cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Electrocardiogram in Chronic Airways Obstruction : The Role of Bronchitis and Emphysema

Will the electrocardiogram differentiate between types of chronic airway obstruction? This study was done to determine if there was any significant difference in the electrocardiogram of those patients with chronic airway obstruction who had relatively pure bronchitis or emphysema at postmortem examination. Utilizing the present standard electrocardiographic criteria for right ventricular hypertrophy plus new criteria we developed in a previous report, electrocardiograms of eight patients who had relatively pure bronchitis and 17 who had relatively pure chronic emphysema were reviewed for differentiating criteria. The most significant difference between electrocardiograms in the two groups was the presence of “P-pulmonale” in 13 of 17 emphysema patients. It was not found in any of the bronchitis patients. Two other suggestive differences were a greater degree of counterclockwise posterior rotation of the horizontal QRS vector and a greater clockwise rightward rotation (beyond 90°) of the frontal QRS vector in the emphysema group.
The fracture morphology of fast unstable fracture in polycarbonate

Fracture tests were conducted on polycarbonate using compact tension specimens. With the aid of fractographic analysis techniques the effects of various geometric and test parameters on the fracture-surface morphology were studied. Four distinct regions were identified on the fracture surface: (i) initiation region, (ii) mist region, (iii) mirror region, and (iv) banded region. The extent of the mist region was found to depend inversely on the ratio of the initial crack length, a, and the specimen width, W. The fracture morphology also was affected by changes in the test temperature and externally applied compressive loads, but it did not exhibit any significant trends as a function of the loading rate. A qualitative model, called the “critical thickness craze crack interaction” (CCI) model, was developed to explain the micromechanisms involved in the fracture process. This model is based on the proposition that the various features on the fracture surface are generated by the interaction of the crack with a critical thickness craze, where the latter is that part of the main craze which has a thickness greater than some critical thickness, d.
Proper definition of curvature in nonlinear beam kinematics

Nevertheless, the present results are useful from a comparative rather than absolute standpoint. Tests were also conducted to determine those locations of the tube mouth relative to the nozzle that produced maximum end-wall temperatures. Results for the logarithmic spiral profile at the jet pressure ratio of 3.77 show that the maximum temperature varies periodically with the nozzletube separation h due to the periodic structure of the exciting jet. The highest temperatures were recorded at h/d= 1.7. This means that the peak corresponds to a location where the tube mouth is situated downstream of the first pressure cell. This result differs from the findings of Przirembel and Fletcher.8 However this difference might be explained by the fact that in their case, the open-end walls were rounded in contrast to the 30-deg chamfered entrances of the present tests. Conclusion Thermocouple measurements have demonstrated that a Hartmann-Sprenger tube with a logarithmic spiral profile achieves a significantly greater base temperature than a 10deg tapered tube or a rectangular tube of comparable length. This improved performance is interpreted to result from a higher degree of shock amplification which produces a greater entropy rise in the shock-heated indigenous gas that remains trapped inside the tube. Therefore, it appears that an axisymmetric logarithmic spiral tube could be used to improve the performance further.
Why global warming should concern us

Abstract In the context of the scientific debate on the extent and impacts of global warming, Stephen Schneider outlines the major issues for policy analysis and suggests why a significant shift in priorities and investment is needed now to combat underdevelopment, overpopulation, overaffluence and environmental damage.
Individual‐based risk estimation for count responses

An individual-based risk assessment strategy is developed and presented for count responses as are commonly encountered in reproductive toxicology experiments. This strategy is predicated on the availability of a fitted concentration-response regression model. Adverse response is defined in terms of the production of young being suppressed below a certain specified level. The probability of this adverse response is defined in light of the concentration-response regression model. Added risk, the probability of adverse response in individuals exposed to a particular concentration condition relative to the probability of adverse response in unexposed organisms, serves as the basis of the individual-based risk estimation procedures. In particular, estimates of the added risk associated with a specified concentration and the concentration associated with a specified level of added risk are presented. Confidence intervals are developed for these two statistical endpoints using the delta method. These ideas are illustrated with two studies of Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to nitrofen and atrazine.
From “Green Growth” to sound policies: An overview

Abstract “Green growth” is an attractive slogan with a variety of possible meanings. This essay critically examines several potential meanings of this slogan and provides a brief overview of some of the main implications of the other papers in this special issue. Taken together, these papers argue for the importance of careful analysis of energy/environmental policies, particularly ambitious ones claiming to offer huge benefits with little or no cost.
Acceding to the Norm: The Accession of LDCs to the WTO

Least-developed countries (LDCs) have been included in the multilateral trade regime since the days of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), with the majority joining during the 1960s and 1970s following their independence. The Doha Round of negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has focused significant attention on the role and impact of LDCs that are currently WTO members as well as the process of accession for those remaining outside the organization. This article examines the accession experiences of LDCs joining both the GATT and the WTO with regard to international development norms, and demonstrates that the manner in which the majority of LDCs acceded to the multilateral trade regime has enabled them to have a greater impact on the multilateral trade organization than would otherwise have been possible.
Conceptual design for a process to recover volatile solutes from aqueous solutions using silicalite

