cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 2974: Obesity-induced modifications in the mammary gland microenvironment promote TNBC progression even after weight loss

Obesity contributes to 20% of US female cancer deaths and is linked to increased risk for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), as well as increased risk of vascular invasion, metastasis, and mortality in breast cancer patients. We previously showed that obesity-induced elevation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling through its receptor, cMET, accelerated development of tumors in the C3(1)-TAg GEMM of TNBC compared to low fat diet (LFD)-fed lean controls. Weight loss significantly reduced HGF/cMET signaling in normal mammary glands and cMET in tumors, and reversed high fat diet (HFD)-driven tumor progression, while crizotinib-mediated cMET inhibition limited tumor development and microvascular density in both lean and obese C3(1)-TAg mice. To differentiate tumor-intrinsic versus microenvironment-associated mechanisms, we employed an orthotopic transplant model of a C3(1)-TAg TNBC cell line to investigate tumor growth dynamics in lean, obese, or formerly obese (FOb) microenvironments. We hypothesized that TNBC tumors derived from lean C3(1)-TAg mice and transplanted into obese mice would grow more rapidly, contain more macrophages (MFs) and exhibit greater blood vessel density than tumors in lean or FOb mice due to obesity-induced MF and/or endothelial secretion of HGF. At 8 weeks of age, female FVB/NJ mice were randomized to diet groups (N=20/diet): 1) lean (LFD, 10% kcal from fat), 2) obese (HFD, 60% kcal from fat) 3) or FOb (HFD, 5 weeks; LFD, 5 weeks). Following 10 weeks on diets mice were injected with 2x105 luciferase-tagged C3(1)-TAg cells. Tumor volume was measured by calipers. At 21 days post-injection mice were sacrificed for tissue collection. Normal mammary gland, tumors, and tumor-adjacent adipose + tumor-draining lymph node were collected for histological examination and gene expression analysis. Mammary fat pad mass in obese FVB/NJ mice (0.27 g) was significantly greater than lean (0.14 g) or FOb animals (0.11 g) (P Citation Format: Alyssa J. Cozzo, Ottavia Zattra, Alex J. Freemerman, Liza Makowski. Obesity-induced modifications in the mammary gland microenvironment promote TNBC progression even after weight loss [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2974. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2974
Spatiotemporal Holography Using Flutter Shutter Camera

A spatiotemporal approach for recovering holograms is proposed in this paper. Flutter-shutter camera is used for temporal demodulation. The proposed method needs lesser measurements than phase shifting interferometry to extract the hologram.
Recognizing and Managing Cardiogenic Shock

Cardiogenic shock is an acute state of end-organ hypoperfusion following cardiac failure. This occurs mainly due to primary pump failure with or without contributions from inadequate preload and afterload. The consequence of cardiogenic shock is hypoxia at the cellular level resulting in loss of function.
Commercial Light Emitting Diode Technology

Semiconductor light emitting diodes (LED’s) have shown marked performance improvement since their commercial introduction in 1962 (1), particularly in the last decade. Visible LED’s have now achieved performance levels which exceed incandescent lamps, thus enabling them to compete with incandescent lamps for many applications (2,3). The recent emergence of blue LED’s (4,5) demonstrates that high performance visible LED’s will be available throughout the color spectrum and can be combined to achieve white light. Applications such as exterior vehicle lighting and road signs and traffic signals are occurring now, and other new uses, even including some lighting applications, should emerge as LED’s continue to improve.
Early and Repeated Exposure to Examples Improves Creative Work

This article presents the results of an online creativity experiment (N = 81) that examines the effect of example timing on creative output. In the between-subjects experiment, participants drew animals to inhabit an alien Earth-like planet while being exposed to examples early, late, or repeatedly during the experiment. We find that exposure to examples increases conformity. Early exposure to examples improves creativity (measured by the number of common and novel features in drawings, and subjective ratings by independent raters). Repeated exposure to examples interspersed with prototyping leads to even better results. However, late exposure to examples increases conformity, but does not improve creativity.
Inhibition of erythro-myeloid differentiation by constitutive expression of a DNA binding-deficient c-myb mutant: implication for c- myb function

The c-myb proto-oncogene encodes a nuclear protein involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and development. Myb protein contains a DNA binding and a transactivating domain thought to mediate its biologic properties. The DNA binding domain consists of three repeats (R1, R2, and R3), each containing a highly conserved motif of tryptophan residues. A c-myb mutant (DR1-myb) lacking the last 46 amino acids of R1 and 23 amino terminal residues of R2, a region homologous to the ADA-2 yeast transcriptional adaptor, lost DNA binding ability, but remained able to transactivate the human heat-shock promoter. Transfection of murine 32D and murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cell lines with DR1-myb caused inhibition of cellular differentiation induced by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), respectively. A second c-myb mutant (D-ADA2-myb) lacking the first 23 amino acids of R2, also lost DNA binding and transactivation activity, but did not inhibit DMSO-induced differentiation of MEL transfected cells. These findings suggest that deletion of R1 activates a DNA binding-independent mechanism of c-myb function, which may involve interaction of Myb with cellular factors.
Optimal Spatially-Invariant Controllers with Locality Constraints: A System Level Approach

