cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social stress and trauma : Synthesis and spatial analysis

Abstract In the last decade violence has emerged as a public health issue, with concomitant interest in surveillance and prevention. This paper is an extension of earlier work seeking to expand the ecological analysis of violence across jurisdictional boundaries, sharpen the level of resolution of such analysis, and ultimately inform small area policy applications in terms of public health initiatives for violence reduction. The underlying model is drawn from stress theory and rests on a set of social indicators representing stress in the Baltimore area. In the earlier work, a set of 24 variables describing violence and socioeconomic conditions across some 1358 areas was factor analyzed and the resulting scores were mapped and interpreted. The present paper takes the analysis a step further in an attempt to identify groups of observations with common traits in order to assist public health professionals and other relevant decisiondashmakers in the processes of trauma surveillance, response, and prevention. Cluster analysis was used to combine most similar observations in terms of the three orthogonal factors, and the resulting cluster affiliations were mapped in geographic space. Although no spatial contiguity constraint was put on the clustering algorithm, many statistical clusters were also found to constitute geographic clusters. This implies that the process identified neighborhoods or parts of neighborhoods with shared traits in terms of the underlying set of stressors. Analysis of this type could be used by policy-makers to classify neighborhoods in terms of their needs for various services in addition to public health interventions, including policing, fire protection, building inspection, social work, and education.
Steps toward Healing: False Memories and Traumagenic Amnesia May Coexist in Vulnerable Populations

Child abuse is surely the most agonizing psychological issue of our time. We decry the tendency to polarize around the either-or dichotomy of "recovered versus false memories," when both are likely to occur. Memory researchers seem to generalize from the mild, one-shot stressors of the laboratory to the severe repeated traumas reported by abused populations, an inferential leap that is scientifically dubious. Naturalistic studies show (a) some post-traumatic memory impairment (not just forgetting, but difficulty remembering in spite of repeated efforts); (b) dissociativity, such as emotional numbing, detachment, and the like; but also (c) increased suggestibility (Spiegel & Cardena, 1991). About 20% of the normal population is highly suggestible, and in these individuals it is trivially easy to show suggested amnesia, detachment, perceptual blocking, etc., as well as to suggest dramatically false memories. It is therefore vital to assess suggestibility and dissociativity in traumatized populations. Adult survivors of abuse may show both more false "memories" and more "false forgetting" than the normal population.
IDENTIFIED AMINE-CONTAINING NEURONES AND THEIR SYNAPTIC CONNEXIONS

Publisher Summary The technical advantages of the molluskan systems have enabled workers to record from single identified serotonin- and dopamine-containing neurons and from their follower neurons individually, to test the effects of different substances on the identified follower neurons and on the synaptic connexions, and to observe axonal transport of transmitter as well as detecting transmitter release from single neurons into the bathing medium. Because of the large size and accessibility of the neurons involved, it has generally been possible to correlate the biochemical, ultrastructural, and electrophysiological data obtained on the individual specified neurons. This chapter discusses the data that have been gathered on these systems. It presents experiments done on identified serotonin-containing neurons and their follower neurons and on identified dopamine-containing neurons and their follower neurons.
The effects of contact size and non-zero metal resistance on the determination of specific contact resistance

Abstract This paper presents theoretical and experimental results concerning two sources of error in the determination of specific contact resistance of ohmic contacts to semiconductor device structures that utilize circular test patterns with varying gap length. It is shown that the potential drop vs gap length data cannot be usually represented by a straight line and a non-zero metal overlay sheet resistance can significantly alter the effective contact resistance value.
An Academic Formulas List: New Methods in Phraseology Research

This research creates an empirically derived, pedagogically useful list of formulaic sequences for academic speech and writing, comparable with the Academic Word List (Coxhead 2000), called the Academic Formulas List (AFL). The AFL includes formulaic sequences identified as (i) frequent recurrent patterns in corpora of written and spoken language, which (ii) occur significantly more often in academic than in non-academic discourse, and (iii) inhabit a wide range of academic genres. It separately lists formulas that are common in academic spoken and academic written language, as well as those that are special to academic written language alone and academic spoken language alone. The AFL further prioritizes these formulas using an empirically derived measure of utility that is educationally and psychologically valid and operationalizable with corpus linguistic metrics. The formulas are classified according to their predominant pragmatic function for descriptive analysis and in order to marshal the AFL for inclusion in English for Academic Purposes instruction.
Congenital Anomalies of the Optic Disk

Six patients had congenital anomalies of the optic disk: epipapillary fibrous tissue, peripapillary pigmentary disturbance, and anomalies in the size of the optic disk and in the retinal vessels. Congenital anomalies of the optic disk form a spectrum in which many of the ophthalmoscopic features are shared and in which visual function varies.
Political Opportunity, Community Identity, and the Emergence of a Local Anti-Expressway Movement