Abstract A novel method to recover dilute volatile solutes from aqueous solutions places pure silicalite powder in the annular space between two concentric porous pipes. Solute-rich fluid flows through the silicalite bed. When the bed is fully loaded, it is regenerated by passing steam through heat exchange tubes that are in intimate contact with the bed. In the case of ethanol, this system is able to produce 24wt% ethanol from a 1wt% solution in a single step. Because butanol is more nonpolar, the system is able to produce 50wt% butanol from a 1wt% solution in a single step. It is estimated that recovering 1% ethanol costs $0.0493/ L of 95% EtOH, whereas recovering 1% butanol costs $0.0277/L of pure BuOH. This cost is less than 4% of the selling price of butanol, which suggests this is a promising technique for product recovery in the acetone/butanol fermentation. This technology also has potential uses in removing volatile solutes from polluted water
Transition Metal Cluster Ion Chemistry

The reactivity and thermochemistry of ionic metal atoms and clusters has been explored using guided ion beam mass spectrometry. With this apparatus, cross sections of ion-molecule reactions can be measured from thermal energies to hundreds of eV. Application to metal cluster chemistry demonstrates its utility for elucidating reaction dynamics and mechanisms and for determining cluster binding energies and ligand binding energies for both ionic and neutral species. Early results compare the largely unreactive atomic Mn+ with the dimer Mn2+.
Misuse of Fischer plots as sea-level curves

Fischer plots are graphic representations of cyclic carbonate deposits showing cumulative departure from average cycle thickness plotted against cycle number and corrected for assumed subsidence during each cycle. Observed cycle thicknesses in excess of subsidence have been interpreted to represent depositional accommodation space formed by eustatic sea-level rise. However, implicit in this interpretation is the assumption that preserved cycle thickness is a proxy for accommodation. To test this assumption, a survey of carbonate-sediment accumulation patterns (i.e., cycle thicknesses) developing during a single transgressive event (the Holocene postglacial sea-level rise) was conducted on a shallow carbonate platform (Great Bahama Bank) where accommodation was created primarily by sea-level rise over the platform margin (i.e., subsidence was minimal). This survey demonstrates that Holocene sediment (cycle) thickness and accommodation are uncorrelated (r 2 = 0.03). Consequently, Fischer plots constructed by using Holocene cycle thicknesses are poor representations of the Holocene transgression. In extreme examples, Holocene Fischer plots would be interpreted to show relative sea-level fall during the Holocene on Great Bahama Bank because Holocene subsidence currently exceeds sediment thickness. In addition, a simple sensitivity test shows that eustatic sea-level interpretations based on interbasinal correlation of Fischer plots are equivocal. The gross form of Fischer plots appears so overly robust as to be insensitive to broad variations in stratigraphic completeness, cycle duration, or subsidence. Because cycle thickness apparently is uncorrelated with accommodation and the gross form of Fischer plots is relatively invariant, it seems prudent to reevaluate the practice of interpreting Fischer plots as sea-level curves per se in the analysis of ancient carbonate cycles.
Observations of the barotropic Ekman layer over an urban terrain

Data from low-level soundings over Cambridge, U.S.A. were selected on the basis of an Ekman-like variation of the wind vector with altitude combined with evidence of a barotropic atmosphere. The method of geostrophic departure was used to determine the shear-stress distribution. The analysis yields the dimensionless properties of the barotropic Ekman layer under neutral and stable stratification. Some important results include: the geostrophic drag coefficient displays no dependence on the degree of static stability; the dimensionless height of the boundary layer decreases with increasing stability in agreement with the prediction of Zilitinkevich; the properties of the urban surface layer, where the roughness elements are multistory buildings, show no dependence on atmospheric stability under the moderate wind conditions which display the Ekman-like wind profile; and the directions of the horizontal shear stress and the vertical derivative of the velocity vector usually tend to be parallel only near the surface layer. Values of the two constants of the Rossby number similarity theory are found for the neutral barotropic Ekman layer at a surface Rossby number equal to 2 × 105. The implications of the work with respect to wind-tunnel simulation of the flow over models of urban areas are discussed.
Can China Do IT? The PRC’s Software Strategy in Comparative Perspective

Since the turn of the century the Chinese state has endeavoured to establish an internationally competitive, export-oriented software services industry centred on large domestic firms. However, despite concerted targeting and significant state investment, the industry’s size and capabilities have fallen further behind those in peer competitor countries, particularly India. The article assesses the progress of the industry in China and examines how this relates to the PRC’s software strategy. It does so by adopting a comparative analysis approach, evaluating the PRC’s policy agenda and the axioms underpinning it in light of emerging research on the processes and mechanisms behind the more successful development of the software services industry in India. The article concludes by arguing that the PRC needs to make several substantive changes to its software strategy if it is to achieve its objectives.
Minireview: Putting Physiology Back into Estrogens' Mechanism of Action

