cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teachers’ abilities to make sense of variable parts reasoning

The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers understand one specific aspect of proportional reasoning. We were interested in understanding the extent to which practicing teachers were ...
Mars 2020: mission, science objectives and build

If all goes according to plan, in February 2021, NASA will land the Mars 2020 Rover on the surface of Mars. Mars 2020 is the latest in a series of unmanned Martian robotic rover missions that are part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the planet. The mission seeks to address high-priority goals for Mars exploration, including answering questions about the potential for past life on Mars. Mars 2020 will look for evidence of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, as well as look for signs of past microbial life itself. The mission also seeks to understanding the geological history and evolution of the planet, and to prepare for future robotic and human exploration. The Mars 2020 spacecraft and rover borrow heavily from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission and Curiosity rover which landed on Mars in 2012. This reliance on proven technology helps reduce mission risk and cost. Mars 2020 does contain new technology, including a drill for coring samples from Martian rock and soil and a Sample Caching System for gathering, storing and preserving samples for possible future return to Earth. In this paper, we will review the primary goals of the Mars 2020 Mission and look at the reasons for choosing Jezero Crater as the landing site. We will discuss the design and build of the Mars 2020 Spacecraft system and its similarities and differences with Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover. We will also review the Mars 2020 Scientific Instrument Suite and their goals. Finally, we will review the Return Sample Contamination Control requirements and the design choices that were made to facilitate meeting these requirements.
Relative Toxicity and Sublethal Effects of NaCl and Energy-Related Saline Wastewaters on Prairie Amphibians.

Abstract Increasing salinity in freshwater environments is a growing problem due both to the negative influences of salts on ecosystems and their accumulation and persistence in environments. Two major sources of increased salinity from sodium chloride salts (NaCl) are saline wastewaters co-produced during energy production (herein, wastewaters) and road salts. Effects of road salts have received more attention, but legacy contamination from wastewaters is widespread in some regions and spills still occur. Amphibians are sensitive to contaminants, including NaCl, because of their porous skin and osmoregulatory adaptations to freshwater. However, similarities and differences between effects of wastewaters and road salts have not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the relative influence of wastewaters and NaCl at equivalent concentrations of chloride on three larval amphibian species that occur in areas with increased salinity. We determined acute toxicity and growth effects on Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata), Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens), and Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium). We posited that wastewaters would have additive effects on amphibians compared to NaCl because wastewaters often have additional toxic heavy metals and other contaminants. For NaCl, toxicity was higher for frogs than the salamander. Toxicity of wastewaters was also similar between chorus and leopard frogs. Only chorus frog survival was lower when exposed to wastewater compared to NaCl. Mass and length of leopard and chorus frog larvae decreased with increasing salinity after only 96 hours of exposure but did not for tiger salamanders. Size of leopard frogs was lower when exposed to NaCl compared to wastewater. However, growth effects were similar between wastewater and NaCl for chorus frogs. Taken together, our results suggest that previous studies on effects of road salt could inform future studies and management of wastewater-contaminated ecosystems, and vice versa. Nevertheless, effects of road salts and wastewaters may be context-, species-, and trait-specific and require further investigations. The negative influence of salts on imperiled amphibians underscores the need to restore landscapes with increased salinity and reduce future salinization of freshwater ecosystems.
Perioperative anaphylaxis in children: A report from the Wake-Up Safe collaborative.

Background Anaphylactic reactions to antigens in the perioperative environment are uncommon, but they have a potential to lead to serious morbidity and/or mortality. The incidence of anaphylactic reactions is 1:37 000 pediatric anesthetics, and substantially less than the 1:10 000 to 1:20 000 incidence in the adult population. Neuromuscular blocking agents, latex, and antibiotics are the most frequently cited triggers. To date, there is no comprehensive report on perioperative anaphylactic reactions in children in the United States. Using the Wake-up Safe database, we examined the incidence and consequences of reported perioperative anaphylaxis events. Methods We reviewed the Wake-up Safe database from 2010 to 2017 and identified all reported instances of anaphylaxis. The triggering agent, timing, and location of the registered event, severity of patient harm, and preventability were identified. Narrative review of free-text comments entered by reporting centers was performed to determine presenting symptoms, and interventions required. Type of case was identified from procedure codes provided in mandatory fields. Results Among 2 261 749 cases reported to the Wake-up Safe database during the study period, perioperative anaphylactic reactions occurred in 1:36 479 (0.003%). Antibiotics, neuromuscular blocking agents, and opioid analgesics were the main triggers. Forty-nine cases (79%) occurred in the operating room, and 13 cases (21%) occurred in off-site locations. Seven (11%) patients required cardiopulmonary resuscitation following the onset of symptoms. Thirty-five (57%) patients were treated with epinephrine or epinephrine plus other medications, whereas 5% were managed only with phenylephrine. Most cases (97%) required escalation of care after the event. Regarding case preventability, 91% of cases were marked as either "likely could not have been prevented" or "almost certainly could not have been prevented." Conclusion The estimated incidence of anaphylaxis and inciting agents among the pediatric population in this study were consistent with the most recent published studies outside of the United States; however, new findings included need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 11% of cases, and estimated fatality of 1.6%. The management of perioperative anaphylaxis could be improved for some cases as epinephrine was not administered, or its administration was delayed. Fewer than half of reported cases had additional investigation to formally identify the responsible agent.
University Students with PCOS Demonstrate Limited Nutrition Knowledge.

