cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyenoic acid metabolism in cultured human skin fibroblasts.

The incorporation of [1-14C]linoleic acid, and [1-14C]linoleic acid into cellular lipids of cultured human skin fibroblasts was studied. Cultured cells took up both labeled fatty acids at nearly the same rate and incorporated them into a variety of lipid classes. At the end of 1 hr incubation with [1-14C]linoleic acid, radioactivity was found in the triacylglycerol (TG) and choline phosphoglyceride (CPG) pools preferentially. Incorporation into the TG fraction decreased rapidly, while the uptake into CPG, serine phosphoglyceride (SPG), and ethanolamine phosphoglyceride (EPG) fractions increased progressively with longer incubation times. Similar results were obtained with [1-14C]linoleic acid as precursor. At the end of 24 hr, desaturation and chain elongation of 18∶3 n−3 was more extensive than conversion of 18∶2 n−6 to higher polyenoic acids. During pulse-chase experiments with either fatty acid precursor, the incorporated radioactivity was progressively lost from cellular lipids, particularly from the TG and CPG fractions, but continued to increase in the SPG and EPG pools. The similar labeling pattern of cellular phospholipids with linoleic or linolenic acids, and data from pulse-chase studies suggest that a direct transfer of fatty acids from CPG to EPG is a likely pathway in fibroblast cultures. Incorporation into the EPG pool during the pulse-chase experiments paralleled extensive desaturation and elongation of linoleic acid into 20∶4 n−6, and 22∶4 n−6; and of linolenic acid into 22∶5 n−3 and 22∶6 n−3.
The Sixtieth William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition

The results of the Sixtieth William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, held December 4, 1999, follow. They have been determined in accordance with the regulations governing the competition, a contest supported by the William Lowell Putnam Prize Fund for the Promotion of Scholarship, a fund endowed by Mrs. Putnam in memory of her husband. The annual Competition is held under the auspices of the Mathematical Association of America. The first prize, $25,000, was awarded to the Department of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo. The members of the winning team were Sabin Cautis, Donny C. Cheung, and Derek I. E. Kisman; each was awarded a prize of $1000. The second prize, $20,000, was awarded to the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University. The members of the winning team were Michael L. Develin, Ciprian Manolescu, and Alexander H. Saltman; each was awarded a prize of $800. The third prize, $15,000, was awarded to the Department of Mathematics at Duke University. The members of the winning team were Kevin D. Lacker, Carl A. Miller, and Melanie E. Wood; each was awarded a prize of $600. The fourth prize, $10,000, was awarded to the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The members of the winning team were Chetan T. Balwe, Rishi Raj, and Dapeng Zhu; each was awarded a prize of $400. The fifth prize, $5,000, was awarded to the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. The members of the winning team were Matthew T. Gealy, Christopher D. Malon, and Sergey Vasseliev; each was awarded a prize of $200. The six highest ranking individual contestants, in alphabetical order, were Sabin Cautis, University of Waterloo; Derek I. E. Kisman, University of Waterloo; Abhinav Kumar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Davesh Maulik, Harvard University; Christopher C. Mihelich, Harvard University; and Colin A. Percival, Simon Fraser University. The next eight highest ranking contestants, in alphabetical order, were: John J. Clyde, Duke University; Michael J. Colsher, Duke University; Joel K. Erickson, University of British Columbia; Lukasz Fidkowski, Harvard University; Aram W. Harrow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Kevin D. Lacker, Duke University; Ivan G. Petrakiev, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Hoeteck Wee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The next ten highest ranking contestants, in alphabetical order, were: Jesse A. Goodman, University of British Columbia; Christopher M. Hirata, California Institute of Technology; Stefan L. Hornet, Princeton University; Joel Kamnitzer, University of Waterloo; Yoon-Ho Lee, Harvard University; Radu H. Mihaescu, Princeton University; Rishi Raj, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Kaiwen Xu, California Institute of Technology; Wai Ling Yee, University of Waterloo; and Dapeng Zhu, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Small Population of One to Three Fused-Aromatic Ring Moieties in Asphaltenes

The aromatic ring distributions of asphaltenes are examined with emphasis on one- to three-ring moieties by using fluorescence emission spectroscopy: such a nondestructive, bulk analysis of small aromatic moieties in asphaltene has not been achieved by any other method. Asphaltenes are found to lack significant populations of these small rings compared to larger ring systems; increasing relative populations of small ring moieties are found for resins and maltenes, as expected. Additionally, the one asphaltene with higher polarity possesses smaller aromatic ring systems. Potential perturbations of asphaltene spectra by energy transfer effects are ruled out, using analyses based on fluorescence lifetimes. Energy transfer, which yields red-shifted emission, is known to decrease fluorescence lifetimes. Fluorescence lifetimes of dilute asphaltene solutions are shown to be intrinsic by comparison to those of deasphaltened crude oils; thus, fluorescence emissions of dilute asphaltene solutions are unaffected by energy transfer.
Cancer-Associated Thrombosis

