cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Four Domains: Cognition-Based Evolution

It has been previously asserted that self-referential cognition is the exact definition of the living circumstances. Once granted, this becomes the requisite platform for understanding biological development and its evolutionary ramifications over geological space–time. It is our human nature to be riveted by the expanse of intricate forms that can be appraised with our unaided senses. The dramatic transitions across the fossil record that focus on these macro-organic forms reinforce this prejudice. Who doesn’t love to think about dinosaurs? Yet, despite this ready assessment, the planet has ever been and remains a cellular world (McFall-Ngai et al. 2013). As such, it becomes incumbent to explore this stance in its fullest extent. The complete scope of the currently available evidence indicates that all life is ever enacted at the level of individual cells, even within holobionts. Therefore, the cellular form has living primacy. At the macro-organic level, life is sustained through collaborative associations that extend across four perpetual biological domains: Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryota, and the Virome (Miller 2013, 2016a, b, 2017; Richter and King 2013; Cai et al. 2015; Torday and Miller 2016a; Miller and Torday 2018). Thus, biological and evolutionary development are the narrative of the mix and match of those perpetual four domains.
Cancer Stem Cell as Target of CAR-T Cell Therapy

Chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T) therapy has been studied intensively these years and is considered a promising cancer treatment. So far, Food and Drug Administration has approved 2 CAR-T cell therapy for patients with refractory leukemia and the result is positive. However, CAR-T cell therapy is still facing several challenges, including antigen escape, which will diminish the efficacy of treatment and lead to relapse. This review investigates the potential of cancer stem cell (CSC), a small group of cancer cells that contribute to tumorigenesis, metastasis, therapy resistance and relapse, as the target of CAR-T cell therapy, focusing on representative CSC surface markers: CD123, CD133 and CD44. Evidence indicates that CAR-T cell therapy directed by CSC surface markers is effective and feasible. Therefore, CSC targeted CAR-T cell therapy is a prospective treatment for cancer.
Not All Related Party Transactions (RPTs) Are the Same: Ex Ante Versus Ex Post RPTs

Related party transactions (RPTs) are potential means for insiders to expropriate outside shareholders via self-dealing. There are, however, possible benefits to these arrangements for outside shareholders. We find that the overall volume of disclosed RPTs is generally not significantly associated with shareholder wealth as measured by operating profitability or Tobin's Q. However, the results for total RPT volume obscure that ex ante RPTs, transactions that predate a counterparty becoming a related party, are innocuous at worst in terms of their association with operating profitability and significantly positively associated with Tobin's Q whereas ex post RPTs, transactions initiated after a counterparty becomes a related party, are significantly negatively associated with operating profitability. Ex post RPTs also result in significant share price declines when first disclosed and are associated with an increased likelihood that a firm will enter financial distress or deregister its securities. These results are consistent with ex post RPTs serving as means for insiders to expropriate outside shareholders.
Overcoming barriers to implementation of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the field of medicine, however significant questions must be answered prior to its implementation on a regular basis. Many artificial intelligence algorithms remain limited by isolated datasets which may cause selection bias and truncated learning for the program. While a central database may solve this issue, several barriers such as security, patient consent, and management structure prevent this from being implemented. An additional barrier to daily use is device approval by the Food and Drug Administration. In order for this to occur, clinical studies must address new endpoints, including and beyond the traditional bio- and medical statistics. These must showcase artificial intelligence's benefit and answer key questions, including challenges posed in the field of medical ethics.
Abstract P164: The Impact of the Expanded EVT Window on Acute Stroke Services: A Large Northwest Telestroke Network Experience

Background: Telestroke has led the technological revolution in providing acute medical services to rural areas in the United States since the beginning of this century. In January 2018 the American...
A Primal-Dual based Approach to Social Welfare problem for Electric Vehicle Charging

The simultaneous charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs) put extra burden on the distribution grid. The necessity of coordinated charging and discharging of EVs is very vital. This brings the EV owner and utility to act together to maximize their profits without affecting the grid from load congestion, voltage instability, and transformer overloading. In this paper, we formulate the benefits of utility and EV owner as a social welfare problem. The objective is to maximize the problem taking into account the generation costs and the battery charging costs. The optimization problem is casted as a dynamics problem using a primal-dual approach. The simulation results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed solution and the optimal energy management during the peak load for Time of Use (ToU) pricing.
Ethical and Relational Leadership

Leaders are in positions of power and their decisions impact others: therefore, it is imperative that their values should have strong ethical foundations and, above all, that these be aligned with external behaviors and actions that advance the common good.
Methods of radio-frequency current drive

