cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The exposure-dependent increases in 8-iso-PGF2α and the significance of decoding its sources to identify a specific indicator of oxidative stress or inflammation

F2-isoprostanes, 8-iso-PGF2α, have been quantified as biomarkers of oxidative stress in over 1000 distinct experimental and human conditions. However, it has been shown that in addition to the free radical mediated pathway, the inflammation-induced prostaglandin-H-synthase enzymes are a major source of the F2-isoprostane generation. Accounting for the inflammatory source, F2-isoprostanes can be utilized for either a specific biomarker of oxidative stress or a biomarker of inflammation. To distinguish between F2-isoprostanes generated from inflammation vs. oxidative stress, the 8-iso-PGF2α/PGF2α ratio was implemented. With this measure, we have verified that exposure to the classic free radical toxicant carbon tetrachloride in rats predominantly causes an increase in chemical 8-iso-PGF2α (86.6 ± 8.0 % of total at 1200 mg/kg). In contrast, exposure to lipopolysaccharide also induces the formation of F2-isoprostanes; however, the predominant mechanism for this exposure is due to increased enzymatic 8-iso-PGF2α (59.5 ± 7.0 % of total at 0.5 mg/kg). Surprisingly, in human tobacco smokers, we also found that enzymatic lipid peroxidation is the primary source of F2-isoprostanes (Hedges’ g = 0.59 for enzymatic vs. 0.35 for chemical 8-iso-PGF2α). This distribution was independent of sex and age. Another source associated with elevated levels of 8-iso-PGF2α in humans is increased urinary phthalate metabolites and most research has concluded oxidative stress mediated phthalate exposure. In a large population of pregnant women, (N ~ 700), we observed compound dependent associations with lower molecular weight phthalate metabolites being associated with higher levels of chemical 8-iso-PGF2α whereas specific higher, branched chain metabolites are associated with elevated levels of enzymatic 8-iso-PGF2α. Our experimental and human data show the exposure dependent changes in 8-iso-PGF2α and the importance of distinguishing its sources to make it a specific biomarker of oxidative stress or inflammation. Without this additional step of 8-iso-PGF2α / PGF2α ratio determination, data can be greatly misinterpreted.
Temperature dependent flux balance of the Li/Li7La3Zr2O12 interface

Abstract The potential for safe, high energy-density Li-ion batteries has motivated the development of the solid electrolyte Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) to physically stabilize the Li-electrolyte interface. Although dense LLZO is a relatively hard ceramic, it has been observed that above a certain critical current density (CCD), Li metal can still propagate through both polycrystalline and single crystalline LLZO. However, reported values of CCD are still well below the current density regimes relevant to applications like electric vehicles (≥3 mA cm−2). The relationship between CCD and temperature was studied using recently developed methods for achieving consistently low interfacial impedances without interfacial coatings that can complicate the analysis of what controls interface stability. By analyzing the flux of Li+ ions at the Li-electrolyte interface, it is hypothesized here that solid-state diffusivity of Li in the Li electrode may be a governing mechanism that controls the CCD. These results demonstrate an improvement for dendrite-free cycling in LLZO up to ∼1 mA cm−2 at room temperature and ∼7 mA cm−2 at 100 °C without the need for coatings to achieve low interface resistances (∼10 Ω cm2). Furthermore, the presented analysis may provide additional insight on the role of Li diffusivity in Li propagation through ceramic electrolytes.
A Low-power Wireless Sensing Unit for Hydro-System Automation

Farms, greenhouses, orchards, ranches, and vineyards are all dependent on irrigation systems. Modern irrigation systems are equipped with an assortment of water reserves, sheds, and tanks to store water for later use or to manage the flow, time, or quality of the water delivered to the crops. In comparison to expensive, huge, complex, proprietary, cloud dependent, often manual, and very energy hungry industrial solutions out on the market, Hydro-System Automation (HA) is a cheaper, smaller, simpler, modular, smart, and sustainable Hydro-System. The design entails sensing and actuating units as well as a wireless communications subsystem between said units. The Sensing Units (SU)s are composed of cheaper, smaller, simpler, and more sustainable sensors, micro-controllers, electronics, solar panels, and batteries than those used in current industrial solutions available. Future SUs will be packaged in 3D-printed casings which are cheaper to produce, can be custom fabricated to incorporate specific designs, fit in tight spots, and meet a variety of environments, installation requirements, and quality standards. The Actuating Units (AU)s are composed of automated pumping and/or valve stations which are powered via solar panels. The wireless communications sub-system is responsible for maintaining the overall cohesion of the system via a custom routing protocol atop a transport layer such as LoRa and a wireless physical layer utilizing RFM95 Radio Modules in the 915/916 MHz frequency band. Prototypes of the SUs have proven the cost effectiveness, simplicity, and energy efficiency of their design.
The Biology of Human Resilience: Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience Across the Life Span

