cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bortezomib Can Overcome Stroma-Mediated Chemotherapy Resistance in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Abstract Abstract 2475 Background: In spite of excellent results of chemotherapy induction resulting in high rates of complete remission in patients with ALL, relapse remains a major problem. This is likely due to a subset of leukemic cells that are chemotherapy resistant. The interaction between bone marrow stromal cells and leukemia cells protects leukemic cells from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. Bortezomib is a proteozome inhibitor used to treat lymphoid malignancies. It has been shown to mobilize stem cells in myeloma patients. We hypothesized that, in addition to its direct cytotoxic effect, bortezomib can also overcome the protective effect of stromal cells by disrupting CXCR4 signaling through inhibition of CXCR4 turnover normally regulated by proteosome degradation. Methods: We used the human B-cell ALL cell lines, G2 and BV-173, and two human BM stromal cell lines, HS-5 and HS-27a for our studies. G2 cells were incubated alone or co-cultured with HS-5 or HS-27a for 24 hours then treated with RPMI (control), cytarabine, doxorubicin, or bortezomib. After 48 hours, cells were harvested and stained with FITC-conjugated anti-human annexin V antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry. To test the effect of bortezomib on CXCR4 expression, G2 cells were incubated with or without stromal cells and treated with cytarabine or bortezomib for 18 hours or left untreated. Then cells were stained with PE-conjugated anti-human CXCR4 antibody (clone 1D9) and analyzed by flow cyometry. The CXCR4 expression was reported as relative mean fluorescent intensity (RMFI) compared to isotype control. We then performed cell cycle analysis of G2 cells treated with cytarabine or bortezomib for 18 hours. All cells were treated with BrdU 1 hour prior to harvest, then stained with APC-conjugated anti-BrdU antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Incubation of G2 cells with HS-5 protected them from apoptosis induced by cytarabine or doxorubicin but not bortezomib. The apoptosis rate for cytarabine treated cells was 55±0.3% without HS-5 vs. 15%±0.8 with HS-5(p Conclusion: Bortezomib can overcome the stromal cell-mediated protection of human G2 ALL cells. This effect may be, in part, mediated by in the decreased surface expression of CXCR4 shown by others to mediate leukemia-stroma interaction and chemoprotection. In contrast to cytarabine which selectively kills cells in S phase, bortezomib induced killing of ALL cells regardless of cell cycle status. Future studies will use of in vivo mouse models of ALL to test the effects of bortezomib alone or in combination with chemotherapy on survival. Disclosures: DiPersio: genzyme: Honoraria.
Human influences on male waving behavior in the fiddler crab Leptuca pugilator

Fiddler crabs are numerically dominant consumers within salt marshes and understanding how their behavior is influenced by human activities can therefore shed light on the health of disturbed marsh...
What Is Driving the Drug Overdose Epidemic in the United States

The demand-side perspective argues that the drug overdose epidemic is a consequence of changes in the economy that leave behind working-class people who lack a college education. In contrast, the supply-side perspective maintains that the epidemic is primarily due to changes in the licit and illicit drug environment, whereas a third, distinct perspective argues that income inequality is likely a key driver of the epidemic. To evaluate these competing perspectives, we use a two-level random intercept model and U.S. state-level data from 2006 to 2017. Contrary to the demand-side approach, we find that educational attainment is not associated with drug-related mortality. In support of the supply-side approach, we provide evidence indicating that opioid prescription rates are positively associated with drug-related mortality. We also find that income inequality is a key driver of the epidemic, particularly the lack of resources going to the bottom 20% of earners. We conclude by arguing that considerations of income inequality are an important way to link the arguments made by the demand-side and the supply-side perspectives.
High Performance mm-Wave MIMO Radar with Integrated Antenna-on-Package

This paper presents development of antenna-on-package devices using TI’s 77GHz and 60GHz mm-wave radar chips. Two test devices, based on two configurations of flip-chip packaging technology, are designed and characterized to demonstrate electrical performance and mechanical reliability of this solution. A cavity-backed E-shape antenna element is proposed for integration in the package substrate. Antenna elements are arranged on the package to create desired MIMO arrays. On-package impedance matching techniques are used to enable wide-band match between antennas and on-die active circuitry. Arrays of electromagnetic band gap structures (EBG) are designed and implemented in areas around transmit and receive antennas to improve isolation as well as antenna radiation patterns. Measurements of functional device and antenna substrate show good correlation to design simulations.
Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb with 6.7W Average Power Based on Difference Frequency Generation

We present a frequency comb with 6.7 W at 2.9 μm with carrier-envelope phase stable pulses. To our knowledge, this is the highest power such comb reported to date.
Connecting Malian and Burkinabe women’s local experiences of livelihood security to how they participate in politics

