cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thoracic Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Routinely Impacts Therapeutic Plans in Patients With Lung and Esophageal Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background National and subspecialty guidelines for lung and esophageal cancers recommend treatment decisions to be made in a multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB). This study prospectively analyzes the actual impact of presentation at the thoracic tumor board on decision making in thoracic cancer cases. Methods During the electronic submission process for presentation at MTB managing physicians documented their current treatment plan. The initial treatment plan was compared with the MTB final recommendation. Patient demographics, physician's proposed treatment plan, MTB recommendation, and documentation of application of MTB recommendations were prospectively recorded in an Institutional Review Board approved database. Results Between June 2010 and December 2012, 185 patients with esophageal and 294 patients with lung cancer were presented at the MTB. One hundred sixty-six patients were presented on more than 1 occasion, resulting in 724 assessments of 479 patients. In 48 esophageal cancer patients (26%) and 118 lung cancer patients (40%) MTB recommendations differed from the initial treatment plan. Overall, a differing MTB recommendation from the primary treatment plan occurred in 330 of 724 case presentations (46%). The MTB recommendations changed treatment plans in 40% and staging and assessment plans in 60% of patients. Follow-up in a cohort of 249 patients confirmed that MTB recommendations were followed in 97% of cases. Conclusions This study validates the impact of the thoracic MTB. Recommendations will differ from the managing providers' initial plan in 26% to 40% of cases. However, MTB recommendations can be successfully initiated in the majority of patients. Complex thoracic cancer patients will benefit from multidisciplinary review and should ideally be presented at tumor board.
Can Emotionality and Rationality be Reconciled? A Comment on Collins, Frank, Hirshleifer, and Jasso

Economists invoke emotions narrowly to solve commitment problems; sociologists view emotions as a more pervasive basic feature of social life. A complete approach to integrating emotionality and ch...
Anatomic concepts for brow lift procedures.

Background:Brow lifting became a component of the facialplasty procedure 45 years ago, and the original brow-lifting technique incorporating a coronal incision approach is still practiced by many surgeons today. Over the past 15 years, however, the endoscope-assisted procedure and the limited incisi
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in multiple tissues of wild and captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) off the California coast

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of serum, red blood cells (RBC), muscle, and blubber were measured in captive and wild northeast Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) at three coastal California sites (San Francisco Bay, Tomales Bay, and Channel Islands). Trophic discrimination factors (ΔTissue-Diet) were calculated for captive seals and then applied in wild counterparts in each habitat to estimate trophic position and feeding behavior. Trophic discrimination factors for δ15N of serum (+3.8‰), lipid-extracted muscle (+1.6‰), and lipid-blubber (+6.5‰) are proposed to determine trophic position. An offset between RBC and serum of +0.3‰ for δ13C and −0.6‰ for δ15N was observed, which is consistent with previous research. Specifically, weaner seals (<1 yr) had large offsets, suggesting strong trophic position shifts during this life stage. Isotopic values indicated an average trophic position of 3.6 at both San Francisco Bay and Tomales Bay and 4.2 at Channel Islands. Isotopic means were strongly dependent on age class and also suggested that mean diet composition varies considerably between all locations. Together, these data indicate that isotopic composition of blood fractions can be an effective approach to estimate trophic position and dietary behavior in wild pinnipeds.
Reprogramming of the chick retinal pigmented epithelium after retinal injury

One of the promises in regenerative medicine is to regenerate or replace damaged tissues. The embryonic chick can regenerate its retina by transdifferentiation of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and by activation of stem/progenitor cells present in the ciliary margin. These two ways of regeneration occur concomitantly when an external source of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is present after injury (retinectomy). During the process of transdifferentiation, the RPE loses its pigmentation and is reprogrammed to become neuroepithelium, which differentiates to reconstitute the different cell types of the neural retina. Somatic mammalian cells can be reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent stem cells by ectopic expression of pluripotency-inducing factors such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc and in some cases Nanog and Lin-28. However, there is limited information concerning the expression of these factors during natural regenerative processes. Organisms that are able to regenerate their organs could share similar mechanisms and factors with the reprogramming process of somatic cells. Herein, we investigate the expression of pluripotency-inducing factors in the RPE after retinectomy (injury) and during transdifferentiation in the presence of FGF2. We present evidence that upon injury, the quiescent (p27Kip1+/BrdU-) RPE cells transiently dedifferentiate and express sox2, c-myc and klf4 along with eye field transcriptional factors and display a differential up-regulation of alternative splice variants of pax6. However, this transient process of dedifferentiation is not sustained unless FGF2 is present. We have identified lin-28 as a downstream target of FGF2 during the process of retina regeneration. Moreover, we show that overexpression of lin-28 after retinectomy was sufficient to induce transdifferentiation of the RPE in the absence of FGF2. These findings delineate in detail the molecular changes that take place in the RPE during the process of transdifferentiation in the embryonic chick, and specifically identify Lin-28 as an important factor in this process. We propose a novel model in which injury signals initiate RPE dedifferentiation, while FGF2 up-regulates Lin-28, allowing for RPE transdifferentiation to proceed.
Achievements in Health Equity: Nesting an NIMHD Center of Excellence within a CTSA

