cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Presentation and Outcomes of Antibody-Mediated Rejection Associated With Angiotensin II Receptor 1 Antibodies Among Kidney Transplant Recipients

Abstract Background It remains challenging to manage antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) associated with angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies (AT1R-Abs) in kidney transplant recipients and the outcomes are not well defined. We describe the presentation, clinical course, and outcomes of this condition. Methods This retrospective study included kidney transplant recipients with AT1R-Ab levels ≥10 units/mL and biopsy-proven ABMR in the absence of significant HLA-donor-specific antibodies at the time of rejection. Results We identified 13 recipients. Median creatinine (Cr) at rejection was significantly higher (2.05 mg/dL) compared with baseline (1.2 mg/dL), P = .006. After ABMR management, the difference in median Cr was not significant (1.5 mg/dL), P = .152. Median AT1R-Ab level was higher in the pretransplant sample (34.5 units/mL) compared with the level at rejection (19 units/mL) and after rejection treatment (13 units/mL); however, these differences were not significant, P = .129. Eight of the 13 recipients received antibody reduction therapy with plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin, and 5 of the 13 recipients had other therapies. After rejection management, 6 of the 13 recipients had improvement in Cr to baseline and 7 of the 13 recipients had > 50% reduction in proteinuria. Conclusions AT1R-Ab–associated ABMR management and outcomes depend on the clinical presentation and may include antibody-reducing therapies among other therapies. Further prospective cohorts will improve recognizing and managing this condition.
Check your sleep before you start: A secondary analysis of a stress management intervention for caregivers of stem cell transplant patients

OBJECTIVE Caregiving for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients is associated with significant physical and psychological sequelae. While psychosocial interventions may reduce caregiver burden, knowledge regarding which caregivers may benefit the most from such interventions is limited. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine whether HSCT caregivers' peritransplant sleep moderated the effect of a psychosocial intervention on depression and anxiety posttransplant. METHODS Participants included 135 caregivers (mean age = 54.23) who participated in randomized controlled trial and were assigned to receive either 8 weeks of Psychoeducation, Paced Respiration, and Relaxation (PEPRR) or treatment as usual (TAU). Sleep, depression, and anxiety were assessed using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Caregiver symptoms were assessed at baseline (e.g., peritransplant period) and 6-month posttransplant. RESULTS Baseline sleep quality (∆R2 = 0.04, p = 0.002), sleep efficiency (∆R2 = 0.03, p = 0.02), and sleep onset latency (∆R2 = 0.07, p < 0.001) independently moderated the effect of group assignment on depression outcomes at the 6-month follow-up. Specifically, caregivers with poor sleep at baseline who received PEPRR reported significantly lower depression scores at follow-up compared to caregivers with poor sleep who received TAU. By contrast, only sleep quality (∆R2 = 0.02, p = 0.01) and sleep onset latency (∆R2 = 0.02, p = 0.005) moderated the effect of the group assignment on anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Psychosocial interventions for HSCT caregivers may buffer against psychological morbidity, particularly among caregivers with poor sleep quality.
The Military-Environmental Complex and the Courts

In this essay, I discuss a form of environmental governance—what I have called the military-environmental complex—that holds the potential to transform for the better our nation’s energy profile both by reducing fossil fuel use and stimulating the development and diffusion of climate-positive technology and values, and explore the role that courts play in policing the military's efforts in this regard. The essay concludes that the judiciary's limited role in supervising the military-environmental complex contributes both to the phenomenon's greatest strength—its nimble ability to address climate change from a different perspective than that of traditional environmental law—but also to its weaknesses.
Noninvasive spinal stimulation safely enables upright posture in children with spinal cord injury

In children with spinal cord injury (SCI), scoliosis due to trunk muscle paralysis frequently requires surgical treatment. Transcutaneous spinal stimulation enables trunk stability in adults with SCI and may pose a non-invasive preventative therapeutic alternative. This non-randomized, non-blinded pilot clinical trial (NCT03975634) determined the safety and efficacy of transcutaneous spinal stimulation to enable upright sitting posture in 8 children with trunk control impairment due to acquired SCI using within-subject repeated measures study design. Primary safety and efficacy outcomes (pain, hemodynamics stability, skin irritation, trunk kinematics) and secondary outcomes (center of pressure displacement, compliance rate) were assessed within the pre-specified endpoints. One participant did not complete the study due to pain with stimulation on the first day. One episode of autonomic dysreflexia during stimulation was recorded. Following hemodynamic normalization, the participant completed the study. Overall, spinal stimulation was well-tolerated and enabled upright sitting posture in 7 out of the 8 participants. Scoliosis due to trunk muscle paralysis frequently requires surgical treatment in children with spinal cord injury. The authors demonstrate the safety and efficacy of transcutaneous spinal stimulation to enable upright sitting posture in 7/8 children with trunk control impairment in a within-subjects, repeated measures pilot clinical trial.
The Relative Contributions of Gene Conversion-Like Substitutions and Unique Mutations Toward Polymorphism Among MHC Class I Genes

