cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling corporate entrepreneurship as rent-seeking competition

Abstract This study seeks to explore corporate entrepreneurship (CE) initiatives as purposeful rent-seeking activities. We address the nature of economic rent and how rent is created by the various forms of CE, both from a conceptual perspective and through a discussion of findings derived during a long-term study of the corporate venturing activities of 19 firms in Britain, Sweden, and the US. In addition, we provide specific examples of firms that have exploited the economic rent generating potential of the various forms of CE.
On the convective nature of the instability of a front undergoing a supercritical Turing bifurcation

Fronts are traveling waves in spatially extended systems that connect two different spatially homogeneous rest states. If the rest state behind the front undergoes a supercritical Turing instability, then the front will also destabilize. On the linear level, however, the front will be only convectively unstable since perturbations will be pushed away from the front as it propagates. In other words, perturbations may grow but they can do so only behind the front. It is of interest to show that this behavior carries over to the full nonlinear system. It has been successfully done in a case study by Ghazaryan and Sandstede [A. Ghazaryan, B. Sandstede, Nonlinear convective instability of Turing-unstable fronts near onset: a case study, SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst. 6 (2007) 319-347]. In the present paper, analogous results are obtained for the same system as in Ghazaryan and Sandstede (2007), but for a different parameter regime.
A Peroxidase Contributes to ROS Production during Arabidopsis Root Response to Potassium Deficiency

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in root responses to potassium deprivation by regulating the expression of the high-affinity K(+) transporter gene AtHAK5 and other genes. Activation-tagged lines of Arabidopsis plants containing the AtHAK5 promoter driving luciferase were screened for bioluminescence under potassium-sufficient conditions. A member of the type III peroxidase family, RCI3, was isolated and when it was overexpressed by the activation tag, this led to the enhanced expression of luciferase and the endogenous AtHAK5. RCI3 was found to be up-regulated upon potassium deprivation. Plants overexpressing RCI3 (RCI3-ox) showed more ROS production and AtHAK5 expression whereas the ROS production and AtHAK5 expression were reduced in rci3-1 under K(+)-deprived conditions. These results suggested that RCI3 is involved in the production of ROS under potassium deprivation and that RCI3-mediated ROS production affects the regulation of AtHAK5 expression. This peroxidase appears to be another component of the low-potassium signal transduction pathway in Arabidopsis roots.
Cardiac index in ambulatory patients estimated by precordial dilution curves

Abstract 1. 1. Four hundred and twenty-nine radiocardiograms were obtained in 240 ambulatory patients with and without heart disease by means of wide angle external counting over the precordium after the injection of radioactive iodinated human serum albumin into an antecubital vein. Cardiac index was calculated from the radiocardiogram and the blood volume. Only seven patients were encountered in whom a tracing adequate for calculation of cardiac index was not obtained. 2. 2. A mean cardiac index of 3.51 L. per minute per square meter surface area with a standard deviation of 0.97 was derived from forty-eight persons without known cardiac or vascular disease. Cardiac indices were slightly but significantly lower when derived from radiocardiograms taken twenty minutes after the initial tests. By contrast, cardiac indices did not differ significantly when calculated from tracings made weeks to months apart in patients with stable cardiovascular systems. 3. 3. A significant decrease in cardiac index was observed in patients with all types of heart disease who had congestive heart failure, whether overt or controlled. 4. 4. In the absence of congestive heart failure, mean cardiac index was increased in patients with borderline hypertension, normal in those with systolic hypertension, and frequently reduced in those with sustained diastolic hypertension, especially when evidence of myocardial involvement also was present. 5. 5. Cardiac index was usually normal in patients with coronary artery disease in the absence of congestive heart failure. Occasional reduction was seen in patients with old myocardial infarctions. 6. 6. A probably significant decrease of cardiac index as measured by the external counting technic was observed in patients with valvular heart disease without congestive heart failure. Also, cardiac index in congestive heart failure due to valvular heart disease was lower than that due to other types of heart disease. Valvular insufficiency apparently leads to erroneously low values of cardiac index estimated by the external counting technic. 7. 7. Classification of radiocardiograms according to qualitative features showed some correlation with cardiovascular status. Prominent fluctuations on the downslope were recognized most often in radiocardiograms of patients with valvular insufficiency. The appearance of the radiocardiogram maintained a constancy over considerable periods of time in the absence of marked change in cardiovascular status.
Arrestin and phosducin are expressed in a small number of brain cells.

