cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activators of protein kinase C trigger cortical granule exocytosis, cortical contraction, and cleavage furrow formation in Xenopus laevis oocytes and eggs

Prophase I oocytes, free of follicle cells, and metaphase II eggs of the amphibian Xenopus laevis were subjected to transient treatments with the protein kinase C activators, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, and 1-olyeoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol. In both oocytes and eggs, these treatments triggered early events of amphibian development: cortical granule exocytosis, cortical contraction, and cleavage furrow formation. Surprisingly, activation of oocytes occurred in the absence of meiotic resumption, resulting in cells with an oocytelike nucleus and interior cytoplasm, but with a zygotelike cortex. PMA-induced activation of oocytes and eggs did not require external calcium, a prerequisite for normal activation of eggs. PMA-induced activation of eggs was inhibited by retinoic acid, a known inhibitor of protein kinase C. In addition, pretreatment of eggs with retinoic acid prevented activation by mechanical stimulation and inhibited activation by calcium ionophore A23187. The results suggest that protein kinase C activation is an integral component of the Xenopus fertilization pathway.
Percutaneous drainage of infected and noninfected thoracic fluid collections.

Radiologically guided aspiration and drainage of thoracic fluid collections is an improvement on standard “blind” techniques for chest-tube insertion. Specific indications for radiologic drainage are broadening, and instead of failed surgical cases only, patients now are commonly referred for draina
Interference Suppression in Spread‐Spectrum Communication Systems

This chapter discusses interference excision techniques in spread spectrum communications systems. Both stationary and nonstationary interferers are considered. Sinusoidal, autoregressive, digital communication, and polynomial phase interference signals are effectively suppressed by different excision methods; each is suitable for one or more types of interferers. Time-, frequency-, and time-frequency domain methods for analysis and estimation of the interference parameters are summarized. Domains other than time and frequency, such as the Gabor-domain, the Wavelet-domain, and quadratic time-frequency signal representations, are appropriate for nontraditional smart jamming in which the interference parameters are highly dependent on time. Excision methods can be linear, bilinear, or nonlinear with performance dependent on the interference power relative to the desired signal and noise. In some cases, the slight performance enhancement offered by bilinear and nonlinear methods may not properly justify the increase in the algorithm complexity. The BER and receiver SINR expressions and curves are presented in this chapter for some of the key interference excision techniques. Keywords: interference suppression; spread spectrum; direct sequence; frequency hopping; antijamming; notch filtering; transform-domain; time-frequency distribution
Multiple-aspect Fixed-Range Template Matching for the detection and classification of underwater unexploded ordnance in DIDSON sonar images

This paper presents a sonar specific methodology to detect and classify underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the low resolution sonar data captured by the DIDSON US300. This technique, known as the Multiple-Aspect Fixed-Range Template Matching (MAFR-TM) algorithm, is designed to detect and classify a target of high characteristic impedance in an environment that contains similar shaped objects of low characteristic impedance. The MAFR-TM is based on the proven concept of template matching, which is a two-dimensional correlation between a reference image (template) and an image collected during field operations (source image). In the MAFR-TM algorithm, the template matching method is efficiently implemented in the wave number domain using two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transforms (2D-FFT) and wave number leakage is reduced with an optimized separable two-dimensional Kaiser window. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.
An experimental and mechanistic study on the laminar flame speed, Markstein length and flame chemistry of the butanol isomers

Abstract Laminar flame speeds and Markstein lengths for n-butanol, s-butanol, i-butanol and t-butanol at pressures from 1 to 5 atm were experimentally measured in a heated, dual-chamber vessel. Results at all pressures show that n-butanol has the highest flame speeds, followed by s-butanol and i-butanol, and then t-butanol. Results further show that the reduced Markstein length measured for n-butanol as compared to other isomers is a flame thickness effect, and that all four isomers have similar Markstein numbers, which is the appropriate nondimensional parameter to quantify flame stretch. Computation and flame chemistry analysis were performed using two recently published kinetic models on butanol isomers by Sarathy et al. and Ranzi et al., respectively. Comparison shows the former model satisfactorily agrees with the present results while agreement of the latter is less satisfactory. Based on reaction path analysis the major differences of the two models on fuel cracking pathway were identified. It is concluded that the primary reason for the lowered flame speed of s-butanol, i-butanol and t-butanol is that they crack into more branched intermediate species which are relatively stable, such as iso-butene, iso-propenol and acetone. This indicates that the general rule that fuel branching reduces flame speed for hydrocarbons can also be applied to alcohols, and that the fundamental reason for this generality is that in alcohols C O has similar bond energy to the C C bond while O H has similar bond energy to the C H bond.
Signal transduction meets systems biology: deciphering specificity determinants for protein-protein interactions.

