cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensei: Sensing Educational Interaction

We present Sensei, the first system designed to understand social interaction and learning in an early-childhood classroom using a distributed sensor network. Our unobtrusive sensors measure proximity between each node in a dynamic range-based mesh network. The sensors can be worn in the shoes, attached to selected landmarks in the classroom, and placed on Montessori materials. This data, accessible to teachers in a web dashboard, enables teachers to derive deeper insights from their classrooms. Sensei is currently deployed in three Montessori schools and we have evaluated the effectiveness of the system with teachers. Our user studies have shown that the system enhances teachers' capabilities and helps discover insights that would have otherwise been lost. From our evaluation interviews, we have established three major use cases of the system. Sensei augments teachers' manual observations, helps them plan individualized curriculum for each student, and identifies their needs for more interaction with some children. Further, the anonymized data can be used in large-scale research in early childhood development.
Topical chemo-immunotherapy converts a pro-tumorigenic tumor microenvironment to a pro-inflammatory phenotype in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

We have previously demonstrated that microneedle array (MNA) delivery of anti-tumor agents improves survival in mouse models of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers and induces cell death in freshly excised human cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs). As tumors employ strong immunosuppressive and tumor-promoting mechanisms that prevent their elimination by immune surveillance mechanisms and support their proliferation, we sought to determine if application of MNAs containing anti-tumor agents could abrogate their protumorigenic phenotype and promote an anti-tumor phenotype in a human model of cSCC, the second most common human malignancy worldwide. To accomplish this, we compared Nanostring gene expression data from human cSCCs treated with MNAs containing doxorubicin (MNA-Dox) to matched, untreated cSCC controls and unmatched normal skin. As compared to matched, untreated cSCC controls, MNA-Dox-treated cSCCs demonstrated significantly decreased expression of genes associated with a pro-tumorigenic environment, including IDO, ARG2, S100A7 and VEGF-A. Further, MNA-Dox-treated cSCCs demonstrated significantly increased expression of genes associated with an anti-tumor phenotype, including CXCL14, HMGB1, P53, and Caspase-8. Comparison of MNA-Dox-treated cSCCs and unmatched, untreated normal skin suggested a reversion of a pro-tumorigenic phenotype to a normal skin phenotype, with similarly low expression of pro-tumorigenic genes seen in both groups. Together, these results suggest the potential of MNA-administered doxorubicin to effectively transform a pro-tumor microenvironment to one favoring the induction of tumor immunity in a human cSCC.
Using Metabolomics to Investigate Biomarkers of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction has been associated with an increased risk for cancer, psychological complications, heart, liver, and lung disease, as well as infection. While genes have been identified that can mark individuals at risk for substance abuse, the initiation step of addiction is attributed to persistent metabolic disruptions occurring following the first instance of narcotic drug use. Advances in analytical technologies can enable the detection of thousands of signals in body fluids and excreta that can be used to define biochemical profiles of addiction. Today, these approaches hold promise for determining how exposure to drugs, in the absence or presence of other environmentally relevant factors, can impact human metabolism. We posit that these can lead to candidate biomarkers of drug dependence, treatment, withdrawal, or relapse.
Short-latency eye movements: evidence for rapid, parallel processing of optic flow

As we go about our daily activities we view the world from a constantly shifting platform and some visual functions are compromised if the images on the retina are not reasonably stable. For example, visual acuity begins to deteriorate when retinal image speeds exceed a few degrees per second (Westheimer & McKee, 1975). There are a number of visual reflexes that help to stabilize our gaze on particular objects of interest by generating eye movements to offset our head movements. However, it is important to remember that these visual mechanisms normally operate in close synergy with vestibuloocular reflexes that rely on two types of end-organ embedded in the base of the skull: the semicircular canals, which are selectively sensitive to angular accelerations of the head, and the otolith organs, which are selectively sensitive to linear accelerations (Goldberg & Fernandez, 1975). Thus, the vestibular end-organs decompose head movements into their angular and linear components and support two quite independent reflexes, the RVOR and TVOR, that compensate selectively for rotational and translational disturbances of the head respectively with latencies <10 msec. These vestibular reflexes operate open-loop—because their output, eye movement, does not influence their input, head movement—and neither is perfect, hence motion of the observer must often be associated with some residual retinal image motion and this is where the visual stabilization mechanisms become involved. However, the visual end-organs — the two retinas — see all visual disturbances, regardless of whether they result from rotation and/or translation of gaze so that if any visual decomposition is to be done it must be by signal processing in the central nervous system (CNS). It is our contention that the visual system does attempt to perform such decomposition, using visual filters to sense the pattern of optic flow and thereby infer the observer’s motion and the eye movements that best compensate for that motion.
Virus-induced Immunosuppression

