cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role for openness in the demand for money: Evidence from Barbados

Abstract This paper uses an optimizing theoretical framework for modelling openness in the demand for money function for a small, open, developing economy; in so doing, it subsumes the ad hoc specifications of three previous studies. Its findings confirm the importance of a measure of openness in the money demand specification for Barbados. More specifically, it appears that transactions associated with the traded sector of the economy exhibit greater elasticity of money demand than those associated with the nontraded sector.
Fabrication and characterization of a multiwell array SERS chip with biological applications.

Abstract Uniform, large surface area substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are fabricated by oblique angle deposition. The SERS-active substrates are patterned by a polymer-molding technique to provide a uniform array for high throughput biosensing and multiplexing. Using a conventional SERS-active molecule, 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (BPE) ≥98%, we show that this device provides a uniform Raman signal enhancement from well to well with a detection limit of at least 10−8 M of the BPE solution or 10−18 mol of BPE. The SERS intensity is also demonstrated to vary logarithmically with the log of BPE concentration and the apparent sensitivity of the patterned substrate is compared to previous reports from our group on non-patterned substrates. Avian influenza is analyzed to demonstrate the utility of SERS multiwell patterned substrates for biosensing. The spectra acquired from patterned substrates show better reproducibility and less variation compared to the unpatterned substrates according to multivariate analysis. Our results highlight potential advantages of the patterned substrate.
Non-invasive intranasal insulin-like growth factor-I reduces infarct volume and improves neurologic function in rats following middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been proposed as a treatment for stroke. However, it does not efficiently cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Intracerebroventricular injection of IGF-I has been shown to offer protection against cerebral ischemic damage in rats although this invasive method of administration may not be practical in humans. Non-invasive intranasal (IN) delivery of IGF-I to the brain is a promising alternative. We have assessed the therapeutic effect of IN IGF-I in rats following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Treatment was initiated 10 min after the onset of MCAO and then again 24 and 48 h later. Intranasal dosing of 75 μg IGF-1 (225 μg total IGF-I over 48 h) significantly reduced corrected infarct volumes by 60% vs. control (P<0.01) and hemispheric swelling by 45.6% vs. control (P<0.05). Neurologic function, assessed by the postural reflex, flexor response and adhesive tape tests, was also improved by IN IGF-I as compared to control. Our study indicates IN delivery of IGF-1 holds significant promise as a non-invasive and efficacious method of bypassing the BBB for the treatment of stroke.
Concreteness of positive, negative, and neutral repetitive thinking about the future.

Consistent with assertions that the adaptiveness of repetitive thinking is influenced by both its valence and style, Stober (e.g., Stober & Borkovec, 2002) has argued that worry is characterized by a reduced concreteness of thought content and that the resulting abstractness contributes to its inhibition of some aspects of anxious responding. However, extant research does not provide a direct test of Stober's reduced concreteness theory of worry. We sought to test Stober's theory and to examine the adaptiveness of repetitive worrisome thinking by randomly assigning 108 participants to engage in five consecutive periods of repetitive thinking about positively, negatively, or neutrally valenced potential future events. Results based on coding of thought data indicated that (a) repetitive thinking became increasingly less concrete as periods progressed; (b) contrary to Stober's theory, both negative and positive repetitive future thinking were more concrete than neutral repetitive future thinking (and did not differ from each other); and (c) abstractness of thought during negative repetitive future thinking was associated with reduced reports of imagery-based activity. Results based on self-reported affect indicated that negatively valenced repetitive future thinking was uniquely associated with initial decreases in anxious affect, followed by increased anxious affect that coincided with increased imagery-based activity. This suggests that worry is associated with a sequential mitigation of anxious meaning followed by a strengthening of anxious meaning over time. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Discretization based learning approach to information retrieval

We approached the problem as learning how to order documents by estimated relevance with respect to a user query. Our support vector machines based classifier learns from the relevance judgments available with the standard test collections and generalizes to new, previously unseen queries. For this, we have designed a representation scheme, which is based on the discrete representation of the local (lw) and global (gw) weighting functions, thus is capable of reproducing and enhancing the properties of such popular ranking functions as tf.idf, BM25 or those based on language models. Our tests with the standard test collections have demonstrated the capability of our approach to achieve the performance of the best known scoring functions solely from the labeled examples and without taking advantage of knowing those functions or their important properties or parameters.
Immigrant West Indian Families and Their Struggles with Racism in America

SUMMARY Many questions arise in the struggle of West Indians to establish themselves in America, including the role that racism plays in their struggle to develop a community. Some West Indians object to being seen as Black Americans. Unlike White immigrants who may aspire to acculturate and become part of the dominant group, West Indian immigrants are forced to make decisions about their identification, and internalized racism plays a significant role in their ambivalence about fully assimilating into American culture. This article explores the role of internalized racism as it impacts their decisions regarding child rearing. Information from personal interviews of clients in the private psychotherapy practice of the author is included as part of the source material for the article.
Applying Bayesian ideas in simulation