Abstract When women participate in local politics, politics becomes more inclusive and local governments can be more responsive to a wide range of citizen concerns. Extensive research on gender quotas has generated knowledge about how these institutional reforms can advance women’s representation and political participation. However, we know less about the local-level variables that affect women’s incentives to participate in politics. Drawing on interview data with 160 women and men in two village research sites located in a rural cross-border zone in Mali and Burkina Faso, this paper asks how women’s livelihood pursuits affect their political participation. The paper argues that women’s experiences of livelihood security shape how they respond to the opportunities for political participation that exist in their local communities. Women in a village in Mali who experience more livelihood security across the seasons aspire to future political participation as elected members of the local government council. By contrast, women in a neighboring village in Burkina Faso who experience less livelihood security across the seasons focus on attending local government meetings and making claims on the local government to support them as women and as farmers who experience livelihood insecurity. Meeting attendance and claims-making happen through women’s savings and credit associations. Women in both research sites participate in these similarly structured associations, but more political participation happens through associations for the Burkinabe women who experience livelihood insecurity. These findings highlight how objective differences in gendered, local political economies create divergent opportunities for women’s livelihoods, which contribute to differences in how they respond to opportunities for political participation. These dynamics call for further attention to the relationship between livelihood security and political participation and more attention to how women participate in politics through associations. In these rural villages, women are making important contributions to public life through political participation, economic production, and civic engagement.
Electrospun Bioabsorbable Fibers Containing S-Nitrosoglutathione for Tissue Engineering Applications

Blended and coaxial fibers comprising polycaprolactone and gelatin, containing the endogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), were electrospun. Both types of fibers had their N...
CONTAMINATION OF RADIOCARBON ANALYSES OF PLANT SAMPLES BY FUNGAL HYPHAE

Fungal hyphae associated with tree roots extending into the surrounding substrate are suspected to have to contaminated buried plant material with recent carbon in two examples and to have resulted in erroneously young radiocarbon ages. This problem might be overcome by choosing sampling sites far from trees or by analyzing the lignin component of samples, although the latter is presently difficult.
Engineered CRISPR/Cas12a Enables Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection

ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has swept through the globe at an unprecedented rate. CRISPR-based detection technologies such as DETECTR, SHERLOCK, and STOPCovid have emerged as a rapid and affordable platform that can shape the future of diagnostics. Recently, we reported engineered crRNAs for Cas12a, called ENHANCE, that enables enhanced detection of nucleic acids. Here we report development, clinical validation, and advancement of ENHANCE platform for detecting SARS-CoV-2. With an RT-LAMP pre-amplification step, ENHANCE detects samples down to a single copy with 95% accuracy and shows high specificity towards various isolates of SARS-CoV-2 against 31 highly similar and common respiratory pathogens. Utilizing LbCas12a-mediated trans-cleavage activity, ENHANCE works robustly in a wide range of magnesium concentration (3 mM-13 mM), allowing for further assay optimization. Additionally, ENHANCEv2 is developed to further improve the previously reported ENHANCE. ENHANCEv2 employs mutated LbCas12aD156R, engineered chimeric DNA-extended crRNA, and a dual reporter for both fluorescence-based reporter assay and lateral flow assay. Both ENHANCE and ENHANCEv2 are validated in 62 clinical nasopharyngeal swabs, showing 60/62 (96.7%) agreement with RT-qPCR results, and using only 5 μL of sample and 20 minutes of CRISPR reaction. Lateral flow assay on paper strips displays 100% agreement with fluorescence-based reporter assay in the clinical validation. Following a 30-minute pre-amplification RT-LAMP step, the lyophilized ENHANCEv2 is shown to achieve high sensitivity and specificity while reducing CRISPR reaction time to as low as 3 minutes and maintaining its detection capability upon storage at room temperature for several weeks.
Python Based Face Recognition for Person Identification Using PCA and 2DPCA Techniques

In this paper we proposed a face recognition techniques based on Principal component analysis and two Dimension Principal Component Analysis using python. Many researcher’s use Matlab software but we use Python because it’s open source and easily available. Python provides many good libraries like Open CV, PIL, and Sklearn to solve the face recognition problem. The size of python is very less as compared to matlab so we can avoid the computational burden and it takes less time to execute the program that’s why we get fast and better results on large database. We have used EIF-I and Face 94 database and we applied PCA and 2DPCA on both the database but we got better accuracy using 2DPCA with Face 94 database.
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome.