Retinal photoreceptor rods and pinealocytes contain well-characterized proteins such as arrestin and phosducin whose expression is highly restricted to these cell types. Transgenic mice having a LacZ gene under the control of an arrestin promoter expressed β-galactosidase (β-Gal) in the photoreceptor rods and pinealocytes. In addition, it was expressed in very small numbers of discrete cells in the habenular commissura, amygdala, ventral tegmental area and superior colliculus of the brain. Immunocytochemical studies with antibody probes revealed that high level of arrestin and phosducin were also found in the same cell types. Furthermore melatonin was found in those cells of the habenula commissura. The results indicate that novel cell types are present in the brain tissues. Since high levels of arrestin and phosducin expression are generally restricted to photoreceptor rod cells and pinealocytes, these data suggest that certain brain cells may have functions similar to pinealocytes.
Implementing Flexible Labour Strategies: Challenges and Key Success factors

Abstract This paper presents the results of an in-depth study in seven UK manufacturing plants in six major industrial sectors: electronics, process, engineering (capital), engineering (consumer), household goods and food. The paper explores the issues that companies face in implementing flexible labour strategies and how these can be overcome. The companies investigated implemented different flexible labour strategies. We find that successful implementation of the strategies depends market drivers of flexibility (e.g. demand uncertainty and demand variability). We find that the choice of which strategy to implement was found to be largely independent of the industrial sector. We identify key challenges to implementation and a number of key factors for the successful implementation of the strategies.
Physical model for lesion formation in the presence of low levels of solution fluoride

A quantitative physical model is presented for the formation of subsurface carious lesions in the presence of low levels of solution fluoride. Calculations using independently determined model parameters are in agreement with mineral density profiles measured in bovine enamel lesions. The proposed mechanism is controlled by fluoride in the following way: as fluoride diffuses into enamel, it is rapidly adsorbed to enamel crystallites, resulting in very low microenvironmental fluoride concentrations, so long as the crystals are not saturated with respect to fluoride adsorption. The result of this saturable adsorption is a widening band of fluoride-saturated crystals near the surface, beneath which the microenvironmental fluoride concentrations are negligible. In the saturated band, the microenvironmental fluoride concentration in the pore solution is high enough to suppress dissolution, while in the deeper, relatively fluoride free region, dissolution can occur. In addition to predicting observed mineral density profiles, the model also predicts the demarcation in solution conditions between the regime where subsurface lesion formation occurs and that where the dissolution pattern is that of surface erosion; and the lack of insensitivity of dissolution rate to hydrodynamics in the presence of low levels of fluoride, as contrasted to the square root of stirring rate dependency observed in the absence of fluoride.
Development of a new model for vibration-dissociation coupling in nitrogen

A new model for vibration-dissociation coupling is derived using knowledge obtained from a simulation of the vibrational relaxation of heated nitrogen by collisional processes. This bilevel model is based on the assumption that nitrogen can be represented by two molecular species. The vibrational energy relaxation is represented by a modified form of the Landau-Teller equation. The effects of the bilevel model on a typical hypervelocity flowfield computation are examined and compared to the Park TTv model. Specifically, it is found that the bilevel model exhibits a decreased dissociation rate. This is believed to be due to the inhibition of dissociation by nonequilibrium vibrational relaxation.
Families and hospitalized elders: A typology of family care actions.

The extensive care provided by families to their elderly relatives in the home is well documented. Although family caregiving is likely to be continued during hospitalization of elderly relatives, limited research has been conducted to address the nature of family care for hospitalized elders. The main purpose of this qualitative study was to refine the content domain of family care for hospitalized elders. Altogether 25 interviews were done. Of the 16 participants, 6 were family members, 6 were patients, and 4 were nurses; 7 participants were interviewed once and 9 participants were interviewed twice. Qualitative analysis based on Lofland and Lofland's (1984, 1995) approach resulted in the identification of three major content domains: family members providing care to the patient, working together with the health care team, and taking care of themselves. This typology suggests a shift of research in this area from its current focus on family needs to a view of family caregivers as partners with the health care team.
Fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, and cholesterol in critically ill postsurgical patients

Abstract Study Objective: To determine how and why cholesterol concentrations decrease after surgery, and the effect of the administration of nutritional support. Design: Prospective, observational study. Setting: Surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients: 213 consecutive patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit after major surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Serum concentrations of cholesterol, serum albumin and total protein. The initial portion of this study demonstrated that serum concentrations of cholesterol, like those of serum albumin and total protein, decreased by approximately 30% immediately following surgery. These changes were directly related to changes in hematocrit and inversely correlated with the volume of perioperative intravenous (IV) fluid, the degree of positive fluid balance, and the estimated blood loss. The study's second phase examined the 19 patients who received at least 10 days of nutritional support. After 1 week of feeding, serum total protein concentrations increased significantly, but did not return to preoperative levels. Serum concentrations of cholesterol, which were markedly decreased prior to nutritional repletion, increased significantly after 9 days of treatment. The changes in serum cholesterol concentration were negatively correlated (r = −0.32) with the daily intake of IV fluid. Conclusion: Serum cholesterol concentrations, like those of serum albumin and total protein, are markedly reduced immediately following major abdominal surgery, often to levels reported in malnutrition. Dilution by IV fluid and redistribution into an expanded extracellular fluid space are likely the major causes of these decreases. Serum cholesterol concentrations are therefore not useful in the nutritional assessment of patients in the immediate postoperative period.
Environmental context, social interactions, and the spread of HIV

