cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHARACTERIZATION OF TETRACYCLINE AND AMPICILLIN RESISTANT PLASMID CLONING VEHICLES

Abstract: Our laboratory has been constructing plasmids with suitable genetic properties for the cloning of DNA fragments. We have combined the essential replication properties of the plasmid ColEl with two antibiotic resistance markers (tetracycline and ampicillin) to generate a series of related plasmids. During the course of the construction of these plasmids we have determined the positions of restriction sites used for cloning DNA fragments relative to the antibiotic resistance genes and the origin of DNA replication. We have mapped a number of restriction sites on a series of related plasmids. We will summarize the development of two plasmids, pBR313 and pBR322, which are useful cloning vehicles for in vitro recombinant DNA research. The characterization of these plasmids has prompted an investigation of the nature of tetracycline resistance determined by the plasmid pSC101 and the pMB9 series of plasmids.
Accelerated phase contrast MRI using hybrid one‐ and two‐sided flow encodings only (HOTFEO)

The aim of this work was to develop and evaluate a fast phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) technique with hybrid one- and two-sided flow encodings only (HOTFEO) for accurate blood flow and velocity measurements of three-directional velocity encoding PC-MRI. Four-dimensional (4D) PC-MRI acquires flow-compensated (FC) and three-directional flow-encoded (FE) echoes in an interleaved fashion. We hypothesize that the blood flow velocity direction (not magnitude) has minimal change between two consecutive cardiac phases. This assumption provides a velocity direction constraint that can achieve 4/3-fold acceleration using three-directional FE data to calculate FC data instead of acquiring them. The HOTFEO acquisition pattern can address the ill-conditioned constraint and improve the calculation accuracy. HOTFEO was evaluated in healthy volunteers and compared with conventional two-dimensional (2D) and 4D flow imaging techniques with FC and three-directional FE acquisitions (FC/3FE). Compared with FC/3FE, Bland-Altman tests showed that the 4/3-fold accelerated HOTFEO technique resulted in relatively small bias error for total volumetric flow (0.89% for prospective 2D data, -1.19% for retrospective 4D data and -3.40% for prospective 4D data) and maximum peak velocity (0.50% for prospective 2D data, -0.17% for retrospective 4D data and -2.00% for prospective 4D data) measurements in common carotid arteries. HOTFEO can accelerate three-directional velocity encoding PC-MRI whilst maintaining the measurement accuracy of the total volumetric flow and maximum peak velocity.
Review of Probability

Abstract The elements of probability are introduced, including the Axioms and some of their basic implications. The relative frequency and Bayesian interpretations of probability are contrasted. Meteorological “persistence” is defined in terms of statistical dependence and conditional probability.
The Role of the Ikaros Gene Family in Lymphocyte Development

In many developmental systems, nuclear regulators have been implicated in coupling key events in gene expression with specific cell fate and lineage decisions. In the hemo-lymphoid system, the Ikaros gene family of zinc finger DNA binding factors controls lymphocyte specification and homeostasis from the hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) throughout development. The dependence of hemo-lymphoid differentiation on Ikaros DNA binding activity together with the presence of Ikaros proteins within higher order chromatin remodeling complexes supports the hypothesis that Ikaros plays a key role in the lineage-specific remodeling of chromatin. Association of Ikaros and its remodeling partners with the chromatin of key lineage-specific genes, and the dependence of these genes on Ikaros complexes for their expression supports this hypothesis and provides unique paradigms to study chromatin regulation of differentiation.
Energy management strategy for a power-split hydraulic hybrid vehicle based on Lagrange multiplier and its modifications

Lagrange multiplier approach is a computationally efficient method for computing optimal energy management strategy for a hydraulic hybrid vehicle under the assumption that the accumulator dynamics...
Using fractal geometry to examine failed implants and prostheses.

Abstract Objective To develop a novel protocol that is precise and accurate for analyzing the fracture surfaces of ceramic specimens using fractal geometry and to demonstrate its use on both clinically retrieved specimens and standard test specimens. Methods A MathCAD script was written to transfer data from atomic force microscope scans to the FRACTALS software of John Russ. This software provided six algorithms for analyzing surfaces, so an experiment was conducted to determine which algorithm provided the most precision in fractal dimensional increment (D*) values and to calibrate that algorithm on surfaces generated with known D* values. Physical specimens were then tested using the chosen algorithm. These included pure silica glass fractured in deionized water versus nominally identical specimens fractured in saliva. Light body polyvinysiloxane was used to make impressions of Y-TZP fracture surfaces, and replicas were casted using a low-viscosity, low-shrinkage epoxy. Clinically failed Y-TZP dental implants were also examined. In addition, the fracture toughness and D* values of four ceramic materials (silicon nitride, silica glass, Y-TZP, and lithium disilicate glass-ceramic) were tested using standard geometry flexure beam specimens (ISO 6872). Results The Minkowksi Cover algorithm was the most precise algorithm, and it had a negative bias that was corrected. There was no difference in D* based on water vs. saliva environment (p > 0.05), and D* values from the deionized water group had lower standard deviation. The mean D* value obtained from the epoxy replicas 2.247 (0.007) was the same as that obtained from the original Y-TZP specimens 2.245 (0.002) (p = 0.43, paired t-test). All scanned areas of the dental implants were fractal in nature, and there was no difference in fractal dimension between the locations near the failure origin and those far from the origin (on the compression curl) (p = 0.74, repeated measures ANOVA). There was little scatter in the data collected using the revised protocol on ISO 6872 specimens, and the regression models succeeded in passing through the origin while achieving a good fit to the data (R2 = 0.99 and 0.95). Significance The new protocol proved to be a powerful tool in analyzing fracture surfaces of dental ceramic materials.
Attack Detection in Stochastic Interconnected Systems: Centralized vs Decentralized Detectors

