cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uptake of Nitrobenzylthioinosine and Purine β-l-Nucleosides by Intracellular Toxoplasma gondii

Intracellular Toxoplasma gondii grown in human foreskin fibroblast cells transported nitrobenzylthioinosine {NBMPR; 6-((4-nitrobenzyl)mercapto)-9--D-ribofuranosylpurine}, an inhibitor of nucleoside transport in mammalian cells, as well as the nonphysiological -L-enantiomers of purine nucleosides, -L-adenosine, -L-deoxyadenosine, and -L-guanosine. The -L-pyrimidine nucleosides, -L-uridine, -L-cytidine, and -L- thymidine, were not transported. The uptake of NBMPR and the nonphysiological purine nucleoside -L- enantiomers by the intracellular parasites also implies that Toxoplasma-infected cells can transport these nucleosides. In sharp contrast, under the same conditions, uninfected fibroblast cells did not transport NBMPR or any of the unnatural -L-nucleosides. -D-Adenosine and dipyridamole, another inhibitor of nucleoside transport, inhibited the uptake of NBMPR and -L-stereoisomers of the purine nucleosides by intracellular Toxoplasma and Toxoplasma-infected cells. Furthermore, infection with a Toxoplasma mutant deficient in parasite adenosine/purine nucleoside transport reduced or abolished the uptake of -D-adenosine, NBMPR, and purine -L-nucleosides. Hence, the presence of the Toxoplasma adenosine/purine nucleoside transporters is apparently essential for the uptake of NBMPR and purine -L-nucleosides by intracellular Toxoplasma and Toxoplasma-infected cells. These results also demonstrate that, in contrast to the mammalian nucleoside transporters, the Toxoplasma adenosine/purine nucleoside transporter(s) lacks stereospecificity and substrate specificity in the transport of purine nucleosides. In addition, infection with T. gondii confers the properties of the parasite's purine nucleoside transport on the parasitized host cells and enables the infected cells to transport purine nucleosides that were not transported by uninfected cells. These unique character- istics of purine nucleoside transport in T. gondii may aid in the identification of new promising antitoxoplasmic drugs.
Generation of scalable quasi-3D metallo-dielectric SERS substrates through orthogonal reactive ion etching

We combined two orthogonal reactive ion etching strategies on monolayers of 4 μm diameter polystyrene (PS) microspheres assembled on a planar glass substrate to create geometrically diverse but highly regular quasi-3D nano-structured arrays with centimeter length scales. Reactive ion etching (RIE) with O2/CF4 was used to selectively etch PS and, thus, to adjust the morphology of the PS mask, and CHF3 RIE was then used to etch the SiO2 substrate. The dynamic combination of these two etching procedures facilitated the realization of a wide variety of 3D-corrugated surface morphologies, including pedestals, bowls, honeycombs and blossom bud like arrays. The generated structures were then evaporated with Au films of defined thicknesses to generate metallo-dielectric arrays with tunable surface roughness. Hexagonal diffraction patterns from the fabricated structures confirm the successful realization of extended periodic hexagonal structures and the optical transmission spectra showed an efficient trapping of incident light in these ultra-rough metallo-dielectric arrays. The metallo-dielectric substrates were finally optimized for the detection of the pesticide methyl parathion in a concentration as low as 1 × 10−10 M through surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
Ethnic differences in ankle brachial index are present in middle-aged individuals without peripheral arterial disease

Introduction To better understand the basis for previously reported ethnic differences in ankle brachial index (ABI), we investigated whether these differences were present in individuals without known peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Infinite-dimensional convex optimization in optimal and robust control theory

Many engineering problems can be shown to be equivalent to solving semidefinite programs (SPs), i.e., convex optimization problems involving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Powerful computation tools are available for such problems in the finite-dimensional case. However, the problems arising in optimal and robust control theory are often infinite dimensional, and so adequate computation tools are not available. The key to tackling such problems with finite computation tools is to have a primal-dual formulation of the problem without duality gap. In this paper we study infinite-dimensional SPs and present a lifting technique to recast SPs as parameterized linear programs (LPs). This enables the wealth of theoretical tools available for infinite-dimensional LPs to be extended to infinite-dimensional SPs. In particular, we develop some new sufficient conditions for the lack of a duality gap for infinite-dimensional SPs and give an exact characterization of the primal and dual problems for these cases. Both primal and dual problems are formed as infinite-dimensional SP problems, with finite truncations to each giving upper and lower bounds, respectively, on the exact solution to the infinite-dimensional problem. Thus, these results can form the basis of practical computation schemes for infinite-dimensional problems, which require only finite-dimensional computation tools. To illustrate the power of these tools we apply the results to two previously unsolved optimization problems, namely minimizing the l/sub 1/ norm of a closed-loop system subject to bounds on the frequency response magnitude at a finite number of points and/or bounds on the H/sub 2/ norm.
Inaccuracies in Sneddon`s solution for elastic indentation by a rigid cone and their implications for nanoindentation data analysis

