cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Animal Models of Schizophrenia: Focus on Hippocampal Disruption of Dopamine System Regulation

For the past 40 years, the dominant hypothesis of schizophrenia has centered on a disruption of dopamine (DA) signaling. This is based on a variety of evidence, including the finding that drugs that release DA will cause psychosis in normal individuals and exacerbate the positive symptoms of schizophrenia in patients (Angrist et al., 1974, 1980), and drugs that are effective antipsychotic drugs block DA receptors (Carlsson and Lindqvist, 1963) and are given at doses that are selective for D2 receptor blockade (Seeman et al., 1976; Kapur and Remington, 2001). However, a careful analysis of this information suggests that a simple hyperdopaminergic state may not adequately explain schizophrenia pathophysiology.
Diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging as adjuncts to conventional MRI for the diagnosis and management of peripheral nerve sheath tumors: current perspectives and future directions

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) account for ~ 5% of soft tissue neoplasms and are responsible for a wide spectrum of morbidities ranging from localized neuropathy to fulminant metastatic spread and death. MR imaging represents the gold standard for identification of these neoplasms, however, current anatomic MR imaging markers do not reliably detect or differentiate benign and malignant lesions, and therefore, biopsy or excision is required for definitive diagnosis. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) serves as a useful tool in the evaluation and management of PNSTs by providing functional information regarding the degree of diffusion, while diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) aids in determining the directional information of predominant diffusion and has been shown to be particularly useful for pre-operative planning of these tumors by delineating healthy and pathologic fascicles. The article focuses on these important neurogenic lesions, highlighting the current utility of diffusion MR imaging and future directions including computerized radiomic analysis. KEY POINTS: • Anatomic MRI is moderately accurate in differentiating benign from malignant PNST. • Diffusion tensor imaging facilitates pre-operative planning of PNSTs by depicting neuropathy and tractography. • Radiomics will likely augment current observer-based diagnostic criteria for PNSTs.
Dispersal of a nearshore marine fish connects marine reserves and adjacent fished areas along an open coast

Marine species with pelagic larvae typically exhibit little population structure, suggesting long-distance dispersal and high gene flow. Directly quantifying dispersal of marine fishes is challenging but important, particularly for the design of marine protected areas (MPAs). Here, we studied kelp rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens) sampled along ~25 km of coastline in a boundary current-dominated ecosystem and used genetic parentage analysis to identify dispersal events and characterize them, because the distance between sedentary parents and their settled offspring is the lifetime dispersal distance. Large sample sizes and intensive sampling are critical for increasing the likelihood of detecting parent-offspring matches in such systems and we sampled more than 6,000 kelp rockfish and analysed them with a powerful set of 96 microhaplotype markers. We identified eight parent-offspring pairs with high confidence, including two juvenile fish that were born inside MPAs and dispersed to areas outside MPAs, and four fish born in MPAs that dispersed to nearby MPAs. Additionally, we identified 25 full-sibling pairs, which occurred throughout the sampling area and included all possible combinations of inferred dispersal trajectories. Intriguingly, these included two pairs of young-of-the-year siblings with one member each sampled in consecutive years. These sibling pairs suggest monogamy, either intentional or accidental, which has not been previously demonstrated in rockfishes. This study provides the first direct observation of larval dispersal events in a current-dominated ecosystem and direct evidence that larvae produced within MPAs are exported both to neighbouring MPAs and to proximate areas where harvest is allowed.
Benthic jellyfish dominate water mixing in mangrove ecosystems

Water mixing is a critical mechanism in marine habitats that governs many important processes, including nutrient transport. Physical mechanisms, such as winds or tides, are primarily responsible for mixing effects in shallow coastal systems, but the sheltered habitats adjacent to mangroves experience very low turbulence and vertical mixing. The significance of biogenic mixing in pelagic habitats has been investigated but remains unclear. In this study we show that the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea plays a significant role with respect to biogenic contributions to water column mixing within its shallow natural habitat (
Towards Misregistration-Tolerant Change Detection using Deep Learning Techniques with Object-Based Image Analysis

Co-registrating is a common pre-processing step for existing change detection algorithms, but registering bi-temporal images is nontrivial. The use of image patch as input for deep learning techniques provides a natural avenue to apply them in the OBIA framework, and have shown successful performance in the object-based land cover mapping and change detection applications. Even though attempts of applying deep learning techniques for change detection applications have been made with varying success, its application under OBIA framework for change detection have not been conducted and its tolerance for misregistration among temporal images are neither known. This study performed change detection under OBIA framework using deep learning techniques for the first time, and evaluated its performance regarding their tolerance of image misregistration on training and testing dataset. Our results demonstrate the proposed change detection scheme is surprisingly robust to image misregistration on the testing dataset, while classifiers trained with the training dataset containing image misregistration errors suffer from slight decrease of overall accuracy.
Reduction of Catheter Complications with Lateral Placement

