cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Down-regulated circulating PMN function after injury despite enhanced p38 MAPK activity.

Background: Neutrophils (PMN) are initially primed by injury. However, remaining PMN found in the circulation postinjury demonstrate a down-regulated phenotype with inhibited apoptosis, CXCR2 expression, and endotoxin (LPS) responsiveness that may contribute to infectious complications and organ dysfunction. The p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway has been implicated in regulating each of these PMN functions. We, therefore, hypothesize that p38 signaling is similarly down-regulated in postinjury circulating PMN. Materials and Methods: PMN were isolated from trauma patients (ISS > 20, postinjury day 3) and concurrently from healthy volunteers (control). PMN were cultured with LPS (100 ng/mL) and p38 activity assessed by Western blotting of cell lysates using a dual phosphospecific antibody for phosphorylated, active p38. In separate experiments, PMN from healthy volunteers were cultured in plasma from either healthy or injured subjects ± LPS and p38 activity assessed by ...
A Longitudinal Study of Social Status, Perceived Discrimination, and Physical and Emotional Health Among Older Adults

This study examines the relationships between social status, perceived discrimination, and physical and emotional health using a nationally representative sample of 6,377 older adults from the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. About 63% of older adults reported at least one type of everyday discrimination and 31% reported at least one major discriminatory event during lifetime. Blacks, those separated, divorced, or widowed, and those with lower household assets have higher levels of perceived discrimination than Whites, the married or partnered, and those with more assets. Perceived discrimination is negatively associated with changes in health over 2 years, and everyday discrimination has stronger effects than major discriminatory events, especially on emotional health. The effects of perceived everyday discrimination on changes in depressive symptoms and self-rated health are independent of general stress. Efforts to reduce discrimination, including perceptions of discrimination, c...
Pilot study of free and conjugated urinary mutagenicity during consumption of pan-fried meats: possible modulation by cruciferous vegetables, glutathione S-transferase-M1, and N-acetyltransferase-2

Epidemiological and experimental evidence indicates that consumption of fried meats in conjunction with certain genotypes of phase I and II metabolism genes poses an elevated risk for colorectal cancer. Parallel to this, the consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. Therefore, we designed a 6-week pilot feeding study to evaluate the effect of these variables on urinary mutagenicity, which is a biomarker associated with fried-meat consumption. Eight subjects were fed fried meats daily for six weeks; four ate cruciferous vegetables, and four ate non-cruciferous vegetables. Urinary mutagenicity was evaluated in the presence of S9 in strain YG1024 of Salmonella, which is a frameshift strain that overproduces acetyltransferase. C18/methanol extracts of 24-h urines collected once each week were tested unhydrolyzed (free mutagenicity) and hydrolyzed (total mutagenicity); the difference between the two was the conjugated mutagenicity. Although not significant, the levels of conjugated urinary mutagenicity doubled among crucifera consumers and decreased to 30% of the initial levels among non-crucifera consumers, suggesting the possibility that crucifera may enhance the level of conjugated urinary mutagenicity resulting from consumption of fried meats. Such an effect would be consistent with the documented ability of cruciferous vegetables to induce phase II enzymes. The NAT2 rapid phenotype was significantly associated with approximately 2-fold increases in conjugated (p = 0.05) and total (p = 0.004) urinary mutagenicity relative to NAT2 slow subjects, consistent with the elevated risk confirmed by the NAT2 rapid phenotype for colorectal cancer among meat consumers. An approximately 2-fold increase in urinary mutagenicity among the GSTM1- subjects relative to the GSTM1+ subjects approached significance for free (p = 0.18) and total (p = 0.13) urinary mutagenicity. This is the first report on (a) the mutagenicity of hydrolyzed urine, which was consistently more mutagenic than unhydrolyzed urine; (b) the potential enhancement of conjugated urinary mutagenicity by crucifera; and (c) the association of the rapid NAT2 and possibly the GSTM1- phenotype with elevated levels of fried meat-associated urinary mutagenicity.
Indentured Migration in America's Great Basin: An Observation in Strategic Behavior in Cooperative Exchanges

The Perpetual Emigrating Fund was a 19th century form of indentured migration that assisted European immigrants to America's Great Basin. Immigrants signed future contracts against their Great Basin labor to repay migration loans. The Fund encountered high monitoring costs to enforce contracts in rural areas. In the absence of a strong legal system, the Fund developed a series of enforcement mechanisms that relied on social norms and morays. Hence, the Perpetual Emigrating Fund demonstrates the success and failures of an institution that attempted to remain solvent with imperfect contracts and enforcement mechanisms.
Need for Cognition in the Big-Five Factor Structure

