cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tolerance to acetylcholine receptor induced by AChR-coupled syngeneic cells.

Abstract Intravenous administration of acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-coupled syngeneic spleen cells induced AChR-specific tolerance in Lewis rats. Injection of 20 × 10 6 AChR-coupled spleen cells resulted in a significant reduction of the antibody response to AChR when the animals were subsequently immunized with AChR (up to 66% inhibition). Tolerance induced by AChR-coupled cells was antigen-specific: challenge with AChR plus an unrelated antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), resulted in significantly reduced serum antibody titers to AChR but normal or enhanced titers to OVA, compared to controls. Lymphocytes from these rats showed substantially reduced proliferative responses in vitro to AChR, and normal or enhanced responses to OVA. To investigate the role of Ia antigens in tolerance induction, AChR was coupled to Ia-positive or Ia-negative spleen cells. Injection of AChR-coupled Ia-positive cells induced antigen-specific tolerance to AChR; challenge with AChR plus OVA resulted in reduced serum antibody titers and lymphoproliferative responses to AChR, and normal or enhanced titers and cellular responses to OVA. Injection of AChR-coupled Ia-negative cells did not induce tolerance to AChR. These results demonstrate that AChR, which is known to be highly immunogenic, can be rendered tolerogenic without denaturation or linkage to toxic substances. The possible mechanisms of tolerance induced by AChR-coupled spleen cells are discussed.
Money and mission? Addressing the barriers to evidence-based medicine.

Although the central concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM), that medical practice should be based on critical review of the best available evidence from clinical research, may seem unassailable, the formalization of EBM is a recent phenomenon. Virtually unheard of before 1990, EBM is the topic of a growing number of publications. Practicing physicians still struggle with the concept and its implementation, however, as shown by McAlister and colleagues.1 Although the majority of physicians McAlister et al. surveyed felt EBM can “play a positive role in medical practice,” and said they employed EBM “always” or “often,” the physicians actually relied mainly on clinical experience, review articles, and the opinions of colleagues when making clinical decisions. Many possible barriers to EBM have been catalogued.2 The study by McAlister and colleagues suggests that EBM advocates still have to contest with three in particular: Physicians remain uncomfortable with the quantitative approach to medical practice; even those who accept this approach in principle have few opportunities to learn about it in detail; and physicians are often frustrated when the EBM process does not discover strong enough evidence to let them make decisions with confidence.
Combined heart-single-lung transplantation: A unique operation for unique indications

Combined heart-lung transplantation has been a proven therapeutic option for patients with end-stage cardiopulmonary disease since 1981. Occasional patients are not candidates to receive both lungs en bloc. We describe such a case and propose indications and a surgical technique and present the limited published experience of combined heart-single-lung transplantation.
Human Development and Resources Use in the Coastal Zone: Influences on Human Health

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks atUMass Boston. For more information, please contactlibrary.uasc@umb.edu.
Constant temperature simulations of helix folding

Abstract This paper studies constant temperature (300 K) Monte Carlo simulations of helix folding, carried out separately with short-range interactions only and with long-range interactions. The peptide -CONH-groups are treated as rigid elements to reduce the degrees of freedom. Non-dihedral variables are used with flexible connections between the -CONH- and Cα to facilitate independent local motions. A 16-residue peptide with alanine side chains is used as a model for helix folding. Starting with an extended structure, the molecule folds into α-helical conformations. The simulations provide insight into the helix folding mechanism. Different potential functions are tested. With short-range interactions (10-12 potential) only, the helix folding is nearly random and is much slower than that with long-range electrostatic interactions. This observation indicates that the spatially long-range interaction is essential for rapid folding of the helix. Under the same conditions, polyglycine does not fold into stable helices. The folding is sequence-dependent and the method does not indiscriminately force the backbone into the helix.
Teaching on the web: automated online instruction and assessment of residents in an acute care clinic

Time pressures negatively impact teaching and learning in ambulatory settings. Web-based (online) learning may help in meeting this challenge. Although online teaching is increasingly used in medical education, few reports have evaluated online learning in postgraduate training. A pre-test/post-test cohort study was undertaken in an academic medical center acute care clinic to determine whether internal medicine residents accept, learn with and continue to use a ‘stand-alone’ online curriculum. The participants were 56 first-year internal medicine residents. Eight evidence-based, symptom-oriented online modules in acute ambulatory medicine were completed by residents during a one-month rotation. Fifty residents completed all modules. Pre- and post-tests were administered and scored automatically by computer. Average test score improved from 70% to 95% (p < 0.001). Feedback was very positive, with 96% of residents recommending the curriculum continue and 88% listing the modules as one of the most helpful l...
Investigation of adrenergic and prostaglandin influences in the endotoxin alteration of hepatic heme oxygenase, microsomal mixed-function oxidase, and glucocorticoid-induced tryptophan oxygenase activities.

