cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alterations of expression of inflammation/immune-related genes in the dorsal and ventral striatum of adult C57BL/6J mice following chronic oxycodone self-administration: a RNA sequencing study

Non-medical use of prescription opioids such as the mu opioid receptor (MOP-r) agonist oxycodone is a growing problem in the USA and elsewhere. There is limited information about oxycodone’s impact on diverse gene systems in the brain. The current study was designed to examine how chronic oxycodone self-administration (SA) affects gene expression in the terminal areas of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways in mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice underwent a 14-day oxycodone self-administration procedure (4 h/day, 0.25 mg/kg/infusion, FR1) and were euthanized 1 h after the last session. The dorsal and ventral striata were dissected, and total RNAs were extracted. Gene expressions were examined using RNA sequencing. We found that oxycodone self-administration exposure led to alterations of expression in numerous genes related to inflammation/immune functions in the dorsal striatum (54 upregulated genes and 1 downregulated gene) and ventral striatum (126 upregulated genes and 15 downregulated genes), with 38 upregulated genes identified in both brain regions. This study reveals novel neurobiological mechanisms underlying some of the effects of a commonly abused prescription opioid. We propose that inflammation/immune gene systems may undergo a major change during chronic self-administration of oxycodone.
Clinical and pharmacological studies of interferon and chemotherapy in gastrointestinal and breast cancer.

The interferons enhance the cytotoxicity of antimetabolites, alkylating agents, and plant antibiotics against cultured human tumours in vitro and in vivo. Five clinical trials in humans with advanced colorectal carcinoma have demonstrated responses ranging from 26 to 63% in patients treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), suggesting improved response with the combination as compared with 5-FU alone. In addition, responses have been observed in patients with adenocarcinomas of the lung, pancreas, breast, and kidney, squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus, and urothelial carcinoma treated with 5-FU/IFN-alpha. However, enhanced 5-FU-related toxicity was observed in these studies, as has been observed when 5-FU is combined with other modulating agents, such as leucovorin. While some studies suggested that enhanced 5-FU-related toxicity was associated with an IFN-alpha-induced reduction in 5-FU clearance when 5-FU was given as an intravenous (i.v.) bolus (750 mg/m2 IV weekly) or as a high-dose five-day continuous infusion (CI) (750 mg/m2/day x 5 days), another study found enhanced 5-FU toxicity in the absence of pharmacokinetic perturbation when 5-FU was given as a low-dose prolonged CI (300 mg/m2/day x 28 or more days).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The role of a posteriori mathematics in physics

Abstract The calculus that co-evolved with classical mechanics relied on definitions of functions and differentials that accommodated physical intuitions. In the early nineteenth century mathematicians began the rigorous reformulation of calculus and eventually succeeded in putting almost all of mathematics on a set-theoretic foundation. Physicists traditionally ignore this rigorous mathematics. Physicists often rely on a posteriori math, a practice of using physical considerations to determine mathematical formulations. This is illustrated by examples from classical and quantum physics. A justification of such practice stems from a consideration of the role of phenomenological theories in classical physics and effective theories in contemporary physics. This relates to the larger question of how physical theories should be interpreted.
Transport Barriers and Oncophysics in Cancer Treatment

Transport processes in cancer are the focus of transport oncophysics (TOP). In the TOP approach, the sequential negotiation of transport barriers is critical to both drug delivery and metastasis development. New and creative therapeutic opportunities are currently emerging, stimulated by the study of cancer hallmarks with the TOP approach.
Do we need innovation in housing policy? Mass production, community-based upgrading, and the politics of urban land in the Global South

The papers in this Special Issue demonstrate three persistent, global challenges to urban housing policy: that it is difficult to mass produce housing well; that community-based upgrading programme...
Superinformation Processing: The Feasibility of Proton Superflow in the Living State

Many authors have proposed that a coherent state of matter underlies the remarkable organization and coordination of biological systems. London(1) and Schrodinger(2) made early suggestions along this line. More recently, Frohlich(3) proposed that metabolic pumping could give rise to coherent oscillations in biological cells, and this idea has led to an increasing number of interesting theoretical and experimental studies. Mishra has argued that observable biological order to a large extent reflects a Bose-Einstein-like ordering in an underlying boson sea(4).
Peptides and psychiatry, Part 3: substance P and serendipity: novel psychotropics are a possibility.

