cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Unusual Case of Periosteal Glomus Tumor at the Metacarpal Base Presenting as Type II CRPS: Case Report.

Background: An unusual case involving a middle-aged male with a 9-year history of presumptive chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and ulnar neuropathy was referred for failure in treatment. Metho...
Application of SIMS for the characterization of Nitrogen in TaN film

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) analysis of nitrogen content in Tantalum Nitride (TaN) film is used for a new set-up process monitoring. Technical Challenges facing by the application of SIMS analysis are include a) Selection of appropriate representative elemental molecular; b) Analysis polarity and primary beam sputtering energy; c) Repeatability and quantification. SIMS is one of the most capable tools to detect low nitrogen content in the film compared with XPS or Auger, so as to be chosen to ensure an excellent controllability of deposition process for thin films. In this paper, the methodology of characterization of low nitrogen concentration in the thin film by SIMS will be investigated and demonstrated.
Effects of Modern Concrete Materials on Thermal Conductivity

AbstractThermal conductivity, k, is one of the key factors that control heat transfer in concrete. This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to analyze the effects of moder...
Health Warnings and Beverage Purchase Behavior: Mediators of Impact.

BACKGROUND To reduce diet-related chronic disease, policymakers have proposed requiring health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Health warnings reduced purchases of these products by 22% in our recent randomized controlled trial, but the mechanisms remain unclear. PURPOSE We sought to identify the psychological mechanisms that explain why SSB health warnings affect purchase behavior. METHODS In 2018, we recruited 400 adult SSB consumers to complete a shopping task in a naturalistic convenience store laboratory in North Carolina, USA. We randomly assigned participants to either a health warning arm (all SSBs in the store displayed a text health warning) or to a control arm (SSBs displayed a control label). Participants selected items to purchase with cash. RESULTS Compared to control labels, health warnings elicited more attention, negative affect, anticipated social interactions, and thinking about harms (range of ds = 0.63-1.34; all p < .001). Health warnings also led to higher injunctive norms about limiting SSB consumption (d = 0.27, p = .008). Except for attention, all of these constructs mediated the effect of health warnings on SSB purchases (all p < .05). In contrast, health warnings did not influence other attitudes or beliefs about SSBs or SSB consumption (e.g., healthfulness, outcome expectations, and response efficacy). CONCLUSIONS Health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages affected purchase behavior by eliciting negative emotions, increasing anticipated social interactions, keeping SSBs' harms at top of mind, and shifting norms about beverage consumption. Results are consistent with recent studies of why tobacco warnings influence quitting behavior, pointing toward a general framework for understanding how health warnings affect behavior. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT #03511937.
Effects of increased upward flux of dissolved salts caused by CO2 storage or other factors

Injection of CO2 in deep saline aquifers is being considered to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, and this process is expected to increase formation pressure with the potential consequence of increasing the upward flux of saline water. Saline and brackish groundwater occur naturally at shallow depths above many sedimentary basins, where an upward flux of solutes could degrade the quality of freshwater aquifers and affect aquatic ecosystems. Relatively large fluxes of salty water could be transported upward along preferential paths, like faults or improperly abandoned wells. Diffuse upward flow through the natural stratigraphy could also occur in response to basin pressurization. This process would be slower, but diffuse upward flow could affect larger areas than flow through preferential paths, and this motivated us to evaluate the associated effects. We analyzed idealized 2D and 3D geometries representing the essential details of a shallow, freshwater aquifer underlain by salty groundwater. First, we simulated the development of a freshwater aquifer by flushing out saline water as an initialization step, followed by simulations of a pulse-like increase in the upward flux from the basin. The results showed that increasing the upward flux from a basin increased the salt concentration and mass loading of salt to streams, and decreased the depth to the transition of fresh/salt groundwater. The magnitude of these effects varied widely, from a small, slow process that would be challenging to detect, to a large, rapid response that could be an environmental catastrophe. The magnitude of the increased flux, and the initial depth to the fresh/salt transition in groundwater controlled the concentration and mass loading of water discharging to streams and the change in the depth to the fresh/salt transition. We also identified impact categories for salt concentration, mass loading, and freshwater aquifer thickness, and used these categories to characterize the severity of the response. This showed that the impact depends on the magnitude of upward flux. Impact appeared minor when the upward flux was smaller than a few tenths of the magnitude of recharge, but it could be significant when the upward flux was greater than the recharge, according to the 2D analyses. Hydrostratigraphy will also play an important role by localizing the discharge of salty water, according to 3D analyses. The major contribution of this work is that it shows how a large increase in diffuse upward flux from a basin could cause significant problems, but a small increase in upward flux may occur without significantly impairing the shallow freshwater flow system. This heightens the importance of understanding interactions between shallow and deep hydrologic systems when characterizing CO2 storage projects.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture

