cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mouse cerebellar adenosinergic modulation of ethanol-induced motor incoordination: possible involvement of cAMP

As an extension of our previous work pertaining to brain adenosinergic modulation of ethanol-induced motor incoordination, the effect of direct intracerebellar administration of the A1-selective adenosine agonist, N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) on ethanol-induced motor incoordination was evaluated. Marked accentuation of ethanol-induced motor impairment by CHA was observed. No change in the normal motor coordination was noted when CHA administration was followed by saline instead of ethanol. Intracerebellar cAMP or its analog, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP, significantly inhibited ethanol's motor impairment in a dose-related manner as well as abolished CHA's accentuating effect on ethanol-induced motor incoordination. These observations suggested a possible involvement of cAMP in the adenosinergic modulation and in the expression of ethanol-induced motor incoordination. Further support was provided by the observation of a marked accentuation and attenuation in a dose-related manner of ethanol-induced motor impairment as well as CHA's accentuation of ethanol's motor impairment by intracerebellar miconazole and forskolin, respectively. However, equimolar intracerebellar doses of miconazole and forskolin (inhibitor and stimulator of adenylyl cyclase, respectively) failed to significantly alter ethanol-induced motor incoordination probably due to their mutual functional antagonism. The expression of adenosinergic modulation and that of ethanol-induced motor impairment most likely involved Gi protein-coupled receptor(s) (such as adenosine receptors). The involvement of receptors linked to pertussis toxin-sensitive G-proteins was suggested because intracerebellar pertussis toxin pretreatment markedly inhibited ethanol-induced motor incoordination as well as CHA's accentuation of ethanol's motor impairment. Finally, cAMP, unlike its antagonism to CHA's accentuation, failed to antagonize the accentuation of ethanol-induced motor impairment by intracerebellar GABA(A) agonist (+)-muscimol. This indicated selectivity of cAMP participation in G protein coupled receptor (such as adenosine)-mediated response and not in ionic channel coupled receptor (such as GABA(A))-mediated mechanism. Overall, the data suggested a possible involvement of cerebellar adenylyl cyclase-cAMP signalling pathway in the adenosinergic modulation of ethanol's ataxia.
Multiple-Valued Logic Fundamentals - A Pseudo-Tutorial

The basic concepts and definitions needed to understand the operations in Multiple-Valued Logic Systems are presented. The intent of this presentation is to acquaint the uninformed optical engineer about the characteristics of such a system. Since the author is not familiar with current optical techniques, there will be no attempt to make applications in optical systems.
Adaptive Ecology of Traditionally Derived Agroforestry in China

This research was designed to test the following hypothesis: Among traditional (nonliterate and minimally literate) people residing in their home environment, traditionally derived knowledge of specific cases of ecological processes can approximate scientifically derived knowledge of those same cases. After locating three minimally literate peasant family lineages in Lijiayang and Linfengkeng villages, Shouning County, Fujian Province, China, not applying science-based systems of agroforest management, a decision-tree model of an indigenous agroforest management system was constructed from extensive interviews. The system was centered around shamu (Cunninghamia lanceolata),an important timber species with a long history of management in China. A major part of the management system is agricultural intercropping with a wide variety of cereal, cash, medicinal, and oil-producing crops. Intercropping is practiced in the initial phases of afforestation; is an integral aspect of site preparation and the tending of the young stand; and contributes to tree establishment, growth, and survival. The cases presented demonstrate that local peasant knowledge of the effects of burning, site preparation, crop selection, crop tending, and intercropping duration on soil quality and the survival and development of shamu is strongly analogous to the knowledge derived through systematic scientific research. This process of deriving scientifically valid ecological knowledge through traditional means is called protoscience.
Scoring the Biographical Information Blank: A Comparison of Three Weighting Techniques

This study compared three techniques for scoring a biographical information blank (horizontal per cent method, vertical percent method, and rare re sponse weighting) against various criteria for fi...
Space and the 1960 presidential campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and “public time”

Time is an important source of argument in the rhetoric of political campaigns. Appeals identified by Perelman and Olbrechts‐Tyteca (1969) as loci communes can provide the basis for a candidate's conception of temporality. By inviting audiences to consider time at various levels of awareness or consciousness, a candidate's temporal vision can generate a sense of “public time” (Goodnight, 1987) or urgency concerning the impending electoral decision. During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon articulated distinct temporal visions, based respectively on loci of quality and quantity, in their debate about the status and future of America's space program. This essay analyzes Nixon's and Kennedy's temporal visions as articulated in the space debate in order to illuminate the rhetorical dynamics of the 1960 presidential campaign and to enhance understanding of how time functions in political campaign discourse.
Register levels of ethno-national purity: The ethnicization of language and community in Mauritius

