cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
79 – Chionosphaera Cox

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on Chionosphaera genus and its member species. Asexual reproduction in this genus occurs through polar budding of ellipsoidal to sausage-shaped single cells. Its basidiocarps are white, minute, stipitate-capitate, and abundant, and the stipes are composed of bundles of parallel, infrequently septate hyphae with no clamp connections. Basidial caps are often waxy, but sometimes cottony, globose to slightly flattened, without hyphidia or other sterile elements. Basidia are clavate, terminal, and produced mostly on unilaterally proliferating hyphal branches. Basidiospores are hyaline, oblong to ellipsoidal or reniform, one-celled, smooth, six to eight in number, and are produced on short sterigmata in tight apical clusters. After the basidiospores are released, the basidial apex appears as crown-like, due to the plugged short sterigmata. The only member species of this genus is Chionosphaera apobasidialis. After undergoing growth on yeast extract of 2% malt agar for three days at 25° C, the cells appear as ellipsoidal to sausage-shaped, in single or in pairs.
Machine Learning-Based Double-Profile Intersection for Pointwise Prediction of Shear Elastic Modulus through Support Vector Regression

Double-profile intersection (DoPIo) ultrasound is a new acoustic radiation force (ARF) imaging technique that exploits scatterer shearing under two different tracking point spread functions to estimate shear elastic moduli. Previous versions of DoPIo used an empirically derived model to relate the time where two displacement profiles, each measuring displacement in identical positions using different aperture sizes. We herein propose an alternative, machine learning-based approach that obviates the need for an empirically-derived model by replacing it with a support vector machine that uses paired displacement profiles in their entirety. In this work, we describe the implementation of such a model, validate its ability in shear modulus for simulated materials, and deploy it to image a calibrated phantom.
Mergers & Acquisitions (from Corporations in 100 Pages)

This is the seventh chapter of the book Corporations in 100 Pages (2020), authored by Holger Spamann, Scott Hirst, and Gabriel Rauterberg. The book is an introduction to corporate law for students and anyone else interested in the foundations of corporate law. The book provides an accessible, self-contained presentation of the field’s essentials: what corporations are, how they are governed, their interactions with their investors, and other stakeholders, major transactions (M&A), and parallels with other legal entities, including partnerships. Optional background chapters cover the investor ecosystem, contemporary corporate governance, and corporate finance. The book’s exposition of doctrine and policy is nuanced and sophisticated, yet short and simple enough for a quick read. In addition to this Chapter 7 (“Mergers & Acquisitions”), we have also made available on SSRN Chapter 1 (“Corporations & Corporate Law”) (https://ssrn.com/abstract=3655213) and Chapter 5 of the book (“Fiduciary Duties”) (https://ssrn.com/abstract=3655217). Chapter 7, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” discusses ways of buying all or part of a corporation. The chapter provides an overview of these transactions and introduces key concepts and the main sources of law. The chapter then explains the three ways in which all or part of a corporation can be acquired—by acquiring its assets, acquiring its shares, and through a merger with another corporation—and the legal and practical differences between the three structures and variants thereof. The chapter explains the difference between friendly and hostile transactions, and the legal rules regarding how corporations may permissibly defend themselves against hostile transactions. The chapter also discusses the special considerations and rules that apply to mergers and acquisitions involving controlling shareholders. Finally, the chapter discusses litigation concerning mergers and acquisitions.
Basilar Artery Perforator Aneurysms and their Contemporary Management.

Background: Aneurysms arising in relation to perforators of the basilar artery (basilar perforator aneurysms or BPA) are very rare. Prior literature indicates the need for typically more than one angiogram for diagnosis, and argues for the utility of delayed angiograms in cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with initial negative studies. Different treatment modalities for BPA including endovascular, microsurgical, and conservative management have been described. Contemporary management appears to favor endovascular therapy. We discuss the topic by presenting a case which represents the first instance of BPA diagnosis after a fourth angiogram and subsequent successful endovascular occlusion. A literature review is provided. Objective: To discuss the unique presentation and management dilemmas in the rare entity of basilar artery perforator aneurysms by presentation of a case that was managed successfully by endovascular means. We also indirectly highlight the need for multiple follow-up angiograms in initial angiographically negative subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods and Materials: We describe a 62–year-old male presenting with good clinical grade SAH and three negative angiograms, whose hospital course was complicated by repeat intraventricular hemorrhage. A fourth angiogram revealed a BPA. Multiple overlapping stents placed in the basilar artery achieved successful aneurysm exclusion. A comprehensive review of the literature was performed on PubMed. Results and Conclusions: Only 57 cases of BPAs have been described in literature. Multiple angiograms may be necessary for diagnosis. These aneurysms present with SAH. Endovascular flow modification is the current treatment of choice by means of overlapping stents or flow diversion.
Seeded PageRank solution paths

