cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of PAR-1 Receptor Signaling by Enoxaparin Reduces Cell Proliferation and Migration in A549 Cells.

Background/aim Low-molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) may possess putative antitumoral properties; however, the underlying mechanism(s) remains elusive. We evaluated the antiproliferative and antimigratory effects of enoxaparin (a LMWH) in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, and assessed the possible mechanism involved, and the effect on doxorubicin's efficacy. Materials and methods Proliferation and migration were evaluated using BrdU and transwell assays, respectively. Immunoblotting was used to measure PAR-1, PAR-2, MMP-2, ERK1/2 and Akt proteins. Apoptosis and cell cycle studies examined the combined effect of enoxaparin and doxorubicin. Results Enoxaparin inhibited A549 cell proliferation and migration. Following PAR-1 gene knock down, enoxaparin's effect on A549 cell proliferation was diminished compared to scrambled siRNA. Our experiments verified that enoxaparin-mediated down-regulation of MAPK and PI3K, reduced MMP-2 expression and inhibited A549 cell migration. Additionally, enoxaparin increased doxorubicin's efficacy by enhancing apoptosis, while no effect on cell-cycle progression was observed. Conclusion Results suggest that the anticancer activity of enoxaparin in A549 cells was mediated by the interference of two major PAR-1 downstream signaling pathways, MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt, which in turn inhibit proliferation and migration. Therefore, enoxaparin may be promising as an adjunct to traditional chemotherapy for lung cancer and warrants further investigation.
Carbon Sources in the Sediments of a Restoring vs. Historically Unaltered Salt Marsh

Salt marshes provide the important ecosystem service of carbon storage in their sediments; however, little is known about the sources of such carbon and whether they differ between historically unaltered and restoring systems. In this study, stable isotope analysis was used to quantify carbon sources in a restoring, sparsely vegetated marsh (Restoring) and an adjacent, historically unaltered marsh (Reference) in the Nisqually River Delta (NRD) of Washington, USA. Three sediment cores were collected at “Inland” and “Seaward” locations at both marshes ~ 6 years after restoration. Benthic diatoms, C3 plants, C4 plants, and particulate organic matter (POM) were collected throughout the NRD. δ13C and δ15N values of sources and sediments were used in a Bayesian stable isotope mixing model to determine the contribution of each carbon source to the sediments of both marshes. Autochthonous marsh C3 plants contributed 73 ± 10% (98 g C m−2 year−1) and 89 ± 11% (119 g C m−2 year−1) to Reference-Inland and Reference-Seaward sediment carbon sinks, respectively. In contrast, the sediment carbon sink at the Restoring Marsh received a broad assortment of predominantly allochthonous materials, which varied in relative contribution based on source distance and abundance. Marsh POM contributed the most to Restoring-Seaward (42 ± 34%) (69 g C m−2 year−1) followed by Riverine POM at Restoring-Inland (32 ± 41%) (52 g C m−2 year−1). Overall, this study demonstrates that largely unvegetated, restoring marshes can accumulate carbon by relying predominantly on allochthonous material, which comes mainly from the most abundant and closest estuarine sources.
Omnidirectional, Frequency Selective Metasurface Absorber based on Quasi-Bound States in the Continuum

In this work, we present some general considerations for the design of ultra-narrow-band metasurface absorbers that are independent of the incident angle. Specifically, we show that, for the broad class of absorbers considered here, there is a tradeoff between the maximum absorbed power and the angular dependence. Finally, we theoretically demonstrate an ultra-narrow-band omnidirectional metasurface absorber based on the concept of embedded eigenstates and optimize it taking into considerations these tradeoffs.
Lesion Shedding Model: unraveling site-specific contributions to ctDNA

Abstract Motivation Sampling circulating tumor DNA, ctDNA, using liquid biopsies offers clinically important benefits for monitoring of cancer progression. A single ctDNA sample represents a mixture of shed tumor DNA from all known and unknown lesions within a patient. Although shedding levels have been suggested to hold the key to identifying targetable lesions and uncovering treatment resistance mechanisms, the amount of DNA shed by any one specific lesion is still not well characterized. We designed the LSM (Lesion Shedding Model) to order lesions from the strongest to the poorest shedding for a given patient. Our framework intrinsically models for missing/hidden lesions and operates on blood ctDNA and lesion assays to estimate the potential relative shedding levels of lesions into the blood. By characterizing the lesion-specific ctDNA shedding levels, we can better understand the mechanisms of shedding as well as more accurately contextualize and interpret ctDNA assays to improve their clinical impact. Results We verified the accuracy of the LSM under controlled conditions using a simulation approach as well as testing on two gastrointestinal cancer patients. In the simulation we created a synthetic blood ctDNA sample per patient, where specific lesions are assigned predefined shedding levels. The simulated data mirrors real data lesion genomic similarities. The LSM correctly obtains a partial order of the lesions, i.e. accurately stratifies the lesions by their assigned shedding levels for simulations on two patients with strikingly different numbers of biopsied lesions, 4 and 17. The LSM’s accuracy in identifying the top shedding lesion was not impacted by the higher number of lesions considered. We then applied LSM to two gastrointestinal cancer patients with available ctDNA blood samples and multiple biopsied lesions and found that indeed there were lesions that were consistently shedding more than other lesions into the patients’ blood. We also found that in both patients the top shedding lesion was one of the only clinically progressing lesions at the time of biopsy suggesting a connection between high ctDNA shedding and clinical progression. The LSM provides a much needed framework with which to understand ctDNA shedding and how to apply ctDNA assays. Availability Binary is available at https://github.com/ComputationalGenomics/LSM
Against the Norm? Entrepreneurial Human Capital, Gender and Resource Mobilization in Sub-saharan Africa

