cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tort Law in the Age of Statutes

The common law of torts is widely considered to be in conflict with the modern regulatory state. Tort law interacts with regulations and their enabling statutes in different ways that are fully addressed by the doctrines of negligence per se, the regulatory compliance defense, and statutory preemption. According to a substantial body of scholarship, these three statutorily related doctrines are a muddle, lacking any coherent theory that adequately accounts for the competing institutional concerns of the federal regulatory and state tort systems. The problem resides in a mistaken focus on statutory purpose. Due to the supremacy of legislative law, a statutory purpose to modify tort law would seem to fully determine the relation between the common law of torts and the regulatory state. This conclusion is mistaken, however, explaining why there has been so much confusion and controversy about the matter. Systematic analysis across the doctrines of negligence per se, the regulatory compliance defense, and implied statutory preemption shows that they are instead unified by a single underlying principle: When a statute or administrative regulation is based on a policy decision that is relevant to the resolution of a tort claim, courts will defer to the non-binding legislative policy determination as a matter of common-law discretion. This immanent principle of common-law deference gives much-needed structure to the three statutorily related doctrines, filling the analytic gap created by the overly narrow inquiry into statutory purpose. The legislative intent to modify tort law certainly matters, but the principle of deference provides the primary means by which courts integrate health and safety legislation into the common law of torts, eliminating the purported conflict between tort law and the modern regulatory state.
Is US Development Assistance to Africa Democratizing

Is the imposition of neo-liberal reform as a precondition for development assistance evidence of an anti-democratic trend in US economic policy towards Africa? This paper explores the simultaneous institutionalization of liberal economic reform and the norms of transparency, accountability and consultation with stakeholders in innovative development assistance programs of the Bush and Obama administrations. Although historical power relations evident in the pressure exerted by the US to change economic policy continue, alongside these efforts we see the institutionalization of development practices that have strengthened the representation of African interests and African voices in the development assistance process.
Modified adaptive multiuser detector for DS-CDMA multipath fading

Fading is a critical issue for the next generation of digital cellular system using DS-CDMA. The problem of reducing bit error rate (BER) in presence of multipath fading is addressed. A new method is proposed based on adaptive near-far resistant demodulation techniques. It can be modified to eliminate the detrimental effect of fading in the presence of power control. In addition this method will drastically reduce hardware complexity and increase cell capacity for a digital cellular system.
Conflicts of Interest Arising From the Prudent Investor Rule: Ethical Implications for Over-the-Counter Derivative Securities

The Prudent Investor Rule creates a potential ethical dilemma for investment advisors selling over-the-counter financial products issued by their firms. The "opportunity" to defraud investors using complex, over-the-counter derivative securities designed for client-specific risk management is much higher than for exchange traded securities. This paper emphasizes the ethical responsibility held by trustees and their organizations to eliminate potential conflict of interests through internal control and monitoring. Independent evaluations of the performance of investment advisors and independent appraisals of complex over-the-counter securities are important in reducing the risks of conflicts of interest. Recent lessons learned from the corporate ethics crisis and requirements of the 2002 Sarbanes Oxley Act would suggest that conflict of interest must be eliminated with third party validation of derivative pricing. By performing due diligence and validation, the trustee is able to satisfy the requirements under the Prudent Investor Rule.
James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government

In a study that combines an in-depth examination of Madison's National Gazette essays of 1791–2 with a study of The Federalist, Colleen Sheehan traces the evolution of Madison's conception of the politics of communication and public opinion throughout the Founding period, demonstrating how 'the sovereign public' would form and rule in America. Contrary to those scholars who claim that Madison dispensed with the need to form an active and virtuous citizenry, Sheehan argues that Madison's vision for the new nation was informed by the idea of republican self-government, whose manifestation he sought to bring about in the spirit and way of life of the American people. Madison's story is 'the story of an idea' - the idea of America.
A taxonomic revision of the Phrynosoma douglasii species complex (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

