cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Experience With Valve-Sparing Aortic Root Replacement in Children

Background Aortic valve-sparing root replacement has become an established treatment for adults with aneurysms of the ascending aorta, but there is limited experience in children, for whom the advantages of avoiding valve prostheses are particularly attractive. Methods A retrospective clinical study was undertaken to examine results of aortic valve-sparing operations in pediatric patients at a single institution. Clinical and echocardiographic data were obtained from chart review and outpatient follow-up examination. Results Between 1997 and 2004, 19 children underwent aortic valve-sparing root replacement. Mean age was 12.2 ± 4.4 years, and mean weight was 51.5 ± 22.9 kg. Median length of clinical follow-up was 58 months (range, 5 to 91). Fifteen of 19 patients (78.9%) had Marfan syndrome and 1 had aortic root dilation late after the arterial switch operation. Mean preoperative root diameter was 4.7 ± 0.6 cm, with an average Z score of 7.7 ± 1.9. Fourteen patients (73.7%) underwent root remodeling, whereas 5 (26.3%) had a reimplantation procedure. One patient required concomitant mitral valve repair. There was no operative mortality and only 1 reoperation for bleeding (5.3%). Median length of hospital stay was 5 days (range, 3 to 12). At latest follow-up, 3 of 19 patients (15.8%) have required late aortic valve replacement. Fifteen patients have no or mild aortic valve insufficiency, and 1 has moderate but stable valve regurgitation. No patient with a reimplantation procedure has had a reoperation or more than mild insufficiency, and no patient has suffered endocarditis or thromboembolism. Conclusions Valve-sparing aortic root replacement is a viable alternative to root replacement with mechanical or biological prostheses in children, and can be accomplished with minimal morbidity and mortality. Reimplantation procedures appear to have more durable results than root remodeling techniques, and should be strongly considered for pediatric patients with aortic root enlargement secondary to connective tissue disorders and other forms of congenital heart disease.
Satellite observations of sea ice

An overview is presented of Antarctic and Arctic sea ice studies using data from the Nimbus-5 ESMR and the Nimbus-7 SMMR passive microwave radiometers. Four years (1973-1976) of ESMR data for the Antarctic Ocean define the characteristics of the seasonal cycle including regional contrasts and interannual variations. Major advances include the discovery of the Weddell polynya and the presence of substantial areas of open water in the Antarctic winter pack ice. Regional differences in sea ice extent on time-scales of about a month are shown to be associated with variations in surface-wind fields. In the Arctic, the computation of sea ice concentration is complicated by the presence of multiyear ice, but the amount of multiyear ice becomes an important measurable quantity with dual-polarized, multifrequency passive microwave sensors. Analysis of SMMR data demonstrates its advantage for studying the spatial and temporal variability of the Arctic ice cover. Large observed interannual variations in the distribution of the multiyear pack ice and the presence of significant divergent areas in the central Arctic during winter contrast markedly with the classical view of the Arctic pack ice.
Winter Mortality of Larvae of the European Pine Shoot Moth, Rhyacionia Buoliana Schiff., in Connecticut

The severity of the winter of 1933–34 in contrast with the two previous winters afforded the writer the opportunity of observing the effect of winter temperatures on the survival of larvae of the European pine shoot moth. These observations are included here together with the results of some laboratory experiments on lethal low temperatures. An explanation is suggested for the course of development of the shoot moth outbreak since the introduction of the insect into Connecticut in 1914.
Sex- and gender-specific research priorities for the emergency management of heart failure and acute arrhythmia: proceedings from the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Cardiovascular Research Workgroup.

The emergency department (ED) is the point of first contact for patients with acute heart failure and arrhythmias, with 1 million annual ED visits in the United States. Although the total numbers of men and women living with heart failure are similar, female patients are underrepresented in clinical studies, with current knowledge predominantly based on data from male patients. This has led to an underappreciation of the sex-specific differences in clinical characteristics and pathophysiology-based management of heart failure. Similar disparities have been found in management of acute arrhythmias, especially atrial arrhythmias that lead to an increased risk of stroke in women. Additionally, peripartum and postpartum cardiomyopathy represent a diagnostic and treatment dilemma. This article is the result of a breakout session in the cardiovascular and resuscitation work group of the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference “Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Medicine: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes.” A nominal group technique was used to identify and prioritize themes and research questions using electronic mail, monthly conference calls, in-person meetings, and Web-based surveys between June 2013 and May 2014. Consensus was achieved through three rounds of nomination followed by the meeting on May 13, 2014, and resulted in seven priority themes that are essential to the common complex clinical syndrome of heart failure for both men and women and include the areas of pathophysiology; presentation and symptomatology; and diagnostic strategies using biomarkers, treatment, and mortality, with special consideration to arrhythmia management and pregnancy.
HIGH INCIDENCE OF LUNG PERFORATION BY CHEST TUBE IN NEONATAL PNEUMOTHORAX

