cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intradural Chordoma of Cerebellopontine Angle: Case Report and Review.

Background Chordomas are rare, notochord-derived neoplasms. Of these tumors, intradural chordomas are exceedingly rare. Most occur within the prepontine, parasellar, or other midline intradural locations. An intradural chordoma arising from the cerebellopontine angle has not been described previously. Case Report We describe the first case of an intradural chordoma originating from the left cerebellopontine angle resected over the course of 2 operations. Conclusions Intradural chordomas are rare and can arise anywhere in the posterior fossa. Lack of bony involvement on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are indicative of this pathology when there is also a lack of markers indicating the presence of more common cerebellopontine angle tumors. Treatment goals should include gross total resection and possible radiation therapy.
Stress-Related Mental Health Symptoms in Coast Guard: Incidence, Vulnerability, and Neurocognitive Performance.

U.S. Coast Guard (CG) personnel face occupational stressors (e.g., search and rescue) which compound daily life stressors encountered by civilians. However, the degree CG personnel express stress-related mental health symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is understudied as a military branch, and little is known concerning the interplay of vulnerabilities and neurocognitive outcomes in CG personnel. The current study addressed this knowledge gap, recruiting 241 active duty CG personnel (22% female) to assess mental health, personality, and neurocognitive function. Participants completed a battery of scales: PTSD Checklist with military and nonmilitary prompts to screen for PTSD, Psychological Health Questionnaire 8 for MDD, and scales for behaviorally inhibited (BI) temperament, and distressed (Type D) personality. Neurocognitive performance was assessed with the Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment battery. Cluster scoring yielded an overall rate of PTSD of 15% (95% CI: 11-20%) and 8% (95% CI: 3-9%) for MDD. Nonmilitary trauma was endorsed twice that of military trauma in those meeting criteria for PTSD. Individual vulnerabilities were predictive of stress-related mental health symptoms in active duty military personnel; specifically, BI temperament predicted PTSD whereas gender and Type D personality predicted MDD. Stress-related mental health symptoms were also associated with poorer reaction time and response inhibition. These results suggest rates of PTSD and MDD are comparable among CG personnel serving Boat Stations to those of larger military services after combat deployment. Further, vulnerabilities distinguished between PTSD and MDD, which have a high degree of co-occurrence in military samples. To what degree stress-related mental healthy symptoms and attendant neurocognitive deficits affect operational effectiveness remains unknown and warrant future study.
A Qualitative Toolkit for Institutional Research.

This chapter provides tools, resources, and examples for engaging qualitative inquiry as a part of institutional research and assessment. It supports the development of individual ability and organizational intelligence in qualitative inquiry.
Deep lateral wall orbital decompression following strabismus surgery in patients with Type II ophthalmic Graves' disease.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Surgical management of ophthalmic Graves’ disease traditionally involves, in order, orbital decompression, followed by strabismus surgery and eyelid surgery. Nunery et al. previous...
Harris and Chomsky at the Syntax-Semantics Boundary

Both Harris and Chomsky formulate questions about language structure in terms of algebraically formalizable tools of description, e.g. transformations. Harris and Chomsky differ on specifying the goals of research and in defining transformations. In Harris’ system, a transformation relates one surface string with another under certain conditions of paraphrase and cooccurrence. In Chomsky’s system, a generative transformation applies to abstract structures that often bear no close resemblance to actual surface strings. In Harris’ system ‘Does T x change meaning?’ is a focal point of research, and the question ‘Which aspect of the syntactic structure correlates with which aspect of the semantic interpretation?’ makes no sense. In Chomsky’s system, however, the latter question is the focal point of research, while the former makes no sense. It is shown that one can impose an interpretation on the meaningless questions and force an answer, that is, one can use Harrisian ideas to formulate problems in Chomsky’s system and Chomsky’s ideas to formulate questions in Harris’ system. The answers to the forced questions are misleading. An example of a generative grammar with a surface structure interpretive rule is presented to assign readings to sentences containing the elements either/or and not. The conclusion discusses the sense in which Syntactic Structures offered a new conception of explanation in linguistics.
Library Portals and an Evolving Information Legacy

Many authors report uncertainties over the expression Web portal, but nowhere are these more understandable than with library applications. On one hand, the phase library portal is a tautology. In keeping with the traditional role of a doorway to knowledge, much of the library’s Web presence is characterized by portal functions and their continuing role as “trusted” information resources. On the other hand, the library as metaphor appears prominently in the literature of Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL and other modern innovators to explain their new technologies for personalized information services. Whatever the semantic or construction variations, library portals have emerged as a major presence on the information highway. As presented in the following snapshot from early 2006, this phenomenon is best understood within the context of a historical chain of development—but a chain that is likely to continue to evolve for the foreseeable future.
The Development of Male- and Female-Specific Sexual Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Alfred Sturtevant, one of the fathers of modem genetics, was the first to describe the complex courtship ritual that males from the common pomace fly species Drosophila melanogaster (then called Drosophila ampelophila) perform in response to conspecific females. In his 1915 paper, Sturtevant showed that the courtship behaviors are male-specific, in the sense that females do not perform them. In addition, he noted that the ability to elicit vigorous, prolonged courtship from males (“sex appeal”) is, for the most part, a female-specific characteristic.
The Impact of a Rural Training Track on Medical Students Specialty Choice.

