cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two preoperative medical management strategies for laparoscopic resection of pheochromocytoma.

Objectives To compare the intraoperative and postoperative course of patients undergoing laparoscopic pheochromocytoma resection at 2 institutions (Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic) with differing approaches to preoperative preparation. Patients undergoing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma typically undergo a preoperative preparation to normalize their blood pressure and intravascular volume. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the best preoperative preparation regimen. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of 50 Mayo Clinic patients and 37 Cleveland Clinic patients who had undergone laparoscopic pheochromocytoma resection. Mayo Clinic predominantly used the long-lasting nonselective α1,2 antagonist phenoxybenzamine, and Cleveland Clinic predominately used selective α1 blockade. Data regarding the intraoperative hemodynamics and postoperative complications were collected. Results Almost all patients at Mayo Clinic received phenoxybenzamine (98%). At Cleveland Clinic, the predominant treatment (65%) was selective α1 blockade (doxazosin, terazosin, or prazosin). Intraoperatively, patients at Cleveland Clinic had a greater maximal systolic blood pressure (209 ± 44 mm Hg versus 187 ± 30 mm Hg, P = .011) and had received a greater amount of intravenous crystalloid (median 5000, interquartile range 3400-6400, versus median 2977, interquartile range 2000-3139; P Conclusions Differences in the preoperative preparation and intraoperative management were associated with differences in intraoperative hemodynamics but not with clinically significant outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma at 2 large tertiary care centers.
Perception of casinos as disruptive influences in USA communities.

Casino gambling has been adopted by many communities as a means of increasing tourism and tax revenue. Casinos, however, are a controversial tourism development strategy. The present paper uses social exchange theory to examine the effects of casinos in eight communities that have had casino gambling for at least 4 years. Residents were asked to comment on possible disruptive influences that could be tied to casino presence. These disruptive influences include not only serious crimes but also publicly visible nuisance crimes such as drinking in public, vandalism and prostitution. Also assessed are such factors as perceived increases or decreases in physical decay of the communities, presence of litter on streets and sidewalks, homelessness, traffic congestion, and prevalence of divorce, suicide and bankruptcy. The majority of respondents do not perceive significant changes in most disruptive influences. However, findings vary significantly by community, by type of disruptive influence, and by whether the respondent was a gambler or non-gambler. The results of this analysis should be of interest to communities considering casino gambling as a new tourist attraction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Helper-dependent Adenoviral Vectors are Superior In Vitro to First-generation Vectors for Endothelial Cell-targeted Gene Therapy

Arterial endothelial cells (EC) are attractive targets for gene therapy of atherosclerosis because they are accessible to hematogenous and catheter-based vector delivery and overlie atherosclerotic plaques. Vector-mediated expression'in EC'of proteins that mediate cholesterol transfer out of the artery wall and decrease inflammation could prevent and reverse atherosclerosis. However, clinical application of this strategy is limited by lack of a suitable gene-transfer vector. First-generation adenovirus (FGAd) is useful for EC gene transfer in proof-of-concept studies, but is unsuitable for atheroprotective human gene therapy because of limited duration of expression and proinflammatory effects. Moreover, others have reported detrimental effects of FGAd on critical aspects of EC physiology including proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Here, we investigated whether helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd) either alone or expressing an atheroprotective gene [apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I)] could circumvent these limitations. In contrast to control FGAd, HDAd did not alter any of several critical EC physiologic functions (including proliferation, migration, apoptosis, metabolic activity, and nitric oxide (NO) production) and did not stimulate proinflammatory pathways [including expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)]. Expression of apoA-I by HDAd reduced EC VCAM-1 expression. HDAd is a promising vector and apoA-I is a promising gene for atheroprotective human gene therapy delivered via EC.
Mechanisms of nonequilibrium electron-phonon coupling and thermal conductance at interfaces

We study the electron and phonon thermal coupling mechanisms at interfaces between gold films with and without Ti adhesion layers on various substrates via pump-probe time-domain thermoreflectance. The coupling between the electronic and the vibrational states is increased by more than a factor of five with the inclusion of an ∼3 nm Ti adhesion layer between the Au film and the non-metal substrate. Furthermore, we show an increase in the rate of relaxation of the electron system with increasing electron and lattice temperatures induced by the laser power and attribute this to enhanced electron-electron scattering, a transport channel that becomes more pronounced with increased electron temperatures. The inclusion of the Ti layer also results in a linear dependence of the electron-phonon relaxation rate with temperature, which we attribute to the coupling of electrons at and near the Ti/substrate interface. This enhanced electron-phonon coupling due to electron-interface scattering is shown to have negligi...
Note on bandwidth selection in testing for long range dependence

