cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RAS mutation and associated risk of malignancy in the thyroid gland: An FNA study with cytology-histology correlation

Background Activating point mutations of the RAS gene (NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS) can be seen in benign and malignant thyroid tumors; among these, NRAS mutations are more commonly seen. This study was conducted to evaluate the thyroid risk of malignancy (ROM) associated with RAS mutations in thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) at the authors' institution. Methods The authors searched their electronic database system between January 2015 and May 2021 for thyroid FNA cases with any type of RAS mutation. Molecular alterations were identified with the ThyroSeq Genomic Classifier, ThyGeNEXT (thyroid oncogene panel)/ThyraMIR (miRNA classifier), or ThyroSure gene panel. Results A total of 127 cases (age, 51 ± 14 years; 100 females and 27 males) were identified, and 72 had histologic follow-up. The overall ROM associated with RAS mutations (with or without any other molecular alterations) was 29%, whereas the ROM was lower (18%) with RAS mutations only. Isolated NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS mutation-associated ROMs were 15%, 27%, and 14%, respectively. Among these RAS-mutated cases, the cases with a Bethesda category IV cytologic diagnosis had a higher ROM than the cases with a category III diagnosis (38% vs 17%). Twenty-one histologically confirmed malignant cases were mostly classified on cytology as category IV lesions (14 of 34; 41%), and the remainder were either category III (6 of 35; 17%) or V lesions (1 of 1; 100%). Conclusions This study demonstrated that the overall RAS mutation-associated ROM in thyroid FNA was intermediate (29%), and isolated HRAS mutations appeared to have a higher ROM (27%) than NRAS and KRAS mutations (15% and 14%, respectively).
Hawking-Page phase transition on the brane

We show that the Hawking-Page phase transition of a conformal field theory on AdS{sub d-1} weakly coupled to gravity has a dual bulk description in terms of a phase transition between a black string and a thermal gas on AdS{sub d}. At even lower temperatures the black string develops a Gregory Laflamme instability, which is dual to black hole evaporation in the boundary theory.
Fungal Cell Wall Glycans

Introduction Historical Outline Immunomodulatory and Antitumor Glycans β-Glucans and their Protein Complexes Heteroglucans and their Protein Complexes Chemical Modification Antiviral Glycans Antimicrobial Glycans Hepatoprotective Glycans Antifibrotic Glycans Antiinflammatory Glycans Antidiabetic and Hypoglycemic Glycans Hypocholesterolemic Glycans Patents Outlook and Perspectives Keywords: Agaricus blazei; antidiabetic; antifibrotic; antiinflammatory; antimicrobial; antitumor; antiviral; biological response modifier; filamentous fungi; fungal cell wall; Ganoderma lucidum; glucans; glucan–protein complex; glycans; glycan–protein complex; hepatoprotective; heteroglucans; heteroglucan–protein complex; hypocholesterolemic; hypoglycemic; immunomodulatory; Lentinula edodes; Trametes versicolor
Bronchodilator premedication does not decrease respiratory adverse events in pediatric general anesthesia.

Upper respiratory infections (URI) presage perioperative respiratory complications, but thresholds to cancel surgery vary widely. We hypothesized that autonomically-mediated complications seen during emergence from anesthesia would be predicted by capnometry and reduced with preoperative bronchodilator administration. Afebrile outpatient tertiary-care children (age two months to 18 yr,n = 109) without lung disease or findings, having non-cavitary, non-airway surgery for under three hours, were randomized to bronchodilator premedication vs placebo and had preoperative capnometry. After halothane via mask, laryngeal mask airway, or endotracheal tube, and regional anesthesia as appropriate, patients recovered breathing room air while cough, wheeze, stridor, laryngospasm, and cumulative desaturations were recorded for 15 min. In this specific population, there was no association between adverse events and either URl within six weeks (n = 76) or URl within seven days (n = 21). Neither albuterol nor ipratropium premedication decreased adverse events. Endotracheal intubation was associated with increased emergence desaturations and placebo nebulized saline increased emergence coughing. Neither anesthesiologists nor preoperative capnometry predicted adverse events. Adverse events were neither predicted nor prevented. In afebrile outpatient ASA l and ll children with no lung disease or findings, having non-cavitary, non-airway surgery for under three hours, there was no association between either recent URl or active URl and desaturation, wheeze, cough, stridor, or laryngospasm causing desaturation (allP > 0.05). In this highly selected population of afebrile patients, the results suggest that anesthesiologists may proceed with surgery using specific criteria in the presence of a URl.
Science and the Atlantic World in Early American Literary Studies