This study examines how entrepreneurial human capital affects the resource mobilization process in new ventures, specifically the likelihood of using informal ties (i.e. family and friends) in thei...
Tissue-engineered amniotic membrane in the treatment of myocardial infarction: a systematic review of experimental studies.

Objective myocardial infarction (MI) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Cell-based therapies have become potential therapeutic approaches, attempting to recover the contractility of necrotic cardiomyocytes. In the present study, we aimed to systematically evaluate experimental studies on the use of tissue-engineered amniotic membrane (hAMC) in MI treatment. Methods a systematic review of literature published in PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL databases was conducted, until March 31, 2020, for experimental studies reporting on hAMC cell-therapy performed on LV function, MI size, paracrine effects, angiogenesis, and cell differentiation. Two reviewers selected the articles that met the inclusion criteria and disagreements were solved through a consensus. Results a total of 11 studies were included for data extraction. For the acute scenario, therapeutic use of hAMC after MI was capable of improving LV function in rats, mainly due to its paracrine effects (anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory) and associated with cardiomyocyte differentiation, MI size reduction and neo-angiogenesis. Conclusion tissue engineered hAMC following MI provided clinically relevant benefits on cardiac function and ventricular remodeling.
Introduction: Tasks and Problems

In this chapter we both demarcate the subject-matter and formulate the aims of the ensuing investigations. We explain in what sense this is an investigation into the philosophical foundations of institutions and normative systems. We distinguish six sets of philosophical problems which will be dealt with in this book. Our aim is to develop a family of interconnected theories that provide a unitary systematic account of our problems. We will take some pains to collect, describe and organize a large amount of data, so that our theorization can be both comprehensive and well supported.
A Discontinuous Galerkin Method Applied to Nonlinear Parabolic Equations

Semi-discrete and a family of discrete time locally conservative Discontinuous Galerkin procedures are formulated for approximations to nonlinear parabolic equations. For the continuous time approximations a priori L ∞ (L 2) and L 2(H l) estimates are derived and similarly, l ∞ (L 2) and l 2 (H 1) for the discrete time schemes. Spatial rates in H l and time truncation errors in L 2 are optimal.
Arginine transport and metabolism in osmotically shocked and unshocked cells of Escherichia coli W.

Abstract Exogenously derived arginine is extensively metabolized by early stationary phase cells of Escherichia coli W. This metabolism is substantial even during exposure to the substrate for only 15 sec at room temperature; at 300 sec only about 15% of the intracellular pool radioactivity is found in arginine. The major route of exogenous arginine metabolism is via an amineoxyacetic acid-inhibitable arginine decarboxylase which leads to the production and accumulation of large amounts of agmatine and putrescine. Much smaller amounts of ornithine, citrulline, proline, and glutamate also accumulate intracellularly. Cold osmotic shock treatment of the cells decreases the relative extent of arginine metabolism via the decarboxylase and increases metabolism via the other pathway (pathways). The net result is that proportionately more arginine is found in shocked cell pools than in the corresponding control cells. In the presence of 4 x 10-3 m amineoxyacetic acid the bulk of the pool radioactivity is found in arginine. Thus, under these conditions the pool radioactivity is a measure of arginine transport. Cold osmotic shock treatment reduces the amount of arginine-derived radioactivity associated with the cell in the presence and absence of 4 x 10-1 m amineoxyacetic acid. The shock treatment also reduces the capacity of the cell to transport exogenous lysine and leucine but not proline. In the presence of amineoxyacetic acid, l-lysine is a poor inhibitor of arginine transport, while l-canavanine, which itself is not well accumulated by these cells, is a modest inhibitor. l-Arginine is a good inhibitor of lysine transport while l-canavanine is a modest inhibitor. These data support the thesis that arginine and lysine are not transported by identical systems in this organism. Since lysine previously has been found to inhibit arginine uptake, these observations further support the conclusion that arginine transport cannot be reliably studied in E. coli without utilizing inhibitors such as amineoxyacetic acid which greatly attenuate the extensive metabolism of this amino acid.
Coping and Social Support

