cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ACROMEGALY CASE REPORT WITH AUTOPSY FINDINGS

A CROMEGALY is not of common occurrence according to Putnam and Davidoff (i). These authors state that “The diagnosis has been made only 14 times among the 210,094 cases admitted to the Boston City Hospital in six years from 1930 to 1935 inclusive. Males and females are about equally affected. It may occur in the black and yellow races as well as the white” I had the opportunity of observing the patient here reported develop the disease and to follow its course until death. CASE REPORT History. S. Z., a Russian Jew, aged 28, married, entered Harper Hospital July 21, 1919, complaining of pain and swelling of the right testicle. This began 5 days previously while working at his occupation of body2maker in an automobile factory, and came on immediately after using the apparatus for lifting the body onto the assembly line. He had been treated 21 months previously for a gonorrheal urethritis of 4 months2 duration.
Sharp local well-posedness results for the nonlinear wave equation

This article is concerned with local well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for second order quasilinear hyperbolic equations with rough initial data. The new results obtained here are sharp in low dimension.
PHASES Differential Astrometry and Iodine Cell Radial Velocities of the κ Pegasi Triple Star System

κ Pegasi is a well-known, nearby triple star system. It consists of a "wide" pair with semimajor axis = 235 mas, one component of which is a single-line spectroscopic binary (semimajor axis = 2.5 mas). Using high-precision differential astrometry and radial velocity observations, the masses for all three components are determined and the relative inclination between the wide and narrow pairs' orbits is found to be 438 ± 30, just over the threshold for the three-body Kozai resonance. The system distance is determined to be 34.60 ± 0.21 pc and is consistent with trigonometric parallax measurements.
Free revascularised periosteum transplantation: an experimental study

Two different types of revascularised periosteal graft were used to bridge an experimental bone defect and compared with control groups. Revascularised tibial periosteal grafts completely filled the defect with new bone, whereas revascularised rib periosteal grafts failed to do so.
Mouse Na+: HCO3- cotransporter isoform NBC-3 (kNBC-3): Cloning, expression, and renal distribution

Mouse Na + :HCO 3 - cotransporter isoform NBC-3 (kNBC-3): Cloning, expression, and renal distribution. Background Na + :HCO 3 - cotransporters mediate the transport of HCO 3 - into or out of the cell. We recently reported the partial cloning and characterization of a new human Na + :HCO 3 - cotransporter (referred to as NBC-3 or kNBC-3). The purpose of the present studies was to clone the mouse kNBC-3 and to examine its properties and expression in the kidney. Methods Using primers from human kNBC-3 cDNA and 5′ and 3′ rapid amplification cDNA end polymerase chain reaction (RACE PCR), the mouse kNBC-3 full-length cDNA was cloned from inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD-3) cells. The tissue distribution and functional properties of NBC-3 was determined using established methods. Results The coding region of the mouse kNBC-3 has 1089 amino acids and shows 73 and 56% identity to human NBC-2 and NBC-1, respectively. The renal distribution of kNBC-3 demonstrated a unique expression pattern: Whereas kNBC-1 is predominantly expressed in the cortex and is absent in the inner medulla, kNBC-3 shows an intense expression level in the inner medulla and is absent in the cortex. Expression studies in oocytes indicated that NBC-3 mediates Na-dependent HCO 3 - cotransport. Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated that unlike kNBC-1, which is electrogenic, kNBC-3 is electroneutral. Conclusions Based on its distribution and electroneutrality, we propose that kNBC-3 mediates the transport of HCO 3 - into the cells.
Two million dollars times three

Purpose – To address the issue of using grant funding in the US public libraries. With reduced funding as in most public libraries, the three New York City library systems have partnered with the Urban Library Council (ULC), funded by The Wallace Foundation, to provide additional funds from these alternative sources of income.Design/methodology/approach – Explores the current programs and services offered at Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) under the grant‐funded sources. In using the funds, this project gave the library a chance to directly connect its goals with the new funds, as well as meet new capacity‐building goals to set the library in new directions.Findings – The new funding resulted in new staff, retooling positions and activities, task forces and committee work to give buy‐in from different interested parties, and results included expanded services and programs.Originality/value – Beyond evaluating the need for the funding at this system, much success can be found in the city‐wide collaboration f...
Quantitative assessment of diffuse coronary artery disease using digital angiography

