cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disorders of sexual differentiation

The establishment of chromosomal sex (46,XY or 46,XX) is considered the ﬁrst step in normal sexual differentiation. However, the ﬁrst sexual structures that form may be considered as either primordial or neutral. The term sex determination refers to the process in which the primordial gonad is committed to development as testis or ovary. Sex differentiation refers to the development of the internal accessory duct structures and external genitalia (1-5).
Superior laryngeal nerve block for neurogenic cough: A case series.

Objectives To demonstrate that an in-office superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) block with lidocaine and steroids is an effective alternative to neuromodulators for patients with neurogenic cough. Study Design Retrospective study. Methods A retrospective review of 10 patients who underwent in office nerve block to the laryngeal nerve (SLN) for neurogenic cough. Demographic data and pre- and postcough survey index are the measure outcomes. Follow-up was 3-6 months. Results We find that all patients in this study that underwent an SLN block showed significant improvement in cough severity index (CSI). The average number of blocks was 2.3. The mean follow-up time from the first SLN block is 3.4 months. The mean CSI improvement 16.30. 95% confidence interval, 11.44-21.16; P < .0001. All patients in this study completed at least one session of cough suppression therapy with speech language pathology (SLP). No patients were on neuromodulators at the time of the SLN block. Conclusions There is a role for in-office SLN block with lidocaine and steroids for patients with neurogenic cough, and can be an effective alternative to neuromodulators. Level of Evidence NA.
Pitch perception conveyed by cochlear implant and tactile stimulation

The healthy auditory system encodes acoustic frequency as a tonotopic and synchronous neural response. Cochlear implants (CIs) excite tonotopic organization through place of stimulation and excite a synchronous neural response through stimulation timing, but typically limited to amplitude modulations less than 300 Hz. The results from two experiments will be presented. The first experiment uses CI stimulation to examine the contributions of place and rate of stimulation to pitch perception. Frequency discrimination thresholds were measured in adult CI users for fundamental frequencies ranging from 100 to 1600 Hz. Stimulation was controlled to probe pitch sensitivity as conveyed by place, rate, and covaried place and rate of stimulation. Subjects received a significant low-frequency benefit from combined stimulation, which diminished above 400 Hz as stimulation rate no longer provided a salient sense of pitch. The second experiment considers how well tactile stimulation can be used to augment pitch perception in CIs. Tactile discrimination thresholds were measured for 55 and 110 Hz. Preliminary results will be presented for the second experiment designed to test how well CI users can combine pitch cues provided by stimulation rate and by tactile stimulation.
Teaching SQL performance tuning: nifty assignment

In a classroom environment, the database tables used contain only a few rows and SQL statements do not exhibit performance issues. However if the same SQL statements were to be executed in real world applications where the database table sizes may be in millions of records, unacceptably slow performance would result. Teaching students how to write SQL statements and to fine tune them is an important topic that needs to be discussed in an undergraduate Database Design course.
How To Write A Horror Movie

How to Write a Horror Movie is a close look at an always-popular (but often disrespected) genre. It focuses on the screenplay and acts as a guide to bringing scary ideas to cinematic life using examples from great (and some not-so-great) horror movies.Author Neal Bell examines how the basic tools of the scriptwriter’s trade - including structure, dialogue, humor, mood, characters, and pace – can work together to embody personal fears that will resonate strongly on screen. Screenplay examples include classic works such as 1943’s I Walked With A Zombie and recent terrifying films that have given the genre renewed attention like writer/director Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed and financially successful Get Out. Since fear is universal, the book considers films from around the world including the ‘found-footage’ [REC] from Spain (2007), the Swedish vampire movie, Let The Right One In (2008) and the Persian-language film Under The Shadow (2016). The book provides insights into the economics of horror-movie making, and the possible future of this versatile genre. It is the ideal text for screenwriting students exploring genre and horror, and aspiring scriptwriters who have an interest in horror screenplays.
Symmetry systems on the wings of Dichromodes Guenée (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) are unconstrained by venation.

The nymphalid groundplan, an idealized schematic illustrating the essential elements of butterfly wing patterns, predicts a consistent relationship between color pattern and wing venation. Moths in the family Geometridae have wing shapes and patterns that often resemble those of butterflies, and until recently, this family was believed to be among butterflies' closest relatives. However, an examination of the geometrid genus Dichromodes Guenee, 1858 shows no consistent relationship between the central symmetry system and wing venation. Whereas the distal edge of the central symmetry system is predicted to reach the costal margin proximal to the Subcostal vein in butterflies and acronictine moths, it has no consistent relationship with the Subcostal, Radius, or Radial Sector 1 veins in Dichromodes. This finding highlights developmental diversity that was previously overlooked due to the overwhelming preference for butterflies in studies of lepidopteran wing patterns.
ADS-1 - A new general-purpose optimization program

