cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiologic assessment of benzodiazepine exposure among suicide deaths in Colorado, 2015-2017.

Suicide rates have been climbing in the U.S., particularly in Rocky Mountain states such as Colorado. Benzodiazepines have been linked with suicidal ideation, but there have been few population level assessments of this link. We conducted a public health assessment to determine the epidemiology and prevalence of recent benzodiazepine exposure, among suicide deaths in Colorado from 2015 to 17. This epidemiologic assessment linked Colorado’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, death certificate data, and Violent Death Reporting System to determine patterns of benzodiazepine exposure among suicide deaths in Colorado between 2015 and 2017. Recent benzodiazepine exposure was defined as receiving a prescription within 30 days of death or having a positive toxicology screen post-mortem. Among the 3465 suicide deaths in Colorado between 2015 and 2017, 20% had recent benzodiazepine exposure, and nearly 50% of those also had recent opioid exposure. Recent benzodiazepine exposure was more common among females than males (34% versus 16%). Among suicide deaths, those who died via drug overdose were more likely to have had recent benzodiazepine exposure (48%), compared to suicides by firearm (17%), hanging/asphyxiation (13%) and all other methods (approximately 20%). Benzodiazepines have been linked to suicidal ideation, but population level assessments of benzodiazepine exposure among suicide deaths are rare. Our epidemiologic assessment indicates a relatively high prevalence of recent benzodiazepine exposure that warrants further investigation from both clinical and public health perspectives.
[Consequences of the COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for gastroenterology in Germany].

Die Empfehlungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten (DGVS) zu COVID-19 („coronavirus disease 2019“) bei gastroenterologischen Patienten sind auf der Homepage unter „Informationen“ ( https://www.dgvs.de/covid-19/ ) einsehbar. Zum Schutz vor SARS(„severe acute respiratory syndrome“)-CoV(„coronavirus“)-2 gibt es Empfehlungen der European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) und der European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA). Getrennte Endoskopieraume fur Hochrisikopatienten bzw. Unterdruckuntersuchungsraume sollten Gegenstand der Planung zukunftiger Endoskopiezentren sein. Ob nach der ersten COVID-19-Welle weiterhin eine Priorisierung gastroenterologischer Leistungen erfolgen muss, ist zurzeit noch unklar. Der Report des Wissenschaftlichen Instituts der Allgemeinen Ortskrankenkasse (AOK; WldO) bzw. Umfragen von ALGK (Arbeitsgemeinschaft gastroenterologischer Klinikarzte) und bng (Berufsverband Niedergelassener Gastroenterologen Deutschlands) zeigen, dass der Coronavirus-Lockdown zu einem deutlichen Ruckgang der Krankheiten des Verdauungstrakts und der gastroenterologischen Leistungen inkl. der Vorsorgekoloskopie gefuhrt hat. Es ist anzunehmen, dass der Abbau der Uberkapazitaten mit Reduktion der stationaren Leistungen im deutschen Gesundheitswesen auch nach Bewaltigung der Coronapandemie weitergefuhrt wird. Entscheidend ist, wie wir den Arztberuf fur junge Kollegen attraktiv erhalten und gestalten konnen. Die hohe Rate an Burn-outs und Suiziden sowie die schwierige Vereinbarkeit mit den Anspruchen einer ausgewogenen „life balance“ sind Alarmsignale, die beachtet werden mussen.
Limit Current Density of Safe Tissue Exposure

A protection guide number of 1 m⋀/cm2 is suggested as the limit currently density of safe tissue exposure. It should apply for the total frequency range from DC to 1000 MHz. The rationale of this proposal will be presented.
Novel physics of wavelength-dependent electron collision times in plasma for laser-matter interactions

We present an experimental and theoretical study of wavelength-dependent electron collision times in plasma and its striking effects on laser-matter interactions during laser filamentation in a solid.
Bariatric Surgery in Heart Failure

Obesity and heart failure (HF) are two of the most common chronic health conditions, and their prevalence continues to grow. Obesity confers an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically HF, but can be successfully treated with surgery. Bariatric surgery is associated with improvements in cardiac structure and function, as well as a decreased incidence of new-onset HF. Additionally, the limited published data assessing bariatric surgery in patients with known HF indicate that it is associated with an improvement in HF symptoms and functional status, as well as a decrease in HF hospitalization. Finally, the published literature regarding safety of bariatric surgery in HF patients suggest that it is safe when pre-operative and peri-operative care is provided per the ACC/AHA guidelines for non-cardiac surgery.
AR in the Computer Programming Classroom: A Review of the Literature