One of the most intriguing characteristics of the murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is the high degree of polymorphism associated with the class I and class II loci mapping in the K, D, and I regions. This polymorphism has two components. The first is the large number of alleles identified in the wild (Klein and Figueroa, 1981). None of these alleles is present in the population at high frequencies and the total number of alleles is estimated at over 100 (Goetze et al., 1980). The second component of this extraordinary polymorphism is the extensive structural diversity distinguishing alleles. Whereas allelic variants at other loci typically differ by a single or a few amino acids (Gates et al., 1981; Perlmutter et al., 1984; Kimura and Nerbert, 1986), MHC alleles tend to differ by 5 to 10 percent of their amino acids. The amino terminal 273 amino acids, which compose the extracellular portion of four class I alleles of the H-2K locus, are shown in Figure 1. The sequences are divided into three 91 amino acid segments representing the exon structure of the K structural gene. Comparison of these sequences reveals the high degree of structural diversity which is most prominent in the first two segments encompassing amino acids 1 through 182, but also discernible in the more conserved regions of the glycoprotein represented here by amino acids 183 through 273. Diversity in the amino terminal 182 amino acids is known to influence function (see Duran and Pease, 1986 for review). Sequence variation within this segment of the H-2K glycoprotein may be influenced by natural selection. Conversely, no functional differences have been associated with diversity in the remainder of the glycoprotein. Many of these substitutions may be selectively neutral.
A discussion of methods of value in research on plant polyuronides.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the methods of value in plant polyuronides, which may be defined as polysaccharides that contain one or more uronic acid units in their molecular structures. It includes all pectic materials and plant gums and many plant mucilages, hemicelluloses, and gel-forming substances and some microbial polysaccharides. The methods that are developed in the study of simple sugars, glycosides, starch, and cellulose are applied in the study of the polyuronides. Plant gums, many plant mucilages, and some of the gel-forming substances of marine algae are present assalts. To determine the structure, the polyuronide must be isolated, purified, and tested to see that it belongs to the group. The positions and types of the glycosidic linkages as well as the types of lactol rings are also determined.
Lexical Distributivity and Implicit Arguments

Popular assumptions about distributive predicates and implicit arguments interact to predict incorrect truth conditions for sentences in which a predi­cate takes both an implicit argument and an overt distributive argument. This paper argues that the conflict provides evidence for a particular approach to argument structure and in particular to the semantics of implicit arguments: namely, a "neo-Davidsonian" approach, in which thematic roles are analyzed as relations between events and individuals, and existentially interpreted implicit arguments do not appear in the syntax or in logical representation at all. The effect of implicit arguments is produced through the use of meaning postulates guaranteeing that any atomic event of a given type must bear the appropriate thematic relation to some individual.
Detecting faults in a nuclear power plant by using dynamic node architecture artificial neural networks

An artificial neural network (ANN)-based diagnostic adviser capable of identifying the operating status of a nuclear power plant is described. A dynamic node architecture scheme is used to optimize the architectures of the two backpropagation ANNs that embody the advisor. The first or root network is used to determine whether or not the plant is in a normal operating condition. If the plant is not in a normal condition, the second or classifier network is used to recognize the particular off-normal condition or transient taking place. These networks are developed using simulated plant behavior during both normal and abnormal conditions. The adviser is effective at diagnosing 27 distinct transients based on 43 scenarios simulated at various severities that contain up to 3% noise.
Discrimination in Consummated Car Purchases

Recent studies have examined the question of whether there is racial discrimination in car sales by analyzing newly available data about actual, consummated purchases of cars. This article reviews this research and compares it to my previous findings based on audit studies, in which Black and White testers were sent to car dealerships to negotiate, but not consummate sales. The studies using consummated purchase data contain strikingly similar results to those of the audit studies, and together they provide compelling evidence that Blacks pay substantially more for cars than Whites. The existence of this price differential is consistent with claims of racial discrimination and effectively rebuts claims that the audit studies are flawed because they do not reflect bargaining tactics that minorities could use in traditional, face-to-face car sales that would nullify the impact of discrimination. The new data also reveal that there is a much smaller price differential when Internet referral services are used, which is also consistent with claims of racial discrimination since the race of the buyer is harder to discern over the Internet.
Selective Regulation of IL-10 Signaling and Function by Zymosan

Balanced activity of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines during innate immune responses is required to allow effective host defense while avoiding tissue damage and autoimmunity. Induction of cytokine production after recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by innate immune cells has been well demonstrated, but modulation of cytokine function by PAMPs is not well understood. In this study we show that stimulation of macrophages with zymosan, which contains PAMPs derived from yeast, rapidly extinguished macrophage responses to IL-10, a suppressive cytokine that limits inflammatory tissue damage but also compromises host defense. The mechanism of inhibition involved protein kinase Cβ and internalization of IL-10R, and was independent of TLR2 and phagocytosis. Inhibition of IL-10 signaling and function required direct contact with zymosan, and cells in an inflammatory environment that had not contacted zymosan remained responsive to the paracrine activity of zymosan-induced IL-10. These results reveal a mechanism that regulates IL-10 function such that antimicrobial functions of infected macrophages are not suppressed, but the activation of surrounding noninfected cells and subsequent tissue damage are limited. The fate of individual cells in an inflammatory microenvironment is thus specified by dynamic interactions among host cells, microbes, and cytokines that determine the balance between protection and pathology.
Throwing Eggs at Windows - Legal and Institutional Globalization in the 21st-Century Economy

