cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pediatric clear cell meningioma involving the middle cranial fossa in the context of NF2 and SMARCE1 mutations.

Meningiomas are an uncommon entity in children and adolescents. <30 cases of pediatric clear cell meningioma (CCM), a World Health Organization (WHO) Grade II tumor, have been reported in the literature. These tumors are more likely to recur than the more common WHO Grade I meningiomas, especially with incomplete surgical resection. CCMs are most commonly found in the spine and posterior cranial fossa. Recently, SMARCE1 mutations have been linked to the development of CCM. To evaluate the progression of pediatric CCM in the context of emerging genetic knowledge, we reviewed all 45 cases of CCM at our institution for a 23 year period (1997-2019) to identify pediatric cases. Forty-four of the tumors arose in adults from age 34-81 years. The one pediatric case originally presented at age 4 years; the patient was found to have a CCM in the left cavernous sinus projecting into the posterior fossa, associated with a novel germline SMARCE1 mutation and somatic NF1 and DMD mutations. After two years, the patient had a recurrence of the tumor and underwent a second resection. This is the 5th reported case of CCM in the middle cranial fossa, and the only recurrent case, as well as the only reported case of recurrent pediatric CCM associated with a germline SMARCE1 mutation. Further study of the natural history of tumors associated with germline SMARCE1 loss could potentially inform prognosis.
Comparing speciation rates in lakes, rivers, and the sea

ABSTRACT The diversity of species inhabiting freshwater relative to marine habitats is striking, given that freshwater habitats make up less than 1% of Earth’s water. The most commonly proposed mechanism for this pattern is that freshwater habitats are more fragmented than marine habitats, resulting in increased opportunities for allopatric speciation in freshwater and thus increased speciation rates relative to marine habitats. However, some authors suggest that speciation is faster in sympatry than allopatry, as illustrated by lacustrine radiations such as African cichlids. Sympatric speciation may be common in lakes, while allopatric speciation may be dominant in rivers. If allopatric speciation is inherently slower than sympatric speciation, we might expect differences in rates of speciation between lineages primarily confined to riverine versus lacustrine habitats. These differences within freshwater habitats may be important to consider when comparing diversification rates between freshwater and marine lineages. Here I compared rates of speciation associated with ray-finned fishes in marine, riverine and lacustrine habitats. I also used geographic range data to compare rates of speciation associated with allopatric and sympatric speciation modes in freshwater fishes. I found that lakes had faster rates of speciation than other aquatic habitats. However, most freshwater fish diversity arose through allopatric speciation in rivers, despite their slower speciation rate. Speciation rates were more strongly correlated with habitat (riverine or lacustrine) than present-day range overlap (allopatry or sympatry). Surprisingly, riverine and marine habitats had similar rates of speciation. Models of evolution suggest that lacustrine habitats are evolutionary unstable, and biased transition rates explain the dearth of lacustrine species. Collectively, these results suggest that while allopatric speciation is important for generating freshwater diversity, this mechanism may not be the cause of faster speciation rates between freshwater and marine habitats.
Alliance Longevity-Examining Relational and Operational Antecedants

Viewing alliance longevity as a predictor of alliance performance can lead to erroneous conclusions about inter firm collaborations. A short lifespan may be indicative of strong expeditious performance rather than weak performance. Longevity may suggest partners' escalated commitment to a failing project rather than steady progress toward collaborative goals. Understanding how to influence alliance longevity can enrich understanding of the functioning and usefulness of strategic alliances for both scholars and practitioners. Consequently, in this study, we examine how a set of four antecedent factors that comprise operational and relational aspects of alliances contribute to alliance longevity. Results using monthly data from 167 alliances support all six hypotheses about how these factors influence alliance longevity.
A MWIR 3D Plasmonic Asymmetric Transmission Metasurface

3D metasurface structures can achieve higher performances (e.g., wider FOV, broader bandwidth, higher efficiency) than their 2D counterparts due to the extra degrees of freedom available to designers. A promising technique to fabricate 3D metasurface structures is membrane projection lithography. In this paper, we present a 3D metamaterial unit cell that is designed to achieve broadband asymmetric transmission in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) regime. The structure was optimized by pairing a genetic algorithm with a fast periodic finite element boundary integral solver. The metasurface design has a max $y$ - to $x$ · polarization light efficiency of 80% in the forward direction, while transmitting less than 10% in the reverse direction. Moreover, this structure can be fabricated using the membrane projection lithography technique.
Epilepsy-causing Reelin mutations result in impaired secretion and intracellular degradation of mutant proteins.

