cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transventricular Aortic Valvotomy for Critical Aortic Stenosis in Neonates: Outcomes, Risk Factors, and Reoperation

c R a Background. Critical aortic stenosis (AS) in neonates ecessitates urgent intervention for patient survival. The ptimal treatment, however, continues to be controverial and still has high morbidity and mortality in many enters. This study examined our late outcome, risks, and eoperations after the treatment of critical AS in eonates. Methods. Sixty-six neonates (47 boys and 19 girls) nderwent closed transventricular aortic valvotomy for ritical AS between 1978 and 2000. The mean age at the rst intervention was 15.1 19.6 days (range, 1 to 78). heir weight ranged from 1.4 to 6.2 kg (mean, 3.5 0.9 g). Sixteen patients (23%) had isolated critical AS and ormal or dilated left ventricles, and 50 neonates (77%) ad associated cardiovascular anomalies (ie, aortic annuar hypoplasia, hypoplasia of the left ventricle, mitral alve abnormalities, and endocardial fibroelastosis, corctation, or interruption of aorta). Results. The hospital mortality was 29% (19 of 66). aplan-Meier 5and 15-year survival was 61% and 58%, espectively. The operative mortality rates were 6% in eonates with isolated AS and 36% in patients with omplex AS. The five risk factors significant for mortality
Template-guided self-assembly strategies for discrete and extended optoplasmonic materials

Optoplasmonic materials that contain both metallic (plasmonic) and dielectric building blocks can sustain synergistic electromagnetic interactions between photonic and plasmonic resonances and, thus, pave the way to overcoming the limitations of the respective building blocks. A significant challenge in realizing the full potential of these unique electromagnetic materials is the integration of building blocks with different chemical compositions and sizes into defined morphologies. We demonstrate in this paper that template guided self-assembly strategies show great promise in realizing intricate discrete and extended optoplasmonic materials. Selected examples of optoplasmonic materials and the underlying fabrication methods are discussed. The first example combines dielectric microspheres as whispering gallery mode resonators with plasmonic antennas. The latter are located at defined locations in close vicinity of (but not attached to) the dielectric microsphere. The interactions of WGMs with plasmonic resonators located in their evanescent field are analyzed. The second example describes two-dimensional interdigitated arrays of 250 nm diameter TiO2 NPs and clusters of electromagnetically strongly coupled 60 nm gold nanoparticles. It is demonstrated that delocalized photonic– plasmonic modes in the arrays achieve a cascaded E-field enhancement in the gap junctions of the gold NP clusters.
Hip flexion weakness is associated with impaired mobility in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: A retrospective study with implications for trial design

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare myopathy for which validated outcome measures are lacking, posing a barrier to clinical trials. Our goal was to identify factors associated with impaired mobility in OPMD in order to guide development of surrogate endpoints in future clinical trials. One hundred forty-four individuals with OPMD were included in this retrospective, single-center study. We made novel use of parametric time-to-event analysis to model age at initial use of assistive device for ambulation. We hypothesized that limb weakness and other markers of disease severity are associated with earlier use of assistive devices. 23.6% of individuals (34/144) progressed to use of assistive devices (mean age 66.0 ± 9.6 y). Earlier age at assistive device was associated with hip flexion Medical Research Council grade ≤3 (p <0.0001), earlier disease onset (p <0.0001), and lack of blepharoptosis surgery (p = 0.011). Markers of dysphagia severity were not associated with earlier progression to assistive devices. Our study is the first to show a statistical association between hip flexion weakness and impaired mobility in OPMD, indicating that hip flexion strength could be explored as a surrogate endpoint for use in clinical trials. Since severity of disease features may be discordant within individuals, composite outcome measures are warranted.
Allocation of carbon in mycorrhizal Pinus ponderosa seedlings exposed to ozone