Recent scientific and technological advances have brought us closer to being able to apply a true biopsychosocial approach to the study of resilience in humans. Decades of research have identified a range of psychosocial protective factors in the face of stress and trauma. Progress in resilience research is now advancing our understanding of the biology underlying these protective factors at multiple phenotypic levels, including stress response systems, neural circuitry function, and immune responses, in interaction with genetic factors. It is becoming clear that resilience involves active and unique biological processes that buffer the organism against the impact of stress, not simply involve a reversal of pathological mechanisms. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in the field, highlighting key psychosocial milestones and accompanying biological changes during development, and into adulthood and old age. Continued advances in our understanding of psychological, social, and biological determinants of resilience will contribute to the development of novel interventions and help optimize the type and timing of intervention for those most at risk, resulting in a possible new framework for enhancing resilience across the life span.
Exploring the Relationship Between Performance-Based Funding Design and Underrepresented Student Enrollment at Community Colleges:

Objective: An increasing number of states are adopting performance-based funding (PBF) systems for their public colleges, but there are concerns that PBF dissuades colleges from recruiting and enro...
1022 - SYSTEMATIC GENETIC DISSECTION OF THE HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL NICHE IN THE FETAL LIVER

The liver is the main hematopoietic organ and the site of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion and maturation in mammalian fetuses. However, little is known about the nature of the HSC niche in the developing liver in vivo. Here, we genetically dissected the cellular components of the developing liver niche by determining the cellular sources of a key HSC niche factor, stem cell factor (SCF). We found that Scf was primarily expressed by endothelial cells and hepatic stellate cells. Conditional deletion of Scf from hematopoietic cells, hepatocytes, Ng2+ cells or endothelial cells did not affect HSC number or function. Deletion of Scf from hepatic stellate cells depleted HSCs. Nearly all HSCs were lost when Scf was deleted from both endothelial cells and hepatic stellate cells in the developing liver. Hepatic stellate cells significantly downregulate SCF and other candidate HSC-supporting factors around birth, coinciding with HSC egress from the liver. Strikingly, the transcriptome of fetal stellate cells resembled that of adult bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells, but not adult stellate cells, suggesting that the HSC-supporting activity of stellate cells is specific to fetal development. Thus, hepatic stellate and endothelial cells create perivascular HSC niche in developing livers in vivo by producing SCF.
Co-localization between Sequence Constraint and Epigenomic Information Improves Interpretation of Whole-Genome Sequencing Data

The identification of functional regions in the noncoding human genome is difficult but critical in order to gain understanding of the role noncoding variation plays in gene regulation in human health and disease. We describe here a co-localization approach that aims to identify constrained sequences that co-localize with tissue- or cell-type-specific regulatory regions, and we show that the resulting score is particularly well suited for the identification of rare regulatory variants. For 127 tissues and cell types in the ENCODE/Roadmap Epigenomics Project, we provide catalogs of putative tissue- or cell-type-specific regulatory regions under sequence constraint. We use the newly developed co-localization score for brain tissues to score de novo mutations in whole genomes from 1,902 individuals affected with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their unaffected siblings in the Simons Simplex Collection. We show that noncoding de novo mutations near genes co-expressed in midfetal brain with high confidence ASD risk genes, and near FMRP gene targets are more likely to be in co-localized regions if they occur in ASD probands versus in their unaffected siblings. We also observed a similar enrichment for mutations near lincRNAs, previously shown to co-express with ASD risk genes. Additionally, we provide strong evidence that prioritized de novo mutations in autism probands point to a small set of well-known ASD genes, the disruption of which produces relevant mouse phenotypes such as abnormal social investigation and abnormal discrimination/associative learning, unlike the de novo mutations in unaffected siblings. The genome-wide co-localization results are available online.
Domain-Swap Dimerization of Acanthamoeba castellanii CYP51 and a Unique Mechanism of Inactivation by Isavuconazole

