cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The risk of venous thromboembolism with aspirin compared to anticoagulants after hip and knee arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Recent guidelines include aspirin as an option to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in selected patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery. However, the efficacy of aspirin after arthroplasty has not been well-defined, particularly in more contemporary patient populations. We compared rates of post-operative VTE between patients who received aspirin-only versus anticoagulants after hip or knee arthroplasty, using data from a large US-based administrative database. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 231,780 adults who underwent total knee arthroplasty and 110,621 who underwent total hip arthroplasty in 2009–2012 and who received pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis (aspirin or anticoagulant) within the first 7 days after surgery. We compared the risk of post-operative VTE between patients receiving aspirin-only vs. anticoagulants, controlling for clinical and hospital characteristics using multivariable logistic regression with propensity score adjustment. Results Aspirin-only prophylaxis was administered to 7.5% of patients after knee arthroplasty and 8.0% after hip arthroplasty. Post-operative VTE was diagnosed in 2217 (0.96%) patients after knee arthroplasty and 454 (0.41%) after hip arthroplasty. Compared to anticoagulants, aspirin was not associated with a higher risk for post-operative VTE either after knee arthroplasty (adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval [OR] 0.34 [0.24–0.48]) or hip arthroplasty (OR 0.82 [0.45–1.51]). Conclusions Aspirin was uncommonly administered as the sole prophylactic agent after hip or knee arthroplasty in this study. However, patients who received aspirin-only had similar rates of post-operative VTE compared to patients who received anticoagulants. Further research should focus on distinguishing which patients benefit more from anticoagulants versus aspirin after arthroplasty.
The Nature and Value of the Text

Nāgārjuna’s Twelve Gate Treatise was a principle document in the San-lun tradition for centuries and was also accepted as canonical literature by many other schools. But because it exists only in Chinese translation, modern Western scholars have seldom studied the Twelve Gate Treatise. Recently a few have questioned the authenticity of the three treatises, and doubted if they are Nāgārjuna’s and Āryadeva’s work.1
Teacher Perspectives on Intervention Sustainability: Implications for School Leadership.

ABSTRACTSustainable use of academic classroom interventions is a cause for concern in the field of special education. This study examined factors that encouraged and/or deterred sustainable use of classroom interventions. Furthermore, data were collected on factors that assist teachers to implement new interventions with high perceived fidelity. A total of 174 special education teachers from two school districts completed a survey to provide feedback on interventions they had been trained on in the last two academic years. Results for both districts had several similarities. A majority of teachers sustained interventions that they perceived improved student academic outcomes and were easy to implement. Teachers identified lack of planning time followed by the need for regular training as the most important factors contributing to their perceived implementation fidelity. However, a majority of interventions teachers provided feedback on were not evidence-based practices.
Recurrent nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis: A novel therapeutic approach.

We present the case of a 29-year-old male with a history of Mizuho hemolytic anemia, a rare form of unstable hemoglobinopathy, who presented with congestive heart failure secondary to recurrent valve thrombosis despite appropriate oral anticoagulation. He subsequently required mitral and aortic valve replacement. Pathologic examination revealed extensive nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis. Due to recurrent thrombosis despite therapeutic anticoagulation, we elected to treat him with red blood cell exchange transfusions and hydroxyurea. He has remained free of symptoms for almost two years with this treatment regimen without side effects. .
PATENT FORAMEN OVALE CLOSURE VERSUS MEDICAL THERAPY TO PREVENT RECURRENT STROKE: A META-ANALYSIS AND TRIAL SEQUENTIAL ANALYSIS

To determine if patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure reduces the risk of recurrent stroke compared to medical therapy (MT) we performed a meta-analysis. A MEDLINE and EMBASE search was performed for randomized controlled trials (RCT) that compared PFO closure to MT in patients with cryptogenic stroke
Determination of Crystallite Size and Lattice Strain

To determine the average crystallite size and lattice strain in a powder specimen by x-ray peak broadening analysis.
The Effect of Temperature on the Microstructure Nonlinear Dynamics Behavior

The dynamics of microstructures, such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) or thin laminated printed wiring boards (PWB) raises reliability concerns when they are subjected to mechanical loads, as well as thermal fields induced by the electric circuits on board. The microstructure dynamics behavior needs to be described in the framework of nonlinear dynamics, due to the fact that its deformation is in the same order of its critical dimension. In this chapter, studies on MEMS nonlinear dynamic characteristics—in particular, on the response of a thin laminated microstructure under both dynamic load and thermal field are presented. Equations of motion of a thin laminated MEMS structure are obtained in the form of a decoupled Duffing’s equation, for the out-of-plane deformation of an isotropic thin laminate in a simply supported boundary condition. A generalized Galerkin’s method is employed for the reduction of the governing equation of motion. The microstructure behaviors are studied in nonlinear resonance, bifurcation and chaos with respect to different load and temperature variation. Stress field is also obtained in a nonlinear relation with the deflection and the thermal field. Failure induced by these stresses is evaluated based on the Composite Failure Criteria for a laminate.
Overview of Solar Flares

