cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increasing Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults

Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality has been declining in the U.S. Despite success in reducing CRC incidence, incidence of early-onset CRC has increased markedly. In this study, we identified age-related disparities in CRC incidence and mortality, and investigated differences in anatomical distribution of colon cancers between populations. Methods. CRC trends were evaluated using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program Data from 1980–2016 for individuals under age 50 and 50 years and older. Rates and ratios were calculated using SEER Stat. Regression analyses were calculated using Joinpoint. Results. Increased CRC incidence among individuals under age 50 was observed. Among individuals under age 50, incidence-based mortality (IBM) stabilized, while incidence and IBM decreased for individuals aged 50 years and older. Normalized trends indicated increased rectal cancer incidence for individuals under age 50, particularly among individuals aged 30–39. Similar incidence of proximal and distal colon cancers in individuals under age 50 was observed, while colon cancers in individuals aged 50 and older were primarily distal. Conclusions. We found age-related disparities in CRC incidence and IBM between individuals under age 50 and age 50 years and older. Increasing incidence rates of rectal cancer substantially accounts for this disparity among individuals under age 50. The escalating trends of early-onset CRC warrant investigation into the factors leading to the population-level trends.
Buena gobernanza de los bienes comunes de Rapa Nui: presente y pasado

La sustentabilidad de las comunidades en Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua, Chile) requiere de una buena gobernanza de los recursos compartidos y comunes. Las estructuras de gobierno deben equilibrar los intereses individuales con las necesidades comunes de la comunidad, ya sea en la gestion de tierras comunales necesarias para el cultivo, el agua subterranea, las piedras para herramientas, los caladeros, el patrimonio cultural o el turismo. Gran parte de la historia reciente de la isla ha estado dominada por estructuras de gobierno impuestas por las autoridades chilenas. Sin embargo, gran parte de su patrimonio cultural se transfirio recientemente a la gobernanza local nativa. Aunque esto implica desafios debido a la complejidad del paisaje contemporaneo, es un gran avance hacia la rendicion de cuentas, la inclusion y las necesidades locales. Finalmente, se compara con la gobernanza previa al contacto europeo, y sostenemos que se mantuvieron muchos retos y soluciones, aunque con distinciones importantes.
Retrieving Storm Electric Fields from Aircraft Field Mill Data

It is shown that the problem of retrieving storm electric fields from an aircraft instrumented with several electric field mill sensors can be expressed in terms of a standard Lagrange multiplier optimization problem. The method naturally removes aircraft charge from the retrieval process without having to use a high voltage stinger and linearly combined mill data values. It allows a variety of user-supplied physical constraints (the so-called side constraints in the theory of Lagrange multipliers) and also helps improve absolute calibration. Additionally, this paper introduces an alternate way of performing the absolute calibration of an aircraft that has some benefits over conventional analyses. It is accomplished by using the time derivatives of mill and pitch data for a pitch down maneuver performed at high (greater than 1 km) altitude. In Part II of this study, the above methods are tested and then applied to complete a full calibration of a Citation aircraft.
Review of the Protective Effects of Statins on Cognition.

Elevated cholesterol is a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. Statins have proven to be effective in lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as well as the incidence of cardiovascular events. As a result, statins are widely prescribed in the United States, with an estimated 35 million patients on statins. Many of these patients are older than age 65 and suffer from various comorbidities, including mild to severe cognitive impairment. Early studies looking at the effects of statins on cognition have shown that statin use may lead to mild reversible cognitive decline, although long-term studies have shown inconclusive findings. In recent years, studies have shown that the use of statins in certain groups of patients may lead to a reduction in the rate of cognitive decline. One hypothesis for this finding is that statin use can reduce the risk of cerebrovascular disease which may, in turn, reduce the risk of mild cognitive decline and dementia. With numerous patients currently prescribed statins and the likelihood that more patients will be prescribed the medication in the coming years, it is important to review the current literature to determine the association between statin use and cognitive decline, as well as determine how statins may be beneficial in preventing cognitive decline.
Waivers and Alterations of Research Informed Consent During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses distinct challenges for the conduct of minimal-risk clinical research, including the very definition of minimal risk, the heterogeneity of risk among potential study participants, privacy concerns, and practical issues in recruitment and written informed consent.
Moving Beyond the 'CAP' of the Iceberg: Intrinsic Connectivity Networks in fMRI are Continuously Engaging and Overlapping

