cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of extracapsular extension and its radial distance in prostate cancer: implications for prostate IMRT, brachytherapy, and surgery.

Purpose Tightly constricted isodose lines are generated using brachytherapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning systems for prostate cancer. Definition of margins that encompass subclinical disease extension is important to maximize dose escalation while attemptingto adhere to normal tissue dose tolerances. In this study, we attempted to find predictors of extracapsular extension (ECE) and its radial distance. Materials and methods Pathological assessment of ECE and its radial distance was performed on 712 radical prostatectomy specimens. Preoperative data (initial prostate-specific antigen, clinical stage, ultrasound volume, and biopsy Gleason score) were evaluated for their ability to predict the presence of ECE and its radial distance. Results Measurable disease was noted outside the prostatic capsule in 185 of 712 (26.0%) specimens. All preoperative parameters except ultrasound volume were able to predict the presence of ECE. However, none of them was predictive of the radial ECE distance. In this group, the median and the range of the maximum depth of invasion (radial extension from the capsule) were 2.00 and 0.5-12.00 mm, respectively. The mean radial distance from the capsule was 2.93 mm, SD +/- 2.286 mm. All subgroups had some patients with radial extension ranging from 0-2 mm, 2-5 mm, to > 5 mm. Only patients with a prostate-specific antigen of 0-4 ng/mL had no extension > 5 mm. Conclusions This is the largest series in the literature thus far that quantitatively assesses radial extracapsular extension. Coverage of subclinical disease must be addressed carefully before successful implementation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy, brachytherapy, or prostatectomy in order to avoid geographical miss.
Chemical characteristics of Pacific tropospheric air in the region of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and South Pacific Convergence Zone

The Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM)-Tropics provided extensive aircraft data to study the atmospheric chemistry of tropospheric air in Pacific Ocean regions, extending from Hawaii to New Zealand and from Fiji to east of Easter Island. This region, especially the tropics, includes some of the cleanest tropospheric air of the world and, as such, is important for studying atmospheric chemical budgets and cycles. The region also provides a sensitive indicator of the global-scale impact of human activity on the chemistry of the troposphere, and includes such important features as the Pacific “warm pool,” the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), and Walker Cell circulations. PEM-Tropics was conducted from August to October 1996. The ITCZ and SPCZ are major upwelling regions within the South Pacific and, as such, create boundaries to exchange of tropospheric air between regions to the north and south. Chemical data obtained in the near vicinity of the ITCZ and the SPCZ are examined. Data measured within the convergent zones themselves are not considered. The analyses show that air north and south of the convergent zones have different chemical signatures, and the signatures are reflective of the source regions and transport histories of the air. Air north of the ITCZ shows a modest urban/industrialized signature compared to air south of the ITCZ. The chemical signature of air south of the SPCZ is dominated by combustion emissions from biomass burning, while air north of the SPCZ is relatively clean and of similar composition to ITCZ south air. Chemical signature differences of air north and south of the zones are most pronounced at altitudes below 5 km, and, as such, show that the ITCZ and SPCZ are effective low-altitude barriers to the transport of tropospheric air. At altitudes of 8 to 10 km, chemical signatures are less dissimilar, and air backward trajectories (to 10 days) show cross-convergent-zone flow. At altitudes below about 5 km, little cross-zonal flow is observed. Chemical signatures presented include over 30 trace chemical species including ultrafine, fine, and heated-fine (250°C) aerosol.
Gender and intra-observer agreement about laryngoscopy of papilloma.

Abstract Background: The gender of the observer may bias data. Objective: Compare the intra-observer agreements of male and female pediatric otolaryngologists about videotaped images of laryngeal papilloma. Design: Five male and six female pediatric otolaryngologists independently viewed videotapes of ten children undergoing treatment for laryngeal papilloma. Each of 12 anatomic sites was categorized as disease present, absent, or indeterminate. Each observer estimated the percent overall airway obstruction. 5–24 weeks later, each observer repeated his/her assessments. Results: The mean intra-observer agreements for both male and female pediatric otolaryngologists were good, and identical (κ 0.63; proportion of positive agreement 0.82; proportion of negative agreement 0.72). Females more frequently categorized a site as indeterminate. Males more frequently categorized a site oppositely on repeat assessment. The males’ indeterminate/opposite ratio was less than that of the females’ (P=0.03). Intra-observer estimates of overall airway obstruction have wide variability: for male pediatric otolaryngologists, differences exceeding 30% are significant; for females, 40%. Conclusions: Male and female pediatric otolaryngologists had equally good and identical intra-observer κ scores and proportions of positive and negative agreement. However, males used the indeterminate category less than did the females, and males more often gave an opposite categorization at the second viewing session. Estimates of overall airway obstruction have much intra-observer variability.
Durability of acrylic: Stress and response characterization of materials for photovoltaics