The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) aims to speed the process of transforming new discoveries into improvements in human health. Critical to achieving this outcome of improving human health is the engagement of community, broadly defined, across the research spectrum. Moreover, including community members who do not traditionally participate in research nor benefit from research findings, must occur. Indeed, the Institute of Medicine highlighted the importance of engagement and collaboration in its recent review of the CTSA program (IOM, 2013). Translational science is a team-based endeavor; the more diverse the team, the greater the likelihood new discoveries will benefit more people. Unique populations (age, ethnicity, gender, place, race) experience disparities in health outcomes that translational science must address. The challenge becomes one of how to minimize these disparities by harnessing the promise of translational science through the CTSA program, while bringing voices of all constituencies to the table. In the latest strategic plan to combat health disparities (HD), the NIH listed four major goals: promoting HD research; fostering innovative collaborations and partnerships; training a diverse workforce; and translating and disseminating new discoveries. It is evident that both the CTSA program and the NIH strategic HD plan emphasize the necessity to engage community. Likewise, a CTSA Advisory Work Group identified three additional strategic goals that align with the HD plan: workforce development, integration, and development of novel methods. Thus, a rather unique opportunity exists to improve human health and reduce disparities, while achieving these established goals. At the University of Wisconsin Madison (UW), we integrated a P60 Center of Excellence funded by the National Institutes for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within our CTSA program to create the partnership required to effectively conduct community engaged HD research. Institutional commitment, along with shared personnel, resources, and complementary expertise, are transforming the academic culture to value engagement along the entire translational research spectrum. In time, we believe “nesting” of the P60 within the CTSA will improve the health of Wisconsin citizens and increase health equity.
As others see us: accomplishments over 25 years reflect the symbiotic link between biology and chemistry.

Under the title “Biochemistry, Revised Edition,” this article was published in the March 26, 2001 issue of Chemical and Engineering News, p. 130, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the American Chemical Society. Written from the viewpoint of a chemist, it looks to how “many of the most intriguing biological problems can be posed in chemical terms.” It is reproduced here by permission of the author and publisher.
Toni Morrison: Mothers and Daughters:

The present article analyzes Morrison's novels with emphasis on the conflicted emotions of fictional African-American mothers in relation to their children. Of special interest is Morrison's depiction of the mother's role in shaping the individuation process of her daughters in a matriarchal, father-absent context. Also examined is Morrison's treatment of intergenerational continuity and the unique role of the grandmother against a background of social change. Such change is interpreted by Morrison as involving conflict between the norms of traditional, rural, folkloric black culture, and the pressures of mainstream American society. Morrison's fiction, taken as a whole, is viewed as illustrating the key role of the African-American mother in maintaining survival strategies developed by black women historically. The fate of black men in Morrison's fictional universe is also considered, along with pertinent implications for understanding African-American patterns of socialization in the broadest sense.
To Whom It May Concern: Epistolary political philosophies and the production of racial counterpublic knowledge in the United States

AbstractThis article explores the philosophical underpinnings and implications of the idea of the public in the US state processes of knowledge production and control. In it we take up questions of public and counterpublic political philosophical knowledge production and mediation in relation to an expanding state. Specifically, we examine the political philosophies of racialized counterpublics since the 1960s, considering the particular knowledge production genre of the political prison letter. We suggest that the philosophical principles of the dominant public in the US have a proclivity to merge with state mechanisms of domination and to thwart counterpublics and their modes of political knowledge production.
The practice of terminal abstinence in Nigeria and Cameroon

World Fertility Survey (WFS) data from Nigeria and Cameroon are used to examine the practice of permanent sexual abstinence in relation to menopause status to test the assumption that terminal abstinence may represent a "cultural menopause." Terminal abstinence is also examined in relation to cumulative fertility to determine if the cultural practice of abstinence at the biological end of reproductive life affects lifetime fertility. Among married, not pregnant women ages 31-49, the frequency of terminal abstinence is 4.3% in Nigeria and 4.6% in Cameroon. The frequency of terminal abstinence increases with age. Using probit analysis, the median age at menopause precedes the median age at terminal abstinence. Chi-square tests indicate significant relationships between terminal abstinence and menopausal status, although the relationships are country specific. Women in Nigeria who report terminal abstinence are more likely to be pre-menopausal, while in Cameroon terminally abstinent women are more likely to be post-menopausal. ANOVA and t-tests demonstrate no significant relationship between terminal abstinence and cumulative fertility, although there are significant relationship between terminal abstinence and number of miscarriages, religion, education (in Cameroon), and having grandchildren through sons (in Nigeria). The timing of terminal abstinence is considered in relation to various time scales: chronological age, family stage, and reproductive stage. In Nigeria the scale of family stage appears to be important in determining the timing of terminal abstinence, while in Cameroon the scale is more likely to be gynecological. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Dual Scaling Analysis for Paired Compositions.