Methods currently used for analyzing nanoindentation load-displacement data to determine a material`s hardness and elastic modulus are based on Sneddon`s solution for the indentation of an elastic half-space by a rigid axisymmetric indenter. Although this solution is widely used, no attempts have been made to determine how well it works for conditions of finite deformation, as is the case in most nanoindentation experiments with sharp indenters. Analytical and finite element results are presented which show that corrections to Sneddon`s solution are needed if it is to be accurately applied to the case of deformation by a rigid cone. Failure to make the corrections results in an underestimation of the load and contact stiffness and an overestimation of the elastic modulus, with the magnitude of the errors depending on the angle of the indenter and Poisson`s ratio of the half-space. For a rigid conical indenter with a half-included tip angle of 70.3{degrees}, i.e., the angle giving the same area-to-depth ratio as the Berkovich indenter used commonly in nanoindentation experiments, the underestimation of the load and contact stiffness and overestimation of the elastic modulus may be as large as 13%. It is shown that a simple first order correction can be achieved by redefining the effective angle of the indenter in terms of the elastic constants. Implications for the interpretation of nanoindentation data are discussed.
Employment Laws and the Public Sector Employer: Lessons to Be Learned from a Review of Lawsuits Filed against Local Governments

Numerous aspects of the day-to-day operations of local governments are subject to legal scrutiny; public managers and officials must be keenly aware of the legal rights and protections that extend to both citizens and employees of local governments. This research evaluates several areas of concern in the human resource administration of municipal governments with respect to the management of public employees within the protections set forth by the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. Sample cases filed from 2000 to 2007 against local governments in Tennessee involving Title VII violations, retaliation, hostile work environment, Family and Medical Leave Act violations, and other employee grievances are detailed. The intent of this analysis is to highlight many of the laws and legal principles that relate to municipal human resources management and to provide scholars and practitioners with a brief overview of the liabilities that may arise from the employment relationship between local governments and their employees.
Developmental Concepts of Nicotine Addiction

Piagetian interviewing techniques were used to explore concepts of nicotine addiction among 96 children and adolescents aged between 5 and 17 years. Verbal probes elicited each subject's most sophisticated level of reasoning about smoking and addiction. Responses were scored using the six developmentally ordered categories of the Developmental Conceptions of Addiction scoring system. Data indicate progression in conceptual reasoning about addiction consistent with Piagetian stages of cognitive development and physical causality. Age was associated with but not predictive of Developmental Conceptions of Addiction scores. Findings provide information that may be useful in designing more effective smoking prevention and cessation interventions.
Family Therapy Theory: What Is Important in the Training of Today's Family Counselors?:

Family therapy theory as it relates to the training of novice family counselors is explored in this article. The increasing number of theories and recent advances in the field have complicated the decision regarding what theories should be taught in introductory family counseling courses. Questions are posed concerning whether the traditional theories should be taught as they were originally conceptualized or whether integration should begin in the early stages of training. The importance of incorporating a cultural lens regardless of theoretical perspective is emphasized.
Intracorporal injection of hSlo cDNA in rats produces physiologically relevant alterations in penile function

The Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel (maxi-K+) is an important modulator of corporal smooth muscle tone. The goal of these studies was twofold: 1) to determine the feasibility of transfecting corporal smo...
Trophic ecology of the invasive argentine ant: spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation and isotopic enrichment

Studies of food webs often employ stable isotopic approaches to infer trophic position and interaction strength without consideration of spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation by constituent species. Using results from laboratory diet manipulations and monthly sampling of field populations, we illustrate how nitrogen isotopes may be used to quantify spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation in ants. First, we determined nitrogen enrichment using a controlled laboratory experiment with the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). After 12 weeks, worker δ15N values from colonies fed an animal-based diet had δ15N values that were 5.51% greater compared to colonies fed a plant-based diet. The shift in δ15N values in response to the experimental diet occurred within 10 weeks. We next reared Argentine ant colonies with or without access to honeydew-producing aphids and found that after 8 weeks workers from colonies without access to aphids had δ15N values that were 6.31% larger compared to colonies with access to honeydew. Second, we sampled field populations over a 1-year period to quantify spatio-temporal variability in isotopic ratios of L. humile and those of a common native ant (Solenopsis xyloni). Samples from free-living colonies revealed that fluctuations in δ15N were 1.6–2.4‰ for L. humile and 1.8–2.9‰ for S. xyloni. Variation was also detected among L. humile castes: time averaged means of δ15N varied from 1.2 to 2.5‰ depending on the site, with δ15N values for queens ≥ workers > brood. The estimated trophic positions of L. humile and S. xyloni were similar within a site; however, trophic position for each species differed significantly at larger spatial scales. While stable isotopes are clearly useful for examining the trophic ecology of arthropod communities, our results suggest that caution is warranted when making ecological interpretations when stable isotope collections come from single time periods or life stages.
Loss of PTEN expression as a prognostic marker for tongue cancer.

