cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE PENIS FOLLOWING PENILE TRAUMA

CASE REPORT A 74-year-old male presented with a nonhealing traumatic wound to the penis. One year earlier a piece of wood ejected from an industrial saw had struck the patient in the penis. Despite a significant amount of bleeding and pain, the patient did not seek medical care. He treated the wound with a combination of agents including povidone-iodine, 8-hydroxyquinoline, dexpanthenol and clean gauze. The wound never healed. The patient was reinjured in a similar fashion 2 months before presentation when another piece of wood was ejected from the saw, striking him in the penis. The patient reported minimal discomfort but noticed splaying and dribbling of the urinary stream. He was circumcised as a child, and denied any lesions or ulcerations on the penis before the traumatic injury. There was no self-mutilation or psychiatric disorder. The patient reported total erectile dysfunction following the initial injury. Clinically, the penis was completely degloved beginning at the coronal margin and extending proximally three-quarters of the length of the shaft. The corpora cavernosa were well preserved with the corpus spongiosum and glans attached to the left corporeal body (fig. 1). The degloved corpora showed evidence of granulation but no evidence of infection. The meatus was initially stenotic but after dilation a 5Fr Pollack catheter was passed, revealing a urethral fistula 1.5 cm behind the sulcus of the glans (fig. 2). The remainder of the physical examination was unremarkable, including absence of groin lymphadenopathy. Partial penectomy was performed with resection to normal corporeal tissue with a good urethral stump. The partial penectomy specimen on permanent sections unexpectedly demonstrated invasive poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (T2NxM0) with a question of positive margins. Computerized tomography of the abdomen and pelvis did not show any inguinal lymphadenopathy. The patient proceeded at a later date to undergo total penectomy with perineal urethrostomy. He refused ilioinguinal lymph node dissection. Pathological examination again revealed invasive poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (T2NxM0) with negative margins. Postoperative recovery from total penectomy was uneventful. Surveillance computerized tomography of the abdomen and pelvis during the next year did not demonstrate any evidence of metastatic disease. DISCUSSION
Face transplantation: Outcomes, concerns, controversies, and future directions

BackgroundSince 2005, 17 facial allotransplantations have been performed worldwide. The brief summary of current cases with ongoing concerns is presented in this article.MethodsFifteen publications were reported for 10 facial allotransplantations. For the remaining 7 transplantations, information wa
Chemical and electronic properties of vapor-deposited polyaniline films on metal substrates

Abstract Polyaniline thin films produced by the evaporative deposition of emeraldine on Cu(110) and on evaporated Au surfaces have been characterized using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). Ultrathin films (less than 100 A) doped with HCl exhibited plasma frequencies in the far-IR, suggesting a high degree of ordering and electrical conductivities greater than those of HCl-doped solution-cast films. In contrast, thicker vapor-deposited films (more than 1000 A) were found to be highly branched and have lower conductivities upon doping. These results indicate that the substrate plays a major role in determining the chemical and electronic structure of vapor-deposited polyaniline near a polymer/metal intetface. Furthermore, variations in the properties of ultrathin films grown on Au and Cu substrates suggest that interface formation is sensitive to specific interactions between the vapor-deposited polymer film and the metal substrate.
Attaching organic layers to semiconductor surfaces

Methods that can be used to tailor the surface properties of semiconductors will become increasingly important as new applications for semiconductor-based materials continue to be developed. The attachment of organic groups in particular can impart new functionality to the surface, providing properties such as passivation, molecular recognition, lubrication, or biocompatibility. This article will focus on organic functionalization of Group IV surfaces using vapor phase delivery in a dry processing environment. A combination of experimental and theoretical methods has been applied to identify the bonding and reactivity of the organic layers at the semiconductor surface. The attachment chemistry of dienes and amines at the Si(100)-2 × 1 surface will be described. We show that the [4+2] cycloaddition (Diels−Alder reaction) occurs readily for a range of conjugated dienes at the (100)-2 × 1 surface of Si, and that the reaction occurs at the surfaces of Ge(100) and C(100) as well. In amine reactivity, competing...
DEMONSTRATION OF DISRUPTED GONADOTROPIN FEEDBACK IN GONADAL FAILURE DURING CHILDHOOD BY LHRH ANALOGUE

The use of LHRH analogues as antagonists is well studied. Use of intermittent LHRH analogue (Lupron) as an agonist in the diagnosis or treatment of gonadal disorders is being investigated. To validate its effect, 4ug/kg/2X week SQ injections were given to 8 males with delayed puberty. After one month, urinary LH and FSH levels (ug/24h) were significantly greater the day after injection than the day before (LH 41.8 ± 6.5 vs 22.8 ± 7.4, p < 0.003, FSH 63.5 ± 9.0 vs 40.9 ± 11.9, p < 0.011). During childhood, inappropriate gonadotropin secretion may not be apparent and the diagnosis of gonadal failure may not be possible. The use of intermittent LHRH analogue as an agonist in six prepubertal male children, aged 5-12y, resulted in a rise of LH and FSH over 6 weeks. Values in 5 normal patients: LHRH analogue stimulation resulted in an abnormal rise of LH FSH without significant testosterone response. This demonstrates an abnormal feedback mechanism in childhood. This procedure may be a useful diagnostic test for evidence of gonadal failure in children.
Storm-built sand ridges on the Maryland inner shelf: a preliminary report

