cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphological and functional recovery of rat small intestine following localized hyperthermia

Structural and functional changes in the rat small intestine following localized hyperthermia were examined. In anaesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats a 10 cm segment of mid-small intestine was temporarily exteriorized, suspended in a cup containing Krebs-Ringer solution, and either heated at 43.5°C or sham-heated at 38°C for 45 min. The intestinal segments were studied 1, 4, 7, 21 and 42 days later by histopathological examination, determination of wet weight, dry weight and gross segment area, and by measuring absorption of 15 mM D(+)-glucose containing 14C-labelled D(+)-glucose as a tracer. Intestinal glucose transport was assessed by two different techniques: The everted sac method (in vitro) and luminal perfusion-recirculation (in vivo). After 1 day, heated intestinal segments exhibited marked mucosal damage, consisting of loss of epithelial cells and destruction of villi. Re-epithelialization had occurred by day 4, but mucosal architecture remained abnormal throughout the observation period. Hyperth...
Invited Commentary: Variable Selection versus Shrinkage in the Control of Multiple Confounders

After screening out inappropriate or doubtful covariates on the basis of background knowledge, one may still be left with many potential confounders. It is then tempting to use statistical variable-selection methods to reduce the number used for adjustment. Nonetheless, there is no agreement on how selection should be conducted, and it is well known that conventional selection methods lead to confidence intervals that are too narrow and p values that are too small. Furthermore, theory and simulation evidence have found no selection method to be uniformly superior to adjusting for all well-measured confounders. Nonetheless, control of all measured confounders can lead to problems for conventional model-fitting methods. When these problems occur, one can apply modern techniques such as shrinkage estimation, exposure modeling, or hybrids that combine outcome and exposure modeling. No selection or special software is needed for most of these techniques. It thus appears that statistical confounder selection may be an unnecessary complication in most regression analyses of effects.
Mutant strains of Pichia pastoris with enhanced secretion of recombinant proteins

Although Pichia pastoris is a popular protein expression system, it exhibits limitations in its ability to secrete heterologous proteins. Therefore, a REMI (restriction enzyme mediated insertion) strategy was utilized to select mutant beta-g alactosidase s upersecretion (bgs) strains that secreted increased levels of a β-galactosidase reporter. Many of the twelve BGS genes may have functions in intracellular signaling or vesicle transport. Several of these strains also appeared to contain a more permeable cell wall. Preliminary characterization of four bgs mutants showed that they differed in the ability to enhance the export of other reporter proteins. bgs13, which has a disruption in a gene homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein kinase C (PKC1), gave enhanced secretion of most recombinant proteins that were tested, raising the possibility that it has the universal super-secreter phenotype needed in an industrial production strain of P. pastoris.
Bilateral Asymmetry in the Tooth Relationships of Orthodontic Patients

Abstract Objective: To quantify the nature and extent of bilateral dentoalveolar asymmetries in routine adolescent orthodontic patients. Materials and Methods: Eight left-right pairs of occlusal dimensions were measured from dental casts (n = 211 subjects) with proportionate samples of class I, II, and III malocclusions. Results: Directional asymmetry is a subtle, but pervasive feature of the dental arches, with systematically larger dimensions on the left side. Prior studies attribute this sidedness to compensations for hemispheric laterality. Patient's sex did not influence the magnitude of asymmetry, but patients with class II malocclusion exhibited significantly greater asymmetries, particularly in the anterior segment. Inspection suggests that this is attributable to the lack of coupling and guidance of the teeth between the jaws. There is a significant association between the severity of class II buccal-segment relationship and the extent of left-right asymmetries. Conclusion: Clinically, these late...
Characterization and treatment of condensates from high efficiency appliances

Abstract In order to characterize the condensate waste stream from experimental high efficiency heaters and a pulse combustion furnace, samples were analyzed for total solids, pH, acidity, alkalinity, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate and selected metals, and were screened for semivolatile organic priority pollutants, including phenols and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. A typical condensate has a pH of approx. 4, contains quantities of nitrites (1–8 mg l−1 as N), nitrates (0.4–15 mg l−1 as N), sulfates (3–10 mg l−1) and may contain metals dissolved from the condensing surfaces of the appliance. No priority pollutant compounds were found in the condensate samples. Calcium carbonate (calcite) was used in testing the potential of a lab-scale column and a prototype treatment unit to neutralize acidity and precipitate metals in condensates from the pulse combustion furnace prior to disposal of the waste product to the residential wastewater system. Limestone neutralization effectively reduces condensate acidity and increases alkalinity and pH. The effectiveness of the test column and prototype treatment unit for precipitation and removal of high levels of metals from the condensate will require additional testing.
Diffusion network architectures for implementation of Gibbs samplers with applications to assignment problems