Abstract Many tests for I(0) versus I(d) processes are standardized by long-run variance estimators, which are estimated by nonparametric methods that entail a choice of bandwidth. Data-dependent bandwidth choices using plug-in methods have been suggested and used in many applications. In a recent paper, Teverovsky et al. [Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference 80 (1999) 211] conducted a Monte Carlo study on the modified rescaled range (R/S) test and found that the test “has a strong bias towards accepting the null hypothesis”. In this note, we show that the Monte Carlo finding of unusually low power and the empirical finding of short-memory in stock returns indexes are related to the data-dependent bandwidth choice. Simply using the data-dependent bandwidth choice is inappropriate.
Crystallographic Studies of Clathrate Hydrates. Part I

Abstract Low-temperature neutron and X-ray diffraction studies show the gas hydrates of oxygen and nitrogen to be structure II (Fd3m), as recently found also for the hydrates of the small argon and krypton molecules. New lattice parameters of three structure I and 14 structure II hydrates from powder X-ray diffraction at 170 K are reported. The thermal expansion coefficient of tetrahydrofuran hydrate was determined from X-ray diffraction at some 50 temperatures between 18 and 263 K and found to be three times as great as for ice near 100 K and 30% higher near 250 K. Lattice parameters qf 40 type II clathrate hydrates are compared at 0°C and found to lie within 0.10 A of 17.30 A.
Technical aspects of catheter-related interventions in the liver of the rabbit.

Purpose: on the basis of 89 different vascular interventions performed in the livers of 39 rabbits, we attempted to establish the feasibility and technical limitations of these proceduresMaterial and Methods: Forty-five selective hepatic artery catheterizations were carried out using 0.66-mm and 1.0-mm catheters, including superselective proper hepatic catheterizations (n=14) using a specially designed 0.66-mm introducer/catheter system. the portal system was investigated with both direct (n=5) and indirect (arterial) (n=4) portography. Hepatic vein catheterizations were performed in 22 casesResults: with the 0.66-mm system, spasm occurred in one of 11 cases in the proper hepatic artery, and no spasm was observed in the common hepatic and celiac arteries. Both arterial portography and hepatic venography were easily performed and were a precise and repeatable methodConclusion: the 0.66-mm system has proved to be advantageous over the 1.0-mm catheterization in avoiding arterial spasm. Direct portography as ...
Evaluation of beneficial use of wood-fired boiler ash on oat and bean growth

An evaluation on the effects of pulp and paper mill combined boiler ashes on growth and nutrient uptake by oat (Avena sativa L., var. 501) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., var. blue pole) was conducted in a greenhouse. Ash with a calcium carbonate equivalent of 29.1% and a pH of 12.1 was applied at the rates 30, 40, and 50 dry Mg ha -1 to Chehalis silty clay loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Cumulic Ultic Haploxerolls), with pH 5.4. An agricultural dolomitic lime treatment of 7.4 Mg ha -1 and a nonamended control were also included. Plants grown on ash-amended soil had higher biomass compared to plants grown on lime and control treatments. Ash treatments 30, 40, and 50 dry Mg ha -1 increased the bean (stems and leaves) dry matter (DM) yield over the control by 49, 57, and 64%, respectively. The lime treatment increased the bean DM yield by 31% compared with the control. The ash rate 30 dry Mg ha -1 , equivalent to the recommended agronomic lime rate 7.4 Mg ha -1 , increased oat (shoots) DM yields over the control by 45%, while the lime treatment increased biomass by 8% over control. The highest ash treatment, 50 Mg ha -1 , produced the lowest oat biomass. The ash was as effective as dolomitic lime in raising soil pH. Ash-amended soils contained higher concentrations of P, S, and B for plant growth compared to lime and nonamended soils. Soil Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu concentrations decreased as ash application rates increased. Oat and bean plants grown in the ash-amended soil had increased concentrations of K, S, and B and decreased concentrations of Mn and Cu compared with plants grown in the nonamended control soil. Overall, oat and bean benefited from the increased nutrient availability and soil pH caused by the application of boiler ash.
Extracellular low pH affects circadian rhythm expression in human primary fibroblasts

Circadian rhythm is a fundamental biological system involved in the regulation of various physiological functions. However, little is known about a nature or function of circadian clock in human primary cells. In the present study, we have applied in vitro real time circadian rhythm monitoring to study human clock properties using primary skin fibroblasts. Among factors that affect human physiology, slightly lower extracellular pH was chosen to test its effects on circadian rhythm expression. We established human primary fibroblast cultures obtained from three healthy subjects, stably delivered a circadian reporter gene Bmal1-luciferase, and recorded circadian rhythms in the culture medium at pH 7.2 and 6.7. At pH 7.2, robust and sustained circadian rhythms were observed with average period length 24.47 ± 0.03 h. Such rhythms were also found at pH 6.7; however, period length was significantly shortened to 22.60 ± 0.20, amplitude was increased, and damping rate was decreased. The effect of exposure to low pH on the period length was reversible. The shortened period was unlikely caused by factors affecting cell viability because cell morphology and MTT assay showed no significant difference between the two conditions. In summary, our results showed that the circadian rhythm expression is affected at pH 6.7 in human primary fibroblasts without affecting cell viability.
The free-boundary problem for space-charge regions around conductors: application of the hodograph method

