cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Demographic, Perceptual, and Work-Related Factors in Teacher Moonlighting

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare teachers who work part-time after regular school hours (moonlight) with teachers who do not work additional part-time jobs (nonmoonlighters). Two groups of teachers from a large urban school district were compared in terms of several demographic variables, their work-related attitudes and perceptions, and their reactions to conditions in their work environment. Fourteen variables, cited in an earlier investigation of teacher moonlighting (Carroll, Hall, & Pearson 1991), were used in a stepwise discriminant function to maximize discrimination between the two groups of teachers. The results indicate that teachers who moonlight and those who do not moonlight can be reliably distinguished by the pattern of their demographic characteristics and, to some degree, by their work-related perceptions. The results suggest that the act of moonlighting is not an expression of dissatisfaction with the teaching profession so much as it is an attempt to raise living standards.
Combined fouling of nanofiltration membranes: Mechanisms and effect of organic matter

The accurate prediction of nanofiltration membrane performance in industrial applications is dependent upon understanding the fouling behavior of representative feed solutions. However, most membrane studies focus on fouling of a single type of foulant, which is not a good predictor for realistic feed solutions that contain multiple foulant types. In this study, combined fouling by organic and inorganic colloidal foulants is studied. Through the use of model foulants, three hypothesized mechanisms responsible for the enhanced membrane flux decline in the presence of multiple foulant types are examined: increased hydraulic resistance of the mixed cake layer structure, hindered foulant diffusion due to interactions between solute concentration polarization layers, and changes in colloid surface properties due to organic adsorption. All three mechanisms were found to play a role in combined fouling to various degrees. Organic adsorption was shown to cause the greatest synergistic effect. The synergistic effect caused by increased resistance of a heterogeneous fouling layer indicates that current fouling layer models need to be reexamined to include the suggested mechanisms.
Evidence that the border of the neural plate may be positioned by the interaction between signals that induce ventral and dorsal mesoderm.

In the early Xenopus. embryo, a quadrant of endodermal cells that have de- scended from the vegetal dorsal localization in the zygote produces signals that pass into the animal hemisphere and induce dorsal mesoderm from the marginal zone. From the remaining three quad- rants of the bordering endoderm, signals pass into the animal hemisphere and induce ventral meso- derm in the marginal region. There is evidence that suggests that these same mesoderm-inducing signals continue through the plane of the tissue of the animal hemisphere where they may at least begin the processes of neural and epidermal in- duction by changing the competence of the pro- spective ectodermal cells, and possibly influenc- ing the early regional biasing of later expression of at least some gene products, such as Epi-1 whose expression in the future epidermal domain seems specified before gastrulation. We hypothe- sized that the interaction of the ventral and dorsal signals within the plane of the tissue of the animal hemisphere may position the border of the neural plate. If this is so, then transplantation into the animal pole of cells that signal induction of ven- tral mesoderm should drive the neural plate boundary back toward the blastopore and shorten the anterior-posterior axis. Removal of cells that induce ventral mesoderm should result in an axis that is longer than normal. Results of our experiments support these predictions. Also, by late pregastrula stage 9, increasing the ventral signals has no effect. Thus the evidence suggests that the position of the anterior neural plate boundary is established before gastrulation be- gins by the interaction of the signals that induce the ventral and dorsal mesoderm. 0 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Update on Biology: Uric Acid and the Activation of Immune and Inflammatory Cells

Gout is a common metabolic disorder characterized by elevated uric acid leading to the formation and accumulation of uric acid crystals in synovial fluids. An attack of gout is characterized by intense, self-limited bouts of acute arthritis with excruciating pain. The mechanisms regulating initiation and resolution of gouty inflammation are still unclear. A significant though incomplete body of information implicating the innate immune system as a central component of immune and inflammatory cell activation in gout has been accumulated over the past few years. In this review, advances in the understanding of the basic biology of crystal-mediated inflammation are summarized. The emerging role of the inflammasome and the cytokine interleukin-1 in the initiation of acute gout is highlighted. How these findings may open a door to a new approach for therapy with the development of interleukin-1 antagonists is discussed.
Meloxicam Treatment in Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) Infected With Avian Bornavirus

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of meloxicam in the treatment of proventricular dilatation disease induced by challenge with avian bornavirus (ABV), strain M24. Three groups of 4 cockatiels were employed. Group 1 was challenged with ABV alone, group 2 was challenged with ABV and 20 days later began daily oral meloxicam treatment, and group 3 received daily oral meloxicam alone. All birds in groups 1 and 3 remained in apparent good health and maintained their weight until being euthanized on day 150 after challenge (group 1) or day 130 of treatment (group 3). In contrast, group 2 birds died or were euthanized on or before day 98 because of severe weight loss and depression. Necropsy and histopathology results indicated that all birds in group 2 had pathologic evidence of proventricular dilatation disease. ABV was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing in all the major organs of the group 2 birds. The proventriculus was enlarged in 2 birds in group 1, and 75% of the birds in this group had ABV detectable in all their major organs. No significant lesions were observed in group 3 birds.
The role of achievement goals in online test anxiety and help-seeking

