cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maybe they’re born with it, or maybe it’s experience: Toward a deeper understanding of the learning style myth.

Decades of research suggest that learning styles, or the belief that people learn better when they receive instruction in their dominant way of learning, may be one of the most pervasive myths about cognition. Nonetheless, little is known about what it means to believe in learning styles. The present investigation uses one theoretical framework—psychological essentialism—to explore the content and consistency of people’s learning style beliefs. Psychological essentialism is a belief that certain categories (such as dogs, girls, or visual learners) have an underlying reality or true nature that is biologically based and highly predictive of many other features (Gelman, 2003). We tested the prevalence of erroneous essentialist beliefs regarding learning styles in both educators and noneducators, including that learning styles are innate, unchanging, discrete, and wired into the brain. In each of two experiments, we identified two groups of learning style believers, with one group holding an essentialist interpretation of learning styles, and the other group holding a nonessentialist interpretation of learning styles. No differences were found between educators’ and noneducators’ beliefs. In fact, only one factor was found to be a significant predictor of learning style beliefs for educators: the age of the population with whom they work. Specifically, those who worked with younger children were more likely to interpret learning styles in an essentialist way. Together the findings demonstrate that learning style beliefs are far more complex and variable than previously recognized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved
Suspect and non-target screening of acutely toxic Prymnesium parvum.

Abstract Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing in frequency, magnitude, and duration around the world. Prymnesium parvum is a HAB species known to cause massive fish kills, but the toxin(s) it produces contributing to this acute toxicity to fish have not been confirmed. In the present study, a 2 × 2 factorial design was employed to examine influences of salinity (2.4 or 5 ppt) and nutrient limitation (f/2 or f/8) on P. parvum acute toxicity to fish and produced molecules. Acute toxicity (LC50) of these cultures, following a 48-h mortality assay, ranged from 10,213 to 96,816 cells mL−1. Non-targeted analysis was performed using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) to investigate compounds contributing to the differential toxicological responses. When P. parvum elicited toxicity to fish, suspect screening confirmed the presence of several prymnesins, and the peak area of PRM-A (3 Cl; prymnesin2aglycone) was significantly (p
African American descendants, community outreach, and the Ransom and Sarah Williams Farmstead Project

We participated in the research of a post-emancipation African American site in Texas that involved a community outreach programme with local descendants. We worked with the descendant community in...
New Insights into the Avian Song System and Neuronal Control of Learned Vocalizations

The songbird brain contains a network of structures that are specialized for imitative vocal learning. Over the past few years, many new insights have emerged about the structure and function of that system. Among those insights are understanding how specific pathways contribute to specific aspects of vocal behavior, such as control of the acoustic properties of the vocalizations, control of the sequence in which those sounds are produced, and production of calls as well as songs. New research also has indicated that sites outside of the canonical vocal communication system play key roles in the learning, perception, and performance of the sounds used in vocal communication. This chapter details many of those insights and advocates for an expanded perspective on the vocal communication system as a set of interconnected nuclei that are specialized for the production of not only songs but also multiple types of learned signals used in vocal communication. In addition, several new experimental tools and approaches are highlighted that will allow deeper investigations into fundamental questions about the neural basis of learned vocal communication.
Trusting food supply chains during the pandemic: reflections from Turkey and the U.S.

We share in this reflection a selection of our own daily experiences and observations from Turkey and the U.S. of how Covid-19 has affected people’s relationship to shopping for food. We aim to sho...
Localizing Data Manipulators in Distributed Mode Shape Identification of Power Systems

In this paper we present two distributed algorithms for estimating the electro-mechanical oscillation mode shapes (eigen-vectors) of a power system using Synchrophasor measurements while also being aware of any cyber-threats that may bias these algorithms. We consider the power system to be divided into non-overlapping areas, each equipped with a local estimator. The local estimators exchange information for computing the mode shapes over a strongly connected communication graph, realized through an un-secure wide-area communication network (WAN). An attacker can intrude into this WAN, and manipulate the information exchanged between the estimators, thereby easily destabilizing the estimation loop. We develop mechanisms by which every estimator can either check the rank or inspect the singular values of appropriate data matrices. Any visible jump in the rank or singular values will enable the estimator to detect a potential manipulation. We validate our algorithms using a 4-machine 4-area power system and the IEEE 16-machine 68-bus system.
FDI Facilitating Sustainable Development In and Out of an Emerging Market: Is Foreign Participation a Necessary Condition for Emerging Market Firms to Catch Up Globally?

