cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Plasticity of Prostate Cancer Intermediate Cells During Androgen Receptor Targeted Therapy

The prevalence of treatment induced small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-SCNC) is increasing due to the extended use of potent AR signaling inhibitors. Understanding the kinetics and potential for reversibility of t-SCNC progression has been hampered by the lack of model systems suitable for studying intermediate tumor cell states. Here, we define a transcriptional reporter model that provides dynamic measures of treatment induced changes in human prostate cancer cell subpopulations. With this system we have identified intermediate tumor cells, defined as double high in expression for prostate specific antigen (PSA) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) expression. This tumor cell subpopulation functions as a necessary and sufficient component for the cellular conversion to an NE transcriptional signature when under the selective pressure of androgen ablation or AR signaling inhibitors. Such transcriptional plasticity was found to be reversible in a hormone and genetic driver dependent manner. Our data provide novel and mechanistic in site for understanding the contribution of transition cell populations to the emergence of therapeutic resistance in advanced castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
Surgical Management of Chordoma of the Lumbar Spine

Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is a surgical treatment option for lumbar chordomas. However, surgical treatment still varies among international cancer centers due to differences in morbidity and complications. TES of the lumbar spine has been described in three surgical approaches, which are posterior-anterior, posterior-anterolateral, and posterior-only. Spinal reconstruction typically includes at least two adjacent segments of posterior fixation and vertebral body replacement to provide sufficient mechanical stability. The average intraoperative blood loss and operative time for a two-staged TES of the lumbar spine was approximately 3200 mL and 18.5 h. The instrumentation failure rate was estimated at 37.5% at an average of 29.2 months follow-up. In this chapter, we describe the surgical management of lumbar chordomas including surgical approaches for tumor resection and spinopelvic reconstruction as well as complications. We also present an illustrative case of a 53-year-old female diagnosed with L5 chordoma who underwent a two-staged, posterior-anterior TES with posterior fixation from L3 to S2 with structural fibular allograft augmentation and titanium mesh cage (TMC).
Abraham Ibn Ezra: The Creative Thought and Biting Wit of a Medieval Biblical Commentator

The medieval biblical commentary of Ibn Ezra has generated a wide array of studies within Jewish scholarship, but scant attention has focused on the originality of his insights and his satirical style. This paper attempts to redress this imbalance. The commentary on the Hebrew Bible of this influential exegete is unique in that it relies on knowledge of astronomy/astrology, philosophy, logic and grammar to explain Scripture.
Spatial Allocation of Timber Product Output Roundwood Receipts

Data from Georgia timber product output studies were used to develop models that spatially allocate roundwood receipts data from primary wood-using mills. Mill receipts data were converted to a cumulative frequency based on a distance from the mill to a county center. Distances were calculated as either straight line or shortest road distance, and county centers were determined as geographic centers or weighted by forest mass. Logistic and Gompertz nonlinear asymptotic model forms were used to model cumulative frequency of annual receipts within a repeated measures framework. It was determined that the number of mill employees and the shortest road distance were significant factors. The Gompertz model form predicted an unbiased cumulative frequency for the 2003 data using several spatial covariance types in the repeated measures analysis. These methods demonstrate the potential to spatially allocate a mill's total receipts to its surrounding counties in the absence of county-specific recording.
Stochastic Differential Systems With Memory: Theory, Examples and Applications

The purpose of this article is to introduce the reader to certain aspects of stochastic differential systems whose evolution depends on the past history of the state.
Perceived Benefits of Participation in the “Class of” Facebook Pages

Given its popularity, institutions are looking for ways to capitalize on Facebook to market, recruit, and engage students during the admission and matriculation processes. One approach is the development of “Class of” Facebook pages for admitted students. This interpretivist case study explores first-year students' perceptions of participating in a regional research university's "Class of" Facebook page. Uses and Gratification theory is used to identify the student needs being met through the use of these pages. Findings included students' benefit from these pages by seeking information, learning normative behaviors and developing a sense of community.
Photoaffinity labeling of the rabbit reticulocyte guanine nucleotide exchange factor and eukaryotic initiation factor 2 with 8-azidopurine nucleotides. Identification of GTP- and ATP-binding domains.