We consider the problem of designing optimal controllers for distributed systems with a priori constraints on the spatial spread of a closed-loop response. We employ the recently developed framework of the “system level approach”. This guarantees a certain degree of controller interaction locality given a prescribed spatial locality of a closed-loop response, with the latter being a convex problem. We use the setting of spatially invariant systems to obtain special, but sharp results. We show that for infinite extent spatially invariant systems, in addition to convexity, further interesting properties of the optimal controller design problem emerge. In this case, when finite spread constraints on the closed-loop responses are imposed, the infinite-dimensional $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ problem reduces to a standard finite-dimensional $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ problem. We present numerical examples to illustrate the effect of the spatial spread constraint on the best achievable performance.
Impact of convenient away-from-home charging infrastructure

Abstract This work uses market analysis and simulation to explore the potential impact of workplace and similarly convenient away-from-home charging infrastructure (CAFHCI) in reducing US light duty vehicle (LDV) petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions . The ParaChoice model simulates the evolution of LDV sales, fuel use, and emissions through 2050, considering consumer responses to different options of electric range extension made available through CAFHCI, fraction of the population with access, and delay in infrastructure implementation. Results indicate that providing a greater fraction of the population access to CAFHCI at level 1 charging rates for a full workday (∼16–20 miles of range extension) may lead to more petroleum use reduction than providing level 2 charging to a lesser fraction. This result holds even considering the fraction of the population without at-home charging. 2050 battery electric vehicle sales increase 40% (85%) if the entire population is guaranteed daily access to one full workday of level 1 CAFHCI (half a workday of level 2, ∼80 miles of range extension). Plug-in hybrid sales increase when CAFHCI enables range extension below 20–40 miles/day, most significantly in households without at-home charging capability. Faster CAFHCI may decrease plug-in hybrid sales as less expensive BEVs become attractive to a greater fraction of the market.
Report of the Preservation Administrators’ Interest Group Meeting. American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Denver, February 2018

The Preservation Administrators Interest Group (PAIG) of the American Library Association (ALA) held its Midwinter 2018 meeting on Saturday, February 10, at the Denver Colorado Convention Center. T...
Gamma-ray tracking for high energy gamma-ray imaging in pixelated CdZnTe

Abstract Sequencing gamma-ray interactions within a detector system is an integral component of Compton imaging. In detectors with poor timing resolution compared to the time interval of successive interactions, algorithms which order gamma-ray interactions must be implemented using only energy and position information. This work examines previous algorithms and inspects interaction kinematics to increase the sequencing algorithm’s speed and effectiveness. The proposed method, in which the first interaction is assumed to deposit the largest energy, has improved sequencing performance by greater than 20% for full energy gamma ray depositions larger than 1 MeV that do not contain pair-production. In addition, the algorithm shows a decrease in computational costs for sequence reconstruction to allow for better real time reconstruction. Experimental results show an almost twofold increase in the signal to noise ratio (SNR) for simple backprojection images of a 22 Na source. Additional measurements of the 2.2 MeV gamma rays from H 1 ( n , γ ) D 2 neutron capture demonstrates the proposed algorithm’s superior performance.
Nanoparticle albumin bound-paclitaxel for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: an evaluation of the clinical evidence

Introduction: Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel), a microtubule inhibitor, has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) eit...
Physicians' Perspectives on Palliative Care for Patients With End-Stage Liver Disease: A National Survey Study.

Specialty palliative care (PC) is underused for patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). We sought to examine attitudes of hepatologists and gastroenterologists about PC for patients with ESLD. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of these specialists who provide care to patients with ESLD. Participants were recruited from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases membership directory. Using a questionnaire adapted from prior studies, we examined physicians' attitudes about PC and whether these attitudes varied based on patients' candidacy for liver transplantation. We identified predictors of physicians' attitudes about PC using linear regression. Approximately one-third of eligible physicians (396/1236, 32%) completed the survey. Most (95%) believed that centers providing care to patients with ESLD should have PC services, and 86% trusted PC clinicians to care for their patients. Only a minority reported collaborating frequently with inpatient (32%) or outpatient (11%) PC services. Most believed that when patients hear the term PC, they feel scared (94%) and anxious (87%). Most (83%) believed that patients would think nothing more could be done for their underlying disease if a PC referral was suggested. Physicians who believed that ESLD is a terminal condition (B = 1.09; P = 0.006) reported more positive attitudes about PC. Conversely, physicians with negative perceptions of PC for transplant candidates (B = -0.22; standard error = 0.05; P < 0.001) reported more negative attitudes toward PC. In conclusion, although most hepatologists and gastroenterologists believe that patients with ESLD should have access to PC, they reported rarely collaborating with PC teams and had substantial concerns about patients' perceptions of PC. Interventions are needed to overcome misperceptions of PC and to promote collaboration with PC clinicians for patients with ESLD.
Characterization by molecular cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding an aminopeptidase from Listeria monocytogenes