Background: Dietary modification is critical for the management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), yet few women with PCOS report receiving nutrition education. Nutrition knowledge may translate ...
Rational Expectations Theorists Rely Completely on the Fallacy of Conditional Apriorism (Long Runism), First Introduced by Charles Sanders Pierce and Hans Reichenbach in Their Objective Limiting Frequency Interpretations of Probability: No Frequentist Hypothesis Test Can Ever Lead to the Acceptance of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis

All Rational Expectation Theorists rely on the Fallacy of Conditional Apriorism (Long Runism)in order to operationalize the Objective Limiting Frequency Interpretation of Probability. However, such a limit only occurs in the far distant long run as the number of observations from Time Series data approached infinity. It is impossible to apply this in the short run because the long run limit, if it exists, is compatible with an infinite number of different answers. Nicholas Rescher demonstrated the nature of this fallacy a number of times in the mid-1970’s to early 1980’s. Standard Frequentist Hypothesis Testing using p-values (R. Fisher) and critical values (Neyman-Pearson) can never led to the acceptance of any hypothesis as true or correct. The only outcomes possible are to Reject the Null Hypothesis at some level of significance or to Do Not Reject the Null Hypothesis at some level of significance. Do Not Reject can never be interpreted as being Accepted, so that the hypothesis is regarded as being True, Right, or Correct. Every application of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis in all academic journal articles is inherently flawed because of the explicit claim that the long run limit can be known in a short period of time. The claim that the long run limit value can be known in the short run by a decision maker is the Fallacy of Conditional Apriorism (Long Runism). The rational expectations hypothesis attempts to claim that decision makers can identify in the short run what the long run limit is based on a faulty learning from experience argument, which is very similar to the same type of argument made by an opponent of the rational expectations hypothesis, Paul Davidson (see the references).Nicholas Rescher had already demonstrated that this is a fallacy. Finally, no amount of Frequentist hypotheses testing can EVER lead one to the conclusion that the rational expectations hypothesis has been accepted as true. Only deductive arguments are true or false, correct or incorrect, right or wrong. Inductive arguments are only more or less probable.
Streptococcus agalactiae MprF synthesizes a novel cationic glycolipid and plays a role in brain entry and meningitis

Abstract Multiple peptide resistance factor (MprF) is highly conserved in bacterial pathogens and is an attractive target for novel antimicrobials due to its important roles in bacterial virulence. We uncovered novel biochemical and pathophysiological functions of MprF in Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS), which is a common cause of meningitis and severe infection in newborns. Uniquely, GBS MprF catalyzes the synthesis of lysyl-glucosyl-diacylglyerol (Lys-Glc-DAG), a novel cationic glycolipid, and to a lesser extent, lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (Lys-PG). We show that GBS MprF significantly lowers the GBS surface negative charge and increases GBS acid tolerance. Further, we demonstrate that GBS MprF promotes brain entry and meningeal inflammation, using a mouse model of GBS meningitis. These results expand our knowledge of MprF functions, and the pathogenesis of meningitis caused by GBS.
Potential energy surface for high-energy N + N2 collisions.

Potential energy surface calculations yield physical insight into the structure of intermediates and the dynamics of molecular collisions, and they are the first step toward molecular simulations that provide physical insight into energy transfer, reaction, and dissociation probabilities. The potential energy surface for high-energy collisions of N2 with N can be used for modeling chemical dynamics and energy transfer in atmospheric shock waves. Here we present an analytic ground-state. (4A″) potential energy surface for N3 that governs electronically adiabatic collisions of N2(1Σ_g^+) with N(4S). The fitted surface consists of a pairwise potential based on an accurate diatomic potential energy curve plus a connected permutationally invariant polynomials (PIPs) in mixed-exponential-Gaussian bond order variables (MEGs) for the three-body part. The three-body fit is based on multireference complete active space second order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations. The quality of the quartet N3 fit is comparable to that for a previous fit of the NO2 potential. We characterize two local minima of N3, two tight transition structures, two van der Waals geometries, and the noncollinear reaction path for the symmetric exchange reaction. The nonreactive approach of an N atom to N2 along the perpendicular bisector is more repulsive than the collinear reproach, but plots of the force on the bond versus the potential energy at the distance of closest approach allow us to infer that vibrational energy transfer should occur much more readily in high-energy collinear collisions than in high-energy perpendicular-bisector collisions.
After radical retropubic prostatectomy ‘insignificant’ prostate cancer has a risk of progression similar to low‐risk ‘significant’ cancer