In this paper we consider a security problem for stochastic interconnected systems, where the objective is to detect attacks on the system dynamics from sparse measurements. We consider two classes of detectors, namely centralized and decentralized detectors, which differ primarily in their knowledge of the system model. In particular, a decentralized detector has a model of the dynamics of the isolated subsystems, but is unaware of the interconnections between them. Instead, a centralized detector has a model of the entire dynamical system. We characterize the performance of the two detectors, and show that, depending on the systems parameters and attack strategy, each of the detectors can outperform the other. In other words, it may be possible for a decentralized detector to outperform a centralized detector, which, as we discuss, is due to the considered hypothesis testing problem. Finally, we illustrate our results through a set of numerical examples.
Increased Incidence and Mortality of Gastric Cancer in Immigrant Populations from High to Low Regions of Incidence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background & Aims Gastric cancer is the leading cause of infection-related cancer death and the third-leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The effect of immigration on gastric cancer risk is not well-defined but might be helpful for screening or surveillance endeavors. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to define the risk of gastric cancer in immigrants from high-incidence regions to low-incidence regions (including Western Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, and the United States). Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, from January 1980 to January 2019, for studies that identified immigrants from high-incidence regions of gastric cancer, provided clear definitions of immigrant and reference populations, and provided sufficient data to calculate gastric cancer incidence and gastric cancer-related mortality. We performed meta-analyses of standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for first-generation immigrants from high- to low-incidence regions, stratified by immigrant generation, sex, and anatomic and histologic subtype, when data were available. Results We identified 38 cohort studies that met our inclusion criteria. All 13 studies of 21 distinct populations reported significantly increased SIRs for gastric cancer in first-generation foreign-born immigrants (men SIR range, 1.24–4.50 and women SIR range, 1.27–5.05). The pooled SIR for immigrants with all types of gastric cancer was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.52–1.80) for men and 1.83 (95% CI, 1.69–1.98) for women. Nine studies from 2 high-incidence populations (the former Soviet Union and Japan) reported an increased gastric cancer standardized mortality ratio in first-generation immigrants who migrated to regions of low incidence (former Soviet Union immigrants, 1.44–1.91 for men and 1.40–2.56 for women). Conclusions Immigrants from regions with a high incidence of gastric cancer to regions of low incidence maintain a higher risk of gastric cancer and related mortality, based on a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Assessment of immigrant generation along with other risk factors might help identify high-risk populations for prevention and therapeutic interventions.
Association of the Postsynaptic 43K Protein with Sites of Clustered and Diffusely-Distributed Acetylcholine Receptors

The formation of the rat neuromuscular junction is a complicated, multistep process that is initiated when the growing nerve first makes contact with embryonic muscle (1). One of the first and most important changes that occurs is an alteration in the distribution of acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Diffusely-distributed receptors become clustered at sites immediately adjacent to the nerve terminal. In adult muscle, receptors are located almost exclusively at synaptic sites at a density of 8–10,000 receptors per square micron of membrane surface (2). Since AChR are multisubunit, transmembrane proteins that are inherently capable of diffusion within the plane of the membrane, special mechanisms must exist that anchor receptors at appropriate sites across the synaptic gap from sites of transmitter release.
Germline microsatellite genotypes differentiate children with medulloblastoma.

