cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunization with an ApoB-100 Related Peptide Vaccine Attenuates Angiotensin-II Induced Hypertension and Renal Fibrosis in Mice

Recent studies suggest the potential involvement of CD8+ T cells in the pathogenesis of murine hypertension. We recently reported that immunization with apoB-100 related peptide, p210, modified CD8+ T cell function in angiotensin II (AngII)-infused apoE (-/-) mice. In this study, we hypothesized that p210 vaccine modulates blood pressure in AngII-infused apoE (-/-) mice. Male apoE (-/-) mice were immunized with p210 vaccine and compared to unimmunized controls. At 10 weeks of age, mice were subcutaneously implanted with an osmotic pump which released AngII for 4 weeks. At 13 weeks of age, p210 immunized mice showed significantly lower blood pressure response to AngII compared to controls. CD8+ T cells from p210 immunized mice displayed a different phenotype compared to CD8+ T cells from unimmunized controls. Serum creatinine and urine albumin to creatinine ratio were significantly decreased in p210 immunized mice suggesting that p210 vaccine had renal protective effect. At euthanasia, inflammatory genes IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 in renal tissue were down-regulated by p210 vaccine. Renal fibrosis and pro-fibrotic gene expression were also significantly reduced in p210 immunized mice. To assess the role of CD8+ T cells in these beneficial effects of p210 vaccine, CD8+ T cells were depleted by CD8 depleting antibody in p210 immunized mice. p210 immunized mice with CD8+ T cell depletion developed higher blood pressure compared to mice receiving isotype control. Depletion of CD8+ T cells also increased renal fibrotic gene expression compared to controls. We conclude that immunization with p210 vaccine attenuated AngII-induced hypertension and renal fibrosis. CD8+ T cells modulated by p210 vaccine could play an important role in the anti-hypertensive, anti-fibrotic and renal-protective effect of p210 vaccine.
Body image in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: validation of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire--Scoliosis Version

Background: Appearance concerns in individuals with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis can result in impairment in daily functioning, or body image disturbance. The Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire (BIDQ) is a self-reported, seven-question instrument that measures body image disturbance in general populations; no studies have specifically examined body image disturbance in those with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This study aimed to validate a modified version of the BIDQ in a population with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and to establish discriminant validity by comparing responses of operatively and nonoperatively treated patients with those of normal controls. Methods: In the first phase, a multicenter study of forty-nine patients (mean age, fourteen years; thirty-seven female) with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was performed to validate the BIDQ-Scoliosis version (BIDQ-S). Participants completed the BIDQ-S, Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22, Children’s Depression Index (CDI), and Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA) questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. In the second phase, ninety-eight patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (mean age, 15.7 years; seventy-five female) matched by age and sex with ninety-eight healthy adolescents were enrolled into a single-center study to evaluate the discriminant validity of the BIDQ-S. Subjects completed the BIDQ-S and a demographic form before treatment. Independent-sample t tests and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: The BIDQ-S was internally consistent (Cronbach alpha = 0.82), and corrected item total correlations ranged from 0.47 to 0.67. The BIDQ-S was significantly correlated with each domain of the SRS-22 and the total score (r = −0.50 to −0.72, p ≤ 0.001), with the CDI (r = 0.31, p = 0.03), and with the BESAA (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). BIDQ-S scores differed significantly between patients (1.50) and controls (1.06, p < 0.005), establishing discriminant validity. Conclusions: The BIDQ-S is an internally consistent outcomes instrument that correlated with the SRS-22, CDI, and BESAA outcomes instruments in a scoliosis population. The scores of the patients with scoliosis indicated greater back-related body image disturbance compared with healthy controls. To our knowledge, this user-friendly instrument is the first to examine body image disturbance in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, and it provides a comprehensive evaluation of how scoliosis-related appearance concerns impact psychosocial and daily functioning. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Postgraduate Education and The Changing Interaction With The Pharmaceutical Industry: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

This paper examines therelationship between industry and academia withregard to pharmaceutical research. Thecontinuous technological flux in researchpresents challenges to industry in obtainingadequately prepared scientists withoutinterfering in or disrupting a youngscientists' academic preparation. We presentour recommendations concerning the kinds ofskills required by changing technology andobserve the increasingly collaborativerelationship between academia and industry. Wesuggest the need for broader education forPh.D. and post-graduate students, inducing inthem transferable and productive skills for arapidly changing market. These skills,typically acquired in the liberal arts, wouldprovide young scientists with an awareness oftheir position in the process of scientificdiscovery process. Such scientists will bebetter prepared for making discoveries inscience, as discovery is less the result of anindividual's effort and more the result ofconcerted team efforts.
Triggering of T-lymphocytes via Either T3-Ti or T11 Surface Structures Opens a Voltage-insensitive Plasma Membrane Calcium-permeable Channel: Requirement for Interleukin-2 Gene Function