Today, numerous programs are available which may be coupled with finite element analysis or other analysis techniques to perform the optimization function in the solution of structural synthesis problems. However, most of these codes include only one or two algorithms and many have not been tested on problems of significant size and complexity. There is, therefore, a need for a reliable, general-purpose, publicly available code, containing a variety of modern algorithms for use in structural synthesis as well as general engineering design. The ADS-1 program (Automated Design Synthesis: Version 1) was written in response to this need. The present investigation has the objective to present the capabilities of the ADS program and to demonstrate its application to structural synthesis. The ADS program solves the general nonlinear constrained optimization problem in the standard form. At each level of the optimization process, several options are available.
Towards a Reactive Game Engine

Developing new ways to improve game engines and enabling the creation of more accurate experiences is an important issue, especially for real-time applications such as Virtual Reality. As this technology has evolved, the gap between rendered frames has become smaller and environments have become more complex. As a result, mistakes can arise with regard to order-dependent events. Often these mistakes result in a temporarily unstable state in the environment, and may not be visible because of the time lapse between rendered frames. These errors are compounded by events which are not directly driven by the game engine, such as user movement and input. There is a continuous interaction between the user and the environment and the precise actions that user may take often cannot be predicted a priori.Reactive programming is a still evolving paradigm that has been employed in many different applications such as robotics and user interfaces. Our research presents a reactive, dependency-based framework for game engines using associations between components to establish the order in which they update. Automated tests were developed to evaluate the framework and compare its performance to Unity3D’s default update structure as well as an existing reactive programming framework.
X-ray fluorescence computed tomography with a compton camera for a clinical application

XFCT is a promising new molecular imaging modality which is able to measure non-radioactive tracer molecules even in deep tissues. Unrestricted spatial resolution imaging with pencil beam x-ray excitation is possible but cannot be translated easily to clinical applications as scanning times are at least several hours. The spatial information accessed with Compton cameras (CCs) overcomes this drawback as fan or cone-beams can boost the measurement process. The spatial resolution and sensitivity performance of this new approach are studied on the basis of Monte-Carlo simulations. The results show that molecular sensitivities of 560 pM l−1 are accessible at 30 mGy for the demonstrated lung scan scenario and FWHM below 6 mm for lesion diameters of 1 mm. The scanning time was reduced by a factor of 45 for the given example.
CHAPTER 22 – Overview of Technology Development

Publisher Summary One of the major forces precipitating the changes in the manner of scientific development occurred in the law of patents. The combination of these events dramatically accelerated the development of the scientific field now called biotechnology, and it started the legal field that today is broadly called “technology transfer.” Over the centuries, the intrepid trailblazers mapped rivers, built monuments, and explored new terrain using tools such as a compass, sextant, and telescope. Today, they map genes, build new devices, and explore new ideas using, among other things, the tools of technology development. Properly utilized, these tools help avoid the dangers and reveal the best that the new landscape has to offer. Vast opportunities await those who have the vision to seize the tools along with the moment. This chapter identifies new landmarks and maps the terrain—a purely fictional scenario is described, relating a series of hypothetical events. Using the scenario as a backdrop, some of the various tools are examined in turn, with a focus on why, when, and how each is used appropriately. The causes of the more common snags are also discussed, so the problems caused by divergent perspectives may be avoided. Hopefully, the features of the new landscape will appear as opportunities—ways to enhance and enable research—rather than as obstacles.
Regional Therapies: Clinically-Apparent Nodal Disease

Although the majority of newly diagnosed melanomas are early stage, a significant proportion present with clinically-apparent nodal disease. This particular subset is managed quite differently from those with clinically node negative microscopic disease identified on sentinel lymph node biopsy. The focus of this chapter will be on multi-modality management of clinical apparent nodal disease as a synchronous presentation in patients with a newly diagnosed cutaneous malignant melanoma. Review of the state of the art, current controversies and future directions are all discussed in the context of a typical clinical presentation.
Neonatal and Childhood Outcomes Following Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes

Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is almost uniformly associated with preterm birth and thus sequelae of prematurity explain many of the complications associated with this condition. However, the unique inflammatory environment and oligohydramnios associated with PPROM may impart unique neonatal and childhood morbidity compared with other preterm birth pathways.
Integrating the online OurRelationship program into a stepped-care model of couple therapy

Due to various barriers, most relationally distressed couples do not seek couple therapy With the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these barriers are further exacerbated, while the need for relationship services has increased To increase the reach of couple therapy both during and after the pandemic, we propose a stepped-care model that utilises technology as a precursor to couple therapy and acts as an integral component of it In this paper, we first introduce the OurRelationship program – an evidence-based online relationship program that improves both relationship and individual functioning in several large-scale, nationwide trials We then describe how therapists can incorporate this program into an abbreviated, eight-session course of couple therapy We expect this integration will be useful to couple therapists from a variety of theoretical orientations and will address numerous common barriers to treatment including cost, scheduling difficulties and geographic distance from the therapist Practitioner points: Couple therapists can leverage technology to increase their reach both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic The online OurRelationship program improves relationship and individual functioning in several nationwide clinical trials The OurRelationship program can be integrated into an eight-session course of couple therapy to serve couples who would otherwise be unable or unwilling to attend therapy © 2020 The Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice
Retrospective study of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs.

