cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bladder Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment

Bladder cancer is the sixth most prevalent malignancy in the United States and causes more than 16,000 deaths annually. The most common clinical presentation is asymptomatic hematuria, which should prompt evaluation with cystoscopy, renal function testing, and upper urinary tract imaging in adults 35 years and older and in those with irritative voiding symptoms, risk factors for bladder cancer, or gross hematuria at any age. Transurethral resection of the bladder tumor allows for definitive diagnosis, staging, and primary treatment. Non-muscle-invasive disease is treated with transurethral resection, most often followed by intravesical bacille Calmette-Guerin or intravesical chemotherapy. Bladder cancer that invades the muscle layer is typically treated with radical cystectomy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy because of higher rates of progression and recurrence. No major organization recommends screening asymptomatic adults for bladder cancer, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening.
First-principles computational study of hydrogen storage in silicon clathrates

Density functional theory (DFT) was utilized to compute the gravimetric capacity, volumetric capacity, and the binding energy of hydrogen molecules in silicon clathrates with guest (A) atoms such a...
Quality of life in adults with epilepsy is associated with anticonvulsant polypharmacy independent of seizure status.

Abstract Rationale Polypharmacy, sometimes necessary to control epilepsy, can result in adverse effects that may affect quality of life (QOL). Our purpose was to determine the association of polypharmacy with QOL. Methods Two hundred seven patients with epilepsy were surveyed on characteristics within the last 4 weeks: QOL Quality of Life in Epilepsy-Patient-Weighted (QOLIE-10-P) and seizure status (seizure-free or not), demographics, epilepsy characteristics, insomnia, sleepiness, mood, sleep–wake timing, healthcare use, and employment. Those on polypharmacy (antiepileptic drug (AED) > 1) were compared with controls (AED = 1) with univariate comparisons and subsequent multivariate regression. Results Patients on polypharmacy had worse QOL scores (mean 33.3 ± 6.9 versus 36.7 ± 5.7), were less likely to be seizure-free (39 (44%) versus 82 (68%)), had more evening-weighted wakefulness, and were more likely unemployed (74% versus 49%). Polypharmacy was associated with worse QOL (odds ratio 1.068 and 95th CI 1.018–1.121) even after controlling for seizure status. Covariates offered no improvement to the model. Conclusion Polypharmacy was associated with worse QOL in patients with epilepsy despite seizure control. Further investigation into specific etiology of polypharmacy's influence on QOL is warranted in order to develop paradigms for optimal treatment.
Initial romiplostim dosing and time to platelet response in patients with treatment refractory immune thrombocytopenia

Background/rationaleRomiplostim is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist recommended as a second-line therapy for immune thrombocytopenia. An initial dose of 1 mcg/kg/week subcutaneously with weekly 1 ...
Vedolizumab Treatment May Reduce Steroid Burden and Improve Histology in Patients With Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis

Eosinophilic gastritis (EG) and eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) are rare diseases characterized by marked eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and symptoms which typically reflect the location(s) of GI involvement.1,2 Knowledge of these conditions is limited, and treatments, which are largely based on case series, most frequently involve corticosteroids. As long-term steroid treatment is fraught with complications, novel treatment options are needed. Vedolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody to the α4β7 integrin that blocks leukocyte migration into GI mucosa.3 Vedolizumab is approved for treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and provides benefit via inhibition of gastrointestinal-homing of T lymphocytes.4 However, there is evidence that increased levels of eosinophils can be associated with IBD and may play a role in IBD pathogenesis, that the α4β7 integrin may play an important role in eosinophil localization in IBD, and that blocking α4β7 may inhibit eosinophil recruitment to intestinal mucosa.5,6 Based on this eosinophil effect, there is a strong rationale that vedolizumab may benefit patients with EG/EGE, but it has not yet been assessed in these conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess whether vedolizumab therapy is associated with improved clinical symptoms, endoscopic features, and histologic findings in patients with EG/EGE who failed to respond to prior therapies.
Comparative signaling generated for expository texts by 4th–8th graders: variations by text structure strategy instruction, comprehension skill, and signal word

Explicit signals of important relationships in expository texts can provide efficient processing instructions for readers with strategic knowledge about text structures. However, such signal words do not help readers without strategic knowledge about use of text structures and signal words. This study provided the first detailed investigation about the effects of structure strategy instruction on understanding several types of comparative signal words in multi-paragraph expository texts. The study, set in 41 school districts, examined four comparative signal words generated by three groups of reading comprehenders in Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 and how such understandings were impacted by instruction with the text structure strategy. Students in classrooms randomly assigned to structure strategy instruction showed more understanding of comparative signal words than those in the business as usual control. The intervention aided 4th, 5th, and 7th graders’ generation of all signal words, but more so for the more difficult signaling words that transitioned between paragraphs. For Grade 4 the intervention helped some reading comprehension groups more than others depending on signal word difficulty. For Grade 8 the intervention increased understanding of difficult signal words, but not the easiest signal word. Males in Grade 5 using the web-based structure strategy instruction improved their generation of the easiest signal word more than females, but females improved more on the difficult signal words. The comparison text structure and its signaling words appear ideal targets for instruction at upper elementary and middle school. The findings have implications for classroom instruction about text structures.
Scattering intensity distribution dependence on collection angles in annular dark-field STEM-in-SEM images.

