cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic evolution of bacterial ligand recognition by formyl peptide receptors

The detection of invasive pathogens is critical for host immune defense. Cell surface receptors play a key role in the recognition of diverse microbe-associated molecules, triggering leukocyte recruitment, phagocytosis, release of antimicrobial factors, and cytokine production. The intense selective forces acting on innate immune receptor genes has led to their rapid diversification across plant and animal species. However, the impacts of this genetic variation on immune functions are often unclear. Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are a family of animal G-protein coupled receptors which are activated in response to a variety of ligands including formylated bacterial peptides, microbial virulence factors, and host-derived peptides. Here we investigate patterns of gene loss, sequence diversity, and ligand recognition among primate and carnivore FPRs. We observe that FPR1, which plays a critical role in innate immune defense in humans, has been lost in New World primates. Patterns of amino acid variation in FPR1 and FPR2 suggest a history of repeated positive selection acting on extracellular domains involved in ligand binding. To assess the consequences of FPR variation on bacterial ligand recognition, we measured interactions between primate FPRs and the FPR agonist Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B, as well as S. aureus FLIPr-like which functions as an FPR inhibitor. We find that comparatively few sequence differences between great ape FPRs are sufficient to modulate recognition of S. aureus ligands, further demonstrating how genetic variation can act to tune FPR activation in response to diverse microbial binding partners. Together this study reveals how rapid evolution of host immune receptors shapes the detection of diverse microbial molecules.
Groups and Cryptography

The final two applications of abstract algebra we will discuss are to cryptography, i.e., secure transmission of private information, and to the classification of geometric patterns in the plane \(\mathbb{R}^{2}\). The algebraic structure at the heart of both applications is that of a group.
Policy Action and School Demand in Kenya

Comparative scholars are beginning to specify the conditions under which central states can act with independence vis-a-vis economic forces to penetrate local cultures and families, influencing parental demands placed on local institutions, such as demand for more schooling. Much less is known about (1) which specific forms of state action are efficacious in manipulating family demands, (2) whether boosting demand for more services can undercut their quality, and (3) why central political capacity to shape family action varies and may erode over time. To inform these issues we focus on two distinct periods in Kenya, stretching over the 1963-1990 post-independence era. We show, using time-series analysis, how the Kenyan regime initially boosted family demand for more schooling through discrete policy initiatives: reducing the private cost of school attendance, offering food supplements at school, and broadening secondary school opportunities for peripheral ethnic and class groups. But after two decades of efficacious state action, local demand for schooling began to falter, quality eroded severely, and stratification has again hardened. After identifying the early effects of these policies we detail how the Kenyan state has grown more fragile, less effective in shaping family demands and delivering quality education against the backdrop of a declining economy. The case of Kenya reveals weaknesses in Western sociological theories that fail to recognize domestic political and organizational constraints besetting centralized Third-World states, even those once considered strong.
LIARS: a software environment for testing query processing strategies

This paper describes the Louisiana Information Access and Retrieval System, LIARS, a software system which provides an environment within which various strategies for query processing (and, to a certain extent, document indexing) can be empirically tested.
A user-level framework for scheduling within service execution environments

To support application-specific quality of service for hosted services, a client of a compute utility requires the ability to schedule the processor resources supplied to its service. We present a user-level scheduling framework that operates in tandem with a standard kernel scheduler to support user-level policies for sharing processor resources. The scheduler operates by sampling the resource consumption of processes and limiting which processes are eligible for scheduling by the kernel. We present a Unix implementation of this framework and show that it can accurately control the rate of execution of compute-bound processes, with low computational overhead, despite its user-level operation. Finally, we demonstrate the scheduler's ability to enforce differentiated qualities of service for a Web-based message board service.
Expression and downregulation of the GABAergic phenotype in explants of cultured rabbit retina.

Purpose. To study the morphologic and neurochemical development of the rabbit retina in explant culture. Methods. Explants of retina from newborn rabbits were cultured in defined medium in the absence of serum or soluble growth factors. The morphology of the explant and the neurochemical development of the GABAergic system were examined by light microscopy, autoradiography, and immunohistochemistry for 7 days and compared to those of the postnatal rabbit retina in vivo. Results. Cultured explants from newborn rabbit retina develop and maintain well-defined plexiform and cellular layers up to 7 days. Exogenous 3 H-7-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and antibodies against GABA labeled a population of horizontal, amacrine, and displaced amacrine cells in the ganglion cell layer during the first 3 days in culture. After 4 days in culture, the extent of uptake and immunolabeling was diminished among all three cell types, but labeled horizontal cells were markedly rare. At 7 days in culture, uptake and GABA-like immunoreactivity could not be detected in horizontal cells, but antibodies to calbindin-D reacted with horizontal and amacrine cells in the appropriate retinal layers. Peanut agglutinin lectin binding studies revealed a mosaic of cone photoreceptor inner segments indistinguishable from that of neonatal retina in vivo. Conclusions. The experiments show that the maturation of cellular layers and the developmental expression of the GABAergic phenotype can be observed in retinal explants cultured under chemically defined conditions. Histochemical evidence is presented that indicates cultured explants of newborn rabbit retinas express markers of the GABAergic phenotype in a manner consistent with that observed in vivo. The authors show that horizontal cells continue to survive in culture after the diminution in GABA immunoreactivity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1996; 37:1074-1083. Classical studies of neurogenesis in the vertebrate retina demonstrate that cone photoreceptors, horizontal cells (HCs), ganglion cells (GCs), and a few subclasses of amacrine cells (ACs) become postmitotic, migrate to their characteristic positions, and begin terminal differentiation before birth. 1 " 5 In the rabbit, immunocytochemical and autoradiographic evi
Intermediate CAG Repeats in Huntington's Disease: Analysis of COHORT

