cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of immunotherapy with extracted tumor antigens on sinecomitant immunity

The fate of hosts after tumor resection depends upon the level of their sinecomitant immunity, which can destroy residual neoplastic cells. In addition, active specific immunotherapy can stimulate the resistance of mice incompletely resected of large tumors and therefore destined to develop recurrent disease. The studies presented herein, assessing host resistance by in vivo tumor challenge and an in vitro growth inhibition assay (GIA) measuring the effect of splenic lymphocytes on 3H-thymidine incorporation into monolayers of sarcoma cells, revealed an antagonistic relationship between sinecomitant immunity and tumor antigen immunotherapy. Treatment of hosts bearing high levels of endogenous sinecomitant immunity with Fraction 15 pI 5.95 partially purified from 3 M KCl extracts by preparative isoelectric focusing, decreased their resistance to tumor challenge and the capacity of their spleen cells to perform in the in vitro GIA. When sinecomitant immunity was not demonstrable, therapy with tumor antigen induced host resistance. If therapy was delayed until sinecomitant immunity had naturally waned, hosts displayed improved resistance toward secondary challenge. These findings suggest that not only does antigen therapy effect tumor resistance by a mechanism independent of sinecomitant immunity, but also these two mechanisms are mutually antagonistic. Therefore, the design of active specific immunotherapy protocols utilizing tumor antigens may depend on the level of the host endogenous sinecomitant resistance.
Input encoding strategies and attenuation of stroop interference

Abstract The role of visual and verbal coding processes in the Stroop effect is examined, and evidence is found that coding strategies can attenuate Stroop interference. This result is related to current models of the Stroop effect, and the possibility of a multiple-loci approach is raised.
Aberration Correction In A Telescope With A Segmented Primary

In a Cassegrain telescope with a segmented primary mirror, wavefront aberrations are introduced by segment figure errors, segment positioning errors, secondary figure errors, and secondary positioning errors. We give here an analytic description of these errors. The various sources contribute different aberrations to the wavefront. These differences suggest an ordering to the aberration measurement and correction, and allow options in alignment procedures and tolerances. The segmentation and control of the primary mirror segments allow the partial correction of figure aberrations in the secondary mirror and aberrations caused by secondary misalignment. We use the W. M. Keck Ten Meter Telescope as an example for these considerations. The ten-meter diameter actively-controlled primary mirror is a mosaic of thirty-six hexagonal segments and is currently under construction.
Capillary Electrophoresis as a Probe of Counterion Condensation Theory

Electrophoresis is a useful probe of DNA electrostatics, because the mobility is related to the ratio of the effective charge of the DNA to its frictional coefficient. Manning has developed a theory describing the electrophoretic mobility of DNA as a function of various experimental parameters, based on counterion condensation theory. The mobility is predicted to vary linearly with cation valence, the logarithm of ionic strength, and the logarithm of the axial charge spacing along the contour length. Since the theory contains no adjustable parameters, the dependence of DNA mobility on various experimental variables can be used to probe the fundamental correctness of the underlying theory. For double-stranded DNA, the observed mobilities vary linearly with cation valence and the logarithm of ionic strength, as predicted by the Manning theory. The calculated and observed mobilities agree within ∼5% if b is equal to 1.7, the axial charge spacing of dsDNA. For single-stranded DNA, the observed mobilities vary linearly with the logarithm of ionic strength and the logarithm of the fractional charge density of the backbone, as predicted by the Manning theory. However, the calculated and observed mobilities do not agree unless the value of b decreases with increasing ionic strength, raising the question of the physical meaning of this parameter.
Influence of pH and Competitive Adsorption on the Kinetics of Ligand-Promoted Dissolution of Aluminum Oxide

The kinetics of δ-Al2O3 dissolution were examined in the presence of 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate (HQS) and salicylate over the pH range 3−9. The greatest effects of both of these ligands on δ-Al2O3 dissolution were observed at pH values higher than those corresponding to maximal adsorbed ligand concentrations. Thus, calculated rate constants were pH dependent. For HQS, correlation between the fluorescence of the surface complex and the adsorbed HQS concentration indicates that the pH dependence of the rate constant cannot be explained by a change in the structure of the metal−organic surface complex. Rather, it is proposed that the rate-determining step in the dissolution reaction involves a mixed surface complex in which aluminum is coordinated by both the organic ligand and hydroxide. Similarly, dissolution rates in the presence of the competing adsorbates HQS and fluoride suggest a synergistic action of these two ligands. Dissolution rates predicted from measured adsorbed concentrations of both liga...
Multifunctional gold nanoparticle-peptide complexes for nuclear targeting.

