cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polypyrrole film based flexible supercapacitor: mechanistic insight into influence of acid dopants on electrochemical performance

Abstract The present study is aimed at providing a mechanistic insight into the influence of acid dopants on electrochemical performance of polypyrrole (PPy) film based flexible supercapacitor. PPy films were electrochemically deposited on carbon cloth using different kinds of acid dopants: hydrochloric acid (HCl), perchloric acid (HClO4), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA), phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and phytic acid (PA). Results show that both the size and type of dopants have a great influence on the doping level, mass ratio of counterions, accessibility of redox sites and the electrochemical performance of the PPy film electrodes. Among the obtained electrodes, PPy/HCl exhibits the highest specific capacitance of 960 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1, yet with inferior cycling stability. Interestingly, PPy/p-TSA shows the best cycling stability with more than 75% of capacitance retention after 2000 cycles, also with a relatively high specific capacitance (572 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1). Moreover, the PPy/p-TSA is used to fabricate a flexible all-solid-state supercapacitor device which exhibits a maximum energy density of 6.2 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 2.64 KW kg−1, respectively. Intriguingly, the assembled PPy/p-TSA devices exhibit excellent cycling stability with 88% capacitance retention after 6000 cycles. This fundamental study provides new prospects for developing PPy-based electrode materials for future flexible and wearable supercapacitors.
Traumatic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: personal experience and comparison with idiopathic BPPV.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vestibular vertigo, with post-traumatic origin in about 15% of cases. Management and prognosis of traumatic BPPV (T-BPPV) are...
One-Step Azolation Strategy for Site- and Chemo-Selective Labeling of Proteins with Mass-Sensitive Probes

The chemical modification of proteins in a site-selective manner leads to many advances in various scientific fields. The major challenges with conventional N-terminal bioconjugation techniques are the lack of universal sequence compatibility and poor mass-detection sensitivity of the resulting bioconjugates. This approach efficiently analyzes proteolytic fragments and native proteins in a complex mixture. Multiple chemical steps are usually required for the site-selective synthesis of bioconjugates with enhanced mass-detection sensitivity. We present a single-step, versatile strategy for the selective modification of protein N-termini with mass boosters. The chemical tag enhances the peptide detection by multiple orders thus leading to the unambiguous analysis of the resulting bioconjugates. We demonstrate that tagging proteolytic fragments with mass sensitivity probes in a complex mixture improves the detection of resulting bioconjugates.
Case 287: Intrathoracic Migration of a Breast Implant after Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Right Upper Lobectomy

History A 60-year-old woman was diagnosed with a new right upper lobe stage I lung adenocarcinoma and underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for right upper lobectomy. Her postoperative course was complicated by a large pneumothorax after chest tube removal on postoperative day 3. This was managed with repeat right-sided chest tube placement on the same day. The second chest tube was removed on postoperative day 8 without complications. A 2-week postoperative clinic visit was unremarkable. Postoperative chest radiographs on postoperative days 1, 3, and 8 are provided. Subsequently, chest CT scanning was performed as part of routine 6-month postsurgical lung cancer surveillance follow-up. The patient had no clinical complaints at routine follow-up. Physical examination revealed well-healed VATS scars in the chest wall. Laboratory results were within normal limits, including a normal white blood cell count of 6400/mL. Her surgical history included prior left upper lobectomy for remote left upper lobe stage IIIA adenocarcinoma and prior bilateral breast implantation for cosmesis. On the basis of chest CT findings, the patient was transferred from an outside institution.
Liquid biomarkers in active surveillance.

In the past two decades, new biomarkers for prostate cancer detection and risk prediction have become available for clinical use. While tissue-based gene expression assays offer molecular risk assessment after diagnoses, several serum- and urine-based ‘liquid’ biomarkers are available for the pre-biopsy setting which may also play a role for active surveillance (AS). The medical literature was queried utilizing PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) for all relevant original publications describing prostate cancer biomarkers that can be identified in the blood, urine, or semen. Referenced studies must have defined patient inclusion criteria and descriptions of the biomarkers. Included studies investigated the utility of liquid biomarkers for selection or monitoring of men with prostate cancer for active surveillance. PSA is the most common and readily available biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Contemporary AS guidelines consider diagnostic PSA level in addition to other clinical factors when selecting men for this approach, with most recommending that initial PSA should be under 10 ng/ml. Serum PSA changes are associated with outcomes on AS but are not adequately sensitive so drive men to secondary treatment in isolation. PSA derivates including the Prostate Health Index (phi) and the 4K Score can predict higher grade cancer and may help tailor repeat prostate biopsy strategies, but further data are needed prior to routine clinic use. Several urine-based biomarkers including PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG levels have also been studied in the AS setting. Multiple serum- and urine-based liquid biomarkers are available for use in men with prostate cancer. For AS, serum PSA is utilized in part for patient selection as well as to monitor disease over time. Models that incorporate PSA kinetics with other clinical characteristics may help tailor surveillance strategies to reduce disease burden and health care costs over time. Several novel liquid biomarkers demonstrate promise and may eventually have applications for prostate cancer surveillance as well.
Cardiac Corrected QT Interval Changes Among Patients Treated for COVID-19 Infection During the Early Phase of the Pandemic.