Foreign firms entering emerging markets used to be natural resource seeking and efficiency-seeking, basically utilizing local resources and cost-effective labor. With the incorporation of international corporate social responsibility (CSR) instruments such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises into International Investment Agreements (IIAs) treaties, more and more multinational enterprises (MNEs) pay attention to environmental management, technology transfer, and local capacity building. In this research, I intend to study the effect of inward foreign direct investment (FDI), as a whole and also in knowledge-intensive industries, in an emerging market context on local firms’ subsequent learning orientation and catching up strategies during outward FDI. By employing regional inward FDI data on 30 Chinese provinces and 16338 outward FDI projects from China, this research identifies that inward FDI in knowledge-intensive industries (e.g., Information Transmission, Software, and Information Technology) and from OECD countries facilitate Emerging Market Firms’ business sustainable development.
Decline of six native mason bee species following the arrival of an exotic congener

A potential driver of pollinator declines that has been hypothesized but seldom documented is the introduction of exotic pollinator species. International trade often involves movement of many insect pollinators, especially bees, beyond their natural range. For agricultural purposes or by inadvertent cargo shipment, bee species successfully establishing in new ranges could compete with native bees for food and nesting resources. In the Mid-Atlantic United States, two Asian species of mason bee (Osmia taurus and O. cornifrons) have become recently established. Using pan-trap records from the Mid-Atlantic US, we examined catch abundance of two exotic and six native Osmia species over the span of fifteen years (2003-2017) to estimate abundance changes. All native species showed substantial annual declines, resulting in cumulative catch losses ranging 76-91% since 2003. Exotic species fared much better, with O. cornifrons stable and O. taurus increasing by 800% since 2003. We characterize the areas of niche overlap that may lead to competition between native and exotic species of Osmia, and we discuss how disease spillover and enemy release in this system may result in the patterns we document.
Assessing barriers to providing tobacco use disorder treatment in community mental health settings with a revised version of the Smoking Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (S-KAP) instrument.

Abstract Background Tobacco use disorder (TUD) rates are 2–3 times higher among people with serious mental illness (SMI) than the general population. Clinicians working in outpatient community mental health clinics are well positioned to provide TUD treatment to this group, but rates of treatment provision are very low. Understanding factors associated with the provision of TUD treatment by mental health clinicians is a priority. Methods This study used baseline data from an ongoing cluster-randomized clinical trial evaluating two approaches to training clinicians to increase TUD treatment. Following a psychometric assessment of our assessment tool, the Smoking Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (S-KAP) instrument, a new factor structure was evaluated utilizing confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was then used to examine the associations between TUD treatment practices and clinician, setting, and patient characteristics in a sample of 182 mental health clinicians across 10 mental health clinics. Results Clinician but not setting or patient characteristics emerged as significant correlates of providing TUD treatment. Specifically, clinicians’ general ethical commitment to providing TUD services and perceptions of their skills in providing this type of care were associated with providing TUD treatment. In contrast, clinician perceptions of patient motivation, anticipated quit rates, or available setting resources were not significantly associated with providing TUD treatment. Conclusions Enhancing community mental health clinician TUD treatment skills and commitment to providing such services may reduce TUD rates among people with SMI. Future studies should evaluate interventions that target these factors.
A Little Faith Can Be Contagious

The institutional duct tape and safety pins used to protect those suffering from mental illness was already struggling before 2020, and only when society finally emerges from the depths of COVID-19 will the pandemic’s actual impact on mental health begin to reveal itself. As the number of COVID-19 cases rise and fall in the United States, however, an impending mental health debacle has started to unfold. How well an already flailing system can accommodate an entire generation of mental health patients devolving in new and existing ways at alarming rates may ultimately define modern day society for decades to come.
A Plasmid System with Tunable Copy Number

Plasmids are one of the most commonly used and time-tested molecular biology platforms for genetic engineering and recombinant gene expression in bacteria. Despite their ubiquity, little consideration is given to metabolic effects and fitness costs of plasmid copy numbers on engineered genetic systems. Here, we introduce two systems that allow for the finely-tuned control of plasmid copy number: a plasmid with an anhydrotetracycline-controlled copy number, and a massively parallel assay that is used to generate a continuous spectrum of ColE1-based copy number variants. Using these systems, we investigate the effects of plasmid copy number on cellular growth rates, gene expression, biosynthesis, and genetic circuit performance. We perform single-cell timelapse measurements to characterize plasmid loss, runaway plasmid replication, and quantify the impact of plasmid copy number on the variability of gene expression. Using our massively parallel assay, we find that each plasmid imposes a 0.063% linear metabolic burden on their hosts, hinting at a simple relationship between metabolic burdens and plasmid DNA synthesis. Our plasmid system with tunable copy number should allow for a precise control of gene expression and highlight the importance of tuning plasmid copy number as tool for the optimization of synthetic biological systems.
Perceptions of African American English by Students in Speech-Language Pathology Programs.

