cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survival of Human Sperm Following Controlled- and Noncontrolled-Rate Cryopreservation/Die Überlebensrate menschlicher Spermatozoen nach einer kontrollierten und nicht kontrollierten Kryokonservierung

Summary: The purpose of this study was to develop a noncontrolled-rate (NCR) method of freezing semen in cryovials which could be used as a backup to controlled-rate (CR) freezing when the CR freezer was being utilized for freezing of human embryos or oocytes. Semen was frozen with three concetrations of glycerol (0 %, 3.75 %, 7.5 %) in cryoprotective media in a CR freezer or using a newly developed NCR method of freezing. Semen was thawed in 40 °C water or in air at room temperature (RT). Controlled-rate freezing and 40 °C thawing resulted in significantly greater postthaw sperm motility and motility index compared with NCR freezing and RT thawing. Sperm velocity and linearity were not significantly effected by rate of freezing or thawing except when there was no glycerol present in the cryoprotective media. Postthaw motilities following CR-40°C, NCR-40°C, CR-RT and NCR-RT freezing-thawing were 25.6%, 24.8%, 21.6% and 18.3 %, respectively. Because NCR freezing resulted in only a 0.8 % decline in motility compared with CR freezing when semen was thawed at 40 °C it appears that this new NCR method of freezing can be successfully used as a backup to CR freezing when the CR freezer is being used for embryo or oocyte cryopreservation. Zusammenfassung: Anlas der vorliegenden Studie war die Entwicklung einer nichtkon-trollierten Methode (NCR) zum Einfrieren von Sperma in Kryoglaschen, die als eine Unterstutzung der kontrollierten (CR) Einfriermethode benutzt werden konnte, wenn die kontrollierte Methode fur das Einfrieren von menschlichen Embryonen oder Oozyten benutzt war. Das Sperma wurde eingefroren mit drei Konzentrationen von Glycerin (0 %, 3,75 %, 7.5 %) in kryoprotektiven Medien in einem CR-Gefrierapparat oder unter Benutzung einer neu entwickelten nicht kontrollierten Methode des Einfrierens. In 40 °C-Wasser wurde das Sperma aufgetaut oder an der Luft bei Raumtemperatur. CR-Einfrieren und 40 °C Auftauen fuhrte zu einer significant groseren Postauftau-Spermatozoenmotilitat und Motilitatsindex verglichen mit NCR-Einfrieren und Raumtemperatur-Auftauen. Spermatozoengeschwindigkeit und Linearitat waren nicht signifikant beeinflust von der Einfrierrate oder dem Auftauen ausschlieslich wenn kein Glycerin im Kryoprotektivum enthalten war. Die Postauftau-Motilitat nach CR-40°C, NCR-40°C, CR-RT und NCR-RT Einfrieren-Auftauen betrug 25,6%, 24,8% 21,6% beziehungsweise 18,3 %. Weil NCR-Einfrieren ausschlieslich in 0,8 % zu einem Motilitatsabfall, verglichen mit CR-Einfrieren, fuhrte, wenn der Samen bei 40 °C aufgetaut wurde, hat es den Anschein, das diese neue Methode (NCR) erfolgreich sein kann als eine Hilfe fur die CR-Einfriermethode, wenn der CR-Gefrierapparat benutzt wird fur Embryonen- oder Oocyten-Kryokonservierung.
Relative transport of human adenovirus and MS2 in porous media

Abstract Human adenovirus (HAdV) is the most prevalent enteric virus found in the water environment by numerous monitoring studies and MS2 is the most common surrogate used for previous virus transport studies. However, the current knowledge on the transport behavior of HAdV in porous media and the transport relationship between HAdV and MS2 is very limited. In this study, we investigated the influence of ionic strength (IS) on the transport behaviors of HAdV, MS2, and pilus-associated MS2 (p-MS2) in saturated quartz sand columns. Retention of HAdV was higher than MS2 in all three IS (1, 10 and 100 mM NaCl), especially in 10 and 100 mM where virus recoveries in the effluent samples were ≤1% for HAdV, but ≥55% for MS2. Derjaguin and Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) theory alone cannot explain why the deposition of HAdV was so much higher. HAdV retention may be strongly enhanced by attaching its long fibers to the sand surface and this deposition mechanism is supported by DLVO energy profiles which show that HAdV can approach the sand surface within reach of its fibers at 10 and 100 mM NaCl. Results of transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and 0.05 μm membrane filtration suggest that the majority of MS2 cultured by Escherichia coli Famp were associated with a residue of pili. Although retention of pilus-associated MS2 (p-MS2) in the column was just slightly higher than individual MS2 particles, membrane filtration results indicated potentially important differences between removal of MS2 and p-MS2 by filtration with finer pore sizes. This is the first study reporting (1) increasing differences in the transport of HAdV and MS2 in porous media with an increase in ionic strength; (2) significant influence of pilus-association to MS2 removal by membrane and porous media filtration; and (3) a mechanistic explanation for the deposition differences of HAdV and MS2 using virus morphology information and DLVO theory.
Sustained degradation of trichloroethylene in a suspended growth gas treatment reactor by an actinomycetes enrichment

