cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does physiologic gastroesophageal reflux affect heart rate or rhythm

An acid-induced, cholinergic esophagocardiac reflex has been observed in humans. Decrements of heart rate can be induced by direct intraesophageal acid infusion. To ascertain whether this reflex occurs during physiologic reflux and whether stimulation of this reflex might precipitate dysrhythmias, a prospective study was performed. Twenty consecutive patients referred for 24-h ambulatory intraesophageal pH monitoring underwent simultaneous 24-h cardiac holter monitoring. Analyses were performed only on gastroesophageal reflux episodes which resulted in esophageal acidification to pH 110/min), and bradycardia (heart rate, < 50/min). Measurements were made for 60 sec before and after onset of esophageal acidification. No relationship was noted between physiologic episodes of gastroesophageal reflux and PVCs (p = 0.29), PACs (p = 0.12), tachycardia (p = 0.33), or bradycardia (p = 0.78). No statistically significant correlations were noted between total 24-h acid exposure (minutes/24h) and mean heart rate (p = 0.07), number of PVCs (p = 0.41), and number of PACs (p = 0.39). Analyses of reflux episodes lasting more than 5 min with intraesophageal pH < 2 also failed to show changes in pulse rate (p = 0.22). Physiologic gastroesophageal reflux does not induce changes in heart rate or rhythm in humans. It is possible that esophagocardiac reflexes noted during intraesophageal acid infusion are related to lower pH values or to other factors such as osmolarity, temperature, or site-specific receptors.
A convenient and efficient method for the determination of the digestibility of fats with pancreatic or other lipases

This method for carrying out hydrolysis experiments with pancreatic lipase is convenient and easy to operate; it allows five determinations to be carried out at one time, thus making it possible to make comparisons since the same conditions exist at the given time; it shows a smooth course of reaction in every case; it gives more complete hydrolysis since the acids are used up as formed; it keeps the pH on the alkaline side under constant control and in the range where the enzyme is most active; it eliminates the removal of aliquots and the killing of the enzyme; it makes it possible to make determinations directly in the digestion mixture. A fat emulsion cannot be completely saponified by alcoholic KOH solution in any reasonable length of time. Such a saponification number is usually about half of the conventional value. This is due to the water present in such a fat emulsion. A sample of oleomargarine was found to contain a fat-splitting enzyme. Digestion curves for several commercial fats have been presented.
Estimating bacterial density from tube dilution data by a Bayesian method

Abstract We have developed a statistical computer program based on a Bayesian approach to estimate bacterial density from tube dilution data. The program calculates an expectation, a mode (equivalent to the traditional most probable number (MPN)) and a median as point estimates of the bacterial density. The Bayesian analysis provides a probability density function which reflects the knowledge accumulated about the bacterial density by observing the data. Its expectation is a summary value that incorporates the shape and skewness of the distribution. On the other hand, the MPN (mode) only uses the single most likely value and ignores other values that are consistent with the data. As a result the MPN consistently underestimates the bacterial density and is likely to produce large errors. Thus we recommend the use of the expectation as an estimator for most problems. The theoretical basis of the Bayesian approach and its application to Salmonella data is discussed. Tables of results for different combinations of tube dilutions are also presented.
Early Care and Education as Educational Panacea: What Do We Really Know About Its Effectiveness?

Most young children in the United States regularly spend time in early care and education (ECE) settings. Institutionalized messages surrounding ECE claim that it has the potential to promote children’s life-long success, especially among low-income children. I examine the legitimacy of these claims by reviewing empirical evidence that bears on them and find that most are based on results of a small set of impressive but outdated studies. More recent literature reveals positive, short-term effects of ECE programs on children’s development that weaken over time. Efforts to support children’s long-term success must extend beyond the ECE setting into elementary school.
Method of statistical differentials

While the method of statistical differentials, which approximates the mean and variance of transformations of random variables, is not typically discussed in undergraduate statistics courses, it ce...
Fold recognition by concurrent use of solvent accessibility and residue depth.