Importance Critical illness, a marked inflammatory response, and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 may prolong corrected QT interval (QTc). Objective To evaluate baseline QTc interval on 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and ensuing changes among patients with and without COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included 3050 patients aged 18 years and older who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing and had ECGs at Columbia University Irving Medical Center from March 1 through May 1, 2020. Patients were analyzed by treatment group over 5 days, as follows: hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine alone, azithromycin alone, and neither hydroxychloroquine nor azithromycin. ECGs were manually analyzed by electrophysiologists masked to COVID-19 status. Multivariable modeling evaluated clinical associations with QTc prolongation from baseline. Exposures COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin. Main Outcomes and Measures Mean QTc prolongation, percentage of patients with QTc of 500 milliseconds or greater. Results A total of 965 patients had more than 2 ECGs and were included in the study, with 561 (58.1%) men, 198 (26.2%) Black patients, and 191 (19.8%) aged 80 years and older. There were 733 patients (76.0%) with COVID-19 and 232 patients (24.0%) without COVID-19. COVID-19 infection was associated with significant mean QTc prolongation from baseline by both 5-day and 2-day multivariable models (5-day, patients with COVID-19: 20.81 [95% CI, 15.29 to 26.33] milliseconds;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, COVID-19 infection was independently associated with significant mean QTc prolongation at days 5 and 2 of hospitalization compared with day 0. More patients with COVID-19 had QTc of 500 milliseconds or greater compared with patients without COVID-19.
Women’s Czech Folk Costume: Negotiating Ambivalence and White Ethnicity in the Midwest:

Folk costume is traditionally worn to represent and preserve ethnic heritage. Large numbers of Czechs emigrated to America from the 1870s to 1920s, but eventually, a generation was born that had li...
The Utility of Large Spot Binocular Indirect Laser Delivery for Peripheral Photocoagulation Therapy in Children

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the utility of the large spot size (LSS) setting using a binocular laser indirect delivery system for peripheral ablation in children. One patient with bilateral retinopathy of prematurity received photocoagulation with standard spot size burns placed adjacently to LSS burns. Using a pixel analysis program called Image J on the Retcam picture, the areas of each retinal spot size were determined in units of pixels, giving a standard spot range of 805 to 1294 pixels and LSS range of 1699 to 2311 pixels. Additionally, fluence was calculated using theoretical retinal areas produced by each spot size: the standard spot setting was 462 mJ/mm 2 and the LSS setting was 104 mJ/mm 2 . For eyes with retinopathy of prematurity, our study shows that LSS laser indirect delivery halves the number of spots required for treatment and reduces fluence by almost one-quarter, producing more uniform spots.
Bottling Luxury: Napa Valley and the Transformation of an Agricultural Backwater into a World-class Wine Region

ABSTRACTThis article examines the growth of Napa Valley as a producer of iconic fine wines. The Californian wine industry was established in the late eighteenth century but did not really grow until the mid-nineteenth century when immigrants flocked to the region and experimented with many different grape varietals. After Prohibition virtually destroyed the industry, it began its resurgence in the 1960s. In the decades that followed, a revitalized community of winemakers and winery owners collaborated to share important viticulture information, at the same time as educational institutions in the state were providing a chemistry-based curriculum to standardize winemaking. Maximizing the benefits of the Californian climate, together with a scientific approach to winemaking, wineries were increasingly able to produce full-bodied, fruit-forward wines that stood out in tastings. This style evolved into a high-alcohol manipulated wine that nonetheless was accorded high status by independent reviewers and critic...
Understanding Click and Mortar E-Commerce Approaches

ABSTRACTIn this post dot-com era, much e-commerce activity now arises from established firms with traditional physical outlets. Despite the growth in such click and mortar approaches to e-commerce, little research has specifically addressed this common business model. This article focuses on the underlying dynamics of click and mortar e-commerce businesses using a framework that outlines the potential synergies arising from the integration of e-commerce with traditional channels. Research and theory from such areas as transaction cost economics, interorganizational systems, competitive strategy, and economic sociology are used to develop the click and mortar framework. It details the sources of synergy, the management interventions that can help firms avoid damaging channel conflicts, and the types of benefits yielded by integrated click and mortar approaches. The framework is applied to a specific click and mortar case, an electronics retailer, in order to demonstrate its explanatory value. The heuristic...
Cerebral atherosclerosis and oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease.

