cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The rise of Africa in the contemporary auction market: Myth or reality?

Abstract In the West and Africa alike auctions dedicated to contemporary African art have become increasingly common. Along with other developments, these specialized sales are cited in claims of a boom for contemporary African art. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on long-term changes in the incorporation of African born artists in “mainstream” contemporary sales at Western auction houses. Given that these sales bring together art from across geographic lines, they are an important indicator for measuring the degree to which the market for this work has internationalized. This paper helps to fill this gap in knowledge by presenting the first complete history of African born artists in the main contemporary sales at Christie’s. It draws on an original archive of all artworks consigned at Christie’s New York May and November contemporary day and evening sales from their inception in the 1970s until 2015. Findings show that there has been a slight rise, but not a boom, in the consignment of works by African born artists in the post-1989 era. I speculate that the small increases are related to directed efforts to legitimate contemporary African art as well as other shifts in the symbolic valuation of contemporary art. This paper advances scholarship on the internationalization of the art market by offering new empirical insights on the cultural hybridization of contemporary auctions in the West. More specifically, while the increases support arguments that contemporary African art is globalizing, the small rates of participation across time lend credence to critiques that claims of a highly internationalized art world are overstated. Also, by attending to the particularities of the African case, this paper sheds new insight on how the contemporary art market has internationalized.
What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most

Book In the second edition of this renowned book, you will find pearls of wisdom, heartfelt advice, and inspiration from one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. With wit and understanding, Todd Whitaker describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of great teachers and explains what they do differently. New features include: Meaning what you say Focusing on students first Putting yourself in their position DVD Bundle This bundle includes a DVD featuring Todd Whitaker speaking about what great teachers do differently. It runs for approximately two hours and is the perfect addition to teacher training events and professional development meetings/workshops. Filled with pearls of wisdom, humor, and practical strategies, the video will motivate your staff and inspire them to be the best they can, each and every day. The DVD comes with a free copy of What Great Teachers Do Differently as well as a Facilitator's Guide.
Improving the Work Function of Nitrogen-Doped Niobium Surfaces for SRF Cavities by Plasma Processing

Work function and surface chemistries of SiC-polished, electropolished, and nitrogen-doped niobium coupons were analyzed before and after plasma processing using a neon-oxygen gas mixture. These studies represent an initial enquiry into the feasibility of applying the plasma processing technique designed at ORNL for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to the nitrogen-doped Nb cavities for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS-II) upgrade. Work function of all measured samples was increased after plasma processing, which indicates the strong potential of the plasma processing technique as a tool for increasing the accelerating gradient of nitrogen-doped cavities.
Newborn Birth Injuries

A newborn may occasionally endure physical injury during the process of labor, delivery, or after delivery, involving different superficial and deep tissues, resulting in structural and/or functional impairment. There has been a significant decrease in the incidence of birth-related injuries over the last several decades due to the increasing use of cesarean delivery instead of performing difficult vaginal deliveries. While most birth injuries are temporary and self-limiting with full recovery, some may be lifelong, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Birth trauma may also occasionally occur during an uncomplicated delivery without documented risk factors in utero, before the initiation of the birth process or during a cesarean birth, making its occurrence often unpredictable and unavoidable. Despite skilled and competent obstetric care and reduction in related mortality rates, birth injuries still represent an important source of neonatal morbidity and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. To minimize potential complications and to improve outcomes following birth trauma, it is essential for the clinician to fully and promptly evaluate all newborns for evidence of trauma. While all newborns need this careful evaluation, there should be special consideration of babies delivered by forceps and/or vacuum, breech or other abnormal presentations, large babies, and babies born through precipitous labor. In addition to early diagnosis and prompt appropriate management, documentation prior to hospital discharge will help avoid inappropriate suspicion of inflicted injury (child abuse) at a later date.
PROPERTIES OF TAWN AND TAN/TAWN COATING FILM DEPOSITED ON WC-CO-BASED CEMENTED CARBIDE USING MAGNETRON SPUTTER ION PLATING

Titanium based coating films are generally used as the coating film. In this study, the thickness, hardness and scratch strength of TaWN and TaN/TaWN coated tools were measured. The substrate used was a cemented carbide ISO K10. The work piece used was a hardened steel AISI D2. This work piece was turned with the TaWN and the TaN/TaWN coated tools. The tool wear of the TaWN and TaN/TaWN coated tools was investigated. Furthermore, the TaN coated tool was also used. (1) Droplets on the surface of both the TaWN and TaN/TaWN coating films were negligible. (2) The hardness of the TaWN and TaN/TaWN was 2340 HV0.25N and 2630 HV0.25N, respectively. (3) The critical load of both the TaWN and TaN/TaWN coated tools was over 130 N. (4) The friction coefficient of the TaN/TaWN and TaN was 0.44 and 0.53, respectively. (5) The wear rate of the TaN/TaWN coated tool was slower than that of the TaN or TaWN coated tool. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/mijst.2018.42.256265 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
Improvising consciousness