BACKGROUND Compare the expectations and outcomes of students involved in rural medical training versus those of urban trainees. METHODS Survey items relating to primary care interest were added to program evaluation surveys already being sent at the beginning and end of the primary clinical year. Students from the graduating class of 2016 and the class of 2017 responded to the surveys (N=115). Responses from students trained in rural sites were compared with students trained in medium or large communities. For the purposes of the survey, primary care was not specifically defined and was open to participants' interpretation. Primary care is commonly thought of as the medical care from the doctor who sees a patient first and provides treatment or decides the other specialist care that the patient may need. Primary care specialties can include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology. RESULTS Most students enter their primary clinical year undecided about specialty choice and preferred practice location. At the end of the primary clinical year, most students have decided on a specialty and most report wanting to practice in communities similar to where they trained during that year. Before the primary clinical year student attitudes toward primary care are not significantly different based on selected training site. However at the end of the primary clinical year, students who had been trained in small communities were significantly more likely to choose primary care compared with students trained in medium to large communities. CONCLUSIONS For students who begin the primary clinical year undecided regarding specialty choice, and practice location, the community size of the training site plays a large role in the decisions they will make. A majority of students trained in small communities chose to go into primary care and practice in small communities.
Secondary Discitis Masquerading as Treatment Failure of Primary Discitis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT Background: Vertebral osteomyelitis often presents with localized back pain at the site of infection and elevated inflammatory markers. It can generally be treated conservatively with antibiotics targeted at the causative microorganism, but failure of medical treatment often necessitates surgical debridement. There are no reports in the literature that describe a secondary infection masquerading as treatment failure of the primary infection. Methods: We present a case of a 29-year-old male with a history of intravenous drug abuse who was treated with antibiotics for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus T6–7 discitis/osteomyelitis. The patient later returned with worsened back pain and was initially thought to have experienced failure of medical therapy, but instead was found to have a secondary discitis at a different level, with biopsy-proven different microorganism (Enterobacter cloacae). Conclusions: This case illustrates the possibility of secondary discitis masquerading as treatment failure of the primary discitis. Repeat imaging and biopsy of the new lesion avoided a surgical procedure in this patient.
Spectrally Selective Detection with In 2 O 3 /n-Si Radial Heterojunction Nanowire Photodiodes

We demonstrated radial heterojunction nanowire photodiodes consisting of an In 2 O 3 -shell/Si-core structure using conformal coating of an In 2 O 3 layer on n-Si nanowires. We achieve selective spectral response from 400 to 700 nm by tuning the nanowire diameter. © 2019 The Author(s)
Perhaps We Need Just to Say Yes.

Each year I advise several college seniors working on long-term projects. Recently, one of the students with whom I worked was a young woman named Dana. In her senior year, Dana applied to a graduate program that focuses on feminist and gender issues. Her interest in this area had developed steadily over the last three and a half years, and she had spent a good deal of her last year as an undergraduate, working on a senior project devoted to exploring more closely the links between gender and discourse conventions. Based primarily on her own struggle with academic discourse, and on the work of people such as Carol Gilligan (1982), Jane Tompkins (1987), and Kathleen Weiler (1988), among others, she argued that women students have a difficult time writing academic discourse because of the roles women are expected to play in a society dominated by men. For her senior project, which she initially entitled "Interpersonal Processes in Academic Discourse Communities: Writing and Gender Connections" and which she later changed to "Writing My Body: Fighting Academic Discourse," Dana wrote four pieces. The first of these is a personal essay called "A Soldier of Fighting/Writing at Miami University," in which she uses a military metaphor to talk about academic discourse and the battleground of the academy. Her second piece, "This is Not a Pep Rally," is a more formal essay in which she outlines some of the feminist scholarship that supports her claim about the exclusivity of academic discourse, and the third piece is a collection of journal entries through which she expresses her anger with academic discourse. Her final piece is a literature review in which she discusses the works that influenced her thinking in her senior year. The first essay, the one in which she used the military metaphor to describe her own struggle with academic writing begins with a short verse:
External shocks and the real exchange rate: a simulation model for Egypt

