cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computed tomography assessment of valvular morphology, function, and disease

Recent advancement in computed tomography angiography (CTA) has enabled the noninvasive delineation of cardiac valves using this method. Although echocardiography is the current standard, CTA is a valuable complementary imaging method to evaluate valvular morphology and function. In addition, CTA may contribute to the assessment of both congenital and acquired valvular heart disease, infectious endocarditis, and postsurgical complications of valve replacement.
Pyrimidine dimer formation in poly (d-dT) and apurinic acid.

Thymine dimer yields, obtained with either ultraviolet radiation or acetophenone sensitization, were measured in poly(dA-dT) and Escherichia coli DNA after depurination. In both of these systems, dimers were formed between thymine residues previously separated by purine residues. The rate of dimerization for ultraviolet radiation was five times less in poly(d-dT) than in poly(dT). However, with acetophenone sensitization, thymine was dimerized at the same rate in poly(d-dT) as in poly(dT). Sensitization of poly(d-dT) resulted in a maximum dimer yield of 63 %, compared to 80 % in poly(dT). In depurinated DNA, photosensitization gave a maximum thymine dimer yield of 55 %, compared to 37 % in native DNA. We propose that for a thymine pair in native DNA, exciplex formation between thymine and an adjacent purine leads to a reduction in the amount of energy available for thymine-thymine dimerization.
The priority of “symbolism” over language in Cassirer’s philosophy

This essay reconstructs the steps by which Cassirer moved from the philosophy of language in the early 1920s to his more general theory of symbolism. The linguistic turn in philosophy overcame idealism without falling into naturalism or psychologism, but according to Cassirer proclaiming the primacy of language was one-sided. He claimed that language is but one symbolic form among many and, what is more, it is not the most fundamental kind of symbolism. The basic function of symbolism is neither “reference” nor “pure signification,” but the unification of sensory phenomena in perception, a function he termed symbolic “Pragnanz.” The essay explains how Cassirer argued for a continuity of symbolic processes linking expressive perceptual qualities with scientific theory.
COMPARING CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS

The paper compares several methods for testing the hypothesis that two independent groups have identical correlation coefficients. Here we consider not only Pearson's correlation, but several robust analogs as well. The main goal is to find some method that performs well in simulations, in terms of Type I error probabilities, when sample sizes are fairly small. Several methods have been proposed in the literature, but they are known to be unsatisfactory. Various bootstrap methods were considered in this study, but only one was found to perform reasonably well.
Effects of Poorly Metabolized Hydrocarbons on Substrate Oxidation by Cladosporium resinae

Twelve hydrocarbons which singly support no growth or little growth of Cladosporium resinae were examined for their effects on utilization of four substrates which do support growth of the fungus. Of the 48 combinations of an oxidizable substrate with a potential hydrocarbon substrate, 8 combinations supported increased oxygen consumption above the level obtained with the oxidizable substrate alone. There was no evidence of co-oxidation of the potential co-substrates toluene or p-xylene; their effects on increasing O2-uptake appear to be due to permeability changes. With hexadecane alone, the ratio hexadecane oxidized to CO2: hexadecane taken up by cells was 97:3. Addition of p-xylene or toluene decreased that ratio slightly to 96:4 and 89:11, respectively. These high ratios of hydrocarbon oxidized to hydrocarbon taken up may be advantageous during degradation of petroleum in the natural environment, since petroleum components could be degraded without formation of a large biomass.
Restructuring in the global economy: The consequences of strategic linkages between Japanese and U.S. firms

Global corporate restructuring often involves U.S. and Japanese alliance partners in interlinked portfolio choices. This paper develops theory and propositions that study U.S. and Japanese restructuring as a process of strategic choice, and introduces the concept of the restructuring profile. Japanese-U.S. strategic linkages create choices in the form of a call option on portfolio reconfiguration for the Japanese firm, and a put option on financial restructuring for its U. S. partner. While Japanese competition forms an initiating force for U. S. restructuring, it also offers a source of capital for that purpose-a unique situation in which the Japanese firm is a part of both the problem and the solution in its U. S. partner's restructuring.
Localization of glutamate and glutamate transporters in the sensory neurons of Aplysia.