Several aspects of the Maryland ridge field are pertinent to the problem of ridge genesis in response to Holocene sea-level rise. There is a systematic morphologic change fromshoreface ridges throughnearshore ridges tooffshore ridges, which reflects the changing hydraulic regime. Grain size is 90° out of phase with topography, so that the coarsest sand lies between the axis of each trough and the adjacent seaward ridge crest, while the finest sand lies between each ridge crest and the axis of the adjacent seaward trough. Finally, analysis over a 43-year period on an outer ridge reveals a systematic pattern of landward flank erosion, seaward flank deposition, and seaward crest migration. These relationships support a model which explains the ridges as consequences of the up-current shift of maximum bottom shear stress with respect to the crests of initial bottom irregularities. The oblique orientation of the ridges with respect to the beach may be at least partly due to the more rapid migration rate of the ridges’ inshore ends.
It's not such a Wonderful Life: the neurotic George Bailey

Frank Capra's film It's a Wonderful Life (1946) is a sentimental American favorite, a Christmas fable shown ritualistically each holiday season, like the various versions of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Anomeric specificity during some isomerase reactions.

Abstract An examination of the C-1 NMR proton signals arising from -glucose and -xylose as they are produced from the ketose via an isomerase-catalyzed reaction in deuterium oxide solution indicate that both conversions proceed via 1,2-proton transfer with no solvent exchange at C-2 of the aldose. In the latter case, the initial product appears to be α- -xylopyranose. In a reinvestigation of the phosphoglucose isomerase reaction, a combination of 1,2 transfer and solvent exchange could be verified, but, contrary to an earlier report, the observed products are an equilibrium mixture of the α and β- -glucose-6-phosphates.
Nanografting: Modeling and Simulation

We present a simple phenomenological model of the nanografting process with an emphasis on the formation of binary self-assembled monolayers. This model includes dynamical processes that are involved in natural growth experiments, including molecular deposition, surface diffusion, and the phase transition from physisorption to chemisorption, and we show that it predicts domain formation in ungrafted deposition that matches experiment. The one-order-of-magnitude faster kinetics that is found in the nanografting experiments compared to natural self-assembly (or unconstrained self-assembly) is described with a key assumption that the deposition rate is greatly enhanced in the small region confined between the back side of the AFM tip and the edge of the previously deposited self-assembled monolayer. Monte Carlo simulations based on this model reproduce experimental observations concerning the variation of SAM heterogeneity with AFM tip speed. Our simulations demonstrate that the faster the AFM tip displaces ...
Consonant-Vowel Interdependencies in Babbling and Early Words: Preliminary Examination of a Locus Equation Approach

Consonant-vowel productions at two distinct stages of language development were studied in a single female child. At 12 months canonical babbling syllables (N = 144) identified by a panel of listeners as comprising [bV], [dv], and [gv] tokens were acoustically analyzed by measuring F2 transition onset and F2 midvowel frequencies and plotting their relationship as locus equations for each stop category. A regression analysis performed on these scatterplots revealed differential slopes and y-intercepts as a function of stop place. The same analysis was performed 9 months later on CV utterances (N = 243) produced as syllable-initial segments of real words by the same child. Whereas labial and velar locus equation parameters moved toward more adult-like values, alveolar slope and y-intercept moved away from adult values and more in the direction of decreased coarticulation between vowel and consonant. There was greater scatter of data points around the regression line for production of words compared to babbl...
Predicting Completion vs. Defection in a Community-Based Reintegration Program

Abstract The current study provides empirical data associated with successful program completion by examining the differing characteristics between clients who graduated from a community-based reintegration program operating in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and those who left prior to graduation. Substance dependence risk, level of education, employment or in-school status prior to last arrest, and parole/probation risk classification prior to program entry were compared for program graduates and defectors. Information was gathered from client case files and police and Tennessee Department of Correction records. Results indicate that the program graduates had lower substance dependence and parole/probation risk classification as well as a higher level of education. Implications are discussed regarding the necessity to increase participation of high-risk individuals.
A Phenomenological Approach to Describe the Lived Experience of Ovarian Cancer

