cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomaterial-Dependent Characteristics of the Foreign Body Response and S. epidermidis Biofilm Interactions

This chapter presents our efforts to develop a better mechanistic understanding of how biomaterial interactions with blood components lead to alteration of the basic pathophysiologic mechanisms, in particular, inflammation and the foreign body response, which increase the probability of bacterial interactions, colonization, biofilm formation, and infection. In particular, we present perspectives on mechanisms of S. epidermidis biofilm formation, the role of surface chemistry on biofilm formation, the role of bacterial slime production in device infections, the apoptosis of adherent polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the acute inflammatory response, neutrophil mobility and phagocytosis of bacteria on biomaterials, generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by biomaterial-adherent neutrophils, and quorum sensing in S. epidermidis biofilm formation. Our work has focused on infection mechanisms of cardiovascular prostheses and devices where blood hemodynamics and shear stress play important roles in inflammatory cell interactions with biomaterial surfaces. However, we believe that much of our results also are applicable to static implant situations found in orthopedic, cosmetic (plastic), and other surgical areas.
Secondary-Structure-Mediated Hierarchy and Mechanics in Polyurea-Peptide Hybrids.

Peptide–polymer hybrids combine the hierarchy of biological species with synthetic concepts to achieve control over molecular design and material properties. By further incorporating covalent cross-links, the enhancement of molecular complexity is achieved, allowing for both a physical and covalent network. In this work, the structure and function of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–network hybrids are tuned by varying peptide block length and overall peptide content. Here the impact of poly(e-carbobenzyloxy-l-lysine) (PZLY) units on block interactions and mechanics is explored by probing secondary structure, PEG crystallinity, and hierarchical organization. The incorporation of PZLY reveals a mixture of α-helices and β-sheets at smaller repeat lengths (n = 5) and selective α-helix formation at a higher peptide molecular weight (n = 20). Secondary structure variations tailored the solid-state film hierarchy, whereby nanoscale fibers and microscale spherulites varied in size depending on the amount of α-helices...
Analyzing Richard Nixon’s “Political Death and Resurrection” to Strengthen Students’ Civic Thinking Skills

While historical thinking has a rich literature, civic thinking has been an underdeveloped area of research in social studies education. I discuss in this article three activities designed to stren...
Potential of self-drying siding with raised air cavities for building envelopes

Abstract Within building envelopes, air cavities behind a siding provide a feasible way to mitigate the moisture-related issues such as rain penetration and frost damage. However, for a common contact-applied siding system, the small gap directly attaching the siding with the wall sheathing greatly limits the drying functions of air cavity: capillary break, drainage, and ventilation drying. Moreover, the drying performance of the air cavities behind the siding remains unknown, and commonly a rectangular unicellular cavity is inexactly assumed to simplify investigating the hygrothermal performance of a siding system. After analyzing the irregular and complex configuration of air cavities composed of multiple same cavity cells, this paper develops a mathematical model based on the circuit diagram principle to quantify the air flow rate within the multicellular cavity behind a siding with respect to the air differential pressure and flow resistance. This model is then used to evaluate the drying performance of a siding system, which is found to be heavily dependent on the cavity depth between the siding and the wall sheathing. Further sensitivity analysis shows that the air flow rate within the cavity rapidly increases to a maximum value as the cavity depth increases, and then converges at a lower value. The cavity's air flow rate reaches its maximal value when the cavity depth is 48% of a siding panel projection, e.g., 0.31 in (7.8 mm) for a triple dutch lap vinyl siding. Based on the optimal cavity depth, several design improvements are proposed.
Ultrasonic Implant Localization for Wireless Power Transfer: Active Uplink and Harmonic Backscatter

Efficient ultrasonic power transfer to implantable devices requires precise transmitter beamforming to the receiver and can quickly degrade with small changes in implant location. Ultrasound localization can be used to find and track implants in the body to maintain an efficient link. We present a framework to calculate localization accuracy showing that sub-mm accuracy is obtainable using only three receive channels. A harmonic backscatter approach, which passively provides contrast in the frequency domain without active load modulation is compared to active uplink from the implant. The localization accuracy using both active uplink and harmonic backscatter from the implant power receiver is characterized using a linear array probe. The measured location standard deviation is nearly two orders of magnitude smaller than the half-power beamwidth of the array focal spot. Finally, beamforming using the measured location information increases the available power by over 20 × compared to an unfocused beam.
Toward Optimal Ru(II) Photocages: Balancing Photochemistry, Stability, and Biocompatibility Through Fine Tuning of Steric, Electronic, and Physiochemical Features.