Thrombosis was identified as a complication of cancer by Trousseau in 1865, and the combination of the two conditions is still often called Trousseau's syndrome. Arterial and, more commonly, venous thrombosis is a frequent complication of cancer and sometimes a harbinger of occult cancer. Moreover, the use of new and aggressive therapy for cancer increases the risk of thrombosis. There are many causes of thrombosis in cancer. Cancer itself is often the underlying mechanism. When cells of the monocyte or macrophage lineage interact with malignant cells, they release tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6, causing endothelial damage and sloughing of . . .
Limit imposed by atmospheric dispersion on the minimum laser pulsewidth that can be transmitted undistorted

The dispersive effects of the atmosphere due to index of retraction variations with the frequency will permit one to transmit vertically through the whole atmosphere under clear weather conditions pulses having widths ranging from about 40 ps to about 1.0 ps with distortions varying from correspondingly small to large over this range of pulsewidths. However, even for a pulsewidth of 1.3 ps the half-voltage pulsewidth is only increased by about 10 percent.
Transport of cadmium and zinc to rocky reef communities in feces of the blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis), a planktivorous fish

The blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis), an abundant planktivorous reef fish off southern California, releases fecal material as it forages in the water column during the day and shelters in reefs at night. This behavior results in direct transportation of cadmium and zinc to reef communities. Cadmium and zinc concentrations, measured in fish feces after digestion in weak hydrochloric acid to better assess metal levels potentially available to detritivores, averaged 24·2 μg cadmium and 368 μg zinc g−1 dry weight of feces. Concentrations of both metals varied significantly among the five sampling dates. Fresh feces spiked with 109Cd and 65Zn adsorbed additional metals for 9 and 6 h, respectively, but the increase was negligible (<0·1%). The total amount of weak-acid-leachable cadmium and zinc egested by sheltering blacksmiths is approximately 4·4 μg and 66·8 μg m−2 night−1, respectively, and may represent more cadmium and almost as much zinc as is transported by the passive settlement of particulate material from the water column. This transport mechanism between planktonic and benthic communities via feces of reef fishes is probably widespread in temperate and tropical seas.
Specificity of the EMIT Drug Abuse Urine Assay Methods

A investigation was conducted to determine the specificity of the EMIT DAU method of drugs of abuse analysis. Drug-free urine, from healthy volunteers, was individually spiked at 1000, 100, 10, and 1 microgram/mL concentrations with each of 162 different drug substances. These spiked samples were analyzed with the EMIT DAU assay for amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepine metabolites, cocaine metabolites, methadone, opiates, and propoxyphene. Although several of the test methods yielded positive results at a concentration of 100 micrograms/mL, many drugs will probably not reach that concentration in the urine. The number of drugs giving a false positive at a concentration of 100 micrograms/mL was very low. The assay for cocaine metabolites gave no false positive results at any of the concentrations studied while the assay for methadone gave the largest number of false positive results. When interpreting the results of this investigation one must consider that in many cases drug metabolites will exist in the urine, salt forms of the drugs studied were used, and ionic strength and pH effects can interfere with the lysozyme enzyme system used in the EMIT DAU assays. In summary, the proper utilization of specificity information may assist the analyst in explaining unusual values obtained in the laboratory, particularly when the subject is concurrently using prescription or nonprescription medication.
Guarding against premature convergence while accelerating evolutionary search

The fundamental dichotomy in evolutionary algorithms is that between exploration and exploitation. Recently, several algorithms [8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 20] have been introduced that guard against premature convergence by allowing both exploration and exploitation to occur simultaneously. However, continuous exploration greatly increases search time. To reduce the cost of continuous exploration we combine one of these methods (the age-layered population structure (ALPS) algorithm [8, 9]) with an early stopping (ES) method [2] that greatly accelerates the time needed to evaluate a candidate solution during search. We show that this combined method outperforms an equivalent algorithm with neither ALPS nor ES, as well as regimes in which only one of these methods is used, on an evolutionary robotics task.
Moments of Despair: Suicide, Divorce, and Debt in Civil War Era North Carolina. By David Silkenat. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2011. Pp. x, 296. $45.00.)