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging is currently the mainstay of functional neuroimaging and has allowed researchers to identify intrinsic connectivity networks (aka functional networks) at different spatial scales. However, little is known about the temporal profiles of these networks and whether it is best to model them as continuous phenomena in both space and time or, rather, as a set of temporally discrete events. Both categories have been supported by series of studies with promising findings. However, a critical question is whether focusing only on time points presumed to contain isolated neural events and disregarding the rest of the data is missing important information, or worse, producing misleading conclusions. In this work, we argue that brain networks identified within the spontaneous blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal are not limited to temporally sparse burst moments and that these event present time points (EPTs) contain valuable but incomplete information about the underlying functional patterns. We show that brain networks are continuously present in BOLD signal, including during their event absent time points (EATs), i.e., time points that exhibit minimum activity and are the least likely to contain an event. Moreover, our findings suggest that EPTs do not contain all the available information about their corresponding networks. We observe distinct default mode connectivity patterns obtained from all time points (AllTPs), EPTs, and EATs. We show evidence of robust relationships with schizophrenia symptoms that are both common and unique to each of the sets of time points (AllTPs, EPTs, EATs), likely related to transient patterns of connectivity. Together, these findings indicate the importance of leveraging the full temporal data in functional studies, including those using event-detection approaches.
Verification of a Three-Dimensional Transport Model Using Tetroon Data from Projects State and Neros

No general procedure is available for calculation of parcel trajectories that demonstrates consistent accuracy over a broad range of conditions. Many techniques exist (Pack et al., 1978; Hoecker, 1977; Peterson, 1966), but most have limitations such as being site-specific, being applicable under only certain meteorological conditions or times of day, relying on the synoptic-scale rawinsonde network for wind data or being applicable to only specific levels in the atmosphere. Peterson (1966) provides particularly interesting comparisons of trajectories calculated using a number of standard diagnostic techniques. In general, procedures that are relatively successful in some situations, provide poor trajectory estimates in other situations. It is also difficult to determine a priori which procedure will be best in a given case. Thus, there is a need for a general and reliable technique for atmospheric transport computations.
Courting Democracy in Mexico: Dedazo from the Center to Finger Pointing from the Periphery: PRI Hard-Liners Challenge Mexico's Electoral Institutions

We came in by bullets and will not be removed by votes. Fidel Velazquez (PRI labor head from 1949 until 1997) (cited in del Collado 2000, 271) It was the best case scenario from the National Action Party's (PAN) hypothetical concertacesion playbook. The sitting Party of the Institutional Revolution (PRI) president congratulates the PAN challenger on the very night of the election, preempting any need to press their postelectoral case through the courts or in the streets. While Vicente Fox's defense of the vote team and the PAN relished their victory and reveled in the fact that they would not have to engage in their usual three-day postelectoral complaint-filing marathons, the PRIistas were not so pleased with Zedillo's announcement. Rumors circulated in the days after the election that Zedillo had betrayed his party for a place in history as Mexico's great democratizer. And while being a gracious loser may have been part of Zedillo's bid to be the hero of courting democracy in Mexico, it was viewed as disloyal by a party that held power for generations precisely by valuing loyalty as the highest trait. If the PRI bureaucracy's immediate response to Zedillo's recognition of Fox was simmering contempt, it boiled over in the following months in a PRI-on-PRI postelectoral conflict in Mexico State claiming dozens of lives and in protests by outgoing governors in Tabasco and Yucatan against the federal electoral court's unprecedented interventions in state elections.
Dopaminergic regulation of cerebral cortical microcirculation

Functional variations in cerebral cortical activity are accompanied by local changes in blood flow, but the mechanisms underlying this physiological coupling are not well understood. Here we report that dopamine, a neurotransmitter normally associated with neuromodulatory actions, may directly affect local cortical blood flow. Using light and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry, we show that dopaminergic axons innervate the intraparenchymal microvessels. We also provide evidence in an in vitro slice preparation that dopamine produces vasomotor responses in the cortical vasculature. These anatomical and physiological observations reveal a previously unknown source of regulation of the microvasculature by dopamine. The findings may be relevant to the mechanisms underlying changes in blood flow observed in circulatory and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Development of a Method for the Analysis of NO2 and NH3 by NO-Measuring Instruments

Adaptation of available instruments to the analysis of NO2 and NH3 became important with the introduction of the Federal Constant Volume Sampling procedure for exhaust analysis in 1970. Two instruments, the NO optical detector (NOOD) and the non-dispersive infrared analyzer (ND1R), are both fast and accurate. The use of a system of two converters in conjunction with either of these instruments permits the analysis of a gas stream for NO, NO2, and NH3. NO is measured on the gas stream before conversion; NO2 is determined after the gas stream has passed over a C-Mo converter at 475°C; and NH3 is determined after the gas has been conducted over a C-Cu converter.
Remote Code Browsing, a Network Based Computation Utility

Remote code browsing is a service by which an end user can select the location of a potentially useful piece of software and have the software fetched and installed on a virtual machine running on a remote server, such that the user may test the suitability of the software without having to install it on their own machine. This capability is made possible by a range of existing technologies combined in a novel way. This paper explains the motivation for code browsing, and describes how our current implementation works.
Offenses Against Justice Administration

Some of the common law crimes that developed over the years, primarily through judicial action to protect the public have disappeared, while new offenses have been added as new or larger agencies have been created. As government functions developed, the need to protect them from willful interference became apparent. Legislation has been enacted to protect government agencies from interference by those outside the government and to protect the public from individuals who might take advantage of the authority granted as a result of government employment. Early courts and legislative bodies added a crime titled obstruction of justice. Generally, these statutes and cases prohibit interference with a witness, harboring criminals, influencing a jury, suppression or destruction of evidence, and other related acts. Other offenses against public justice and administration include failure to aid a law enforcement officer, making false reports to enforcement authorities, tampering with witnesses, and tampering with evidence.
Fetal and early neonatal death: Do the determinants vary?