Abstract We have covalently modified rabbit reticulocyte polypeptide chain initiation factor 2 (eIF-2) and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) with the 8-azido analogs of GTP (8-N3GTP) and ATP (8-N3ATP). Of the five subunits of GEF, the Mr 40,000 polypeptide binds 8-[gamma-32P]N3GTP, and the Mr 55,000 and 65,000 polypeptides bind 8-[gamma-32P]N3ATP. Both 8-N3GTP and 8-N3ATP specifically label the beta-subunit of eIF-2. Covalent binding of 8-azidopurine analogs to the eukaryotic initiation factors is dependent on UV irradiation. Binding of 8-N3GTP and 8-N3ATP is specific for the guanine- and adenine-binding sites on the protein, respectively. GDP and GTP, but not ATP, inhibit the photoinsertion of 8-N3GTP to the protein. Similarly, ATP, but not GTP, inhibits the photoinsertion of 8-N3ATP. The inclusion of NADP+ in the reaction mixtures also interferes with the binding of 8-N3ATP to GEF. Mg2+ inhibits the binding of the 8-azido analogs of GTP and ATP to both eIF-2 and GEF, whereas EDTA stimulates the photoinsertion of these nucleotides. Identical results are obtained when the binding of GTP and ATP to these proteins, in the presence of Mg2+ or EDTA, is estimated by nitrocellulose membranes. In enzymatic assays, 8-N3GTP supports the activity of eIF-2 and GEF, indicating that the interaction of 8-N3GTP is catalytically relevant.
Survival time of circulating long-acting thyroid stimulator in neonatal thyrotoxicosis: implications for diagnosis and therapy of the disorder.

We have described an infant with neonatal thyrotoxicosis who developed supraventricular tachycandia, goiter, and periorbital edema. Both the baby9s and mother9s sera contained the long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS). While the level of LATS remained unchanged in the serum of the mother, it rapidly fell in the serum of the infant. The biological half-life of LATS in the infant9s serum was calculated to be 6 days, and by the age of 21 days no LATS activity could be detected. Based on these findings, antithyroidal treatment which had been instituted soon after birth was discontinued on the thirty-eighth day without recurrence of signs or symptoms of thyrotoxicosis. In addition to conventional antithyroid therapy for thyrotoxicosis, exchange transfusion and prenatal corticosteroid therapy of the mother may be considered when neonatal or maternal serum LATS titers, respectively, are very high.
Why do people engage in social computing? a need fulfillment perspective

With the trend towards social interaction over the Internet and the popularity of websites such as Myspace, Facebook and Youtube among others, practitioners and researchers are motivated to explain the sudden surge in user interest, in a phenomenon that we term, Social Computing. We seek to research the question: “Why do people engage in Social Computing?” The motivation is to determine some of the underlying human psychological factors that are driving this phenomenon. Towards this end, we propose a reformulation of the interactivity construct by suggesting new dimensions of interactivity that are unique to social computing. With this reformulated interactivity construct, we conduct an exploratory study using the need fulfillment lens provided by the Self Determination Theory. We assess if interactivity, in its richer formulation, influences need fulfillment, which in turn leads to higher levels of self-determined motivation. We also evaluate the impact of the latter on intentions for continued use and actual use of these websites. The results largely support the hypothesized model.
Inflammatory Speech: Offense Versus Incitement

The commonly accepted notion that content regulations on speech violate the First Amendment is misleading. In three recent cases - Snyder v. Phelps, Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass’n, and United States v. Stevens - the Court made clear that free speech includes the right to express scurrilous, disgusting, and disagreeable ideas. A different set of cases, however, concluded that group defamation, intentional threats, and material support for terrorist organizations are not protected forms of expression. This Article seeks to make sense of this doctrinal dichotomy and to develop clearer guidelines for regulating incitements that are posted on the Internet and in public areas. Many leading First Amendment scholars regard the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on outrageous and inciting expressions to be inconsistent. These academic authors often adopt a libertarian theory of the Free Speech Clause. They generally agree with cases that strike limits on offensive statements but disregard, or outright ignore, those that uphold restrictions on threats and defamations made in the absence of any imminent threat of harm. This Article demonstrates that opponents of incitement regulations fail to differentiate policies that protect public safety from those that silence outrageous but benign expressions. I propose a relatively straightforward method for evaluating the constitutionality of incitement laws. The mens rea of a speaker is key to judicial determinations about whether true threats, group defamation, and material support for terrorists are actionable or constitutionally protected. This Article parses the Court’s analysis of unprotected incitement that poses a threat to public safety. A small but significant group of decisions belies the libertarian claim that incitement is constitutionally protected. My proposal will undoubtedly be controversial because the method I propose would augment juries’ and judges’ authority to assess the context within which threatening statements are made and qualify the relevance of the canonic imminent threat of harm doctrine.
Companion Winds Excited by Neutron Star Radiation in LMXBs and Millisecond Pulsars

The lecture first describes the basic principles underlying formation of a wind from a stellar atmosphere by external heating. These ideas are then applied to the case of binary companions of neutron stars (NS) which are being heated by the NS radiation in Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) and in binary millisecond pulsar systems. Among others, the possibilities of companion evaporation and of self-excited X-ray systems is discussed. Finally, a model for the newly discovered “windy” binary pulsar 1744-24A is presented.
Spatially-indirect photo- and electro-luminescence in the 1.3 /spl mu/m range at room temperature

We have observed strong spatially-indirect photo- and electro-luminescence in type II InGaAsP/InGaAlAs MQW structures in the 1.3 /spl mu/m range at room temperature.
Proposal for generating new beta cells in a muted immune environment for type 1 diabetes.