Paper Presentation Objective To explore and illuminate the lived experience of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Design A phenomenological approach in which individuals tell their stories to make meaning of their truths, realities, and experiences. Phenomenology allows researchers to interpret the meaning of the experiences through hearing and observing the words and descriptions of participants. Setting The women were interviewed for an hour or more at their homes or workplaces. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed. Sample Eleven women aged 23 to 66 were interviewed beginning with the open-ended question "Tell me about events leading up to your diagnosis of ovarian cancer." The women were diagnosed with stages II ( n = 1), III ( n = 8), and IV ( n = 2) ovarian cancer within the past 5 years. Stages III and IV are advanced stages. Methods The narrative responses were analyzed for constitutive patterns and relational themes according to the hermeneutic phenomenological process. By illuminating the memories and recollections of the women, the meanings and particulars of the ovarian cancer experience were identified. Results Prior to diagnosis, most women were not aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Even though symptoms were present, they were often attributed to gastrointestinal and renal problems by the woman and provider. There was an average delay in diagnosis of at least 6 months. Six constitutive patterns evolved from the experiences of the 11 women: the revelation , jeopardy , on the lookout , becoming normal , and living every moment . Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice The women participated in this study with the expectation that their experiences would be passed on to health care providers who care for women. They wanted the information to contribute to improvement in the care provided with hopes for earlier diagnosis. They wanted others to know about the difficulties they experienced when they sensed something was wrong with their bodies and the need to search for answers by going from provider to provider. Once they were correctly diagnosed, they faced complex physical, spiritual, and psychological needs associated with an incurable illness. The women's symptoms are described to enable nurses to educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and to evaluate their risk factors. In addition, the women provided key insights into approaches and strategies for facing death while embracing life.
Reference 2001: A Director’s Admonitions

Reflections on professional roles and responsibilities are explored, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing academic reference librarians. The information environment has been transformed by technology and the Web, and will continue its exponential change. What's coming? What endures? How will we thrive? Whatever approach we take, it is essential to remember that maintaining the status quo is not good enough to meet the changing needs and expectations of library clientele.
Glutathione consumption and glutathione peroxidase inactivation in fibroblast cell lines by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal

Treatment of cultured fibroblasts, designated HA1 cells, with 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4HNE) in doses up to 50 nmol/10(6) cells for 3 h results in dose-dependent cytotoxicity measured by clonogenic cell survival with 50% cytotoxicity achieved at 32 nmol 4HNE/10(6) cells. 4HNE treatment also resulted in dose-dependent reduction of cellular glutathione (GSH) content and loss of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity at 4HNE doses greater than 15 nmol/10(6) cells. By comparison, a 95% oxygen-resistant variant of HA1 cells, designated O2R95 cells, and a hydrogen peroxide-resistant variant of HA1 cells, designated OC14 cells, were found resistant to 4HNE cytotoxicity requiring 54 nmol 4HNE/10(6) cells and 75 nmol 4HNE/10(6) cells, respectively, for 50% cytotoxicity. In O2R95 cells, dose-dependent decreases were seen in GSH levels and GPx activity. In OC14 cells, however, any reduction in cellular GSH levels required doses of 4HNE greater than 30 nmol/10(6) cells, and GPx activity remained unchanged. No changes were seen in glutathione-S-transferase activity in any of the cell lines at any dose tested. These data indicate a correlation between glutathione modification, in a manner that prevents its recycling, the ability to inactivate enzymes with active site selenocysteine residues and the cytotoxicity of alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes such as 4HNE.
Progress toward the total synthesis of bacchopetiolone: application of a tandem aromatic oxidation/Diels-Alder reaction.

A stereoselective synthesis of the bacchopetiolone (1) carbocyclic core using a tandem phenolic oxidation/Diels−Alder reaction is described.
Effects of reserpine on blood pressure and vascular electrolytes in hypertension

Abstract Reserpine lowered the blood pressure of desoxycorticosterone (DCA)-hypertensive rats. It also caused a decrease in aortic sodium and potassium contents. The electrolyte changes parallelled the changes in blood pressure and suggested that there is a relation between them.
Detection and estimation practices in radio and radar astronomy

A review is given of detection and estimation methods in current use in radio and radar astronomy. Methods of determining position and brightness distribution of radio sources by narrow-beam antennas, interferometry or lunar occultations are discussed. Observational procedures for the estimation of frequency spectra are explained. The fundamental problem in radar astronomy, viz., that of mapping, is reviewed, and several methods for the removal of ambiguities are considered. Schemes for the determination of range and velocity of a planet are also described.
Management of Hyperglycemia in the Hospital Setting

A 53-year-old woman with asthma and multilobar pneumonia is admitted with respiratory failure. She is intubated and treated with antibiotics, albuterol, and methylprednisolone. A random blood glucose measurement obtained on admission shows a level of 183 mg per deciliter (10.2 mmol per liter). After 3 hours in the intensive care unit, she has a capillary glucose level of 264 mg per deciliter (14.7 mmol per liter). She has no history of diabetes. Should her hyperglycemia be treated, and if so, how?
Domain word translation by space-frequency analysis of context length histograms

