cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New Intermediate Bacterieae from the Intestinal Tract of theRhesus Monkey

During the course of studies on spontaneous dysentery in monkeys (Preston and Clark1) several strains of motile organisms were encountered which resemble, in certain of their characteristics, members of the genera Eberthella and Shigella. These forms were investigated to determine their possible relationship to the monkey disease and as new species of bacteria. Over a period of years, previous to the present study, several workers in the laboratory had isolated from monkeys dying of dysentery, strains of organisms which had not been completely identified, but which were thought on the basis of fermentation reactions, to be members of the dysentery group. Preliminary examination by us showed that 10 of these 14 strains exhibited motility in broth culture. All of them are lactose-negative, gram-negative rods which ferment dextrose without gas formation. The four nonmotile strains were identified on the basis of fermentative and serological behavior as members of the species Shigella paradysenteriae, and are not considered further in this paper. We thought that these motile strains might be a variety of organisms responsible for dysentery in monkeys; further interest in them was stimulated by the historic controversy over the motility of dysentery organisms. Careful search was made for their presence in the monkeys (Macaca mulatta), but not until comparatively late in this series were additional similar organisms found. In the series of animals here reported, 6 strains were isolated; 5 from animals showing typical lesions of dysentery, the sixth strain from a monkey previously injected with poliomyelitis virus. This animal died suddenly without evident paralysis; although dysentery was suspected, no lesions were apparent in the intestines. Examination of the spinal cord showed changes consistent with those of poliomyelitis, and it is probable that death was due to an atypical attack of this disease. From 2 of the 5 dysentery animals which showed the presence of the motile forms in the intestine, typical Shigella paradysenteriae strains were also isolated. Blood, satisfactory for agglutination studies, was obtained from only one of these monkeys. In this animal, agglutinins were present to a significant titer for the paradysentery strain isolated, none at all for the motile strain. The blood serum of 7 dysenteric and 7 normal monkeys was also tested for the presence of agglutinins for the motile forms; in no case were any demonstrable.
Speeding up PET/MR for cancer staging of children and young adults.

Combining 18F-FDG PET with whole-body MR for paediatric cancer staging is practically feasible if imaging protocols can be streamlined. We compared 18F-FDG PET/STIR with accelerated 18F-FDG PET/FSPGR for whole-body tumour imaging in children and young adults. Thirty-three children and young adults (17.5 ± 5.5 years, range 10–30) with malignant lymphoma or sarcoma underwent a 18F-FDG PET staging examination, followed by ferumoxytol-enhanced STIR and FSPGR whole-body MR. 18F-FDG PET scans were fused with MR data and the number and location of tumours on each integrated examination were determined. Histopathology and follow-up imaging served as standard of reference. The agreement of each MR sequence with the reference and whole-body imaging times were compared using Cohen’s kappa coefficient and Student’s t-test, respectively. Comparing 18F-FDG PET/FSPGR to 18F-FDG PET/STIR, sensitivities were 99.3 % for both, specificities were statistically equivalent, 99.8 versus 99.9 %, and the agreement with the reference based on Cohen’s kappa coefficient was also statistically equivalent, 0.989 versus 0.992. However, the total scan-time for accelerated FSPGR of 19.8 ± 5.3 minutes was significantly shorter compared to 29.0 ± 7.6 minutes for STIR (p = 0.001). F-FDG PET/FSPGR demonstrated equivalent sensitivities and specificities for cancer staging compared to 18F-FDG PET/STIR, but could be acquired with shorter acquisition time. • Breath-hold FSPGR sequences shorten the data acquisition time for whole-body MR and PET/MR. • Ferumoxytol provides long-lasting vascular contrast for whole-body MR and PET/MR. • 18 F-FDG PET/FSPGR data provided equal sensitivity and specificity for cancer staging compared to 18 F-FDG PET/STIR.
CORONARY MICROVASCULAR DYSFUNCTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF TREATMENTS

Angina without coronary artery disease (CAD) contributes to morbidity and is present in 10-30% of patients undergoing angiography. Fifty to 65% of these patients have coronary microvascular dysfunction (MVD). The optimal treatment of this cohort is undefined. We performed a systematic review to
Targeting the r(CGG) repeats that cause FXTAS with modularly assembled small molecules and oligonucleotides.