Background: There is emerging evidence that clinical and neuro-pathological manifestations of Huntington's disease (HD) may occur in individuals with intermediate length cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats (27–35 CAG repeats) in the Huntingtin ( HTT ) gene. We aim to further define the clinical characteristics of individuals who possess CAG repeat lengths in this range. Methods: Data from the Cooperative Huntington's Observational Research Trial (COHORT) were analyzed. Participants were categorized according to the number of CAG repeats into normal (≤26), intermediate (27–35) and HD (≥36) groups. The motor, cognitive and behavioral scores on the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) were compared between the intermediate and normal groups. Results: Of 1985 individuals affected by HD or with a family history of HD who were genotyped, 50 (2.5%) had their larger CAG repeat in the intermediate range. There were statistically significant differences in scores of some motor, cognitive, and behavioral domains of UHDRS at baseline between normal and intermediate length CAG repeats. Furthermore, a significantly greater number of subjects with CAG repeats in the intermediate range reported at least one suicide attempt compared to the normal group. Discussion: Our findings of motor, cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in individuals with intermediate CAG repeats suggest the presence of subtle, but relevant, disease manifestations in patients with intermediate CAG repeats. These results have important implications for the pathogenesis of the disease and genetic counseling.
Using focused reflection and articulation to promote clinical reasoning: an evidence-based teaching strategy.

Abstract This research explored the effects of instructing first-semester nursing students in the use of focused reflection articulation to promote clinical reasoning. Student volunteers were randomly assigned to four clinical groups. Two groups that received instruction in the use of focused reflection articulation scored significantly higher on the practice measure of clinical reasoning accounting for 29 percent of the variance between groups. Once clinical reasoning scores were tabulated the top six bottom six scorers on clinical reasoning were interviewed to identify qualitative differences between students with different reasoning levels. Themes from the interviews revealed that those with high clinical reasoning reported a high frequency of use of focused reflection articulation engaged in abstract learning were more self-regulated in their learning than those who scored low on clinical reasoning. This study provides empirical evidence that using instructional methods that focus learners' attention ...
The psychological significance of changes in skin temperature

Thirty-two female undergraduates were presented with varied, mildly stressful incentives while the temperatures of their face and hands were recorded with infrared telethermography. There was an increase of hand skin temperature to film clips intended to generate a happy affect but cooling to threatening personal questions. There was no significant skin temperature change in response to cognitive tasks or fear eliciting film clips. Larger temperature changes occurred on the hands than on the face, and most subjects were cooler on the left side of the face and the left hand than on the right side of face and right hand.
Interactions of calcineurin A, calcineurin B, and Ca2+.

Calcineurin B (CN-B) is the Ca2+-binding, regulatory subunit of the phosphatase calcineurin. Point mutations to Ca2+-binding sites in CN-B were generated to disable individual Ca2+-binding sites and evaluate contributions from each site to calcineurin heterodimer formation. Ca2+-binding properties of four CN-B mutants and wild-type CN-B were analyzed by flow dialysis confirming that each CN-B mutant binds three Ca2+ and that wild-type CN-B binds four Ca2+. Macroscopic dissociation constants indicate that N-terminal Ca2+-binding sites have lower affinity for Ca2+ than the C-terminal sites. Each CN-B mutant was coexpressed with the catalytic subunit of calcineurin, CN-A, to produce heterodimers with specific disruption of one Ca2+-binding site. Enzymes containing CN-B with a mutation in Ca2+-binding sites 1 or 2 have a lower ratio of CN-B to CN-A and a lower phosphatase activity than those containing wild-type CN-B or mutants in sites 3 or 4. Effects of heterodimer formation on Ca2+ binding were assessed by...
An investigation into the mechanisms of DNA strand breakage by direct ionization of variably hydrated plasmid DNA.