In our wide experience with omental transplantation to the encephalon in patients with transient ischemic attacks [8] or ischemic infarcts [6,7], and late sequelae in the residual cauda equina and spinal cord [12]; we have observed that neurological improvement is better during the first weeks after the surgery than in the following months or years. These results demonstrated that the function of neurons and/or axons in the residual nervous tissue in ischemia and ischemic penumbra can improve if circulation is restituted through the omentum and, later on, bacause of axonal regeneration, For these reasons, I found the article by Chen et al. [1] to be of great interest in relation to sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These authors supported the same conclusions by other researchers [3–5] that oxidative stress provoked by transient ischemic/hypoxia injury can cause AD. In other works, in the pathogenesis of AD there are a cascade of pathophysiologic events characterized by 1) brief or prolonged periods of ischemia, 2) oxidative stress, and finally, 3) a neuronal and axonal death. In my opinion, this cascade of sequential events is initiated in the medial temporal lobes (hippocampal formation, entorhinal area, and the amygdaloid body) and/or subcommissural regions (constituted by cholinergic and neuropeptidic nuclei as well as their fiber
The United Nations and Somalia

Numerous scholars have provided different explanations as to why the United Nations (UN) involvement in Somalia failed. Some have searched for an explanation in the structure of the UN and have suggested that lack of resources and inefficient UN bureaucracy were to blame. Others have faulted the anarchic nature of the international system in which the UN finds itself. Still others have attributed the failure of the mission to the confusion over the respecive roles of the UN and the U.S. This article argues that the UN involvement in Somalia is better explained from the perspective of a patron-client relationship. Applying Ravenhill's collective clientelist model, the paper argues that the UN acted as a patron in a collective clientelist relationship even though all of the components that sustain such a relationship were not present. It is further argued that (i) the UN-Somalia relationship was unstable because the UN neglected the development of cooperative horizontal relationships among various Somali factions in favor of a predominantly vertical relationship between itself and the various Somali factions, and (ii) the precipitous decline of the UN-Somalia relationship was unavoidable because of the particularistic motives and varying interests of each participant.
Prospects for hard X-ray solar flare polarimetry with RHESSI

Designed primarily as a hard X-Ray imager and spectrometer the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) is also capable of measuring the polarization of hard X-Rays (20–100 keV) from solar flares. These studies will provide the capability to probe the geometry of the acceleration process. Although not originally designed to study hard X-Ray polarization of solar flares, it was realized during the development of RHESSI that the essential ingredients for measuring the polarization, namely, an array of detectors in a rotating spacecraft, were already present. All that was needed was the addition of a strategically placed cylinder of Be in the cryostat to Compton scatter the hard X-Rays (20–100 keV) into the rear segments of the adjacent Ge detectors, since the direction of the scattering depends on the polarization of the incoming photon. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that a 20–100 keV polarization sensitivity of less than a few percent can be achieved for X-class flares, by comparing the counting rates of these rear segments.
A machine-learning approach to automated negotiation and prospects for electronic commerce

This paper shows how a system of artificial adaptive agents, using a genetic algorithm-based learning technique, can learn strategies that enable it to effectively participate in stylized business negotiations. The negotiation policies learned are evaluated on several dimensions including joint outcomes, nearness to the efficient frontier, and similarity to outcomes of human negotiations. The results are promising for integrating such agents into practicable electronic commerce systems. What a system might look like is discussed, as are ways in which particular classes of business negotiations could be supported or even entirely automated.
Evaluation of Semantic-Based Information Retrieval Methods in the Autism Phenotype Domain

Biomedical ontologies are increasingly being used to improve information retrieval methods. In this paper, we present a novel information retrieval approach that exploits knowledge specified by the Semantic Web ontology and rule languages OWL and SWRL. We evaluate our approach using an autism ontology that has 156 SWRL rules defining 145 autism phenotypes. Our approach uses a vector space model to correlate how well these phenotypes relate to the publications used to define them. We compare a vector space phenotype representation using class hierarchies with one that extends this method to incorporate additional semantics encoded in SWRL rules. From a PubMed-extracted corpus of 75 articles, we show that average rank of a related paper using the class hierarchy method is 4.6 whereas the average rank using the extended rule-based method is 3.3. Our results indicate that incorporating rule-based definitions in information retrieval methods can improve search for relevant publications.
Inverse photoemission studies of the empty electronic states and surface stability of La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4