Improvising Consciousness is an experimental work of intermedia performance: a cognitive science fiction which addresses questions of situated consciousness, pre- & post-human identity, and creativity. The core of the Improvising Consciousness project is a performative lecture on the history and future of the human mind. The lecture is typically accompanied by participatory activities, these have included: work-shopping of alter-egos; improvisation in a multiple personality melodrama; an interactive visual short story; play sessions with a mixed-reality alien intelligence; and a physical game dealing with pre-historic cognition. The creative team include researchers in interactive drama, virtual and mixed reality, visual novels, AI, robotics and performance. They are members of a group which has a track record of producing innovative syntheses of computer-based technology and live performance.
Complex network of United States migration

Economists and social scientists have studied the human migration extensively. However, the complex network of human mobility in the United States (US) is not studied in depth. In this paper, we analyze migration network between counties and states in the US between 2000 and 2015 to analyze the overall structure of US migration and yearly changes using temporal analysis. We aggregated network on different time windows and analyzed for both county and state level. Analyzing flow between US counties and states, we focus on the migration during different periods such as economic prosperity of the housing boom and economic hardship of the housing bust. We observed that nodes at county and state level usually remain active, but there are considerable fluctuations on links. This indicates that migration patterns change over the time. However, we could identify a backbone at both county and state levels using disparity filter. Finally, we analyze impact of the political and socioeconomic factors on the migration. Using gravity model, we observe that population, political affiliation, poverty, and unemployment rate have influence on US migration.
Pilot Study Exploring Migration Experiences and Perinatal Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Immigrant Latinas.

Migration-related experiences can increase Latinas’ risk of perinatal depression and anxiety. Few studies have investigated these associations among Latinas due to a lack of survey instruments explicitly assessing migration experiences. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the Migration Experiences Survey (MES), a newly-developed measure of migration and deportation fears and explored associations between those experiences and mental health in a sample of immigrant Latinas in the perinatal period. This cross-sectional study recruited women from community health clinics in Chapel Hill, NC between July 2013 and 2014. Twenty-five immigrant women were enrolled in the study during their third trimester of pregnancy. Women were interviewed in English or Spanish during pregnancy and at 8 weeks postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to determine anxiety symptoms. The MES was administered at 8 weeks postpartum. Nonparametric tests were conducted to determine associations between deportation fears and maternal mood. Results show that the MES is acceptable for collecting data on migration experiences and assessing deportation fears among immigrant Latinas, regardless of depressive or anxiety symptoms. More than 40% had migration safety concerns and fears of deportation. Self or family-related fears of deportation were significantly associated with prenatal state anxiety and trait anxiety (p < .05). No significant associations between deportation fears and depressive symptoms were observed. The MES is a useful tool for gathering information about migration experiences associated with perinatal anxiety.
It Works for Base Ten and Other Bases Too.

Current teaching practice spreads over a spec trum ranging from nearly impersonal dictation of information with lack of concern as to how students learn, to the encouragement of dis covery or invention of nearly all of the mathe matics by the student. . . . There are perhaps only a few teachers at the extremes of this span of classroom methodology. . . . Few teachers use one method to the exclusion of all others.
Photodetachment Spectroscopy of—CH2CN

Spectroscopic studies of the structure of negative ions exhibit two major limitations. Negative ions can be obtained in only very small densities compared to positive ions and neutrals (≲106 cm−3 for negative ions) [1]. In addition, the extra electron is usually bound by less than a few eV so that, in general, bound electronically excited states which would otherwise permit an electronic spectroscopic study of the ground state do not exist. The first problem can be avoided by using single particle detection of a transition, the second by several different techioues: a) threshold photodetachment to the neutral [2]; b) infrared vibration-rotation spectroscopy [3]; c) excitation to an electronically excited negative ion above the detachment continuum and subsequent autodetachment [4–6]. The fact that any dipolar neutral molecule (≳2 Debye) can support an electronic state [7] has greatly facilitated the study of the ground and excited states of negative ions [5,6].
DETERMINAÇÃO DE ÁREAS PARA INSTALAÇÃO DE INSTRUMENTOS HIDROMETEOROLÓGICOS EM MICROBACIAS POR MEIO DO SIG