Autosomal dominant lateral temporal epilepsy (ADLTE) is a genetically heterogeneous neurologic disorder clinically characterized by focal seizures with auditory symptoms and/or aphasia. About 20% of ADLTE families segregate disease-causing heterozygous mutations in RELN, a brain-expressed gene encoding the secreted protein Reelin. Using a cell-based secretion assay, we show that pathogenic RELN mutations abolish or significantly reduce secretion of mutant proteins, and that this secretion defect results from impaired trafficking of mutant Reelin along the secretory pathway. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis of transiently transfected cells shows that Reelin mutant proteins are degraded by the autophagy system, as revealed by increased formation of autophagosomes immunoreacting with the autophagy markers p62 and LC3. In addition, LC3 immunoblotting shows a significant increase of autophagy flux due to mutant overexpression. Finally, we show that the secretion defect of mutant proteins can be partially rescued by small-molecule correctors. Altogether, these results suggest that Reelin mutant proteins are not properly secreted and that they are degraded through the autophagy pathway.
A Review of “Creolization and Contraband: Curaçao in the Early Modern Atlantic World”

Linda Rupert, an assistant professor of history at University of North Carolina Greensboro, has just provided Caribbeanists with a wonderful study of the contours of one of the Dutch West India Com...
Preemergent weed control in container-grown herbaceous and woody plants.

Abstract Six herbicides were applied to four woody and two herbaceous plant species to evaluate weed control effectiveness, effect on plant growth and phytotoxicity level. Surflan (Oryzalin) at 2.3, 4.5, 6.8 kg ai/ha (2, 4, 6 lb ai/A), Devrinol (Napropamide) at 5.5, 9.1, 13.6 kg ai/ha (4, 8, 12 lb ai/A) and Dual (Metolachlor), Rout (Oxyfluorfen + Oryzalin) and Snapshot (Isoxaben + Oryzalin) at 3.4, 6.8, 10.2 kg ai/ha (3, 6, 9 lb ai/A) were applied to container-grown Fraxinus pennsylvanica var. lanceolata (Borkh.) (green ash) and Betula pendula (Roth.) (European white birch). Additionally, Surflan at 2.3, 4.5 kg ai/ha (2, 4, lb ai/A), Ronstar (Oxadiazon) and Devrinol at 5.52, 9.1 kg ai/ha (4, 8 lb ai/A), Dual and Rout at 3.4, 6.8 kg ai/ha (3, 6 lb ai/A) were applied to container-grown Acer tataricum L. (Tatarian maple), Philadelphus virginalis L. (virginal mock orange), Hemerocallis L. sp. (daylily) and Clematis recta L. (clematis). Weed seed sown in both experiments included: Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv. (y...
Lattice Effects in the Light Actinides

The light actinides show a variety of lattice effects that do not normally appear in other regions of the periodic table. Following the pioneering work of Johansson and his collaborators (Johansson et al., 1981) we know that these effects arise from interactions involving the 5f electrons. Progress in theory is bringing these effects within the range of detailed theoretical calculation: we have prepared this article to summarize the experimental situation.
Impact of smoking on the surgical outcome of Crohn's disease: a propensity-score matched National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis.

Abstract Aim Smoking is known to have a deleterious effect onCrohn’s disease (CD). The present study addressed thespeciﬁc impact of smoking on the outcome of surgeryfor CD.Method A review of the National Surgical QualityImprovement Program (NSQIP) database (2005–2012)identiﬁed 7631 patients with CD who underwent surgi-cal resection. Patients were stratiﬁed based on smokingstatus and were compared with univariate statisticaltests. Generalized linear regression and multiple logisticregressions were used to model the impact of smokingon the surgical outcome [length of stay (LOS), mortal-ity, postoperative complications and readmission]. Toconﬁrm the validity of the regression models and toevaluate the inﬂuence of smoking in comparable patientcohorts, a propensity score match was also performed.Results There were 2047 (26.8%) patients with CDidentiﬁed as current smokers, and 5584 (74.2%) identi-ﬁed as non- or ex-smokers. Smokers were more likely tohave a pulmonary comorbidity, preoperative weight lossand a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists clas-siﬁcation. No differences in mortality were observedbetween smokers and non- or ex-smokers in univariateanalysis. In multivariate analysis, smoking status was notsigniﬁcantly associated with LOS. Morbidity (OR 1.20,P = 0.003), particularly infectious (OR 1.30,P < 0.001) and pulmonary (OR 1.87, P < 0.001) com-plications, and readmission (OR 1.58, P = 0.004) weresigniﬁcantly associated with smoking status. These ﬁnd-ings were validated on propensity-score matching analy-sis.Conclusion In patients with CD, the detrimental effectsof smoking on surgical outcomes are driven by infec-tious and pulmonary complications, and by an increasedlikelihood of readmission.Keywords Inﬂammatory bowel disease, tobacco,NSQIP, readmissions, complications, propensity-scoreWhat does this paper add to the literature?Tobacco use is associated with deleterious effects on theactivity and severity of Crohn’s disease. This study pro-vides a more focused estimate of the attributable impactof smoking on adverse postoperative results, demon-strating that they are driven by infectious and pulmo-nary complications.
Gender Roles and the First Republic of Guinea Bissau: The Beginning of the Destruction of the Micro-State