Diffuse coronary artery disease (DCAD), a common form of atherosclerosis, may be responsible for the failure of improved coronary flow reserve after successful PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). However, DCAD is especially difficult to diagnose because the lumen cross-sectional area is diffusely diseased along multiple vessels. In this study, the normal coronary arterial tree was defined from a supply and demand perspective through the establishment of a hemodynamic model. The definition is embodied by the following correlations between different morphometric and hemodynamic parameters. For any supplying segment in a normal coronary artery tree, the coronary blood flow is proportional to its dependent distal cumulative arterial length. Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of any supplying segment and its cumulative distal arterial volume relate to its distal cumulative arterial length in forms of fractal power law. The power law indices were found to observe certain constraints. The proposed correlations were validated using flow simulation on a complete set of anatomical data of a normal pig’s coronary arterial tree. Validations of morphometric and hemodynamic parameters were also performed on angiographic data from a swine animal model using techniques of 3-D reconstruction of the arterial tree and videodensitometry. The detectability of DCAD was evaluated by simulating a moderate level of DCAD and propagation of measurement error for morphometric and hemodynamic parameters. In conclusion, the proposed methodology can be used for detection and quantification of DCAD.
First map of sea ice production in Arctic coastal polynyas

In Arctic coastal polynyas, persistent areas of thin ice, a large amount of new ice forms during winters. Significant heat is lost through these regions of thin ice. Knowing how much ice is produced in polynyas is important for determining overall cold saline water formation in the Arctic Ocean. However, because of the difficulty of making in situ measurements, there have been few studies of ice production in coastal Arctic polynyas.
The Organization of the Paracrystalline Multilayered Spacer-Plugs of Methanospirillum hungatei

Abstract Cells of the filamentous sheathed archeon Methanospirillum hungatei synthesize unusual extracellular multilayered disk-shaped partitions (i.e., plugs) which consist of two types of complementary paracrystalline layers (i.e., a particulate layer consisting of compact elements with massive centers and a holey layer consisting of an open network of pores) with hexagonal symmetry and identical lattice spacing (18.1 nm). The purpose of this study was to determine the three-dimensional architecture of the plug using correlative evidence from thin sectioning, negative staining and image processing, and platinum-shadowing techniques. Heating intact filaments (56°C) suspended in 50 m M carbonate-bicarbonate buffer (pH 9.6) for 30 min resulted in the separation and shedding of the outermost layers from the filament, whereas the innermost layers remained in place. The shed layers were recovered by centrifugation and were identified as holey-type layers. Well-preserved whole plugs extracted using a novel freeze/crush/thaw method were dissociated in 50 m M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using mild heat (56°C). These plugs, once platinum-coated and viewed in relief, were found to consist of four paracrystalline layers each with its own amorphous layer. Two particulate layers are located on the cell-facing side and enclose a compartment containing amorphous material. The outside surface of the compartment was covered with a close-fitting holey layer which was attached by an intervening amorphous layer. This amorphous layer was found to bear a faint periodic "imprint" with a 18-nm repeat which may be due to the accumulation of transported material. The massive centers of the particulate layer were in exact register with the openings of the holey layers to produce a closed surface. An extra, seemingly redundant, holey layer was found loosely attached to the plug and covered on its outer face with a roughly textured amorphous coating. The various amorphous coatings seem to be necessary for maintaining the plug as a cohesive assembly and for attachment to the cell.
Endoscopic management of necrotizing pancreatitis.

b d d a c t c i i C w m d The endoscopic management of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) and necrotizing pancreatitis has increasingly become part of the therapeutic endoscopist’s armamentarium in the previous 2 decades.1-6 With the advent of linear-array EUS and sinus tract retroperitonoscopy, retroperitoneal access via the transgastric, transduodenal, and/or percutaneous approaches has revolutionized the diagnostic and therapeutic management of this condition.7-11 In many centers, the primary treatment of PFCs has shifted from the operating room to the endoscopy or interventional radiology suite, and increasingly therapeutic endoscopists are intervening in necrotizing pancreatitis.12 However, despite these advances, several questions remain with regard to the endoscopic management of necrotizing pancreatitis.13 Most basic is that there is still not rue consensus as to how necrosis should be defined, espite multiple classification systems proposed in the ast 2 decades. In fact, a new term, walled-off necrosis WON), has been introduced to replace older terms such s phlegmon and organized necrosis.14 In addition, the timing and indication for intervention are not universally defined and agreed on. Finally, single-modality endoscopic techniques (ie, by using endoscopy alone to treat necrotizing pancreatitis), with few exceptions, have yet to be comprehensively evaluated against retroperitoneal sinus tract endoscopy (ie, videoscope-assisted retroperitoneal debridement [VARD]) or open operative management. Thus, although it is believed that endoscopic treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis may offer equivalent efficacy and safety, future comparative effectiveness trials are necessary. This review highlights the techniques used for the endoscopic management of necrotizing pancreatitis. It provides background into the current definition of necrosis,
Environmental Assessment of Aerosols, Bioaerosols, and Airborne Endotoxins in a Machining Plant

