cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of 2-(5-bromo-2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-(aminomethyl)-1H-pyrrole analogues and their binding affinities for dopamine D2, D3, and D4 receptors.

Abstract A series of 2-(5-bromo-2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-(aminomethyl)-1H-pyrrole analogues was prepared and their affinity for dopamine D2, D3, and D4 receptors was measured using in vitro binding assays. The results of receptor binding studies indicated that the incorporation of a pyrrole moiety between the phenyl ring and the basic nitrogen resulted in a significant increase in the selectivity for dopamine D3 receptors. The most selective compound in this series is 2-(5-bromo-2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-(2-(3-pyridal)piperidinyl)methyl-1H-pyrrole (6p), which has a D3 receptor affinity of 4.3 nM, a 20-fold selectivity for D3 versus D2 receptors, and a 300-fold selectivity for D3 versus D4 receptors. This compound is predicted to be a useful ligand for studying the functional role of dopamine D3 receptors in vivo.
The monitors result analysis of local fluorosis in Si Ping city

Objective To explore the condition of local fluorosis disease of illness and changing water current state in the disease of area county and monitors . Methods TO check the usage condition of against fluorine well and the fluorine contents of drinking water in area county of disease and the point of guarding . Adopt Mrs. Dean law to monitor morbidity of fluorine speckle tooth in 8 to 12-year-old children, To explore fluorine bone disease diseasedness condition above 16-year-old crowd composes on inquiry monitoring and urinates fluorine contents in reply 8 to 12-year-old children and crowd above 16-year-old . Results In disease's area county 79's against fluorine well, 29 using (36.71%) , has among them (68.97%) 20 drinking water fluorines contents is normal. Conclusions In the disease area county, a great of diseases area drinking water fluorine contents go beyond standard , local fluorosis prevention and cure circumstances is austere. prevention fluorine changing water is the sharpening controlling effective local fluorosis method , should be further.
“Intriguing Ideas, Plotting Bögen”: Thinking the Limit of Allegory in Walter Benjamin's Trauerspielbuch

Although Walter Benjamin's interest in mathematics is well known, its specific relationship with other parts of his thought often remains unexplored. This article proposes a reading of Benjamin's “Ursprung des deutschen Trauerspiels” that focuses on the figure of the Bogen as both mathematical and literary figure, illuminating Benjamin's conceptions of allegory and language. The central, yet often obscure, role of intrigue—of the plotter—in the Trauerspiel is read in the context of the plotting of a curve toward redemption; from the arc of allegory arises a thinking of the highly contorted space of the Trauerspiel and of an allegorizability before and beyond subjectivity, a thinking that finds an analogue in the mathematics of Benjamin's time and that echoes his early interest in another type of Bogen, the rainbow (Regen-bogen). This space of the Bogen opens onto an ethics of the middle of “Mitteilbarkeit.”
The contribution of twin research to the physiology of exercise.

« Physical characters in general are more influenced by heredity than are mental traits as measured by intelligence tests. Motor activity and temperament seem to be least influenced by heredity ». (H. H. Newman, Twins and Super Twins , New York, 1942). Twin research affords an opportunity to study the interplay of heredity and environment. For this reason, twin research is of special interest in the study of physiology of exercise. Genetically, identical twins are the same individual in duplicate because they are the product of a single fertilized egg which splits in half to form two individuals. Non-identical twins are different individuals who through chance were born together. They originate from two different eggs. In non-identical twins, physique may differ significantly because each partner possesses his own hereditary endowment (fig. 1). By contrast, identical twins represent two editions, so to speak, of the same body type (fig. 2). The degree of correspondence of morphological body features in identical, as against non-identical, twins has been statistically assessed by Newman, Freeman, and Holzinger (Twins, A Study of Heredity and Environment, Chicago, 1937).
LiveObjects: Leveraging Theatricality for an Expressive Internet of Things

LiveObjects approaches expressive object design from the lens of art theory utilizing theatricality, or the perception of an object having presence, to create a series of IoT data objects. This approach actuates materials and everyday objects to express social data and provokes new interactions between objects, viewers, and space. We showcase how such objects can form unique expressive personalities, expose relational data, and perturb environments to form information spaces.
Excited levels in77Se from the decay of77Br

The decay of 58 h77Br was investigated with scintillation spectrometers, coincidence techniques and angular correlations. Sixteen gamma transitions are found to occur between states in77Se with the following energies, and probable spins and parities: ground state (1/2-), 161 keV (7/2-), 242 keV (3/2-), 248 keV (502-), 440 keV (5/2-), 515 keV (3/2-), 820 keV (3/2-) and 1000 keV (3/2-). The half-life of the weakly excited upper state at about 248 keV, of the doublet near 245 keV in77Se, was measured by means of delayed coincidence method; the result was (9.7±0.8).10-9 s. The way in which the states of this doublet are excited and de-excited was the subject of a detailed investigation. It was found that the 248 keV upper level of the doublet de-excites by transitions to the ground state and to the 161 keV isomeric state in77Se, with a branching ratio of 1.6±0.4.
The Relationship Between the Number of Raters and the Validity of Performance Ratings

