cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of Trials Associated With Drugs Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015 and 2016.

INTRODUCTION New drug products are tested for safety and efficacy in clinical trials before being approved for use in medical practice. Clinical trial data are often misreported or underreported to ClinicalTrials.gov and in the medical literature. There is limited research on clinical trial characteristics for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs, particularly examining differences in characteristics across different approval pathways or therapeutic indications. METHODS Data from the Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) were used to compare the characteristics of completed clinical trials for drugs approved by the FDA in 2015 and 2016 across different approval pathways (expedited vs. nonexpedited) and therapeutic indications (oncology vs. nononcology). RESULTS There were 59 novel therapeutic drugs approved by the FDA in 2015 and 2016. A search of the AACT database yielded 955 studies that were associated with these 59 drugs. Median Phase 2 trial enrollment was smaller for drugs granted expedited approval compared with drugs without expedited approval (60 vs. 94; P=0.0079) and for oncology drugs compared with nononcology drugs (53 vs. 92; P<0.001). In general, trials across all phases were less likely to be blinded for drugs that received expedited approval compared with drugs without expedited approval and for oncology drugs compared with nononcology drugs. CONCLUSIONS The characteristics of clinical trials differ across different approval pathways and therapeutic indications. More research is needed to determine whether the information from clinical trials of approved drugs is sufficient to adequately inform the public regarding their potential benefits and harms.
What's the Price? Toxicities of Targeted Therapies in Breast Cancer Care.

Agents with mechanisms novel to breast cancer care have been approved to treat breast cancer. These agents include drugs that target cyclin-dependent kinases, phosphoinositide 3-kinase PI3KCA gene ...
Magnetic characterization of rare-earth oxide nanoparticles

High saturation magnetization and hysteresis-less magnetic responses are desirable for nanoparticles in scientific and technological applications. Rare-earth oxides are potentially promising materials because of their paramagnetism and high magnetic susceptibility in the bulk, but the magnetic properties of their nanoparticles remain incompletely characterized. Here, we present full M–H loops for commercial RE2O3 nanoparticles (RE = Er, Gd, Dy, Ho) with radii from 10–25 nm at room temperature and 4 K. The magnetic responses are consistent with two distinct populations of atoms, one displaying the ideal Re3+ magnetic moment and the other displaying a sub-ideal magnetic moment. If all sub-ideal ions are taken to be on the surface, the data are consistent with ≈ 2 − 10 nm surface layers of reduced magnetization. The magnetization of the rare-earth oxide nanoparticles at low temperatures (1.3–1.9 T) exceeds that of the best iron-based nanoparticles, making rare-earth oxides candidates for use in next-generation cryogenic magnetic devices that demand a combination of hysteresis-less response and high magnetization.
What is considered as global health scholarship? A meta-knowledge analysis of global health journals and definitions.

Despite the rapid growth of the global health field over the past few decades, consensus on what qualifies as global health scholarship or practice remains elusive. We conducted a meta-knowledge analysis of the titles and abstracts of articles published in 25 journals labelled as global health journals between 2001 and 2019. We identified the major topics in these journals by creating clusters based on terms co-occurrence over time. We also conducted a review of global health definitions during the same period. The analysis included 16 413 articles. The number of journals, labelled as global health, and articles published in these journals, increased dramatically during the study period. The majority of global health publications focused on topics prevalent in low-resource settings. Governance, infectious diseases, and maternal and child health were major topics throughout the analysis period. Surveillance and disease outcomes appeared during the 2006–2010 epoch and continued, with increasing complexity, until the 2016–2019 epoch. Malaria, sexual and reproductive health, and research methodology appeared for only one epoch as major topics. We included 11 relevant definitions in this analysis. Definitions of global health were not aligned with the major topics identified in the analysis of articles published in global health journals. These results highlight a lack of alignment between what is published as global health scholarship and global health definitions, which often advocate taking a global perspective to population health. Our analysis suggests that global health has not truly moved beyond its predecessor, international health. There is a need to define the parameters of the discipline and investigate the disconnect between what is published in global health versus how the field is defined.
Disparities in Documented Drug Use Disorders Between Transgender and Cisgender U.S. Veterans Health Administration Patients.