Recognizing the structural similarity without significant sequence identity (called fold recognition) is the key for bridging the gap between the number of known protein sequences and the number of structures solved. Previously, we developed a fold-recognition method called SP3 which combines sequence-derived sequence profiles, secondary-structure profiles and residue-depth dependent, structure-derived sequence profiles. The use of residue-depth-dependent profiles makes SP3 one of the best automatic predictors in CASP 6. Because residue depth (RD) and solvent accessible surface area (solvent accessibility) are complementary in describing the exposure of a residue to solvent, we test whether or not incorporation of solvent-accessibility profiles into SP3 could further increase the accuracy of fold recognition. The resulting method, called SP4, was tested in SALIGN benchmark for alignment accuracy and Lindahl, LiveBench 8 and CASP7 blind prediction for fold recognition sensitivity and model-structure accuracy. For remote homologs, SP4 is found to consistently improve over SP3 in the accuracy of sequence alignment and predicted structural models as well as in the sensitivity of fold recognition. Our result suggests that RD and solvent accessibility can be used concurrently for improving the accuracy and sensitivity of fold recognition. The SP4 server and its local usage package are available on http://sparks.informatics.iupui.edu/SP4. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
SU-FF-I-89: A Comparison of Perfusion Parameters From the Kinetic Modeling of Head and Neck Cancers in DCE CT

Purpose: While various kinetic models are used for estimating perfusion parameters from contrast‐enhanced CT scans, the difference amongst the model results are not well researched. The aim of this study was to determine the discrepancy between two of the most commonly used kinetic models: maximum‐slope and deconvolution.Methods: Seven patients with head and neck tumors underwent dynamic CT scans with an injected contrast agent. Contrast enhancement curves were obtained by segmenting arteries, veins, and tumor ROIs from the CT scans. The maximum‐slope model was used to calculate the blood flow, while the Patlak analysis interpolated the blood volume ratio and the permeability. The central volume theorem determined the mean transit time. These parameters were also generated via a deconvolution method implemented in the GE's Advantage Perfusion 4 software. Results: The mean population values of all parameters ‐ blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), permeability (P) and mean transient time MTT) ‐ were similar between the maximum slope and deconvolution methods (BV: 116 vs 107 ml/100g/min, BV: 6.9 vs 7.9 ml/100g, P: 29 vs 20 ml/100g/min, MTT: 4.9 vs 7.3 s). However, on the individual patient level the difference were significant (BF difference: 70% ±60 %, BV difference: 35% ± 30%, P difference: 75% ± 60%. and MTT difference: 35% ± 25%. Conclusion: No significant differences were found amongst the mean population perfusion parameters. However, on the individual patient level, the differences were significant between the maximum slope and deconvolution‐based CT perfusion methods.
Free Energy of Amide Hydrogen Bond Formation in Vacuum, in Water, and in Liquid Alkane Solution

The energy of dimerization of two N-methylacetamide (NMA) molecules in vacuum is calculated using density functional theory. Natural orbital analysis suggests that the dimerization energy of −6.6 kcal/mol is predominantly due to the (NH···OC) donor−acceptor interaction. The gas phase to water hydration free energies and the free energies of transfer from the aqueous phase to liquid alkane of hydrogen bonded, (NH···OC), and nonbonded, (NH,OC), groups are calculated using a continuum solvent model. On the basis of these calculations, we estimate the free energy of forming an amide hydrogen bond in the context of the NMA dimer in water and in liquid alkane as ∼−1 and ∼−5 kcal/mol, respectively. The relevance of these calculations to processes such as protein folding and membrane insertion of proteins is discussed.
Multiple Roles for Astrocytes as Effectors of Cytokines and Inflammatory Mediators

Astrocytes are increasingly recognized as exerting complex functions essential for normal neural activity in the healthy central nervous system (CNS). Because astrocytes also respond to all forms of CNS injury or disease, there is growing interest in how reactive astrogliosis might alter astrocyte functions and thereby affect neural functions. Reactive astrogliosis is heterogeneous and regulated in a context specific manner by different molecular signals. Prominent among astrocyte signaling mechanisms is the ability to respond to, as well as to produce, many different cytokines and inflammatory mediators. These signaling mechanisms enable astrocytes to interact with diverse cell types in ways that may contribute to crosstalk between immune/inflammatory and neural systems. Consistent with this notion is the increasing evidence that cytokines and inflammatory mediators modulate astrocyte signaling not only to influence immune and inflammatory activities in the CNS, but also to influence synaptic and neural functions in ways that may affect complex behaviors such as sickness behavior, pain, appetite, sleep, and mood.
Physicians' perception of demand-induced supply in the information age: a latent class model analysis.