In the focal article “Getting Rid of Performance Ratings: Genius or Folly? A Debate,” two groups of authors argued the merits of performance ratings (Adler et al., 2016 ). Despite varied views, both sides noted the importance of including multiple raters to obtain more accurate performance ratings. As the pro side noted, “if ratings can be pooled across many similarly situated raters, it should be possible to obtain quite reliable assessments” (Adler et al., p. 236). Even the con side noted, “In theory, it is possible to obtain ratings from multiple raters and pool them to eliminate some types of interrater agreement” (Adler et al., p. 225), although this side was certainly less optimistic about the merits of multiple raters. In the broader industrial–organizational psychology literature, authors have repeatedly heralded the benefits of adding additional raters for performance ratings, some even treating it as a panacea for inaccurate ratings. Although these authors extol the virtues of multiple raters, an important question is often omitted from relevant discussions of performance ratings: To what extent do additional raters actually improve performance ratings? Does adding an additional rater double the validity of performance ratings? Does an additional rater increase the validity of performance ratings by a constant value? Or is the answer something else altogether?
Three broad chronological phases

Insight into chivalric continuity and change can be found in what might seem a minor incident described in one of our finest sources, the History of William Marshal . As the great rebellion broke out against Henry II in 1173, his eldest son, Henry the Young King, turned against his father and prepared to fight for a degree of autonomy he had never been granted, Henry being a prudent father. The Young King's entourage reminded him that he had never been knighted and argued that taking this formal step in the crisis “would make the whole of your company more valorous and more respected, and would increase the joy in their hearts.” According to Marshal's biographer, the Young King accepted their advice and declared he would be knighted by “the best knight who ever was or will be, or has done more or who is to do more…” This was, of course, William Marshal, his biographer tells us. Stepping up to the Marshal with sword in hand, the Young King says, “From God and from yourself, My lord, I wish to receive this honour.” William girded him with the sword and “asked that God keep him most valorous, honoured and exalted…” The entourage viewing this short and simple ceremony is studded with counts and barons (you may be sure!), but the poet proudly says of the Marshal, “And yet he had not one strip of land to his name or anything else, just his chivalry.” Strong ideas about chivalric function, status, and ideology animate this narrative of an affecting ceremony. The function of the warrior stands out clearly. The Marshal is chosen to knight the Young King because he is the best, and this evaluation comes from a celebrated patron of valorous deeds in tournament on the eve of a civil war in which even more intense fighting could be expected and enacted for higher stakes. In short, the Young King was considered a good judge of the knightly function of prowess; the poet/biographer assures his audience that the Young King, through his generosity to masterful warriors, even those who were landless, will revive chivalry.
Enhanced actuation performance of silk-polypyrrole composites

Abstract Recently we have shown that a composite material of silk and the conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPy) has promising characteristics for use as a bending bilayer actuator. In this study, the reaction conditions were varied for the in situ incorporation of polypyrrole into silk films during pyrrole polymerization. While surface morphology and mechanical properties were minimally affected, polymerization conditions were identified where the resistivity, stability of the films during storage and stability during prolonged electrochemical cycling were dramatically improved. When fabricated into bilayer-type electromechanical actuation devices, stress and strain generation, as well as the stability during repeated actuation, was found to be superior for silk-polypyrrole composite films with improved electrical properties.
Inhalation therapy in patients with tracheostomy: a guide to clinicians

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Inhalation therapy has become a popular procedure for the treatment of patients with tracheostomy. However, clinicians are faced with many challenges during inhalation therapy because of the many factors affecting aerosol therapy to this patient population, and the lack of literature providing guidance in this area of research.Areas covered: The purpose of this paper is to describe the factors affecting aerosol drug delivery to patients with tracheostomy and to explain how to optimize inhalation therapy through device selection, interface selection and delivery technique in this patient population.Expert commentary: Many factors affect inhalation therapy in this patient population and without understanding the impact of these factors on aerosol drug delivery, clinicians will not be able to provide the treatment properly and patients may not benefit from prescribed medications. In the next 5 years, aerosol medicine will continue to experience tremendous growth with new devices and dru...
Treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: comparison of trovafloxacin and amoxicillin in a multicentre, double-blind, double-dummy study. Trovafloxacin Bronchitis Study Group