BACKGROUND The United States Food and Drug Administration is investigating possible diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and cats. OBJECTIVES To retrospectively review DCM cases for signalment, diet information, echocardiographic changes, and survival. ANIMALS Client-owned dogs (n = 71). METHODS Medical records of dogs diagnosed with DCM between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2018 were reviewed. Dogs were grouped into "traditional" or "nontraditional" diet categories and whether or not diet was changed after diagnosis. RESULTS For dogs eating nontraditional diets, those that had their diets changed had a larger percentage decrease in normalized systolic left ventricular internal dimension (P = .03) and left atrial:aorta ratio (P < .001) compared to those that did not have their diets changed. Survival time was significantly longer for dogs with DCM eating nontraditional diets that had their diets changed (median survival, 337 days; range, 9-1307 days) compared to dogs eating nontraditional diets that did not have their diets changed (median survival, 215 days; range, 1-852 days; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Dogs with DCM eating nontraditional diets can experience improvement in cardiac function after diet change but additional research is needed to examine possible associations between diet and DCM.
The epidemiology and management patterns of pediatric pituitary tumors in the United States

Hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction and mass effect symptoms in the pediatric population can indicate a pituitary region tumor. Herein, we evaluate the epidemiology and management of this rare entity. Pediatric patients (≤ 21yo) who presented from 2004 to 2017 with a pituitary tumor were evaluated from the U.S. National Cancer Database. The distributions and management patterns of pituitary tumors were assessed by patients’ tumor type, age, sex, race/ethnicity, tumor size, and insurance status. 19.7% of intracranial tumors in the pediatric population originated in the pituitary region. 7653 pediatric patients with pituitary region tumors were identified, 68.2% of whom were female, with the tumors predominantly occurring in early adolescence (46.9%) and late adolescence (34.8%). The majority of pediatric pituitary region tumors were pituitary adenomas (77.9%), followed by craniopharyngiomas (18.1%) and germ cell tumors (1.6%). Girls demonstrated higher proportions of pituitary adenomas across all ages than boys. Asian/Pacific Islander patients were independently more likely to present at younger ages (mean 13.9yrs) and with germ cell tumors than patients of other races/ethnicities. Only 5.5% of patients were uninsured (referent), but they were independently more likely to present at older ages (mean 17.9yrs) and less likely to undergo surgery than patients with private insurance (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.47–2.52, p < 0.001) or Medicaid (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.14–2.00, p = 0.004). Pituitary region tumors comprise a significant fraction of intracranial pediatric tumors, particularly in adolescent girls. The differential diagnosis of pituitary tumor types differed significantly by patients’ age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Uninsured patients were associated with delays in care and less surgical management.
Management of Periprosthetic Hip and Knee Joint Infections With a Known Sinus Tract-A Single-Center Experience.

Abstract Background Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). A sinus tract communicating with a prosthetic joint is a major criterion defining PJI. Despite this fact, many patients presenting with a draining sinus tract undergo invasive procedures before initiation of two-stage revision arthroplasty. We hypothesized that many patients undergo nondefinitive procedures to treat the sinus tract, rather than undergoing definitive treatment of infection with two-stage revision. Methods A retrospective review of all cases of two-stage revision arthroplasty at Loyola University Medical Center between January 2004 and May 2018 was performed. Patients with infected TJA and periprosthetic sinus tract were included. Records were queried for laboratory values and prior procedures. Results We identified 160 patients who underwent two-stage revision for infection over the 14-year period. Of the 160 patients, 25 had a documented periprosthetic sinus tract before initiation of definitive revision arthroplasty and were included. Eleven (44.0%) had one or more procedures including interventional radiology drain placement, local wound care, or formal irrigation and debridement before definitive treatment. Forty-five percent of patients that underwent nondefinitive procedures before definitive surgery had either an erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein at normal or near-normal levels. Conclusion Many arthroplasty patients presenting with periprosthetic sinus tracts undergo nondefinitive procedures before definitive treatment. Inherent surgical risks of these procedures can increase the overall morbidity and mortality of these patients. Further effort is needed to educate surgeons regarding management of sinus tracts after TJA.
Spatial-Aware Collaboration-Competition Preserving Graph Embedding for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Recently, graph-based discriminant analysis has drawn much attention in representing a high-dimensional hyperspectral data set using a low-dimensional subspace by defining high-dimensional data structure on a graph. Obtaining optimal representation coefficients for classification purposes are the key in such methods. A closed form solution can be found to solve the problem related to collaborative representation using labeled samples, which offers computational efficiency. There exists an unsupervised approach of collaboration preserving graph embedding (CPGE) for dimensionality reduction (DR), and its performance is further enhanced by imposing locality-preserving constraint in the method called collaboration-competition preserving graph embedding (CCPGE). In this letter, we introduce spatial-aware collaboration-competitive preserving graph embedding with Tikhonov (SaCCPGT) by imposing a spatial regularization term in the objective function of CCPGE with Tikhonov regularization. In this way, spectral and spatial information can be utilized in a closed form solution in the proposed method. Experimental results on different hyperspectral data sets demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed SaCCPGT in comparison to state-of-the-art graph-based discriminant analysis approaches for DR.
A hombros de la Falange: representation, affect and mourning in fascist Spain