SUMMARY This paper introduces a concept called ‘demand-induced supply’ that reflects the excess supply of services due to an increase in demand initiated by patients. We examine its association with the proportion of information-savvy patients in physicians' practice. Using data from a national representative physician survey, we apply latent class models to analyze this association. Our analyses categorize physicians into three ‘types’ according to the frequency with which they provided additional medical services at their patients' requests: frequent, occasional, and rare. The proportion of information-savvy patients is significantly and positively correlated with demand-induced supply for the frequent or occasional type, but not among physicians in the rare type. Efforts to contain healthcare costs through utilization control need to recognize the pattern of responses from physicians who treat an increasing number of information-savvy patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive evolution of the lactose utilization network in experimentally evolved populations of Escherichia coli

Adaptation to novel environments is often associated with changes in gene regulation. Nevertheless, few studies have been able both to identify the genetic basis of changes in regulation and to demonstrate why these changes are beneficial. To this end, we have focused on understanding both how and why the lactose utilization network has evolved in replicate populations of Escherichia coli. We found that lac operon regulation became strikingly variable, including changes in the mode of environmental response (bimodal, graded, and constitutive), sensitivity to inducer concentration, and maximum expression level. In addition, some classes of regulatory change were enriched in specific selective environments. Sequencing of evolved clones, combined with reconstruction of individual mutations in the ancestral background, identified mutations within the lac operon that recapitulate many of the evolved regulatory changes. These mutations conferred fitness benefits in environments containing lactose, indicating that the regulatory changes are adaptive. The same mutations conferred different fitness effects when present in an evolved clone, indicating that interactions between the lac operon and other evolved mutations also contribute to fitness. Similarly, changes in lac regulation not explained by lac operon mutations also point to important interactions with other evolved mutations. Together these results underline how dynamic regulatory interactions can be, in this case evolving through mutations both within and external to the canonical lactose utilization network.
The Sandia Report and U.S. Achievement: An Assessment

Abstract The author assesses the Sandia Report, a controversial analysis of U.S. education by the Sandia National Laboratories that challenges popular views of an educational decline. The report, titled “Perspectives on Education in America”, was finally made public in the May/June 1993 issue of The Journal of Educational Research (Carson, Huelskamp, & Woodall, 1993). The assessment focuses on the Sandia Report's contentions about K through 12 performance, specifically the SAT decline, NAEP achievement, and the international assessments. The author concludes that the report is generally right about steady trends, but that it is seriously flawed by errors in analysis, insufficient evidence, mischarac-terizations of the international data, and a failure to consider the evidence that U.S students are performing at low levels. In spite of its findings, fundamental school reform is still warranted.
Carbon‐14 labeling of phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll a carbon: Determination of specific growth rates1

The pattern of photosynthetic /sup 14/C labeling over time is described for phytoplankton. The carbon-specific growth rate (d/sup -1/) is defined explicitly by changes in the specific activity (dpm ..mu..g/sup -1/C) of the algae. For Skeletonema costatum, growing in axenic batch culture, the specific activities of both total cellular carbon and chlorophyll carbon increase at equal rates and the change in specific activity with time follows the predicted pattern. The specific activity of /sup 14/C-labeled chlorophyll a was used to estimate phytoplankton growth rates and C:Chl ratios of field samples in Dabob Bay (Puget Sound), Washington. Growth rates decreased with depth and C:Chl ratios were higher for samples incubated under high light intensity. In several instances the C:Chl ratio increased from the beginning to the end of the incubation; this trend was most conspicuous near surface light intensities and for days of high total incident radiation. On these occasions, Chl a was actively /sup 14/C labeled, yet little (or even negative) change was noted in the concentration of Chl a. These results suggest that some process (or processes) of chlorophyll degradation must be active at the same time that chlorophyll is being synthesized.
Initial thoughts on Mayo v. Prometheus and software patents

In the aftermath of an important decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, the first impressions on the significance of the Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. over the software patents debate in the United States. An excerpt of the most relevant parts of the opinion is attached
Outcomes of patients with hepatitis C undergoing simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation.

Background/Aims The number of simultaneous liver–kidney transplants (SLK) has increased since the MELD era. Data on short- and long-term outcomes of hepatitis C virus positive (HCV+) SLK compared to HCV+ liver transplant alone (LTA) recipients are limited. Methods A case-control study comparing outcomes of HCV+SLK versus transplant year-matched HCV+ LTA (1:1) was performed. Results 38/142 (26.7%) SLK recipients were HCV+. LTA controls had lower MELD (17.4±8.6) at transplant than SLK (34.5±6.6) ( p =0.001). There were increased early post-transplant infection episodes in SLK (56.3%) versus LTA (21.6%) ( p =0.001) and a trend towards increased early mortality in the SLK group ( p =0.08). However, there was no difference in long-term patient and graft survival, time to HCV recurrence, %⩾ stage 2 fibrosis, renal function, and graft function between the groups. Ten SLK recipients were treated for HCV recurrence with pegylated interferon+ribavirin: two had sustained virologic response, five stopped due to side effects, and three had no response. None had liver or kidney rejection on treatment. Conclusion Our data represent the largest analysis of HCV+ SLK outcomes to date. We demonstrate increased early complications in SLK versus LTA recipients, likely due to being more critically ill at transplant (higher MELD) and complications unrelated to HCV within the first year. However, long-term outcomes, i.e. HCV recurrence, graft/renal dysfunction, are similar to LTA. In addition, while data are limited, treatment of HCV recurrence with interferon appeared safe in our SLK recipients.
KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN INTERACTIONS ACROSS MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS

The decoupled nature of computing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) can result in disconnections at inopportune times during an interaction between a pair of hosts. We introduce the notion of a priori selection of partner hosts to reduce the likelihood of disconnection during such interactions. An application may specify the times when and the physical locations where it requires interactions with peer applications on partner hosts. A knowledge base of the physical motion profiles of various hosts maintained on each mobile host is used to select partner hosts that are co-located with the reference host at the required time and are least likely to disconnect. In this paper, we present a formal model for such knowledge management, along with an algorithm used to determine suitable partner hosts. We also provide details of our implementation of partner selection, which has been used in the context of a service-oriented computing middleware for MANETs, developed previously by our group. Finally, we present simulation results of our approach.
Assessing the Needs of Distance Learners: A Student Affairs Perspective

In order to understand and meet the needs of the distance learning population, student affairs administrators must partner with our colleagues in the fields of technology and distance education. A study of distance learners at North Carolina State University provides information and opportunities for strengthening those partnerships.
Defining and Describing Family Business Ownership Configurations

This paper attempts to further family business research and theory by more thoroughly defining the stages of ownership configuration in family firms. In addition, these definitions are applied to a database of family firms to test the definitions and provide some insight into the make-up of U.S. family firms.
Long-term weight loss and changes in blood pressure: results of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention, phase II

Even modest weight loss can lead to clinically significant long-term reductions in blood pressure and reduced risk for hypertension.
Conditional Spectrum Computation Incorporating Multiple Causal Earthquakes and Ground-Motion Prediction Models

The conditional spectrum (CS) is a target spectrum (with conditional mean and conditional standard deviation) that links seismic hazard information with ground-motion selection for nonlinear dynamic analysis. Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) estimates the ground-motion hazard by incorporating the aleatory uncertainties in all earthquake scenarios and resulting ground motions, as well as the epistemic uncertainties in ground-motion prediction models (GMPMs) and seismic source models. Typical CS calculations to date are produced for a single earthquake scenario using a single GMPM, but more precise use requires consideration of at least multiple causal earthquakes and multiple GMPMs that are often considered in a PSHA computation. This paper presents the mathematics underlying these more precise CS calculations. Despite requiring more effort to compute than approximate calculations using a single causal earthquake and GMPM, the proposed approach produces an exact output that has a theoretical basis. To demonstrate the results of this approach and compare the exact and approximate calculations, several example calculations are per- formed for real sites in the western United States. The results also provide some in- sights regarding the circumstances under which approximate results are likely to closely match more exact results. To facilitate these more precise calculations for real applications, the exact CS calculations can now be performed for real sites in the United States using new deaggregation features in the U.S. Geological Survey hazard mapping tools. Details regarding this implementation are discussed in this paper.
A preferential design approach for energy-efficient and robust implantable neural signal processing hardware

For implantable neural interface applications, it is important to compress data and analyze spike patterns across multiple channels in real time. Such a computational task for online neural data processing requires an innovative circuit-architecture level design approach for low-power, robust and area-efficient hardware implementation. Conventional microprocessor or Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chips would dissipate too much power and are too large in size for an implantable system. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware design approach, referred to as “Preferential Design” that exploits the nature of the neural signal processing algorithm to achieve a low-voltage, robust and area-efficient implementation using nanoscale process technology. The basic idea is to isolate the critical components with respect to system performance and design them more conservatively compared to the noncritical ones. This allows aggressive voltage scaling for low power operation while ensuring robustness and area efficiency. We have applied the proposed approach to a neural signal processing algorithm using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and observed significant improvement in power and robustness over conventional design.
Measuring progress in US endangered species conservation

Since passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, over 1300 endangered and threatened species have been protected in the USA and its territories. Most species continue to face a significant risk of extinction, but the status of many species is improving. Here we present analyses of federal agency reports to the United States Congress (1988–2002) that describe differences in species status and show which variables are correlated with improving or declining status. We found that 52% of species showed repeated improvements or were not declining over this time. Species status improves over time, with only 35% still declining 13 years or more after protection. Taxonomy, funding by US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and agency assessment of risk of extinction and potential to recover were significantly correlated with status.
Urolithiasis in Pullets and Laying Hens: Role of Dietary Calcium and Phosphorus