Issue: Substance P and other neurokinins are, hypothetically, mediators of emotional distress in depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia. Preliminary indications that a substance P antagonist has antidepressant actions have triggered a race to discover novel antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics that act by blocking substance P and other neurokinins.
Spiral Enteroscopy: Technique, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Yield and Application in Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease

Spiral enteroscopy is another technique available in the armamentarium of the endoscopist for the exploration of the small bowel (or difficult to intubate colon). It applies the principle of pleating the small bowel through rotation rather than push-pull as with the previous techniques. This implies a different technique and set of skills but the diagnostic and therapeutic yield, as well as safety are similar to other device-assisted methods.
Automatic evaluation of learner self-explanations and erroneous responses for dialogue-based ITSs

Self-explanations (SE) are an effective method to promote learning because they can help students identify gaps and inconsistencies in their knowledge and revise their faulty mental models. Given this potential, it is beneficial for intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) to promote SEs and adaptively respond based on SE quality. We developed and evaluated classification models using combinations of SE content (e.g., inverse weighted word-overlap) and contextual cues (e.g., SE response time, topic being discussed). SEs were coded based on correctness and presence of different types of errors. We achieved some success at classifying SE quality using SE content and context. For correct vs. incorrect discrimination, context-based features were more effective, whereas content-based features were more effective when classifying different types of errors. Implications for automatic assessment of learner SEs by ITSs are discussed.
A Primer on Differentiation

The central idea of differential calculus is that the derivative of a function defines the best local linear approximation to the function near a given point. This basic idea, together with some representation theorems from linear algebra, unifies the various derivatives—gradients, Jacobians, Hessians, and so forth—encountered in engineering and optimization. The basic differentiation rules presented in calculus classes, notably the product and chain rules, allow the computation of the gradients and Hessians needed by optimization algorithms, even when the underlying operators are quite complex. Examples include the solution operators of time-dependent and steady-state partial differential equations. Alternatives to the hand-coding of derivatives are finite differences and automatic differentiation, both of which save programming time at the possible cost of run-time efficiency.
Institutional Obstacles to China in Adopting the Real Property Tax

This chapter offers an analysis of the institutional obstacles to adopting the local property tax in China, including the property right and use right to urban land. It traces the turnover from private to public ownership of land in rural and urban areas around the founding in 1949 of the People’s Republic of China and subsequent changes, which inspires insight into this problem unique to China. The chapter then taps into why local governments can capitalize on the state ownership of urban land to build infrastructure and how they did it within a two-decade period, as well as the problems involved in doing so.
Risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with dysrhythmia: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Objective Whether dysrhythmia is a risk factor of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the risk of developing SSNHL among patients with dysrhythmia in different age and gender groups by using population-based data in Taiwan. Methods We conducted a matched cohort study by analyzing data between January 2000 and December 2013 obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. 41,842 newly diagnosed dysrhythmia patients and 83,684 comparison subjects without dysrhythmia were selected from claims. The incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss at the end of 2013 was determined in both groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk of SSNHL among patients with dysrhythmia. Results The incidence of SSNHL was 1.30-fold higher in the dysrhythmia group compared with the control group (53.2 versus 40.9 per 100,000 person-years), and using Cox proportional hazard regressions, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–1.70). Gender-stratified analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of SSNHL in patients with dysrhythmia than in those without dysrhythmia for both men and women (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02–1.76, P = 0.039, HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02–1.78, P = 0.035, respectively). Age-stratified analysis revealed remarkable associations between dysrhythmia and SSNHL among those aged less than 40 years and more than 65 years (HR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.03–4.64, P = 0.043 and HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.14–2.09, P = 0.006, respectively). Conclusions Our findings support dysrhythmia as an independent risk factor for SSNHL. Based on the study results, clinicians managing patients with dysrhythmia should be aware of the increased risk of developing SSNHL, especially among patients aged 65 years, and counsel patients to seek medical advice immediately if they experience any acute change in their hearing ability.
Effects of School Backpacks on Spine Biomechanics During Daily Activities: A Narrative Review of Literature

ObjectiveThe purpose of this narrative review is to summarize the effects of carrying school backpacks on spine and low-back biomechanics as a risk factor for low back pain in young individuals.Bac...
Impact of asphaltenes and clay interaction on in-situ combustion performance