We report a new statistical feature relating a bilingual word pair in a non-parallel English-Chinese corpus. It is found that the lengths of context segments of a word are closely correlated to that of the translation, even when the corpus is non-parallel, i.e., monolingual texts which are not translations of each other. The context segment length histogram of a word has a characteristic pattern and corresponds to that of its translation. If a word appears most frequently in long segments, its translation is found to be most likely occurring in long segments. One way to match these histograms is to first extract their salient shape characteristics by space-frequency analysis and then match them against each other using dynamic time warping. The results of matching can be used in combination with other statistical features to bootstrap a word or term translation algorithm from non-parallel corpora.
Stereotactic radiosurgery for benign meningiomas

Meningiomas are the second most common primary tumor of the brain. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for easily accessible tumors that can be safely removed. However, many tumors arise deep within the skull base making complete surgical resection difficult or impossible. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a highly effective alternative to surgical resection that has been used as a primary therapy for benign meningiomas as well as an adjuvant treatment for residual or recurrent tumors. The 5-year tumor control rates for stereotactic radiosurgery are equivalent to gross-total resection with lower morbidity than surgery, especially for skull base lesions. Additionally, adjuvant treatment of subtotally resected tumors results in tumor control rates equivalent to gross-total resection. Stereotactic radiosurgery has been used extensively for the treatment of small and medium sized skull base meningiomas. This technique has also been applied to large meningiomas and superficial tumors such as convexity and parasagittal meningiomas. However, multiple studies demonstrate that tumor control is decreased for superficial lesions and with increasing tumor size. In addition, radiation toxicity increases with increasing tumor size and superficial location. Based on a thorough review of the literature, stereotactic radiosurgery should be considered the primary treatment for skull base meningiomas with high surgical risk and in cases of superficial meningiomas where surgery is contraindicated.
REINFORCEMENT DELAY FADING DURING DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT OF COMMUNICATION: THE EFFECTS OF SIGNALS ON RESPONSE MAINTENANCE

Signals during delays to reinforcement may lessen reductions in responding that typically occur when there is a delay between a response and its reinforcer. Sparse applied research has been devoted to understanding the conditions under which responding may be maintained when delays to reinforcement are introduced. We evaluated the extent to which providing signals during delay fading affected responding in the context of differential reinforcement of communication responses. Three individuals were exposed to gradually increasing signaled and unsignaled reinforcement delays in multiple-schedule and/or withdrawal designs. Results for 2 of 3 participants suggested that (a) the presence of signals facilitated response maintenance under delayed reinforcement and (b) coordinated basic and applied research may advance both conceptual understanding and clinical outcomes of delayed reinforcement.
Sustaining Health Reform In A Recession: An Update On Massachusetts As Of Fall 2009

With the passage of national health reform legislation modeled on Massachusetts' 2006 reform initiative, the Bay State continues to provide important lessons for the nation. Most recently, Massachusetts has shown that although it is difficult, sustaining the gains of health reform in a severe recession is possible. The state's uninsurance rate, 4.8 percent for nonelderly adults, remained at a record low in fall 2009. Access to health care improved, and the burden of high health care costs on individuals was reduced. However, challenges remain, as some barriers to care persist and escalating health care costs continue to be an issue.
Christmas Present Trilogy

As a constructivist psychologist who also engages in creative writing, I share three brief stories along with some commentary on how the writing fits my constructivist framework, and how the production of such stories fits into my overarching framework of self-direction, self-discovery, and self-invention. These particular stories use the backdrop of the Christmas holiday season. This choice metaphorically illustrates how individually understood experience always occurs in the context of socially shared action.
Cannabis and Cannabis Based Medicine Extracts: Additional Results

SUMMARY This study reviews results in recent human clinical trials with cannabis based medicine extract (CBME), THC or cannabis. In a study performed at Queen's Square, London, both High THC and THC:CBD fixed ratio sublingual CBME demonstrated significant benefits on mean maximum cystometric capacity, mean daytime frequency of urination, frequency of nocturia, and mean daily episodes of incontinence in 11 multiple sclerosis patients with intractable lower urinary tract symptoms. A Phase II clinical study in Oxford, England with 24 MS and intractable pain patients was performed as a consecutive series of double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled single patient cross-over trials with sublingual CBME. Pain scores on visual analogue scales were significantly improved over placebo with both High THC and High CBD CBME. Subjectively, spasm was significantly improved with High THC and THC:CBD fixed ratio extracts. Spasticity was also subjectively improved with the High THC CBME. All three extracts significantl...
The Semiosis of the Sequence of Signs in a Narrative