The literature examining the interaction among cognitions, emotions, and the functioning of various biological systems, as well as diseases of those biological systems, has exploded in the past 30 years. Particular emphasis has been placed on constructs that may be associated with positive and negative psychological and physical outcomes. Coping and social support are two such constructs and are some of the most commonly researched topics in health psychology. These constructs have been hypothesized to relate to health behaviors and wellness, disease prevention and development, and adaptation and experience of disease. The evolution of the study of stress, coping, social support, and health (physical and psychological) has grown in breadth, depth, and complexity. This chapter represents an update to the one published in the first edition of this book authored by Dr. Sharon Manne. Given the proliferation of research in this area, an exhaustive review is beyond the scope of this chapter. As in the first edition, each section is divided into current theoretical perspectives and descriptive studies of coping and social support in the context of health and chronic illness. Each section culminates in a discussion of key challenges and areas for future research. Keywords: coping; social support; negative emotion; positive emotion; health
Cathepsin B responsiveness to glutathione and lipoic acid redox.

Some subcomponents of cell protein degradation exhibit an unexplained reductive energy requirement; and diverse cysteine proteases are among multiple effector mechanisms requiring reduction. Present studies investigated whether cathepsin B activity is graded in response to (a) reduced glutathione (GSH) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) concentrations, (b) their redox ratios, and (c) their differential potencies and efficacies. Purified bovine cathepsin B activity was assayed with carbobenzyloxy-Arg-Arg-aminomethylcoumarin by standard methods following inactivation by spontaneous air oxidation. Endogenous GSH concentration (2-3 mM) maintained 30-40% of the maximal cathepsin B reaction rate observed under dithiothreitol (5 mM). Following activation with GSH, the cathepsin B reaction rate was inhibited in proportion to nonphysiologic GSH:GSSG redox ratio above 1% oxidized (e.g., 85% inhibited at 3 mM:2 mM). Thus, cathepsin B can be redox buffered by the GSH:GSSG ratio. DHLA was identified as a potent cathepsin a...
In search of deterministic methods for initializing K-means and Gaussian mixture clustering

The performance of K-means and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering depends on the initial guess of partitions. Typically, clustering algorithms are initialized by random starts. In our search for a deterministic method, we found two promising approaches: principal component analysis (PCA) partitioning and Var-Part (Variance Partitioning). K-means clustering tries to minimize the sum-squared-error criterion. The largest eigenvector with the largest eigenvalue is the component which contributes to the largest sum-squared-error. Hence, a good candidate direction to project a cluster for splitting is the direction of the cluster's largest eigenvector, the basis for PCA partitioning. Similarly, GMM clustering maximizes the likelihood; minimizing the determinant of the covariance matrices of each cluster helps to increase the likelihood. The largest eigenvector contributes to the largest determinant and is thus a good candidate direction for splitting. However, PCA is computationally expensive. We, thus, introduce Var-Part, which is computationally less complex (with complexity equal to one K-means iteration) and approximates PCA partitioning assuming diagonal covariance matrix. Experiments reveal that Var-Part has similar performance with PCA partitioning, sometimes better, and leads K-means (and GMM) to yield sum-squared-error (and maximum-likelihood) values close to the optimum values obtained by several random-start runs and often at faster convergence rates.
Serhiy Bilenky. Romantic Nationalism in Eastern Europe: Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian Political Imaginations.

Serhiy Bilenky. Romantic Nationalism in Eastern Europe: Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian Political Imaginations. Stanford Studies on Central and Eastern Europe. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2012. xiii, 389 pp. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Cloth.
Effect of back support and stethoscope head on seated blood pressure determinations.

Seated BP measurements were taken in 48 men with a history of essential hypertension: in a chair with back support v on an examining table with no back support, and with bell v diaphragm stethoscope head in each condition. There were no significant differences between bell and diaphragm in SBP or DBP determinations. SBP was not significantly different between table and chair, but table DBP was 6.5 mm Hg higher (P less than .0001) than chair DBP. We conclude that back support, but not bell v diaphragm stethoscope head, affects seated BP determinations.
A Semantic Characterization Of Full Abstraction For Typed Lambda Calculi

Full abstraction is a well known issue in denotational semantics. For a special case of typed lambda calculus, PCF, Plotkin showed that the classical model consisting of domains of continuous functions is not fully abstract. Milner constructed a fully abstract model of typed lambda calculus syntactically. However, its precise relationship with the classical model was not clear, and hence it remained open whether a fully abstract model can be constructed which is related to the classical model in a pleasant way. In this paper we show that a fully abstract, extensional model of typed lambda calculus can be constructed as a homomorphic retraction of the classical model.
Prolonged convection-enhanced delivery into the rat brainstem.