The ability of peptide-modified gold nanoparticles to target the nucleus of HepG2 cells was explored. Five peptide/nanoparticle complexes were investigated, particles modified with (1) the nuclear localization signal (NLS) from the SV 40 virus; (2) the adenovirus NLS; (3) the adenovirus receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME) peptide; (4) one long peptide containing the adenovirus RME and NLS; and (5) the adenovirus RME and NLS peptides attached to the nanoparticle as separate pieces. Gold nanoparticles were used because they are easy to identify using video-enhanced color differential interference contrast microscopy, and they are excellent scaffolds from which to build multifunctional nuclear targeting vectors. For example, particles modified solely with NLS peptides were not able to target the nucleus of HepG2 cells from outside the plasma membrane, because they either could not enter the cell or were trapped in endosomes. The combination of NLS/RME particles (4) and (5) did reach the nucleus; however, nuc...
Axon segments sprout at both ends: tracking growth with fluorescent D-peptides

In the nervous systems of many animals, including vertebrates, isolated axon segments can survive for weeks or even months1–3; they can participate in regeneration4,5 and in some cases receive synapses from regenerating axons6,7. Axon segments in cell culture exhibit limited growth8–10. Although lengths of axon may grow in more intact systems11–14, direct evidence for this has been difficult to obtain, partly because of the difficulty of marking isolated axon segments. We have injected fluorescently labelled synthetic D-peptides15 into identified neurones in the leech central nervous system to mark axon segments. We report here that individual segments can initiate growth at both ends and grow for days, both in organ culture and in vivo. These results support the hypothesis that axon growth is not essentially polar and suggest a novel mechanism by which axon segments may assist nerve regeneration.
Lee K. Frankel (1867–1931): Public Health Leader and Life Insurance Executive

LEE FRANKEL WAS BORN IN Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1867. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a doctoral degree in chemistry in 1891. He served as instructor in chemistry from 1888 to 1893, and then worked for several years as a consulting chemist. While still an undergraduate, he had assisted one of the professors in studying a typhoid fever epidemic in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and became interested in social work and philanthropy.1 With the encouragement of Morris Loeb, a prominent Jewish philanthropist, Frankel served as manager of the United Hebrew Charities in New York City from 1899 to 1908. Frankel became interested in what was called industrial insurance—insurance in small sums with premiums payable in weekly installments—mainly used by the poor to insure against the death of a family breadwinner. In 1908, he received a two-year grant from the Russell Sage Foundation to investigate the various forms of social insurance being created in European countries.2 On his return, he accepted a position with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (Metropolitan Life) to be manager of the company's industrial department. Frankel would go on to become sixth and then second vice president of the company. Frankel persuaded the company that programs of health education, public health, and social welfare would reduce morbidity and mortality and thus be highly profitable. He turned the industrial department into a major organization for health promotion and welfare work, initiated a visiting nursing program and community health demonstrations, and coordinated extensive public health, welfare, and health education activities. He was especially concerned with the problems of immigrants and was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to a commission to investigate conditions at Ellis Island, the entry point for the tens of thousands of immigrants flooding into New York City. Frankel wrote pamphlets first on tuberculosis and then on other diseases, all of which were reproduced in the hundreds of millions by Metropolitan Life and distributed around the country by its army of 25e000 insurance agents. He trained these agents to understand the relationship of public health to social insurance, and even produced a series of pamphlets for a course of instruction entitled, “The Principles of Life Insurance,” to educate the Metropolitan Life agents. In 1914, during his tenure as the sixth vice president of Metropolitan Life, he and statistician Louis I. Dublin published Industrial Insurance and Social Welfare, the tenth pamphlet in this series.3 Frankel was elected president of the American Public Health Association in 1919. An extract from his presidential address is republished here. During his tenure, he was responsible for raising considerable sums of money and increasing membership, thus greatly strengthening the organization. Frankel was later coauthor of several more books, including A Popular Encyclopedia of Health.4 After a highly productive career, Frankel died in Paris, France, in 1931. n
Oxygen on Pt(110): Thermal enhancement of electron stimulated desorption

Abstract Adsorption of oxygen on Pt(110) at room temperature occurs in two stages, a rapid adsorption to about half the saturation coverage followed by a much slower adsorption. Electron stimulated desorption (ESD) produces a small yield of O+ ions. If the saturated surface is heated above about 600 K, the ESD yield of O+ can increase by as much as twenty times. The high yield condition produced by heating is then stable at lower temperatures. Complete desorption occurs on heating above ∼ 900 K. If the exposure at room temperature is arrested after the initial rapid adsorption, the transition above 600 K is not observed. However, adsorption above 600 K on the clean surface gives directly the high O+ yielding state. The observations relate to some activated surface re-arrangement but more studies are required to verify whether or not the platinum atoms are directly involved.
Seizures, hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and intraventricular hemorrhage in the newborn