We designed small molecules that bind the structure of the RNA that causes fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), an incurable neuromuscular disease. FXTAS is caused by an expanded r(CGG) repeat (r(CGG)exp) that inactivates a protein regulator of alternative pre-mRNA splicing. Our designed compounds modulate r(CGG)exp toxicity in cellular models of FXTAS, and pull-down experiments confirm that they bind r(CGG)exp in vivo. Importantly, compound binding does not affect translation of the downstream open reading frame (ORF). We compared molecular recognition properties of our optimal compound to oligonucleotides. Studies show that r(CGG)exp’s self-structure is a significant energetic barrier for oligonucleotide binding. A fully modified 2′-OMethyl phosphorothioate is incapable of completely reversing an FXTAS-associated splicing defect and inhibits translation of the downstream ORF, which could have deleterious effects. Taken together, these studies suggest that a small molecule that recognizes...
Comparative Amino Acid Content of Serum Proteins in Normal Humans and in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

ConclusionsThe total sulfur, total nitrogen and the amino acid content of total serum proteins from normal and arthritic subjects were compared. No essential difference in values between the two groups could be found, invalidating any suggestion that an altered composition of the total serum protein of arthritic patients reflects a disturbed sulfur metabolism.
Susceptibility of the Aedes albopictus and A. aegypti Cell Lines to Infection with Arboviruses

SummaryTwenty-three different arboviruses were tested for ability to produce CPE in or to infect cell lines from larvae of Aedes albopictus and A. aegypti. Only one virus, mosquito-borne West Nile, produced CPE, and only in A. albopictus cells. Four group A viruses (Chikungunya, eastern equine encephalitis, Semliki, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis), 3 group B viruses (St. Louis, West Nile, and yellow fever), and the Indiana and New Jersey strains of vesicular stomatitis virus infected both Aedes cell lines. Colorado tick fever virus multiplied in the A. albopictus cell line only. Thirteen viruses failed to multiply in either Aedes cell line under the experimental conditions: Cowbone Ridge and Modoc, group B viruses with unknown vector; Sicilian and Naples sandfly fever viruses; Langat, a tick-borne agent in group B; and 8 tick-borne agents not of group B.
Breeding of Quality Indica CMS Line Jingfu 4A in Rice

Jingfu 4A is an indica CMS line in rice developed from the cross of Jingfu 4B(Gang 46B/Zhi B) to Zhi A followed by successive backcrosses.It is characteristic of relatively early maturity and good grain quality,large panicles with thick stems and good plant type,high combining ability and stable complete male sterility with 100% of male sterile plants and 99.99% of pollen sterility.It was technically identified in Fujian Province in June,2004.Jingfu 4 You 13,a new hybrid combination derived from Jingfu 4A and Ganhui 13,was certified and released to commercial production by Jiangxi Provincial Crop Variety Appraisal Committee in 2010.
Analysis of contamination status of food-borne pathogens in Suizhou from 2009 to 2011

Objective:To understand the contamination status of food-borne pathogens in food in Suizhou,to identify the source of pollutions and grasp the food security situation,and to discover hidden troubles for food safety.Methods: From 2009 to 2011,according to GB/T4789-2008,GB/T4789-2010 and national food-borne pathogenic bacteria monitoring manual,Salmonella,Listeria monocytogenes,Staphylococcus aureus,Vibrio parahaemolyticus,EHEC O157:H7 were detected in 10 kinds of food.Results: Among the 424 test samples,the overall detection rate was 8.96%(38/424),in which Staphylococcus aureus was the highest(5.73%,20/349),Listeria monocytogenes detection rate was 3.22%(11/342),Vibrio parahaemolyticus was 3.03%(1/33),EHEC O157:H7 was 0.94%(2/212),Salmonella was 0.94%(4/424),while Campylobacter was not detected.Among the 10 kinds of detected samples,the positive rate of pathogens in instant frozen flour rice was the highest(14.55%),followed by uncooked poultry meat(14.29%),uncooked vegetables(13.04%) and bean products(11.43%).Conclusion: Food-borne pathogens were detected in the commonly consumed food products in Suizhou.The instant frozen flour rice,uncooked poultry meat,uncooked vegetables and bean products were the main contaminated food.Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus may the risk factors of food-borne disease.
An Empirical Research of the Relationship Between the Chinese Women's Purchasing Behavior and Cultural Values

The aim of this article is to analysis the influence of Chinese traditional values and the western values on Chinese women's purchase behavior. Some causal models were built. The scale offers good criterion validity. Chinese values predict better the Chinese purchase behavior than the Western values.
Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and Firm Behavior

Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 requires a code of ethics for top financial and accounting officers in public companies. The objective of this research is to discover the impact of a financial code of ethics on firm behavior. We performed a longitudinal tracking of firm adoption of a financial code of ethics starting in 2005. We checked these companies’ codes again in 2011 to confirm their continued implementation. Financial restatements were used as a dependent variable to measure improved financial reporting after the adoption of the financial codes. The results confirm that the adoption of a financial code of ethics improves the integrity of financial reporting.
Improved Approaches to Dose–Response Modeling of Toxicological and Adaptive Endpoints for Risk Assessment: Hormetic Dose Response

