cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nipple reconstructions: comparison of patients' and surgeons' perspectives

Abstract Nipple-areolar complex (NAC) addition is an important adjunct to breast reconstruction in patients who have had mastectomies. We studied 22 patients who underwent NAC reconstructions over a 5-year period. There were a total of 273 breast reconstructions carried out over the same period. Patients were questioned regarding their perception of various physical characteristics of the NAC reconstruction as well as their perception of the overall benefit of the operation. Patient ratings were compared with those of an independent observer. The majority of patients (19/22) were pleased to have undergone such surgery and felt that it had completed their breast reconstruction. Patient and observer scores were similar: the highest scoring features were NAC position, softness and symmetry. The lowest scoring features were sensation, size and appearance when nude. Only one patient found any influence of NAC reconstruction towards sexual responsiveness. Twenty-one of the 22 patients would recommend this procedure to other women. We feel that NAC reconstruction is a valuable component of the reconstructive ladder in breast cancer.
Fast and accurate depth and source mechanism estimation using P‐waveform modeling: A tool for special event analysis, event screening, and regional calibration

We have developed, validated, and applied a fast and accurate, interactive, easy to use tool for estimating seismic event depth and mechanism by modeling the initial P-wave bundle. Significant features of this tool include its applicability over a broad band of frequencies (f≤2 Hz) and magnitudes (mb≥4.5), its ability to provide accurate high-resolution depth estimates, and its ability to provide constraints on event mechanism including isotropic contributions. It also provides estimates of random and model errors and can be used to test hypotheses and investigate sensitivity to and trade-offs between model parameters. We validated this tool and its algorithms by showing that our estimated depths and mechanisms are in excellent agreement with ground-truth depths and mechanisms based on local and regional data. We find that depth can usually be estimated to an accuracy of a few km with a small number of stations. Although complete mechanisms are sometimes poorly resolved, we find that two out of three of the mechanism parameters (strike, dip, rake) are usually well constrained. We illustrate the potential of this technique for regional calibration, special event analysis, and event screening by comparing estimated depths and mechanisms of events in the Middle East and North Africa with those of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) and by comparing our depth and mechanism estimates for the May 11, 1998 India nuclear explosion and a November 8, 1991 earthquake that occurred in the same region.
On the applicability of dialetheism to the emergence of life and the classification of viruses

We have found that the principles of dialetheism, which state that some contradictions (typically at the limits of a system) may be true, and which amply demonstrate the limits of thought and conception, can be valuable in sorting out and clarifying various astrobiological problems. Examples include the classification of viruses as alive or not alive, and the description of the abiotic-to-biotic transition. We also note the limits of our conception of the extraterrestrial life.
Radiopaque alginate microcapsules for X-ray visualization and immunoprotection of cellular therapeutics.

Alginate-poly-l-lysine-alginate (APA) microcapsules have been explored as vehicles for therapeutic drug and cell delivery. The permselectivity of these capsules provides a unique means of controlled drug release and immunoisolation of encapsulated cells. Immunoisolation is especially attractive as it abrogates the need for chronic immunosuppressive therapy and opens up the possibility for the delivery of numerous cell sources including xenogeneic grafts. APA microcapsules containing cellular therapeutics have proven effective in the short-term treatment of a wide range of diseases requiring enzyme or endocrine replacement therapy, including type I diabetes. If these microcapsules could be noninvasively monitored with X-ray imaging modalities (i.e., fluoroscopy, CT, and digital subtraction angiography), questions such as the ideal transplantation site, the best means of delivery, and the long-term survival of grafts could be better addressed. We have developed two novel alginate-based radiopaque microcapsu...
Identification and partial purification of a heart mitochondrial membrane proteinase.

Membrane-bound proteinase activity was demonstrated by a solid-phase assay system in both beef heart and rat liver mitochondria. The activity was sensitive to SH reagents and assorted proteinase inhibitors. Although stimulated by nonionic detergents, it became labile when solubilized by detergents. The proteinase activity from heart mitochondria copurified with the ADP:ATP translocator protein. Gel electrophoresis of this preparation revealed the translocator polypeptide as well as a number of minor components. In solubilized mitochondria the ADP:ATP translocator polypeptide slowly disappeared upon standing at 0°C as revealed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. The loss of this polypeptide was prevented by addition of proteinase inhibitors as well as the translocator affinity ligand, carboxyatractylate. These observations confirm the presence of an integral membrane proteinase in mitochondria and suggest a structural and enzymatic interaction between the proteinase and the ADP:ATP translocator.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CALCULATION OF METALLOPORPHYRIN RAMAN SPECTRA VIA DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY

The recent development of density functional theory (DFT) makes it possible to calculate accurately metalloporphyrin structures and potential surfaces. This is illustrated for nickel porphine, the vibrations of which are reliably assigned from extensive spectroscopic studies. With a minimal set of scaling factors, the DFT force field reproduces the experimental wavenumbers to higher accuracy than the best available empirical force field. Moreover, the calculated intensities are in good accord with experiment, including the surprisingly large off-resonant Raman intensities of non-totally symmetric (B1g) modes. DFT also predicts a slight ruffling distortion of the porphyrin, and accurately reproduces the IR intensity of a distortion-induced out-of-plane mode. In the case of iron porphine, DFT correctly predicts an intermediate-spin (3A2g) ground state, with short Fe—N bonds, and a high-spin (5A1g) excited state with a planar geometry but an expanded porphyrin core. When the Fe is displaced from the plane, the potential rises faster for the 3A2g than the 5A1g state, which becomes the ground state beyond a 0.4 A displacement. The doming mode is predicted to be at 71 cm-1, close to the 75 cm-1 wavenumber determined from coherent reaction dynamics in myoglobin. The vibrational wavenumbers of CO bound to heme are correctly calculated, and the potential for distorting the CO away from the heme normal is found to be surprisingly soft. Also, the transition dipole for the CO stretching mode is calculated to lag significantly behind the CO bond vector, thereby resolving an apparent discrepancy between crystallography and polarized IR spectroscopy with regard to the CO geometry in its adduct with myoglobin. Finally, the DFT force field was used successfully in conjunction with INDO calculations of the excited states, to reproduce resonance Raman intensities for NiP, both for Soret and Q-band resonances. These results give promise for developing a quantitative modeling capability for heme protein vibrational spectra. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitation of 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide/aldophosphamide in whole blood

There is considerable interest in determining 4-hydroxycylcophosphamide/aldophosphamide (4-HO-CP/AP) blood levels in patients receiving the prodrug, cyclophosphamide (CP). Phosphoramide mustard (PM), the alkylating metabolite of CP, is relatively impermeable to cell membranes and it is generally believed that circulating intermediary metabolites, including aldophosphamide, the immediate precursor of PM, is transported by circulating blood to tumor tissue. Therefore, circulating 4-HO-CP/AP blood levels should more closely reflect the oncostatic and cytotoxic effects of CP than the parent drug. We have developed a gas chromatographic electron-impact mass spectrometric (GC-EIMS) method suitable for routine monitoring of 4-HO-CP/AP levels in whole blood over the range 0.085 microM (25 ng/ml) to 34 microM (10 micrograms/ml). The unstable metabolites were derivatized with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine-HCl to form a stable aldophosphamide oxime derivative (PBOX). [2H4]PBOX was used as an internal standard. For clinical samples, tubes were prepared prior to blood drawing, which contained the derivatizing reagent solution and the internal standard. These solutions were stable for up to 3 months when stored at room temperature. Following addition of blood to the reaction tubes, PBOX formation was rapid and the resulting derivative was stable under these conditions for up to 8 days at room temperature. Application of the method was demonstrated by quantitating 4-HO-CP/AP blood levels in patients receiving 4 g/m2 intravenous infusion of CP over a period of 90 min.
The electrochemical behaviour of sprayed aluminium coatings on mild steel—II. Immersed couples and artificial pores

Abstract Specimens were constructed in which sprayed aluminium coatings were separated from mild steel panels by a thin insulating layer of plastic. The electrochemical interaction of the two surfaces when immersed in dilute NaCl solutions was studied. The result of varying surface area ratios in pores or damage areas is shown, as well as the role of ageing of the coating in determining its initial reactivity. Both phenomena are important to the suggested mechanism of protection. The formation of cathodic alkali is shown to maintain activity at a pore until the precipitation of corrosion products or hardness salts lead to stifling of the pore.
Using MODIS data to characterize seasonal inundation patterns in the Florida Everglades

Information regarding the spatial extent and timing of flooding in the world's major wetlands is important to a wide range of research questions including global methane models, water management, and biodiversity assessments. The Florida Everglades is one of the largest wetlands in the US, and is subject to substantial development and pressures that require intensive hydrological modeling and monitoring. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) is a global sensor with high frequency repeat coverage and significant potential for mapping wetland extent and dynamics at moderate spatial resolutions. In this study, empirical models to predict surface inundation in the Everglades were estimated using MODIS data calibrated to water stage data from the South Florida Water Management District for the calendar year 2004. The results show that hydropatterns in the Florida Everglades are strongly correlated to a Tasseled Cap wetness index derived from MODIS Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Function Adjusted Reflectance data. Several indices were tested, including the Normalized Difference Wetness Index and the diurnal land surface temperature difference, but the Tasseled Cap wetness index showed the strongest correlation to water stage data across a range of surface vegetation types. Other variables included in the analysis were elevation and percent tree cover present within a pixel. Using logistic regression and ensemble regression trees, maps of water depth and flooding likelihood were produced for each 16-day MODIS data period in 2004. The results suggest that MODIS is useful for dynamic monitoring of flooding, particularly in wetlands with sparse tree cover.
Varietal Preferences of Erythroneura Leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) Feeding on Grapes in New York