The efficacy and safety of trovafloxacin and amoxicillin were compared in a double-blind, double-dummy multicentre trial involving 412 patients (> or = 40 years of age) with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECBs). Patients were randomized to 5 days' oral treatment with 200 or 100 mg trovafloxacin administered once daily, or 500 mg amoxicillin given three times daily. Overall clinical efficacy at the end of therapy was similar in each treatment group, with clinical success (cure+improvement) achieved in 88% and 91% of clinically evaluable patients receiving trovafloxacin 200 mg and 100 mg, respectively, and in 89% of amoxicillin-treated patients. Corresponding rates at follow-up were 77%, 85% and 79%, respectively. Similar responses were noted at the end of treatment and end of study in the intent-to-treat patients. Although all three treatments produced similar bacteriological efficacy, there was a trend towards higher eradication rates for Haemophilus influenzae among patients (both clinically evaluable and intent-to-treat populations) treated with trovafloxacin 200 mg compared with those treated with amoxicillin. Both drugs were well tolerated, with treatment-related adverse events, of which headache and gastrointestinal disturbances were the most common, occurring in 12% and 6% of patients in the trovafloxacin 200 mg and 100 mg groups, respectively, and in 9% of amoxicillin-treated patients.
Is It Possible to Develop a “Universal” Influenza Virus Vaccine? Outflanking Antibody Immunodominance on the Road to Universal Influenza Vaccination

Influenza remains a major human pathogen despite seasonal vaccination. At long last, there is energy and resources to develop influenza vaccines that provide more predictable and durable protection. Vaccines based on inducing antibodies to the conserved stem of the viral hemagglutinin (HA) have emerged as leading candidates for broadening population immunity and ultimately limiting antigenic drift. Here, we discuss the knowns and unknowns of HA-specific B-cell and antibody responses. In particular, we focus on how immunodominance sculpts antibody responses and drives antigenic drift. We propose a number of strategies to overcome immunodominance and improve the breadth and efficacy of antibody responses.
Residue-Specific Peptide Modification: A Chemist’s Guide

Advances in bioconjugation and native protein modification are appearing at a blistering pace, making it increasingly time consuming for practitioners to identify the best chemical method for modifying a specific amino acid residue in a complex setting. The purpose of this perspective is to provide an informative, graphically rich manual highlighting significant advances in the field over the past decade. This guide will help triage candidate methods for peptide alteration and will serve as a starting point for those seeking to solve long-standing challenges.
Insulin Therapy: The Old, the New and the Novel—An Overview

Since its development, insulin therapy has been a mainstay in the arsenal of every practitioner battling against diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, insulin is essential for survival, and for those with type 2 diabetes mellitus, as the disease progresses, it may become a necessary addition to treatment. The goal of this article is to discuss insulin therapies that are currently available for use in the management of diabetes, from the old to the new and novel, and briefly discuss insulin use in special populations.
Continuous-wave operation in directly patterned perovskite distributed feedback light source at room temperature.

We report a directly patterned perovskite distributed feedback (DFB) resonator and show narrow amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at pump powers as low as 0.1 W/cm2 under continuous-wave (CW) optical pumping conditions at room temperature. Compared to the pristine thin film photoluminescence spectrum, a 16-fold reduction in emission linewidth in the MAPbI3 DFB cavity was observed. The direct nanostructuring of perovskites was achieved by thermal nanoimprint lithography. Our findings pave the way toward realizing CW pumped perovskite lasers at room temperature and energy-efficient perovskite light sources.
The impact of the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria on childhood wasting: a double-difference study.

This research examines the relationship between violent conflict and childhood wasting in Northeast Nigeria, where residents have been subjected to fighting between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram - an extremist Islamist movement - since 2009. Using two Demographic and Health Surveys from before and after the Boko Haram insurgency started, a double-difference (difference-in-difference) approach is used to assess the impact of the conflict on mean weight-for-height z-scores and the likelihood of wasting. Results suggest that if children exposed to the conflict had not been exposed, their mean weight-for-height z-score would be 0.49 standard deviations higher (p < 0.001) than it is, increasing from − 0.74 to − 0.25. Additionally, the likelihood of wasting would be 13 percentage points lower (mean z-statistic − 4.2), bringing the proportion down from 23% to 10%. Descriptive evidence suggests that poor child health outcomes in the conflict areas of Northeast Nigeria may be due to disruptions to social services and increased food insecurity in an already resource poor area. Although other unidentified factors may contribute to both conflict and wasting, the findings underscore the importance of appropriate programs and policies to support children in conflict zones.
The Discourses of Vincent Chase

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper. There is a common notion that those who make it big, whether it be as a professional athlete, a Grammy award-winning artist, or as an A-list actor, forget where they came from. Fame and fortune go to their heads and they become completely different people than they once were prior to their fame. Though fictional, one could make the argument that Vincent Chase, the protagonist of H.B.O.'s critically acclaimed series Entourage, underwent this drastic shift as the show progressed. One way of analyzing this possible alteration is through the Discourses that Vince was exposed to as a youth growing up in New York and as an A-list actor in Hollywood. This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol13/iss1/8 The Discourses of Vincent Chase
Ganglioradiculitis in the dog