The mechanisms by which ionizing radiation directly causes strand breaks in DNA were investigated by comparing the chemical yield of DNA-trapped free radicals to the chemical yield of DNA single strand break (ssb) and double strand break (dsb), as a function of hydration (Γ). Solid-state films of plasmid pUC18, hydrated to 2.5 < Γ< 22.5 mol, were X-irradiated at 4 K, warmed to room temperature, and dissolved in water. Free radical yields were determined by EPR at 4 K. With use of the same samples, Gel electrophoresis was used to measure the chemical yield of total strand breaks, which includes prompt plus heat labile ssb; G‘total(ssb) decreased from 0.092 ± 0.016 μmol/J at Γ= 2.5 to 0.066 ± 0.008 μmol/J at Γ= 22.5. Most provocative is that at Γ= 2.5 the yield of total ssb exceeds the yield of trapped deoxyribose radicals: G‘total(ssb) − G‘sugar(fr) = 0.06 ± 0.02 μmol/J. Nearly 2/3 of the strand breaks are derived from precursors other than radicals trapped on the deoxyribose moiety. To account for these ...
Control of peripartal collagenolysis in the human chorion-decidua

Abstract OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to observe the in vivo status of chorion-decidua gene expression for some major metalloproteinases, an inhibitor (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1), and an activator (tissue plasminogen activator) and the hormone relaxin at accessible time points in the peripartial period. STUDY DESIGN: Chorion-decidua from patients at cesarean section with and without labor and after spontaneous labor and delivery was used for preparation of poly (A) + ribonucleic acid and quantitative Northern analyses with a series of oligo and complementary deoxyribonucleic acid probes. RESULTS: In the period designated as the period before parturition, relaxin and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (interstitial collagenase) gene expression were relatively high, reflecting the controlled loss of amniotic collagen necessary for fetal membrane expansion without rupture as the uterine volume increases. When active labor has begun, but before delivery, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (stromelysin) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (type V collagenase) gene levels significantly increased. After normal spontaneous labor and delivery, tissue plasminogen activator and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 messenger ribonucleic acids significantly increased, together with a marginally increased expression of the genes for matrix metalloproteinase-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (type IV collagenase), and relaxin. CONCLUSION: The expression of the genes for some major collagenolytic enzymes, an inhibitor, activator, and relaxin in the chorion-decidua, is different at the different stages of parturition.
The University of Minnesota polarized proton source

Abstract A new polarized proton source has been built and is in use on the University of Minnesota linear accelerator. This source utilizes an rf transition scheme and a strong field ionizer, together with an improved geometry, to almost double the polarization and produces a significant increase in beam intensity over the old University of Minnesota polarized proton source. Using the new source, the 40 MeV beam intensity (with a 1.2% accelerator duty cycle) is 4 × 10 7 proton/sec, and the polarization is 55%.
Who is Punished More Harshly in Federal Court? The Interaction of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Age, and Employment Status in the Sentencing of Drug Offenders

Recent studies of sentencing under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines suggest that unwarranted disparity has been reduced, but not eliminated. A number of studies conclude that legally irrelevant variables, including race/ethnicity and gender, continue to affect the sentences imposed on federal offenders. Research conducted at the state level also reveals that offender characteristics interact to create a punishment penalty for young, unemployed black and Hispanic male offenders. Our study builds on this research. Using data on drug offenders sentenced in three U.S. District Courts, we test for direct, indirect, and interactive effects of race and ethnicity on sentence severity. We find that gender, age, and employment status, but not race/ethnicity, have direct effects on sentencing, and that the effects of gender and employment status are conditioned by race/ethnicity. On the other hand, our results provide no support for our hypotheses that young black and Hispanic males and unemployed black and Hispani...
Clomiphene citrate-induced follicular development in the presence of an ovarian ectopic pregnancy

Objective To describe a case of a patient who had multiple follicular growth in the presence of an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy (EP). Design Case report. Setting In vitro fertilization unit at a university hospital. Patient(s) A 34-year-old patient with secondary infertility. Intervention(s) Superovulation with clomiphene citrate (CC) and IUI. Main Outcome Measure(s) Follicular development with CC stimulation documented by transvaginal ultrasound and β-hCG levels. Result(s) Two co-dominant follicles were observed with mean diameters of 22 mm and 24 mm. The patient had unexpectedly high levels of β-hCG at the time of missed menses and was subsequently diagnosed with an ovarian EP. Conclusion(s) Multiple follicular growths can occur in response to CC in spite of the presence of an ovarian EP.
Psychological stress and myocardial perfusion in coronary disease patients and healthy controls