Abstract A scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a zero-dimensional solid-state transmission electron detector and a modular aperture system was used to examine the relationship between annular dark-field image intensity distributions and several imaging parameters. The effects of primary electron energy, transmission detector acceptance angle and span, and beam convergence angle on scattering intensity distributions exhibited by a 10 nm thick amorphous silicon nitride film were examined. Results showed that angular distributions varied significantly with only minor changes in transmission detector acceptance angle span. Distributions collected with narrow apertures and normalized to acceptance angle span exhibited broad, distinct peaks that shifted to greater angles with decreasing primary electron energy, while even modestly wide apertures resulted in large distribution variations. A comparison between scattering distributions (i.e., diffraction patterns) quantified using the modular aperture system and a two-dimensional pixelated detector demonstrated that equivalent information could be obtained with either detector for this sample.
Context Matters for Teaching and SoTL: Economic Constraints, Contingent Faculty, and Technology

The social contexts within which we live have a remarkable impact on our daily lives as well as our trajectory. Contexts are also more specific. We teach in a context of a changing higher education institution. The purpose of this essay is to review some of the current conditions in higher education under which teaching and learning occur in the hope that it will help us consider their implications, suggest how we how we might take advantage of the opportunities that allow better teaching, and lessen the impact of the conditions that threaten improvements to teaching and learning. The economic climate, increases in the percent of contingent faculty and changing technology are considered
Discrete-event simulation optimization: a review of past approaches and propositions for future direction

Over the past twenty years, a significant body of work has been undertaken on the topic of methods and approaches to optimizing discrete-event simulation models. Then, as is now, one of the greatest challenges in optimizing discrete-event simulations is the inability to precisely identify "the" optimal solution to a given system model. This is especially the case as the feasible solution space expands.Also over the past twenty years, computational speed has increased, computing and modeling costs have decreased and theoretical developments in the field of simulation optimization have emerged. Yet a divide appears to be widening. Recent literature indicates a lack of new, innovative approaches to optimizing large scale discrete-event simulation models as well as an absence in addressing the growing chasm between the simulation modeling, optimization and outcome improvement processes. Many of the studies and advances undertaken in the early to mid-90's are those still cited today when discussing simulation optimization.This paper discusses and provides an overview of theoretical and methodological directions in discrete-event simulation optimization. In addition, it suggests areas of study for advancing the field. It is proposed that advances should move the field of study and application in the direction of blurring the boundaries between simulation modeling, optimization and change implementation communities instead of widening the gaps.
System Design and Computer Application for Materials Management

Systems and computers have provided materials management with dynamic control of the entire materials cycle, from procurement through shipment, with full lot/location traceability. The use of a functional design allows for “dock to stock” tracking, including the often overlooked functions of receiving, inspection, materials disposition, and vendor evaluation. This methodology has changed the way materials management operates in the organization.
Improving and Maintaining Radiologic Technologist Skill Using a Medical Director Partnership and Technologist Coaching Model.

OBJECTIVE. Consistent excellence in radiologic technologist performance, including ensuring high technical image quality, patient safety and comfort, and efficient workflow, largely depends on indi...
High Efficiency III–V Solar Cells

Solar cells based on single junction or multijunction architectures with compound group III–V semiconductor absorbers have very high efficiencies. A review of spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization of component III–V semiconductors (III: Al, Ga, In; V: As, P) in the near infrared to ultraviolet range is provided. Variations in complex dielectric function spectra over the near infrared to ultraviolet have been tracked as functions of composition in ternary and quaternary alloys, compressive or tensile stress reflected in blue-shifting or red-shifting of critical point features, and limitations in the mean free path of carriers detected in critical point broadening. Extensions of ellipsometry measurements to longer wavelengths show sensitivity to free carrier absorption and infrared active phonon modes related to chemical bonding and lattice vibrations. When free carrier absorption is detected, the Drude model can be applied to deduce some electrical transport properties (resistivity, carrier mean scattering time). Measurements collected as functions of applied magnetic field, noted as the optical Hall effect, can yield carrier concentration, mobility, and effective mass. Surface oxidation effects are noted and pathways to either eliminating this contribution to measured ellipsometric spectra or incorporating it into the data analysis procedure are discussed. In situ real time spectroscopic ellipsometry is reviewed for processing monitoring and control. Future outlooks include extension of complex dielectric function databases to incorporate composition, stress, and defects simultaneously as well as accounting for systematic variations in phonon modes and free carrier absorption (due to doping type and concentrations). The challenge for future research is to successfully characterize complete III–V solar cells by spectroscopic ellipsometry in a manner similar to that already done for thin film photovoltaics based on polycrystalline or otherwise disordered materials.
Returns to compensation in trucking: Does safety pay?:

Large truck crashes remain a significant problem in the truckload sector of the US motor carrier industry. Employing a unique firm-level data set from a large US truckload motor carrier, we identif...
204 The immune cell landscape in kidneys of lupus nephritis patients

Background Lupus nephritis is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease, whose current treatment is ineffective and often toxic. In 2014, the National Institute of Health (NIH), industry and non-profit organizations joined their efforts with the AMP project, whose goal is to identify new diagnostic and therapeutic targets through a better understanding of the mechanisms by which individual cell types contribute to autoimmune tissue damage. Methods To gain insights into disease mechanisms, we analyzed kidney samples from lupus nephritis patients and healthy controls using single-cell RNA-seq. Renal biopsies from 24 LN patients and 10 pre-transplant living donors (LD) were acquired across a distributed research network using a single, uniform pipeline developed by the AMP network. In brief, biopsies were cryopreserved and shipped to a centralized processing site for tissue dissociation. A total of 3541 leukocytes and 1621 epithelial cells were sorted from LN kidney samples. 438 leukocytes and 572 epithelial cells were sorted from LD biopsies. The transcriptome of those LN single tissue-infiltrating cells were assessed using single cell RNA-seq. Results Our analysis revealed 21 subsets of leukocytes active in disease, including multiple populations of myeloid, T, NK and B cells, demonstrating both pro-inflammatory and resolving responses. We found evidence of local activation of B cells correlated with an age-associated B cell signature, and of progressive stages of monocyte differentiation within the kidney. A clear interferon response was observed in most cells. Two chemokine receptors, C×CR4 and C×3CR1, were broadly expressed, pointing to potential therapeutic targets. Gene expression of immune cells in urine and kidney was highly correlated, suggesting urine may be a surrogate for kidney biopsies. Conclusions Our results provide a first comprehensive view of the complex network of leukocytes active in lupus nephritis kidneys. Results from this Phase 1 study identified LN active cells and pathways that can be used to guide the development of novel therapies. Analyses at a bigger scale (n=200 LN) in Phase 2 will allow to correlate patterns and signatures of infiltrating cells with those of intrinsic renal cells, particularly the epithelial cells that make up 90% of renal cells and that are prone to hypoxic damage and cellular stress. It will accelerate the discovery of new therapeutic targets and identification of biomarkers to guide therapeutic decisions in LN and integrate the treatment effect. Funding Source(s): Funding was provided through grants from the National Institutes of Health (UH2-AR067676, UH2-AR067677, UH2-AR067679, UH2-AR067681, UH2-AR067685, UH2-AR067688, UH2-AR067689, UH2-AR067690, UH2-AR067691, UH2-AR067694, and UM2-AR067678).
Emotional Development and Depression

Depression is one of the most common, debilitating, and costly illnesses worldwide. The disorder affects multiple domains of adaptive functioning, including emotional and cognitive self-regulation, physical health, interpersonal relationships, productivity, and life satisfaction. Investigating the development of depressive symptoms across childhood and adolescence is critical in preventing and understanding its prevalence. In the current chapter, we provide an overview of current and foundational research of depression and internalizing disorders through an affective lens, highlighting roots and consequences in emotion and emotion regulation. We conceptualize depression primarily under a developmental psychopathology perspective. This entails emphasizing normative and pathological processes concurrently, extending across the life course and unfolding dynamically in the developing individual. We provide a comprehensive overview of the developmental timing of symptom onset and course and methodological approaches to the developmental study of depression, including the behavioral, genetic, and biological processes implicated in depressive trajectories. Additionally, we center the individual within the context of parenting, emotion socialization, peer relationships, early adversity, and cultural values. Finally, we provide a commentary on the importance of preventive and intervention efforts, as well as the current state of behavioral and psychological treatment.
Immune cell infiltrate-associated dysregulation of DNA repair machinery may predispose to papillary thyroid carcinogenesis.

Abstract Background An altered immune microenvironment may contribute to papillary thyroid cancer development, as immune infiltrates are identified postoperatively in many papillary thyroid cancer cases with or without diagnosed thyroiditis. Oxygen radicals, endogenous or inflammation-induced, can generate DNA damage, which causes mutations when repaired incorrectly. We hypothesized that infiltrating immune cells might promote aberrant DNA repair, predisposing thyrocytes to papillary thyroid cancer. Methods Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays measured gene expression in fresh-frozen samples (n = 55). RNA-seq data was obtained for papillary thyroid cancer and normal thyroid samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (n = 564), and Hashimoto’s-affected and normal thyroids from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (n = 279). Immune cell marker expression levels were compared to histological estimates and to selected DNA repair genes. Immunohistochemistry localized gene expression to specific cell types. Results DNA polymerase theta expression by quantitative reverse-transcriptase Polymerase chain reaction was higher in papillary thyroid cancer and papillary thyroid cancer-adjacent samples than in benign normal thyroid (P Conclusion We identified a strong correlation between immune cell infiltrate and dysregulated thyrocyte DNA repair genes, likely reflecting a pathway to papillary thyroid cancer development.
The Adventures of ScriptKitty: Using the Raspberry Pi to Teach Adolescents about Internet Safety