The energy distribution of the unoccupied electronic states of the high-${T}_{c}$ superconductor ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.85}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.15}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ has been identified at room temperature using inverse photoemission. The density of states is very low from ${E}_{F}$ to \ensuremath{\sim}2.5 eV above ${E}_{F}$, strong emission features appear 5.8 and 8.7 above the Fermi level ${E}_{F}$, and the empty-state spectrum is unstructured thereafter until at least 25 eV. The prominent empty-state features are confined to an energy interval of \ensuremath{\approx}8 eV and are associated with the La $5d$ and $4f$ levels. The ratio of $4f$ intensity to $5d$ intensity showed a \ensuremath{\approx}fivefold increase for incident electron energies of \ensuremath{\approx}1500 eV compared to \ensuremath{\approx}30 eV. Our empty-state studies showed that the effects of high-energy electron-stimulated desorption were most pronounced \ensuremath{\approx}1.6 eV above ${E}_{F}$, and the exposure of the sample to oxygen showed enhancement of these states.
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

The relatively new agribusiness of aquaculture is receiving considerable attention in both the public and private sectors as an enhancement to the diversification of agricultural and fishery economies in the United States. To date, most land-based production of species of major commercial importance, like catfish, hybrid striped bass, trout, tilapia, etc., has been in ponds, raceways, or estuarine impoundments. Traditional production practices of these and other species require large amounts of good quality water, a limited resource in many areas. In our modern world the condition of many water sources in some areas no longer favors these production practices. The decline of clean water has shifted focus to high-density aquaculture in water reuse and recirculating systems. While the technology for such systems is costly, high profit potential has captured the attention of new entrepreneurs and has made high density culture more attractive. Economic analyses of recirculating systems indicate that key operating parameters are: (1) System operation with minimal energy input; and (2) proper water purification (Kugelman and Van Gorder 1991). Aquaculture engineers are challenged to develop system designs that optimize these criteria.
Inverse of a sampled system

We study the invertibility of a sampled data system. Necessary and sufficient invertibility conditions are given explicitly in terms of transfer function zeros. It is shown that many systems including those with "unstable" zeros or those with more inputs than outputs are in fact stably invertible. Detailed design procedures to achieve the system inverse are given. A minimum sensitivity inverse with respect to under-modeling and noise is also provided in the paper.
Charge engineering of cellulases improves ionic liquid tolerance and reduces lignin inhibition

We report a novel approach to concurrently improve the tolerance to ionic liquids (ILs) as well as reduce lignin inhibition of Trichoderma reesei cellulase via engineering enzyme charge. Succinylation of the cellulase enzymes led to a nearly twofold enhancement in cellulose conversion in 15% (v/v) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]). The improvement in activity upon succinylation correlated with the apparent preferential exclusion of the [Cl] anion in fluorescence quenching assays. Additionally, modeling analysis of progress curves of Avicel hydrolysis in buffer indicated that succinylation had a negligible impact on the apparent KM of cellulase. As evidence of reducing lignin inhibition of T. reesei cellulase, succinylation resulted in a greater than twofold increase in Avicel conversion after 170 h in buffer with 1 wt% lignin. The impact of succinylation on lignin inhibition of cellulase further led to the reduction in apparent KM of the enzyme cocktail for Avicel by 2.7-fold. These results provide evidence that naturally evolved cellulases with highly negative surface charge densities may similarly repel lignin, resulting in improved cellulase activity. Ultimately, these results underscore the potential of rational charge engineering as a means of enhancing cellulase function and thus conversion of whole biomass in ILs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1541–1549. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Le sigle nell’italiano contemporaneo come risultato di un processo di lessicalizzazione