AbstractRadio-frequency waves can penetrate thermonuclear plasmas, depositing momentum and energy with great selectivity: in select resonant ions or electrons, in select resonant regions, and with select momentum. When these waves are injected asymmetrically with respect to the toroidal direction in tokamaks, they can drive a toroidal electric current. The advantage of driving this current by waves is that a tokamak reactor might then be operated in the steady state. This lecture will review the elementary processes of wave-particle interactions in plasma that underlie the current drive effect.
Label-Free Microbial Biosensors Using Molecular Nanowire Transducers

There is an increasing public awareness and concern regarding the safety of our food supply. The complexity of the US food supply chain provides numerous entry points and routes in which pathogens and other disease-causing organisms can be introduced into the nation’s food system. Foodborne illness and product recalls have been increasing in incidence. It is not easy to address the hundreds of microbial contaminants associated with microbial foodborne diseases. Conventional methods of identifying these pathogens require 2–7 days. Although these methods are highly sensitive and specific, they are elaborate and laborious. The use of biosensors as emerging technologies could revolutionize the study and detection of these foodborne microorganisms. The development of biosensors will further serve the food industry, agricultural sector, regulatory community, and public health. Biosensor techniques will play an extensive role in understanding the occurrence of contamination at the source during the next decade and help forecast the potential for risk and mitigation before foodborne outbreaks occur. This chapter describes emerging and novel biosensor technologies for rapid and sensitive detection of pathogens of concern to the food supply. Particularly, molecular nanowires as transducers in biosensor devices are covered. Antibody and DNA based biosensors are reviewed and two illustrations on immunosensors are presented.
A diagnosis algorithm by using graph-coloring under the PMC model

Fault diagnosis is important to the design and maintenance of large multiprocessor systems. PMC model is the most well known and widely studied model in the system level diagnosis of multiprocessor systems. Under the PMC model, a diagnosis algorithm based on some graph-coloring techniques has been proposed in this paper. Given a syndrome $$\sigma $$ź, the first part of the algorithm can locate all the definitely faulty vertices. Then in the second part of the algorithm a diagnosis graph corresponding to the syndrome can be constructed and the suspicious faulty sets can be determined by finding the maximal independent sets of the diagnosis graph. A weight is assigned to each suspicious faulty vertex set which can measure its occurring probability. The algorithm is shown to be correct, not based on any conjecture and can be applied to the fault identification for any multiprocessor system.
Abstract 13485: Prevalence and Treatment of “Balloon Uncrossable” Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions

Background: In percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs), inability to cross the lesion with a balloon is the second most common cause of technical failure following inability to cross the lesion with a guidewire. While various techniques have been reported for such "balloon uncrossable" CTOs, the frequency and outcomes of these techniques have received limited study. Methods: We retrospectively examined 373 consecutive CTO PCIs performed at our institution between 2005 and 2013 to determine the frequency and outcomes of “balloon uncrossable” CTOs. Results: Mean age was 63.7 ± 8.3 years and 98.9% of the patients were men. Twenty four patients (6.4%) were found to have a "balloon uncrossable" CTO. These patients had similar clinical and angiographic characteristics compared to the other CTO PCI patients (Table). Successful crossing of the lesion was achieved in 22 of 24 patients (91.7%) using a variety of techniques, such as successive balloon inflations (43.5%), microcatheter advancement (21.7%), laser (8.7%), increased guide catheter support (13.0%), and subintimal lesion crossing (13.0%) (Figure). Patients with “balloon uncrossable” CTOs had longer procedure time (184.5 ± 77.9 vs. 134.0 ± 69.0 min, p<0.01), fluoroscopy time (55.2 ± 24.9 vs. 37.9 ± 20.8 min, p<0.01), and received higher contrast volume (404.4 ± 137.9 vs. 351.7 ± 138.5 ml, p=0.085), but had similar incidence of major complications (8.3% vs. 3.2%, p=0.25) compared to patients without “balloon uncrossable” CTOs. Conclusion: “Balloon uncrossable” CTOs occur in 6.4% of contemporary CTO PCIs and can be successfully treated in most patients using a variety of techniques. ![][1] ![][2] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/graphic-2.gif
Through Dialogue to Engaged Pluralism:. The Unfinished Business of the Third Debate

