cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drilling in the Fourth Industrial Revolution—Vision and Challenges

Inspired by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and digital transformation (DT), the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have become valuable tools in the oil/gas industry. DT in oil/gas requires the marrying of physical technologies, such as smart sensors, and digital technologies, such as AI, edge computing/cloud-based platforms, which forms the basis for the IoT. The overall strategy for achieving DT in the drilling sector is to set a clear direction for change by not only requiring communication and coordination between the research and development (RD laying platforms for integrating future technologies, and the ability to seamlessly connect and coordinate across silos. Implementing IoT has the potential to increase operational drilling efficiency by 5% and cut upstream operating expenditure by 20%–30%; both significant values in a multibillion-dollar industry. Moreover, the economic value creation in the oil/gas industry in the next seven years is projected to be trillions of dollars, and analysts at Nomura, a large Japanese financial holding company, believe the IoT could make oil/gas companies more profitable at $ 70/barrel than they were previously at $ 100/barrel.
An Unthinkable Loss: A Consideration of Climate Change and Archaeology in the Southeastern United States

As climate change has become a global issue, it is important to assess its impacts on not only our modern day resources, but also our archaeological resources. An archaeological approach to climate change sheds light on themes of resilience, natural and cultural relationships, public outreach, social inequalities, and interdisciplinary perspectives (Hudson et al. 2012). In this paper, we organize fifteen archaeological and historical sites within the southeastern United States in a way that highlights their status regarding current climate change effects and their preservation needs. Tying these sites to these five themes, we show how consideration of southeastern archaeology can contribute to the global narrative on climate change.
Gut Feelings Block the Flow: Microbiota Links Stress to Vascular Disease.

Stress is linked to negative outcomes in cardiovascular diseases but exactly why is unclear. In this issue of Immunity, Xu et al. report that stress elicits glucocorticoid-induced gut permeability, in turn triggering the expansion of a population of neutrophils that can stimulate vaso-occlusive episodes.
Thalidomide Inhibits Angiogenesis via Downregulation of VEGF and Angiopoietin-2 in Crohn’s Disease

Immune-mediated angiogenesis is important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease and targeted treatment could alleviate the disease. Thalidomide is an effective drug in inflammatory bowel disease, which might be related to its multiple role in anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and anti-angiogenesis. This study is to investigate the effect of thalidomide on angiogenesis in tissues from patients and in vitro cells. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), VEGF, and CD31 expressions in intestinal mucosa from pediatric CD patients before and after thalidomide treatment were measured by immunohistochemistry. Western blotting and polymerase chain reaction were performed to characterize the change of angiogenic factors before and after treatment in remission. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated by thalidomide were used to examine its effect on endothelial cell proliferation and migration and capillary-like structures. Results showed that VEGF and Ang-2 levels were significantly greater in CD patients over controls. Thalidomide produced a significant reduction in protein expression of Ang-2 and VEGF, along with a decrease in mRNA expression of Ang-2. While, Ang-1 level did not show a statistically significant change. Thalidomide significantly inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. It also suppressed VEGF- and Ang-2-induced cell migration and capillary-like tube formation in HUVECs. Therefore, our study suggests that VEGF and Ang-2 levels are up-regulated in pediatric CD patients. It also indicated that thalidomide can be able to deactivate endothelium by the downregulation effect on angiogenic factors by targeting VEGF and Ang-2.
Revision of Earth-sized Kepler Planet Candidate Properties with High-resolution Imaging by the Hubble Space Telescope

We present the results of our Hubble Space Telescope program and describe how our analysis methods were used to re-evaluate the habitability of some of the most interesting Kepler planet candidates. Our program observed 22 Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) host stars, several of which were found to be multiple star systems unresolved by Kepler. We use our high-resolution imaging to spatially resolve the stellar multiplicity of Kepler-296, KOI-2626, and KOI-3049, and develop a conversion to the Kepler photometry (Kp) from the F555W and F775W filters on WFC3/UVIS. The binary system Kepler-296 (five planets) has a projected separation of 0."217 (80 AU); KOI-2626 (one planet candidate) is a triple star system with a projected separation of 0."201(70 AU) between the primary and secondary components and 0."161 (55 AU) between the primary and tertiary; and the binary system KOI-3049 (one planet candidate) has a projected separation of 0."464 (225 AU). We use our measured photometry to fit the separated stellar components to the latest Victoria–Regina Stellar Models with synthetic photometry to conclude that the systems are coeval. The components of the three systems range from mid-K dwarf to mid-M dwarf spectral types. We solved for the planetary properties of each system analytically and via an MCMC algorithm using our independent stellar parameters. The planets range from ~ 1.6 to ~ 4.2 R_☉, mostly Super Earths and mini-Neptunes. As a result of the stellar multiplicity, some planets previously in the Habitable Zone are, in fact, not, and other planets may be habitable depending on their assumed stellar host.
Intersectional Engineers: Diversity of Gender and Race Microaggressions and Their Effects in Engineering Education