Short-horned lizards (Phrynosoma douglasii species complex) occur throughout the inter-montane West and Great Plains of western North America. The comparative morphology and color pattern variation of short-horned lizards was studied in 3,174 specimens. Multivariate analyses of 20 morphological and color-pattern characters were applied to 977 specimens, and univariate statistics were summarized for 52 samples totaling 1,134 specimens. The results of the morphological data analyses support the recognition of P. douglasii (Bell 1828) as a distinct species, and the resurrection of P. brevirostris Girard 1858a and P. ornatissimum Girard 1858a as species distinct from P. hernandesi Girard 1858a. Two new species allied to P. brevirostris are described: P. bauri sp. nov. from the eastern plains of Colorado and northeastern New Mexico, southeastern Wyoming and southwestern Nebraska south of the North Platte River, and P. diminutum sp. nov. endemic to the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The Mexican taxon brachycercum Smith 1942 is reassigned as a subspecies of P. ornatissimum, based on non-discrete character differences and overall morphometric similarity. The ranges of P. hernandesi and P. ornatissimum broadly overlap in central New Mexico, the former taxon occupying the coniferous forests of disjunct mountain ranges, the latter occuring in the surrounding desert grasslands. Principal components analysis has revealed morphological evidence of hybridization where the two taxa meet, generally within ecotones between montane forest associations and grasslands. Principal components analysis has also revealed a high level of morphological variability in populations occurring in the Colorado Plateau region of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, extreme southwestern Colorado and adjacent Utah. The evidence suggests that these populations arose through past hybridization between the two species. The taxon ornatum Girard 1858b, although sharing several traits with P. brevirostris, is morphologically close to P. hernandesi. It is regarded as a stabilized population of hybrid origin, but treated taxonomically as a subspecies of P. hernandesi. The taxonomic arrangement in this study, with the exception of P. douglasii, is largely discordant with the proposed taxonomy from a previously published study based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data.
Immunohistochemistry of Pulmonary and Pleural Neoplasia

Abstract Context.—The use of immunohistochemical stains has several applications in the evaluation of pulmonary and pleural neoplasms. The number of available immunohistochemical stains is continually expanding and, although these stains are an important diagnostic adjunct, their use is not without limitations and pitfalls. Objective.—To review and summarize the primary immunohistochemical applications with regard to the most common pulmonary and pleural neoplasms and discuss newly developed markers and common pitfalls. Data Sources.—Pertinent peer-reviewed literature emphasizing immunohistochemical applications in common lung and pleural tumors, unusual and problematic staining patterns in frequently encountered subtypes/histologic variants, and recently developed immunohistochemical stains of potential promise. Conclusions.—Immunohistochemical stains provide the greatest aid in establishing the site of origin of adenocarcinomas encountered in the lung and in separating epithelioid mesothelioma from aden...
Incongruence between multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) and whole-genome-based phylogenies: Pseudomonas syringae pathovar pisi as a cautionary tale.

Summary Previous phylogenies, built using a subset of genomic loci, split Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi into two well-supported clades and implied convergence in host range for these lineages. The analysis of phenotypic and genotypic data within the context of this phylogenetic relationship implied further convergence at the level of virulence gene loss and acquisition. We generate draft genome assemblies for two additional P. syringae strains, isolated from diseased pea plants, and demonstrate incongruence between phylogenies created from a subset of the data compared with the whole genomes. Our whole-genome analysis demonstrates that strains classified as pv. pisi actually form a coherent monophyletic clade, so that apparent convergence is actually the product of shared ancestry. We use this example to urge caution when making evolutionary inferences across closely related strains of P. syringae.
Model for Studying Bacterial Adherence to Epithelial Cells Infected with Viruses

Measles infection decreased adherence of staphylococci, streptococci, and pneumococci to cultured epithelial cells, whereas adenovirus had no effect. Rhinovirus increased staphylococcal and streptococcal adherence. Influenza A increased or decreased staphylococcal adherence at different times after infection. Images
Relations among complementary and supplementary pairings of Saalschutzian 4F3(1) series

We investigate sums $K(\vec{x})$ and $L(\vec{x})$ of pairs of (suitably normalized) Saalsch\"utzian ${}_4F_3(1)$ hypergeometric series, and develop a theory of relations among these $K$ and $L$ functions. The function $L(\vec{x})$ has been studied extensively in the literature, and has been shown to satisfy a number of two-term and three-term relations with respect to the variable $\vec{x}$. More recent works have framed these relations in terms of Coxeter group actions on $\vec{x}$, and have developed a similar theory of two-term and three-term relations for $K(\vec{x})$. In this article, we derive "mixed" three-term relations, wherein any one of the $L$ (respectively, $K$) functions arising in the above context may be expressed as a linear combination of two of the above $K$ (respectively, $L$) functions. We show that, under the appropriate Coxeter group action, the resulting set of three-term relations (mixed and otherwise) among $K$ and $L$ functions partitions into eighteen orbits. We provide an explicit example of a relation from each orbit. We further classify the eighteen orbits into five types, with each type uniquely determined by the distances (under a certain natural metric) between the $K$ and $L$ functions in the relation. We show that the type of a relation dictates the complexity (in terms of both number of summands and number of factors in each summand) of the coefficients of the $K$ and $L$ functions therein.
Aspiration cytology of pediatric solitary papillary hyperplastic thyroid nodule.

