cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent developments in leishmaniasis.

Purpose of review The leishmaniases, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, are a significant health problem in many regions of the world. This review highlights the recent advances in the study of leishmaniasis related to parasite biology, disease pathogenesis, clinical evaluation and treatment, and prevention. Recent findings Genetic heterogeneity and clonal diversity is common among Leishmania strains. Gene knockout, overexpression, and re-introduction studies have identified a number of genes that play a role in parasite virulence. Surprisingly, the importance of the surface lipophosphoglycan in parasite virulence appears to differ among Leishmania spp. Studies in experimental animal models have further defined the roles of CD4 and CD8 T cells, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-12 in the control, maintenance, or progression of disease. The effect of Leishmania on dendritic cells and macrophage effector function has also been an important area of investigation. A number of new vaccine candidates have been identified through experimental animal studies. Clinical studies of leishmaniasis have focused on the host determinants of disease (most notably HIV co-infection), serological and DNA-based diagnostic assays, and treatment. Antimony-resistant cases of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis have become more common; liposomal amphotericin and oral miltefosine are promising alternative therapies. Summary Significant advances have been made in the areas of pathogenesis, host defence, and treatment of leishmaniasis. A number of new vaccine candidates and potential targets of drug therapy have been identified, but progress from preclinical studies to clinical trials has been slow. Translational research, built upon the solid foundation of existing and ongoing basic investigation, is a high priority.
Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding:a clinicopathological analysis

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the age, duration of menopause, time of bleeding and pathologic type in postmenopausal vaginal bleeding (PVB) . Methods: Clinical and pathological data of PVB were reviewed retrospectively in 1 223 cases. Results: The main causes of PVB were as follows: non-organic lesion (30. 17%), benign lesion (26. 08%), functional lesion (25. 35%), malignant tumor (18. 40%) . Conclusion: The incidence of malignant tumor is higher in senile PVB women with longer duration of menopause as well as longer time of bleeding and the incidence of cervix carcinoma is higher in senile women.
The Societal Challenge of Crack Addiction

Crack cocaine has had devastating effects at three levels of society: 1. Individual addicts and their families; 2. Poor urban neighborhoods in big cities; and 3. The authority and order of entire cities and nations.
High-resolution human brain functional χ mapping reveals focal and bidirectional BOLD responses

A blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study produces a four-dimensional (4D) complex-valued data set. Conventional magnitude-based brain functional mapping is an indirect measure of brain activity due to a dataflow in a cascade of MRI transformations (e.g., a dipole convolution). The MRI transformations also impose a MRI parameter dependence to BOLD fMRI data (e.g. the dependence on B 0 and T E). By solving an inverse MRI problem, we may reconstruct a brain magnetic susceptibility source distribution (denoted by χ) from a brain MR image, thereby achieving a more direct representation of the vascular origin than the MRI data representation. For a complex-valued BOLD fMRI dataset, we can extract net BOLD phase responses (δ P) through a complex division, and then reconstruct BOLD susceptibility responses (δχ) therefrom. In this paper, we compare the functional maps depicted in different dataspaces (magnitude image, δ P image, δχ source) based on numeric characterizations of activation blobs by pattern analysis. Through an experimental demonstration with high-field (7 T) and high-resolution (0.5 mm in-plane) finger-tapping experiment, we show that the δχ-depicted functional map reveals task-evoked bidirectional BOLD δχ responses at the motor cortex region. The positive and negative activations are spatially separated and balanced, indicating conservation of concurrent excitations and inhibitions. We also observe that the source-depicted activation spots are more compact than the image-depicted spots, which is attributed to the dipole effect removal by inverse MRI.
Tracheal injury during extraction of an esophageal foreign body: Repair utilizing venovenous ECMO

Abstract Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of life support with an ever-expanding range of indications. Veno-venous (VV) ECMO is often utilized to support children with respiratory compromise, and has been employed successfully in the acute setting of traumatic tracheobronchial injury as well as during elective tracheal surgery. We present a successful case of VV ECMO used in the perioperative management of a tracheal repair for a traumatic laceration caused by attempts to retrieve an esophageal foreign body. While this mechanism of injury appears to be rare, we believe that VV-ECMO allowed for the optimal management of this child and should be considered for other extensive tracheal injuries in children.
A novel method for CT dosimetry with a suspended phantom setup