The review deals with neonatal seizures, perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage. neonatal seizures are the most prominent signals of the largest number of neonatal neurological disorders. The convulsive phenomena may be subtle. The predominant etiological process is hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Prognosis is related primarily to the neurological disease responsible for the seizures. Treatment may be specific for the underlying disorder (e.g., glucose or calcium) or less specific (i.e., therapy with anticonvulsant drugs). Prompt control of the seizures is important to avoid brain injury secondary to the effects of the seizures on ventilation, perfusion, and brain metabolism. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the newborn most often is a consequence of intrauterine asphyxia. Diagnosis depends primarily on recognition of the clinical syndrome but also on a variety of neurodiagnostic techniques, including radionuclide and CT brain scans. Prognosis is estimated best by a combination of clinical analysis and specialized neurodiagnostic studies. management is based principally on vigorous support, particularly of ventilation and perfusion, maintenance of adequate glucose influx, and control of seizures. Intraventricular hemorrhage is the most common type of neonatal intracranial hemorrhage. The neuropathology is characterized by bleeding from capillaries of the subependymal germinal matrix. Secondary rupture of the ependymal lining then causes intraventricular hemorrhage. Pathogenesis relates to the anatomy of the germinal matrix, the distribution and regulation of cerebral blood flow, and the structure and vulnerability of periventricular capillaries. Precise diagnosis requires a brain imaging procedure; portable, real-time ultrasound is the preferred approach for critically ill infants. Prognosis relates to the severity of the hemorrhage as well as any preceding hypoxic-ischemic insults and the subsequent occurrence of hydrocephalus. Choice of therapy for posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation depends upon severity and rapidity of progression and ranges from close observation only to ventriculoperitoneal shunting.
PREDICTORS OF SUBSEQUENT PROSTATE CANCER IN MEN WITH A PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN OF 2.6 TO 4.0 NG/ML AND AN INITIALLY NEGATIVE BIOPSY

ABSTRACTPurpose: Almost 75% of men with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) of 2.6 to 4.0 ng/ml have no evidence of prostate cancer on biopsy. Deciding whether and when to repeat the biopsy is challenging. We determined if patient specific variables might identify men at increased risk for the subsequent detection of prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We analyzed the records of 24,893 men from a community based prostate cancer screening study. Our study group consisted of 1,202 men with PSA 2.6 to 4.0 ng/ml and a previously negative prostate biopsy. Patient specific variables were analyzed for their value in predicting a future diagnosis of prostate cancer.Results: Of 1,011 men with adequate followup 136 (13.5%) were subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Mean followup ± SD in men without prostate cancer was 72 ± 36 months. Prostate cancer was subsequently diagnosed in 35% of men with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) on initial biopsy (p <0.0001), in 18% with abnormal or susp...
Dopamine transport inhibitors based on GBR12909 and benztropine as potential medications to treat cocaine addiction

The discovery and development of medications to treat addiction and notably, cocaine addiction, have been frustrated by both the complexity of the disorder and the lack of target validation in human subjects. The dopamine transporter has historically been a primary target for cocaine abuse medication development, but addictive liability and other confounds of such inhibitors of dopamine uptake have limited clinical evaluation and validation. Herein we describe efforts to develop analogues of the dopamine uptake inhibitors GBR 12909 and benztropine that show promising profiles in animal models of cocaine abuse that contrast to that of cocaine. Their unique pharmacological profiles have provided important insights into the reinforcing actions of cocaine and we propose that clinical investigation of novel dopamine uptake inhibitors will facilitate the discovery of cocaine-abuse medications.
Pain therapy and quality of life

In the treatment of advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer, the aim is an improvement in quality of life since treatment strategies are merely palliative and life cannot be prolonged. Therapy is based on medical pain relief for different aspects of pain without seriously affecting activity and quality of life. With respect to therapy of chronic pain, Germany can be regarded as a developing country. It is definitely in the interest of urological cancer patients that this situation will be finished.
Total Electron-Impact Ionization Cross-Sections of Cfx and Nfx, X = 1-3

The discrepancy between experimental and theoretical total electron-impact ionization cross sections for a group of fluorides, CFx, and NFx, (x = 1 - 3), is attributed to the inadequacies in previous theoretical models. Cross-sections calculated using a recently developed siBED (simulation Binary-Encounter-Dipole) model that takes into account the shielding of the long-range dipole potential between the scattering electron and target are in agreement with experimentation. The present study also carefully reanalyzed the previously reported experimental data to account for the possibility of incomplete collection of fragment ions and the presence of ion-pair formation channels. For NF3, our experimental and theoretical cross-sections compare well with the total ionization cross-sections recently reported by Haaland et al. in the region below dication formation.
What the academic advisor needs to know about job placement