A desire to change both the Portuguese colonial political and social structures as well as traditional beliefs motivated the Guinea Bissau revolution. Amilcar Cabral, like most revolutionary leaders, understood that changes must occur on both the macro political level and the social levels of everyday life. But most of his masculine followers were not interested in changing the social dynamics of institutions like the family, work life, child rearing and education. This paper focuses on the post-war period, during which the first republic moved totally away from Amilcar Cabrals vision. Instead, the leaders developed new economic and social elites. These prioritized Cabo Verdean background and western education. The new social and political hierarchies led the army, composed mostly of autochthones and non-western educated to challenge the political authority by organizing a military coup in 1980. Since then army officers representing different local ethnic groups have continued to challenge each other within the military context and to seek to undermine the political authorities. The concerns of women and youth have been more and more marginalized in these power struggles between male factions. Since the first military coup these power struggles have consumed the country. Several civil wars and successful and unsuccessful military coups, along with attempts to organize democratic elections have deepened the destruction of the micro state.
Coordination and neuromuscular control of rhythmic behaviors in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus

The stereotypical courtship display (CD) behavior of the male blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, includes an unusual component: the rhythmic waving of the swimming appendages above the carapace. This behavior occurs in a unique context but it resembles two other rhythmic behaviors performed using the swimming legs: sideways swimming and backward swimming. As a first step to understanding the mechanisms that allow the expression of apparently different rhythmic motor patterns, we have examined these behaviors using slow motion video analysis and electromyography of the basal muscles of the swimming legs in freely behaving crabs. The results show that these behaviors are distinguished by four parameters: the frequency of leg waving, the phase relationship between the legs, the presence of a stationary pause in basal muscle activity combined with rotation of the distal leg during CD, and an extended range of motion of these legs during CD and backward swimming, relative to sideways swimming. EMG analysis revealed that during sideways swimming, the sequence of muscular activity between the two legs was different. In contrast, during CD and backward swimming the sequence of activity for these legs is identical.
Prospective Associations between Delinquency and Suicidal Behaviors in a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract Purpose We examined the prospective associations between delinquency and suicidal behaviors among adolescents using a nationally representative sample. Methods The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was used to assess the prospective associations between delinquency at ages 12–17 years and suicidal behaviors (ideation, attempts, treatment for attempts) 1 and 7 years later. Results Controlling for demographic variables, delinquency was prospectively associated with an increased risk for all three suicidal behaviors 1 year later, and to ideations and attempts 7 years later. After controlling for other risk factors (i.e., depression, self-esteem, problem drinking, impulsivity, religiosity), delinquency was still significantly related to an increased likelihood for suicidal ideation 1 and 7 years later, and to suicide attempts 1 year later. Further, delinquency was significantly related to suicidal ideation for girls more than for boys. Conclusions These findings suggest that delinquent youth, particularly delinquent girls, should be targeted in interventions to reduce suicidal behaviors.
Capturing page freshness for web search

Freshness has been increasingly realized by commercial search engines as an important criteria for measuring the quality of search results. However, most information retrieval methods focus on the relevance of page content to given queries without considering the recency issue. In this work, we mine page freshness from web user maintenance activities and incorporate this feature into web search. We first quantify how fresh the web is over time from two distinct perspectives--the page itself and its in-linked pages--and then exploit a temporal correlation between two types of freshness measures to quantify the confidence of page freshness. Results demonstrate page freshness can be better quantified when combining with temporal freshness correlation. Experiments on a real-world archival web corpus show that incorporating the combined page freshness into the searching process can improve ranking performance significantly on both relevance and freshness.
Participants’ Perceptions of Deep Brain Stimulation Research for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Risks, Benefits, and Therapeutic Misconception

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is the focus of great interest and numerous studies. Given the state of this research, the risks of DBS, the uncertainty of direct benefits, and the potential for therapeutic misconception (TM), examination of research participants’ perspectives is critical to addressing concerns about the adequacy of consent among people with TRD. Methods: Among 31 participants considering DBS studies at two sites, self-report questionnaires were used to examine three dimensions of TM (eight true/false items). Additional Likert-scale items assessed perceptions of risks, potential benefits, and altruistic motivations. Results: Participants correctly identified the surgery itself as the riskiest study procedure, although only four participants rated the surgery as “high risk.” Most participants rated the entire DBS study as “moderate” or lower risk. Participants rated the likelihood of others benefiting in the future more strongly than they d...
Prognosis and Patterns of Failure for the Extubation of Patients Who Remain Intubated After Head and Neck Surgery