This article provides a general description and evaluation of the hormetic biphasic dose–response relationship, including its historical foundation, how it became marginalized in the early part of the 20th century, and why it has experienced a strong resurgence in interest and application over the past several decades. The article provides scientific documentation concerning the occurrence, frequency, generality, and mechanistic basis for hormetic dose responses. Hormetic effects occur without restriction to biological model, cell type, endpoint measured, inducing agent, and level of biological organization (cell, organ, and organism). The quantitative features of hormetic dose responses are also independent of mechanism. The hormetic dose response has also outcompeted both the threshold and linear nonthreshold models in making accurate predictions in the low-dose zone using multiple large datasets with a wide range of models, agents, and endpoints. Particular attention is also given to how risk assessment methods can integrate the hormetic concept for carcinogens and noncarcinogens, improve the accuracy of low-dose risk estimates, and enhance public health outcomes. The hormetic dose response is therefore central to biology, toxicology, pharmacology, and public health and needs to be incorporated into governmental risk assessment procedures.
Hybrid rendering of exploded views for medical image atlas visualization

Medical image atlases contain much information about human anatomy, but learning the shapes of anatomical regions and making sense of the overall structure defined in the atlas can be problematic. ...
Acid-sensing T cell death associated gene-8 receptor expression in panic disorder

Abstract Background While disruption of acid-base homeostasis has been pathoetiologically implicated in panic disorder (PD), the mechanism by which pH imbalance is translated to panic pathophysiology is poorly understood. Recently, in a translational rodent model of PD, we reported a role of microglial acid sensing G-protein coupled receptor, T cell death associated gene-8 (TDAG8) in panic-associated behavior and physiology. However, the clinical validity of the TDAG8 receptor has not been investigated. Objective To assess TDAG8 in PD, we evaluated TDAG8 receptor expression in adolescents and young adults with PD and healthy comparison subjects. Methods Relative expression of TDAG8 mRNA was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with PD, and compared to expression in healthy subjects. Linear models were utilized to evaluate the relationship between TDAG8 expression and panic disorder symptom severity scale (PDSS) score as well as other potential explanatory variables (e.g., CRP, body mass index, sex, age). Models were refined based on the estimated parameter significance, evidence of omitted variable bias and Bayesian/Akaike information criteria. Results Relative to healthy comparison subjects ( n = 17), expression of TDAG8 mRNA was significantly increased in patients with PD ( n = 15) (1.60 ± 0.65 vs. 1.01 ± 0.50, p = 0.008). TDAG8 mRNA expression predicted PD symptom severity in a fixed effect model incorporating age and sex ( p = 0.003). Conclusions Collectively, our results suggest greater TDAG8 expression in patients with PD compared to healthy subjects, and directly link TDAG8 expression and the severity of the PD symptoms. Further investigation of the TDAG8 receptor in panic pathophysiology is warranted.
A Technique for Tripartite Reconstruction of Fingertip Injuries Using the Thenar Flap With Bone and Nail Bed Grafts

Fingertip amputation is the most common amputation encountered by hand surgeons. Treatment decisions are multifactorial, based on mechanism, level of injury, tissue loss, associated injuries, and patient preference, among others. In this article, we present use of the thenar flap in combination with bone graft and split-thickness nail bed graft to address the tripartite loss of distal phalanx, soft tissue, and nail bed. This method allows for a full-length and functional reconstructed fingertip that is aesthetically satisfactory and does not require microsurgical techniques.
A Global Bayesian Optimization Algorithm and Its Application to Integrated System Design

Increasing levels of system integration pose difficulties in meeting design specifications for high-performance systems. Oftentimes increased complexity, nonlinearity, and multiple tradeoffs need to be handled simultaneously during the design cycle. Since components in such systems are highly correlated with each other, codesign and co-optimization of the complete system are required. Machine learning (ML) provides opportunities for analyzing such systems with multiple control parameters, where techniques based on Bayesian optimization (BO) can be used to meet or exceed design specifications. In this paper, we propose a new BO-based global optimization algorithm titled Two-Stage BO (TSBO). TSBO can be applied to black box optimization problems where the computational time can be reduced through a reduction in the number of simulations required. Empirical analysis on a set of popular challenge functions with several local extrema and dimensions shows TSBO to have a faster convergence rate as compared with other optimization methods. In this paper, TSBO has been applied for clock skew minimization in 3-D integrated circuits and multiobjective co-optimization for maximizing efficiency in integrated voltage regulators. The results show that TSBO is between $2\times $ - $4\times $ faster as compared with previously published BO algorithms and other non-ML-based techniques.
Assessing the capability of different satellite observing configurations to resolve the distribution of methane emissions at kilometer scales

