cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying Imprisonment Patterns and Their Relation to Crime Among New York Counties 1990-2000

The current study is an exploratory application of a technique for modeling developmental trajectories as an illustration of how researchers might use trajectory analysis and county-level data to analyze the effects of imprisonment patterns on crime. Using data from 61 New York counties, the authors model the patterns of imprisonment, defined as the percentage of felons sentenced to state prison in a given year, displayed by the counties from 1990 to 1999, and then demonstrate how knowledge of these patterns can be used to estimate the relationship between imprisonment patterns during the 1990s and crime in 2000. Six distinct patterns of imprisonment are identified, and bivariate and multivariate analyses reveal that high or consistently increasing levels of imprisonment were not associated with lower property or violent crime rates in 2000. Even after controlling for crime in the 1990s and other relevant factors, counties with high or consistently increasing imprisonment had significantly higher violent ...
Leigh syndrome, cytochrome C oxidase deficiency and hypsarrhythmia with infantile spasms

A rare patient with infantile spasms, hypsarrhythmia, cytochrome c oxidase deficiency and Leigh syndrome is reported. Although rare, infantile spasms and Leigh syndrome may occur simultaneously. Leigh syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis of infantile spasms.
Strategic Ticket Splitting and the Personal Vote in Mixed‐Member Electoral Systems

This article examines ticket splitting in five different mixed-member electoral systems—Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Lithuania, and Russia—and indicates the shortcomings inherent in any analysis of such ticket splitting that does not take into account the presence of the personal vote. We find that the personal vote plays a central part in shaping ticket splitting in all of our cases except for Germany, a heavily party-oriented system in which we find evidence of only a weak personal vote but evidence of substantial strategic voting. Mixed-member electoral systems have gained substantial attention as growing numbers of states have adopted systems that provide voters with two ballots in elections for legislative office—one for a party list in a proportional representation (PR) tier and one for a candidate in a single-member district (SMD) tier (see, for example, Massicotte and Blais 1999; Moser 2001; and Shugart and Wattenberg 2001). Analysis of strategic voting in such systems is particularly well established in the literature. Scholars cite ticket splitting, in which voters cast a greater number of votes for large parties in the SMD tier than in the PR tier and, conversely, a smaller number of votes for minor parties in the SMD tier, as evidence that voters react strategically to electoral rules that tend to deny representation to minor parties. 1 Yet such analyses often do not account sufficiently for another factor that can drive ticket splitting: the personal vote, defined here as additional SMD votes cast for a candidate due to the candidate’s personal appeal to voters rather than his or her strategic behavior. In this article, we examine ticket splitting in five different mixedmember electoral systems—Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Lithuania,
Chrysosporium Anamorph Nannizziopsis vriesii: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen of Captive and Wild Reptiles

Chrysosporium anamorph Nannizziopsis vriesii is a recent pathogen associated with infections in lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. It seems to be an obligate pathogen. It has been isolated from wild reptiles in addition to captive animals. Affected animals often present with aggressive, pyogranulomatous lesions that can affect the integument and musculoskeletal systems. Diagnosis can be done using culture, histopathology, and polymerase chain reaction assay. Ancillary diagnostic tests can be useful in characterizing the health status of the affected reptile and aid in planning supportive care and therapy. Treatment using antifungals has shown mixed results.
Total arch replacement procedure in a child with Loeys–Dietz syndrome

I read with great interest this article describing a total aortic root and arch replacement in a patient with Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) [1]. There is no doubt that this case was a monumental effort and a tribute to their cardiac surgical programme. There is already a sufficient body of literature validating valvesparing root replacements in children with connective tissue disorders [2–4], so the value of the article lies in their description of the arch replacement. This raises two related questions regarding the arch repair: the indication for total arch repair and the technique of arch repair. The available literature reports very few cases of arch repair for patients with LDS [5, 6]. This implies that aneurysmal involvement of the arch is rare or is a later part of the nature history not yet described. The aortic arch in this case is minimally involved on the superior aspect, leaving the possibility that more conventional resection of the underneath side of the arch with the ascending aortic graft bevelled with a single anastomosis to the arch would have been sufficient. It remains unknown if this more straightforward approach would have been sufficient. The approach used by the authors has a clear advantage of complete resection of all aortic arch tissue at the expense of a more extensive procedure (270 min of cardiopulmonary bypass) and preventing any growth potential of the arch. Flow to the distal arch is limited by a 10 mm diameter section of Dacron graft. As our experience with LDS grows, the indications for complete resection of the aortic arch, as described in this case report, will hopefully be clarified.
THE EFFECT ON THE GROWTH RATE OF THYRO-PARATHY-ROIDECTOMY IN NEWBORN RATS AND OF THE SUBSEQUENT ADMINISTRATION OF THYROID, PARATHYROID AND ANTERIOR HYPOPHYSIS12