Abstract The possible role for adrenergic influences or prostaglandins in the effects of endotoxin to inhibit the glucocorticoid induction of hepatic tryptophan oxygenase (TO) activity, to decrease the hepatic microsomal cytochrome P -450-dependent drug-metabolizingactivity, and to induce heme oxygenase activity was examined. Administration of the α-adrenergic blocking agents phenoxybenzamine or phenotolamine attenuated the inhibitory effect of the bacterial lipopolysaccharide on the induction of TO activity by dexamethasone. Injection of a β-adrenergic blocker, propranolol, or of indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, accentuated the effect of endotoxin to inhibit TO induction. Neither phenoxybenzamine, propranolol, nor indomethacin altered the effect of endotoxin to decrease aniline hydroxylase activity, ethylmorphine N-demethylase activity, or the levels of cytochrome P -450. Also, dexamethasone administration did not significantly protect against the effects of endotoxin on the hepatic microsomal drug metabolizing enzyme system, and none of the pharmacological agents diminished the effects of endotoxin to induce hepatic heme oxygenase activity. Endotoxin administration was also shown to diminish, but not prevent, the induction of cytochrome P -450 and ethylmorphine N-demethylase activity produced by phenobarbital. The results indicate that α-adrenergic mechanisms are involved in the endotoxic inhibition of the glucocorticoid induction of TO activity and suggest that neither adrenergic influences nor prostaglandins play a significant role in the effect of endotoxin to decrease hepatic mixed-function oxidase activity.
Burning of fuel droplets at pressures greater than atmospheric

Abstract This paper deals with the study of the pressure effects on the burning in air of large hydrocarbon fuel droplets. The traditional quasi-steady analysis fails to predict any pressure dependence of the burning rate, except a very minimal amount due to nonuniform gas properties. Experimental results of this study and others, in the range from 1–20 atm, indicate that the burning rate of liquid droplets is however dependent on the ambient pressure. An equation has been developed incorporating our observations which predict a pressure effect when the variation of the flame standoff distance with pressure is given. The pressure effect on the burning rate constant, K, appears to be small. The power law relationship is found to be proportional to p.14 for ethanol and p.11 for n-propanol.
Lattice-Dynamics Approach to the Theory of Elastic Dielectrics with Polarization Gradient

A continuum theory of elastic dielectrics including polarization gradient is obtained as the long-wave approximation of a theory of lattice dynamics for the shell model of cubic ionic crystals. The additional energy associated with the formation and relaxation of a free surface is obtained by considering the unbalanced charges and dipole moments on the surface. The material coefficients of the continuum theory are related to the lattice properties, and their numerical values are calculated for NaI, NaCl, KI, and KCl. The surface energy density of a free half-space predicted by the continuum theory is compared with experimental results as well as other theoretical results based on discrete models.
Stability of vortex solitons in a 2D photorefractive optical lattice

Stability of off-site vortex solitons in a photorefractive optical lattice is analyzed. We show that such solitons are linearly unstable in both the high and low intensity regimes, but are stable in the moderate-intensity regime.
LCC demons with divergence term for liver MRI motion correction

Contrast-enhanced liver MR image sequences acquired at multiple times before and after contrast administration have been shown to be critically important for the diagnosis and monitoring of liver tumors and may be used for the quantification of liver inflammation and fibrosis. However, over multiple acquisitions, the liver moves and deforms due to patient and respiratory motion. In order to analyze contrast agent uptake one first needs to correct for liver motion. In this paper we present a method for the motion correction of dynamic contrastenhanced liver MR images. For this purpose we use a modified version of the Local Correlation Coefficient (LCC) Demons non-rigid registration method. Since the liver is nearly incompressible its displacement field has small divergence. For this reason we add a divergence term to the energy that is minimized in the LCC Demons method. We applied the method to four sequences of contrast-enhanced liver MR images. Each sequence had a pre-contrast scan and seven post-contrast scans. For each post-contrast scan we corrected for the liver motion relative to the pre-contrast scan. Quantitative evaluation showed that the proposed method improved the liver alignment relative to the non-corrected and translation-corrected scans and visual inspection showed no visible misalignment of the motion corrected contrast-enhanced scans and pre-contrast scan.
Complement receptor B lymphocytes in nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease

Infiltrated tissues from nine cases of nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease (NSHD) were examined for immunologic cell surface markers. In all nine cases a large population of complement receptor B-lymphocytes were present within the nodular infiltrates. B-lymphocytes were identified in frozen sections by adherence of sheep red blood cells (E) coated with IgM antibody (A) and complement (C) (IgMEAC). IgMEAC attached to both small lymphocytes and to Reed-Sternberg cells and their variants. Red cells coated with IgG (IgGEA) attached to histiocytes associated with the internodular fibrous bands and only sparsely with the nodular infiltrates. The population of complement receptor lymphocytes appears to be an integral component of NSHD.
Separation of protein components of mitochondrial complex IV and their molecular weights