Like an egg thrown at a window, economic globalization looks like an unstoppable force hurtling toward an immovable object – state sovereignty. Although the outcome is not sure, I believe the window will break, both because the window has become brittle and because the egg has a tough shell and much momentum. If so, we shall be opening a new chapter in legal and political organization, similar in some ways to an earlier chapter-opening era when the Westphalian state-centered system began. A key task we face now is to examine critically the main institutions of economic globalization – especially the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank – to see whether and how those institutions and the rules they administer can serve the interests of the world community in this new century. This article tries to set the stage for such an examination by identifying strengths and weaknesses of one of these institutions, the WTO. The article concludes that the WTO, if modified to overcome some important weaknesses, can serve a key role in a new, more complex framework of governance that relies on linkages among international organizations, states, private business interests, and non-government entities committed to civil society.
Swinburne's Challenge: A Note on Probability Estimates for Nontypical Potential Evidence Instances

General confirmation theory, and especially its Bayesian variant, has never been able to adequately address the issue of how to handle qualitative evidence instances. Such statements encompass a wide class including historical claims, those of the human sciences not incorporating quantitative models, legal statements and the like. The issue was recognized by the philosopher Swinburne (1973) who puzzled how such statements as, ‘Caesar crossed the Rubicon’, could be assigned a meaningful probability estimate. The present paper suggests that such statements can be transformed into, at least, plausible probability estimates. This requires a two step process: judgements made by credible raters, and the transformation of judgements into one or more reliability co-efficients. These reliability estimates can then be utilized in the standard Bayesian model to yield plausible degrees of belief between hypothesis and evidence.
The kinetics of ligand binding and of the association-dissociation reactions of human hemoglobin. Properties of deoxyhemoglobin dimers.

Abstract Dissociation of both human deoxyhemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) and carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) at alkaline pH exposes previously buried tyrosine residues to the environment and alters their pK. Subunit association and dissociation of deoxy-Hb and HbCO can be followed through spectral changes which arise from these changes in tyrosine ionization above pH 10.0. The difference spectrum of the dissociation reaction contains a contribution from both tyrosine and tryptophan. Ultracentrifuge results confirm that a tetramerdimer equilibrium exists at these high pH values. The tetramer-dimer dissociation constant, K4,2, of both HbCO and deoxy-Hb increases dramatically above pH 10.0 and the value of K4,2 for HbCO is significantly greater than the value of K4,2 for deoxy-Hb in the pH range of 7 to 11. The groups responsible for the spectral change on dissociation have been tentatively identified with Tyr C7(42)α and Trp C3(37)β, which lie in the α1-β2 interface. Substantial quantities of deoxy-Hb dimers are produced at high pH. The properties of these dimers have been examined both at high pH and at pH 7.0 after rapid pH drop in the stopped flow apparatus. Association of deoxy-Hb dimers to the tetramer is accompanied by a spectral change in the Soret region, which has allowed us to follow the association reaction at pH 7.0. Deoxy-Hb dimers react rapidly with CO at a rate characteristic of noncooperative species (l' = 6.5 x 106 m-1 sec-1). Further, human haptoglobin 1-1 binds these deoxy-Hb dimers at pH 7.0 at a rate similar to that observed with HbCO dimers (6.3 x 105 m-1 sec-1 and 5.5 x 105 m-1 sec-1, respectively). We conclude that the deoxy-Hb dimer, the unliganded dimer derived from liganded hemoglobin, and the HbCO dimer are identical in conformation, α1β1; the first two are noncooperative in their ligand-binding properties. The hemoglobin tetramer is therefore the minimum unit capable of full cooperativity in ligand binding. Models in which the free hemoglobin dimer is assumed to possess basically the same functional properties as the tetramer are untenable.
Comparison of Two Methods to Develop Breast Models for Simulation of Breast Tomosynthesis and CT