Abstract The standard approach to analyzing the results of probabilistic simulation rests on the use of classical statistics. In this paper, we explore the use of Bayesian statistics as an alternative. This makes it possible to incorporate prior information into the analysis of simulation results in a formal and rigorous manner, through the use of prior distributions. The Bayesian approach will typically yield improved analyses, by better taking into account what is actually known and what is not known about the system to be simulated (assuming that the prior distributions themselves adequately represent this knowledge). We briefly review Bayesian methods for readers who are not familiar with this type of analysis and suggest ways in which these methods can be applied to simulation. Specifically, we explore the use of Bayesian statistics for verification and validation of simulation models and for simulation output analysis, in both cases using priors on the performance measures of interest. We then study the use of prior distributions on the input parameters to the simulation, as a way to quantify the effects of input uncertainties on both the mean and the uncertainty of the performance measures of interest, and discuss Bayesian and related methods for choosing input distributions. Finally, we briefly consider the use of a joint prior on both the input parameters and the resulting performance measures. Bayesian methods are particularly appropriate for use in practice when simulations are costly, or when input uncertainties are large. Our work provides guidance on the use of Bayesian methods for simulation analysis. We hope that it will stimulate readers to learn more about this important subject, and also encourage further research in this area.
Gallbladder Cancer in the Twentieth Century: Single Institution’s Experience

The purpose of this study was to understand trends in the presentation, management, and outcome of patients of patients with gallbladder cancer treated over a period of 85 years at a single institution. We analyzed patients with gallbladder carcinoma treated at our institution between 1990 and 2000 (n = 66). Data from this series were analyzed in the context of previously reported series from our institution (beginning in 1915) to understand trends in the presentation, management, and outcome of patients with gallbladder carcinoma. The mean age of patients has increased from 53.6 years (1915–1932) to 65.0 years (1990–2000). The gender (73% female) distribution of patients and most the common presenting symptoms (abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, nausea, abdominal mass) have not changed over the 85 years. More extensive surgery is being performed on patients with gallbladder carcinoma. The mean survival of patients with gallbladder cancer has increased from 3.6 months (1915–1932) to 10.0 months (1990–2000). The presentation of patients with gallbladder cancer has not changed over the 85 years. Most patients still present with advanced disease. The overall survival of patients with gallbladder cancer is poor, but it has improved since 1915.
Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity: Analysis of Safety Effectiveness

Previous research has shown that greater longitudinal pavement marking retroreflectivity levels increase drivers' visibility and detection distance. However, increased visibility may cause drivers to feel too comfortable during nighttime conditions, and drivers may then pay less attention, operate their vehicles at unsafe speeds, or both. Before-and-after studies have been conducted on a pavement marking improvement such as repainting stripes or changing to a more durable marking material. Studies have also used models to estimate the retroreflectivity on the basis of the date of installation and vehicle exposure or have assumed a linear reduction in retroreflectivity over time. Only two studies have related field-measured pavement marking retroreflectivity to safety performance (crash data). One study analyzed the relationship between 3 years of pavement marking retroreflectivity data collected by the Iowa Department of Transportation on all state primary roads and corresponding crash and traffic data. T...
Analyzing the Early Tissue Mechanical Response to Chemokine Signaling using Microfluidics

Directed cell sheet migration is an important process that sculpts the shape of an organism and its internal tissues during development. The patterning of cell sheets and their morphogenetic movements are regulated by both internal genetic programs and external cues. The fate of tissues and their ultimate physiological function relies on integrating genetic programs and processing external signals to provide positional information to guide migration and induce cell differentiation. Considerable effort has been focused on the induction of gene expression through signaling pathways and how tissue architecture can be remodeled however many pathways also regulate the cytoskeleton. Considering the important role cell mechanics plays in tissue self-assembly little is known about the mechanical response of the tissues to chemical cues. One of the reasons of this knowledge gap is the lack of the technologies to analyze mechanical responses to chemokine signals in vivo. Our group has focused on developing novel microfluidic devices and understanding the dynamic responses of intact epithelial tissues to acute chemical stimulation. We have characterized the dynamic response of a glucocorticoid receptor family biosensor to periodic dexamethasone stimulation (Kim et al, ) and the response of a G-protein coupled receptor family to spatiotemporal patterns of ligand stimulation (Kim et al, in preparation). Here, we demonstrate a rapid mechanical response to tyrosine kinase receptor activation by soluble fibroblast growth factor (FGF). We are able to change FGF at the surface of an early Xenopus leavis embryonic tissue in a spatiotemporally controlled way using a custom designed microfluidic channel with laminar flow interfaces. using this device we can control the FGF gradient while simultaneously modulating FGF activity through receptor inhibitors. Our work will contribute to advancements in areas including growth factor signaling, spatiotemporal biological control and developmental biology.
Effects of fiber mat architecture on void formation and removal in liquid composite molding