Augmented reality (AR) provides opportunities to not only acquire information, but to experience it through visual, spatial and sensorimotor feedback. Though this technology has been around for years and is professionally recognized as an effective tool to improve and enhance the learning experience, its benefits have gone widely unknown and underappreciated in the higher education environment, in particular the computer programming classroom. AR-based learning provides several benefits and affordances to higher education. AR-based learning increases motivation, engagement, and academic performance. Though despite empirical evidence supporting the benefits, there are critics and detractors who cite data control, practitioner acceptance, development skills, costs, and ethics among the reasons for failure to adopt. Research has resulted in the emergence of a number of design principles for applying the AR-based training methodology to the computer programming curriculum. This paper presents a literature review to synthesize research and findings on the use of AR-based methods in the computer programming classroom.
Control Techniques in Robotic Harvesting

Food security and global market competition along with reduced manpower due to continuous decline in seasonal labor availability, high insurance costs, and rising wages are the major thrusts that are driving the global research efforts to develop robotic solutions to fruit and vegetable harvesting operations. As we increasingly seek autonomous and robotic solutions, control systems have become ubiquitous in modern agriculture, and the demand for advanced control techniques that offer performance and robustness guarantees is growing rapidly to realize highly efficient autonomous operations. Visual servo control is a popular control technique in robotic harvesting that refers to controlling the motion of a robot using image feedback obtained from one or more cameras. In this chapter, we present the basics of vision-based control and review the progress made in visual servoing in robotic harvesting. Subsequently, we will study the process of controller design by presenting a simple visual servo control system. Stability and performance of control systems, which are the key influencers in determining harvest efficiency, can be affected by uncertainties in the system and environment. In this chapter, we will particularly focus on the issues that a fruit may not be stationary as exogenous disturbances such as wind gusts, fruit detachment forces, canopy unloading, and robot-tree contact may cause unknown time-varying fruit motion. With this motivation, we will present robust and adaptive visual servo controllers that are resilient to uncertain fruit motion. Finally, we state open problems that are aimed at improving harvest efficiency and harvesting speed that could be addressed by improvements in the performance of visual servo control systems.
Hall Technique: Knowledge and Attitudes of Pediatric Dentists in the United States.

Purpose: To assess pediatric dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with the use of the Hall technique (HT) in the United States. Methods: An electronic questionnaire with a cover letter and consent form was sent to 6,277 active members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) between April 15 and June 1, 2019. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were calculated. Results: The response rate was 9.4 percent; 52 percent were males, 76 percent were white non-Hispanic, and 83 percent were in private practice. Ninety-seven percent were familiar with HT, and 39 percent had used it. Factors significantly associated with the use of HT were female dentists (P =0.01), patients with Medicaid insurance (P Conclusion: Use of HT was considered a viable alternative in the management of dental caries. Despite the limitations of the technique, pediatric dentists' practice location and place of residency were significantly associated with its use.
Donor-Recipient BSA Matching Is Prognostically Significant in Solitary and En Bloc Kidney Transplantation From Pediatric Circulatory Death Donors.

Background As the rate of early postoperative complications decline after transplant with pediatric donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidneys, attention has shifted to the long-term consequences of donor-recipient (D-R) size disparity given the pernicious systemic effects of inadequate functional nephron mass. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network data for all adult (aged ≥18 y) recipients of pediatric (aged 0-17 y) DCD kidneys in the United States from January 1, 2004 to March 10, 2020. Results DCD pediatric allografts transplanted between D-R pairs with a body surface area (BSA) ratio of 0.10-0.70 carried an increased risk of all-cause graft failure (relative risk [RR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.69) and patient death (RR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.01-1.73) when compared with pairings with a ratio of >0.91. Conversely, similar graft and patient survivals were demonstrated among the >0.70-0.91 and >0.91 cohorts. Furthermore, we found no difference in death-censored graft survival between all groups. Survival analysis revealed improved 10-y patient survival in recipients of en bloc allografts (P = 0.02) compared with recipients of single kidneys with D-R BSA ratios of 0.10-0.70. A similar survival advantage was demonstrated in recipients of solitary allografts with D-R BSA ratios >0.70 compared with the 0.10-0.70 cohort (P = 0.02). Conclusions Inferior patient survival is likely associated with systemic sequelae of insufficient renal functional capacity in size-disparate DCD kidney recipients, which can be overcome by appropriate BSA matching or en bloc transplantation. We therefore suggest that in DCD kidney transplantation, D-R BSA ratios of 0.10-0.70 serve as criteria for en bloc allocation or alternative recipient selection to optimize the D-R BSA ratio to >0.70.
Tax Planning in Initial Public Offerings: The Case of Equity Carve-Outs