We discuss the energetics of, and characteristic emissions associated with, solar flares, and various flare “classification schemes” that have been devised. It is argued that flares derive their energy from current-carrying, but force-free, magnetic fields; observations of the magnetic “shear” associated with these currents are presented. We discuss the basic principles of flare modeling, both “forward” (i.e., starting with a prescribed initial configuration and solving the relevant equations) and “inverse” (i.e., fitting observed emissions to a self-consistent model of energy release). We close with a brief discussion on the effects of flares and the importance of flare research.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Elderly: a Practical Approach to Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Lung cancer is primarily a disease of the elderly. We summarize the literature on screening, diagnosis, and treatment of early non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly population. Lung cancer screening has resulted in a reduction in lung cancer mortality and is recommended in some patients up to 80 years old. Minimally invasive techniques, such as endobronchial ultrasound guided biopsy, have allowed for low diagnostic complications rates in elderly patients. Surgical treatment remains the standard of care; however, stereotactic body radiation therapy in non-operative candidates has similar outcomes with less morbidity. Decision to treat and choice of treatment should not be based on age alone, but should incorporate functional status, comorbid disease, and patient preference. Advances in screening, diagnostic techniques, and radiation therapies have transformed the management of early non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly. Further studies are needed incorporating larger numbers of geriatric patients in a disease that primarily affects the elderly.
Distributed Microgrid Synchronization Strategy Using a Novel Information Architecture Platform

To seamlessly reconnect an islanded microgrid to the main grid, voltage phasors on both sides of the point of common coupling need to be synchronized before the main relay closes. In this paper, a distributed control strategy is proposed for microgrid synchronization operation. The proposed controller design utilizes pinning-based consensus algorithm to avoid system single point of failure. It is able to actively track the main grid frequency, provide a good coordination between frequency and phase regulation and ensure all distributed generations in the system proportionally share the load. Implementation of such distributed algorithm in practice is difficult because it requires mitigation of both distributed computing and power system engineering challenges. In this paper, a novel software platform called RIAPS platform is presented that helps implementing the proposed distributed synchronization strategy in practical hardware controllers. The performance of the controllers are validated using a real-time controller hardware-in-the-loop microgrid testbed.
Context as a Dynamic Construct and the Problem of Context Sensitivity

This paper is concerned with different aspects of the concept of context, predominantly from the perspective of contemporary pragmatically‐oriented linguistics. As it is frequently claimed that the precise meaning of an utterance may be determined correctly only in context, but, at the same time, no agreement has been reached on how context should be adequately defined, one aim of this study is to focus on different characteristics of this phenomenon and to explain how context may be best understood within a pragmatic approach. This is connected with context sensitivity. Some expressions in natural language are prototypical examples of it, while others are rather controversial. The other aim of this study is to examine context sensitivity from the point of view of several semantic theories and to propose within which systematic linguistic theory it could be best integrated. It turns out that the concept of context should best be treated as a dynamic construct inherently connected with communication. Since it is, at the same time, a multilayered concept, it is almost impossible to produce a widely acceptable theory of context. Regarding a systematic theory within which context sensitivity could be integrated, semantic minimalism seems to be the most appropriate.
Drawing Graphs, Scheduling, and Partitioning

As stated in the Introduction, it seems that most researchers “modified” their implementations of genetic algorithms either by using non-standard chromosome representation or by designing problem-specific genetic operators (e.g., [63], [185], [29], [36], etc.) to accommodate the problem to be solved, thus building efficient evolution programs. The first two modifications were discussed in detail in the previous two chapters (Chapters 9 and 10) for the transportation problem and the traveling salesman problem, respectively. In this chapter, we have made a somewhat arbitrary selection of a few other evolution programs developed by the author and other researchers, which are based on non-standard chromosome representation and/or problem-specific knowledge operators. We present systems for the graph drawing problem (Section 11.1), scheduling problems (Section 11.2), the timetable problem (Section 11.3), and partitioning problems (Section 11.4). The described systems and the results of their applications provide an additional argument to support the evolution programming approach, which promotes creation of data structures together with operators for a particular class of problems.
EFFECT OF DBH- AND PNMT-INHIBITION ON BRAIN ADRENALINE AND NORADRENALINE IN ANIMALS EXPOSED TO STRESS

The effect of exposure of animals to two different types of physical stress on central adrenaline (A) and noradrenaline (NA) levels were investigated. Acute footshock stress decreases the A and NA levels in specific region of the brain to about the same extent. Acute immobilization stress lowers central A levels to a greater extent than central NA levels. Administration of SKF 64139, a PNMT inhibitor, results in a significant decrease of central A levels while central NA level are unchanged. Administration of FLA 63, a DBH inhibitor, results in a significant decrease of both, central NA and A levels. The blockade of presynaptic alpha-adrenoreceptors with piperoxane or bromocriptine results in a preferrential lowering of central A levels. The stress induced lowering of A and NA is further enhanced in animals pretreated with SKF 64139 or FLA 63 and alpha-adrenergic blocking agents. Administration of propranolol, a beta-adrenergic blocking agent, results in an enhanced stress induced lowering of central A.
Individual Specialization, Group Functional Diversity, and Corporate Venturing Within Firms