This study builds on the “community studies” tradition in urban sociology by examining the interconnections among political opportunities, mobilizing structures, and strategic framing in the emergence and outcome of a locally-based movement. Traditional urban analyses contend that there must be an intimate bond of community identity among individuals for them to engage in neighborhood collective action and political mobilization. This article challenges this assumption and examines “community identity” as a political strategy used by neighborhood coalitions and civil rights groups to contest public policies, neutralize counterframes and opposition, and mobilize constituents. I examine the emergence of an anti-expressway movement in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1960s and 1970s to illustrate the structural relationship between political opportunities, mobilization, and identity. Political opportunities not only create motivations for mobilization through “structural” changes (e.g., public policies, cycles of protest, and presence of external allies, etc.), but they also set in motion “ideational” shifts in political culture, expanding the cultural reservoir of strategic frames and enhancing the potency of movement framing.
Genetic modulation of the senescent phenotype in Homo sapiens.

While it is important to search for unifying mechanisms of aging among a variety of model systems, evolutionary arguments suggest that the pathophysiological details of senescence may be, to some e...
Risk Factors for Late-Life Suicide: A Prospective, Community-Based Study

Despite the fact that people age 65 and older have the highest rates of suicide of any age-group, late-life suicide has a low prevalence, making it difficult to conduct prospective studies. The authors examined risk factors for late-life suicide on the basis of general information collected directly from older subjects participating in a community-based prospective study of aging, the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Demographic variables, presence of a relative or friend to confide in, alcohol use, and sleep quality were assessed at baseline interview. Baseline and follow-up data were used to determine physical, cognitive, and affective functioning, as well as medical status. Of 14,456 people, 21 committed suicide over the 10-year observation period. Depressive symptoms, perceived health status, sleep quality, and absence of a relative or friend to confide in predicted late-life suicide. Suicide victims did not have greater alcohol use and did not report more medical illness or physical impairment. This study provided additional information about the context of late-life depression that also contributes to suicidal behavior: poor perceived health, poor sleep quality, and limited presence of a relative or friend to confide in.
Interfacial Fracture Analysis in EB-PVD/PTAL TBC Systems

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been utilized for more than four decades to increase the efficiency and durability of aircraft engines as well as land based gas turbines. Though the function of the thin TBC layer is heat insulation, it is critically important for it to maintain adherence in service. In this paper, we address some fundamental aspects of TBC debonding failure in electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) TBC systems that had been considered in a previous study. We demonstrate that the energy release rate formulation for EB-PVD TBC systems based on as-processed conditions and a thin thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer overestimates the energy release rate for exposed TBC systems having thicker TGO layers. A modified formulation is given, applicable to exposed TBC systems. A finite element contact and fracture model is used to validate the formulation as well as study crack mode mixity. Mode II interfacial cracking is shown to be dominant for practical TGO thicknesses seen in exposed EB-PVD TBC systems.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Climatic and human influences on fire regimes in ponderosa pine forests in the Colorado Front Range.

In the northern Colorado Front Range, fire suppression during the 20th cen- tury is believed to have created a high hazard of catastrophic fire in ponderosa.pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. Since the early 1990s, resource managers have increased the use of prescribed fires to re-create fire regimes and forest structures similar to those of the pre- Euro-American settlement period in order both to reduce fire hazard and to improve forest health. To improve understanding of historical fire regimes, we conducted a study of fire history along an elevational gradient from -1830 to 2800 m in ponderosa pine forests in the northern Front Range. Fire-scar dates were determined from 525 partial cross sections from living and dead trees at 41 sample sites. Fire frequencies and fire intervals were analyzed in relation to changes in human activities and interannual climatic variability as recorded in instrumental climatic records and tree-ring proxy records. Prior to modern fire suppression, the low elevation, open ponderosa pine forests of the northern Front Range were characterized by frequent surface fires, similar in frequency to many other ponderosa pine ecosystems in the West. In contrast, in higher elevation forests (above -2400 m) where ponderosa pine is mixed with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), the fire regime was characterized by a much lower fire frequency and included extensive stand-replacing fires as well as surface fires. In the mid-1800s there was a marked increase in fire occurrence that can be related both to Euro- American settlement and increased climatic variability. This episode of increased fire left a legacy of dense, even-aged stands in higher elevation ponderosa pine forests, whereas increased stand densities in low elevation forests are attributed mainly to fire exclusion during the 20th century. Warmer and drier spring-summers, indicated in instrumental climatic records (1873- 1995) and in tree-ring proxy records of climate (1600-1983), are strongly associated with years of widespread fire. Years of widespread fire also tend to be preceded two to four years by wetter than average springs that increase the production of fine fuels. Alternation of wet and dry periods over time periods of 2-5 years is conducive to fire spread and is strongly linked to El Niiio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The warm (El Niiio) phase of ENSO is associated with greater moisture availability during spring that results in a peak of fire occurrence several years following El Ninlo events. Conversely, dry springs associated with La Nifia events were followed by more widespread fire during the same year. The 1600-1920 fire-scar record indicates that individual years during which high per- centages of the 41 sample sites synchronously recorded fire have occurred at least several times per century. The association of these years of widespread fire with very strong ENSO events demonstrates the importance of ENSO-related climatic variabililty in creating ex- treme fire hazard at a landscape scale.
Synthesis and Properties of Star-Shaped Multiporphyrin−Phthalocyanine Light-Harvesting Arrays