Abstract Purpose This work presents a method for estimating CT dosimetric indices with a prototype designed for suspending the phantom/ion chamber system fixed at the CT isocenter. The purpose of this study was to validate the proposed methodology, which can be used to provide a direct assessment of dosimetric indices in helical scans. Methods The method is based on a reference setup in which the measuring system for CT dosimetry is in a stationary configuration, i.e. not bound to the CT table, and on a mathematical formalism developed for the proposed reference system. The reliability of the method was demonstrated through a set of experimental measurements. Firstly, dosimetric indices were measured with the new method and compared with the indices obtained with the procedure currently used for CT dosimetry (measuring system bound to the CT table). Secondly, dosimetric indices measured with the new method were compared with those displayed on the CT console. Results There is good agreement between the dosimetric indices obtained with the standard setup and those obtained with the suspended phantom setup, within the expected range of errors. The difference between dosimetric indices estimated with the proposed method and those displayed on the CT console is below 2%. Conclusions The method enables CT dosimetry to be performed with the dose detector in a stationary longitudinal position thanks to the newly introduced suspended phantom setup. Using this approach, CT dose can be assessed for high pitch helical scans, acquisitions without complete tube rotation and for cases where dynamic collimation is used.
Traps: No-Win Situations

This chapter focuses on the issues of social cooperation and conflict, explaining the reason for structural conditions to make cooperation difficult. In the game of prisoner's dilemma, it is individually rational for players not to cooperate, despite the fact that through cooperation, all players achieve the collectively rational outcome that results in higher payoffs for all. But because the strategies associated with this compromise outcome are not in equilibrium, the players are tempted to defect from it to try to obtain their best outcomes, which unfortunately are the worst outcomes for the other players. The arms race between the superpowers is conceptualized as a prisoner's dilemma, with the additional property that each player can predict or detect cooperation or noncooperation on the part of the other player with a specified probability.
Technical and administrative feasibility of alluvial aquifer storage and recovery on the South Platte River of northeastern Colorado

Increasing population and climate change are causing water managers to reassess water storage. In this context, alluvial aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), in which excess water is stored in the alluvium near a river, offers a plausible option. To investigate this option, a coupled technical–administrative analysis was conducted to investigate the feasibility of alluvial ASR in the semi-arid American state of Colorado, where water rights are governed by the doctrine of prior appropriation. A hypothetical alluvial ASR facility near Brighton, Colorado with a storage capacity of 118,500 cubic meters (96 ac-ft) was considered. This analysis comprises both technical feasibility, using a groundwater model that explicitly accounts for clogging, and administrative feasibility, using a first-of-its-kind analysis of the legal availability of water including both free river and reusable effluent water. This coupled technical–administrative analysis suggests that alluvial ASR facilities present a viable option to meet rising demand for water storage, preventing water loss due to evaporation, reducing the effect of climate stress on water resources, and avoiding the need to purchase land for above-ground water storage facilities. More generally, this study illustrates the crucial importance of placing hydrologic analysis in the broader context of policy constraints.
Altered monocyte phenotypes but not impaired peripheral T cell immunity may explain susceptibility of the elderly to develop tuberculosis.

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading killer due to a single infectious disease worldwide. With the aging of the global population, the case rate and deaths due to TB are highest in the elderly population. While general immunosenescence associated with old age is thought to contribute to the susceptibility of the elderly to develop active TB disease, very few studies of immune function in elderly individuals with Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M.tb ) infection or disease have been performed. In particular, impaired adaptive T cell immunity to M.tb is one proposed mechanism for the elderly's increased susceptibility primarily on the basis of the decreased delayed type hypersensitivity response to tuberculin-purified protein derivative in the skin of elderly individuals. To investigate immunological reasons why the elderly are susceptible to develop active TB disease, we performed a cross-sectional observational study over a five year period (2012–2016) enrolling participants from 2 age groups (adults: 25–44 years; elderly: 65 and older) and 3 M.tb infection statuses (active TB, latent TB infection, and healthy controls without history of M.tb infection). We hypothesized that impaired peripheral T cell immunity plays a role in the biological susceptibility of the elderly to TB. Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed no evidence of impaired M.tb specific T cell frequency or altered production of cytokines implicated in M.tb control (IFN-γ, IL-10) in peripheral blood in the elderly. Instead, we observed alterations in monocyte proportion and phenotype with age and M.tb infection that suggest their potential role in the susceptibility of the elderly to develop active TB. Our results suggest a potential link between the known widespread low-grade systemic inflammation of old age, termed “inflammaging,” with the elderly's specific susceptibility to developing active TB. Moreover, our results highlight the need for further research into the biological reasons why the elderly are more susceptible to disease and death from TB, so that public health systems can be better equipped to face the present and future problem of TB in an aging global population.
Nigeria's Elusive Search for Nationhood

Dr Charles Owusu Kwarteng discusses Nigerian politics since independence. The author teaches political science at Morgan State University, Baltimore, USA.
The Emergence of Causation

Several philosophers have embraced the view that high-level events—events like Zimbabwe's monetary policy and its hyper-inflation—are causally related if their corresponding low-level, fundamental physical events are causally related. I dub the view which denies this without denying that high-level events are ever causally related causal emergentism. Several extant philosophical theories of causality entail causal emergentism, while others are inconsistent with the thesis. I illustrate this with David Lewis's two theories of causation (1973, 2000), one of which entails causal emergentism, the other of which entails its negation. I then argue for causal emergentism on the grounds that it provides the only adequate means of squaring the apparent plenitude of causal relations between low-level events with the apparent scarcity of causal relations between high-level events. This tension between the apparent abundance of low-level causation and the apparent scarcity of high-level causation has been noted before. However, it has been thought that various theses about the semantics or the pragmatics of causal claims could be used to ameliorate the tension without going in for causal emergentism. I argue that none of the suggested semantic or pragmatic strategies meet with success, and recommend emergentist theories of causality in their stead. As Lewis's 1973 account illustrates, causal emergentism is consistent with the thesis that all facts reduce to microphysical facts.
Renal phosphate transport in the phosphate-depleted dogs.

