cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of acute injection laryngoplasty for vocal cord paralysis following thoracic surgery.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of injection laryngoplasty using a temporary injectable agent in the acute setting for patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis following thoracic surgical procedures. Study Design: Retrospective consecutive case series in an academic institution. Methods: Inclusion criteria included patients acutely treated with injection laryngoplasty from January 1, 2006, to March 31, 2010, for a unilateral vocal cord paralysis that occurred after a thoracic surgical procedure (N = 20). All patients were injected with Radiesse Voice Gel using microlaryngoscopy technique. Results: The mean time to vocal cord injection from the time of thoracic surgery was 4.5 days. There was one operative-related complication of intraoperative bile reflux that caused a pneumonitis. Ninety percent of patients were recommended for strict nothing by mouth prior to injection. Of these, 94% were allowed an oral diet following injection, and 67% tolerated a regular diet. None of the patients required subsequent procedures for aspiration or dysphagia, and 25% required further intervention after discharge for persistent dysphonia. Patients with a known nerve transection had a higher rate of dysphonia requiring further surgical procedures than those who did not have a known nerve transection. Conclusions: Acute treatment of thoracic surgery-related unilateral vocal cord paralysis with injection laryngoplasty appears safe and effective at preventing postoperative aspiration pneumonia and improves swallowing function to allow resumption of an oral diet. A single injection is often the only required treatment.
Suppressing noise in single molecule imaging using quantum optics

Several proposed quantum optics approaches to single-molecule imaging will be discussed. These include magnetic resonance, light shift, and Doppleron techniques. They will be compared in terms of resolution and signal to noise ratio.
Meeting SLA Availability Guarantees through Engineering Margin

This research deals with availability of Service Level Agreements (SLA) between information technology service providers, such as carriers, and user corporations. A combination of different reliability/maintainability scenarios and time intervals have been used to generate availability distributions in order to assess the efficacy of availability guarantees. Markov and semi-Markov models are used to provide a comparative analysis of the availability distributions and probability of service level violation. In the semi-Markov model, long tail and short tail lognormal distributions are used for the repair time. A Monte Carlo simulation program is developed and from the generated distributions it is found that there are significant chances of SLA violation, given a wide range of different reliability/maintainability levels used to achieve typical goals such as 0.99999 availability for a variety of time intervals. The results are fairly sensitive to the tail of the repair distribution, meaning it is essential to understand repair distribution in order to assess chances of SLA violation. Results indicate that the way to dramatically decrease the probability of SLA violation is through availability engineering margin. Delivering availability beyond 0.99999 through redundancy and responding more rapidly to failures greatly diminishes the chances of violating a 0.99999 SLA.
Eyjafjallajökull volcano plume particle-type characterization from space-based multi-angle imaging

Abstract. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Research Aerosol algorithm makes it possible to study individual aerosol plumes in considerable detail. From the MISR data for two optically thick, near-source plumes of the spring 2010 Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption, we map aerosol optical depth (AOD) gradients and changing aerosol particle types with this algorithm; several days downwind, we identify the occurrence of volcanic ash particles and retrieve AOD, demonstrating the extent and the limits of ash detection and mapping capability with the multi-angle, multi-spectral imaging data. Retrieved volcanic plume AOD and particle microphysical properties are distinct from background values near-source, as well as for over-water cases several days downwind. The results also provide some indication that as they evolve, plume particles brighten, and average particle size decreases. Such detailed mapping offers context for suborbital plume observations having much more limited sampling. The MISR Standard aerosol product identified similar trends in plume properties as the Research algorithm, though with much smaller differences compared to background, and it does not resolve plume structure. Better optical analogs of non-spherical volcanic ash, and coincident suborbital data to validate the satellite retrieval results, are the factors most important for further advancing the remote sensing of volcanic ash plumes from space.
Operation for Aortic Arch Anomalies

Abstract Forty-two patients with aortic arch anomalies resulting in tracheoesophageal compression were treated during the period 1948 through 1978. These anomalies are important causes of upper respiratory and esophageal obstruction in babies and small children and can be corrected safely with excellent relief of symptoms. Nineteen patients (45%) had a right aortic arch with a ligamentum arteriosum, 17 patients (40%) had double aortic arches, and 6 patients (15%) had aberrant right subclavian arteries. Other associated congenital malformations and mental retardation were seen in 15 patients (36%). Diagnosis was accurately made in 38 patients (90%) by barium esophagogram. Basic surgical principles include exposure through a left thoracotomy, complete identification of the aortic arch anatomy, and division of the constricting ring. Surgical treatment resulted in 2 deaths (5%), and 1 patient died late. Early postoperative respiratory complications were common. All survivors were relieved of their symptoms late (m, 94 months) postoperatively.
Comment on “Two New Carbonate Stable Isotope Standards”