Abstract Context.—Solitary papillary hyperplastic thyroid nodules (SPHTNs) are frequently encountered in children and teenagers. Although the histologic features are well described, to the best of our knowledge, cytologic findings have not been reported. Objectives.—To review the cytologic features of histologically proven SPHTNs and to identify the potential diagnostic pitfalls in cytologic diagnosis. Materials and Methods.—Fine-needle aspiration cytology of 3 histologically proven SPHTNs was reviewed. Results.—Two girls and 1 boy (ages 11, 12, and 15 years) were affected. The cytologic diagnosis in all 3 cases was suspicious for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The spectrum of cytologic findings included broad flat sheets and 3-dimensional clusters with fire flares. There was mild to moderate nuclear pleomorphism and nuclear atypia. Short nonbranching papillae with transgressing vessels shown to represent hyperplastic papillae on histologic sections were identified in all cases. The background contain...
Challenges in accelerated life testing

Accelerated testing typically targets-life estimation and defect or design weakness identification. The intent is to obtain more information from a given test time than would normally be possible. Time compression is typically achieved by acceleration of single or combination of stresses- temperature, vibration, humidity, etc. Short product development schedule, time-to-market requirements and the development timeline often dictate a fixed time under test. In a test-to-fixed life approach, given number of the product are tested to a fixed life, with zero failures allowed. The test demonstrates the product's minimum reliability, while allowing for a fixed time to conduct testing. In absence of life-test information, the challenge is to decipher if the product may be over-designed or marginally designed. Failure mechanisms and modes observed in accelerated test may not be observed in field life. Accelerated tests such as thermal shock from -55 to 125/spl deg/C may stress the material beyond the equipment operating range, such as above glass transition temperature, where material properties may be significantly different. In general, failure mechanisms may be accelerated by a various forms of temperature stresses including temperature cycle, time dependent temperature change and spatial gradient of temperature or non-temperature stresses including humidity, shock and vibration. Variability of field use conditions often make the task of developing correlations more difficult.
Union loyalty among white‐collar workers in Japan

Previous research on Japanese union members has documented occupational differences in employees' attitudes toward union organizations (Japan Productivity Center, 1990; Morishima, 1993). Yet, little has been done to examine why these differences occur. This study examines, using a data set obtained in 1987 from about 4000 employees, the correlates of union loyalty across white-collar and blue-collar occupations, and among white-collar occupations. A model is developed from previous research on employees' attitudes toward union organizations and on Japanese industrial relations. The results obtained by OLS analyses of union loyalty correlates—members' judgements of union contributions to improvements in employment outcomes and of employers' human resource policies—indicate that Japanese unions have benefited mainly blue-collar workers and traditional white-collar workers, such as those in administrative positions, relative to those in technical positions.
Measurement of poliovirus RNA polymerase binding to poliovirion and nonviral RNAs using a filter-binding assay

The binding of the purified poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to viral and nonviral RNAs was studied using a protein-RNA nitrocellulose filter binding assay. A cellular poly(A)-binding protein was found in viral polymerase preparations, but was easily separated from the polymerase by chromatography on poly(A) Sepharose. Optimal conditions for the binding of purified polymerase (fraction 5-PAS) to 32P-labeled poliovirion RNA were determined. The binding of purified polymerase to 32P-labeled ribohomopolymeric RNAs was examined, and the order of binding observed was poly(G) much much greater than poly(U) greater than poly(C) greater than poly(A). In competitive binding studies, the polymerase bound with equal efficiency to virion RNA and to a subgenomic transcript which contained the 3' end of the genome. The polymerase bound to 18S ribosomal RNA and to globin mRNA equally well, but with a five-fold lower affinity than to virus-specific RNAs. The results suggest that the polymerase exhibits sequence specificity in binding and that polymerase binding sites in poliovirus RNA may contain (G- and/or U)-rich sequences.
Epitaxial growth of CoSi2 on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy: Island growth and coalescence

Abstract Epitaxial CoSi2 layers, which are phase pure but contain {111} twins, are grown on Si(001) at 700 °C by reactive deposition epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy analyses show that the initial formation of CoSi2(001) follows the Volmer–Weber mode characterized by the independent nucleation and growth of three-dimensional islands whose evolution we follow as a function of deposited Co thickness tCo in order to understand the origin of the observed twin density. We find that there are two families of island shapes: inverse pyramids and platelets. The rectangular-based pyramidal islands extend along orthogonal 〈110〉 directions, bounded by four {111} CoSi2/Si interfaces, and grow with a cube-on-cube orientation with respect to the substrate: (001)CoSi2||(001)Si and [100]CoSi2||[100]Si. Platelet-shaped CoSi2 islands are bounded across their long 〈110〉 directions by {111} twin planes (i.e. {111}(001)CoSi2||{111}Si) and their narrow 〈110〉 directions by {511}CoSi2||{111}Si interfaces. The top and bottom surfaces are {22¯1}, with {22¯1}CoSi2||(001)Si, and {1¯1¯1}, with {1¯1¯1}CoSi2||{11¯1}Si, respectively. The early stages of film growth (tCo ≤ 13 A) are dominated by the twinned platelets due to a combination of higher nucleation rates resulting from a larger number of favorable adsorption sites in the Si(001)2 × 1 surface unit cell and rapid elongation of the platelets along preferred 〈110〉 directions. However, at tCo ≥ 13 A island coalescence becomes significant as orthogonal platelets intersect and block elongation along fast growth directions. In this regime, where both twinned and untwinned island number densities have saturated, further island growth becomes dominated by the untwinned islands. A continuous epitaxial CoSi2(001) layer, with a twin density of 2.8 × 1010 cm− 2, is obtained at tCo = 50 A.
The second dissociation constant of sulfuric acid at various temperatures by the conductometric method

