cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vasectomy: A simple snip?

Vasectomy is one of the most common forms of permanent sterilization methods currently in use and has a failure rate of <1% in most reported series. Since failure of vasectomy may result in pregnancy, adequate counseling is essential. Couples are advised that an analysis of a semen specimen after vasectomy is required to confirm success before the use of alternative contraception is abandoned. However, measuring the success of vasectomy is complicated by a lack of consistency with regards to both the number and timing of tests and the end points accepted. Materials and Methods: A Medline search was used to identify manuscripts dealing with vasectomy, with specific attempts to identify protocols designed to confirm sterility. Results and Conclusion: Vasectomy is one of the most reliable permanent methods of contraception. However, despite its popularity, certain issues pertaining to the procedure remain unresolved. Debate continues over the relative merits of the various techniques of isolating and sealing the vasal ends. Postoperative complication rates remain minimal regardless of the technique used, and no single strategy attempting to maximize patient compliance with postoperative semen analysis has enjoyed unmitigated success. Long-term consequences, other than regret, are rare.
Combinatorial Test Generation for Software Product Lines Using Minimum Invalid Tuples

A software product line is a set of software systems that share some common features. Several recent works have been reported that apply combinatorial testing, a very effective testing strategy, to software product lines. A unique challenge in these efforts is dealing with a potentially large number of constraints among different features. In this paper, we propose a novel constraint-handling strategy that uses minimum invalid tuples (MITs) as an alternative to traditional constraint solvers. Our approach systematically derives all MITs from a software product line, and uses them to quickly determine the validity of a test configuration during test generation. We implemented a test generation research tool called LOOKUP that integrates the proposed constraint-handling strategy with a general test generation algorithm called IPOG-C. Experimental results show that LOOKUP performs considerably better than two existing test generation tools in terms of test size and execution time.
Pyrolysis GC/FID/FT-IR, pyrolysis GC/MS, and FT-IR studies of pore water extracts derived from peat samples differing in depositional environments

Abstract Pore water extract samples derived from six peat types differing in depositional environment were characterized using pyrolysis GC/FID/FT-IR, pyrolysis GC/MS, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Pyrolysis GC/FID/FT-IR analysis revealed many by-products resulting from the thermal degradation of the major constituents of plant material: cellulose and lignin. Comparison of the pyrolysis chromatograms showed large variations in the chemical compositions of the pyrolysis products from sample to sample. Results of the FT-IR analysis revealed major differences around 100 cm −1 (CO stretch region) and betwenn 1500 and 1800 cm −1 (CC and CC stretch region). These two regions have previously been identified as representing cellulose and lignin, respectively. The six different extracts are compared based on their resulting FT-IR spectra and pyrolysis chromatograms. Similarities and differences are emphasized along with any conclusions drawn based on these studies.
Ocean–atmosphere coupling: Mesoscale eddy effects

Interactions between the ocean and atmosphere are complex. An analysis of satellite data from the Southern Ocean reveals a tight coupling of ocean and atmosphere on horizontal scales of around 100 km that modifies both near-surface winds and ocean circulation.
A Serine-to-Threonine Substitution in the Triazine Herbicide-Binding Protein in Potato Cells Results in Atrazine Resistance without Impairing Productivity

A mutation of the psbA gene was identified in photoautotrophic potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv Superior x U.S. Department of Agriculture line 66–142) cells selected for resistance to 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N[prime]-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (atrazine). Photoaffinity labeling with 6-azido-N-ethyl-N[prime]-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine detected a thylakoid membrane protein with a Mr of 32,000 in susceptible, but not in resistant, cells. This protein was identified as the secondary quinone acceptor of photosystem II (QB) protein. Atrazine resistance in selected cells was attributable to a mutation from AGT (serine) to ACT (threonine) in codon 264 of the psbA gene that encodes the QB protein. Although the mutant cells exhibited extreme levels of resistance to atrazine, no concomitant reductions in photosynthetic electron transport or cell growth rates compared to the unselected cells were detected. This is in contrast with the losses in productivity observed in atrazine-resistant mutants that contain a glycine-264 alteration.
Undergraduate Psychology Practica Pragmatism.

Some practical advice is presented from two psychologists who have supervised practica and solved some of the problems.
The role of soil resources in an exotic tree invasion in Texas coastal prairie.

