cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
XE991 and Linopirdine are state-dependent inhibitors for Kv7/KCNQ channels that favor activated single subunits

M-channel inhibitors, especially XE991, are being used increasingly in animal experiments; however, insufficient characterization of XE991 at times confounds the interpretation of results when using this compound. Here, we demonstrate that XE991 and linopirdine are state-dependent inhibitors that favor the activated-subunit of neuronal Kv7/KCNQ channels. We performed patch-clamp experiments on homomeric Kv7.2 or heteromeric Kv7.2/3 channels expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells to characterize XE991 and linopirdine. Neither inhibitor was efficacious around the resting membrane potential of cells in physiologic conditions. Inhibition of Kv7.2 and Kv7.2/3 channels by XE991 was closely related with channel activation. When the voltage dependence of activation was left-shifted by retigabine or right-shifted by the mutation, Kv7.2(R214D), the shift in half-activation voltage proportionally coincided with the shift in the half-effective potential for XE991 inhibition. Inhibition kinetics during XE991 wash-in was facilitated at depolarized potentials. Ten-minute washout of XE991 resulted in ∼30% current recovery, most of which was attributed to surface transport of Kv7.2 channels. Linopirdine also exhibited similar inhibition characteristics, with the exception of near- complete current recovery after washout at depolarized potentials. Inhibition kinetics of both XE991 and linopirdine was not as sensitive to changes in voltage as would be predicted by open- channel inhibition. Instead, they were well explained by binding to a single activated subunit. The characteristics of XE991 and linopirdine should be taken into account when these M-channel inhibitors are used in experiments.
Significance of randomness in establishing hotspots in crystals

Microwave scattering in random mediums is known to result in localized energy concentrations known as hotspots. However, the mechanics behind this effect are not well understood. Abstractions are needed to manage the complexity required to develop understanding through simulation and lead to the establishment of the parameters for a microwave system to neutralize energetic materials. Here, two random contributions of rotation and translation are separately simulated. It is observed that the individual effects both contribute to localization, and the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individuals.
SR16388 inhibits non-small cell lung tumor growth and angiogenesis

3820 We had previously determined that the steroidal antitumor agent, SR16388, inhibited matrix development and reduced microvessel density in a wound healing model, and further that the compound inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis in a PC3 mouse xenograft model of human prostate cancer. In the present study we proposed to: (1) further characterize the effects of the drug on microvessel development; then (2) to determine if the tumor growth inhibitory activity of SR16388 extends to androgen receptor-positive but androgen-independent prostate cancer and to other invasive carcinomas, in particular non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma. Finally,oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics would be determined in the rat and the dog. The effects of SR16388 and of a panel of closely related steroids on growth of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (Clonetics) were compared. SR16388 was significantly more potent (IC50 = 80nM) than the analogs (IC50 = 0.6 - 10 μM). SR16388 (2 μM) prevented formation of tube-like structures in Matrigel after HMVECs were treated with the drug for 8h. In a modified Boyden chamber assay, SR16388 inhibited the migration of HMVECs through collagen membrane by 80% at 500 nM. SR16388 potently inhibited the growth (IC50 =100 and 120 nM) of both A549 non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma cells, and metastatic androgen receptor-positive, but androgen-independent, LNCaP C4-2B prostate cancer cells in culture. The transcription factor Stat3 (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription-3) was determined by Western blot to be tyrosine phosphorylated in A549 cells, and SR16388 significantly attenuated Stat3 phosphorylation. Stat3 activation may contribute to carcinogenesis by regulation of expression of several proangiogenic and antiapoptotic factors in human tumors. However, Stat3 was not constitutively phosphorylated in LNCaP C4-2B cells or in PC3 androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. SR16388 was evaluated using a xenograft nude mouse model for its in vivo antitumor activity against A549 tumors. In this study, SR16388 inhibited tumor growth in a dose- response manner at a single daily oral dose of 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg. A dose-response effect was observed for oral dosing of SR16388 in two mouse xenograft studies. This preliminary finding of the drugs efficacy by oral administration was confirmed on determination of favorable oral bioavailabilty and t1/2 of elimination in both male and female Sprague-Dawley rats and Beagle dogs. These data support the further development of orally administered SR16388 for the treatment of advanced neoplasms, including non-small cell lung cancers. Direct effects of the drug on microvascular endothelial cells contribute to its angiogenesis inhibitory activity. Inhibition of Stat3 activation may be a component of the effects of SR16388 on tumors that express constitutively activated Stat3.
Out of the Cloister and into the World: Catholic Nuns in the Aftermath of the Revolution