The space-charge region around a two-dimensional conductor is studied in the depletion approximation by applying to Poisson's equation a partial hodograph transformation, which consists in interchanging the electrostatic potential with one of the space variables. In this way, the original free-boundary problem is converted into a boundary-value problem in a known domain. The transformed equation is nonlinear and is approximately solved by the perturbation method in the case of a right-angle wedge (both concave and convex) and a square bar. The solutions are found in the form of series of non-orthogonal functions and the corresponding expansion coefficients are determined by the least-squares method. The resulting analytical identifications of the free boundary are in good agreement with published results obtained by numerically solving Poisson's equation.
A monotone-sequences algorithm and FORTRAN IV for calculation of equilibrium distributions of chemical species

Abstract Program SALT performs the simultaneous solution of equations for mass balance and mass action describing chemical equilibrium in complex aqueous systems. The basic mass-action and mass-balance equations are transformed into two monotone cosequences which converge rapidly to give an error-bounded solution set. Although program SALT is designed for the major cations and ions of natural waters, it can be easily modified to solve problems containing any number of cations or anions and any number of possible complexes, and it also can be used as a subroutine in programs designed to solve larger scale geochemical problems.
Sensitivity of room thermal response to inside radiation exchange and surface conductance

Abstract When determining the thermal response of buildings to variations in external conditions, for whatever purpose, decisions need to be made as to an acceptable level of sophistication in representing the real physical system. Digital computer computations were made with an explicit forward differencing algorithm to determine the effect of neglecting radiation coupling at inside surfaces and of using constant values of inside surface conductance on the prediction of inside surface temperatures, inside air temperature and/or heating or cooling loads. The computational tests were performed for a single room building of three possible types of construction (solid concrete block, hollow concrete block and plywood panels) subject to summer and winter climatic inputs over a 24 -hour period.
Analogies Gone Awry: Replies to Hills and Gronn.

In this two-part response, it is contended in thefirst case that the dubious notion that all organizations have the same set of requirements that must be met if they are to survive is grounded in a misapplied biological analogy, and in the second case that the labeling of the structured observation research as neo-Taylorism is based on arguments that show only superficial similarities but claim much greater ones. (Editor's Note: The author was extended the opportunity to respond to two articles that appeared in the Fall 1982 issue of EA Q).
Chemically frozen multicomponent boundary layer theory of salt and/or ash deposition rates from combustion gases

There is increased interest in, and concern about, deposition and corrosion phenomena in combustion systems containing inorganic condensible vapors and particles (salts, ash). To meet the need for a computationally tractable deposition rate theory general enough to embrace multielement/component situations of current and future gas turbine and magnetogasdynamic interest, a multicomponent chemically 'frozen' boundary layer (CFBL) deposition theory is presented and its applicability to the special case of Na2SO4 deposition from seeded laboratory burner combustion products is demonstrated. The coupled effects of Fick (concentration) diffusion and Soret (thermal) diffusion are included, along with explicit corrections for effects of variable properties and free stream turbulence. The present formulation is sufficiently general to include the transport of particles provided they are small enough to be formally treated as heavy molecules. Quantitative criteria developed to delineate the domain of validity of CFBL-rate theory suggest considerable practical promise for the present framework, which is characterized by relatively modest demands for new input information and computer time.
A Chemical Index of Soil Nitrogen Availability

MANY laboratory methods of obtaining an index of the availability of soil nitrogen to plants have been proposed, but biological procedures involving estimation of the amount of nitrogen mineralized when soil is incubated under aerobic conditions at 28°-35° C for 1–4 weeks have been generally preferred1. However, recent work has shown that the results of these incubation procedures are greatly affected by the method and duration of storage of the soil sample before analysis. This has led to a renewal of interest in chemical methods, because it seems likely that the results of chemical methods will be less affected by preliminary handling and storage of the soil sample than the results of incubation methods. A chemical approach to the problem of obtaining an index of soil nitrogen availability is also encouraged by the experience that chemical methods of analysis are usually simpler and more rapid and precise than biological techniques. Studies in our laboratory of chemical methods of obtaining an index of the availability of soil nitrogen to plants have led to development of the following procedure which appears suitable for routine analysis of soils.
Increased protein intake on controlled oxalate diets does not increase urinary oxalate excretion

High animal protein intake is a risk factor for calcium oxalate stone disease. The effect of dietary protein on the urinary excretion of calcium, acid and citrate is well established. However, its effect on oxalate excretion is unclear, due in part to an inadequate control of dietary oxalate intake in previous studies. This relationship warrants clarification due to the proposed important role of the metabolism of amino acids in endogenous oxalate synthesis. In this study, 11 normal subjects consumed controlled oxalate diets containing 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 g protein/kg body weight/day. The analysis of 24 h urine collections confirmed that as protein intake increased, urinary calcium and glycolate increased and urinary pH and citrate decreased. The increased glycolate excretion was due in part to an increased hydroxyproline, but not glycolate consumption. Total daily urinary oxalate excretion did not change. When indexed to creatinine there was a small but significant decrease in oxalate excretion. This is most likely due to hyperfiltration. These results indicate that as dietary protein intake increases, the catabolism of diet-derived amino acids is not associated with an increased endogenous oxalate synthesis in normal subjects.
New heads for Freud's hydra: psychoanalysis in Los Angeles.

