cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The precordial thump

The American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommends the precordial thump as the initial maneuver in treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and monitored ventricular fibrillation (VF). These recommendations are based largely on anecdotal reports of successful "thump-version" of asystole, VF, and VT. The Milwaukee County Paramedic System follows the AHA guidelines in the treatment of VT and VF. The precordial thump is included in the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) paramedic training program, and has been used in our approach to the pulseless, nonbreathing patient. During an eight-month period, 50 pulseless, nonbreathing patients received precordial thumps during ACLS resuscitative attempts. Twenty-seven patients who developed monitored VT and 23 patients with monitored VF were thumped. Three of 27 patients (11%) with VT were thumped into a supraventricular rhythm, 12 of 27 patients (44%) remained in VT, and 12 of 27 patients were thumped from VT into more malignant rhythms: three, into asystole; eight, into VF; and one, into an idioventricular/electromechanical dissociation rhythm. A total of 23 patients were thumped without effect. Subsequently, using countershock and medications, 12 of these 23 patients were successfully resuscitated. In the prehospital setting the precordial thump is usually not beneficial, and may be detrimental. Thus its use as the initial maneuver in treating the cardiac arrest patient with VT or VF in this setting cannot be supported. The presence of acidosis and hypoxia may explain why prehospital precordial thump responses differ from those seen in the hospital environment.
CORRELATION OF HISTOCOMPATIBILITY MATCHING WITH GRAFT REJECTION AND SURVIVAL AFTER CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION IN MAN

Abstract Lymphocytes of donors and recipients were HL-A typed for 20 specificities in thirty cases of cardiac transplantation. ABO blood-group compatibility and a negative lymphocyte crossmatch were present in all cases. Standard postoperative immunosuppression including azathioprine, prednisone, and antilymphocyte or antithymocyte globulin was used. The number of HL-A incompatibilities ranged from one to four. There was no significant relationship between number of mismatches and postoperative survival, rejection history, or clinical status. The most striking finding was that HL-A mismatching does not preclude long-term survival with satisfactory graft function. Three of four recipients living more than 2 years after transplantation were mismatched for four antigens.
Biographical Notices of Eminent Yorkshire Geologists. III., ‘John Williamson.’

To form a right estimate of the work done by the subject of this memoir, we must recall to mind the state of Geological science at the time when he commenced his labour. The contest between the schools of Hutton and Werner, then at its height, referred chiefly to questions of Physical Geology. Palaeontology attracted but little attention, and as little was known of the relative ages and true succession of rocks. Yet early in the eighteenth century, Strachey had thrown light upon that succession, so far as it was displayed in some of the strata above the coal in Somersetshire; and Michell, then Woodwardian Professor of Geology in Cambridge, worked out the relative positions of some of the strata ranging from the Carboniferous beds of Western Yorkshire, to the Chalk of Cambridge; but never having published these results in any definite form, Michell failed to obtain the credit to which his important researches entitled him.* William Smith was born during the lifetime of Michell, but derived no advantage from his investigations, being then wholly ignorant of the work done by the Cambridge Professor. Smith commenced his investigations in the latter part of the eighteenth, century, following, in many respects, the steps of Michell, but with very different results. Single-handed, he not only worked out, with marvellous accuracy, the succession of the strata from the Chalk to the Coal-measures, but he made the great discovery that, so far as Great Britain was concerned, rocks of contemporary origin contained identical fossils; ...
Determination of Real Material Properties From Nanoindentation Experiments

In recent years, due to extensive development of depth-sensing indentation techniques, nanoindentation has been used to evaluate the mechanical properties of surface layers and thin films of different materials. However, current nanoindentation procedures are based on simplified assumptions about the material behavior during unloading and empirical relations of the contact area (e.g., Oliver and Pharr, 1992) with little input from analytical and numerical solutions. Therefore, it is unclear what properties can be measured using instrumented nanoindentation techniques and what is the validity of the present procedures for measuring reduced elastic modulus and material hardness. Thus, the main objective of the present study was to analyze the validity of the current approaches for determining material properties and to propose an alternative approach for measuring the reduced elastic modulus, yield strength, and material hardness.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Molecular modeling of the substrate specificity of prohormone convertases SPC2 and SPC3.