summary The effect of ozone on tree growth and metabolism has been studied widely. Despite the research emphasis, relatively little is known about how the below-ground component responds when shoots are exposed to ozone, even though evidence suggests that ozone can affect roots more than shoots. Undemanding how ozone affects carbohydrate allocation throughout the plant is essential to understanding the mechanisms of response to ozone. The purpose of this study was to follow the allocation and metabolism of carbon in a Pinus Ponderosa Laws.-Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Bull.: St. Amans) Quel seedling system under ozone stress. The hypothesis that ozone affects carbon transport below ground and overall sink strength of roots. similarly in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal seedlings was tested. To test the hypothesis, a unique culturing system was used to quantify carbon movement to all components of the symbiosis and to construct an overall budget for carbon for both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal seedlings. Fluxes of CO2 and carbon allocation were followed by measuring instantaneous CO2 flux and by 14C labelling. Two experiments were conducted that differed in their total ozone exposure (39.3 ppm h in expt 1, and 58.1 ppm h in expt 2). Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased CO., assimilation rates (A) and A/R (R = shoot respiration) ratios in both experiments compared with non-mycorrhizal seedlings. Ozone exposure in expt 2 significantly decreased the A/R ratio (P < 0.003) in both mycorrhizal treatments. Below-ground respiration was significantly greater in mycorrhizal than in non-mycorrhizal seedlings in both experiments, and was not affected by ozone exposure, Intact, extramatrical hyphal respiration was lower by 33% in seedlings exposed to ozone, but differences were not statistically significant (P ≤ (0.167). Mycorrhizal seedling roots reached maximum respiratory 14CO2 release rates c. 5 h and < 20 h earlier than non-mycorrhizal seedlings in expts 1 and 2, respectively, suggesting accelerated transport of 14C below ground in mycorrhizal seedlings. Mycorrhizal seedlings also exhibited greater rates of 14C release below ground than non-mycorrhizal controls. The maximum rate of respiratory release of 14CO2 below ground was significantly reduced by exposure to ozone in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal treatments. Ozone significantly reduced 14C activity in the fungus of mycorrhizal plants. This constitutes the first report of an ozone-induced reduction in carbon allocation to the fungal symbiont in a mycorrhizal association. The results suggest a substantial impact of ozone on the carbon balance of the mycorrhiza: however, there was no evidence to suggest that mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal ponderosa pine seedlings responded differently to ozone stress.
Upper-Airway Collapsibility: Measurements and Sleep Effects

Study objectives Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)is characterized by repetitive pharyngeal collapse during sleep. Several techniques have been proposed to assess the collapsibility ofthe upper airway in awake humans, but sleep-wake comparisons haverarely been attempted and there are few studies comparing OSA patientsto control subjects. We sought to compare two collapsibilitymeasurement techniques between normal and apneic subjects, and betweenwakefulness and sleep. Design We conducted threestudies. First, we examined whether collapsibility assessed by negativepressure pulses (NPPs) during wakefulness reflected values during sleepin 21 normal subjects. Second, we determined in these normal subjectswhether collapsibility during sleep assessed by NPPs was predictive ofcollapsibility measured by inspiratory resistive loading (IRL). Finally, we compared upper-airway collapsibility between apnea patients(n = 22) and normal volunteers (n = 38) during wakefulness by NPPs. Setting Clinical and research laboratories atthe Brigham and Women's Hospital. Participants Twopopulations of normal subjects (n = 21 and n = 38) and OSA patients(n = 22). Measurements and results Collapsibilityduring wakefulness, as measured by NPPs, correlated significantly withcollapsibility during sleep ( r = 0.62; p = 0.003). There was also a significant correlation between the two measures ofcollapsibility (IRL and NPP) during sleep ( r = 0.53;p = 0.04). Both measures revealed a significant increase inpharyngeal collapsibility during sleep as compared to wakefulness. Finally, apnea patients had significantly greater pharyngealcollapsibility than control subjects during wakefulness(p = 0.017). Conclusions These data suggest thatupper-airway collapsibility measured during wakefulness does provideuseful physiologic information about pharyngeal mechanics during sleepand demonstrates clear differences between individuals with and withoutsleep apnea.
Demographic factor affecting the fitness of polyandry for human males: A mathematical model and computer simulation

Abstract Polyandry has occurred rarely among humans; and has almost always consisted of brothers sharing a wife. The reduced opportunity for fertilization of females that occurs in polyandry would appear to make it a maladaptive mating system for human males. Previous evolutionary studies of human polyandry have suggested that kin selection may play a role in maintaining polyandry in some populations. A mathematical model for determining the fitness of polyandry for males is presented, and a simple deterministic analytic solution is derived. The model indicates that for polyandry to be an adaptive alternative to monogamy, the number of surviving offspring must be greater than the number of surviving offspring under monogamy times the number of males sharing a wife. This model exists in the literature. The unrealistic assumptions made in deriving this simple equation are revealed. An alternative stochastic computer simulation model is presented. The reproductive life history of a set of brothers is simulated under different demographic conditions, using data from polyandrous societies to estimate probabilities of fitness-related events. Under the assumption of equality of values of demographic variables for polyandry and monogamy, polyandry achieved or exceeded fitness parity with monogamy one third of the time. This contrasts with the prediction of the deterministic model stating that polyandry will never be an adaptive alternative to monogamy when fitness-related parameters are equal. The conditions improving fitness expectations for polyandry are conditions where genetic replication is decreased, i.e., with fewer brothers, high female sterility, decreased offspring survival, and decreased female fertility. Also, increased age difference between brothers enhances the fitness of polyandry. Genetic relatedness between brothers did not significantly affect the fitness of polyandry; therefore the kin selection hypothesis does not receive support. To a certain degree, these conditions exist for polyandrous populations in the Himalayas. Multivariate statistical analyses of simulation results revealed that most of the effects of these demographic factors could be accounted for by their association with increased probability of household extinction under monogamy and increased number of years of reproductive monogamy within polyandry. Although conditions favoring polyandry could be specified, analysis of the correlation between adaptiveness of polyandry and amount of genetic replication revealed that the demographic conditions favoring polyandry also lead to family extinction. Deficiencies in the model are discussed. It is suggested that future studies identify the advantages polyandry may have over monogamy in the values of demographic variables (e.g., increased offspring survival, increased extramarital reproduction), and take a multigenerational approach.
The Cognitive neuropsychological approach to treatment of language disorders