The French Revolution destroyed women’s vowed religious life by closing convents and forcing nuns into civilian life. Curtis shows, however, how it created the conditions for a stunning nineteenth-century revival by empowering women at a grassroots level to establish new active orders dedicated to good works and evangelization. She argues that the expansion of French Catholicism inside and outside of France would not have been possible without the transformations in women’s religious life initiated by the Revolution, but having rather different outcomes than revolutionaries intended. By destroying an old system with limited energy and little potential for expansion and by creating an existential threat to the church itself, the Revolution inspired and empowered Catholic women to recreate religious life on their own terms to new, global, ends.
Public Procurement and Development in Africa

Public procurement occupies a vital position in the developmental drive of any country. Thus, a continent or country that lacks a clear-cut institutional framework that makes the abuse of the procurement process in the public domain difficult or impossible is most likely to face developmental challenges. This chapter examines public procurement in Africa, with a particular emphasis on Nigeria, to determine the possible causes of the abuse of process and how this abuse has shaped or impacted development on the continent. The chapter uses secondary sources, in other words published materials. It is thereby revealed that the lack of strong institutions that are capable of checking public officers’ excesses has made the abuse of public procurement processes inevitable, with the attendant negative impact that this has on development in all spheres of life. The chapter recommends that institutions of governance should be strengthened beyond the manipulative abilities of public office holders.
Hospital Readmission Rates Following AMI: Potential Interventions to Improve Efficiency.

Objectives Quality of care utilization measures for patients admitted to the hospital with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) include length of stay (LOS) and 30-day readmission rates. Our aim was to test whether efforts resulting in reduced LOS in patients diagnosed as having AMI would result in a higher risk of readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge and whether specific interventions could be targeted to reduce readmissions. Methods Using data supplied by the Veterans Affairs Inpatient Evaluation Center, we analyzed both the readmissions within 30 days of an AMI and LOS and determined the timing of readmissions and associated diagnoses. Results During 2013-2015, 35 (13.3%) of 263 patients with AMI were readmitted within 30 days of discharge compared with 19 (13.4%) of 142 patients during 2016 (not significant). During the same time, LOS was 90% of patients with a decision to proceed with revascularization in most patients. Diagnoses during readmission to the hospital were also similar during early and later time periods and most frequently were a result of either coronary artery bypass grafting-related complications from the initial hospitalization or elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Acute coronary syndrome-related diagnoses and recurrent noncardiac causes of chest pain also were common diagnoses during both time periods and did not involve extensive workup during the readmission. Conclusions Readmissions for patients with AMI were stable during a 4-year period, at a time that efforts to reduce LOS were emphasized. Because a significant proportion of readmissions involved noncardiac sources of chest pain, improved communication between the emergency department and in-patient cardiology services at the time of triage may be a feasible way to improve efficiency of utilization.
The Philadelphia Regional EEG Technicians Association List of Suggested Reading for EEG Technicians

(1964). The Philadelphia Regional EEG Technicians Association List of Suggested Reading for EEG Technicians. American Journal of EEG Technology: Vol. 4, Constitution and By-Laws Issue, pp. 62-65.
Use of Biofeedback in the Treatment of Incontinence

Biofeedback training for fecal and urinary incontinence is based on the assumption that patients with an absent or weak external anal or urethral sphincter response to rectal or bladder distention can learn to produce stronger sphincter contractions in response to distention. Learning is facilitated by providing the patient with immediate visual information about small variations in the activity of the sphincters through the use of electronic instrumentation. Gradually, over the course of biofeedback training, the patient learns to contract the external sphincters with sufficient magnitude and duration to oppose the forces of elimination.
Space and Time

In a 1772 letter to Marcus Herz1 Kant asks how intellectual representations can refer to an object when they do not produce the object. How can a thought in me represent something which is not affecting me or present to me, granting that the thought itself does not produce the object? This question is directed by Kant against his own view in the Innaugural Dissertation. There he had argued against Leibniz that spatio-temporal construction together with sensation did provide for adequate and precise representation as in geometry. However he still agreed with Leibniz that thought by itself was adequate for representation of objects (which objects constituted the intelligible world). The principle of this representation by thought was most likely some sort of isomorphism. The thought in its structure and in its component concepts was isomorphic to one and only one object and thus represented that object. Modern Leibnizians would be those for whom definite description understood attributively provides an adequate account of reference to objects. The failure of this account is presupposed and indeed sets the stage for the Critique of Pure Reason.
Understanding Health Disparities

Health inequities have been increasing in the United States and creating unacceptable gaps in the distribution of illness, healthcare, and longevity. Disparities are embedded in the history and culture of societies. They are matrixed in the structure of social, economic, and political institutions, and are expressed in various forms of disenfranchisement. Changes in health policy alone will not reduce or eliminate disparities. The life-course perspective is a tool for understanding health disparities across income, racial, and ethnic groups, particularly disparities that originate in childhood. The life-course model proposes that health disparities exist across the life span but childhood is a critical period in their development. Unique interactions occur at each life stage which can create risks for subsequent layers of disparities. Obesity in early childhood is an example of how being overweight increases the risk in adulthood of mortality and morbidity from coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and arthritis. The single most substantial source of health disparities in the U. S. is poverty. The colonias are one of the U.S.-Mexico border regions’ largest pockets of poverty. Our knowledge of the mechanisms and pathways of disparities has been limited because we have focused on static rather than on process variables. Longitudinal data confirm that health disparities change as individuals move through the life course. A broad, dynamic, interactive social systems approach is suggested for understanding how inequalities are formed, maintained, and change.
Smoking cessation in the context of recovery from drug and alcohol problems: Prevalence, predictors, and cohort effects in a national U.S. sample.