Liquid composite molding (LCM) processes such as resin transfer molding and structural reaction injection molding are considered to be high potential processes for the mass production of composite parts. The resin injection step in LCM consists of two simultaneous flows : bulk mold filling and tow wetting. This complexity often results in the entrapment of air in the composite part, which is known to result in degradation of part performance. In this work, systematic investigation of the resin flow behavior through various types of glass fiber reinforcements is carried out by flow visualization. The objective is to relate the fiber mat architecture to the micro scale flow pattern and void formation, movement, and removal. An optical image analysis and processing technique is developed to help quantify void formation. Void formation is related to liquid properties and fiber-liquid contact angle. Although the focus of the study is LCM, the results can be directly applied to other composite manufacturing processes that involve advancement of resin in a dry fiber reinforcement.
A study of the viscosity-dependent electronic relaxation of some triphenylmethane dyes using picosecond flash photolysis

Abstract Tune-resolved absorption measurements of ground-state recovery and excited-state absorption are reported for several triphenylmethane dyes in solutions of different viscosity. A kinetic model is proposed to explain the results of these and earlier measurements.
Circularly Permuted Viral pRNA Active and Specific in the Packaging of Bacteriophage φ29 DNA

Abstract A viral-encoded 120-base pRNA bas been shown to have an essential role in the packaging of bacteriophage φ29 DNA. The finding that both the 5′- and 3′-termini of the pRNA are proximate and crucial for biological function (C. Zhang, C. Lee, and P. Guo, 1994, Virology , 201, 77-85) prompted investigation of the activity of circularly permuted pRNAs (cpRNA) and of the expandability and essentiality of bases extending from the termini. A 117-base pRNA with a deletion of three bases downstream of the proximal terminus was active in DNA packaging. Concatemeric DNAs containing two tandem pRNA genes separated by a short or a long loop sequence were constructed. The cpRNAs from these DNA templates were transcribed in vitro and shown to be active in φ29 DNA packaging, with activity comparable to the parental (noncircularly permuted) pRNA, indicating that neither of the loops tested affected the activity and folding of the cpRNA. As few as four bases were sufficient to serve as a loop for the terminal 180° turn, and a loop as long as 27 bases did not affect the cpRNA structure and function. Eight cpRNAs were constructed to assess the effect of openings within the wild-type pRNA structure. Opening of the bulge at residue 38 did not affect cpRNA activity, but opening the bulge at residue 55 greatly reduced it. Although the sequence of the 5′,3′-terminal loop was not important for the folding and activity of the cpRNA, the activities of cpRNAs with openings at individual bulges or hairpins were different, indicating that each region plays a different role in pRNA folding and function. Our results indicate that it is possible to generate active circularly permuted pRNA by assigning internal sites of the pRNA as new 3′- and 5′-termini. The creation of new variable ends makes the labeling of internal bases of the pRNA molecule possible and will facilitate the analysis of pRNA secondary and tertiary structure.
Empirical Analysis, Gender Assumptions, and the Language of Narration in Eighteenth-Century British Fiction

This study attempts first to determine whether quantitative and empirical methods can indicate differences in the language of male and female narrators in eighteenth-century British fiction and second to suggest some preliminary conclusions about gender assumptions arising from this investigation. A principal components analysis using word frequencies as variables (the Burrows technique) demonstrates that male and female narrators in Daniel Defoe's major novels can be differentiated according to the language that they use. Preliminary analyses of a sample of other eighteenth-century novels suggest that the differences of vocabulary frequencies in Defoe's fiction may hold true in the language of narrators created by other eighteenth-century writers as well: female narrators created by male writers use certain items of vocabulary at a rate significantly different than those items are used by male narrators created by male writers or by any narrators created by female writers. More specifically, female narra...
The molecular balancing act of p16(INK4a) in cancer and aging.

Located on chromosome 9p21.3, p16INK4a seems lost amongst a cluster of neighboring tumor suppressor genes. While best known for inhibiting cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) activity, p16INK4a is not a one trick pony. Long term p16INK4a expression pushes cells to enter senescence, an irreversible cell cycle arrest that prevents the growth of would-be cancer cells, but also contributes to aging. Loss of p16INK4a is one of the most frequent events in human tumors and allows pre-cancerous lesions to bypass senescence. Therefore, precise regulation of p16INK4a is essential to tissue homeostasis, maintaining a tight balance between tumor suppression and aging. Here, we outline the pathways required for proper p16INK4a regulation and highlight the critical functions of p16INK4a in cancer, aging and human physiology that make this gene special.
Unconscious Inference and Cultural Origins1

