cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Osmoregulation and Excretion

Maintaining a constant internal chemical environment (homeostasis) is a critical physiological activity that is particularly important in certain taxa living in fluctuating environments such as estuaries and in those that migrate between fresh- and salt water. Stress, such as exposure to contaminants, typically causes a disruption of this activity, which involves primarily the gills. The ability to ionoregulate or to osmoregulate (mostly Na and Cl regulation) following exposure to stress decreased in most of the species studied with most of the contaminants. Concomitant with osmoregulation is the necessity to excrete ammonia, a waste product of protein metabolism; this activity may be either enhanced or depressed by contaminants and is affected by salinity and whether the animals are fed or not. Increased excretion rates reflect increased reliance on protein metabolism.
Yogācāra Strategies against Realism: Appearances (ākti) and Metaphors (upacāra)

This paper describes and elucidates two philosophical parallels: the first between two early Yogācāra Buddhist positions, and the second between these positions and a contemporary discussion in analytic philosophy. The two Yogācāra positions are (1) that reality is a mere appearance (ākti); and (2) that all language is metaphorical (upacāra). First, the distinctive Yogācāra belief in the reality of mere appearances is clarified by carefully distinguishing the terminological uses in Vasubandhu's Three Natures Exposition (Trisvabhāvanirdeśa) from the terms used to make parallel conceptual moves in a very similar passage from the Ornament to the Mahāyāna Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrāla kāra). Second, the theory of language advocated by Sthiramati in his commentary to Vasubandhu's Thirty Verses (Triśikākārikā) is explained as a counter to arguments that Yogācāra non-realism is self-defeating. This latter view shows how Yogācāra may be fruitfully brought into dialogue with Hilary Putnam's famous antiskeptical Brain-in-a-Vat argument. The paper finds basic accord within Vasubandhu's ontology and theory of reference, and shows how they represent a new, coherent Yogācāra response to Putnam's realist challenge.
Training Assistants Improves the Process of Adoption of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy.

Background Despite overwhelming evidence of decreased pain, fewer complications, and shorter length of stay with equivalent oncologic outcomes, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been slow to be adopted in the community. This study evaluates the role of training surgical assistants to ease the transition to VATS lobectomy. Methods A half-day training course for physician assistants in the specific skills needed to assist with VATS lobectomy was developed to be offered annually in conjunction with a national meeting. Each participant completed a needs assessment before the course and a course assessment afterward. One-year follow-up data were obtained from the first cohort to determine the effects of the course on their practice. Results Forty-four physician assistants participated in the course in either 2013 or 2014. Participant-identified educational needs included enhanced camera navigation skills, use of specialized instruments, and knowledge of the steps of the operation to provide proactive assistance. After completing the course, 90% (n = 39) felt more confident in their ability to provide optimal visualization for the operating surgeon, and 93% (n = 40) felt more confident in their ability to recognize and anticipate the steps of a VATS lobectomy. These changes persisted at 1 year. Conclusions Specific training directed at surgical assistants may improve the adoption of new technology by mechanisms including improved visualization and better understanding of methods to facilitate the operation and avoid frustration. This type of training should be made available to assistants of surgeons learning new operations.
Novel emergency department registration kiosk for HIV screening is cost-effective

High operating costs challenge sustainability of successful US emergency department (ED) HIV screening programs. Free-standing registration kiosks could potentially reduce the marginal costs of ED HIV screening. We investigated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) per new HIV diagnosis for a kiosk-based approach for offering screening at ED registration versus a testing staff-based approach to offer testing at the bedside. A rapid oral-fluid HIV screening program, instituted in a US ED since 2005, had a rate of new HIV diagnosis 0.16% in 2012. A two-phase quasi experimental design, including a testing staff-based approach to offer testing at the bedside (Phase I, August and September 2011) and a kiosk-based approach to offer testing at ED registration (Phase II, December 2011 and January 2012), was performed. CER per new HIV diagnosis was defined as total cost of the screening program divided by number of newly diagnosed cases. Costs included screening program personnel (study coordinator, testing staff, and kiosk helpers), diagnostic assays (rapid and confirmatory tests), and kiosks (2 kiosks, software, and IT consulting fees). Sensitivity analyses were performed. Data from our dedicated testing staff (DTS) program (Phase I) resulted in an estimated 5434 patients tested in one year and 9 newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients (95% CI: 3, 18). Data from the kiosk program (Phase II), resulted in a projected 4571 ED patients tested in one year and 21 newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients (95% CI: 4, 70). The overall cost was $ 201,433 for the DTS program, versus $292,008 for the kiosk program. Incremental CER per new HIV diagnosis for kiosk-based approach was $7523 (range: $1780-90,025 by sensitivity analysis). Our pilot data demonstrated that the use of kiosks for HIV screening was potentially more cost-effective than a testing staff-based bedside approach.
The Importance of Excluding Accounting Changes from the Calculation of Debt Covenant Compliance