Dedicated x-ray computed tomography (CT) of the breast using a cone-beam flat-panel detector system is a modality under investigation by a number of research teams. Several teams, including ours, have fabricated prototype, bench-top flat-panel CT breast imaging (CTBI) systems. We also use computer simulation software to optimize system parameters. We are developing a methodology to use high resolution, low noise CT reconstructions of fresh mastectomy specimens in order to generate an ensemble of 3D digital breast phantoms that realistically model 3D compressed and uncompressed breast anatomy. The resulting breast models can then be used to simulate realistic projection data for both Breast Tomosynthesis (BT) and Breast CT (BCT) systems thereby providing a powerful evaluation and optimization mechanism for research and development of novel breast imaging systems as well as the optimization of imaging techniques for such systems. Having the capability of using breast object models and simulation software is clinically significant because prior to a clinical trial of any prototype breast imaging system many parameter tradeoffs can be investigated in a simulation environment. This capability is worthwhile not only for the obvious benefit of improving patient safety during initial clinical trials but also because simulation prior to prototype implementation should result in reduced cost and increased speed of development. The main goal of this study is to compare results obtained using two different methods to develop breast object models in order to select the better technique for developing the entire ensemble.
Stable isotopic composition of upper oceanic crust formed at a fast spreading ridge, ODP Site 801

[1] ODP Legs 129 and 185 sampled the upper 474 m of ∼170 Ma ocean crust in the western Pacific in order to investigate alteration processes in fast spread crust and to determine inputs to subduction. Fourteen composite bulk samples of altered upper oceanic crust from Site 801 have δ18O = 8.7–25.7‰, δD = −69.4‰ to −90.4‰, and δ13C = −2.7‰ to 1.8‰. The intensity of alteration and the amount of sediment within the basement decrease with depth, leading to corresponding decreases in δ18O and δD. A SUPER composite, constructed to estimate the bulk composition of the upper crust, has δ18O = 12.0‰, δD = −87.0‰, and δ13C = 0.7‰. Compared to core descriptions and geophysical logs, the SUPER composite contains too much 18O-rich sediment (δ18O = 25.7‰), and a corrected δ18O value of 10.8‰ is more reasonable for the upper crust at Site 801. These values are higher than those for other bulk upper oceanic basement sections (δ18O = 8.0–10.0‰) and result in part from: (1) intense low-temperature (<100°C) hydrothermal alteration of the upper 100 m of tholeiitic basement at Site 801 that may not be representative of material subducting in the western Pacific and (2) an aging effect, whereby progressive addition of 18O-rich secondary carbonate in veins and breccia cements contributed to the high bulk δ18O of this old upper crustal section.
Fetal hyperinsulinemia increases farnesylation of p21 Ras in fetal tissues.

Even though the role of fetal hyperinsulinemia in the pathogenesis of fetal macrosomia in patients with overt diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus seems plausible, the molecular mechanisms of...
Rapid Detection of the Chlamydiaceae and Other Families in the Order Chlamydiales: Three PCR Tests

Few identification methods will rapidly or specifically detect all bacteria in the order Chlamydiales, family Chlamydiaceae. In this study, three PCR tests based on sequence data from over 48 chlamydial strains were developed for identification of these bacteria. Two tests exclusively recognized the Chlamydiaceae: a multiplex test targeting the ompA gene and the rRNA intergenic spacer and a TaqMan test targeting the 23S ribosomal DNA. The multiplex test was able to detect as few as 200 inclusion-forming units (IFU), while the TaqMan test could detect 2 IFU. The amplicons produced in these tests ranged from 132 to 320 bp in length. The third test, targeting the 23S rRNA gene, produced a 600-bp amplicon from strains belonging to several families in the order Chlamydiales. Direct sequence analysis of this amplicon has facilitated the identification of new chlamydial strains. These three tests permit ready identification of chlamydiae for diagnostic and epidemiologic study. The specificity of these tests indicates that they might also be used to identify chlamydiae without culture or isolation.
A review of the applications to solids of the laser ion source in mass spectrometry

A. Introduction 197 l.Previousreviews 198 2. Laser applications in emission spectrometry . _ _ . _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ 200 3. Acronymsusedinthisreview 201 4. Notationforionsourceconfiguration 201 5.Lasersystemdefinition 201 6. Laser-solid interactions. . _ _ . . _ . _ _ . _ _ . _ _ . _ _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ . _ 201 7. Coverage of this review 205 B. Analytical features 205 l.Detectionsensitivity 205 2. ionization efficiency 206 3. Collection efficiency 207 4. Quantification 209 5. Cratering-depth analysis _ _ _ . _ . _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ . . _ _ . _ . . . 212 C. Applications 214 1. Biological applications _ . . _ . _ _ . _ _ . _ _ . _ . . _ _ . _ . _ . . _ . . _ . _ _ . _ . _ 214 2. Application to carbon 219 3. Application to fossil fuels. 221 4. Application to gaseous impurities 222 5. Geological applications 227 6.InorganicappIications. 229 7.Isotopicanaiysis 234 8. Application to metals 236 9. Organic applications 1 .. 237 10. Application to polymers 241 Acknowledgements 246 References 246
Amiodarone: Value of Programmed Electrical Stimulation and Holter Monitoring