ONE of the most misleading dogmas of the social sciences is that cultural facts cannot be explained by reference to psychological phenomena. This proscription seems to result more from a failure to analyze the distinctions between the cultural and the psychological than from any inherent difficulties of reductionism. Most definitions of culture stipulate that its primary characteristic is that it is a series or system of ideas shared by two or more humans (Kroeber and Kluckhohn 1952) and that it differs from the psychological in that the sharing occurs not through hereditary processes or through learning from onself (cf. Moore 1952) but through a process of learning from others. It is presumably this stipulation that culture must be shared through learning from others that precludes an explanation of culture in terms of psychological data. Yet this can only be true if the processes of learning from others are excluded from the class of psychological phenomena, or if the consideration of process is excluded from explanations of culture. A school of social science, functionalism (e.g. British social anthropology and Parsonian sociology), does exist which disclaims a concern with process and it is this group which issues the most vigorous warnings against reductionism. It is true that functionalist explanations, inasmuch as they are formal cause explanations (and most of them are), do not require reference to the psychological; but any concern with cultural processes must ultimately be referable to psychological processes, since the efficient causes of human behavior (including cultural behavior) are to be found in human motivations and human perceptions, and these are clearly within the realm of the psychological. This paper, then, constitutes an attempt to demonstrate how reduction of cultural facts to psychological processes is possible by showing how a very widespread cultural phenomenon (menstrual taboos) may be related to the development of perceptual expectancies.
The DC Pumped Quadrupole Amplifier- A Wave Analysis

Gordon, Buchsbaum, and Feinstein have proposed a new quasi-parametric electron-beam amplifier which uses the same transverse cyclotron waves as the Adler-Wade quadrupole parametric amplifier, but which is pumped with dc voltage applied via a twisted or staggered quadrupole structure. This paper analyses the dc pumped twisted-quadrupole case in terms of the four transverse beam waves and their coupling. Amplification is found to result from the coupling of the slow and fast cyclotron waves. The pump voltage does not actually pump, i.e., does not supply energy. An alternative dc pumping schemie is also examined and found to give coupling of the waves but no amplification.
New developments in rapid method for food microbiology

Abstract The continual development, testing and improvement of instrumentation, techniques and experimental procedures for the rapid and accurate enumeration and characterization of microorganisms is a rapidly expanding area. Such advances are of great importance in food quality control applications, as well as in the analysis of clinical, industrial and environmental samples. Some of the recently developed methods and assessment of their performance are reviewed.
The Case for the Journal's Use of a CC-BY License

Journal of Language Modelling provides its articles under a Creative Commons CC-BY license. We discuss why this is the appropriate choice for the journal.
Development time of Coccinella septempunctata in relation to constant temperatures [Col.: Coccinellidae]

Development times at constant temperatures were determined for the egg, larval and pupal stages ofCoccinella 7-punctata L., recently introduced to U.S.A. Males and females developed at the same rate. The egg stage lasted from 2.3 to 13.0 days at 30° and 15°C, respectively. Larvae feeding onAcyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), pea aphids, required from 6.2 to 31.1 days at 32.5°, and 17.0°C, respectively. These development rates are similar to those reported in the European literature.
Empiricism, metaphysics, and voluntarism

This paper makes three points: First, empiricism as a stance is problematic unless criteria for evaluating the stance are provided. Second, Van Fraassen conceives of the empiricist stance as receiving its content, at least in part, from the rejection of metaphysics. But the rejection of metaphysics seems to presuppose for its justification the very empiricist doctrine Van Fraassen intends to replace with the empiricist stance. Third, while I agree with Van Fraassen’s endorsement of voluntarism, I raise doubts about the possibility of defending voluntarism without engaging in the kind of metaphysics Van Fraassen rejects.
Hemophilic arthropathy--an immunologic study of the synovium.

Joint tissue from 7 patients with severe Factor VIII deficiency was examined for immune deposits. Tissue was obtained from fresh surgical specimens and offered information from patients treated by a variety of methods. No immune deposits were located, and in spite of others' suggestions that immune phenomena are occurring in the plasma of patients with hemophilia, no evidence for immune damage appeared in the joint tissues from these patients with hemophilic arthropathy.
Influence of light intensity and membrane properties on the photocatalytic degradation of formic acid over TiO2 ceramic membranes

Abstract The photocatalytic activity of ceramic membranes for the oxidation of dissolved formic acid has been evaluated as a function of the membrane thickness and porosity, as well as the intensity of the incident light. Quantum efficiencies as high as 30% have been obtained for the oxidation of formic acid. Light absorption increased with an increase in membrane thickness and could be fit to a Lambert-Beer expression. This increase in light absorption in thicker membranes caused more electron-hole pairs to be generated. Increasing the light intensity also increased the rate of carrier recombination processes. Consequently, a maximum in the quantum yield was observed at a particular thickness. Higher quantum yields were obtained at the lowest intensities.
Normal pregnancy after tetraploid karyotype on trophectoderm biopsy