OBJECTIVE To assess progression and survival among patients with small-volume, well-differentiated, organ-confined prostate cancer found at radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), often defined as being ‘insignificant’, thus testing whether they are indeed ‘insignificant’. PATIENTS AND METHODS We identified 6496 men treated for prostate cancer by RRP between 1990 and 1999, and defined ‘insignificant’ tumours as those in men having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of <10 ng/mL before RRP, a cancer volume of ≤0.5 mL, a specimen Gleason of score ≤6 and stage ≤pT2. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the two-sided log-rank test. RESULTS ‘Insignificant’ tumours were found in 354 (5.5%) men, of whom only one had metastatic progression and none died from prostate cancer, with a median (range) follow-up of 9.2 (0.8–15.6) years. Biochemical progression-free survival (87% vs 85%, respectively, at 10 years, P = 0.5), systemic progression-free survival (100% vs 99%, P = 0.3), overall survival (91% vs 88%, P = 0.16) and cancer-specific survival (100% in each group, P = 0.32) were each similar among men with ‘insignificant’ prostate cancer and men with low-risk (defined by Gleason score, preoperative PSA level, seminal vesicle and surgical margin status) ‘significant’ cancer. Clinical stage, biopsy Gleason score and preoperative PSA doubling time were multivariably predictive of ‘insignificant’ tumours at RRP. CONCLUSIONS ‘Insignificant’ prostate cancer at RRP is associated with a comparable risk of biochemical progression as low-risk ‘significant’ cancer. Although clinical predictors for ‘insignificant’ pathology can be identified, it remains to be established whether such patients can be safely managed conservatively.
Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Use of Lipids

Lipid nutritional supplements have been in use before the term nutraceutical was coined. Products such as fish oils, shark cartilage, shark liver oil, and vitamins have been in the market since the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of the health claims of these products lacked strict scientific documentation in the past, and their curative properties were mostly anecdotal. However, today there is a better understanding of the biological properties of lipids and their application has extended to combined pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields such as disease prevention and treatment, excipients and coadjuvants, trans-dermal carriers, and skin emolliency agents. This has led to the development of bioactive cosmetic and pharmaceutical products whose name has recently been coined as cosmeceuticals. Keywords: structured lipids; cosmeceuticals; nutraceutical; omega-3 fats; fat-soluble vitamins; sterols; steroids; phospholipids; trans-dermal carriers
Offshoring and Marketing

Although offshoring has become ubiquitous in business practice, it has attracted only minimal academic attention. This article briefly describes current marketing research that has examined the impact of offshoring on customer appraisals and also current operations research that has assessed its ability to affect cost savings. It also identifies some more interesting opportunities in offshoring and marketing that await learning, including integrating thinking from marketing and operations research to better understand when cutting costs by engaging in offshoring may come at the expense of weakening customer relationships. Keywords: offshoring; country of origin; call centers; customer relationship management; voice-to-voice service encounters; geographic location; outsourcing
Combining abstraction refinement and SAT-based model checking

Unbounded model checking methods based on Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solvers are proving to be a viable alternative to BDD-based model checking. These methods include, for example, interpolation based and sequential ATPG-based approaches. In this paper, we explore the implications of using abstraction refinement in conjunction with interpolation-based model checking. Based on experiments using a large industrial benchmark set, we conclude that when using interpolation-based model checking, measures must be taken to prevent the overhead of abstraction refinement from dominating runtime. We present two new approaches to this problem. One is a hybrid approach that decides heuristically when to apply abstraction. The other is a very coarse but inexpensive abstraction method based on ideas from ATPG. This approach can produce order-of-magnitude reductions in memory usage, allowing significantly larger designs to be verified.
The diageotropica mutation alters auxin induction of a subset of the Aux/IAA gene family in tomato.

The diageotropica (dgt) mutation has been proposed to affect either auxin perception or responsiveness in tomato plants. It has previously been demonstrated that the expression of one member of the Aux/IAA family of auxin-regulated genes is reduced in dgt plants. Here, we report the cloning of ten new members of the tomato Aux/IAA family by PCR amplification based on conserved protein domains. All of the gene family members except one (LeIAA7) are expressed in etiolated tomato seedlings, although they demonstrate tissue specificity (e.g. increased expression in hypocotyls vs. roots) within the seedling. The wild-type auxin-response characteristics of the expression of these tomato LeIAA genes are similar to those previously described for Aux/IAA family members in Arabidopsis. In dgt seedlings, auxin stimulation of gene expression was reduced in only a subset of LeIAA genes (LeIAA5, 8, 10, and 11), with the greatest reduction associated with those genes with the strongest wild-type response to auxin. The remaining LeIAA genes tested exhibited essentially the same induction levels in response to the hormone in both dgt and wild-type hypocotyls. These results confirm that dgt plants can perceive auxin and suggest that a specific step in early auxin signal transduction is disrupted by the dgt mutation.
Respiratory immune response to aerosolized keyhole limpet hemocyanin in primate lungs.

