cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Causes of azoospermia and their management

Azoospermia may occur because of reproductive tract obstruction (obstructive azoospermia) or inadequate production of spermatozoa, such that spermatozoa do not appear in the ejaculate (non-obstructive azoospermia). Azoospermia is diagnosed based on the absence of spermatozoa after centrifugation of complete semen specimens using microscopic analysis. History and physical examination and hormonal analysis (FSH, testosterone) are undertaken to define the cause of azoospermia. Together, these factors provide a >90% prediction of the type of azoospermia (obstructive v. non-obstructive). Full definition of the type of azoospermia is provided based on diagnostic testicular biopsy. Obstructive azoospermia may be congenital (congenital absence of the vas deferens, idiopathic epididymal obstruction) or acquired (from infections, vasectomy, or other iatrogenic injuries to the male reproductive tract). Couples in whom the man has congenital reproductive tract obstruction should have cystic fibrosis (CF) gene mutation analysis for the female partner because of the high risk of the male being a CF carrier. Patients with acquired obstruction of the male reproductive tract may be treated using microsurgical reconstruction or transurethral resection of the ejaculatory ducts, depending on the level of obstruction. Alternatively, sperm retrieval with assisted reproduction may be used to effect pregnancies, with success rates of 25-65% reported by different centres. Non-obstructive azoospermia may be treated by defining the cause of low sperm production and initiating treatment. Genetic evaluation with Y-chromosome microdeletion analysis and karyotype testing provides prognostic information in these men. For men who have had any factors potentially affecting sperm production treated and remain azoospermic, sperm retrieval from the testis may be effective in 30-70% of cases. Once sperm are found, pregnancy rates of 20-50% may be obtained at different centres with in vitro fertilisation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Detection and Enhancement of Small Masses via Precision Multiscale Analysis

We introduce a continuous scale wavelet detector. Our algorithm was able to detect a mass that could not be seen using conventional windowing and leveling or traditional methods of contrast enhancement. An artifact free enhancement algorithm based on overcomplete multiscale wavelet analysis is then presented. The novelty of this algorithm lies in its detection of directional features and removal of unwanted perturbations.
Fullerenes in the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary

Fullerenes C60 and C70 were found in the thin clay seams of nine worldwide locations of the geologic boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. These clays are also rich in soot. One hypothesis suggests that the fullerenes were synthesized in global wildfires that followed the meteorite impact 65 Ma ago. An alternative hypothesis suggests that the fullerenes predate the formation of the solar system because they contain isotopically anomalous helium in their carbon cages.
Fetal monitoring in a community hospital: Analysis of health maintenance organization, fee-for-service, and clinic populations

Abstract This paper was a review of 2,210 deliveries in a community hospital in which electronic fetal monitoring was used. Patients were evaluated from three different types of group practices—health maintenance organization, fee-for-service, and clinic populations. Electronic fetal monitoring was used in 48%, 41%, and 70% of these groups, respectively. The respective cesarean section rates were 13%, 20%, and 10%. Monitored and nonmonitored, high- and low-risk groups were identified. A higher cesarean section rate for cephalopelvic disproportion was found in the monitored groups. However, this difference was most marked in the fee-for-service group. Perinatal morbidity and mortality results did not differ significantly among the three groups despite differences in electronic fetal monitoring use and cesarean section rates. The use of electronic fetal monitoring did not correlate with the cesarean section rate. Reasonable perinatal morbidity and mortality are compatible with relatively high electronic fetal monitoring rates (70%) and low cesarean section rates (10%). Within certain groups, use of electronic fetal monitoring may increase the cesarean section rate because of an increased diagnosis of cephalopelvic disproportion.
Meralgia paresthetica after "all-in-one" appendectomy

Minimally invasive approaches have become standard for pediatric appendectomy. The laparoscopic assisted single port approach, also known as the “all-in-one” appendectomy, has gained recent popularity [1]. We describe a child who suffered meralgia paresthetica (a neuropathy in the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve) after a laparoscopic assisted single port appendectomy, perhaps secondary to mobilization of the cecum.
Fast spectral domain algorithm for hybrid finite element/boundary integral modeling of infinite periodic arrays

Finite element (FE)/boundary integral (BI) modeling of infinite periodic arrays (antennas and frequency selective surfaces (FSSs)) has become very attractive. Originally, the fully three-dimensional (3D) modeling flexibility of the approach was obtained for the cost of high central processing unit (CPU) time requirements of the BI termination. However, this issue has been relieved by the utilization of fast integral equation methods (FIEMs) such as the adaptive integral method (AIM). A basic principle of AIM and other FIEMs is that the speed-up is obtained by fast evaluation of the far interactions within the BI whereas the near interactions are still calculated in a conventional manner. Based on this strategy, considerable speed-ups can only by achieved for relatively large numbers of BI unknowns. This problem can be overcome by the fast spectral domain algorithm (FSDA) which is based on the well-known spectral domain formulation of convolution type integral equations. FSDA avoids explicit generation of any BI matrix elements. Instead, at each iteration of the employed iterative equation solver the actual current distribution is summed up in the spectral domain and the spectral Floquet mode series for evaluation of the BI is carried out only once per testing function. We present the formulation of FSDA within the framework of a hybrid FE/BI approach for infinite periodic structures. Validation, convergence and timing data are also given.
Mechanical Interaction of Respiration and Circulation