Bioaerosol monitoring was undertaken in a 185,000 m2 engine plant employing 900 production workers and 300 in the skilled trades. Sampling was performed across four seasons in nine locations: four sites were on an older (1970s) engine line, four sites on a new engine line with improved engineering controls, and one site was in assembly. The machining sites represented areas supplied with three different metal-working fluid (MWF) formulations from eight separate sump systems. Bulk in-use MWF samples were collected at the machining sites and compared with air measurements at the same sites. Gravimetric concentration of aerosol averaged 1.24 mg/m3 on the older engine line and 0.74 mg/m3 on the new line. The inhalable fraction was 87% of the aerosol and 57% was respirable. Formaldehyde yielded from biocides averaged 0.22 mg/m3 and was as high as 0.62 mg/m3. Endotoxin concentration ranged from 39 to 166,000 endotoxin units (EU)/mL in the bulk MWF and from below detection (<4 EU/m3) to 790 EU/m3 in air. Airborn...
Anti-AIDS agents. 60. Substituted 3'R,4'R-di-O-(-)-camphanoyl-2',2'-dimethyldihydropyrano[2,3-f]chromone (DCP) analogues as potent anti-HIV agents.

Synthesis of positional isomers is a commonly used technique in drug design. Accordingly, based on prior SAR studies of 3‘R,4‘R-di-O-(S)-camphanoyl-(+)-cis-khellactone (DCK, 1) analogues, a series of mono- and disubstituted chromone derivatives of 3‘R,4‘R-di-O-(−)-camphanoyl-2‘,2‘-dimethyldihydropyrano[2,3-f]chromone (DCP, 4) were designed and synthesized. Together with 1 and 4-methyl DCK (2), all newly synthesized DCP analogues (4−21) were screened for anti-HIV-1 activity against a non-drug-resistant strain in H9 lymphocytes and a multiple reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor-resistant strain in the MT4 cell line. Several DCP analogues (4, 5, 7, 8, 13, and 17) exhibited extremely high anti-HIV activity in the non-drug-resistant strain assay, with EC50 values ranging from 0.00032 to 0.0057 μM and remarkable therapeutic indexes (TI) ranging from 5.6 × 103 to 1.16 × 105, which were similar to those of 2 (EC50 0.0059 μM, TI > 6.6 × 103) and better than those of 1 (EC50 0.049 μM, TI > 328). Even more promisin...
Fourier transform pupil functions for modifying the depth of focus of optical imaging systems

We use a Fourier transform approach to design pupil functions that modify the axial depth of focus for an optical system. We extend previous research in several ways. We first extend the depth of focus to 4 cm for a 38 cm focal length lens. We show that the transverse size of the focused beam is the same as for an open pupil. We then multiply the pupil function by a circular harmonic window function. The entire depth of focus is now characterized by a vortex beam. Finally we multiply our original pupil function by an edge-enhancing window function. Now the pupil function produces two sharp focus spots at the locations corresponding to the edges of the rectangle function.
Supramolecular Structure and Polymorphism of Alkali Metal Salts of Guanosine 5′-Monophosphate: SEM and NMR Study

Scanning electron microscopy images of the Na+, K+, and Rb+ salts of guanosine 5′-monophosphate (5′-GMP) in the presence of the corresponding metal chloride have shown the formation of exceptionally large molecular aggregates. These are much larger than those previously reported in solution. Each cation system produced a solid with a different morphology. The SEM samples were prepared from concentrated aqueous (D2O) solutions containing various amounts of 5′-GMP and metal chloride, and they approached the limit of solubility for the 5′-GMP under these conditions. Straight or slightly curved “free standing” rods composed of bundles of parallel stacks of G-quartets were formed from solutions of 0.85−1.0 M Na2(5′-GMP) containing 0.25−0.50 M NaCl. The rods had varying lengths of 6000−40 000 nm and an average diameter of 2000 nm. Calculations estimate this diameter to correspond to approximately 650 parallel stacks of G-quartets. Alignment of the individual G-quartet stacks into bundles and rods occurred as a ...
On extensive games and almost complete information

Our main result for finite games in extensive form is that strict determinacy for a playeri in a completely inflated game structure implies almost complete information for playeri, even if we allow for certain type of overlapping for information sets.
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ECOLOGY OF EASTERN SPADEFOOT TOADS ON A FLORIDA LANDSCAPE

Effective amphibian conservation must consider population and landscape processes, but information at multiple scales is rare. We explore spatial and temporal patterns of breeding and recruitment by eastern spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus holbrookii), using nine years of data from continuous monitoring with drift fences and pitfall traps at eight ephemeral ponds in longleaf pine-wiregrass sandhills. Breeding events (≥25 adults at a pond within a month) occurred 23 times on nine occasions at seven of the eight study ponds, but substantial recruitment (≥100 metamorphs) followed only five events. Recruitment ranged from 0–4648 among ponds. Only four ponds functioned as population “sources”, and only during some years. The other ponds, and even “source” ponds during some years, functioned either as “sinks,” where breeding occurred with no resulting recruitment, or were not used at all for breeding. Most recruitment occurred during four years. Recruitment was correlated with adult breeding effort, but only during ...
Talocalcaneal coalition in Muenke syndrome: Report of a patient, review of the literature in FGFR‐related craniosynostoses, and consideration of mechanism

