cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine milking-induced changes in teat canal dimensions as assessed by ultrasonography

Changes in teat canal diameter as induced by machine milking are thought to be related to teat canal penetrability and susceptibility to new intramammary infections. The objective of this study was to describe the effects of machine milking on teat canal dimensions as assessed by ultrasonography and to evaluate postmilking changes of teat canal dimensions throughout an 8-h milking interval. Ultrasonographic images were taken of the left front and right hind teats of 80 Holstein cows milked 3 times per day. Imaging occurred before attachment of the milking unit after completion of premilking udder preparation (t-1), immediately after removal of the milking unit (t0), and then every hour after milking until 8 h had elapsed (t1 to t8). Teat canal length and teat canal diameter (at the proximal, middle, and distal regions) were measured. General linear mixed model analysis indicated differences in the relative change of teat canal length (compared with t-1) with least squares means (LSM) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 11.1% (8.7-13.4%) after machine milking (t0). Teat canal length decreased throughout the 8-h milking interval but remained elevated relative to t-1. Teat canal diameter at the proximal and middle regions increased near the end of the milking interval, whereas that at the distal region did not change meaningfully during the 8 h of observation. Our findings suggest that the teat canal and its surrounding tissue is in a state of near-constant remodeling in cows milked 3 times daily. Future work is warranted to study the association between ultrasonographically assessed changes of teat canal dimensions after machine milking and teat canal penetrability to mastitis-causing pathogens.
Low-Cost Expendable Buoys for Under Ice Data Collection

The NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) has designed a new, low-cost, expendable under-ice buoy capable of collecting oceanographic data at the water-ice boundary to address gaps in knowledge during these critical periods. The buoys are designed to be deployed from a research vessel during the ice-free season, where they collect data while anchored to the seabed until the surface is completely covered in sea ice. At a designated time for each device, a release is triggered, which allows the buoy to ascend and be buoyant just under the ice, collecting a vertical profile of the water column during its ascent. The buoys remain at the ice-water interface collecting data, until break-up or melting of sea ice, when their data are transmitted to shore. Preliminary versions of the instrument were deployed in the Chukchi Sea in 2015 (Generation 1) and the Bering Sea in 2017 (Generation 2), collecting data on temperature, depth, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). These deployments successfully demonstrated the viability of the low-cost design, its robust nature, and its ability to provide high-quality data. Ongoing developments (Generation 3) include measurement of fluorescence and collection of daily images for situational awareness and to assess the presence of ice-associated algae. Onboard GPS provides precise location data from open water, and all data are transmitted to shore using Iridium Short Burst Data (Generations 2 and 3). These compact instruments are optimized for use in the relatively shallow waters of the continental shelf (up to 100 m depth) in the Bering and Chukchi seas. Their cost advantages can be best leveraged to provide improved spatial coverage over this enormous area, where observations are typically sparse. These under-ice buoys are one of several new technologies being developed as part of the Innovative Technology for Arctic Exploration (ITAE) project—a collaborative effort between scientists and engineers at NOAA and the University of Washington. Collectively, they represent a unique opportunity to improve the basic understanding of the changing Arctic environment and to cost-effectively monitor future changes.
Selecting Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux Who are Most Likely to Benefit from Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Application of Machine Learning to RIVUR.

Purpose:Continuous antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the risk of recurrent urinary tract infection by 50% in children with vesicoureteral reflux. However, there may be subgroups in whom continuous ant...
Understanding geographic variations of indoor radon potential for comprehensive cancer control planning

Lung cancer is the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths and radon is the second leading risk factor for lung cancer. By better understanding geologic variations of radon production in states, comprehensive cancer control efforts could be improved. The study purpose was to assess states with the greatest potential for elevated radon and the likelihood of radon-related actions in National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) awardee cancer plans. Two state-level variables were derived to approximate potential for elevated radon using the Environmental Protection Agency county map and the 2015 U.S. Census. The association between radon potential and inclusion of radon activity within cancer plans was evaluated using logistic regression. Fifty-one percent of cancer plans recognized an association between radon and cancer risk, and included measurable radon activities. Most states with high radon potential included radon activity in cancer plans. Both measures of radon potential were significantly associated with NCCCP cancer plans including radon activity. Geospatial analyses help to prioritize radon-related lung cancer activities. In areas with high potential for radon exposure, increasing knowledge about potential for radon exposure may result in increased radon testing, mitigation, or other radon reducing strategies, and ultimately reduction of lung cancer deaths.
Interaction of CPa-1 with Components Involved with Water Oxidation in Photosystem II: Mapping of NHS-Biotinylation Sites and the Epitope of the Monoclonal Antibody FAC2 to the Large Extrinsic Loop Region of CPa-1

In our laboratory we are interested in determining the structural organization of proteins associated with the Photosystem II (PS II) complex. At least seven proteins are required for oxygen evolution by PS II: the 49 kDa protein CPa-1 (CP-47), the 45 kDa protein CPa-2 (CP-45), the 34 kDa protein Dl, the 33 kDa manganese-stabilizing protein, the 32 kDa D2 protein, and the 9 and 4.5 kDa subunits of cytochrome b559 (1). The Dl and D2 proteins along with the cytochrome b559 subunits may form the reaction center of PS II (2). Interestingly, all PS II preparations which have been isolated which have the ability to evolve oxygen contain CPa-1 and CPa-2.
Optimistic metacognitive judgments predict poor performance in relatively complex visual tasks.