Light-harvesting arrays containing four porphyrins covalently linked to a phthalocyanine in a star-shaped architecture have been synthesized. Cyclotetramerization of an ethyne-linked porphyrin−phthalonitrile in 1-pentanol in the presence of MgCl2 and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) afforded the all-magnesium porphyrin−phthalocyanine pentad in 45% yield. Similar reaction using Zn(OAc)2·2H2O afforded the all-zinc porphyrin−phthalocyanine pentad in 15% yield. Arrays with different metals (free base, Mg, Zn) in the porphyrin and phthalocyanine macrocycles have been prepared by selective demetalation and metalation steps. This approach provides rapid and convergent access to multiporphyrin−phthalocyanine arrays in diverse metalation states. The arrays are reasonably soluble in organic solvents such as toluene, THF, and CH2Cl2. The arrays exhibit strong absorption in the blue and red regions. Time-resolved and static optical measurements indicate that intramolecular singlet-excited-state energy transfe...
The electrochemical fluorination of N-(ω-chloroalkyl) pipecolines and N-(ω-chloroalkyl) hexamethyleneimines

Abstract Electrochemical fluorinations of six kinds of N-(ω-chloroalkyl)pipecolines [N-(2-chloroethyl)-2-, N-(3-chloropropyl)-2-, N-(2-chloroethyl)-3-, N-(3-chloropropyl)-3-, N-(2-chloroethyl)4- and N-(3-chloropropyl)-4-pipecolines] and two kinds of N-(ω- chloroalkyl)-substituted hexamethyleneimines [N-(2-chloroethyl)- and N-(3-chloropropyl)hexamethyleneimines] were conducted. From these starting materials, corresponding chlorine-retained fully fluorinated amines together with ring isomerized products were formed in yields of 7.6∼14.8% from the former and 5.4∼5.5% from the latter, respectively. New chloropolyfluoroamines obtained in the present investigation have been isolated and characterized by spectroscopic (infrared, 19 F nmr and mass) and elemental analysis.
Three-dimensional microscale flow simulation and colloid transport modeling in saturated soil porous media

Transport of sub-micron colloid particles in soil porous media has been mostly studied numerically with unit-cell-based grain-scale geometries. In this study, we develop a more general approach by combining a multiple-grain pore-scale flow simulation with Lagrangian tracking of individual colloids. First, two numerical methods are applied simultaneously to solve viscous flows in a channel partially or fully packed with spherical grain particles, this allows cross-validation of the numerical methods for considered model geometries. It is demonstrated that the mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann approach can more accurately simulate three-dimensional pore-scale flows with multiple grain-grain and grain-wall contact points. Colloid transport is simulated under the combined influence of hydrodynamic forces, Brownian force, and physicochemical forces. Preliminary results demonstrate the capture of colloids by the secondary energy minimum (SEM) well. The local hydrodynamic retardation is shown to reduce the ability for colloids to move into the SEM well, but does not prevent this. Trajectories before and after the capture are also discussed.
Transfer and quenching rate constants for XeF(B) and XeF(C) state in low vibrational levels

The relative XeF(B–X) and XeF(C–A) emission intensities from the steady‐state vacuum ultraviolet photolysis of XeF2 have been used to measure the B–C transfer and quenching rate constants of XeF molecules in low vibrational levels. The rare gases N2, CF4, SF6, F2, NF3, CF3H, CF3Cl, HF, CO2, and XeF2 were investigated as buffer gases at room temperature. The transfer rate constants are much larger than the quenching rate constants for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, N2, CF4, and SF6. For Xe, NF3, CHF3, and CClF3 transfer is only 2–4 times faster than quenching and for F2, HF, and CO2 quenching is faster than B–C state transfer. Quenching for XeF(D) was studied for rare gases and for N2. No convincing evidence was found for three‐body quenching by the rare gases and their quenching of the XeF(B, C) and XeF(D) states are reported as two‐body processes for pressures below ∼5 atm. The XeF(D) quenching rate constants are of the same magnitude as the B–C state transfer rate constants. The photochemical and collisional (metastable rare gas atom) dissociative excitation of XeF2 and KrF2 are summarized in the Appendix.
Net adenine nucleotide transport in rat liver mitochondria is affected by both the matrix and the external ATPADP ratios