Abstract The increased surface area of reservoir rock due to the presence of clays and the catalytic impact of clays are known to enhance the in-situ combustion (ISC) performance. But the basics behind these mechanisms are still unknown. Six one-dimensional (1-D) combustion tube experiments were conducted on three different crude oil samples. Each crude oil was evaluated with two combustion tube runs; sand-oil and sand-clay-oil mixtures to study the effect of clay on combustion performance. Then, Thermogravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA/DSC) was run at isothermal conditions by ramping up the temperature using the combustion tube temperature. The activation energy and the heat of combustion were calculated empirically. The quality of the produced oil samples was determined through viscosity measurement and saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes (SARA) fractionation. To better understand the fuel formation mechanism, the compositional variations in SARA fractions have been analyzed through Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Further, asphaltenes surfaces were visualized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The combustion tube experimental result shows that saturates fractions have been decreased in displaced oil since saturates are consumed as an ignitor during ISC. The aromatics fraction has been significantly increased in produced oil, which helps to increase the mobility of displaced oil through viscosity reduction. Moreover, the amount of asphaltenes in produced oil decreased due to fuel formation reactions. In the presence of clays, the cribriform structures were formed on asphaltenes surface and aid the combustion process by increasing the surface area of asphaltenes.
‘No longer will you call me ‘my Ba’al’’: Hosea’s polemic and the semantics of ‘Ba’al’ in 8th century B.C.E. Israel:

The anti-Ba’al polemics of Hosea 2.16-18 have typically been interpreted as evidence for the existence of a cult of Ba’al in 8th century B.C.E. Israel. However, research on the semantic range of th...
Effects of Socio-demographic Factors on the Decreasing Trend in the Sex Ratio at Birth in Korea, 1997-2017.

Objectives This study investigated the effects of socio-demographic factors on the decreasing trend in the sex ratio at birth from 1997 to 2017 in Korea. Methods Data from 10 349 602 live births registered with Statistics Korea from 1997 to 2017 were analyzed. The secondary sex ratio (SSR), defined as the ratio of male to female live births, during the study period (1997-1999 [phase I], 2000-2002 [phase II], 2003-2005 [phase III], 2006-2008 [phase IV], 2009-2011 [phase V], 2012-2014 [phase VI], and 2015-2017 [phase VII]) was calculated according to selected socio-demographic factors, such as parental age, education, occupation, and birth order. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for a male birth after adjusting for potential confounders. Results The SSR gradually decreased from 1.10 (in 1998-2000 and 2002) to 1.05 (in 2013-2016). While a decreasing trend in the SSR was not noted among first births, male-biased sex ratios were prominent among third and higher-order births, for which the highest SSR was 1.46 in 1998. Higher birth order was significantly associated with an excess of male births in phases I-VI (≥third vs. first, OR range, 1.03 to 1.35). Advanced maternal age was significantly associated with an excess of female births in phases II, III, and V (≥40 vs. 20-24 years, OR range, 0.92 to 0.95). Conclusions This study demonstrated that advanced maternal age and reduction of the artificially-biased SSR among third and higher-order births may partially explain the decreasing trend in the SSR from 1997 to 2017 in Korea.
Stuck in the Paradigm with You: Transfeminist Reflections on the Uses of History and the Spaces of Contradiction

Many feminist academic programs find themselves in a point of tension as they embrace emerging scholars in trans studies for their contributions to the heart of feminist scholarship while simultaneously continuing to resist the ways that trans and nonbinary scholarship and persons challenge (and have always challenged) the paradigms of day-to-day interaction and institutional epistemologies. In this chapter, Finn Enke calls for a more mixed up, expansive and dynamic past, a feminist genealogy long critical of binary attachments, a feminist foundation willing to morph with additional perspective. Enke considers their own path as a transfeminist historian by considering the intellectual sources that illuminated larger debates within feminist scholarship and encouraged the emergence of trans methodologies.
Writing, Affordances, and Governable Subjects

In the Hebrew Bible book of Deuteronomy, writing and the creation of texts is a widely shared activity. The deity writes, Moses writes, the people write, the (future) king is to have writing done for him. Apparently, part of what it means to be Israel and enact this subjectivity is to write. Maybe this is not surprising, since writing in Hebrew, a vernacular language, by those who are not part of an imperial bureaucracy and not serving imperial objectives, was fairly new when Deuteronomy was being written and assembled into a book. As a new technology, writing offered various affordances to writers, and at least three of them were realized and put into action in Deuteronomy. Writing fixes and stabilizes ideas and knowledge. In Deuteronomy, it gave a particular form and vocabulary to the commands, statutes, and ordinances of YHW and Moses, as well as to where, when, and who were understood to be present when these ideas were spoken (according to the text). Writing stabilizes and normalizes those ideas when it becomes part of social action. And writing offers itself for use in mechanisms of assessment once what is written becomes a norm for behavior. The commands, statutes, and ordinances of Deuteronomy create a metaphorical “path” for Israel, indicating how all three of these affordances play a role in creating and defining Israel’s subjectivity, which is offered to readers. When individuals understand themselves to be addressed by the book and work to put into practice what it says, they become Deuteronomy’s governable subjects.
Home testing for COVID-19 and other virus outbreaks: The complex system of translating to communities

