cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ru-Promoted CO2 activation for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over chromium oxide catalyst

Catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of lower alkanes with CO2 is an attractive alternative for commercialized dehydrogenation processes not only due to its higher thermodynamic limit but also because it could help reduce anthropogenic CO2. Here, we studied the catalytic behavior of a Ru-modified conventional SiO2-supported chromium oxide catalyst and obtained insights into the structure–property relationship for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) with CO2. The catalyst exhibits a volcano-shape propylene production rate trend as Ru loading increases up to 3 wt%. The optimal catalyst with 1 wt% Ru showed a two-fold enhancement in the propylene production rate compared with the unmodified chromium oxide catalyst. We show that a small amount of Ru could help activate CO2 and remove adsorbed H2 on the catalyst surface to shift the equilibrium of the direct dehydrogenation reaction, resulting in an increase in its activity without breaking the C–C bonds. Higher loadings of Ru lead to a decrease in activity and selectivity due to the large amount of adsorbed CO2 that blocks propane adsorption, as well as the high activity of Ru for the reforming reaction of propylene and CO2. This work demonstrates a new modification of the conventional chromium catalyst for the ODP reaction and its effects on catalytic performance.
492 Integration of high dimensional datasets in an immunocompetent mammary mouse model reveals pathways of tolerance and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade

Background Checkpoint inhibitors can induce robust and durable responses in a subset of patients. Extending this benefit to more patients could be facilitated by better understanding of how interacts with immune cells with the tumor microenvironment, which is a critical barrier to control both local and systemic disease. The composition and pattern of the immune infiltrate associates with the likelihood of response to immunotherapy. Inflamed tumors that exhibit a brisk immune cell infiltrate are responsive, while those in which immune cells are completely or partially excluded are not. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is immunosuppressive and associated with the immune excluded phenotype. Methods Using an immune competent mammary tumor derived transplant (mTDT) model recently developed in our lab, exhibits inflamed, excluded or deserts immune infiltrate phenotypes based on localization of CD8 lymphocytes. Using whole transcriptome deep sequencing, cytof, and PET-CT imaging, we evaluated the tumor, microenvironment, and immune pathway activation among immune infiltrate phenotypes. Results Three distinct inflamed tumors phenotypes were identified: ‘classically’ inflamed characterized by pathway evidence of increased CD8+ T cells and decreased PD-L1 expression, inflamed tumors with pathways indicative of neovascularization and STAT3 signaling and reduced T cell mobilization, and an inflamed tumor with increased immunosuppressive myeloid phenotypes. Excluded tumors were characterized by TGFβ gene expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling (e.g. TNFα, IL1β), associated with decreased leukocytes homing and increased immune cell death of cells. We visualized and quantified TGFβ activity using PET-CT imaging of 89Zr-fresolimumab, a TGFβ neutralizing antibody. TGFβ activity was significantly increased in excluded tumors compared to inflamed or desert tumors, which was supported by quantitative pathology (Perkin Elmer) of its canonical signaling target, phosphorylated SMAD2 (pSMAD2). pSMAD2 was positively correlated with PD-L1 expression in the stroma of excluded tumors. In contrast, in inflamed tumors, TGFβ activity positively correlated with increased F4/80 positive macrophages and negatively correlated with expression of PD-L1. CyTOF analysis of tumor and spleen immune phenotypes revealed increased trafficking of myeloid cells in mice bearing inflamed tumors compared to excluded and deserts. Conclusions The immunocompetent mTDT provides a model that bridges the gap between the immune landscape and tumor microenvironment. Integration of these high-dimensional data with further studies of response to immunotherapies will help to identify tumor features that favor response to treatment or the means to convert those that are unresponsive.
New Federalism and Civil Rights Enforcement

Calls for change to the infrastructure of civil rights enforcement have grown more insistent in the past several years, attracting support from a wide range of advocates, scholars, and federal, state, and local officials. Much of the attention has focused on federal-level reforms, including proposals to overrule Supreme Court doctrines that stop many civil rights lawsuits in their tracks. But, as this Article shows, state and local officials share responsibility for the underenforcement of civil rights—and have underappreciated powers to improve the current state of affairs. This Article offers a blueprint for intervention at the state and local level: through state law causes of action for constitutional violations; changes to local budgeting and indemnification practices; and changes to the litigation strategies of government attorneys charged with defending civil rights litigation that take better account of the significant public interest in enforcing constitutional norms. Rather than await federal reforms that may never come, the many state and local officials who have advocated for change can draw on our reform agenda to translate their professed commitments into law and policy.
Tunable topological Hall effects in noncollinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn/Pt bilayers

Noncollinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn has attracted wide interest as it is a candidate for Weyl semimetal. Here, we report the observation of topological Hall like signals in Mn3Sn/Pt bilayers grown on Al2O3(0001). X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy results confirm the high epitaxial quality of the c-axis-oriented Mn3Sn films. The detected topological Hall resistivity shows a broad temperature range from 210 to 365 K by tuning the thickness of Mn3Sn from 3 to 15 nm. Compared with previously reported topological Hall effects in Mn3Sn at temperatures below 50 K, the observed high-temperature topological Hall signal is likely due to the stabilization of topological spin textures enabled by the strong spin–orbit coupling of the Pt overlayer and the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction at the Mn3Sn/Pt interface.
Speaker Introductions at Grand Rounds: Differences in Formality of Address by Gender and Specialty.