Two recent papers [Gao et al. Mol. Microbiol. 69, 1358 (2008); Skerker et al. Cell 133, 1043 (2008)] describe investigations into the specificity of protein-protein interactions that occur during signal transduction by two-component regulatory systems. This MicroCommentary summarizes and provides context for the reported findings. The results offer insights into molecular determinants that provide specificity to maintain signal separation and thus prevent deleterious crosstalk between pathways, as well as the potential extent and nature of interactions that may combine signals to achieve beneficial cross regulation among pathways. The methods employed are suitable for application to other systems.
Expression of GAD65 and GAD67 immunoreactivity in MPTP-treated monkeys with or without L-DOPA administration.

This study investigated the consequences of levodopa treatment on the expression of the 65- and 67-kDa isoforms of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65 and GAD67) immunoreactivity in the basal ganglia and cortex of monkeys rendered Parkinsonian by systemic MPTP administration. All MPTP-treated monkeys showed Parkinsonian impairment and selective loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) with sparing of GAD immunoreactive (-ir) fibers and terminals in basal ganglia. The distribution of GAD65- and GAD67-ir in the cortex, caudate, and putamen was not significantly different in MPTP vs. naive monkeys nor as a function of L-DOPA treatment. In comparison, the expression of GAD67- but not GAD65-ir was augmented in the globus pallidus in MPTP-treated monkeys. Quantification revealed significant increases in number of GAD67-ir neurons in the external and internal segments of the globus pallidus while no significant difference in the number of GAD65-ir neurons was observed. L-DOPA treatment did not significantly change the number of GAD65- or GAD67-ir pallidal neurons following MPTP. These results support and extend the findings that transcriptional elevation of GAD67 occurs in the globus pallidus and demonstrate that GAD65 and GAD67 are differentially altered following lesion. The finding of elevated GAD67 expression in the pallidum is consistent with alterations in inhibitory neurocircuitry playing a key role in the pathophysiology of motor disturbances in Parkinson's disease.
Evolutionary Principles of Genomic Compression

Genomic compression describes those mechanisms employed by organisms to reduce the total number of nucleotides required to encode functional polypeptides, or those mechanisms facilitating an increase in information transfer rate for a fixed length of message. We can speak therefore of replicatory and regulatory genomic compression. Compression can be achieved through redundancy in the translational apparatus, through overlapping messages in the DNA or RNA sequence, and through a reduction in the length of translated sequences. Compression can also lead to greater coordination in protein production by coupling the translation of functionally related genes. Mathematical models are presented which describe the mechanical and functional principles of genomic compression.
Perceptions of college and university presidents regarding tobacco-free campus policies.

Abstract Objective: To identify college presidents’ support for tobacco-free campus policies (TFCP), perceived barriers and benefits to implementing such policies, and activities that might initiate policy adoption. Participants: Participants were 405 presidents (51% of 796 delivered surveys) from a national sample of eligible 4-year institutions in summer 2012. Methods: A 4-page, 24-item cross-sectional questionnaire was mailed to potential participants in 4 waves to maximize the response rate. Results: The vast majority of presidents support TFCP (84%) and believed they should play a key role in establishing TFCP (80%). A majority agreed advocacy by campus groups was necessary to establishing TFCP. Presidents with an existing policy were twice as likely to believe advocacy was necessary for policy establishment. Presidents most commonly selected creating policy drafts and designating a committee as important to initiating TFCP. Conclusion: Advocates would benefit from focusing on presidential involvemen...
Price Transparency For Medical Devices

Hospital buyers of medical devices contract with manufacturers with market power that sell differentiated products. The medical staff strongly influences hospitals’ choice of devices. Sellers have sought to limit disclosure of transaction prices. Policy-makers have proposed legislation mandating disclosure, in the interest of greater transparency. We discuss why a manufacturer might charge different prices to different hospitals, the role that secrecy plays, and the consequences of secrecy versus disclosure. We argue that hospital-physician relationships are key to understanding what manufacturers gain from price discrimination. Price disclosure can catalyze a restructuring of those relationships, which, in turn, can improve hospital bargaining.
Behavior modification in institutions: The development of legal protections of patients' rights