In this paper, analog circuit designs for implementations of Gibbs samplers are presented, which offer fully parallel computation. The Gibbs sampler for a discrete solution space (or Boltzmann machine) can be used to solve both deterministic and probabilistic assignment (association) problems. The primary drawback to the use of a Boltzmann machine for optimization is its computational complexity, since updating of the neurons is typically performed sequentially. We first consider the diffusion equation emulation of a Boltzmann machine introduced by Roysam and Miller (1991), which employs a parallel network of nonlinear amplifiers. It is shown that an analog circuit implementation of the diffusion equation requires a complex neural structure incorporating matched nonlinear feedback amplifiers and current multipliers. We introduce a simpler implementation of the Boltzmann machine, using a "constant gradient" diffusion equation, which eliminates the need for a matched feedback amplifier. The performance of the Roysam and Miller network and the new constant gradient (CG) network is compared using simulations for the multiple-neuron case, and integration of the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation for a single neuron. Based on the simulation results, heuristic criteria for establishing the diffusion equation boundaries, and neuron sigmoidal gain are obtained. The final CG analog circuit is suitable for VLSI implementation, and hence may offer rapid convergence. >
PREVALENCE OF BATRACHOCHYTRIUM DENDROBATIDIS IN AMERICAN BULLFROG AND SOUTHERN LEOPARD FROG LARVAE FROM WETLANDS ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE, SOUTH CAROLINA

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, an aquatic fungus, has been linked to recent amphibian population declines. Few surveys have assessed B. dendrobatidis infections in areas where the disease is suggested to be less virulent and population declines have not been observed, such as southeastern North America. Although adult Rana catesbeiana and Rana sphenocephala from the Savannah River Site, South Carolina collected in 1979 and 1982 were identified as having B. dendrobatidis, it is unknown whether the fungus is currently present at the site or if susceptibility to infection varies among species or wetlands with different histories of environmental contamination. From 15 May through 15 August 2004, we collected R. catesbeiana and R. sphenocephala tadpoles from three wetlands with differing contamination histories on the Savannah River Site, South Carolina. We found B. dendrobatidis in only one of the wetlands we surveyed. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection was identified in 64% of the R. catesbeiana tadpoles sampled and histologically assessed (n=50) from a wetland contaminated with mercury, copper, and zinc. No R. sphenocephala tadpoles from this site (n=50) were infected. In combination with a recently published report, our data suggest that B. dendrobatidis has been present at the Savannah River Site for over 25 yr but has not caused any apparent population declines. This time period is similar to the known presence of 30 yr of B. dendrobatidis in northeastern North America. Our data suggest that R. sphenocephala larvae might be resistant to infection, even when occupying the same wetland as the infected R. catesbeiana. Our survey did not clarify the effects of environmental contamination on infection severity, but our study stresses the importance of additional field surveys to document how this pathogen is affecting amphibians globally.
Harmonic maps from a simplicial complex and geometric rigidity

We study harmonic maps from an admissible flat simplicial complex to a non-positively curved Riemannian manifold. Our main regularity theorem is that these maps are C 1,� at the interfaces of the top-dimensional simplices in addition to satisfying a balancing condition. If we assume that the domain is a 2-complex, then these maps are C 1 . As an application, we show that the regularity, the balancing condition and a Bochner formula lead to rigidity and vanishing theorems for harmonic maps. Furthermore, we give an explicit relationship between our techniques and those obtained via combinatorial methods.
Persons, Practices, and the Conception Argument

The argument that human life should be fully protected once conception is complete has been challenged by the claim that at that time such life is not genuinely individuated in the morally required sense. This essay analyzes the "conception versus individuation" exchange and directs attention to the communal contexts within which the relevant arguments and counter-arguments arise.
Critical Ceramic Raw Materials

Today’s critical raw materials situation rates a high priority in the ceramic engineering and science area. Along with environmental and energy problems, raw material problems continue to increase and become more closely entwined with the other two. There is little question that correcting environmental problems has created new raw material problems and that fuel shortages have curtailed production of some of the energy-hungry ceramic raw materials.
Comparison of cumulative and individual dose-response curves on the rat uterus of neurohypophyseal peptides.

Abstract The dose-response behavior on the isolated rat uterus of the neurohypophyseal hormones oxytocin, lysine vasopressin and a number of analogs was compared using either the cumulative dose-response procedure or the individual dose response method. Although the cumulative assay method has certain advantages, it can with this category of peptides only be used with caution as revealed by the adverse effects on the intrinsic activity of some of the peptides studied. In the course of our studies on the action of neurohypophyseal hormones and synthetic analogs on rat uterine tissue in vitro , we repeatedly observed that certain peptides exert a potentiating or inhibiting effect on themselves, on the hormones or on the analogs. This phenomenon created doubts as to the general applicability of the cumulative dose-response technique where the analog might also have an effect on subsequent doses administered additively. This effect would be most significant at the concentration range where intrinsic activity is determined. In order to investigate this point the cumulative dose-response curves of a number of neurohypophyseal peptides were compared with dose-response curves obtained by the normal method with draining and washing after each injection.
A deficiency in cold-inducible RNA-binding protein accelerates the inflammation phase and improves wound healing