Abstract Heme a protein separated from a purified cytochrome oxidase preparation shows an unexpectedly low molecular weight of 26,500 by gel electrophoresis. The tightly bound phospholipid, copper and iron are associated with this low molecular weight protein. This protein also retains the capacity to form membrane sheets when associated with phospholipid. The other protein separated from the oxidase has a higher molecular weight 55,000, no phospholipid, copper or iron and does not form membrane layers when phospholipid is added. It can be tentatively identified as core protein IV. Some loss of oxidase activity occurs when the two proteins are separated which can be partially restored by recombination of the fractions.
The potential use of poly(methacrylic acid) hydrogels for oral administration of drugs and vaccines to ruminants

Abstract Poly(methacrylic acid) hydrogels were investigated for the delivery of a model antigen to the lower gastrointestinal tract of sheep. Hydrogels were tested by incorporating a radiopaque material, administering them orally to a sheep, and then radiographing the sheep. The potential for loading high molecular weight proteins into hydrogels was determined by absorbing hydrogels with culture supematants of the bacterium Pasteurella haemolytica . The hydrogels were dried, hydrated, and the culture supematants eluted. The eluents were assayed for the presence of the 102 kDa proteinaceous exotoxin. The hydrogels readily bypassed the first stomach and swelled releasing a radiopaque dye into the lower gastrointestinal tract. Chromium-loaded hydrogels were then administered to a sheep and intestinal contents were collected for 5 days. Chromium was detected in the intestinal contents of the sheep for 96 h with peak levels detected at 12–15 h after administration. Eluents of the hydrogels loaded with culture supematants contained readily detectable amounts of the proteinaceous exotoxin. PMA hydrogels were then absorbed with a vaccine consisting of culture supematants of a pulmonary bacterium P. haemolytica . Hydrogels containing vaccine were administered orally to calves. Calves were challenged by an intrabronchial dose of bacteria. The length of time each calf survived was noted. All surviving calves were killed 3 days post-challenge. A post-mortem examination was performed to evaluate the severity of the pneumonic lesions. Vaccinated calves had less pneumonia and lived longer than control calves. Results of this study indicate that poly (methacrylic acid) hydrogels could be used to administer drugs and proteinaceous vaccines orally to ruminants.
Collaborative Service Arrangements: Patterns, Bases, and Perceived Consequences

Abstract While much of prior research on collaboration addresses the service delivery network as a whole, we address collaborative relationships between one type of organization–municipal employment services–and a range of governmental and non-governmental partners for employment services in Denmark. Municipalities differ in the type, degree, and character of collaboration with these partners. As others have found in prior research, we find that organizational benefits, trust, and a variety of contextual factors help shape the extent of collaboration. But, the relevance of these and problem-solving benefits in particular differs among collaborators. Our modeling of the influence of collaboration on perceived employment outcomes suggests that these impacts are relatively minor. They are greater when there is active involvement of municipal employment managers in fostering cooperative relationships with collaborators. In short, collaboration requires a healthy and active relationship to foster improved outc...
Measures of Linguistic Accuracy in Second Language Writing Research

Because a literature review revealed that the descriptions of measures of linguistic accuracy in research on second language writing are often inadequate and their reliabilities often not reported, I completed an empirical study comparing 3 measures. The study used a holistic scale, error-free T-units, and an error classification system on the essays of English as a second language (ESL) students. I present detailed discussion of how each measure was implemented, give intra- and interrater reliabilities and discuss why disagreements arose within a rater and between raters. The study will provide others doing research in the area of L2 writing with a comprehensive description that will help them select and use a measure of linguistic accuracy.
Orientations Toward Home Sewing

An exploratory study was undertaken to examine the orientations of persons who sew at home for their personal or their family's consumption. Objectives of the study were to 1) identify orientations toward home sewing, 2) identify clusters of home sewers using sewing orientations as criteria for group membership, and 3) propose a hypothesis for further testing. A survey instrument was completed by 105 females. Seven sewing orientations and five clusters of home sewers were identified. It was concluded that the individuals within the sample comprised a diverse group of home sewers. A hypothesis was formulated for further study. It was suggested that home sewing marketers and retailers aim promotional strategies to specific groups of home sewers and provide the appropriate product mix.
The Use of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone in a Progesterone-Based Timed Artificial Insemination Protocol in Replacement Beef Heifers