Lateral catheter placement of a double cuffed Tenckhoff catheter for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis accomplishes fixation of the internal cuff in the rectus muscle, and stabilization of ...
Optimal Scheduling of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Solar Power Smoothing

Increased penetration of renewable resources with intermittent and variable power output has led to an increase in the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for grid applications. This paper presents an optimal energy scheduling algorithm for BESS interfaced with distributed energy resources (DERs). A linear programming (LP) formulation is used to determine the output power of the BESS for solar power smoothing, based on predicted day-ahead demand and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation output. The linear programming problem is solved using MATLAB, and the proposed algorithm is implemented on a real-world distribution feeder modeled in OpenDSS. The results show a reduction in net demand variations caused by intermittent PV output, peak demand, and a slight improvement in voltage profile. The impact of battery and inverter size, and initial state of charge (SoC) is also investigated.
Development and Validation of a web-based Postoperative Clostridioides difficile infection risk prediction model

Abstract Background Clostridioides difficile infection is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and increased costs. Assessment of the postoperative C. difficile infection risk is necessary to improve the outcome of surgical patients. Objective To develop and validate a risk prediction tool for C. difficile infection after surgery. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, 2,451,169 surgical patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database (ACS-NSQIP) over 2015-2017 were included. Nine predictors were selected for the model: age, preoperative leukocytosis (>12 ×109/L), hematocrit (≤30%), chronic dialysis, insulin dependent diabetes, weight loss, steroid use, presence of preoperative sepsis, and surgery type. A second model included hospital length of stay as a predictor. A predictive model was developed using ACS-NSQIP 2015-2016 training cohort (n=1,435,157) and tested using 2017 validation cohort (n=1,016,012). Multivariate logistic regression was used for the model. Main outcome The primary outcome was postoperative 30-day C. difficile infection (CDI). Results 0.39% of the patients (n=9,675) developed CDI and 42.3% (n=4,091) of CDI occurred post-discharge. The Clostridioides difficile risk prediction model had excellent AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) for postoperative C. difficile infection (training cohort=0.804, test cohort= 0.803). The model that includes hospital length of stay has a high AUC (training cohort=0.841, test cohort=0.838). Conclusion The C. difficile prediction model provides a robust predictive tool for postoperative C. difficile infection.
Eighty-Five Percent Solution: Historical Look at Crowdsourcing Speed Limits and the Question of Safety:

The “85th percentile rule” is commonly used to set speed limits in jurisdictions across the U.S. Modern interpretations of the rule are that it satisfies key conditions needed for safe roadways: it...
Role of serine 365 in BRAF V600E sensitivity to RAF inhibition.

The serine-threonine kinase, BRAF, is an upstream regulator of the MEK-ERK1/2 pathway and is commonly mutated in cancer. 14-3-3 proteins bind to two sites in BRAF, N-terminal S365 and C-terminal S729. 14-3-3 binding modulates the activity and dimerization of both wild-type and non-V600 mutant forms of BRAF. In BRAF V600E mutants, the C-terminal S729 site affects dimerization of truncated splice variants. The N-terminal, S365, is removed in BRAF V600E splice variants but its importance in full-length BRAF V600 mutants remains uncertain. We tested the role of S365 in dimerization and RAF inhibitor resistance in full-length BRAF V600E. Mutating BRAF S365 site to an alanine (S365A) reduced 14-3-3 association and increased BRAF V600E homodimerization. BRAF V600E S365A displayed reduced sensitivity to RAF inhibitor at the level of MEK-ERK1/2 signaling, cell growth, and cell viability. These data suggest that alteration or removal of the S365 14-3-3 binding site may contribute to RAF inhibitor resistance.
Creating fertile grounds for two-way immersion: gentrification, immigration, & neoliberal school reforms

Bilingual Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, especially amongst white, non-Hispanic, middle-class English speaking-parents (Valdez et al. in Urban Rev 44:601–627, 2016). While they are growing in numbers and popularity, researchers caution against the challenges and inequalities that they face (Cervantes-Soon et al. in Rev Res Educ 41:403–427, 2017) making it important to understand how and why these schooling options are coming about. Through the ethnographic study of one TWI program that was created within a Philadelphia public school in 2014, I show how it was neoliberal school reforms, a movement of gentrifying parents to improve schools, and a steady flow of Spanish-speaking immigrants to the area that created the fertile grounds for this TWI bilingual program to come about. I argue for the importance of understanding the processes that already create unequal positions for various social actors, and through this analysis problematize bottom-up language policy making when it is undertaken under the conditions of neoliberalism and competitiveness.
Defibrotide: Real World Management of Veno-Occlusive Disease/ Sinusoidal Obstructive Syndrome after Stem Cell Transplant.