Abstract The short Need for Cognition Scale (Cacioppo, Petty, & Kao, 1984) and the NEO-FFI (Costa & McCrae, 1992) were completed by 85 undergraduates to investigate the relationship between need for cognition and the domains of the big-five factor model of personality. Significant positive direct relationships were obtained between need for cognition and the big-five domains of openness to experience and conscientiousness. These findings are consistent with the conceptualization of need for cognition as the tendency to enjoy and engage in effortful thought. There also was a significant first-order negative correlation between need for cognition and the neuroticism domain. This finding is consistent with the role of need for cognition hypothesized within cognitive-experiential self-theory (Epstein, 1994).
Perceived Benefits of Technology Incorporation into Dietetics/Family and Consumer Sciences(FCS) Curriculum

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To define the perceived benefits of computer technology incorporated into dietetics/FCS curriculum by college students. As we rapidly advance into the age of new technological innovation, students must acquire basic computer skills, such as using electronic mail (e-mail) and the internet/World Wide Web (WWW). These skills are necessary for students to be adequately prepared to function as high quality professionals of the future. E-mail and WWW usage was incorporated into the existing dietetics/ FCS curriculum. Students enrolled in classes related to FCS responded to a survey (N=333). Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared analyses were computed using SPSS for Windows (Version 6.1.2). P 0.05). Use of e-mail was greater among the tech group (p
Evaluation of an in-depth pharmacy home study program on pharmaceutical biotechnology

During 1990, an audio cassette learning package was developed to provide pharmacists with a practical review of cell molecular biology, recombinant DNA technology, and products developed through pharmaceutical biotechnology. The original program was presented as three discrete units and an updated 1992 version combined all the units into one program with additional supplemental information. During 1993, a study was undertaken to assess practitioners'evaluations of both these programs. The response rate to the study questionnaire was 65.3%. Of the 145 total respondents: 93.1% considered the program to be a valuable learning experience; 85.7% considered the method a convenient and time saving means for professional continuing education; and 84.1% indicated that they would recommend the program to a colleague. Regarding the mechanics of the program, pharmacists agreed: (1) that course materials were presented in sufficient detail (94.5%); (2) with the quality of the audio cassettes (95.8%), printed materials (95.8%), and review check tests (81.9%); and (3) with the easy accessibility of an audio cassette tape recorder (95.9%). There were no significant differences in the evaluations based on which of the courses the respondents completed.
Steady-state concentrations of drugs with short half-lives when administered in oral sustained release formulations

Abstract Recognizing that the time available for drug absorption after oral administration is limited, and assuming an effective absorption time of 9–12h, we have calculated the ratio of maximum to minimum drug concentrations in plasma at steady-state for drugs with different elimination half-lives given in sustained release products that release the drug in a first-order manner with a half-life of 3 or 4 h. The results suggest that drugs with relatively short elimination half-lives (⩽ 6 h) and low therapeutic indices (⩽3) must be given no less frequently than every 12 h. Drugs with pronounced multicompartment characteristics after oral dosing may need to be given at dosing intervals considerably shorter than their biologic half-lives unless they are administered in a sustained release formulation.
Lady Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji: Search for the Mother

(1992). Lady Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji: Search for the Mother. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 34-48.
Modernizing the philosophy of mathematics

The distinction between analytic and synthetic propositions, and with that the distinction between a priori and a posteriori truth, is being abandoned in much of analytic philosophy and the philosophy of most of the sciences. These distinctions should also be abandoned in the philosophy of mathematics. In particular, we must recognize the strong empirical component in our mathematical knowledge. The traditional distinction between logic and mathematics, on the one hand, and the natural sciences, on the other, should be dropped. Abstract mathematical objects, like transcendental numbers or Hilbert spaces, are theoretical entities on a par with electromagnetic fields or quarks. Mathematical theories are not primarily logical deductions from axioms obtained by reflection on concepts but, rather, are constructions chosen to solve some collection of problems while fitting smoothly into the other theoretical commitments of the mathematician who formulates them. In other words, a mathematical theory is a scientific theory like any other, no more certain but also no more devoid of content.
Modeling thermal fire resistance

Abstract Computer-aided procedures have been developed to allow architects and engineers with no previous computer knowledge to predict the theoretical fire ratings of different layers of fireproofing materials. The device which permits such a theoretical evaluation is a computer model known as FIRE (Fire Intensity-Resistance Evaluation). Using this procedure a engineer can choose up to three different layers of material to be evaluated under various fire intensities. The layers which can contain water or different transformation products can be considered to be in intimate contact or separated by an air gap. The various layers can be considered to be attached to a heat sink which represents the mass of various structural members of different sizes. A directory of fifty materials is available for evaluation under fire exposures of different intensities and durations. Correlations are now being carried out with existing fire tests to insure the best fit for the different temperature-dependent material parameters that are required.
Cleavage of hepatitis B virus RNA by three ribozymes transcribed from a single DNA template.