Athyroidism has long been known to result in severe retardation of growth, first seen clinically in cretins, later experimentally induced by thyroidectomy of immature animals. The work of von Eiselsberg (1) and Simpson (2, 3) on sheep and goats, and of Tatum (4) on rabbits indicated that, in younger animals the severity of the reaction to thyroidectomy is relatively greater than in older ones. Hammett (5, 6, 7), however, reported that in rats thyro-parathyroidectomized at ages between 23 and 100 days a more severe growth retardation occurred in the older than in the younger animals. Since age seems to be an important factor in the response to thyroid deficiency, newborn rats were subjected to thyro-parathyroidectomy (8). No previous reports have dealt with ablation in such young mammals. Rats are well adapted for these studies because they are very immature at birth, and the characteristic structure of the thyroid develops only during the last 3 days in utero (9).
10 k.y. depositional cyclicity in the early Eocene: Stratigraphic and 40Ar/39Ar evidence from the lacustrine Green River Formation

Ar/ 39 Ar dating of sanidine from two interbedded tuffs reveals that the maximum average duration of depositional cycles in the Wilkins Peak Member, Green River For- mation, was ;10 k.y., marking the first time that subprecessional cycles have been rec- ognized in lacustrine strata. The origin of these cycles is uncertain, but may relate to a nonlinear climatic response to orbital forcing of insolation. Alternatively, regional tectonic and geomorphic controls on drainage stability may have promoted autocyclic delivery of sediment to the lake. Owing to an interaction between basin-floor relief and varying am- plitudes of lake expansion, only one-third of the cycles identified near the basin center are present near the basin margin. This spatial variability in the temporal completeness of the stratigraphic record is not apparent from examination of individual localities, indi- cating that studies based on time-series analysis from other lacustrine systems may need reevaluation.
Dynamic tuning of plasmon-exciton coupling in arrays of nanodisk-J-aggregate complexes.

Y.B.Z and B.K.J contributed equally to this work. This research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-08-1-0349), the National Science Foundation (ECCS-0801922, ECCS-0609128, and ECCS-0609128), and the Penn State Center for Nanoscale Science (MRSEC). Components of this work were conducted at the Pennsylvania State University node of the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network. Y.B.Z. recognizes the support from KAUST Scholar Award and the Founder's Prize and Grant of the American Academy of Mechanics. The authors thank I-Kao Chiang, Aitan Lawit and Thomas R. Walker for helpful discussions.
$W$ -Band Amplifiers With 6-dB Noise Figure and Milliwatt-Level 170–200-GHz Doublers in 45-nm CMOS

This paper presents low-noise -band amplifiers and milliwatt-level 170-200-GHz output doublers in 45-nm semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. The transistors are modeled using R/C extraction and full electromagnetic modeling. The measured of a 30 1- transistor is 200-210 GHz at a bias current of 0.3-0.5 . A three-stage -band amplifier shows a record noise figure of 6.0 dB and a saturated output power of 7.5-8.0 dBm with a power-added efficiency of 9%, all at 95 GHz. The -band balanced doubler results in an output power of 1 mW at 180 GHz. A -band amplifier/ -band doubler chip is also demonstrated, with a peak output power of 0.5-1 mW at 170-195 GHz and a conversion gain from to . This paper shows that 45-nm SOI CMOS, built for digital and mixed-signal applications, results in state-of-the-art performance at - and -band.
Forecasting near-surface weather conditions and precipitation in Alaska's Prince William Sound with the PWS-WRF modeling system

Abstract In the summer of 2009, several scientific teams engaged in a field program in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska to test an end-to-end atmosphere/ocean prediction system specially designed for this region. The “Sound Predictions Field Experiment” (FE) was a test of the PWS-Observing System (PWS-OS) and the culmination of a five-year program to develop an observational and prediction system for the Sound. This manuscript reports on results of an 18-day high-resolution atmospheric forecasting field project using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Special attention was paid to surface meteorological properties and precipitation. Upon reviewing the results of the real-time forecasts, modifications were incorporated in the PWS-WRF modeling system in an effort to improve objective forecast skill. Changes were both geometric (model grid structure) and physical (different physics parameterizations). The weather during the summer-time FE was typical of the PWS in that it was characterized by a number of minor disturbances rotating around an anchored low, but with no major storms in the Gulf of Alaska. The basic PWS-WRF modeling system as implemented operationally for the FE performed well, especially considering the extremely complex terrain comprising the greater PWS region. Modifications to the initial PWS-WRF modeling system showed improvement in predicting surface variables, especially where the ambient flow interacted strongly with the terrain. Prediction of precipitation on an accumulated basis was more accurate than prediction on a day-to-day basis. The 18-day period was too short to provide reliable assessment and intercomparison of the quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF) skill of the PWS-WRF model variants.
Cancer Mortality Among New Mexico's Hispanics, American Indians, and Non-Hispanic Whites, 1958–1987