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease or sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (VOD/ SOS) is a life-threatening complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Defibrotide is the only FDA-approved medication for the management of severe VOD/ SOS after HSCT. We report our center's experience with commercially available defibrotide as treatment for patients with VOD/SOS. We retrospectively identified 28 cases of VOD/ SOS, based on the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation criteria, from March 2016 through June 2019. The median day of VOD/ SOS onset was 25 days (range, 8 to 69) and defibrotide was initiated on day of diagnosis in 71% of patients. Complete resolution of VOD/ SOS occurred in 75% of patients. Day +100 survival was 64% for all HSCT patients and 53% for those with very severe VOD/ SOS. Response rates and survival were similar in patients with VOD/SOS after myeloablative or reduced intensity chemotherapy HSCT. Therapy related adverse events were mild and included hematuria (43%), epistaxis (18%) and hypotension (11%). Severe hemorrhagic adverse events occurred in 2 patients (pulmonary and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage; 7%) and both in the setting of progressive VOD/SOS. Early diagnosis, prompt initiation of defibrotide, and minimizing dosing interruptions may be key to successful treatment of VOD/ SOS.
Effects of Early U.S. Compulsory Schooling Laws on Educational Assortative Mating: The Importance of Context

Modernization theory predicts that rising education should increase assortative mating by education and decrease sorting by race. Recent research suggests that effects of educational expansion depend on contextual factors, such as economic development. Using log-linear and log-multiplicative models of male household heads ages 36 to 75 in the 1940 U.S. census data—the first U.S. census with educational attainment information—I investigate how educational assortative mating changed with one instance of educational expansion: early U.S. compulsory school attendance laws. To improve on existing research and distinguish effects of expansion from changes due to particular years or cohorts, I capitalize on state variation in the timing of these compulsory laws (ranging from 1852 to 1918). Aggregate results suggest that compulsory laws had minimal impact on assortative mating. However, separate analyses by region (and supplemental analyses by race) reveal that assortative mating by education decreased with the laws in the South but increased in the North. Whether due to economic, legal, political, or other differences, results suggest that the implications of educational expansion for marital sorting depend on context. Contemporary implications are discussed in light of President Obama’s 2012 suggested extension of compulsory schooling to age 18.
The Molecular Origin of the Large Entropies of Hydrophobic Hydration

A rigorous statistical mechanical expansion for the entropy in terms of multiparticle correlation functions is used to identify the major contributions to the entropy of hydration of simple, hydrophobic solutes. With a factorization assumption for the solute-water correlation function we have been able to separate the contributions to the entropy of hydration due to translational and orientational solute-water correlations. The required correlation functions are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. This approach is applied to infinitely dilute solutions of methane, inert gases, and model Lennard-Jones particles in water in order to examine the dependence of the solute size and the solute-water pair interaction energy on the hydration entropy. Solute-water orientational correlations are found to decay linearly with intermolecular distance and virtually vanish in the second hydration shell. The orientational and translational contributions are comparable in magnitude. The primary factor determining the solute-water correlation entropy is found to be solute size, with the pair interaction energy playing a secondary, yet significant role. The dependence of the orientational entropy on the curvature of the solute surface is discussed in connection with enthalpy-entropy compensation phenomena. We find that the large entropies and heat capacities of hydrophobic hydration are well accounted for by solute-water correlations alone and that large perturbations in water structure are not required to explain hydrophobic behavior at room temperature.
Directional spectra of hurricane‐generated waves in the Gulf of Mexico

[1] Hurricane-induced directional wave spectra in the Gulf of Mexico are investigated based on the measurements collected at 12 buoys during 7 hurricane events in recent years. Focusing on hurricane-generated wave spectra, we only consider the wave measurements at the buoys within eight times the radius of the hurricane maximum wind speed (Rmax) from the hurricane center. A series of numerical experiments using a third-generation spectral wave prediction model were carried out to gain insight into the mechanism controlling the directional and frequency distributions of hurricane wave energy. It is found that hurricane wave spectra are almost swell-dominated except for the right-rear quadrant of a hurricane with respect to the forward direction, where the local strong winds control the spectra. Despite the complexity of a hurricane wind field, most of the spectra are mono-modal, similar to those under fetch-limited, unidirectional winds. However, bi-modal spectra were also found in both measurements and model results. Four types of bi-modal spectra have been observed. Type I happens far away (>6 × Rmax) from a hurricane. Type II is bi-modal in frequency with significant differences in direction. It happens in the two left quadrants when the direction of hurricane winds deviates considerably from the swell direction. Type III is bi-modal in frequency in almost the same wave direction with two close peaks. It occurs when the energy of locally-generated wind-sea is only partially transferred to the swell energy by non-linear wave-wave interactions. Type IV was observed in shallow waters owing to coastal effects.
Osmotic regulation of prolactin secretion. Possible role of chloride.