Species composition of Erythroneura leafhoppers infesting the 3 major classes of grapes grown in New York was investigated. Eastern grape leafhopper, E. comes (Say), comprised 74–100% of populations collected on the native American ( Vitis labrusca Bailey) cultivars ‘Concord’, ‘Niagara’, ‘Catawba’ and ‘Delaware’. On interspecific hybrid ( Vitis sp .) and Vitis vinifera L. cultivars, E. comes was largely absent, and 97–100% of leafhoppers collected were 2 cryptic species, E. bistrata McAtee and E. vitifex Fitch. On the native American variety ‘Elvira’, a V. labrusca X V riparia Michaux hybrid, field populations were 24% E. comes and 74% the E. bistrata/vitifex complex. E. vitis (Harris), E. tricinta Fitch, and E. vulnerata Fitch were also present in commercial grapes, but never exceeded 20% of the populations sampled. Populations on wild V. riparia adjacent to vineyards were comprised of 24% E. comes , 47% E. histrata/vitifex , 19% E. vitis , and 10% E. tricinta . Dissection revealed that proportions of E. bistrata and E. vitifex in field collections, varied from 97% E. bistrata to 61% E. vitifex . Oviposition of E. comes and E. bistrata on V. vinifera , interspecific hybrid, and native American cultivars was compared in greenhouse choice tests and field no-choice tests. In choice tests, E. comes laid more eggs on Concord and Elvira than on the interspecific hybrid ‘Seyval blanc’, or the V. vinifera cultivar ‘White Riesling’. E. bistrata did not oviposit on Concord when paired with either Elvira, Seyval blanc or White Riesling. When caged to grape leaves in no-choice tests, E. comes laid the most eggs on native American cultivars and the fewest on V. vinifera and interspecific hybrids; E. bistrata laid the most eggs on hybrid and V. vinifera cultivars, and very few eggs on three native American cultivars. These results show that E. bistrata and E. vitifex are the principal pest species on V. vinifera and many interspecific hybrid cultivars in New York, and that E. comes is the principal leafhopper pest on native American V. labrusca cultivars.
Generalized quartic equation of state for pure nonpolar fluids

A generalized quartic equation of state has been developed for pure nonpolar fluids. The equation of state contains four parameters which depend on three properties of the fluid -- critical temperature, critical volume, and acentric factor. A mathematical approximation based on previously reported hard-sphere molecular dynamics simulations has been used to model repulsive contributions to the pressure. Attractive forces were modeled using an empirical term. While the quartic equation yields four roots, one root is always negative and hence physically meaningless, and three roots behave like three roots of a cubic equation. Thus, the new equation of state has the advantages of a cubic, simplicity and unequivocal identification of the roots, while correctly modeling the attractive and repulsive contributions to the pressure. The new equation of state is more accurate than either the Peng-Robinson or a previously proposed quartic equation of state. Accuracy in the supercritical and compressed liquid regions is improved substantially.
Identifying profiles of recovery from reward devaluation in rats

a b s t r a c t In humans and other mammals, the unexpected loss of a resource can lead to emotional conflict. Consum- matory successive negative contrast (cSNC) is a laboratory model of reward devaluation meant to capture that conflict. In this paradigm, animals are exposed to a sharp reduction in the sucrose concentration of a solution after several days of access. This downshift in sucrose content leads to behavioral responses such as the suppression of consumption and physiologic responses including elevation of corticosterone levels. However, response heterogeneity in cSNC has yet to be explored and may be relevant for increas- ing the validity of this model, as humans demonstrate clinically meaningful heterogeneity in response to resource loss. The current analysis applied latent growth mixture modeling to test for and characterize heterogeneity in recovery from cSNC among rats (N = 262). Although most animals exhibited recovery of consummatory behavior after a sharp drop in consumption in the first postshift trial (Recovery class; 83%), two additional classes were identified including animals that did not change their consumption levels after downshift (No Contrast class; 6%), and animals that exhibited an initial response similar to that of the Recovery class but did not recover to preshift consumption levels (No Recovery class; 11%). These results indicate heterogeneity in recovery from reward loss among rats, which may increase the
Technology and Participation in Japanese Factories: The Consequences for Morale and Productivity

Why are Japanese factories so productive? This article explores the reasons by comparing 50 plants studied in 1972, when the basic patterns of Japanese management were first securely in place. The ...
3D geometry from planar parallax

Deriving 3D structure in a fixed object-centered coordinate system is an increasingly popular trend in shape from multiple views. For linear approximations to perspective projection (weak/para perspective), and for the case of image velocities, elegant linear methods have been devised for robust estimation. For reconstruction under arbitrary view transformations, linear projective methods using point correspondences have been suggested. In this paper, we formulate the problem of intrinsic 3D structure estimation through perspective projection using motion parallax, defined with respect to an arbitrary plane in the environment. It is shown that if an image coordinate system is warped using plane projective transformation with respect to a reference view, the residual image motion is dependent only on the epipoles and has a simple relation to the 3D structure. Our computational scheme avoids point/line correspondence and is based on hierarchical estimation and image warping working directly with spatio-temporal image intensities. >
A Combined Series-Parallel Hybrid Envelope Amplifier for Envelope Tracking Mobile Terminal RF Power Amplifier Applications