Abstract In some cases, people overestimate how much they can see. This can produce a metacognitive blind spot that may lead participants to devote fewer cognitive resources than a visual task demands. However, little research has tested whether individuals who are particularly optimistic about their visual capabilities are susceptible to poor visual performance. We tested whether optimistic metacognitive judgments would predict poor performance in a visual task, especially when it placed a large attentional load on the participant, and when it required balancing between multiple sources of information. We tested participants in a simplified battle command simulation in which they were asked to detect visual changes. Participants who predicted spatially expansive visual attention performance performed more poorly in the change detection task when the task required tracking larger numbers of aircraft, and when it included a secondary change-list display.
On Integral Operators Generating Stream Functions of Compressible Fluids

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the integral operators generating stream functions of compressible fluids. An integral operator Ψ=B( f ) ≡ transforms functions of one variable, to be called the associates, into solutions Ψ of a linear partial differential equation. It preserves various properties of the function f . As in many instances, the associate f can be determined in a very simple way in terms of the solution Ψ, B can be used to transform solutions of one equation into solutions of a more complicated equation. An operator of this kind is used in the theory of compressible fluids. The chapter presents the derivation of the equation for the stream function of compressible fluids. It also discusses the formulas referring to the transition from the (λ, θ)–plane (pseudo-logarithmic plane) to the physical plane.
Kinetic mechanism of conformal magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) film formation via reaction of Si single crystals with Mg vapor

Patterned Mg2Si structures can be attractive for use in optoelectronic, thermoelectric, and other devices. Such structures can be fabricated as conformal Mg2Si films on patterned Si substrates via direct reaction of these substrates with Mg vapor at modest temperatures and ambient pressure. Here, we report the kinetic mechanism (rate-limiting step and associated rate law) that controls such vapor/solid reactive formation of conformal Mg2Si films. To avoid oxidation during silicide formation, experiments were conducted within metal ampoules that were sealed in an argon atmosphere. Upon heating each sealed ampoule to 600 °C, Mg vapor (generated from solid Mg sealed within the ampoule) underwent reaction with a Si single-crystal plate (located a fixed distance from the solid Mg within the ampoule). Kinetic data were obtained by evaluating the change in thickness of the product Mg2Si film, and the specimen mass change per area, with reaction time at 600 °C. The changes in mass and in film thickness were both found to follow parabolic kinetics, with the rate constants obtained from both types of measurements in good agreement. Changes in the diffusion distance of the Mg vapor to the reacting Si single-crystal plate, and in the crystal orientation of the plate, were found to have negligible influences on the reaction kinetics. Such data were consistent with solid-state diffusion through the Mg2Si product layer as the rate-limiting step. An inert marker experiment was used to determine the predominant interface at which Mg2Si formed, and to evaluate the rate-limiting species controlling such formation.
Insights into stigma management communication theory: Considering stigmatization as interpersonal influence.

ABSTRACTThe theory of stigma management communication has helped identify and categorize the tactics people use to manage stigmatization, but tactics' predictors remain unknown. To address this gap...
Interference plasmids and their use in combating bacterial resistance

Fighting against pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has become critical for health care worldwide. More than half a million people die every year from infections caused by drug resistant bacteria. Since bacteria acquire resistance to antibiotics very quickly and the development of new antibiotics is a lengthy process, the search for new approaches to stop the spread of bacterial resistance is extremely important. The spread of antibiotic resistance is accomplished mainly by horizontal gene transfer. Scientists are concentrating their efforts on studying the mechanism of this process in order to find a way to stop or reverse it. In this paper, the author gives a brief review of the recent studies on horizontal gene transfer, particularly on incompatibility-based plasmid curing systems. The author examines new possibilities to use the mechanism of horizontal gene transfer for the developing of novel approaches to fight pathogenic bacteria.
Macroeconomic Feedback Effects of Medicaid Expansion: Evidence from Michigan.