Background The germline genetic events underpinning medulloblastoma (MB) initiation, and therefore the ability to determine who is at risk, are still unknown for the majority of cases. Microsatellites are short repeated sequences that make up ~3% of the genome. Repeat lengths vary among individuals and are often nonrandomly associated with disease, including several cancers such as breast, glioma, lung, and ovarian. Due to their effects on gene function, they have been called the "tuning knobs of the genome." Methods We have developed a novel approach for identifying a microsatellite-based signature to differentiate MB patients from controls using germline DNA. Results Analyzing germline whole exome sequencing data from a training set of 120 MB subjects and 425 controls, we identified 139 individual microsatellite loci whose genotypes differ significantly between the groups. Using a genetic algorithm, we identified a subset of 43 microsatellites that distinguish MB subjects from controls with a sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 88%, respectively. This microsatellite signature was validated in an independent dataset consisting of 102 subjects and 428 controls, with comparable sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 90%, respectively. Analysis of the allele genotypes of those 139 informative loci demonstrates that their association with MB is a consequence of individual microsatellites' genotypes rather than their hypermutability. Finally, an analysis of the genes harboring these microsatellite loci reveals cellular functions important for tumorigenesis. Conclusion This study demonstrates that MB-specific germline microsatellite variations mark those at risk for MB development and suggests mechanisms of predisposition.
Visualizing Climate Change Adaptation: An Effective Tool for Agricultural Outreach?

AbstractLandscape photovisualizations (PVZs) are digitally altered photographs that show existing landscapes altered to include a simulated future scenario. They are commonly used to support dialog...
Update on stem cell technologies in congenital heart disease

Background Congenital heart disease (CHD) continues to be among the most common birth defects, affecting an estimated 40 000 births annually in the United States. The most common complication of CHD is heart failure. With improved medical management and surgical outcomes, survival for complex congenital heart defects has dramatically improved, but consequentially there are more adults with CHD than children with CHD. Due to longer-term sequelae of CHD, surgical and medical treatment previously thought to be curative is now realized at best to be palliative, and there is a considerable burden of CHD-related heart failure. Stem cell therapy as an adjunct to current surgical and medical strategies is being explored in an effort to ameliorate CHD-related heart failure. This review aims to explore the current literature with regard to stem cell therapy for CHD as well as ongoing trials. Methods A MEDLINE (Ovid), MEDLINE (Pubmed), and clinicaltrials.gov search were performed using the medical subject headings congenital heart defects combined with hematopoietic stem cells, stem cell transplantation, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), cell- or tissue-based therapy, or MSC transplantation. Articles must have been published after 2010. Results Twenty three articles and 9 ongoing trials met all inclusion criteria. Conclusions Areas of interest include myocardiocyte regeneration, tissue graft development to minimize reoperations, and methods of stem cell delivery. While several small trials are showing promise, it is too soon to make definitive statements about the future of stem cell therapies in this field.
Co-Eruptive Tremor from Bogoslof Volcano: Seismic Wavefield Composition at Regional Distances

We analyze seismic tremor recorded during eruptive activity over the course of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska. Only regional recordings of the tremor wavefield exist for Bogoslof, making it a challenge to place the recordings in context with other eruptions that are normally captured by local seismic data. We apply a technique of time-frequency polarization analysis to three-component seismic data to reveal the wavefield composition of Bogoslof eruption tremor. We find that at regional distances, the tremor is dominated by P-waves in the band from 1.5 to 10 Hz. Using this information, along with an enriched Bogoslof earthquake catalog, we obtain estimates of average reduced displacement (DR) for eruption tremor during 25 of the 70 Bogoslof events. DR reaches as high as approximately 40 cm2 for two of the major events, similar to other VEI~3 eruptions in Alaska. Overall, average reduced displacement displays a weak correlation to plume height during the first half of the 9-month-long eruption sequence, with a few notable exceptions. The two events with the highest DR values also generated measurable eruption tremor at very-long-periods (VLP) between 0.05 and 0.15 Hz.
P-036 The use of artificial neural networks in detection of CT perfusion deficits

Background Head CTs with perfusion imaging have become crucial in the selection of patients for treatment for mechanical thrombectomy. In recent years machine learning has rapidly evolved and found applications in a wide variety of health care tasks. We report our experience with training a neural network to predict the presence and sidedness of a perfusion deficit in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Dynamic multiphase 4-dimensional contrasted head CTs of patients with suspicion for acute ischemic stroke were obtained. An LRCN network was constructed consisting of a convolutional neural network stacked on top of an LSTM layer. Results 139 (35.1%) patients had a right sided perfusion deficit, while 199 (50.3%) had a left sided deficit, and 58 (14.6%) had no evidence of a deficit. The best model was able to achieve a loss of 0.88 and an accuracy of 85% on validation data. ROC curves were generated for right sided perfusion deficit, left sided perfusion deficit, and no perfusion deficit and an AUC was calculated for each class. For a right sided deficit, the AUC was 0.92, for left sided deficit 0.94, and for no deficit the AUC was 0.95. Conclusion The field of machine learning, powered by convolutional neural networks for the task of image recognition and processing, has quickly developed in recent years. We have constructed an artificial neural network that can identify and classify the presence of a perfusion deficit and the sidedness on CT perfusion imaging. Disclosures J. Vargas: 1; C; NVIDIA. 4; C; NVIDIA. A. Spiotta: None. A. Chatterjee: 2; C; Viz.
Controls of pre‐existing structures on clinoform architecture and the associated progradational system elements