An improved envelope amplifier architecture for envelope tracking RF power amplifiers is presented, consisting of two switching amplifiers and one linear amplifier. The first switching amplifier and the linear amplifier provide wideband and high-efficiency operation, while the second switching amplifier provides a reduced bandwidth variable supply to the linear amplifier to further reduce power loss. The first switching amplifier and the linear amplifier are fabricated together in a 150 nm CMOS process, while the second switching amplifier is external. Measurements show a maximum average efficiency of 82% for a 10 MHz LTE signal with a 6 dB PAPR at 29.7 dBm output power and an SFDR of 63 dBc for a single tone of 5 MHz driving an 8 Ω load.
Learned Odor Discrimination in Drosophila without Combinatorial Odor Maps in the Antennal Lobe

A unifying feature of mammalian and insect olfactory systems is that olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the same unique odorant-receptor gene converge onto the same glomeruli in the brain [1-7]. Most odorants activate a combination of receptors and thus distinct patterns of glomeruli, forming a proposed combinatorial spatial code that could support discrimination between a large number of odorants [8-11]. OSNs also exhibit odor-evoked responses with complex temporal dynamics [11], but the contribution of this activity to behavioral odor discrimination has received little attention [12]. Here, we investigated the importance of spatial encoding in the relatively simple Drosophila antennal lobe. We show that Drosophila can learn to discriminate between two odorants with one functional class of Or83b-expressing OSNs. Furthermore, these flies encode one odorant from a mixture and cross-adapt to odorants that activate the relevant OSN class, demonstrating that they discriminate odorants by using the same OSNs. Lastly, flies with a single class of Or83b-expressing OSNs recognize a specific odorant across a range of concentration, indicating that they encode odorant identity. Therefore, flies can distinguish odorants without discrete spatial codes in the antennal lobe, implying an important role for odorant-evoked temporal dynamics in behavioral odorant discrimination.
Metachromatic leukodystrophy: a nonsense mutation (Q486X) in the arylsulphatase A (ARSA) gene.

Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterised by defective catabolism of myelin and the accumulation of cerebroside sulphate in neural tissue. The disorder is caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal hydrolase, arylsulphatase A (ARSA). MLD patients present with a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes, the disorder has therefore been divided into three broad subtypes based on the age of onset of clinical symptoms. Late-infantile MLD is typically diagnosed before the age of 2 years, juvenile between ages 3 and 16 and adult MLD which is diagnosed after puberty (1). Biochemical diagnosis of MLD is complicated by the existence of an ARSA pseudodeficiency allele, which causes the loss of the major mRNA species (2.1 kb) of ARSA and a concomitant 90% reduction in the level of ARSA activity. Approximately 1% of the normal population is homozygous for this allele with no apparent clinical sequelae (2). The 507 amino acid ARSA polypeptide is encoded by a compact 3.2 kb gene containing 8 exons (3). Each of the ARSA exons and intron boundaries were PCR amplified and subjected to single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP) to detect sequence alterations (4). Exons exhibiting alterations in electrophoretic mobility on SSCP gels were sequenced using a modified linear based PCR sequencing protocol (5). SSCP analysis of the ARSA gene from a late-infantile MLD patient revealed a shift in the mobility of a band derived from exon v m (Figure 1). Sequence analysis of exon 8 revealed a heterozygous C to T transition at nucleotide number 1458 of the ARSA cDNA resulting in the alteration of a glutamine codon (CAG) at position 486 to a stop codon (TAG), (Q486X). No other sequence changes have yet been observed in this patient. Allele specific oligonucleotides were designed to detect the normal (5'-CGCCCTGCAGATCTGCTG-3') and mutant (5'-CGCCCTGTAGATCTGCTG-3') sequences Of Q486X (Figure 2) on Southern blotted filters containing exon 8 PCR products. After hybridisation filters were washed twice in 4xSSC for 10 minutes and once at 60°C in 2 xSSC, 0.1 % SDS (4). The patient's mother was found to be heterozygous for Q ggX (her father was unavailable for testing), however the mutation was not found in 27 other MLD patients, 21 ARSA pseudodeficient or 42 normal individuals.
Law Firms on the Big Board?: A Proposal for Nonlawyer Investment in Law Firms