Many large firms try to encourage entrepreneurial initiatives by their employees, but the question of which employees undertake such initiatives has not been explored. In this study, we argue that ...
Does the addition of AMACR to CK20 help to diagnose challenging cases of urothelial carcinoma in situ

Urothelial carcinoma in situ (CIS) in the bladder can be difficult to diagnose due to factors including procedural artifact, minimal tissue sampled, therapy-related changes, and various CIS growth patterns. Prior data has demonstrated an increase in alpha-methylacyl-CoA-racemase (AMACR) in urothelial CIS, but there is no information on its utility for diagnosing difficult cases. The aim of this investigation was to assess the expression of AMACR that was ordered on equivocal bladder cases during clinical practice. Transurethral resections of the bladder in which AMACR and CK20 were performed during diagnostic workup were identified and cases with a final diagnosis of CIS (n = 22) or non-neoplastic urothelium (n = 30) were selected. Additionally, cases in which a diagnosis of CIS was rendered without IHC (n = 20) were selected and tested for AMACR expression. Sensitivity of AMACR for CIS diagnosed with IHC during clinical practice was 73% and specificity was 97%, while CK20 was 95% sensitive and 80% specific. Sensitivity of AMACR in CIS diagnosed without IHC was 100%. In all groups, AMACR had inconsistent intensity, compared to CK20 which had consistent, strong intensity. AMACR was usually positive in urothelial CIS and negative in non-neoplastic urothelium. However, it is important to note that AMACR was less sensitive in difficult cases, while CK20 was more sensitive with more consistent, strong staining compared to AMACR.
The Neonatal Eating Outcome (NEO) Assessment: A New Developmental Feeding Assessment for Preterm Infants in the NICU

Date Presented 04/06/19 Preterm infants have a heightened risk of feeding problems. The NEO can be used to assess prefeeding or oral feeding capacity, and the scoring criteria are based on the infant’s current postmenstrual age. Previous work on the tool demonstrates that the NEO holds promise for being an important and psychometrically sound measurement of feeding for preterm infants in the NICU. In this talk, testing procedures and scoring of the NEO will be introduced. Primary Author and Speaker: Bobbi Pineda
Article Review: What the Revealed-Preferences Ranking Fails to Reveal

The Revealed-Preferences Ranking methodology developed by Professors Christopher J. Ryan, Jr. and Brian L. Frye purports to be an “objective ranking” because it identifies the claimed preferences of first-year law students by looking at and comparing the “quality” of the first-year students who chose to attend each law school based on the LSAT and UGPA indicators for the entering class at each law school. For The 2019 Revealed-Preferences Ranking of Law Schools, the authors incorporate the preferences of those who chose to transfer out from a given law school as a further indication of how the preferences of transfer students inform the “quality” of a given law school. While I appreciate the concept of trying to generate something that can be identified as an objective ranking, I write to highlight two issues that shroud the accuracy of the Revealed-Preferences Ranking as a general matter: the failure to account for (1) the size of the entering class and (2) the average net tuition paid by an entering class, both of which may skew the results of the Revealed-Preference Ranking somewhat significantly. I also comment briefly on the inclusion of “transfers out” as a further indicator of preference, while applauding the authors for deciding to exclude “transfers in” from their analysis given a number of issues with the use of the “transfer in” data.
Body Composition Methods in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes or at Risk for T2D: a Clinical Review

The aim of this study is to summarize anthropometric and advanced methods used to assess body composition in adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or at risk for T2D that provide clinically relevant information about T2D disease-related complications or risk factors. Anthropometry is commonly used in clinical settings; however, provides unreliable estimates of fat mass, fat-free mass, and body fat distribution for metabolic health assessments compared to advanced techniques such as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Few studies report the clinical use of anthropometric and advanced body composition methods that identify T2D disease-related complications or T2D risk factors. Anthropometry, BIA, DXA, CT, and MRI were used to estimate body adiposity and distribution, visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots, and skeletal muscle mass. Review findings indicate that these methods were capable of identifying clinically relevant T2D disease-related complications such as sarcopenia and T2D risk factors such as obesity or regional adiposity. However, estimates were often sex and race/ethnicity specific warranting cross-validation of these methods in broader populations with T2D or risk for T2D prior to clinical implementation.
Metabolite Carriers in Mitochondrial Membranes: the Ca2+ Transport System