A laboratory-scale, suspended-growth, gas treatment bioreactor was used to study the sustained degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated gas by a phenol-fed actinomycetes enrichment under...
Do Role-Playing Simulations Generate Measurable and Meaningful Outcomes? A Simulation’s Effect on Exam Scores and Teaching Evaluations

Role-playing simulations are frequently claimed to be effective pedagogical tools in the teaching of international relations (IR); however, there is a surprising lack of empirical evidence on their classroom utility. The assessment of simulations remains mostly anecdotal, and some recent research has found little to no statistically significant improvements in quantitative measures of academic performance among students who participated in them [for example, International Studies Perspectives (2006), vol. 7, pp. 395; International Studies Perspectives (2008), vol. 9, pp. 75–89]. Scant research has been conducted on how role-playing simulations might affect students’ perceptions of the instructor’s teaching. This paper investigates whether a simulation had statistically significant effect on students’ exam scores in an IR course or on student teaching evaluation scores.
Female Survival Calculations in Politically Violent Settings: How Political Violence and Terrorism Are Viewed as Pathways to Life

Evolutionary theory's utility for the study of political phenomena, including war and nationalism, has been demonstrated. However, these studies fail to explain substate violence, including terrorism, and rarely evaluate whether cost-benefit analyses differ for males and females. This article seeks to demonstrate that evolutionary theory provides intriguing insights into two phenomena that observers find difficult to understand: political violence, including terrorism and self-sacrifice in the form of suicide attacks, and female political violence.
The use of compression measurements to study stress - Strain relationships and the volume dependence of the elastic free energy of a polymer network.

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks were prepared by cross-linking the polymer both in the undiluted state and in cyclohexane solutions of varying composition. Stress—strain isotherms of these networks in compression in the unswollen state were found to show only small deviations from the form predicted by the statistical theories of rubberlike elasticity. The dependence of these deviations on the variables which characterize the preparation of these networks indicates that they are not due primarily to nonequilibrium effects. The dependence of the stress itself on the volume at which the networks were prepared is in close agreement with the Flory theory of rubberlike elasticity, which contains a volume-dependent contribution to the elastic free energy of a polymer network. Previous experimental results bearing on the existence and magnitude of such a contribution are critically summarized and reevaluated, thereby definitively settling an important controversy in the area of rubberlike elasticity.
Oxoanion recognition by benzene-based tripodal pyrrolic receptors

Two new tripodal receptors based on pyrrole- and dipyrromethane-functionalised derivatives of a sterically geared precursor, 1,3,5-tris(aminomethyl)-2,4,6-triethylbenzene, are reported; these systems, compounds 1 and 2, display high affinity and selectivity for tetrahedral anionic guests, in particular dihydrogen phosphate, pyrophosphate and hydrogen sulphate, in acetonitrile as inferred from isothermal titration calorimetry measurements. Support for the anion-binding ability of these systems comes from theoretical calculations and a single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure of the 2:2 (host:guest) dihydrogen phosphate complex is obtained in the case of the pyrrole-based receptor system, 1.
Effect of ethanol dependence on GABAA antagonist-induced seizures and agonist-stimulated chloride uptake

The functional state of GABAA receptors during physical dependence on ethanol was evaluated in two ways. First, the ability of ethanol dependence to change the convulsant potency of GABAA antagonists microinjected into the inferior colliculus was examined. A second approach evaluated the effects of ethanol dependence on the ability of muscimol or pentobarbital to stimulate chloride uptake in rat brain vesicles. In the studies examining changes in convulsant potency, bilateral microinfusions of GABAA antagonists, bicuculline methiodide and picrotoxinin, as well as the excitatory amino acid agonist, kainic acid (used as a positive control) induced similar dose-related increases in the frequency of wild-running seizures. Ethanol dependence did not significantly change susceptibility to wild-running seizure induction by an of the convulsants, although susceptibility to the more severe, clonic seizures was significantly increased for each convulsant. This suggested that the receptor-blocking effects of GABAA antagonists responsible for inducing wild-running seizures were not selectively increased by ethanol dependence, but that spread of seizure activity responsible for clonic seizures following the initiation of wild running was generally increased. Finally, in studies examining changes in GABAA receptor-mediated chloride uptake, both muscimol and pentobarbital were found to induce concentration-dependent increases in chloride uptake in rat brain vesicles. However, responses to these drugs were not reduced by ethanol dependence suggesting that a generalized adaptive decrease in GABAA receptor function was unlikely. Together these results do not provide support for the hypothesis that the GABAA receptor-chloride channel complex is down-regulated during the development of physical dependence on ethanol.
NEW SPECTRAL COMPONENTS IN HIGH RESOLUTION ABSORPTION SPECTRA OF GREEN BACTERIAL REACTION CENTER COMPLEXES AT 5K