Context Medicaid expansion has costs and benefits for states. The net impact on a state's budget is a central concern for policy makers debating implementing this provision of the Affordable Care Act. How large is the state-level fiscal impact of expanding Medicaid, and how should it be estimated? Methods We use Michigan as a case study for evaluating the state-level fiscal impact of Medicaid expansion, with particular attention to the importance of macroeconomic feedback effects relative to the more straightforward fiscal effects typically estimated by state budget agencies. We combine projections from the state of Michigan's House Fiscal Agency with estimates from a proprietary macroeconomic model to project the state fiscal impact of Michigan's Medicaid expansion through 2021. Findings We find that Medicaid expansion in Michigan yields clear fiscal benefits for the state, in the form of savings on other non-Medicaid health programs and increases in revenue from provider taxes and broad-based sales and income taxes through at least 2021. These benefits exceed the state's costs in every year. Conclusions While these results are specific to Michigan's budget and economy, our methods could in principle be applied in any state where policy makers seek rigorous evidence on the fiscal impact of Medicaid expansion.
Topical Treatment for Cutaneous Mucormycosis of the Upper Extremity

Mucormycosis is a relatively rare but extremely aggressive fungal infection that commonly affects patients who are compromised hosts. These infections typically come in various patterns: pulmonary, sinus, rhinocerebral, cerebral, cutaneous, or disseminated forms. Treatment usually consists of a combination of antifungal agents and surgical debridement, although morbidity and mortality are high. In this case report, we describe the course of a patient with a disseminated Mucor infection, primarily involving the upper extremities, who was successfully treated with topical and systemic antifungal agents without the need for surgical intervention.
Expression of Molecular Biomarkers in Primary Breast Tumors Implanted into a Surrogate Host: Increased Levels of Cyclins Correlate with Tumor Progression

The overexpression or amplification of tumor suppressor and proto-oncogenes are important factors in the progression of breast cancer. Recent attention has focused on the cyclin genes, whose involvement in signal transduction pathways regulate cell cycle progression. The amplification of the cyclins D1 and D3 genes usually leads to loss of normal growth control and is thought to play an important growth regulatory role in tumor development and progression. In this report, we investigate the association of altered cyclin expression with other prognostic indicators (histological grade, lymph node status, estrogen receptor, p53, and c-erbB-2) in the progression of human breast cancer. Surgical tumor specimens were obtained from 16 breast tubular ductal, and invasive ductal carcinomas and grafted onto gnotobiotic nude (nu/nu) mice. The expression diversity and distribution of the localization of the protein products of the c-erbB-2, cyclins Dl and D3, p53, and estrogen receptor were characterized immunohistochemically and the results in the original tumor (T0) were compared with those in the tumors that developed in nude mice (T1) xenografts. The T0 tumors exhibited a diversity of cellular morphology in the tumor matrix and diversity in expression of these proteins. These specific changes were also preserved in the T1 tumors. Whereas 67% of the T1 tumors exhibited high numbers of estrogen receptor-positive nuclei, only 50% of these tumors grew when grafted onto nude mice. The histological grade (14/15 were G2 to G3) and metastatic malignancy in the lymph nodes (10/15) did not appear to be related to tumor growth in the nude mouse. There was no relationship between those tumors which exhibited high percentages of c-erbB-2- and p53-positive cells and growth in nude mice. A strong association (p < 0.001) was observed between the overexpression of cyclin D1 transcripts in the T0 tumors and the continued growth of the T1 tumors in nude mice. In the T1 tumors, both cyclins D1 and D3, estrogen receptor, and p53 were observed in 49% to 86% of the cells of the T1 tumors examined; the number of cells expressing c-erbB-2 protein varied widely in these tumors. The results indicate that the tumor matrix exhibits a diversity in the level of phenotypic expression of genes involved in cellular growth of breast tumors in both the T0 or T1 host environment. Changes in cyclin activity appear to correlate with the vigorous level of breast tumor growth and progression.
Dying and Misbehaving on Death Row: A Theoretical Exploration of Death Row Misconduct

Behavioral misconducts of prisoners have been widely investigated, including their timing in one’s sentence; however, the exploration of misconducts among prisoners sentenced to death is highly lim...
IgH gene rearrangement by PCR as an adjunct to flow cytometric analysis for the detection of minimal residual disease in patients with B lymphoblastic leukemia

To examine the benefits of performing flow cytometry and PCR for IGH gene rearrangement in parallel for the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with B lymphoblastic leukemia. A flow cytometric assay for MRD and PCR-based assay for IGH gene rearrangement were performed, concurrently, on bone marrow evaluations from patients with a new or previous diagnosis of B-ALL from Oct 1, 2016, to Mar 25, 2019. The results were compared by the kappa (K) statistic. A total of 119 cases had concurrent flow cytometry and PCR for monoclonal IGH gene rearrangement performed. The overall percent agreement was 84% (K = 0.739, 95% CI 0.62–0.86). Concordant positive follow-up cases did not contain a significantly higher percentage of B cells versus flow cytometry-positive, PCR-negative follow-up cases (0.41% vs 1.69% p = 0.22). In one patient who received chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, MRD was detectable only by PCR. The IGH gene rearrangement assay, in conjunction with flow cytometry, has clinical utility in the diagnosis of MRD in patients with B-ALL. PCR for IGH gene rearrangement may improve the monitoring of patients with tumor phenotypes challenging to detect by flow cytometry.
A novel role for the pineal gland: Regulating seasonal shifts in the gut microbiota of Siberian hamsters.

