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The Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at Stony Brook University offers a large‐enrollment gateway undergraduate physiology course, BIO 203 ‐ Fundamentals of Biology: Cellular and Organ Physiology. BIO 203 is a required course in the biology and biochemistry majors and in the pre‐health curriculum, and undergraduates typically register for BIO 203 in their sophomore year. Since Fall 2015, BIO 203 has been offered in two formats, traditional PowerPoint‐based lectures presented twice per week (80 min / session) in a 570‐seat auditorium with individual fixed seats and a flipped, active‐learning format delivered once per week (113 min / session) in a 250‐seat auditorium with shared desks and rotating chairs. Students in both sections had equal access to prerecorded lectures and online activities (content quizzes, journal activities and thought questions). The focus of the lecture section was content delivery while the flipped section emphasized active group learning facilitated by instructors and experienced undergraduate teaching assistants. Student learning was evaluated by performance on common high‐stakes multiple choice exams. On average, students in the flipped section exhibited better performance on the common exams than students in the lecture section (Fall 2019 exam total, p < 0.05 in two sample t test and Wilcoxon rank sum test). As a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic, Stony Brook University required large‐enrollment courses to switch to online instruction starting in March 2020 and continuing through the Fall 2020 semester. The BIO 203 instructors implemented a synchronous online version of BIO 203 based on the active‐learning curriculum developed for the flipped section. In Fall 2020, this synchronous online version of BIO 203 was offered simultaneously to two sections. Students in both sections had access to the same online resources (recorded lectures, content quizzes and activities) and were evaluated using low‐stakes quizzes (administered during scheduled class time) and a common cumulative final exam (administered during a common final exam period). The primary difference between the two sections was the frequency and duration of the synchronous online meetings with instructors and teaching assistants. Section 01 (595 students) met twice a week for 80 min per session, whereas section 02 (257 students) met once a week for 130 min. A preliminary analysis of the scores on the common final exam indicates that students in section 01 (two meetings per week) performed better than students in section 02 (1 meeting per week) (p < 0.05 in two sample t test and Wilcoxon rank sum test). These preliminary findings are consistent with the hypothesis that student learning is enhanced by frequent engagement in active learning.

Objective: To describe an expanded phenotypic spectrum and longitudinal outcome in 256 LGI1-IgG or CASPR2-IgG seropositive patients. Methods: Patients were identified through service neural autoantibody evaluation. Ninety-five had longitudinal follow-up (7-456 months; median 35). Results: Among 3,910 patients tested, 196 were LGI1-IgG-positive; 51 were CASPR2-IgG-positive and 9 were dual-positive. CSF-testing was less sensitive than serum-testing, detecting only 24/38 LGI1-IgG-positive (63%) and 5/6 CASPR2-IgG-positive (83%). LGI1-IgG-positive specimens had higher VGKC-IgG immunoprecipitation values [0.33 nmol/L (0.02-5.14)] than CASPR2-IgG-positives [0.10 nmol/L (0.00-0.45; p 50 years; OR 15, p

Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with non-MRI-conditional cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has been shown to be safe when performed under closely monitored protocols. However, the safety of MRI in patients with devices with a nearly depleted battery has not been reported. Methods Prospective data were collected between January 2008 and May 2015 in patients with non-MRI-conditional CIEDs undergoing clinically indicated MRI under institutional protocol. Patients who were pacemaker dependent were excluded. Patients whose devices were at elective replacement indicator (ERI) at the time of MRI or close to ERI (ERI or replacement for battery depletion within 3 months of scan) were identified through database review and analyzed for clinical events. Results MRI scans (n = 569) were performed in 442 patients. Of these, we identified 13 scans performed with a nearly depleted battery in nine patients. All scans with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs, n = 9) were uneventful. However, two scans with pacemakers close to ERI resulted in a power-on-reset (PoR) event. One scan with a pacemaker close to ERI that was programmed to DOO mode reached ERI during MRI and automatically changed to VVI mode. Additionally, one scan with a pacemaker at ERI did not allow programming. All pacemakers with events were implanted before 2005. Conclusion Patients with pacemakers and ICDs with a nearly depleted battery can safely undergo MRI when patients are not pacemaker dependent. Attention should be paid because old devices can result in PoR or ERI during MRI, which may lead to oversensing and inhibition of pacing.