Internet safety and privacy considerations are increasingly important topics for adolescents. While online games and other media exist to introduce middle school and high school students to security and privacy concepts, there are very few practical exercises that reinforce concepts in a hands-on manner. In this paper, we introduce "The Adventures of ScriptKitty", a free on-line learning aid that is used in conjunction with the Raspberry Pi single board computer. We piloted "The Adventures of ScriptKitty" to 51 middle school and high school students. Our results show that students significantly improved their understanding of basic network topics and felt more confident on how to stay safe on the Internet.
Hungarian Competition Policy as a Model-Child

Hungarian competition law substantially changed in the last 10 years. After a blooming period before the Second World War the Soviet influence as a matter of course prevented any idea of free and undistorted competition. After the regime change in 1989/1990, the former Price Regulator was transformed to the Hungarian competition authority (Gazdasagi Versenyhivatal, GVH). The first six years between 1990 and 1996 were used to develop and lay down the foundations of modern competition law. The new competition act in 1996 was than designed with an eye on the future accession of Hungary to the European Union.The enforcement of Hungarian competition law is recognised as flexible and usually both textual amendments of the competition act and changes in the decisional practice quickly respond to new developments on European level. Nevertheless, many interesting issues might be of interest to everybody. Just to name a few: in recent decisions dynamic competition is recognised as a driving force for competition, leading to long-term increase in consumer welfare; bid-rigging of public procurements is criminalised; private enforcement is directly recognised in the competition act; etc.
Rare cause of trigeminal neuralgia: Meckel's cave meningocele

The most common etiology of classic trigeminal neuralgia is vascular compression. However, other causes must be excluded. It is very unlikely that a meningocele presents with symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia. We present a rare case of a patient presenting with left trigeminal neuralgia. Thin-slice CT and MRI showed a transclival Meckel’s cave meningocele. The patient underwent endoscopic repair of the meningocele, which resulted in complete resolution of her symptoms. Meckel’s cave meningocele or encephalocele should be considered among the differential diagnoses of trigeminal neuralgia. Meningocele repair should be suggested as the first treatment option in this rare situation.
Urinary Cyanoethyl Mercapturic Acid, a Biomarker of the Smoke Toxicant Acrylonitrile, Clearly Distinguishes Smokers From Nonsmokers.

Introduction Cyanoethyl mercapturic acid (CEMA) is a urinary metabolite of acrylonitrile, a toxicant found in substantial quantities in cigarette smoke, but not in non-combusted products such as e-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco and rarely in the diet or in the general human environment. Thus, we hypothesized that CEMA is an excellent biomarker of combusted tobacco product use. Aims and methods We tested this hypothesis by analyzing CEMA in the urine of 1259 cigarette smokers (urinary cotinine ≥25 ng/mL) and 1191 nonsmokers. The analyses of CEMA and cotinine were performed by validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. Logistic regression was fit for log-transformed CEMA to construct the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results We found that a CEMA cutpoint of 27 pmol/mL urine differentiated cigarette smokers from nonsmokers with sensitivity and specificity greater than 99%. The use of different cotinine cutpoints to define smokers (10-30 ng/mL) had little effect on the results. Conclusions CEMA is a highly reliable urinary biomarker to identify users of combusted tobacco products such as cigarettes as opposed to users of non-combusted products, medicinal nicotine, or nonusers of tobacco products. Implications CEMA can be used to distinguish users of combusted tobacco products from non-combusted products such as e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and medicinal nicotine. Levels of CEMA in the urine of people who use these non-combusted products are extremely low, in contrast to cotinine.
On the Temperature Dependence of the Piezoelectric Response of Prepoled Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Films.

There is growing interest in integrating piezoelectric materials with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology to enable expanded applications. A promising material for ultrasound ...
Opportunities and tensions in family science: challenging dominant paradigms of science education

We design and research family-based science experiences that provide opportunities to enact discovery-oriented approaches to science learning that challenge dominant conceptions of what counts as science learning by bringing families’ sensemaking to the forefront. We engaged two approaches. First, we provided families with simple activity prompts and conversation starters for engaging in playful and exploratory science-relevant experiences on their own. Second, we explicitly explored families’ views of science during family science evenings at their children’s school. The different contexts helped us learn how families take up or resist efforts toward a family-centric view of science learning. The research was ethnographic, drawing upon socio-cultural views of learning, with novice/more-expert interactions crucial, and local knowledges and cultural practices being resourced. The analysis surfaced the ideas that: (1) families can be expansive sites for science learning; (2) parental voice and concerns about science learning come into tension with alternatives and school-based paradigms; (3) there is promise in designed resources for encouraging epistemic agency; (4) family dynamics around epistemic practices are present and need airing and addressing. We discuss how opportunities and tensions that co-arise need to inform further research and the design of family science experiences.
Exploring the Effects of Swarm Degradations on Trustworthiness Perceptions, Reliance Intentions, and Reliance Behaviors