Abstract There remains a limited understanding of the controls of pre‐existing structures on the architecture of deep‐water progradational sequences. In the Northern Taranaki Basin (NTB), New Zealand, Pliocene post‐extensional sedimentary sequences overlie Miocene back‐arc volcaniclastic units. We utilize seismic reflection datasets to investigate the relationships between the buried back‐arc mound‐shaped structures, and the spatio‐temporal changes in clinoform architecture and the associated progradational system elements within the overlying continental slope margin sequences. Our results reveal the following: (a) buried mound‐shaped structures in the northern domain of the study area, overlain by younging progression of shelf‐to‐basin prograding clinoforms; (b) folding of the deeper clinoforms that systematically decrease in magnitude with shallowing depth from the top of the seamounts; (c) overall, the N‐S‐trending continental slope margin evolves from a highly curvilinear/angular trend in the deeper clinoforms (Units 1 and 2) into a rectilinear geometry within the shallower post‐extensional intervals (Unit 3 and shallower); (d) Units 1 and 2 characterized by dominance of stacked offlap breaks and over‐steepened (7–10°) clinoform foreset slopes in the northern domain, and dominance of gently dipping foreset slopes (<6°) in the south; (e) Unit 3 shows very low (<5°) and intermediate (5–7°) foreset slopes across the entire survey; (f) in the northern domain, differential loading by prograding sequences about the buried seamounts and horst–graben structures induced a differential compaction of the deeper units, which influenced a temporal pinning of the prograding slope margin in pre‐Unit 2 times and (g) wide, closely spaced channel incision into over‐steepened slopes dominate the deeper prograding sequence in the northern domain, whereas narrower, straighter channels dominate the south. We show that the buried pre‐existing structures constitute rigid buttresses that modulated the syn‐depositional topography and post‐depositional architecture of the prograding sequences in the NTB. Our findings present a distinction in the controls on progradational sedimentation patterns between magmatic and non‐magmatic continental margins.
Repensar a cultura musical: reformulações canônicas na era pós-tonal

O artigo discute o conceito de cânone musical e as diversas questoes atreladas a historia da teoria musical ocidental, a condicao pos-tonal e a diversidade da cultura musical contemporânea. Discute tres acepcoes de cânone : (1) um corpus de obras exemplares coligidas do passado, ou seja, repertorio; (2) uma lei ou regra de conduta para a construcao musical; estas duas acepoes de cânone sao indissociaveis e levam a uma acepcao mais geral de (3) cânone como linguagem. As pluralidades musicais e culturais contemporâneas demandam (1) que o cânone seja alargado, de modo a se tornar mais inclusivo dos diversos tipos de musica que se intersectam na experiencia presente; e (2) o reconhecimento de uma estrutura multicanonica, com os respectivos padroes de excelencia. A realidade multicanonica requer a reformulacao do conceito de cultura musical.
Phenytoin Inhibits Cell Proliferation through microRNA-196a-5p in Mouse Lip Mesenchymal Cells

Cleft lip (CL) is one of the most common birth defects. It is caused by either genetic mutations or environmental factors. Recent studies suggest that environmental factors influence the expression of noncoding RNAs [e.g., microRNA (miRNA)], which can regulate the expression of genes crucial for cellular functions. In this study, we examined which miRNAs are associated with CL. Among 10 candidate miRNAs (miR-98-3p, miR-101a-3p, miR-101b-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-144-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-200a-3p, and miR-710) identified through our bioinformatic analysis of CL-associated genes, overexpression of miR-181a-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-196b-5p, and miR-710 inhibited cell proliferation through suppression of genes associated with CL in cultured mouse embryonic lip mesenchymal cells (MELM cells) and O9-1 cells, a mouse cranial neural crest cell line. In addition, we found that phenytoin, an inducer of CL, decreased cell proliferation through miR-196a-5p induction. Notably, treatment with a specific inhibitor for miR-196a-5p restored cell proliferation through normalization of expression of CL-associated genes in the cells treated with phenytoin. Taken together, our results suggest that phenytoin induces CL through miR-196a-5p induction, which suppresses the expression of CL-associated genes.
Global Solutions to Multidimensional Systems

Global existence of the Euler alignment system in dimension 2 and higher is only partially resolved at the moment. In the smooth kernel case, no sharp threshold condition is known, and in the singular case, the question is wide open. However, certain classes of special solutions do permit global existence. Those include solutions with small initial velocity fluctuations, small spectral gap of the symmetric velocity strain tensor, or special classes respecting symmetries of the system. This chapter presents a collection of such multidimensional resularity results along with relevant analytical techniques.
Attribute-Based Access Control for AWS Internet of Things and Secure Industries of the Future

Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing and enhancing the quality of human lives in every aspect. With a disruption of IoT devices and applications, attackers are leveraging weak authentication and access control mechanisms on these IoT devices and applications to gain unauthorized access on user devices and data and cause them harm. Access control is a critical security mechanism to secure the IoT ecosystem which comprises cloud computing and edge computing services along with smart devices. Today major cloud and IoT service providers including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Azure utilize some customized forms of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model along with specific authorization policies enabled by policy-based access control models. To enable fine-grained access control and overcome limitations of existing access control models, there is an imminent need to develop a flexible and dynamic access control model for securing smart devices, data and resources in the cloud-enabled IoT architecture. In this paper, we develop a formal attribute-based access control (ABAC) model for AWS IoT by building upon and extending previously developed access control model for AWS IoT, known as AWS-IoTAC model. We demonstrate the applicability of our proposed model through an industrial IoT use case and its implementation in the AWS IoT platform. Our proposed fine grained model for AWS IoT incorporates its existing capabilities and introduces new attributes for IoT entities and attribute-based policies for enabling expressive access control in AWS IoT. We also evaluate the performance of our model on the AWS cloud and IoT platform with the future smart industries use-case to depict the feasibility of our model in a real-world platform.
Factors Associated with Acute and Chronic Hydrocephalus in Nonaneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Hydrocephalus requiring external ventricular drain (EVD) or shunt placement commonly complicates aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but its frequency is not as well known for nonaneurysmal SAH (NA-SAH). Those with diffuse bleeding may have greater risk of hydrocephalus compared to those with a perimesencephalic pattern. We evaluated the frequency of hydrocephalus in NA-SAH and whether imaging factors could predict the need for EVD and shunting. We collected admission clinical and imaging variables for 105 NA-SAH patients, including bicaudate index (BI), Hijdra sum score (HSS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) score, modified Fisher scale (mFS), and bleeding pattern. Hydrocephalus was categorized as acute (need for EVD) or chronic (shunt). We applied logistic regression to determine whether hydrocephalus risk was independently related to bleeding pattern or mediated through blood volume or ventriculomegaly. Acute hydrocephalus was seen in 26 (25 %) patients but was more common with diffuse (15/28, 54 %) versus perimesencephalic (10/59, 17 %, p < 0.001) bleeding. Patients developing acute hydrocephalus had worse clinical grade and higher BI, HSS, and IVH scores. Adjusting the relationship between hydrocephalus and diffuse bleeding for HSS (but not BI) nullified this association. Nine (35 %) patients requiring EVD eventually required shunting for chronic hydrocephalus, which was associated with greater blood burden but not poor clinical grade. Acute hydrocephalus occurs in one-quarter of NA-SAH patients. The greater risk in diffuse bleeding appears to be mediated by greater cisternal blood volume but not by greater ventriculomegaly. Imaging characteristics may aid in anticipatory management of hydrocephalus in NA-SAH.
Chapter 2 – Orthogonal Transforms

The purpose of transform coding is to decompose a batch of correlated signal samples into a set of uncorrelated spectral coefficients, with energy concentrated in as few coefficients as possible. This compaction of energy permits prioritization of the spectral coefficients, with the more energetic ones receiving a greater allocation of encoding bits. For the same distortion level, the total number of bits needed to transmit encoded spectral coefficients is less than the number needed to transfer the signal samples directly. This reduction in bit rate is termed “compression.” This chapter introduces the subject of orthogonal transforms—from the standpoint of function expansions in orthogonal series. The chapter groups the block transforms in three broad categories—sinusoidal, polynomial, and rectangular—and describes leading members in each category. The decorrelation and energy compaction properties of these transforms constitute the central issues in the applicability of these transforms for signal coding purposes. At low bit rates, transform-coded images often exhibit a “blockiness” at the borders. The lapped orthogonal transform (LOT) is used to counteract this effect. The chapter describes and evaluates the LOTs using the criteria developed for transform coding.
Applications of Wavelets in the Representation and Prediction of Transformation in Shape-Memory Polycrystals

In recent years, new developments in materials characterization techniques have led to a vast amount of data on the microstructure of polycrystals. Simultaneously, improvements in computational capabilities have enabled accurate full-field simulations for the micro-mechanical fields developing in polycrystalline aggregates. These show that in phenomena including phase transformation, localized bands of deformation percolate in a complex way across various grains. Our objective is to develop a methodology for analyzing, storing and representing microstructure data and, in turn, to identify the relevant information dictating the macroscopic behavior in superelastic polycrystals. To this end, wavelets are used in a case study of a polycrystalline aggregate in anti-plane shear. It is demonstrated how the transformation fields developing within the material can be efficiently represented by thresholding their wavelet expansion, maintaining more than 90% of the L2 norm of the original field, while using approximately 10% of the number of terms in the original data. The macroscopic stress-strain relation resulting from solving the governing equations using a thresholded transformation strain is shown to be in a good agreement with the exact relation. Finally, the set of the functions retained in the expansion after thresholding was found to be similar in adjacent loading steps. Motivated by these observations, we propose a new wavelet-based algorithm for calculating the developing fields in phase transforming polycrystals.
What do we say when we talk about sustainability?: Analyzing faculty, staff and student definitions of sustainability at one American university