—absorption spcctra of reaction center Complexes I and II from Chlorobium limicola f. thiosul-fatophilum were taken from 760 and 860 nm at 5 K. Fourth and eighth derivatives of the spectra were calculated from the digital data. Light-minus-dark difference spectra were taken, also at 5 K, with 590 nm actinic light. A shoulder not visible at 77 K appears on the long wavelength side of the 834 nm peak in Complex I. In Complex II, which is derived by guanidine HCI treatment of I, the shoulder is much more pronounced; derivative peaks appear at 834 and 838 nm. In the difference spectra, there are troughs at 832 and 838 nm. The latter trough is the first instance in green bacteria of a wavelength coincidence between a light-induced bleaching and a peak in (derivative) absorbance. There is also a nearly symmetrical pair of features, a trough at 814 nm and a peak at 818 nm, that appear to represent a light-induced bathochromic shift of the absorbance at 816 nm, a peak which occurs in both complexes as well as the photochemically inert bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchl a) protein. Other features in the absorption spcctra of both Complexes occur at virtually the same wavelengths as the peaks in purified Bchl a-protein trimer. We conclude that a large fraction of the Bchl a in Complex II is in a conformation similar to that of a single subunit of Bchl a-protein.
The medieval warm period on the southern Colorado Plateau

Several questions concerning the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), an interval (A.D. 900 to 1300) of elevated temperatures first identified in northern Europe, are addressed with paleoenvironmental and archaeological data from the southern Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States. Low and high frequency variations in alluvial groundwater levels, floodplain aggradation and degradation, effective moisture, dendroclimate, and human adaptive behavior fail to exhibit consistent patterns that can be attributed to either global or regional expressions of the MWP. There is some suggestion, however, that climatic factors related to the MWP may have modified the regional patterns to produce minor anomalies in variables such as the number of intense droughts, the occurrence of specific droughts in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the prevalence of low temporal variability in dendroclimate, and the coherence of some low and high frequency environmental variables and aspects of human adaptive behavior. These results suggest that the MWP does not represent warming throughout the world. Rather, it was a complex phenomenon that probably was expressed differently in different regions.
Non-adherence to medications following pediatric liver transplantation.

: Non-adherence to medications is a leading cause of organ loss and morbidity in children and adolescents who had a liver transplant. Yet there are very few published studies about ways to detect whether patients are taking their medications or not, and about treatment options to improve adherence. The Pediatric Liver/Liver Transplant Program at Mount Sinai developed clinical and research programs that evaluate adherence. We review initial results from these programs. Clinic patients participate in an adherence-monitoring program that involves standardized assessments by patients, parents, clinicians, and routine examinations of medication blood levels. A research program adds an electronic monitoring device (MEMS-caps©, AARDEX/APREX, Switzerland) and examines the use of azathioprine metabolites as predictors for non-adherence. Patients receive a thorough psychosocial evaluation to identify potential risk factors for non-adherence. Preliminary results indicate that an objective adherence detection method has to be incorporated into practice if non-adherence is to be reliably detected (clinicians' impressions and patients’ reports are not sufficient). A risk factor for non-adhernce, post-traumatic stress disorder, emerges as a potential target for intervention. It is possible to integrate a formal mechanism to assess adherence into the work of a liver/liver transplant clinic. We hope that the presented program will inspire clinicians in the community and other programs to regard the assessment and improvement of adherence to medications as an important goal in the management of children who had a transplant.
Developing and Sustaining Professionalism within Gifted Education.

This article calls for a new paradigm of professionalism in the field of gifted education. The definition of professionalism varies, and yet the need for a common vision of professionalism in the field is necessary to strengthen gifted education in the future. The authors delineate a framework for sustaining professionalism within the field and ask for commitment from the field’s stakeholders to long-range planning, fidelity with flexibility, and a collaborative infrastructure.
Glial activation links early-life seizures and long-term neurologic dysfunction : Evidence using a small molecule inhibitor of proinflammatory cytokine upregulation

Summary: Purpose: Early-life seizures increase vulnerability to subsequent neurologic insult. We tested the hypothesis that early-life seizures increase susceptibility to later neurologic injury by causing chronic glial activation. To determine the mechanisms by which glial activation may modulate neurologic injury, we examined both acute changes in proinflammatory cytokines and long-term changes in astrocyte and microglial activation and astrocyte glutamate transporters in a “two-hit” model of kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures. Methods: Postnatal day (P) 15 male rats were administered KA or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). On P45 animals either received a second treatment of KA or PBS. On P55, control (PBS-PBS), early-life seizure (KA-PBS), adult seizure (PBS-KA), and “two-hit” (KA-KA) groups were examined for astrocyte and microglial activation, alteration in glutamate transporters, and expression of the glial protein, clusterin. Results: P15 seizures resulted in an acute increase in hippocampal levels of IL-1β and S100B, followed by behavioral impairment and long-term increases in GFAP and S100B. Animals in the “two-hit” group showed greater microglial activation, neurologic injury, and susceptibility to seizures compared to the adult seizure group. Glutamate transporters increased following seizures but did not differ between these two groups. Treatment with Minozac, a small molecule inhibitor of proinflammatory cytokine upregulation, following early-life seizures prevented both the long-term increase in activated glia and the associated behavioral impairment. Conclusions: These data suggest that glial activation following early-life seizures results in increased susceptibility to seizures in adulthood, in part through priming microglia and enhanced microglial activation. Glial activation may be a novel therapeutic target in pediatric epilepsy.
Evolution of Ti Schottky Barrier Heights on n-Type GaN with Annealing