Objectives Transgender people-those whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth-are at risk for health disparities resulting from stressors such as discrimination and violence. Transgender people report more drug use than cisgender people; however, it is unclear whether they have higher likelihood of drug use disorders. We examined whether transgender patients have increased likelihood of documented drug use disorders relative to cisgender patients in the national Veterans Health Administration (VA). Methods Electronic health record data were extracted for VA outpatients from 10/1/09 to 7/31/17. Transgender status and past-year documentation of drug use disorders (any, opioid, amphetamine, cocaine, cannabis, sedative, hallucinogen) were measured using diagnostic codes. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios for drug use disorders among transgender compared to cisgender patients, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity and year. Effect modification by presence of ≥1 mental health condition was tested using multiplicative interaction. Results Among 8,872,793 patients, 8619 (0.1%) were transgender. Transgender patients were more likely than cisgender patients to have any drug use disorder (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53-1.83), amphetamine (aOR 2.22, 95% CI 1.82-2.70), cocaine (aOR 1.59, 95% CI 1.29-1.95), and cannabis (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.62-2.05) use disorders. There was no significant interaction by presence of ≥1 mental health condition. Conclusions Transgender VA patients may have higher likelihood of certain drug use disorders than cisgender VA patients, particularly amphetamine use disorder. Future research should explore mechanisms underlying disparities and potential barriers to accessing treatment and harm reduction services faced by transgender people.
Slavery, economics, race and convict leasing: A general and materialist history of punishment and prisons in Florida, 1840-1923

This paper employs archival data and historical analysis to trace Florida’s penal history, and to connect that history to the economic and social context of the time. Section I reviews the history ...
Against the Airport and its World: The ZAD and Frontiers

The international airport is the quintessence of globalized free-market capitalism: there, the conquering of distances, fluid circulation of people and goods, advertising and consumption of product...
A Policy Shift from State to Non-State in Education Aid: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the UK's Development Policies.

Due to the historically outsized influence of the United Kingdom’s development assistance office on international aid, a better understanding of the underlying ideologies and political priorities guiding this agency would help the larger aid community more clearly understand the power dynamics and structural context of the development industry. However, these ideologies and dynamics are often left implicit and are not always easily understood. The purpose of this article is to use critical discourse analysis to unpack the ideologies, political priorities and power dynamics present in DfID’s official education policy documents. In so doing, we make the implicit explicit, and begin to unpack the implicit meanings and assumptions that are present in these written texts, particularly regarding the deprioritized role of the state in providing a high-quality education. We argue that this analysis reveals an underlying perception within DfID that the private sector is more effective at providing public education in developing countries than the public sector.
Return to the Echo Chamber: Race, Sound and the Future of Community (Excerpt)

Jamaican sound system culture has long grounded my work because it foregrounds race due to much of the lyrical and ideological content, and technology via the obsession with sonic reproduction. Over twenty years after first establishing these connections, a return to them is clearly overdue given their rootedness in immigrant sub-cultures and counter-publics. However, as described by Martiniquan theorist, Edouard Glissant, this return cannot be motivated by “a longing for origins, to some immutable state of being”, but instead must be towards “the point of entanglement”, to where we discovered the complexities and contradictions in the first place. For me that tangled knot has always featured a contentious weaving of two primary threads, two elements that historically make each other sensible but which still have no essential or satisfactory relationship to each other—race and sound.
Adherence Patterns to Prenatal Vitamins and Pregnancy Health Behaviours

Objective: To examine general adherence to pregnancy health behaviours among HIV-negative and HIV-positive pregnant women.
Differential Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Obese and Non-Obese Population

Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes in patients with heart disease. We investigated the differences in outcomes of comprehensive phase II CR in obese and non-obese patients. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of functional outcomes including metabolic equivalents (METS), heart rate (chronotropic competence - CC), and blood pressure response (BPR) in 178 patients undergoing CR based on underlying body mass index (BMI). Demographic and clinical variables were assessed for age, gender, race, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, medication use, and several sessions attended. Results Initial CC and METS were impaired in majority of patients attending CR, whereas BPR to exercise was mostly preserved. Significant improvement occurred in CC (non-obese: 0.71 ± 0.11 vs 0.76 ± 0.11, p 0.05). Conclusion CR concurrently improves functional outcomes in both obese and non-obese patients despite no associated weight loss. The difference in BPR, however, is seen in only non-obese individuals. Future studies are needed to validate the role of weight-optimized CR protocols as a potential target for improving cardiac outcomes.
Clinical Use of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) in the Management of Hemorrhage Control: Where Are We Now?

Hemorrhagic shock remains the leading cause of potentially preventable death following traumatic injuries. Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) has demonstrated promising results in the control of non-compressible torso hemorrhage. The purpose of this review is to summarize the indications, procedural techniques, and complications of REBOA in order to help define practice management guidelines. Recent studies suggest that REBOA is advantageous in aiding hemodynamic stabilization as a bridge to definitive hemorrhage control. REBOA is a feasible option for non-compressible torso hemorrhage as well as traumatic cardiac arrest and has the potential to improve morbidity and mortality in select patient populations. Despite favorable emerging data, varying results in the literature indicate the need for further high-quality reproducible data and multicenter trials to identify the ideal clinical scenarios for REBOA. This review discusses special considerations and future directions for next generation REBOA use.
Planning Algorithms: Sensors and Information Spaces

