cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Private Equity in China and India

In the last decade, China and India have attracted an increasing number of private equity investments and dedicated funds because of their respective strong economic development. China and India have grown at average rates of 10% and 8%, respectively, over the past 10 years. This accounts—on a PPP basis—for 30% of global GDP growth in 2006. China9s particularly impressive growth has been powered by manufacturing exports, while India9s development has been driven by its current lead in IT, services and global leadership in basic industries (e.g., aluminum, steel). According to BusinessWeek, companies in both countries are experiencing increased profitability, although Indian companies have been doing better in recent years: between 2000 and 2004, ROIC increased from 9.8% to 12.6% for Chinese companies, but jumped from 6.9% to 16.5% for Indian companies. Lower labor costs and the increasing size of domestic markets have produced attractive opportunities for private equity funds, although valuations have been driven up to record-breaking levels because of the increasing number of investors jostling for business. Nonetheless, there are considerable risks to investment in both countries. There may be difficulties in conducting proper due diligence, challenges regarding government limitations on foreign ownership in some sectors, and issues relating to the rule of law. Moreover, once the investment has been made, it may be difficult to find properly qualified managers capable of improving operations, and exit routes may be limited due to the limited depth of capital markets. There also may be challenges arising from currency instability, and tax haven loopholes may be lost.
Magnetic Field Structure in Protostellar Envelopes

We have imaged the linearly polarized emission toward the young stellar objects NGC 1333/IRAS 4A and IRAS 16293-2422. We suggest that the polarized emission from the dense protostellar environment arises from magnetically aligned dust grains and use these observations to investigate the magnetic field structure. The observations were obtained using the new polarimetric capabilities at 3 mm of the six-element millimeter array of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. Toward IRAS 4A, the average polarization observed is 4.4% ± 0.7%. The magnetic field direction implied by the observations is roughly parallel to the direction of the bipolar molecular outflow. Structure is seen at 3'' resolution in the linearly polarized image. The peak of the linear polarization is offset 15 from the peak of the total intensity and elongated perpendicular to the implied field direction. Models calculated with an hourglass magnetic field morphology in a spherically symmetric dusty envelope are consistent with the observations. Toward IRAS 16293 the polarized emission is located between the two binary components, and the polarization percentage at the peak of the polarized emission is 2.7% ± 0.7%. The magnetic field direction implied from our measurements is parallel to the major axis of the circumbinary disk. The polarized emission could be produced by a toroidal magnetic field in the circumbinary disk. The high resolution of the interferometer provides a probe of the polarized emission at the high densities (n ≥ 108 cm-3) characteristic of protostellar envelopes and disks. The detection of polarized emission at these densities provides a test of grain alignment mechanisms. We conclude that alignment by paramagnetic relaxation of thermally rotating grains is unlikely, because of the well-coupled gas and grain temperatures, but alignment of suprathermally rotating grains is not ruled out.
Task-Independent Cognitive State Transition Detection From Cortical Neurons During 3-D Reach-to-Grasp Movements

Complex reach, grasp, and object manipulation tasks require sequential, temporal coordination of movements by neurons in the brain. Detecting cognitive state transitions associated with motor tasks from sequential neural data is pivotal in rehabilitation engineering. The cognitive state detectors proposed thus far rely on task-dependent (TD) models, i.e., the detection strategy exploits a priori knowledge of the movement tasks to determine the actual cognitive states, regardless of whether these cognitive states actually depend on the movement tasks or not. This approach, however, is not viable when the tasks are not known a priori (e.g., the subject performs many different tasks) or there is paucity of neural data for each task. Moreover, some cognitive states (e.g., holding) may be invariant to the movement tasks performed. Here we propose a real-time (online) task-independent (TI) framework to detect cognitive state transitions from spike trains and kinematic measurements. We constructed this detection framework using 452 single-unit neural spike recordings collected via multielectrode arrays in the premotor dorsal and ventral (PMd and PMv) cortical regions of two nonhuman primates performing 3-D multiobject reach-to-grasp tasks. We used the detection latency and accuracy of state transitions to measure the performance. We find that, in both online and offline detection modes: 1) TI models have significantly better performance than corresponding TD models when using neuronal data alone and 2) during movements, the addition of the kinematics history to the TI models further improves detection performance. These findings suggest that TI models may accurately detect cognitive state transitions. Our framework could pave the way for a TI control of neural prosthesis from cortical neurons.
Paratesticular leiomyosarcoma in an elderly man

Soft tissue tumors, both benign and malignant, of the testes are relatively uncommon. Primary leiomyosarcoma of the testis is rare, and its clinical behavior is difficult to predict. We report a case of paratesticular leiomyosarcoma in a 71-year-old man. Routine histologic examination and immunohistochemical staining were performed. The tumor was composed of interlacing fascicles of smooth muscle cells with marked nuclear pleomorphism and three to four mitoses per high power field, with few atypical mitoses. On the basis of the microscopic examination and immunohistochemical studies, the tumor was identified as a paratesticular leiomyosarcoma. The published studies on this entity are reviewed.
Identifying risk factors for imminent death in cancer patients with acute dyspnea