Objective To report a case of successful pregnancy after trophectoderm biopsy and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed a tetraploid karyotype. Design Case report. Setting A university medical center. Patient(s) An infertility patient desiring trophectoderm biopsy on frozen blastocysts to facilitate preimplantation genetic screening. Intervention(s) Frozen blastocysts were thawed on the evening before transfer. Trophectoderm biopsy was performed the following morning. FISH results were available the same day, and two embryos with tetraploid results were transferred. Main Outcome Measure(s) Chorionic villus sample (CVS) and newborn exam. Result(s) Normal diploid CVS result and a healthy male infant. Conclusion(s) Although multiple cells can be analyzed using trophectoderm biopsy, abnormalities in the trophectoderm may not be present in the inner cell mass.
Full inclusion as disclosing tablet: Revealing the flaws in our present system

(1996). Full inclusion as disclosing tablet: Revealing the flaws in our present system. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 35, Inclusive Schools: The Continuing Debate, pp. 35-41.
Ventricular arrhythmias produced by coronary artery occlusion in closed-chest dogs

Abstract A simple technique for producing ventricular arrhythmias through coronary occlusion is described. An embolus is introduced into the coronary circulation via a rigid cannula which is inserted through a carotid artery. The technique requires neither a thoracotomy nor fluoroscopic equipment. This technique produces beats of ventricular origin with a frequency averaging 65% of the total 24 hr post occlusion. This is comparable to the much more complicated two-stage occlusion procedure which is presently in wide use and requires a thoractomy.
Zinc(II)-boron(III)-imidazolate framework (ZBIF) with unusual pentagonal channels prepared from deep eutectic solvent

The first zinc(II)-boron(III)-imidazolate porous material Zn(2)(im)Cl(2)[B(im)(4)] (ZBIF-1, im = imidazolate) integrating the structural features of two distinctly different imidazolate frameworks (i.e., ZIFs with the Zn-im linkage and BIFs with B(im)(4)(-) complex) has been realized by utilizing the unique chemistry of deep eutectic solvents.
Endurance and retention of mnos devices over the temperature range from −50°c to +125°c

The effect of temperature variation on the endurance and retention characteristics of MNOS devices has been studied over the temperature range from −50°c to +125°C. The endurance of MNOS devices is significantly degraded as temperature is increased. Retention, on the other hand, appears to be a more sensitive function of endurance cycling than increased temperature. Increased nitride conductivity, thermal excitation tunneling and charge centroid movement at higher temperatures along with increased surface state density caused by endurance cycling are suggested as mechanisms to explain observed degradation in device performance.
Stress‐Specific Influences of Opioids on Cardiac Electrical Stability

Opioids and Arrhythmias. Evidence is provided indicating that the action of opioids on cardiac electrical stability is contingent on the nature of the stress that impinges on the myocardium. This concept is illustrated by the studies of three clinically relevant conditions, namely, acute behavioral stress, hemorrhage, and myocardial ischemia. During aversive conditioning in dogs, morphine sulfate has been found to prevent the stress-induced reduction in cardiac electrical stability. This protective effect is significantly blunted by administration of atropine, indicating that enhanced vagal activity plays a major role. However, there is a remaining component of morphine's action, which is probably due to reduced perception of the aversive stress. In the context of hemorrhage, the mu-selective agonist fentanyl substantially reduces the profibrillatory effect of this physiological stress. The main mechanism involved in this condition is amplification of baroreceptor sensitivity leading to inhibition of cardiac sympathetic drive. Full activation of mu receptors with fentanyl is also effective in reducing vulnerability to fibrillation during acute coronary artery occlusion. This effect was due to vagal efferent activation and not to enhanced baroreceptor responsiveness as in the case of hemorrhage. Administration of the partial mu-agonist buprenorphine does not exert an antifibrillatory action. Collectively, these results not only demonstrate the potent stabilizing influence of opioids on cardiac rhythm but also the stress specificity of the intermediary mechanisms.
A Rapid Method for Determination of Limonin in Citrus Juices by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

The bitter component, limonin, was quantified in orange and grapefruit juices after preliminary separation on a C-18 cartridge, or by direct injection of the juice onto a C-18 or C-8 high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) column. The lower limit of detection for limonin was about 1 ppm on a 2.1 mm i.d. microbore column and 2 ppm on a 4.6 mm i.d. analytical column. In a few orange juice samples, the preliminary separation step was necessary to eliminate interfering substances prior to HPLC separation.
Formation chronology for C2 meteorites