The sensorimotor synapse of Aplysia has been used extensively to study the cellular and molecular basis for learning and memory. Recent physiologic studies suggest that glutamate may be the excitatory neurotransmitter used by the sensory neurons (Dale and Kandel [1993] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 90:7163-7167; Armitage and Siegelbaum [1998] J Neurosci. 18:8770-8779). We further investigated the hypothesis that glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter at this synapse. The somata of sensory neurons in the pleural ganglia showed strong glutamate immunoreactivity. Very intense glutamate immunoreactivity was present in fibers within the neuropil and pleural-pedal connective. Localization of amino acids metabolically related to glutamate was also investigated. Moderate aspartate and glutamine immunoreactivity was present in somata of sensory neurons, but only weak labeling for aspartate and glutamine was present in the neuropil or pleural-pedal connective. In cultured sensory neurons, glutamate immunoreactivity was strong in the somata and processes and was very intense in varicosities; consistent with localization of glutamate in sensory neurons in the intact pleural-pedal ganglion. Cultured sensory neurons showed only weak labeling for aspartate and glutamine. Little or no gamma-aminobutyric acid or glycine immunoreactivity was observed in the pleural-pedal ganglia or in cultured sensory neurons. To further test the hypothesis that the sensory neurons use glutamate as a transmitter, in situ hybridization was performed by using a partial cDNA clone of a putative Aplysia high-affinity glutamate transporter. The sensory neurons, as well as a subset of glia, expressed this mRNA. Known glutamatergic motor neurons B3 and B6 of the buccal ganglion also appeared to express this mRNA. These results, in addition to previous physiological studies (Dale and Kandel [1993] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 90:7163-7167; Trudeau and Castellucci [1993] J Neurophysiol. 70:1221-1230; Armitage and Siegelbaum [1998] J Neurosci. 18:8770-8779)) establish glutamate as an excitatory neurotransmitter of the sensorimotor synapse.
Modeling MOS capacitors to extract Si&#8212;SiO 2 interface trap densities in the presence of arbitrary doping profiles

A conventional Poisson solver has been used to calculate the quasi-static capacitance of an MOS capacitor. The effects of an energy dependent Si-SiO 2 interface trap density and of an arbitrary silicon substrate doping profile have been included. This model has been used to calculate the quasi-static C-V characteristics and to compare them with those measured using Kuhn's technique for as-received and for gamma-irradiated p-type and n-type silicon MOS capacitors. The substrate doping profiles were obtained from high-frequency C-V curves. Experimental and theoretical C-V curves were made to agree by varying the voltage offset due to fixed oxide charge and both the magnitude and the energy distribution of interface trapped charge. The distributions of interface traps that gave the best fits between experiment and theory are donor-like with a peak 0.1 eV below midgap for the p-type and 0.1 eV above midgap for the n-type silicon MOS capacitors. The predicted C-V curves are insensitive to increases in the density of interface traps near the band edge.
The tanh–coth method for new compactons and solitons solutions for the K(n, n) and the K(n + 1, n + 1) equations

Abstract The nonlinear K(n, n) and the K(n + 1, n + 1) equations are analytically studied. The tanh–coth method, the rational hyperbolic functions method, and the rational exponential function method are applied for this analytic study. We show that these equations exhibit new compactons, solitons and periodic solutions. The change of the physical structure of the solutions is caused by variation of the exponents and the coefficients of the derivatives.
Reproductive Cycle and Recruitment Patterns of the Coquina Clam Donax Variabilis Say Along the Central Gulf Coast of Florida

ABSTRACT Coquina clams (Donax variabilis) were sampled monthly at 2 sites in Pinellas County, Florida, to document recruitment and growth. Samples collected from the swash zone were counted, measured, and preserved. Histological staging of a subset of the preserved gonads was performed to assess patterns in reproduction. Peak spawning and recruitment were observed in early spring, and growth rates were calculated through the fall. Spawning and low densities of recruits persisted throughout the summer and fall. The presence of spawning D. variabilis during 21 of 23 mo indicates a continuous reproductive cycle. Multivariate analysis of length—frequency data and frequency of reproductive stages indicates a cycle of approximately 8 mo, suggesting a typical life span of less than 1 y, although some individuals survive longer.
Group B streptococcus infection in pregnancy: an update

Group B streptococcus (GBS), or Streptococcus agalactiae , has been a continuing focus of debate in the paediatric and obstetric worlds. The organism has emerged as the leading cause of early-onset neonatal sepsis. With an average of 20% of mothers being carriers for the organism (range from 15–40%), the following questions remain to be answered: 1 How best to screen for GBS and which protocol to use? 2 How best to counsel patients who are GBS carriers? 3 What is the cost effectiveness of the screening protocols?
Cubic magnetic anisotropy of nonstoichiometric magnetite.

The cubic magnetic anisotropy constants of Fe 3(1-δ) O 4 single crystals (with 0.000<δ<0.006), obtained by curve fitting of the respective magnetization curves, are reported between room temperature and the isotropic point (∼130 K), where the easy axis changes from [111] to [100]. Two distinct temperature dependences are observed for nonstoichiometries above and below δ c =0.0039, in samples with second- and first-order Verwey transitions, respectively. The characteristic temperatures for the first-derivative curves are consistent with mean-field parameters for nearest-neighbor-interaction models
Geostatistical Characterization of the Spatial Distribution of Adult Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Emergence