The pepC gene of Listeria monocytogenes encodes aminopeptidase C that is predicted to share 72% amino acid sequence similarity and 53% sequence identity with the cysteine aminopeptidase PepC from Lactococcus lactis. The gene product also shows strong similarity to aminopeptidase C from Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus helveticus, and to a cysteine proteinase/bleomycin hydrolase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The enzyme from L. monocytogenes displayed broad N-terminal hydrolytic activity, with a similar substrate specificity to its lactic acid bacterial counterpart. The inhibition spectrum shows a great deal of similarity with enzymes from the family of lactic acid bacteria. In addition, one of the clones studied contained DNA sequences that could encode a regulatory protein of the deoR helix-turn-helix DNA binding protein family. The organization of the locus, designated pep, is presented along with the characterization of the gene products of the pep locus.
THE DEATH OF GOD AND THE ‘FOOLISHNESS OF THE CROSS’ IN 1 CORINTHIANS 1.18–2.5

Paul grounds his first letter to the Corinthians on a theological paradox: ‘God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom’. I examine the two separate terms of this dichotomy – ‘the wisdom of the wo...
National Imaging Trends in Nephrolithiasis—Does Renal Ultrasound in the Emergency Department Pave the Way for Computerized Tomography?

AbstractIntroduction:Concern regarding radiation exposure has led to increased interest in the use of ultrasound for the initial imaging of suspected renal colic in the emergency department. It is ...
Chemoprophylaxis and Venous Thromboembolism in Traumatic Brain Injury at Different Trauma Centers

Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Because of concerns of worsening intracranial hemorrhage, clinicians are hesitant to start VTE chemoprophylaxis in this population. We hypothesized that ACS Level I trauma centers would be more aggressive with VTE chemoprophylaxis in adults with severe TBI than Level II centers. We also predicted that Level I centers would have a lower risk of VTE. We queried the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (2010-2016) database for patients with Abbreviated Injury Scale scores of 4 and 5 of the head and compared them based on treating the hospital trauma level. Of 204,895 patients with severe TBI, 143,818 (70.2%) were treated at Level I centers and 61,077 (29.8%) at Level II centers. The Level I cohort had a higher rate of VTE chemoprophylaxis use (43.2% vs 23.3%, P < 0.001) and a shorter median time to chemoprophylaxis (61.9 vs 85.9 hours, P < 0.001). Although Level I trauma centers started VTE chemoprophylaxis more often and earlier than Level II centers, there was no difference in the risk of VTE (P = 0.414) after controlling for covariates. Future prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the timing, safety, and efficacy of early VTE chemoprophylaxis in severe TBI patients.
A Brief Review on 3D Bioprinted Skin Substitutes

Abstract The global escalating cases of skin donor shortage for patients with severe wounds warn the vital need for alternatives to skin allografts. Over the last three decades, research in the skin regeneration area has addressed the unmet need for artificial skin substitutes. 3D bioprinting is a promising innovative technology to accurately fabricate skin constructs based on natural or synthetic bioinks, whether loaded or not loaded with native skin cells (i.e., keratinocytes and fibroblasts) or stem cells in the prescribed 3D hierarchal structure to create artificial multilayer and single cell-laden construct. In this paper, the recent developments in 3D bioprinting for skin regeneration are reviewed to discuss different aspects of skin bioprinted substitutes, including 3D printing technology, bioink composition, and cell-laden constructs. The impact of 3D printing parameters on functionality of the skin substitute and cell viability is reviewed to provide insight into controlled fabrication as the critical component of advanced wound healing. We highlight the recent and ongoing research in skin bioprinting to address the progress in the translation of advanced wound healing from lab to clinic.
Democratic Deepening and State Capacity: Taxation in Brazil and India

Changes to citizenship regimes help explain differences in tax structure in Brazil and India. Citizenship regimes change by mobilizing new collective identities, articulating substantive demands, and institutionalizing group linkages to public life. When excluded groups mobilize and gain access, they provide new sources of state legitimacy, allowing states to expand their capacity, for example in tax. Changes to tax can be evaluated in terms of levels of revenues, degrees of progressivity, and the universality of application of tax across sectors and regions. Since the 1970s in Brazil and India, excluded groups gained access to citizenship regimes and deepened democracy, but differences in collective identities, demands, and mechanisms of linkage played out in differences in state capacity.
Watching Black Panther with racially diverse youth: relationships between film viewing, ethnicity, ethnic identity, empowerment, and wellbeing