A substantial proportion of cancer patients presenting to an emergency center (EC) or clinic with acute dyspnea survives fewer than 2 weeks. If these patients could be identified at the time of admission, physicians and patients would have additional information on which to base decisions to continue therapy to extend life or to refocus treatment efforts on palliation and/or hospice care alone. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for imminent death (survival </= 2 weeks) and short-term survival (1, 3, or 6 months) in cancer patients presenting to an EC with acute dyspnea and to combine these factors into a model to help clinicians identify patients with short life expectancies. A random sample of 122 patients presenting to an EC with acute dyspnea was selected for a retrospective analysis. Data that were available to physicians during the initial EC visit included patient histories, triage and discharge vital signs, chest radiographs, and laboratory results. These variables were used in univariate and logistic regression models to develop predictive models for imminent death and short-term survival. Variables and interactions meeting a univariate criterion of P < 0.10 were included in stepwise regression by using forward and backward stepping. Models were compared with the use of Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics and receiver operating characteristics curves. Underlying cancers were 30% breast, 37% lung, and 34% other cancers. Triage respiration greater than 28/min., triage pulse greater than or equal to 110 bpm, uncontrolled progressive disease, and history of metastasis were found to be statistically significant predictors (alpha </= 0.05) of imminent death. Patients with uncontrolled progressive disease had a relative risk of imminent death of 21.93. Relative risks for triage respiration, pulse, and metastases were 12.72, 4.92, and 3.85, respectively. Cancer diagnosis was not predictive of imminent death but was predictive when longer time periods were modeled. It may be possible to identify patients whose death is imminent from a group of cancer patients with acute dyspnea. Some factors that predict imminent death (triage pulse and respiration) differ from those (cancer diagnosis) that predict short-term survival. Extent of disease/response to treatment is common to all models. These factors need further examination and validation. If these findings are confirmed, this quantified information can help physicians in making difficult end-of-life decisions.
Oxidative Damage to Catalase Induced by Peroxyl Radicals: Functional Protection by Melatonin and Other Antioxidants

Thermal decomposition by the azo initiator 2,2' azobis-(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) has been widely used as a water-soluble source of free radical initiators capable of inducing lipid peroxidation and protein damage. Here, in a lipid-free system, AAPH alone (40 mM) rapidly induced protein modification and inactivation of the enzyme catalase (EC 1.11.1.6). Using SDS-PAGE, it was shown that protein band intensity is dramatically reduced after 4 h of incubation with AAPH, leading to protein aggregation. Several antioxidants including melatonin, glutathione (GSH) and trolox prevented catalase modification when used at a 250 &#119 M concentration whereas ascorbate was only effective at 1 mM concentration. All the antioxidants tested reduced carbonyl formation although melatonin was the most effective in this regard. Enzyme inactivation caused by AAPH was also significantly reduced by the antioxidants and again melatonin was more efficient than the other antioxidants used in this study. Results sho...
Simultaneous credible intervals for small area estimation problems

In this paper, we fill in an important research gap in small area literature, namely the problem of constructing simultaneous credible intervals. We illustrate how the Bayesian approach can be applied to develop different simultaneous credible interval procedures. The utility of our method is illustrated through simulation and data analysis.
Understanding Evil and Educating Heroes

Why do people do horrific things to one another? This article reviews two recent books that attempt to answer that question, Philip Zimbardo's The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil and Barbara Coloroso's Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide. The author discusses the educational implications of these works and raises preliminary considerations for an education for heroism.
Isolation and phenotypic characterization of abomasal mucosal lymphocytes in the course of a primary Ostertagia ostertagi infection in calves

Abstract Isolation and characterization of surface marker phenotypes of abomasal intraepithelial (IEL), lamina propria (LPL) and abomasal lymph node lymphocytes (ABLN) from uninfected calves were conducted, and the dynamics of change in these populations during the course of a primary Ostertagia ostertagi infection were defined. To obtain viable IEL and LPL from the abomasal mucosa of cattle, a modified isolation method was developed. The phenotypic characterization of abomasal lymphocytes was accomplished by indirect immunofluorescence staining. In uninfected animals, numbers of T cells exceeded the number of immunoglobulin-bearing cells in IEL, LPL and ABLN. The predominant T cell type in IEL and LPL was CD8 + cells, while the CD4 + T cell predominated in ABLN. Levels of activated cells and T cell receptor-1 γδ T cells were higher in IEL and LPL compared to ABLN. Within 3 weeks of infection, the number of lymphocytes recovered from the abomasal lamina propria and the mass of the ABLN was dramatically increased when compared to uninfected animals. Laser flow cytometric analysis demonstrated increased levels of immunoglobulin-bearing cells, γδ T cells, and activated T cells in IEL, LPL and ABLN in the infected animals. The greatest changes in LPL and ABLN took place during the first days of infection, and these changes were apparent throughout the 28 days covered by the experiment.
Fuzzy Logic Based Error Concealment Algorithm for H.264 Video Transmission