Many laboratories are studying the immunosuppression induced by measles virus (MV) infection. One theory about the mechanism is that the viral infections shift a type 1 immune response to a type 2 immune response. This mechanism was explored further to demonstrate that the interaction of MV with its cellular receptor, CD46, results in the suppression of IL-12 which is required for type 1 immune responses. Another theory about the mechanism is that an as-yet-unidentified soluble factor is able to inhibit lymphoproliferation. Research groups are addressing the role that the MV proteins play in immunosuppression, while examining the role of the alternate MV receptor, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM), in immunosuppression. A research group is examining the Fas-mediated apoptosis of MV-infected dendritic cells (DCs) as a means of explaining the presence of both a specific immune response and immunosuppression. Regardless of the extensive work that has been done on MV-induced immunosuppression, the exact molecular mechanism remains unresolved and may be multifactorial.
Effects of heat release and fuel type on highly turbulent premixed jet flames

Abstract An experimental study on the fuel type and attendant heat release effects on piloted turbulent premixed jet flames was carried out. The investigation focused on four fuels, namely methane, ethylene, n-heptane, and toluene, five lean to stoichiometric equivalence ratios, and two jet Reynolds numbers. The average flame height and the global turbulent consumption speed were scaled against the laminar flame speed, the maximum heat release rate, and the laminar flame thickness for all fuels and conditions. Results showed that for the different fuel types and for the lower equivalence ratios, the average flame height does not scale well with any of the aforementioned parameters, while the global consumption speed was determined to scale well with laminar flame speed and maximum heat release rate. The thickness of the shear layer was also characterized through detailed particle image velocimetry measurements and was found to decrease with increasing heat release when the jet diameter is used to scale the axial distance. However, when a density-based momentum diameter is used as the scaling parameter of the axial distance, the effect of heat release is suppressed. Additionally, the growth rates of the shear layer thickness could not be scaled between the different fuels using either the laminar flame speed or the maximum heat release rate. Finally, the turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent shear stress development in the shear layer was determined also to be different between the fuels despite keeping either the laminar flame speed or maximum heat release rate constant, with methane flames most notably showing a sharper decay in intensity with axial distance. The fuel effects on the turbulent kinetic energy and the turbulent shear stress were more pronounced at the higher Reynolds number conditions.
Image Predictors of Treatment Outcome after Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair

Treatment of thoracic aortic dissection remains highly challenging and is rapidly evolving. Common classifications of thoracic aortic dissection include the Stanford classification (types A and B) and the DeBakey classification (types I to III), as well as a new supplementary classification geared toward endovascular decision making. By using various imaging techniques, the extent of the dissection, the location of the primary intimal tear, the shape of the aortic arch, and the zonal involvement of the aortic arch-factors that affect the treatment strategy-can easily be identified. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is generally performed in two groups of patients: (a) those with a surgically repaired type A dissection, and (b) those with a complicated type B dissection. Several imaging findings can help predict the course of remodeling of the dissected aorta after a repaired type A dissection and TEVAR. A spectrum of imaging findings exist with regard to favorable (positive) or failing (negative) remodeling. A schematic model with imaging support allows the classification of important causes of failing remodeling into proximal and distal groups, on the basis of the origin of the refilling of the false lumen and the underlying pathophysiology of pressurization. Refilling of the false lumen of the aorta after repair of a type A dissection is usually secondary to a persistent intimal tear at the aortic arch, a leak of the distal graft anastomosis, or refilling from the false lumen of a dissected aortic arch vessel. After TEVAR, false lumen refilling is most commonly due to an incomplete seal of the proximal landing related to the aortic tortuosity, an arch branch stump, a supra-arch chimney stent, or the TEVAR technique. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2018.
Soil acidity and aluminium in South Island high and hill-country: new data and future needs.

Soil extractable aluminium (Al) concentrations can have a strong impact on the establishment, growth and persistence of pasture legumes. This has become clear in New Zealand high and hill-country, where legumes are scarce and failing to persist in acid soils with high Al levels. For the last decade a research programme has been conducted at Lincoln University focused on legume growth and persistence in acid, high Al concentration soils. Research has examined several aspects of soil acidity and Al toxicity and screened and evaluated a range of legume species, identifying several that show promise in their growth and persistence under acidic and high Al concentrations, in addition to harsh climatic environments. This paper summarises this extensive body of research and also suggests some future research topics for addressing the growing challenge of increasing soil acidity and soil Al faced by increasing numbers of producers.
Targeting IL-5 in COPD

Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continue to experience exacerbations despite receiving standard-of-care treatments. Novel approaches to COPD treatment focus on understanding and targeting molecular mechanisms of airway inflammation, airway obstruction, remodeling and lung destruction. Several identified phenotypes and endotypes of COPD will pave the future path for a more personalized approach to therapy. Although well known to be associated with neutrophilic inflammation, COPD may also be driven by eosinophilic inflammation both at stable states and during exacerbation. Targeting eosinophilic inflammation has been successful in managing severe eosinophilic asthma and may hold promise in certain phenotypes of COPD. The most promising biologic treatments at an advanced stage of development are agents blocking interleukin (IL)-5 or its receptor. This review examines our current understanding of the eosinophilic inflammation in COPD and the rationale for IL-5 targeting agents.
iService: A Cloud-Based Scheduling Service for Efficient Usage of IoT Resources

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), numerous IoT devices have been deployed in various living spaces such as university campuses, community centers, offices and homes. Users of IoT services are more and more willing to explore and directly interact with interested devices over mobile or web applications. However, there is a lack of online service that can efficiently schedule requests issued by various IoT users to distributed IoT devices. Efficient, cost-effective scheduling is critical to the user experience in a smart living space. In this paper, we propose iService, a cloud-based scheduling service for efficient usage of IoT resources given IoT-specific factors, such as device location, sensing capability, and energy cost. In our solution, the essential scheduling problem has been formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. To efficiently address this problem in an online fashion, iService has been implemented using multiple AWS technologies. Via extensive experiments, the effectiveness of iService has been demonstrated under different request patterns and system parameters. From these experiments, we conclude that iService can improve the quality of service to the user and thus their quality of life within a pervasive living space.
“Translating” Russia: News Fixers and Foreign Correspondents in an Era of Political Uncertainty

This article examines the work of news fixers based in Moscow, in hopes of better understanding the risks and challenges that they face as they “translate” Russia for foreign journalists. Drawing u...
Organizing for the Anti-Capitalist Transition∗ Organizándose Para la Transición Anticapitalista1:

The current crisis originated in steps taken to resolve the crisis of the 1970s. The political forces that coalesced and mobilized behind these measures had a distinctive class character, and cloth...
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Interpretive Nutrition Label Format in Improving Healthy Food Discrimination Using Signal Detection Theory

This paper presents the results of a pilot study examining the effectiveness of an interpretive nutrition label as an information nudge in the context of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with a mobile Health application (mHealth app). Thirty subjects from two age groups were recruited to complete a healthy food discrimination task on the web-based app. The primary factor was the availability of an interpretative front-of-package (FOP) nutrition label or the back-of-package (BOP) Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) for each choice. Additionally, the number of food options and a default nudge were examined. Results indicate both the potential usefulness of FOP nutrition labels as an information nudge in the mHealth app context and the discriminability metric adopted from Signal Detection Theory for similar experiments.
Induction of calpain and intrinsic caspase pathways for apoptosis in human malignant neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y following exposure to diallyl sulfide (DAS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS)

5871 Neuroblastoma is an early childhood malignancy that mostly occurs in the sympathetic nervous system arising from the immature neuroblasts of the adrenal glands, neck, chest, or spinal cord. Neuroblastoma is an aggressive metastatic disease, especially, when it is diagnosed in children older than 1 year of age. It is the first cause of disease-associated death in chlidren at pre-school age. Malignant neuroblastoma (N-type) continues to defy all currently available chemotherapeutic regimens. So, there is an urgent need for the development of new therapeutic strategies for successful treatment of malignant neuroblastoma in young children. In our current investigation, we employed N-type neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y to examine the efficacy of the garlic derived organosulfur compounds such as diallyl sulfide (DAS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS) for induction of apoptotic death and for exploration of the proteolytic mechanisms involved in this process. Trypan blue dye exclusion test showed a decrease in cell viability with an increasing dose of DAS or DADS. Wright staining and examination of the cell morphology under the light microscopy identified prominent apoptotic features in SH-SY5Y cells following exposure to 50 μM and 100 μM DAS or DADS for 24 h. Further, ApopTag assay detected the DNA fragmentation in apoptotic cells following exposure to DAS and DADS. It appeared from Wright staining and ApopTag assay that DADS could induce more apoptosis than DAS. Apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells in response to these compounds could be associated with an increase in intracellular free Ca2+, which was determined by fura-2 assay. Western blot analyses showed alterations in levels of expression of the Bax and Bcl-2 proteins resulting in an increase in Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, increased amounts of Smac/Diablo in the cytosol, and overexpression and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 - all of which clearly indicated an involvement of intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells following exposure to DAS or DADS. Moreover, increased proteolytic activities of calpain and caspase-3 cleaved 270 kD α-spectrin at the specific sites generating, respectively, 145 kD spectrin break down product (SBDP) and 120 kD SBDP in course of apoptosis. Taken together, the results from our current investigation strongly suggest an involvement and co-operation between calpain and intrinsic caspase pathways for mediation of apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells following exposure to these organosulfur compounds derived from garlic. This investigation implies that the efficacy of DAS and DADS for induction of apoptosis should be further explored in animal models of malignant neuroblastoma. This investigation was supported in part by the R01 grants from the NCI and NINDS of the NIH (Bethesda, MD), and also a grant from the State of SC.
A Case Report: The Challenging Diagnosis of Spontaneous Cervical Epidural Hematoma.