We explore the importance of book and tax factors in initial public offerings using equity carve-outs undertaken by publicly traded parents. The advantage of such carve-outs over typical IPOs is that the book and tax positions of pre-IPO shareholders can be accurately estimated due to financial reporting requirements faced by publicly traded parents. We particularly examine why any of the shares offered in the subsidiary IPO would be sold by the parent instead of being newly issued by the subsidiary. Sales of secondary shares occur in 37% of carve-outs, and appear to be tax-disadvantaged in that they trigger sizeable capital gains for parents that could be avoided if primary shares were issued instead. This suggests that either the apparent tax cost borne by parents is overstated, or parents earn offsetting non-tax benefits. We find evidence consistent with both alternatives, particularly the former. Parent corporate capital gains tax rates that are measured on a marginal basis and that take into account the extent to which the carve-out gain would have otherwise been deferred are on average only one-fifth of the statutory capital gains tax rate. Some parents can also increase their net income at no tax cost by selling secondary shares.
Novel low-overhead operand isolation techniques for low-power datapath synthesis

Power consumption in datapath modules due to redundant switching is an important design concern for high-performance applications. Operand isolation schemes are adopted to reduce redundant switching in datapaths. However, they incur considerable overhead in terms of delay, power, and area. This paper presents novel operand isolation techniques based on supply gating that reduce the overheads associated with isolating circuitry. The proposed schemes also target leakage minimization and application of operand isolation at the internal logic of datapath to further reduce power consumption. We integrate the proposed techniques and power/delay models to develop a complete flow for low-power datapath synthesis. Simulation results show that the proposed operand isolation techniques can achieve at least 40% reduction in power consumption compared to the original circuit with minimal area overhead (5%) and small delay penalty (0.15%).
An Irony of Electronics: On a Form or Two of Serious Legal Scholarship

This essay begins with welcomes to new journals and contributors to the Journal of Law. It then wanders back to a topic touched on in the first issue of the Journal of Law - the relationship between ink-on-paper and on-line publication of legal scholarship.
The level of the zymogen granule protein GP2 is elevated in a rat model for acute pancreatitis

Abstract Background/Aims: GP2 is the major membrane protein in pancreatic zymogen granules. It is linked to the membrane via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol linkage. After cleavage, a significant fraction of GP2 becomes soluble. The present study assessed whether GP2 is a useful serum marker for acute pancreatitis. Methods: Using an anti-GP2 monoclonal antibody, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to measure the serum levels of GP2 in rats with cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. Results: The anti-GP2 antibody was specific because it did not cross-react with uromodulin, a structurally similar protein to GP2, or to protein extracts from nonpancreatic tissues. Eight hours after the induction of pancreatitis, the serum levels of amylase, lipase, and GP2 peaked. Peak GP2 levels were 4.2 times higher than those of controls. At 24 hours, GP2 was still 70% of the peak level, whereas amylase and lipase were 5.5% and 0.5%, respectively, of their peak levels. Conclusions: GP2 may serve as a potentially valuable marker for clinical acute pancreatitis.
Por que o debate ‘genética e cultura’ não desaparecerá

O debate genetica-cultura tem sido uma preocupacao para a Psicologia e para as Ciencias Sociais ha seculos. Muitos escritores tem expressado uma esperanca que se chegue a um meio termo que faca o debate desaparecer. Neste meio termo, todo comportamento vem de uma interacao intrincada entre a hereditariedade e o meio ambiente, e seria um erro tentar separa-los. Eu contesto este ponto de vista, o qual denominei interacionismo holistico, por varias razoes, entre as quais o fato de que e simplesmente falso que todos os aspectos da funcao cerebral envolvem uma mistura de hereditariedade e meio ambiente, e esse interacionismo holistico obscurece nossa compreensao de como a mente trabalha. Como ilustracao, eu discuto o caso dos efeitos da educacao dada pelos pais, no qual o interacionismo holistico tem conduzido a conclusoes falsas e enganosas.
Wnt/Beta-Catenin Cooperates With Yap Signaling To Promote Hepatobiliary Repair In A Model Of Chronic Liver Injury

Proliferation of atypical ductules and compensatory hepatocyte transdifferentiation to cholangiocytes is a hallmark of 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl- 1, 4-dihydro-collidine (DDC) diet-induced injury in mice...
Lectin-Magnetic Beads for Plasma Membrane Isolation

Plasma membrane proteins mainly function to transmit external signals into the cell. Many plasma membrane receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g., HER2 and EGFR) are known to mediate oncogenic progression, making them prime targets for cancer therapy. Recently, it has become important to identify plasma membrane proteins that are differentially expressed in normal versus cancer cells, in drug-sensitive versus drug-resistant cells, or among tumor cells that metastasize to different organ sites because these differentially expressed membrane proteins may lead to the identification of therapeutic targets or diagnostic markers. In addition, there is an increased interest in identifying cell-surface proteins that could serve as markers for stem cells, progenitor cells, or cells of different lineages. Traditionally, membrane isolation requires multiple centrifugation steps to isolate different organelles based on their density. With the advent of affinity matrix technology, it is possible to separate organelles based on their molecular differences. A defining characteristic of the plasma membrane is that plasma membrane proteins are more extensively glycosylated than are intracellular membrane proteins. As a result, affinity chromatography employing lectin, a carbohydrate-binding protein, is commonly used to isolate plasma membrane proteins. We have extended this concept for plasma membrane isolation by using concanavalin A (ConA), a lectin with mannose specificity. Here we describe a protocol that uses immobilized ConA bound to magnetic beads to isolate plasma membranes from homogenized cell lysates. The captured plasma membrane proteins are then solubilized from the ConA-magnetic beads by detergents in the presence of a competing sugar, methyl α-mannopyranoside.
The effect of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency on the in vivo elongation of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments.