The early to mid 1970s saw an increase in court decisions favoring the rights of patients in mental institutions. These decisions have affected numerous changes to what constitutes patients' rights, and have had significant impact on the practice of behavior modification in institutions. The present article provides the practitioner with a comprehensive guide to the case law affecting behavior modification procedures. The topics covered include: the right-to-treatment concept, protection from institutional peonage, the right to enjoy basic privileges, and protection from aversive treatment.
Using ubiquitous computing in interactive mobile marketing

Unique features of handheld devices, including their mobility, personalization and location-awareness engender new types of applications for mobile commerce, such as mobile advertising. Mobile marketing and advertising applications deliver promotional information to consumers based on their preferences and location. In this paper, we present SMMART, a context-aware, adaptive and personalized m-commerce application designed to deliver targeted promotions to the users of mobile devices about the products they like while guarding the users’ identity and protecting them from any unsolicited messages. Promotions distributed by SMMART are personalized by performing intelligent matching of the user’s shopping interests to current promotions available at a retail site. SMMART can adapt to changing preferences of its user by inconspicuously monitoring his or her shopping habits. We describe a fully functional prototype of SMMART built for Pocket PCs running Windows CE with .NET Compact Framework. This paper also presents a study demonstrating end-user usability and economic viability of SMMART.
Two-dimensional Z-scan method for the measurement of optical nonlinear effects

Recently some phthalocynine derivatives have been reported to exhibit a strong optical limiting effect which is due to their large reverse saturable absorption. In this report we present another close family of phthalocynine, meso-substituted tetrabenzoporphyrins. We have employed both modified Z-scan techniques which uses a CCD camera as the detector and picosecond transient spectroscopy to study the optical power limiting mechanism of the meso-substituted tetrabenzoporphyrin derivatives. With the aid of a CCD detector, a two dimensional image of the beam, in the far field can be obtained directly in the Z-scan experiments. By integrating different parts of the image, both "closed aperture" and "open aperture" information can be calculated at the same time. In the kinetics measurements, several characteristic (ir,ir*), (,*) and (d, d) transitions have been observed, and the absorption cross sections and the relaxation rates of each transient has been measured.
A study on clinical and radiological features and outcome in patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized clinically by headaches, seizures, vomiting, nausea, visual abnormalities, and altered mental function and is often (but not invariably) accompanied by parieto-occipital imaging features. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical and radiological features and outcome following PRES in a paediatric cohort. From a retrospectively identified cohort, case records were studied to confirm a diagnosis of PRES. Neuroimaging was reviewed again to assign to recently described radiological subtypes parieto-occipital pattern, holohemispheric watershed pattern, dominant superior frontal sulcus pattern, and asymmetrical or partial expression of the three primary patterns (A/P). Patient outcome was measured by the modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores. Nine boys and three girls with mean age of 12 were identified. Hypertensive episodes (n = 11), tacrolimus toxicity (n = 4), and autoimmunity (n = 1) were identified as potential risk factors/etiologies. Their median mRS at the peak of illness was 2 (range 2–5); three children required intensive care support. After mean follow-up of 35 months (median 37 months; range 3–60 months), all patients improved significantly with mean mRS of 1 (median 1; range 0–1). Conclusion: PRES is easily recognizable by the clinical and radiological features. Although severe at presentation, the outcome from this condition is favorable.
System-on-chip power management considering leakage power variations

The power characteristics of System-on-chips (SoCs) in nanoscale technologies are significantly impacted by process variations, making it important to consider these effects during system-level power analysis and optimization. In this paper, we identify and address the problem of designing effective power management schemes in the presence of such variations. In particular, we demonstrate that conventional power management schemes, which are designed without considering the impact of variations, can result in substantial power wastage. We therefore propose two approaches to variation-aware power management, namely, design-specific and chip-specific approaches. In each of these approaches, the goal is to consider the impact of variations while deriving the values of parameters that govern popular power management policies. The policy parameters are derived so as to optimize metrics that are relevant under variations. We motivate and introduce these metrics, and use a combination of analytical and empirical approaches to optimize them. We experimentally evaluate the proposed ideas in the context of an ARM processor core, and demonstrate that variation-aware power management can result in improvements of upto 59 % in mu + sigma of the energy distribution, and upto 55 % for the 95 percentile of the energy distribution, with respect to conventional power management schemes that do not consider variations.
Computing with hysteretic resistor crossbars