We found iatrogenic lung perforation by chest tube to be a frequent complication of percutaneous pleural drainage in the newborn with severe tension pneumothorax. Of 209 consecutive patients admitted to the Neonatal ICU with clinical RDS, 28 (13.4%) developed severe tension pneumothorax requiring pleural drainage and 21 of these expired. Twenty were autapsied. A perforation of the lung directly related to the pleural drainage was found in 7 of 20 (35%); none of these had been diagnosed clinically. The chest tubes were inserted by standard technique, using #10-12 Argyle rubes ( preceded by #18-22 Medicut aspiration in half of the cases.) There was anatomic and microscopic evidence of pre-mortem lung perforation by chest tubes in 5/7 and by catheters in 2/7. In the absence of pleural adhesions, the increased stiffness of these lungs most likely predisposed them to perforation. Although our incidence of pneumothorax requiring pleural drainage in patient with RDS has decreased from 21.5% to 11.7% between 1972 and 1975, the incidence of lung perforation in relation to chest tube insertion has not changed; it remains at 1 lesion per 10 tubes. The high incidence of this complication in our autopsy series suggests a need to reevaluate the technique of pleural drainage in the newborn with acute tension pneumothorax.
Probability density functions for multilook polarimetric signatures

Derives closed-form expressions for the probability density functions (PDF's) for copolar and cross-polar ratios and for the copolar phase difference for multilook polarimetric SAR data, in terms of elements of the covariance matrix for the backscattering process. The authors begin with the case in which scattering-matrix data are jointly Gaussian-distributed. The resulting copolar-phase PDF is formally identical to the phase PDF arising in the study of SAR interferometry, so the authors' results also apply in that setting. By direct simulation, they verify the closed-form PDF's. They show that estimation of signatures from averaged covariance matrices results in smaller biases and variances than averaging single-look signature estimates. They then generalize their derivation to certain cases in which backscattered intensities and amplitudes are K-distributed. They find in a range of circumstances that the PDF's of polarimetric signatures are unchanged from those derived in the Gaussian case. They verify this by direct simulation, and also examine a case that fails to satisfy an important assumption in their derivation. The forms of the signature distributions continue to describe data well in the latter case, but parameters in distributions fitted to (simulated) data differ from those used to generate the data. Finally, the authors examine samples of K-distributed polarimetric SAR data from Arctic sea ice and find that their theoretical distributions describe the data well with a plausible choice of parameters. This allows the authors to estimate the precision of polarimetric-signature estimates as a function of the number of SAR looks and other system parameters. >
Biological and Biochemical Variables Affecting the Relative Values for Growth and Feed Efficiency of Rats Fed Yogurt or Milk

Stimulation of weanling rat growth by yogurt and related fermented milks was associated with increased feed efficiency (FE) and increased consumption (C). During the 4-wk bioassay the importance of FE in growth stimulation decreased relative to C. The degree of stimulation depended inversely on the growth performance of the control rats. Stimulation was unrelated to the final pH, lactose content, or bacterial lactase content, but was related to the bacterial content. Lactobaciks buIgaricus could be omitted from the yogurt fermentation or replaced by other bacteria without reducing stimulation. Lactase pretreatment of the control milk improved growth performance.
Optimization of pressure-flow limits, strength, intraparticle transport and dynamic capacity by hydrogel solids content and bead size in cellulose immunosorbents

Abstract The design of existing beaded adsorbent materials for column-mode protein purification has emphasized the impact of diffusional transport phenomena upon adsorbent capacity. A design model is presented here that optimizes molecular accessibility of proteins relative to the mechanical stability at low operating pressures by manipulation of size and solids content for uncross-linked cellulose beads. Cellulose beads of several different sizes ranging from about 250 to 1000 μm diameter and having different solids contents were evaluated. Solids content of greater than about 9% cellulose greatly reduced the permeability of large proteins such as thyroglobulin and β-amylase into the beaded matrix at bead contacting times of about 5 and 50 s. Furthermore, the amount of permeation at 3% solids content by thyroglobulin at bead contacting times of about 5 s was about tenfold larger than predicted by diffusion models using the binary diffusivity in a purely aqueous continuum. The utility of a low solids content, large bead cellulose support was shown with immobilized IgG (Mr 155 kDa) capturing recombinant human Protein C (Mr 62 kDa). A 1000 μm diameter beaded cellulose immunosorbent having 3% solids content gave equivalent capacity to a 140 μm diameter beaded, cross-linked agarose support containing 4% solids. In contrast to the smaller diameter, cross-linked beaded agarose, the low solids content beaded cellulose benefitted from greater physical stability due to more optimal pressure-flow characteristics imparted by large bead size.
Hybrid Control for UAV-Assisted Search and Rescue