After decades of research, the mechanism by which estrogens stimulate the proliferation of epithelial cells in the endometrium and mammary gland, and in the carcinomas that arise in those tissues, is still not understood. Cells do not proliferate in response to 17β-estradiol (E2) alone, and although it is widely recognized that growth factors play a role in E2's proliferative effect, exactly how they are involved is unclear. It has long been known that the proliferation of endometrial epithelial cells is preceded by dramatic increases in blood flow and microvascular permeability, filling the subepithelial stroma with plasma and the proteins it contains, such as IGF-I, which is known to synergize with E2 in the induction of cell proliferation. The hyperpermeability is caused by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is rapidly induced by E2, via the transcription factors hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and estrogen receptor α, in luminal epithelial cells in vivo. As we recently showed, VEGF is also strongly induced in endometrial cancer cells in vitro when excessive degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, caused by the abnormally high oxygen level to which cultured cells are exposed, is prevented. Putting these facts together, we now propose a new model of E2-induced proliferation in which VEGF-induced vascular hyperpermeability plays an essential role. E2 first induces the expression by endometrial epithelial cells of VEGF, which then acts in a paracrine manner to induce interendothelial cell gaps in subepithelial blood vessels, through which plasma and the proteins therein enter the adjacent stroma. Plasma carries even more E2, which circulates bound to proteins, and IGF-l, which together drive epithelial cells completely through the cell cycle.
Automated clustering/segmentation of hyperspectral images based on histogram thresholding

A very simple and fast technique for clustering/segmenting hyperspectral images is described. The technique is based on the histogram of divergence images; namely, single image reductions of the hyperspectral data cube whose values reflect spectral differences. Multi-value thresholds are set from the local extrema of such a histogram. Two methods are identified for combining the information of a pair of divergence images: a dual method of combining thresholds generated from 1D histograms; and a true 2D histogram method. These histogram-based segmentations have a built-in fine to coarse clustering depending on the extent of smoothing of the histogram before determining the extrema. The technique is useful at the fine scale as a powerful single image display summary of a data cube or at the coarser scales as a quick unsupervised classification or a good starting point for an operator-controlled supervised classification. Results will be shown for visible, SWIR, and MWIR hyperspectral imagery.
Transient analysis of forging operations by the pseudo‐concentration method

Utilisation de la methode de pseudo-concentration pour suivre l'ecoulement du metal lors de l'analyse d'un probleme de forgeage axisymetrique
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Gag p9 Function in Early Steps of Virus Infection and Provirus Production

We have previously reported that serial truncation of the Gag p9 protein of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) revealed a progressive loss in replication phenotypes in transfected cells, such that a proviral mutant (E32) expressing the N-terminal 31 amino acids of p9 produced infectious virus particles similarly to parental provirus, while a proviral mutant (K30) with two fewer amino acids produced replication-defective virus particles, despite containing apparently normal levels of processed Gag and Pol proteins (C. Chen, F. Li, and R. C. Montelaro, J. Virol. 75:9762-9760, 2001). Based on these observations, we sought in the current study to identify the precise defect in K30 virion infection of permissive equine dermal (ED) cells. The results of these experiments clearly demonstrated that K30 virions entered target ED cells and produced early (minus-strand strong-stop) and late (Gag) viral DNA products as efficiently as did the replication-competent E32 mutant and parental EIAVUK viruses. However, in contrast to the replication-competent E32 mutant and parental viruses, infection with K30 mutant virus failed to produce detectable two-long-terminal-repeat DNA circles, stable integrated provirus, virus-specific Gag mRNA expression, or intracellular viral protein expression. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the K30 mutant is defective in the ability to produce sufficient nuclear viral DNA to establish a productive infection in ED cells. Thus, these observations indicate for the first time that the EIAV Gag p9 protein performs a critical role in viral DNA production and processing to provirus during EIAV infection, in addition to its previously defined role in viral budding mediated by the p9 L domain.
INFANTILE PHYTANIC ACID STORAGE DISEASE: A DEFECT IN PHYTANIC ACID OXIDATION

Refsum's disease is caused by deficient activity of phytanic acid a oxidase; phytanic acid may account for 30% of plasma fatty acids. Four cases of infantile phytanic acid storage disease have been reported. We describe 2 other unrelated infants. Both had very similar Downs-like facies with epicanthal folds, low set ears, large mandible, severe sensorineural deafness, developmental delay, retinopathy with abnormal ERG, hypotonia and hepatomegaly; serum cholesterol was usually low. Case 1 had a subdural hemorrhage at 8 weeks due to vit K deficiency from malabsorption which persisted. Gut biopsy showed villous atrophy without infiltrates. X-rays showed old fractures of 2 metatarsals. In Case 2, liver biopsy showed neutral lipid deposits within hepatocytes; on EM there were scanty crystals adjacent to the lipid deposits. Serum phytanic acid was 1.1-2.4 mg/dl (0.5-1.5% total fatty acid) in Case 1 and 1.2-1.6 mg/dl (1.0-1.5% total fatty acid) in Case 2 (normal: <0.2 mg/dl; <0.5% total fatty acids). Phytanic acid oxidation in cultured skin fibroblasts was 2.3 and 4.5 p mol/h/mg protein in Case 1; 6.7 and 10 p mol/h/mg protein in Case 2 (normal: 23-87 p mol/h/mg protein). The striking physical findings and hypocholesterolemia should suggest this diagnosis. The severity of the disease and minor elevation of phytanic acid compared with classic Refsum's implies that the molecular basis of the two conditions are probably distinct.
31B. Health Coaching: Empowering Patients for Behavior Change