Abstract Methodology for delivery of antigen to the lower respiratory tract of rhesus monkeys and the recovery of respiratory secretions (RS) by bronchial lavage has been evaluated and has been done on repeated occasions without apparent risk to animals. Rhesus immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, and IgA were identified in RS by their cross-reactivity with human IgG, IgA, and IgM, and relative concentrations of rhesus IgA and IgG could be evaluated in sequential samples of RS and serum (S) by radial immunodiffusion analysis using antiserum specific for human γ and α chains. Administration of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) by aerosol was compared with intravenous administration of KLH. The aerosol route of administration resulted in IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies detectable by radio-immunodiffusion in RS but only IgG antibodies in serum. After separate sequences of exposure to KLH delivered to the lung, a secondary type of immune response in the lung appeared as indicated by time of appearance and height of antibody titers. Antibody titers against KLH were estimated by passive hemagglutination of tanned sheep red cells coated with KLH, and anti-KLH titers were comparatively higher in RS of animals immunized by the respiratory route. Treatment of RS and S with 2-mercaptoethanol resulted in reduction of hemagglutination titers of both S and RS, but the degree of reduction varied in different samples and was independent of whether or not the S and RS were collected simultaneously. These results indicate that at least part of the antibody response to aerosolized KLH in rhesus monkeys occurs in the lung and that antibodies may appear in all three immunoglobulin classes in this response.
Quantitative computer resolution of severely overlapping liquid chromatographic peaks

Abstract Severely overlapping peaks in high-performance liquid chromatography have been resolved by using a mathematical technique to extract quantitative information. This technique is applicable even in the worst situation, that in which the retention volumes of two peaks are identical, as long as the peak shapes are different. Conversely, even in the rare situation in which the peak shapes are identical, the method is applicable if the retention volumes of the peaks differ somewhat. Changes in the mobile phase flow-rate affect the chromatographic peak positions, and corrections for these variations must be made. Correction is also made for minor changes in the retentive ability of the chromatographic column as a function of aging. An accurate mobile phase flow-rate monitor and the associated computer routines were developed to make the necessary corrections. Overlapping computer-generated peaks as well as experimentally measured chromatograms have been resolved to demonstrate the applicability of this procedure to liquid chromatography. Overlapping peaks exhibiting slight shoulders were resolved with > 13% error, and quantitative information with > 18% error was obtained from completely overlapped peaks (almost identical retention times).
Unimproved chest pain in patients with minimal or no coronary disease: A behavioral phenomenon

Patients with chest pain and minimal or no coronary disease have a good prognosis for survival, yet many continue to have pain. In our experience with 821 medically treated patients there were three cardiac deaths (0.3%) and two nonfatal myocardial infarctions (0.2%) in the first year after angiography, which had revealed insignificant (<75% narrowing of the luminal diameter) or no coronary artery stenosis. In a subset of 548 patients selected with no apparent systematic difference from the inception cohort of 821 patients, there was complete absence of chest pain in 178 (33%) patients but 155 (28%) had similar or worse pain. From an analysis of clinical history and catheterization data entered in a stepwise logistic regression function, unimproved chest pain was significantly associated with female sex (p = 0.01) and an index of five chest pain descriptors (p = 0.0005). After adding selected behavioral variables available for a representative sample of 217 patients, a high hypochondriasis score (scale I from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) became the strongest determinant of continued pain (p < 0.0001). In our experience, an exaggerated preoccupation with personal health is prospectively associated with continued chest pain in patients with minimal or no coronary disease.
A randomized controlled trial of adding the nicotine patch to rimonabant for smoking cessation: efficacy, safety and weight gain.