We study the behaviour of network diffusions based on the PageRank random walk from a set of seed nodes. These diffusions are known to reveal small, localized clusters (or communities), and also large macro-scale clusters by varying a parameter that has a dual-interpretation as an accuracy bound and as a regularization level. We propose a new method that quickly approximates the result of the diffusion for all values of this parameter. Our method efficiently generates an approximate solution path or regularization path associated with a PageRank diffusion, and it reveals cluster structures at multiple size-scales between small and large. We formally prove a runtime bound on this method that is independent of the size of the network, and we investigate multiple optimizations to our method that can be more practical in some settings. We demonstrate that these methods identify refined clustering structure on a number of real-world networks with up to 2 billion edges.
Treating attention problems in children exposed to intimate partner violence: Evaluating the Preschool Kids’ Club

Abstract Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) increases risk for symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, and yet no known evaluations of interventions for IPV-exposed children have demonstrated effectiveness in treating their attention problems. This study examined the utility of the Preschool Kids’ Club (PKC), a treatment program tailored to the needs of preschool-aged children whose mothers had experienced IPV, in reducing children’s attention problems during this critical developmental period. Participants (N = 120) were preschool-aged children who, with their mothers, participated in an eight-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the PKC. Longitudinal multi-level modeling was used to evaluate the main effect of intervention participation on children’s attention problems, as well as moderating effects of IPV exposure and maternal depression. Although there was no main effect of intervention participation, children’s outcomes were moderated by IPV exposure. Specifically, among children exposed to high levels of IPV, symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were significantly lower for intervention participants than children in the control group one year post-intervention. These improvements were not sustained in the eight-year follow-up. Results provide support for the use of trauma-specific interventions for children exhibiting attention problems following exposure to high levels of IPV. However, more comprehensive and long-term treatment may be necessary to promote enduring change.
Biomedical Named Entity Recognition via Knowledge Guidance and Question Answering

In this work, we formulated the named entity recognition (NER) task as a multi-answer knowledge guided question-answer task (KGQA) and showed that the knowledge guidance helps to achieve state-of-the-art results for 11 of 18 biomedical NER datasets. We prepended five different knowledge contexts—entity types, questions, definitions, and examples—to the input text and trained and tested BERT-based neural models on such input sequences from a combined dataset of the 18 different datasets. This novel formulation of the task (a) improved named entity recognition and illustrated the impact of different knowledge contexts, (b) reduced system confusion by limiting prediction to a single entity-class for each input token (i.e., B, I, O only) compared to multiple entity-classes in traditional NER (i.e., Bentity1, Bentity2, Ientity1, I, O), (c) made detection of nested entities easier, and (d) enabled the models to jointly learn NER-specific features from a large number of datasets. We performed extensive experiments of this KGQA formulation on the biomedical datasets, and through the experiments, we showed when knowledge improved named entity recognition. We analyzed the effect of the task formulation, the impact of the different knowledge contexts, the multi-task aspect of the generic format, and the generalization ability of KGQA. We also probed the model to better understand the key contributors for these improvements.
Toward High-Throughput Thermal Characterization of Combinatorial Thin-Film Solid State Phase Change Materials

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer a passive methodology to store thermal energy and mitigate transient temperature increases. Those that go from one solid-state phase to another remove the need for confinement structures imposed by PCMs which melt or sublimate. The use of solid-to-solid state phase change materials is an emerging topic of interest, and the parameters governing the use of such materials in high power applications (namely, thermal conductivity, latent heat, volumetric specific heat, and transformation temperature) are not well-understood in solid-to-solid metallic PCMs (such as those exhibiting reversible Martensitic transformations). It has been demonstrated that thermal conductivity, latent heat, and transformation temperature in these systems can be significantly tailored by adjusting the processing conditions, but little data exists on the impact of compositional variants of ternary or quaternary elements exhibiting the shape memory effect. A main limitation is the lack of rapid, high-throughput experimental methodologies capable of characterizing these quantities to better inform design of materials. In this work, we demonstrate efficacy of a finite element method to explore parametric spaces for designs of test structures capable of simultaneously resolving thermal conductivity, specific heat, latent heat, and transformation temperature. Test structures will be fabricated using photolithography and thin film deposition techniques capable of combinatorial thin film fabrication. The goal of this work is to determine whether the proposed design - a thermally isolated suspended platform - will be capable of resolving transient and frequency-domain thermal signal to recover the desired properties. This work relies on finite element modeling using multiphysics software COMSOL v5.5 to predict experimental sensitivity to the input parameters, and will ultimately rely on coupling finite element models to fitting algorithms to determine unknown material properties. This combined thermal characterization strategy represents a leap-ahead for PCM characterization capabilities. Rapid characterization of wide compositional variations will enable accelerated progress in leveraging PCMs for high power applications.
Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin and its Ergogenic Effects in Athletes: A Brief Review

Highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD) is a relatively new carbohydrate source that has gained much popularity in sports nutrition supplements, quickly becoming one of the most popular sports and fitness supplements globally. Due to its high molecular weight and low osmolality, HBCD is thought to provide an ergogenic advantage over other carbohydrate sources via faster gastric emptying and faster absorption. The purpose of this brief review is to explore performance claims and implications of HBCD use. We provide rationale for recommended use based on results of scientific studies conducted in both animals and humans.
The Clinical Profile of Sepsis and the Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Both sepsis syndrome and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are empirically defined clinical entities (Brigham, 1983; Bernard and Brigham, 1984). Definition of the syndromes, that is, the specific constellation of abnormalities which qualifies for the diagnosis, has evolved from clinical experience with little regard for etiology or for the spectrum of pathophysiology which may be present. Most definitions of sepsis syndrome include fever, tachycardia, tachypnea and evidence of failure of at least one organ (usually brain, lungs, liver or kidneys). ARDS is usually defined as non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema with refractory hypoxemia. The actual numbers for each of the variables used to define the syndromes vary. Although such empirical definitions might be expected to be nonspecific, including very heterogenous groups of patients, in practice that is not the case. For example, using several criteria for selecting patients with ARDS, different series from different parts of the United States appear to identify groups of patients with similar distributions of etiologies, similar mortality rates and similar clinical behavior (Brigham, 1985; Bernard and Brigham, 1985). The same appears to be true of sepsis syndrome.
Reducing Tracking Error in RFID Real-Time Localization Systems Using Kalman Filters

The use of Radio Frequency Identification RFID has become widespread in industry as a means to quickly and wirelessly identify and track packages and equipment. Now there is a commercial interest in using RFID to provide real-time localization. Efforts to use RFID technology in this way experience localization errors due to noise and multipath effects inherent to these environments. This paper presents the use of both linear Kalman filters and non-linear Unscented Kalman filters to reduce the error rate inherent to real-time RFID localization systems and provide more accurate localization results in indoor environments. A commercial RFID localization system designed for use by the construction industry is used in this work, and a filtering model based on 3rd order motion is developed. The filtering model is tested with real-world data and shown to provide an increase in localization accuracy when applied to both raw time of arrival measurements as well as final localization results.
Lunar tide amplification during the January 2009 stratosphere warming event: Observations and theory

[1] Amplification of the lunar gravitational M2 and N2tides during the January 2009 sudden stratosphere warming (SSW) event are explored using SABER temperature data at 110 km, CHAMP and GRACE densities at 360 and 480 km, and the Global-Scale Wave Model (GSWM). Utilizing background temperatures and winds characteristic of individual days during January and February 2009 the GSWM is used to establish the frequency response of the atmosphere and its dependence on the zonal mean atmospheric state, and to provide daily estimates of the steady state response to lunar gravitational forcing. SABERM2temperature amplitudes are found to achieve values of order 10–15 K at 110 km, roughy 5 days after the peak warming at 10 hPa (day 23 of 2009), and represent a factor of 3 or so amplification over January climatological values. This amplification is attributable to a shifting of the so-called Pekeris resonance peak of the atmosphere to 12.42 hours (the M2 period) due to changes in the zonal mean wind distribution in connection with the SSW. N2 responses of order 4–6 K are similarly found near days 25 and 40, when the Pekeris peak passes near to 12.66 hours (the N2 period). The GSWM predicts temperature perturbations of order 20–30 K for M2 and 3–4 K for N2, reasonably consistent with the above results, given nuances of the data analysis and recognized shortcomings of utilizing a steady state model. An enhanced M2 density response of order 15–20% is found in the CHAMP measurements between days 30 and 40, as compared with a GSWM estimate of order 10%. The upper thermosphere N2 response could not be extracted from CHAMP measurements, and both M2 and N2 response determinations using the GRACE data were deemed unreliable. The GSWM estimates lunar tidal wind responses of order 40–60 ms−1in the dynamo region (ca. 100–150 km) in connection with the SSW. These constitute large perturbations to the nominal tidal winds at these altitudes, and are thus expected to carry the lunar tide signature into the ionosphere vis-a-vis dynamo electric fields, consistent with observations and interpretations made in the recent literature.
Religion Enters the Academy: The Origins of the Scholarly Study of Religion in America

Religious studies--also known as comparative religion or history of religions--emerged as a field of study in colleges and universities on both sides of the Atlantic during the late nineteenth century. In Europe, as previous historians have demonstrated, the discipline grew from long-established traditions of university-based philological scholarship. But in the United States, James Turner argues, religious studies developed outside the academy. Until about 1820, Turner contends, even learned Americans showed little interest in non-European religions--a subject that had fascinated their counterparts in Europe since the end of the seventeenth century. Growing concerns about the status of Christianity generated American interest in comparing it to other great religions, and the resulting writings eventually produced the academic discipline of religious studies in U.S. universities. Fostered especially by learned Protestant ministers, this new discipline focused on canonical texts--the "bibles"--of other great world religions. This rather narrow approach provoked the philosopher and psychologist William James to challenge academic religious studies in 1902 with his celebrated and groundbreaking Varieties of Religious Experience .
Comparing Treatment Effects in Parallel Experiments