The thermodynamic second dissociation constant K2 for sulfuric acid has been determined by conductivity measurements of aqueous sulfuric acid solutions at various temperatures. The data are treated by using two different methods developed with two independent assumptions due to Noyes et al. and Shedlovsky. Both methods require the knowledge of relevant ionic conductivities, which may be calculated from the Onsager limiting law. The values for K2 obtained with these two methods show excellent agreement. The value of 0.0103 mol-L−1 at 25°C agrees with the ‘best’ literature value of 0.0102 mol-L−1 within the experimental uncertainty, as also does the enthalpy of dissociation which is derived from the derivative of the temperature coefficient of K2.
Trypanosoma brucei: differential requirement of membrane potential for import of proteins into mitochondria in two developmental stages.

Trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) and the cytochrome oxidase (COX) are two developmentally regulated terminal oxidases of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in Trypanosoma brucei. Here, we have compared the import of TAO and cytochrome oxidase subunit IV (COIV), two stage-specific nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins, into the bloodstream and procyclic form mitochondria of T. brucei to understand the import processes in two different developmental stages. Under in vitro conditions TAO and COIV were imported and processed into isolated mitochondria from both the bloodstream and procyclic forms. With mitochondria isolated from the procyclic form, the import of TAO and COIV was dependent on the mitochondrial inner membrane potential (Δψ) and required protein(s) on the outer membrane. Import of these proteins also depended on the presence of both internal and external ATP. However, import of TAO and COIV into isolated mitochondria from the bloodstream form was not inhibited after the mitochondrial Δψ was dissipated by valinomycin, CCCP, or valinomycin and oligomycin in combination. In contrast, import of these proteins into bloodstream mitochondria was abolished after the hydrolysis of ATP by apyrase or removal of the ATP and ATP-generating system, suggesting that import is dependent on the presence of external ATP. Together, these data suggest that nuclear encoded proteins such as TAO and COIV are imported in the mitochondria of the bloodstream and the procyclic forms via different mechanism. Differential import conditions of nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins of T. brucei possibly help it to adapt to different life forms.
Mini review: Mitosis and the spindle pole body in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cell duplication is characteristic of life. The coordination of cell growth with cell duplication and, specifically, the ordered steps necessary for this process are termed the cell cycle. Central to this process is the faithful replication and segregation of the chromosomes. The cycle consists of four phases: G1, where the decision to enter the cell cycle, which is known as Start, is made; S phase, during which the DNA is replicated; G2, during which controls assuring the completion of S phase operate; and M, or the mitotic phase, which is characterized by chromosome segregation, nuclear division, and cytokinesis. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been developed into a model genetic system for the study of the cell division cycle (Hartwell et al. ['73] Genetics, 74:267–286). Here I review the basic processes by which chromosomes are segregated, with an emphasis on the physical structures fundamental to this process. J. Exp. Zool. 277:120–138, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Color fusion MRI: an effective technique for image visualization in a variety of clinical applications

This paper reports the application of an innovative technique of image fusion of color-coded fluid-sensitive MRI images with high-resolution anatomical images. Image fusion of corresponding slices from two imaging sequences is obtained in real time allowing the user to navigate interactively through large image sets. This technique was applied and evaluated in cases of a variety of musculoskelettal diseases. A color image, overlaying conspicuous findings of fluid-sensitive images, on high resolution spin-echo images, providing accurate anatomical localization were obtained. Compared with traditional side-by-side reviews of these images, this interactive technique it was found to facilitates the correlation of information of different imaging sequences. Furthermore the color images that are generated greatly facilitate the communication of the diagnostic findings to referring physicians.
Cellular, But Not Direct, Adenoviral Delivery of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Results in Improved Left Ventricular Function and Neovascularization in Dilated Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Objectives We sought to compare the effects on angiogenesis and left ventricular (LV) function of adenoviral vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (AdVEGF-165) gene delivery by direct injection of AdVEGF-165 to the transplantation of skeletal myoblasts (SKMB) transfected with AdVEGF-165 in a rat model of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Background Angiogenesis offers the potential for treating ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, the optimal method of delivering angiogenic factors for neovascularization remains undetermined. With the increased clinical interest in cell therapy for the treatment of LV dysfunction, SKMB transplantation may serve as a means of gene transfer. Methods Two months after left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, rats received either injection of an adenoviral construct encoding VEGF-165, or 1 million SKMB transfected with AdLuciferase (AdLuc) or AdVEGF-165. Cardiac function was assessed echocardiographically, and neovascularization was assessed histologically four weeks after therapy. Results Neovascularization was significantly increased by both AdVEGF delivery strategies (100 ± 7% and 185 ± 33% increase in vascular density compared with SKMB alone, respectively). However, cell-based delivery, but not direct injection of AdVEGF-165, resulted in increased cardiac function (73.5 ± 12.6% and 1.5 ± 8.8% increase in shortening fraction compared with saline control; AdLuc-transfected SKMB: 29.4 ± 15.0%). The improved function was not due to increased engraftment of VEGF expressing SKMB. Rather, improved function correlated with less apoptosis in the border zone in those animals that received AdVEGF-165 expressing SKMB. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that cell-based delivery of VEGF leads to an improved treatment effect over direct adenoviral injection, and suggest that already developed adenoviral vectors that encode secreted factors could potentially offer greater efficacy in combination with SKMB transplantation.
Defective presentation of endogenous antigen by a cell line expressing class I molecules