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of achievement goals in online test anxiety and help-seeking while controlling for self-efficacy and potential demographic differences. A total of 150 online students participated in the survey. Separate hierarchical regression analysis results suggested the differential roles of achievement goals in online test anxiety and help-seeking. Avoidance goals were found to be predictive of online test anxiety, whereas only students with performance-avoidance goals unexpectedly reported more online help-seeking. Further, while self-efficacy predicted both test anxiety and help-seeking, undergraduate students reported more help-seeking than their graduate counterparts. Implications and future directions of the study are discussed.
Gβ5 recruits R7 RGS proteins to GIRK channels to regulate the timing of neuronal inhibitory signaling

The authors report that the type 5 G protein beta subunit forms a complex with the protein RGS7 and that these complexes regulate the coupling of G protein–gated potassium channels to GABAB receptors in neurons.
18O isotope exchange experiments on phospholipase A2 determined by 13C-NMR: monomeric phosphatidylcholine and micellar phosphatidylethanolamine substrates

Abstract Experiments were carried out to determine whether the hydrolytic step or the product release step is the rate-limiting step for non-activated phospholipase A2 hydrolysis (Dennis, E.A. (1983) in The Enzymes, 3rd Edn., Vol. 16 (Boyer, P., ed.), pp 307–353, Academic Press, New York) of mixed micelles of phosphatidylethanolamine and Triton X-100 in the absence of activator phospholipids and of monomeric short chain phosphatidylcholine in the absence of an interface (Lombardo, D et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 11663–11666). Phospholipase A2-catalyzed exchange of H218O into 1-alkyl-2-[113C]lauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine and into 1-hexanoyl-2-[113C]hexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine were examined. Incorporation of 18O was detected by the effect of 18O on 13C chemical shifts in13C-NMR. Both the substrate and products of the reactions were examined for 18O incorporation. 18O was incorporated into the fatty acid product, but no incorporation of 18O into the subsrrate was found. These results suggest that the hydrolytic step is not followed by a higher energy transition state and that it, or a step before it, is rate-limiting. Coupled with kinetic experiments, this strongly suggests that the hydrolytic step is the rate-limiting step. Thus, the role of micellar and membrane interfaces in phospholipase A2 reactions does not appear to be by aiding product removal from the enzyme active site.
Nucleotide sequence of a region of the feline calicivirus genome which encodes picornavirus-like RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, cysteine protease and 2C polypeptides

A region of the feline calicivirus (FCV) genome was sequenced which encodes polypeptides that are similar by amino acid alignment analysis to several picornavirus polypeptides. These polypeptides include the 2C polypeptide, the 3C cysteine protease and the 3D RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The 2C-like region of the FCV genome encodes a GxxGxGKT nucleotide binding motif as well as amino acids which have been shown to be conserved in the picornavirus 2C polypeptides. The FCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase also shows regions of similarity with picornavirus RNA polymerase sequences including the GDD sequence which is thought to be in or near the active site of the polymerase. The FCV cysteine protease-like sequences have the lowest degree of similarity with picornavirus cysteine proteases of the three regions aligned. However, the cysteine and histidine residues thought to be in the active site of the protease are present and are surrounded by amino acids conserved in the picornavirus cysteine proteases. The order of the polypeptides encoded in the FCV genome is the same as in the picornaviruses with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase being located at the C-terminus of the FCV polyprotein. However, there is an approximately 40,000 dalton region between the FCV 2C- and the cysteine protease-like polypeptides which has no similarity to any known picornavirus protein. A striking difference between the organization of these sequences in FCV and the picornaviruses is that in the FCV genome, these non-structural polypeptides are encoded near the 5' end of the genomic RNA. Termination of the reading frame encoding these polypeptides occurs approximately 2400 bases from the 3' end of the genomic RNA as compared to 71 bases in the poliovirus genomic RNA.
The effects of an ionic mobile phase modifier and thermal history on a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic system

Abstract The addition of millimolar quantities of potassium chloride to a totally aqueous mobile phase increased retention and reduced band broadening with an RP-8 column and polar solute as compared to pure water. This effect was minimized after cycling the solvent-conditioned column through a temperature gradient. These effects are explained by a dynamic surface model in which entrapped conditioning solvent as well as imbibed ionic species all play a part in structuring the interfacial region where retention occurs.
Asteroid impact and mass extinction