In this paper, a new error concealment algorithm is proposed for the coding standard H.264. The algorithm consists of a block size determination step to determine the size type of the lost block and a motion vector recovery step to find the lost motion vector. The former step uses fuzzy logic method to select the size type of the lost block from the current frame. In the latter step, the optimal motion vector for the lost block is chosen from multiple previous reference frames with the minimum value of the side match distortion. The proposed algorithm determines the most correct mode for the lost block, and save much more computation time for motion vector recovery. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves 0.5-3 dB improvement than conventional VM method.
Effect of Desmopressin on Aqueous Humor Flow in Humans

The rate of aqueous humor flow was studied in 17 human subjects with neurogenic diabetes insipidus. Flow was measured by fluorophotometry on two consecutive afternoons. The first day, subjects used desmopressin to control their diuresis; on the second day, subjects did not use desmopressin and had uncontrolled diuresis. On both days, one eye was created with the beta-adrenergic antagonist, timolol. With desmopressin, the rate of aqueous humor flow in the untreated eye was 2.53 ± 0.79 ul/min (mean ± standard deviation) and in the timolol-treated eye was 1.69 ± 0.40 ul/ min. Without desmopressin, the rate of aqueous humor flow in the untreated eye was 2.34 ± 0.69 ul/min and in the timolol-treated eye was 1.53 ± 0.43 ul/min. Thus, the use of desmopressin was associated with a slightly higher rate of aqueous humor flow in both the normal and the beta-adrenergically inhibited eye (P = .05), and the suppression of aqueous humor flow associated with beta-adrenergic inhibition occurred with and without antidiuretic hormone (P The observed differences in aqueous humor flow on the two days could have been caused by a direct effect on the eye or to indirect effects, such as the change in plasma osmolality, which changed from 291 ± 6 mOsm on the desmopressin day to 299 ± 8 mOsm on the desmopressin-abstention day (P
Thick as Thieves: A Social Embeddedness Model of Rule Breaking in Organizations:

This qualitative study examines rule breaking in organizations by analyzing how deceptive sales practices became widespread at a major life insurance company. Using grounded theory techniques, a theoretical model is developed that illustrates the persistence and proliferation of rule breaking in organizations. Findings suggest the utility of adopting a social embeddedness perspective on rule breaking, as the mechanisms of diffusion and facilitation embedded in relationships between managers and employees enable the process whereby rule breaking becomes widespread.
An essential role for a phospholipid transfer protein in yeast Golgi function.

PROGRESSION of proteins through the secretory pathway of eukaryotic cells involves a continuous rearrangement of macromolecular structures made up of proteins and phospholipids. The protein SEC14p is essential for transport of proteins from the yeast Golgi complex1. Independent characterization of the SEC14 gene2 and the PIT1 gene3, which encodes a phosphatidy-linositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer protein in yeast, indicated that these two genes are identical. Phospholipid transfer proteins are a class of cytosolic proteins that are ubiquitous among eukaryotic cells and are distinguished by their ability to catalyse the exchange of phospholipids between membranesin vitro4. We show here that the SEC14 and PIT1 genes are indeed identical and that the growth phenotype of a sec 14-1ts mutant extends to the inability of its transfer protein to effect phospholipid transfer in vitro4,5. These results therefore establish for the first time an in vivo function for a phospholipid transfer protein, namely a role in the compartment-specific stimulation of protein secretion.
Decision criteria in the evaluation of potential intrapreneurs

Abstract Social cognition theory constructs were applied to systematically identify decision criteria underlying managers' selection of individuals for intrapreneurial and general administrative manager positions. Results revealed 19 attributes uniquely ascribed to the role of intrapreneur, 24 attributes uniquely ascribed in the role of general administrative manager, and 37 attributes held in common across the two roles. Differences in the average number of attributes elicited varied across sample groups, with a larger number of attributes elicited from individuals with greater entre/intrapreneurial expertise. Implications for researchers, organizations, and aspiring intrapreneurs are discussed.
Breastfeeding patterns and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

The risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) was investigated in relation to breastfeeding patterns in the Northern California Childhood Leukaemia Study. Data collected by self-administered and in-person questionnaires from biological mothers of leukaemia cases (age 0–14 years) in the period 1995–2002 were matched to birth certificate controls on date of birth, sex, Hispanic ethnic status, and maternal race. Ever compared to never breastfeeding was not associated with risk of ALL at ages 1–14 years (odds ratio=0.99; 95% CI=0.64–1.55) and ages 2–5 years (OR=1.49; 95% CI=0.83–2.65). Various measures of breastfeeding duration compared to absence of breastfeeding also had no significant effect on risk. Complimentary feeding characteristics such as type of milk/formula used and age started eating solid foods among breastfed children were not associated with ALL risk. This study provides no evidence that breastfeeding affects the occurrence of childhood ALL.
An experimental study of instability in a non-adiabatic multi-reaction tubular reactor

Abstract An experimental study of instability in a non-adiabatic packed bed reactor using NO reduction with CO over a fiber glass supported Ru catalyst is presented. A 2-reaction kinetic model is used. The results are compared to the predictions of two different TRAM ignition criteria which are expanded to cover the non-adiabatic, single reactant but multireaction case. Although there were difficulties in experimentally evaluating some of the transport parameters, the results show that one of the expanded ignition criteria in particular does satisfactorily model the data. Data are also presented which show how the temperature profile in an ignited bed moves as the inlet temperature is lowered to the quench point. Additional quench data are provided which show that the quench point is strongly affected by the feed concentration of the reactant and only a mild function of gas velocity.
Effects of various mixtures of ferulic acid and some of its microbial metabolic products on cucumber leaf expansion and dry matter in nutrient culture.

Cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus cv. ‘Early Green Cluster’) ranging from 6 to 16 days of age were treated with various concentrations (0– 1 mM) of caffeic, ferulic,p-coumaric,p-hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids and mixtures of ferulic acid and one or two of the other phenolic acids. Seedlings were grown in full-strength Hoagland's solution which was changed every other day. Phenolic acid treatments were given with each nutrient solution change starting at day 6 or given once when seedlings were 13 or 14 days old. Leaf area, mean relative rates of leaf expansion, transpiration rates, water utilization, and the concentrations of the phenolic acids in nutrient solution were determined at one- or two-day intervals. Seedling dry weight was determined at final harvest. Seedling leaf area and dry weight were linearly related. Since leaf areas can be easily obtained without destructive sampling and leaf area expansion responds rapidly to phenolic acid treatments, it was utilized as the primary indicator of plant response. The resulting data suggested that a number of ferulic acid microbial metabolic products, as well as two other phenolic acids observed in soils (p-coumaric and syringic acid), can reduce seedling dry weight, leaf expansion, and water utilization of cucumber seedlings in a similar manner. The magnitude of impact of each of the phenolic acids, however, varied with phenolic acid and concentration. It appears that the inhibitory activity of these phenolic acids involved water relations of cucumber seedlings, since the phenolic acid treatments resulted in closure of stomata which then remained closed for several days after treatment. The data also demonstrated that the effects of mixtures of phenolic acids on cucumber seedlings may be synergistic, additive, or antagonistic. The type of response observed appeared to be related to the factor measured, the compounds in the nmixture, and the magnitued of inhibition associated with each compounds. The data also indicated that the effects of the various phenolic acids were reversible, since seedling leaf area increased rapidly once phenolic acids were removed from the root environment. Mean relative rates of leaf expansion recovered even in the presence of the various phenolic acids.
Arsenic adsorption and exchange with phosphorus on indium phosphide (001)

Arsenic adsorption and exchange with phosphorus on indium phosphide (001) have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface phase diagram as a function of temperature has been obtained. At 285 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, arsenic adsorbs on the InP $\ensuremath{\sigma}(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4)$ surface $(\mathrm{P}\mathrm{}\mathrm{coverage}=0.25\mathrm{ML}),$ forming a disordered $(1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4)$ with double layers of arsenic $(\mathrm{As}+\mathrm{P}\mathrm{}\mathrm{coverage}\ensuremath{\sim}1.5\mathrm{ML}).$ At 330 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, arsenic adsorbs on the $\ensuremath{\sigma}(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4),$ producing a $(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1)$ structure with a complete monolayer of group-V dimers. By contrast, some phosphorus desorption occurs above 350 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, allowing arsenic to displace the phosphorus in the top few layers and converting the $\ensuremath{\sigma}(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4)$ to the \ensuremath{\beta}2 and \ensuremath{\alpha}2(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4) reconstructions (As coverage 0.75 and 0.50 ML, respectively). Above 430 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, arsenic exchange with InP yields an InAs $(4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ reconstruction. Quantitative analysis of the x-ray photoemission spectra has revealed that substitution of arsenic for phosphorus is limited to the top two to three surface bilayers.
Preliminary study of materials effect of cold in-place and full-depth reclamation asphalt concrete in mechanistic-empirical pavement design