Background: Despite increasing representation of women in medicine, gender bias remains pervasive. The authors sought to evaluate speaker introductions by gender in the grand rounds of multiple specialties at a large academic institution to understand the cultural context of this behavior and identify predictors of formality. Materials and Methods: The authors reviewed grand rounds recordings of speakers with doctorates presenting to the departments of family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics at one institution from 2014 to 2019. The primary outcome was whether a speaker's professional title was used as the first form of address. The authors assessed factors correlated with professional introduction using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Speakers were introduced professionally in 346/615 recordings (56.3%). Female introducers were more likely to introduce speakers professionally (odds ratio [OR]: 2.52). A significant interaction existed between speaker gender and home institution: female speakers visiting from an external institution were less likely than male external speakers to be introduced professionally (OR: 0.49), whereas female speakers internal to the institution were more likely to be introduced professionally than male internal speakers (OR: 1.75). Use of professional titles varied by specialty and was higher than average for family medicine (83.2%), surgery (75.8%), and pediatrics (64.0%) and lower for internal medicine (37.5%) and obstetrics and gynecology (50.7%). Conclusions: These findings suggest a complex relationship between gender and formality of introduction that merits further investigation. Understanding differences in culture across specialties is important to inform efforts to promote equity.
Validation of a New Clinical-Genetic Recursive Partitioning Analysis of High-Grade Glioma Using RTOG 0525, 0513 and 0131.

Purpose/objective(s) Despite advances in our understanding/treatment of patients with high grade glioma, the current model for prognostication is based on 40-year-old data. We previously generated a new model incorporating clinical and genetic factors utilizing data from patients treated from 2004-2017. Here we sought to validate our prognostic model within data from prospective trials and compare its accuracy against the original RTOG-RPA. Materials/methods Data from RTOG 0525, RTOG 0513 and RTOG BR-0131 was requested through an NRG Ancillary Project application. Subjects were categorized by both RTOG RPA survival class and our new-RPA survival class. We generated Kaplan-Meier survival curves for classes from each model. To compare the accuracy and heterogeneity of each model, we calculated the mean prediction errors and interquartile ranges (IQR) of overall survival (OS). We then compared the two models for their predictive ability and homogeneity within each survival class. Results 960 patients were included in our validation dataset. Using the validation dataset, Kaplan-Meier survival curves for each terminal class were plotted. Log rank tests demonstrated no significant differences between the predicted and observed survival curves of the new RPA for Class 1 (P = 0.39), Class 2 (P = 0.59), Class 4 (P = 0.75), Class 5 (P = 0.18), Class 6 (P = 0.50), and Class 3/5 (P = 0.12). Mean prediction error of median survival was 4.5 months vs 1.9 months for the RTOG- and new-RPA, respectively. Mean Kaplan-Meier OS IQR was 38.1 months and 17.8 months for the RTOG- and new-RPA, respectively. Conclusion We demonstrated that both the RTOG-RPA and our new-RPA classes maintain their relative prognostic significance. Although both models generate 6 distinct survival classes, in this partial validation our updated model more accurately predicts median survival for each class with significantly greater class homogeneity. Additionally, our proposed model utilizes exclusively objective measures decreasing the risk of inter-observer classification variability. Author disclosure P. Sutera: None. J.C. Flickinger: None. H. Wang: None. D.E. Heron: None.
Spondyloarthropathies: EULAR recommendations reflect advances in imaging.

Substantial advances have been made in the field of imaging in spondyloarthritis, with respect to both the techniques themselves and their applications, but how should clinicians and radiologists make the most of these developments? New recommendations from EULAR could provide valuable guidance.
Function of intromissions on intromission-return latency of female rats during paced sexual behavior