In addition to the various electron carriers required in electron transport and the ATP synthetase system participating in oxidative phosphorylation of ADP, the inner mitochondrial membrane contains a number of specific permeases or transport systems which make possible metabolic interplay between the mitochondrial matrix and the surrounding cytoplasm. In this paper the general characteristics of these permease systems will be outlined first. Then our recent work on the properties of the specific carrier involved in mitochondrial Ca2+ transport will be described in more detail.
Fluid and Electrolyte Balance

The goal of anesthesia providers when caring for surgical patients or the critically ill is to ensure adequate tissue perfusion and thus tissue oxygenation. Surgery and the stress of being ill result in an increased oxygen requirement, and if one does not have the ability to increase oxygen delivery, then the likelihood of infection, multiorgan failure, and death rises. Therefore, fluid therapy to maintain adequate hydration, oxygen delivery, renal perfusion, and electrolyte balance is a cornerstone to hemodynamically manage surgical and nonsurgical patients.
Language, Usage and Cognition: Rich memory for language: exemplar representation

Introduction Central to the usage-based position is the hypothesis that instances of use impact the cognitive representation of language. Throughout this book arguments for an exemplar representation of language will be given, including the arguments that exemplar representations keep track of usage, allow for the representation of gradience in structures, and allow for gradual change. In demonstrating the properties of exemplar models, the present chapter will emphasize one aspect of exemplar representation – the fact that exemplars are considered to register details about linguistic experience. Exemplar representations are rich memory representations; they contain, at least potentially, all the information a language user can perceive in a linguistic experience. This information consists of phonetic detail, including redundant and variable features, the lexical items and constructions used, the meaning, inferences made from this meaning and from the context, and properties of the social, physical and linguistic context. We see in this chapter that recent research in phonetic categorization, voice recognition, sociophonetics, lexical diffusion of sound change, grammaticalization, and verbatim recall all point to the retention of considerable linguistic detail in cognitive representations. The interesting questions to be addressed here and in the rest of this book are how the brain deals with this detail, how it handles similarities and differences among tokens of input and registered exemplars and how repetition of tokens affects representations.
The φ-calculus: a language for distributed control of reconfigurable embedded systems

The Φ-calculus extends Milner's π-calculus by adding active environments which flow continuously over time. This allows us to extend hybrid automata to specify systems of physical agents which can reconfigure themselves. We prove a theorem stating that processes (weakly) bisimilar in the process-algebraic sense, when placed in the same active environment, control it in the same way.
Molecular Evidence for Multiple Origins of Hybridogenetic Fish Clones (Poeciliidae: Poeciliopsis)

Hybrid matings between the sexual species Poeciliopsis monacha and Poeciliopsis lucida produced a series of diploid all-female lineages of P. monacha-lucida that inhabit the Rio Fuerte of northwestern Mexico. Restriction site analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) clearly revealed that P. monacha was the maternal ancestor of these hybrids. The high level of mtDNA diversity in P. monacha was mirrored by similarly high levels in P. monacha-lucida; thus hybridizations giving rise to unisexual lineages have occurred many times. However, mtDNA variability among P. monacha-lucida lineages revealed a geographical component. Apparently the opportunity for the establishment of unisexual lineages varies among tributaries of the Rio Fuerte. We hypothesize that a dynamic complex of sexual and clonal fishes appear to participate in a feedback process that maintains genetic diversity in both the sexual and asexual components.
Modeling gap acceptance and driver behavior at stop controlled (priority) intersections in developing countries

Priority intersections are intersections controlled by a stop or yield sign. A turning vehicle from a minor road at a priority intersection makes a choice to either accept or reject an available gap when joining the main road. Various factors affect the driver's decision when deciding on the type of gap to accept or reject at the priority intersection. The driver's characteristics, vehicle characteristics and intersection characteristics play a major role in the driver's behavior at the intersection. Factors such as the driver's age, gender, waiting time, intersection delay and the vehicles' accelerating capability affects the decision to accept or reject a gap. This research discusses various gap acceptance strategies at priority intersections and develops a research framework for gap acceptance in developing countries, such as Ghana, Africa.
Persistence of synaptic bodies in saccular hair cells of senescent mice.

The morphology of the afferent synapse in type I (HC I) and type II (HC II) saccular hair cells was compared in juvenile and very old C57BL/6NNia mice. Normal membrane specializations and normal synaptic body (SB) form and organization were found to continue well beyond the expected life span. Although SB were found less frequently in HC I than in HC II, they were as readily found in old saccules as in juveniles. The elongated rod was the most common form in HC I and the spheroid was the most common in HC II. Large clusters of SB (>5), found in both juvenile and old saccules, were unique to HC I. SB in HC II were generally found singly. A range of forms, including hollow and striated dense bodies, also occurred in both juvenile and very old saccules. Singular or clustered SB were found free in the cytoplasm as well as engaged at the membrane. No SB were seen at sites other than nerve terminal appositions. In rare instances a SB was observed engaged at a site that appeared to be opposite an efferent fiber.
Halley's Comet : a bibliography