Abstract The role of osmotic pressure in the exocytosis of prolactin from rat pituitary tumor (GH) cells in culture was investigated. Reducing the osmotic strength of the medium from 300 mosm to 150 mosm by removal of NaCl did not alter basal secretion of prolactin but inhibited secretion stimulated by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and forskolin. Both basal and stimulated secretion of prolactin were inhibited by increasing the osmotic strength of the medium with NaCl (IC50 at approximately 500 mosm). The stimulated release of hormone from GH-cells was independent of sodium and unaffected by replacement of sodium ion with tetramethylammonium or choline, or by addition of 500 nM tetrodotoxin. Secretagogue-stimulated release was, however, dependent upon chloride. Exchange of medium chloride with benzoate or isethionate significantly inhibited the stimulated release of prolactin (IC50 at approximately 60 mM exchange) regardless of the secretagogue utilized (phorbol ester, forskolin, depolarization plus BAY K8644, or TRH). Exchange of medium chloride with either isethionate or benzoate reduced cell volume by 10% compared to 60% for sucrose and mannitol, suggesting that inhibition of secretion by isethionate exchange was not a result of increased intracellular osmotic pressure. Complete exchange of medium chloride with isethionate did not alter equilibrium [3H]methyl-TRH binding, resting internal [Ca2+], or the [Ca2+]i response to depolarization and TRH as measured with intracellularly trapped Fura 2. Chloride removal did not change resting internal pH and recovery from an acid load as measured by the intracellular pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein. The stimulated secretion of prolactin was also inhibited by exchange of chloride with isethionate in normal pituitary cells in primary culture and the ability of normal cells to respond to the dopamine agonist bromocryptine was not affected by the exchange. These results suggest that exocytosis of prolactin from GH-cells and normal pituitary cells in culture is an osmotically driven process that is chloride-dependent. Stimulated release is more chloride-dependent than constitutive release. The inhibitory effect of isethionate substitution occurs after signal transduction and is distinct from the site of dopamine inhibition of prolactin release.
Supporting IP Multicast for Mobile Hosts

IP Multicast is an efficient mechanism of delivering a large amount of data to a group of members over the Internet. Link sharing is achieved by a multicast tree that connects all group members. Mobile IP is the proposed standard for IP mobility support and provides two schemes for mobile hosts to receive multicast packets, either through tunneling from the home agent (called home subscription) or by joining multicast groups in the visited foreign network (called remote subscription). The former compromises the link sharing of IP Multicast and uses sub-optimal routing, while the latter requires the foreign agent to be a multicast router and may incur frequent modifications of the multicast tree due to host mobility. This paper introduces multicast agents for IP Multicast to mobile hosts. A multicast agent is a multicast router that serves multiple (foreign) networks. A foreign agent in the service area of a multicast agent notifies the multicast agent of the multicast groups that visiting mobile hosts belong to. The multicast agent joins these multicast groups and tunnels multicast packets for these groups to the foreign agent. The foreign agent delivers multicast packets to mobile hosts using local multicast whenever possible. Simulation results show that the delay and the cost of delivery per multicast packet in our approach is close to the optimal case in remote subscription. Our approach has a lower disruption of multicast services due to mobility when groups are sparse.
Minimum wage effects on employment, substitution, and the quality of the teenage labor supply: Evidence from personal data

Using personnel data from a large U.S. retail firm with more than 700 stores nationwide, this study examines how the 1996 federal minimum wage increase affected both the level of employment at each store and also the fraction of teenagers employed. Because the minimum wage caused the relative wages of teenagers to increase at many stores, examining the relative employment of teenagers permits me to test the hypothesis of substitution toward more skilled (i.e., relatively high-wage) employees. The basic results indicate, first, that while the legislation had a much greater impact on average wages in some stores than in others, there is no significant difference in post-legislation employment growth at high-impact and low-impact stores. Second, I find that in stores where the legislation caused larger increases in the relative wage of teenagers, the employment of teenagers rose faster after the law was implemented. These results appear inconsistent with the traditional view that minimum wages lead employers to reduce employment, and to substitute relatively high-skilled, high-wage labor for the labor of the less-skilled workers whose relative wages go up. However, additional analysis suggests that the apparent contradiction can be explained in the context of a model (Drazen, 1986) that incorporates imperfect information about the quality of teenage applicants into the traditional, competitive framework. Specifically, the evidence suggests that high-quality teenagers often were not paid wages proportional to their output, and were drawn into the labor market when the minimum wage forced stores to pay teenagers more like adults. In these stores, the legislation appears to have increased the demand for teenage labor by raising the average quality of the teenage applicant pool. In contrast, where the legislation increased the wages of both teenagers and adults without compressing the wage distribution, the result was a decline in employment, as predicted by the conventional model.
The ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. Report of 2 cases and review of the literature.