Experimenters often conduct their studies in the laboratory or in the field. Each mode has specific advantages (e.g., the control of the lab versus the realistic atmosphere of the field). We develop a framework for understanding the particular context of each style of experimentation, leading to two hypotheses concerning the relationship between treatment effects in lab and field settings that we test in contemporaneous experiments. In particular, registered voters in a medium-sized city were assigned to either a laboratory or a field experiment involving newspaper treatments. Using multiple outcome measures (e.g., job approval, policy preferences, knowledge), we find significantly larger treatment versus control differences in the laboratory experiment, especially for outcomes in which the content of the treatment could be readily linked to the dependent variable. At the same time, the modal pattern is one in which the lab treatment effects and the field treatment effects do not differ from one another.
Growth and nodulation responses of Rhizobium meliloti to water stress induced by permeating and nonpermeating solutes

Isolates of Rhizobium meliloti, representing antigenically distinct indigenous serogroups 31 and 17, were grown in yeast extract-mannitol broth (YEM) containing NaCl or polyethylene glycol (PEG) to provide external water potentials ranging from −0.15 to −1.5 MPa. Several differences were found between representatives of the two groups in their abilities to adapt to water stress induced by the nonpermeating solute PEG. At potentials below −0.5 MPa, strain 31 had a lower specific growth rate than strain 17 and an irregular cell morphology. In contrast, neither growth nor cell morphology of either strain was affected significantly over the same range of water potentials created by a permeating solute, NaCl. Despite the superior growth of strain 17 at the low water potentials imposed by PEG, upshock of water-stressed cells (−1.0 MPa; PEG) into normal YEM (−0.15 MPa) resulted in a faster recovery of growth by strain 31 than by strain 17. Different responses of the two strains to a water potential increase were also revealed in nodulation studies. Strain 31 required significantly fewer days to nodulate alfalfa than strain 17 did when the strains were transferred from YEM with PEG at −1.0 MPa onto the roots of alfalfa seedlings in plant growth medium (−0.1 MPa). The addition of supplemental calcium (0.1 mM) to growth medium with PEG (−1.0 MPa) reduced the differences between strains in their responses to water stress. The severe growth restriction and morphological abnormalities shown by strain 31 were corrected, and the prolonged recovery time shown by water-stressed cells (−1.0 MPa; PEG) of strain 17 upon transfer to normal YEM was shortened. The latter strain also nodulated earlier and more rapidly after growth in PEG medium at −1.0 MPa in the presence of supplemental calcium ions. These results indicate that the efficacy of osmoregulation can vary among strains of the same species and that the mechanism of osmoregulation may differ depending on the nature of the water stress.
The Potential of Systems Thinking in Teacher Reform as Theorized for the Teaching Brain Framework.

The teaching brain is a dynamic system that is in constant interaction with the learning brain. If we fail to explore the teaching brain we will continue to design educational reform policies that ignore the most important lens in the classroom: the teachers'. Master teachers recognize their perspective and leverage their teaching brains to embody a systems thinking view of their practice. If all teachers were taught how to recognize themselves as self-created, organized systems existing within the larger teaching–learning interaction, they would understand how their context and intentions affect the teacher–student interaction. Education reform must acknowledge and understand more about the teaching brain, how master teachers practice systems thinking and the mutually interacting brains of teacher and student if we hope to truly improve how we educate children.
Blackmail as a Victimless Crime

The legal theory of blackmail is the veritable puzzle surrounded by a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Consider. Blackmail consists of two things, each indisputably legal on their own; yet, when combined in a single act, the result is considered a crime. What are the two things? First, there is either a threat or an offer. In the former case, it is, typically, to publicize on embarrassing secret; in the latter, it is to remain silent about this information. Second, there is a demand or a request for funds or other valuable considerations. When put together, there is a threat that, unless paid off, the secret will be told.Either of these things, standing alone, is perfectly legal. To tell an embarrassing secret is to do no more than gossip. To ask for money is likewise a legitimate activity, as everyone from Bill Clinton to the beggar to the fundraiser for the local charity can attest. Yet when combined, the result is called blackmail and it is widely seen as a crime.
Music and the Brain in Childhood Development. Review of Research.

(2001). Review of Research: Music and the Brain in Childhood Development. Childhood Education: Vol. 78, No. 2, pp. 100-103.
Goal concepts in personality and social psychology.