Offers advice to the collection builder on approaches that might be taken to Halley’s Comet. Covers introducing yourself to the topic, whether to adopt a historical or scientific focus when building a collection, and what could be included, depending on the profile of the library’s patrons.
Behavioural neuroscience: neurons of imitation

In songbirds, a class of neurons shows a striking similarity in activity when the bird sings and when it hears a similar song. This mirroring neuronal activity could contribute to imitation.
An algebraic model for programming languages

Abstract The language of universal algebras is used as a model for programming language specification. BNF rules are employed for specifying the signature of the language algebra instead of the context free syntax. The algorithm for program evaluation is inductively defined by the following universal algebraic construction: Any function defined on the generators of a free algebra taking values in the carrier of another similar algebra can be uniquely extended to a homomorphism between the two algebras. Any conventional programming language can be specified by a finite set of BNF rules and its algebra of symbols is generated by a finite set of generator classes. Thus any function defined on the finite set of generators offers an algebraic mechanism for a universal algorithm for source language program evaluation.
Teacher Multicultural Attitudes: Intern/Teaching Fellows in New York City

Schools in New York City are continually pressed to meet the demands of an ever-increasing multicultural population, compounded by the pressures exerted by the No Child Left Behind legislation and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Indicated is a need for multicultural understandings within teacher education programs, emphasizing teacher attitudes. The Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey, a 20-item inventory, was administered to 61 intern/teaching fellows in a 39-credit initial teacher education program infused with multicultural content and urban field experiences. Using a single-group, pre-post design, significant differences at p < .004 were found for White and culturally diverse intern/teaching fellows. For White intern/teaching fellows only ( n = 41), significant differences were noted at p < .0001. For culturally diverse intern/teaching fellows only (n = 20), no significant differences were noted. Empirical data informed the differential value of the multicultural content...
Nitrate respiration in the hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila

THE vestimentiferan tubeworm Riftia pachyptila is found around hydrothermal vent areas in the deep sea. Intracellular bacterial chemoautotrophic symbionts use the oxidation of sulphide from the effluent of the vents as an energy source for CO2 fixation. They apparently provide most or all of the nutritional requirements for their gutless hosts1–5. This kind of symbiosis has since been found in many other species from various other phyla from other habitats6–9. Here we present results that the bacteria of R. pachyptila may cover a significant fraction of their respiratory needs by the use of nitrate in addition to oxygen. Nitrate is reduced to nitrite, which may be the end product (nitrate respiration)10 or it may be further reduced to nitrogen gas (denitrification)11. This metabolic trait may have an important role in the colonization of hypoxic habitats in general by animals with this kind of symbiosis.
This theorem is big

Opening a copy of The Mathematical Intelligencer you may ask yourself uneasily, “What is this anyway—a mathematical journal, or what?” Or you may ask, “Where am I?” Or even “Who am I?” This sense of disorientation is at its most acute when you open to Colin Adams’s column. Relax. Breathe regularly. It’s mathematical, it’s a humor column, and it may even be harmless.
SPECIALIZED JUVENILE COURTS: DO THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN JUDICIAL DECISION MAKING?

ABSTRACT This research examines the differences in adjudication (delinquent/status offender or dismissal) and dispositions (transfer of custody or not transfer of custody) of specialized juvenile courts compared to courts of mixed jurisdiction hearing cases involving juvenile defendants. The data are from juvenile court records of the state of Nebraska for 1988 through 1993. The study uses logistic regression to examine the differences in the behavior of the types of courts while controlling for extralegal and legal characteristics of the defendants, as well as county environmental characteristics of the two types of courts. The authors found statistically significant differences in the adjudication decisions, with mixed jurisdiction courts more likely to adjudicate delinquent but not in the final dispositions of the two kind of courts. The findings are discussed within the framework of the parens patriae philosophy.
ZENKER'S DIVERTICULUM

Zenker’s diverticulum is a pouch protruding posteriorly above the upper esophageal sphincter, in the Killian’s triangle, an area of relative weakness. Zenker’s diverticulum was thought, for many years
Trichomoniasis in teens: an update.

Purpose of reviewTrichomoniasis, caused by the protozoa Trichomonas vaginalis, is one of the oldest sexually transmitted infections. Since the advent of more accurate diagnostic tests, the epidemiology and consequences of infection with T. vaginalis can be described more precisely. This review will
Electron Decay-in-Flight Spectra from Autoionizing States of Highly Stripped Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine, and Argon Ions

We report the results of spectroscopic studies of electrons associated with the decay in flight of metastable autoionizing states in three-, four-, five-, and eleven-electron heavy ions. The binding energies of a large number of observed states are found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions (c.f. the companion paper of Junker and Bardsley) where such values are available. The lifetime of the lowest-lying quartet state, $(1s2s2p)^{4}P_{\frac{5}{2}}^{o}$ has been measured in three-electron oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, and argon ions. Competition between autoionizing and (in some cases forbidden) radiative-decay modes is discussed. There is evidence that the formation of metastable autoionizing states is quite a general phenomenon, occuring in a wide variety of atomic systems. A need for more extensive energy-level and lifetime calculations is readily apparent.
Crystallization of polyethylene terephthalate from the glassy amorphous state