A study was conducted to test the independent and combined effects of high dietary calcium and low available phosphorus on the incidence of urolithiasis in pullets and laying hens. One thousand Single Comb White Leghorn pullets were divided into four diet treatment groups beginning at 50 days of age. A normal calcium (1%), normal available phosphorus (.6%) diet (NCNP) was fed to control pullets. Other pullet groups were fed a high calcium (3.25%), normal available phosphorus (.6%) diet (HCNP), a normal calcium (1%), low available phosphorus (.4%) diet (NCLP), or a high calcium (3.25%), low available phosphorus (.4%) diet (HCLP). At 18 weeks of age, 368 pullets were necropsied. One percent of the HCNP group and 14% of the HCLP group developed urolithiasis. Urolithiasis was not found in pullets raised on the NCNP and NCLP diets. The remaining pullets were transferred to laying cages and were fed a commercial layer ration until they were 51 weeks old. None of the hens raised on the NCNP diet, 12% of the hens raised on the HCNP diet, 2% of the hens raised on the NCLP diet, and 14% of the hens raised on the HCLP diet had urolithiasis. Renal function studies were performed on 18-week-old pullets and 51-week-old hens. Pullets raised on the HCLP diet had significantly higher urine pH, significantly lower fractional inorganic phosphate excretion, and significantly higher fractional calcium excretion when compared with pullets raised on the other diet treatments. The profound effect of the HCLP diet on renal calcium and phosphorus excretion in pullets was not retained in the hens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Dynamics of corotating vortex pairs in the wakes of flapped airfoils

The behaviour of a pair of corotating vortices in the wake of a flapped airfoil is experimentally studied in a water towing tank. Reynolds numbers based on total circulation of the vortices range from 1.0×104 to 6.4×104. Planar velocity vector fields and their gradients are derived from PIV images using an adaptive Lagrangian parcel tracking algorithm. Isovorticity surfaces are extracted from time series of planar vorticity data. The behaviour of the vortices is tracked by using various moments of both the probability density distribution and the spatial distribution of their streamwise vorticity. All vortices show a Lamb–Oseen circulation distribution when they are clearly identifiable. Further, vortices from the apless wing exhibit Lamb–Oseen velocity and vorticity distributions with slow growth. All corotating vortex pairs are observed to merge at about 0.8 orbit periods. First-order statistics of the flow field remain invariant during the merger. The higher-order moments of the vorticity distribution show strong time dependence, which implies three-dimensionality of the flow resulting from vortex stretching. The strengths of the individual vortices before merger are constant, and the total circulation before and after merger remains constant within the range of observations. The trajectory of the centre of vorticity remains unaffected by the merger process. The merger is preceded by a splitting of the weaker vortex into filaments which, depending on the relative strengths of the vortices, can occur in the radial direction, the axial direction, or a combination of the two. Mechanisms contributing to the merger dynamics are discussed.
Philosophy and Principles of Reference Methods

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the philosophy and principles of reference methods. Historically, a reference method is the measurement procedure that the scientific community generally agrees gives the true value of the component of interest. If other methodology is used to measure the component and there are differences from those given by the reference method, adjustments are made so that all measurements conform to the reference method. The concept is that all measurements are to be made as if the reference method itself had been used in measuring the component of interest. The fundamental consideration in selecting a reference method is its ability to make the measurement in question. Features such as the method's cost and the level of expertise or training required of personnel carrying out the method do not play a very important role. Also, the means by which the sample is obtained and presented to the methodology is usually not dealt with in any great detail. The chapter describes how reference methodology has been applied in the United States in the area of air pollution measurements. The calibration aspects of measurement methodology and the procedure for evaluating and qualifying reference methods are explained.
Independent component analysis

The goal of blind source separation (BSS) is to recover independent sources given only sensor observations that are linear mixtures of independent source signals. The term blind indicates that both the source signals and the way the signals were mixed are unknown. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a method for solving the blind source separation problem. It is a way to find a linear coordinate system (the unmixing system) such that the resulting signals are as statistically independent from each other as possible. In contrast to correlation-based transformations such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ICA not only decorrelates the signals (2nd-order statistics) but also reduces higher-order statistical dependencies.
Diagonal Environmental Rights