In this paper we examine the ex-ante importance of accounting changes in debt contracts by examining how the exclusion of the flexibility to make voluntary and mandatory accounting changes from the calculation of covenant compliance affects the interest rate charged on the loan. After controlling for a selectivity correction and other factors known to affect loan spreads, we find that the interest rate charged on a loan is 40 basis points lower when mandatory accounting changes are excluded and is 104 basis points lower when voluntary accounting changes are excluded. Our results support findings in previous studies that accounting changes are important in debt contracts ex-post for borrowers who violate their accounting based covenants.
Increased Expression Of Kv1.3 Channels By Microglia In Alzheimer’s Disease (P1.240)

Background:Microglia represent the innate immunity of the central nervous system and orchestrate neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Kv1.3, a voltage-gated potassium channel, is up-regulated by activated microglia and affects amyloid-mediated microglial priming and reactive oxygen species. Objective:We hypothesize that microglia upregulate Kv1.3 potassium channels in human AD brain tissue. Methods:Frontal lobe paraffin-embedded tissue from 10 AD cases and 10 control cases were singly stained for Kv1.3 and microglial marker Iba1 in a blinded manner. Kv1.3 and Iba1 expression in the cerebral cortex were both graded for staining intensity using a four-point scale (0=absent, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=intense) and for density of positive cells (0=none, 1=sparse, 2=moderate, 3=very frequent). Grading was performed independently by two blinded investigators (S.R. and A.L.) and grades obtained in three serially picked regions on each slide were averaged. Double-immunostaining for Kv1.3 and amyloid Aβ was performed on 3 AD cases. Co-localization of Kv1.3 with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Kv1.3 with Iba1 was performed in 3 AD cases with appropriate controls. Kv1.3 antibody specificity was confirmed with antigen pre-adsorption. Results:Kv1.3 staining intensity (p=0.03) and density (p=0.03) of Kv1.3-positive cells were both increased in the frontal cortex of AD brains as compared to controls. This paralleled an increase in Iba1-positive microglia in AD brains (p=0.002). Kv1.3-positive cells had microglial morphology and were associated with Aβ plaques. Kv1.3 channels also co-localized with microglial Iba1, but not with astrocyte marker GFAP, confirming elevated Kv1.3 expression in microglia. Kv1.3 immunostaining was abolished by pre-incubation with the immunogenic peptide, supporting antibody specificity. Conclusions:Our findings demonstrate that Kv1.3 is a detectable, biologically relevant and microglia-specific target in human AD. Study Supported by:Emory University, Department of Neurology Disclosure: Dr. Levey has received personal compensation for activities with GenoMind. Dr. Levey has received research support from Janssen Pharmaceutica, Merck & Co. Inc., Ceregene, and Medivation.
Oocyte-granulosa cell heterologous gap junctions are required for the coordination of nuclear and cytoplasmic meiotic competence.

Abstract Homologous gap junctions are generally recognized as a means of coordinating cellular behavior under developmental and homeostatic conditions. In the mammalian ovary, heterologous gap junctions between the oocyte and the granulosa cells have been widely implicated in the regulation of meiotic maturation late in oogenesis. However, the role of oocyte–granulosa cell gap junctions at earlier stages of oogenesis is poorly understood. Stage-specific defects in both oocyte and follicle development have been identified in juvenile mice deficient in heterologous oocyte–granulosa cell gap junctions due to targeted deletion of Gja4, the gene encoding connexin-37. Follicle development arrests at the type 4 preantral stage and although oocytes commence growth, oocyte growth ceases at a diameter of 52 μm (74.3% of control size). Analysis of cell cycle and cytoskeletal markers indicates that oocytes arrest in a G2 state based on uniform decondensed GV chromatin, interphase microtubule arrays, and nonphosphorylated cytoplasmic centrosomes. Functional assays of meiotic competence confirm that oocytes from connexin-37-deficient mice are unable to enter M phase (initiate meiotic maturation) unless treated with the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Unlike growing oocytes from heterozygous control animals, OA-treated oocytes from connexin-37-deficient mice respond acutely and progress rapidly to the circular bivalent stage of meiosis I and upon removal from OA rapidly revert to an interphase state. In contrast, OA-treated control incompetent oocytes are slow to respond, exhibit a lower proportion of chromosomal bivalent stage oocytes, but remain in and progress into meiotic M phase upon removal from OA. This study demonstrates that heterologous gap-junctional communication is required for the completion of oocyte growth and the acquisition of cytoplasmic meiotic competence.
BIAS‐CORRECTED NONPARAMETRIC SPECTRAL ESTIMATION