Abstract: L’uso delle sigle: ufo, Fbi , e sensibilmente aumentato negli ultimi anni. E prolifico in vari linguaggi settoriali (tecnica, informatica, politica), ha acquisito una discreta vitalita nel parlato e ancora di piu nello scritto, in particolare nei testi giornalistici. In questo articolo affronto una ricognizione generale delle sigle (d’ora in avanti SI) dell’italiano contemporaneo dando conto dei meccanismi del passaggio da espressione sintagmatica a sigla (ad esempio l’eliminazione delle preposizioni: Federal Bureau of Investigation > Fbi ), meccanismi che sono in verita non numerosi ed elementari. Tramite l’analisi particolare dell’impiego di alcune SI in testi giornalistici, intendo stabilire in che misura le SI si possano ascrivere alla categoria di elementi lessicalizzati. Cio porta ad una inevitabile riflessione sulle potenzialita della lessicalizzazione, e sulla versatilita che rivela quando investe, come in questo caso, elementi che sfuggono alle classificazioni grammaticali canoniche. Il mio breve contributo mira a evidenziare la stabilita delle SI nel lessico italiano, i meccanismi d’integrazione e la rivisitazione del concetto di ‘parola’ che le SI suggeriscono. La disinvoltura con cui le SI vengono usate senza esplicitazione suggerisce la certezza da parte di chi scrive che il significato sia sempre chiaro; a questo riguardo penso che un’analisi sulla percezione del lettore e sulla sua capacita di usare le SI nel parlato sarebbe un interessante sviluppo dell’argomento. Keywords: Sigle. Lessicalizzazione. Parola. Categoria grammaticale. Giornali online. The use of acronyms: ufo, Fbi, has increased in the recent years. It is very prolific in some types of languages (i.e. politics, computer science). It is very common in spoken language and even more in some types of written texts, especially newspapers. This article gives account of the mechanisms that change a noun phrase into an acronym (i.e. Federal Bureau of Investigation > Fbi ), and then tries to establish whether acronyms can be considered as lexicalized items, that is as items that originally belong to a different grammatical category (syntax or morphology) and then become lexical. This also leads to a reflection on the potentiality of the lexicalization process, especially when it involves items that are not included in the canonical grammatical classifications. The present work aims at demonstrating the stability of the acronyms in the Italian lexicon, the level of their integration, and also the fact that they suggest to rethink the concept of lexical item. The tendency of newspapers to use acronyms more and more often suggests a high level of confidence in the readers’ ability to understand and decode such particular lexical item. With this respect, a further analysis of how people perceive acronyms and whether they are able to use them in a proper way in daily life speech would be an interesting development of the topic. Keywords: Acronyms. Lexicalization. Word. Grammatical category. Online newspapers.
Uncertain clinical significance of duodenal mucosal abnormalities in HIV-infected individuals. Results of a case-control study.

Previous research has described abnormalities of duodenal mucosal morphology in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. We wanted to determine the frequency of disturbed villus architecture and investigate its relationship to HIV-related chronic diarrhea. We conducted a case-control study of 120 HIV-infected men, 63 with and 57 without chronic diarrhea. Stools were cultured for bacteria and examined for ova and parasites ; esophagogastroduodenoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy with mucosal biopsies were performed. Biopsy tissue was examined using light and electron microscopy to detect enteric pathogens and to evaluate mucosal morphology. The mean CD4 + cell count was 143/mm 3 , and enteric pathogens were detected in 56 of 120 men (47%). In approximately half the study sample (57%), duodenal villus architecture was normal ; complete villus flattening was not observed. We detected no association between chronic diarrhea and altered villus architecture. Although further study is needed to clarify the pathogenesis of altered duodenal mucosal morphology, our results suggest that the clinical significance of the abnormalities may be small.
Comparing Spatial Pattern in Unaltered Old-Growth and Disturbed Forest Landscapes.

We used geographic information systems (GIS) to analyze the structure of a second-growth forest landscape (9600 ha) that contains scattered old-growth patches. We compared this landscape to a nearby, unaltered old-growth landscape on comparable land- forms and soils to assess the effects of human activity on forest spatial pattern. Our objective is to determine if characteristic landscape structural patterns distinguish the primary old- growth forest landscape from the disturbed landscape. Characteristic patterns of old-growth landscape structure would be useful in enhancing and restoring old-growth ecosystem functioning in managed landscapes. Our natural old-growth landscape is still dominated by the original forest cover of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis). The disturbed landscape has only scattered, remnant patches of old-growth ecosystems among a greater number of early successional hardwood and conifer forest types. Human disturbances can either increase or decrease landscape heterogeneity depending on the parameter and spatial scale examined. In this study, we found that a number of important structural features of the intact old-growth landscape do not occur in the dis- turbed landscape. The disturbed landscape has significantly more small forest patches and fewer large, matrix patches than the intact landscape. Forest patches in the fragmented landscape are significantly simpler in shape (lower fractal dimension, D) than in the intact old-growth landscape. Change in fractal dimension with patch size, a relationship that may be characteristic of differing processes of patch formation at different scales, is present within the intact landscape but has been obscured by human activity in the disturbed landscape. Important ecosystem juxtapositions of the old-growth landscape, such as hem- lock with lowland conifers, have been lost in the disturbed landscape. In addition, significant landscape heterogeneity in this glaciated region is produced by landforms alone, without natural or human disturbances. The features that distinguish disturbed and old-growth forest landscape structure that we have described need to be examined elsewhere to determine if such features are char- acteristic of other landscapes and regions. Such forest landscape structural differences that exist more broadly could form the basis of landscape principles to be applied both to the restoration of old-growth forest landscapes and the modification of general forest man- agement for enhancing biodiversity. These principles may be particularly useful for con- structing integrated landscapes managed for both commodity production and biodiversity protection.
Unique intertesticular tissue complex in larvae of Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