(1995). The Cognitive neuropsychological approach to treatment of language disorders. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: Vol. 5, No. 1-2, pp. 1-16.
Data integration in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail: A systems engineering approach to support Evidence-based decision making

The criminal justice system in the greater Albemarle-Charlottesville area faces a number of challenges common to many communities, including frequent overcrowding at the regional jail and data systems that obstruct analysis needed to identify causes of and remedies for overcrowding. The Community Criminal Justice Board (CCJB) would like to make evidence-based decisions, but doing so requires analysis that existing data systems do not support. Evidence-based decision making, enabled through the data integration effort described in this paper, can lead to a safer and more cost-effective criminal justice system in the Charlottesville community. This paper discusses several implementation issues within the Charlottesville justice system and the integration of extracts from existing databases into a single database that can support evidence-based decision making. The two major challenges in designing and implementing a functional analysis database are 1) lack of a universal identifier to track offenders throughout the criminal justice system and 2) absence of essential data fields necessary to answer important program related questions. The paper includes discussion of a detailed architecture of a proposed system through which data can be extracted from various databases associated with the Albemarle-Charlottesville criminal justice system. This will demonstrate how, with the use of a universal identifier, these data can be aggregated from the various databases and used for evidence-based decision making in the criminal justice system.
A cholinergic projection to the rat superior colliculus demonstrated by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase and choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been localized by histochemistry in the superior colliculus and in the tegmentum of the caudal midbrain and rostral pons of the rat. The pattern of AChE localization in the superior colliculus was characterized by homogeneous staining in the superficial layers and patchlike staining in the intermediate gray layer. In the tegmentum, AChE was localized in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), beginning rostrally at the caudal pole of the substantia nigra and extending caudally to the level of the parabrachial nuclei, and in the lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTN) of the central gray. The localization of AChE in these nuclei overlapped the distribution of neurons stained by immunohistochemistry using an antibody to choline acetyltransferase (CHAT), the synthesizing enzyme of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Other neighboring areas that were stained with AChE, but that did not contain ChAT-immunoreactive neurons, included the microcellular tegmental nucleus and the ventral tegmental nucleus. Neurons in the PPN and LDTN were determined to be potential sources of the cholinergic projection to the intermediate gray layer of the rat superior colliculus by double labelling with retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) combined with the immunohistochemical localization of ChAT. Three populations of neurons were identified. A predominantly ipsilateral ChAT-immunoreactive population was located in the pars compacta subdivision of PPN (PPNpc). Retrograde HRP-labelled neurons in the pars dissipata subdivison of the PPN (PPNpd), located ventral to the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) at the level of the inferior colliculus, composed a second population that was predominantly contralateral but was not ChAT immunoreactive. A third population of retrogradely labelled neurons was predominantly ipsilateral and ChAT immunoreactive and was located in the LDTN. These findings compared favorably with the full extent of the projection from this tegmental region revealed by retrograde transport of HRP from the superior colliculus when more compatible fixation and chromogen procedures were used. The results suggest that the PPN and the LDTN are two sources of the cholinergic input to the superior colliculus. Since the PPN also has extensive efferent, and afferent, connections with basal-ganglia-related structures, this cholinergic excitatory input to the superior colliculus, like the GABAergic inhibitory input from the substantia nigra pars reticulata, may provide the basis for an additional influence of the basal ganglia on visuomotor behavior.
Eutectic colony formation: a stability analysis.

Experiments have widely shown that a steady-state lamellar eutectic solidification front is destabilized on a scale much larger than the lamellar spacing by the rejection of a dilute ternary impurity and forms two-phase cells commonly referred to as ''eutectic colonies.'' We extend the stability analysis of Datye and Langer [V. Datye and J. S. Langer, Phys. Rev. B 24, 4155 (1981)] for a binary eutectic to include the effect of a ternary impurity. We find that the expressions for the critical onset velocity and morphological instability wavelength are analogous to those for the classic Mullins-Sekerka instability of a monophase planar interface, albeit with an effective surface tension that depends on the geometry of the lamellar interface and, nontrivially, on interlamellar diffusion. A qualitatively new aspect of this instability is the occurrence of oscillatory modes due to the interplay between the destabilizing effect of the ternary impurity and the dynamical feedback of the local change in lamellar spacing on the front motion. In a transient regime, these modes lead to the formation of large scale oscillatory microstructures for which there is recent experimental evidence in a transparent organic system. Moreover, it is shown that the eutectic front dynamics on a scalemore » larger than the lamellar spacing can be formulated as an effective monophase interface free boundary problem with a modified Gibbs-Thomson condition that is coupled to a slow evolution equation for the lamellar spacing. This formulation provides additional physical insights into the nature of the instability and a simple means to calculate an approximate stability spectrum. Finally, we investigate the influence of the ternary impurity on a short wavelength oscillatory instability that is already present at off-eutectic compositions in binary eutectics. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society.« less
Management of the environment for the control of pathogens