In this paper we describe the results of molecular modeling of the structures of the active sites of two subtilisin-like prohormone convertases (SPCs), SPC2 (PC2) and SPC3 (PC1/PC3). These enzymes are members of a recently discovered family of cellular proteases involved in the processing of precursor proteins. Although these proteases all possess catalytic domains similar to the bacterial subtilisins no tertiary structural data from x-ray analysis are yet available. We have shown that despite the high structural homology of the subtilisins and the SPCs, the structure of the loop which lies immediately below the active sites differs due to the presence of a cis-peptide bond (Tyr167-Pro168) in this loop in the subtilisins and its absence in the SPCs. Accordingly, we have proposed a new alignment for the amino acid sequences of the SPCs in this region. Both SPC2 and SPC3 participate in the processing of prohormones at dibasic cleavage sites, typically Lys-Arg or Arg-Arg. To investigate the structural basis of the substrate specificity of these SPCs, we have carried out molecular mechanic calculations of the optimal arrangement and interactions of peptide substrates containing several residues of arginine or lysine, i.e. Arg, Ala-Ala-Ala-Arg, Arg-Ala-Ala-Arg, Arg-Ala-Arg-Arg, Arg-Ala-Lys-Arg, in the putative active sites. Such subtilisin-based modeling has allowed us to identify those negatively charged residues, Asp and Glu, in the S1, S2, and S4 subsites, which can directly interact with basic residues in the substrates via formation of salt bridges and thereby contribute to the substrate selectivity of the SPCs.
Cryptic Species in a “Living Fossil” Lineage: Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Relationships within the GenusLepidurus(Crustacea: Notostraca) in North America

Lineages which exhibit little morphological change over geologic time are evolutionarily and ecologically interesting, but often taxonomically difficult. For some morphologically conservative groups, not only is it almost impossible to identify significant changes in fossil forms over time, but the relationships among extant populations are often poorly understood due to lack of known characters which clearly delimit species. Notostracan crustaceans are a classic example of such “living fossils.” The paradoxical characteristics of long-term stasis in gross morphology and hypervariability of many individual morphological characters make notostracans an especially taxonomically challenging group. We used molecular and biochemical techniques to investigate the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of four nominal species within the genusLepidurusin North America, three of which had been alternately abandoned, resurrected, or synonymized under a single, globally distributed morphospecies since their original descriptions in the 1800s. Data from a 330-bp sequence of the mitochondrial 12S rDNA gene and from nine allozyme loci consistently indicate five highly genetically divergent clades among the populations we used to represent the four nominal species. Diagnostic molecular characters, magnitudes of genetic divergence among clades, and the fact that these genetically distinct clades have broadly overlapping geographical ranges strongly suggest that the five clades are reproductively isolated species. One of the nominal species (L. couesii) is not monophyletic, but rather consists of two species which are not sister taxa. The other three nominal species (L. lemmoni, L. packardi,andL. bilobatus) are supported as valid phylogenetic species. The best current hypothesis for phylogenetic relationships among the five species is provided by a simultaneous analysis of both 12S rDNA and allozyme data, which placesL. bilobatusandL. “couesii”-1 as sister taxa andL.“couesii”-2 as the most basal of all theLepidurusspecies included in this study. These results point to the existence of cryptic species within the current classification scheme forLepidurus,the need for further taxonomic work within the Notostraca in general, and the role that genetic techniques can play in clarifying the systematics of morphologically conservative groups.
Stellar activity masquerading as planets in the habitable zone of the m dwarf gliese 581

The M dwarf star Gliese 581 is believed to host four planets, including one (GJ 581d) near the habitable zone that could possibly support liquid water on its surface if it is a rocky planet. The detection of another habitable-zone planet—GJ 581g—is disputed, as its significance depends on the eccentricity assumed for d. Analyzing stellar activity using the Hα line, we measure a stellar rotation period of 130 ± 2 days and a correlation for Hα modulation with radial velocity. Correcting for activity greatly diminishes the signal of GJ 581d (to 1.5 standard deviations) while significantly boosting the signals of the other known super-Earth planets. GJ 581d does not exist, but is an artifact of stellar activity which, when incompletely corrected, causes the false detection of planet g.
Effects of a ketogenic diet on tumor metabolism and nutritional status in pediatric oncology patients: two case reports.

Establish dietary-induced ketosis in pediatric oncology patients to determine if a ketogenic state would decrease glucose availability to certain tumors, thereby potentially impairing tumor metabolism without adversely affecting the patient's overall nutritional status.Case report.University Hospitals of Cleveland.Two female pediatric patients with advanced stage malignant Astrocytoma tumors.Patients were followed as outpatients for 8 weeks. Ketosis was maintained by consuming a 60% medium chain triglyceride oil-based diet.Tumor glucose metabolism was assessed by Positron Emission Tomography (PET), comparing [Fluorine-18] 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake at the tumor site before and following the trial period.Within 7 days of initiating the ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels declined to low-normal levels and blood ketones were elevated twenty to thirty fold. Results of PET scans indicated a 21.8% average decrease in glucose uptake at the tumor site in both subjects. One patient exhibited signific...
An implementation of the dqds algorithm (positive case)

Abstract The dqds algorithm was introduced in 1994 to compute singular values of bidiagonal matrices to high relative accuracy but it may also be used to compute eigenvalues of tridiagonal matrices. This paper discusses in detail the issues that have to be faced when the algorithm is to be realized on a computer: criteria for accepting a value, for splitting the matrix, and for choosing a shift to reduce the number of iterations, as well as the relative advantages of using IEEE arithmetic when available. Ways to avoid unnecessary over/underflows are described. In addition some new formulae are developed to approximate the smallest eigenvalue from a twisted factorization of a matrix. The results of extensive testing are presented at the end. The list of contents is a valuable guide to the reader interested in specific features of the algorithm.
A simple direct solution to a storage allocation model

