Changes in Relative Wages, 1963-1987: Supply and Demand Factors

A simple supply and demand framework is used to analyze changes in the U.S. wage structure from 1963 to 1987. Rapid secular growth in the demand for more-educated workers, 'more-skilled' workers, and females appears to be the driving force behind observed changes in the wage structure. Measured changes in the allocation of labor between industries and occupations strongly favored college graduates and females throughout the period. Movements in the college wage premium over this period appear to be strongly related to fluctuations in the rate of growth of the supply of college graduates.

Manufacturing with the Sun

Concentrated solar radiation is now a viable alternative source for many advanced manufacturing processes. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the feasibility of processes such as solar induced surface transformation of materials (SISTM), solar based manufacturing, and solar pumped lasers. Researchers are also using sunlight to decontaminate water and soils polluted with organic compounds; these techniques could provide manufacturers with innovative alternatives to traditional methods of waste management. The solar technology that is now being integrated into today's manufacturing processes offer greater potential for tomorrow, especially as applied to the radiation abundant environment available in space and on the lunar surface

The necessary future of chiropractic education: a North American perspective

The chiropractic educational system in North America is currently in a state of flux. The attempted conversion of some chiropractic schools into "universities" and the want of university affiliation for chiropractic schools suggests that we are searching for a better alternative to the present system. In the early 20(th )century, the Flexner Report helped transform modern medical education into a discipline that relies on scientific and clinical knowledge. Some have wondered if it is time for a Flexner-type report regarding the education of doctors of chiropractic. This article outlines the current challenges within the chiropractic educational system and proposes positive changes for that system

Providing Doulas as Continuous Labor Support for Pregnant Patients in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Can Help Families

A 2019 NM-based pilot research project funded by NIH (Grant # U54 MD004811 – UNM TREE Center) suggests that pregnant patients receiving substance use disorder treatment may greatly benefit from access to experienced doulas providing trauma-informed and addiction-informed support. The results from the pilot also suggest that both doulas and medical providers are eager to facilitate access to doula care for these pregnant individuals

Astrochemistry and Astrophotonics for an Antarctic Observatory

Due to its location and climate, Antarctica offers unique conditions for long-period observations across a broad wavelength regime, where important diagnostic lines for molecules and ions can be found, that are essential to understand the chemical properties of the interstellar medium. In addition to the natural benefits of the site, new technologies, resulting from astrophotonics, may allow miniaturised instruments, that are easier to winterise and advanced filters to further reduce the background in the infrared.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in EAS Publications Series, Vol. 40, Proc. of 3rd ARENA conferenc

Age structure, dispersion and diet of a population of stoats (Mustela erminea) in southern Fiordland during the decline phase of the beechmast cycle

The dispersion, age structure and diet of stoats (Mustela erminea) in beech forest in the Borland and Grebe Valleys, Fiordland National Park, were examined during December and January 2000/01, 20 months after a heavy seed-fall in 1999. Thirty trap stations were set along a 38-km transect through almost continuous beech forest, at least 1 km apart. Mice were very scarce (nights, C/100TN) along two standard index lines placed at either end of the transect, compared with November 1999 (>60/100TN), but mice were detected (from footprints in stoat tunnels) along an 8 km central section of the transect (stations 14-22). Live trapping with one trap per station (total 317.5 trap nights) in December 2000 caught 2 female and 23 male stoats, of which 10 (including both females) were radio collared. The minimum range lengths of the two females along the transect represented by the trap line were 2.2 and 6.0 km; those of eight radio-tracked males averaged 2.9 ± 1.7 km. Stations 14-22 tended to be visited more often, by more marked individual stoats, than the other 21 stations. Fenn trapping at the same 30 sites, but with multiple traps per station (1333.5 trap nights), in late January 2001 collected carcasses of 35 males and 28 females (including 12 of the marked live-trapped ones). Another two marked males were recovered dead. The stoat population showed no sign of chronic nutritional stress (average fat reserve index = 2.8 on a scale of 1-4 where 4 = highest fat content); and only one of 63 guts analysed was empty. Nevertheless, all 76 stoats handled were adults with 1-3 cementum annuli in their teeth, showing that reproduction had failed that season. Prey categories recorded in descending frequency of occurrence were birds, carabid beetle (ground beetle), weta, possum, rat, and mouse. The frequencies of occurrence of mice and birds in the diet of these stoats (10% and 48%, respectively) were quite different from those in stoats collected in Pig Creek, a tributary of the Borland River (87%, 5%), 12 months previously when mice were still abundant. Five of the six stoat guts containing mice were collected within 1 km of stations 14-22

Transcranial magnetic stimulation input–output curve slope differences suggest variation in recruitment across muscle representations in primary motor cortex