Environmental rights are diagonal if they are held by individuals or groups against the governments of states other than their own. The potential importance of such rights is obvious: governments' actions often affect the environment beyond their jurisdiction, and those who live in and rely upon the environment affected would like to be able to exercise rights against the governments causing them harm. Although international law has not adopted a comprehensive, uniform approach to such rights, human rights law and international environmental law have begun to develop some possible bases for diagonal environmental rights. Human rights law operates primarily along a vertical axis, setting out individuals' rights against their governments and the corresponding duties owed by the governments, but it may also be diagonal, giving rise to duties on the part of states that extend beyond their own territory. The scope and extent of diagonal human rights are often controversial, and environmental rights face additional difficulties, because the environmental protection required by human rights is clarifying only gradually, on a case-by-case basis. To the extent that human rights require such protection when aligned vertically, it would be logical to conclude that they require the same degree of protection whenever they may be aligned diagonally. Human rights law provides few precedents to support that conclusion, however. Compared to human rights law, international environmental law (IEL) provides a clearer and more specific set of duties with respect to environmental protection. Moreover, most IEL is extraterritorial, in that it requires states to regulate actions within their control that could harm the environment beyond their territory. The problem with grounding diagonal environmental rights in IEL is that, in contrast to human rights law, most IEL operates along a horizontal axis: its duties are owed by states to other states, not to private actors. If the challenge for human rights law is to extend rights from the vertical axis to the diagonal, the challenge for IEL is to derive diagonal rights from horizontal ones.
Effect of ω-3 supplementation on placental lipid metabolism in overweight and obese women

BACKGROUND The placentas of obese women accumulate lipids that may alter fetal lipid exposure. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (n–3 FAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) alter FA metabolism in hepatocytes, although their effect on the placenta is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate whether n–3 supplementation during pregnancy affects lipid metabolism in the placentas of overweight and obese women at term. DESIGN A secondary analysis of a double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in healthy overweight and obese pregnant women who were randomly assigned to DHA plus EPA (2 g/d) or placebo twice a day from early pregnancy to term. Placental FA uptake, esterification, and oxidation pathways were studied by measuring the expression of key genes in the placental tissue of women supplemented with placebo and n–3 and in vitro in isolated trophoblast cells in response to DHA and EPA treatment. RESULTS Total lipid content was significantly lower in the placentas of overweight and obese women supplemented with n–3 FAs than in those supplemented with placebo (14.14 ± 1.03 compared with 19.63 ± 1.45 mg lipid/g tissue; P < 0.05). The messenger RNA expression of placental FA synthase (FAS) and diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) was negatively correlated with maternal plasma enrichment in DHA and EPA (P < 0.05). The expression of placental peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (r = −0.39, P = 0.04) and its target genes DGAT1 (r = −0.37, P = 0.02) and PLIN2 (r = −0.38, P = 0.04) significantly decreased, with an increasing maternal n–3:n–6 ratio (representing the n–3 status) near the end of pregnancy. The expression of genes that regulate FA oxidation or uptake was not changed. Birth weight and length were significantly higher in the offspring of n–3-supplemented women than in those in the placebo group (P < 0.05), but no differences in the ponderal index were observed. Supplementation of n–3 significantly decreased FA esterification in isolated trophoblasts without affecting FA oxidation. CONCLUSION Supplementing overweight and obese women with n–3 FAs during pregnancy inhibited the ability of the placenta to esterify and store lipids. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00957476.
Radiation dosage during pediatric diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterizations using the "air gap technique" and an aggressive "as low as reasonably achievable" radiation reduction protocol in patients weighing <20 kg.

Background: Cardiac catheterizations expose both the patient and staff to the risks of ionizing radiation. Studies using the air gap technique (AGT) in various radiological procedures indicate that its use leads to reduction in radiation exposure but there are no data on its use for pediatric cardiac catheterization. The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the radiation exposure data for children weighing Patients and Methods: All patients weighing Results: One-hundred and twenty-seven patients underwent 151 procedures within the study period. The median age was 1.2 years (range: 1 day to 7.9 years) and median weight was 8.8 kg (range: 1.9-19.7). Eighty-nine (59%) of the procedures were interventional. The median total fluoro time was 13 min [interquartile range (IQR) 7.3-21.8]. The median total air Kerma (K) product was 55.6 mGy (IQR 17.6-94.2) and dose area product (DAP) was 189 Gym2 (IQR 62.6-425.5). Conclusion: Use of a novel ALARA and AGT protocol for cardiac catheterizations in children markedly reduced radiation exposure to levels far below recently reported values.
Lipids and cell fusion in vitro: effect of amphotericin B.