Summary 1 Variation in resource requirements among plant species may cause changes in community composition when resource supply rates vary. Because exotic plants may differ in their requirements compared with native plants, changes in resource levels or ratios may change their invasive potential. The concentration hypothesis, nutrient balance hypothesis and resource ratio hypothesis make different predictions regarding the effects of nutrient additions on plant communities and the success of invaders. 2 We investigated these hypotheses using Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum), which is an aggressive invader of grasslands in the southern USA. Soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were manipulated in a full factorial field experiment in a Texas coastal prairie. 3 Survival of Sapium seedlings over three growing seasons was independent of all three types of nutrient additions, alone or in any combination. Adding nitrogen or potassium increased the mass and height of Sapium seedlings. Adding phosphorus increased the mass and height of Sapium seedlings only when nitrogen was also added. These results support the nutrient balance hypothesis, which assumes that higher tissue concentrations of a nutrient reflect a greater ability of a plant species to take up and/or conserve that nutrient. 4 The above-ground biomass of background prairie vegetation was independent of the addition of each type of nutrient alone or in any combination. However, the functional composition of the community shifted from graminoids to forbs with the addition of nitrogen and from graminoids to woody plants with the addition of phosphorus. These results support the concentration hypothesis, which assumes that higher tissue concentrations of a nutrient reflect a greater requirement for that nutrient. The contrasting responses of native woody vegetation and Sapium to phosphorus addition suggest that Sapium may have unusually low demands for phosphorus relative to nitrogen for a woody plant in this community. 5 These results show that potassium or nitrogen addition, perhaps in combination with phosphorus addition, has the potential to accelerate the invasion of Sapium into Texas coastal prairies. Because anthropogenic nutrient additions are common in grasslands worldwide, this may help to explain the frequent success of woody species invading grasslands.
Treatment of dyslipidemia: Genetic interactions with diet and drug therapy

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is multifactorial, and its manifestation is determined by multiple gene loci and their interaction with a cohort of environmental factors. Variation at several candidate gene loci has already been shown to have a significant effect over the spectrum of plasma lipid levels observed in the population. Moreover, some variants are known to influence the interindividual variability in response to dietary and pharmacologic interventions aimed to reduce atherogenic lipoproteins. The continuous progress in this area of research is getting us closer to the development of genetic screening panels that will allow a more precise assessment of individual CHD risk and response to therapeutic interventions.
An Econometric Estimation of Market Growth for the U.S. Processed Catfish Industry

Inadequate information pertaining to the growth potential of the US. processed catfish industry has been a major factor leading to cyclical periods of excess supply or demand resulting in misal-location of resources and price instability. Better information for industry planners (e.g., producers, processors, government regulatory agencies, and university researchers) on future sales potential would assist in decreasing the misuse of resources. An econometric model of wholesale demand for US. processed catfish was developed to provide estimates of future sales under various scenarios. In addition to the standard variables included in models of demand for food items—price, income, and population—the effects of product life cycle and industry-sponsored generic advertising are quantitatively incorporated. Seasonality of demand and rigidities in marketing and consumer behavior are additional considerations explicitly modeled via monthly dummy variables and a Ner-lovian partial adjustment mechanism, respectively. Model results indicate the impact of alternative future price scenarios on wholesale processed caffish sales. At the mean real wholesale price of $1.60 (December 1988 dollars) for whole-dressed caffish and a real generic advertising expenditure of one million dollars postulated for 1995, projected aggregate sales are 219.2 million pounds, a 23% increase over 1989 sales. Projected 1995 wholesale sales are very sensitive to price with alternative price postulations of $1.40 and $1.80 resulting in projected sales of 252.3 and 193.6 million processed pounds, respectively. An estimated 7% average increase in wholesale sales of catfish was attributed to the industry-sponsored generic advertising campaign. Model projection estimates and impacts are posed as a quantitative source of information to be used with other information in resource allocation issues faced by industry decision makers.
Impairment of voluntary control of finger motion following stroke: role of inappropriate muscle coactivation.

Subjects with chronic hemiplegia following stroke attempted to perform voluntary isometric, isokinetic, and free contractions of the extensor muscles of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. We recorded torque, metacarpophalangeal joint angle and velocity, and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the extrinsic extensors and flexors and the first dorsal interosseous (FDI). We found that voluntary MCP joint extension in hemiparetic subjects was greatly impaired in comparison with control subjects: only two of the 11 stroke subjects were able to generate even 0.21 N-m of isometric extension torque, only two could produce positive finger extension with no load, and none could develop an isokinetic concentric extension. Deficits seemed to result from a combination of coactivation of the finger flexor and extensor muscles and decreased voluntary excitation of the extensors, as normalized flexor and FDI EMG activity were greater for stroke than for control subjects (P < 0.001), but normalized extensor activity was reduced (P < 0.001).
Central and Peripheral Neurite Outgrowth Differs in Preference for Heparin-Binding versus Integrin-Binding Sequences

Neurons of the CNS and PNS differ in their response to fibronectin (FN) and proteolytic fragments of FN. The 33 kDa C-terminal cell and heparin- binding fragment of FN, in particular, is a strong promoter of CNS neurite outgrowth. To define further the neurite-promoting activity of the 33 kDa fragment, and to investigate further the differences between PNS and CNS responses to FN and the 33 kDa fragment, we contrasted neurite outgrowth by CNS and PNS neurons on three synthetic peptides representing sequences from this fragment of FN: two heparin-binding peptides, FN-C/H I and FN-C/H II (McCarthy et al., 1990), and an integrin-binding peptide, CS1 (Humphries et al., 1987). Spinal cord (SC) neurons, from the CNS, differed from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, from the PNS, with respect to substratum preference for heparin-binding versus integrin-binding peptides. SC neurite outgrowth was greatest on the heparin-binding peptide FN-C/H II, while DRG neurite outgrowth was greatest on the a4 beta 1 integrin-binding peptide CS1. To test whether the difference in substratum preference was due to differences in the molecular mechanism by which SC and DRG neurons interact with the 33 kDa fragment of FN, anti-beta 1 integrin antibodies and/or soluble heparin were added to the cultures as potential inhibitors of integrin-mediated or proteoglycan-mediated interactions with FN. SC neurite outgrowth was much more sensitive to the effect of heparin than anti-beta 1 integrin, indicating SC neurite outgrowth may involve predominantly a heparin-sensitive mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Modulation study for beam steerable reflectarray antennas