Renal transport of phosphate is known to be requlated by such factors as filtered load of phosphate(1), parathyroid hormone(2), and extracellular volume(3). The effect of dietary intake of phosphate, however, is less well understood. In order to investigate the effect of phosphate depletion on renal phosphate transport, clearance and micropuncture studies were performed in dogs on low phosphate diet to examine the responses to extracellular volume expansion(VE) and parathyroid hormone(PTH).
Effects of Environment on the Electronic Configuration in Intermediate Valent Rare Earth Systems

In the intermediate valence problem one must consider highly correlated localized f electrons in the presence of delocalized d and s electrons (denoted d for simplicity). Two configurations, fndm and fn−1dm+1, have comparable energies and must be considered. It is possible that a completely electronic theory, such as the Anderson/Kondo impurity/lattice models, may contain the essence of coupling these states and will describe the magnetic susceptibility and specific heat. However, these configurations have different sizes and bonding properties. The proper electronic configuration will depend and, conversely, be a major influence on the structure. In this paper we will discuss the relationship of valence to volume, homogeneous valence transitions, surface valence transitions, local valence transitions, and the existence of gaps in the electronic density of states.
Regulatory Policies and Strategies for Organotin Compounds

An historical overview of the use of organotin compounds as biocides in antifouling boat-bottom paints as well as a wide range of national and international regulatory and legislative options for policy and decision makers is presented and discussed in this chapter. The discussion includes the US Antifouling Paint Control Act of 1988 as well as international regulatory policies and practices from the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, the Commission of the European Communities, and international conventions. The impact of present regulatory policies and practices are reviewed in accordance with economic and environmental costs and benefits, such as the effectiveness of regulations by developed countries at reducing local environmental concentrations as well as the shift of organotin-related environmental hazards (and associated economic loss of shipyard business in developed countries) to lesser developed countries (due to inexpensive labor and less stringent environmental regulations), which could be referred to as the transfer of contamination to those countries least able to deal with it. The following regulatory options are recommended as the most promising: (1) limit the release rate of organotin compound(s) used in copolymer antifouling paints to the adjacent water column and national water quality standards; (2) restrict the use of organotin compounds on mariculture structures, piers, and utility cooling water intake and discharge pipes; (3) develop a special antifouling coating RD and (4) institute a vessel certification system by the International Maritime Organization for vessels using toxic antifouling coatings to provide a source of funding for the development of national research and development (R&D) programs for the most cost-effective handling, collection, storage, treatment, processing, and disposal of hazardous and toxic antifouling paint wastes from ships, dry-docks, and contaminated bottom sediments.
Examining the nonkin support networks of orphaned adolescents participating in a family-based economic-strengthening intervention in Uganda

In this study, we examined the nonkin support networks of orphaned adolescents participating in a family-based economic-strengthening intervention in HIV-impacted communities in Uganda. We analyzed data from a cluster randomized experimental study for orphaned adolescents aged 11-17 years. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control condition, which received bolstered standard of care (BSOC) services, or the treatment condition, which received BSOC services plus an economic-strengthening intervention. We conducted binary logistic regression analyses to examine the effect of the intervention on participants' nonkin support networks. Results indicated that the existing social support networks for orphaned adolescents are small, limited, and usually comprised individuals with similar socioeconomic situations and challenges. Because orphaned adolescents are socially isolated and the threshold for nonkin supportive services is very low, the BSOC services provided to the control condition appeared to be instrumental in their survival and well-being. Availability of personal savings was associated with higher odds of identifying at least one supportive nonkin tie. The extended family system is still the primary and major source of social support to orphaned children in HIV-affected communities. In the absence of public safety nets, building social assets, over and above offering economic opportunities to extended families supporting orphaned children, is critical.
Correlation between the motility of the proximal antrum and the high-frequency power of heart rate variability in freely moving rats.