Geostatistical methods were used to characterize spatial variability in western ( Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) and northern ( Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence) corn rootworm adult emergence patterns. Semivariograms were calculated for adult emergence density of corn rootworm populations in fields of continuous corn and rotated (corn/soybean) corn. Adult emergence densities were generally greater for northern corn rootworms than for western corn rootworms. The spatial structures of the adult rootworm emergence were aggregated as described by spherical spatial models for western corn rootworm and exponential models for northern corn rootworm. Range of spatial dependence varied from 180 to 550 m for western corn rootworm and 172 to 281 m for northern corn rootworm. Semivariograrn models were used to produce contour density maps of adult populations in the fields, based on grid sampling of actual emerging adult populations.
“Shotgun” Bank M&As

The U.S. credit crisis, which started with the failure of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers in 2008, began a wave of bank mergers. The huge scale of government loans and support for “shotgun“ bank mergers has been unprecedented in scope. In a mad rush to save the banks and the economy, the Federal Reserve and the Department of Justice disregarded more than a century of antitrust regulations. These actions have created many problems-and they raise questions about the need for more transparency in the banking sector. What steps are being taken to promote more transparency? What will be the results? And how can your company avoid banks that may be forced into a merger? © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Elevation of Myeloperoxidase in Conjunction With Cardiac-Specific Markers After Marathon Running

Cardiac-related death has been reported following strenuous exercise, and biochemical markers predicting adverse outcomes would be useful. Despite the fact the myeloperoxidase (MPO) release may precede myocardial injury and identify at-risk patients earlier than traditional markers, information on the effects of marathon running on MPO levels is lacking. We measured MPO in conjunction with the creatine kinase MB fraction (CK-MB), myoglobin, troponin T (TnT), and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in 24 athletes before and after a marathon race. Of the 24 athletes, 22 (92%) had an increased MPO level, and the mean MPO level increased from 281.44 pmol/L to 785.21 pmol/L (P < .0001). Results for 14 (58%) of the athletes reached or exceeded the manufacturer's recommended clinical threshold. The increases in CK-MB, myoglobin, TnT, and NT-proBNP also reached statistical significance. Although the elevation in MPO most likely represents a systemic inflammatory response, the concurrent elevations in TnT and NT-proBNP suggest that myocardial injury cannot be excluded.
Medical and surgical outcomes in childhood glaucoma: A population-based study

Introduction To describe the clinical and surgical outcomes among patients younger than 20 years of age diagnosed with glaucoma in a defined population during a 40-year period. Methods The medical records of all patients ( Results Thirty children (45 eyes) were diagnosed with various forms of glaucoma during the 40-year study period. During a mean follow-up of 12.5 years (range, 7 days to 32 years), 18 (60%) of the 30 children underwent a mean of 2.7 surgeries (range, 1 to 10), including 6 (20%) patients whose sole surgery consisted of enucleation or evisceration for a blind, painful eye. Twenty-eight (93%) of the 30 children required medical management during the follow-up period, including 14 (47%) treated before their first surgery. At the final follow-up examination, 11 (37%) had a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. The 10-year Kaplan-Meier risk of vision decreasing less than 20/200 in all glaucoma patients was 22.7% (95% CI, 0-40.9), and patients requiring any glaucoma surgery was 68.3% (95% CI, 42.4-82.6). Conclusions In this population-based study of children diagnosed with glaucoma during a 40-year period, most patients required surgery, with few being successfully controlled by medications alone. A poor visual outcome or the loss of an eye was relatively common.
A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Alternative Measures of Exposure

This paper compares eight approaches to measurement of exposure to cancer information in the mass media: general media exposure, exposure to health media, attention to health topics, quantity of health information, general and specific cancer exposure assessed by closed- and by open-ended questions. After demographic controls, the strongest predictor of cancer knowledge was the open-ended general measure (9.8% additional variance), then open-ended and closed-ended measures about diet and exercise (each 6.7%), attention to health topics (6.2%), quantity of health information (4.1%), and health media exposure (3.7%). General media exposure was not associated. However, other validity criteria lead to different conclusions: attention measures may confound motivation with exposure, and there may be upward bias in using knowledge to validate open-ended exposure measures; considering face validity, survey costs and respondent burden as well as criterion validity, we propose that the closed-ended specific questio...
Fault-valve behavior and the hydrostatic-lithostatic fluid pressure interface

Abstract Currently deforming regions of continental crust are characterized by seismic activity in a brittle carapace which presumably overlies regions undergoing local or distributed metamorphism. One may note in this regard the global correlation between active seismic belts and the distribution of CO2-rich springs ( Barnes et al., 1984 ). In regions of moderate to high heat flow (60–100 mW m−2) the seismogenic regime, representing the zone of unstable frictional sliding, typically extends to depths of 10–15 km, marking the onset of greenschist metamorphic conditions ( Sibson, 1983 ). However, in regions of rapid thrust convergence (> 1cm yr−1), seismic activity may extend to significantly greater depths through depression of isotherms, as in the thrust-front of the Himalaya.
Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Resistance in Selected Digitaria Germplasm