Friedman et al (1) propose that NBS 19 calcium carbonate substitute for PDB. This is in apparent conflict with the recommendation of the September 1976 consultants’ meeting convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency on stable isotope standards. Furthermore, Friedman et al suggest ɛ-values be adopted for NBS 19 that do not take into account the ɛ-values of NBS 20 (Solenhofen limestone). We believe that adoption of these proposals may lead to confusion in the stable isotope literature and to lack of correspondence between historic and future isotopic results. In sharp contrast to the results of Friedman et al (1), we find NBS 20 to be a satisfactory reference material if it is handled properly.
Understanding Mail Survey Response Rates among Male Reserve Component Gulf War Era Veterans

In this study of current and former male Reserve and National Guard members from the State of Ohio, it was expected that veterans who were older, had more years of military service, who had participated in the Persian Gulf War, who were Euro-Americans, who were higher in rank, who had higher residential stability in Ohio, who belonged to the Air Force, who had higher formal education, and who belonged to the National Guard would have a greater investment in U.S. society as defined by 11 demographic variables. It was assumed that those with greater investment in society would more often have valid addresses and would be more likely to respond to a survey on military issues, thereby biasing sample outcomes in those directions. Results for male veterans were consistent with the hypothesis that investment in the society system would predict validity of addresses and response rates. In other words, results supported the idea that those veterans who might be expected to have a greater investment in U.S. society were more likely to be located and to respond (once located) to a survey concerning Desert Storm-era military service and its aftermath. Implications for future Desert Storm research are discussed.
Residues affecting the catalysis and inhibition of rat lens aldose reductase.

Aldose reductase (AR), the first enzyme of the polyol pathway, has been implicated in diabetic complications. Results of recent clinical studies have shown that compounds that inhibit aldose reductase (ARIs) and block the flux of glucose through the polyol pathway have provided benefit to diabetic neuropathic patients. Since many ARIs show broad substrate specificity, emphasis on the structure-function properties of the AR enzyme will help in the refinement and design of future inhibitors. To this end, catalysis and inhibition of rat lens aldose reductase was examined following site-directed mutagenesis. Replacement of tyrosine 48 with phenylalanine (Y48F) resulted in an enzyme form with less than 0.25% activity with dl-glyceraldehyde and no detectable activity with p-nitrobenzaldehyde or xylose, although circular dichroism spectra and NADPH binding affinity were similar to wild-type AR. Mutation of histidine 110 to glutamine (H110Q) also resulted in a less active protein with an approximate 3-fold decrease in kcat for the reduction of dl-glyceraldehyde; slight or no activity was measured with other substrates and an increase of 195-fold over wild type was observed in the Km for glyceraldehyde. H110Q was less sensitive to inhibition by aldose reductase inhibitors. The most dramatic change was seen with imeristat, which showed an 1800-fold increase in IC50. Mutation of cysteine 298 to serine (C298S) affected enzyme function by increasing kcat 2-to 4-fold and increasing Km 15- to 48-fold, with dl-glyceraldehyde, p-nitrobenzaldehyde or xylose as substrates. As a result kcat,Km, catalytic efficiency, dropped to approx. 10% of control. Inhibition of C298S was not noticeably different from wild type. Substitution of histidine 187 or 200 with glutamine (H1870, H2000) had little effect on AR catalysis or inhibition. Based on structural and mutagenesis studies of human AR and the conservation of amino acids between human and rat, these data would indicate that Y48, H110, and C298 are important residues in the active site of rat AR and that Y48 is most likely the proton donor during substrate reduction by rat lens aldose reductase. In addition, these studies indicate that mutagenesis of H110 also affects aldose reductase inhibition.
Relations Without Forms: Some Consequences of Aquinas’s Metaphysics of Relations

This article presents a new interpretation and critique of some aspects of Aquinas’s metaphysics of relations, with special reference to a theological problem—the relation of God to creatures—that catalyzed Aquinas’s and much medieval thought on the ontology of relations. I will show that Aquinas’s ontologically reductive theory of categorical real relations should equip him to identify certain relations as real relations, which he actually identifies as relations of reason, most notably the relation of God to creatures.
Preparing Preservice Teachers in a Diverse World

Abstract This study was designed to develop more effective ways to address culture and cultural differences in the preparation of preservice teachers. Its purpose was to provide a more adequate preparation for working in high-need schools by assisting educators in the development of “habits of mind” that incorporate an understanding and valuing of students' cultures and a recognition of the need to consider those cultures in teaching practices. This paper reports data from the second year of a 5-year study that examined the experience of six preservice teachers. The data indicate that using ethnography as an observational tool helps preservice teachers become more aware of cultural differences.
Weak consistency of the Euler method for numerically solving stochastic differential equations with discontinuous coefficients