Background Cardiac vagal tone can be monitored non-invasively via electrocardiogram measurements of the high-frequency power spectrum of heart rate variability (HF-HRV). Vagal inputs to the upper GI tract are cumbersome to measure non-invasively. Although cardiac and GI vagal outputs arise from distinct brainstem nuclei, the nucleus ambiguus, and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, respectively, we aim to test the hypotheses that in freely moving rats HF-HRV power is correlated to proximal antral motility and can be altered by high levels of circulating estrogen and vagal-selective treatments known to affect antral motility. Methods Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a miniaturized strain gauge on the proximal gastric antrum and ECG electrodes to collect simultaneous antral motility and electrocardiogram. After recovery, male rats underwent baseline recordings before and after administration of saline (N = 8), cholecystokinin (CCK; N = 7), ghrelin (N = 6), or food (N = 6). Female rats (N = 6) underwent twice-daily recordings to determine baseline correlations during estrous cycle stages. Key results There was a significant positive correlation between HF-HRV and proximal antral motility at baseline in males and females with low, but not high, estrogen levels. In male rats, the significant positive correlation was maintained following CCK, but not ghrelin or food administration. Conclusions and inferences Our data suggest that in rodents, HF-HRV positively correlates to proximal antral motility at baseline conditions in males and low-estrogen females or following interventions, such as CCK, known to affect vagal tone. This correlation is not observed when antral motility is influenced by more complex events.
Altered ryanodine receptor gene expression in Hirschsprung's disease.

Ryanodine receptors are the largest of all ion channels, named after their exogenous ligand, ryanodine. The ryanodine receptor calcium release channel is central to cytoplasmic Ca2+ signalling in skeletal muscle, the heart, and many other tissues, playing a vital role in muscular contraction. Three ryanodine receptors exist, Ryr1, Ryr2 and Ryr3. The ryanodine receptor, Ryr3, is encoded by the Ryr3 gene, which has been reported to be highly specific to colonic smooth muscle cells in mice. We designed this study to investigate Ryr1, Ryr2 and Ryr3 gene expression in the normal human colon and in Hirschsprung’s disease (HSCR). HSCR tissue specimens (n = 6) were collected at the time of pull-through surgery, while control samples were obtained at the time of colostomy closure in patients with imperforate anus (n = 6). qRT-PCR analysis was undertaken to quantify Ryr1, Ryr2 and Ryr3 gene expression, and immunolabelling of Ryr1, Ryr2 and Ryr3 proteins was visualised using confocal microscopy. qRT-PCR analysis revealed a significant downregulation of the Ryr1 and Ryr3 genes in both aganglionic and ganglionic HSCR specimens compared to controls (p < 0.05). Confocal microscopy revealed Ryr1, Ryr2 and Ryr3 protein expressions within the smooth muscle, with a reduction in aganglionic and ganglionic HSCR colon compared to controls. Ryr1 and Ryr3 gene expression is significantly downregulated in HSCR colon, suggesting a role for these genes in colonic smooth-muscle motility. Ryr1 and Ryr3 downregulations within ganglionic specimens highlight the physiologically abnormal nature of this segment which may explain the occurrence of persistent bowel symptoms in some HSCR patients following a properly performed pull-through operation.
The challenge of estimating the impact of disasters: Many approaches, many limitations and a compromise

The recent upward trend in the direct costs of natural disasters is a reflection of both an increase in asset densities and the concentration of economic activities in hazard-prone areas. Although losses in physical infrastructure and lifelines are usually spatially concentrated in a few areas, their effects tend to spread geographically and temporally due to the more spatially disperse nature of production chains and the timing and length of disruptions. Since the 1980s, several techniques have been proposed to model higher-order economic impacts of disruptive events, most of which are based on the input-output framework. However, their contributions are fragmented in different models, and, still missing, is a more comprehensive accounting of production scheduling, seasonality in industrial linkages and demographics dynamics post-event. In this chapter, the Generalized Dynamic Input-Output (GDIO) framework is presented and its theoretical basis derived. It integrates previous contributions in terms of intertemporal dynamics, explicit intratemporal modeling of production and market clearing, inventory depletion/formation and expectation’s adjustment. Moreover, we add to the literature by introducing induced effects via a demo-economic extension to study the impact of displacement and unemployment post-disaster, the impact of disruption timing via seasonal input-output tables, and production chronology via the sequential interindustry model.
Contextualizing race: a conceptual and empirical study of fatal interactions with police across US counties

Recent high profile killings of citizens at the hands of law enforcement have drawn attention to questions about the determinants of these violent encounters. The literature is replete with studies...
Questioning the Jurisdictional Moorings of the Military Commission Act

Of the many controversial legal questions generated by the passage of the Military Commission Act of 2006, perhaps the most fundamental is that of jurisdiction. This question has lingered beneath the surface of the legitimacy of the use of these tribunals to try alleged al Qaeda operatives since they were first created by President Bush. Unfortunately - or for advocates of the use of these tribunals perhaps fortunately - the seminal challenge to the validity of the Military Commission, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, was resolved in favor of the Petitioner without reaching this underlying question. However, the rapid response by Congress to provide a statutory foundation for resurrecting this means to try detainees associated with the Global War on Terror once again raises this difficult but critical question related to the legitimacy of such trials. This Essay will briefly address why this author believes the scope of jurisdiction established by the MCA exceeds the bounds of legitimate use of such tribunals.
Fabric Filter Design: The Case of a Missing Parameter