This study examined the effect of two different psychological stressors on regional cardiac perfusion in six men with coronary heart disease (CHD) and nine healthy controls. Subjects recalled an anger experience and an anger plus helpless (i.e., Desperation Recall Task) experience during positron emission tomography (PET). Emotional reactivity, blood pressure, and heart rate were also assessed. Experimental manipulations generated significant emotional and cardiovascular reactivity. Cardiac perfusion to diseased myocardial segments failed to show any significant differences between CHD patients' diseased segments and controls' healthy segments for the Anger Recall task or the Desperation Recall Task. Results failed to confirm previous findings of coronary artery constriction while reliving an angry experience, yet are consistent with other studies utilizing mental arithmetic. Vasoactive medication use, sample size, and perfusion variability may have contributed to these findings.
Decreasing Putting Yips in Accomplished Golfers via Solution-Focused Guided Imagery: A Single-Subject Research Design

An across-subjects multiple-baseline design was used to evaluate the effects of solution-focused guided imagery (SFGI) on putting yips (e.g., jerk in the putting stroke) in three experienced (24 years or more), accomplished (handicap less than 7), male golfers located in the Southeastern United States. Each golfer participated in at least five SFGI sessions designed to guide him to create vivid images of thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways devoid of the problem (i.e., putting with a smooth continuous stroke). Data collected during participants’ regularly scheduled weekly golf rounds showed an immediate and sustained decrease in yips after SFGI sessions. Maintenance data collected three weeks after the last sessions showed that these decreases were maintained. Discussion focuses on future research and practice related to treatment of the yips and similar focal hand dystonia.
Pathology of arrested acinar development in postsurfactant bronchopulmonary dysplasia

To define the pathology of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in surfactant-treated patients (S-BPD), we reviewed 22 BPD patients (14 S-BPD and eight non-surfactant-treated [NS-BPD]) and 15 age-matched controls, the lungs from which had been processed after formalin inflation. These were studied for surfactant therapy, postconceptional age, crown-rump length, weight at autopsy, radial alveolar count (RAC), mean linear intercept (MLI), RAC/MLI ratio, and amount and extent of fibrosis. On trichrome staining, there was no alveolar septal fibrosis in the control group, whereas there was mild to moderate alveolar septal fibrosis in 5 of 14 S-BPD patients, of which three had fibrosis in most or all of the acini. In contrast, seven of eight NS-BPD had moderate to severe alveolar septal fibrosis in scattered acini throughout the lung. The patients were divided into two groups, with the first group having a postconceptional age at the time of death of up to 40 weeks' gestation. In group 1, the RAC in S-BPD (nine patients) was significantly lower than that of the controls (seven patients); mean, 4.14 and 5.13, respectively (P = .016), whereas the RAC in the NS-BPD (four patients) and the MLI in both S-BPD and NS-BPD were not statistically significantly different. In group 2, those with adjusted age greater than term, the mean RAC, a measure of acinar complexity, was 3.89 in the S-BPD (five patients) and 3.90 in the NS-BPD (four patients), whereas in the control group (eight patients), it was 5.79 (P = .0007). The mean MLI, a measure of alveolar size, was 0.21 and 0.17 in the S-BPD and NS-BPD groups, respectively, each of which was significantly greater than the mean value of 0.12 in the control group (P = .0003). The comparison of RAC/MLI ratios showed similar statistically significant differences. Based on these results, we conclude that (1) the amount of alveolar septal fibrosis is substantially less and tends to be more diffuse in S-BPD than in NS-BPD; (2) during the period after birth, there is a partial to complete arrest in acinar development (alveolar saccular and alveolar) of similar severity for S-BPD and NS-BPD; and (3) even though on histological examination there are minimal changes, RAC, MLI, and their ratio may be used to support the diagnosis of BPD and help in assessing the amount of lung damage that occurs in S-BPD.
Alprazolam in panic disorder: A retrospective analysis

Abstract 1. 1. The charts of 78 panic disorder outpatients treated with alprazolam (mean dose 4.30 mg/day, mean duration 31.9 months) were reviewed for demographics, past history (including substance abuse and major depression), and evidence of alprazolam abuse. In addition, the patients were evaluated by Clinical Global Index for improvement at last contact. 2. 2. Moderate to significant recovery was found in 77% of patients. Major depression was seen in 41%. Depressed patients were more likely to have coexisting agoraphobia and a past history of alcohol abuse than non-depressives. 3. 3. There was no DSM-III-R anxiolytic abuse, but 12% showed unauthorized use of the alprazolam. These subjects were three times more likely to have a history of drug abusethan non-misusers. 4. 4. These results indicate that alprazolam is effective in the long-term treatment of panic disorder, but that prolonged management may be required. Further, the data raise concerns about use in panic patients with substance abuse histories.
Fixation switch and diplopia after full macular translocation surgery.