Abstract Background Tobacco and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use remain prominent risk factors for morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. Moreover, these often cluster together within persons, exponentiating health risks. Little is known regarding if and when people resolving AOD problems stop smoking, who stops, and whether recent general population trends toward smoking cessation are evident also among persons more recently entering recovery. Design and participants National cross-sectional sample resolving AOD problems (final sample n = 2002). Analyses Weighted smoking/cessation prevalence; logistic regressions; Hazard-models estimated time to smoking cessation overall, and for different cohorts entering recovery during one of three decades: a) 2006–2015; b) 1996–2005; c) 1986–1995. Results Approximately 30% of U.S. adults in AOD recovery with a smoking history stopped smoking before entering recovery, 7% quit smoking and AOD use concurrently, 26% stopped after entering recovery; 37% still smoked. Among those quitting after entering recovery, the prevalence of smoking cessation 5- and 10-years later was 27.2% and 55.1% respectively for the 2006–2015 cohort and 14.9% and 34.5% in the 1986–1995 cohort; time to smoking cessation also was 60% shorter (5yrs vs. 8yrs). Time to smoking cessation was associated with education and income, but not 12-step participation or AOD treatment. Conclusions Smoking rates among those in AOD recovery are more than double that of the general population but those entering recovery in recent years are stopping and stopping sooner. It is plausible that public health-oriented tobacco policy measures and easier access to smoking cessation aids may be contributing to this salutary trend.
Conversation in Aphasia Across Communication Partners: Exploring Stability of Microlinguistic Measures and Communicative Success

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine if people with aphasia demonstrate differences in microlinguistic skills and communicative success in unstructured, nontherapeutic conversations with ...
Competency Assessment for State Highway Agency Project Managers

Project managers (PMs) play a key role in the successful completion of construction projects. Therefore, PM competencies have been heavily investigated over the past few decades, often focusing on ...
Protest and the experience of time: Action as synchronizing temporalities:

This paper utilizes American pragmatism and phenomenology to illustrate that scholars must engage with both memories of the past and hopes for the future if we want to know how either influences ac...
Neural network aided development of a semi-empirical interatomic potential for titanium

Abstract Artificial neural networks, utilizing machine learning techniques to uncover subtle and complex patterns in big data problems, are able to condense large amounts of computationally expensive density functional theory and ab initio results into classical force field potentials. However, in order to produce a computationally efficient network, with minimal network architecture, a structural fingerprint whose components are highly correlated to the per atom energy is necessary. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness a structural fingerprint motivated by the highly successful MEAM formalism by creating an artificial neural network containing a single hidden layer of 20 nodes which provides a semi-empirical force field potential for elemental titanium. This potential is suitable for dynamic calculations of α -, β -, and ω -titanium at a variety of temperatures. This potential is able to achieve a number of results in agreement with DFT calculations which surpass classical potential formalisms with comparable computational performance.
Local adaptation mediates floral responses to water limitation in an annual wildflower.

PREMISE Understanding how environmental stress affects the strength of mutualisms is critically important given observed and projected environmental changes. In particular, the frequency and duration of drought have been increasing worldwide. We investigated how water availability affects plant traits that mediate a pollination mutualism. METHODS For butterfly-pollinated Phlox drummondii, we determined how moisture availability affects flower size, nectar volume, and nectar sugar amount. Furthermore, we explored the role that local adaptation may play in responses to moisture availability by including plants collected from regions that differ in aridity. Finally, we determined whether responses of plant populations to selection may differ under drought by calculating heritability of traits under control and dry conditions. RESULTS Flower size was generally smaller in dry plants than in control plants. Early in the treatment period, nectar volume and sugar were higher in dry plants than in control plants for plants from both arid and wetter regions. With prolonged dry treatment, nectar volume and sugar remained higher only in plants from the arid region. Heritability of floral traits was lower for water-limited plants than for control plants. CONCLUSIONS Plant investment into pollination mutualisms under environmental stress may depend on the extent to which populations are already locally adapted to such conditions, suggesting that mutualism may remain strong, at least in arid regions. However, decreases in heritability under water-limitation suggest that responses to selection imposed by pollinators may be low, even if drought-adapted plants maintain production of rewards to pollinators.
Hydrodynamics of a Rising Oil Droplet With Bacterial Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) Streamers Using a Microfluidic Microcosm