Background Over the past decade, many immune tolerance agents have shown promise in the non-obese diabetic mouse model for prevention and reversal of type 1 diabetes but have not been successful in clinical trials among recently diagnosed type 1 patients. The trials from decades ago using Cyclosporine A in significantly lower dosages than used for organ transplantation and in similar dosages that have increased T regulatory cell populations in conditions such as atopic dermatitis, demonstrated very high initial insulin-free remission rates when administered immediately after diagnosis. Over time, all newly diagnosed type 1 patients given Cyclosporine A required insulin. Human trials with immune tolerance agents suggest that in addition to an immune tolerance agent, a beta cell regeneration agent may also be necessary to induce long-lasting remission among patients with recent onset type 1 diabetes. Methods A randomized, double-blind prospective trial among recent onset type 1 diabetes patients has been designed using Cyclosporine A and a proton-pump inhibitor, which increases gastrin levels and has been shown to work through the Reg receptor to transform pancreatic duct cells into islets. © 2013 The Authors. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Context management in pervasive computing environments

The primary objective of pervasive computing environments (PCE) is the creation of an environment saturated with seamlessly integrated devices with computing and communication capabilities. It seeks to provide proactive and self-tuning environments and devices to seamlessly augment a person's knowledge and decision-making ability, while requiring as little direct user interaction as possible. The realization of this vision requires that distributed context manipulation be conducted in an effective and efficient manner. In these environments, devices and associated software of diverse software and hardware providers will pervade everyday life. We propose a UML Profile for modeling such PCE including context modeling and distributed knowledge manipulation.
Sagehood and Supererogation in the Analects

The Confucian ethical tradition emphasizes unceasing progress toward the goal of sagehood, and so it is generally opposed to the idea of supererogation, as this implies that we may be satisfied with attaining some sub-sagely level of morality. The one possible exception to this anti-supererogationist stance, however, turns out to be Confucius himself, who in the Analects appears to downplay sagehood and instead focus on the goal of junzi. Yet given that Confucius stresses ceaseless cultivation as much as anyone else in the tradition, this leaves us with a puzzle about the sage's status in the Analects. Is sagehood supererogatory?
Analysis of Sequences Regulating Larval Expression of the Adh Gene of Drosophila melanogaster

The effects of a series of eight, 50 base pair internal deletions in the 5' region upstream of the proximal transcription start site of the Adh gene of Drosophila melanogaster were examined in a quantitative assay. Mixtures of two plasmids, one bearing a deleted gene, the other with an intact reference gene, were injected into alcohol dehydrogenase-negative embryos. Third instar larvae of the injected generation were assayed for relative alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Quantitative analysis of the eight deletions indicated that two regions were required for any detectable enzyme activity and one region was required for appropriate tissue specificity. The remaining five deletions significantly decreased, but did not eliminate activity. When the deleted genes were placed on a plasmid with an intact reference gene, activities of all but one deletion were restored to levels equivalent to that of the intact reference gene (regardless of orientation). This restoration of activity did not occur when the regulatory region of the intact gene was replaced with the Hsp70 heat shock promoter nor when the 50-base pair deletion encompassed the region that includes the TATA sequence. The fact that seven of the eight deleted genes express activity in the presence of a reference gene on the same plasmid suggests that the deleted gene is controlled by regulatory elements in the reference gene. Further, these regulatory elements exhibit no preference for their own, more proximate, promoter.
Factoring Turbulence Out: Diaspora Regulatory Mechanism and Migration Development Bank

The ongoing economic crisis has shifted much of the policy debate to problems of financial sector regulation, productive capacity collapse, among others. However, this leaves unattended the real situation with labour migration, which directly impacts social and economic inner components of being of millions of individual families across the world. The somewhat ad hoc nature of the process poses several policy issues for the home and host economies alike. Immediate concerns relate to streamlining migrants and remittances flows. This involves sensitive aspects of inequality in migrant workers’ labour efforts vis-a-vis domestic workers; migrants’ social and legal status; and less obvious, but still profound, unproductive misallocation of labour resources. Derived from this premise and recognizing the need for an institutional approach, this paper offers alternative policy solutions to temporary labour migration regulation. This research’s original propositions include a Diaspora Regulatory Mechanism and a Migration Development Bank, both operating within a state-managed temporary labour migration regime. Fiscal action, including multilateral agreements, is crucial. The functionality of these mechanisms will directly impact infrastructure, human capital and entrepreneurial projects development in both home and host economies. Discussion is inspired by the analysis of actual circumstances in the economies of the Commonwealth of Independent States, where migration is a social, economic, and increasingly political issue. In the interlinked world, diasporas become dominant actors across all society strata. The development plateau of the post-socialist states offers a rich economic and social soil to conduct responsible policy with future outlook. Moreover, conditions of ongoing economic crisis offer a unique opportunity for daring research to propose and for a motivated decisionmaker to implement original, proactive, and beneficial policy solutions aimed at streamlining the (temporary) labour migration process. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on topics of diaspora, labour migration, and remittance flows.
Cell locomotion: New research tests old ldeas on membrane and cytoskeletal flow

Recent studies on the mobility of membrane markers on crawling cells indicate that there is no long-range centripetal flow of membrane proteins or lipids during cell locomotion. In this article we reflect on the history of ideas about membrane flow in cells, and we discuss how these new findings will shift the focus of research in cell locomotion away from the cell surface to the molecular interactions and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton.
The effect of high-efficiency particulate air respirator design on occupational health: a pilot study balancing risks in the real world.