In this note we consider a two-dimensional difference equation, that arises in models of storage allocation. We us a discrete version of the classic method of separation of variables, and obtain an explicit form of the solution, as either a contour integral or an infinite series.
Grazing Effects on Carbon Dynamics in the Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie

The role of rangelands in the regulation of atmospheric CO2 concentrations is a critical issue in global climate change research. Rangelands are complex ecosystems that occupy about 50% of the land area in the world and USA. We studied the effects of seasonal grazing on CO2 flux on small plots located on a silty range site in the northern mixed-grass prairie with an Eapa fine loam soil. Treatments were no grazing or short-duration intensive grazing during mid-May or mid-July in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Data were collected from mid-April to mid-October at about 30-day intervals to estimate standing crop, leaf area, soil organic C, root mass to a 30-cm soil depth, and diurnal variation of CO2 flux and soil respiration (at 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 24:00 hr) in closed chambers. Uptake of CO2 was greatest during spring and early summer, peak periods of precipitation and green biomass. Grazing removed an average of about 70% of the green standing crop with a subsequent reduction in CO2 uptake of 175% in May and 109% in July. Grazing in May reduced CO2 uptake for 30 days in two of the three years, whereas, grazing in July reduced CO2 flux only in 1998. Residual effects of grazing, however, declined in late summer and autumn with the onset of plant maturation. The potential C sink in the mixed-grass prairie of the Northern Great Plains appears to be small and will vary through time with intensity and timing of grazing as it interacts with climatic conditions.
Posttranscriptional regulation of IL-13 in T cells: role of the RNA-binding protein HuR.

Background IL-13, a critical cytokine in allergy, is regulated by as-yet-elusive mechanisms. Objective We investigated IL-13 posttranscriptional regulation by HuR, a protein associating with adenylate-uridylate-rich elements in the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA, promoting mRNA stability and translation. Methods IL-13 mRNA decay was monitored in human T H 2-skewed cells by using the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D. The IL-13 3′UTR was subcloned into an inducible β-globin reporter transiently expressed in H2 cells in the absence or presence of overexpressed HuR. Association of HuR with IL-13 mRNA was detected by means of immunoprecipitation of ribonucleoprotein complexes and a biotin pull-down assay. The effects of HuR transient overexpression and silencing on IL-13 expression were investigated. Results IL-13 mRNA half-life increased significantly in restimulated T H 2-skewed cells compared with baseline values. Decay of β-globin mRNA was significantly faster in H2 cells transfected with the IL-13 3′UTR-containing plasmid than in those carrying a control vector. HuR overexpression increased the β-globin IL-13 3′UTR reporter half-life. Significant enrichment of IL-13 mRNA was produced by means of immunoprecipitation of Jurkat cell ribonucleoprotein complexes with anti-HuR. HuR binding to the IL-13 3′UTR was confirmed by means of pull-down assay of biotin-labeled RNA probes spanning the IL-13 3′UTR. Two-dimensional Western blot analysis showed stimulus-induced posttranslational modification of HuR. In Jurkat cells mitogen-induced IL-13 mRNA was significantly affected by HuR overexpression and silencing. Conclusions Mitogen-induced IL-13 expression involves changes in transcript turnover and a change in phosphorylation of HuR and its association with the mRNA 3′UTR.
Torsion Testing of Diffusion Bonded LIGA Formed Nickel

A test technique has been devised which is suitable for the testing of the bond strength of batch diffusion bonded LIGA or DXRL defined structures. The method uses a torsion tester constructed with the aid of LIGA fabrication and distributed torsion specimens which also make use of the high aspect ratio nature of DXRL based processing. Measurements reveal achieved bond strengths of 130MPa between electroplated nickel with a bond temperature of 450 C at 7 ksi pressure which is a sufficiently low temperature to avoid mechanical strength degradation.
Anti-human immunodeficiency virus-gag CD8+ memory T cells generated in vitro from Listeria-immunized mice.