Home testing is an emerging innovation that can enable nations and health care systems to safely and efficiently test large numbers of patients to manage COVID-19 and other viral outbreaks. In this position paper, we explore the process of moving home testing across the translational continuum from labs to households, and ultimately into practice and communities for optimal public health impact. We focus on the four translational science drivers to accelerate the implementation of systems-wide home testing programmes 1) collaboration and team science, 2) technology, 3) multilevel interventions, and 4) knowledge integration. We use the Socio Ecological Model (SEM) as a framework to illustrate our vision for the ideal future state of a comprehensive system of stakeholders utilising tech-enabled home testing for COVID-19 and other virus outbreaks, and we suggest SEM as a tool to address key translational readiness and response questions.
Bio-Mimetic Aquatic Frog- and Clam-Like Swimmers in a 2D Fluid: Empiric Modeling

In this chapter, based on the general formulas of Chap. 2, we will describe two models of bio-mimetic swimmers designed to imitate swimming patterns of a frog and a clam in a horizontal plane. Once again, we will view this situation as the case of “swimmers in a 2D incompressible fluid.”
Corticosteroid-associated osteonecrosis in children

Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat various adult and pediatric medical conditions. More than 30 million Americans receive corticosteroids as part of their treatment protocols for acute and chronic illnesses [1, 2]. Use of systemic corticosteroids in children has been most thoroughly studied in patients treated for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and renal transplant. In the case of ALL, the addition of corticosteroids to antileukemic protocols has been shown to improve the remission rate [3]. Current treatment protocols characterized by chemotherapy intensified by higher-dose corticosteroids are thought to be partly responsible for improved outcomes in ALL with cure rates ranging from 70 to 90 % [3–7]. In pediatric SLE, long-term survival has improved dramatically as corticosteroids have become the mainstay of treatment [8]. Depending on the specific disease and severity, the length of treatment ranges from days to years to a lifetime of use. As with many medications, chronic use may result in adverse side effects. Such effects of corticosteroids have been described in multiple organ systems including the musculoskeletal system [9]. The specific effect of hypercortisolism on bone was first recognized as a feature of Cushing’s disease. Since that time, the cause-effect relationship between corticosteroid treatment and bone disease such as osteoporosis, fractures, and osteonecrosis has become more clearly established [10–12].
10 – Complex Variable Methods

This chapter introduces the basics of complex variable method and investigates its application to the particular problems of engineering interest. It also reviews complex variable theory to provide a general background needed to develop the elasticity solutions. Complex variable theory provides a very powerful tool for the solution of many problems in elasticity. Such applications include solutions of the torsion problem and most importantly the plane problem. The technique is also useful for cases involving anisotropic and thermo-elastic materials. Employing complex variable methods enables many problems to be solved that would be intractable by other schemes. The method is based on the reduction of the elasticity boundary-value problem to a formulation in the complex domain. This formulation then allows many powerful mathematical techniques available from complex variable theory to be applied to the elasticity problem.
Offline/online mixing

We introduce an offline precomputation technique for mixnets that drastically reduces the amount of online computation needed. Our method can be based on any additively homomorphic cryptosystem and is applicable when the number of senders and the maximal bit-size of messages are relatively small.
Protein Synthesis and Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Membrane Attachment During Thymineless Death in Escherichia coli

The proteins synthesized during thymineless death in Escherichia coli B and B/r were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel elctrophoresis. It was found that the amount of a protein of molecular weight 80,000 to 88,000 is greatly increased during thymineless death compared to the amounts of other cell proteins. A technique for the isolation of cell membrane-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-nascent ribonucleic acid (RNA) complex on detergent crystals was used to determine whether DNA might be detached from the cell membrane as a result of thymineless death. It was found that under no conditions of thymineless death or immunity to thymineless death was there any change in the attachment of DNA or pulse-labeled RNA to cell membrane.
Effects of Personal Traits on Generation Y Consumers' Attitudes Toward the Use of Mobile Devices for Communication and Commerce

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of young adult consumers' personal traits (high-tech involvement, experiment proclivity, and fashion/brand leadership) on their perceptions of and attitudes toward using mobile devices for communications and commerce. The integrated stimulus-organism-responses paradigm (Fiore & Kim, 2007) served as the overarching framework, combining the uses and gratifications theory (Blumler & Katz, 1974) and the extended technology acceptance model (Kim, Ma, & Park, 2009). A convenience sample of 504 college students in 2 U. S. universities provided usable responses to our survey. Causal modeling analysis results showed that personal trait variables had significant impacts on the perceived ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment, and attitudes toward mobile communication and mobile commerce. Findings also suggested that three perception variables positively influenced attitudes toward using mobile devices for communication as well as for commerce. This study provides empirical evidence of the potential of mobile commerce among young adult consumers.
Conditions of their Own Making: An Intellectual History of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham

Abstract: The focus of this essay is on the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham -- its historical context, its organizational difficulties, its activist aspirations, and the tensions that those who participated in its development perceived between its intellectual and political objectives. Resume: Le but de cet essai est d'analyser le Centre d'etudes culturelles contemporaines de l'Universite de Birmingham--son contexte historique, ses difficultes organisationnelles, ses aspirations activistes, et les tensions que ceux qui ont participe a sa creation ont percues entre ses objectifs intellectuels et politiques.
Incorporating Confidence Intervals on the Decision Threshold in Logistic Regression

This paper discusses an application of confidence intervals to the threshold decision value used in logistic regres]sion and discusses its effect on changing the quantification of false positive and false negative errors. In doing this a grey area, in which observations are not classified as success (1) or failure (0), but rather ‘uncertain’ is developed. The size of this grey area is related to the level of confidence chosen to create the interval around the threshold as well as the quality of logistic regression model fit. This method shows that potential errors may be mitigated. Monte Carlo simulation and an experimental design approach are used to study the relationship between a number of responses relating to classification of observations and the following factors: threshold level, confidence level, noise in the data, and number of observations collected. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Special bases for S N and GL( n )

The special basis in spaces of finite dimensional representation ofS N and GL(n) is constructed and its properties are studied.
Decisional conflicts: a theoretical analysis:

This paper will present a set of theoretical constructs developed for the purpose of analyzing the psychological causes and consequences of decisional conflicts. Although the analysis is in terms of intrapersonal conflicts, it has many potential applications to politically relevant actions on the part of the leaders and representatives of organized groups and therefore may prove to be useful as a framework for studying certain aspects of intergroup conflicts. At various points throughout this paper I shall attempt to indicate how the constructs might be taken into account by social scientists engaged in research on factors affecting the success or failure of peace treaties, non-violence pacts, and other conciliatory agreements between hostile governments or rival organized groups. The historical examples to be cited come from biographical studies of men who were national leaders
What Happened to Research in Clinical Microbiology in the United States

The title of this article is loaded with negative innuendo—the question is not “What is the state of research in clinical microbiology in the United States” but, rather, “What has happened to happened to research in clinical microbiology in the United States.” We begin with the premise
Gibbs-Wilbraham splines

If a function with a jump discontinuity is approximated in the norm ofL2[−1,1] by a periodic spline of orderk with equidistant knots, a behavior analogous to the Gibbs-Wilbraham phenomenon for Fourier series occurs. A set of cardinal splines which play the role of the sine integral function of the classical phenomenon is introduced. It is then shown that ask becomes large, the phenomenon for splines approaches the classical phenomenon.
Use of intravenous mycophenolate mofetil for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient with an allergic reaction to cyclosporine and tacrolimus

Use of intravenous mycophenolate mofetil for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient with an allergic reaction to cyclosporine and tacrolimus
Eosinophilic Esophagitis A Retrospective Review of Esophageal Biopsy Specimens From 1992 to 2004 at an Adult Academic Medical Center

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), initially described in children, is now recognized in adults. The prevalence of EE in adults is largely unknown. Our goals were to determine the prevalence of EE in an adult population undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy as originally reported and on retrospective review, the rate at which EE was present before this diagnosis was readily appreciated, and whether the prevalence of EE has changed over time. We reviewed esophageal biopsy specimens from 1992 to 2004. If there were more than 15 eosinophils per high-power field and confirmatory clinical information was available, EE was diagnosed. The initial (prereview) prevalence was 1.3%; prevalence on retrospective review was 1.7%. Prevalence was higher in later years (3.8%) compared with early years (0.3%). The demographics of our patients with EE are generally similar to what has been reported. Our results suggest the prevalence of EE is increasing and that pathologists provide accurate diagnoses in the face of changing criteria and significance.
Relationship of Australopithecus and Homo: Another view☆

Abstract Objections to Oxnard's questioning the current status of postcranial elements of the australopithecines from Olduvai and southern Africa have been raised by Howell (1978) who uses as evidence (a) the force of authority (the work of nearly thirty investigators), and (b) the notion that the new assessments result from incorrect usages of the methods available for such studies. It is here pointed out that the usages of both groups of workers are similar enough to provide similar results, and that different conclusions mainly rest on (a) whether or not information about the non-human-like aspects of the fossils is excluded, and (b) upon the meaning of the term uniqueness as applied to evolutionary assessments of these particular australopithecines.
Potential inversion in the reduction of trans-2,3-dinitro-2-butene