Abstract. Anthropogenic methane emissions originate from a large number of fine-scale and often transient point sources. Satellite observations of atmospheric methane columns are an attractive approach for monitoring these emissions but have limitations from instrument precision, pixel resolution, and measurement frequency. Dense observations will soon be available in both low-Earth and geostationary orbits, but the extent to which they can provide fine-scale information on methane sources has yet to be explored. Here we present an observation system simulation experiment (OSSE) to assess the capabilities of different satellite observing system configurations. We conduct a 1-week WRF-STILT simulation to generate methane column footprints at 1.3 × 1.3 km 2 spatial resolution and hourly temporal resolution over a 290 × 235 km 2 domain in the Barnett Shale, a major oil and gas field in Texas with a large number of point sources. We sub-sample these footprints to match the observing characteristics of the recently launched TROPOMI instrument (7 × 7 km 2 pixels, 11 ppb precision, daily frequency), the planned GeoCARB instrument (2.7 × 3.0 km 2 pixels, 4 ppb precision, nominal twice-daily frequency), and other proposed observing configurations. The information content of the various observing systems is evaluated using the Fisher information matrix and its eigenvalues. We find that a week of TROPOMI observations should provide information on temporally invariant emissions at ∼ 30 km spatial resolution. GeoCARB should provide information available on temporally invariant emissions ∼ 2–7 km spatial resolution depending on sampling frequency (hourly to daily). Improvements to the instrument precision yield greater increases in information content than improved sampling frequency. A precision better than 6 ppb is critical for GeoCARB to achieve fine resolution of emissions. Transient emissions would be missed with either TROPOMI or GeoCARB. An aspirational high-resolution geostationary instrument with 1.3 × 1.3 km 2 pixel resolution, hourly return time, and 1 ppb precision would effectively constrain the temporally invariant emissions in the Barnett Shale at the kilometer scale and provide some information on hourly variability of sources.
Feasibility of concomitant vacuum‐assisted removal of lead‐related vegetations and cardiac implantable electronic device extraction

BACKGROUND Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections associated with large, mobile vegetation adds to the complexity of lead extraction and is associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE To show the feasibility of concomitant cardiovascular implantable electronic device extraction and vacuum-assisted removal of lead-related vegetations. METHODS This is a single-center retrospective case series of consecutive patients with persistent bacteremia, sepsis, or endocarditis despite medical therapy who have vegetations >2 cm and subsequently underwent immediate CIED lead extraction after debulking with vacuum-assisted suction. RESULTS Eight patients underwent successful removal of 17 leads immediately after debulking of vegetations with vacuum-assisted device suction. Debulking procedure was not successful in 1 patient due to inability to direct the vacuum suction device into proper position. There were no intraprocedure complications related to the vacuum-assisted debulking. One patient required open sternotomy for tear of the coronary sinus ostium related to extraction of a left ventricular pacing electrode. There was no mortality within 30 days of the procedure. CONCLUSIONS Based upon these clinical results, it is feasible for patients with infected CIED systems that have large right-sided vegetations to undergo vacuum-assisted debulking then immediately followed by percutaneous CIED removal in whom surgical removal is considered high risk.
Acreditación de la educación superior en Estados Unidos: el juicio de los tribunales

Accreditation of higher education in the United States dates a long way back, in comparison to the rest of the world. Since the approval of the G.I. Bill in 1952, accreditation has played a major role in regulating higher education. It has had a direct impact on the possibilities of obtaining public funding for educational institutions. The purpose, scope, methodology and result of accreditation processes have not always been understood and have given rise to conflicts that have ended up in court. This study reviews United States jurisprudence in a series of cases –mainly brought before federal courts– between accreditation agencies and higher education institutions. The paper aims to examine the principles to be drawn from the experience of United States courts which, under their laws and regulations, contribute to a fair relationship among agencies and educational institutions in matters involving accreditation.
Sudden Death in Patients with Implanted Defibrillators

The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), designed to terminate life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias, has had a tremendous impact in preventing sudden arrhythmic death [1‐5]. Compared to various treatment modalities which result in a 2-year cumulative sudden death (SD) rate of up to 17%, ICD therapy in similar high-risk patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) results in a 3.5% rate of SD [5]. As a result, the ICD has become the treatment of choice for a variety of patients with VT/VF [6]. Moreover, by preventing arrhythmic deaths, the ICD has been shown to be superior to antiarrhythmic drugs in improving the overall survival of patients who have survived [7], or are at risk of developing [8], life-threatening VT/VF. Despite its striking ability to abort SD [1‐5], the protection afforded by the ICD against arrhythmic death is not absolute [9], reflecting both patient and ICD related factors. With ICD therapy being prescribed for an increasing number of patients [6‐8], some of whom, albeit a small number, will remain at risk of SD, our understanding of the mechanisms and causes of SD in device treated patients is of great importance. Both patients’ families and primary physicians are often surprised and puzzled when SD occurs in an ICD treated patient; such reaction is often fueled by a misperception that death must have been caused by device failure. Until recently [10‐12], our insight into the nature of terminal events associated with SD in ICD recipients had been hampered by the relative paucity of SD in ICD treated patients and limitations (particularly lack of sufficient data storage) of earlier devices [13‐15]. In this paper, we review terminal events, predictors, and potential causes and mechanisms of SD in patients with implanted ICD.
Beyond the Southwest: Is There a Relationship Between Climate and Violence?