In the development of materials for enhanced photovoltaic (PV) performance, it is critical to have quantitative knowledge of the initial performance, as well as the performance of these materials over the required 25-year lifetime of the PV system. Lifetime and degradation science (L&DS) allows for the development of new metrology and metrics, coupled to degradation mechanisms and rates. All PV systems are exposed to multifactor and cyclic environmental stressors including solar irradiance, temperature and humidity which can cause degradation over time. A stress and response framework is being used to link the intensity and accumulation of damaging environmental stressors to changes in materials properties. This allows for determination of appropriate techniques for accelerating environmental stressors, and also allows determination of the effects of stressors at multiple service conditions. Induced absorbance to dose (IAD), a new metric being developed for solar radiation durability studies of solar and environmentally exposed materials, is defined as the rate of photodarkening or photobleaching of a material as a function of total absorbed solar radiation dose. Yellowing rates, the change in ASTM E313 Yellowness Index as a function of absorbed dose, of two grades of acrylic poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) have been reported. IAD spectra for two formulations of acrylic PMMA are reported.
AN APPRAISAL OF OVARIAN THERAPY.

An appraisal of ovarian therapy, or of any other subject, must of necessity be tinctured with the personal element of the appraiser, so that it represents merely the point of view of an individual, based on such knowledge of facts as he may happen to possess. It presents more difficulty than does a mere survey of the literature, from which it differs to the same degree that the critique of a book differs from a mere synopsis of the book's contents. An accurate evaluation of such an undeveloped branch of therapeutics as that which forms the subject of this paper presupposes a finer judicial sense than the present writer can lay claim to. It is not easy to steer safely and sanely between the Scylla of over-enthusiasm and the Charybdis of undue skepticism. I may anticipate somewhat by saying that, of the two, Scylla looks much more dangerous to me than does Charybdis,
Protactinium-231 Content of Ocean Water and Sediments

By means of a direct method for determining the nuclide protactinium-231, a deficiency in ocean water was found to be accompanied by unsupported Pa in ocean sediments. Protactiniumionium ratios obtained for a surface and a deep section in the same equatorial core yielded apparent ages which were in agreement with predicted ages.
Field Observations of Tidal and Seasonal Variations in Ground Water Discharge to Tidal Estuarine Surface Water

A field study of the tidal and seasonal variations in upland, shoreline, and nearshore hydrological processes associated with ground water discharge from the unconfined Columbia Aquifer was conducted. The study, performed along a tidal subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay, involved measurement of water table elevation, ground water discharge, potentiometric had differentials across the sediment-water interface, and ground water salinity. Fresh ground water discharge rates calculated from the measured water table gradient using the Dupuit assumptions varied from 6.1 X 10-3 to 3.8 X 10-2 m3/day per m of shoreline during the study period, May 1994 to September 1995. Variation in discharge rates were associated with seasonal recharge patterns. Integrated total discharge rates based on seepage meter measurements decreased with distance offshore from a maximum of 3.3 L/m2 hr at the shoreline to 0.5 L/m2hr at 30 m offshore Maximum instantaneous discharge rates calculated from potentiometric head differentials were much higher than integrated discharge rates and ranged from 19.2 L/m2hr at 4.8 m offshore to 0.8 L/m2hr at 19.8 m offshore. Instantaneous discharge rates were inversely correlated to tidal elevation and fluctuated rapidly decreasing from 19.2 L/m2hr to 2.5 L/m2 hr during a several-hour period. Seasonal variations in salinity patterns within the transition zone of the Columbia Aquifer were observed and indicated a dependence on fresh ground water discharge and surface water salinity/density gradient was observed within the transition zone. The gradient was created, in part, by the infiltration of surface water into tidally exposed sediments. Seasonal periods of low fresh ground water discharge and high surface water salinity were associate with intrusion of the surficial mixing zone landward while seasonal periods of high fresh ground water discharge and low surface water salinity were associated with a seaward movement of the mixing zone.
A Comparison of Tabular PDF Inversion Methods

The most common form of tabular inversion used in computer graphics is to compute the cumulative distribution table of a probability distribution (PDF) and then search within it to transform points, using an O(log n) binary search. Besides the standard inversion method, however, several other discrete inversion algorithms exist that can perform the same transformation inO(1) time per point. In this paper, we examine the performance of three of these alternate methods, two of which are new.
Enhanced electrochemical detection of cardiovascular biomarker proteins using biogenic nanoporous silica diatoms

The goal of our research is to demonstrate the feasibility of employing biogenic nanoporous silica as a key component in developing a biosensor platform for rapid label-free electrochemical detection of proteins from pure and commercial human serum samples with high sensitivity and selectivity. The biosensor platform consists of a silicon chip with an array of gold electrodes forming multiple sensor sites and works on the principle of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Each sensor site is overlaid with a biogenic nanoporous silica membrane that forms a high density of nanowells on top of each electrode. The biosensor performance was tested for C-reactive protein from phosphate buffered saline and human serum. The performance of the biogenic silica membrane biosensor was tested both in the presence and absence of electrophoretic immobilization. Significant enhancement in the sensitivity and selectivity was achieved with the biogenic silica biosensor for detecting C-reactive protein from both pure and human serum samples. Significant enhancements in the measured impedance signal was obtained with the application of electrophoretic immobilization The sensitivity of the biogenic silica biosensor is ∼1 pg/mL and the linear dose response is observed over a large dynamic range from 1 pg/mL to 1 µg/mL
Mathematics coaching: a new kind of professional development

