cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical management of vesicoureteral reflux in children.

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the most common uropathy affecting children. Compared to children without VUR, those with VUR have a higher rate of pyelonephritis and renal scarring following urinary tract infection (UTI). Options for treatment include observation with or without antibiotic prophylaxis and surgical repair. Surgical intervention may be necessary in patients with persistent reflux, renal scarring, and recurrent or breakthrough febrile UTI. Both open and endoscopic approaches to reflux correction are successful and reduce the occurrence of febrile UTI. Estimated success rates of open and endoscopic reflux correction are 98.1% (95% CI 95.1, 99.1) and 83.0% (95% CI 69.1, 91.4), respectively. Factors that affect the success of endoscopic injection include pre-operative reflux grade and presence of functional or anatomic bladder abnormalities including voiding dysfunction and duplicated collecting systems. Few studies have evaluated the long-term outcomes of endoscopic injection, and with variable results. In patients treated endoscopically, recurrent febrile UTI occurred in 0–21%, new renal damage in 9–12%, and recurrent reflux in 17–47.6% of treated ureters with at least 1 year follow-up. These studies highlight the need for standardized outcome reporting and longer follow-up after endoscopic treatment.
Temporal Asymptotic Behavior of Solutions of the Benjamin-Ono-Burgers Equation

Abstract We study certain similarity solutions of the Benjamin-Ono-Burgers (BOB) equation and their role in the asymptotic behavior of the general solution. For small initial data in L 1 ( R ) we prove that a solution of the BOB equation exists in BC ( R + , L 1 ( R )) and depends continuously on its initial data. Results about existence, uniqueness, regularity, and spatial asymptotics of solutions of a similarity reduction of the BOB equation are proved. Furthermore, the solutions of the BOB equation are proved to converge as t → ∞ to appropriate similarity solutions faster than the typically sharp rate of decay of the solutions.
Additive particle deposition and selective laser processing-a computational manufacturing framework

Many additive manufacturing technologies involve the deposition of particles onto a surface followed by selective, targeted, laser heating. This paper develops a modular computational framework which combines the various steps within this overall process. Specifically, the framework synthesizes the following: Numerical examples are provided and extensions are also addressed for two advanced processing scenarios involving solid-liquid-gas phase transformations.
Major element evolution of basaltic magmas: a comparison of the information in CMAS and ALFE projections

Basalt petrologists disagree as to whether the commonly used projection, forsterite-diopside-silica, in the system CMAS (CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2), can adequately resolve differences in basaltic glass compositions for purposes of petrogenetic modelling. Here, we suggest than an analogous plot, the aluminium-factor diagram (ALFE) of Nesbitt and Cramer (1981), has greater diagnostic value than Fo-Di-Sil. A plot of molar (Al2O2-CaO-Na2O-K2O)/(FeO + MgO) vs FeO/(FeO + MgO), it produces more coherent patterns both for experimental basalt glasses, and for natural lavas. It is, like Fo-Di-Sil, a projection through plagioclase, but has the advantage that it monitors changes in Fe/(Fe + Mg) in melts and associated crystalline phases, and is particularly useful in assessing the timing of clinopyroxene crystallization in a suite of lavas. The diagram owes its greater resolving power to the fact that the computation of its coordinates is less sensitive to analytical uncertainty than for Fo-Di-Sil. In the latter diagram, normative quartz is calculated as a residual and thus manifests the uncertainties in all the major elements.
Layer-by-Layer Polymeric Supramolecular Structures Containing Nickel Hydroxide Nanoparticles and Microcrystallites

Supramolecular polymer structures were assembled using the layer-by-layer, polyionic deposition technique. Depositing alternating layers of a polycation, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), and a polyanion, poly(styrenesulfonate), formed the thin films. The nucleation of nickel hydroxide nanoparticles was achieved using a cyclical absorption−oxidation process in which nickel ions were absorbed into the polymer matrix (which bind to the sulfonate groups) and then oxidized in an alkali solution. Ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the deposition of the thin film, as well as the subsequent nucleation and growth of nanoparticles within the supramolecular structure. Characterization of the nanoparticles using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of the α form of nickel hydroxide, and X-ray diffraction analysis showed a mixture of both α and β forms of nickel hydroxide. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed fibrous, needlelike microcrystalline structures, i...
Estimation of fitness reduction due to a chronic disease in man.