Black Panther (2018) offers scholars a unique opportunity to measure the potential positive influence of the film on American youth, particularly youth of color. Past research demonstrated that, fo...
Cortical Thickness Mediates the Association Between Self-Reported Pain and Sleep Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Introduction Musculoskeletal pain is prevalent in older adults representing the leading cause of disability in this population. Similarly, nearly half of older adults complain of difficulty sleeping. We aimed to explore the relationship between sleep quality with self-reported musculoskeletal pain, somatosensory and pain thresholds in community-dwelling older adults and further explore brain regions that may contribute to this association. Methods Older adults (>60 years old, n=69) from the NEPAL study completed demographic, pain and sleep assessments followed by a quantitative sensory testing battery. A subset (n=49) also underwent a 3T high-resolution, T1-weighted anatomical scan. Results Poorer sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was positively associated with self-reported pain measures (all p's >0.05), but not somatosensory and pain thresholds (all p's >0.05). Using a non-parametric threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) approach, worse sleep quality was significantly associated with lower cortical thickness in the precentral, postcentral, precuneus, superior parietal, and lateral occipital regions (TFCE-FWE-corrected at p < 0.05). Further, only postcentral cortical thickness significantly mediated the association between sleep quality and self-reported pain intensity using bootstrapped mediation methods. Conclusion Our findings in older adults are similar to previous studies in younger individuals where sleep is significantly associated with self-reported pain. Specifically, our study implicates brain structure as a significant mediator of this association in aging. Future larger studies are needed to replicate our findings and to further understand if the brain can be a therapeutic target for both improved sleep and pain relief in older individuals.
Generalized conditions for the convergence of inexact Newton-like methods on banach spaces with a convergence structure and applications

In this study, we use inexact Newton-like methods to find solutions of nonlinear operator equations on Banach spaces with a convergence structure. Our technique involves the introduction of a generalized norm as an operator from a linear space into a partially ordered Banach space. In this way the metric properties of the examined problem can be analyzed more precisely. Moreover, this approach allows us to derive from the same theorem, on the one hand, semi-local results of Kantorovich-type, and on the other hand, global results based on monotonicity considerations. By imposing very general Lipschitz-like conditions on the operators involved, on the one hand, we cover a wider range of problems, and on the other hand, by choosing our operators appropriately we can find sharper error bounds on the distances involved than before. Furthermore, we show that special cases of our results reduce to the corresponding ones already in the literature. Finally, our results are used to solve integral equations that cannot be solved with existing methods.
Lessons from $O(N)$ models in one dimension

Various topics related to the $O(N)$ model in one spacetime dimension (i.e. ordinary quantum mechanics) are considered. The focus is on a pedagogical presentation of quantum field theory methods in a simpler context where many exact results are available, but certain subtleties are discussed which may be of interest to active researchers in higher dimensional field theories as well. Large $N$ methods are introduced in the context of the zero-dimensional path integral and the connection to Stirling's series is shown. The entire spectrum of the $O(N)$ model, which includes the familiar $l(l+1)$ eigenvalues of the quantum rotor as a special case, is found both diagrammatically through large $N$ methods and by using Ward identities. The large $N$ methods are already exact at subleading order and the $\mathcal{O}\!\left(N^{-2}\right)$ corrections are explicitly shown to vanish. Peculiarities of gauge theories in $d=1$ are discussed in the context of the $CP^{N-1}$ sigma model, and the spectrum of a more general squashed sphere sigma model is found. The precise connection between the $O(N)$ model and the linear sigma model with a $\phi^4$ interaction is discussed. A valid form of the self-consistent screening approximation (SCSA) applicable to $O(N)$ models with a hard constraint is presented. The point is made that at least in $d=1$ the SCSA may do worse than simply truncating the large $N$ expansion to subleading order even for small $N$. In both the supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric versions of the $O(N)$ model, naive equations of motion relating vacuum expectation values are shown to be corrected by regularization-dependent finite corrections arising from contact terms associated to the equation of constraint.
Communicating the Information Needed for Treatment Decision Making Among Patients With Pancreatic Cancer Receiving Preoperative Therapy

PURPOSE:Preoperative therapy for pancreatic cancer represents a new treatment option with the potential to improve outcomes for patients, yet with complex risks. By not discussing the potential ris...
Excision-amplification of mitochondrial DNA during senescence in Podospora anserina. A potential role for an 11 base-pair consensus sequence in the excision process.

Abstract Three novel mitochondrial excision-amplification plasmids of Podonpora anserina were identified and the excision-junction sites on the mitochondrial genome determined. All three plasmids were at least partially derived from a common region of the mitochondrial genome termed Eco RI-7 (E7). The entire 5651 base-pair sequence of E7 is presented. Included within this sequence are the E7-specific excision-junction sites of these novel plasmids, the localizations of nine tRNA genes, and the localization of a class I intron of the large rRNA mitochondrial gene. The E7 region contains the 3′ portion of this large rRNA gene. Formation of these three novel plasmids as well as other previously described mitochondrial plasmids was found to be associated with the presence of an 11 base-pair consensus sequence, GGCGCAAGCTC, or its complementary sequence. A possible role for this consensus sequence and its complement in plasmid formation and the senescence process of Podospora is discussed. A possible role for the tRNA genes in plasmid formation is considered.
Inhibition of Inflammatory Responses by Leukocyte Ig‐Like Receptors