The generally accepted notion of the addressee’s ideological bias as one of the major conditioners of his perception of a sign system can be examined from the addresser’s point of view and his adjustment of his text to the ideological bent of his audience. These adjustments can be, of course, of many types beginning with the elementary one, the clarification of the ideology of the text, which prevents future misinterpretation, and advancing to perhaps one of the most sophisticated types — the addresser’s imposition of his ideology on his addressee in such a way that the latter accepts the alien ideology unawares. Further along in the addresser’s strategy he not only covertly imposes his own ideology on the addressee but also forces him to commit himself to it. In this case the addressee, or the reader, of the artistic text, covertly manipulated by the addresser, or the author, into an alien ideology, cannot easily reject it afterwards because of his previous commitment to it. Such manipulation takes place in Pushkin’s narrative, The Captain’s Daughter.
Therapeutic management of chronic venous insufficiency: microcirculation as a target.

Chronic venous insufficiency, in its most severe manifestations as well as in its mild form, is linked to venous valve failure, weakness of the venous wall, and leukocyte–endothelial interactions all of which lead to cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue changes. These in turn are related to venous hypertension–induced leukocyte activation, which may provide a target for pharmacotherapeutic intervention. Currently, surgical attack is focused on correction of the sources of venous hypertension, but it is felt that this provides a crude method that hopefully will be replaced by more precise pharmacological interventions. Microcirculation (2000) 7, S23–S28.
Comparing Biomass Yields of Low-Input High-Diversity Communities with Managed Monocultures Across the Central United States

Biofuel cropping expansion is increasing pressure on food, grazing, and conservation lands. Debate over the efficacy of converting diverse native plant communities to managed monocultures prompted us to explore the extensive crop and ecological site productivity databases maintained by US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service. We compared annual net primary productivity (ANPP) of diverse native plant communities to ANPP of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma; to coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) in northern and central Texas; and to buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare [L.] Link.) in extreme southern Texas. In only 21% of the 1,238 sites in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma did native communities produce more or equivalent ANPP compared with managed alfalfa or coastal bermudagrass. In contrast, southern Texas native communities had greater ANPP than did buffelgrass at 81% of the sites. Regression analyses based on these results suggested that managed switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) ANPP would consistently exceed native community ANPP. We identified the type of sites that could remain in diverse communities or be converted to diverse communities and have productivity as great as or greater than highly managed monocultures of alfalfa, coastal bermudagrass, or buffelgrass. However, because of the low ANPP on these sites, biomass production may not be the optimal use of such sites. These lands may be better suited to providing other ecosystem services.
Paneth Cells and Antibacterial Host Defense in Neonatal Small Intestine

Paneth cells are specialized epithelia in the small bowel that secrete antimicrobial proteins. Paneth cells are vital to the innate immunity of the small bowel in adult mammals, but their role during neonatal infection of the small bowel is not well established. Dithizone selectively damages Paneth cells, and when dithizone-treated newborn rats are infected enterally with Escherichia coli, the numbers of E. coli cells in their jejunal and ileal lavage fluid are significantly increased compared to controls. The data support that Paneth cells are necessary for neonatal antibacterial defense.
Supplementing Accelerated Reading with classwide interdependent group‐oriented contingencies

An across-groups (classrooms), multiple-baseline design was used to investigate the effects of an interdependent group-oriented contingency on the Accelerated Reader (AR) performance of fourth-grade students. A total of 32 students in three classes participated. Before the study began, an independent group-oriented reward program was being applied (i.e., a student received access to a tangible reward after passing each AR comprehension test). This program was supplemented with an interdependent group-oriented contingency, and results showed that the number of quizzes passed per week increased immediately after the intervention was applied; however, this increase was not maintained. When students were divided into ability groups based on their average baseline performance, the lowest performing students exhibited a statistically significant increase in quiz performance (i.e., quizzes taken, quizzes passed, and book level), but no significant changes were found in the average and high performing groups. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vitamin D intake is associated with insulin sensitivity in African American, but not European American, women

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is higher among African Americans (AA) vs European Americans (EA), independent of obesity and other known confounders. Although the reason for this disparity is not known, it is possible that relatively low levels of vitamin D among AA may contribute, as vitamin D has been positively associated with insulin sensitivity in some studies. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that dietary vitamin D would be associated with a robust measure of insulin sensitivity in AA and EA women. Methods: Subjects were 115 African American (AA) and 137 European American (EA) healthy, premenopausal women. Dietary intake was determined with 4-day food records; the insulin sensitivity index (SI) with a frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test and minimal modeling; the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) with fasting insulin and glucose; and body composition with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Vitamin D intake was positively associated with S I (standardized β = 0.18, P = 0.05) and inversely associated with HOMA-IR (standardized β = -0.26, P = 0.007) in AA, and the relationships were independent of age, total body fat, energy intake, and % kcal from fat. Vitamin D intake was not significantly associated with indices of insulin sensitivity/ resistance in EA (standardized β = 0.03, P = 0.74 and standardized β = 0.02, P = 0.85 for SI and HOMA-IR, respectively). Similar to vitamin D, dietary calcium was associated with S I and HOMA-IR among AA but not EA. Conclusions: This study provides novel findings that dietary vitamin D and calcium were independently associated with insulin sensitivity in AA, but not EA. Promotion of these nutrients in the diet may reduce health disparities in type 2 diabetes risk among AA, although longitudinal and intervention studies are required.
Novel Magnetic Materials for Diagnostic and Separation Applications