Chronic or non-healing wounds are a major concern in clinical practice and these wounds are mostly associated with diabetes, and venous and pressure ulcers. Wound healing is a complex process involving overlapping phases and the primary phase in this complex cascade is the inflammatory state. While inflammation is necessary for wound healing, a prolonged inflammatory phase leads to impaired healing. Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) belongs to a family of cold-shock proteins that are expressed in high levels under stress conditions. Recently, we demonstrated that a deficiency in CIRP led to decreased inflammation and mortality in an experimental model of hemorrhagic shock. Thus, we hypothesized that a deficiency in CIRP would accelerate the inflammatory phase and lead to an improvement in cutaneous wound healing. In this study, to examine this hypothesis, a full-thickness wound was created on the dorsum of wild-type (WT) and CIRP-/- mice. The wound size was measured every other day for 14 days. The wound area was significantly decreased in the CIRP-/- mice by day 9 and continued to decrease until day 14 compared to the WT mice. In a separate cohort, mice were sacrificed on days 3 and 7 after wounding and the skin tissues were harvested for histological analysis and RNA measurements. On day 3, the mRNA expression of tumor necrossis factor (TNF)-α in the skin tissues was increased by 16-fold in the WT mice, whereas these levels were increased by 65-fold in the CIRP-/- mice. Of note on day 7, while the levels of TNF-α remained high in the WT mice, these levels were significantly decreased in the CIRP-/- mice. The histological analysis of the wounded skin tissue indicated an improvement as early as day 3 in the CIRP-/- mice, whereas in the WT mice, infiltrated immune cells were still present on day 7. On day 7 in the CIRP-/- mice, Gr-1 expression was low and CD31 expression was high, whereas in the WT mice, Gr-1 expression was high and CD31 expression was low, indicating that the CIRP-/- mice have already moved into the angiogenesis and tissue formation phase, whereas the WT mice were still in the inflammatory state. These data collectively suggest that a deficiency in CIRP accelerates the wound healing process.
Optical Vs. Electronic Enhancement Of Remote Sensing Imagery

Basic aspects of remote sensing are considered and a description is provided of the methods which are employed in connection with the optical or electronic enhancement of remote sensing imagery. The advantages and limitations of various image enhancement methods and techniques are evaluated. It is pointed out that optical enhancement methods and techniques are currently superior to electronic ones with respect to spatial resolution and equipment cost considerations. Advantages of electronic procedures, on the other hand, are related to a greater flexibility regarding the presentation of the information as an aid for the interpretation by the image analyst.
The Anisochytrid Genus Elina

In the appendix of the Hyphochytriomycetes in my opus Chytriodiomycetarum Iconographia (1977), I failed by oversight to include Artemtchuk's (1972) genus Elina, and this brief note is presented to correct this omission as well as to raise some questions about the validity of this genus. Elina was created for two species, E. marisalba and E. sinorifica growing on Pinus pollen in the White Sea, USSR, species which Artemtchuk placed in the family Rhizidiomycetaceae next to Rhizidiomycopsis. These two eucarpic species are characterized primarily by delimitation and movements of the zoospores in the sporangium and the subsequent dissolution of the sporangium wall to free the zoospores. In this writer's opinion, these characteristics are questionable generic distinctions. In most of the anisochytrids the sporeplasm emerges to the outside of the sporangium and undergoes cleavage into zoospores, but in many of them cleavage and maturation occur within the sporangium if the tip of the exit tube or papilla fails to deliquesce and open. Also, cleavage and maturation may occur partly within and outside of the sporangium even when exit orifices are open (Karling, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1964a, b, 1967, 1968). In Anisolpidium elongatum Karling (1976) also, the zoospores may become actively motile in the sporangium when cleavage is endogenous. Sparrow (1960) created two new genera, Canteromyces and Rhizidiomycopsis, on the basis of whether cleavage and delimitation of zoospores occurs outside or within the sporangium, respectively. The present author (1977) merged these genera, respectively, with Anisolpidium and Rhizidiomyces on the grounds that he believed that place of cleavage and maturation of the zoospores in the anisochytrids are specific instead of generic characters. As to the second main characteristic of Elina, namely, dissolution of the sporangial wall thereby freeing the zoospores, as a generic character,
Ester Hydrogenation Catalyzed by CNN-Pincer Complexes of Ruthenium

