cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation in Hospice Patient and Admission Characteristics by Referral Location.

BACKGROUND Little is known regarding differences between patients referred to hospice from different care locations. OBJECTIVE The objective this study was to describe the associations between hospice referral locations and hospice patient and admission characteristics. RESEARCH DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of hospice administrative data. SUBJECTS Adult (age older than 18 y) decedents of a national, for-profit, hospice chain across 19 US states who died between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016. MEASURES Patients' primary hospice diagnosis, hospice length stay, and hospice care site. We also determined the frequency of opioid prescriptions with and without a bowel regimen on hospice admission. RESULTS Among 78,647 adult decedents, the mean age was 79.2 (SD=13.5) years, 56.4% were female, and 69.9% were a non-Hispanic White race. Most hospice referrals were from the hospital (51.9%), followed by the community (21.9%), nursing homes (17.4%), and assisted living (8.8%). Cancer (33.6%) was the most prevalent primary hospice diagnosis; however, this varied significantly between referral locations (P<0.001). Similarly, home hospice (32.8%) was the most prevalent site; however, this also varied significantly between referral locations (P<0.001). More hospital-referred patients (55.6%) had a hospice length of stay <7 days compared with patients referred from nursing homes (30.3%), the community (28.9%), or assisted living (18.7%), P<0.001. Hospital-referred patients also had the lowest frequency (58.4%) of coprescribed opioids and bowel regimen on hospice admission compared with other referral locations. CONCLUSION We observed significant differences in hospice patient and admission characteristics by referral location.
Game-theoretic Models of Moral and Other-Regarding Agents.

We investigate Kantian equilibria in finite normal form games, a class of non-Nashian, morally motivated courses of action that was recently proposed in the economics literature. We highlight a number of problems with such equilibria, including computational intractability, a high price of miscoordination, and expensive/problematic extension to general normal form games. We point out that such a proper generalization will likely involve the concept of program equilibrium. Finally we propose some general, intuitive, computationally tractable, other-regarding equilibria related to Kantian equilibria, as well as a class of courses of action that interpolates between purely self-regarding and Kantian behavior.
Risk-Adapted Preemptive Tocilizumab to Prevent Severe Cytokine Release Syndrome After CTL019 for Pediatric B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

PURPOSETo prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of risk-adapted preemptive tocilizumab (PT) administration in preventing severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) after CTL019, a CD19 chimeric anti...
Neighborhood archetypes and breast cancer survival in California.

Abstract Purpose Previous studies on neighborhoods and breast cancer survival examined neighborhood variables as unidimensional measures (e.g. walkability or deprivation) individually and thus cannot inform how the multitude of highly correlated neighborhood domains interact to impact breast cancer survival. Neighborhood archetypes were developed that consider interactions among a broad range of neighborhood social and built environment attributes and examine their associations with breast cancer survival. Methods Archetypes were measured using latent class analysis (LCA) fit to California census tract-level data. Thirty-nine social and built environment attributes relevant to eight neighborhood domains (socioeconomic status (SES), urbanicity, demographics, housing, land use, commuting and traffic, residential mobility, and food environment) were included. The archetypes were linked to cancer registry data on breast cancer cases (diagnosed 1996–2005 with follow-up through Dec 31, 2017) to evaluate their associations with overall and breast cancer-specific survival using Cox proportional hazards models. Analyses were stratified by race/ethnicity. Results California neighborhoods were best described by nine archetypal patterns that were differentially associated with overall and breast cancer-specific survival. The lowest risk of overall death was observed in the upper middle class suburb (reference) and high status neighborhoods, while the highest was observed among inner city residents with a 39% greater risk of death (95% CI = 1.35 to 1.44). Results were similar for breast cancer-specific survival. Stratified analyses indicated that differences in survival by neighborhood archetypes varied according to individuals’ race/ethnicity. Conclusions By describing neighborhood archetypes that differentiate survival following breast cancer diagnosis, the study provides direction for policy and clinical practice addressing contextually-rooted social determinants of health including SES, unhealthy food environments, and greenspace.
Robotic-Assisted Paraesophageal Hernia Repair

Laparoscopic surgery is considered the standard approach for the treatment of paraesophageal hernias (PEHs). Despite its advantages, this approach is technically demanding with significant limitations and steep learning curve. Robotic has emerged as an acceptable alternative since it has proven to be feasible and safe with a learning curve comparable to the standard laparoscopic approach. The goal of this chapter is to describe our step-by-step technique to robotic assisted paraesophageal hernia repair.
Photosynthesis online

Online access to the Internet and the World Wide Web have become important for public awareness and for educating the world’s population, including its political leaders, students, researchers, teachers, and ordinary citizens seeking information. Relevant information on photosynthesis-related Web sites and other online locations is grouped into several categories: (1) group sites, (2) sites by subject, (3) individual researcher’s sites, (4) sites for educators and students, and (5) other useful sites.
State Rejection of Federal Law