Author(s): Counselman, Francis L.; Tondt, Julie M.; Lustig, Harry | Abstract: Introduction: We present the case of a patient with a spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma that presented with neck pain and mild, left arm parasthesia.Case Report: A 59-year old man presented with sudden onset of severe neck pain, without history of injury or trauma. The patient also complained of associated left arm parasthesias that progressed to left arm and leg weakness while in the emergency department. Multiple diagnoses were considered and worked up; eventually the correct diagnosis was made with magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine.Conclusion: Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma typically presents with neck pain, and variable neurologic complaints. This case illustrates the challenge in making this uncommon but serious diagnosis.
Parametric Decay Instability and Dissipation of Low-frequency Alfvén Waves in Low-beta Turbulent Plasmas

Evolution of the parametric decay instability (PDI) of a circularly polarized Alfven wave in a turbulent low-beta plasma background is investigated using 3D hybrid simulations. It is shown that the turbulence reduces the growth rate of PDI as compared to the linear theory predictions, but PDI can still exist. Interestingly, the damping rate of the ion acoustic mode (as the product of PDI) is also reduced as compared to the linear Vlasov predictions. Nonetheless, significant heating of ions in the direction parallel to the background magnetic field is observed due to resonant Landau damping of the ion acoustic waves. In low-beta turbulent plasmas, PDI can provide an important channel for energy dissipation of low-frequency Alfven waves at a scale much larger than the ion kinetic scales, different from the traditional turbulence dissipation models.
The role of lineage, hemilineage and temporal identity in establishing neuronal targeting and connectivity in the Drosophila embryo

Abstract The mechanisms specifying neuronal diversity are well-characterized, yet it remains unclear how these mechanisms are used to establish neuronal morphology and connectivity. Here we map the developmental origin of over 78 neurons from seven identified neural progenitors (neuroblasts) within a complete TEM reconstruction of the Drosophila larval CNS. This allowed us to correlate developmental mechanism with neuronal projection and synapse targeting. We find that clonally-related neurons from individual neuroblasts project widely in the neuropil without preferential circuit formation. In contrast, the two NotchON/NotchOFF hemilineages from each neuroblast project to restricted dorsal/motor neuropil domains (NotchON) and ventral/sensory neuropil domains (NotchOFF). Thus, each neuroblast contributes both motor and sensory processing neurons, although they share little connectivity. Lineage-specific constitutive Notch transforms sensory to motor hemilineages, showing hemilineage identity determines neuronal targeting. Within a hemilineage, neurons of different temporal cohorts target their synapses to different sub-domains of the neuropil. Importantly, neurons sharing a sub-domain defined by hemilineage and temporal identity preferentially connect to neurons of another hemilineage/temporal profile. We propose that the mechanisms that generate neural diversity are also determinants of neural circuit formation.
Secret powers: Acts of Googling in the therapeutic relationship

Objective The ease of online searching has diminished people's expectations of privacy and the ability to control access to information about oneself, which can alter basic assumptions about the therapy relationship. Method This grounded theory study explored psychotherapists' experiences of searching online for patients and being searched for by patients, among 28 clinicians of primarily psychodynamic orientation. Results Many therapists search online for information about patients, but often minimize or rationalize this action and do not share it with their patients. Meanwhile, while they believe their patients search for them, they find it difficult to raise the topic directly in therapy. Thus, when it comes to online searching and discovery of information, an air of secrecy pervades the therapeutic relationship. Conclusions Despite the serious implications that the pervasiveness of online searching has for the treatment relationship, therapists lack sufficient support for exploring their motivations, curiosities, and urges surrounding this action.
UAB-UCSD O’Brien Center for Acute Kidney Injury Research

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a significant clinical problem through its diverse etiologies, the challenges of robust measurements of injury and recovery, and its progression to chronic kidney ...
Full conditional distributions for Bayesian multilevel models with additive or interactive effects and missing data on covariates

Missing data are a common occurrence in analyses of multivariate data, including in multilevel modeling. Bayesian approaches to handling missing data in multilevel modeling have garnered increasing...
Methods to Elicit Forecasts from Groups: Delphi and Prediction Markets Compared