1 Technical Efficacy Stage: 5 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:e297-e299.

ATAD2 is a cancer-associated protein whose bromodomain has been described as among the least druggable of that target class. Starting from a potent lead, permeability and selectivity were improved through a dual approach: 1) using CF(2) as a sulfone bio-isostere to exploit the unique properties of fluorine, and 2) using 1,3-interactions to control the conformation of a piperidine ring. This resulted in the first reported low-nanomolar, selective and cell permeable chemical probe for ATAD2.

Introduction: Abandoned cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) leads remain a contraindication to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, largely due to in vitro data showing endocardial heating secondary to the radiofrequency field. We tested the hypothesis that abandoned CIED leads do not pose an increased risk of clinical harm for patients undergoing MRI. Methods: This single-center retrospective study examined the outcomes of patients who had device generators removed before MRI, rendering the device leads abandoned. Information was gathered through chartreview.Datacollectedincludedleadmodel,pacingthresholdbeforeMRI,anatomicregionexamined, threshold data after generator reimplantation, and clinical patient outcome. Results: Patients (n = 19, 11 men and eight women) ranged in age from 19 to 85 at the time of MRI. There was a mean of 1.63 abandoned leads at the time of imaging; none of the leads were MRI conditional. Of the three implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) leads, two of three were dual coil. Most (31/35) of the scans performed were of the central nervous system, including head and spinal imaging. There were no adverse events associated with MRI in any of these patients with abandoned leads within 7 days of the scan. No lead malfunctions or clinically significant change in pacing thresholds were noted with generator reimplantation. Conclusion: The use of MRI in patients with abandoned cardiac device leads appears feasible when performed under careful monitoring, with no adverse events, although the experience is small. MRI did not affect the function of leads that were subsequently reconnected to a cardiac device. (PACE 2014; 37:1284‐1290)

The objective of the current study was to characterize the epidemiology and resource use of U.S. children hospitalized with ophthalmologic disease secondary to erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). We studied children ages 5 to 19 years hospitalized in 2005 in 11 states, encompassing 38% of the U.S. pediatric population. Using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, we identified admissions of children with EM, SJS, or TEN and the presence of concurrent ophthalmologic disease, analyzed patient and hospitalization characteristics, and generated age- and sex-adjusted national estimates. We identified 460 children admitted with EM, SJS, or TEN, corresponding to 1,229 U.S. hospitalizations in 2005. Of the children with EM, SJS, or TEN, 60 (13.0%) had ophthalmologic disease, primarily (90.0%) disorders of the conjunctiva. Children with the highest proportions of ophthalmologic disease included those with mycoplasma pneumonia (26.7%), herpes simplex virus (15.6%), upper respiratory infection (13.9%), and lower respiratory infection (13.7%). Individuals with EM, SJS, or TEN and ophthalmologic disease were more likely than those without ophthalmologic disease to receive intensive care unit care (28.3% vs 17.0%, p = 0.03) and to be admitted to a children's hospital (63.3% vs 48.8%, p = 0.03). Ophthalmologic disease was also associated with a significantly longer median length of stay (6.0 days, interquartile range [IQR] 3-9 days vs 3.0 days, IQR 2-6 days, p < 0.001) and median hospital cost ($7,868, IQR $3,539-$17,440 vs $2,969, IQR $1,603-$8,656, p < 0.001). In children with EM, SJS, or TEN, ophthalmologic disease was most common in those with concurrent Mycoplasma pneumoniae and herpes simplex virus infections. Ophthalmologic disease was associated with considerably higher inpatient resource use in this population. Children with EM, SJS, or TEN should be screened and treated early for ophthalmologic disease to prevent morbidity and minimize long-term sequellae.