BACKGROUND Racial and ethnic differences in cancer incidence and mortality are well documented. New Mexico's ethnically and racially diverse population provides an opportunity to further examine ethnic and racial differences in cancer occurrence. PURPOSE To address differences in cancer mortality among the state's Hispanics, American Indians, and non-Hispanic Whites, we examined mortality data collected from 1958 through 1987. METHODS Sex and age-specific and age-adjusted cancer mortality rates were calculated for all sites and specific sites for American Indians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites. From 1958 through 1987, deaths due to malignant neoplasms were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases. The categories of malignant neoplasms investigated were chosen, in part, to minimize bias due to changes in disease classification. Ethnicity was assigned by the Bureau of Vital Statistics on the basis of information on death certificates. Denominators were derived from the censuses of 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated for 5-year periods (1958-1962, 1963-1967, 1968-1972, 1973-1977, 1978-1982, and 1983-1987), with the 1970 U.S. population as the standard. We also examined age-specific rates by time period. RESULTS Within each of New Mexico's ethnic groups, overall cancer mortality increased over the 30-year time span, and the cancer mortality rates were greater for males than for females. For most major cancer sites, mortality rates for New Mexico's non-Hispanic Whites were comparable with data for U.S. Whites. American Indians had the lowest rates for most sites, whereas cancer mortality rates for most sites among Hispanics were intermediate between the two other groups. However, Hispanics and American Indians had higher mortality rates for cancers of the gallbladder, cervix, and stomach compared with non-Hispanic Whites throughout most of the study period. Several other cancer sites showed major mortality rate differences among these racial and ethnic groups, including cancers of the colon, rectum, breast, bladder, lung, ovary, and uterus. We also observed strong temporal trends of increasing or decreasing mortality rates for several cancer sites. CONCLUSIONS Race and ethnicity have been strong determinants of cancer mortality in New Mexico. Within the span of one generation, cancer mortality has changed substantially for some cancer sites in each of the population groups studied. IMPLICATIONS These mortality data underscore the need for appropriately designed etiologic studies of cancer in diverse racial and ethnic groups. Such etiologic studies could provide new insights concerning risk factors for cancer and useful data for developing race- and ethnic-specific cancer control strategies.
International Bargaining with Two-Sided Domestic Constraints

Putnam revived interest in the “Schelling conjecture” that in international bargaining, a domestic ratification constraint provides a negotiator with a bargaining advantage. However, existing formal analyses of the Schelling conjecture generally allow only one side in the bargaining to be constrained. In this article, a model is analyzed in which both negotiators are constrained. A generalized version of the Schelling conjecture holds that if one negotiator's constraint is high and the other's is only low or medium, the former gets a better deal than if neither side were constrained, and the latter is worse off. With incomplete information, however, the complete opposite of what the Schelling conjecture predicts can occur, and there is an equilibrium in which delay in reaching an agreement results in both sides being worse off than if neither side were constrained. Incomplete information can but does not always completely eliminate the advantage of having a high constraint.
Comment: Evolutionary Criteria for Considering an Emotion "basic": Jealousy as an Illustration

Modern evolutionary psychology provides a cogent criterion for considering an emotion as “basic”: Whether the emotion evolved to solve an adaptive problem tributary to reproduction. Criteria such as distinctive universal signals, presence in other primates, or contribution to survival are not relevant, even though some basic emotions have these properties. Abundant evidence suggests that sexual jealousy is properly considered a basic emotion, even though it lacks a distinct expressive signature, contributes to adaptive problems of mating rather than survival, and may or may not be present in other primates.
gSpan: graph-based substructure pattern mining

We investigate new approaches for frequent graph-based pattern mining in graph datasets and propose a novel algorithm called gSpan (graph-based substructure pattern mining), which discovers frequent substructures without candidate generation. gSpan builds a new lexicographic order among graphs, and maps each graph to a unique minimum DFS code as its canonical label. Based on this lexicographic order gSpan adopts the depth-first search strategy to mine frequent connected subgraphs efficiently. Our performance study shows that gSpan substantially outperforms previous algorithms, sometimes by an order of magnitude.
Facultative Intraguild Predation by Larval Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) on Bark Beetle Larvae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Larvae of the Carolina sawyer Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier) (Cerambycidae) and bark beetle larvae (Scolytidae) often simultaneously feed in phloem of recently killed pine trees. Our investigations reveal that M. carolinensis larvae may act as facultative intraguild predators of bark beetle larvae. Phloem sandwiches were used in four experiments to examine inter- and intraspecific interactions. We discovered that all sizes of M. carolinensis larvae killed bark beetle larvae. Seventy-six percent of the killed bark beetle larvae were consumed by M. carolinensis, including 58% that were entirely ingested. Cannibalism in M. carolinensis occurred in every experimental trial. Based on this evidence, M. carolinensis, and possibly related cerambycid species associated with bark beetles, are facultative intraguild predators of larvae of other phloem inhabiting species. The consequences of this behavior may have important implications for bark beetle population dynamics.
Shroud Cooling with Blade Rotation Using Discrete Holes and an Upstream Slot