Cytochromes P450 (P450, CYP) metabolize a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous lipophilic molecules, including most drugs. Sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) is a target for antifungal drugs known as conazoles. Using X-ray crystallography, we have discovered a domain-swap homodimerization mode in CYP51 from a human pathogen, Acanthamoeba castellanii CYP51 (AcCYP51). Recombinant AcCYP51 with a truncated transmembrane helix was purified as a heterogeneous mixture corresponding to the dimer and monomer units. Spectral analyses of these two populations have shown that the CO-bound ferrous form of the dimeric protein absorbed at 448 nm (catalytically competent form), whereas the monomeric form absorbed at 420 nm (catalytically incompetent form). AcCYP51 dimerized head-to-head via N-termini swapping, resulting in formation of a nonplanar protein-protein interface exceeding 2000 A2 with a total solvation energy gain of -35.4 kcal/mol. In the dimer, the protomers faced each other through the F and G α-helices, thus blocking the substrate access channel. In the presence of the drugs clotrimazole and isavuconazole, the AcCYP51 drug complexes crystallized as monomers. Although clotrimazole-bound AcCYP51 adopted a typical CYP monomer structure, isavuconazole-bound AcCYP51 failed to refold 74 N-terminal residues. The failure of AcCYP51 to fully refold upon inhibitor binding in vivo would cause an irreversible loss of a structurally aberrant enzyme through proteolytic degradation. This assumption explains the superior potency of isavuconazole against A. castellanii The dimerization mode observed in this work is compatible with membrane association and may be relevant to other members of the CYP family of biologic, medical, and pharmacological importance. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We investigated the mechanism of action of antifungal drugs in the human pathogen Acanthamoeba castellanii. We discovered that the enzyme target [Acanthamoeba castellanii sterol 14α-demethylase (AcCYP51)] formed a dimer via an N-termini swap, whereas drug-bound AcCYP51 was monomeric. In the AcCYP51-isavuconazole complex, the protein target failed to refold 74 N-terminal residues, suggesting a fundamentally different mechanism of AcCYP51 inactivation than only blocking the active site. Proteolytic degradation of a structurally aberrant enzyme would explain the superior potency of isavuconazole against A. castellanii.
A highly efficient, 10-J output signal amplifier for ultra-intense all-OPCPA systems

Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) using high-energy Nd:glass lasers has the potential to produce ultra-intense pulses (>1023 W/cm2). We report on the performance of the final high-efficiency amplifier in an OPCPA system, based on large-aperture (63 x 63-mm2) partially deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) crystals. The seed beam (170 nm, 100 mJ) was provided by the preceding OPCPA stages. The maximum pump-to-signal conversion efficiency of 33% was achieved with a 52-mm-long DKDP crystal and 40-J pump energy at 527 nm due to the flattop super-Gaussian pump beam profile and flat-in-time pulse shape. The 11.8-J output signal was compressed to 20 fs.
Discriminative-Stimulus Effects of Synthetic Cathinones in Squirrel Monkeys.

BACKGROUND Synthetic cathinones display overlapping behavioral effects with psychostimulants (e.g., methamphetamine [MA]) and/or entactogens (e.g., 3,4-methylenedioxymethaphetamine [MDMA])-presumably reflecting their dopaminergic and/or serotonergic activity. The discriminative stimulus effects of MDMA thought to be mediated by such activity have been well characterized in rodents but have not been fully examined in nonhuman primates. METHODS The present studies were conducted to systematically evaluate the discriminative stimulus effects of 5 abused synthetic cathinones (methylenedioxypyrovalerone [MDPV], α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone [α-PVP], methcathinone [MCAT], mephedrone, and methylone) in adult male squirrel monkeys trained to distinguish intramuscular injections of MA (0.1 mg/kg; n = 4) or MDMA (0.6 mg/kg; n = 4) from vehicle. RESULTS Each training drug produced dose-dependent effects and, at the highest dose, full substitution. MDMA produced predominantly vehicle-like responding in the MA-trained group, whereas the highest dose of MA (0.56 mg/kg) produced partial substitution (approximately 90% appropriate lever responding in one-half of the subjects) in the MDMA-trained group. MDPV, α-PVP, and MCAT produced full substitution in MA-trained subjects, but, at the same or higher doses, only substituted for MDMA in one-half of the subjects, consistent with primarily dopaminergically mediated interoceptive effects. In contrast, mephedrone and methylone fully substituted in MDMA-trained subjects but failed to fully substitute for the training drug in MA-trained subjects, suggesting a primary role for serotonergic actions in their interoceptive effects. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that differences in the interoceptive effects of synthetic cathinones in nonhuman primates reflect differing compositions of monoaminergic actions that also may mediate their subjective effects in humans.
La acumulación de desventajas

Historically subordinated groups in a caste structure are disadvantaged in a multitude of social spheres. Any corrective strategy must acknowledge the interconnected character of this system of disadvantage and devise rules that prevent a disadvantage inflicted in one sphere (such as education) from being carried over and transferred to another (such as employment). This essay, drawing on the civil rights experience of the United States, explains and defends one such strategy—the idea of cumulative responsibility.
On the Stochastic Equation X+Y=XY

If X and Y are non-discrete identically distributed independent random variables (iid rv’s) having all moments and such that X+Y has the same distribution as XY it is known that X follows the arc sine law. In this paper we characterize discrete rv’s having the stated properties. This answers a conjecture of Norton’s.
Experimental signatures of three-dimensional fractional topological insulators

In this paper we explore experimental signatures of fractional topological insulators in three dimensions. These are states of matter with a fully gapped bulk that host exotic gapless surface states and fractionally charged quasiparticles. They are partially characterized by a nontrivial magneto-electric response while preserving time reversal. We describe how these phases appear in a variety of probes including photoemmission, tunneling, and quantum oscillations. We also discuss the effects of doping and proximate superconductivity. We argue that despite our current theoretical inability to predict materials where such phases will be realized, they should be relatively easy to detect experimentally.
Chapter 7 One-dimensional TOCSY and related 1D techniques