While millions of dollars are spent on traditional professional development each year in the USA, some school districts are trying other means to increase students’ test scores. One strategy is hiring mathematics coaches as on‐site professional developers. Whereas mathematics coaching is a newly investigated research area and many issues still need to be addressed as schools and school districts implement coaching programs, coaching gives hope to school districts that have struggled with traditional professional development programs. This paper reviews the existing literature on mathematics coaching, focusing on coaches, their work, their preparation, the conditions needed for an effective coaching program, and the impact of coaching in US schools.
Wing design code using three-dimensional Euler equations and optimization

This paper describes a new wing design code which is based on the Euler equations and a constrained numerical optimization technique. The geometry modification is based on a set of fundamental modes define on the unit interval. A design example involving a high speed civil transport wing is presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the design code. It is shown that the use of an Euler solver in the direct numerical optimization procedures is affordable on the current generation of supercomputers.
Attenuation and persistence of fecal indicator bacteria in vegetated buffer strips in Southern Illinois, USA

Enteric microbial pathogens originating from agricultural practices pose a serious threat to surface water quality and human health. A two-phase study was conducted in southern Illinois that examined the ability of various riparian buffer species to attenuate fecal coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in overland flow, while also assessing E. coli persistence in associated buffer soils. Plots established with giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl.), Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), and non-vegetated control buffers were subjected to artificial flooding with cattle (Bos taurus) manure-laden water. Mean bacteria concentrations in overland flow exiting all plots were significantly higher than concentrations found in the source slurry. To assess E. coli persistence in plots, overland flow was collected from a simulated rainfall event 4 days following slurry application, and from natural rainfall events 22, 46, 94, 97, and 111 days after the application. Overland flow exiting all plots (including non-vegetated controls) exhibited mean E. coli concentrations significantly higher than those found in the initial slurry applied. The observed concentrations may have been the result of overland flow characteristics and high levels of ambient fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) present with plots. The moist, shaded conditions created by plot vegetation may have produced prime habitat to harbor FIB. Vegetated buffer strips (VBS) may have been effective at attenuating FIB, however, performance may have been masked by the exceptionally high ambient FIB populations that were present in adjacent soils. The young age of the VBS (<1 year) may have also influenced their seemingly poor FIB attenuation. As the VBS age, increases in above and below ground vegetative material may act to increase VBS attenuation capabilities.
Embodied Ethical Decision Making

The intention of this article is to introduce research questions and some initial findings about the place of embodiment in ethical decision making. This approach to ethics has yet to be discussed in the literature of dance/movement therapy, and with few exceptions, has only been hypothesized in the ethics literature of other fields. Because this is a new area of exploration, data were gathered primarily in dance/movement therapy educational contexts, such as graduate classes and conference workshops. I have also drawn from the literature in dance/movement therapy and related fields to help establish the meaning and relevance of three concepts central to this discussion, embodiment, decision making and empathy. The findings indicate that ethical decision making can be enhanced with an embodied approach. Questions for future research to develop the practice of embodied ethical decision making and to understand the bases of ethical practices of dance/movement therapists are suggested.
Inhibition of IAA‐induced ethylene production in etiolated mung bean hypocotyl segments by 2,3,5‐triiodobenzoic acid and 2‐(p‐chlorophenoxy)‐2‐methyl propionic acid

The effect of two auxin antagonists, 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) and 2-(p-chlorophenoxy)-2-methyl propionic acid (CMPA) on IAA-induced ethylene production in etiolated mung bean hypocotyl (Vigna radiata L. Rwilcz cv. Berken) segments was studied. Both TIBA and CMPA inhibited IAA-induced ethylene production and CO2 production at concentrations from 0.001 mM to 0.1 mM and 0.01 mM to 1.0 mM, respectively. The optimum concentration for inhibition of ethylene production by TIBA was 0.05 mM and CMPA was 0.5 mM. At the optimum concentration of TIBA and CMPA, there was a significant decrease in IAA-induced ethylene production without a decrease in respiration rates below control levels. After 18 h, mung bean hypocotyl segments treated with 0.05 mM TIBA for 6 h or 0.5 mM CMPA for 8 h showed a maximum inhibition of IAA-induced ethylene production. Treatments longer than 8 h caused no further inhibition. The uptake of [14C]-naphthaleneacetic acid by mung bean segments was greatly reduced by the addition of either TIBA (0.05mM) or CMPA (0.5 mM) to the incubation media. The results of treatment sequences showed that TIBA needed to be applied prior to IAA in order to inhibit IAA-induced ethylene production, but CMPA caused the same inhibitory effect whether applied before or after IAA treatment. These findings provide evidence that TIBA inhibits auxin-induced ethylene production in etiolated mung bean hypocotyl segments by blocking auxin movement into the tissue whereas CMPA may work on both auxin transport and action.
Nigral GFRα1 Infusion in Aged Rats Increases Locomotor Activity, Nigral Tyrosine Hydroxylase, and Dopamine Content in Synchronicity