Background Abnormalities of PTEN , a candidate tumor suppressor gene located at 10q23.3, play an important role in the tumorigenesis of multiple tumor types. Objectives To investigate the expression of PTEN and its clinical implication in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Design Retrospective analysis of PTEN protein expression in archived primary oral tongue tumor samples. Setting Academic center. Patients and Methods PTEN expression was determined by immunohistochemical analysis in tissue samples from 41 patients with stage II, III, and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. All the patients underwent curative surgical treatment with a median follow-up of 81 months. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed according to the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Lack of staining for PTEN was demonstrated in 12 (29%) of the 41 tumors. Patients whose tumors lacked PTEN expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time ( P = .03) and event-free survival time ( P = .01) than those patients with positive PTEN expression. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that PTEN expression is an independent predictor of poor outcome when compared with tumor stage and nodal status. Conclusions Although genetic alterations of the PTEN gene are rare in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, loss of PTEN is not an uncommon event in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Lack of PTEN expression may be an independent prognostic indicator for clinical outcome in patients with this tumor type.
Attention in Learning

Learners exhibit many apparently irrational behaviors in their use of cues, sometimes learning to ignore relevant cues or to attend to irrelevant ones. A learning phenomenon called highlighting seems especially to demand explanation in terms of learned attention. Highlighting complements the classic phenomenon of conditioned blocking, which has been shown to involve learned inattention. Highlighting and blocking, along with a wide spectrum of other perplexing learning phenomena, can be accounted for by recent connectionist models in which both attentional shifting and associative learning are driven by the rational goal of rapid error reduction.
Nesting Ecology and Predation of Diamondback Terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin, at Gateway National Recreation Area, New York

We studied Diamondback Terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin, at Gateway National Recreation Area, New York. We found evidence of nesting terrapins at three locations within the Recreation Area and focused our research on the islands of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Female terrapins nested from early June through early August and oviposited at least two clutches per year. Mean clutch size was 10.9 eggs. Nesting activity increased with daily high temperature and high tide. The greatest number of terrapin nests was found in shrubland, dune, and mixed-grassland habitats, but nest densities were higher on a human-made sandy trail and on sandy beaches. We estimate that approximately 2053 nests were oviposited on the largest island in the refuge in 1999. In 1998 and 1999, we counted 1319 and 1840 depredated nests, respectively, throughout the refuge. Raccoons were introduced into Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge approximately 20 yr prior to this study. Raccoons depredated 92.2% of nests monitored on the largest island during the 1999 nesting season. We also found the carcasses of adult female terrapins that apparently were killed by raccoons as they came on land to nest. This terrapin population may be undergoing demographic changes as a result of the introduction of raccoons.
Optimal pricing of environmental and natural resource use with stock externalities

Abstract Underlying some of the most pressing environmental problems are the interlinked resource and environmental stock externalities with threshold effects. Using a simple dynamic model, it is shown how in the face of such externalities the static market-based policy instruments such as Pigouvian taxes should be modified. It is shown that even if for an initial period there is going to be no pollution stock damage, the optimal policy still requires that abatement begins immediately and at increasing rates. Simulation of the model for the case of fossil fuel burning and the consequent global warming shows that the optimal carbon tax, and therefore the optimal control strategy, is particularly sensitive to changes in the marginal abatement cost and the level of fossil fuel demand. Policy simulations contrast the optimal control policy with, and estimate the welfare losses from, alternative policies deriving from arbitrary tax paths. The latter include: (i) a no-tax policy, (ii) a constant carbon tax rate, (iii) the European Community's proposed carbon tax path, and (iv) a delayed optimal tax path.
On critical literacy: Maintaining an ‘open’ discourse on technology and intellectual property in the professional communication classroom

This paper examines positions on intellectual property from the vantages of the corporate workplace and the open source community. Universities are showing growing enthusiasm for adopting open source applications along with their ideology. The concern is that the open source ideology, which favors using intellectual property law to enable the distribution of information, is becoming the dominant and perhaps only discourse for teaching critical literacy in the technical communication classroom. As a result, graduating students enter the workplace with a much different perspective on intellectual property than their employers. N.B. This paper represents an earlier stage of an evolving longer article expanding to cover specific open source applications and open access publishing.
Effect of combinations of hot water dips, biological control and controlled atmospheres for control of gray mold on harvested strawberries