SUMMARY An improved mathematical method is presented for estimating the amount of fitness reduction due to a chronic disease by using demographic data. It is shown that Cavalli-Sforza and Bodmer's equivalent formula gives an underestimate. Application of the new formula indicates that the selective difference between blood groups 0 and A, resulting from their association with duodenal ulcer, is 6-4 times 10-5, i.e. ten times higher than Cavalli-Sforza and Bodmer's estimate.
Determination of cross sections and continuum phases of rubidium through complete measurements of atomic multiphoton ionization

We present a complete experimental determination of the atomic parameters necessary to unambiguously characterize two-photon ionization of atomic rubidium, i.e., the relative photoionization cross sections and the continuum wave function phase difference. We obtain these complete results through a single measurement, that of the two-photon photoelectron angular distribution using elliptically polarized light. While measured phase differences are in excellent agreement with expected values, the ratios of photoionization cross sections of the two $D$ channels are not.
Neural regulation of phenyethanolamine N-methyltransferase in vivo: transcriptional and translational changes

Abstract The hypothesis that neural regulation of rat adrenal medullary phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase (PNMT, EC 2.1.1.28) occurs through transcriptional control is examined by following temporal changes in PNMT mRNA expression using paradigms of acute and chronic reserpine treatment. Concommitant changes in PNMT activity and protein were also measured to determine if reserpine induced changes depend solely on gene activation. Further, changes in adrenal corticosterone were measured to examine whether mRNA and enzyme responses might be mediated via reserpine induced changes in ACTH, and hence, corticosterone. Steady-state levels of PNMT mRNA peaked at ∼ 8-fold normal by 6 h after a single reserpine injection (10 mg/kg i.p.), and then declined to control values. With continued treatment, a second, slower rise occurred after three alternate day injections (∼ 3-fold basal levels). Enzyme activity and protein rose simultaneously but were attenuated in magnitude and time course by comparison to message. With both acute and chronic treatment, activity increased 2.0-fold, peaking at 12 h after a single dose of reserpine and again after four doses of the drug. Protein, as measured by immunotitration, was elevated 1.2-and 1.4-fold, respectively. Adrenal corticosterone rose ∼ 8-fold at 6 h, declined slightly at 12 h, rose again, and remained elevated thereafter. Comparison of the time courses for the various indices demonstrated that the early parallel bursts in PNMT mRNA and corticosterone are consistent with an increase in transcriptional activity. However, subsequent discordant expression in these two indices and concomittant magnitudinal differences in enzyme activity and protein suggest that other regulatory controls may limit the transcriptional activation of PNMT and the expression of active PNMT enzyme. Moreover, these latter controls appear to determine the ultimate limitation on PNMT expression and hence, adrenergic function.
A preliminary cyber-physical security assessment of the Robot Operating System (ROS)

Over the course of the last few years, the Robot Operating System (ROS) has become a highly popular software framework for robotics research. ROS has a very active developer community and is widely used for robotics research in both academia and government labs. The prevalence and modularity of ROS cause many people to ask the question: “What prevents ROS from being used in commercial or government applications?” One of the main problems that is preventing this increased use of ROS in these applications is the question of characterizing its security (or lack thereof). In the summer of 2012, a crowd sourced cyber-physical security contest was launched at the cyber security conference DEF CON 20 to begin the process of characterizing the security of ROS. A small-scale, car-like robot was configured as a cyber-physical security “honeypot” running ROS. DEFFCON-20 attendees were invited to find exploits and vulnerabilities in the robot while network traffic was collected. The results of this experiment provided some interesting insights and opened up many security questions pertaining to deployed robotic systems. The Federal Aviation Administration is tasked with opening up the civil airspace to commercial drones by September 2015 and driverless cars are already legal for research purposes in a number of states. Given the integration of these robotic devices into our daily lives, the authors pose the following question: “What security exploits can a motivated person with little-to-no experience in cyber security execute, given the wide availability of free cyber security penetration testing tools such as Metasploit?” This research focuses on applying common, low-cost, low-overhead, cyber-attacks on a robot featuring ROS. This work documents the effectiveness of those attacks.
The Civic and Political Significance of Online Participatory Cultures among Youth Transitioning to Adulthood

ABSTRACT Much scholarship has examined how accessing news and other civic and politically oriented online activities can influence offline civic and political behaviors. Much less is known about the influence of nonpolitical online activity on civic and political practices. We found that youth engagement in some forms of nonpolitical online activity can serve as a gateway to participation in civic and political life, including volunteering, community problem solving, protest activities, and political voice. Unlike most prior work in this area that relies on convenience samples and cross-sectional data, we draw on two large panel studies, so we are able to control for prior levels of civic and political engagement. With such controls in place and with controls for a full range of demographic variables, we find that relationships between participation in nonpolitical online participatory cultures on the one hand and civic and political participation on the other remain statistically significant for both dat...
In vivo imaging of microvascular changes in inflammatory human skin induced by tape stripping and mosquito saliva using optical microangiography