Objectives:To quantify specific factors believed to increase healthcare worker (HCW) risk for contaminated sharps injuries (eg, visibility, communication, and range of motion); to quantify the degree to which respirators of various designs impacted those same factors; and to assess HCW opinions about the suitability of selected respirators with respect to patient care and user compliance criteria.Design:Sharps injury data from seven hospitals were analyzed to determine the potential contribution of visibility, communication, and range of motion to reported injuries. Healthcare workers representing various clinical specialties and physical characteristics were examined at baseline and while wearing five different respirators to quantify the impact of respirator design on visibility, communication, and range of motion. Healthcare workers were inter viewed and completed a survey assessing each respirator.Setting:Hospital and ambulatory-care settings.Participants:Population-based and convenience sample.Results:Communication, visibility, and range of motion were found to affect contaminated sharps injuries significantly. Selected high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) respirators were found to have a negative impact on each of these variables. Healthcare workers involved in the study also reported compliance criteria problems with selected HEPA respirators, which may effect implementation of respiratory precautions adversely.Conclusion:Current HEPA respirators, because of their design, potentially increase the risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure through sharps injuries. We conclude that mandating respirators without regard to the potential impact of their design to the sharps injuries may be counterproductive to HCW safety, because they may increase, rather than decrease, overall occupational risk to HCWs.
A Review of “Waves of Decolonization: Discourses of Race and Hemispheric Citizenship in Cuba, Mexico, and the United States”

The nineteenth century saw the steady rise of the United States from a continental nation to a world power. To some, the extension of U.S. influence from the Atlantic to the Pacific and into the Ca...
Large scale separation of human bone marrow by counterflow centrifugation elutriation

Counterflow centrifugation elutriation (CCE) has been used to separate moderate quantities of bone marrow (BM) into distinct cell populations for further in vitro investigation. Recently, this technique was employed to reduce the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in human allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) by removing the majority of mature lymphocytes from the graft. Unfortunately, current methods employing the small (J6-B) elutriator rotor require time consuming preseparation steps and multiple runs. We report our experience with a fixed rotor speed, two-flow rate elutriation procedure using the new Beckman JE-10X rotor system which can separate more than 10(10) nucleated BM cells in 30 min. Three fractions were obtained which differed in size, morphology, and immunologic capacity. The large cell fraction is suitable for allogeneic BMT since it is radically depleted of mature T lymphocytes and retains high clonogeneic capacity.
Improving cold flow properties of canola-based biodiesel

Methods for improving the cold flow properties of canola-based biodiesel are described. Freezing point depression via dilution is evaluated through controlled studies of methyl stearate freezing in seven different solvents, and methyl palmitate in three solvents. Without accounting for solute activity, the Hildebrand equation can predict the impact of methyl stearate freezing point in an alkane solvent (pentane) to within 4 °C. However, there is wide deviation for the other solutions, indicating wide ranging solute activities in these solvents. Dilution in toluene results in the greatest freezing point depression. In addition, several polymeric additives are screened for their effectiveness as biodiesel pour point depressants. After examining more than 13 polymers, including several alkyl methacrylate homo- and copolymers, it is shown that poly(lauryl methacrylate) homopolymer most effectively improves the biodiesel cold flow properties. At 1% loading, poly(lauryl methacrylate) lowers the pour point by as much as 30 °C and the low temperature filterability point (LTFP) by as much as 28 °C. When evaluating the impact of polymer concentration, it is shown that poly(lauryl methacrylate) concentrations of 0.14% perform poorly, whereas 0.5% has only a slightly lower impact than 1%. Concentrations above 1% exhibit no improvement. Finally, it is shown that a limited amount of mixing can notably reduce the LTFP in several samples.
Novel microdeletion syndromes detected by chromosome microarrays