Although scientific literatures by British American colonists have not traditionally been included in studies of early American literature, recent work has begun to pay closer attention to the literary elements of natural, medical, and cartographic texts produced in the long 18th century. New approaches have expanded Eurocentric and nation-based paradigms by positioning colonial science in an imperial and Atlantic World context that focuses upon transatlantic exchanges between the British Americas and England. These studies have investigated colonists’ efforts to obtain credit for their scientific contributions in England and the strategies with which colonists resisted metropolitan biases regarding their knowledge. Studies of the literature of place show how natural histories, cartographies, and nature writing rendered the New World familiar, even while establishing colonists’ relationship to and possession of the land. Meanwhile, an emerging focus on anxieties regarding mental and physical degeneration, spurred by theories of America’s degrading influences, offers new directions for investigating colonial subjectivity and racial theories of difference. Finally, examining the various roles that Native Americans and New World Africans played in colonial encounters may facilitate new approaches to non-European contributions to colonial science.
Lung Cancer Stem Cells

Two theories describe the development of cancer. The clonal evolution theory posits that cancer arises from a single cell of origin, and hat progression of the cancer occurs due to the acquisition of genetic abnormalities within the original clone, allowing the sequential selection of more and more aggressive sublines; whereas the cancer stem cell theory posits that cancer cells are heterogeneous, and that only the cancer stem cell subset of tumor cells is able to extensively proliferate and metastasize. Stem cells occur normally in human beings. Adult somatic stem cells, lacking sufficient telomerase activity to prevent telomere loss, do not have the capacity to replicate indefinitely. Pluripotent adult somatic stem cells, with their limited ability to self-renew, have been found in many mature tissues, including lung. These cells are thought to be responsible for tissue regeneration and repair. Adult stem cells are believed to localize in their respective tissues in a special microenvironment—the so-called stem cell niche. These adult somatic stem cells are considered to have an increased risk for malignant transformation. The concept of cancer arising from hypothetical rare cells, with the stem cell properties of self-renewal and differentiation into progenitors, that exclusively maintain neoplastic clones—so called cancer stem cells—has already been acknowledged for hematologic malignancies. Many solid tumors are also thought to arise from cancer stem cells; specifically, originating from organ-specific stem cells. The concept of cancer stem cells is based on the principle that, in the multistep process of undergoing malignant transformation, a cell must be able to self-renew in order to accumulate enough mutations to transform into a malignant cell. These cancer stem cells allow for the propagation of cancer cells that retain the primary tumor’s diverse marker profile.
A parallel architecture for data compression

The authors describe a parallel algorithm and architecture for implementing the LZ technique for data compression. Data compression is the reduction of redundancy in data representation in order to decrease storage and communication costs. The LZ-based compression method is a very powerful technique and gives very high compression efficiency for text as well as image data. The proposed architecture is systolic and uses the principles of pipelining and parallelism in order to obtain high speed and throughput. The order of complexity of the computations is reduced from n/sup 2/ to n. The data compression hardware can be integrated into real time systems so that data can be compressed and decompressed on-the-fly. The basic processor cell for the systolic array is currently being implemented using CMOS VLSI technology. >
Less Is More: Knee MRI Utilization by PCPs Versus Orthopaedic Surgeons: Commentary on an article by Timothy T. Roberts, MD, et al.: "MRI for the Evaluation of Knee Pain. Comparison of Ordering Practices of Primary Care Physicians and Orthopaedic Surgeons".

In their retrospective investigation, Roberts and colleagues analyzed surgical and nonsurgical outcomes on the basis of whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee joint done prior to treatment had been ordered by an orthopaedic surgeon or by a primary care practitioner (PCP). Of 1592 patients included in this study, 747 had been originally evaluated and referred to the authors’ practice by a PCP and 845 had been initially evaluated by an orthopaedic surgeon in their practice. These two subgroups were equally matched demographically. The MRI ordering trends were tracked for both groups. The results revealed more frequent arthroscopic interventions on the basis of the MRI results ordered by the orthopaedic surgeons. Specifically, the orthopaedic surgeons were more likely to order MRI studies for younger patients, patients with acute symptoms, and those with a history of trauma. This subgroup of patients more often …
Specific default mode subnetworks support mentalizing as revealed through opposing network recruitment by social and semantic FMRI tasks

The ability to attribute mental states to others, or “mentalizing,” is posited to involve specific subnetworks within the overall default mode network (DMN), but this question needs clarification. To determine which default mode (DM) subnetworks are engaged by mentalizing processes, we assessed task-related recruitment of DM subnetworks. Spatial independent component analysis (sICA) applied to fMRI data using relatively high-order model (75 components). Healthy participants (n = 53, ages 17–60) performed two fMRI tasks: an interactive game involving mentalizing (Domino), a semantic memory task (SORT), and a resting state fMRI scan. sICA of the two tasks split the DMN into 10 subnetworks located in three core regions: medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC; five subnetworks), posterior cingulate/precuneus (PCC/PrC; three subnetworks), and bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Mentalizing events increased recruitment in five of 10 DM subnetworks, located in all three core DMN regions. In addition, three of these five DM subnetworks, one dmPFC subnetwork, one PCC/PrC subnetwork, and the right TPJ subnetwork, showed reduced recruitment by semantic memory task events. The opposing modulation by the two tasks suggests that these three DM subnetworks are specifically engaged in mentalizing. Our findings, therefore, suggest the unique involvement of mentalizing processes in only three of 10 DM subnetworks, and support the importance of the dmPFC, PCC/PrC, and right TPJ in mentalizing as described in prior studies. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3047–3063, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Self-Organizing Radial Basis Function Networks for Adaptive Flight Control