The authors report the effect of mild annealing on Ti Schottky diodes on n-type GaN. The Ti films were deposited by electron beam evaporation on n-type GaN grown by metal organic vapor deposition. They determine the effective barrier height {Phi}{sub b0} by current-voltage measurements as a function of temperature. The as-deposited Ti contacts show rectifying behavior with low barrier heights {Phi}{sub b0} {le} 200meV. At annealing temperatures as low as 60 C the authors an increase of the barrier height to values of 250meV. After annealing at 230 C and above a stable barrier height of 450meV is measured. The increase in barrier height is not due to any macroscopic interfacial reaction. The origin of the observed changes are discussed in terms of the Schottky-Mott model and possible microscopic interfacial reactions.
Size-frequency distributions of chondrules and chondrule fragments in LL3 chondrites: Implications for parent-body fragmentation of chondrules

We measured the sizes and textural types of 719 intact chondrules and 1322 chondrule fragments in thin sections of Semarkona (LL3.0), Bishunpur (LL3.1), Krymka (LL3.1), Piancaldoli (LL3.4) and Lewis Cliff 88175 (LL3.8). The mean apparent diameter of chondrules in these LL3 chondrites is 0.80 Φ units or 570 um, much smaller than the previous rough estimate of ~900 μm. Chondrule fragments in the five LL3 chondrites have a mean apparent cross-section of 1.60 phi units or 330 μm. The smallest fragments are isolated olivine and pyroxene grains; these are probably phenocrysts liberated from disrupted porphyritic chondrules. All five LL3 chondrites have fragment/chondrule number ratios exceeding unity, suggesting that substantial numbers of the chondrules in these rocks were shattered. Most fragmentation probably occurred on the parent asteroid. Porphyritic chondrules (porphyritic olivine + porphyritic pyroxene + porphyritic olivine-pyroxene) are more readily broken than droplet chondrules (barred olivine + radial pyroxene + cryptocrystalline). The porphyritic fragment/chondrule number ratio (2.0) appreciably exceeds that of droplet-textured objects (0.9). Intact droplet chondrules have a larger mean size than intact porphyritic chondrules, implying that large porphyritic chondrules are fragmented preferentially. This is consistent with the relatively low percentage of porphyritic chondrules within the set of the largest chondrules (57%) compared to that within the set of the smallest chondrules (81%). Differences in mean size among chondrule textural types may be due mainly to parent-body chondrule-fragmentation events and not to chondrule-formation processes in the solar nebula.
Far field analysis of conformal loop arrays

In this paper, we consider the far-zone electric patterns of an array of coaxial conducting loops lying on cylindrical and spherical surfaces, with wide inter-element spacing ranging from 1/spl lambda/ to 5/spl lambda/. These patterns are compared in their beamwidth and sidelobe levels with loop arrays mounted on surfaces with random geometry, and the results show that the improvement or deterioration of the field patterns depends on the degree of randomness. >
The effects of culture and cohesiveness on intragroup conflict and effectiveness.

To investigate the influence of culture and cohesiveness on intragroup conflict and effectiveness, the authors made comparisons among groups of U.S. friends and strangers and among groups of Chinese friends and strangers. Groups consisting of 5 members of the same culture engaged in a decision-making task. Among U.S. participants, task conflict and performance results tended to vary together. U.S. strangers reported little task conflict (disagreements about fact or opinion) and performed relatively poorly, whereas U.S. friends' performances benefited from an uninhibited exchange of individual ideas and opinions. In contrast, Chinese participants reported uniformly high levels of intragroup conflict and experienced relatively low performance. The results suggest that a task conflict advantage, with which group members feel comfortable enough to freely express and exchange opinions and disagree with each other to achieve optimal outcomes, might be culture specific.
Responding to Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease: Husbands, Wives, and the Gendered Dynamics of Recognition and Disclosure:

In this article, we analyze the process of redefining marital relations within the context of couples dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRDs), drawing on intensive interviews with 13 caregiver husbands and 15 caregiver wives. Men were slower to recognize the symptoms of ADRDs, with social others usually bringing the problems to their attention. They often attributed symptoms to a less-problematic cause and engaged in extended normalization of their wife’s condition. Women were quicker to recognize symptoms and often noticed subtle changes in their husbands but failed to take action quickly. They were reluctant to disclose their concerns to their impaired husbands, which might have protected the husband’s masculine identity and served to maintain the wife’s own sense of self in relation to him. We suggest that husbands were able to normalize because the wife’s symptoms did not change marital authority dynamics, but authority relations were reversed by the illness for caregiver wives.
Vagovagal reflex control of digestion: afferent modulation by neural and "endoneurocrine" factors