Purpose Despite the increased awareness that all dialects are valid linguistic forms, perceptions of African American English (AAE) use are often negative in the general population. Students traini...
The Use of Nanoparticles in Environmental Applications

Growing public concern with environmental contaminants is producing increased interest in developing novel methods of treating contaminated media. A wide variety of contaminants present potential problems, including organics (e.g., volatile organic compounds, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and derivatives such as dioxin, etc.), heavy metals, and radioactive species, in matrices such as ground waters, surface waters, soils, sediments, and air. Two of the commonly employed treatment methods, adsorption (primarily on activated carbon) and air stripping, simply transfer the contaminant from one medium to another. Incineration is capable of converting organic contaminants into more innocuous forms but does not enjoy strong public support. Thus, the development of novel methods for environmental remediation is a very active area of research at present. In addition, processes such as separations are being improved because these processes have direct applications in the treatment of hazardous wastes and offer significant energy savings over other processes presently in use in industry. The use of nanoparticles offers significant advantages in many of these processes. In this paper, we will discuss potential applications of nanoparticles in several areas with environmental implications. Applications involving adsorption and catalysis will only be summarized. Applications to photocatalysis, separations, and energy storage devices, areas in which we have active research programs, will be presented in more detail. We will not discuss possible applications in biotreatment because of our lack of expertise in this area.
Phonological Modifications in Adults' Speech to Infants: Some Implications for Theories of Language Acquisition

Publisher Summary In studying the infant's representation of speech, most research has concentrated on attempting to delineate the special cognitive and perceptual mechanisms that infants bring to the task. There is little discussion of the special nature of the speech that infants hear in their everyday lives. Discriminations that infants are called upon to make in the laboratory may not be illustrative of the kinds of discriminations they have to make when learning a language; and the assumption that the rapid and frequently slurred speech that is common in adult conversations is also the corpus that infants must somehow segment and decode is misleading. Rather, infants must decode the specially modified speech that is directed to them. It is probably safe to say that infants do not, and perhaps could not, acquire language simply by overhearing adults in discourse with one another. The notion that mere exposure to language is all that the infant needs in order to acquire language is not upheld by any evidence that this ever happens: in every community that has thus far been studied, adults not only speak to children, they speak to them in specially modified ways. Adults, appear not only to modify their speech when addressing young children, but also to do so sensitively, so that the input language may be adjusted to the particular level of the child at any given moment. While these are general statements, they also apply to modifications in the phonological input that children receive.
Domain Restriction in Dynamic Semantics

In natural language, quantification is normally restricted quantification. Since Aristotle, the tripartite nature of quantifiers and other operators has been recognized, as given schematically in (1): (1)[Operator, Restriction, Nuclear Scope].
Neither here nor there: synaesthesia and the cosmic zoom

The cosmic zoom is ontologically puzzling: neither a ‘zoom’ nor a ‘travelling’ or ‘tracking’ shot in the conventional sense of those terms, it exists somewhere in between. Faced with a well-executed cosmic zoom, the viewer is hard-pressed to distinguish between optical and kinetic movement; the difference is rendered obsolete. The cosmic zoom's phenomenological ambivalence confounds as well the neat division between vision and the non-visual senses. As digital effect and sensory event, the cosmic zoom in this way bears some resemblance to synaesthesia, or the experiential mingling (perhaps even non-differentiation) of the sense modalities. Drawing examples from Moulin Rouge!, Sweeney Todd, and Perfume, which use the post-filmic cosmic zoom to depict pre-modern Europe in terms of hearing, taste, smell, and proprioception, the paper argues that the synaesthetic quality of these films ultimately has less to do with their explicit narrative focus on the senses and their overt attempt to represent acts of hear...
Cool magnetic CP stars

We review progress in research on the cool magnetic CP stars especially during the past four years. Studies of energy distributions and abundances are analyzed to reveal their systematics. Model atmospheres do not yet accurately describe the average energy distributions much less the variability with the rotational periods of these stars.
Short Sample Critical Current Measurements Using a Superconducting Transformer

We have developed a superconducting transformer (SCT) for measurement of the critical current of large composite superconductors for high field and high current applications such as those used in fusion magnets. It consists of a 700-turn superconducting primary and a one-turn secondary, of which the sample conductor forms a part. When an electrical current of up to 100 amperes is introduced into the primary, a current calculated to be greater than 25,000 amperes is induced in an opposite direction in the secondary. A 20-centimeter diameter, 7.5-Tesla magnet provides the background magnetic field. The secondary current is measured using both a Rogowski coil and a Hall probe. Calibration of the device is achieved by measurement against a superconductor critical current Standard Reference Material (SRM #1457) obtained from the National Bureau of Standards Advantages associated with this approach include elimination of an expensive high current, low ripple power supply, and the reduction in liquid helium boiloff as a result of being able to use a pair of current leads at least two orders of magnitude below that of the test current. The mathematical theory, design, and test results associated with our device will be presented.
Genetic Transformation of the Biocontrol Fungus Gliocladium virens to Benomyl Resistance.