Purpose We sought to identify and evaluate treatment of patients who switched fixation to the poorer-seeing eye and complained of persistent diplopia 6 to 12 months after full macular translocation surgery (MT360) and extraocular muscle surgery. Methods All patients enrolled in a prospective study undergoing MT360 and extraocular muscle surgery were included. All patients had sensorimotor examinations. Visual acuity and fixation preference between 6 and 12 months after MT360 and extraocular muscle surgery were analyzed. Results Preoperative median visual acuity was 20/100 in operated vs 20/640 in fellow eyes; after MT360, the values were similar to the preoperative values (n = 67). After MT360 but before extraocular muscle surgery, all patients preferred the fellow eye for ambulation. Six to 12 months after MT360, 58 of 67 (86%) patients fixated with the better-seeing eye (52 operated vs 6 fellow eyes); 4/67 (6%) fixated with the operated eye despite its poorer or equal visual acuity; 5 of 67 (8%) fixated with the poorer-seeing fellow eye, all 5 of whom experienced diplopia (ie, fixation switch and diplopia). Treatment of diplopia included Fresnel prism, additional extraocular muscle surgery, and occlusion. Conclusions Fixation switch to the poorer-seeing eye can occur after MT360, despite a successful visual outcome in the operated eye and the diplopia is difficult to treat.
Sexual Revictimization: Implications for Social Work Practice:

Substantial research demonstrates the existence of the sexual revictimization phenomenon; however, the problem of sexual revictimization is largely unattended and unexamined in the social work literature. Because of the pervasiveness of sexually violent victimization, social workers are frequently working with victim-survivors among their clients in child welfare, domestic violence, and sexual assault as well as physical health, mental health, and substance abuse settings. Social workers lacking a thorough knowledge about sexual revictimization and the strategies to prevent its occurrence may be missing important intervention opportunities. This paper helps to increase social workers’ awareness of the revictimization phenomenon and builds on the literature and research to provide recommendations for social work practice and research for revictimization prevention.
Applications of monolithic solid-phase extraction in chromatography-based clinical chemistry assays

Complex matrices, for example urine, serum, plasma, and whole blood, which are common in clinical chemistry testing, contain many non-analyte compounds that can interfere with either detection or in-source ionization in chromatography-based assays. To overcome this problem, analytes are extracted by protein precipitation, solid-phase extraction (SPE), and liquid–liquid extraction. With correct chemistry and well controlled material SPE may furnish clean specimens with consistent performance. Traditionally, SPE has been performed with particle-based adsorbents, but monolithic SPE is attracting increasing interest of clinical laboratories. Monoliths, solid pieces of stationary phase, have bimodal structures consisting of macropores, which enable passage of solvent, and mesopores, in which analytes are separated. This structure results in low back-pressure with separation capabilities similar to those of particle-based adsorbents. Monoliths also enable increased sample throughput, reduced solvent use, varied support formats, and/or automation. However, many of these monoliths are not commercially available. In this review, application of monoliths to purification of samples from humans before chromatography-based assays will be critically reviewed.
A real-time WARP-based data capture and playback test bed for DSP applications

A common approach to debugging real-time DSP algorithms for FPGAs is to process a known data set in simulation. However, when large data sets are necessary or desired, simulations can take a significant amount of time. The goal of the architecture presented in this paper is to allow these algorithms to be easily debugged utilizing the Wireless Open-Access Research Platform (WARP). The WARP can be a valuable tool as its 2GB DDR2 memory module is capable of storing a large number of data samples for processing by its FPGA. Data can be obtained in real-time from an RF front end for processing, or loaded into the platform via an Ethernet connection. The WARP can also be used as a waveform capture and export tool, providing data for future processing runs or simulation. In this paper, the architecture's capabilities for signal capture and storage are demonstrated through the capture of a GPS signal from a RF front end and subsequent export of the digitized signal to Matlab for post-processing.
Degeneration of the solutions of certain well-posed systems of partial differential equations depending on a small parameter

Degeneration of solutions of well-posed systems of first order partial differential equations when particular parameter approaches zero
SUPERSATURATION AND STONE COMPOSITION IN A NETWORK OF DISPERSED TREATMENT SITES

AbstractPurpose: We determined the validity of urine supersaturation assessed from 2, 24-hour urine collections from outpatients eating uncontrolled diets and receiving care at a network of treatment sites that uses a central laboratory. We compared supersaturation to stone composition to determine whether supersaturation values correlate with composition.Materials and Methods: Two 24-hour urine samples collected from 183 patients at 6 treatment sites were shipped to a single central laboratory. Complexations and crystallizations in vitro from aging during the transport step were interrupted by pH change in acid and alkaline directions. Relevant analytes were measured, and supersaturation was calculated for calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate as brushite and uric acid. Stone analysis was done at various laboratories.Results: Urine supersaturation values correlated well with stone composition. Higher calcium phosphate and uric acid supersaturation was noted when stones contained higher amounts of calcium ph...
Rank deficiency and superstability of hybrid systems with application to bipedal robots