SummaryFusion rate of Cl-1D cells mediated by Sendai virus was decreased by preincubating the cells or the virus in the presence of lysolecithin. However, a significant increase occurred when the cells were preincubated in the presence of amphotericin B. This increase was suppressed by exogenous cholesterol.
Exploring the Uses of Data on Height: The Analysis of Long-Term Trends in Nutrition, Labor Welfare, and Labor Productivity

Historians and historical economists have made much progress during the past half century in reconstructing long-term patterns of economic growth. The development of national income accounting techniques provided measures of gross national product and gross national product per capita in both constant and current dollars for the United States and various other countries that extend back to the first half of the nineteenth century. By providing information on the overall performance of the economy and on the performance of its principal industrial sectors and geographic regions, these measures have succinctly characterized the pattern of economic change in the United States, England, France, and several other European nations for periods of up to a century and a half. They have provided a scale against which such developments as urbanization, technological change, and the impact of various governmental policies can be judged. The new information has often led to important reinterpretations of major historical eras. The discovery that the rate of growth of manufacturing declined during the Civil War decade, for example, led to a searching reexamination of the thesis that the Civil War gave an unprecedented impetus to the industrialization of the United States. The disaggregation of the national accounts to the state level produced the unanticipated finding that during the twenty years leading up to the Civil War the South grew at least as rapidly as the North.
Effect of Intermetallic Compounds on the Properties of Tantalum

While pure tantalum has excellent corrosion resistance and formability, its high temperature properties and thermal stability are marginal for some intended applications. Traditional approaches for improving these properties have been dispersion and solid solution strengthening. Modifications of properties via an intermetallic precipitation was not considered until recently. Results of an on-going investigation on the processing and evaluation of silicide-strengthened tantalum are presented. Yttrium silicide-containing Tantalum samples were produced via the P/M method. Evaluation consisted of microstructural, mechanical, chemical and functional tests. Results were compared with those of commercially available tantalum. Intermetallics precipitates were found to be very potent in altering these properties. While the preliminary results are encouraging, extensive functional testing is required to assure that there is no unexpected adverse effect.
INLET CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA CALCULATED BY PROCESS-BASED MODEL

This paper introduces a process-based model for calculating the equilibrium cross-sectional area of a tidal inlet and temporal behavior of small perturbations in channel area from equilibrium. The model accounts for the dynamic balance between inlet ebb-tidal transport and longshore sand transport at the inlet entrance. Expressed in terms of a water discharge through the inlet and the gross longshore sand transport rate, the formulation can account for tidal, river, and wind-driven flows. The resultant predictive equation recovers the form of the well-known empirical formula AE = CPn, where AE is the equilibrium (minimum) cross-sectional area, P is the tidal prism, and C and n are empirical coefficients. An explicit expression is obtained for C in terms of coastal sediment-transport processes, and the value of n derived is in the range found empirically. The process-based model qualitatively predicts the difference in trends in inlet crosssectional area on wave-sheltered and fully-exposed coasts. In time-dependent mode, the model reproduces qualitative behavior of the departure of the crosssectional area from equilibrium under perturbations in the driving forces of discharge and waves.
Counterelectrophoresis test for molecules immunologically similar to fibrinogen.

Counterelectrophoresis for 30 min. in agar gel allows detection of fibrinogen or its derivatives, called “molecules immunologically similar to fibrinogen” (MISFI). Antibody to fibrinogen, prepared in rabbits, is a gamma globulin and moves electrophoretically toward the cathode. Fibrinogen is a beta globulin, part of which migrates toward the anode at a pH of 8.2. MISFI are α 1 to α 2 globulins. The patient materials tested are plasma, “fast” serum, and 2-hr. serum, unheated or after being heated to 56 C. for 5 min. Fast serum is rapidly clotted with thrombin and thromboplastin and contains EACA to prevent lysis. In counterelectrophoresis, paired wells are punched in agar and filled with antibody or patient plasma/serum. A precipitin line formed between the two wells indicates MISFI in serum. Patients with active intravascular clotting have MISFI (which may be stable at 56 C.) in both fast serum and 2-hr. serum. When in vitro fibrinolysis or poor clotting is present there is a line with 2-lir. serum but not with fast serum.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES: AN EVALUATION OF SMALL CITIES AND TOWNS