The sections in this article are: 1 Stress on Right Heart 2 Stress on Left Heart 3 Stress on Intrapulmonary Vessels 4 Stress on Left Ventricle from Ventricular Interdependence 5 Stress on Outer Surface of Abdominal Viscera 6 Summary
Occluded academic genres: An analysis of the MBA Thought Essay

Abstract Several strands of research in applied linguistics have increasingly focused their attention on the application of genre theory to the classroom. In advanced academics, the genres of disciplinary communities serve gate-keeping functions that students must negotiate in order to succeed in their academic endeavors. Often without explicit instruction, students must learn to master the stylistic, rhetorical, and organizational conventions of their disciplinary communities. This problem is confounded by occluded genres—genres whose exemplars are private or confidential, and thus cannot be readily used as models. This study examines one specific occluded academic genre—the MBA Thought Essay. This study found the genre shares features in common with academic discourse and popular business management literature, but is also characterized by a high degree of structural and linguistic variation. Because the genre is occluded, authors cannot fashion their discourse on prototypical texts; rather, they appear to rely upon other genres to structure their texts. The present study presents a complex picture of occluded genres involving a number of interrelated factors: degree of occlusion, genre maturity, structural and lexico-grammatical variation, and discourse community socialization and turnover.
Digital literacies for the disengaged: creating after school contexts to support boys' game‐based literacy skills

Purpose – This paper aims to reviews the structure and format of an after school incubator program that leverages online games for literacy learning, particularly for adolescent males. It also aims to describe its dual function as both quasi‐natural context and design experiment laboratory and to discuss some early findings that illustrate the kinds of literacy practices the authors are beginning to see within their homegrown community to date.Design/methodology/approach – For the past year, the authors have been engaging game‐loving boys in digital and print literacy practices, not by playing matchmaker between them and those game communities that engage in such practices naturally, but by growing such a community of their own. Following the lead of other games‐based educational programs and known characteristics of game‐related indigenous online communities, the design encourages distributed expertise and collective intelligence in place of standardization and peer‐to‐peer learning in the form of modeli...
The influence of learning on morphine analgesia and tolerance development in rats tested on the hot plate.

The influence of “learning” on the development of tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine in rats was examined employing the hot plate procedure. A tested-reinforced (Tr) group and its yoked-control, a tested-non-reinforced (Tnr) group, received identical exposure to the testing procedure; the Tr group was reinforced daily for its behavior on the heated plate whereas the Tnr group was reinforced only on the last day of the experiment. Paired statistical comparisons between these two groups on the last day of the experiment revealed that: 1. premorphine control reaction times on the heated plate were significantly lower in Tr than in Tnr animals; and 2. post-morphine increases in reaction time did not differ between Tr and Tnr animals. It was concluded that whereas some “learning” does occur in this testing procedure, “learning” does not influence the “behavioral tolerance” to morphine which develops in this analgesiometric method. An hypothesis which accommodates this “behavioral tolerance” and a mechanistic scheme is offered.
Missed nursing care: Magnet versus non-Magnet hospitals

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to examine whether the amount, type, and reasons of missed nursing care differ between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. Method Data were collected from 124 medical-surgical, intermediate, intensive care, and rehabilitation units in 11 hospitals located in the Midwest and Western regions of the United States. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted. The MISSCARE Survey was utilized to collect data on the level of perceived missed nursing care, and nursing staffing data was collected for each study unit. Findings Missed nursing care showed significant differences according to Magnet status. Separate analysis showed no staffing-level difference between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. Conclusions The authors concluded that efficiencies in operations, work environment, and culture characterized by Magnet hospitals should be promoted.
Measurement Error in a Random Walk Model with Applications to Population Dynamics

Population abundances are rarely, if ever, known. Instead, they are estimated with some amount of uncertainty. The resulting measurement error has its consequences on subsequent analyses that model population dynamics and estimate probabilities about abundances at future points in time. This article addresses some outstanding questions on the consequences of measurement error in one such dynamic model, the random walk with drift model, and proposes some new ways to correct for measurement error. We present a broad and realistic class of measurement error models that allows both heteroskedasticity and possible correlation in the measurement errors, and we provide analytical results about the biases of estimators that ignore the measurement error. Our new estimators include both method of moments estimators and "pseudo"-estimators that proceed from both observed estimates of population abundance and estimates of parameters in the measurement error model. We derive the asymptotic properties of our methods and existing methods, and we compare their finite-sample performance with a simulation experiment. We also examine the practical implications of the methods by using them to analyze two existing population dynamics data sets.
Mathematical models of the uptake of ClONO2 and other gases by atmospheric aerosols