Objective:This study aimed to analyze the rate of failure, patterns of failure, and prognostic factors for patients who remain intubated after head and neck surgery and then undergo delayed extubation.Methods:Retrospective chart review of all otolaryngology patients who remained intubated after head and neck surgery and then underwent delayed extubation between 2006 and 2013. The incidence and patterns of extubation failure were analyzed. Univariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for postextubation failure.Results:Fifteen of the 129 patients (12%) who remained intubated after head and neck surgery and underwent delayed extubation subsequently failed and required either repeat intubation or an emergency surgical airway. The most common reasons for failure were hemorrhage (47%) and upper airway edema (33%). Failure typically occurred within 6 hours of extubation. Twenty-seven percent of the patients who failed extubation (4/15) required an emergency surgical airway. On ...
College applications and the effect of affirmative action

Abstract This paper evaluates the behavioral response of college-bound high school seniors to changes in college affirmative action admissions policies during the late 1990s. After the elimination of affirmative action in California and Texas, the gap between the numbers of SAT score reports sent by non-minority and minority students to in-state, public colleges significantly widened. To explain the number of score reports sent to various types of institutions, a count model is estimated as a system of seemingly unrelated regressions using semiparametric generalized least squares. The effect of changes in state policy on the number of reports of minority and non-minority students are simulated and compared to the actual responses. The simulation predicts a large decrease in the number of reports sent by minority students and a large increase in non-minority score reports sent to top-tier public colleges as a result of changes in the students’ probabilities of acceptance.
Changing volumes, risk profiles, and outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary interventions.

Background This study analyzed and quantified perceptions that evolving percutaneous coronary intervention technologies changed referral patterns of patients with coronary artery disease and adversely impacted volumes, risk profiles, and outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Methods Washington State's prospective clinical registry was used to analyze volumes, risk profiles, and outcomes of all patients undergoing isolated CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention. Results A total of 154,602 revascularization procedures were performed between 1999 and 2007. Total revascularizations procedures (percutaneous coronary intervention plus CABG) increased by 32% (from 14,084 in 1999 to 18,620 in 2007). Compared with 1999, by 2007 CABG volume decreased by 37%, while percutaneous coronary intervention volume increased by 71%. The ratio of percutaneous coronary intervention to CABG increased by 2.7-fold from 1.7:1 to 4.6:1 (p Conclusions Despite significant reduction in both the volume and ratio of patients referred for surgical revascularization, risk profiles of patients undergoing isolated CABG in Washington State changed only modestly. Coronary artery bypass grafting mortality was not adversely affected, and morbidity was reduced.
Domination, Resistance, Compliance ... Discourse

In the 1960s, American sociology and social history took a surprisingly populist turn. Scholars then began an unprecedented effort to speak for the powerless, or to help them speak for themselves. Voice itself validates insurgency, they seemed to claim. Both fields had long since undertaken studies of poor, powerless people; witness the Pittsburgh Survey of 1903 and R. H. Tawney's early writings on the 16th century (1912). Their successors of the 1960s, however, drove populism much farther; often activists and even radicals themselves, they aimed to give the silent masses voice by means of collective biography, oral history, participant observation, and involvement of the objects of study directly in their research. Studies of collective action illustrate that veer toward populism vividly: whole new schools of thought (such as resource-mobilization models of social movements) arose from a self-conscious program of empathizing with the members of mass movements (Aya, 1990; Gamson, 1990; McAdam et al., 1989; McPhail, 1991; Rule, 1989; Tarrow, 1989). Inspired by civil rights activism as well as by subsequent demands for empowerment of women, homosexuals, Chicanos, Native Americans, and many others, scholars tried to counter the condescension, denigration, and dehumanization they detected in earlier analyses of popular collective action. They insisted that routine social arrangements harmed ordinary people, and that only force held ordinary people back from overt resistance. Under banners of "history from below" and "empowerment," its ranks thinned and sometimes limping, that parade is marching still. Populist analyses rest on strong conceptions of power. With respect to the standard distinction between power to and power over which
Gap junctions increase the sensitivity of tissue cells to exogenous electric fields

Cells coupled by gap junctions will react as a single unit to an applied electric field. In a given field, the hyperpolarization and depolarization of cell membranes at the ends of an electrotonically coupled tissue are increases by a factor of 10-100 over single, uncoupled cells. Gap junctional coupling therefore increases the likelihood that cells are influenced by the weak electric fields which are commonly found in developing and regenerating tissues.
A shooting method for nonlinear heat transfer using automatic differentiation

The steady-state temperature distribution in a cylinder of unit radius is modeled by a nonlinear two-point boundary value problem with an endpoint singularity. We present a simple shooting method for the solution of this problem. It is well known that shooting methods solve initial-value problems repeatedly until the boundary conditions are satisfied. For the solution of the initial value problems, the method of this paper uses a technique known as automatic differentiation and obtains a Taylor series expansion for the solution. Automatic differentiation is the process of obtaining the exact values of derivatives needed in the Taylor series expansion using recursive formulas derived from the governing differential equation itself. Thus, the method does not face the need to deal with step-size issues or the need to carry out lengthy algebraic manipulations for obtaining higher-order derivatives. The method successfully reproduces the solutions obtained by previous researchers.
Change in physician knowledge and attitudes after implementation of a pneumonia practice guideline.