Abstract The title compound (1) is reduced in a stepwise two-electron process to its dianion. It has been confirmed that potential inversion occurs both in acetonitrile and acetonitrile+water (83%/17%, v/v). By this it is meant that insertion of the first electron is actually more difficult than insertion of the second, i.e. E°1−E°2 is negative (where E°1 and E°2 are the standard potentials for the two reduction steps). The value of E°1−E°2 in the acetonitrile+water mixed solvent is −0.08±0.01 V which corresponds to about 8 kJ mol−1. Other aspects of the electrochemical reduction of 1 are discussed, including the fact that the dianion is unstable on the voltammetric timescale in pure acetonitrile but is stabilized by the presence of water. The electron-transfer kinetics are more sluggish on solid electrodes (platinum or glassy carbon) than on mercury, which was used for the determination of E°1−E°2. Theoretical calculations (DFT and AM1) have been carried out to indicate the structural changes that accompany the reduction of 1 to its radical anion and dianion, and the role of these structural changes in the development of potential inversion is discussed.
A novel boundary-integral algorithm for viscous interaction of deformable drops

A new three-dimensional boundary-integral algorithm for deformable drops moving in a viscous medium at low Reynolds numbers is developed, which overcomes some familiar difficulties with boundary-integral calculations. The algorithm is used to simulate different modes of interaction between drops or bubbles, primarily for buoyancy-driven motion. The present iterative method for mean curvature calculation is found to be more robust and accurate than contour integration schemes. A novel iterative strategy based on combining biconjugate gradient and simple iterations overcomes the poor convergence of “successive substitutions” for drops in very close approach with extreme viscosity ratio. A substantially new variational method of global mesh stabilization solves the problem of mesh degradation with advantageous, soft stability constraints. A curvatureless boundary-integral formulation is also derived and shown to provide, in principle, a more accurate description of the drop breakup than the conventional formulation. The efficiency of these techniques is demonstrated by numerical examples for two drops in gravity-induced motion with high surface resolutions. The present code successfully simulates mutual approach of slightly deformable drops to extremely small separations, as well as their rotation when in “apparent contact,” thus bridging the gap between finite deformation calculations and a recent asymptotic theory for small capillary numbers. Also provided is a 3D simulation of the experimental phenomenon of enhanced bubble coalescence, discovered by Manga and Stone [J. Fluid Mech. 256, 647 (1993); 300, 231 (1995)]. For drops of viscosity comparable to that of the surrounding fluid, it is shown in contrast that breakup is a typical result of hydrodynamic interaction in gravity-induced motion for large and even moderate capillary numbers. The code is readily applicable to any type of an ambient flow and may be adapted to more than two drops.
Potentiation of the colchicine effect on frog melanocytes by high hydrostatic pressure.

In dermal melanocytes of Rana pipiens, colchicine is known to produce a gradual, dosage-dependent dispersion of melanin granules, irreversible over several hours. This effect is potentiated by a number of chemical agents that normally produce a reversible dispersion of granules. In the present study we examined the effect of high hydrostatic pressure on changes induced in melanocytes by colchicine. In Ringer's solution, samples of skin from a single frog were incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature with or without colchicine, 9 × 10−5 M. Then two samples, one of which had been pretreated with colchicine, were successively subjected to 12,000 psi for one hour at 25 to 26°C. The degree of dispersion of melanin granules in melanocytes was observed before, during and after the period of pressure. In frog skin pretreated with colchicine, the usually gradual, irreversible dispersion of melanin granules in melanocytes was potentiated. Since high pressure is known to produce solational changes in protoplasm, such changes may accompany dispersion of melanin granules in melanocytes. If this be so, then sol-gel equilibria may be important in the action of dispersing and aggregating agents, many of which are hormones and other physiologically active agents. Finally, the present study supports the hypothesis that colchicine shifts protoplasmic sol-gel equilibria toward a less gelated condition.
Compact covariance descriptors in 3D point clouds for object recognition

One of the most important tasks for mobile robots is to sense their environment. Further tasks might include the recognition of objects in the surrounding environment. Three dimensional range finders have become the sensors of choice for mapping the environment of a robot. Recognizing objects in point clouds provided by such sensors is a difficult task. The main contribution of this paper is the introduction of a new covariance based point cloud descriptor for such object recognition. Covariance based descriptors have been very successful in image processing. One of the main advantages of these descriptors is their relatively small size. The comparisons between different covariance matrices can also be made very efficient. Experiments with real world and synthetic data will show the superior performance of the covariance descriptors on point clouds compared to state-of-the-art methods.
The shaping of the American Empire