Adenosine possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties which are partly mediated by G(i) -coupled adenosine A3 receptors (A3Rs). A3R agonists have shown clinical benefit in a number of inflammatory conditions although some studies in A3R-deficient mice suggest a pro-inflammatory role. We hypothesised that, in addition to cell signalling effects, A3R compounds might inhibit neutrophil chemotaxis by disrupting the purinergic feedback loop controlling leukocyte migration. Human neutrophil activation triggered rapid upregulation of surface A3R expression which was disrupted by pre-treatment with either agonist (Cl-IB-MECA) or antagonist (MRS1220). Both compounds reduced migration velocity and neutrophil transmigration capacity without impacting the response to chemokines per se. Similar effects were observed in murine neutrophils, while cells from A3R-deficient mice displayed a constitutively impaired migratory phenotype indicating compound-induced desensitisation and genetic ablation had the same functional outcome. In a dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis model, A3R-deficient mice exhibited reduced colon pathology and decreased tissue myeloperoxidase levels at day 8 - consistent with reduced neutrophil recruitment. However, A3R-deficient mice were unable to resolve the dextran sodium sulphate-induced inflammation and had elevated numbers of tissue-associated bacteria by day 21. Our data indicate that A3Rs play a role in neutrophil migration and disrupting this function has the potential to adversely affect innate immune responses.

Rapid reductions in emissions of the short-lived climate forcers black carbon, tropospheric ozone and methane have been identified as an effective strategy to slow rapid warming and melting in the Arctic and other glaciated areas in the near-term, and avert abrupt, irreversible changes while strategies to reduce emissions of CO2 are implemented to limit long-term consequences. Black carbon is a component of fine particulate matter, a traditional air pollutant with significant health impacts; it has a short atmospheric residence time of about a week, thus emissions reductions provide rapid climate benefit. This article analyses the mitigation approaches that are being discussed in multilateral fora including the Arctic Council, the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution and the International Maritime Organization. Arctic climate dynamics will affect climate globally, which calls for leadership from Arctic nations to spur faster action to abate emissions.

Purpose: To assess safety of clinical MRI of the head in patients with implanted model 100, 102, and 103 vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) Therapy Systems (Cyberonics, Inc., Houston, TX) in 3.0 Tesla MRI (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). Materials and Methods: The distributions of the radiofrequency B1+-field produced by the clinically used transmit/receive (T/R) head coil (Advanced Imaging Research Incorporated, Cleveland, OH) and body coil were measured in a head and shoulders phantom. These measurements were supplemented by temperature measurements on the lead tips and the implantable pulse generator (IPG) of the VNS devices in a head and torso phantom with the same two coils. Clinical 3T MRI head scans were then acquired under highly controlled conditions in a series of 17 patients implanted with VNS. Results: Phantom studies showed only weak B1+ fields at the location of the VNS IPG and leads for MRI scans using the T/R head coil. The MRI-related heating on a VNS scanned in vitro at 3T was also found to be minimal (0.4–0.8°C at the leads, negligible at the IPG). The patient MRI examinations were completed successfully without any adverse incidents. No patient reported any heating, discomfort, or any other unusual sensation. Conclusion: Safe clinical MRI head scanning of patients with implanted VNS is shown to be feasible on a GE Signa Excite 3T MRI system using one specific T/R head coil. These results apply to this particular MRI system configuration. Extrapolation or generalization of these results to more general or less controlled imaging situations without supporting data of safety is highly discouraged. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010; 31: 475–481. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Summary Objective We sought to determine if higher resolution 3 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with or without ovine corticotropin releasing hormone (o-CRH) stimulation would increase the sensitivity for detection of pituitary microadenomas in ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (CS). Design and patients We prospectively identified 23 patients over a 2-year period with clinical and biochemical evidence of ACTH-dependent CS with no lesion (n = 11) or equivocal lesion (n = 10) on 1·5T MRI. Subsequently, two additional MRIs were performed in random order: 3T nonstimulated MRI or 3T MRI with o-CRH in all patients. Three neuroradiologists reviewed all examinations in a randomized blinded fashion. Patients were divided into four groups, depending on the outcome of their evaluation and treatment for CS. Two patients had to be excluded, and so we report on 21 subjects. Measurements and results Both 3T MRI without (P