Paramagnetic particles have emerged as important tools for cell sorting, protein separation, and single molecule measurements. The particles used in these applications must meet the following requirements: uniform in size, highly paramagnetic, stable in physiological salt buffer, functionizable, and 100-1000 nanometers in size. We have developed several new templated nanofabrication techniques for preparing paramagnetic particles with that meet these criteria. We will describe these new materials and their application for the detection of model pathogens.
Common and Rare Genetic Risk Factors for Glaucoma

The characterization of genes responsible for glaucoma is the critical first step toward the development of gene-based diagnostic and screening tests, which could identify individuals at risk for disease before irreversible optic nerve damage occurs. Early-onset forms of glaucoma affecting children and young adults are typically inherited as Mendelian autosomal dominant or recessive traits whereas glaucoma affecting older adults has complex inheritance. In this report, we present a comprehensive overview of the genes and genomic regions contributing to inherited glaucoma.
Convex Optimization of Coincidence Time Resolution for a High-Resolution PET System

We are developing a dual panel breast-dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) system using LSO scintillators coupled to position sensitive avalanche photodiodes (PSAPD). The charge output is amplified and read using NOVA RENA-3 ASICs. This paper shows that the coincidence timing resolution of the RENA-3 ASIC can be improved using certain list-mode calibrations. We treat the calibration problem as a convex optimization problem and use the RENA-3's analog-based timing system to correct the measured data for time dispersion effects from correlated noise, PSAPD signal delays and varying signal amplitudes. The direct solution to the optimization problem involves a matrix inversion that grows order (n3) with the number of parameters. An iterative method using single-coordinate descent to approximate the inversion grows order (n). The inversion does not need to run to convergence, since any gains at high iteration number will be low compared to noise amplification. The system calibration method is demonstrated with measured pulser data as well as with two LSO-PSAPD detectors in electronic coincidence. After applying the algorithm, the 511 keV photopeak paired coincidence time resolution from the LSO-PSAPD detectors under study improved by 57%, from the raw value of 16.3 ± 0.07 ns full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) to 6.92 ±0.02 ns FWHM (11.52 ±0.05 ns to 4.89 ± 0.02 ns for unpaired photons).
Global Emergency Medicine Journal Club: Social Media Responses to the November 2013 Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club

The Annals November 2013 Journal Club issue marked one of the first collaborations with Academic Life in Emergency Medicine, a medical education blog, in an effort to promote a worldwide, transparent, online effort to perform critical appraisals of journal articles. The Global Emergency Medicine Journal Club was hosted on the blog for 1 week during November 18 to 24, 2013, with comments moderated on the blog and on Twitter. This summary article compiles the discussion and insights.
EFFECT OF TWO ORGANOPHOSPHORUS PESTICIDES ON THE REPRODUCTIVE BIONOMICS OF FRESHWATER FAIRY SHRIMP STREPTOCEPHALUS DICHOTOMUS (BAIRD, 1860) (CRUSTACEA: ANOSTRACA)

This study evaluates the effects of the two organophosphorus pesticides (malathion) and (glyphosate), on the reproductive bionomics of the freshwater fairy shrimp Streptocephalus dichotomus . The sublethal effects at 1/5 th of 96 h LC 50 of malathion, 2.0 ppm, and glyphosate, 0.0011 ppm on cyst production of the pre-adults were also studied. The 24 and 48 h LC 50 values of malathion for nauplius were found to be 14 and 12 ppm; for glyphosate they were 0.026 and 0.014 ppm, respectively. The 24, 48, 72 and 96hr LC 50 values of malathion for juveniles were 9.6, 8.0, 7.1 and 6.4 ppm; for pre-adults were 26.0, 16.8, 12.1and 9.1 ppm, respectively. Similarly the 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr LC 50 values of glyphosate for juveniles were 0.097, 0.052, 0.032 and 0.017 ppm; for pre-adults were 0.013, 0.010, 0.007 and 0.005ppm , respectively. Animals treated with malathion (2.0 ppm) produced 41.2±12.7 cysts/female/day whereas the glyphosate exposure at 0.0011ppmresulted 95.5±12.6 cysts/female/day when compared to control (118.7±10.21cysts/female/day). An overall significant effect of pesticides on the cyst production between control and pesticide treated fairy shrimps was revealed (P<0.001). Of the two organophosphorus pesticides tested, glyphosate was found to be significantly more (1000 times) toxic to fairy shrimp nauplius, juveniles and preadults than malathion. However, at the sub lethal level, malathion showed higher reproductive toxicity than glyphosate.
Actomyosin contraction, aggregation and traveling waves in a treadmilling actin array.