The articles in this special section examine the use of artificial intelligence in the farming and agricultural industries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world population will reach over 9 billion by 2050. Rapid population growth, shrinking farmland, dwindling natural resources, erratic climate changes, and shifting market demands are pushing the agricultural production system into a new paradigm. The new agricultural system must become more productive in output, efficient in operation, resilient to climate change, and sustainable for future generations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds promise in addressing the challenges of this new paradigm.
Effectiveness of Hysteroscopic Morcellation of Endometrial Polyps Compared to Traditional Technique: A Comparison of Disease Recurrence

Study Objective To compare the outcomes between hysteroscopic morcellation of endometrial polyps and traditional techniques such as hysteroscopic resection with monopolar or bipolar radiofrequency energy, scissors and graspers or mechanical resection with polyp forceps. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic tertiary referral center. Patients or Participants 193 patients who underwent operative hysteroscopic polypectomy between January 2015 and May 2016. Interventions Hysteroscopic polypectomy with intrauterine morcellation, monopolar or bipolar radiofrequency energy, scissors and graspers or mechanical resection with polyp forceps with evaluation and/or treatment of recurrent abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) after operative polypectomy. Measurements and Main Results There were 9 patients who underwent hysteroscopic polypectomy with monopolar radiofrequency energy, 3 patients with bipolar radiofrequency energy, 91 patients with intrauterine morcellation, 67 patients with polyp forceps and 12 patients with scissors and graspers. The recurrence rate for AUB for monopolar was 1.89%, bipolar was 1.67%, intrauterine morcellation was 1.93%, polyp forceps was 1.84% and hysteroscopic scissors and/or graspers was 1.83%. Among the recurrences the average time until recurrence was 1162 days for monopolar, 207 days for bipolar, 749.5 days for intrauterine morcellation, 477.6 days for polyp forceps and 341.5 days for hysteroscopic scissors and graspers. Conclusion There was no significant difference in terms of recurrence of AUB following the different modalities of operative hysteroscopy. Among the patients with recurrence in order of shortest time until recurrence: bipolar, hysteroscopic scissors and graspers, polyp forceps, intrauterine morcellation and monopolar.
Failure to Thrive in a 2-month-old Boy.

1. Timothy Visclosky, MD* 2. Andrea Kendall, MD* 3. Nora Biary, MD* 1. *University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI A 2-month-old boy presents with failure to thrive (FTT). He was born at 40 weeks’ gestation after an uncomplicated pregnancy with regular prenatal care. His birthweight was 3,884 g. He was discharged on the second day after birth. Since delivery he has had consistently poor growth. He is fed either human milk or formula every 2 to 3 hours but often loses interest before finishing a feed. His mother accurately describes an appropriate recipe for formula preparation. He has no history of significant emesis. He has approximately 2 stools daily that are normal in consistency and color. He has never had difficulty breathing or cyanotic color changes. There are no recent illnesses or sick contacts. He is followed by his pediatrician, who reassures the parents that the patient’s weight is tracking along a consistent trend. The parents, however, continue to be concerned about inadequate weight gain and so present to the emergency department for a second opinion. At the time of presentation, the patient is below the first percentile in weight for age, in the tenth percentile for length, and in the seventh percentile for head circumference. His weight has increased by 540 g since birth (7 g per day). On initial presentation the patient is small for his age but is otherwise nontoxic appearing. Vital signs, including blood pressure, are normal. Physical examination shows pale skin, normal fontanel, normal cardiac and pulmonary examination findings, and normal external genitalia. Initial laboratory tests reveal the following values: potassium, 6.0 mEq/L (6.0 mmol/L) (nonhemolyzed); sodium, 128 mEq/L (128 mmol/L); and chloride, 95 mEq/L (95 mmol/L). Urinalysis findings, …
The insidious impact of under-diagnosed proximal weakness induced by statins

Introduction: This Perspective reassesses the consensus opinion that statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) occur in <1% of users and associated myopathic proximal muscle weakness is even more rare.Areas covered: Of the over 180,000 participants in clinical trials and large registries of statin users, only a few studies have included a standard manual muscle test (MMT), dynamometry or a focused questionnaire to assess for proximal weakness and related disability in daily and recreational activities. Formal strength testing suggests, however, that weakness can be demonstrated in at least 10% of users.Expert opinion: Reporting inaccuracies about SAMS, confirmation bias among experts and physicians, absence of a standard questionnaire regarding the potential consequences of weakness on physical capacity, and the failure to routinely perform an objective assessment of strength may have led to under-diagnosis of statin-induced myopathy. A brief MMT before cholesterol-lowering agents are started and at follow-up visits, a 12-week withdrawal of the statin in the presence of new paresis without an alternative cause, and the exam finding that strength recovers off the statin are necessary to assess the incidence of drug-induced proximal weakness and inform alternative therapeutic strategies.
Self control and smartphone use: An experimental study of soft commitment devices