Abstract The morphology of glassy amorphous PETP is characterized by ball-like structures in which a paracrystalline-type order is present. Movement of the balls is seen at annealing temperatures 5†C or more below Tg as well as at higher temperatures. Crystallization from the glass occurs by the formation of spherulites similar in appearance to those obtained from the melt. They are formed by the two-dimensional alignment of the ball-like structures into the fibrillar ribbons comprising the spherulites. Some merging of the balls occurs at temperatures above Tg. The small-angle X-ray long period is found to increase as expected with the annealing temperature, but it decreases with time at a given annealing temperature. The decrease of long period with time has been accounted for by the regularizing of irregular folds originally present in the ball-like structures.
Freeze-fracture studies of matrix vesicle calcification in epiphyseal growth plate

Abstract Freeze-fractured, unfixed and glutaraldehyde fixed 6–10 week rat tibial growth plates were studied. Fixed and unfixed specimens appeared similar in ultrastructure. Chondrocyte organelles were examined from the reserve to the calcifying zones. The plasma membrane of intact cells showed variable numbers of microvilli, most numerous in the upper growth plate, with occasional vesicles budding from their tips. Vesicles also appeared to bud from the plasma membrane of cells without microvilli. Matrix vesicles were identified in a typical distribution, appearing as clusters which were concentrated in the longitudinal septal matrix. The latter shows preferential calcification. Both plasma membranes and matrix vesicle membranes showed membrane associated particles (MAPs) at their membrane fracture faces, and matrix vesicle MAPs appeared slightly larger. Within the calcifying zone, the debris of degenerating chondrocytes produced intralacunar vesicles which varied considerably in size but usually were larger than matrix vesicles. Collagen and proteoglycan granules were evident throughout the matrix of the growth plate. The fractured surface of mineralized matrix appeared corrugated and contained a few matrix vesicles which could be identified by their MAPs. These studies using unfixed tissue confirm earlier observations by conventional techniques indicating a role for matrix vesicles In mineralization.
Relationship marketing and the consumer

Collectively, the responses of the individuals interviewed reveal that there is a multitude of reasons for participating in a marketing relationship. Although many of the reasons are cognitive in nature, many others are affective. This affective “dimension” of relationship marketing remains unexplored but would seem to offer great promise for explaining the long-term nature of a firm-consumer relationship. Moreover, a liberal interpretation of the collective responses of the interviewed individuals suggests an alternative fundamental axiom of relationship marketing consistent with the definition of Angeles (1992): Consumers enter into a marketing relationship because they expect to receive positive value from their participation. Acceptance of this axiom would seem to suggest a conceptualization and research agenda much broader and potentially more productive than that associated with the axiom currently being offered. Sheth and Parvatiyar have raised a question that, despite its obviousness in retrospect, has yet to be addressed satisfactorily. Hopefully their article will prove to be the genesis of an answer. Although no one is likely to agree with all of their propositions, or even their speculation that relationship marketing will ultimately improve marketing productivity, Sheth and Parvatiyar have done the discipline a service by focusing attention on a neglected topic. Indeed, what they have effectively done is to challenge the discipline to debate what they believe to be the fundamental axiom of relationship marketing in consumer markets. Regardless of the outcome of this debate, marketing knowledge will have advanced.
Juvenile Hormone (JH) Esterase of the Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus Is Not a Target of the JH Analog Insecticide Methoprene

Juvenile hormones (JHs) are essential sesquiterpenes that control insect development and reproduction. JH analog (JHA) insecticides such as methoprene are compounds that mimic the structure and/or biological activity of JH. In this study we obtained a full-length cDNA, cqjhe, from the southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus that encodes CqJHE, an esterase that selectively metabolizes JH. Unlike other recombinant esterases that have been identified from dipteran insects, CqJHE hydrolyzed JH with specificity constant (kcat/KM ratio) and Vmax values that are common among JH esterases (JHEs). CqJHE showed picomolar sensitivity to OTFP, a JHE-selective inhibitor, but more than 1000-fold lower sensitivity to DFP, a general esterase inhibitor. To our surprise, CqJHE did not metabolize the isopropyl ester of methoprene even when 25 pmol of methoprene was incubated with an amount of CqJHE that was sufficient to hydrolyze 7,200 pmol of JH to JH acid under the same assay conditions. In competition assays in which both JH and methoprene were available to CqJHE, methoprene did not show any inhibitory effects on the JH hydrolysis rate even when methoprene was present in the assay at a 10-fold higher concentration relative to JH. Our findings indicated that JHE is not a molecular target of methoprene. Our findings also do not support the hypothesis that methoprene functions in part by inhibiting the action of JHE.
Lipid-mediated gene transfection into chick embryo retinal cells in ovo and in vitro