This review provides an updated discussion on the clinical presentation, diagnosis and radiographic features, mechanisms, associations and epidemiology, treatment, and prognosis of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Headache is common in PRES, though headache associated with PRES was not identified as a separate entity in the 2018 International Classification of Headache Disorders. Here, we review the relevant literature and suggest criteria for consideration of its inclusion. COVID-19 has been identified as a potential risk factor for PRES, with a prevalence of 1–4% in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing neuroimaging, thus making a discussion of its identification and treatment particularly timely given the ongoing global pandemic at the time of this writing. PRES is a neuro-clinical syndrome with specific imaging findings. The clinical manifestations of PRES include headache, seizures, encephalopathy, visual disturbances, and focal neurologic deficits. Associations with PRES include renal failure, preeclampsia and eclampsia, autoimmune conditions, and immunosuppression. PRES is theorized to be a syndrome of disordered autoregulation and endothelial dysfunction resulting in preferential hyperperfusion of the posterior circulation. Treatment typically focuses on treating the underlying cause and removal of the offending agents.
A Prediction Model for Femoral Artery and Vein Dimensions in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization

Background and Objectives: Percutaneous intervention is increasingly favored in pediatric patients in the appropriate clinical setting. However, the size of femoral vessels can limit the ability to perform an intervention. There has been no standardization of femoral artery (FA) and vein (FV) dimensions in pediatric patients in the United States; thus, our study set out to create predictive models for both FA and FV dimensions. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed caths at our center between 07/01/2016 and 06/30/2017. Patients with 2D ultrasound images that were inadequate for measurement of vessel diameters were excluded. A …
Hourly Rounding and Fall Prevention among the Elderly in Long Term Care: A change Process

Long term care facilities have a rising rate of falls and fall related injuries with increasing cost and more hospitalization. Hourly rounding® is an evidenced based intervention that is proactive for nursing staff to be able to identify patient’s needs. This helps with positive fall prevention outcome. This project focused on process improvement efforts for 10 weeks and examining the education and implementation of an evidenced-based hourly rounding program that assisted in reducing the number of falls in the pilot unit. The implementation of the intervention took place in a long-term care facility located in Dallas, Georgia. The hourly rounding tools used in this project were the Studer Group hourly rounding log and competency checklist with permission. Twenty staff members were included in the sample, age 18 years and 60 years. The unit has 41 residents who were included in the pilot case study design. Staff members were first educated regarding hourly rounding and documentation on the hourly rounding log was done two days before implementation and the pre and post fall rate was retrieved from the facilities fall database. Competency checklist was completed prior to implementation and post implementation to evaluate staff understanding of the main tenets of the 4 P’s (potty, pain, possession, and position). For this project, descriptive statistics was used to help determine fall rates. Minitab was used to analyzed data and to determine if it was clinically significant. In the ten weeks following the hourly rounding implementation, participants performed hourly rounding by incorporating it to each resident’s daily routine and documented their rounds on the log sheet. The results indicated that it is statistically significant and with a P-values = -<0.0001 and t-value = -5.81.
Examining intentions to take iron supplements to inform a behavioral intervention: The Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) project

Background More than half of women of reproductive age in India have anemia. Over the last decade, India has made some progress towards reducing anemia in pregnant women, but non-pregnant women, who make up the largest sub group of people with anemia, are largely disregarded. Objectives The objective of this paper is to examine intentions to take iron supplements and factors associated with intentions to inform a social norms-based behavioral intervention to increase uptake of iron supplements and reduce anemia in Odisha, India. Methods We collected data from 3,914 randomly sampled non-pregnant women of reproductive age in 81 villages. We conducted a survey and took hemocue (anemia level) readings from each participant. We analyzed data using linear regression models beginning with demographics and social norms and adding other factors such as self-efficacy to take iron supplements, anemia risk perception, and knowledge about anemia in a subsequent model. Results 63% of women in our sample were anemic but less than 5% knew they were anemic. Despite national guidelines that all women of reproductive age should take weekly iron supplements to prevent anemia, less than 3% of women in our sample were currently taking them. While actual use was low, intentions were rather high. On a five point Likert scale where higher numbers meant more intentions to take supplements, average intentions were above the midpoint (M = 3.48, SD = 1.27) and intentions and iron supplement use were significantly correlated (r = .10, p < .001). Both injunctive norms and collective norms were associated with intentions to take iron supplements but descriptive norms were not. Other significant factors included age, breastfeeding, knowledge, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. The final model accounted for 74% of the variance in iron supplement intentions. Conclusions In this context, where the actual behavior is low but intentions to enact the behavior are high, starting an intervention with injunctive norms messaging (expectations around the behavior) and self-efficacy to enact the behavior is the step we recommend based on our results. As an intervention unfolds and iron supplement use increases, descriptive norms messaging (that people are indeed taking iron supplements) may add value.
A Dynamic Behavioral Model of Sequential Decisions

Most important economic decision problems are sequential, and thus naturally represented as Markov Decision Problems (MDP). After reviewing the theory of MDPs, the applicability of MDPs to real-life sequential decisions appears impractical. The central question addressed in this essay is how ordinary humans behave in the real-life sequential decision problems they face. A formal behavioral approach is presented, and it also appears impractical for all but toy MDPs. After engaging in introspection, a key insight is the enormous extent to which information and reinforcement provided by parents, teachers and others shapes our behavior in real-life. With these insights, an integrated framework of dynamic behavior emerges in which genetic evolution, short-term reinforcement learning and long-term acquisition of knowledge via institutions are seen as important aspects.
A phase I/II, multicenter, open-label study of REGN5668 (mucin [MUC]16 x CD28 bispecific antibody [bsAb]) with cemiplimab (programmed death [PD]-1 Ab) or REGN4018 (MUC16 x CD3 bsAb) in recurrent ovarian cancer (rOVCA).