Muenke syndrome is an autosomal dominant craniosynostosis syndrome resulting from a defining point mutation in the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor3 (FGFR3) gene. Muenke syndrome is characterized by coronal craniosynostosis (bilateral more often than unilateral), hearing loss, developmental delay, and carpal and/or tarsal bone coalition. Tarsal coalition is a distinct feature of Muenke syndrome and has been reported since the initial description of the disorder in the 1990s. Although talocalcaneal coalition is the most common tarsal coalition in the general population, it has never previously been reported in a patient with Muenke syndrome. We present a 7-year-old female patient with Muenke syndrome and symptomatic talocalcaneal coalition. She presented at the age of 7 with limping, tenderness and pain in her right foot following a fall and strain of her right foot. She was treated with ibuprofen, shoe inserts, a CAM walker boot, and stretching exercises without much improvement in symptoms. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed bilateral talocalcaneal coalitions involving the middle facet. She underwent resection of the talocalcaneal coalitions, remaining pain-free post-operatively with an improvement in her range of motion, gait, and mobility. This report expands the phenotype of tarsal coalition in Muenke syndrome to include talocalcaneal coalition. A literature review revealed a high incidence of tarsal coalition in all FGFR related craniosynostosis syndromes when compared to the general population, a difference that is statistically significant. The most common articulation involved in all syndromic craniosynostoses associated with FGFR mutations is the calcaneocuboid articulation.
Synergists isolated from cade oil for the parapheromone α-ionol for male Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The solanaceous fruit fly, Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel), is a tephritid fruit fly of the subfamily Dacinae which does not respond to male attractants attractive to most other members of this subfamily (methyl eugenol or cuelure). Male B. latifrons have been found to be attractive to a-ionol, with the attractancy synergistically enhanced by the addition of cade oil, a destructive distillation tar of Juniperus oxycedrus L. twigs. Solvent extracts and chromatographic fractions of cade oil were tested for attractancy enhancement for a-ionol to sexually mature B. latifrons in an outdoor olfactometer and macadamia nut orchard, and chemicals were analyzed by gas chromatographyemass spectrometry (GCeMS). Approximately 220 chemicals were found in the hexane and base extracts. Profile comparison of GCeMS chromatograms and bioactivities between fractions indicated seven chemicals in cade oil likely to enhance the attractancy ofa-ionol. These chemicals are 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol (eugenol), 2-methoxy-4-propenylphenol (isoeugenol), 2-allyl-6-methoxyphenol (o-eugenol), 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (dihydroeugenol), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (isovanilin), 2-butenal (crotonaldehyde), and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol. Bioassays in an outdoor olfactometer and preliminary field trials of the authentic chemicals showed that eugenol, isoeugenol, dihydroeugenol, and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol enhanced a-ionol attractancy up to 1.3e2.1-fold (olfactometer) or 2.0e2.4-fold (field) compared to a-ionol alone when each of them was presented together with a-ionol. The identification of eugenol as a synergist for the attractiveness of a-ionol to B. latifrons helps to better place B. latifrons in the overall Dacinae male lure response pattern. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
THE ‘GLOUCESTER BENEFACTORS’ AFTER FOUR CENTURIES

Some time in the early years of the seventeenth century, the city fathers of Gloucester evidently commissioned twelve paintings of past benefactors to that city. The paintings survive in the Gloucester Folk Museum and were exhibited in the spring of 2014 to mark the approximate date of their four-hundredth anniversary. Given the absence of critically important sources that would have given precise information on their commissioning, their origin and history have remained somewhat obscure. This paper nevertheless strives to understand why, and by whom, they may have been painted, and why they remain significant today, both to the City of Gloucester and to the history of English portraiture. It argues that they were commissioned to bolster a sense of community identity and to encourage further benefaction at a time of local hardship and stress. It comments on them as examples of the regional English vernacular style in portraiture of the day, reflects on their current condition and very tentatively suggests who might have painted them.
Arrhythmia knowledge: a qualitative study.