The immune system must effectively regulate the balance between beneficial and detrimental inflammation. This process is achieved in part through cell surface receptors that rapidly integrate activating and inhibitory signals. The inhibitory members of the leukocyte Ig-like receptor (LILR) family, termed LILRBs, are broadly distributed among cell populations in the immune system and potently counterregulate cell activation induced by stimuli of innate and adaptive immune responses. Studies in mice and humans indicate that LILRBs appreciably downregulate harmful inflammatory responses induced by microbial, allergic, and cytotoxic mechanisms. Hence, the LILRBs likely play significant roles in regulating the incidence and severity of many inflammatory diseases, making them potential targets for therapeutic interventions.
Modern Intrusion Detection, Data Mining, and Degrees of Attack Guilt

This chapter examines the state of modern intrusion detection, with a particular emphasis on the emerging approach of data mining. The discussion parallels two important aspects of intrusion detection: general detection strategy (misuse detection versus anomaly detection) and data source (individual hosts versus network traffic). Misuse detection attempts to match known patterns of intrusion, while anomaly detection searches for deviations from normal behavior. Between the two approaches, only anomaly detection has the ability to detect unknown attacks. A particularly promising approach to anomaly detection combines association raining with other forms of machine learning such as classification. Moreover, the data source that an intrusion detection system employs significantly impacts the types of attacks it can detect. There is a tradeoff in the level of detailed information available versus data volume. We introduce a novel way of characterizing intrusion detection activities: degree of attack guilt. It is useful for qualifying the degree of confidence associated with detection events, providing a framework in which we analyze detection quality versus cost.
On the Departure of a Chief Executive Officer

Abstract This article explores three different scenarios that may lead to the departure of a chief executive officer: the voluntary departure of a CEO through resignation or retirement; dismissal for wrongdoing; and dismissal (or lack of contract renewal) when cause is not attributed and the decision appears to be driven by internal politics. Examples of actual cases of CEO termination are presented and the implications of the CEO's departure and the situation surrounding it are then analyzed in regard to the impact on the organization and its board of directors. Case examples and discussion are limited to nonprofit organizations concerned with civil rights, health, and human services-people-serving organizations with missions focused on human well-being. Articles related to CEO departures were obtained from a search of print media for the period 1988–2000. Theoretical sampling was used, in which similar cases are sought and their themes mined. The analysis of cases suggests that the circumstances surroun...
Absence of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations in mouse brain tumors

Background Somatic mutations in the mitochondrial genome occur in numerous tumor types including brain tumors. These mutations are generally found in the hypervariable regions I and II of the displacement loop and unlikely alter mitochondrial function. Two hypervariable regions of mononucleotide repeats occur in the mouse mitochondrial genome, i.e., the origin of replication of the light strand (OL) and the Arg tRNA.
A Flexible Security System for Metacomputing Environments

A metacomputing environment is a collection of geographically distributed resources (people, computers, devices, databases) connected by one or more high-speed networks and potentially spanning multiple administrative domains. Security is an essential part of metasystem design -- high-level resources and services defined by the metacomputer must be protected from one another and from possibly corrupted underlying resources, while those underlying resources must minimize their vulnerability to attacks from the metacomputer level. We present the Legion security architecture, a flexible, adaptable framework for solving the metacomputing security problem. We demonstrate that this framework is flexible enough to implement a wide range of security mechanisms and high-level policies.
Nonlinear Time Series Modeling by LPTime, Nonparametric Empirical Learning

We describe a new comprehensive approach to nonlinear time series analysis and modeling based on recently developed theory on unied algorithms of data science via LP modeling. We introduce novel data-specic mid-distribution based Legendre Polynomial(LP) like nonlinear transformations of the original time series fY (t)g that enables us to adapt all the existing stationary linear Gaussian time series modeling strategy and made it applicable for non-Gaussian and nonlinear processes in a robust fashion. The emphasis of the present paper is on empirical time series modeling via the algorithm LPTime. We describe each stage of the model building process, associated theoretical concepts and illustrate with daily S&P 500 return data between Jan/2/1963 - Dec/31/2009. Our proposed LPTime algorithm systematically discovers all the ‘stylized facts’ of the nancial time series automatically all at once, which were previously noted by many researchers one at a time.
Analysis of Renal Functional Outcomes After Radical or Partial Nephrectomy for Renal Masses ≥7 cm Using the RENAL Score.