Sometimes the Supreme Court speaks, and states do not follow. For example, in 2003, the Arizona Supreme Court agreed to “reject” a decision of the United States Supreme Court, because no “sound reasons justif[ied] following” it. Similarly, in 2006, Michigan voters approved a ballot initiative that, according to the legislature that drafted it, sought “at the very least[] to ‘freeze’ the state’s . . . law to prevent” state courts from following a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court. Surprising though this language may be, there is nothing nefarious about these cases. Cooper v. Aaron this is not. Unlike more notorious attempts by states to reject or nullify federal court decisions, these state laws and decisions remain in effect. How can this be? The reason is simple enough: The Supremacy Clause is not a binary switch. Without complete preemption, our system of federalism leaves room for state law to supplement or stand alongside federal law. States often use that freedom to depart from federal law by passing laws or issuing judicial opinions that explicitly reject specific opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. This Article documents and analyzes that phenomenon of state rejection of federal caselaw, which has not received systematic scholarly attention. Analyzing states’ reactions to three federal cases—Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois, Kelo v. City of New London, and Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife—allows for a novel analysis of the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. These varied examples show that there is no single explanation for state law rejecting federal law, nor is it even always carried out by the same institutional actor. Similarly, the pathologies and virtues that result from divergent state and federal law vary considerably across legal contexts. That states reject the decisions of federal courts has both practical and theoretical consequences for our understanding of federal courts’ influence on state law. As a practical matter, the examples comprise a playbook for state decisionmakers seeking to extend, supplement, or transcend the limitations of federal law. In an era of increasing and anticipated clashes between courts and legislatures, rejecting federal caselaw is one way that democratic majorities can reduce the practical impact of federal court decisions. More broadly, this phenomenon resonates with theoretical accounts of how legal systems’ rejection of precedent from other jurisdictions can shape domestic law. The act of defining law aversively to that of another sovereign leaves a lasting mark. States that reject the decisions of federal courts exhibit difference from federal law as an important strain of state law. Rejection of federal law therefore sows the seeds of its own future growth.
Speeding up heuristic computation in planning with Experience Graphs

Experience Graphs have been shown to accelerate motion planning using parts of previous paths in an A* framework. Experience Graphs work by computing a new heuristic for weighted A* search on top of the domain's original heuristic and the edges in an Experience Graph. The new heuristic biases the search toward relevant prior experience and uses the original heuristic for guidance otherwise. In previous work, Experience Graphs were always built on top of domain heuristics which were computed by dynamic programming (a lower dimensional version of the original planning problem). When the original heuristic is computed this way the Experience Graph heuristic can be computed very efficiently. However, there are many commonly used heuristics in planning that are not computed in this fashion, such as euclidean distance. While the Experience Graph heuristic can be computed using these heuristics, it is not efficient, and in many cases the heuristic computation takes much of the planning time. In this work, we present a more efficient way to use these heuristics for motion planning problems by making use of popular nearest neighbor algorithms. Experimentally, we show an average 8 times reduction in heuristic computation time, resulting in overall planning time being reduced by 66%. with no change in the expanded states or resulting path.
Psychological Reactions to Physical Illness and Hospitalization in Adolescence: A Survey

Abstract This paper surveys some of the psychoanalytic and psychosomatic literature which comments on the developmental aspects of adolescence and on the impact of bodily illness. Special attention is paid to the influence of debilitation on an adolescent patient's self-esteem and ego-ideal formation. It is suggested that the encouragement of self-care, the facilitation of the appropriate use of signal anxiety, anticipator mourning and/or denial, as well as education in adaptive skills, are specific measures which are psychologically felicitous for the care of physically ill adolescents.
Cohesion and satisfaction as mediators of the team trust – team effectiveness relationship: An interdependence theory perspective

Purpose – With extant research on the relationship between trust and effectiveness being inconclusive, the present study attempts to create a foundational investigation that examines the role of multiple mediators in the team trust – team effectiveness relationship. The authors identified the two emergent states of cohesion and satisfaction as intervening variables in the team trust – team effectiveness relationship, and tested this multi-mediation proposed model, within an interdependence theory perspective. Design/methodology/approach – MBA students at a large university in the southwestern USA were administered two waves of paper-based surveys, which were assigned to project groups. Individuals had been assigned to groups with the intent of maximizing diversity of age, gender, functional background, industry experience, and undergraduate major for each team (this is a goal of the MBA program, not the researchers). The first wave was administered one week after the groups had been formed and after all g...
A fuzzy expert organizer/robust control strategy for moving base robotic assembly operations