Contents: L.A. Pervin, Goal Concepts in Personality and Social Psychology: A Historical Perspective. A. Bandura, Self-Regulation of Motivation and Action Through Internal Standards and Goal Systems. R.A. Emmons, The Personal Striving Approach to Personality. N. Cantor, C.A. Langston, Ups and Downs of Life Tasks in a Life Transition. R.A. Wright, J.W. Brehm, Energization and Goal Attractiveness. H. Markus, A. Ruvolo, Possible Selves: Personalized Representations of Goals. B.R. Schlenker, M.F. Weigold, Goals and the Self-Identification Process: Constructing Desired Identities. T.W. Lee, E.A. Locke, G.P. Latham, Goal Setting Theory and Job Performance. D.R. Peterson, Interpersonal Goal Conflict. J. Trzebinski, The Role of Goal Categories in the Representation of Social Knowledge. S.J. Read, L.C. Miller, Inter-Personalism: Toward a Goal-Based Theory of Persons in Relationships. L.A. Pervin, Goal Concepts: Themes, Issues, and Questions.
Synthetic strategies for new vanadium oxyfluorides containing novel building blocks: structures of V(IV) and V(V) containing Sr4V3O5F13, Pb7V4O8F18, Pb2VO2F5, and Pb2VOF6

Four new vanadium oxyfluorides (VOFs), Sr4V3O5F13 (1), Pb7V4O8F18 (2), Pb2VO2F5 (3), and Pb2VOF6 (4), have been synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. The choice of starting reagents, AF2 or A(CH3CO2)2·xH2O (A = Pb, alkaline earth), determined the oxidation states of vanadium in the final products. The reaction of V2O5 with AF2 leads, consistently, to the formation of V(V) compounds, while the use of A(CH3CO2)2·xH2O results in V(IV) containing compounds, suggesting that the acetate species behaves as an effective mild reducing agent. The crystal structures, characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, revealed that the compounds exhibit various anionic VOF building blocks, including dimeric and trinuclear units, as well as one-dimensional chains. All compounds contain fluorine atoms that are not bonded to the vanadium atoms, which are located between two-dimensional layers consisting of corner- or edge-shared FA3 or FA4 polyhedra that separate the vanadium containing building blocks. The magnetic susceptibility data for 4 were measured as a function of temperature, yielding an effective magnetic moment of 1.72 μB that confirms the presence of V(IV). UV-vis reflectance and thermal properties were also characterized.
The evolution of spinel lherzolite xenoliths and the nature of the mantle at Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico

In peridotites, olivine, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene are complex solid solutions with wide stability fields. Depending mostly on bulk composition and pressure, these minerals may be accompanied by plagioclase (low pressure), spinel (moderate pressure), or garnet (high pressure), resulting in 4-phase and rarer 5-phase assemblages. Although a particular mineral assemblage is stable over a range of P–T, the compositions of the individual minerals vary with changing P–T conditions. Application of standard geothermobarometers to olivine–clinopyroxene–orthopyroxene–spinel peridotites is problematic. An alternative approach is to use a bulk rock composition to calculate equilibrium phase diagrams to determine the conditions under which a particular assemblage is stable. This requires consideration of the 7-component system SiO2–Al2O3–Cr2O3–FeO–MgO–CaO–Na2O, internally consistent thermodynamic data for end members, and reliable mixing models for all mineral solutions. Experimental studies in simpler systems, and solution models from the literature, permit derivation of multicomponent thermodynamic mixing models for the key minerals. The models, when applied to xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole, constrain P and T of equilibration and are less sensitive to mineral compositional variations, or uncertainty in activity models, than standard thermobarometry. Our modeling provides the first tightly constrained pressure estimates for Kilbourne Hole, placing the xenoliths in the spinel stability field at depths (30–45 km) that correspond to the uppermost mantle beneath the Rio Grande Rift. The fine-grained equigranular lherzolite, porphyroclastic lherzolite, and some harzburgite-dunite specimens equilibrated at average conditions of 11.5 Kbar-930°C, 12 Kbar-990°C, and 13 Kbar-1,080°C, respectively. The mantle beneath the Rio Grande Rift is layered; the fine-grained equigranular lherzolite derives from relatively shallow depth (35 km average), and the porphyroclastic lherzolite from slightly deeper levels. Lying 5–10 km beneath both lherzolites, the harzburgite-dunite represents a depth where melt extraction has significantly altered mantle chemistry and where local thermodynamic equilibrium has not been maintained.
Shoeboxes and taxes: Integrated course design unleashes new creativity for a veteran teacher

The author used the integrated course design model to create new learning activities in her course on federal taxation. Although she is a veteran teacher, she found this new way of thinking about her courses unleashed her creativity and set her on a path of continuous learning.
Endovascular, transperitoneal, and retroperitoneal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Results and costs