Up until now it has been assumed everywhere that the current state is known. What if the state is not known? In this case, information regarding the state is obtained from sensors during the execution of a plan. This situation arises in most applications that involve interaction with the physical world. For example, in robotics it is virtually impossible for a robot to precisely know its state, except in some limited cases. What should be done if there is limited information regarding the state? A classical approach is to take all of the information available and try to estimate the state. In robotics, the state may include both the map of its environment and the robot configuration. If the estimates are sufficiently reliable, then we may safely pretend that there is no uncertainty in state information. This enables many of the planning methods introduced so far to be applied with little or no adaptation. The more interesting case occurs when state estimation is altogether avoided. It may be surprising, but many important tasks can be defined and solved without ever requiring that specific states are sensed, even though a state space is defined for the planning problem. To achieve this, the planning problem will be expressed in terms of an information space . Information spaces serve the same purpose for sensing problems as the configuration spaces of Chapter 4 did for problems that involve geometric transformations. Each information space represents the place where a problem that involves sensing uncertainty naturally lives.
Methods for Computing Supersonic Aerodynamic Flutter Coefficients for Two-Dimensional Flow

SUMMARY The object of this paper is to collect and discuss some of the existing methods of calculating supersonic aerodynamic flutter coefficients and to exhibit a new method for evaluating certain associated integrals. The eight real and imaginary parts of the coefficients are expressed in terms of Mach Number and reduced frequency (co) by means of convergent series involving the sine and cosine of co. It is thought that this paper will be of value to engineers engaged in supersonic flutter anabasis.
Immunoglobulin gene diversification by gene conversion.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses recent advances in the study of gene conversion, primarily in the chicken, and on current models for the molecular mechanism of this form of somatic gene conversion. Most of the higher vertebrates, including teleost fish, the amphibian Xenopus, the reptile Caiman, and most of the mammalian species studied, appear to rely on these combinatorial and junctional mechanisms to generate the primary antibody repertoire. Gene conversion in the chicken immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) locus has been shown to be restricted to the rearranged V gene segment, and does not occur in the leader region, the J gene segment, or within a germline IgL allele that has not undergone V-J joining. The chicken immunoglobulin heavy chain IgH and IgL loci are novel in that, they each contain only single V and J gene segments that are capable of undergoing V(D)J joining in B cell progenitors. In addition, V(D)J recombination in the chicken is not an ongoing development process. V(D)J joining is complete by day 18 of embryogenesis, and chicken progenitor B cells then migrate to a specialized lymphoid organ, the bursa of Fabricius, which is a posterior invagination of the cloaca of avian species. More recently, gene conversion has also been demonstrated to generate somatic immunoglobulin diversity in rabbit, a mammalian species well known for the diversity of its immune response. Although less is known about the mechanism of gene conversion than that of V(D)J joining, recent work has begun to shed some light on the molecular mechanisms involved in immunoglobulin gene conversion.
Simple new test for rapid differentiation of Prototheca stagnora from P. wickerhamii and P. zopfii

A simple new test to differentiatePrototheca wickerhamii andP. zopfii fromP. stagnora by determining susceptibility to neomycin is described. Susceptibility determined using a 30 µg neomycin disk provides a rapid and reliable means of distinguishingP. wickerhamii andP. zopfii fromP. stagnora.
THE RETURN OF THE STATE? FRENCH ECONOMIC POLICY UNDER NICOLAS SARKOZY

France would seem to be a prime candidate for a vigorous state response to the economic crisis. The country has a long tradition of dirigiste or state-led economic development and its President, Nicolas Sarkozy has been an outspoken critic of laissez- faire capitalism and proponent of more robust regulation. Following the 2008 financial meltdown, the Sarkozy administration announced a series of statist initiatives, ranging from fiscal stimulus, to industrial policy, to financial and economic regulation. Yet this paper will show that the reality of France's response to the crisis has fallen well short of the statist rhetoric. The government has committed few additional resources, displayed little inclination to steer business strategies, and balked at issuing regulations in the absence of pan-European coordination. This paper argues that Sarkozy's neo-statist initiatives have been largely checked by the legacies of shifts in French economic policy a quarter-century ago. In particular, the break with the dirigiste model in 1983 has deprived French authorities of many of the institutions and instruments associated with state-led development, while the massive expansion of social and labor market programs that eased the movement away from dirigisme has left the government without the fiscal capacity to launch expensive new promotional policies. The broader lesson is that a country's response to crisis is shaped by long-term structural factors, not just short-term political calculations, and that even when neo-liberalism is widely believed to have failed, a statist response must be forged, not simply presumed.
Multibeam Phased Arrays