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the one-dimensional (1-D) TOCSY (TOtal Correlation SpectroscopY) experiment, which, together with 1-D nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY), is probably the most frequently and routinely used selective 1-D experiment for elucidating the spin–spin coupling network, and obtaining homonuclear coupling constants. It reviews the development of this technique and the essential features of the pulse sequence. It also discusses the practical aspects of this experiment, including the choice of the selective one (shaped) pulse, the phase difference of the hard and soft pulses, and the use of the z-filter. The application of the 1-D TOCSY pulse sequence is illustrated by examples in oligosaccharides, peptides, and mixtures. Modifications and extensions of the basic 1-D total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY) experiment and their applications are also reviewed. As most of the applications of the 1-D TOCSY technique to date did not utilize pulsed field gradients (PFG) in the pulse sequence, the chapter discusses the nongradient versions of the 1-D TOCSY pulse sequence. The PFG versions are also discussed. In the Bax version of the pulse sequence, the selective excitation is achieved by a selective 180° pulse followed immediately by a nonselective 90° pulse to create the transverse magnetization. The difference free induction decay (FID) is then obtained from the FID with the selective 180° pulse on-resonance minus the FID obtained with the selective excitation off-resonance.
Abstract P093: AREST CAD: Adherence Effects of a Comprehensive Reminder System on Medication Adherence in Stable Cardiac Patients

Background: Non-adherence to evidence-based cardiovascular therapies is extremely common. By one year, only half of cardiac patients continue to take their medications as prescribed. Forgetfulness has been consistently identified as a contributor to medication non-adherence. With the proliferation of cell phones, text message could be a cost-effective method to remind patients to take their medications. This simple strategy has not been rigorously evaluated. Methods: We developed a novel automated text message reminder system and assessed its stability and capacity to improve adherence to placebo in a pilot study of 20 healthy volunteers. Subsequently, we recruited 30 stable cardiac patients from a single cardiac center to test the hypothesis that such a system could be effective at addressing medication non-adherence. Eligible patients were randomized to receive text message reminders up to 4 times daily at times of their prescribed medications for month 1 and cross over to usual care (without reminders) in month 2. Alternatively, individuals were randomized to usual care (without reminders) in month 1 and crossing over to reminders in month 2 of the study. These messages simply stated, "Please take your medication now" at the time of their prescribed medications. Patients were instructed to take their medications according to their own prescribed regimen. Adherence was assessed through logbooks. Subgroup analyses of the elderly (age ≥ 65 years), patients with depression, and those with less education (grade 12 or less) were pre-specified. Results: We randomized 30 cardiac patients with an average age of 65 years; 60% were male. Over the course of the 2 months, 100% (30 of 30) of cardiac patients improved adherence with text message reminders. There was a relative risk reduction for non-adherence of 64% with this intervention (from 1243 to 476 total missed doses, p Conclusions: In summary, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of an automated text message reminder system to improve adherence to medications in cardiac patients over a two month period. While the impact of this intervention on clinical outcomes was not assessed, it represents a potentially simple and scalable method for improving adherence to evidence-based therapies.
The Comparative Enzymology of Lactic Dehydrogenases I. PROPERTIES OF THE CRYSTALLINE BEEF AND CHICKEN ENZYMES

Lactic dehydrogenases of H4 and M4 type, preparation and catalytic and enzymological properties
How corporate portals support innovation

The ability of a company to be innovative depends on many factors, such as a culture amenable to risk taking (Kontoghiorghes, Awbre, & Feurig, 2005), a managerial attitude favorable toward change (Damanpour, 1991), a market orientation (Hult, Hurley, & Knight, 2004), committed champions (Howell, 2005), and an adequate supply of physical and financial resources for research (Delbecq & Mills, 1985). In addition, the innovation process requires organizational and technical competences in knowledge management, collaboration, and communication (Carneiro, 2000; McAdam, 2000; Zakaria, Amelinckx, & Wilemon, 2004,). Corporate portals are central to achieving these competences. This article describes how corporate portals can support innovation in organizations through the enhancement of knowledge management, communication, and collaboration.
Friction Stir Welding of ODS and RAFM Steels

Advanced structural materials such as oxide dispersion strengthened steels and reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels are desired in fusion reactors as primary candidate materials for first wall and blanket structures, due to their excellent radiation and high-temperature creep resistance. However, their poor fusion weldability has been the major technical challenge limiting practical applications. For this reason, solid-state friction stir welding (FSW) has been considered for such applications. In this work, the effect of FSW parameters on joining similar and dissimilar advanced structural steels was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction methods were used to reveal the effects of FSW on grain size, micro-texture distribution, and phase stability. Hardness mapping was performed to evaluate mechanical properties. Post weld heat treatment was also performed to tailor the microstructure in the welds in order to match the weld zone mechanical properties to the base material.
Optimal extraction from a renewable groundwater aquifer with stochastic recharge

[1] This work considers the management of an aquifer with stochastic recharge and finite boundaries. For a class of such models we show that there is a positive threshold of the water stock that the manager should aim at keeping. Thus, under the optimal extraction regime at a time when the water stock is lower than this threshold, there should be no pumping from the aquifer, while at times when the water stock is greater than the threshold, all water in excess of the threshold level should be pumped. The threshold level happens to coincide with the aquifer boundary for sufficiently high unit cost of pumping, in which case, only the runoff water of excess recharge should be collected.
Transport and processing of staphylococcal enterotoxin B.