AbstractUnderrepresented minorities in engineering regularly experience subtle behaviors or statements that denigrate them on account of their race, ethnicity, gender, or other identity. Engineerin...
Macronutrient composition of milk from two captive African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cows

We assayed 31 milk samples collected from two African elephant cows housed at the Indianapolis Zoo across lactation (birth to calf age 973 days) for macronutrient composition (water, fat, protein, sugar, gross energy [GE], ash, calcium, and phosphorus). All assays were performed at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Nutrition Laboratory, Washington, DC (SNZP) using standard methods developed at SNZP. Milk constituents are expressed on a weight-per-weight basis (%) and as a proportion each constituent contributes to milk energy. Calf weights were recorded, and growth rate calculated. The macronutrient composition of the African elephant milk samples was compared to previously published results for Asian elephants using analysis of covariance. African elephant milk is similar to Asian elephant milk, being moderately high in fat and energy and low in sugar. The mean values across lactation (excluding colostrum; n = 28) are 5.6 ± 0.3% crude protein, 3.1 ± 0.3% sugar, 13.0 ± 1.0% fat, and GE of 1.63 ± 0.10 kcal/g. Milk composition did not differ between cows. Milk composition significantly changed over lactation; fat and protein increased, and sugar decreased with calf age, comparable to previously reported data for African and Asian elephant milk. The proportion of milk energy from fat increased and that from sugar decreased over lactation, but the energy from protein was relatively constant. Protein contributed a higher proportion of energy to African elephant milk compared to Asian elephant milk (20.6% vs. 17.0%, p = .001). Despite this, calf growth rate was similar between the species, with the calves in this study gaining about 0.8 kg/day for the first 6 months.
Mapping thoughts: visual interfaces for information retrieval

This dissertation examines interface design for information retrieval systems from the perspective of visual thinking. In the first section I begin by arguing that we have a history of visual thinking which extends back as far as the caves of Altamira and continues in an unbroken line through mythology, the development of writing, and the fine arts to the modern development of television, video games, and cyberspace. I support my argument with cognitive theories of the mind, and empirical research from the fields of cognitive psychology and human factors which demonstrates the usefulness of visual information to aid visual recall and learning. I finish by discussing the history of humankind as a history of visual thinking which argues for an integration of text and graphics to aide the user in searching for information. From this point of view, I next examine traditional information systems such as pictograms, maps, and cataloging systems, and then computerized information systems such as online public access catalogs, spreadsheets, the Desktop Metaphor, and Geographic Information Systems. I then illustrate and comment on five visual interface projects which demonstrate the range of approaches being taken in the design of graphical interfaces for information retrieval. In the second half of this dissertation I develop a detailed prototype model of a visual interface for an online line public access catalog. In this section I begin with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the University of California online public access catalog, MELVYL$\sp\circler$. In the final section I develop a prototype model of a visual interface to the MELVYL system which I call VisualMELVYL. This model is based upon the history of visual thinking, information retrieval, current graphical design work, and research on visual recall and learning from text and pictures. VisualMELVYL demonstrates a visual interface to an online public access catalog, and potentially to any information resource connected to a wide area network such as the Internet.
Excited State Dynamics and Chemical Control of Large Molecules

A detailed knowledge of the vibrational dynamics that occurs on excited states is important in understanding photochemical processes and in controlling their outcome. We examine ways in which spectroscopic observations can be used to construct models for electronic excited states and infer the relevant nuclear dynamics on them. Our methods are applied to the well-studied photoisomerization reactions of stilbene and used to explore two photon (IR + UV) schemes for manipulating the photoproduct branching ratio.
Cirrhosis and C. difficile: A Deadly Duo?

Patients with advanced liver disease develop complications as their disease progresses, including hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), and variceal bleeding.Moreover, they have decreased life expectancywith high rates of mortality related to infection, bleeding, and multi-organ failure, including the hepatorenal syndrome. Patients with cirrhosis are also at increased risk of developing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with several identified risk factors including frequent hospitalizations, regular use of antibiotics for prophylaxis or treatment for SBP, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, and anoverall immunocompromised state. In a study of the impact of CDI on inpatients with cirrhosis, Bajaj et al. [1] reported increased mortality, longer hospitalization, and higher hospitalization charges in patients with both cirrhosis and CDI compared to patients with either cirrhosis or CDI alone (p\ 0.001). Since patients with cirrhosis and CDI have a higher mortality, Saab and colleagues addressed the question of whether screening patients with cirrhosis on admission to the hospital, with isolation and treatment to eradicate C. difficile, will decrease mortality and healthcare costs [2]. In this issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, they published the results of a two-arm study using a Markov decision analysis model to compare this strategy with testing and treating only symptomatic patients with diarrhea. The authors report that the screen and treat strategy improved healthcare outcomes with a significant cost-savings and decrease in healthcare utilization. They projected a decrease in CDI-related mortality and a 3.54-fold reduced cost in the screening group. Their interpretation and resultant recommendation is to implement a C. difficile screening program targeted at hospitalized patients with cirrhosis. While this recommendation is interesting, it contradicts important points documented in two current published guidelines, that is, (1) test-only diarrheal stools and (2) do not treat C. difficile carriers [3, 4]. We shall now discuss these points in more detail.
Surface permanent magnet synchronous machine self-sensing position estimation at low speed using eddy current reflected asymmetric resistance