The adenine nucleotide pool size of rat liver mitochondria may be regulated by a transport mechanism which allows net movement of ATP or ADP across the inner mitochondrial membrane (J. R. Aprille and J. Austin (1981) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 212, 689-699). Since transport can occur in either direction, and ATP is the preferred substrate, variations in the matrix or external ATP/ADP ratio were examined for an effect on the direction and rate of net adenine nucleotide flux. Fastest rates of net uptake were seen when the external ATP/ADP ratio was high and the internal ratio was low. Conversely, if the external ratio was low and the internal ratio was high, net loss was observed. The rate and direction of net transport were also changed by simply varying the external ATP concentration alone between 0 and 4 mM. Concentrations of less than 1 mM produced net loss of matrix adenines, whereas higher concentrations caused a net increase. The results suggest that changes in relative concentrations of ATP in the external and internal compartments can result in changes in the adenine nucleotide pool size. Another important result was clarification of earlier ambiguous findings with carboxyatractyloside. If care was taken to avoid changes in the matrix ATP/ADP ratio, the addition of carboxyatractyloside had no effect on either net uptake or net efflux of adenine nucleotides.
Page-queries as a tool for organizing secondary memory auxiliary databases I: algorithmic aspects and architectural framework of query processing

Abstract In this paper, a new approach to organizing secondary memory redundancy in centralized databases is investigated. The approach is based on creating and maintaining a second derived database in secondary storage, called the auxiliary database. The auxiliary database stores data derived from the main database based on the usage pattern. Unlike traditional full materialization approaches, the new approach does not attempt to fully materialize all anticipated queries. Instead, a partial materialization scheme is employed in which only the best possible partial materializations are selected. In order to achieve meaningful and useful partial materializations, new atomic packets of storage called page-queries are defined and used as the only units of storage in the auxiliary database. A page-query roughly consists of one page's contribution to the result of one stored query. It is shown that using page-queries to organize the auxiliary database allows exploiting the irregularities in both the distribution of data values in the database and in its access patterns in a way that could not be achieved by full materialization. Simulation results are presented to show the auspiciousness of using the concept of page-queries to organize secondary memory derived databases. Finally, the approach allows a uniform treatment of the problems of optimal partial materialization and optimal selection of partial indexes.
Sound modes in hot nuclear matter

The propagation of the isoscalar and isovector sound modes in a hot nuclear matter is considered. The approach is based on the collisional kinetic theory and takes into account the temperature and memory effects. It is shown that the sound velocity and the attenuation coefficient are significantly influenced by the Fermi surface distortion (FSD). The corresponding influence is much stronger for the isoscalar mode than for the isovector one. The memory effects cause a nonmonotonous behavior of the attenuation coefficient as a function of the relaxation time leading to a zero-to-first sound transition with increasing temperature. The mixing of both the isoscalar and the isovector sound modes in an asymmetric nuclear matter is evaluated. The condition for the bulk instability and the instability growth rate in the presence of the memory effects is studied. It is shown that both the FSD and the relaxation processes lead to a shift of the maximum of the instability growth rate to the longer-wavelength region.
Bounded, Asymptotically Stable, and L^1 Solutions of Caputo Fractional Differential Equations

The existence of bounded solutions, asymptotically stable solutions, and L 1 solu- tions of a Caputo fractional dierential equation has been studied in this paper. The results are obtained from an equivalent Volterra integral equation which is derived by inverting the fractional dierential equation. The kernel function of this integral equation is weakly singular and hence the standard techniques that are normally applied on Volterra integral equations do not apply here. This hurdle is overcomed using a resolvent equation and then applying some known properties of the resolvent. In the analysis Schauder's fixed point the- orem and Liapunov's method have been employed. The existence of bounded solutions are obtained employing Schauder's theorem, and then it is shown that these solutions are asymp- totically stable by a definition found in (C. Avramescu, C. Vladimirescu, On the existence of asymptotically stable solution of certain integral equations, Nonlinear Anal. 66 (2007), 472-483). Finally, the L 1 properties of solutions are obtained using Liapunov's method.
The Role of Judicial Opinions in Shaping M&A Practice

This chapter of the forthcoming Research Handbook on Mergers and Acquisitions reviews several aspects of merger and acquisition practice that reflect strong influence from opinions of the Delaware courts. Such aspects include the use of fairness opinions, the demise of the two-tier tender offer, the effect of poison pills, the use of special committees and majority of the minority votes in freezeouts, deal protection measures, MAC clauses, and disclosure of investment banker conflicts.
The hazard of near-Earth asteroid impacts on earth

Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) have struck the Earth throughout its existence. During epochs when life was gaining a foothold f4 Ga, the impact rate was thousands of times what it is today. Even during the Phanerozoic, the numbers of NEAs guarantee that there were other impacts, possibly larger than the Chicxulub event, which was responsible for the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinctions. Astronomers have found over 2500 NEAs of all sizes, including well over half of the estimated 1100 NEAs >1 km diameter. NEAs are mostly collisional fragments from the inner half of the asteroid belt and range in composition from porous, carbonaceous-chondrite-like to metallic. Nearly one-fifth of them have satellites or are double bodies. When the international telescopic Spaceguard Survey, which has a goal of discovering 90% of NEAs >1 km diameter, is completed, perhaps as early as 2008, nearly half of the remaining impact hazard will be from land or ocean impacts by bodies 70–600 m diameter. (Comets are expected to contribute only about 1% of the total risk.) The consequences of impacts for civilization are potentially enormous, but impacts are so rare that worldwide mortality from impacts will have dropped to only about 150 per year (averaged over very long durations) after the Spaceguard goal has, presumably, ruled out near-term impacts by 90% of the most dangerous ones; that is, in the mid-range between very serious causes of death (disease, auto accidents) and minor but frightening ones (like shark attacks). Differences in perception concerning this rather newly recognized hazard dominate evaluation of its significance. The most likely type of impact events we face are hyped or misinterpreted predicted impacts or near-misses involving small NEAs. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Treatment of severe steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) in children with tacrolimus

Background Severe steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) is a common type of nephrotic syndrome (NS) observed in childhood. Steroid-sparing agents such as calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) are used to avoid steroid toxicity in SDNS. Tacrolimus (TAC) has been prescribed for maintaining remission of NS in patients who have developed treatment resistance or adverse effects with cyclosporin A (CYA) at our institution since 1995. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and complications of TAC with CYA in the management of severe SDNS. Methods We report a retrospective longitudinal clinical series of patients with SDNS, all of whom have been treated with TAC. Results Ten SDNS children (eight males) were reviewed quarterly from time of initial referral to the present day during 93 completed treatment patient years. Nine patients had minimal change disease and one had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis on their first biopsy. The median age at diagnosis was 2.9 years (range 1.6-12.9). The median age at initial referral was 3.9 years (range 2.2-12.9). All patients initially responded to prednisolone at 60 mg/m2/day, and subsequent frequent relapses were treated sequentially with oral cyclophosphamide 168 mg/kg over 8-12 weeks (n = 10), CYA (n = 10), intravenous mustine or a second course of cyclophosphamide (n = 7) and then TAC (n = 10). The initial daily treatment of CYA and TAC in two divided doses was 5 and 0.1 mg/kg/day, respectively; targeted 12 h blood drug levels were of 50-100 microg/l for CYA and 5-10 microg/l for TAC. Patients underwent renal biopsy and the formal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured using plasma clearance of the Inutest method every 2-3 years while receiving CNIs. Six patients continued with TAC; in four patients, TAC was discontinued because of poor response (n = 2), hypertension (n = 1) and glucose intolerance (n = 1). For CYA and TAC treatment periods, the median NS relapse rate was two and one relapses per year, respectively, and cumulative steroid dosage was 73.9 and 105.2 mg/kg/day, respectively (P = 0.54). The reduction in GFR was 5.8 and 11.7 ml/min/1.73 m2 during these periods. Three of the 10 patients showed histological evidence of mild CNI nephrotoxicity over the whole of the CNI treatment period despite achieving target therapeutic drug levels; no significant change in measured or calculated GFR over this prolonged CNI therapy was observed. Antihypertensive medication was prescribed for 11 of 31 CYA and 22 of 40 TAC treatment years. Growth was maintained during the entire CNI therapy period with median change in height SD scores (SDS) of +0.37 and -0.03 over CYA and TAC, respectively (P = 0.13). Conclusion In conclusion, we observed that the replacement of CYA by TAC does not lead to a better management of severe SDNS.
A new method to evaluate solvent stress cracking

The effect of crystallinity on the crazing process in isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) was investigated by using a new static crazing experiment. Strips of i-PP films are stressed in glass cones, which are placed into a series of solvents. Characterization of the films was performed by hot-stage optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, wide-angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and contact angle goniometry. The affinities of the solvents for the polymer were investigated by dynamic solvent uptake measurements. Crazing experiments revealed that both the sample preparation and the solvent choice play an important role in the crazing process. A “good” solvent is shown to be a “bad” crazing agent, whereas an intermediate solvent behaves as a “good” crazing agent. Two opposite processes are shown to take place: appearance of void and solvent-induced crystallization.
Effects of Beta Blockers on Symptoms and Functional Capacity in Heart Failure