Ruthenium complexes supported by two new CNN-pincer ligands were synthesized. Both were tested as catalysts for the hydrogenation of esters under mild conditions (105 °C, 6 bar H2). A striking dependence on ligand structure was observed, as a dimethylamino-substituted ligand gave a nearly inactive catalyst, while a diethylamino-substituted variant gave up to 980 catalytic turnovers for the hydrogenation of benzyl benzoate. This system catalyzes the hydrogenation of various substrates including ethyl, benzyl, and hexyl esters, but is surprisingly unreactive toward methyl esters. Experiments demonstrate that base-catalyzed transesterification is rapid under the reaction conditions and that methyl esters are effectively hydrogenated when benzyl alcohol is added to the reaction mixture. The reverse reaction, dehydrogenation of primary alcohols to give esters, was tested as well; up to 920 catalytic turnovers were observed for the dehydrogenation of 1-hexanol to hexyl hexanoate.
Pulmonary hypertension and the interdependence of ventricular function: Part 2: Evaluating the medical and surgical management

Pulmonary hypertension is a hemodynamic problem that can result in grave morbidity and mortality including right-sided heart failure and sudden death. The nature of the pulmonary circulation makes it highly interdependent with right ventricular function. Thus, the study of functional deterioration in pulmonary blood flow should always take into account the impact on right ventricular function, and vice versa. A rational approach to the management of pulmonary hypertension should focus not only on specific dynamics of that low pressure circuit but also on enhancing the function of the right ventricle. In this article, a comprehensive discussion of recent developments in pharmacologic and surgical therapies is provided for the complicated disorder of pulmonary hypertension.
Design and Fabrication of the Electronic Tongue Based on Light Addressable Potentiometric Sensor

Objective: A sensor system for measuring five basic taste substances is presented based on the principle of LAPS.Methods: The taste recognition system(Electronic tongue) based on the taste sensor arrays,which is the kind of taste perception system for intelligence qualitative and quantitative identification,can sense liquid sample by detection of response signal using advanced information fusion algorithm.It is mainly composed by the sensor array、signal processing and pattern recognition system.This paper introduced the working principle of LAPS;It expatiated the manufacture method of TiO2 Sol-Gel molecular imprinting membrane,the molecularly imprinted sensitive membrane showed high performance on taste material element identification and light addressing taste perception biosensors array research has the vital significance;designed a light-addressable potentiometric sensor(LAPS) taste perception hardware and software system to measure the response signals of five basic taste substances;the PCA and artificial neural network algorithm were carried out to distinguish and detection of five different taste substances.Results: Five test samples of the taste through this taste perception system were close to their respective output corresponding expected output.The system realized five different taste materials distinction and detection.Conclusions: Taste bionic perception technology research on artificial intelligence has very important significance for promoting the rapid development of artificial science,and the scientific and effective detection technology to taste quality assessment is an inevitable trend of development.Therefore,this paper was designed an electronic tongue system based on the principle of LAPS which has very important application value and practical significance.
Streptococcus pneumoniae-stimulated macrophages induce neutrophils to emigrate by a CD18-independent mechanism of adherence

Neutrophil adherence to and emigration across endothelium are in large part dependent upon the neutrophil membrane CD11/CD18 glycoprotein complex. Recently, however, we have demonstrated that some stimuli can elicit neutrophil emigration in the lung by a CD18-independent pathway. We examined further the mechanism involved in CD18-independent emigration in a rabbit model of inflamed peritoneum. Neutrophil emigration in the peritoneum induced by instillation of E. coli and S. pneumoniae was studied under four experimental conditions: Group 1--normal peritoneum, Group 2--peritoneum primed with protease peptone to increase the number of macrophages, Group 3--peritoneum treated by protease peptone instillation and then depleted of the increased macrophage population, and Group 4--peritoneum with macrophages transplanted from animals enriched as in Group 2. Experiments were run in pairs with animals in each group assigned to receive either saline (control) or monoclonal antibody (MAb) 60.3 prior to bacterial instillation in the peritoneum. Neutrophil emigration in response to E. coli was greater than 86% inhibited by MAb 60.3 in both the normal and the macrophage-enriched peritoneum. Neutrophil emigration in response to S. pneumoniae was inhibited greater than 85% in the normal peritoneum and the macrophage-enriched and the transplanted macrophage peritoneum. These data indicate that macrophages can augment PMN emigration by a non-CD18 mechanism, and may explain the increased sensitivity of organs with large resident macrophage populations, liver and lung, to injury following shock and sepsis.
LIVIVO – the Vertical Search Engine for Life Sciences

The explosive growth of literature and data in the life sciences challenges researchers to keep track of current advancements in their disciplines. Novel approaches in the life science like the One Health paradigm require integrated methodologies in order to link and connect heterogeneous information from databases and literature resources. Current publications in the life sciences are increasingly characterized by the employment of trans-disciplinary methodologies comprising molecular and cell biology, genetics, genomic, epigenomic, transcriptional and proteomic high throughput technologies with data from humans, plants, and animals. The literature search engine LIVIVO empowers retrieval functionality by incorporating various literature resources from medicine, health, environment, agriculture and nutrition. LIVIVO is developed in-house by ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences. It provides a user-friendly and usability-tested search interface with a corpus of 55 Million citations derived from 50 databases. Standardized application programming interfaces are available for data export and high throughput retrieval. The search functions allow for semantic retrieval with filtering options based on life science entities. The service oriented architecture of LIVIVO uses four different implementation layers to deliver search services. A Knowledge Environment is developed by ZB MED to deal with the heterogeneity of data as an integrative approach to model, store, and link semantic concepts within literature resources and databases. Future work will focus on the exploitation of life science ontologies and on the employment of NLP technologies in order to improve query expansion, filters in faceted search, and concept based relevancy rankings in LIVIVO.
In Praise of Workforce and Inclusion