Abstract Public discussion and discourse amongst researchers suggest that smartphone use is excessive from an individual welfare standpoint, but evidence for this remains limited. I implement a randomized intervention encouraging a subset of 629 participants to adopt soft commitment devices limiting phone, Facebook, and Instagram usage. I find that individuals: (i) spend more time on phones and Facebook than they predict and profess to desire; and (ii) significantly reduce use after adopting these limits. This suggests that individuals may be significantly overusing smartphones due to their limited ability to exercise self-control, and that policy-makers can look to soft commitment devices as effective tools to help individuals reduce use.
Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Patients with Lung Cancer

Objective Concomitance of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and primary lung cancer (LC) is not uncommon due to several shared risk factors. To evaluate the incidence of this association, analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database was utilized. Methods A retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample database between 2014 and 2018 for all patients diagnosed with primary LC was performed. The differences in the reported findings between the lung cancer and control groups were assessed using Pearson chi-squared, Fisher exact, student t-, and/or Mann-Whitney U tests where appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine independent predictors of the presence of documented AAA. Results A total of 158,904 patients were identified. Of those, 2,430 (1.53%) patients were diagnosed with AAA and 156,474 (98.47%) without AAA. In the multivariable model, LC patients had higher odds of AAA compared to general population (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.35 - 1.51). In all age groups, female smokers had a higher rate of AAA compared to female non-smokers (age 80, 2.63% vs. 1.31%; all P Conclusions LC and AAA share similar risk factors which may explain the higher AAA prevalence among LC patients. Given the higher prevalence of AAA in smokers compared to non-smokers across all age groups in both LC male and female patients, further sex-based studies investigating the overall mortality and morbidity benefits of AAA screening among LC patients are highly warranted. This consideration would potentially address the sex-disparity in outcomes for AAA management.
Modulating glutamine metabolism to control viral immuno-inflammatory lesions

Abstract Infection of the cornea with HSV results in an immune-inflammatory reaction orchestrated by proinflammatory T cells that is a major cause of human vision impairment. The severity of lesions can be reduced if the representation of inflammatory T cells is changed to increase the presence of T cells with regulatory function. This report shows that inhibiting glutamine metabolism using 6-Diazo-5-oxo- l -norleucine (DON) administered via intraperitoneal (IP) starting 6 days after ocular infection and continued until day 15 significantly reduced the severity of herpetic stromal keratitis lesions. The therapy resulted in reduced neutrophils, macrophages as well proinflammatory CD4 Th1 and Th17 T cells in the cornea, but had no effect on levels of regulatory T cells. A similar change in the representation of inflammatory and regulatory T cells occurred in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) the site where HSV infection establishes latency. Glutamine metabolism was shown to be required for the in-vitro optimal induction of both Th1 and Th17 T cells but not for the induction of Treg that were increased when glutamine metabolism was inhibited. Inhibiting glutamine metabolism also changed the ability of latently infected TG cells from animals previously infected with HSV to reactivate and produce infectious virus.
Streptococcus intermedius: unusual presentation and complication of lung abscess.

We report a case of a 54-year-old immunocompetent male who had lung abscess secondary to Streptococcus intermedius that led to discitis by contiguous spread of infection. He initially presented with constant chest pain for 6 weeks that radiated to lower back, with no fever, chills or weight loss. He denied smoking cigarettes, alcohol use or any illicit drug. On investigation, a mass was identified on the posterior medial aspect of the right lower lobe with direct infiltration into right side of the T5–T6 vertebral bodies. Histopathology identified organising pneumonia with abscess. Tissue cultures showed S. intermedius, and were negative for other microorganisms. This case highlights a rare presentation of S. intermedius discitis by contiguous spread of infection from posterior right lower lobe lung abscess. S. intermedius usually occurs in older patients with pulmonary infections complicated with pleural effusion or lung abscess, but can present in young patients with no clear symptoms of lung infection, like our patient.
Finding Freedom: the Civil Rights Collection in the Western College Memorial Archives

