cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eleven new species of crustose lichenized fungi from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Eleven new species of crustose, lichenized fungi are described from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Nine species are saxicolous, whereas Lecania vermispora occurs on the stems of Hebe elliptica and Tephromela lignicola is lignicolous on fence posts. The new species are: Bacidia marina, with a sordid blue-green K−, N+ violet epihymenium and acicular, multiseptate ascospores; B. pruinata, with pruinose apothecia and multiseptate ascospores; Buellia gypsyensis, with a thallus containing 5-O-methylhiascic acid and with Amandinea-type conidia; Cliostomum albidum, with pruinose apothecia lacking pigments; C. longisporum, with long narrow ascospores (c. 20 × 3 µm); Coccotrema rubromarginatum, with a placodioid thallus having a red-brown margin and lower surface; Hymenelia microcarpa, with minute, immersed apothecia (<0·1 mm diam.) and a trebouxioid photobiont; Lecania vermispora, with vermiform, 3–6 septate ascospores; Lepra argentea, with papillate isidia with dark caps; Rhizocarpon malvinae, which is similar to R. reductum but with a grey thallus, generally sessile apothecia with a thick raised margin and often with the Cinereorufa-green pigment in the epithecium and upper exciple; and Tephromela lignicola, a sterile, sorediate species on fence posts. Most of these species are reported only from the Falkland Islands although Coccotrema rubromarginatum is also reported from Isla de los Estados and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Ascoconidia are reported from Lepra argentea and cephalodia from Pertusaria pachythallina. Keys to the species reported from the Falkland Islands in the genera of the newly described species are also provided.
Intramolecular cyclization reactions of 5-halo- and 5-nitro-substituted furans.

Intramolecular cyclization reactions of 5-halo- and 5-nitro-substituted furanylamides were examined. The 2-alkoxy-5-bromofuran derivative 2 produced the rearranged dihydroquinone 6 (36%), a product from the rearrangement of the intermediate oxabicycle 3. The 5-halo substituted furoyl amide 18 was converted to the polyfunctional oxabicycle 20 in 82% yield and at a much faster rate than the unsubstituted furanyl system 17. The 5-nitro-substituted furfuryl amide 33b underwent an unusual isomerization−cyclization reaction under microwave conditions to provide 1,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[4,5]furo[2,3-c]pyridin-3-one 34.
The Gelisol Order in Soil Taxonomy

Although Soil Taxonomy attempts to account for all the soils in the world, taxa for permafrost regions of the world did not receive adequate attention until recently. This can be attributed to the low human population of permafrost regions and the limited suitability for traditional cultivated agriculture.
Electric Circuit Foundation of Structural Analysis for Power Systems from a Network Perspective

The structural analysis of power systems is an important approach and has the ability to address various issues, particularly, dynamic and transient real-time issues and identification of critical components. In this paper, we provide analytical foundations of structural analysis by reviewing power system representation from various perspectives, such as steady-state, electromagnetic transient and electro-mechanical dynamic perspectives. In addition, we find that these types of models, which from an electric circuit theory perspective may differ with change in applications, demonstrate an embedded consistency from structure perspective. Such formulation is based on port-Hamiltonian approach which represents the energy flow. Moreover, a summary of the characteristics of analytical foundation of structural analysis related to the connection information and link strength are also provided.
Beyond "Active Learning": How the ICAP Framework Permits More Acute Examination of the Popular Peer Instruction Pedagogy.

Peer Instruction, a pedagogy utilizing handheld classroom response technology to promote student discussion, is one of the most popular research-based instructional practices in STEM education. Yet...
Precision health for breast cancer metastasis: biomaterial scaffolds as an engineered metastatic niche to define, study, and monitor metastatic progression

Metastasis represents the greatest challenge to treatment of cancer patients. Biomaterial scaffolds that recruit tumor cells to a defined site in vivo are an emerging platform for the diagnosis, treatment, and study of metastasis. Recruitment of immune cells and metastatic tumor cells to a defined location provides a precision health platform to assess current clinical cancer biomarkers in a metastatic setting, and to define the next generation of biomarkers. These platforms represent an opportunity to create a molecular staging of metastasis that could aid in both the early diagnosis and treatment of metastasis.
Early Follow-up After Colorectal Surgery Reduces Postdischarge Emergency Department Visits.