Abstract Methodology was developed to isolate and regenerate protoplasts from the biocontrol fungus Gliocladium virens and to transform them to benomyl resistance with a Neurospora crassa β-tubulin gene. Southern blots demonstrated that multiple copies of the vector integrated into the chromosomal DNA of stable biotypes but not of abortive transformants. Analysis of nuclear condition in vegetative and asexual structures demonstrated that no structure of G. virens is dependably uninucleate and thus preferentially suitable for transformation.
Assessment of fitness costs in Cry3Bb1‐resistant and susceptible western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) laboratory colonies

Abstract Maize production in the United States is dominated by plants genetically modified with transgenes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Cry3Bb delta endotoxins expressed by Bt maize specifically target corn rootworms (genus Diabrotica) and have proven highly efficacious. However, development of resistance to Bt maize, especially among western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) populations, poses a significant threat to the future viability of this pest control biotechnology. The structured refuge insect resistance management (IRM) strategy implemented in the United States for Bt maize adopts a conservative approach to managing resistance by assuming no fitness costs of Bt resistance, even though these trade-offs strongly influence the dynamics of Bt resistance within numerous agricultural pest species. To investigate the effects of Bt resistance on fitness components of western corn rootworm, we compared survivorship, fecundity and viability of five Bt-resistant laboratory lines reared on MON863 (YieldGard Rootworm), a Bt maize product that expresses Cry3Bb1 delta endotoxin, and on its non-transgenic isoline. Analysis of performance on the isoline maize demonstrated no fitness costs associated with Bt resistance. In fact, resistant lines emerged approximately 2–3 days earlier than control lines when reared on both MON863 and the isoline, indicating that selection for Bt resistance resulted in a general increase in the rate of larval development. In addition, resistant lines reared on Bt maize displayed higher fecundity than those reared on the isoline, which may have significant management implications. These data will be valuable for formulating improved IRM strategies for a principal agricultural pest of maize.
My Life as a Physicist

Originally I was asked to talk about how it was in physics a long time ago when I was young. Indeed, physics was a little different from what it is now. I have decided to begin by telling you not about what I did in physics, which was not much, but about how I learned physics. I will finish just at the beginning of the second world war. Once a physicist, always a physicist. But after the beginning of the war, the world and physics never again were the same for me.
Portable and scalable algorithms for irregular all-to-all communication

In this paper we develop portable and scalable algorithms for performing irregular all-to-all communication in High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. To minimize the communication latency, the algorithm reduces the total number of messages transmitted, reduces the variance of the lengths of these messages, and overlaps the communication with computation. The performance of the algorithm is characterized using a simple model of HPC systems. Our implementations are performed using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard and they can be ported to various HPC platforms. The performance of our algorithms is evaluated on CM5, T3D and SP2. The results show the effectiveness of the techniques as well as the interplay between the architectural features, the machine size, and the variance of message lengths. The experiences of our study can be applied in other HPC systems to optimize the performance of collective communication operations.
TIMP-1 regulation of cell cycle in human breast epithelial cells via stabilization of p27KIP1 protein

Increasing evidence suggests that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) can directly regulate cell growth and apoptosis independent of its matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-inhibitory activity. While TIMP-1's antiapoptotic activity has been well demonstrated, conflicting data has been reported regarding TIMP-1's role in growth regulation. Here we show that TIMP-1 reduces the growth rate of human breast epithelial (MCF10A) cells by inducing cell cycle arrest at G(1). TIMP-1-mediated cell cycle arrest is associated with its downregulation of cyclin D(1) and upregulation of p27(KIP1), resulting in inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase activity necessary for phosphorylation of the tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein. We further show that TIMP-1 modulation of cyclin D(1) and p27(KIP1) is achieved through TIMP-1-mediated differential regulation of protein stability independent of growth factor signaling. We also show that TIMP-1-mediated differential regulation of cyclin D(1) and p27(KIP1) is independent of cell adhesion signaling. Whereas approximately 50% of MCF10A cells with reduced TIMP-1 expression underwent cell death following loss of cell adhesion (anoikis), TIMP-1 overexpressing cells remained viable with prominent cell cycle arrest without detectable cell death. Taken together, we propose that TIMP-1-mediated cell survival independent of cell adhesion is accompanied with cell cycle arrest in human breast epithelial cells, although cell cycle regulation may not be a prerequisite for TIMP-1 regulation of apoptosis in general.
Pump Laser Offset Frequencies for CH3F

Abstract The frequencies of the Q Q (12, 1) and the Q Q (12, 2) transitions in the ν 3 band of 12 CH 3 F and the frequency of the Q R (4, 3) transition in the ν 3 band of 13 CH 3 F have been measured to an accuracy of ±0.1 MHz relative to the 9 P (20) and 9 P (32) 12 CO 2 laser frequencies, respectively, by using them as the pump transitions in three-level double resonance experiments with both copropagating and counterpropagating beams. The frequencies of several transitions in the 2ν 3 -ν 3 bands of these molecules were also measured to this accuracy by using them as the probe transitions in either three-level or four-level double resonance experiments.
Attachment theory: Retrospect and prospect.