An architecture for nano-electronic computation based on crossbars of hysteretic resistors is presented. We show how such crossbars can implement inverting and non-inverting latches and sum-of-product logic functions, and give examples of a NAND gate, exclusive-OR gate, and half adder. Multiple hysteretic resistor crossbars may be combined to implement complex computational systems. The designs have been evaluated using SPICE (a general-purpose circuit simulation program), demonstrating the feasibility of implementation given a suitable nano-electronic substrate.
Examples of malformed subsets of a Riemann surface

Let R be a hyperbolic Riemann surface and W an open subset of R with ∂W piecewise analytic. Denote by the space of Dirichlet finite Tonelli functions on R and by π the harmonic projection of . Consider the relative HD –class on W, HD ( W;∂W ) = {u∈ │ u │ W∈HD ( W ) and u │ R \ W = 0}. The extremization operation μ is the linear mapping of HD ( W ;∂ W ) into HD ( R ) defined by μ . Since π preserves values of functions at the Royden harmonic boundary, the maximum principle implies that μ is an order preserving injection and that Mμ is an isometry with respect to the supremum norms.
Implementing a general purpose framework using multi-agents for construction management education

The need for contextually rich educational experiences in construction education has led researchers to explore alternatives using gaming and simulation environments. The work done so far has concentrated on special and general purpose simulations of construction operations with limited interactivity. We claim that it is necessary to have an extensible general purpose framework, for developing a wide variety of situational simulations of construction management processes, that can be used to create interactive environments for training managers. We have introduced such a framework and developed it using multiple autonomous agents. The Virtual Coach is an implementation of the developed framework. It was tested on a class of 19 construction management senior students, and proved to be an useful educational tool.
Investigating the decision-making process of standard setting participants

Despite the growing interest of the language testing community in standard setting, primarily due to the use of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR-Council of Europe, 2001), the partic...
"Membuilder": An Automated 3D Solid Model Construction Program For Microelectromechanical Structures

Designers of microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) need to be able to construct, visualize and analyze robust 3D solid models within a single, convenient and integrated CAD design environment. We now report the completion , of our "MemBuilder" software which accornmodates this need within the I-DEAS Master Series CAD environment. MemBuilder automates the process of 3D solid model construction of MEMS structures starting from user defined process data and 2D mask data. Meryffluilder successfully emulates MEMS structure construction in both surface-micromachined and wafer-bonded processes.
Imaging Bacterial Cell Death Induced by Antimicrobial Peptides in Real Time Using High Speed AFM.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are a promising class of antimicrobial agents in the battle against bacteria that have built up resistance to conventional antibiotics. The mechanism by which these peptides kill bacteria is still poorly understood. The interaction of the peptides with the bacterial cell walls has been suggested to be responsible for the bactericidal effect [1,2,3]. Thus far, this interaction has not been visualized nor is there much data on the kinetics of this interaction. Traditional Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a useful tool for observing the changes in the cell wall of living cells [4], but due to its slow image acquisition speed it cannot provide insight into the dynamics of the mechanism. We have used custom-built AFM components based on small cantilevers [5] to image for the first time the bactericidal action of antimicrobial peptides in real time. With this system, we investigated the activity of the chimeric AMP CM15 with nanometer spatial- and seconds temporal-resolution on live E. coli cells. We observed rapid changes in surface morphology of the cells after injection of the AMP (see figure 1), with a response time that differs between individual monoclonal bacteria in the same image (see figure 2). Using combined AFM and fluorescence microscopy, we correlated the change in cell morphology to cell wall permeability and cell death [6]. The results of this study show that high-speed atomic force microscopy can reveal distinctively different behavior of individual cells than compared to the behavior of bulk cells. In the case of the antimicrobial peptides, the presence of an incubation-phase gives new indications for the mechanism by which the antimicrobial peptide attacks the bacterium. We believe that this technique will enable a whole new method of characterizing and studying the effectiveness of synthetic antimicrobial peptides. Figure 1 Bacterial response to antimicrobial peptides. Left: some bacteria have been attacked by the AMP (rough bacterial surfaces) but some still resist the antibiotic (smooth bacteria upper right corner). Right: 7 seconds later all bacteria are affected. Figure 2 Variations onset time for bacterial cell death induced by antimicrobial peptides. The cells respond to the antimicrobial peptide on different time scales. The time it takes for the bacterium to be fully affected by the peptide consists of a time variant ...
Current Issues, Problems, and Trends to Advance Qualitative Paradigmatic Research Methods for the Future