Partial seizure disorders account for the majority of epilepsy (Sander et al., 1990). In one tertiary center cohort of 2,200 patients, partial epilepsy was more than twice as common as symptomatic, cryptogenic, and idiopathic generalized epilepsies combined. Moreover, in that study, two-thirds of the partial seizure disorders localized to the temporal lobe (Semah et al., 1998). Unfortunately, despite optimal medical therapy, approximately 30% of patients continue to experience recurrent seizures (Sander et al., 1990 Wiebe, et al. 2001). In a recent well-designed trial studying patients who failed initial medication trials, seizure freedom was achieved in only 8% of patients with continued medical therapy compared to 58% of patients undergoing anterior temporal lobectomy (Wiebe, et al. 2001). However, physicians may be reluctant to consider surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy when structural neuroimaging appears normal. Temporal lobectomy has been shown to render about 80% of patients seizure-free in the setting of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–apparent structural abnormality concordant to the seizure onset zone, such as mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) (Cascino, 2004). On the other hand, patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and normal MRI have received less attention. In order to demonstrate the absence of a potentially epileptogenic structural lesion, it is critical that patients have high-resolution seizure protocol MRI with both T1- and T2-weighted images (Jack, 1996; Cascino, 2004). There are relatively few studies examining temporal lobectomy in patients with normal modern seizure protocol MRI. Existing research suggests significantly disparate rates of successful surgery in patients with nonlesional MRI, ranging from 18–63% of patients becoming seizure-free (Berkovic et al., 1995; Theodore et al., 1997; Sylaja et al., 2004; Cohen-Gadol et al., 2005; Jeha et al., 2006). Many of these studies were conducted during the 1980s and early 1990s (Berkovic et al., 1995; Radhakrishnan et al., 1998; McIntosh et al., 2004), prior to the widespread use of epilepsy neuroimaging protocols that are more sensitive for detecting MTS (Jack, 1996; Jack et al., 1996). Some of these studies used pathologic findings to categorize patients (McIntosh et al., 2004; Cohen-Gadol et al., 2006), information that is not available preoperatively for clinical prognostication. Other studies include heterogeneous patient populations and only small numbers of patients with nonlesional MRI (Holmes et al., 2000; Sylaja et al., 2004; Cohen-Gadol et al., 2005). Therefore, we sought to examine the efficacy of epilepsy surgery and noninvasive predictors of favorable outcome for patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and a nonlesional high-resolution seizure protocol MRI.

While attention has been given to national environmental policies and the global environmental condition by scholars, and there is ample research addressing public opinion and attitudes on environmental issues, little research has focused on environment issues in communities and, specifically, on the forces within the local policy setting that shape environmental policy. This paper, based on a study of cities and counties in Florida, explores two concerns: identifying the level of commitment to environmental protection in communities; and identifying forces associated with communities prioritizing environmental protection. The author finds evidence that counties afford a high level of prioritization to environmental protection. Florida's communities appear to define the issue narrowly along the lines of water resources. The findings have theoretical relevance, as it was found that socioeconomic and “social quality of life” indicators tend to explain community environmental orientations and prioritization.

Summary Photorhabdus are bacteria found colonizing the gut of a specialized stage of the nematode Heterorhabditis , called the infective juvenile (IJ). The IJ is a freeliving stage of the nematode that seeks out and infects insect larvae. Once inside the insect the IJ release Photorhabdus into the haemolymph where the bacteria rapidly proliferate, killing the insect within 48‐72 h. The nematodes grow and reproduce in the insect cadaver by feeding on the Photorhabdus biomass. In this study we use Photorhabdus temperata K122 to show that genes involved in iron acquisition play a key role during the course of the tripartite bacteria‐nematode‐insect interaction. We show that a strain carrying a mutation in a gene with homology to exbD , encoding a component of the TonB complex, is unable to grow well in conditions where iron is not freely available. In addition, this mutant, BMM417, requires a longer time to kill the insect larvae than the wild-type bacteria and this defect in pathogenicity is complemented by the co-injection of iron. Moreover, the increase in LT 50 observed with BMM417 is correlated with a significantly slower in vivo growth rate suggesting that iron is limiting in the insect. We also show that BMM417 is unable to support the growth and development of the Heterorhabditis nematode. Addition of exogenous iron to the growth media restores nematode growth and development on BMM417, suggesting that aspects of iron metaboism in Photorhabdus are important during the symbiosis with the nematode.

