cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 and the 2020 US Presidential Election: Did the Pandemic Cost Donald Trump Reelection? (preprint)

By Election Day 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had killed 234,244 Americans and caused the sharpest macroeconomic downturn in US history. Regression analysis shows that in a "no pandemic" counterfactual or a counterfactual in which the severity of the pandemic was mitigated by 30 percent, Donald Trump would have lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote. In the 20 percent mitigation scenario, the electoral vote would have been tied, giving Trump a presumptive victory in the House of Representatives. For the second time in a row (and the third time since 2000), the candidate who lost the popular vote would have been elected president of the United States.
The Effect of Practice on Variability in Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Multidimensional Analysis

Purpose Variability has been interpreted in differing ways according to context (e.g., development, speech impairment, and learning). A challenge arises when interpreting variability in the context of learning for children with speech impairment characterized by high movement variability, as in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The objective of this study is to investigate changes in variability in CAS with practice in comparison to patterns seen in children with non-CAS speech sound disorders (SSD) and typical development. Method Speech production variability was examined in 24 children (5-6 years of age) with CAS, non-CAS SSD, and typical development in production of nonwords of varied motoric complexity. Multidimensional analyses were performed using measures of token-to-token speech consistency (percent word consistency), acoustic variability (acoustic spatiotemporal index), and movement variability (lip aperture spatiotemporal index). Changes in variability were examined in each group of children by comparing the first half to the last half of nonword tokens in the same data collection session. The impact of token complexity on practice effects was also explored across groups of children. Results All children displayed increased speech consistency within this practice period (p = .01). Only children with CAS displayed increased movement variability following practice (p = .01). Differences in acoustic and kinematic variability were observed across complexity levels in all groups, though these did not interact with practice effects. Discussion These findings suggest that increased movement variability in children with CAS might be facilitating perceptual consistency. It is believed that this finding reflects an inefficient strategy adapted by children with CAS in the absence of motor-based cueing and feedback to guide speech performance with practice.
Palliative care for patients undergoing stem cell transplant: intervention components and supportive care measures.

An inpatient palliative care intervention during HCT led to improvement in patient QOL and mood. We sought to describe components of the intervention, investigate differences in supportive care practices by treatment arm, and explore whether these differences mediated the impact of the intervention on patient QOL and mood. We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized trial investigating inpatient palliative care integrated with transplant care versus standard transplant care for HCT recipients. Palliative care clinicians completed weekly surveys to describe topics addressed during visits. We extracted use of supportive care medications from the medical record. Participants completed QOL and mood assessments at baseline and two weeks post-HCT. Causal mediation assessed whether differences in supportive care practices mediated the impact of the intervention on patient-reported outcomes. A total of 160 HCT recipients participated. Palliative care visits most frequently focused on managing symptoms and coping with HCT. Patients randomized to the intervention were more likely to use Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) (32.1% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.02) and atypical antipsychotics (35.8% vs. 17.7%, p = 0.01). Neither PCA nor atypical antipsychotics mediated the effect of the intervention on patient-reported outcomes. Future work to explore mechanisms by which the palliative care intervention improves QOL and mood is needed.
A case of 55 years of servitisation in the frozen concentrated orange juice industry

Although the term servitisation was coined in the late 1980s, this paper identifies and investigates a case that has been practiced in Brazil since 1963 by a capital goods manufacturer, which is focused on supplying machines and services to largest producers of frozen concentrated orange juice in country. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the main characteristics of this case. Methodology used corresponds to an exploratory and in-depth case study conducted from supplier company perspective, but also by investigating its main customer company (dual approach). Data obtained were described and analysed using a framework designed for this purpose that is based on three classic publications on the subject. Results demonstrate a case of extreme servitisation, even for standards considered in present literature.
Phenytoin Pharmacokinetics During Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Plasma Exchange