Shroud film cooling above the blade row in a low-speed rotating turbine facility is investigated with coolant injected through an upstream slot in combination with injection through angled discrete holes on the shroud. Measurements of the film-cooling effectiveness are performed with coolant injection from the slot alone, from discrete-shroud holes alone, and from combined slot and discrete-shroud holes. Blowing ratios for the discrete holes are in the range of 1.0 to 3.0, whereas those from the slot are in the range of 0.5 to 2.0. The tests are performed at a scaled-down design rotation speed of 550 rpm using liquid crystal thermography. The results for the slot-only cooling tests show increasing cooling effectiveness up to a blowing ratio of 1.25, followed by decreasing effectiveness due to jet liftoff at the higher blowing ratios. When compared on the basis of blowing ratios, slot cooling provides a higher area-averaged film-cooling effectiveness up to a blowing ratio of 2.4, after which the shroud hol...
Impact of affordability on accessibility of medical care post affordable care act in the USA

Objectives Many people in the USA could not access required health care in a timely manner because of the lack of affordability. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was implemented to increase access to medical care by improving affordability. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of affordability on accessibility of medical care after implementation of PPACA. Methods This cross-sectional study analysed data from the 2013 to 2014 National Health Interview Survey. The study included adults who experienced affordability problems. Logistic regression model, after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics was used to assess impact of affordability on accessibility. Key findings A total of 45 865 individuals were included in the analysis. Majority were White people, women, had some insurance, were married and attended some college. Almost 59.40% had problems paying or were unable to pay any medical care, 17.87% could not pay medical bills over time and 23.62% respondents experienced difficulties to access because of worry about cost. Odds of difficulty to access was significantly higher (OR = 3.39, 95% CI = 3.19 to 3.61) for those with affordability issues compared to those without any problem. Ability to pay off bill over time decreased the difficulty to access (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.85 to 0.96). Being uninsured, female, and unmarried, having poor health status, low income could significantly decrease the odds of access. Conclusions Lack of affordability adversely impacted accessibility of medical care even after implementation of PPACA. Increase in affordability through various policy measures is required to improve accessibility to medical care among vulnerable groups.
Good outcomes in a patient with a Duret hemorrhage from an acute subdural hematoma.

Background Secondary brain stem injury is associated with transtentorial herniation, and manifests as "Duret" hemorrhages. Such an injury has been considered a terminal brain stem event with a high morbidity and mortality, sometimes discouraging continuation of care. However, there have been rare instances where patients have had reasonable recovery. We report another case, emphasizing that such an injury by itself should not deter aggressive measures, as good outcomes remain a possibility. Case presentation A 37-year-old male sustained a right subdural hematoma after a mechanical fall while intoxicated. He presented initially with a Glasgow Coma Scale 15. Three days later, he exhibited acute neurological deterioration to Glasgow Coma Scale 4, requiring intubation and mannitol. Repeat scan demonstrated enlarging right subdural hematoma with worsening shift; brain stem hemorrhage was noted at pontomesencephalic junction. Patient was immediately taken for subdural hematoma evacuation. The following day, patient was able to sluggishly follow commands in all four extremities. He had a short stay for inpatient rehabilitation and underwent autologous cranioplasty at 3 months. On examination, he was awake, alert, and oriented to self, time, and location; he exhibited dysarthric speech, right ptosis, but followed commands in all four extremities with no focal motor weakness. Conclusion In contrast to the common belief, patients suffering from a "Duret" hemorrhage can still have a good outcome. "Duret" hemorrhages may not represent a fatal injury. The finding from this paper suggests the finding of "Duret" hemorrhages on imaging should not deter aggressive measures especially in patients with lesions causing significant mass effects. Overall clinical status should drive surgical options and clinical course.
A Five-Year Analysis of Airway Foreign Body Management: Toward a Better Understanding of Negative Bronchoscopies.

Objective:To identify characteristics in patients who undergo positive and negative bronchoscopy for a suspected airway foreign body (AFB).Methods:Review medical records between 2008 and 2012.Resul...
Sorted-Stripe Macrofabrics

Clast fabrics in the coarse borders of sorted patterned-ground features have been descriptively characterized in a variety of ways, but have rarely been measured or analyzed statistically. Three-di...
The First History of Latin American Art

Students of Latin American art of the colonial period will agree that this book, which deals with the development of architecture in Spanish America during the sixteenth century, is the most important analysis of the subject that has yet been made. Prepared with the assistance of the Spanish government and the cooperation of private investigators and government agencies in Latin America, this book is the first of a series of volumes which, it is to be hoped, will eventually present the whole history of Hispanic American art. It brings together for the first time a mass of factual information taken from source material of the period concerning the earliest monuments of Spanish building from Mexico to BoliVia and interprets it in the light of Spanish architecture of the time with a knowledge and an attention to detail never before applied on such a scale. Almost without exception every building mentioned is fully illustrated, plans of the more important are provided, together with diagrams of variant architectural details such as moldings, bases and arches, and whenever possible contemporary architect’s drawings from the Archivo de Indias in Seville are submitted as well. Although a good deal of this material had previously been published in one form or another, there is much that had not been, especially in the chapters devoted to South America. The work therefore goes beyond the mere compilation of facts already recorded and presents a whole series of new monuments on the basis of original investigation.
Amplitude or Higgs modes in d -wave superconductors