Abstract Hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus which replicates asymmetrically through reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate (pregenomic RNA). As a first step toward an antiviral strategy, a single synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide coding for 3 ribozyme motifs directed against three adjacent sites within the pregenomic RNA was synthesized, cloned and transcribed in vitro . Experiments utilizing 5′ and 3′ end labeling of RNA demonstrated that the three ribozymes accurately cleaved hepatitis B virus substrate RNA. Cleavage efficiency was similar to that of single ribozyme constructs. These results demonstrate that hepatitis B virus RNA is susceptible to ribozyme induced cleavage and illustrate that three ribozymes were simultaneously active when transcribed from a single DNA template. The expression of multiple ribozyme motifs may offer an advantage if there is high viral target sequence variability.
Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II and Calmodulin: Regulators of the Meiotic Spindle in Mouse Eggs

Elevation of intracellular free calcium causes egg activation by initiating a cascade of interacting signaling pathways that, in unison, act to remodel the cytoplasmic compartment and the nuclear compartment of the egg. We show here that calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) is tightly associated with the meiotic spindle and that 5 min after egg activation there is a transient, tight association of calmodulin (colocalized with CaM kinase II) on the meiotic spindle. These correlative observations caused us to test whether activation of CaM kinase II mediated the chromosomal transit into an anaphase configuration. We demonstrate that calcium and calmodulin, at physiological levels, along with ATP were capable of driving the spindle (with its associated CaM kinase II) into an anaphase configuration in a permeabilized egg system. The transit into anaphase was dependent on the presence of both calcium and calmodulin and occurred normally when they were present at a ratio of 4 to 1. Peptide and pharmacologic inhibitors of CaM kinase II blocked the transit into anaphase, both in the permeabilized egg system and in living eggs (inhibitors of protein kinase C did not block the transit into anaphase). Using a biochemical approach we confirm that CaM kinase II increases in activity 5 min after egg activation and that a second increase occurs 45 min after activation at the approximate time that the contractile ring of the second polar body is constricting. This corresponds to the approximate time when calmodulin and CaM kinase II colocalize at several points in the activated egg including the region containing midzone microtubules. CaM kinase II appears localized on midzone microtubules as soon as they form and may have a role in specifying the position of the contractile ring of the second polar body.
Reciprocal Effects Between Multichannel Retailers’ Offline and Online Brand Images

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to disentangle reciprocal relationships between multichannel retailers’ offline and online brand images. Results support the cross-channel effect of prior offline brand image on online brand beliefs ( biased assimilation ) and that of online performance on offline brand beliefs ( impact ). Consumers’ online and offline brand attitudes were influenced by not only brand beliefs from the respective channel but also by beliefs from the other channel. But, strong prior offline brand image was found to mitigate the impact of online performance on offline brand beliefs in the presence of negative online performance ( impact minimization ) as a way to eliminate cognitive dissonance.
Present and future surface climate in the western USA as simulated by 15 global climate models

We analyze results of 15 global climate simulations contributed to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). Focusing on the western USA, we consider both present climate simulations and predicted responses to increasing atmospheric CO2. The models vary in their ability to predict the present climate. In the western USA, a few models produce a seasonal cycle for spatially averaged temperature and/or precipitation in good agreement with observational data. Other models tend to over-predict precipitation in the winter or exaggerate the amplitude of the seasonal cycle of temperature. The models also differ in their ability to reproduce the spatial patterns of temperature and precipitation in the USA. Considering the monthly mean precipitation responses to doubled atmospheric CO2, averaged over the western USA, we find some models predict increases while others predict decreases. The predicted temperature response, on the other hand, is invariably positive over this region; however, for each month, the range of values given by the different models is large compared to the mean model response. We look for possible relationships between the models’ temperature and precipitation responses to doubled CO2 concentration and their ability to simulate some aspects of the present climate. We find that these relationships are weak, at best. The precipitation response over the western USA in DJF and the precipitation response over the mid- and tropical latitudes seem to be correlated with the RMS error in simulated present-day precipitation, also calculated over the mid- and tropical latitudes. However, considering only the responses of the models with the smallest RMS errors does not provide a different estimate of the precipitation response to a doubled CO2 concentration, because even among the most accurate models, the range of model responses is so large. For temperature, we find that models that have smaller RMS errors in present-climate temperature in the north eastern Pacific region predict a higher temperature response in the western USA than the models with larger errors. A similar relation exists between the temperature response over Europe in DJF and the RMS error calculated over the Northern Atlantic.
Paper widgets: Visually aesthetic “smarts” for document images