This paper proposes an alternative position self-sensing method of surface permanent magnet (SPM) machines at low speed using high frequency (HF) signal injection. SPM machines traditionally do not have enough spatial saliency signals because their symmetric rotors result in near zero inductance variation. The proposed solution is to track the HF eddy current reflected asymmetric resistance for position estimation. It will be shown that the spatial variation of resistance can be enhanced when a HF signal is superimposed. Finite element analysis is performed to investigate the asymmetric resistance in different SPM machines. By superimposing a d-axis pulsating vector HF signal, SPM machines can achieve the self-sensing position estimation performance with reduced degradation at high load conditions. Implementation methods are developed to estimate the resistance-based spatial saliency signal for speed and position closed-loop control. A SPM machine prototype with a ring magnet rotor is used for the experimental evaluation.
Acoustic Float for Marine Mammal Monitoring

Abstract : Our goal is to develop an inexpensive acoustic profiler technology, QUEphone (Quasi-Eulerian phone), which allows accurate detection of the beaked whales and reporting in a short time frame by monitoring for the vocalizations of the target species. By converting a commercially available profiler float to a mobile platform and installing a sophisticated detection algorithm on a high-power DSP, and testing the QUEphones in appropriate beaked whale habitat, we were able to compare beaked whale detection results against the Navy's well-established acoustic surveillance system and verify the correct operation of the system. Future work entails making QUEphones easy to operate so that an area can be monitored in advance of an operation by number of these relatively inexpensive instruments for the presence of beaked whales or other species of concern.
Sex Hormones and Cytokines in Central Nervous System Pathology and Repair

Abstract The adult central nervous system (CNS) is far more capable of repair and regeneration than previously believed. Research in the field of neuroendocrine immunology indicates that vital repair mechanisms are dependent on cytokines derived from the initial inflammatory or innate immune response, which in turn are regulated by steroid hormones. It is now becoming clear that the ability of the CNS to restore itself is dependent upon regional mechanisms that are, in part, modulated by sex hormones through the activation of specific nuclear and membrane receptors located in microglia, astrocytes, neurons, neural stem cells, and other cell types. These receptors in turn stimulate multiple pathways that affect the functional balance of these cellular constituents during the brain’s injury/healing response. Adding to the complexity of these interactions is the fact that sex hormones, in particular estrogens, can be regionally synthesized in response to brain trauma, and their presence in the local environment may be more germane to inflammation and healing than circulating hormone levels. The details and ramifications of our knowledge about sex hormones in the CNS injury/healing response are the subjects of the following article.
First Do Less Harm. Confronting the Inconvenient Problems of Patient Safety

As readers of this journal well know, clinical errors (or near misses) are a widespread problem embedded in health care systems across the world. A significant proportion of these errors have been ...
Knowledge Discovery in Databases

Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD), commonly known as data mining, (In the KDD community, it is common to consider data mining as a step of KDD. This article, is concerned with the identification of knowledge from data. The discovered knowledge is represented as patterns defined in a broad sense, and is required to be novel, potentially useful, and ultimately understandable. Many pattern types have been studied, including classifiers, association rules, and clustering. Many new ones will be introduced in the future, to capture the diverse range of human knowledge and to meet the diverse needs of different applications. It is a complex process to identify novel knowledge patterns from data, requiring different techniques and multiple steps, including data cleaning and preparation, the efficient search of patterns, and the evaluation of the usefulness and novelty of patterns. This process may be iterated many times, where later iterations utilize the insights from earlier iterations. Proper use of background knowledge can greatly improve the quality of the resulting knowledge patterns. A good data mining system architecture is needed to allow coupling with databases and data warehouses, iterative data selection, and interaction between different data mining algorithms and between patterns of different types and so on. The subsequent sections of this article will give an overview of some of the major concepts and techniques of KDD, including a brief introduction and some pointers to representative literature. There are six sections in addition to the introduction, namely, data types and preprocessing, pattern and pattern search space, popular pattern types and search algorithms, understandability and interestingness, concluding remarks, and references. Keywords: types; preprocessing; pattern types; pattern search space; search algorithms
Divergence-with-Gene-Flow—What Humans and Other Mammals Got up to