Language is involved in processes of group identification in that it provides a focus for explicit discourses of identity and constitutes a field of less overt practices for creating groupness. Drawing on examples from Mauritian television broadcasting, this study traces the ethnicization of Mauritian Bhojpuri as a “Hindu language” through the hierarchization and subsuming of linguistic practices under larger language labels with ethno-national significance. Purist forms of Mauritian Bhojpuri that are locally perceived as “intermediate” registers between Hindi and Bhojpuri are used to represent Hindi as a language spoken in Mauritius, and at the same time to link Mauritian Bhojpuri ideologically to Hindu identity. This blurring of language boundaries serves a Hindu nationalist agenda in a diasporic location by establishing new links between linguistic forms and ethno-national values.Fieldwork in Mauritius was carried out in 1996 and 1997–1998 and was supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the University of Chicago Council for Advanced Studies in Peace and International Cooperation (CASPIC). I would like to extend my sincere thanks to these institutions. Research in Mauritius was also facilitated by the University of Mauritius, where I would especially like to thank Vinesh Hookoomsing. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the Second University of Chicago/University of Michigan (“Michicagoan”) Graduate Student Conference in Linguistic Anthropology and at the Working Group for Urban Sociolinguistics at New York University. My thanks go to the organizers and participants of these events, from whose comments I greatly benefited. I am also indebted to Lou Brown, Sara Friedman, Susan Gal, Vinesh Hookoomsing, Judith Irvine, Michael Silverstein, and two anonymous reviewers for Language in Society for their careful readings and helpful suggestions at different stages in the writing of this article. Of course, any mistakes are my own. Most of all, I am indebted to the many Mauritians without whose help and friendship my research would have been impossible.
Phosphorylation of β3 Integrin Controls Ligand Binding Strength

The cytoplasmic domain of beta(3) integrin contains tyrosines at positions 747 and 759 in domains that have been implicated in regulation of alpha(v)beta(3) function and that serve as potential substrates for Src family kinases. The phosphorylation level of beta(3) integrin was modulated using a temperature-sensitive v-Src kinase. Increased beta(3) phosphorylation abolished alpha(v)beta(3)- but not alpha(5)beta(1)-mediated adhesion to fibronectin. alpha(v)beta(3)-Mediated cell adhesion was restored by the expression of beta(3) containing Y747F or Y759F mutations but not by wild type beta(3) integrin. Thus, phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of beta(3) is a negative regulator of alpha(v)beta(3)-fibronectin binding strength.
A Convenient Preparation of 2-Fluoro-3-alkoxy-1,3-butadienes

1-Chloro-1-fluoro-2-methoxy-2-methylcyclopropane eliminates HCl on heating in quinoline solution above 50 °C to give 2-fluoro-3-methoxy-1,3-butadiene in high yield. If an alcohol is added to the re...
A Practical Multiple Reflection Technique for Improving the Quantum Efficiency of Photomultiplier Tubes

A technique is described by which multiple reflection techniques can be used to increase the quantum efficiency of some end-on photomultiplier tubes in the red and near ir. The method can be used in practice for astronomical and other applications where field lens imaging on the cathode is required and where small cathodes are desirable. Tests of a group of unselected production model S–20 and S–1 photomultiplier tubes show quantum efficiency gains as high as factors of 3.8 and 1.8, respectively, at practical operating wavelengths.
A Model-Selection Approach to Predicting Whether Florida Scrub-Jays Delay Breeding

Abstract. The choices animals make in dispersal are of interest because they describe in part how populations adjust to a changing environment. We investigated which factors influence whether adult Florida Scrub-Jays delay breeding within their natal territories or disperse to breed. Factors considered included those pertaining to individuals (sex, age, parents), breeding opportunities (territory densities, deaths of breeders, potential mates, competitors [nonbreeders of the same sex]), and habitat (quality, suburb versus conservation area). We compared models that included each of these factors or combinations of them. We used nomograms to evaluate effect sizes and post hoc analyses to explore nonlinear effects of variables and their relative importance. Models that included only one or a few variables had little support. Models with the greatest support included parents, deaths of breeders, age, sex, and potential mates. Increased deaths of breeders greatly decreased the probabilities of delayed dispers...
Probable cloning artefacts previously interpreted as unusual leader sequences of rodent ornithine decarboxylase mRNAs--a cautionary tale.