Ru(II) complex photocages are used in a variety of biological applications, but the thermal stability, photosubstitution quantum yield, and biological compatibility of the most commonly used Ru(II)...
Simulation-directed amplifiable nanoparticle enhanced quantitative scattering assay under low magnification dark field microscopy

Nanoparticle-enhanced assays read by high-magnification dark-field microscopy require time-intensive analysis methods subject to selection bias, which can be resolved by using low magnification dark-field assays (LMDFA), at the cost of reduced sensitivity. We have simulated and experimentally validated a tunable linker-based signal amplification strategy yielding 6-fold enhanced LMDFA sensitivity.
The effects of satiation level and competition risk on resource acquisition in red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii )

Strategies of resource acquisition are subject to change due to introduced pressures placed upon individual animals. The pressures of food deprivation and competition can lead to a drastic change in previously established strategies of resource acquisition. We conducted a series of trials in which red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) were either deprived of food or satiated and competition was introduced via a plastic model to necessitate the abandonment of established resource acquisition strategies in favor of risk-insensitive strategies. Crayfish exhibited no difference in behavior when exposed to a singular pressure; however, an interaction between food deprivation and competition was detected and indicates that crayfish responded to food sources more quickly and with more risk-insensitive behavior when a model competitor was present. This combination of factors indicates a complex relationship between resource acquisition strategies and the pressures of acquiring food.
Advances in the discovery and development of selective heme-displacing IDO1 inhibitors

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) has been considered as an attractive intracellular target for the development of small-molecule cancer immunotherapy. Results in human clinical studies indicate...
Women’s Representation and the Gendered Pipeline to Power

The leading explanation for the underrepresentation of women in American politics is that women are less likely to run for office than men, but scholars have given less attention in recent years to the gender makeup of the pipeline to elected office. We examine the gendered pipeline to power across three potential candidate pools: lower-level officeholders, those named in newspapers as likely candidates, and lawyers who made political contributions. We find some evidence that women are less likely to seek elected office; however, the dearth of women in the pipeline plays a much greater role in the lack of women candidates. For the gender disparity in candidates to close, women have to be far more likely to run for office than men, particularly on the Republican side. Our results highlight the need to consider the gendered pipeline to power alongside rates of entry in studies of women’s underrepresentation.
Coronal Fourier Power Spectra: Implications for Coronal Seismology and Coronal Heating

The dynamics of regions of the solar corona are investigated using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly 171 A and 193 A data. The coronal emission from the quiet Sun, coronal loop footprints, coronal moss, and from above a sunspot is studied. It is shown that the mean Fourier power spectra in these regions can be described by a power law at lower frequencies that tails to a flat spectrum at higher frequencies, plus a Gaussian-shaped contribution that varies depending on the region studied. This Fourier spectral shape is in contrast to the commonly held assumption that coronal time series are well described by the sum of a long timescale background trend plus Gaussian-distributed noise, with some specific locations also showing an oscillatory signal. The implications of the observed spectral shape on the fields of coronal seismology and the automated detection of oscillations in the corona are discussed. The power-law contribution to the shape of the Fourier power spectrum is interpreted as being due to the summation of a distribution of exponentially decaying emission events along the line of sight. This is consistent with the idea that the solar atmosphere is heated everywhere by small energy deposition events.
Predicting Inductive Biases of Pre-Trained Models

Most current NLP systems are based on a pre-train-then-fine-tune paradigm, in which a large neural network is first trained in a self-supervised way designed to encourage the network to extract broadly-useful linguistic features, and then fine-tuned for a specific task of interest. Recent work attempts to understand why this recipe works and explain when it fails. Currently, such analyses have produced two sets of apparently-contradictory results. Work that analyzes the representations that result from pre-training (via "probing classifiers") finds evidence that rich features of linguistic structure can be decoded with high accuracy, but work that analyzes model behavior after fine-tuning (via "challenge sets") indicates that decisions are often not based on such structure but rather on spurious heuristics specific to the training set. In this work, we test the hypothesis that the extent to which a feature influences a model's decisions can be predicted using a combination of two factors: The feature's "extractability" after pre-training (measured using information-theoretic probing techniques), and the "evidence" available during fine-tuning (defined as the feature's co-occurrence rate with the label). In experiments with both synthetic and natural language data, we find strong evidence (statistically significant correlations) supporting this hypothesis.
Why Does MNE Performance Vary Across Countries? An Inquiry into the Competitive Value of MNE Assets

Variations in MNEs’ competitive positions across countries are prevalent phenomena in the business landscape, but are not fully explained by MNE theory. Building on competition theories and applying them to the context of the MNE, we hypothesize that the value of MNEs’ assets varies in relation to competitors of different nationalities and varying geographic scope, and across locations. These predictions are tested on US legal-services MNEs in competition with US domestic firms and non-US MNEs in the US and abroad. We find support for the hypothesized variations that are particularly strong for competitors’ location. These variations suggest that the value of MNE assets is relative, and their varying competitive positions across countries is an inherent feature of international competition, calling for corresponding positioning and strategies.
Two Ubiquitin-Activating Systems Occur in Plants with One Playing a Major Role in Plant Immunity