Abstract Purpose: Contemporary treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) includes transabdominal (TA), retroperitoneal (RP), and endovascular (EV) repair. This study compares the cost and early (30-day) results of a consecutive series of AAA repair by means of these three methods in a single institution. Methods: A total of 125 consecutive AAA repairs between February 1993 and August 1997 were reviewed. Risk factors, 30-day morbidity and mortality rates, and hospital stay and cost were analyzed according to method of repair (TA, RP, EV). Cost was normalized by means of a conversion factor to maintain confidentiality. Cost analysis includes conversion to TA repair (intent to treat) in the EV group. Results: One hundred twenty-five AAA repairs were performed with the TA (n = 40), RP (n = 24), or EV (n = 61) approach. Risk factors among the groups (age, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cigarette smoking) were not statistically different, and thus the groups were comparable. The average estimated blood loss was significantly lower for EV (300 mL) than for RP (700 mL) and TA (786 mL; P > .05). Statistically significant higher cost for TA and RP for pharmacy and clinical laboratories (likely related to increased length of stay [LOS]) and significantly higher cost for EV in supplies and radiology (significantly reducing cost savings in LOS) were revealed by means of an itemized cost analysis. Operating room cost was similar for EV, TA, and RP. There were six perigraft leaks (9.6%) and six conversions to TA (9.6%) in the EV group. Conclusion: There were no statistically significant differences in mortality rates among TA, RP, and EV. Respiratory failure was significantly more common after TA repair, compared with RP or EV, whereas wound complications were more common after RP. Overall cost was significantly higher for TA repair, with no significant difference in cost between EV and RP. EV repair significantly shortened hospital stay and intensive care unit (ICU) use and had a lower morbidity rate. Cost savings in LOS were significantly reduced in the EV group by the increased cost of supplies and radiology, accounting for a similar cost between EV and RP. Considering the increased resource use preoperatively and during follow-up for EV patients, the difference in cost between TA and EV may be insignificant. EV repair is unlikely to save money for the health care system; its use is likely to be driven by patient and physician preference, in view of a significant decrease in the morbidity rate and length of hospital stay. (J Vasc Surg 1999;30:59-67.)
Perceptions and practices of therapeutic hypothermia in American neonatal intensive care units.

Objective In 2005, therapeutic hypothermia (TH) was used in few American neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) with great variability in practices. We hypothesized that TH would be used with greater frequency and uniformity today. Study Design We surveyed directors of 797 NICUs queried in our prior study to determine attitudes toward and practices of TH. Results Of the 781 participants with valid addresses, we received completed surveys from 330 (42.3%). There was an increase in the number of respondents who believed that TH is effective (85% versus 31%, p p p Conclusion TH has become standard of care for the treatment of HIE in the United States. Most NICUs that use TH adhere to protocols, but variation still exists in TH practices.
Post-partum Release of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) in the Rat as Determined by Radioimmunoassay1

To determine the time, extent and duration of the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), concentrations of LH were determined by radioimmunoassay in extracts of anterior pituitary glands and in sera drawn several times during the day from pregnant and post-partum rats. In the pregnant rat, no peaks in concentrations of LH in serum were found in 85 samples collected. Elevated concentrations of LH were seen as early as 2 hr after delivery, with the greatest percentage occurring between 7 and 10 hr after delivery. These elevated concentrations occurred as early as 7 AM on the day of delivery and as late as 3 in the morning of the day following delivery. Sequential samples from individual rats showed that the onset of the rise in serum LH occurred between 3 and 11 hr after delivery. The release of LH was rapid, with at least a 15-fold rise in concentration (and perhaps as much as a 60-fold increase) occurring in as little as 2 hr in some cases. The initial fall in serum LH concentrations was likewise rapid. The...
Study on High-Speed Lateral Stability of Car-Trailer Combination

Since the handling behaviour of car-trailer combination is more complex and less predictable than that of non-articulated vehicles, the drivers may lose control of the vehicle in some hasty steering maneuvers. The kinematics of car-trailer combination has been analyzed with a 3 DOF model. A modified Vehicle Dynamics Control system was designed to improve the lateral stability of the trailer. The dynamics simulation for lateral stability of car-trailer combination has been performed on the multi-body model. The results show that the lateral stability of car-trailer combination, including yaw rate and roll angle has been improved with the modified Vehicle Dynamics Control system.
Tariff effects in a spatial oligopoly with land markets and mobile consumers

Abstract Spatial studies of tariff protection in a small open economy have demonstrated that, under some types of oligopolistic behavior and specific demand conditions, a tariff may cause the domestic producer to lower its mill price, thereby benefiting at least some domestic consumers. This paper re-examines the welfare effects of a tariff in a small open economy where utility is derived from land and the traded good, consumers are (internally and externally) mobile, and location patterns and land rents adjust to tariff-induced changes in the mill prices of domestic and foreign producers.
Genetic predictors of acute and chronic pain.