Abstract Yang, L. Y. and L. G. Clemens. Function of intromissions on intromission-return latency of female rats during paced sexual behavior. Physiol Behav 61(6): 889–894, 1997.—The objectives of this study were to examine how multiple intromissions affect the temporal pattern of the female rat's copulatory behavior; in particular, her latency to return to the male following intromission (intromission-return latency, IRL) and if different hormone replacement regimens affect the temporal aspects of female copulatory behavior. Repeated intromissions alone, without ejaculation, often resulted in prolonged IRLs equal to the postejaculatory refractory period (PER). The first prolonged IRL occurred most frequently between the 24th and 44th intromission. The similar pattern of IRLs around the PER and the prolonged IRLs may indicate that the mechanisms mediating the occurrence of the prolonged IRL are similar to those for the PER. One possible function of the prolonged IRLs may be to facilitate the male's ejaculation after the female has received enough vaginocervical stimulation for the induction of the progestational state of pregnancy. Finally, females receiving a single dose of 50 μ g estradiol benzoate (EB) followed by an injection of 0.5 mg progesterone (P) 48 h later showed a significantly longer PER than those receiving 3 daily injections of 0.5 μ g EB followed by an injection of 0.5 mg P 24 h after the last EB injection.
Recent Developments in the Physics and Astrophysics of Black Holes Report of Workshop B1

The rate of development of the theory of black holes has slowed considerably since the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when a number of major breakthroughs occurred. Nevertheless some important progress has been made during the past few years in our understanding of both the theoretical properties of black holes and their role in astrophysics. Much of this progress was reported at the workshop on “Physics and astrophysics of black holes” and abstracts of these contributions appear among “Contributions to Workshop B1” of the first part of the conference proceedings (Bertotti et al., 1983). In this report, I shall mention a number of other significant results which have been obtained recently and I also will discuss some important unresolved issues. My report will be biased in the direction of “theoretical” topics as opposed to “astrophysical” topics since I have followed developments of the former topics much more closely than those of the latter.
A strategy for predicting the ligand binding competence of recombinant orphan nuclear receptors using biophysical characterization

Publisher Summary Nuclear receptors have been historically associated with the steroid hormone receptors, for example, estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors, by virtue of DNA binding domain sequence homology comprising two zinc finger motifs. Many of these are orphan receptors, having no defined ligand. The nuclear receptors present tempting targets in the pursuit of a systems based research approach as so many at present have been cloned. However, when recombinant forms of a receptor are available before its cognate ligand has been identified, confusion arises on weather an orphan receptor is active for use in vitro assays. Researchers now have access to unparalleled amounts of DNA sequence and genetic data. Families of homologous gene products can be studied with the intent of connecting specific proteins to various disease conditions. Specifically, to apply this type of strategy in studies, the problem has been approached with two premises in the chapter. First, the recombinant constructs of orphan nuclear receptors are engineered to contain domains with hypothetical functional homology to receptors with known activities and ligands. In particular, a lot of knowledge has been gained concerning retinoid X receptor a (RXRα) and the domains necessary for DNA binding, retinoid binding, and self/hetero-association. For the purpose of this study, PPARα, PPARδ, PPARγ, RXRα, and LXRα constructs were created to contain the putative ligand binding domains (LBD). The amino acid residues within this conserved contiguous region have been shown to be both necessary and sufficient to demonstrate ligand binding competence for RXRα and other nuclear receptors. Structurally, the LBDs are composed primarily of multiple α-helicies. Second, each nuclear receptor is characterized using a variety of biophysical techniques. This chapter has presented data that suggests that the usefulness of a recombinant protein can be determined before an appropriate ligand is available. These results are an encouraging start in the attempt to predict the binding competency of recombinant orphan nuclear receptors.
Heme Binding by Hemopexin: Evidence for Multiple Modes of Binding and Functional Implications

Hemopexin binds 1 mol of heme per mol with high affinity (Kd < 1 pM) in a low-spin complex and acts as a transport vehicle for the heme. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was used to examine the heme environment in the ferri-, ferro-, and CO-ferro complexes of four iron tetrapyrroles [meso-, proto-, deutero-, and (2-vinyl, 4-hydroxymethyl)-deutero-heme] with three species (human, rabbit, and rat) of hemopexin. All ferri-heme-hemopexin complexes exhibit a band of positive ellipticity near the Soret maximum, except for the human ferri-protoheme hemopexin complex, which has a bisignate spectrum. The ferro-heme and CO-ferro-heme complexes display a variety of spectra, demonstrating redox- and ligand-linked shifts in conformation that alter the environment of the heme. The rabbit mesoheme-N-domain complexes have absorbance spectra almost indistinguishable from those of intact hemopexin, but present CD spectra that are distinctly different. However, adding the C-domain to mesoheme-N-domain restores most of the CD characteristics of the intact hemopexin complexes.
Ocular surface abnormalities related to type 2 diabetes are reversed by the opioid antagonist naltrexone