We develop a decentralized hybrid controller for fixed-wing UAVs assisting a manned helicopter in a United States Coast Guard search and rescue mission. The UAVs assist the manned helicopter by providing an expanded sensor footprint using onboard cameras. We consider two UAVs, one flying on either side of the helicopter, with constant velocity and maximum turn rate constraints. Tracking the helicopter around sharp corners will be difficult due to these constraints and the difference in path lengths for the two UAVs. To solve this problem, we propose a hybrid controller that allows the UAVs to swap positions in an attempt to improve the tracking and ground coverage performance of the formation. We discuss tracking control, the position swapping algorithm and collision avoidance. Simulation results demonstrate improved search efficiency and aircraft safety.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Innovating firms’ strategic signaling along the innovation life cycle: The standards war context

Abstract Firms that develop market-focused technological innovations regularly employ strategic signals to influence market participants’ perceptions of the uncertainties that pervade innovation-based competition. Focusing on the standards war context, we argue that an innovation’s technical, market and standards uncertainties will vary as the innovation evolves through its life cycle, influencing innovating firms’ strategic signaling behaviors and, hence, the impacts of these signals on market participants’ perceptions of these firms’ likelihood of innovation success. We also examine how such influences vary depending on innovating firms’ strategic positions during different phases of the innovation life cycle. Our insights are developed into testable propositions.
Pair breaking by spin-disorder scattering at the antiferromagnetic transition of the Dy3+ sublattice of DyBa2Cu3O7- delta films.

A peak in the temperature dependence of the resistance of ultrathin, granular $\mathrm{Dy}{\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{7\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}$ films has been found near the N\'eel temperature ${T}_{N}$ of the ${\mathrm{Dy}}^{3+}$ sublattice which orders as a 2D Ising antiferromagnet. The shift of the position of the peak to lower temperatures with increasing magnetic field is consistent with it being a signature of ${T}_{N}$. These observations are attributed to the suppression of intergranular Josephson coupling by pair breaking, resulting from enhanced intragranular spin-disorder scattering of quasiparticles near the transition.
Prophylaxis of hepatitis B infection in solid organ transplant recipients

Rates of transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from organ donors with HBV markers to recipients along with reactivation of HBV during immunosuppression following transplantation have fallen significantly with the advent of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIg) and effective antiviral therapy. Although the availability of potent antiviral agents and HBIg has highly impacted the survival rate of HBV-infected patients after transplantation, the high cost associated with this practice represents a major financial burden. The availability of potent antivirals with high genetic barrier to resistance and minimal side effects have made it possible to recommend an HBIg-free prophylactic regimen in selected patients with low viral burden prior to transplant. Significant developments over the last two decades in the understanding and treatment of HBV infection necessitate a re-appraisal of the guidelines for prophylaxis of HBV infection in solid organ transplant recipients.
BRCA1: the enigma of tissue-specific tumor development

Recent evidence indicates that BRCA1, a gene product associated with breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility, is an important component of the cellular response to DNA damage. Despite being expressed ubiquitously in adult tissues, germline mutations in BRCA1 predispose individuals to breast and ovarian tumors with only minor effects on the predisposition to cancer in other sites. The reason for this tissue specificity of BRCA1 carcinomas must be found if we are to understand fully why these tumors occur and to enable us to design efficient preventive and therapeutic regimens. Here I propose that tissue-specific rates of loss of heterozygosity in the BRCA1 locus could contribute to tissue specificity in tumor development.
Battling The Serpent Nat Turner, Africanized Christianity, and a Black Ethos

This article posits that the spread of Christianity among enslaved Africans hastened the development of a common ethnic identity among ethnically diverse peoples who were the first generations of enslaved Africans on American shores. The article focuses on this notion of Black religion as a primary source of the logic of Black resistant/resilience and as the spiritual source for the development of a collective Black consciousness. It is further argued that resistant/resilience organically developed in the process of the construction of an authentically African theology as exemplified in the document that has come to be known as "Nat Turner's confession." The author assumes that the African-Christian hybrid cosmology seen in the confession is an example of the worldview of enslaved Africans generally in the 19th century. This Africanized Christianity forms the basis for the common ethnic identity, with its motivating cultural value (self-determination) and central organizing theme (resistant/resilience) se...
Treatment Strategies for a Case of Concurrent Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Cerebral Gigantism

A 4-year-old girl presented for a psychiatric evaluation with reported episodes of clumsiness, aggressiveness, lack of relatedness, and temper tantrums. Her evaluation disclosed multiple developmental deficits, including cognitive, affective, and social lags. Given her individual history and her specific constellation of symptoms as well as a familial history indicative of developmental impairment, the child was diagnosed as having pervasive developmental disorder. This diagnosis reflects the expanded nosology for autism, as specified in DSM-III-R. Subsequently, after a genetic evaluation, the child was found to have an organic central nervous system deficit in the form of cerebral gigantism, a neural disorder. The recognition of an organic impairment in this case contributed to an understanding of the pervasive developmental disorder symptomatology and facilitated the formulation of an appropriate therapeutic protocol that addressed both developmental and neurological components.
Growth processes and phase transformations studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy

In situ transmission electron microscopy allows us to study growth processes and phase transitions which are important in semiconductor processing. It provides a unique view of dynamic reactions as they occur. In this paper we describe the use of in situ microscopy for the observation of reactions in silicides and the formation of semiconductor "quantum dots." The dynamic information obtained from these experiments enables us to understand reaction mechanisms and to suggest improvements to growth and processing techniques. We conclude with a discussion of the use of in situ microscopy for studying reactions such as electrodeposition which occur at liquid/solid interfaces.
Extracting insights from social media with large-scale matrix approximations

Social media platforms such as blogs, Twitter® accounts, and online discussion sites are large-scale forums where every individual can potentially voice an influential public opinion. According to recent surveys, a massive number of Internet users are turning to such forums to collect recommendations and reviews for products and services, and to shape their individual choices and stances by the commentary of the online community as a whole. The unsupervised extraction of insight from unstructured user-generated web content requires new methodologies that are likely to be rooted in natural language processing and machine-learning techniques. Furthermore, the unprecedented scale of data begging to be analyzed necessitates the implementation of these methodologies on modern distributed computing platforms. In this paper, we describe a flexible new family of low-rank matrix approximation algorithms for modeling topics in a given corpus of documents (e.g., blog posts and tweets). We benchmark distributed optimization algorithms for running these models in a Hadoopi-enabled cluster environment. We describe online learning strategies for tracking the evolution of ongoing topics and rapidly detecting the emergence of new themes in a streaming setting.
Annotations on musical scores by performing musicians: Collaborative models, interactive methods, and music digital library tool development

Although there have been a number of fairly recent studies in which researchers have explored the information-seeking and management behaviors of people interacting with musical retrieval systems, there have been very few published studies of the interaction and use behaviors of musicians interacting with their primary information object, the musical score. The ethnographic research reported here seeks to correct this deficiency in the literature. In addition to observing rehearsals and conducting 22 in-depth musician interviews, this research provides in-depth analysis of 25,000 annotations representing 250 parts from 13 complete musical works, made by musicians of all skill levels and performance modes. In addition to producing specific and practical recommendations for digital-library development, this research also provides an augmented annotation framework that will enable more specific study of human-information interaction, both with musical scores, and with more general notational-instructional information objects. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Afferent pathway and neuromodulation of superficial and deeper thoracic spinal neurons receiving noxious pulmonary inputs in rats.

Abstract The occurrence of vagally mediated afferent signaling by lung irritants is well known. However, spinal visceral afferent pathways also might be relevant to pulmonary irritation. In the present study, responses and modulation of superficial and deep T3 spinal neurons were examined using inhaled ammonia, and the peripheral afferent fibers were also characterized in part. Extracellular potentials of single thoracic (T3) spinal neurons were recorded in pentobarbital anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated male rats. Ammonia vapor (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 ml) was injected into the inspiratory line of the ventilator for 20 s. Inhaled ammonia (IA, 1.0 ml) excited 5/6 neurons and inhibited one spinal neuron recorded in superficial laminae, whereas deeper neurons responded with excitatory (E, n = 20), inhibitory (I, n = 4) or biphasic patterns (6 E–I, 3 I–E). Electrical and chemical stimulation of C1–C2 spinal neurons primarily suppressed T3 neuronal responses to IA. Resiniferatoxin (2 μg/kg, i.v.), which desensitizes afferent fibers containing transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV-1), abolished excitatory responses of 8/8 neurons to IA. Bilateral cervical vagotomy did not affect IA responses in 5 superficial neurons while 7 deeper neurons showed variable responses. 82% (32/39) of the spinal neurons responding to IA also received convergent noxious inputs from somatic fields in the chest and back areas. These results suggested that superficial and deeper spinal neuronal activation by inhaled ammonia mainly depended upon pulmonary sympathetic afferent fibers expressing TRPV-1. Additionally, C1–C2 spinal neurons, supraspinal sites and vagal afferents modulated the thoracic spinal neuronal responses to lower airway irritation.
Effect of Categorizing a Continuous Covariate on the Comparison of Survival Time

Abstract The variance of the estimated hazard ratio between two groups when there is one categorized continuous gamma-distributed covariate is derived using exponential and Weibull regression models and asymptotic theory. Categorizing a continuous covariate increases the variance of the estimated hazard ratio and decreases the efficiency of the analysis. The efficiency of categorization is studied as a function of the strength of the relation between survival time and the covariate, the choice of cut points used in categorizing, and the number of categories. An application of the results to an advanced lung cancer clinical trial is given.
Protein kinase A and phosphodiesterase-4D3 binding to coding polymorphisms of cardiac muscle anchoring protein (mAKAP)

