
Scaling data race detection for partitioned global address space programs

Contemporary and future programming languages for HPC promote hybrid parallelism and shared memory abstractions using a global address space. In this programming style, data races occur easily and are notoriously hard to find. Existing state-of-the-art data race detectors exhibit 10X-100X performance degradation and do not handle hybrid parallelism. In this paper we present the first complete implementation of data race detection at scale for UPC programs. Our implementation tracks local and global memory references in the program and it uses two techniques to reduce the overhead: 1) hierarchical function and instruction level sampling; and 2) exploiting the runtime persistence of aliasing and locality specific to Partitioned Global Address Space applications. The results indicate that both techniques are required in practice: well optimized instruction sampling introduces overheads as high as 6500% (65X slowdown), while each technique in separation is able to reduce it only to 1000% (10X slowdown). When applying the optimizations in conjunction our tool finds all previously known data races in our benchmark programs with at most 50% overhead when running on 2048 cores. Furthermore, while previous results illustrate the benefits of function level sampling, our experiences show that this technique does not work for scientific programs: instruction sampling or a hybrid approach is required.
Alcohol and anesthetic action at the gate of a voltage-dependent K+ channel

Abstract The role of direct interactions between ion channels and general anesthetic agents, including 1-alkanols, is broadly recognized. Relevant models that may allow direct visualization of these interactions are critical for understanding the molecular bases of general anesthesia and alcohol intoxication. The Drosophila Shaw2 K+ channel is selectively modulated by 1-alkanols at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. From our studies, we have concluded that: (1) amphiphilic interactions control the binding of 1-alkanols to an intracellularly accessible site in the Shaw2 protein; and (2) the modulation (inhibition or potentiation) depends on the secondary structures of the S4–S5 loop and the distal region of the S6 segment, which are components of the main activation gate and may directly contribute to the 1-alkanol binding site. Here, we summarize our work and discuss ideas that may shed light on the structural basis of the modulation of the Shaw2 K+ channel by 1-alkanols.
Environmental benefits and economic costs of manure incorporation on dairy waste application fields

Model simulations performed representing dairies in a 93000 ha watershed in north central Texas suggest that manure incorporation results in reduced phosphorus (P) losses at relatively small to moderate cost to producers. Simulated manure incorporation with a tandem disk on fields double-cropped with sorghum/winter wheat resulted in up to 33, 45, and 37% reductions in per hectare sediment-bound, soluble, and total P losses in edge-of-field runoff, relative to simulated surface manure applications. The effects of incorporation were evaluated at three different manure application rates. On aggregate across all three manure application rates, significant declines in P losses were obtained with incorporation except for sediment-bound P losses under the N-based manure application rate scenario. We found that the practice of incorporating manure shortly after it has been broadcast on the soil surface could help reduce P losses in such situations where P-based rates alone prove inadequate. The cost the producer incurs when manure is incorporated is on average about 1% of net returns when manure is applied at the N rate and 2-3% when it is applied at alternative P-based rates. In practice the costs could be lower because producers may substitute the manure incorporation operation for a tandem disk operation performed prior to manure application. As more and more dairy producers switch to the use of sorghum and corn silage in dairy rations and consequent on-farm production of these forages, the practice of manure incorporation may help to reduce phosphorus losses resulting from dairy manure applications to fields with these forage crops.
Smart actuators for active vibration control

In this paper, the design and implementation of smart actuators for active vibration control of mechanical systems are considered. A smart actuator is composed of one or several layers of piezo-electric materials which work both as sensors and actuators. Such a system also includes micro- electronic or power electronic amplifiers, depending on the power requirements and applications, as well as digital signal processing systems for digital control implementation. In addition, PWM type micro/power amplifiers are used for control implementation. Such amplifiers utilize electronic switching components that allow for miniaturization, thermal efficiency, cost reduction, and precision controls that are robust to disturbances and modeling errors. An adaptive control strategy is then developed for vibration damping and motion control of cantilever beams using the proposed smart self-sensing actuators.
The role of the clinical nurse specialist in home health care

Recent changes in the health care delivery system have resulted in a shift of patients needing increasingly acute care to the home health care setting. As a result, home health care agencies are searching for ways to expand staff competencies and demonstrate patient outcomes. The clinical nurse specialist is educationally and philosophically prepared to meet the challenges confronting home health care today. This article reviews the traditional role components of the clinical nurse specialist and identifies creative ways in which the role can be successful in the home health care setting. Strategies for adapting to changing health care trends and promoting cost effectiveness are presented. Key words: home health care, clinical nurse specialist role
Suicidal thoughts Hobbes, Foucault and the right to die

Liberal articulations of the right to die generally focus on balancing individual rights against state interests, but this approach does not take full advantage of the disruptive potential of this ...
Dans le bain avec Rouch: A Reminiscence

This issue's Visual Anthropology Section is a tribute to anthropologist and ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch (1917–2004). In nine brief articles, authors discuss the impact of Rouch's pathbreaking career on ethnographic and documentary filmmaking and his contributions to our knowledge of postcolonial Africa. The authors demonstrate the significance of his work for the larger discipline of anthropology, and commemorate Rouch with personal reflections of their time working with and learning from him.