In this study, the materials effect of cold in-place (CIR) and full-depth reclamation (FDR) asphalt materials were investigated for the incorporation into the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design. The Mechanistic-Empirical pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) was implemented in this study, where the pavement response to the interacting effect of materials types, moduli, climate, and traffic conditions were studied. The lab measured material properties such as dynamic modulus and other assumed parameters were used as inputs to the MEPDG software to evaluate the effect of CIR and FDR asphalt materials to pavement design. In the analysis of typical hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement with 4-inch HMA, 8-inch FDR layer and subgrade, by treating the CIR or FDR layer as Asphalt Concrete (AC) layer, asphalt permeable base, granular base with seasonal resilient modulus (MR) input and granular base with constant MR input, the pavement rutting and fatigue cracking distresses were evaluated. Treating the CIR as AC layer in MEPDG would get the best performance prediction in both rutting and fatigue cracking. Asphalt permeable base turned out to perform better than granular base with seasonal MR input in rutting while showed a higher fatigue cracking than granular base with seasonal MR input. Treating CIR as granular base with constant MR input would get significant higher distresses prediction than other three types, especially for fatigue cracking. This preliminary result demonstrates that the impact of treating CIR as different layer types is significant. Besides, it can be potential evidence that the default MR input of CIR as 20ksi is unreasonable.
Molecular mechanics simulations of the three-dimensional cavity problem

Abstract We analyze a molecular simulation of some three dimensional cavity problems. The fluid is water at 15 ∘ C. Primary and secondary vortices are generated as are molecular trajectories. It is shown that three dimensional and two dimensional simulations differ.
PLA2 signaling is involved in calpain-mediated degradation of synaptic dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 protein in response to NMDA excitotoxicity

Dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 (DPYSL3) is believed to play a role in neuronal differentiation, axonal outgrowth and neuronal regeneration, as well as cytoskeleton organization. Recently we have shown that glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress result in calpain-dependent cleavage of DPYSL3, and that NOS plays a role in this process [R. Kowara, Q. Chen, M. Milliken, B. Chakravarthy, Calpain-mediated truncation of dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 protein (DPYSL3) in response to NMDA and H2O2 toxicity, J. Neurochem. 95 (2005) 466-474; R. Kowara, K.L. Moraleja, B. Chakravarthy, Involvement of nitric oxide synthase and ROS-mediated activation of L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels in NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation, Brain Res. 1119 (2006) 40-49]. The present study investigates the involvement of PLA(2) signaling in NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation. Exposure of rat primary cortical neurons (PCN) to PLA(2) and COX-2 inhibitors significantly prevented NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation. Since the metabolic product of PLA(2) signaling, PGE(2), which augments toxic effect of NMDA, is known to stimulate cAMP, the effect of adenyl cyclase activator (forskolin plus IBMX) and inhibitor (MDL12,300) on NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation was tested. Our data indicate that the activation of adenyl cyclase contributes to NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation. Furthermore, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor PKI (14-22) provided additional evidence of PKA involvement in NMDA-induced DPYSL3 degradation. In summary, the obtained data show the contribution of PLA(2) signaling to NMDA-induced calpain activation and subsequent degradation of synaptic protein DPYSL3.
Structure and tree‐fall gap dynamics of old‐growth Nothofagus forests in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Tree size and age structure, tree-fall and gap char- acteristics, and regeneration in gaps were studied in Nothofagus-dominated old-growth forests in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Gap-phase regeneration has resulted in all-aged populations for N. pumilio, N. betuloides, and Drimys winteri, and regeneration in gaps appears to be maintaining coexist- ence between species in mixed stands. N. betuloides fills many gaps via advance regeneration and some individuals persist for > 150 yr in the understory. Multiple periods of release and suppression indicate that N. betuloides may take advantage of several gap events to reach the main canopy. Likewise, Drimys grows well under closed canopy and can rapidly respond to gap formation, sometimes impeding the regeneration of N. betuloides. In contrast, N. pumilio regen- erates in gaps mainly from seed or from advance regenera- tion of small, ephemeral seedlings. Gap turnover times in Fuegian forests were estimated at 300 - 500 yr, although gap formation was highly episodic and possibly associated with regionally extensive windstorms, earthquakes, and stand-level dieback. 92 % of gaps involved multiple tree-falls, and at least 53 % involved secondary expansion. Gap and tree-fall characteristics in Tierra del Fuego were similar to results from northern Patagonia, Chile, and New Zealand; however, we emphasize that regeneration of Nothofagus spp. and Drimys winteri in gaps depends on associated vegetation and varies along both local and regional environmental gradients.
Cross-classification of JNC VI Blood Pressure Stages and Risk Groups in the Framingham Heart Study