EnglishOne way to study a microbasin is collect data by hydrometeorological instruments. However, there are few studies in Brazil about allocation methodologies for these instruments. Therefore, the purpose of this research had been use Geographic Information System (GIS) ArcGIS® 10.5 as a tool to determine suitable regions to allocate four instruments: fluviometric station, hydrometeorological station, tensiometer and piezometer using information plans intersections generated from Numerical Terrain Models (NTMs) of elevation, slope, orientation and slopes curvature. The studied area had been the Corrego Dezoito microbasin headwater, at Sao Mateus county, State of Espirito Santo. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) required for the NTMs generation had been created by top to raster interpolation method and the dimensions basin were obtained by geodetic survey in stop and go mode. This research have got suitable regions maps for each instrument installation according to the crossings parameters elevation, slope, orientation and curvature. The use of GIS was efficient and made objective the instruments allocation portuguesUma forma de se estudar microbacias hidrograficas se da a partir de dados coletados por instrumentos hidrometeorologicos, mas, o que se percebe e que ha poucos estudos no Brasil sobre metodologias de alocacao desses instrumentos. Logo, o proposito dessa pesquisa foi usar o Sistema de Informacoes Geograficas (SIG) ArcGIS® 10.5 como ferramenta na determinacao de regioes propicias a alocacao de quatro instrumentos: estacao fluviometrica, estacao hidrometeorologica, tensiometro e piezometro, a partir dos cruzamentos de planos de informacoes gerados dos Modelos Numericos de Terreno (MNTs) de elevacao, declividade, orientacao e curvatura das vertentes. A area estudada foi a microbacia da cabeceira do Corrego Dezoito no municipio de Sao Mateus, Espirito Santo. O Modelo Digital de Elevacao (MDE) necessario para a geracao dos MNTs foi gerado por meio do metodo de interpolacao top to raster, e as cotas foram obtidas por meio de levantamento geodesico da bacia no modo stop and go. Os resultados foram mapas das regioes propicias a instalacao dos instrumentos conforme os cruzamentos dos parâmetros elevacao, declividade, orientacao e curvatura. O uso do SIG foi eficiente e tornou objetiva a determinacao das regioes de alocacao dos instrumentos
Clinical Judgement and Next Generation NCLEX® – A Positive Direction for Nursing Education!

Abstract Nurse educators are buzzing about the National Council State Boards of Nursing’s Next Generation National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) (NGN). This significant change of test item style is based upon thoughtful and powerful evidence, supported by the Clinical Judgment Model (CJM). Faculty have questioned on how to prepare students for the possible NGN changes. This article explores simple and quick ways to incorporate the CJM into every classroom, laboratory, simulation, and clinical experience.
Plasma and trap-based techniques for science with antimatter

Positrons (i.e., antielectrons) find use in a wide variety of applications, and antiprotons are required for the formation and study of antihydrogen. Available sources of these antiparticles are relatively weak. To optimize their use, most applications require that the antiparticles be accumulated into carefully prepared plasmas. We present an overview of the techniques that have been developed to efficiently accumulate low energy antiparticles and create, in particular, tailored antiparticle plasmas. Techniques are also described to create tailored antiparticle beams. Many of these techniques are based on methods first developed by the nonneutral plasma community using electron plasmas for increased data rate. They have enabled the creation and trapping of antihydrogen, have been critical to studies of positron and positronium interactions with matter, including advanced techniques to characterize materials and material surfaces, and have led to the creation and study of the positronium molecule. Rather than attempting to be comprehensive, we focus on techniques that have proven most useful, applications where there has been significant, recent progress, and areas that hold promise for future advances. Examples of the latter include the ever more precise comparisons of the properties of antihydrogen and hydrogen, tests of gravity using antihydrogen and positronium atoms, and efforts to create and study phases of the many-electron, many-positron system.
Mechanisms of sensing and response to proteotoxic stress

Cells are continuously subject to various stresses, battling both exogenous insults as well as toxic by-products of normal cellular metabolism and nutrient deprivation. Throughout the millennia, cells developed a core set of general stress responses that promote survival and reproduction under adverse circumstances. Past and current research efforts have been devoted to understanding how cells sense stressors and how that input is deciphered and transduced, resulting in stimulation of stress management pathways. A prime element of cellular stress responses is the increased transcription and translation of proteins specialized in managing and mitigating distinct types of stress. In this review, we focus on recent developments in our understanding of cellular sensing of proteotoxic stressors that impact protein synthesis, folding, and maturation provided by the model eukaryote the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with reference to similarities and differences with other model organisms and humans.
Changes in Land Use and Land Cover Along an Urban-Rural Gradient Influence Floral Resource Availability