The times at which phyllosilicate matrix and euhedral olivines became associated have been determined for five C2 meteorites. The ages, calculated from fission track densities on crystal surfaces, are based on an initial Pu-244/U-238 ratio in the matrix material of 0.0154 at 4.6 b.y., and range from 4.22 b.y. for Nogoya to 4.42 b.y. for Murray. Unless the initial Pu-244/U-238 ratio was less than 0.004, the meteorites cannot have existed in their present form for 4.6 billion years. The measured ages place limits on the time when pre-compaction effects such as micrometeorite craters and solar flare tracks were produced, and they may approximately date the formation of the olivine crystals themselves.
ISOLATION OF α-MELANOTROPIN AND N, O-DIACETYLSERINE1-α-MELANOTROPIN FROM PORCINE PITUITARY EXTRACTS

In the course of isolation of alpha-melanotropin (alpha-MSH) from porcine pituitary extracts, a peptide with identical amino acid composition but slightly less polar properties compared to alpha-MSH was detected and isolated by partition chromatography. The new peptide was identified as N, O-diacetyl-Ser1-alpha-MSH by high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. N, O-diacetyl-Ser1-alpha-MSH was readily converted to alpha-MSH by incubation at pH 9.5. The O-acetyl analog of alpha-MSH was found to be as active as alpha-MSH in stimulating lipolysis in isolated rabbit adipocytes.
Immunochemical studies on pepsinogens A, C and D from the smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis

Immunochemical investigation of dogfish pepsinogens A, C and D, determining characteristics in terms of immunodiffusion, immuno-electrophoresis, complement fixation and enzymic activity inhibition
Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease via surgical instruments

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a neurodegenerative prion disease that can spread via contaminated neurosurgical instruments previously used on an infected patient. We examine current guidelines on how to recognize, handle, and prevent instrument-related iatrogenic CJD. Despite only four reported patients worldwide implicating contaminated neurosurgical instruments, and none in the past 30 years, the public health consequences of potential instrument-related iatrogenic CJD can be far-reaching. Conventional sterilization and disinfection methods are inadequate in reducing prion infectivity of contaminated instruments, and World Health Organization recommendations for disinfection using bleach or sodium hydroxide are often impractical for routine decontamination. Recently, possible CJD exposure via infected surgical instruments was suspected at a large teaching hospital. Although CJD was later disproven, the intervening investigation exposed the difficulty in tracking infected surgical instruments and in protecting subsequent surgical patients from prion infection. To identify patients at risk for iatrogenic CJD, infectivity of instruments after this index patient is estimated using simple scenario modeling, assuming a certain log reduction of infectivity for each cleansing cycle. Scenario modeling predicts that after six cycles of instrument use with conventional cleansing following an index patient, other patients are highly unlikely to be at risk for iatrogenic CJD. Despite its rarity, the threat of iatrogenic CJD transmission via contaminated instruments poses tremendous challenges to neurosurgeons. Basic prevention strategies should be employed for patients with suspected CJD, including use of disposable instruments where possible and quarantining non-disposable instruments until the diagnosis is ascertained, or using special instrument reprocessing methods if CJD is suspected.
Prelaunch optical tests and performance estimates of the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite

ABSTRACT The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) is an astrophysics satellite designed to make observations at high spectral resolving power (R 25000) in the 90.5-118.7 nm bandpass. This NASA Origins mission will address many important astrophysical problems, including the variations in the deuterium/hydrogen ratio in the Milky Way and inextragalactic clouds, the kinematics and distribution of O and other hot gas species in the Galactic disk and halo, theproperties ofmolecular hydrogen in interstellar clouds having a wide variety oftemperatures and densities, and the propertiesofstellar and planetary atmospheres. Between August 1997 and January 1999 an extensive series of vacuum optical tests was conducted, first with the spectrograph alone and then with the full satellite in flight-like conditions. Numerous ultraviolet spectra were obtained andfound to be consistent with performance requirements. We also obtained visible light images with the Fine Error Sensor(FES) camera, whose performance will be critical for meeting the demanding pointing requirements of FUSE.In this paper we present estimates of the performance of the instrument, including spectral resolution, line shapes, andeffective area. We also present data on the visible light performance ofthe FES.Keywords: Astronomy, ultraviolet, spectroscopy, Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, FUSE, optical testing.
A Hybrid Jigsaw Approach to Teaching Renal Clearance Concepts

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of using a jigsaw cooperative learning approach to teach basic concepts of renal clearance to pharmacy students. Design. Students collected information on the mechanisms of renal clearance for a particular drug and proposed a methodology for circumventing a urine drug screen. Attitudinal surveys, an online quiz, and course examinations were used to assess student learning. Assessment. The majority of students felt apprehensive toward a group assignment prior to the exercise, and afterwards still preferred individual work over group work. Post-exercise quiz and final examination scores showed students successfully learned the material. Conclusions. Students were successful in learning from each other and there was no difference in examination performance compared to years when the technique was not used. In addition, the relative negative experiences of previous group work decreased the subjective attitudes related to the current learning experience.
Adjustment disorders in medically ill inpatients referred for consultation in a university hospital.