The gut microbiota plays a significant role in a variety of host behavioral and physiological processes. The mechanisms by which the gut microbiota and the host communicate are not fully resolved but include both humoral and direct neural signals. The composition of the microbiota is affected by internal (host) factors and external (environmental) factors. One such signal is photoperiod, which is represented endogenously by nocturnal pineal melatonin (MEL) secretion. Removal of the MEL signal via pinealectomy abolishes many seasonal responses to photoperiod. In Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), MEL drives robust seasonal shifts in physiology and behavior, such as immunity, stress, body mass, and aggression. While the profile of the gut microbiota also changes by season, it is unclear whether these changes are driven by pineal signals. We hypothesized that the pineal gland mediates seasonal alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota. To test this, we placed pinealectomized and intact hamsters into long or short photoperiods for 8 weeks, collected weekly fecal samples, and measured weekly food intake, testis volume, and body mass. We determined microbiota composition using 16S rRNA sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). We found significant effects of treatment and time on the abundances of numerous bacterial genera. We also found significant associations between individual OTU abundances and body mass, testis mass, and food intake, respectively. Finally, results indicate a relationship between overall community structure, and body and testis masses. These results firmly establish a role for the pineal gland in mediating seasonal alterations in the gut microbiota. Further, these results identify a novel neuroendocrine pathway by which a host regulates seasonal shifts in gut community composition, and indicates a relationship between seasonal changes in the gut microbiota and seasonal physiological adjustments.
Holocaust Testimonies: Problems Analyzed, Promises Fulfilled

This article traces the evolution of Lawrence L. Langer’s career beginning as a professor of American literature followed by his transition to Holocaust literature, and eventual recognition and sta...
Soft carrier multiplication by hot electrons in graphene

By using the Boltzmann formalism, we show that carrier multiplication by impact ionization can take place at relatively low electric fields during electronic transport in graphene. Because of the absence of an energy gap, this effect is not characterized by a field threshold but is a quadratic function of the electric field, unlike in conventional semiconductors. We also show that the resulting current is an increasing function of the electronic temperature but decreases with increasing carrier concentration.
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer survivors: A population-based study.

Abstract Objective This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and identified the predictive factors associated with PTSD symptoms in a population of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) survivors. Methods A random sample of 2,000 NMIBC survivors, identified through the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, were sent postal mail survey. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple linear regression were used to examine the prevalence of PTSD and to identify the factors associated with PTSD. Results A total of 376 participants were included in the analysis. The average PCL-5 score was 7.1 (standard deviation [SD] = 10.9, range: 0–66), where higher scores represent higher levels of PTSD symptoms. The prevalence of the provisional PTSD diagnosis was 5.3% or 6.9% (after adjusting for nonresponse). In addition, 28.7% of participants met criteria for at least one PTSD symptom cluster. After controlling for other variables, participants who were younger, had active disease or unsure of status, had more comorbidities, had lower social support, and had higher cognitive concerns reported significantly higher PTSD symptoms. Conclusion More than one-fourth of NMIBC survivors had PTSD symptoms. Thus, healthcare providers should assess PTSD symptoms and provide supportive care for NMIBC survivors in the survivorship phase of care.
Not etched in bone: the role of osteoclast proton-sensing receptors.

The osteoclast proton-sensing receptors may play a role in osteoclastogenesis or bone resorption. The current study by Kreiger et al. found that in female mice, osteoclast-specific deletion of the gene for OGR1 resulted in increased bone mass, which demonstrates that in some situations this receptor is playing a role. However, there are some inconsistencies because the bone resorption was not reduced in their global knockout mice, and the effects are not seen in both genders or by other investigators. More work should be done to better define the role of OGR1 because acidosis is an important cause of bone loss.
Manure derived nutrients alter microbial community composition and increase the presence of potential pathogens in freshwater sediment.

AIM To determine the impact of an acute, pulse disturbance of nutrients from manure on freshwater sediment microbiomes in an experimental system. METHODS AND RESULTS A controlled freshwater mesocosm experiment was designed to compare the effect of disturbance from nutrients derived from sterile manure (SM), disturbance from equivalent concentrations of laboratory-derived nutrients, and a nondisturbed control on freshwater sediment microbial community composition and function using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Sediment microbiomes impacted by nutrients from SM showed no sign of compositional recovery after 28 days but those impacted by laboratory-derived chemicals lead to a new steady-state (p < 0.05). Carbon and nitrate sources within disturbed mesocosms were the primary drivers of altered microbial community composition. Additionally, multiple potential pathogens (based on exact sequence matching at the species level) were enriched in mesocosms treated with SM. CONCLUSIONS Nutrient disturbance from SM, in the absence of the manure microbial community, alters the microbiome of sediments without recovery after 28 days and enriches potential pathogens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY These results suggest manure land application practices should be re-evaluated to account for impact of nutrient disturbance on environmental microbiomes in addition to the impact of the manure microbial community.
Editorial Comment: New or Enlarging Multiple Bilateral Circumscribed Masses on Supplemental Screening Breast Ultrasound Likely Can Be Safely Followed Annually.