This paper describes the transplantation of psychoanalysis from Europe to Los Angeles and the similarities and differences in followers, cultural attitudes, institutional organization, and patient symptoms. Psychoanalysis in both places attracted psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, artists, writers, and movie people, all committed to "modernism" and cultural change. But special American conditions created greater institutional rigidity, medicalization, and a more diffuse patient symptomatology centered on the maternal relationship. Such conditions also fostered bitter disputes over modifications of psychoanalytic theory and practice which have only recently become less acute as the status of psychoanalysis has declined in America.
Neutral Impurity Scattering in Semiconductors

The scattering of free charge carriers by neutral impurities in semiconductors has been calculated using the partial wave technique by considering the source of scattering to be an attractive potential caused by a negative-energy state associated with the neutral impurity. This calculation has been compared with that due to Erginsoy and with a calculation in Born approximation where the neutral impurity is represented by a hydrogen atom in the dielectric medium of the semiconductor. The present treatment gives a mobility that differs from the Erginsoy treatment by only a few percent but predicts a slight temperature dependence. The calculation in Born approximation gives a result similar to that obtained for ionized impurity scattering calculated to the same approximation. The nature of the energy state giving rise to the scattering in this treatment and the possibility of distinguishing experimentally between the different calculations is discussed.
Cerebral ischemia in gerbils: improvement of survival after postischemic treatment with oligo-prostaglandin B.

Gerbils were subjected to bilateral carotid artery occlusion for either 15 or 20 min. After ischemia the animals were injected i.p. with oligo-prostaglandin B (oligo-PGB; trimer of 16,16'-dimethyl-15-dehydro-prostaglandin B1) dissolved in 4% sodium-bicarbonate, or with the vehicle. The dosing regimen of oligo-PGB was 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 mg/kg injected 5 min postischemia, or 1 mg/kg injected 30, 60, 90, 120 min after ischemia, or 10 mg/kg injected 5 min and 24 h postischemia. Behaviour of the animals and their mortality were studied for 14 days after ischemia. Administration of the drug did not affect recovery of the electrical activity in the brain and did not reduce the number of postischemic seizures. Following 15 min ischemia, administration of oligo-PGB resulted in statistically valid improvement of survival (P less than 0.04 or better) in all treatment groups. After 20 min ischemia only the double injection (10 mg/kg at 5 min and 24 h postischemia) resulted in a substantial survival improvement (64%, P less than 0.005). The mechanism of the drug action is unknown but, based on the available data, the authors believe it to be related to the modification of arachidonic acid metabolism in the late postischemic period.
Primary hypothyroidism, empty sella, and hypopituitarism.

Primary hypothyroidism may be associated with enlargement of the sella turcica, thought to represent hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the pituitary gland in response to lack of negative feedback of thyroid hormones) Thyroid ablation in mice and rats produces a progressive sequence of pituitary hyperplasia, enlargement, nodularity, and adenoma, which can be prevented by thyroid hormone treatment. 2 Subtle visual field defects resulting from pituitary enlargement have been documented in a majority of patients with primary hypothyroidism3; severe visual field loss and blindness have also been reported. 4's These changes may be reversible with thyroid hormone replacement: although in some cases craniotomy has been necessary.4,5 As might be expected, pituitary hormone alterations have also been documented in primary hypothyroidism, 7 and hypopituitarism, both transient 8 and permanent: has been reported. An empty sella is a reported outcome in some of these patients) ~ H We report an l 1-year-old boy with primary hypothyroidism associated with enlargement of the sella and pituitary gland, in whom an empty sella and hypopituitarism developed after thyroid hormone treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first child reported with this sequence of changes documented by CT scan
Preparation and characterization of uniform particles of pure and coated metallic copper

Abstract Colloidal copper of narrow size distribution in the micrometre size range was prepared by two different methods. The first procedure involved the reduction of uniform spherical particles of copper(II) basic carbonate with hydrogen at 150–200 °C. The improved method consisted of a two-step process in which the copper(II) basic carbonate was converted to copper(II) oxide and then treated with hydrogen. In order to preserve particle integrity, the precursor powders were coated with small ( ∼ 10 nm) silica particles (Ludox HS or 130M) before reduction with hydrogen. In the second method, cubic metallic copper particles were generated in situ in solutions containing Cu(NO 3 ) 2 , urea and NH 2 OH · HCl. The uniformity of the dispersion was achieved by controlled growth of the particles on preformed nuclei.
A computer simulation to test the Buchner thesis: The relationship of the Ara Pacis and the meridian in the Campus Martius, Rome