Paradigmatic research has great potential to discover some of the most covert, complex, and difficult human problems and concerns. There remain, however, a number of critical issues and problems related to the misuse of qualitative methods and a lack of knowledge about the purposes, goals, and proper uses of the qualitative paradigmatic methods. Moreover, there are still too few researchers who have been prepared and mentored to use the nearly 20 different kinds of qualitative research methods in light of specific epistemic and ontologic philosophies related to specific research methods. In addition, many researchers tend to violate data analysis by using quantitative criteria instead of qualitative criteria to establish the credibility and accuracy of findings. These problems and many others reflect a general lack of substantive knowledge about qualitative methods that is leading to serious abuses and misuses of methods. It is, therefore, time to rectify past problems and to address realistic issues rela...
Introduction: Lay Participation in the History of Scientific Observation

Why and how have lay people participated in scientific observation? And on what terms have they collaborated with experts and professionals? We have become accustomed to the involvement of lay observers in the practice of many branches of science, including both the natural and human sciences, usually as subordinates to experts. The current surge of interest in this phenomenon, as well as in the closely related topic of how expertise has been constructed, suggests that historians of science can offer a valuable contribution to these vital questions. A historical approach to lay participation allows us to better understand the making of expert-lay relations in science, and it offers a broader, long-term perspective on contemporary debates about that boundary.
Inappropriate ileal conservation of bile acids in cholestatic liver disease: homeostasis gone awry

Patients with cholestatic liver disease are likely to inappropriately conserve bile acids. Ursodiol corrects the defect, but is this enough? Conjugated bile acids are water soluble amphipathic end products of cholesterol metabolism that promote lipid transport in the biliary tract and small intestine by forming mixed micelles.1 Bile acids are formed in pericentral hepatocytes by a complex multienzyme process whose details have at last been largely elucidated.2 After formation, their acidic group is linked (“conjugated”) with the amino group of glycine or taurine in an amide bond that is resistant to the proteolytic enzymes present in pancreatic secretion and on the surface of the enterocyte brush border. Conjugated bile acids differ from unconjugated bile acids in being membrane impermeable and water soluble at the pH conditions prevailing in the biliary tract and small intestine. Efficient ileal conservation of bile acids results in the accumulation of a mass of bile acids termed the bile acid “pool”. Between meals, most of the pool is stored in the gall bladder; with meals, the gall bladder discharges bile into the small intestine where bile acids promote lipid absorption. Both bile acid synthesis and ileal conservation continue after a meal but the gall bladder does not increase in volume in proportion to the amount of bile acids it contains because of its continuous concentration of bile. The gall bladder appears early in vertebrate evolution and genes for gall bladder development appear to have evolved at the same time as genes for bile acid synthesis and intestinal conservation. Development of the enterohepatic circulation and gall bladder storage resulted in far more bile acids being available for digestion than those recently synthesised. Each bile acid molecule is used multiple times before it is lost to the large intestine.3 Feedback inhibition of bile acid biosynthesis …
Automated radiographic absorptiometry system for quantitative rheumatoid arthritis assessment

Quantifying disease progression of patients with early stage Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) presents special challenges. Establishing a robust and reliable method that combines the ACR criteria with bone and soft-tissue measurement techniques, would make possible the diagnosis of early RA and/or the monitoring of the progress of the disease. In this paper an automated, reliable and robust system that combines the ACR criteria with radiographic absorptiometry based bone and soft-tissue density measurement techniques is presented. The system is comprised of an image digitization component and an automated image analysis component. Radiographs of the hands and the calibration wedges are acquired and digitized following a standardized procedure. The image analysis system segments the relevant joints into soft-tissue and bone regions and computes density values of each of these regions relative to the density of the reference wedges. Each of the joints are also scored by trained radiologists using the well established ACR criteria. The results of this work indicate that use of standardized imaging procedures and robust image analysis techniques can significantly improve the reliability of quantitative measurements for rheumatoid arthritis assessment. Furthermore, the methodology has the potential to be clinically used in assessing disease condition of early stage RA subjects.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Hippotherapy—An Intervention to Habilitate Balance Deficits in Children With Movement Disorders: A Clinical Trial