Background The recently published Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI) includes a classification of blood pressure stages and a new risk stratification component. Patients with high-normal blood pressure or hypertension are stratified into risk group A (no associated cardiovascular disease risk factors, no target organ damage or cardiovascular disease); group B (≥1 associated cardiovascular disease risk factor excluding diabetes, no target organ damage or cardiovascular disease); or group C (diabetes or target organ damage or cardiovascular disease). Objective To examine the prevalence of risk groups and blood pressure stages in a community-based sample. Methods We evaluated 4962 subjects from the Framingham Heart Study and Framingham Offspring Study examined between 1990 and 1995. We cross-classified men and women separately according to their JNC VI blood pressure stages and risk groups. Results In the whole sample, 43.7% had optimal or normal blood pressure and 13.4% had high-normal blood pressure; 12.9% had stage 1 hypertension and 30.0% had stage 2 or greater hypertension or were receiving medication. As blood pressure stage increased, the proportion of subjects in group A decreased, whereas the proportion in group C increased. Among those with high-normal blood pressure or hypertension, only 2.4% (all women) were in risk group A, 59.3% were in group B, and 38.2% were in group C. In the high-normal or hypertensive group, 39.4% qualified for lifestyle modification as the initial intervention according to JNC VI recommendations, whereas 60.6% were eligible for initial drug therapy or were already receiving drug therapy. Nearly one third of high-normal subjects were in risk group C, in which early drug therapy may be needed. Among those in stage 1, only 4.0% were in group A, in which prolonged lifestyle modification is recommended. Conclusions These results provide a foundation for estimating the number of individuals with hypertension who fall into different risk groups that require different treatment approaches. With nearly 50 million individuals with hypertension in the United States, there are important implications for clinicians and policymakers if JNC VI recommendations are widely adopted in clinical practice.
From uncertainty to certainty in quantum conductance of nanowires

Abstract We show using the uncertainty principle that the conductance per channel in the quantum ballistic transport regime is G ≤2 e 2 / h . Then, relying on the phase space arguments when density of states is a valid description, we convert this inequality into equality without invoking contact resistance explicitly. Our ability to derive the quantum conductance formula using the Heisenberg uncertainty principle explains why many diverse calculations such as first principles electronic structure, molecular dynamics, and even Luttinger liquid based calculations readily arrive at the same result. We find that the integer quantum Hall effect and quantized Hall conductance follow from similar considerations. We then apply the uncertainty principle argument to derive a value for quantum electronic thermal conductance in nanowires. It is noted that this value differs from the value in the bulk system by a numerical constant. Consequently, the Wiedemann–Franz law in the quantum domain also differs from the bulk value by a numerical factor. It will be interesting to see if experiments can detect this departure in ballistic transport through nanowires.
Further Observations on Four Subgroups of Normal Variant Short Stature

In a previous report, we classified normal variant short stature (NVSS) children into four subcategories on the basis of magnitudes of anabolic and linear growth responses to exogenous human GH (0.532 U⁄kg BW¾ -day for 10 days). Subgroup 4 was hyperresponsive to both actions of the hormone; subgroups 1 and 2 showed no linear growth response, and subgroup 1 was resistant to the anabolic effect as well; subgroup 3 was intermediate between groups 2 and 4 in both types of response. In this study, 21 NVSS children, aged 8-10 yr, who had grown less than 2.6 cm during the previous year were classified on the basis of human GH responses as follows: 6 in subgroup 1, 10 in subgroup 2, 2 in subgroup 3, and 3 in subgroup 4. The mechanisms underlying these subgroups were investigated by measuring nocturnal release of endogenous GH by both RIA and radioreceptor assay (RRA), serum somatomedin C level by RIA, and urinary excretion of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. For comparative purposes, 9 normal ...
The MIT/Marine Industry Collegium

The MIT Marine Industry Collegium is a partnership between the MIT Sea Grant Program and sponsoring companies, that is based on two premises: first, that the MIT Sea Grant Program can help a diverse industrial constituency by bringing to its attention the business implications or market opportunities resulting from selected marine research activities; second, that MIT and other Sea Grant institutions can benefit from interaction with industrial members, who provide critiques and evaluations of research activities and proposals, who suggest research subjects for independent on-going projects, and who provide important data for research and advisory services at MIT. Eighty corporate members participated in the Collegium Program which was initiated in July 1975. This technology transfer program has provided a vehicle for members to work together, with the MIT Sea Grant Program and with other Sea Grant institutions.
Social Work Leadership: Identifying Core Attributes

This article argues that social work academics are educationally remiss for not defining the concepts touted as important for the profession and for our students. Through a content analysis of published literature, the author distilled five core attributes of social work leadership that underpin all other knowledge, personal, and skilled capacities. These core attributes are defined and how they have been used to date is described. This work is aspirational, and the author hopes that other academics and social work professionals may add to its thinking and application.
Anti-Discrimination Laws: Undermining Our Rights

The purpose of this article is to argue in favor of a private employer’s right to discriminate amongst job applicants on any basis he chooses, and this certainly includes unlawful characteristics such as race, sex, national origin, sexual preference, religion, etc. John Locke and many after him have argued that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property or the pursuit of happiness. In this view, law should be confined to protecting these rights and be limited to prohibiting other people from transgressing those rights. The law should not hinder an employer’s ability to discriminate, any more than it should compel people to marry against their wishes. These laws generally emerge from a moral perspective that people think should be imposed on everyone else. But those who don’t welcome those morals are in effect being coerced to abide by them against their will; this is unethical. Finally, it will be argued that the free market has mechanisms by which discrimination will, be rendered powerless to harm its victims.
The evolution of baboon endogenous type C virus: related sequences in the DNA of distant species.