While several hundred thousand species of insects, mammals, and birds rely on flowers for food or reproduction, a surprising dearth of literature focuses specifically on floral resources. An understanding of floral resource availability is particularly necessary in urban areas, which have recently been proposed as important habitat for declining pollinator populations. In this study, we aim to synthesize existing information and provide new insights about the effects of land use and land cover (LULC) change and urbanization on the distribution, diversity, and abundance of floral resources. Our results suggest that certain LULC types provide more floral resources than others. In particular, urban lands may have higher floral density than agricultural or natural lands. However, we also observed inconsistent findings between studies, and the relationship between urbanization and floral resource availability may vary by city, with this variation possibly due in part to city size, LULC composition, regional biome, and biases in sampling. It appears that cities have the potential to provide an important source of floral resources. However, a complete understanding of the effects of urbanization on floral resources requires that landscape composition and heterogeneity be taken into account. We recommend that more studies estimate floral resource availability at a landscape scale by combining data about LULC composition with data about floral resource availability within various LULC types. These studies should focus specifically on flower communities and be conducted along a full urban-rural gradient.
Televascular consultation is one answer to rural vascular surgery shortage

Telemedicine provides an opportunity for virtual consultation between physicians and patients in remote locations. We sought to evaluate whether telemedicine consultation for vascular surgery can r...
Fractional Flow in Radial Flow System—A Study for Peripheral Waterflood

The Buckley–Leverett displacement mechanism has been used to predict the performance of waterflood. With Buckley–Leverett method, oil recovery from waterflood is calculated and required water injection volume to achieve that oil recovery is estimated. This method does provide a very useful tool in waterflood design. Our experience in oil industry and a thorough literature review indicates that Buckley–Leverett method was used to analyze waterflood project directly without any adjustment based on the real reservoir and production situations. By doing so, errors are introduced into the analysis. Buckley–Leverett method assumed that displacement occurs in a linear system. This is true for some waterflood scenarios while for others it is not. For some waterflood scenarios, a radial system is more appropriate than a linear system. In this study, we investigated the fractional flow in a radial system and derived the solutions to predict the performance of water displacing oil in radial system. With this radial displacement model, design and prediction of waterflood can be achieved by Buckley–Leverett method and our model, whichever fits the waterflood pattern. Considering the fact that many waterflood scenarios follow radial displacement, our model is an important supplement to Buckley–Leverett method.
Speaking out: A mathematical model of language preservation.

Abstract Languages evolve as an effect of communal competition while environmental and social dynamics characterize a language. There are thousands of languages spoken around the world but many of them are in danger of going extinct because of language competition and shifts. Modeling language preservation is important because the rise and fall of a language directly impacts the culture attached to it. We present a study of language competition and preservation between a bilingual population and two monolingual populations using a mathematical model involving nonlinear systems of differential equations. Building upon the ideas of previous models in the literature, the model utilizes population proportions with a simple structure that yields noteworthy behavior including a stable spiral with all three language groups preserved. We investigate how bilinguals and monolinguals can coexist as well as how they can affect one another. Los idiomas evolucionan como efecto de la competencia comunitaria, mientras que las dinamicas ambientales y sociales caracterizan a un idioma. Se hablan miles de idiomas en todo el mundo, pero muchos de ellos estan en peligro de extincion debido a la competencia linguistica y los cambios. Modelar la preservacion del lenguaje es importante porque el auge y la caida de un idioma impacta directamente en la cultura que se le atribuye. Presentamos un estudio de la competencia y preservacion del lenguaje entre una poblacion bilingue y dos poblaciones monolingues utilizando un modelo matematico que involucra sistemas no lineales de ecuaciones diferenciales. Sobre la base de las ideas de modelos anteriores en la literatura, el modelo utiliza proporciones de poblacion con una estructura simple que produce un comportamiento notable que incluye una espiral estable con los tres grupos linguisticos preservados. Investigamos como los bilingues y los monolingues pueden coexistir y como pueden afectarse unos a otros.
Opioid use disorder: Calling pharmacists to action for better preconception and pregnancy care.

Abstract Opioid use disorder (OUD) in women of child-bearing potential is problematic in the United States. This has resulted in increasing risk for adverse maternal outcomes, neonatal abstinence syndrome, fetal and neonatal harm, prolonged hospitalizations, and increased health care costs. Pharmacists in all practice settings have opportunities to provide preconception and pregnancy care to prevent and manage OUD. Given pharmacists’ scope of practice and expertise, key roles include assessing patients for OUD; mitigating exposure; educating patients regarding potential infant effects; recommending contraceptive methods and counseling on proper use; ensuring safe breastfeeding with concurrent medications; and linking patients to needed services. Through patient counseling, medication management, and harm reduction interventions, pharmacists can work to combat this public health crisis. To encourage increased uptake of pharmacists into these roles, more needs to be done to reimburse pharmacists for these important services and quantify their impact on patient and population health outcomes.
Targeting the EP4 receptor for prostaglandin E2 increases natural killer cell lytic activity and inhibits metastasis