By tracing cultural attitudes toward suicide, debt, and divorce, the author of this study argues that the Civil War “transformed the moral framework through which North Carolinians interpreted thei...
A dynamic and static study of hepatic arterioles and hepatic sphincters

The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate the cytology of the sphincters of hepatic sinusoids, to elucidate further the pathway by which arterial blood is distributed to the sinusoids, and to study the hormonal and local regulation of arterial and portal venous blood flow through the sinusoids. The sphincters were found to consist of reticulo-endothelial cells and were the primary site for the regulation of blood flow through the sinusoids. By contracting independently or in unison the flow of blood was regulated through individual sinusoids, through sinusoids supplying a portion of a lobule, or through sinusoids supplying a whole lobule. When the sphincter cells contracted, their nuclear region bulged into the lumen, thereby occluding it. Hepatic arterioles were found to wind around adjacent portal venules with an average curvature of 42° and communicated with sinusoids via arterio-sinus twigs. No structural arterio-portal anastomoses were observed; however, functional “arterioportal anastomoses” were formed by short twigs which terminated in sinusoids near their origins. No branches were found to terminate near central venules. The data suggest that the local regulation of blood flow through the hepatic sinusoids is mediated by vasodilator metabolites (adenosine and/or potassium) released from hypoxic hepatic cells as a result of the rapid glycogenolysis that accompanies hepatic cellular hypoxia.
Search Space Reduction via Multi-Sensory Directional Cueing

Spatial tactile displays allow for the cueing of directional information without drawing upon the visual and auditory channels. This work highlights the effectiveness of a tactual display versus a ...
Genetics of Psychosis in Alzheimer Disease

Psychosis occurs in approximately half of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD with psychosis, AD + P). AD + P patients have more rapid cognitive decline, greater behavioral symptoms, and higher mortality than do AD patients without psychosis. Studies in three independent cohorts have shown that psychosis in AD aggregates in families, with estimated heritability of 29.5–60.8 %. These findings have motivated studies to investigate and uncover the genes responsible for the development of psychosis, with the ultimate goal of identifying potential biologic mechanisms that may serve as leads to specific therapies. Linkage analyses have implicated loci on chromosomes 2, 6–8, 15, and 21 with AD + P. Association studies on apolipoprotein E do not support it as a risk gene for psychosis in AD. No other candidate genes, such as neurodegenerative and monoamine genes, show conclusive evidence of association with AD + P. However, a recent genome-wide association study has produced some promising leads, including among them genes that have been associated with schizophrenia. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the genetic basis of AD + P.
Escape from a metastable well: the Kramers turnover problem

The thermally activated escape from a metastable well is studied in a region where both recrossing and depletion effects are important. It is shown that the relevant variable for the escape dynamics is the energy in the unstable normal mode at the barrier. In terms of this quantity the theory becomes easily perceptible and allows for a calculation of the escape rate in the turnover region between the low damping and strong damping Kramers limits.
Affordable Care Act and behavioral health services: special section editor's note.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) paves the way for substantial changes in the coverage and provision of behavioral health services to prevent and treat substance abuse, mental disorders, and co-occurring disorders. For example, the ACA promotes new programs and tools, such as home health, interdisciplinary care teams, the broadening of the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services option, co-location of physical health and behavioral health services, and collaborative care. In addition, the act offers opportunities to insure many more people, provide coverage for previously unreimbursed services, integrate care using new information technology tools and treatment teams, and implement evidence-based interventions. The main motivation behind the ACA is to design a comprehensive market-based health reform (see Fig. 1 for the timeline of ACA implementation). The law intends to increase the number of insured people by requiring those who can afford to do so to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty (individual mandate). For those who cannot afford the premiums, it provides tax subsidies to enable individuals to purchase individual insurance policies through the Exchanges. The ACA prohibits health insurers from discriminating on the basis of preexisting conditions or from imposing lifetime limits on coverage. In addition, the law expands Medicaid coverage to individuals with incomes below roughly 133% of the federal poverty level. The ACA also provides funds that are targeted at population health. For example, the Prevention and Public Health Fund is authorized to disburse $15 billion over 10 years. There are also a number of smaller programs and community interventions that promote healthy lifestyles for older adults, childhood antiobesity projects, and Community Transformation Grants to State, local, and tribal agencies for preventive health activities. Other public health issues that the act provides are funds to include discrete, evidencebased preventive services as well as school-based health centers and oral health campaigns. A considerable amount of research has been conducted to analyze the impact of the Affordable Care Act on certain population subgroups such as children, elderly, or Medicaid beneficiaries. However, there is still a need for further research on the ACA and the population utilizing behavioral health services because people with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) and/or substance use disorders (SUDs) face extra challenges and possible disengagement from health care systems. How the ACAwill affect coverage and provisions of behavioral health services are critically important for this population. This special section of The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research brings together a series of articles on the Affordable Care Act and behavioral health services. The first article by Beronio et al. sets the stage by discussing how the coverage expansions in the ACA build on and enhance the protections against discriminatory limits and cost-sharing established in the Mental Health Parity and
Silencing of neurotropic flavivirus replication in the central nervous system by combining multiple microRNA target insertions in two distinct viral genome regions

In recent years, microRNA-targeting has become an effective strategy for selective control of tissue-tropism and pathogenesis of both DNA and RNA viruses. Here, using a neurotropic flavivirus as a model, we demonstrate that simultaneous miRNA targeting of the viral genome in the open reading frame and 3′-noncoding regions for brain-expressed miRNAs had an additive effect and produced a more potent attenuation of the virus compared to separate targeting of those regions. Multiple miRNA co-targeting of these two distantly located regions completely abolished the virus neurotropism as no viral replication was detected in the developing brain of neonatal mice. Furthermore, no viral antigens were detected in neurons, and neuronal integrity in the brain of mice was well preserved. This miRNA co-targeting approach can be adapted for other viruses in order to minimize their replication in a cell- or tissue-type specific manner, but most importantly, to prevent virus escape from miRNA-mediated silencing.
Effects of long-term hypoxia on enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis.