Knowledge of the phenomena of impacts of objects from space on planetary surfaces is extensive, resulting from more than a decade of studies of craters on the earth, moon, and the terrestrial planets. Expertise in the geochemical analysis of a trace element assemblage with an extraterrestrial signature, such as iridium, osmium, palladium, nickel, and gold, is also quite well developed, so it was tempting to interpret the finding of such an assemblage in the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary layer at numerous locations around the globe as being caused by impact of a large asteroid or other body. The evidence was compelling, and the interpretation as applied to certain marine organisms may be correct. What made the discovery newsworthy, however, was the additional interpretation that the impact had caused the known mass extinction of the dinosaurs and certain other flora and fauna 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. Particles of the earth's surface expelled by the impact would have been accelerated into orbit, shielding the earth from sunlight. The example for this was the effect observed after the 1888 explosive volcanic eruption in the sea between Java and Sumatra (now called Rakatu) that virtually propelled fragments of the entire mass of Krakatau into the atmosphere for a period thought to have extended for about 3 years, causing darkening of the sky and unusual and spectacular sunsets.
Phage display peptide probes for imaging early response to bevacizumab treatment

Early evaluation of cancer response to a therapeutic regimen can help increase the effectiveness of treatment schemes and, by enabling early termination of ineffective treatments, minimize toxicity, and reduce expenses. Biomarkers that provide early indication of tumor therapy response are urgently needed. Solid tumors require blood vessels for growth, and new anti-angiogenic agents can act by preventing the development of a suitable blood supply to sustain tumor growth. The purpose of this study is to develop a class of novel molecular imaging probes that will predict tumor early response to an anti-angiogenic regimen with the humanized vascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab. Using a bevacizumab-sensitive LS174T colorectal cancer model and a 12-mer bacteriophage (phage) display peptide library, a bevacizumab-responsive peptide (BRP) was identified after six rounds of biopanning and tested in vitro and in vivo. This 12-mer peptide was metabolically stable and had low toxicity to both endothelial cells and tumor cells. Near-infrared dye IRDye800-labeled BRP phage showed strong binding to bevacizumab-treated tumors, but not to untreated control LS174T tumors. In addition, both IRDye800- and (18)F-labeled BRP peptide had significantly higher uptake in tumors treated with bevacizumab than in controls treated with phosphate-buffered saline. Ex vivo histopathology confirmed the specificity of the BRP peptide to bevacizumab-treated tumor vasculature. In summary, a novel 12-mer peptide BRP selected using phage display techniques allowed non-invasive visualization of early responses to anti-angiogenic treatment. Suitably labeled BRP peptide may be potentially useful pre-clinically and clinically for monitoring treatment response.
RECORDED TRAFFIC OFFENSES OF GRADUATES OF TRAFFIC SAFETY SCHOOL, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

The retraining of drivers who have received their first traffic citation has been examined for effectiveness. Unlike most other driver-intervention programs that focus on problem drivers, this one focuses on all drivers the first time they violate a traffic law and are convicted. The measure used for assessment was subsequent violations of traffic laws. For the study of subsequent violations, potential students for a traffic safety school 4-h training course were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The former received a letter waiving them from having to attend because of "scheduling conflicts." The latter attended the course. Examined were the number of traffic-law violations and the number of times drivers were stopped for a violation (because drivers may receive one or more traffic citations on a traffic stop), comparing both groups before and after the training. Also, survival analysis was applied to determine whether those receiving training were as likely to fail in the same peri...
Small Business Consultants: Improving the Delivery of Outside Assistance

A review of the literature was conducted for the period of 1976 through 1989 in an effort to identify the most effective outside services that small business consultants could use to assist their clients. Results of the review showed that small business consultants provide services that are very effective in improving business performance. In addition, small business clients report a high degree of satisfaction with the services received. A theoretical model was then proposed which highlights the importance of providing services that guide small business clients toward better analysis of their operations and better development of their human resources.
Wrestling with Religion: Pullman, Pratchett, and the Uses of Story