Vagovagal reflex control circuits in the dorsal vagal complex of the brain stem provide overall coordination of gastric, small intestinal, and pancreatic digestive functions. The neural components forming these reflex circuits are under substantial descending neural control. By adjusting the excitability of the differing components of the reflex, significant alterations in digestion control can be produced by the central nervous system. Additionally, the dorsal vagal complex is situated within a circumventricular region without a "blood-brain barrier." As a result, vagovagal reflex circuitry is also exposed to humoral influences, which can profoundly alter digestive functions by acting directly on brain stem neurons.
Unexpected effects of the severe combined immunodeficiency mutation on murine lymphomagenesis.

Strain C.B17 scid/scid (SCID) mice, which lack functional T and B lymphocytes, show heightened susceptibility to the induction of thymic lymphomas by x-irradiation. Susceptibility is highest in thymus-chimeric SCID-BL mice (thymectomized SCID mice bearing a C57BL thymus graft). All SCID-BL lymphomas originate in the cells of the thymic graft (C57BL type) and lack murine leukemia virus expression. Both SCID and SCID-BL lymphomas are phenotypically CD4-8+ and/or CD4+8+, but only the SCID-BL tumors express CD3. Injection of C57BL or BALB/c bone marrow into irradiated SCID-BL mice prevents lymphoma development, but SCID marrow is completely ineffective. The results suggest that the scid condition enhances the activity of a putative lymphomagenic agent induced in the bone marrow by x-irradiation and that C57BL thymic cells are highly sensitive targets. Moreover, the failure of SCID bone marrow to protect against lymphomagenesis vs. the efficacy of marrow from immunocompetent donors points to involvement of T or B lineage cells in this process.
Aspirin and Other Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Few large prospective studies have examined associations between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We examined the association between NSAID use and NHL incidence among 149,570 participants in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition cohort. Aspirin and nonaspirin NSAID use were reported at enrollment in 1992 and updated on periodic follow-up questionnaires. During follow-up through 2007, 1,709 incident NHLs were identified. Time-dependent hazard ratios were calculated using extended Cox regression. Compared to no use, current use of 60+ NSAID pills/month (aspirin and nonaspirin NSAIDs combined) was associated with slightly higher NHL incidence (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.53), but no association with frequency of use was observed when NSAID exposure was lagged by approximately 2 years (HR = 1.08, 95% CI, 0.88–1.32). Long duration regular use (current use of 30+ pills/month for ≥5 years) was not associated with NHL incidence (HR = 1.09, 95% CI, 0.91–1.33). In subtype analyses, current use of 60+ NSAID pills/month was associated with follicular lymphoma incidence (HR = 1.87, 95% CI, 1.08–3.24). This association persisted when NSAID exposure was lagged (HR = 1.76, 95% CI, 1.04–2.98) and was similar for aspirin and nonaspirin NSAIDs. The association of current, but not lagged, NSAID use with risk of all NHL could be attributable to use of NSAIDs to relieve symptoms of undiagnosed NHL. However, the association with follicular lymphoma persisted in analyses where NSAID use was lagged and should be investigated further. These findings are particularly important for aspirin as the risks and benefits of prophylactic daily use are weighed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 1–7. ©2013 AACR .
Causes for decreased fertility in out-of-season mated ewes

Abstract The interval from onset of estrus to preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) release, conception and fertilization rates, and number of accessory spermatozoa per ovum at 48 hr postmating in untreated cyclic ewes and in progestogen-pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) treated, anestrous ewes were compared in efforts to identify sources of lowered fertility for matings induced in anestrous ewes with exogenous hormones. Blood samples for LH determination were collected at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 24 hr after the onset of estrus. Conception and fertilization failure rates were determined at 48 hr, 12 days, or parturition. The progestogen-PMSG treated ewes had a shorter interval from onset of estrus to preovulatory LH release, lower conception rates, and fewer accessory spermatozoa than cyclic ewes had. Conception failure, rather than embryonic mortality, was the major cause of reduced fertility for the out-of-season mated ewes and apparently resulted from insufficient viable spermatozoa in the oviducts to fertilize the ova.
Panel - emerging results: Were the engineering education coalitions an effective intervention?