. The theory of nonparametric spectral density estimation based on an observed stretch X1,…, XN from a stationary time series has been studied extensively in recent years. However, the most popular spectral estimators, such as the ones proposed by Bartlett, Daniell, Parzen, Priestley and Tukey, are plagued by the problem of bias, which effectively prohibits ✓N-convergence of the estimator. This is true even in the case where the data are known to be m-dependent, in which case ✓N-consistent estimation is possible by a simple plug-in method. In this report, an intuitive method for the reduction in the bias of a nonparametric spectral estimator is presented. In fact, applying the proposed methodology to Bartlett's estimator results in bias-corrected estimators that are related to kernel estimators with lag-windows of trapezoidal shape. The asymptotic performance (bias, variance, rate of convergence) of the proposed estimators is investigated; in particular, it is found that the trapezoidal lag-window spectral estimator is ✓N-consistent in the case of moving-average processes, and ✓(N/log/N)-consistent in the case of autoregressive moving-average processes. The finite-sample performance of the trapezoidal lag-window estimator is also assessed by means of a numerical simulation.
Graduate School Learning Curves: McNair Scholars’ Postbaccalaureate Transitions

The federally funded Ronald B. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Program) prepares first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented college undergraduates to pursue terminal graduate degrees. This study examines 22 McNair scholars’ transitions into graduate school in an attempt to identify factors that influence alumni persistence and matriculation. The participants in this study were alumni from a mid-sized, Northwestern university's McNair Program. During interviews, participants identified significant “learning curves” experienced in graduate school. Five themes, representing 14 learning curves, emerged: academic readiness, weaving a supportive web, managing the clock, being accepted, and staying financially fit. Researchers incorporated identified learning curves into an on-line survey sent to each participant.
Substantial enantiomer-specific differences in the neurochemical and behavioral actions of the synthetic cathinone mephedrone

Aims: Determine whether mu-opioid seeking, stress-related biomarkers, and associative learning are altered by manipulation of noradrenergic and glucocorticoid neurotransmission in heroindependent individuals. Methods: Subjects are being evaluated under buprenorphinemaintained, inpatient conditions using a 3×3 within-subject, randomized crossover, placebo-controlled, double-blind design. In each test session, oral pretreatment doses of the alpha2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine (YOH 0, 27, 54mg) and glucocorticoid agonist hydrocortisone (CORT 0, 20, 40mg) are administered before a hydromorphone (HYD 1.5mg unit) vs. money ($2 unit) choice, progressive ratio task. Periodic measures include stress biomarkers (blood pressure, saliva cortisol and alpha-amylase), negative mood state, and hippocampal dependent (visual associative) learning measures. Results: In interim analyses (n=6 completers of 15 planned), YOH dose dependently increases HYD breakpoint (lin. F[1,5] = 6.37, p= .053), especially during CORT 40mg (lin. YOH×quadr. CORT F[1,5] = 10.77, p< .03). YOH dose dependently increases systolic and diastolic BP (lin. Fs[1,5] = 41.26 and 31.50, ps < .005); POMS Anxiety (lin. F[2,8]) = 2.71, p= .15; and associative learning rate (lin. F[1,5] = 6.11, p< .06), more so during placebo CORT (lin. YOH×quadratic CORT F[1,5] = 9.31, p< .03). YOH 27mg but not 54mg, relative to placebo, tends to increase cortisol (quadr. F[1,5] = 5.00, p<.08) but not alpha-amylase. CORT dose dependently increases cortisol (lin. F[1,5] = 32.20, p< .002) and decreases learning rate (lin. F[1,5] = 10.42,p< .03), but is not alteringother response measures. Conclusions: YOH-potentiated opioid seeking, blood pressure, and anxiety responses are consistent with Greenwald et al. (2013); emerging effects of YOH on cortisol and learning measures further validate this paradigm and extend findings from animal studies. CORT produces a different profile of effects than YOH (e.g. suppression of learning) and may augment YOH’s effect on opioid reinforcement. Financial support: 2 NIH R01 DA015462 and Joe Young Sr./Helene Lycacki Funds (State of Michigan) support this research.
Chemopreventive Efficacy of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 in Colon Cancer

Abstract Recently, it has been reported that 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase [1α(OH)ase, CYP27B1], required to convert non-toxic 25-hyxdroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D 3 ] to its active metabolite [1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 ], is present in the epithelial cells of the human colon. In the present study, the potential chemoprotective role of 25(OH)D 3 was evaluated for colon cancer using the HT-29, human colon cancer cell line. Colon cancer cells were treated with 25(OH)D 3 (500 nM or 1 μM), 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 (500 nM), cholecalciferol (D3, 1 μM) or vehicle and cell number determined at days 2 and 5 post-treatment. Results showed that both 25(OH)D 3 and 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 induced dose- and time-dependent anti-proliferative effects on the HT-29 cells, with maximum inhibition noted at day 5. Western blot analyses revealed an up-regulation of VDR and 1α(OH)ase expression following 24 h of treatment with 25(OH)D 3 , and 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 . These results are consistent with the expression of VDR and 1α(OH)ase in samples of normal colonic tissue, aberrant crypt foci (ACFs) and colon adenocarcinomas. The VDR expression was sequentially increased from normal to pre-cancerous lesions to well-differentiated tumors and then decreased in poorly differentiated tumors. Expression of 1α(OH)ase was equally expressed in normal, pre-cancerous lesions and malignant human colon tissues. The increased expression of 1α(OH)ase in colon cancer cells treated with the pro-hormone and its anti-proliferative effects, suggest that 25(OH)D 3 may offer possible therapeutic and chemopreventive option in colon cancer.
Analytical methods in the theory of psychophysical discrimination I: Inequalities, convexity and integration of just noticeable differences