Focus Area: Supporting Behavioral Change Up to half of all premature deaths in the United States are caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices (smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity). The seven “modifiable” chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, pulmonary conditions, and mental disorders) cost $270 billion annually to treat. Patients who are trying to make lifestyle changes often feel overwhelmed and discouraged. As a result, admonishment and education alone are ineffective for most patients. Integrative healthcare providers want to help but may lack the skills to empower patients for healthy behavior change. This workshop will describe the skills of integrative health coaching. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and practice some of these skills so that they can apply them in their own healthcare setting.
Outsourcing and the decrease of IS program enrollment

Students must learn to accentuate the positive in order to eliminate the negative perceptions of career opportunities in IS.
An in vitro comparison between laser fluorescence and visual examination for detection of demineralization in occlusal pits and fissures.

It has been demonstrated that when excited by laser light carious enamel appears dark compared to luminescent sound enamel. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of visual exams (V), laser fluorescence (LF) and dye-enhanced LF (DELF) for detecting demineralization in occlusal pits and fissures. The actual presence of lesions was determined by subsequent confocal laser microscopy (CM), which was compared to histology (H). Independent clinical examiners visually graded three sites on occlusal surfaces of extracted, human premolars as sound or carious and also rated the color of each graded site as: 0 = same as surrounding enamel; 1 = white; 2 = light brown, or 3 = brown/dark brown. An argon laser was used to illuminate the teeth for LF and DELF; the images were captured with a CCD camera and then analyzed. DELF images were captured after the teeth had been exposed to 0.075% sodium fluorescein. Sections were then cut from each specimen and analyzed by CM and H for the presence or absence of caries. Results showed that DELF (0.72) was significantly more sensitive (p
Averaged Relative Motion and Applications to Formation Flight Near Perturbed Orbits

DOI: 10.2514/1.30620 This paper presents expressions for describing averaged relative motion between two satellites in neighboring orbits around an oblate planet. The theory assumes small relative distances between the satellites, but is uniformly valid for all elliptic orbits as well as the special case of a circular reference orbit by the use of nonsingular orbital elements. These expressions are useful when the short-periodic variations in relative position and velocity are of limited interest and, instead, the time-averaged behavior of the states is sought. The averaged expressions also provide insight into the effects of an oblate planet on bounded relative motion. For example, a bias term due to oblateness effects, hitherto unreported, has been identified in the radial position, which can be accounted for in the reference trajectory. Application of these expressions is shown in the derivation of an analytical filter that removes short-periodic variations in relative states without the use of tuned numerical filters, one for each frequency of interest,whicharenormallyusedfordisturbanceaccommodationincontrolsystemdesign.Theuseofthisanalytical filter is demonstrated for formation keeping on a prescribed relative trajectory.
The social image of smokeless tobacco use in three different types of teenagers

Abstract The current study used an unobtrusive methodology to describe the social image associated with smokeless tobacco use and with cigarette smoking in three “types” of teenage models—an athlete, a cowboy, and an average teenager. As in previous research, the social image associated with smokeless tobacco use was more positive than that associated with cigarette smoking, suggesting that adopting smokeless tobacco use may have perceived social image benefits for adolescent males. The image conveyed by smokeless tobacco use was similar across the three different types of adolescent. Relations between social image factors and tobacco use behavior were examined, and implications for tobacco use prevention are discussed.
ESTIMATING ROUGHNESS PARAMETERS RESULTING FROM VARIOUS MACHINING TECHNIQUES FOR FLUID FLOW APPLICATIONS

Recently, a set of new roughness parameters was proposed by Kandlikar et al. [1] and Taylor et al. [2] for reporting surface roughness as related to fluid flow. The average roughness Ra parameter is often used in microfluidic applications, but this parameter alone is insufficient for describing surface roughness; a specimen with deep grooves and sharp obstructions can share the same average roughness value as a relatively smooth surface with low uniform surface roughness. Since the average roughness parameter is broad, it is difficult to access the surface topography features that result from different machining processes or etches. A profilometer and a digital microscope are used to examine the surface roughness profiles of various materials submitted to different machining techniques. The materials studied will be similar to those used for microchannels including aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and silicon. Depending on the material, these samples are submitted to several machining processes including milling, grinding, fly cutting, and microfabrication techniques. These machining processes and microfabrication techniques are of practical interest in microfluidics applications. After studying the surface roughness patterns exhibited in these samples, the roughness parameters employed in some of the recent roughness models are evaluated. This study is expected to provide more understanding of assorted surface roughness.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Experimental investigation of electromechanical surface damping