At the time the decision was made to discontinue funding to the NSF engineering education coalitions, data in support of the impact of the coalitions were unavailable. Since then, whether an institution was a member of a coalition has been an important variable in many engineering education studies. In this panel session and paper, we present the results of three such studies and invite the audience to assess the strength of the evidence. Guided audience discussion will focus on whether the results can be used to evaluate the coalitions intervention, related research directions, and implications for future funding.
Myhre-LAPs syndrome and intubation related airway stenosis: keys to diagnosis and critical therapeutic interventions☆

Abstract Objectives Myhre-LAPS syndrome is a recently recognized disease caused by a mutation in the SMAD4 gene. This results in a range of pathology including laryngotracheal stenosis, arthropathy, prognathism and short stature, or LAPS syndrome. We aim to delineate the role of intubation in development of airway stenosis in these patients as well as provide insight into diagnosis and management of this syndrome. Herein we present four patients with Myhre-LAPS syndrome complicated by airway stenosis and perform a systematic review of all cases of Myhre-LAPS syndrome with reported airway pathology. Study design Retrospective review Methods All patients diagnosed with Myhre-LAPS syndrome and airway stenosis at a single institution from 1981 to 2014 were reviewed. Results Four patients (4F, median age 42) were identified that met inclusion criteria. Initial presenting signs included progressive shortness of breath, dyspnea on exertion and respiratory distress. All four (100%) patients had multi-level airway stenosis most commonly in the subglottic and glottic regions and all patients had undergone at least one endotracheal intubation prior to presentation. One patient with a history of nasal tracheal intubation presented with nasal obstruction and was found to have choanal as well as subglottic stenosis. Two of the four (50%) patients are tracheostomy tube dependent, 1/4 (25%) died of a fatal cardiac arrhythmia and 1/4 (25%) has had 6 endoscopic treatments for subglottic stenosis in 4 years with rapid symptom recurrence. Conclusions Myhre-LAPS syndrome is characterized by progressive systemic fibrosis and patients are diagnosed by characteristic findings of prognathism, short stature, abnormal facies, and thick skin among other abnormalities. Airway management is complicated by recurrent, refractory subglottic stenosis often preceded by elective intubation as well as maxillary hypoplasia, trismus, and limited neck extension. Endotracheal intubation and surgical intervention should be approached with caution in these patients and multidisciplinary care teams are necessary to address all manifestations of this syndrome.
Hierarchical Circuit Verification

One of the crucial steps in designing VLSI circuits is to verify the correctness of the layout of the circuitry. Traditionally, this verification step is done by first flattening out the circuit hierarchy. This approach requires a substantial amount of computational overhead even for circuits that are relatively small. In this paper, a connectivity verification algorithm which exploits circuit hierarchy is presented. This algorithm works most efficiently with big circuits and is therefore useful for verifying VLSI circuits.
Variational Bayesian methods for spatial data analysis

Abstract With scientific data available at geocoded locations, investigators are increasingly turning to spatial process models for carrying out statistical inference. However, fitting spatial models often involves expensive matrix decompositions, whose computational complexity increases in cubic order with the number of spatial locations. This situation is aggravated in Bayesian settings where such computations are required once at every iteration of the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. In this paper, we describe the use of Variational Bayesian (VB) methods as an alternative to MCMC to approximate the posterior distributions of complex spatial models. Variational methods, which have been used extensively in Bayesian machine learning for several years, provide a lower bound on the marginal likelihood, which can be computed efficiently. We provide results for the variational updates in several models especially emphasizing their use in multivariate spatial analysis. We demonstrate estimation and model comparisons from VB methods by using simulated data as well as environmental data sets and compare them with inference from MCMC.
Effects of Nitrogen Availability and Cheatgrass Competition on the Establishment of Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is the most widespread invasive weed in sagebrush ecosystems of North America. Restoration of perennial vegetation is difficult and land managers have often used introduced bunchgrasses to restore degraded sagebrush communities. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of ‘Vavilov’ Siberian wheatgrass (Agropyron fragile [Roth] P. Candargy) to establish on cheatgrass-dominated sites. We examined Vavilov establishment in response to different levels of soil nitrogen availability by adding sucrose to the soil to promote nitrogen (N) immobilization and examined cheatgrass competition by seeding different levels of cheatgrass. We used a blocked split-split plot design with two sucrose levels (0 and 360 g ? m 22 ), two levels of Vavilov (0 and 300 seeds ? m 22 ), and five levels of cheatgrass (0, 150, 300, 600, and 1 200 seeds ? m 22 ). Seeding was conducted in fall 2003 and 2004, and measurements were taken in June 2004, 2005, and 2006. Sucrose addition decreased availability of soil nitrate but not orthophosphate. In the first year after seeding, sucrose reduced cheatgrass density by 35% and decreased both cheatgrass biomass per square meter and seed production per square meter by 67%. These effects were temporary, and by the second year after seeding, there was a sevenfold increase in cheatgrass density. As a result, the effects of sucrose addition were no longer significant. Sucrose affected Vavilov growth, but not density, during the first year after seeding. Vavilov density decreased as cheatgrass seeding density increased. Short-term reductions in N or cheatgrass seed supply did not have long-term effects on cheatgrass and did not increase Vavilov establishment. Longer-term reductions in soil N, higher seeding densities, or more competitive plant materials are necessary to revegetate areas dominated by cheatgrass.
Prospective on ovarian cancer: why prevent?