In what has frequently been referred to as the “third debate,” postmodern, postpositivist, critical, feminist, and constructivist scholars who have alternative assumptions about social inquiry and knowledge construction have vigorously challenged conventional scholarship in international studies. Issues of theoretical pluralism, cross-paradigmatic communication, incommensurability, reflexivity, and theory choice have been raised in this discussion but until recently dialogue, as such, has received only indirect and sporadic attention. Presently, however, the rising tide of interest in dialogue concerning social theory seems to have reached the shores of the international relations discipline. Therefore, the present is as good a moment as any to ask the inevitable question: Is this new preoccupation with dialogue yet another metatheoretical diversion (see Moravcsik in this forum)—whereby international relations scholars divert precious and scarce scholarly resources from productive “first order” (for example, empirical) investigations to sterile “second order” navel gazing—or are we witnessing here a potentially important development that may eventually help us leave the isolated intellectual realms into which we have drifted over time? In what follows, this author will argue that the latter is clearly the case. Borrowing from Richard Bernstein (1992), if “flabby” (anything goes) and “fortress-like” (incommensurable) forms of pluralism are the dubious legacies of the third debate and “engaged pluralism” rather than “inevitable synthesis” (Moravcsik, this forum) or even “dialogical synthesis” (Hellmann, this forum) is the most feasible and deserving destination for the international relations theory enterprise in the foreseeable future, then dialogue must figure prominently on our agenda at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The successful harnessing of dialogue as a potential remedy to our long-enduring knowledge problems, however, will necessitate a well-targeted metatheoretical prelude (for example, a reflexive disciplinary dialogue about dialogue) to ensure that this putative “dialogical turn” will itself be genuinely dialogic. Such appears to be the …
Urban Demographic Stagnation in Early Modern Germany: A Simulation

Certaines simulations basees sur les hypotheses de Sharlin peuvent s'averer fiables dans l'estimation du niveau de mortalite des adultes et du taux de reproduction des petites villes du 17e et 18e siecle du sud de l'Allemagne. Elles montrent la decroissance apparue dans de nombreuses villes de cette region, baisse consecutive aux pertes humaines occasionnees par la guerre de Trente ans. Les resultats exposent les changements importants intervenus dans le cadre de l'exode qui accompagna la desurbanisation du sud de l'Allemagne.
Comparing Outcomes of Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: Consider the Pitfalls

Patients with end-stage renal disease have a limited life expectancy. It is primarily for this reason that there is interest in determining whether one form of dialysis therapy provides any survival advantage over another in different subgroups of individuals. Randomized controlled clinical trials are the gold standard in answering such a question. However, in-center hemodialysis and home peritoneal dialysis require profoundly significant but different effects on patients' lifestyle and it is not surprising that most patients don't want to leave that choice to chance and refuse to participate in such clinical trials. Thus, we have to depend upon observational data to compare outcomes with the two different dialysis therapies. Yet such studies are not without pitfalls, particularly those arising from selection bias, confounding by indication, and residual confounding. These pitfalls and potential methods to overcome them are discussed in this paper. Despite such adjustments, it is impossible to determine if the differences in survival, if any, are a direct result of the dialysis modality or from differences in the characteristics of the patients who are treated with these therapies. Juxtaposing this limitation with the profound impact of dialysis therapies on patients' lives, it is prudent to leave the decision of selection of dialysis modality to the patients themselves and healthcare providers should offer decision support for individuals attempting to make such a selection.
On the Andrews-Curtis conjecture and algorithms from topology

We relate the Andrews-Curtis conjecture to the triviality problem for balanced presentations of groups using algorithms from 3-manifold topology. Implementing this algorithm could lead to counterexamples to the Andrews-Curtis conjecture.
The enigma of memory B cells in malaria

Malaria is a major public health problem particularly in the tropics. It is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Currently, strategies to control malaria include vector control measures, chemoprophylaxis, and efficient diagnosis and treatment. The availability of a highly efficacious malaria vaccine would greatly facilitate malaria control and possibly eradicate malaria. Efforts to design such malaria vaccines are underway but are greatly hampered by the poor understanding of how immune memory to malaria is generated and maintained. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Wykes and colleagues [Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 3291–3301] demonstrate that experimental malaria infection lowers the expression of B-cell-activating factor in DCs, thereby compromising the ability of these DCs to stimulate memory B cells and sustain the survival of Ab-secreting cells. These findings provide potential clues in the quest for better understanding of immunity to malaria as discussed in this Commentary.
A General Procedure for Mitsunobu Inversion of Sterically Hindered Alcohols: Inversion of Menthol. (1S,2S,5R)‐5‐Methyl‐2‐(1‐Methylethyl)Cyclohexyl 4‐Nitrobenzoate

A General procedure for Mitsunobu inversion of sterically hindered alcohols: inversion of menthol. (1S,2S,5R)-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexyl 4-nitrobenzoate product: (1S,2S,5R)-5-Methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexyl 4-nitrobenzoate Keywords: alkylation, O-alkylation; esterification, of substituted monobasic acids; replacement reactions, hydroxy by acyloxy and alkoxy; stereoselective reactions, stereospecific; diethyl azodicarboxylate, explosion hazard
Point spread function (PSF) measurement for cell phone camera with a high resolution PSF of the imaging lens and a sub-pixel digital algorithm