Traditional 1Dand 2D barcodes provide high data density, but they are visually jarring and require isolated whitemargins for placement. In this work, we introduce new machine-readable “smarts” for paper documents, called paper widgets. Like barcodes, paper widgets contain digital data which can be read upon scanning and decoding. However, unlike barcodes, they have very small footprint (fraction of sq.cm.), and carry a human-readable component that provides visual meaning. Furthermore, paper widgets can be placed and recovered in a distributed fashion from any position on a document image. For example, they can be positioned right beside contents of interest, and need not be confined to isolated white margins. We describe how all these widget properties can be simultaneously achieved using simple operations that are robust to print-scan distortions. In particular, we highlight a novel constrained coding technique that helps combat print-scan inter-symbol interference (ISI), and a Gabor-filtering based extraction that accurately identifies widget regions from any position on a scanned document image. Experimental evaluations reveal that paper widgets can be recovered from print-scan distortions with near-100% accuracy.
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression in Yersinia Species

Proper regulation of gene expression is required by bacterial pathogens to respond to continually changing environmental conditions and the host response during the infectious process. While transcriptional regulation is perhaps the most well understood form of controlling gene expression, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene regulation that allow for more refined management of the bacterial response to host conditions. Yersinia species of bacteria are known to use various forms of post-transcriptional regulation for control of many virulence-associated genes. These include regulation by cis- and trans-acting small non-coding RNAs, RNA-binding proteins, RNases, and thermoswitches. The effects of these and other regulatory mechanisms on Yersinia physiology can be profound and have been shown to influence type III secretion, motility, biofilm formation, host cell invasion, intracellular survival and replication, and more. In this review, we will discuss these and other post-transcriptional mechanisms and their influence on virulence gene regulation, with a particular emphasis on how these processes influence the virulence of Yersinia in the host.
A computer study of radionuclide production in high power accelerators for medical and industrial applications

Abstract Methods for radionuclide production calculation in a high power proton accelerator have been developed and applied to study production of 22 isotopes by high-energy protons and neutrons. These methods are readily applicable to accelerator, and reactor, environments other than the particular model we considered and to the production of other radioactive and stable isotopes. We have also developed methods for evaluating cross sections from a wide variety of sources into a single cross section set and have produced an evaluated library covering about a third of all natural elements. These methods also are applicable to an expanded set of reactions. A 684 page detailed report on this study, with 37 tables and 264 color figures is available on the Web at http://t2.lanl.gov/publications/publications.html, or, if not accessible, in hard copy from the authors.
The Utility and Futility of Combining Treatments in Psychotherapy

Some of the main points discussed and elaborated on in this article are as follows: (a) There appear to be no data to support the notion that a combination of different theories can result in a more robust therapeutic technique, (b) It is techniques, not theories, that are actually used on people, (c) The effectiveness of specific techniques may have no bearing on the theories that begot them, (d) Different treatment combinations should be tried only when well-documented methods do not exist for a particular disorder or when proven techniques are not achieving the desired results, (e) When using behavioral or psychoanalytic techniques one is not necessarily practicing behavior therapy or psychoanalytic therapy. The emphasis throughout is on avoiding confusing and specious conclusions.
Cyclic amplification and selection of targets for multicomponent complexes: myogenin interacts with factors recognizing binding sites for basic helix-loop-helix, nuclear factor 1, myocyte-specific enhancer-binding factor 2, and COMP1 factor.

Abstract Myogenin is one of four muscle-specific basic helix-loop-helix regulatory factors involved in controlling myogenesis. We here describe various protein complexes that increase the affinity of myogenin for DNA. We mixed an oligonucleotide containing a degenerate center large enough to accommodate multiple binding sites with crude myotube nuclear extracts and used cyclic amplification and selection of targets with an antimyogenin monoclonal antibody to isolate protein-DNA complexes. Since each cycle of selection results in the enrichment for the sequences with the highest affinity, we isolated multicomponent sites in which myogenin binding was increased by its interaction with other DNA binding proteins. Myogenin interacts with members of the nuclear factor 1 family, the muscle-specific factor myocyte-specific enhancer-binding factor 2, and another factor, COMP1 (cooperates with myogenic proteins 1), that binds to the sequence TGATTGAC. Myogenin also exhibits cooperative binding with other proteins that recognize CANNTG motifs, and various constraints on spacing and orientation were observed. The application of this approach to other transcription factors should not only help identify the different functions of myogenin versus other members of the muscle basic helix-loop-helix regulatory family but also help define the general combinatorial mechanisms involved in eukaryotic gene regulation.
Modeling continuous changes in substituent electronegativity and chemical hardness using fictitious nuclear potentials