In Lorentz-invariant systems spontaneously broken gauge symmetry results in three types of fundamental excitations: density excitations, Higgs bosons (amplitude modes), and Goldstone bosons (phase modes). The density and phase modes are coupled by electromagnetic interactions while the amplitude modes are not. In $s$-wave superconductors, the Higgs mode, which can be observed only under special conditions, has been detected. We show that unconventional $d$-wave superconductors, such as the high-temperature cuprate superconductors, should have a rich assortment of Higgs bosons, each in a different irreducible representation of the point-group symmetry of the lattice. We also show that these modes have a characteristic singular spectral structure and discuss conditions for their observability.
An Elegant Operative Approach to Gastric Outlet Obstruction Following Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) was the most common bariatric surgery prior to the advent of laparoscopy, but fell out of favor due to poor weight loss and the emergence of less invasive procedures. As many as 54% of patients with VBG have sought revision surgery, either for complication or for weight regain/failure. Surgical revision in this population is often complicated by surgical history, medical comorbidity, and persistent or recurrent obesity. We present an innovative technique developed for a patient with gastric outlet obstruction in the setting of prior VBG.
Shallow water acoustic response and platform motion modeling via a hierarchical Gaussian mixture model

A hierarchical Gaussian mixture model is proposed to characterize shallow water acoustic response functions that are time-varying and sparse. The mixture model is based on the assumption that acoustic paths can be partitioned into two sets. The first is a relatively coherent set of arrivals that on average exhibit Doppler spreading about a mean Doppler and the remaining set is of multiple surface scattered paths that exhibit a spectrally flat Doppler. The hierarchy establishes constraints on the parameters of each of these Gaussian models such that coherent components of the response are both sparse and in the ensemble obey the Doppler spread profile. This is accomplished with a Bernoulli model that indicates the ensonification state of each element in the bi-frequency representation of the acoustic response function. Estimators of the time-varying acoustic response for the full duration of a broadband transmission are developed and employed to compensate for the shared time-varying dilation process among the coherent arrivals. The approach ameliorates response coherence degradation and can be employed to enhance coherent multi-path combining and is a useful alternative to time recursive estimation. The model is tested with acoustic communication recordings taken in shallow water at low signal-to-noise ratios.
Common Faults and Cause Analysis of XLPE Cables

The faults of 6 kV(and above) XLPE cables occurring in the State Grid during 2009-2011 is analyzed in terms of failure rate,failure location and failure causes and the typical failure types and characteristics are summarized.It can be concluded that,the failure rate of power cables has been decreasing year by year in recent years;the failure mainly occur in the cable itself;and in addition to construction,the main insulation aging,improper installation technology and overload are the main cable failure causes.Proposals are put forward to improve running reliability of power cables.
A Final Common Pathway for Tinnitus - The Medial Temporal Lobe System.

final common pathway for tinnitus is hypothesized to exist for all patients with tinnitus. Its function is the transition of the sensory to the affect component of the symptom of tinnitus. Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) with the radio isotope TC99-HMPAO has identified side to side perfusion asymmetries highlighted by that of the amygdala - hippocampal complex. Adjacent perfusion asymmetries involving the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes suggest a interneuronal network resulting in the transition of the sensory to the affect components of the symptom of tinnitus. It is hypothesized that a fundamental function of the amygdala - hippocampal structures is the establishment of a paradoxical auditory memory for tinnitus. It is a result of alteration in auditory masking found in all tinnitus patients. A paradoxical memory for an aberrant auditory signal i.e., tinnitus, is considered to be the initial process in the transition of the sensory to the affect component. Underlying mechanisms are hypothesized to exist and to be highlighted by a diminution of inhibition mediated by gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) due to disconnection from excitatory (glutamate) inputs. Blockage of GABA mediated inhibition results in Tinnitogenesis, a epileptiform auditory phenomena. The overall hypothesis of a final common pathway for tinnitus; the role of the MTLS; and clinical support for this hypothesis is presented.
Begriffe, Formen, Regulierungen