Tape stripping on human skin induces mechanical disruptions of the epidermal barrier that lead to minor skin inflammation which leads to temporary changes in microvasculature. On the other hand, when mosquitoes probe the skin for blood feeding, they inject saliva in dermal tissue. Mosquito saliva is known to exert various biological activities, such as dermal mast cell degranulation, leading to fluid extravasation and neutrophil influx. This inflammatory response remain longer than the tape stripping caused inflammation. In this study, we demonstrate the capabilities of swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) in detecting in vivo microvascular response of inflammatory human skin. Optical microangiography (OMAG), noninvasive volumetric microvasculature in vivo imaging method, has been used to track the vascular responses after tape stripping and mosquito bite. Vessel density has been quantified and used to correlate with the degree of skin irritation. The proved capability of OMAG technique in visualizing the microvasculature network under inflamed skin condition can play an important role in clinical trials of treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory skin disorders as well as studying mosquito bite’s perception by the immune system and its role in parasite transmission.
The New Neuropsychology of Sleep: Implications for Psychoanalysis

AbstractIn his 1895 “Project for a Scientific Psychology,” Sigmund Freud clearly stated his goal: to integrate the workings of the mind with the workings of the brain. But in his day, too little neurobiology was known to make his goal attainable and he tried instead to understand such fascinating normal phenomena as dreaming in exclusively psychodynamic terms. A century later, Freud’s brilliant but entirely speculative dream theory is in need of radical revision, if not complete overhaul, because dreams, as well as other unusual states of consciousness, can finally be approached from the solid foundation of modern neuroscience. In other words, the goals of Freud’s Project are at last within our grasp. Ironically, an obstacle to progress is the tenacious adherence of orthodox psychoanalysis to a theory that even by the standards of its originator, is now clearly outmoded.In this paper, recent positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and brain lesion studies in humans are integrated with new basic researc...
Filtering non‐solenoidal modes in numerical solutions of incompressible flows

SUMMARY Solving the incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations requires special care if the velocity field is not discretely divergence-free. Approximate projection methods and many pressure Poisson equation methods fall into this category. The approximate projection operator does not dampen high frequency modes that represent a local decoupling of the velocity field. For robust behavior, filtering is necessary. This is especially true in two instances that were studied: long-term integrations and large density jumps. Projection-based filters and velocity-based filters are derived and discussed. A cell-centered velocity filter, in conjunction with a vertex-projection filter, was found to be the most effective in the widest range of cases. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of gonadectomy on plasma gonadotropins I and II in coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch.

Abstract Studies of both salmon and trout have indicated that the levels of gonadotropins, GTH I and GTH II, in the pituitary and peripheral circulation vary during the reproductive cycle. To evaluate the possible feedback relationship between the gonads and pituitary GTH secretion, we studied the effects of bilateral gonadectomy on plasma levels of GTH I and GTH II in coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. During late spermatogenesis in males and late vitellogenesis in females, plasma GTH I levels increased significantly after gonadectomy, approximately 6- and 5-fold over presurgery levels at 3 and 14 days after surgery, respectively, and then declined to near presurgery levels by Day 17. No change in GTH I levels occurred in sham-operated fish. In all groups, GTH II levels were nondetectable and did not change significantly up to 17 days postsurgery. In males gonadectomized during spermiation, plasma GTH I levels increased significantly, approximately 10-fold over presurgery levels by 7 days postsurgery, and remained elevated thereafter. In contrast to the males in late spermatogenesis, the spermiating fish had detectable levels of GTH II (2–3 ng/ml), and significant elevations in plasma GTH II levels (approximately 60-fold) were observed 7 days after gonadectomy. These experiments demonstrate that the gonads exert negative feedback effects on secretion of both GTH I and GTH II, but the effect varies seasonally and the nature of the specific factor(s) from the gonads that inhibits and/or stimulates GTH production and secretion remains to be clarified.
Generation planning with quantified outage costs

Abstract Current changes in the electric power industry in the USA encourages competition, which in turn encourages more attention to customer satisfaction. In view of these changes, in this paper we develop a generation planning model that incorporates the outage costs of customers as well as the utility. By including the customer outage cost, we attempt to take the customer satisfaction level into account. First, we review the quantification approaches for the customer outage cost, and determine a single quantification approach. Next, we estimate the customer outage cost and develop a generation planning model as a mixed integer linear programming problem. A comprehensive numerical example is provided to illustrate the key features of our model.
Management of Epidural Abscesses and Subdural Empyemas