BackgroundAlthough anterior cruciate ligament deficiency has been shown to lead to joint degeneration, few quantitative data have been reported on its effect on soft tissue structures surrounding the knee joint.HypothesisAnterior cruciate ligament deficiency will alter the deformation of both collateral ligaments during in vivo weight-bearing knee function from 0° to 90°.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsSix patients who had acute anterior cruciate ligament injury in 1 knee with the contralateral side intact participated in this study. Using magnetic resonance and dual orthogonal fluoroscopic imaging techniques, we measured the length of the fiber bundles of the superficial medial collateral ligament, deep medial collateral ligament, and lateral collateral ligament of the 6 patients; the healthy contralateral knee of each patient served as a control.ResultsAnterior cruciate ligament injury caused a significant elongation of the fiber bundles of the superficial and deep medial collateral ligam...
Partitions of a skew matrix over a finite field

Let GF(pw ) denote a finite field with pw elementsp odd. In this paper formulas are given for calculating the number of solutions X1 , … Xn over GF(q) of matrix equations of the form where B is a skew matrix and the prime denotes transpose. The case in which the ranks of the Xv 1  i  n,are specified as arbitrary, but fixed, as well as the case in which the ranks are not specified are both discussed. The number of partitions of certain skew matrices B into a sum of h matrix products, where each product has the form is also discussed.
Speakers' assumptions about the lexical flexibility of idioms

In three experiments, we examined why some idioms can be lexically altered and still retain their figurative meanings (e.g., John buttoned his lips about Mary can be changed into John fastened his lips about Mary and still mean "John didn't say anything about Mary"), whereas other idioms cannot be lexically altered without losing their figurative meanings (e.g., John kicked the bucket, meaning "John died," loses its idiomatic meaning when changed into John kicked the pail). Our hypothesis was that the lexical flexibility of idioms is determined by speakers' assumptions about the ways in which parts of idioms contribute to their figurative interpretations as a whole. The results of the three experiments indicated that idioms whose individual semantic components contribute to their overall figurative meanings (e.g., go out on a limb) were judged as less disrupted by changes in their lexical items (e.g., go out on a branch) than were nondecomposable idioms (e.g., kick the bucket) when their individual words were altered (e.g., punt the pail). These findings lend support to the idea that both the syntactic productivity and the lexical makeup of idioms are matters of degree, depending on the idioms' compositional properties. This conclusion suggests that idioms do not form a unique class of linguistic items, but share many of the properties of more literal language.
Correlates of Student Political Activism and Ideology

This study of student political orientations treats attitudes and activism as conceptually and empirically independent, does not confound demographic variables in the subject groupings, and focuses on the dimensions of activism and attitudes and not specifically on left activists. Yale freshmen (N = 164) were classified into four ideology groupings and two levels of activism. Patterns of socialization and personality correlates of activism and ideology are presented and related to earlier studies. The absence of significant interactions and the concordance of some correlates of activism and ideology are discussed.
A sensitive radiochemical assay for choline acetylase

Abstract A sensitive radiochemical assay for choline acetylase has been devised based on the formation of acetylcholine from tritium-labeled acetate. The acetylcholine is separated from other labeled components by chromatography on a short column of Amberlite CG-50 ion exchanger. The procedure is sufficiently specific and sensitive so that it can be used for the measurement of the acetylase in crude, unfractionated homogenates of brain.
The putative endogenous convulsant 3-hydroxykynurenine decreases benzodiazepine receptor binding affinity: implications to seizures associated with neonatal vitamin B-6 deficiency.

Abstract The kynurenines, endogenous trytophan metabolites with convulsant properties, have been postulated to play a role in the genesis of seizure disorders. We have previously reported that concentrations of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) higher than 0.2 mM are present in the brains of neonatal rats perinatally deprived of vitamin B-6. At a 1 mM concentration 3-HK significantly decreased the affinity of 3 H-flunitrazepam for benzodiazepine receptor sites in rat brain membrane preparations. Furthermore, lower concentrations ( K i =250 μM ) of 3-HK antagonized the enhancing effect of GABA on 3 H-flunitrazepam binding. These results suggest that 3-HK may have a modulatory effect on the GABA/benzodiazepine/barbituate receptor complex.
MBTI® and Interlibrary Loan Personnel in a Small Sampling of Alabama Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) was administered to both professional librarians and paraprofessional staff from Inter-library Loan departments of several of the academic libraries in the state of Alabama. Some had worked in interlibrary loan for many years and some were new to the experience. The MBTI® is a standardized questionnaire developed by Katherine C. Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers and published by Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. It measures individual preferences in collecting or receiving information, interacting with other people, and making decisions. The compilation of these MBTI® results shows 11 of the 16 possible types, with preponderance toward one type. This article examines the results from a small sampling of individuals. It illustrates the different types found, the temperaments of the prevalent MBTI® types found, and why these attributes may contribute to the successful performance of interlibrary loan work. The author administered the MBTI® as she is certified...
Assessment Work: Examining the Prevalence and Nature of Learning Assessment Competencies and Skills in Student Affairs Job Postings