A search of the literature over the past 150 years reveals 19 proband cases of lobster claw deformity of the extremities and clefting of the primary and secondary palate. Some authors have reported that a few of these cases also have an atypical form of ectodermal dysplasia in which the skin is fair and the hair fine and light colored, and a tooth enamel dysplasia but normal salivary, sweat, and sebaceous gland function. Atresia of the lacrimal puncta may also be a part of this syndrome which has been designated the ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. This report describes two unrelated females who appear to have the EEC syndrome, thereby bringing the total probable cases to five, two of which occurred in affected families (Walker & Clodius 1963, Cockayne 1936) and three of which were sporadic (Rudiger et al. 1970, this report). Dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance is suggested.
Podoplanin is overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and is associated with poor clinical outcome

4476 Podoplanin is a mucin-like glycoprotein that is important in lymphangiogenesis. Recent studies have shown that podoplanin may be also expressed in certain tumor cells, including squamous cell carcinomas. We first determined the expression of podoplanin in 35 patients with HNSCC including 16 with oral tumors and 19 with hypopharyngeal tumors by immunohistochemical analysis, and evaluated the association between podoplanin expression status and patients’ clinical and pathologic characteristics. Podoplanin was not expressed in normal oral epithelial cells but was detected in some hyperplastic and dysplastic lesions. High podoplanin expression was found in 20 of the test cases (57%) and was associated with lymph node metastasis. We further validated the findings in an independent set of 33 patients with tongue cancer and assessed the association of podoplanin expression and survival. Twenty-three tumors in the validation set (70%) expressed high-levels of podoplanin. Patients whose tumors expressed high-levels of podoplanin had a statistically significantly higher rate of lymph node metastasis ( P = 0.002) and shorter survival durations ( P = 0.04 and P = 0.03 for overall survival and cancer-specific survival, respectively) than did those with low podoplanin expression. Our data suggest that podoplanin is involved in oral tumorigenesis and may be useful as a marker to predict clinical outcome in patients with HNSCC. (Supported in part by National Cancer Institute grants CA106451 and CA16672; Department of Defense grant W81XWH-05-2-0027)
Suppression of death receptor 5 enhances cancer cell invasion and metastasis through activation of caspase-8/TRAF2-mediated signaling

The role of death receptor 5 (DR5), a well-known cell surface pro-apoptotic protein, in the negative regulation of invasion and metastasis of human cancer cells and the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown and were hence the focus of this study. In this report, we have demonstrated that DR5 functions to suppress invasion and metastasis of human cancer cells, as evidenced by enhanced cancer cell invasion and metastasis upon genetic suppression of DR5 either by gene knockdown or knockout. When DR5 is suppressed, FADD and caspase-8 may recruit and stabilize TRAF2 to form a metastasis and invasion signaling complex, resulting in activation of ERK and JNK/AP-1 signaling that mediate the elevation and activation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) and eventual promotion of cancer invasion and metastasis. Our findings thus highlight a novel non-apoptotic function of DR5 as a suppressor of human cancer cell invasion and metastasis and suggest a basic working model elucidating the underlying biology.
IL-1 Receptor Signaling Is Required at Multiple Stages of Sensitization and Elicitation of the Contact Hypersensitivity Response

Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a CD8 T cell-mediated response to hapten skin sensitization and challenge. The points at which IL-1R signaling is required during this complex, multistep immune response have not been clearly delineated. The role of IL-1R signaling during 2, 4 dinitro-1-fluorobenezene (DNFB) sensitization to induce hapten-specific CD8 effector T cells and in the trafficking of the effector T cells to the DNFB challenge site to elicit the response were investigated using IL-1R deficient mice. DNFB-sensitized IL-1R(-/-) mice had low CHS responses to hapten challenge that were caused in part by marked decreases in hapten-specific CD8 T cell development to IL-17- and IFN-γ-producing cells during sensitization. Hapten-primed wild type CD8 T cell transfer to naive IL-1R(-/-) mice did not result in T cell activation in response to hapten challenge, indicating a need for IL-1R signaling for the localization or activation, or both, of the CD8 T cells at the challenge site. Decreased CD8 T cell priming in sensitized IL-1R(-/-) mice was associated with marked decreases in hapten-presenting dendritic cell migration from the sensitized skin to draining lymph nodes. Transfer of hapten-presenting dendritic cells from wild type donors to naive IL-1R(-/-) mice resulted in decreased numbers of the dendritic cells in the draining lymph nodes and decreased priming of hapten-specific CD8 T cells compared with dendritic cell transfer to naive wild type recipients. These results indicate that IL-1R signaling is required at multiple steps during the course of sensitization and challenge to elicit CHS.
The characteristic appearance of non-alcoholic duct destructive chronic pancreatitis: a report of 2 cases.