7 Natural Killer (NK) cells are important to the control of tumor metastasis. NK function is compromised, however, by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesized by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) which is highly expressed in breast cancer. PGE2 contributes to the high metastatic capacity of breast tumors. Our published data indicates that inhibiting prostaglandin production with either selective or non-selective COX inhibitors prevents metastasis. We then targeted downstream signaling of PGE2 via prostaglandin E (EP) receptors. The pharmacological antagonism of the EP4 receptor inhibits metastasis to the same degree as the COX inhibitors. The ability of COX inhibitors and EP4 receptor antagonists to limit tumor dissemination is highly dependent on functional NK cells. Inhibiting either PGE2 synthesis or signaling increases NK lytic activity against murine mammary tumor targets in vitro. Blockade of PGE2 also decreases the expression of MHC class I, an inhibitory NK ligand. Furthermore, the protective capability of COX inhibitors and EP receptor antagonist on metastasis is compromised in mice depleted of functioning NK cells. To further examine signaling through PGE2 receptors, we then silenced EP4 gene expression in our mammary tumor cells. We confirmed that EP4 shRNA inhibited EP4 agonist stimulated adenyl cyclase activation. Intravenous injection of EP4 shRNA mammary tumor cells into syngeneic mice inhibited metastasis. This anti-metastatic effect was consistent with our results using pharmacologic EP4 antagonists. These results support a mechanism whereby decreasing PGE2 synthesis using COX inhibitors or preventing PGE2 signaling through its EP4 receptor inhibits metastatic disease and contributes to the therapeutic outcome. These studies support further investigation of the role of EP4 in tumor behavior.
Abstract P274: Inhibition Of Abnormal Exosome Release Prevents Excessive Aortic Stiffness And Relaxation Dysfunction In Diet-induced Obesity

Interactions between over-nutrition and abnormal exosome release impact insulin sensitivity and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent data have shown that exosomes can be released...
Transfer of accuracy training when difficulty is controlled by varying target size.

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the effect on accuracy of practice under conditions in which the practice target was larger or smaller than the test target. Two throwing skills were studied. A dart throwing experiment (190 subjects) and a softball throwing experiment (128 subjects) were conducted. In each experiment treatment groups practiced on either a target identical to the test target, a target with a diameter one-half that of the test target, a target with a diameter one and one-half times that of the test target, or a target which was merely a point in the center of the “field” of the test target. Statistical treatment revealed no conclusive differential treatment effects in either experiment.
The Imperial Tongue

The English language dominates science, scholarship, and instruction as never before. While it is unlikely that English will achieve the status that Latin had as the sole language of teaching and scholarship at the 13th-century universities in Europe, the Latin analogy has some relevance today.
Cultural differences at the end of life.

Physicians must be mindful of how cultural attitudes regarding death and end-of-life care that will impact patients' decisions regarding a loved one. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
ID: 177: Pathogen recognition and STING signaling

We have recently reported that STING (stimulator of interferon genes) is essential for controlling Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-independent, cytosolic DNA-mediated innate immune signaling. Accordingly, STING appears essential for protecting the host against lethal disease following infection by pathogens such as HSV1. Such cellular DNA sensors may also play a key role in triggering inflammation aggravated autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases such as Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome (AGS) are characterized by the overproduction of cytokines such as type I interferon (IFN) suggesting that stimulation of host innate immune responses, speculatively by chronic infection or self-nucleic acids, play a role in the manifestation of these diseases. It is known that mice lacking DNAse II die during embryonic development through comparable inflammatory disease since phagocytosed DNA from apoptotic cells cannot be adequately digested and intracellular host DNA sensors are activated resulting in the production of a variety of cytokines including type I IFN. However, we have found that STING controls innate immune signaling events that facilitate such events. DNase II-dependent autoimmune embryonic lethality was rescued by loss of STING function and polyarthritis completely prevented since cytosolic DNA failed to robustly trigger cytokine production through STING controlled signaling pathways. Consequently, loss of STING expression similarly alleviated Trex-1-dependent lethal inflammatory myocarditis is mice, a model for AGS, speculatively caused by endogenous self DNA. Our data provides molecular insight into the causes of DNA-mediated inflammation-dependent autoimmune disorders as well as inflammation driven cancer and affords a new target that could plausibly be therapeutically controlled, to help prevent such diseases.
Identification of baroreceptor reflex interneurons in the caudal ventrolateral medulla