Swarms comprise robotic assets operating autonomously through local control laws. Research on humanswarm interaction (HSwI) investigates how human operators collaborate with swarms to accomplish shared goals. Researchers have begun to investigate the role of trust in HSwI, specifically which aspects of robotic swarms affect human trust. Through a human factors lens, the present research builds on earlier HSwI work and investigates the effect of swarm asset degradations on trustworthiness perceptions, reliance intentions, and reliance behaviors. Results showed that trustworthiness perceptions of and intentions to rely on swarms (but not reliance behaviors) were correlated, demonstrating the relation between theoretically relevant antecedents to trust in HSwI contexts. Contrary to past work, the results showed no statistical evidence that asset degradations differentially affect trustworthiness perceptions, reliance intentions, or reliance behaviors. Limitations of the current work (e.g., heterogeneity of post-intervention foraging behavior, sample size) are discussed and followed with future research suggestions.
Preanalytical errors in a satellite stat laboratory: A Six Sigma analysis of seven years’ data

Abstract Background There have been few reports regarding the frequency and types of preanalytical errors in stat laboratories, in particular those occurring in the satellite laboratory setting. The impact of this error type on laboratory performance in this environment is largely unknown. We assessed the performance of a stat laboratory serving a population of predominantly elderly patients with suspected or established diagnoses of cancer using Six Sigma methodology and compared the results to previous work on this subject. Methods We performed an observational retrospective study using data from the period 2013–2020. The clinical setting was a satellite laboratory supporting an outpatient medical clinic. The type and frequency of each type of preanalytical error were compiled and were used to derive the quarterly error rate. Overall and quarterly performance were calculated using Six Sigma methodology. Results During the study period 1314 preanalytical errors were identified from 247,271 laboratory tests (0.5% of total test volume). There was a steady decrease in the error rate over the course of the study period, ranging from 1.4% in 2013 to 0.14% in 2020, despite a 290% increase in quarterly test volume during this period. The most common error types encountered were order error, hemolysis, collection error, and lab accident. Conclusion 1) The overall performance of a satellite laboratory with a stat testing menu is comparable to hospital-based laboratory stat testing. 2) The most frequent error types encountered in satellite laboratory stat testing differ from those found in hospital-based laboratories. 3) There was an overall improvement in laboratory performance based on Six Sigma methodology.
A Hardware Accelerator for Protocol Buffers

Serialization frameworks are a fundamental component of scale-out systems, but introduce significant compute overheads. However, they are amenable to acceleration with specialized hardware. To understand the trade-offs involved in architecting such an accelerator, we present the first in-depth study of serialization framework usage at scale by profiling Protocol Buffers (“protobuf”) usage across Google’s datacenter fleet. We use this data to build HyperProtoBench, an open-source benchmark representative of key serialization-framework user services at scale. In doing so, we identify key insights that challenge prevailing assumptions about serialization framework usage. We use these insights to develop a novel hardware accelerator for protobufs, implemented in RTL and integrated into a RISC-V SoC. Applications can easily harness the accelerator, as it integrates with a modified version of the open-source protobuf library and is wire-compatible with standard protobufs. We have fully open-sourced our RTL, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the only such implementation currently available to the community. We also present a first-of-its-kind, end-to-end evaluation of our entire RTL-based system running hyperscale-derived benchmarks and microbenchmarks. We boot Linux on the system using FireSim to run these benchmarks and implement the design in a commercial 22nm FinFET process to obtain area and frequency metrics. We demonstrate an average 6.2 × to 11.2 × performance improvement vs. our baseline RISC-V SoC with BOOM OoO cores and despite the RISC-V SoC’s weaker uncore/supporting components, an average 3.8 × improvement vs. a Xeon-based server.
Academic Early Warning and Intervention Takes a Village.