Delivery of exogenous glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) increases locomotor activity in rodent models of aging and Parkinson's disease in conjunction with increased dopamine (DA) tissue content in substantia nigra (SN). Striatal GDNF infusion also increases expression of GDNF's cognate receptor, GFRα1, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) ser31 phosphorylation in the SN of aged rats long after elevated GDNF is no longer detectable. In aging, expression of soluble GFRα1 in the SN decreases in association with decreased TH expression, TH ser31 phosphorylation, DA tissue content, and locomotor activity. Thus, we hypothesized that, in aged rats, replenishing soluble GFRα1 in SN could reverse these deficits and increase locomotor activity. We determined that the quantity of soluble GFRα1 in young adult rat SN is ~3.6 ng. To replenish age-related loss, which is ~30 %, we infused 1 ng soluble GFRα1 bilaterally into SN of aged male rats and observed increased locomotor activity compared to vehicle-infused rats up to 4 days following infusion, with maximal effects on day 3. Five days after infusion, however, neither locomotor activity nor nigrostriatal neurochemical measures were significantly different between groups. In a separate cohort of male rats, nigral, but not striatal, DA, TH, and TH ser31 phosphorylation were increased 3 days following unilateral infusion of 1 ng soluble GFRα1into SN. Therefore, in aged male rats, the transient increase in locomotor activity induced by replenishing age-related loss of soluble GFRα1is temporally matched with increased nigral dopaminergic function. Thus, expression of soluble GFRα1 in SN may be a key component in locomotor activity regulation through its influence over TH regulation and DA biosynthesis.
Actinomycosis from a toothpick injury

The suspected diagnosis of H. influenzae type b cellulitis is usually based on the typically described violaceous coloration of the affected area, found in approximately 45% of the cases, and by the localization of the lesions over the face or periorbital area, reported in approximately two-thirds of the patients. 2 The final diagnosis, sometimes unsuspected, is most frequently made from the results of blood cultures, which are positive in approximately 80% of the cases? Recently Goetz and TafarP reported the value of needle aspiration of the cellulitis as a means of increasing the number of patients in whom a definitive etiologic diagnosis can be made; two of their three patients had positive cultures from aspirate material. Our experience is similar. It is noteworthy that one of our patients had a positive aspirate culture in the presence of a negative blood culture, emphasizing the importance of obtaining samples from both sites. Furthermore, as seen in our small series, it becomes particularly important to obtain a Gram stain of the aspirate. A preliminary diagnosis can often be made and appropriate antibiotic treatment initiated without delay. The predominance of males in our series is of interest. A recent review of H. influenzae type b cellulitis failed to disclose a sex predilection. ~
Aortic and mitral valve perforation: diagnosis by transesophageal echocardiography and Doppler color flow imaging.

Fig. 4. Diagram of two shunts. Long arrows indicate shunt through the atrioventricular defect (bidirectional); short arrows indicate flow through the patent foramen ovale (continuous and unidirectional). Black-headed arrows indicate systolic flow; open-headed arrows indicate diastolic flow. D, Diastolic flow; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; M, mitral valve; RA, right atrium; RV, right ventricle; S, systolic flow; T, tricuspid valve.
Tissue hypoxia during acute hemorrhage

Calzia and colleagues argue [1] that tissue hypoxia in a rat model of hemorrhage that led to an oxygen deficit of 120 ml/kg with hyperlactacidemia [2] may be modest, and may not affect hydrogen sulfide oxidation since '... the arterial oxygen partial pressure was still normal ...' [1]. This contention requires clarification. A relative hyperventilation is the rule in most experimental models of hemorrhage [2,3], since the reduction in oxygen uptake/consumption V˙O2 is always larger than that in alveolar ventilation V˙A. Alveolar oxygen partial pressure therefore increases during hemorrhage, as it is the ratio between V˙O2 and V˙A (and not the absolute level of V˙A) that dictates the partial pressure of oxygen in the alveolar gas (PAO2): PAO2 = PIO2-kV˙O2/V˙A This tells us very little about the level of tissue hypoxia. In all of the models used to study an acute hemorrhage, the baseline oxygen delivery rate (DO2=Q˙CaO2) is three to four times higher than V˙O2, despite a large discrepancy in V˙O2 per kilogram between a 500 g rat, a 20 kg pig or a human being: cardiac output, DO2 and V˙O2 do share a similar allometric function with body weight, so that the blood oxygen content is the same in most species. Q˙drops dramatically during hemorrhage, reducing DO2. The level of DO2 decreases up to 10 times while V˙O2 drops by four times regardless of the size of animal chosen [3,4] so that both DO2 and V˙O2 reach one-third of the baseline metabolic rate at the end of a severe hemorrhage! This should certainly lead to one of the most severe forms of tissue hypoxia - with normal arterial blood oxygen partial pressure - unless a decrease in oxygen demand contributes significantly to the reduction in V˙O2 induced by the decline in DO2. Indeed, although the relationship between DO2 and V˙O2 is similar across species, the meaning of a reduction in V˙O2 can greatly differ among animal models according to their ability to decrease the oxygen demand [3,5] - a phenomenon present during hemorrhage in small mammals [3]. It is eventually this ability to modify oxygen demand during a hemorrhage, in keeping with DO2, which controls the level of tissue hypoxia, and not the absolute levels of PaO2, DO2 or V˙O2.
Knowledge Based Simulation