In this paper, three analytical tasks, stability analysis, robust control, and fuzzy intelligent organizer for a moving base robot are introduced. These tools are necessary for a mobile robot to perform complex assembly or manufacturing tasks in an unstructured environment. A stability envelope based on the relations between the system's mechanical energy and the stability relation is derived. A robust control algorithm is applied to the moving base robot that accounts for the dynamics of the composite system. A fuzzy intelligent organizing control strategy, based on a fuzzy rule-base and derived from measured force/moment data, for a robotic device performing quasi-static assembly tasks is presented. A modified distance metric is employed to measure the uncertainty (fuzziness) as it is related to specific control actions. A learning algorithm based on the probability of a fuzzy event is introduced. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Finally, a hierarchical controller which consists of a higher level fuzzy expert organizer coordinating with a lower level robust controller is proposed.
Precise Studies of Hydrogen Stark Resonances

Recently developed fast-beam, laser-spectroscopic methods have made possible the production of useful beams of highly excited hydrogen atoms in individual Stark states labeled with parabolic quantum numbers {n, n1, n2, |m|}, including those with large, values of the magnetic quantum number |m|. Their use in recently completed and currently underway precise measurements of the intense electric field dependence of energy shifts, ionization rates, and other properties is reviewed in the light both of previous low-resolution experimental studies and of the large body of recent theoretical work on the hydrogen Stark problem. It is also described how these techniques will be useful for future atomic collision studies involving individual Stark states.
Dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate in the treatment of hyperactive-aggressive children.

This study reports on the comparative effectiveness of dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate for the treatment of severe behavior disorders among children hospitalized for neuropsychiatric conditions. Findings indicate that both drugs attenuate hyperactive and aggressive behaviors and that children who respond to one may he expected to respond to the other. Side effects were generally equally distributed between both medications and were of modest degree. One case each of methylphenidate-induced dyskinesia and of dextroamphetamine-induced toxic psychosis is reported. The clinical implications of our findings are discussed, and directions are suggested for future research on some of the observed clinical problems.
Body Dissatisfaction in Women and Men: The Role of Gender-Typing and Self-Esteem

Body dissatisfaction was studied in 589 predominately middle class, European American, college students, classified as masculine-typed, feminine-typed, androgynous, or undifferentiated using the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Body dissatisfaction was defined as the discrepancy between a drawing selected as describing the individual's body and their selection of drawings representing: (1) their ideal body; (2) the body they believed members of their sex preferred; and (3) the body they believed members of the opposite sex preferred. Two separate studies found that women classified as feminine-typed or undifferentiated were more dissatisfied with their bodies than were women classified as masculine-typed or androgynous. Similar results were found for men. Both studies also found that women, regardless of gender-type, had thin ideals and greatly overestimated male preferences for slender female bodies. The theoretical implications of these results for gender schema theory and two other theories of gender typing were discussed. It was concluded that it is unnecessary to appeal to complex theories of gender-mediated socialization in order to explain differences in body dissatisfaction in women or men. Instead, these differences are most parsimoniously understood as the consequences of differences in global self-esteem.
Spaces of Modernity: Religion and the Urban in Asia and Africa

This article introduces a symposium on religion and the formation of modern urban space in Asia and Africa. Both the spread of new religious movements and the articulations between religion, globalization and neoliberalism have prompted new analyses of the shifting geographic and social boundaries between ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ institutions, practices and discourses, and about the meaning of ‘religion’ itself. We reinscribe work on urban religion within a discussion of ‘modernity’ by dealing with the socio-spatial mediation of religion and its role in redefining public spaces, practices, norms and discourses in contemporary cities. Individual articles map the spaces engendered by religious imaginaries and the forms of mobility and networks that religion relies on and constitutes, and they identify and analyze the roles played by mass media in religious practice and institution building, as well as the embodied nature of urban religious experience. They demonstrate how urban studies can be ‘pluralized’ and ‘vernacularized’ through analyses of how the urban realm is constituted in part through religious practice and meaning. Our attention to the articulation of religion with cities in Asia and Africa will also help to foster a new theoretical vocabulary within religious studies that is attentive to the historical, cultural and spatial contingencies of religion as a category of analysis.
Mechanistic control of product selectivity. Reactions between cis-/trans cis-/trans-[OsVI(tpy)(Cl)2(N)]+ and triphenylphosphine sulfide.

Reactions between the Os(VI)−nitrido complexes cis- and trans-[OsVI(tpy)(Cl)2(N)]+ (tpy is 2,2‘:6‘,2‘ ‘-terpyridine) and triphenylphosphine sulfide, SPPh3, give the corresponding Os(IV)−phosphoraniminato, [OsIV(tpy)(Cl)2(NPPh3)]+, and Os(II)−thionitrosyl, [OsII(tpy)(Cl)2(NS)]+, complexes as products. The Os−N bond length and Os−N−P angle in cis-[OsIV(tpy)(Cl)2(NPPh3)](PF6) are 2.077(6) A and 138.4(4)°. The rate law for formation of cis- and trans-[OsIV(tpy)(Cl)2(NPPh3)]+ is first order in both [OsVI(tpy)(Cl)2(N)]+ and SPPh3 with ktrans(25 °C, CH3CN) = 24.6 ± 0.6 M-1 s-1 and kcis(25 °C, CH3CN) = 0.84 ± 0.09 M-1 s-1. As found earlier for [OsII(tpm)(Cl)2(NS)]+, both cis- and trans-[OsII(tpy)(Cl)2(NS)]+ react with PPh3 to give [OsIV(tpy)(Cl)2(NPPh3)]+ and SPPh3. For both complexes, the reaction is first order in each reagent with ktrans(25 °C, CH3CN) = (6.79 ± 0.08) × 102 M-1 s-1 and kcis(25 °C, CH3CN) = (2.30 ± 0.07) × 102 M-1 s-1. The fact that both reactions occur rules out mechanisms involving S atom tran...
Amplitude-modulated phase-only filter performance in presence of noise