Abstract Messenger RNAs that have structurally unusual 5′ leaders attract interest and provoke conjecture. Cloning and sequencing of two rodent ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) cDNAs, those for mouse [Kahana and Nathans, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82 (1985) 1673-1677] and, recently as published in this journal, for rat [Van Kranen et al., Gene 60 (1987) 145-155], have indicated the presence of such features. In both cases, the leader is unusually long and contains multiple AUG start codons preceding that which encodes the N terminus of the protein. In addition, the leader of the rat clone contains a 54-nt perfect inverted repeat. Because ODC expression appears to be regulated translationally, functional implications immediately suggest themselves. Certain unusual features of the mouse cDNA have proven artefactual [Brabant et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988) 2200-2204; Katz and Kahana J. Biol. Chem. 263 (1988) 7604–7609]. It is likely that the putative leader sequence of rat ODC cDNA also resulted from a cloning artefact.
The role of phospholamban and SERCA3 in regulation of smooth muscle-endothelial cell signalling mechanisms : evidence from gene-ablated mice

It is generally agreed that intracellular Ca2+ stores, the sarco(endo)plasmic-reticulum (SER), affect Ca2+ homeostasis and thus contractility of vascular smooth muscle. There is, however, no general consensus as to the magnitude of the SER contribution to Ca2+ handling, the basis for isoforms of the SER Ca(2+)-ATPases (SERCAs) or the role of an SER-associated regulatory protein, phospholamban (PLB). Although the biochemical and cell biological roles of the SER have been intensely studied in vitro, the development of gene-targeted and transgenic mouse models enables one to extend our information to the in vivo levels. A brief review of the role of PLB and SERCA function in vascular and endothelial cell function is presented. Studies on the PLB gene-ablated mouse indicate that vascular contractility is considerably altered. This is mirrored by changes in intracellular Ca2+. Moreover, differences in contractility of the gene-ablated tissues are eliminated by treatment with cyclopiazonic acid, which pharmacologically abolishes SER function by inhibiting the Ca(2+)-ATPase. Thus PLB modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ uptake plays a major role in modulating vascular contractility. It is interesting that endothelium-dependent relaxation was decreased in the PLB-deficient aorta. This is surprising in light of the PLB distribution, thought to be limited to cardiac, slow skeletal and smooth muscle. Our data indicate the presence of PLB in endothelial cells and point to an unrecognized pathway for modulation of endothelial cell [Ca2+]i and vascular contractility. Data from smooth muscle tissues of the SERCA3 gene-ablated mouse demonstrate that this isoform affects endothelium-dependent function, but not that of smooth muscle, consistent with its known distribution. This isoform appears to perform a modulatory function, rather than the more essential role of SERCA2. Gene-targeted and transgenic models provide an important avenue for understanding the role of SER in vascular signalling.
Bioassay and standardization of venom of the honey bee

IT was determined that plain agar plates infused with spores of Bacillus subtilis could be used to determine the bacteristatic effect of the venom of Hymenoptera. Peptone–glucose nutrient paper disks wetted with bee venom and placed on the agar surface produced uniform and measurable zones of growth inhibition which varied directly with the concentration of the venom. A reverse phase, bioassay method of standardizing solutions of Hymenoptera venom is proposed and a unit of venom is defined.
Essential histidine residues in dextransucrase: Chemical modification by diethyl pyrocarbonate and dye photooxidation

Treatment of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512F dextransucrase with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP) at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees or photo-oxidation in the presence of Rose Bengal or Methylene Blue at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees, caused a rapid decrease of enzyme activity. Both types of inactivation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Enzyme partially inactivated by DEP could be completely reactivated by treatment with 100 mM hydroxylamine at pH 7 and 4 degrees. The presence of dextran partially protected the enzyme from inactivation. At pH 7 or below, DEP is relatively specific for the modification of histidine. DEP-modified enzyme showed an increased absorbance at 240 nm, indicating the presence of (ethoxyformyl)ated histidine residues. DEP modification of the sulfhydryl group of cysteine and of the phenolic group of tyrosine was ruled out by showing that native and DEP-modified enzyme had the same number of sulfhydryl and phenolic groups. DEP modification of the epsilon-amino group of lysine was ruled out by reaction at pH 6 and reactivation with hydroxylamine, which has no effect on DEP-modified epsilon-amino groups. The photo-oxidized enzyme showed a characteristic increase in absorbance at 250 nm, also indicating that histidine had been oxidized, and no decrease in the absorbance at 280 nm, indicating that tyrosine and tryptophan were not oxidized. A statistical, kinetic analysis of the data on inactivation by DEP showed that two histidine residues are essential for the enzyme activity. Previously, it was proposed that two nucleophiles at the active site attack bound sucrose, to give two covalent D-glucosyl-enzyme intermediates. We now propose that in addition, two imidazolium groups of histidine at the active site donate protons to the leaving, D-fructosyl moieties. The resulting imidazole groups then facilitate the formation of the alpha-(1----6)-glycosidic linkage by abstracting protons from the C-6-OH groups, and become reprotonated for the next series of reactions.
Source Requirements For Optical Generation Of Microwave Carriers