Abstract The reactions of chlorine nitrate and other gas-phase chlorine compounds with aqueous sulfuric acid aerosols under stratospheric and laboratory conditions are investigated. A mathematical model that accounts for three chemical reactions occurring within the droplet is developed and solved numerically. A relevant discussion concerning gas transport to an aerosol particle in the continuum, free-molecule, and transition regimes is presented. It is demonstrated that some recent experimental investigations of atmospherically important gas/aerosol chemical reactions have not adequately accounted for mass transport to the particle.
Concurrent Multiscale Simulation at Finite Temperature: Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics

With the advent of nanotechnology, predictive simulations of nanoscale systems have become in great demand. In some cases, nanoscale systems can be simulated directly at the level of atoms. The atomistic techniques used range from models based on a quantum mechanical treatment of the electronic bonds to those based on more empirical descriptions of the interatomic forces. In many cases, however, even nanoscale systems are too big for a purely atomistic approach, typically because the nanoscale device is coupled to its surroundings, and it is necessary to simulate the entire system comprising billions of atoms. A well-known example is the growth of nanoscale epitaxial quantum dots in which the size, shape and location of the dot is affected by the elastic strain developed in a large volume of the substrate as well as the local atomic bonding. The natural solution is to model the surroundings with a more coarse-grained (CG) description, suitable for the intrinsically longer length scale. The challenge then is to develop the computational methodology suitable for this kind of concurrent multiscale modeling, one in which the simulated length scale can be changed smoothly and seamlessly from one region of the simulation to another while maintaining the fidelity of the relevant mechanics, dynamics and thermodynamics.
Catalysis by amine oxidases in nonaqueous media

Abstract The synthetic potential of amine oxidases was examined in different reaction systems, ranging from aqueous solutions to organic solvents with low water content. Substantial conversion was achieved in biphasic systems, which eliminated the product inhibition observed in the aqueous system. The conversion was particularly high in the more hydrophobic solvents. The use of low water systems was studied using amine oxidase immobilized on celite and pre-equilibrated in a salt hydrate environment to reach a constant water activity. Addition of water in the solvent was shown to be unnecessary, with significant conversion being attained through the water supplied by pre-equilibration of the immobilized enzyme at a w =0.55. The use of organic solvent-containing reaction systems thus presents a convenient method for oxidising poorly water-soluble amines using amine oxidases.
Stochastic cumulant analysis of MDOF systems with polynomial-type nonlinearities

A new methodology is presented for formulating the equations governing the evolution of the response cumulants of MDOF nonlinear dynamic systems subjected to external delta-correlated processes. The system nonlinearities are represented by polynomial terms involving the system variables. Kronecker algebra and matrix calculus are used as efficient mathematical tools to organize the information and present the cumulant equations in a compact form. Appropriate recursive relationships are developed to relate the joint cumulants involving Kronecker powers of the response vector variables to the joint cumulants involving the original response vector variables. It is found that the differential equations governing the system of cumulants has a form similar to the state space form of equations for the original dynamic system. The state and excitation matrices describing the system of cumulants are obtained, respectively, from the state and excitation matrices describing the original dynamic system. Cumulant-neglect closure techniques, in which the joint cumulants of the response variables with order higher than a specified order are neglected, can be directly incorporated and efficiently used in the analysis to truncate the infinite hierarchy of the resulting system of cumulant equations. Examples are presented to illustrate the use of the formulation, as well as to investigate convergence and accuracy issues related to the higher-order cumulant-neglect closure scheme.
An object co-occurrence assisted hierarchical model for scene understanding

Hierarchical methods have been widely explored for object recognition, which is a critical component of scene understanding. However, few existing works are able to model the contextual information (e.g., objects co-occurrence) explicitly within a single coherent framework for scene understanding. Towards this goal, in this paper we propose a novel three-level (superpixel level, object level and scene level) hierarchical model to address the scene categorization problem. Our proposed model is a coherent probabilistic graphical model that captures the object co-occurrence information for scene understanding with a probabilistic chain structure. The efficacy of the proposed model is demonstrated by conducting experiments on the LabelMe dataset.
MLN4924: a novel first-in-class inhibitor of NEDD8-activating enzyme for cancer therapy.