Stimulation of human T-lymphocytes via either the surface T3-Ti antigen-major histocompatibility complex receptor complex or the T11 molecule results in clonal proliferation through a calcium-dependent mechanism. To investigate this signal transduction, plasma membrane calcium-permeable channels were characterized in T-lymphocytes by means of whole cell or single channel patch-clamp recordings. Stimulation of T-lymphocytes via either structure results in opening of an identical set of voltage-insensitive plasma membrane Ca2+-permeable channels through the action of a diffusible second messenger. Previous work with excised inside-out patches suggests that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is the activating second messenger of the voltage-insensitive T-cell Ca2+-permeable channel. Since there is a significant increase in phosphoinositide turnover after stimulation via either the T3-Ti or T11 pathway, it is suggested that triggering of either structure opens a common set of channels through this mechanism. Furthermore, currents flowing through Ca2+-permeable channels are apparently autoregulated, as inward conductance is abolished by elevation of Ca2+ concentration in the bathing solution. In particular, the steady-state rise in interleukin-2 (T-cell growth factor) mRNA is dependent on the rise of [Ca2+]i resulting from ion movement across this channel.
Smoking-Related Beliefs and Susceptibility Among United States Youth Nonsmokers.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in smoking beliefs and susceptibility in a nationally representative sample of United States youth nonsmokers (N = 21,931). Methods Weighted regression models were used to examine smoking-related beliefs and susceptibility by race/ethnicity adjusting for demographics, exposure to pro-tobacco advertising and promotions, parental guidance against tobacco use, and peer norms. Results Compared with non-Hispanic whites, racial/ethnic minority youth endorsed pro-smoking beliefs and were susceptible to smoking. Non-Hispanic blacks, non-Hispanic Asians, and Hispanics embraced social benefits of smoking (all p Conclusions Smoking-related beliefs and susceptibility varied by race/ethnicity among youth nonsmokers after accounting for known predictors of youth smoking.
A Ranking of Journals for the Health Economist

This paper ranks 95 journals germane to the health economist. The ranking is computed using the h-index and g-index, which are popular citation-based metrics reported by Harzing’s Publish or Perish software. Additional ranking metrics are also discussed. The intention is to create a list that exposes possible research outlets for health economists and to help demystify the relative rankings of such outlets using established objective measures.
Integrating multiple paracrine regulators of renal microvascular dynamics

There has been tremendous growth in our knowledge about the multiple interacting mechanisms that regulate renal microvascular function. Paracrine signals originating from endothelial and epithelial...
Control of Melanogenesis in Mouse Melanoma Cells of Varying Metastatic Potential

The control of melanin production, tyrosinase activity, and cell replication by melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) was examined in differentially metastasizing B16 mouse melanoma variants. In B16-F1 cells (low metastatic potential), MSH or cAMP greatly elevated tyrosinase activity and melanin content while inhibiting cell replication. The same parameters in B16-F5 cells (intermediate metastatic potential) were altered to a much lesser degree, whereas B16-F10 cells (high metastatic potential) were not significantly affected by MSH or cAMP. Therefore, a correlation exists between loss of hormonal regulation and increased metastatic potential.
Characterization of Dextran Sulfate-Treated Ascites Tumor Cells and Their Repair by Ascites Fluid

SUMMARY Exposure of Ehnlich ascites tumor cells to the polyanion dextran sulfate altered the permeability of the plasma mem brane resulting in decreased glycolysis and respiration, en hanced permeability to Rb4 and adenosine 5'-tniphosphate, and increased stainingby erythmosinB. The inhibitionof respiration was reversed by the addition of inorganic phos phate, whereas restoration of glycolysis required both inor ganic phosphate and adenosine 5'-monophosphate. The membrane lesion was repaired by injection of dextran sulfate-treated cells into mice on by in vitro exposure to a heat-stable extract from ascites fluid. Repaired cells were no longer stained by emythrosin B and glycolyzed without added adenosine 5'-monophosphate. The time course of repair was separable into a rapid initial repair of the mem brane lesion followed by a slower recovery of the normal intracellular ionic composition. Both phases were insensi tive to inhibitors of protein synthesis. The repair activity of ascites fluid was heat stable and was composed of both dialyzable and nondialyzable factors. Incubation of dextran sulfate-treated cells with ascites fluid restored Rb@uptake and abolished the adenosine 5'-tniphosphate-stimulated Ca2@ uptake.
Neoliberalism, globalization, and creative educational destruction in Taiwan

In this article, the authors argue that educational technology is chiefly and increasingly being used as a tool for the privatization of education and the commodification of people by way of top down evaluative structures put in place by governments in collusion with neoliberal interests. This analysis began as a study that sought to illuminate the reasons why teachers in Taiwanese technical colleges have been reluctant to integrate educational technologies for actual instruction. However, what the authors actually found was that teachers in Taiwan are experiencing a forced obsession with top down evaluations and these evaluations are locking teachers in what may be called an amplifying causal loop. By looking up the proverbial food chain of the top–down evaluations, the authors found socio-political and economic forces at work that were less Taiwanese and more global in scope and character and less about teachers and classrooms and more about the rise of educational administration for neoliberal advancement. This article argues that a collusion between neoliberal interests, an obsession with evaluation, and the uninterrogated implementation of educational technologies are giving rise to processes that are wreaking havoc on the Taiwanese education system and similar processes are at work throughout the world.
Potentiation of neutrophil aggregation by human leukocyte inhibitory factor