Abstract We report 2 patients with an unusual form of chronic pancreatitis, both of whom were treated for clinical suspicion of pancreatic malignancy. The surgical specimens revealed a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the main and interlobular branches of the pancreatic duct, causing sclerosis of the duct wall, diffuse irregular lumenal narrowing, extensive parenchymal fibrosis, and organ enlargement. Neither case showed calcifications, fat necrosis, or cyst formation, features usually seen in alcoholic pancreatitis, nor was there any evidence of neoplasia. One patient had an unusual form of acalculous cholecystitis, but without cystic duct inflammation or fibrosis. Both patients recovered well from the surgical procedure and have not had any complications or relapse of their symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, these cases are representative of the recently described non-alcoholic duct destructive chronic pancreatitis, which is thought to be immune-mediated.
A PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATION OF THE CULTURE AREAS OF AFRICA

T HE culture area concept, as advanced by the American anithropologists, and applied to the American Indian cultures, is one which has steadily gained ground and is now largely accepted in the study of these cultures. It is essentially an empirical thing, and one that has proved its usefulness in museum technique, library classification, and for pedagogical purposes. Essentially, it is as follows: it has been found that when a large region, such as a continent, is surveyed for any particular culture trait or group of traits, the distribution of those traits will be such that they can be plotted on a map in continuous areas. At the same time, though the traits differ from one region to another, they may still be recognizable, and, in the main, historical connection can be postulated between those places in which they are found. If, starting with a given culture, one investigate the cultures of the peoples surrounding those possessing this culture, it will be found that there are many resemblances between the material culture, folk-lore, religion, social organization, of the people studied and of those adjacent to them. It will be found, further, that extraneous elements will begin to intrude as one gets farther away from the region in which this culture is strong, until, finally, one comes to a region in which the culture is almost entirely different from the culture originally studied. Regions in which the culture is more or less of a unit, -i.e., comparable, are thus termed culture areas, and those peoples who have the most exuberant development of the culture are termed people with the typical cultures. As we move in space from the center of the area,-which, it may be noted, is not of necessity the geographical center,-and extraneous cultural elements begin to intrude, we shall come at length to a place where the culture, for the ethnologist, is what may be called weak. This is not to
Conscientious refusal in reproductive medicine: an educational intervention

Objective This study evaluates an educational intervention focusing on the ethical reasoning and communication skills necessary in counseling patients about morally objectionable medical interventions. Study Design All students on the core clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine participated in a structured workshop. Students completed anonymous surveys before and after the workshop. Associations between the participants' change in comfort level in providing nondirective counseling and measured demographic variables were analyzed. Results Of 140 students, 37% (n = 52) positively changed their comfort level with nondirective options counseling; 10% (n = 14) negatively changed. Change in understanding of the physician's role was reported by 60% (n = 84). The exercise was rated as educationally valuable by 95% (n = 128), with 84% (n = 115) attesting that the workshop would help them “approach things differently.” Conclusion Evaluation of multiple parameters demonstrated that this workshop heightened student awareness of the ethical and communications skills challenges posed by this clinical situation.
Application of Evolving Self-Organizing Maps for Analysis of Human Adverse Events in the Context of Complex Socioeconomic Infrastructure Interactions

The main objective of this study was to investigate complex human socioeconomic infrastructure interactions and information on past human adverse events (AE) in an active war theater in order to predict future AE in a given geographical region. Human AE were defined as those security-related events that threatened human lives. Human socioeconomic infrastructure development data were derived by integrating three different datasets from different sources based on the United States Agency for International Development database. Using empirical data obtained from the country of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2010, we applied evolving self-organizing maps (ESOM) to forecast future patterns of such AE. Records from 2003–2009 were used as training data, while records from year 2010 were used to test the efficacy of ESOM in predicting AE. The socioeconomic data, dates, and geographical location information was used as input for the trained model. ESOM algorithm with supervised learning was effective in understanding future patterns of AE in a war region. The results also showed the possibility of predicting future AE based on the incomplete information pertaining to the geographical location, recent history of AE in the specific region of the country, and relevant socioeconomic infrastructure development data. The differences in applying the classical self-organizing maps and ESOM approaches for modeling of complex human socioeconomic infrastructure interactions were also discussed.
An Examination of the Oil of the Seeds of Persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana L., Fam. Ebenaceae)*

A fixed oil was extracted by petroleum ether from the seeds of Diospyros Virginiana L., representing approximately three per cent of the weight of the seeds. The oil is semidrying, and its properties are similar to sesame oil. The petroleum ether extract has a dark, reddish brown color, musk-like odor, and a bland taste like olive oil. It consists of 80.24 per cent unsaturated fatty acids, of nearly eual parts of oleic and linoleic acids. The saturated fatty acids consist of stearic and palmitic acids, with traces of myristic and arachidic acids. Saturated acids amounted to 16.25 per cent of the total weight of the oil. The amount of unsaponifiable matter and the physical constants were determined. A qualitative identification of the saturated fatty acids was made by chromatography using the technique developed by Holasek and Winsauer. Separation of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids was effected by Pelikan and Von Mikusch modification of the Bertram oxidation method. Stearic and palmitic acids were identified after their separation by fractional crystallization from methanol at low temperatures. Results indicate that: The chemical constituents of the oil of the seeds of Diospyros Virginiana L. are similar to sesame oil; ield of the oil from the seeds is 3.41 per cent; and possibility exists that this oil might be useful in the formulation of perfumes or cosmetics where the oil might be used to advantage.
Molecular theory of liquid crystals: Application to the nematic phase