In den letzten Jahrzehnten haben wohl immer wieder bestimmte Begriffe, Entwicklungen und Moden eine uberragende Prominenz in der internationalen Wirtschaftswelt erlangt. Einer der schillerndsten Begriffe ist sicherlich der der Mergers & Acquisitions – oder eben kurz: M&A. Wie haufig bei solchen Phanomenen ist darin nicht etwa eine inhaltliche und konzeptionelle Innovation unserer Zeit zu vermuten, sondern – nicht zuletzt aufgrund der Wachstumsraten – eine Prominenzverleihung in den Medien zu suchen. Das folgende Kapitel dient der Einfuhrung in die Begriffe und Formen des Mergers & Acquisitions. Dabei wird neben den einzelnen Erscheinungsformen der Kooperation und Akquisition auf die Finanzierungsformen und ebenso auf zyklisch auftretenden feindlichen Ubernahmen sowie auf deren Abwehrmoglichkeiten eingegangen.
A comprehensive deposition velocity model for slurry transport in horizontal pipelines

Transportation of solids in form of slurries has become one of the most important unit operations in industries across several disciplines. In fact, the need is more pronounced in industries that are very important for human survival such as food processing, pharmaceuticals and energy (coal, oil and gas). A lot of work has been done in the past 30 years in understanding the factors affecting the deposition velocity of solids in slurries. Experimental observation and theoretical predictions pointed to mixture velocity and solid/fluid properties especially rheology of the resulting slurry to be the most important factors that dramatically affect particle motion and patterning. This paper presents a critical deposition velocity model and a “stability flow map” for complex rheology slurries. The critical deposition model utilizes a more robust generalized two-parameter rheology model to account for any given slurry rheology. The “stability flow map” demarcates the different flow patterns that may be observed at different mixture velocities and rheologies. On this map, the homogeneous slurries are predicted at low rheology and high mixture velocity, whereas heterogeneous slurries (with a concentration gradient) predicted at high rheology (yield stress effects). Sensitivity analysis was conducted on critical Reynolds number, particle density, carrier fluid density, generalized flow behavior index and pipe diameter. It was observed that increase in shear thinning behavior, particle density, pipe diameter and particle diameter led to a decrease in the laminar region and an increased unstable region. The model showed good performance when tested on glass and stainless steel beads test data available in open literature. Preliminary simulation with this map may help engineers select flowline size and carrier fluid rheology for a given type of solid particle.
Endocrinologic aspects of gestational trophoblastic diseases.

Until recent years, the prognosis in cases of hydatidiform mole, choriocarcinoma, and other gestational trophoblastic neoplasms was rather poor. Now, most patients are cured; and endocrinologic markers have played a most important role in the progress of treatment
The case of the elusive tm values in HPLC

Numerous ideas and procedures have been suggested in the literature for the determination of tm, the retention time of a non-retained species, in high-performance liquid chromatography. In some cases chromatograms have been obtained showing sample components eluting prior to the assumed non-retained species. This phenomenon results in apparent negative capacity factors for the species in question. We have proposed a method employing small inorganic anions which results in a limiting value for tm and eliminates apparent negative capacity factors.
Toward a Conclusion: Forum Theatre in Festival Venues

In late May 2012, Tânia Pires issued a startling press release: Brazil’s major Lusophone international theatre festival would be canceled that summer because of lack of funding. FESTLIP’s fifth season had been canceled, she explained, because the Brazilian Ministry of Culture and FUNARTE had stopped providing financial support to the festival in 2011, leaving Pires’s production company, TALU Producoes, with substantial debt. This was a vastly different situation from what had happened during FESTLIP’s first three years (2008–10), when the festival was a darling of the Ministry of Culture and a symbol of Brazil’s renewed commitment to Africa and to global Lusophone connections, both of which had become national goals during the Lula presidency. In 2011, Lula’s successor, Dilma Rousseff, came to power, along with a new minister of culture, well-known singer and songwriter Ana Buarque. Buarque’s ministry has already caused some controversy. This was evidenced in an open letter to Rousseff signed by Brazilian academics, artists, and other citizens that expressed their feelings of frustration because the new Ministry of Culture had not adhered to the cultural policies Lula had established and articulated in a National Plan for Culture. This document had been finalized after an extensive series of meetings and conferences to reach a consensus on its terms.1
A robust approach towards epileptic seizure detection

In this paper we present the application of ensemble learning to epileptic seizure detection problem. We propose a robust learning framework to mitigate class imbalance in large CHB-MIT (982 hrs) scalp EEG dataset. The algorithm being used is RUSBoost which is a hybrid data sampling and boosting technique designed especially for skewed classes. The data that is being used in this study has severe class imbalance, with average representation of 0.38% of seizure class to that of 99.62% of non-seizure class. The proposed approach shows the power of RUSBoost in terms of robustness and generalization. We compared our method with the most successful Support Vector Machine (SVM) based approach and report competitive results of 97% seizure detection accuracy, mean detection delay of 2.7s and false detection rate of 0.08 seizure/hr. We also report fast training times of just under three minutes on average for average training data of 21 hrs.
Effects of Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Nitrate and DL, Alpha-Tocopherol on Properties of Irradiated Frankfurters.