While children's and young adult fantasy literature is often concerned with "first things," with the struggle between good and evil, or with the fate of the cosmos, still it is rarely overtly religious in the sense of direct engagement with "faith, religion and church(es)" (Ghesquiere 307). Perhaps it is children's literature's vexed relationship with didacticism that keeps fantasy writers for children from engaging directly with religious language and concepts, or perhaps it is the setting in an alternate world that enables an allegorizing impulse rather than direct engagement. In either case, despite a tradition of fables, parables, and allegorical treatments of Christianity that ranges from George MacDonald and Charles Kingsley through C. S. Lewis to Madeleine L'Engle, children's fantasy has typically cloaked its religious allegiances. 1 The central exception to this generalization is, of course, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Published between 1995 and 2000, the trilogy fa- mously stirred religious debate by casting as villains the representatives of a quasi-medieval theocracy, "the Church," and by explicitly linking that Church to Christianity in our world. 2 Pullman's antagonism toward religion, especially religious fundamentalism, is well known, and there is little need to rehearse it here. What strikes me as more interesting is the way in which contemporary fantasies for children such as Pullman's trilogy have directly engaged with religion, and what that suggests for a readership which has been characterized as "spiritual, but not religious" 3 —a readership, in other words, for whom many of the details of Pullman's depiction of the Church seem just as fantastic as the concept of the daemon or the existence of sentient armored bears. (I have yet to meet a young reader for whom the alternate-historical revelation of John Calvin's papacy is meaningful, for example.) In his trilogy, Pullman explores Elisabeth Rose Gruner is associate professor of English at the University of Richmond, where she also coordinates the first-year seminar program. Her research on children's literature has appeared in The Lion and the Unicorn and Children's Literature, as well as in two recent edited collections. Her current research is on contemporary fantasy for children and young adults, especially as it relates to gender, religion, and education.
Abstract 4404: Microparticle generation and activation after treatment with paclitaxel and bavituximab combination therapy in metastatic breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of life-threatening malignancy affecting women and the second leading cause of female cancer death in the United States. Weekly paclitaxel, alone or in combination with other chemotherapies, has proven to be an effective and well-tolerated therapy for patients with metastatic disease. Due to the tumor's dependence on vascularization for progression, survival and dissemination, targeting a tumor's vascular network is an important additional cancer management strategy. Bavituximab, a monoclonal antibody developed by Peregrine Pharmaceuticals against phosphatidylserine (PS), is a vascular disrupting agent designed to selectively attack tumor blood vessels already in existence. Under normal conditions, PS is localized to the internal surface of the plasma membrane. However, PS is preferentially localized on the outer surface of vascular endothelial cells in tumors, possibly due to stress conditions in the tumor microenvironment. Bavituximab is able to localize and bind specifically to PS in tumor vessels in a α2-glycoprotein 1 dependent manner, mediating the binding of host effector cells to the tumor vascular endothelium. This leads to vessel damage, vascularity reduction, necrosis, and growth retardation within the tumor. Microparticles are vesicles that are released from cells after activation, stress, death, or malignant transformation. Elevated levels of microparticles derived from platelets, endothelial cells, and/or leukocytes have been associated with several disease states, including cancer, however, the effect of anti-angiogenic or vascular disrupting agents on microparticle production is unclear. We investigated microparticle formation in our patients at baseline, in response to Paclitaxel chemotherapy, and after addition of Bavituximab. Patients and Methods: We initiated a phase I clinical trial in patients with Her-2 negative metastatic breast cancer treated with paclitaxel (80 mg/m2)on a weekly schedule for 3 out of 4 weeks, and weekly bavituximab (3 mg/kg) for 4 out of 4 weeks. Each cycle was defined as 4 weeks of therapy. Microparticles were isolated from peripheral blood and examined by flow cytometric phenotyping. Leukocyte, endothelial cell, and activated platelet microparticles were quantified and longitudinal trends analyzed. Five patients have been enrolled to date with additional patients accruing. At presentation, the longitudinal trends in microparticle formation from platelets, endothelial cells, and leukocytes will be presented in response to weekly Paclitaxel versus combined Paclitaxel and Bavituximab therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4404. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4404
Teachable moments and missed opportunities for smoking cessation counseling in a hospital emergency department: a mixed-methods study of patient-provider communication

While primary care medical clinics have been the most common setting for the delivery of advice about smoking cessation, the hospital emergency department (ED) is a valuable context for counseling medically underserved tobacco users. We conducted a secondary analysis based on a larger audio-recorded study of patient-provider communication about pain and analgesics in the ED. Within a sample of ED patients with back pain, the purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine how physicians and nurse practitioners capitalize on “teachable moments” for health education to offer spontaneous smoking cessation counseling in the ED. Patients presenting to an academic ED with a primary complaint of back pain were invited to participate in a study of patient-provider communication. Audio-recorded encounters were transcribed verbatim. Two coders reviewed each transcript to determine whether smoking was discussed and to build a corpus of smoking-related discussions. We then developed inductively generated coding categories to characterize how providers responded when patients endorsed smoking behavior. Categories were refined iteratively to accommodate discrepancies. Of 52 patient-provider encounters during which smoking was discussed, two-thirds of the patients indicated that they were smokers. Providers missed opportunities for smoking cessation counseling 70% of the time. Eleven encounters contained teachable moments for smoking cessation. We identified four primary strategies for creating teachable moments: 1) positive reinforcement, 2) encouragement, 3) assessing readiness, and 4) offering concrete motivating reasons. Most providers missed opportunities to offer teachable moments for smoking cessation. In encounters that contained teachable moments, providers employed multiple strategies, combining general advice with motivation tailored to the patient’s particular circumstances. Creating motivational links to enhance smoking cessation efforts may be possible with a minimal investment of ED resources.
Inhibition of influenza virus infections in immunosuppressed mice with orally administered peramivir (BCX-1812)