Pathogens can be controlled by management of the environment of (1) the host plant, to maximize resistance, (2) nonpathogens associated with the pathogen, to enhance antagonisms, and (3) the pathogen itself, to limit its activity or longevity directly. Each can be illustrated with controls developed for root diseases of Pacific Northwest wheat. For example: management of plant water potentials to minimize water stress in the host controls Fusarium foot rot; root-colonizing fluorescent pseudomonads, with ability to inhibit Gaeumannomyces graminis by antibiosis, achieve highest populations on roots and provide best control of take-all at rhizosphere matric water potentials of -0.3 to -0.7 bar (1 bar = 10 $^5$ Pa) and rhizosphere pH values below 7.0; and infection of wheat seedlings by Pythium spp., being directly limited by soil matric water potentials drier than -0.4 to -0.5 bar, is controlled by sowing in early autumn while the seed zone is still well-drained or by burning surface residues to expose the soil to drying, and possibly also killing propagules by heat-treatment of the soil. Depending on the host-pathogen-nonpathogen interaction, tillage can maximize host plant resistance, intensify antagonism of pathogens by nonpathogens, and directly limit inoculum potential of the pathogen in soil.
Generalized norms of reaction for ecological developmental biology.

A standard norm of reaction (NoR) is a graphical depiction of the phenotypic value of some trait of an individual genotype in a population as a function of an environmental parameter. NoRs thus depict the phenotypic plasticity of a trait. The topological properties of NoRs for sets of different genotypes can be used to infer the presence of (non-linear) genotype-environment interactions. While it is clear that many NoRs are adaptive, it is not yet settled whether their evolutionary etiology should be explained by selection on the mean phenotypic trait values in different environments or whether there are specific genes conferring plasticity. If the second alternative is true the NoR is itself an object of selection. Generalized NoRs depict plasticity at the level of populations or subspecies within a species, species within a genus, or taxa at higher levels. Historically, generalized NoRs have routinely been drawn though rarely explicitly recognized as such. Such generalized NoRs can be used to make evolutionary inferences at higher taxonomic levels in a way analagous to how standard NoRs are used for microevolutionary inferences.
Depth-segmented detector for x-ray absorptiometry.

A new energy-dependent multi-cell detector, which is a generalization of the conventional front–back detector, was studied using computer simulations. The noise performance of the detector for bone quantitation was examined in comparison to an ideal energy discriminating detector, and front–back detectors with and without inter-detector filters. The front–back detectors were optimized for a reference object composed of water and bone, and then compared to the new detector over a range of object compositions. In this paper, precision in calculated bone thickness is used as the criterion for evaluating detector performance. Simulations show that the segmented detector always performs better than the front–back detector without an inter-detector filter. It outperforms the detector incorporating a filter by an amount that depends on the heterogeneity of the x-rayspectrum. In addition, for single component radiographicimages, this multi-cell detector retains information which is lost in the front–back detector with a filter layer.
Photoinduced electron transfer for complexes of methyl viologen: Wavelength effects on the yield of charge carriers

Abstract Laser flash photolysis of charge-transfer (CT) complexes of methyl viologen (MV 2+ ) and electron donors which include aniline, aniline derivatives, and naphthalene results in net viologen reduction. Yields of electron transfer are sharply dependent on the excitation wavelength with enhanced quantum efficiences for irradiation at 355 versus 532 nm. This wavelength dependence is proposed to be a general phenomenon for ground-state CT systems in fluid solution, potentially involving preferential excitation of interchromophore vibrations or solvent phonons.
Fluconazole Prophylaxis in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes and Quality of Life at 8 to 10 Years of Age

Objective To examine the long-term effects of fluconazole prophylaxis in extremely low birth weight infants. Study design Neurodevelopmental status and quality of life of survivors from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of fluconazole prophylaxis were evaluated at 8 to 10 years of life using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS-II) and the Child Health Questionnaire Parent-Completed Form 28 (CHQ-PF28), respectively. Results VABS-II Domain Scores for the fluconazole-treated (n = 21; 9.1 ± 0.7 years) compared with the placebo group (n = 17; 9.3 ± 0.8 years) were similar for communication [94.6 (±14.8) versus 92.6 (±12.6), P = .65], daily living skills [87.9 (±10.6) versus 87.4 (±9.3), P = .89], socialization [97.2 (±9.2) versus 94.4 (±7.9), P = .31], and motor skills [92.1 (±17.8) versus 95.1 (±14.6), P = .57]. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors and maladaptive behavior index were also similar. The CHQ-PF28 revealed no differences between the two groups regarding quality of life. Survivors were also happy or satisfied with school (90% versus 100%, P = .49), friendships (90% versus 88%, P = 1.00), and life (95% versus 100%, P = 1.00). Self esteem scores were 87.3 ± 15.7 versus 89.7 ± 10.4 (P = .59). There were also no differences between groups regarding emotional difficulties or behavior problems. Conclusions Fluconazole prophylaxis for the prevention of invasive Candida infections is safe in extremely low birth weight infants and does not appear to be associated with any long-term adverse effects on neurodevelopment and quality of life at 8 to 10 years of life.
N'Dodecanoylsulfanilamide, and Sulfapyridine Plus Vitamin G, in Experimental Tuberculosis in Guinea Pigs.