During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the unprecedented injection of millions of liters of chemical dispersant at the wellhead generated large quantities of submillimeter oil droplets that became entrained in a deep sea plume. The unexpected generation of these droplets has resulted in many studies in the last decade aiming to understand their transport and fate during and after the spill. Complicating matters, the plume coincided with a microbial bloom, and in addition to ocean dynamics these droplets were subjected to biological processes such as biodegradation and microbial aggregation. A lack of field observations and laboratory experiments using relevant conditions has left our understanding of these biotic processes and the role they played in the fate of the oil droplets poorly constrained. Furthermore, while biodegradation has been incorporated into drop transport models using available data, the effects of microbial aggregation involving extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on their transport has seldom been incorporated into modeling efforts particularly due to our lack knowledge of these processes. We use a microfluidic platform to observe a bacterial suspension interacting with a 240 μm oil drop in conditions relevant to the drop rising through the microbial bloom. We observe the development of individual, practically invisible bacterial EPS threads extending from the drop surface which can capture additional passing bacteria and form bacteria-EPS aggregates. Using high speed imaging, we make high resolution flow measurements both with and without EPS threads present and analyze a momentum balance to elucidate the hydrodynamic impact of these threads. Surprisingly, these thin individual EPS threads cause a significant disturbance in the pressure field around the drop which in turn increases the drag which would drastically reduce the drops rising velocity in the water column. We demonstrate that this mechanism which plausibly occurred in the deep sea plume would have major impacts on both the drop and bacteria transport during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Early Anticoagulation or Antiplatelet Therapy Is Critical in Craniocervical Artery Dissection: Results from the COMPASS Registry.

Introduction Craniocervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a leading cause of stroke in the young patient population. Recent studies reported a low rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with CeAD, with no significant difference between patients randomized to anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. Objective To compare the effectiveness of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy in patients with CeAD. Methods All CeAD patients from 2015 to 2017 were consecutively identified by an electronic medical record-based application and enrolled in this prospective longitudinal registry. CeAD was confirmed by imaging and graded using the Denver scale for blunt cerebrovascular injury. Patients were followed for 12 months for MACE defined as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or death. Results The cohort included 111 CeAD patients (age 53 ± 15.9 years, 56% Caucasian, 50% female). CeAD was detected by magnetic resonance (5%), computed tomography (88%), or catheter angiography (7%). CeAD was noted in the carotid (59%), vertebral (39%), and basilar (2%) arteries, 82% of which were extracranial dissections. CeAD was classified as grade I, II, III, and IV in 16, 33, 19, and 32%, respectively. A total of 40% of dissections were due to known trauma. A predisposing factor was noted in the majority (78%) of patients, including violent sneezing (21%), carrying a heavy load (19%), sports/recreational activity (11%), chiropractic manipulation (9%), abrupt/prolonged rotation of head (9%), and prolonged phone use (9%). At presentation, 41% had a stroke, 5% had TIA, 39% had headache, and 36% were asymptomatic. Favorable outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 was noted in 68% at 3 months and 71% at 12 months. The rate of MACEs at 3 and 12 months was 11 and 14%, respectively, with more events observed in patients who were not receiving anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy due to contraindications (p = 0.008). Conclusions We report diagnostic characteristics, as well as short- and long-term outcomes of CeAD. A high MACE rate was observed within the first 2 weeks of CeAD diagnosis, notably in patients not initiated on anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy.
Hand Pruning and Training of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Trees

This new 6-page document explains the proper way to prune fruit trees using hand tools. An important aspect of growing tropical and subtropical fruit trees is size control through pruning. In addition to size control, pruning also makes it easier to spray the tree and harvest fruit from the tree. Pruning also makes the tree more hardy to wind events and healthier in general because you can remove damaged or unhealthy parts of the tree. Written by Jeff Wasielewski, Jonathan Crane, and Carlos Balerdi, and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1372
Transnational blackness at Toronto Pride: queer disruption as theory and method

On July 3, 2016, the Toronto Pride parade began its procession down Toronto streets. Before it would end, Black Lives Matter – Toronto organizers would disrupt the event with a protest. This collec...
Randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Physical Activity Among Hispanic-American Middle School Students.