The performance of nonlinear flight-control algorithms, such as feedback linearization and dynamic inversion, is heavily dependent on the fidelity of the dynamic model being inverted. Incomplete or incorrect knowledge of the aircraft dynamics results in reduced performance and may lead to instability. A self-organizing parametrization structure is developed to augment the baseline dynamic inversion controller for a high-performance military aircraft. This algorithm is proven to be stable and can guarantee arbitrary tracking error performance. The training algorithm to grow the network and adapt the parameters is derived from Lyapunov theory. In addition to growing the network of basis functions, a pruning strategy is incorporated to keep the size of the network as small as possible. The controller is simulated for different situations, including control surface failures, modeling errors, and external disturbances. A performance measure of maximum tracking error is specified for the controllers a priori. Excellent tracking error minimization to a prespecified level using the adaptive component is achieved. The performance of the self-organizing radial-basis-function network-based controller is also compared with a fixed radial-basis-function network-based adaptive controller. While the fixed radial-basis-function network-based controller, which is tuned to compensate for control surface failures, fails to achieve the same performance under modeling uncertainty and disturbances, the self-organizing radial-basis-function network is able to achieve good tracking convergence under all specified error conditions.
Fertility, IQ and school achievement.

All Georgia children in Grades 4, 8, and 12 (250,000) were given mental ability and reading and arithmetic achievement tests in the Fall of 1971. Four demographic variables from the 1970 census, the educational expenditure per child, average daily attendance, and 12 test variables were inter-correlated. All correlations between mental ability and fertility ratios are negative. All are significant. Also, all correlations between fertility ratios and measures of school achievement are negative and significant. Per capita expenditure does not have a significant effect on school achievement at any grade level.
An Integrability Condition, with Applications to Utility Theory and Thermodynamics

We establish a criterion alternative to the classical Frobenius condition for the solvability of a system of nonlinear partial differential equations (or a corresponding total differential equation) that arises in consumer choice theory. The Frobenius condition, that a certain matrix be symmetric, translates in consumer theory into the rather unmotivated requirement of symmetry of the Slutsky or Antonelli matrix. In contrast, the alternative criterion presented here is easily motivated from revealed preference considerations, and thus provides an economic justification for the classical symmetry condition. Such partial differential equations systems are of economic significance not only in consumer theory, but also in general equilibrium analysis and welfare economics. In addition they arise in very different areas, such as classical physics and thermodynamics. Wherever they arise, their solvability is often a critical step in theory construction. As indicated by our applications in section 3 (to consumer theory) and section 4 (to thermodynamics), the solvability criterion presented in our theorem may provide more plausible axioms for such theories, and simplify the task of proving solvability from them.
Minimum Risk Wavelet Shrinkage Operator for Poisson Image Denoising

The pixel values of images taken by an image sensor are said to be corrupted by Poisson noise. To date, multiscale Poisson image denoising techniques have processed Haar frame and wavelet coefficients—the modeling of coefficients is enabled by the Skellam distribution analysis. We extend these results by solving for shrinkage operators for Skellam that minimizes the risk functional in the multiscale Poisson image denoising setting. The minimum risk shrinkage operator of this kind effectively produces denoised wavelet coefficients with minimum attainable $L^{2}$ error.
Photoreceptor-pigment epithelial cell relationships in rats with inherited retinal degeneration. Radioautographic and electron microscope evidence for a dual source of extra lamellar material.