Abstract The cellular DNA of species distantly related to the baboon have been tested for the presence of sequences related to baboon endogenous type C virus. Hybrids between viral cDNA and cellular DNA were detected using very low stringency hydroxyapatite conditions. The results confirm and extend the observation that the related sequences are more conserved in African primates than in non-African primates. Our data suggest that this result is due to unusual conservation of viral sequences in the African primates. Our assay is sufficiently sensitive to detect distantly related sequences in mouse type C viruses and in other primate endogenous viruses, including both the type C virus isolated from macaques (MAC-1) and the type D virus isolated from langurs (LAD-1). However, using baboon viral cDNA, we cannot distinguish human DNA from the DNA of several non-primate mammalian species.
2-deoxy-d-arabino-hexose, 2-deoxy-d-lyxo-hexose, and their (2R)-2-deuterio analogs

Abstract A general method for the synthesis of 2-deoxyhexoses is described. 2-Deoxy- d - arabino -hexose and 2-deoxy- d - lyxo -hexose were prepared from d -glucose and d -galactose, respectively, by a route involving reduction of the respective 4,5- O -isopropylidene ketene diethyl dithioacetals with lithium aluminum hydride, followed by removal of the protecting groups. In agreement with the results of earlier studies with ketene dithioacetals of pentose analogs, reduction of the hexose ketene dithioacetals was found to occur both regio- and stereo-specifically. Reduction with lithium aluminum deuteride gave the (2 R )-2-deoxy-2-deuterio-hexoses exclusively.
Natural killer T cell facilitated engraftment of rat skin but not islet xenografts in mice.

BACKGROUND We have studied cellular components required for xenograft survival mediated by anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a transfusion of donor spleen cells and found that the elimination of CD4(+) but not CD8(+) cells significantly improves graft survival. A contribution of other cellular components, such as natural killer (NK) cells and natural killer T (NKT) cells, for costimulation blockade-induced xenograft survival has not been clearly defined. We therefore tested the hypothesis that NK or NKT cells would promote rat islet and skin xenograft acceptance in mice. METHODS Lewis rat islets or skin was transplanted into wild type B6 mice or into B6 mice that were Jalpha18(null), CD1(null), or beta2 microglobulin (beta2M)(null) NK 1.1 depleted, or perforin(null). Graft recipients were pretreated with an infusion of donor derived spleen cells and a brief course of anti-CD154 mAb treatments. Additional groups received mAb or cells only. RESULTS We first observed that the depletion of NK1.1 cells does not significantly interfere with graft survival in C57BL/6 (B6) mice. We used NKT cell deficient B6 mice to test the hypothesis that NKT cells are involved in islet and skin xenograft survival in our model. These mice bear a null mutation in the gene for the Jalpha18 component of the T-cell receptor. The component is uniquely associated with NKT cells. We found no difference in islet xenograft survival between Jalpha18(null) and wild type B6 mice. In contrast, median skin graft survival appeared shorter in Jalpha18(null) recipients. These data imply a role for Jalpha18(+) NKT cells in skin xenograft survival in treated mice. In order to confirm this inference, we tested skin xenograft survival in B6 CD1(null) mice because NKT cells are CD1 restricted. Results of these trials demonstrate that the absence of CD1(+) cells adversely affects rat skin graft survival. An additional assay in beta2M(null) mice demonstrated a requirement for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression in the graft host, and we demonstrate that CD1 is the requisite MHC component. We further demonstrated that, unlike reports for allograft survival, skin xenograft survival does not require perforin-secreting NK cells. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that MHC class I(+) CD1(+) Jalpha18(+) NKT cells promote the survival of rat skin but not rat islet xenografts. These studies implicate different mechanisms for inducing and maintaining islet vs. skin xenograft survival in mice treated with donor antigen and anti-CD154 mAb, and further indicate a role for NKT cells but not NK cells in skin xenograft survival.
Return of hunger following a relatively high carbohydrate breakfast is associated with earlier recorded glucose peak and nadir.