We prove that, under appropriate conditions, the sequence of approximate solutions constructed according to the Euler scheme converges weakly to the (unique) solution of a stochastic differential equation with discontinuous coefficients. We also obtain a sufficient condition for the existence of a solution to a stochastic differential equation with discontinuous coefficients. These results are then applied to justify the technique of simulating continuous-time threshold autoregressive moving-average processes via the Euler scheme.
Variation in the risk of radiation-related contralateral breast cancer by histology and estrogen receptor expression in SEER

Radiation exposure, particularly at a young age, is an established cause of breast cancer. It is not known whether radiation-related breast cancer risk varies by molecular subtype. We characterized the relative risk (RR) of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) related to radiotherapy by histology and estrogen receptor (ER) status of the CBC in five-year survivors in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database using Poisson regression models adjusted for attained age and calendar year, age at and year of treatment, ER status of the first breast cancer, and disease stage. 205,316 female breast cancer survivors were followed for an average of 10 years from 1973 until 2007, during which time 6924 women developed a subsequent primary invasive breast cancer in the contralateral breast. The overall RR (and 95% confidence interval (CI)) of radiotherapy-related CBC was 1.11 (1.05–1.16). There was no heterogeneity in risk according to histology of the CBC (P > 0.50) for all ages or young age at exposure, but case numbers were small for subtypes other than ductal and lobular carcinomas. Information on ER status was available from 1990 onwards for 3546 CBC cases, of which 2597 (73%) were ER+ and 949 (27%) were ER−. The RRs were 1.10 (1.02–1.19) for ER+ CBC and 1.19 (1.04–1.35) for ER− CBC (P difference = 0.33). Among women treated age <35 years, radiation-related risk of CBC was non-significantly elevated for ER− (RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 0.96–1.97) but not for ER+ tumors (RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.47–1.35) (P difference = 0.09). We did not find clear evidence that radiation-related risk varies by histology or ER status, but our findings, which were the first to examine this question, were suggestive of possible differences by ER status that may merit further investigation.
SU-E-T-227: Patient Treatment Quality Assurance for a Uniformly Scanned Proton Therapy Beam

Purpose: To describe the main quality assurance (QA) procedures undertaken at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI) in preparation for patient treatment via the uniform scanning (US)proton beam delivery technique using two source to axis distances (SADs). Methods and Materials: HUPTI currently uses a uniformly scanned proton beam for patient treatments. Patient specific apertures and compensators (properly scaled to account for the dual SADs) are used to shape the field laterally and to conform to the target volume longitudinally. Machined part QA is performed by using in‐house software to convert the DICOM output from Eclipse into images which represent the aperture and compensator shapes after correcting for the dual SADs. These images are matched to the physical shapes of the apertures and compensators to ensure correct machining. The beam QA measurements include the absorbed dose (output factor) at the center of the Spread‐Out Bragg Peak (Mid‐SOBP) in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Report TRS‐398; a verification of the lateral planar dose profile at isocenter measured with a 2D ion chamber array (IBA‐MATRIXX); and the depth dose profile measured along isocenter with a multi‐layer ion chamber (MLIC‐IBA‐ZEBRA). Results: The QA measurements for approximately 30 patients who have been treated at HUPTI utilizing the US technique will be presented. Analysis of the lateral and depth dose profiles exhibits agreement with the Varian Eclipse Proton Treatment Planning System within acceptable limits (less than 2%). Dose measurements are within the 5% accuracy recommended by International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) and are well described by empirical modeling. Conclusions: The Quality Assurance Program at HUPTI has demonstrated that the prescription of protonradiationdose designed by the radiationoncology team is being delivered to each cancer patient under our care with the highest precision and accuracy possible.
Magnetic and Porous Nanospheres from Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis

We have used an inexpensive high-frequency ultrasound generator from a household humidifier to create a useful source for ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and produced submicrometer silica particles that are porous on the nanometer scale. By using two heated zones, we first initiate polymerization of organic monomers in the presence of silica colloid, which creates in situ a composite of silica with an organic polymer, followed by a second heating to pyrolyze and remove the polymer. The morphology and surface area of the final porous silica are controlled by varying the silica-to-organic monomer ratio. In a single flow process, ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles can be easily encapsulated in the porous silica, and the resulting nanospheres are extremely resistant to air oxidation. Products were characterized by SEM, (S)TEM, EDS, XPS, and SQUID.
Offline Offset Refiner for Coordinated Actuated Signal Control Systems

This paper presents the concept and implementation of an offline offset refiner, which addresses the problem of uncertain (not fixed) starts/ends of green in the determination of offsets for coordinated actuated signal control. Making use of a large amount of archived signal status data available from real-time signal operations, the refiner may fine tune the signal offsets to provide smoother progression in either one-way or two-way coordination. The proposed offset refiner is easy to implement and can work readily with current closed-loop signal control systems to improve their system performance.
Beyond Coalitions of the Willing: Assessing U.S. Multilateralism