In March 1990, the Government of Egypt (GOE) launched a comprehensive economic and social reform program (ERSAP) to strengthen Egypt's ongoing adjustment program. The reform program constituted a major break from the policies pursued in the past, and had the underlying objective of modernizing the country and improving living standards. While the program has scored many successes, many observers of the Egyptian economy believe that the real exchange rate (RE) is currently out of equilibrium;The RE prevailing in a country at any point in time is determined by two main factors: structural (e.g., external capital flows, changes in terms of trade, and commercial policy), and short run factors (macroeconomic policy in general). This study suggests and focuses on three of the structural factors that can affect the RE in Egypt. The first is the increase in the flow of foreign capital both public and private. The second is the commercial policy which is characterized by a high degree of protection for industry and can be traced back to the import substitution policy regime. The final factor is changes in terms of trade, especially for food imports. This study suggests that each of these factors has significantly contributed to the RE overvaluation in Egypt;The study uses a computable general equilibrium model (CGE) to study the impact of changes in structural factors on the RE trade flows, production and consumption in Egypt. The focus is on competitiveness and relative price effects. With their origin in microeconomic theory, CGE models are well prepared to study the impact of change in relative prices. The model is static, and the data base is a social accounting matrix for 1991/92, originally prepared by Lofgren (1995);The results of the simulations suggest that, in general, these structural factors, especially the increase in the flow of foreign capital and the commercial policy, could very well be responsible for the RE overvaluation in Egypt.
The latest advances in β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations for the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative pathogens is a significant threat to global health. β-Lactams (BL) are one of the safest and most-prescribed classes of antibiotics o...
Public charging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles: What is it worth?

Abstract Lack of charging infrastructure is an important barrier to the growth of the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market. Public charging infrastructure has tangible and intangible value, such as reducing range anxiety or building confidence in the future of the PEV market. Quantifying the value of public charging infrastructure can inform analysis of investment decisions and can help predict the impact of charging infrastructure on future PEV sales. Estimates of willingness to pay (WTP) based on stated preference surveys are limited by consumers’ lack of familiarity with PEVs. As an alternative, we focus on quantifying the tangible value of public PEV chargers in terms of their ability to displace gasoline use for PHEVs and to enable additional electric (e−) vehicle miles for BEVs, thereby mitigating the limitations of shorter range and longer recharging time. Simulation studies provide data that can be used to quantify e-miles enabled by public chargers and the value of additional e-miles can be inferred from econometric estimates of WTP for increased vehicle range. Functions are synthesized that estimate the WTP for public charging infrastructure by plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, conditional on vehicle range, annual vehicle travel, pre-existing charging infrastructure, energy prices, vehicle efficiency, and household income. A case study based on California’s public charging network in 2017 indicates that, to the purchaser of a new BEV with a 100-mile range and home recharging, existing public fast chargers are worth about $1500 for intraregional travel, and fast chargers along intercity routes are valued at over $6500.
Dispersal from Overwintering Sites, Action Thresholds for Blueberry Maggot Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae), and Factors That Can Influence Variation in Predicted Fruit Infestation Levels in Maine Wild Blueberry: Part i

Between 1996 and 2003 field studies were conducted in wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifoliumAiton (Ericales: Ericaceae) to determine action thresholds for the blueberry maggot fly, Rhagoletis mendax Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae). Thresholds were based upon cumulative fly trap captures on baited Pherocon AM traps. The cumulative numbers of R. mendax flies captured over time was a significant predictor of infested fruit levels (maggots/liter blueberries). Fifty percent of the variance in fruit infestation is explained by fly captures. Based upon this relationship, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has recommended action threshold of 10 cumulative fly captures/trap. However, this threshold is liberal in terms of risk as only 50% of the variance in fruit infestation is explained by fly captures. The dynamics of colonization rate and fly physiological status entering fruit-bearing fields might partially explain the variance in the action threshold. The majority of flies emerge from pruned fields or along forest scrub/shrub field edges, and it takes between 1 and 10 d (mean = 4.1 ± 0.9 d) for the populations to enter adjacent fruit-bearing fields. Flies dispersed from pruned fields at a decreasing rate the farther they dispersed.The rate of dispersal into fruit-bearing wild blueberry fields also depends upon the overwintering site quality. Sites with fruit exhibited both delayed colonization and lower colonization rates into fruit-bearing fields than adjacent pruned fields with no fruit. We also found that as the season progressed the proportion of flies capable of laying eggs varied greatly by location and year.
Importance of Wrist Movement Direction in Performing Activities of Daily Living Efficiently

The wrist is an essential component in performing the activities of daily living (ADLs) associated with a high quality of life. After a neurological disorder, motor function of the hand and wrist can be affected, reducing quality of life. Many experiments have illustrated that more wrist flexion/extension is required than radial/ulnar deviation when performing ADLs; however, how this result translates to efficiency in performing ADLs has not been investigated. Motivated by clinical assessment during neurorehabilitation, in this paper we investigate with able-bodied participants how performing tasks representative of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test are impacted when a splint constrains the user to a single rotational degree of freedom of the wrist. Twenty participants enrolled in the study, performing five tasks under five conditions, including constraint to pure flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation. The importance of wrist movement direction in performing ADLs efficiently found in this study could shape clinical wrist rehabilitation paradigms and wrist rehabilitation robot designs.
News Constructions of South Africa’s Trial of the Century: Identity Discourse in the Steenkamp Shooting and Pistorius Trial