Abstract Many plants possess two or more ubiquitin-activating enzymes (E1). However, it is unclear whether the E1s of a plant genome play equivalent roles in various pathways. Here we report that tomato and tobacco encode dual ubiquitin-activating systems (DUAS) in which the E1s UBA1 and UBA2 display differential specificities in charging four groups of E2s. The C-terminal ubiquitin-folding domain of the E1s play a major but not sole role in determining the differential specificities of charging the four groups E2s. The dual systems do not play equivalent roles in plant immunity, with silence of UBA2 only compromising host immunity. Among the differentially charged E2s, group IV members UBC32, UBC33 and UBC34 are shown to be essential for ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) and plant immunity. Like tomato, Arabidopsis UBC32/33/34 E2 triplet are also differentially charged by its E1s and are essential for plant immunity. Loss of function in Arabidopsis UBC32, UBC33 and UBC34 does not affect flg22 and elf18-triggered inhibition of seedling growth but results in alteration of ER stress tolerance, which likely contribute to the diminished plant immunity in the mutants. Our results uncover DUAS in plants and a previously unknown E1–ERAD-associated E2 triplet module in the regulation of host immunity. One sentence summary Plant dual ubiquitin E1 systems play distinct roles in plant immunity by differentially charging the ERAD-associated E2s for ER stress tolerance.
Heart health meets cognitive health: evidence on the role of blood pressure

The enormous societal and financial burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias requires the identification of risk factors and pathways to reduce dementia risk. Blood pressure (BP) management and control is one promising area, in which data have been inconclusive. Accumulating evidence over the past 5 years shows the effectiveness of BP management interventions among older individuals at risk, most notably from the SPRINT-MIND trial. These findings have been coupled with longitudinal observational data. However, to date, the results do not concur on the optimal timing and target of BP lowering, and further study in diverse populations is needed. Given the long preclinical phase of dementia and data supporting the importance of BP control earlier in the lifecourse, long-term interventional and observational studies in ethnically and racially diverse populations, with novel imaging and blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration and vascular cognitive impairment to understand the pathophysiology, are needed to advance the field.
A Novel Power Distribution Network Assessment Approach Using Drones Considering Wireless Charging

Power networks are an important infrastructure that requires close monitoring and recurring assessment during and following a catastrophic event. The drone’s unique aerial and unmanned nature has made it an efficient and powerful tool for damage assessment of the power networks. In this article, we propose a drone-routing framework to enable the systematic and automatic assessment of power networks considering wireless charging of the drone during the scanning. This article incorporates the resilience-oriented line priority index to periodically prioritize the power lines based on their specifications and conditions, and by doing so, this improves the efficiency of the assessment. A multiobjective mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to dynamically determine the drone’s optimal routing and speed in order to assure that the drone gathers sufficient data while completing the assessment mission in the shortest period of time. Since the proposed optimization algorithm needs to be solved multiple times for different sections of the power network, we propose a set of solution algorithms to reduce the computational burden and allow the proposed algorithm to reach the optimal solution quickly. Simulation results on a power network consisting of 77 nodes and 73 lines illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in performing network-wide dynamic assessment using a drone.
Survival of common foodborne pathogens on dates, sundried tomatoes, and dried pluots at refrigerated and ambient temperatures

Abstract The survival of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes was assessed on low- and high-moisture Medjool dates, sundried tomatoes and dried pluots. Dates were inoculated using a dry (sand) carrier, while dried pluots and tomatoes were inoculated using a wet (phosphate-buffered saline) carrier to ensure even distribution of the inoculum on dried fruit surfaces while minimizing the impact on their physiochemical properties. Inoculated dried fruits were stored at ambient and refrigerated temperatures for 180 days. No significant change was observed in pH and water activity of dried fruits during storage. In general, pathogens survived at higher levels for longer time on dates (pH 5.59–5.83) than sundried tomatoes (pH 3.80) and pluots (pH 3.45) and better at refrigerated temperature than ambient temperature. Salmonella survived better than the other two pathogens. When inoculated on dates, up to 5.31 log CFU/g of Salmonella was recovered after 180 days of refrigerated storage. Results of this study prove that common foodborne pathogens can survive on dried fruits, particularly at refrigerated temperature. Factors such as pH, water activity, and inoculation levels impact bacterial behavior during storage. Control measures need to be validated to minimize pathogen contamination of dried fruits and ensure their microbial safety.
Antibiotics at delivery: Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Primum Non Nocere