The reflectarray antenna is a power-efficient antenna but with an inherent intersymbol interference (ISI) problem with digital modulations. The composite signal model of a reflectarray is established. The ISI is characterized by the signal components delays. The feed-to-element distance and the element-to-observation distance contribute to the total delay, with the latter having the major effect. The effect of typical phase shifters' phase errors is analyzed and evaluated. Simulations are performed. The analytical and simulation results for an example reflectarray at f/sub c/ = 26.5 GHz and bit rate of 1.325 Gbps show that the BER degradation due to ISI is proportional to the symbol rate and the loss ranges from less than 1 dB to around 2 dB in E/sub b//N/sub o/, depending on original E/sub b//N/sub o/, for BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM. The phase error effect is negligible for lower order modulations and is unacceptable for higher order modulations such as 64 and 256QAM.
The Simplex Algorithm

An algorithm is (roughly) a computational procedure or a sequence of instructions for solving a mathematical problem. The simplex algorithm, which we henceforth designate by SIMPLEX, is a pivoting algorithm for solving LP problems of a certain type. The procedure was invented by George B. Dantzig in 1947 and has since been extremely and increasingly useful. Indeed, virtually all practical LP problems are solved by SIMPLEX or some variation thereof. The main purposes of this chapter are to define the type of problem to which SIMPLEX is directly applicable, to set forth the steps of the algorithm, and to explain the underlying theory.
Implantable Gastric Stimulator Does Not Prevent the Increase in Plasma Ghrelin Levels That Occurs With Weight Loss

The SHAPE (Screened Health Assessment and Pacer Evaluation) trial was a 24 month randomized multicenter placebo-controlled study to determine the efficacy of an implantable gastric stimulator (IGS) for weight loss. This report is an investigator-initiated sub-study at one site designed to assess whether IGS affects plasma levels of ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY). The device was implanted in all subjects but was activated in the Treatment group (n = 7, BMI = 41.5 ± 2.0 kg/m2) and remained inactive in the Control (n = 6, BMI = 39.5 ± 1.7 kg/m2) during the first 12 months. IGS was activated in both groups during months 12–24. Fasting venous blood was drawn at months 0, 12, and 24 and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at month 12. Although there was no difference in weight loss at 6 months (Control: −6.6 ± 1.5% vs. Treatment: −6.2 ± 1.4%), at 24 months the Control group exhibited weight gain from baseline (+2.2 ± 1.5%) that was significantly different from the weight loss in the Treatment group (−1.9 ± 1.4%; P < 0.05). At 12 months, fasting ghrelin was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the Treatment group (285 ± 35 to 336 ± 35 pg/ml; weight change, −4.9 ± 1.4%), but not in the Control (211 ± 36 to 208 ± 35 pg/ml; weight change, −3.4 ± 1.5%). No significant change was observed in postprandial suppression of plasma ghrelin or in fasting and postprandial PYY levels. In conclusion, IGS does not prevent the increase in fasting plasma ghrelin levels associated with weight loss. Further studies are needed to determine whether changes in technology can improve weight loss and maintenance, perhaps using gut hormones as biomarkers of possible efficacy.
The transurethral resection syndrome: an unusual complication of posterior urethral valve ablation.

A male prenatally diagnosed with posterior urethral valves and bilateral hydronephrosis was born elsewhere at 38 4⁄7 weeks of gestation. Voiding cystourethrography shortly after birth revealed posterior urethral valves with bilateral grade V reflux but no urinary extravasation. On day 1 of life creatinine was 0.8 mg./dl. (normal 0.6 to 1.1), while on day 2 preoperative serum electrolyte evaluation demonstrated sodium 141 mmol./l. (normal 135 to 145) and chloride 106 mmol./l. (normal 98 to 110). Transurethral valve ablation was performed on day 2 of life using water irrigation and a pediatric resectoscope. Operative time was 1 hour 15 minutes. A seizure occurred within 2 hours of the completion of this apparently uncomplicated procedure. Serum electrolyte evaluation at that time demonstrated sodium 113 mmol./l. and chloride 85 mmol./l. The neonate was treated intravenously with normal saline. During the next 2 days sodium slowly increased to 139 mmol./l. and creatinine to 2.8 mg./dl. Because of worsening renal function the newborn was transferred to our tertiary care facility. At presentation the abdomen was tense and scrotal swelling was evident. Abdom-
Use of generalized estimating equations in segregation analysis of continuous outcomes.