In 1992 a study by Beggan claimed it had confirmed the existence of Nuttin's ‘mere ownership effect’. This study examined an alternative mechanism for Beggan's findings in the form of forced compliance cognitive dissonance. Seventy-three participants volunteered for the study (66 females and seven males). Results support the view that cognitive dissonance, accepting ownership of a target that was earlier perceived with negative affectivity, is a sufficient condition to enhance estimates of a target object. Ownership per se was not found to be a sufficient condition to enhance owner's estimates of an owned object. In light of this finding cognitive dissonance is offered as a possible mechanism for explaining the previous reports of a perceived ownership effect. This mechanism may also be applicable to instant endowment and mere ownership phenomena. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Following biosynthesis, both GLUT1 and VSV-G proteins appear rapidly (2-3 h) at the plasma membrane, whereas GLUT4 is retained in intracellular membrane compartments and does not display any significant insulin responsiveness until 6-9 h. Surprisingly, the acquisition of insulin responsiveness did not require plasma membrane endocytosis, as expression of a dominant-interfering dynamin mutant (Dyn/K44A) had no effect on the insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. Furthermore, expression of endocytosis-defective GLUT4 mutants or continuous surface labeling with an exofacial specific antibody demonstrated that GLUT4 did not transit the cell surface prior to the acquisition of insulin responsiveness. The expression of a dominant-interfering GGA mutant (VHS-GAT) had no effect on the trafficking of newly synthesized GLUT1 or VSV-G protein to the plasma membrane, but completely blocked the insulin-stimulated translocation of newly synthesized GLUT4. Furthermore, in vitro budding of GLUT4 vesicles but not GLUT1 or the transferrin receptor was inhibited by VHS-GAT. Together, these data demonstrate that following biosynthesis, GLUT4 directly sorts and traffics to the insulin-responsive storage compartment through a specific GGA-sensitive process.

I hope that someday someone will take the time to evaluate the true role of the wife of a president, and to assess the many burdens she has to bear and the contributions she makes. --Harry S. Truman Getting right to the point, first ladies have done it all. Presidential spouses dating to Martha Washington have functioned as their husband's trusted confidante, key supporter, and counselor in times of crisis. First ladies presided over state dinners and a variety of social affairs held at the executive mansion and also deserve credit for renovating and preserving the White House. So too have these wives edited presidential speeches, hit the campaign trail, testified before Congress, lobbied on behalf of legislation, chaired task forces, traveled internationally as unofficial presidential envoys, and championed important social causes. Indeed, the accomplishments and political activities of first ladies--at least those serving from Eleanor Roosevelt to the present time--have been fairly well documented in recent years. Quite early on, the first lady emerged as a key player in what would become known as the White House. The first ladyship is an institution in that the far majority of presidents have served with their wife beside them, presidential spouses are well-known public figures, and the first ladyship has become an office-albeit one of extraconstitutional design--complete with office space, staff, and budget. Nevertheless, scholarship on the first ladies is a quite recent phenomenon and, as a subfield, it is still maturing. Growing Interest in First Ladies Possibly due to the controversial and highly public first ladyship of Hillary Clinton, coming on the heels of the controversial but powerful first ladyship of Nancy Reagan and the popular first ladyship of Barbara Bush, the office has generated much interest by the public, press, and scholars alike. However, as will be noted, scholars came quite late to the game. With the exception of the significant media coverage of and public attention paid to Eleanor Roosevelt, popular interest in modern first ladies grew considerably in the 1980s. In April 1984, a conference titled "Modern First Ladies: Private Lives and Public Duties" was held at the Gerald R. Ford Library in Michigan. A year later, NBC aired a one-hour, primetime special on First Lady Nancy Reagan. During the 1988 presidential campaign, the press and pundits pondered a first lady forum for the candidates' wives. Analysts noted that the candidates--George Bush and Michael Dukakis--were nowhere near as interesting as their wives, Barbara and Kitty (Watson 2000b). In addition to Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Dukakis--who had lectured at Harvard-the other presidential hopefuls in 1988 boasted capable spouses. The group included three lawyers--Hattie Babbitt, wife of Arizona governor Bruce Babbitt; Jeanne Simon, wife of Illinois senator Paul Simon; and Elise du Pont, wife of former Delaware governor Pierre "Pete" du Pont. Tipper Gore, wife of then-Tennessee senator Al Gore, was an author and activist with a graduate education; and Jill Jacobs, wife of Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, was, at the time, pursuing her second master's degree. In 1992, the candidates' wives again proved to be newsworthy. Hillary Rodham Clinton would become the first first lady with a graduate education, completing her law degree at Yale. During Mrs. Clinton's first term as first lady, a $1,000-a-plate event was held at the U.S. National Botanical Garden to raise awareness, support, and funding for the new National Garden in Washington, a monument dedicated to the first ladies. First ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush joined Mrs. Clinton in honoring the service of all first ladies. In 1996, both presidential candidates' spouses--Hillary Clinton, with degrees from Wellesley and Yale; and Elizabeth Dole, with degrees from Harvard and Duke--possessed ivy league diplomas, law degrees, and impressive political resumes. …