The value of programmed electrical stimulation (PES) and Holter monitoring in the assessment of amiodarone efficacy was reviewed. Many physicians have been disturbed by the persistent inducibility of arrhythmias in patients treated with amiodarone, who nevertheless do very well during the follow-up period. Noninducibility was associated with a favorable prognosis among 366 VT patients. Eighty-eight (24%) were noninducible on amiodarone, and 10% of these had recurrences, vs 39% in patients who remained inducible. Further, increased difficulty of induction with PES or induction of a slower or better tolerated VT may indicate a favorable outlook, and add to the value of PES. Few papers rigorously employed Holter monitoring in the assessment of amiodarone. In general, suppression of previously frequent arrhythmias implies excellent protection for patients with benign arrhythmias and moderate protection with malignant arrhythmias. By Holter assessment in 186 VT patients, arrhythmias were suppressed in 114 (61%), and 18% of these had recurrences vs 50% in patients whose arrhythmias were not suppressed. Studies attempting to correlate the results of PES and Holter monitoring in the same patients are lacking and may prove useful.
COPEPOD INDICATORS OF SURFACE WATER MOVEMENTS OFF THE OREGON COAST1

Two small copepods, Ac&ia dunce and Cent~pages mcmurrichi, were used as reciprocal indicators of seasonal surface current changes off the Oregon coast in 1961 and 1962. A. danae was found inshore and offshore in winter, indicating the northward flow (with an onshore component) of the Davidson Current. C. mcmuwichi was found inshore in early summer and farther offshore by late summer, indicating a southerly flow (with an offshore component). In the spring and fall, these species occurred together inshore, indicating a transitional state. Temperature-salinity-plankton (TSI?) cliagrams were used to examine the relationships bctwcen distributions of the copepods and local processes affecting near-surface water properties (upwelling, rainfall and runoff, and the Columbia River plume). These diagrams cmphasizcd that the major effect on copepod distribution was the seasonal shift of surface currents, with rainfall and runoff possibly affecting the inshore distribution of A. danae in winter. Upwelling had no apparent effect on the distribution of either species. Columbia River discharge, which flows southerly in summer, probably overwhelmed the general offshore (westerly) movement of surface currents, and hence the offshore movement of C. mcmurrichi, near the mouth of the river. The effect of the Columbia River plume farther out to sea was not shown conclusively to have an effect on the distribution of either species in summer.
Reactions to Gay Men: Contact and Overcorrection in an Employee Selection Simulation

The current study examines the role of contact on reactions to gay and heterosexual targets by U.S. heterosexual college students. Aversive bias research finds that minority group members receive unfavorable evaluations only when non-category-based information justifies bias. We argue that under other conditions, namely absence of conditions justifying bias, minority group members receive more favorable evaluations than non-minorities, an effect we term overcorrection. We apply this research to the study of attitudes toward gay men. The current study examines this effect on evaluations of a highly qualified male job candidate who is either gay or heterosexual and flawed or not flawed. We predicted and found, among 180 college students, that the overcorrection effect was present only for those individuals who have experienced no friendships with gay men. Those individuals who do have gay male friends did not exhibit overcorrection. We interpret this result as an indication that individuals who have gay friends (contact) ignore category information such as gay/ heterosexual and are more likely to exhibit truly egalitarian ratings. Implications for aversive bias and outgroup covariation perspectives are discussed.
An RNA Structural Ensemble Derived by Combining MD and Elongated NMR RDCs Provides Evidence for Adaptive Recognition via Conformational Selection

We report implementation of a general strategy that combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and “elongated” NMR residual dipolar couplings for constructing atomic resolution dynamical ensembles of RNA with timescale sensitivity extending up to milliseconds. The ensemble of HIV-1 transactivation response element (TAR) constructed using this approach reveals spatially correlated inter-helical motions similar to those reported recently. Bulge residue U23 stacks onto A22, and together they undergo limited motions with U23 occassionaly looping out. Greater mobility is observed for the looped out bulge reidues C24 and U25. The corresponding ensemble obained for HIV-2 TAR in which bulge residue C24 is omitted, shows a significant reduction in the local mobility at A22, U23, and U25 which is accompanued by a reduction in the amplitude of inter-helical motions. The HIV-2 TAR ensmemble exhibits even more pronounced correlations between twisting motions around the two helices, indicating that these spatial correlations originate in part from having helices exert a pull on the other during to the finite length of the linker. The HIV-1 TAR ensemble contains conformers with local binding pockets and global inter-helical orientations similar to those observed in seven distinct ligand bound TAR conformations, supporting the notion that adaptive recognition occurs via ‘conformational selection’.
Treatment of Neuroendocrine Cancer Metastatic to the Liver: The Role of Ablative Techniques

Carcinoid tumors and islet cell neoplasms are neuroendocrine neoplasms with indolent patterns of growth and association with bizarre hormone syndromes. These tumors behave in a relatively protracted and predictable manner, which allows for multiple therapeutic options. Even in the presence of hepatic metastases, the standard of treatment for neuroendocrine malignancy is surgery, either with curative intent or for tumor cytoreduction, i.e., resection of 90% or more of the tumor volume. Image-guided ablation, as either an adjunct to surgery or a primary treatment modality, can be used to treat neuroendocrine cancer metastatic to the liver. Image-guided ablative techniques, including radiofrequency ablation, alcohol injection, and cryoablation, can be used in selected patients to debulk hepatic tumors and improve patient symptoms. Although long-term follow-up data are not available, the surgical literature indicates that significant ablative debulking may improve patient survival. In this review, we discuss metastatic neuroendocrine disease and its treatment options, especially image-guided ablative techniques.
Thinking about the future can cause forgetting of the past