Abstract Job placement is one of the final, yet most important steps in a student's academic career. Often times, the student looks to a college professor for counsel before facing this final hurdle. The college professor can only help the student in this endeavor if the professor is aware of what the hiring community deems to be the necessary and important credentials of a job seeker. This paper reports the results of a mail questionnaire survey that was conducted of public accounting firms and Fortune 500 corporations to determine what are the most important credentials for successful job placement. These results indicated that performance in the job interview is one of the most important aspects that recruiters consider when hiring an accounting graduate.
Place, space, networks, and the sustainability of collective action: the Madres de Plaza de Mayo

This article provides a framework for analysing social movements and explaining how collective action can be sustained through networks. Drawing on current relational views of place and space, I offer a spatialized conception of social networks that critically synthesizes network theory, research on social movements, and the literature on the spatial dimensions of collective action. I examine the historic and contemporary network geographies of a group of human rights activists in Argentina (the Madres de Plaza de Mayo) and explain the duration of their activism over a period of more than two decades with regard to the concept of geographic flexibility. To be specific, first I show how, through the practice of place-based collective rituals, activists have maintained network cohesion and social proximity despite physical distance. Second, I examine how the construction of strategic networks that have operated at a variety of spatial scales has allowed the Madres to access resources that are important for sustaining mobilization strategies. Finally, I discuss how the symbolic depiction of places has been used as a tool to build and sustain network connections among different groups. I conclude by arguing that these three dimensions of the Madres’ activism account for their successful development of geographically flexible networks, and that the concept of geographic flexibility provides a useful template for studies of the duration and continuity of collective action.
Perspective: Thinking beyond survival

Quality of life has become a vital consideration for children with sickle-cell disease in high-income countries, says Michael R. DeBaun.
A comparison of elastomeric auxiliaries versus elastic thread on premolar extraction site closure: An in vivo study

Twenty-five patients requiring symmetric premolar extractions (representing eighty quadrants requiring canine retraction) were entered into the study. Standard 0.022 × 0.028-inch Siamese edgewise appliances with 0.016 × 0.022-inch arch wires were used during canine retraction. In 30 of the quadrants, canine retraction was accomplished with Unitek Alastik chain; 10 quadrants were treated with Rocky Mountain energy chain (medium). In the remaining 40 groups, canine retraction was accomplished via Unitek nylon-covered latex thread. The forces initially applied to the system were between 350–400 grams. Patients were seen at 3-week intervals to measure the amount of space closure and to change the elastic modules. A comparison among the three groups revealed no significant differences in rates of canine retraction (P < 0.05). Empirically, the elastomeric auxiliaries were found to be more hygienic and required less chair time to apply than did the elastic thread.
Pharmacoimmunodynamics of methylprednisolone: trafficking of helper T lymphocytes.

A two-compartment dosed model was used to characterize the cell trafficking behavior of helper T cells in response to various single doses of methylprednisolone. Steroids are assumed to inhibit the circadian-determined cell return from extravascular sites to blood in a classic inhibitory pattern reflected by an IC50.The rate of cell efflux from tissues is modeled with a cosine function having a period of 24 hr and a maximum at about 1 am. Nonlinear leastsquares regression employing differential equations was used to analyze helper T-cell data from three human studies from our laboratory. The IC50value of methylprednisolone of 12–19 ng/ml approximates receptor KDvalues. Simulations were performed to demonstrate the log-linear role of steroid dose or AUCon the integral of effect of helper T cells over a wide range of methylprednisolone doses. This pharmacodynamic model allows flexibility for characterizing any type of steroid dosing regimen and is relevent in describing complex response data for corticosteroid immunosuppressive effects in man.
Uses of the present

Working with the living, human biologists are in a fortunate position to put individuals and populations of the past in their appropriate quantitative places and to identify and comprehend environmental "stresses" of previous times. Although some writers have romanticized the human past as a disease-free and natural existence, the evidence is strongly contradictory. Our ancestors and even our hominoid ancestors were much parasitized, with impairment of growth and function. Few had regular access to safe potable water. Their gritty diets were bacteria laden and often full of toxins, and the adequacy of diets was rarely predictable. High indoor occupancy rates facilitated the communication of respiratory diseases as well as mites, lice, fleas, and jiggers. Unventilated cooking and heating hearths made for elevated concentrations of carbon monoxide and particulate products of combustion. Living with animals, for warmth and protection, our Old World ancestors came to share their pathogenic fauna and so added tuberculosis, measles, influenza, smallpox, and numerous "plagues" to the list of human scourges. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Atoms in moderately strong electromagnetic fields: General method and its application to the two-level atom