Abstract An amplitude-modulated phase-only filter (AMPOF) is tested in terms of four correlation performances: optical efficiency, normalized correlation peak power, correlation discrimination and signal-to-noise ratio and compared with those of a phase-only filter and inverse filter in the presence of noise. The results show that an AMPOF can be optimized by varying its amplitude.
Diffusion of zirconium in niobium: The influence of fast diffusing impurities on the self-diffusion isotope effect

The diffusion of $^{95}\mathrm{Zr}$ in niobium was measured over the temperature range from 1923 to 2523 K. The data fit the Arrhenius relation $D=0.85\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}3.93 \mathrm{eV}/kT)$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The changes in the self-diffusion isotope effect caused by ultralow levels (less than 100 at. ppm) of a fast-diffusing radioactive impurity are analyzed. It is concluded that radioactive-impurity levels not easily observed by Ge(Li) detectors can introduce large errors into the measurement of the isotope effect.
Surface reconstruction of clean (001)W

Abstract After more than a decade of experimental and theoretical research considerable controversy still remains regarding the surface structure of clean (001)W. This paper addresses primarily the conflicts associated with experimental aspects of the reconstruction problem and attempts to show that the majority of extant results are mutually compatible.
Tidal influences on vertical diffusion and diurnal variability of ozone in the mesosphere

Possible dynamical influences on the diurnal behavior of ozone are investigated. A time dependent one-dimensional photochemical model is developed for this purpose; all model calculations are made at 70 deg N during summer. It is shown that the vertical diffusion can vary as much as 1 order of magnitude within a day as a result of large changes in the zonal wind induced by atmospheric thermal tides. It is found that by introducing a dissipation time scale for turbulence produced by breaking gravity waves, the agreement with Poker Flat echo data is improved. Comparisons of results from photochemical model calculations, where the vertical diffusion is a function of height only, with those in which the vertical diffusion coefficient is changing in time show large differences in the diurnal behavior of ozone between 70 and 90 km. By including the dynamical effect, much better agreement with the Solar Mesosphere Explorers data is obtained. The results are, however, sensitive to the background zonally averaged wind. The influence of including time-varying vertical diffusion coefficient on the OH densities is also large, especially between 80 and 90 km. This suggests that dynamical effects are important in determining the diurnal behavior of the airglow emission from the Meinel bands.
The Energy-Environment Simulator: a new tool for education

A significant problem facing the world today is the development of an energy-literate public. Interactive simulation using special-purpose analog and digital computers has proven to be an effective method of public education. This article provides a brief in troduction to the educational use of interactive simulation and discusses the functional and elec tronic design of an Energy-Environment Simulator.
Low-Temperature Oxidation of Fe-24 wt.% Cr

Ferritic polycrystalline Fe-24 wt.% Cr was oxidized in pure oxygen at 190 ≤ T≤490° C and pressures in the range 5.3×10−2–13.3 Pa for periods of up to 5 hr. The reaction proceeded in three stages. An initial period of accelerating rate was accompanied by oxide island nucleation and growth. Following island coalescence the rate was approximately logarithmic at low temperatures and somewhat slower than parabolic at high temperatures. Rate control during this period was thought to be due to mass transport through the oxide grain boundaries left by the island impingement process. During these first two stages the oxide formed was γ-M2O3 with possibly some spinel. The final stage of reaction involved the appearance of α-M2O3 on the outer oxide surface and a substantial slowing of the oxidation rate due to the low diffusivity in this phase.
URINOMA (PARA‐URETERAL PSEUDOCYST) IN A DOG

A urinoma is an encapsulated extravasation of urine. In this case history report, the radiographic and ultrasonographic features of a urinoma in a dog are described. The dog presented with a palpable mass in the right flank which developed following ovariohysterectomy. Urinoma was considered when ultrasonographically, a sharply marginated, anechoic mass immediately caudal to the right kidney, ipsilateral hydroureter and hydronephrosis were detected. Extravasation of contrast medium was not seen during excretory urography. A fluid-filled retroperitoneal mass adjacent to a transected ureter was found at exploratory laparotomy. The diagnosis of urinoma (para-ureteral pseudocyst) and hydronephrosis was confirmed histopathologically.
Refined structure of the gene 5 DNA binding protein from bacteriophage fd.