The goal of the current study was to generate a comprehensive, multi-tissue perspective of the effects of chronic hypoxic exposure on carbohydrate metabolism in the Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis. Fish were held at approximately 1.3·mg·l ‐1 dissolved oxygen (~3.6·kPa) for 4·weeks, after which maximal activities were measured for all glycolytic enzymes in four tissues (white skeletal muscle, liver, heart and brain), as well as for enzymes of glycogen metabolism (in muscle and liver) and gluconeogenesis (in liver). The specific activities of enzymes of glycolysis and glycogen metabolism were strongly suppressed by hypoxia in white skeletal muscle, which may reflect decreased energy demand in this tissue during chronic hypoxia. In contrast, several enzyme specific activities were higher in liver tissue after hypoxic exposure, suggesting increased capacity for carbohydrate metabolism. Hypoxic exposure affected fewer enzymes in heart and brain than in skeletal muscle and liver, and the changes were smaller in magnitude, perhaps due to preferential perfusion of heart and brain during hypoxia. The specific activities of some gluconeogenic enzymes increased in liver during long-term hypoxic exposure, which may be coupled to increased protein catabolism in skeletal muscle. These results demonstrate that when intact fish are subjected to prolonged hypoxia, enzyme activities respond in a tissue-specific fashion reflecting the balance of energetic demands, metabolic role and oxygen supply of particular tissues. Furthermore, within glycolysis, the effects of hypoxia varied among enzymes, rather than being uniformly distributed among pathway enzymes.
Implementation and convergence considerations of a linearly constrained adaptive array

O.L. Frost (1972) introduced a linearly constrained optimization algorithm that allows certain main beam properties to be preserved while good cancellation is attained. An open-loop implementation of this algorithm is developed. This implementation is shown to be equivalent to the technique developed by C.W. Jim (1977), L.J. Griffiths and C.W. Jin (1982), and K.M. Buckley and L.J. Griffiths (1982) whereby the constrained problem is reduced to an unconstrained problem. Analytical results are presented for the convergence rate when the sampled matrix inversion (SMI) or Gram-Schmidt (GS) algorithm are employed. It has been previously shown that the steady-state solution for the optimal weights is identical for both constrained and reduced unconstrained problems. It is shown that if the SMI or GS algorithm is employed, then the transient weighting vector solution for the constrained problem is identical to the equivalent transient weight vector solution for the reduced unconstrained implementation. >
A Stem Structure in Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 Transcripts Mediates Cell-Type-Specific Splicing by Approximating Intronic Control Elements

Alternative splicing of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) occurs in a cell-type-specific manner with the mutually exclusive use of exon IIIb or exon IIIc. Specific inclusion of exon IIIb is observed in epithelial cells, whereas exon IIIc inclusion is seen in mesenchymal cells. Epithelium-specific activation of exon IIIb and repression of exon IIIc are coordinately regulated by intronic activating sequence 2 (IAS2) and intronic splicing activator and repressor (ISAR) elements in FGFR2 pre-mRNA. Previously, it has been suggested that IAS2 and a 20-nucleotide core sequence of ISAR form a stem structure that allows for the proper regulation of FGFR2 alternative splicing. Replacement of IAS2 and the ISAR core with random sequences capable of stem formation resulted in the proper activation of exon IIIb and repression of exon IIIc in epithelial cells. Given the high degree of phylogenetic conservation of the IAS2-ISAR core structure and the fact that unrelated stem-forming sequences could functionally substitute for IAS2 and ISAR elements, we postulated that the stem structure facilitated the approximation of intronic control elements. Indeed, deletion of the entire stem-loop region and juxtaposition of sequences immediately upstream of IAS2 with sequences immediately downstream of the ISAR core maintained proper cell-type-specific inclusion of exon IIIb. These data demonstrate that IAS2 and the ISAR core are dispensable for the cell-type-specific activation of exon IIIb; thus, the major, if not the sole, role of the IAS2-ISAR stem in exon IIIb activation is to approximate sequences upstream of IAS2 with sequences downstream of the ISAR core. The downstream sequence is very likely a highly conserved GCAUG element, which we show was required for efficient exon IIIb activation.
Immigration and Human Rights