Electromechanical Surface Damping (EMSD) is a hybrid technique that incorporates constrained layer damping (CLD) and shunted piezoelectric element methods for the suppression of vibration in light beam-like or plate-like structures. The EMSD technique enhances the damping effectiveness (peak amplitude suppression) at targeted resonant frequencies, and may therefore be used to extend the damping effectiveness of the constrained layer damping technique over a broader temperature and frequency range than CLD alone. This performance enhancement was demonstrated experimentally by comparing the steady state frequency response of partially treated cantilever beams with that of an untreated beam. The experimental results also agreed with the results of a corresponding analytical model.
SU-FF-T-338: MVCT Superiority Over KVCT in Assessment of Electron Density for Treatment Planning

Purpose: Accurate assessment of electron density (ρe‐[electrons/cm3]) is essential for radiotherapytreatment planning, especially for protons. Measurements of ρe‐ are typically performed with kilovoltage CT (kVCT) and its calibration assumes that object is tissue equivalent. In this work, we demonstrate that kVCT presents confusing information when objects have varying atomic number (Z). At the same time, we demonstrate that megavoltage CT (MVCT) may be preferred over kVCT in treatment planning since its calibrated pixel value, or CT number, is proportional to ρe‐, independent of atomic number(ignoring pair production), and is suitable for non‐tissue equivalent materials(e.g. hip prostheses). Method and Materials: A dual‐energy kV & MVCT benchtop is used to image a tissue‐equivalent phantom as well as samples with various combinations of ρe‐ and Z. Results: The plot of CT number to ρe‐ for the tissue equivalent phantom is non‐linear for the kVCT, but linear for the MVCT. For the non‐tissue equivalent samples, the MVCT number increases linearly with ρe‐ for all the samples, however the kV CT number to electron density is complicated by the two material components of the kV attenuation: atomic number and electron density Conclusion: For all the samples presented the MVCT number increases with the electron density of the sample. The kVCT number assessment of electron density is only reliable for low atomic number materials. Beam hardening affects the kVCT number even for relatively small samples. Beam hardening effects for MVCT is slight and only apparent in large patients. Ignoring image‐quality to dose considerations, MVCT should be preferred for electron density assessment. Conflict of Interest: This work was partially supported by grant from the NIH (PO1 CA088960) and a contract from TomoTherapy Inc.
Portal vein thrombosis and stenosis in pediatric liver transplantation

The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of venous conduits used in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We analyzed the portal vein complications in 66 LDLT recipients and 48 cadaveric reduced-size liver transplant (RLT) recipients performed from November 1989 through January 1995. Three different venous conduits were utilized in the LDLT recipients: Group 1, reconstructed vein from the living donor, n=18; Group 2, cadaveric cryopreserved iliac vein, n=37; and Group 3, cadaveric cryopreserved femoral vein, n=11. Overall, 47 percent of the patients were less than one year of age; the age distribution was not significantly different among the groups. The incidence of early thrombosis was significantly greater in LDLT Group 1, (33%) than any of the other groups (LDLT Group 2, 8%; LDLT Group 3, 9%; and RLT, 4%:P<0.0005 vs. reduced graft and < 0.03 vs. other LDLT groups). The incidence of late portal vein stenosis or thrombosis was significantly higher in the LDLT Group 2, (51%) than any of the other groups (LDLT 1, 16%; LDLT Group 3, 9%; RLT 4%;P<0.005 vs. cadaveric and < 0.02 vs. LDLT Group 1 and LDLT Group 3). Five year arterial graft and patient survival for patients who have experienced portal vein thrombosis or stenosis is 61% and 67%, respectively, versus 67% and 71% for those patients who have not experienced portal vein pathology, P=ns. Based on this experience, we recommend avoiding the use of cryopreserved iliac vein for portal vein reconstruction in liver transplantation. Every effort should be taken to eliminate the need for venous conduits in liver transplantation. If venous conduits must be utilized, cryopreserved femoral veins seem to provide superior patency rates. Careful clinical and ultrasonopraphic monitoring of patients at high risk for late venous thrombosis permits therapy with excellent graft and patient survival.
Assessment of general anaesthetic cytotoxicity in murine cortical neurones in dissociated culture