The three-dimensional structure of the gene 5 DNA binding protein (G5BP) from bacteriophage fd has been determined from a combination of multiple isomorphous replacement techniques, partial refinements and deleted fragment difference Fourier syntheses. The structure was refined using restrained parameter least-squares and difference Fourier methods to a final residual of R=0·217 for the 3528 statistically significant reflections present to 2·3 A resolution. In addition to the 682 atoms of the protein, 12 solvent molecules were included. We describe here the dispositions and orientations of the amino acid side-chains and their interactions as visualized in the G5BP structure. The G5BP monomer of 87 peptide units is almost entirely in the β-conformation, organized as a three-stranded sheet, a two-stranded β-ribbon and a broad connecting loop. There is no α-helix present in the molecule. Two G5BP monomers are tightly interlocked about an intermolecular dyad axis to form a compact dimer unit of about 55 A×45 A×36 A. The dimer is characterized by two symmetry-related antiparallel clefts that traverse the monomer surfaces essentially perpendicular to the dyad axis. From the three-stranded antiparallel β-sheet, formed from the first two-thirds of the sequence, extend three tyrosine residues (26, 34, 41), a lysine (46) and two arginine residues (16, 21) that, as indicated by other physical and chemical experiments, are directly involved in DNA binding. Other residues likely to share binding responsibility are arginine 80 extending from the β-ribbon and phenylalanine 73 from the tip of this loop, but as provided, however, by the opposite monomer within each G5BP dimer pair. Thus, both symmetry-related DNA binding sites have a composite nature and include contributions from both elements of the dimer. The gene 5 dimer is clearly the active binding species, and the two monomers within the dyad-related pair are so structurally contiguous that one cannot be certain whether the isolated monomer would maintain its observed crystal structure. This linkage is manifested primarily as a skeletal core of hydrophobic residues that extends from the center of each monomer continuously through an intermolecular β-barrel that joins the pair. Protruding from the major area of density of each monomer is an elongated wing of tenuous structure comprising residues 15 through 32, which is, we believe, intimately involved in DNA binding. This wing appears to be dynamic and mobile, even in the crystal and, therefore, is likely to undergo conformational change in the presence of the ligand.
Comparison of transient and static test methods for chip-to-sink thermal interface characterization

Accurate thermal interface characterization is essential for high flux microelectronic package design. However, it is increasingly difficult as interfacial bond lines are thinned and thermal interface materials (TIM) evolve to more complex formulations with better performance. This paper compares a static versus transient characterization method targeted at the chip-to-package interface in a test fixture that closely resembles a packaged chip. The static method requires measurements over multiple bond line thicknesses while the transient method yields additional information about the package at the cost of greater numerical complexity, hardware requirements, sensitivity to noise and experimental uncertainty. Both are compared with existing techniques. We conclude that the static method is more generally-applicable while transient is well-suited to rapid characterization of the interface when the rest of the package is well-defined. While both methods are sensitive to the accuracy and resolution of temperature and bondline thickness measurements, the transient technique is additionally sensitive to the relative contribution of the TIM in the full junction-to-ambient thermal path. These points are illustrated through experimental results and compact numerical modeling.
Whole-genome sequencing data offer insights into human demography

Two new studies take distinct population genetic approaches to analyzing whole-genome sequencing data sets in order to estimate human demographic parameters. These papers refine our understanding of the relationships among human populations while illustrating both the possibilities and the statistical challenges of fitting demographic models to whole-genome data sets.
Light and heavy lysosomes: characterization of N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminidase isolated from normal and I-cell disease lymphoblasts

We previously reported that I-cell disease lymphoblasts maintain normal or near-normal intracellular levels of lysosomal enzymes, even though N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase activity is severely depressed or absent (Little et al., Biochem. J., 248, 151-159, 1987). The present study, employing subcellular fractionation on colloidal silica gradients, indicates that both light and heavy lysosomes isolated from I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy lymphoblasts possess normal specific activity levels of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase, alpha-D-mannosidase and beta-D-glucuronidase. These current findings are in contrast to those of cultured fibroblasts from the same patients, where decreased intralysosomal enzyme activities are found. Column chromatography on Ricinus communis revealed that N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase in both heavy and light I-cell disease lysosomal fractions from lymphoblasts possesses an increased number of accessible galactose residues (30-50%) as compared to the enzyme from the corresponding normal controls. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H treatment of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase from the I-cell lysosomal fractions suggests that the majority of newly synthesized high-mannose-type oligosaccharide chains are modified to complex-type carbohydrates prior to being transported to lysosomes. This result from lymphoblasts differs from previous findings with fibroblasts, where N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase from I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy lysosomes exhibited properties associated with predominantly high-mannose-type oligosaccharide chains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We need a prospective varicocelectomy trial