The efficacy of hot water, biological control and controlled atmospheres (CA), alone and in combinations, in controlling gray mold on harvested strawberry fruit was tested. All fruit were wound inoculated with Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr. Inoculated fruit were subsequently dipped in hot water at 63 8C for 12 s, inoculated with a biological control yeast, Pichia guilliermondii Wickerham, and/or immediately stored at 5 8C under air or 15 kPa CO2 for 5 and 14 days followed by 2 days at 20 8C to simulate market conditions. Fruit treated with the combination of heat, biocontrol, and CA had significantly less decay than those in all of the other treatments after 5 days at 5 8C plus 2 days at 20 8C. After 14 days at 5 8C and 14 days at 5 8C plus 2 days at 20 8C, the heat /biocontrol /CA treatment continued to control decay though not significantly more than CA alone, biocontrol /CA, or heat /CA treatments. Some damage occurred following heat treatment; however, quality parameters did not differ between treatments. Overall, the combination treatments did not provide better control than the current commercially used treatment of 15 kPa CO2. # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The value of exercise in testing beta blockade and airway reactivity in asthmatic patients

Abstract On separate days, in double-blind fashion, 23 subjects with mild or moderate asthma were injected intravenously with a placebo or 0.4 mg pindolol. Plethysmographic and spirometric measurements were performed before and after injection and repeatedly after exhausting incremental bicycle ergometer exercise. The mean reduction in maximal exercise heart rate of 26 bpm after pindolol compared to placebo confirmed significant cardiovascular beta blockade. Baseline 1-second vital capacity (FEV 1 ) values and other flow rates were similar in both trials. There were similar reductions in FEV 1 (median of 1% to 2% and mean of 3% to 5%) and other flow rates immediately after injection of placebo or pindolol. Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) occurred in 34 of 46 trials and tended to be more severe in subjects with more baseline airway obstruction. Minimal EIB (FEV 1 to 80% to 90% of baseline values) developed in eight after taking placebo and in seven after taking pindolol; mild EIB (FEV 1 to 60% to 79% of baseline) developed in five after placebo and six after pindolol and moderate EIB (FEV 1 to 40% to 59% of baseline) developed in three after placebo and five after pindolol. In five subjects, FEV 1 was reduced to a greater extent after placebo than after pindolol (median of 6%), whereas in 13 subjects, FEV 1 was reduced to a greater extent after pindolol than after placebo (median of 10%). These small differences in FEV 1 between placebo and pindolol were significant by the t test after exercise but not before exercise. Thus, exercise appears to increase the sensitivity in evaluating airway reactivity in asthmatic patients and also tests the effectiveness of cardiovascular beta blockade.
Effect of edema on the post-implant dosimetry of an I-125 prostate implant: A case study

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the effect of post-implant edema on the CT-based calculation of the total dose delivered by an I-125 prostate implant. Materials and Methods: CT scans of a transperineal I-125 prostate implant were obtained 1 and 39-days post-implant. Changes in the prostate dimensions were determined from changes in the spatial distribution of the I-125 seeds. The total dose delivered to the target volume was computed from each cT scan, and the results compared. Results: The volume of the prostate decreased by approximately 17% during the 38-day interval between the first and second CT scans. As a result, the radiation dose computed from the second CT scan was 13% higher. Conclusion: Post-implant edema can cause a significant underestimation of the radiation dose delivered by an I-125 prostate implant. Similar analysis should be carried out among a larger cohort of patients to confirm or refute these observations.
Reductive Chemistry of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules

In approaching the chemistry of engine combustion deposits, one is faced with several difficult problems. First of all, for any given specimen, there is a limited amount of material, with typical six cylinder engine runs giving less than 20 grams of deposit. Despite their small size, these samples are quite heterogeneous. As scraped from the walls of the combustion volume, they contain refractory polymeric carbon, physisorbed aromatic hydrocarbons from the fuel, inorganic material from the lubricant, as well as bits of metal from the engine. Different areas of the combustion volume can give rise to deposits of different properties. From the chemical point of view, the deposits are somewhat of an enigma; although arising in a combustion environment, the deposits are about 65 wgt % carbon. Even though one might expect such carbon to resemble kinetically inactive species as graphite or glassy carbon, it most resembles bituminous coals in its thermogravimetric behavior.
Monomers, dimers, and trimers of [Au(CN)2]− in a Ba(diaza-18-crown-6)2+ coordination polymer

The structure of the title compound, poly[triaquatetra-μ-cyanido-tetracyanidobis­(1,4,10,13-tetra­oxa-7,16-diaza­cyclo­octa­deca­ne)di­barium(II)tetra­gold(I)], [Au4Ba2(CN)8(C12H26N2O4)2(H2O)3]n, displays O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding between water molecules and cyano ligands and an unusual pattern of aurophilic inter­actions that yields a monomer, dimer, and trimer of [Au(CN)2]− within the same crystal structure. In two of the five Au positions, the atom resides on a center of inversion. The overall arrangement is that of a coordination polymer assisted by aurophilic and hydrogen-bonded inter­actions.
Hispanic Population in Washington State: Demographic Change and Spatial Clustering