3D modeling was first introduced into the fields of archaeology and art history in the early 1990s as a new form of illustration derived from the traditional paper-based plan, section, and elevation. In recent years, it has become clear that once we have an accurate 3D restoration model of a lost or damaged cultural heritage monument, we can use the model to pose new questions and generate new discoveries and insights. This paper will consider this heuristic use of 3D models in the field of archaeoastronomy. A simulation of a built environment that includes an accurate solar tracker with historical azimuthal data drawn from NASA's Horizons System can allow us to test alignments hypothesized in the scholarly literature and to discover hitherto unsuspected alignments. We will report on our development of a Unity simulation of the northern part of the Campus Martius in Rome during the period 8 BCE to 40 CE. We made the simulation in order to test the validity of a thesis first proposed by Edmund Buchner in the 1970s according to which two Augustan monuments built in this part of the city were designed to have a solar alignment on Augustus' birthday: the socalled Horologium Augusti and the Ara Pacis. Since Buchner wrote, his thesis has been hotly debated by Roman topographers. A computer simulation may be able to move research on this topic beyond the current impasse.
DEVELOPMENT OF A SYNTHETIC MEAT FLAVOR MIXTURE BY USING SURFACE RESPONSE METHODOLOGY

A synthetic model meat flavor system was developed by panel testing of various meat flavor precursors at different levels by predicting optimum concentrations using surface response methodology. The final flavor system consisted of an autoclaved mixture of simple sugars, amino acids, 5-nucleotides, glycoprotein, monosodium glutamate, and salt with fat as an optional component. Results demonstrated that the sulfur-containing ammo acids and simple sugars played an important role in flavor development, whereas, the other components either masked the harsh sulfury taste or enhanced the meaty flavor. The surface response method was shown to be a good technique for predicting the optimal level of components in the formulation, although panelists were not able to differentiate between small differences in the levels of components in the mixture. Subjection of the final formulation to the panel in comparison to five commercial meat flavor extracts and an authentic beef extract showed it to be equal or superior to all of the commercial samples and nearly equal to authentic beef extract.
Scintigraphic evaluation of regional pulmonary ventilation

Radioactive gases are useful for evaluating pulmonary ventilation because they allow assessment of regional lung function in a physiologic, noninvasive manner. The most widely used radioactive gases are Xe-133, Xe-127, and Kr-81m. These gases provide visual and/or quantitative assessments of regional ventilation or ventilation-perfusion matching in obstructive airways disease, and aid the scintigraphic diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. The precision of ventilation scintigraphy is limited by detector resolution, signal distortion at depth, poor counting statistics, and respiratory motion.
Benefits of trenching behavior in the context of an inducible defense

Many species of insects sabotage the pressurized defense vessels of their host plants prior to feeding. This behavior, however, does not render leaves indefinitely suitable, as some species employing this behavior eventually abandon uneaten portions of sabotaged leaves. In this study, we examined whether and to what degree wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is capable of restoring its pressurized defenses and whether cabbage loopers, Trichoplusa ni, which normally trench parsnip leaflets, benefit from their trenching behavior. The pressurized oil tubes of parsnip leaves are rich in toxic terpenoids and furanocoumarins. A disruption of the integrity of the tubes (via razor blade nicks) in leaflets revealed that that some of their contents were expelled at the break and that some movement of oil from outside the leaflet (i.e., the midvein) occurred, bolstering furanocoumarin levels in the leaflet within minutes. Pressure and chemical content in a leaflet’s oil tubes were also shown to be restored within 24 hours of depressurization. This recovery ability allowed parsnip leaflets to respond to daily depressurizations by mechanical damage for up to at least 5 assaults, cumulatively causing an approximate ten-fold increase in furanocoumarins. Cabbage loopers fed parsnip leaflets that were artificially trenched accumulated twice as much body mass as larvae fed leaflets augmented with furanocoumarins equivalent to the quantity that would be avoided through trenching, indicating that trenching does benefit the herbivore. Although parsnip recovers from trenching rapidly, it does not do so within the time that cabbage loopers consume trenched leaflets
Targeting Gene Expression to the Epidermis of Transgenic Mice: Potential Applications to Genetic Skin Disorders

The ability to specifically target gene expression to the epidermis of transgenic mice offers the exciting possibility of creating animal models of certain skin disorders that are inherited in man. It may be possible to produce mouse models of dominantly inherited keratinization disorders by targeting the expression of mutant genes encoding the major differentiation products of the epidermis, such as the differentiation specific keratins, filaggrin and cell envelope proteins. Mouse models for other skin disorders associated with abnormal regulation of growth, such as psoriasis, may be generated by targeting the overexpression of cytokines and growth factors, which are thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. The development of currently unavailable animal models for certain inherited human skin diseases would not only contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases at the molecular level, but also provide interesting models for therapeutic intervention.
Smale’s Mean Value Conjecture and Complex Dynamics