The use of generalized estimating equations (GEE) [Liang and Zeger, 1986] is explored as a potential alternative to maximum likelihood methods for segregation analysis of continuous phenotypes. We discuss the number of sample moments required by GEE to estimate parameters in simple major gene models, and the computational burden of the GEE methods applied to large pedigrees
Synergistic Activities of Macrolide Antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Alcaligenes xylosoxidans Isolated from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Azithromycin and clarithromycin were paired with other antibiotics to test synergistic activity against 300 multidrug-resistant pathogens isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Clarithromycin-tobramycin was most active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and inhibited 58% of strains. Azithromycin-trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, azithromycin-ceftazidime, and azithromycin-doxycycline or azithromycin-trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole inhibited 40, 20, and 22% of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cepacia complex, and Achromobacter (Alcaligenes) xylosoxidans strains, respectively.
Respiratory disease associated with community air pollution and a steel mill, Utah Valley.

This study assessed the association between hospital admissions and fine particulate pollution (PM10) in Utah Valley during the period April 1985-February 1988. This time period included the closure and reopening of the local steel mill, the primary source of PM10. An association between elevated PM10 levels and hospital admissions for pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis, and asthma was observed. During months when 24-hour PM10 levels exceeded 150 micrograms/m3, average admissions for children nearly tripled; in adults, the increase in admissions was 44 per cent. During months with mean PM10 levels greater than or equal to 50 micrograms/m3 average admissions for children and adults increased by 89 and 47 per cent, respectively. During the winter months when the steel mill was open, PM10 levels were nearly double the levels experienced during the winter months when the mill was closed. This occurred even though relatively stagnant air was experienced during the winter the mill was closed. Children's admissions...
Effect of pharyngeal water stimulation on esophageal peristalsis and bolus transport

Sensory stimuli originating from the pharynx inhibit esophageal peristalsis induced by a dry swallow. Our aims were to determine the effect of these stimuli on esophageal bolus transport and esophageal peristalsis induced by swallowing different volumes of liquid and semisolid boluses. We studied nine healthy volunteers age 35 +/- 4 yr in the supine position by intraluminal esophageal manometry as well as concurrent videofluoroscopy and manometry. In all subjects progression of peristalsis induced by swallowing of different volumes of water and mashed potato boluses was inhibited at all sites by pharyngeal water injection. Threshold volume for inhibition of the peristalsis induced by swallows of 5 and 10 ml of water was similar but significantly higher compared with dry swallows (P < 0.05). Pharyngeal water injection invariably halted transit of the barium boluses through the esophagus. Sensory impulses originating from the pharynx 1) inhibit esophageal bolus transit and 2) are capable of overcoming the facilitating effect of a liquid bolus on the swallowing apparatus. This phenomenon may explain the mechanism of some of the failed esophageal peristalsis observed in clinical practice.
Multiple sire mating in swine; evidence of natural selection for mating efficiency

Evidence of natural selection for certain aspects of mating efficiency in swine are advanced based on preliminary studies with thirty-one sires, fiftyeight dams and their progeny. Selective fertilization was conclusively demonstrated. Variations in male and female mating behaviour were sufficiently large to indicate considerable non-randomness of mating frequency under the conditions of multiple sire mating (i.e. group exposure of dams to selected sires). The combined effects of the separate phenomena of selective fertilization and mating behaviour are discussed in relation to their evolutionary significance in animal breeding.
An interstrain difference in cholesterol synthesis in vitro in mice, dependent upon a difference in endogenous NADPH-generating capacity

Earlier experiments have shown that significantly more endogenously generated NADPH is available for reduc- tion of corticosterone in liver homogenates from C57BL/10 male mice than in those from the DBA/2 strain. To test the effect of this interstrain difference upon a representative NADPH-requiring biosynthetic pathway in vitro, the bio- synthesis of cholesterol from mevalonic acid was studied in homogenates of livers from the two strains of mice, with and without addition of an NADPH-generating system. The incor- poration of mevalonic acid into cholesterol in homogenates from the C57BL/10 strain is little affected by omission of the NADPH-generating system, but in the DBA/2 strain, addition of an NADPH-generating system is necessary to elevate the level of cholesterol synthesis to that of the C57BL/10 strain. Without this addition, the DBA/2 homogenate mainly pro- duces lanosterol and other precursors of cholesterol which re- quire NADPH for their further metabolism.
A High-Speed One-Dimensional Detector for Time-Resolved Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering: Design and Characterization