Protein synthesis and displacement in photoreceptor and pigment epithelial cells of inbred normal (Fisher) and mutant (RCS) rats with inherited retinal degeneration has been studied by light and electron microscope radioautography. Groups of animals 14, 15, 17, 19, 27, 35, and 50 days of age were injected with amino acids-H3 and killed at subsequent time intervals. In normal rats, radioactive protein synthesized in the rod inner segments was incorporated into outer segment saccules and displaced outward; the total renewal time of outer segments at all ages was approximately 9 days. In RCS photoreceptors, outer segment displacement was slowed from the normal rate before day 17 and at all subsequent stages. Most of the newly synthesized protein appeared to migrate only into the basal third of the outer segments. Labeling of pigment epithelial cells in RCS rats was always heavier than in controls. Labeled protein was displaced as early as 1 hr postinjection from pigment epithelial cell somas into the apical processes, and by 2 hr postinjection was located in the adjacent lamellar whorls characteristic of the mutant rat retina. After 1 day, radioactivity was present in the 14, 15, 17, and 19 day series of RCS rats in the apical third of the outer segment layer (occupied mainly by extra lamellar material) while there were few silver grains in the middle third of the layer (occupied mainly by distal parts of outer segments). The RCS pigment epithelial cells thus have an unusual synthetic role and appear to be a source of the extra lamellar material. Electron microscope examination revealed that many intact pigment epithelial cell processes were incorporated into the large whorls of extra lamellae. In addition, many disorganized outer segment saccules were observed in continuity with longer membranous lamellae and large lamellar whorls. The extra lamellar material therefore appears to be derived from both rod outer segments and pigment epithelial cells.
Synthesis of large cyclic cystine-knot peptide by orthogonal coupling strategy using unprotected peptide precursor

Abstract A simple and direct method for the synthesis of large end-to-end, disulfide rich cyclic peptide using orthogonal coupling of unprotected N α -cysteinyl thioester peptide is described.
Correlation of Local Trapping with Crystal Defects by Direct Observation of Electron Loss in a Coaxial Ge(Li) Detector

A propeller-shaped region of reduced full-energy-peak efficiency was observed on the face of a true coaxial Ge(Li) detector. A similar pattern on the etch-pit photograph suggests that the propeller blades correspond to the 1 1 1 symmetry axes of the crystal. Spectra obtained when a 122 keV ?-ray beam was directed at this degraded region, show a low energy tail which is not present when the beam is directed at normal regions. Current pulses corresponding to ?-rays that interact in the propeller region have shapes that show deficiencies in the electron component. Thus, degraded crystal regions that are revealed by etch-pit distributions can be correlated to local detector performance by direct observation of trapping rather than only by inference from the presence of tails in the energy spectra.
Influence of viable yogurt microflora on digestion of lactose by the rat.

Abstract Laboratory rats were fed experimental diets including yogurt, pasteurized yogurt, and simulated yogurt with sucrose or lactose for 7 days followed by a single experimental meal of yogurt, pasteurized yogurt, or simulated yogurt. Assays of blood galactose demonstrated that animals fed natural yogurt containing the viable culture microflora were able to absorb galactose more efficiently. Intestinal lactase activity of yogurt-fed animals was greater than in animals fed other experimental diets including pasteurized yogurt. Gastrointestinal survival of culture organisms was demonstrated in vivo up to 3 h after feeding, and, thus, the viable cells resulted in more efficient hydrolysis which favored lactose digestion in natural yogurt.
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY NEAR THE METAL–INSULATOR TRANSITION

Abstract Spin-orbit scattering is enhanced in granular aluminum by the addition of small amounts of bismuth. The metal-insulator transition is displaced to larger values of room-temperature resistivity. The superconducting-normal threshold is displaced by an approximately equal amount.
Regulation of Growth Hormone Release from Cultured Human Pituitar Adenomas by Somatomedins and Insulin

GH secretion is stimulated by hypothalamic GH-releasing factor (GHRH) and inhibited by somatostatin. Since GH induces the production of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) in liver and other tissues, it is of interest to learn whether IGF alters GH release through long loop feedback inhibition. Pituitary adenomas which had been removed from six acromegalic patients were processed for dispersed cell cultures and/or cell membrane preparations. Binding studies using 125I-labeled IGF-I, IGF-II, and insulin revealed specific hormone binding for each ligand to cell membranes derived from four somatotropinomas. A partially purified somatomedin preparation inhibited basal and/or GHRH-stimulated GH release from cultured pituitary cells derived from three of four adenomas; there was no effect of somatomedin in one tumor. In a single tumor, insulin also partially inhibited GHRH-stimulated GH release. Additionally, in one nonadenomatous pituitary removed from a patient with diabetes mellitus, insulin and somatomedin in...
Commentary on Sayre-Mccord's “being a realist about relativism”

Sayre-McCord's definition of realism is illuminating, and I am sympathetic to his claim for the compatibility of moral realism and certain forms of relativism. I shall use his definition of realism to explain why certain forms of relativistic realism are more plausible than others. Sayre-McCord sketches a possible argumentative strategy for relativists, but it is underdeveloped, and I will explain how it could be plausibly extended. Finally, I will suggest some ways in which moderate forms of relativistic realism may incorporate insights usually associated with nonrelativistic realism. Sayre-McCord defines a realist as holding of the disputed claims that some of them, when literally construed, are straightforwardly true. This provides a useful way of understanding what could be at stake when there is disagreement over whether to call a given account of the disputed claims realistic or not. The subjects of disagreement fall into two categories: what constitutes a literal construal of the disputed claims, and what is involved in the claims being straightforwardly true. Discussion of the second subject involves the requirement of "seamless semantics," as Sayre-McCord notes, and at a higher level of abstraction, the question of what constitutes a realistic conception of truth. Those who hold more robustly realistic conceptions of truth may be dissatisfied with, say, neo-Wittgensteinian accounts of morality that purport to be realistic. Sayre-McCord further seems right in claiming that many debates over the realism of a given account of moral claims rest on disagreement over what constitutes an adequate and literal construal of these claims. Some construe moral claims to necessarily involve claims to the strongest forms of objectivity. J. L. Mackie, 1 for instance, denies that any account of moral claims is realistic unless it involves a commitment to objectively prescriptive properties. That is why he is an error
Global Kinetics for Ammonia Formation and Oxidation Reactions in a Commercial Three-Way Catalyst