Although broad agreement exists that genetic factors are important contributors to individual differences in pain sensitivity and risk for developing painful clinical conditions, the field of pain genetics is still in its infancy. This article reviews recent human studies of the genetics of acute and chronic pain, which implicate polymorphisms in genes coding for catechol-O-methyltransferase activity and μ-opioid receptors, among a number of others, as influential in explaining variability among the pain responses of individuals. Growing interest in pain genetics and accelerating methodologic advances in the field will almost certainly alter our understanding of which genes contribute to nociception and how dynamic interactions between multiple genes and environmental events shape the human experience of pain.
Plasma oestrogen levels in rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri Richardson

Levels of oestrogens in plasma of mature fall-spawning rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri were determined using a radio-immunoassay. No significant difference was found in oestrogen concentration between the sexes (male x=2.5 ng/ml; female x=4.4 ng/ml); between individual variability was great. Four blood samplings over a 24-h period via cardiac puncture of males revealed no diel variation or change in estrogen levels due to the stress of bleedings. Although no gonado-somatic index-estrogen relationship could be demonstrated for either sex, there was correlation between oestrogen and androgen levels in the female.
The Reduction of Blast Overpressures from Aqueous Foam in a Rigid Confinement

Abstract Experiments were performed in order to quantify the additional attenuation provided by enclosing a blast reducing material (aqueous foam) in a rigid vessel (cylindrical metal culvert), open at one end to the atmosphere. The results are compared with previously reported data on aqueous foam where the culvert was not used. A total of eight configurations were investigated. Tests performed with a 0·91-m culvert section and 1 2 stick (0·285 kg) of C-4 explosive and with a 1·22-m culvert section with 1 2 stick and 1 stick of C-4. A third parameter varied in the trials was the amount of foam used (depth in culvert). Data are presented for FSEL, and CSEL and peak level reduction scaled according to a modified scaled foam depth dependent on the charge weight, and height and depth of the culvert. This modified scaling law illustrates the relative effectiveness of enclosure depth and width on the noise reduction.
Orbital Verification of the CXO High-Resolution Mirror Assembly Alignment and Vignetting

Prior to launch, the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) of the Chandra X-ray Observatory underwent extensive ground testing at the X-ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Observations made during the post-launch Orbital Activation and Calibration period, allow the on-orbit condition of the X-ray optics to be assessed. Based on these ground-based and on-orbit data, we examine the alignment of the x-ray optics based on the PSF, and the boresight and alignment of the optical axis alignment relative to the detectors. We examine the vignetting and the single reflection ghost suppression properties of the telescope. Slight imperfections in alignment lead to a small azimuthal dependence of the off-axis area; the morphology of off-axis images also shows an additional small azimuthal dependence varying as 1/2 the off-axis azimuth angle.
Current studies on relation of fat to health.

An increase in the linoleic to oleic acid ratio by an increase in the percentage of the polyunsaturated ω6 family of fatty acids in culinary fats and a decrease in the consumption of cholesterol-rich food were believed necessary as a prerequisite to early intervention in coronary heart disease. A decrease in total fat consumption also has been recommended. However, a decrease in the percentage of fat in the diet may not be nutritionally sound, as it may only increase the percentage of carbohydrates consumed and, thus, the synthesis of the ω9 family of fatty acids from the surfeit calories. It may be more judicious to decrease the total number of calories through less consumption of a well balanced diet. Furthermore, as thetrans-fatty acids, which are formed during hydrogenation, are not discriminated against completely by acyl-glycerol-3-phosphoryl-choline transferase or acyl coenzyme A cholesteryl transferase, it would be, from a biological viewpoint, advantageous to eliminatetrans-fatty acids from both stick and tub type margarines.
Recursive Bayesian synthetic aperture geoacoustic inversion in the presence of motion dynamics

A low signal to noise ratio (SNR), single source/receiver, broadband, frequency-coherent matched-field inversion procedure recently has been proposed. It exploits coherently repeated transmissions to improve estimation of the geoacoustic parameters. The long observation time improves the SNR and creates a synthetic aperture due to relative source-receiver motion. To model constant velocity source/receiver horizontal motion, waveguide Doppler theory for normal modes is necessary. However, the inversion performance degrades when source/receiver acceleration exists. Furthermore processing a train of pulses all at once does not take advantage of the natural incremental acquisition of data along with the ability to assess the temporal evolution of parameter uncertainty. Here a recursive Bayesian estimation approach is developed that coherently processes the data pulse by pulse and incrementally updates estimates of parameter uncertainty. It also approximates source/receiver acceleration by assuming piecewise constant but linearly changing source/receiver velocities. When the source/receiver acceleration exists, it is shown that modeling acceleration can reduce further the parameter estimation biases and uncertainties. The method is demonstrated in simulation and in the analysis of low SNR, 100–900 Hz linear frequency modulated (LFM) pulses from the Shallow Water 2006 experiment.
Microarray analysis of Shigella flexneri -infected epithelial cells identifies host factors important for apoptosis inhibition