Contemporary debates over the appropriate balance of unilateralism and multilateralism in U.S. foreign policy reflect disagreements not simply about the practical effectiveness of these alternative options but also about their legitimacy. Advocates of multilateral and unilateral action alike tend to bundle prudential calculations with normative claims, making assessments about costs and benefits difficult to disentangle from ethical arguments about fairness, justice, morality and obligation. Greater clarity may be possible by classifying U.S. foreign policy into six analytical categories, based on whether the aims pursued are nationalist, internationalist, or cosmopolitan and the strategies adopted to realize them are unilateral or multilateral. Each set of aims has different ethical justifications that generate and help to explain divergent attitudes and judgments about the role of multilateral cooperation in U.S. foreign policy. The article sheds new light on alleged U.S. unilateralism, showing that the U.S. decision to go it alone–or to act with others–can be motivated by the desire to advance the narrow interests of the United States, to advance the interests of all states, or to advance the interests of humanity at large. The article suggests that purely nationalist policies, whether pursued through unilateral or multilateral means, will become increasingly untenable and illegitimate as world politics becomes institutionalized and as humanity becomes integrated, albeit slowly, into a single cosmopolitan community.
The Fanconi anaemia proteins, FAA and FAC, interact to form a nuclear complex.

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by genomic instability, developmental defects, DNA crosslinking agent hypersensitivity and cancer susceptibility1–3. Somatic-cell hybrid studies have revealed five FA complementation groups (A–E; refs 4–6) displaying similar phenotypes, suggesting that FA genes are functionally related7. The two cloned FA genes, FAA and FAC, encode proteins that are unrelated to each other or to other proteins in GenBank8–10. In the current study, we demonstrate that FAA and FAC bind each other and form a complex. Protein binding correlates with the functional activity of FAA and FAC, as patient-derived mutant FAC (L554P) fails to bind FAA. Although unbound FAA and FAC localize predominantly to the cytoplasm, the FAA–FAC complex is found in similar abundance in both cytoplasm and nucleus. Our results confirm the interrelatedness of the FA genes in a pathway, suggesting the cooperation of FAA and FAC in a nuclear function.
Chronic subthreshold subdural cortical stimulation for the treatment of focal epilepsy originating from eloquent cortex

Summary Medically refractory epilepsy remains a major medical problem worldwide. Although some patients are eligible for surgical resection of seizure foci, a proportion of patients are ineligible for a variety of reasons. One such reason is that the foci reside in eloquent cortex of the brain and therefore resection would result in significant morbidity. This retrospective study reports our experience with a novel neurostimulation technique for the treatment of these patients. We identified three patients who were ineligible for surgical resection of the intracranially identified seizure focus because it resided in eloquent cortex, who underwent therapeutic trial of focal cortical stimulation delivered through the subdural monitoring grid. All three patients had a significant reduction in seizures, and two went on to permanent implantation, which resulted in long-term reduction in seizure frequency. In conclusion, this small case report provides some evidence of proof of concept of the role of targeted continuous neocortical neurostimulation in the treatment of medically refractory focal epilepsy, and provides support for ongoing investigations into this treatment modality. A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Is proton transfer the initial photochemical process in vision

THERE has been renewed effort1 to test the so-called proton transfer hypothesis (PTH)2 or hydrogen shift1 formulation for the initial photochemical step in vision. This hypothesis proposes an alternative to photochemical cis to trans isomerisation of rhodopsin, while attempting to account for some of the spectral properties of bathorhodopsin (previously called prelumirhodopsin), particularly certain low frequency lines at 920, 877 and 856 cm−1. Spectral lines in this region are not unique to the resonance Raman spectrum of bathorhodopsin3, however, for similar spectral absorption has been found with 11-cis retinal crystals4. The discovery that the batho- intermediate formed by irradiating chicken iodopsin at −195 °C spontaneously reverted to iodopsin at −140 °C by a dark, thermal process5, rather than decaying to lumiiodopsin, also seemed to require such an alternative hypothesis2 (Fig. 1). Although an attempt to demonstrate proton transfer by means of tritium incorporation into the retinylidene chromophore failed2, Fransen et al. apparently now confirm the PTH by their report1 of a small, though significant incorporation of deuterium into retinal. Their newer experiments are similar in design to the earlier ones, differing mainly in their use of deuterium rather than tritium and their method of analysis of labelled retinal. The experiments described here bear directly on the proposed PTH and were performed with an analogue of retinal, 5-desmethyl (dm) retinal: They show that the initial compound produced by irradiating a visual pigment, the batho-intermediate, cannot result from the transfer of a proton from the chromophore to opsin.
Thurman Arnold, Antitrust, and the New Deal

The pragmatism and experimentation permitted policy-makers by the American antitrust statutes is well illustrated in this analysis of federal attitudes toward business concentrations in the late 1930's.
Yield components and nutritive value of Robinia pseudoacacia and Albizia julibrissin in Arkansas, USA