Almost 20 years after South Africa’s formal transition to a democracy, South Africans of all races were consumed by the murder trial of former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who shot his girl...
Immunotherapy of High Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Introduction: Bladder cancer remains a prevalent and often lethal cancer. Fortunately, recent clinical trials using immunotherapeutics demonstrate promise to improve treatment outcomes. Several of ...
Preparing Undergraduate Students for Summer Research Experiences and Graduate School Applications in a Pandemic Environment: Development and Implementation of Online Modules

Engaging students in research is a high impact practice that improves student retention and persistence in behavioral and biomedical sciences and engineering. The California State University Long Beach (CSULB) Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Program offers an intensive research training experience to undergraduate students from a wide range of health-related disciplines. The goal of this program is to provide students with research skills, psychosocial resources, and graduate school application guidance that will make them competitive for Ph.D. programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the campus closure of many universities, including CSULB, our student training had to transition from in-person training to online training. This paper discusses the development and implementation of a series of eight online modules for guiding students through the application process for summer research experiences and graduate schools. Overall, the BUILD trainees were positive about the online modules. Specifically, they indicated that the modules were useful, informative, easy to access/use, good use of their time, and a good supplemental activity to their learning community activities. Most trainees indicated that they preferred the modules to be implemented in a hybrid format, where the students can view the modules on their own first and then have an opportunity to engage in in-person/synchronous online discussions.
The One-Two Punch of High Wages and Empowerment on CNA Retention:

Objectives:The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between high wages and empowerment practices on certified nursing assistant (CNA) retention, necessary for providing high-qual...
External Climate Change….. Internal Physiologic Evolution

Abstract To gain a full understanding of the relationship between climate change and physiology we must transcend the superficial Anthropic Principle, that we are ‘in’ this Universe, and enter the world of ‘Goldilocks’ who was seeking the ‘just right’ condition in the home of the three bears. What she was actually looking for was homeostasis, that balance that epitomizes all of Cosmology. It is the ‘equals’ sign in all balanced equations, whether it's physics, chemistry or biology. It represents the resolution of the Big Bang, which disrupted the Singularity thought to have pre-existed it, giving rise to asymmetries. We emulate that effort through Symbiogenesis - the assimilation of factors in the environment that have posed existential threats - as the means of evolution in response to climate change. Such a ‘true’ narrative is tantamount to gaining control of our runaway climate.
Blood Pressure Responses to Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity are Accentuated in Smokers

Smoking is a risk factor for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. It is unclear if the blood pressure (BP) response to sympathetic activity is altered in smokers. In this project, we exa...
Druckabfall und Wärmeübergang von Mehrkornschüttungen aus unregelmäßigen Partikeln Analogie für Impuls‐ und Wärmeaustausch

Da es schwierig ist, eine Mehrkornschuttung modellmasig exakt zu beschreiben, wird versucht, den Warmeubergang und den Widerstandsbeiwert nur in Abhangigkeit von eindeutig bestimmbaren Grosen, wie Stromungsgeschwindigkeit oder mittlerer Luckengrad sowie einer zu definierenden mittleren Korngrose, darzustellen. Es wird eine Analogie-Funktion fur die Colburn-Zahl und den Widerstandsbeiwert fur eine Reihe von Kornformen angegeben, mit deren Hilfe sich aus der Messung des Druckabfalles der Warmeubergang berechnen last.
Energy-Efficient Neuronal Computation via Quantal Synaptic Failures

Organisms evolve as compromises, and many of these compromises can be expressed in terms of energy efficiency. For example, a compromise between rate of information processing and the energy consumed might explain certain neurophysiological and neuroanatomical observations (e.g., average firing frequency and number of neurons). Using this perspective reveals that the randomness injected into neural processing by the statistical uncertainty of synaptic transmission optimizes one kind of information processing relative to energy use. A critical hypothesis and insight is that neuronal information processing is appropriately measured, first, by considering dendrosomatic summation as a Shannon-type channel (1948) and, second, by considering such uncertain synaptic transmission as part of the dendrosomatic computation rather than as part of axonal information transmission. Using such a model of neural computation and matching the information gathered by dendritic summation to the axonal information transmitted, H ( p *), conditions are defined that guarantee synaptic failures can improve the energetic efficiency of neurons. Further development provides a general expression relating optimal failure rate, f , to average firing rate, p* , and is consistent with physiologically observed values. The expression providing this relationship, f ≈ 4 −H(p*) , generalizes across activity levels and is independent of the number of inputs to a neuron.
Analysis of static simulated annealing algorithms