BACKGROUND Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) declines during adolescence, particularly among girls. In this randomized control trial, we examined MVPA in a physical activity intervention compared to physical education (PE) class as usual (TAU), stratified by sex and weight classification. Standardized BMI (zBMI) overtime was also examined. METHODS Hispanic-American middle school students (N = 193) were recruited from a school district in Houston, Texas. Participants were randomized to either a circuit-based physical activity intervention or TAU (PE class as usual). MVPA was assessed using accelerometry at baseline and 6 months. Repeated measures ANCOVA were conducted to examine changes in MVPA, overall and stratified by sex and weight classification. This procedure was repeated for zBMI. RESULTS Participants were 12.10 ± 0.63 years old and 53% were girls. Overall those in intervention increased weekday MVPA more than TAU (F(1,190) = 7.03, p < .01). Intervention girls increased weekday MVPA; whereas TAU girls decreased weekday MVPA (F(1,99) = 7.36, p < .01). Among those with obesity, there was no difference in MVPA between conditions (F(1, 56) = 0.33, p = .57), but Intervention decreased zBMI significantly more than TAU (F(1, 56) = 6.16, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS Structured PE classes grounded in behavioral theory may be an important strategy to prevent typical decreases in MVPA during adolescence, particularly among girls and for youth with obesity.
Type III secretion system effector proteins are mechanically labile.

Multiple gram-negative bacteria encode type III secretion systems (T3SS) that allow them to inject effector proteins directly into host cells to facilitate colonization. To be secreted, effector proteins must be at least partially unfolded to pass through the narrow needle-like channel (diameter Δ G unfold 0 ) of two Salmonella effector proteins, SptP and SopE2, are 6.9 and 6.0 kcal/mol, respectively, typical for globular proteins and similar to published Δ G unfold 0 for GFP, ubiquitin, and DHFR. Next, we mechanically unfolded individual SptP and SopE2 molecules by atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based force spectroscopy. SptP and SopE2 unfolded at low force (Funfold ≤ 17 pN at 100 nm/s), making them among the most mechanically labile proteins studied to date by AFM. Moreover, their mechanical compliance is large, as measured by the distance to the transition state (Δx‡ = 1.6 and 1.5 nm for SptP and SopE2, respectively). In contrast, prior measurements of GFP, ubiquitin, and DHFR show them to be mechanically robust (Funfold > 80 pN) and brittle (Δx‡
Book Review: Anirudh Deshpande, Hope and Despair: Mutiny, Rebellion and Death in India, 1946:

Anirudh Deshpande, Hope and Despair: Mutiny, Rebellion and Death in India, 1946 (Delhi: Primus Books), 2016, xxii+122 pp., ₹950 (hb).
Qualification of Electroslag Welds made from HPS 485W (70W) and 345W (50W) Steels

Abstract Electroslag welding (ESW) is a highly efficient welding process for completing single-pass complete joint penetration welds that offers production gains over conventional welding processes. This gain in productivity requires very high heat inputs, often to the detriment of the base metal's heat-affected zone (HAZ) impact energy. U.S. bridge-welding codes recognize the ESW Narrow Gap (termed ESW-NG) process developed in the early 1980s to remedy the substandard weld and HAZ impact energies found in bridges across the United States fabricated with the original ESW process used roughly from 1967 to 1977. ESW-NG process is limited to certain base metals; particularly, ESW-NG with quenched and tempered (Q&T), and thermo-mechanically controlled processed steels are prohibited because they are not part of the ESW-NG process development. This study was specifically performed to evaluate whether the existing ESW-NG process could be qualified for use with grade HPS 485W (70W) Q&T bridge steel and hybrid weldments between grade HPS 485W (70W) Q&T and conventionally processed grade 345W (50W) bridge steels. None of the weldments met fracture critical impact requirements. The weldment of just Q&T steel and the hybrid weldment met nonfracture critical requirements. However, the weldment of just Q&T had tension and impact resistance results right on the margin, leaving little room for error.
Pilot evaluation of horticultural therapy in improving overall wellness in veterans with history of suicidality

ABSTRACT Objectives Novel approaches to mental health and suicide prevention are lacking. Converging evidence has shown the effectiveness of horticultural therapy (HT) in improving mental health symptoms, but whether it would reduce suicide risk and contributing risk factors is unknown. Design Using a cohort model, HT was delivered 3.5 hours over four weekly, sessions administered by a registered horticultural therapist to veterans with history of suicide ideation or attempt who felt isolated and experienced ongoing environmental stressors with interest in learning new coping strategies. Setting HT delivery occurred in an urban garden, through a community partnership between the VA (Veterans Administration) and the New York Botanical Garden. Guided by principles of biophilia, participating veterans took part in nature walks, self-reflection and journaling, and planting activities. Outcome Measures Stress, mood, pain, and social isolation levels were measured weekly pre-post HT sessions using thermometer scales, with concordant validity to validated clinical instruments. Results Of the 20 men and women with a history of suicide attempts/ideation, HT demonstrated immediate improvements after each session across all symptom domains in magnitude of reduction in stress, pain, mood, and loneliness. The effect sizes were in medium to large range (Cohen’s d>.5). Additionally, a single HT session showed a sustained effect over subsequent 2-to-4 weeks as observed by the significantly decreased pre-session thermometer scores in subsequent weeks. Reductions in mood symptoms correlated with decline in suicidal ideation (rs = 0.63). Conclusion HT intervention maybe a promising therapeutic modality for improving overall wellness in suicide prevention in at-risk veteran populations.
A Toolkit for Talent Development: Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R., & Worrell, F. (Eds.). (2018). Talent Development as a Framework for Gifted Education: Implications for Best Practices and Applications in Schools. Prufrock Press.