Archives have always been an important part of academic libraries. Our role to preserve and promote materials within our collections is enhanced when we have unique collections. First, we will discuss the history of Western College and the institutions long tradition of independence and commitment to social justice and civil rights. Second, we will discuss the establishment of the Western College Memorial Archives and the importance of these unique collections to academic libraries. Finally, we will discuss the history of Freedom Summer and the civil rights materials located within the Western College Memorial Archives. During the summer of 1964 Western College for Women opened its campus to civil rights activists for training of college students to register African Americans voters in southern states. This training, now known as the Freedom Summer Project, was organized by a coalition including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Student for Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The Freedom Summer documents collection consists of journals, diaries, posters, photographs, newspaper clippings, recorded oral transcripts, and other ephemera related to this historic training. Introduction Western College in Oxford, Ohio was the site of the Freedom Summer’s training site in 1964. President Herrick Young and the Western College Board of Trustees made the bold and controversial decision that allowed civil rights workers to train on the campus. The materials telling this amazing story are now housed within the Miami University Libraries; the Mississippi Freedom Summer Collection is part of a broader collection known as the Western College Memorial Archives. It reveals stories of college administrators, as well as the Freedom Summer teachers, students, volunteers, and the local community’s involvement as well. This decision made the civil rights movement a part of the lives of this small town and catapulted it into the midst of a struggle for equality. This decision would bring even national attention to Western College. From June 14-27, 1964, Western’s campus was the site of orientation and training for an estimated 700 young idealistic The Primary Source, Vol. 33, Issue 1 7
The hormonal regulation of prolactin gene expression: an examination of mechanisms controlling prolactin synthesis and the possible relationship of estrogen to these mechanisms.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the regulation of prolactin (Prl) synthesis, and more specifically the possible interrelationships between estrogen and other regulatory factors. Prl is a polypeptide hormone produced in the anterior pituitary gland of most vertebrates by a specialized population of cells termed lactotrophs or mammotrophs. Prl, growth hormone, and chorionic somatomammotropin are related protein hormones coded from structurally similar genes which appear to have evolved from a common precursor. The molecular structure of the Prl gene domain is also presented. The effects of estrogen on Prl synthesis and the regulation of Prl gene transcription are also emphasized. The estrogen stimulates the transcription of the rat Prl gene in vivo through two independent mechanisms. One mechanism does not require synthesis of any intermediary protein by the anterior pituitary and appears to be mediated directly by the estrogen receptor. The second mechanism is mediated through a reduction in amount of dopamine reaching the cells of the anterior pituitary. The chapter discusses the regulation of Prl gene expression by factors other than estrogen. A number of possible mechanisms whereby estrogen might modulate this regulation by other factors are also illustrated.
Fluorescence Methods to study DNA Translocation and Unwinding Kinetics by Nucleic Acid Motors

Translocation of nucleic acid motor proteins (translocases) along linear nucleic acids can be studied by monitoring either the time course of the arrival of the motor protein at one end of the nucleic acid or the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis by the motor protein during translocation using pre-steady state ensemble kinetic methods in a stopped-flow instrument. Similarly, the unwinding of double-stranded DNA or RNA by helicases can be studied in ensemble experiments by monitoring either the kinetics of the conversion of the double-stranded nucleic acid into its complementary single-strands by the helicase or the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis by the helicase during unwinding. Such experiments monitor translocation of the enzyme along or unwinding of a series of nucleic acids labeled at one position (usually the end) with a fluorophore or a pair of fluorophores that undergo changes in fluorescence intensity or efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We discuss how the pre-steady state kinetic data collected in these ensemble experiments can be analyzed by simultaneous global non-linear least squares (NLLS) analysis using simple sequential “n-step” mechanisms to obtain estimates of the macroscopic rates and processivities of translocation ad/or unwinding, the rate-limiting step(s) in these mechanisms, the average “kinetic step-size”, and the stoichiometry of coupling ATP binding and hydrolysis to movement along the nucleic acid.
Aerobic and anaerobic flora of the cervix during pregnancy and the puerperium

Comparison of species of bacteria isolated from patients with endometritis with species isolated from normal pregnant and nonpregnant women suggests that bacteria causing infections are indigenous to the genital tract. However, complete studies of the flora of pregnant women, especially anaerobic flora, are lacking. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures of the endocervix were obtained from women in all trimesters of pregnancy and at three days and six weeks post partum. The incidence of occurrence of each species of bacteria and the average number of different species per culture were determined for each period. The most prevalent organisms in each period were aerobic gram-positive rods and cocci and anaerobic gram-positive cocci. The average number of species of aerobic bacteria per culture remained approximately the same in each culture period. The average number of anaerobic species per culture decreased as pregnancy progressed, peaked on the third postpartum day, and at six weeks post partum returned to a level similar to that of the first trimester.
Side-Channel Spillway Design

Modification of basic theory for design of spillways, developed by Hinds is presented; this theory is adapted for use in design of spillways with L-shaped crest; studies show that side-channel spillway with end section can be more accurately designed if effect of unequal velocity distribution is considered; they also indicate that by use of momentum-correction factor, as examined, it is possible to design spillway similar to that at Townshend Dam by analytical methods.
The Orientational and Navigational Basis of Homing in Birds