This chapter has several major aims. The first is to provide an overview of attachment theory as presented by John Bowlby in the three volumes of Attachment and Loss (1969/1982b, 1973, 1980), giving special emphasis to two major ideas: (1) attachment as grounded in a motivational-behavioral control system that is preferentially responsive to a small number of familiar caregiving figures and (2) the construction of complementary internal working models of attachment figures and of the self through which the history of specific attachment relationships is integrated into the personality structure. These two concepts, but especially the notion of internal working models, will be used in the second section of the chapter to interpret refinements and elaborations of the theory that have been primarily the result of the work and influence of Mary Ainsworth. Topics discussed are maternal and infant contributions to the quality of attachment relationships, stability and change in the quality of attachment relationships, carryover effects from earlier to later relationships, and intergenerational transmission of attachment patterns as an intracultural and cross-cultural phenomenon. An attempt is made to clarify a variety of theoretical points and to discuss others that remain to be clarified. Finally, I consider how recent insights into the development of socioemotional understanding and the development of event representation can be integrated into attachment theory to shed new light on the origins of individual differences in personality development. In doing so, I have also attempted to provide a framework for the studies presented in this volume.
Icon formation in chronic schizophrenics

Visual information is first assumed to be registered and subsequently stored for a brief time, less than a second, in a precategorical sensory filter of high capacity and fast decay. This storage system has been termed the icon, which is a representation like the stimuli itself, existing in raw or unprocessed form, and from which further processing can occur (Sperling 1960). The icon is further conceptualized as having several components: initially, icon formation (image formation), then iconic storage, and finally, transfer or speed of processing from the icon to higher cortical centers. A neurophysiological parallel to the above cognitive model suggests that precategorical visual information processing occurs by at least two sets of parallel and interactive visual channel filters, which have characteristic responses to spatial and temporal frequencies (i.e., transient and sustained channels). These channels extend from the retina through the striate cortex by the retino-geniculo--calcarine system (Breitmeyer and Ganz 1977; Legge 1978; Regan 1982). The transient channel is most responsive to the low spatial frequency components (coarse information) and is sensitive to movement, whereas the sustained channel is most responsive to the high spatial frequency components of a pattern
TIMING AND LIGHT REGULATION OF APICAL MORPHOGENESIS DURING REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN WILD-TYPE POPULATIONS OF ACETABULARIA ACETABULUM (CHLOROPHYCEAE)

In the giant unicellular green alga, Acetabularia acetabulum (L.) Silva, development is altered by light. For example, blue light induces the vegetative apex to produce whorls of hairs that encircle the stalk and, later, blue light may trigger reproductive onset. The two goals of this study were to determine when changes in apical shape occur during formation of the reproductive structure, or “cap,” and to determine which of these differentiation events require light. The first visible indication of cap initiation was a rounded swelling of the apex, which we call a knob-shaped apex (time = 0 hours). Subsequent changes in shape were a hyaline, knob-shaped apex, reached by 50% of the population 3 h later, and the formation of a whorl of unilobed chambers at 16 h. These chambers became bilobed at 33 h and trilobed at 34 h. Successive sets of cap hairs grew from protuberances found on the surface of the uppermost lobes of the chambers (superior corona). After knob, the remainder of cap formation was largely independent of light. However, the initiation of each set of cap hairs required light. If a recently initiated cap was amputated, the individual recapitulated development, repeating a portion of vegetative morphogenesis (i.e. it made whorls of sterile hairs) before initiating a new cap. The developmental sequence between amputation and initiation of a new cap required light. A model for light-regulated changes in shape at the apex of Acetabularia acetabulum, which integrates whorl and cap formation and encompasses both vegetative and reproductive development of this organism, is presented.
Role of γ‐Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Nicotine Reinforcement: Potential Pharmacotherapies for Smoking Cessation