Five Digitaria accessions, classified as resistant or susceptible to Sipha flava (Forbes) in screening trials, were studied in the laboratory to determme mechanisms of resistance, effectiveness of resistance against two geographically isolated aphid populations, and the value of resistance in reducing yield and quality losses in Digitaria species attacked by S. flava . Four accessions—P.I. 299610 and 299612, D. diversinervis (Nees) Stapf; 364357, D. frieseii Pilger; and 364523, D. longiflora (Retz.) Pers.—exhibited a high level of resistance to aphid adults and nymphs. Antibiosis appeared to be the main mechanism of resistance, based on studies with P.I. 364357. The accessions P.I. 299610, 364357, and 364523 were resistant to aphid populations from Louisiana and the Bahamas, whereas P.I. 111110, D. decumbens Stent, (pangolagrass) was highly susceptible to both populations. The level of resistance in P.I. 364357 was sufficient to prevent significant changes in dry-matter yield, prevent dry matter, and percent protein in plants receiving moderate to heavy infestations of the yellow sugarcane aphid. Yield and percent protein were significantly reduced, and percent dry matter was significantly increase in infested pangolagrass.
THE SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION OF NITRIC OXIDE WITH METHANE OVER NONZEOLITIC CATALYSTS

This article deals with recent progress in the development of nonzeolitic catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) with methane. Although metal-exchanged zeolitic catalysts exhibit high activities for this reaction, most of these metastable structures suffer from deactivation problems when exposed to wet exhaust streams at elevated temperatures. Nonzeolitic oxide catalysts have the potential for improved durability because many of these are thermodynamically stable structures. The NO x reduction activity and poisoning resistance of lanthanide oxides, Group IIA oxides, Group IIIB oxides, as well as gallium-, tin-, and palladium-based catalysts are reviewed. Current opinions on mechanistic aspects of the SCR reaction are discussed in relation to the development of more active catalytic systems. A detailed experimental study of the SCR of NO x over rare earth oxides has also been performed. The role of absorbed oxygen in the activation of CH4 and consumption of CH3 rad...
Age changes in perception of verticality and of the longitudinal body axis under body tilt.

Abstract The position of apparent vertical, the apparent location of the longitudinal axis of the body, and their relation were assessed under erect and 30° left and right body tilt in 96 boys and 96 girls ranging in age from 7 to 17 years. It was found: (a) with increase in age, the position of apparent vertical shifts from the side of body tilt to the side opposite tilt; (b) while the apparent location of longitudinal body axis deviates beyond true body tilt in all age groups, after 7 years there is a slight decrease in deviation followed by an accelerated increase after 13 years of age; (c) the angular disparity between apparent vertical and apparent body axis position is relatively small for 7 to 13 year-olds compared with 15 and 17 year-olds; (d) for both tasks, final adjustment of the rod is relatively close to its position at the beginning of the trial, and this effect, greatest at 7 years, decreases with increase in age. The findings are interpreted as a reflection of an ontogenetic shift toward increasing differentiation between the body spatial reference system and the external spatial reference system.
Purification of glycosaminoglycans from bovine follicular fluid.

The follicular glycosaminoglycans, dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate, are not available in sufficient quantities for detailed analytical studies or to use as reagents in cell cultures. The purpose of this study was to purify follicular glycosaminoglycans simultaneously from bovine follicular fluid. The use of a chloroform:methanol extraction of 10 ml of fluid resulted in recoveries of at least 90% of the glycosaminoglycans, otherwise an insoluble product resulted. Heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate eluted at .11 and .46 M NaCl, respectively, when subjected to HPLC with an anion exchange column. Fluid from small follicles allowed to "age" in the ovaries exhibited marked reductions in the concentrations of glycosaminoglycans. Aging of the fluid from large follicles resulted in greater glycosaminoglycan concentrations and appearance of glycosaminoglycans reflecting other charge distributions. Known amounts of purified follicular fluid heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate were applied to a gel filtration HPLC column, and corresponding integrated peak areas were plotted in relation to the glycosaminoglycan concentrations. Slopes of the lines for commercial chondroitin sulfate and follicular dermatan sulfate were not significantly different, but the slope of the line for follicular heparan sulfate was 13.5-fold greater than the slope for commercial heparin.
T-Cell Subsets and Langerhans Cells in Normal and Diseased Conjunctiva

Abstract To identify the infiltrating mononuclear cells in conjunctival lesions, we stained frozen tissue sections of conjunctiva with a series of monoclonal antibodies against T cells and T-cell subsets with an immunoperoxidase method. In vernal conjunctivitis and ocular pemphigoid, most lymphocytes reacted with the anti-T4 antibodies that define helper/inducer T cells (T4 + ); a minority reacted with the anti-T8 antibody that defines suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (T8 + ). However, T8 + cells predominated in a conjunctival specimen from a patient with chronic graft-vs-host disease. A few T8 + cells and rare T4 + cells were also found in normal conjunctiva. In some diseased conjunctivas, there was an increase in cells stained with anti-T6 antibody, which stains Langerhans cells in normal conjunctiva and skin. T lymphocyte subsets and Langerhans cells probably play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory conjunctival lesions
Utilization of Iron Additives for Advanced Control of NOx Emissions from Stationary Combustion Sources