Traditional groups meetings are an inefficient and ineffective method for making forecasts and decisions. We compare two structured alternatives to traditional meetings: the Delphi technique and prediction markets. Delphi is relatively simple and cheap to implement and has been adopted for diverse applications in business and government since its origins in the 1950s. It can be used for nearly any forecasting, estimation, or decision making problem not barred by complexity or ignorance. While prediction markets were used more than a century ago, their popularity waned until more recent times. Prediction markets can be run continuously, and they motivate participation and participants to reveal their true beliefs. On the other hand, they need many participants and clear outcomes in order to determine pay-offs. Moreover, translating knowledge into a price is not intuitive to everyone and constructing contracts that will provide a useful forecast may not be possible for some problems. It is difficult to maintain confidentiality with markets and they are vulnerable to manipulation. Delphi is designed to reveal panelists' knowledge and opinions via their forecasts and the reasoning they provide. This format allows testing of knowledge and learning by panelists as they refine their forecasts but may also lead to conformity due to group pressure. The reasoning provided as an output of the Delphi process is likely to be reassuring to forecast users who are uncomfortable with the "black box" nature of prediction markets. We consider that, half a century after its original development, Delphi is under-utilized.
Survival of Hepatitis A Virus on Two-Month Stored Freeze-Dried Berries.

ABSTRACT Imported berries have contributed to U.S. hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections. Minimal processing by freeze-drying is preferred by industry for preserving food quality, but virus inactivation by this process may be limited. This study investigated HAV survival on strawberries during 24-h freeze-drying followed by 22°C storage. The outer surfaces of strawberry slices were prepared and each inoculated with 5 to 6 log PFU HAV, air dried for 20 min, frozen for 1 h at -80°C, and freeze-dried for 24 h with radiant heating up to 36°C. Infectious HAV levels eluted from berry slices were quantified on FRhK-4 cells grown onto six-well dishes. Freeze-drying trials (n = 17) with radiant heating inactivated ≤1 log PFU per trial, although HAV inactivation was significantly (P < 0.01) greater at 36°C than at 15°C heating. Average HAV reduction rate on dried berries continuously decreased as storage time increased: 0.2-, 0.09-, 0.08-, 0.04-, 0.04-, and 0.03-log reduction per day at day 2, 7, 14, 28, 42, and 56, respectively, with the cumulated log reduction divided by storage days. Therefore, the best-fit regression for the total or cumulative virus reduction (Y) at any given day (X) is Y = 0.2882X0.4503 (r2 = 0.97), with a maximum 2.7-log reduction on berries throughout the drying and subsequent 2-month storage. HAV showed the greatest decline within the first 14 days of storage of dried berries (ca. 70% weekly reduction from its previous week's level), but the HAV reduction rates were still lower than that occurring on fresh produce. HIGHLIGHTS
A new approach to assess delamination in drilling carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy composite materials

The development of efficient, high-quality joining techniques is still considered an obstacle to the wide application of composite materials as structural components. Mechanical fastening is one of the most common joining techniques. However, this requires the composite material to be drilled, which introduces significant damage to the material. The improvement of drilling techniques is dependent on the accurate analysis of the induced damage. Moreover, concerning repair activities, the assessment of the machining-induced damage enables the determination of its significance, identifying the immediacy of repair. The delamination factors described in the literature quantify the damage but neither has achieved full acceptance to create international standards, which are yet to be defined. This work proposes a new approach to assess the delamination factor by using an image processing methodology, based on digital radiography, to characterize the drilling-induced damage. This approach reconsiders the assumptions made prior to the application of the delamination factor, by reducing the affected area to a quantified damaged area ratio. The obtained results highlight that the minimization of the quantified damage for the most irregular delamination shapes to a single, unequivocal value creates an unambiguous delamination factor for quantifying drilling-induced damage. Simultaneously, the preferential direction of the damage is identified. Additionally, since it is a fully automated method, it is an expeditious method that can be used in situ, being valuable either for manufacturing or repair activities.
Risk of de novo cancer after premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy.

Background Hysterectomy is one of the most frequent gynecologic surgeries in the United States. Women undergoing hysterectomy commonly are offered bilateral oophorectomy for ovarian and breast cancer prevention. Although bilateral oophorectomy may dramatically reduce the risk of gynecologic cancers, some studies suggested that bilateral oophorectomy may be associated with an increased risk of other types of cancer, such as lung cancer and colorectal cancer. However, the results are conflicted. Objective To study the association between bilateral oophorectomy and the risk of subsequent cancer of any type. Study design This population-based cohort study included all premenopausal women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy for a nonmalignant indication before the age of 50 years between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 2007 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and a random sample of age-matched (±1 year) referent women who did not undergo bilateral oophorectomy. Women with cancer before oophorectomy (or index date) or within 6 months after the index date were excluded. Time-to-event analyses were performed to assess the risk of de novo cancer. Cancer diagnosis and type were confirmed using medical record review. Results Over a median follow-up of 18 years, the risk of any cancer did not significantly differ between 1562 women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy before natural menopause and 1610 referent women (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.82, 95% CI, 0.66-1.03). However, women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy had a decreased risk of gynecologic cancers (HR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.06-0.34) but not of non-gynecologic cancers (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.78-1.26). In particular, the risk of breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and lung cancer did not differ between these two cohorts. Use of estrogen therapy through the age of 50 years in women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy did not modify the results. Conclusions Women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy before menopause have a reduced risk of gynecologic cancer but not of other types of cancer including breast cancer. Women at average risk of ovarian cancer should not consider bilateral oophorectomy for the prevention of breast cancer or other non-gynecologic cancers.
Linguistic russification in the Russian Empire: peasants into Russians?