Aims Because smoking cessation rates might be improved by combining drugs and by reducing post-cessation weight gain, we tested the smoking cessation efficacy, safety and effect on body weight of adding the nicotine patch to rimonabant, a cannabanoid type-1 receptor antagonist that reduces body weight. Design Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Setting Fifteen US research centers. Participants A total of 755 smokers (≥15 cigarettes/day). Intervention Rimonabant (20 mg daily) was given open-label for 9 weeks. The 735 participants completing week 1 were randomized at day 8 (target quit day) to add a nicotine patch (n = 369) or placebo patch (n = 366) for 10 weeks (21 mg daily for 8 weeks plus a 2-week taper). Participants received weekly smoking counseling and were followed for 24 weeks. Measurements Biochemically validated 4-week continuous abstinence at end-of-treatment (weeks 6–9; primary end-point); 7-day point prevalence abstinence at weeks 9 and 24; sustained abstinence (weeks 6–24); change in body weight; and adverse events. Findings Rimonabant plus nicotine patch was superior to rimonabant plus placebo in validated continuous abstinence at weeks 6–9 (39.0% versus 21.3%; odds ratio 2.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.71–2.37; P < 0.01) and in all other efficacy measures. Mean end-of-treatment weight gain among quitters did not differ between groups (0.04 kg for combination versus 0.49 kg for rimonabant only, P = 0.15) and was similar in weight-concerned smokers. Serious adverse event rates did not differ between groups. Depression- and anxiety-related adverse events occurred in 32 (4.2%) and 44 (5.8%) subjects, respectively; eight (1.1%) and nine (1.2%) subjects stopped the drug due to depression and anxiety, respectively. Conclusions Adding a nicotine patch to rimonabant was well tolerated and increased smoking cessation rates over rimonabant alone. There was little post-cessation weight gain in either group, even among weight-concerned smokers, during drug treatment.
Breakage of single-stranded DNA by eukaryotic type 1 topoisomerase occurs only at regions with the potential for base-pairing.

Abstract Eukaryotic type 1 DNA topoisomerases break single-stranded DNA at specific sites. A preferred site for rat liver topoisomerase breakage in single-stranded φX174 DNA was located within a region of the DNA with the potential for duplex formation. To investigate the relationship between sites of breakage in duplex and single-stranded DNA, a restriction fragment containing sequences from the transcriptional regulatory and enhancer region of the simian virus 40 genome was used as a substrate for topoisomerase. While different patterns of breakage in the native and denatured forms of the DNA were observed, some sites of breakage were common to both forms. The break sites in the denatured DNA were a subset of the break sites in the duplex DNA and were located in regions which had the potential for intrastrand base-pairing due to distal complementary sequences. A series of single-stranded fragments were generated with the distal complementary sequences deleted and these fragments were used as substrates for topoisomerase breakage. The lack of detectable breakage at a site when the complementary sequence was deleted, suggests that topoisomerase acts at duplex regions in the single-stranded DNA and that it is not active on regions of single-stranded DNA that are not base-paired.
Changes in gravitational force induce alterations in gene expression that can be monitored in the live, developing zebrafish heart.

Little is known about the effect of microgravity on gene expression, particularly in vivo during embryonic development. Using transgenic zebrafish that express the gfp gene under the influence of a beta-actin promoter, we examined the affect of simulated-microgravity on GFP expression in the heart. Zebrafish embryos, at the 18-20 somite-stage, were exposed to simulated-microgravity for 24 hours. The intensity of GFP fluorescence associated with the heart was then determined using fluorescence microscopy. Our measurements indicated that simulated-microgravity induced a 23.9% increase in GFP-associated fluorescence in the heart. In contrast, the caudal notochord showed a 17.5% increase and the embryo as a whole showed only an 8.5% increase in GFP-associated fluorescence. This suggests that there are specific effects on the heart causing the more dramatic increase. These studies indicate that microgravity can influence gene expression and demonstrate the usefulness of this in vivo model of 'reporter-gene' expression for studying the effects of microgravity.
The limits of policy and the purposes of Research: The case of AIDS

AIDS is considered a social as well as a medical problem. The AIDS epidemic is used to highlight a crisis in policymaking, a crisis in which prescription is based on the tentativeness of empirical evidence. Without wide consensus in this area and in the face of broad-ranging discussion, attempts at policymaking can only create more problems. This article argues that the social sciences must be utilized to view such a problem in the context of scientific, political, and moral considerations. The goal of problem solving may be difficult in this area, but evidence from the social and behavioral sciences must be advanced to provide knowledge as a guide for further action.
Imaging the early time behavior of reflected thermal wave pulses

We describe the early time behavior of reflected thermal wave pulses, and relate that behavior to schemes for making depth images.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Practical advice for new diabetes specialist nurses

The number of nurses specialising in the care of people with diabetes is increasing rapidly. On Merseyside in 1984 only four hospitals employed diabetes specialist nurses. However, six years later there are at least 16 specialist nurses working in the ten health districts and each district employs at least one specialist nurse. The British Diabetic Association (BDA) recommends that each district health authority should have, as an absolute minimum, one nurse whose full time work is with diabetic patients and their families. We are likely to see many more appointments made nationally in the next decade. Several useful articles have been written on the role of the diabetes specialist nurse1–5 but these contain limited practical guidelines for the newly appointed person. I have recorded my observations and experiences over my first two years as a diabetes specialist nurse and suggest guidelines for nurses joining this speciality.
Is There Any Role for Antithymocyte Induction in Renal Transplantation

The use of an antibody induction agent in kidney transplantation lowers the risk of an acute rejection episode and may improve graft outcomes. Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is the most commonly used antibody induction agent for kidney transplantation in the United States, despite its significant side effect profile and cost compared to the interleukin-2 receptor antagonists (IL2-RA). Our review suggests the IL2-RA are safe and well tolerated, and provide equal clinical benefit to ATG at a lower cost. We propose that there is insufficient evidence to justify the use of ATG induction in kidney transplantation.
Isolation and purification of AAL-toxin from Alternaria alternata grown on rice.