An accurate measurement of the point spread function (PSF) for the extended depth of field (EDoF) cell phone camera with CMOS sensor is very important for image processing and image restoration. But due to the coarse sampling of the PSF by CMOS sensor, the overall system including the imaging subsystem and sampling subsystem is a shift-variant system with respect to the sample-scene phase parameter within sub-pixel range. In this paper, we present the sub-pixel digital algorithm to estimate the overall camera PSF based on the measurement of a high resolution PSF of the imaging lens. The sub-pixel digital algorithm averages the shifted high resolution PSFs of the lens over one active pixel area with the assumption of uniform random distribution of point source location within one active pixel area. Then the averaged high resolution PSF is down sampled onto Bayer plane to obtain the shift-invariant overall system PSF. We applied this shift-invariant PSF for image restoration of blurred images captured with an extended depth of field camera. The processed images are compared with originally captured images. Improvement of image quality is seen.
Epigenetic silencing of SOD2 by histone modifications in human breast cancer cells

Many breast cancer cells typically exhibit lower expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) compared to the normal cells from which they arise. This decrease can often be attributed to a defect in the transcription of SOD2, the gene encoding MnSOD; however, the mechanism responsible for this change remains unclear. Here, we describe how altered histone modifications and a repressive chromatin structure constitute an epigenetic process to down regulate SOD2 in human breast carcinoma cell lines. Utilizing chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) we observed decreased levels of dimethyl H3K4 and acetylated H3K9 at key regulatory elements of the SOD2 gene. Consistent with these results, we show that loss of these histone modifications creates a repressive chromatin structure at SOD2. Transcription factor ChIP experiments revealed that this repressive chromatin structure influences the binding of SP-1, AP-1, and NFκB to SOD2 regulatory cis-elements in vivo. Lastly, we show that treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitors trichostatin A and sodium butyrate can reactivate SOD2 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Taken together, these results indicate that epigenetic silencing of SOD2 could be facilitated by changes in histone modifications and represent one mechanism leading to the altered expression of MnSOD observed in many breast cancers.
Neuromodulation and cortical function: modeling the physiological basis of behavior

Neuromodulators including acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine and a range of peptides alter the processing characteristics of cortical networks through effects on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, on the adaptation of cortical pyramidal cells, on membrane potential, on the rate of synaptic modification, and on other cortical parameters. Computational models of self-organization and associative memory function in cortical structures such as the hippocampus, piriform cortex and neocortex provide a theoretical framework in which the role of these neuromodulatory effects can be analyzed. Neuromodulators such as acetylcholine and norepinephrine appear to enhance the influence of synapses from afferent fibers arising outside the cortex relative to the synapses of intrinsic and association fibers arising from other cortical pyramidal cells. This provides a continuum between a predominant influence of external stimulation to a predominant influence of internal recall (extrinsic vs. intrinsic). Modulatory influence along this continuum may underlie effects described in terms of learning and memory, signal to noise ratio, and attention.
Synthesis of 5'-functionalized nucleosides: S-Adenosylhomocysteine analogues with the carbon-5' and sulfur atoms replaced by a vinyl or halovinyl unit.

Abstract Adenosine and uridine analogues functionalized with alkenyl or fluoroalkenyl chain at C5′ were prepared employing cross-metathesis, Negishi couplings, and Wittig reactions. Metathesis of the protected 5′-deoxy-5′-methyleneadenosine or uridine analogues with six-carbon amino acids (homoallylglycines) in the presence of Grubbs catalysts gave nucleoside analogues with the C5′–C6′ double bond. Alternatively, the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling between the protected 5′-deoxy-5′-(iodomethylene) nucleosides and suitable alkylzinc bromides also provided analogues with alkenyl unit. Stereoselective Pd-catalyzed monoalkylation of 5′-(bromofluoromethylene)-5′-deoxyadenosine with alkylzinc bromides afforded adenosylhomocysteine analogues with a 6′-(fluoro)vinyl motif. The vinylic adenine nucleosides produced time-dependent inactivation of the S -adenosyl- l -homocysteine hydrolases.
Railroads, Regionalism, and Postwar Economic Decline in the West: The Case of Montana's Upper Musselshell Valley

This article examines the effects of railroading within Wheatland County, Montana. Wheatland County grew, evolved, and became dependent upon the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific (i.e. the Milwaukee Road) economically, socially, and culturally compared to two neighboring counties. When the Milwaukee terminated its western operations in 1980 it devastated Wheatland County while the adjacent regions, which the Milwaukee also passed through, remained unaffected by the company's bankruptcy. Additionally, this article compares the use of broad based traditional historical interpretations of Montana, which do not explain the locale, and the grassroots history of the region as relayed by its own residents. The grassroots interpretation is more worldly, involved, and explanatory of the region than conventional grand narrative writings about the state of Montana. Taking the grassroots approach exposes regional anomalies pertinent to explaining regional identity and culture.
A note on the divergence problem arising in calculation of Green's function for a 2D piezoelectric thin film strip with free boundaries and containing straight line defects: Fourier approach for bodies of cubic symmetry