Epidural abscesses (EA) and subdural empyemas (SE) are intracranial infections that occur in the potential spaces between the skull and brain. Both are most commonly caused by direct extension of infection from sinus disease or by contamination incurred during craniotomy. Patients can manifest a spectrum of clinical symptoms ranging from subtle changes postoperatively to rapid neurological deterioration associated with fever. Diagnosis is confirmed with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging with contrast. Urgent surgical treatment is usually indicated because both are potentially life-threatening conditions. Empirical antibiotic therapy, followed by tailoring of therapy after identification of the organism, is an absolute necessity. Because improved patient outcomes are associated with early detection and prompt treatment of epidural abscesses and subdural empyemas, physicians should have a high level of suspicion for their presence and pursue their diagnosis and treatment expeditiously.
A New Era in Clinical Genetic Testing for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Building on seminal studies of the last 20 years, genetic testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has become a clinical reality in the form of targeted exonic sequencing of known disease-causing genes. This has been driven primarily by the decreasing cost of sequencing, but the high profile of genome-wide association studies, the launch of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and new legislative protection have also played important roles. In the clinical management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, genetic testing is primarily used for family screening. An increasing role is recognized, however, in diagnostic settings: in the differential diagnosis of HCM; in the differentiation of HCM from hypertensive or athlete’s heart; and more rarely in preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Aside from diagnostic clarification and family screening, use of the genetic test for guiding therapy remains controversial, with data currently too limited to derive a reliable mutation risk prediction from within the phenotypic noise of different modifying genomes. Meanwhile, the power of genetic testing derives from the confidence with which a mutation can be called present or absent in a given individual. This confidence contrasts with our more limited ability to judge the significance of mutations for which co-segregation has not been demonstrated. These variants of “unknown” significance represent the greatest challenge to the wider adoption of genetic testing in HCM. Looking forward, next-generation sequencing technologies promise to revolutionize the current approach as whole genome sequencing will soon be available for the cost of today’s targeted panel. In summary, our future will be characterized not by lack of genetic information but by our ability to effectively parse it.
Reactions of bicycloalkenyldiiodonium salts with nucleophiles

Abstract Alkenyldiiodonium salts 1 react with a number of anionic nucleophiles to give the corresponding products of the vinylic nucleophilic substitution of the iodobenzene moiety. However, analogous reaction with Ph 3 P leads to the formation of tetraphenylphosphonium salt and diiodoalkene.
Computed Tomography of the Coronary Arteries

Pim J. de Feyter, MD, PhD, and Gabriel P. Krestin, MD, PhD, eds. 208 pp. London, UK: Taylor & Francis; 2005. $85.00. ISBN 1-84184-439-X Nearly 5 decades have passed since F. Mason Sones, MD, performed the first coronary angiogram. Despite transformative advances in the treatment of coronary atherosclerosis, this traditional procedure remains the foundation on which state-of-the-art diagnosis and management rests. Noninvasive imaging modalities such as scintigraphy and echocardiography have contributed immeasurably to the care of the patient with coronary disease, but these techniques only indirectly determine coronary patency. During the past few years, imaging methods that approach the accuracy of x-ray angiography have become increasingly available with the advent of the latest generation of MRI and multidetector/multislice CT scanners. Although these 2 modalities use a common vocabulary, considerably more attention has been focused recently on CT, primarily because of its strikingly clear image quality. Not to be overlooked are the economic implications of CT in terms of reimbursement and control of technology. The arrival of coronary CT has opened a new front in the seemingly perpetual to and fro between the cardiology and radiology camps, with battles now being fought at the state and national regulatory levels. Coverage of coronary CT in the lay press and aggressive marketing of CT imaging technology to cardiologists and patients only serves to increase tension. A recently posted animated advertisement on The New York Times web site beckons patients to “ask their doctor” about the latest-generation CT scanners that …
Flying to Neverland: How readers tacitly judge norms during comprehension

As readers gain experience with specific narrative worlds, they accumulate information that allows them to experience events as normal or unusual within those worlds. In this article, we contrast two accounts for how readers access information about specific narrative worlds to make tacit judgments of normalcy. We conducted two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants read stories about an ordinary character (e.g., a police officer in Boston) or a familiar fantastic character (e.g., Superman). Each story described a realistic event (e.g., the character being killed by bullets) or a fantastic event (e.g., bullets bouncing off the character’s chest). Participants were faster to read events that were consistent with their prior knowledge about the story world. In Experiments 2a and 2b, participants read stories about familiar fantastic characters, unfamiliar fantastic characters (e.g., a Kryptonian named Dev-em), and unfamiliar ordinary characters. In Experiment 2a, participants were equally fast to read about the familiar and unfamiliar fantastic characters experiencing fantastic events, both of which were read faster than the unfamiliar ordinary characters sentences. In Experiment 2b, participants were fastest to read about unfamiliar ordinary characters experiencing realistic events and were equally slow for familiar and unfamiliar fantastic characters. Our experiments provide evidence that readers routinely use inductive reasoning to go beyond their prior knowledge when reading fictional narratives, affecting whether they experience events as normal or unusual.
THE EFFECTS OF STUDENTS' ACADEMIC, FINANCIAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON TIME TO THE DOCTORATE

The time taken to earn doctorates is of major importance to administrators and faculty. By using stepwise multiple regression techniques, this study predicted time to doctorate from the available demographic, academic, and financial variables and determined the significance of each variable on time to the doctorate. The data for this study came from the National Research Council's Doctorate Records File extract prepared for UCLA. This institution is particularly appropriate for a study of this kind, since it annually awards over 400 doctorates in over 75 different majors. Its doctoral recipients represent the range of academic fields of study. The results of this study indicated that source of support was the most important variable in predicting time to doctorate. Following source of support were postdoctoral plans, number of dependents, sex, and field of study. Together these variables explained a significant amount of variation in the criterion variable.
Inhibition of cell wall synthesis and acylation of the penicillin binding proteins during prolonged exposure of growing Streptococcus pneumoniae to benzylpenicillin.