The purpose of this paper is to question the traditional view of tsarist language management as a conscious, consistent and long-lasting policy of linguistic russification and denationalization and to consider the actual policies, their context, and impact. Drawing on recent historiographies, I will show that the Russian administration had no unified language policy: its strategies varied significantly across time periods and geographic regions and were mediated by political, ethnic, religious, and class concerns. When russification policies were adopted, the key aim was to establish the dominance of Russian as a high language over Polish, German, and Tatar. At the same time, the authorities never created a comprehensive primary education system and, as a result, failed to spread Russian to the majority of non-Russian peasants. Ethnic elites adopted Russian as an additional language, yet this adoption did not increase their loyalty to the empire: the key outcome of russification policies was the mobilization of emerging national movements.
Production of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus inoculum in aeroponic culture.

Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) and industrial sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) colonized by Glomus deserticola, G. etunicatum, and G. intraradices were grown in aeroponic cultures. After 12 to 14 weeks, all roots were colonized by the inoculated vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Abundant vesicles and arbuscules formed in the roots, and profuse sporulation was detected intra-and extraradically. Within each fungal species, industrial sweet potato contained significantly more roots and spores per plant than bahia grass did, although the percent root colonization was similar for both hosts. Mean percent root colonization and sporulation per centimeter of colonized root generally increased with time, although with some treatments colonization declined by week 14. Spore production ranged from 4 spores per cm of colonized root for G. etunicatum to 51 spores per cm for G. intraradices. Infectivity trials with root inocula resulted in a mean of 38, 45, and 28% of bahia grass roots colonized by G. deserticola, G. etunicatum, and G. intraradices, respectively. The germination rate of G. etunicatum spores produced in soil was significantly higher than that produced in aeroponic cultures (64% versus 46%) after a 2-week incubation at 28°C. However, infectivity studies comparing G. etunicatum spores from soil and aeroponic culture indicated no biological differences between the spore sources. Aeroponically produced G. deserticola and G. etunicatum inocula retained their infectivity after cold storage (4°C) in either sterile water or moist vermiculite for at least 4 and 9 months, respectively.
Spironolactone and hydrochlorothiazide decrease vascular stiffness and blood pressure in geriatric hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of spironolactone (SPIRO) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) as monotherapy in older patients with hypertension in blood pressure (BP) control and measures of vascular stiffness. DESIGN: Randomized double-blind trial. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five subjects with hypertension (24 men, 21 women, mean age 69). INTERVENTION: Six months of HCTZ (n=21) or SPIRO (n=24) therapy titrated to a target systolic BP (SBP) less than 140 mmHg. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline (after 4 weeks of antihypertensive drug washout) and 6-month 24-hour ambulatory BP data were obtained. Pulse pressure (PP) was calculated as the difference between 24-hour average SBP and DBP. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was determined according to noninvasive recordings of carotid and femoral artery pulse waves. RESULTS: Six months of HCTZ and SPIRO treatment was associated with significant decreases in 24-hour and nocturnal SBP and diastolic BP (DBP) (analysis of variance (ANOVA) P<.001). At 6 months, average 24-hour and nocturnal SBP were lower in the SPIRO than the HCTZ group (P<.001). PP and PWV also decreased significantly with HCTZ and SPIRO treatments (ANOVA P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Six months of therapy with HCTZ or SPIRO resulted in comparable reductions in 24-hour average and nocturnal SBP and DBP, PP, and PWV in older subjects with hypertension.
Dopamine D1 and D3 receptors are differentially involved in cue-elicited cocaine seeking