A high-speed one-dimensional detector for time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering has been designed and built for experiments at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory. This detector is made from a 500-μm thick by 150-mm diameter ultra-high-purity n-type silicon wafer. The electrodes, which are a series of concentric rings that are deposited in the wafer, integrate the scattered x-rays over the azimuthal angle and, thereby, produce a one-dimensional detector. This design yields 128 rings, which allows parallel processing of the signal from each ring. The readout electronics consist of transimpedance front-end amplifiers, one for each ring, followed by active pulse-shaping filters. The amplifier signals are digitized using 12-bit analog-to-digital converters, one per ring, which operate at 20 MHz. The frame rate of the system is 271 kHz. Up to 220 - 1 scattering profiles may be stored on a random access memory chip and transferred to a data file at a rate of 16 × 103 profiles/sec. For X-ray energies between 3.5 and 13.2 keV the efficiency exceeds 80%. The resolving time of the electronics is 300 ns, which is sufficient to isolate electronically a single pulse of scattered x-rays when the synchrotron is operated in a hybrid or asymmetric fill pattern. Therefore, laser-pump/x-ray-probe experiments can be performed without a mechanical shutter. Examples of time-resolved speckle and the kinetics of the formation of sodium chloride particles are presented. This detector is capable of acquiring small-angle x-ray scattering profiles over multiple time scales, which are needed to characterize many chemical, physical, and biological processes. In addition, this detector may be tested and calibrated before experimental runs, without access to an intense beam of x-rays, with alpha particles from a radioactive source such as 241Am.
Pairwise Aggregation in Dilute Suspensions

Small spherical particles of different size and density dispersed in a Newtonian fluid settle relative to one another under the action of gravity. When the particles become close, they exert an attractive van der Waals force on each other, and doublets are formed when two particles come into contact as a result of this force. The rate at which doublets are formed is calculated using a trajectory analysis to follow the relative motion of pairs of particles. Matched asymptotic expansions are employed for weak van der Waals attractions, exploiting the simplification that the attractive force needs to be included only when the two spheres are sufficiently close together that lubrication theory applies.
Endocannabinoid Signaling Negatively Modulates Stress-Induced Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is critical for the adaptation and survival of animals upon exposure to stressful stimuli, and data suggest that endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling modulates neuroendocrine function. We have explored the role of eCB signaling in the modulation of stress-induced HPA axis activation. Administration of the CB1receptor antagonist/inverse agonist SR141716 (0.01, 0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg, ip) to male mice produced a small, dosedependent increase in the serum corticosterone (CORT) concentration. Despite this effect, the highest dose of SR141716 did not significantly increase neuronal activity within the paraventricularnucleusofthehypothalamus,asmeasuredby the induction of Fos protein. Similarly, exposure of mice to 30 min of restraint increased serum CORT concentrations, but did not produce a consistent, statistically significant increase in Fos expression within the PVN. However, pretreatment of mice with SR141716 before restraint stress robustly potentiated restraint-induced CORT release and Fos expression within the PVN. Pretreatment of mice with either the CB1 receptor agonist CP55940, the eCB transport inhibitor AM404, or the fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 significantly decreased or eliminated restraint-induced CORT release. Upon exposure to acute restraint, hypothalamic 2-arachidonylglycerol content was reduced compared with the control value; however, afte r5do frestraint exposure (which resulted in an attenuated CORT response), the hypothalamic 2-arachidonylglycerol content was increased compared with the control value. These data indicate that eCB signaling negatively modulates HPA axis function in a context-dependent manner and suggest that pharmacological augmentation of eCB signaling could serve as a novel approach to the treatment of anxiety-related disorders. (Endocrinology 145: 5431–5438, 2004)
Human Ethology Exchanging Cheetahs for Chevrolets

A study of the frequency of looking both ways before crossing a street revealed that both males and females tend to look both ways more often when accompanied by juveniles than when alone and that when males and females are together (with or without juveniles), males look both ways more often than do females. These findings are consistent with predictions for a primate that has evolved in savannah environments.
“What Has It Been Like for You to Talk With Me Today?”: The Impact of Participating in Interview Research on Rape Survivors

The purpose of this project was to conduct a qualitative study of how participating in in-depth interviews impacted rape survivors. These interviews contained both open-ended, free response section and closed-ended, standardized assessments. The implementation of the interviews was informed by principles of feminist interviewing, which emphasized reducing hierarchy between the interviewer and interviewee, providing information and resources, and creating an emotionally supportive and compassionate setting. Narrative data were analyzed from rape survivors (N = 92) regarding how they were affected by participating in these interviews. Results suggested that the overwhelming majority of survivors found the interview to be a helpful, supportive, and insightful experience. Additional analyses revealed that the feminist interviewing principles were noticed and appreciated by the participants and contributed to their overall positive participation outcomes.
L -Series Again

Let χ be a character of the idele classes C k (or equivalently, of J k ,vanishing on k*),that is a continuous homomorphism and assume in addition throughout this section that χ has finite period. Then the kernel H χ of χ is a closed subgroup of finite index, which is therefore open, and has a class field denoted by K χ.
STAT3 in CD8+ T Cells Inhibits Their Tumor Accumulation by Downregulating CXCR3/CXCL10 Axis.