Since its inception, immigration, whether legal or illegal, forced or voluntary, has been an enduring characteristic of the USA influencing not only economic markets but also the social and cultural fabric that helps define nationalistic, ethnic, gendered, and linguistic identities (Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Refugees and Asylees, 2012). Although immigration has brought about many benefits, there has also been some ambivalence about the role of these new communities in the USA, creating significant challenges for all communities (Segal, A framework for immigration: Asians in the United States. Columbia University Press, 2002). In particular, immigrant and refugee groups and their rights have held a prominent place in the American landscape and political discourse for several decades, influencing issues of citizenship, resettlement, inclusion, and exclusion in society (Nash, Wong, & Trlin, International Social Work 49:345–363, 2006).
Cytopathic Effects and Ultrastructure of Mycoplasma agalactiae var. bovis (Donetta strain)

An electron microscopic examination of the pathogenic Donetta strain mycoplasma (tentatively Mycoplasma agalactiae var. bovis), in broth and cell cultures, revealed that this organism possessed considerable pleomorphism. A membranelined space occurred in a number of the organisms, and some of these were considered to represent deep, cuplike invaginations of the outer limiting membrane. In cell cultures, the mycoplasmas were located almost exclusively in extracellular locations but often in close association to the host-cell membrane. The cytopathic effects (CPE) were not considered to be caused primarily by cytoplasmic invasion. Serum was necessary for the development of the CPE and multiplication of the mycoplasmas in cell cultures. An effort to determine the basic cause of the CPE was unsuccessful but did eliminate causes previously reported for other strains of mycoplasma.
Mechanical characterization of prosthetic feet using a Prosthetic Foot Loading Apparatus

A Prosthetic Foot Loading Apparatus (PFLA) was modified and improved to measure the mechanical properties of different prosthetic feet. In this paper the properties of a SACH foot and a Flexwalk foot are examined to demonstrate application of the device. Roll-over shape of the feet was determined using a shank-based coordinate system. Damping ratios (/spl zeta/=0.064 for SACH and /spl zeta/=0.028 for Flexwalk) and resonant frequencies (/spl omega//sub n/=5.46 Hz for SACH and /spl omega//sub n/=2.90 Hz for Flexwalk) were also obtained. Roll-over shapes and damping ratios influence foot performance during walking. The PFLA is valuable for determining mechanical properties of commercially available prosthetic feet and as well as for evaluating design prototypes for new prosthetic feet.
MINERALIZATION OF METHIONINE SULPHUR IN SOILS AND FOREST FLOOR LAYERS

Abstract A1-horizon soils and 01, 02 forest floor layers from a mixed mature hardwood forest rapidly converted methionine-S to readily-available (salt-extractable) and less readily-available (acid- and base-extractable) inorganic sulphate (SO−24). It is suggested that this latter conversion represents the incorporation into organic matter of a portion of the (SO−24) released by mineralization. On a dry weight basis, the 02 layer of the forest floor was the most active with respect to both conversions. Moreover, capacities for mineralization and (SO−24) incorporation decreased with increasing sample depth within the mineral horizon. Both conversions were dependent upon temperature and duration of incubation and were absent from samples which had been autoclaved. Sodium azide and the broad-spectrum antibiotic, tetracycline also inhibited each conversion to varying extents depending upon the type of sample incubated with methionine.
Multiple myeloma: 2011 update on diagnosis, risk‐stratification, and management

Disease overview: Multiple myeloma is malignant plasma-cell disorder that accounts for ∼∼10% of all hematologic malignancies. Diagnosis: The diagnosis requires (1) 10% or more clonal plasma cells on bone marrow examination or a biopsy-proven plasmacytoma plus (2) evidence of end-organ damage felt to be related to the underlying plasma cell disorder. Risk stratification: Patients with 17p deletion, t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20), and karyotypic deletion 13 or hypodiploidy are considered to have high-risk myeloma. All others are considered to have standard-risk disease. Risk-adapted therapy: Standard-risk patients are treated with nonalkylator-based therapy such as lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (Rd) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). If patients are tolerating the induction regimen treatment well, an alternative strategy is to continue initial therapy after stem-cell collection, reserving ASCT for first relapse. High-risk patients are treated with a bortezomib-based induction followed by ASCT and then bortezomib-based maintenance. Patients not eligible for ASCT can be treated with Rd for standard risk disease or a bortezomib-based regimen if high-risk features are present. To reduce toxicity, when using bortezomib, the once-weekly dose is preferred; similarly, when using dexamethasone, the low-dose approach (40 mg once a week) is preferred, unless there is a need for rapid disease control. Management of refractory disease: Patients with indolent relapse can be treated first with lenalidomide, bortezomib, or alkylators plus low-dose corticosteroids. Patients with more aggressive relapse often require therapy with a combination of multiple active agents. The most promising new agents in development are pomalidomide and carfilizomib. Am. J. Hematol. 86:57–65, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effect of Esthetic Outcome After Breast-Conserving Surgery on Psychosocial Functioning and Quality of Life