A version of the Smale Mean Value conjecture asserts that for a non-linear complex polynomial of the form $f(z)=z+a_{2}z^{2}+\dots +a_{d}z^{d}$ , there exists a critical point c of f for which $|f(c)/c|\leq 1$ . It is natural to conjecture further that in addition, one may assume c converges to the origin under iteration of f. We verify this more precise conjecture in the case of quadratics and cubics.
A computer method for determining plaque size and plaque morphology

We describe a computer method for determining plaque size and morphology from photographs of hemolytic plaques. The method eliminates any inter-measurer and intra-measurer inconsistencies that may arise when manual measurements are made on plaques whose boundaries are poorly defined. For circular plaques inner and outer plaque radii are determined. In addition the computer generates a density profile for each plaque, i.e., a plot of the film density versus the radial distance from the antibody forming cell. We demonstrate the use of the method by analyzing a time study of the growth of a single plaque.
Reasoning about probabilistic parallel programs

The use of randomization in the design and analysis of algorithms promises simple and efficient algorithms to difficult problems, some of which may not have a deterministic solution. This gain in simplicity, efficiency, and solvability results in a trade-off of the traditional notion of absolute correctness of algorithms for a more quantitative notion: correctness with a probability between 0 and 1. The addition of the notion of parallelism to the already unintuitive idea of randomization makes reasoning about probabilistic parallel programs all the more tortuous and difficult.In this paper we address the problem of specifying and deriving properties of probabilistic parallel programs that either hold deterministically or with probability 1. We present a proof methodology based on existing proof systems for probabilistic algorithms, the theory of the predicate transformer, and the theory of UNITY. Although the proofs of probabilistic programs are slippery at best, we show that such programs can be derived with the same rigor and elegance that we have seen in the derivation of sequential and parallel programs. By applying this methodology to derive probabilistic programs, we hope to develop tools and techniques that would make randomization a useful paradigm in algorithm design.
Activation of HLA-A2-specific memory B cells in severe combined immunodeficient mice.

Abstract Peripheral blood leukocytes of all five HLA-A2-sensitized patients produced significant levels of human IgG (≥0.25 μ g/ml) following polyclonal activation in vitro, but PBLs from only one patient (K.H.) who had been transfused recently (
Resistance to TGF-β1 correlates with aberrant expression of TGF-β receptor II in human B-cell lymphoma cell lines

Resistance to transforming growth factor (TGF)–β1–mediated growth suppression in tumor cells is often associated with the functional loss of TGF-β receptors. Here we describe two B-cell lymphoma cell lines (DB and RL) that differ in their sensitivity to TGF-β1–mediated growth suppression. The TGF-β1–resistant cell line DB lacked functional TGF-β receptor II (TβRII) in contrast to the TGF-β–responsive cell line RL, whereas both cell lines had comparable levels of receptor I (TβRI). Lack of functional TβRII was correlated with the lack of TGF-β1–induced nuclear translocation of phospho-Smad3 and phospho-Smad2, the lack of nuclear expression of p21Cip1/WAF1, and the down-regulation of c-Myc in DB cells. Transfection of wild-type, but not a C-terminal–truncated, form of TβRII rendered the DB cell line responsive to TGF-β1–mediated growth suppression. Analysis of the TβRII gene in DB cells revealed the absence of TβRII message, which was reversed upon 5′-azacytidine treatment, indicating that the promoter methylation might be the cause of gene silencing. Promoter analysis revealed CpG methylations at −25 and −140 that correlated with the gene silencing. These data suggest that promoter methylation plays an important role in TβRII gene silencing and subsequent development of a TGF-β1–resistant phenotype by some B-cell lymphoma cells.
The effect of para-chlorophenylalanine on behavioral thermoregulation in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Abstract 1. 1. Gerbils injected with a single dose of p-CPA maintained normal body temperature at ambient temperatures of 10, 26 and 30°C. 2. 2. On the third day following p-CPA administration, oxygen consumption increased in gerbils exposed to cold stress, but not in those animals subjected to thermal neutral conditions. 3. 3. On the eighth day following p-CPA administration oxygen consumption decreased in cold stressed animals, but did not vary significantly in animals exposed to thermal neutral conditions. 4. 4. It appears that 5-HT may act as vasoconstrictor and stimulate heat production in the gerbil.
Sympathetic axonopathies and hyperinnervation in the small intestine smooth muscle of aged Fischer 344 rats