We use perturbation theory to derive a continuum model for the dynamic actomyosin bundle/ring in the regime of very strong crosslinking. Actin treadmilling is essential for contraction. Linear stability analysis and numerical solutions of the model equations reveal that when the actin treadmilling is very slow, actin and myosin aggregate into equidistantly spaced peaks. When treadmilling is significant, actin filament of one polarity are distributed evenly, while filaments of the opposite polarity develop a shock wave moving with the treadmilling velocity. Myosin aggregates into a sharp peak surfing the crest of the actin wave. Any actomyosin aggregation diminishes contractile stress. The easiest way to maintain higher contraction is to upregulate the actomyosin turnover which destabilizes nontrivial patterns and stabilizes the homogeneous actomyosin distributions. We discuss the model’s implications for the experiment.
Gender and Soil Fertility in Africa

Population pressures, currency devaluations, and fertilizer subsidy removal programs in many African countries have caused renewed concern about soil degradation and loss of soil fertility. Advances in food production are further constrained by the invisibility factor, i.e., women do most of the food farming in sub-Saharan Africa, but have little access to the means necessary to significantly increase output and yields. We call this the invisibility factor because agricultural experts commonly do not acknowledge that most of Africa's smallholders are women, and women's yields, women's adoption, and women's use of inputs are rarely reported. Gendered differences in wealth result in women's lowered access to cash and credit, needed to acquire both organic and inorganic fertilizers. The solution to this problem, we believe, lies in better collection of gender-desegregated data as well as better programs and policies that take into consideration the severe cash constraints women farmers face and that target women farmers with crucial inputs of production such as fertilizers. Because women lack cash, we recommend as a general objective achieving low application rates of about 25 kg nutrient ha, depending upon soil and climatic conditions. Options proposed to target women farmers with greater fertilizer inputs include fertilizer vouchers, providing fertilizer in small bags in local markets, microcredit, free grants of fertilizer, use of organic materials, biological N2 fixation technologies, combinations of organic and inorganic fertilizers, and improving women's access to cashcrop markets. As part of USAID's Soils Management Collaborative Research Support Program, we propose to test these different methods in several African contexts from 1997 to 2002. There is a new sense of urgency about achieving food security for sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter referred to as Africa; Borlaug & Dowswell, 1995). Most African countries still depend on agriculture for most of their gross national product and employment (Tomich et al., 1995). Yet Africa currently imports a large proportion of its food grains, e.g., one-third of its rice (Oryza sativa L.) consumption Copyright © 1997 American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America, 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711, USA. Replenishing Soil Fertility in Africa. SSSA Special Publication no. 51.
ON THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR AND SUSTAINED POLYMORPHISM OF THE RT LOCUS IN LABORATORY POPULATIONS OF EPHESTIA KÜHNIELLA.

The rt locus in Ephestia (Anagasta1) kiihniella is characterized by two alleles which control pigmentation of the testis sheath cells (Rt for brown-blue testis; rt for red testis). It is a reasonable assumption that both alleles occur in wild populations of this moth in North America and Europe although no specific allele-sampling study has been made in the natural populations to substantiate it. Caspari (1933, 1943) identified this allelic polymorphism initially in German strains, then again in American materials provided by Prof. P. W. Whiting. More recently (1950), he found that of two strains from Prof. A. Kuhn's laboratory, the first proved homozygous for the Rt allele, and the second homozygous for the rt allele. These observations, in the aggregate, imply that both alleles are to be found in samples from natural populations of this moth species. Phenotypic expression of the two alleles in pigment formation is restricted to the testis only; no other ommochrome-containing organ is affected (Caspari, 1943; Wolfram, 1949), and the genotype of the female for this locus can be inferred only by progeny testing. The biological basis for natural selection resulting in a balanced polymo,rphism of the three possible genotypes must be sought in areas other than that of coloration because the differences in pigmentation are not visible without dissection of the male abdomen. Backcross and F2 cultures which were segregating for Rt and rt were analyzed by Caspari (1950) for differences in viability, speed of development, and mating behavior. The red testis male (rtlrt) was found to be significantly more viable than the blue-brown testis males (Rtlrt and Rt/Rt) of the F2 cultures. In all other features the heterozygous male (Rtlrt) was equal, or slightly superior, to either homozygote. Analysis of mating pairs showed that significantly more heterozygous males were found in copula than would have been expected on the basis of their proportion in the population of males. These observations suggest a net positive selective value of the rt allele. This study was undertaken in order to relate changes in the rt allele frequency of laboratory populations with modifications of male reproductive behavior resulting from single allele substitution. It demonstrates 1) that there is a sustained polymorphism at the rt locus in population cages with an increase in the relative frequency of the st allele, and 2) that the reproductive behavior of the rtlrt male Ephestia is a complex function of the relative genotypic composition of the population, of the adult male population density, and of the sex ratio of potential mating partners at any given time.
Moving the Study of Accountability Forward

The following is a review of Melvin J. Dubnick and H. George Frederickson’s edited collection Accountable Governance: Problems and Promises. The book’s major themes and how they relate to current c...
Extending classical molecular theory with polarization.