Hispanic population across the United States reflects rapid growth along with changing patterns of immigration. For example, persons of Hispanic origin constituted 12.5 percent of the total population in 2000, a figure that grew to an estimated 16.9% in 2012. The work presented here also represents recognition of Hispanic population distribution in areas not historically identified with those populations, including the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The fact that Hispanic population in Washington expanded from 4.4 percent of total population in 1990 to 11.2 percent in 2010 justifies this attention. Literature discussing Hispanic/Latino immigration has emphasized the states that share a common border with Mexico from Texas to California, along with Colorado and Florida. Recent literature has also recognized Hispanic/Latino immigration and its impacts on communities in the Midwest and along the East Coast. Attention to the Pacific Northwest has been minimal, even though there is a long histo...
Genetics and prospective therapeutic targets for Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Sjogren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) is a rare neurocutaneous disease characterized by ichthyosis, spasticity, intellectual disability and a distinctive retinopathy. It is caused by inactivating mutations in ALDH3A2, which codes for fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) and results in abnormal metabolism of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes and alcohols. The potential disease mechanisms leading to symptoms include 1) accumulation of toxic fatty aldehydes that form covalent adducts with lipids and membrane proteins; 2) physical disruption of multi-lamellar membranes in skin and brain; 3) abnormal activation of the JNK cell signaling pathway; and 4) defective farnesol metabolism resulting in abnormal PPAR-α dependent gene expression. Currently, no effective pathogenesis-based therapy is available.Areas Covered: The clinical, pathologic and genetic features of SLS are summarized. The biochemical abnormalities caused by deficient activity of FALDH are reviewed in the context of proposed pathogenic...
Distribution and Orientation of Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Larvae in Corn Roots

The distribution of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera , larvae in corn roots was mapped through the larval period in three different plantings of corn in 1984 and 1985. Roots were boiled in a solution of lactophenol and acid fuchsin to fix and stain the larvae. First instars were found in the seminal roots as well as roots on the first five whorls. Significantly more first and second instars were oriented toward the root tip than the root base. Over time, larvae tended to move into the roots of the newer whorls. In separate laboratory experiments, cut and uncut corn roots were infested with first instars. Orientation of first instars in uncut roots was similar to that seen in the field. Removing the root tips 1 h before or 24 h after infestation resulted in an equal number of larvae orienting toward and away from the root terminus, whereas tip removal 24 h before infestation resulted in more first instars orienting toward the root base.
Condition-dependent sex difference in nestling House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) response to phytohaemagglutinin injection

Adult male and female birds typically respond differently to immunological challenges, but whether this difference is present in altricial nestlings is not well-documented. Furthermore, the timing of the development of different axes of the immune system might vary in nestlings and also be affected by differences in condition and health state. We tested for sex-related differences in the immune response of nestling House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, 1809) to the injection of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and in the bacteria-killing capacity of their plasma. Based on prior work, we predicted that if there were sex-related differences in immune responsiveness, they would most likely occur when the sexes differed in some measure of condition or health state. Female nestlings had a stronger response to the injection of PHA than males in the one of three breeding seasons in which the condition of nestling females exceeded that of males, suggesting that the response to PHA injection is condition-dependent rather than sex-dependent. The sexes, however, did not differ in bactericidal activity, suggesting that different axes of the immune system may not be affected to the same degree by differences in sex or in condition.
A virtual crack extension method to compute energy release rates using a complex variable finite element method

Abstract The complex-valued finite element method, ZFEM, is proposed as a new virtual crack extension method to compute the energy release rate. The energy release rate is computed as a numerical derivative of the strain energy with respect to a crack extension using the complex Taylor series expansion method (CTSE). This is accomplished using a finite element method with complex nodal coordinates and extending the crack by a very small quantity along the imaginary directions of the complex nodal coordinates. The resulting finite element formulation becomes complex valued with the imaginary component of the strain energy containing the energy release rate. This method retains the conceptual simplicity of numerical differentiation but eliminates numerical issues regarding perturbation of the crack size. Both two- and three-dimensional examples are provided. Numerical examples indicate that the energy release rate computed using ZFEM is of the same accuracy as the domain-based J integral formulation. The method is very general and can be applied to self-similar or non-self-similar crack extensions.
Study on HIV,Syphilis and HCV Prevalence and Its Associated Factors among Internet MSM Comparison to Non-Internet MSM in Chongqing