Growing cultures of an autolysis-defective pneumococcal mutant were exposed to [3H]benzylpenicillin at various multiples of the minimal inhibitory concentration and incubated until the growth of the cultures was halted. During the process of growth inhibition, we determined the rates and degree of acylation of the five penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and the rates of peptidoglycan incorporation, protein synthesis, and turbidity increase. The time required for the onset of the inhibitory effects of benzylpenicillin was inversely related to the concentration of the antibiotic, and inhibition of peptidoglycan incorporation always preceded inhibition of protein synthesis and growth. When cultures first started to show the onset of growth inhibition the same characteristic fraction of each PBP was in the acylated form in all cases, irrespective of the antibiotic concentration. Apparently, saturation of one or more PBPs with the antibiotic beyond these threshold levels is needed to bring about interference with normal peptidoglycan production and celluar growth. Although it was not possible to correlate the inhibition of cell wall synthesis or cell growth with the degree of acylation (percentage saturation) of any single PBP, there was a correlation between the amount of peptidoglycan synthesized and the actual amount of PBP 2b that was not acylated. In cultures exposed to benzylpenicillin concentrations greater than eight times the minimal inhibitory concentration, the rates of peptidoglycan incorporation underwent a rapid decline when bacterial growth stopped. However, in cultures exposed to lower concentrations of benzylpenicillin (one to six times the minimal inhibitory concentration) peptidoglycan synthesis continued at constant rate for prolonged periods, after the turbidity had ceased to increase. We conclude that inhibition of bacterial growth does not require a complete inhibition or even a major decline in the rate of peptidoglycan incorporation. Rather, inhibition of growth must be caused by an as yet undefined process that stops cell division when the rate of incorporation of peptidoglycan (or synthesis of protein) falls below a critical value.
Women's Reports of Negative, Neutral, and Positive Effects of Growing Up With Alcoholic Parents

Parental alcoholism does not necessarily result in negative outcomes for the offspring; we examined whether it would result in negative perceptions of the experience. Black women and White women with alcoholic parents (N = 126) rated and described the effect of parental alcoholism on them: 65% reported a negative effect, 26% reported a positive effect, and 7% reported a neutral effect. We examined these ratings in relation to the women's overall adult adjustment. More positive ratings were associated with being Black and with variables such as social support, experiencing lower family conflict, and having no alcohol problem oneself. Human service providers need greater access to research findings to see that children from these families will be diverse in their psychological and social functioning.
Characterization of a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in mouse mammary tumor virus.

Abstract Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) contains an enzyme which catalyzes DNA synthesis in the presence of a preformed initiator without template direction. This type of enzyme activity is characteristic of the class of polymerases called terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. The MMTV enzyme is localized in the viral core and its activity depends upon the presence of detergent, reducing agent, preformed initiator, and divalent cation. Optimal conditions for activity include pH 6.85 and the use of a thymidine-containing substrate and initiator. The reaction product is predominantly single stranded. Concentration-dependent inhibition by several salts is observed. Manipulation of the reaction optima and salt concentration allows the functional separation of MMTV terminal transferase activity from RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity.
Major League Baseball Players’ Life Expectancies

We present major league baseball (MLB) player life expectancies with attention to age, period, and cohort trends, and anthropometric and performance measures. We employ more than 100 years of data on a select population to produce some of the most accurate life expectancy estimates for U.S. adult males extant. Baseball players are a valuable population to study because they provide a wealth of longitudinal population data encompassing a multitude of cohorts and periods; there is detailed and accurate information about their births, deaths, and careers; their performance is recorded, evaluated, and highly scrutinized in a public forum; and they represent a subset of the U.S. male population that is marked by high levels of physical fitness and social and economic success, which may provide insights into potential longevity gains for the general population. MLB players typically have longer life expectancies than the general male population because of their high physical activity and overall health (Schnor, Parner, and Lange, 2000); selection for talent and fitness (Abel and Kruger, 2006); favorable heights and weights; low smoking rates (Severson et al., 2005); access to high-quality healthcare during their careers (Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1975); and high prestige and incomes, which allow access to high-quality healthcare during and after their baseball careers (Haupert, 2003; Kotarba, 2001; Nakao and Treas, 1990). Waterbor et al. (1988) found that MLB players who debuted between 1911 and 1925 had a 6 percent lower age standardized mortality rate than white men in the United States. Abel and Kruger (2006) determined that players who debuted between 1900 and 1939 lived 4.8 years longer than the age-adjusted male population. And the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (1975) revealed that those who played between 1876 and 1973 had 28 percent lower mortality than white males in the general population. The mortality advantage for MLB players was small for those who debuted between 1876 and 1900, and larger for those who debuted between 1901 and 1973. We extend prior research by examining MLB players who debuted between 1902 and 2004, and estimating life expectancies that adjust for period and cohort trends in survival.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LOCAL AND GENERALISED BURN EDEMA