TPS5602Background: There is a high unmet need in rOVCA treatment, with 14,000 deaths/year in the US and a 30%‒40% 5-year overall survival rate in patients (pts) with advanced disease. REGN5668 and ...
The origin of translation.

The origin and evolution of translational machinery — which produces a specific peptide from an RNA sequence — is a major unsolved puzzle in prebiotic chemistry. Now, the coupling of amino acids directed by RNA templates in the absence of a ribosome provides clues on how this protein synthesis process might have started.
Reproducible Untargeted Metabolomics Data Analysis Workflow for Exhaustive MS/MS Annotation

Motivation Unknown features in untargeted metabolomics and non-targeted analysis (NTA) are identified using fragment ions from MS/MS spectra to predict the structures of the unknown compounds. The precursor ion selected for fragmentation is commonly performed using data dependent acquisition (DDA) strategies or following statistical analysis using targeted MS/MS approaches. However, the selected precursor ions from DDA only cover a biased subset of the peaks or features found in full scan data. In addition, different statistical analysis can select different precursor ions for MS/MS analysis, which make the post-hoc validation of ions selected by new statistical methods impossible for precursor ions selected by the original statistical method. By removing redundant peaks and performing pseudo-targeted MS/MS analysis on independent peaks, we can comprehensively cover unknown compounds found in full scan analysis using a “one peak for one compound” workflow without a priori redundant peak information. Here we propose an reproducible, automated, exhaustive, statistical model-free workflow: paired mass distance-dependent analysis (PMDDA), for untargeted mass spectrometry identification of unknown compounds found in MS1 full scan. Results More annotated compounds/molecular networks/spectrum were found using PMDDA compared with CAMERA and RAMClustR. Meanwhile, PMDDA can generate the preferred ions list for iterative DDA to cover more compounds when instruments support such functions. Availability and implementation The whole workflow is fully reproducible as a docker image xcmsrocker with both the original data and the data processing template. https://hub.docker.com/r/yufree/xcmsrocker A related R package is developed and released online: https://github.com/yufree/rmwf. R script, data files and links of GNPS annotation results including MS1 peaks list and MS2 MGF files were provided in supplementary information.
Prospects for IPM of Citrus Thrips in California

Citrus thrips, Scirtothrips citri, is a major pest in California accounting for ≈41.5% of the pesticide applications to citrus for control of insects, mites, and snails in 1990. A brief history of citrus thrips management is reviewed. Citrus thrips is native to California and the probable native host prior to the introduction of citrus is laurel sumac, Rhus laurina (Nutt.). Fifty-three other host plants have been recorded. Citrus thrips remains an impediment to an evolving integrated pest management (IPM) program in the San Joaquin Valley. Increased adoption of this IPM program will require an improved understanding of thrips predators and registration of new selective pesticides for use on susceptible varieties.
Lysosomal Degradation of Proteins

Lysosomal enzymes and lysosomal membrane proteins are targeted to lysosomes by distinct mechanisms. Mutations that cause a reduction in activity of a lysosomal enzyme cause a variety of lysosomal storage diseases. Lysosomes are able to take up and degrade proteins by at least five different pathways, and their contribution to overall proteolysis depends on the cell type and its physiological status. Recent studies have begun to define the molecular mechanisms of macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. Keywords: lysosome biogenesis; lysosomal enzymes; macroautophagy; microautophagy; chaperone-mediated autophagy
Captive Audiences and the First Amendment

In this six-page magazine piece, I consider how First Amendment jurisprudence accounts for the possibility of listener self-help. My starting point is the observation that, in this context, the existence of a cost-effective self-help remedy has long been taken to be a good reason to disallow government regulation meant to accomplish similar ends. Why, the courts implicitly ask, should the government be allowed to regulate speech when an offended party can just as effectively turn a blind eye? From there, I note that the opposite argument has also had purchase in court decisions: where a "captive audience" has no effective self-help mechanism by which to avoid exposure to a given communication, that absence of a plausible self-help mechanism has been accepted as an argument in favor of direct government intervention. My main contribution is to then challenge this latter notion. As I argue in the piece, the absence of plausible self-help remedies is not merely a deficiency that the government ought to be allowed to address, but also an opportunity that the government ought not be allowed to squander without justification. After all, society has a strong interest in finding ways to ensure that each of us is exposed to a wide variety of conflicting perspectives. Captive audiences often represent a relatively low-cost means by which to achieve that goal.
The Eighteenth Century