Generalized hill climbing (GHC) algorithms provide a framework for modeling local search algorithms to address intractable discrete optimization problems. This paper introduces a measure for determining the expected number of iterations to visit a predetermined objective function level, given that an inferior objective function level has been reached in a finite number of iterations. A variation of simulated annealing (SA), termed static simulated annealing (S2A), is analyzed using this measure. S2A uses a fixed cooling schedule during the algorithm execution. Though S2A is probably nonconvergent, its finite-time performance can be assessed using the finite-time performance measure defined in this paper.
Inhibition of chronic ulcerative colitis-associated carcinogenesis in mice by inositol compounds

2471 Long-standing ulcerative colitis (UC) is a typical chronic inflammatory disease associated with increased risk for colorectal carcinoma development. In order to develop the strategies for preventing UC-associated carcinogenesis, we tested the effects of inositol compounds [including inositol and hexaphosphate inositol] on UC-associated adenocarcinoma development in a mouse model established in our laboratory. Female C57BL/6 mice were subjected to long-term, cyclic dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment and fed 2-fold iron-enriched diet to induce chronic UC and UC-associated carcinogenesis. The inositol compounds were administered to the animals in the drinking fluid. In the DSS positive control group, colorectal adenocarcinoma incidence was 70.6% (24/34 mice) after 15 cycle DSS treatment (1 DSS cycle = 7 day DSS treatment period followed by 10 day recovery period). The tumor multiplicity was 1.26 ± 1.05, and tumor volume was 21.4 ± 5.2 mm3. With administration of 1% inositol, tumor incidence was statistically significantly inhibited (42%, 9 of 21 mice with tumor), as was tumor multiplicity (0.5 ± 0.7), and tumor volume (4.2 ± 1.9 mm3). Administration of hexaphosphate inositol markedly reduced tumor incidence (50%, 12 of 24 mice with tumor), tumor multiplicity (0.8 ± 0.9) and tumor volume (12.3 ± 4.1 mm3); however, they were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Further mechanistic studies using immunohistochemical approaches showed that inositol compounds significantly reduced macrophage activity, numbers, and its mediated nitrotyrosine formation in the colon. Inositol also showed significant inhibition of cell proliferation in both inflamed colonic mucosa and adjacent non-inflamed mucosa without affecting ulcer healing. These results indicate that inhibition of UC-associated carcinogenesis by inositol might relate to their function on the inhibition of macrophage-associated inflammation, nitro-oxidative stress, and cell proliferation in the process of inflammation and carcinogenesis. This study indicates that the inositol compounds may have a potential to serve as a preventive agent for inflammation and carcinogenesis. (supported by NIH 1R01CA104741-01A1 grant and research project grant RPG-00-034-01-CNE from the American Cancer Society and correspodence author: Guang-Yu Yang).
Methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) gene abundance correlates with activity measurements of methanogenic H2/CO2-enriched anaerobic biomass

Biologically produced methane (CH₄) from anaerobic digesters is a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, but digester failure can be a serious problem. Monitoring the microbial community within the digester could provide valuable information about process stability because this technology is dependent upon the metabolic processes of microorganisms. A healthy methanogenic community is critical for digester function and CH₄ production. Methanogens can be surveyed and monitored using genes and transcripts of mcrA, which encodes the α subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase - the enzyme that catalyses the final step in methanogenesis. Using clone libraries and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we compared the diversity and abundance of mcrA genes and transcripts in four different methanogenic hydrogen/CO₂ enrichment cultures to function, as measured by specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays using H₂ /CO₂ . The mcrA gene copy number significantly correlated with CH₄ production rates using H₂ /CO₂ , while correlations between mcrA transcript number and SMA were not significant. The DNA and cDNA clone libraries from all enrichments were distinctive but community diversity also did not correlate with SMA. Although hydrogenotrophic methanogens dominated these enrichments, the results indicate that this methodology should be applicable to monitoring other methanogenic communities in anaerobic digesters. Ultimately, this could lead to the engineering of digester microbial communities to produce more CH₄ for use as renewable fuel.
Evolutionary growth for Space Station Freedom electrical power system

The Space Station electrical power system is designed with the flexibility to accommodate emerging technologies and expert systems over an operational lifetime of 30 years and is being designed with the necessary software hooks and hardware scars to accommodate growth. The electrical power system is planned to grow from the initial 75 kW to 300 kW. The phase-I station will utilize photovoltaic arrays to produce the electrical power; however, for growth to 300 kW, solar dynamic power modules will be utilized. Pairs of 25 kW solar dynamic power modules will be added to the station to reach the higher power levels. The addition of solar dynamic power in the growth phase places constraints on the initial Space Station systems such as guidance navigation and control, external thermal factors, truss structural stiffness, computational capabilities and storage which must be taken into account in order to facilitate the addition of the solar dynamic modules. >
Effects of Surface-Bound Fe2+ on Nitrate Reduction and Transformation of Iron Oxide(s) in Zero-Valent Iron Systems at Near-Neutral pH