Antibiotics administered just before delivery or during the intrapartum period is common globally and recommendations for increased use continue to expand. Before the introduction of maternal screening and treatment for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization to prevent neonatal GBS sepsis in the 1990's, maternal antibiotic treatment at delivery was used rarely, usually for confirmed maternal infections. With maternal screening for GBS, including a 20-25% positivity rate in the United States (US), antibiotic use at delivery increased substantially.(1) Antibiotics at delivery were subsequently recommended for women with prolonged membrane rupture and preterm labor. Recommendations expanded further with evidence that antibiotics reduced post-partum maternal infections associated with cesarean delivery.(2) And now, following a trial in The Gambia that suggested reduced maternal and neonatal infections, several large trials in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are evaluating whether widespread azithromycin treatment, not only for women undergoing cesarean delivery, but among all pregnant women, reduces maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.(3).
Jurisdiction Over Electronic Commerce: Preliminary Teaching Materials

Law school courses covering the law of the Internet are proliferating almost as rapidly as domain names, but there is a dearth of teaching materials. In an effort to help fill that gap, we offer a draft of one chapter of a casebook we are writing on the law of electronic commerce. The chapter focuses on the developing law of personal jurisdiction, and touches upon a few related matters. This is very much a work in progress, and we would be grateful to receive any comments or suggestions that you may have. The chapter's table of contents is reproduced below. Text of the chapter will be freely provided upon request. Please note, as required by law: These materials do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Trade Commission or any individual Commissioner.
Byron Almén, A Theory of Musical Narrative

The serious study of narrative in music dates at least from the publication of Edward Cone's The Composer's Voice in 1974. During the 1980s and 1990s, a number of scholars picked up the problem, so...
The LITTLE WORK project

Supporting software has not kept pace with the micro-miniaturization of microprocessor-based machines. The predominant operating system on such machines is MS-DOS, with no support for distributed computing. The goal of the LITTLE WORK project is to use off-the-shelf components to develop a mobile computing environment that is identical to that encountered in the office environment. Components identified as critical building blocks are the computer, the operating system, the file system, and communication. Each is examined. Development of a prototype machine is described. >
The determination of SPICE Gummel-Poon parameters by a merged optimization-extraction technique

A powerful and flexible bipolar characterization method is presented. The technique is based on a merging of the optimization and extraction approaches that allows; the advantages of both to be retained. Detailed discussions clarify how four aspects of the methodology alleviate the major bipolar parametrization problems. With these procedures a full model may be developed in under an hour. The physical nature of the parameters is retained by fitting to extensive data. >
COVER model pivot view indexing for efficient XML data management

In order to support corporate business' competition on speed to market for product and service development, generically modeled data structures have been widely used in the development of vertical application software systems, and in storing XML and RDF data for its flexibility, adaptability, and agility. However, generic data models require multiple self-joins on a single table with a large volume of data, causing slow performance for business intelligence (BI) applications. On the other hand, shredded XML data stored in traditional specific data models have faster performance but are not flexible, adaptive, or agile for speed to market. A generic data model named the Class Object Value Element Relationship (COVER) model was developed for storing node-oriented tree data information, and is suitable for automated pivot view generation and distributed data processing. This approach utilizes pivot views with appropriate metadata constructs to expose the search predicate fields for indexing and results in performance gains in data retrieval from branches or leaves across multiple trees for production support or data retrieval to feed business intelligence and data mining. Benchmark experiments for comparing the query performance on the COVER model against self-join and XPath/XQuery approaches using RDBMS were executed and proved that the COVER model outperforms the other two on the same sets of test data queries.
Spoken variable initiative dialog: an adaptable natural-language interface

Several obstacles have prevented spoken natural-language systems from providing the required performance, including inflexibility, ineffective goal-seeking, and poor speech recognition. However, these problems can be circumvented by embedding the speech recognition technology within a dialog processing mechanism. Such a variable initiative dialog is a major advance that lets natural-language systems communicate effectively with novices and experts. Based on a theory of natural-language dialog that addresses these issues, the author has implemented a system that uses spoken natural language to help users repair electronic circuits. The integrated dialog-processing model combines a domain problem solver, a general subdialog mechanism, and knowledge about the user to provide timely and coherent assistance to the user. The robust parsing and language-understanding mechanism helps the system to correctly determine the meaning of utterances in spite of misrecognitions. Results indicate that commercial application of this technology is within reach, and should stimulate thought about how to further improve the quality of spoken natural-language interaction. >
Label‐free optical biosensor with microfluidics for sensing ligand‐directed functional selectivity on trafficking of thrombin receptor

Ligand-directed functional selectivity has stimulated much interest in the molecular delineation of drug pharmacology and the process of drug discovery. Here we describe the development of a label-free optical biosensor with microfluidics for whole cell sensing. The microfluidics controls the duration of agonist exposure and of the functional recovery of activated protease activated receptor-1 (PAR1). The biosensor manifests that the persistency of PAR1 signaling is dependent on the agonists, which, in turn, affects the receptor resensitization process. This study demonstrates a new means to differentiate ligand-directed functional selectivity on trafficking of receptors.
Quantitative genetic tools for insecticide resistance risk assessment: Estimating the heritability of resistance.