In 1995, an estimated 26,600 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian caner. During that same year, approximately 14,500 women will die from the disease. Although ovarian cancer accounts for only 33% of the gynecologic cancers and only 5% affecting women in the United States, it results in 55% of the deaths from gynecologic cancer and 6% of the cancer deaths in women. The cure rate for ovarian cancer by stage at diagnosis is not significantly different from other gynecologic cancers. Ovarian cancer confined to the ovary (Stage I) can be cured in 90% of cases. Survival for patients with advnaced disease (Stages III and IV) is 21%. Unfortunately, while 73% of endometrial cancers, 55% of breast cancers, and 50% of cervical cancers are diagnosed as Stage I, only 23% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed as Stage I. Thus, five-year survival for all endometrial cancer is 85%, for all breast cancer, 82%, for cervical cancer, 70%, and for ovarian cancer, only 42%. The lack of early symptoms and the absence of any proven method of screening for early ovarian cancer results in over 70% of women being diagnosed after the disease has spread beyond the ovary. Also, unlike breast, cervical, and endometrail cancer, there is no known premalignant phase for ovarian cancer; therfore, diagnosis and tretment of a premalignant condition to prevent the development of ovarian cancer is not possible. Theories to explain the development of ovarian cancer are based on observations that ovulation inhibition through pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, and a shorter ovulatory period (late menarche or early menopause) result in a decreased incidence of ovarian cancer. The incessant disruption of the ovarian capsule followed by repair may provide the opportunity for aberrant growth. Finally, therapy of women with ovarian cancer usually requires mulitple surgical procedures, multiple courses of chemotherapy, and results in significant morbidity and health care costs. For most women with disease, the end result will still be a slow, painful death by starvation. There should be little doubt based on the above statistics that every effort should be directed towards prevention of ovarian cancer. Possible strategies in the prevention of ovarian cancer should be directed towards determining if a premalignant condtion exits, developing screening tools to detect premalignant disease or disease confined to the ovary, and developing interventions to prevent the development of the disease. It is well established that use of oral contraceptives for five or more years can reslult in up to a 50% reduction in the occurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer. Given the low complication rates from oral contraceptive use, this medication should be considered as a method of prevention, especially in high-risk groups. In addition, this is a realistic starting point for research into the development of preventive regimens.
Web-Based Testing: Exploring The Relationship Between Hardware Usability And Test Performance

Web-based testing has recently become common in both academic and professional settings. A web-based test is administered through a web browser. Individuals may complete a web-based test at nearly any time and at any place. In addition, almost any computer lab can become a testing center. It is important to understand the environmental issues that may influence test performance. This study furthers our understanding of web-based testing. The research is conducted using an experimental method with 220 undergraduate student participants in an academic environment. Test performance effects are examined based on administration environment, computer hardware configuration, and distractions. Results indicate that minor differences in hardware configurations may have a significant effect on test results.
Adverse Effects of Medications for ADHD: Priapism with Medication for ADHD

Investigators at Auburn University, Huntsville, AL, and other centers, reviewed reports in the literature (1966-May 15, 2014) of priapism associated with methylphenidate (MPH), amphetamines, and atomoxetine used in treatment of ADHD.
Culex pipiens and Culex restuans mosquitoes harbor distinct microbiota dominated by few bacterial taxa

Background Mosquitoes host diverse microbial communities that influence many aspects of their biology including reproduction, digestion, and ability to transmit pathogens. Unraveling the composition, structure, and function of these microbiota can provide new opportunities for exploiting microbial function for mosquito-borne disease control.
Asset Pricing with Long Run Risk and Stochastic Differential Utility: An Analytic Approach

The analytic method of Chen, Cosimano, and Himonas (CCH 2009) is extended to prove that the continuous time version of the long run risk model of Bansal and Yaron (2004) has an analytic solution. The long run risk model is dependent on the recursive utility introduced by Duffie and Epstein (1992a, 1992b) which leads to a nonlinear differential equation. The solution to this differential equation is an analytic function, so that the lifetime utility is represented by a power series near the stationary mean of the long run risk variable. The radius of convergence for this power series is determined to be at least seven standard deviations of the long run risk variable. Consequently, the lifetime utility can be quickly and accurately solved using a higher order Taylor polynomial approximation. With the solution to the lifetime utility the analytic method is then used to solve the linear ODE for the price-dividend function near the stationary mean of the long run risk variable with a radius of convergence at least one third of that for the lifetime utility. The short term properties of the long run risk model are compared with that of the external habit model of Campbell and Cochrane (1999). Finally, an alternative method from Hansen and Scheinkman (2009) is used to find the asymptotic rate of return on stocks for the long run risk model.
Follow-up Study Of Twenty-nine Patients with Congenital Dislocation Of The Hip Treated By The Colonna's Capsular Arthroplasty

1. A review was made of twenty nine cases of congenital dislocation of hip in patients treated by Colonna's arthroplasty. One of these patients was bilateral. Ages at the surgery ranged from four yearr to fourteen years.2. The clinical results are superior to that of the roentgenogram.3. The clinical results were favorable —twenty-seven hips were excellent or good and three hips were fair or poor.4. In twelve hips, roentgenograms were shown deformities of femoral head or acetabular dysplasias. The roentgenographic results of eighteen hips were excellent or good.5. Causes of these are due to the following factors: (1) lack of traction before surgery, (2) technique of surgeon, (3) lateralization of femoral head after surgery, (4) structural problem of femoral head itsself.
‘We might as well be speaking different languages’: an innovative interprofessional education tool to teach and assess communication skills critical to patient safety