A knowledge based simulation environment requires the capture, organization, retrieval and use of knowledge from many sources. Sources of knowledge include but are not limited to simulation knowledge, domain knowledge in the area of the problem and the knowledge of the user about the specific problem. Given the knowledge is available, a model is constructed to allow for the experimentation with the system. The architecture for a knowledge based simulation environment, the collection of the model specification and the synthesis of the model are described.
Analysis of structures with rotating, flexible substructures

A new methodology has been developed for the dynamic analysis of flexible structures, parts of which may be experiencing discrete motion relative to other parts. This methodology provides the capability of representing the continuum deformations typically treated using finite element methods. In addition, it provides the capability of representing the discrete motion at joints traditionally available with multibody methods. After decomposing the structure into substructures and associating a frame of reference with each substructure, the equations of motion for each substructure can be written explicitly including contributions due to the frame of reference generalized coordinates. By expanding the set of constraints to include constraints that eliminate the redundancy introduced by the frame generalized coordinates, the equations of motion become amenable to solution. The first digital computer program using this methodology, the General Rotorcraft Aeromechanical Stability Program (GRASP), was introduced in 1986. Although GRASP is limited to applications involving steady-state rotation, extension to arbitrary motions (including spin-up) can be accomplished by the selective retention of nonlinear terms in this formulation.
The effects of delayed reinforcement on free-operant responding.

Abstract In previous studies of delayed reinforcement, response rate has been found to vary inversely with the response-reinforcer interval. However, in all of these studies the independent variable, response-reinforcer time, was confounded with the number of reinforcers presented in a fixed period of time (reinforcer frequency). In the present study, the frequency of available reinforcers was held constant, while temporal separation between response and reinforcer was independently manipulated. A repeating time cycle, T, was divided into two alternating time periods, tD and tΔ. The first response in tD was reinforced at the end of the prevailing T cycle and extinction prevailed in tΔ. Two placements for tD were defined, an early tD placement in which tD precedes tΔ and a late tD placement in which tD follows tΔ. The duration of the early and late tD was systematically decreased from 30 seconds (i.e., tD = T) to 0.1 second. Manipulation of tD placement and duration controlled the temporal separation between response and reinforcement, but it did not affect the frequency of programmed reinforcers, which was 1/T. The results show that early and late tD placements of equal duration have similar overall effects upon response rate, reinforcer frequency, responses per reinforcer, and obtained response-reinforcer temporal separation. A stepwise regression analysis using log response rate as the dependent variable showed that the obtained delay was a significant first-step variable for six of eight subjects, with obtained reinforcer frequency significant for the remaining two subjects.
Case report of robotic instrument-enhanced mitral valve surgery.

A case of a robot-assisted cardiac operation in the United States is reported. Minimally invasive mitral valve repair was assisted with a surgical robot under a Food and Drug Administration‐guided phase I clinical trial. Clinical summary. A 50-year-old man with severe mitral insufficiency caused by posterior leaflet prolapse underwent minimally invasive mitral valve reconstruction with the use of a robotic telemicromanipulator (ZEUS; Computer Motion Inc, Santa Barbara, Calif). * The patient was placed in a supine position on the operating table with the right arm abducted and flexed above the head. Before the patient was draped, the 3 robotic arms were clamped to the sides of the operating room table. A right anterior 6-cm minithoracotomy ( service entrance incision) was performed in the fourth intercostal space. 1 Standard minimally invasive (port access) technology was used to place the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass and induce cardioplegic arrest 2 . Through the service entrance, the left atrium was opened, and an intra-atrial retractor blade and cardiotomy sucker were positioned. The instruments and endoscope created an inverted triangle, allowing for proper maneuverability of the robotic instruments within the chest cavity without conflict. The left robotic instrument arm was inserted through a 5-mm screw trocar (Karl Storz, GmbH, Tuttiingen, Germany) in the lateral third intercostal space, and the right arm was placed in the medial corner of the service entrance. A 10-mm, 0° endoscope (Karl Storz, GmbH) was then placed in the lateral corner of the service incision. ZEUS instrument setup time was 5 minutes. A prolapsing segment of the posterior leaflet was excised, and the ZEUS Robotic System (ZRS) was used to perform a symmetric folding plasty repair of the valve (Fig 1). 3 Suture knots were thrown extra
Understanding cusped interfaces

Abstract The good progress made on the recently opened problem of two-dimensional cusped interfaces in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids is reviewed. Some new results are presented and open problems are discussed.
Specificity of transport processes for sulfur, selenium, and molybdenum anions by filamentous fungi.