Abstract We re-examine the theoretical status of Fechner's Mathematical Auxiliary Principle [Fechner, G. T. (1889). Elemente der psychophysik. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel] which underlies Fechner's method of constructing a sensory scale by integrating just noticeable differences (jnds). That “Principle” has been roundly criticized [Luce, R. D., & Edwards, W. (1958). The derivation of subjective scales from just noticeable differences. Psychological Review, 65, 227–237] as being inconsistent with the very basis of Fechner's psychophysical theory, and indeed this is the case. In important papers Pfanzagl [(1962). Uber die stochastische Fundierung des psychophysischen Gesetzes (On the stochastic foundations of the psychophysical law). Biometrische Zeitschrift, 4, 1–14] and Krantz [(1971). Integration of just noticeable differences. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 8, 591–599] resurrected Fechner's method; their analysis showed that the sensory scale could be written as the limit of a sequence of integrals, each of the form suggested by the auxiliary principle. In this work, we investigate the properties of a typical member of the Krantz–Pfanzagl sequence of integrals; we do so with the view to obtaining useful approximations to the true scale. Weber's inequality [Falmagne, J.-Cl. (1977). Note: Weber's inequality and Fechner's problem. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 16, 267–271] plays an important role in our developments. That inequality, and other inequalities of a similar nature, allows us to place bounds on the error incurred by approximating a true scale u by an integral u ^ of jnds. Under appropriate conditions these bounds are sufficiently tight that the relative error ( u - u ^ ) / u is very small over the entire stimulus domain. We illustrate our theoretical results with a number of examples.
The risks and rewards of online editing

The advantages and disadvantages of online editing by an editor of author-submitted materials are examined. It is concluded that online editing makes it possible to provide editing services for some documents that otherwise might not get edited at all because of schedule pressures. In shops where trespassing could be a major problem, the use of this tool helps eliminate any serious concerns. Because it is instantly available, online editing expedites author review, up to and including the very last change before a document is published. >
The dominance of Poisson noise in color digital cameras

The various components that contribute to the noise in digital cameras are primarily Poisson noise from the discrete nature of the photons, Gaussian and Poisson noise from various electronic and thermal processes and uniform noise from quantization. Our experiments show that the photon Poisson noise is the dominant contributor to uncertainty in the raw data captured by high-performance sensors using in color digital cameras. This finding is consistent with previous monochrome work and indicates that research on denoising and demosaicking of color digital images should consider Poisson noise models as more important than the usual Gaussian models.
Intermodal perception of expressive behaviors by human infants

Abstract Four experiments demonstrate that infants of 5 and 7 months can detect information that is invariant across the acoustic and optic presentations of a single affective expression. Infants were presented simultaneously with two filmed facial expressions accompanied by a single vocal expression characteristic of one of the facial expressions. The infants increased their looking time to a facial expression when it was sound-specified, as compared to when that filmed expression was projected silently. Even when synchrony relations were disrupted, infants looked proportionately longer to the film that was sound-specified, indicating that some factor other than temporal synchrony guided the infants' looking behavior. When infants viewed the filmed facial expressions either in a normal orientation or upside-down, those infants viewing the facial expressions in the normal orientation looked appropriately, while those viewing the inverted films did not. These findings support the view that infants are sensitive to amodal, potentially meaningful invariant relations in expressive behaviors. These results are discussed in the context of J. J. Gibson's theory of affordances.
Social choice and computational complexity

Abstract May's conditions characterizing simple majority voting are used to determine what sets of properties force social choice rules to be computable and what sets of properties still permit uncomputable rules. The techniques used also allow discussion of degrees of computational complexity within the class of computable rules.
Evidence for a Family of Archaeal ATPases

The analysis by Carol J. Bult et al . of the Methanococcus jannaschii genome included families of paralogous proteins that did not seem to have counterparts in the current sequence databases ([1][1]). The largest of such families consists of 13 chromosomal and three plasmid-encoded proteins, which
Research Beyond the Pale: Whiteness in Audience Studies and Media Ethnography