In this review, we posit the hypothesis that divergence-with-gene-flow or, using the terminology that has historical precedence, evolution-with-hybridization is not the exception as argued by the neo-Darwinian architects, but rather the rule. In particular, we will discuss briefly how the definition of species and the process of speciation that emerged from the Modern Synthesis limited greatly how evolutionary diversification was perceived to occur. This, in turn, resulted in only certain hypotheses and research directions being deemed legitimate for evolutionary biologists. Yet, we will also argue that in general, the assumptions that resulted in the definitions and concepts surrounding speciation were made much stronger by a dearth, rather than a wealth, of the data needed to test hypotheses. Specifically, these alternative hypotheses were divergence in allopatry versus divergence with at least some genetic exchange. We will point to the observation made by Anderson—the architect of studies of introgressive hybridization—that to test for contemporaneous or ancient gene flow between diverging/divergent lineages requires discrete markers. Thus, not until the advent of methods for analyzing the genetic constitution of individual organisms was it possible to test rigorously the alternate modes of divergence. To illustrate our hypotheses and conclusions, we will focus on mammalian lineages, including our own species. This focus reflects our desire to emphasize that not only prokaryotes and plants, but animals as well, reflect the process of reticulate evolution.
Toward a Common Validation Methodology for Segmentation and Registration Algorithms

The National Library of Medicine and its partners are sponsoring Insight, a public software toolkit for segmentation and registration of high dimensional medical data. An essential element of this initiative is the development of a validation methodology, a common means of comparing the precision, accuracy, and efficiency of segmentation and registration methods. The goal is to make accessible the data, protocol standards, and support software necessary for a common platform for the whole medical image processing community. This paper outlines the issues and design principles for the test and training data and the supporting software that comprise the proposed Insight Validation Suite. We present the methods for establishing the functional design requirements. We also present a framework for the validation of segmentation and registration software and make some suggestions for validation trials. We conclude with some specific recommendations to improve the infrastructure for validating medical image processing research.
Reflections on a Research Career: Generalizations from 25 Years of Research on Assessment and Instructional Decision Making:

The CEC Research Award recognizes researchers for the significant contributions they have made to special education. We believe that the members of this distinguished group have much to share with our readers. We have invited each of them to contribute an article, addressing their perspectives on special education research and practices. Jim Ysseldyke was awarded the Research Award in 1995, recognizing more than 25 years of research investigating a variety of assessment and instructional decision-making practices. This article presents generalizations that he has gleaned from his years of research, as well as his thoughts for the future.
Efficacy of Lower-Extremity Venous Thrombolysis in the Setting of Congenital Absence or Atresia of the Inferior Vena Cava

Purpose A rare but described risk factor for deep venous thrombosis (DVT), predominately in the young, is congenital agenesis or atresia of the inferior vena cava (IVC). The optimal management for DVT in this subset of patients is unknown. We evaluated the efficacy of pharmacomechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PCDT) followed by systemic anticoagulation in the treatment of acute lower-extremity DVT in the setting of congenital IVC agenesis or atresia.
A deontological analysis of Peer relations in organizations

Using practical formalism a deontological ethical analysis of peer relations in organizations is developed. This analysis is composed of two types of duties derived from Kant's Categorical Imperative: negative duties to refrain from the use of peers and positive duties to provide help and assistance. The conditions under which these duties pertain are specified through the development of examples and conceptual distinctions. A number of implications are then discussed.
Spill alert device for earth dam failure warning

Abstract A spill alert device based on the monitoring of acoustic emissions (AE) has been developed, field-tested, and placed into an operational mode at several sites. This apparatus can be useful in predicting and anticipating the failure of earthen structures such as dams, waste storage lagoons, and spoil piles. With sufficient advance warning, repair of such structures becomes possible, thus avoiding possible catastrophic discharges of their contents into the environment. This report describes the fundamental mechanisms that cause soils to generate AE when placed under strain and the techniques and equipment necessary to monitor such emissions. Results of laboratory testing are shown to demonstrate a relationship between soil types and characteristics and the AE that result when such soils are subjected to applied stresses. Evidence is presented to show that AE increase as a soil approaches failure due to imposed stresses. Conversion of the laboratory apparatus to a portable system suitable for field use is documented. This equipment had an estimated cost of under $2,000 in December 1978. Results are presented for field tests of AE monitoring of 19 field sites. These results reveal potential weaknesses in some earthen dikes and stockpiles, highway fill stockpiles, and embankments and identify sites of potential failure so that corrective measures can be undertaken. This project was a 1977 recipient of one of the Industrial Research Magazine's IR-100 Awards. A number of companies are now marketing AE devices for earth structure monitoring.
Coherent averaging of electron spins by rotary echoes in excited triplet states

Abstract A theoretical treatment of rotary echoes derived from average hamiltonian formalism in photoexcited triplet states is presented. From a general relaxation matrix, it is shown that relaxation fields perpendicular to the driving field H eff are completely averaged, whereas relaxation fields parallel to H eff are not. Rotary echoes are found to differ from other coherence techniques only in the geometry of the experiment and not in the averaging properties per se. Off-resonance driving field conditions are shown to impair the efficiency of the averaging and to cause beats in the observed echo decay. Finally, inhomogenous line broadening is shown to produce a damped echo decay with beats even when the field is on-resonance.
Fines Accumulation and Distribution in a Storm-Water Rain Garden Nine Years Postconstruction