The design of fabric filters for removal of particles from dust-rader gas steams is dependent on tne gas and dust characteristics. While the gas characteristics and the mass concentration of the dust are generally specified, the particle size distribution and other dust characteristics described in this paper are frequently unkown. The objective of this paper is to review those dust characteristics which have been found to affect the performance and to propose methods which might be suitable to obtain these missing parameters.
Preclinical Evaluation of 213Bi- and 225Ac-Labeled Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy of Prostate Cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy is a new treatment option for patients with advanced prostate cancer refractory to other treatments. Previously we synthesized a β-particle-emitting low-molecular-weight compound, 177Lu-L1, which demonstrated reduced off-target effects in a xenograft model of prostate cancer. Here we leveraged that scaffold to synthesize α-particle-emitting analogs of L1, 213Bi-L1, and 225Ac-L1 to evaluate their safety and cell kill effect in PSMA+ xenograft models. Methods: Radiochemical synthesis, cell uptake, cell kill effect, and biodistribution of 213Bi-L1 and 225Ac-L1 were evaluated. The efficacy of 225Ac-L1 was determined in human PSMA+ subcutaneous and micrometastatic models. Subacute toxicity at 8 weeks and chronic toxicity at one year after administration were evaluated for 225Ac-L1. Radiation absorbed dose of 225Ac-L1 was determined using the biodistribution data and α-camera imaging. Results:213Bi-/225Ac-L1 demonstrated specific cell uptake and cell kill in PSMA+ cells. Biodistribution of 213Bi-L1 and 225Ac-L1 revealed specific uptake of radioactivity within PSMA+ lesions. Treatment studies of 225Ac-L1 demonstrated activity-dependent, specific inhibition of tumor growth in the PSMA+ flank tumor model. 225Ac-L1 also showed an increased survival benefit in the micrometastatic model compared to 177Lu-L1. Activity-escalated acute and chronic toxicity studies of 225Ac-L1 revealed off-target radiotoxicity, mainly in kidneys and liver. The estimated maximum tolerated activity was ~1 MBq/kg. α-camera imaging of 225Ac-L1 revealed high renal cortical accumulation at 2 h followed by fast clearance at 24 h. Conclusion:225Ac-L1 demonstrated activity-dependent efficacy with minimal treatment-related organ radiotoxicity issues. 225Ac-L1 is a promising therapeutic for further clinical evaluation.
May the Flow be with You: Age Differences in the Influence of Social Motives and Context on the Experience of Activity Engagement

Motivational precursors to maintaining an active lifestyle across the lifespan are not well understood. Intrinsic experience and values can motivate activity engagement, but age-related change in resources and temporal horizons may moderate these effects. Flow (Csikszentmihalyi et al., 2005) is the phenomenological experience of complete absorption in an activity, which can engender engagement in the activity for its own sake. We explored how the purpose (communal or agentic) and context (social or individual) of an activity impact the Flow experience as a function of age. Across the lifespan, agentic activities produced a heightened Flow experience compared to communal activities, supporting the idea that Flow plays a lifelong role in the development and maintenance of mastery. However, Flow was disproportionately enhanced for communal activities with age, suggesting that social motives may increasingly contribute to the pleasures of activity engagement with progression through the adult lifespan.
Learning environment and evidence among professionals and students satisfaction (LEAPS), experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic required schools to transition courses to an online platform. This shift to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) created gaps in the literature about its impact on students. The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between learner and instructional attributes and learner satisfaction with ERT. A modified version of the Student Satisfaction Survey assessed learner and instructional attributes and learner satisfaction among a convenience sample of 12 graduate and 83 undergraduate nursing students. Open-ended questions assessed students’ responses to their satisfaction with ERT. Multiple regression analysis was used to test associations of learner and instructional attributes with student satisfaction. Overall satisfaction with ERT was neutral with a mean of 2.76 on a 1 to 5 scale; students rated instructional attributes higher with a mean of 3.64. Instructional engagement/technology use (single factor) and learner technology competence were associated with student satisfaction, beta = 0.93(0.09), p Supporting faculty competence for the use of technology may increase learner satisfaction with ERT.
Factors Influencing the Decision for Fresh vs Cryopreserved Microdissection Testicular Sperm Extraction for Non-Obstructive Azoospermia.