Conclusions(1) Under the conditions of our experiments treatment with N'dodecanoylsulfanilamide shows no inhibitory effect on the course of experimental tuberculosis in guinea pigs infected with the human tubercle bacillus. (2) The administration of sulfapyridine, alone or in conjunction with vitamin C, is ineffective in the treatment of guinea pigs infected with the human tubercle bacillus.
Effects of non-equilibrium segregation on near-surface diffusion

Abstract A non-equilibrium segregation process is presented which involves the coupled flow of vacancies and solute atoms in solids. This process can give rise to either enrichment or depletion adjacent to a free surface or other primary defect sinks depending upon the solute-solvent diffusivity ratio, D B / D A , and upon the size of the solute-vacancy binding energy. This phenomenon can give rise to near-surface diffusion anomalies reported in recent years and to other important near surface effects. A new explanation of quench-induced near-interfacial hardening is proposed based upon the effects of changes of solute concentration on the structure and density of secondary nucleated defects. A remarkable correlation between the D B / D A ratio and the solute distribution coefficient in noble metal solvents is shown and discussed.
Dexamethasone decreases serum and liver IGF-I and maintains liver IGF-I mRNA in parenterally fed rats

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) gene expression is regulated by nutritional and hormonal factors. High-dose glucocorticoids decrease food intake, and this confounds studies addressing glucocor...
Retrospective comparison of caffeine and doxapram for the treatment of hypercapnia in foals with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background: Despite a lack of data regarding their efficacy, both caffeine and doxapram have been recommended for treatment of hypercapnia in equine neonates with central nervous system damage. Hypothesis: Caffeine and doxapram alleviate hypercapnia in foals with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Animals: Sixteen foals treated with either caffeine (n = 8) or doxapram (n = 8). Methods: Information on age, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood gas parameters, duration of therapy, and outcome was abstracted from each medical record. Results: Therapy with doxapram resulted in a significant decrease in partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 [P= .004]), bicarbonate concentration (P= .002), and base excess (P= .005) compared with baseline values but failed to correct acidemia. In contrast, administration of caffeine did not result in significant changes from baseline values. The percentage decrease in PaCO2 and bicarbonate concentration was significantly greater in foals treated with doxapram than in foals treated with caffeine (P= .004). The proportions of foals that achieved the targeted PaCO2 (≤ 50 mmHg) were significantly higher in foals treated with doxapram than in foals treated with caffeine (P= .029). The proportion of survivors in the 2 treatment groups was not significantly different. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Doxapram is more effective than caffeine for rapid correction of hypercapnia in foals with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
The influence of environmental uncertainty on the strategic use of information systems

How market hostility affects managerial competencies is an important human resources issue. The role of the CEO in strategic information systems planning and the CIO business planning may become more important under environmental uncertainty, especially for firms highly dependent upon information technology. In this study, CIOs were surveyed determine how environmental uncertainty information intensity impacted the role strategic IS planning practices. Both environmental uncertainty and information intensity were more strongly related to SISP practices in the electric utility industry when compared to other industries surveyed. Undergoing deregulation, electric utility companies are now being exposed to a level of environmental hostility not experienced in the past. Results indicate that a sudden change in environmental uncertainty may be a more important motivation to the use of SISP practices than the level of uncertainty itself. Data also suggest that information intensity may moderate the relationship between environmental uncertainty and SISP practices.
Enhanced Phenomena in Metals with Electric and Magnetic Fields: I Electric Fields

The effects of an externally-applied electric field on the equilibria and kinetics of solid state transformations in metals and alloys are reviewed. Regarding equilibria, electric fields have been found to affect the solubility of solutes and the composition as well as volume fraction of phases present. Regarding kinetics, electric fields have been shown to affect recovery and recrystallization, precipitation, phase coarsening, hardenability and sintering. Electric fields thus offer an additional means of controlling microstructure and in turn properties. Our understanding of the effects of an electric field on solid state transformations in metals and alloys is very meager. It appears that most of the observed effects on kinetics are through its influence on vacancies.
New Murine Model for the Study of Chlamydia trachomatis Genitourinary Tract Infections in Males