After the Spanish Civil War, mourning was a quasi-political affective practice: an emotional performance that cannot be translated to the language of the state but is inextricable from the politica...
Carbon Dioxide, Fusion, and Stellarators.

Much emotion is expended on the dangers of carbon dioxide, but solutions require reason and recognition of facts: (1) The cost of developing options is approximately a thousand times less than their deployment. (2) Timescales involve two questions: (a) How quickly can an option be demonstrated? (b) How quickly can the required equivalent of thousands of units be built. Two questions are implied: (1) What options would most fundamentally change the carbon-dioxide problem? (2) For each option, how could it be demonstrated most quickly? An option of fundamental importance is direct air capture of carbon dioxide. The option that appears most attractive for carbon-free energy production is the stellarator fusion concept, which is poised for a rapid demonstration.
A Multi-Functional Microfluidic Device Compatible with Widefield and Light Sheet Imaging

We present a microfluidic device compatible with high resolution light sheet and super-resolution microscopy. Our device is a 150 μm thick chamber with a transparent fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) cover that has a similar refractive index (1.34) to water (1.33), making it compatible with top-down imaging used in light sheet microscopy. We provide a detailed fabrication protocol and characterize the optical performance of the device. We demonstrate that the device supports long-term imaging of cell growth and differentiation as well as the rapid addition and removal of reagents while simultaneously maintaining sterile culture conditions by physically isolating the sample from the dipping lenses used for imaging. Finally, we demonstrate that our device can be used for super-resolution imaging using lattice light sheet structured illumination microscopy (LLS-SIM) and DNA PAINT. We anticipate that FEP-based microfluidics, as shown here, will be broadly useful to researchers using light sheet microscopy due to the ability to switch reagents, image weakly adherent cells, maintain sterility, and physically isolate the specimen from the optics of the instruments.
Cognotive Task Analysis in Service of Intelligent Tutoring System Design: A Case Study in Statistics

Cognitive task analysis involves identifying the components of a task that are required for adequate performance. It is thus an important step in ITS design because it circumscribes the curriculum to be taught and provides a decomposition of that curriculum into the knowledge and subskills students must learn. This paper describes several different kinds of cognitive task analysis and organizes them according to a taxonomy of theoretical/empirical ∞ prescriptive/descriptive approaches. Examples are drawn from the analysis of a particular statistical reasoning task. The discussion centers on how different approaches to task analysis provide different perspectives on the decomposition of a complex skill and compares these approaches to more traditional methods.
The Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey: Recent Results

Six strips of the CfA redshift survey extension are now complete. The data continue to support a picture in which galaxies are on thin sheets which nearly surround vast low density voids. In this and similar surveys the largest structures are comparable with the extent of the survey. Voids like the one in Bootes are a common feature of the large-scale distribution of galaxies. The observed structure presents a serious challenge for models.
Modeling Protein Structure from its Sequence

Functional characterization of a protein sequence is one of the most frequent problems in biology. This task is usually facilitated by accurate three-dimensional (3-D) structure of the studied protein. In the absence of an experimentally determined structure, comparative or homology modeling can sometimes provide a useful 3-D model for a protein that is related to at least one known protein structure. Comparative modeling predicts the 3-D structure of a given protein sequence (target) based primarily on its alignment to one or more proteins of known structure (templates). The prediction process consists of fold assignment, target-template alignment, model building, and model evaluation. This unit describes generic considerations in all four steps of comparative modeling, typical modeling errors, and applications of comparative protein structure models. Finally, it illustrates these considerations in practice by discussing in detail one application of our program MODELLER.
Ouabain–digoxin antagonism in rat arteries and neurones