As was pointed out before, the European states’ system was challenged by the political ambitions of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. He continued to disturb the equilibrium of Europe even into the early part of the eighteenth century1. The War of the Spanish Succession which was waged for ten years was ended by the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. This marked the re-establishment of the balance of power idea which was not greatly disturbed until the French Revolution. Although the eighteenth century was an age of reason, yet it was also an age of despots, and more particularly in the concern of this study, an age of wars. From the War of the Spanish Succession to the French Revolution there were about twenty wars.
Review: An overview of marketing strategy and planning

Abstract The notion of “marketing strategy” has the potential to serve as an organizing or synthesizing theme to understand all of marketing thought. Here, we offer an overview of the current state of knowledge about strategic market planning. To accomplish this objective, we first place strategic thinking within the context of the history of marketing thought, with an emphasis on identifying those concepts which remain relevant tor strategic thinking in the 21st century. Next, we review some of the current literature pertaining to certain functional areas of marketing (e.g., product decisions) and identify key issues (e.g. brand equity) relevant to strategic planning. We discuss alternative theories of the firm, which provide a basis for placing marketing activities within the broader context of corporate strategy. Finally, we discuss some emerging trends and areas of inquiry that will be relevant to marketing strategy in the future.
Expedient construction of small molecule macroarrays via sequential palladium- and copper-mediated reactions and their ex situ biological testing

We report the highly efficient syntheses of a series of focused libraries in the small molecule macroarray format using Suzuki–Miyaura and copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (or “click”) reactions. The libraries were based on stilbene and triazole scaffolds, which are known to have a broad range of biological activities, including quorum-sensing (QS) modulation in bacteria. The library products were generated in parallel on the macroarray in extremely short reaction times (∼10–20 min) and isolated in excellent purities. Biological testing of one macroarray library post-cleavage (ex situ) revealed several potent agonists of the QS receptor, LuxR, in Vibrio fischeri. These synthetic agonists, in contrast to others that we have reported, were only active in the presence of the native QS signal in V. fischeri, which is suggestive of a different mode of activity. Notably, the results presented herein showcase the ready compatibility of the macroarray platform with chemical reactions that are commonly utilized in small molecule probe and drug discovery today. As such, this work serves to expand the utility of the small molecule macroarray as a rapid and operationally straightforward approach toward the synthesis and screening of bioactive agents.
Angular clustering of z ∼ 2 star-forming and passive galaxies in 2.5 square degrees of deep CFHT imaging

We study the angular clustering of z~2 galaxies using ~40,000 star-forming (SF) and ~5,000 passively-evolving (PE) galaxies selected from ~2.5 deg$^2$ of deep ($K_{lim}$=23-24 AB) CFHT imaging. For both populations the clustering is stronger for galaxies brighter in rest-frame optical and the trend is particularly strong for PE galaxies, indicating that passive galaxies with larger stellar masses reside in more massive halos. In contrast, at rest-frame UV we find that while the clustering of SF galaxies increases with increasing luminosity, it decreases for PE galaxies; a possible explanation lies in quenching of star formation in the most massive halos. Furthermore, we find two components in the correlation functions for both SF and PE galaxies, attributable to one- and two-halo terms. The presence of one-halo terms for both PE and SF galaxies suggests that environmental effects were producing passive galaxies in virtualized environments already by z~2. Finally, we find notable clustering differences between the four widely-separated fields in our study; the popular COSMOS field is the most discrepant (as is also the case for number counts and luminosity functions), highlighting the need for very large areas and multiple sightlines in galaxy evolution statistical studies.
10 Gbit/s WDM-SSB-OFDM transmission over 1000 km SSMF using conventional DFB lasers and direct-detection

8×11.5 Gbit/s (10 Gbit/s after coding) optical OFDM transmission over 1000 km standard single mode fibre (SSMF) with conventional distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and direct-detection is demonstrated. Compared with coherent-detection using external cavity lasers (ECL), DFB lasers and direct-detection can significantly reduce the system complexity and cost.
The importance of usability in the establishment of organizational software standards for end user computing

Abstract The rapid introduction of microcomputers into organizations throughout the last decade gave new importance to the analysis of how technology impacts organizations. In particular, research on usability has sought to become central to the design and selection of technology for large organizations. However, definitions and methods are not yet standardized. Data gathered from semi-structured interviews of three MIS managers and a survey of 125 end-users in three organzations suggest that differences in emphasis on, and definition of usability can exist between these two groups. Usability was not a central concern to managers when evaluating end-user software packages considered for adoption as the organizational standard, though it appeared to be so for end-users. Moreover, managers tended to consider and evaluate usability based only on features contained in the user interface, whereas end-users often cited contextual factors such as task and environmental considerations. Implications for technology assessment and future research into organizational impact of IT are presented.
Gender shifts in Germanic and Slavic : semantic motivation for neuter?