This Editorial Comment discusses the following AJR article: Multiple Bilateral Circumscribed Masses (MBCM) at Screening Breast Ultrasound (US): Outcomes of New or Enlarging Masses at Follow-up.
OP27 – 2989: Prevention of stroke in pediatric Moyamoya angiopathy: From diagnosis to multiple tailormade cerebral revascularisations

Objective Pediatric moyamoya is a rapidly progressive intracranial angiopathy affecting the anterior [internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcation, middle (MCA), anterior (ACA)] and posterior (PCA) cerebral circulation. Headaches, transient Ischemic attacks (TIAs) and strokes are common initial presentations. We present the preoperative diagnostic workup, neurosurgical treatment and postoperative outcome in newly diagnosed patients referred to our Moyamoya Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich. Methods Thirty four children (female:male 21:13) diagnosed with Moyamoya angiopathy at a mean age of 7.7 years at time of surgery underwent preoperative workup and cerebral revascularisation between 2011 and 2014. Depending on clinical symptomatology, number of arterial territories involved on cerebral angiogram and extent of perfusion reserve deficits on H215-O PET with acetazolamide challenge, surgery was tailormade to each individual child. Results Bilateral angiopathy was observed in 29 patients with involvement of MCA in all, ACA in 24 and PCA in 10. All but 2 patients were clinically symptomatic at time of surgery with all showing perfusion reserve deficits after acetazolamide-H215O-PET in one or more affected arterial territories. Hundred and five revascularisations were performed with 41 in ACA (bilateral in19 patients), 54 in MCA (bilateral in 23 patients) and 10 in PCA territories (bilateral in 1 patient). Multiple combined direct (EC-IC bypass: extracranial to intracranial bypass) and indirect cerebral revascularisation procedures (EDAS: encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis, EGPMS: encephalo-galeaperiost-myo-synangiosis and EDS: encephalo- duro-synangiosis) were procedures of choice. There were no perioperative complications. All patients remain stroke free at 1.6 years (1 month to 3 years) follow-up. TIAs and headaches have continued in 2/33 (0.06%) and 3/33 (0.09%) patients but with reduced intensity and frequency. Long term follow-up (up to age of 18 years) continues. Conclusion Early systematic diagnostic workup is essential in pediatric moyamoya. Individualised tailor made multiple cerebral revascularisations are effective in prevention of future strokes.
Decoupled stoichiometric, isotopic, and fungal responses of an ectomycorrhizal black spruce forest to nitrogen and phosphorus additions

Abstract Many northern forests are limited by nitrogen (N) availability, slight changes in which can have profound effects on ecosystem function and the activity of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi. Increasing N and phosphorus (P) availability, an analog to accelerated soil organic matter decomposition in a warming climate, could decrease plant dependency on EcM fungi and increase plant productivity as a result of greater carbon use efficiency. However, the impact of altered N and P availability on the growth and activity of EcM fungi in boreal forests remains poorly understood despite recognition of their importance to host plant nutrition and soil carbon sequestration. To address such uncertainty we examined above and belowground ecosystem properties in a boreal black spruce forest following five years of factorial N and P additions. By combining detailed soil, fungal, and plant δ15N measurements with in situ metrics of fungal biomass, growth, and activity, we found both expected and unexpected patterns. Soil nitrate isotope values became 15N enriched in response to both N and P additions; fungal biomass was repressed by N yet both biomass and growth were stimulated by P; and, black spruce dependency on EcM derived N increased slightly when N and P were added alone yet significantly declined when added in combination. These findings contradict predictions that N fertilization would increase plant P demands and P fertilization would further exacerbate plant N demands. As a result, the prediction that EcM fungi predictably respond to plant N limitation was not supported. These findings highlight P as an under appreciated mediator of the activity of denitrifying bacteria, EcM fungi, and the dynamics of N cycles in boreal forests. Further, use of δ15N values from bulk soils, plants, and fungi to understand how EcM systems respond to changing nutrient availabilities will often require additional ecological information.
ApoA-I Mimetic Peptides and Diabetes

There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of apolipoprotein mimetic peptides in the last decade. Much of the initial scientific application was in the field of cardiovascular disease. This has resulted in a much better understanding of the complex nature and function of HDL. The best understood mechanism is its role in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), but there is now a much better understanding that HDL reduction does not directly correlate with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The use of apoA-I mimetic peptides in diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome has resulted in decreased insulin resistance, weight loss, and increased adiponectin levels. This occurred without major changes in HDL and LDL levels. Visceral abdominal obesity has been recognized as a chronic inflammatory state, especially in the setting of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant response to these mimetic peptides is independent of the effects on HDL levels. There is compelling evidence that these mimetic peptides upregulate heme oxygenase (HO-1), the body’s first line of defense against oxidant injury. This upregulation of HO-1 is accompanied by an improvement in the anti-inflammatory index of HDL without a change in the HDL level. This remains to be further elucidated in clinical trials.
An analysis of the motivational factors of intending entrepreneurs