Environmental cues previously associated with reinforcing drugs can play a key role in relapse to drug seeking behaviors in humans. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system plays a critical role in cocaine-induced neurobiological changes. Dopamine D1 and D3 receptors modulate locomotor-stimulant and positive reinforcing effects of cocaine, and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking. Moreover, activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) induced by acute cocaine administration is regulated by both D1 and D3 receptors. How D1 and D3 receptors modulate the acquisition and extinction of cue-elicited cocaine seeking behavior and associated changes in the MAPK signaling pathway in different brain regions, however, remains unclear. In the present study, we found that D1 receptor mutant mice failed to acquire conditioned place preference (CPP) while D3 receptor mutant mice show delayed CPP extinction compared with wild-type mice. Moreover, ERK, but not the c-jun N-terminal kinase and p38, is activated in wild-type and D3 receptor mutant mice but not in D1 receptor mutant mice following CPP acquisition. D3 receptor mutant mice also exhibit sustained ERK activation compared with wild-type mice following extinction training. Our results suggest that D1 and D3 receptors differentially contribute to learned association between cues and the rewarding properties of cocaine by regulating, at least in part, ERK activation in specific areas of the brain.
One AID to Unite Them All

By creating an extremely diverse antibody repertoire, B cells protect the body against numerous infectious pathogens. Generation of this antibody repertoire depends on immunoglobulin gene modification events driven by four different molecular processes: V(D)J recombination, somatic hypermutation, class switch recombination, and gene conversion. The enzyme AID (activation-induced cytidine deaminase) is known to be involved in somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination. In their Perspective, [Fugmann and Schatz][1] explain that AID is also essential for gene conversion ([ Arakawa et al .][2]) and discuss how AID could operate in these three quite different processes. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5558/1244 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/295/5558/1301
Anomalous superconductivity and field-induced magnetism in CeCoIn 5

In the heavy fermion superconductor ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}$ ${(T}_{c}=2.3 \mathrm{K})$ the critical field is large, anisotropic, and displays hysteresis. The magnitude of the critical-field anisotropy in the $a\ensuremath{-}c$ plane can be as large as 7 T and depends on orientation. Critical-field measurements in the (110) plane suggest two-dimensional superconductivity, whereas conventional effective-mass anisotropy is observed in the (100) plane. Two distinct field-induced magnetic phases are observed: ${H}_{a}$ appears deep in the superconducting phase, while ${H}_{b}$ intersects ${\mathrm{Hc}}_{2}$ at $T=1.4 \mathrm{K}$ and extends well above ${T}_{c}.$ These observations suggest the possible realization of a direct transition from ferromagnetism to Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconductivity in ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}.$
Learning in open-ended dynamic distributed environments

In some domains (e.g., molecular biology), data repositories are large in size, dynamic, and physically distributed. Consequently, it is neither desirable nor feasible to gather all the data in a centralized location for analysis. Hence, efficient distributed learning algorithms that can operate across multiple data sources without the need to transmit large amounts of data and cumulative learning algorithms that can cope with data sets that grow at rapid rate are needed. The problem of learning from distributed data can be summarized as follows: data is distributed across multiple sites and the learner’s task is to discover useful knowledge from all the available data. For example, such knowledge might be expressed in the form of a decision tree or a set of rules for pattern classification. A distributed learning algorithm LD is said to be exact with respect to the hypothesis inferred by a learning algorithm L ,i fthe hypothesis produced by LD, using distributed data sets D1 through Dn is the same as that obtained by L when it is given access to the complete data set D, which can be constructed (in principle) by combining the individual data sets D1 through Dn. Our approach to distributed learning is based on a decomposition of the learning task into information extraction and hypothesis generation components. This involves identifying the information requirements of a learning algorithm and designing efficient means of providing the needed information to the hypothesis generation component, while avoiding the need to transmit large amounts of data. This offers a general strategy for transforming a batch or centralized learning algorithm into an exact distributed algorithm. In this approach to distributed learning, only the information extrac
HOSPITAL CHILL FOODSERVICE SYSTEMS: ACCEPTABILITY AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BEEF-SOY LOAVES WHEN PROCESSED ACCORDING TO SYSTEM PROCEDURES

Preparation and service of food as practiced in hospital chill food-service systems were simulated. Beef-soy loaves, containing 25% rehydrated textured soy crumbles and 75% ground beef, were baked to 60°C in a convection oven operating at 121 ± 8°C; stored chilled at 5 ± 3°C for 24, 48 or 72 hr; portioned; held chilled at 5 ± 1°C for 2 hr, and then heated in a microwave oven for 55 set to achieve an internal temperature of 80°C just before the products were evaluated by a consumer panel. Overall acceptability scores for the final product were almost identical, regardless of the length of chilled storage at 5 ± 3°C. Viable bacteria remained in the center of product after the loaves were heated to 60°C, stored at 5 ± 3°C for 24–72 hr, portioned, held chilled at 5 ± 1°C for 2 hr, and portions heated to 80°C.
Sensing and Recognizing Surface Textures Using a GelSight Sensor