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the orientational and navigational basis of homing in birds. Modern-day homing pigeons that are the products of centuries of intense selection for the sort of behavior are considered. Review of the records of hundreds of pigeon races shows that the limitation on the distances from which pigeons can successfully home is primarily a function of the physical hardships involved rather than of orientation capabilities. Three different types of orientational ability are discussed. Type I, usually called piloting, is steering a course on the basis of familiar landmarks. Type II is the ability to head in a given compass direction without reference to landmarks. Type III, the most complex, is true navigation, which is the ability to orient toward a goal, regardless of its direction, by means other than recognition of landmarks. The possibility that the earth's magnetic field may provides directional information to an orienting bird. Yeagley's hypothesis is discussed, which explains that the flying bird could detect the geographic variations in both the vertical component of the magnetic field and the strength of the Coriolis force. A hypothesis of complete navigation by the sun alone was suggested by Matthews according to which a displaced bird could determine its latitudinal displacement by observing the sun's movement in arc and extrapolating that arc to its noon position; comparison of the sun's noon altitude at the release site with its noon altitude at home would indicate whether the bird was north or south of home, and how far. Kramer's Map-And-Compass Model is discussed, which shows many birds, including pigeons, can use the sun as a compass. The chapter also discusses the recent discoveries concerning possible orientational cues and shortcomings of the homing process.
Photoreceptor Cell Development Control

Photoreceptor development is directed by both extrinsic signals and intrinsic factors. The mechanism of regulation is now studied in molecular detail. Keywords: photoreceptor; opsin; retina; vertebrate; Drosophila
Nanostructured SiC by chemical vapor deposition and nanoparticle impaction

SiC nanostructured coatings were deposited using a novel synthesis process combining chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with nanoparticle impaction. Indentation moduli (∼370 GPa) were similar to and hardnesses (∼39 GPa) exceeded the best commercially grown CVD films. Furthermore, film fracture toughness (∼ 6 MPa m 1/2 ) showed significant improvement to reported values in the literature. The nanoparticles were synthesized by injecting chemical reactants into a thermal plasma that undergoes a rapid expansion through a converging nozzle, resulting in a gas-phase nucleation. This purposefully runs counter to design criteria for CVD, where the reactant concentration is kept low to avoid gas-phase nucleation and a disordering of film growth. By limiting the residence time, the average particle size can be kept under 20 nm. However, these nanoparticle films suffer greatly from porosity. In the present paper, an increase in substrate temperature is used to enhance the amount of growth due to chemical vapor deposition. Particle formation was confirmed with in-situ particle size distribution measurements. The relative amount of chemical vapor to particle contributions to the film growth was investigated through observation of preferred growth orientation and microstructural characteristics. In addition, improvements in hardness and fracture toughness are presented and explained in terms of observed structural changes.
Universal size dependence of the free energy of finite systems near criticality.

A scaling framework is developed for the emergence of the universal finite-size correction $\frac{(u\mathrm{ln}L)}{{L}^{2}}$, recently found by Cardy and Peschel in the free-energy density of the two-dimensional (2D) conformally invariant models at ${T}_{c}$. Our approach applies in the critical region $T\ensuremath{\simeq}{T}_{\mathrm{cZ}}$, and accounts for the universality of $u$, but not its value. We predict a similar universal term, $\frac{(u\mathrm{ln}L)}{{L}^{3}}$, in 3D. We also find that the "corner" free energy in the bulk ($L=\ensuremath{\infty}$) has the leading singular behavior ($\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}u\mathrm{ln}|t|$).
Pathophysiology and principles of management of the many faces of the acute vaso‐occlusive crisis in patients with sickle cell disease

Effective management of sickle cell pain entails a thorough understanding of its pathophysiology and the pharmacogenomics of the opioids used to manage it. In recent years, there has been significant progress along these two lines. At the pathophysiologic level, there is evidence that the severity and frequency of painful stimuli modulate their transmission at the level of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This modulation is achieved via two channels: the α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and NMDA receptors. Initially, the AMPA channel controls the transmission of stimuli of mild-moderate severity. Once the AMPA channel reaches its limit of membrane depolarization, the NMDA channel is activated and facilitates the transmission of painful stimuli in a progressive fashion leading to central sensitization and glial activation. At the level of pharmacogenomics, the metabolism of each opioid is patient-specific. Glucuronidation is unique for the metabolism of morphine, hydromorphone, and oxymorphone. The metabolism of all other opioids requires specific Cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes. The activity of each isoenzyme and the activity of the metabolites of each opioid vary among patients depending on their genetic makeup and coexistent environmental factors such as the use of other medications that may enhance or inhibit the CYP isoenzyme activity.
Cytokinin Signaling Pathway

Cytokinins are key regulators of a large number of processes in plant development, which is highly plastic and adaptive, and remarkably resilient and self-perpetuating. Cytokinin signaling involves a multistep two-component system, also called a phosphorelay signaling system. Genes encoding the central components to build the cytokinin phosphorelay system are found in diverse plant species, resulting in the establishment of a canonical model of cytokinin signaling that is likely representative and conserved in plants. The cytokinin signaling pathway can be modulated by nutrients, stress, and other hormones, and is integrated into a signaling network in both shoots and roots.
Antiviral agents: Nonantiviral drugs