This study compares men and women, who intend to become entrepreneurs. Intending entrepreneurs who have graduated with an MBA from a top tier Business School were compared to mitigate differences in backgrounds. Intending entrepreneurs are compared to non-entrepreneurs for both men and women. The study focuses on career motivators of intending entrepreneurs and the findings both support and refute previous literature. Among the findings: intending women were not more dissatisfied with their careers, and they did possess different career motivators and intentions than women who did not indicate an intention to become entrepreneurs. The difference between intending and non-intending women matched a similar pattern between intending and non-intending men.
Evaluating upper versus lower crustal extension through structural reconstructions and subsidence analysis of basins adjacent to the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, eastern Papua New Guinea

[1] The D'Entrecasteaux Island (DEI) gneiss domes are fault-bounded domes with ~2.5 km of relief exposing ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) and high-pressure (HP) metamorphic gneisses and migmatites exhumed in an Oligocene-Miocene arc-continent collision and subduction zone subject to late Miocene to recent continental extension. Multichannel seismic reflection data and well data show the Trobriand basin formed as a fore-arc basin caused by southward Miocene subduction at the Trobriand trench. Subduction slowed at ~8 Ma as the margin transitioned to an extensional tectonic environment. Since then, the Trobriand basin has subsided 1–2.5 km as a broad sag basin with few normal faults deforming the basin fill. South of the DEI, the Goodenough rift basin developed after extension began (~8 Ma) as the hanging wall of the north-dipping Owen-Stanley normal fault that bounds the basin's southern margin. The lack of upper crustal extension accompanying subsidence in the Trobriand and Goodenough basins suggests depth-dependent lithospheric extension since 8 Ma has accompanied uplift of the DEI gneiss domes. Structural reconstructions of seismic profiles show 2.3–13.4 km of basin extension in the upper crust, while syn-rift basin subsidence values indicate at least 20.7–23.6 km of extension occurred in the entire crust since ~8 Ma. Results indicating thinning is preferentially accommodated in the lower crust surrounding the DEI are used to constrain a schematic model of uplift of the DEI domes involving vertical exhumation of buoyant, postorogenic lower crust, far-field extension from slab rollback, and an inverted two-layer crustal density structure.
American Indian Youth: Who Southwestern Urban and Reservation Youth Turn to for Help with Mental Health or Addictions

We illustrate the addictions and mental health service use of American Indian adolescents. Interviews concerning mental health need and service configurations with 401 Southwestern American Indian (AI) youth used questions from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) and the Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents (SACA). Seventy-nine percent had mental health or addiction problems, with half meeting criteria for at least one diagnosis. One in 4 youth met criteria for drug dependence'abuse or conduct disorder, 1 in 5 for depression, and 1 in 8 for alcohol dependence'abuse. Most youth were helped by a combination of providers. Youth meeting more diagnostic criteria were increasingly likely to use service configurations with adults, nonspecialist professionals, and specialists, respectively. Regardless of disorder, youth were least likely to use configurations with traditional healers or specialists and there was little difference in rates of use between the two. The lack of services from specialist providers was potentially offset by use of an extensive range of informal adults, nonspecialist professionals, and peers. Since informal helpers, peers, and nonspecialist providers, but not specialists, are providing the bulk of services they must be given support and skills so they can function effectively.
XChange: coupling parallel applications in a dynamic environment

Modern computational science applications are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, involving widely distributed research teams and their underlying computational platforms. A common problem for the grid applications used in these environments is the necessity to couple multiple, parallel subsystems, with examples ranging from data exchanges between cooperating, linked parallel programs, to concurrent data streaming to distributed storage engines. This work presents the XChange/sub mxn/ middleware infrastructure for coupling componentized distributed applications. XChange/sub mxn/ implements the basic functionality of well-known services like the CCA Forum's MxN project, by providing efficient data redistribution across parallel application components. Beyond such basic functionality, however, XChange/sub mxn/ also addresses two of the problems faced by wide area scientific collaborations, which are (1) the need to deal with dynamic application/component behaviors, such as dynamic arrivals and departures due to the availability of additional resources, and (2) the need to 'match' data formats across disparate application components and research teams. In response to these needs, XChange/sub mxn/ uses an anonymous publish/subscribe model for linking interacting components, and the data being exchanged is dynamically specialized and transformed to match end point requirements. The pub/sub paradigm makes it easy to deal with dynamic component arrivals and departures. Dynamic data transformation enables the 'inflight' correction of data or needs mismatches for cooperating components. This work describes the design and implementation of XChange/sub mxn/, and it evaluates its implementation compared to those of less flexible transports like MPI. It also highlights the utility ofXChange/sub mxn/'s 'inflight' data specialization, by applying it to the SmartPointer parallel data visualization environment developed at our institution. Interestingly, using XChange/sub mxn/ did not significantly affect performance but led to a reduction in the size of the code base.
Double-Staining Epifluorescence Technique to Assess Frequency of Dividing Cells and Bacteriovory in Natural Populations of Heterotrophic Microprotozoa