Currently, there is minimal guidance to antiepileptic dose adjustment for a patient requiring either venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or plasma exchange (PLEX) therapy, and to our knowledge, there are rare guidances for a patient requiring both. Given the dangers with non-therapeutic concentrations of phenytoin, it is critical for the intensive care unit (ICU) practitioner to understand how the pharmacokinetic parameters of phenytoin change in critically ill patients requiring extracorporeal support. This case study presents a 41-year-old female transferred to the cardiovascular ICU requiring VA ECMO and PLEX for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-induced catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS). Free phenytoin concentrations were measured to assess the removal of phenytoin. There was no significant decrease in the free phenytoin concentrations post-PLEX and while on ECMO. Free phenytoin concentrations are not influenced in the setting of PLEX and while on ECMO.
Molecular Characterization of Laboratory Mutants of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum Resistant to Prothioconazole, a Demethylation Inhibitor (DMI) Fungicide.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) is the causal agent of Fusarium wilt in watermelon, an international growth-limiting pathogen of watermelon cultivation. A single demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide, prothioconazole, is registered to control this pathogen, so the risk of resistance arising in the field is high. To determine and predict the mechanism by which FON could develop resistance to prothioconazole, FON isolates were mutagenized using UV irradiation and subsequent fungicide exposure to create artificially resistant mutants. Isolates were then put into three groups based on the EC50 values: sensitive, intermediately resistant, and highly resistant. The mean EC50 values were 4.98 µg/mL for the sensitive, 31.77 µg/mL for the intermediately resistant, and 108.33 µg/mL for the highly resistant isolates. Isolates were then sequenced and analyzed for differences in both the coding and promoter regions. Two mutations were found that conferred amino acid changes in the target gene, CYP51A, in both intermediately and highly resistant mutants. An expression analysis for the gene CYP51A also showed a significant increase in the expression of the highly resistant mutants compared to the sensitive controls. In this study, we were able to identify two potential mechanisms of resistance to the DMI fungicide prothioconazole in FON isolates: gene overexpression and multiple point mutations. This research should expedite growers’ and researchers’ ability to detect and manage fungicide-resistant phytopathogens.
System Inference Via Field Inversion for the Spatio-Temporal Progression of Infectious Diseases: Studies of COVID-19 in Michigan and Mexico.

We present an approach to studying and predicting the spatio-temporal progression of infectious diseases. We treat the problem by adopting a partial differential equation (PDE) version of the Susceptible, Infected, Recovered, Deceased (SIRD) compartmental model of epidemiology, which is achieved by replacing compartmental populations by their densities. Building on our recent work (Computat Mech 66:1177, 2020), we replace our earlier use of global polynomial basis functions with those having local support, as epitomized in the finite element method, for the spatial representation of the SIRD parameters. The time dependence is treated by inferring constant parameters over time intervals that coincide with the time step in semi-discrete numerical implementations. In combination, this amounts to a scheme of field inversion of the SIRD parameters over each time step. Applied to data over ten months of 2020 for the pandemic in the US state of Michigan and to all of Mexico, our system inference via field inversion infers spatio-temporally varying PDE SIRD parameters that replicate the progression of the pandemic with high accuracy. It also produces accurate predictions, when compared against data, for a three week period into 2021. Of note is the insight that is suggested on the spatio-temporal variation of infection, recovery and death rates, as well as patterns of the population's mobility revealed by diffusivities of the compartments. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11831-021-09643-1.
Salivary duct carcinoma. Part I. A clinicopathologic evaluation and DNA image analysis of 13 cases with review of the literature

Salivary duct carcinoma is an uncommon and relatively unknown clinically aggressive adenocarcinoma of salivary origin that histologically demonstrates a remarkable resemblance to invasive carcinoma of the breast. We report the clinicopathologic features of 13 cases that were also examined by image analysis for DNA ploidy. The results were then analyzed collectively with the less than 100 cases of salivary duct carcinoma reported in the English-language literature to define the characteristics of this unusual neoplasm. The 12 men and one woman averaged 68 years of age (range, 49 to 90 years). All tumors arose in the parotid (10 cases) or submandibular glands (three cases). Nine tumors were aneuploid, three diploid, and one was indeterminate because of insufficient tissue. Follow-up (median, 24 months) was available in 12 cases: three patients died of disease, six were alive without disease, and three died of other causes. Combining our cases with those in the literature, a total of 104 cases, confirms that salivary duct carcinoma is a highly malignant neoplasm with distinctive clinical and pathologic features. It arises almost exclusively in the major salivary glands (96% of cases), is three times more common in men, and usually occurs in patients over 50 years of age (range, 22 to 91 years). One-third of patients experience local recurrences, 59% develop positive regional lymph nodes, 46% have systemic metastases (lungs and bones), and 65% die of their disease, usually within 4 years of diagnosis. Determination of tumor ploidy has no prognostic significance. The presence of distant metastasis was the only clinicopathologic feature that was statistically associated with prognosis (p = 0.02); all patients with systemic metastasis died of disease.
Distance education and its impact on computer engineering laboratories

As technology has evolved with the rapid growth of the Internet, it is only natural that the standard computer engineering curriculum must also adapt and change as well. As a result of this new technology and proliferation of Internet access to the general public, there have been strong pushes to disseminate knowledge using these new technologies. However, delivering the hands-on laboratories normally associated with computer engineering is a nontrivial task. This paper investigates the difficulties and potential solutions for providing high quality laboratories through distance education. The paper also investigates a case study in adapting a computer engineering laboratory for distance education.
Shared leadership in teams: A matter of distribution.