This mixed method study explored the assessment-related skills and job duties that student affairs administrators expect from new employees as reflected in 1,759 job openings posted in 2008, of which seven job postings were specialist positions in outcomes-based assessment. The skills and du- ties required of these seven positions were primarily related to leadership, education, teamwork, and research. In the entire sample of job postings, the study found no differences in required assessment-related skills or job duties between public and private institutions or schools of various sizes. However, there were significant differences in requisite assessment skills and job duties among the various functional areas and among jobs with varying educational and experience requirements. Implications for institutions, graduate preparation programs, and professional development efforts are discussed.
Medication non‐adherence in the adolescent renal transplant recipient: A clinician's viewpoint*

Recent advancements in immunosuppression and surgical techniques have significantly improved the outcome of kidney transplantation in the pediatric population. Adolescents enjoy the best 1-year graft survival of any age group. However, the long-term transplant outcome in adolescents is disappointing. Non-adherence with immunosuppressive medications is one of the most important contributing factors for graft rejection and loss in teenagers. The impact of non-adherence is perceived to be far more powerful in adolescent transplant recipients than in the transplant population as a whole. To better understand adolescent non-adherence, the process of transplantation must be placed in the context of adolescent development. Adolescents try to establish their identity and autonomy separately from the parents; however at the same time, adolescents with chronic illness require help, support and guidance from adults, including parents and medical personnel. Adolescents have limited ability to anticipate abstractly the long-term consequences of their immediate actions. This inconsistency can create frustration in both adolescents and in the supporting systems around them. Despite the significant consequences of adolescent non-adherence, research in this area is scarce. There are still no established definitions, standardized diagnostic methods and effective interventions to treat and prevent this problem. We propose the recommendations to approach the problems of adolescent transplant non-adherence from the transplant clinician's viewpoint. With early identification and appropriate interventions, significant improvement in adolescent graft survival is possible.
The Concept of Voluntary Consent

Our primary focus is on analysis of the concept of voluntariness, with a secondary focus on the implications of our analysis for the concept and the requirements of voluntary informed consent. We propose that two necessary and jointly sufficient conditions must be satisfied for an action to be voluntary: intentionality, and substantial freedom from controlling influences. We reject authenticity as a necessary condition of voluntary action, and we note that constraining situations may or may not undermine voluntariness, depending on the circumstances and the psychological capacities of agents. We compare and evaluate several accounts of voluntariness and argue that our view, unlike other treatments in bioethics, is not a value-laden theory. We also discuss the empirical assessment of individuals’ perceptions of the degrees of noncontrol and self-control. We propose use of a particular Decision Making Control Instrument. Empirical research using this instrument can provide data that will help establish appr...
The point of no return: A fundamental limit on the ability to control thought and action.

Bartlett (1958. Thinking. New York: Basic Books) described the point of no return as a point of irrevocable commitment to action, which was preceded by a period of gradually increasing commitment. As such, the point of no return reflects a fundamental limit on the ability to control thought and action. I review the literature on the point of no return, taking three perspectives. First, I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the controlled act, as a locus in the architecture and anatomy of the underlying processes. I review experiments from the stop-signal paradigm that suggest that the point of no return is located late in the response system. Then I consider the point of no return from the perspective of the act of control that tries to change the controlled act before it becomes irrevocable. From this perspective, the point of no return is a point in time that provides enough “lead time” for the act of control to take effect. I review experiments that measure the response time to the ...
Conservation of a DNA-binding site in the largest subunit of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II.