The study examined medical records of 121 medical-surgical inpatients diagnosed with adjustment disorder by psychiatric consultants in a university hospital. Medical illness was the primary stressor, evoking the maladaptive reaction in 83 (68.6%) cases. These patients were largely free of preceding psychiatric problems, suffering protracted hospitalizations for advanced illnesses, particularly malignancy and diabetes: in contrast, the 38 (31.4%) patients whose adjustment disorder was precipitated by a stressor other than medical illness had established psychiatric histories and recurrent problems with relationships or finances. The data suggest that in the medically ill, identifying the primary stressor producing an adjustment disorder is more instructive than focusing upon “predominant” symptomatology and “subtypes.”
Transforming rule-based programs: from the sequential to the parallel

Conflict resolution is a form of global control used in production systems to achieve an efficient sequential execution of a rule-based program. This type of control is not used in parallel production system models[6, 13]. Instead, only those programs are executed which make no assumptions regarding conflict resolution. Therefore, the initial sequential rule-based programs are either executed in parallel without their conflict resolution strategy, which normally results in incorrect behavior, or the programs are transformed in an ad hoc manner to execute on a particular parallel production system model. As a result, these programs do not exhibit the parallelism hoped for [10, 13].We believe that a second reason behind the lack of parallelism is that no formal methods of verifying the correctness of rule-based programs are utilized. Correctness is especially important when conflict resolution is no longer utilized, because it necessary to transform sequential rule-based programs into equivalent programs without conflict resolution. Also, the parallel execution of a rule-based program is more complex and demands these formal methods even more than its sequential counterpart.We are concerned with designing and developing correct rule-based programs for parallel execution. In this paper, we show the difficulty in transforming a simple sequential rule-based program to a new version of the program with no conflict resolution. Also, we show that the use of a new programming paradigm and language may result in more efficient programs which are provably correct, and can be executed in parallel.
Parametrizing the Net Maternity Function

AbstractThe net maternity function represents the chance of a newborn female surviving to a certain age class, multiplied by the average number of female babies she is likely to bear while sojourning in that age class. Although the net maternity function does not lend itself well to modeling in terms of conventional time, it may be parametrized effectively as a function of the logarithm of a mother’s age. Choice of this independent variable leads to absolute dimensionless quantities that do not have to be rescaled when the units of time are changed. The parametrized model provides a close fit to the real net maternity function for stable populations, while divergences between the model and actual function may serve as a diagnostic for new features within a population. Reduction of the specification of the net maternity function to a small number of parameters enables those parameters to be tracked in long-term historical studies, and also serves as the basis of techniques for predicting future states of a...
Interactive ASR Error Correction for Touchscreen Devices

We will demonstrate a novel graphical interface for correcting search errors in the output of a speech recognizer. This interface allows the user to visualize the word lattice by "pulling apart" regions of the hypothesis to reveal a cloud of words simlar to the "tag clouds" popular in many Web applications. This interface is potentially useful for dictation on portable touchscreen devices such as the Nokia N800 and other mobile Internet devices.
High contents of hypotaurine and thiotaurine in hydrothermal-vent gastropods without thiotrophic endosymbionts

Invertebrates at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps must cope with high levels of toxic H2S. In addition, these and all marine invertebrates must balance internal osmotic pressure with that of the ocean. Cells usually do so with organic osmolytes, primarily free amino acids (e.g., taurine, glycine) and methylamines (e.g., betaine). At vents and seeps, clams, mussels, and vestimentiferans with thiotrophic endosymbionts have high levels of hypotaurine and thiotaurine (a product of hypotaurine and HS-). These serve as osmolytes but their primary function may be to transport and/or detoxify sulfide; indeed, thiotaurine has been proposed to be a marker of thiotrophic symbiosis. To test this, we analyzed Depressigyra globulus snails and Lepetodrilus fucensis limpets from Juan de Fuca Ridge vents (1,530 m). Neither has endosymbionts, though the latter has thiotrophic ectosymbionts. Some specimens were rapidly frozen, while other live ones were kept in laboratory chambers, some with and others without sulfide. Non-vent gastropods from a variety of depths (2-3,000 m) were also collected. Tissues were analyzed for major osmolytes and taurine derivatives. The dominant osmolytes of non-vent snails were betaine in all species, and either taurine in shallow-living species or scyllo-inositol, glycerophosphorylcholine, and other amino acids in deep-sea species. In contrast, the dominant osmolytes were hypotaurine and betaine in D. globulus, and hypotaurine in L. fucensis. Both species had thiotaurine (as well as hypotaurine) at levels much greater than previously reported for vent and seep animals without endosymbionts. The ratio of thio- to thio- plus hypotaurine, a possible indicator of sulfide exposure, decreased in both species when kept in laboratory chambers with low or no sulfide, but stayed at high levels in snails kept with 3-5 mM sulfide. Thus, in some vent animals without endosymbionts, sulfide may be detoxified via conversion of hypotaurine to thiotaurine. The latter may be a marker of high sulfide exposure but not of thiotrophic endosymbionts.
Surface Antigen Expression and Complement Susceptibility of Differentiated Neuroblastoma Clones