Lean-burn spark ignition direct injection (SIDI) engines offer significant potential for improving engine efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, NOx reduction in lean-burn SIDI engines presents significant challenges. One of the exhaust architectures that is currently being investigated and developed for lean-gasoline applications is the passive ammonia-SCR (three-way catalyst–selective catalyst reduction) system. It involves the use of the closed-coupled three-way catalyst (TWC) to generate NH3 (during fuel-rich conditions) for use by the downstream NH3–SCR for NOx reduction. However, the NH3 formed in TWC has to be controlled so that there is enough NH3 for NOx reduction in SCR, and at the same time, there is no NH3 slip in the tailpipe. A mathematical model for the TWC, which can predict the net NH3 coming out of the TWC, will be very useful for control algorithm development and for understanding and optimizing the exhaust architecture. The focus of this work is on the kinetic model...
Low energy argon differential sputtering yields and thresholds along the 〈110〉 and 〈100〉 directions from single crystal silver surfaces

Abstract The relative differential sputtering yields, dS, in a fixed small solid angle at various directions from a single crystal silver target under normal Ar+ ion bombardment (ion energy from threshold to about 100 eV) have been measured. The yields measured in the directions of various sputtering “spots” were: dS 1 in the 〈110〉 direction at about 60° from the (110) face;dS 2, 〈110〉 direction, 45° from (100) face;dS 3, 〈110〉 direction, 35° from (111) face;dS 4, 〈110〉 direction, normal to (110) face; and dS 5, 〈100〉 direction, normal to the (100) face. The magnitudes of the yields were: dS 1 ≃ dS 2 > dS 3. An order of magnitude lower were: dS 4 > dS 5. For the oblique 〈110〉 emissions, the curves of (dS) 1/2 vs. incident ion energy were linear for ion energies of about 20–50 eV; extrapolation of these curves to zero yield gave the following sputtering threshold energies: dS 1, 14 eV; dS 2, 18 eV; and dS 3, 23 eV.
A progress report on simulating fermion field theories: QCD and beyond

Abstract Hybrid stochastic differential equations are introduced and applied to spin systems and lattice gauge theory with fermions. Accelerating the algorithm with Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) is discussed. The status of dynamical fermion simulations is reviewed and evidence for asymptotic freedom and applications to thermodynamics, hierarchal mass scales, etc. are presented.
Mitochondrial Regulation of Synaptic Plasticity in the Hippocampus

Synaptic mechanisms of plasticity are calcium-dependent processes that are affected by dysfunction of mitochondrial calcium buffering. Recently, we observed that mice deficient in mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channels, the outer component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, have impairments in learning and hippocampal synaptic plasticity, suggesting that the mitochondrial permeability transition pore is involved in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. In this study, we examined the effect on synaptic transmission and plasticity of blocking the permeability transition pore with low doses of cyclosporin A and found a deficit in synaptic plasticity and an increase in base-line synaptic transmission. Calcium imaging of presynaptic terminals revealed a transient increase in the resting calcium concentration immediately upon incubation with cyclosporin A that correlated with the changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity. The effect of cyclosporin A on presynaptic calcium was abolished when mitochondria were depolarized prior to cyclosporin A exposure, and the effects of cyclosporin A and mitochondrial depolarization on presynaptic resting calcium were similar, suggesting a mitochondrial locus of action of cyclosporin A. To further characterize the calcium dynamics of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, we used an in vitro assay of calcium handling by isolated brain mitochondria. Cyclosporin A-exposed mitochondria buffered calcium more rapidly and subsequently triggered a more rapid mitochondrial depolarization. Similarly, mitochondria lacking the voltage-dependent anion channel 1 isoform depolarized more readily than littermate controls. The data suggest a role for the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and voltage-dependent anion channels in mitochondrial synaptic calcium buffering and in hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
Endocrine pancreatic response of children with onset of insulin-requiring diabetes before age 3 and after age 5