The field of gifted education is evolving, as a growing number of studies propose new ways to support identifying the strengths of all students in the current educational context of schools. The ta...
The impact of political programs on Lebanese television on political knowledge of the youth: (A field study on a sample of Lebanese university students)

The study aimed to find out the effect of watching political programs on Lebanese television on the level of political knowledge of Lebanese university youth and the extent of their dependence on them, according to many variables. The study also aimed to apply the test of hypotheses of the knowledge gap theory. The researcher used the descriptive approach, to achieve the aim of the study, through the "questionnaire tool", which was implemented on an intentional non-probability sample of (400) single Lebanese university students in Beirut, which included a set of questions related to questions and hypotheses of the study. And its goals and variables. The researcher came out with many conclusions. The important ones are: In general ,viewing the political programs in the Lebanese satellite channels was medium among the participants, the high level came in the second place while the law level got the third and last place. The political knowledge among the participants was high; the participant with middle political knowledge was in the second place while the low political knowledge came in the third place. There is a non-statistically significant correlation between the volume of exposure to television channels and the size of political knowledge of the respondents. There is a statistically significant correlation between the size of the respondents' political knowledge and the degree of their interest in the political issue raised. 5- There are statistically significant differences between the respondents in the size of political knowledge, according to the variable of the economic and social level.
Bulky Cyclometalated Ruthenium Nitrates for Challenging Z-Selective Metathesis: Efficient One-Step Access to α-Oxygenated Z-Olefins from Acrylates and Allyl Alcohols.

α-Oxygenated Z -olefins are ubiquitous in biologically active molecules and serve as versatile handles for organic synthesis, but their syntheses are often tedious and less selective. Here we report the efficient Z -selective metathesis of various terminal acrylates and allyl alcohols, which enables facile and selective construction of high value-added α-oxygenated Z -olefins from readily available feedstock chemicals. These challenging metathesis transformations are enabled by novel cyclometalated Ru-carbene-nitrate complexes bearing bulky-yet-flexible side arms, whose assembly was unlocked by new organometallic syntheses.
America vs Europe and the 2014 Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome Guidelines

In August of 2014, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) published a new guideline for the management of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. With similar timing, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) released new 2014 guidelines on myocardial revascularization, including a brief update on the 2011 European Society of Cardiology guidelines on the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation. We briefly summarize key components of all three of these guideline publications, highlighting differences and concluding that similarities far outweigh differences in the American vs European approach to a patient with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.
Genetics research on braconid wasps

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a report on subsequent braconid research. It includes omissions from the Whiting review as background information. In genetics research Habrobracon and Brucon should be considered synonymous, and as such the wasp has featured in most of the major research areas. Subsequently, emphasis has changed to the study of actual and suspected mutagens in which the haploidy of normal male offspring can be exploited. Furthermore, in females, the seriation of oocytes of known meiotic stages in the four ovarioles plus the visible evidence of vitellogenesis made it possible to distinguish between chemosterilants active in both sexes and antivitellogens effective only in females. In braconids, haploid male and diploid biparental offspring provide experimental evidence of a difference between normal aging and the life-span of irradiated organisms. Wasps show a very low allozyme variation. The other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides are not potent mutagens. Heptachlor results were summarized as an example that induced somatic debility of a fraction of a treated group can alter reproductive performance and life-span.
Lepage-Brodsky approach to semi-leptonic D decay

We consider the decay characteristics of the D0, +-mesons into semi-leptonic channels using the methods of Lepage and Brodsky for high-energy processes in QCD. We find that the recent data from the Mark III Collaboration on\(F_{K^ + } /F_{\pi ^ + } \) and\(F_{K_S - K_L } /F_{K^ + } \) are consistent with the ratio of absolute rates\(\Gamma (D^ + \to \bar e + v_e + X)/\Gamma (D^0 \to \bar e + v_e + X) \simeq 1.5\). HereFA is the electromagnetic form factor of A, A=KS-KL, K+, π+. It follows that the recent Mark III result\(BR(D^ + \to \bar e + v_e + X)/BR(D^0 \to \bar e + v_e + X) \simeq 2.27\) is consistent with the ratio of lifetimes\(\tau _{D^ + } /\tau _{D^0 } \simeq 1.51\). In order to provide a check of our methods, we note that the methods predict the ratio of the longitudinal alignment to the transverse alignment for the produced K*′s in the process\(D \to \bar e + v_e + K*\) to be ∼1/1.46 and 1/1.28 for D+ and D0, respectively. We encourage experimentalists to look for such polarization characteristics. A more stringent check on our work would be a precise set of data on the kaon energy distributions in\(D^0 \to \bar \ell + v_\ell + K^ - \) and in\(D^ + \to \bar \ell + v_\ell + \bar K^0 \), l=e, μ. The comparison between the theory and the limited observations which now exist is not obviously an unacceptable one.
Simplicity Rather Than Knowledge