Electronegativity and chemical hardness are important conceptual tools in organic and organometallic chemistry. Computational chemistry can aid understanding of these concepts by simulating fictitious substituents with smoothly varying electronegativity and chemical hardness. This work shows that Gaussian smearing of an atom’s nuclear charge distribution enables variation of its electronegativity and chemical hardness, without changing the total molecule charge. Tunable covalent, Lewis acid, and Lewis base substituents give chemically reasonable results in several canonical chemical reactions. These include hard–soft acid–base effects on thiocyanate and enolate isomerization, ligand trans influences on the stability of organometallic complexes and the thermodynamics of reductive elimination, and substituent effects on the proton affinities of benzene derivatives. The results illustrate the utility of these fictitious substituents and motivate their use as interpretive tools.
Subject's Selective Learning: An Insight into the Depth-of-Processing Framework:

Recently, debate has arisen over Craik and Lockhart's (1972) depth-of-processing framework. Attention has centered on the existence of a progressive linear hierarchy which is hypothesized to be the locus of the learning process. The term ‘subject's selective learning’ is used to bring a new perspective to this theory. This term asserts that what a subject is required to do in a particular learning situation will determine the durability of the memory trace as well as the type of trace. Changes in the situational requirements will bring changes in the trace ‘depth.’
Erythrocyte membranes-effect of increased cholesterol content on permeability

The permeability to several non-electrolytes and to Na+ of guinea pig erythrocytes containing different amounts of cholesterol was measured. A marked decrease of the permeability of the cholesterol-loaded erythrocytes to both hydrophilic and amphiphilic non-electrolytes and to both the active and the passive component of Na+ efflux was observed. We suggest that cholesterol loading causes a tighter packing of the lipid components which in turn decreases the mobility of the permeants within the membrane matrix.
Alaska Youth Initiative: The dream, the reality

Many states have been interested in revising their systems of care for young people. The Alaska Youth Initiative (AYI) attempted to improve the system of care by providing community-based, individualized services to youths who would otherwise be institutionalized outside the state. Major policy changes included emphasis on local service provision, individualized services, unconditional care, and coordination of services. The AYI's performance on its original goals is mixed. Complications in implementation arose from lack of provider training, conflict over coordination at the state level, and difficulty in individualizing programs. Although significant successes have occurred, administrators could improve the implementation of similar types of programs by making specific plans to address concerns of various stakeholders, providing fiscal incentives for cooperation for state workers, and providing ongoing training in both clinical and administrative areas.
Photoimprint photoacoustic microscopy for three-dimensional label-free subdiffraction imaging

Subdiffraction optical microscopy allows the imaging of cellular and subcellular structures with a resolution finer than the diffraction limit. Here, combining the absorption-based photoacoustic effect and intensity-dependent photobleaching effect, we demonstrate a simple method for subdiffraction photoacoustic imaging of both fluorescent and nonfluorescent samples. Our method is based on a double-excitation process, where the first excitation pulse partially and inhomogeneously bleaches the molecules in the diffraction-limited excitation volume, thus biasing the signal contributions from a second excitation pulse striking the same region. The differential signal between the two excitations preserves the signal contribution mostly from the center of the excitation volume, and dramatically sharpens the lateral resolution. Moreover, due to the nonlinear nature of the signal, our method offers an inherent optical sectioning capability, which is lacking in conventional photoacoustic microscopy. By scanning the excitation beam, we performed three-dimensional subdiffraction imaging of varied fluorescent and nonfluorescent species. As any molecules have absorption, this technique has the potential to enable label-free subdiffraction imaging, and can be transferred to other optical imaging modalities or combined with other subdiffraction methods.
Diffraction of light by a bigrating: Surface polariton resonances and electric field enhancements

We present a theory of the diffraction of light of arbitrary polarization incident on a doubly periodic dielectric grating. We use Rayleigh's method together with the vectorial equivalent of Kirchhoff's integral. The amplitudes of the diffracted spectral orders are calculated for a sinusoidal bigrating and for a square lattice of hemiellipsoids on a flat surface, for Ag. The enhancement of the electric field on and near the surface is calculated and is found to reach values of about 300.
Protein disorder prediction at multiple levels of sensitivity and specificity

Many protein regions and some entire proteins have no definite tertiary structure, existing instead as dynamic, disorder ensembles under different physiochemical circumstances. Identification of these protein disorder regions is important for protein production, protein structure prediction and determination, and protein function annotation. A number of different disorder prediction software and web services have been developed since the first predictor was designed by Dunker's lab in 1997. However, most of the software packages use a pre-defined threshold to select ordered or disordered residues. In many situations, users need to choose ordered or disordered residues at different sensitivity and specificity levels. Here we benchmark a state of the art disorder predictor, DISpro, on a large protein disorder dataset created from Protein Data Bank and systematically evaluate the relationship of sensitivity and specificity. Also, we extend its functionality to allow users to trade off specificity and sensitivity by setting different decision thresholds. Moreover, we compare DISpro with seven other automated disorder predictors on the 95 protein targets used in the seventh edition of Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP7). DISpro is ranked as one of the best predictors. The evaluation and extension of DISpro make it a more valuable and useful tool for structural and functional genomics.
Cell cycle effects and induction of apoptosis caused by infection of HL‐60 cells with human granulocytic ehrlichiosis pathogen measured by flow and laser scanning cytometry