There are case studies from places such as China, the Canary Islands, Europe, and Southern California that appear to show increased levels of violence in the form of intergroup conflict, warfare, and, in extreme cases, cannibalism and genocide. These are explored in detail to demonstrate that even though there appears to have been an increase in the use of violence, often that increase was the result of a complexity of cultural and political factors, and not solely related to climate change per se. Thus, even when violence is recorded during periods of climate change, it is crucial that they be carefully looked at before using them to generate policies. There have been politically generated announcements that wealthy industrial countries will need to fortify their borders and redirect their attention to improving technological innovations that can increase the yield of agricultural crops on nonproductive land. An alternative to this, as history has shown, could be that nation states could cooperate (e.g., share resources, prevent further environmental degradation, and limit consumption) and avoid the need for closing borders and increasing conflicts. While we must be careful not to project modern ideals on to past peoples, these case studies provide alternative ways to think about the role of violence in any situation where groups feel threatened and fearful for their future. Violence certainly is used by groups throughout the past and present, but the underlying causes for that are complex, multiple, and rarely every tied to one variable such as climate or weather.
Gamifying Computer Science Courses with OneUp

The low performance and drop-outs in Computer Science classes are frequently attributed to lack of engagement and motivation. Meanwhile, gamification - the application of game design principles and game mechanics to a non-game context - increasingly attracts the interest of educators due to its potential to foster motivation and behavioral changes in learning contexts. This Demo will introduce OneUp Learning, a platform aimed at facilitating the gamification of academic courses. OneUp enables instructors to define course activities and create exercise problems for practicing and self-assessment, as well as exams or quizzes for testing particular skills. The platform enables gamifying these practice activities. It is highly configurable and supports tailoring gamification features to meet the vision of the instructor. The gamification related configuration includes the choice of the game elements to be used along with specification of gaming rules for them. The system currently supports the following game elements: points (challenge points, skill points, and activity points), progress bar, virtual currency, badges, leaderboard, skill board, learning dashboard, and avatars. In the demo, we will show interested instructors how they can use OneUp in their classes. In particular, we will show them how to create problems and challenges, how to configure the gamification features they like to use, how to define their own badges, how to define rules for earning and spending virtual currency (in the course shop), and how to monitor the engagement and progress of their students. This work is supported by the NSF under Grants HBCU-UP TIP-1623236 and DUE-1821189.
Moderating Effects of Social Norms and Alcohol Consumption on Message Framing in Responsible Drinking Campaigns: Value from Deviance Regulation Theory.

This study examined how the interplay between message framing and social norms affected college students’ responses to advertisements and their intentions to drink responsibly, using the lens of de...
Impact of estrogens in males and androgens in females

Androgens and estrogens are known to be critical regulators of mammalian physiology and development. While these two classes of steroids share similar structures (in general, estrogens are derived from androgens via the enzyme aromatase), they subserve markedly different functions via their specific receptors. In the past, estrogens such as estradiol were thought to be most important in the regulation of female biology, while androgens such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were believed to primarily modulate development and physiology in males. However, the emergence of patients with deficiencies in androgen or estrogen hormone synthesis or actions, as well as the development of animal models that specifically target androgen- or estrogen-mediated signaling pathways, have revealed that estrogens and androgens regulate critical biological and pathological processes in both males and females. In fact, the concept of "male" and "female" hormones is an oversimplification of a complex developmental and biological network of steroid actions that directly impacts many organs. In this Review, we will discuss important roles of estrogens in males and androgens in females.
Abbreviated synthesis of the C3-C14 (substituted 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undec-3-ene) system of okadaic acid.

Described is a novel, concise, and flexible synthesis of the C3−C14 portion of okadaic acid. A substituted valerolactone (C3−C8) was prepared in three steps and α-hydroxylated using Davis' oxaziridine. Conjugate addition of dimethylcuprate upon ynones derived from the C3−C8 lactones followed by intramolecular ketalization provided the C3−C14 fragment and revealed a significant role of the C7 α‘-ketone substituent upon the efficiency of spiroketalization.
Classification Scheme for Binary Data with Extensions

In this chapter, we present a simple classification scheme that utilizes only 1-bit measurements of the training and testing data. Our method is intended to be efficient in terms of computation and storage while also allowing for a rigorous mathematical analysis. After providing some motivation, we present our method and analyze its performance for a simple data model. We also discuss extensions of the method to the hierarchical data setting, and include some further implementation considerations. Experimental evidence provided in this chapter demonstrates that our methods yield accurate classification on a variety of synthetic and real data.
Reliable outcomes and survivorship of primary total knee arthroplasty for osteonecrosis of the knee.