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of supplemental gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) at the time of progesterone controlled internal drug-release (CIDR) insertion, when incorporated into a CIDR-prostaglandin F 2α (PGF 2α )-GnRH timed AI (TAI) protocol on pregnancy per AI of beef heifers. One hundred ninety-two beef replacement heifers in 2 locations were paired by BCS and BW and received a CIDR on d 0. At the time of CIDR insertion, heifers were assigned randomly to receive either GnRH (100 μg, i.m.) or physiological saline. On d 7, the CIDR was removed and all heifers received 25 mg PGF 2α On d 9, all heifers were administered GnRH (100 μg, i.m.), followed immediately by TAI by a single inseminator. Pregnancy status was determined by ultrasound on d 35 after AI. Blood samples were collected on d −8, 0, and 9 to measure progesterone concentrations. There was no effect of location or a location × treatment interaction on pregnancy incidence ( P = 0.47), and 97.8% of heifers were cyclic. Pregnancy per AI did not differ between treatments ( P > 0.5). Body weight and BCS had no effect on the odds ratio of pregnancy ( P > 0.5). Administration of GnRH at CIDR insertion did not improve pregnancies per AI when a 7-d CIDR-PGF 2α -GnRH TAI protocol was used in cyclic beef heifers.
Autologous blood reinfusion in patients undergoing bilateral total hip arthroplasty.

purpose. To compare the rate and unit of allogeneic blood transfusion in one-stage bilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with and without autologous blood reinfusion. Methods. Records of a consecutive series of 43 men and 33 women aged 25 to 83 (mean, 55) years who underwent one-stage sequential bilateral THA by a single surgeon were reviewed. Their risks of cardiopulmonary complications were minimal. At least 4 weeks prior to surgery, 38 of the patients donated 2 units of autologous blood in 2 stages (one to 2 weeks apart). The remaining 38 patients did not donate blood owing to personal preferences or logistical reasons. All pre-donated autologous blood was transfused back to the patients in the recovery room. Estimated blood loss volume, blood salvaged volume, and complications were recorded, as were pre- and post-operative haemoglobin levels. The 2 groups were compared with respect to the rate and unit of allogeneic blood transfusion.
Phorbol ester induced 1,2-diacylglycerol accumulation and protein phosphorylation in C3H/10T1/2 mouse embryo cells

Within 10 min of addition of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetra-decanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to C3H/10T1/2 mouse embryo fibroblasts, there is a two-fold increase in the level of cellular 1,2-diacylglycerol levels compared to controls. This increase in 1,2-diacylglycerol is dependent on the concentration of TPA added to the cell culture medium. The ability of macrocyclic diterpenes to induce 1,2-diacylglycerol accumulation correlated with their tumor promoting activity except for mezerein. The accumulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol in response to TPA was not blocked by a concentration of cycloheximide sufficient to inhibit protein synthesis by 95%. These data support our previous suggestion that TPA activates a phospholipase C. During the same time period, TPA increased protein phosphorylation in both quiescent and growing cells. Proteins of mol. wt. approximately 50 000, 45 000, 35 000 and 27 000 are markedly phosphorylated in response to TPA in both growing and quiescent cultures. The relationship of these phosphorylated proteins to a Ca2+ phospholipid activated protein kinase remains to be determined.
Amygdala Response to Fearful Faces in Anxious and Depressed Children

Background Alterations in amygdala function have been implicated in the pathophysiological characteristics of adult anxiety and depressive disorders. Studies with healthy adults and children, as well as with adults who have amygdala lesions, have found facial expressions of emotion to be useful probes of amygdala activity. Our study examined the amygdala response to fearful and neutral facial expressions in healthy, anxious, and depressed children. We hypothesized that children with anxiety and depression may show atypical amygdala responses to emotional stimuli. Methods Twelve children (8-16 years of age) with generalized anxiety or panic disorder and 12 healthy comparison children underwent noninvasive functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing photographs of fearful and neutral facial expressions. In a second comparison, 5 girls with major depressive disorder were compared with 5 anxious and 5 healthy girls from the previous sample. Results Children with anxiety disorders showed an exaggerated amygdala response to fearful faces compared with healthy children, whereas depressed children showed a blunted amygdala response to these faces. In addition, the magnitude of the amygdala's signal change between fearful and neutral faces was positively correlated with the severity of everyday anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Our results suggest that amygdala function is affected in both anxiety and depression during childhood and adolescence. Moreover, this disruption appears to be specific to the child's own rating of everyday anxiety.
EDUCATING FOR ADVANCED FOREIGN LANGUAGE CAPACITIES: CONSTRUCTS, CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, ASSESSMENT. Heidi Byrnes, Heather D. Weger-Guntharp, and Katherine Sprang (Eds.)