Interrupting neuronal activity in the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVL) abolishes baroreceptor-mediated sympathoinhibition and vasodepressor responses. In the present study we identified CVL neurons that function as interneurons in the baroreceptor reflex arc. The mean antidromic onset latency of CVL neurons (5 ms) after stimulation in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVL) suggests that they transmit information to the RVL via unmyelinated axons. Stimulation of baroreceptor afferents in the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) excited CVL neurons projecting to the RVL with onset latencies between 15 and 45 ms. The short-latency ADN stimulus-evoked excitation of CVL barosensory interneurons preceded the onset of the ADN stimulus-evoked inhibition of RVL-spinal sympathoexcitatory neurons. Longer-latency ADN-evoked CVL neuronal responses may arise from activation of unmyelinated ADN afferents that can prolong the inhibition of RVL sympathoexcitatory neurons. The excitation of CVL barosensory interneurons resulting from the systolic pressure rise was followed by a period of decreased excitability of RVL sympatho-excitatory neurons, which was of comparable duration to the increase in the discharge probability of CVL neurons. Our characterization of baroreceptor reflex interneurons in the CVL suggests that transmission of baroreceptor information involves a complex activation of medullary interneurons responding selectively to different aspects of the arterial pressure stimulus.
Localization of sound after section of the brachium of the inferior colliculus

Nine adult cats were trained on a discrimination requiring localization of sound in space. Localization was tested at successively decreasing discrimination angles, and thresholds were determined. The brachium of the inferior colliculus was sectioned bilaterally either in a single operation or in two stages with intervening behavioral tests. Large transient losses in localizing ability were found in three animals with complete unilateral brachium lesions. While performance improved with protracted retraining, two of these animals had some permanent impairment. Following complete bilateral lesions of the acoustic brachium, animals were not able to localize sound as tested by the present methods. In a single animal, extensive but bilaterally incomplete destruction of the brachium was without effect on localization.
5200 cycle of an 8-cm diameter Hg ion thruster

An accelerated cycle test was conducted in which an 8-cm Engineering Model Thruster (EMT) prototype successfully completed 5200 on-off cycles and a total of more than 1300 hours of thruster operation at a 4.5 mN thrust level. Cathode tip heater powers required for starting and keeper voltages remained well within acceptable limits. The discharge chamber utilization and electrical efficiency were nearly constant over the duration of the test. It is concluded that on-off cyclic operation by itself does not appreciably degrade starting capability or performance of the 8-cm EMT.
Evolution of wave-packet spread under sequential scattering of particles of unequal mass.

Under assumptions on initial wave-packet spreads and particle interactions, different mass particles scattering off one another will have the product ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}^{2}{m}_{i}$ converge to a common value, where ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}$ is the spread and ${m}_{i}$ is the mass of the $i$th particle. When this relation is satisfied, kinematic entanglement vanishes.
Pore pressure buildup coefficient in synthetic and natural sandstones

Abstract We present laboratory measurements of Skempton's pore pressure buildup coefficient B for synthetic and natural sandstones, and use our results to estimate the unjacketed pore compressibility 1/Ko. Measured values of B are always near unity for differential pressures below ∼2 MPa, regardless of porosity, grain composition, or the presence of small amounts of clay in the samples. We observed B near 0.7–0.8 for differential pressures of about 8–21 MPa in a clay-free synthetic sandstone. Similar values are expected for natural sandstones with low crack densities, whereas sandstones containing greater concentrations of microcracks apparently have values of B near 0.6. Our results suggest that the pore compressibility may have values close to the pore-fluid compressibility rather than the grain compressibility.
Social stress, therapeutics and drug abuse : Preclinical models of escalated and depressed intake

The impact of ostensibly aversive social stresses on triggering, amplifying and prolonging intensely rewarding drug taking is an apparent contradiction in need of resolution. Social stress encompasses various types of significant life events ranging from maternal separation stress, brief episodes of social confrontations in adolescence and adulthood, to continuous subordination stress, each with its own behavioral and physiological profile. The neural circuit comprising the VTA–accumbens–PFC–amygdala is activated by brief episodes of social stress, which is critical for the DA-mediated behavioral sensitization and increased stimulant consumption. A second neural circuit comprising the raphe–PFC–hippocampus is activated by continuous subordination stress and other types of uncontrollable stress. In terms of the development of therapeutics, brief maternal separation stress has proven useful in characterizing compounds acting on subtypes of GABA, glutamate, serotonin and opioid receptors with anxiolytic potential. While large increases in alcohol and cocaine intake during adulthood have been seen after prolonged maternal separation experiences during the first two weeks of rodent life, these effects may be modulated by additional yet to be identified factors. Brief episodes of defeat stress can engender behavioral sensitization that is relevant to escalated and prolonged self-administration of stimulants and possibly opioids, whereas continuous subordination stress leads to anhedonia-like effects. Understanding the intracellular cascade of events for the transition from episodic to continuous social stress in infancy and adulthood may provide insight into the modulation of basic reward processes that are critical for addictive and affective disorders.
Are Residential Dwellers Marking and Claiming? Applying the Concepts to Humans Who Dwell Differently:

Mitch Rose's paper in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space (volume 30, issue 5, pages 757–771) arguing that dwelling involves acts of marking and claiming offers bountiful conceptual tools for understanding the dwelling experience. Here, I apply Rose's ideas to the modern residential dweller and use this application to assess Rose's claims. Specifically, the typical and mainstream modern home dweller is contrasted with several different empirical case studies of people who dwell differently, using alternative technologies, practices, and forms of organization in residential dwelling. These case studies are explored using the language of ‘marking’ and ‘claiming’ as put forth by Rose (pace Martin Heidegger) to illustrate what these concepts offer for understanding the experience of dwelling in a home. The observations of residential dwellers who dwell differently suggest that Rose's concepts do help to elucidate the dwelling experience, but that intellectual assistance from other sources, including...
Pairing symmetry in a two-orbital exchange coupling model of oxypnictides.