OBJECTIVE Prolonged convection-enhanced delivery was used in an attempt to achieve large volumes of distribution (V(d)) in the rat brainstem. Clinical assessment and histological analysis were performed to establish the safety of this approach. METHODS For evaluation of V(d,), 10 rats underwent stereotactic cannula placement into the brainstem. Five rats underwent a 24-hour infusion (volume of infusion [V(i)], 200 microl), and 5 rats underwent a 7-day infusion (V(i), 2 ml) of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran. Serial brainstem sections were imaged with ultraviolet illumination, and V(d) was assessed. For assessment of clinical tolerance, 30 additional rats underwent chronic infusions of an isotonic saline solution into the brainstem. Serial neurological examinations were performed, followed by histological analysis after the animals' death. RESULTS No animal demonstrated clinically recognized neurological deficits. Foci of organizing necrosis were limited to the site of infusion and cannula tract. V(d) increased linearly with increasing V(i) (range, 24.8-130.6 mm(3)). Maximal cross sectional area of fluorescence and craniocaudal extent of fluorescence increased with increasing V(i). Fluorescence was detected throughout the entire brainstem beyond the compact area of highly concentrated tracer. CONCLUSION Prolonged convection-enhanced delivery can be applied safely in the rat brainstem with no recognized limitations of V(d) and minimal histological changes beyond the site of infusion. Chronic brainstem infusions may enhance the potential application of convection-enhanced delivery for therapeutic purposes in treating diffuse pontine gliomas.
Effect of Doppler flow and lipid studies in a geriatric population--increased flow left internal carotid artery only.

Twenty geriatric subjects were treated with recombinant human growth hormone and results compared with a control group. The maximum dose of 3 units per day for 4 months was achieved in all patients. All patients had established atherosclerosis. Doppler Flow Studies were carried out at zero, 6 and 16 weeks. No alteration in plaque size or intima media thickness was observed. An increase in peak velocity in the treated group with a decrease in the control group in the left internal carotid artery only was observed. The study demonstrated a reduction in antero-posterior diameter of the left internal carotid in the treated group but the lesion grading remained unaltered. The expected reduction in total cholesterol LDL was however accompanied by a significant transient increase in triglyceride and P.A.I. 1. Fibrinogen levels were unaltered.
Biocatalytic Reductions of Baylis-Hillman Adducts

Baylis–Hillman adducts are highly useful synthetic intermediates; to enhance their value further, we sought enantiocomplementary alkene reductases to introduce chirality. Two solutions emerged: (1) a wild-type protein from Pichia stipitis (OYE 2.6), whose performance significantly outstrips that of the standard enzyme (Saccharomyces pastorianus OYE1), and (2) a series of OYE1 mutants at position 116 (Trp in the wild-type enzyme). To understand how mutations could lead to inverted enantioselectivity, we solved the X-ray crystal structure of the Trp116Ile OYE1 variant complexed with a cyclopentenone substrate. This revealed key protein–ligand interactions that control the orientation of substrate binding above the FMN cofactor.
Occupational Gender Segregation, Globalization, and Gender Earnings Inequality in U.S. Metropolitan Areas:

Previous research on gender-based economic inequality has emphasized occupational segregation as the leading explanatory factor for the gender wage gap. Yet the globalization of the U.S. economy has affected gender inequality in fundamental ways and potentially diminished the influence of occupational gender segregation. We examine whether occupational gender segregation continues to be the main determinant of gender earnings inequality and to what extent globalization processes have emerged as important determinants of inequality between women’s and men’s earnings. We study factors contributing to the gender earnings ratio as well as the median earnings of men and women for 271 U.S. metropolitan areas. The results indicate that occupational segregation is still the leading determinant of gender earnings inequality, that its effects are only slightly diminished by the presence of globalization, and that various aspects of the global economy independently influence the gender earnings gap.
An organotypic uniaxial strain model using microfluidics

Traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of disability each year in the US. The most common and devastating consequence is the stretching of axons caused by shear deformation that occurs during rotational acceleration of the brain during injury. The injury effects on axonal molecular and functional events are not fully characterized. We have developed a strain injury model that maintains the three dimensional cell architecture and neuronal networks found in vivo with the ability to visualize individual axons and their response to a mechanical injury. The advantage of this model is that it can apply uniaxial strains to axons that make functional connections between two organotypic slices and injury responses can be observed in real-time and over long term. This uniaxial strain model was designed to be capable of applying an array of mechanical strains at various rates of strain, thus replicating a range of modes of axonal injury. Long term culture, preservation of slice and cell orientation, and slice-slice connection on the device was demonstrated. The device has the ability to strain either individual axons or bundles of axons through the control of microchannel dimensions. The fidelity of the model was verified by observing characteristic responses to various strain injuries which included axonal beading, delayed elastic effects and breakdown in microtubules. Microtubule breakdown was shown to be dependent on the degree of the applied strain field, where maximal breakdown was observed at peak strain and minimal breakdown is observed at low strain. This strain injury model could be a powerful tool in assessing strain injury effects on functional axonal connections.
Modeling publication bias using weighted distributions in a Bayesian framework