It is well documented that the intrinsic enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract sustains neuronal losses and reorganizes as it ages. In contrast, age-related remodeling of the extrinsic sympathetic projections to the wall of the gut is poorly characterized. The present experiment, therefore, surveyed the sympathetic projections to the aged small intestine for axonopathies. Furthermore, the experiment evaluated the specific prediction that catecholaminergic inputs undergo hyperplastic changes. Jejunal tissue was collected from 3-, 8-, 16-, and 24-month-old male Fischer 344 rats, prepared as whole mounts consisting of the muscularis, and processed immunohistochemically for tyrosine hydroxylase, the enzymatic marker for norepinephrine, and either the protein CD163 or the protein MHCII, both phenotypical markers for macrophages. Four distinctive sympathetic axonopathy profiles occurred in the small intestine of the aged rat: (1) swollen and dystrophic terminals, (2) tangled axons, (3) discrete hyperinnervated loci in the smooth muscle wall, including at the bases of Peyer's patches, and (4) ectopic hyperplastic or hyperinnervating axons in the serosa/subserosal layers. In many cases, the axonopathies occurred at localized and limited foci, involving only a few axon terminals, in a pattern consistent with incidences of focal ischemic, vascular, or traumatic insult. The present observations underscore the complexity of the processes of aging on the neural circuitry of the gut, with age-related GI functional impairments likely reflecting a constellation of adjustments that range from selective neuronal losses, through accumulation of cellular debris, to hyperplasias and hyperinnervation of sympathetic inputs.
Using crop models to plan water withdrawals for irrigation in drought years

Abstract Knowledge of water demands during periods of severe drought is needed to develop strategies for water management. The potential (no-water stress) and the lowest (no irrigation) yields for corn, soybean and peanut were calculated using three crop growth and water use models—CERES-Maize, SOYGRO, and PNUTGRO. Rainfall, temperature, and solar radiation records were used with these models to identify the 15 most severe drought years in the 53 year record in a 36-county region of Georgia that contains almost 75% of Georgia's irrigated land. In the 15 driest years, simulated yield losses averaged 75% for corn, 73% for soybean, and 64% for peanut. Irrigation amount and timing needed to provide 90% of the no-stress yields were calculated. Most of the irrigation needs of corn in these drought years occurred before that of peanut or soybean. For the reported irrigated crop acreage of the study area, simulated water withdrawals exceeded 3 million m 3 per day, on the average, for most of the 130 days between late May and late September. Further application of the techniques used here could lead to regional or watershed specific estimates of maximum water needs.
Drowning in a sea of advice: pediatricians and American Academy of Pediatrics policy statements

OBJECTIVE: The proliferation of policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics presents pediatricians with an increasing amount of health advice to deliver, yet no quantitative estimates of pediatric health advice expectations exist in the literature. The objective of this study was to quantify and characterize verbal health advice that pediatricians are expected to deliver to patients/guardians. METHODS: The authors read and coded the 344 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statements that are contained in the American Academy of Pediatrics' Pediatric Clinical Practice Guidelines and Policies, Third Edition, and identified 57 policies that contained health advice directives that are broadly relevant to pediatric practice. We extracted the individual advice text to a database in which we also coded its date of issue, its theme, and whether (1) it was duplicated in another policy, (2) a screening question was required to identify a target population for the advice, (3) handouts or other aids to delivering the advice were referenced in the policy itself, or (4) the text of the statement referred to evidence of the effectiveness of office-based delivery of the advice. RESULTS: These 57 policies were found to contain 192 discrete health advice directives that pediatricians are expected to deliver to patients/guardians. Seven (4%) of these directives originated before 1993, and 185 (96%) were created from 1993 to 2002. After removal of the 30 (16%) duplicates, safety advice composed 67%, media use composed 12%, substance abuse composed 5%, environmental health hazards composed 4%, development/emotional health composed 4%, sexuality and pregnancy composed 3%, nutrition composed 2%, and miscellaneous composed 3%. In 41% of the directives, a screening question was required to identify the target population for the advice. Aids to delivering advice were referenced in 20% of the policies. In no policy statements did the text refer to evidence that office-based counseling was an effective method to achieve the desired health or behavioral outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We examined the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statements and found 162 different verbal health advice directives on which pediatricians should counsel parents and patients throughout childhood. The expectation that delivery of all of this advice can be achieved is unrealistic. Moreover, none of the reviewed statements were found to include an evidence-based discussion of the efficacy of the suggested advice. In light of these findings, we suggest that committees should consider both the feasibility and the evidence of efficacy of office-based health advice when generating future policy statements. Language: en
Clustering of shareholder annual meetings: a ‘new anomaly’ in stock returns

The study documents the clustering of annual general meetings (AGMs) in the months of March, April and May and shows that this clustering of AGMs in dates is positively related to average monthly stock returns in these months. The study not only documents a ‘new anomaly’ in the stock market in the recent two decades, but also provides explanations why it is so. The study shows that an economic event is behind the regularity in stock returns.
How to treat bipolar II depression and bipolar II mixed depression