Background Ocular surface complications of type 2 diabetes are associated with reductions in tear production, increased corneal surface sensitivity, and delayed corneal re-epithelialization. This study examined the efficacy of topical application of the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX) in reversing these diabetic-related ocular surface complications in mice. Methods The genetic db/db mouse model of type 2 diabetes, along with C57Bl/6 wild-type mice were investigated. Tear production was assessed by phenol red impregnated threads, and ocular surface sensitivity was measured using Von Frey filaments. Centrally located, circular corneal abrasions were created in mice and residual epithelial defects measured by fluorescein photography. Animals in each group received topical applications of drops of 10−5 M NTX in sterile Vigamox (Vigamox, Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) or sterile Vigamox alone, and tear production, corneal sensitivity, and reepithelialization were monitored. Results In comparison to diabetic mice receiving vehicle only, db/db mice treated with one drop of NTX demonstrated a marked reversal in dry eye and ocular surface hypersensitivity within 1 h of one drop of NTX. Reversal of the complications in db/db mice usually lasted for 48–90 h. Corneal epithelial repair in db/db mice was enhanced following a regimen of three drops of NTX daily such that by 72 h, residual wounds were one third the size in db/db mice receiving NTX relative to diabetic mice receiving vehicle. Application of Vigamox alone had no effect. No adverse effects of NTX administration were noted in the cornea. Conclusions This is the first report of the efficacy of topical NTX in reversing corneal surface complications in type 2 diabetic mice.
Respiratory Tract Dosimetry of [18]O-Labeled Ozone in Rats: Implications for A Rat-Human Extrapolation of Ozone Dose

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the distribution of O 3 reaction products in vivo following inhalation of [18]O 3 in rats. Results indicate that enrichments in [18]O are detectable in the dried homogenates of the nasopharynx, trachea, and lung following exposure to 1.0 ppm [18]O 3 for 2 hours. Similar enrichments are seen in the lungs of [18]O 3 exposed mice, rats, and rabbits. Although blood is not examined in the present investigation, the results show undetectable enrichments of [18]O in blood following exposure to similar or even higher concentrations of [18]O 3 . A correction that should be made to the [18]O 3 data is for mucociliary clearance. Clearance of [18]O from the nose during the 2 hours [18]O 3 exposure could have led to an underestimation of the fraction of [18]O 3 removed by the nasopharynx. This is addressed by analyzing nasal and lung lavage fluids of rats and humans exposed to [18]O 3 . The sum of the [18]O detected in the nasopharynx, trachea, and lungs of the rat averaged about 100 nmoles, while estimates of the O 3 removed by the rat during exposure averaged 688 nmoles.
A dynamically evolving learning network for intelligent control

A variation on the adaptive learning network (ALN), which is used for dynamic system identification is discussed. The dynamically evolving ALN (DEALN) is self-organizing and operates online to generate a model of a dynamic plant. The network evolves the necessary structure and parameter values to mimic and predict the plant to within a specified tolerance. An intelligent controller can use the DEALN to simulate the plant, perform diagnoses, and plan coarse and fine control strategies. A high-level intelligent planner can also generate and program lower-level control laws to be implemented by the network, much as a human automates a skill. Results of an initial implementation which indicate that an online self-structuring learning network can be developed are presented. >
Adaptive Control of Nonlinear Free Vibration of Shallow Shell Using Piezoelectric Actuators

A coupled structural-electrical nonlinear modal finite-element multiple-mode formulation for laminated composite shallow shells with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators is presented for the suppression of large-amplitude undamped free vibrations. Composite shells exhibiting both softening and hardening behavior are investigated. The linear quadratic regulator combined with an extended Kalman filter is employed as an active controller for the suppression of nonlinear free vibrations. However, when the frequency of limit-cycle oscillations is suddenly changed from the softening to the hardening response characteristics or vice versa, active controller has difficulties to adjust the control parameters to cope with the changed structural response. To mitigate this issue, the currently developed controller is adaptively designed using the system identification which has the ability to identify the frequency of limit-cycle oscillations. It is shown that the adaptive controller constructed of the linear quadratic regulator and extended Kalman filter with system identification is suitable for suppression of the sudden change of shallow-shell response characteristics. The norm of optimal feedback control gain method for actuators and the norm of Kalman filter estimator gain method for sensors are employed to determine their optimal locations, respectively. Two different self-sensing actuator types, PZT5A and macrofiber composite, are used and their control performance for the suppression of the oscillations is compared. The numerical results illustrate that the adaptive controller can successfully suppress the nonlinear free vibrations, even with unknown sudden changes in the multimode response characteristic.
Demystifying the Light Source Experience

How does a synchrotron work? What is an X-ray laser? How can light sources help solve research problems? How do X-rays interact with matter? What is X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS)? Transmission X-ray Microscopy (TXM)? Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)? These may seem like odd questions for scientists who are already familiar with and rely on access to light source techniques and instrumentation as an essential part of their research. However, if you put yourself in the shoes of a new researcher, you would likely ask these same questions and find the whole topic rather mysterious. Recognizing these difficulties, a workshop was developed to lower the activation barrier for researchers wanting to incorporate light source science into their research. The talks were video recorded and are available online as a resource to the community (https://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/slac-conferences/id511971711).
Fragrance material review on 7-nonen-2-ol, 4,8-dimethyl-