EDUCATING FOR ADVANCED FOREIGN LANGUAGE CAPACITIES: CONSTRUCTS, CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, ASSESSMENT. Heidi Byrnes, Heather D. Weger-Guntharp, and Katherine Sprang (Eds.) . Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2007. Pp. x + 208. $44.95 paper. The contents of this volume are drawn from papers presented at the 2005 Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics (GURT), the theme of which was educating for advanced language proficiency. In her introduction, Byrnes notes that despite the obvious need for advanced foreign language capacities and the clear limitations of current instructional practices, the advanced learner is often overlooked in SLA theory and research and continues to receive inadequate pedagogical attention. To help rectify this situation, the conference conveners brought together leading cognitive linguistic, systemic-functional, and sociocultural researchers in order to “specify the construct of advancedness in theory and research and for laying out broad parameters for curriculum, instruction, and assessment in support of the acquisition of advanced levels of L2 ability” (p. 3). Each of the 12 chapters is provocative, and the volume, overall, is of excellent quality. Researchers and educators alike will find this work profoundly useful.
Packing triangles in a graph and its complement

How few edge-disjoint triangles can there be in a graph G on n vertices and in its complement $\overline {G}$? This question was posed by P. Erdos, who noticed that if G is a disjoint union of two complete graphs of order n-2 then this number is n2-12 + o(n2). Erdos conjectured that any other graph with n vertices together with its complement should also contain at least that many edge-disjoint triangles. In this paper, we show how to use a fractional relaxation of the above problem to prove that for every graph G of order n, the total number of edge-disjoint triangles contained in G and $\overline {G}$ is at least n2-13 for all sufficiently large n. This bound improves some earlier results. We discuss a few related questions as well. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 47: 203216, 2004
ON THE ASSESSMENT OF TRIP MAKERS' PREFERENCE BY PAIRED COMPARISON SCALING

Summary.-Thurstone's Case V has been applied to the study of travellers' attitudes toward various modes of transportation. This paper discusses the validiry of this application by examining three assumptions of the Case V as well as the problem of dimensionaliry. Assumptions are violated tentatively one at a time. The results suggest that the problem of dimensionality and the assumption of equal variances have to be verified before the Case V can be applied successfully to srudles of transporration. In the recent stud~es of choice of mode of transportation, the assessment of travellers' preference toward various system characteristics has attracted much attention. Paired comparison, or Thurstone's Case V to be more specific, is one of the scaling techniques which has been applied to analyze consumer preference. Three postulates are involved when Case V is applied: (a) scaled values of stimuli are normally distributed on the psychological continuum, (b) the variances of discriminal dispersions are constant for all stimuli, (c) covariances between stimuli are zero (3,4). A more fundamental assumption is that travellers' preference can be presented on a one-dimensional continuum. These assumptions make the analysis much easier. However, careful verification of these assumptions has to be carried out to avoid serious deviation in the scaling. This process of validation is very critical in the study of transportation modal split because the inappropriate scaling might lead planners to erroneous conclusions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on the scaling of the violation of these assumptions and to develop some procedures for the detection of such violations.
Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow's User, edited by Nancy Courtney

Materials for review should be sent to Sarah L. Johnson, Professional Reading Column Editor, Public Services Quarterly, Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, 61920. LIBRARY 2....
Involvement of Ureides in Nitrogen Fixation Inhibition in Soybean

The sensitivity of N2 fixation to drought stress in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) has been shown to be associated with high ureide accumulation in the shoots, which has led to the hypothesis that N2 fixation during drought is decreased by a feedback mechanism. The ureide feedback hypothesis was tested directly by measuring the effect of 10 mm ureide applied by stem infusion or in the nutrient solution of hydroponically grown plants on acetylene reduction activity (ARA). An almost complete inhibition of ARA was observed within 4 to 7 d after treatment, accompanied by an increase in ureide concentration in the shoot but not in the nodules. The inhibition of ARA resulting from ureide treatments was dependent on the concentration of applied ureide. Urea also inhibited ARA but asparagine resulted in the greatest inhibition of nodule activity. Because ureides did not accumulate in the nodule upon ureide treatment, it was concluded that they were not directly inhibitory to the nodules but that their influence mediated through a derivative compound, with asparagine being a potential candidate. Ureide treatment resulted in a continual decrease in nodule permeability to O2 simultaneous with the inhibition of nitrogenase activity during a 5-d treatment period, although it was not clear whether the latter phenomenon was a consequence or a cause of the decrease in the nodule permeability to O2.
Thermodynamic Interpretation of NMR Relaxation Parameters in Proteins in the Presence of Motional Correlations