Nitrate reduction in an iron/nitrate/water system with or without an organic buffer was investigated using multiple batch reactors under strict anoxic conditions. Nitrate reduction was very limited (<10%) at near-neutral pH in the absence of the organic buffer. However, nitrate reduction was greatly enhanced if the system: (1) had a low initial pH (∼2–3) ; (2) was primed with adequate aqueous Fe2+ ; or (3) was in the presence of the organic buffer. In Cases (1) and (3), nitrate reduction usually was involved in three stages. The first stage was quick, and H+ ions directly participated in the corrosion of iron grains. The second stage was very slow due to the formation of amorphous oxides on the surface of iron grains, while the third stage was characterized by a rapid nitrate reduction concurrent with the disappearance of aqueous Fe2+ . Results indicate that reduction of nitrate by Fe0 will form magnetite; Fe2+ (aq.) can accelerate reduction of nitrate and will be substoichiometrically consumed. Once nitr...
Airborne co2 measurements in the Arctic during spring 1983

A set of flask air samples collected from aircraft in March and April 1983 during the Arctic Gas and Aerosol Sampling Program has been analyzed for CO2 concentration. The results show CO2 variations of several ppm in the Arctic troposphere, and qualitative agreement with measurements made on air samples collected at the surface. The CO2 measurements together with air-mass characteristics determined during the flights show that CO2 concentrations in the Arctic result from mixing of polluted air transported into the Arctic from lower latitudes with cleaner air of maritime and continental origins. The CO2 concentration is found to increase or decrease with altitude which is probably dependent on the details of transport and the presence or absence of marine sources and/or sinks.
The Relationship between Precipitation and Lightning in Tropical Island Convection: A C-Band Polarimetric Radar Study

One of the primary scientific objectives of the Maritime Continent Thunderstorm Experiment was to study cloud electrification processes in tropical island convection, in particular, the coupling between ice phase precipitation and lightning production. To accomplish this goal, a C-band polarimetric radar was deployed in the Tropics (11.68S, 130.88E) for the first time, accompanied by a suite of lightning measurements. Using observations of the propagation-corrected horizontal reflectivity and differential reflectivity, along with specific differential phase, rain and ice masses were estimated during the entire life cycle of an electrically active tropical convective complex (known locally as Hector) over the Tiwi Islands on 28 November 1995. Hector’s precipitation structure as inferred from these raw and derived radar fields was then compared in time and space to the measured surface electric field, cloud-to-ground (CG) and total lightning flash rates, and ground strike locations. During Hector’s developing stage, precipitating convective cells along island sea breezes were dominated by warm rain processes. No significant electric fields or lightning were associated with this stage of Hector, despite substantial rainfall rates. Aided by gust front forcing, a cumulus merger process resulted in larger, taller, and more intense convective complexes that were dominated by mixed-phase precipitation processes. During the mature phase of Hector, lightning and the surface electric field were strongly correlated to the mixed phase ice mass and rainfall. Merged convective complexes produced 97% of the rainfall and mixed-phase ice mass and 100% of the CG lightning. As Hector dissipated, lightning activity rapidly ceased. As evidenced from the multiparameter radar observations, the multicell nature of Hector resulted in the continuous lofting of supercooled drops to temperatures between 2108 and 2208C in discrete updraft cores during both the early and mature phases. The freezing of these drops provided instantaneous precipitation-sized ice particles that may have subsequently rimed and participated in thunderstorm electrification via the noninductive charging mechanism.
Testis sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection guided by prior fine-needle aspiration mapping in patients with nonobstructive azoospermia