Abstract Analytic formulas for the Green’s function and the coupled electro-elastic fields for a 2D piezoelectric strip with free boundaries and containing a distribution of straight line defects have already been found some years ago. These formulas exploit the well-known Stroh formalism and the Fourier approach, so the result is given as the Fourier integral and therefore its numerical implementation should pose no problem. However, in this note we show that for the case of cubic symmetry this form of the Green’s function contains strong divergences, excluding possibilities of direct application of well-known numerical schemes. It is also shown that these divergences translate to divergences of the corresponding electro-elastic fields of a single defect. By means of a rigorous analysis it is demonstrated that imposing physical conditions implied by the nature of the problem all of these divergences cancel and the final, physical result exhibits expected, regular behavior at infinity. Unfortunately, although the nature of this problem is purely mathematical, it leads to irremovable numerical ∞ − ∞ uncertainties which tend to spread over the whole Fourier domain and severely impede engineering applications of the Green’s function. This motivates us to compute the exact form of all divergent terms. These novel formulas will serve as a guide when establishing numerically stable algorithms for engineering computations involving the system in question.
The contribution of flour components to the structure of injera, an Ethiopian fermented bread made from tef (Eragrostis tef)

Injera, a pancake-like fermented bread prepared from white or red tef ( Eragrostis tef ) flour, is the traditional staple food of Ethiopia. The fate of the major components of the bran and endosperm during the two-stage fermentation and baking has been examined by light and electron microscopy. Angular starch granules released from compound grains during milling showed a range of erosion effects typical of enzymic degradation during fermentation. The appearances of bran and embryo fragments, cell walls and protein bodies were unaffected by fermentation or baking. Microorganisms, the natural contaminants of tef grains, produced strands of fibrillar material during fermentation that bound the flour particles together. Apart from the presence of polyphenolic material in the testa cells of red tef, no structural differences were observed between red and white grain during the preparation of Injera, The portion of dough that was thinned, boiled and returned to the mixture for the second fermentation period contained swollen gelatinised starch. During cooking, the starch within the injera was totally gelatinised to form a steam-leavened, spongy starch matrix, in which fragments of bran and embryo, micro-organisms and organelles were embedded. The protein bodies played no role in the formation of the matrix-gas bubble interface.
Preschoolers' Ability to Make Dispositional Predictions Within and Across Domain.

Although children over eight years of age appear to view others in dispositional terms, findings for children of kindergarten age are mixed. Few studies have examined dispositional thinking in children younger than kindergarteners. The present studies addressed two questions about trait conceptions in 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers'. (1). Do children of this age use past behaviors to predict future behavior si (2) Do they show evidence of global evaluative thinking, such that they generalize information about behavior in one domain to make predictions in other domains'? Three studies of 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers addressed these issues by presenting information about individuals' behavior in the target domain of sociomoral goodness, and asking subjects to predict the protagonists' future behaviors with regard to goodness, intelligence, and athletic skill. Study 1 focused on children's predictions for highly familiar fairy-tale characters, whereas Studies 2 and 3 required children to make predictions for unfamiliar characters. Studies 1 and 2 utilized a dichotomous choice task for assessing predictions, and Study 3 employed a quantitative rating procedure. The results of the three studies converged and suggested that preschoolers can use past behaviors to predict future behaviors. Children showed some evidence of global thinking and also some evidence of differentiation across distinctive domains.
Antiretroviral Drug Resistance in HIV-1.

Progress in understanding antiretroviral resistance has evolved rapidly in recent years. Specific resistance mutations have been associated with virologic failure of different nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). These mutations vary in the extent of cross resistance they confer to other drugs in the same class. In addition, two novel mutational patterns conferring resistance to multiple NRTIs have been recognized. Considerable class specific cross resistance also exists among viruses with reduced susceptibility to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Among protease inhibitors, low level resistance that arises early during virologic failure may be drug specific in some situations, but high level resistance seen later during suboptimal therapy is likely t confer cross resistance to the entire class. Prevalence of drug resistance in infected patients appears to be considerable, and transmission of multidrug-resistant virus has been documented. Current methods of testing for resistance are promising, but they have significant limitations and require further clinical validation. The best approach to prevent resistance is to start treatment early during infection with a regimen that engenders good compliance and is potent enough to decrease viral load to below detection limits of the most sensitive assay available. Once resistance arises, salvage regimens in general have compromised efficacy and should be planned with attention t the patient’s prior drug treatment history and the viruses’ suspected or demonstrated resistance patterns.
The Mediator complex: a central integrator of transcription

The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) enzyme transcribes all protein-coding and most non-coding RNA genes and is globally regulated by Mediator - a large, conformationally flexible protein complex with a variable subunit composition (for example, a four-subunit cyclin-dependent kinase 8 module can reversibly associate with it). These biochemical characteristics are fundamentally important for Mediator's ability to control various processes that are important for transcription, including the organization of chromatin architecture and the regulation of Pol II pre-initiation, initiation, re-initiation, pausing and elongation. Although Mediator exists in all eukaryotes, a variety of Mediator functions seem to be specific to metazoans, which is indicative of more diverse regulatory requirements.
Disposition of ampicillin administered intravenously and intratracheally to young calves.