Storm water control measures (SCMs), also known as best management practices (BMPs), such as rain gardens, are designed to infiltrate storm-water runoff and reduce pollutant transport to surface wa...
THE INACTIVATION OF a-ESTRADIOL BY INBRED RATS

TWOMBLEY AND TAYLOR (1942) were unable to demonstrate significant differences in the ability of livers from four inbred strains of mice to inactivate estrogens. They employed the in vitro method of Heller and the mice were of strains which differed markedly in susceptibility to the spontaneous occurrence of mammary carcinomas. The present study was undertaken as part of a program of investigations of estrogen metabolism in rats and of the effects of estrogen administration for prolonged periods in inbred strains of rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS The estrogen assays were conducted as in our previous studies of estrogenic inactivation (Segaloff, 1943). Seven inbred strains of rats were employed. Young adult females were spayed by the dorsal approach while under ether anesthesia.
A single-microbead-based microfluidic diode for ultra-low Reynolds Number applications

Passive fluidic components that are capable of rectifying fluid flow at ultra-low Reynolds Number are critical to the advancement of micro/nanofluidic circuitry for diverse chemical and biological applications, such as sample preparation on chip, molecular diagnostics, point-of-care (POC) testing, and quantitative cell biology platforms. Previously, a wide range of diodic components have been developed to rectify flow in fluidic systems; however, engineering microfluidic diodes that function at the ultra-low Reynolds Number flows (i.e., Re < 0.25) of emerging micro/nanofluidic platforms has remained a considerable challenge. Here we present a microfluidic single-microbead-based diode (SMD) that uses a single suspended microbead as a dynamic resistive element to rectify fluid flow under Re ≤ 0.25 conditions. Simulations of the SMD yielded a theoretical diodicity (Di) of 1.4. Experiments for Re varying from 0.05 to 0.25 revealed average Di's ranging from 1.14±0.01 to 2.51±0.03.
Syntheses and Stuctures of Alkyl Peroxo Adducts of β-Diketonate Cobalt(III) Complexes and Their Role in Oxidation of Hydrocarbons and Olefin Epoxidation

To assess the oxidizing capacity of [Co(β-diketonate)2(L)OOR] complexes, four such species, namely, [Co(acac)2(L)(OOtBu)] (acacH = acetylacetone; L = pyridine (py) (1), 4-methylpyridine (4-Mepy) (2), 1-methylimidazole (1-MeIm) (3)) and [Co(dbm)2(py)(OOtBu)] (4, dbmH = dibenzoylmethane), have been synthesized and the structures of 1, 3, and 4 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 with a = 9.149(2) A, b = 9.741(2) A, c = 13.067(2) A, α = 84.22 (2)°, β = 77.89(2)°, γ = 67.83(2)°, V = 1054.1(4) A3, and Z = 2. Complex 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n with a = 11.341(2) A, b = 10.485(2) A, c = 18.863(2) A, α = 90°, β = 106.230(15)°, γ = 90°, V = 2153.6(8) A3, and Z = 4. Complex 4·1.5C6H6 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 14.907(5) A, b = 18.701(5) A, c = 15.207(4) A, α = 90°, β = 103.52 (2)°, γ = 90°, V = 4122(2) A3, and Z = 4. The geometry around the Co(III) center in all four complexes is distorted octah...
RNase YI* and RNA Structure Studies