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of 7-nonen-2-ol, 4,8-dimethyl- when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented.
Mutations in the S4–H2 loop of eIF4E which increase the affinity for m7GTP

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binds the 5′-cap of eukaryotic mRNAs and overexpression of eIF4E in epithelial cell cancers correlates with the metastases/tissue invasion phenotype. Photolabeling of eIF4E with [γ-32P]8-azidoguanosine 5′-triphosphate (8-N3GTP) demonstrated cross-linking at Lys-119 in the S4–H2 loop which is distant from the m7GTP binding site [Marcotrigiano et al. (1997) Cell 89, 951–961; Friedland et al. (1997) Protein Sci. 6, 125–131]. Modeling studies indicate that 8-N3GTP cross-linked with Lys-119 because it binds a site that is occupied by the second nucleotide of a bound mRNA. Mutagenesis of the S4–H2 loop produced proteins with a 5–10-fold higher affinity for m7GTP than wild-type eIF4E. These mutants of eIF4E may have uses in selectively purifying mRNAs with intact 5′-ends or in determining how the promyelocytic leukemia protein decreases the affinity of eIF4E for mRNA caps.
Estimating the Parameters of a Distributed Lag Model from Cross-Section Data: The Case of Hospital Admissions and Discharges

Abstract It is natural to think of estimating distributed lag models from time series data since it is in time series contexts that such models arise. This article studies the estimation of rational distributed lags in the context of hospital admissions and discharges where a relevant body of cross-section data exists in the form of lengths-of-stay and appears to be more appropriate for this purpose than do the available time series data. The cross-section approach presumably has applications in many situations in which length-of-stay in the system or its counterpart can be observed.
From fast exponentiation to square matrices: an adventure in types

Square matrices serve as an interesting case study in functional programming. Common representations, such as lists of lists, are both inefficient---at least for access to individual elements---and error-prone, because the compiler cannot enforce "squareness". Switching to a typical balanced-tree representation solves the first problem, but not the second. We develop a representation that solves both problems: it offers logarithmic access to each individual element and it captures the shape invariants in the type, where they can be checked by the compiler. One interesting feature of our solution is that it translates the well-known fast exponentiation algorithm to the level of types. Our implementation also provides a stress test for today's advanced type systems---it uses nested types, polymorphic recursion, higher-order kinds, and rank-2 polymorphism.
Quest for a reliable, valid, and sensitive in situ hybridization procedure to detect viral nucleic acids in the central nervous system.

In situ hybridization (ISH) to detect and to quantitate viral nucleic acid sequences in cryopreserved central nervous system (CNS) tissue is a reliable, valid and sensitive molecular technique. On the other hand, utilization of formaldehyde fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue to improve cytomorphology requires fundamental changes in the procedure since it is necessary to cleave the elaborate protein network cross-linked by formaldehyde using elevated concentration of proteinases in order to permit diffusion of complementary DNA probes to the targets (genomic viral nucleic acid sequences and/or viral mRNA). Adversely, this procedure hydrolized the proteinaceous glues generally used to fix tissue to glass slides resulting in loss of tissue sections during the ISH protocol. This report describes the application of a novel procedure utilizing a silano-organic compound to covalently bond to glass slides FFPE sections as well as cryopreserved tissue sections and cultured cells with and without virus infections. This covalent bonding procedure has permitted optimization of the ISH procedure for virus detection and quantification, especially for exploratory studies of specificity and wash stringency in relation to the Tm of the hybridized product. Progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (PML) caused by an opportunistic papovavirus (JC) was chosen because of the ready availability of tissue, stability of papovavirus nucleic acids, and specificity of3H-and35S-radiolabeled JC cloned DNA probes. Further, this laboratory is utilizing the optimized sensitive procedure to search for several virus etiologies in human diseases such as multiple sclerosis, temporal lobe epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease, as well as normal aging. Fanally, the procedure permits study of 100% of thin serial sections; hence, alternate sections can be hybridized with sense and antisense riboprobes to detect viral genome and its mRNA or stained, immunocytochemically, to detect viral proteins. Accordingly, it is anticipated that the mechanism of persistent CNS viral infections will be deciphered, at least in part by advances in cytological molecular hybridization.
Effects of homologous and heterologous immunization on the reservoir competence of domestic dogs for Rickettsia conorii (israelensis).