A paired composition is a response (upon a dependent variable) to the ordered pair of stimuli, treatments, etc. The present paper develops an alternative analysis for the paired compositions layout previously treated by Bechtel's [1967] scaling model. The alternative model relaxes the previous one by including row and column scales that provide an expression of bias foreach pair of objects. The parameter estimation and hypothesis testing procedures for this model are illustrated by means of a small group analysis, which represents a new approach to pairwise sociometrics and personality assessment.
Atomistic modeling of amorphous silicon carbide using a bond-order potential

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations were performed with a Brenner-type bond-order potential to study the melting of silicon carbide (SiC), the structure of amorphous SiC produced by quenching from the melt, and the evolution of the amorphous state after isochronal annealing at elevated temperatures. The simulations reveal that SiC melts above 3700 K with an enthalpy of fusion of about 0.6 eV/atom. The density of the quenched liquid is about 2820 kg/m3, in excellent agreement with the experimental value for SiC amorphized by neutron irradiation. In addition to the loss of long-range order, the quenched liquid shows short-range disorder as measured by the C homonuclear bond ratio. Upon annealing, there is partial recovery of short-range order.
Comparative sedimentation rates of plant, bacterial and animal ribosomal RNA.

Abstract The sedimentation rates of ribosomal RNA from Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis , etiolated pea stem, white potato tuber, rabbit liver, rabbit reticulocytes, rat liver and rat fat-pads were compared by mixing any two of the above and analyzing them independently ( 32 P and absorbancy at 260 mμ) on sucrose gradients. By this criterion rabbit liver, rabbit reticulocytes, rat liver and rat fat-pad ribosomal RNA's were indistinguishable. Pea stem and potato tuber as well as E. coli and B. subtilis ribosomal RNA's were also indistinguishable; in other words, within each small group of organisms studied, there was no detectable difference in sedimentation rate of the ribosomal RNA's. Differences were observed, however, in comparative studies of the major kingdoms. The sedimentation coefficients determined for plant tissue and animal tissue RNA were respectively, 16.5 and 24.7 s and 17.6 and 31.7 s using E. coli RNA (16.5 and 23.5 s) as a marker. The molecular weights for the above RNA's were also calculated, assuming that all ribosomal RNA's have similar conformation in solution. The data were calculated from the linear relationship M = KT α . The constant α was calculated from the peak tube numbers and molecular weights of E. coli RNA (5.6 × 10 5 and 1.1 × 10 6 ); K was calculated from the data for small ribosomal RNA of E. coli . The calculated molecular weights of the ribosomal RNA's were 6.6 × 10 5 and 2.1 × 10 6 daltons for mammalian tissue and 5.6 × 10 5 and 1.3 × 10 6 daltons for plant tissue. The relative amounts of the two ribosomal RNA molecules were determined by measuring the area under the profiles of the two molecules. The relative amounts (large/small) of ribosomal RNA (1.9 to 2.1:1 for E. coli , 2.1 to 2.3:1 for pea stems and 3.0 to 3.3:1 for rabbit reticulocytes or liver) were similar to the ratios of molecular weights for each of the organisms. This evidence further supports the values calculated for the molecular weights, since the ribosomal subunits apparently contain one molecule of RNA and are present in the cell in equimolar amounts; this requires that the two ribosomal RNA molecules also be present in equimolar concentrations.
Hydrogenation reactions with hydridocobalt Tetracarbonyl

Abstract The tetrasubstituted ethylene, bifluorenylidene, reacts very rapidly (4.06 X 10−2 1 mol−1 sec−1 at 0°C) with HCo(CO)4 to give bifluorenyl. α-Phenylacrylonitrile (atroponitrile) reacts even more rapidly under the same conditions (6.0 l mol−sec−1). Other highly substituted ethylenes react very slowly with HCo(CO)4, indicating considerable steric effects. The data are consistent with radical type intermediates.
Searching for a Path out of Poverty: Exploring the Achievement Ideology of a Rural Community College:

Nationally, educational institutions are responding to changes in the postindustrial economy by emphasizing the preparation of students to enter more highly technical jobs. Schools and colleges look toward strengthening their graduates by tying classroom work more closely with the skills students need to be successful in the workplace, by emphasizing workplace values, and by teaching on-the-job behaviors that employers find desirable. In this study, a group of rural African American women entered a community college work program to seek the skills they needed to escape the welfare rolls and to prepare themselves for jobs in their community. Pierre Bourdieu's concept of "habitus " was used to help explain the contradictions and complexities in the daily lives of these women as they struggled to overcome their difficult situations and faced decisions about their futures in a rural community offering few options for long-term employment.
Structural history of the Chugach metamorphic complex in the Tana River region, eastern Alaska: A record of Eocene ridge subduction