The enzymology of RNase YI*, a recently discovered endoribonuclease from yeast, was studied and compared to other endonucleases for detection of single-strand regions and base pair mismatches in RNA. Its value for RNA structure analyses was assessed with Escherichia coli 5S rRNA as a model substrate. The generally accepted structure of the 5S rRNA is based on thermodynamic energy considerations as well as structures conserved in regions of the molecule during evolution. S1 and mung bean nucleases gave similar results with very marked preference only for the longest single-stranded region in the model. RNase YI* was much more discriminating for detecting unpaired nucleotides as well as short single-strand regions and predicted the generally accepted 5S rRNA structure. Preliminary experiments also indicated that RNase YI* was more sensitive than RNase I for detecting single or multiple base pair mismatches in an RNA-DNA hybrid.
The effect of appendectomy in future tubal infertility and ectopic pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Ruptured appendicitis has been implicated in causing scarring, which can lead to infertility and/or ectopic pregnancy. To assess the degree of association and the quality of evidence supporting the relation among appendectomy, female fertility outcomes, and ectopic pregnancy. Methods We systematically searched multiple electronic databases from inception through May 2013 for randomized trials and observational studies. Reviewers working independently and in duplicate extracted the study characteristics, the quality of the included studies, and the outcomes of interest. Random effects meta-analysis was used to pool the odds ratio (OR) from the included studies. Results Our meta-analysis based on seven observational studies provided evidence that previous appendectomy is not associated with increased incidence of infertility in women (OR = 1.03, 0.86–1.24, P = 0.71). This finding was further augmented by several noncomparative cohorts that discussed the same issue and reported nearly the same conclusion; however, these studies pointed toward putative negative impact of surgery for complicated appendicitis on fertility. Our second meta-analysis revealed the effect of appendectomy on ectopic pregnancy was found to be significant based on a pooled estimate from four studies (OR = 1.78, 95% confidence interval = 1.46–2.16, P Conclusions Appendectomy is significantly associated with an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy but not significantly associated with future infertility in women.
Nitric oxide dissociates lipid oxidation from apoptosis and phosphatidylserine externalization during oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress in biological membranes can regulate various aspects of apoptosis, including phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. It is not known, however, if the targets for these effects are lipids or proteins. Nitric oxide (NO), a bifunctional modulator of apoptosis, has both antioxidant and prooxidant potential. We report here that the NO donor PAPANONOate completely protected all phospholipids, including PS, from oxidation in HL-60 cells treated with 2,2‘-azobis(2,4-dimethylisovaleronitrile) (AMVN), presumably via the ability of NO to react with lipid-derived peroxyl radicals and terminate the propagation of lipid peroxidation. PAPANONOate, however, had no effect on PS externalization or other markers of apoptosis following AMVN. Therefore, PS oxidation is not required for PS externalization during AMVN-induced apoptosis. PS externalization was accompanied by inhibition of aminophospholipid translocase (APT). NO potentiated AMVN inhibition of APT. Treatment with PAPANONOate alone produced modest...
Impact of electronic resident evaluation systems on the timeliness, rate, and quality of responses. Survey of Association of Program Directors in Radiology members.

Objective To determine the impact of electronic resident evaluation systems on the timeliness, rate, and quality of responses. Methods Surveys were mailed electronically to the membership of the Association of Program Directors in Radiology, which included the directors of 158 residency programs. Respondents were instructed to send 1 response from each program. Information gathered included the use of electronic compared with paper-based evaluation systems and the overall level of satisfaction with such systems (rated on a 5-point scale with 1=dissatisfied and 5=satisfied). Questions were asked regarding the impact of electronic systems on the timeliness, rate, and quality of responses. Results Seventy-seven responses were received, for an estimated response rate of 49% on a per-program basis. Of these 77 respondents, 45 (58%) used electronic systems and 32 (42%) used paper-based systems. The median level of satisfaction was equivalent (4 = somewhat satisfied) for both groups. Of the 45 respondents using electronic systems, 26 (58%) reported increased response rates, 16 (36%) reported no change, and 3 (7%) reported decreased response rates compared with paper-based systems. Regarding the timeliness of responses, 31 (69%) reported faster response rates, 10 (22%) reported no change, and 4 (9%) reported slower rates compared with paper-based systems. Regarding the quality of responses, 25 (56%) reported no change, 12 (27%) reported improved quality, and 8 (18%) reported worse quality compared with paper-based systems. Conclusion Electronic systems are generally associated with an improved response rate and enhanced timeliness of responses in comparison with paper-based systems, without adversely affecting the quality of responses.
Subpicosecond study of excitons in a phenylenevinylene conjugated polymer: exciton–exciton interactions and infrared photoinduced absorption features

Abstract We present a study of the fundamental photoexcitations in a phenylenevinylene conjugated polymer from the visible to the mid-infrared (IR) using polarized subpicosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. From 0.5 to roughly 1.3 eV we find that features due to singlet intrachain excitons dominate the photoinduced absorption. Two peaks are apparent in the spectrum: one near 0.5 eV and the other at ∼1.1 eV. In the regime of high excitation densities (>10 19 cm −3 ) , we find evidence of exciton–exciton interactions leading to exciton hopping between different chains or segments of the polymer.
Neither Fish nor Fowl: Feminism, Desire, and the Lesbian Consumer Market

This article addresses gay marketers’ tardy and ambivalent attempts to imagine and organize lesbians as a viable target marketing niche. Practical considerations make lesbians less attractive as a market: They have a lower average household income than gay male and heterosexual couples and they are hard to reach for market research purposes and with advertising. But the lesbian market is also dogged by the popular image of lesbians as lacking both erotic and acquisitive desire, embodied in the stereotype of anti-consumption, parsimonious, unsexy feminists who resist marketers’ interest in them as consumers.
Proteolytic Activation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Skin Wound Healing Is Inhibited by α-1-Antichymotrypsin