One of the obstacles for cancer immunotherapy is the inefficiency of CD8+ T-cell recruitment to tumors. STAT3 has been shown to suppress CD8+ T-cell antitumor functions in various cancer models, in part by restricting accumulation of CD8+ T cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which STAT3 in CD8+ T cells inhibits their accumulation in tumors remains to be defined. Here, we show that STAT3 signaling in CD8+ T cells inhibits chemokine CXCL10 production by tumor-associated myeloid cells by reducing IFNγ expression by T cells. We further demonstrate that ablating STAT3 in T cells allows expression of CXCR3, the receptor of CXCL10, on CD8+ T cells, resulting in efficient accumulation of CD8+ T cells at tumor sites. Blocking IFNγ or CXCR3 impairs the accumulation of STAT3-deficient CD8+ T cells in tumor and their antitumor effects. Together, our study reveals a negative regulation by STAT3 signaling in T cells on cross-talk between myeloid cells and T cells through IFNγ/CXCR3/CXCL10, which is important for CD8+ T cells homing to tumors. Our results thus provide new insights applicable to cancer immunotherapy and adoptive T-cell strategies. Cancer Immunol Res; 3(8); 1–7. ©2015 AACR.
Regional Brain Activation during Concurrent Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning

We used event-related fMRI to identify the brain regions engaged during explicit and implicit sequence learning (ESL and ISL, respectively). Twenty-four subjects performed a concurrent ESL and ISL task. Behavior showed learning in both conditions. Prefrontal (PFC), striatal, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and visual regions (V1, V2 and V3) were engaged during both ESL and ISL. With ESL there was increased activity in the visual regions on the predictable (i.e. learned pattern) trials. With ISL, however, there was a relative decrease in activity in visual regions. The opposite patterns in the visual regions highlight the different effects of ESL and ISL. The learning process was distinguished from the result of learning, by fitting subjects’ functional magnetic resonance imaging data to their learning curve. This analysis revealed more extensive PFC activity during ESL and caudal ACC activity specific for the result of learning analysis, when the expected response was violated. Our results suggest a relative dissociation of the brain regions engaged during ESL and ISL, whereby ESL and ISL can be viewed as partially distinct but overlapping parallel processes.
Developing Effective Diabetes Programming for Black Men

The purpose of this study is to obtain feedback from 20 men on developing effective programming to reduce the impact of diabetes (t2dm) among Black men. Three focus groups were convened in Des Moines, Iowa. Men were recruited, all either diagnosed with t2dm (n = 10), pre-diabetic (n = 1), or experienced t2dm through family and friends (n = 9). The results highlighted themes related to t2dm knowledge, masculinity, and behavioral health; gender-centered diabetes management education; and family support and functioning. Men provided recommendations for program format and content, desirable facilitator characteristics, and whether to include spouses/partners, relatives, and friends. These results provide guidance and ideas to nurses wishing to enhance t2dm education and patient outcomes for Black men.
Bühler’s Axiomatic Project

In the third volume of his Philosophy of Symbolic Forms (1957), Ernst Cassirer wrote, “The significance which the problem of language has acquired in contemporary psychology and most particularly for its methodology may be most clearly followed in the writings of Karl Buhler” (Vol. 3:208 n3). Readers of the following monograph will soon see how Buhler combined reflection on methodological principles with phenomenological description, thus providing the monograph with a certain heuristic fertility and contentiousness from both a methodological and substantive point of view. The programmatic and abstract character of the essay is explained basically by the fact that it was oriented from the beginning toward inclusion in Sprachtheorie, Buhler’s most important work, which was devoted to establishing the contours of the representational as opposed to the expressive or appellative (conative) function of language, its capacity to represent and to communicate objects and states of affairs. Once again, Ernst Cassirer (1957), when detailing the gradual predominance of the representational function in linguistic development, noted: I use the term “representative function” (Darstellungsfunktion) in the same sense as Karl Buhler, whose works were not known to me when I treated the problem from the standpoint of the philosophy of language in the first volume of the present work . . . . This is all the more reason to mention here the fundamental agreement between the findings of a general analysis from the standpoint of the philosophy and history of language and of Buhler’s investigations, which are essentially oriented toward psychology and biology (1957, Vol. 3:208 n3)
Annual cycle of spermatogenesis and testis morphology in woodchucks.

Testes of woodchucks in central Pennsylvania were examined histologically to determine effects of season and age on morphology and spermatogenic activity. Spermatogenic activity and size of the seminiferous tubules were greatest in adults at the time of emergence from hibernation in February and least during autumn. Maturation depletion and a decline in mean testes weight were evident prior to the period of reproductive activity in March. Mean testes weight declined less rapidly than did tubule size and spermatogenic activity, apparently due to an increase in interstitial tissue as tubule size dimished. Mature spermatozoa were present in testes of some yearlings at the time of emergence from hibernation. However, most males probably mature sexually at 2 years of age. During each month through May, some yearlings tended to mature sexually more than others, as evidenced by active progression and degeneration of spermatogenesis in known-age animals.
Ultrasonographic Fetal Weight Estimation: Should Macrosomia-Specific Formulas Be Utilized?