The goal of vaccination is the generation of immune memory, an immune state that permits rapid and intense recall responses to a pathogen. Considerable effort is being made to understand the nature of memory T cells. We report here that by extending the length of in vitro culture following a single restimulation with specific peptide, preparations of highly enriched, highly active antigen-specific CD8 + memory T cells could be obtained. These cultures were begun with splenocytes from mice primed by infection either with an attenuated strain of Listeria monocytogenes or vaccinia virus, both expressing the human immunodeficiency virus-1-gag gene. In the cultures, antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity reached a maximum at about 9 days and thereafter fell to negligible values. Concomitant with the fall of CTL activity, however, we observed enrichment for a subset of CD1 1a h i g h antigen-specific gag-tetramer p o s CD8 + T cells. The cells showed little or no 4-hr CTL activity, but had high delayed (18-hr) CTL activity, and very high cytolytic activity after restimulation. They rapidly expressed interferon-y production. Their growth and survival after sorting was completely dependent on interleukin-2 or -15. As few as 5000 of the fluorescence-activated cell sorting-purified cells protected recipients against challenge 3 months after transfer. In response to the challenge, the cells repopulated lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs and showed a sizeable increase in number. The cells therefore demonstrate high protective activity for long periods of time. These cultured cells are thus a potential source of enriched natural memory T cells for reperfusion studies and in which the mechanisms that underlie the generation. differentiation and persistence of memory can be examined.
Globalization or Imperialism

In a general sense, the term "globalization" is a politically motivated concept of ideological rhetoric centered on the notion of the evolution of a harmonious and integrated world order to mitigate the tension and conflict that historically has disrupted the international political economy. This article examines various meanings of "globalization," compares and contrasts three dominant theories that have shaped thinking over the past century, and argues for a return to imperialism as a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of global capitalism on the contemporary world. The concept of globalization may have roots in earlier efforts to characterize the world economy as potentially orderly and harmoniously integrated. Although it is rarely conceptualized in historical theoretical debates, "globalization" is a way of describing a world that is reminiscent of the thought of such writers as Karl Kautsky, who argued that capitalism would eventually transcend the problems created long ago by the imperialist nations. Kautsky envisaged capital as being transformed into a single world entity, and he believed that an alliance of international finance capital would bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict generated by the rivalry of national finance capitals. Joseph Schumpeter felt that the world of imperialism a century ago was essentially precapitalist and would eventually disappear in a rational and progressive capitalist era (see Chilcote, 2000b: 198-203). In fact, the idea of globalization is consistent with the way in which the diffusionist literature has characterized the interdependent world order of nations, which is based on the assumption that the spread of capitalism and technology outward from the developed capitalist part of the world would allow less developed regions to advance to the same level. The idea of globalization also implies that accumulation of capital, trade, and investment are no longer confined to the nation-state and thus enhances the idea that capital flows have created a new world order with its own institutions and network of power relationships.
GI bleeding in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are at increased risk of GI bleeding (GIB), primarily from GI angiodysplastic lesions (GIAD). Objective To perform meta-analysis of the medical literature in order to determine prevalence and risk factors for GIB. Design A literature search was performed to identify studies reporting GIB in LVAD patients. We extracted rates of prevalence, rebleeding, and overall mortality from each study. Pooled event rates and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Setting Meta-analysis of 17 case-control and cohort studies. Patients A total of 1839 LVAD patients of whom 1697 (92%) had continuous-flow LVADs. Results The pooled prevalence of GIB in LVAD patients was 23% (95% CI, 20.5%-27%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that older age (standard difference in means (SDm), 0.69; 95% CI, 0.23-1.15), and elevated creatinine (SDm, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.12-1.18, P = .02) were associated with GIB. Risk factors not associated with GIB included LVAD as destination therapy (OR 1.85; 95% CI, 0.8-4.3), prior history of GIB (OR 2.22; 95% CI, 0.83-5.96), hypertension (OR 1.6; 95% CI, 0.87-2.97), and/or the presence of a continuous-flow LVAD (OR 4.5; 95% CI, 2.1-9.5). Recurrence of GIB occurred in 9.3% (95% CI, 7%-12%), with a GIB mortality rate of 23% (95% CI, 16%-32%). The pooled event rates were 48% (95% CI, 39%-57%) for upper GIB, 22% (95% CI, 16%-31%) for lower GIB, and 15% (95% CI, 8%-25%) for small-bowel bleeding. GIAD in the proximal GI tract were the most common cause of GIB (29%). Limitations Lack of information regarding endoscopic therapy and follow-up in most studies. Conclusions The prevalence of GIB is increased in patients with continuous-flow LVADs, primarily secondary to the presence of GIAD.
Conservation Tillage Corn Production for a Semiarid, Subtropical Environment