Objective To examine the prevalence of HIV,syphilis and HCV and its associated factors among internet MSM and non-internet MSM is to provide the suggestion for implementing the intervention against MSM. Methods MSM recruited through snowballing were investigated by face-to-face. Blood sample were taken to test HIV,Syphilis and HCV antibody. The demographic,behavior feature and prevalence of HIV,Syphilis and HCV were compared between internet MSM and non-internet MSM. Results A total of 587 internet MSM and 358 non-internet MSM were recruited. Internet MSM were younger,high education level,more single,better cognition about AIDS and better self-approval of sexual orientation than non-internet MSM. The proportion of non-protection anal sex,buying sex and selling sex with men in the last six months and having sex with women in the last six months among non-internet MSM was higher than it among internet MSM. It was (70.6% vs 61.3%),(6.2% vs 1.4%),(14.4% vs 3.4%) and (32.4% vs 10.7%)。 HIV prevalence was 14.7%(4.5%-24.8%) and 17.6% (0.6%-34.6%) among internet MSM and non-internet MSM respectively. The prevalence of STD self-reported among non-internet MSM was significant higher than it among internet MSM (22.1% vs 16.7%,χ2=4.22,P=0.04). Conclusion HIV prevalence among two groups of MSM was high. The factors such as poor cognition about AIDS,high proportion of non protection anal sex with men,and low rate of condom use with women put them risk on HIV infection. Moreover,non-internet MSM will play an important role on AIDS transmission from MSM to general population. It is urgent to explore the effective measure against different subgroup MSM.
Susan Valladares, Staging the Peninsular War: English Theatres 1807–1815

Review by Frederick Burwick (University of California, Los Angeles) of Susan Valladares, Staging the Peninsular War: English Theatres 1807–1815 . Farnham: Ashgate, 2015. Pp. 459. £80. ISBN 9781472418630.
Diversity in Clinical Ethics

In this paper, I address the question: “What implications does diversity have for the field of clinical ethics?” It is commonly recognized that development of clinical ethics and consultation was stimulated by the complexities associated with the value-laden nature of clinical decision making, the pluralistic character of clinical settings around the world, and the importance of patient rights in medical decision making. It is less commonly considered, however, how and why pluralism or diversity of the field itself might be an essential feature of clinical ethics as a practice. In this paper, I argue that diversity is more than an important external factor that gave impetus to the field or that provides the field much of its everyday challenges; in addition, it is an internal feature of the practice itself that needs to be understood in its own terms. The theme of diversity in clinical ethics is, of course, not new, but consideration of “internal” diversity is frequently subsumed in other concerns and not assessed fully as such.
Vasodegenerative disease: lessons from the nervous system

Vasodegenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis and hypertensive and diabetic vasculopathies, share many features with neurodegenerative diseases. These include complex and poorly understood etiologies; common risk factors; chronic progression; involvement of distinctive functional systems, regions and cell types; presence of extracellular deposits or intracellular inclusions; gradual spread to contiguous and sometimes distant sites; and a tendency to present clinically in later life. These commonalities may provide clues regarding pathophysiology and approaches to treatment.
Outcomes of anastrozole in oligozoospermic hypoandrogenic subfertile men

Objective To determine whether the change in sperm parameters in subfertile hypoandrogenic men treated with anastrozole is correlated to the magnitude of increase in testosterone (T) to estrogen ratio in men responding to treatment. Design Retrospective study. Setting Male fertility clinic. Patient(s) The study group consisted of 86 subfertile hypoandrogenic men with low T/estradiol (E 2 ) ratio (n = 78) or a prior aversive reaction to clomiphene citrate (n = 8). Intervention(s) All patients were treated with 1 mg anastrozole daily, administered orally. Main Outcome Measure(s) Hormone analysis and semen analysis before and after treatment were performed. Hormone analysis included measurements of total T, E 2 , sex-hormone binding globulin, albumin, FSH, and LH, and bioavailable T was calculated. Total motile sperm count was calculated from the semen analysis. Result(s) In all, 95.3% of patients had an increased serum T and decreased serum E 2 after treatment with anastrozole. Sperm concentration and total motile counts improved in 18 of 21 subfertile hypoandrogenic oligozoospermic men treated with anastrozole. In these men the magnitude of total motile count increase was significantly correlated with the change in the T/E 2 ratio. No improvement was seen in semen parameters of men with azoospermia, cryptozoospermia, or normozoospermia at presentation. Conclusion(s) Approximately 95% of men with hypoandrogenism responded with improved endocrine parameters, and a subset of oligozoospermic men (approximately 25% of all patients) displayed significantly improved sperm parameters. In that subset, increase in sperm parameters was correlated with the change in the T/E 2 ratio, which argues for a physiologic effect of treatment.
INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS FOLLOWING TRANSCUTANEOUS AORTIC VALVE IMPLANTATION: CLINICAL, ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC AND HEMODYNAMIC FEATURES

Background: The reported incidence of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVE) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been variable, ranging from 0.7% to 3.0% per person-years. However, data on PVE after TAVR are limited and the associated echocardiographic and hemodynamic
How Do Firms Certify Green

In this paper, we provide one of the first assessments of actions firms takes in pursuit of green certification. We assess the extent to which firms invest in different types of credits to achieve ...
Heroin Contaminated with Fentanyl Dramatically Enhances Brain Hypoxia and Induces Brain Hypothermia