Several lipofection reagents were tested on chick embryo retinal cultures using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene; best results were obtained with the GenePORTER (GP) reagent, which yielded approximately 4.4% of the cells with intense GFP fluorescence. Cell survival and structural differentiation appeared normal, but one of the immunocytochemical markers studied (visinin) was less frequently observed in GP-treated cultures. When similar plasmid-GP mixtures were injected into chick embryo eyes in ovo, bright GFP-fluorescent cells were observed in different retinal layers, without detectable detrimental effects on retinal morphology. Particularly extensive reporter gene expression was obtained upon intraocular injection of GP plus naked DNA from a RCAS retrovirus, which resulted in the development of abundant radial columns of alkaline phosphatase-positive cells, separated by columns of negative cells. We conclude that lipid-based transfection offers a quick, simple and fairly innocuous means for gene delivery into proliferating and postmitotic retinal cells, in vitro as well as in the developing eye in ovo, and that transfection of naked retroviral DNA can lead to extensive expression of foreign genes by retinal cells, bypassing the time-consuming steps required for the generation of high-titer virion stocks.
US practitioner opinions and prescribing practices regarding corticosteroid therapy for severe sepsis and septic shock.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to examine opinions and practices of US critical care practitioners (USCCPs) toward corticosteroid therapy in adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Materials and Methods A multicenter, electronic survey of USCCP members of the Society of Critical Care Medicine was conducted between March 18 and July 31, 2009. Results A total of 542 USCCPs responded to the survey. The majority (83%) do not commonly use corticosteroids in adult patients with severe sepsis; however, up to 81% report use of corticosteroids for septic shock. Twenty-eight percent believe that corticosteroids reduce mortality in septic shock, whereas 27% do not and 45% are unsure. The decision to initiate therapy is based, more often, on a patient's clinical status (65%) vs serum cortisol analysis (35%). Hydrocortisone is the most common corticosteroid prescribed (93%), with a median dosage of 200 mg/d and administration via intermittent intravenous injection. The Corticosteroid Therapy of Septic Shock trial had a large impact on survey respondents, with 62% reporting a practice change. Among the 19% of practitioners who do not prescribe corticosteroids, the most common reason was lack of proven survival benefit. Conclusions Corticosteroids are commonly used by USCCPs in adult patients with septic shock; however, criteria used to initiate therapy and opinions regarding their impact vary.
DISCOURSES IN THE DESERT: IRAQ, THE WEST, AND THE PERSIAN GULF WAR

The Persian Gulf War of 1990–1991 is examined through an analysis of the discourses within which the United States and its allies, and Iraq operate. The West, under the leadership of the U.S., acts within the assumptions and constraints of a Western discourse which privileges state sovereignty, international law, national interests, and balances of power. This discourse currently occupies a position of hegemony in the perception and conduct of international relations. In contrast, Iraq functions under the assumptions of the pan-Arabist discourse which emphasizes a rejection of current state boundaries in the Middle East, a belief in the unification of all Arabs within the framework of a single Arab state, and opposition to Western intervention in Arab affairs. The pan-Arabist discourse, manifested through the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, posed a direct threat to the survival of the Western discourse both within the region and beyond. Thus, the Persian Gulf War can be understood as a clash between two fundamentally different understandings of international behavior, and their competition for dominance in the practice of Middle Eastern inter-state relations.
Superplastic deformation behavior in commercial and high purity Zn- 22 Pct Al

The superplastic deformation behavior of two grades of the Zn-22 pct Al alloy was studied in detail under identical conditions of grain size, temperature, and stress. While these two grades were prepared by the same procedure, they have different impurity levels; grade 1 is of commercial purity (180 ppm of impurities) and grade 2 is of very high purity (6 ppm of impurities). The experimental results on the commercial grade show that the relationship between the applied stress and steady-state strain rate is sigmoidal and is manifested by the presence of three deformation regions; in region I (low-stress region) the stress exponent,n, is 3.8 and the activation energy for creep,Q, is higher than that for grain boundary diffusion,Q gb; in region II (intermediate-stress region)n = 2.5 andQ ≃ Q gb; and in region III (high-stress region)n again increases. The results on the high purity grade, when compared with those on the commercial grade, reveal a significant difference: the high purity grade, unlike the commercial grade, does not exhibit region I at low stresses. The difference in creep behavior between the two grades of Zn-22 pct Al at low stresses leads to the implication that the origin of region I during superplastic flow is related to the presence of impurity atoms. It is suggested, on the basis of consideration of various impurity-controlled deformation processes, that the creep behavior in region I is most likely a consequence of the existence of a threshold stress which is caused by impurity atom segregation at boundaries.
Sub-pg mass sensing and measurement with an optomechanical oscillator