A novel NOx control technique based on the utilization of iron-containing compounds was studied. Iron-containing additives can be injected in small amounts either into the combustion zone or, if reburning is used, into the reburning zone to reduce NOx emissions. Tests in a 300-kW Boiler Simulator Facility demonstrate that iron additives achieve 20−30% NOx reduction without reburning, whereas in conjunction with reburning, they increase NOx reduction from about 60%, typical for conventional reburning, to about 80−85%. The additives tested included powdered metallic iron, iron oxides, iron waste, Fe(CO)5, char, and ash. Up to 1000 ppm (atomic Fe basis) was added to the flue gas. Experimental variables studied include additive composition and amount, injector location, and reburning heat input. Depending on the additive, the effect is dominated by either heterogeneous or homogeneous reactions.
Bilateral Origin of Pulmonary Artery From Homolateral Ductus Arteriosus

In instances of congenital pulmonary stenosis associated with ventricular septal defect, anomalous origin of one pulmonary artery from the aorta by way of a ductus arteriosus, is occasionally observed. This report presents two rare cases, in each of which both pulmonary arteries arose from the aorta by way of its homolateral ductus arteriosus. Additionally, in each case the pulmonary trunk was absent and intracardiac malformations were present. In one case, involving a six-week-old girl, there was a basal ventricular septal defect above which the aorta arose. The aortic arch was left-sided. In the second case, an 11-year-old girl, the aorta arose mainly from the left ventricle above a basal ventricular septal defect. The ascending aorta was inverted, arching toward the left. The aortic arch passed over the right branches and showed mirror-image branching. The anomalous origins of the pulmonary arteries are considered a result either of failure of development or abnormal involution of the ventral portion of each sixth aortic arch.
High purity InP and InGaAsP grown by liquid phase epitaxy

Methods for obtaining high purity InP and InGaAsP alloy epitaxial layers on (100)-oriented InP substrates using liquid phase epitaxy have been explored and are discussed. Net carrier concentrations as low as 9 X 1014 cm-3 for InP and 2 X 1014 cm-3 for InGaAs with liquid nitrogen temperature electron mobilities near 70,000 cm2 V-1 s-1 have been obtained routinely. The residual donor impurities have been studied using far infrared photothermal ionization measurements in a high magnetic field and two dominant, but at present unidentified, donor species are observed. A comparison of such measurements on both LPE and VPE (hydride) InP layers reveals that the same two donor species are present in both materials.
Cluster headache as a manifestation of intracranial inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour: a case report with pathophysiological considerations

We report a patient with a secondary form of chronic cluster headache, caused by an intracranial presentation of inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumour located in the posterior fossa, with total remission of the pain after resection. The headaches were resistant to many of the usual treatments for cluster headache. The patient had two normal computed tomography scans and one normal magnetic resonance imaging of the head before the additional diagnosis of brain tumour was made. This is an unusual cause of cluster headache with intracranial mass, with an unexpected clinical presentation, a rare triggering manoeuvre, unusual pathology and successful treatment. This patient probably had the hypothalamic biological predisposition to cluster headache and, when a small mass disturbed pain-sensitive structures in the posterior fossa, it excited the trigeminovascular system via posterior fossa trigeminal and upper cervical afferents, and triggered the pathophysiological processes that resulted in a secondary form of chronic cluster headache.
Optimum Bearing and Support Damping for Unbalance Response and Stability of Rotating Machinery

This paper presents a rapid approximate method for calculating the optimum bearing or support damping for multimass flexible rotors to minimize unbalance response and to maximize stability in the vicinity of the rotor first critical speed. A multimass rotor is represented by an equivalent single-mass model for purposes of the analysis. The optimum bearing damping is expressed as a function of the bearing stiffness and rotor modal stiffness at the rigid bearing critical speed. Stability limits for aerodynamic cross coupling and viscous internal rotor friction damping are also presented. Comparison of the optimum damping obtained by this approximate method with that obtained by full scale linearized transfer matrix methods for several rotor-bearing configurations shows good agreement. The method has the advantage of being quickly and easily applied and can reduce analysis time by eliminating a time consuming search for the approximate optimum damping using more exact methods.
Adaptations of the Male Reproductive Tract and the Fate of Spermatozoa Following Vasectomy in the Rabbit, Rhesus Monkey, Hamster and Rat