Abstract A larger, membrane-bound form of staphylococcal enterotoxin B was shown by in vivo pulse-chase analysis to be the kinetic precursor to extracellular enterotoxin B. Processing of the enterotoxin B precursor molecules can apparently occur either cotranslationally or posttranslationally. Subcellular fractionation of cells revealed that all of the precursor toxin was associated with the membrane fraction. Once processed and released from the membrane, it was transiently associated with the cell wall before being released into the extracellular environment. The cell-wall-associated enterotoxin B was completely resistant to protease treatment and to extraction by high- or low-salt solutions at 0 to 2 degrees C, although it could be easily released from the cell by removal of the cell wall with lysostaphin. These data imply that newly formed enterotoxin B may be temporarily sequestered in specialized regions that require cell wall integrity before being released into the extracellular environment.
Comment on “Rapid visual detection of blood cyanide” by C. Männel-Croisé and F. Zelder, Analytical Methods, 2012, 4, 2632

Cyanide poisoning from Inhaled HCN is all too common in victims of smoke inhalation in fires. While the toxic effects arise primarily from its inhibitory effects on cytochrome c oxidase, the majority of the cyanide binds to methemoglobin (metHb) in the blood. It can be considered as the detoxification mechanism: one of the antidotes used earlier was nitrite which primarily works by converting hemoglobin to metHb (normally present to the extent of ~1% of the total hemoglobin). Vitamin B12 (hydroxocobalamin) and related analogs have long been known to have high affinity for cyanide and has been used as antidotes - the binding of cyanide to many compounds in this general family also results in a significant change in color that can be used for analytical purposes. Mannel Croise and Zelder (Anal. Methods, 2012, 4, 2632) have advocated direct addition of a related compound to blood samples and isolating the colored measurand on a solid phase extraction cartridge. While they demonstrated attractive rapid measurement of cyanide in spiked blood samples, we believe that this is not a practically usable procedure regardless of the exact chromogenic reagent used. Cyanide bound to metHb dissociates too slowly for a 1 min reaction to work as suggested - we believe for reasons unknown (eg., metHb levels in their blood samples unusually low), cyanide added to their blood samples did not (have time to) bind to metHb and these samples may not resemble real situations where significant amount of the cyanide will be bound to metHb.
Chapter 23 Selected New Developments in the Biochemistry of Viruses

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the recent developments in the biochemistry of viruses. The goal of molecular viroligists is to understand the structure, expression, and control of viral genes. Probably, the most complete genome map has been determined for the small transforming papovavirus SV40. The goal of mapping a mutant is to determine what function is affected by the mutation, and where that function is located on the physical map. Consequently, the protein or protein region responsible for the function can be determined. The variations found in the genomes of the different strains of all the viruses examined, suggests that one might expect the structures of their gene products to vary considerably, also this could account for variations in disease severity, and suggests that antiviral chemicals may vary considerably in effectiveness. Viruses that contain RNA genome can be classed as positive and negative-stranded viruses depending on whether their genome RNA serves directly as mRNA (positive) or requires RNA transcription to synthesize mRNA molecules (negative). The positive-stranded RNA viruses are best represented by the picornaviruses, of which poliovirus is a model virus. The negative-stranded RNA viruses are larger and more complex than the positive-stranded viruses. They contain an RNA polymerase that transcribes their genome RNAs into functional mRNAs. Probably without exception among the animal viruses, enzymatic cleavage of viral proteins occurs in or on the surface of infected cells. The evidence collected for some of the representative viruses indicates that the cleavages are essential for the successful production of viral progeny. The growth of the virus in a high yielding cell gave infectious virions with virtually all the glycoprotein in a cleaved form. Cleavage allows the virus to proceed successfully through the early stages of infection to the point where the viral nucleic acid is released into the host cell.
Sector-Level Decisions in a Sustainability-Constrained Economy

Despite two decades of debate, there remains little consensus about what sustainability is, and how it should be achieved. Economists primarily portray sustainability as a macro-level concern, but there has been less attention on the implications of this social objective for policies related to the management of individual resources. This paper derives guidance for sector-level planning and project analysis from a macro-level norm of intergenerational fairness. Optimal sustainable management involves making tradeoffs between sectors. We derive a criteria for sector-level planning and project analysis that help make those tradeoffs without losing site of the sustainability goal.
The Duhring chamber. An improved technique for epicutaneous testing of irritant and allergic reactions