The Chugach metamorphic complex of southern Alaska is an Eocene high-temperature ( T ), low-pressure ( P ) fore-arc metamorphic belt related to subduction of the Kula-Farallon spreading center beneath western North America. The Chugach metamorphic complex has a three-phase ductile deformational history that records major changes in kinematic axes during a short interval of geologic time (∼8 m.y.). The earliest deformation (D 1 ) is a regional event recognized throughout the flysch subterrane of the Chugach terrane. D 1 is a regional layer-parallel slaty/phyllitic cleavage developed during accretion and subsequent shortening. In the Chugach metamorphic complex, D 1 predates high-temperature metamorphism. During prograde metamorphism, there were two major structural events. D 2 records orogen-parallel extensional accompanied by vertical shortening with components of pure shear and top-to-the-east simple shear. D 2 is synchronous with melt injections (Ti 2 ) in the gneissic core of the complex and large plutons throughout the complex. D 3 records a return to subhorizontal contraction perpendicular to the margin and is interpreted as a dextral transpressional event. D 3 contraction produced a dramatic thickening of the complex in a regional-scale D 3 anticlinorium. In the gneissic core, the presence of melt (Ti 3 ) strongly influenced D 3 . Finite strain data and field observations indicate that both F 2 and F 3 have axes that are parallel to the stretching direction, yet these are not sheath folds because strains are too low. Instead the structures are examples of folds that developed with their axes parallel to the elongation axis. Together these observations provide further evidence for our previous interpretations that the Chugach metamorphic complex is a manifestation of an Eocene plate reorganization at ca. 56–52 Ma. Plate models predict that before 56 Ma the Kula–Farallon–North American triple junction migrated southward and is associated with a time-transgressive fore-arc plutonic belt. After plate reorganization, the triple junction either backtracked northward (Kula Plate model) or continued southward with intermittent northward motion (Pacific-Farallon model). We interpret the D 2 -to-D 3 progression as either a result of highly oblique subduction of the Kula plate followed by more orthogonal—but still dextral-oblique—convergence of the Farallon plate (Kula Plate model), or a special case of Pacific–Farallon–North American interaction.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog liraglutide inhibits endothelial cell inflammation through a calcium and AMPK dependent mechanism

Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) mimetic used for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Similar to the actions of endogenous GLP-1, liraglutide potentiates the post-prandial release of insulin, inhibits glucagon release and increases satiety. Recent epidemiological studies and clinical trials have suggested that treatment with GLP-1 mimetics may also diminish the risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. The mechanism responsible for this effect has yet to be determined; however, one possibility is that they might do so by a direct effect on vascular endothelium. Since low grade inflammation of the endothelium is an early event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), we determined the effects of liraglutide on inflammation in cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Liraglutide reduced the inflammatory responses to TNFα and LPS stimulation, as evidenced by both reduced protein expression of the adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and E-Selectin, and THP-1 monocyte adhesion. This was found to result from increased cell Ca2+ and several molecules sensitive to Ca2+ with known anti inflammatory actions in endothelial cells, including CaMKKβ, CaMKI, AMPK, eNOS and CREB. Treatment of the cells with STO-609, a CaMKK inhibitor, diminished both the activation of AMPK, CaMKI and the inhibition of TNFα and LPS-induced monocyte adhesion by liraglutide. Likewise, expression of an shRNA against AMPK nullified the anti-inflammatory effects of liraglutide. The results indicate that liraglutide exerts a strong anti-inflammatory effect on HAECs. They also demonstrate that this is due to its ability to increase intracellular Ca2+ and activate CAMKKβ, which in turn activates AMPK.
Data Extraction from Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy Measurements

The potential of terahertz (THz) time domain spectroscopy to simultaneously determine the complex dielectric parameters of materials and their geometrical thickness is of high interest for scientific spectroscopy and for general metrology. This paper provides an overview of the background of the data extraction from THz measurements and discusses the accuracy and ambiguity of this extraction process. It is shown that the signal to noise ratio of the measurement as well as the bandwidth of the accessible THz spectrum define the limitation of the achievable accuracy in the data extraction.
Cortical evoked potential changes during classical conditioning of morphine dependence in rats.

Abstract A classical conditioning experiment was designed to determine if a conditioned neural response would develop and persist in cortical evoked potentials elicited by a foreleg stimulus (CS+) that was paired with morphine administration during the development of dependence and subsequent withdrawal. A stimulus to the other foreleg (CS−) was presented explicitly unpaired with morphine delivery. After dependence was established, the rats were taken from the experimental chamber and withdrawn from morphine for 6 days in their home cages. Finally, during the testing phase, the animals were returned to the experimental chamber and the foreleg stimuli were presented. The CS+ was paired with either morphine or saline injections. Changes due to both morphine effects only and conditioning were observed. The conditioned response, however, was present only in the cortical evoked potentials recorded from those animals receiving contralateral foreleg stimulation as the CS+. The conditioned neural response persisted after withdrawal and was present in both the drug-free and morphine-intoxicated animals. These results provide support for the relapse theory that a nonextinguished conditioned response is retained after withdrawal. However, further experiments are necessary to determine if these conditioned responses can elicit drug-seeking behavior.
Plumage phenotypes and mating preferences in Japanese quail