Frankfurters were manufactured to contain certain combinations of curing ingredients (sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate and DL alpha-tocopherol). Some frankfurters were made to contain in the finished product 0% added moisture, others were made to contain 10% added moisture, some frankfurters were not irradiated (0-megarad), others were irradiated with either 0.8 or 3.2 megarads (Cobalt-60 radiation source). Use of DL, alpha-tocopherol (at a level of 206 ppm) was associated with greater processing shrinkage, more off-flavor and less overall palatability (P<0.05). The most desirable external and internal cured color and firmest texture was in frankfurters made with 50 ppm of NO2 or with 100 ppm of NO2, irrespective of irradiation level. Use of irradiation (0.8 or 3.2 megarads) on frankfurters made without nitrite or nitrate did not improve visually determined cured color but did improve this color when determined spectrophotometrically; nevertheless, cured color of irradiated frankfurters made without use of nitrite or nitrate was not comparable to that of non-irradiated or irradiated frankfurters made with 100 ppm NO2. Irrespective of added moisture or curing ingredient combinations, significant differences (P<0.05) in palatability traits were associated with increasing irradiation levels (0, 0.8 or 3.2 megarads). Off-flavor increased, texture was less firm and overall palatability was less desirable as irradiation level increased. Low-dose irradiation (⩽1 megarad) may be feasible for enhancing the palatability traits of frankfurters containing lower levels of nitrite (lower than 156 ppm) but it appears that the correct irradiation level would be lower than the 0.8 megarad used in this study.
Bisphosphonate Therapy Associated with an Increased Incidence of Mandibular/Maxillary Osteomyelitis in Multiple Myeloma Patients.

Bisphosphonates provide a meaningful supportive skeletal benefit for patients with multiple myeloma by inhibiting the resorbtion of bone thereby effectively reducing the incidence of pathologic fractures and hypercalcemia. Recently, bisphosphonates have been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw in breast cancer and multiple myeloma patients. We report 14 cases of multiple myeloma patients being treated with bisphosphonates who developed periodontitis/osteomyelitis of the jaw. All 14 patients were being treated with bisphosphonates for an average of 5 months (range: 3–9 months) prior to the onset of jaw symptoms. Thirteen of the 14 patients are 51 years or older. None of the patients had been irradiated in the jaw nor had obvious osseous manifestation of multiple myeloma in the jaw. Six patients were receiving zoledronic acid and 8 pamidronate. Organisms were isolated in 6/14 patients with the most common organism being actinomycosis. All patients remain on suppressive antibiotic therapy in the form of clindamycin. The mandible and maxilla are bisphosphonate seeking bones as evidenced by scintigraphy. The local perpetuation of an infection in the mandibular/maxillary area in association with bisphosphonates is likely multi-factorial. This environment is continually exposed to stress trauma from repetitive motions. Bisphosphonates disrupt the normal bone homeostasis and this is complicated by the fact that the oral cavity is saturated with natural flora making this area vulnerable to infection. Additionally, in an acidic environment, such as one resulting from an infection, bisphosphonates are released locally from hydroxyapatite of bone into the surrounding environment and are cytotoxic to the local stromal cells. In the presence of inflammation and infection, there is evidence to suggest that bisphosphonates, especially the nitrogen-containing compounds, may actually up regulate the host inflammatory response with stimulation of IL-1 and IL-6. This generates a continuous cycle of inflammation and release of bisphosphonates from bone comprimising the healing process as has been previously reported. We recommend that patients have a full dental examination at the time of diagnosis of the plasma cell dyscrasia especially if bisphosphonates are to be considered as part of the therapy. In addition, we suggest to hold bisphosphonates for a period of 3 months prior to invasive dental procedures to allow for the osteoclastic activity to recover, allowing for debris removal and lessening the chance of creating a fertile bacterial medium. Patients with multiple myeloma on bisphosphonate therapy whom experience dental/jaw discomfort should have an aggressive evaluation to rule out an infectious etiology.
Correction of β Thalassemia by Homologous Recombination in Embryonic Stem Cells.