The spread of HIV through a population is influenced by many factors. These include the frequency and type of sexual activity, age distribution of the population, use of intravenous drugs and behaviors associated with their use, the pattern of infectivity of the virus during the several stages of the infection, geographic location, and the patterns of interaction among individuals and the context in which those interactions occur. A number of questions about the natural history and epidemiology of AIDS remain unanswered. Since the disease has only recently been recognized, historical data are unavailable to aid in answering these questions. Mathematical models provide one approach that can be of use in understanding the spread of the disease. Because of the complexity of the biology and epidemiology of AIDS, useful models must focus on specific aspects of the disease. In addition to a brief review of existing models for the spread of AIDS, a new model which incorporates the effects of social context operating at the time of a sexual encounter is described. The model considers the spread of the disease in a population of homosexual men divided into groups based on relative risk for the disease. Individuals are assigned to a specific group on the basis of their normal sexual activities, but they may take on the characteristics of a different risk group temporarily given the conditions operating when they engage in a sexual encounter. Results from preliminary analyses of the new model indicate that the major effects of incorporating social context include a decrease in the number of cases of the disease, sometimes by an order of magnitude or more, delayed spread of the disease, and a decreased impact of the disease on low and medium risk groups.
Synthesis and characterization of an unsolvated dimeric diarylmagnesium compound and its magnesium iodide byproducts.

The Grignard reagent 2,6-Et2C6H3MgI(THF)n, 1, undergoes rapid aryl exchange in THF solution at room temperature to afford the diorganomagnesium compound (2,6-Et2C6H3)2Mg(THF)n, 2, and the sparingly soluble salt Mg(THF)6I2, 5. Removal of the coordinated THF in 2 under reduced pressure and elevated temperature affords the unique diorganomagnesium species [2,6-Et2C6H3Mg(μ-C6H3Et2-2,6)]2, 3, which features three-coordinate magnesium. Compound 3 is fluxional in benzene or toluene solution at room temperature and dissociates into monomeric (2,6-Et2C6H3)2Mg around 115 °C. Recrystallization of crude 5 from benzene solution gave large well-shaped crystals of MgI2(THF)3, 4, and 5. Benzene solutions of 4 and 5 are remarkably easily oxidized by laboratory air to MgI(THF)5I3, 6. Coumpound 3 has been characterized by variable-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, and compounds 4−6 have been characterized by X-ray crystallography.
The Use of Monetary Incentives in National Assessment Household Surveys

Abstract The National Assessment of Educational Progress household survey of young adults 26–35 years old uses a unique monetary incentive procedure to effectively reduce nonresponse and to increase overall cost effectiveness. As a result of poor response in the first year of National Assessment, a special followup study was conducted to examine alternative field procedures; four different incentive plans were tested in a designed experiment imposed on 64 area segment sampling units. The results of the experimental study and of the adopted monetary incentive procedure on response rates in Years 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the National Assessment household surveys are reported.
Ecological uncertainty, adaptation, and mitigation in the U.S. ski resort industry: Managing resource dependence and institutional pressures

We draw on resource dependence and institutional theories to study how firms manage uncertainty in nature (ecological uncertainty) in the U.S. ski resort industry. Through resource dependence theory, we develop the concept of ecological uncertainty and explain its effects on firms' access to and management of natural resources. We then predict that firms adapt to ecological uncertainty with natural-resource-intensive practices, as well as practices that attempt to mitigate its underlying causes. Using institutional theory, we also predict that environmental expectations moderate these responses. Our results indicate that firms did manage ecological uncertainty by adopting natural-resource-intensive practices, but not mitigation practices. They also show that stronger environmental expectations constrained firms from adopting natural-resource-intensive practices and promoted their adoption of mitigation practices in response to ecological uncertainty. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Patternable block copolymers with high transparency at 157 nm: Fluorocarbinol functionalized poly(isoprene- b -cyclohexane)

A three-step polymer modification reaction was developed to prepare polydiene-based patternable block copolymers with high transparency at 157 nm wavelength. In the first step, the ene reaction of poly(isoprene-b-cyclohexadiene) with hexafluoroacetone was carried out to incorporate a pendent hexafluoro-2-hydroxy-2-propyl functional group in the polyisoprene block. Subsequently, the hexafluorocarbinol functionalized block copolymer was hydrogenated to enhance transparency at 157 nm and finally the fluorocarbinol was protected with an ethoxymethyl group to induce a solubility switch after exposure. The final block copolymer exhibited an absorption coefficient of 3.30 μm-1 at 157 nm. Exposure was carried out on a 248 nm stepper and feature sizes down to 0.5 μm were resolved prior to optimization of exposure and formulation conditions.
Influence of initial neck node biopsy on the incidence of recurrence in the neck and survival in patients who subsequently undergo curative resectional surgery.