'Classic' cardiotonic steroids (CTSs) such as digoxin and ouabain selectively inhibit Na+, K+ -ATPase (the Na+ pump) and, via Na+ / Ca2+ exchange (NCX), exert cardiotonic and vasotonic effects. CTS action is more complex than previously thought: prolonged subcutaneous administration of ouabain, but not digoxin, induces hypertension, and digoxin antagonizes ouabain's hypertensinogenic effect. We studied the acute interactions between CTSs in two indirect assays of Na+ pump function: myogenic tone (MT) in isolated, pressurized rat mesenteric small arteries, and Ca2+ signalling in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurones. The 'classic' CTSs (0.3-10 nm) behaved as 'agonists': all increased MT70 (MT at 70 mmHg) and augmented glutamate-evoked Ca2+ (Fura-2) signals. We then tested one CTS in the presence of another. Most CTSs could be divided into ouabain-like (ouabagenin, dihydroouabain (DHO), strophanthidin) or digoxin-like CTS (digoxigenin, digitoxin, bufalin). Within each group, the CTSs were synergistic, but ouabain-like and digoxin-like CTSs antagonized one another in both assays: For example, the ouabain-evoked (3 nm) increases in MT70 and neuronal Ca2+ signals were both greatly attenuated by the addition of 10 nm digoxin or 10 nm bufalin, and vice versa. Rostafuroxin (PST2238), a digoxigenin derivative that displaces 3H-ouabain from Na+, K+ -ATPase, and attenuates some forms of hypertension, antagonized the effects of ouabain, but not digoxin. SEA0400, a Na+ / Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) blocker, antagonized the effects of both ouabain and digoxin. CTSs bind to the α subunit of pump αβ protomers. Analysis of potential models suggests that, in vivo, Na+ pumps function as tetraprotomers ((αβ)4) in which the binding of a single CTS to one protomer blocks all pumping activity. The paradoxical ability of digoxin-like CTSs to reactivate the ouabain-inhibited complex can be explained by de-oligomerization of the tetrameric state. The interactions between these common CTSs may be of considerable therapeutic relevance.
The European Court and Civil Society: Overview of institutionalization in the European Union

This chapter offers an overview of the constituent elements of institutionalization in the European Union (EU), focusing on the processes of litigation and mobilization. The chapter is organized around four elements of these processes of institutionalization: the legal claim, litigation, legislative action and transnational mobilization. The legal claim gives rise to the litigation. The litigation activates European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision-making: a process that can lead to institutionalization to the extent to which the Court's judicial rulemaking expands the meaning and scope of EU law. This litigation in turn can alter legislative action at both the EU and national level. Finally, these institutional changes create the political opportunities for transnational mobilization: a process that once initiated can lead to institutionalization to the extent to which these transnational activists become increasingly formalized and expand the public sphere in EU politics. The legal claim As argued in Chapter 1, litigation is one process through which rule change can occur. In the EU, an increasing number of legal claims leading to litigation and ECJ decisions have dramatically influenced the shape of the Union. The Court's activism in the 1970s is now widely accepted as having transformed the Treaty of Rome, an international treaty governing nation-state economic cooperation, into a ‘supranational constitution’ granting rights to individual citizens (Lenaerts 1990; Mancini 1989; Stone Sweet and Brunell 1998a; Weiler 1981, 1991).
Data Mining Techniques in Predicting Default Rates on Customer Loans

The paper examines historical data from consumer loans issued by a financial institution to individuals that the financial institution deemed to be qualified customers. The data consists of the financial attributes of each customer and includes a mixture of loans that the customers paid off and defaulted upon. The paper uses three different data mining techniques (decision trees, neural networks, and logistic regression) and the ensemble model, which combines the three techniques, to predict whether a particular customer defaulted or paid off his/her loan. The paper then compares the effectiveness of each technique and analyzes the risk of default inherent in each loan and group of loans.
The Viability of Incineration as a Disposal Option: The Evolution of a Niche Technology, 1885–1995

Incineration has too often been perceived as a potential disposal panacea rather than one of several disposal options that meet varying criteria. Rather than trying to explain its advantages and di...
Genetics, lifestyle and longevity: Lessons from centenarians

Longevity as a complex life-history trait shares an ontogenetic relationship with other quantitative traits and varies among individuals, families and populations. Heritability estimates of longevity suggest that about a third of the phenotypic variation associated with the trait is attributable to genetic factors, and the rest is influenced by epigenetic and environmental factors. Individuals react differently to the environments that they are a part of, as well as to the environments they construct for their survival and reproduction; the latter phenomenon is known as niche construction. Lifestyle influences longevity at all the stages of development and levels of human diversity. Hence, lifestyle may be viewed as a component of niche construction. Here, we: a) interpret longevity using a combination of genotype-epigenetic-phenotype (GEP) map approach and niche-construction theory, and b) discuss the plausible influence of genetic and epigenetic factors in the distribution and maintenance of longevity among individuals with normal life span on the one hand, and centenarians on the other. Although similar genetic and environmental factors appear to be common to both of these groups, exceptional longevity may be influenced by polymorphisms in specific genes, coupled with superior genomic stability and homeostatic mechanisms, maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. We suggest that a comparative analysis of longevity between individuals with normal life span and centenarians, along with insights from population ecology and evolutionary biology, would not only advance our knowledge of biological mechanisms underlying human longevity, but also provide deeper insights into extending healthy life span.
Studies of mating behaviour and some factors influencing the sexual response in the male sheepOvis aries