Introduction All practicing health professionals must be able to communicate effectively with their colleagues around the care of patients. Better communication between health professionals not only improves patient outcomes, but also cuts down on costly and unnecessary tests or healthcare services. At New York University (NYU), we have addressed the need for interprofessional education (IPE) by incorporating a set of interprofessional objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) cases into our performance-based assessment programme to expand the educational tools for interprofessional collaborative (IPC) practice, assessment and feedback. Methods We identified and operationalised IPC competencies to create an assessment tool for use in IPC clinical cases, delineating core domains and then identifying observable behaviours that represented the broader competencies. IPC cases (for use in OSCEs) were designed in a way that required medical students and residents to collaborate effectively with a health professional from another discipline (standardised registered nurse (RN)) in order to provide quality care to a (standardised) patient. Feedback from the standardised RN and the participants was content analysed and our own experience in implementing was described. Results This method demonstrates that IPC practice can effectively be incorporated into medical education training and assessment, at the undergraduate and graduate level. We found high internal consistency among items within each of the core IPC competency domains (Cronbach9s α 0.80–0.85). Based on both standardised RN and faculty feedback, the cases were effective in discriminating among learners within and across undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) levels, and within learners, in identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. Learners found these cases to be realistic, challenging and stimulating. Conclusions OSCE-based IPC training is a feasible and useful methodology. Ultimately, IPC OSCE cases are training tools that provide learners with a safe environment to practice, receive feedback and develop the critical skills needed for our evolving healthcare system. The next steps are to expand the scope of IPE cases to include more team members, and team work to also incorporate faculty development to ensure that our teachers and role models are effective in providing feedback on IPC practice.
Investigation Results on Plague Focuses in Wuqi county 2007 to 2009,Shaanxi Province

Objectives To investigate the composition and distribution of the host and vector animails of plague in Wuqi County,and providing scientific bases for the prevention and treatment of plague.Methods All captured mice and detected flea have been identified,and seriological survey of plague in Wuqi County were carried out.Results Totally 298 mice have been captured which belonged to 4 species with the average density of 2.08 ind /hm2,ground squirrel was the dominant species accounted for 74.50% of the rodents captured.A total of 52 fleas were collected from host rodents.The flea infection rate of rats was 10.07%,the total flea index was 0.20.178 samples of the plague host animal serum were tested,the plague F1 antibody was negative.Conclusions The results show that the natural infective foci in Wuqi county remains in a quiescent period.
Study of antimicrobial resistance and molecular subtyping by PFGE for Salmonella derby

Objective:To survey the status of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella derby isolated from staff in food-related industry from May to September in 2008 and genotype the above strains by pulsed field gel electrophoresis(PFGE),exploring the polymorphism of Salmonella derby pulsotypes of these strains.Methods:Thirteen strains of Salmonella derby were isolated and identified from staff in food-related industry subjected to physical examination and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were conducted on these strains with Kirby Bauer methods using 18 kinds of antibiotics.Bacterial cells were lysised to release the whole genomic DNA,digested with restriction endonuclease and then subjected to molecular subtyping utilizing PFGE.Profiles were obtained with Quantity-One TM software and their homological analysis were conducted by BioNumerics 4.0 software.Results:Thirteen strains of Salmonella derby were susceptible to nine antibiotics and exhibited medium or resistance to other antibiotics.These Salmonella derby shown the highest rate of drug resistance to tetracycline(76.9%),followed by chlorocin(30.8%),compound sulfamethoxazole(15.4%),ofloxacin(7.7%) and ampicillin(7.7%).Analysis of the PFGE profiles of the 13 strains of Salmonella derby by BioNumerics 4.0 software indicated that two of the strains shared the same pulsotype and the similarity coefficient of other strains were between 73.7% and 93.8%.Conclusion:Salmonella derby is resistant to cephalosporins antibiotics and exhibits medium or resistance to other antibiotics.These strains share relatively high homology.
The emerging role of immunotherapy in gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma

Gastric and esophageal adenocarcinomas are aggressive malignancies. Systemic therapy for these tumors relies primarily on cytotoxic chemotherapy but outcomes remain poor. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a new, promising therapeutic approach for a variety of solid tumors. Characterization of gastroesophageal cancers has revealed genomic and immune features of these tumors that may predict response to immunotherapy. Indeed, preliminary results from the initial trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors have been encouraging, with objective response rates of 20% in heavily pretreated patient populations. Based on these results, additional trials of single-agent checkpoint inhibitors as well as combinations with chemotherapy and targeted therapies are currently ongoing. Further work to identify predictive biomarkers will be crucial for the successful implementation of immunotherapy.