Background Thirty-day readmissions, emergency department visits, and observation stays are common after colorectal surgery (9%-25%, 8%-12%, and 3%-5%), yet it is unknown to what extent planned postdischarge care can decrease the frequency of emergency department visits. Objective This study's aim was to determine whether early follow-up with the surgical team reduces 30-day emergency department visits. Design This retrospective cohort study used a central data repository of clinical and administrative data for 2013 through 2018. Setting This study was conducted in a large statewide health care system (10 affiliated hospitals, >300 practices). Patients All adult patients undergoing colorectal surgery were included unless they had a length of stay Intervention Early ( Main outcome measures The primary outcome measured was the time to 30-day postdischarge emergency department visit. Results Our cohort included 3442 patients undergoing colorectal surgery; 38% of patients had an early clinic visit. Overall, 11% had an emergency department encounter between 11 and 30 days after discharge. Those with early follow-up had decreased emergency department encounters (adjusted HR 0.13; 95% CI, 0.08-0.22). An early clinic visit within 10 days, compared to 14 days, prevented an additional 142 emergency department encounters. Nationwide, this could potentially prevent 8433 unplanned visits each year with an estimated cost savings of $49 million annually. Limitations We used retrospective data and were unable to assess for health care utilization outside our health system. Conclusions Early follow-up within 10 days of adult colorectal surgery is associated with decreased subsequent emergency department encounters. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B330. EL SEGUIMIENTO TEMPRANO DESPUES DE LA CIRUGIA COLORRECTAL REDUCE LAS VISITAS AL SERVICIO DE URGENCIAS POSTERIOR AL ALTA: Los readmision a los treinta dias, las visitas al servicio de urgencias y las estancias de observacion son comunes despues de la cirugia colorrectal, 9-25%, 8-12% y 3-5%, respectivamente. Sin embargo, se desconoce en que medida la atencion planificada posterior al alta puede disminuir la frecuencia de las visitas al servicio de urgencias.Determinar si el seguimiento temprano con el equipo quirurgico reduce las visitas a 30 dias al servicio de urgencias.Este estudio de cohorte retrospectivo utilizo un deposito central de datos clinicos y administrativos para 2013-2018.Gran sistema de salud estatal (10 hospitales afiliados,> 300 consultorios).Se incluyeron todos los pacientes adultos de cirugia colorrectal a menos que tuvieran una estadia
An Interactive Approach to Teaching the Clinical Applications of Autonomy and Justice in the Context of Discharge Decision-Making.

Introduction Students are taught the basics of medical ethics during their pre-clinical education, but need additional instruction on how to apply these principles to patient situations they may en...
Theoretical, Solid‐State and Solution Quantification of the Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bond

Proximal noncovalent forces are commonplace in natural systems and understanding the consequences of their juxtaposition is critical. This paper experimentally quantifies for the first time a Hydrogen Bond-Enhanced Halogen Bond (HBeXB) without the complexities of protein structure or preorganization. An HBeXB is a halogen bond that has been strengthened when the halogen donor simultaneously accepts a hydrogen bond. Our theoretical studies suggest that electron-rich halogen bond donors are strengthened most by an adjacent hydrogen bond. Furthermore, stronger hydrogen bond donors enhance the halogen bond the most. X-ray crystal structures of halide complexes (X- =Br- , I- ) reveal that HBeXBs produce shorter halogen bonds than non-hydrogen bond analogues. 19 F NMR titrations with chloride highlight that the HBeXB analogue exhibits stronger binding. Together, these results form the foundation for future studies concerning hydrogen bonds and halogen bonds in close proximity.
Abstract 14242: Homogeneous Fetal Access to Cardiac Care in a Heterogeneous State

Introduction: Timely prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) allows for families to participate in complex decisions and plan for the care of their child. This study sought to investig...
The Sign of the Cross in the Dialogues of Gregory the Great

Within the study of Early Christianity, a pertinent topic is the sign of the cross. This article will focus on extra liturgical signing, that is, making the sign of the cross outside of a formal li...
Daily Life Positive Events Predict Well-Being Among Depressed Adults 10 Years Later:

Relatively little is known about the links between the events and emotions experienced in daily life and long-term outcomes among people diagnosed with depression. Using daily diary data from the M...
Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in a Nationwide Cohort of Older and Younger Veterans with Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, 2006-2019.

Little is known about real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) following the recent introduction of newer treatments, especially among older adults. We describe patterns of first-line (1 L) WM treatment in early (2006-2012) and modern (2013-2019) eras and report outcomes (overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse event (AE)-related discontinuation) in younger (≤70 years) and older (>70 years) populations. We followed 166 younger and 152 older WM patients who received 1 L treatment between January 2006 and April 2019 in the Veterans Health Administration. Median follow-up was 43.5 months (range: 0.6-147.2 months). Compared to the early era, older patients in the modern era achieved improved ORRs (early: 63.8%, modern: 72.3%) and 41% lower risk of death/progression (hazard ratio (HR) for PFS: 0.59, 95% CI (confidence interval): 0.36-0.95), with little change in AE-related discontinuation between eras (HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.4-1.7). In younger patients, the AE-related discontinuation risk increased almost fourfold (HR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.1-14), whereas treatment effects did not change between eras (HR for OS: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.66-2.8; HR for PFS: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.67-1.7). Marked improvements in survival among older adults accompanied a profound shift in 1 L treatment patterns for WM.
Dissecting the microvascular contributions to diffuse correlation spectroscopy measurements of cerebral hemodynamics using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Significance: Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is an emerging noninvasive, diffuse optical modality that purportedly enables direct measurements of microvasculature blood flow. Functional optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) can resolve blood flow in vessels as fine as capillaries and thus has the capability to validate key attributes of the DCS signal. Aim: To characterize activity in cortical vasculature within the spatial volume that is probed by DCS and to identify populations of blood vessels that are most representative of the DCS signals. Approach: We performed simultaneous measurements of somatosensory-evoked cerebral blood flow in mice in vivo using both DCS and OCT-A. Results: We resolved sensory-evoked blood flow in the somatosensory cortex with both modalities. Vessels with diameters smaller than 10 μm featured higher peak flow rates during the initial poststimulus positive increase in flow, whereas larger vessels exhibited considerably larger magnitude of the subsequent undershoot. The simultaneously recorded DCS waveforms correlated most highly with flow in the smallest vessels, yet featured a more prominent undershoot. Conclusions: Our direct, multiscale, multimodal cross-validation measurements of functional blood flow support the assertion that the DCS signal preferentially represents flow in microvasculature. The significantly greater undershoot in DCS, however, suggests a more spatially complex relationship to flow in cortical vasculature during functional activation.
Primary Cilium Is Involved in Stem Cell Differentiation and Renewal through the Regulation of Multiple Signaling Pathways