This article examines the role of whiteness as a structuring absence to ethnographic audience research. After ignoring whiteness altogether, media ethnographers have tended to essentialize whiteness within narratives of structural dominance or individual vulnerability. Using poststructuralist theories of language, whiteness, and hegemony, the author argues that these narratives for whiteness can be traced to experiences in the field that are shaped by historical and institutional forces outside of the field. Researchers both perform whiteness in the field, by claiming its privilege and hiding its visibility, and codify whiteness for others to identify outside the field. To illustrate, the author examines “narcissistic whiteness” and “defensive whiteness” as two articulations that are visible in her own field notes, interpreted through unifying narratives and rearticulated through an alternative reading of the notes.
Finite element analysis of strain localization in frictional materials

Numerical examples are given which illustrate the poor performance of conventional finite elements in problems involving strain localization in frictional materials. In one of the cases investigated, that of granular media subjected to plane strain biaxial loading, isoparametric elements are seen to inhibit localization altogether. With these examples by way of motivation, the performance of a recently proposed finite element method in the context of strain localization in frictional materials is assessed, with particular emphasis on three-dimensional problems. In passing, some issues pertaining to the post-bifurcation response of biaxial specimens are examined. In particular, the numerical simulations suggest that the observed softening is a geometrical effect not attributable to constitutive behaviour.
Data alignment and integration [US government]

A general-purpose solution to the problem of matching entities within or across heterogeneous data sources can't depend on the presence or reliability of auxiliary data such as structural information or metadata. Instead, it must leverage the available data (or observations) that describe the entities. Our technology, based on information theory principles, measures the importance of observations and then leverages them to quantify the similarity between entities, improving accuracy and reducing the time required to find related entities in a population. Applying this purely data-driven paradigm, we've built two systems: Guspin for automatically identifying equivalence classes or aliases, and Sift for automatically aligning data across databases. The key to our underlying technology is identifying the most informative observations and then matching entities that share them. Given the right types of observations, our model can potentially solve several serious and urgent problems that governments face, such as terrorist detection, identity theft, and data integration.
Characteristics of nurses: An overview of recent research published in a nursing research periodical

Abstract Forty-eight research studies on the characteristics of nurses were reviewed. The studies were published from 1960–1970 in a publication not readily available to workers in vocational development and behavior, Nursing Research. These research articles included studies on (a) the motivational and birth order factors relating to the choice of nursing as a career, (b) personality characteristics of undergraduate, graduate, and professional nurses, (c) performance characteristics in school, on state board examinations, and on the job, and (d) the values and interests of nurses.
On nonparametric Bayesian inference for the distribution of a random sample

The nonparametric Bayesian approach for inference regarding the unknown distribution of a random sample customarily assumes that this distribution is random and arises through Dirichlet-process mixing. Previous work within this setting has focused on the mean of the posterior distribution of this random distribution, which is the predictive distribution of a future observation given the sample. Our interest here is in learning about other features of this posterior distribution as well as about posteriors associated with functionals of the distribution of the data. We indicate how to do this in the case of linear functionals. An illustration, with a sample from a Gamma distribution, utilizes Dirichlet-process mixtures of normals to recover this distribution and its features. Les tenants de l'approche non parametrique bayesienne, lorsqu'ils estiment une loi de probabilite inconnue a partir d'un echantillon aleatoire de sa population, representent generalement l'information a priori au moyen d'un processus de Dirichlet. Jusqu'a present, les travaux realises dans ce domaine ont surtout porte sur l'esperance a posteriori de ce processus, qui permet de faire des previsions sur la valeur eventuelle d'une future observation, etant donne les donnees deja recueillies. L'objet de cet article est de mettre en lumiere d'autres caracteristiques de ce processus a posteriori et des processus a posteriori correspondant aux fonctionnelles de la loi des donnees, notamment des fonctionnelles lineaires. A titre d'illustration, on montre comment il est possible d'identifier et d'etudier les proprietes du processus a posteriori, lorsque les donnees sont issues d'une loi gamma et qu'a priori, le processus de Dirichlet s'appuie sur un melange de lois normales.
Local Ablative Therapy of Oligoprogressive Disease Prolongs Disease Control by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Oncogene-Addicted Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction: Many patients with oncogene-driven non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors experience limited sites of disease progression. This study investigated retrospectively the benefits of local ablative therapy (LAT) to central nervous system (CNS) and/or limited systemic disease progression and continuation of crizotinib or erlotinib in patients with metastatic ALK gene rearrangement ( ALK+ ) or EGFR -mutant ( EGFR -MT) NSCLC, respectively. Methods: Patients with metastatic ALK + NSCLC treated with crizotinib ( n = 38) and EGFR -MT NSCLC treated with erlotinib ( n = 27) were identified at a single institution. Initial response to the respective kinase inhibitors, median progression-free survival (PFS1), and site of first progression were recorded. A subset of patients with either nonleptomeningeal CNS and/or four sites or fewer of extra-CNS progression (oligoprogressive disease) suitable for LAT received either radiation or surgery to these sites and continued on the same tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The subsequent median progression-free survival from the time of first progression (PFS2) and pattern of progression were recorded. Results: Median progression-free survival in ALK + patients on crizotinib was 9.0 months, and 13.8 months for EGFR -MT patients on erlotinib. Twenty-five of 51 patients (49%) who progressed were deemed suitable for local therapy (15 ALK +, 10 EGFR -MT; 24 with radiotherapy, one with surgery) and continuation of the same targeted therapy. Post-LAT, 19 of 25 patients progressed again, with median PFS2 of 6.2 months. Discussion: Oncogene-addicted NSCLC with CNS and/or limited systemic disease progression (oligoprogressive disease) on relevant targeted therapies is often suitable for LAT and continuation of the targeted agent, and is associated with more than 6 months of additional disease control.
Origin of corundum-normative intrusive and extrusive magmas