Facial hypalgesia, sensory ataxia, depression of tendon reflexes, and masticatory muscle wasting developed acutely to subacutely in three adult dogs. These deficits were correlated with craniospinal sensory ganglioradiculitis. CNS degeneration in the dorsal funiculus, spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve, and solitary tract was secondary to loss of primary sensory neurons. Megaesophagus, which occurred in two dogs appeared to be associated with loss of vagal primary afferent neurons; however, esophageal and gastric myenteric ganglionitis was also observed in one of these animals. In the three dogs changes in the sensory ganglia and roots included non-suppurative inflammation and degeneration and loss of neurons. Perivenular and perineuronal mononuclear infiltrates were prominent. EM study revealed that the satellite cells around degenerating and necrotic cell bodies were commonly invaded and displaced by lymphocytes and macrophages. It was not clear whether these mononuclear cells effected neuronal degeneration or merely responded to it. Although the pathogenesis remained undefined, the similarity of the clinical and pathologic findings in these dogs indicated a nosologic entity that had not been reported previously. This canine ganglioradiculitis was compared with inflammatory disorders of the cranial and spinal ganglia in man.
An Educational Science Ride Using a Motion Flight Simulator Platform

Abstract This research addresses the public’s understanding of the water cycle, and attempts to discover a new way of presenting the material. In this paper, we introduce “The Water-Cycle Ride,” a theme park-esque educational and entertainment ride. By incorporating high definition graphics, surround sound, a motion simulator, and an educational video from NASA-Ames, we introduce a new level of thrill to a subject most would not be interested in. Two riders, secured with a seatbelt and harness, can experience the ride together, which lasts about 3 minutes. Together they are taken through water’s three states: solid, liquid, and gas, and its hydrogeology on earth (runoff, groundwater, etc). At appropriate intervals we introduce g-forces so riders experience a rising feeling when evaporation is being explained, or a falling feeling when rain droplets are racing back to Earth. This paper outlines our novel methodology and results obtained, highlighting how a little thrill and excitement can be introduced to a normally passive subject.
Murder in the Shenandoah: Making Law Sovereign in Revolutionary Virginia

On July 4, 1791, the fifteenth anniversary of American Independence, John Crane, a descendant of prominent Virginian families, killed his neighbor's harvest worker. Murder in the Shenandoah traces the story of this early murder case as it entangled powerful Virginians and addressed the question that everyone in the state was heatedly debating: what would it mean to have equality before the law - and a world where 'law is king'? By retelling the story of the case, called Commonwealth v. Crane, through the eyes of its witnesses, families, fighters, victims, judges, and juries, Jessica K. Lowe reveals how revolutionary debates about justice gripped the new nation, transforming ideas about law, punishment, and popular government.
Scalable Preparation of Methylated Ando-Type Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons Reagent

The Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reactions are vital to the chemical synthesis of complex molecules, forging a carbon–carbon double bond in the generation of α,β-unsaturated enoates from aldehydes or ketones. Despite their frequent use, the Z-stereoselective formation of α,β-unsaturated esters from aldehydes have been mostly limited to the use of the commercially available Still–Gennari reagent. Ando developed an alternative reagent to achieve the same formation with less expensive reagents. However, an α-methylated Ando-HWE reagent has remained difficult to prepare, hindering a reliable route to α,β-disubstituted Z-enoates. Here, we report the development of a preparative synthesis of a methylated Ando-HWE reagent for the highly Z-selective HWE reaction. Costing $0.49/mmol, this synthesis is significantly cheaper than the currently available Still–Gennari reagent ($11/mmol, Millipore Sigma 2018). The purification procedure does not require chromatography, with recrystallization as the only purification ...
Design Thinking Exploration From Three Disciplines That Influence Industry Development

This essay examines how design thinking impacts three different disciplines and fields via comparing the growing development on its definition during its extensive integration. Specifically, the comparison ranges from visual perception to the product development; in a larger scale, from management of individual organizations to social and global area. A few cases are utilized to elaborate the core design and development activities on product development, including the utilization of sketching in visual art, global business extension of Ford Motor Company. Then, by combining how design thinking speeds up the innovation in various industries, observations from the surveys and researches are also enlisted to generalize improvements achieved within certain aspects of the system. Furthermore, to sustain a better future environment, design thinking calls for more commitment in sustainability, especially in social and global aspects.
Physical Chemistry and Engineering for Adsorptive Gas Storage in Nanoporous Solids

Adsorption gas storage is examined from physical chemistry point of view. Net, excess, and absolute adsorption are defined, and their relation to gas storage capacity is examined. Experimental techniques for measuring adsorption isotherms are detailed. Net adsorption particularly stands out among possible thermodynamic choices since it directly shows the advantage of having the adsorbent in a storage cylinder. In addition to storage capacity, engineering implications of Henry’s law constant, heat of adsorption, and multicomponent adsorption are examined with examples to inform material scientists who develop materials.
A Critique of Search and Seizure in Terms of a Search Warrant in South African Criminal Procedure: A Comparative Analysis