The desirability of considering "dressed" rather than "bare" states of atoms in strong electromagnetic fields has been noted by others. It is suggested here that such a treatment is conveniently carried out by performing a unitary transformation of the Hamiltonian so that the "dressed" states in the new basis are precisely the "bare" states of the usual basis. A perturbative method for constructing such a transformation, closely related to a procedure described by Heitler, is proposed. The method is applied through second order to a two-level atom model, and it is verified that the transformation makes the dressed ground atomic state stable, and the excited state unstable with the proper decay probability; furthermore, the energies of the two states are renormalized by the correct amounts. The method is then compared with the "nonperturbative" momentum-translation approximation, and shown to contain already in first order the entire operator content of that approximation, but to yield different transition probabilities. Finally, the transformation method is applied through second order to the standard scalar-field model and shown to produce the usual dressing transformation, mass renormalization, and induced nucleon-nucleon potential of that model, a result which tends to substantiate the hypothesis that the transformation produces the correct dressed states of a physical system.
The cognitive abilities screening instrument (CASI): data from a cohort of 2524 cognitively intact elderly

Objectives To describe the effects of age and education for the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), a 25-item test of cognitive function. Design Cross-sectional descriptive study of the initial enrollment in a community-based prospective cohort study. Participants A total of 2524 cognitively intact older adults over age 65 who were members of a major health maintenance organization, and who consented to participate in a longitudinal study. Measurements Summary scores for the CASI are given in the form of mean, median and percentile distributions specific for age and educational level. Results Based upon maximum likelihood analyses, age and education were significant (p Conclusions Like most cognitive screening instruments, performance on the CASI in non-demented persons is influenced by age and education. The reference values for 5-year age categories described in this article should be useful for clinicians and research investigators when using the CASI as a measure of cognitive function.
Detection of the Carrier State in Combined Immunodeficiency Disease Associated with Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency

A large pedigree containing a child with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (CID) associated with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency was investigated to ascertain if heterozygotes could be detected by measuring red cell ADA activity. 9 of 17 individuals in three generations who were at risk for being heterozygous had decreased red cell ADA activity. This genetic information establishes one form of CID as an autosomal recessive disorder. The identified heterozygote population had a mean ADA value of 19.2 U/g hemoglobin (0.95 confidence interval; 14.0 to 24.4 U/g hemoglobin), which was approximately one-half the mean, 36.1 U/g hemoglobin, of a randomly selected control population (0.95 confidence interval; 22.5-58.1 U/g hemoglobin). Statistical comparisons of the heterozygotes to the normal population indicates that within a high-risk family heterozygotes may be identified with 90% confidence.
Percutaneous radiofrequency coagulation of osteoid osteoma of the "Neural Spinal Ring".

Study Design: Three cases of osteoid osteomas of the spine, adjacent to neural elements, were treated with CT-guided thermal coagulation. Objective: To present an alternative method to conventional treatment of spinal osteoid osteoma. Summary of Background Data: Percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency coagulation has been succesfully used for osteoid osteoma of the extremities. The conventional management of spinal osteoid osteoma is by surgical resection. Method: Three patients with osteoid osteoma of the spine, adjacent to neural structures, were treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. The procedure was performed in the CT room under general anesthesia and CT guidance. The thermocoagulation electrode was heated at 90°C for 4 min. Results: Two patients left the hospital the same day; the third one was kept 24 h for observation. All of them had total pain relief within 48 h following the procedure. No complications were recorded. There was no evidence of recurrence after a mean follow-up period of 17 months. Conclusion: Osteoid osteoma of the spine, adjacent to neural structures, can effectively and safely be treated by minimally invasive percutaneous CT guided radiofrequency coagulation.
Mapping susceptibility genes for asthma and allergy

Allergy and asthma are related conditions caused by a complex interaction of genetic factors and environmental influences. With family data from several different populations, linkage analysis has been performed and used to identify regions of the genome that contain susceptibility genes for these conditions. To date, 4 genome screens have been completed and have successfully identified several chromosomal locations that are likely to contain asthma and allergy genes. Many of these regions contain potential biologic candidate genes that modulate immunologic responses or airways inflammation. By focusing on the common regions that have been replicated in these 4 genome screens, the major susceptibility genes for asthma and allergy should be identified. This will lead to an improved understanding of pathogenic factors that lead to development or progression of asthma and allergic diseases.
Evidence for autoregulation of cholecystokinin secretion during diversion of bile pancreatic juice in rats