Abstract A unique heart-testis complex has been found in the last instar of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae). This complex consists of a previously undescribed muscle system, herein designated the cardiotesticular muscle, that attaches the heart to the testes, and a ubiquitous connective tissue sheath that overlays this muscle and surrounding fat body and pericardial cells. These interconnected organs form a sieve-like septum enclosing a sinus that contains clusters of hemocytes and lipid droplets. Lipid droplets appear to be released from the surface of the testes sheath. The cardiotesticular muscle is innervated by neuroendocrine nerves that may be the route by which the brain peptide, testis ecdysiotropin, reaches the testes. The cardiotesticular muscle and products sequestered in the cardiotesticular sinus may be involved in the fusion of the paired testes and maturation of the male reproductive system, because they are present only during this stage of development.
Cytogamy: A New Sexual Process in Joined Pairs of Paramecium Caudatm

CYTOGAMY: A NEW SEXUAL PROCESS IN JOINED PAIRS OF PARAMECIUM CAUDATUM TWO sexual processes have been described for Paramecium in which three micronuclear (pregamic) divisions lead to synkaryon formation. Ono process, called conjugation (cross-fertilization), may be defined as the temporary union of two individuals involving three micronuclear divisions, nuclear exchange and the establishment of a new synkaryon in each conjugant.
Assembling And Imaging Long Cables Of Live Cardiomyocytes For Validation Of Cable Theory Relationships

Theoretical work on excitable tissue (heart, brain, muscle) often employs concepts from cable theory and resorts to one-dimensional models of wave propagation for capture of essential functional properties. We offer an experimental technique to spatially pack, image and computationally unpack quasi-one dimensional long cables (>10cm) of live excitable cells within the imaging field of view. This is achieved by micropatterning neonatal rat cardiomyocytes into Archimedean spiral topologies and imaging the whole cable at ultra-high resolution. We validate the method's applicability to studies of wave propagation assessing distortions due to curvature effects.Specific demonstrations of the utility of the proposed method include experimental verification of the eikonal relationship linking the velocity of a wave in homogenous cardiac tissue and the radius of curvature seen by the wavefront. This is achieved by patterning thin cables with well defined linearly varying curvature. Furthermore, the technique is applied to validation of theoretical predictions regarding spatially discordant alternans - beat-to-beat alternations in cardiac signals that can be out-of-phase over space. Previous attempts to uncover mechanisms for spatially discordant alternans have utilized purely computational representations and fluorescence imaging of whole-heart preparations and two-dimensional cardiomyocyte monolayer networks. The cable-like geometry (∼10cm) used here facilitate the direct comparison to analytical and numerical derivations done exclusively in 1D.In conclusion, our experimental approach allows for systematic validation of different aspects of cable theory and various excitable tissue phenomena in a well-controlled setting, including wavefront-waveback interactions, implementations of distributed feedback control strategies etc.
Theoretical Studies of Borazynes and Azaborines

Four isomers of didehydroborazine, B3N3H4, borazyne, and three isomers of azaborine, C4H4BN, are studied by DFT, CCSD, and CCSD(T) computational methods. The singlets of 1,2-borazyne (I) and 1,4-borazyne (IV) have angles about the boron of ca. 150 degrees . In 1,2-azaborine (V), the angles are ca. 140 degrees , while the N angles are ca. 112 degrees except in IV (127 degrees ) and 1,4- azaborine (VII, 120 degrees ). These geometries are almost reversed in the triplets. The 1,3-borazyne (III) shows more bicyclic character than the corresponding m-benzyne, with an N-N distance of 1.7 A. In all cases I was found to be lower in energy than the 2,4-borazyne (II), III, and IV. The order of stability of the azaborines is V > VII > 1,3- azaborine (VI). The nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) indicates that all isomers of borazyne are less aromatic than benzene and all isomers of azaborine are about as aromatic as benzene. Time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) is used to study the excited states of the singlets. The significant structural differences between the singlet and triplet states suggest long phosphoresence lifetimes.
Intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil for pseudomyxoma peritoneii

Pseudomyxoma peritoneii has an indolent course but a 5-year survival rate of 40–45%. The role for postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy is unclear. Nine patients with pseudomyxoma arising from mucinous neoplasms of the ovary and intestinal tract received a total of 89 courses of intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil (IP5FU). Each course consisted of eight 4-h exchanges of 1 g of 5FU in 2 l of 1.5% Inpersol®. Median follow-up after diagnosis was 30 months (range 6–74). All patients were evaluable for toxicity and response. There was one treatment-related death due to renal failure and sepsis. Three patients developed disease progression prior to scheduled second-look laparotomy. At second-look laparotomy two patients demonstrated pathologic complete responses, one had stable disease and one had progression of disease. One patient remained clinically free of progression after refusing second-look laparotomy. The projected 5-year survival by Kaplan-Meier estimate was 87% for patients treated with IP5FU compared to a 52% 5-year survival seen in a series of 11 patients treated prior to the use of IP5FU (P = 0.12). This preliminary analysis suggests that IPFU in the described schedule fails to improve survival statistically compared to previously used regimens for patients with pseudomyxoma peritoneii.
Back to Basics: Minimum Competency Testing and its Impact on Minorities