Objective To determine if partial nephrectomy (PN) confers a renal functional benefit compared to radical nephrectomy (RN) for clinical T2 renal masses (T2RM) when adjusting for tumor complexity characterized by the RENAL nephrometry score. Methods A 2-center study of 202 patients with T2RM undergoing RN (122) or PN (80) (median follow-up, 41.5 months). RN and PN cohorts were subanalyzed according to RENAL sum as a categorical variable of <10 or ≥10. Primary outcome was median change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (ΔeGFR) between preoperative to 6 months postoperative. Logistic regression–identified prognostic factors and survival models analyzed association between the RENAL sum and the freedom from de novo chronic kidney disease (CKD; eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73m2). Results No significant differences existed between PN and RN for RENAL score. ΔeGFR was greater in RN (−19.7) vs PN (−11.9; P = .006). De novo CKD was 40.2% after RN vs 16.3% after PN (P <.001). RENAL score ≥10 (odds ratio, 6.67; P = .025) and RN among patients with RENAL score <10 (odds ratio, 24.8; P <.001) were independently associated with de novo CKD at 6 months by logistic regression. Among patients with RENAL score <10, median CKD-free survival was PN 38 vs RN 16 months (P = .001). Cox proportional hazard demonstrated decreasing risk of CKD for PN vs RN from RENAL 10 (hazard ratio, 0.836) to RENAL 6 (hazard ratio, 0.003; P = .001). Conclusion RN is independently associated with decreased renal function compared to PN for T2RM with RENAL sum ≤10, but not >10, with larger relative decrease in eGFR for each decrease in RENAL sum. Further investigation is required to determine optimal candidates for PN in T2RM.
Reliability and Construct Validity of the Body Cathexis Scale

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the reliability and validity of the Body Cathexis Scale, testing 50 female college students (At age 24.2 ± 1.8 yr.) who completed the Tennessee Se...
The role of salicylic acid in systemic acquired resistance

Salicylate has recently been described as a new plant hormone. In the past year, insights have been made into the cellular regulation of salicylic acid levels and into pathways of the salicylic acid induced expression of genes involved in plant defense responses.
Behavior of frictional hertzian contacts under impulsive loading

Abstract This investigation deals with the behavior of frictional interface between a ball and two parallel planes when subjected to impulsive loads. Central impact on the ball is provided by means of another ball suspended as a pendulum. A procedure is given for evaluating the coefficient of friction for gross slip as well as the kinetic coefficient during gross slip uitlizing Mindlin's theory. These coefficients were found to be independent of the normal load and are considerably greater than those obtained when the load is statically or sinusoidally applied.
Measurements on the Elasticity and Damping of Isolated Aortic Strips of the Dog

The experimental data obtained on the viscoelastic behavior of isolated aortic strips of the dog consist of: (1) the resonant or natural frequency of forced or free longitudinal vibration; (2) the logarithmic decrement. From these data, static and dynamic moduli and the time constants for the specimens are computed. Variations of these values with frequency, temperature and elongation are presented. The experimental observations are not adequately explained by a simple mechanical analogue. An alternative explanation is offered based on studies of dynamic elasticity in high polymers.
VARIABILITY IN 24 HOUR STATE DISTRIBUTION IN PRETERM INFANTS

This study was undertaken to quantitate the 24 hr. variability in the distribution of states for 5 healthy preterm infants. 12 studies were conducted in which state was coded by independent EEG & behavioral scores for each minute under standard nursing conditions over a continuous 24 hr. period excluding feeding times (x study time = 1225 mins). We calculated the percent time Quiet Sleep (%QS), Active Sleep (%AS), Indeterminate Sleep (%IS), and Wakefulness (%W) for 3 post-conceptional age groups: These data demonstrate increased W and better organization of sleep with maturation. State distribution was also calculated for each interfeed epoch (n=8) to obtain standard deviations (SD) for %QS, %AS, %IS & %W in each study. The average SD (xSD) for each state was used to determine the variability in estimates of 24 hr. state distribution when less than 8 epochs are observed: XSD for %QS when only 1 interfeed epoch is used is 6.45; when 8 epochs are used XSD=2.28. The results demonstrate the importance of long term measurements of state distribution. Short term observations may be misleading.
The role of humoral factors in the regression of leukemia in chickens as measured by in vitro colony formation.

Leukemic myeloblasts induced by avian myeloblastosis virus in the chicken formed small compact (type II) colonies in semi-solid agar medium. Normal yolk sac cells from 12-day old embryos formed large diffuse (type I) colonies under the same conditions. Type I colony formation (but not type II) was strictly dependent upon the presence in the medium of a colony stimulating factor (CSF) present in fresh chicken serum or conditioned medium. Serum CSF levels were determined for normal, leukemic, and birds which had spontaneously regressed from myeloblastic leukemia. When type I colony formation was used as the assay, serum CSF levels of leukemic birds were found to be significantly lower than levels in either normal or regressed birds. When the same sera were tested for their ability to induce type II colonies, leukemic birds demonstrated a significantly higher CSF level than either normal or regressed sera. Regressed chickens had serum CSF levels similar to normal birds.
BrCl production in NaBr/NaCl/HNO3/O3 solutions representative of sea‐salt aerosols in the marine boundary layer