Quantitative genetic studies of resistance can provide estimates of genetic parameters not available with other types of genetic analyses. Three methods are discussed for estimating the amount of additive genetic variation in resistance to individual insecticides and subsequent estimation of the heritability (h2) of resistance. Sibling analysis and offspring parent regression permit direct estimates of h 2 by comparing the resistance phenotypes of individuals of known relatedness. Threshold trait analyses, performed on data from selection experiments, provide estimates of realized heritability. Procedures are outlined for predicting changes in resistance to insecticides based on h 2 estimates. Quantitative genetic theory is examined as it relates to resistance and resistance as a quantitative trait; quantitative genetic methods also are unique in providing estimates of genetic correlations between traits. Comments are included on estimates of genetic correlation between resistance and phenotypic traits (e.g., development time) and how they may be used to predict changes in the genetic aspects of phenology that result from insecticide applications (i.e., to predict how the reproductive capacity of future generations will differ from that of the treated generation)
Energy dependence of jet quenching and lifetime of dense matter in high-energy heavy-ion collisions

Suppression of high ${p}_{T}$ hadron spectra in high-energy heavy-ion collisions at different energies is studied within a perturbative QCD parton model incorporating medium-induced parton energy loss. The ${p}_{T}$ dependence of the nuclear modification factor ${R}_{AA}({p}_{T})$ is found to depend on both the energy dependence of the parton energy loss and the power-law behavior of the initial jet spectra. The high ${p}_{T}$ hadron suppression at $\sqrt{s}=62.4\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GeV}$ and its centrality dependence are studied in detail. The overall values of the modification factor are found to provide strong constraints on the lifetime of the dense matter.
Schistosoma mansoni: TGF-β signaling pathways

Schistosome parasites have co-evolved an intricate relationship with their human and snail hosts as well as a novel interplay between the adult male and female parasites. We review the role of the TGF-beta signaling pathway in parasite development, host-parasite interactions and male-female interactions. The data to date support multiple roles for the TGF-beta signaling pathway throughout schistosome development, in particular, in the tegument which is at the interface with the host and between the male and female schistosome, development of vitelline cells in female worms whose genes and development are regulated by a stimulus from the male schistosome and embryogenesis of the egg. The human ligand TGF-beta1 has been demonstrated to regulate the expression of a schistosome target gene that encodes a gynecophoric canal protein in the schistosome worm itself. Studies on signaling in schistosomes opens a new era for investigation of host-parasite and male-female interactions.
Machine learning for power system disturbance and cyber-attack discrimination

Power system disturbances are inherently complex and can be attributed to a wide range of sources, including both natural and man-made events. Currently, the power system operators are heavily relied on to make decisions regarding the causes of experienced disturbances and the appropriate course of action as a response. In the case of cyber-attacks against a power system, human judgment is less certain since there is an overt attempt to disguise the attack and deceive the operators as to the true state of the system. To enable the human decision maker, we explore the viability of machine learning as a means for discriminating types of power system disturbances, and focus specifically on detecting cyber-attacks where deception is a core tenet of the event. We evaluate various machine learning methods as disturbance discriminators and discuss the practical implications for deploying machine learning systems as an enhancement to existing power system architectures.
A Framework for Optimizing Measurement-Based Power Distribution under Communication Network Constraints

In this paper, we propose a framework for coupling the communication network of a smart grid with the power distribution network in an effort to better utilize the scarce energy resources. We believe that an agile, robust and effective communication infrastructure, relying on a service-oriented network paradigm is essential for proper operation of a greener and smarter electricity grid. The communication and power components of the grid should not be studied in isolation and we suggest a model where the communication delays are integrated in an electricity market pricing model such that the power demand affects the allocation of communication resources and vice versa. Power demand could be monitored and predicted via smart meters that would allow a dynamic pricing scheme. This serves as a feedback mechanism towards the consumers which can then reduce their consumption or activate alternative sources of energy to alleviate the local distribution system.
Nonlimiting Hydrogen Electrosorption Properties of Asymmetric Palladium Nanoparticle‐Modified Porous Carbon Electrodes

Hydrogen electrosorption is studied on 3D porous carbon electrodes fabricated by interferometric lithography. Mixed acetonitrile/water solutions provided a route to electrodeposit Pd nanoparticles homogeneously throughout the structures. These monoliths exhibit hydrogen electrosorption profiles typical for limited volume electrodes and consequently are promising candidates for micro-hydrogen based fuel cells. In contrast, aqueous solutions resulted in asymmetric Pd depositions due to the hydrophobic nature of the carbon electrode and its unique 3D porous structure. These electrodes exhibited unusual nonlimiting hydrogen electrosorption profiles.
Interleukin-6 production by murine macrophage cell lines P388D1 and J774A.1: Stimulation requirements and kinetics☆