Abstract Genetic correction of patient-derived embryonic stem (ES) cells is a powerful strategy for the treatment of hemoglobinopathies such as β thalassemia and sickle cell disease. One genetic strategy for the correction of β thalassemia is to replace mutant or deleted β-globin alleles with a wild-type gene by homologous recombination in ES cells. Thalassemic mice that mimic the disorder have been generated by targeted gene deletion of the adult murine β-globin genes (PNAS 92: 9259–9263). We derived ES cells from our β-globin knockout mice and produced genetically identical mutant mice by injecting the ES cells into tetraploid embryos. These cloned β thalassemic mice have a severe microcytic anemia characterized by a marked reduction of the erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin level (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct), and a marked increase in reticulocytes and red cell distribution width (RDW) compared to cloned wild-type control animals. In contrast to the normochromic, normocytic erythrocytes of wild-type clones, erythrocytes in peripheral blood smears of β thalassemic mice were hypochromic and exhibit extreme anisopoikilocytosis. A targeting construct containing 8.7 kb of mouse homology flanking a human γ- and β-globin gene cassette and a hygromycin marker gene was electroporated into the β thalassemic ES cells. After selection, DNA from 48 ES cell colonies was analyzed by PCR to identify homologous recombinants. Nineteen colonies (40%) had correctly integrated the human globin genes into the deleted mouse β-globin locus. Correctly targeted cells were injected into tetraploid blastocysts to produce mice that are derived solely from the corrected ES cells. These cloned mice synthesize high levels of human β-globin polypeptide that corrects the α- to β-globin chain imbalance, thereby eliminating the thalassemic erythrocyte morphology. The MCV, Hb, Hct, RDW, and reticulocyte levels in the blood of these mice are normal. These results demonstrate that a severe hemoglobinopathy can be cured after targeted gene replacement of a mutant gene(s) with a wild-type allele by homologous recombination in ES cells.
Advancing the phenome alongside the genome in epilepsy studies.

The development of high-throughput sequencing technologies has led to remarkable progress in understanding the genetic basis of human epilepsies. Over the last 5 years, more than 20 genes have been identified through genome-first approaches, identifying novel genes first and then working backwards to understand the associated phenotypes. This approach has been useful in epileptic encephalopathies, where family-based exome studies have identified a growing list of genes with causative de novo mutations.1
Labor market effects of export processing zones in the presence of unemployment

Abstract When foreign firms motivated by higher profits engage in off-shore production activities of unemployment ridden host countries, concerns increase about the possibility of exploitation of local workers. However, using a two good two factor model this paper shows that foreign firms’ engagement under the scenario actually improves the host country's structure of wages, skill composition, employment level and wage inequality which cannot be achieved under full employment in the host countries. This paper thus presents a mechanism that explains the effects of export processing zones observed in most of the transitional economies of the world. Results have practical implications for traditional structural changes expected for these economies. Although foreign firms come to earn profits, it is possible for host country workers to take a part of the rent away from the foreign firms as they are doing currently in different parts of the world.
Immunological characterization of human hosts to Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infection in a population living in the rural municipality of Colomoncagua, Honduras (MPF6P.654)

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, specifically Ascaris, Trichuris, and Hookworm, compose three of the most prevalent Neglected Tropical Diseases, infecting over a billion people worldwide. Recurrent childhood STH infections have been shown to cause stunted physical growth, reduced physical fitness, and decreased school performance. Ascaris and Trichuris are of notable interest, given their abrupt decline from a peak prevalence and intensity in pre-adolescence to adulthood, with no known published works evaluating the possible underlying immunological mechanism. We used modern molecular techniques to (a) determine the burden of disease and (b) evaluate the immune profile of 30 adolescents and 51 adults between the ages 13-45, in rural Honduras, endemic for Ascaris and Trichuris. Using quantitative PCR of DNA extracted from stool we quantified the burden of disease of both Ascaris and Trichuris. Positive samples were stratified into groups based on the degree of infection, and controlled for with samples positive for 6 other common gastrointestinal parasites. Each group was immunologically characterized for serum Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines and associated antibodies. Results from this pilot study identify the basic serum immune profile associated with protection against Ascaris and Trichuris and serve as the foundation for a second, more comprehensive study that will guide vaccine antigen selection against each parasite by mimicking endemic host protective responses.
NFIB V. Sebelius -- Putting Enforceable Limits on Federal Leveraging: The Contract Paradigm, the Clear Notice Rule, and the Coercion Principle

One of the Supreme Court’s most anticipated and highly charged cases of the October 2011 Term and, indeed of any Term, NFIB v. Sebelius, involved the challenge by twenty-six states, led by Florida, to two core provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) – (a) the requirement that most individuals without medical insurance purchase federally qualifying medical insurance or pay a penalty and (b) the requirement that states mandatorily expand their pre-existing Medicaid programs to cover all persons with incomes under 133% of the federal poverty level or face the threat of loss of all pre-existing federal Medicaid support.
Environmental Externalities Measurement: Quantification, Valuation and Monetization

Energy Resources impose a variety of costs on society. Some of these costs, such as the direct costs of facility construction, operation and fuel consumption or the cost of end-use equipment, are borne directly by the producers and consumers of energy. Other costs, however, are borne by society and the environment at large, not just by the producers and consumers of energy. Most notable among these external costs are the damages to the environment and human health that result from the construction of energy facilities and from the extraction, processing, transport, combustion and disposal of waste and spent fuels. Some of these impacts can become reflected (or “internalized”) in direct costs, to the extent that regulations and engineering practice respond, however belatedly, to scientific research and public concern. Others, however, remain as the deleterious consequences of satisfying society’s identified energy needs. Taking account of these impacts in energy policy, planning and operation could alter the magnitude and mix of resources used to meet our energy demands, with salutary effects for the environment, public health and long-term economic and ecological sustainability.