A series of trials was conducted to study the relationship of plumage phenotype with choice of mate. Males which exhibited preferences tended to choose either females of their own kind, those of a plumage color with which they had prior experience, or those of the darker hue in a choice situation. Wild-type males which had no prior experience with albino females, tended to avoid albinos in preference to wild-type hens. This preference persisted when the head and neck plumage of albinos was dyed black, but when the body plumage of the albinos was dyed black, wild-type males did not exhibit a preference between them and wild-type females. The data suggest that body plumage color is a factor in the male choice of females.
BONDING OF ACETYLENE TO COPPER, ATOM, DIMER, AND TRIMER

The bonding of acetylene to copper atom, dimer, and trimer was investigated with a Kohn–Sham density functional approach. Full geometry optimization yielded the equilibrium structures of various CunC2H2 species. Gradient corrections were included in the calculation of binding energies (BE). The Cu—C2H2 complex was found to have a Cs structure and a BE of 10 kcal/mol. Three isomers of Cu2C2H2 have similar total energies: a C2v end-bonded structure with a BE of 18 kcal/mol, and two 1,2-dicupro ethylene isomers—a cis form with a BE of 12 kcal/mol and a trans form with a BE of 15 kcal/mol. Two stable C2v isomers of Cu3C2H2 were found. In both isomers, the Cu3 ring relaxes from its isosceles structure, with two short bonds (2.247 A) and one long bond (2.478 A), and adopts a nearly equilateral geometry. In one isomer of Cu3C2H2, the acetylene is bonded to one apex of the Cu3 ring with a BE of 29 kcal/mol. In the other, it is bonded to two copper atoms of one side of the Cu3 ring with a BE of 33 kcal/mol. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An in situ gelling system for parenteral delivery

Polymer complexes formed by electrostatic interactions or hydrogen bonds between polymer strands can be utilized as a drug delivery system, as its ability to undergo a sol-gel transformation in response to changes in temperature, pH, and solvent concentration can lead to an in situ forming delivery system. A polymer complex of polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid and polyethylene glycol, previously reported to be formed primarily by hydrogen bonds, is being investigated as such a system. Stable below pH ≤5.7, the complex is insoluble in water but dissolves in a hydroalcoholic solvent to yield a clear viscous solution. Upon injection, the diffusion of ethanol from the liquid transforms the system into a gel upon contact with physiological conditions. The gel disappears from the site with time due to dissociation of the complex. Water-soluble and low molecular weight, the dissociated components can be eliminated by glomerular filtration. Using a concentration of 50% ethanol as the cosolvent, the system can be injected by syringe. Thus, an interpolymer complex of polymethacrylic acid and polyethylene glycol may be utilized as a parenteral controlled-release drug delivery system.
Issues related to social anxiety among controls in social phobia research

Twenty-four social phobic individuals and 22 nonphobic controls participated in an interview and questionnaire study. By applying the same criterion that was used in a previous study, both phobics and controls were retrospectively subdivided into groups with or without generalized social fear, yielding four groups: nongeneralized phobics (n = 9), generalized phobics (n = 15), nongeneralized controls (n = 10), and generalized controls (n = 12). The four groups differed in the severity ratings of their social anxiety. Generalized controls scored as high as nongeneralized phobics. These two groups showed lower scores than generalized phobics and higher scores than nongeneralized controls. A comparison with scores reported in other studies indicated that the nongeneralized controls can be characterized as “supernormal,” and generalized controls as “subclinical.” The results illustrate problems related to the use of control groups in social phobia research.
Interactive Effects of Prior Knowledge and Material Format on Cooperative Teaching

Abstract The purpose of the experiment was to determine the separate and combined effects of varied learning materials (knowledge maps or texts) and teaching props (overview maps or outlines) on the learning of 2 different sets of material within the context of cooperative teaching. The participants were assigned to 1 of 4 cooperative teaching groups that used knowledge maps or texts as study materials, teaching props, or both. Each dyad studied material on probability theory (PT) and on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). One participant was responsible for teaching 1 set of material and was the learner for the other set of material. The teachers significantly outperformed the learners on measures of recall that included content and organization. The effects of format of the study materials or communication props depended on the prior knowledge of the participants. Format of the materials affected scores on organization for the PT passage but affected the content of the recall of the ANS passage. The res...
A colorimetric method for estimating serum triglycerides

Abstract A colorimetric method for the estimation of serum glycerides is presented. The glycerol released by saponification of the serum glycerides is oxidized to formaldehyde which reacts with acetylacetone to form a yellow dihydrolutidine derivative absorbing at 405 mμ. The results correlate well with those given by the ZilversmitVan Handel method. Values for normal subjects range between 40–155 mg triolein per 100 ml (1.36–5.25 mequiv/1), the difference between the mean values for males and females being statistically significant by Student's t test.
Effect of Skeletal Muscle Homogenates on the Differentiation of the Chick ChorioAllantoic Membrane