Measurement of the input–output (IO) curves of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used to assess corticospinal excitability and motor recruitment. While IO curves have been used to study disease and pharmacology, few studies have compared the IO curves across the body. This study sought to characterize IO curve parameters across the dominant and non-dominant sides of upper and lower limbs in healthy participants. Laterality preferences were assessed in eight healthy participants and IO curves were measured bilaterally for the first dorsal interosseous (FDI), biceps brachii (BB), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Results show that FDI has lower motor threshold than BB which is, in turn, lower than TA. In addition, both BB and TA have markedly shallower logarithmic IO curve slopes from small to large MEP responses than FDI. After normalizing these slopes by their midpoints to account for differences in motor thresholds, which could result from geometric factors such as the target depth, large differences in logarithmic slopes remain present between all three muscles. The differences in slopes between the muscles could not be explained by differences in normalized IO curve spreads, which relate to the extent of the cortical representation and were comparable across the muscles. The IO curve differences therefore suggest muscle-dependent variations in TMS-evoked recruitment across the primary motor cortex, which should be considered when utilizing TMS-evoked MEPs to study disease states and treatment effects

Effects of Alcohol and Saccharin Deprivations on Concurrent Ethanol and Saccharin Operant Self-Administration by Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats

Consumption of sweet solutions has been associated with a reduction in withdrawal symptoms and alcohol craving in humans. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of EtOH and saccharin (SACC) deprivations on operant oral self-administration. P rats were allowed to lever press concurrently self-administer EtOH (15% v/v) and SACC (0.0125% g/v) for 8 weeks. Rats were then maintained on daily operant access (non-deprived), deprived of both fluids (2 weeks), deprived of SACC and given 2 ml of EtOH daily, or deprived of EtOH and given 2 ml of SACC daily. All groups were then given two weeks of daily operant access to EtOH and SACC, followed by an identical second deprivation period. P rats responded more for EtOH than SACC. All deprived groups increased responding on the EtOH lever, but not on the SACC lever. Daily consumption of 2 ml EtOH decreased the duration of the ADE. Home cage access to 2 ml SACC also decreased the ADE but to a lesser extent than access to EtOH. A second deprivation period further increased and prolonged the expression of an ADE. These results show EtOH is a more salient reinforcer than SACC. With concurrent access to EtOH and SACC, P rats do not display a saccharin deprivation effect. Depriving P rats of both EtOH and SACC had the most pronounced effect on the magnitude and duration of the ADE, suggesting that there may be some interactions between EtOH and SACC in their CNS reinforcing effects

Constitutively active Notch4 receptor elicits brain arteriovenous malformations through enlargement of capillary-like vessels

Arteriovenous (AV) malformation (AVM) is a devastating condition characterized by focal lesions of enlarged, tangled vessels that shunt blood from arteries directly to veins. AVMs can form anywhere in the body and can cause debilitating ischemia and life-threatening hemorrhagic stroke. The mechanisms that underlie AVM formation remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the cellular and hemodynamic changes at the earliest stages of brain AVM formation by time-lapse two-photon imaging through cranial windows of mice expressing constitutively active Notch4 (Notch4*). AVMs arose from enlargement of preexisting microvessels with capillary diameter and blood flow and no smooth muscle cell coverage. AV shunting began promptly after Notch4* expression in endothelial cells (ECs), accompanied by increased individual EC areas, rather than increased EC number or proliferation. Alterations in Notch signaling in ECs of all vessels, but not arteries alone, affected AVM formation, suggesting that Notch functions in the microvasculature and/or veins to induce AVM. Increased Notch signaling interfered with the normal biological control of hemodynamics, permitting a positive feedback loop of increasing blood flow and vessel diameter and driving focal AVM growth from AV connections with higher blood velocity at the expense of adjacent AV connections with lower velocity. Endothelial expression of constitutively active Notch1 also led to brain AVMs in mice. Our data shed light on cellular and hemodynamic mechanisms underlying AVM pathogenesis elicited by increased Notch signaling in the endothelium.American Heart Association (Grant 0715062Y)Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (Predoctoral Fellowship 18DT-0009

Synthesis and reactivity of alpha-sulfenyl-beta-chloroenones, including oxidation and Stille cross-coupling to form chalcone derivatives

The synthesis of a range of novel α-sulfenyl-β-chloroenones from the corresponding α-sulfenylketones, via a NCS mediated chlorination cascade, is described. The scope of the reaction has been investigated and compounds bearing alkyl- and arylthio substituents have been synthesised. In most instances, the Z α-sulfenyl-β-chloroenones were formed as the major products, while variation of the substituent at the β-carbon position led to an alteration in stereoselectivity. Stille cross-coupling with the Z α-sulfenyl-β-chloroenones led to selective formation of Z sulfenyl chalcones, while the E α-sulfenyl-β-chloroenones did not react under the same conditions. Oxidation of the Z α-sulfenyl-β-chloroenones was followed by isomerisation, leading to the E α-sulfinyl-β-chloroenones. Stille cross-coupling with the E α-sulfinyl-β-chloroenones produced the E sulfinyl chalcones. Either the E or Z sulfinyl chalcones can be obtained by altering the sequence of oxidation and Stille cross-coupling