Abstract General anaesthetics are proposed to cause unconsciousness by modulating neuronal excitability in the mammalian brain through mechanisms that include enhancement of inhibitory GABA A receptor currents and suppression of excitatory glutamate receptor responses. Both intravenous and volatile agents may produce neurotoxic effects during early postnatal rodent brain development through similar mechanisms. In the following study, we investigated anaesthetic cytotoxicity in primary cortical neurones and glia from postnatal day 2–8 mice. Cultures at 4–20 days in vitro were exposed to combinations of ketamine (100 μM to 3 mM), nitrous oxide (75%, v/v) and/or isoflurane (1.5–5%, v/v) for 6–12 h. Neuronal survival and cell death were measured via microtubule associated protein 2 immunoassay and lactate dehydrogenase release assays, respectively. Clinically relevant anaesthetic concentrations of ketamine, nitrous oxide and isoflurane had no significant neurotoxic effects individually or when given as anaesthetic cocktails, even with up to 12 h exposure. This lack of neurotoxicity was observed regardless of whether cultures were prepared from postnatal day 0–2 or day 8 mice, and was also unaffected by number of days in vitro (DIV 4–20). Significant neurotoxic effects were only observed at supraclinical concentrations ( e.g. 1–3 mM ketamine). Our study suggests that neurotoxicity previously reported in vivo is not due to direct cytotoxicity of anaesthetic agents, but results from other impacts of the anaesthetised state during early brain development.
Recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis after orthotopic liver transplantation: is chronic rejection part of the disease process?

Background. The possibility of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) recurrence after liver transplantation has been debated. The aim of this study is to examine whether recurrent PSC and chronic rejection (CR) are different expressions of the same disease process. Methods. One hundred consecutive patients receiving 118 grafts for the diagnosis of PSC were reviewed and placed into three groups: group A, recurrent disease, as evidenced by cholangiographic and pathologic findings with radiographic arterial flow to the liver (n=18; 15.7%); group B, those who developed CR (n=15; 13.0%); and group C, all others (n=82; 71.3%). Cholangiograms and histopathologic specimens were examined in a blinded fashion. Results. Demographic factors were similar, except for age, with a significantly younger age and more episodes of rejection in groups A and B (P<0.03). Group A had a higher incidence of cytomegalovirus hepatitis (P=0.008). Five-year graft survivals for A, B, and C were 64.6%, 33.3%, and 76.1%, respectively (P=0.0001), 5-year patient survivals were 76.2%, 66.7%, and 89.1%, respectively (P=0.0001), and repeat transplantation rates were 27.8%, 46.7%, and 8.5%, respectively (P=0.005). Radiographically, 90% of cholangiograms in patients with recurrent disease showed at least multiple intrahepatic strictures. Histopathologically, patients with recurrent disease and CR shared many features. Conclusions. We have described a high incidence of recurrent PSC and CR in patients who received transplants for PSC. Histopathologic analysis suggests that CR and recurrent PSC could represent a spectrum of indistinguishable disease. However, the distinct difference in clinical outcome, as evidenced by an increased repeat transplantation rate and lower graft and patient survival in the CR group, clearly suggests that they are two distinct entities that require very different treatment strategies.
Stratigraphic Importance of Chlorite in the Cretaceous Raritan Formation Underlying Coastal New York

Because biostratigraphic and obvious structural markers are lacking, correlation and interpretation of the exclusively clastic Cretaceous section underlying Nassau County, Long Island, New York, have previously been based solely on the nature and distribution of various sediments. Detailed clay mineralogical analysis of drill-core samples now establishes an extensive horizon of chlorite-bearing clay in the Raritan Formation, which is interpreted to constitute a time-rock unit. The structural attitude of the chlorite zone with respect to overlying rocks suggests the presence of an angular unconformity. The contact between the Raritan and the Magothy Formations — traditionally recorded at the bottom of a laterally discontinuous gravelly layer — is placed at the unconformity.
The use of Imaging radars for ecological applications : A review

At the behest of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, the National Research Council recently conducted a review on the current status and future directions for earth science information provided by spaceborne synthetic aperture radars. As part of this process, a panel of 16 scientists met to review the utility of SAR for monitoring ecosystem processes. The consensus of this ecology panel was that the demonstrated capabilities of imaging radars for investigating terrestrial ecosystems could best be organized into four broad categories: 1) classification and detection of change in land cover; 2) estimation of woody plant biomass; 3) monitoring the extent and timing of inundation; and 4) monitoring other temporally-dynamic processes. The major conclusions from this panel were: 1) Multichannel radar data provide a means to classify land-cover patterns because of its sensitivity to variations in vegetation structure and vegetation and ground-layer moisture. The relative utility of data from imaging radars versus multispectral scanner data has yet to be determined in a rigorous fashion over a wide range of biomes for this application. 2) Imaging radars having the capability to monitor variations in biomass in forested ecosystems. This capability is not consistent among different forest types. The upper levels of sensitivity for L-band and C-band systems such as SIR-C range between <100 t ha−1 for complex tropical forest canopies to ∼250 t ha−1 for simpler forests dominated by a single tree species. Best performance for biomass estimation is achieved using lower frequency (P- and L-band) radar systems with a cross-polarized (HV or VH) channel. 3) Like-polarized imaging radars (HH or VV) are well suited for detection of flooding under vegetation canopies. Lower frequency radars (P- and L-band) are most optimal for detecting flooding under forests, whereas higher frequency radars (C-band) work best for wetlands dominated by herbaceous vegetation. 4) It has been shown that spaceborne radars that have been in continuous operation for several years [such as the C-band (VV) ERS-1 SAR] provide information on temporally dynamic processes, such as monitoring a) variations in flooding in nonwooded wetlands, b) changes in the frozen/thawed status of vegetation, and c) relative variations in soil moisture in areas with low amounts of vegetation cover. These observations have been shown to be particularly important in studying ecosystems in high northern latitudes.
Effect of Antisperm Antibodies on Computerized Semen Analysis