A density-functional description of liquid crystals is developed. Formally exact expansions for thermodynamic functions in terms of a direct-correlation function are given. Approximations to the direct-correlation function lead to different versions of the molecular-field theories of liquid crystals. The properties of the uniform nematic phase including the isotropic-nematic phase transition at constant pressure are discussed. Expressions are given for the change in density and order parameters at the transition in terms of the direct-correlation function of the isotropic phase. Methods for calculating the direct-correlation functions of the isotropic phase are also discussed. A formal theory for the statistical mechanics of a nonuniform liquid crystal is developed and used to derive expressions for the Frank elastic constants. This approach provides a starting point for the investigation of the phase transitions in the liquid crystals and the properties of inhomogeneous systems. A microscopic description of the Landau-de Gennes theory is also given.
Observational evidence of CMEs interacting in the inner heliosphere as inferred from MHD simulations

The interaction of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has been observed by LASCO coronagraphs and by near-Earth spacecraft, and it is thought to be an important cause of geo-effective storms, large solar energetic particles events and intense Type II radio bursts. New and future missions such as STEREO, the LWS Sentinels, and the Solar Orbiter will provide additional observations of the interaction of multiple CMEs between the Sun and the Earth. We present the results of simulations of two and more CMEs interacting in the inner heliosphere performed with the space weather modeling framework (SWMF). Based on those simulations, we discuss the observational evidence of the interaction of multiple CMEs, both in situ and from coronagraphs. The clearest evidence of the interaction of the CMEs are the large temperature in the sheath, due to the shocks merging, and the brightness increase in coronagraphic images, associated with the interaction of the leading edges. The importance of having multiple satellites at different distances and angular positions from the Sun is also discussed.
Site-specific Fucosylation of Sialylated Polylactosamines by α1,3/4-Fucosyltransferases-V and -VI Is Defined by Amino Acids Near the N Terminus of the Catalytic Domain

Abstract Fucose transfer from GDP-fucose to GlcNAc residues of the sialylated polylactosamine acceptor NeuAcα2-3Galβ1-4Glc-NAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glcβ1-ceramide leads to two isomeric monofucosyl antigens, VIM2 and sialyl-Lex. Human α1,3/4-fucosyltransferase (FucT)-V catalyzes primarily the synthesis of VIM2, whereas human FucT-VI catalyzes primarily the synthesis of sialyl-Lex. Thus, these two enzymes have distinct “site-specific fucosylation” properties. Amino acid sequence alignment of these enzymes showed that there are 24 amino acid differences in their catalytic domains. Studies were conducted to determine which of the amino acid differences are responsible for the site-specific fucosylation properties of each enzyme. Domain swapping (replacing a portion of the catalytic domain from one enzyme with an analogous portion from the other enzyme) demonstrated that site-specific fucosylation was defined within a 40-amino acid segment containing 8 amino acid differences between the two enzymes. Site-directed mutagenesis studies demonstrated that the site-specific fucosylation properties of these enzymes could be reversed by substituting 4 amino acids from one sequence with the other. These results were observed in both in vitro enzyme assays and flow cytometric analyses of Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with plasmids containing the various enzyme constructs. Modeling studies of human FucT using a structure of a bacterial fucosyltransferase as a template demonstrated that the amino acids responsible for site-specific fucosylation map near the GDP-fucose-binding site. Additional enzyme studies demonstrated that FucT-VI has ∼12-fold higher activity compared with FucT-V and that the Trp124/Arg110 site in these enzymes is responsible primarily for this activity difference.
Safety of intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke patients with saccular intracranial aneurysms.

Background It is not known if the presence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms can increase the risk of hemorrhage after thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. The goal of our study was to evaluate the risk of hemorrhage after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator in acute stroke patients with intracranial aneurysms. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of consecutive cases of patients with acute ischemic stroke who were treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator at Mayo Clinic between March 2002 and June 2011 and who were evaluated with invasive or noninvasive intracranial angiography. Univariate analyses were performed with the t , Chi-square, and Fisher exact tests where appropriate. Results Intracranial angiograms were performed in105 patients (85 magnetic resonance angiography, 19 computed tomography angiography, and 1 catheter arteriography). The mean age of the patients was 69 ± 14 years. The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at admission was 8 ± 5. A total of 12 incidental saccular aneurysms were found in 10 (9.5%) patients, and all 10 of these patients were white. There were no subarachnoid hemorrhages during the hospital stay in any patient with or without intracranial aneurysm. The rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and 3-month clinical outcomes were similar in patients with or without intracranial aneurysms. Conclusions Intravenous thrombolysis was safe among our patients with acute ischemic stroke and incidental intracranial saccular aneurysm.
The best unbiased estimate of population standard deviation based on group ranges.