MANY intrusive and extrusive calc-alkaline suites show a continuous trend from diopsode-normative basic magma to corundum normative acid magmas, that is, with an increasing SiO2 content there is an exceptional decrease in the Ca:Al ratio of the magma. A number of explanations have been proposed for these trends, including secondary alteration, vapour phase transfer, assimilation, crustal remelting, hydrous melting of the upper mantle and the fractional crystallisation of a variety of phases. We demonstrate here that corundum-normative magmas can be produced by the fractional crystallisation of a hornblendic amphibole from calc-alkaline magma under moderate water pressure.
A study of metal ignitions II. The spontaneous ignition of zirconium

Abstract Spontaneous ignition of massive shapes of titanium can occur at room temperature when a fresh, oxide-free metal surface is exposed to oxygen under pressure. Such a surface can be produced by the rupture of a titanium specimen under tension. If these surfaces are exposed to oxygen pressure in excess of 350 p.s.i.g. spontaneous ignition of the sample occurs. With dilute oxygen, using helium or steam as a diluent, higher pressures are required for ignition. Spontaneous ignition at various concentrations of oxygen was investigated and the effect of temperature on ignition limits was also determined. The hypothesis is suggested that only those metals whose oxides are soluble in the metal will ignite spontaneously and ignition will occur only if the initial reaction is vigorous enough to raise the surface temperature to the melting point of the metal or an eutectic.
Correlations between Gesell Scores in Infancy and Performance on Verbal and Non-Verbal Tests in Early Childhood

Since infant developmental tests are heavily loaded with perceptual-motor items and are relatively free of auditory-verbal items, it was hypothesized that performance on infant tests would correlate higher with those later tests which measure non-verbal skills and lower with those tests that measure mostly verbal skills. The Gesell performance of 26 normal, male white infants at 7, 9 and 15 mo. correlated significantly and consistently with performance on the Merrill-Palmer Scale at 27 mo. and the visual-motor channel of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities at 5 yr. and showed consistently non-significant correlations with the Stanford Binet at 3 yr., the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test at 5 yr., and the auditory-vocal channel of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities at 5 yr.
Income smoothing behavior of U.S. banks under revised international capital requirements

The use of the loan-loss provision to smooth reported income by large bank holding companies is a much-investigated practice. To the extent that the variability of net income is a measure of risk, income smoothing may reduce the perceived riskiness of the bank and thus increase stock value. Managers may have added incentive to smooth income in response to the structure of their compensation package. The Basel Accord of 1988 phased in new definitions of regulatory capital for banks. These changes have increased the incentives for income smoothing. Most previous studies on income smoothing and loan-loss reserves predate the implementation of the Basel Accord. Others use data that include the transition period. This study revisits the subject, using only post-Accord data. Results of this study are compared with previous results. The evidence confirms the continued existence of income smoothing and supports the proposition that banks have become more aggressive in using loan-loss reserves as a tool for income smoothing.
Physician division of labor and patient selection for outpatient procedures.

Abstract Little is known about the ability of incentives to influence decisions by physicians regarding choices of settings for care delivery. In the context of outpatient procedural care, the emergence of freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) as alternatives to hospital-based outpatient departments (HOPDs) creates a unique opportunity to study this question. We advance a model where physicians’ division of labor between ASCs and HOPDs affects the medical complexity of patients treated in low-acuity settings (i.e. ASCs). Analyses of outpatient surgical procedure data show that physicians working exclusively in low-acuity settings (i.e. ASCs) treat patients of significantly higher medical complexity in these settings than do physicians who also practice in higher-acuity settings (i.e. HOPDs). This discrepancy shrinks with increasing procedural risk and with increasing distance between ASCs and acute care hospitals.
Photoionization of the outer shells of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon using the relativistic random-phase approximation

Multichannel photoionization calculations using the relativistic random-phase approximation for the outer shells in the rare gases, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon, are presented. Total cross sections and partial cross sections for $\mathrm{ns}$ subshells are determined and compared with experiment and with alternative calculations at low energies. Branching ratios of $^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}}:^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}$ cross sections which are sensitive to relativistic and correlation effects are presented and compared with experiment. Angular distribution asymmetry parameters $\ensuremath{\beta}$ determined for each subshell are found and compared with experiment; the differences between $\ensuremath{\beta}$ values for $^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}$ and $^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}}$ subshells in krypton and xenon emphasize the importance of relativistic effects in outer subshells of heavy elements. Values of $\ensuremath{\beta}$ are given for outermost $s$ electrons which show large relativistic effects near the "Cooper minima" of the corresponding partial cross sections. Eigenphases from the multichannel analysis are presented for argon to illustrate mathematical features of the present calculation.
Complement and Fc receptors on cord blood and adult neutrophils.