This paper discusses the character-istics required of optical lasers if they are to satisfactorily generate microwave R.F. signals. Two applications are considered, an airborne pulse doppler radar and a radar warning receiver. The main feature of each application is the necessity or desirability of generating the master R.F. signal at relatively large distances from the antenna. It is shown that the state of the art of semiconductor lasers is not equal to the requirements imposed by these applications.
Neuro-SVM Anticipatory System for Online Monitoring of Radiation and Abrupt Change Detection

Fast processing of consecutive measurements and accurate detection of abrupt changes is of primary importance for online monitoring of radiation. In this paper, a hybrid anticipatory system is discussed together with its application to real time radiation monitoring. The system utilizes the synergism of an artificial neural network ANN with support vector machines SVM to tackle the problem of anticipating the measurements for an ahead-in-time horizon. The system employs an ensemble of support vector regressors SVRs whose predictions constitute the input values to a neural network. Therefore, it is the neural network that provides the final predictions over the designated time horizon. The neuro-SVM predictions are divided by the respective observed values and compared with a predetermined threshold where an abrupt change is identified if the ratio exceeds the threshold value. The proposed anticipatory system is compared with the naive prediction approach as well as the independent support vector regressors. Results clearly demonstrate that the neuro-SVM outperforms the naive predictor and the individual SVRs in the majority of the cases regarding prediction accuracy and rate of abrupt change detection.
Delirium and use of sedation agents in intensive care.

Aim: The aim of the review was to consider the relationship between delirium and aspects of sedative and analgesic drug use in mechanically ventilated intensive care patients. The basis for routine delirium screening and the implications for nurses are discussed along with a brief outline of the treatment of delirium. Background and context: Delirium is common in intensive care patients and like other markers of organ failure is associated with worse outcomes. The risk of developing delirium is dependent on the patients’ individual vulnerability and on the burden of precipitating factors they are exposed to. Detection of delirium in intensive care patients is often difficult and requires the regular use of a validated screening tool. Intensive care patients are exposed to multiple delirium risk factors, and sedative and analgesic agents present an important subgroup, which we can attempt to control. Sedative and analgesic drug choice, their mode of administration, monitoring and titration have consequences for delirium development. Method: Literature review. Conclusions: Sedative and analgesic drugs have an important role in the prevention and treatment of delirium in intensive care patients. Routine delirium screening should be included as part of sedation monitoring practice. When detected, treatment is focused on the prompt correction of precipitating factors, non-pharmacological interventions and appropriate drug therapy for symptom control.
Experimental study of identification and control of structures using neural network. Part 1: identification

Experimental verifications of a recently developed structural control method using neural network has been carried out on the earthquake simulator at the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign. The test specimen was a 1/4 scale model of a three-storey steel frame. The control system consisted of a tendon/pulley system controlled by a single hydraulic actuator. The model structure had a total mass of 2994 kg (6600 lb), distributed evenly among the three floors, and a total frame height of 254 cm (100 inches). The structure had three distinct lightly damped fundamental modes of vibration plus two higher modes representing the structure–control interaction and the actuator dynamics. The system identification and parameter estimation have been conducted in two experimental methods: first, the system has been identified in the time domain and the estimated parameters were used in the frequency domain methods and secondly, the system was modelled and identified using multiple emulator neural networks with different prediction capabilities. These emulators were employed in the control design. This paper describes the test set-up, the experimental validation of the identified model in the time and frequency domains, and experimentally demonstrates the performance of the multiple emulator neural networks. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automated labeling of bibliographic data extracted from biomedical online journals

A prototype system has been designed to automate the extraction of bibliographic data (e.g., article title, authors, abstract, affiliation and others) from online biomedical journals to populate the National Library of Medicine"s MEDLINE database. This paper describes a key module in this system: the labeling module that employs statistics and fuzzy rule-based algorithms to identify segmented zones in an article"s HTML pages as specific bibliographic data. Results from experiments conducted with 1,149 medical articles from forty-seven journal issues are presented.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Assessing the performance of an optimization-based multilevel method

Many large nonlinear optimization problems are based upon a hierarchy of models, corresponding to levels of discretization or detail in the problem. Optimization-based multilevel methods-that is, multilevel methods based on solving coarser versions of an optimization problem-are designed to solve such multilevel problems efficiently by taking explicit advantage of the hierarchy of models. The methods are generalizations of multigrid methods for solving partial differential equations. These multilevel methods are a powerful tool, but they will not lead to improved performance over traditional algorithms for all optimization problems. We develop techniques whereby a particular multilevel method can assess the properties of the optimization problem, with the goal of automatically determining whether it is well suited for the multilevel algorithm. We also show that our diagnostic tests are sufficient to measure the properties of the optimization problem relevant to the performance of the multilevel method.
“Sublime Patriots”: Black Masculinity in Three African-American Novels:

This essay analyzes the topic of black masculinity in three novels by African-American authors published around the turn of the century: Sutton Griggs's Imperium in Imperio (1899), David Bryant Fulton's Hanover (1900), and Charles Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition (1901). Specifically, the essay examines how these authors appropriated the rhetoric of white leaders of the American Revolution like Patrick Henry to construct images of courageous black men fighting against white supremacists who repressed black American freedom. These three authors depicted fearless, righteous black men to debunk the popular images of the violent black brute that white men often used to maintain their power over African-American men.
A Parallel Fish Landscape Model for Ecosystem Modeling

Parallelization of a landscape fish population model (ALFISH) is an important effort towards high performance Across Tropic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) on a computing grid. ALFISH models the impacts of different water management strategies in the South Florida region on the freshwater fish population, providing estimates of the food resource available to wading birds. The parallel ALFISH model delivers similar results to those from a sequential implementation. Compared with the average simulation time of the sequential model, which is about 35 hours, the speed improvement of the parallel model on a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) is substantial. Using 14 processors, the runtime of the parallel model with static partitioning is less than 4 hours, and that of the parallel model with dynamic load balancing is less than 3 hours.
Residues of VP26 of herpes simplex virus type 1 that are required for its interaction with capsids.

VP26 is the smallest capsid protein and decorates the outer surface of the capsid shell of herpes simplex virus. It is located on the hexons at equimolar amounts with VP5. Its small size (112 amino acids) and high copy number make it an attractive molecule to use as a probe to investigate the complex pattern of capsid protein interactions. An in vitro capsid binding assay and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) localization assay were used to identify VP26 residues important for its interaction with capsids. To test for regions of VP26 that may be essential for binding to capsids, three small in-frame deletion mutations were generated in VP26, Δ18-25, Δ54-60, and Δ93-100. Their designations refer to the amino acids deleted by the mutation. The mutation at the C terminus of the molecule, which encompasses a region of highly conserved residues, abolished binding to the capsid and the localization of GFP to the nucleus in characteristic large puncta. Additional mutations revealed that a region of VP26 spanning from residue 50 to 112 was sufficient for the localization of the fused protein (VP26-GFP) to the nucleus and for it to bind to capsids. Using site-directed mutagenesis of conserved residues in VP26, two key residues for protein-protein interaction, F79 and G93, were identified as judged by the localization of GFP to nuclear puncta. When these mutations were analyzed in the capsid binding assay, they were also found to eliminate binding of VP26 to the capsid structure. Surprisingly, additional mutations that affected the ability of VP26 to bind to capsids in vitro were uncovered. Mutations at residues A58 and L64 resulted in a reduced ability of VP26 to bind to capsids. Mutation of the hydrophobic residues M78 and A80, which are adjacent to the hydrophobic residue F79, abolished VP26 capsid binding. In addition, the block of conserved amino acids in the carboxy end of the molecule had the most profound effect on the ability of VP26 to interact with capsids. Mutation of amino acid G93, L94, R95, R96, or T97 resulted in a greatly diminished ability of VP26 to bind capsids. Yet, all of these residues other than G93 were able to efficiently translocate or concentrate GFP into the nucleus, giving rise to the punctate fluorescence. Thus, the interaction of VP26 with the capsid appears to occur through at least two separate mechanisms. The initial interaction of VP26 and VP5 may occur in the cytoplasm or when VP5 is localized in the nucleus. Residues F79 and G93 are important for this bi-molecular interaction, resulting in the accumulation of VP26 in the nucleus in concentrated foci. Subsequent to this association, additional amino acids of VP26, including those in the C-terminal conserved domain, are important for interaction of VP26 with the three-dimensional capsid structure.
Identifying optimal initial infusion rates for unfractionated heparin in morbidly obese patients.

Background:Most literature available for unfractionated heparin (UFH) supports the use of actual body weight for dosing all patients, yet a small proportion of the patients in these studies were morbidly obese. The most appropriate dosing strategy for therapeutic UFH in this patient population is not clearly defined.Objective:To better define appropriate UFH dosing strategies in morbidly obese patients and to evaluate the safety of a weight-based heparin nomogram in this patient population.Methods:Patients with class III (morbid) obesity receiving therapeutic doses of a UFH infusion for greater than 24 hours were evaluated. Two comparator groups of overweight/class I–II obesity and normal/underweight patients were created by matching patients to the class III obesity group. Doses and times to therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), bleeding rates, and mortality were assessed.Results:The mean infusion rate required to obtain a first therapeutic aPTT was 11.5 units/kg/h in the class III ob...
The spectrum of low molecular weight alpha-amylase/protease inhibitor genes expressed in the US bread wheat cultivar Butte 86