Purpose Although breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is often assumed to result in minimal deformity, many patients report postoperative breast asymmetry. Understanding the effect of asymmetry on psychosocial functioning is essential for patients to make an informed choice for surgery. Patients and Methods All women who underwent BCS at the University of Michigan Medical Center (Ann Arbor, MI) during a 4-year period were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire (N 714; response rate 79.5%). Women were queried regarding five aspects of psychosocial functioning: quality of life (QOL), depression, fear of recurrence, stigmatization, and perceived change in health status. Postoperative breast asymmetry was assessed using items from the Breast Cancer Treatment and Outcomes Survey. Multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between breast asymmetry and each outcome, controlling for age, time from surgery in years, race, education level, disease stage, surgical treatment, and the occurrence of postoperative complications. Results Women with pronounced breast asymmetry were significantly more likely to feel stigmatized as a result of their breast cancer treatment (odds ratio [OR] 4.58; 95% CI, 2.77 to 7.55) and less likely to report unchanged or improved health after treatment (OR 0.43; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.66). Minimal breast asymmetry was associated with higher QOL scores (86.3 v 82.4, P .001). Finally, women with pronounced breast asymmetry were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms (minimal asymmetry, 16.2%; moderate asymmetry, 18.0%; pronounced asymmetry, 33.7%, Wald test 16.6; P .002).
Estimating the burden of smoking: premature mortality, morbidity, and costs

Estimation of the burden of disease attributable to smoking has now become standard in documenting the impact of the tobacco epidemic and in motivating tobacco control. This paper addresses the methods used to estimate the attributable burden of mortality and the related estimation of morbidity and economic costs. Estimates of attributable mortality and morbidity for the Americas range widely, reflecting the maturity of the tobacco epidemic. The estimates are highest for the United States, and lower for Mexico and other countries of the Americas.
Clinical action: Introduction to the special section on the action perspective in clinical psychology

Action theory (AT) is an emerging theoretical and empirical paradigm that is based on multiple perspectives. The common denominator of these perspectives is their depiction of the individual as actively shaping his or her interpersonal environment. The purpose of this special section is to evaluate the impact of AT on clinical psychology. To that effect, articles that focus on a broad range of topics, including stress and depression, chronic pain, child and adolescent development, clinical case formulation, psychotherapy for suicidal patients, and public mental health policy in relation to recovery from psychosis have been assembled. Presenting novel conceptualizations and data on the ways in which individuals actively shape their environment, these articles highlight the potential of AT for improving clinical science and practice.
Inhibitory receptors as targets for cancer immunotherapy

Inhibitory receptors expressed on T cells control immune responses while limiting autoimmunity. However, tumors can hijack these "checkpoints" for protection from immune attack. Tumor-specific T cells that exhibit an exhausted, unresponsive phenotype express high levels of inhibitory receptors including CTLA4, PD1, and LAG3, among others. Intratumoral regulatory T cells promote immunosuppression and also express multiple inhibitory receptors. Overcoming this inhibitory receptor-mediated immune tolerance has thus been a major focus of recent cancer immunotherapeutic developments. Here, we review how boosting the host's immune system by blocking inhibitory receptor signaling with antagonistic mAbs restores the capacity of T cells to drive durable antitumor immune responses. Clinical trials targeting the CTLA4 and PD1 pathways have shown durable effects in multiple tumor types. Many combinatorial therapies are currently being investigated with encouraging results that highlight enhanced antitumor immunogenicity and improved patient survival. Finally, we will discuss the ongoing identification and dissection of novel T-cell inhibitory receptor pathways, which could lead to the development of new combinatorial therapeutic approaches.
CHOICES: An Empirically Supported Intervention for Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancy in Community Settings

Examples of behavioral interventions that are efficacious in the research setting as well as practical and translatable to the “real-world” are critically needed as models for social work researchers and clinicians. This article presents the Changing High-Risk Alcohol Use and Improving Contraception Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) intervention as a case example of an empirically supported intervention that was systematically developed, implemented, and tested by researchers and practitioners, and then successfully disseminated in a variety of real-world settings. The Project CHOICES research team took deliberate steps to ensure that implementation of the CHOICES intervention would be feasible and flexible and that practitioners would be equipped with the tools needed to maintain treatment fidelity. This team effort enabled the successful, nationwide dissemination of the CHOICES intervention.
Intermediary Organizations as Capacity Builders in Family Educational Involvement

Although a substantial literature examines the outcomes of family involvement in education, and the family and school characteristics that support or deter such involvement, we know little about the role of national nonprofit intermediary organizations in family educational involvement. This article argues that intermediary organizations play a crucial role in capacity building for family involvement by providing alternatives to school-centered approaches to family involvement and engaging families with intensive support that schools seldom offer. It examines the functions of intermediary organizations by using a framework of capacity building at the individual, organizational, and relational levels.
Television weathercasters as potentially prominent science communicators