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze how faculty, staff and students at one American University define the term sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyze student, staff and faculty definitions by comparing word frequency counts to a list of the 25 most frequently found words in over 100 definitions of sustainability. Next, the authors analyze the definitions through content analysis, producing a list of emergent themes. Findings – The authors find that our definitions do not rate highly when compared to a list of the most frequent words from published definitions, but examining them more closely highlights nuances in understanding. Research limitations/implications – These results can only speak to one university’s population, but may be similar to that of comparable schools. Further studies should include comparisons to a range of campus communities, including environmental leaders and laggards. Practical implications – Administrators and educators at institutes of hi...
Teaching magnets new tricks

A way to control magnetism in semiconductors using an external electric field has been shown for the first time. This long-awaited result could lead to new types of information-storage devices.
Troubled debt restructurings

Abstract This study investigates the incentives of financially distressed firms to restructure their debt privately rather than through formal bankruptcy. In a sample of 169 financially distressed companies, about half successfully restructure their debt outside of Chapter 11. Firms more likely to restructure their debt privately have more intangible assets, owe more of their debt to banks, and owe fewer lenders. Analysis of stock returns suggests that the market is also able to discriminate ex ante between the two sets of firms, and that stockholders are systematically better off when debt is restructured privately.
Exploring African American Masculinities: An Integrative Model

To date, African American masculinity has been explored from several perspectives and across many disciplines. Much of the work on Black masculinity derives from scholarly fields and paradigmatic approaches that are seldom in conversation with one another. This review explores the applications and critiques of deficit, Afrocentric, gender/sex role, and identity paradigms commonly applied to discourses on African American manhood across various disciplines. Additionally, this paper concludes with a call for paradigmatic triangulation in Black gender scholarship towards creating a comprehensive notion of African American masculinity.
Role of Family Background, Student Behaviors, and School-Related Beliefs in Predicting High School Dropout.

ABSTRACTThe authors' purpose was to test a parsimonious model derived from social cognitive career theory (R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) and expectancy value theory (J. S. Eccles & A. Wigfield, 2002) that integrates groups of variables (demographic background, student behaviors, and school-related beliefs) with the goal of predicting high school dropout in a nationally representative sample of 15,753 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effect of the various predictors on students' dropout status 2 years later. The model fit the data very well, and the results indicated that socioeconomic status, academic performance, parental involvement, and absenteeism were most predictive of high school dropout. In contrast, social cognitive constructs (self-efficacy and subjective task value) added little explanatory power. Implications for high school dropout prevention programs are discussed.
Two Virtual Reality Pilot Studies for the Treatment of Pediatric CRPS

Dear Editor, The following letter describes two pilot studies testing the feasibility of immersive virtual reality therapy on pediatric patients with unilateral lower limb complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). In these studies, patients completed target-hitting tasks in virtual reality using novel avatar bodies. Patients completed all sessions without adverse effects and both patients and parents were enthusiastic about the treatment. We discuss how function was tracked within and across sessions, and next steps. Because virtual reality (VR) replaces sensory information from the physical world, users may partially replace their sense of presence in the physical world, or in their physical body. This quality of presence was first used to treat pain using distraction ⇓ and has also been used to produce relaxation or increased engagement (e.g., in physical therapy). A second quality that may be utilized in pain treatment is flexibility: the ability to change the relationship between a participant's appearance and/or actions in the physical world, and the appearance and actions that this participant perceives virtually ⇓. Leveraging the flexibility of virtual reality allows the creation of avatars whose movements differ from that of the participants' own, allowing more radical interventions than mirroring the unaffected limb. Following Lanier's concept of homuncular flexibility ⇓, researchers have demonstrated that users can learn to identify with avatars that have very different bodies ⇓ and learn to control these avatars very rapidly ⇓. We propose that using such novel bodies may also be therapeutic for pain. Four patients with pediatric CRPS, confirmed by Budapest Criteria ⇓, were enrolled in this study, after institutional review board (IRB) approval, consent, and assent. All patients were receiving concurrent multidisciplinary therapy including physical and occupational therapy, psychological support, and medical visits. All therapies, including medications, were kept constant throughout the study …
Cimetidine Protects Against Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Acetaminophen hepatotoxicity is believed to result from the metabolic conversion of acetaminophen to a highly reactive intermediate by cytochrome P 450. Cimetidine has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P 450-mediated drug metabolism in humans and in laboratory animals, -both in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the possible protective effects of cimetidine administration on acetaminophen-induced hepatic necrosis in rats. We observed a striking protection against acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in cimeti­ dine-treated rats (120 mg/kg) up to 4 h after i.p. administration of 500 mg/kg of acetaminophen. Ci­ metidine-treated animals had less histologic dam­ age when examined by light microscopy. and they had lower serum aminotransferases than those treat­ ed with acetaminophen alone. Furthermore. there was less functional hepatic impairment. e.g .. im­ proved survival and improved ability to metabolize aminopyrine in vivo in rats receiving cimetidine compared with those receiving acetaminophen with­ out cimetidine. Comparison of cjmetidine treatment with N-acetylcysteine treatment of acetaminophen overdose in rats showed cimetidine as effective as N­ acetylcysteine, even though the dose of cimetidine given was only isth that of N-acetylcysteine on a molar basis. Cimetidine also inhibited the covalent binding of [3H]acetaminophen to hepatic micro­ somes in vitro, both in the presence and absence of reduced glutathione. Cimetidine did not, however,
Truck Diversion Routing Using Geographic Information Systems