1. 1. Inorganic SO42−, S2O32−, SeO42− and MoO42− enter mycelia of Penicillium and Aspergillus species by a common energy-, temperature-, pH-, and concentration-dependent permease. Evidence for a single permease is as follows: (a) All four anions exhibit reciprocal competitive inhibition. (b) Mycelia grown on sulfur sources that repress the sulfate permease (e.g.), l-methionine) show similar low S2O32−, SeO42−, and MoO42− transport rates. Mycelia grown on sulfur sources that derepress the sulfate permease (e.g.), l-djenkolic and l-cysteic acids) transport all four anions rapidly. (c) Sulfur starvation results in coincident derepression of SO42−, S2O32−, SeO42, and MoO42 transport to at least 40 times the base level. Throughout the derepression period the SeO42 /SO42, MoO42− and SeO42−/MoO42 transport rate ratios remain constant. (d) A mutant defective in SO42− transport was equally defective in SeO42 and MoO42− transport. 2. 2. In addition to the sulfate (thiosulfate, selenate, molybdate) permease the mycelia possess distinct permeases for SO32− and S4O62−. The sulfite and tetrathionate permeases are under metabolic control by some intracellular sulfur-containing metabolite. 3. 3. Inorganic S2O32− enters the mycelium of a sulfate (thiosulfate) permease-negative mutant at 1–5% of the wild-type rate at low extracellular S2O22 concentrations. S2O32− transport by the mutant is not inhibited by SO42−. The vmax for S2O32− transport by the mutant is almost the same as that of the sulfate permease-positive parent (about 2–3 μmoles/g per min). The Km value, however, is about 30-fold higher (2 mM vs. 59 μM). The tetrathionate permease may be responsible for S2O32-transport in the mutant under standard assay conditions. However, S2O32 is unstable at the pH values of most fungal cultures. Consequently, most of the sulfur incorporated from S2O3--containing media in long-term growth studies is probably in the form of breakdown products (SO32-, SO42-, S2-). 4. 4. S2- uptake is 2,4-dinitriphenol- and azide-sensitive, but shows a low Q10 (1.15 vs. 2.1 for the sulfate permease), is non-saturable, and does not depend on the degree of sulfur sufficiency of the mycelium. 5. 5. No SCN- uptake could be detected.
Dipyridamole thallium-201 imaging pre- and post-coronary angioplasty for assessment of regional myocardial ischemia in humans.

To examine the effect of coronary angioplasty on myocardial perfusion and to examine anatomic correlates of dipyridamole-thallium images, we performed dipyridamole thallium scanning before and after 24 angioplasty procedures in 23 patients with clinical ischemia. Dipyridamole thallium tomography was performed 1 to 4 (mean +/- S.D. 1.5 +/- 0.9) days before and 1 to 25 (6.3 +/- 6.9) days after angioplasty. Coronary angioplasty was anatomically successful (less than 50% residual stenosis) in 23 of 24 patients. Before angioplasty, 3 of 24 scans were interpreted as normal, with no change in these patients following angioplasty. Prior to angioplasty, 19 scans showed redistribution. After successful coronary angioplasty in 18 of 19, 17 showed improvement in dipyridamole thallium scanning; one did not show improvement and later required repeat coronary dilatation. In one patient with failed angioplasty, images before and after angioplasty were unchanged. Nine scans showed "fixed" defects before angioplasty, with improvement in three of nine following angioplasty. Quantitative analysis of the dipyridamole thallium scans revealed significant improvement in uptake in the myocardial regions supplied by the successfully dilated artery (involved regions), but not in the remote (uninvolved) regions. We conclude that myocardial perfusion, as judged by dipyridamole thallium scanning, almost always improves following anatomically successful coronary angioplasty. "Fixed" defects may improve following angioplasty and presumably represent ischemia with incomplete redistribution, rather than infarction.
Distinguishing Barrett gastric foveolar dysplasia from reactive cardiac mucosa in gastroesophageal reflux disease

Morphologic dysplasia remains the criterion standard of cancer risk in Barrett esophagus but poses many challenges including distinction from reactive inflammatory change. Gastric foveolar dysplasia, a newly described subtype comprising 15% to 20% of Barrett dysplasia, overlaps with reactive cardiac mucosa in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Despite the clinical importance of accurate distinction, the issue has not been studied. Review of 3698 biopsies from 461 Barrett patients yielded 160 biopsies with Barrett gastric foveolar dysplasia (74 low grade and 86 high grade). These were compared with inflamed cardia from 80 patients with GERD. Immunohistochemistry was performed for Lgl2, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6. Comparing GERD with Barrett gastric foveolar dysplasia, surface nuclear stratification (85% versus 0%, P < .00001), upper mucosa-limited atypia (80% versus 0%, P < .0001), villiform architecture (52% versus 4%; P < .0001), full-thickness mucosal atypia (0% versus 100%, P < .00001), and crowded glandular architecture (0% versus 75%, P < .00001) all proved useful. Cytologic features were less helpful. Comparing low-grade gastric dysplasia alone, because its distinction from reactive cardia may be even more challenging, the listed features all remained significant. Loss or aberrant Lgl2 expression was much more typical of dysplasia (12% versus 99%; P = .0001). MUC proteins did not distinguish the groups. Surface nuclear stratification, "top-heavy" atypia, and noncrowded, villiform architecture were highly characteristic of reactive cardiac atypia in GERD, in comparison with the monolayered nuclei in crowded glands occupying the full mucosal thickness in Barrett gastric foveolar dysplasia. Loss or aberrant Lgl2 staining was useful in identifying Barrett gastric foveolar dysplasia.
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Citizen Participation, NEPA, and Land-Use Planning in Northern New York, USA