Signaling networks guide stem cells during their lineage specification and terminal differentiation. Primary cilium, an antenna-like protrusion, directly or indirectly plays a significant role in this guidance. All stem cells characterized so far have primary cilia. They serve as entry- or check-points for various signaling events by controlling the signal transduction and stability. Thus, defects in the primary cilia formation or dynamics cause developmental and health problems, including but not limited to obesity, cardiovascular and renal anomalies, hearing and vision loss, and even cancers. In this review, we focus on the recent findings of how primary cilium controls various signaling pathways during stem cell differentiation and identify potential gaps in the field for future research.
The clinical impact of paroxysmal arrhythmias on the hospital outcomes of patients admitted with cirrhosis: propensity score matched analysis of 2011-2017 US hospitals.

Background We evaluate the effects of paroxysmal arrhythmia on the hospital outcomes of patients admitted with cirrhosis. Research design and methods : 2011-2017 National Inpatient Sample was used to isolate patients with decompensated/compensated cirrhosis, stratified by paroxysmal arrhythmia (supraventricular: PSVT and ventricular: PVT). The cohorts were matched using propensity-score matching and compared to mortality, length of stay, cost, and cardiac complications (cardioversion, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation). Results : In compensated cirrhosis, 2,453 had PSVT with matched controls; 5,274 had PVT with matched controls. Those with PSVT had higher mortality (aOR 1.55 95%CI 1.23-1.95) and higher rates of cardioversion and cardiogenic shock; likewise, those with PVT had higher mortality (aOR 2.41 95%CI 2.09-2.78) and higher rates of all complications. In decompensated cirrhosis, 1,598 had PSVT with matched controls; 4,178 had PVT with matched controls. Those with PSVT had higher mortality (aOR 1.57 95%CI 1.28-1.93) and higher rates of cardioversion, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest; those with PVT had higher mortality (aOR 2.25 95%CI 1.98-2.56) and higher rates of all complications. Conclusion : The findings from this study show that in either decompensated or compensated cohort, those with paroxysmal arrhythmias are at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality and adverse cardiac outcomes.
Trends in Robotic Port Closure and Hernia Risk by Surgical Specialty

Study Objective Determine if the rate of robotic fascial port closure differs by surgical specialty and assess the relationship between fascial closure and port-site hernias after a robotic-assisted surgery. Design Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing robotic surgery by gynecologists, urologists and general surgeons in which a 10 mm assistant port was used. Setting Urban Teaching Hospital with dual-console robotic teaching program. Patients or Participants Patients on the Gynecology, Urology, and General Surgery services at the University of Colorado between in 2019 who underwent a robot-assisted surgical procedure with or without fascial closure. Interventions Fascial closure or non-closure of the 10 mm laparoscopic port sites. Measurements and Main Results A total of 361 patients underwent robotic-assisted laparoscopy for gynecologic, urologic and general surgery procedures during the study period. Gynecologists were most likely to suture close the 10 mm fascial ports with 99% closure rate. General Surgeons closed the fascial port 87% of the time. Urologists were significantly less likely to close the 10 mm fascial port site with a 26% closure rate (P Conclusion There are differences between surgical specialties in the decision to close a 10 mm laparoscopic port with Gynecologists and General Surgeons suturing the fascia closed more commonly than Urologists. Despite this difference in practice, the hernia risk is very low in robotic surgery.
Escherichia coli Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli was purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the native protein, as determined by sedimentation equilibrium analyses, is 402,000. Sedimentation equilibrium analyses on the enzyme denatured in 3.5 m, 5 m, and 7 m guanidine hydrochloride gave a single species with a molecular weight of 99,590. Electrophoretic analyses of the enzyme in polyacrylamide gels in sodium dodecyl sulfate also gave a single species with a molecular weight of 107,000. These data indicate that the carboxylase is composed of four identical subunits, each having a molecular weight of approximately 100,000. Amino acid analyses indicate the presence of 36 cysteine residues per mole, all of which appear to exist as free sulfhydryl groups. The enzyme does not appear to be a metalloprotein. The partial specific volume is 0.737, the sedimentation coefficient is 12.3, and the specific reaction rate is 3.77 x 104 moles of substrate carboxylated per min per mole of enzyme. The diffusion coefficient and the frictional coefficient (f/f0) calculated from the molecular weight, V, and S gave values of 2.84 x 10-7 cm2 sec-1 and 1.53, respectively.
Matching of single-phase unidirectional SAW transducers and a demonstration using a low-loss EWC/SPUDT filter