Abstract Close observations of mating in sheep indicated that in 50 matings only three intromissions occurred without ejaculation and these were accompanied by weak thrusts. The following observations were recorded during sexual exhaustion studies in which rams were individually mated with receptive females until no mounts occurred within a 20-minute period. Total number of ejaculations averaged from 2·9 to 8·4 for individual rams with an overall average of 5·5 and a mode of 4. Number of mounts per ejaculation averaged from 1·3 to 3·2 for individual rams with an overall average of 1·6 and a mode of 1. Initial mount latencies averaged from 0·25 to 0·74 minutes for individual rams with an overall average of 0·44 minutes with a mode of 0·20 to 0·30 minutes. Post-ejaculatory intervals increased regularly with succeeding ejaculations. The coefficient of correlations between total number of ejaculations and initial mount latencies or first post-ejaculatory interval were 0·16 and 0·45, respectively. Following ‘sexual exhaustion’, exposing the rams to a different not recently mated female resulted in reinitiation of mating at or near original levels. Exposing the rams to a different recently mated female following ‘sexual exhaustion’ did not result in a significantly greater number of ejaculations than that observed when the same female was returned. Returning the same ewe at various time intervals following sexual exhaustion indicated that sexual responsiveness increased rapidly in a few hours. A return to complete sexual responsiveness to this same female, however, could not be demonstrated even after 2 weeks. Electro-ejaculation had no effect upon subsequent sexual performance.
Mycoplasmal, viral, and rickettsial pneumonias.

Of the variety of mycoplasma species, the smallest of free living organisms, only M. pneumoniae (Eaton agent) produces respiratory infections. These include pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, pharyngitis, and in 20% of cases, asymptomatic invasion. M. pneumoniae is one of a variety of organisms, including viruses, rickettsiae, and chlamydiae (psittacosis), that cause primary atypical pneumonia (PAP). In young adults, hf. pneumoniae is estimated to cause approximately 50% of PAP. Its transmission is by the respiratory route with the organisms appearing in sputum or throat washings several days before the onset of clinical infection and persisting for several weeks thereafter. Naturally acquired immunity ensues. Localized outbreaks in military or school populations, among families, or in general communities in cyclical periods of 445 yr are described. Although occurring at any season, more cases are seen in the fall and early winter. Again, the younger age population appears more at risk, with attack rates, within families, of 70% for children and 20% for adults. These infections are not uncommon in patients with chronic pulmonary disease.”
Gall midge complex (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in bud galls of Palearctic Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae).

Palearctic Cecidomyiidae known from bud galls on spurge in Europe are revised. One of them, a new species, has already been introduced into and become established in western North America for the control of leafy spurge. That species, Spurgia esula Gagne, as well as Spurgia capitigena (Bremi), new combination, are placed in Spurgia , a new genus erected for them. The name Cecidomyia subpatula Bremi is a new junior synonym of S. capitigena. Of the other species treated here, Dasineura schulzei Rubsaamen, Janetiella euphorbiae De Stefani Perez, and possibly Macrolabis euphorbiae Fedotova form similar bud galls on other species of Euphorbia , and Macrolabis lutea Rubsaamen is an inquiline in galls of Spurgia capitigena . Each species of spurge apparently has its own species of cecidomyiid; the bud galls are similar but the gall midges causing the galls are not all congeneric.
Grassroots Associations are Important: Some Theory and a Review of the Impact Literature

Grassroots associations (GAs) are defined as locally based and wholly volunteer nonprofits-essentially local voluntary associations, in sociological terms. Such associations are discussed in theoretical terms, examining pros and cons regarding their potential importance. On the basis of an extensive literature review, the internal impact of GAs involves the fostering of social support and mutual helping, stimulation and self-expression, happiness and health, sociopolitical activation, and economic and other outcomes among members. On the downside, some GA activity (eg., in delinquent gangs) can increase individual deviance among members. Externally, GAs often create positive change, enable continuing citizen participation in a democracy and a viable "civil society," provide varied services to nonmembers, help maintain societal cohesion, and can help in disasters. GAs also help support the economic system and stimulate program volunteering, philanthropic giving, and other GA activity. Cumutatively, grassro...
Mean-field theory of ferromagnetic superconductors

We present here a new mean-field theory of ferromagnetic superconductors in an external magnetic field. Simple models for the pure superconductor and the pure ferromagnet are chosen and the theory is considered in more detail. Phenomena predicted include both the destruction of superconductivity by the ferromagnetic order and the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity, as well as the magnetic field dependence of zero-temperature magnetization. Results obtained are in qualitative agreement with the experiments.
The association of accident severity and frequency with vehicle age : A study in three Michigan counties for the period 1 January to 30 September, 1966