In this issue of The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, we are reminded of one of the key reasons why we engage in MIS research: to study ways in which technology management serves the enterprise. This connotes the notion of Work and the value of Workforces. This special issue, from the ACM SIGMIS Computers and People Research (CPR) Conference, provides a rich and impactful illumination on the nature of the technological workforce, both in terms of its composition and its management. This is vital research within our field. In this issue, we have a sampling of workforce research that focuses on computers and people issues in two broad ways: ensuring broad participation in the technology workforce through inclusion and informing wise managerial guidance of technological workforces. We typically call the former area of inquiry "inclusion research," while referring to the latter as "workforce research." They are really part and parcel of the same important underlying notion: what can we do to better manage the technological function in the firm, such that work proceeds effectively, productively, profitably?
Curricular Noticing: Theory on and Practice of Teachers’ Curricular Use

This chapter presents a new theoretical construct, curricular noticing, used to understand how teachers interact with curriculum materials, and shares findings from four coordinated research studies. Curricular noticing draws from work on professional noticing of children’s mathematical thinking and is defined as how teachers make sense of the complexity of content and pedagogical opportunities in written or digital curricular materials. This construct is situated within existing literature on curriculum use, documenting growing concerns about teachers’ curricular reasoning and decision-making. Taken together, these studies explore the curricular noticing of 62 preservice teachers (PSTs) in elementary and secondary mathematics methods courses at four institutions. Participants engaged in one of two aspects of noticing: (a) attending and interpreting in the context of particular tasks; or (b) noticing (attend, interpret and respond) in the context of multiple published curricula. Data include pre/post measures, video of interventions, and written assignments that were collected and qualitatively analyzed. Dimensions of curricular noticing highlight the importance of noticing at the task level and raise questions around curricular sequencing and comparisons of curricula. Findings imply that PSTs would benefit from evaluating curriculum materials using specifically designed analysis tools, and highlight the importance of curricular noticing as a framing for understanding PSTs practices with curricula.
Activation of the p53 Transcriptional Program Sensitizes Cancer Cells to Cdk7 Inhibitors

Summary Cdk7, the CDK-activating kinase and transcription factor IIH component, is a target of inhibitors that kill cancer cells by exploiting tumor-specific transcriptional dependencies. However, whereas selective inhibition of analog-sensitive (AS) Cdk7 in colon cancer-derived cells arrests division and disrupts transcription, it does not by itself trigger apoptosis efficiently. Here, we show that p53 activation by 5-fluorouracil or nutlin-3 synergizes with a reversible Cdk7 as inhibitor to induce cell death. Synthetic lethality was recapitulated with covalent inhibitors of wild-type Cdk7, THZ1, or the more selective YKL-1-116. The effects were allele specific; a CDK7 as mutation conferred both sensitivity to bulky adenine analogs and resistance to covalent inhibitors. Non-transformed colon epithelial cells were resistant to these combinations, as were cancer-derived cells with p53-inactivating mutations. Apoptosis was dependent on death receptor DR5, a p53 transcriptional target whose expression was refractory to Cdk7 inhibition. Therefore, p53 activation induces transcriptional dependency to sensitize cancer cells to Cdk7 inhibition.
Ending the Sri Lankan Civil War

The Sri Lankan Civil War erupted in 1983 and dragged on until 2009. The origins of the conflict can be traced to Sri Lanka's colonial era and subsequent postcolonial policies that had significantly...
Spinopelvic Dissociation: Comparison of Outcomes of Percutaneous versus Open Fixation Strategies