The authors present the theoretical criterion for calculating the electrical port load required for matching a SPUDT (single-phase unidirectional transducer) and an efficient procedure for tuning a SPUDT filter. The theoretical development identifies a potentially useful class of SPUDTs that requires no matching network to achieve a high degree of triple transit cancellation. The sensitivity of the SPUDT filter's insertion loss to parasitic resistance is explained. It is found that the insertion loss of a SPUDT can increase as the thickness of the metallic overlay is increased (contrary to conventional surface acoustic wave technologies). The process of matching a SPUDT filter is demonstrated using a 196 MHz filter packaged in an 18-pin DIP package and matched with miniature internal coils. A triple transit suppression of 55 dB was obtained for an insertion loss of 8.6 dB. >
Verb-subject word order in Albanian English: Verb-subject word order in Albanian English

ABSTRACT: This paper examines some verb–subject constructions which were found in a number of articles in English published in Albanian newspapers and magazines. These inverse-order constructions are in contrast with the fixed subject–verb word order of English. Based on (the preverbal) sentence-initial element, three main groups of verb–subject constructions have been identified in the English texts of the Albanian periodicals: the ones preceded by (a) a topicalized adverbial, prepositional object, or subject complement, (b) the introductory it, and (c) the dummy subject there. The data show that these verb–subject constructions are used to render the discourse function of focus, i.e. new information in discourse. The presence of these constructions in Albanian English provides support for the complementary hypothesis on languages in contact, which highlights the competing influences of both the substrate (L1) and the superstrate (L2) languages. It is suggested that the frequent use of verb–subject word order of Albanian to render focus and the saliency of it and there constructions in English may have contributed to the emergence of these types of construction in Albanian English.
Behavioral Issues in Pricing Management

Psychological and emotional concerns are integral parts of human decision making, and thus important driving factors for the efficiency of economic systems full of human agents. This book chapter describes how these concerns induce human decisions that deviate from the predictions of neoclassical economic theories, and how such deviations affect pricing management in both areas of consumer pricing and pricing contracts among firms. We discuss an extensive spectrum of recent findings in behavioral economics, especially in a pricing context, and elaborate on the implications of these behavioral regularities for pricing strategies.
Structure-activity relationships of selected pyridines. I. Substituent constant analysis.

Abstract Twenty-two four-position derivatives of pyridine (C 5 H 5 N) were tested following an acute static regime with biological response being monitored as population growth of Tetrahymena pyriformis . The vinyl derivative was the most active and the hydroxy derivative was the least active. Structure-activity relationships were examined using substituent constants as molecular descriptors. Size/shape parameters and hydrophobic/hydrophilic parameters were found to be more important descriptors than electronic parameters. Following the deletion of the outliers, 4-vinylpyridine and 4-nitropyridine, molar refractivity was found to be the best single descriptor explaining 62.5% of the variability in biological response. Based on highest adjusted r 2 value the best model is log BR = 0.0055 (MR) − 0.3699 ( H a ) − 1.0124, r 2 = 0.709 (BR, biological response; MR, molar refractivity; H a , hydrogen acceptance). Models using P i (hydrophobic substituent constant) as the descriptor and comparisons with previously assayed naphthalenes are discussed.
A Unity 3D framework for algorithm animation

Since the first algorithm animation interactive computer system called BALSA appeared in 1984, many algorithm animation and visualization applications have been developed for educational purposes. Modern game engines (like Unity 3D and Unreal) possess a multitude of features which are vital for algorithm animation applications. Until now, these features have not been systematically exploited for educational applications. In this paper, we circumvent conventional programming languages (such as Java, C++, etc.) and their corresponding toolkits and instead describe our design of an alglorithm animation framework built around Unity 3D and demonstrate its application to the educational realm of graph algorithm animation. This project serves as a proof of concept that modern game engines such as Unity 3D can be used to create modern and effective tools for learning concepts contained in the realm of computer science and engineering.
GATA-3 Dose-Dependent Checkpoints in Early T Cell Commitment