The increased incidence of severe hypoglycemia reported in young children with diabetes is consistent with a defect in glucagon secretion or a generalized abnormality in islet hormone secretion. To assess pancreatic hormone and gastric inhibitory polypeptide secretion in children with early onset diabetes, 12 children with onset of diabetes prior to the age of 28 months were studied and the data compared to the hormone responses observed in 11 children with LOD, diagnosed after the age of 5 years. Plasma glucose, C-peptide, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, and gastric inhibitory peptide concentrations were measured during and following an arginine infusion (500 mg/kg over 60 minutes) and a mixed meal. During arginine infusion, plasma glucose and glucagon increased similarly in both groups and returned to basal concentrations following discontinuation of arginine infusion. In contrast, plasma C-peptide, hPP, and GIP concentrations did not change. Following the mixed meal plasma glucose, hPP, and GIP concentrations increased similarly in the two groups of children, but no change was observed in either plasma glucagon or C-peptide concentrations in either group. These data demonstrate that EOD and LOD are associated with insulin insufficiency alone and that abnormalities in secretion of other pancreatic islet hormone or GIP cannot be implicated in the high incidence of severe hypoglycemia observed in children with EOD.
A phase II trial of intravenous gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil with subcutaneous interleukin-2 and interferon-α in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine the response rate and toxicity of gemcitabine and continuous-infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with subcutaneous interleukin-2 (IL2) and interferon-α (IFNA) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. METHODS Forty-one patients were treated with gemcitabine 600 mg/m2 on Days 1, 8, and 15 and continuous-infusion 5-FU on Days 1–21. The dose of 5-FU was 200 mg/m2 per day for the initial 8 patients but was reduced to 150 mg/m2 per day for all remaining patients due to toxicity. Starting on Day 15, IL2 and IFNA were administered for 4 weeks. IL2 was administered at a dose of 11 × 106 IU subcutaneously (sc) 4 days per week and IFNA was administered at a dose of 10.0 × 106 IU sc 2 days per week. RESULTS Of 41 patients enrolled in the study, there was 1 complete response (CR), and there were 5 partial responses (PR), for an overall response rate of 14.6% (90% confidence interval [90%CI], 6.6–26.9%). The median time to disease progression was 6.6 months (90%CI, 3.9–7.5 months), and the median overall survival was 20.6 months (90%CI, 9.6–23.3 months). Toxicity was moderate to severe, with fatigue, fever, anorexia, or nausea experienced by 75–90% of patients. Mucositis and neutropenia, likely due to the gemcitabine and 5-FU, were experienced by a majority of patients. CONCLUSIONS The addition of gemcitabine and 5-FU to subcutaneous IL2 and IFNA results in a similar response rate to what was observed in previous studies of IL2-based therapy. The toxicity of this four-drug combination is significant, and the regimen is not recommended for further development. Cancer 2002;94:2602–9. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10528
DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY: Who is Responsible?

Care of the tuberculosis patients is ultimately the responsibility of the community's public health officer-an agent of the executive branch of government with the legal obligation to protect each citizen from life-threatening communicable diseases. Any physician electing to care for a tuberculosis patient becomes accountable for either directly administering each dose of medication to the patient, or assuring that treatment is provided through a competent and responsive health department.
International ramifications of US tax-policy changes

Abstract We integrate trade modeling and tax modeling, by evaluating the international spillover effects of changes in US tax policy. We use a static computational general-equilibrium model that divides the world into four regions, with data for 1995 from the Global Trade Analysis Project. We incorporate a labor/leisure choice and international cross-ownership of assets. Our simulations suggest that unilateral elimination of US capital taxation generates welfare gains for the United States. If the other regions do not respond to the US policy change, they suffer welfare losses. However, if all regions eliminate capital taxes, welfare gains accrue for the entire world.
Design, synthesis, and characterization of a novel hemoprotein.

Here we describe a synthetic protein (6H7H) designed to bind four heme groups via bis–histidine axial ligation. The hemes are designed to bind perpendicular to another in an orientation that mimics the relative geometry of the two heme a groups in the active site of cytochrome c oxidase. Our newly developed protein-design program, called CORE, was implemented in the design of this novel hemoprotein. Heme titration studies resolved four distinct KD values (KD1 = 80 nM, KD2 = 18 nM, KD3 ≥ 3 mM, KD4 ≤ 570 nM, with KD3 × K D4 = 1700); positive cooperativity in binding between the first and second heme, as well as substantial positive cooperativity between the third and forth heme, was observed. Chemical and thermal denaturation studies reveal a stable protein with native-like properties. Visible circular dichroism spectroscopy of holo-6H7H indicates excitonic coupling between heme groups. Further electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization of the holo-protein support a structure that is consistent with the predefined target structure.
Reduction of oil uptake in deep fried tortilla chips Reducción de la absorción de aceite en la fritura de tiras de maíz