During a period of 23 years, 57 patients who had an initial neck node biopsy elsewhere, with the diagnosis of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma established, underwent curative resection by our department after the site of head and neck primary was found. Ten patients free of disease died of other causes, leaving 47 patients who were eligible for at least 3 years of follow-up. Nineteen patients are aliye after 3 or more years. The incidence of recurrence in the neck was 57% (27/47). The 3-year survival in this group of Stage III was 40% (19/47) and 5-year survival was 34% (16/47). Compared with historical data, it appears from the present study that a previous biopsy of a neck node did not adversely affect the incidence either of neck recurrence or survival when appropriate surgery is performed.
Multiphoton laser-induced chemistry of trifluorobromomethane

Abstract The multiphoton induced chemistry of trifluorobromomethane (CF 3 Br), using a pulsed TEA CO 2 laser operating in the R branch of the 00°1–02°0 transition, and the effects of pulse number, pressure, and exciting wavelength has been investigated. The photolysis products are C 2 F 6 , CF 4 , CF 2 Br 2 , and Br 2 . A reaction scheme is proposed to account for the observed products and their dependence on experimental conditions. The product yield are found to increase with CF 3 Br pressure but to decrease with increasing added bath gas pressure (N 2 or NO). Varying the exciting wavelength caused a variation in product yields resulting in a spectrum similar to that for single photon absorption but red shifted by ≈10 cm −1 . It was also observed that at the wavelength employed 12 CF 3 Br is preferentially dissociated at pressures below 2 Torr. Finally a comparison is made between the results of this work and those done on other freons and SF 6 .
Age-associated changes in regional aortic pulse wave velocity.

Abstract OBJECTIVES This study was designed to determine noninvasively the age-associated changes in regional mechanical properties in normals using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PCMRI). BACKGROUND It has been well documented that there is a progressive increase in aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) with age. Previously, PWV has been measured at a single aortic location, or has compared arterial waves between carotid and femoral points to determine PWV. METHODS Applanation tonometry (TONO) and in-plane PCMR was performed in 24 volunteers (12 men) ranging in age from 21 to 72 years old. The PCMRI PWV was measured in three aortic segments. As validation, TONO was performed to determine PWV between the carotid and femoral artery. RESULTS When PCMRI PWV was averaged over the three locations, it was not different from TONO (7.9 ± 2.3 vs. 7.6 ± 2.4 m/s, respectively). When the volunteers were divided into groups of CONCLUSIONS In-plane PCMRI permits determination of PWV in multiple aortic locations in a single acquisition. Progressive fragmentation of elastic fibers and alterations in the regulation of vascular tone may result in an age-related, regional increase in PWV primarily affecting the proximal aorta.
A method for high efficiency YAC lipofection into murine embryonic stem cells

We describe a modified protocol for introducing yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) into murine embryonic stem (ES) cells by lipofection. With a decreased DNA:cell ratio, increased concentration of condensing agents and altered culture conditions, this protocol reduces the requirement for YAC DNA to a few micrograms, improves the recovery of neomycin-resistant ES colonies and increases the yield of clones containing both flanking vector markers and insert. These modifications enable generation of sufficient 'intact' transgenic clones for biological analysis with a single experiment.
Lunar Robotic Relay The First Phase of Building the Lunar Ground Network

As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission, the lunar exploration team has identified the Moon's south pole as a target for a robotics mission due the possibility of existence of water in the craters. The role of lunar relay satellites is to provide coverage for areas that do not have a direct view of the Earth. The lunar relay satellites and the Earth ground network supporting them are key for the many robotic and manned missions. In this type of mission, though similar to the Mars relay system, the design of the ground network in support of the lunar relay system requires attention to ground network infrastructure, spectrum, and tracking requirements. This paper will address the evolution of exploration ground stations and ground options to support the early lunar relay satellite (LRS-1) for robotics mission and its relation to manned relay (LRS-2 and LRS-3).
A Comparison of the Effects of Mineral Oil, Vegetable Oil, and Sodium Sulfate on the Intestinal Absorption of DDT in Rodents

The effects of mineral oil, vegetable oil, and sodium sulfate on the intestinal absorption of a highly lipid soluble pesticide, DDT, were compared in the rat. Intestinal absorption was evaluated by measuring recovery of DDT and metabolites in feces and the concentration of DDT in adipose tissue following oral administration of DDT and each agent. Vegetable oil was shown to significantly increase absorption of DDT when compared to all other treatments.
Timing analysis in high-level synthesis