People are able to imagine events in the future that have not yet happened, an ability referred to as episodic future thinking. There is now compelling evidence that episodic future thinking is accomplished via processes similar to those that underlie episodic retrieval. Drawing upon work on retrieval-induced forgetting, which has shown that retrieving some items in memory can cause the forgetting of other items in memory, we show that engaging in episodic future thinking can cause related autobiographical memories (Experiments 1–3) and episodic event descriptions (Experiments 3–4) to become less recallable in the future than they would have been otherwise. This finding suggests that episodic future thinking can serve as a memory modifier by changing the extent to which memories from our past can be subsequently retrieved.
Theory of impurity band conductivity in inversion layers in magnetic fields

Abstract A theoretical investigation has been made of the electrical conductivity of an impurity band in an inversion layer in an external magnetic field. The specific case of an n-type inversion layer on a (100) surface of silicon is considered. A distribution of impurity ions is assumed to exist at the interface between the inversion layer and the oxide. Results are obtained for several values of the electric field in the inversion layer and for the two-dimensional limit corresponding to zero inversion layer thickness. Contact is made with the experimental results of Hartstein, Fowler and Woo.
Limits and rates of convergence for the distribution of search cost under the move-to-front rule

Abstract We derive upper and lower bounds on total variation distance to stationarity for the distribution of search cost under the move-to-front (MTF) rule for self-organizing lists with i.i.d. record requests. These enable us to obtain sharp rates of convergence for several standard examples of weights, including Zipf's law and geometric weights, as the length of the list becomes large. The upper bound also shows that a number of moves of the order of the length of the list is uniformly sufficient for near-stationarity over all choices of weights. Concerning the stationary search cost distribution itself, we use a representation obtained by considering the continuized MTF Markov chain to derive, for each of the standard examples, the asymptotic distribution for long lists.
Risky behavior of adolescent college students

Nurses who provide care to adolescent college students are challenged to meet their diverse health care needs. Recent national survey data on American college students indicate that many participate in risky behaviors, which can have detrimental effects on their physical and psychosocial health. These data also reveal that college students rank health educators and health center medical staff as the most believable sources of health-related information. Thus, nurses are in key positions to screen for and educate about stress, coping styles, and mental health issues. In addition to decreasing barriers to access, nurses can inform students on the kinds of resources available and their locations. This article also describes interventions that may be effective on college campuses for the reduction of risks and the promotion of positive coping and health outcomes in this population.
The pattern of neocortical projections to the mesencephalon of the opossum, Didelphis virginiana.

Abstract The results of this investigation suggest a pattern of neocortical projections to the mesencephalon in the opossum, a primitive marsupial. The more rostral neocortical areas (frontal and preorbital cortices) distribute to the more rostral, ventral and medial midbrain areas. These areas include the central, the ventral and the deep tegmental areas, certain restricted portions of the red nucleus, the medial substantia nigra and the more ventral and medial areas of the periaqueductal gray. Projections from intermediate cortical regions (postorbital, paramarginal and parietal cortices) contribute the greatest number of fascicles to the read nucleus (particularly pars magnocellularis), to the intermediate substantia nigra, the dorsolateral midbrain tegmentum and the more lateral regions of the periaqueductal gray. Such cortical areas also give rise to the neocortical pathways to certain brain stem sensory nuclei as well as to most, if not all, of the cortico-spinal bundles in this form. More caudal cortical areas (striate and peristriate cortices) give rise to fibers which terminate in the more dorsal portions of the midbrain at superior collicular levels (the superficial strata of the superior colliculus), whereas the temporal area projects the most caudally and dorsally at inferior collicular levels (the nucleus of the inferior colliculus). Further sampling of primitive metatherian and eutherian mammaals is needed to determine whether the pattern reported herein for the opossum is a basic mammalian configuration or is characteristics of only certain marsupials.
The praseodymium-lead system☆

Abstract X-ray diffraction, differential thermal, and metallographic methods, were used to establish the praseodymium-lead phase diagram. Eutectic reactions occur at 9.3 at.% Pb and 824°C, at 55.5 at.% Pb and 1145°C, at 62.5 at.% Pb and 1085°C and at greater than 99.5 at.% Pb and 325°C. The inter-metallic compounds Pr3Pb, Pr5Pb4, Pr11Pb10 and PrPb2 decompose peritectically at 860, 1455, 1365 and 1090°C, respectively. Pr5Pb3, Pr3Pb4 and PrPb3 melt congruently at 1495,1180 and 1120°C, respectively. The crystal structure data are given for these compounds. The solid solubility of lead in praseodymium is 3.5 at.% Pb at the 824°C eutectic temperature. The alloying characteristics of some of the Pr-Pb alloys are compared with those in the La-Pb and Pu-Pb systems.
Induction of female sex pheromone production in male houseflies by ovary implants or 20-hydroxyecdysone