Ranchers need alternative livestock feeds when herbaceous forages become limiting in summer. Our objectives were to determine: (1) leaf and stem biomass components, (2) nutritive value [in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC), N, and N digestibility] of leaves for animal browse, (3) concentration of the secondary metabolites robinin and mimosine, and (4) in vitro leaf and bark toxicity for black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and mimosa (Albizia julibrissin Durz.), respectively, pollarded at 50 cm in Arkansas, USA. Black locust exceeded mimosa for every yield component (leaf mass tree−1, leaves shoot−1, shoots tree−1, shoot mass tree−1, stem basal area, and biomass tree−1) except mass leaf−1. Projected yields were 1,900 and 1,600 kg leaves ha−1 for black locust and mimosa, respectively, assuming a population of 12,300 trees ha−1. Mimosa leaves had greater IVDMD, TNC, and N digestibility than black locust. Mimosa leaves exceeded the nutritional N requirements of growing cattle (Bos taurus L.) and goats (Capra hircus L.), but protein supplementation would be needed for growing goats grazing black locust leaves. Tissue concentrations of secondary metabolites robinin and mimosine were below detectable limits in black locust and mimosa, respectively. The extract of black locust bark, but not leaves, was toxic to bioassayed African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops L.) cells. Either black locust or mimosa could provide moderate quantities of high quality, rotationally grazed forage for goats during summer months when herbaceous forage may in short supply.
Anomalies of retinal architecture in Aicardi syndrome.

• Eyes obtained at autopsy from a female infant with Aicardi syndrome (chorioretinal lacunae, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and seizures) were studied by light and electron microscopy. The retinal insertion was displaced anteriorly over the ciliary body, the choroid was ettenuated, and the retinal pigment epithelium showed hyperplasia and pigment migration throughout the sensory retina. Rosettes of photoreceptorlike cells and inversion of the photoreceptor layer were found. A hole within a lacuna showed total absence of the sensory retina. Optic disc epipapillary tissue consisted of glial and fibrous elements with a vascular core. The mechanism of photoreceptor folding is considered. The continuity of the external limiting membrane with the retinal pigment epithelium at sites of photoreceptor folding seen in our case suggests defective early development.
Treatment of cutting oil/water emulsion by coupling coagulation and dissolved air flotation

Abstract On a purely comparative basis with former studies, the physicochemical treatment of cutting oil emulsion was applied to two different mineraI oils ( A and B). The preliminary tests of destabilization showed that the sulphuric acid and the ferric chloride do not allow an appreciable destabilization for emulsion prepared oil A, whereas for the oil B, only the calcium chloride was effective. The kinetics of separation, arises in the decreasing exponential form and shows an optimal amount in coagulant agent dose. It is noticed that the turbidity of the cutting oil emulsions of oil A are more significant than oil B. For the same concentration, in consequence of an unquestionable difference in their composition. Whatever the type of oil used, the calcium chloride gives a better effectiveness of separation, and reduction in turbidity. Also, the emulsions prepared with oil B are more stable, quality desired by the users, but as more easily destabilized and treated than oil A; the reduction of turbidity equalizes to 99%. Although the chemical treatment decreases in a considerable way, the organic load of the emulsions (oil-water), the residual COD remains significant. To this end, the study of the coupling dissolved air flotation (DAF), with the chemicaI treatment was carried out. An average diameter of air micro bubbles (50 μm) obtained for a saturation pressure equal to 6.5 bars, gives place to an optimal flotation effectiveness. These results show the difficulties of treating worm water as emulsions oil-water, which requires the coupling of several processes to obtain a quality of rejection in conformity with the standard values.
Spatial Angular Compounding for Elastography without the Incompressibility Assumption

Spatial-angular compounding is a new technique that enables the reduction of noise artifacts in ultrasound elastography. Previous results using spatial angular compounding, however, were based on the use of the tissue incompressibility assumption. Compounded elastograms were obtained from a spatially-weighted average of local strain estimated from radiofrequency echo signals acquired at different insonification angles. In this paper, we present a new method for reducing the noise artifacts in the axial strain elastogram utilizing a least-squares approach on the angular displacement estimates that does not use the incompressibility assumption. This method produces axial strain elastograms with higher image quality, compared to noncompounded axial strain elastograms, and is referred to as the least-squares angular-compounding approach for elastography. To distinguish between these two angular compounding methods, the spatial-angular compounding with angular weighting based on the tissue incompressibility assumption is referred to as weighted compounding. In this paper, we compare the performance of the two angular-compounding techniques for elastography using beam steering on a linear-array transducer. Quantitative experimental results demonstrate that least-squares compounding provides comparable but smaller improvements in both the elastographic signal-to-noise ratio and the contrast-to-noise ratio, as compared to the weighted-compounding method. Ultrasound simulation results suggest that the least-squares compounding method performs better and provide accurate and robust results when compared to the weighted compounding method, in the case where the incompressibility assumption does not hold.
Oxygen uptake and heart rate relationship in persons with spinal cord injury.