Abstract In order to better the efficiency of the statistic range for sample sizes greater than eleven, a method, which possesses practical efficiency, is given in this paper for dividing a sample into groups so that an estimate of the standard deviation of the normal population sampled can be formed from a linear function of the group ranges. The estimate so obtained is “best” in the sense that it is unbiased and has a smaller variance than any other estimate which is based on a linear compound of group ranges. In dividing a sample into groups for using the range of groups, it is shown in the Appendix that the most efficient group size is eight. Table I of this paper gives the approximate percentage points for the best unbiased estimate based on group ranges and Table II gives approximate percentage points for the estimate based on mean range determined from r groups or samples of equal size n.
An enantioselective solutions towards synthesizing “skip” 1,3 dimethyl stereocenters. A synthesis of 4S(2E,4R∗,6R∗)-4,6-Dimethyl-2-octenoic acid

Abstract A versatile method of synthesizing “skip” 1,3 dimethyl stereocenters via an enantioselective aldol reaction followed by stereoselective catalytic hydrogenation produces three syn contiguous chiral centers. Barton deoxygenation of the intermediary hydroxyl group provides the desired skip 1,3 dimethyl array.
Views of family medicine department Chairs about mentoring junior faculty

Mentoring can be a key component contributing to the success of faculty. We investigated the attitudes of family medicine department Chairs toward mentoring, with emphasis on mentoring female and minority faculty. This qualitative inquiry used semi-structured interviews with 13 Chairs of US departments of family medicine. Although most Chairs felt that mentoring had value, a minority of our sample had formal mentoring programs. Multiple mentors were suggested for female and minority faculty to meet both their personal career and content needs. Availability of senior faculty is a key resource. Until more senior women and minority faculty are available, cross-gender and cross-ethnicity mentoring will need to be utilized.
The psychobiological functions of dissociation.

Abstract Dissociation represents the fundamental psychobiological mechanism underlying a wide variety of altered forms of consciousness, including conversion hysteria, hypnotic trance, mediumistic trance, multiple personality, fugue states, spirit possession states and highway hypnosis. This mechanism has great individual and species survival value. Under certain conditions, it serves to facilitate seven major functions: (1) the automatization of certain behaviors, (2) the efficiency and economy of effort, (3) the resolution of irreconcilable conflicts, (4) escape from the constraints of reality, (5) the isolation of catastrophic experiences, (6) the cathartic discharge of certain feelings, and (7) the enhancement of herd sense (e.g., the submersion of the individual ego for the group identity, greater suggestibility, etc.). To illustrate how all these functions operate, the author describes a personal dissociative episode during which, literally, the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing. ...
Flow through a converging-diverging tube and its implications in occlusive vascular disease — I

Abstract The steady flow of an incompressible fluid through an axisymmetric converging-diverging tube has been studied both theoretically (Part I) and experimentally (Part II). Possible implications of this type of flow in the development of vascular lesions are discussed in Part II. A mathematical model for a mild stenosis is established and an approximate solution for flow through a converging-diverging tube obtained. Velocity profiles, pressures, and wall shearing stresses along the tube are determined from this solution. The critical Reynolds number required for separation, and the extent of the separated region are also determined.
Purification and characterization of infectious Marek's disease virus genomes using pulsed field electrophoresis.

Abstract Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an acutely oncogenic avian herpesvirus. The tightly cell-associated in vitro growth characteristics of MDV present unique problems when attempting to purify, analyze, and manipulate MDV genomes. To facilitate molecular characterization of MDV, contour-clamped homogeneous electric fields electrophoresis (CHEF) was used to purify infectious MDV genomes. CHEF techniques were optimized for evaluation of total genome size and alterations in structure which occur during in vitro attenuation of oncogenic MDV. Our results indicated that genomes of attenuated serotype 1 MDV strain JM may contain deletions totaling 15 kbp while high-passage serotype 2 nononcogenic MDV strains SB-1 and 281Ml/1 were 5 and 3 kbp larger, respectively, than their low-passage counterparts. Using cell-free CHEF-purified MDV genomes as hybridization probes, we identified a 200-bp deletion in attenuated genomes of the very virulent MDV strain MD11. At present, it is unclear if this 200-bp deletion is related to mutations which lead to loss of oncogenicity or pathogenicity in MD11. This study is the first report which describes procedures for purification of infectious herpesvirus genomes from pulsed-field gels. Our results demonstrate that pulsed-field-purified viral DNA will facilitate molecular characterization of MDV and other cell-associated herpesviruses.