Objective. The purposes of this study were to assess the effectiveness of hippotherapy for the management of postural instability in children with mild to moderate balance problems and to determine whether there is a correlation between balance and function. Design. A repeated-measures design for a cohort of children with documented balance deficits was used. Methods. Sixteen children (9 boys and 7 girls) who were 5 to 16 years of age and had documented balance problems participated in this study. Intervention consisted of 45-minute hippotherapy sessions twice per week for 6 weeks. Two baseline assessments and 1 postintervention assessment of balance, as measured with the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), and of function, as measured with the Activities Scale for Kids—Performance (ASKp), were performed. Results. With the Friedman analysis of variance, the PBS and the ASKp were found to be statistically significant across all measurements (P.0001 for both measures). Post hoc analysis revealed a statistical difference between baseline and postintervention measures (P.017). This degree of difference resulted in large effect sizes for PBS (d1.59) and ASKp (d1.51) scores after hippotherapy. A Spearman rho correlation of .700 indicated a statistical association between PBS and ASKp postintervention scores (P.003). There was no correlation between the change in PBS scores and the change in ASKp scores (rs.13, P.05). Limitations. Lack of a control group and the short duration between baseline assessments are study limitations.
Third branchial cleft anomaly and arytenoid subluxation in a newborn: Case report and literature review

Summary We present the case of a newborn with a third branchial cleft anomaly resulting in respiratory distress. Arytenoid dislocation occurred as a post-intubation complication leading to dysphagia and stridor postoperatively, and all symptoms resolved after arytenoid relocation. A case report and literature reviewed was performed.
Inbreeding in 16 Generations of the Regional Cornell Control Population of Chickens

Abstract Average inbreeding in the Regional Cornell Control population was 2.97 percent after 16 generations of restricted random mating. Approximately equal numbers of progeny from each parent and avoidance of consanguineous matings in all generations produced an average inbreeding coefficient approximately 40 percent smaller than that expected if the population had been under random mating. All covariances among families and inbreeding coefficients within families became greater than 0 after generation 5 and 6 respectively.
Reoperative valve surgery in the elderly: predictors of risk and long-term survival.

Background Elderly patients requiring reoperative cardiac surgery for valve disease are considered high risk for immediate outcomes, but little is known about their long-term survival. It is often conjectured that medical therapy provides equivalent late survival in this population, which may dissuade both patient and surgeon from considering reoperation. We analyzed a cohort of such patients undergoing reoperative valve surgery to determine their long-term survival. Methods From 1992 through 2007, 363 patients aged 75 years or more underwent reoperative isolated valve surgery; 211 (58%) had aortic valve replacement and 152 (42%) had mitral valve surgery. Mean age was 80.5 years. Hospital outcomes were prospectively recorded. Survival from all-cause death was determined from the Social Security Death Index. Results Hospital mortality was 13.8% (12.8% for aortic and 15.1% for mitral valve operations; p = 0.52). Multivariable predictors of hospital death were New York Heart Association functional class III or IV heart failure (odds ratio=3.19, p = 0.012), dialysis (odds ratio=15.63, p = 0.003), and more than one reoperation (odds ratio=2.59, p = 0.058). At 5 years, overall survival was 62% ± 3% for all patients (66% ± 4% for aortic and 56% ± 4% for mitral valve patients). For aortic valve patients aged 80 years or more, 5-year survival was 60% ± 0.6%. Life expectancy table analysis predicted a 5-year survival of 57% for an age-matched and sex-matched comparison group. Conclusions Reoperative surgery for elderly patients with isolated aortic or mitral valve pathology is associated with excellent long-term survival, particularly when treating aortic valve disease. While in-hospital mortality is higher among the elderly than among younger patients, specific predictors of poor outcome can be identified preoperatively to risk stratify these patients.
Extended breakdown of Simpleman approximation

In this letter, we solve three-dimensional time-dependent Newton equations for atoms interacting with a ten-cycle elliptically polarized laser pulse. The ionized electron momentum distributions show a tilt angle between the distribution density peak and the main polarization axis. The tilt angle’s behavior changes with an increasing laser intensity. We show that this behavior change is directly related to the release time of the electron from the atom.
Spatial multichannel technique to extend synthetic discriminant function (SDF) distortion-invariant range in the real-time hardware optical implementation system

A SDF (Synthetic Discriminant Function) could not cover a large distortion range to ensure a good correlation S/N with training images. There exists a limitation for the training image number of a SDF. To extend the distortion range of SDF hardware implementation system, a new spatial multichannel technique was proposed. A multiplex SDF real-time 3D distortion-invariant spatial filtering was realized using holographic technique by means of a special phase grating, a high correlation S/N, very good abilities of intraclass recognition and clutter rejection were got, multiobject tracking and shift invariant abilities were kept. The 3D object OPR (Optical Pattern Recognition) distortion-invariant range was extended greatly. This technique could be applied to practical machine vision purpose.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Within and cross-corpus speech emotion recognition using latent topic model-based features