for this article http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2014.12.047 available at http://jurology.com/ Editorial Comment: Selecting which tubules to excise during surgical testis sperm extraction is currently visual. Fat, whitish tubules are expected to contain sperm, while thready ones should not. I have been surprised on occasion to find that fat tubules contained no sperm and thin ones contained sperm. These investigators demonstrated that Raman spectral imaging can differentiate whether seminiferous tubules house active spermatogenesis. The authors wisely note that safety for this approach is yet to be determined. However, in the hunt for sperm Raman spectroscopy is a promising tool. Craig Niederberger, MD Re: Safety and Efficacy of a New Device for Inducing Ejaculation in Men with Spinal Cord Injuries S. M. Castle, L. C. Jenkins, E. Ibrahim, T. C. Aballa, C. M. Lynne and N. L. Brackett Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida Spinal Cord, suppl., 2014; 52: S27eS29. Abstract for this article http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2014.12.048 available at http://jurology.com/ Editorial Comment: Penile vibratory stimulation is a terrifically simple and useful way to induce ejaculation in many men with spinal cord injury. While a single vibratory focus is sufficient to cause ejaculation in most men, a portion require 2 foci, on the dorsum and frenulum of the penis, to induce ejaculation. However, handling 2 vibrators is a complex proposition. These investigators report the usefulness of an innovative device that simultaneously vibrates the dorsum and frenulum, adding to the urological toolbox a simple, viable treatment for anejacualtion in the spinal cord injured man. Craig Niederberger, MD Re: We Need a Prospective Varicocelectomy Trial J. C. Trussell, D. A. Ohl, S. A. Krawetz, P. J. Snyder, A. J. Polotsky, P. Patrizio and G. M. Christman; Reproductive Medicine Network Department of Urology, Upstate University Hospital, Syracuse, New York, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Division of Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, and Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, and University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Fertil Steril 2014; 101: 1563e1564.e1.
The test of functional health literacy in adults: a new instrument for measuring patients' literacy skills.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a valid, reliable instrument to measure the functional health literacy of patients. DESIGN: The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) was developed using actual hospital materials. The TOFHLA consists of a 50-item reading comprehension and 17-item numerical ability test, taking up to 22 minutes to administer. The TOFHLA, the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R), and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) were administered for comparison. A Spanish version was also developed (TOFHLA-S). SETTING: Outpatient settings in two public teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: 256 English- and 249 Spanish-speaking patients were approached. 78% of the English- and 82% of the Spanish-speaking patients gave informed consent, completed a demographic survey, and took the TOFHLA or TOFHLA-S. RESULTS: The TOFHLA showed good correlation with the WRAT-R and the REALM (correlation coefficients 0.74 and 0.84, respectively). Only 52% of the English speakers completed more than 80% of the questions correctly. 15% of the patients could not read and interpret a prescription bottle with instructions to take one pill by mouth four times daily, 37% did not understand instructions to take a medication on an empty stomach, and 48% could not determine whether they were eligible for free care. CONCLUSIONS: The TOFHLA is a valid, reliable indicator of patient ability to read health-related materials. Data suggest that a high proportion of patients cannot perform basic reading tasks. Additional work is needed to determine the prevalence of functional health illiteracy and its effect on the health care experience.
Collateral inhibition of serotonergic neurones in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus: pharmacological evidence.

Abstract Previous studies have shown that serotonergic (5-HT) neurones in the dorsal raphe are inhibited following electrical stimulation of the major ascending 5-HT fibre pathway in the ventromedial tegmentum (VMT); this effect appears to be mediated directly through 5-HT axon collaterals. This possibility was tested further in the present study by pharmacological manipulations of the 5-HT system. When rats were pretreated with either para -chlorophenylalanine (P-CPA, which inhibits trypto phan hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for the 5-HT synthesis) or reserpine (which is believed to block storage of biogenic amines) or both, the inhibitory responses of antidromically identified 5-HT neurones to VMT stimulation were either totally prevented or markedly reduced in the great majority of cells tested. Furthermore, the P -CPA effects were reversed by the injection of 5-hydroxytryptophan (the immediate precursor of 5-HT which bypasses the synthesis step inhibited by P -CPA); low doses of l -dihydroxyphenylalanine (a precursor of catecholamines) were not effective. In some cells after the drug treatment, prolonged periods of suppression of firing of 5-HT cells still occurred following VMT stimulation. In such cells, continuous stimulation of the VMT (at 10 Hz for 3 min). which presumably depleted residual transmitter, diminished the VMT-induced effect. Of some possible 5-HT antagonists tested, only metergoline (1–2 mg/kg, i.v.) was effective in antagonizing the VMT induced depressant effect on 5-HT neurones; however, the development of the effect was extremely delayed. The present results show that the VMT-induced depression of firing of 5-HT neurones depends on the availability of 5-HT. This finding is consistent with the view that the inhibitory responses of 5-HT neurones to VMT stimulation are mediated directly through 5-HT axon collaterals (or dendo-dendritic junctions).
SO2 from episode 48A eruption, Hawaii: Sulfur dioxide emissions from the episode 48A East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