An excessive amount of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been well documented in inflammatory diseases, including chronic wounds and cancers. Secreted as a zymogen, proMMP-9 can be irreversibly converted to a mature form through cleavage of the N-terminal propeptide domain. Although the converting enzyme for proMMP-9 in human tissues is unknown, we previously found that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) promotes activation of proMMP-9 in human skin, and characterized the converting activities as tissue-associated chymotrypsin-like proteinases. On the other hand, the pathophysiologic inhibitor to prevent proMMP-9 maturation also remains elusive. In this regard, we observed the presence of the inhibitory property in burn blister fluid that abrogates the skin extract–mediated activation of proMMP-9. Then we determined that α-1-antichymotrypsin (α-ACT), an acute-phase factor abundantly present in the blister, effectively inhibited proMMP-9 activation in human and rodent skin. In contrast, the aminophenylmercuric acetate-induced “cysteine switch” and activation of proMMP-9 were not affected by α-ACT. TNF-α-induced activation of proMMP-9 by the explants of human skin was inhibited by α-ACT but not by related α-1-antitrypsin. α-ACT specifically attenuated maturation of proMMP-9 but not proMMP-2 or proMMP-13. Furthermore, short peptides that mimic the reactive center loop (RCL) of α-ACT were sufficient to inhibit the conversion. Mutation analysis demonstrated that a conserved leucine within the RCL was critical for α-ACT-exerted inhibition. In chronic wounds, a large amount of mature MMP-9 was associated with fragmentation and inactivation of α-ACT. Taken together, these results demonstrate that, to the best of our knowledge, α-ACT is a previously unreported pathophysiologic inhibitor that controls proMMP-9 activation in skin tissue.
Three-dimensional culture of human meniscal cells: extracellular matrix and proteoglycan production.

The meniscus is a complex tissue whose cell biology has only recently begun to be explored. Published models rely upon initial culture in the presence of added growth factors. The aim of this study was to test a three-dimensional (3D) collagen sponge microenvironment (without added growth factors) for its ability to provide a microenvironment supportive for meniscal cell extracellular matrix (ECM) production, and to test the responsiveness of cells cultured in this manner to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Experimental studies were approved prospectively by the authors' Human Subjects Institutional Review Board. Human meniscal cells were isolated from surgical specimens, established in monolayer culture, seeded into a 3D scaffold, and cell morphology and extracellular matrix components (ECM) evaluated either under control condition or with addition of TGF-β. Outcome variables were evaluation of cultured cell morphology, quantitative measurement of total sulfated proteoglycan production, and immunohistochemical study of the ECM components chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, and types I and II collagen. Meniscal cells attached well within the 3D microenvironment and expanded with culture time. The 3D microenvironment was permissive for production of chondroitin sulfate, types I and II collagen, and to a lesser degree keratan sulfate. This microenvironment was also permissive for growth factor responsiveness, as indicated by a significant increase in proteoglycan production when cells were exposed to TGF-β (2.48 μg/ml ± 1.00, mean ± S.D., vs control levels of 1.58 ± 0.79, p < 0.0001). Knowledge of how culture microenvironments influence meniscal cell ECM production is important; the collagen sponge culture methodology provides a useful in vitro tool for study of meniscal cell biology.
Inhibition of in vivo and in vitro expoxidation of aldrin, and potentiation of toxicity of various insecticide chemicals by diquat in two species of fish

Diquat (1,1′-ethylene-2,2′-dipyridylium dibromide), a potent contact herbicide useful in aquatic weed control, inhibits aldrin epoxidation, an oxidative transformation catalyzed by microsomal mixed—function oxidases. When live mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) are exposed to sublethal amounts of aldrin in the water for 24 hours, the chlorohydrocarbon residue extracted from the whole fish contains approximately 23 percent of the epoxide, dieldrin. Addition of diquat to the water in final concentration of 8 × 10−4 molar or greater significantly reduces the percent dieldrin in the extracted residue. Underin vitro conditions, diquat inhibits the aldrin epoxidase system prepared from homogenates of various tissues in mosquito fish and goldfish(Carassius auratus); a diquat concentration of 2 × 10−5 molar in enzyme systems prepared from liver, stomach, intestine, kidney, and gill homogenates from goldfish gives 74, 55, 18, 41, and 57 per cent inhibition, respectively. The inhibition is concentration dependent, the molar I50 for liver preparations being 8.0 × 10−6 molar. Under static bioassay conditions, the acute toxicities of aldrin, DDT, and parathion are not affected by diquat but diquat (275 ppm) decreases the time to onset of symptoms and increases the 24—hour mortalities produced by carbaryl, the effects being dose—dependent. In view of the high concentration of diquat required to inhibit oxidationin vivo and its short residual half—life in aquatic environments, as a result of adsorption and non—enzymmatic transformation, the novel interactions demonstrated are probably of little significance under the practical conditions in which diquat is used.
Intrasplenic transplantation of allogeneic hepatocytes modified by BCL-2 gene protects rats from acute liver failure