It is estimated that, annually, two million cases of symptomatic acute urethritis occur in males in the United States and, recently, an increase in the incidence of male urethritis in several countries has been noted (1, 9, 19, 20, 36, 37, 39). Of these cases, approximately 50% are due to Chlamydia trachomatis. In addition, 50 to 70% of the infections due to C. trachomatis in males do not produce symptoms (18, 36, 39). In certain individuals, following an episode of urethritis other complications may develop. For example, it is estimated that approximately 50,000 cases of epididymitis occur yearly in the United States due to C. trachomatis (3, 4, 41). Although very rare, abscess formation and infarction of the testicle may occur (3, 4). The role that C. trachomatis may play in male infertility is not well understood. Acute inflammation of the epididymides could lead to decreased fertility even in the absence of occlusion (6, 11, 13, 31). Furthermore, the role that C. trachomatis may have in Reiter's syndrome, sexually acquired reactive arthritis, proctitis, prostatitis, and granulomatous bowel disease requires further investigation (6, 24, 33, 36, 39). Data on the immunopathogenesis of genitourinary tract infections in males, and in particular those with C. trachomatis, are limited. For example, Pudney and Anderson (32) characterized the immunobiology of the human penile urethra and concluded that it contains all the necessary components for antigen presentation and humoral and cellular immune responses. In contrast, Pate et al. (29) collected penile urethral swabs from males with PCR-confirmed C. trachomatis infection and looked for the presence of cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-18. In addition, they measured transforming growth factor β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and antibodies to Chlamydia. In comparison with the control group, they only detected increased levels of IL-8 and immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG Chlamydia-specific antibodies. Based on these results, the authors concluded that the male genitourinary tract should be considered a weak inductive site. The characterization of chlamydial infections in males has been limited in great part due to the lack of an experimental model that mimics the natural infection. Up to now, the mouse pneumonitis biovar (MoPn) has been used in a female model for the characterization of the immunopathogenesis of C. trachomatis infections (22, 35). However, there is no parallel model to study infections in males. To implement a new model of chlamydial infection of the male genitourinary tract, we chose to work with C3H/HeN (H-2k) mice. The female animals of this strain have been found to be highly susceptible to infection with C. trachomatis MoPn (7). Here, we report that inoculation of male C3H/HeN mice, in the meatus urethra with C. trachomatis MoPn, produces an infection that closely parallels that described in humans.
Traditional Healers in Southern Africa

One task of medical anthropologists is to search for similarities and differences among cultural conceptions of illness and healing. This search may identify common, if not universal, characteristics of healing and effective patient care. This paper describes traditional healing practices in southern Africa as related by six traditional healers. Despite the seemingly exotic nature of their practice, the traditional healers' underlying strategies (probing deeply into the psychological, spiritual, and social contexts of illness and using healing ceremonies and natural medicinal preparations) seem to be effective in certain circumstances. Perhaps more important, these strategies can leave both patient and practitioner with a sense of connection and satisfaction. A study of these strategies reveals some general qualities of the healing process that are more apparent in the absence of sophisticated technology.
Quantifying the non-RRKM effect in the H + O2 ⇄ OH + O reaction

In the present investigation the non-RRKM behavior in the title reaction is quantified in two different ways: (1) Quasiclassical trajectory calculations of the thermal rate coefficient are compared with results from a microcanonical variational transition-state theory/RRKM model. Results on both the Varandas DMBE IV and Melius-Blint potentials indicate that the non-RRKM behavior acts to reduce the thermal rate coefficient by about a factor of two, independent of temperature from 250 K to 5500 K. The QCT thermal rate coefficients on the two potentials are in remarkably good agreement with experiment and with each other over the entire temperature range. (2) The non-RRKM behavior as a classical phenomenon is demonstrated and quantified on both potentials by a direct test of the fundamental assumption. Complex-forming classical trajectories, started as either O + OH or H + O2, are shown preferentially to return to the region of configuration space from which they were started. This test is discussed in detail in the text. The transition of the non-RRKM behavior from classical to quantum mechanics is also discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 275–287, 1997.
Wide Bandgap Semiconductor-Based Surface-Emitting Lasers: Recent Progress in GaN-Based Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers and GaN-/ZnO-Based Polariton Lasers

With edge-emitting GaN-based lasers in commercial systems, attention is shifting to more demanding and rewarding emitters. These encompass microcavity (MC)-based vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and polariton lasers. The impetus centers on applications such as high-speed/high-resolution laser printing/scanning technology, lighting, and new types of coherent but nearly thresholdless optical sources. Room-temperature operations of GaN-based VCSELs by electrical injection have been recently reported, and the research on GaN-based VCSELs is segueing into new opportunities such as polariton-based lasers. While still in its infancy, polariton lasing in GaN-based MCs at room temperature has been observed. Observation of spontaneous emission buildup in polariton lasing emission is attributed to a Bose-Einstein condensate of cavity polaritons. However, the realization of a polariton laser by electrical injection is still being pursued. In this paper, we discuss the recent progress in wide-bandgap semiconductor-based VCSELs and GaN-/ZnO-based polariton lasers.
Effects of developmental temperature on the adult life span of Mormoniella vitripennis females