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is an occasionally severe and even fatal disease caused by an agent closely related to Ehrlichia equi and Ehrlichia phagocytophila, which is transmitted by ticks. Little is known about the pathogen itself, which only very recently has been isolated. The agent can be cultivated in vitro because it replicates in human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells. Using multiparameter flow cytometry and laser scanning cytometry (LSC) we have investigated changes in HL-60 cells following their infection with the pathogen. Its presence within the infected HL-60 cells was detected and its intracellular level measured inmmunocytochemically using antibodies obtained from HGE-infected patients. The percentage of the infected cells measured by flow cytometry or LSC correlated well with the estimates by microscopy on the Giemsa-stained specimens. In the infected cultures, the cells had diminished levels of cyclins D3 and E as well as the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1 and were arrested predominantly in G0/1. The apoptosis-associated regulatory proteins were also affected by cell infection: expression of Bcl-2 was decreased in the infected cells whereas expression of Bax become more variable, with some cells showing higher levels of this protein. The infected cells developed numerous DNA strand breaks characteristic of apoptosis. The presence of the pathogen was also detected by LSC in cells from peripheral blood of the infected patients; after relocation and visual inspection ("CompuSort") the pathogen-positive cells were identified as leukocytes. This unique ability of LSC to detect, quantify, and visualize HGE in infected cells made this instrument particularly useful to measure the degree of infection in peripheral blood of the patients and study effects of the infectious agent on the cell cycle and apoptosis of the host cells.
The chromosomal complement of blastomeres in Arbacia punctulata.

The diploid chromosomal complement of blastomeres of Arbacia punctulata is composed of 44 units. It includes two chromosomal pairs with distinctive structural features: the Nos. 1 which are long and subacrocentric, and the Nos. 2, somewhat shorter and submediocentric. The remaining short chromosomes, although structurally similar to each other, may be divided into three recognizable groups.
Dissociating sentential prosody from sentence processing: activation interacts with task demands.

Abstract Sentenceprocessing was contrasted with processing of syntactic prosody under two task conditions in order to examine the representation of these components of language and their interaction with working memory load. Twelve adults received fMRI scans while they listened to low-pass filtered and unfiltered sentences either passively, or during tasks that required subjects to remember and recognize information contained in the stimuli. Results indicated that temporal activation for prosodic stimuli differed compared to activation for sentence stimuli only during passive listening tasks. The inclusion of memory demands was associated with frontal activation, which was differentially lateralized for sentence and prosodic stimuli. The results demonstrate differential brain activation for prosodic vs sentential stimuli which interacts with the memory demands placed on the subjects.
Genetic Dissection of Structural and Functional Components of Synaptic Plasticity. III. CREB Is Necessary for Presynaptic Functional Plasticity

Increased cAMP (in dunce mutants) leads to an increase in the structure and function of the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Synaptic Fasciclin II (Fas II) controls this structural plasticity, but does not alter synaptic function. Here, we show that CREB, the cAMP response element-binding protein, acts in parallel with Fas II to cause an increase in synaptic strength. Expression of the CREB repressor (dCREB2-b) in the dunce mutant blocks functional but not structural plasticity. Expression of the CREB activator (dCREB2-a) increases synaptic strength only in FasII mutants that increase bouton number. This CREB-mediated increase in synaptic strength is due to increased presynaptic transmitter release. Expression of dCREB2-a in a FasII mutant background genetically reconstitutes this cAMP-dependent plasticity. Thus, cAMP initiates parallel changes in CREB and Fas II to achieve long-term synaptic enhancement.
Microtubule dynamics in the spindle. II. A thermodynamic and kinetic description.