Abstract In Steinmetz 1997, 2001 it has been argued that the gender systems of the Germanic languages are of two types: neuter-default, exemplified by Icelandic and Faroese, and masculine-default as exemplified by West Germanic and Continental North Germanic. The neuter-default systems appear to continue the gender system of Proto-Germanic while the masculine-default systems resulted from a gender shift wherein the original system was restructured. The restructured, masculine-default systems are characterized by a relative paucity of neuter nouns which generally fall into definable semantic clusters, some of which are of special interest because of possible cognitive implications. There is also evidence that a similar gender shift occurred early in the history of Slavic resulting in an even more striking attrition of neuter nouns. For example, a source of lexical statistics for Russian Obratnyj Slovar’ Russkogo Jazyka (1974) (Reverse Dictionary of the Russian Language) reveals that neuter nouns account for no more than one-fifth of the nominal lexicon, and that most of these are derivatives, leaving about only 200 root nouns which are neuter, and which, as elsewhere in Slavic, are overtly marked by the ending –o (orthographically –o or –e). The present paper points out that many Russian neuter nouns like okno ‘window’ or pole ‘field’ correspond to neuter nouns in German, e.g. Fenster, Feld. Such nouns often fall into identifiable semantic categories, e.g. the notion of openings for German Fenster ‘window’, Tor ‘gate’, Loch ‘hole’, etc. The paper views the relative paucity of neuter nouns in Russian in comparison with Germanic and argues that certain neuter nouns which have neuter counterparts in German and other Germanic languages can be regarded as remnants of earlier, larger neuter clusters. Examples include jajco ‘egg’, corresponding to German Ei, Scandinavian (and English) egg, and koleso ‘wheel’, which is cognate with the English word and with other nouns like Dutch wiel or Scandinavian hjul, and synonymous with German Rad, all of which are neuter. Many of these clusters have lost members in historical times, cf. Russian glaz (masculine) ‘eye’ which has nearly replaced earlier oko (neuter). The paper contends that persistently neuter nouns in Germanic and Slavic reveal the existence of certain semantic classes that otherwise would perhaps escape detection.
Expression of NGF in sympathetic neurons leads to excessive axon outgrowth from ganglia but decreased terminal innervation within tissues

Abstract The effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) on sympathetic axon growth were investigated by generating transgenic mice in which the β subunit of NGF was expressed in sympathetic neurons using the human dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) promoter. In DBH-NGF mice, the sympathetic trunk and nerves growing to peripheral tissues were enlarged and contained an increased number of sympathetic fibers. Although sympathetic axons reached peripheral tissues, terminal sympathetic innervation within tissues was decreased in DBH-NGF mice. This effect could be reversed in the pancreas by overexpression of NGF in pancreatic islets. The observations are consistent with a model in which NGF gradients are not required to guide sympathetic axons to their targets, but are required for the establishment of the normal density and pattern of sympathetic innervation within target tissues.
Nonradiative Absorption of Positive Pions by Deuterons at 118 Mev

The reaction ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}+d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p+p$ was studied at a center-of-mass pion energy of 118\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2 Mev, using scintillation counters and a liquid deuterium target. The angular distribution was given by $\frac{d\ensuremath{\sigma}}{d\ensuremath{\Omega}}\ensuremath{\propto}A+{cos}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}$, with $A=0.216\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.033$, while the total cross section was 12.09\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.93 mb. The total cross section for the inverse pion production reaction was calculated from detailed balancing as 3.10\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.24 mb. These results are compared with other work.
Wittgenstein’s On Certainty: There – Like our Life – Rush Rhees The Third Wittgenstein: The Post-Investigations Works – Danièle Moyal-Sharrock Understanding Wittgenstein’s On Certainty – Edited by Danièle Moyal-Sharrock

Books reviewed: Rush Rhees, Wittgenstein’s On Certainty: There – Like our Life, D. Z. Phillips (ed.), (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003), 195 pp. incl. Index; $29.95; referred to in the text as Rhees. Daniele Moyal-Sharrock, The Third Wittgenstein: The Post-Investigations Works (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004), 225 pp. incl. Index; $99.95; referred to in the text as Third Witt. Daniele Moyal-Sharrock (ed.), Understanding Wittgenstein’s On Certainty (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2004), 250 pp. incl. Index; $75.00; referred to in the text as M-S. Reviewed by Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USA
The National Ignition Facility: an experimental platform for studying behavior of matter under extreme conditions

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), a 192-beam Nd-glass laser facility capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As the world's largest and most energetic laser system, NIF serves as the national center for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration to achieve thermonuclear burn in the laboratory and to explore the be- havior of matter at extreme temperatures and energy den- sities. By concentrating the energy from all of its 192 ex- tremely energetic laser beams into a mm 3 -sized target, NIF can reach the conditions required to initiate fusion reac- tions. NIF can also provide access to extreme scientific en- vironments: temperatures about 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm 3 , and pressures 100 billion times atmospheric pressure. These conditions have never been created before in a laboratory and exist naturally only in interiors of the planetary and stellar environments as well as in nuclear weapons.
Feedback control optimization of nonlinear systems under random excitations