Early intervention for students at risk of academic difficulty can be more effectively accomplished using a team-based approach that capitalizes on the expertise of many in a pharmacy education community. This commentary advocates for better integration of assessment professionals, pharmacy faculty, and student support services to capture academic, accountability, and behavior-related data that might signal student intellectual and/or behavioral challenges and manifest as marginal academic performance. Assessment professionals can assist with creating data dashboards/monitoring systems, recognizing trends within the data, refining formulas to identify at-risk students, and measuring the impact of interventions to determine which approaches positively and significantly influence outcomes. Effective early warning and intervention efforts take a village and should go beyond narrowly-focused attempts that fail to account for the complexity of students as individuals or acknowledge the multifaceted skill set students are expected to develop to become competent and responsible pharmacists.
Metal-free tandem Beckmann–electrophilic aromatic substitution cascade affording diaryl imines, ketones, amines, and quinazolines

A cascade reaction sequence involving a Beckmann rearrangement on benzophenone oxime followed by an electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) on the intermediate nitrilium ion affords N-phenyl diaryl imines that may then be hydrolyzed to ketones, or reduced to the corresponding amines. Reaction with benzonitrile afforded 2,4-diphenylquinazoline through a Beckmann–Ritter–EAS cascade.
A process-object centered view of software environment architecture

Abstract : The essential purpose of a software environment is to provide strong, complete and readily accessible support for such key software processes as development and maintenance. The basis of such support must be a diverse and powerful set of functional capabilities supplied by what has previously been referred to as "software tools". Increasingly, however, it is becoming clear that the most challenging part of creating an effective software environment is not the creation of the software tools themselves, but rather the effective integration of those tools and presentation of their capabilities to the user.
Mechanical measures of uncooked beef longissimus muscle can predict sensory panel tenderness and Warner-Bratzler shear force of cooked steaks.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate mechanical measures of tenderness on uncooked USDA Select longissimus muscle as a means to predict Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and trained sensory panel tenderness (SPT) of cooked steaks. In Exp. 1, strip loins (n = 24) were aged 14 d postmortem and fabricated into steaks (2.54 cm). Medial, center, and lateral locations within uncooked steaks were evaluated by a plumb bob device and correlated with WBSF and SPT of cooked steaks. In Exp. 2, 24 strip loins were used to evaluate how well plumb bob and needle probe devices used on uncooked steaks predicted WBSF and SPT of cooked steaks. At 2 d postmortem, two steaks were fabricated from the anterior end. One uncooked steak (2.54 cm) was assigned to the plumb bob treatment and the other uncooked steak (5.08 cm) was assigned to needle probe treatment. At 14 d postmortem, one uncooked steak (5.08 cm) was assigned to needle probe treatment, a second uncooked steak (2.54 cm) was assigned to plumb bob treatment, whereas the remaining steaks (2.54 cm) were cooked and evaluated by a trained sensory panel and WBSF device. In Exp. 1, average plumb bob values were negatively correlated (P 0.05). In Exp. 2, regression models to predict SPT from needle probe and plumb bob measurements individually taken at 2 d postmortem had R2 of 0.54 and 0.51, respectively. Combining needle probe and plumb bob measurements resulted in an R2 of 0.76; when quadratic terms for both variables were in the model, the R2 was 0.80. Regressing needle probe and plumb bob measurements at 2 d postmortem with WBSF produced R2 values of 0.51 and 0.45, respectively. If linear terms of both probes were combined to predict WBSF, the R2 increased to 0.77. An equation to predict WBSF, including both the linear and quadratic terms of needle probe and plumb bob measurements, resulted in an R2 of 0.84. Using plumb bob and needle probe devices on uncooked longissimus muscle at 2 d postmortem can predict cooked WBSF and SPT of USDA Select Grade steaks at 14 d postmortem.
Changing Wind and Hydrologic Regimes During Deposition of the Navajo and Aztec Sandstones, Jurassic (?), Southwestern United States

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the changing wind and hydrologic regimes during deposition of the Navajo and Aztec sandstones. The Navajo and Aztec sandstones form a wedge of predominantly crossbedded sandstone that thickens westward from its zero edge in western Colorado and northeastern Arizona to over 650 m in exposures along the eastern edge of the foreland fold and thrust belt in southern Nevada. The Navajo Sandstone is a feldspathic quartz arenite to quartz-rich subarkose composed of rounded to well-rounded quartz sand and containing large to very large-scale trough, tabular–planar, and wedge–planar cross-stratification. It is found that although cross-stratified sandstone is the most conspicuous and most common sedimentary structure, other sedimentary features which are important to the interpretation of the depositional environment of the Navajo Sandstone are volumetrically significant. Noncrossbedded features are distributed throughout five of the six sections measured in the Navajo Sandstone in southeastern Utah. Noncrossbedded lithologies average 32% of the total thickness of the measured sections with a range of 15 to 50%. Horizontally stratified sandstone is most common near the base of the Navajo Sandstone, whereas limestone lenses, contorted stratification, structureless sandstone, and dessiccation-cracked erosion surfaces are more common.
Conversations on indigenous education, progress, and social justice in Peru