Mass sensing based on mechanical oscillation frequency shift in micro/nano scale mechanical oscillators is a well-known and widely used technique. Piezo-electric, electronic excitation/detection and free-space optical detection are the most common techniques used for monitoring the minute frequency shifts induced by added mass. The advent of optomechanical oscillator (OMO), enabled by strong interaction between circulating optical power and mechanical deformation in high quality factor optical microresonators, has created new possibilities for excitation and interrogation of micro/nanomechanical resonators. In particular, radiation pressure driven optomechanical oscillators (OMOs) are excellent candidates for mass detection/measurement due to their simplicity, sensitivity and all-optical operation. In an OMO, a high quality factor optical mode simultaneously serves as an efficient actuator and a sensitive probe for precise monitoring of the mechanical eigen-frequencies of the cavity structure. Here, we show the narrow linewidth of optomechanical oscillation combined with harmonic optical modulation generated by nonlinear optical transfer function, can result in sub-pg mass sensitivity in large silica microtoroid OMOs. Moreover by carefully studying the impact of mechanical mode selection, device dimensions, mass position and noise mechanisms we explore the performance limits of OMO both as a mass detector and a high resolution mass measurement system. Our analysis shows that femtogram level resolution is within reach even with relatively large OMOs.
A Gene Encoding a Chloroplast-Targeted Lipoxygenase in Tomato Leaves Is Transiently Induced by Wounding, Systemin, and Methyl Jasmonate

We investigated the relationship between the expression of lipoxygenase (LOX) genes and the systemin-dependent wound response in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) leaves. A polymerase chain reaction-based approach was used to isolate two tomato Lox cDNAs, called TomLoxC and TomLoxD. Both TomLOXC and TomLOXD amino acid sequences possess an N-terminal extension of about 60 residues that were shown by in vitro uptake to function as transit peptides, targeting these proteins into the chloroplast. Within 30 to 50 min following wounding or systemin or methyl jasmonate treatments, the TomLoxD mRNA level increased and reached a maximum between 1 and 2 h. TomLoxC mRNA was not detectable in leaves and was not found following wounding, but it was found in ripening fruits, indicating that the two tomato Lox genes are regulated in different tissues by different processes. The results suggest that the TomLoxD gene is up-regulated in leaves in response to wounding and encodes a chloroplast LOX that may play a role as a component of the octadecanoid defense-signaling pathway.
EVALUATION OF A NONDESTRUCTIVE METHOD FOR DETERMINING BODY COMPOSITION OF WHITE RIVER CRAYFISH PROCAMBARUS ACUTUS

Abstract A nondestructive method for determining body composition by measuring total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) was evaluated with 36 male and 36 female white river crayfish Procambarus acutus, ranging from 82 to 122 mm total length (TL) and from 16.62 to 67.11 g wet weight (WW). Significant relationship with an R 2 of 0.999 was observed using TOBEC and WW for lean body mass (LBM), whereas WW, TL, or a combination of these variables were significantly correlated with protein (R 2 = 0.914), ash (R 2 = 0.902), and water content (R 2 = 0.978). The correlation coefficient was the lowest for lipid content (R 2 = 0.652) using TOBEC and WW. The predictive models for LBM, lipid, and ash were significantly different for male and female crayfish. Relative body composition for a standard-size female crayfish was 3.48% lipid and 9.71% ash compared with 1.91% lipid and 11.85% ash for a male. Analysis of an independent group of eight male and female crayfish demonstrated that TOBEC and WW jointly were reliabl...
A feedback control for the advanced launch system

A robust feedback algorithm is presented for a near-minimum-fuel ascent of a two-stage launch vehicle operating in the equatorial plane. The development of the algorithm is based on the ideas of neighboring optimal control and can be derived into three phases. In phase 1, the formalism of optimal control is employed to calculate fuel-optimal ascent trajectories for a simple point-mass model. In phase 2, these trajectories are used to numerically calculate gain functions of time for the control(s), the total flight time, and possibly, for other variables of interest. In phase 3, these gains are used to determine feedback expressions for the controls associated with a more realistic model of a launch vehicle. With the Advanced Launch System in mind, all calculations are performed on a two-stage vehicle with fixed thrust history, but this restriction is by no means important for the approach taken. Performance and robustness of the algorithm is found to be excellent.
Transport and magnetization in the badly metallic itinerant ferromagnet

SrRuO3 is an itinerant ferromagnet with Tc 160 K and a 'bad metal' in the limit of kF l D O.1/. While the magnetic properties of SrRuO3 in the paramagnetic phase, near the ferromagnetic phase transition and at low temperatures are normal and consistent with its being a strong itinerant ferromagnet, the transport properties (resistivity and magnetoresistance) sharply deviate from that of good metallic ferromagnets. We conjecture that the distinct transport behaviour of SrRuO3 is related to its being a 'bad metal' in the kF l D O.1/ limit, and discuss the possible relevance of our results to the unusual transport properties of other 'bad metals' such as high-temperature superconductors.