This article discusses the basic principles, design and application of phased array antennas for communications. Specifically addressed, are the implementation of multiple simultaneous antenna beams, and adaptive dynamic antenna beam positioning. Basic mathematical representations are employed to describe the concepts and principles of multibeam phased array design and analysis. Numerical examples and graphical results are used to elucidate the formalized summary descriptions. Two examples of current, novel applications of multibeam phased arrays for communication are presented, which capture the fascinating utility and implications of this technology. Keywords: multiple beam antenna; multibeam array; phased array antenna; TDRSS; iridium; multi-user antenna; adaptive array; beam steering; digital beamforming; DBF; multiple access; cancellaltion
Operation of a 1-liter-volume gaseous argon proportional scintillation counter

Abstract We have built a gas-phase argon ionization detector to measure small nuclear recoil energies ( 10 keVee ) . In this paper, we describe the detector response to X-ray and gamma calibration sources, including analysis of pulse shapes, software triggers, optimization of gas content, and energy- and position-dependence of the signal. We compare our experimental results against simulation using a 5.9-keV X-ray source, as well as higher-energy gamma sources up to 1332 keV. We conclude with a description of the detector, DAQ, and software settings optimized for a measurement of the low-energy nuclear quenching factor in gaseous argon. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in part under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and in part under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Funded by Lab-wide LDRD. LLNL-JRNL-415990-DRAFT.
Customer handling intermediate server — an architecture-led project

The customer handling intermediate server (CHIS) project is seeking to pioneer the implementation of key elements of a three-tier client/server architecture for BT‘s operational support systems (OSS). CHIS makes comprehensive use of the Open Group‘s Distributed Computing Environment (DCE). The paper explains the justification for CHIS, outlines its scope and design principles, and discusses the practical difficulties, both technical and managerial, which have been experienced in its initial stages, and the solutions adopted.
An application of the pseudo boundary of an unstable polytope of polynomials

The authors propose a very useful application of the pseudoboundary of an unstable polytope of polynomials by giving a unified procedure to test the stability of uncertain polynomials with multilinear coefficients or even polynomial coefficients in the parameters. In the case when the number of parameters involved in the coefficients of the polynomials is at most three, one can actually partition the parameter space in such a manner that one region gives rise to the stable part and the other the unstable part of the polytope of polynomials. An illustrative example is given. >
Tournefort, Joseph Pitton de

1656–1708 French doctor, botanist and taxonomist who helped develop the modern notion of the genus. Keywords: botany; medicine; Jardin du Roi; natural history; taxonomy
Distributed Signal Processing in a Bandwidth Constrained Sensor Network

This paper presents a powerpoint presentation that focuses on the distributed signal processing capability of bandwidth constrained sensor networks. A simple (isotropic) universal decentralised estimation scheme (DES) with known PDF are presented for the ad hoc sensor network along with sensor networks with a fusion center. The paper also examines the trade-off of network size and MSE under the bandwidth constraint
Structural constraints on communication: The diffusion of the homomorphic signal analysis technique through scientific fields

Within an organizational environment there are a variety of communication channels through which information can and does diffuse. One's view about the nature of information affects which type of c...
The Abundance of Grass Aphids in Eastern England as shown hy Sticky Trap Catches

SUMMARY The numbers of several species of grass aphids caught on cylindrical sticky traps at Rothamsted Experimental Station from 1942–46 and from 1951–69, and at Broom's Barn Experimental Station from 1960–69, are given. Metopolophium dirhodum was the commonest grass-feeding aphid caught. M. dirhodum and Metopolophium festucae are attracted to yellow traps, which were used from 1946 onwards, but relatively few M. festucae were caught compared with M. dirhodum. Macrosiphum avenae, Macrosiphum fragariae and Rhopalosiphum spp. are not strongly attracted to yellow but are impacted by the wind on sticky traps. M. avenae 2ind Metopolophium dirhodum were exceptionally abundant at Rothamsted in 1968. Macrosiphum avenae was also exceptionally abundant at Broom's Barn in 1968, but the largest catch there of Metopolophium dirhodum was in 1961.
Extending the travel range of analog-tuned electrostatic actuators

The pull-in instability limits the travel distance of elastically suspended parallel-plate electrostatic microactuators to about 1/3 of the undeflected gap distance. In this paper, we examine the "leveraged bending" and "strain-stiffening" methods for extending the travel range of electrostatic actuators. The leveraged bending effect can be used to achieve full gap travel at the cost of increased actuation voltage. The strain-stiffening effect can be used to minimize actuation voltage for a given travel range. An analytical approximation shows that the strain-stiffening effect can be used to achieve a stable travel distance up to about 3/5 of the gap. A tunable reflective diffraction grating known as the polychromator has been designed using these actuation techniques, and selected designs have been fabricated and tested for actuation behavior. Gratings with 1024 flat, closely packed grating-element actuators have been fabricated with over 1-cm-long mirrors, achieving stable vertical travel distances of more than 1.75 /spl mu/m out of a 2-/spl mu/m gap.
Immobilization of cytochrome c on beaded poly(N-acrylylpyrrolidine)