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognize class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules associated with antigenic peptides derived from endogenously synthesized proteins. Binding to such peptides is a requirement for class I assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A mutant human cell line, T2, assembles and transports to its surface some, but not all, class I MHC molecules. The class I molecules expressed on the surface of T2 do not present peptides derived from cytosolic antigens, although they can present exogenously added peptides to CTL. The transported class I molecules may interact weakly with an unknown retaining factor in the ER such that they can assemble despite the relative shortage of peptides.
Ambient temperature observations

AMBIENT temperature according to rule 2300 of the A. I. E. E. Standards, “is to be measured by means of several thermometers placed at different points around and half way up the machine at a distance of one to two meters or three to six feet.” “The value to be adopted for the ambient temperature during a test, is the mean of the readings of the thermometers (placed as above) taken at equal intervals of time during the last quarter of the duration of the test.”
Upper crustal structure and Neogene tectonic development of the California continental borderland

Multichannel seismic-reflection data, sonobuoy seismic-refraction data, and regional geology are used to define the upper crustal structure of the southern California continental borderland and to delineate the characteristics of the main lithotectonic belts of the region. The Catalina Schist belt is separated on its west side from the gently deformed Nicolas forearc belt by faults that have steep west dips and pronounced normal separations. On its east side the schist belt is bounded by a large detachment fault that dips gently to the east beneath the west edge of the Peninsular Ranges belt at the coastline near Oceanside. The Catalina Schist was uplifted from middle crustal depths and exposed during a major event of extensional tectonism that started in early Miocene time in conjunction with about 10° of clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges belt. Part of the uplift of the Catalina Schist could have occurred on the detachment fault, but it is thought to have mostly occurred on the steep faults that bound the west edge of the schist belt. A large amount of uplift is required, and it probably involved strong footwall flexural deformation in the wake of the translating and rotating western Transverse Ranges and Nicolas forearc belts. Extension, accompanied by probable large amounts of right slip, continued in the borderland region during and after middle Miocene time. The later stage of extension was accompanied by rapid clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges of at least 90°. Most of the borderland, including the belt of schist that was uplifted in early Miocene time, was further deformed into numerous basins and ridges during this stage of oblique extension. The primary driving force for the deformation is thought to have been derived from the rapid northwest motion of the Pacific plate after it had become coupled to the Farallon plate system, which had previously been subducted beneath the borderland.
Inertial oscillations and related internal beat pulsations and surges in Lakes Michigan and Ontario

Records of water temperature, current, and wind, made during campaigns on Lakes Michigan 1963 and Ontario 1972, are searched for inertial responses to wind action: (i) circle-tracking currents; and (ii) isotherm depth undulations, i.e., long internal wave manifestations of forcing by wind. With stratification absent in winter, only response (i) is seen (and then only rarely) with periods very close to the local inertial period, Tin. After whole basin stratification is complete, both responses (i) and (ii) occur frequently, as internal Kelvin waves (shore trapped and not further treated here) and cross-basin Poincare internal seiche modes. Mode periods range between 1% and 15% less than Tin, depending on which of the here-modeled modes have responded and on differences between modes in their partitioning of kinetic and potential energy. When, in both lakes, short duration wind impulses were followed by a week or more of relative calm, Poincare mode combinations produced beat pulsations in both responses (i) and (ii), diagnostic features of which sometimes permitted participating modes to be identified. At a nearshore downwelled front in Lake Ontario, another type of poststorm adjustment was seen. Periodically released from the front, internal surges migrated across the basin through fields of inertially rotating, response (i) currents.
A Modification on the Friedman Test Statistic

A modification on the well-known, nonparametric Friedman test statistic is suggested in this article. Probability distributions of the suggested test statistic under the null hypothesis are tabulated for some small sample cases. In addition to an example, simulation results for various sample sizes are presented. The simulation indicates that the modified test statistic performs better than the Friedman test in detecting treatment effects of small differences especially when the sample size is small.
67-year-old man with hepatitis C infection and abdominal distention.