For assessing skin reactions to irritants and allergens, chambers which confine the test substance to the site of application are much superior to conventional patch tests. Because the concentration and volume do not change appreciably, the method allows for quantification and yields more reproducible results. A new aluminum chamber has been designed which is more useful than its predecessor, the Finn chamber, mainly because of its increased capacity. Data are given to show that the intensity of irritant and allergic reactions is dependent on the quantities applied.
Empirically assessing the impact of business process reengineering on manufacturing firms

While the BPR (Business Process Reengineering) concept is conceptually appealing, in pratice there are many unsuccessful cases. This study aimed to exhaustively identify and rate: the importance of factors proposed as important for successfully implementing BPR projects in organizations; the extent to which various problems and benefits are being encountered; the extent to which proposed BPR objectives are being included in project plans and are actually being derived; and the impact of BPR projects on specific business processes and on the organization as a whole. Several basic hypotheses regarding the BPR implementation process were tested. Last, based on the results, recommendations are made for managers to focus attention and resources on factors important to success, and to proceed in a fashion which minimizes the risk of failure. In general, organizations are not emphasizing some of the most important activies and tasks recommended in the BPR literature, such as changes to customer/market related business processes, the value-added element of every business activity, and others. On the average, the most commonly encountered problems while implementing BPR seem to be very difficult to address in pratice: making business mistakes under pressure to produce quick results, implementation difficulties due to communication barriers between company sub-units, the unexpected size of the required BPR effort, its disruption to business operations, and others. Based on the findings as a whole, it behooves top managers to engage in BPR projects only as a controlled experiment to strategically reposition the organization.
Constructional apraxia in Alzheimer's disease correlates with neuritic neuropathology in occipital cortex.

Abstract A variety of measures of neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlate with dementia severity. However, the role of β-amyloid protein and abnormally phosphorylated tau protein in the decline of specific cognitive abilities is unknown. ‘Constructional praxis’ (e.g. copying, constructing) is believed to require integrity of the parietal-occipital lobes. Unlike most other cognitive tasks, some AD patients are able to perform some constructional tasks even late in the disease course. Thus, it may be an ideal task to evaluate the relationship between various measures of AD neuropathology and cognitive performance. Fixed brain tissue was obtained from 16 AD patients who were cognitively assessed shortly before death. Parietal, frontal, entorhinal, and occipital cortices were examined by immunocytochemistry for β-amyloid protein and abnormally phosphorylated tau protein at both early and later stages of neuropil thread and tangle formation. Constructional praxis in AD was strongly related to early-stage tau hyperphosphorylation in occipital cortex. Praxis ability was specific in that it was not significantly related to pathology in other areas and non-constructive tasks were not associated with occipital cortex pathology. In contrast, global dementia severity was related to β-amyloid deposition in entorhinal, parietal, and frontal regions. These findings suggest that occipital cortex is critical for some constructional praxis tasks and that some regionally localizable tasks may be good indices of underlying pathology in corresponding brain regions.
Primary sex ratio of fowl.

THE only information concerning the primary sox ratio of birds, based on acceptable criteria, is to be found in a publication by Hays which relates to Rhode Island Red fowl1. Hays's results give the sexes in the progenies of 39 hens which in the course of a ten-year period had shown 100 per cent fertility and 100 per cent hatchability of their eggs during the two-months hatching season of one of these years. The 39 hens in question had a total of 931 offspring : 61 chicks were lost before the sex could be ascertained; among the remaining 870 chicks, 432 were males and 438 were females. These results clearly pointed to equality of the sexes as determined at fertilization. Yet, Hays suggested (see below), that significant differences may have existed between individual hens in the sex ratios of their offspring.
Rules for the road (RFTR): establishing a positive atmosphere for learning

ABSTRACT It is important to establish a positive environment for student-student and student-instructor in-class interaction. This article draws on the author's 15 years of professional experience in the business environment and 10 years tertiary teaching experience, and suggests five points that instructors might use to establish appropriate and acceptable behavior. These are referred to as the rules for the road (RFTR).
MO‐F‐16A‐07: Establishing Reference Values for All CT Exams and Monitoring Them: The Texas Experience