Introduction. Spinopelvic dissociation injuries are historically treated with open reduction with or without decompressive laminectomy. Recent technological advances have allowed for percutaneous fixation with indirect reduction. Herein, we evaluate outcomes and complications between patients treated with open reduction versus percutaneous spinopelvic fixation. Methods. Retrospective review of patients undergoing spinopelvic fixation from a single, level one trauma center from 2012 to 2017. Patient information regarding demographics, associated injuries, and treatment outcome measures was recorded and analyzed. All fractures were classified via the AO Spine classification system. Results. Thirty-one spinopelvic dissociations were identified: 15 treated with open and 16 with percutaneous techniques. The two treatment groups had similar preoperative characteristics including spinopelvic parameters (pelvic incidence and lumbar lordosis). Compared to open reduction internal fixation, percutaneous fixation of spinopelvic dissociation resulted in statistically significantly lower blood loss (171 cc versus 538 cc; ). There were no significant differences in surgical site infections or operating room time . Conclusion. Percutaneous fixation of spinopelvic dissociation is associated with significantly less blood loss. Treatment outcomes in terms of infection, length of stay, operative cost, and final alignment between the open and percutaneous group were similar.
Antidiabetic and Anticancer Potential of Native Medicinal Plants from Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is situated largely in a desert biome. The native flora contributes many plants utilized in traditional medicine systems. These herbal remedies are often used as complements or alternatives to allopathic medicine. Unfortunately, in keeping with worldwide trends, the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cancers in Saudi Arabia has been increasing. Thus, herbal remedies continue to be utilized for their purported role in prevention and treatment of diseases. Also, there is growing scientific inquiry regarding the secondary metabolite (natural product) profiles and activities of plants that show therapeutic promise. Two members of the Capparidaceae plant family (Capparis spinosa L. and Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew.) are discussed in regard to secondary metabolites and activities relevant to diabetes. The Asclepiadaceae family members Calotropis procera (Aiton) Dryand. and Caralluma tuberculata N.E.Br. are discussed in regard to relevant natural products and activities with relevance to cancer.
LTC4 synthase: A key enzyme in cysteinyl leukotriene formation

The cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysteinyl LTs) LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4, are a family of receptor-active bioactive molecules. These proinflammatory lipid mediators were first described as the slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis (SRS-A) [1] with the observation that perfusates from antigen-sensitized and activated lung tissue released a spasmogenic activity [1]. Bioassay of SRS-A with the antihistamine mepyramine revealed it to be distinct from histamine [2,3], and physiologic studies clearly implicated SRS-A in anaphylaxis and asthma [4-6]. The chemical structures of the three components of SRS-A were not completely elucidated for more than 40 years [7-11]. After their identification (Fig. 1), the leukotrienes were shown in several model systems to cause the characteristic pathophysiologic features of asthma - bronchoconstriction, microvasculature permeability, epithelial mucus secretion and recruitment of inflammatory cells [12-16]. The levels of the cysteinyl LTs are increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serum and urine of patients with asthma [17-20] and are further elevated during disease exacerbations [18-20]. The most compelling evidence for the role of cysteinyl LTs in asthma has been provided by studies in which their biosynthesis was blocked or their receptor-mediated actions were antagonized with anti-leukotriene drugs. These agents inhibit the asthmatic responses in patients with spontaneous or induced exacerbations [21-23], and they also induce bronchodilatation in patients with mild to moderate asthma, implying that chronic overproduction of cysteinyl LTs is responsible for basally elevated bronchial tone in these individuals [24]. With the critical role of the cysteinyl LTs in asthma in mind, we will briefly review the pathway for their generation and then focus on the only enzyme committed to their biosynthesis, LTC4 synthase (LTC4S).
Social Influence and AIDS-Preventive Behavior

The AIDS epidemic has thus far resulted in 97,258 cases of AIDS and claimed 57,094 lives (CDC Weekly Surveillance Report, July 31, 1989), and projections indicate that there will be a total of 270,000 AIDS cases by 1991 (National Academy of Sciences, 1986). In addition, there are probably 1.5 million HIV-positive individuals in the United States, each of whom can transmit the virus (National Academy of Sciences, 1986). Unless a cure for AIDS is found, a large percentage of these individuals will eventually die as a result of AIDS.
Analysis of Brevundimonas Subvibrioides Developmental Signaling Systems Reveals Unexpected Differences Between Phenotypes and c-di-GMP Levels

The DivJ-DivK-PleC signaling system of Caulobacter crescentus is a signaling network that regulates polar development and the cell cycle. This system is conserved in related bacteria, including the sister genus Brevundimonas. Previous studies had shown unexpected phenotypic differences between the C. crescentus divK mutant and the analogous mutant of Brevundimonas subvibrioides, but further characterization was not performed. Here, phenotypic assays analyzing motility, adhesion, and pilus production (the latter characterized by a newly discovered bacteriophage) revealed that divJ and pleC mutants have mostly similar phenotypes as their C. crescentus homologs, but divK mutants maintain largely opposite phenotypes than expected. Suppressor mutations of the B. subvibrioides divK motility defect were involved in cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling, including the diguanylate cyclase dgcB, and cleD which is hypothesized to affect flagellar function in a c-di-GMP dependent fashion. However, the screen did not identify the diguanylate cyclase pleD. Disruption of pleD in B. subvibrioides caused hypermotility in wild-type, but not in the divK background. Analysis of c-di-GMP levels in these strains revealed incongruities between c-di-GMP levels and displayed phenotypes with a notable result that suppressor mutations altered phenotypes but had little impact on c-di-GMP levels in the divK background. Conversely, when c-di-GMP levels were artificially manipulated, alterations of c-di-GMP levels in the divK strain had minimal impact on phenotypes.These results suggest that DivK performs a critical function in the integration of c-di-GMP signaling into the B. subvibrioides cell cycle.
Is leadership language ‘rewarded’ in crowdfunding? Replicating social entrepreneurship research in a rewards-based context