Beta-adrenergic-blocking drugs ameliorate the progression of disease that usually characterizes heart failure. All of the larger multicenter studies have demonstrated reductions in morbidity, manifested by a reduction in the number of hospitalizations and/or listing for cardiac transplantation, whereas studies with carvedilol have also reported a significant reduction in mortality. The influence of β-adrenergic blocking drugs on the symptomatic and functional status of patients with heart failure has been more difficult to establish. Almost all trials have reported an improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, with few patients experiencing functional deterioration. Improvement in symptom score was reported in the Metoprolol in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (MDC) trial for patients treated with metoprolol. In patients from the US Carvedilol Heart Failure Trials Program who had heart failure from ischemic and nonischemic etiologies, both patients and physicians reported more improvement and less deterioration in an assessment of global status. More formal instruments to assess quality of life, such as the specific activity scale in the Australia-New Zealand trial of carvedilol (that recruited 30% of patients who had improved to NYHA stage I) and the Minnesota Quality of Life questionnaire, did not seem sensitive to the clinical benefits observed in these trials. Serial exercise testing similarly does not seem sensitive to the beneficial influence of β-adrenergic blocking drugs on disease progression, at least in relatively short-term studies.
Network-based approaches for extending the Wnt signalling pathway and identifying context-specific sub-networks

Wnt signalling is a critically important signalling pathway regulating embryogenesis and differentiation, and is broadly conserved amongst multicellular animals. In addition, dysregulation of Wnt signalling contributes to the pathogenesis of many human cancers, in particular colorectal cancer. Core members of the Wnt signalling pathway are quite well defined, although it has become apparent that a much broader network of interacting proteins regulates Wnt signalling activity. The goal of this paper is first to identify novel members of the Wnt regulatory network; and second, to identify sub-networks of the larger Wnt signalling network that are active in different biological contexts. We address these two questions using complementary computational approaches and show how these approaches may identify potentially novel Wnt signalling proteins as well as defining Wnt sub-networks active in different stages of colorectal cancer.
Improving the design of intelligent acquisition interfaces for collecting world knowledge from web contributors

An emerging approach to knowledge acquisition is to collect statements from volunteer contributors over the Web. In this approach, the design of the acquisition interface is key to focusing on statements of interest, avoiding spurious entries, retaining the contributors, etc. Several such volunteer-contribution-based systems have been deployed to date, each with its own idiosyncratic interface. This paper discusses some key challenges faced by volunteer collection interfaces, and outlines the design features that we have found effective in addressing some aspects of those challenges. The paper discusses how these features have been implemented in deployed collection systems, and reflects on the data collected to extract lessons for future work in this research area.
On Acoustic Source Specification for Rotor-Stator Interaction Noise Prediction

This paper describes the use of measured in-duct fan noise source data to assess the effects of acoustic source specification on the prediction of externally radiated rotor-stator interaction noise. Specifically, the acoustic propagation and radiation elements of a recently developed coupled computational approach are used to predict the radiation of tonal rotor-stator interaction noise from a benchmark model scale fan. In addition to the use of “as-measured” data, randomization of source mode relative phases is also considered for specification of the acoustic source within the computational approach. Comparisons with sideline noise measurements are performed to investigate the effects of various source descriptions on both inlet and exhaust sideline noise predictions. The inclusion of ancillary (i.e., non-Tyler-Sofrin) modal source content is shown to have a much greater influence on the inlet results relative to the exhaust. Reasonable agreement between predicted and measured levels is achieved for the inlet, as well as the exhaust when the exhaust shear layer effects are taken into account. For the cases considered, phase randomized predictions follow statistical distributions similar to those found in previous statistical source investigations. The shape of the predicted directivity pattern relative to measurements also improved with phase randomization, having predicted levels generally to within one standard deviation of the measured levels.
Correlation analysis of high-resolution ocean microwave radiometric images

Recent remote sensing studies have shown that a high-resolution passive microwave imaging technique enables detailed observations of ocean variables. Multi-channel sets of ocean microwave radiometric images (OMIs) were obtained using the NOAA airborne Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) that operated at five frequencies: 10.7, 18.7, 21.5, 37, and 89 GHz and two polarizations. Radiometric features such as mosaic spot-type structures were extracted digitally from the OMIs using enhanced image processing methods. In this paper, we explore their statistical characteristics including power 2-D Fourier spectra and both covariance and correlation matrices. Our analysis has shown that the correlations can be observed at low and mid-spatial frequencies where the ocean radiometric features are revealed in the form of quasi-periodic brightness variables (hot and cold spots). Geophysical interpretation based on the random field models and a hydrodynamic-electromagnetic approach allows us to explain the nature of stochastic ocean microwave image textures. We suppose that the low-contrast radiometric features are associated mostly with the spatial variability of the ocean surface roughness and the near-surface wind. Results of the statistical image processing and related hypotheses are presented and discussed
Biofilms and device-associated infections.