Human neuroblastoma cell lines typically consist of heterogenous subpopulations of cells that are morphologically and biochemically distinct. The cell types are characterized as neuroblastic (N-type), substrate-adherent Schwann-like (S-type), or intermediate (I). These cell types can undergo spontaneous or induced transdifferentiation in vitro. We investigated the complement sensitivity of different neuroblastoma cell lines and of matched sets of cloned N- and S-type neuroblastoma cell lines. Human neuroblastoma cell lines that consisted predominantly of a neuroblastic phenotype were shown to be significantly more susceptible to human complement-mediated lysis than cell lines of other cancer types. Complement sensitivity of neuroblastoma cell lines was correlated with low levels of CD59, decay-accelerating factor, and membrane cofactor protein expression. We found that cloned S-type neuroblastoma cells were much more resistant to complement-mediated lysis than cloned N-type cells. The increased complement resistance of S-type cells was shown to be due to increased expression of membrane-bound complement inhibitors. CD59 was the single most important protein in providing S-type cells with protection from complement lysis. S-type cells were also found to express lower levels of GD2, a target antigen for a complement activating monoclonal antibody currently in clinical trials for neuroblastoma immunotherapy. The ability of S-type cells to evade complement, and the ability of S-type cells to differentiate into the more tumorigenic N-type cells, may represent a mechanism of tumor survival and regrowth, a phenomenon often observed with this cancer.
WHY FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP IS ESSENTIAL

In this article we explain different conceptions of flexible and adaptive leadership and the reasons why such leadership is essential in today’s organizations. Then we briefly describe several streams of research that provide useful knowledge about flexible and adaptive leadership. It was not feasible to provide a comprehensive and detailed review for each research stream, but we describe the primary research methods, summarize major findings, and provide some practical guidelines for leaders on how to become more flexible and adaptive. Finally, we point out limitations of the available research and make recommendations for future research.
Utilizing Federal Funds for Experiential Education: The Job Location and Development Program

The way in which the government defines “financial need” does not always account for the individual decisions families make when sending a student to college. Many students who do not qualify for federal financial aid must still pay for part of their educational expenses, and need a part-time job in order to do so. The Job Location and Development (JLD) program was designed to help these students find the employment they need, to pick up where federal work study leaves off. Since 1979, the MU Career Center and the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Missouri–Columbia have together operated a JLD program on campus that, since its inception, has helped more than 25,000 students find employment while in school. Those employment opportunities serve to not only assist students in funding their education, but also to provide students the opportunity to learn about themselves—their strengths and weaknesses, their career interests, perhaps what major they ought to choose—as well as valuable skills they can use after graduation.
Randomly interstratified serpentine/chlorite; its detection and quantification by powder X-ray diffraction methods

X-ray diffraction studies of the pore-lining chloritic mineral from the Tuscaloosa Formation disclose a marked pattern of odd-order line broadening for the 001 to the 00,16 reflections. The odd- order peaks are approximately twice as broad as the even orders after correction for instrumental broad- ening effects. These results are consistent with a randomly interstratified 7-A/14-A. structure, which is most likely serpentine/chlorite. Quantitative analysis of line broadening and model calculations indicate that the serpentine/chlorite contains 7% serpentine layers. A simplified method is proposed for quantifying randomly interstratified serpentine/chlorite. Residual line broadening (fir) is obtained from the half-height widths of uncorrected diffraction profiles for the 004 and 005 "chlorite" reflections by means of the following: 1 ~r = (~o~o~ 5 - ~lo~5)z~. Percent serpentine in the random interstratification is computed from the empirical expression %S = -0.51 + 24.27~r, which is valid from about 1 to 20 percent serpentine.
Heat capacity investigation of dopant effects on the magnetic disordering temperature in Fe3O4

Abstract The heat capacities of ZnFe 2 O 4 , Zn 0.005 Fe 2.995 O 4 , Zn 0.066 Fe 2.934 O 4 , and Cd 0.010 Fe 2.990 O 4 were measured over the temperature range of 350–1000 K by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The temperatures at which the maximum in heat capacity occurs due to the ferrimagnetic anomaly in the doped-Fe 3 O 4 samples were found to decrease with increasing dopant. The excess entropy associated with the ferrimagnetic anomaly was estimated using three methods. One method, used previously for Fe 3 O 4 , employed a calculated lattice contribution for Fe 3 O 4 . The other two methods used the experimentally determined heat capacity of ZnFe 2 O 4 , either unmodified or mass adjusted, to approximate contributions from lattice vibrations.