Address reprint requests and correspondence to Lewis R. Roberts, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (e-mail: roberts.lewis @mayo.edu). A 67-year-old man with a history of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection presented to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, to be considered for ribavirin and interferon therapy. The patient used intravenous drugs while in college. He had abnormally elevated liver enzymes on a routine examination 10 years before presentation and nonA, non-B hepatitis was diagnosed, which was later confirmed to be HCV infection. He was treated with interferon twice but had a persistent viremia and remained asymptomatic. The patient never had variceal bleeding, ascites, or hepatic encephalopathy. α-Fetoprotein (AFP) levels of 14.4 ng/mL and 15.2 ng/mL (reference range, <6 ng/mL) were noted at 2 years and 1 year before presentation, respectively. The patient has a history of essential hypertension, and he uses no alcohol or drugs. His medications include amlodipine besylate, 5 mg daily for hypertension. On examination, the patient looked well nourished. His blood pressure level was 160/80 mm Hg, and his pulse rate was 80/min. He was not jaundiced, and hepatosplenomegaly was not appreciated. There were no stigmas of chronic liver failure. Laboratory tests showed the following (reference ranges shown parenthetically): hemoglobin, 13.8 g/dL (13.5-17.5 g/ dL); platelet count, 196 × 10/L (150-450 × 10/L); international normalized ratio, 1.1 (0.9-1.1); albumin, 3.8 g/dL (3.55.0 g/dL); bilirubin, 1.1 mg/dL (0.1-1.0 mg/dL); alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 117 U/L (10-45 U/L); alkaline phosphatase, 260 U/L (98-251 U/L); AFP, 31.6 ng/mL (<6 ng/ mL); and hepatitis C recombinant immunoblot assay, positive.
Comparison of Biliary excretion of organic anions in mice and rats.

Abstract Biliary excretion of cholephilic organic acids in anesthetized, male Swiss-Webster mice was compared to that in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The mouse excreted six of the eight compounds examined at a faster or equal rate than the rat. Indocyanine green, rose bengal, phenol-3,6-dibromsulphthalein disulfonate, and eosine were excreted in mice at a rate 120 to 460% higher than in rats. The excretion rates of bromcresol green and sulfobromophthalein glutathione conjugate were similar in the two species, whereas amaranth was excreted at a slightly lower rate in mice than in rats. Biliary excretion of sulfobromophthalein (BSP), especially its glutathione conjugate, was significantly lower in the mouse which corresponded to a difference in BSP-glutathione transferase activities between the two species (mouse, 0.97; rat, 1.35 μmol/min/g liver). The depression of bile production by cholestatic organic anions was stronger, and the stimulation of bile flow by choleretic acids was weaker in mice than in rats. Differences in biliary bile acid excretion (mouse, 3.62; rat, 1.42 μmol/kg/min), bile flow (mouse, 102; rat, 69 μl/kg/min), and liver weight (mouse, 57; rat, 38 g/kg) but not hepatic ligandin concentration (mouse, 132; rat, 214 nmol BSP/g liver) may explain the variations in the biliary organic anion excretion between mice and rats.
Consenting to donation: an examination of current practices in informed consent for tissue donation in the US

Informed consent is the primary moral principle guiding the donation of human tissue for transplant purposes. When patients’ donation wishes are not known, family members making the decision about tissue donation should be provided with requisite information needed to make informed donation decisions. Using a unique dataset of 1,016 audiotaped requests for tissue obtained from 15 US tissue banking organizations, we examined whether the information provided to families considering tissue donation met current standards for informed consent. The results indicated that many elements of informed consent were missing from the donation discussions, including the timeframe for procurement, autopsy issues, the involvement of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and the processing, storage and distribution of donated tissue. A multiple linear regression analysis also revealed that nonwhites and family members of increased age received less information regarding tissue donation than did younger, white decision makers. Recommendations for improving the practice of obtaining consent to tissue donation are provided.
Using Dynamic Musculoskeletal Simulation to Evaluate Altered Muscle Properties in Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is caused by an injury to the brain, but also causes many secondary changes in the musculoskeletal system. Altered muscle properties such as contracture, an increased passive resistance to stretch, are common but vary widely between individuals and between muscles. Quantifying these changes is important to understand pathologic movement and create patient-specific treatment plans. Musculoskeletal modeling and simulation have increasingly been used to evaluate pathologic movement in CP; however, these models are based upon muscle properties of unimpaired individuals. In this study, we used a dynamic musculoskeletal simulation of a simple motion, passively moving the ankle, to determine (1) if a model based upon unimpaired muscle properties can accurately represent individuals with cerebral palsy, and (2) if an optimization can be used to adjust passive muscle properties and characterize magnitude of contracture in individual muscles. We created musculoskeletal simulations of ankle motion for nine children with cerebral palsy. Results indicate that the unimpaired musculoskeletal model cannot accurately characterize passive ankle motion for most subjects, but adjusting tendon slack lengths can reduce error and help identify the magnitude of contracture for different muscles.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Planning and improving global software development process using simulation