Introduction: The small ubiquitin-like molecule NEDD8 has been identified as an essential regulator of the activity of the cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs), which control the turnover of multiple proteins with fundamental roles in cancer biology. The aberrant function of the NEDD8 cascade within the context of malignancy makes it an attractive target for the development of novel anticancer agents. MLN4924 is a first-in-class inhibitor of the proximal regulator of the NEDD8 system (NEDD8-activating enzyme, NAE) that has entered Phase-I trials for cancer therapy and has established that significant therapeutic benefit can be achieved by antagonizing NEDD8-mediated protein degradation. Areas covered: This review provides a detailed overview of the NEDD8 system and discusses the mechanisms of action of MLN4924, a novel small molecule NAE inhibitor. Key findings from preclinical investigations of MLN4924 in a broad range of cancer models and preliminary findings from ongoing Phase-I clinical trials with...
Immunohistochemical distinction of intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma from metastatic adenocarcinoma of intestinal origin.

Objectives:Distinction of intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma (ITAC) from adenocarcinoma of intestinal origin metastatic to the sinonasal cavity may be extremely difficult on histologic grounds alone. We studied the role of cytokeratin (CK) and mucin (MUC) expression in differentiating ITAC, metastatic adenocarcinoma of intestinal origin, and non-intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma (non-ITAC).Methods:We stained specimens from 5 cases of ITAC and 4 cases of non-ITAC, along with 4 colonic and 3 duodenal adenocarcinoma controls, with CK7 and CK20, MUC2 and MUC5, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), chromogranin (CHR), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in order to examine the possible combinations of markers that best aid in the diagnosis of these lesions. We also performed a retrospective review of our clinical experience with these rare lesions.Results:CK7 staining was positive in all ITAC and non-ITAC cases, whereas all cases displaying gastrointestinal-type differentiation (ITAC and metastatic intest...
The medicare hospice benefit: Ten years of federal policy for the terminally ill

Abstract The Medicare Hospice Benefit has served terminally ill persons and their families since 1983. The political and social development of this policy combined both humanitarian and cost-saving strategies. Although this federal hospice program has mainstreamed care of the terminally ill and provided multiple services, four major constraints of the benefit package are identified and explored. As the United States draws closer to health care reform, it is important that we analyze this policy before we devise new ways to care for the dying and their families.
Perceptions of Science and American Secularism

Theorized links between science and secularism are prevalent in classic sociological thought. More recently, scholars have critiqued these frameworks as oversimplified and empirically untenable. In response to such criticisms, contemporary researchers typically overlook or actively argue against links between science and secularism. This study analyzes data from a random, national survey of adults to examine the empirical connections between perceptions of science and secular identities in the United States. Analyses demonstrate that perceptions of science correlate strongly with American secularism, particularly among atheists and agnostics. Additionally, politicized views of science help account for the previously documented relationship between political and secular identities in the United States. A perspective drawing on the sociology of culture and perceived knowledge provides a more useful framework for understanding these patterns than theories of secularization.
Regulation of Ribosomal RNA Transcription During Differentiation of Acanthamoeba castellanii: A Review

During the cellular differentiation induced by starvation of Acanthamoeba castellanii, the expression of a number of genes is regulated. Evidence is reviewed that at least one of these, the precursor ribosomal RNA transcription unit, is regulated at the level of transcription. The structure of the rRNA transcription unit and of the RNA polymerases responsible for transcription in Acanthamoeba are reviewed. Utilizing an in vitro transcription system constructed from these components, preliminary evidence has been obtained that pre-rRNA gene expression is regulated by a modification of RNA polymerase I that affects the enzyme's ability to participate efficiently in the initiation of transcription. These results are reviewed in relation to other known mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes.
Tracking an embryonic L1 retrotransposition event.

Long interspersed nuclear elements 1 (L1) are active retrotransposons that reside in many species, including humans and rodents. L1 elements produce an RNA intermediate that is reverse transcribed to DNA and inserted in a new genomic location. We have tagged an active human L1 element (L1RP) with a gene encoding enhanced GFP (EGFP). Expression of GFP occurs only if L1-EGFP has undergone a cycle of transcription, reverse transcription, and integration into a transcriptionally permissive genomic region. We show here that L1-EGFP can undergo retrotransposition in vivo and produce fluorescence in mouse testis. The retrotransposition event characterized here has occurred at a very early stage in the development of an L1-EGFP transgenic founder mouse.
Ulnar avascular necrosis? You be the judge

Abstract Posttraumatic diaphyseal malunions of paediatric forearm fractures are associated with a considerable decrease in functional capacity. Corrective osteotomy and plating may be indicated to retrieve normal function and decrease the pain of the forearm. We present a case of a patient with malunited forearm to be treated with a corrective osteotomy. Intraoperatively, however, we visualized a grossly osteonecrotic ulna. After we removed the tourniquet and drilled 3 holes into the bone and still appreciated no active bleeding, we decided to abort the ulna osteotomy. Subsequent bone biopsy and bone scan results returned at the one and a half year follow-up clinical visit revealed that the visual appearance of the bone was misleading; however we are unaware of this finding in the literature. It is our intention that this case report draws attention to this possible outcome secondary to paediatric both bone forearm fractures and provide information about a presumably rare case in hopes of quantifying this complication and determining the true incidence of an abnormal ulna appearance.
Neurophysiologic findings in early acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