The objectives of this paper are to study the rank properties of flows of hybrid systems, show that they are fundamentally different from those of smooth dynamical systems, and consider applications that emphasize the importance of these differences. In contrast with smooth dynamical systems, the rank of a solution to a hybrid system, a hybrid execution, is always less than the dimension of the space on which it evolves and falls within easily-computed and possibly distinct upper and lower bounds. Our main contribution is the derivation of conditions for when an execution fails to have maximal rank, i.e., when it is rank deficient. Given the importance of periodic behavior in many hybrid systems applications, for example in bipedal robots, these rank deficiency conditions are applied to the special case of periodic hybrid executions. Our secondary contribution is the derivation of superstability conditions for when a periodic execution has rank equal to 0 and is therefore completely insensitive to perturbations in initial conditions. The results are illustrated in application to a planar kneed biped.
Catalog information and text as indicators of relevance

The indicativity of a type of catalog information (or catalog field) is intended as a measure of how well the information in the field conveys the contents of the document it represents. In the experiments reported here, indicativity is measured for several catalog fields by comparing users' evaluations of the relevance of documents on the basis of the information in a given field with their judgments on the basis of full text. A small but statistically significant increase in indicativity is found as the length of a catalog field (as measured by the number of different content-word stems) is increased. The title field is found to have an indicativity of 0.64; matching subjects, 0.67; subjects, 0.70; abstract, 0.73. Despite the relatively small gain in indicativity for the longer fields, users value the longer fields highly for determining relevance if one judges by the amount of time they spend on them. Support for the hypothesis that the indicativity measure does not fully reflect the value of the fields is developed. Thus, the question of the cost effectiveness of the longer fields is unresolved. Other aspects of catalog field utility studied under the Project Intrex equipments are also reported.
Photothermal Therapy of Glioma in a Mouse Model With Near-Infrared Excited Nanoshells

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, with median survival of approximately 10 months and only 5% of patients surviving greater than 5 years after treatment (1). Surgery and radiotherapy are the main treatment modalities for primary brain tumors, but the associated risks are high when infiltrative tumors are positioned near sensitive regions in the brain. Nanoshells, nanoparticles characterized by a spherical silica core and a gold shell, may provide the opportunity to treat brain tumors in a minimally invasive manner, reducing the risk associated with treatment. Upon exposure to a near-infrared laser, nanoshells convert light energy into heat that can thermally ablate cancerous cells (2). Targeted photothermal ablation of human glioma and medulloblastoma cells has already been demonstrated with this technique in vitro (3).Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Enhanced expression of cytochrome P450s from lac-based plasmids using lactose as the inducer.

Abstract The cytochrome P450 expression systems used in Escherichia coli are highly regulated and involve the use of the lac repressor to control expression. Induction in these systems utilizes the nonmetabolizable analog of lactose, isopropyl-β- d -thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), which is the most expensive compound required for an E. coli expression system. To determine if the natural inducer lactose could be used to induce cytochrome P450 expression we examined the expression of three P450 enzymes in E. coli using two different expression systems, pTrc99A and the T7-based PET22b vector. For both systems lactose was found to induce expression of active P450 to concentrations that exceeded the levels achieved with IPTG. A 20-liter fermentation of a P450 expression system in the pTrc plasmid in which lactose was used as the inducer resulted in 2.4 μ mol P450/liter, with a total yield of 2 g of cytochrome P450. The use of lactose for protein expression in E. coli should be broadly useful for the inexpensive, large-scale production of heterologous proteins in E. coli.
A taxonomic review of methods and tools applied in technology assessment

Abstract Technology Assessment (TA) has been a growing field of management study for the past four decades. An increasing number of studies have been carried out over the years contributing to the development of TA literature. Some of these studies summarized the history and growth of the field during its evolution. However, there has been no effort made to present an overview of the methods and tools that have been cited in TA literature. This paper attempts to fill that void. A thorough review of the TA articles published in leading journals in the management of technology field is conducted to identify the research methods or tools in those studies. The paper provides an introductory review of the use of technology assessment terminology during its development, which helps the readers avoid the confusion of the TA concept since its origination in public decision making forty years ago and where it is now — widely adopted in other sectors. A thorough presentation of the approaches, methods and tools that have been introduced or employed in both mainstream TA and “inverted TA” studies is then provided. The main content of the paper is related to the works published in leading international journals that involve certain research methods or techniques.
Enhanced blood compatibility of silicon coated with a self-assembled poly(ethylene glycol) and monomethoxypoly(ethylene glycol)

Silicon biomedical microdevices generally require surface modifications to improve their biocompatibility. ONe of the challenges in the field is the development of molecular coatings for devices with nanofeatures.In this paper we report the results of our investigation of synthetic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and monomethoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) coatings incorporating functional groups that in turn immobilize self-assembled monolayers. The properties of the modified surfaces were characterized by ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy. Protein adsorption as well as platelet adhesion to the treated surfaces were studied to evaluate the non-fouling property of the PEG-enriched surface layers. Both PEG- and MPEG-modified surfaces showed significant suppression in plasma protein adsorption and platelet adhesion.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of acute carbon monoxide exposure on cardiopulmonary function of the awake rat.