Owing to the suprasegmental behavior of emotional speech, turn-level features have demonstrated a better success than frame-level features for recognition-related tasks. Conventionally, such features are obtained via a brute-force collection of statistics over frames, thereby losing important local information in the process which affects the performance. To overcome these limitations, a novel feature extraction approach using latent topic models (LTMs) is presented in this study. Speech is assumed to comprise of a mixture of emotion-specific topics, where the latter capture emotionally salient information from the co-occurrences of frame-level acoustic features and yield better descriptors. Specifically, a supervised replicated softmax model (sRSM), based on restricted Boltzmann machines and distributed representations, is proposed to learn naturally discriminative topics. The proposed features are evaluated for the recognition of categorical or continuous emotional attributes via within and cross-corpus experiments conducted over acted and spontaneous expressions. In a within-corpus scenario, sRSM outperforms competing LTMs, while obtaining a significant improvement of 16.75% over popular statistics-based turn-level features for valence-based classification, which is considered to be a difficult task using only speech. Further analyses with respect to the turn duration show that the improvement is even more significant, 35%, on longer turns (>6 s), which is highly desirable for current turn-based practices. In a cross-corpus scenario, two novel adaptation-based approaches, instance selection, and weight regularization are proposed to reduce the inherent bias due to varying annotation procedures and cultural perceptions across databases. Experimental results indicate a natural, yet less severe, deterioration in performance - only 2.6% and 2.7%, thereby highlighting the generalization ability of the proposed features.
Law School Intentions Of Undergraduate Business Students

The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that influence business students’ intentions to enroll in law school. Scant research has focused on factors that influence business students’ decisions to enroll in law school. This paper attempts to fill that gap. Hypotheses about student intentions are based on Ajzen & Fishbein’s (1977) Theory of Planned Behavior. A sample of students enrolled in a business law class at a large Midwestern university is used to examine the hypotheses. Results indicate that law school intentions are driven by whether students feel they would enjoy the work of a lawyer, whether they feel having a law degree would provide them with job opportunities, and whether they feel they have the skills and abilities to get a law degree. Surprisingly, perceptions about future wealth are not associated with law school intentions. The sample may generalize to business student populations at other large state universities; however, it is important for future researchers to similarly investigate student law school intentions at other types of universities and colleges. The paper encourages undergraduate teachers of business law, as well as administrators of law schools, to consider the determinants of student intentions to study law. We particularly encourage law schools to work with undergraduate law faculty and periodically survey their target undergraduate populations to better understand student perceptions about attending law school.
Peritoneal dialysis prescription suitable for children with anuria.

Peritoneal dialysis patients with anuria have a poor prognosis because of uremia and volume overload. In the present paper, I discuss a suitable prescription for children with anuria. The discussion begins with the principles of prescription from the viewpoint of guidelines. Next, I present prescription and adequacy in children with regard to Kt/V urea, creatinine clearance, phosphorous, and ultrafiltration. Finally, I discuss how to prescribe for anuric children. Perit Dial Int 2008; 28(S3):S153–S158 www.PDIConnect.com
Platelets, pregnancy, and phytohemagglutinin

Abstract Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) cultures have been prepared from both heparinized and defibrinated blood samples obtained from 53 women in the first 6 months of pregnancy, 38 women who were 7 to 8 months pregnant, 48 women who were in the last 2 months of pregnancy, 126 women at known stages of the menstrual cycle, and 40 men. No differences in the results of PHA stimulation were observed in cultures prepared from defibrinated blood samples, suggesting the lymphocytes of all 3 groups had the same immunologic capabilities. However, the cultures prepared from heparinized blood samples showed marked differences. Stimulation was depressed in all but particularly in the samples obtained from normal men and nonpregnant women. Evidence is quoted which suggests that the inhibition is due to the platelet content, and it is suggested that there is a qualitative change in the platelets during pregnancy which reduces their inhibitory effect on PHA lymphocyte stimulation.
Role of Microenvironment in Regulating Stem Cell and Tumor Initiating Cancer Cell Behavior and Its Potential Therapeutic Implications

Microenvironment plays a key role in controlling stem cell fate and thereby regulating tissue homeostasis and repair. It consists of acellular and cellular components that interact with stem cells and their progenitors and through signaling cascades influence balance between self-renewal, differentiation and dormancy. Under pathological conditions, disruptions in microenvironment can generate signals that stimulate untimely or aberrant stem cell differentiation or self-renewal, or activate de-differentiation of progenitor cells, leading to diseased states such as cancer. However, while unaltered microenvironment can restrain transformed cell behavior inhibiting malignant phenotypes, transformed cancer cells that exhibit resistance to conventional therapies and tumor initiating capacity are capable of inducing more permissive and immunotolerant microenvironment that promotes tumor growth and metastasis. Better understanding of their behavior and interactions with microenvironment opens up novel avenues for devising more efficacious cancer therapies.
Novel Ultrasound Imaging Applications