The effects of vas obstruction in the rabbit rhesus monkey rat an d hamster were studied to determine the manner in which the vas deferens and epididymis dispose of spermatozoa after vasectomy. Distension of the vas and the distal portion of the epididymis was initially apparent but the subsequent response between species and individuals within species varied. In rabbits the distensibility of the distal portion of the tract appeared to insure its integrity for at least 24 weeks though granulomata appeared in the epididymis by 32 weeks. Some monkeys showed discrete granulomata in the vas deferens and/or cauda epididymis as early as 5-6 weeks after the operation. This was accompanied by a regression of a small though palpable enlargement of the cauda epididymis. Eruption of macroscopic granulomata occurred in the hamster epididymis within 8 weeks of the operation and about 30% of these animals showed a terminal cyst at the site of obstruction. Epididymal granulomata were not observed as frequently in rats as in the other species. The disposal of spermatozoa was found to depend on their ingestion by leucocytes which enter the tract through the granulomata and by epitheloid cells within the terminal vasal cysts. Ipsilateral di sruption of the seminiferous epithelium was consistently observed in association with granulomata and/or distension of the caput or corpus epididymis. The effect of unilateral vasectomy in rats and rabbits demonstrated that vasectomy had no general immunologically mediated suppressive effect on the potential fertility of these animals.
Effect of acute pulmonary hypertension on pressure/flow on the canine pulmonary vascular bed

Abstract The relationship of pulmonary blood flow and vascular resistance to pulmonary artery pressure was examined in pentobarbital-anesthetized open-chest dogs. The pulmonary artery perfusion pressure was varied in the range 0–100 mm Hg. This was achieved by perfusion of the lobar artery supplying the left upper lobe of the lung from the subclavian artery. Perfusion pressure was by a clamp on the external shunt. The relationship was rectlinear in the lower pressure range, from zero flow at 5 mm Hg, to 45–55 mm Hg. Above this, curvilinearity developed, concave toward the pressure axis. Possible participation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the P/F relationship was examined by treatment with the ganglionic blocking agent, hexamethonium. Although the drug was successful in lowering systemic arterial pressure, it had no effect on the pulmonary P/F relationship. Possibly, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) tone to pulmonary vessels was low or absent in our preparation. Changes in compliance of the pulmonary arterial supply, resulting from changes in transmural pressure, may explain the results. A myogenic type of response is favored.
Accurate and fast numerical solution of Poisson's equation for arbitrary, space-filling Voronoi polyhedra: Near-field corrections revisited

We present an accurate and rapid solution of Poisson's equation for space-filling, arbitrarily shaped, convex Voronoi polyhedra (VP); the method is $O({N}_{\text{VP}})$, where ${N}_{\text{VP}}$ is the number of distinct VP representing the system. In effect, we resolve the long-standing problem of fast but accurate numerical solution of the near-field corrections, contributions to the potential due to near VP\char22{}typically those involving multipole-type conditionally convergent sums, or use of fast Fourier transforms. Our method avoids all ill-convergent sums, is simple, accurate, efficient, and works generally, i.e., for periodic solids, molecules, or systems with disorder or imperfections. We demonstrate the practicality of the method by numerical calculations compared to exactly solvable models.
Reassessment of Radiation Risks from Electrophysiology Procedures Compared to Coronary Angiography

Background Electrophysiology (EP) procedures have been reported to carry a significantly greater radiation risk than that of coronary angiography (CA). This is largely due to numerous reports linking severe deterministic radiation effects to long procedure and fluoroscopy times (FTs). This study documents low radiation doses achieved by strategies involving operator training and education as well as equipment and technique optimisation to reduce radiation risks. Methods Records relating to 732 diagnostic EP and 1744 therapeutic EP procedures performed between January 2002 and December 2007 were analysed. Data from 1458 diagnostic only CA procedures performed in 2006 was used for comparison. For each procedure type, FT, number of digital frames acquired and estimated effective dose ( E ) were compared. Results Although the FT for CA procedures is significantly less than for therapeutic EP procedures (FT for diagnostic EP being similar), EP procedures generally are associated with lower E , the exception being procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF). Conclusion Through the application of a comprehensive exposure minimisation strategy, the radiation risk to patients undergoing diagnostic and, therapeutic EP procedures (except AF ablation procedures) is significantly less than that faced by patients undergoing CA. E , however, is heavily dependent on procedure type and as such care must be taken in undertaking generalised comparisons for audit and benchmarking purposes.
Using Critical Thinking Rubrics to Increase Academic Performance

The purpose of this study was to develop a way to measure students’ abilities to think critically about concepts covered during academic support sessions. Tutors trained in a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)-certified program at the University of Louisville used a rubric based on the Paul–Elder Critical Thinking Model in order to measure the development of students’ critical thinking skills such as effective questioning, ability to gather important information, intellectual autonomy, and intellectual perseverance. Over two years, 97 students at the University of Louisville participated in the project. A regression analysis of the data suggests that higher rubric scores were associated with higher course grades.
Surface reconstruction technique based on 3D triangulation enhancement

3D reconstruction technique plays an important role in the applications for 3D data acquisition, such as medical diagnosis, animation and virtual reality. Moreover, the 3D triangulation process is one of the most important parts while reconstructing the smooth surface of a 3D object. The essential of 3D triangulation is to find the intersection of the rays emitting from the correlated points on each image pair, but the emitting rays always don't intersect with each other owing to the error in process. So the obtained 3D point is an approximated value and makes the reconstructed surface uneven. In the paper, we proposed an triangulation enhancement method, which reduces the perturbation in the reconstructed data and filter out the error caused by spurious vectors in the process of correlation.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Controller synthesis for a class of uncertain piecewise linear hybrid dynamical systems