ABSTRACT Objective To determine reproductive urologists’ (RU) practice patterns for microdissection testicular sperm extraction (microTESE) and factors associated with use of fresh vs frozen microTESE for non-obstructive azoospermia. Materials and Methods We electronically surveyed Society for Study of Male Reproduction members with a 21-item questionnaire. Our primary outcomes were to determine RU preference for fresh or frozen microTESE and to understand barriers to performing microTESE. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze categorical outcomes and candidate predictor variables. Firth logistic regression was performed to identify the predictors for preferring and performing fresh vs frozen microTESE. Results A total of 208 surveys were sent with 76 responses. Most (63.0%) primarily perform frozen microTESE for non-obstructive azoospermia, while 37.0% primarily perform fresh. However, in an ideal practice, 59.3% prefer fresh microTESE, 22.2% prefer frozen microTESE, and 18.5% had no preference. MicroTESE is performed most often (61.1%) at surgical centers not affiliated with a fertility practice. The most commonly reported barriers for both fresh and frozen microTESE are cost (42.6%), scheduling (33.3%), and andrologist unavailability (16.7%). There are no statistically significant differences between these barriers and performing fresh vs frozen microTESE. On multivariable analysis, reproductive endocrinology and infertility-based surgical center (OR 22.9; 95% CI 1.1-467.2; P = 0.04) and professional fee $2,500-$4,999 (OR 20.7; 95% CI 1.27-337.9; P = 0.03) are significant predictors of performing fresh microTESE. Conclusion Frozen microTESE is performed more commonly than fresh, despite most RU preferring fresh microTESE in an ideal setting. Both fresh and frozen microTESE have a role in reproductive care. Barriers to performing fresh microTESE include cost, scheduling and andrologist availability.
Relative Efficacy of Three of Nonsurgical Treatments for Calcific Tendinitis: Physical Therapy vs Steroid Injection vs Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration:

Objectives:Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is a painful condition characterized by the presence of calcium deposits within the tendons of the rotator cuff (RTC) that accounts for up to 7% of ca...
The determinants of secondary market prices for developing country loans

Abstract With better-defined variables based on Euromoney country risk data as explanatory variables, the determinants of the prices of the debts of less-developed countries (LDCs) in the secondary market are estimated. With the use of cross-sectional data on 27 countries for the years 1992, 1993, and 1994, the regression results indicate that sovereign credit ratings constitute the most important variable influencing prices; other significant variables include the level of external indebtedness and the amount of debt in default. Separate results have been obtained for each of the two categories of countries grouped according to the level of economic development. These results are more meaningful than those of previous studies because the model includes, in addition to debt-servicing capacity, other variables that best explain the prices of LDCs' debt within the context of a risky debt instrument.
Construction of simple graphs with a target joint degree matrix and beyond

In networking research, it is often desirable to generate synthetic graphs with certain properties. In this paper, we present a new algorithm, 2K_Simple, for exact construction of simple graphs with a target joint degree matrix (JDM). We prove that the algorithm constructs exactly the target JDM and that its running time is linear in the number of edges. Furthermore, we show that the algorithm poses less constraints on the graph structure than previous state-of-the-art construction algorithms. We exploit this flexibility to extend 2K_Simple and design two algorithms that achieve additional network properties on top of the exact target JDM. In particular, 2K_Simple_Clustering produces simple graphs with a target JDM and average clustering coefficient close to a target, while 2K_Simple_Attributes produces exactly simple graphs with a target JDM and joint occurrence of node attribute pairs. We exhaustively evaluate our algorithms through simulation for small graphs, and we also demonstrate their benefits in generating graphs that resemble real-world social networks in terms of accuracy and speed; we reduce the running time by orders of magnitudes compared to previous approaches that rely on Monte Carlo Markov Chains.
Improved Microfouling Assay Employing a DNA-Specific Fluorochrome and Polystyrene as Substratum.

With a direct count assay, 10 fouling bacterial isolates have been characterized for their ability to adhere to glass cover slips and polystyrene dishes. Although most adhered in greater numbers to polystyrene, the preference was statistically significant for only seven isolates at the 95% confidence level, due in part to the greater variability in cell attachment to glass (coefficient of variation, 32.3% for glass compared with 10.0% for polystyrene). Employing polystyrene dishes, a novel microfouling assay was developed, based on the extraction and fluorometric determination of DNA. The assay was rapid, enabled the detection of as little as 0.15 μg of DNA per dish (∼5,000 cells per mm2), and showed good agreement with the direct count assay. The DNA method resulted in less variability among three replicates (average coefficient of variation, 7.06%) and allowed for estimation of bacterial density over a larger surface area per sample (1.89 × 103 mm2) than was feasible with epifluorescence microscopy (0.06 to 0.1 mm2).
The multiphoton photochemistry of 2-iodooctane in methanol

The laser-induced photochemistry of 2-iodooctane in methanol at 266 nm occurs exclusively by homolytic reactions. This is in contrast to the lamp-induced photochemistry which is largely ionic.
Getting the Distance Right: Ideal and Nonideal Theory in Philosophy of Education