Abstract Unanesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 20 min to 0 (control), 2000, or 4000 ppm carbon monoxide, and cardiopulmonary responses were evaluated. Venous blood samples were taken prior to exposure and at 2, 4, 7, 11, 15, and 20 min during exposure. Responses for CO-exposed animals were compared at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60% carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), and these values were compared to control values at similar times during exposure. Fifty percent COHb was attained within 4 to 8.5 min at 4000 ppm and 11 to 14 min at 2000 ppm. For both CO exposure groups, mean arterial pressure first decreased at 40% COHb and fell to 69% of baseline at 60% COHb. Tidal volume and breathing frequency increases resulted in minute volume elevations of 52 (2000 ppm) and 77% (4000 ppm) at 60% COHb. Minute volume was elevated at 50 and 60% COHb at 4000 ppm, but was not elevated until 60% COHb for 2000-ppm exposures. The earlier ventilatory stimulation at 4000 ppm may have been a by-product of increased agitation observed in rats exposed to the higher concentration.
High order compact scheme with multigrid local mesh refinement procedure for convection diffusion problems

We derive a new fourth order compact finite difference scheme which allows different meshsize in different coordinate directions for the two-dimensional convection diffusion equation. A multilevel local mesh refinement strategy is used to deal with the local singularity problem. A corresponding multilevel multigrid method is designed to solve the resulting sparse linear system. Numerical experiments are conducted to show that the local mesh refinement strategy works well with the high order compact discretization scheme to recover high order accuracy for the computed solution. Our solution method is also shown to be effective and robust with respect to the level of mesh refinement and the anisotropy of the problems.
Can remanent magnetization in the deep crust contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies

Long wavelength aeromagnetic anomalies require sources in the deep crust that are far more magnetic than the measured induced magnetization of lower crustal rocks. Several scientists have suggested that remanence in the deep crust may provide the missing magnetization. This is not likely, either through stable and/or viscous remanence. Bodies large enough to contribute to surface anomalies and carrying stable remanence probably cooled slowly enough that they are subdivided into zones of alternating polarity. This subdivision sharply reduces the power in the long wavelength portion of the anomaly spectrum. On the other hand, if such a body carries a viscous remanence, the viscous component will be acquired in such a way as to bring the total magnetization of the body into equilibrium with the earth's field. This equilibrium total magnetization is only about 25% greater than the induced magnetization, not enough to explain the discrepancy.
Analysis of heterologous regulatory and coding regions in algal chloroplasts

The basic photosynthetic apparatus is highly conserved across all photosynthetic organisms, and this conservation can be seen in both protein composition and amino acid sequence. Conservation of regulatory elements also seems possible in chloroplast genes, as many mRNA untranslated regions (UTRs) appear to have similar structural elements. The D1 protein of Photosystem II (psbA gene) is a highly conserved core reaction center protein that shows very similar regulation from cyanobacteria through higher plants. We engineered full and partial psbA genes from a diverse set of photosynthetic organisms into a psbA deficient strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Analysis of D1 protein accumulation and photosynthetic growth revealed that coding sequences and promoters are interchangeable even between anciently diverged species. On the other hand functional recognition of 5′ UTRs is limited to closely related organisms. Furthermore transformation of heterologous promoters and 5′ UTRs from the atpA, tufA and psbD genes conferred psbA mRNA accumulation but not translation. Overall, our results show that heterologous D1 proteins can be expressed and complement Photosystem II function in green algae, while RNA regulatory elements appear to be very specific and function only from closely related species. Nonetheless, there is great potential for the expression of heterologous photosynthetic coding sequences for studying and modifying photosynthesis in C. reinhardtii chloroplasts.
Analysis of a microwave-heated planar propagating hydrogen plasma

The heating of a gas to high temperatures by absorption of microwave radiation has been proposed as a potential electrothermal rocket propulsion system. One possible mode of microwave energy absorption is by means of a planar plasma region propagating toward the source of the microwave radiation. Such a planar propagating plasma can be spatially stabilized by a gas stream flowing in the same direction as the microwave radiation with a velocity equal to the plasma propagation velocity. A one-dimensional analysis of the microwave-heated planar propagating plasma for hydrogen gas was developed to predict maximum gas temperatures and propagation velocities. The governing electromagnetic and energy equations were numerically integrated with temperature-dependent thermodynamic properties of equilibrium hydrogen. The propagation velocity eigenvalue was solved by means of an iterative technique. Temperature distribution in the gas, propagation velocities, and percent power absorbed, reflected and transmitted, were obtained as a function of incident microwave power at a frequency of 2.45 GHza for hydrogen gas pressures of 1 and 10 atm. 19 references.
Aperture tolerance theory - A review