Abstract This paper creates a traditional, counterfactual, historical geography that proposes the rise of an American Empire in the 1800s instead of the British. The industrialization of the British world-economy of the early 1800s, victory in the Napoleonic Wars, and the consequent success of the British Empire fundamentally depended on cotton textiles, thus on American cotton agriculture. Cotton was, to the economies of the nineteenth century, very much like oil is to those of the late twentieth and early twenty-first enturies. The development of the American cotton South after 1800 was based heavily on the reproduction of slaves within the South. Had Jefferson ended slavery, as he at one time considered, I suggest that an alternative America would have arisen in which Jeffersonian idealism would have encouraged family farms as the principal units of agricultural production. I further argue that, absent the availability of cheap British manufactures, the Philadelphia School of Protectionists would also have likely triumphed early and an American industrial development based on internal growth fueled by cotton grown on family farms would have allowed America to come to dominate the world-economy of the late 1800s. Protectionist policies would have similarly excluded French manufactures and the industrial development based on cotton the French were also attempting in the late 1700s would have failed just as did that of Britain. French military victory in the Napoleonic Wars would not have produced a French world-economy. An America without serious global opposition would not have resisted annexing all of Mexico and Canada in the 1840s and expanding aggressively into Asia via the Pacific basin and Hawaii to create an American Empire.
Identification, purification, and partial characterization of plasma protein kinases

Abstract Two isomeric forms of protein kinases, FI and FII, were isolated from human plasma. These two isomeric enzymes were isolated to apparent homogeneity on NaDodSO 4 -PAGE by using (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fractionation, DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite, Affi-Gel blue, and high-pressure liquid column chromatography. Polyclonal antibodies were obtained from immunized rabbits and both enzymes cross-reacted with each other. Furthermore, immunoaffinity-purified anti-FI and anti-FII antibodies inhibited the enzyme activity of both FI and FII. These enzymes are cyclic nucleotides, Ca 2+ , calmodulin and phosphatidylserine-independent enzymes which can phosphorylate exogenously added histone, casein, protamine, phosvitin, and platelet surface proteins. The phosphorylated proteins of intact platelets by these enzymes in the presence of exogenously added [γ- 32 P]ATP ranged in apparent molecular weights from 13.5K to 200K, as estimated by their mobility during NaDodSO 4 -PAGE. Trypsin removed the label from the platelet surface phosphoproteins without affecting the intracellularly located phosphoproteins labeled endogenously by 32 PO 4 -prelabeling of intact platelets. These observations raise the possibility that these enzymes could play a role in modulating the properties of platelets through phosphorylation of the platelet surface proteins.
Educational Interventions for Students with ADD

Interventions for students with ADD are often focused on reducing inappropriate behaviors; however, a comprehensive program for students with ADD should also include educational interventions to ad...
Biaxial flexure testing of brittle materials

Four-point bending tests are one of the primary methods of strength testing glass and ceramic materials. However, four-point bend test bars are susceptible to failure from edge cracks unless extreme care is taken in sample preparation. For that reason, biaxial flexure tests have gained increasing popularity for strength measurements in brittle materials. Flexure tests are not sensitive to edge failure because the stresses vanish at the specimen edges. On the other hand, the specification of the stress state in biaxial flexure loading is considerably more difficult than in the case of four-point bend loading. Three different loading configurations, producing biaxial bend stresses in disk specimens, have been used for flexure tests: flat-on- ring (F), shell-on-ring (S) and ball-on-ring (B). Each configuration modifies the stress state, and an important part of the data analysis procedure rests in the conversion of the measured failure load to a failure stress. The purpose of the paper is to compare failure stresses obtained using F, S and B loading geometries for identical test conditions.
A treatment of paraequilibrium thermodynamics in AF1410 steel using the thermocalc software and database

Abstract It is demonstrated that the ThermoCalc computer program and database can be used for calculation of phase paraequilibrium provided proper modifications of phase descriptions have been made. This procedure has been used to analyze precipitation of M 2 C carbides from a “paraequilibrium” two-phase ferrite/cementite mixture in standard and series of modified AF1410 steels. It is found that from the standpoint of achieving fine dispersion of M 2 C phase and thus improved strength properties, it is beneficial to make a complete substitution of chromium with molybdenum in steels of this class.
Crosslinking of 1,9‐bis[glycidyloxypropyl]penta‐ (1′H,1′H,2′H,2′H‐perfluoroalkylmethylsiloxane)s with α,ω‐diaminoalkanes: The cure behavior and film properties