Aims Knee osteonecrosis in advanced stages may lead to joint degeneration. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteonecrosis has traditionally been associated with suboptimal results. We analyzed out...
Oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of male infertility

The effects of reactive oxygen species on male fertility are governed by the oxidative paradox, defined by a delicate balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity. When regulated appropriately, reactive oxygen species ensure effective function; however, when uninhibited, they represent key players in male factor infertility. Mechanisms responsible for this include oxidative destruction of sperm lipid membranes, damage to gamete DNA both by gene mutation and by direct breakdown of the DNA backbone, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptotic cell death. Utilizing various male pathologies as case studies, we see ways in which oxidative stress has the potential to impact fertility in a negative way. Varicocele, erectile dysfunction, testicular cancer and even idiopathic male infertility highlight common mechanistic pathways, as well as subtle variations in the ways reactive oxygen species can operate. Oxidative biomarkers have emerged to better study male infertility, predict reproductive success and modify assisted reproductive technologies to minimize oxidative stress.
Claudicating patients with peripheral artery disease have meaningful improvement in walking speed after supervised exercise therapy.

Abstract Objective Supervised exercise therapy (SET) is a first-line treatment for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The efficacy of SET is most commonly expressed by significant statistical improvement of parameters that do not clarify how each individual patient will benefit from SET. This study examined the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in walking speed in claudicating patients with PAD after SET. Methods A total of 63 patients with PAD-related claudication (Fontaine stage II PAD) participated in a 6-month SET program. Self-selected walking speed was measured before and after SET. Distribution and anchor-based approaches were used to estimate the MCID for small and substantial improvement. The ability to walk one block and the ability to climb one flight of stairs questions were chosen as anchor questions from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form questionnaire. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses were performed to detect the threshold for MCID in walking speed after treatment. Results The distribution-based method estimated 0.03 m/s as a small improvement and 0.08 m/s as a substantial improvement after SET. Small and substantial improvements according to the anchor question walking one block were 0.05 m/s and 0.15 m/s, respectively. For the climbing one flight of stairs anchor question, 0.10 m/s was a small improvement. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses identified an increase of 0.04 m/s and 0.03 m/s for improvement based on walking one block and climbing one flight of stairs, respectively. Conclusions We report our findings for the MCID for walking speed among claudicating patients receiving SET. Claudicating patients who increase walking speed of 0.03 m/s or greater are more likely to experience a meaningful improvement in walking impairment than those who do not. The MCID reported in this study can serve as a benchmark for clinicians to develop goals and interpret clinically meaningful progress in the care of claudicating patients with PAD.
Assessing target engagement using proteome-wide solvent shift assays

Recent advances in mass spectrometry (MS) have enabled quantitative proteomics to become a powerful tool in the field of drug discovery, especially when applied toward proteome-wide target engagement studies. Similar to temperature gradients, increasing concentrations of organic solvents stimulate unfolding and precipitation of the cellular proteome. This property can be influenced by physical association with ligands and other molecules, making individual proteins more or less susceptible to solvent-induced denaturation. Herein, we report the development of proteome-wide solvent shift assays by combining the principles of solvent-induced precipitation (Zhang et al., 2020) with modern quantitative proteomics. Using this approach, we developed solvent proteome profiling (SPP), which is capable of establishing target engagement through analysis of SPP denaturation curves. We readily identified the specific targets of compounds with known mechanisms of action. As a further efficiency boost, we applied the concept of area-under the-curve analysis to develop solvent proteome integral solubility alteration (solvent-PISA) and demonstrate that this approach can serve as a reliable surrogate for SPP. We propose that by combining SPP with alternative methods, like thermal proteome profiling, it will be possible to increase the absolute number of high-quality melting curves that are attainable by either approach individually thereby increasng the fraction of the proteome that can be screened 1 for evidence of ligand binding.
Aerosol Jet 3D-Printed Compact EBG Resonators

In this work, we demonstrate the realization of fully additively manufactured microwave and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) electromagnetic-bandgap (EBG) structures including the fabrication of both the dielectric substrate and conductive paths. We design, fabricate, and characterize three types of loaded EBG resonators in the Ka-, V-, and W-band, respectively. We use the aerosol jet printing (AJP) technology, utilizing both conductive and nonconductive inks. The compact EBG resonant unit cells are incorporated into finite ground coplanar transmission lines. We achieve a minimum feature size of 30 µm and resonator conductive path areas of 0.4 mm2. We perform measurements from 50 MHz up to 110 GHz, and we find that the measured performance correlates well with simulations. Our results show that small and compact resonant and filtering structures for EBG applications in highly integrated microwave and mm-wave circuits can be fully and reliably realized via AJP.
Circulating Water Systems

Nuclear power plants are usually built next to lakes, rivers, and oceans. Not for the scenic views that such locales provide, but because water can absorb the waste heat produced by the plants. Nuclear power plants consume vast amounts of water during normal operation to absorb the waste heat left over after making electricity and to cool the equipment and buildings used in generating that electricity. In event of an accident, nuclear power plants need water to remove the decay heat produced by the reactor core and to cool the equipment and buildings used to provide the core’s heat removal. This chapter describes the reliance of nuclear power plants on nearby bodies of water during normal operation and under accident conditions.
Single-Inclusion Solutions