Abstract In judging the infusion therapy of burn injuries, not only the circulatory and pulmonary effects are considered but also the local effect on burned tissue. Local edema leads to hypoxia as well as to the burn-specific sludge phenomenon. Microcirculation and edema are often adversely influenced by our therapeutic efforts. Therapeutic proteinase inhibition, for example, has a beneficial effect on edema formation but reduces spontaneous fibrinolytic activity and thus increases the sludge phenomenon. Standardized experimental scalds of 30% of the body surface in rabbits increased density of the lungs, as determined by computed tomography. Colloidal infusion therapy was found to diminish fluid shift into the lung more than crystalloid infusion therapy. However, all tested infusion regimens, using identical quantity, increased edema formation in the burned skin. Biseco ® (natural serum proteins containing igG, igA and igM; Fa. Biotest, Frankfurt, F.R.G.) and Solcoseryl ® (a protein-free extract of calf blood stimulating the oxygen efficiency; Fa. Solco Basel) were demonstrated to diminish local edema formation as well as lung edema secondary to burn injuries.
Functional neuroimaging of working memory in survivors of childhood brain tumors and healthy children: Associations with coping and psychosocial outcomes

Purpose: Pediatric brain tumors are the second most common cancer diagnosis in individuals under age 20 and research has documented significant neurocognitive, psychosocial, and emotional late effects. Associations among these deficits have not been adequately considered and the role of survivors’ coping with stress in relation to deficits is unknown. Further, research has yet to examine neurobiological processes related to neurocognitive, psychosocial, and emotional difficulties in survivors through the use of functional neuroimaging. Method: Questionnaire measures and functional neuroimaging were used to examine the neurocognitive, psychosocial, and emotional functioning and coping responses of survivors of pediatric brain tumors (N = 17; age 8–16) and healthy children (N = 15). Results: Survivors experienced elevated levels of psychosocial and behavioral/emotional difficulties relative to healthy controls and normative data. Increases in brain activation in prefrontal and other anterior regions in resp...
Pricing strategy for companies with mixed online and traditional retailing distribution markets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to help business marketers with a mixed online and traditional retail channel (multi‐channel company) to find the optimal pricing strategy and market structure in order to maximize their profits.Design/methodology/approach – A game theory model is developed to determine the optimal pricing strategy for the multi‐channel company.Findings – It was demonstrated that an optimal pricing strategy exists under different market structures for a multi‐channel company. When a company uses multiple channels to sell its product, the optimal pricing strategy is to use a low‐high pricing strategy if the online marginal cost is equal to or less than the traditional marginal cost, or a high‐low pricing strategy if the online marginal cost is far larger than the traditional marginal cost. Furthermore, in order to maximize its profit, the company using multiple channels should adopt channel integration as the optimal market structure.Research limitations/implica...
Intuitive expectations and the detection of mental disorder: A cognitive background to folk-psychiatries

How do people detect mental dysfunction? What is the influence of cultural models of dysfunction on this detection process? The detection process as such is not usually researched as it falls between the domains of cross-cultural psychiatry (focusing on the dysfunction itself) and anthropological ethno-psychiatry (focusing on cultural models of sanity and madness). I provide a general model for this “missing link” between behavior and cultural models, grounded in empirical evidence for intuitive psychology. Normal adult minds entertain specific intuitive expectations about mental function and behavior, and by implication they infer that specific kinds of behavior are the result of underlying dysfunction. This suggests that there is a “catalogue” of possible behaviors that trigger that intuition, hence a limited catalogue of possible symptoms that feed into culturally specific folk-understandings of mental disorder. It also suggests that some mental dysfunctions, as they do not clearly violate principles o...
Structure and Dynamics of Hydrated Statherin on Hydroxyapatite As Determined by Solid-State NMR†