Abstract In order to examine a procedure whereby the points of covalent attachment between the components of a protein-polymer conjugate could be determined, horse heart cytochrome c was attached to a beaded copolymer of N -acrylylpyrrolidine, N , N ′-bis(acrylyl)-1,2-diaminoethane and N -acrylyl-1,6-aminohexane through a cleavable azo linkage. Studies of protein removed from this conjugate showed that attachment of the polymer to cytochrome occurred predominantly through single lysine residues on the protein surface; lysine-25 was tentatively identified as the residue most extensively utilized in this way. Protein was also linked to the polymer by two lysine residues and a significant amount of protein was irreversibly attached to the polymer under the reaction conditions used.
SV40-adenovirus “hybrids”: Presence of two genotypes and the requirement of their complementation for viral replication

Abstract Virus populations that carry genes of adenovirus 7 and of SV40 were studied for their ability to infect and replicate in human and green monkey kidney cells. Cytolytic infection and resultant plaque formation in monkey cells require two separate virus particles; the cytopathic infection of a human cell requires only one particle. Evidence is presented that the two particles required for the infection of a simian cell are phenotypically similar in that each particle has an adenovirus capsid. However, the particles are genotypically different in that SV40-derived genes are carried by only one of them, while the second particle seems to contain only the adenovirus genome.
Identification and Characterization of an Aeromonas salmonicida (syn Haemophilus piscium) Strain That Reduces Selenite to Elemental Red Selenium

A bacterium that reduces toxic and mobile selenite to insoluble elemental selenium (Se0) was isolated from a laboratory scale permeable reactive biobarrier. Biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequence alignment identified the isolate as Aeromonas salmonicida. Two colony types were isolated, one more resistant to selenite than the other. Both grew on agar plates containing 16 mM selenite, although the colony diameter was reduced to 8% of controls with the small colony type and to 18% with the large colony type. Further study was done with the large colony type. In anaerobic culture, this bacterium was able to use nitrate as a term electron acceptor but not selenate or selenite. In aerobic culture, when no nitrate was present, early log phase cells removed selenite at a rate of 2.6 ± 0.42 μmol SeO 3 −2 /mg protein/day. Reduction was retarded by 25 mM nitrate. Mutants with a diminished ability to reduce selenite to Se0 also had a reduced ability to reduce nitrate to nitrous oxide. This bacterium, or perhaps its enzymes or DNA, might be used to remove selenite from contaminated groundwaters.
Simulation of distributed sensor network for dynamic retargeting

An important element of Army transformation efforts is the development of significantly improved munitions. Amongst aggressive goals is a capability to achieve "one shot... at least one kill..." for non-line-of-sight encounters at extended ranges. This objective places unprecedented requirements on sensor technology. A network of sensors must be able to detect, locate, and track the targets; estimate their positions; and periodically uplink that information to the munition, while it is in flight. The Army Research Laboratory formulated the Distributed Sensor Network for Dynamic Retargeting program to address these target-acquisition and dynamic retargeting issues.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Risk stratification after acute myocardial infarction by means of exercise two-dimensional echocardiography

To determine whether exercise two-dimensional echocardiography contributes to the prognostic information provided by exercise testing in patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction, 40 patients were prospectively studied by means of pre- and postexercise echocardiography 10 to 21 days after myocardial infarction. Patients were followed for 6 to 10 months or until one of the following clinical end points occurred: death, recurrent myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or coronary artery bypass grafting. Results of treadmill exercise tests were negative in 13 of 20 patients with good clinical outcome (65% specificity) and positive in 11 of 20 patients with poor clinical outcome (55% sensitivity). The resting echocardiogram was abnormal in 37 of 40 patients. The exercise echocardiogram was negative in 19 of 20 patients with good clinical outcome (95% specificity) and positive in 16 of 20 patients with poor clinical outcome (80% sensitivity). We conclude that exercise echocardiography is more sensitive and specific than treadmill exercise testing for predicting the occurrence of subsequent cardiac events after acute myocardial infarction.
Non-Darcy Compressible Flow of Real Gases in Propped Fracture