We consider the controller synthesis problem for a class of uncertain hybrid dynamical systems. The goal is for the closed loop system to exhibit desired behavior under dynamic uncertainty and exteriors disturbances. The main question is whether there exists a controller such that the closed loop system satisfies the specification. The notion of attainability is introduced to refer to the specified behavior that can be forced to the plant by a control mechanism. We give a method for attainability checking by employing the predecessor operator and backward reachability analysis, and a procedure for controller design by using finite automata and linear programming techniques.
An Ounce of Prevention at Half Price: Evaluating a Subsidy on Health Investments

This paper examines how investments in health, through spending on preventive care, affect subsequent spending on medical care among the retired population.Augmenting a traditional dynamic consumption-savings model with two medical care goods, I estimate a structural life cycle model using data on single retired Americans from the Health and Retirement Study; I then conduct policy counterfactuals to ascertain the effect of a subsidy on preventive care on health and fiscal outcomes. A narrowly targeted subsidy improves longevity by 0.76 months at a public cost of $760 per capita, but does not reduce lifetime demand for medical care.
Hydrometeor classification system using dual-polarization radar measurements: model improvements and in situ verification

A hydrometeor classification system based on a fuzzy logic technique using dual-polarization radar measurements of precipitation is presented. In this study, five dual-polarization radar measurements (namely horizontal reflectivity, differential reflectivity, specific differential phase, correlation coefficient, and linear depolarization ratio) and altitude relating to environmental melting layer are used as input variables of the system. The hydrometeor classification system chooses one of nine different hydrometeor categories as output. The system presented in this paper is a further development of an existing hydrometeor classification system model developed at Colorado State University (CSU). The hydrometeor classification system is evaluated by comparing inferred results from the CSU CHILL Facility dual-polarization radar measurements with the in situ sample data collected by the T-28 aircraft during the Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study.
Digital memory device based on tobacco mosaic virus conjugated with nanoparticles

Nanostructured viruses are attractive for use as templates for ordering quantum dots to make self-assembled building blocks for next-generation electronic devices. So far, only a few types of electronic devices have been fabricated from biomolecules due to the lack of charge transport through biomolecular junctions. Here, we show a novel electronic memory effect by incorporating platinum nanoparticles into tobacco mosaic virus. The memory effect is based on conductance switching, which leads to the occurrence of bistable states with an on/off ratio larger than three orders of magnitude. The mechanism of this process is attributed to charge trapping in the nanoparticles for data storage and a tunnelling process in the high conductance state. Such hybrid bio-inorganic nanostructures show promise for applications in future nanoelectronics.
A Special Education Course with Pediatric Components

Handicapped children are often plagued by multiple problems. However, training in most of the helping professions tends to be focused on a single orientation, with little attention given to the thinking and techniques used in the other professions. This article reports on a model of personnel preparation in which university special education and pediatrics faculty members work together to train teachers about the medical aspects of educational disabilities.
The Toeplitz matrix in the analysis of the adaptive algorithms of the uniformly spaced adaptive array

The LMS algorithm uses an estimate of the gradient vector, whereas one of its modifications, the Newton algorithm that steers the weight-vector increment and generates a straighter path to the optimum weight, must contain an estimate of the inverse of the input signal correlation matrix. The initial (a priori) estimate of the inverse matrix is essential in the implementation of this combined LMS-Newton method with fewer iterations of the weight conversion process. It is shown that advantage can be taken of the fact that for the uniformly spaced adaptive array of identical elements the structure of the input correlation matrix is Toeplitz, which eliminates the necessity of direct inversion and opens the way for implementation of the readily available rapid inversion algorithms at the design and performance analysis stage. >
The ENHANCER OF SHOOT REGENERATION 2 gene in Arabidopsis regulates CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 at the transcriptional level and controls cotyledon development.

Cytokinins stimulate shoot regeneration in tissue culture but the genes required for this developmental process are not well understood. Here we show that the Arabidopsis gene, ENHANCER OF SHOOT REGENERATION2 (ESR2), encoding an AP2-domain transcriptional factor, functions in the regeneration of shoots in tissue culture. ESR2 overexpression conferred cytokinin-independent shoot regeneration from cre1/ahk4 mutant explants, suggesting that CRE1 is not required for ESR2-mediated shoot regeneration. ESR2 directly targeted CYCLIN D1;1, ARABIDOPSIS PHOSPHOTRANSMITTER 6 (AHP6) and CUPSHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1) in assays involving the translocation of ESR2–ER (estradiol receptor) fusions to the nucleus. Knock-down of ESR2 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) reduced CUC1 expression and resulted in altered cotyledon phenotypes at a low frequency, including partially fused cotyledons and triple cotyledons. Phenotypes of induced ESR2 expression in a cuc1-1 mutant background were suppressed. Our results suggest that ESR2 plays a role in shoot regeneration through transcriptional regulation of CUC1.
Anatomical demonstration of orientation columns in macaque monkey