For minimization of general Boolean structures, brute force is more effective than specialized algorithms that rely on descriptive knowledge.
Effect of Hospitalists on Length of Stay in the Medicare Population: Variation According to Hospital and Patient Characteristics

OBJECTIVES: To assess how shorter length of stay (LOS) associated with hospitalist care than with care by other physicians varied according to patient and hospital characteristics and to explore whether these differences in LOS changed over time in the Medicare population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using data from a 5% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries. SETTING: Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: To examine temporal trends, 1,981,654 Medicare admissions in 2001 to 2006 at 5,036 U.S. hospitals were used. To examine the influence of patient and hospital characteristics, 314,590 admissions in 2006 were used. MEASUREMENTS: Hospital LOS. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses controlling for patient and hospital characteristics, differences in LOS associated with hospitalist care increased from 0.02 fewer days in 2001/02 to 0.22 days in 2003/04 to 0.35 days in 2005/06. For 2006 admissions, differences in LOS were greater in older patients and patients with a higher diagnosis-related group (DRG) weight. The differences were three times as great for medical as for surgical DRGs, with greater differences in LOS at nonprofit than for-profit hospitals and at community than teaching hospitals. CONCLUSION: The shorter LOS associated with hospitalist care would appear to be greatest in older, complicated, nonsurgical patients cared for at community hospitals.
Transforming Raw-Email Data into Social-Network Information

We describe the technical background necessary for working with real-world email data as well as the process of how to transform it into a social-network representation for research purposes. We demonstrate how to use the CEMAP feature in ORA social-network analysis software, which operationalizes the entire process for researchers with, or without, in-depth computer expertise. A detailed example is provided to show the steps involved in the process and to highlight the various add-on features of CEMAP, such as anonymization and removing duplicate emails.
Heme-Oxygenase-1 Expression Correlates with Severity of Acute Cellular Rejection in Lung Transplantation

Abstract Background Heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been shown to play an important role in oxidative stress, and recent studies indicate that it is a graft survival protein in cardiac and liver transplant models. Our laboratory previously found HO-1 to be increased in human lung allografts with acute cellular rejection (ACR) and in active obliterative bronchiolitis. To better understand the role of HO-1 in ACR we studied the relationship between HO-1 expression and ACR in a rodent model of lung transplantation. Study design Orthotopic left lung transplantation was performed from Lewis (donor) to Sprague-Dawley (recipient) rats, and ACR (Grade A0 to A4) was evaluated at days 3, 5, and 7. HO-1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western analysis, and compared with the degree of ACR. Myeloperoxidase staining was evaluated as an indirect measure of oxidant stress. Donors and recipients were also treated with either an inhibitor of HO activity, tin protoporphyrin or an inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin, and the severity of ACR was compared with that in untreated allografts. Results HO-1 expression was elevated in transplanted versus native lungs or isografts, and the degree of elevation was closely correlated with ACR grade (p Conclusions Similar to what occurs in human lung transplantation, HO-1 expression is increased in a rodent lung transplant model of ACR and correlates with the severity of rejection. Altering its expression does not appear to affect the degree of ACR.
Using LDL++ for Spatio-Temporal Reasoning in Atmospheric Science Databases

We describe a system being built at UCLA to support spatio-temporal analysis and queries on very large databases of atmospheric science data. The LDL++ system is integrated into a prototype used for the detection, analysis and visualization of evolving physical phenomena involving massive data sets produced by combined atmospheric and ocean global models. We briefly describe how the architecture of our system is evolving to handle massive data sets, and then we focus on the uses of LDL++ in supporting spatial and temporal reasoning.
Why Is Progress in Acute Myeloid Leukemia So Slow

Therapeutic progress in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally acknowledged to have been slower than that in the other commonly occurring types of leukemia. To a very large extent this reflects a relative lack of understanding of AML "biology" and in particular an inability to identify genetic and/or molecular aberrations not found in normal myeloid precursors ("targets"). Here, however, I also point out that the pace of development/acceptance of new therapies may be retarded by continued adherence to past practices, although these may lack empirical support. Among these practices are reliance on preclinical models that do not accurately represent clinical AML, delay in combining targeted therapies with each other or with "chemotherapy," and limitation of eligibility for clinical trials to patients with relapsed/refractory AML or unfit patients with newly diagnosed disease, and the stereotyped use of single-arm phase II trials followed by very large randomized phase III trials. Finally, I question whether improvement in survival should be the sole or even principal criterion for approval of new drugs in AML.
Double-Outlet Right Ventricle with Transposed Great Arteries and Subpulmonary Ventricular Septal Defect The Taussig-Bing Malformation