Global software development poses a number of challenges and difficulties as well as significant potential benefits. In order to be successful, companies need to adapt and improve their processes to support this kind of development. Strong project planning and management is also required. Software process simulation modeling has been used to address a variety of issues in software development projects ranging from strategic management, project planning and control, process improvement, to training and understanding. We believe that a hybrid simulation model combining system dynamics and discrete-event models is needed to effectively model global software development projects. In this paper, we describe such a model, and focus on the use of the model to support project planning and process improvement in global software development. Example questions/issues that can be addressed by our GSD model are provided, along with an illustrative application.
Depth-buffer algorithms for molecular modelling

Abstract Methods for drawing sophisticated pictures of molecules on colour-raster graphics terminals are presented. These methods utilize depth buffers, which store, for each pixel, not only a colour and a shade, but also a z coordinate or depth. Depth buffers make it convenient to combine several different molecular representations into a single picture. The algorithms can produce cutaway views of protein interiors, cross-sections of proteinprotein interfaces, and translucent solvent-accessible surfaces through which the chemical structure may be seen.
Nonresolving pneumonia in steroid-treated patients with obstructive lung disease

Abstract purpose: To review autopsy-proven cases of opportunistic pneumonia and determine how many of these patients had received corticosteroid therapy for obstructive lung disease in order to define whether this therapy was the major risk factor predisposing to infection. patients and method: All autopsies performed at Winthrop-University Hospital over a 5-year period were reviewed, and 30 cases of opportunistic pneumonia were identified. In eight of 30 cases, corticosteroid therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the only identifiable risk factor for opportunistic infection. The other 22 patients had other well-defined risk factors for infection. Chart review of the eight patients with COPD was undertaken to define the clinical features of their infections. results: All eight patients had a progressive multilobar pneumonia that failed to resolve, either clinically or radiographically, despite the use of multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics. In four cases, the infection was community-acquired, while in the other four cases, it was nosocomial in origin. Despite the presence of a nonresolving pneumonia, opportunistic infection was generally not considered as a diagnostic possibility, with only one case being correctly diagnosed antemortem. Autopsy examination documented Aspergillus species as being responsible for six episodes of pneumonia, Candida albicans accounting for one episode, and cytomegalovirus accounting for one episode. conclusion: Based on this experience, it is clear that corticosteroid therapy of COPD can lead to opportunistic pulmonary infection, in or out of the hospital. This diagnosis should be considered when patients receiving this therapy develop a pneumonia that fails to respond to broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization Kinetics in Soil Previously Amended with Sewage Sludge

Microbial mineralization rates of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) were determined on the same sludge-amended and nonamended soil samples. The purpose of this integrated approach was to high-light the long-term dynamics of N release with C stabilization in sludge-affected soil. Three application rates of digested municipal sludge, check, 45 Mg ha⁻¹ and 180 Mg ha⁻¹, were incorporated into field plots annually for 8 years, with no addition during the subsequent 3 years. Barley was grown on the site each spring of the 11 years. In an 87-week laboratory incubation experiment conducted on soil samples collected 3 years after the last sludge addition, N and C mineralization rates (kₙ, kc) increased with sludge application rate. Soil nitrogen mineralization potentials (Nₒ) increased with sludge application, unlike carbon mineralization potentials (Cₒ) which did not correlate with sludge application. The C/N ratio of the mineralized organic matter decreased with sludge application rate. Three years after field incorporation of sludge, decomposition of the organic fraction can be described as a set of two first-order rate reactions. One fraction is characterized by a large stable element (high Nₒ, Cₒ and low kₙ, kc); the second fraction consists of a smaller labile portion which is characterized by low Nₒ, Cₒ and high kₙ, kc values. The microbial biomass decreased to less than half of its original amount after 20 weeks of incubation in all soil treatments.
Pipecolic acid pathway: the major lysine metabolic route in the rat brain.

Summary Lysine metabolism was studied in the rat brain by intraventricular injection of 14C-labeled L- and D-lysine. The major metabolic intermediate in the brain labeled from either lysine isomer was found to be pipecolic acid which was characterized to be in the L-configuration. Small amounts of labeled α-aminoadipic acid could also be detected in the brain samples from rats 24 hours after injection with either lysine isomer. L- or D-lysine, therefore, appears to be metabolized in the rat brain via pipecolic acid to α-aminoadipic acid which differs from the major saccharopine pathway known to be operative in the liver or other mammalian tissues.
307 MEAN ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE (MAP) RESPONSE TO PAN-CURONIUM BROMIDE (PB) IN THE NEWBORN PIGLET