Meta-analysis refers to the quantitative synthesis of evidence from a set of related studies. Inference based on naive use of meta-analysis may be erroneous, however, due to publication bias, the tendency of investigators or editors to base decisions regarding submission or acceptance of manuscripts for publication depending on the strength of the investigator's study findings. Weighted distributions are ideally suited to model this phenomenon, since the weight function is proportional to the probability that the measurement (in this case, the results of a study) gets observed (published). Models induced by several competing weight functions are compared, including one model which does not account for publication bias, using the education data of Hedges and Olkin (1985). This allows us to investigate the sensitivity of the overall effect estimates over a range of models. Here, such models are fit hierarchically from a Bayesian perspective using non-informative priors in order to let the data drive the inference. Bayesian calculations are carried out using Markov-chain Monte-Carlo methods such as Gibbs sampling, the Metropolis algorithm, and Monte-Carlo estimation. Several questions of interest are posed, and possible solutions suggested.
Implications of latent trajectory models for the study of developmental psychopathology

The field of developmental psychopathology is faced with a dual challenge. On the one hand, we must build interdisciplinary theoretical models that adequately reflect the complexity of normal and abnormal human development over time. On the other hand, to remain a viable empirical science, we must rigorously evaluate these theories using statistical methods that fully capture this complexity. The degree to which our statistical models fail to correspond to our theoretical models undermines our ability to validly test developmental theory. The broad class of random coefficient trajectory (or growth curve) models allow us to test our theories in ways not previously possible. Despite these advantages, there remain certain limits with regard to the types of questions these models can currently evaluate. We explore these issues through the pursuit of three goals. First, we provide an overview of a variety of trajectory models that can be used for rigorously testing many hypotheses in developmental psychopathology. Second, we highlight what types of research questions are well tested using these methods and what types of questions currently are not. Third, we describe areas for future statistical development and encourage the ongoing interchange between developmental theory and quantitative methodology.
Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in vestibular schwannoma surgery: advances and clinical implications.

Object Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring has become an integral part of vestibular schwannoma surgery. The aim of this article was to review the different techniques of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in vestibular schwannoma surgery, identify the clinical impact of certain pathognomonic patterns on postoperative outcomes of facial nerve function and hearing preservation, and highlight the role of postoperative medications in improving delayed cranial nerve dysfunction in the different reported series. Methods The authors performed a review of the literature regarding intraoperative monitoring in acoustic/vestibular schwannoma surgery. The different clinical series representing different monitoring techniques were reviewed. All the data from clinical series were analyzed in a comprehensive and comparative model. Results Intraoperative brainstem auditory evoked potential monitoring, direct cochlear nerve action potential monitoring, and facial nerve electromyography are the main too...
Defensive purchasing, the safety (dis)advantage of light trucks, and motor-vehicle policy effectiveness

We model motor-vehicle choice when a consumer's utility from a particular vehicle depends in part on that vehicle's expected safety, and thus on the vehicle choices made by other consumers with which (s)he may collide. Calibration of model parameters suggests that light trucks do impose an externality on cars and that increasing the proportion of light trucks in the fleet harms truck and car owners alike. The marginal private cost of accidents from light truck ownership relative to cars is of ambiguous sign and may even represent a large safety disadvantage. Analyses that omit expected vehicle safety will overestimate the impacts of policies such as gasoline taxes or changes to fuel economy standards on the fleet, and underestimate the impacts of vehicle crash-compatibility design changes.
The development of directional coarsening of the γ′ precipitate in superalloy single crystals

Abstract The γ′ particles in single crystals of a NiAlMoTa composition begin to directionally coarsen during primary creep at elevated temperatures. The large negative misfit in this alloy provides the driving force for the formation of misfit dislocations which are present in hexagonal arrays before the γ′ particles have linked together into a rafted morphology. At 980°c and 234 MPa, the length of the γ′ rafts increases linearly up to a maximum, which is reached well after the transition into second-stage creep occurs, and then the raft length stabilizes. However, the thickness of the rafts remains constant from primary creep up to tertiary creep, which is a clear indication of the stability of this continuous and finely spaced directionally coarsened structure. Thus, the rafts begin to develop quickly and are stable once formed. The directional coarsening behavior exhibited by this model alloy is similar to that of a more conventional single crystal superalloy having a substantially smaller negative misfit.
Repeated N -Acetyl Cysteine Reduces Cocaine Seeking in Rodents and Craving in Cocaine-Dependent Humans

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder hypothesized to be produced by drug-induced plasticity that renders individuals vulnerable to craving-inducing stimuli such as re-exposure to the drug of abuse. Drug-induced plasticity that may result in the addiction phenotype includes increased excitatory signaling within corticostriatal pathways that correlates with craving in humans and is necessary for reinstatement in rodents. Reduced cystine–glutamate exchange by system xc– appears to contribute to heightened excitatory signaling within the striatum, thereby posing this as a novel target in the treatment of addiction. In the present report, we examined the impact of repeated N-acetyl cysteine, which is commonly used to activate cystine–glutamate exchange, on reinstatement in rodents in a preclinical study and on craving in cocaine-dependent humans in a preliminary, proof-of-concept clinical experiment. Interestingly, repeated administration (7 days) of N-acetyl cysteine (60 mg/kg, IP) produced a significant reduction in cocaine (10 mg/kg, IP)-induced reinstatement, even though rats (N=10–12/group) were tested 24 h after the last administration of N-acetyl cysteine. The reduction in behavior despite the absence of the N-acetyl cysteine indicates that repeated N-acetyl cysteine may have altered drug-induced plasticity that underlies drug-seeking behavior. In parallel, our preliminary clinical data indicate that repeated administration (4 days) of N-acetyl cysteine (1200–2400 mg/day) to cocaine-dependent human subjects (N=4 per group) produced a significant reduction in craving following an experimenter-delivered IV injection of cocaine (20 mg/70 kg/60 s). Collectively, these data demonstrate that N-acetyl cysteine diminishes the motivational qualities of a cocaine challenge injection possibly by altering pathogenic drug-induced plasticity.
Spoken and signed naming of foods after receptive exclusion training in severe retardation.