Summary: The percentage of neutrophils forming erythrocyte-antibody-complement complex (EAC) and with erythrocyte-antibody complex (EAG) was determined for 30 normal newborns and 10 normal adults. The cord values ranged from 84–100% EAC binding cells with a mean of 95%. The adult values ranged from 89–100% EAG binding cells with a mean of 96% rosetted neutrophils. The mean percentage of EAG binding cells in the cord samples was 81%, whereas in the seven adult samples the mean was 87%. Speculation: Experimental evidence has suggested that the neutrophil of the newborn may be immature compared with that of the adult. In this study we determined that the average percentage of neutrophils possessing complement and Fc receptors in cord blood of normal infants and in adult peripheral blood was identical. Infants suffering from neonatal disorders, including sepsis should be studied for the presence or absence of these receptors.
Relation between carotid intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass in type 1 diabetes mellitus (from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications [EDIC] study)

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with early atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular mortality. The relation between carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, and left ventricular (LV) mass, an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity, has not been previously studied in type 1 DM. The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study is a multicenter observational study designed to follow up the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) cohort. LV mass was measured with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at EDIC year 15 and common cIMT was assessed using B-mode ultrasound at EDIC year 12. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the relation between cIMT at year 12 and LV mass at year 15. In total 889 participants had cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cIMT measurements available for these analyses. At EDIC year 15, mean age of the participants was 49 ± 7 years, mean DM duration was 28 ± 5 years, and 52% were men. Spearman correlation coefficient (r) between LV mass and cIMT was 0.33 (p 2 per 0.1-mm cIMT increment, p 2 per 0.1-mm cIMT increment (p
Adsorption and reactions of NOx on RuO2(110)

Abstract The surface chemistry of NO x on metal oxides is important to environmental catalysis. Here we employ plane-wave, supercell DFT calculations to characterize NO x chemistry at the RuO 2 (1 1 0) surface as a model of a catalytically active transition metal oxide surface. We identify a range of potential NO x intermediates, and use a thermodynamic analysis to characterize their stability as a function of gas exposure conditions. Adsorbed NO (nitrosyl) and to a lesser extent NO 3 (nitrate) dominate the surface phase diagram. Computed vibrational spectra are in good agreement with observation and provide new assignments of observed surface species. NO 2 is thermodynamically unstable at the surface and its desorption is never favored: in contrast to its activity towards CO oxidation, RuO 2 (1 1 0) is not an effective NO oxidation catalyst. Rather, it could be effective as a reversible NO adsorber. Finally, we characterize the kinetics of several NO surface reactions and identify a pathway that may contribute to the decomposition of NO to N 2 and N 2 O over partially reduced surfaces.
Receptor-mediated uptake of labeled transferrin by embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture.

Transferrin is a growth-promoting plasma protein which is known to occur within developing neurons. Since little information exists on the process by which transferrin is internalized by neurons, we studied this process using dissociated embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture. Cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons were incubated in the presence of 3.75 nM (125)I-transferrin at 37°C, the cultures were extensively washed, the neurons were solubilized in a Triton-containing buffer and internalized (125)I-transferrin was quantified with a gamma counter. (125)I-transferrin was internalized in a linear fashion for at least 60 min, and this uptake was abolished by the presence of 1.25 μM unlabeled transferrin. No competition for the uptake of (125)I-transferrin was observed in the presence of 1.25 μM ovalbumin, cytochrome c, hemoglobin, insulin, horseradish peroxidase, aldolase or the carboxyl-terminal fragment ('half-site') of transferrin. By contrast, uptake was inhibited by approximately 50% in the presence of the ammo-terminal fragment ('half-site') of transferrin (1.25 μM) or in the presence of concanavalin A (1.25 μM). The binding of transferrin conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate to neurons at 4°C and its subsequent internalization at 37°C was demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy of unfixed cells following incubation of the neurons in the presence of the fluorescently labeled protein. Furthermore, the transferrin receptors were visualized immunocytochemically on the surface membranes of dorsal root ganglion neurons using rabbit antibodies directed against transferrin receptors from chicken reticulocytes. From these data, we conclude that transferrin is internalized by neurons via receptor-mediated endocytosis, and suggest that this protein may serve an important role in the development and survival of dorsal root ganglion neurons.
A Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet Improves Gastroesophageal Reflux and Its Symptoms