Abstract Background : Patients with early acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) may not meet the current neurophysiologic criteria. Objective : To document neurophysiologic findings in early AIDP. Methods : Clinical and neurophysiologic data from 38 AIDP patients, assessed within 10 days of symptom onset were reviewed. Results : In addition to absent H reflexes and abnormal F-wave responses in the acute stage of AIDP, abnormalities of blink reflexes, upper limb sensory responses abnormalities with spared sural responses, presence of distal CMAP dispersion, and A-waves were frequently observed. Established demyelinating neurophysiologic parameters were infrequently seen. Conclusions : Abnormalities of H reflexes and F responses were most frequently noted in early AIDP. Additionally, distal temporal dispersion, prolonged or absent blink reflexes, and A-waves were often present in the acute stage of AIDP when classic diagnostic criteria of AIDP were not satisfied. Significance : Neurophysiologic studies in early AIDP frequently reveal abnormalities that are not specific of primary demyelinating neuropathy.
A Self-Sensing Piezoelectric MicroCantilever Biosensor for Detection of Ultrasmall Adsorbed Masses: Theory and Experiments

Detection of ultrasmall masses such as proteins and pathogens has been made possible as a result of advancements in nanotechnology. Development of label-free and highly sensitive biosensors has enabled the transduction of molecular recognition into detectable physical quantities. Microcantilever (MC)-based systems have played a widespread role in developing such biosensors. One of the most important drawbacks of all of the available biosensors is that they all come at a very high cost. Moreover, there are certain limitations in the measurement equipments attached to the biosensors which are mostly optical measurement systems. A unique self-sensing detection technique is proposed in this paper in order to address most of the limitations of the current measurement systems. A self-sensing bridge is used to excite piezoelectric MC-based sensor functioning in dynamic mode, which simultaneously measures the system's response through the self-induced voltage generated in the piezoelectric material. As a result, the need for bulky, expensive read-out equipment is eliminated. A comprehensive mathematical model is presented for the proposed self-sensing detection platform using distributed-parameters system modeling. An adaptation strategy is then implemented in the second part in order to compensate for the time-variation of piezoelectric properties which dynamically improves the behavior of the system. Finally, results are reported from an extensive experimental investigation carried out to prove the capability of the proposed platform. Experimental results verified the proposed mathematical modeling presented in the first part of the study with accuracy of 97.48%. Implementing the adaptation strategy increased the accuracy to 99.82%. These results proved the measurement capability of the proposed self-sensing strategy. It enables development of a cost-effective, sensitive and miniaturized mass sensing platform.
VLSI “Hyper Neuron” for recognition of analog patterns

Abstract A new artificial neural circuit that performs recognition of multi-dimensional analog patterns is introduced. The circuit, named a ‘HyperNeuron’ is implemented using conventional CMOS VLSI technology and operates in subthreshold mode to perform high-speed recognition of input patterns at very low current levels. The HyperNeuron was designed to produce a sigmoidal output in order to support conventional neural network applications and techniques. The design has several advantages including: recognition of fully analog patterns, tuneable behavior, asynchronous operation, low current drain, and the ability to generalize patterns.
Optical coherence tomography can measure axonal loss in patients with ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy

Purpose To map and identify the pattern, in vivo, of axonal degeneration in ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Ethambutol is an antimycobacterial agent often used to treat tuberculosis. A serious complication of ethambutol is an optic neuropathy that impairs visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and color vision. However, early on, when the toxic optic neuropathy is mild and partly reversible, the funduscopic findings are often subtle and easy to miss.
Structural analysis methods for system reliability

Abstract The appropriateness of the use of traditional methods of structural analysis in reliability analyses is examined using two examples: partially restrained steel beams and the stability of earth slopes. It is found that new and innovative methods of structural analysis may cause simplifications in the system reliability analysis.
Morphology and Weathering Trends of the Sangamon Soil Complex in South-Central Indiana in Relation to Paleodrainage