Array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) has revolutionized the cytogenetic testing available for patients with learning disabilities who have “chromosomal” phenotypes with dysmorphic features and multiple anomalies. Screening large patient cohorts with mental retardation by array CGH has recently lead to the characterization of many novel microdeletion and microduplication syndromes, initially according to the shared cytogenetic aberrations, with secondary characterization of the corresponding phenotypes. This review provides a detailed clinical and molecular cytogenetic description of several of the most common of these aberrations. We have chosen to focus on patients in whom the cytogenetic abnormalities were principally described by array CGH, rather than by G-banded karyotyping or fluorescence in-situ hybridization. The syndromes that we have chosen include the 17q21.31 deletion and 17q21.31 duplication syndromes, 15q13.3 deletion syndrome, 16p11.2 deletion syndrome, 15q24 deletion syndrome, 1q41q42 deletion syndrome, 2p15p16.1 deletion syndrome and 9q22.3 deletion syndrome. In time, we hypothesize that at least some of these will become as clinically well characterized and recognizable to the clinician as the commoner microdeletion syndromes today. Although the full extent of the phenotypes is still evolving for many of these novel microdeletions, it is clear that array CGH has heralded an unparalleled era of discovery for clinical cytogenetics.
Photochemical Reactions of Metal Carbonyls [M(CO)6 (M = Cr, Mo, W), Mn(CO)3 Cp] With 4-Amino-3-Hydrazino-5-Mercapto-1,2,4-Triazole (AHMT) and 3-Amino-5-Mercapto-1,2,4-Triazole (AMT)

Four new complexes of M(CO)5(AHMT) [M = Mo(1), Cr (2), W (3)], and Mn(CO)3 (AHMT) (4), where AHMT is 4-amino-3-hydrazino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole have been synthesized by the photochemical reactions of metal carbonyls M(CO)6 (M = Mo, Cr, W) and Mn(CO)3 Cp with AHMT (1–4). In addition four more new complexes of M(CO)5(AMT) [M = Mo(5), Cr (6), W (7)], and Mn(CO)3 (AHMT) (8), where AMT is 3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole (AMT), have been synthesized by the photochemical reactions of metal carbonyls M(CO)6 (M = Mo, Cr, W) and Mn(CO)3 Cp with AMT (5–8). The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The spectroscopic studies show that AHMT complexes (1–3) and AMT complexes (5–7) behave as a monodentate ligand and coordinate via ring NH donor atom to the central metal atom in M(CO)5(AHMT) and M(CO)5(AMT) where M = Mo, Cr, W, and as a tridentate ligand coordinating via imine nitrogen donor atom, amino N donor atom, and ring NH donor atom in Mn(CO)3 (AHMT) and M...
Linking customer satisfaction, quality, and strategic planning

By acknowledging and dissecting the interconnected roles of customer satisfaction, quality, and strategic planning, this paper provides an analytical framework for creating a customer-driven organization and culture. It shows how quality starts and ends with the customer. Companies that are achieving long-term continuous improvement in quality tailored to customer satisfaction possess lasting characteristics such as customer orientation, customer consciousness, and customer responsiveness. In doing so, they liberate the quality concept from the narrow product or service focus to encompass total conformance to customer requirements in spite of the existing functionalization and departmentalization of modern complex structures. In addition to these key components, a customer-driven organization demands building and nurturing a customer satisfaction culture and value system that makes quality improvement and heightened concern for customer satisfaction a permanent aspect of organizational life.
Cloud radar observations of vertical drafts and microphysics in convective rain

[1] Observations of convective precipitation using a 94-GHz cloud radar are presented. Due to Mie scattering, the Doppler power spectra collected at vertical incidence contains characteristics of the scatterers (hydrometeors). These characteristics are used for the retrieval of the vertical air motion and the associated raindrop size distribution in an attempt to accurately map the time-height structure of the vertical air motion and raindrop fields within intense convective precipitation. The data provide strong evidence of the interaction between draft intensity and raindrop size distribution and highlight the variability of convective precipitation at small scales. Horizontal sorting of the raindrops caused by the air motion is documented. Signal attenuation measured at 94 GHz is shown to be well correlated to rainfall rates. The observations demonstrate the capability of 94-GHz cloud radars for studies of precipitation processes at low altitudes even under intense convective conditions.
Performance of Permanent Magnet Flow-through-Type Sodium Flowmeters in EBR-II Instrumented Subassemblies

The first two instrumented fueled subassemblies in EBR-II included permanent-magnet sodium flowmeters. The first operated for the duration of the test, four months, with no observable degradation. Its signal was about six percent below that calculated. The second flowmeter had been precalibrated in a sodium system. Operating data from EBR-II indicates that its sensitivity has been stable within three percent during the first 150 days in the core. Post-test examination will supply more conclusive data.
Adaptive Control of Systems with Actuator Failures Using an Adaptive Reference Model

This paper considers model reference adaptive control of uncertain plants under actuator failures when the plant model matching conditions are violated due to abnormal changes in the plant or incorrect knowledge of the plant’s mathematical structure. The approach consists of direct adaptation of state feedback gains for state tracking to compensate for model errors and actuator failures and simultaneous estimation of the plant model mismatch. Because of mismatch resulting from large changes in the plant, the original reference model may no longer be appropriate, and it may be desirable to track the state of a modified reference model that still provides satisfactory performance. The reference model is redesigned if the estimated plant model mismatch exceeds a bound that is determined via robust stability and/or performance criteria. The proposed controller is a hybrid direct–indirect adaptive controller that offers asymptotic state tracking in the presence of plant model mismatch, parameter deviations, and actuator failures.
Outcomes of lung cancer surgery after neo-adjuvant treatment: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis

METHODS: 26 dogs underwent bypass; temperature was raised to 42 C in 14 dogs (heat-shocked HS) or maintained at 37 C in 12 dogs (nonheat-shocked NHS). After 12 or 24 hours, heart rate (HR), left ventricular pressure (LVP), and peak +dP/dT were measured, as well as preload recruitable stroke work relationship (PRWA) throughout reperfusion. Myocardial expression of hsp70i was quantified by Western blots.
Advance provision of emergency contraception among adolescent and young adult women: a systematic review of literature.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this review is to summarize the findings of randomized controlled trials assessing the advance provision of emergency contraception (EC) to women 24 years of age or younger. Design We conducted a comprehensive search of the PubMed database from 1950 to November 11, 2009. This review includes seven studies that randomly assigned women aged 24 and younger to advance provision of EC or a control group. Results All studies reviewed found that women assigned to advance provision were more likely to use EC, though not all reached statistical significance. Furthermore, studies assessing time to EC use (N = 4) found that those with advance provision used EC sooner following intercourse. Most studies found that women assigned to advance provision of EC did not engage in more sexual risk taking behaviors (assessed by reported number of sexual partners, number of episodes of unprotected intercourse, and acquisition of sexually transmitted infections) or switch to less reliable contraceptive methods. Despite increased use and decreased time to use, women who were provided EC in advance did not report significantly lower pregnancy rates. Conclusions The existing literature suggests that among women 24 years of age or younger, advance provision has a positive impact on use and time to use of EC. Most findings indicate that increased use of EC does not have significant negative effects for ongoing contraceptive use or sexual risk taking behaviors. Despite increased use, advanced provision of EC has not been associated with a significant corresponding decrease in pregnancy.
Evolution and classification of cystine knot-containing hormones and related extracellular signaling molecules.

The cystine knot three-dimensional structure is found in many extracellular molecules and is conserved among divergent species. The identification of proteins with a cystine knot structure is difficult by commonly used pairwise alignments because the sequence homology among these proteins is low. Taking advantage of complete genome sequences in diverse organisms, we used a complementary approach of pattern searches and pairwise alignments to screen the predicted protein sequences of five model species (human, fly, worm, slime mold, and yeast) and retrieved proteins with low sequence homology but containing a typical cystine knot signature. Sequence comparison between proteins known to have a cystine knot three-dimensional structure (transforming growth factor-β, glycoprotein hormone, and platelet-derived growth factor subfamily members) identified new crucial amino acid residues (two hydrophilic amino acid residues flanking cysteine 5 of the cystine knot). In addition to the well known members of the cyst...
Vertex epidural hematomas: imaging findings and diagnostic pitfalls

Purpose: Our purpose was to show the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of vertex epidural hematomas (EDHs) and emphasize pitfalls in the diagnosis of this entity. Subjects and methods: The neuroradiologic studies of four patients (CT in four, MR imaging and MR venography in one) were evaluated for EDH shape, size and appearance. Results: EDHs were biconvex in three patients and crescentic in one patient. CT appearances included a collection that was hyperdense (two patients), generally isodense with a few regions of hyperdensity (one patient) and mixed hyperdense and hypodense (one patient). MR imaging findings in one patient consisted of hyperintense signal on T1-weighted images and hypointense signal on T2-weighted images. Inferior displacement of the superior sagittal sinus was seen in two patients. Diagnosis of a small vertex EDH was difficult on routine axial CT in one patient, but apparent on MR imaging and MR venography. Conclusions: Small vertex EDHs can be difficult to diagnose on routine CT. MR imaging or thin section CT should be performed to exclude the diagnosis in patients with trauma to the skull vertex.
The midline metathoracic ear of the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa

The praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, is unique in possessing a single, tympanal auditory organ located in the ventral midline of its body between the metathoracic coxae. The ear is in a deep groove and consists of two tympana facing each other and backed by large air sacs. Neural transduction takes place in a structure at the anterior end of the groove. This tympanal organ contains 32 chordotonal sensilla organized into three groups, two of which are 180° out of line with the one attaching directly to the tympanum. Innervation is provided by Nerve root 7 from the metathoracic ganglion. Cobalt backfills show that the auditory neuropile is a series of finger-like projections terminating ipsilaterally near the midline, primarily near DC III and SMC. The auditory neuropile thus differs from the pattern common to all other insects previously studied.
Structure of Escherichia coli YfdW, a type III CoA transferase

Crystal structures are reported for free and coenzyme A (CoA) bound forms of the YfdW protein from Escherichia coli, a representative type III CoA transferase. The structures reveal a two-domain protomer with interdomain connections forming a ring-like structure with a large central hole. Two protomers associate to form a highly intertwined dimer in which the hole of each ring is filled by the partner molecule. Each protomer binds a single CoA molecule and these CoA-binding sites are distant from one another in the dimer.
Spatially restricted expression of candidate taste receptors in the Drosophila gustatory system.