This paper presents a comprehensive timing model for behaviorablevel specifications and algorithms for timing analysis in high-level synthesis. It is based on a timing network which models the data flow as well as the control flow in the behavioral input specification. The delay values for the network modules are created by invoking the same logic synthesis procedure applied after behavioral synthesis. The timing network is built only once for a given behavioral description. Several parameters are used to ezplore different scheduling possibilities as well as different optimization modes (area, delay), without changing the network. The use of the timing model in conjunction with a path-based scheduling algorithm is presented. Results for several benchmarks attested the accuracy of this approach.
The puzzle of Kashmiri stress: implications for weight theory

There are currently many proposals for analysing cross-linguistic vowel length and consonant weight patterns within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework. The basic claim is that vowel length and consonant weight are determined by the interaction of markedness constraints on moraic content and constraints requiring faithfulness to underlying moraicity.In this paper, I will show how the constraints used in one such proposal (Moren 1999) provide an analysis of the core syllable weight of Kashmiri, and that the inclusion of several other constraints proposed in the literature allows us to account for the previously puzzling distribution of stress in this language. Besides the empirical importance of both providing an analysis of Kashmiri stress and weight and demonstrating a language type predicted by Moren's weight typology, an added theoretical point is the demonstration that closed syllables may vary in weight depending on surface stress assignment. This is in line with work of Kager (1989), Hayes (1995), Rice (1996) and Broselow et al. (1997), but in contrast with many other theories which treat consonant weight for a particular segment in a given syllabic position as static within a given language. Further, the OT analysis presented here provides the necessary tools to allow the expression of weight hierarchies, while maintaining the restrictive theory of weight offered by a single-tiered moraic approach.
Copepod dominance contributes to phytoplankton nitrogen deficiency in lakes during periods of low precipitation

We investigated meso-zooplankton nutrient recycling as a driver of nitrogen deficiency for phytoplankton production in Arctic Alaskan lakes. Copepods and cladocerans differentially recycle inorganic nutrients based on nutrient demands for new tissue. Copepods typically sequester more nitrogen in the tissue, and can lead to nitrogen, relative to phosphorus, deficient conditions for primary production. Cladocerans sequester more phosphorus relative to nitrogen, potentially resulting in phosphorus deficiency for phytoplankton growth. We observed a positive relationship between meso-zooplankton communities with higher copepod relative to cladoceran biomass and levels of water column nitrogen deficiency. We also observed negative relationships between total precipitation over the 10 days prior to lake sampling and metrics of both nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency. These results support our predictions that relatively high watershed nutrient loading can overwhelm internal nutrient sources and sinks. However, when nutrient loading from the catchment is minimal meso-zooplankton community composition can affect nitrogen relative to phosphorus deficiency for primary production. Relationships between copepod biomass and nitrogen deficiency provide a potential mechanism for the high frequency of nitrogen limitation in Arctic Alaskan lakes.
The role of objective personality inventories in suicide risk assessment: an evaluation and proposal.

Objective personality assessment instruments offer a comparatively underutilized source of clinical data in attempts to evaluate and predict risk for suicide. In contrast to focal suicide risk measures, global personality inventories may be useful in identification of long-standing styles that predispose persons to eventual suicidal behavior. This article reviews the empirical literature regarding the efficacy of established personality inventories in predicting suicidality. The authors offer several recommendations for future research with these measures and conclude that such objective personality instruments offer only marginal utility as sources of clinical information in comprehensive suicide risk evaluations. Personality inventories may offer greatest utility in long-term assessment of suicide risk.
Analytical results for optimal choice of location update interval for mobility database failure restoration in PCS networks

When the location information for a mobile user in the Home Location Register (HLR) is corrupted or obsolete, the new arriving calls to the user may be lost. In order to minimize the effect of such HLR mobility database failure, a location update scheme called period location updating is proposed, and the cost analysis is performed. Analytical results for the failure recovery time distribution and the average number of call losses, which are crucial for cost analysis, are presented. The optimal location update period is given analytically as a function of other traffic parameters. This optimal choice of location update period lays the foundation for the adaptive adjustment of the location update period in failure restoration for PCS networks.
ALMEIDA, J. A. Pio de. As brasinas. Porto Alegre: AGE, 2001, 93 p.

J. A. Pio de Almeida e desses literatos que nao se deixam conhecer pelo grande publico, se e que se pode falar em grande publico, em se tratando de literatura, entre nos.
Chapter I The Smith Conjecture

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Smith conjecture. The proof of the Smith conjecture represents a culmination of the efforts of many mathematicians. The work of Smith on cyclic group actions was seminal. The chapter also describes the formulations and generalizations of the Smith conjecture. The arguments proving the Smith conjecture can easily be adapted for the piecewise linear (PL) case or for the topological case, provided that in the topological case it is assumed that the fixed point set is locally flat. The techniques used to establish the Smith conjecture can be used to prove various generalizations. The theorem on the solution of the Smith conjecture affirms several special cases of the Poincare conjecture. The applications of these ideas and methods to three-dimensional topology are due to Thurston, Meeks, and Yau, with help from Bass, Shalen, Gordon, and Litherland.
Controlled clinical trial of dichloroacetate for treatment of congenital lactic acidosis in children