Long, P.E., Guarnieri, J.A., Herbst, D.V. & Teske, R.H. Disposition of ampicillin administered intravenously and intratracheally to young calves. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 6, 273 279. The profile of the blood concentration of ampicillin vs time was compared in 24 calves after ampicillin administration (10 mg/kg body weight) by the intratracheal (i.t.) and the intravenous (i.v.) routes in a crossover study. In a subsequent study, 12 of the calves were given ampicillin i.v. and 12 were given ampicillin i.t.; at 15 min and 2 h after drug administration, the calves were killed and lungs, kidneys, liver, urine and plasma were collected for ampicillin assay. The mean ampicillin concentration in blood after i.v. treatment was significantly (P<0.01) higher than after i.t. treatment. The mean ampicillin level in lungs after i.t. treatment was significantly higher than the level after i.v. treatment, but concentrations in kidneys, liver, urine and plasma after i.v. treatment were higher (but not significantly) than those after i.t. treatment.
Modeling and validation of approach to criticality and axial flux profile experiments at the Missouri S&T Reactor (MSTR)

Abstract An MCNP model of the Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR) has been in development since 2007. The MCNP model is based on the best available configuration and composition data for the reactor and is flexible, allowing easy re-configuration to accommodate multiple core layouts. Validation of the model included the simulation of experiments routinely performed at the reactor and comparing the simulation results with the experimental data. These validation experiments include the approach to criticality (predicting critical control rod height) and the determination of the axial flux profile in the core. There is good agreement between the experimental data and the model predictions. The most accurate flux profile was produced when the model included an axial temperature variation. The modeled normalized profile accounting temperature variations matches within 10% at 34 of 49 points with the experimental data and within 30% at 46 of 49 points. The simulated approach to criticality matched with the experimental data with an average difference of 0.59 ± 0.08 in. at all points. One significant source of difference between the simulated and experimental data is that the model uses fresh fuel compositions and does not take into account the 20 years of operation and the consequential burnup and poison buildup. Moreover, the initial model does not consider detailed temperature variations and effects, causing a systematic difference between the simulated critical control rod position and the experimental values.
Abrasive wear behavior of a brittle matrix (MoSi2) composite reinforced with a ductile phase (Nb)

The toughness of a variety of brittle ceramic and intermetallic matrices has been improved through the incorporation of ductile metallic reinforcements. In these composites resistance to catastrophic failure of the matrix is derived through a combination of mechanisms, including matrix crack bridging, matrix crack defection and rupturing of the ductile phase. The degree to which these mechanisms operate is a function of composite microstructure. In general, the ductile phase is softer than the matrix phase. This may have unique implications when the materials are subjected to a wear environment, whether intentional or not. Hence, it is important to understand the wear behavior of these new materials. MoSi2–Nb was selected as a model composite system, in part because of the wide body of open literature regarding this system. The influences of abrasive wear environment and the composite microstructure (Nb reinforcement size, shape and volume fraction) on the wear resistance of the composites are reported.
Compiler construction using modern tools

In this paper we discuss our experiences using a translator writing system in the compiler construction course. We have found that such a system provides a great deal of flexibility to the instructor. Students can easily construct a complete compiler including code generation for a small language. We believe our tools and experiences are transferable to other translator writing systems.
FAMILY PROBLEM SOLVING : TWO EXPERIMENTS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY INTERACTION AND INDIVIDUAL THINKING IN FAMILIES OF SCHIZOPHRENICS, NORMALS AND CHARACTER DISORDERS*

The first experiment was the pattern recognition task. In this, family members were asked to work together on a task that required them to organize and make inferences from a stream of information coming from an extra-familial source in the person of the experimenter. In the second experiment, the information exchange task, each family member worked with his family to organize and make inferences from a flow of information from others in his family. The findings of these experiments suggest a coherent picture of the way our individual subjects worked with their families to experience their environment. Our sample consisted of five families in each of three groups : families of schizophrenics, normals and character disorders. In each family we used the parents, patient and sibling nearest in age. The normal group was chosen from school and church lists. The patient in the character disorder group had been psychiatrically hospitalized for difficulties in controlling impulsive behavior and was not schizophrenic. The schizophrenic patient had been hospitalized less than a year and had one or more of the following: associational disturbance, hallucinations or delusions or autistic and incoherent speech. The families were matched
Thermochemical equilibrium in hydrocarbon-oxygen reactions involving polyatomic forms of carbon