Objective The objective is to identify and describe critical care nurses’ perception of arrhythmia knowledge. In addition, this study is the first step in developing levels of arrhythmia competency. Design A qualitative research design was used. Focus group technique using a semistructured group session, with a moderator, was used to gather data. Data were analyzed by the constant comparative method. Subjects The subjects were critical care nurses who work in acute care settings where they read electrocardiographic data and make treatment decisions. Procedures Five focus groups were conducted over a period of 12 months. Group size ranged from four to eight participants. Participants were asked to describe their perceptions of arrhythmia knowledge and to assign a rating score related to the level of knowledge needed to identify specific arrhythmias. Results Basic, intermediate, and advanced levels of arrhythmia knowledge were identified. This study revealed a deficit in nurses’ ability to recognize and identify specific arrhythmias including heart block, aberrant conduction, and tachyarrhythmias. Understanding of lead placement concepts varied greatly among participants. Conclusions The insight and perspective of critical care nurses related to the level of arrhythmia knowledge are needed for the development of competency measures and evidence-based teaching strategies.
Elimination of plant toxins by herbivorous woodrats: revisiting an explanation for dietary specialization in mammalian herbivores.

Constraints on rates of detoxification and elimination of plant toxins are thought to be responsible for limiting dietary specialization in mammalian herbi- vores. This hypothesis, known as the detoxification limitations hypothesis, suggests that most mammalian herbivores are generalists to avoid overdosing on toxins from a single plant species. The hypothesis also predicts that the few mammalian specialists that exist should have adaptations for rapid detoxification and elimination of plant secondary compounds. We took a pharmacological approach to test whether specialists eliminate toxins from the bloodstream faster than generalists. We compared elimination rate and total exposure of alpha-pinene in closely related dietary specialist and generalist woodrats, Neotoma stephensi and N. albigula, respectively. Animals were orally gavaged with alpha-pinene, a plant secondary compound present in the natural diets of both woodrat species. We collected venous blood at 3, 6, 10, 15, and 20 min post-ingestion of alpha-pinene. Blood was analyzed for alpha-pinene concentration using gas chro- matography. We found that specialist and generalist woodrats did not differ in elimination rates of alpha- pinene. However, specialists had lower exposure levels of alpha-pinene than generalists due to lower initial delivery of alpha-pinene to the general circulation. The levels of alpha-pinene detected in the bloodstream of specialists were 4.7-5.3� lower over all time intervals than gener- alists. Thus, specialists encounter a functionally lower dose of toxin than generalists. We suggest that the lower exposure level of specialist woodrats may be due to mechanisms in the gut that decrease toxin absorption. Regardless of mechanism, lower exposure to plant toxins may allow specialists to forage on diets with high toxin concentrations thereby facilitating dietary specialization.
A new type of lidar for atmospheric optical turbulence

We are developing a new type of lidar for measuring range profiles of atmospheric optical turbulence. The lidar is based on a measurement concept that is immune to artifacts caused by effects such as vibration and defocus. Four different types of analysis and experiment have all shown that a turbulence lidar built from commercially-available components will attain a demanding set of performance goals. The lidar is currently being built for testing scheduled in 2007.
Endurance exercise training normalizes repolarization and calcium-handling abnormalities, preventing ventricular fibrillation in a model of sudden cardiac death

The risk of sudden cardiac death is increased following myocardial infarction. Exercise training reduces arrhythmia susceptibility, but the mechanism is unknown. We used a canine model of sudden ca...
Integration of Physics and Biology: Synergistic Undergraduate Education for the 21st Century

This is an exciting time to be a biologist. The advances in our field and the many opportunities to expand our horizons through interaction with other disciplines are intellectually stimulating. This is as true for people tasked with helping the field move forward through support of research and education projects that serve the nation's needs as for those carrying out that research and educating the next generation of biologists. So, it is a pleasure to contribute to this edition of CBE—Life Sciences Education. This column will cover three aspects of the interactions of physics and biology as seen from the viewpoint of four members of the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation. The first section places the material to follow in context. The second reviews some of the many interdisciplinary physics–biology projects we support. The third highlights mechanisms available for supporting new physics–biology undergraduate education projects based on ideas that arise, focusing on those needing and warranting outside support to come to fruition.
Parylene as a Chronically Stable, Reproducible Microelectrode Insulator

One of the major problems in the design of neurophysiologiv extracellular microelectrodes is the application and selective removal of the insulation. In addition to the usual problems of achieving pin-hole-free coatings and reproducible tip exposures and impedances, chronic electrode designshave the additional requirement of maintaining megohm levels of electrical isolation for months in vivo. A method of insulating finely tapered microelectrodes with complicated shapes by vapor condensation of Parylene-C is presented, along with a method for exposing controlled, reproducible lengths of their tips. In vivo and in vitro impedance tests and unit records obtained over 100 days in monkey motor cortex are presented. The electric arc process used to expose Parylene-covered iridium and tungsten microelectrodes is found to give cleaner recording surfaces with impedances lower than those obtainable with previously described methods. Chronic iridium microelectrodes so fabricated have recorded unit potentials and maintained constant impedances for over 4 months in vivo.
Patterns of microsatellite polymorphism in the range‐restricted bonobo (Pan paniscus): considerations for interspecific comparison with chimpanzees (P. troglodytes)