Two low-functioning mentally retarded subjects learned to name food items after receptive exclusion training, conducted as follows: The subjects first learned to select a small number of foods in a two-choice matching-to-sample task. For one subject, the samples were dictated names; for the other, the samples were manual signs. They also learned to name these “known” foods, either orally or by signing. On exclusion trials, a known food was displayed with a new food whose corresponding name or sign had not yet been learned, and a novel sample (spoken or signed), corresponding to the new food, was presented. The subjects typically selected the new food immediately, apparently by “excluding” the food related to the known sample. If a known sample was presented, however, the subjects continued to select the known food correctly. Periodically during exclusion training with a number of new foods, the subjects were tested for production of food names or signs. With few exceptions, the subjects produced the food names without direct training, often after only a few receptive exclusion trials. The results suggest strategies for teaching simple receptive and expressive relations to severely mentally retarded individuals.
Coronin 1B Coordinates Arp2/3 Complex and Cofilin Activities at the Leading Edge

Actin filament formation and turnover within the treadmilling actin filament array at the leading edge of migrating cells are interdependent and coupled, but the mechanisms coordinating these two activities are not understood. We report that Coronin 1B interacts simultaneously with Arp2/3 complex and Slingshot (SSH1L) phosphatase, two regulators of actin filament formation and turnover, respectively. Coronin 1B inhibits filament nucleation by Arp2/3 complex and this inhibition is attenuated by phosphorylation of Coronin 1B at Serine 2, a site targeted by SSH1L. Coronin 1B also directs SSH1L to lamellipodia where SSH1L likely regulates Cofilin activity via dephosphorylation. Accordingly, depleting Coronin 1B increases phospho-Cofilin levels, and alters lamellipodial dynamics and actin filament architecture at the leading edge. We conclude that Coronin 1B's coordination of filament formation by Arp2/3 complex and filament turnover by Cofilin is required for effective lamellipodial protrusion and cell migration.
Effects of Calcium and Phase-Feeding Phosphorus on Production Traits and Phosphorus Retention in Two Strains of Laying Hens

Three levels of dietary Ca (3.0, 3.5, or 4.0%) were fed throughout a 336-day experiment to two strains of Single Comb White Leghorn hens in a factorial arrangement with three P feeding programs: .64% P fed continuously; .56, .49, and .39% P; or .64, .54, and .44% P fed when hens were 24 to 36, 36 to 52, and 52 to 72 weeks, respectively. In addition to production traits, measurements of P retention were made at 34, 42, 50, 62, and 72 weeks of age. No dietary effects were observed on production traits. Average P retention over the entire experiment was 104, 148, and 178 mg/day when hens were fed 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0% Ca, respectively. Most of the favorable effect of Ca on P retention occurred after 50 weeks of age. However, increasing dietary Ca had an adverse influence on P retention at 42 weeks, when ambient temperature was unusually hot and feed intake decreased markedly. Significant P effects were observed when hens were 42 and 72 weeks of age. At these times, hens fed .64% P retained the most P while those phase fed .56, .49, and .39% P retained at least. Retention of P tended to decline with increasing age of the hens. Overall, the hens were in a state of marginal to negative P balance at 42, 62, and 72 weeks of age even when P deposited in eggs was considered.
Effects of after cavity interaction in a 1.5 MW, 110 GHz gyrotron with a depressed collector

We report experimental results on a 1.5 MW, 110 GHz gyrotron operating in 3 microsecond pulses with a single-stage depressed collector. Our research is focused on the observation of the after cavity interaction (ACI), and its effect on re-absorption of microwave power by the electron beam and, more importantly, broadening of the spent beam energy distribution in the launcher, i.e., the region after the cavity. The second effect limits the efficiency of a depressed collector considerably. Simulations indicate that this reduced depressed collector capability deteriorates with higher initial velocity spread of the electron beam. Efforts to design a cavity or magnetic field profile that minimizes the ACI effects are under way. While ACI affects the depressed collector operation as mentioned above, we recently found experimental evidence of collector depression affecting the cavity interaction itself. The minimum amount of current required to sustain the design mode, TE22,6 in the hard self excitation regime decreased by as much as 6 A as the collector was depressed by up to 30 kV. This has implications in being able to reach further into the high efficiency hard self excitation regime. The microwave frequency also increased by as much as 15 MHz.
In-diffusion of nitrogen from N2 ambient and its aggregation at lattice imperfections in silicon crystals