The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical model to identify key Interstate segments at which trucks are frequently diverted because of a disruption in service and to determine an appropriate alternate route under such circumstances. Through the use of a risk-based approach, segments of the Tennessee Interstate system were selected according to histories of serious incidents, incidents with diversions, and high truck volumes. In the selection of a preferred diversion route, the shortest alternate path may not be feasible for truck use because of varying size and performance characteristics. To address this consideration, a geographic information system (GIS) was used; in the GIS, restrictions and costs were applied to candidate diversion routes to either eliminate or penalize routes undergoing evaluation. The alternate route assessment methodology illustrates the need for improvements in nationwide truck freight networks as well as the ability for GIS tools to address complex routing problems...
Pharmacological Induction of Heat Shock Protein 68 Synthesis in Cultured Rat Astrocytes

The induction of the highly inducible 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP 70) is associated with thermotolerance and survival from many other types of stress. This investigation studied the pharmacological induction of HSP 68 (HSP 68 is the rat homolog of human HSP 70) by 1,10-phenanthroline in cultured rat astrocytes under conditions that activated heat shock transcription factor-1 without inducing HSP 68 synthesis. Two conditions that activate heat shock transcription factor-1 and promote its binding to the heat shock element without subsequent transcription of HSP 68 mRNA, intracellular acidosis and exposure to salicylate, showed synthesis of HSP 68 when 1,10-phenanthroline was added to culture medium after the activation of heat shock transcription factor-1. 1,10-phenanthroline mimicked heat shock by inducing HSP 68 mRNA and protein under both conditions. 1,10-phenanthroline added alone to culture medium did not induce the synthesis of HSP 68 or activate heat shock transcription factor-1. These findings strongly suggest a multistep activation for HSP 68 synthesis and also demonstrate that the synthesis of HSP 68 can be pharmacologically regulated.
A content analysis of multinational advertisers' localisation strategy in web advertising

Multinational brands' utilisation of the so-alled "Glocalisation" strategy was examined with web advertising, as manifested in the use of creative strategies, information cues, the amount of information cues and the presence of a group versus individuals in ads. A content analysis of 33 multinational brands' Korean and US local web ads observed a significant cross-cultural difference in the use of 'information' and 'symbolic assertion' strategy, 'performance' and 'special offer' cue, the average number of information cues per ad and the average number of people per ad. A clear pattern of multinational brands' localised strategies visualised in this study is attributable to the differences in major cultural values between Korea and the US, particularly information context and individualism. If multinational advertisers aim at conferring specific values to their ads to attract consumers worldwide, it can be effectively achieved within a value framework that exists in the cultural contexts of foreign markets.
An experimental study of dialogue-based communication for dynamic human-computer task allocation

The allocation of tasks between human and computer and the merits of a dynamic approach to this allocation are discussed. Dynamic task allocation requires efficient human-computer communication. This communication may be accomplished in an implicit, model-based, or explicit, dialogue-based, manner. A framework for the study of dialogue-based human-computer communication is introduced and a study exemplifying the use of the framework is presented. This study investigated the effects of two input media and four task allocation strategies on the performance of a human-computer system. The task environment represented a simplified version of an air traffic control scenario wherein computer aid could be evoked by the human controller to accomplish task sharing between the human and the computer. Dedicated function keys proved to be a more effective input medium than the standard Sholes QWERTY keyboard in terms of both objective performance and subjective preference measures. Of the task allocation strategies considered, spatial assignment, contingency-based assignment, and assignment by designation achieved the highest levels of overall system performance, while temporal assignment achieved a significantly lower level of performance. Subjective ratings indicated an overall preference for assignment by designation, followed by spatial assignment and contingency-based assignment. Spatial assignment was the most powerful, but the least specific strategy. Assignment by designation was the least powerful strategy, but the most specific and most flexible strategy.
Human leukocyte antigen Bw4 and Bw6 epitopes recognized by antibodies and natural killer cells.