OBJECTIVE This study aims to derive an estimated fetal weight (EFW) formula in macrosomic fetuses, compare its accuracy to the 1986 Hadlock IV formula, and assess whether including maternal diabetes (MDM) improves estimation. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of nonanomalous live-born singletons with birth weight (BWT) ≥ 4 kg and biometry within 14 days of birth. Formula accuracy included: (1) mean error (ME = EFW - BWT), (2) absolute mean error (AME = absolute value of [1]), and (3) mean percent error (MPE, [1]/BWT × 100%). Using loge BWT as the dependent variable, multivariable linear regression produced a macrosomic-specific formula in a "training" dataset which was verified by "validation" data. Formulas specific for MDM were also developed. RESULTS Out of the 403 pregnancies, birth gestational age was 39.5 ± 1.4 weeks, and median BWT was 4,240 g. The macrosomic formula from the training data (n = 201) had associated ME = 54 ± 284 g, AME = 234 ± 167 g, and MPE = 1.6 ± 6.2%; evaluation in the validation dataset (n = 202) showed similar errors. The Hadlock formula had associated ME = -369 ± 422 g, AME = 451 ± 332 g, MPE = -8.3 ± 9.3% (all p < 0.0001). Diabetes-specific formula errors were similar to the macrosomic formula errors (all p = NS). CONCLUSIONS With BWT ≥ 4 kg, the macrosomic formula was significantly more accurate than Hadlock IV, which systematically underestimates fetal/BWT. Diabetes-specific formulas did not improve accuracy. A specific formula should be considered when macrosomia is suspected.
Social genomics: genomic inventions in society. The nature of what's to come.

This paper identifies several kinds of intellectual mistakes that proponents of genetic engineering make, in defending their views and characterizing the views of their opponents. Results from research in the social sciences and humanities illuminate the nature of these mistakes. The mistakes themselves play a role in allowing proponents to gather support from other protagonists in the social controversies involving science and technology. Understanding the controversies requires understanding that innovations are components of complex and ill-structured social problems; the “right answer” does not follow from scientific or technological breakthroughs. If the problems are identified correctly, issues of non-economic or non-market values and political and individual rights will need to be addressed.
The Inspiration of Japanese Government-Led Financial Development Pattern on China's Financial Industry

Japanese financial development pattern made great contributions to the adjustment of industrial structure, which owe to its characteristic of "policy finance". This is mainly embodied in the following aspects: Japanese policy financial system can maintain a certain profit level and good ratings; it has sufficient capital source of fiscal investment and financing mechanisms and it's the main carrier of Japanese social financial resources optimal allocation. Japan's financial development pattern has important reference function on China, therefore, China should establish the guide mechanism of policy banks, coordinate the relationship between market orientation and policy guidance, and prepare universal operating system in order to promote economic development and industrial upgrading in China.
Decrease in cytochrome c oxidase reserve capacity diminishes robustness of Drosophila melanogaster and shortens lifespan

The phenotypic effects of under- and over-expression of CcO (cytochrome c oxidase) regulatory subunits IV and Vb were examined in Drosophila melanogaster in order to test further the hypothesis that suppression of the activities of mitochondrial ETC (electron-transport chain) oxidoreductases retards the aging process and extends lifespan. Underexpression of both CcO subunits, induced by RNAi, resulted in decreases in the respective mRNA and protein levels, CcO holoenzyme activity, rate of mitochondrial respiration, walking speed and the lifespan of fruitflies. Overexpression of CcO IV or Vb in young fruitflies increased the amount of mRNA, but had no effect on the protein level or CcO catalytic activity. On the other hand, in older fruitflies, overexpression of CcO Vb, but not CcO IV, elevated the mRNA and protein amounts as well as the CcO holoenzyme activity, thereby preventing the typical age-related decline in CcO activity. Nevertheless, lifespans of the fruitflies overexpressing CcO IV or Vb were neither extended nor shortened. Our results demonstrate that: (i) the suppression of CcO function exerts deleterious rather than benign effects on fitness and survival, and (ii) the structure/function of CcO, an ETC oxidoreductase, can be ‘re-engineered’ in vivo . Abbreviations: Arm, Armadillo; CcO, cytochrome c oxidase; Cu,Zn-SOD, copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase; Da, Daughterless; ETC, electron-transport chain; HEK, human embryonic kidney; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; Mn-SOD, manganese superoxide dismutase; rp49, ribosomal protein 49; Tub, tubulin; UAS, upstream activation sequence
Pediatric Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare disorder of the hepatobiliary system characterized by chronic diffuse inflammation and obliterative fibrosis of the intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic bile ducts that subsequently progresses to liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease in the majority of patients. The estimated incidence and prevalence of pediatric PSC in the United States is 0.2 and 1.5 cases per 100,000 children. The majority of cases of pediatric PSC are symptomatic at presentation and common manifestations include fatigue, abdominal pain, anorexia, and pruritus. Approximately 30–40 % of pediatric PSC patients will suffer from consequences of chronic biliary disease, including significant pruritus, recurrent bacterial cholangitis, and complications of portal hypertension. Unique aspects of pediatric PSC include a high incidence of autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (PSC-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome) and small duct PSC. Cholangiocarcinoma is an extremely rare complication of pediatric PSC. There is no known therapy to prevent progression of pediatric PSC; however further research on the effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid and oral vancomycin therapies is warranted. Liver transplantation is a viable option for end-stage liver disease secondary to pediatric PSC and accounts for ~2 % of all pediatric liver transplants in the United States.
Multi-physics simulation of metal printing at micro/nanoscale using meniscus-confined electrodeposition: Effect of environmental humidity