Purpose: To establish reference levels (RLs) in terms of standard dose metrics (CTDIvol and DLP) for all CT exams performed in a community hospital and monitor clinical exams performed against RLs. Methods: Clinical CT exams already performed were categorized by body region and CTDIvol and DLP values were analyzed. RLs for the dose metrics were established at either the ACR RL or at approximately the 75th percentile for the patient population performed at the facility. Once RLs were set, all patient exams performed were compared to the RLs. Monthly summaries were completed which include the exam type, applicable RL, actual dose metric, and initials of the technologist performing the exam. Performance summaries are posted in the department and discussed quarterly at CT dose committee meetings. Results: Initially, significant overages were observed for abdomen/pelvis exams that used the CTDIvol RL established by the ACR (25 mGy). This RL is for 70 kg patients while a disproportionate number of the patients in our patient population exceed this weight. As a Result, a separate RL was established for abdomen pelvis exams for patients greater than 90kg. After adjusting the abdomen/pelvis RL for patient weight, the total number of exams exceeding RLs has dropped by 50% over a period of 6 months. Conclusion: This work indicates the potential for optimizing CT exams with respect to patient exposure by establishing region-specific RLs, monitoring values, publishing results, and providing education to staff performing exams. Reasonable RLs have been set for body region and modified based on patient size. This illustrates the need for considering more than an absolute maximum value as a RL and the process of continuous quality improvement. Commercial software has been purchased and will allow for the establishment of more refined RLs and more comprehensive analysis.
Role of individual R domain phosphorylation sites in CFTR regulation by protein kinase A

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) plays a critical role in transcellular ion transport and when defective, results in the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. CFTR is novel in the ATP-binding cassette superfamily as an ion channel that is enabled by a unique unstructured regulatory domain. This R domain contains multiple protein kinase A sites, which when phosphorylated allow channel gating. Most of the sites have been indicated to stimulate channel activity, while two of them have been suggested to be inhibitory. It is unknown whether individual sites act coordinately or distinctly. To address this issue, we raised monoclonal antibodies recognizing the unphosphorylated, but not the phosphorylated states of four functionally relevant sites (700, 737, 768, and 813). This enabled simultaneous monitoring of their phosphorylation and dephosphorylation and revealed that both processes occurred rapidly at the first three sites, but more slowly at the fourth. The parallel phosphorylation rates of the stimulatory 700 and the putative inhibitory 737 and 768 sites prompted us to reexamine the role of the latter two. With serines 737 and 768 reintroduced individually into a PKA insensitive variant, in which serines at 15 sites had been replaced by alanines, a level of channel activation by PKA was restored, showing that these sites can mediate stimulation. Thus, we have provided new tools to study the CFTR regulation by phosphorylation and found that sites proposed to inhibit channel activity can also participate in stimulation.
SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF THE VOLUME OF RED CELLS AND PLASMA FOR SURVIVAL STUDIES OF STORED BLOOD.

A method is described for the determination of the in vivo survival of stored human red cells. Cr51 labeled red cells and I125 labeled human serum albumin are infused simultaneously to esti-mate the whole blood volume and establish the 100 per cent retention value for subsequent red cell survival determination. The whole body hematocrit correction factor, necessary for the determination of 100 per cent retention value, has been established by the simul- taneous measurement of the red cell and plasma volumes in a group of 71 patients. Cr51 and I125 gamma emissions are separated for plasma and red cell volume determinations by measuring their values on a scaler equipped with a pulse height analyzer. This method has proven to be a safe and suitable means for the accurate establishment of in vivo survival of stored red cells, red cell mass, and plasma volume.
Simultaneous measurement of magnetic and electric responses of in vitro hippocampal slices.

Abstract Simultaneous measurement of magnetic and electrical activity in vitro hippocampal slices has been performed. A magnetic signal of 300–400 fT was observed coincident with extracellular electrical potential activity. Comparison is made with a current dipole model similar to that used for the analysis of magnetoencephalographic data, but with additional constraints obtained from the electrical signal. Limitations of this model for the hippocampal slice are discussed.
PROGESTTN AUGMENTATION OF GONADOTROPIN-STIMULATED PROGESTERONE PRODUCTION BY CULTURED RAT GRANULOSA CELLS

Ovarian progesterone production is stimulated by FSH and LH. Concomitant treatment with a synthetic progestin, R5020, (10-6 M) increases the FSH-stimulated production of progesterone and 20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20α-OH-P) in cultured rat granulosa cells. Likewise, R5020 augments the LH-stimulated progestin production in FSH-primed cells. Furthermore, the FSH stimulation of pregnenolone biosynthesis is enhanced by 10-6 M of progesterone or R5020. These in vitro findings suggest that progestins may exert an autoregulatory positive feedback action to enhance gonadotropin-stimulated production of progesterone and 20α-OH-P.
Psychology and sociology in Australia: The published evidence

Abstract All the articles (N = 1,273) published during the past 10 years in four major Australian psychology and sociology journals are examined to assess the quality of psychology and sociology research in this country. Four observations stand out. First, more than half of the articles published are theoretical treatises and do not present statistical analyses. Second, a disproportionately large number of studies are based on student samples or on sampling strategies which preclude statistical inferences to clearly defined populations. Third, significance testing is badly abused. Fourth, little seems to have been learned by social scientists in this country from similar analyses performed on U.S. and British publications.
Domain coarsening at grain boundaries in ordered Ni4Mo