Abstract This paper uses stochastic averaging method to design an optimal feedback control for nonlinear stochastic systems. The method of stochastic averaging is used to reduce the dimension of the state space and to derive the Ito stochastic differential equation for the response amplitude process. Two approaches to optimization, namely, with the exact steady state probability density function of the amplitude process and the Rayleigh approximation are compared. The cost function is a steady state response measure. Numerical examples are studied to demonstrate the performance of the control both in transient and steady-state. The effect of the control on the system response and control performance is studied. The regions where the controls are conservative and unconservative are pointed out.
Leukocytoclastic Angiitis in Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis

• The case of a patient who had palpable purpura on his lower extremities due toLactobacillus-caused subacute bacterial endocarditis is reported. Histologic examination of the purpuric lesions demonstrated a leukocytoclastic angiitis. It is postulated that purpuric and other cutaneous lesions of subacute bacterial endocarditis are related to circulating immune complexes. (Arch Dermatol113:1073-1074, 1977)
3,5,3′-Triiodothyronine Determines the Viability of GC Cells after Heat Shock

The heat shock (HS) response is a characteristic disruption of protein synthesis which occurs in cells exposed to a variety of noxious stimuli. The effects of HS on thyroid hormone-responsive GC cells were studied in an attempt to devise an in vitro model for the adaptive changes in thyroid hormone action caused by nonthyroidal disease. HS enhanced GC cell synthesis of 70 K and 90 K proteins in a manner previously described as characteristic of the HS response in many tissues. A step-wise decrease in GC cell viability occurred when cells were exposed to 45 C for 10 to 35 min. HS (45 C, 20 min) resulted in a rapid decrease in binding of T3 to nuclear receptors. Two hours after HS, analysis of T3 binding to isolated nuclei showed a 50% fall in binding capacity (240 fmol/100 μg DNA) compared to non-HS control cells (540 fmol/100 μg DNA); no difference in dissociation constant (Kd) was observed. The effect of thyroid hormone on cell viability after HS was then determined. Thyroid hormone depletion (<0.02 nM T...
The influence of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation on Temperature and Precipitation over the Globe

The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) is a 40–60 year quasi-oscillation seen mostly in the Pacific basin, but its impacts on surface temperature (T) and precipitation (P) have been found over Australia, the Southwest U.S. and other regions. Here, a global analysis of IPO’s impacts on T and P and its modulation of ENSO’s influence on T and P over the globe is performed using observational and reanalysis data and model simulations. Since 1920, there are two warm (1924–1944 and 1977–1998) and two cold (1945–1976 and 1999–present) IPO phases, whose change is associated with abrupt shifts in North Pacific sea level pressure (SLP) and contrasting anomaly patterns in T and P and atmospheric circulation over the eastern and western Pacific. The IPO explains more than half of the interdecadal variations in T and P over many regions, such as northeastern Australia, western Canada and northern India. Significant correlations between the IPO and local P are observed over eastern Australia, southern Africa and the Southwest U.S. The IPO also modulates ENSO’s influence on local T and P over most of these regions. T over northern India is positively correlated with Nino3.4 ENSO index during cold IPO phases but the correlation turns negative or insignificant during IPO warm phases. Over northeastern Australia, the T versus ENSO and P versus ENSO correlations are stronger during the IPO cold phases than during the warm phases. The P versus ENSO correlation over southern Africa tends to be negative during IPO warm phases but becomes weaker or insignificant during IPO cold phases. The IPO-induced P anomalies can be explained by the associated anomaly circulation, which is characterized by a high SLP center and anti-cyclonic flows over the North Pacific, and negative SLP anomalies and increased wind convergence over the Indonesia and western Pacific region during IPO cold phases. These observed influences of the IPO on regional T and P are generally reproduced by an atmospheric model forced by observed sea surface temperatures.
Targeting and distribution in complex emergencies: Participatory management of humanitarian food assistance

Abstract The extensive literature on community participation in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance suggests that participatory approaches work best in slow-onset emergencies with no conflict or displacement. Yet the policies of many agencies—and compliance with Sphere minimum standards—require that the recipient community participate in decisions about the assistance they receive including targeting, regardless of the causes of the emergency. This paper analyzes current practice in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance in complex emergencies, the constraints to recipient communities’ participation, and the possibilities for participatory approaches to improve targeting. Access and security considerations, limited staff time and capacity, and other constraints have long meant that the actual oversight of food aid distributions in complex emergencies is left in the hands of local leaders at the village or camp level. Introduced institutions include Food Relief Committees, or other specially-organized bodies to deal with targeting and distribution questions. Differences in the accountability and legitimacy of these leaders and committees, together with post-distribution dynamics over which agencies have little control, account for much of the way in food assistance is actually distributed and utilized. But much of the process of food aid targeting remains opaque to recipients, who are often not aware of their entitlements or the process of determining who is entitled. The paper concludes with a number of practical suggestions to improve participation in targeting in complex emergencies.
Amygdala kindling, anxiety, and corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF).