Abstract Objective: To evaluate intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in a cohort of men with nonobstructive azoospermia who underwent prior fine-needle aspiration (FNA) "maps" to localize sperm and guide testis sperm extraction (TESE). Design: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: University-based infertility practice. Patient(s): A consecutive cohort of 19 infertile, azoospermic men. Intervention(s): Couples underwent IVF-ET in which TESE procedures were informed and directed by prior FNA maps of the testis. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sperm retrieval and pregnancy rates. Result(s): In 21 IVF-ET and ICSI cycles, sufficient sperm for all oocytes were retrieved in 20 TESE attempts (95%). A mean of 3.1 biopsies per patient were required, with an average size of 72 mg. Mean operative time for the TESE procedure was 88 minutes. Overall, the two-pronuclear fertilization rate was 66%; ongoing clinical pregnancies were obtained in 10 of 21 initiated cycles (48%). Conclusion(s): In an effort to reduce IVF-ET cancellation rates in cases of nonobstructive azoospermia, diagnostic testis FNA can define those patients who are good candidates for TESE. It also directs sperm retrieval and minimizes tissue removal from nonobstructed testes.
Abstract 4412: S1 and gossypol induce NOXA through increased reactive oxygen species or cytoplasmic calcium and sensitize to ABT-737.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC The upregulation of anti-apoptotic BCL2 family members enhances the survival of cancer cells, such as in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A class of inhibitors (termed BH3 mimetics) has been developed to inhibit BCL2 proteins and selectively kill cancer cells. These inhibitors function by occupying the groove through which BCL2 proteins interact with their binding partners. ABT-737 is a high affinity inhibitor of BCL2 and BCLXL, and navitoclax, which has a similar binding profile, has shown efficacy in clinical trials. However, resistance occurs when the cancer cells rely on additional BCL2 members, such as MCL1 or BFL1, which are not inhibited by ABT-737. Using leukemia cell lines, we compared several BH3 mimetics reported to inhibit multiple BCL2-family proteins (including MCL1 and BFL1), with the goal of enhancing the efficacy of ABT-737. We found that none of these compounds functioned as true BH3 mimetics. Instead, the compounds induced ER stress and upregulated the pro-apoptotic protein NOXA. Furthermore, two of these compounds, S1 and gossypol, sensitized leukemia cells to ABT-737 in a NOXA-dependent manner. NOXA induced by S1 or gossypol is dependent on increased reactive oxygen species or increased cytoplasmic calcium, respectively. We also tested these drug combinations in CLL cells ex vivo. S1 and gossypol combined with ABT-737 to selectively kill CLL cells but not normal lymphocytes. Interaction between CLL cells and stroma in patients promotes resistance to BCL2 inhibitors through the upregulation of MCL1 and BFL1. Co-incubation of CLL cells ex vivo with CD40 ligand-expressing stroma mimics the resistance to BCL2 inhibitors seen in patients. Importantly, this resistance was overcome when S1 or gossypol was combined with ABT-737. Our results show two novel mechanisms for upregulating NOXA and sensitizing leukemia cells to ABT-737. These combinations also kill CLL cells exposed to stroma, and may therefore target residual CLL cells in vivo, thus improving clinical outcome. Citation Format: Ryan S. Soderquist, Darcy J. P. Bates, Alan Eastman. S1 and gossypol induce NOXA through increased reactive oxygen species or cytoplasmic calcium and sensitize to ABT-737. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4412. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4412
Economic analysis of cotton-insect control in the Sudan Gezira

Abstract Changes in net returns from modifications in insecticide use are evaluated by estimation of three component models: a yield function, a cotton-quality relationship and an alternative pesticide use equation. Data from 41–99 production regions and 3 crop years are used to evaluate a shift from conventional insecticides to ground-applied aldicarb for late-season insect control. Analysis of multiple effects of insecticides reveals that net returns from aldicarb use in the short term are about 220%. This change in pesticide use has improved yields and increased cotton quality.
Intraabdominal hemorrhage with pulmonary large cell carcinoma metastatic to the ovary

Secondary tumors comprise nearly 10% of ovarian malignancies; however, metastatic cancers arising from the lung are uncommon, with fewer than 15 cases reported. A patient with pulmonary large cell carcinoma and ovarian metastases resulting in recurrent refractory intraabdominal hemorrhage is presented. Metastatic involvement of the ovary from pulmonary malignancy is reviewed.
Nonprofits and Park Provision in Los Angeles: An Exploration of the Rise of Governance Approaches to the Provision of Local Services*

Objectives. Park planning and development in the Los Angeles metropolitan area offer an opportunity to explore the assertion that “Western cities are now being managed, organized and governed in different ways” leading to a ‘new urban politics,” and the suggestion that urban regime theory captures cultural and civil societal influences and organizations in its descriptions of coalitions and their roles in promoting places. Methods. This article examines park provision in Los Angeles historically and in the contemporary period through interviews and current documents, as well as through newspaper articles and park bond proposition language. Results. The resulting analysis suggests that civil society organizations such as nonprofits act in quite similar ways to traditional urban regime business interests. Conclusions. Nonprofits should be examined for their roles in creating a new urban politics, including structures of governance. Additionally, in the environmental area, these organizations have become significant actors in determining land uses.
Cognitive manifestations of drinking–smoking associations: Preliminary findings with a cross-primed Stroop task

Background Despite tremendous growth in research examining the role of cognitive bias in addictive behaviors, scant consideration has been paid to the close association between smoking and drinking behavior. This study sought to determine whether an association between smoking and drinking could be observed at an implicit level using a novel cognitive bias task, as well as characterize the relationship between performance on this task and clinically relevant variables (i.e., heaviness of use/dependence).
A New Way to Mitigate Frost Heave Around Manholes

Frost heave of pavement around manholes in northern cities all over the world has been a costly problem ever since sanitary and storm sewers were installed. Freezing of frost-susceptible soil under...
Maternal phenylketonuria pregnancy outcome: a preliminary report of facial dysmorphology and major malformations.