The reduction of oil uptake in fried tortilla chips was attempted with baking and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) addition. The effects of CMC type and concentration, frying time, and prefrying treatment on oil uptake and moisture content were studied. Chips were prepared using corn masa flour. Results showed that the addition of CMC reduced the oil uptake significantly for all samples. The reduction in oil uptake ranged from 5-40% according to the CMC type and concentration. The most effective CMC type was high viscosity, which caused a 40% reduction in oil content for 30 s frying time of baked samples. The addition of CMC also reduced the initial moisture content of raw chips. The highest moisture content reduction was for samples prepared with low-viscosity CMC. Frying time was an important factor on oil uptake and moisture content. When frying time increased, oil content increased while moisture content decreased.
The role of loading memory in bone adaptation simulations

The concept that bone responds to a time-averaged value of its current mechanical loading forms the basis for many computational bone adaptation algorithms. Some mathematical formulations have incorporated a quantification of the loading experienced during a single "average" day and thus implicitly assume that bone responds abruptly to changes in its loading history. To better reflect the time delays inherent in bone cell recruitment and activation processes, we included a fading memory of past loading. Implementing an exponentially fading memory with time constants of 5, 20, and 100 days, we simulated bone adaptations to abrupt and gradual changes in mechanical loading. Both an idealized single degree-of-freedom model and a finite element model of the proximal femur were studied. A time constant of 5 days produced time-dependent density changes that were negligibly different from those of the standard approach without memory. Models with higher time constants produced significant transient time lags (up to 8.1% difference) in the predicted short-term (3 months) bone density changes. A time constant of 100 days produced overshoots (by approximately 1%) of the eventual steady-state. All models predicted comparable long-term (after several years) steady-state adaptations. Future experimental analyses will be necessary to better determine appropriate fading memory time constants for bone under various loading conditions.
Sequestering of immunoglobulins by astrocytes after cortical lesion and homografting of fetal cortex

Abstract The immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM, IgA) content of normal, reactive and migrated rat astrocytes was studied in lesioned adult rat cortex and after fetal cortex grafts. Implantation pockets were aspirated in the somatomotor cortex (under bregma) of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. A fetal (E14) rat hemicortex incubated in the plant lectin Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (graft premarker) was placed in the aspiration pocket or the pocket left empty (control). Sections of brain were immunohistochemically double labeled for immunoglobulins-GFAP or Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin-GFAP 3–60 days postoperative. Mature or fetal astrocytes in situ did not contain immunoglobulins. In pocket-only animals, individual reactive astrocytes lining and subjacent to the pocket were positive for rat IgG, IgM and IgA (3–60 days). In grafted animals, graft derived astrocytes (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin-GFAP positive) were intermingled with host reactive astrocytes (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin negative) lining and subjacent to the pocket. Both classes of astrocytes contained immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgA. Immunoglobulin positive graft derived astrocytes migrated into the corpus callosum, cingulum and habenula. These results demonstrate that astrocytes sequester immunoglobulins and probably other serum proteins as a critical function in restoring homeostasis to the injured or diseased nervous system.
Three new monotypic genera of chiggers (Acari: Trombiculidae) from South America.

Three new monotypic genera are recorded from South America. Delmohius hardyi , n. sp. ex Marmosa robinsoni , and Teratothrix squarrosa , n. sp. ex Proechimys guynnensis from Venezuela, and Poliremotus chilensis , n. sp. ex Octodon degus from Chile are described.
On the stochastic Kuramoto—Sivanshinsky equation

In this article we study the solution of the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation on a bounded interval subject to a random forcing term. We show that a unique solution to the equation exists for all time and depends continuously on the initial data.
The Position of DNA Cleavage by TALENs and Cell Synchronization Influences the Frequency of Gene Editing Directed by Single-Stranded Oligonucleotides

With recent technological advances that enable DNA cleavage at specific sites in the human genome, it may now be possible to reverse inborn errors, thereby correcting a mutation, at levels that could have an impact in a clinical setting. We have been developing gene editing, using single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (ssODNs), as a tool to direct site specific single base changes. Successful application of this technique has been demonstrated in many systems ranging from bacteria to human (ES and somatic) cells. While the frequency of gene editing can vary widely, it is often at a level that does not enable clinical application. As such, a number of stimulatory factors such as double-stranded breaks are known to elevate the frequency significantly. The majority of these results have been discovered using a validated HCT116 mammalian cell model system where credible genetic and biochemical readouts are available. Here, we couple TAL-Effector Nucleases (TALENs) that execute specific ds DNA breaks with ssODNs, designed specifically to repair a missense mutation, in an integrated single copy eGFP gene. We find that proximal cleavage, relative to the mutant base, is key for enabling high frequencies of editing. A directionality of correction is also observed with TALEN activity upstream from the target base being more effective in promoting gene editing than activity downstream. We also find that cells progressing through S phase are more amenable to combinatorial gene editing activity. Thus, we identify novel aspects of gene editing that will help in the design of more effective protocols for genome modification and gene therapy in natural genes.
The role of allocation and coproducts in environmental evaluation of microalgal biofuels: How important?