Shared leadership is an emergent team process defined by the distribution of leadership functions among multiple team members. Past empirical research on shared leadership has operationalized it as the overall quantity of leadership in the team, neglecting the essence of the conceptual definition – the distribution of leadership. In order to align the conceptual definition with an operational one, we examined shared leadership as network centralization using social network analysis. Using this operational definition, shared leadership was positively related to team performance. Additionally, longitudinal analyses revealed that shared leadership increased over time and was differentially related to antecedents of trust and team collectivism.
Uncertainty and variability of infiltration at Yucca Mountain: Part 1. Numerical model development

[1] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigated climate and infiltration at Yucca Mountain to (i) understand important controls and uncertainties influencing percolation through the unsaturated zone on multimillennial time scales and (ii) provide flux boundary conditions for up to 1 million years in performance assessment models of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. This first part of a two-part series describes a procedure for abstracting the results from detailed numerical simulations of local-scale infiltration into a site-scale model considering uncertainty and variability in distributed net infiltration. Part 2 describes site-scale model results and corroboration. A detailed one-dimensional numerical model was used to estimate bare-soil net infiltration at the scales of hours and meters for 442 soil, bedrock, and climate combinations. The set of results are abstracted into three parametric response functions for decadal-average bare-soil infiltration given hydraulic and climatic parameters. The three abstractions describe deep soil, shallow soil over a coarser layer, and shallow soil over a finer layer. The site-scale model considers spatial variability and uncertainty of the input parameters on a 30 m grid, using the abstractions independently in each cell. Two additional abstractions account for overland flow and vegetation. The model uses Monte Carlo simulation, with all input parameters uncertain and spatially variable, to calculate the mean and standard deviation of net infiltration in each grid cell for selected climate states. Using abstractions rather than detailed simulations speeds calculation of infiltration realizations by many orders of magnitude relative to a detailed simulation.
Employee Stock Ownership Plans, Common Stock Wealth Effects and Stock Price Variability

The objective of this paper is to document the impact of several types of ESOP announcements on shareholder wealth. The market welcomes the news of initiation ESOPs, nonleveraged ESOPs and ESOPs implemented by firms with B‐BAA Moody's bond rating. However, the market indifferently responds to announcements of expansion ESOPs, leveraged ESOPs and ESOPs adopted by firms with A‐AAA Moody's bond rating. Announcements of nonleveraged ESOPs, expansion ESOPs and B‐BAA rating ESOPs are found to be associated with some resolution of asymmetric information.
Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to conidial antigens of Pyricularia grisea

Abstract Xia, J. Q., Lee, F. N., Kim, K. S., and Spiegel, F. W. 1993. Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to conidial antigens of Pyricularia grisea. Experimental Mycology 17, 170-181. Several monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) prepared against crushed conidia of Pyricularia grisea Sacc. Race IB-49 were characterized by using various immunological analyses. The epitope recognized by MAb 4G11 was present in conidia at high density, in hyphae at low density, and absent in liquid culture medium. MAb 11C6 reacted strongly with hyphae and weakly with conidial antigens. In Western blot analysis, MAb 4G11 bound two major proteins, a 63-kDa protein in crushed conidial suspensions and a 20-kDa protein in saline mycelial washings. Both proteins were present in sonicated mycelial suspensions. The MAb 4G11 also recognized several minor proteins from saline conidial washings with Mr ranging between 23 and 31 kDa. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated binding of MAb 4G11 to the cytoplasm of conidial cells and the walls of hyphae. It is hypothesized that the 63-kDa protein was synthesized in the fungal cytoplasm and then excreted as a smaller polypeptide. The epitopes recognized by MAbs 8H1 and 3E4 were located mainly in conidial cytoplasm and expressed on the surfaces of growing points of germ tubes, whereas the epitope to MAb 11C6 was present in both the cell wall and the cytoplasm of hyphae and conidia.
Straightforward and efficient oxidation of tris(aryloxide) and tris(amide) uranium(III) complexes using copper(I) halide reagents

Abstract Reaction of the trivalent uranium complex U(O-2,6-tBu2C6H3)3(THF) (4) with copper(I) iodide affords the corresponding uranium(IV) mixed iodide–aryloxide complex (I)U(O-2,6-tBu2C6H3)3(THF) (5). The oxidative functionalization protocol can also be extended to the synthesis of (Cl)U[N(SiMe3)2]3 (7) from the reaction of the tris(amide) uranium(III) complex U[N(SiMe3)2]3 (6) with copper(I) chloride. These represent the first examples of Cu-based oxidative functionalization of simple trivalent uranium coordination complexes supported by non-metallocene ligand frameworks. With several advantages over existing oxidation methods for uranium tris(aryloxide) and tris(amide) complexes, this Cu-based procedure promises to be a useful and versatile synthetic protocol for uranium chemistry. The X-ray crystal structure of (I)U(O-2,6-tBu2C6H3)3(THF) (5) is also reported and represents a rare example of a structurally characterized 5-coordinate uranium aryloxide complex. In the solid-state, complex 5 adopts a distorted square pyramidal geometry about the uranium atom, with the iodide ligand occupying the axial position and the THF and three 2,6-di-tert-butylphenoxide ligands occupying the sites of the square pyramid base.
APPRISE Oncology Program for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents

The FDA recently announced an oncology-specific Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents prescribed under approved indications: The APPRISE program.
Fabrication and characterization of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as a biosensor platform for hypoglycemia

This paper proposes a biosensor platform based on vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) for selective and sensitive detection of low levels of glucose to monitor the risks of hypoglycemia. Two enzymes, horseradish peroxidase and glucose oxidase, are co-immobilized on the nanofiber electrodes to make an electrochemical amperometric bienzymatic glucose biosensor. Experimental results indicate that the biosensor can detect glucose at the hypoglycemia levels (below 3.88 mM or 70 mg/dL).
First, Lead Yourself

“Leaders usually know the correct way to lead others, so why don't they do it?” Richard L. Daft asks. Too often, Daft says, leaders focus on getting the best out of other people, without the necessary preparation, because “the first job of leadership is often getting the best out of yourself.” Personal mastery is essential, yet difficult to achieve. Why do we find it so difficult to lead ourselves and what steps can we take to achieve this difficult task? Daft offers new and insightful answers to these questions.
Plasma carnitine levels in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome

Background: Antenatal carnitine administration has been shown to induce fetal lung maturity by increasing pulmonary surfactant in animal and human studies. In this study, the aim was to investigate the status of carnitine in maternal and neonatal plasma of preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in the first hours of life. Methods: Maternal plasma carnitine levels were determined before delivery and neonatal plasma carnitine levels were determined within 2 h of birth in preterm infants (< 34 weeks gestational age) who developed RDS in the first 6 h of life and in the control group. Results: The mean neonatal plasma free carnitine level was significantly lower in preterm infants with RDS than in the control group (28.3 ± 8.8 µmol/L and 36.9 ± 18.4 µmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05) while the mean maternal plasma-free carnitine levels were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Low neonatal plasma carnitine levels in preterm infants with RDS may be due to decreased maternal–fetal transfer of carnitine or to increased consumption of carnitine in fetal lung tissue for surfactant synthesis. This could be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants.
Spectrotemporal processing in spectral tuning modules of cat primary auditory cortex.

Spectral integration properties show topographical order in cat primary auditory cortex (AI). Along the iso-frequency domain, regions with predominantly narrowly tuned (NT) neurons are segregated from regions with more broadly tuned (BT) neurons, forming distinct processing modules. Despite their prominent spatial segregation, spectrotemporal processing has not been compared for these regions. We identified these NT and BT regions with broad-band ripple stimuli and characterized processing differences between them using both spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRFs) and nonlinear stimulus/firing rate transformations. The durations of STRF excitatory and inhibitory subfields were shorter and the best temporal modulation frequencies were higher for BT neurons than for NT neurons. For NT neurons, the bandwidth of excitatory and inhibitory subfields was matched, whereas for BT neurons it was not. Phase locking and feature selectivity were higher for NT neurons. Properties of the nonlinearities showed only slight differences across the bandwidth modules. These results indicate fundamental differences in spectrotemporal preferences - and thus distinct physiological functions - for neurons in BT and NT spectral integration modules. However, some global processing aspects, such as spectrotemporal interactions and nonlinear input/output behavior, appear to be similar for both neuronal subgroups. The findings suggest that spectral integration modules in AI differ in what specific stimulus aspects are processed, but they are similar in the manner in which stimulus information is processed.
Gender perspective, information behaviors, and Wikipedia

The purpose of this study is to examine potential differences between the genders amongst college student's information behaviors of Wikipedia use. Particularly, this study explores the following research questions: 1. Is there a difference between male and female college students in their use of Wikipedia? 2. Are there motivational differences between male and female use of Wikipedia? 3. Is there a difference between male and female perceptions of the information quality of Wikipedia? 4 Is there a difference between male and female confidence in evaluating the quality of the information from Wikipedia? 5 Finally, what factors affect male and female students' use of Wikipedia? The importance of the study lies in the following: first, it provides new knowledge of gender differences of uses, perceptions, motivations and confidence in evaluating information from Wikipedia, which may enhance our understanding of gender perspectives of information behavior in the web environment. Second, this study's findings may help educators understand gender gaps in their web information behaviors, which may aid the development of appropriate educational interventions. Data were collected using two web surveys at two time points of the summer of 2007 and the spring of 2008. The population consisted of undergraduate students at a large public university in the mid-western United States. A total of 237 students participated in the study. The measurements of the study were developed or modified based on the literature of the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) approach, news credibility and self-efficacy. This poster session will present the major findings of the study.
Lapatinib: new opportunities for management of breast cancer