The murine macrophage tumor lines, P388D1 and J774A.1 were stimulated with LPS, IL-6, IL-1 alpha, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, PMA, or combinations of these reagents to induce the production of IL-6, IL-1, and TNF-alpha. Using Northern blot analysis and bioassays for the detection of cytokine production, it was noted that identical stimuli induced all three inflammatory mediators. However, unlike fibroblasts or endothelial cells, neither P388D1 nor J774A.1 macrophages respond to IL-1 alpha or TNF-alpha by producing IL-6. The results imply that these cytokines are not autoregulatory for macrophages and may be tissue-specific in their stimulatory effects. IFN-gamma and PMA synergize with LPS in the production of IL-6 as well as IL-1 and TNF-alpha. These observations suggest that IFN-gamma may mediate amplification pathways important in the production of inflammatory mediators. Kinetic studies on the transcription of mRNA and secretion of IL-6, IL-1, and TNF-alpha revealed that TNF-alpha mRNA transcription and cytokine production occur very rapidly. TNF-alpha mRNA accumulation peaked 1-2 hr after stimulation and maximum concentrations of cytokine are found in supernatants collected after 2-4 hr of culture. IL-6 and IL-1 alpha mRNA accumulation peaked simultaneously after 4-8 hr. However, IL-6 bioactivity peaks between 8 and 12 hr whereas maximum concentrations of IL-1 bioactivity are not detected in supernatants from stimulated cells collected prior to 12 hr of culture. Thus even though TNF-alpha production precedes that of IL-1 and IL-6, and stimulates IL-6 production in fibroblasts, there is no evidence that TNF-alpha acts to amplify the production of IL-6 or IL-1 by murine macrophage cell lines. The results suggest differential regulation of IL-6 expression between fibroblasts and macrophages.
Causal–explanatory pluralism: How intentions, functions, and mechanisms influence causal ascriptions

Both philosophers and psychologists have argued for the existence of distinct kinds of explanations, including teleological explanations that cite functions or goals, and mechanistic explanations that cite causal mechanisms. Theories of causation, in contrast, have generally been unitary, with dominant theories focusing either on counterfactual dependence or on physical connections. This paper argues that both approaches to causation are psychologically real, with different modes of explanation promoting judgments more or less consistent with each approach. Two sets of experiments isolate the contributions of counterfactual dependence and physical connections in causal ascriptions involving events with people, artifacts, or biological traits, and manipulate whether the events are construed teleologically or mechanistically. The findings suggest that when events are construed teleologically, causal ascriptions are sensitive to counterfactual dependence and relatively insensitive to the presence of physical connections, but when events are construed mechanistically, causal ascriptions are sensitive to both counterfactual dependence and physical connections. The conclusion introduces an account of causation, an "exportable dependence theory," that provides a way to understand the contributions of physical connections and teleology in terms of the functions of causal ascriptions.
The twist drill in dentistry

Abstract In contrast to standard burs, the dental twist drill produces a straight, round, smooth channel for pin- and dowel-retained restorations.
Möbius groups over general fields using clifford algebras associated with spheres

The space of 2-by-2 Hermitian matrices is isometric to Minkowski space. This is commonly used to exhibit the groupSL(2, ℂ) as a twofold cover of the identity component of the Lorentz group. That these Hermitian matrices also represent equations of circles in the Euclidean plane leads to the groupPSL(2, ℂ) as the Mobius group of the Euclidean plane. Clifford algebras naturally arise in the construction of covers of the orthogonal group by spin groups. By considering in addition the Clifford algebra of the space of equations of spheres, we are able to extend these ideas to the Mobius group of finite-dimensional vector spaces over general fields.
Vitamin A and respiratory tract infections in children

There has been an interest in using vitamin A as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of infectious diseases, but randomized clinical trials have had mixed results. Some trials showed decreased symptoms of respiratory distress while others showed increased symptoms. Children who were malnourished or had more severe disease were most likely to benefit from vitamin A. Most outcome measures were not different between children treated with vitamin A and those that received a placebo. At this time, the use of massive doses of vitamin A as adjuvant therapy for lower respiratory tract infection is not recommended. Future research should explore the interactions of vitamin A with other nutrients as adjuvant therapy, the effectiveness of smaller, more frequent doses of vitamin A, and the role of supplemental vitamin A during the convalescent period.
Variational Theory for Site Resolved Protein Folding Free Energy Surfaces