Protein kinase A (PKA) substrate phosphorylation is facilitated through its co-localization with its signaling partner by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). mAKAP (muscle-selective AKAP) localizes PKA and its substrates such as phosphodiesterase-4D3 (PDE4D3), ryanodine receptor, and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) to the sarcoplasmic reticulum and perinuclear space. The genetic role of mAKAP, in modulating PKA/PDE4D3 molecular signaling during cardiac diseases, remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of naturally occurring mutations in human mAKAP on PKA and PDE4D3 signaling. We have recently identified potentially important human mAKAP coding non-synonymous polymorphisms located within or near key protein binding sites critical to β-adrenergic receptor signaling. Three mutations (P1400S, S2195F, and L717V) were cloned and transfected into a mammalian cell line for the purpose of comparing whether those substitutions disrupt mAKAP binding to PKA or PDE4D3. Immunoprecipitation study of mAKAP-P1400S, a mutation located in the mAKAP-PDE4D3 binding site, displayed a significant reduction in binding to PDE4D3, with no significant changes in PKA binding or PKA activity. Conversely, mAKAP-S2195F, a mutation located in mAKAP-PP2A binding site, showed significant increase in both binding propensity to PKA and PKA activity. Additionally, mAKAP-L717V, a mutation flanking the mAKAP-spectrin repeat domain, exhibited a significant increase in PKA binding compared to wild type, but there was no change in PKA activity. We also demonstrate specific binding of wild-type mAKAP to PDE4D3. Binding results were demonstrated using immunoprecipitation and confirmed with surface plasmon resonance (Biacore-2000); functional results were demonstrated using activity assays, Ca(2+) measurements, and Western blot. Comparative analysis of the binding responses of mutations to mAKAP could provide important information about how these mutations modulate signaling.
The hippocampus and Pavlovian fear conditioning: reply to Bast et al.

In a recent article that appeared in Hippocampus, we reviewed findings supporting a mnemonic role for the dorsal hippocampus (DH) in Pavlovian (contextual and tone) fear conditioning (Anagnostaras et al., 2001). We also detailed a view that has emerged over the years from this work that suggests that the hippocampus plays a highly selective role in the acquisition and temporary storage of contextual representations, as opposed to a role in conditional stimulus–unconditional stimulus (CS–US) associations or in permanent storage for which the amygdala has been heavily implicated (Kim and Fanselow, 1992; Phillips and LeDoux, 1992; Young et al., 1994; Maren and Fanselow, 1996; Maren et al., 1996,1997, 1998; Anagnostaras et al., 1999). Because the evidence that DH lesions produce a temporally graded retrograde amnesia selective for contextual fear that accords well with declarative memory deficits in amnesic humans, we have further argued this may be a good model system with which to study the transformation of memory from a hippocampus-dependent to a hippocampus-independent (cortical) state (i.e., consolidation) (Scoville and Milner, 1957; Squire, 1992; Squire and Alvarez, 1995; Hodges and Graham, 1998; Squire et al., 2001; Murre et al., 2001; Frankland et al., 2001). In a letter to Hippocampus regarding our recent article, Bast et al. (2001b) expand on our review to discuss their recent data (and the data of others), focusing in particular on findings from lesions of the ventral hippocampus (VH) and discussing how these are problematic for the view we presented. Although a specific hypothesis on the role of the VH in fear conditioning has not yet been formulated, several interesting findings were reviewed, emphasizing, in particular, the effects of complete or VH lesions on both tone fear conditioning and on remotely acquired fear (e.g.,Mumby et al., 1999; Sutherland et al., 2001). These findings are in contrast to DH lesions, in which a severe and selective deficit for recently acquired contextual fear, but not for tone or remotely acquired fear, is typically found (Kim and Fanselow, 1992; Phillips and LeDoux, 1992; Maren et al., 1997; Anagnostaras et al., 1999). In this reply, we address and expand on some of the issues raised by Bast et al. (2001b). Although this can help clarify where agreements lie in some of the empirical findings, we feel there is not yet enough experimental evidence to offer a specific role for the VH in fear conditioning, and it is not yet clear whether these findings challenge the views offered in our review. However, we agree that, as the interface between the DH and amygdala, future work in the area of VH will be essential to our understanding of the neural circuits involved in contextual fear conditioning:
Individual and cumulative effect of prostate cancer risk-associated variants on clinicopathologic variables in 5,895 prostate cancer patients

Background—More than a dozen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Their association with PCa aggressiveness and clinicopathologic variables is inconclusive. Methods—Twenty PCa risk SNPs implicated in GWAS and fine mapping studies were evaluated in 5,895 PCa cases treated by radical prostatectomy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where each tumor was uniformly graded and staged using the same protocol. Results—For 18 of the 20 SNPs examined, no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in risk allele frequencies between patients with more aggressive (Gleason Scores ≥ 4+3, or stage ≥ T3b, or N+) or less aggressive disease (Gleason Scores ≤ 3+4, and stage ≤ T2, and N0). For the two SNPs that had significant differences between more and less aggressive disease (rs2735839 in KLK3 (P = 8.4 × 10 −7 ) and rs10993994 in MSMB (P = 0.046), the alleles that are associated with increased risk for PCa were more frequent in patients with less aggressive disease. Since these SNPs are known to be associated with PSA levels in men without PCa diagnoses, these latter associations may reflect the enrichment of low grade, low stage cases diagnosed by contemporary disease screening with PSA.
Arachidonic acid metabolism in thrombocytes and vascular tissues of turkeys.