We study the pairing symmetry of a two-orbital J(1)-J(2) model for FeAs layers in oxypnictides. We show that the mixture of an intraorbital unconventional s(x)(2)y(2)similar to cos(k(x))cos(k(y)) pairing symmetry, which changes sign between the electron a
A quasi-steady shrinking core analysis of wood combustion

A shrinking core model of the combustion of individual chunkwood and particle wood elements is developed and validated by comparison with literature data. The model is formulated on the physical evidence that large wood specimens inserted into a hot convective environment lose weight mostly over a relatively thin outside layer, while the interior (core) remains relatively undisturbed. The modeling of the complete process requires a correlation of the turbulent heat and mass transfer coefficients which include explicitly the effects of transpiration of volatilized organic compounds and moisture, along with geometry, and equivalent radius. The fuel element burnout time is shown to be a function of fuel properties, moisture content, and size. Drier and smaller elements burn faster while moisture is shown to slow the shrinking rate due to the cooling effects of transpiration and the latent heat of evaporation.
Perforated membrane method for fabricating three-dimensional polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic devices

A procedure is described for making layer-to-layer interconnections in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices. Thin (∼50 μm) perforated PDMS membranes are bonded to thicker (0.1 cm or more) PDMS slabs by means of thermally cured PDMS prepolymer to form a three-dimensional (3D) channel structure, which may contain channel or valve arrays that can pass over and under one another. Devices containing as many as two slabs and three perforated membranes are demonstrated. We also present 3D PDMS microfluidic devices for display and for liquid dispensing.
Proportional Equations in Plutonium Chemistry

Modern software has made the method of proportional equations easy to use. The method quickly yields oxidation state distributions for plutonium in aqueous solutions, so it serves as a check on the results obtained by other techniques. It is a versatile tool that incorporates mass and charge conservation without specifically starting those two laws.
Increasing Low-Responding Students’ Participation in Class Discussion

Students in six sections of a large undergraduate class were asked to record their class comments on notecards in all course units. Additionally, in some units, they received points toward their course grade based on their reported comments in class discussion. The study was conducted over a two-semester period, with slight variation in both the recording and crediting procedures across the two semesters. The primary goal of the study was to determine the effects of two credit and self-recording arrangements on initially low-responding students’ subsequent participation in class discussion (first semester n = 49, second semester n = 45). A higher percentage of low-responding students reported participating in class discussion when credit was given for participation than when no credit was awarded. Nonetheless, 39% of the initially low-responding students the first semester and 38% of the initially low-responding students the second semester did not participate in class discussion in any phase of the study.
Enhanced Cytomegalovirus Infection in Atherosclerotic Human Blood Vessels

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a possible co-factor in atherogenesis and vascular occlusion, but its ability to actively infect medium and large blood vessels is unclear. A vascular explant model was adapted to investigate CMV infection in human coronary artery, internal mammary artery (IMA), and saphenous vein (SV). Vascular explants were inoculated with CMV Towne or low-passage clinical isolate and examined in situ for CMV cytopathic effect and immediate-early and early antigens, as indicators of active infection. At 5 to 7 days after inoculation, we found that CMV Towne actively infected eight of eight different atherosclerotic blood vessel explants (coronary artery, n = 4; SV and IMA grafts, n = 4), whereas it only infected 2 of 14 nonatherosclerotic blood vessel explants (SV, n = 10; IMA, n = 4) (P = 0.001). The CMV clinical isolate actively infected none of six sets of nonatherosclerotic SV explants at 5 to 7 days after inoculation. The active CMV infections involved adventitial and, less frequently, intimal cells. A small subset of infected cells in atherosclerotic tissue expresses the endothelial cell marker CD31. Smooth muscle cells residing in both atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic blood vessels were free of active CMV infections even after all vascular tissue layers were exposed to the virus. In contrast, active CMV Towne infection was evident at 2 days after inoculation in smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells previously isolated from the SV tissues. We conclude that active CMV infection is enhanced in atherosclerotic blood vessels compared to atherosclerosis-free vascular equivalents, and this viral activity is restricted to subpopulations of intimal and adventitial cells.
Going where the action is: cellular therapy for diabetes mellitus.