Experiments were run to determine the effect of oral gavage treatment with the cyclopentane influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitor peramivir (BCX-1812, RWJ-270201) in influenza A (H1N1) virus-infected mice that had their immune system suppressed by cyclophosphamide (CP) therapy or in severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice. Treatment of CP-immunosuppressed mice with peramivir using doses of 100, 10, or 1 mg/kg/day was begun 2.5 or 8 days post-virus exposure and continued twice daily for 3 or 5 days. The 5-day therapy was more effective than the 3-day treatment, as seen by significantly increased survivor numbers, lessened decline in arterial oxygen saturation, reduced lung consolidation, and inhibition of lung virus titers. Infected SCID mice were also responsive to peramivir therapy begun 8 days after virus exposure and continued for 5 days, although antiviral effects did not include prevention of death and were dependent upon the viral challenge dose received. These data indicate that peramivir may have potential for treatment of influenza virus-infected immunosuppressed patients.
The prevalence of chest compression leaning during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Objective Successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest requires the delivery of high-quality chest compressions, encompassing parameters such as adequate rate, depth, and full recoil between compressions. The lack of compression recoil (“leaning” or “incomplete recoil”) has been shown to adversely affect hemodynamics in experimental arrest models, but the prevalence of leaning during actual resuscitation is poorly understood. We hypothesized that leaning varies across resuscitation events, possibly due to rescuer and/or patient characteristics and may worsen over time from rescuer fatigue during continuous chest compressions.
Ultraviolet Sky Radiance Distributions of Translucent Overcast Skies

The diffuse sky radiation component in the ultraviolet wavelengths is often at least 50% of the global irradiance under clear skies, and is the dominant component of ultraviolet global radiation under translucent overcast skies. The distribution of sky radiance was measured in a rural area and modeled for wavelength bands of ultraviolet-B (UVB, 280–320 nm) and ultraviolet-A (UVA, 320–400 nm). Sky radiance measurements were made during the summer of 1993 over a wide range of solar zenith angles using radiance sensors mounted on a hand-operated hemispherical rotation mount. UVB irradiance measurements were also made during each scan. Since the ratio of measured irradiance under overcast skies and that predicted for clear skies was not correlated with cloud base height, opaque cloud fraction, or solar zenith angle, it was concluded that the scattering from the clouds dominated the global irradiance, and this scattering was relatively unaffected by the scattering off opaque clouds in the translucent atmosphere.
Ketamine Inhibits the Proinflammatory Cytokine-Induced Reduction of Cardiac Intracellular cAMP Accumulation

UNLABELLED The proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), are increased in heart failure and sepsis, clinical conditions for which the IV anesthetic ketamine is useful. The proinflammatory cytokines cause beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) hypofunction secondary to reduced function of the enzyme adenylylcyclase (AC). In this study, we evaluated the effect of ketamine alone, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, and ketamine plus TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, on isoproterenol (ISO, a betaAR agonist) and forskolin (FSK, an activator of AC)-induced intracellular accumulation of cAMP. An in vitro culture of a rat heart cell line (H9c2) was labeled with [3H]adenine to produce [3H]ATP, and we measured the intracellular accumulation of [3H]cAMP after stimulation with ISO or FSK to convert the [3H]ATP to [3H]cAMP. Pretreatment with either cytokine alone did not significantly affect ISO or FSK-induced intracellular cAMP accumulation, whereas the combination of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma caused a significant (P < 0.05 compared with untreated cells) reduction. Pretreatment with ketamine caused a significant (P < 0.05 compared with untreated cells) increase in ISO or FSK-induced cAMP accumulation. Pretreatment of the H9c2 cells with ketamine, plus the combination of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, inhibited the reduction of ISO or FSK-induced intracellular cAMP accumulation caused by the proinflammatory cytokines alone. These results demonstrate that the combination of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma reduce poststimulation (ISO or FSK) intracellular cAMP accumulation. This action of the proinflammatory cytokines is consistent with the observation of betaAR hyporesponsiveness to betaAR agonist therapy in sepsis and heart failure. Ketamine augments the poststimulation cAMP accumulation in H9c2 cells while inhibiting the cytokine-induced reduction of cAMP accumulation. This may partly explain the improvement in cardiac function after ketamine use in clinical conditions known to have increased systemic levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as sepsis and heart failure. IMPLICATIONS Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma reduced poststimulation intracellular cAMP levels, whereas ketamine inhibits this action of the proinflammatory cytokines. Because cAMP is the second messenger for the beta-adrenergic receptor, this may be a mechanism for improved blood pressure and cardiac output in sepsis and heart failure after ketamine use.
Does a Stretched DNA Structure Dictate the Helical Geometry of RecA-like Filaments? ☆ ☆☆