THE hyperplastic and metaplastic effects of muscle homogenates and muscle extracts on the chorio-allantoic membrane of the chick have recently been the objects of a number of investigations1–4. Van Haefton contends that cell-free muscle homogenates pipetted on to the chorio-allantoic membrane can induce the development of non-striated ‘myocytes’ within the mesoderm of the membrane3. Ebert1 has also reported the induction of occasionally striated ‘muscle’ cells following the introduction of ribonucleic acid extracted simultaneously from chicken cardiac muscle and Rous sarcoma virus. Ebert recognizes the possibility that van Haefton has observed the proliferation of cells remaining in the ‘cell-free’ homo-genate rather than a response of the membrane itself5. Wilt and Stolz4 have recently repeated the experiments of van Haefton with similar results. They conclude that the non-striated, oriented, elongated cells found within the chorio-allantoic membrane mesenchyme are of host rather than graft origin, thereby representing a genuine response of the chorio-allantoic membrane to components of the muscle homogenate. They further conclude that present evidence does not justify statements regarding the nature of the response.
Taxonomy ofNeurolaena (Asteraceae-Heliantheae)

A taxonomic treatment of the tropical genusNeurolaena (tribeHeliantheae, subtribeGalinsoginae) is rendered. Ten species are recognized: the widespread, annual, weedy,N. lobata and nine relatively rare, relictual, shrubby or small tree species, mostly restricted to southern Mexico and Central America. Distributional maps, key to species, and complete synonymy are presented. A chromosomal and chemical review is also provided.
Sources of graft restriction after single lung transplantation for emphysema

Objective After single lung transplantation for emphysema, the volume of the graft at total lung capacity is usually less than its predicted volume in the donor. We sought to determine the contributions of donor–recipient size matching, postoperative native lung hyperinflation, and postoperative chest wall volume reduction to graft restriction after transplantation. Methods In 19 patients, we estimated individual lung volumes from thoracic computed tomographs taken near total lung capacity before and after single lung transplantation for emphysema to analyze sources of graft restriction. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry, and in 5 patients, inspiratory function was assessed with esophageal manometry. Results Graft volumes after transplantation were 54% ± 17% of those predicted for the donors (mean ± SD, P P P = .0018). Other effects, including donor–patient size matching, were not significant. In 5 patients, the maximum negative inspiratory esophageal pressure at total lung capacity was low (−6 ± 2 cm H 2 O, normal range ∼−17 to −29 cm H 2 O). Conclusions After single lung transplantation for emphysema, decreased volume of the chest wall was more important than increased volume of the native lung in causing restriction of the graft and decreased pulmonary function. Chest wall restriction is likely due to diminished inspiratory muscle function.
Random Rough Surface Effects in Waveguides Using Mode Matching Technique and the Method of Moments

To address the rough surface effects in high speed interconnects on printed circuit boards and microelectronic packages, we study the electromagnetic wave propagation in a parallel plate waveguide with rough surface walls, using a mode matching technique in combination with the method of moments (MoM). In the formulation, a line source in the smooth section of the waveguide excites a summation of modal fields. For each waveguide modal excitation, the modal response fields in the rough surface section of the waveguide are obtained by the solution of a set of coupled surface integral equations through MoM. Results are illustrated for a variety of roughness types including the very rough case based on exponential correlation functions. The results are compared with the previously developed analytical second-order small perturbation method (SPM2) result and the finite element method (FEM). It is shown that for rough surfaces with large slopes, the mode matching MoM model gives a smaller enhancement factor than SPM2. It is also shown that MoM can give accurate solutions even for the very rough case of exponential correlation functions. The MoM method of rough surface simulation in waveguide geometry requires much less computational resources than FEM.
Antioxidant effects in PVC plasticized with DIDA

Antioxidants such as bisphenol A (BPA) have long been recommended for retention of physical properties on oven-aging of PVC plasticized with certain plasticizers. We have shown how BPA inhibits oxidative fragmentation of plasticizers such as diisodecyl adipate (DIDA) and thus decreases apparent volatility, and how it improves retention of modulus, elongation, and low temperature flexibility. Low concentrations are more beneficial than either zero or high concentrations, especially on longer aging. At higher concentrations, although the plasticizer is retained in the PVC, it becomes less efficient at low temperature, and low-temperature flex is impaired while elongation is preserved. DIDA exudes during oven-aging unless oxidation occurs to prevent it. When BPA is present, exudation is worst at the most efficient concentrations of antioxidant. This appears to be the normal incompatibility of DIDA at 105°C which is permitted by the antioxidant. On oxidation, the dielectric constant of DIDA rises into the 4–8 range, signifying compatibility with PVC, and the DIDA does not exude.
Weight loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract Weight loss occurs frequently in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This article will review why weight loss is so important in AD patients and what the ramifications are. This includes not only the negative effects of weight loss but possible benefits of weight gain. There is some evidence that weight loss manifests before AD. Structural, genetic, and neurochemical factors are discussed. There are possible risk factors and predictors which could herald weight loss in AD. Olfactory changes which occur in AD patients may make the food less appealing. Changes in food consumption may occur in AD leading to decreased energy intake. At the same time there is more evidence that increased energy expenditure is not the cause of weight loss in AD. Lastly we will go over possible treatment strategies. This includes environmental changes, food alterations, oral supplementations, and medications. A Medline literature search was conducted from 2000 to present using key search words of weight loss and Alz...
Acute pancreatitis in human immunodeficiency virus–infected patients: a review