Competency tests are simple, straightforward, and popular-and have led to charges of discrimination. There are also other reservations.
OB gene not linked to human obesity in Mexican American affected sib pairs from Starr County, Texas

Obesity is a highly prevalent disease, which is associated with a number of chronic conditions and, as such, represents a major public health burden. Numerous studies indicate that there is a genetic component contributing to interindividual variability in obesity. The discovery of the ob gene in mice, mutations in which produce extreme obesity and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), provides a prime candidate gene for human obesity. We investigated linkage between the human OB gene and obesity in a sample of Mexican Americans from Starr County, Texas. Markers D7S635 and D7S1875, estimated to lie within a region approximately 290 to 400 kb proximal to the OB gene, were used to genotype 177 obese individuals distributed in 64 sibships. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) above 30 kg/m2. Linkage analyses for affected sibling pairs provided no evidence for linkage in this sample. In addition, differences between siblings for weight, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, percent body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood lipid measures were not significantly related to number of alleles shared identical by state (IBS) for either of the two markers. While the OB gene may be involved in the metabolic sequences leading to obesity, the present linkage results do not support the existence of common genetic variation at or near the OB locus that increases risk for human obesity.
Assessing Organizational Output: A Framework and Some Implications.

In this article the authors collate some of the existing notions about the outcomes of organizational activity into an output analysis framework. From this scheme are drawn implications for organizational practice.
Vibration isolation for broadband gravitational wave antennas

We discuss an active vibration isolation system which is a prototype of an isolation system for an interferometric gravitational wave antenna. Particular attention is paid to factors which limit the isolation which can be achieved. We were able to reduce the effective resonant frequency of the test mass to 0.04 Hz. Between 3 and 8 Hz, this was sufficient to bring the motion of the test mass within a factor of 2 of its Brownian motion amplitude.
Cocyclic subshifts from Diophantine equations

We give a method of constructing cocyclic subshifts from Diophantine equations. As an application, we produce examples of such subshifts that are not sofic and prove that the problem of equality of two cocyclic subshifts is algorithmically undecidable. This result also follows from the 1970 work by Paterson on mortality of matrices.
The Impact Of Medicare Part D On Prescription Drug Use By The Elderly

This study investigates the effect of Medicare Part D on the elderly’s prescription drug use and out-of-pocket costs using a difference-in-differences research design. We estimate that Medicare Part D reduced user cost among the elderly by 18.4 percent, increased their use of prescription drugs by about 12.8 percent, and increased total U.S. usage by 4.5 percent in 2006. The estimated crowd-out rate was about 72 percent: Every seven prescriptions paid for by the government crowded out five other prescriptions and resulted in only two additional prescriptions used. This does not necessarily mean that Medicare Part D is an economically inefficient program.
Localization of the 5S RNA genes in Zea mays by RNA-DNA hybridization in situ

5S RNA was extracted from Zea mays tissue and iodinated in vitro with 125I to a high specific activity. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the 125I-5S RNA, 11/2 weeks after iodination demonstrated that most of the 5S RNA molecules were degraded to half-size or smaller. In situ hybridization with this iodinated RNA to pachytene microsporocyte chromosomes showed that the 5S RNA cistrons are located near the end of the long arm of chromosome 2. No obvious association of the 5S locus with the nucleolus was seen during pachytene or later stages.
Harnessing and Channeling African American Children’s Energy in the Mathematics Classroom

This study investigated African American students to determine effective ways to channel their energy in the mathematics classroom. Two African American male students participated in this qualitative inquiry that allowed them to speak for themselves about the characteristics of teachers and instructional practices that can contribute, in general, to students’ and, in particular, to African American students’success in the mathematics classroom. The voices of these two African American mathematics students will also offer some suggestions to teachers for channeling the energy of students in general and African American males in particular
Na x Co O 2 in the x→0 regime: Coupling of structure and correlation effects

The study of the strength of correlations in ${\mathrm{Na}}_{x}\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ is extended to the $x=0$ end of the phase diagram, where Mott insulating behavior has been widely anticipated. The inclusion of correlation as modeled by the $\mathrm{LDA}+\mathrm{U}$ approach leads to a Mott transition in the ${a}_{g}$ subband if $U\ensuremath{\geqslant}{U}_{c}=2.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$. Thus, $U$ smaller than ${U}_{c}$ is required to model the metallic, nonmagnetic $\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ compound reported by Tarascon and co-workers. The orbital-selective Mott transition of the ${a}_{g}$ state, which is essentially degenerate with the ${e}_{g}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ states, occurs because of the slightly wider bandwidth of the ${a}_{g}$ bands. The metal-insulator transition is found to be strongly coupled to the $\mathrm{Co}\mathrm{O}$ bond length, due to associated changes in the ${t}_{2g}$ bandwidth, but the largest effects occur only at a reduced oxygen height that lies below the equilibrium position.
Molecular Architecture of the Bipartite Fusion Loops of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Glycoprotein G, a Class III Viral Fusion Protein

The glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV G) mediates fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell, with the conformational changes that mediate VSV G fusion activation occurring in a reversible, low pH-dependent manner. Based on its novel structure, VSV G has been classified as class III viral fusion protein, having a predicted bipartite fusion domain comprising residues Trp-72, Tyr-73, Tyr-116, and Ala-117 that interacts with the host cell membrane to initiate the fusion reaction. Here, we carried out a systematic mutagenesis study of the predicted VSV G fusion loops, to investigate the functional role of the fusion domain. Using assays of low pH-induced cell-cell fusion and infection studies of mutant VSV G incorporated into viral particles, we show a fundamental role for the bipartite fusion domain. We show that Trp-72 is a critical residue for VSV G-mediated membrane fusion. Trp-72 could only tolerate mutation to a phenylalanine residue, which allowed only limited fusion. Tyr-73 and Tyr-116 could be mutated to other aromatic residues without major effect but could not tolerate any other substitution. Ala-117 was a less critical residue, with only charged residues unable to allow fusion activation. These data represent a functional analysis of predicted bipartite fusion loops of VSV G, a founder member of the class III family of viral fusion proteins.
Implantable Microprobe with Arrayed Microsensors for Combined Amperometric Monitoring of the Neurotransmitters, Glutamate and Dopamine

Abstract An implantable, micromachined microprobe with a microsensor array for combined monitoring of the neurotransmitters, glutamate (Glut) and dopamine (DA), by constant potential amperometry has been created and characterized. Microprobe studies in vitro revealed Glut and DA microsensor sensitivities of 126 ± 5 nA μM −1 cm −2 and 3250 ± 50 nA μM −1 cm −2 , respectively, with corresponding detection limits of 2.1 ± 0.2 μM and 62 ± 8 nM, both at comparable ∼1 s response times. No diffusional interaction of H 2 O 2 among arrayed microelectrodes was observed. Also, no responses from the electroactive interferents, ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), DOPA (a DA catabolite) or DOPAC (a DA precursor), over their respective physiological concentration ranges, were detected. The dual sensing microbe attributes of size, detection limit, sensitivity, response time and selectivity make it attractive for combined sensing of Glut and DA in vivo .
The Power of Ideologically Concentrated Minorities

In two-party competition, it is well known that the party whose supporters/identifiers are more ideologically concentrated can pull the overall median in the direction of its party median, while the overall mean is essentially simply an average of the two party means weighted by the number of supporters/identifiers of each party. Yet the exact nature of the relationship between the overall median and the party-specific medians has never, we believe, been fully explicated. We consider three questions relevant to unidimensional two-party political competition: The first is `What factors determine the location of the overall median relative to the medians in each political party?' The second is `What are the factors that determine the location of the overall median relative to the overall mean?' The third, and potentially most interesting, is `Under what circumstances, if any, will the median of the party with fewer supporters be closer to the overall median than that of the party with a preponderance of sup...
Energy transfer for systems possessing long-range rates of capture

Abstract The authors' recent theory of exciton trapping and sensitized luminescence is extended to cover long-range capture processes. Expressions are given for the energy transfer rate ks, and the quantum yield ϕG, which show the interplay of exciton migration with the strength and range of the capture process.
Ethical and legal issues confronting college health.

More than 11 million students currently attend institutions of higher education in the United States. While this segment of the population traditionally constitutes a young, healthy cohort, experience demonstrates that college and university health services play a critical role in assuring student health maintenance, completion of school, consumer health education, and the development of sound health practices and behaviors. In examining institutional policies and protocols governing the support and the delivery of student health services, several critical ethical issues emerge from both a macro and micro orientation. As university and college resources become more scarce and budget decreases increase, institutions are reestablishing priorities. Oftentimes, the question of continued support of campus based health services is raised. Suggestions range from discontinuing their operation, to dramatic decreases in their services, to requiring them to become fully self-sufficient (i.e., through mandatory prepayments or fee-for-services mechanisms and elimination of general fund support). At a macro level, such discussions raise issues associated with social justice and whether the universities and colleges should serve in a loco parentis (paternalistic) role. This essay more specifically addresses several micro issues that directly impinge on the delivery of health services to millions of college and university students.