Proteins in the RecA/Rad51/RadA/UvsX family form helical filaments on DNA in which the DNA is stretched and untwisted. A comparison of the average helical parameters of these filaments from five different proteins, obtained from archaea, eubacteria and eukaryotes, suggests that an intrinsic state of DNA may be responsible for the conservation of these particular filament forms across evolution. In this view, these proteins stabilize this existing state of DNA, rather than induce a novel conformation.
Predictors of Early Termination in a Prison-Based Program of Psychoeducation

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) was administered to 207 male federal prisoners enrolled in a 10-week program of psychoeducation. Compared with inmates who completed the course, dropouts (n = 16) scored higher on seven of the eight PICTS thinking style scales, with differences on three of these scales (Mollification, Cognitive Indolence, and Discontinuity) achieving statistical significance. A multivariate composite of the eight thinking style scales proved significant, and the PICTS achieved significant predictability even after controlling for basic demographic measures such as age, education, ethnic status, marital status, and instant offense. Although a low base rate of discontinuation in the present sample (7.7%) made predicting program completion impractical, the PICTS may still help clarify the motives of incarcerated offenders who prematurely terminate psychoeducational programming.
Rheological characterization of long fiber thermoplastics - Effect of temperature, fiber length and weight fraction

Abstract Isothermal squeeze flow tests were conducted on E-Glass/polypropylene long fiber thermoplastics (LFT) to obtain the rheological characteristics of the material over a range of squeeze rates (0.5–60 mm/min). A transversely isotropic power-law model has been incorporated to capture the combined effect of shear and extensional flow behavior. Scott’s approach [Bird RB. Useful non-Newtonian models; 1976. p. 13–34] was used to obtain the shear power-law parameters, which were then used to calculate the radial velocity in the r -direction. The continuity equation was used to calculate transverse velocity in the z -direction. Radial and through the thickness velocity profiles were determined to obtain the extensional and the shear strain rates. Finally the extensional and shear viscosities were determined at strain rates calculated. Good agreement between the experimental applied stress and the predicted curves from the model was achieved. Effects of mold separation, mold temperature, and fiber length on viscosity at constant fiber weight fraction were examined. Effect of fiber weight fraction on viscosity at constant fiber length, mold separation and temperature was examined. Results indicate that viscosities decrease with either increase in mold temperature or decrease in fiber length at constant mold separation and fiber weight fraction. Viscosities also decreased with decrease in fiber weight fraction.
The pharmacokinetics and safety of zidovudine in the third trimester of pregnancy for women infected with human immunodeficiency virus and their infants: Phase I Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Clinical Trials Group study (protocol 082)

OBJECTIVES: We measured the pharmacokinetics and safety of zidovudine in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus and their offspring. STUDY DESIGN: Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-infected women with uncomplicated singleton gestations (28 to 36 weeks) underwent parenteral and oral zidovudine treatment during pregnancy and labor. Maternal and neonatal drug levels were measured at delivery and sequentially for 48 hours. Infants were followed up for 18 months. RESULTS: The total body clearance (26.3 ± 10.1 ml/min/kg), mean terminal elimination phase zidovudine half-life (1.3 ± 0.2 hours), and urinary zidovudine recovery were similar to values in nonpregnant adults. Essentially equivalent zidovudine levels in the mother and neonate at delivery implied little, if any, fetal zidovudine metabolism. The half-life of zidovudine in the neonates was tenfold that of the mother. No significant adverse effects were noted in the infant at birth or on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In both mothers and infants the drug appeared safe and well tolerated with no significant hematologic abnormalities.
Substance P and somatostatin coexist within neuritic plaques: implications for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract In recent years the present authors and others have sought to determine the neurochemical composition of the dilated neuronal processes found within neuritic plaques of patients with Alzheimer's disease. To date a number of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems have been observed within different plaques, yet at present it is unclear whether individual human plaques contain more than one transmitter substance. In the present study a highly sensitive dual-immunolabeling procedure was employed and it was demonstrated that substance P and somatostatin-immunoreactive profiles coexist within single senile plaques of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Coexistence of somatostatin and substance P immunoreactivity within plaques was observed in the hippocampus and amygdala but not in the neocortex, although the latter region contained plaques within which somatostatin and substance P existed alone. The frequency with which we observed one or more neuropeptide within plaques was relatively low and in fact most plaques contained neither substance P nor somatostatin immunoreactivity. In addition, a large number of swollen peptidergic processes were observed outside of plaques. The significance of these observations with respect to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is discussed.
The effect of definitive irradiation on local control and disease free survival in breast cancer.