The endangered great ape, Pan paniscus (bonobo) has the smallest range of the African apes. Virtually nothing is known about the genetic diversity or genetic structure of this species, while substantial amounts of polymorphism have been reported for the bonobo’s widespread congener, the chimpanzee (P. troglodytes). Given its restricted range, what is the extent of genetic variation in the bonobo relative to the chimpanzee, and is the bonobo genetically depauperate? To investigate patterns of genetic polymorphism, bonobos of wild origin were genotyped for 28 microsatellite loci. The mean number of alleles per locus (5.2) and the mean observed heterozygosity (0.52) in bonobos were similar to variation observed in a wild chimpanzee community (P. t. schweinfurthii). The rarer bonobo is not genetically depauperate and may have genetic diversity comparable to the eastern chimpanzee subspecies. Bonobos have approximately 55% of the allelic diversity and 66% of the observed heterozygosity exhibited by all three chimpanzee subspecies sampled across equatorial Africa. Resampling techniques were used to quantify the effects of sample size differences and number and choice of loci between bonobos and chimpanzees. The examination of these variables underscores their importance in accurately interpreting interspecific comparisons of diversity estimates.
Germ Cell Tumor in an Adolescent With Extensive Testicular Microlithiasis: Concerns Regarding Future Management

We report on a 14-year-old boy with bilateral testicular microlithiasis and a right-sided testicular tumor. Tumor markers alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and β-human chorionic gonadrotropin (β-hCG) levels were elevated and orchiectomy revealed a mixed germ cell tumor consisting of embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor, choriocarcinoma, and mature teratoma. The patient had no evidence of metastatic disease. Although there is a strong association between testicular microlithiasis and testicular tumor, the pediatric literature is varying in the recommended surveillance of these patients. The literature and management of pediatric patients with testicular microlithiasis is herein reviewed.
The Growing Threat to the Lives of Handicapped People in the Context of Modernistic Values[1]

ABSTRACT The Western world is in the throes of a profound revolution of values and lifestyles. The new ones can neither sustain a functional societal polity, nor positive valuing of the lives of all sorts of impaired people. How such people are made dead—i.e. have their lives abbreviated, or taken outright—is briefly sketched. It is also shown how impaired people suffer more than others when societal polity collapses. However, societal deathmaking is widely disguised, denied, or even glorified by modernistic values, aided by a corrupt and intellectually dishonest bioethics culture, and some of its propagandist idiom of deathmaking is sketched. As an alternative, the author offers an unequivocal position on the value of all human life, including the lives of impaired people of all ages at any stage of life, at any level of capacity, and of any degree of moral goodness. Bodies that claim to represent, and to advocate for, impaired people are called upon to uphold a coherent position on the sanctity of all h...
French prepositions:no peeking

Spatial location and direction are expressed in French primarily by means of prepositional phrases involving three different prepositions:en, dans and a. Disregarding the usual collection of fixed expressions, lexical idiosyncrasies and subtle pragmatic and stylistic effects, the large generalisation about spatial PPs is that dans and a tend to be used with objects understood referentially, as in (1) and (2) (such ‘determinate’ or ‘particularised’ NPs will typically have a determiner in them), while en is used with non-referential objects, as in (3) (these will typically lack a determiner):(1) a. dans la prison ‘in(to) the prison’b. dans une prison ‘in(to) a prison’(2) a l'ecole ‘in(to) the school’(3) en prison ‘in(to) prison’
The relationship between nutrition and prostate cancer: is more always better?

Context: Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most diagnosed malignancies in the world, correlating with regions where men consume more of a so-called Western-style diet. As such, there is much interest in understanding the role of lifestyle and diet on the incidence and progression of PCa. Objective: To provide a summary of published literature with regard to dietary macroand micronutrients and PCa incidence and progression. Evidence acquisition: A literature search was completed using the PubMed database for all studies published on diet and PCa in June 2012 or earlier. Primary literature and metaanalyses were given preference over other review articles when possible. Evidence synthesis: The literature was reviewed on seven dietary components: carbohydrates, protein, fat and cholesterol, vegetables, vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals. Current literature linking these nutrients to PCa is limited at best, but trends in the published data suggest consumption of carbohydrates, saturated and v-6 fats, and certain vitamin supplements may promote PCa risk and progression. Conversely, consumption of many plant phytochemicals and v-3 fatty acids seem to slow the risk and progression of the disease. All other nutrients seem to have no effect or data are inconclusive. A brief summary about the clinical implications of dietary interventions with respect to PCa prevention, treatment, and survivorship is provided. Conclusions: Due to the number and heterogeneity of published studies investigating diet and PCa, it is difficult to determine what nutrients make up the perfect diet for the primary and secondary prevention of PCa. Because diets are made of multiple macro- and micronutrients, further prospective studies are warranted, particularly those investigating the relationship between whole foods instead of a single nutritional component.
The Effect of Alliance Image on the Relationship between Consumer Innovativeness and New Product Adoption