Every state has a rule proscribing nonlawyer investment in law firms. This sixty-plus-year-old prohibition has created an inefficient legal services market. Firms cannot access capital markets, limiting their opportunities for expansion, curtailing investments in technology and training, and hindering competition. Furthermore, every jurisdiction except the District of Columbia prohibits lawyers from entering into a business association with nonlawyers as partners or directors if the business provides legal services. These prohibitions against nonlawyer investment and participation in law firms have long hindered the legal profession with no signs of change. This Article advocates that these prohibitions be lifted. It discusses the source of these prohibitions and the historical and ethical arguments of critics, which are shown to be merely phantom concerns. These concerns are far outweighed by the substantial benefits of allowing law firms to incorporate, to engage in business associations with nonlawyers, and to receive investments by nonlawyers. The benefits include capital for expansion, capital for investment in new technologies and new lawyers, financing for contingency fee cases, and a myriad of other rewards. Most persuasively, perhaps, as the practice of law continues to be increasingly transformed from a profession into a business, it makes little sense to prevent lawyers from using the financial tools that virtually every other business has available to it.
Clinical Safety of a Viral Vector Based Prostate Cancer Vaccine Strategy

Purpose: The primary objective of this phase I study was to evaluate the clinical safety of a vaccine using recombinant vaccinia virus (prime) and recombinant fowlpox virus (boost) in combination w...
2D matching of 3D moving objects in color outdoor scenes

This paper describes an object matching system which is able to extract objects of interest from outdoor scenes and match them. Our application (in the domain of IVHS) involves measuring the average travel time in a road network. The extraction of the object of interest is performed by fusing multiple cues including motion, color, edges, and model information. Two objects extracted from images captured by two independent cameras at different times are then matched to evaluate their similarity. Color indexing based on histogram matching is used to avoid matching all possible pairs of objects. To resolve ambiguities, further matching is done by measuring the Hausdorff distance between two sets of edge points. The object matching system was given 2 sets of 40 vehicles. It was able to identify 23 of the 30 correct matches and all the false matches were rejected. Color indexing reduced the number of candidates for a match from 40 to 2. This matching accuracy is adequate to obtain a reliable estimate of the average travel time. >
Overview of Structural and Functional Lesions in Endocrine Organs of Animals

The objective of this review is to summarize the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for perturbations of endocrine function and development of structural lesions that result in important diseases in domestic and laboratory animals. For each major category, several specific disease problems have been selected to illustrate the functional and morphologic lesions that are characteristic for either a naturally occurring endocrinopathy or endocrine disturbances induced by the administration of large doses of xenobiotic chemicals. The major pathogenic mechanisms responsible for disruption of endocrine function include primary hyperfunction, secondary hyperfunction, primary hypofunction, secondary hypofunction, endocrine hyperactivity secondary to other conditions, hypersecretion of hormones by nonendocrine tumors, failure of target cells to respond to a hormone, failure of fetal endocrine function, abnormal degradation (increased or decreased rate) of hormone, and iatrogenic syndromes of hormone excess (direct and indirect). Disorders of the endocrine system are encountered in a wide variety of domestic and laboratory animal species and often present challenging diagnostic problems. The development of proliferative lesions, usually hyperplasia and benign tumors, in endocrine organs and hormone-responsive tissues are common findings in chronic studies with high doses of many nongenotoxic xenobiotic chemicals administered to sensitive rodent species and may have limited significance for human safety assessment.
The Wound Response in Tomato Involves Rapid Growth and Electrical Responses, Systemically Up-Regulated Transcription of Proteinase Inhibitor and Calmodulin and Down-Regulated Translation

Localized heat wounding of tomato plants triggered rapid changes in growth and in electrical activity. The growth alterations were manifested as a transient increase in growth (petiole elongation), followed by a massive, long-lasting growth reduction. The electrical potential changes consisted of a wave of depolarization and re-polarization, i.e., a variation potential (VP). The tissue deformation apparently resulted from a pressure surge rapidly transmitted through the xylem, and preceded the changes in electrical potential. Externally-applied pressure mimicked flame wounding by triggering an electrical response resembling a VP. Our findings suggest that the VP results from a pressure surge in the xylem causing change in activity of mechanosensitive ion channels or pumps in adjacent living cells. The ensuing ion fluxes evoke plasma membrane depolarization, monitored extracellularly as a VP. Wounding also evoked a systemic decrease in polysomes, as well as a decrease in their protein synthesizing capacity in vitro. Very little of the newly-synthesized proteinase inhibitor (pin) and calmodulin (cal) mRNA was recruited into polysomes during the first hour following wounding. Since the VP appearance in distant tissue preceded the systemic molecular responses, the VP might be the long-distance signal up-regulating transcription of proteinase inhibitors and calmodulin, and down-regulating translation.
An analysis of the normal acceleration sensitivity of contoured quartz resonators rigidly supported along the edges