An important, but mostly overlooked aspect of science communication is the potential role US television weathercasters may perform. In some cases, these specialists may be the only source of scientific information that some people encounter on a regular basis. Audience research indicates that the weathercast is the most-watched part of the local newscast and the primary reason people choose a local television news product. But very little is known about the qualifications of weathercasters as a group and their inclinations as individuals to educate viewers about scientific topics. This study begins with results from the largest survey ever conducted about television weathercasters. Most of them say their broadcasts are appropriate venues for teaching their audiences about science, and most of them are already doing so. Other results provide a baseline foundation on a variety of other work-related factors, including the consistent public service function for most television weathercasters that includes sci...
The Reviewer Responds

Keith Baker takes issue with my review of Rosalie Porter's book Forked Tongue: The Politics of Bilingual Education because it "barely scratched the surface of Porter's unscholarly misrepresentations." I couldn't agree more and am grateful to Baker for calling attention to many of the defects of the book that I did not include in my review because of space constraints. Because Baker and I are essentially in agreement on the merits of the book in question, I will not respond to his comments point by point. However, I would like to clarify my position with regard to certain statements he makes. Baker says that I err "in accepting Porter's claims for the Newton program" because "there is no evidence offered in the book to support these . . claims." I did not accept Porter's claims; in fact, I specifically rejected her assertion that students in Newton or in any other all-English program could achieve grade-level equivalence in 1 to 3 years. My basis for rejecting these claims was the conflict with other research, particularly Collier (1987), and the fact that "she supplies no data to substantiate her claim" (p. 154). My statement that Newton could serve as a model for programs where native language instruction is not possible or not necessary was based on my own experience supervising student teachers in Newton's ESL classrooms. I have seen excellent teaching, a welldeveloped content-based curriculum, and students obviously making progress in English and in content areas. I did not imply that this program was more effective than a bilingual program would have been. Baker mentions Porter's allegations concerning efforts to block her dissertation. Because I had no personal knowledge of this incident, and could only have responded to it indirectly, as Baker does, I decided not to include it in my review. Instead, I directly refuted an incident that I was personally involved in (the MATSOL Executive Board meeting) where I knew Porter had twisted the facts to suit her own purposes. I hoped in this way to cast doubt on the veracity of everything Porter claimed. I apologize to Baker if I misstated the conclusions of Baker and de Kanter (1981). I should have reread the report, rather than relying on my memory of it, which may have been influenced by other people's interpretations (or misinterpretations) of this widely cited source. In returning to the original, however, I note a revealing change of perspective. In 1981, Baker and de Kanter claimed that
Raindrop Size Distributions: Exponential or Gamma—Does the Difference Matter?

Abstract Gamma functions are widely used in an effort to represent characteristics of observed raindrop size distributions, especially at the small-particle end. However, available instruments do not agree about the character of the small-drop region, and for many purposes that part of the spectrum is unimportant. At the large-drop end, sampling limitations impede reliable measurements. Thus, when moment methods are used to determine parameters for the fitted functions, the experimental uncertainties tend to be greater than the differences in important bulk quantities, such as rainfall rate or radar reflectivity factor, between the resulting gamma distributions and corresponding, simpler exponential distribution functions. It consequently makes little practical difference whether exponential or gamma functions are employed, and the exponential model is appropriate for many purposes.
Action research to support development of engineering for sustainable development degree programs, part I: collaborative community action research vignettes

Abstract This research creates knowledge that addresses gaps in developing sustainability and leadership education by leveraging action research and insider approaches to promote new generations of academics and practitioners. Research arose from student calls for stronger stewardship practice, humanitarian education, and progressive student leadership interested in promoting academic responsibility. Calls were met by constraints from University faculty for rigor. The research applied methodology involved mixed method action research philosophies, sustainability design tools (such as life cycle analysis), participatory and ethnographic exploration of education in the context of Front Range of Colorado, particularly with respect to socioeconomically challenged urban areas, described as two interacting vignettes. Simultaneously, challenges to the applied methodology as action research are framed. It was concluded that action to create more rigorous sustainability education and leadership outcomes is possible given development by mixed frameworks (e.g., via logic models) that can align with larger strategic efforts (e.g., United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization's Global Action Programme). An outcome of this research was the development of a science technology engineering mathematics sustainability science station that is proposed to be a configurable educational resource. It was also concluded that interactions among academic leadership-administration, and professional societies play important roles in upholding student-focused social contracts to support leadership development.
The Capacity and Durability of Amorphous Silicon Nanotube Thin Film Anode for Lithium Ion Battery Applications

In this communication, we report that a silicon nanotube thin film electrode with 0.6 mg loading exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 4766 mAh g −1 and retained about 3400 mAh g −1 after 20 cycles at 100 mA g −1 rate. The silicon nanotube thin film samples with thicknesses ranging from 10‐28 microns were prepared using silicon deposition on bulk produced zinc oxide nanowire films and subsequent removal of zinc oxide cores. The developed silicon nanostructures exhibit tubular geometry with both open ends. The nanotubes with thin walls are shown to accommodate large volume changes with lithiation and exhibit stable capacity retention. The presence of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is shown to be essential for the silicon nanotube thin film performance for lithium ion battery applications. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any
Radioactive iodine therapy.