A series of nine films were prepared via phenol-catalyzed thermal crosslinking reactions of 1,9-bis- (glycidyloxypropyl)pentasiloxanes {1,9-bis(glycidyloxypro- pyl)decamethylpentasiloxane (I), 1,9-bis(glycidyloxypropyl)- 3,5,7-tris(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)heptamethylpentasiloxane (II), and 1,9-bis(glycidyloxypropyl)-3,5,7-tris(1H,1H,2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl)heptamethylpentasiloxane (III)} with ,- diaminoalkanes (1,6-diaminohexane (a), 1,8-diaminooctane (b), and 1,12-diaminododecane (c)). The crosslink density was con- trolled by the choice of a-c. The cure behavior of I-III with a-c was studied with differential scanning calorimetry. The me- chanical properties of the films were determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Their thermal stability was ana- lyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. The surface properties of the films were evaluated with static contact-angle measure- ments. These films represented a novel class of epoxies with an unusual combination of properties: high flexibility (low glass- transition temperature), good thermal stability, and hydropho- bic surfaces. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 203-210, 2004
Major clinical trials assessing the prophylactic use of amiodarone in patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias

The purpose of this article is to summarize and critique recently completed and ongoing clinical trials assessing the prophylactic use of amiodarone in patients with potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Three of the trials compare amiodarone with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Energy and material flow models for the US steel industry

Abstract We develop calibrated models of energy and material consumption patterns in the US steel industry, starting with an energy end-use model based on 1994 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS) data. Then process-step models of material and energy use are developed and calibrated against the energy end-use model and data from the US Commerce Department and the American Iron and Steel Institute. These models can serve as benchmarks for current steelmaking operations and as base cases for simulating changes in steelmaking energy utilization and waste streams spurred by economics, regulations, or technology innovations.
Co-Citation Count vs Correlation For Influence Network Visualization

Visualization of author or document influence networks as a two-dimensional image can provide key insights into the direct influence of authors or documents on each other in a document collection. The influence network is constructed based on the minimum spanning tree, in which the nodes are documents and an edge is the most direct influence between two documents. Influence network visualizations have typically relied on co-citation correlation as a measure of document similarity. That is, the similarity between two documents is computed by correlating the sets of citations to each of the two documents. In a different line of research, co-citation count (the number of times two documents are jointly cited) has been applied as a document similarity measure. In this work, we demonstrate the impact of each of these similarity measures on the document influence network. We provide examples, and analyze the significance of the choice of similarity measure. We show that correlation-based visualizations exhibit chaining effects (low average vertex degree), a manifestation of multiple minor variations in document similarities. These minor similarity variations are absent in count-based visualizations. The result is that count-based influence network visualizations are more consistent with the intuitive expectation of authoritative documents being hubs that directly influence large numbers of documents. Information Visualization (2003) 00, 000– 000. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ivs.9500049
When Is It Ethical to Inform Administrators about Student Risk-Taking Behaviors? Perceptions of School Counselors.

School counselors from across the United States responded to a survey asking when they should break confidentiality and report student risk-taking behaviors to school administrators. Generally, counselors believed it to be more ethical to break confidentiality when the behaviors were directly observed (as opposed to reported by students) and when the behaviors occurred on school grounds during school hours. Results also suggest counselors were more willing to break confidentiality when their school had a written policy guiding their actions. All behaviors showed some variance among respondents, suggesting a lack of agreement regarding when it is appropriate to break confidentiality and report risk-taking behaviors to administrators. This article discusses implications and suggestions for school counselors.
‘Purity as life’: H.J. Heinz, religious sentiment, and the beginning of the industrial diet

Between 1880 and 1930 the application of new technologies not only reshaped the US landscape by introducing large‐scale manufacturing into urban settings, but it also transformed what Americans ate. This transformation to foods made outside of the home created opportunities for adulteration as exemplified by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Equally, widely reported toxic effects of various chemicals fed to Harvey Wiley's Poison Squad only heightened the public's and Congress's fear that there was something fundamentally wrong with the foods Americans ate. Using the H.J. Heinz Company as a case study, this article examines how one large industrial food processor built consumer trust based on his belief that religion and good works were essential to his business and crafting pure foods was his moral obligation. As a pioneer in the nascent food industry, Henry Heinz wanted to infuse both his products and his company with purity to differentiate his products and put consumers' fear of industrial foods to rest.
Photoinduced electron transfer quenching and sugar effects on the electrostatic interaction between an anionic Ru(II) complex and cationic bipyridinium derivatives functionalized with boronic acids.

Abstract The photoinduced electron transfer quenching of an anionic ruthenium(II) metal–ligand-complex (Ru(dpp(SO 3 Na)) 2 (mcbpy)Cl 2 by two boronic acid functionalized benzyl viologen (BV 2+ ) derivatives has been investigated as well as their response to sugar. The electrostatic interaction between these two charge species lead to the formation of static quenching which is removed in presence of sugar due to the formation of a neutral zwitterionic quencher. Spectral data, quenching parameters and sugar titration curves are presented and discussed in term of future developments of optical sensors for sugar.