An SO2 flux of 1170±400 (1σ) tonnes per day was measured with a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC) in October and November 1986 from the continuous, nonfountaining, basaltic East Rift Zone eruption (episode 48A) of Kilauea volcano. This flux is 5–27 times less than those of highfountaining episodes, 3–5 times greater than those of contemporaneous summit emissions or interphase Pu'u O'o emissions, and 1.3–2 times the emissions from Pu'u O'o alone during 48A. Calculations based on the SO2 emission rate resulted in a magma supply rate of 0.44 million m3 per day and a 0.042 wt% sulfur loss from the magma upon eruption. Both of these calculated parameters agree with determinations made previously by other methods.
Age- and task-related differences in the use of category-size information for the retrieval of categorized items

Abstract Both the accuracy of category-size information and its use during the retrieval of categorized materials were investigated among kindergarten (5-year-old) and third-grade (8-year-old) children. Subjects were asked for free recall of a 34-item, categorized list wherein eight categories contained varying numbers of items. Subjects recalled items under either limited-time or unlimited-time conditions. Additionally, subjects were tested under one of three instructions: they were provided with the size of each category (Informed group), they were asked to estimate the size of each category (Estimation group), or they were given standard free recall instructions. Analysis of both the amount recalled and intercategory pause times indicated that third-graders' use of category size information was spontaneous, while kindergartners used the size information only when explicitly provided with it or asked for size estimates. Also, kindergartners' estimates of category size were much more in error than those of third-graders, although both groups erred on the side of underestimation. Importantly, when recall time limitations made the use of exhaustive category search less appropriate, third-graders were more apt to modify their search strategies.
Epidemiology of domestic military intervention: Evaluation of contagion as an explanatory concept

One of the most perplexing questions in politics is the effect of the international or macrosystem environment upon the activity of either regional subsystems or the basic components of the macropolitical system, the individual national political systems. One of the behavioral areas where it is crucial to detect the effect of the macrosystem is in the area of military policy, particularly the action taken by national military forces against host or governing institutional structures. This type of action, known as domestic military intervention, DMI, has come under increased scrutiny by behavioral and social scientists. This article subjects one explanation of DMI, the international contagion of similar events, to a critical examination. Contagion regards DMI as the result of macrosystemic effects upon the subsystems. Utilizing data on successful DMI events from 1948-67, tests for the interdependence of DMI events were conducted utilizing the Poisson distribution, contagious Poisson distribution, and contagious binomial and tests for autocorrelation. Some evidence for international contagion was found within various regional subsystems, but the utility of contagion of DMI as a pure macrosystemic phenomena was found to be severely constrained.
Rapid accurate absolute granulocyte count determination during severe leukopenia using the flow cytometer

The absolute granulocyte count (AGC) in 125 blood samples from patients with total white blood cell counts of less than 1,000/microliter was estimated using three different methods, which were then compared for efficiency and accuracy. The three methods were 25 cell differential counts using Wright's-stained blood smears, granulocyte percentage estimates from WBC counting chambers, and combined narrow- and wide-angle light-scatter characteristics determined on a flow cytometer. A survey of clinical laboratories at University Hospital Cancer Centers revealed that the smear differential was the most-often-used method in those laboratories even when less than 25 cells could be counted. Consequently the data obtained from the counting chamber and flow cytometer methods were compared to the smear differential "standard" using linear regression, and outliers were identified. There was good correlation between AGC determined by smear differential and WBC counting chamber (correlation coefficient .911) and excellent correlation between the AGC determined by smear differential and the flow cytometer method (correlation coefficient .970). The flow cytometer method used in this investigation required minimal specimen preparation, and test results were available at a rate of 60 seconds/sample. The ease of sample preparation, speed, and statistical reliability of test results makes the flow cytometer an attractive alternate method of determining granulocyte counts on leukopenic patients as compared to the stained blood smear differential.
Entorhinal and septal inputs differentially control sensory-evoked responses in the rat dentate gyrus

Averaged sensory-evoked potentials were recorded from the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus in naive rats and in rats conditioned to respond in the presence of an auditory stimulus. Two components (negative peaks) of the potentials were functionally distinguished in terms of responsiveness to unique or conditioned auditory stimuli. Each component was independently generated by a separate input pathway to the dentate gyrus: The perforant path provided an "insignificance" or "unexpected" feature of the sensory stimulus when appropriate, and the septum controlled the development of a second component as a function of the behavioral significance of the stimulus during the acquisition of auditory discrimination behavior. A reciprocal relationship between the peak amplitudes of both components of the average evoked potentials dependent on the relative behavioral significance of the sensory stimulus was observed in all animals during extinction and reconditioning of the sensory discrimination task. The findings indicate that the entorhinal and septal projections to the dentate granule cells are activated differentially by sensory stimuli as a function of their acquired behavioral significance to the animal.
Metal-dimer atomic reconstruction leading to deep donor states of the anion vacancy in II-VI and chalcopyrite semiconductors.