When the debate over the value of ideal and nonideal theory crosses from political philosophy into philosophy of education, do the implications of the debate shift, and, if so, how? In this piece, Amy Shuffelton considers the premise that no normative political theory, ideal or nonideal, is of any use to human beings unless it can be affiliated with a credible educational theory that connects human beings as they are to human beings as that theory requires them to become. In her response to the five articles in this symposium, Shuffelton addresses their overlapping yet varied treatments of human subjectivity as developed through education. If one accepts that ideal theory is the appropriate starting place for political philosophy because otherwise we would have no polestar by which to orient ourselves, Shuffelton concludes, a corresponding philosophy of education is required to survey the trajectory between here and wherever one aims to go. To do so, it needs to keep its feet on the ground, even as it looks to the stars. If, on the other hand, ideal theory fails to heed the Yankee truism that you can't get there from here, such that philosophers who attempt to do so inevitably get lost on back roads, philosophy of education is still necessary to chart paths to reachable destinations.
Some investigations toward closed-form solutions of sommerfeld integrals

Sommerfeld integrals, that appear in problems related to electromagnetic wave propagation through layered media, have been traditionally evaluated by locating the poles of the integrand and accounting for their corresponding residue contributions. For multilayer problems, implementation of this procedure could potentially become computationally inefficient because the number of poles with significant residue contributions increases with frequency or equivalently the electrical thickness of the individual layers. This observation suggests that the well-known and popular discrete complex image method (DCIM) could also need significant modifications to its conventional algorithmic implementation for electrically thick layers.
Opioid receptors modulate diverse types of calcium channels in the nucleus tractus solitarius of the rat

We have investigated the coupling between opioid receptors and different types of Ca2+ channels in neurons acutely isolated from the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of the rat. Using fura-2-based imaging we found that Ca2+ transients evoked by depolarization with 50 mM KCl were suppressed by the mu-opioid receptor agonist D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly5- ol-enkephalin (DAMGO) and less effectively by the kappa-receptor agonist U-69,593. The delta-receptor agonist D-Pen2,D-Pen5-enkephalin (DPDPE) was ineffective. In whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings from these neurons, depolarizing voltage steps elicited high-threshold Ca2+ currents that could be distinguished pharmacologically into different components. Part of the current could be blocked by dihydropyridines, part by omega-conotoxin-GVIA and part by omega-agatoxin-IVA. This suggests that the neurons contained L-, N-, and P/Q-type Ca2+ channels. DAMGO and U-69,593 both blocked part of the Ca2+ current but DPDPE was ineffective. Perfusion of GTP-gamma-S into the cells produced a rapid rundown of the Ca2+ current and occluded further effects of the opioid agonists, suggesting the involvement of a G-protein in the coupling mechanism. Inhibition of L-channels did not alter the effect of DAMGO. On the other hand inhibition of N-channels occluded about 80% of the effect of DAMGO. Inhibition of the P/Q-current occluded the remainder of the DAMGO effect. Thus, it appears that activation of opioid receptors can inhibit N- and P/Q-type Ca2+ channels but not L-channels in these cells. It is likely that such effects are important in opioid- mediated inhibition of transmitter release in the brain.
Film Review: Gran Torino (2008)

In this film review of Gran Torino, I examine the psychological, racial and gender emphases used by Clint Eastwood for this movie.
790-6 The Incidence and Clinical Relevance of Bundle Branch Block in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Treated with Thrombolytic Agents