Acute pancreatitis is a clinical condition that develops when active pancreatic inflammation is induced by stimuli noxious to the pancreas. Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) often have histologic abnormalities of the pancreas, and acute pancreatitis is much more common in HIV-infected patients than in the general population. This article reviews the epidemiology and etiology of acute pancreatitis in HIV-infected patients. The clinical presentation and treatment of acute pancreatitis in HIV-infected patients are also reviewed.
The role of associative organization in free recall under five different presentation conditions

The present experiment investigateci the effects of a number of different presentation conditions on the recali of lists differing in interitem associative strength (IIAS). Results showed the usuai superiority of a highly organized list over a list having no such organization under discrete presentation conditions, but no difference in recali when Ss were allowed to deal with ali items simultaneously and impose their own organization. This finding was interpreted to mean that typical discrete-item presentation conditions permit Ss to use only the most obvious organizational principles in accomplishing recall—roughly those defined by IIAS—whereas under conditions when such restrictions are removed Ss are free to develop idiosyncratically meaningful structures and consequently show minimal differences in recali due to differences in IIAS.
Combined Boari bladder flap-psoas bladder hitch procedure in ureteral replacement.

Uncomplicated injuries to the ureter are commonly treated with end-to-end ureteroureterostomy or reimplantation into the bladder. The Boari bladder flap and the psoas bladder hitch have been used separately when distal ureteral replacement is required. In cases of more extensive ureteral damage extending above the pelvic rim, more complex procedures have been performed. These procedures (transureteroureterostomy, intestinal replacement or renal autotransplantation) often represent a considerable surgical challenge and may be associated with numerous complications. Combining the principles of the psoas bladder hitch and Boari flap affords the clinician a means of traversing extensive ureteral defects with standard surgical techniques. We report herein patients with ureteral damage who have undergone replacement of various lengths of ureter with combined psoas hitchmoari flap procedures. The technique is suitable for traversing ureteral defects at least to the lower pole of the kidney. An obvious advantage ...
Accelerated Problem Solving Sessions in University Laboratory Settings

Current engineering students receive an extensive education in the technical principles associated with the design and manufacturing of products and services. However, collaboration, communication and innovative thinking are not often stressed in traditional engineering curriculums. This study proposes a new interdisciplinary, group-based educational approach to build additional competence for accelerated problem solving and innovative thinking in the future generation of engineers and support the United States' transition towards a knowledge economy.
Adjuvant chemoradiation may improve survival over adjuvant chemotherapy in resected pancreatic cancer patients who are high risk for locoregional recurrence

The objective of the study was to evaluate the benefit of adjuvant chemoradiation compared to adjuvant chemotherapy for resected pancreatic head cancer. Three hundred thirty-nine patients (2000–2012) had pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapy was gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and radiotherapy was 45–54 Gy. Locoregional recurrences (LRR) were operative bed or regional nodal failures. Logistical regression, Kaplan-Meier estimates, and log-rank tests were used for statistics. One hundred thirty patients had resection alone (A), 84 had adjuvant chemotherapy (B), and 129 had adjuvant chemoradiation (C). Median follow-up and median survival (MS) for all patients was 17.5 and 19.5 months, respectively. MS for groups A, B, and C were 13, 23, and 26 months, respectively. Groups B and C had R1 resection rates of 37 and 39 % (p = ns). LRR was 60, 63, and 38 % and distant failure was 64, 65, and 66 % for groups A, B, and C, respectively. Group C had significantly lower LRR compared to group B (p = 0.01); however, survival between groups B and C was not statistically different (p = 0.23). On univariate analysis, LRR (p = 0.0038), N-category (p < 0.0001), perineural invasion (PNI; p = 0.007), and R1 resection (p = 0.018) were significant predictors of survival. Multivariable analysis (MVA) showed that LRR (p = 0.004) and N-category (p = 0.01) were predictors of survival. On subgroup analysis, there was improved survival in group C vs B in patients with R1 resection, MS of 27 vs 16 months, respectively (p = 0.01), and in patients with lymph node ratio (LNR) ≤0.2 who had ≥8 LN dissected, MS of 32 vs 24 months (p = 0.04). Adjuvant chemoradiation significantly decreases LRR in resected pancreatic cancer patients compared to adjuvant chemotherapy. Significant predictors of survival on MVA were LRR and N-category. Additionally on subgroup analysis, chemoradiation improved survival over chemotherapy with a (1) positive surgical margin and/or (2) LNR ≤0.2 with ≥8 LNs dissected.
Crustal contamination versus subduction zone enrichment: Examples from the Lesser Antilles and implications for mantle source compositions of island arc volcanic rocks