Abstract Rewards based crowdfunding (where individuals provide funding for a campaign in exchange for a pre-specified reward) represents one of the largest forms of crowdfunding to date. While an emerging stream of research examines how the rhetoric used in crowdfunding campaigns impacts funding success, a number of studies examining language used in crowdfunding have only been explored in the context of social crowdfunding campaigns that rely on very different audiences, funding amounts, and project goals. To build knowledge surrounding the relationship between the rhetoric used in rewards-based crowdfunding and potential campaign success we replicate a number of rhetoric approaches previously examined in social contexts. Specifically, we examine the efficacy of charismatic rhetoric, political rhetoric, entrepreneurial orientation rhetoric, and virtue rhetoric in a sample of 1000 campaigns drawn from Kickstarter. Our replication results reveal relatively little consistency across contexts underscoring the value of replication to understand boundary conditions of important entrepreneurial phenomena.
Continuous Spinal Anesthesia Case Review and Discussion

A retrospective study of the safety and efficacy of continuous spinal anesthesia was performed using the records of 52 consecutive patients over a one-year period, who received this anesthetic for surgical procedures on the lower extremities or lower abdomen. Their mean age was 70 years. Anesthesia was induced and maintained via subarachnoid catheter for a mean duration of 181 minutes using lidocaine, procaine, or tetracaine. Hypotension, defined as greater than a 25% drop in systolic blood pressure, was seen in 21% of patients and was treated readily. Only one case required general anesthetic supplementation. There were no complications. Several advantages recommend continuous spinal anesthesia over general or other regional techniques in selected patients: relative paucity of effects on other body systems, low total anesthetic doses, ease of obtaining and maintaining a precise anesthetic level for procedures of uncertain duration, safety of placing the patient in the operative position prior to induction, high success rate, and short postoperative recovery times.
Use of Potent Inhalational Anesthetic Agents During Mechanical Ventilation

The clinical practice of inhalational anesthesia began in the 1840s with the demonstration of the efficacy of diethyl ether by Crawford Long and WTG Morton and nitrous oxide (N2O) by Horace Wells. In 1946, Robbins reported the development of various fluorinated hydrocarbons (Robbins 1946). This work led to the synthesis in 1951 of fluroxene (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl vinyl ether), a fluorinated hydrocarbon, which was the first of this class of agents to be widely used in clinical practice (Krantz et al. 1953; Tucker et al. 1973; Johnston et al. 1973; Harris and Cromwell 1972). Halothane, a halogenated alkane, was introduced into clinical practice in 1956 (Raventos 1956). When compared with its predecessors, halothane offered several favorable properties including nonflammability, a favorable blood-gas partition coefficient, a favorable profile for inhalation induction including a rapid onset and limited pungency, bronchodilatation, relative cardiovascular stability, and a decreased incidence of nausea and vomiting. However, halothane’s potential to elicit an immune-mediated hepatotoxicity especially in the adult population favored the development of additional agents with less hepatotoxicity.
Hohfeld's Ninth Amendment

The analytical categories elaborated by Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld provide substantial insights into American constitutional law, in particular the Ninth Amendment. The Constitution mainly governs the powers of government and the limits thereon, and four of Hohfeld’s eight fundamental legal conceptions deal specifically with power and its absence. In terms of Hohfeld’s concepts, the government may have power or be subject to disability, and private people may correlatively be liable to or immune from government power. By distinguishing between rules concerning power and rules concerning other legal relations like duties and claim-rights, Hohfeld’s concepts clarify an especially important function of constitutional rules: to protect from government power legal interests that are not themselves produced by the Constitution. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment operates this way when it limits the federal power of eminent domain with respect to property interests created by state law; property owners enjoy Hohfeldian claim-rights, for example, that are distinct from immunity from federal power. Constitutional discourse also provides many confirmations of Hohfeld’s observation that the word “right” has multiple and potentially confusing uses. Hohfeldian analysis, and that observation about the terminology of rights, support the argument that the Ninth Amendment reinforces the principle of enumerated federal power by barring the inference that the federal government has every power that is not denied to it by an affirmative limitation. The interrelations among Hohfeld’s categories shows how a grant of power to government is intrinsically a reduction of the immunity of private people from government power, because it subjects some of their legal interests to that power. For the people to grant a power is thus in a sense to surrender the legal interests that are subject to the power. When no power is granted, legal interests not subject to power are retained. Legal interests not created by the Constitution but protected by the principle of enumerated federal power thus come within the concept of the other rights retained by the people referred to by the Ninth Amendment. Because the Constitution itself assumes the existence of legal interests that are protected by but do not derive from it, any assumption by the Ninth Amendment that the people retain rights is satisfied by the existence of legal interests that are beyond federal power because of limited enumeration. While the concept of other rights retained by the people includes natural rights, if there are any, the Ninth Amendment is neutral as to whether they exist and if so what their consequences are.
Feasibility study of lego-inspired construction with bendable concrete