Because of the extreme climatic differences between their regions, farmers in southern Texas and northern Mexico have been reluctant to adopt conservation tillage systems developed in the north-central or midwestern United States. With greater knowledge of the benefits and risks of conservation tillage practices under a semiarid, subtropical environment, producers can make better decisions regarding tillage practices. The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of conventional and conservation tillage on corn (Zea mays L.) yields and production costs during the transition from conventional to reduced tillage and provide farmers with guidelines for implementing conservation tillage in a subtropical, semiarid environment through evaluation of grain yield and production economics as affected by tillage. Conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage with wide V-sweeps (RT), and preplant no-tillage (PPNT) were compared for both spring and fall corn production over three years. Grain yields for PPNT were lower than CT in the spring (- 9%) and fall (-20%) of the first cropping year. Yields in PPNT were equivalent or up to 12% greater than CT yields in Years 2 and 3. Production costs were lower in the PPNT than in the CT, because of the reduced number of tillage trips over the field. A three-year average of net returns for corn grown in the PPNT spring treatment was $47 ha greater than RT, and $104 ha -1 more than the CT systems. Average fall corn net returns over three years for the PPNT were $5 ha -1 more than RT and $104 ha -1 more than CT systems. Average net returns from PPNT for spring and fall cropping seasons over three years was $23 ha -1 greater than the RT and $104 ha -1 greater than CT. Greater economic returns and lower production costs of PPNT compared with CT systems for all seasons and years were the result of reduced energy and operator time requirements. The conservation tillage systems (RT and PPNT) resulted in greater economic returns, compared with a CT tillage system, due to both greater yields in dry years and lower production costs in all years.
Correspondence: Response to "Explicit Solutions to the N-Queens Problem for all N"

Dear Dr. Johnson:I read with interest the correspondence regarding the N-Queen problem in the April 1991 issue of the SIGART Bulletin, including your comments in the "Letter from the Editor." I would like to contribute some additional considerations.
Adenocarcinoma of the vagina in adolescence. A report of 7 cases including 6 clear-cell carcinomas (so-called mesonephromas).

Seven cases of adenocarcinoma of the vagina occurring in young women 15 to 22 years of age are reported. Six sought medical advice because of abnormal bleeding, which was assumed to be due to anovulation. Hormonal therapy delayed the correct diagnosis, which was not made until vaginal examination was performed. Vaginal smears contained rare suspicious or malignant cells in 3 cases but were negative in 3 others, indicating that cytologic examination is unreliable as a diagnostic aid. Six of the tumors were clear-cell carcinomas, or so-called mesonephromas, and one was an endometrioid carcinoma. The frequent presence of vaginal adenosis and other evidence suggested that the clear-cell carcinomas were of mullerian and not mesonephric origin. Although the follow-up has not been long, radical surgery with vaginal replacement and ovarian conservation appears to have been a safe and effective method of therapy.
AN ATOM-PROBE STUDY OF COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE NEAR-SURFACE LAYERS OF BINARY ALLOYS

On a obtenu des profils de composition a l'equilibre fiables avec une vraie resolution en profondeur d'une seule couche atomique pour le plan (001) d'un alliage Pt-Ir et de cinq alliages Pt-Rh
Two-color excited-state absorption imaging of melanins

We have demonstrated a new method for imaging melanin with two-color excited state absorption microscopy. If one of two synchronized mode-locked pulse trains at different colors is intensity modulated, the modulation transfers to the other pulse train when nonlinear absorption takes place in the medium. We can easily measure 10-6 absorption changes caused by either instantaneous two-photon absorption or relatively long lived excited state absorption with a RF lock-in amplifier. Eumelanin and pheomelanin exhibit similar excited state dynamics. However, their difference in excited state absorption and ground state absorption leads to change in the phase of the transient absorption signal. Scanning microscopic imaging is performed with B16 cells, melanoma tissue to demonstrate the 3D high resolution imaging capability. Different melanosome samples are also imaged to illustrate the differences between eumelanin and pheomelanin signals. These differences could enable us to image their respective distribution in tissue samples and provide us with valuable information in diagnosing malignant transformation of melanocytes.
Electron precession and coherence in magnetic quantum structures : Room-temperature spin memory

A fundamental understanding of coherent electronic processes in nanometer-scale geometries will play an important role in the development of future technologies that rely on the quantum mechanical manipulation of confined electronic states in semiconductor structures. A relatively unexplored area is processes involving electronic spin degrees of freedom. Femtosecond-resolved optical techniques are used to create a superposition of the basis spin states defined by an applied field and to follow the coherent evolution of this population of electronic spins as they precess about the applied field. In a variety of magnetically- and electronically-doped quantum structures and thin films, we find surprisingly long lived electronic spin memory that persists to room temperature.
Happy with health care

The American Association of Health Plans (the main HMO trade association), in making the case against patients' rights legislation, points to polling data that show Americans are basically satisfied with managed care plans. Although large majorities, including those with HMOs, do say they are “satisfied” with their health care plans, HMO members are less satisfied than members of other types of plans. And if we look beyond personal-satisfaction ratings, we find plenty of evidence for public concern about HMOs in particular and the health care system in general. Americans are supportive of HMO regulation, and despite their willingness to say they are “satisfied” with their health care plans, they harbor a lot of worries about the future—treatment that could be denied them, costs that could ruin them, and loss of coverage. The public sees the need for major change not just in HMOs but in the health care system as a whole. As HMO lobbyists scramble for new arguments against legislation, they will likely pers...
Monogenic inheritance of trunk banding patterns in Barbus tetrazona