It is clear from the preliminary data that major malformations, i.e. intrauterine growth retardation, microcephaly and cardiac defects, tend to decrease in frequency as the blood phenylalanine level drops, but not enough to suggest that phenylalanine levels of 600µmol/L are safe levels. The facial dysmorphic features may be used as a sensitive indicator that blood phenylalanine levels should be below 360µmol/L. It is hoped that at the end of the collaborative study more data will be available to suggest blood phenylalanine levels which will prevent the deleterious effects of maternal PKU syndrome.
Mantle flow tectonics: The influence of a ductile lower crust and implications for the formation of topographic uplands on Venus

The crust and mantle of Venus can be represented by a model of a layered structure stratified in both density and viscosity. This structure consists of a brittle-elastic upper crustal layer; a ductile weaker crustal layer; a strong upper mantle layer, about 10 percent denser than the crust; and a weaker substrate, representing the portion of the mantle in which convective flow occurs which is a primary source of large-scale topographic and tectonic features. This paper examines the interactions between these four layers and the mantle flow driven by thermal or compositional variations. Solutions are found for a flow driven by a buoyancy-force distribution within the mantle and by relief at the surface and crust-mantle boundary. It is shown that changes in crustal thickness are driven by vertical normal stresses due to mantle flow and by shear coupling of horizontal mantle flow into the crust.
Tamponade in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A clinical-echocardiographic diagnosis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of current echocardiographic criteria in detecting cardiac tamponade in the patient who has undergone cardiovascular surgery. Because the current echocardiographic criteria for tamponade were initially developed and studied predominantly in patients with medical problems, relatively less information is available in patients who have undergone cardiac surgery. Of 848 consecutive patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery, patients were selected for the study if they had clinical or hemodynamic deterioration and had undergone an echocardiogram just before a successful pericardiocentesis or a surgical evacuation of pericardial blood or clot. The echocardiograms were evaluated for evidence of chamber collapse, cardiac motion, Doppler flow variations, and the location and width of pericardial separation. Fourteen patients were identified who met the inclusion criteria (clinical or hemodynamic deterioration, recent echocardiogram, and successful intervention) for cardiac tamponade. The clinical and hemodynamic findings were hypotension (13 patients), low cardiac output (7), low urine output (3), cardiopulmonary arrest (1), elevated central venous pressure (1), and shortness of breath (1). In these patients current echocardiographic criteria were seen infrequently: chamber collapse in the right atrium (6 of 14 patients) and right ventricle (4 of 14); Doppler flow variation (2 of 5); and swinging heart (0 of 15), whereas increased pericardial separation (≥10 mm) was seen in all (14 of 14) the patients. Although the sensitivity of current echocardiographic criteria for tamponade was not high (0% to 43%), the sensitivity of a combined index (unexplained clinical or hemodynamic deterioration and pericardial echo separation width ≥10 mm) was high (100%) in this group of patients who had undergone surgery. In this study standard echocardiographic criteria were found to be relatively unreliable in detecting cardiac tamponade in patients who had undergone cardiac surgery. However, the presence of ≥10 mm of pericardial separation (fluid/clot) and unexplained clinical or hemodynamic deterioration appeared to be sensitive in detecting tamponade.
Large-scale chromatin structural domains within mitotic and interphase chromosomes in vivo and in vitro.

Higher-order chromatin structural domains approximately 130 nm in width are observed as prominent components of both Drosophila melanogaster and human mitotic chromosomes using buffer conditions which preserve chromosome morphology as determined by light microscopic comparison with chromosomes within living cells. Spatially discrete chromatin structural domains of similar size also exist as prominent components within interphase nuclei prepared under equivalent conditions. Examination of chromosomes during the anaphase-telophase transition suggests that chromosomes decondense largely through the progressive straightening or uncoiling of these large-scale chromatin domains. A quantitative analysis of the size distribution of these higher-order domains in telophase nuclei indicated a mean width of 126±36 nm. Three-dimensional views using stereopairs of chromosomes and interphase nuclei from 0.5 μm thick sections suggest that these large-scale chromatin domains consist of 30 nm fibers packed by tight folding into larger, linear, fiber-like elements. Reduction in vitro of either polyamine or divalent cation concentrations within two different buffer systems results in a loss of these large-scale domains, with no higher-order chromatin organization evident above the 20–30 nm fiber. Under these conditions the DNA distribution within mitotic chromosomes and interphase nuclei appears significantly diffuse relative to the appearance by light microscopy within living cells, or, by electron microscopy, within cells fixed directly without permeabilization in buffer. These results suggest that these large-scale chromatin structural domains are fundamental elements of chromosome architecture in vivo.