The angiocardiographic findings and successful surgical treatment of three patients with double-outlet right ventricle, bilateral conus, transposition of the great arteries, subpulmonary ventricular septal defect, and pulmonary-mitral valve discontinuity are reported. The atria, viscera, and ventricles were normally located, and the aorta originated to the right and anterior to the pulmonary artery. Surgical repair was accomplished by closure of the ventricular septal defect in such a way that left ventricular outflow was routed via a prosthetic tunnel to the pulmonary artery. Then systemic venous return was transposed intra-atrially by the Mustard technique. All patients survived complete repair and have continued to improve over a period ranging from several months to 1 year after operation. In one patient complete heart block developed postoperatively, necessitating the insertion of a permanent electronic pacemaker. Details of the method of repair and preoperative studies are presented.
Effects of Normal Alcohols on Intestinal Absorption of Salicylic Acid, Sulfapyridine, and Prednisolone in Rats

The rates of intestinal absorption of salicylic acid, sulfapyridine, and prednisolone from solutions containing no alcohol or 0.5% ethanol, n‐butanol, or n‐hexanol were determined. At the concentrations used, ethanol did not significantly affect drug absorption. Butanol reduced the rate of absorption of sulfapyridine but did not significantly affect the absorption rates of prednisolone or salicylic acid. Hexanol reduced the rates of absorption of sulfapyridine and salicylic acid and increased the rate of absorption of prednisolone. The absorption‐altering effects of the alcohols were concentration dependent and rapidly reversible. Histological studies indicated that the structure of the epithelium was not altered by the alcohols. While the absorption rate of water from the drug solutions was increased by the alcohols, their absorption‐altering effects could not be attributed solely to increased water flux. In addition, the absorption‐altering effects of the alcohols could not be attributed to formation of drug‐alcohol complexes nor to alcohol‐induced alterations in the extent of binding of the drugs to nondialyzable materials in the intestinal drug solution.
Effects of a partial dopamine D2-like agonist on the cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization of preweanling rats.

Abstract Partial D2-like receptor agonists act as functional antagonists when given during periods of high dopaminergic tone (e.g., when self-administering cocaine or amphetamine). For this reason, we determined whether pretreatment with the partial D2-like agonist terguride would block the induction and/or expression of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in preweanling rats. More specifically, we examined (a) whether repeated administration of terguride alone (0.4–1.6 mg/kg) would support behavioral sensitization (Experiment 1); (b) whether injecting preweanling rats with terguride (0.1–1.6 mg/kg) during the pretreatment phase would block the induction and ultimate expression of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization (Experiment 2); and (c) whether injecting rats with terguride (0.2–0.8 mg/kg) on the test day would block the expression of cocaine sensitization (Experiment 3). Results showed that repeated terguride administration did not induce behavioral sensitization by itself, nor did it block the induction of cocaine sensitization in preweanling rats. Interestingly, terguride reduced, but did not fully attenuate, the locomotor activity of cocaine-treated rats during the pretreatment phase. When given on the test day, terguride also depressed cocaine-induced locomotor activity, but rather than blocking the expression of behavioral sensitization, terguride seemed to cause a general reduction in locomotion. Because partial D2-like agonists attenuate cocaine- and amphetamine-induced reward, it has been proposed that this class of drug might serve as an effective pharmacotherapy for psychostimulant abuse. Although partial D2-like agonists may prove useful in this regard, results from the present study suggest that terguride would not block sensitization components of the addiction process.
Single electrode micro-stimulation of rat auditory cortex: an evaluation of behavioral performance.

A combination of electrophysiological mapping, behavioral analysis and cortical micro-stimulation was used to explore the interrelation between the auditory cortex and behavior in the adult rat. Auditory discriminations were evaluated in eight rats trained to discriminate the presence or absence of a 75 dB pure tone stimulus. A probe trial technique was used to obtain intensity generalization gradients that described response probabilities to mid-level tones between 0 and 75 dB. The same rats were then chronically implanted in the auditory cortex with a 16 or 32 channel tungsten microwire electrode array. Implanted animals were then trained to discriminate the presence of single electrode micro-stimulation of magnitude 90 μA (22.5 nC/phase). Intensity generalization gradients were created to obtain the response probabilities to mid-level current magnitudes ranging from 0 to 90 μA on 36 different electrodes in six of the eight rats. The 50% point (the current level resulting in 50% detections) varied from 16.7 to 69.2 μA, with an overall mean of 42.4 (±8.1) μA across all single electrodes. Cortical micro-stimulation induced sensory-evoked behavior with similar characteristics as normal auditory stimuli. The results highlight the importance of the auditory cortex in a discrimination task and suggest that micro-stimulation of the auditory cortex might be an effective means for a graded information transfer of auditory information directly to the brain as part of a cortical auditory prosthesis.