Abstract H. K. Abbas and R. F. Vesonder . Isolation and purification of AAL-toxin from Alternaria alternata grown on rice. Toxicon 31, 355–358, 1993.—An isolation and purification procedure is described for AAL-toxin, a secondary metabolite produced by Alternaria alternata . The method involves growth of the fungus on rice media, extraction with chloroform followed by methanol: water from fungus-infested rice, and purification of the aqueous layer that contains AAL-toxin by using chromatography methods. The AAL-toxin was of type A, and white in color, and its purity was ≥ 95% with mol. wt 522 (M+1).
Reservoir optimization using sampling SDP with ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) forecasts

The National Weather Service (NWS) produces ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) forecasts. These forecasts are used as the basis of a Sampling Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SSDP) model to optimize reservoir operations. The SSDP optimization algorithm, which is driven by individual streamflow scenarios rather than a Markov description of streamflow probabilities, allows the ESP forecast traces to be employed directly, taking full advantage of the description of streamflow variability, and temporal and spatial correlations captured within the traces. Frequently-updated ESP forecasts in a real-time SSDP reservoir system optimization model (and a simpler two-stage decision model) provide more efficient operating decisions than a sophisticated SSDP model employing historical time series coupled with snowmelt-season volume forecasts. Both models were driven by an appropriately weighted and representative subset of the original forecast and streamflow samples.
Physiology and pharmacology of acetylcholinergic responses of interneurons in the antennal lobes of the moth Manduca sexta.

1. Neurons in the antennal lobe (AL) of the mothManduca sexta respond to the application, via pressure injection into the neuropil, of acetylcholine (ACh). When synaptic transmission is not blocked, both excitatory (Fig. 2) and inhibitory (Fig. 3) responses are seen. 2. Responses to ACh appear to be receptor-mediated, as they are associated with an increase in input conductance (Figs. 2B and 3B) and are dose-dependent (Fig. 2C). 3. All neurons responsive to ACh are also excited by nicotine. Responses to nicotine are stronger and more prolonged than responses to ACh (Fig. 4C). No responses are observed to the muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine (Fig. 4B). 4. Curare blocks responses of AL neurons to applied ACh, while atropine and dexetimide are only weakly effective at reducing ACh responses (Figs. 5 and 6). 5. Curare is also more effective than atropine or dexetimide at reducing synaptically-mediated responses of AL neurons (Fig. 7). 6. In one AL neuron, bicuculline methiodide (BMI) blocked the IPSP produced by electrical stimulation of the antennal nerve, but it did not reduce the inhibitory response to application of ACh (Fig. 8).
Where are they going? A comparison of urban and rural youths' locational choices after leaving the parental home

Abstract The decision for adolescents and young adults to leave their parents and their home community is complex and difficult. This study of youth migration focuses on the geographical location to which urban and rural youths relocate upon exiting their parental household. Little is known about destination choices of youths, especially how they differ for youths from urban and rural areas. A multinomial logit model of migration destination choices that incorporates individual, household, and community-level factors is estimated with data from the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Results indicate that while the local economy and labor market are important to the migration decision, the magnitudes of these effects are generally small. Non-economic individual, household, and community factors play an important role in the migration process, as well. The magnitudes of non-economic factor effects generally are greater for rural youths compared to urban youths.
In Vitro Characterization of Adult Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1: Demonstration of Distinctive Single-Cell Killing Phenotypes in Spite of Similar Levels of Viral Replication

Two primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 biologic clones have been studied extensively in a system using CD4 T cell-enriched peripheral blood lymphocytes and anti-CD4 antibody to measure viral replication kinetics and single-cell cytopathicity. Biologic clones from a person with AIDS replicated to high levels and were cytopathic in the absence of syncytium formation. Unexpectedly, biologic clones from an adult long-term nonprogressor were noncytopathic in spite of similar levels of viral replication. A correlation has recently been demonstrated between reduced mitochondrial viability and cell death in HIV-1-infected cultures. Peripheral blood-derived CD4 T cells infected with the cytopathic clone showed a progressive reduction in mitochondrial viability, while those infected with the noncytopathic clone demonstrated functionally viable mitochondria. These studies demonstrate that primary HIV-1-induced cytopathicity is separable from syncytium formation and replication rate.
ITS Sequence Variation within and among Populations of Lomatium grayi and L. laevigatum (Umbelliferae)