The Sumatra barb Barbus tetrazona exhibits two trunk banding patterns: a four-banded and a five-banded pattern characteristic of B. t. tetrazona and B. t. partipentazona, respectively. Segregation patterns in the progenies from 11 different matings suggest monogenic inheritance of trunk banding in this species.
Age related latency changes in the brain stem auditory evoked potentials

Abstract The effects of age on the brain-stem auditory evoked potentials were studied on 156 healthy subjects with ages ranging from 18 to 76 years. The latencies of peaks I-VII and the interpeak latencies of I-III, III-V and I-V were consistently shorter for the female group than the male group. The female also had higher peak amplitude than the males. The effects of sex on the peak and interpeak latencies were observed in all age groups. There was a small progressive prolongation in the peak latency with increasing age, particularly peak V. Although a correlation between the age and the I-III interval was not observed, there was also a small increase with age in the interpeak latencies of III-V and I-V.
Pearson marrow-pancreas syndrome with worsening cardiac function caused by pleiotropic rearrangement of mitochondrial DNA

Pearson marrow-pancreas syndrome is a usually fatal disorder that involves the hematopoietic system, exocrine pancreas, liver, kidneys, and often presents clinically with failure to thrive. We report a 5-year-old patient who developed, in addition to the typical features of Pearson syndrome, worsening cardiac function, mainly affecting the left ventricle. The latter finding is particularly interesting because cardiac involvement has not yet been regarded as a major feature of Pearson syndrome. The diagnosis was proved by the finding of so far undescribed pleioplasmatic rearrangement of mitochondrial (mt)DNA (loss of 5,630 bp, 70% deleted and duplicated mtDNA) in blood cells. Our report demonstrates that patients with Pearson syndrome may also have impaired cardiac function. Thus, Pearson syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with left ventricular dysfunction of unknown origin and other clinical findings suggestive of a mitochondrial disease.
Diversification on an ecologically constrained adaptive landscape

We used phylogenetic analysis of body-size ecomorphs in a crustacean species complex to gain insight into how spatial complexity of ecological processes generates and maintains biological diversity. Studies of geographically widespread species of Hyalella amphipods show that phenotypic evolution is tightly constrained in a manner consistent with adaptive responses to alternative predation regimes. A molecular phylogeny indicates that evolution of Hyalella ecomorphs is characterized by parallel evolution and by phenotypic stasis despite substantial levels of underlying molecular change. The phylogeny suggests that species diversification sometimes occurs by niche shifts, and sometimes occurs without a change in niche. Moreover, diversification in the Hyalella ecomorphs has involved the repeated evolution of similar phenotypic forms that exist in similar ecological settings, a hallmark of adaptive evolution. The evolutionary stasis observed in clades separated by substantial genetic divergence, but existing in similar habitats, is also suggestive of stabilizing natural selection acting to constrain phenotypic evolution within narrow bounds. We interpret the observed decoupling of genetic and phenotypic diversification in terms of adaptive radiation on an ecologically constrained adaptive landscape, and suggest that ecological constraints, perhaps acting together with genetic and functional constraints, may explain the parallel evolution and evolutionary stasis inferred by the phylogeny.
Luminescence energy transfer using a terbium chelate: improvements on fluorescence energy transfer.

Abstract We extend the technique of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by introducing a luminescent terbium chelate as a donor and an organic dye, tetramethylrhodamine, as an acceptor. The results are consistent with a Forster theory of energy transfer, provided the appropriate parameters are used. The use of lanthanide donors, in general, and this pair, in particular, has many advantages over more conventional FRET pairs, which rely solely on organic dyes. The distance at which 50% energy transfer occurs is large, 65 A; the donor lifetime is a single exponential and long (millisecond), making lifetime measurements facile and accurate. Uncertainty in the orientation factor, which creates uncertainty in measured distances, is minimized by the donor's multiple electronic transitions and long lifetime. The sensitized emission of the acceptor can be measured with little or no interfering background, yielding a > 25-fold improvements in the signal-to-background ratio over standard donor-acceptor pairs. These improvements are expected to make distances > 100 A measurable via FRET. We also report measurement of the sensitized emission lifetime, a measurement that is completely insensitive to total concentration and incomplete labeling.
Epidemiology of fatal child abuse: International mortality data

Abstract 1974 WHO data on age-specific death rates due to definite and possible inflicted injuries (DII and PII) in 52 countries were studied. DII death rates for children under age one and for all ages were independent internationally. DII death rates for children aged 1–4 and for all ages were independent in developing countries, but in developed countries they came close to correlating. DII death rates for 1–4 yr olds were somewhat higher in developed countries; the infant rates were comparable. DII accounted for a greater proportion of deaths in children under 5 in developed countries. Analyses of PII rates gave less consistent results. Fatal child abuse in infancy may have different origins from the murder of older individuals. In industrially developed countries, some fatal abuse of children aged 1–4 may resemble the murder of adults.
Monetary Policy and the Cross‐Section of Expected Stock Returns

Ample evidence shows that size and book-to-market equity explain significant cross-sectional variation in stock returns, whereas beta explains little or none of the variation. Recent studies also demonstrate that proxies for monetary stringency increase the explained variation in stock returns. We reexamine a three-factor model that includes beta, size, and book-to-market equity, while allowing monetary conditions to influence the relations between these risk factors and average stock returns. We find that ex-ante proxies for monetary stringency significantly influence the relations between stock returns and all three risk factors. Additionally, all three variables are found to contribute significantly to explaining cross-sectional returns in a three-factor model that includes the monetary sector.
Metabolism of prostaglandins in spontaneously hypertensive rats: NAD"-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase activity is decreased in kidney and increased in lung.