OBJECTIVE: To assess physicians’ response to implementation of an emergency department (ED) pneumonia practice guideline and determine if the guideline changed physicians’ knowledge and attitudes about pneumonia care.
Health and Drug Education—How Effective? An Instrument to Evaluate Your Drug Education Programs

The total study comprises over one hundred and ninety pages of tables, narrative, conclusions, and recommendations for the administrator and health educator. The essence of this article is to guide a school district in its attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of their health programming. The author will attempt to provide additional information and help upon request. Additional members of the study team are Michael Koss, Glenn A. Gorlitsky and Andy I. Bern.
Measures of Radiation Exposure in Cardiac Imaging and the Impact of Case Complexity

Background Although it is important for a patient's radiation related risks to be considered when recommending a cardiac imaging procedure, few clinicians appreciate the level of exposure involved. This paper provides a comprehensive set of radiation exposure metrics for common angiography procedures highlighting links to factors that influence radiation dose. Methods Radiation use metrics and various clinical findings for diagnostic procedures and number of lesions treated, vessels treated and stents deployed for interventional cases were analysed. Results Data relating to 1088 coronary angiography (CA), 256 angioplasty and 167 CA/angioplasty procedures were examined. The median effective dose (E) (mSv) for these procedures (including inter-quartile range) were, respectively, 3.3 (2.1–5.1), 7.5 (4.5–14.1) and 11.6 (6.9–16.1). For CA, E varied with the number of vessels (p Conclusion Radiation exposure metrics for common cardiac angiography imaging procedures have been documented and linked to procedure complexity. This has implications for performance monitoring when comparing radiation usage between users, facilities, times and technologies.
Ultrasonic attenuation in the superconducting state of high-purity thallium.

Electronic attenuation of 10 to 130 MHz longitudinal ultrasonic waves in superconducting high purity Tl, noting energy gap anisotropy
The Impact of Infant-Directed Videos on Parent-Child Interaction.

Abstract This study assessed whether infant-directed videos designed to promote parent–child interactions actually support such engagement. Parents watched videos from the Baby Einstein or the Sesame Beginnings series for 2 weeks at home with their 12- or 18-month-old infants. Baby Einstein encourages parents to label objects and actions; Sesame Beginnings models activities in which parents can engage with their children. A control group was not provided videos for home viewing. In laboratory sessions, parent–child interactions were recorded during free play without TV, during the presentation of one of the videos, and immediately after watching. During viewing, interactions decreased in quantity and quality across groups; however, parents used video content as a basis for interaction. Coviewing Sesame Beginnings at home was positively associated with quantity of parent–child interaction during the initial free-play session. Furthermore , the quantity and quality of interactions were greater immediately following viewing of Sesame Beginnings than with Baby Einstein .
A validation of the Radiance three-phase simulation method for modeling annual daylight performance of optically-complex fenestration systems

A new capability that enables annual simulation of optically complex fenestration systems has been added to Radiance. The method relies on bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF) input data, which are used in an efficient matrix calculation to compute time-step performance given TMY data. The objective of this study was to explain the value of this capability to designers and developers of innovative daylighting systems and to demonstrate its speed and accuracy via comparisons of simulated to measured illuminance data for a daylight-redirecting optical louver system. The method was shown to provide valid results that accurately replicate real-world conditions with an absolute mean bias error below 13% and a root mean square error below 23%. Routine application of this new capability will not be hindered by slow computational speed for illuminance calculations. Instead, the capability will be dependent on the availability of BSDF data for daylighting, shading and fenestration systems.
Role of sialic acid on the viscosity of canine tracheal mucin glycoprotein.

Abstract The role of sialic acid on the viscosity of canine tracheal mucin (CTM) was investigated. The mucin glycoprotein, purified from canine tracheal mucus, was subjected to mild acid hydrolysis with aqueous acetic acid and autohydrolysis in water, in which ∼50% drop in the relative viscosity (n r ) occurred. Carbohydrate compositional analysis before and after mild acid hydrolysis and autohydrolysis showed the complete removal of glycosidically bound sialic acid residues while all other sugar residues (i.e. galactose, N-acetyl galactosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine) remained unaltered, indicating that sialic acid residues are contributing towards the viscosity of CTM to a greater extent.
Effects of triethylenemelamine (TEM) as a pupal dip to sterilize male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