In 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, a lifelong workaholic who single-handedly authored the 37-volume Historia Naturalis, sailed his warship across the Bay of Naples to the base of the erupting Mt Vesuvius. He was driven by his zeal for first-hand scientific knowledge, and a desire to help his friends in danger. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, he died of asphyxiation in the effort. While the adversities associated with scientific and humanitarian quests in ancient Rome were greater than those of the 21 se century, one might view the people who develop and evaluate clinical cellular therapies as modern-day Plinys - very hard-working people who thrive on being involved in novel initiatives and providing services that result in tangible benefits to others. The treatment of diabetes mellitus may be considered a prime example for which our field is now poised to 'go where the action is', because ideas from a number of diverse disciplines are converging into several new and promising cell-based approaches. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose and long-term complications involving the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels. Type I diabetes mellitus (TIDM), caused by autoimmune de­ struction of the insulin-producing 13-cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, is currently managed by lifelong insulin injections and frequent monitoring of
PATHOLOGIES OF GIANT CITIES ‐ LEADING EDGE OF THE PATHOLOGIES OF MODERN CIVILIZATION

If cultural evolution is purposive cities should have improved the quality of human life. City life is examined first in relation to the satisfaction of human needs. The inner areas of giant cities are perceived by their inhabitants as undesirable places to live. But the special problems of giant cities when subject to closer analysis are seen to be rooted in the larger pathology of the thrust for growth and power in modern civilisation.
CO2 mass transfer and solubility in aqueous primary and secondary amine

Abstract Three amines were tested as solvents for CO 2 capture: monoisopropanolamine (MIPA) and 3 amino 1 propanol (MPA), which are primary amines, and diethanolamine (DEA), which is a secondary amine. The three amines were tested at 7 molal in water, which corresponds to 30 wt % monoethanolamine (MEA). The CO 2 absorption rate and solubility in the solvents was measured using a bench scale wetted wall column (WWC) at 20–100 °C and over the range of CO 2 loading expected for coal flue gas. The experimental data are analyzed to suggest performance in a real process. The performance of the three new amines are compared against literature results for 7 m MEA and other solvents with amines of related structures, such as 10 m Diglycolamine (DGA) ® and 4.8 m 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP). The mass transfer performance and the CO 2 carrying ability of the amine are related to the structural hindrance and the pKa. The CO 2 absorption rate of 7 m MIPA and 7 m DEA are competitive with 7 m MEA. For 7 m MPA, the measured liquid film mass transfer coefficient is about 20% lower than 7 m MEA. The CO 2 solubility data are used to generate a semi-empirical model for each of the new solvents. The results for CO 2 solubility at 40 °C suggest that MIPA and MPA have similar CO 2 capacity to MEA, whereas DEA has double the CO 2 capacity of the three primary amines. Based on the comparison of data collected in this work and literature results, it is generalized for unhindered amines that the overall CO 2 mass transfer performance of the solvent is inversely related to the pKa of the amine. Also, the CO 2 capacity of the amine increases with the relative hindrance of the nitrogen group in the amine molecule.
Ecdysteroids affect in vivo protein metabolism of the flight muscle of the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta)

Ecdysteroid growth promotion of the dorsolongitudinal flight muscle of Manduca sexta was studied by measuring in vivo protein metabolism using both "flooding-dose" and "non-carrier" techniques. These procedures differ in that the former method includes injection of non-labelled phenylalanine (30 micromoles/insect) together with the [3H]amino acid. Injected radioactivity plateaued in the haemolymph within 7 min. With the flooding-dose method, haemolymph and intramuscular specific radioactivities were similar between 15 min and 2 h. Incorporation of [3H]phenylalanine into muscle protein was linear with either method between 30 and 120 min. Fractional rates (%/12 h) of synthesis with the flooding-dose technique were best measured after 1 h because of the initial delay in radioactivity equilibration. Estimation of body phenylalanine turnover with the non-carrier method showed 24-53%/h which was negligible with the flooding-dose method. Since the two methods yielded similar rates of protein synthesis, the large injection of non-labelled amino acid did not alter the rate of synthesis. Because the flooding-dose technique requires only a single time point measurement, it is the preferred method. The decline and eventual cessation of flight-muscle growth was mostly a consequence of declining protein synthesis though degradation increased between 76-86 h before eclosion and was relatively rapid. This decline in muscle growth could be prevented by treating pupae with 20-hydroxyecdysone (10 micrograms/insect). Protein accretion was promoted by a decline of up to 80% in protein breakdown, which was offset in part by a concurrent though much smaller decrease in protein synthesis. Therefore, ecdysteroids may increase flight-muscle growth by inhibiting proteolysis.