Previous work indicated a role for GABA and glutamate in the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. The present studies assessed the effects of GABAergic and glutamatergic manipulations on the reinforcing effects of nicotine as assessed by intravenous nicotine self-administration. Male Wistar rats were allowed to self-administer either of two nicotine doses under a fixed ratio or a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. The effects of a glutamatergic compound on nicotine self-administration in male DBA/2J mice were also explored. Finally, to assess for nonspecific effects of the drug manipulations, the effects of all test compounds on responding maintained by a food reinforcer were investigated. The pharmacological manipulations used were: gamma-vinyl-GABA (vigabatrin or GVG), an irreversible inhibitor of GABA transaminase, the GABAB receptor agonists (-)baclofen and CGP44532, and the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) antagonist MPEP. GVG, CGP44532, and (-)baclofen dose-dependently decreased nicotine self-administration on the fixed-ratio schedule, but also decreased food-maintained responding. Furthermore, CGP44532 decreased breakpoints for nicotine and food at identical doses under the progressive-ratio schedule. MPEP dose-dependently decreased nicotine self-administration with no effect on food-maintained responding in rats. MPEP also decreased nicotine self-administration in the mice. These results demonstrate that activation of GABAB receptors or blockade of mGluR5 decreased nicotine self-administration. Although there was some selectivity for the effects of the GABAergic manipulations, there was clear selectivity of the effects of MPEP on nicotine- versus food-maintained responding. Thus, compounds that increase GABAergic neurotransmission and antagonists at mGluR5 have potential as anti-smoking medications for humans.
The equivalence of United States census data for persons of Russian stock or descent with American Jews: an evaluation.

While the U. S. Bureau of the Census has had a long-standing policy of abstaining from enumerating the religious beliefs or backgrounds of the American people, at least two–thirds of the Jewish population of the United States has been enumerated in decennial censuses and sample surveys in the guise of persons of Russian stock or origin. This has come about through the migration policy of the old Russian Empire and the statistical categories utilized by American immigration authorities and by the U. S. Bureau of the Census for immigrants and their children. Comparisons between the returns from an ethnic survey and a survey on the religious composition demonstrate the close congruence between persons of Russian stock or descent and American Jews on the national level.
Theoretical evaluation of polytripeptide collagen models

The influence of inserting certain residues (X) into a polytripeptide sequence conformed into a poly-L-proline II helix is examined theoretically. It is found that for sequences such as -Gly-Pro-X- and -Gly-X-Pro-, the introduction of glycyl, L-alanyl or L-seryl residues in the X position destabilizes the helix so that it is no longer the most stable intramolecular form. On the other hand, L-prolyl and L-hydroxyprolyl residues cause the PP II helix to be most stable. Of the many stable intramolecular forms, the majority will not pack efficiently to form fiber or solid-state structures. The Rich-Crick and Ramachandran collagen model structures were examined in terms of a Gly-Pro-Ala sequence, the Ramachandran, one-hydrogen-bond structure, being the most stable. However, another triple-strand structure for (Gly-Pro-Ala)n, is much more energetically favorable. Hence, it may be concluded that none of the aforementioned is an entirely satisfactory collagen model. The new triple helix conformation proposed by Traub, Yonath, and Segal for (Gly-Pro-Pro) is found to give a more favorable intramolecular conformation for (Gly-Pro-Ala)n than those derived from other collagen models. It is concluded that the collagen molecule derives its stability from interchain interactions in proline-sparse regions and intrachain stability in proline-rich regions.
Postoperative immune function varies inversely with the degree of surgical trauma in a murine model.

Background: Major surgery through a laparotomy incision is associated with a postoperative reduction in immune function. Studies in rats involving sham procedures suggest that immune function may be preserved after laparoscopy. This study investigates the effects of incision length and exposure method for bowel resection with respect to postoperative immune function as assessed by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions. Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats (n= 175) were challenged preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and on postoperative day 2 with an intradermal injection of 0.2 mg phytohemagglutinin (PHA), a nonspecific T-cell mitogen. The averages of two measures of perpendicular diameters were used to calculate the area of induration. Anesthesia control rats underwent no procedure. Minilaparotomy rats underwent a 3.5-cm midline incision. Sham full laparotomy rats underwent a 7-cm midline incision. The open bowel-resection group underwent a cecal ligation and resection through a 7-cm midline incision. In the laparoscopic-assisted resection group a CO2 pneumoperitoneum and four-port technique was utilized to deliver the cecum through a 4-mm port where the cecum was extracorporeally ligated and resected. Results: Preoperative responses were similar in all five groups. Incision length: Full laparotomy group responses were 20% smaller than anesthesia control responses on postoperative day (POD)1 through POD4 (p < 0.02). At no time point were the responses in the minilaparotomy group significantly different from either anesthesia control or full laparotomy group responses. Exposure method: The laparoscopic-assisted resection group responses were 20% larger than open group responses at the time of two of the four postoperative measurements (p < 0.05, both comparisons). At all postoperative time points, open resection group responses were significantly smaller than control responses (p < 0.05, all comparisons), whereas at no time point were laparoscopic group responses significantly different from control responses. Conclusion: We conclude that postoperative cell-mediated immune function varies inversely with the degree of surgical trauma. Results from the minilaparotomy and laparoscopy groups suggest that procedures done through small incisions may result in preservation of postoperative immune function.
An Investigation of the Accuracy of Standardized Path Coefficients