I read the interesting and useful paper by Muzina and Calabrese (2003) on the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression. The focus of the paper is on bipolar I (BP I) depression and shows the paucity of the controlled data on antidepressants concerning their efficacy and effects on the course of this illness. I wish to point out that BP I depression is only the tip of the iceberg of the bipolar spectrum (Akiskal and Pinto, 1999). Bipolar II (BP II) depression is much more common in clinical outpatient practice than BP I depression. The ratio between BP II and unipolar major depressive disorder has recently been reported to be around 1 to 1 (Akiskal and Benazzi, 2003; Akiskal et al., 2000; Angst et al., 2003; Benazzi, 2001, 2003a; Hantouche et al., 1998; Manning et al., 1999; Perugi et al., 1998), when interviews were conducted by trained clinicians using semi-structured interviews (which increases the correct diagnoses of BP II vs. the structured interviews (Benazzi, 2003b; Dunner and Tay, 1993; Simpson et al., 2002). There are very few controlled studies on the treatment of BP II depression. Amsterdam and colleagues (Amsterdam, 1998; Amsterdam et al., 1998) found that fluoxetine and venlafaxine were effective in BP II depression and had a low risk of switching. Calabrese et al. (2000) found that lamotrigine was effective in rapid-cycling BP II, but only a minority of BP II depressions have a rapid-cycling course. It has to be seen if lamotrigine is also effective in non-rapid-cycling BP II depression.
In Vivo Treatment of Propionibacterium acnes Infection with Liposomal Lauric Acids

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a Gram-positive bacterium strongly associated with acne infection. While many antimicrobial agents have been used in clinic to treat acne infection by targeting P. acnes, these existing anti-acne agents usually produce considerable side effects. Herein, the development and evaluation of liposomal lauric acids (LipoLA) is reported as a new, effective and safe therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne infection. By incorporating lauric acids into the lipid bilayer of liposomes, it is observed that the resulting LipoLA readily fuse with bacterial membranes, causing effective killing of P. acnes by disrupting bacterial membrane structures. Using a mouse ear model, we demonstrated that the bactericidal property of LipoLA against P. acne is well preserved at physiological conditions. Topically applying LipoLA in a gel form onto the infectious sites leads to eradication of P. acnes bacteria in vivo. Further skin toxicity studies show that LipoLA does not induce acute toxicity to normal mouse skin, while benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, the two most popular over-the-counter acne medications, generate moderate to severe skin irritation within 24 h. These results suggest that LipoLA hold a high therapeutic potential for the treatment of acne infection and other P. acnes related diseases.
Ventricular ectopy during treadmill exercise stress testing in the evaluation of long QT syndrome.

Background Long QT syndrome (LQTS) can present with sudden death during exertion. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic importance of exercise-induced ventricular ectopy in the evaluation of LQTS. Methods From 1998 to 2006, 381 patients with a referral diagnosis of LQTS underwent a treadmill exercise stress test. An investigator blinded to both genotype and rendered diagnosis scored the stress tests for the presence of exercise-induced ventricular ectopy. Results The dismissal diagnosis was LQTS in 177 (46%), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) in 16, miscellaneous cardiac disease in 17, and normal in 171. Exercise-induced ventricular ectopy was detected in 107 (28%) patients. However, only 34 patients (9% overall) had exercise-induced ventricular ectopy greater than single premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Among the 171 patients dismissed as normal, only 2% had ectopy greater than single PVCs. Among the genotype-positive LQTS patients, no significant ectopy was recorded in 80 with LQT1, compared to 5 (8%) patients with LQT2 and 3 (20%) patients with LQT3 (P Conclusion Exercise-induced ventricular ectopy exceeding single PVCs was observed in less than 10% of patients referred for LQTS evaluation, including 2% of patients ultimately dismissed as normal. Exercise-induced bigeminy is strongly associated with the presence of significant cardiovascular disease but is far more likely to indicate CPVT than LQTS.
Methods for collecting and maturing equine oocytes in vitro

Abstract The objective of our study was to develop an effective method for collecting and maturing equine oocytes. In Experiments 1 and 2, oocytes were collected from excised ovaries obtained via colpotomy. In Experiment 3, oocytes were collected from ovaries obtained after slaughter. Follicles were aspirated and flushed with various treatments to recover the oocytes, which were then cultured and stained to observe the stage of meiosis. In Experiment 1, the aspiration treatments consisted of 0.5 ml of modified Dulbecco's PBS with 0, 100 or 500 lU/ml hyaluronidase. There was no increase (P>0.05) in oocyte recovery with the addition of hyaluronidase. The oocytes were cultured in either TCM-199 or Ham's F-10 medium containing 0.5 ug/ml FSH, 1 ug/ml LH, 1 ug/ml estradiol 17β, 250 uM Na-pyruvate and 10% estrual mare serum for 0, 24, 36 or 48 h. Maturation rates were higher (P 0.05) in the percentage of maturation of oocytes between the 2 media at 48 h of culture. In Experiment 2, a single aspiration was performed with no flushing medium (dry aspiration) in 0.5 ml of PBS or in PBS with 1000 IU/ml hyaluronidase. The oocytes were then cultured in TCM-199 for 24, 30 or 36 h. There was an increase (P 0.05).