The effects of different concentrations of a trifunctional alkylating agent, triethylenemelamine (TEM), on the pupal stage in the development of the ROCK strain of Aedes aegypti were tested. Male pupae were treated with 0.025%, 0.050%,0.075% and 0.10% of the chemomutagen. Subsequently, control and viable adults derived from the treated pupae were crossed with nontreated virgin females. Egg production, percentage hatchability, and productivity in the F1 generation over a 3-week test period were employed to measure the developmental effects. Treatment with TEM did not significantly reduce egg production. Except for the 0.075%-treated group, all other experimentals showed a decrease in percentage hatchability. The 0.10%-treated group gave a 16% decrease in hatch, whereas the 0.050%-treated experimental group showed a 12% reduction when compared to the controls. Significant reductions in total F1 progeny were also demonstrated for all concentrations of TEM. Total mean productivity for the control group was 186.47, The 0.025%-, 0.050%-,0.075%-, and 0.10%-treated TEM groups gave means of 112.87, 122.27, 111.57, and 116.50, respectively. A comparison of the experimental and control weekly means showed that the important differences in productivity occurred during the 2nd week.
Parallel synthesis of 9-aminoacridines and their evaluation against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

A parallel synthetic strategy to the 9-aminoacridine scaffold of the classical anti-malarial drug quinacrine (2) is presented. The method features a new route to 9-chloroacridines that utilizes triflates of salicylic acid derivatives, which are commercially available in a variety of substitution patterns. The route allows ready variation of the two diversity elements present in this class of molecules: the tricyclic aromatic heterocyclic core, and the disubstituted diamine sidechain. In this study, a library of 175 compounds was designed, although only 93 of the final products had purities acceptable for screening. Impurity was generally due to incomplete removal of 9-acridones (18), a degradation product of the 9-chloroacridine synthetic intermediates. The library was screened against two strains of Plasmodium falciparum, including a model of the drug-resistant parasite, and six novel compounds were found to have IC50 values in the low nanomolar range.
Secondary hormonal therapies in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer demonstrate progression of disease, despite chemical or surgical castration, and have a poor prognosis. Cancer progression may be manifest as an asymptomatic increase in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or may be accompanied by symptomatic and/or radiographic evidence of tumor growth. Observation remains a reasonable choice for asymptomatic patients. However, many patients remain anxious about withholding further treatment and, although studies have not demonstrated a survival benefit with second-line hormonal therapy, it may be appropriate to consider these therapies. In patients who have radiographic and/or symptomatic progression, the use of second-line hormonal therapy is more easily justified. Treatment options include: (1) secondary use of antiandrogens (eg, high-dose bicalutamide), (2) therapies targeted against adrenal steroid synthesis (eg, ketoconazole, aminoglutethimide, and corticosteroids), and (3) estrogenic therapies (eg, diethylstilbestrol). Symptomatic improvement and PSA-level decreases of ≥50% have been reported in approximately 20% to 80% of patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer who receive such second-line hormone therapies, with a typical response duration of 2 to 6 months. Toxicity is generally mild for these oral therapies, although serious side effects, including adrenal insufficiency, liver toxicity, and thrombosis, may occur. In conclusion, secondary hormonal therapies have a significant role in the treatment of patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer. Further research is needed to understand their optimal use.
Harmonious Design Method of Product and its Applications

There are much more disharmonious problems in the process of product design because the environment factory of the product design could not be considered fully and systematically. For example, the disharmonious problems between the product design and natural environment or society environment and among internal elements of product design. The purpose of harmonious design is to make the harmony between product and external environments and among internal elements of products. In order to satisfy the requirement mentioned above in complete design tasks process the reasonable methods should be adopted and the relationship degree analysis and harmonious degree assessment should be done. After that the products can satisfy users and country requirement and have the excellent quality, higher performance-value ratio, the short manufacturing period, good environment protection, convenient service and so on. Due to these the enterprise will get greater market portion.
The inverse M-matrix problem

Abstract One aspect of the inverse M -matrix problem can be posed as follows. Given a positive n × n matrix A =( a i j ) which has been scaled to have unit diagonal elements and off-diagonal elements which satisfy 0 y ⩽ a i j ⩽ x A exists and is an M -matrix? That is, if A −1 = B =( b i j ), then b ii > 0 and b i j ⩽ 0 for i ≠ j . If n =2 or x = y no further conditions are needed, but if n ⩾ 3 and y x , then the following is a tight sufficient condition. Define an interpolation parameter s via x 2 = sy +(1− s ) y 2 ; then B is an M -matrix if s −1 ⩾ n −2. Moreover, if all off-diagonal elements of A have the value y except for a i j = a j j = x when i = n −1, n and 1 ⩽ j ⩽ n −2, then the condition on both necessary and sufficient for B to be an M -matrix.
Penetrating gunshot wounds of the chest in civilian practice: experience with 250 consecutive cases.