The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that a breakfast meal with high carbohydrate/low fat results in an earlier increase in postprandial glucose and insulin, a greater decrease below baseline in postprandial glucose, and an earlier return of appetite, compared with a low carbohydrate/high fat meal. Overweight but otherwise healthy adults (n = 64) were maintained on one of two eucaloric diets: high carbohydrate/low fat (HC/LF; 55:27:18% kcals from carbohydrate:fat:protein) versus low carbohydrate/high fat (LC/HF; 43:39:18% kcals from carbohydrate:fat:protein). After 4 weeks of acclimation to the diets, participants underwent a meal test during which circulating glucose and insulin and self-reported hunger and fullness, were measured before and after consumption of breakfast from their assigned diets. The LC/HF meal resulted in a later time at the highest and lowest recorded glucose, higher glucose concentrations at 3 and 4 hours post meal, and lower insulin incremental area under the curve. Participants consuming the LC/HF meal reported lower appetite 3 and 4 hours following the meal, a response that was associated with the timing of the highest and lowest recorded glucose. Modest increases in meal carbohydrate content at the expense of fat content may facilitate weight gain over the long-term by contributing to an earlier rise and fall of postprandial glucose concentrations and an earlier return of appetite.
Thromboembolic Complications of Current Cardiac Valvular Prostheses

Thromboembolic complications associated with twelve different models of currently available aortic and mitral valve prostheses are reviewed. There is a need to standardize definitions of thrombotic phenomena and to report these events for valve model and anatomic location actuarially and in terms of incidence per 100 patient-years of follow-up. The incidence of thromboemboli is less than 2 per 100 patient-years for aortic biological valves without coumarin anticoagulation and for the best mechanical valves with coumarin. For mitral biological prostheses with and without coumarin, and for the best mechanical mitral valves with coumarin, the incidence approximates 4 per 100 patient years. The incidence of mortality and morbidity due to coumarin anticoagulation in patients with prosthetic valves is 0.17 and 2.2 per 100 patient-years, respectively. Omission, poor control or withdrawal of coumarin anticoagulation substantially increases the incidence of thromboemboli in patients with mechanical valves. Some reports suggest that the combination of dipyridamole and coumarin may further reduce thromboembolic complications without increasing bleeding problems. Atrial fibrillation clearly increases thromboembolic complications, but the importance of other factors such as atrial clot, large left atrial size, history of emboli, and first postoperative year is less definite.
A Web caching primer

The article provides a primer on Web resource caching, one technology used to make the Web scalable. Web caching can reduce bandwidth usage, decrease user-perceived latencies, and reduce Web server loads transparently. As a result, caching has become a significant part of the Web's infrastructure. Caching has even spawned a new industry: content delivery networks, which are also growing at a fantastic rate. Readers familiar with relatively advanced Web caching topics such as the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP), invalidation, and interception proxies are not likely to learn much here. Instead, the article is designed for the general audience of Web users. Rather than a how-to guide to caching technology deployment, it is a high-level argument for the value of Web caching to content consumers and producers. The article defines caching, explains how it applies to the Web, and describes when and why it is useful.
Physics and chemistry of the E region: a review

A review of physical and chemical processes in the E region is given with emphasis on the absolute ionization balance and relative ion composition. The importance of transport processes in the nighttime E region is emphasized. It is concluded that the electron, ion, and neutral gases are in thermal equilibrium. (auth)
Assessing the error in photosynthetic properties determined by fast repetition rate fluorometry

Fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorometry is an optical technique for estimating photosynthetic properties of phytoplankton from measurements of variable fluorescence yield. I determined the minimum error in such estimates contributed by inherent instrument biases, improper measurement protocols, and the type of optimization algorithm used to infer photosynthetic variability from changes in variable fluorescence. Many of these errors were nonrandom in origin and would not be reduced with repeated sampling or averaging. Characterization of a commercial FRR fluorometer (FRRF) showed undocumented hardware biases with magnitudes roughly equivalent to those addressed by the current characterization approach. Robust optimization algorithms were less likely to misidentify these biases as representing actual photosynthetic variability. In general, robust algorithms improved the accuracy, precision, and distribution of error in analyses of both simulated and actual variable fluorescence measurements. When reanalyzed with robust algorithms, in situ data from an FRRF indicated different photosynthetic behavior than did the analysis tool used originally. Methods to improve and standardize the collection and analysis of FRR variable fluorescence data are essential for evaluating the strengths and limitations of this powerful, but involved, technique. Although the error minimization procedures described were developed primarily to minimize errors and artifacts with FRR fluorometry, several are generally applicable to any fluorescence yield technique in which a physiological model is used to estimate photosynthetic parameters from variable fluorescence measurements.
A fast technique for the analysis of infinite frequency selective surfaces

In this paper, a computationally efficient approach using equivalence principle for the method of moments solution of the infinite doubly periodic frequency selective surfaces has been introduced. This approach involves forming a dual screen geometry with reduced metallization, which in turn leads to a reduction in the number of unknowns. Reformulation of the problem by using MFIE is not necessary, and the existing legacy codes employing the EFIE can easily be modified to accommodate the present approach. Numerical experiments reveal the accuracy and the computational advantage of this technique when compared to the conventional techniques.