The current studies were designed to extend our investigations on the ability of the lymphokine leukocyte inhibitory factor (LIF) to function as a neutrophil activator. Specifically, we investigated whether LIF could modulate neutrophil (PMN) aggregation. Aggregation was measured as the increase in light transmission using a Payton aggregometer. We found that up to 16 units of LIF was not able to directly induce PMN clumping. However, when preincubated with 0.5-16 units LIF for 10 min, PMN aggregation was significantly enhanced in a dose-dependent manner after stimulation with 10(-7) M FMLP (94.5 +/- 3.1%), 20 nM leukotriene B4 (183.1 +/- 8.2%), and 100 micrograms guinea pig serum-opsonized zymosan (29.8 +/- 8.6%). While the LIF preparation used in these studies was highly purified, specificity for the LIF effect was demonstrated by the ability of several treatments to prevent augmentation of aggregation including: (1) the competitive binding of LIF to one of its substrates: benzoyl-arginine-ethyl-ester; (2) the blocking of PMN LIF receptors with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine; and (3) phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride treatment of the LIF preparation. As aggregation is thought to represent the in vitro correlate to adherence, these studies provide further evidence for a proinflammatory role for LIF in vivo.
Reversible chromatic sensor fabricated by inkjet printing TCDA-ZnO on a paper substrate

Abstract A flexible reversible color change poly-(10,12-tricosadiynoic acid) TCDA-ZnO (2.5 wt%) composite based chromatic sensor was successfully designed and fabricated by inkjet printing. Fabricated sensors showed good reversibility and stable chromatic properties with color transition temperature at 70 °C. Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) – Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra show chelate formation between TCDA and ZnO. Temperature-dependent Raman spectra indicate that the blue-red phase of poly-TCDA-ZnO (2.5 wt%) is thermally triggered at 70 °C and the amorphous phase is formed near 120 °C. An inkjet printed Quick Response (QR) code using poly TCDA-ZnO demonstrates a sensory functionality which can be incorporated in these codes.
Irreversible Thermodynamics and Carrier Density Fluctuations in Semiconductors

The formalism of irreversible thermodynamics is applied to the kinetics of carrier transitions in semiconductors. The thermodynamic forces, the generalized resistances and admittance functions are introduced. It is shown that the thermodynamic forces which establish the regression of a perturbed state to equilibrium are the differences of the quasi-Fermi levels that have to be assigned to each group of carriers; the generalized resistances are simply related to the transition rates. It is then possible to write the kinetic equations for the rate of change of the various carrier concentrations in a unified form so that the dissipation-fluctuation theorem of Callen and Greene can be applied. The spectral density matrix of the spontaneous carrier fluctuations is immediately found from the admittance matrix. The results can be expressed in a closed form which is valid for nondegenerate as well as for degenerate semiconductors. An electrical network analog is also outlined. The theory is applied explicitly to electronic noise in extrinsic and near-intrinsic crystals with and without recombination centers. Finally, the close connection with statistical results obtained before is discussed and the complete agreement between the Einstein relation and the extended "$g\ensuremath{-}r$ theorem" for the variances is established.
Contemporary Psychotherapy: Promoting Personal Responsibility for Therapeutic Change

An assortment of factors in modern society can be involved in the etiology and treatment of mental illness. Theories about etiology usually underlie, and therefore guide, most strategies for treatment. Although a comprehensive bio-psycho-social approach to mental illness can help to foster the collaboration of an interdisciplinary treatment team, a heavy emphasis on biological factors or cultural deprivation may reduce the client's feelings of personal responsibility for change. Contemporary psychotherapy can help clients reduce their tendency to attribute blame to biological predispositions or external societal factors. Instead, it is more helpful to cultivate attributions for personal responsibility for change, growth, and maturation.
Anti-cancer protein transduction strategies: reconstitution of p27 tumor suppressor function.

Abstract Significant scientific effort focused on understanding the molecular basis of oncogenesis has identified multiple tumor suppressor genes and their corresponding functions. The ultimate goal of this work is to use this knowledge to devise anti-cancer strategies that specifically kill tumor cells in vivo, while leaving normal cells unharmed. Unfortunately, tumor suppressor proteins, while maintaining specificity for their intracellular targets, are often in excess of 20,000 Da and hence, undeliverable in vivo. To address the delivery problem, we previously further developed a protein transduction strategy that allows for the rapid delivery of large, biologically active proteins in excess of 100,000 Da into ∼100% of cells in culture and most, if not all, cells/tissues in mouse models. The strategy involves the generation of an N-terminal fusion protein that contains the TAT protein transduction domain. Here the ability to manipulate tumor biology in several mouse tumor models in vivo is demonstrated by using protein transduction to delivery the p27 Kip tumor suppressor protein. These observations serve as a starting point to further develop the delivery of peptide and proteins to specifically treat malignancies in vivo.
Some physical and chemical properties of antibody against complement.