Given the popular and ever-increasing use of path analytic research paradigms in the social sciences, it is desirable to conduct an investigation into the accuracy of the standardized path coefficients that are often the end-product of these paradigms. In pursuit of this goal, population parameters were preset concerning the correlations between all of the variables and their reliability coefficients. Based on these parameters, thousands of experiments were generated with varying numbers of cases (n). For each experiment, at each level of n, standard path analyses were conducted, and standardized path coefficients were obtained. These standardized path coefficients were then compared against the population path coefficients on which the simulations were based to determine their accuracy. The findings indicate mixed evidence for the accuracy of path analysis research paradigms.
Redox side reactions of haemoglobin and cell signalling mechanisms.

Cell-free chemically modified or recombinant haemoglobins developed as oxygen therapeutics are designed to correct oxygen deficit caused by ischaemia in a variety of clinical settings. Oxidative processes, which are in some cases enhanced when modifications are introduced that lower oxygen affinity, can limit the safety of these proteins. Direct cytotoxic effects associated with haemoglobins have been ascribed to the redox reactions between haemoglobin and biological peroxides [i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), lipid peroxides (LOOH) and peroxynitrite (ONOO-)]. Biochemical changes at the cellular, tissue and organ levels have been documented to occur in response to haemoglobin oxidative reactions. These peroxides have been implicated as regulators of redox sensitive cell signalling pathways. The effects of reactions between haemoglobin and biologically relevant peroxides may be more subtle than oxidative damage and may thus involve perturbation of redox sensitive signalling pathways. In this review, a brief outline of the role of cell-free haemoglobin in oxidative and cell-signalling pathways and the implications of these reactions on the safety and efficacy evaluation of haemoglobin-based oxygen carries are presented.
All-diamond integrated field emission device with a micro-tip array cathode

In order to permit (a) lower operating voltage, (b) high accuracy of anode to emitter spacing, and (c) well defined emitter area, a gated poly-C field emission device (FED) is reported. It uses undoped (ρ=109 Ω·cm) as an insulation layer and highly-doped (ρ=10−3 Ω·cm) poly-C as electrodes and interconnects to create an integrated FED (IFED) with a micro-tip cathode array using dry-etching of poly-C. Fabrication and testing of an alldiamond IFED is reported for the first time.
Valence bands and Fermi-surface topology of untwinned single-crystal YBa2Cu3O6.9

The cleaved surfaces of untwinned, single-crystal YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6.9} have been probed with synchrotron-radiation photoemission, utilizing both high energy and angular resolution. Acute spectral structure was observed, both at the Fermi energy and at higher binding energies, particularly near the high-symmetry points of the two-dimensional Brillouin zone, {bar {Gamma}}, {ital {bar X}}, {ital {bar Y}}, and {ital {bar S}}. Many band crossings of the Fermi energy were seen, with obvious and important differences between the bands near {ital {bar X}} and those near {ital {bar Y}}. A large superconducting gap was not observed: The data are consistent with a gap of less than 10 meV. The assignment of bands and Fermi-level crossings to chain and plane states will be discussed, including comparisons to the predictions of theory, particularly local-density-approximation calculations.
Plasmodium falciparum: CD36 Dependent Cytoadherence or Rosetting of Infected Erythrocytes is Modulated by Knobs

A knobless (K-) line of the FCR-3 isolate of Plasmodium falciparum was obtained by gelatin flotation. Immunofluorescent staining and immunoblots indicated that both the K-line and the K+ (knobby) line from which it was derived contained similar forms of potentially adhesive modified band 3 protein. When the K+ and K-lines were assayed for their cytoadherent and rosetting abilities the K+ line showed a high level of CD36 dependent cytoadherence, whereas the K-line demonstrated a marked pH dependent increase in rosetting. Rosetting was inhibited by the addition of peptides based on band 3 motifs, suggesting that cytoadherence and rosetting involve the same adhesin but that the presence of knobs affects whether the adherent preference of the infected erythrocyte is uninfected red cells or endothelial/C32 amelanotic melanoma cells.
Interaction between K-Particles and Nucleons

Some consequences of the strong interactions between $K$-particles and nucleons are discussed. A connection is noted between the associated production mechanism and spatial exchange characteristics of $K$-nucleon scattering. (The same is true for ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$-nucleon scattering.) The $K$-nucleon interactions may possibly lead to bound states of $K$-particles in nuclear matter ("$K$-fragments"). If a ${\ensuremath{\theta}}^{0}$ fragment exists, its decay modes are 2-, 1-, or 0-mesonic. It is estimated that the former two modes would have comparable probabilities, while the last one is less probable by a factor \ensuremath{\sim}0.005 if the spin of the ${\ensuremath{\theta}}^{0}$ is zero, or by a factor \ensuremath{\sim}0.05 if the spin is 1. The results may have bearing on the interpretation of fragments with energy release larger than corresponds to a bound ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$.
Technology policy in Malaysia