Approximately 20% of new diagnosed breast cancers overexpress the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (EGFR2), also known as erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2 (ERBB2) protein, as a consequence of ERBB2 gene amplification, resulting in a poor prognosis. Clinical outcome can be substantially improved by ERBB2-targeted therapy. Lapatinib is a potent, orally bioavailable small molecule that reversibly and selectively inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR1 or ERBB1) and ERBB2 tyrosine kinases. Lapatinib binds the adenosine triphosphate-binding site of the receptor's intracellular domain to inhibit tumor cell growth. This review summarizes the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and tolerability of lapatinib, and reviews both Food and Drug Administration-approved and investigational uses of lapatinib in breast cancer therapy. The drug is generally well tolerated in patients, with diarrhea and rashes being the most common (usually mild or moderate) adverse effects. Unlike trastuzumab, lapatinib has infrequent adverse effects on cardiac function. Lapatinib has substantial activity for advanced ERBB2-positive breast cancer, particularly in combination with capecitabine, following progression after anthracyclines, taxanes, and trastuzumab. Lapatinib combined with capecitabine yielded significant improvements in time to progression and response rate compared with capecitabine alone. This drug can also be combined with letrozole for the treatment of postmenopausal women with ERBB2-positive breast cancer, for whom hormonal therapy is indicated. Lapatinib has shown early promise in treatment of central nervous system metastasis and is being further evaluated in various clinical settings.
Mitochondrial enzymes in schizophrenia.

The responses of brain metabolism and blood flow to stimulation are diminished in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortexes (DLPFCs) of schizophrenic patients. Reductions in mitochondrial enzymes underlie diminished metabolism in several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, we tested whether reductions in selected mitochondrial enzymes could underlie the changes in schizophrenia. The activities of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC), aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), and the α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) were determined on DLPFCs from patients with schizophrenia (n=26) and normal nonpsychiatric disease controls (n=13). The enzyme activities (mU/mg protein; mean ± SEM) were similar (values for controls and schizophrenic patients, respectively) for PDHC (11.36 ± 1.5, 10.33 ± 0.8), aconitase (1.06 ± 0.1, 1.35 ± 0.2), ICDH (31.70 ± 2.7, 32.00 ± 2.6), and KGDHC (2.62 ± 0.4, 3.09 ± 0.3). Separate analyses of the patients matched for age or postmortem interval gave similar conclusions. Cognitive dementia rating scores correlated poorly with activities of PDHC, aconitase, ICDH, and KGDHC. In one schizophrenic patient, activity of aconitase was undetectable, and in two others KGDHC activity was very low. Both had low activities of ICDH. A reduced activity of these enzymes in a subgroup is consistent with other data, suggesting that some patients with schizophrenia have abnormalities in brain mitochondria. However, in schizophrenia, unlike a number of neurodegenerative diseases, reductions in the activities of the key mitochondrial enzymes KGDHC and PDHC are not frequent.
comparative Review of Ranibizumab versus Bevacizumab in the Treatment of neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual loss in the developed World in patients over age 55. Therapeutic advances in the dry (non-exudative) form of AMD have been very modest with a protective role demonstrated for supplemental anti-oxidant vitamin therapy in patients showing high risk characteristics for future progression. In contrast, a major advance in the treatment of the wet (exudative) form of AMD occurred with the introduction of anti-angiogenic molecules targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)—specifically, ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin). A review of the therapeutic effect of these drugs in wet AMD is presented with a comparison of their results.
PAMAM-stabilized Pt–Ru nanoparticles for methanol electro-oxidation

Abstract This work utilizes poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM) as a protective ligand in solution to produce carbon-supported, Pt–Ru bimetallic nanoparticles for use as methanol electro-oxidation catalysts. UV–vis spectra show that after initial Pt2+ complexation with PAMAM G4OH dendrimer in water, appropriate adjustment of solution pH permits subsequent Ru3+ complexation without displacing Pt2+, demonstrating the formation of an aqueous, bimetallic solution complex. Catalysts (nominally 20 wt% metals, confirmed by AA spectroscopy) are produced by impregnating high surface area carbon black with G4OH–(Pt2+)x(Ru3+)y complex solution, drying, and activation in H2 gas at elevated temperature. XPS results show that activation in H2 at 400 °C removes virtually all of the PAMAM and reduces all of the Pt and most of the Ru to zero valence. TEM and XRD results show that the use of G4OH in the recipe is crucial for controlling metal particle size, and that the particles are crystalline with lattice parameters indicative of bimetallic Pt–Ru alloys. XRD data also suggest that G4OH promotes greater Pt–Ru alloying when Pt:Ru = 1:1. Catalytic activity for methanol oxidation increases with Ru content and is greatest for the catalyst with 1:1 Pt:Ru ratio. Per unit mass of Pt, the methanol oxidation activity of 20 wt% G4OH–PtRu/C catalyst is about 60% greater than that of E-Tek's commercially available 20 wt% PtRu catalyst.
Campaign Contributions and House Voting on Sugar and Dairy Legislation

In this article, I explore the determinants of campaign contributions by sugar and dairy producer PACs and their role in voting on sugar and dairy legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Contributions and voting may be linked in two ways. First, a group can buy votes from a legislator who would otherwise not support the group. Second, it can help elect a legislator who is ideologically predisposed to support the group. Results indicate that the first linkage is not important. Virtually the entire observed association between money and voting is a result of the second linkage.
Double-blind study of prednisolone and papase as inhibitors of complications after oral surgery