Abstract This work evaluates the life cycle environmental impacts of producing microalgal biodiesel via baseline and improved technological routes under several coproduct options and allocation schemes, and compares the results to traditional petroleum diesel. Multiple environmental impact categories, as well as sustainability metrics are utilized to assess the environmental sustainability and viability of emerging microalgal biofuels. Analysis reveals that for baseline scenarios the fossil energy return on investment (EROI fossil ) ranges from 0.16 to 0.45, energy return on investment (EROI) from 0.15 to 0.40, and life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (gCO 2 eq./MJ-fuel) from 142 to 352—depending on the choice of allocation methodology and coproduct option. For improved scenarios EROI fossil range from 0.50 to 1.87, EROI from 0.39 to 1.18, and life cycle GHG emissions from 35 to 141. Further analysis reveals that microalgal fuels provide benefits in only two out of the ten examined environmental impact categories–relative to petroleum diesel. The results are compelling as they suggest that the choice of production pathway and allocation scheme has a significant impact on algae’s energy and environmental performance, and in select cases can alter the net energy balance and GHG reduction potential of microalgal fuel production from negative to positive.
EFFECTS OF CHARISMATIC INFLUENCE TRAINING ON ATTITUDES, BEHAVIOR, AND PERFORMANCE

This study investigated the effectiveness of training in 2 components of charisma (charismatic communication style and visionary content). Forty-one business students received charismatic influence training, presentation skills training, or no training. All participants prepared and gave a speech. Groups of 2-3 students (N= 102) watched 1 of the videotaped speeches and then performed a task based on the speech instructions. Charismatic influence trainees performed better on a declarative knowledge test and exhibited more charismatic behaviors than those in the other conditions. In addition, participants who viewed a charismatic influence trainee performed best.
Possible regulation of autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction by OKM1+ NK cells.

T cells are stimulated by autologous non-T cells and interleukin 2 (IL-2) is produced in the conventional autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) in young healthy controls. The role of cells with natural killer (NK) cell markers (OKM1+ cells or Leu 7+ cells) in the AMLR was studied. There were significant inverse correlations between the percentage of input OKM1+ cells minus monocyte (OKM1+ NK cells) and either AMLR proliferation (γ = −0.9, P<0.001) or IL-2 production (γ = −0.75, P<0.01) in the AMLR cultures after 7 days measured at 7 days. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the percentage of input Leu 7+ cells and AMLR proliferation (γ = −0.64, P<0.05), but not IL-2 production. These results suggest that the AMLR is controlled by OKM1+ NK, perhaps acting through IL-2 regulation.
Ventricular interdependence: Significant left ventricular contributions to right ventricular systolic function

This article reviews diastolic and systolic ventricular interaction, and clinical pathophysiological conditions involving ventricular interaction. Diastolic ventricular interdependence is present on a moment-to-moment, beat-to-beat basis, and the interactions are large enough to be of physiological and pathophysiological importance. Although always present, ventricular interdependence is most apparent with sudden postural and respiratory changes in ventricular volume. Left ventricular function significantly affects right ventricular systolic function. Experimental studies have shown that about 20% to 40% of the right ventricular systolic pressure and volume outflow result from left ventricular contraction. This dependency of the right ventricle on the left ventricle helps to explain the right ventricular response to volume overload, pressure overload, and myocardial ischemia. The septum and its position are not the sole mechanism for ventricular interdependence. Ventricular interdependence causes overall ventricular deformation, and is probably best explained by the balance of forces at the interventricular sulcus, the material properties, and cardiac dimensions.
Have novel serum markers supplanted tissue diagnosis for invasive fungal infections in acute leukemia and transplantation

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are difficult to diagnose, especially early in the course of infection when antifungal therapy is most effective. There are two commercially available biomarker assays useful for detection of the IFIs most commonly seen in patients with hematologic malignancies, the galactomannan and beta glucan assays. The former is specific for aspergillosis, the latter positive for not only Aspergillus and Candida species, but several other clinically relevant fungal pathogens as well. Both have good assay performance characteristics, provide rapid test results, are widely available, can be assayed non-invasively, and are positive early in the course of infection, often before onset of signs and symptoms of infection. Adoption of these assays into clinical practice has led to reduced need to perform invasive procedures to obtain deep tissue to establish the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. Improved survival rates from aspergillosis are, in part, due to earlier detection of infection and earlier therapy.
New conjectured inequalities for zeros of Jacobi polynomials

Inequalities recently conjectured for all zeros of Jacobi polynomials \(P_n^{(\alpha,\beta)}\) of all degrees n are modified and conjectured to hold (in reverse direction) in considerably larger domains of the (α,β)-plane.