Abstract We have developed a double-staining procedure for use with epifluorescence microscopy which allows the detection both of dividing cells and of ingested bacteria in food vacuoles of heterotrophic microprotozoa. Microprotozoan cells are stained sequentially with the DNA-specific fluorochrome DAPI (4′,6-diami-dino-2-phenylindole) and the nonspecific protein stain fluorescein isothiocyanate. During microscopic examination, heterotrophic microprotozoan cells are first located with fluorescein isothiocyanate fluorescence and then epifluorescence filter sets are switched to permit inspection under DAPI fluorescence of the cell nuclei and of the contents of food vacuoles. Among in situ populations of estuarine microprotozoa sampled over a tidal cycle, we found from 2.2 to 5.2% of the heterotrophic cells in a recognizable stage of division (nuclei elongated or double). Batch culture growth experiments were also carried out both with natural populations and with two isolated species of estuarine microprotozoa. In these experiments, the frequency of dividing cells ranged from 1.2 to 3.8% and appeared to be negatively correlated with growth rate. Microprotozoan populations sampled in continental shelf waters off Savannah, Ga., had mean frequencies of dividing cells ranging from 2.0 to 5.0%. A large fraction of cells in heterotrophic microprotozoan populations (an average of 27.4 ± 1.0% in estuarine water and of 30.1 ± 4.8% in shelf water) had DAPI-stained inclusions, presumably recently ingested bacteria, in their food vacuoles.
Learning from the Labs: Reimagining Ethics Instruction

It is a truism to describe philosophy as a theoretical field. But while all fields of study have theories that ground their work, philosophy as a discipline has theory as its subject. In other words, the focus in philosophy is so deeply on theory that applications of theory can be treated as afterthoughts. This is evident both in how philosophers approach the field of ethics in their research, and in how philosophers typically teach ethics courses. The effect on students is that what they learn in the classroom is disconnected from how they actually experience and react to moral conflicts they face. As feminists, we think it important that ethical engagement accounts for our situatedness as moral agents and for the complexity of lived, embodied experience. In this paper, we explain how traditional methods of teaching ethics, as theory that is to be applied, fail to give students useful tools that allow them to address actual ethical problems that they will face. We criticize these traditional methods from a feminist perspective which demands that moral reasoning be grounded in lived experience rather than reflect abstract reasoning about idealized situations. We examine the shift in teaching science—from a formalistic approach that emphasizes getting the answer right, by applying scientific theory correctly to laboratory work, to an experimental approach in which students practice “thinking like a scientist”—as a model for thinking about how we should shift the ways that we teach ethics. Finally, we propose several suggestions for how we can reimagine teaching ethics in ways that give students practical tools for moral reasoning that they can use in actual, real-life moral conflicts.
Dynamic fatigue property of silicon carbide whisker-reinforced silicon nitride

The dynamic fatigue behavior of 30 vol pct SiC whisker-reinforced silicon nitride was determined in flexure as a function of temperature from 1100 to 1300 C in an air environment. The fatigue susceptibility parameter n decreased from 88.1 to 20.1 with increasing temperature from 1100 to 1300 C. A transition in the dynamic fatigue curve occurred at a lowest stressing rate of 2 MPa/min at a temperature of 1300 C, resulting in a considerably lower value of n = 5.8. This transition was primarily due to creep that was enhanced by a combination of high temperature and very slow deformation rate. The fatigue resistance of natural flaws at 1100 C was found to be greater than that of artificial flaws produced by indentation.
Absence of a spiral magnetic order in Li 2 CuO 2 containing one-dimensional CuO 2 ribbon chains

On the basis of first principles density functional theory electronic structure calculations as well as classical spin analysis, we explored why the magnetic oxide Li2CuO2, consisting of CuO2 ribbon chains made up of edge-sharing CuO4 squares, does not exhibit a spiral-magnetic order. Our work shows that, due to the next-nearest-neighbor interchain interactions, the observed collinear magnetic structure becomes only slightly less stable than the spin-spiral ground state, and many states become nearly degenerate in energy with the observed collinear structure. This suggests that the collinear magnetic structure of Li2CuO2 is a consequence of order-by-disorder induced by next-nearest-neighbor interchain interactions.
254. Protecting the CNS Using AntiOxidant Gene Transfer: HIV-1 Glycoprotein gp120 Induces Blood-Brain Barrier Abnormalities That May Be Prevented by rSV40 Gene Transfer of AntiOxidant Enzymes