Abstract Turkeys are hypertensive compared to mammals of similar size. In vitro synthesis of thrombocyte thromboxane B2 (TxB2), 12L-hydroxy-5, 8, 10 heptadecatrienoic acid (HHT), 12L-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) and aortic prostaglandin (PG) production was studied in one to ten month old domestic white turkeys. Compared to normal human platelets, TxB2 production was increased (55.4 vs. 31.4%) and HETE production was markedly reduced (6.5 vs. 34.6%) in control thrombocytes. Similar to human platelets in which cyclooxygenase inhibition with aspirin results in an increase in HETE production, block of the thrombocyte enzyme with aspirin doubled the production of HETE. In vitro conversion of radiolabeled arachidonic acid (AA) showed that the primary PG produced by turkey aorta was PGE2. A 6-keto immunoreactive PG was present which comigrated with authentic 6-keto PGF1α, but failure of the aortic supernatant to inhibit adenosine diphosphate or AA induced platelet aggregation suggested that PGI2 was not produced. The vasodepressor potency of PGE1, PGE2 and PGI2 was altered in awake turkeys with PGE1 and PGE2 having five times the hypotensive effect as PGI2. In addition, conversion of AA to PGE2 by aorta in one month turkeys was greater (17.3 vs. 9.2%) than in ten month old turkeys. Systemic arterial pressure was increased in the ten month old turkeys (188 mmHg) compared to one month old turkeys (143 mmHg). Thus, both vascular AA metabolism and the vasodepressor potencies of PGE2 and PGI2 are altered and the activity of the lipoxygenase pathway in thrombocytes is limited in the turkey.
Effects of different switching algorithms on the thermal behavior of IGBT modules under pulse-load conditions

In this paper the impact of pulse-loads on a six-pack IGBT power module is presented using Finite Element (FE) computations. The FE model solves the heat transfer equations which determine the thermal behavior of the six-pack IGBT module. The approach is such that the IGBT switching loss is calculated using a time domain circuit simulation model, then the results are used as input data for the FE computations. It is assumed that the IGBT module is operating as a three-phase voltage source inverter under pulse-load condition. With this model, the temperature of each chip can be directly derived from the losses of the silicon chips. The FE results can be used in order to verify the accuracy of the NTC sensor (Negative Temperature coefficient) included in the chip. The FE computational results have been verified for some identified conditions which have been tested by the manufacturer.
Structural insights into the assembly of the type III secretion needle complex.

Type III secretion systems (TTSSs) mediate translocation of virulence factors into host cells. We report the 17-angstrom resolution structures of a central component of Salmonella typhimurium TTSS, the needle complex, and its assembly precursor, the bacterial envelope–anchored base. Both the base and the fully assembled needle complex adopted multiple oligomeric states in vivo, and needle assembly was accompanied by recruitment of the protein PrgJ as a structural component of the base. Moreover, conformational changes during needle assembly created scaffolds for anchoring both PrgJ and the needle substructure and may provide the basis for substrate-specificity switching during type III secretion.
Fayol’s 14 principles of management then and now:a framework for managing today’s organizations effectively

Early last century, for industrially‐developing economies, Fayol offered 14 principles of management aimed to help managers ascertain what to do to manage more effectively. Currently, service‐based and high‐tech industries are becoming dominant in some economies, such as the United States. Many organizations in these industries interpret the principles quite differently from the way they were interpreted in Fayol’s time. The differences and the cultural challenges managers face in implementing this new framework are presented.
El patrón comercial a finales del siglo XIX: Un análisis comparativo

espanolEn este ensayo se contrasta para una muestra dr 18 paises hacia 1913 una version estatica de la teoria de Heckscher-Ohlin, en la formulacion de Vanek. La conclusion alcanzada es que si bien el modelo de H-O con competencia perfecta no resulta plenamente explicativo para la segunda posguerra mundial, es muy adecuado, sin embargo, para los anos finales del siglo XIX y primeros del siglo XX. EnglishThis paper will focus on the question: ?does the Heckscher-Ohlin theory adequately account for the major aspects of the trade pattern observed prior to WWI, or are there other influences that mattered? I conclude that although the perfect competition H-O model does not do all that well for the post-world War II period, it is perfectly adequate for the late nineteenth century, the period which motivated Eli F. Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin in the first place.
Concentrated Defects in PuO2

The accumulation of concentrated defects in 2 3 8 PuO2 by self-radiation damage is shown to proceed by a simple exponential function for samples which are initially defect free. Anomalous behavior for both ingrowth and damage recovery is related to helium inventory but not to uranium, which is the daughter product of the alpha decay. The annealing of samples having achieved a saturation of defects at 25° C proceeds through a two-stage mechanism; the first having an activation energy of 0.17 ev. Both defect production and annealing behavior are characterized by X-ray diffraction and electrical-conductivity measurements for 25°C < T < 1000°C.
Doctoral Program Characteristics and Rankings in Agricultural Economics