Capability to print metals at micro/nanoscale in arbitrary 3D patterns at local points of interest will have applications in nano-electronics and sensors. Meniscus-confined electrodeposition (MCED) is a manufacturing process that enables depositing metals from an electrolyte containing nozzle (pipette) in arbitrary 3D patterns. In this process, a meniscus (liquid bridge or capillary) between the pipette tip and the substrate governs the localized electrodeposition process. Fabrication of metallic microstructures using this process is a multi-physics process in which electrodeposition, fluid dynamics, and mass and heat transfer physics are simultaneously involved. We utilized multi-physics finite element simulation, guided by experimental data, to understand the effect of water evaporation from the liquid meniscus at the tip of the nozzle for deposition of free-standing copper microwires in MCED process.
Ultrasonographic Visualization of Anterolateral Complex of the Knee

The anterolateral ligament of the knee attracted much attention when a cadaveric dissection study using embalmed specimens described a discreet, constant ligamentous structure. Further multidisciplinary studies of the anterolateral knee region revealed more intricate anatomy of this region, collectively best referred as the anterolateral complex of the knee. An attempt has been made to further characterize and visualize this complex using different imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasound. In this review, we analyze currently available scientific literature that has employed gray-scale sonography to visualize the anterolateral complex.
In What Order to Present the Material: Fractal Approach

In the previous chapters, we described the optimal frequencies with which we repeat each of the items that a student has to learn. Once we know the number of repetitions of each item, the next natural question is: in what order should we present these repetitions? Should we first present all the repetitions of item 1, then all the repetitions of item 2, etc., or should we randomly mix these repetitions?
Representations of Patients' Experiences of Autonomy in Graphic Medicine.

Graphic pathographies can teach medical students to acknowledge patients’ emotional experiences in delivering diagnosis and treatment.
Reflections on Arrow’s theorem and voting rules

These reflections, written in honor of Kenneth Arrow, sketch out how one political scientist thinks about Arrow’s theorem and its implications for voting rules. The basic claim is that Arrow’s theorem means that all real-world voting rules are problematic in two quite specific ways—namely, they can be neither ‘strategyproof’ nor ‘spoilerproof’. However, Condorcet’s pairwise version of majority rule, while not a fully specified voting rule because of the cyclical majorities problem, is itself both strategyproof and spoilerproof. Moreover, the cycling problem seems to occur only rarely in practice.
Effects of manure history and nitrogen fertilizer rate on sugar beet production in the northwest US.

Past manure applications effects on sugarbeet production needs to be assessed in the areas where manure applications to crop land are common. A study was conducted in Kimberly, Idaho in 2014 and 2016 to assess the effects of manure application history and N rates on sugarbeet production on a Portneuf silt loam (coarse-silty mixed mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid) soil. From 2004 to 2009, manure was applied to plots every two years (M1, total application = 60 tons per acre), every year (M2 total application = 106 tons per acre), or no manure (F, commercial fertilizer only). In spring 2014, the manure main plots were split in half with one half receiving a commercial fertilizer N rate treatment superimposed on the main plots in 2014 and the other half receiving the superimposed N rate treatments in 2016. In 2014 and 2016, the commercial fertilizer N rates were 0, 30, 56, 77, 100, 141, 180, and 202 pounds per acre. The study design was a randomized block split-plot with manure history as the main plot and N rate as the subplot. During both years of the study, N rate did not affect sugarbeet yields, but M1 and M2 treatments had higher sugarbeet root yields compared to the F treatment. Averaged across all N rates, root yields from both manured treatments were 12% and 36% greater than the F treatment in 2014 and 2016, respectively, although sugar yield was only significantly greater in 2016. Manure applications will impact sugarbeet production for several years after manure applications have ceased.
Miniquasars: Elusive Black Holes of Intermediate Mass

Confident that black holes of stellar (\( {5-15}\,\, \mathrm{M}_{\bigodot} \)) and super (\( 10^{5}-10^{10}\,\, \mathrm{M}_{\bigodot} \)) mass do indeed exist, astrophysicists began naturally to wonder if black holes outside of these mass ranges also existed. Ones smaller than stellar mass (perhaps very small) may have formed in the early universe – primordial black holes. However, up until now there have been few serious attempts to search for them. The same is true of holes much larger than \(10^{10}\,\, \mathrm{M}_{\bigodot} \); if such objects did exist, they would have to be quite isolated from normal galactic matter to have escaped our detection.