Abstract Background & Aims: The mechanism regulating cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion during prolonged diversion of bile pancreatic juice (BPJ) is unknown. We examined the hypothesis that the decrease of plasma CCK levels after prolonged diversion of BPJ is mediated by an increase in plasma somatostatin levels evoked by hypercholecystokinemia and somatostatin in turn inhibits CCK-releasing peptide (CCK-RP) bioactivity and decreases plasma CCK levels. Methods: Pancreatic secretion, plasma CCK levels, and somatostatin levels were monitored for 7 hours after diversion of BPJ in anesthetized rats. Secretion of CCK-RP bioactivity during diversion of BPJ was examined in the presence or absence of somatostatin. Results: Diversion of BPJ for 2 hours caused a 13- and 2.5-fold increase in plasma CCK and somatostatin levels. The increase in somatostatin levels was blocked by the CCK antagonist L364,718. At 5 hours after diversion of BPJ, plasma CCK and somatostatin levels and luminal CCK-RP bioactivity decreased to basal levels. The decrease in plasma CCK levels was prevented by the administration of a specific somatostatin antagonist. We also showed that the stimulatory effect of the CCK-RP bioactivity was eliminated when the donor rat was pretreated with somatostatin. Conclusions: Autoregulation of CCK secretion occurs during the diversion of BPJ and this is mediated by somatostatin, which inhibits the secretion of CCK-RP bioactivity and decreases plasma CCK levels.
Effects of Sample Cooling on Depth Profiling of Na in SiO2 Thin Films

Depth profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry of a 100 keV Na implant in a 430 nm thick SiO 2 film has been studied as a function of temperature from 295 to 93 K. At 295 K, and using a coincident electron flux to reduce the extent of electric field-induced Na migration, accumulation of Na at the interface could be eliminated. However, profiles at 295 K without Na accumulation were difficult to reproduce. In addition, the trailing edges often did not decrease exponentially and are broadened with decay lengths >44 nm. At 93 K and using the electron flux only to maximize the matrix secondary ion signals, accumulation of Na at the interface was eliminated, the trailing edge decreased exponentially and the decay length was reduced to 27 nm. Sample cooling also improved reproducibility and allowed a wider range of sputtering conditions to be used.
Infrared Laser Absorption Measurements of the Kinetics of Propargyl Radical Self-Reaction and the 193 nm Photolysis of Propyne

Infrared laser absorption spectroscopy is used to investigate recent discrepancies in measurements of the propargyl radical self-reaction rate coefficient and product formation in 193 nm photolysis of propyne. The cross section of the propargyl radical is measured relative to that of HCl using the Cl + propyne reaction, yielding a peak absorption cross section (assuming Doppler-limited line shapes) of (1.9 ′ 0.4) x 10 - 1 8 cm 2 for the P(12) line of the υ 1 fundamental at 296 K. The rate coefficient for the propargyl radical (CH 2 CCH) self-reaction is determined by modeling the infrared absorption of the propargyl radical formed in the 193 nm photolysis of propargyl chloride (HCCCH 2 Cl) and propargyl bromide (HCCCH 2 Br), using a more precise literature determination of the pressure-broadened absorption cross section. The propargyl self-reaction rate coefficient so obtained, (3.9 ′ 0.6) x 10 - 1 1 cm 3 molecule - 1 s - 1 , is consistent with several recent measurements but disagrees significantly with the one previous infrared absorption determination. Both the propargyl radical and acetylene (HCCH) are observed in the 193 nm photolysis of propyne (CH 3 CCH). The propargyl is formed promptly following the UV photolysis pulse, and the magnitude of the signal is unaffected by the addition of O 2 . The observed propargyl signal is consistent with direct CH 2 CCH formation in the 193 nm photolysis of propyne and appears inconsistent with formation by secondary reactions of the 1-propynyl radical (CH 3 CC). The observed CH 2 CCH yield per 193 nm photon absorbed is 0.49 ′ 0.10.
Current and future applications of genetics in primary care medicine.

Individualized medical treatment and prevention based on one's genetic makeup are promises likely to be fulfilled over decades. Already family history is taking a more prominent role in preventive care. Primary care clinicians and geneticists will increasingly collaborate to diagnose and manage genetic conditions: both single-gene disorders and multifactorial diseases such as infections, cancers, cardiovascular disease and mental illness. This will require society, with primary care clinicians in the forefront, to implement means for efficient family history-taking; maintaining private, personally accessible genetic health records; safeguarding people from genetic discrimination; distributing access to scarce genetic specialists and expensive technologies; rectifying lay misconceptions about inheritance; managing emotional responses and family dynamics related to genetic diagnosis; and motivating people at increased familial risk to take preventive action.
Body fluid analysis: Clinical utility and applicability of published studies to guide interpretation of today’s laboratory testing in serous fluids