A 1989 survey of 30 agricultural economics departments that offer Ph.D. programs indicated a diversity of requirements with 93 and 73 percent requiring microeconomic and macro-economic examinations, respectively. The average Ph.D. program required 4.6 years, but varied from three to eight years to complete, depending on the university. A longer Ph.D. program was found to be correlated with a more highly ranked department.
Outdoor scale modeling of shrub barriers in drifting snow

Abstract Model shrub barriers one-twentieth the average height of corresponding mature plants were exposed to snow drifting on a frozen lake, to test the effects of barrier porosity and row spacing on snow accumulation. Single rows with porosities of 8, 15, and 23% produced drifts with average cross-sectional areas of 9 H 2 , where H is model height, The area of the average deposition downwind of a 36% porosity model was 12 H 2 . Total deposition behind two model shrub rows spaced 8, 10 and 14 H apart, perpendicular to the wind, was greatest for the largest spacing. At this spacing, the minimum snow depth between rows was 0.5 H . The experiments demonstrate the importance of maintaining porous barriers. Gaps, simulating shrub mortality, greatly reduced snow storage, especially during high winds. Results from this investigation indicate that a porous shrub in rows spaced at least 14 times the average barrier height, would provide good snow distribution for forage production between rows.
Inhibitory effects of acidic minesoil on the sericea Lespedeza/Bradyrhizobium symbiotic relationship

Abstract Effects of acidic minesoil on sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza juncea (L.F.) var. sericea (Mig.)] and its nitrogen (N2)‐fixing symbiotic relationship with Bradyrhizobium spp. were examined. Sericea lespedeza was grown in pots with N fertilization, without N fertilization, or with commercial Bradyrhizobium as a seed inoculant. Minesoil (pH 5.2) was fertilized with calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), molybdenum (Mo), and potassium (K), and the pH level was adjusted to 4.8 or 4.5 with aluminum or iron sulfate [Al2(SO4)3; Fe2(SO4)3]. Minesoil was also limed to pH 6.1. Shoot dry weights, shoot N concentrations, nodule dry weights, and nodule numbers were significantly lower (P < 0.05) when inoculated plants were grown in soil at pH 4.5 and 4.8 compared to limed soil. Thus, the N2 fixation process was adversely affected below pH 5.0. Nitrogen‐fertilized plants grew well in acidified soil, and there were no significant differences in shoot dry weights of such plants among the soil acidification treatments includi...
Efficient scheduled stabilizing model predictive control for constrained nonlinear systems

We present a computationally efficient scheduled model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for constrained nonlinear systems with large operating regions. We design a set of local predictive controllers with estimates of their regions of stability covering the desired operating region, and implement them as a single scheduled MPC which on-line switches between the set of local controllers and achieves nonlinear transitions with guaranteed stability. This algorithm is computationally efficient and provides a general framework for the scheduled MPC design. The algorithm is illustrated with two examples. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
John Dewey on Listening and Friendship in School and Society.

In this essay, Leonard Waks examines John Dewey's account of listening, drawing on Dewey's writings to establish a direct connection in his work between listening and democracy. Waks devotes the first part of the essay to explaining Dewey's distinction between one-way or straight-line listening and transactional listening-in-conversation, and to demonstrating the close connection between transactional listening and what Dewey called “cooperative friendship.” In the second part of the essay, Waks establishes the further link between Dewey's notions of cooperative friendship and democratic society with particular reference to machine-age technologies of mass communication. He maintains that while these technologies provide the means for extending communications throughout modern industrial nations, they simultaneously undermine the conditions fostering face-to-face listening-in-conversation. It remains an open question, Waks concludes, whether new educational arrangements incorporating interactive digital communication technologies will embody and promote transactional listening-in-conversation and revitalized democratic community.
Family systems and the foundations of class in Ireland and England

The article examines the history and development of family systems in England and Ireland, with special attention to the role of moral constructions in establishing differential advantage among family members and to the consequences for society of such differentiation. It is argued that the English system of primogeniture contributed to the proliferation of bureaucracy and entrepreneurship, the growth of a middle class, and the creation of a landless and mobile laboring class. The Irish system of preferential inheritance with some partibility, on the other hand, deterred the rise of such class differentiation and concentration of wealth. Both societies developed a “bifocal morality” with respect to heirs and nonheirs or lesser heirs, a morality situated in economics and politics in England and nurtured within the family in Ireland.
Whither International Efforts for Internally Displaced Persons

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) now comprise the main war victims, and are probably twice as numerous as refugees. Paradoxically, a legal framework and a special institution exist for the latter whereas neither exists for the former. This serious structural flaw in the international humanitarian system has been recognized with the appointment of a representative of the UN Secretary-General on internally displaced persons. Over the last half decade, international discourse has changed and guiding principles have been developed for dissemination. It is time for action to replace oratory. A review of the progress to date and gaps in the present coverage for IDPs provide the background for analyzing intergovernmental options currently under consideration.
Misconceptions about the Fishbein model: Reflections on a study by Songer-Nocks