Abstract Implanting ovaries or injecting 20-hydroxyecdysone into male houseflies induced sex pheromone production, including (Z)-9-tricosene (muscalure), 9,10-epoxytricosane and (Z)-14-tricosen-10-one, which normally occurs only in vitellogenic females. Control males did not produce detectable amounts of these compounds. Injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone (5 μg/insect per day) for 3 days resulted in the accumulation of 1.81 μg/insect of (Z)-9-tricosene, 0.97 μg/insect of 9,10-epoxytricosane and 0.12 μg/insect (Z)-14-tricosen-10-one. Multiple injections of 20-hydroxyecdysone at doses as low as 50 ng resulted in the accumulation of 23:1, C23 epoxide and C23 ketone; shifted the distribution of label within the alkenes from 27:1 to 23:1 and decreased the amount of label in the hydrocarbon fractions as alkenes. Structures of the C23 alkene and epoxide produced by the males were verified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Radioactivity from [1-14C] acetate was incorporated into the C23 alkene, epoxide and ketone in male insects after ovaries were implanted or they were injected with 20-hydroxyecdysone. Synthesis of the C23 pheromone components decreased rapidly within several days after the administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone ceased, indicating that the enzymes involved in sex pheromone production were not permanently induced by hormone treatment. Ecdysone was also effective in initianing pheromone production in males, whereas inokosterone and cholesterol were not effective. Data presented demonstrate that male houseflies possess the metabolic capability to produce the sex pheromone components, and this suggests that 20-hydroxyecdysone alters the production of cuticular hydrocarbons such that the C23 sex pheromone components become major products.
Impaired production of T-lymphocyte mitogens in pediatric malignant disease.

Abstract Cellular immune responses are crucial in tumor immunity. The capacity of children with neoplasia to produce factors involved in cellular immune activity was studied. We have found that normally supernatants from mitogen- or antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (MNC) cultures contain two factors, lymphocyte-derived thymic-stimulating factor (TSF) and monocyte-derived lymphocyte-activation factor (LAF), which are detected by the in vitro proliferation of mouse thymocytes. TSF production is stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), whereas LAF is activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The production of TSF and LAF in response to PHA and LPS was, therefore, compared in normal subjects and children with untreated and treated leukemia and various solid tumors. The production of TSF in response to PHA was depressed in 11 15 . The production of TSF and LAF by patients with limited tumor load, off chemotherapy, fell into the normal range. Patients in remission on chemotherapy and those with extensive disease had decreased TSF. Two patients with the most advanced tumors had both depressed TSF and LAF. These results indicate that TSF production decreases in patients with malignancy and that the suppression of LAF occurs with disease progression. The elaboration of these factors may play a role in modifying the malignant process or may be modified by the malignancy or its treatment.
The tumour microenvironment and implications for cancer immunotherapy

Tumour cells exist in a complex milieu of cellular and non-cellular components comprising fibroblasts, endothelial cells, immune cells and metabolites of cellular respiration. An elaborate interplay between these components and tumour cells exists with implications for immunological recognition of tumour cells. Tumours have been shown to alter their antigen and cytokine profiles, desensitise and impair immune defences, signal fibroblasts to facilitate metastasis, and take advantage of acidic and hypoxic conditions that impede normal cells. This paper aims to review the roles of the stroma, extracellular matrix and chemistry of the microenvironment on tumour growth, with particular emphasis on interactions with the immune system, and to highlight some of the novel therapeutic strategies that target the tumour microenvironment.
Cytologic features of mycobacterial pleuritis : Logistic regression and statistical analysis of a blinded, case-controlled study

Tuberculous pleural effusions are characterized by lymphocytosis; the significance of mesothelial cells is uncertain, as are the cytologic features in concurrent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This blinded study compared 38 culture-positive pleural fluids (6 HIV+) with 38 controls from benign exudative processes. Logistic regression analysis selected mature lymphocytes as most predictive of positive culture, and mesothelial cells and eosinophils as negative predictors. Mesothelial cells were scant ( 10%, tuberculosis was virtually ruled out in HIV- patients. Specificity was maximized (82%) when mesothelial cells 50%; positive predictive value with this combination was 76%, but was raised to 96% if moderate/marked cellularity was also identified. Among tuberculosis cases, reactive mesothelial cells differentiated HIV+ from HIV- patients; there was no other significant difference.
Midtrimester hemoperitoneum caused by placenta percreta in association with elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein level