The current arsenal of antiviral agents available to the practitioner is expanding rapidly, such that by the time this article goes to press, new drugs may have already been added. Although the majority of approved drugs have been developed for use in only a few viral infections (eg, HIV, herpesviruses, and papillomavirus), discoveries made in the development of these drugs may lead to antiviral agents effective against other viruses. In addition, new uses for the currently available drugs are under evaluation. This review of antiviral agents discusses the treatments available for viral infections such as herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, cytomegalovirus, human papillomavirus, chronic viral hepatitis, and others.
Theoretical studies of surface reactions: embedded cluster theory

Abstract A theoretical approach to the description of the electronic structure of molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces and surface reactions is described. The objective is a quantitative, molecular level, understanding of surface processes, including chemisorption energetics, adsorbate structure and reaction mechanisms. The electronic structure problem is formulated as an embedded cluster of atoms in which a localization transformation is used to define the electronic subspace that interacts strongly with the adsorbate and surface region. This permits ab initio SCF and CI calculations of molecular quality to be performed on a portion of the lattice—adsorbate system. Assumptions of the theory are discussed and applications to chemisorption on transition metal substrates are referenced.
Phosphorylation of the adenovirus DNA-binding protein and epitope mapping of monoclonal antibodies against it.

Abstract To facilitate structure/function studies of the adenovirus type 2 or 5 single-stranded DNA binding protein (DBP), the epitopes of five anti-DBP monoclonal antibodies were mapped. Antibodies 37-3, 38-2, and B6 mapped between DBP residues 131-174 which corresponds to the host-range or hinge region of the molecule. The epitopes for antibodies 16-5 and 18-9 mapped between residues 56-81, and included a phosphorylated serine at position 70. Using antibodies 16-5 or 18-9 as analytical reagents, ∼1/2 of the DBP molecules present at late times in infected HeLa cells were found to be phosphorylated at serine 70. A similar pattern of serine 70 phosphorylation was observed in productively and abortively infected monkey cells as well as in an E2A-transformed, DBP expressing cell line. This study also reports the preliminary identification of two new phosphorylation sites on Ad2 DBP at serines 160 and 161 (corresponding to serine 161 on Ad5 DBP). No differences were observed in the phosphorylation of serine 160/161 in DBP isolated from infected HeLa cells or from productively and abortively infected monkey cells. Therefore, phosphorylation of these sites cannot account for the block to wild-type adenovirus growth in monkey cells.
Use of gene fusions to isolate promoter mutants in the transfer RNA gene tyrT of Escherichia coli.

Abstract In the preceding paper, we describe the isolation of strains in which the lac genes are fused to and under the control of the structural gene for tyrosine tRNA, tyrT . Using a selection for mutants which have lowered expression of the lac genes in such fusion strains, we have detected derivatives which carry mutations in the tyrT promoter. These mutations result in a reduction in expression of the lac genes in the tyrT-lac fusion strain to a few percent, of the parent levels. These mutations could be genetically recombined onto a copy of the tyrT gene which carries an amber suppressor allele. Amber suppressor derivatives which carry these promoter mutations are greatly reduced in their ability to suppress amber mutations, consistent with a reduction in transcription of the tyrT gene. Based upon their effects on expression of the tyrT gene, the mutants could be divided into three classes. These are the first promoter mutants in a stable RNA gene.
Therapeutic bronchoscopy improves spirometry, quality of life, and survival in central airway obstruction.

Background: Central airway obstruction (CAO) occurs in patients with primary or metastatic lung malignancy and nonmalignant pulmonary disorders and results in significant adverse effects on respiratory function and quality of life. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of therapeutic bronchoscopic interventions on spirometry, dyspnea, quality of life, and survival in patients with CAO. Methods: We prospectively studied patients who underwent therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy for CAO. Spirometry, San Diego Shortness of Breath questionnaire (SOBQ), and SF-36 questionnaire responses were obtained before the procedure and at follow-up 6-8 weeks after the procedure. Results: Fifty-three patients (24 malignant and 29 nonmalignant CAO), who underwent successful rigid bronchoscopic intervention, were enrolled. Airway stent placement and various debulking techniques including mechanical debridement and heat therapy were used. After bronchoscopy, there was a significant increase in forced vital capacity (2.2 ± 0.91 l before, 2.7 ± 0.80 l after, p = 0.009) and forced expiratory volume at 1 s (1.4 ± 0.60 l before, 1.8 ± 0.67 l after, p = 0.002). The SOBQ score improved from 55.8 ± 30.1 before the procedure to 37.9 ± 27.25 after the procedure (p = 0.002). In the SF-36, there was an improvement in almost all domains, with statistically significant improvement seen in several domains. Benefits were seen independent of the etiology of CAO, site of intervention or stent placement. The patients with malignant CAO, in whom airway patency could not be achieved, had a poor survival. Conclusions: Alleviation of CAO with therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy results in improvement in spirometry, shortness of breath, quality of life, and survival.
Physics: A century of cosmic rays.