Routine applications of ultrasound imaging combine array technology and beamforming (BF) algorithms for image formation. Although BF is very robust, it discards a significant proportion of the information encoded in ultrasonic signals. Therefore, BF can reconstruct some of the geometrical features of an object but with limited resolution due to the diffraction limit. Inverse scattering theory offers an alternative approach to BF imaging that has the potential to break the diffraction limit and extract quantitative information about the mechanical properties of the object. High-resolution, quantitative imaging is central to modern diagnostic technology to achieve cost-effective detection through high sensitivity and limited false positive rate. This chapter lays out a framework encompassing theoretical and experimental results, and in which inverse scattering and modern array technology can be combined together to achieve super-resolution, quantitative imaging.
Pharmacological and Surgical Treatment of Intracranial Hypertension

Management of intracranial hypertension secondary to traumatic brain injury is crucial to optimizing outcomes. Use of pharmacological and/or surgical management is often needed to prevent secondary brain injury and its immediate and long-term effects. In addition to discussing medical and surgical options for approaching intracranial hypertension, this chapter will review its pathophysiology and discuss key aspects of intracranial pressure monitoring.
Prediabetes, Undiagnosed Diabetes, and Diabetes Among Mexican Adults: Findings From the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of prediabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and diabetes among Mexican adults from a subsample of the Mexican Health and Aging Study.
Response to: ‘Statistical analysis of differences in turnover times among operating theatres’ by Dexter

Interestingly, per Dr Dexter's suggestion, we did not find significant serial correlations from one turnover to the next during exploratory analysis of …
Digital Rights Management in a Multimedia Environment

Digital rights management (DRM) is gaining importance as an enabling technology for electronic commerce in digital goods. The purpose of a DRM system is to allow owners of digital assets (movies, songs) to distrib-ute them electronically in a controlled way. After a general introduction to the technology, this paper discusses the special properties of video content and their impact on DRM. Finally, the Windows Media Rights Manager, the DRM system used in Windows Media Technologies for audio and video content, is described.
Framing ecosystem services in the telecoupled Anthropocene

Around the globe, previously isolated localities are rapidly forming connections over increasing spatial extents, through the flow of ecosystem services (ES). With the intensification of human demands, systematic research on ES over distances is urgently needed. We apply a new integrated framework of telecoupling (ie socioeconomic and environmental interactions between different places) to analyze the causes, effects, agents, and dynamics of ES flows. We focus on the world's largest water-transfer project – China's South–North Water Transfer Project – as a basis for discussion about the broad utility of the telecoupling framework and important implications for effective governance of ES across telecoupled human and natural systems. Integration through the use of the telecoupling framework holds promise for creating sustainable solutions and avoiding unintended negative effects across multiple systems in an interconnected world. This paper is the first in an occasional series: Ecosystem Services in China.
Accidental air embolism and fibrin formation in the heart of rabbit.

Summary1. In barbitalized rabbits subjected to operations on the spinal column, cord and skull, air embolism is not a negligible danger; 14 out of 37 rabbits showed air bubbles in the pulmonary artery. Acute death after such operations in the rabbit must not be diagnosed as “vascular shock,” tacitly implying a nervous component, until a careful autopsy has excluded air embolism.2. Air bubbles were observed entering and coursing through exposed sections of the diploic veins of the parietal bone during inspiration.3. Absence of air bubbles in the right heart and pulmonary artery does not exclude air embolism for the air may have been absorbed. The diagnosis of air embolism may still be made if fibrin is found in the heart. Fibrin formation in the heart, especially the right ventricle, was seen 6, possibly 7, times when no air bubbles were detectable anywhere. Occasionally a slight amount of fibrin may also be detected in the left ventricle. Here apparently some air bubbles passed through the pulmonary circu...
Comments On A Single Service Course in Entomology

At the recent meetings of the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America in Kansas City, the merits and demerits of a single service course in entomology were discussed. Some very interesting ideas were expressed, but they were all made from the entomological viewpoint and not from that of those who would be served. In these comments another side will be presented, and some revolutional suggestions made, chiefly for the purpose of stimulating thought.