Abstract The prognostic factors important in determining local regional control or failures can be divided into two groups. The first, the intrinsic factors, relate to the initial inherent condition of the tumor, that is, the tumor labeling index, progesterone receptors, the degree of involvement of the lymph nodes in the area, the size of the tumor, etc. The second, extrinsic factors, relate to type and adequacy of treatment. The presentation demonstrates (a) that the most critical factors in determining failure and patterns of failure are the intrinsic factors, that is, histologic grade tumor labeling index, number of nodes involved, progesterone receptors and size, and (b) that the adequacy of treatment affects failure and patterns of failure in patients treated. This paper shows that adequate radiation reduces local recurrence and, consequently, increases the survival rate, it also demonstrates that inadequate radiation will lead to increased local recurrence and decreased survival. The factors involved in determining the adequacy of irradiation are discussed.
Crystal structure of TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9

Abstract Crystals of the 110 K superconductor TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9 have been grown and the structure refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data: a = 3.853(1), c = 15.913(4)A, space group P4 mmm , R = 0.055, R w = 0.057 . The structure contains triple copper-oxygen sheets separated by Ca ions which show ∼5% Tl substitution. These units alternate with single TlO layers. The existence of correlated atomic displacements within the thallium-oxygen sheets is again suggested by a disordered TlO arrangement in the average structure. The triple CuO sheets in TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9 are stacked directly above each other, whereas in Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10, which contains double TlO sheets, alternate units are shifted by (a 1 + a 2 ) 2 .
Zoniporide: A Potent and Selective Inhibitor of the Human Sodium‐Hydrogen Exchanger Isoform 1 (NHE‐1)

The sodium-hydrogen exchanger isoform-1 (NHE-1) plays an important role in the myocardial response to ischemia-reperfusion; inhibition of this exchanger protects against ischemic injury, including reduction in infarct size. Herein we describe a novel, potent, and highly selective NHE-1 inhibitor, zoniporide (CP-597,396; [1-(quinolin-5-yl)-5-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonyl] guanidine). Zoniporide inhibits human NHE-1 with an IC(50) of 14 nM, has >150-fold selectivity vs. other NHE isoforms, and potently inhibits ex vivo NHE-1-dependent swelling of human platelets. This compound is well tolerated in preclinical animal models, exhibits moderate plasma protein binding, has a t(1/2) of 1.5 h in monkeys, and has one major active metabolite. In both in vitro and in vivo rabbit models of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, zoniporide markedly reduced infarct size without adversely affecting hemodynamics or cardiac function. In the isolated heart (Langendorff), zoniporide elicited a concentration-dependent reduction in infarct size (EC(50) = 0.25 nM). At 50 nM it reduced infarct size by 83%. This compound was 2.5-20-fold more potent than either eniporide or cariporide (EC(50)s of 0.69 and 5.11 nM, respectively), and reduced infarct size to a greater extent than eniporide. In open chest, anesthetized rabbits, zoniporide also elicited a dose-dependent reduction in infarct size (ED(50) = 0.45 mg/kg/h) and inhibited NHE-1-mediated platelet swelling (93% inhibition at 4 mg/kg/h). Furthermore, zoniporide attenuated postischemic cardiac contractile dysfunction in conscious primates, and reduced both the incidence and duration of ischemia-reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation in rats. Zoniporide represents a novel class of potent and selective human NHE-1 inhibitors with potential utility for providing cardioprotection in a clinical setting.
Transmission electron microscopic study of three-dimensional polyacrylonitrile fibre-mesophase pitch matrix carbon-carbon composite

Conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy performed in this study provides some detailed microstructural information of a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibremesophase pitch matrix carbon-carbon composite which has not been published in open literature. The PAN fibre in this composite possesses a turbostratic structure throughout the fibre. The structure of the mesophase pitch matrix is graphitic and anisotropic. Near-fibre matrix crystallites are aligned roughly parallel to the fibre surface, exhibiting a flow-type morphology. The fibre-matrix interface in this composite is microfissured. Numerous microcracks exist both within the matrix and along partially bonded interfaces. The irregularly shaped interfacial microcracks readily expose the fibre surface topography. Microcracks within the matrix are formed between, and parallel to, the basal planes of the graphitic platelets. Such submicron-sized matrix cracks appear smaller and denser near the fibre-matrix interface.
Media Depictions of Health Topics: Challenge and Stigma Formats

This article explored the notion that media depictions of health concerns come in one of two formats: challenge and stigma. After explicating the five features that should appear in challenge format and the seven features of stigma formats, we analyzed the content of health messages in magazines, brochures, and posters (n = 75) in a metropolitan area. The results of a two-factor confirmatory factor model showed that the five suggested features for challenge formats did, indeed, appear together (alpha = .76), and the seven features for stigma formats, also, appeared together (alpha = .90), and showed no residual relationship. In other words, the results suggest that media depictions of health topics appear in either challenge or stigma formats (r = − .87). Health issues appearing in magazine advertisements and articles presented messages in challenge formats, while brochures and posters from largely nonprofit and government groups depicted health issues in stigma formats. Some health topics appeared most o...
Refraction of shallow water waves: The combined effect of currents and underwater topography