Atomic bromine and chlorine liberated from sea-salt aerosol is thought to play an important role in chemistry of the marine boundary layer. Despite numerous modeling studies, no prior experimental investigations of the oxidation of halide species contained in simulated, or actual, sea-salt solutions have been performed. We present laboratory data that examines chemistry in NaBr/NaCl/HNO 3 /O 3 solutions at 290 K. Ozonation experiments were performed by flowing ozone in air through a nitric acid/salt solution and monitoring pH with time using an ion-sensitive electrode. The rate of oxidation was observed to be first order in ozone concentration and to have a non-first order bromide concentration dependence. Ion chromatography was used to measure both bromide disappearance as well as oxidation products formed during the course of the reactions studied. Our measurements of the oxidation rate versus ion concentration indicate that the high ionic strength present in sea-salt aerosol will possess unique kinetics different from dilute solution behavior. In addition, our results are consistent with the reaction sequence O 3 + H + + Br - → O 2 + HOBr and HOBr + Cl - + H + → BrCl + H 2 O. These observations support the HOBr mediated Cl- oxidation process proposed previously (Vogt et al., 1996).
Embryology in the medical curriculum

Embryology as a field is in a period of unprecedented change in its knowledge base. Similarly, this is a period of great change in medical curricular planning. One of the most significant questions in embryology education for medical students is how much of the "new" molecular embryology to mix with the "old" developmental anatomy approach. The other question is the most effective venue for instruction in medical embryology. Not all medical curricula have the same objectives; nor do they use the same educational approach. With that in mind, this review outlines several ways in which medical embryology can be offered and how it can be integrated into the medical curriculum. It also lays out topics that are worthy of inclusion in a modern embryology course or sequence.
High-power optically pumped semiconductor laser apllications

OPS lasers have found applications in various industrial and scientific laser applications due to their power scaling capability, their wide range of emission wavelengths, physical size and their superior reliability. This paper provides an overview of commercially available OPS lasers and the applications in which they are used including biotechnology, medical, holography, Titanium-Sapphire laser pumping, non-lethal defense, forensics, and entertainment.
Geochemical and Sedimentologic Problems of Uranium Deposits of Texas Gulf Coastal Plain

Exploration targets for sedimentary uranium ore bodies in the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain include: (1) favorable source rocks for uranium, (2) favorable conditions for uranium leached and transported out of the source rocks, and (3) favorable geologic characteristics of the host rocks for the accumulation of uranium of economic importance. However, data available from known deposits point out more questions of research than answers. Mobility and accumulation of uranium of economic importance in host rocks are controlled by at least three factors--physical, chemical-mineralogic, and hydrologic--that interact dynamically. Physical factors include the nature (viscosity) of the transporting fluid, the permeability of host rock with respect to transporting solution in terms of medium rate, potential differentials, and temperature of the uranium-bearing solution in the macroenvironment. Chemical-mineralogic factors include the ionic strength of solution, chemical activities of species in the solution, chemical activities of pore water in host rocks, surface activity and surface energy of mineral constituents in host rocks, solubilities of ore and gangue minerals, pH, and Eh in the microenvironment. Hydrologic factors i clude fluctuation of the depth of the oxidation-reduction interfaces in the paleoaquifer host rocks, and their subsequent modification by present hydrologic factors. Geochemical mechanisms that are likely to have been in operation for uranium accumulation are precipitation, adsorption, and/or complexing.
Imaging of a surface state from clean Cu(001).

First-principles electronic structure calculations and multiple-angle valence-band photoelectron spectroscopy were combined to image a clean surface-related electronic state of the Cu(001) surface. The surface band cresting at 4.30 eV below the Fermi level was computed to have a density of states at the lower end of the bulk Cu {ital d} bands. Based on the results of first-principles calculations for the clean and Cl-covered surfaces, we were able to successfully measure the surface state by taking a ratio of clean versus Cl-covered isoenergetic valence electron angular distributions. We have also carried out first-principles total-energy calculations for the multilayer atomic relaxation of the clean Cu(001) surface, and found that the topmost interlayer separation contracts by 2.9{percent} relative to the bulk value, while the second interlayer is essentially unchanged and the third interlayer contracts by only 0.1{percent}. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Energy-Supercritical NLS: Critical [Hdot] s -Bounds Imply Scattering

We consider two classes of defocusing energy-supercritical nonlinear Schrodinger equations in dimensions d ≥ 5. We prove that if the solution u is a priori bounded in the critical Sobolev space, that is, , then u is global and scatters.
Dielectric constant and electric resistivity of copper chlorine boracite, Cu3B7O13Cl (Cu-Cl-B)

The dielectric constant eT of Cu Cl boracite changes very little with temperature above the transition point Tc, increases abruptly at Tc upon cooling, and decreases below Tc. This behavior is expected in the theory of improper ferroelectric transitions. The d.c. resistivity jumps abruptly at Tc. However, the sign of the jump is different for different samples. At 25 Deg, the a.c. resistivity decreases with increasing frequency. Unpoled samples show a.c. and d.c. resistivities 2 orders of magnitude lower than samples in the single-domain state.
The fate of a virus, Staphylococcus aureus phage 80, injected into the oyster, Crassostrea virginica