Requests for testing various analytes in serous fluids (e.g., pleural, peritoneal, pericardial effusions) are submitted daily to clinical laboratories. Testing of these fluids deviates from assay manufacturers' specifications, as most laboratory assays are optimized for testing blood or urine specimens. These requests add a burden to clinical laboratories, which need to validate assay performance characteristics in these fluids to exclude matrix interferences (given the different composition of body fluids) while maintaining regulatory compliance. Body fluid testing for a number of analytes has been reported in the literature; however, understanding the clinical utility of these analytes is critical because laboratories must address the analytic and clinical validation requirements, while educating clinicians on proper test utilization. In this article, we review the published data to evaluate the clinical utility of testing for numerous analytes in body fluid specimens. We also highlight the pre-analytic and analytic variables that need to be considered when reviewing published studies in body fluid testing. Finally, we provide guidance on how published studies might (or might not) guide interpretation of test results in today's clinical laboratories.
Evaluating availability under quasi-heavy-tailed repair times

The time required to recover from failures has a great impact on the availability of information technology (IT) systems. We define a class of probability distributions named quasi-heavy-tailed distributions as those distributions whose time series graph of the sample mean shows intermittent jumps in a given period. We find that the distribution of repair time is quasi-heavy-tailed for three IT systems, an in-house system hosted by IBM, a high performance computing system at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a distributed memory computer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. This means that the mean time to repair estimated by observing incidents within a certain period could dramatically change if we observe incidents successively for another period. In other words, the estimated mean time to repair has large fluctuations over time. As a result, classical metrics based on the mean time to repair are not optimal for evaluating the availability of these systems. We propose to evaluate the availability of IT systems with the T-year return value, estimated based on extreme value theory. The T-year return value refers to the value that the repair time exceeds on average once every estimated T years. We find that the T-year return value is a sound metric of the availability of the three IT systems.
Predictive validity of severity grading for cerebral steno-occlusive arteriopathy in recurrent childhood ischemic stroke

Background Cerebral arteriopathy is a risk factor for incident and recurrent childhood AIS. There are no standardized criteria to quantify arteriopathy severity. Aims To evaluate a method of scoring severity of steno-occlusive arteriopathy in childhood arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) and its association with recurrence. Methods In a single-center prospectively enrolled cohort of 49 children with first AIS and arteriopathy, a composite cerebrovascular stenosis score (CVSS) was measured by two independent raters as the sum of stenosis scores in each of 18 intracranial large and medium arteries, where 0 = none; 1 = low-grade, 1-50%; 2 = high-grade, >50-99%; 3 = occlusion, 100%. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to determine the association of CVSS with recurrence. The analysis was stratified by presence or absence of moyamoya arteriopathy (syndrome or disease). Results At a median follow-up period of 2.5 years (range: 0.8-9), 18/49 children (37%) experienced a recurrence. Median time to recurrence was 0.2 (range: 0.02-2.8) years. Interrater agreement was good, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.77 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-0.87, P Conclusions The CVSS is a reliable measure of severity of steno-occlusive arteriopathy in childhood stroke. This preliminary study suggests that higher CVSS is associated with stroke recurrence in children with moyamoya arteriopathy.
Employment of gene expression profiling to identify transcriptional regulators of hepatic stellate cells

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play a central role in scar formation that leads to liver fibrosis. The molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not fully understood. Microarray and bioinformatics analyses have proven to be useful in identifying transcription factors that regulate cellular processes such as cell differentiation. Using oligonucleotide microarrays, we performed transcriptional analyses of activated human HSC cultured on Matrigel-coated tissue culture dishes. Examination of microarray data following Matrigel-induced deactivation of HSC revealed a significant down-regulation of myocardin, an important transcriptional regulator in smooth and cardiac muscle development. Thus, gene expression profiling as well as functional assays of activated HSC have provided the first evidence of the involvement of myocardin in HSC activation.
Income and Financial Aid Effects on Persistence and Degree Attainment in Public Colleges

This study examined the distribution of financial aid among financially dependent four-year college students and the effectiveness of different types of financial aid in promoting student persistence and timely bachelor’s degree attainment. The findings of descriptive statistical and logistic regression analyses using the NCES Beginning Postsecondary Students (1990-94) data show that subsidized loans taken in the first year of college have a positive effect on persistence. The first-year distribution of aid does not close the income gap in bachelor’s degree attainment. Living on campus and first-year grade point average are the most important predictors of timely degree completion.
A Characterization Of Probabilistic Inference

Inductive Inference Machines (IlMs) attempt to identify functions given only input-output pairs of the functions. Probabilistic IlMs are defined, as is the probability that a probabilistic IlM identifies a function with respect to two common identification criteria: EX and BC. Let ID denote either of these criteria. Then ID/sub prob/(p) is the family of sets of functions U for which there is a probabilistic IlM identifying every f /spl epsi/ U with probability /spl ges/ p. It is shown that for all positive integers n, ID/sub prob/(1/n) is properly contained in ID/sub prob/(1/(n+1)), and that this discrete hierarchy is the "finest" possible. This hierarchy is related to others in the literature.
The effect of leaf beetle herbivory on the fire behaviour of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Lebed.)