The assessment of prednisolone and papase in a double-blind study as inhibitors of postsurgical complications is presented. Surgical removal of impacted mandibular molars often produces postsurgical complications. Prednisolone and papase both were effective in reducing postoperative trismus, pain, and edema, but prednisolone is apparently more potent.
Effects of the Russian wheat aphid on osmotic potential and fructan content of winter wheat seedlings

The effect of an autumn Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), infestation on winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L., was investigated using osmotic potential, fructan content and field survival measurements to estimate coldhardiness. An average infestation of 147 aphids per plant, under simulated hardening conditions, increased the osmotic potential of ‘Froid’ and ‘Brawny’ (more or less coldhardy varieties, respectively) seedlings by 0.236 and 0.345 MPa, respectively. A natural field infestation averaging 9.7 aphids per plant reduced fructan contents of Froid and Brawny seedlings by 22.60 and 59.10 g kg-1 dry wt., respectively. Similar trends occurred after a natural freeze period. Field survival and yield results indicate that the autumn infestation reduced the winter survivability of Brawny by 54% and reduced grain yields by 1217 kg ha-1; survival and yield of infested Froid were not significantly affected. PI 372129, a D. noxia resistant winter wheat genotype was not affected by an infestation in regard to these parameters. These studies suggest that coldhardiness in Froid and Brawny was reduced by D. noxia though only the less hardy Brawny had a significantly reduced winter survivability and grain yield. Therefore, the effects of an autumn D. noxia infestation on some winter wheat genotypes may interact with a winter climate and increase the potential for winterkill.
Cannabinoid CB1 receptor inhibition decreases vascular smooth muscle migration and proliferation

Abstract Vascular smooth muscle proliferation and migration triggered by inflammatory stimuli and chemoattractants such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are key events in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Cannabinoids may modulate cell proliferation and migration in various cell types through cannabinoid receptors. Here we investigated the effects of CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant (SR141716A), which has recently been shown to have anti-atherosclerotic effects both in mice and humans, on PDGF-induced proliferation, migration, and signal transduction of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs). PDGF induced Ras and ERK 1/2 activation, while increasing proliferation and migration of HCASMCs, which were dose dependently attenuated by CB1 antagonist, rimonabant. These findings suggest that in addition to improving plasma lipid alterations and decreasing inflammatory cell migration and inflammatory response, CB1 antagonists may exert beneficial effects in atherosclerosis and restenosis by decreasing vascular smooth muscle proliferation and migration.
Ultrafast laser micromachining and patterning of thermal spray multilayers for thermopile fabrication

This work presents a conformal direct-write technique for rapid prototyping and manufacturing of high-density thermopiles. The technique combines thermal spray, which, as an additive process, produces blanket depositions of films and coatings, with ultrafast laser micromachining, a subtractive process to produce functional patterns. NiCr/CuNi-based (E-type) thermopiles with 19, 40 and 81 junctions have been fabricated and characterized. The electrical and thermal behavior is discussed as a function of load resistance and maximum power produced. Being made using thermal spray, these thermopiles are particularly well suited for high temperature and harsh environments.
Contextualism and Externalism: Trading in One Form of Skepticism for Another

Let me begin by explaining, first, the title of this essay, then its scope. When contemporary philosophers speak of skepticism, they almost invariably have in mind some version or descendent of Cartesian skepticism. Setting aside scholarly questions of accuracy, Cartesianism is usually thought of as containing two key elements: first, a strong commitment to internalism, and, second, a strong commitment to pure (or unfettered) inquiry-that is, inquiry that protects no propositions from interrogation, A brief word about what I understand by Pyrrhonism-at least for the purposes of this essay. Pyrrhonism is often associated with a radical doubt involving the total suspension of belief. Following Michael Frede, I do not think that Sextus Empiricus's texts support this reading.1 The target of Pyrrhonian doubt was not common, innocently held, beliefs, but the beliefs of dogmatic philosophers and other "professors" who engaged in dogmatic enterprises of a similar kind. The Pyrrhonists found that suspending judgment on these topics yields, as it turns out, peace of mind, or blessedness.
Kinetic Characterization of an Organic Radical in the Ascarylose Biosynthetic Pathway

The lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis V includes a 3,6-dideoxyhexose, ascarylose, as the nonreducing end of the O-antigen tetrasaccharide. The C-3 deoxygenation of CDP-6-deoxy-l-threo-d-glycero-4-hexulose is a critical reaction in the biosynthesis of ascarylose. The first half of the reaction is a dehydration catalyzed by CDP-6-deoxy-l-threo-d-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E1), which is PMP-dependent and contains a redox-active [2Fe-2S] center. The second half is a reduction that requires an additional enzyme, CDP-6-deoxy-l-threo-d-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase reductase (E3, formerly known as CDP-6-deoxy-Δ3,4-glucoseen reductase), which has a FAD and a [2Fe-2S] center in the active site. Using NADH as the reductant in the coupled E1−E3 reaction, we have monitored the kinetics of a radical intermediate using both stopped-flow spectrophotometry and rapid freeze−quench EPR under aerobic and hypoxic conditions. In the EPR studies, a sharp signal at g = 2.003 was found to appear at a rate w...
Polarization Dependence of Stimulated Rayleigh-Wing Scattering and the Optical-Frequency Kerr Effect