While opioid abuse is an established medical and public health issue, the increased availability of highly potent synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, has given rise to acute health complications, including a comatose state and death during drug overdose. Since respiratory depression that leads to acute hypoxia is the most dangerous complication of opioid drug use, we examined the effects of intravenous heroin and heroin contaminated with 10% fentanyl on oxygen levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) monitored using high-speed amperometry in freely moving rats. Additionally, we examined the effects of heroin, fentanyl, and their mixture on locomotion and temperatures in the NAc, temporal muscle, and skin. Both fentanyl and heroin at human-relevant doses (400 and 40 μg/kg, respectively) induced rapid, strong and transient decreases in NAc oxygen, indicative of brain hypoxia. When the heroin-fentanyl mixture was injected, the NAc hypoxic response was greatly potentiated in its duration, suggesting sustained hypoxia. In contrast to modest, monophasic brain temperature increases caused by heroin alone, the heroin-fentanyl mixture induced a biphasic temperature response, with a prominent postinjection decrease resulting from peripheral vasodilation. This hypothermic effect, albeit much smaller and more transient, was typical of fentanyl injected alone. Our findings indicate that accidental use of fentanyl instead of heroin, or even a relatively minor contamination of "street heroin" with fentanyl, poses great danger for acute health complications, including a comatose state and death.
How Title VII Erodes the Mission of the Religious University

For decades, courts have held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not permit religious universities to consider a job applicant's religious beliefs when staffing most faculty and administrative positions. This article briefly reviews the law in this area and then applies the vast body of research on ’organizational culture' to argue that this judicial interpretation will, in the long-run, undermine the religious university's ability to perpetuate its mission.
Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy for Stented Patients: An Update for the Clinician

Abstract Determining the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention is a complex decision. Randomized controlled trials have shown that while shorter durations of DAPT may lower the risk of bleeding, longer durations of DAPT can reduce the risk of late stent thrombosis and ischemia-related events. In this review article, we will discuss the current guidelines, review contemporary trial data that have evaluated short and extended durations of DAPT, and address common clinical questions. Ultimately, the determination of the optimal duration of DAPT is an individualized decision that requires clinicians to assess each patient's risk for bleeding and recurrent ischemic events.
Invariant Gambling Problems and Markov Decision Processes

Markov decision problems can be viewed as gambling problems that are invariant under the action of a group or semi-group. It is shown that invariant stationary plans are almost surely adequate for a leavable, measurable, invariant gambling problem with a nonnegative utility function and a finite optimal reward function. This generalizes results about stationary plans for positive Markov decision models as well as measurable gambling problems.
A Social-Cognitive Prediction of the Perceived Threat of Terrorism and Behavioral Responses of Terrorist Activities

This paper applies a social-cognitive model to the situation in Israel following the second intifada. In the model cognitive and social-contextual factors directly influence behavioral responses to terrorism as well as indirectly through affective factors. The findings suggest that the perceived risk of a terrorist attack influenced both preparedness and anxiety and concern. However, in some cases the influence of anxiety and concern on behavioral responses was greater than the cognitive or social-contextual factors i.e. gas mask preparedness. In other cases, the Iranian nuclear threat, the perceived risk did not influence the level of preparedness indirectly through anxiety and concern. The divergence in these findings reflects overconfidence in the state’s ability to cope with the nuclear threat and the hypothetical nature of the responses.
A Review of the Bank's Activities: 1970–1981

This chapter presents a brief review of the Bank's activities since 1970. . During that period the Bank has had five chairmen. Henry Kearns served as the chairman through 1973, when he was succeeded by William Casey who served 2 years until President Ford appointed Steven DuBrul Jr. John Moore was appointed by the President Carter in May 1977 and served until 1981. William H. Draper III was confirmed by the Senate in July 1981 and currently serves as chairman; the chairman of the Bank has had an important impact on its operations. Kearns emphasized the promotional role of the Bank and was criticized for maintaining the Bank's lending rate at 6% when long-term interest rates moved above that level in the early 1970s. Casey continued the promotional role of the Bank but increased the interest rates significantly. A dramatic change in the operation of the Bank occurred during the DuBrul chairmanship when a very conservative role was adopted. DuBrul raised the Bank's lending rate above the long-term market interest rate, but more importantly, he significantly reduced the scale of the Bank's lending.
Direct Decompositions of Radicals

In the past I have been concerned with the possibility of an extension of the primary decomposition of torsion abelian groups to some standing in arbitrary abelian categories satisfying at least the A.B.5 axiom of Grothendieck [7] and having complete subobject- and factor object lattices which are sets. Such a primary decomposition theorem has been proved in such a general setting only under separate hypotheses and conditions.
Determinants of Specificity for α-Conotoxin MII on α3β2 Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors

The competitive antagonist alpha-conotoxin-MII (alpha-CTx-MII) is highly selective for the alpha3beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor. Other receptor subunit combinations (alpha2beta2, alpha4beta2, alpha3beta4) are >200-fold less sensitive to blockade by this toxin. Using chimeric and mutant subunits, we identified amino acid residues of alpha3 and beta2 that participate in determination of alpha-CTx-MII sensitivity. Chimeric alpha subunits, constructed from the alpha3 and alpha4 subunits, as well as from the alpha3 and alpha2 subunits, were expressed in combination with the beta2 subunit in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Chimeric beta subunits, formed from the beta2 and beta4 subunits, were expressed in combination with alpha3. Determinants of alpha-CTx-MII sensitivity on alpha3 were found to be within sequence segments 121-181 and 181-195. The 181-195 segment accounted for approximately half the difference in toxin sensitivity between receptors formed by alpha2 and alpha3. When this sequence of alpha2 was replaced with the corresponding alpha3 sequence, the resulting chimera formed receptors only 26-fold less sensitive to alpha-CTx-MII than alpha3beta2. Site-directed mutagenesis within segment 181-195 demonstrated that Lys185 and Ile188 are critical in determination of sensitivity to toxin blockade. Determinants of alpha-CTx-MII sensitivity on beta2 were mapped to sequence segments 1-54, 54-63, and 63-80. Site-directed mutagenesis within segment 54-63 of beta2 demonstrated that Thr59 is important in determining alpha-CTx-MII sensitivity.
ECT: Exploiting Cross-Technology Transmission for Reducing Packet Delivery Delay in IoT Networks

Recent advances in cross-technology communication have significantly improved the spectrum efficiency in the same Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band among heterogeneous wireless devices (e.g., WiFi and ZigBee). However, further performance improvement in the whole network is hampered because the cross-technology network layer is missing. As the first cross-technology network layer design, our work, named ECT, opens a promising direction for significantly reducing the packet delivery delay via collaborative and concurrent cross-technology communication between WiFi and ZigBee devices. Specifically, ECT can dynamically change the nodes’ priorities and reduce the delivery delay from high-priority nodes under unreliable links. The key idea of ECT is to leverage the concurrent transmission of important data and raw data from ZigBee nodes to the WiFi access point. We extensively evaluate ECT under different network settings, and results show that our ECT’s packet delivery delay is more than 29 times lower than the current state-of-the-art solution.
Musical communication in scaffolding young learners’ expressive agency:

In a qualitative study of the nature of musical communication during scaffolding music learning, the most important themes to emerge reflected the role of musical communication in blossoming young ...
An Ecological Approach to Childhood Prejudice: The Case of Arab Americans

This chapter explores childhood prejudice among Arab Americans using an ecological approach. The chapter first begins by reviewing multiple intersecting theories to explain childhood prejudice, drawing attention to various levels of prejudice and the influence of ecological factors. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model is used to review the proximal and distal factors that may contribute to the experience of prejudice among Arab American youth. The next section applies theoretical concepts to highlight the following agents of socialization as they relate to the experience of prejudice among Arab American youth: family, peers/school, community, and media. Each context provides the potential for acquiring and facing prejudiced attitudes, as well as protecting children from the effects of prejudice. Future directions highlight the need for better samples and more focus on early childhood experiences.
Nonlinear Görtler Vortices and Their Secondary Instability in a Hypersonic Boundary Layer

Nonlinear development of the Gortler instability over a concave surface gives rise to a highly distorted inflectional flow field in the boundary layer that leads to both wall-normal and spanwise gradients in the flow. Such nonlinear structures are susceptible to strong, high-frequency secondary instabilities that may lead to the onset of laminar-turbulent transition. The present numerical study uses direct numerical simulations and linear secondary instability theory to investigate finite amplitude Gortler vortices and their secondary instability characteristics, respectively, in the hypersonic flow over an axisymmetric cone with a concave aft body. To complement previous studies in the literature wherein the Gortler instability was usually studied for a flat plate and initiated at some upstream location by imposing an eigenfunction as the inflow condition or by blowing and suction at the wall, the present investigation is focused on fully realizable Gortler instability that is excited by an azimuthally periodic array of surface protuberances. Furthermore, while the previous work had mostly focused on the secondary instability of Gortler vortices with cross-plane velocity contours that resembled bell-shaped structures, the present results confirm that fully developed mushroom structures also exist in the hypersonic regime when the Gortler vortex amplitude is sufficiently large. Computations further reveal that the dominant modes of secondary instability in these mushroom-shaped structures correspond to an antisymmetic (i.e., sinuous) “stem” mode that concentrates within the strong, nearly wall-normal internal shear layers surrounding the stem regions underneath the caps of the mushroom structures. Additionally, there exist a multitude of other significantly unstable secondary instability modes of both symmetric and antisymmetric types. Analogous to the secondary instability of crossflow vortices in hypersonic flows, secondary instability modes of both symmetric and antisymmetric types. Analogous to the secondary instability of crossflow vortices in hypersonic flows, secondary instability modes originating from the Mack mode instability play an important role during the nonlinear breakdown process.