Abstract Nuclear ribosomal RNA genes provide markers for retrieving phylogeny at a variety of taxonomic levels. The internal transcribed spacers (ITS), separating the coding regions, evolve relatively rapidly and may be useful for reconstructing phylogenies at the specific and generic levels. ITS-1, located between the 18S and 5.8S genes, may be especially valuable at the species level and below. However, despite the promise that this region holds for studies below the species level, few studies have addressed levels of ITS-1 variability within and among conspecific populations of plants. To assess the apportionment of ITS-1 sequence variation, a hierarchical sampling strategy was used to compare sequences from individuals within and among populations of Lomatium grayi and L. laevigatum , widespread and restricted congeners of the Umbelliferae, respectively. ITS-1 is 209 bp in length in L. grayi and 200 bp in L. Laevigatum . No sequence variation in ITS-1 was observed within populations of either species, and a single population of the more widespread L. grayi differed from the other seven populations by two base substitutions for a sequence divergence of l.0%. Sequence divergence between L. Laevigatum and the common ITS-1 sequence of L. grayi was 1.5%; that between L. Laevigatum and the variant of L. grayi was 2.5%. ITS-1 sequences in Lomatium are less variable than either allozymes or chloroplast DNA and do not appear to provide a valuable source of intraspecific markers for population-level studies. However, ITS-1 sequence comparisons seem well suited to both interspecific and intergeneric comparisons, although relationships between closely related species may not be resolved and distantly related genera may be too divergent for meaningful comparisons. Finally, because no variation was detected among conspecific individuals of the narrowly distributed L. Laevigatum and a single variant was observed in the more widespread L. grayi , sampling within species for studies of ITS-1 variation probably need not be extensive.
What Do We Teach in Organizational Behavior? An Analysis of MBA Syllabi

This study examines the syllabi of 241 required organizational behavior (OB) related classes in full-time U.S. MBA programs. Syllabi were coded for information about course title, topics, readings, cases, teaching methods, and learning assessment methods. Results revealed that the most frequent topics listed across courses are leadership and groups or teams. There was considerable diversity in assigned books, readings, and cases, with only a small number of books (2), readings (15), or cases (5) assigned in 10 or more courses within our sample. Assessment of student learning was conducted via (in order of importance for final student grades) testing, individual writing, class participation, group writing, group presentation, and individual presentation. Private, ranked MBA programs were more likely to offer more than one OB-related course, usually management plus leadership, or OB plus leadership. Implications of these findings for OB teaching are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.
Inelastic energy losses in cascades and atom ejection

Abstract Recent molecular dynamics simulation studies demonstrated the important role that electronic stopping plays in the sputtering of metals when the loss rate is proportional to the velocity. Inelastic energy losses by the ions and energetic recoil atoms have relatively little effect, but losses by low energy atoms, late in the cascade, significantly reduce the ejected atom yield. The simulation results are consistent with recently obtained analytic results. Here ejected atom yield ratios, and energy and ejection time distributions are compared, with and without inelastic losses, for two simulation programs: TRIM.SP. a binary collision model, and QDYN, a multiple mteraction model. The results differ little within a given model, and the differences between models are well understood.
Designing for email response management

Email is the most widely used form of computer-mediated communication. And replying to messages is one of the main activities email interfaces need to support. In this paper we address the problems users face when managing emails that need a reply. Previous work has found that users have difficulty remembering to reply to messages when they postpone response, and have trouble re- finding messages they want to respond to. We review related work on email management, and describe three designs developed to facilitate email response management.
The effects of protoveratrine and germines on the release of acetylcholine from the Auerbach plexus of the guinea-pig ileum.

The effect of protoveratrine A and germine-3-acetate (GMA) on the release mechanism of acetylcholine from the nerve terminals of the Auerbach plexus in the longitudinal muscle layer of the guinea-pig ileum was studied. Protoveratrine A, GMA and germine potentiated neuroeffector transmission in Auerbach's plexus in the longitudinal muscle preparation provided the neurons were stimulated at low frequencies ( 10 Hz). When trains of 20 stimuli, with a pulse interval of 0.1 s (10 Hz) were repeatedly applied with intervals of 0.1 to 20 s between trains, the effect of GMA to increase ACh release depended on the length of the train interval; the longer the resting period between trains the higher was the output of ACh. This fact indicates that the release of ACh increased primarily during the resting periods following single stimuli or trains. The effect of GMA on ACh release proved to be highly temperature-dependent: in the presence of GMA Q10 increasing from 3.25 to 4.92. A high Ca concentration, removal of Mg or lowering of the Na concentration abolished the effect of GMA to enhance ACh release.
Structural memory and defect relaxation