Abstract Three kinds of in-diffusion depth profiles of nitrogen in silicon crystals are observed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The first shows the aggregation of nitrogen on oxygen precipitates in three-step intrinsic-gettering wafers. The second is the nitrogen distribution in the unhealed region implanted with boron. The third is the accumulation of nitrogen at oxide and bulk interfaces with high concentration levels (approximately 3 × 10 19 cm −3 by annealing at 1200 °C for 20 min.) It is proposed as a new model that in-diffusing nitrogen may aggregate at various lattice imperfections, thus reducing their strain fields, and that the nitrogen is configured as a pair of nitrogen atoms while diffusing and when aggregated in the lattice.
A single crystal Ge(Li) Compton spectrometer

Abstract A single crystal Ge(Li) Compton spectrometer has been tested showing considerable promise as a device for detecting γ-rays in the presence of strong Compton and neutron backgrounds.
Sampan, a bilingual bridge: An exploration of socio-political functions of bilingualism and ethnic press

Sampan, a Boston Chinatown community newspaper founded in 1972, is the oldest existent Chinese–English bilingual newspaper in America. It has been a source of information and a print forum that brings together both the Chinese-language readers and English-language audiences, of both the Chinatown community and the Great Boston area. The article examines the history of the Sampan, with a focus on its close ties to the socio-political developments of the Boston Chinatown community. It also analyzes the Chinese and English sections of the newspaper. These two sections, with articles that often differ in their content, expressions, style, and approaches, effectively communicate with diverse readers. The article argues that bilingualism enables the Sampan to serve as a bridge, representing its readers as a political voice, satisfying their needs as a source of information, negotiating with the mainstream culture on behalf of ethnic groups, and promoting a better cultural understanding.
Guanosine monophosphate synthetase from ehrlich ascites cells. Multiple inhibition by pyrophosphate and nucleosides.

GMP synthetase (xanthosine-5′-phosphate: ammonia ligase (AMP-forming), EC 6.3.4.1) from Ehrlich ascites cells was found to be subject to multiple inhibition by its reaction product, PPi, and some analogs of adenosine. PPi and the nucleoside (N) inhibitors were also capable of individually inhibiting this enzyme. Under no conditions did the inhibition appear to be irreversible or “pseudoinactivating” in nature. The individual inhibition by PPi was competitive with respect to ATP (K1 = 0.42 mM). Conversely, in the absence of PPi, the binding of N was noncompetitive with ATP, but shifted to a competitive pattern when PPi was present. Furthermore, with the inhibitors in concert, there was an apparent lowering of the KI values for both inhibitors. This data was consistent with either PPi functioning to tighten the binding of N at a noncatalytic site (positive cooperativity) or with PPi actually opening a second binding site for N in addition to the non-catalytic site. Although this study did not distinguish which of these events was occurring, it did reveal that the intensity of the effect of PPi appeared to be constant. That is, for various N inhibitors with a range of independently determined KI values from 26 to 1650 μM, the ratio of their KI values determined in the absence of PPi to the values determined in the presence of PPi was always 38 ± 1.
Similarity, Conditioned Affect, and Interpersonal Attraction

Summary Fifty-four female subjects participated in a study designed to measure effects of similarity on attraction toward another girl. Positive, neutral, or negative affect was first classically conditioned to the girl's first name, after which the girl was made to appear similar or dissimilar to the subject in beliefs and attitudes. The girl was rated as more attractive when she was similar to the subject than when she was dissimilar. In addition, the effects of similarity and prior conditioning interacted.
JOINT MODEL AND CRITERION OPTIMAL EXPERIMENT DESIGN

In this paper, a new optimal design criterion—joint model and criterion optimal design criterion is put forward. The design that is subject to this criterion satisfies many kinds of linear optimal criterion and D-optimal criterion on several experiment models at the same time. The equivalent condition of this optimal design is given. Its iterative algorithm and the algorithm covergence are stated.
Tetracycline regulated gene expression in Leishmania donovani

Abstract The prokaryotic tetracycline-responsive repressor/operator system has proven to be useful for studying the function of essential genes and the expression of toxic gene products in a number of organisms, including Trypanosoma brucei . We report here the adaptation of this system for use in Leishmania . The inducible promoter construct contains a bleomycin resistance-luciferase fusion ( BLE - LUC ) gene driven by an rRNA promoter with two copies of the TetO sequence inserted two nucleotides upstream of the transcriptional start site. This construct showed regulation of BLE - LUC expression by two orders of magnitude when targeted into the rDNA locus in the reverse orientation relative to transcription of the rRNA genes in a Leishmania donovani cell line expressing TETR. The luciferase expression level in the absence of tetracycline was ∼50-fold lower than that in the tubulin locus (where it is transcribed by pol II), while the expression level in the presence of tetracycline was approximately five-fold higher than that from the tubulin locus. There was no linear relationship between the level of TETR expression and the regulation, and changing of positions of operator did not increase regulation.
The effect of HCO3- on anion-stimulated ATPase from rat parotid granules.