Microbial biofilms develop when microorganisms irreversibly adhere to a submerged surface and produce extracellular polymers that facilitate adhesion and provide a structural matrix. This surface may be inert, nonliving material or living tissue. Biofilm-associated microorganisms behave differently from planktonic (freely suspended) organisms with respect to growth rates and ability to resist antimicrobial treatments and therefore pose a public health problem. This article describes the microbial biofilms that develop on or within indwelling medical devices (e.g., contact lenses, central venous catheters and needleless connectors, endotracheal tubes, intrauterine devices, mechanical heart valves, pacemakers, peritoneal dialysis catheters, prosthetic joints, tympanostomy tubes, urinary catheters, and voice prostheses).
Adoption, Family Ideology, and Social Stigma: Bias in Community Attitudes, Adoption Research, and Practice

This article explores the impact of the dominant North American genetic family ideal on community attitudes toward adoption, on adoption research, and on the beliefs and attitudes of adoption case workers. It examines how the failure to recognize the stigmatized social position of adoptive families has shaped not only current public opinion about adoption, but adoption research and practice as well. In conclusion, the article offers suggestions for erasing negative bias from adoption research and practice.
Motivating Online Expertise-Sharing for Informal Learning: The Influence of Age and Tenure in Knowledge Organizations

This paper examines motivations of knowledge workers to contribute expertise to online knowledge repositories that support informal learning, and presents findings from both a survey and an experimental study. Results indicate that younger workers and those new to an organization, are more motivated by 'self-interest' factors such as gaining name recognition and impressing management, while older workers, and those with a longer tenure, are motivated by more altruistic factors such as sharing and mentoring.
Incorporation of a kinin, N, 6-benzyladenine into soluble RNA.

Kinin requiring tobacco and soybean tissues incubated on a medium containing N,6-benzyladenine-8-C(14) incorporated C(14) into several RNA components including adenylic and guanylic acids. About 15% of the label taken up by the tissues appeared in RNA while the remainder was distributed among several metabolites in the soluble, nonpolynucleotide fraction. Tissue grown on a kinin labeled in the side chain (N,6-benzyladenine-benzyl-C(14)) also incorporated a small, but nevertheless repeatable, amount of radioactivity into minor RNA components.Ultracentrifugation studies and methylated albumin chromatography indicated that the bulk of the label from benzyladenine-benzyl-C(14) is in soluble RNA. Approximately 50% of the C(14) in soluble RNA is in a component which has chromatographic properties like that of benzyladenine.It is suggested that the biological action of the kinins may hinge on their providing substituted bases in RNA in tissues which through differentiation no longer synthesize RNA-methylating enzymes. As an alternative it was hypothesized that a small amount of benzyladenine was incorporated into a m-RNA, acting there as a derepressing agent, perhaps by preventing its normal repressing function.
Global Justice and International Business

Little theoretical attention has been paid to the question of what obligations corporations and other business enterprises have to the four billion people living at the base of the global economic pyramid. This article makes several theoretical contributions to this topic. First, it is argued that corporations are properly understood as agents of global justice. Second, the legitimacy of global governance institutions and the legitimacy of corporations and other business enterprises are distinguished. Third, it is argued that a deliberative democracy model of corporate legitimacy defended by theorists of political CSR is unsatisfactory. Fourth, it is argued that a Rawlsian theoretical framework fails to provide a satisfactory account of the obligations of corporations regarding global justice. Finally, an ethical conception of CSR grounded in an appropriately modest set of duties tied to corporate relationships is then defended. This position is cosmopolitan in scope and grounded in overlapping arguments for human rights.
Psychogeny: A Neglected Dimension in Teaching the Mind-Brain Problem

Although the relation of the mind to the brain is a common topic in the teaching of psychology, psychogeny—the study of the origin of mind—is a neglected problem. Two theories, referred to here as ...
Influence of wake dynamics on the performance and aeroelasticity of wind turbines

Wind turbines are currently a rapidly expanding form of renewable energy. However, there are numerous technological challenges that must be overcome before wind energy provides a significant amount of power in the United States. One of the primary challenges in wind turbine design and analysis is accurately accounting for the aerodynamic environment. This study is focused on a comprehensive verification and validation of the NREL FAST code, which is enhanced to include a free vortex wake model. The verification and validation is carried out through a comparison of blade lift distribution, wind turbine power and force and moment coefficients using a combination of CFD and experimental data. The results are also compared against Blade Element Momentum theory, and results from a 2001 double-blind NREL study on the prediction capabilities of wind turbine modeling tools. Results indicate that the enhanced aeroelastic code generally provides improved predictions. However, in several notable cases the predictions are only marginally improved, or even worse, than those generated using Blade Element Momentum theory aerodynamics. It is concluded that modeling of the aerodynamic environment remains incomplete, even after inclusion of wake effects. One important aspect identified is modeling of the unsteady aerodynamic lift characteristics of the rotor. Finally, the aeroelastic response in the combined presence of wake effects and inflow turbulence is examined. Significant differences are observed in loads, power, and structural response between results computed using the free wake model or simpler models, such as Blade Element Momentum theory.
Penile Prosthesis Implantation in Patients with a History of Total Phallic Construction