Citizen participation and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) both have long and storied histories in environmental practice. Arnstein's ladder for citizen participation depicts a continuu...
Histological analysis of DuraGen in a human subject : case report

Object DuraGen (Integra Neurosciences, Plainsboro, NJ, USA) is an avascular collagen matrix used for dural closure. Although, numerous animal models have been studied, histological transformation of DuraGen in humans has not been reported. Material and method We analyzed a sample of scarred DuraGen used in a craniectomy patient at time of delayed cranioplasty. Conclusion Histological analysis revealed evidence for both fibroblast infiltration and neovascularization of the DuraGen.
Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization of Sulfide Cluster-Derived Ensembles

The transition metal sulfide clusters (MeCp)2Mo2(μ-SH)2(μ-S)2, (MeCp)2Mo2Co2(μ3-S)2(μ4-S)(CO)4 [MoCoS], and (MeCp)2Mo2 Fe2 (μ3-S)2(CO)8, (MeCp = methylcyclopentadienyl) were used to prepare γ-Al2O3-supported catalysts. For comparison, a series of supported materials was also prepared using conventional incipient wetness impregnation. Infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed species was used to characterize the sites in the clusterderived and conventionally prepared catalysts. Nitric oxide chemisorbed onto the MoCoS/A catalyst was associated initially only with Co sites and then upon gentle heating shifted to the Mo sites, indicating that Co and Mo were in close proximity. In contrast, NO adsorbed onto both Co and Mo sites in the conventionally prepared materials and desorbed independently from these two types of sites. Infrared spectra of adsorbed thiophene and pyridine were similar for the clusterderived and conventionally prepared catalysts. Thiophene reacted at 100 °C to produce both olefinic species. The most abundant products from thiophene HDS were 1-butene, cis-2-butene, and trans-2-butene. Displacement studies showed that thiophene, pyridine, and NO adsorbed to the same site. The most active sites for HDS and HDN contained both Mo and a late transition metal. The HDN product distributions suggested that Mo was selective for C=N bond cleavage while the late transition metals were more active for C=C hydrogenolysis.
Depositional history of Lower Cretaceous strata in northeastern New Mexico: Implications for regional tectonics and depositional sequences

Lower Cretaceous strata in northeastern New Mexico reflect deposition during marine transgression and regression associated with the Kiowa-Skull Creek cycle. Development of regionally significant unconformities can be directly related to shoreline shifts during this cycle. Topography related to Early Cretaceous tectonic activity on crystalline basement structures, including the Dalhart Basin, Tucumcari Basin, and the intervening Bravo Dome, also had a direct effect on Early Cretaceous deposition and is reflected by thickness trends in marine strata. The Kiowa-Skull Creek transgression was preceded by infilling of paleovalleys represented by the Long Canyon and Campana sandstone beds of the Glencairn Formation and Tucumcari Shale, respectively. The Long Canyon and Campana sandstone beds are equivalent to the Plainview Formation of central Colorado, and together they represent an extensive drainage network, developed over a correlative unconformity, that is preserved throughout most of the southern Western Interior. Glencairn and Tucumcari marine shales represent clastic deposition during Kiowa-Skull Creek transgression and early regression. Base-level drop associated with Kiowa-Skull Creek regression resulted in dramatic shoreline regression and deposition of fluvial channel sandstone in the Dalhart Basin, which maintained a low offshore gradient. This produced an erosional unconformity at the base of Mesa Rica channel sandstone that correlates with the well-documented erosional surface at the base of the Muddy Sandstone in central Colorado. The Tucumcari Basin, which maintained a steeper offshore gradient, accumulated marine-deltaic Mesa Rica Sandstone at this time. Marine strata in both the Tucumcari and Dalhart Basins thin toward the Bravo Dome. Mesa Rica and upper Tucumcari strata represent the only extensive marginal-marine lowstand deposits found on the High Plains to date, associated with the southern arm of the Kiowa-Skull Creek sea. Major Mesa Rica deposition was followed by transgression that infilled only those Mesa Rica fluvial channels that were active at that time and, also, that deposited marine-influenced strata of the basal Pajarito Formation. This event most likely represents onset of the Greenhorn cycle in northeastern New Mexico. Other crystalline basement structures in the northern part of the United States Western Interior Basin were active during Early Cretaceous time. Tectonism in these areas may be related to structures in northeastern New Mexico and thus may be expressions of broad-scale crustal strain in the Early Cretaceous Western Interior that is undocumented by present tectonic models.
The decay scheme of 10.1-h Am244