Among newly industrialising economies, Malaysia has mounted notably comprehensive efforts to build a national innovation system. Despite continuously updating Science and Technology (S&T) policies to reflect prevailing understandings of successful innovation strategy, its achievements in technology development are mixed. Invoking Ergas' (1987) binary typology, this study finds that Malaysia's mission-oriented technology policies have been less successful than diffusion-oriented interventions. The government's institutional capacities have often been unequal to its more ambitious technology development goals, but sufficient to create effective infrastructure for the deployment and diffusion of advanced technology from abroad. Weak linkages between public sector technology agencies and private enterprises are a second limiting factor. Malaysia's experience suggests that the scope for deliberate efforts to engineer national innovation systems is constrained by institutional and political factors even when technology policies themselves are comprehensive and up-to-date.
Determination of volatile mercury species at the picogram level by low-temperature gas chromatography with cold-vapour atomic fluorescence detection

Abstract Alkylmercury compounds were preconcentrated from air on a Carbotrap (graphitized carbon black) column at room temperature. The species were then transferred by thermal desorption to a U-tube chromatographic column packed with 15% OV-3 on Chromosorb WAW-DMSC, held at −196°C in liquid nitrogen. The compounds were clearly separated and eluted in order of increasing polarity using a simple, ramped heating step to 180°C over 20 min. After thermal decomposition of the eluant, the resultant mercury vapour was detected by cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The detection limits (as Hg) for the system were approximately 0.3 pg for mercury and dimethylmercury, 0.4 pg for diethylmercury, and 2.0 pg for methylmercury chloride. A study of the Long Island Sound atmosphere showed Hg0 to account for 95–100% of the total mercury present, with the remainder being monomethylmercury.
Clinical picture of infectious syphilis

Abstract A generation ago, when syphilis was a clinical commonplace and a subject heavily stressed in the medical school curriculum, syphilologists were concerned that students preoccupied with the fascinating signs of the disease would forget that the diagnosis is properly made on the basis of laboratory findings. Today the pendulum has swung the other way. Exposure to the clinical aspects of syphilis is so limited during student years, and the teaching of the subject so erratic, that even the most classical and striking forms of the disease often go unrecognized. Laboratory tests are performed and requested when they are not indicated and overlooked when the need for them should have been obvious, particularly in the secondary and relapsing forms of the disease. That the diagnosis of syphilis in its early stages is a laboratory matter is as true now as ever, but the stimulus to perform the tests is provided by the clinical situation at hand. It is the purpose of this section to describe the signs and symptoms that ought to provide that stimulus.
Myocardial Protection During Cardiac Surgery

Increased understanding of the effects of ischemia on the myocardium has led to advances in the field of myocardial protection during cardiac surgery. These advances, combined with improved surgical techniques, have contributed to the success of cardiac surgery and the ability to revascularize high-risk populations. The most common technique used to protect the myocardium is cardioplegia administration. Although it is the surgeon's responsibility to decide on solution composition, temperature, and direction of delivery, it is the bedside nurse who monitors the patient after surgery. Armed with knowledge about the essential concepts of myocardial protection, the critical care nurse will be prepared to care adequately for the patient after cardiac surgery.
Localization and modulation of ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases

The ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases serves as a model for understanding the propagation of growth factor signals across the plasma membrane and the interpretation of those signals into a cellular response. Recent studies point to a critical role for the accumulation of ErbBs at specific cell-surface locations in the fidelity of ErbB signaling. The past year has witnessed significant advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ErbB localization and the role of PDZ-domain-containing proteins and cell-surface glycoproteins in directly modulating signaling through ErbBs.
Concepts in intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

NTRAPERITONEAL (IP) chemotherapy is the administration of chemotherapeutic agents via a catheter into the peritoneal cavity. The chemotherapy is placed in a large volume of fluid, usually 2 L, and infused into the abdominal cavity where it remains for a specified amount of time; then it is usually drained back out the catheter. The advantages of IP chemotherapy have been demonstrated in pharmacokinetic studies first done at the National Cancer Institute beginning in the 1970s.’ These and subsequent studies show that relatively higher concentrations of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs can be achieved with IP infusion as compared to plasma level concentrations following intravenous (IV) administration. I-3 IP chemotherapy can be particularly helpful in the treatment of ovarian cancer due to its propensity to metastasize via peritoneal seeding. High concentrations of chemotherapy in the peritoneal cavity then directly reach tumor tissue. IP chemotherapy has the greatest effect in patients with only microscopic disease where penetration of the drug into the tumor tissue is greatest. As tumor bulk increases, the concentration of drug that reaches the center of the tumor decreases.