Abstract Renal, pulmonary and gastric NAD + -dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase activities were determined in both spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats at 6 and 12 weeks of age. Renal enzyme activity in hypertensive rats was only 30–40% of that present in normotensive controls at both ages. In contract, pulmonary enzyme activity in hypertensive animals was twice as active as that in normal controls. There was no significant difference in gastric enzyme activity. NAD + -dependent 9-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase activity, the enzyme responsible for the conversion of vasoinactive PGF metabolites to PGE metabolites, also failed to show any difference in two types of rat kidneys. The results indicate that, in hypertension, prostaglandin inactivation is impaired in kidney but is facilitated in lung.
Simultaneously combined liquid crystal surface heat transfer and PIV flow-field measurements

An experimental technique has been developed which combines simultaneous high-density particle image velocimetry (PIV) with a new thermochromic liquid–crystal based instantaneous convective heat transfer sensing system. The new heat transfer sensing system employs liquid crystals applied to the non-flow side of a constant heat flux foil, and isolated from the support plate by a thin insulating cavity. The resulting composite sensing sheet is capable of a 66 Hz frequency response and, when utilized in a water flow, it can track instantaneous variations in convective heat transfer for turbulent flows. Placement of the liquid crystals on the non-flow side of the constant heat flux foil also provides optical separation from the flow field, allowing the simultaneous application of high image-density PIV measurements. A description of the experimental apparatus is provided along with a validation and uncertainty analysis of the combined technique. Selected quasi-three-dimensional constructs obtained using this new technique are presented for a variety of turbulent flow configurations.
Development of Reading and Mathematics Skills in Early Adolescence: Do K-8 Public Schools Make a Difference?

Abstract Educators and policymakers are paying increased attention to the academic outcomes of students in the middle grades (i.e., Grades 6–8). One reform proposed to improve outcomes for these students is to replace middle schools (with Grade 6–8, 7–8, or 7–9 configurations) with K-8 schools. This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of continuously attending a K-8 school, rather than transitioning from an elementary school to a middle school, on Grade 8 reading and mathematics achievement. Drawing on nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten 1998 cohort (N = 8,237), the study used propensity score stratification to control for observable selection bias. Findings indicated that K-8 schools produce small, significant effects for reading (effect size = 0.15 or approximately 6–8 months of schooling), but nonsignificant effects for mathematics. Results were robust to several alternative specifications, including accounting for nesting of children within scho...
Effect of Selected Surfactants, above and below the CMC, on Aspirin Solubility

Representative classes of surfactants in aqueous solutions, above and below the CMC, were studied for their solubilizing effects on suspensions of aspirin USP crystals. The solubilization study was performed for up to 5 hr in a Clark-Lubs buffer, pH 2.4, and at 37 ± 0.4° to simulate closely the gastric environment. Both free and total salicylic acid were determined spectrophotometrically at 296.5 nm in pH 7.4 buffer maintained at 5°. Ranked in order of decreasing solubilizing effectiveness were the following: cetylpyridinium chloride (above CMC) > polysorbate 20 > benzalkonium chloride (above CMC) > polysorbate 20 > dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate. The apparent solubility of aspirin was increased approximately 17% by cetylpyridinium chloride in solution above (approximately 0.2%) its CMC; in contrast, cetylpyridinium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, in solution below the CMC, decreased the apparent solubility of aspirin. At the levels of surfactant concentrations and pH studied, the concurrent increase in aspirin hydrolysis was not seen to be significant.
Customer relationships, information technology and concerns for violence in video-gaming materials

As technology increases customer's abilities to play video games almost anywhere, from laptops, telephones, to PDAs, the number of video-gaming titles has grown exponentially and, some have suggested, with little regulation as to violence content. As computer graphics become more pronounced and realistic, audiences are demanding on excitement in their video-gaming materials. Through a relatively large sample of working professionals located in Pittsburgh, PA (N = 249), cluster and factor analyses isolated the specific contributions of each component in hypothesis testing, with a factor-based dependent variable of violent-content of video-gaming materials. Not surprisingly, only one factor-based construct (ESRB-rating influence) was not found to statistically related to the dependent variable. The moral responsibility, gaming sophistication, video-influence and advertisement factor-based constructs were found to be statistically significant, suggesting that there is need for customers to more fully understand the ratings and appropriate maturity needed on the part of customers to regulate the type of audiences that should view the video materials.
Rice plant growth and nitrogen accumulation from a midseason application 1