The effect of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in males was determined in 239 men by the use of a computerized semen analyzer (CASA). ASA was assessed using the direct immunobead test (IBT). Sperm variables for men with positive ASA were significantly lower than those with negative results in percentages of motility, velocity, and linearity.
Automated approaches for regional runoff mapping in the northeastern United States

Abstract Recently, we have used automated procedures to develop simple, yet accurate, ways to create runoff contour maps. Our goal was to produce maps as accurate as those now produced by manual methods. We developed eight procedures based on simple water balance methods and regression techniques to produce a map for our test case, Water-Year 1984 for the northeastern United States. Our maps are produced by linear interpolation of (1) gaged runoff at watershed centroids, and (2) runoff estimated at a set of geographic locations (precipitation stations) via each of the eight procedures. We evaluated the maps both qualitatively and quantitatively. We visually compared the automated procedure maps with a manual map produced by the U.S. Geological Survey. In general, visual agreement was very good. We then statistically compared the estimated runoff at the precipitation stations with values interpolated from the manual map. Comparing simple mean runoff, we found that two of the automated procedures gave the best results when compared with the manual map (MAN84; mean annual runoff = 84.0 cm). One method used gauged runoff values only (GAGE84; mean annual runoff = 83.3 cm) and the other used Water-Year 1984 mean regional runoff-to-precipitation ratios (MN84RP; meanannualrunoff = 82.9 cm). Because of the over-generalized appearance of the GAGE84 map compared with the manual map, we preferred the MN84RP method. Next, we performed an uncertainty analysis for five of our eight procedures. In this analysis, we withheld gauged data in the production of the maps and then compared these data with interpolated values from the maps that were produced. The MN84RP procedure and a procedure using a regression approach (REG__R) had the lowest mean interpolation error. We determined that these two procedures, MN84RP and REG__R, produce the most accurate maps on a regional basis and compare favorably with the manual map (i.e. mean interpolation errors of − 1.8% and −0.7% vs. the manual method mean error of 0.9%). The results of our work indicate that simple automated procedures can produce runoff contour maps with regional accuracies roughly equivalent to those produced by manual methods.
Strike-Slip Deformation, Basin Formation, and Sedimentation: A Summary: ABSTRACT

Basins in which subsidence accompanied strike-slip deformation are known from the Proterozoic to Holocene. They occur in virtually all plate-tectonic settings (transform, convergent, and divergent plate margins, and plate interiors), and they are underlain in different places by crustal types ranging from continental to oceanic. In transform (wrench) systems, basins develop where fault strands splay, bend, or overstep in a divergent sense, and where plate motion is obliquely divergent to the strike of individual faults. Basins also develop between fault blocks rotating about vertical axes, and at some convergent splays, bends, and oversteps as a result of crustal loading. Basins formed by overall crustal extension (e.g., grabens) and by crustal loading (e.g., foredeeps) m y terminate against strike-slip faults. Basins associated with strike-slip deformation are filled with a wide range of sedimentary facies, deposited in nonmarine to deep marine environments. The principal controls on sedimentation are crustal type and thickness, plate-tectonic setting, amounts and rates of subsidence, relative sea level, topographic relief, and climate. Abrupt facies changes and discontinuities are relatively common. Subsidence rates are generally high, but there is significant variation within individual basins and from one basin to another. The type and degree of associated volcanic activity at any locality are related to tectonic setting and the amount of lithospheric extension. Heat-flow history is extremely variable, even within a single basin; consequently, the level of maturation of petroleum source ocks is notoriously difficult to predict in these types of basins. End_of_Article - Last_Page 462------------
Coregulated ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and casein kinase sites modulate cAMP-response element-binding protein-coactivator interactions in response to DNA damage.

The cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) is a bZIP family transcription factor implicated as an oncoprotein and neuron survival factor. CREB is activated in response to cellular stimuli, including cAMP and Ca2+, via phosphorylation of Ser-133, which promotes interaction between the kinase-inducible domain (KID) of CREB and the KID-interacting domain of CREB-binding protein (CBP). We previously demonstrated that the interaction between CREB and CBP is inhibited by DNA-damaging stimuli through a mechanism whereby CREB is phosphorylated by the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) protein kinase. We now show that the ATM phosphorylation sites in CREB are functionally intertwined with a cluster of coregulated casein kinase (CK) sites. We demonstrate that DNA damage-induced phosphorylation of CREB occurs in three steps. The initial event in the CREB phosphorylation cascade is the phosphorylation of Ser-111, which is carried out by CK1 and CK2 under basal conditions and by ATM in response to ionizing radiation. The phosphorylation of Ser-111 triggers the CK2-dependent phosphorylation of Ser-108 and the CK1-dependent phosphorylation of Ser-114 and Ser-117. The phosphorylation of Ser-114 and Ser-117 by CK1 then renders CREB permissive for ATM-dependent phosphorylation on Ser-121. Mutation of Ser-121 alone abrogates ionizing radiation-dependent repression of CREB-CBP complexes, which can be recapitulated using a CK1 inhibitor. Our findings outline a complex mechanism of CREB phosphorylation in which coregulated ATM and CK sites control CREB transactivation potential by modulating its CBP-binding affinity. The coregulated ATM and CK sites identified in CREB may constitute a signaling motif that is common to other DNA damage-regulated substrates.
The Expression of Care in the Rough and Tumble Play of Boys

Abstract Rough and tumble play (R&T) is widely researched in relationship to social affiliation and the cognitive benefits to the participants. One less-researched aspect of R&T is the affective dimension, more specifically, the way in which boys care for one another through R&T. This qualitative study examined pre-adolescent boys participating in R&T and the ways in which they expressed care and intimacy as a result of their participation. The subjects were videotaped while engaged in their favorite R&T play in their natural surroundings, and were asked to view the videotapes and offer their personal interpretation of the R&T experience. The participants in the study were clear on where and when it was appropriate to express care and intimacy for one another, which often is contrary to traditional ideas about play and recess. The need for teachers and administrators to reconsider the importance of R&T as one way boys express care, fondness, and friendships toward each other is emphasized.
Selection of contingent vs. noncontingent schedules of visual stimulation by infants

Two experiments are reported showing that infants 11–20 months of age preferred noncontingent variable-time exposure to color slide stimuli over either contingent variable-interval or continuous reinforcement. Selection of one schedule over the other by subjects required their walking from side to side in a small test room. In both experiments, infants showed a significant position preference for the side of the test room in which the noncontingent schedule was operating. Differences in operant leverpressing are also reported. Stimulation preferences are discussed in terms of interactions between exploratory locomotion and attention to noncontingent visual stimuli.
Growth hormone and insulin secretory responses to arginine in the sheep, pig, and cow.

Abstract The intravenous infusion of l -arginine (0.5 gm/kg) resulted in a prompt and significant increase in plasma growth hormone (GH) in sheep and cows but not in pigs. The amino acid also elicited a marked increase in plasma insulin in sheep and cows, but the insulin secretory response of pigs, although statistically significant, was considerably less than that seen in the two ruminant species studies. The infusion of arginine over a 2-hour period elicited a sustained increase in both plasma GH and insulin in sheep. The insulin secretory system appeared to be more sensitive to the amino acid than the GH release mechanism, since an arginine infusion of 0.25 gm/kg elicited an insulin secretory response equal to but a GH response significantly smaller than that seen with 0.5 gm/kg. Comparable GH and insulin secretory responses were noted with arginine infusion repeated at 105-minute intervals. Hyperglycemia, produced by glucose infusion, decreased but did not completely block the GH response to arginine in sheep.
Identifying the incidence of and risk factors for reamputation among patients who underwent foot amputation.

Background Many patients who have lower-extremity amputations secondary to peripheral vascular disease or diabetes require reamputation eventually. This study was designed to identify the incidence of and risk factors for ipsilateral reamputation after forefoot amputation, to evaluate whether postoperative infection increases the risk of reamputation, and to evaluate whether the risk of reamputation was reduced by the duration of antimicrobial therapy after amputation. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent foot amputation for nontraumatic reason from January 2002 to December 2004 at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System was performed. Results Among 116 patients, 57 (49.1%) had ipsilateral reamputation within 3 years after their first surgeries; 78.9% received reamputation in the first 6 months; 53 (45.7%) died within 3 years; and 16 (13.8%) developed postoperative infections. Upper level of amputation, long duration of hospitalization, insulin-dependent diabetes, and gangrene on physical examination on admission were risk factors for reamputation in univariate analysis. Gangrene (odds ratio: 3.81, 95% confidence interval: 1.60–9.12, P = 0.003) and insulin-dependent diabetes (odds ratio: 2.93, 95% confidence interval: 1.26–6.78, P = 0.012) were risk factors in multivariate analysis. Postoperative infection did not increase the risk of reamputation. Longer than 2-week course of antibiotic use after amputation did not prevent reamputation. Conclusions Approximately one-half of patients required ipsilateral reamputation and died in 3 years. Gangrene on admission and history of insulin-dependent diabetes were significant risk factors (P = 0.003, P = 0.028). Long duration of antibiotic use after amputation and postoperative infection did not change the risk of reamputation.