ABSTRACT Introduction Outcomes following penile prosthesis implantation in patients with a history of total phallic construction are not well described. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes following neophallus penile prosthesis placement. Methods Retrospective review penile prosthesis placement in patients with prior total phallic construction. GORE-TEX® (Gore Medical, Flagstaff, AZ) sleeve neotunica construction was utilized in all patients. Main Outcome Measure Success defined as patient sexual activity with a functioning prosthesis. Results Thirty-one patients underwent neophallic prosthesis implantation at a mean 35.6 years of age. Prosthesis placement occurred at an average 56.3 months following phallic construction and follow-up was a mean of 59.7 months. Malleable prostheses were placed in 21 patients and inflatable in 10; implants were bilateral in 94%. Six percent experienced operative complications including a bladder injury (1) and phallic flap arterial injury (1). Postoperative complications occurred in 23% at a median 5.5 months following placement. Five prostheses were explanted secondary to infection or erosion and two additional required revisions. Of the explanted prosthesis two were later replaced without further complication. Eighty-one percent of patients were sexually active following prosthesis placement. Conclusions Penile prosthesis placement is possible in patients with prior penile reconstruction/phallic construction. Although complications rates appear to be elevated in this population compared with historic controls of normal anatomic men, the majority of patients in this series were sexually active following prosthesis placement. This demonstrates the utility of prosthesis implantation in these difficult patients.
Ecological Factors Influencing Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Productivity in Artificial Containers in Salinas, Puerto Rico

We investigated the effects of environmental factors and immature density on the productivity of Aedes aegypti (L.) and explored the hypothesis that immature populations were under nutritional stress. In total, 1,367 containers with water in 624 premises were studied in Salinas, southern Puerto Rico (May-July 2004). We counted 3,632 pupae, and most female pupae (70%) were in five of 18 types of containers. These containers were unattended and influenced by local yards' environmental conditions. Pupal productivity was significantly associated with the number of trees per premise, water volume, and lower water temperatures. Larval and pupal abundance were larger in containers with leaf litter or algae. Pupal productivity and biomass of emerging females varied in containers with litter of different tree species. We found a significant and positive association between numbers of larvae and pupae of Ae. aegypti and a negative relationship between larval density and mass of emerging females. From multivariate analyses, we interpreted that 1) food limitation or competition existed in a number of containers; and 2) to a lesser extent, there was lack of negative larval density effects in containers with a larger water volume and lower temperature, where emerging females were not under nutritional stress. Corroborating evidence for food limitation or intraspecific competition effects came from our observations that females emerging in the field had an average body mass comparable with those females produced in the laboratory with the lowest feeding regime. Ae. aegypti larvae in Salinas are most likely influenced by resource limitation or competition and by rainfall in unmanaged containers in the absence of aquatic predators. Source reduction and improved yard management targeting unattended containers would eliminate most Ae. aegypti productivity and removal or control of shaded, larger containers would eliminate the production of the largest emerging mosquito females in the study area.
Abstract 471: Trpv1 Ablation Leads to Elevated Blood Pressure at Night but Not Day Time in Mice Fed a Western Diet

Obesity is associated with an increase in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and impairment in baroreflex (BR) that raises cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study tests the hypothesis that ablation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channels exacerbates impairment of BR in mice fed a western diet (WD) and leads to distinct diurnal and nocturnal blood pressure patterns. TRPV1-null mutant (TRPV1 -/- ) or wild type (WT) mice were given a WD (42% kcal from fat) or normal diet (CON) for 4 months. Perfusion of capsaicin (CAP, 10 -6 M ), a selective TRPV1 agonist, into the left renal pelvis increased ipsilateral afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) in WT but not TRPV1 -/- mice, with a smaller magnitude in WT-WD compared to WT-CON (P P P
Joint infectious causation of human cancers.

Joint infectious causation of cancer has been accepted in a few well-studied instances, including Burkitt's lymphoma and liver cancer. In general, evidence for the involvement of parasitic agents in oncogenesis has expanded, and recent advances in the application of molecular techniques have revealed specific mechanisms by which host cells are transformed. Many parasites evolve to circumvent immune-mediated detection and destruction and to control critical aspects of host cell reproduction and survival: cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and immortalization. The host has evolved tight regulation of these cellular processes—the control of each represents a barrier to cancer. These barriers need to be compromised for oncogenesis to occur. The abrogation of a barrier is therefore referred to as an essential cause of cancer. Alternatively, some aspects of cellular regulation restrain but do not block oncogenesis. Relaxation of a restraint is therefore referred to as an exacerbating cause of cancer. In this chapter, we explore past and current evidence for joint infectious causation of cancer in the context of essential and exacerbating causes. We stress that discovery of joint infectious causation may provide great improvements in controlling cancer, particularly through the identification of many additional nonhuman targets for synergistic interventions for prevention and treatment.