Three paleodrainage groups are proposed for profiles of the Farmdale–Sangamon soil complex in south-central Indiana. The groups (good, intermediate, and poor) are differentiated on the basis of matrix colors and color patterns. Genetic support for the groupings is provided by morphological trends still evident following > 100,000 yr of pedogenesis and burial by late Wisconsinan loess. Depth of carbonate leaching, solum thickness, and argillic horizon thickness all decrease with poorer drainage. Clay mineralogy also reflects paleodrainage. Illite degradation is intense in all profiles, but profiles with good drainage have poorly crystalline, interstratified expandable minerals, while well crystalline smectites dominate in profiles with poor drainage. Remanent aggregation in former A horizons is stronger in more poorly drained profiles, while the effects of structural overprinting from the modern soil increase with better modern drainage. Soil morphology, mineralogy, and parent material–paleolandscape position of Sangamon profiles are all internally consistent with color development under soil hydrological conditions during the last interglacial to glacial transition. The occurrence frequency of each drainage group indicates that the Sangamon soilscape was better drained than now, and morphology and clay mineral evidence suggests that areas with poor drainage did not experience the extreme seasonal groundwater shifts that the modern landscape experiences.
Probing chemical reaction dynamics by rotational spectroscopy: The OH rotational distribution in the reaction H+O2→OH+O

Abstract Pure rotational transitions have been used to probe high rotational states of OH(X 2 Π, ν=0) formed in the reaction H+O 2 →OH+O at 2.6 eV collision energy. The infrared diode absorption/gain technique is complementary to laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and particularly useful for probing those high rotational levels where predissociation of the A 2 Σ + state of OH limits the accuracy of LIF data. The rotational distribution is monotonically decreasing at N ⪢25 in the title reaction, where trajectory calculations had suggested a local maximum.
Docosahexaenoic acid, a component of fish oil, inhibits nitric oxide production in vitro

Abstract Introduction. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been shown to be immunosuppressive in the fetus, and fish oil diets are thought to be beneficial in autoimmune disease and transplantation. This effect may be mediated through nitric oxide (NO). Here, we investigate the effect of DHA on murine macrophages. Methods. Peritoneal macrophages were subjected to stimulation with various concentrations of interferon γ-(IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). NO production was assessed by measuring nitrite (Greiss reaction). Results. At all doses of IFN-γ and TNF-α, DHA was found to be inhibitory to NO production. Conclusions. DHA inhibits macrophage-stimulated NO production in response to IFN-γ and TNF-α. As NO is thought to be important in several disease processes, DHA may be a useful agent in the treatment of conditions such as autoimmune disease.
The rationale for immunosuppressive therapy for HIV infection.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article reviews the characteristics of HIV-associated immune activation, describes its prognostic significance and highlights the lack of knowledge of the mechanism by which HIV-1 infection induces this phenomenon. RECENT FINDINGS A recent cohort analysis found that the level of HIV-1 RNA in plasma has only minimal predictive value for the rate of decline of the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count in an individual patient infected with HIV-1. This suggests that factors in addition to viral replication must play an important role in the genesis of immune deficiency in HIV-1 infection, and has rekindled interest in the generalized T-cell activation induced by HIV-1 infection and the apoptosis that results as the likely culprit. SUMMARY Measures of T-cell activation provide independent and, in some studies, more powerful, prognostic information as to the course of HIV-1 disease compared with the viral load. The case is made for focused studies of immune suppression carefully designed to decipher the mechanism(s) involved in HIV-associated immune activation and to develop unique therapies aimed at treating the pathogenic consequences of HIV-1 infection. Given its prognostic significance, the reduction of immune activation is an important goal of the therapy of HIV-1 infection.
New methods for the colorimetric assay of PIID regulatory protein, uridylyltransferase, and uridylyl-removing enzyme in glutamine synthetase cascade.

Abstract Adenylylation and deadenylylation of glutamine synthetase (GS) are catalyzed by the same adenylyltransferase (ATase). The ability of ATase to catalyze adenylylation is markedly stimulated by the unmodified form of a regulatory protein, PIIA, whereas its capacity to catalyze deadenylylation is stimulated by the uridylylated form (PIID) of the regulatory protein. Interconversion between PIIA and PIID is catalyzed by uridylyltransferase (UTase) and uridylylremoving enzyme (UR). New colorimetric methods were developed for the assays of PIID, UTase, and UR activities. The PIID activity is monitored by its unique ability to stimulate the ATase catalyzed formation of unadenylylated subunits from adenylylated GS. The inerease of unadenylylated subunits is determined by measuring the γ-glutamyltransferase activity of GS under conditions where the activity of an unadenylylated subunit is about 15 times greater than that of an adenylylated subunit (i.e., at pH 8.0 in the presence of Mn2+). Assays for UTase and UR enzyme are derived by coupling the PIID assay to the UTase and UR reactions. For the UTase reaction, the formation of PIID from PIIA is measured, whereas the decrease in PIID is followed for the UR assay. These assays have been applied to follow the activities of these proteins during their purification procedures, to the mechanistic studies on the deadenylylation reaction, and to determine the activities of these proteins in mutants produced during the genetic study of glutamine synthetase cascade. The problems evolved from these assays are discussed.
MOBILE: user-centered interface building