Purpose: To compare the determinants and distribution of fetal and early neonatal deaths in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Background: Much attention is devoted to reducing the infant mortality rate which was declining up until 2002. The recent rise was parsed and found to stem from an increase in deaths during the early neonatal period. Fetal deaths are not well understood and are not routinely included when evaluating infant mortality. Methods: Using data collected from 2001 to 2006 fetal death and linked infant birth and death certificates by the Virginia Department of Health, crude mortality rates and leading causes of death were calculated for fetal and early neonatal mortality. Rates were calculated for each period of death by locality and mapped to determine if the distribution differed. Logistic regression was also used to evaluate sociodemographic and pregnancy risk factors and chi-square analyses were used to determine if the determinants varied significantly by timing of death outcome. Results: During the study period, the fetal death rate was 5.4 per 1,000 fetal deaths plus live births, the early neonatal death rate was 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births and perinatal mortality rate was 7.9 deaths per 1,000 fetal deaths plus live births. Trends over time, gestational age specific mortality, geographic distribution, cause of death and many determinants were comparable between both death periods. Extremely low birth weight was the most significant risk factor for early neonatal death (OR = 1747.06). Congenital anomalies of the child were the leading predictor of fetal death (OR = 26.24, 95% CI: 19.62, 35.10) and second highest for early neonatal death (OR = 52.26, 95% CI: 35.21, 77.56). Conclusions: Because of the similarities in geographic distribution, sociodemographic factors, pregnancy risk factors and causes of death, analyzing neonatal and infant mortality rates in isolation from fetal deaths does not accurately depict the burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Ten Measures Better than Grading.

(1994). Ten Measures Better than Grading. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 67, No. 6, pp. 323-324.
Corrigendum to ‘Naloxonazine antagonism of levorphanol-induced antinociception and respiratory depression in rhesus monkeys’ [Eur. J. Pharmacol. 298 (1996) 31–36]

Abstract The μ-opioid receptor antagonist effects of naloxonazine on levorphanol-induced thermal antinociception and respiratory depression were examined in rhesus monkeys. Levorphanol (0.032–3.2 mg/kg) produced dose-dependent increases in tail-withdrawal latencies from 50°C water in a warm-water tail-withdrawal assay and dose-dependent decreases in ventilation in both air and 5% CO 2 mixed in air. Naloxonazine (0.1–3.0 mg/kg) antagonized both the antinociceptive and ventilatory effects of levorphanol to a similar degree, and the antagonist effects of naloxonazine were greater after 1 h than after 24 h. Under all conditions, the antagonist effects of naloxonazine were fully surmountable. Schild analysis of the antagonist effects of naloxonazine after 1 h pretreatment in the antinociception assay yielded a pA 2 value of 7.6 and a slope of −0.50; by comparison, quadazocine yielded a pA 2 value of 7.5 and a slope of −1.05. These results suggest that naloxonazine acts as a potent and fully reversible μ-opioid receptor antagonist with a moderately long duration of action in rhesus monkeys. In addition, these results suggest that the antinociceptive and ventilatory effects of μ-opioid receptor agonists in rhesus monkeys are mediated by pharmacologically similar popolations of μ-opioid receptors.
pH-dependent photoreactions of blue-fluorescent calf α-crystallin

Abstract Upon irradiation of weakly blue-fluorescent calf α-crystallin with u.v.(300 nm)-light, changes in the fluorescence occur. An intense blue fluorescence at 400 nm (excitation at 330–350 nm) is predominantly produced at pH 10–11, whereas at pH 7·5–8·5 the formation of a less intense fluorescence at 435 nm (excitation at 350 nm) is more favorable than that of the 400 nm fluorescence. When blue-fluorescent α-crystallin at pH 10·5 is irradiated with u.v.(365 nm)-light, the 435 nm-fluorescence is converted to the 400 nm-fluorescence, as observed in u.v.(300 nm)-irradiated α-crystallin at pH 8·2. This finding supports the suggestion that the blue-fluorescent chromophores of α-crystallin are the same as photochemically-produced chromophores ( N -formylkynurenine). The above photo-conversion may be attributed to a photo-proton transfer (deprotonation) from the formamide to the ortho-carbonyl in N-formylkynurenine and is inhibited by glutathione. The u.v.(300 or 365 nm)-induced formation of other blue fluorescences at 440 and 460 nm (excitation at 400 nm) is also pH-dependent and inhibited by glutathione. When u.v.(300 nm)-irradiated α-crystallin is further irradiated with u.v.(365 nm)-light in the presence of ascorbic acid in alkaline solution, longer-wavelength fluorescences in the range of 460–510 nm (excitation at 420 nm) are produced.
Neural inflammation and the microglial response in diabetic retinopathy