To explain the unusual temperature- and sample-independent kinetics of transient capacitance carrier emission, a model of structural memory in a-Si:H is proposed. The rate-limiting step to carrier emission is an effectively one-dimensional random walk in configuration space where the final, activated, step of emission is very rapid. The model naturally explains the power-law emission decays as well as the scaling law that equates emission time to pulse time for a wide variety of samples and experimental conditions.
Opioid antagonists inhibit the growth of metastatic murine neuroblastoma

Naltrexone (NTX), an opiate antagonist, had an inhibitory effect on the growth of S20 Y neuroblastoma (NB) in A/Jax mice. Daily injections of 0.1 mg/kg NTX resulted in a 69% tumor take, 70% delay in time prior to tumor appearance, and a 60% increase in median survival time. Inoculation of NB in control mice resulted in 100% tumor take within 15 days. The pattern and incidence of metastases of NTX and control mice were similar. These results show that NTX has antineoplastic activity, and suggests a role for the endogenous opioid system in neuro-oncogenic events.
Propionate utilization by pregnant, lactating, and spontaneously ketotic dairy cows.

Abstract Twelve Holstein cows were employed in propionate tolerance studies during the dry period and in the normal and spontaneously ketotic state during lactation. Propionate utilization, measured by the rate of disappearance of an injected dose from the peripheral circulation, was less rapid in the dry period than during lactation, and was reduced during spontaneous ketosis. Blood glucose levels rose as propionate levels dropped, reaching peak values as propionate returned to basal level. During lactation there was a negative relationship between rate of propionate utilization and rate of increase in blood glucose, suggesting that cows with higher rates of utilization may have metabolized a larger part of the propionate in extrahepatic tissues. However, rate of utilization was not significantly correlated with milk production. Serum vitamin B 12 levels were not significantly correlated with rate of propionate disappearance; with one aberrant value omitted, however, there was a significant correlation during lactation between serum B 12 level and rate of increase in blood glucose. The three cows that developed spontaneous ketosis in early lactation had low serum vitamin B 12 levels when sampled during late gestation.
Intercepting Wrong-Patient Orders in a Computerized Provider Order Entry System

Study objective We evaluate the short- and long-term effect of a computerized provider order entry–based patient verification intervention to reduce wrong-patient orders in 5 emergency departments. Methods A patient verification dialog appeared at the beginning of each ordering session, requiring providers to confirm the patient's identity after a mandatory 2.5-second delay. Using the retract-and-reorder technique, we estimated the rate of wrong-patient orders before and after the implementation of the intervention to intercept these errors. We conducted a short- and long-term quasi-experimental study with both historical and parallel controls. We also measured the amount of time providers spent addressing the verification system, and reasons for discontinuing ordering sessions as a result of the intervention. Results Wrong-patient orders were reduced by 30% immediately after implementation of the intervention. This reduction persisted when inpatients were used as a parallel control. After 2 years, the rate of wrong-patient orders remained 24.8% less than before intervention. The mean viewing time of the patient verification dialog was 4.2 seconds (SD=4.0 seconds) and was longer when providers indicated they placed the order for the wrong patient (4.9 versus 4.1 seconds). Although the display of each dialog took only seconds, the large number of display episodes triggered meant that the physician time to prevent each retract-and-reorder event was 1.5 hours. Conclusion A computerized provider order entry–based patient verification system led to a moderate reduction in wrong-patient orders that was sustained over time. Interception of wrong-patient orders at data entry is an important step in reducing these errors.
Thermal expansion of laminated, woven, continuous ceramic fiber/chemical-vapor-infiltrated silicon carbide matrix composites

Thermal expansions of three two-dimensional laminate, continuous fiber/chemical-vapor-infiltrated silicon carbide matrix composites reinforced with either FP-Alumina (alumina), Nextel (mullite), or Nicalon (Si-C-O-N) fibers are reported. Experimental thermal expansion coefficients parallel to a primary fiber orientation were comparable to values calculated by the conventional rule-of-mixtures formula, except for the alumina fiber composite. Hysteriesis effects were also observed during repeated thermal cycling of that composite. Those features were attributed to reoccurring fiber/matrix separation related to the micromechanical stresses generated during temperature changes and caused by the large thermal expansion mismatch between the alumina fibers and the silicon carbide matrix.
Small town life A study in race relations

■ Moving to southern Ohio from upstate New York was a necessity: I needed the job. I wondered what it would be like to live in the Midwest as a single African American woman. I soon learned that racial, social, and sexual homogeneity compounded to make my new neighborhood into a cohesive whole from which I was excluded. Confronting daily expressions of hostility from neighbors and pointed comments about race from students, I wrote notes on my kitchen calendar to record these odious events. I was an ‘exception’ but still an ‘outsider’, a reminder of what people who belonged to this nearly all-white gay-partnered community did not want. My ‘outsider-ness’ afforded me some immunity, yet veiled conversation said ‘she’s not so different from the rest of them’. This article discusses my reawakening to homogeneity as the basis for solidifying social bonds, while I learned more about myself.