Purpose of reviewTo describe the structural basis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) Bw4 and Bw6 epitopes that are recognized by antibodies and the KIR3DL1 natural killer cell receptor.Recent findingsMolecular modeling and X-ray crystallography have refined our understanding of Bw4 and Bw6. These epit
Stoichiometric reduction of primary alkyl monohalides with electrogenerated nickel(I) salen: Formation of aldehydes

Abstract Addition of a stoichiometric amount of a primary alkyl monohalide (1-bromoalkane or 1-iodoalkane) to a solution of nickel(I) salen electrogenerated at a reticulated vitreous carbon cathode in dimethylformamide (DMF) containing 0.10 M tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TMABF 4 ) in the presence of water, followed by irradiation with a xenon arc lamp and exposure to oxygen (O 2 ), results in the formation of an aldehyde in substantial yield. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE), we have explored the effects of light, temperature, water, and a proton donor on the process. Reduction of an alkyl monohalide in the presence of isotopically labeled reagents, along with CV–CPE experiments (in combination with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), suggests the possibility that O 2 interacts with an alkylnickel(II) species (which could arise from a two-to-one nickel(I) salen-to-alkyl monohalide reaction in the presence of water) to produce an aldehyde, which has a tendency to undergo a base-catalyzed aldol condensation. In addition to the aldehyde, other products (dimers, alkanes, and alkenes) are formed via classic radical reactions.
Incorporation of Ethylene into Fruits

ETHYLENE, a unique constituent in the emanations of many plants and fruits, is known to be related to the physiological responses of many harvested fruits and vegetables1. The presence of ethylene in extremely low concentration in the atmosphere surrounding immature fruits accelerates the onset of the climacteric in most fruits by some mechanism as yet unknown. While ethylene production in fruits may be correlated in many cases with the climacteric rise in their production of carbon dioxide2, it is still not clear whether ethylene induces the climacteric rise in the nature of autostimulation or, as suggested by Biale et al.2, ethylene is merely a by-product of fruits at a certain stage of maturity.
Ruthenium mediated SNAr reactions in synthetic approaches to ristocetin A aglycon : preparation of an ABCD ring intermediate

A synthesis of an intermediate representing the ABCD ring system of ristocetin A aglycon is described, in which ruthenium-mediated intramolecular etherification is used as a key bond-forming step.
Restoration of glucose metabolism in leptin-resistant mouse hearts after acute myocardial infarction through the activation of survival kinase pathways

Abstract In the normal heart, leptin modulates cardiac metabolism. It is unknown, however, what effect leptin has on cardiac metabolism and outcomes in acute myocardial infarction (MI). This study was performed to test the hypothesis that leptin signaling increases glucose metabolism and attenuates injury in the acutely infarcted heart. Mice with (ObR +/+ ) and without (ObR −/− ) cardiomyocyte specific expression of leptin receptor (ObR) were randomly assigned to experimental MI or sham procedure, and studied 3 days later. ObR +/+ and ObR −/− sham mice were not significantly different in any measured outcome. However, after MI, ObR −/− mice had greater cardiac dysfunction, left ventricular dilation, and levels of oxidative stress. These worse indices of cardiac injury in ObR −/− mice were associated with attenuated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), and Akt signaling, decreased malonyl CoA content, and reduced mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase and electron transport Complex I, II and IV activities. Furthermore, ObR −/− mice maintained high rates of cardiac fatty acid oxidation after MI, whereas ObR +/+ mice demonstrated a switch away from fatty acid oxidation to glucose metabolism. Restoration of cardiac STAT3, PI3K and Akt activity and mitochondrial function in ObR −/− mice post-MI was accomplished by ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), an established STAT3 activator, administered immediately after MI. Moreover, CNTF therapy resulted in mitigation of cardiac structural and functional injury, attenuated levels of oxidative stress, and rescued glucose metabolism in the infarcted ObR −/− heart. These data demonstrate that impaired cardiac leptin signaling results in metabolic inflexibility for glucose utilization in the face of cardiac stress, and greater morbidity after MI. Further, these studies show that cardiac glucose metabolism can be restored in leptin-resistant hearts by CNTF-mediated activation of survival kinases, resulting in multiple improved structural and functional outcomes post-MI.
John Henryism and blood pressure differences among Black men: II. The role of occupational stressors.

In this study, the effects of psychosocial job stressors on the resting blood pressure (BP) of 112 black male workers were examined. The subjects resided in a rural, poor, predominantly black community in eastern North Carolina. The job stressors included unemployment, lack of job security, lack of job success, the perception that wages earned were too low for the work performed (and inhibited anger about unfair wages), and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. The effect-modifying influence of on-the-job social support, and John Henryism, on several of these relationships was also examined. For systolic blood pressure, a main effect was observed for job security, and an interaction effect was observed for employment status and time of day of interview. For diastolic blood pressure, significant interactions were observed for job success and John Henryism, and for job success and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. These findings further clarify under what conditions John Henryism may be associated with higher BPs in this sample of black men. These findings also shed light on the emotional pathways through which selected job stressors may influence resting BPs in these men.