Abstract Songer-Nocks has questioned the generality and sufficiency of Fishbein's model of intentions. It is shown that her conclusions reflect a basic misunderstanding of the model and its implications. Several misconceptions are identified and an attempt is made to clarify some of the theoretical and methodological issues involved.
The Revealed Preferences of State EPAs: Stringency, Enforcement, and Substitution

Abstract The EPA suggests states inspect polluters at least once a year and use sampling and nonsampling inspections equally. States face two separate pressures in their attempts to comply with these mandates: political and budgetary. Budgetary considerations arise because inspections are costly while political pressures arise because the stringency of enforcement, in part, determines the cost abatement. This study estimates the relative importance of political and budgetary pressures in the stringency with which the Clean Water Act is enforced. The results suggest that inspections determined by budgetary concerns and the stringency of inspections is determined, in part, by political factors.
Spatiotemporal Measurement of Freezing-Induced Deformation of Engineered Tissues

In order to cryopreserve functional engineered tissues (ETs), the microstructure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) should be maintained, as well as the cellular viability since the functionality is closely related to the ECM microstructure. Since the post-thaw ECM microstructure is determined by the deformation of ETs during cryopreservation, freezing-induced deformation of ETs was measured with a newly developed quantum dot (QD)-mediated cell image deformetry system using dermal equivalents as a model tissue. The dermal equivalents were constructed by seeding QD-labeled fibroblasts in type I collagen matrices. After 24 h incubation, the ETs were directionally frozen by exposing them to a spatial temperature gradient (from 4 degrees C to -20 degrees C over a distance of 6 mm). While being frozen, the ETs were consecutively imaged, and consecutive pairs of these images were two-dimensionally cross-correlated to determine the local deformation during freezing. The results showed that freezing induced the deformation of ET, and its magnitude varied with both time and location. The maximum local dilatation was 0.006 s(-1) and was always observed at the phase change interface. Due to this local expansion, the unfrozen region in front of the freezing interface experienced compression. This expansion-compression pattern was observed throughout the freezing process. In the unfrozen region, the deformation rate gradually decreased away from the freezing interface. After freezing/thawing, the ET experienced an approximately 28% decrease in thickness and 8% loss in weight. These results indicate that freezing-induced deformation caused the transport of interstitial fluid, and the interstitial fluid was extruded. In summary, the results suggest that complex cell-fluid-matrix interactions occur within ETs during freezing, and these interactions determine the post-thaw ECM microstructure and eventual post-thaw tissue functionality.
Ab initio modeling of small diameter silicon nanowires

Using ab initio calculations, we predict stable small diameter silicon nanowires. The wires are constructed from the expended phases of silicon, clathrate Si(34) and Si(46) structures, and found to be energetically more favorable than the diamond type nanowires at the same diameters. Furthermore, the wires are semiconducting with band gap energy of 0.22 eV and 0.34 eV. Chemical passivation of the wires with hydrogen induces a broadening of band gap energy due to the quantum size effect and increases the hardness of the wires. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Association of a Critical CSF Tryptophan Threshold Level with Depressive Relapse

This work studies association between relapse during acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) and CSF level of tryptophan (TRP) in remitted depressives treated with sertraline or bupropion. Eight medication-responding depressives ingested an ATD amino acid mixture during 48-h continuous CSF sampling before and after treatment. Mood rating scores were compared with nadir levels of TRP in CSF. CSF TRP nadirs averaged 8.7% of am baselines in remitted patients. Mood relapsed whenever the CSF nadir was below 40 nmol/l TRP in remitted patients, and never when above (Fisher's exact test, P=0.029). Relapsing medication responders also showed very low preantidepressant ATD-induced nadirs. ATD-induced relapses were associated with low CSF TRP levels. Individual susceptibility to depletion may be independent of antidepressant treatment, mood state, or treatment status. Resistance to relapse may invoke an undefined, protective CNS mechanism against extremely low CSF levels of TRP during ATD.
Mingled Measures: Gothic Parody in Tales of Wonder and Tales of Terror

Labeled by Louis Peck a “bibliographical hazard,” Tales ofTerror has long suffered from two misrepresentations: 1) it has been frequently attributed to M.G. Lewis, although no external evidence exists to support the claim; and, somewhat paradoxically, 2) it has been dismissed as a mere burlesque of Lewis’s Tales of Wonder, despite the fact that the majority of its poems treat Gothic themes in a serious manner. The parodic spirit pervading Tales of Wonder stems in part from Lewis’s attempt toanticipate and defuse critical alarm about his Gothic works. The writers of Tales of Terrorcarry on this double-edged treatment of the Gothic, especially in the volume’s“Introductory Dialogue” between a defender and opponent of Gothic poetry. Thedestabilizing presence of a satiric voice in ballads specifically selected for their recoveryof a more forceful, authentic, and native idiom of poetry also raises an interestingsecondary question: whether Gothic ballads can be free of the ironic consciousness theywere originally and ostensibly designed to exclude.