The primary objective of this article is to determine whether the search and seizure measures employed in the South African criminal justice system are in need of any reform and/or augmentation in ...
An inhalable nanoparticulate STING agonist synergizes with radiotherapy to confer long-term control of lung metastases

Mounting evidence suggests that the tumor microenvironment is profoundly immunosuppressive. Thus, mitigating tumor immunosuppression is crucial for inducing sustained antitumor immunity. Whereas previous studies involved intratumoral injection, we report here an inhalable nanoparticle-immunotherapy system targeting pulmonary antigen presenting cells (APCs) to enhance anticancer immunity against lung metastases. Inhalation of phosphatidylserine coated liposome loaded with STING agonist cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (NP-cGAMP) in mouse models of lung metastases enables rapid distribution of NP-cGAMP to both lungs and subsequent uptake by APCs without causing immunopathology. NP-cGAMP designed for enhanced cytosolic release of cGAMP stimulates STING signaling and type I interferons production in APCs, resulting in the pro-inflammatory tumor microenvironment in multifocal lung metastases. Furthermore, fractionated radiation delivered to one tumor-bearing lung synergizes with inhaled NP-cGAMP, eliciting systemic anticancer immunity, controlling metastases in both lungs, and conferring long-term survival in mice with lung metastases and with repeated tumor challenge.
A dynamic merge assistance method based on the concept of instantaneous virtual trajectory for vehicle-to-infrastructure connected vehicles

Lane-changing activities near freeway merging, diverging, and weaving sections are one of the major factors leading to recurrent bottleneck congestion. In recent years, microscopic dynamic merging ...
Chapter 11 – Early OLPC Experiences in a Rural Uruguayan School

Publisher Summary The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation has championed the idea of providing children in developing regions with low-cost laptops to address this issue. This chapter discusses the results from a pilot experience with OLPC Foundation's prototype XO laptops in a small rural town in Uruguay from an independent point of view. The OLPC Foundation's design of the XO laptops takes into account the goals of providing children with 21st-century skills, together with children's specific requirements, the limitations of using the hardware in challenging situations (in terms of weather, access to electricity, and so on), and the constraints in cost necessary to make the project viable for developing regions. The design of the XO laptops provides two aspects that are critical for the development of 21st-century skills: mobility and connectivity. The discussion in the chapter is based on visits to the school, where activities with children and interviews with teachers and staff were conducted. It was found that in spite of infrastructure, hardware, and software problems, the experience so far appears to have had a positive effect on the children, the school, and the town. The roles of mobility and connectivity in the successful use of laptops were emphasized in the study.
Impact of Biomass Source and Pyrolysis Parameters on Physicochemical Properties of Biochar Manufactured for Innovative Applications

Biochar production for energy and high-tech applications requires a specific set of physicochemical parameters based on interfaces between initial pyrolytic conditions and properties of starting material, namely biomass. This study compares 20 types of biochar produced from five diverse waste biomasses at two pyrolytic temperatures (400°C, 700°C), processing times (2 h, 5 h) and heating rates (26°C/min, 5°C/min). The manufactured biochar was tested for the yield, fixed C, ash load, size of developed surface area, porosity, nutrients, and minerals. Leachate tests were performed to determine the stability of biochar, their pH, conductivity, and presence of dissolved nutrients. The proximate analysis demonstrated an increase in fixed C linked to temperature increase from 400°C to 700°C. Biochar produced from organic-rich biomass such as corn stover, showed higher content of nutrients, especially potassium and phosphorus on their surfaces and in their leachates, which influenced the development of its surfaces at 700°C. The increase of temperature with prolonged residence time has generated more stable and mostly aromatic structures within biochar when compared to other studied conditions. These findings were confirmed by the FTIR spectra that indicated amplified condensation of aromatic and aliphatic carbons (C=C, C=O, C-H) and a decrease of phenolic bonded water (-OH bonded). Consequently, a specific application of biochar should ultimately dictate the choice of optimal pyrolytic conditions and original/added components of initial biomass.
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for the 21st Century: Sural, Superficial Peroneal, and Tibial Nerves.

Objective Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the lower extremity has progressed significantly over the last decade. From the proof of concept that ultrasound-guided, percutaneous implantation was possible to advances in waveforms, the field has been rapidly evolving. While most nerves in the lower extremity can be PNS targets, consideration must be given to the ergonomics of pulse generator placement, patient comfort, and avoidance of lead migration. For this paper, we examine some of the conditions amenable to lower extremity PNS, review the evidence and history behind PNS for these conditions, and describe approaches for the tibial, sural, and superficial peroneal nerves. Methods A literature search was conducted using PubMed. Search terms used were "peripheral nerve stimulation," "lower extremity entrapment neuropathies," "sural nerve," "superficial peroneal nerve," "tibial nerve," and "tarsal tunnel syndrome." Emphasis was placed on randomized controlled studies, anatomical dissections, and comprehensive review articles. Approaches to nerves and ultrasound images were based on anecdotal PNS cases from an experienced implanter (SP). Conclusions The development of ultrasound as a viable method of image guidance for percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation has led to an exponential growth in the field. Lower extremity percutaneous lead placement is both feasible and an appropriate treatment modality for certain pain conditions.
Campafungins: Inhibitors of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans Hyphal Growth