It is shown by quasiharmonic analysis that the conformational partition function of a globular protein sampled on the ns time scale can be factorized in good approximation into a purely reorientational part, which determines heteronuclear NMR spin relaxation, and a remaining part that includes other types of intramolecular motions. This factorization provides a statistical mechanical basis for the thermodynamic interpretation of NMR relaxation parameters of proteins where atomic motions can be significantly correlated. Reorientational entropy differences between different backbone parts of the globular protein ubiquitin are found to be remarkably insensitive to motional correlation effects, which in some cases may significantly facilitate the entropic interpretation of changes of NMR order parameters.
Laser Desorption electron impact mass spectrometry: Studies of ion radical fragmentation mechanisms and hydrogen/deuterium rearrangement in time‐resolved experiments

Laser desorption of neutral molecules followed by electron impact ionization is shown to produce gaseous ion radicals that undergo fragmentation analogous to that observed with electron impact and field ionization. Spectra were measured of heptanal and four deuterium-labeled analogs regenerated from bisulfite derivatives, and compared with electron impact, chemical ionization and field ionization spectra published previously. Lifetimes of desorbed neutral molecules and of ions were found to influence the fragmentation process as reflected in isotope patterns. This is explained on the basis of internal energies.
Genome-wide bioinformatic and molecular analysis of introns in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Introns have typically been discovered in an ad hoc fashion: introns are found as a gene is characterized for other reasons. As complete eukaryotic genome sequences become available, better methods for predicting RNA processing signals in raw sequence will be necessary in order to discover genes and predict their expression. Here we present a catalog of 228 yeast introns, arrived at through a combination of bioinformatic and molecular analysis. Introns annotated in the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) were evaluated, questionable introns were removed after failing a test for splicing in vivo, and known introns absent from the SGD annotation were added. A novel branchpoint sequence, AAUUAAC, was identified within an annotated intron that lacks a six-of-seven match to the highly conserved branchpoint consensus UACUAAC. Analysis of the database corroborates many conclusions about pre-mRNA substrate requirements for splicing derived from experimental studies, but indicates that splicing in yeast may not be as rigidly determined by splice-site conservation as had previously been thought. Using this database and a molecular technique that directly displays the lariat intron products of spliced transcripts (intron display), we suggest that the current set of 228 introns is still not complete, and that additional intron-containing genes remain to be discovered in yeast. The database can be accessed at http://www.cse.ucsc.edu/research/compbio/yeast_ introns.html.
Aminocyclitol resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: Presence of plasmids and aminocyclitol-modifying enzymes

Aminocyclitol resistance in Staphylococcus aureus has been investigated by the analysis of the plasmids and aminocyclitol-modifying enzymes present in several clinical staphylococcal isolates. All of the strains tested were resistant to a broad range of aminocyclitols and contained large plasmids which encoded a variety of aminocyclitol-modifying enzymes in addition to other antibiotic resistances. All strains expressed multiple aminocyclitol-modifying enzymes. The plasmids present in these strains appear to be related by virtue of their similar restriction endonuclease digestion patterns. The plasmids are related and differ by the gain or loss of small DNA segments, one of which encodes erythromycin and kanamycin resistance.
Direct adaptive pole placement with application to nonminimum phase systems

This report presents the first direct adaptive control structure for nonminimum phase systems where controller parameter identification can be posed as a standard linear parameter estimation problem. In particular a linear equation error model is formulated for estimating both the controller parameters and some additional auxiliary parameters. Although the global stability question is not resolved, the key issue in proving stability is isolated for this scheme, and a simulation study demonstrating the feasibility of this approach is presented.
Differentially constrained motion replanning using state lattices with graduated fidelity

This paper presents an approach to differentially constrained robot motion planning and efficient re-planning. Satisfaction of differential constraints is guaranteed by the state lattice, a search space which consists of motions that satisfy the constraints by construction. Any systematic replanning algorithm, e.g. D*, can be utilized to search the state lattice to find a motion plan that satisfies the differential constraints, and to repair it efficiently in the event of a change in the environment. Further efficiency is obtained by varying the fidelity of representation of the planning problem. High fidelity is utilized where it matters most, while it is lowered in the areas that do not affect the quality of the plan significantly. The paper presents a method to modify the fidelity between replans, thereby enabling dynamic flexibility of the search space, while maintaining its compatibility with replanning algorithms. The approach is especially suited for mobile robotics applications in unknown challenging environments. In this setting, we applied the planner successfully to the navigation of research prototype rovers in JPL Mars Yard.
Response of growth-retarded, hypophagic-hypodipsic rats with dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions to a diet in liquid and powder forms.