Purpose of reviewReview of the management decisions that must be made by the endocrinologist during the use of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy of hyperthyroidism and differentiated thyroid cancer.Recent findingsSince the 1940s radioactive 131I (RAI) therapy has been a major component of the treatme
Fate of Selected Bacterial Pathogens and Indicators in Fractionated Poultry Litter During Storage

A study of broiler litter re-utilization potential was conducted with the goal of determining if storage of litter significantly reduced potential pathogens to levels safe for re-utilization. Litter from four broiler houses was separated into a fine fraction for fertilizer use and a coarse fraction for use as a supplement to wood shavings in growing subsequent flocks of birds. Fractions and whole litter were stored in indoor piles for four months with periodic analysis for culturable pathogenic and indicator bacteria. Significant reductions in microbial concentrations occurred in a majority of samples tested during four months of storage (in most cases to below detection limits of approximately 30 CFU/g dry weight). Poultry feed was found to be one possible source of litter contamination.
Successful transfusion of platelets cryopreserved for more than 3 years.

To determine the duration of storage for cryopreserved platelets, 14 transfusions of random-donor, pooled platelets, stored in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen for a mean period of 1157 days (range 1060- 1240), were analyzed. Twelve of these transfusions were compared in a paired fashion with fresh, random-donor, pooled platelets given within a few days to the same thrombocytopenic recipients. Platelets had been frozen using 5% dimethylsulfoxide as a cryoprotective agent either at a controlled rate of -1 degrees C/min to -80 degrees C or by simply placing them in the vapor phase (-120 degrees C) of a liquid nitrogen freezer. The mean freeze-thaw loss for the 14 transfusions was 22%, and the mean corrected 1-hr increment in platelet count was 12,600/microliter. In the 12 paired observations, the mean corrected 1- hr increment for frozen platelets was 11,800/microliter and 25,900 for fresh platelets, giving a frozen/fresh recovery of 46%. Random donor platelets can be cryopreserved by these methods for greater than 3 yr with satisfactory post-transfusion increments. This suggests that a reservoir of frozen platelets, either random-donor for emergency transfusion or of known HLA-type for transfusion to alloimmunized patients, can be established and stored for at least 3 yr.
Comparison of endoscopic and radiological residual fragment rate following percutaneous nephrolithotripsy.

AbstractThe stone-free rate after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL††Dornier Medical Systems, Inc., Marietta, Georgia.) is primarily determined by a plain abdominal radiograph alone. However, the accuracy of that assessment can be challenged by renal tomography and flexible nephroscopy. We report on 29 patients with large renal calculi treated with a combination of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy and ESWL. Stone-free rates were determined by plain abdominal radiograph, renal tomography and flexible nephroscopy. The plain abdominal radiograph and renal tomography overestimated stone-free rates by 35% and 17%, respectively, compared to flexible nephroscopy. To determine stone-free rates after ESWL renal tomography is superior to a plain abdominal radiograph alone. Also, among patients with large renal calculi the use of the flexible nephroscope markedly improves the stone-free rate.
Achieving Accurate Reduction Potential Predictions for Anthraquinones in Water and Aprotic Solvents: Effects of Inter- and Intramolecular H-Bonding and Ion Pairing

In this combined computational and experimental study, specific chemical interactions affecting the prediction of one-electron and two-electron reduction potentials for anthraquinone derivatives are investigated. For 19 redox reactions in acidic aqueous solution, where AQ is reduced to hydroanthraquinone, density functional theory (DFT) with the polarizable continuum model (PCM) gives a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 0.037 V for 16 species. DFT(PCM), however, highly overestimates three redox couples with a MAD of 0.194 V, which is almost 5 times that of the remaining 16. These three molecules have ether groups positioned for intramolecular hydrogen bonding that are not balanced with the intermolecular H-bonding of the solvent. This imbalanced description is corrected by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations, which include explicit water molecules. The best theoretical estimations result in a good correlation with experiments, V(Theory) = 0.903V(Expt) + 0.007 with an R2 value of 0.835...
Where Is personality most visible

Where should we look if we want to see the influence of personality? Rauthmann et al. argue that subjectivist ap- proaches to situations emphasize personality effects more than objectivist approaches. We argue, however, that objectivist approaches produce larger individual differences, because subjectivist approaches eliminate a major source of individual differences: situation construal. Despite the fact that uniform objective situations have traditionally been used to demonstrate the power of the situation, they are, perhaps ironically, the best place to look for the power of personality.