A significant portion of viral particles (Staphylococcus aureus phage 80) injected into the oyster Crassostrea virginica was recovered from shell liquor, rejecta, dejecta, and sea water. This elimination of viral particles from the oyster was found to be faster at higher temperatures than at lower temperatures. Viral particles released from oyster leucocytes were very few in number. In vitro study showed that normal and “immune” oyster plasma had little or no effect on the virus and that the virus was more stable in the plasma than in sea water at 5° and 15°C but with exceptions at 25°C. Oyster tissues, such as gill, mantle, labial palp, and muscle, exhibited no appreciable adsorption of viral particles in vitro. These observations allow the conclusion that the oyster could serve as virus carrier under certain circumstances.
Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen after a single inoculation of uncoupled synthetic HBsAg peptides

A formalin-inactivated hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine has been produced in several laboratories (for review, see ref. 1). The sole source of material for these vaccines has been 22-nm lipoprotein particles composed of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and derived from plasma of persons chronically infected with HBV. Such a source presents potential hazards in view of unknown factors that may be present in the plasma, and as high-risk populations are immunized, sources of plasma containing large quantities of HBsAg will become scarce. In addition, no tissue culture system has been developed for the propagation of HBV. The possibility of a synthetic peptide vaccine2,3 for HBV had been suggested2,3 following studies carried out with tobacco mosaic virus4,5 and MS-2 coliphage6. This possibility recently became a reality when the amino acid sequence for HBsAg was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned HBV genome (for a review, see ref. 7). More recently a portion of the major polypeptide derived from HBsAg, with a calculated molecular weight of 25,000 (P25), has been sequenced8. Lerner et al.9 have described a similar approach towards HBV synthetic peptides. Antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) was raised in rabbits inoculated with three or four doses of a series of peptides, each containing 14–15 amino acid residues, but only after covalent linkage of the peptides to a carrier protein. Activity was also found after multiple injections of a peptide containing 34 amino acids. We have now synthesized two cyclic peptides containing disulphide bonds, both unrelated to those prepared by Lerner, from a hydrophilic region of the major viral polypeptide, which elicited an antibody response in mice after a single injection without linkage to a protein carrier.
Local best rational approximations to continuous functions and the rays they emanate

Abstract Let ƒ be a continuous real function defined on [0, 1]. A real rational function r0 ϵ Rmn( C ) is a local best approximation to cƒ + (1 − c) r 0 for each c > 0 if and only if r0 is a global best approximation to ƒ from Re Rmn( C .
Grism-pair stretcher–compressor system for simultaneous second- and third-order dispersion compensation in chirped-pulse amplification

We present a grating pair based on Carpenter prisms whose third-order dispersion is opposite that of a traditional grating pair. A properly designed stretcher–compressor system with these gratings has the unique characteristic that it simultaneously compensates for second- and third-order dispersion as a function of grating separation, as opposed to traditional systems, which require an additional grating angle mismatch. The applicability of this design to 30-fs, millijoule-level chirped-pulse amplification is discussed.
Reflections on Burke, Kant, and Solitude and the Sublime

This essay reviews Edmund Burke's and Immanuel Kant's views on the sublime as the author had earlier addressed them in Solitude and the Sublime. Her reflections focus on the importance of the rise of interest in aesthetics as a distinctive kind of experience in the eighteenth century and the Romantic era, on how aesthetic experience (in Kant's view) sits in relation to pure reason and practical reason, on the importance of aesthetic experience in recruiting first-person testimony, and on the importance of aesthetic discussions for emphasizing, first, the necessity that aesthetic experience be a response to an actual concrete object (in the beautiful) and, second, the significance of the mathematical sublime in showing human representational capacities themselves as objects of aesthetic experience.
Synovial sarcoma metastatic to the mandible: report of two cases.

Abstract While tumor metastasis to the mandible is considered rare, its true incidence probably is underreported for several reasons. First, the historical rarity of this manifestation of malignancy may result in a lowered index of suspicion on the part of clinicians; radiographic and radionuclide bone surveys done during metastatic workups seldom include separate views of the jaws. Second, asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic lesions may be overlooked in cancer patients, or may be thought to be odontogenic or benign in nature. Finally, patients may die before jaw metastases become apparent, and postmortem examinations rarely include the mandible. The discovery of metastasis may signal a change in prognosis that can affect both oncologic treatment planning and patient management. A mandibular lesion may provide the first indication that a known primary cancer has spread or that generalized metastatic disease is progressing. It can indeed be the very first sign of an occult malignancy. Metastasis is one of the major causes of treatment failure in clinical oncology. 1 For these reasons, the importance of careful clinical and radiographic investigation of apparent dental aberrations in cancer patients cannot be overstated. The following report describes, in two patients, the metastasis of a very rare soft-tissue sarcoma to the mandible, and its presentation, diagnosis, clinical course, and outcome.