Summary form only given, as follows. The theoretical basis of antenna tolerance theory will be reviewed. Application will be made to actual large antenna structures. Methods will be discussed of determining the reflector surface tolerance and the error correlation interval by means of electrical measurements.
Influence of polysorbate 20 and sodium cholate on uptake of p-hydroxybenzoates by the frog, Rana pipiens

The frog, Runa pipiens, was found to take up certain p-hydroxybenzoates when partially immersed in a solution of these substances. The order of decreasing uptake rates for the benzoates was butyl, propyl, ethyl, and methyl. The presence of a nonionic surfactant, polysorbate 20, reversed the order; however, a biological surfactant, sodium cholate, appeared to increase the rate of uptake of the parabens. The process was first order.
Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of 3-D [RuII/III2(O2CMe)4]3[MIII(CN)6] (M = Cr, Fe, Co)

Three-dimensional network structures of [Ru(II/III)(2)(O(2)CMe)(4)](3)[M(III)(CN)(6)] (M = Cr, Fe, Co) composition have been formed and their magnetic properties characterized. [Ru(II/III)(2)(O(2)CMe)(4)](3)[M(III)(CN)(6)] (M = Cr, Fe, Co) have nu(CN) IR absorptions at 2138, 2116, and 2125 cm(-1) and have body-centered unit cells (a = 13.34, 13.30, and 13.10 A, respectively) with -M-Ctbd1;N-Ru=Ru-Ntbd1;C-M- linkages along all three Cartesian axes. [Ru(II/III)(2)(O(2)CMe)(4)](3)[Cr(III)(CN)(6)] magnetically orders as a ferrimagnet (T(c) = 33 K) and has an unusual constricted hysteresis loop.
Considering the diagnosis of occipitocervical dissociation

COMMENTARY ON Gire JD, Roberto RF, Bobinski M, et al. The utility and accuracy of computed tomography in the diagnosis of occipitocervical dissociation. Spine J 2013;13:510–9 ( in this issue ).
Amphetamine induced turning behavior as an index of stroke in the mongolian gerbil

The effects of i.p. injections of amphetamine and apomorphine were determined before and after unilateral ligation of the carotid artery in the gerbil. Significant increases in turning behavior were observed in the absence of neurohistological evidence of infarction.
The Model Coupling Toolkit: A New Fortran90 Toolkit for Building Multiphysics Parallel Coupled Models

Many problems in science and engineering are best simulated as a set of mutually interacting models, resulting in a coupled or multiphysics model. These models present challenges stemming from their interdisciplinary nature and from their computational and algorithmic complexities. The computational complexity of individual models, combined with the popularity of the distributed-memory parallel programming model used on commodity micro-processor-based clusters, results in a parallel coupling problem when building a coupled model. We define and elucidate this problem and how it results in a set of requirements for software capable of simplifying the construction of parallel coupled models. We describe the package, the Model Coupling Toolkit (MCT), which we have developed to meet these general requirements and the specific requirements of a parallel climate model. We present the MCT programming model with illustrative code examples. We present representative results that measure MCT's scalability, performance portability, and a proxy for coupling overhead.
Optimal remediation with well locations and pumping rates selected as continuous decision variables

Abstract The design of a pump-and-treat groundwater remediation system can be solved as an optimization problem. A common approach in this formulation is to minimize the total cost of the pump-and-treat system, while defining the locations and extraction or injection rates of the candidate pumping wells as continuous decision variables. With this choice, the degree of freedom added to the optimization problem yields significant improvements on the solution. In this approach coupled solution of groundwater simulation models and optimization algorithms are required. The repeated use of the groundwater simulation models throughout the optimization cycle tends to be numerically complex and computationally costly when the governing equations are nonlinear. To overcome this drawback, we propose a new computational procedure, identified as progressive genetic algorithm (PGA), to solve the optimal design problem. PGA is a subdomain method, which combines standard genetic algorithm with ground water simulation models in an iterative solution process and provides a powerful tool for the solution of highly nonlinear optimization problems. Numerical examples are included to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Applications indicate that the proposed approach provides a feasible alternative for the solution of nonlinear optimization problems in groundwater management.
Amyloidogenesis in Alzheimer's disease: basic biology and animal models

A principal neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is deposition of beta-amyloid, composed primarily of a 4 kD peptide, A beta. This peptide is derived from larger amyloid precursor proteins. The mechanisms that are responsible for A beta formation in vivo are unknown. Recently, transgenic strategies have been employed to test several hypothetical mechanisms in order to reproduce Alzheimer's disease-specific pathology in rodents.