This chapter reviews the function of microglia and their potential roles in neural inflammation and pathological changes during diabetic retinopathy.
Incidence of Impact Trauma With Cranial Injuries Ascribed to Shaking

• Shaking as a mechanism of severe brain injury in infants has been challenged on a theoretical basis as insufficient to explain the magnitude of observed injuries. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, developed since shaken baby syndrome was first described, are helpful in establishing whether external trauma occurred for infants thought to have been shaken. We compiled data from 24 infants initially diagnosed as having shaken baby syndrome, including physical examination, roentgenograms, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and autopsy (when applicable). Half of the patients showed no evidence of direct impact, and evidence of external trauma was not predictive of a fatal outcome. These findings indicate that shaking by itself is sufficient to cause severe or fatal intracranial injury and that the shaken baby syndrome reflects a spectrum of such child abuse injuries that may include direct trauma or only shaking. ( AJDC . 1990;144:724-726)
Pseudobinary zircaloy-oxygen phase diagram

The zirconium-rich portion of the pseudobinary zircaloy-4/oxygen phase diagram was investigated by resistometric measurements and by metallographic analysis of equilibrated and quenched specimens. Accurate results for the phaseboundary locations were obtained from metallographic analysis of specimens in which oxidation and homogenization were limited to the α-phase region, and the specimens were rapidly quenched from equilibration temperatures in the β- and (αa + (β)-phase regions. The a- and (3-phase boundaries can be represented by the realtions In Cα = −2.28 + 0.535 In (T — 1083) and In Cβ = 5.02 − 8 220/T (forT > 1280 KorCβ > 0.2), where Cα and Cβ are the oxygen concentrations in weight percent and T is temperature in K.
Formation of split patterns of γ' precipitates in Ni-Al via particle aggregation

The coarsening behavior of {gamma}{prime} precipitates, the primary strengthening phase in most Ni-Al based alloys, determines the important physical and mechanical properties of these alloys and therefore has been investigated both experimentally and through computer simulations. In this paper the authors focus on a different aspect concerning the formation of the split patterns in multi-particle systems: the interactions among the growing {gamma}{prime} precipitates during their growth and coarsening. Both two- and three-dimensional (3D) computer simulations were performed using a coherent phase field model which incorporates explicitly the coherency elastic strain and the four types of anti-phase domains (APDs) of the L1{sub 2} ordered {gamma}{prime} particles. An alternative mechanism has been suggested which shows that the interactions among the APDs during their growth and coarsening reproduce all the experimentally observed split patterns.
The atomic absorption spectra of the lanthanide elements

Abstract Atomic absorption spectra of the lanthanide elements can be observed in fuel-rich, oxyacetylene flames fed with ethanolic solutions of perchlorate salts of these elements. More than 1000 lines have been observed in the 2500–6500 A region, many of which are of sufficient intensity for analytical determination by atomic absorption spectrometric techniques. The wavelengths of the observed lines serve as a convenient starting point for deducing the low lying energy level structures of those systems which are still not analyzed.
Collective Action to Improve Rural Community Wellbeing: Opportunities and Constraints in the Mississippi Delta

How do rural communities promote residents' health and wellbeing in the context of large and seemingly intractable problems such as persistent poverty, racial inequality, and geographic isolation? Through case studies of two development initiatives, this article examines collective actions by non-profit organizations to improve health and wellbeing in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States over the past 5 years. Our study applies the livelihoods framework to assess what these initiatives can teach us about the multi-level processes that contribute to inequalities in health and wellbeing in a rural setting and about the factors that enable and constrain interventions to address these problems. We find that Mississippi Delta residents pursue livelihood strategies in a context of vulnerability, where they face significant limitations to their ability to access and build human, social, and economic capital. Drawing on original analysis of primary and secondary data, we also find that organizations that provide support for individuals' aspirations, while also exposing and addressing the procedural and structural barriers that prevent the realization of these goals, can contribute to individual, household, and community wellbeing.
On the Use of Semi-folding in Regular Blocked Two-level Factorial Designs

In this article, we consider experimental situations where a blocked regular two-level fractional factorial initial design is used. We investigate the use of the semi-fold technique as a follow-up strategy for de-aliasing effects that are confounded in the initial design as well as an alternative method for constructing blocked fractional factorial designs. A construction method is suggested based on the full foldover technique and sufficient conditions are obtained when the semi-fold yields as many estimable effects as the full foldover.
Multifocal septic arthritis with Group A Streptococcus secondary to nasal septal abscess