Summary1) Our data indicate that antibody against complement can be expressed as protein in specific combination with an immune precipitate to which complement has been affixed. 2) Anti-complement which has been labeled by injection of glycine-1-C14 into animals during active antibody production can be demonstrated as carbon-14 bound to precipitate-complement complexes. 3) Electrophoretic analysis of the sera of rabbits before and after immunization with guinea pig, human, and mouse complement shows that a consistent rise in γ globulin occurs during the immunization process. 4) Finally, electrochromatographic separation of antibody containing sera proved to be an effective means of concentration and partial purification of the antibody.
Knockout and pullout recombineering for naturally transformable Burkholderia thailandensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei

Phage λ-Red proteins are powerful tools for pulling and knocking out chromosomal fragments but have been limited to the γ-proteobacteria. Procedures are described here to easily knock out (KO) and pull out (PO) chromosomal DNA fragments from naturally transformable Burkholderia thailandensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei. This system takes advantage of published compliant counterselectable and selectable markers (sacB, pheS, gat and the arabinose-utilization operon) and λ-Red mutant proteins. pheS-gat (KO) or oriT-ColE1ori-gat-ori1600-rep (PO) PCR fragments are generated with flanking 40- to 45-bp homologies to targeted regions incorporated on PCR primers. One-step recombination is achieved by incubation of the PCR product with cells expressing λ-Red proteins and subsequent selection on glyphosate-containing medium. This procedure takes ~10 d and is advantageous over previously published protocols: (i) smaller PCR products reduce primer numbers and amplification steps, (ii) PO fragments suitable for downstream manipulation in Escherichia coli are obtained and (iii) chromosomal KO increases flexibility for downstream processing.
“How Would You Feel? What Would You Do?” Development and Underpinnings of Preschoolers’ Social Information Processing

Young children’s social information processing (SIP) encompasses a series of steps by which they make sense of encounters with other persons; cognitive and emotional aspects of SIP often predict adjustment in school settings. More attention is needed, however, to the development of preschoolers’ SIP and its potential foundations. To this end, a new preschool SIP measure, the Challenging Situations Task (CST), was utilized; preschoolers’ (N = 316) self-reported emotional and behavioral responses to hypothetical peer provocation situations on the CST were assessed longitudinally, along with aspects of their self-regulation and emotion knowledge. Age and developmental differences in CST responses were examined. Next, contributions of executive control and emotion knowledge to CST responses were analyzed. Age differences in emotion and behavior choices showed that younger preschoolers were more prone to choose happy responses, whereas older preschoolers chose more adaptive behavior responses. Self-regulation ...
Women's work and caregiving roles: a life course approach

This study drew on a life course approach and a sample of 293 women from four birth cohorts in upstate New York to examine the relationship over time between women's paid work and their informal caregiving of aging or infirm relatives. We find that such caregiving is an increasingly likely role for women, both as they age and across birth cohorts. One in four (24%) women became caregivers at some time between ages 35-44, and over one in three (36%) of these same women became caregivers between ages 55-64. Only 45 percent of the oldest cohort (born 1905-1917) were ever caregivers, compared to 64 percent of the most cohort (born 1927-1934), an increase of almost 20 percent. Clearly changes in the labor force participation of more recent cohorts of women do not appear to alter their caregiving responsibilities. In fact, women in this sample were equally likely to become caregivers, regardless of whether or not they were employed.
The gallbladder: uncommon gallbladder conditions and unusual presentations of the common gallbladder pathological processes

This article reviews a spectrum of gallbladder conditions that are either uncommon or represent unusual manifestations of common diseases. These conditions are divided into four major categories: (a) congenital anomalies and normal variants including duplication, ectopia, and lymphangioma; (b) inflammatory processes and stone-related diseases and complications including adenomyomatosis, emphysematous cholecystitis, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, gangrenous and hemorrhagic cholecystitis, perforation, gallstone ileus, and Bouveret and Mirizzi syndromes; (c) gallbladder neoplasms including adenocarcinoma with associated porcelain gallbladder, squamous cell carcinoma, lymphoma, melanoma, and neurofibroma. A thorough understanding of the imaging characteristics of each condition can help the radiologist to make a timely and accurate diagnosis, thus avoiding potentially harmful delays in patient management and decreasing morbidity and mortality rates.
The Relation of Psychopathic Characteristics and Anxiety in Noncriminals: Physiological and Cognitive Responses to Guided Imagery