Abstract Background Apoptosis of donor hepatocytes may be induced by recipient cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) during acute rejection, representing a major impediment for these cell transplants. Because the mechanisms of transplanted hepatocyte loss involve Fas-mediated pathways, BCL-2 genetic modification may protect liver cells. In the present study, we further investigated whether BCL-2 transfer into transplanted liver cells rendered them resistant to Fas ligand–induced apoptosis, and protected rats from acute liver failure. Materials and methods Hepatocytes isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats were infected with an adenovirus vector encoding human BCL-2 gene (AdCMVBCL-2) or a control AdCMVLacZ vector. Forty-eight hours later, cells challenged with recombinant Fas ligand (rhsFasL) were assayed for apoptosis using TUNEL staining and caspase 3 activity. Other cells were transplanted into the spleens of Wistar rats with a 90% hepatectomy 12 hours later. Results Western blot analysis and RT-PCR confirmed the expression of hBcl-2 in AdCMVhBcl-2–infected hepatocytes. Recombinant FasL produced a dose-dependent increase in TUNEL-positive percentage and caspase-3 activity in uninfected hepatocytes, but did not influence these features in AdCMVhBcl-2–infected cells. On challenge with 90% hepatectomy, the survival of Wistar rats receiving transplantation of AdCMVhBCL-2–infected hepatocytes was significantly prolonged compared with the controls. Conclusion Adenovirus-mediated BCL-2 gene transfer protects transplanted hepatocytes from Fas-mediated cytolysis, thus holding promise for a new avenue of acute liver failure treatment.
A logic for programming with complex objects

Abstract We present a logic for reasoning with complex objects, which is a repaired and significantly extended version of Maier's O-logic [43]. The logic naturally supports complex objects, object identity, and deduction, and has several other interesting features. It elegantly combines object-oriented and value-oriented paradigms and, in particular, contains all of predicate calculus as a special case. The revised O-logic has a sound and complete resolution-based proof procedure.
Architectural support for system protection (Recent Results)

A set of architectural extensions, involving hardware/software interaction, is proposed to constrain the execution-time behavior of application and higher authority programs, running in a CPU of the type of IBM System 370. The extensions consist of the addition of a new state to the previous supervisor and problem states enforcement of disciplined transition between states, hardware distinction of four data types, and a set of rules that enforce the structure of processes operating in this environment. Application of the extensions to a shared data base shows that the protection of the operating system under which it runs can be enhanced significantly, with respect to errors or attacks from the users of this data base.
A Primer on LGBTQ Students at Community Colleges: Considerations for Research and Practice.

Community colleges are among the most diverse institutions in the American higher education system. Students across lifestyles, creeds, racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender groups, ability levels, and socioeconomic status reflect the legacy of two-year institutions to provide educational opportunities for many on the margins of full participation. The preponderance of community college students seeks this tier of postsecondary education, as it promises to equalize educational access across divergent student populations. Nonetheless, the unique campus climates of community colleges have not halted marginalization that occurs for sexual minority students. In this chapter, the authors trace the dearth of available literature on LGBTQ students at community colleges, provide a commentary for future research, and offer action steps for practitioners in creating visibly inclusive LGBTQ campus environments.
A Systematic Approach to Corrective Maintenance

A process-driven, model-based solution to corrective maintenance is described. The solution approach starts by identifying the st of ordered steps that should be performed to complete a corrective maintenance task. Once the steps in the process are clearly defined, the information needed at each step is organized into maintenance information models. A set of tools that operate on the models and provide the capabilities needed for the process of corrective maintenance are then identified. Realizing the models and providing the tools through a uniform interface lead to a software maintenance system that supports effective and reliable corrective maintenance. An overview of SAMS, a Software Analysis and Maintenance System developed based on this approach, is presented. SAMS integrates various tools that are needed to support maintenance processes including the corrective maintenance process. SAMS tools are developed on top of an object model of maintenance information realized using an object-oriented database management system
Optimal solutions versus ‘good’ solutions: An analysis of heuristic decision making

Abstract The portion of business problems which lend themselves to solution by existing optimization techniques are a minor subset of the business problems which can be defined and attacked by logical devices. Heuristics simplify the environment of the decision maker by permitting him to make decisions quickly without considering the innumerable ways that each decision could be made. This paper compares the heuristic programming approach to more traditional operations research techniques of decision making.
XXXVII. The spectra of hydrogen, and some of its compounds

(1901). XXXVII. The spectra of hydrogen, and some of its compounds. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 2, No. 10, pp. 370-379.
Extractive fermentation for lactic acid production

Lactic acid extractive fermentation was demonstrated using Alamine 336 in oleyl alcohol at acidic pH. The use of an efficient extraction system was possible through employment of the cell immobilization procedure. Process modeling was performed to relate the various process parameters such as flow rate, concentration, and pH. In experiments with 15% Alamine 336/oleyl alcohol, the bioreactor operation resulted in a higher productivity (12 g/L gel h) compared to that of a control fermentation (7 g/L gel h). Strategies for optimizing the extractive fermentation process were proposed considering both productivity and product recovery.