This report describes a previously healthy adolescent male who developed a nasal septal abscess following trauma and subsequent multifocal arthritis with Group A Streptococcus requiring surgery and prolonged antibiotics. This sequence of events has not been previously described in the literature. This report highlights the importance of early recognition and treatment of traumatic nasal septal hematoma to reduce the risk of suppurative complications.
Davidson's method and preconditioning for generalized eigenvalue problems

The generalized eigenvalue problem Az = λSz, where A is symmetric and S is symmetric positive definite, arises in a number of different applications. We look at methods for solution of large problems of this type and give an approach that can yield rapid convergence
A new species of Baragwanathia from the Sextant Formation (Emsian) Northern Ontario, Canada

Baragwanathia abitibiensis is described from the Sextant Formation of northern Ontario, Canada (middle to upper Kmsian age). The plant remains are primarily compressions in which flattened xylem strands, epidermis with stomata, and cuticle are well preserved. Pyrite permineralization of the leaves was Ibiuid in one specimen. Comparison with B. longijolia Lang & Cookson indicates remarkable morphological similarities and probable anatomical similarities although details of the structure of the epidermis and cuticle are lacking in B. longijolia. No information is available on the outline of the cauline xylem strand in B. abitibiensis nor on the form and position of the sporangia it bore. Comparisons are also made to species of Drepanophycus. The age of/?, longijolia and the Baragwanathia Flora, is discussed with particular reference to the putative dating of some specimens as Silurian. The morphological and anatomical complexity of Baragwanathia is at a level of advancement typical of Early to Middle Devonian lycopods. There is no evidence of precursors to the genus associated with the fragments of land vascular plants in the well-dated Silurian sediments of Wales, Czechoslovakia, New York State, or Podolia.
The Response of Starting Turkeys to Moderate Differences in Dietary Potassium Concentration

Abstract Ninety-six, day-old poults were fed a diet containing 0.3, 0.8, 1.3 or 1.7% K for 28 days. No differences in feed intake were found. Water intake was increased with the highest K diet. The male poults fed the 0.8% K diet made the greatest weight gains. The smaller gains of the female poults fed 0.3 and 1.7% K were not significantly different from those of the other two groups. Packed cell volumes and plasma potassium concentrations showed some differences among diet groups after 2 weeks feeding but not after 4 weeks. Whole blood K, plasma Na, muscle Mg and liver K concentrations showed no differences among treatment groups. Muscle K was increased with the highest K diet.
Effect of Insurance Expansion on Utilization of Inpatient Surgery

Importance Enhanced access to preventive and primary care services is a primary focus of the Affordable Care Act, but the potential effect of this law on surgical care is not well defined. Objective To estimate the differential effect of insurance expansion on utilization of discretionary vs nondiscretionary inpatient surgery with Massachusetts health care reform as a natural experimental condition. Design, Setting, and Participants We used the state inpatient databases from Massachusetts and 2 control states (New Jersey and New York) to identify nonelderly adult patients (aged 19-64 years) who underwent discretionary vs nondiscretionary surgical procedures from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2010. We defined discretionary surgery as elective, preference-sensitive procedures (eg, joint replacement and back surgery) and nondiscretionary surgery as imperative and potentially life-saving procedures (eg, cancer surgery and hip fracture repair). Exposure All surgical procedures in the study and control populations. Main Outcomes and Measures Using July 1, 2007, as the transition point between the prereform and postreform periods, we performed a difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the effect of insurance expansion on rates of discretionary and nondiscretionary surgical procedures in the entire study population and for subgroups defined by race, income, and insurance status. We then extrapolated our results from Massachusetts to the entire US population. Results We identified a total of 836 311 surgical procedures during the study period. Insurance expansion was associated with a 9.3% increase in the use of discretionary surgery in Massachusetts ( P = .02). Conversely, the rate of nondiscretionary surgery decreased by 4.5% ( P = .009). We found similar effects for discretionary surgery in all subgroups, with the greatest increase observed for nonwhite participants (19.9% [ P Conclusions and Relevance Insurance expansion in Massachusetts was associated with increased rates of discretionary surgery and a concurrent decrease in rates of nondiscretionary surgery. If similar changes are seen nationally under the Affordable Care Act, the value of insurance expansion for surgical care may depend on the relative balance between increased expenditures and potential health benefits of greater access to elective inpatient procedures.
Qualitative classification of dithiocarbamate compounds from 13c-n.m.r. and i.r. spectroscopic data by pattern recognition techniques