The development of a simple hyraulically fractured gas well model is presented. A one-dimensional fracture flow model is used to investigate the effects of non-Darcy flow of a real gas in a hydraulically induced, vertical, propped fracture. A sensitivity analysis was performed on the inertial resistance factor BETA, to determine how any variation in the value of BETA would affect performance predictions based on non-Darcy flow. It was observed that non-Darcy flow effects in the fracture may be significant especially at the vicinity of the wellbore. It was also noted that the accuracy of non-Darcy flow predictions is quite sensitive to the interial resistance factor. Test results of the model are presented.
STUDIES ON VIGOR. VIII. THE EFFECT OF SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION OF CORPUS LUTEUM EXTRACT ON VOLUNTARY ACTIVITY IN THE FEMALE ALBINO RAT

Although the sterilizing effect of corpus luteum extracts has been shown by Haberlandt (1), Knaus (2), and Papanicolaon (3), how the active principle produces its effect has not been made clear. The correspondence between the sex cycle and voluntary activity as described by Wang (4), and Slonaker (5) in the white rat suggest the possibility of throwing some light on the question by observing what effect such extracts exert upon this activity. Presumably any positive effect observed would be ascribable to an influence of the corpus luteum upon the ovarian follicular development. For this experiment thirty-eight rats were placed in recording activity cages (6) for “typing” when about seven months old. Within a few days they began to manifest the usual oestrual variation in activity, becoming much more active every fourth or fifth day. Fig. 1. After typing, fifteen were selected for the corpus luteum treatment and nine generally from corresponding litters for controls, the former group being somewhat the mor...
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS AT PRIVATE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

There is a plethora of studies concerning the academic performance of students after they transfer from 2‐year to 4‐year colleges or universities. These studies, however, have predominately included transfers to public colleges and universities. Researchers have not included the private liberal arts college in such investigations. With the continued increases in community college enrollment, a number of private liberal arts colleges are interested in exploring the viability of this market as a means to increase or stabilize enrollment. This study examined the grade point average declines (transfer shock) experienced by community college transfer students at 2 private liberal arts colleges. The sample included 216 students who transferred from a community college to either Benedictine College (Kansas) or Saint Vincent College (Pennsylvania) over a 9‐semester time period. Results indicate that the transfer shock experienced at these private liberal arts colleges was at the lower end of magnitude in comparis...
Late-Quaternary lowstands of Lake Titicaca: evidence from high-resolution seismic data

Abstract Approximately 600 km of high-resolution seismic reflection data were collected to investigate the late-Quaternary stratigraphic development of Lake Titicaca. The focus of this report is on two seismic sequence boundaries, which are interpreted as erosional surfaces formed at times of low lake level. The younger erosional surface occurs as much as 90 m below the present lake level and up to 8 m below the present sediment–water interface. This erosional surface is interpreted to be coeval with a well-documented early- to mid-Holocene lowstand, dated between ∼8000 and 3600 cal yr BP. An earlier and previously unknown erosional surface occurs at a sub-bottom depth of approximately 30 m, and as much as 240 m below the present lake level, which implies a major late-Pleistocene lowstand of Lake Titicaca. By extrapolation of sedimentation rates from the upper ∼14 m of sediment, we estimate the age of this older lowstand at >90 000 cal yr BP. Both lowstands of Lake Titicaca indicated by the seismic data are likely to have been a response to climatic change in the region.
Euthanasia: The way we do it, the way they do it

Although the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States are alike in having aging populations who die primarily of deteriorative diseases, they face end-of-life dilemmas quite differently. In the United States, withholding and withdrawing of treatment are the only legally recognized means for easing dying. In Holland, voluntary active euthanasia is also practiced; in (West) Germany, assisted suicide is a legal option, usually outside the medical setting. This paper examines objections to these three practices, and observes the differences in the background cultures. Rather than reliance on any of the three, it argues that physician-assisted suicide in terminal illness is the practice most compatible with the United States' special characteristics.
CLASSIFICATION OF CHEESES ACCORDING TO THEIR CLOSENESS TO THE CHEDDAR CHEESE CONCEPT

An important issue in consumer oriented studies is to measure how closely a specific product or perception matches the representation people have of it. We used a concept matching technique to assess the degree to which a variety of different cheeses matched subjects’ concepts of Cheddar cheese. Eighteen subjects made their judgments using their own past experiences with Cheddar cheeses. They made judgments in three separate conditions: only the odor, only the taste and texture and normal eating. This technique provided valid and reliable information on the extent to which the cheeses matched the subjects’ concept of Cheddar cheese. Agreement between classifications of cheeses based on taste and texture only and based on normal eating was high (R=0.90). Agreement between classifications based only on odor and those based on normal eating was weaker (R-0.59). Thus, the taste and texture of the cheeses were more useful than the odor for classifying cheeses as Cheddar.
Custom chip/card design system