The adopter classification system suggests that an innovating firm should research the characteristics and behaviors that are specific to consumer innovators and direct communications specifically to them (Kotler 1994). Increasingly, in the face of stiff competition, many companies are strategically forming alliances to create new products to appeal to innovators and non-innovators. An alliance is a cooperative form of organizational structure that centers on core competencies. This creates very important theoretical issues and managerial concerns regarding new product development. These issues affect marketing management, strategies and planning, decision-making processes, market segmentation, target markets and product positioning. Strategic alliances form to obtain enabling technologies that can shorten the new product development process (Shilling and Hill 1998). In addition, alliances are growing strategic phenomenon allowing organizations to focus on their specific areas of expertise and leverage their competitive advantage. Spekman and Sawhney (1990) noted that the motivation for companies to enter into alliances is to obtain strategic advantages. This paper links the concepts of new product adoption, alliance image and consumer innovativeness. There is evidence that alliance image between strong companies moderates the relationship between consumer innovativeness and the likelihood of new product adoption. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
QoS reliability of hierarchical clustered wireless sensor networks

We consider the problem of reliability modeling and analysis of hierarchical clustered wireless sensor networks (WSN) in this paper. We propose reliability measures that integrate the conventional connectivity-based network reliability with the sensing coverage measure indicating the quality of service (QoS) of the WSN. And we propose a progressive approach for evaluating such coverage-oriented QoS reliability. Our approach is unique in that we analyze a more practical and generic hierarchical clustered WSN. We also incorporate the consideration of some dynamic dependencies, like the standby spare behavior, by proposing a modular scheme.
Concerning the Theory of Fatigue Failure in Textile Materials

A minor modification of the reaction rate theory of flow is proposed with the aim of accounting, in terms of molecular processes, for the observed dependence of dynamic properties, particularly fatigue, on the frequency of stressing. To this end a factor ϕ (v). which is a function of the frequency v. is introduced into the expression for the rate of breakage of bonds in the macromolecules of textile materials. It is shown that with this reasonable assumption of a frequency factor there results a general expression which, like earlier expressions, is compatible with the known dependence of fatigue life on tem perature and stress under dynamic as well as dead loads. The present development goes further, permitting the derivation of a specific expression which is in accord with the ob served frequency dependence of the fatigue life of a textile material.
Understanding how patients (vs physicians) approach the decision to escalate treatment: a proposed conceptual model

Objective. We performed a qualitative study to better understand how patients with RA approach risk–benefit trade-offs inherent in the choice of remaining with their current treatment vs escalating care. Methods. We used a think-aloud protocol to examine how patients with RA approach risk–benefit trade-offs inherent in the choice of remaining with their current treatment vs adding a biologic. The data emerging from the protocols were used to develop a conceptual model describing how patients approach the decision to escalate care. Results. Participants who were strongly impacted by their disease were not open to considering alternative options. For some patients, being highly impacted by their disease results in a strong preference to escalate care. For others, the same level of distress is reason to unconditionally refuse additional medications. In contrast, those who were moderately impacted were more open to consider treatment options. Among these participants, however, subjects’ risk–benefit trade-offs were consistently modified by factors unrelated to medication, including sociodemographic characteristics, role responsibilities and the quality of the patient–physician relationship. Conclusion. The conceptual model indicates that patients approach the decision to escalate care differently from physicians. In order to improve care in RA, it is important to recognize that many patients with moderate to high disease activity are not open to alternative treatments, which is a prerequisite to engaging in decision making. Routine clinical encounters should enable health care providers to identify these patients in order to tailor education prior to recommending treatment escalation.
Genetic Enhancement of Baculovirus Insecticides

Baculoviruses are arthropod-specific viruses that infect species mainly within the order Lepidoptera (Adams and McClintock, 1991). The two genera nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) and granulovirus (GV), within the family Baculoviridae, are identified by occlusion body morphology with single (GV) and multiple (NPV) virions occluded in granules or polyhedra respectively. Baculoviruses are regarded as safe and selective insecticides, but although they have been used successfully for management of a number of agricultural and forestry pests (Federici, 1999; Moscardi, 1999), their use as microbial pesticides has not met their potential. Two of the main reasons for their limited use are the slow speed of kill of the targeted pest relative to classical chemical insecticides, and a narrow host range that may exclude many of the pest species found on a given crop. Genetic engineering has been used successfully to improve the speed of kill of baculovirus insecticides (Harrison and Bonning, 2000a; van Beek and Hughes, 1998). The baculovirus Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) optimized by genetic engineering for improved insecticidal efficacy has shown performance under field conditions comparable to that of classical chemical insecticides (Black et al., 1997; Treacy, 1997; Treacy et al., 2000; DuPont, 1996).
Rethinking pedagogy: using multi-user virtual environments to foster authentic science learning