Abstract Unsupervised pattern recognition permits qualitative classification of N , N -dialkyldithio-carbamate complexes into five classes, denoted as free ligands, complexes of main group elements, and complexes of transition metals both with FON = 0.5 or FON > 0.5. Within the transition metal complexes, metals with electron configuration d 6 or d 8 and d 0 or d 10 can be further distinguished. The class of main group elements is subdivided into organic dithiocarbamates including PE 3 and TeE 2 (E = Et 2 DTC) and a subclass of main group element complexes. Supervised techniques based on these five classes show that the descriptors σ(N 13 CS 2 ), v (CXXXN) 1 and atom number are dominant in classifying compounds. The substituent descriptor and σ(α- 13 CH 2 ) are less important. The classification and ranking of the descriptor quality gives an insight into the relationship between the quantities measured. Classifications which disagree with chemical expectations are readily identified and this improves understanding of the chemical background.
Surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma with extension into the vena cava

Four to ten percent of patients with renal cell carcinoma have extension of tumor thrombus into the vena cava. These cancers remain resistant to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Aggressive surgical therapy for these patients, with no apparent evidence of metastatic disease using hypothermia, temporary cardiac arrest and exsanguination with cardiopulmonary bypass, has been demonstrated to be feasible with acceptable morbidity. Unfortunately, many of these patients also have locally advanced disease and approximately 30% have positive lymph nodes at the times of exploration. Survival for these patients is generally unfavorable and is related to the degree of regional tumor spread. However, many who undergo surgical extirpation can return to active lives, if only for 1–2 years. There is at present no effective chemotherapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma, but experimental protocols using combinations of immunotherapy and chemotherapy with encouraging results are currently underway. In the future, these patients may greatly benefit from a combined aggressive surgical approach with reduced morbidity and adjuvant therapy.
Dark days at the White House

Has the George W. Bush administration manipulated science for political ends? In his book Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration, investigative journalist Seth Shulman catalogues the many scientific issues that the Bush administration has ignored or mishandled. In his review for Nature, John Horgan highlights the irony behind a Bush official's claim that “We create our own reality”. Reality, as they say, bites.
Variational calculations on ammonia using two symmetrical normal modes

Variational calculations have been carried out on the ammonia molecule using two-dimensional potential energy functions. The two dimensions used are the inversion and symmetrical stretching coordinates. If the potential function includes a term to describe the interaction between these two coordinates, the results are as good as those obtained in other studies using a six-dimensional potential function. The barrier height for the new potential function is 1857.5 cm−1.
Comparison of an electrophoretic and a chemical method for the estimation of serum lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes

Summary 1. 2. For many clinical purposes, the chemical procedure will give results as useful as those obtained by electrophoretic fractionation, while being both simple and rapid.
Abnormal development of the sinuatrial venous valve and posterior hindbrain may contribute to late fetal resorption of vitamin A-deficient rat embryos

Background Normal embryonic development and survival in utero is dependent on an adequate supply of vitamin A. Embryos from vitamin A-deficient (VAD) pregnant rats fed an inadequate amount of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA; 12 μg per g of diet or ∼230 μg per rat per day) exhibit severe developmental abnormalities of the anterior cardinal vein and hindbrain by embryonic day (E) 12.5 and die shortly thereafter. Methods In the present study, we sought to determine whether supplementation of VAD-RA supported (12 μg per g of diet) pregnant rats with retinol (ROL) at the late-gastrula (presomite or rat E9.5) or early somite stages (E10.5), or provision of higher levels of atRA throughout this period could prevent abnormalities in the developing cardiovascular and nervous systems. Results A newly described defect in the sinuatrial venus valve along with enlarged anterior cardinal veins and nervous system abnormalities and the later death of embryos are prevented by supplementing pregnant animals with ROL on the morning of E9.5. If ROL supplementation is delayed by 1 day (E10.5), most embryos are abnormal and die by E18.5. Supplementation of VAD rats with atRA (250 μg per g of diet) between E8.5 and E10.5 also prevents the cardiovascular and nervous system abnormalities and a significant number of these embryos survive to parturition. Thus, high levels of atRA can obviate the need for ROL between E9.5 and E10.5. Conclusions These results support an essential role for retinoid signaling between the late gastrula and early somite stages in the rat embryo for normal morphogenesis of the primitive heart tube and the posterior hindbrain. Further, these results suggest that embryonic death occurring at midgestation in the VAD rat may be linked to the abnormal development of one or both of these embryonic structures. Teratology 62:374–384, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Financial Assessment of CO2 Capture and Storage with Electricity Trading in the U.S.: Role of Interim Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract This paper investigates the economic attractiveness of exporting coal-generated electricity from the State of Wyoming to the State of California while investing in large-scale CO 2 capture and sequestration to meet California's strict environmental regulations. The project involves partially capturing CO 2 from coal power plants, storing it temporarily underground using CO 2 Interim Storage, and ultimately using it for Enhanced Oil Recovery. A detailed financial assessment is performed in view of current electricity prices and federal and state regulations in the U.S., especially those related to CCS tax credits. The results show that the project is profitable under current regulations and technical assumptions, and it can be a good opportunity to drive large-scale deployment of CCS, along with the development of EOR activities and the deployment of the newly proposed CO 2 Interim Storage technology.
Mechanisms for the selective actions of vitamin D analogues.