Using a monoclonal antibody to a DNA-binding site of calf RNA polymerase II, we found that this site occurs on the largest subunit and is structurally similar in RNA polymerase II of widely divergent eukaryotes. In immuno-blotting of electrophoretically separated subunits, the monoclonal antibody recognized a determinant on the largest polypeptide of all RNA eukaryotic polymerase II forms tested, with a preference for the II A enzyme subunit of 215 × 10 3 M r over the partially proteolyzed 180 × 10 3 M r form. This site is conserved on human, chicken, Drosophila , wheat germ and yeast RNA polymerase II, all of which reacted strongly with the monoclonal antibody. These results contrasted with those obtained with polyclonal antibodies to non-functional determinants of the calf enzyme. The reactivity of the polyclonal antibody with eukaryotic RNA polymerase II steadily decreased with increasing evolutionary distance from the original antigen; the yeast enzyme showed no cross-reactivity. These results suggest that a basic functional feature of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II has been strongly conserved and support the view that divergence of RNA polymerase II has taken place mainly in other, perhaps regulatory, sites of the enzyme.
Thalassiosira australis Peragallo and T. lentiginosa (Janisch) G. Fryxell, comb. nov.: two antarctic diatoms (Bacillariophyceae)

Abstract Two antarctic diatoms were studied in light and electron microscopes, and emended descriptions are given. Thalassiosira australis Peragallo is found to have strutted processes in clusters on the face of the valve as well as in a marginal ring, one labiate process and usually many occluded processes in a ring inside the margin, and a fasciculated areola pattern. Coscinodiscus lentiginosus Janisch is transferred to Thalassiosira because it has strutted processes scattered singly over the face of the valve as well as in a single marginal row. It also has one labiate process on the mantle and often a fasciculated areola pattern. Both diatoms have each strutted process on the valve taking the place of an areola, an external foramen, and an internal cribrum.
Payoff Dominance vs. Cognitive Transparency in Decision Making

This paper reports on three laboratory experiments designed to investigate the roles of decision costs and rewards on the accuracy of economic decisions. The experimental vehicle is a purchase decision employing the Becker-DeGroot-Marshak (BDM) mechanism. The first experiment verifies the incentive-compatibility of the BDM in a pure induced-value setting; the second tests its performance under different information regimes and payoff schedules; the third addresses the role of feedback information. Steep payoff schedules are found to be necessary to optimizing behavior only in cases where subjects must search out an optimal strategy rather than being able to deduce it from information provided.
States, “tribes” and development in the Middle East

Beck, Lois, The Qashqa'i of Iran. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986. xiii + 384 pp. including bibliography, index, maps, and photographs. $30.00 cloth. Rabo, Annika, Change on the Euphrates: Villagers, Townsmen and Employees in Northeast Syria. Stockholm Studies in Social Anthropology 15. Stockholm: Akademitryck, Minab/Gotab, 1986. 222 pp. including references, index, glossary, maps, and photographs. (no price listed) paper.
On the determination of the fully critical field and critical current density from the Bean model

A direct method for determining the magnetic field Hfcs at which a superconductor enters the fully critical state (i.e., the field at which flux first penetrates throughout the entire sample) is described, and a formula for calculating the critical current density JcH from the value of Hfcs is presented. The behavior of JcH(x) is compared to the variation of the fluxoid pinning energy U, inferred from magnetic relaxation measurements in the Y1−xPrxBa2Cu3O7−δ system.
The Role of Social Networks and Support in Postpartum Women's Depression: A Multiethnic Urban Sample

Objectives: This study examined the relationship of social support, and of social networks, to symptoms of depression in a multiethnic sample of women having recently given birth. Methods: Women at community health centers in a Northeastern city were randomly sampled from groups stratified by race/ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, and White) and postpartum interval. Mother's score on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D) was the dependent variable. Main independent variables included the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey and a social network item. Univariate statistics assessed the relationship between CES-D score and each of the independent variables. Multivariate linear regression models included core sociodemographic variables alone, the core model with each of the social support and social network variables added separately, and all variables together. We evaluated interactions between race and social support, race and social networks, and social support and social networks. Results: The multivariate models with MOS Social Support and core variables indicated that each 10-point increase in the MOS Social Support Survey was related to a 2.1-unit lower score on the CES-D (95% CI −2.4, −1.7). The inclusion of the social network variable into the core model showed that having two or more friends or family members available was associated with a 13.6-point lower mean score on the CES-D (95% CI −17.5, −9.6), compared to women reporting none or only one available person. Conclusions: Both social support and social networks were statistically significant and independently related to depressive symptomatology.
The Impact of Shared Items on the Internal-Structural Validity of the Mcmi

The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) utilizes a relatively large number of shared items among its 20 scales in maximizing external validity and minimizing the length of the test. This study evaluates the impact of this practice upon assessing the internal-structural validity of the MCMI. Analysis discloses that the relationship among the correlations between scales after extracting shared-item effects is not significantly different from the relationship prior to extraction of these effects. However, because the high percentage of shared items among scales does restrict the minimum magnitude of correlation coefficients among all pairs of scales, correlation coefficients obtained in cross-validation studies are not sufficiently free to vary from correlations obtained with the construction sample. Consequently, it is recommended that as a matter of practice cross-validation of inventories utilizing shared items also make comparisons between correlation coefficients after the effect of shared item...
The effect of marihuana on tracking task perfomance