A theoretical study of the polarization dependence of stimulated Rayleigh-wing scattering and the optical-frequency Kerr effect has been undertaken. When the incident light is circularly polarized, a striking difference in gain is found for the co- and counter-rotating senses of polarization of the scattered light---the former being suppressed and the latter being exceptionally favored. The analysis begins with a model for the Kerr effect, which involves the alignment of anisotropic molecules in an electric field, but the results can be immediately generalized to any light scattering process of tensor symmetry. The nonlinear problem of the propagation of an intense elliptically polarized light wave in a Kerr-active medium is shown to have a solution in which the vibrational ellipse undergoes self-precession and self-retardation. The stimulated scatterings or instabilities of such a self-precessing and self-retarding light wave are obtained for the backward and forward directions. Birefringence, optical activity, and linear and circular dichroisms are some of the phenomena which result, but the forward direction yields substantially different results from the backward direction because of Stokes-anti-Stokes coupling.
Synthesis and crystals structure of a carbomethoxy complex of pentacoordinate iridium(I), MeOC(O)Ir(CO)2(PPh3)2

The pentacoordinate complex MeOC(O)Ir(CO) 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 , prepared by carbonylation of trans -MeOIr(CO)(PPh 3 ) 2 , crystallizes in the centrosymmetric triclinic space group P with a 10.019(2), b 11.828(3), c 16.578(5) A, α 103.83(2), β 92.71(2), γ 114.27(2)°, V 1715(1) A 3 and Z = 2. Diffraction data were collected and the structure was solved and refined to R 4.9% for 4504 reflections with 2θ = 4.5–45.0° (Mo- K α ), and R 3.6% for those 3768 data with | F 0 | > 6σ(| F 0 7z.sfnc;). The iridium(I) atom is in a trigonal-bipyramidal coordination environment. Axial bond lengths are Ir-CO 2 Me 2.073(9) and Ir-P(2) 2.360(2) A; equatorial bond lengths are Ir-P(1) 2.392(2), Ir-CO(1) 1.891(8) and Ir-CO(2) 1.895(10) A. Isomerism in trigonal-bi-pyramidal molecules is discussed.
Integration of Genome-wide Approaches Identifies lncRNAs of Adult Neural Stem Cells and Their Progeny In Vivo

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been described in cell lines and various whole tissues, but lncRNA analysis of development in vivo is limited. Here, we comprehensively analyze lncRNA expression for the adult mouse subventricular zone neural stem cell lineage. We utilize complementary genome-wide techniques including RNA-seq, RNA CaptureSeq, and ChIP-seq to associate specific lncRNAs with neural cell types, developmental processes, and human disease states. By integrating data from chromatin state maps, custom microarrays, and FACS purification of the subventricular zone lineage, we stringently identify lncRNAs with potential roles in adult neurogenesis. shRNA-mediated knockdown of two such lncRNAs, Six3os and Dlx1as, indicate roles for lncRNAs in the glial-neuronal lineage specification of multipotent adult stem cells. Our data and workflow thus provide a uniquely coherent in vivo lncRNA analysis and form the foundation of a user-friendly online resource for the study of lncRNAs in development and disease.
Tissue culture in synthetic atmospheres: diffusion rate effects on cytokinin-induced callus growth and isoflavonoid production in soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Acme]

Concentration is one factor that is known to determine how metabolic gases influence the growth and secondary metabolism of plant tissues in culture. How actual gas bioavailability influences these processes has not been studied despite its potential importance in specialized applications. A simple model system, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Acme] callus culture, was selected for experiments because exogenous cytokinin (6-benzylaminopurine; BAP) elicits two types of responses: (1) enhanced callus proliferation, and (2) rapid induction of the isoflavonoid daidzein (7,4′-dihydroxyisoflavone). Synthetic atmospheres supplying metabolic gases with higher or lower bioavailability than in air were created by replacing the nitrogen moiety in standard air with either helium or argon, respectively. Callus was cultured on agar or in liquid shake cultures according to standard procedures. At an optimal cytokinin concentration for stimulation of callus proliferation, 4.4 × 10−7 M BAP, increased diffusion rates for the metabolic gases resulted in greater weight gain in agar cultures. Weight gain was 11% higher for He-treated and 39% lower for Ar-treated cultures than for the nitrogen control. In contrast, there was no significant effect of metabolic gas diffusion rate on daidzein production in either agar or liquid cultures. Apart from the potential application of these synthetic atmospheres for enhancing plant tissue culture growth, they may have unique value for the space program as an effective way of replicating the gas exchange limitations posed for plants by microgravity (Ar atmosphere), and as a countermeasure for this limitation (He atmosphere).
Detecting and ordering salient regions