Abstract Equilibrium composition and flame temperatures have been calculated for the reaction of acetylene and ethylene with oxygen over a range of mixture ratios. Emphasis has been placed on the determination of conditions necessary for the formation of solid carbon in the products. The influence of the presence of long-chain carbon molecules on the mixture ratio and temperature required for carbon deposition has been investigated. Premixed flames of acetylene and ethylene with oxygen have been studied experimentally to determine the correlation between theoretical calculations and actual combustion reactions. Calculations indicate that, for acetylene, carbon begins to appear in the condensed form at an equivalence ratio (actual fuel oxygen ratio divided by the stoichiometry ratio) of approximately 2·7 when the only forms of carbon vapour considered are monatomic and diatomic. The equilibrium flame temperature is 3 275°K. If longer chain forms of carbon vapour are considered (consistent with a triple point pressure of about 100 atm 4 000°K) then carbon formation begins at an equivalence ratio of 3·37 and the flame temperature would be 3095°K. This difference is not so pronounced with the other hydrocarbons considered. Experimentally, conclusive evidence of carbon formation was apparent at an equivalence ratio of 2·9. Based upon the property data used, the experimental evidence would indicate the presence of carbon molecules containing up to five atoms of carbon. Of these forms the odd number species probably redominate.
Beyond Cognition: Affective Leadership and Emotional Labor

How do the concepts of emotional labor and artful affect translate into our understanding of leadership? Where would one find affective leadership in practice? To address these questions, the workdays of civil servants are examined. Based on interviews and focus groups, the authors set forth in their own words how social workers, 911 operators, corrections officials, detectives, and child guardians experience their work. These interviews reveal the centrality of emotion work in the service exchange and underscore affective leadership in practice. The authors conclude that the most important challenge facing public administrators is not to make work more efficient but to make it more humane and caring. Affective leadership, and recognition of the centrality of emotional labor therein, are the means by which this approach is championed.
"Experience Base" Learning: A Classroom-as-Organization Using Delegated, Rank-Order Grading:

A management and organizational behavior class designed as a new paradigm (sociotechnical) organization expands the classroom-as-organization (CAO) model. Groups of students take different administrative roles and teaching responsibilities. Helped by a detailed manual, students manage, teach, and evaluate their peers. An elaborate control (grading) system makes this learning organization effective. Rank-order peer grading eliminates tests. Conflict occurs, but eventually students, like members of an autonomous work group, learn to manage responsibly. The professor delegates most tasks and becomes a coach but must contend with the college grading system and teaching colleagues unaccustomed to rank-order peer evaluation.
Avenanthramide, a polyphenol from oats, inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and enhances nitric oxide production

The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and impaired nitric oxide (NO) production are both crucial pathophysiological processes in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. Epidemiological data have indicated that diets rich in whole grain foods are associated with a reduced risk of developing atherosclerosis. Avenanthramides are polyphenols found exclusively in oats (Avena sativa L.). The present study was conducted to examine the effect of synthetically prepared avenanthramide-2c on the proliferation of SMC and NO production by SMC and human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). Avenanthramide-2c significantly inhibited serum-induced SMC proliferation. At a concentration of 120 microM, avenanthramide-2c inhibited more than 50% of SMC proliferation, as measured by [3H] thymidine incorporation, and increased the doubling time of rat SMC line (A10) from 28 to 48 h. Treatment of human SMC with 40, 80, and 120 microM avenanthramide-2c inhibited cell number increase by 41, 62, and 73%, respectively. In addition, avenanthramide-2c treatment significantly and dose-dependently increased NO production in both SMC and HAEC. At a concentration of 120 microM, avenanthramide-2c increased NO production by three-fold in SMC, and by nine-fold in HAEC. These increases were in parallel with the up-regulation of mRNA expression for endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in both vascular SMC and HAEC. These results suggest that the avenanthramides of oats may contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis through inhibition of SMC proliferation and increasing NO production.
Using cerebral hemovelocity to measure workload in a complex vigilance task with display redundancy

Command and Control (C2) operators are responsible for monitoring multiple communication channels for long periods of time. One of the potential drawbacks of this important role is that these operators can experience a high degree of mental workload. The manner in which critical information is presented can influence the intelligibility, and thus, the workload of these tasks. To date, visual and auditory presentation of communication has been the primary focus of exploration regarding the manner in which critical information is disseminated to C2 operators. However, this research exploring auditory or visual only displays has been unsuccessful in preventing a performance decrement. Redundant displays may provide a solution. In this study, 45 operators monitored for the presence of critical phrases during a 40-min vigilance session with 1 of 3 different displays: auditory only, visual only, or a display with redundant auditory and visual information. Workload was measured using cerebral blood flow velocity...
Steroid regulation of parathyroid hormone-related protein expression and action in the rat uterus.