This paper investigates gender differences in students’ approaches to learning in higher education. Previous studies have found some evidence for gender differences, but interpretation of these findings has been problematic given a range of methodological limitations including poor response rates and the inappropriate use of univariate statistical analyses. The Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1987) and the abbreviated Approaches to Study Inventory (Entwistle, 1981) were both administered to two samples of first year psychology students. Response rates of 98 per cent and 61 per cent were achieved, and results were analysed using multivariate procedures. No gender differences were found on the equivalent deep, surface or achieving scales with either instrument. Significant correlations between the deep, surface and achieving scales of the SPQ and ASI were found, suggesting that both are measuring similar constructs.

Virtually all prior research on small and medium sized enterprise (SME) management has focused on owner managers. This article, however, empirically examines the determinants of managerial remuneration for a sample of 97 UK SME non-owning managerial employees. the empirical analysis, based upon data obtained from interviews with middle (i.e. non-director level) managers and the published financial records of their employing firms lodged at Companies House, first examines the influence of firm size and performance and then augments the empirical model to include pay composition, industrial sector, external labour market and human capital variables. The empirical results indicate that the average profitability of the employing firms is not a significant determinant of managerial remuneration. However, composition of pay appears to have a significant effect upon total remuneration since, even after controlling for other influences, managers in receipt of annual bonuses and/or profit-sharing bonuses are estimated to earn an additional £6,600. the managers’age and qualifications, and the asset size, industry and location of their employing firms are also significant factors and collectively are able to explain a large proportion of the cross-sectional variance in remuneration. Though there is a lack of previous empirical research on SME managerial pay.

The process is efficient under thermal and microwave conditions in the presence of Cu(O-Ac)2.

Amines have been formylated using aqueous formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde and the iridium catalyst [Cp∗IrI2]2. Paraformaldehyde acts as both a formylating agent and an oxidant.

This paper contributes to the literature on organizational form and performance (the performance-conduct paradigm) by examining the impact of two sets of variables that have not been examined previously: measures of environmental uncertainty and alternative forms of controlling separation of ownership from control. The paper first examines the extent to which contextual variables such as perceived environmental uncertainty and age of the organizational form moderate the relationship between organizational form and corporate performance. Next, the paper extends the analysis by examining the possible effects of ownership and control structures on performance. Measures suggested by agency theory, such as conventional ownership proxies (i.e. proportion of shares held by identifiable, homogenous groups), the proportion of non-executive board members and Fama and Jensen's concept of separation of decision management from decision control are used in the analysis. The results indicate that these measures have direct impact on corporate performance in their own right, though the main impact is indirect through interactions with organizational form variables.

An improved procedure for the preparation of 1,1-dimethylethyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-(S)-formyloxazolidine-3-carboxylate (Garner aldehyde) is described which avoids the need for methyl iodide and benzene. Elaboration of this aldehyde into the novel chiral building blocks mentioned in the title is also described

A short synthesis of the novel antibiotic aranorosin is described which employs a novel hypervalent iodine-mediated oxidative hydroxylation of a tyrosinal derivative in the key step. A similar procedure was employed to prepare 6′-epiaranorosin, and hence establish the stereochemistry of the natural compound.