Abstract Background: Taste is an important sensory modality in most animals. In Drosophila , taste is perceived by gustatory neurons located in sensilla distributed on several different appendages throughout the body of the animal. Here we show that the gustatory receptors are encoded by a family of at least 54 genes ( Gr genes), most of which are expressed exclusively in a small subset of taste sensilla located in narrowly defined regions of the fly's body. Results: BLAST searches with the predicted amino acid sequences of 6 7-transmembrane-receptor genes of unknown function and 20 previously identified, putative gustatory receptor genes led to the identification of a large gene family comprising at least 54 genes. We investigated the expression of eight genes by using a Gal4 reporter gene assay and found that five of them were expressed in the gustatory system of the fly. Four genes were expressed in 1%–4% of taste sensilla, located in well-defined regions of the proboscis, the legs, or both. The fifth gene was expressed in about 20% of taste sensilla in all major gustatory organs, including the taste bristles on the anterior wing margin. Axon-tracing experiments demonstrated that neurons expressing a given Gr gene project their axons to a spatially restricted domain of the subesophageal ganglion in the fly brain. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that each taste sensillum represents a discrete, functional unit expressing at least one Gr receptor and that most Gr genes are expressed in spatially restricted domains of the gustatory system. These observations imply the potential for high taste discrimination of the Drosophila brain.
Interpreting deficits in grammatical morphology in specifically language-impaired children: Preliminary evidence from Hebrew.

Preliminary data from seven Hebrew-speaking specifically language-impaired children (aged 4;4 to 5;3) were examined to evaluate alternative explanations of cross-linguistic differences among children with specific language impairment. The Hebrew-speaking specifically language-impaired children were found to make considerably greater use of grammatical morphemes than seven English-speaking specifically language-impaired children (aged 3;6 to 6;9) showing comparable mean utterance length measured in words. However, the Hebrew-speaking children with specific language impairment were not without limitations in morphology; relative to seven younger, normally developing Hebrew-speaking children (aged 2;4 to 3;3) matched for mean utterance length measured in morphemes, these children exhibited deficiencies with certain grammatical morphemes. The data suggest that the rich morphology of Hebrew gives Hebrew-speaking specifically language-impaired children an advantage over their English-speaking counterparts. Howe...
The ethnic variable and problem drinking in a select sample of southwestern two-year multicultural college students.

Five hundred and ninety-two Anglo, Mexican American, and American Indian students from nine selected 2-year colleges in the Southwest were given a self-administered questionnaire with items related to problem drinking (dependent variable) and various social psychological and demographic information (independent variables). Analyses included discriminant analysis, chi square, and eta. While ethnicity per se contributed little to the discrimination of problem from nonproblem drinkers, several other variables provided an overall correct classification (discrimination) rate of 79.73%. These variables were, in order of discriminating power: neighborhood people drink, veteran status, live life differently, close friend with drinking problem, drink because acquaintances drink, and age. It is hypothesized that the psychological principle of individual differences, and the significance of some other study variables, may have overshadowed any ethnic effect. Measurement problems in this area are discussed as well as...
Al planarization processes for multilayer metallization of quarter micrometer devices

Abstract Al planarization technology for application in quarter micrometer devices was explored. High temperature flow process as well as two-step cold/hot sputtering processes were investigated. Quarter micrometer contacts of dept. 1.2 μm were successfully filled by two-step cold/hot sputtering. Multilayer structures were planarized, yielding via resistance ( ) lower than those of metallization based on tungsten-plugs. The key factors for reliable filing of contacts are a low base pressure, adequate coverage of the wetting layer (titanium) and continuous coverage of the first nucleation layer in the contacts. A low temperature (450 °C) process was demontrated. Aluminum deposited onto titanium results in a high surface reflectivity (210%, normalized to bare Si at 436 nm). In comparison with the flow process, the two-step cold/hot sputtering proces showed a unique advantage in that it was able to fill high aspect ration contacts at low temperature.
Extraction of lanthanides by quaternary ammonium salts-I Extractions of ammonium thiocyanate and chloride

Abstract It has been shown that ammonium thiocyanate is extracted by thiocyanate hydrate salt of Quatamin T-08 ((CnH2n+1)3 CH3NSCN (H2O)prop;: average n = 10, χ ≈ 1) in toluene and a 1 : 1 complex is formed between the solvent and ammonium thiocyanate in the organic phase. When the chloride salt of the quaternary ammonium extracts ammonium chloride, a similar extraction reaction takes place. When ammonium thiocyanate is present in the aqueous phase, the quaternary ammonium chloride is converted to the thiocyanate salt quantitatively even though a large amount of ammonium chloride exists in the aqueous phase. The presence of ammonium chloride in the aqueous phase enhances the extraction of ammonium thiocyanate.
Effect of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate on glucose-induced human serum albumin glycation.