A variety of estimates of the effective properties of heterogeneous media utilize the solution of the boundary value problem of the relevant field for a single inclusion of one material in a matrix of another material. Such estimates include effective properties of dispersions in the dilute-concentration limit (Chapter 19), a variety of effective-medium type approximations (Chapter 18), and rigorous bounds on the effective properties (Chapter 21). In this chapter we will derive single-inclusion solutions for all four classes of problems, focusing on spherical and ellipsoidal inclusions.
Hormonal Mediation of Insect Life Histories

Publisher Summary This chapter covers the action of hormones on plastic life-history patterns, including diapause, migration, wing polymorphisms and polyphenisms, locust phase polyphenisms, and seasonal and other polyphenisms involving size, shape, color, and the occurrence of structures such as horns. In all cases, there can be both genetic and environmental influences on titers of the regulating hormones and on the thresholds of response. Although there are notable exceptions and many variations on theme, ecdysteroids are the primary hormones influencing major life-history variations expressed in stages from egg to pupa, and juvenile hormone (JH) exerts the major influences in adults. Other hormones with significant roles are adipokinetic hormones that influence energetically costly behaviors, such as migration, and various neuropeptides that influence color, especially in density-regulated phase polyphenisms.
Cloning of Photosynthesis Genes from the Cyanobacterium Anacystis Nidulans R2

The unicellular cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans R2 has great potential for genetic and molecular biological studies in photosynthesis. This organism performs an oxygenic photosynthesis nearly identical to that of plants and eukaryotic algae; in addition, the thylakoid membrane proteins from the various organisms are very similar (Guikema, Sherman, 1982). This strain is highly transformable by exogenously-added DNA and it possesses two indigenous plasmids. Using the smaller (5.3 Mdal) of these two plasmids, we have constructed a hybrid cloning vector (pSG111) with the E. coli plasmid pBR328 (Golden, Sherman, 1983). Thus, we can use this strain to transform cells with recombinant plasmids that will maintain cloned genes in an extrachromosomal state for easy retrieval and identification of specific genes.
SELAR: scalable energy-efficient location aided routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) consist of thousands of tiny and low cost nodes with very limited energy, computing power and communication capabilities. We consider these issues in the design of a simple, scalable, energy-efficient location aided routing (SELAR) protocol for WSN. In SELAR, location and energy information of neighboring nodes together with the location information of the sink node are used to perform the routing function. Through simulations, we show that SELAR performs considerably better than flooding in terms of network lifetime, energy distribution, and amount of data delivered.
Use of the Peptide Carrier System to Improve the Intestinal Absorption of L-α-Methyldopa: Carrier Kinetics, Intestinal Permeabilities, and In Vitro Hydrolysis of Dipeptidyl Derivatives of L-α-Methyldopa

Intestinal permeabilities of five dipeptidyl derivatives of L-alpha-methyldopa (I) were studied by an in situ intestinal perfusion method. The dipeptides displayed a significant increase in their permeabilities compared to L-alpha-methyldopa. The increases ranged from 4 to 20 times. These results suggest that the peptide transport system is less structurally specific than the amino acid transport systems and can be used as an absorption pathway for peptide analogues. The kinetic advantage demonstrated by the dipeptide, L-alpha-methyldopa-L-phenylalanine, over the amino acid analogue, L-alpha-methyldopa, suggests that the peptide carrier would be a possible route for improving the intestinal absorption of pharmacologically active amino acid analogues. Furthermore, the preliminary results of in vitro hydrolysis studies of selected dipeptidyl derivatives indicate that the peptide carrier system could be used as a base for a prodrug strategy.
Profit Functions in Dairy Cattle and Effect of Measures of Effeciency and Prices

Abstract This investigation was to define profit functions from cow performance; to establish relationships among profit functions; and to determine effects of prices on characteristics of the functions and on rank of cows. Data were one to three lactations of 182 cows in the Beltsville Holstein herd. Three subsets of the data were used: 1) complete data set (182 cows), 2) cows with an opportunity for three lactations (92 cows), and 3) cows that completed three lactations (47 cows). Four profit functions were computed from income and expense for each cow. The correlation between profit per day and income/expense was .98, while the correlation between profit per day and total profit ranged from .76 to .87 for the two largest data sets. The correlations among profit per day for 1970, 1980, and 1985 price estimates ranged from .98 to 1.00. Correlations among estimates of total profit based on these prices were similarly high. Conclusions are: 1) Defining economic efficiency for dairy cattle as the linear function of income minus expenses per time of herd life is best because the linear function is closely correlated with other functions and is most easily understood. 2) Changes in relative prices had little effect on rank of cows. 3) Income variables milk yield, protein yield, and fat yield had the highest simple correlations with profit per day (>.44). Expense items, feed intake (.27), mastitis treatments (−.21), and herd life (.19) had the highest correlations with this profit function.
Critically evaluated theoretical energies, lifetimes, hyperfine constants, and multipole polarizabilities in Rb 87