The authors perform an analysis of the normal acceleration sensitivity of contoured quartz resonators rigidly supported along rectangular edges. Calculated biasing deformation fields are used in an existing perturbation equation along with the equivalent trapped energy mode shapes for the contoured resonator to calculate the normal acceleration sensitivities. It is shown that the normal acceleration sensitivity vanishes for certain values of the planar aspect ratio for all modes considered in both the AT and SC cuts. In addition, the sensitivity has been calculated as a function of the orientation of the rectangle with respect to the nodal lines of the anharmonics of the contoured resonator for the case of square AT- and SC-cut plates. The calculations reveal that the SC cut has zero-crossings for this case while the AT cut does not and that the sensitivity is consistently lower for the square SC cut than the AT cut. >
External Learning Opportunities and the Diffusion of Process Innovations to Small Firms: The Case of Programmable Automation

In this chapter, we are concerned with explaining which types of firms have failed to adopt well-known improvements in process technology. This problem has, of course, been the underlying concern of all studies of diffusion “to rationalize why, if a new technology is superior, it is not taken up by all potential adopters” (Stoneman, 1983). Drawing on various theoretical perspectives, we identify a number of different barriers to adoption. With data collected from a 1987 nationally representative sample of US establishments in 21 metal-working and machinery manufacturing industries, we then construct a multivariate logistic regression model to empirically test for the effects of these factors on the likelihood of adoption of a particular process innovation, namely programmable automation (PA) machine tools.
Repair of endonuclease- and transposon-induced DNA double strand breaks by host factors in Arabidopsis

The maize Ac/Ds transpo sable elements are members of the h AT transposon family. Ac/Ds transpose in diverse species and via a mechanism similar to that involved in V(D)J recombination. Here, we studied the repair of Ds transposition-induced hairpins by host factors in Arabidopsis. The results indicate that AtKu could position hairpin-opening to sites close to the hairpin apex. In the absence of AtMrell or AtKu70, repair junctions have a higher frequency of small deletions (3-10bp) and larger deletions (ll-50bp), respectively. Comparison of the repair of I-5ceIand Da-induced DSB indicates that Ac transposase could influence Da-induced DSB repair. In addition, analysis of I-Scel-induced DSB repair indicates that both AtKu70 and AtMrell are critical for non-homologous end joining (NHEJ); AtKu70, but not AtMrell affects its fidelity. In these respects, NHEJ in Arabidopsis resembles that in S. cerevisiae. However, in Arabidopsis, the repair junctions are error-prone, and microhomology-mediated end joining is not affected by AtKu70. Hence, its junction patterns are similar to those in mammals. These results indicate the dynamics of DSB repair among different organisms.
On the performance of concatenated convolutional code and Alamouti space-time code with noisy channel estimates and finite-depth interleaving

In this paper, performance of the Alamouti space- time code (STC) [1] and performance of the concatenation between the convolutional code and the Alamouti STC are derived. In order to describe realistic performance issues, we assume that the channel estimates are calculated from linear filters using noisy pilot symbols. We also assume non-quasi- static channels, spatially correlated transmit antennas and finite- depth interleaving. Two types of receivers are investigated for the Alamouti STC, namely, the linear-combining space-time decoder (LC-STD) and the maximum-likelihood space-time decoder (ML- STD). Two types of receivers are investigated for the concatenated system, namely, the LC-STD with the ML convolutional decoder and the joint Alamouti and convolutional ML decoder. The results have shown that the LC-STD is more sensitive to the Doppler spread than the ML-STD. However, since the ML- STD is very sensitive to the channel estimation error, the gains provided by the decoder in fast fading channels will be offset unless an optimized channel estimator is employed. Performance comparisons between the Alamouti systems and the SISO systems indicate that, when the system environment is not ideal, the SISO systems may outperform the Alamouti systems. Lastly, analytical results are compared with simulation results to illustrate the accuracy of the analysis.
Industrial applications of lignin-transforming enzymes

Lignin-degrading and modifying enzymes are produced under specific culture conditions by white-rot fungi. Most of these enzymes are excreted into the extracellular environment and can be purified from culture supernatant. At RepliGen we have characterized many of the extracellular proteins from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium . Industrial application potentials for these enzymes are predicted to be in the chemical industry, pulp and paper industry, and perhaps in pollution control. The isolation and characterization of enzymes that catalyse specific reactions on kraft lignins and lignosulphonates will be discussed. These reactions include (1) a polymerizing—depolymerizing activity that changes the size of the lignin substrate and (2) a decolorizing reaction that reduces chromophoric groups in lignin. Kraft lignin and lignosulphonates have many diverse commercial applications because of their dual properties of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity. They could have broad use if modified, as in the above reactions, in an efficient manner. The development of enzyme systems may provide just such efficient reactions.
A Modulator Design Methodology Minimizing Power Dissipation in a Quantum Well Modulator-Based Optical Interconnect