Wheat grains accumulate a variety of low molecular weight proteins that are inhibitors of alpha-amylases and proteases and play an important protective role in the grain. These proteins have more balanced amino acid compositions than the major wheat gluten proteins and contribute important reserves for both seedling growth and human nutrition. The alpha-amylase/protease inhibitors also are of interest because they cause IgE-mediated occupational and food allergies and thereby impact human health. The complement of genes encoding alpha-amylase/protease inhibitors expressed in the US bread wheat Butte 86 was characterized by analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Coding sequences for 19 distinct proteins were identified. These included two monomeric (WMAI), four dimeric (WDAI), and six tetrameric (WTAI) inhibitors of exogenous alpha-amylases, two inhibitors of endogenous alpha-amylases (WASI), four putative trypsin inhibitors (CMx and WTI), and one putative chymotrypsin inhibitor (WCI). A number of the encoded proteins were identical or very similar to proteins in the NCBI database. Sequences not reported previously included variants of WTAI-CM3, three CMx inhibitors and WTI. Within the WDAI group, two different genes encoded the same mature protein. Based on numbers of ESTs, transcripts for WTAI-CM3 Bu-1, WMAI Bu-1 and WTAI-CM16 Bu-1 were most abundant in Butte 86 developing grain. Coding sequences for 16 of the inhibitors were unequivocally associated with specific proteins identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in a previous proteomic analysis of milled white flour from Butte 86. Proteins corresponding to WDAI Bu-1/Bu-2, WMAI Bu-1 and the WTAI subunits CM2 Bu-1, CM3 Bu-1 and CM16 Bu-1 were accumulated to the highest levels in flour. Information on the spectrum of alpha-amylase/protease inhibitor genes and proteins expressed in a single wheat cultivar is central to understanding the importance of these proteins in both plant defense mechanisms and human allergies and facilitates both breeding and biotechnology approaches for manipulating the composition of these proteins in plants.
Clearcut: a fast implementation of relaxed neighbor joining

Summary: Clearcut is an open source implementation for the relaxed neighbor joining (RNJ) algorithm. While traditional neighbor joining (NJ) remains a popular method for distance-based phylogenetic tree reconstruction, it suffers from a O(N3) time complexity, where N represents the number of taxa in the input. Due to this steep asymptotic time complexity, NJ cannot reasonably handle very large datasets. In contrast, RNJ realizes a typical-case time complexity on the order of N2logN without any significant qualitative difference in output. RNJ is particularly useful when inferring a very large tree or a large number of trees. In addition, RNJ retains the desirable property that it will always reconstruct the true tree given a matrix of additive pairwise distances. Clearcut implements RNJ as a C program, which takes either a set of aligned sequences or a pre-computed distance matrix as input and produces a phylogenetic tree. Alternatively, Clearcut can reconstruct phylogenies using an extremely fast standard NJ implementation. Availability: Clearcut source code is available for download at: http://bioinformatics.hungry.com/clearcut Contact: sheneman@hungry.com Supplementary information: http://bioinformatics.hungry.com/clearcut
Long-term central venous catheters in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Abstract Background: As long-term vascular access becomes more prevalent among patients with AIDS, it is becoming more important to consider their potential complications. Methods: One hundred two central venous access devices placed in 84 patients with AIDS were reviewed for septic and mechanical complications. Catheters were inserted by one surgeon by means of the cephalic vein cutdown technique. The sample included 88 implanted venous reservoir catheters (86.3%) and 14 tunneled central venous catheters (13.7%). Results: Mean catheter life was 141 ± 15 days. Total number of catheter days was 14,383. The catheter-related infection rate was 0.125 episodes/100 catheter-days. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated pathogen in the sample. Mechanical complications were rare (0.05 episodes/100 catheter-days). Conclusion: When these data are compared with other, smaller series in the literature, the findings suggest that long-term central venous catheters inserted in patients with AIDS are safe and effective for the multiple infusion therapies required in these patients.
A Problem with STEM

Everyone loves STEM, the acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, that sits in every call to improve U.S. competitiveness. But hidden within “science” are many different ways of thinking and acting, and unless we protect them separately, the whole scientific enterprise may be at risk.
It's Not Just about Teaching Kids to Read: Helping Preservice Teachers Acquire a Mindset for Teaching Children in Urban Communities

This study looks at preservice teachers' attitudes toward children and teaching in an urban high-poverty community in relation to their involvement in two different literacy education experiences: one literacy course sequence addressed issues of cultural diversity with respect to this community, and the other did not explicitly address these issues. The study specifically examines preservice teachers' (a) attitudes toward children's literacy potential, (b) confidence in teaching children to read, and (c) interest in teaching in urban schools. The diversity-oriented literacy experience, combined with highly satisfying field placements, positively affected preservice teacher's confidence and interest in teaching children in this community. Further, these preservice teachers tended to recognize children's literacy potential, while those who took the more typical literacy courses tended to doubt these children's literacy abilities. They also exited the diversity-oriented literacy courses with an enriched sens...
Regulation of fat intake in the absence of flavour signalling