A number of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae cause serious infections in humans. Several antigenically related rickettsial agents may coexist within the same geographical area, and humans or vertebrate hosts may be sequentially exposed to multiple SFG agents. We assessed whether exposure of a vertebrate reservoir to one SFG Rickettsia will affect the host's immune response to a related pathogen and the efficiency of transmission to uninfected ticks. Two pairs of dogs were each infected with either Rickettsia massiliae or Rickettsia conorii israelensis, and their immune response was monitored twice weekly by IFA. The four immunized dogs and a pair of naive dogs were each challenged with R. conorii israelensis-infected Rhipicephalus sanguineus nymphs. Uninfected Rh. sanguineus larvae were acquisition-fed on the dogs on days 1, 7, and 14 post-challenge. These ticks were tested for the presence of rickettsial DNA after molting to the nymphal stage. The naive dogs became infected with R. conorii israelensis and were infectious to ticks for at least 3 weeks, whereas reservoir competence of dogs previously infected with either R. massiliae or R. conorii was significantly diminished. This opens an opportunity for decreasing the efficiency of transmission and propagation of pathogenic Rickettsia in natural foci by immunizing the primary hosts with closely related nonpathogenic SFG bacteria. However, neither homologous immunization nor cross-immunization significantly affected the efficiency of R. conorii transmission between cofeeding infected nymphs and uninfected larvae. At high densities of ticks, the efficiency of cofeeding transmission may be sufficient for yearly amplification and persistent circulation of a rickettsial pathogen in the vector population.
Comparison of ethanol locomotor sensitization in adolescent and adult DBA/2J mice

Rationale The mammalian adolescent period is characterized by enhanced vulnerability to drug-induced neuroadaptations. Epidemiological evidence indicates that individuals who start drinking alcohol during adolescence are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence in adulthood, but little is known about the adaptive mechanism(s) that may underlie this observation. Behavioral sensitization in rodents is a model of neurobehavioral plasticity that occurs following repeated drug exposure and may underlie components of addiction.
Depressive symptomatology in learning‐disabled and nonlearning‐disabled students

The present study examined the level of depressive symptomatology in a sample of 100 learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Depressive symptomatology was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). In addition, students were rated by their classroom teachers on behaviors related to depression based on the DSM-III criteria. It was found that students identified as learning disabled obtained significantly higher scores on the CDI and the behavior rating scale than did children in the regular education classroom. There were no significant differences among grade levels for CDI scores, but a trend was noted. A significant difference was found among grade levels for the behavior rating scale scores. There was a significant positive correlation between CDI scores and teacher ratings of depressive characteristics.
Vitreous penetration of orally administered valacyclovir.

Purpose To determine the vitreous penetration of penciclovir (Denavir; GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) after oral administration of the prodrug famciclovir (Famvir; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA). Design Prospective interventional case series. Methods Ten patients undergoing elective pars plana vitrectomy at a single institution were enrolled to take 3 oral doses of famciclovir 500 mg the day preceding surgery and a fourth dose on the morning of surgery. Blood and undiluted vitreous samples were acquired from each patient during surgery. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the concentration of penciclovir in each sample. Exclusion criteria included prior vitrectomy, compromised blood-retina barrier, renal or hepatic disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, bone marrow or renal transplantation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, history of adverse reaction or allergy to famciclovir or penciclovir, and antiviral, probenecid, or cimetidine use within 1 month of surgery. Results Ten eyes of 10 patients ranging in age from 26 to 82 were included. All patients had normal renal and hepatic function as determined by history and laboratory values. Mean serum penciclovir concentration ± standard deviation was 4.45 ± 1.31 μg/ml (range, 2.51 to 6.34 μg/ml). Mean vitreous penciclovir concentration was 1.21 ± 0.38 μg/ml (range, 0.39 to 1.88 μg/ml). Mean vitreous-to-serum concentration ratio of penciclovir was 0.28 ± 0.09 (range, 0.16 to 0.41). Conclusions Oral administration of famciclovir results in vitreous concentrations of penciclovir within the inhibitory ranges for herpes simplex 1, herpes simplex 2, and varicella zoster virus. Oral famciclovir may be a reasonable alternative to intravenous acyclovir (Zovirax; GlaxoSmithKline) in the treatment of acute retinal necrosis, especially in cases of acyclovir resistance or patient inability to tolerate prolonged intravenous treatment.
Mammalian biostratigraphy, geochronology, and zoogeographic relationships of the Late Miocene Maragheh fauna, Iran

ABSTRACT The classical Late Miocene Maragheh fauna has been collected and studied sporadically for nearly 150 years. This study gives a comprehensive account of the entire mammalian fauna recovered at Maragheh to date and its biostratigraphic, biogeographic and geochronologic contexts. The sequence is divided into Lower, Middle and Upper biostratigraphic intervals, ranging fRom ca. 9.5 my to 7 my in age, based on the first appearance of a potential evolutionary series of hipparionine horses: “Hip-parion” gettyi, Hipparion prostylum, and Hipparion campbelli. Stratigraphical ranges of individual mammalian species are given, and biostratigraphic intervals are characterized. A comprehensive zoogeographic analysis of the entire Maragheh mammalian fauna shows its relationships with late Miocene–early Pliocene “savanna-mosaic” assemblages of Eurasia and Africa. It has been found that the Maragheh genera which have the broadest geographic distribution were part of a late early Miocene pan-Eurasian and African dis...
Statistical self‐similarity of hotspot seamount volumes modeled as self‐similar criticality