Obese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may experience resolution of symptoms utilizing a very low-carbohydrate diet. The mechanism of this improvement is unknown. This studied aimed to prospectively assess changes in distal esophageal acid exposure and GERD symptoms among obese adults initiating a very low-carbohydrate diet. We studied obese individuals with GERD initiating a diet containing less than 20 g/day of carbohydrates. Symptom severity was assessed using the GERD Symptom Assessment Scale—Distress Subscale (GSAS-ds). Participants underwent 24-hr esophageal pH probe testing and initiated the diet upon its completion. Within 6 days, a second pH probe test was performed. Outcomes included changes in the Johnson-DeMeester score, percentage total time with a pH<4 in the distal esophagus, and GSAS-ds scores. Eight participants were enrolled. Mean Johnson-DeMeester score decreased from 34.7 to 14.0 (P=0.023). Percentage time with pH<4 decreased from 5.1% to 2.5% (P=0.022). Mean GSAS-ds score decreased from 1.28 to 0.72 (P=0.0004). These data suggest that a very low-carbohydrate diet in obese individuals with GERD significantly reduces distal esophageal acid exposure and improves symptoms.
Urban Environmental Justice Indices

Environmental justice is the principle that environmental costs and amenities ought to be equitably distributed within society. Due to the ethical, political, and public–health implications, and because many choices confront those researching environmental justice, standardized measures are needed to inform public dialogue and policy. We develop and test seven indices on three Colorado cities to measure the relationship between the distribution of environmental hazards and minority and poverty–stricken populations, and recommend the Comparative Environmental Risk Index as a preliminary, standardized measure for comparing urban areas. This index is particularly relevant to disadvantaged communities, regional planning organizations, environmental–justice networks and scholars, and state and federal agencies.
Numerical investigation of turbulence models for shock separated boundary-layer flows

Numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations for shock separated turbulent boundary-layer flows are presented. Several turbulence models are investigated and assessed by their ability to predict the physical phenomena associated with two extensively documented experiments. The experimental flows consist of shock-wave boundary-layer interactions in axisymmetric internal and external geometries at Mach numbers of 1.5 and 7, respectively. Algebraic and one-equation eddy viscosity models are used to describe the Reynolds shear stress. Calculated values of skin friction, wall pressure distribution, kinetic energy of turbulence, and heat transfer are compared with measurements.
What the locus of brain lesion tells us about the nature of the cognitive defect underlying category-specific disorders: a review.

Abstract Different models have been proposed to account for the nature of the cognitive defects underlying category-specific disorders for living and non-living things. One model assumes that the living/non-living distinction is the by-product of a more basic dichotomy, contingent upon the different weighting that visuo-perceptual and functional attributes have in the identification of members of these categories. A second model submits that evolutionary pressure resulted in the elaboration of dedicated neural mechanisms for the domains of living (animals and plants) and non-living (artefacts) things. A third model proposes that the different level of interconnections existing between perceptual and functional features in living and non living things may be more important than the weighting of these features. Each of these models makes implicit assumptions about the extent and the localization of brain lesions provoking category-specific disorders. However, it must also be considered that these disorders are heterogeneous in nature, resulting from defects located at the semantic, lexical or visual level. In the present review of the literature, we kept this distinction in mind in trying to analyze the neuroanatomical correlates of living and nonliving disorders. Our findings showed that there is a correlation between the locus of lesion and the patterns of categorical impairment: (a) a bilateral injury to the antero-mesial and inferior parts of the temporal lobes was found in patients with a category-specific semantic impairment for living things; (b) a lesion of the infero-mesial parts of the temporo-occipital areas of the left hemisphere was found in a group of patients showing a specific lexical impairment for members of the ‘plants’ category; (c) an extensive lesion of the areas lying on the dorso-lateral convexity of the left hemisphere was found in patients with a category-specific semantic impairment for man-made artefacts. Taken together, these results seem to show that the category-specific disorder is crucially related to the kind of semantic information processed by the damaged areas.
Seed Processing and the Origins of Food Production in Eastern North America

Despite the fact that small seeds are often inefficient to exploit, they are consumed and sometimes cultivated in many parts of the world, including eastern North America. Foraging models predict that seeds are likely to be utilized only if preferred resources become scarce, or if their own profitability is increased through processes such as domestication or technological innovation. Ethnographic, experimental, and nutritional studies of the small grains used prehistorically in eastern North America suggest that they offered low rates of return (measured as energy per unit time spent) compared to many alternative resources. These estimates rely on the assumption that some degree of post-harvest processing was required to make seed foods palatable and nutritious. That this assumption is reasonable is supported by archaeological and archaeobotanical evidence from rockshelters in eastern Kentucky. Resource stress and technological innovation are unlikely explanations for the adoption of such low-ranking resources in this region around 3500 B.P. However, estimation of return rates does not take account of the lowered significance of time costs in the winter season, when seed processing could take place with little competition from other productive tasks. The timing of the adoption of small seeds also reflects historical factors such as spatial distribution of plant populations and habitats.