High-energy nuclei coming from far beyond the Solar System, and the exotic particles they produce, remain our best window onto the extreme Universe. Michael Friedlander reflects on what we have learned.
Tuber yields of families from open pollinated and hybrid true potato seed

This work was undertaken to compare the tuber yields, vegetative vigor and uniformity of seedling transplants obtained from different breeding methods. Twenty hybrid families from different groups of crosses involving 4x clones and 2x Phureja-haploid Tuberosum hybrids; 4x × 4x, 4x × 2x (FDR), 4x × (4x × 2x), and (4x × 2x) × (4x × 2x) and eleven open pollinated families from 4x clones, and 4x hybrids from 4x × 2x crosses were compared in a replicated yield trial. Families from 4x × 2x (FDR) crosses were the highest yielding among the hybrid groups having approximately twice the yield of the open pollinated 4x clones. They also were the best group in relation to plant vigor and uniformity. Based on these results, it appears that a good breeding scheme for high-yielding and uniform progeny from true potato seeds is the 4x × 2x hybridization method where the male parent is capable of producing 2n pollen via a first division restitution mechanism.
Intermediate results of 306 recurrent laryngeal nerve sections for spastic dysphonia.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve section for spastic dysphonia was first performed in 1975 because prior forms of treatment had failed. Virtually every patient has had a detailed postoperative follow-up which includes a tape recording and a self-assessment questionnaire. The majority of patients remain free of spasticity at this medium-term follow-up. In some, spasticity recurred with less than preoperative severity, A small percentage of patients have a persistent breathy phonation. The first group is treated with vocal fold lateralization procedure using the CO2 laser; the second, with Teflon.® When needed, voice therapy is also given. This paper provides a basis for diagnosis, indications for surgery, primary and secondary surgical techniques, encountered problems, and medium-term follow-up results.
"Think Globally, Act Locally: Interaction of Management Commitment to the Environment and Employees"

Based on relative deprivation theory, we examined the following question: How do existing employees react to management’s commitment to an external constituency when such commitment has no direct b...
Concept Opportunity Diagrams: A Visual Modeling Method to Find Multifunctional Design Concepts

A transforming product is a system that has different functionality when physically changed or reconfigured into a different state. This increased functionality allows diverse customer needs to be met in a single product. Transforming devices have become more prevalent in recent years, as customers desire both increased capabilities and reduced complexity to reduce waste in our society. When designing a multifunctional product that transforms from one state to another, it can be difficult to conceptualize a design that does not reduce effectiveness or provide a compromise in either state. Transformational Design Theory has been developed and shows basic principles and facilitators that enable transformation to occur within a product space. An illustrative example is a chair designed to flip over to be used as a table. Flip is one of the 19 facilitators that are found in transformation design. This is also an example of expose/cover, a transformation design principle. Certain principles and facilitators are more prevalent than others in different design domains (such as tools, storage, organisms etc.). If we know the states that exist within the transformer, concept opportunity diagrams can be used to determine the opportunities for transformation within each state. When the diagrams are paired with a constituent relationship chart specific to each domain, new design concepts may be facilitated. This technique creates a cognitive process for designers where they process a series of questions when creating the concept opportunity diagram. The diagram will help them understand the unanticipated additional design space of each state. The Constituent Relationship Chart is a tool that allows them to apply their knowledge of these states to the facilitator hierarchy so that prospective facilitators can directly contribute to originally unforeseen design concepts. This paper presents this twofold process known as the Transformer Diagram Matching Method and shows the results on a fully functioning prototype of an office supply transformer. Although the proposed process is detailed, it allows the designer to find a large number of quality concepts they would not have foreseen otherwise. Our original concept generation processes produced thirty eight ideas, but this process added another thirty two ideas to the design space. The paper indicates specifically how this method can be integrated in with the standard transformational design process as well as suggests strategies for implementation within other design techniques.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Attitudes toward Caring for Aging Parents: A Comparison of Laotian and U.S. Students.