OBJECTIVE. Open-label studies indicate that oral dichloroacetate (DCA) may be effective in treating patients with congenital lactic acidosis. We tested this hypothesis by conducting the first double-blind, randomized, control trial of DCA in this disease. METHODS. Forty-three patients who ranged in age from 0.9 to 19 years were enrolled. All patients had persistent or intermittent hyperlactatemia, and most had severe psychomotor delay. Eleven patients had pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency, 25 patients had 1 or more defects in enzymes of the respiratory chain, and 7 patients had a mutation in mitochondrial DNA. Patients were preconditioned on placebo for 6 months and then were randomly assigned to receive an additional 6 months of placebo or DCA, at a dose of 12.5 mg/kg every 12 hours. The primary outcome results were (1) a Global Assessment of Treatment Efficacy, which incorporated tests of neuromuscular and behavioral function and quality of life; (2) linear growth; (3) blood lactate concentration in the fasted state and after a carbohydrate meal; (4) frequency and severity of intercurrent illnesses and hospitalizations; and (5) safety, including tests of liver and peripheral nerve function. OUTCOME. There were no significant differences in Global Assessment of Treatment Efficacy scores, linear growth, or the frequency or severity of intercurrent illnesses. DCA significantly decreased the rise in blood lactate caused by carbohydrate feeding. Chronic DCA administration was associated with a fall in plasma clearance of the drug and with a rise in the urinary excretion of the tyrosine catabolite maleylacetone and the heme precursor δ-aminolevulinate. CONCLUSIONS. In this highly heterogeneous population of children with congenital lactic acidosis, oral DCA for 6 months was well tolerated and blunted the postprandial increase in circulating lactate. However, it did not improve neurologic or other measures of clinical outcome.
Modular aspect-oriented design with XPIs

The emergence of aspect-oriented programming (AOP) languages has provided software designers with new mechanisms and strategies for decomposing programs into modules and composing modules into systems. What we do not yet fully understand is how best to use such mechanisms consistent with common modularization objectives such as the comprehensibility of programming code, its parallel development, dependability, and ease of change. The main contribution of this work is a new form of information-hiding interface for AOP that we call the crosscut programming interface, or XPI. XPIs abstract crosscutting behaviors and make these abstractions explicit. XPIs can be used, albeit with limited enforcement of interface rules, with existing AOP languages, such as AspectJ. To evaluate our notion of XPIs, we have applied our XPI-based design methodology to a medium-sized network overlay application called Hypercast. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of existing AO design methods and XPI-based design method shows that our approach produces improvements in program comprehensibility, in opportunities for parallel development, and in the ease when code can be developed and changed.
Disabling foot cramping in a runner secondary to paramyotonia congenita: A case report

An 18-year-old male runner was referred to the authors' clinic with a 1-year history of cramping left foot pain. His symptoms developed insidiously when he increased his training, with an onset of severe left foot pain and tightness that would develop after about 20 minutes of exercise. The more he continued to run, the more the symptoms were aggravated and evolved to the toes curling with intrinsic muscle spasm. This symptom was easily provoked when he was exposed to cold temperature. A family history of similar symptoms was revealed in his sister and uncle. Physical examination including neurologic examination was normal. Diagnostic workup revealed generalized myotonia. According to the history, physical examination, and diagnostic workup, his diagnosis was considered to be most compatible to paramyotonia congenita. He was given phenytoin, which lessened his symptoms and allowed him to continue running with minimal symptoms, but he stopped running because he was not able to maintain mileage high enough to compete successfully.
First Conjunct Agreement: Against a Clausal Analysis

Aoun, Benmamoun, and Sportiche (1994) propose that first conjunct agreement in Arabic is derived from clausal conjunction. This article shows that the clausal account of first conjunct agreement is empirically inadequate because it fails to distinguish clearly between syntactic and semantic agreement. It argues that an analysis of coordination as adjunction proposed in Munn 1992, 1993 accounts both for the Arabic facts and for the fact that first conjunct agreement is dependent on head government. It also shows that there are asymmetries between governed agreement and specifier-head agreement that are independent of coordination, lending support to a unified analysis of first conjunct agreement in terms of government or its equivalent.
Gene Testing: What the Health Professional Needs to Know