In response to a paucity of research examining the phenomenology of psychopathy among nonforensic samples, the present study explored the relations among psychopathic traits, self-reported anxiety, and physiological reactivity to experimental stimuli. Undergraduate students with no history of criminal behavior listened to four audiotaped vignettes designed to elicit affective responses. Imagery and anxiety ratings, as well as physiological indices supported the utility of the experimental manipulation. Consistent with data obtained among forensic samples, participants with greater psychopathic characteristics exhibited electrodermal hyporeactivity in response to guided imagery. However, inconsistent with previous findings, hyporeactivity was primarily related to high emotional detachment rather than elevated levels of deviant behavior. Results also suggested certain psychopathic qualities (emotional detachment) may be more associated with somatic and trait anxiety than other characteristics (deviant behavior), although anxiety did not moderate the effects of psychopathic characteristics on physiological responding. Theoretical implications are addressed, including the possible generalizability of psychophysiological models of diagnosed psychopaths to individuals with more benign psychopathic characteristics.
Mental Health Treatment to Reduce HIV Transmission Risk Behavior: A Positive Prevention Model

Secondary HIV prevention, or “positive prevention,” is concerned with reducing HIV transmission risk behavior and optimizing the health and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The association between mental health and HIV transmission risk (i.e., sexual risk and poor medication adherence) is well established, although most of this evidence is observational. Further, a number of efficacious mental health treatments are available for PLWHA yet few positive prevention interventions integrate mental health treatment. We propose that mental health treatment, including behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, can lead to reductions in HIV transmission risk behavior and should be a core component of secondary HIV prevention. We present a conceptual model and recommendations to guide future research on the effect of mental health treatment on HIV transmission risk behavior among PLWHA.
Phase space reduction and vortex statistics: An anyon quantization ambiguity.

We examine the quantization of the motion of two charged vortices in a Ginzburg-Landau theory for the fractional quantum Hall effect recently proposed by the first two authors. The system has two second-class constraints which can be implemented either in the reduced phase space or Dirac-Gupta-Bleuler formalism. Using the intrinsic formulation of statistics, we show that these two ways of implementing the constraints are inequivalent unless the vortices are quantized with conventional statistics, either fermionic or bosonic.
Semantic Analyses for Dyadic Deontic Logic

It ought not to be that you are robbed. A fortiori, it ought not to be that you are robbed and then helped. But you ought to be helped, given that you have been robbed. The robbing excludes the best possibilities that might otherwise have been actualized, and the helping is needed in order to actualize the best of those that remain. Among the possible worlds marred by the robbing, the best of a bad lot are some of those where the robbing is followed by helping.
HYPERFINE STRUCTURE OF TECHNETIUM-99 FROM PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE

The hyperfine structure of tetravalent ${\mathrm{Tc}}^{99}$ in a single crystal of ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}$Pt${\mathrm{Cl}}_{6}$ was detected at 1.25 cm wave-length and at the temperature of the boiling point of liquid helium. The significant parameters are: $g=1.9896\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0005$, ${A}_{max}=148.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4$ gauss, ${A}_{min}=144.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4$ gauss. The nuclear spin is confirmed as $\frac{9}{2}$. An additional six isotropic lines with $g=2.050\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005$ and $A=109\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3$ gauss are found at liquid nitrogen temperature. These hyperfine lines may possibly be due to the rhenium isotopes 185 and 187 with nuclear spins $\frac{5}{2}$.
Ionization and plasma formation in high n cold Rydberg samples

The experiments reported here show that the dipole-dipole interaction, the fundamental interaction between the cold Rydberg atoms, is the dominant initial ionization mechanism for evolution from a frozen Rydberg gas into a plasma. The study also indicates that plasma formation follows a path of initial ionization, redistribution of Rydberg population to higher angular momentum states, and rapid avalanche ionization due to electron-Rydberg collisions.
Reduction of Dinitrogen to Planar Bimetallic M2(μ-η2:η2-N2) Complexes of Y, Ho, Tm, and Lu Using the K/Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 Reduction System

The reaction of Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 with K under N2 in THF forms the dinitrogen complexes {[(Me3Si)2N]2(THF)Ln}2(μ-η2:η2-N2) (Ln = Y, Ho, Tm, and Lu) previously available only for lanthanides with highly reducing divalent states, that is, Tm, Dy, and Nd. The Y and Lu complexes are the first diamagnetic complexes of this type. The Ln2N2 moiety is planar, and the 1.268(3) and 1.285(4) A NN distances in these complexes are consistent with the presence of (N2)2-.
Dual mechanisms of an organocatalytic homodimerization reaction

Abstract The l -proline organocatalytic homodimerization of 2-cyclohexenone has been studied and it is concluded that the mechanism of the reaction follows competing pathways involving either a two-step imine/enamine addition or a concerted Diels–Alder cycloaddition where the ultimate product distribution is dependent upon the ratio of the organocatalyst to 2-cyclohexenone and a base present.
Potentiation of excitotoxic injury by high concentrations of extracellular reduced glutathione.