We present a microscopic variational theory for the free energy surface of a fast folding protein that allows folding kinetics to be resolved to the residue level using Debye-Waller factors as local order parameters. We apply the method to the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-repressor protein and compare with site directed mutagenesis experiments. The formation of native structure and the free energy profile along the folding route are shown to be well described by the capillarity approximation but with some fine structure due to local folding topology.
The Role of the Church in International Peacebuilding: Lessons from the US-Central America Solidarity Movement

Oppressed groups struggling for peace, justice and economic reform are increasingly appealing to the international community for support and assistance. Yet these groups face numerous challenges as they try to capture the attention and commitment of potentially sympathetic audiences. Given the success of the United States-Central America peace movement of the 1980s, this article focuses on the methods used by solidarity organisers to persuade members of US faith communities to participate in various transnational citizen peacemaking campaigns. These initiatives were designed to end the region's civil wars and to promote opportunities for the poor of Central America to reconstruct their socioeconomic and political systems without foreign interference. Based on archival research and in-depth interviews with solidarity activists and organisers, this article examines how the church – as an established, respected transnational institution – played a critical part in this movement. Additional attention is given...
On the syntheses and singlet oxygen reactivity of oxodipyrromethene models for bilirubin

Abstract Various oxodipyrromethenes with varying β-substituents have been synthesized and their reaction with singlet oxygen studied. The rates of chemical reactivity (k R ) and physical quenching (k Q ) of singlet oxygen by those substrates approach the diffusion threshold in both chloroform and methanol solvents, with k Q generally larger than k R in chloroform but of comparable magnitude in methanol. The range of (k Q +k R ) values is 0.2–4.2 × 10 9 M −1 s −1 .
Vapor pressure isotope effects in aqueous systems. VIII. The system dimethyl sulfoxide/H2O/D2O

Vapor pressures for the system I (dimethyl sulfoxide/H2O=DMSO/H2O) and isotopic differential pressures I-II (II=DMSO/D2O) have been measured between 25 and 70°C at DMSO concentrations of 0.05, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, 0.87, and 0.92 mole fraction. A high-precision differential method was used. The total pressures over the solutions, I, have been fitted to a relation derived from the Duhem-Margules equation, P T =P 1 o X1γ1+P 2 o X2γ2, with γ1=exp[∑kαkX 2 k ] and $$\gamma _2 = exp[\sum \alpha _k X_2^k - \sum (\alpha _k /(k - 1))(kX_2^{k - 1} - 1)].$$ . The αk are parameters andk is a number ≥2. The αk were taken as temperature dependent. Four parameters sufficed to fit the data within experimental error. Excess partial molal properties derived from the fits are in quantitative agreement with earlier literature results derived from the directly measured partial pressures, but the present data extend over a wider temperature range. The isotopic differential pressures I-II were similarly fitted to the relation above. The excess free energies and enthalpiesG I E andH I E are large and negative. The isotope effects ΔG I,II E =G I E −G II E and ΔH I,II E are negative. They are discussed in detail in terms of the theory of isotope effects in condensed phases and demonstrated to be consistent with that theory and with the available spectroscopic data. A small amount of enthalpy data for the solution of DMSO in HOH and DOD is reported.
Seed Coat Deficiency, Trait Stability, and Other Soybean Seed Quality Traits for Natto Cultivar Development

Producing natto soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a high-value alternative to growing oilseed soybeans in the mid-Atlantic region. Soybean cultivars acceptable for natto production must consistently and predictably express multiple quality traits over environments. The objectives of the current study were to measure stability of seed quality traits for natto soybeans and to develop an assay for rapid screening of seed coat strength. Nine small-seeded natto soybean lines were grown in the field in 2006 and 2007, and replicated data were collected on total water absorption, water loss after steaming, rate of water absorption, and a new natto quality trait seed coat deficiency. Data from 12 environments showed lines expressing optimal natto quality trait means had the highest (least stable) Type I trait stability estimates. The seed coat deficiency assay was developed to select seed coat strength during natto production and may balance selection for water absorption traits. The seed coat deficiency assay is a rapid, inexpensive method to evaluate lines for cracks in soybean seed coats controlling permeability and water absorption. Moisture equilibration of seed samples was critical to obtaining accurate quality trait data.
Control of multidimensional integrable Hamiltonian systems.