There is a strong need for a methodology that minimizes total power, which inherently includes device design, for short-distance optical link applications (chip-to-chip or board-to-board communications). We present such a power optimization methodology for a modulator-based optical link, where we do a full 3-D modulator parameter optimization, keeping the power of the entire link in mind. We find for low bit rates (10 Gb/s) that the optimum operational voltage for the modulator was within the supply voltage at the 65-nm technology node. At higher bit rates, the optimum voltage is found to increase and go beyond the stipulated supply voltage. In such a case, a suboptimum operation at the supply voltage incurs a 46% power penalty at 25 Gb/s. Having obtained the optimum modulator design and operation parameters and the corresponding total link power dissipation, we examine the impact of device and system parameters on the optimization. We find that a smaller device capacitance is an efficient solution to push the optimum swing voltage to be within the supply voltage. This is feasible using monolithically integrated Ge-based complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible modulator and metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors.
Introduction to Public Health in Pharmacy

Edited by Bruce Lubotsky Levin, Peter D. Hurd, and Ardis Hanson Published by Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776, 2008. xvii + 356 p. Price $59.95. In addition to providing patient-centered care for individuals, emerging public health (i.e., population-based)
Exploiting purity for atomicity

The notion that certain procedures are atomic is a fundamental correctness property of many multithreaded software systems. A procedure is atomic if for every execution there is an equivalent serial execution in which the actions performed by any thread while executing the atomic procedure are not interleaved with actions of other threads. Several existing tools verify atomicity by using commutativity of actions to show that every execution reduces to a corresponding serial execution. However, experiments with these tools have highlighted a number of interesting procedures that, while intuitively atomic, are not reducible.In this paper, we exploit the notion of pure code blocks to verify the atomicity of such irreducible procedures. If a pure block terminates normally, then its evaluation does not change the program state, and hence these evaluation steps can be removed from the program trace before reduction. We develop a static analysis for atomicity based on this insight, and we illustrate this analysis on a number of interesting examples that could not be verified using earlier tools based purely on reduction. The techniques developed in this paper may also be applicable in other approaches for verifying atomicity, such as model checking and dynamic analysis.
A Comparison of Second-Year Principles of Technology and High School Physics Student Achievement Using a Principles of Technology Achievement Test

Society has traditionally taken the position that education is a primary means of achieving national goals. Unfortunately, we have never collectively agreed upon “what kind” of education is needed--general or vocational. The present K-12 public educational system in the United States is comprised of general and vocational education tracts.
A GCH1 haplotype and risk of neural tube defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study

Abstract Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH 4 ) is an essential cofactor and an important cellular antioxidant. BH 4 deficiency has been associated with diseases whose etiologies stem from excessive oxidative stress. GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of de novo BH 4 synthesis. A 3-SNP haplotype in GCH1 (rs8007267, rs3783641, and rs10483639) is known to modulate GCH1 gene expression levels and has been suggested as a major determinant of plasma BH 4 bioavailability. As plasma BH 4 bioavailability has been suggested as a mechanism of neural tube defect (NTD) teratogenesis, we evaluated the association between this GCH1 haplotype and the risk of NTDs. Samples were obtained from 760 NTD case–parent triads included in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). The three SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan® SNP assays. An extension of the log-linear model was used to assess the association between NTDs and both offspring and maternal haplotypes. Offspring carrying two copies of haplotype C-T-C had a significantly increased NTD risk (risk ratio [RR]=3.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–11.50), after adjusting for the effect of the maternal haplotype. Additionally, mothers carrying two copies of haplotype C-T-C had a significantly increased risk of having an NTD-affected offspring (RR=3.46, 95% CI: 1.05–11.00), after adjusting for the effect of the offspring haplotype. These results suggest offspring and maternal variation in the GCH1 gene and altered BH 4 biosynthesis may contribute to NTD risk.
Adolescent Girls’ Experiences of Discrimination An Examination of Coping Strategies, Social Support, and Self-Esteem

The research examined (a) girls’ responses to personal experiences of gender and/or ethnic/racial discrimination, (b) social support from parents and friends following the discrimination, and (c) t...
Diagnosis and surgical management of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Abstract Background context: The diagnosis and treatment of multilevel cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is continuing to evolve as its effects become more readily recognized and surgical alternatives expand. Purpose: To review the clinical, neurodiagnostic and surgical management of OPLL. Study design/setting: Patients with early OPLL, often in their mid-forties, present with radiculopathy or mild/moderate myelopathy. Radiographically, hypertrophy of the posterior longitudinal ligament with punctate ossification appears opposite multiple disc spaces. Patients with classic OPLL frequently become symptomatic in their mid-fifties with radiographic characteristics showing ossification of the ligament behind the vertebrae alone (segmental), behind the vertebrae including the intervertebral disc spaces (continuous), and combinations of the segmental and continuous variants and OPLL opposite disc spaces alone. Both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) examinations are critical. MRI better delineates the extent of soft tissue abnormalities in three dimensions, including the cervicothoracic junction, whereas CT more readily identifies the foci of frank ossification. Surgical alternatives include anterior, posterior or combined approaches. Anterior surgical options include plated multilevel anterior discectomy and fusion, anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion (ACF), or plated multilevel ACF with differing posterior fusion techniques. Posterior surgical options vary from laminectomy with or without simultaneous fusion and laminoplasty. Although outcomes with different approaches vary, many direct anterior resection techniques achieve more favorable results because of appropriate and adequate resection of the ligament. Conclusions: The clinical and neuroradiographic documentation of OPLL and its appropriate surgical management anteriorly, posteriorly or circumferentially remain a therapeutic challenge.
Life course events and residential change: unpacking age effects on the probability of moving