This study examined the effect of culture on attitudes toward filial obligations. The instrument used to measure filial responsibility comprised five dimensions of intergenerational solidarity: normative, functional, affectional, consensual, and structural. Results of a survey of 60 Laotian refugee high school students and 60 American high school students support the role of culture as an important factor in shaping perceptions of filial obligations toward aging parents. Laotian refugee students scored significantly higher on the dimensions of normative, functional, and structural solidarity. It is concluded that many of the same forces that motivate children in nonindustrial societies to look after their aging parents are likely to continue among the Laotian refugee subculture in the United States.
YIELD STRESS OF STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED FOOD SUSPENSIONS

Yield stresses of 40 model suspensions of apple pulp particles with unimodal and bimodal particle size distribution in water, of 13 commercial food suspensions, and of 11 prepared apple sauce samples were determined by the vane method (s0V), and by application of the Casson (s0C) model. For the unstructured (US) apple pulp suspensions magnitudes of s0V and s0C were nearly equal, but for the structured commercial and prepared apple sauce samples, magnitudes of s0V were much higher than s0C. The ratio of s0V/s0C can be used to determine the shear diameter and the degree of structure of a suspension. Energy dissipation due to viscous drag was also higher for the structured suspensions than for the US suspensions. The results suggest that some trends observed with rheological properties of nonfood suspensions may not be applicable to structured food suspensions.
Creating Asia: China in the World at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

IT HAS BECOME A RECENT COMMONPLACE to recognize that regions, like nations, are imagined constructs, that they possess historical specificity and are imagined differently by different people at various times.1 It is less well acknowledged, however, that there are also flexible imaginaries that perhaps are related to and extend already existing structures, or that turn against these structures and contest their claims.2 These flexible imaginaries require looking at specific moments and episodes that have either been repressed by state-centered narratives of history or displaced by nostalgic yearnings for the local in an environment of dominating global and total structures. This essay focuses on a moment in early twentieth-century China during which Asia was first created as a regional construct by a small but influential group of Chinese intellectuals, who, in collaboration with other peoples residing in Tokyo, attempted to rethink modes of political action and organization. The "Asia" that resulted from these activities and rethinkings was shaped by, albeit not limited to, two simultaneous structures: imperialism and ongoing attempts to subject the non-West to a Western-dominated world system; and state-dominated concepts of national and regional formation. These two structural trends helped produce a concept of Asia that is well known to historians: an anti-imperialist and yet state-centered regional formation that has episodically resulted in various state-led pan-Asianisms over the course of the ensuing century. Sun Zhongshan's (Sun Yat-sen) state-based, anti-imperialist vision of Asia is the most familiar of these
DAS ZUNGENREDEN BEI DEN KIRCHENVÄTERN

Summary The phenomenon of glossolalia has had a very bad press in New Testament, especially German, scholarship from roughly the beginning of this century. It was regarded as ecstatic and therefore irresponsible, unrecommendable and passe. In this line, the New English Bible adopted extremely suggestive readings in its translation of 1 Cor. 12–14. One of the reasons of this negative exegesis seems to have been the scholars' disdain of contemporary renewal movements. While non-Christian glossolalia often seems to be very ecstatic indeed, the question is whether Paul did not recommend a mitigated form of the practice which could have persisted in the Church afterwards. The interpretation of 1 Cor. 14.14 f. is of importance here: what precisely is meant by “my spirit”? Next, the dominant patristic tendency to explain 1 Cor. 12–14 (glossolalia) by Acts 2 (xenoglossy) is illustrated, followed by the discussion of some incidences of the opposite interpretation. Another complication is the connection made by so-...
Intracapsular algae provide fixed carbon to developing embryos of the salamander Ambystoma maculatum.

Each spring, North American spotted salamander ( Ambystoma maculatum ) females each lay hundreds of eggs in shallow pools of water. Eggs are surrounded by jelly layers and are deposited as large gelatinous masses. Following deposition, masses are penetrated by a mutualistic green alga, Oophila amblystomatis , which enters individual egg capsules, proliferates and aggregates near the salamander embryo, providing oxygen that enhances development. We examined the effects of population density of intracapsular O. amblystomatis on A. maculatum embryos and show that larger algal populations promote faster embryonic growth and development. Also, we show that carbon fixed by O. amblystomatis is transferred to the embryos, providing the first evidence of direct translocation of photosynthate from a symbiont to a vertebrate host.
Cause-specific mortality among a cohort of U.S. flight attendants.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated mortality among 11,311 former U.S. flight attendants. The primary a priori outcomes of interest were breast cancer and melanoma. METHODS: Vital status was ascertained through 2007, and life table analyses was conducted. Cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption were estimated from work history data and historical published flight schedules. RESULTS: All-cause mortality was less than expected among women but was elevated among men, primarily due to elevated HIV-related disease mortality. Mortality from breast cancer among women and melanoma was neither significantly elevated nor related to metrics of exposure. Mortality was elevated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among men; for alcoholism, drowning, and intentional self-harm among women; and for railway, water, and air transportation accidents. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence of increased breast cancer or melanoma mortality. Limitations include reliance on mortality data and limited power resulting from few melanoma deaths and relatively short employment durations. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en