Sensing surface textures by touch is a valuable capability for robots. Until recently it was difficult to build a compliant sensor with high sensitivity and high resolution. The GelSight sensor is compliant and offers sensitivity and resolution exceeding that of the human fingertips. This opens the possibility of measuring and recognizing highly detailed surface textures. The GelSight sensor, when pressed against a surface, delivers a height map. This can be treated as an image, and processed using the tools of visual texture analysis. We have devised a simple yet effective texture recognition system based on local binary patterns, and enhanced it by the use of a multi-scale pyramid and a Hellinger distance metric. We built a database with 40 classes of tactile textures using materials such as fabric, wood, and sandpaper. Our system can correctly categorize materials from this database with high accuracy. This suggests that the GelSight sensor can be useful for material recognition by robots.
Comments on: ‘Financing water supply and sanitation under Agenda 21’ by John Briscoe and Harvey A Garn, February 1995 and on the comments by Gourisankar Ghosh and Ashok Nigam, May 1995

The argument in John Briscoe and Harvey Garn's paper, ‘Financing water supply and sanitation under Agenda 21’, is that the price tags approach adopted in Agenda 21 towards water supply and sanitation, as towards everything else, is mistaken. In general, they would seem to be right; exhortations of the Agenda 21 type have historically proved to be of little, if any, value.
Postoperative radiotherapy for lung cancer: the breast cancer story all over again?

A recent meta-analysis published in Lancet suggests that postoperative radiotherapy is detrimental to patients with non‐ small-cell lung cancer (1). This meta-analysis includes 2128 patients from 9 randomized trials conducted since 1965. Overall, the meta-analysis suggests that RT reduces the risk of local regional recurrence but has a detrimental effect on overall survival ( p 5 0.001). There was no identifiable subgroup for whom there was an improved survival with RT. The authors conclude that postoperative RT should not be used in completely resected non‐small-cell lung cancer. Approximately 25% of the patients in this study had Stage I disease, while an additional approximate 33% of patients had Stage II disease. Less than half of the patients had Stage III disease. The data show a clear trend for the largest detrimental effect in patients with Stage I disease. The effect in Stage II disease was smaller. There was no difference in survival amongst those with Stage III disease. As the extent of nodal disease parallels the stage, findings were similar regarding the degree of nodal involvement. Radiation therapy, like all cancer therapies, has the potential to cause serious toxicity and should not be indiscriminately delivered. Chest irradiation can impair cardiopulmonary function, cause esophagitis with secondary dehydration and weakness. The cure rate with surgical resection in node negative patients exceeds 50%. Presently, such patients are not generally considered for postoperative RT, since the predominant mode of failure is systemic. The rationale for thoracic RT increases with advancing disease stage, because the risk of intrathoracic recurrence increases. The risk of systemic recurrence, however, remains dominant, minimizing the potential impact of RT on survival. It is interesting to note that the detrimental effect of thoracic RT on survival was not demonstrated in the patients with Stage III (or mediastinal node positive) disease. It seems unlikely that radiation-induced morbidity/mortality would be less in this group than in earlier stage patients. In fact, patients with higher stage disease probably had larger radiation fields than patients with lower stage disease. We would interpret this observation to mean that radiation therapy in higher stage patients did improve lung cancer-specific survival. It is likely that the
Lack of Protection following Re-Exposure of Chinook Salmon to Ceratonova shasta (Myxozoa)

AbstractThe recent identification of multiple genotypes of the salmonid parasite Ceratonova shasta with different virulence levels in Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha suggests that it is possible to immunize fish against subsequent infection and disease. We hypothesized that exposure of Chinook Salmon to the less-virulent parasite genotype (II) prior to the more virulent parasite genotype (I) would decrease disease and/or result in fewer mature parasites compared with fish only infected with the more virulent genotype. To test this hypothesis, fish were challenged in a combination of field and laboratory exposures, and we measured infection prevalence, percent morbidity, and mature parasite production. Neither mortality nor mature parasite production were reduced when fish were exposed to genotype II prior to genotype I compared with fish exposed only to genotype I, suggesting that protection against C. shasta using a less-virulent genotype of the parasite does not occur.Received June 9, 2014; acce...
HSV-2 ICP34.5 protein modulates herpes simplex virus glycoprotein processing

The ICP34.5 gene from HSV-2 strain 333 was cloned and, when expressed in Vero cells, enhanced the efficiency and extent of glycoprotein processing of glycoprotein C (gC1), a representative viral glycoprotein, during infection with HSV-1 SP7. The ICP34.5 from HSV-1 SP7 limits the extent and efficiency of viral glycoprotein processing. The ability of the HSV-2 ICP34.5 protein to enhance the efficiency and extent of HSV-1 SP7 glycoprotein processing indicates that modulation of viral glycoprotein processing is also a property of the HSV-2 ICP34.5 protein.