Shigella flexneri inhibits apoptosis in infected epithelial cells. In order to understand the pro-survival effects induced by the bacteria, we utilized apoptosis-specific microarrays to analyze the changes in eukaryotic gene expression in both infected and uninfected cells in the presence and absence of staurosporine, a chemical inducer of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The goal of this research was to identify host factors that contribute to apoptosis inhibition in infected cells. The microarray analysis revealed distinct expression profiles in uninfected and infected cells, and these changes were altered in the presence of staurosporine. These profiles allowed us to make comparisons between the treatment groups. Compared to uninfected cells, Shigella- infected epithelial cells, both in the presence and absence of staurosporine, showed significant induced expression of JUN, several members of the inhibitor of apoptosis gene family, nuclear factor κB and related genes, genes involving tumor protein 53 and the retinoblastoma protein, and surprisingly, genes important for the inhibition of the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. We confirmed the microarray results for a selection of genes using in situ hybridization analysis. Infection of epithelial cells with S. flexneri induces a pro-survival state in the cell that results in apoptosis inhibition in the presence and absence of staurosporine. The bacteria may target these host factors directly while some induced genes may represent downstream effects due to the presence of the bacteria. Our results indicate that the bacteria block apoptosis at multiple checkpoints along both pathways so that even if a cell fails to prevent apoptosis at an early step, Shigella will block apoptosis at the level of caspase-3. Apoptosis inhibition is most likely vital to the survival of the bacteria in vivo. Future characterization of these host factors is required to fully understand how S. flexneri inhibits apoptosis in epithelial cells.
Effect of high night temperatures on cotton respiration, ATP levels and carbohydrate content

Abstract High night temperatures are considered to be one of the main environmental factors contributing to lowered yields in cotton and this has been attributed to a negative effect on respiration and carbohydrate accumulation, but the evidence for this is lacking. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of high night temperatures on cotton respiration, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) levels and carbohydrates content. Two sets of growth chamber studies were conducted in 2007 using cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivar DP444BG/RR. The first set focused on the short-term effect (2 h) of high night temperatures, with plants grown under normal day/night temperatures of 30/20 °C until the pinhead square stage, after which temperatures of 24, 27 and 30 °C were imposed for one night with 2-h intervals between each incremental temperature regime. The results showed that both high temperature regimes (27 and 30 °C) caused a significant increase in respiration rates by 49% and 56%, respectively, compared to those of the control (24 °C). ATP levels were significantly decreased proportionally to the increasing temperature regimes while the carbohydrate content remained unaffected. The second set of experiments, dealt with the effect of long-term (four weeks) high night temperatures, with treatments consisting of normal 30/20 °C (day/night) temperatures and high night temperatures (30/28 °C) for four weeks, again after the pinhead square stage. A significant increase in respiration was observed the second and the fourth week (39% and 21%, respectively) and a decrease in ATP levels (by 38% and 37%, respectively) of the plants in the high night temperature regime. Similarly, high night temperatures led to a consistent decrease of sucrose by 64%, 70% and 68%, and hexose by 33%, 28% and 39% for the weeks one, two and four, respectively. In general, high night temperatures increased respiration, which resulted in a reduction of leaf ATP levels and leaf carbohydrate content.
Indoleacetic Acid Oxidase: A Dual Catalytic Enzyme?

The isolation of a unique enzyme capable of oxidizing indoleacetic acid, but devoid of peroxidase activity, has been reported for preparations from tobacco roots and commercial horseradish peroxidase. Experiments were made to verify these results using enzyme obtained from Betula leaves and commercial horseradish peroxidase. Both indoleacetic acid oxidase and guaiacol peroxidase activity appeared at 2.5 elution volumes from sulfoethyl-Sephadex. These results were obtained with both sources of enzyme. In no case was a separate peak of indoleacetic acid oxidase activity obtained at 5.4 elution volumes as reported for the tobacco enzyme using the same chromatographic system. Both types of activity, from both sources of enzyme, also eluted together during gel filtration. Successful column chromatography of Betula enzyme was dependent upon previous purification by membrane ultrafiltration. These results indicate indoleacetic acid oxidase activity and guaiacol peroxidase activity are dual catalytic functions of a single enzyme.
Effect of Age and Diet on Stratum Corneum Barrier Function in the Fischer 344 Female Rat

Stratum corneum barrier function in the female Fischer 344 rat was assessed in animals ranging from 11 to 144 weeks of age, which were either fed ad libitum or a caloric-restricted diet at 60% ad libitum Caloric restriction has been shown to increase the life span of rodents and delay age-associated degenerative diseases. The penetration of Water, lidocaine, and hydrocortisone were measured in vitro using the finitedose technique in Franz diffusion chambers. Water permeability did not significantly change with either age or diet condition (with the single exception of the ad libitum 144week animals). However, between 11 and 44 weeks, both lidocaine and hydrocortisone permeability increased with age in both diet groups. By 44 weeks the caloric restriction animals had significantly greater permeability to lidocaine and hydrocortisone then their ad libitum age cohorts. Between 44 and 144 weeks, skin permeability in the ad libitum animals, continued to increase with age, whereas permeability in the caloric restriction animals declined. By 144 weeks the caloric restriction skin was less permeable than the age-matched ad libitum animals but still more permeable than the I 1-week animals. The data show that the barrier properties of stratum corneum change with age in the female rat and that this change can be modulated by caloric restriction.