Abstract Glutathione is present in the central nervous system in millimolar concentrations, and is a predominant intracellular antioxidant and detoxicant. In addition, glutathione is released into the extracellular space via a depolarization-enhanced process. Although the role of extracellular glutathione has not been precisely defined, a growing body of experimental evidence suggests that it has multifaceted electrophysiological effects. At low micromolar concentrations, glutathione depolarizes neurons by binding to its own receptors and modulates glutamatergic excitatory neurotransmission by displacing glutamate from its ionotropic receptors. At higher concentrations, reduced glutathione may increase N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor responses by interacting with its redox sites. In this study, the effect of extracellular glutathione on excitotoxic neuronal injury was quantitatively assessed in murine cortical cell cultures. Neuronal death due to 20–25 h exposure to 6–9 μM N -methyl- d -aspartate was not altered by 10–100 μM reduced glutathione but was markedly enhanced by 300–1000 μM reduced glutathione; kainate neurotoxicity was unaffected. Two related compounds that lack a sulfhydryl group, oxidized glutathione and S -hexylglutathione, had no significant effect on N -methyl- d -aspartate neurotoxicity alone but completely blocked the effect of reduced glutathione. Mercaptoethanol, a sulfhydryl reducing agent that increases N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor responses by interacting with redox sites, increased N -methyl- d -aspartate neurotoxicity to a degree comparable to that of reduced glutathione; this effect was also blocked by equimolar S -hexylglutathione or oxidized glutathione. Addition of reduced glutathione to mercaptoethanol did not further increase N -methyl- d -aspartate-induced neuronal death. These results suggest that release of reduced glutathione from central nervous system cells that are subjected to traumatic or ischemic insults may enhance excitotoxic neuronal loss. Although multiple mechanisms may account for this phenomenon, the high concentrations required suggest that it is at least partly mediated by reduction of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor redox sites.
Construction of triangular metallomacrocycles: [M3(1,2-bis(2,2':6',2''-terpyridin-4-yl-ethynyl)benzene)3][M = Ru(II), Fe(II), 2Ru(II)Fe(II)].

Complexation of a predesigned (1,2-bis(2,2′∶6′,2″-terpyridin-4-yl-ethynyl)benzene) ligand possessing a 60° angle between two terpyridines with transition metals [Fe(II) and Ru(II)] afforded the self-assembled, triangular metallomacrocycles.
Too Sexualized to be Taken Seriously? Perceptions of a Girl in Childlike vs. Sexualizing Clothing

Girls in the United States are increasingly confronted with a sexualized culture, including sexualized clothing made especially for pre-teen girls. Previous research has shown that when adult women are portrayed as sexualized they are seen as less competent. In the present study we depicted a pre-teen girl in sexualized clothing to determine if similar effects would occur as have been found with depictions of adult women. One hundred sixty two male and female students from a small liberal arts college in the Midwestern U.S. looked at one of three images of a fifth-grade girl (obtained from an internet advertisement and manipulated through computer software) who was presented in either childlike clothing, somewhat sexualized clothing, or definitely sexualized clothing. Level of accomplishment was also manipulated so that the girl was described as either average or above average in accomplishment. Participants then rated the girl on ten different traits. The clothing and accomplishment manipulations significantly affected ratings of the girl’s masculine-stereotyped traits such that the girl who was portrayed as more sexualized and less accomplished was seen as the least intelligent, competent, determined, and capable. In addition, the sexualized girl was seen as perhaps “responsible” for her sexualized clothing in that she was rated relatively low in self-respect and morality. Possible implications of the sexualization of girls are discussed.
Nitric oxide inhibition as a mechanism for blood pressure increase during salt loading in normotensive postmenopausal women

ObjectivesAsymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO), which plays an important role in natriuresis. We determined whether changes in endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDD) and plasma ADMA predict changes in blood pressure (BP) after salt loading in normotens
Profile modification using in situ gelation technology : a review

Abstract Oil production during the primary stage is achieved due to the natural energy stored in the reservoir. Upon depletion of this energy, the production ceases or the oil production rate becomes so small that it will not be economical to operate. At this stage, a large fraction of the initial oil in place is still trapped under the ground. The oil recovery efficiency during the primary stage is within 10% to 30% depending on the nature of the reservoir. This means that more than70% of the initial oil in place is the target for the secondary and/or improved oil recovery techniques. During the secondary recovery stage, some kind of fluid is injected to push the oil from the injection well toward the producer. Water and gases are the most commonly used displacing fluids in this process. Waterflood is the most common practice of secondary oil recovery techniques. Injection of carbon dioxide or other gases is also a common practice to improve oil recovery efficiency. Regardless of the type of the fluid used to displace the oil, the displacing fluid could bypass the oil and early breakthrough could occur. In the case of waterflood, the water/oil ratio could become so high that the process ceases to be economical any more. For injection of CO 2 or other gases, the high gas/oil ratio renders the process uneconomical. This is more dramatic for heterogeneous and layered reservoirs with contrasting permeability variation among the layers. To remedy the above problem, some kind of polymer solution is injected into the reservoir and is allowed to gel under certain conditions. The gel viscosity being much higher than the displacing fluid could impede the flow of displacing fluid through the already flooded regions; therefore, the displacing fluid is bound to find new paths which means additional oil can be displaced. Profile modification based on in situ gelation technology is an already proven economical process for improving oil recovery. There is a variety of gelation systems available in the market for the treatment of the reservoir. Most of the gelation systems in the market are based on cross-linking of polyacrylamide-type polymers by some kind of heavy metal ions such as chromium to produce a three-dimensional gel structure in situ in the reservoir. Recent research efforts at the University of Kansas have produced a new type of bio-polymer which gels without cross-linker. Gelation occurs by reducing the pH of the alkaline solution and the gelation process is reversible. This paper will discuss the in situ gelation techniques based on the commercially available systems and the newly discovered bio-polymer as mentioned above.
Photo-Effects in Middle-Weight Nuclei