Weanling rats with dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions (DMNL rats) and sham-operated controls exhibited significantly reduced food intake and ponderal and linear growth during an 11-day post-operative period on lab chow. For 28 days, a synthetic liquid diet (Liquid) was fed to one DMNL and one con trol group; a second DMNL and control group received the same diet in a powder form (Powder). DMNL rats remained hypophagic on either diet but DMNL and control rats fed Liquid ate significantly more than their counterparts fed Powder. Total fluid intake pattern was identical to caloric intake. For 27 days all groups again received lab chow. They reverted to the caloric intake pattern shown during the 11-day post-operative period. Body weight gains paralleled the caloric and fluid intake patterns except that during the synthetic diet period the Liquid-fed controls outgained all other groups and that there was no difference between DMNL rats on Liquid and Powder. At sacrifice, plasma glucose, glycerol, free fatty acids and total protein were similar in all groups but carcass protein was higher in the DMNL rats formerly fed Liquid. DMNL rats behave in accordance with extensive previous data that led to the formulation of a "resetting" hypoth esis. J. Nutr. Ill: 2142-2151, 1981.
Primality and Factoring

There are many situations where one wants to know if a large number n is prime. For example, in the RSA public key cryptosystem and in various cryptosystems based on the discrete log problem in finite fields, we need to find a large “random” prime.
Gas‐phase studies on reductive cyclization to a benzotriazole derivative from its precursors by liquid chromatography/thermabeam tandem mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography/Thermabeam mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry was carried out on the starting material, 2-nitro-2′hydroxy-5′-acetylazobenzene (1) and the intermediate N-oxide (2) formed by dithionite reduction of the starting material (1). The mass spectra of (1) and the intermediate (2) showed an abundant fragment ion that corresponds to that of 2-(2′-hydroxy-5′-acetylphenyl)benzotriazole (3). These results show that 3 could be formed from both 1 and 2. The formation of 3 in the gas phase is analogous to the chemical reduction processes of the 2-nitroazobenzene derivative 1 and the N-oxide 2 in solution.
Properties of prostaglandin F2α receptors in bovine corpus luteum cell membranes

The specific binding of 3H-labeled prostaglandin (PG) F2alpha to bovine corpus luteum cell membranes was a rapid (K1=1.1 X 10(4) M(-1)S(-1) and reversible (K(-1)=3.3 X 10(-4) S(-1)) process at 22 degrees C. The specific binding was also a saturable process exhibiting two classes of receptors with apparent dissociation constants (Kds) of 1.6 X 10(-9) M and 2.4 X 10(-8) M. The heterogenous nature of [3H]PGF2alpha binding does not appear to be due to negative cooperatively but merely to represent the existence of two independent groups of receptor sites with discrete affinities. Free energy changes of +11.9 and +10.3 Kcal/mol were calculated from the Kds of high and low affinity receptors, respectively. The binding of [3H]PGF2alpha to the membranes was not accompanied by any detectable changes in receptor-bound or free [3H]PGF2alpha. Addition of increasing amounts of unlabeled PGF2alpha resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of [3H]PGF2alpha binding to the membranes, with complete inhibition occurring at 10(-6) M. Other unlabeled PGs such as PGF1alpha, PGE2 (5-fold), PGE1 (120-fold), PGA1 and PGB1 (about 10,000-fold) were less effective when compared to unlabeled PGF2alpha in inhibiting [3H] PGF2alpha binding to the membranes. The metabolites of PGF2alpha, 15-keto-PGF2alpha and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2alpha had 100-fold less affinity for PGF2alpha receptors. 15(S)15-Methyl-PGF2alpha, an analogue of PGF2alpha, had a fairly high affinity but lower than its parent molecule. Various unsaturated fatty acids, indomethacin and 7-oxa-13-prostynoic acid had 3,000- to 10,000-fold less affinities for PGF2alpha receptors. Incubation of membranes with various enzymes revealed that PGF2alpha receptor molecules are protein in nature which require membrane lipids and specific phospholipids for binding function. Among the various phospholipids used, sphingomyelin was found to be very effective in restoring the loss of [3H]PGF2alpha binding in phospholipase C-treated membranes. N-Ethylmaleimide, but not other SH group alkylating agents inhibited binding. The binding was also inhibited by tetranitromethane, dinitrofluorobenzene and acetic anhydride. This suggested that tyrosyl, histidyl, tryptophan and amino (any one or all of them) but not SH groups were involved in binding interaction.
Applying cognitive theory to the testing and teaching of intelligence

This article describes how cognitive theory can be applied to the testing and teaching of intelligence. The article is divided into three main parts. The first part describes how the study of intelligence, traditionally an area that has been viewed as under the purview of differential psychology, has come squarely into the purview of cognitive psychology. The second part describes how the testing and teaching of intelligence, which in the past have been largely atheoretical, have been transformed into theoretically based enterprises guided by the theories of cognitive psychology. The last part describes a particular theory of intelligence, the triarchic theory, and how it has been applied to the problems of testing and teaching intelligence. It is concluded that cognitive psychology has given the study of intelligence a ‘new lease on life’, and that the testing and teaching of intelligence can and should be viewed as a primary focus of application for the principles of cognitive psychology.
Augmenting Predictive Modeling Tools with Clinical Insights for Care Coordination Program Design and Implementation.