HOOKER, S. P., J. D. GREENWOOD, D. T. HATAE, R. P. HUSSON, T. L. MATTHIESEN, and A. R. WATERS. Oxygen uptake and heart rate relationship in persons with spinal cord injury. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 25, No. 10, pp. 1115–1119, 1993. The percent (%) peak oxygen uptake (VO2) and %peak heart rate (HR) relationships were determined in 13 persons with high (T1-T6) and 14 persons with low lesion (T7-T12) spinal cord injured paraplegia (SCI PARA) and 15 nonimpaired subjects during graded arm crank (AC) tests to exhaustion. Subjects were instructed to maintain a target cadence of 60 rpm on a modified electronically braked leg cycle ergometer. After 3 min of unloaded cranking, power output (PO) was increased by 8–16 W·min−1. VO2 and HR were determined via open-circuit spirometry and 12-lead ECG, respectively. Absolute HR and VO2 values for each PO were converted to %peak HR and %peak VO2 values. Linear regression slopes describing individual %peak HR and %peak VO2 relationships were calculated and compared between groups with one-way ANOVA. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were noted between the mean (± SD) regression slopes for persons with high lesion SCI PARA (1.48 ± 0.21), persons with low lesion SCI PARA (1.48 ± 0.26), and nonimpaired subjects (1.53 ± 0.29). Regression equations derived using all data points within each group were as follows: High lesion SCI PARA: y = 1.31x - 37.0, R = 0.85 Low lesion SCI PARA: y = 1.23x - 30.9, R = 0.88 Nonimpaired subjects: y = 1.41x - 46.2, R = 0.95 (y = %peak VO2, × = %peak HR). These equations are similar to those previously reported for nonimpaired men and women and cardiac patients during AC and leg cycle ergometry. Therefore, the data suggest that already established exercise prescription guidelines need not be modified for persons with high or low lesion SCI PARA and HR can be confidently used as an indicator of AC exercise intensity in these persons.
Are Heavy Leptons Found

Recently reported observations suggest the existence of a new particle without strong interactions. We interpret it as a massive neutral lepton ${L}^{0}$ produced by decays of a new charged lepton ${L}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ which in turn is pair-produced electromagnetically by cosmic rays. The mass of ${L}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ must be \ensuremath{\sim}2 GeV; the lifetime of ${L}^{0}$ must be \ensuremath{\sim} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$ sec. Possible gauge models incorporating the new leptons are discussed, as are other experimental consequences.
Spatial and Temporal Variation in Recovery of Hatchery-released Red Drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus ) in Stock-Enhancement of Texas Bays and Estuaries

a b s t r a c t Spatial and temporal variation in recovery of hatchery-released red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) was assessed in nine bays and estuaries along the Texas coast. Sixteen nuclear-encoded microsatellites were used to identify a total of 167 hatchery-released fish among 4325 red drum sampled between the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2009; these were added to 41 recovered hatchery-released fish identified in a prior study of 1332 red drum sampled from Galveston and Aransas bays in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006. Recovery of hatchery releases across bays and years ranged from 0.28% to 17.65%. Of the 208 recovered hatchery-released fish, 158 were age 0-1, 46 were age 1-2, and four fish were age 2-3. The distribution of recovered hatchery-released fish and wild fish differed significantly across sampling periods within and among bays or estuaries. Allelic richness in recovered hatchery-released fish was significantly lower than in both hatchery brood fish and wild fish. In addition, recovered hatchery-released fish were produced by fewer dams, sires, and dam × sire combinations in 2005 and 2006 and by fewer dams and sires in 2007 than would be expected if reproductive success was distributed randomly among brood fish. The spatial distributions of recovered hatchery-released and wild fish deviated from random expectations for sam- ples from the Upper Laguna Madre in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 and from West Matagorda Bay in the spring and fall of 2008. Correlation and principal components analysis identified a significant, positive relationship between annual average CPUE and relative annual mortality. No relationship was observed between the number of fish released per hectare and the percentage of recovered hatchery-released fish. Comparisons to other studies of red drum stock enhancement are discussed.
Three-dimensional (3D) displacement measurement by a holographic interferometric microscope

A holographic interferometric microscope is presented, which combines conjugate reconstruction and two-reference beam method to apply the static evaluation method with 3 illumination directions. In this way the determination of every component of small displacements over objects which are smaller than a millimeter is possible. A solder bond and a surface mounted resistor were used to test the performance of the proposed hologram- microscopic arrangement. The thermal deformations under operation conditions were investigated. The orthogonal displacement components were calculated from the experimental results and compared with the expected deformation behavior.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Cardiomyocyte-restricted peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor-δ deletion perturbs myocardial fatty acid oxidation and leads to cardiomyopathy

Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is a primary energy source for meeting the heart's energy requirements1,2,3. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ (PPAR-δ) may have important roles in FAO4,5,6,7,8. But it remains unclear whether PPAR-δ is required for maintaining basal myocardial FAO. We show that cre-loxP-mediated cardiomyocyte-restricted deletion of PPAR-δ in mice downregulates constitutive expression of key FAO genes and decreases basal myocardial FAO. These mice have cardiac dysfunction, progressive myocardial lipid accumulation, cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure with reduced survival. Thus, chronic myocardial PPAR-δ deficiency leads to lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. Together, our data show that PPAR-δ is a crucial determinant of constitutive myocardial FAO and is necessary to maintain energy balance and normal cardiac function. We suggest that PPAR-δ is a potential therapeutic target in treating lipotoxic cardiomyopathy and other heart diseases.
Capillary flow in a noncircular tube

The 1-D axial, laminar, Newtonian flow through a tube of uniform, but noncircular, cross-section is analyzed. The tube boundary is r = R[1 + ef(θ)], in which R is a reference radius, e is a small parameter, and the function f(θ) of the polar angle is general, albeit subject to minimal constraints ensuring single-valuedness and quadrant symmetry. All results are determined as asymptotic expansions complete to terms O(e2), which include the velocity distribution, average velocity, volume flow rate, ratio of flow rates in the noncircular to that in a circular pipe of the same cross-sectional area, the friction factor-Reynolds number dependence, the permeability of packed beds comprising noncircular capillaries, kinetic-energy and momentum-flux correction factors, the capillary penetration rate under the influence of the capillary pressure and the equilibrium value of the capillary rise. Expressions are derived in terms of the general boundary function f(θ) and, for special cases, when f(θ) = sin2kθ (k = 1, 2, 3) and f(θ) = sin2kθ with k a positive integer. The results provide quantitative measures of the effect of tube shape on flow properties and on imbibition and drainage from noncircular capillaries.
Convergence of the sum of reciprocal renewal times

Abstract Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the almost sure convergence or divergence of ∑∞n=1(T1+ ⋯ + Tn)−1, where T1, T2,… are i.i.d. and positive.
Lasing droplets in a microfluidic T-junction device with integrated optics

Lasing from spherical microdroplets ejected into a liquid medium with lower refractive index is observed in a microchannel. A microfabricated device that combines the droplet production and excitation/detection has been utilized. Droplets of 50 µm-diameter containing a fluorescent dye were first detected and then excited through multimode fibers after their production at a T-junction. Images show intense lasing emission around the droplet rim. Spectra from the droplets exhibit morphology dependent resonances (MDRs) which are red shifted relative to the bulk fluorescence emission from the dyes. The dependence of resonant peak intensities on the pump beam power is nonlinear.
Is There One Best Way to Sell a Company? Auctions Versus Negotiations and Controlled Sales

For managements and boards that have decided that the value-maximizing choice is to sell their companies, the board must then address another important question: what is the best way to sell the company? Should they use a wide-ranging auction that seeks to attract the largest number of bidders, exclusive negotiation with a single bidder, or a “controlled sale” with a limited group of potential buyers? In a much cited 1996 article in the American Economic Review called “Auctions Versus Negotiations,” economists Jeremy Bulow and Paul Klemperer argued that there is “no merit in arguments that negotiation should be restricted to one or a few bidders to allow the seller to maintain control of the negotiating process.” But in their series of studies of the corporate M&A sales process over the past five years, the authors of this article have come to a very different conclusion. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, wide-ranging auctions that seek the greatest number of bidders are far from the dominant approach. Roughly half of the large M&A deals investigated by the authors were accomplished through negotiations with single bidders. At the same time, full-fledged auctions accounted for only about half of the deals involving multiple bidders, while the other half were classified as controlled sales aimed at a small number of carefully selected potential buyers. In their attempt to explain this preference for negotiations and controlled sales over auctions in M&A sales, the authors draw extensive parallels with the market for initial public offerings. As in the “bookbuilding” approach that now dominates the IPO process in virtually all global capital markets, the decision to limit the number of bidders through either negotiations or controlled sales appears to have the advantage of eliciting more aggressive bids from the “most qualified” buyers. Or, to put this another way, auctions appear to have the effect of discouraging such buyers from participating in the process.
Sterol depletion reduces receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding in NS-1 mouse myeloma cells☆

NS-1 mouse myeloma cells, a cholesterol auxotrophic cell line with a lesion in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway at the demethylation of lanosterol to C-29 sterol, were depleted of cholesterol by incubation in cholesterol-free medium for 24 to 48 h. The low-density lipoprotein receptor activities in untreated and in cholesterol-depleted cells were then compared. The cholesterol-depleted NS-1 cells consistently exhibited a 75 to 90% reduction in receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding compared to untreated cells. The decline of the low-density lipoprotein binding of cholesterol-free medium-incubated NS-1 cells was prevented by addition of free cholesterol or its biosynthetic intermediate, demosterol, to the medium. The addition of lanosterol, an intermediate upstream to the lesion site in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, was completely ineffective. The results indicate that proper membrane cholesterol content is necessary for the maintenance of normal low-density lipoprotein receptor function in NS-1 cells.
Echo hadrons: Color confinement and fractionally charged states

Abstract We speculate that the gauge group of strong interaction is larger than SU(3). As a consequence, fractionally charged states can become liberated.
Increased biosynthesis of pyruvate kinase under hypoxic conditions in mammalian cells.