The statistical model is applied to ($\ensuremath{\gamma},p$) and ($\ensuremath{\gamma},n$) processes induced by Li $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-rays. It is shown that the assumption of a particular regularity for the residual nuclear states that can arise from the compound nucleus gives results that are in good agreement with recent experiments by Hirzel and W\"affler.
How prevention curricula are taught under real-world conditions: Types of and reasons for teacher curriculum adaptations

Purpose – As interventions are disseminated widely, issues of fidelity and adaptation become increasingly critical to understand. This study aims to describe the types of adaptations made by teachers delivering a school‐based substance use prevention curriculum and their reasons for adapting program content.Design/methodology/approach – To determine the degree to which implementers adhere to a prevention curriculum, naturally adapt the curriculum, and the reasons implementers give for making adaptations, the study examined lesson adaptations made by the 31 teachers who implemented the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention curriculum in 7th grade classrooms (n=25 schools). Data were collected from teacher self‐reports after each lesson and observer coding of videotaped lessons. From the total sample, 276 lesson videos were randomly selected for observational analysis.Findings – Teachers self‐reported adapting more than 68 percent of prevention lessons, while independent observers reported more than 97 percent of...
Photooxidation of a mustard gas simulant over TiO2-SiO2 mixed-oxide photocatalyst: site poisoning by oxidation products and reactivation.

The photooxidation of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES), a simulant for mustard gas, was studied using transmission IR spectroscopy on a mixed-oxide TiO2−SiO2 photocatalyst. Ultraviolet irradiation in the photon energy range from 2.1 to 5 eV was employed at a catalyst temperature of 200 K. Rapid photooxidation was observed by the loss of infrared intensity in the ν(CHx) stretching region, and concomitant infrared features of adsorbed oxidation products were observed to develop. The oxidation products, captured on the photocatalyst at 200 K, were found to block 2-CEES readsorption. Upon heating the poisoned photocatalyst to about 300 K, infrared measurements indicate that the adsorbed CO2 oxidation product was desorbed. The capability for full readsorption of 2-CEES was achieved upon heating the poisoned photocatalyst to 397 K, and continued rapid photooxidation of the 2-CEES was then possible at about 1/3 the rate found for the fresh catalyst. Thus thermal treatment at 397 K of oxidation-product-poison...
Particulate Organic Matter and Water-Stable Aggregation of Soil under Contrasting Management

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important to soil function. The objectives of this work were to determine the effect of cropping rotation and soil management on SOM, components of SOM, and water-stable aggregation (WSA) of soil near the surface. Measurements were made on soil collected from the top 50 mm of seven sites representing contrasts between alternative and conventional management. Management included tillage, crop rotation, native grass pasture, and corn (Zea mays L.) stover removal as silage. At each site, approximately 10 kg of soil was collected from each replication. Soil was separated into six aggregate groups using a rotary sieve. Aggregate size ranges for Groups 1 to 6 were: 19 mm. Mean weight diameter was calculated using dry aggregate size distribution. Dry aggregate stability, WSA, soil carbon (SC), SOM, fine particulate organic matter (fPOM), and coarse POM were measured on aggregates from each aggregate group. Components of SOM were not uniformly distributed among aggregate groups. Average SC (seven sites) was significantly greater under alternative (31.0 g kg -1 ) than conventional (22.3 g kg -1 management. No tillage (NT) increased fPOM/SOM by 19 and 37% compared with tillage following 4 and 10 yr of NT, respectively. A 5-yr diverse rotation increased fPOM/SOM by 36% compared with monoculture. There was a significant, positive relationship (r 2 = 0.79) between WSA and fPOM/SOM. Diversity of rotation or reduction of tillage increased fPOM and WSA and this may help to curb soil loss by maintaining surface conditions resistant to erosion.
Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Decoding the Naïve State

Human pluripotent stem cells play a central role in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. These versatile cells can exist in a range of manipulable states with distinct functionalities, from the late epiblast stage represented by the conventional human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to the mouse ESC-like naive state. These functional states must be fully characterized if we are to harness the power of pluripotent stem cells to transform clinical medicine and therapeutics discovery.
Water level simulation in bays by spatial interpolation of tidal constituents, residual water levels, and datums