We report a case of hemoperitoneum in the second trimester due to placenta percreta which was associated with an elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein. A 29-year-old woman, gravida 4, para 1-0-2-1, was seen at 17 weeks' gestation with an acute abdomen. Maternal serum a-fetoprotein in a sample drawn 1 week previously revealed a value of 5.0 multiples of the median. At laparotomy, placenta percreta was discovered. This case of placenta percreta diagnosed in the second trimester was associated with an elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein level. Physicians counseling patients with unexplained elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels should include placenta accreta or percreta in the differential diagnosis and should maintain an awareness of its existence in patients with acute abdomen in pregnancy.
Microbial Manganese Oxidation In the Lower Mississippi River: Methods and Evidence

Abstract Recent work has led to the suggestion that biologically-mediated redox processes might be important in the regulation of dissolved trace element concentrations in rivers, especially with regard to manganese. Here, we focus on the removal of dissolved Mn from lower Mississippi River water. Experiments indicate that dissolved Mn can be rapidly removed from lower Mississippi River water on a timescale of days or less and that Mn oxides are formed. However, demonstrating a biological origin for this removal is problematic. Experiments reveal that commonly used microbial controls, including NaN3 mixtures, HgCl2, heat sterilization, and sonification all affect fluvial particulate Mn through dissolution, disaggregation, interference with adsorption, or particle ageing. Thus, these microbial controls may affect abiotic as well as biological processes. Evidence supporting microbial removal of dissolved Mn from lower Mississippi River water includes a temperature optimum for the process (∼30°C), a lower ac...
Harnessing Mother Nature: Optimizing Genetic Algorithms for Adaptive Systems

Abstract Many adaptive systems require optimization in real time. Whether it is a robot that must maintain its gait regardless of the terrain or multicore systems needing proper scheduling, optimization is of utmost importance. With hundreds of processes created and evaluated every second, real-time performance optimization is a monumental task. Mother nature has proven that evolution is very effective form of adaptation. Through a stochastic search, i.e. GA, computers harness this power. GAs have been developed to utilize many different parameters, which have a significant effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of a GA. If a GA tasked to optimize these parameters, the result is a rapid and automatic optimization. To test our hypothesis we optimize a GA that solves common optimization functions. The GA's effectiveness is determined by the time it takes to find the solution. Cross validation is utilized, and shows an average 947% performance improvement on training sets and 440% on testing sets. This large improvement in the testing sets shows that an optimized genetic algorithm remains general enough to effectively solve similar problems.
Tips and Tricks for Characterizing Shape Memory Wire Part 5: Full-Field Strain Measurement by Digital Image Correlation

This is the fifth paper in a series on the experimental characterization of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. In this installment we focus on the use of digital image correlation (DIC) to measure the strain field on the surface of the wire. After a brief overview of the principles and mathematics behind DIC, two different thermo-mechanical tension tests using DIC are presented to demonstrate the technique. The first experiment consists of Joule heating a shape memory (SM) wire to induce the shape memory effect, using 2-D DIC to measure the strain field. The second experiment measures the response of a superelastic (SE) wire to mechanical cycling at room temperature, using 3-D DIC to measure the strain field and an infrared camera to measure the temperature field. In addition to describing the experimental results, attention is paid to specimen preparation and the two experimental setups. Many of the challenges and precautions associated with using DIC are discussed, along with practical recommendations for specimen speckle patterns, digital photography, and data post processing.
Influence of duty cycle on the power-duration relationship: observations and potential mechanisms.

Abstract The highest sustainable rate of aerobic metabolism [critical power (CP)] and the finite amount of work that can be performed above CP (W’ [curvature constant]) were determined under two muscle contraction duty cycles. Eight men completed at least three constant-power handgrip tests to exhaustion to determine CP and W’ for 50% and 20% duty cycles, while brachial artery blood flow (QBA) and deoxygenated-[hemoglobin + myoglobin] (deoxy-[Hb + Mb]) were measured. CP was lower for the 50% duty cycle (3.9 ± 0.9 W) than the 20% duty cycle (5.1 ± 0.8 W; p 0.05). At the same power output, QBA and deoxy-[Hb + Mb] achieved higher end-exercise values for the 20% duty cycle (9.87 ± 1.73 ml·s−1; 51.7 ± 4.7 μM) than the 50% duty cycle (7.37 ± 1.76 ml·s−1, p
‘Forget not your old country’: absence, identity, and marginalization in the practice and development of Sri Lankan Buddhism in Malaysia

This article examines various linkages through which Sri Lankan diaspora communities in Malaysia sought and still seek meaning. Taking my cue from Engseng Ho’s work on the Hadrami in which he notes how absence shapes diasporic experiences, I investigate the constructive role that feelings of loss have played in the imagining and reimagining of the Sri Lankan community’s identity in Malaysia. More specifically, this article considers the role that particular sites of memory – Buddhist institutions, rituals, and cemeteries – play in the production of an ethnic and religious identity. Finally, I explore how such produced identities may become threatened by competing communities and by the nation state as well as how interreligious and interethnic alliances produced through temple networks provide the means by which state control could be challenged and feelings of marginalization overcome.