Abstract ATPase from isolated secretory granules was stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner by HCO3− above 0.9 mM. Maximal stimulation was found at about 16 mM HCO3− and was about half of that with sulphite (SO2−3). The activation site(s) appeared to be similar to at least one class of SO2−3 sites, HCO3−-stimulate ATPase was inhibited by SITS. Furthermore, maximal stimulation with SO32− was not enhanced with HCO3−. At low Mg2+ concentrations, Ca2+ stimulated granule ATPase. At higher concentrations of Mg2+ (0.5 mM and above), Ca2+ at 0.1 mM or less had little effect on HCO3−-ATPase, and Ca2+ at 4 mM inhibited HCO3−-ATPase. At concentrations of Ca2+ above 0.44 mM, the enzyme was partially stimulated in the absence of Mg2+ and presence of HCO3−. Mitochondrial contamination did not account for the presence of ATPase in the isolated granule fraction. The granule ATPase may be regulated by HCO3− and calcium and this could be related to changes in the granule environment during exocytosis.
Vesicles, water, and sulfur in Reykjanes Ridge basalts

Dredge hauls of fresh submarine basalt collected from the axis of the Reykjanes Ridge (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) south of Iceland were taken aboard R/ V TRIDENT in 1967 and 1971. The samples show systematic changes as the water depth of collection (and eruption) decreases: radially elongate vesicles and concentric zones of vesicles appear at about 700 m depth and are conspicuous to shallow water; the smoothed volume percent of vesicles increases from 5% at 1000 m, 10% at 700 m, to 16% at 500 m, and the scatter in degree of vesicularity increases in shallower water; specific gravity decreases from 2.7±0.1 at 1000 m to 2.3±0.3 at 100 m. Bulk sulfur content for the outer 2 cm averages 843 ppm up to a depth of 200 m, then drops off rapidly in shallower water owing to degassing. Sulfur content below 200 m is independent of depth (or geographic position), and the melt is apparently saturated with sulfur, but the excess cannot escape the lava unless another vehicle carries it out. Only shallower than 200 m, where intense vesiculation of other gases occurs can excess sulfur be lost from the lava erupting on the sea floor. H2O+110° averages about 0.35 percent and H2O+150° about 0.25 percent, and both apparently decrease in water shallower than 200 m as a result of degassing. H2O+ (below 200 m) decreases with distance from Iceland or increasing depth, presumably as a result of either adsorption of water on the surface of shallower, more vesicular rocks; or more likely due to the presence of the Iceland hot mantle plume supplying undifferentiated primordial material, relative to lavas of the Reykjanes Ridge supplied from the low velocity layer already depleted in volatiles and large lithophile elements. The H2O+110°/S ratio of lava erupting below 200 m water depth ranges from 3 to 5 which is comparable to reliable gas analyses from oceanic basaltic volcanoes.
Effect of Method of Delivery of Propylene Glycol on Plasma Metabolites of Feed-Restricted Cattle

Abstract Methods of administering propylene glycol to reduce plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) during feed restriction of cattle were evaluated. Treatments were 1) no propylene glycol supplementation, 2) propylene glycol provided as an oral drench once per day, 3) propylene glycol mixed with concentrate and fed separately from forage, or 4) propylene glycol blended as part of the total mixed ration (TMR). Prior to or during feed restriction at 50% of ad libitum intake, propylene glycol was provided once daily at 2.5 ml/kg of body weight 0.75 . Prior to feed restriction, administration of propylene glycol as an oral drench or mixed with concentrate was more effective in increasing serum insulin than was feeding propylene glycol as part of the TMR. During feed restriction, administration of propylene glycol as an oral drench or mixed with concentrate resulted in higher serum insulin and lower plasma NEFA concentrations than did feeding propylene glycol as part of the TMR. Propylene glycol decreased the molar percentage of ruminal acetate and the ratio of acetate to propionate. Propylene glycol administered as an oral drench or mixed with concentrate and fed separately from forage appeared to be more effective than feeding propylene glycol as part of the TMR for influencing plasma NEFA in cattle during feed restriction.
Self-deception and belief attribution

One of the most common views about self-deception ascribes contradictory beliefs to the self-deceiver. In this paper it is argued that this view (the contradiction strategy) is inconsistent with plausible common-sense principles of belief attribution. Other dubious assumptions made by contradiction strategists are also examined. It is concluded that the contradiction strategy is an inadequate account of self-deception. Two other well-known views — those of Robert Audi and Alfred Mele — are investigated and found wanting. A new theory of self-deception relying on an extension of Mark Johnston's subintentional mental tropisms is proposed and defended.
An Exploratory Examination of the Consequences of Burnout in Terms of Life Satisfaction, Turnover Intent, and Absenteeism Among Private Correctional Staff:

Burnout, a syndrome caused by excessive strain and psychological exhaustion, comprises the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of being ineffective. Survey results f...