Campafungin A is a polyketide that was recognized in the Candida albicans fitness test due to its antiproliferative and antihyphal activity. Its mode of action was hypothesized to involve inhibition of a cAMP-dependent PKA pathway. The originally proposed structure appeared to require a polyketide assembled in a somewhat unusual fashion. However, structural characterization data were never formally published. This background stimulated a reinvestigation in which campafungin A and three closely related minor constituents were purified from fermentations of a strain of the ascomycete fungus Plenodomus enteroleucus. Labeling studies, along with extensive NMR analysis, enabled assignment of a revised structure consistent with conventional polyketide synthetic machinery. The structure elucidation of campafungin A and new analogues encountered in this study, designated here as campafungins B, C, and D, is presented, along with a proposed biosynthetic route. The antimicrobial spectrum was expanded to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, with MICs ranging as low as 4-8 μg mL-1 in C. neoformans. Mode-of-action studies employing libraries of C. neoformans mutants indicated that multiple pathways were affected, but mutants in PKA/cAMP pathways were unaffected, indicating that the mode of action was distinct from that observed in C. albicans.
Patients' Attitudes Toward Tattooed Practitioners.

Abstract Purpose In the past, tattooed persons were often perceived as having more negative characteristics. Since studies have shown that patients prefer doctors in traditional dress, it raises the question of whether they have similar attitudes regarding tattoos. Participants and Methods: 75 patients aged 18 years or older provided information regarding age, gender, and education, as well as whether they have a tattoo, had ever been treated by a dentist with a tattoo, and if they felt a tattooed dentist was less professional and less skilled. Results Only 3 of the participants had been treated by a tattooed dentist. None of them felt that made the dentist less skilled or professional. Six of the remaining 72 participants felt that having a tattooed dentist would make them uncomfortable and 4 of them also felt that it was less professional. However, none felt the tattooed dentist was less skilled. Conclusion Most patients are comfortable with a tattooed dentist and do not consider them less professional or less skilled.
Angiogenic factors and prediction for ischemic placental disease in future pregnancies.

Abstract Objectives Ischemic placental disease (IPD), including preeclampsia, abruption, and fetal growth restriction, often recurs in subsequent pregnancies. Angiogenic factors of placental origin have been implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, but have not been studied as predictors of IPD in subsequent pregnancies. We hypothesized that elevated angiogenic factors in an index pregnancy would be associated with recurrence of IPD. Study design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing evaluation for preeclampsia who had angiogenic factors measured in an index pregnancy and experienced a subsequent pregnancy at the same institution. Patients with IPD in the index pregnancy were included. A high ratio of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) was defined as greater than or equal to 85. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was IPD in a subsequent pregnancy. Results We included 109 patients in the analysis. The sFlt1/PlGF ratio was elevated in 30% of participants. Those with an elevated ratio were more likely to be nulliparous in the index pregnancy, and less likely to have chronic hypertension. The recurrence of IPD in the study was 27%, with a non-significant difference in risk based on a high sFlt-1/P1GF ratio RR 0.58 (95% CI 0.21 – 1.6) compared to a low ratio. Conclusions A high sFlt1/P1GF ratio in an index pregnancy is not associated with a higher risk of IPD in a subsequent pregnancy. These data suggest placental angiogenic biomarkers are specific to the pregnancy and not a reflection of maternal predisposition to IPD.
Fractional Adaptation of Activation Functions In Neural Networks

In this work, we introduce a generalization methodology for the automatic selection of the activation functions inside a neural network, taking advantage of concepts defined in fractional calculus. This methodology enables the neural network to search and optimize its own activation functions during the training process, by defining the fractional order of the derivative of a given primitive activation function. This fractional order is tuned as an additional training hyper-parameter $a$ for intrafamily selection and $b$ for cross family selection. By following this approach, the neurons inside the network can adjust their activation functions, e.g. from MLP to RBF networks, to best fit the input data, and reduce the output error. The experimental results obtained show the benefits of using this technique implemented on a ResNet18 topology, by outperforming the accuracy of a ResNet100 trained with CIFAR10 and Improving 1% ImageNet reported in the literature.
Contractual Guidelines for Promoting Integrated Project Delivery

AbstractIntegrated project delivery (IPD) was originally developed to overcome the challenges associated with increased project complexity, high fragmentation levels of the construction industry, a...
A salamander model for atrial septal defects and cardiopulmonary evolution