First-principles total-energy calculations reveal a novel local atomic reconstruction mode around anion vacancies in II-VI and chalcopyrite compounds resulting from the formation of metal dimers. As a consequence, the neutral Se vacancy has an unexpected low symmetry in ZnSe and becomes a deep donor in both ZnSe and $\mathrm{C}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$, contrary to the common belief regarding chalcopyrites. The calculated optical transition energies explain the hitherto puzzling absorption bands observed in the classic experiments of the color center in ZnS.
Energy-dissipation mechanisms associated with rapid fracture of concrete

A hybrid experimental-numerical procedure, involving moire interferometry and dynamic finite-element analysis, was used to analyze rapid crack growth in an impact loaded three-point-bend concrete specimen with an offset straight precrack. The dissipated energy rates in the fracture process zone (FPZ), which trails the rapidly extending crack, and in the frontal FPZ ahead of the crack tip, the kinetic-energy rate and energy-release rate were computed. The results showed that while the trailing FPZ was the dominant energy dissipation mechanism, much of the released energy was converted to kinetic energy in the fracturing concrete specimen.
Mixed Aromatic Acyloin Condensations with Recombinant Benzaldehyde Lyase: Synthesis of α-Hydroxydihydrochalcones and Related α-Hydroxy Ketones

Recombinant benzaldehyde lyase (BAL), expressed and purified from E. coli strain JM-109, was used to catalyze the condensation of a series of methoxybenzaldehydes and phenylacetaldehyde in the synthesis of α-(R)-hydroxydihydrochalcones. Enantiomerically pure 1-hydroxy-1,3-diphenylpropan-2-ones and o-anisoin were also obtained as products of the BAL reaction. The R absolute configurations of chiral centers were determined by CD spectroscopy. α-(R)-Hydroxydihydrochalcones and 1-hydroxy-1,3-diphenylpropan-2-ones are valuable synthons for chemoenzymatic syntheses of flavonoids. This is the first synthesis of α-(R)-hydroxydihydrochalcones by a microbial enzyme.
Propagation of ovine and bovine abortion strains of Chlamydia psittaci in suspension cultures of L-cells.

Summary Suspension cultures of mouse L-cells were infected with chlamydial strains associated with bovine and ovine abortion, as well as with strains associated with other clinical conditions. Freshly harvested yolk sacs of infected chicken embryos were used as the primary source of infection. Infectivity of cell propagated chlamydiae was assayed as inclusions-forming-units per ml. Abortigenic chlamydiae (biotype 1) multiplied to high titres, and high yields of chlamydial infectivity were obtained in subsequent passages. In contrast, chlamydial strains representative of biotypes 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 did not infect suspension cultures efficiently. Low rates of infection were obtained on the first passage, and the infectivity was lost in the process of attempting subpassages in suspension cultures. Findings from the interaction between chlamydiae and suspended host cells reinforce the concept that strains of C. psittaci of specific pathogenic potential interact differently with cultured cells. The suspension culture method, although limited to the propagation of abortigenic chlamydiae, represents a useful technique for the production of large amounts of chlamydial antigens required for vaccine production, and for antigenic and seroepidemiological studies. Zusammenfassung Vermehrung von Chlamydia psittaci-Stammen, isoliert aus Schaf- und Rinderaborten in L-Zell-Suspensionskulturen Suspensionskulturen von L-Zellen wurden mit Chlamydienstammen infiziert, die von Schafund Rinderaborten stammten, sowie auch mit Stammen anderer Atiologie. Die erste Infektionspassage erfolgte mit frisch geerntetem Dottersack von infizierten Huhnerembryonen. Der Infektionstiter, der sich in den Zellen vermehrten Chlamydien, wurde in Einschlus bildenden Einheiten pro ml berechnet. Der aus Aborten isolierte Chlamydienstamm (Biotyp 1) erreichte einen hohen Infektionstiter und in den folgenden Passagen stieg die Infektiositat der Erreger fur die L-Zellen stark an. Dagegen infizierten die Chlamydienstamme vom Biotyp 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 und 8 die Suspensionszellkulturen nicht ausreichend. In der ersten Passage wurde eine niedrige Infektionsrate gemessen und bei weiteren Subpassagen in den Suspensionszellkulturen ging die Infektiositat ganz verloren. Diese Wechselwirkung zwischen Chlamydien und suspendierten Wirtszellen last darauf schliesen, das die Infektiositat von spezifisch pathogenen C. psittaci-Stammen fur Zellkulturen unterschiedlich ist. Obwohl sich mit der Suspensionszellkultur-Methode nur die Chlamydienstamme, die aus Aborten isoliert wurden, vermehren liesen, ist diese Technik nutzlich zur Herstellung von grosen Mengen von Chlamydienantigenen, wie sie fur die Vaccineproduktion und fur antigenetische und seroepidemiologische Untersuchungen benotigt werden.