Our experience indicates a continued rising incidence of gunshot wounds of the chest in the United States. During the past 4 1/2 years, 250 consecutive cases were treated at the King-Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ninety per cent presented with a haemothorax or haemopneumothorax. Pneumothorax alone was present in only 3 per cent of cases. Twenty per cent had associated intra-abdominal injuries, involving mostly the diaphragm, liver, spleen and the gastrointestinal tract. Eighty per cent were treated with tube thoracostomy and among these there were 2 deaths, neither being related to the chest injury. About 16 per cent underwent thoracotomy with a mortality of 12.8 per cent, all the deaths being caused by severe cardiac wounds. The overall mortality was 2.8 per cent. The complication rate was 5.3 per cent, most complications occurring in patients with associated intra-abdominal and spinal cord injuries. The average period of hospitalization was 6.5 days. The management plan and the indications for the two courses of therapy are discussed. Language: en
KAL 007 and the Superpowers: An International Argument

In September 1983, Soviet planes shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, provoking an exercise in crisis rhetoric by President Reagan and members of his administration. A case study of the incident illuminates the interactive nature of context, public knowledge, and rhetorical situation. Errors in argumentation strategy undermined the American position, raising doubts about U.S. complicity in the tragedy and enabling the Soviet Union to present a plausible explanation for its action.
Relationship between hair cell loss on the chick basilar papilla and threshold shift after acoustic overstimulation

Abstract Three groups of chickens Were continuously exposed to 125-dB SPL pure tones at either 500, 1500 or 3000 Hz for 12h. Ten days after the exposure to noise, a good correlation was found between the percentage of hair cell loss and the threshold shifts of the eighth nerve action potential. The data suggest possible roles for the two types of hair cells present on the basilar papilla. In addition it was discovered that the chicken is a good model in which to study acoustic trauma.
Investigation of the parameters affecting the separation of bacterial enzymes from cell debris by tangential flow filtration

Abstract The effect of organism, enzyme, method of cell breakage and membrane characteristics on the separation of bacterial enzymes from cell debris by tangential flow filtration has been studied. The effectiveness of separation was assessed by process time, enzyme yield and specific activity, and turbidity of the filtrate. For a particular organism and enzyme, method of cell breakage and membrane characteristics significantly influenced separation performance, though results indicate that it is not yet possible to optimize all aspects of performance simultaneously.
Collective rent seeking and division of labor

Abstract The article analyzes division of labor within multiple groups engaged in collective rent seeking through time. Each agent seeks membership in one of two subgroups within each group, conveniently labelled a leader-subgroup and a follower-subgroup. The within-group generated payoffs are used as input in the between-group competition for the other groups' payoffs and an external rent. Within-group egalitarian allocation, but not relative-effort allocation, alleviates leadership struggle if the rent is large or the group is moderately more decisive than the other groups. The group employing a more egalitarian sharing rule than the other groups alleviates its leadership struggle more successfully. The Folk theorem is used to show the conditions under which leadership struggle gets intensified or alleviated.
Neurointerventional Therapies for Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: Illustrated Cases

Approximately 800,000 strokes occur in the United States every year, resulting in 200,000 deaths. Strokes may be ischemic (80%) or hemorrhagic (20%). Strokes caused by atrial fibrillation (AF) are thromboembolic, and AF is the leading cause of ischemic stroke. Rapid distinction between these forms of strokes is critical because approaches to treatment are different. The goal for acute ischemic stroke is reperfusion of ischemic brain tissue, whereas the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke is supportive therapy and correction of the underlying conditions. The treatment of acute ischemic strokes is similar to treatment of acute myocardial infarction, which requires timely reperfusion for optimal results.
The influence of bentonite on the permeability of sandy silts

Abstract The coefficient of consolidation for bentonite/sandy silt ratios of 0.04 to 0.14 decreases inversely proportional with the square of that ratio, whereas the compression index, the swelling index, and the permeability change index increase with increasing bentonite ratio. A strong relationship also exists between the void ratio and the logarithm of the applied stress for any given bentonite ratio. The empirical linear relationship between the void ratio and the logarithm of the applied stress, developed by Taylor, is excellent and enables us to limit the evaluation of permeability at any void ratio to the measurement of the initial and the desired void ratio, the initial permeability, and the permeability change index. This allows us to read directly, for a given bentonite ratio, the void ratio (or compaction) needed so that a required hydraulic conductivity will prevail. This is crucial in the choice of materials or mixes to be used in a wick system where an established differentiation in hydraulic conductivity is desirable.
Chemistry of the drone honey bee reproductive system—III. Dehydrogenases in washed spermatozoa

Abstract The activities of thirteen dehydrogenases in washed honey bee spermatozoa from individual ejaculates were determined by employing three tetrazolum salts as artificial electron acceptors. Virtually all endogenous activity could be removed by freezing the spermatozoa in tris buffer prior to incubating the sperm cells in a reaction mixture fortified with added substrates. Honey bee spermatozoa contain high titres of the pyridine nucleotide diaphorases, NADH 2 dehydrogenase, and NADPH 2 dehydrogenase. The Krebs cycle is highly functional in the washed sperm cells, as evidenced by the active utilization of three intermediates of this energy-yielding pathway. A high titre of succinate dehydrogenase is present, whereas malate dehydrogenase is less active. The activities of both NADP- and NAD-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases are demonstrable, the former enzyme being the more active of the two. Glycolysis is very well developed in the spermatozoa as reflected by the presence of a very high level of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, as well as lactate and alcohol dehydrogenases. A highly active α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase flavoprotein is also present. Glutamate dehydrogenase is present at an intermediate activity level. No utilization of β-hydroxybutyrate occurred and glucose-6-phosphate was only slightly oxidized by the spermatozoa. The results with specific inhibitors demonstrated that the dehydrogenases of honey bee spermatozoa were generally typical in their responses with the exception of succinate dehydrogenase which was not inhibited by iodoacetate. The significance of the demonstrated dehydrogenases is discussed especially with reference to metabolic pathways which may be stressed during the long term storage of the spermatozoa in the spermatheca.
A hybrid adaptive technique for dynamic channel equalizations