Pharmacological induction of muscle paralysis with PB is frequently used in the newborn to facilitate artificial ventilation. Cardiovascular responses to this drug have not been as well documented in the neonate as in the adult. Sixteen newborn piglets (wt 800-2300 gms) were anesthetized with ketamine (IM) and placed on a Bourns LS-105 ventilator. Heart rate, systolic, diastolic and MAP were continuously monitored. PB was given IV in varying dosages (.03-.72 mg/kg)for induction of complete paralysis. Acid-base imbalance (pH 7.03-7.65) was produced by altering ventilator settings and by lactic acid infusion. Fifty-eight percent of PB injections resulted in an increased MAP (↑X 12.9 mmHg),9% lowered MAP(↓X 16 mmHg)and in the remaining 32%,MAP continued unchanged. The following variables were also analyzed: weight, drug dosage, blood pH and change in heart rate (HR). Analysis of variance revealed that HR changes were the only statistically significant variable (p<.05). A significant rise in HR was noted with either an increase or decrease in MAP, while the HR remained relatively constant when MAP was unchanged. In adults, PB increases HR and MAP; however, in the newborn piglet, the response to PB is variable. Alterations in MAP have significant effects on tissue-organ blood flow. If the variable HR and MAP responses to PB seen in the newborn animal model can be extrapolated to humans, careful monitoring of cardiovascular function is advisable in neonates undergoing muscle paralysis.
On the nature of singularities inherent, under a given analytic distribution of the external pressure, in solutions of the prandtl equations near the point of separation

A comprehensive analysis of a classical two-dimensional boundary layer is developed with the aim of revealing possible types of singularities related to separation. According to the basic assumption, the limit flow regime with a singular point of vanishing skin friction obeys an analytic solution where the frictional intensity approaches zero according to quadratic law rather than varing linearly with distance. Small deviations from the limit regime are described in terms of eigenfunctions, three of which involve singularities. The flow field for all supercritical regimes is continued into a small region centered about the singular characteristic springing from the point of vanishing skin friction in the undisturbed limit solution. The solvability condition for a key boundary-value problem posed in this region as a result of matching the global-scaled solution upstream gives three different types of singularities of the Prandtl equation. According to the weakest-type singularity the skin friction varies as the square root of the cube of the local distance. The next type includes a sudden change in the wall shear stress derivative with respect to the coordinate along the solid surface, it was ruled out of the basic limit solution. Then the famous Landau-Goldstein singularity with the skin friction being proportional to the square root of the local distance evolves. A still more complicated flow pattern may be composed of the singularity with a sudden change in the wall shear stress derivative superseded by the Landau-Goldstein singularity at some small distance downstream. A qualitative comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental data for a circular cylinder in an incompressible stream is made with the emphasis on conceivable explanations for the nonmonotonic behavior of frictional intensities in the transitional range of Reynolds numbers.
Linguistic analysis of dialect “correction” and its interaction with cognitive salience

This article considers language variation within one “ethnic” group: Israelis of Middle Eastern origins. Earlier studies (Yaeger-Dror, 1988, 1991) found that singers from the dominant “koine” -speaking social group (Blanc, 1968) use [r] in pop songs and [R] in casual interviews. This can be defined as a register distinction. On the other hand, singers from a MidEastern ethnolinguistic background, whose underlying dialect includes [r], use [R] even in songs. Given that singers whose vernacular consonant invetory does not even include [r], and who should find it easire to use it categorically, have such a difficult time maintaing [r] consistently (and appropriately) in the song register? One of the recorded variants for these singers “merges” the [r] and [R] into coarticulated [rR]. Why does this previously unattested sound arise, and what does it tell us about the linguistic and sociolinguistic situation? Data from various registers are analyzed in order to discover the answers to these questions. This analysis is concerned with the quantifiable evidence of systematic patterns in the use of these three pronunciations for [r] and uses this evidence to demonstrate that subconscious sociolinguistic pressures on members of the minority community influence them to assimilate to the dominant social group while still retaining ethnolinguistic proof of a narrower ethnic identity. For example, the use of [rR] is found to be correlated with a wish to affiliate with both an [R]-using group and an [r]-using group, showing that sociolinguistic techniques can reveal social psychological ethinc affiliation. Like Trudgill's (1986) discussions of dialects in contact, the present theoretical discussion takes advantage of proposals advanced by Giles, to explain why the data reveal both convergence (toward the dominant out-group) and divergence (toward the in-group) (Giles & Coupland, 1991). Sociolinguistic methods permit a quantitative analysis of the strength of these conflicting tendencies, both of which are subsumed under the technical term “accommodation.” Methods are proposed to determine if choice of the [R] or [rR] variant is conscious or not, and variable rule analysis reveals that for most of the singers the less cognitive salience, the greater the degree of convergence to the Koine norm [R]. The linguistic factors that are correlated with the relative degree of salience can be used in future studies when the relationship between convergence toward another dialect or language and relative cognitive salience is also at issue.