Interfhce builders are popular tools for designing and developing graphical user interfaces. These tools, however, are engineering-centered; they operate mainly on windows and widgets. A typical interface builder does not offer any specific support for user-centered interface design, a methodology recognized as critical for effective user interface design. We present MOBILE (Model-Based Inter&xx Layout Editor) an interface building tool that iidly supports user-centered design and that guides the htafhce building process by using user-task models and a knowledge base of interface design guidelines. The approach in MOBILE has the important added benefit of being useful in both top-down and bottom-up interface design strategies.
Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in a rural hospital

Purpose The implementation of a pharmacy-directed antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program involving the use of telemedicine technology is described. Summary Pursuant to a gap analysis of AMS services at a rural hospital where physician specialists in infectious diseases (ID) or pharmacists with advanced ID training were not available, a multidisciplinary team was formed to implement a stewardship program targeting six antimicrobials with a high potential for misuse. A key part of the program was the participation of a remotely located ID physician specialist in weekly case review teleconferences. An evaluation of the first 13 months of the initiative (May 2010–June 2011) indicated that pharmacist-initiated AMS interventions increased dramatically after program implementation, from a baseline average of 2.1 interventions per week to an average of 6.8 per week; the rate of antimicrobial streamlining increased from 44% to an average of 96%. Due to inconsistent documentation, an increase in the rate of physician–pharmacist agreement could not be demonstrated; however, anecdotal evidence suggested an increase in physician requests for case reviews by the AMS team and enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration. An analysis of 2010 purchasing data demonstrated a decrease in annual antibiotic costs of about 28% from 2009 levels (and a further decrease of about 51% in the first two quarters of 2011). The rate of nosocomial Clostridium difficile infection decreased from an average of 5.5 cases per 10,000 patient-days to an average of 1.6 cases per 10,000 patient-days. Conclusion Implementation of an AMS program at a rural hospital led to increases in pharmacist-recommended interventions and streamlining of antimicrobial therapy, as well as decreases in health care-associated C. difficile infections and antimicrobial purchasing costs.
Chloritized Weathering Products of a New England Glacial Till

The clay mineralogy of a soil profile developed in a New England glacial till has been studied to a depth of 55 in. Degraded soil micas, probably produced by weathering, have been chloritized by both iron and aluminum hydroxide complexes. Aluminum and iron determinations and X-ray analyses indicate that iron chloritization has played the greater role. Citrate-extractable chlorite exists to a depth of 55 in. X-ray and heat stability data indicate that the chlorite is better developed or crystallized near the surface. X-ray and glycol retention data suggest that intense weathering at the surface has reduced the surface charge density of some of the degraded mica.
Cytoplasmic progestin-receptors in guinea pig brain: Characteristics and relationship to the induction of sexual behavior

The synthetic progestin, R 5020, was used to measure cytoplasmic progestin receptors in the brain and pituitary gland of ovariectomized guinea pigs. Progestin receptors with a dissociation constant of 0.1--0.3 nM were measured by gel filtration in all brain regions studied, pituitary gland and the uterus. The receptor is progestin-specific; biologically potent progestins compete well against [3H]R 5020 for binding, but androgens, glucocorticoids and estrogens do not. The concentration of the cytoplasmic progestin receptor in hypothalamus-preoptic area-septum and midbrain is decreased in vivo by behaviorally effective doses of progesterone. In the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, preoptic area-septum and midbrain, but not other brain regions, the concentration of progestin receptors increases after estradiol benzoate-priming. The increase in the concentration of cytoplasmic progestin receptors in hypothalamus-preoptic area-septum is dependent on the dose of estradiol benzoate injected. After a single injection of a dose of estradiol benzoate routinely used to facilitate the display of sexual receptivity (1.6 microgram estradiol benzoate/animal), the latency to an increase and subsequent decrease in cytoplasmic progestin receptors in the hypothalamus-preoptic area-septum correlates well with the previously reported time course for progesterone's facilitation of sexual receptivity after estradiol benzoate injection. The experiments are consistent with the notion that brain progestin receptors mediate at least some of the behavioral effects of progesterone.
Thermal and Hydrocarbon Maturation Models for Coastal California: ABSTRACT

Hydrocarbon maturation models for coastal California must consider thermal and geochemical constraints imposed by plate tectonics, diagenetic reactions, and the sedimentation history of the region. Plate tectonism drastically effects the thermal history of California basins in many ways. Initially, temperatures in the crust of coastal California are suppressed during subduction of the Farallon plate. With the passage of the Mendocino triple junction, subduction ceases and a void is created into which asthenosphere moves. This elevates temperatures in the basins in a complex manner depending on the time of passage of the Mendocino triple junction and the location of a specific basin. Finite-difference numerical models were developed to approximate the thermal effects of subduction and lithospheric upwelling. Diagenetic reactions and sedimentation history affect both the maturation model and thermal history of a basin. Diagenetic reactions through time in the Miocene Monterey Formation may change thermal conductivity values by 70%. Facies changes also have an important effect on sediment thermal conductivity and hence sediment temperatures. Maturation models indicate varying levels of maturity depending on the method used. Models using the Time Temperature Index of Lopatin indicate the lowest level of maturity. Tissot and Espitalie's method, which uses multiple activation energies and varying constants for the kerogen types, results in an intermediate level of maturity. The highest level of maturity results from the use of the Tissot and Espitalie method modified by using a single activation energy of 178.69 kJ mole-1 and a constant of 4.92 × 1013 hour-1 as reported by M. D. Lewan for shale from the Phosphoria Formation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 264------------
How Commercial and "Violent" Video Games Can Promote Culturally Sensitive Science Learning: Some Questions and Challenges