A 5-min paced contour tracking task was performed before and after receiving brownies containing either placebo or marihuana calibrated to a δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol content of 20 mg. The error patterns of 19 young male subjects who received placebo and 18 who received marihuana were compared. After marihuana there was an increase in total errors as measured by the standard deviation (P<0.01) and the mean deviation (P<0.02) error scores. Although marihuana is reputed to create a fluctuating effect, under the conditions of this experiment the variability of error scores between successive 15-second time periods in the marihuana group was not significantly greater than in the placebo group. In addition the marihuana deficit did not show significant time trends during the task.
Presenile Cataract Formation and Decreased Activity of Galactosemic Enzymes

• One hundred forty-seven patients, 144 with advanced cataract formation, had determinations of erythrocyte galactokinase and galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase performed. Significant reduction (more than 2 SDs) of one of these enzymes was found in 47.4% of patients 50 years old or less with presenile "idiopathic" bilateral cataracts, 7.1% of other patients with cataracts aged 50 years or less, and 3.8% of patients with cataracts aged 51 years or more. The differences between the group with presenile idiopathic cataracts and the other groups were statistically highly significant ( P
Understanding the function of CD1-restricted T cells

CD1 molecules bind foreign lipid antigens as they survey the endosomal compartments of infected antigen-presenting cells. Unlike T cells that recognize CD1-restricted foreign lipids, CD1-restricted T cells that are self-antigen–reactive function as 'auto-effectors' that are rapidly stimulated to carry out helper and effector functions upon interaction with CD1-expressing antigen-presenting cells. The functional distinctions between subsets of CD1-restricted T cells, and the pathways by which these cells both influence the inflammatory and tolerogenic effects of dendritic cells and activate natural killer cells and other lymphocytes, provide insight into how CD1-restricted T cells regulate antimicrobial responses, antitumor immunity and the balance between tolerance and autoimmunity.
Neurofurans, Novel Indices of Oxidant Stress Derived from Docosahexaenoic Acid

Isoeicosanoids are free radical-catalyzed isomers of the enzymatic products of arachidonic acid. They are formed in situ in cell membranes, are cleaved, circulate, and are excreted in urine. Isomers of prostaglandin F2α, the F2-isoprostanes, have emerged as sensitive indices of lipid peroxidation in vivo. Analogous compounds formed from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are termed neuroprostanes and are more abundant than isoprostanes (iPs) in brain. Isofurans are another class of isoeicosanoids characterized by a substituted tetrahydrofuran ring. They are preferentially formed, relative to iPs, under conditions of elevated oxygen tension. Here, we report the discovery of neurofurans (nFs), the analogous family of compounds formed from DHA. Formation of nFs is characterized by mass spectrometry and confirmed by oxidation of DHA in vitro and following CCl4 administration in liver in vivo. It is demonstrated that the levels of nFs are elevated in the brain cortex of a mouse model of Alzheimer disease and are depressed in mouse brain cortex by deletion of p47phox, an essential component of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. Measurement of the nFs may ultimately prove useful in diagnosis, timing, and selection of dose in the treatment and chemoprevention of neurodegenerative disease.
Context-dependent mutagenesis by DNA lesions.

Abstract Background: Detailed analyses of mutational hotspots following DNA damage provide an understanding of oncogene activation and tumor suppressor gene inactivation, and hence provide an insight into the earliest steps in the induction of cancer. A mutational hotspot might be created by preferential lesion formation, decreased lesion repair, or increased misinsertion past the lesion during DNA replication. The respective contribution of these factors might be influenced by the DNA sequence context of the hotspot. Results: As a prelude to addressing the contribution of all possible nearest-neighbor contexts on the replication past O 6 -methylguanine (m 6 G) and repair of m 6 G in vivo , we have devised a mutation frequency (MF) detection strategy on the basis of the properties of type IIs restriction enzymes. We also report a method for constructing site-specific single-stranded viral DNA genomes that should yield identical ligation efficiencies regardless of the lesion or its surrounding sequence context. Using repair-deficient Escherichia coli , we discovered that m 6 G in three sequence contexts was nearly 100% mutagenic in vivo , showing that the DNA polymerase holoenzyme almost always placed a thymine base opposite m 6 G during replication. In partially repair-proficient cells, the Ada O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase repair protein was twice as efficient on m 6 G when a guanine base rather than an adenine base was 5′ to the lesion. Conclusions: The system allows the mutagenic potential of, theoretically, any DNA lesion that exhibits point mutations, in any varied local sequence context, to be rapidly determined. The assay demonstrates low background, high throughput, and does not require phenotypic selection, making it possible to discern the effects of sequence context on the processing of m 6 G.
Reconciling Agricultural Pricing, Environmental, Conservation, Energy, and Structural Concerns