Abstract During the ordering reaction in Ni 4 Mo at low aging temperatures (⩽ 700°C), a domain coarsening reaction in observed at the grain boundaries. The evolution and mechanisms governing this reaction has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the coarsening reaction involves formation at grain boundaries of large Ni 4 Mo domains separated by antiphase boundaries on predominantly low energy {110} f.c.c. planes. In addition, APBs on {420} f.c.c. planes are also observed. It is argued that the primary driving force for the reaction is the reduction in interfacial energy of the system obtained by the elimination of boundaries between the small domains within the grains, whereas transformation strains due to ordering provide a negligible contribution.
Local Discouragement and Global Collapse - A Theory of Information Avalanches

We study a dynamic coordination game with incomplete information in which players may either be active or inactive. All players initially possess the same information and begin by coordinating on a high level of activity. As the game progresses, agents have different experiences and update accordingly. At some point, agents with a sufficiently long string of bad experiences will decide that the game isn't worth playing and will become inactive. This prospect can cause a total spontaneous collapse of activity in the population at large through a phenomenon we call an information avalanche. By definition, when an information avalanche occurs, it is part of a Pareto efficient equilibrium and, therefore, does not rely on sun spots or other exogenous coordinating mechanisms. We show that an information avalanche can occur at any point in the game, that its occurrence does not depend on the true state of nature, and that allowing players to exchange information may merely hasten the onset of an avalanche.
Comparative phylogeography of Baileys' pocket mouse (Chaetodipus baileyi) and the Peromyscus eremicus species group: historical vicariance of the Baja California Peninsular Desert.

Phylogenetic analysis of 699 bp of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) COIII and 450 bp of the cytochrome b genes among 14 species of coarse-haired pocket mice (Heteromyidae: Chaetodipus) corroborated previous indications that genetic divergence between species and species groups within the genus is generally very high, suggesting old times of divergence, and that the nominal species C. baileyi represents a highly divergent lineage within the genus, with no closely related extant sister species. Analysis of phylogeographic structure among 51 individuals from 12 localities throughout the geographic range of C. baileyi revealed three geographically separate mtDNA haplotype lineages. The oldest split separates populations east and west of the Colorado River, a pattern that is congruent with chromosomal and allozyme electrophoretic evidence. We consider the western populations to represent a distinct species, C. rudinoris. Within C. rudinoris, mtDNA haplotypes are further subdivided into northern and southern lineages along the Baja California Peninsula. Comparison of phylogeographic structure in the baileyi species group and the codistributed Peromyscus eremicus species group implies two points of codivergence and thus supports two historical vicariance hypotheses proposed for biotas distributed across the peninsular and continental warm deserts: a late Neogene (3 Ma) northern extension of the Sea of Cortez and a mid-Pleistocene (1 Ma) midpeninsular seaway across Baja California.
The effect of laser refractive surgery on the on-field performance of professional baseball players.

Background The aim of this study was to determine the effect of laser refractive surgery on the offensive performance of professional baseball players. Methods Extensive search of the public media was conducted to determine which major league baseball players had undergone laser refractive surgery and when the procedure was performed. Baseball performance data were then used to determine presurgery and postsurgery baseball performance averages. A total of 17 position players were identified; however, 5 of these players were not considered in the analysis owing to insufficient playing experience either before or after the laser procedure. Results No statistically significant or practically significant difference was found between the presurgery and postsurgery means on either on-base percentage (P = 0.31), batting average (P = 0.39), slugging percentage (P = 0.66) or on-base plus slugging (OPS; P = 0.997) of major league baseball players. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that professional baseball players should not expect a laser refractive surgical procedure to significantly improve their offensive baseball performance, despite the elimination of glasses or contact lens wear.
Rewiring: Cross-Business-Unit Collaborations in Multibusiness Organizations

Cross-business-unit collaboration is central to large firms' value creation, yet empirical support for the prevailing view that a corporate process best fosters such collaboration has been unconvin...
Distributive Leadership, Civic Engagement, and Deliberative Democracy as Vehicles for School Improvement

Elements of directed autonomy were visible in public education long before the concept had been defined in the scholarly literature on organizational management. Most notably, states established common curricula and adequacy standards and then held local school boards accountable for compliance. Civic engagement, a liberty-based process through which citizens exercise authority and power, was integral to this political arrangement (Cooper, Fusarelli, & Randall, 2004). After 1900, however, citizen involvement in public education began waning, largely because of an intricate mix of progressive reforms and professionalism that disconnected schools from their communities (Callahan, 1962; Kochan & Reed, 2005; Reese, 2001). This trend has become a major concern of political scientists, sociologists, and educational researchers who view the disengagement of the public from institutions such as public education as a major threat to the institution's legitimacy and survival (Cibulka, 1996; McGinn, 1996; McNeil, 20...
Trends in micro- and nanoComputed Tomography 2008-2010

Trends in the type and number of published micro- and nano-CT studies are reviewed in this paper. The literature of the last decade is covered, i.e., from 2005 to 2014, and some active fields of research are highlighted.