HIV dementia is a form of subcortical dementia in which abnormalities of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may be important in mediating some of the tissue damage that accompanies CNS HIV-1 infection, as well as in facilitating viral entry into the CNS. This study was undertaken to analyze the potential of HIV-1 components to disrupt the BBB and of rSV40-mediated gene delivery of antioxidant enzymes to protect BBB integrity.
The demand for taxable and tax-exempt money market mutual funds

This study empirically examines the impact that SEC amendments to rule 2a-7 had on retail and institution-only taxable and tax-exempt money market mutual funds (MMFs). We model the demand for these funds and test whether demand structurally changed after the amendments were introduced in 1990. The results are consistent with the notion that retail and institutional investors have yield and transaction motives for holding MMFs and that Treasury bills and bonds are viewed as substitutes. Investors in retail MMFs were generally unaware of the amendments and their demand was largely unaltered. While the demand for MMFs by institutional investors increased after the amendments, it is likely due to other factors that caused a general increase in demand by institution-only MMFs.
Polybenzopinacolones. Acid‐catalyzed rearrangement of aromatic polybenzopinacols

Polybenzopinacols resulting from the photocondensations of p,p′-dibenzoyldiphenyl ether, p,p′-dibenzoyldiphenylmethane, and p,p′-dibenzoyl-1,2-diphenylethane were rearranged in sulfuric acid–dioxane solutions. The inherent viscosities of the polybenzopinacolones did not differ significantly from the inherent viscosities of the polybenzopinacols after rearrangement. A model compound study by NMR and infrared methods indicated that the polymer chain was probably the main migrating group for each of the polymer rearrangements.
Redistribution of Transcription Factor AP-2α in Differentiating Cultured Human Epidermal Cells

Expression of the transcription factor AP-2α was examined in cultured human epidermal cells. Levels of AP-2α mRNA increased substantially after the cultures reached confluence, similar to the expression pattern of the differentiation markers involucrin and keratinocyte transglutaminase. The level of AP-2α protein in nuclear extracts declined markedly after confluence, however, along with its ability to form complexes with oligonucleotides containing the AP-2 response element. In contrast, the levels of AP-2α protein in cytoplasmic extracts increased dramatically after confluence, but these extracts had low DNA binding activity. Supershift experiments with specific antisera detected only AP-2α and not the β or γ isoforms. Examination of its localization by confocal microscopy revealed that AP-2α was primarily in the nucleus of basal cells and largely cytoplasmic in the most superficial cells. Localization was a dynamic phenomenon in that changing the medium resulted in accumulation of this transcription factor in the nucleus after several hours. Overall, the data indicate that AP-2α transcriptional activity is regulated in a differentiation-dependent manner in cultured keratinocytes and that this occurs by relocalization of the protein. Nuclear localization of the AP-2α protein in basal cells permits its accessibility to response elements in gene promoters, whereas sequestration in the cytoplasm as the differentiation program progresses curtails its transcriptional activity. This regulatory scheme may provide keratinocytes with the ability to restore AP-2 transcriptional activity rapidly by redistribution to the nucleus after receiving an appropriate growth signal, such as a medium change.
Relaxation to photochemical equilibrium of charged species within displaced air parcels in the D-region

The effects of the relaxation to photochemical equilibrium are investigated for the electrons and NO(+) ions in the upper D-region and for the electrons and several species of positive and negative ions present in the lower D-region. In the upper D-region the photochemical model includes electrons, nitric oxide, and NO(+). A self-consisting model of the equilibrium concentrations is developed for the lower D-region, which includes electrons, nitric oxide, O2(-), heavy negative and positive ions, and the oxygen species O, O3, and O2(1 delta g). At altitudes of 75 and 80 km the time dependence of the oxygen species has a significant effect on the equilibration of the electron and O2(-) concentrations. The relaxation to photochemical equilibrium proceeds by five e-folding time scales in the lower D-region, where the time required for final equilibration due to recombination is very long.
Optical purity determination and 1H NMR spectral simplification with lanthanide shift reagents — V. Mephenytoin, 5-ethyl-3-methyl-5-phenyl-2,4-imidazolidinedione

Abstract The 60-MHz 1 H NMR spectra of racemic mephenytoin, I , have been studied with the achiral shift reagent, tris(6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octane-dionato) europium (III), II , and the chiral reagent, tris[3-(trifluoromethylhydroxy-methylene)- d -camphorato] europium (III), III . Moderate values of the enantiomeric shift differences, Δ, were clearly observed for the NCH 3 , NH, aryl and CCH 3 resonances in CDCl 3 solution at 28°C with added III . The NCH 3 and NH absorptions could be useful for direct assays of optical purity. Thus, for a 0.34 molal solution of I in CDCl 3 with a molar ratio III:I of 0.138, the value of Δ for the NCH 3 resonance was 3.1 Hz (0.052 ppm) with 32% valley resolution.