Context: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) awarded Denver Health's (DH) integrated, safety net health care system $19.8 million to implement a “population health” approach into the delivery of primary care. This major practice transformation builds on the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and Wagner’s Chronic Care Model (CCM) to achieve the “Triple Aim”: improved health for populations, care to individuals, and lower per capita costs. Case description: This paper presents a case study of how DH integrated published predictive models and front-line clinical judgment to implement a clinically actionable, risk stratification of patients. This population segmentation approach was used to deploy enhanced care team staff resources and to tailor care-management services to patient need, especially for patients at high risk of avoidable hospitalization. Developing, implementing, and gaining clinical acceptance of the Health Information Technology (HIT) solution for patient risk stratification was a major grant objective. Findings: In addition to describing the Information Technology (IT) solution itself, we focus on the leadership and organizational processes that facilitated its multidisciplinary development and ongoing iterative refinement, including the following: team composition, target population definition, algorithm rule development, performance assessment, and clinical-workflow optimization. We provide examples of how dynamic business intelligence tools facilitated clinical accessibility for program design decisions by enabling real-time data views from a population perspective down to patient-specific variables. Conclusions: We conclude that population segmentation approaches that integrate clinical perspectives with predictive modeling results can better identify high opportunity patients amenable to medical home-based, enhanced care team interventions.
Measuring the variation in radius of rotation as a function of gantry angle for ultra-high-resolution pinhole SPECT

Pinhole SPECT is sensitive to alignment and calibration. For circular orbits, it is typically assumed that the radius of rotation (ROR) is constant. Uncompensated deviation in the ROR from a constant has the potential to worsen resolution. Herein, we describe a method for determining the ROR as a function of gantry angle. This method uses a laser to serve as a reference line and a laser target mounted to the pinhole collimator to measure position. The target rotates with the collimator and is read-out at multiple angles. The two-dimensional read-out values are used to calculate the ROR as a function of angle. Experimental radionuclide SPECT projection data were acquired. The projection data were reconstructed using the angular-dependent correction and using an average ROR. The results indicate that it is difficult to distinguish the effect of this correction when the amplitude is less than about 0.5 mm. However, the correction is very pronounced for an amplitude of about 1 mm.
Effects of perinatal visual stimulation on preference, growth, and mortality in African clawed frogs (Xenopus Laevis).

Two exploratory experiments examined the effects of flashing light stimulation on growth, mortality, and behavioral preferences of Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Experiment 1 showed that tadpoles exposed to continuous visual stimulation, from egg-laying through postnatal day 40, had significantly higher mortality rates and weighed significantly less than controls. In contrast to controls, experimental tadpoles showed a preference for visual stimulation throughout early development. Results support the notion that augmented visual stimulation during early development affects species-typical development and the creation of postnatal preferences. Experiment 2 exposed subjects to propranolol in their water to investigate a potential sympathetic nervous system (SNS) mechanism responsible for the previous results. Tadpoles exposed to propranolol and visual stimulation simultaneously did not show a preference for the visual stimulation. Although this preliminary finding suggests SNS involvement, this notion deserves further investigation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 43: 28–36, 2003.
Challenges to IPM Advancement: Pesticides, Biocontrol, Genetic Engineering, and Invasive Species.

promoted as the most sensible method of sustainable control of important agricultural pests. However, IPM is not widely practiced in commercial crops where this technology could be utilized. In crops where IPM is used, the sophistication of programmes with respect to the numbers of species, types of pests, and variety of control tactics simultaneously implemented are often simplistic and continued development of existing programmes for greater sophistication and management of multiple pest complexes is extremely challenging thus making progress slow. This situation for IPM may become more difficult to resolve in New Zealand, and elsewhere, as difficult and controversial pest management issues related to pesticide use, importation and utilization of exotic natural enemies, deployment of transgenic crops, invasive species, and a diminishing base of scientific talent and research funding become increasingly apparent and demanding of attention and resolution.
Effects of School Segregation and School Resources in a Changing Policy Context

Desegregation policies have been rolled back across the country. Some advocates for dismantling desegregation argue that resources allocated to desegregation would pay off better if allocated to improve education in schools with disadvantaged populations. We test this claim by examining student achievement before, during, and after the end of court-ordered desegregation in Nashville, Tennessee. School-by-grade fixed effect models reveal no evidence that increases in a school’s proportion of Black students impeded achievement growth. Increased exposure to students in poverty curtailed achievement growth, but enhanced option schools, which bring extraordinary resources to high-poverty, racially isolated schools, compensated for the effects of concentrated poverty. Schools that became specialized magnet schools, however, did not contribute to achievement gains and in some cases curtailed growth.