The non-native tree, Tamarix spp. has invaded desert riparian ecosystems in the south-western United States. Fire hazard has increased, as typically fire-resistant native vegetation is replaced by Tamarix. The tamarisk leaf beetle, Diorhabda carinulata Desbrochers, introduced for biological control, may affect fire behaviour by converting hydrated liveTamarixleavesandtwigsintodesiccatedanddeadfuels.Thispotentiallyincreasesfirehazardintheshorttermbefore native vegetation can be re-established. This study investigates how fire behaviour is altered in Tamarix fuels desiccated byDiorhabdaherbivoryataGreatBasinsite,andbyherbivorysimulatedbyfoliarherbicideataMojaveDesertsite.Italso evaluates the influence of litter depth on fire intensity. Fire behaviour was measured with a fire intensity index that integrates temperature and duration (degree-minutes above 708C), and with maximum temperature, duration, flame lengths,ratesofspread andvegetationremoval.Maximumtemperature,flame lengthandrateofspread wereenhancedby foliar desiccation of Tamarix at both sites. At only the Mojave site, there was a trend for desiccated trees to burn with greaterfireintensity.Atbothsites,firebehaviourparameterswereinfluencedtoagreaterdegreebylitterdepth,vegetation density and drier and windier conditions than by foliar desiccation.
A Longitudinal Study of Administrative Segregation

The use of administrative segregation for inmates with and without mental illness has generated considerable criticism. Segregated inmates are locked in single cells for 23 hours per day, are subjected to rigorous security procedures, and have restricted access to programs. In this study, we examined whether inmates in segregation would show greater deterioration over time on psychological symptoms than would comparison offenders. The subjects were male inmates, with and without mental illness, in administrative segregation, general population, or special-needs prison. Subjects completed the Brief Symptom Inventory at regular intervals for one year. Results showed differentiation between groups at the outset and statistically significant but small positive change over time across all groups. All groups showed the same change pattern such that there was not the hypothesized differential change of inmates within administrative segregation. This study advances the empirical research, but replication research is needed to make a better determination of whether and under what conditions harm may or may not occur to inmates in solitary confinement.
The Operation of the Estonian Currency Board

This paper describes the operation of the Estonian currency board arrangement that has pegged the Estonian kroon to the deutsche mark since June 20, 1992, when Estonia left the ruble zone and introduced its own currency. The paper describes the institutional arrangements that were chosen for Estonia and discusses the implications for policy, markets, and program design. After reviewing the performance of the system over the first nine months of its operation, the paper considers how the arrangement will function over the medium term. [JEL F31]
L.E.A.D. A Framework for Evidence Gathering and Use for the Prevention of Obesity and Other Complex Public Health Problems

This article summarizes a comprehensive, systems-oriented framework designed to improve the use of a wide variety of evidence sources to address population-wide obesity problems. The L.E.A.D. framework (for Locate the evidence, Evaluate the evidence, Assemble the evidence, and inform Decisions), developed by an expert consensus committee convened by the Institute of Medicine, is broadly applicable to complex, community-wide health problems. The article explains how to use the framework, presenting an evidence typology that helps specify relevant research questions and includes examples of how particular research methodologies and sources of evidence relate to questions that stem from decision-maker needs. The utility of a range of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method designs and data sources for assembling a broad and credible evidence base is discussed, with a call for ongoing “evidence generation” to fill information gaps using the recommended systems perspective.
Science in the Systems Age: Beyond IE, OR, and MS

I believe we are leaving one cultural and technological age and entering another; that we are in the early stages of a change in our conception of the world, a change in our way of thinking about it, and a change in the technology with which we try to make it serve our purposes. These changes, I believe, are as fundamental and pervasive as were those associated with the Renaissance, the Age of the Machine that it introduced, and the Industrial Revolution that was its principal product. The socio-technical revolution we have entered may well come to be known as the Resurrection.
Host-Microbe Protein Interactions during Bacterial Infection.

Interspecies protein-protein interactions are essential mediators of infection. While bacterial proteins required for host cell invasion and infection can be identified through bacterial mutant library screens, information about host target proteins and interspecies complex structures has been more difficult to acquire. Using an unbiased chemical crosslinking/mass spectrometry approach, we identified interspecies protein-protein interactions in human lung epithelial cells infected with Acinetobacter baumannii. These efforts resulted in identification of 3,076 crosslinked peptide pairs and 46 interspecies protein-protein interactions. Most notably, the key A. baumannii virulence factor, OmpA, was identified as crosslinked to host proteins involved in desmosomes, specialized structures that mediate host cell-to-cell adhesion. Co-immunoprecipitation and transposon mutant experiments were used to verify these interactions and demonstrate relevance for host cell invasion and acute murine lung infection. These results shed new light on A. baumannii-host protein interactions and their structural features, and the presented approach is generally applicable to other systems.