Science as it is portrayed in the typical K-12 classroom bears little resemblance to science as practiced by scientists, relying heavily on presentational pedagogies. To counter this, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Research Council, and the National Science Teachers Association have all called for a stronger emphasis on having students perform scientific inquiry in the classroom. Yet this has proven challenging to do. How can schools replicate authentic science experiences in the classroom? This paper reports on the benefits of using Multi-user Virtual Environments to create authentic science experiences for middle-school students that allow them to engage in the processes of scientists. Our research indicates that low self-efficacy students and those with poor initial knowledge do as well as those with average self-efficacy and better than those learning with more traditional inquiry pedagogies. High self-efficacy students, however, do better with the traditional inquiry methods.
Economics 2001: A Carpenter's Odyseey

This article offers a neutral, positive interpretation of the role of economists and of law and economic analysis. It describes the roots of economics as lying in the identification and analysis of the interaction among variables rather than wealth maximization. The theoretical mathematical equations of economists serve not only to identify the theoretical relationships among various factors influencing behavior (in the law and economics context) but also force economists to identify and account for all of the factors likely to influence behavior. The statistical equations of quantitative analysts also force economists to identify and account for the factors relevant to decision making or to predicting the outcome of public policy. These approaches combined with the limited philosophical and psychological training of economists may bias the practice of economics away from things that cannot be measured. They do not, however, inherently bias economic analysis in favor of efficiency analysis, in favor of maximizing wealth. As an alternative to the conventional "wealth-maximizing" view of law and economics, this article presents a "carpenter's discourse" which is intended merely to draw attention to the fact that the fundamental characteristic of economic analysis is not its ability to build only particular kinds of structures. Rather, it focuses attention on the ability of economists to apply a variety of assumptions to their predictive task. The strength of economic analysis is properly tested by its ability to design legal structures to reach a variety of goals. The article concludes that, after reconstruction of law and economics as a tool available to a broader political and social agenda, the critique of law and economics will be more useful.
Innate immune responses to gut microbiota differ between oceanic and freshwater threespine stickleback populations

Animal hosts must co-exist with beneficial microbes while simultaneously being able to mount rapid, non-specific, innate immune responses to pathogenic microbes. How this balance is achieved is not fully understood, and disruption of this relationship can lead to disease. Excessive inflammatory responses to resident microbes are characteristic of certain gastrointestinal pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune dysregulation of IBD has complex genetic underpinnings that cannot be fully recapitulated with single-gene-knockout models. A deeper understanding of the genetic regulation of innate immune responses to resident microbes requires the ability to measure immune responses in the presence and absence of the microbiota using vertebrate models with complex genetic variation. Here, we describe a new gnotobiotic vertebrate model to explore the natural genetic variation that contributes to differences in innate immune responses to microbiota. Threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, has been used to study the developmental genetics of complex traits during the repeated evolution from ancestral oceanic to derived freshwater forms. We established methods to rear germ-free stickleback larvae and gnotobiotic animals monoassociated with single bacterial isolates. We characterized the innate immune response of these fish to resident gut microbes by quantifying the neutrophil cells in conventionally reared monoassociated or germ-free stickleback from both oceanic and freshwater populations grown in a common intermediate salinity environment. We found that oceanic and freshwater fish in the wild and in the laboratory share many intestinal microbial community members. However, oceanic fish mount a strong immune response to residential microbiota, whereas freshwater fish frequently do not. A strong innate immune response was uniformly observed across oceanic families, but this response varied among families of freshwater fish. The gnotobiotic stickleback model that we have developed therefore provides a platform for future studies mapping the natural genetic basis of the variation in immune response to microbes.
Aspergillus longivesica, a new species from Nigerian soil.

A new species in the Aspergillus clavatus group, A. longivesica Huang & Raper, is described. Two isolates of this fungus were obtained from Nigerian soil. It is characterized by blue-green heads, a...
NONRESOLVING ALVEOLAR INFILTRATES IN A 43-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

A 43-year-old woman presents with a 1-year history of intermittent nonproductive cough. What is the diagnosis and treatment?
Frozen-Dried Serum as a Medium Constituent for Tissue Cultures.

SummaryLyophiled serum, embryo juice and plasma when used together form excellent media for the growth of cardiac explants from white mice. They have the added advantage of forming a standardized medium for comparative experiments.