Animals, including humans, can achieve precise regulation of caloric intake by adjusting consumption in response to covert changes in energy density. It remains unknown, however, whether the presence of flavour cues are required for the ability to maintain constant caloric intake. Also unknown are the brain circuits that may function as the central calorie monitors that control adaptive adjustments in energy intake. Here we show that mice trained to lick a dry spout in order to receive intra-gastric infusions of a fat emulsion maintained constant hourly caloric intake by adjusting the number of dry licks in response to changes in caloric density. Animals also increased dry licking according to hunger levels, and developed conditioned preferences for dry sippers associated with high calorie infusions. Importantly, striatal dopamine levels were closely associated with the amount of calories ingested, rather than with the number of dry licks produced. Dopamine levels in dorsal and ventral striatum also reflected caloric density in mice passively receiving intra-gastric infusions of fat emulsions. Consistent with the above, systemic administration of the dopamine receptor blocker haloperidol markedly increased the production of dry licks needed to obtain high-calorie infusions, as if the caloric density of the infusions had been diluted. Conversely, haloperidol markedly decreased the production of dry licks needed to obtain low-calorie infusions. Taken together, our results support the proposition that brain dopamine circuits function as one central sensor of calorie ingestion, since (1) extracellular striatal dopamine levels fluctuate in proportion to the caloric density of nutrients infused in the gut; and (2) inhibiting dopamine receptor signalling disrupts the animals' ability to maintain constant caloric intake across experimental sessions.
Multimodality imaging of TGFβ signaling in breast cancer metastases

The skeleton is a preferred site for breast cancer metastasis. We have developed a multimodality imaging approach to monitor the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) signaling pathway in bone metastases, sequentially over time in the same animal. As model systems, two MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells lines with different metastatic tropisms, SCP2 and SCP3, were transduced with constitutive and TGFbeta-inducible reporter genes and were tested in vitro and in living animals. The sites and expansion of metastases were visualized by bioluminescence imaging using a constitutive firefly luciferase reporter, while TGFbeta signaling in metastases was monitored by microPET imaging of HSV1-TK/GFP expression with [(18)F]FEAU and by a more sensitive and cost-effective bioluminescence reporter, based on nonsecreted Gaussia luciferase. Concurrent and sequential imaging of metastases in the same animals provided insight into the location and progression of metastases, and the timing and course of TGFbeta signaling. The anticipated and newly observed differences in the imaging of tumors from two related cell lines have demonstrated that TGFbeta signal transduction pathway activity can be noninvasively imaged with high sensitivity and reproducibility, thereby providing the opportunity for an assessment of novel treatments that target TGFbeta signaling.
Observation of photoelectrons and secondary electrons reflected from a potential barrier in the vicinity of ATS 6

The electron detectors on ATS 6 frequently have peaks in the counting rate at low energies from 4 to 10 eV in addition to other peaks at much higher energies. It is shown from the shape of the corresponding velocity distribution functions, the inferred electron densities, and the behavior of the counting rate versus angle that the low-energy electrons must at times be photoelectrons or secondary electrons emitted from the spacecraft. The data indicate the presence of a potential barrier in the spacecraft environment which is as much as 50 V negative with respect to the spacecraft. The barrier turns back the low-energy spacecraft-emitted electrons and prevents the low-energy ambient electrons from reaching the detector. It is argued that the magnitude of the observed barrier is too large to be explained in terms of a simple photoelectron or secondary electron sheath around a uniformly charged spacecraft. The most likely explanation is the presence of differential charging of the spacecraft surfaces.
The Social Functioning of Siblings of Children With Cancer: A Multi-Informant Investigation

Objective This study examined social functioning among siblings of children with cancer. Method A case–control design was applied to school- and home-based data from multiple informants (peers, teachers, mothers, and self). Social reputation and peer acceptance within the classroom was compared for 87 siblings (aged 8–16 years) and 256 demographically matched peers. Self-perceptions of peer relationships and parent-reported social competence were examined among 67 siblings and 67 matched comparisons. Results Peer reports (N = 1,633) indicated no differences between siblings and comparisons for social reputation, number of friendships, reciprocated friendships, or peer acceptance. Self-reported prosocial behavior and teacher-reported likability were higher for siblings than comparisons. Self-reported loneliness, friendship quality, and perceived social support did not differ between groups. Mothers reported less involvement in activities and poorer school performance for siblings than comparisons. Conclusions Peer relationships of siblings of children with cancer are similar to classmates, though they experience small decrements in activity participation and school performance.
Charles A. Geyer Agricultural Botanical Survey of 1838–1839: A Comparison of the Composition of Minnesota Prairies Then and Now