Systematic study of Rb atomic properties is carried out using a high-precision relativistic all-order method. Excitation energies of the $\mathit{ns}$, $\mathit{np}$, $\mathit{nd}$, and $\mathit{nf}$ ($n\ensuremath{\leqslant}10$) states in neutral rubidium are evaluated. Reduced matrix elements, oscillator strengths, transition rates, and lifetimes are determined for the levels up to $n=8$. Recommended values and estimates of their uncertainties are provided for a large number of electric-dipole transitions. Electric-dipole ($5s\ensuremath{-}\mathit{np}$, $n=5\ensuremath{-}26$), electric-quadrupole ($5s\ensuremath{-}{\mathit{nd}}_{j}$, $n=4\ensuremath{-}26$), and electric-octupole ($5s\ensuremath{-}{\mathit{nf}}_{j}$, $n=4\ensuremath{-}26$) matrix elements are calculated to obtain the ground state $E1$, $E2$, and $E3$ static polarizabilities. Scalar polarizabilities of the $\mathit{ns}$, $\mathit{np}$, and $\mathit{nd}$ states, and tensor polarizabilities of the ${\mathit{np}}_{3/2}$ and $\mathit{nd}$ excited states of Rb are evaluated. The hyperfine $A$ and $B$ values in $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ are determined for the first low-lying levels up to $n=9$. These calculations provide recommended values critically evaluated for their accuracy for a number of Rb atomic properties useful for a variety of applications.
A THEORY FOR THE RATE CONSTANT OF A DISSOCIATIVE PROTON-COUPLED ELECTRON-TRANSFER REACTION

A theory that predicts the rate of a dissociative proton-coupled electron-transfer reaction is presented. The electron and proton transfer is treated as one quantum event that is driven by the coupling of the respective charges to the solvent's orientational polarization. The final state, where both electron and proton have transferred, corresponds to a repulsive surface for the proton motion. Consequently, the reaction products include a dissociated proton-transferred species. The origin of the repulsive surface is attributed to a combination of the hydrogen bond's relative weakness and the role of the solvent's electronic polarization in aiding the dissociation. The rate constant depends on the reaction free energy and reorganization energy, the bound state energies and wave functions in the initial proton surface, and the parameters of the proton final state repulsive surface. The rate constant can be quite large and should provide a reaction pathway competitive with consecutive electron and proton tra...
Leader reputation: The role of mentoring, political skill, contextual learning, and adaptation

Like organizations in other sectors, military settings can be appropriately characterized as political arenas.As such, political skill is critical for military leader effectiveness and leader reputation.This article proposes a conceptual model that articulates the roles of political skill, contextual learning, impression management, and adaptation in leader reputation development for military personnel aspiring to leadership positions. Political skill is shaped by mentoring and contextual learning experiences, which, in turn, affect the flexibility needed for making favorable impressions on others, adaptation, and fit. Implications of the proposed model for developing a more informed understanding of leader effectiveness and reputation in the military are discussed, as are directions for future research. ©2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adventure Sport Tourism in Rural Revitalisation—An Ethnographic Evaluation

Abstract The use and value of adventure sport tourism for revitalisation of rural economies has been widely debated. This study employs ethnographic methods to explore the opportunities and disappointments associated with a Portuguese rural community's use of paragliding in its mix of tourist attractions. Although the case has been popularly identified as a successful application of adventure sport tourism for rural revitalisation, findings indicate that paragliding has only a small impact on the community because paragliders prefer to socialise with one another, and often shop and eat outside the community. Nevertheless, paragliders seek activities to complement their stay, and would like to bring their families. The absence of strategic market planning contributes to the community's failure to capture a larger spend from paragliders, or to generate tourism revenue from accompanying markets. Ageing of the local population, a conservative social climate, and tourism planning that is exogenously driven und...
Computer algorithms for solving non-linear problems

Abstract Many problems in applied mechanics defy exact solution because of the non-linear nature of the descriptive differential equations. In such cases, a solution is often obtained through assumption of appropriate trigonometric or power series, and expansion and collection of coefficients of like trigonometric terms or powers of the variable. The resulting set of non-linear algebraic equations is then used to obtain the solution. An alternative solution to many problems of this nature consists of developing a potential expression and of minimizing it with respect to the coefficients of the series. In this paper, algorithms are presented for deriving equations with the aid of a digital computer. The equations are then stored by means of an integer representation. A Newton-Raphson algorithm for minimizing the integer-form potential is also presented. The method is illustrated by re-deriving the solution for the postbuckling behavior of thin-walled circular cylindrical shells under axial compression. The time required for the computations is short; with a Burroughs B5000 computer the total potential expression was derived in approximately 2 min; and the major stable portion of the load-shortening curve was found in 10 min.