Abstract Current construction of engineering structures faces a variety of challenges, such as shortage of skilled labor, low adaptation to new technologies, and increasing concerns for negative impacts on the environment. These challenges have significantly compromised the productivity and economic benefits of the construction industry. Further, construction activities have been linked to significant emissions, particularly CO2 associated with global warming. This study proposes a new paradigm of construction – Lego-inspired construction, and investigates the feasibility. Inspired by Lego blocks that can be assembled via dry joints and disassembled for different objects, this study presents blocks made using a bendable concrete, aiming to assemble various structures with dry joints. The blocks are used to assemble a prototype footbridge to demonstrate the assembling process, which is compatible with robotic systems for construction automation. The footbridge demonstrated reasonable load-carrying capability in mechanical testing. After the testing, the footbridge was disassembled, and the blocks were reused to assemble a frame for buildings. The proposed Lego-inspired construction is promising to greatly improve the construction efficiency and reduce the adverse impacts on the natural environment caused by conventional construction approaches.
Variability in the cleavage of exosome-associated transferrin receptor questions the utility of clinically useful soluble transferrin receptor assays for dogs, cats, and horses

Whole transferrin receptor (TfR) is present in reticulocyte exosomes. Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is cleaved from whole TfR in human plasma, with the remnant cytoplasmic domain (cTfR) remaining membrane associated. In humans, sTfR is a biomarker that can detect iron deficiency in the presence of inflammatory disease. This condition is still a diagnostic dilemma in veterinary species. We aimed to (1) confirm the presence of exosomes and exosome-associated TfR in the serum of dogs, cats, and horses; and (2) to assess and compare the proportion of cTfR to total (cTfR + whole) in exosomal membranes of healthy and diseased dogs and cats and in healthy horses to indirectly predict their anticipated levels of circulating sTfR. We used discarded serum and whole blood samples from canine and feline patients, separated into healthy and diseased groups based on the health status of each patient, and healthy equine participants from a previous study. Ultracentrifugation, followed in some experiments by OptiPrep discontinuous density gradient fractionation, was used to isolate exosomes. Exosomes and associated TfR were identified using TEM and Western blot for TfR, respectively. Densitometry tracings of Western blots of serum exosomes were used to measure the proportion of cTfR to total TfR. Extracellular vesicles compatible with exosomes were successfully isolated and expressed TfR. The proportion of cTfR in dogs was greater than 50%, indicating that a majority of the whole TfR was cleaved to produce sTfR (and remnant cTfR). There was significant interindividual variation and no significant difference between healthy and diseased animals. The proportion of cTfR in cats was very low at 11%, indicating that very little sTfR was likely produced. There was a small yet significant difference between healthy and diseased cats. Healthy horses do not appear to cleave exosome-associated TfR. Diagnosis of iron deficiency in the presence of inflammatory disease remains a challenge in veterinary medicine. Our results indicate that TfR is poorly or unpredictably cleaved in veterinary species, revealing that there are species differences in exosomal TfR handling. These data suggest that development of an assay for the detection and quantification of sTfR in the species investigated may not be warranted.
When Does Oil Harm Child Mortality

When is oil a curse for health outcomes? This paper addresses the question by analyzing the effect of oil wealth on child mortality rates in nondemocratic countries. We argue that oil is particular...
Assignment of 1H, 13C and 15N NMR signals in the toluene 4-monooxygenase effector protein.

Toluene-4-monooxygenase (T4MO) catalyzes the NADHand O2-dependent hydroxylation of toluene to form p-cresol (Fox, 1997). T4MO belongs to an evolutionarily related family including methane monooxygenase, other aromatic monooxygenases, and alkene epoxidases. In all of these complexes, a small protein is obligately required to effect catalysis. It is reasonable to assume that the role of a diiron effector protein is to produce essential conformational changes by formation of specific protein–protein complexes. Recently, NMR structures for the effector proteins from the methane monooxygenase (MMOB) and phenol hydroxylase (P2) complexes have been reported. While MMOB has a compact fold with βαββ and βααββ domains (Chang et al., 1999; Walters et al., 1999), multiple configurations of P2 were detected in solution. This heterogeneity was postulated to reflect conformational flexibility possibly associated with catalytic function (Qian et al., 1997). Here we report chemical shift assignments for T4MOD. The solution structure of T4MOD arising from further analysis of these NMR assignments will provide a useful comparison to the NMR structures of other members of the effector protein family. Furthermore, this work provides the basis for more detailed study of the protein surface and specific residue contacts required for catalytic protein–protein interactions in the T4MO complex.