We have previously presented a model for the assembly and disassembly of mitotic spindle microtubules (MTs) (Pickett-Heaps et al. , 1986). In this paper, we describe the thermodynamics of such spindle MT assembly and present equations to describe the polymerization kinetics of different classes of spindle MTs. These equations are used to predict, in terms of kinetic parameters, the magnitude of forces extant on spindle MTs and to define the critical force needed to halt MT assembly. We calculate several of these forces for a hypothetical model cell; our predicted value for the force generated along kinetochore fibers is in close agreement with measured values taken from living cells. The model and its implications are discussed with reference to other recent models of spindle and MT dynamics.
Response to the comment by J. Ross

The authors wholeheartedly agree that investigation of the use of laparoscopic nephrectomy in the management of Wilms’ tumor must be undertaken with caution and by those surgeons skilled in advanced laparoscopic surgery, including retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. Certainly improved cosmesis and possible quicker recovery do not warrant the increased risk of tumor recurrence or the added morbidity of adjuvant radiation therapy should further trials show inferior oncologic outcomes with laparoscopic nephrectomy. However, we respectfully differ in opinion with Dr. Ross concerning the question of a trial of laparoscopic nephrectomy being an ‘‘ethical dilemma’’ due to its unproven nature. All current medical therapy once began as unproven treatment. It is the very idea of optimizing outcome while minimizing morbidity that leads our Hematology-Oncology colleagues to conduct well-designed and controlled trials utilizing alternative treatment regimens for a variety of malignancies. These very trials have resulted in the current
Training and fidelity monitoring of behavioral interventions in multi-site addictions research

Abstract Aims Methods for the training and fidelity monitoring of behavioral interventions in multi-site addictions research are reviewed, including five published studies and seven ongoing studies sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded Clinical Trials Network. Methods Methods are categorized and reviewed consistent with a technology model of treatment delivery. Topics include: therapist selection, training, certification, and supervision; selection, training, and certification of supervisors; scales and processes used for monitoring of the quality of treatment; and processes followed to provide new training for replacement staff once trials have begun. Results The review reveals both a wide array of procedures and emerging standards for multi-site trials. Methodological weakness was observed with respect to limited empirical support for many adherence scales, little or no evaluation of supervisory processes, and no evaluation of re-training practices. Conclusions Methods used in multi-site trials are important not only to ensure validity of those trials, but also to inform the wider dissemination of empirically based treatment into community agencies. Studies examining noted weaknesses are needed. Training and fidelity models that delegate responsibility to participating sites appear most relevant for establishing best practices for dissemination of behavioral interventions. The effectiveness of these distributed training and supervision models should be subjected to empirical study at a level of rigor comparable to the evaluation of their corresponding treatments.
The state-of-the-art in computer security

If information and communication systems in the future are going to be more secure and private than those being used today, system designers and computer security experts are going to have to push off in a new direction. Building security into an existing or production system on an after-the-fact basis simply has not worked well. The new direction must be based upon making better system design and security decisions today, through a more careful analysis of the likely impact of new technology on information systems in the future.
A symmetric numerical range for matrices

For each normv on ?n, we define a numerical rangeZ v, which is symmetric in the sense thatZ v=ZvD, wherev D is the dual norm. We prove that, fora ? ?nn,Z v(a) contains the classical field of valuesV(a). In the special case thatv is thel 1-norm,Z v(a) is contained in a setG(a) of Gershgorin type defined by C. R. Johnson. Whena is in the complex linear span of both the Hermitians and thev-Hermitians, thenZ v(a),V(a) and the convex hull of the usualv-numerical rangeV v(a) all coincide. We prove some results concerning points ofV(a) which are extreme points ofZ v(a).
Immunologic priming to capsular polysaccharide in infants immunized with Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide-Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane protein conjugate vaccine.

Thirty children vaccinated at 2 to 17 months of age with Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide linked to a partially purified 40,000 dalton outer membrane protein of Neisseria meningitidis were revaccinated 10 to 14 months later with conventional H. influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine. The geometric mean anti-type b antibody concentration before reimmunization was 0.68 μg/mL, and rose to 31 μg/mL in sera obtained 1 month later. The mean level after immunization was not significantly different than that in sera from 12 adults immunized with type b polysaccharide vaccine (51 μg/mL, P=0.3), and was 10-foid higher than that of 13 control children immunized with type b polysaccharide for the first time (2.7 μg/mL, P H. influenzae type b polysaccharide-outer membrane protein conjugate vaccine primes the immune system to an IgG memory antibody response to either type b polysaccharide or conjugate vaccine. Post-booster sera from all children tested showed high titers of functional activity in a complement-mediated bactericidal assay. These data suggest that protection of most infants from type b Haemophilus disease may be achieved by a combination of immunization at 2 to 4 months of age with this conjugate vaccine, and reimmunization 1 year later with conjugate or conventional type b polysaccharide vaccine.
Identification of Poinsettia mosaic virus Associated with a Virus-like Mottle Symptom on Poinsettia in Ohio

These results represent the first confirmed report of Poinsettia mosaic virus (PnMV) in poinsettia in Ohio. They also serve to increase awareness of the virus among poinsettia growers so they may m...
Polarizable Simulations with Second order Interaction Model (POSSIM) force field: Developing parameters for alanine peptides and protein backbone.