In their paper, Munoz and El-Hani propose to bring video games into science classrooms to promote culturally sensitive ethics and citizenship education. Instead of bringing “educational” games, Munoz and El-Hani take a more creative route and include games such as Fallout 3® precisely because they are popular and they reproduce ideological and violent representations of gender, race, class, nationality, science and technology. However, there are many questions that arise in bringing these commercial video games into science classrooms, including the questions of how students’ capacities for critical reflection can be facilitated, whether traditional science teachers can take on the role of using such games in their classrooms, and which video games would be most appropriate to use. In this response, I raise these questions and consider some of the challenges in order to further the possibility of implementing Munoz and El-Hani’s creative proposal for generating culturally sensitive science classrooms.
Charles Wagley: mentor and colleague

Professor Charles Wagley was my mentor at Columbia University, my colleague at the University of Florida and a dear friend. His influence on me can be summarized in one word: Brazil. From the time I took his course, "Peoples of Brazil", as a first semester graduate student at Columbia I was captivated and most of my subsequent field research and publications have had Brazilian themes. Under Dr. Wagley's direction I did field research for my dissertation in the coffee region of northern Parana and focused on the shift from coffee cultivation to cattle ranching and the social and economic consequences of that change. My subsequent research in the area involved the impact of frost on this shift in economic base as well as one of its results: the flight of poor Brazilians to Paraguay. Then starting in the late 1980s my research shifted and I began focusing on Brazilian immigrants in New York City. This was part of a growing movement of Brazilians arriving in New York, elsewhere in the United States and in Europe and Japan. Since then most of my subsequent research and publications have been on this new wave of international migrants
Pedogenic Translocation of Fe in Modern and Ancient Vertisols and Implications for Interpretations of the Hekpoort Paleosol (2.25 Ga)

Abstract Many interpretations of oxygen levels in the Precambrian atmosphere use interpretations of Fe distributions measured in paleosols. This article addresses the current lack of knowledge concerning “baseline” Fe translocations in modern soil analogs for the 2.25‐Ga Hekpoort paleosol at Waterval Onder, South Africa, as well as the lack of understanding of diagnostic petrographic features related to Fe translocation preserved in the Precambrian paleosols. Petrographic features related to Fe translocations include redox‐related Fe depletions and enrichments, and possibly Fe‐Mn nodules, which compare favorably with similar pedogenic features in Paleozoic paleo‐Vertisols and modern analog Vertisols. Additionally, preservation of sepic‐plasmic microfabrics in the Hekpoort paleosol, which are characteristic of clay soils experiencing shrink‐swell, supports previous paleo‐Vertisol interpretations. Total Fe losses in Vertisols are 10%–50%; losses increase with increasing soil age and with increasing mean ann...
Molecular sieves as media for growing crystals

Abstract A technique is described for growing single crystals of highly insoluble transition-metal complexes from aqueous solution. Commercially available modified dextran is employed as a supporting medium.
Periodontal and dental health

Abstract It seems obvious that dentists must approach the problem of full coverage with extreme caution, reserving that type of restoration for situations in which nothing else will serve the purpose. A return to the use of pinledge and three-quarter veneer crowns seems to be indicated to preserve the integrity of the periodontal tissues, to reduce the risk to pulps, and to increase averages of success in restorative dental procedures and mouth rehabilitation. Proper operative and prosthetic dental service is such an integral and inseparable part of periodontal health that dentists cannot provide one without the other. An effort has been made to present a concept of periodontal health and its relation to total oral health. There cannot be a healthy mouth with a diseased periodontium. It is basic that the periodontal tissues must be treated first to prepare a healthy foundation for the operative and prosthetic treatment to follow. Heroic attempts to retain teeth which are periodontally diseased to a stage where they should be extracted must be avoided. Such teeth should not be incorporated in splinted fixed partial dentures. Splinting a hopelessly loose tooth will not tighten it; it will jeopardize the healthy teeth to which it has been splinted. The indiscriminate use of full crown coverage should be discouraged. Experience with full coverage has taught that a return to the use of pinledge and three-quarter veneer crowns is indicated.