SUMMARY Throughout the 1980s there has been continued interest in developing financial distress prediction models for both large and small firms. There has, however, been no survey of this literature directed towards assessing the uses and limitations of these models in a management context. The purpose of the paper is, therefore, to indicate the managerial uses and limitations associated with adopting financial distress prediction models. The paper achieves this end by considering in section two the current financial distress prediction techniques and their limitations. Section three examines the relevance of the predicted event (usually actual failure), the usefulness of multi-outcome models and the appropriateness of various sample selection methods. A review of the range and adequacy of the financial and non-financial information used to construct predictive models forms the basis of the fourth section and is followed in section five by a review of the validity of the claims made on behalf of their predictive accuracy. The following section examines the efficacy of other methods of predicting distress, and reviews the ‘man versus model’ literature concerning the relative abilities of unaided human decision-makers and statistical models. The final section offers conclusions and suggests where future work might be directed.

This paper investigates the relationship between close company employment change, directors remuneration, and profitability. Employment changes are best explained by retained profits, and the relationship between directors remuneration and taxable profits suggests that remuneration levels are varied so as to minimize directors total tax liabilities. These results indicate that current U.K. public policies, which attempt to increase employment in small firms via increasing their taxable profits, may be ineffective. In the absence of fiscal policies designed to encourage retentions, a large proportion of any increase in taxable profits will be removed from the business without having any direct employment effects. Copyright 1990 by Scottish Economic Society.

Background Prokineticin 2 (PROK2) is an inflammatory cytokine-like molecule expressed predominantly by macrophages and neutrophils infiltrating sites of tissue damage. Given the established role of prokineticin signaling on gastrointestinal function, we have explored Prok2 gene expression in inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and assessed the possible consequences on gut physiology. Methods Prokineticin expression was examined in normal and colitic tissues using qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Functional responses to PROK2 were studied using calcium imaging and a novel antagonist, Compound 3, used to determine the role of PROK2 and prokineticin receptors in inflammatory visceral pain and ion transport. Key Results Prok2 gene expression was up-regulated in biopsy samples from ulcerative colitis patients, and similar elevations were observed in rodent models of inflammatory colitis. Prokineticin receptor 1 (PKR1) was localized to the enteric neurons and extrinsic sensory neurons, whereas Pkr2 expression was restricted to sensory ganglia. In rats, PROK2-increased intracellular calcium levels in cultured enteric and dorsal root ganglia neurons, which was blocked by Compound 3. Moreover, PROK2 acting at prokineticin receptors stimulated intrinsic neuronally mediated ion transport in rat ileal mucosa. In vivo, Compound 3 reversed intracolonic mustard oil-induced referred allodynia and TNBS-induced visceral hypersensitivity, but not non-inflammatory, stress-induced visceral pain. Conclusions & Inferences Elevated Prok2 levels, as a consequence of gastrointestinal tract inflammation, induce visceral pain via prokineticin receptors. This observation, together with the finding that PROK2 can modulate intestinal ion transport, raises the possibility that inhibitors of PROK2 signaling may have clinical utility in gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.

The sections in this article are: 1 Behavioral Enhancement of Sensory Response as a Physiological Analogue of Attentional Processes 2 Arousal 3 Selective Attention 3.1 Relationships Between Selective Attention and Arousal 4 Intention 4.1 Frontal Lobes 4.2 Centromedian-Parafascicularis-Frontocortical-Thalamic Reticular Nucleus System 4.3 Catecholamine Systems 5 Hemispheric Asymmetries of Attention and Intention 5.1 Attention 5.2 Intention 6 Summary and Conclusions

Mica and polystyrene in four ratios were sheared for three different times, each at three speeds, and at two temperatures in the viscoelastic region, in a screw mixer. From precise density measurements on the resulting composites, void volume fractions were calculated and found to be proportional to mica concentration and independent of total screw rotations. Experimental void/mica ratios were represented by a kinetic model; they decreased from a single value common to all conditions to a steady-state value proportional to the square root of the screw speed. Void formation and elimination occur simultaneously. The goodness of the fit to the data is insensitive to the details of the kinetic model. The characteristic rate constant depends only on temperature, increasing at the same rate as the reciprocal of the low-frequency dynamic viscosity. Cavitation in regions of diverging flow of the mixer may inhibit void elimination.