Isotopic and geochemical data are presented from the northern and central Lesser Antilles arc. Island arc tholeiites from the northern islands are restricted in 143Nd144Nd and 87Sr86Sr and show large enrichments in LILE relative to other trace elements, as exemplified particularly in high Ba/La ratios. These volcanic rocks represent typical island arc compositions, similar to those described from the Aleutians, Marianas and South Sandwich Islands. In contrast, samples from the central islands (Martinique and St. Lucia) are highly variable in isotopic and trace element ratios, and reflect overprinting of primitive island arc magma chemistry by subsequent crustal contamination. Such magmas therefore do not represent island arc mantle source characteristics. Northern Lesser Antilles arc mantle sources are displaced from MORB Pb isotopic compositions towards the higher 207Pb204Pb ratios characteristic of sediments. Also, Sr and Nd isotopic compositions are highly restricted and distinct from those of MORB. As a result, mixing models between MORB source and subducted sediment are tightly constrained in terms of the allowable proportion of sediment. The characteristically high LILEREE and LILEHFSE ratios of island arc volcanics cannot be easily reconciled with sediment + MORB source mixing. Buffering of isotopic compositions together with considerable relative LILE enrichment might be achieved by mixing between mantle and a hydrous fluid which has equilibrated with not only sediment but also a large proportion of variably altered oceanic crust. The fluid has isotopic compositions closer to those of MORB, thereby permitting a greater range of mixing proportions. At the same time, the LILE characteristics of the modified mantle source are dominated by the very high concentrations of these elements in the fluid. High degrees of partial melting of mantle modified by a hydrous fluid reproduce the trace element pattern of the source in the derivative volcanic rocks and account for the depletion of HFSE and HREE relative to MORB.
Parasympathetic blockade attenuates augmented pancreatic polypeptide but not insulin secretion in Pima Indians

There is evidence from animal models of obesity and type 2 diabetes that increased parasympathetic vagal input to the pancreas contributes to hyperinsulinemia. Compared with Caucasians, Pima Indians have a high risk of type 2 diabetes and exhibit marked hyperinsulinemia and elevated plasma levels of pancreatic polypeptide (PP), an islet hormone considered a surrogate marker of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) drive to the pancreas. To test if hyperinsulinemia in Pima Indians is due to increased vagal input to the beta-cell, we examined the effect of PNS blockade in 17 Caucasian (aged 35 +/- 8 years, body fat 23 +/- 7% [mean +/- SD]) and 17 Pima Indian males (aged 28 +/- 8 years, body fat 29 +/- 5%) with normal glucose tolerance. Each participant underwent four consecutive standardized liquid meal tests (64% carbohydrate, 22% fat, and 14% protein) during which a primed infusion of atropine was administered for 120 min at the following doses: 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 micro g. kg fat-free mass (FFM)(-1). h(-1). Areas under the curve for early (AUC(0-30 min)) and total (AUC(0-120 min)) postprandial insulin and PP secretory responses were calculated. Early postprandial insulin and PP secretory responses were higher in Pima Indians compared with those of Caucasians (both P = 0.01). Secretion of insulin and PP was inhibited by atropine (both P < 0.001). Increasing doses of atropine attenuated the ethnic difference in PP (P = 0.01) but not in early insulin secretory responses (P = 0.6), an effect that was not due to differences in gastric emptying rate (acetaminophen test) and/or circulating glucose. Similar results were observed for total secretory responses. These results confirm that compared with Caucasians, Pima Indians have an exaggerated PNS drive to pancreatic F-cells that secrete PP. However, the hyperinsulinemia of this population does not appear to be due to increased vagal input to pancreatic beta-cells.
Effect of next-nearest-neighbor hopping on the spin dynamics in antiferromagnets

Recently, inelastic-neutron-scattering (INS) experiments on the insulating parent compounds of high-${T}_{c}$ materials were analyzed to extract the value of the superexchange constant $J.$ The starting point of the analysis was the nearest-neighbor Heisenberg model. Motivated by recent angle-resolved photoemission experiments, we consider the effects of a next-nearest-neighbor hopping, ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}},$ in the strong-coupling limit of the spin-density-wave formalism, where it leads to an antiferromagnetic exchange ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}g0$ between next-nearest-neighbor spins. We show that a finite ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ (a) changes the spin-wave velocity and thus the value of $J$ extracted from the INS data, yielding almost identical values for $J$ in ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.15},$ and (b) leads to a considerable change in the high-frequency spin-dynamics. Finally, we calculate the $1/S$ quantum corrections in the presence of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and discuss their relevance for the INS data.