An adaptive gradient technique is applied for the minimization of a hybrid cost function that consists of amplitude-dependent and constellation-dependent terms. A time-varying weighting coefficient is induced in the combined cost function to emphasize/de-emphasize the role of the two terms in determining the gradient during initializations, convergence, and steady state conditions. This coefficient is recursively updated and leads to improved global and local convergence properties. It is shown that the proposed technique is superior to the method in which the cost function involves fixed weighting.
Sum Rules for Atomic Transition Probabilities

Some new sum rules for atomic transition probabilities are developed; they are similar to the well-known rule of Kuhn, Reiche, and Thomas. They give, if unpolarized light is incident on any gaseous element in any given discrete energy level, the total absorption, excitation plus ionization, with various types of frequency weighting. The results are similar to those of Dirac and Harding, but are more general in that they apply to any discrete state of any atom, rather than to the ground state of hydrogen only. The method differs from that of Dirac and Harding.
A Correlation of Ring-Shaped Chromosomes with Variegation in Zea Mays.

Produced while McClintock was a National Research Council fellow at the University of Missouri, this paper resulted from observations she made after receiving correspondence from researchers at Berkeley on the existence of unusual variegations in some plants. McClintock argued that variegations must have resulted from sister-strand exchanges after ring chromosomes formed early in plant development.
Preterm labor: Its diagnosis and management

Preterm labor and delivery remain a significant problem in contemporary obstetric practice. Although the exact cause remains unclear, it is most likely to be multifactorial in nature. No satisfactory screening tool or marker currently exists to firmly establish the diagnosis of impending labor. However, epidemiologic and historical variables associated with preterm delivery show some promise in this regard and are currently being evaluated in preterm prevention programs. Appropriate management of preterm labor mandates early recognition of subtle signs and symptoms; successful therapy is dependent on this issue. The approach to the clinical management of the patient in preterm labor used at our institution is described. Therapy with beta-adrenergic receptor agonists is currently the recommended pharmacologic treatment of this disorder. A review of other tocolytic agents and their usefulness in the management of preterm labor are presented.
Indirect Growth Curves Remain the Best Choice for Lichenometry: Evidence from Directly Measured Growth Rates from Svalbard

Abstract Directly measured growth rates of two lichens (Pseudephebe minuscula and Rhizocarpon sections Rhizocarpon and Superficiale) from Svalbard made over a two-decade interval (1984–2007) are presented. Growth rates were determined by measuring the change in area of the lichen thalli from digital images and converting area to diameter. Pseudephebe diameter growth rates ranged from 0.2 to 1.5 mm yr−1 and Rhizocarpon grew 0.05 to 0.30 mm yr−1. Growth rates of both are a function of thalli size—growth rates increase with increasing thallus size up to 70 mm diameter for Pseudephebe and 30 mm diameter for Rhizocarpon. While these directly measured growth rate results are consistent with other recent directly measured lichen growth studies, they are not consistent with indirectly determined age-size curves that show a negative correlation between size and growth rate (i.e., rapid “great growth” followed by slower “linear growth”). We explore several reasons to explain the apparent discrepancy between directl...
The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on de novo and low-density lipoprotein-stimulated progesterone secretion by human chor ocarcinoma JEG-3 cells

Abstract It has been suggested that fetal adrenal steroids affect the secretion of progesterone by the human trophoblast and decrease the progesterone/estrogen secretory ratio at the time of parturition. In the present study, cultured human choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cells were used as an experimental model in order to examine the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on both de novo and low-density lipoprotein-stimulated progesterone secretion. In serum-free and cholesterol-free Dulbecoo's modified Eagle's medium, JEG-3 cell cultures demonstrated a significant secretion of both pregnenolone and progesterone. A 200% to 300% increase in pregnenolone and progesterone secretion was achieved by physiologic low-density lipoprotein concentrations added to Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium while androgens and estrogens remained undetectable. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate added to Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium was actively converted into C-19 and C-18 steroids but had no significant effect (up to 20 μg/ml) on basal (de novo) progesterone secretion. In contrast, the addition of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (1 to 5 μg/ml) to cultures grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium plus low-density lipoprotein induced a dose-related inhibition of progesterone and a return of that secretion to basal levels.