Abstract Wistar rats were kindled electrically in the anterior or posterior medial amygdala of the right hemisphere. One week after the fourth stage 5 seizure, anxiety was assessed in the elevated plus maze test. Anxiety levels of rats kindled in posterior medial amygdala were reduced relative to implanted controls, but not relative to unoperated controls. Kindling of the anterior medial amygdala increased anxiety relative to implanted and unoperated controls. The different effects of kindling on behavior were unrelated to any parameter of kindling. The stress of an ICV injection of saline increased anxiety in unkindled controls but reduced anxiety in anterior medial amygdala-kindled rats. Injection stress effects on behavior were blocked by 50 μg of α-helical CRF (the CRF receptor blocker). These findings suggest that CRF released by the stress of the injection procedure mediates the behavioral effects in both kindled and control rats. In contrast, injection of CRF (2 μg, ICV) has no greater effect than ICV saline in anterior medial amygdala kindled rats, whereas it was anxiogenic in unkindled rats. ICV vehicle and CRF reduce kindling-induced anxiety equally. These findings suggest that CRF released during the injection procedure saturates available CRF receptors. Finally, kindling did not alter basal plasma corticosterone levels. These and other findings suggest that the anxiety-modulating actions of CRF are at central CRF receptors.
Chemicals Showing No Evidence of Carcinogenicity in Long-Term, Two-Species Rodent Studies: The Need for Short-Term Test Data

Studies to determine the performance of short-term tests (STT) in predicting chemical carcinogenicity are frequently characterized by a poor representation of noncarcinogens among the test chemicals. As a result, the performance of several STT is well characterized with carcinogenic chemicals, but the ability of the tests to discriminate between carcinogens and noncarcinogens is largely unknown because of the shortage of test results for noncarcinogens. A list of 70 chemicals that have been tested by the National Cancer Institute or the National Toxicology Program in long-term rodent carcinogenicity studies and that have yielded no evidence of cancer induction in male and female rats and mice is presented. The list helps document the shortage of STT results of noncarcinogens and provides a potential source of chemicals for consideration in future studies designed to assess the ability of STT to predict chemical carcinogenicity.
Effect of local temperature on the resting membrane potential in rat muscle.

Abstract The resting membrane potential (RMP) of mammalian muscle increases and decreases as the local temperature is raised and lowered. The relationship is linear between 25 and 44°C. By two methods, the RMP change is 1.0–1.3 mV/°C for increasing and 1.1–1.4 mV/°C for decreasing temperatures. The corresponding Q 10 values range from 1.15 to 1.25. Temperature variations may account for some of the reported differences in RMP measurements of human muscle.
Effects of Two Breath-Holding Maneuvers on Oropharyngeal Swallow:

This study quantified the effects of the supraglottic maneuver (SGM) and super supraglottic maneuver (SSGM) on laryngeal and pharyngeal movements before and during swallow. Simultaneous videofluoroscopic and videoendoscopic examinations of oropharyngeal swallowing were performed in eight healthy volunteers with and without maneuvers. Data analysis compared 1) temporal relationships of oropharyngeal events, 2) airway conditions at the time of selected oropharyngeal events, and 3) biomechanical computer analysis of swallowing events. Using these maneuvers, normal subjects produced earlier cricopharyngeal opening, prolonged pharyngeal swallow, some degree of laryngeal valving before swallow, and change in extent of vertical laryngeal position before swallow. These changes are more successful and maintained longer with the SSGM than the SGM. We concluded that breath-holding maneuvers alter not only airway conditions before swallow but also both the temporal relationships and biomechanical events during oropharyngeal swallow.
Modeling the Evolution of the Full Polystyrene Molecular Weight Distribution during Polystyrene Pyrolysis

The degradation of polystyrene was modeled at the mechanistic level using the method of moments to track structurally distinct polymer species. To keep the model size manageable, polymer species were lumped into groups, and within these groups, the necessary polymeric features for capturing the degradation chemistry were tracked. The pyrolysis reactions incorporated into the model included hydrogen abstraction, midchain β-scission, end-chain β-scission, 1,5-hydrogen transfer, 1,3-hydrogen transfer, radical addition, bond fission, radical recombination, and disproportionation. From the evolution of the zeroth, first, and second moments tracked for each dead species, polymer molecular weight distributions were constructed by summing the Schultz (Teymour, F.; Campbell, J. Macromolecules 1994, 27, 2460) and Wesslau (Pladis, P.; Kiparissides, C. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1998, 53 (18), 3315) distributions for the polymer groups. Model results were compared to experimental data collected in our laboratory, where polystyr...
Characteristics of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale in a Regional Sample

In a regional sample of 620 families, the four items of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability and limited construct validity. As with othe...