In the pre-thrombolytic era the occurrence of new bundle branch block in the setting of acute myocardial infarction ranged between 6 to 12%. Whether thrombolytic therapy alter the incidence and clinical relevance of bundle branch block during acute myocardial infarction is unclear. In 324 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted under the Gusto I protocol the incidence of new onset bundle branch block (BBB) was examined with respect to the infarct related artery (IRA). Each patient underwent continuous 12 lead ECG rnonitoring for a period of 24 – 72 hours using a system which stored any ST change persisting for more than 60 seconds. Of the 324 patients, the overall incidence of BBB was found to be 28% (n = 91), transient BBB was seen in 24.3% (n = 79) of patients, persistent BBB in 3.7% (n = 12) and alternating right and left BBB in 2.2% (n = 7). When examined with respect to the infarct related artery, patients with LAD infarcts had a higher incidence of BBB as compared to those with infarcts in the RCA/Circumflex distribution (LAD 39% vs. RCA 26% and Circumflex 15.6%, p l 0.05). The occurrence of right or left BBB was not predicted based on the infarct related artery, being equally distributed in patients with LAD/RCA infarcts. Mortality in the overall population was 5% (n = 16). Persistent BBB, irrespective of the infarct related artery, was predictive of a higher mortality (33% = 4/12) than transient (5% = 4/79), or no BBB (3.4% = 8/233) (p l 0.01). In conclusion 1) In this population, the occurrence of persistent BBB is lower than previously reported. Whether this is secondary to the use of thrombolytic agents requires further evaluation. 2) LAD occlusion is associated with a higher incidence of BBB. 3) The occurrence of either right or left 8BB was not predicted by the occluded artery. 4) Persistent BBB predicts a worse prognosis.
Chemotaxis plays a role in the social behaviour of Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that glides on a solid surface and displays a wide range of social behaviour including microbial development. The frz genes are homologues to the chemotaxis genes of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium and have been shown to be involved in microbial development. However, chemotaxis has never been clearly demonstrated in Myxococcus. In this study, we showed that M. xanthus exhibited tactic movements to many chemicals when they were subjected to steep and stable chemical gradients. M. xanthus was observed to spread into areas with abundant nutrients like yeast extract or Casitone and avoid areas with no nutrients or repellents (short-chain alcohols or DMSO). Responses to attractants and repellents were additive. Movement towards attractants or away from repellents required the frz genes and was correlated with methylation or demethylation of FrzCD, a methyl-accepting taxis protein. Furthermore, the frz genes were found to be required for both fruiting body formation during starvation and swarming in nutrient-rich medium. In wild-type strains, cells near the colony edge were observed to swarm towards the surrounding growth medium and to contain highly methylated FrzCD; cells near the colony centre contained mainly demethylated FrzCD and showed directed movement towards the colony edge. FrzCD was also found to be methylated during the aggregation stage of fruiting body formation on agar but largely demethylated in cells shaken in liquid starvation media. An frzE mutant failed to exhibit directed cell movements and no longer showed modification of FrzCD under these conditions. These observations suggest that M. xanthus does show chemotactic movements, that these movements require the frz genes, and that chemotaxis plays a very important role in the social behaviour of this organism.
Aspects of judgment and decision making: interrelationships and changes with age.

In making supposedly rational decisions, we must estimate at least two types of quantity, namely, the relative probabilities of different outcomes of alternative courses of action and the degree of our preference for the different outcomes. The extent to which the fear of failure deters us and the hope of success spurs us on, as well as the degree of our confidence in what may happen, all determine our decisions. In this article, the values of parameters related to the factors influencing judgment are compared in young and old people.
Study of an intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell sealing glass system

Abstract This study investigates the effect of composition on the atomic level structure and thermal characteristics of sealing glass for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The glass systems studied contain varying percentages of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , SrO, La 2 O 3 , and B 2 O 3 ; and the composition variables examined are SrO and B 2 O 3 . Atomic level parameters, including boron coordination number with silicon, the probability of boron coordination with silicon, and glass network connectivity are calculated. Thermal expansion coefficients, glass softening temperatures, and glass transition temperatures are measured by dilatometry. The glasses are then thermally treated at 700 °C for up to 1500 h in order to study their long term thermal stability at SOFC operating conditions. The resulting data show that the most desired glass composition is stable for at least 1500 h without devitrification and is a very promising sealant for solid oxide fuel cells.
Enzyme electrode‐based differential potentiometric cell with enhanced substrate sensitivity

A novel approach for enhancing the substrate sensitivity of ion-selective electrode-based enzyme probes is described. The concept involves the use of two working enzyme electrodes in a differential potentiometric cell arrangement. One of the enzyme probes is prepared by immobilizing a suitable enzyme or enzymes at the surface of a cation-selective electrode, while the second working electrode contains the same or different enzymes immobilized on an appropriate anion-selective electrode. Enzymatic substrate conversion at the surface of each electrode yields a detectable cation and anion, respectively. Since each sensor selectively responds to the same substrate, but in opposite directions, the potential difference between the two working enzyme electrodes is greater than that obtained when each enzyme probe is measured alone versus a standard reference electrode. As examples, differential cells for measuring urea and arginine are reported in which urease or urease plus arginase is immobilized on the surfaces of ammonium- and carbonate-selective electrodes prepared with asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes.
Association of the HTR2A gene with alcohol and heroin abuse

Positive genetic associations of rs6313 (102T/C at exon 1) and rs6311 (-1438A/G) on the 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 2A receptor gene (HTR2A or 5-HT2A) were reported for alcohol and drug abuse; however, other association studies failed to produce consistent results supporting the susceptibility of the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To clarify the associations of the HTR2A gene with substance use disorders, we performed a meta-analysis based on the genotypes from the available candidate gene association studies of the two SNPs with alcohol and drug abuse from multiple populations. Evidence of association was found for HTR2A rs6313 in all the combined studies (e.g., allelic P = 0.0048 and OR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.77-0.95) and also in the combined studies of alcohol dependence (abuse) (e.g., allelic P = 0.0001 and OR 0.71, 95 % CI 0.59-0.85). The same association trend was also observed in the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment datasets. The meta-analysis supports a contribution of the HTR2A gene to the susceptibility to substance use disorders, particularly alcohol dependence.
Synthesis of novel ginkgolide photoaffinity–biotin probes

Site-selective introduction of biotin and benzophenone probes onto ginkgolide scaffolds is described.