The Custom Chip/Card Design System (CCDS) is a set of software applications, tied together via a common data interchange, that is used for the design, analysis, and checking of custom electronic circuits. CCDS is intended to unite the separate electrical, logical, and physical design phases into a single design process. The underlying principle of the system rests on the idea of describing the product as a generalized network, with multiple overlapping views that correspond to the different design phases. In addition to the applications contained within CCDS, there are also links to other software tools for such things as circuit simulation.
Aberrant blastogenic response to LPS in experimental gingivitis of elderly subjects

– The blastogenic response of peripheral blood leukocytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and LPS/PHA mixtures was followed over a short course of experimental gingivitis in elderly subjects (65–81 years) who strictly avoided oral hygiene procedures for periods up to 9 d. The leukocytes responded poorly to LPS, PHA and to LPS/PHA combinations. The concomitant heightened sensitivity of the gingiva to dental plaque among the elderly subjects may relate to the altered leukocyte response in this age group.
Evidence for a Single Infectious Species of Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid

Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV) has been separated into two electrophoretic species on polyacrylamide gels containing 8 M urea at 60°. Only the slower-migrating electrophoretic form was infectious
Cytosolic modulators of activities of microsomal enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis purification and characterization of a non-specific lipid-transfer protein

Rat liver cytosol contains proteins which in the presence of low-molecular-weight metabolites modulate activities of membrane-bound enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis. In the preceding paper, we identified Z-protein as a mediator in fatty acyl-CoA modulation of microsomal cholesterol synthetic and metabolizing enzymes. In this communication, we describe a second cytosolic protein which displays cholesterol-exchange activity. Purification of the protein to over 10000-fold and homogeneity has been achieved by gel permeation HPLC on an analytical Spherogel TSK-2000 SW column. Elution of both a single peak of active protein and one SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis species upon HPLC-purification suggests that homogeneous protein aggregates, with loss of exchange activity. In addition to stimulating microsomal enzymes of sterol synthesis, incubations of microsomes with cholesterol-containing liposomes and the protein consistently yields a 2-3-fold stimulation of microsomal acyl CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity. Under similar incubation conditions the protein enhances only slightly the extent of inhibition of microsomal hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase by liposomal cholesterol. The protein also catalyzes net transfer of cholesterol between membranes of different cholesterol content. The lipid-transfer protein and another cytosolic protein, also implicated in the regulation of sterol synthetic enzymes, appear identical. Regulation of activities of several membrane-bound enzymes of cholesterol metabolism in which the lipid-transfer protein and cytosolic Z-protein modulate uptake of lower-molecular-weight water-insoluble and water-soluble effectors, respectively, is discussed.
Effects of sodium butyrate on methamphetamine-sensitized locomotor activity.

Abstract Neuroadaptations associated with behavioral sensitization induced by repeated exposure to methamphetamine (MA) appear to be involved in compulsive drug pursuit and use. Increased histone acetylation, an epigenetic effect resulting in altered gene expression, may promote sensitized responses to psychostimulants. The role of histone acetylation in the expression and acquisition of MA-induced locomotor sensitization was examined by measuring the effect of histone deacetylase inhibition by sodium butyrate (NaB). For the effect on expression, mice were treated repeatedly with MA (10 days of 2 mg/kg MA) or saline (10 days), and then vehicle or NaB (630 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was administered 30 min prior to MA challenge and locomotor response was measured. NaB treatment increased the locomotor response to MA in both acutely MA treated and sensitized animals. For acquisition, NaB was administered 30 min prior to each MA exposure (10 days of 1 or 2 mg/kg), but not prior to the MA challenge test. Treatment with NaB during the sensitization acquisition period significantly increased locomotor activation by MA in sensitized mice only. NaB alone did not significantly alter locomotor activity. Acute NaB or MA, but not the combination, increased striatal acetylation at histone H4. Repeated treatment with MA, but not NaB or MA plus NaB, increased striatal acetylation at histone H3. Although increased histone acetylation may alter the expression of genes involved in acute locomotor response to MA and in the acquisition of MA-induced sensitization, results for acetylation at H3 and H4 showed little correspondence with behavior.
Using artificial neural networks to enhance CART

Accuracy is a critical factor in predictive modeling. A predictive model such as a decision tree must be accurate to draw conclusions about the system being modeled. This research aims at analyzing and improving the performance of classification and regression trees (CART), a decision tree algorithm, by evaluating and deriving a new methodology based on the performance of real-world data sets that were studied. This paper introduces a new approach to tree induction to improve the efficiency of the CART algorithm by combining the existing functionality of CART with the addition of artificial neural networks (ANNs). Trained ANNs are utilized by the tree induction algorithm by generating new, synthetic data, which have been shown to improve the overall accuracy of the decision tree model when actual training samples are limited. In this paper, traditional decision trees developed by the standard CART methodology are compared with the enhanced decision trees that utilize the ANN’s synthetic data generation, or CART+. This research demonstrates the improved accuracies that can be obtained with CART+, which can ultimately improve the knowledge that can be extracted by researchers about a system being modeled.
Sensitivity of juvenile salmonid growth to future climate trends