Abstract Mormoniella were reared during the pre-adult stages at temperatures of 18, 25 and 30°C and subsequent adults were maintained at each of these temperatures to determine adult life span. The rearing temperature used during development was found to affect subsequent adult life span at all temperatures. Higher temperature during development was correlated with longer adult life span. Within physiological limits, adult temperature is not the sole determinant of the duration of adult life span. Organisms that become conditioned to a particular temperature at one stage of development, perceive subsequent adult maintenance temperatures within the frame of reference of the earlier temperature.
Ion dynamics in an E × B Hall plasma accelerator

We show the time evolution of the ion velocity distribution function in a Hall plasma accelerator during a 20 kHz natural, quasi-periodic plasma oscillation. We apply a time-synchronized laser induced fluorescence technique at different locations along the channel midline, obtaining time- and spatially resolved ion velocity measurements. Strong velocity and density fluctuations and multiple ion populations are observed throughout the so-called “breathing mode” ionization instability, opening an experimental window into the detailed ion dynamics and physical processes at the heart of such devices.
Mental toughness, reinforcement sensitivity theory, and the five-factor model: Personality and directed forgetting

A recent study (Dewhurst, Anderson, Cotter, Crust, & Clough, 2012) proposed that mental toughness – a personality construct from sports psychology that predicts many outcomes in sports and elsewhere – reflected ability at inhibitory control. Specifically, they found that mental toughness predicted directed forgetting, which measures peoples’ ability to forget things on purpose. We explored the relationships between the short form of the mental toughness scale (the MT-18), other personality traits (the Big Five and BIS/BAS), and directed forgetting. The correlation between mental toughness and directed forgetting replicated. Including a control group with no forget instruction ruled out sustained effort on memory tasks as an explanation; it was specific to directed forgetting. However, mental toughness was shown to correlate with many other personality characteristics, and its effects on directed forgetting were largely due to conscientiousness. We concluded that the basis of mental toughness was probably not inhibitory control as the original authors had proposed.
Inhibiting progesterone metabolism in the hippocampus of rats in behavioral estrus decreases anxiolytic behaviors and enhances exploratory and antinociceptive behaviors.

Blocking progesterone’s metabolism to 5α -pregnan-3α -ol-20-one (3α ,5α -THP) with finasteride, a 5α -reductase inhibitor, and effects on anxiolytic, exploratory, and antinociceptive behaviors of rats in behavioral estrus were examined. Rats in behavioral estrus received finasteride systemically (SC), to the hippocampus, or to control implant sites, the nucleus accumbens (NA) or ventral tegmental area (VTA), and were tested in horizontal crossing, open-field, elevated plus-maze, emergence, holeboard, social interaction, tailflick, pawlick, and defensive freezing tasks. Finasteride, SC or intrahippocampally, reduced 3α ,5α -THP in the hippocampus relative to vehicle implants or finasteride to the NA or VTA. Systemic or intrahippocampal finasteride decreased central entries in the open field and open-arm time on the elevated plus-maze and increased freezing in response to shock relative to vehicle. Finasteride to the hippocampus decreased emergence latencies and increased social interaction, pawlick, and tailflick latencies relative to all other groups. Finasteride to the hippocampus of rats in behavioral estrous decreased anxiolysis and enhanced exploration and analgesia. In summary, these data demonstrate that decreases in anxiolytic behavior of behavioral estrous rats can be produced by reductions in 3α ,5α -THP in the hippocampus, which suggest that elevations in 3α ,5α -THP in the hippocampus may give rise to anxiolysis seen during behavioral estrus.
Inexactness and a future of computing.

As pressures, notably from energy consumption, start impeding the growth and scale of computing systems, inevitably, designers and users are increasingly considering the prospect of trading accurac...
Suicide and suicidal ideation in classic exstrophy.

Purpose: Currently chronic illness is not a recognized risk factor for suicide in children. Therefore, we evaluated vulnerability for suicidal behavior (suicide attempt and suicidal ideation) in our population of young patients with classic bladder exstrophy.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the charts of 121 patients 5 to 24 years old with classic bladder exstrophy only from a combined, 2-center database of 935. These patients were psychologically evaluated from 1996 to 2005 for preoperative readiness for urological surgery or for coping with medicosurgical health requirements.Results: Of 121 patients 18 (14.9%) experienced suicidal ideation. Of 38 patients (31.4%) older than 14 years 11 experienced suicidal ideation, 2 experienced a serious suicidal attempt and 1 completed suicide. In 36 patients (30%) there were no recorded data on suicidal behavior. All patients with suicidal behavior were male.Conclusions: Data from this study of classic exstrophy imply that there are clinically significant vulnerab...
Antler orogeny: A Mediterranean-type orogeny

The late Cenozoic thrust belts of the Apennine, Carpathian, and Hellenic systems of the Mediterranean region provide modern analogues for the middle Paleozoic Antler orogeny. Each of these young or active mountain belts formed in convergent systems in which thrusting occurred behind a zone of trench retreat, while a region of extension developed contemporaneously within the hanging wall of the subduction systems. Dynamic models that have been recently developed for these tectonic systems provide a basis for interpretation for the Antler belt. Many, if not all, of the geologic relations observed in the Antler belt, including the lack of a collided arc and subsidence of a broad extensional region behind the thrust belt, are also present within these young Mediterranean thrust-belt systems. If this interpretation is correct, then the entire Antler belt may have been preserved, with no need for other tectonic elements to have been present west of the Antler thrust belt and the Havallah basin.
Treatment of food anaphylaxis with traditional Chinese herbal remedies: from mouse model to human clinical trials.