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF VEHICLE AGE WITH CRASH FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY IS PRESENTED.. SAMPLES OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN CRASHES AND CONTROL SAMPLES FROM THE TOTAL VEHICLE POPULATIONS WERE SELECTED FROM THREE MICHIGAN COUNTIES. THE CRASH SAMPLES WERE CLASSIFIED INTO FATAL CRASHES, SEVERE INJURY CRASHES, AND MINOR CRASHES. STATISTICAL COMPARISONS AMONG THESE SAMPLES HAVE REVEALED THAT THE THREE POPULATIONS ARE NOT DISTRIBUTED DIFFERENTLY WITH RESPECT TO AGE. FURTHER COMPARISONS HAVE SHOWN THAT THE CRASH POPULATIONS AND CONTROL POPULATIONS ARE NOT DISTRIBUTED DIFFERENTLY WITH RESPECT TO AGE. THESE DATA AND ANALYSES FAIL TO SUPPORT EITHER THE NOTION THAT VEHICLES BECOME MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CRASHES AS THEY AGE, OR THE NOTION THAT THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE, GIVEN A CRASH OCCURS, INCREASES WITH VEHICLE AGE. /AUTHOR/
BREAST CANCER SCREENING

Randomized controlled trials involving nearly 500,000 women on two continents have confirmed the early promise that screening mammography can reduce breast cancer mortality. The observed benefits of mammographic screening, however, are not the same in all women. The mortality reduction in women over age 70 is unknown, and women aged 40 to 49 do not appear to benefit from mammographic screening to the same extent as those over age 50. The reasons for this disparity are incompletely understood, but it depends in part upon differing tumor biology and mammographic test characteristics in younger women. Even if relative survival benefits were equal for women under and over age 50, absolute reduction in risk would remain considerably lower for younger women, a disparity that would not be corrected by improved screening technology or adjustment of interscreening intervals. The authors' review of the evidence leads them to strongly support mammographic screening of women aged 50 to 69 at an interval not longer than 2 years. The authors also feel it is reasonable to screen women over age 70 who have a favorable life expectancy. They conclude, however, that the evidence does not support a blanket recommendation in favor of screening women aged 40 to 49. Instead, they advocate a well-informed conversation between physician and patient regarding the present knowledge and the risks and benefits of screening for each individual woman. Definitive answers await the results of ongoing RCTs designed to study the survival benefit conferred by screening women aged 40 to 49. Disagreement will undoubtedly persist regarding which recommendations should determine private practice and public policy.
Empirical molecular modelling of suspension stabilisation with Polysorbate 80

Molecular modelling has been used successfully to predict the stabilisation of crystalline nanosuspensions of model pharmaceutical drugs by the surfactant Polysorbate 80. The ratio of the binding energy of the Polysorbate 80 to the binding energy of the drug to the surface of the crystal was found to correlate with the stabilisation of the nanosuspension.
Adapting computing curricula to a multicore world

The impact of ubiquitous parallel computing hardware on computing curricula is examined in this paper, with a focus on identifying new outcomes to drive curriculum evolution.
Gene function classification using NCI-60 cell line gene expression profiles

Gene expression patterns from NCI's panel of 60 cell lines were used to train a Neural Network model for classifying genes to pathways. The model assigns probabilities to each gene for each of the 21 modeled pathways assigned by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Cross-validation of the model showed that 10 of the 21 pathways exhibited good performance in statistical significance and accuracy. The model was designed to output gene probabilities that could be screened for higher probabilities resulting in higher confidence in classification though yielding fewer genes per pathway. The model was deployed on 5798 genes and our approach allowed us to ascertain the most relevant genes above an estimated background. Eight pathways were identified with both good cross-validation and significant numbers above background, TCA Cycle, Oxidative Phosphorylation, Porphyrin Biosynthesis, Ribosome, Polymerases, Proteasome, Cell Cycle, and Cell Adhesion. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation was used for additional validation of gene classification results. A total of 551 GO annotated genes and 468 unannotated genes were classified to the 8 pathways. The primary and secondary classifications of genes revealed known pathway relationships and provide the potential for discovering new pathway relationships.
Techniques of maxillary–mandibular fixation

Maxillary-mandibular fixation (MMF) methods are important in the surgical management of the lower facial skeleton. Various techniques have been described to fixate these bones during treatment of facial trauma, reconstruction, and orthognathic surgery. The utilization and technique of placement for Erich arch bars, Ivy loops, Ernst ligatures, and fixation screws are reviewed.
NUCLEAR INCLUSIONS IN THE TESTICLES OF MONKEYS INJECTED WITH THE TISSUE OF HUMAN VARICELLA LESIONS