GATA-3 expression is crucial for T cell development and peaks during commitment to the T cell lineage, midway through the CD4CD8 (double-negative [DN]) stages 1–3. We used RNA interference and conditional deletion to reduce GATA-3 protein acutely at specific points during T cell differentiation in vitro. Even moderate GATA-3 reduction killed DN1 cells, delayed progression to the DN2 stage, skewed DN2 gene regulation, and blocked appearance of the DN3 phenotype. Although a Bcl-2 transgene rescued DN1 survival and improved DN2 cell generation, it did not restore DN3 differentiation. Gene expression analyses (quantitative PCR, RNA sequencing) showed that GATA-3–deficient DN2 cells quickly upregulated genes, including Spi1 (PU.1) and Bcl11a, and downregulated genes, including Cpa3, Ets1, Zfpm1, Bcl11b, Il9r, and Il17rb with gene-specific kinetics and dose dependencies. These targets could mediate two distinct roles played by GATA-3 in lineage commitment, as revealed by removing wild-type or GATA-3–deficient early T lineage cells from environmental Notch signals. GATA-3 worked as a potent repressor of B cell potential even at low expression levels, so that only full deletion of GATA-3 enabled pro–T cells to reveal B cell potential. The ability of GATA-3 to block B cell development did not require T lineage commitment factor Bcl11b. In prethymic multipotent precursors, however, titration of GATA-3 activity using tamoxifen-inducible GATA-3 showed that GATA-3 inhibits B and myeloid developmental alternatives at different threshold doses. Furthermore, differential impacts of a GATA-3 obligate repressor construct imply that B and myeloid development are inhibited through distinct transcriptional mechanisms. Thus, the pattern of GATA-3 expression sequentially produces B lineage exclusion, T lineage progression, and myeloid-lineage exclusion for commitment.
Azithromycin induced hepatocellular toxicity and hepatic encephalopathy in asymptomatic dilated cardiomyopathy

Azithromycin is a widely used macrolide derivative and has generally been considered to be a very safe medication. Though gastrointestinal symptoms and reversible hearing loss are common, potentially serious side effects including angioedema and cholestatic jaundice occurred in less than one percent of patients. We report a case of asymptomatic dilated cardiomyopathy with Azithromycin induced severe hepatocellular toxicity and hepatic encephalopathy.
Inhibition of Synchronized Cellular Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis During Newcastle Disease Virus, Mengovirus, or Reovirus Infection

Abstract Cultures of L cells were synchronized with respect to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis with thymidine and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (FUdR) and infected with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), mengovirus, or reovirus 3. Inhibition of incorporation of 3H-cytidine into the DNA of synchronized cells is partially inhibited 2 hr after infection with NDV or mengovirus and nearly completely suppressed 4 hr after infection. With NDV and mengovirus, no evidence was obtained of differences in sensitivity of cells during early S phase as compared to later stages in DNA synthesis. When cells were infected with reovirus at the time of release from FUdR block, inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis was evident at 2 to 3 hr, and it was complete at 4 to 5 hr after infection. However, when cells were infected several hours prerelease, synthesis of DNA occurred in early S phase in spite of the fact that the cells had been infected for up to 6 hr. The results indicate that DNA synthesis in early S phase is relatively insensitive to the inhibitory function of reovirus. Colorimetric determinations (diphenylamine reaction) of the amounts of DNA produced in synchronized cells have substantiated the inhibition of DNA synthesis observed by isotope incorporation techniques.
Host Cell Range and Growth Characteristics of Bovine Parvoviruses

In assessing the host cell range of bovine parvoviruses, these viruses were found to replicate optimally in actively dividing bovine fetal lung and spleen cells. Other primary bovine fetal cells supported growth to a lesser extent, but bovine line cells and line cells of other animal species tested did not. Minimal infectivity remained after passage of bovine parvovirus in cells from chicken embryos and guinea pig fetuses. During bovine parvovirus replication in bovine fetal lung and spleen cells, production kinetics of infectious virus and hemagglutinins were determined. An eclipse period of 16 h occurred, and viral release from cells was not detected until 30 h after inoculation of bovine fetal lung cells and 36 h after inoculation of bovine fetal spleen cells. Cell-associated virus titers were always higher than extracellular virus titers. Hemagglutinins were detected in parallel to infectious virus. Images
Synthesis of ether- and carbon-linked polycarboranyl porphyrin dimers for cancer therapies

Abstract Porphyrin dimers bearing multiple carborane cages for potential use as sensitizers in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) were synthesized from protoporphyrin dimethyl ester and characterized. Diastereomeric ether-linked dimers bearing four closo carborane cages (40 boron atoms) were found to be unstable to the acidic conditions necessary for conversion into water-soluble salts. In contrast, the carboncarbon-linked dimers bearing six icosahedral carboranes (60 boron atoms) were stable to acid and could be isolated as water-soluble sodium salts. In vitro and in vivo studies of these novel molecules are currently under investigation.
Enhancement of Resistance in Mice to Staphylococcal Infection by Preliminary Treatment with a Staphylococcal Extract.