A classical, polarizable, electrostatic theory of short-ranged atom−atom interactions, incorporating the smeared nature of atomic partial charges, is presented. Detailed models are constructed for CO monomer and for CO interacting with an iron atom, as a first step toward heme proteins. A good representation is obtained of the bond-length-dependent dipole of CO monomer from fitting at the equilibrium distance only. Essential features of the binding of CO to myoglobin (Mb) and model heme compounds, including the binding energy, the position of the minimum in the Fe−C potential, the Fe−C frequency, the bending energy, the linear geometry of FeCO, and the increase of the Stark tuning rate and IR intensity, are obtained, suggesting that a substantial part of the Fe−CO interaction consists of a classical, noncovalent, “electrostatic bond ”. The binding energy is primarily polarization energy, and the polarization energy of an OH pair in water is shown to be comparable to the experimental hydrogen bond energy.
On MRC-Based Detection of Spatial Modulation

In this paper, the performance of suboptimal detection of spatial modulation (SM) based on the so-called maximum ratio combining (MRC) isinvestigated. In this detection scheme, in contrast to maximum likelihood (ML) detection, transmit antenna index and amplitude-phase modulation(APM) symbols are detected separately in two stages. Therefore, the detection complexity of SM can be significantly reduced. We analyze theinstantaneous and average symbol error rate (SER) of such a detection scheme and compare it with that of the optimal ML detection. Also, we proposean adaptive space modulation scheme to minimize the SER of MRC detection by utilizing the channel state information. Finally, the problem of constellationbreakdown of SM in the presence of the MRC detection for the special case of the phase-shift keying (PSK)-modulated SM is investigated. The derivedanalytical results are further validated using extensive simulations.
Construction of Synthetical Function Evaluation System for Street Trees of Zhengzhou City and Its Application

According to the physical geographic situation of Zhengzhou city and the peculiar demands for street trees in the city,a synthetical evaluation system was established,it included 6 one-level indices and 36 two-level indices,this system was used to evaluate the synthetical function of the present street trees in the constructed urban districts of Zhengzhou city,and the street trees were divided into four kinds.
Solution to vehicle routing problem with time window based on modified genetic algorithm

To solve the vehicle routing problem with time window,a new modified genetic algorithm was proposed.In the proposed algorithm,the selection operator was developed by way of between competition two generations to get rid of the individuals of higher similarity degree and worse fitness.The Euclidean distance between individuals was calculated to evaluate the similarity degree of individuals.In one group of individuals,the one with higher degree of similarity and low fitness value was eliminated,and in the same time the cycle crossover and insertion mutation were involved.The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can keep the diversity of population and avoid the prematurity and thus is an effective algorithm.On top of it,the local search ability was improved.The new algorithm can enhance constringency ability,with better result than that of genetic algorithm with roulette selection operator or self-adaptive selection.
Paracervical block diminishes cramping associated with cryosurgery.

BACKGROUND The choice of treatment method for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia can be dictated by the lesion size, by comfort of the operator with the technique, by the cost of the procedure, and by patient comfort with the procedure. The purpose of this research was to compare the usual method of cryosurgery (no anesthetic block) with a method using a paracervical block to reduce the pain and cramping associated with cryosurgery. METHODS A prospective trial was designed and conducted in a colposcopy clinic. Of the 85 women enrolled in the study, all were immediately given 550 mg of naproxen sodium orally; 40 received no block and 45 received a paracervical block before the cryosurgery procedure. After the procedure, a trained interviewer elicited pain and cramping scores using a visual analog scale. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, Friedman's two-way analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance with covariates were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Each part of the double-freeze cryosurgical procedure was ranked according to the participants' perceptions of pain and cramping. The cramping after the first freeze was significantly less for women receiving the paracervical block than for the women undergoing the usual procedure (z = -2.44, P = .014). Including the discomfort from the injection itself, the women who received a paracervical block perceived less cramping overall during cryosurgery than the women with no block (z = -2.35, P = .019). The paracervical block did not decrease the pain from cryosurgery according to the participants' rankings of perceived pain. CONCLUSIONS A paracervical block is effective in reducing the cramping from cryosurgery.