Congenital atrial septal defects (ASDs) rank among the three most common birth defects in humans. However, the proportion of ASDs with a known genetic basis is small. New methods, models and system...
Fetal Spinal Cord Transplants Support Growth of Supraspinal and Segmental Projections after Cervical Spinal Cord Hemisection in the Neonatal Rat

Cervical spinal cord injury at birth permanently disrupts forelimb function in goal-directed reaching. Transplants of fetal spinal cord tissue permit the development of skilled forelimb use and associated postural adjustments ([Diener and Bregman, 1998][1], companion article). The aim of this study was to determine whether transplants of fetal spinal cord tissue support the remodeling of supraspinal and segmental pathways that may underlie recovery of postural reflexes and forelimb movements. Although brainstem-spinal and segmental projections to the cervical spinal cord are present at birth, skilled forelimb reaching has not yet developed. Three-day-old rats received a cervical spinal cord overhemisection with or without transplantation of fetal spinal cord tissue (embryonic day 14); unoperated pups served as normal controls. Neuroanatomical tracing techniques were used to examine the organization of CNS pathways that may influence target-directed reaching. In animals with hemisections only, corticospinal, brainstem-spinal, and dorsal root projections within the spinal cord were decreased in number and extent. In contrast, animals receiving hemisections plus transplants exhibited growth of these projections throughout the transplant and over long distances within the host spinal cord caudal to the transplant. Raphespinal axons were apposed to numerous propriospinal neurons in control and transplant animals; these associations were greatly reduced in the lesion-only animals. These observations suggest that after neonatal cervical spinal cord injury, embryonic transplants support axonal growth of CNS pathways and specifically supraspinal input to propriospinal neurons. We suggest that after neonatal spinal injury in the rat, the transplant-mediated reestablishment of supraspinal input to spinal circuitry is the mechanism underlying the development of target-directed reaching and associated postural adjustments. [1]: #ref-38
Bayesian credible intervals for the ratio of two independent poisson rates using data with under-reporting

In this paper, we construct Bayesian credible intervals using an MCMC method for the ratio of two independent Poisson rates with under-reported data. We acquire an identifiable model by using informative priors on an adequate number of model parameters to confirm that a considerable difference occurs in the credible intervals when we account for under-reporting as opposed to Bayesian intervals for the rate ratio that omit under-reporting. We also employ Monte Carlo simulations to examine the prior robustness of our Bayesian intervals. Additionally, we derive a closed form posterior distribution for the rate ratio of two independent priors, and show that informative priors placed on the primary Poisson rates have a greater effect on the posterior density for the ratio of independent Poisson rates with under-reported data than informative priors placed on the remaining model parameters.
Voronoi diagram based optimization of dynamic reactive power sources

Dynamic var sources can effectively mitigate fault-induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) issues or even voltage collapse. This paper proposes a new approach to optimization of the sizes of dynamic var sources at candidate locations by a Voronoi diagram based algorithm. It first disperses sample points of potential solutions in a searching space, evaluates a cost function at each point by barycentric interpolation for the subspaces around the point, and then constructs a Voronoi diagram about cost function values over the entire space. Accordingly, the final optimal solution can be obtained. Case studies on the WSCC 9-bus system and NPCC 140-bus system have validated that the new approach can quickly identify the boundary of feasible solutions in searching space and converge to the global optimal solution.
Catabolite Repression of Tryptophanase in Escherichia coli

Catabolite repression of tryptophanase was studied in detail under various conditions in several strains of Escherichia coli and was compared with catabolite repression of β-glactosidase. Induction of tryptophanase and β-galactosidase in cultures grown with various carbon sources including succinate, glycerol, pyruvate, glucose, gluconate, and arabinose is affected differently by the various carbon sources. The extent of induction does not seem to be related to the growth rate of the culture permitted by the carbon source during the course of the experiment. In cultures grown with glycerol as carbon source, preinduced for β-galactosidase or tryptophanase and made permeable by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment, catabolite repression of tryptophanase was not affected markedly by the addition of cAMP (3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate). Catabolite repression by glucose was only partially relieved by the addition of cAMP. In contrast, under the same conditions, cAMP completely relieved catabolite repression of β-galactosidase by either pyruvate or glucose. Under conditions of limited oxygen, induction of tryptophanase is sensitive to catabolite repression; under the same conditions, β-galactosidase induction is not sensitive to catabolite repression. Induction of tryptophanase in cells grown with succinate as carbon source is sensitive to catabolite repression by glycerol and pyruvate as well as by glucose. Studies with a glycerol kinaseless mutant indicate that glycerol must be metabolized before it can cause catabolite repression. The EDTA treatment used to make the cells permeable to cAMP was found to affect subsequent growth and induction of either β-galactosidase or tryptophanase much more adversely in E. coli strain BB than in E. coli strain K-12. Inducation of tryptophanase was reduced by the EDTA treatment significantly more than induction of β-galactosidase in both strains. Addition of 2.5 × 10−3m cAMP appeared partially to reverse the inhibitory effect of the EDTA treatment on enzyme induction but did not restore normal growth.
Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean by Karen Berman and Joe Knight with John Case