SummaryAn extract from the supernate of an epidemic strain of staphylococcus which was not an endotoxin was injected intra-abdominally in mice. Twenty hours later the systemic resistance of these mice was significantly enhanced to lethal infections with homologous and heterologous strains of staphylococci and a toxogenic strain of E. coli. This effect was demonstrable in suckling, young and old mice.
HCV RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon‐α

In order to assess the efficacy of interferon-α on hepatitis C viral RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C, we analyzed the levels of HCV RNA in sera and liver tissues of 16 patients pre- and posttreatment using a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Fifteen of 16 patients were positive for anti-HCV antibodies by four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay (4-RIBA). Only two patients demonstrated normalization of ALT in response to interferon; three patients showed a partial response. Only one patient from the partial responder group displayed a significant reduction of HCV RNA level posttreatment. In the nonresponder group, several patients, although their ALTs remained elevated, demonstrated significant decreases in HCV RNA levels in either serum or liver in response to interferon. Our data suggest that interferon treatment of chronic hepatitis C may not be effective in eradicating HCV infection and a reduction in ALT is infrequently associated with a decrease in HCV RNA level in either serum or liver. Cessation of treatment is frequently associated with the recrudescence of HCV replication and disease. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
In Defense of “Public Reason”: Supreme Court Justice William Johnson

For those of us who gravitate toward rebels and upstarts, Supreme Court Justice William Johnson has uncommon appeal, if only because he was the first member of the federal Bench to kick up his heels in a sustained, effective, and deliberate way. In 1954, Johnson's only biographer, Donald Morgan, proclaimed him “the first dissenter,”1 a force for democratization in the style of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the man who persuaded Chief Justice John Marshall to compromise on the question of unitary opinions and institutionalize (if not applaud) publication of concurring or dissenting departures from the majority's official reasoning.
Identification of the gene (SSU71/TFG1) encoding the largest subunit of transcription factor TFIIF as a suppressor of a TFIIB mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract Mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SSU71 gene were isolated as suppressors of a transcription factor TFIIB defect that confers both a cold-sensitive growth defect and a downstream shift in transcription start-site selection at the cyc1 locus. The ssu71-1 suppressor not only suppresses the conditional phenotype but also restores the normal pattern of transcription initiation at cyc1. In addition, the ssu71-1 suppressor confers a heat-sensitive phenotype that is dependent upon the presence of the defective form of TFIIB. Molecular and genetic analysis of the cloned SSU71 gene demonstrated that SSU71 is a single-copy essential gene encoding a highly charged protein with a molecular mass of 82,194 daltons. Comparison of the deduced Ssu71 amino acid sequence with the protein data banks revealed significant similarity to RAP74, the larger subunit of the human general transcription factor TFIIF. Moreover, Ssu71 is identical to p105, a component of yeast TFIIF. Taken together, these data demonstrate a functional interaction between TFIIB and the large subunit of TFIIF and that this interaction can affect start-site selection in vivo.
CS/IT OER: Availability, Discoverability and Use

This paper presents a study on two aspects of Computer Science and Information Technology Open Educational Resources (CS/IT OER) conducted in the CS OER Portal, a reference repository of CS/IT open educational resources. The first aspect focuses on the scope, scale and progress of CS/IT OER development. Here we present a statistical characterization of OER aimed at adding to our understanding of their potential for Computer Science and IT teaching and learning and of the impact of the observed trends. The second aspect focuses on obtaining empirical evidence on how people use search and browsing when presented with interfaces providing several alternatives for exploring content.
Stereoselective synthesis of 3-(1-Hydroxyethyl)-2-azetidinonesfrom 3-hydroxybutyrates

Abstract Addition of dianions of 3-hydroxybutyrates to benzylideneaniline results in direct formation of trans S* -3-(l-hydroxyethyl)-1,4-diphenyl-2-azetidinone with 95% diastereoselectivity. Inversion of the configuration at Cα, gives the desired trans R* -2-azetidinone in high yield.
A user interface for high dynamic range transfer function design

Transfer function design is a critical task in volume visualization. Non-automated methods typically provide a user interface (UI) to accomplish this task. The UI is particularly important in real-time visualization when users continually change the transfer function to converge to a desired result. We present a graphical UI which integrates an editor for traditional transfer functions using linear color and opacity mappings, with novel, non-linear mapping methods used with high dynamic range data sets as used in [Yuan et al. 2005]. Our UI has been designed for one-dimensional transfer functions. We chose to display the data space linearly so as to allow users to see it as they are used to, but add interaction methods like zoom and pan to move rapidly between different levels of detail.
Research Strategy for the HPLC/FT-IR Analysis of Drug Metabolites

A strategy for the infrared spectroscopic analysis of drug metabolites in high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) effluent is presented with a primary focus on delivery of metabolite structure as opposed to development of dedicated or automated instrumentation. This paper stresses the complementary nature of on-line (solution phase) and off-line (condensed phase) HPLC Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) implementations for structural elucidation of drug metabolites.
Natural Law Liberalism