Seasonal temperature and bioenergetic models were coupled to explore the impacts on juvenile salmonid growth of possible climate-induced changes to mean annual water temperature and snowpack in four characteristic ecoregions. Increasing mean temperature increases juvenile growth in streams that currently experience cool spring temperatures. In streams with currently warm spring temperatures, an increase shortens the duration of optimal conditions and truncates growth. A loss of snow enhances growth in cool-summer streams and decreases growth in warm-summer streams. The relative impacts of such climate change trends will vary significantly across ecoregions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A computational model for the primate neocortex based on its functional architecture.

Abstract Experimental evidence has shown that the primate neocortex consists in the main of a set of cortical regions which form a perception hierarchy, an action hierarchy and connections between them. By using a computer science analysis, we develop a computational architecture for the brain in which each cortical region is represented by a computational module with processing and storage abilities. Modules are interconnected according to the connectivity of the corresponding cortical regions. We develop computational principles for designing such a hierarchical and parallel computing system. We demonstrate this approach by proposing a causal functioning model of the brain. We report on results obtained with an implementation of this model. We conclude with a brief discussion of some consequences and predictions of our work.
Absolute CH concentrations in low-pressure flames measured with laser-induced fluorescence

Laser-induced fluorescence in both theA−X andB−X band systems was used to measure absolute number densities of CH radicals in 40 Torr propane/air flames at temperatures near 1600 K. The fluorescence signal was calibrated against Rayleigh scattering in N2 and Raman scattering in H2. In a rich flame,Φ = 1.15, the concentration at the peak of the CH distribution was 5.8 ± 1.5 ppm, or (1.4 ± 0.4) × 1012 cm−3, with independent values obtained using both band systems and calibration methods in good agreement. This result compares well with a prediction of 8 ppm from a kinetic model of this flame.
Identification of several new classes of low-molecular-weight wheat gliadin-related proteins and genes.

During the initial phases of a wheat endosperm Expressed-Sequence-Tag (EST) project, several clones were determined to be related to wheat gliadin sequences, but not similar enough to be classified into any of the traditional gliadin families [α-, γ-, and ω-gliadins, low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenins]. Complete sequences of these cDNA clones revealed four new classes of gliadin-related endosperm proteins, but lacking a prominent repeat domain which until now has been characteristic of the gliadins. Two of these classes are related to different minimally described groups of Triticeae endosperm proteins. One class of proteins, which has N-terminal amino-acid sequences matching members of a reported 25-kDa globulin family from wheat, is shown by amino-acid sequencing to match to a family of 25-kDa endosperm proteins, is encoded by a multigene family, and is most similar to the LMW-glutenins. A second new class shows N-terminal homologies to LMW secalins from rye, and has an amino-acid composition similar to wheat and barley LMW proteins with extraction properties similar to prolamins. The third class is most similar to α-gliadins, and the fourth class has no close association to previously described wheat endosperm proteins.
Low molecular weight heparin in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism

Several low molecular weight (LMW) heparin preparations have been evaluated by clinical trials measuring the outcomes of thromboembolism, bleeding, and mortality. This article summarizes the current status of LMW heparin in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. LMW heparin is simpler to use because it does not require laboratory monitoring of the anticoagulant effect and dose adjustment. The specific LMW heparins include enoxaparin, ardeparin, tinzaparin, dalteparin, and nadroparin. The heparinoid ORG 10172 (danaparoid) is also effective. The results of clinical trials to date suggest that LMW heparin will be a major advance in the treatment of patients with venous thromboembolism. The simplified therapy provided by LMW heparin may allow many patients with uncomplicated proximal-vein thrombosis to be cared for in an outpatient setting.
Phase-space analysis and design of linear discontinuously damped feedback control systems

LINEAR SYSTEMS can be designed having very fast responses with essentially deadbeat performance by the inclusion of compensating loops which are switched in and out of the system as required. Fast response is obtained by using an unstable or nearly unstable uncompensated system to provide the desired rise time. Deadbeat performance is obtained by designing the compensation loops so that they provide an overdamped system when the compensation is switched in. Selection of the real roots for the overdamped system is based on the desired location of the eigenvectors in the phase space. A switching computer is required which connects the compensation loops as the state point reaches a hyperplane which is related to the eigenvector in a special way. The computer is readily realized from derivative signals and considerable engineering simplification is permissible in both the compensation design and the switching computer because of the topological nature of the phase portrait in the vicinity of properly chosen eigenvectors. Experimental results verify the theoretical conclusions.