This article attempts to contribute to our expanding definitions of Indigenous education within a globalized world. Additionally, the article critiques notions of progress modeled by powerful nation-states due to their histories based on the intended consequences of marginalizing Indigenous populations for the purposes of material gain. Last, global discourses on meaningful Indigenous participation in educational design are discussed as they illuminate culturally and politically based movements that defy singular narratives of Indigenous peoples and education. (This article is provided in English only.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Este articulo intenta expandir nuestras definiciones de educacion en el contexto de un mundo globalizado. De esta manera, el articulo presenta una critica a las ideas de progreso que han sido impuestas por estados-naciones que concentran el poder. Se argumenta que esta imposicion es el resultado de procesos historicos basados en la marginalizacion de poblaciones Indigenas con el proposito de enriquecer materialmente a las sociedades occidentales. La discusion finalmente se enfoca en los discursos globales que enfatizan la relevancia de la participacion Indigena en el diseno de la educacion, y que destacan la contribucion de los movimientos politicos y culturales al desafio de los discursos esencializados sobre los pueblos Indigenas y sus relaciones con el desarrollo de educacion. (Este articulo se ofrece solamente en ingles.)
Physical and chemical properties of myelin

Abstract Electron micrographs of a myelin fraction prepared from bovine white matter showed myelin lamellae structures and indicated that the preparation was relatively free of contaminating material. The fraction was solubilized by surfactants, after which phase solubility and moving-boundary electrophoresis showed that the bulk of the preparation appeared homogeneous. Although various lipids were present in the preparation, identification by an infrared spectrum alone was not possible. Analyses of cholesterol, total lipid, proteolipid, and elemental and amino acid composition are included. In addition, a simple immunochemical assay for myelin is presented.
Predicting new effective treatments of alcohol addiction on the basis of their properties of inhibition of noradrenergic activity and/or thromboxane or on the activation of the dopamine reward system and/or beta-endorphin

On the basis of their properties of noradrenergic and/or thromboxane inhibition, or on their activation of the dopaminergic reward system and/or beta-endorphin, the following substances or treatments are predicted to be effective in treating alcohol or drug addiction: ginger; carbon dioxide; dietary sulfur; methionine; calcium; LHRH; high intensity light; interferon; negative ions; serotonin antagonists such as methysergide and cyproheptadine; guanabenz and guenfacine; antihistamines; head-out water immersion; X-irradiation; and forced unilateral left nostril breathing.
Direct binding of Torpedo syntrophin to dystrophin and the 87 kDa dystrophin homologue.

Abstract Syntrophin, a 58-kDa membrane-associated protein, is one component of a protein complex associated with dystrophin and other members of the dystrophin family, including the 87-kDa homologue (87K protein). To characterize interactions between syntrophin and 87K protein, we used an in vitro overlay binding assay. We demonstrate that purified Torpedo syntrophin binds directly to dystrophin and 87K. By expressing overlapping regions of the 87K protein as bacterial fusion proteins for binding targets, we show that a 52-amino acid region of 87K (residues 375–426) is sufficient for binding syntrophin.
Pharmacodynamic modeling of cortisol suppression from fluocortolone

The effect of fluocortolone on cortisol suppression was characterized using a ‘direct suppression pharmacodynamic model’. The model incorporates the physiologic circadian secretion of cortisol under normal and treatment conditions, together with pharmacokinetic data from single fluocortolone doses of 20, 50, and 100 mg. A mean IC50 value (fluocortolone plasma concentration at which the circadian secretion of cortisol is inhibited by 50%) of 15.5 ng·ml−1 was found. This analysis shows how use of pharmacodynamic modeling can characterize dose-proportionality data to provide an in vivo measure of drug potency.
Longitudinal Changes in Pancreatic β-Cell Function and Metabolic Clearance Rate of Insulin in Pregnant Women With Normal and Abnormal Glucose Tolerance

OBJECTIVE To evaluate basal pancreatic β-cell secretion and suppression during infused insulin and the metabolic clearance rate of insulin in women with normal and abnormal glucose tolerance prior to conception and during pregnancy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Seven women with normal glucose tolerance and nine women with abnormal glucose tolerance during gestation were evaluated prior to conception, in early (12–14 weeks) and late (34–36 weeks) gestation. Basal insulin and C-peptide were measured after an 11-h fast and during the last 40 min of a 2-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp at 40 mU·m −2 ·m −1 . Suppression of basal C-peptide was calculated as the steady-state C-peptide/basal C-peptide. The metabolic clearance rate of insulin was calculated by dividing the insulin infusion rate by the steady-state insulin concentration, which was corrected for residual β-cell secretion. RESULTS No significant differences were noted in the following parameters between women with normal and abnormal glucose tolerance with advancing gestation: increase in basal insulin ( P = 0.20) and C-peptide ( P = 0.12), ability of infused insulin to decrease basal C-peptide concentration ( P = 0.22), and metabolic clearance rate of insulin ( P = 0.76). There was a significant 65% increase in both basal insulin ( P = 0.0005) and C-peptide ( P = 0.0002) concentrations in all subjects with advancing gestation. There was a significant ( P = 0.0001) decrease in the ability of the infused insulin to decrease basal C-peptide concentration. C-peptide as a percentage of the basal was 64% before conception, 74% in early pregnancy, and 108% in late pregnancy. The metabolic clearance rate of insulin significantly ( P = 0.0005) increased with advancing gestation: pregravid 442 ml·m −2 · min −1 , early pregnancy 514 ml·m −2 · min −1 , and 526 ml·m −2 · min −1 in late pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy is accompanied by progressive alterations in insulin kinetics, which are partly responsible for the hyperinsulinemia of this condition. These alterations are more likely a homeostatic response to the increased physiological insulin resistance of pregnancy.
Analytical characterization of sample entraining multi-electrode plasma sources for atomic emission spectroscopy–II. Interelement effects and excitation temperature measurements