Proteins directly control the nucleation and growth of biominerals, but the details of molecular recognition at the protein-biomineral interface remain poorly understood. The elucidation of recognition mechanisms at this interface may provide design principles for advanced materials development in medical and ceramic composite technologies. Here, we have used solid-state NMR techniques to provide the first high-resolution structural and dynamic characterization of a hydrated biomineralization protein, salivary statherin, adsorbed to its biologically relevant hydroxyapatite (HAP) surface. Backbone secondary structure for the N-terminal dodecyl region was determined using a combination of homonuclear and heteronuclear dipolar recoupling techniques. Both sets of experiments indicate the N-terminus is alpha-helical in character with the residues directly binding to the HAP being stabilized in the alpha-helical conformation by the presence of water. Dynamic NMR studies demonstrate that the highly anionic N-terminus is strongly adsorbed and immobilized on the HAP surface, while the middle and C-terminal regions of this domain are mobile and thus weakly interacting with the mineral surface. The direct binding footprint of statherin is thus localized to the negatively charged N-terminal pentapeptide sequence. Study of a site-directed mutant demonstrated that alteration of the only anionic side chain outside of this domain did not affect the dynamics of statherin on the HAP surface, suggesting that it does not play an important role in HAP binding.
Autoimmunity, histocompatibility, and aging.

Abstract The immunologic theory of aging proposes that the normal process of aging in man and all animals is pathogenetically related to faulty immunological processes and may be analogous to a type of autoimmune phenomena ultimately involving all body tissues. It may be said that the sharply increased incidence in elderly humans of the autoimmune and immunodeficiency “diseases of age” are thought to be greatly potentiated by the age-related decline in immune surveillance mechanisms particularly involving self/non-self discriminatory abilities. The major histocompatibility complex has emerged as a complex of “supergenes” coding for antigens whose ultimate biological function may be to serve as recognition units allowing lymphocytes to recognize self from non-self on an immunological basis. Also, recent data are consistent with our supposition that differences in age-specific peaks of various immune functional parameters in genetically homozygous mice may be influenced by genes linked to the major histocompatibility complex. These differences may account, at least in part, for the highly strain-dependent, age-specific incidence of certain diseases, including autoimmune and malignant diseases in the mouse. Heightened susceptibility to develop a particular disease in a susceptible animal occurs when a certain balance is reached between the interplay of immune functional parameters which mature, differentiate, or decline at different rates in the same animal. The age-specificity of this balance may be under partial control of H-2 or HLA-linked genes.
International students at Vanderbilt.

I was hurt and distressed by the article “Is the U.S. brain gain faltering?” (J. Mervis, Special Section: Brains and Borders, 28 May, p. 1278), as were many international students at Vanderbilt University and around the country. The assertions attributed to me in the article are taken out of
Synthesis and structure of W2Cl4(μ-dppm)2(η2-μ-CH3CN)

Abstract A new ditungsten compound with a bridging ligand in a novel geometry, W2Cl4(μ-dppm)2(η2-μ-CH3CN) where dppm is bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, has been prepared from a quadruply bonded starting material. The structure of this compound is an example of a dinuclear tungsten compound with an η2-μ-bonded acetonitrile. The use of acetonitrile as a solvent during the preparation of the known compound W2Cl4(μ-dppm)2 results in the incorporation of an acetonitrile molecule in a bridging position with the C-N of this ligand perpendicular to the W-W axis. The bridging acetonitrile is no longer linear. The angle formed by the three-atom chain of acetonitrile, C-C-N, is 116.3(7)° with a C-N bond distance of 1.303(8) A. The W-W bond distance is 2.4981(10) A, significantly longer than the distance of 2.269(1) A observed in the parent compound W2Cl4(μ-dppm)2. Crystallographic data for this compound is as follows: P21/c with a=12.577(5), b=8.644(8), c=27.024(8) A, β=95.98(2)°, V=6302(4) A3 and Z=4.
A Combined Large-Eddy Simulation and Time-Dependent RANS Capability for High-Speed Compressible Flows

An entirely new approach to the large-eddy simulation (LES) of high-speed compressible turbulent flows is presented. Subgrid scale stress models are proposed that are dimensionless functions of the computational mesh size times a Reynolds stress model. This allows a DNS to go continuously to an LES and then a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) computation as the mesh becomes successively more coarse or the Reynolds number becomes much larger. Here, the level of discretization is parameterized by the nondimensional ratio of the computational mesh size to the Kolmogorov length scale. The Reynolds stress model is based on a state-of-the-art two-equation model whose enhanced performance is documented in detail in a variety of benchmark flows. It contains many of the most recent advances in compressible turbulence modeling. Applications to the high-speed aerodynamic flows of technological importance are briefly discussed.
Greedy-Heuristic-Aided Mixed-Integer Linear Programming Approach for Arrival Scheduling