We know that life course events, especially divorce and separation, trigger residential moves, but we know less about how these and other life course events intersect with how far people move and the relationship with labour market change. This research uses data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey in Australia to model a set of life course events and their intersection with the distance of move. I examine essentially positive events, marriage and new births and not so positive events, separation and divorce, and the unexpected events of widowhood and job loss, and their outcomes in the housing market. For the decision to move, the models partly parallel other studies of life course events and their role in the mobility decision, but the results provide enriched results about how age and life course events intersect. The analysis shows in greater detail how age acts as a proxy for complicated life course intersections with moving. The disruption of divorce and separation, as expected, increases the probability of moving but with different effects over distance. Households move in response to these life events but they are much less likely to change metropolitan locations, which reflects the embedded nature of family change and location. Overall, the research enriches previous studies of age-related links to migration and mobility.
One Size Does Not Fit All: The Role of Vasodilating β-Blockers in Controlling Hypertension as a Means of Reducing Cardiovascular and Stroke Risk

Abstract β-Blockers have played a key role in the management of hypertension-related cardiovascular disease for decades, and continue to be recommended as a mainstay of therapy in national guidelines statements. Recent data have shown less optimal reductions in total mortality, CVD mortality, and CVD events with β-blockers compared with renin-angiotensin system–blocking agents or calcium channel blockers. The β-blocker class, however, spans a wide range of agents, and the growing concern about the risk–benefit profile of β-blockers should not be generalized to later-generation vasodilating β-blockers such as carvedilol and nebivolol. A growing database from hypertension studies confirms the clinical efficacy and safety of vasodilating β-blockers, and outcome studies indicate that these agents can play an important role in global CVD reduction in patients with hypertensive or ischemic heart failure.
Radiographic interpretation of experimental lesions in radicular tooth structure of human maxillary anterior teeth.

Abstract External resorption is often first detected radiographically. Early detection can lead to timely intervention and improvement of treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimal radicular defect size in maxillary anterior teeth that is radiographically detectable. Six teeth were selected in a cadaver maxilla (#6–11) and extracted. The teeth were then replanted in the maxilla, and three horizontally angled radiographs (0°, 30° from the mesial, and 30° from the distal) were exposed as a baseline. Then, a sequence of tooth removal, placement of a 0.1-mm deep defect in the interproximal and midroot surface, tooth replantation, and radiograph exposure was begun and repeated eight times. Each time the defect depth was increased by 0.1 mm. Ten clinicians interpreted the subsequent radiographs to determine if they visualized a defect on each tooth and the location of the defect. The evaluators' ability to detect experimental lesions according to the depth of the defect was shown to be statistically significant for both tooth type and location of the radicular defect (analysis of variance, p
Mobilization on the Waterfront: The Ideological/Cultural Roots of Potential Regime Change in Philadelphia

This article examines the roots of regime dissolution and reconstruction through a case study of waterfront development in Philadelphia. The impetus for political change has been the progressive id...
Stenting the Ductus Arteriosus A “Wanna-Be” Blalock-Taussig

In 1947, Dr Helen B. Taussig wrote of the aortopulmonary surgical shunt operation that she and Dr Alfred Blalock developed to increase pulmonary artery blood flow, “The essence of the operation is the creation of an artificial ductus arteriosus through which a mixture of arterial and venous blood is directed to the lungs.”1 Who could have imagined that 50 years later, some of us would be trying to create an “artificial” Blalock-Taussig shunt through manipulation of the ductus arteriosus. Our institution has been a pioneer in neonatal cardiac transplantation since 19852 ; hence, the opportunities to explore new ways of extending the survival of the potential recipients awaiting the right donor are many. Our productive combination of a confident pediatric cardiac surgical team with a creative pediatric interventional cardiology department, operating under a Food and Drug Administration–approved protocol, began stenting the ductus arteriosus in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) who had evidence of ductal flow restriction while the patients were awaiting heart transplantation.3 It would have been too ambitious to extend the protocol to pathologic conditions other than the medically unresponsive HLHS listed for transplantation because the surgical outcomes for aortopulmonary shunts at our and most other centers have been outstanding.4 In addition, we were uncertain about stent use in general, notwithstanding their use in the ductus arteriosus; for ductus arteriosus use, only animal experience had been reported5 6 7 and, unfortunately, no good animal models for these complex congenital heart malformations exist. The use of stents to maintain the patency of the ductus arteriosus in neonates with ductal-dependent systemic blood …