Karen Berman and Joe Knight argue that “everyone in a company does better when they understand how financial success is measured and how they have an impact on the company's performance” (p. xi). A...
Multiclass Continuous Correspondence Learning

We extend the Structural Correspondence Learning (SCL) domain adaptation algorithm of Blitzer er al. to the realm of continuous signals. Given a set of labeled examples belonging to a 'source' domain, we select a set of unlabeled examples in a related 'target' domain that play similar roles in both domains. Using these 'pivot samples, we map both domains into a common feature space, allowing us to adapt a classifier trained on source examples to classify target examples. We show that when between-class distances are relatively preserved across domains, we can automatically select target pivots to bring the domains into correspondence.
Low temperature mechanical relaxation in poly-p-xylylenes☆

Abstract The mechanical relaxation behaviour of poly- p -xylylene, poly(chloro- p -xylylene) and poly(dichloro- p -xylylene) has been investigated by means of an inverted torsion pendulum apparatus. Values are given for the shear modulus and loss for each of these three polymers at various temperatures from 80 K to room temperature. It is found that the unsubstituted poly- p -xylylene, even though it contains only two CH 2 sequences in its chain between phenylene units, exhibits a strong, low temperature relaxation process with a loss maximum at 159 K (0.54 Hz). The mono-substituted polymer, poly(chloro- p -xylylene), shows no loss peak in the 150 K region but does exhibit a damping maximum at 254 K (0.40 Hz). For the di-substituted polymer, poly(dichloro- p -xylylene), the loss modulus peak is again found in the low temperature region, being situated at 150 K (0.34 Hz). The data, together with other experimental observations, suggest that local reorientational motions of the phenyl, or substituted phenyl units, are involved in these secondary relaxation processes.
Processing of spatial information by floccular and non-floccular target neurons in the alert cat

Abstract In five alert chronically-prepared cats we studied the response to sinusoidal 3-D whole body rotation of well-isolated vestibular nucleus neurons which were tested for monosynaptic input from the vestibular labyrinth, direct projection to the oculomotor nucleus and, in some cases, inhibition from cerebellar flocculus stimulation. Neurons directly inhibited by flocculus stimulation had significantly greater horizontal–vertical semicircular canal signal convergence than did neurons not inhibited by flocculus stimulation.
Insights Into Metal−π Arene Interactions of the Highly Lewis Acidic Rh24+ Core with a Broad Set of π-Ligands: From Ethylene to Corannulene and C60-Fullerene

The first systematic theoretical investigation of interactions of the Lewis acidic Rh(II) centers with a number of π-ligands having isolated unsaturated carbon—carbon bonds (acetylene and ethylene) or delocalized π-systems with planar (benzene, naphthalene, acenaphthylene, and pyrene) or curved surfaces (corannulene and the C3-hemifullerene), including the C60-fullerene, has been undertaken. The effect of size, geometry, site specificity, and curvature of π-ligands on their interaction energy with Rh(II) has been examined. The geometric and electronic structures of π-adducts have been modeled at the DFT level of theory by using the hybrid Perdew−Burke−Ernzerhof parameter free exchange−correlation functional (PBE0). The nature of Rh(II)−π interactions was found to be similar in all products with the bonding energy ranging from 14.59 kcal/mol in the benzene adduct to 50.13 kcal/mol in the fullerene complex. Importantly, the quantitative evaluation of two bonding components, namely, ligand-to-metal and metal...
Minimally invasive ultrasound thermal therapy with MR thermal monitoring and guidance

In this study both transurethral and interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy were applied to thermally coagulate targeted portions of the canine prostate or brain and implanted TVT tumors while using MRI-based thermal mapping techniques to monitor the therapy. MRI was also used for target definition, positioning of the applicator, and evaluation of target viability post-therapy. The complex phase-difference mapping technique using an iGE-EPI sequence with lipid suppression was used for determining temperature elevations within the in vivo prostate or brain and surrounding structures. Calculated temperature distributions, thermal dose exposures, T2-wieghted & T1-contrast enhanced images, gross inspection, and histology of sectioned prostates and brains were in good agreement with each other in defining destroyed tissue zones. Interstitial and transurethral ultrasound applicators produce directed zones of thermal coagulation within targeted tissue and implanted tumor, which can be accurately monitored and evaluated by MRI.
Literary patronage in England, 1650-1800

Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. The cultural economics of literary patronage 3. The politics of patronage 4. John Dryden 5. Jonathan Swift 6. Alexander Pope 7. Edward Young and Richard Savage 8. Mary Leapor and Charlotte Lennox 9. Samuel Johnson 10. The persistence of patronage 11. Conclusion Bibliography Index.