Eosin-staining nuclear inclusions resembling those deemed characteristic of a certain well known group of filterable viruses, amongst which is varicella, were found in vervets' testicles inoculated with emulsified tissue of human varicella lesions.
Psychosocial Stress and 13‐year BMI Change Among Blacks: The Pitt County Study

Adverse psychosocial exposures may partially drive the high rates of obesity among blacks. The objective of this study was to prospectively examine the relationship between perceived psychosocial stress and percent change in BMI among adult black men and women. We used data from 756 women and 416 men who were participants in the Pitt County Study, a community-based, prospective cohort study of blacks in eastern North Carolina. Participants were aged 25-50 years of age on entry into the study in 1988 and follow-up was obtained in 2001. Using multivariable linear regression, we calculated the adjusted mean percentage change in BMI over the follow-up period for each tertile of baseline measures of the Perceived Stress Scale (low, medium, and high), adjusted for potential confounders. For black women, higher levels of psychosocial stress at baseline predicted higher adjusted percentage increase in BMI over the 13-year follow-up: low stress 12.0% (95% CI 9.6-14.4), medium stress 16.3% (95% CI 13.7-18.9), and high stress 15.5% (95% CI 13.1-17.8). For black men, perceived stress was not associated with percent BMI change. These data suggest that interventions targeting obesity in black women should consider the potential impact of emotional stress on weight change.
Teratology of the beetle Tenebrio molitor V. Ultrastructural changes and viruslike particles in the foregut epithelium of pupal-winged adults☆

Abstract Additional ultrastructural changes associated with the pupal-winged adult teratology of Tenebrio molitor are presented. Crystalline inclusions found in the nuclei of the foregut are described, and their possible mode of development is considered. Small, viruslike particles found both in crystals and free within nuclei are described, and their possible significance to the nuclear and cellular pathology of the foregut is discussed.
Cortical rotation and messenger RNA localization in Xenopus axis formation

In Xenopus eggs, fertilization initiates a rotational movement of the cortex relative to the cytoplasm, resulting in the transport of critical determinants to the future dorsal side of the embryo. Cortical rotation is mediated by microtubules, resulting in activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and expression of organizer genes on the dorsal side of the blastula. Similar cytoplasmic localizations resulting in β-catenin activation occur in many chordate embryos, suggesting a deeply conserved mechanism for patterning early embryos. This review summarizes the experimental evidence for the molecular basis of this model, focusing on recent maternal loss-of-function studies that shed light on two main unanswered questions: (1) what regulates microtubule assembly during cortical rotation and (2) how is Wnt/β-catenin signaling activated dorsally? In addition, as these processes depend on vegetally localized molecules in the oocyte, the mechanisms of RNA localization and novel roles for localized RNAs in axis formation are discussed. The work reviewed here provides a beginning framework for understanding the coupling of asymmetry in oogenesis with the establishment of asymmetry in the embryo.
Cardiomyopathy of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.

Abstract Objectives. This study sought to find an association between dilated cardiomyopathy and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Background. Cardiomyopathy has been seen in various neuro-muscular disorders, but it has not been recognized to be associated with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Methods. We investigated three sisters with well documented limb-girdle dystrophy and congestive heart failure by the 3rd decade of life. All underwent noninvasive evaluation of left ventricular systolic function by both echocardiography and radionuclide scanning, and one also had cardiac catheterization. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) linkage analysis was performed in these affected subjects and in the unaffected family members, and DNA was extracted from mononuclear cells with primer sequences for three chromosome 13q microsatellite markers. Results. The parents had no evidence of clinical disease, but all three sisters had echocardiographic evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy. The sister with additional evidence of left ventricular dysfunction by cardiac catheterization had no coronary artery disease. The affected subjects had the same paternal allele for three potential markers of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy but different maternal alleles. The very small family size did not permit statistical confirmation or refutation of linkagefor chromosome 13q markers. Conclusions. Demonstrable cardiomyopathy accompanying limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and its probable genetic associations require continued investigation by anticipating the cardiomyopathy in limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
Profiles of symbol-reading skills in organic patients.

Abstract One (unitary) school of thought views all symbolic competences as closely related, while a rival (pluralistic) approach underscores the relative differences among modes of symbolic processing. To secure information on the plausibility of these competing hypotheses, matched groups of left- and right-hemisphere patients were given a visual symbol-recognition test. Subjects were required to choose the correctly depicted symbol among a set of four. The results challenge a strong version of the “unitary” hypothesis. What emerges instead is a view of symbol systems as a continuum: relatively linguistic symbol systems prove challenging for left-hemisphere patients, relatively nonlinguistic systems pose comparable difficulties for right-hemisphere patients. Contrary to hypothesis, the processing of numerical symbols poses special difficulty for right-hemisphere patients. Performance on trademarks—items which can be processed by linguistic or nonlinguistic strategies—suggests that organic patients with contrasting pathologies may adopt different processing strategies when confronting identical physical stimuli.