A previously introduced POSSIM (POlarizable Simulations with Second order Interaction Model) force field has been extended to include parameters for alanine peptides and protein backbones. New features were introduced into the fitting protocol, as compared to the previous generation of the polarizable force field for proteins. A reduced amount of quantum mechanical data was employed in fitting the electrostatic parameters. Transferability of the electrostatics between our recently developed NMA model and the protein backbone was confirmed. Binding energy and geometry for complexes of alanine dipeptide with a water molecule were estimated and found in a good agreement with high-level quantum mechanical results (for example, the intermolecular distances agreeing within ca. 0.06A). Following the previously devised procedure, we calculated average errors in alanine di- and tetra-peptide conformational energies and backbone angles and found the agreement to be adequate (for example, the alanine tetrapeptide extended-globular conformational energy gap was calculated to be 3.09 kcal/mol quantim mechanically and 3.14 kcal/mol with the POSSIM force field). However, we have now also included simulation of a simple alpha-helix in both gas-phase and water as the ultimate test of the backbone conformational behavior. The resulting alanine and protein backbone force field is currently being employed in further development of the POSSIM fast polarizable force field for proteins.
Encountering "Difference" in the contemporary public sphere: The contribution of the internet to the heterogeneity of political discussion networks

This study explores the intersection of media use, political discussion, and exposure to political difference through a focus on how Internet use might affect the overall heterogeneity of people's political discussion networks. Advanced and tested herein is the inadvertency thesis, which theorizes that limitations of selective exposure processes combined with weakened social boundaries found in the online environment suggest that people may be exposed to at least some additional political difference online, if only inadvertently. Hierarchical regression and mediation analyses confirm that online political discussion (directly) and online news (directly and indirectly) bear small yet significant relationships to the overall heterogeneity of political discussion networks, and that partisanship moderates the relationship between online political discussion and political discussion network heterogeneity.
Chronic exposure to morphine attenuates expression of interleukin-1β in the rat hippocampus

The cytokine, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), can modulate both immune and neuroendocrine events. Alteration of IL-1 beta expression by exogenous factors, such as morphine, may affect the neuro-endocrine-immune axis. Brain sections from male rats implanted with either morphine or placebo pellets were stained for IL-1 beta immunoreactivity. The results showed pronounced attenuation of IL-1 beta immuno-reactivity in the dentate gyrus and the CA1-CA3 fields of the hippocampus in morphine-implanted rats compared to placebo controls. It has been suggested that the hippocampus is involved in the regulation of hypothalamic activity. Attenuation of IL-1 beta expression in the hippocampus by chronic exposure to morphine may be one of the mechanisms underlying the neuro-endocrine-immune modulatory effects of opiate addiction.
Is Science Mostly Driven by Ideas or by Tools

Thomas Kuhn was a theoretical physicist before he became a historian. He saw the history of science through the eyes of a theorist. He gave us an accurate view of events in the world of ideas. His favorite word, “paradigm,” means a system of ideas that dominate the science of a particular place and time. A scientific revolution is a discontinuous shift from one paradigm to another. The shift happens suddenly because new ideas explode with a barrage of new insights and new questions that push old ideas into oblivion. I remember the joy of reading Kuhn's book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions , when it first appeared in 1962. It made sense of the relativity and quantum revolutions that had happened just before the theoretical physicists of my generation were born. Those were revolutions led by deep thinkers—Einstein and Heisenberg and Schrodinger and Dirac—who guessed nature's secrets by dreaming dreams of mathematical beauty. Their new paradigms were created out of abstract ideas. In those revolutionary years from 1900 to 1930, ideas led the way to understanding.
Optimal nonimaging zoom projection optics

A well-designed imaging zoom lens provides variable image magnification while maintaining good image quality. A zoom capability can also be of use in nonimaging optical designs. In this contribution we present a novel optimized design for a nonimaging projection system that provides high flux transfer efficiency over a wide range of angular beam widths, while maintaining good angular beam uniformity. A special feature of our design is that it is a doublet for which the two interior lens surfaces are precise negatives.
Hidden Markov Models With Applications in Cell Adhesion Experiments

Estimation of the number of hidden states is challenging in hidden Markov models. Motivated by the analysis of a specific type of cell adhesion experiments, a new framework based on a hidden Markov model and double penalized order selection is proposed. The order selection procedure is shown to be consistent in estimating the number of states. A modified expectation–maximization algorithm is introduced to efficiently estimate parameters in the model. Simulations show that the proposed framework outperforms existing methods. Applications of the proposed methodology to real data demonstrate the accuracy of estimating receptor–ligand bond lifetimes and waiting times which are essential in kinetic parameter estimation. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.