A solution is given for determining the refraction effect according to Fermat's Principle for the case of shallow water waves moving in any given distribution of current and depth. Application is made to an analytic model of an intense rip current, and the results are compared to actual rips.
Measures of Effectiveness in Defense Engagement and Learning (MODEL): conceptual study design

Abstract Background Previous data collected from tactical health engagements was limited to measures of performance, such as number of patients seen or number of people trained. These engagements were sometimes missions of opportunity and were not necessarily aligned with strategic objectives or the Combatant Command (COCOM) Theater Security Cooperation Plan. The Measures of Effectiveness in Defense Engagement and Learning (MODEL) study and the Global Health Engagement Measures of Effectiveness Framework intend to provide a standardised process across services and COCOMs as value-added information to decision makers involved with global health engagements. Methods This study encompasses a mixed methodological structure with multiple phases: literature review, quantitative and qualitative modelling, assessment, data repository, and site visits. These phases may overlap and/or occur concurrently depending on resource availability and mission support requirements. MODEL includes components from the results and logical frameworks and creates a hybrid that references strategy to tactical activities via the Global Health Engagement Measures of Effectiveness Framework. Findings This study has completed a project sorting matrix that has been used to categorise all available Department of Defense (DoD) projects submitted through the Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Shared Information System (OHASIS) database. Through this sorting matrix it has been determined that an average of 52% of all projects completed encompass either direct or health-related activities. It was also found that 58% of all funding allotted supports these health-related engagements. These data were obtained from a total sample size of 2522 funded projects submitted through OHASIS between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2012. Interpretation The descriptive data pulled from OHASIS through the MODEL sorting matrix indicated that health is a frequently employed means to execute regional theater security cooperation engagements. A prospective analysis of the DoD's role in global health engagements will be conducted to include further study evaluating the effectiveness of each type of engagement to ensure COCOMs have necessary information for more effective employment of limited resources. Funding This study was funded through a Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) federally funded grant.
Studies in Hatchability I. Hatchability in Relation to Antecedent Egg Production, Fertility, and Chick Mortality

Abstract A study of the numerous factors affecting the hatchability of the eggs of the domestic fowl is important not only in respect to the possibility of improving conditions of incubation and hatching quality but also because of the possibility that factors affecting hatchability may also affect other problems of economic importance. For instance, nutritional factors affecting hatchability may also affect egg production or a diseased ovary may affect both hatchability and egg production. Conversely, nutritional factors affecting either egg production or the character of the egg may also affect hatchability, as in the case of a disturbed calcium-phosphorus balance or feeding hens to produce light-colored yolks, in which case the hatchability of the eggs may be adversely affected. Moreover, factors affecting hatchability may be definitely correlated with factors affecting constitutional vigor and longevity in the breeding stock or vice versa. Certain it is that the numerous factors affecting hatchability have . . .
The group III metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, l-AP4, reduces EPSPs in some layers of rat visual cortex.

The action of the specific Group III metabotropic glutamate receptor, l-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (l-AP4) was tested in slices of rat visual cortex. When the predominant input to the cell was stimulated, l-AP4 generally reduced the EPSP that was produced. This result was specific to the layer: it was found when recording cells in layers II/III, V and VI, but not when recording cells in layer IV. The effect was the same when G-proteins in the cell recorded were inactivated. Also, l-AP4 had little effect on membrane potential and input impedance of the cell recorded, and little effect on the response to NMDA in that cell. Thus, Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors act presynaptically to reduce the release of glutamate onto cells in layers II/III, V and VI in visual cortex, but not cells in layer IV.
Fire-reliant subsistence economies and anthropogenic coniferous ecosystems in the Pre-Columbian northern American Southwest

Archaeologists working in the vast coniferous uplands of the American Southwest have commonly assumed that the subsistence economies of the prehistoric peoples who dwelt there focused on corn (Zea mays) agriculture, the erratic yields of which were supplemented with the unintensive collection of wild plants. In this paper, we develop an alternative to this orthodox view, in which we posit that human-controlled burning of understory biomass was a vegetation-community and successional-stage management strategy intended to propagate wild plants in bulk quantities. By comparing the relative frequencies and ubiquities of macrobotanical remains recovered from a variety of storage and consumption contexts with pollen frequencies from production and processing contexts, we show that the systematic encouragement of ruderals in pyrogenic resource patches (“niches”) was a sustainable practice that overcame natural limitations to biomass productivity and corn cultivation in pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis and Juniperus sp.) woodlands. Importantly, these analyses indicate that low-intensity burning was a key aspect of fire-reliant subsistence economies that generated anthropogenic ecosystems whose composition and productivity were markedly different from today’s.