Abstract The gene encoding parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), an autocrine/paracrine inhibitor of vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle contractility, is regulated by hormonal steroids including estrogens (E 2 ), 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (Vit D 3 ) and glucocorticoids. While E 2 increases PTHrP gene expression, Vit D 3 and glucocorticoids inhibit transcriptional activity of this gene. In the uterus of ovariectomized rats, E 2 -treatment increases both PTHrP mRNA levels and smooth muscle sensitivity to the action of PTHrP(1–34). To examine the action(s) of Vit D 3 and glucocorticoids on these parameters, OVX rats were treated with E 2 , Vit D 3 or the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (Dex), alone, or with E 2 following a 1 h pretreatment with Vit D 3 or Dex. PTHrP and PTH PTHrP receptor mRNA were measured by blot hybridization analysis of RNA prepared from uteri collected 2, 4 and 24 h after treatment. Uterine horns were used to measure the effect of the steroids on the ability of PTHrP(1–34) to inhibit spontaneous myometrial contraction. When E 2 , Vit D 3 and Dex were given alone, only E 2 altered PTHrP mRNA levels in the uterus, however, a 1 h pretreatment with Dex but not Vit D 3 markedly diminished this effect of E 2 . The temporal decline in uterine PTH PTHrP receptor mRNA levels measured 2 and 4 h after E 2 treatment inversely correlated to changes in sensitivity of the tissue to PTHrP(1–34) measured at 24 h after E 2 administration. In comparison to E 2 alone, treatment with Vit D 3 and E 2 augmented the uterine responsiveness to PTHrP(1–34) while pretreatment with Dex (1 mg/kg) and E 2 decreased this response. These data indicate that in the uterus, Dex opposes the positive effect of E 2 on PTHrP gene activity and differentially modulates the action of PTHrP on myometrial tone. Moreover, elevations in the circulating levels of cortisol at term may serve to decrease both the uterine expression of PTHrP and the local action of PTHrP on the myometrium prior to parturition, therefore promoting myometrial contraction associated with labor.
Cleavage of human MDR1 mRNA by a hammerhead ribozyme

We designed a hammerhead ribozyme which site-specifically cleaved the GUC sequence in codon 179 of MDR1 mRNA. The cleavage site was 6 amino acids upstream from the drug binding site and was considered sufficiently close to the essential locus for P-glycoprotein function. The ribozyme cleaved the MDR1 mRNA under physiological conditions in vitro. The cleavage was dependent on ribozyme concentration and on incubation time. Mg2+ ion was essential for the cleavage. These results show that a potentially useful tool is at hand which may inactivate MDR1 mRNA and revert the multidrug resistance phenotype.
Comments on "Threshold 60-Hz Current Required for Ventricular Fibrillation in Subjects of Various Body Weights

Lead vector theory of electrocardiography is used to estimate cardiac current density thresholds for ventricular fibrillation from reported data for current thresholds at the skin. The estimated value, which is of the order of 300?A/cm 2 is consistent with results obtained by others with 60 Hz currents injected directly into the heart.
Using reasoning ability as the basis for assigning laboratory partners in nonmajors biology

Students in a large one-semester nonmajors college biology course were classified into one of three groups (intuitive—I, transitional—T, reflective—R) based upon a pretest of scientific reasoning ability. Laboratory teams of two students each then were formed, such that all possible combinations of reasoning abilities were represented (i.e., I-I, I-T, I-R, T-T, T-R, R-R). Students worked with their assigned partners during each of the course's 14 laboratory sessions. Gains in reasoning ability, laboratory achievement, and course achievement, as well as changes in students' opinions of their motivation, enjoyment of the laboratory, and their own and their partner's reasoning abilities were assessed at the end of the semester. Significant pre- to posttest gains in reasoning ability by the intuitive and transitional students were found, but these gains were not significantly related to the laboratory partner's reasoning ability. Also, course achievement was not significantly related to the laboratory partner's reasoning ability. Students were perceptive of others' reasoning ability; the more able reasoners were generally viewed as being more motivated, having better ideas, and being better at doing science. Additional results also indicated that course enjoyment and motivation was significantly decreased for the transitional students when they were paired with intuitive students. Apparently, for students in transition (i.e., not at an equilibrium state with regard to reasoning level), it is frustrating to work with a less able reasoner. However, some evidence was found to suggest that reflective students may benefit from working with a less able partner.
Enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions: room temperature bis(oxazoline)-zinc, -magnesium, and -copper triflate catalysts

Abstract A series of chiral bis(oxazoline) ligands, differing in the length of the chain connecting the chiral oxazoline subunits and in the nature of the substituent at the chiral center, were examined in the room temperature Zn(OTf) 2 , Mg(OTf) 2 catalyzed reaction of N-crotonyloxazolidinone with cyclopentadiene. A 1,4-bis(oxazoline) ligand proved best for Zn(OTf) 2 and afforded product consistent with reaction via an octahedral model, while 1,3-bis(oxazoline) ligands were best for Mg(OTf) 2 and Cu(OTf) 2 .