The wide range of activities now attributed to 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 has suggested numerous potential therapeutic applications for this vitamin D hormone, including inhibiting growth of various type of cancer. Unfortunately, the potent calcemic activity of the natural hormone has precluded its use in most cases. Vitamin D analogs with higher therapeutic indices offer renewed hope for treatment of malignancies. The promising analogs currently under study were selected from hundreds of candidates by in vitro screening followed by in vivo testing. The mechanism(s) responsible for the greater effectiveness of most of these compounds is not known. Our current understanding of vitamin D physiology and biochemistry suggests that the biological profile of an analog would be determined primarily by its interaction with four classes of proteins: 1) the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) that mediates transcriptional regulation; 2) the metabolic enzymes, primarily the vitamin D-24-hydroxylase but possibly others; 3) serum transporters, mainly vitamin D binding protein (DBP), and perhaps lipoproteins; and 4) a new class of receptors that reside in the plasma membrane and mediate rapid, nongenomic responses. This article discusses how the manner in which analogs associate with these proteins can potentially produce selective actions at the tissue, cell and gene level. A thorough understanding of the influence of these analog/protein interactions on the biological profile of vitamin D analogs will be invaluable for the design of future analogs with enhanced target specificity.
Effects of base nature, base concentration and method of synthesis of titanium polyethers

Synthesis of titanium polyethers was effected via four low temperature polycondensation routes, namely the “normal” interfacial, “inverse” interfacial, aqueous solution and organic solution techniques. The greatest yields were obtained through use of the aqueous solution technique while no or small yields resulted from organic solution systems. Both sodium hydroxide and triethylamine proved to be satisfactory bases. No product was formed when base was not added. Results as a function of base concentration are discussed.
The contribution continuum

The question, “What constitutes a knowledge contri-bution?” has a simple and straightforward answerthat is less than simple or straightforward to accom-plish (David Glen Mick).The most common reason manuscripts fail to clear thehurdle necessary for publication in leading journals is a lackof strong incremental contribution. Reviewers often com-pliment the exposition of a paper and praise the researchdesign only to conclude that the paper contains nothing thatis newsworthy. This is a frustrating outcome for an author.As a result, the most frequent question asked of editors is,“What is a contribution?” and how does one tell if thecontribution is large enough to merit publication. Evenpapers that are eventually published in very good journalsoften start the review process with reviewers’ comments tothe effect that the contribution of the paper is unclear. Lessexperienced scholars often have an especially difficult timearticulating their paper’s contribution, but even accom-plished researchers can fail to explain why a paper isimportant and what it adds to the literature. More often thannot, authors do not clarify their paper’s contribution and/orexpress how their paper’s contribution adds to what isalready known or how it significantly extends priorpublished work. Every editor of a journal has answeredthe question of what a contribution is. Despite thefrequency of the question it has seldom been directlyaddressed in print.The objectives of this paper are to (1) collect the insightsof past and present editors of major journals in marketing,(2) help clarify what a contribution is, (3) illustrate how acontribution relates to a manuscript’s likelihood of beingpublished, and (4) develop a continuum of the forms andtypes of contributions that exist. To accomplish this goal,we asked past and present editors of leading marketingjournals, “What is a contribution?” Each editor wrote ashort essay ranging from approximately 250 to 750 wordsoutlining their thoughts on what is and how to make acontribution. The past and present editors that contributedto this paper are identified in Table 1. The editors’responses, as data, were reviewed and inductively synthe-sized to form common themes from across the essays. Insum, “the contribution concept represents an outcome-based measure in which the knowledge generated from themanuscript is compared with the extant knowledgecontained within the literature stream” (Michael Dorsch).A contribution is made when a manuscript clearly adds,embellishes, or creates something beyond what is alreadyknown.
Geothermometry and geochemistry of aqueous and oil-bearing fluid inclusions from Fateh Field, Dubai

Abstract The production of oil from Fateh Field, Dubai, is principally from the Cretaceous Mishrif Formation. Porosity in the reservoir facies is partly occluded by late, coarse-grained calcite cement. This cement contains both aqueous and oil-bearing fluid inclusions. Fluid inclusion geothermometry was used to determine the temperature of that cement precipitation and calculate its timing relative to basin burial history. These data were related to source rock maturation, and from that, the timing of oil migration was inferred to be Oligocene to mid-Miocene, which is geologically contemporaneous with early petroleum generation ( R 0 = 0.5−0.6%) in the Khatiyah source rock. The fluid inclusions were analyzed by a thermal decrepitation-gas chromatography technique. Benzene and low molecular weight paraffins were present, and a series of normal alkenes was tentatively identified in the aqueous inclusions. Fresh oil inclusions consisted of C 1 - n -C 25 compounds whose light hydrocarbon composition was consistent with derivation from an early mature source rock. Altered petroleum residues detected in many Mishrif samples are contained either in inclusions or along crystal cleavages. These materials are the subject of an ongoing geochemical study of Fateh Field.
The importance of batteries in unmanned missions