Abstract(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg) is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in plant-based foods and beverages such as green tea. Although EGCg can eliminate carbonyl species produced by glucose autoxidation and thus can inhibit protein glycation, it is also reported to be a pro-oxidant that stimulates protein glycation in vitro. To better understand the balance between antioxidant and pro-oxidant features of EGCg, we evaluated EGCg-mediated bioactivities in a human serum albumin (HSA)/glucose model by varying three different parameters (glucose level, EGCg concentration, and time of exposure to EGCg). Measurements of glycation-induced fluorescence, protein carbonyls, and electrophoretic mobility showed that the level of HSA glycation was positively related to the glucose level over the range 10–100 mM during a 21-day incubation at 37°C and pH: 7.4. Under mild glycemic pressure (10 mM), long exposure to EGCg enhanced HSA glycation, while brief exposure to low concentrations of EGCg did not. Un...
The Performative Presidency: Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton Years. By James L. Mast. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 198 pp.

The Performative Presidency: Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton Years. By James L. Mast. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 198 pp. In The Performative Presidency, Jason L. Mast discusses two presidents. The first is a likeable fellow, "empathetic, inclusive, and brilliant," who "seemed to spring naturally from a Horatio Alger story" (p. 43). The second is an antidemocratic villain, verbally evasive, sexually promiscuous, with a chronically slippery relationship to the truth. Both are named Bill Clinton. Mast's book traces the waxing and waning influence of these two interpretations of Clinton's character across his first presidential campaign and through both terms of his administration. In the process, it illuminates much about how Americans make cultural meaning out of political performances. Mast frames the story of the two Clintons with twin introductions, the first theoretical and the second historical. The historical framework is wonderfully illuminating, tracing the formation of what Mast calls "conditions of defusion" (p. 18) in American political culture from the turn of the twentieth century to the 1990s. Defusion refers simultaneously to the dissolution of a presumed-to-be unified American public, the dissemination of the interpretive power of the presidency across diverse technologies, and the separation of the office of the president from the officeholder. Mast identifies myriad factors in the formation of these conditions, including the decreased dominance of Congress and political parties in the American political sphere of the 1890s, the expanded interpretive authority of reporters, and the rise of televised campaigning. The factors also include historically idiosyncratic events, most notably Watergate, which opened the most radical possibilities for defusion of the president's office from its occupant. The rest of the book deftly tracks key events in the making of cultural meaning around Clinton's presidency. Mast identifies the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 as the watershed moment of Clinton's first term, a moment of symbolic inversion in which the president "re-fused" with his sacred office (p. 134). The analysis marshals dramatic and decisive evidence for this shift in meaning, including an evaluation of two press conferences held 24 hours apart--the first before and the second after the bombing--with breathtakingly different media and public responses. Mast also skillfully illuminates the ways in which the meanings of Clinton's performances were contingent upon those of his political adversaries, most notably President George H. W. Bush, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and special prosecutor Ken Starr. In particular, the book's extended treatment of Gingrich's performances in relation to Clinton's before and during the Monica Lewinsky scandal offers the most persuasive explanation to date for why Clinton's impeachment failed to adversely affect his popularity. …
Thermosetting foam with a high bio-based content from acrylated epoxidized soybean oil and carbon dioxide

A resilient, thermosetting foam system with a bio-based content of 96 wt % (resulting in 81% of C14) was successfully developed. We implemented a pressurized carbon dioxide foaming process that produces polymeric foams from acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). A study of the cell dynamics of uncured CO2/ AESO foams proved useful to optimize cure conditions. During collapse, the foam's bulk density increased linearly with time, and the cell size and cell density exhibited power-law degradation rates. Also, low temperature foaming and cure (i.e. high viscosity) are desirable to minimize foam cell degradation. The AESO was cured with a free-radical initiator (tert-butyl peroxy-2-ethyl hexanoate, Ti ∼ 60°C). Cobalt naphtenate was used as an accelerator to promote quick foam cure at lower temperature (40–50°C). The foam's density was controlled by the carbon dioxide pressure inside the reactor and by the vacuum applied during cure. The viscosity increased linearly during polymerization. The viscosity was proportional to the extent of reaction before gelation, and the cured foam's structure showed a dependence on the time of vacuum application. The average cell size increased and the cell density decreased with foam expansion at a low extent of cure; however, the foam expansion became limited and unhomogeneous with advanced reaction. When vacuum was applied at an intermediate viscosity, samples with densities ∼ 0.25 g/cm3 were obtained with small (<1 mm) homogeneous cells. The mechanical properties were promising, with a compressive strength of ∼ 1 MPa and a compressive modulus of ∼ 20 MPa. The new foams are biocompatible. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007