Abstract A new 10.1-h beta-emitter produced by neutron irradiation of enriched (99.97%) Am 243 was chemically identified as an isotope of americium and is assigned to an isomer of Am 244 . The decay scheme was studied using a beta spectrometer in addition to gamma-gamma and gamma-beta coincidence scintillation counting techniques. A single beta group with an end point energy of 387±1 keV (log ft = 5.7) populates a 1042-keV level in Cm 244 . This 1042-keV level decays to the 4+, 6+ and 8+ members of the ground state rotational band by highly retarded E2 transitions suggesting that it is a (6, 6+) particle level. Rotational levels were observed at 0(0, 0+), 42.9 (0, 2+), 142.3(0, 4+), 296(0, 6+) and 502(0, 8+) keV. The 26-min isomer of Am 244 decays by beta emission principally to the ground state of Cm 244 with an energy of 1498±10 keV (log ft = 6.3). Spin assignments of 6- to the 10.1-h ground state and 1- to the 26-min isomer were obtained by couplings of the odd neutron and odd proton Nilsson orbitals. These assignments are consistent with the data.
From Fragments to Geometric Shape: Changes in Visual Object Recognition Between 18 and 24 Months

Visual object recognition is foundational to processes of categorization, tool use, and real-world problem solving. Despite considerable effort across many disciplines and many specific advances, there is no comprehensive or well-accepted account of this ability. Moreover, none of the extant approaches consider how human object recognition develops. New evidence indicates a period of rapid change in toddlers' visual object recognition between 18 and 24 months that is related to the learning of object names and to goal-directed action. Children appear to shift from recognition based on piecemeal fragments to recognition based on geometric representations of three-dimensional shape. These findings may lead to a more unified understanding of the processes that make human object recognition as impressive as it is.
Exploited Vulnerability: Legal and Psychological Perspectives on Child Sex Trafficking Victims

Abstract While the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 and subsequent reauthorizations defined all minors under the age of 18 involved in commercial sex acts as victims, state and local systems continue to classify prostituted minors who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents as offenders. A review of the historical, neurological, and developmental vulnerabilities typical of child sex trafficking victims reveals serious doubts regarding their ability to control their choices or escape from a trafficker. The uniform shielding of all child victims of sex trafficking, whether international or domestic, from legal culpability for the criminal conduct of traffickers is recommended.
Isotope-coded Affinity Tagging Technique Using Avidin Functional Affinity Electrophoresis: An Alternative to an Avidin Affinity Column

Avidinfunctionalaffinityelectrophoresis(AFAEP)issubstitutedforanavidinaffinitycolumn(AAC) to capture biotinylated peptides in the Isotope-Coded Affinity Tagging (ICAT) technique which is a valuable tool in quantitative proteomics. In this new technique, the AFAEP-captured ICAT-labeled biotinylated peptides are extracted with the biotin tag intact from the polyacrylamide gel piece with aqueous 95% formamide (pH 8.2) at 65C for 20 min, and then detected by a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the 12 C- and 13 C-ICAT reagents are used to test this AFAEP-ICAT technique. The results show that both AFAEP and AAC methods providequantitativeinformationoftherelativeamountsof 12 C-and 13 C-ICAT-labeledbiotinylatedtryptic peptides of BSA in a sample. Compared with AAC, the AFAEP is cheaper to perform, more stringent in capturing the biotinylated peptides, and capable of simultaneously processing multiple samples.
The Circulation of Interpersonal Credit in Renaissance Florence

We analyze a network of 3,590 interpersonal credit ties among Renaissance Florentine elite households to determine how Florentine personal credit was socially structured. We assess the network in light of various social and economic motivations Florentines might have had to exchange credit with each other. We explore the extent of participation by people from different categories, such as neighborhoods, factions, and guilds, and we determine whether loans flowed primarily within or between such groupings. We observe considerable homophily within families and neighborhoods, but also extensive circulation of credit among the most commercially and politically active Florentines. The overall connectivity of this network of interpersonal credit transactions resembles the social structure of other contemporaneous Florentine networks, such as marriage and business, suggesting that interpersonal credit was an important and distinct domain in which elite membership was confirmed and elite social solidarity achieved.
Fluorine-free Photoacid Generators for 193 nm Lithography Based on Non-Sulfonate Organic Superacids

We are introducing a new family of fluorine-free photoacid generators (PAGs) for use in 193 nm lithography. These PAGs are based on percyano-substituted cyclopentadienide anions and do not contain sulfonate groups. PAGs with these weakly coordinating anions generate photoacids of a similar strength as perfluroalkylsulfonic acids. Triphenylsulfonium pentacyanocyclopentadienide (TPS CN5) can be synthesized from inexpensive precursors, is stable in the presence of strong acids, has a low optical density at 193 nm and is well soluble in typical resist solvents. The performance of model resists formulated with TPS CN5 approaches that of commercially offered photoresists for the 32 nm node.
The Conditional Effect of Social Class on the Dropout-Delinquency Relationship:

The analysis in this study tests the proposition that middle-class dropouts are more likely to engage in delinquency as a result of dropping out than lower class dropouts. This article also seeks to test social control and strain theory explanations for the observed dropout-delinquency relationships. This is done by examining the intervening processes as specified by, and which are unique to, each theory. Using data from a large-scale nationally representative probability sample, the analysis examines differences in the likelihood of offending based on the reasons for dropping out and across the two social class groups (distinguished in terms of their position relative to the poverty line). Results support the position that dropping out is more likely to be associated with higher levels of involvement in delinquency for middle-class than for lower-class youths. In addition, support for strain theory or social control theory is dependent on the reasons for dropping out of school. Implications of these resu...