The processes responsible for hotspot seamount formation are complex, yet the cumulative frequency-volume distribution of hotspot seamounts in the Easter Island/Salas y Gomez Chain (ESC) is found to be well-described by an upper-truncated power law. We develop a model for hotspot seamount formation where uniform energy input produces events initiated on a self-similar distribution of critical cells. We call this model Self-Similar Criticality (SSC). By allowing the spatial distribution of magma migration to be self-similar, the SSC model recreates the observed ESC seamount volume distribution. The SSC model may have broad applicability to other natural systems.
World Christianity and Postcolonial Mission: A Path Forward for the Twenty-first Century:

In this article, I first interrogate the in vogue yet ambiguous term “world Christianity.” After assessing alternate nomenclature, I make the case for why “world Christianity” best represents this emerging discipline. Second, I examine two pathways that world Christianity carves out for postcolonial mission in the twenty-first century. While one trajectory falls backward reclaiming and reconfiguring past objectives of evangelization for Christ, the other launches forward engendering dynamic visions of mission made possible by trinitarian reflection. Third, I suggest postcolonial mission is an area of contestation but also negotiation; where these movements intersect paves a way forward for mission thinking and practice. I conclude by reflecting on emerging missiological challenges as these collectives seek to be collaborative and fruitful instruments of God's presence in the world.
A prospective randomized comparison of the accuracy of computer-assisted versus GUSTO nomogram-directed heparin therapy

Failure to adequately anticoagulate the blood of patients receiving recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) leads to greater rates of rethrombosis. In a multicentered, randomized trial in 51 patients we compared the ability to achieve and maintain therapeutic anticoagulation by use of computer-assisted heparin therapy or the GUSTO (Global Utilization of Streptokinase and TPA for Occluded Coronary Arteries) heparin nomogram guidelines in patients with myocardial infarction treated with recombinant TPA. Heparin therapy was initiated with either computer-generated starting doses or GUSTO guideline starting doses. Activated partial thromboplastin times were measured every 6 to 8 hours for the first 24 hours. The therapeutic range used in this trial was 1.5 to 2.5 times the patient's baseline activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Ninety-four percent of the APTT ratios in the computer group were equal to or greater than 1.5 in the first 24 hours compared with 78% in the GUSTO group (p < 0.009). No significant difference in bleeding was found (7.7% for GUSTO; 4.2% for computer). Incremental time-dependent changes in heparin dose were found (day 1, 1110 +/- 243 units/hr, APTT ratio = 2.5 +/- 1.4; day 3, 1380 +/- 374 units/hr, APTT ratio, 1.9 +/- 0.4). Computer-assisted heparin therapy TPA results in superior anticoagulation accuracy compared with the GUSTO guidelines. In addition, the pharmacodynamic response to heparin changes in the 2 to 3 days after administration of TPA, leading to greater heparin requirements.
MicroRNA-208a increases myocardial fibrosis via endoglin in volume overload heart

Aim: MicroRNA-208a (mir-208a) is essential for cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Endoglin, a co-receptor of transforming growth factor-b is also essential for cardiac fibrosis. Endoglin has been shown to be a target of mir-208a in the in vitro mechanical stress model. Volume overload can lead to heart failure and cardiac fibrosis. The role of mir-208a and endoglin in volume overload heart failure is not well known. We sought to investigate the mechanism of regulation of mir-208a and endoglin in volume overload-induced heart failure. Methods: Aorto-Caval (AV) shunt was performed in adult Sprague-Dawley rats to induce volume overload. Echocardiography was used to measure heart size. TaqMan® MicroRNA real-time quantitative assay was used to quantitate mir-208a. Myocardial fibrosis was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: Heart weight and heart weight/body weight ratio significantly increased in AV shunt animals. AV shunt significantly increased left ventricular end-diastolic dimension as compared to sham group. Mir-208a was significantly induced by AV shunt from 3 to 14 days. Endoglin, myosin heavy chain-b and brain natriuretic peptide were significantly induced by AV shunt from 3 to 14 days. Overexpression of mir-208a in the sham group without AV shunt significantly increased endoglin expression similar to the AV shunt group. Antomir-208a attenuated the endoglin expression induced by AV shunt. Pretreatment with atorvastatin also attenuated the endoglin expression induced by AV shunt. AV shunt significantly increased myocardial fibrosis as compared to sham group. Overexpression of mir-208a in the sham group significantly increased myocardial fibrosis. Antagomir-208a and atorvastatin significantly attenuated the myocardial fibrosis induced by AV shunt. Conclusions: Mir-208a increased endoglin expression to induce myocardial fibrosis in volume overloaded heart failure. Treatment with atorvastatin can attenuate the myocardial fibrosis induced by volume overload through inhibition of endoglin expression.
An analysis of classic arguments against changing sexist language