Physicians and health professionals are faced with new challenges in the era of increasing information on genetics and health. The sequencing of the human genome has created more opportunities for genetic research and increased awareness of the role of genes in diseases. There is also an increased awareness of genetic susceptibility and gene testing. As a result of the advances in genetic research, the public demand for gene testing is on the rise. Patients are now seeking more information about inheritable diseases and predisposition to genetically related disease from doctors and other health professionals. Genetic tests are often conducted to confirm the diagnosis of a genetic disease as well as to assess genetic risk, predict response to drugs, and assist in reproductive decision making. Genetic tests are available for over 950 inherited diseases or conditions in the GeneTests data base for clinical or research purposes. A number of challenges face health professionals when using genetic tests for diagnosis, predictive testing, or reproductive decision making. These include the constant change in genetics knowledge and the increased demand to keep up with the various aspects of the genetic testing process. To meet these demands, physicians and other health professionals should use available educational genetic resources to provide adequate patient care.
Transgenic tobacco plants expressing the maize Cat2 gene have altered catalase levels that affect plant-pathogen interactions and resistance to oxidative stress

Transgenic tobacco genotypes expressing the maize Cat2 gene were developed with altered catalase (CAT) levels that resulted in a moderate increase of CAT activity in two transgenic lines. Bacterial infection, with a pathogen that does not share homology with the transgene, caused local and systemic down-regulation of the steady state mRNA levels of the 35S-driven transgene in a manner resembling post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). Phenotypic symptoms of hypersensitive response (HR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) were similar in control SR1 and the transgenic genotypes. Induction of hin1, used as a molecular marker of plant responses to invading bacteria, displayed a similar pattern between control and transgenic lines, but some variation in the levels of expression was observed. The major difference was recorded in the ability of the plants to restrict bacterial growth during HR. All transgenic lines were more sensitive than control SR1, with two lines exhibiting a significantly reduced capacity to inhibit bacterial growth. This is consistent with the putative enhanced capacity of transgenic lines containing the maize Cat2 gene to more effectively remove H2O2, which may act as a direct antimicrobial agent. Steady state mRNA levels of PR-1 and PR-5 varied among the genotypes, possibly indicating differences in strength of the SAR signal. Transgenic line 2, which was the most sensitive during HR, was most effective in restricting bacterial growth during SAR. This indicates that a reverse correlation might exist between the severity of infection during HR and the ability to inhibit bacterial growth during SAR. Growth under high light conditions affected plant-pathogen interactions in control SR1, as well as in transgenic line 8. Early induction and higher expression of PR-1 and PR-5 was detected in both SR1 and line 8 in high light-grown plants as compared with their low light-grown counterparts. Our data indicate that growth under high light conditions can predispose plants to better resist pathogen attack, and may amplify local and systemic defense signals. Finally, one transgenic line, which exhibited 1.3-fold higher average CAT activity in comparison with the untransformed SR1 control, suffered significantly less methyl viologen (MV) damage than untransformed control plants at moderate and high MV concentrations.
Dinosaur gastroliths revisited

r-Additional information on the alleged gastroliths in Early Cretaceous formations of the Western Interior has changed the writer's opinion from skepticism about a dinosaur causative agency to belief that it is a valid explanation. Concentrations of exotic rounded and polished stones have been found in close association with a number of skeletons. Aside from this, the best evidence is distribution of individual stones in environments where inorganic agencies seem improbable; distinctive individual stones have apparently been carried hundreds of kilometers. Gastroliths have value as quasi-guide fossils. From geographic and geologic associations it is suggested that various sauropods and perhaps the contemporary ornithopod, Tenontosaurus tilleti, were the chief stone- swallowers of the Early Cretaceous of the Western Interior.
A meta-language for functional verification

This dissertation perceives a similarity between two activities: that of coordinating the search for simulation traces toward reaching verification closure, and that of coordinating the search for a proof within a theorem prover. The programmatic coordination of simulation is difficult with existing tools for digital circuit verification because stimuli generation, simulation execution, and analysis of simulation results are all decoupled. A new programming language to address this problem, analogous to the mechanism for orchestrating proof search tactics within a theorem prover, is defined wherein device simulation is made a first-class notion. This meta-language for functional verification is first formalized in a parametric way over hardware description languages using rewriting logic, and subsequently a more richly featured software tool for Verilog designs, implemented as an embedded domain-specific language in Haskell, is described and used to demonstrate the novelty of the programming language and to conduct two case studies. Additionally, three hardware description languages are given formal semantics using rewriting logic and we demonstrate the use of executable rewriting logic tools to formally analyze devices implemented in those languages.
Hibernation strategies and patterns in sympatric arctic species, the Alaska marmot and the arctic ground squirrel