In this paper, we study the controllability of a four-dimensional integrable Hamiltonian system that arises as a low-mode truncation of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation [Bishop, Phys. Lett. A 144, 17 (1990)]. The controller targets a solution of the uncontrolled dynamics. We show that in the limit of small control coupling, a Takens-Bogdanov bifurcation occurs at the control target. These results support our earlier claim that Takens-Bogdanov bifurcations will generically occur when dissipative control is applied to integrable Hamiltonian sytems. The presence of the Takens-Bogdanov bifurcation causes the control to be extremely sensitive to noise. Here, we implement an algorithm first developed in Kulp and Tracy [Phys. Rev. E 70, 016205 (2004)] to extract a subcritical noise threshold for the four-dimensional system.
URANIUM VARIATIONS IN A DATED FOSSIL BONE SERIES FROM OLDUVAI GORGE, TANZANIA

U concentrations were measured in the enamel and the dentine of 5 bovid teeth obtained from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Their ages were estimated on the basis of their association with Olduvai Beds I through III/IV which in turn, were estimated from 14 C, paleomagnetic, fission track, K-Ar, and amino acid data. Analyses for U were made by fission track counting. Analysis of CaO, P 2 O 5 , Na 2 O, MgO BaO and Al 2 O 3 was made using an electron microprobe and the data are reported. The fossilized teeth were found to contain U concentrations up to 200 times higher than occur in common igneous and metamorphic rocks and to range as high as 700 ppm. Unfossilized bovid teeth were estimated to contain less than 0.02 ppm U. Thus it is likely that the specimens studied formed with low concentrations of U and that the bulk of the U now in the teeth was introduced during fossilization. An explanation is hypothesized.
Going Green: The Role of the Green Tea Component EGCG in Chemoprevention

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, and green tea is the least processed from the buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. The most abundant component of green tea is (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which has been the focus of many cell culture, animal and clinical trials, revealing that EGCG possesses antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and chemopreventive effects. In this review we briefly summarize the mechanism of action(s) of the green tea component EGCG, highlighting recent advances in the epigenetic regulation by EGCG. Additionally, we provide an overview of mouse chemoprevention studies and EGCG chemoprevention clinical trials.
Comparison of the numerical and experimental flowfield downstream of a plate array

The findings of a numerical solution of the flowfield downstream of a six-plate array are compared to a previous experimental study. In both studies, the chord-to-thickness ratio, c/t, is 6.67, the Reynolds number Re, is 500, and the spacing-to-thickness ratio, H/t, is 3.67. Consistent with experimental results, the numerical simulation shows that the recirculation zones formed at the trailing edges of the surfaces that form channels in the plate array are in-phase. Also consistent, they are nearly 180 deg out-of-phase with the recirculation zones formed at the trailing edges of the surfaces of adjacent channels. Comparison of the locations of recirculation zones and peaks in the downstream variation in axial velocity confirms that vortex pumping is described by 1) the axial velocity increase on the midplane of the channel in the region where the separation between pairs of recirculation zones is a minimum and 2) the axial velocity decrease in the region where the separation between pairs of recirculation zones is a maximum
Determination of the mean solid-liquid interface energy of pivalic acid

A high-confidence solid-liquid interfacial energy is determined for an anisotropic material. A coaxial composite having a cylindrical specimen chamber geometry provides a thermal gradient with an axial heating wire. The surface energy is derived from measurements of grain boundary groove shapes. Applying this method to pivalic acid, a surface energy of 2.84 erg/sq cm was determined with a total systematic and random error less than 10 percent. The value of interfacial energy corresponds to 24 percent of the latent heat of fusion per molecule.
A heat stress monitoring system for fire fighters

A portable lightweight seven-channel radiotelemetry system has been developed, which is capable of monitoring environmental stresses and physiological response of fire fighters exposed to heat stress during fire fighting operations.
The effect of the tumor promoter, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), on hyaluronic acid (HA) synthesis by chicken embryo fibroblasts.

Abstract Treatment of chicken embryo frbroblasts (CEF) with the tumor promoter, phorbol myristate accetate (PMA), resulted in a rapid increase in their ability to synthesize the glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronic acid (HA), whereas the parent compound, phorbol, had no effect. CEF cultures incubated with PMA (100 ng/ml) for 6 h resulted in a 15-fold increase in HA synthetase activity compared with phorbol-treated control cultures. The incorporation of [ 3 H]acetate into HA and chemical determination of this polymer also demonstrated increased synthesis of HA by cells treated with PMA. We have previously shown that CEF infected with a temperature-sensitive mutant of Rous sarcoma virus, LA24, exhibit increased synthesis of HA upon transformation. PMA treatment of cells transformed with RSV-LA24 results in a further 1.5-fold stimulation of HA synthesis. These data indicate that PMA causes an increased synthesis of HA in CEF which is analogous to the increased synthesis of HA found in virally transformed CEF.
Enthalpy changes in the helix-coil transition of poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate).

The helix-coil transition temperature Tc of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) in binary solvent mixtures of dichloroacetic acid and 1,4-dichlorobutane, 1-chlorooctane, or 1-chlorododecane have been measured. A treatment is presented with which the transition enthalpy can be calculated from the observed dependence of Tc on solvent composition. Results are compared with previously obtained calorimetric data. The underlying assumptions of the calculation are discussed.