Abstract The rate of biosynthesis of pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate2- O -phosphotransterase, EC 2.7.1.40) was compared in cells maintained under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. L8 cells (a myoblast cell line) were pulse-labeled with [ 3 H]leucine and incorporation of radioactivity into pyruvate kinase was measured after quantitative affinity separation with anti-pyruvate kinase monoclonal antibody. During chronic hypoxia there is an increased rate of biosynthesis of pyruvate kinase leading to an increase in enzyme content and augmented glycolytic capacity. An inhibitor of the electron transport chain, antimycin A, was used to determine whether changes in pyruvate kinase content occurring during hypoxia are a result of reduction in molecular oxygen directly or an indirect consequence of oxygen depletion. Pyravate kinase activity increased during chronic antimycin A exposure under normoxic conditions. The increase was quantitatively accounted for by an increase in cellular pyruvate kinase enzyme content. This suggested that decrease in the levels of molecular O 2 are not the direct stimulus for the increased content of pyruvate kinase. It is more likely that the increased pyruvate kinase content results from depressed rates of electron transport through the mitochondrial electron transport chain.
Tumorigenic activity of Merkel cell polyomavirus T antigens expressed in the stratified epithelium of mice

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is frequently associated with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Most MCC tumors contain integrated copies of the viral genome with persistent expression of the MCPyV large T (LT) and small T (ST) antigen. MCPyV isolated from MCC typically contain wild type ST but truncated forms of LT that retain the N-terminus but delete the C-terminus and render LT incapable of supporting virus replication. To determine the oncogenic activity of MCC tumor-derived T antigens in vivo, a conditional, tissue-specific mouse model was developed. Keratin 14-mediated Cre recombinase expression induced expression of MCPyV T antigens in stratified squamous epithelial cells and Merkel cells of the skin epidermis. Mice expressing MCPyV T antigens developed hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, and acanthosis of the skin with additional abnormalities in whisker pads, footpads and eyes. Nearly half of the mice also developed cutaneous papillomas. Evidence for neoplastic progression within stratified epithelia included increased cellular proliferation, unscheduled DNA synthesis, increased E2F-responsive genes levels, disrupted differentiation, and presence of a DNA damage response. These results indicate that MCPyV T antigens are tumorigenic in vivo, consistent with their suspected etiological role in human cancer.
Homeostasis, the Milieu Intérieur, and the Wisdom of the Nephron

The concept of homeostasis has been inextricably linked to the function of the kidneys for more than a century when it was recognized that the kidneys had the ability to maintain the “internal milieu” and allow organisms the “physiologic freedom” to move into varying environments and take in varying diets and fluids. Early ingenious, albeit rudimentary, experiments unlocked a wealth of secrets on the mechanisms involved in the formation of urine and renal handling of the gamut of electrolytes, as well as that of water, acid, and protein. Recent scientific advances have confirmed these prescient postulates such that the modern clinician is the beneficiary of a rich understanding of the nephron and the kidney’s critical role in homeostasis down to the molecular level. This review summarizes those early achievements and provides a framework and introduction for the new CJASN series on renal physiology.
Association of measured physical performance and demographic and health characteristics with self-reported physical function: implications for the interpretation of self-reported limitations

Self-reported limitations in physical function often have only weak associations with measured performance on physical tests, suggesting that factors other than performance commonly influence self-reports. We tested if personal or health characteristics influenced self-reported limitations in three tasks, controlling for measured performance on these tasks. We used cross-sectional data on adults aged ≥ 60 years (N = 5396) from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the association between the repeated chair rise test and self-reported difficulty rising from a chair. We then tested if personal characteristics, health indicators, body composition, and performance on unrelated tasks were associated with self-reported limitations in this task. We used the same approach to examine associations between personal and health characteristics and self-reported difficulty walking between rooms, controlling for timed 8-foot walk, and self-reported difficulty getting out of bed, controlling for repeated chair rise test results. In multivariate analyses, participants who performed worse on the repeated chair rise test were more likely to report difficulty with chair rise. However, older age, lower education level, lower serum albumin, comorbidities, knee pain, and being underweight were also significantly associated with self-reported limitations with chair rise. Results were similar for difficulty walking between rooms and getting out of bed. Self-reports of limitations in physical function are influenced by personal and health characteristics that reflect frailty, and should not be interpreted solely as measured difficulty performing the task.