James Millar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by James Millar

Authors: Frances K. Wen, PhD; James Millar, MD University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicin... more Authors: Frances K. Wen, PhD; James Millar, MD University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa; Linda Oberst-Walsh, MD University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver; Joan Nashelsky, MLS Family Physicians Inquiries Network, Iowa City.

Demokratizatsiya, 2003

he ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wro... more he ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little elle. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of sorne defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. 1 am sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas. Not, indeed, immediately.... But, soon or late, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.-John Maynard Keynes The Russian economy today is the product of three powerful ideas, all of which are now defunct: the Marxist system, the concept of the self-re gulating market, and transition economics. The question for the next ten years is whether a new ideology or pure pragmatism will guide Russia's economic development. This is not to suggest some silly idea about the end of ideology or of history, but to recognize that these three ideologies are spent forces and that an alternative or new idea is absent for the present. The Marxist Idea The labor theory of value is central lo the Marxist conception of economy in only one sense: it is a truism that all social value is created by human effort, physical and mental. Given that the desirable products of human effort are scarce relative lo demand for them, the system by which goods and cervices are distributed is critical in determining who gets what and who does without or with less. Marx understood that property relations and markets under capitalism mobilized inputs and determined distribution among classes of society. Marx was an optimist with

The Journal of family practice, 2018

No. Megestrol acetate (MA) is neither safe nor effective for stimulating appetite in malnourished... more No. Megestrol acetate (MA) is neither safe nor effective for stimulating appetite in malnourished nursing home residents. It increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, 2 retrospective chart reviews), but isn't associated with other new or worsening events or disorders (SOR: B, single randomized controlled trial [RCT]). Over a 25-week period, MA wasn't associated with increased mortality (SOR: B, single RCT). After 44 months, however, MA-treated patients showed decreased median survival (SOR: B, single case-control study). Consistent, meaningful weight gain was not observed with MA treatment (SOR: B, single case-control study, single RCT, 2 retrospective chart reviews, single prospective case-series).

The soil environment is linked to aboveground management including plant species composition, gra... more The soil environment is linked to aboveground management including plant species composition, grazing intensity, levels of soil disturbance, residue management, and the length of time of a living plant is growing. Soil samples were collected under rangeland [native grass, rotational grazing (NGRG); tame grass, heavy grazing (TGRG); and tame grass, rotational grazing (TGHG)] and cropland [conventional till (CT); CT plus manure (CTM); and long term no till (NT)] systems. The rangeland systems were hypothesized to have higher glomalin content [measured as Bradford-reactive soil protein (BRSP)] and water stable aggregation (WSA) than the cropland systems. In addition, within both rangeland and cropland systems, BRSP and WSA were expected to decline with increased disturbance due to grazing or tillage and going from native to introduced plant species. Differences were detected for BRSP with NGRG and CTM having the highest values in range and cropland systems, respectively. However, the CTM system had higher BRSP values than one or both of the tame grass systems while the CT and NT systems had similar values. Correlation analysis showed strong relationships between all of the BRSP values and WSA.

Open Journal of Soil Science, 2013

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy, 2006

We have examined the efficacy of vaccination with recombinant adenovirus under conditions of extr... more We have examined the efficacy of vaccination with recombinant adenovirus under conditions of extreme leukopenia in lethally irradiated mice reconstituted with autologous bone marrow. The expansion of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells following immunization of lethally irradiated hosts paralleled the recovery of total CD8(+) T cells. Surprisingly, the numbers of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in lethally irradiated mice beyond 6 weeks postimmunization were comparable to the numbers found in nonirradiated controls. CD8(+) T cells elicited in the lethally irradiated hosts were functionally indistinguishable from those elicited in normal hosts. Antigen expression and presentation persisted for a longer period of time in the draining lymph nodes of irradiated mice compared to those of nonirradiated animals, suggesting that antigen presentation mechanisms were intact during the reconstitution period. Experiments employing allogeneic bone marrow demonstrated that radioresistant host antigen...

Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education

Abstract Quality assurance is becoming a necessary aspect of many institutions of higher educatio... more Abstract Quality assurance is becoming a necessary aspect of many institutions of higher education. Teaching and learning is a major area of scrutiny and requires institutional agreement on the benchmarks and standards by which quality will be determined. This chapter provides a framework for conceptualising the elements of teaching and learning that need to be accounted for in any quality assurance process, with particular focus on teaching activities that reflect an authentic approach to learning.

Vaccine, 2007

Plasmid DNA vaccine has been widely explored for tuberculosis immunization but there is a need to... more Plasmid DNA vaccine has been widely explored for tuberculosis immunization but there is a need to develop the ways to improve its immunogenicity. In this study, we have constructed a plasmid DNA vaccine coding for Ag85A alone or for both Ag85A and GM-CSF and investigated the immune adjuvant effects of electroporation and GM-CSF co-expression, alone or in combination, on CD4 and CD8 T cell IFN-gamma responses, CTL activities and immune protection from pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge in a Balb/c mouse model. We have found that use of electroporation allows a single intramuscular (i.m.) DNA injection to be as effective as repeated i.m. DNA injections in activation of both Ag85A-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. Co-expression of immune-enhancing cytokine GM-CSF by the same plasmid DNA TB vaccine could further enhance T cell activation including CTL activities on top of electroporation. With regard to immune protection from pulmonary M. tb challenge, use of electroporation also allows a single i.m. DNA injection to be as effective as repeated i.m. DNA injections. Co-expression of GM-CSF transgene also moderately enhances immune protection and such effect is more evident for systemic protection. However, GM-CSF expression has little added effect on immune protection by electroporation-aided immunization protocols. Our findings thus will help with the development of future DNA TB immunization strategies.

Russian Review, 1995

... FROM NEPTO YELTSIN 15 tional relationsmost dramatically signified by the breaking of diploma... more ... FROM NEPTO YELTSIN 15 tional relationsmost dramatically signified by the breaking of diplomatic ... elements of the countryside against the Soviet government.&quot;8 In his study of Nepmen ... shape.16 The state soon completely controlled almost all eco-nomic activity in the Soviet ...

Molecular Therapy, 2007

We have investigated the role of CD4 + T cells in the development of the CD8 + T-cell response af... more We have investigated the role of CD4 + T cells in the development of the CD8 + T-cell response after immunization with recombinant adenovirus (rAd). In the absence of CD4 + T cells, the "unhelped" CD8 + T-cell population exhibited a reduction in primary expansion and long-term survival that appeared to be due to inadequate priming of naïve T cells. There were few functional or phenotypic differences between the helped and unhelped CD8 + T-cell populations with the exception of O-glycosylated CD43, a marker of effector cells, which was augmented on the unhelped CD8 + T-cell population. In some cases, the unhelped CD8 + T-cell population exhibited reduced ability to control virus infection; however, this appeared to be a function of the reduced frequency of antigenspecific CD8 + T cells. Most notably, the unhelped CD8 + T-cell population exhibited no defect in secondary expansion. These results provide insight into the role of CD4 + T cells during the primary CD8 + T-cell response generated by rAd vaccines and identify potential benefits and issues that must be considered when using adenovirus vaccines under conditions where CD4 + T-cell function may be limiting, such as vaccination of human immunodeficiency virus patients.

The Journal of Immunology, 2005

The Journal of Immunology, 2003

In vivo electroporation dramatically enhances plasmid vaccine efficacy. This enhancement can be a... more In vivo electroporation dramatically enhances plasmid vaccine efficacy. This enhancement can be attributed to increased plasmid delivery and, possibly, to some undefined adjuvant properties. Previous reports have demonstrated CD8 ؉ T cell priming by plasmid vaccines is strongly dependent upon CD4 ؉ T cell help. Indeed, the efficacy of a plasmid vaccine expressing Escherichia coli ␤-galactosidase was severely attenuated in MHC class II-deficient (C2D) mice. To determine whether electroporation could compensate for the absence of CD4 ؉ T cell help, C2D mice were immunized by a single administration of plasmid in combination with electroporation using two conditions which differed only by the duration of the pulse (20 or 50 msec). Both conditions elicited robust cellular and humoral responses in wild-type mice, as measured by IFN-␥ ELISPOT, anti-␤-galactosidase ELISA, and protection from virus challenge. In C2D mice, the cellular response produced by the vaccine combined with the 50-msec pulse, as measured by ELISPOT, was identical to the response in wild-type mice. The 20-msec pulse elicited a milder response that was approximately one-fifth that of the response elicited by the 50-msec pulse. By contrast, the 20-msec conditions provided comparable protection in both wild-type and C2D recipients whereas the protection elicited by the 50-msec conditions in C2D mice was weaker than in wild-type mice. Further investigation is required to understand the discordance between the ELISPOT results and outcome of virus challenge in the C2D mice. Nonetheless, using this technique to prime CD8 ؉ T cells using plasmid vaccines may prove extremely useful when immunizing hosts with limiting CD4 ؉ T cell function, such as AIDS patients.