Natural Law Liberalism. By Christopher Wolfe. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 268p. $75.00 cloth.Although natural law theory and liberal political philosophy signify two realms of thought typically regarded as at loggerheads, Christopher Wolfe's provocatively titled book not only argues for their theoretical compatibility but also sets forth a new synthesis intended to furnish the basis for an inclusive American public philosophy at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Notwithstanding the fact that modern liberalism fought its way into historical existence as a radical alternative to political excesses sanctioned by traditional versions of natural law theory, Wolfe maintains that the political character of this initial confrontation has given rise to unnecessarily narrow and antagonistic understandings of the relationship between them. Natural law and modern liberalism are in fact products of two richly varied and complex intellectual traditions. By disentangling the essential features of natural law theory from the historical circumstances within which it developed, and by setting out the full array of political philosophies that constitute the tradition of liberalism, Wolfe advances a serious and thoughtful account of the way in which the objective moral principles of natural law can and ought to be reconciled with modern liberalism's distinctive commitments to liberty and equality. By challenging the underlying premises of contemporary debate about the proper relationship between religion and politics, he opens a new and constructive path for future dialogue among often polarized and combative participants.
Adaptive multifoveation for low-complexity video compression with a stationary camera perspective

In human visual system the spatial resolution of a scene under view decreases uniformly at points of increasing distance from the point of gaze, also called foveation point. This phenomenon is referred to as foveation and has been exploited in foveated imaging to allocate bits in image and video coding according to spatially varying perceived resolution. Several digital image processing techniques have been proposed in the past to realize foveated images and video. In most cases a single foveation point is assumed in a scene. Recently there has been a significant interest in dynamic as well as multi-point foveation. The complexity involved in identification of foveation points is however significantly high in the proposed approaches. In this paper, an adaptive multi-point foveation technique for video data based on the concepts of regions of interests (ROIs) is proposed and its performance is investigated. The points of interest are assumed to be centroid of moving objects and dynamically determined by the foveation algorithm proposed. Fast algorithm for implementing region based multi-foveation processing is proposed. The proposed adaptive multi-foveation fully integrates with existing video codec standard in both spatial and DCT domain.
Multi-platform Observations Characterizing the Afternoon-to-Evening Transition of the Planetary Boundary Layer in Northern Alabama, USA

Observations from the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus and ground-based scanning radar for over 140 total spring, summer, and autumn cases are studied to contribute to the relative scarcity of long-term datasets documenting the afternoon-to-evening transition of the planetary boundary layer. A sunset relative frame of reference is employed, focusing on the period 3 h before to 2 h after astronomical sunset, and several findings are consistent with previous investigations. Fluctuating components of wind and temperature computed from nearly collocated surface, Doppler wind profiler, and vertically pointing Doppler lidar measurements show a consistent decline as turbulence intensity diminishes through the transition. When normalized by their initial values, a pattern emerges: temperature variances decline slowly at first then quite abruptly after about 90 min before sunset. After the temperature variances begin to wane, vertical velocity fluctuations decrease, and the rate of their decay increases as vigorous thermal structures diminish. The fastest decline of the horizontal wind variance occurs after an accelerated vertical wind variance decrease, and the horizontal wind fluctuations display the slowest rate of decrease among these quantities. Near-surface humidity measurements show increases in mean water vapour mixing ratio as a steady rise generally beginning about 80 min prior to sunset. Composites of mean lidar vertical motion show final convective-type towers of upward motion occur about an hour before sunset and are coherent through 800 m (all heights a.g.l.). Lidar vertical motion variance at 195 m decreases by more than an order of magnitude approaching sunset, then remains below 0.01 m\(^{2}\) s\(^{-2}\) for the rest of the studied time frame. Subtle, but steady, increases in both horizontal wind speed and radar-derived horizontal wind convergence above the surface layer (at 300 m) span the entire 5-h time frame. While the convergence results show a broad range, an increase in the mean is clear and found to be statistically significant. Implications for possible transition-effect enhancements to pre-existing low-level convergence areas are briefly noted.
Developing International Managerial Skills Through the Cross-Cultural Assignment: Experiential Learning by Matching U.S.-Based and International Students

This article describes the “Cross-cultural Assignment,” an experiential learning technique for students of business that deepens self-awareness of their own attitudes toward different cultures and develops international managerial skills. The technique consists of pairing up small teams of U.S.-based business students with small teams of international students from the same country, who are not yet completely fluent in English, to form augmented teams that then need to execute tasks and produce several end-products. This pedagogical method has been used successfully in recent years in international management and international business courses for both lower-classman and upper-classman undergraduate business students and for students in graduate MBA programs. The article positions the technique within the literature on experiential learning and cultural differences, describes the methodology in detail, offers several examples of its use, and discusses the benefits and challenges observed in its implementa...
Media Conglomeration and Women's Interests: A Global Concern

On July 29, 2013, Albritton Communications, Inc., announced it would be selling its eight television stations to Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the largest independent television conglomerate in the ...
Vibrio cholerae FabV Defines a New Class of Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase

Enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase catalyzes the last step of the fatty acid elongation cycle. The paradigm enoyl-ACP reductase is the FabI protein of Escherichia coli that is the target of the antibacterial compound, triclosan. However, some Gram-positive bacteria are naturally resistant to triclosan due to the presence of the triclosan-resistant enoyl-ACP reductase isoforms, FabK and FabL. The genome of the Gram-negative bacterium, Vibrio cholerae lacks a gene encoding a homologue of any of the three known enoyl-ACP reductase isozymes suggesting that this organism encodes a novel fourth enoyl-ACP reductase isoform. We report that this is the case. The gene encoding the new isoform, called FabV, was isolated by complementation of a conditionally lethal E. coli fabI mutant strain and was shown to restore fatty acid synthesis to the mutant strain both in vivo and in vitro. Like FabI and FabL, FabV is a member of the short chain dehydrogenase reductase superfamily, although it is considerably larger (402 residues) than either FabI (262 residues) or FabL (250 residues). The FabV, FabI and FabL sequences can be aligned, but only poorly. Alignment requires many gaps and yields only 15% identical residues. Thus, FabV defines a new class of enoyl-ACP reductase. The native FabV protein has been purified to homogeneity and is active with both crotonyl-ACP and the model substrate, crotonyl-CoA. In contrast to FabI and FabL, FabV shows a very strong preference for NADH over NADPH. Expression of FabV in E. coli results in markedly increased resistance to triclosan and the purified enzyme is much more resistant to triclosan than is E. coli FabI.
Neutrophil activation induced by placental factors in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies in vitro.

Increased neutrophil activation has been demonstrated in women with pre-eclampsia. Activated neutrophils may play a significant role in the vascular endothelial pathophysiology in this disorder of pregnancy. How neutrophils become activated in pre-eclampsia is unknown. It has been proposed that activating factors could be produced and released by the placenta. To test if placental factors could stimulate neutrophil activation and what mechanism might be involved, neutrophils isolated from healthy female volunteers were exposed to the conditioned medium (CM) derived from either normal (Nor) or pre-eclamptic (PE) placental villous culture. Neutrophil-endothelial adhesion, neutrophil superoxide generation, elastase activity and integrin expression were measured. The data were analysed by ANOVA. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All values are expressed as a mean+/-s.e. We found: (1) neutrophil-endothelial adhesion was significantly increased in neutrophils exposed PE-CM than those exposed to Nor-CM and non-CM, P 0.1; (4) significant changes in CD62L and CD11b expression were found in neutrophils exposed to PE-CM. We conclude that factors produced by the placenta can activate neutrophils by an increase in superoxide generation and modulation of adhesion molecule expression. Upregulation of surface adhesion molecule CD11 expression may be responsible for the increased neutrophil-endothelial adhesion induced by factors derived from pre-eclamptic placentae.
The effect of carried loads on the walking patterns of men and women

In order to determine the effect of loads worn or carried on walking mechanics, 11 men and 11 women were filmed using high speed cinematography as they performed overground walking at 1·78 m/s under five load conditions. The loads included a baseline condition in which subjects carried no added load, and additional loads of approximately 9, 17, 29 and 36 kg consisting of standard military items. The latter two loads were added in the form of a framed rucksack system. Values for several variables frequently used to described temporal and kinematic characteristics of walking were quantified from the film. These included stride length, stride rate, single leg support time, double-support time, swing time and the forward inclination of the trunk. The results of the study demonstrated that the males and females displayed significantly different gait patterns under all load conditions. Not unexpectedly, the females required a higher rate of stepping than the males because of their shorter stride lengths. The re...
Understanding School Behavior Disruption: Classifying School Environments

In this article the relationship of school environments to school disruption is examined. An environmental typology developed by Moos and Insel is adapted to measure how school environments vary and those dimensions are found to contribute to the amount of disruption in junior and senior high schools.
Reducing the Health and Digital Divides: A Model for Using Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to E-Health Interventions in Low-Income Hispanic Communities

Low-incomeHispanicsarethemostdigitallyunderservedpopulationintheU.S.Thisarticle examines the potential of community-based participatory research approach to e-health to decrease the disparities in access to technology and health information in low-income Hispaniccommunities.Todemonstrate thisframework,wedescribe theprocessofdesigning a community-based e-health intervention to increase knowledge and parental self-efficacy in coping with young children’s mental health problems including mental health service utilization. Our model incorporates utilizing promotoras de salud (lay community health educators) and community media principles to create the content of e-health interventions and train community members in using the technology. This case study illustrates the processes involved in using this approach, barriers for participatory e-health interventions in bridging the Digital Divide, and lessons learned.
Ureteroscopically assisted percutaneousrenal access

Percutaneous nephrostolithotomy is a common procedure for removing kidney stones. Obtaining percutaneous access can be difficult in some patients. We describe our technique of ureteroscopically assisted percutaneous renal access for patients in whom standard percutaneous access may be challenging.