Abstract A new method of simulating total water level relative to a datum takes values at the tide gauges and spatially interpolates them throughout the region. The values at the gauges which are spatially interpolated are: (1) each tidal constituent's amplitude and (2) phase value; (3) the residual, or non-tidal, water level; and (4) the offset, which is either the difference between local mean sea level (MSL) and mean lower low water (MLLW), or a tidal datum (either MSL or MLLW) relative to the ellipsoid. The water level at any point is computed by summing the astronomic tide (computed from the interpolated constituents), the interpolated residual, and the interpolated offset. In addition, for a GPS-supported survey, the ellipsoidally referenced MLLW values can be spatially interpolated and used to determine MLLW depth. The spatial interpolation at the core of this method is carried out by the use of a set of weighting functions that quantify the local contribution from each of the shore gauges. The weighting functions are generated numerically by solving Laplace's equation on a grid. The new method of estimating total water levels relative to a datum is called tidal constituent and residual interpolation (TCARI). The TCARI method was tested for accuracy using post-processed kinematic GPS measurements of water level collected by NOS in Galveston Bay, Texas, and San Francisco Bay, California. The root mean square errors were estimated to be 8 cm for the Galveston Bay data and 9.2 cm for the San Francisco Bay data, which is approximately the error in the measurements.
Durability assessment of composite repairs bonded to aircraft structures

The durability or long-term performance of composite repairs of aircraft skin grade aluminum with simulated flaws was evaluated. Mechanical tension/tension fatigue and thermal cyclic aging were use...
Chemical Uncoupling the DHPR-RyR1 Complex by Substituted Halogenated Biphenyls and Diphenylethers

Ca2+ release units (CRU) of skeletal muscle have two components necessary for excitation-contraction coupling (ECC); the DHPR and RyR1 that physically interact to engage conformational coupling that involves both orthograde and retrograde regulation of Ca2+ dynamics during ECC and SR Ca2+ leak when the muscle is at rest. We previously identified that 2,2',3,5',6-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB95) promotes long-lived stability of the full open state of RyR1 channels (Samso et al 2009). Further investigations PCB95 and its 4- and 5-hydroxy (-OH) derivatives toward rabbit skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR1) were performed using [3H]ryanodine binding and SR Ca2+ flux analyses. 5-OH metabolites have comparable activity to their respective parent in both assays; however, 4-OH derivatives are unable to trigger Ca2+ release from SR microsomes in the presence of Ca2+-ATPase activity. PCB95 and derivatives are investigated using single channel voltage-clamp and primary murine embryonic muscle cells. Like PCB95, 5-OH-PCB95 quickly and persistently increases channel open probability (Po>0.9) by stabilizing the full-open channel state, whereas 4-OH-PCB95 transiently enhances Po. Ca2+ imaging of myotubes show acute exposure to PCB95 (5μM) potentiates ECC and caffeine responses and partially depletes SR Ca2+ stores. Exposure to 5-OH-PCB95 (5μM) increases cytoplasmic Ca2+, leading to ECC failure in 50% of myotubes with the remainder retaining negligible responses. 4-OH-PCB95 neither increases baseline Ca2+ nor causes ECC failure but depresses ECC and caffeine responses by 50%. With longer (3 h) exposure to 300nM PCB95, 5-OH-PCB95, or 4-OH-PCB95 decreases the number of ECC responsive myotubes by 22%, 81%, and 51% compared with control by depleting SR Ca2+ and/or uncoupling ECC. The position of hydroxylation of PCB95 and chemically related diphenylethers differentially influence RyR1 channel gating kinetics, SR Ca2+ leak, and the pattern of ECC impairment, including ECC uncoupling in intact muscle cells. P01 AR52354.
Knapsack-Based Approaches to the Makespan Problem on Multiple Processors

Abstract In this paper we study the problem of scheduling n independent jobs available at time zero on m ≥ 2 parallel and identical processors with the objective of minimizing the makespanJWe propose two approaches, both are Knapsack-based. The first is analytical and depends on reducing the set of m occupancy constraints to a single Diophantine equation. We capitalize on the very special structure of the ILP to effect the reduction with small multipliers. The second approach is an iterative heuristic procedure that is based on the observation that a two-machine makespan problem is trivially reduced to a Knapsack problem. Computational experience indicates the superiority of this approach over other existing approaches. Realistic problems of up to 100 jobs on 10 machines are solved in a few seconds on the IBM 370/165.
Design and application of vacuum degassers

Abstract Designs of vacuum degassers, which alleviate gas supersaturation in hatchery waters, have progressed greatly in recent years. Basic rules of thumb now exist by which the feasibility of vacuum degassers can be determined for particular facilities, and by which complete systems can be designed and built to meet local needs. These rules are presented in the form of step-by-step procedures and guidelines directed to practicing hatchery operators. The flexibility of vacuum degasser designs is illustrated for large-, medium-, and small-volume systems.