Scheduling arriving aircraft in terminal airspace can be formulated using mixed-integer linear programming and solved by a branch and bound algorithm. Given that the problem is intrinsically nondeterministic polynomial-time hard, success in solving the problem within a reasonable time is not always guaranteed. This paper proposes an efficient optimization approach that calculates the minimum total delay necessary for a conflict-free arrival sequence. A greedy heuristic is developed to find a feasible solution quickly, which serves as a “hot start” so that the branch and bound algorithm can prune as many search tree nodes as it can. Unnecessary searching is thus saved. The greedy heuristic also provides an estimated upper bound for the maximum delay that guarantees a feasible solution for the mixed-integer linear programming. In addition, it identifies a group of aircraft associated with high delays, which are suspended in the first stage of scheduling and sequenced in the second stage based on available t...
Compact and efficient green lasers for mobile projector applications

— Efficient and very-compact projectors embedded into mobile consumer-electronic devices, such as handsets, media players, gaming consoles, and GPS units, will enable new consumer use and industry business models. A keystone component for such projectors is a green laser that is commensurately efficient and compact. A synthetic green-laser architecture is described that can achieve efficiencies of 15%. The architecture consists of an infrared distributed Bragg reflector laser coupled into a second-harmonic-generation device for conversion to green.
Music Teachers as Role Models for African-American Students

The purpose of this study was to determine what proportion of African-American students in high school settings, if any, identified music teachers as their role models. The study was also designed ...
Clean-room and {CO2-Laser} Processing of Ultra {High-Purity} {Al2O3}

Clean-room powder processing, furnace firing, and CO 2 -laser heating techniques to produce high-purity Al 2 O 3 ceramics were applied to a new source of high-purity Al 2 O 3 ( 〉13 ppm total and 〉8 ppm cation detected impurities). The chemical analyses of the material after each stage of processing and firing indicate that the procedures used in this work give no detectable contamination of the material. The microstructure of a CO 2 -laser ultra high-purity Al 2 O 3 is illustrated. Densification is incomplete for this material. Calcination and deagglomeration were not optimized. Procedures, such as these are required to control the trace impurity contents in a fired ceramic material
Ideas in the air: Speculations on small group learning, environmental and cultural influences on cognition, and epistemology

Abstract This paper examines the roles of small group interactions and cultural influences in shaping individuals' learning. It describes group dynamics in a research environment, illustrating the ways that individuals' ideas are shaped by the ideas of those with whom they interact. It then describes the role of similar interactions in a course on mathematical problem solving. In a concluding discussion, pedagogical and epistemological issues raised by these parallel examples are examined. A main thesis of this paper is that social interactions are a central component of individual learning. If this is indeed the case, then current pedagogical practice may be inimical to some fundamental learning goals, and current epistemological frameworks may be inadequate to deal meaningfully with both social interactions and individual learning.
From Democrazia Cristiana to Forza Italia and the Popolo della Libertà: Partisan change in Italy

The general question underlying this article is how much have parties changed in Italy in the transition from the First to the Second Republic? The disintegration of the Christian Democrats (DC) in the early 1990s created a large opening on the centre-right of the political spectrum, which was promptly occupied by Forza Italia (FI). A totally new party organisationally speaking, FI, with its centralisation, its personalisation and its charismatic leadership, marked a clear break with all that the DC had represented in terms of its unrestricted pluralism based on strong factions. However, the franchise model adopted by Berlusconi's party, characterised by the co-existence of unity of command at the top, and differentiated and quasi-autonomous bodies locally, may facilitate the convergence of the parties representing the various interests and outlooks on the centre-right in the new rassemblement party that is the PdL. Through the latter, and given the new systemic conditions, Italy may achieve a transformat...
Processing and Properties of Structural Silicon Carbide

Silicon carbide is one of the leading candidates as a structural ceramic in heat engines. The importance of powder characterization and processing in the fabrication of structural silicon carbide material is discussed. The properties of silicon carbide as a function of phases and microstructure are presented. 17 references.
Ultrafast measurements of the dynamics of solvation in polar and non-dipolar solvents

Abstract The dynamics of solvation of the probe solute coumarin 153 has been measured with ~100 fs time resolution using the fluorescence upconversion technique. A wide variety of solvents, including polar aprotic solvents, hydrogen bonding solvents, and non-dipolar solvents have been examined. For all solvents of even moderate polarity (49-01), the solvation dynamics observed follows the predictions simple models based on the solvent's bulk dielectric response. For a number of “non-dipolar” solvents such as dioxane and benzene, for which (49-02), we observe surprisingly large time-dependent shifts, which seem to reflect the solute interacting with the large quadrupole (and higher multipole) moments of the solvent molecules. These dynamics represent a solvation distinct from the dipolar solvation dynamics previously studied and they cannot be modeled in terms of any currently available theory.
Defining Administrative Tasks, Evaluating Performance, and Developing Skills.

The authors encourage using Critical Success Factors (CSFs) to develop job descriptions. They then link these CSFs to an evaluation system and a Personal Improvement Plan designed by the administrator and his or her supervisor as a way to improve administrative performance.