In the macaque monkey striate (primary visual) cortex, the grouping of cells into ocular dominance and orientation columns leads to the prediction of highly specific spatial patterns of cellular activity in response to stimulation by lines through one or both eyes. In the pesent paper these paterns have been examined by the 2-deoxyuglucose autoradiographic method developed by Sokoloff and his group (Kennedy et al, '76). An anesthetized monkey was given an injection of 14C 2-deoxyglucose and then visually stimulated for 45 minues with a large array of moving vertical stripes, with both eyes open. The 14C autoradiographs of striate cortex showed vertical bands of label extending through the full cortical thickness. Layer I was at most only lightly labelled, and layers IV b and VI wee the most dense. Layer IV c (the site of terminations of most geniculate afferents) was labelled uniformly along its length, as expected from the lack of orientation specificity of units recorded in that leyer. In the other layers the pattern seen in tangential sections was complex, consisting of swirling stripes with many bifurcations and blind endings, but with occasional more regular regions whee the stripes wee roughly parallel. Interstripe distance was rather constant, at 570 μm. Ocular dominance columns were examined in this same monkey, in the same region, by injecting one eye with 3H-proline two weeks before the deoxyglucose experiment, and preparing a second set of autoradiographs of the sections after prolonged washing to remove the 14C-deoxyglucose. As seen in tangential sections through layer IV c, these columns had the usual stripe-like form, with a period of 770 μm, but were simpler in their pattern than the orientation stripes, with fewer bifurcations and less swirling. A comparison of the two sets of columns in the same area showed many intersections, but no strict or consistent relationships: angles of intersection showed a distribution that was not obviously different from that expected for any two randomly superimposed sets of lines. Another monkey was stimulated with vertical stripes, but with only one eye open. Deoxyglucose autoradiographs of tangential sections showed regular uniform rows of label in layer IV c, with all the characteristic features of eye dominance columns. In the layers above and below IV c the rows in tangential view were broken up into regularly spaced patches of label, presumably representing aggregations of cells responsive to vertically oriented stimuli. The patches showed no consistent alignment across the ocular dominance rows, and indeed no such tendency would be expected, considering the complexity of the orientation columns. This pattern of labelling is again predicted from and confirms the previous physiological studies.
Drosophila engrailed can substitute for mouse Engrailed1 function in mid-hindbrain, but not limb development

The Engrailed-1 gene, En1, a murine homologue of the Drosophila homeobox gene engrailed (en), is required for midbrain and cerebellum development and dorsal/ventral patterning of the limbs. In Drosophila, en is involved in regulating a number of key patterning processes including segmentation of the epidermis. An important question is whether, during evolution, the biochemical properties of En proteins have been conserved, revealing a common underlying molecular mechanism to their diverse developmental activities. To address this question, we have replaced the coding sequences of En1 with Drosophila en. Mice expressing Drosophila en in place of En1 have a near complete rescue of the lethal En1 mutant brain defect and most skeletal abnormalities. In contrast, expression of Drosophila en in the embryonic limbs of En1 mutants does not lead to repression of Wnt7a in the embryonic ventral ectoderm or full rescue of the embryonic dorsal/ventral patterning defects. Furthermore, neither En2 nor en rescue the postnatal limb abnormalities that develop in rare En1 null mutants that survive. These studies demonstrate that the biochemical activity utilized in mouse to mediate brain development has been retained by Engrailed proteins across the phyla, and indicate that during evolution vertebrate En proteins have acquired two unique functions during embryonic and postnatal limb development and that only En1 can function postnatally.
Phrase comprehension after brain damage

Comprehension of six dimensional adjectives was found to be intact in groups of left hemisphere-damaged, right hemisphere-damaged and neurologically normal patients. Phrases with those adjectives were interpreted quite differently by left hemisphere-damaged patients than by the other two groups, and a subgroup of left-damaged patients appeared to be responsible for that group's deviant responses to phrases such as slightly bigger. All patients in the left-damaged group had some difficulty with negative phrases such as not big, however. Patients with right hemisphere-damage had difficulty interpreting only negative phrases with small. Results are interpreted with reference to Luria's discussion of semantic aphasia, and with regard to recent findings concerning the role of the right hemisphere in language comprehension.
Lower bound on the channel routing problems

A detailed analysis of how grid points are used in routing nets in the Manhattan model is presented. A new lower bound on the channel width that asymptotically matches the known upper bound d/sub m/+O(f) and, therefore, is existentially tight is established. The bound is established by introducing the notion of 'holes' and developing arguments on the supply and the demand of such a commodity inside a chosen region. Realizing that the hole is the grid point where only one nontrivial net is allowed to jog, it is seen that the more nets use grid points separately (without sharing) the stronger the lower bound is. >