Abstract Nitrogen (N) fertilization in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is extensive throughout the world, but fertilizer N recovery is generally low. Split fertilizer applications that coincide with plant demand have been suggested as a method of improving fertilizer N efficiency. However, the effectiveness of split applications has not been established. Furthermore, there is little information available on plant N accumulation after a midseason application. The purpose of this study was to measure plant dry matter, root growth, and N accumulation after a midseason N application and to determine the length of time during which midseason N is accumulated by the plant. ‘Cypress’ rice was drill‐seeded in a Crowley silt loam soil (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic Typic Albaqualf) and urea‐N was broadcast at 101 kg N ha‐1 preflood. Microplots enclosed by retainers were established prior to panicle initiation (PI), and l5N‐labeled urea was topdressed at PI into the floodwater within each microplot at 67 kg N ha‐1. Microp...
Effects of sex and APOE ε4 on object recognition and spatial navigation in the elderly

Abstract To determine effects of APOE e4 (e4) on cognitive performance of healthy elderly, 116 nondemented elders (mean age 81 years) were cognitive tested. The established tests Faces, Family Pictures, Spatial Span Forward and Backward, and the object recognition and spatial navigation tests developed in our laboratory were used as cognitive tests. Salivary samples were collected to determine APOE genotype and salivary testosterone and cortisol levels. Non-e4- and e4-carrying men and women did not differ in age, Mini-Mental State Examination, Wide Range Achievement Test-Reading, Beck Anxiety Inventory, or reaction time scores. There was an effect of e4 on the object recognition and spatial navigation tests, with non-e4 carriers outperforming e4 carriers, but not in the other cognitive tests. No relationship was found for sex and e4 status or sex and performance during the hidden session of Memory Island. In men, salivary cortisol levels correlated with object recognition. These results show that object recognition and spatial navigation tests are useful to assess cognitive function in the elderly.
Polarity-directed analog electro-optic switching in a low-polarization chiral smectic liquid crystal with positive dielectric anisotropy

We describe an analog electro-optic (EO) switching mechanism occurring in thin cells filled with a low-polarization ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture with positive dielectric anisotropy. The mixture is composed of an achiral nonpolar smectic-C (Sm-C) host doped with a small amount of a commercially available unichiral compound. The switching mechanism provides analog EO behavior, and thus could be attractive for information display applications. The process is polarization-driven for weak fields, while for higher field strength the dielectric coupling dominates the process.
Strain and rotation in a multilayered fold

Abstract Strain was estimated in a fold of Cambrian interlayered siltstones and pelites by determining the preferred orientation of chlorite grains with an X-ray goniometer. Strains so obtained and the postulate that continuity be preserved allowed unfolding of the fold and the determination of rigid body rotations that accompanied the strain. Petrologic investigation showed no sign of major differential volume changes in the siltstones, and this in conjunction with measured strains led to the conclusion that one of the silty layers making up the fold was not, originally, a bed of uniform thickness but a lenticular body, probably representing a single ripple on a ripple-marked tidal flat. Unfolding by piecemeal fitting of unstrained domains shows that none of the principal axes of strain lie consistently parallel to or at right angles to the fold axis. Rock material was displaced with components orthogonal to the profile plane as well as parallel to it. Strain due to compaction during an early history of increasing sediment overburden cannot be separated from strain during tectonic deformation. Its influence is most clearly seen in differential volume change between siltstones and pelites. Additional differential volume changes within pelite beds could have occurred at any time of the deformational history. A comparison of the orientation of strain and rotation axes in the two limbs of the fold, and also comparison of the same orientations in Eulerian coordinates (Cartesian coordinates in the observed fold) and in Lagrangean coordinates (Cartesian in the unfolded fold) make it probable that episodes of relatively uniform strain both preceded and followed the buckling episode that produced the sharp hinge in the competent silt-stone. The siltstone may have been less indurated and thus no more competent than the pelite during early deformation.
Model Driven Vehicle System Engineering: Requirements, Issues and Challenges

The requirements, issues and challenges of establishing a model-driven vehicle system engineering (MD-VSE) process are explored. The needs for new methodologies, processes and infrastructure to address complex system level design issues are highlighted. The problem is viewed from the perspective of the relation between vehicle engineering domains and vehicle attribute and function requirements. With this view, an incremental approach to establishing a MD-VSE process is outlined. The approach consists of developing modeling frameworks to address critical attribute and function trade-off scenarios. The modeling frameworks would allow more formal and up front optimization and sensitivity analysis than is currently realized. In order to sustain these frameworks, a modeling cascade process has also been outlined. This would place formal requirements on VED’s to deliver models to support the MD-VSE process.Copyright © 2008 by Ford Motor Company