The planetary program has historically used batteries to supply peak power needs for mission specific applications. Any time that additional power has been required in order to meet peak power demands or those applications where only limited amounts of power were required, batteries have always been used. Up until the mid to late 70s they have performed their task admirably. Recently, a growing problem of developing reliable Ni-Cd batteries for long mission and high cycle life applications has been identified. This problem and the role rechargeable batteries will play for future planetary and earth-observing spacecraft, are discussed.
The Intriguing Case of KMP and KMR

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) and Kinder Morgan Management (KMR) issue two separate securities that provide essentially identical cash flows. There are, however, minor distinctions between the securities in regard to the form of payout, taxation, control rights, and liquidity. Cornell studies the variation over time in the relative valuation of KMP and KMR to gain insight into the impact of those distinctions on asset pricing. The surprising result of this study is the discovery of a significant and continuing price differential between the two securities, but none of the distinctions between the two securities explains the price differential’s level or its variation over time.
Exploring the allowed sequence space of a membrane protein.

We present a comprehensive view of the tolerance of a membrane protein to sequence substitution. We find that the protein, diacylglycerol kinase from Escherichia coli, is extremely tolerant to sequence changes with three-quarters of the residues tolerating non-conservative changes. The conserved residues are distributed with approximately the same frequency in the soluble and transmembrane portions of the protein, but the most critical active-site residues appear to reside in the second cytoplasmic domain. It is remarkable that a unique structure of the membrane embedded portion of the protein can be encoded by a sequence that is so tolerant to substitution.
Subcritical crack growth in Y–Al–Si–O–N glass

Abstract Oxynitride glass (Al 2 O 3 · ( 3 2 ) Y 2 O 3 · ( 3 4 ) SiO 2 · ( 3 4 ) Si 3 N 4 ) has exhibited subcritical crack growth when submerged in deionized water. Crack velocities ranging from 10 −7 to 10 −5 m/s were observed for applied stress intensities ranging from 0.67 to 0.69 MPa m 1/2 , respectively, using the constant moment double cantilever beam technique. A power-law exponent of 142 ± 9 and kinetics parameter of 216 ± 14 were calculated. It was difficult to produce stable crack growth in oxynitride glass in an air environment. A commercial glass slide was used to verify the experimental technique, and the data for the glass slide was consistent with previous reports in the literature.
Urethral stents in benign prostate hyperplasia.

Management of lower urinary tract symptoms resulting from benign prostate hyperplasia in the high-risk surgical patient presents a unique challenge. Continuous urethral catheter drainage is associated with a significant decrease in the quality of life and a higher risk of urinary tract infections, bladder calculi, and hematuria. Urethral stents offer a theoretically attractive alternative to Foley catheter drainage. Newer designs allow selection of stent characteristics based on patient need. Urethral stents may be permanent or temporary. The history of urethral stent design and patient experience is reviewed in this article.
The estrogen receptor is not essential for all estrogen neuroprotection: new evidence from a new analog.

Abstract We synthesized an estrogen analog, ZYC-5, lacking activity at the classical estrogen receptor and examined its neuroprotective potential against necrosis induced by N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) and apoptosis/necrosis induced by the NMDA receptor antagonist (+)-3-(2-carboxypiperazine-4- yl )-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP). ZYC-5 protected cortical neurons in a dose-dependent manner, and the neuroprotection was more robust than with 17β-estradiol. The effect of ZYC-5 was not mediated by the classical estrogen receptor, because it was unaffected by the antagonists 4-hydroxytamoxifen and ICI 182,780. The ZYC-5 protection against excitotoxicity was not directly mediated through the NMDA receptor, because there was no effect of ZYC-5 on NMDA current or the intracellular calcium increase induced by NMDA. Results obtained with the free-radical-sensitive dye, dihydroethidium, suggested that the neuroprotection of ZYC-5 was partly related to its radical scavenging properties. Although some of estrogen's neuroprotective effects may depend upon the estrogen receptor, our results suggest the possibility of neuroprotection without hormonal side effects.
Orality, Preference Behavior, and Reinforcement Value of Nonfood Object in Monkeys with Orbital Frontal Lesions

Monkeys with orbital frontal ablation, compared with sham-operated controls, showed enhancement of oral tendencies toward nonfood items. Further, unlike the controls, they persistently performed an instrumental response for one of these nonfood items. On the other hand, the lesioned monkeys did not show altered preferences for food versus nonfood items. These findings suggest that reinforcement value and preferential ordering are dissociated by orbital frontal ablation.