Purpose of review To describe the development of a novel treatment for food allergy, named the food allergy herbal formula-2 (FAHF-2), that is based on traditional Chinese medicine. Recent findings FAHF-2 has proven to be well tolerated and effective for the treatment of food allergies in murine models of peanut and multiple food allergies. These results are accompanied by evidence of favorable immune modulation, and the effects are persistent after the discontinuation of treatment. Early clinical trials demonstrate the safety and tolerability of this formula in individuals with food allergies. An ongoing Phase II clinical trial will evaluate the efficacy of FAHF-2 in protecting individuals from allergen-induced allergic reactions during oral food challenges. Summary FAHF-2 is an herbal formula that has a high safety profile and has shown to prevent anaphylaxis in murine models of food allergy. Similar findings in clinical trials could bring a novel treatment for food allergies.
Neuroaudiologic Correlates to Anatomical Changes of the Brain

1. There appears to be a relationship among the improved overall behavior of this patient, anatomical changes in the brain, and enhanced performance of both psychophysical and electrophysiological ...
Surgeon-Performed Ultrasound in Patients Referred for Thyroid Disease Improves Patient Care by Minimizing Performance of Unnecessary Procedures and Optimizing Surgical Treatment

Ultrasonography has become an indispensable tool in the evaluation of thyroid nodular disease, and most patients will have had a thyroid ultrasound prior to initial surgical evaluation. This study examines the added benefit of office-based, surgeon-performed ultrasonography in patients referred for thyroid disease. All patients referred to a single endocrine surgeon for evaluation of thyroid disease over a 2-year period were reviewed. Outside ultrasonographic findings were compared to the surgeon-performed ultrasound that was used to formulate treatment decisions. Of 286 consecutive patients referred for surgical evaluation of thyroid disease, 261 had an outside ultrasound available for comparison. There were 239 women and 47 men. Mean age was 54.7 ± 16.6. In 46 patients (17.6%), differences between the two ultrasounds were significant enough to alter treatment plans. For 18 patients no distinct nodule was identified and biopsy was avoided. Nine of these patients had ultrasound characteristics of Hashimoto’s disease. In five patients the nodule was significantly smaller than reported and biopsy was not warranted. Twelve patients had nonpalpable, enlarged lymph nodes not previously identified; these were biopsied. Three were positive for metastatic thyroid cancer, which prompted the addition of neck dissection to the operative procedure. In 8 of 132 patients undergoing thyroidectomy, the surgical procedure was significantly altered by the ultrasound findings. This study demonstrates a clear advantage for patients who undergo a surgeon-performed ultrasound. For many, unnecessary procedures were prevented. For others, substantial modifications to the extent of surgery were made when new ultrasonographic findings were identified during the preoperative investigation.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein Content in Uterine and Umbilical Vessels in the Early Gestation, Heat-Stress, Ovine Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein Content in Uterine and Umbilical Vessels in the Early Gestation, Heat-Stress, Ovine Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
A Littlewood–Richardson rule for two-step flag varieties

This paper studies the geometry of one-parameter specializations of subvarieties of Grassmannians and two-step flag varieties. As a consequence, we obtain a positive, geometric rule for expressing the structure constants of the cohomology of two-step flag varieties in terms of their Schubert basis. A corollary is a positive, geometric rule for computing the structure constants of the small quantum cohomology of Grassmannians. We also obtain a positive, geometric rule for computing the classes of subvarieties of Grassmannians that arise as the projection of the intersection of two Schubert varieties in a partial flag variety. These rules have numerous applications to geometry, representation theory and the theory of symmetric functions.
Dynamics of SO(A3Π) formation in an argon + SO2 afterglow

Abstract The SO(A → X) fluorescence resulting from the Ar(3P2,0)+SO2 reaction has been studied in a flowing afterglow system. Various reaction pathways for the formation of the SO(A) fragment have been considered. A linear surprisal analysis of the vibrational distributions indicates that the resonance excitation with subsequent predissociation of the intermediate bound state is responsible for the formation of SO(A). A significant fraction of the available energy has been found to be partitioned into translation. Because the predissociation of SO2 in the exit channel is dominating the reaction pathway in the Ar*+SO2 → Ar+O+SO(A) system, all the dynamical features can then be explained by the simple classical treatments on the dissociation of SO2.