The impact of form of government on municipal expenditures has been debated by several scholars and researchers over the past thirty years. Part of the support for preference of the council-manager form of government over the other government forms relies on claims that the council-manager form provides increased efficiency in the operation of government. Results of numerous municipal expenditure studies, however, reveal that this outcome is not always clearly demonstrated. Almost all of this existing literature has utilized data from municipalities with populations greater than 25,000. This study evaluates the relationship between form of government and per capita expenditures in cities and towns with populations between 2,500 and 25,000. Survey data from 559 cities and towns are analyzed to determine whether or not their form of government can be significantly related to municipal per capita expenditures. Results of this analysis reveal that council-manager cities and towns exhibit significantly higher per capita expenditure levels than cities and towns with the non-council-manager forms of government.
Study on relationship between corporate culture and corporate governance

In view of decade reform experience of state-owned enterprises in China,just rationalizing investment subject and making investors function in an enterprise does not mean that modern corporation system is set up,what is more,an enterprise with corporation governance unsuitable for herself country's condition and local economy is not called the one with modern corporation system.The previous researches about corporation governance were done from the distributing and restraining relationships among owner,board of directors,executive managers and relevant beneficiary,few researches about governance can be inquired about in view of corporation culture.The paper discussed nationality culture,corporation culture,governance and their effecting relationships each other,and explored the deep connotative meaning of corporation governance in view of corporation culture.
A decomposition algorithm for circuit routing

The circuit routing problem on a VLSI chip is an extremely large linear program with a very large number of rows and columns, too large to be solved even with the column-generating techniques. Based on the distribution of nets, we recursively cut the area of the chip into smaller and smaller regions until the routing problem within a region can be handled by the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition method. Then we successively paste the adjacent regions together to obtain the routing of the whole chip.
Quasidynamical symmetries in the backbending of chromium isotopes

Nuclear forces strongly break spin and spatial symmetries such as $S$, $L$, SU(3), and SU(4). However, calculations have previously revealed that quasi-dynamical symmetry holds, resulting in a relatively constant pattern of breaking within an excitation band. The authors use this to illuminate the change of structure in chromium isotopes as they undergo an abrupt change in the moment of inertia, also known as backbending.
High-energy neutrino astrophysics

The chargeless, weakly interacting neutrinos are ideal astronomical messengers as they travel through space without scattering, absorption or deflection. But this weak interaction also makes them notoriously difficult to detect, leading to neutrino observatories requiring large-scale detectors. A few years ago, the IceCube experiment discovered neutrinos originating beyond the Sun with energies bracketed by those of the highest energy gamma rays and cosmic rays. I discuss how these high-energy neutrinos can be detected and what they can tell us about the origins of cosmic rays and about dark matter. Neutrinos from deep space can be used as astronomical messengers, providing clues about the origin of cosmic rays or dark matter. The IceCube experiment is leading the way in neutrino astronomy.
Pre-breeding beef heifer management and season affect mid to late gestation uterine artery hemodynamics.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of beef heifer development practices and the influence of season on uterine artery hemodynamics during mid to late gestation. Metrics of uterine artery blood flow (BF) of fall calving and spring calving crossbred beef heifers (n = 27) developed on either a low-input (LOW|FALL n = 6; LOW|SPRING n = 6) or a conventional (CON|FALL n = 9; CON|SPRING n = 6) heifer development scheme were evaluated. Heifer body weight (BW) was measured every 30 days, and uterine BF, arterial diameter (AD), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index were measured for uterine arteries ipsilateral and contralateral to the conceptus on days 180, 210, and 240 of gestation. Calf birth weight was assessed at parturition. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed. There were significant treatment × season (P = 0.0001) and season × day (P = 0.003) interactions on heifer BW. Main effects of season (P = 0.04) and gestational day (P = 0.0001) were observed on contralateral BF, and there was a season × day interaction (P = 0.03) on ipsilateral BF. As such, there was a season × day interaction on total blood flow (TBF; P = 0.05), whereby TBF increased as gestation progressed and spring calving heifers displayed increased TBF. However, when adjusted for BW, an additional main effect of treatment was observed (P = 0.0007) in which LOW heifers had increased TBF compared with CON heifers. Correspondingly, LOW heifers displayed increased AD compared with CON heifers, and spring calving heifers had greater AD than fall calving females. There was also a main effect of season on calf birth weight (P = 0.02). It was concluded that developing replacement heifers with low-input management schemes does not yield compromised uteroplacental hemodynamics compared with traditionally developed females when nutrition during gestation is adequate. Furthermore, spring calving 2-year-old heifers have increased uteroplacental BF compared with their fall calving counterparts. Our results imply that producers who seek to decrease development costs by feeding replacements to lighter target breeding weights may do so without compromising mid to late gestation uterine BF when heifers are not nutrient restricted during pregnancy.