We describe an ensemble approach to learning salient regions from arbitrarily partitioned data. The partitioning comes from the distributed processing requirements of large-scale simulations. The volume of the data is such that classifiers can train only on data local to a given partition. Since the data partition reflects the needs of the simulation, the class statistics can vary from partition to partition. Some classes will likely be missing from some or even most partitions. We combine a fast ensemble learning algorithm with scaled probabilistic majority voting in order to learn an accurate classifier from such data. Since some simulations are difficult to model without a considerable number of false positive errors, and since we are essentially building a search engine for simulation data, we order predicted regions to increase the likelihood that most of the top-ranked predictions are correct (salient). Results from simulation runs of a canister being torn and from a casing being dropped show that regions of interest are successfully identified in spite of the class imbalance in the individual training sets. Lift curve analysis shows that the use of data driven ordering methods provides a statistically significant improvement over the use of the default, natural time step ordering. Significant time is saved for the end user by allowing an improved focus on areas of interest without the need to conventionally search all of the data.
The Emergence of Gated Communities in a West African Context: Evidence From Greater Accra, Ghana

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the global expansion of gated communities has become an increasingly important part of the residential geography of many cities. The gated community phenomenon has not been researched in West African cities, and the extent of these communities' formation and convergence or divergence with global trends is unknown. This article provides the first-ever analysis of their formation in Greater Accra, Ghana. The analysis suggests that the globalization of real estate markets and Diaspora living are important aspects in the residential geography of Accra. The concept of "transnational houses" is employed to explain aspects of the local property market that are being globalized and differentiated from local housing. Transnational houses add another layer of diversity to the contemporary urban geography of Greater Accra.
Effect of a diabetogeic factor from bovine adenohypophysis on dog serum nefa levels

Abstract 1. 1. Fasted dog serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were elevated 10 and 34 hours after administration of a diabetogenic protein (BDF) isolated from bovine adenohypophysis. 2. 2. The fasting serum NEFA were elevated in spite of the presence of normal or high glucose and insulin levels. 3. 3. After oral glucose administration to BDF-treated animals, a fall of serum NEFA paralleled inversely the increasing levels of blood glucose and serum insulin. 4. 4. These data are discussed with respect to the insulin-antagonistic action of BDF. Even though the plasma NEFA fell in response to glucose in BDF-treated animals, the NEFA during the entire 3-hour glucose-tolerance test were always significantly higher than the levels observed in the control tests. 5. 5. Since BDF is similar to the diabetogenic protein isolated from the urine of patients with lipoatrophic diabetes, its lipid-mobilizing action might help to explain the lipoatrophy, hyperlipaemia, diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance seen in lipoatrophic diabetic patients.
Correlation Between Arterial Blood Pressure Levels and (dZ/dt)min in Impedance Plethysmography

(dZ/dt)min, which is the magnitude of the negative peak of the first time derivative of transthoracic electrical impedance Z, plays a key role in impedance plethysmography because it reflects the pumping action of the heart. Its current applications for measuring stroke volume and quantification of myocardial contractility, however, ignore the possibility that (dZ/dt)min may be strongly modified by factors that are independent on the heart. Measurements of (dZ/dt)min on 146 volunteers are statistically correlated with the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate. Statistically significant correlations are obtained between the (dZ/dt)min and blood pressures, but not with heart rate. The correlations indicate that (dZ/dt)min is expected to decrease as the arterial blood pressure level increases. This relationship is elucidated with the help of a theoretical model which combines the parallel conductor theory with a mechanical model of an elastic artery. The analysis of the model is in-agreement with statistical predictions based on measured data, indicating that (dZ/dt)min explicitly depends on blood pressure level in an inverse manner. It is concluded that the functional dependence of dZ/dt signals on Z and blood pressure levels should be taken into account if valid conclusions from applications of dZ/dt signals are to be drawn. Suggestions are made to use the measured correlations as a means to eliminate Z and blood pressure levels as factors in applications of dZ/dt signals.
Electronic AVTA: Signal processing for automatic vocal transaction analysis

An integrated circuit device that simplifies computer acquisition of the sound-silence patterns of vocalization in dyadic conversations is described. The unit converts analog voice signals into digital form, handles the problem of cross talk that occurs when persons seated close together are recorded on separate microphones, and adds a smoothing constant to fill in brief pauses within and between vocalizations.
“Preference”‐attitudes of the tourist

This article intends to shed some more light on travel consumer attitudes toward the travel product, defined here as a bundle of services satisfying needs and wants of the tourist. (A tourist is conceived as a person making a trip to and a journey at another location for any reason other than his regular “home‐job” transportation and activities.)