International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), 1965

EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems, 2006

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are drawing ever increasing interest from designers of emb... more Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are drawing ever increasing interest from designers of embedded wireless communications systems. They outpace digital signal processors (DSPs), through hardware execution of a wide range of parallelizable communications transceiver algorithms, at a fraction of the design and implementation effort and cost required for application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In our study, we employ an Altera Stratix FPGA development board, along with the DSP Builder software tool which acts as a high-level interface to the powerful Quartus II environment. We compare single-and multibranch FPGA-based receiver designs in terms of error rate performance and power consumption. We exploit FPGA operational flexibility and algorithm parallelism to design eigenmode-monitoring receivers that can adapt to variations in wireless channel statistics, for high-performing, inexpensive, smart antenna array embedded systems.

Current Gene Therapy, 2005

Tuberculosis vaccine research began with the search for a vaccine that might be better than, and ... more Tuberculosis vaccine research began with the search for a vaccine that might be better than, and thus could replace, the current Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine. Over the last fifteen years or so, intense research effort has led to the identification of a number of novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccines which can be divided into 4 categories: genetically modified mycobacteria, protein, plasmid DNA and viral. However, it is increasingly believed that the current BCG vaccine will continue to be used as a childhood vaccine and that more effort should be directed to developing appropriate boosting vaccines. Mounting evidence suggests that recombinant genetic vaccines, particularly recombinant viral vaccines, are effective in boosting immune activation and protection by BCG vaccination. Since modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-and adenovirus-vectored TB vaccines have been most extensively studied, this review will focus on recent advances in the development and applications of these two viral TB vaccines.

Comparative Economic Studies, 2005

A review of Abram Bergson's first major work on the Soviet economy illustrates how the method of ... more A review of Abram Bergson's first major work on the Soviet economy illustrates how the method of analysis he used remained strikingly consistent throughout his career. The approach involved a rigorous statement of the relevant economic theory, the erection of an hypothesis upon it for empirical testing, and reliance upon carefully evaluated Soviet statistical data for the test.

Cellular Immunology, 2007

Virus-based recombinant vaccines have proven highly effective at generating protective CD8+ T cel... more Virus-based recombinant vaccines have proven highly effective at generating protective CD8+ T cell responses. Multiple vector platforms are available, however, little is known about the relative influence of the different vectors on the transgene-specific CD8+ T cell population. To address this question, we compared several characteristics of the CD8+ T cell response elicited by recombinant adenovirus (rAd) and vaccinia virus (rVV). We found that following rAd immunization the transgene-specific CD8+ T cell response peaked around day 12 and was larger and more sustained than the response produced by rVV. In addition, the CD8+ T cell response generated by rAd was directed primarily against the transgene, whereas the CD8+ T cell response produced by rVV principally targeted the vector backbone. In addition, we also observed that transgene selection also impacted on the magnitude of the CD8+ T cell response elicited by both vectors. Despite differences in the magnitude of the anti-transgene CD8+ T cell response, both vectors elicited CD8+ T cell populations with similar cytokine production, functional avidity and cytolytic activity. In addition, plasmid priming prior to immunization with either rAd or rVV only impacted the magnitude of the transgene gene specific CD8+ T cell response. Our study demonstrates that both vector and transgene selection can influence the magnitude of the CD8+ T cell response, but they do not influence functionality.