Prairie remnants often serve as targets for restoration despite little knowledge of how they have altered over the past +150 years due to changes in the biotic and abiotic environment including suppression of fire, increased inputs of exogenous nitrogen, extirpation of bison, climate warming associated with the mid-19th century termination of the ‘Little Ice Age’ and 20th century anthropogenic forcing, and invasive introduced species. In this paper I assess the utility of prairie remnants as targets for restoration and management of prairies by examining compositional change of native plants in western Minnesota over the past~170 years. This analysis is made possible by the recent discovery of an unpublished manuscript by Charles A. Geyer as well as the relocation of 100s of herbarium specimens collected by Geyer. Geyer was a botanist with the 1838–1839 expeditions of J.N. Nicollet in western Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas. Comparison of the Geyer data with modern lists taken from the Natural Heritage Information System Releve Database indicates that there has been surprisingly little change in composition of native species. This suggests that, in the aggregate, remnants retain much of their original flora and provide a good target for prairie restoration and management.
Detecting track-loss for the Probabilistic Data Association Filter in the absence of truth data

Of significant interest in the practical application of data association algorithms to target tracking in cluttered environments is how to determine track-loss in the absence of truth data. An approach is laid out for the Probabilistic Data Association Filter (Bar-Shalom and Fortmann, 1988) where the predicted measurement innovations covariance is used to define nominal "tracking" and "track-lost" regimes, and the sample variance of the "effective" filter innovations (prediction errors) is the metric used to determine the regime in a two-class decision rule. A major advantage of this method is that confidence intervals can be placed on the probabilities of both correctly and incorrectly identifying the regimes. Theoretical approximations of the conditional mean and distribution of the sample innovations variance in the tracking and track-lost regimes are proposed for use in construction of the decision rule. Simulation results demonstrating the method are provided.
Some high-power window failures

Two types of RF window failure in a high-power magnetron are investigated. Cracking is shown to depend on electrostatic charging of an evaporated metallic deposit on the window. Punctures were investigated by observation of X-ray stereo-autograms, and are shown to result from an internal multipactor discharge, which in turn is enabled to function at high voltages by the stray magnetic field. Methods for curing both types of defect are given, with evidence that they are successful. The methods are applicable to other high-power microwave tubes, both magnetrons and klystrons.
Differential effects of clonidine on upper airway abductor and adductor muscle activity in awake goats

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which α2-adrenoceptor (α2-AR) pathways affect the central motor output to upper airway muscles that regulate airflow. Electromyogram (EMG) m...
Boolean-Valued Structures

The notion of a Boolean-valued structure is obtained from the definition of an ordinary 2-valued structure by replacing the Boolean algebra 2 of two truth values “truth” and “falsehood” by any complete Boolean algebra B. While some of the basic definitions and theorems can be generalized to the B-valued case almost mechanically the intuitive ideas behind these general notions are more difficult to perceive.
Materials Interactions Relating to Long-Term Geologic Disposal of Nuclear Waste Glass

In the geologic disposal of nuclear waste glass, the glass will eventually interact with groundwater in the repository system. Interactions can also occur between the glass and other waste package materials that are present. These include the steel canister that holds the glass, the metal overpack over the canister, backfill materials that may be used, and the repository host rock. This review paper systematizes the additional interactions that materials in the waste package will impose on the borosilicate glass waste form-groundwater interactions. The repository geologies reviewed are tuff, salt, basalt, and granite. The interactions emphasized are those appropriate to conditions expected after repository closure, e.g. oxic vs anoxic conditions. Whenever possible, the effect of radiation from the waste form on the interactions is examined. The interactions are evaluated based on their effect on the release and speciation of various elements including radionuclides from the glass. It is noted when further tests of repository interactions are needed before long-term predictions can be made. 63 references, 1 table.
Blogging about Family Building (Infertility, Pregnancy Loss, Adoption, Pregnancy, Trying to Conceive): Content and Blogging Motivations

To better understand the content and process of family building blogging, two interrelated studies took place. First, blogs with posts during a designated week were analyzed for content. Then, hosts of active blogs were invited to complete a survey on their blog content and reasons for blogging. Results of both content analysis and survey indicated a variety of content appearing in such blogs, with children, pregnancy, attempts to conceive, and negative emotional experiences related to those emerging as popular topics. To identify motivations for blogging about such content, a principal components analysis (PCA) suggested seven different blogging motivations: gaining attention, benefitting others, becoming a career blogger, entertaining others, documenting life events, self-expression, and forming an online social support network. To further explore blogging motivations, subgroups of bloggers (those having experienced infertility, those having experienced pregnancy loss, and those already parenting) were compared on their ratings of the seven blogging motivations with multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). While results mostly supported consistency across subgroups in motivations, there was a significant effect for infertility experience on ratings for educating others and self-expression. This investigation represents the first known attempt to capture what information is included in the growing subgenre of family building blogs and what reasons inspire bloggers to create and maintain them.