After two decades of relatively stable prices, stagnant export growth, and relatively cheap energy, U.S. agriculture underwent a series of dramatic changes in the 1970s. Commodity prices rose sharply in the mid-1970s in response to shortfalls in world grain production, devaluation of the dollar, and increased exports to the USSR. Actions in October 1973 and since by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) resulted in sharp increases in the price of petroleum. Prices of agricultural inputs derived from petroleum such as nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides also have risen. These and other economic forces (e.g., technological change, tax policies, and inflation) have encouraged established farmers to expand the size of their operations to take advantage of scale economies and to increase farm income. Other farmers, especially middle size operations and beginning farmers, have been confronted with sharply higher capital requirements as land values and other input costs have risen faster than commodity prices. Consequently, the structure of agriculture has continued to change, with fewer farmers producing an increasing share of total output (Economic Report of the President, pp. 30912; see also Martin and Spitze). Throughout the post-World War II era, cropland has been used more intensively with dramatic increases in land productivity. Rapid expansion in the application of fertilizer and agricultural chemicals has made a major contribution to the increase in land productivity (Economic Report of the President, pp. 30912). However, some of these chemicals have been found to be harmful to the environment and/or human health. And there are doubts about some still in use. In some cases their use has been banned or restricted. Also in recent
Finite element modeling of creep deformation in cellular metals

The creep of reticulated metallic foams is studied through the finite element method using three-dimensional, periodic unit cells with four different architectures characterized by struts which deform primarily by: (i) simple bending, (ii) compression, (iii) a combination of simple bending and compression and (iv) double bending (for Kelvin space-filling tetrakaidecahedra). The creep behavior of each of these models is examined with respect to temperature, stress and foam relative density. Calculated creep rates for both bending and compression models are below those predicted from simplified analytical models and bracket those of the combination model. The simple and double bending models predict nearly identical strain rates despite very different geometries, because in both cases the deflection rates of the fastest deforming struts are similar. Both analytical and numerical predictions are compared to published creep data for metallic foams.
Comparison between the discrete and finite element methods for modelling an agricultural spray boom—Part 2: Automatic procedure for transforming the equations of motion from force to displacement input and validation

This paper validates the discrete element method for linear flexible multibody systems, elaborated in Part 1 of the paper, of which the flexible bodies are a composition of flexible beams. An automatic procedure is developed to convert the linear equations of motion of a multibody system from force to displacement input. By this procedure, support motions and displacements of actuators between the bodies can be employed as an input to the system. Furthermore, using this procedure, the methodology explained in Part 1, which was valid for tree structured systems can be extended to systems containing closed kinematic chains. The methodology of Part 1 is applied for the discrete and finite element approximations to model the horizontal behaviour of an agricultural spray boom. As the inputs to the spray boom are known under the form of positions, the equations of motions are converted from force to position inputs. The discrete and finite element approximations are compared based on accuracy and the complexity of the resulting models.
A method for determining the oxidation state of uranium in natural waters

Abstract Uranium exhibits radically different geochemical properties in its two oxidation states. Hexavalent uranium is quite soluble, especially when complexed by carbonate ions in alkaline solutions. Tetravalent uranium, by contrast, is very insoluble, and it would be expected to be rapidly removed from natural waters either by precipitation of a mineral phase such as UO2(s) or by adsorption to solid surfaces. It is important to know the oxidation state in which uranium will occur under specified conditions of Eh and pH as this relates both to processes forming economically valuable uranium deposits and to the mobility of uranium released to the environment during various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. In this work, yield monitors in each oxidation state [232U(IV)], 236U(VI)] are added to water samples, and uranium oxidation states are separated by a NdF3 coprecipitation in which only the U(IV) is carried. The precipitate is removed by filtration. Subsequently, TiCl3 is added to reduce U(IV) and the NdF3 coprecipitation is repeated. A similar method is widely used for separating oxidation states of plutonium. Results from a meromictic lake (Fayetteville Green Lake, Syracuse, New York, USA) and from an anoxic marine basin (Cariaco Trench, Venezuela) where total H2S concentrations in the bottom waters reach 1 mM 1−1 and 50 μM 1−1 respectively show that in both cases the dissolved uranium is present in its oxidized form.
Unintended effects of electrofishing on nongame fishes

Abstract Most studies of injury associated with electrofishing have focused on game fishes, but few have given attention to cohabiting small nongame species. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we subjected small nongame cyprinids, ictalurids, and percids to a wide range of voltages and waveforms to examine potential harmful effects. Fish were treated with power levels distributed uniformly between the thresholds required to immobilize game fish and also were subjected multiple times to those thresholds to simulate the range of conditions that might exist in a heterogeneous electrical field formed during electrofishing in field situations. Across waveforms and species, the incidence of hemorrhages averaged 2% (range = 0–20%), the incidence of spinal injuries averaged 6% (range = 0–30%), and mortality averaged 16% (range = 0–90%). Continuous DC was generally less harmful than pulsed-DC waveforms; hemorrhages and spinal injuries tended to increase with high pulse frequencies, and mortalities tended to i...