Synopsis Proposals for changing sexist language, while having an increasing impact on patterns of language usage in America, have also continuously been argued against in the media and in academia during the 1970s. The proposals for eliminating the usage of masculine terms as ‘generics’ have received the most criticism. In this paper, the various arguments that have been presented for retaining masculine/generic usage are illustrated and analyzed. The arguments are classified as follows: (1) the ‘cross-cultural’ arguments; (2) the ‘language is a trivial concern’ arguments; (3) the ‘freedom of speech,/unjustified coercion’ arguments; (4) the ‘sexist language is not sexist’ arguments; (5) the ‘word-etymology’ arguments; (6) the ‘appeal to authority’ arguments; (7) the `change is too difficult, inconvenient, impractical or whatever' arguments; and (8) the 'it would destroy historical authenticity and literary works' arguments. The arguments have typically been overlaid with ridicule and hostility towards feminists.
Inversion of tantalum micromechanical powder consolidation and sintering models using bayesian inference and genetic algorithms

A Bayesian enhanced genetic algorithm (GA) addresses the inverse and ill-posed problem of optimizing the 19 parameters of micromechanical powder densification models for tantalum using limited and uncertain data sets that leave the optimization problem underdetermined. Additionally, the posterior probability density evolved by the GA provides a parameter sensitivity analysis as well as a guide to experimental design which significantly assists in the development of accurate models with a minimum of experimentation.
Microstructure, renormalization, and more efficient vortex methods

The small-scale structure of the flow produced by vortex methods is discussed, and contrasted with the small-scale structure produced by grid methods. Particular attention is paid to the proliferation of vortex hairpins in three dimensions; its origin is analyzed, a statistical description is given, and methods for harmlessly deleting unneeded hairpins are suggested. These methods involve renormalization-group ideas and an expansion in powers of a vortex fugacity. In both theory and applications, magnet variables play a major role.
The lognormality of university endowment in the far future and its implications

Abstract Spending a fixed fraction of endowment, under plausible assumptions about returns, produces endowment levels in the far future that are lognormally distributed. Mean and median endowment diverge. Furthermore, the spending fraction that causes mean endowment to grow at any given target rate exceeds the fraction that causes median endowment to grow at that rate. Which fraction should be chosen? The latter. If any larger fraction is chosen, in the long-run the probability approaches one that endowment will fail to grow at the target rate.
Turnout around the globe: The influence of electoral institutions on national voter participation, 1972–2000

Abstract Democratic theory suggests that a nation's electoral system should influence the level of voter turnout. However, the empirical evidence for this relationship is mixed. These weak findings are partially due to insufficient attention to measurement and sampling issues. Concerning measurement, many studies examine the percent of registered citizens that turn out to vote, a measure that unnecessarily distorts the effect of electoral system. Concerning samples, electoral systems will have a larger impact on turnout in more fully democratic countries, given that the vote itself is more meaningful in a full democracy. Taking into account these distinctions, electoral systems in fact have a strongly significant effect on turnout in fully democratic countries, while having relatively little effect in partially democratic countries.
Do Men Need Empowering Too? A Systematic Review of Entrepreneurial Education and Microenterprise Development on Health Disparities among Inner-City Black Male Youth

Economic strengthening through entrepreneurial and microenterprise development has been shown to mitigate poverty-based health disparities in developing countries. Yet, little is known regarding the impact of similar approaches on disadvantaged U.S. populations, particularly inner-city African-American male youth disproportionately affected by poverty, unemployment, and adverse health outcomes. A systematic literature review was conducted to guide programming and research in this area. Eligible studies were those published in English from 2003 to 2014 which evaluated an entrepreneurial and microenterprise initiative targeting inner-city youth, aged 15 to 24, and which did not exclude male participants. Peer-reviewed publications were identified from two electronic bibliographic databases. A manual search was conducted among web-based gray literature and registered trials not yet published. Among the 26 papers retrieved for review, six met the inclusion criteria and were retained for analysis. None of the 16 registered microenterprise trials were being conducted among disadvantaged populations in the U.S. The available literature suggests that entrepreneurial and microenterprise programs can positively impact youth’s economic and psychosocial functioning and result in healthier decision-making. Young black men specifically benefited from increased autonomy, engagement, and risk avoidance. However, such programs are vastly underutilized among U.S. minority youth, and the current evidence is insufficiently descriptive or rigorous to draw definitive conclusions. Many programs described challenges in securing adequate resources, recruiting minority male youth, and sustaining community buy-in. There is an urgent need to increase implementation and evaluation efforts, using innovative and rigorous designs, to improve the low status of greater numbers of African-American male youth.