Abstract Interelement effects are reported for a vertical 4-electrode plasma source. The magnitude and direction of the interelement effects are influenced by the experimental conditions. For a 30-mm plasma length, the interference effect of either phosphate or aluminum on calcium emission is insignificant over the entire vertical region of the plasma observed. Ionization interference effects on Ca(II) emission produced by an easily ionized element (EIE) are in general agreement with observations in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Nine Fe(I) lines were used to determine the excitation temperature from the slope of a Boltzmann plot. The excitation temperature in the center of the 25-mm plasma at 6mm above the quartz tube is 5800 ± 600 K. As the plasma length increases from 25 to 30 mm, the maximum excitation temperature in the sample aerosol channel increases by 2000 K and changes spatially. The electron number density increases by a factor of 10. Under the assumption of local thermal equilibrium (LTE), the electron number density obtained from the Saha-Eggert equation is about 1.0 × 10 15 cm −3 for a 30-mm plasma. As the sample carrier gas flow rate decreases from 0.85 to 0.711/min, the maximum excitation temperature for a 30-mm plasma increases by 1000 K.
Vegetative succession and controlled fire in a glades ecosystem A geographical information system approach

Abstract A geographical information system (GIS) approach was used successfully on a federal wilderness area in southwestern Missouri to examine vegetative succession relative to fire management in a glades ecosystem. Maps of vegetation were obtained by interpreting aerial photographs taken in 1938, 1958, 1966, 1975 and 1986. Maps of topography, streams, soils and the location of fires which burned during the period 1938 to 1986 were also procured from a variety of public agencies. All maps were digitized and incorporated into a raster-based GIS with 25 m pixels. It was concluded that (1) both glades and oak-hickory forest have an affinity for distinct physiographic areas and (2) fire can help decrease the rate of processes of natural succession which cause glades to convert to forest. The probable effects of controlled fire on three areas proposed by the Forest Service were evaluated and summarized.
Altered regulation of heat shock gene expression in heat resistant mouse cells.

Abstract Purpose: The differences in the heat shock gene regulation between the RIF-1 cell line and its heat resistant derivative TR4 are further characterized. Methods and Materials: In vitro gel retardation assays were used to assess the presence of activated heat shock transcription factor in the two cell lines. The levels of the heat-inducible HSP 70.1, the constitutive HSC 70, the germ line-specific HSP 70.2, and the HSP 28 mRNAs in both untreated and iso-heated RIF-1 and TR4 cells were determined using the polymerase chain reaction coupled with the reverse transcriptase reaction. Induction and decay of induced heat shock protein synthesis was measured by 35 S-methionine labeling of proteins. Results: Unheated TR4 cells display characteristics of heat shocked RIF-1 cells. TR4 cells have a constitutively activated heat shock transcription factor and elevated levels of the HSP 70.1, HSC 70, and the HSP 28 mRNAs. Upon an equal heat dose of 45 C, 15 min, the TR4 cells exhibited a more rapid onset in heat shock mRNA and protein induction than did the RIF-1 cells. During the recovery from heat shock, the activated heat shock transcription factor and the induced HSP70 mRNAs decayed more slowly in the TR4 cells, although the protein synthesis pattern of the TR4 cells returned to control levels more rapidly following heat shock than did protein synthesis of the RIF-1 cells. Conclusion: Unheated TR4 cells are similar to heat shocked RIF-1 cells at the transcriptional level. Induced HSP70 expression is modulated by the severity of the heat treatment (or the degree of heat damage) perceived by the cells rather than by the absolute heat dose given. We propose that the unheated TR4 cells are locked into the "ON" state of the heat shock response.
Advanced lubricants for heat engines

An advanced liquid lubricant for heat engines has been developed and tested successfully in a prototype engine. The lubricant possesses superior oxidation stability and high temperature stability. With the advent of new engine designs, stability should be measured in terms of both the temperature and the time for which the lubricant is subjected to it. This lubricant is designed to provide friction and wear protection for three to five minutes at 425°C (800°F) at the ring zone and maintains stability at an oil sump temperature of 171°C. The lubricant has been evaluated by the Cummins Engine Company. Out of a field of several dozen lubricants, six lubricants were selected for a prototype 200 h endurance tests. The NIST lubricant was one of the two lubricants that successfully finished the endurance testing. This paper provides an overview of the key lubricant design considerations, including oxidation and thermal stability, volatility, and deposit control, the prototype engine test conditions and the results.