We compared patterns of core body temperature ( T b) change, including inter-individual synchrony, in 2 free-living arctic hibernators that differ in size and sociality, the Alaska marmot ( Marmota broweri ) and the arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ). We report overwinter T b changes from 3 to 4 marmots from the same hibernaculum in each of 3 years and from 7 ground squirrels that hibernated at 2 nearby burrow sites in 1 year. Very close synchrony in the timing of torpor and arousal cycles in Alaska marmots indicates social hibernation and thermoregulation, while lack of synchrony in arctic ground squirrels further confirms solitary hibernation. The mean duration between the first and last marmot measured within the group to initiate an arousal was 3.7±2.5h and to recool to 30°C during torpor entrance was 5.7±3.7h. The minimum T b recorded in marmots was 0.6°C and in ground squirrels was −2.0°C. Marmots entering torpor displayed an interrupted pattern of T b change defined by 2 distinct rates of cooling, early and late during entry, that differed by 21-fold. Ground squirrels cooled in a continuous pattern, initially 3-fold slower than marmots during rapid cooling but 4-fold faster during slow cooling. Both species must minimize energy expenditure to survive long arctic winters; our results suggest that Alaska marmots do this through social thermoregulation, while arctic ground squirrels decrease T b below freezing to minimize the difference between body and ambient temperatures.
Phase I and pharmacologic study of 9-aminocamptothecin given by 72-hour infusion in adult cancer patients.

PURPOSETo conduct a phase I and pharmacologic study of the new topoisomerase I inhibitor, 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC).PATIENTS AND MATERIALSA 72-hour infusion of 9-AC was administered every 14 days to 48 solid-tumor patients at doses of 5 to 59 microg/m2/h without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and 47 to 74 microg/m2/h with G-CSF.RESULTSWithout G-CSF, two of eight patients who received 47 microg/m2/h had dose-limiting neutropenia in their initial cycle, as did both patients who received 59 microg/m2/h (with a platelet count or = 25 microg/m2/h 9-AC with or without G-CSF, fatigue, diarrhea, and nausea/vomiting of grade 2 severity ultimately occurred in 54%, 30%, and 38%, respectively, while ...
AORTOBIFEMORAL BYPASS, THE GOLD STANDARD: TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The controversies that surround the technical aspects of transabdominal reconstruction for aortoiliac occlusive disease, and more specifically ABF, have provided lively debates during the golden era of vascular surgery. It seems almost a pity that, with the resolution of many of these issues, what has become one of the most effective and durable procedures that vascular surgeons have to offer has been beset by PTA and stents on the one side, and a resurgence of extra-anatomic bypass on the other. Hopefully, the coming era of outcome assessment and cost-benefit analysis, coupled with continued advances in perioperative care, will sustain it in its rightful position, as the procedure of choice for bilateral aortoiliac occlusive disease.
A Nomogram for Predicting Precommercial Thinning Costs in Overstocked Spruce-Fir Stands

A simple, graphical method is described for quickly estimating costs of precommercial thinning in dense, young spruce-fir stands using brush saws. The effects of varying stand densities, labor costs, and prior mechanical swath treat- ments can be analyzed. Examples from Maine's spruce-fir region illustrate the nomogram's use for prediction and sensi- tivity analysis of thinning costs.
A New Theory of Consumer Buying Intent

Do products have certain characteristics which establish the relative importance of basic elements of the marketing mix?Here is an attempt to provide a framework by which all products may be relate...
Economic Impact Analysis of Potential Trade Restrictions on Biotech Maize in Latin American Countries

The production and trade of biotech maize across major North and South America exporters has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. However, as new biotech maize traits are being deregulated by national regulatory authorities at increasingly different speeds, the chances that some biotech maize traits may be approved for commercialization and production in some exporting country but not for use in an importing country, have been growing. So has the risk of costly trade disruptions. In this paper we use a spatial equilibrium model of the global maize trade to evaluate the potential economic impacts of such trade disruptions in the Americas. We find that potential trade disruptions for import dependent Latin American countries can have significant negative economic impacts. The results suggest that the development of adequate regulatory capacity and pooling regulatory resources at a regional level as well as adopting national policies for dealing with unapproved biotech crops (e.g. adoption of CODEX Annex) will likely be important in the future in Latin America.
Translational Concepts in Vasculitis

Publisher Summary The vasculitides describe a very heterogeneous group of diseases that all have a common thread, that is, inflammation of blood vessel walls with subsequent downstream tissue damage. They may affect small, medium, and/or large vascular structures, and they may be primary in nature or secondarily associated with other disease processes. Though the etiology of vasculitis remains relatively obscure, the understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases has grown through the study of the vascular endothelium and antiendothelial cell antibodies (AECAs), immune complex formation and deposition, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs), and animal models. The immunological mechanisms involved in the immune complex mediated vasculitides can be broadly considered humoral in nature with examples including cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, hypersensitivity vasculitis, and Henoch-Schonlein Purpura. There are several animal models that investigate the possible pathogenetic relationships of ANCA and infectious agents with vasculitic syndromes. They include knockout murine models, rat studies, and antigen transfer studies, all of which have shed some light on the specter of the role of infection and ANCA in the pathogenesis of vasculitis. Translational research involving signal transduction and resulting clinical application is gaining a foothold in the vasculitis scientific community, and these efforts promise to usher in a new revolution of therapies targeted toward a group of diseases that generate significant morbidity and mortality.