cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Race: A critical factor in organ donation, patient referral and selection, and orthotopic liver transplantation?

The influence of ethnic origin on organ donation and renal allograft survival after renal transplantation has been controversial. Several large studies have reported inferior renal allograft survival in black recipients, whereas others have reported equal survival. However, the issue of race as it relates to organ donation, patient referral, and patient selection in orthotopic liver transplantation has not been investigated. We retrospectively reviewed our results of organ donation, patient referral and selection, and orthotopic liver transplantation since 1989. Because of a concerted educational effort by this organ procurement organization, the percentage of black donors has increased from 6.1% in 1988 to 21.9% in 1996. Since the inception of the Liver Transplant Program in 1989, 844 patients have been referred to our transplant center for organ transplant evaluation. Disproportionately fewer black patients (119; 14.1%) were referred for liver transplantation than white patients (725; 85.9%) based on the prevalence of end-stage liver disease in these populations. The acceptance rate for listing for transplantation was similar between the two groups. The percentage of patient referrals who actually underwent transplantation was similar across racial lines (43% black v 42% white patients). However, it appeared that black patients were referred for liver transplantation at a later stage and were more critically ill at the time of referral. Nevertheless, the patient and graft survival were similar between black and white patients. The 1- and 3-year survival rates in white recipients was 88% and 81%, respectively, versus 96% and 84% in black recipients. Within this organ procurement organization, black donation has increased over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, there may be a selection bias at the level of referral for liver transplantation. However, once patients are referred to this center for liver transplantation, the rate of transplantation and survival is similar between white and black patients.
Molecular composition of GABAC receptors

In the central nervous system inhibitory neurotransmission is primarily achieved through activation of receptors for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Three types of GABA receptors have been identified on the basis of their pharmacology and electrophysiology. The predominant type, termed GABA A and a recently identified type, GABA C , have integral chloride channels, whereas GABA B receptors couple to separate K + or Ca 2α channels via G-proteins. By analogy to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, native GABA A receptors are believed to be heterooligomers of five subunits, drawn from five classes (α, β,'γ, δ, ∈/ X ). An additional class, called ρ, is often categorized with GABA A receptor subunits due to a high degree of sequence similarity. However, ρ subunits are capable of forming functional homooligomeric and heterooligomeric receptors, whereas GABA A receptors only express efficiently as heterooligomers. Intriguingly, the pharmacological properties of receptors formed from ρ subunits are very similar to those exhibited by GABA C . receptors and ρ subunits and GABA C . responses have been colocalized to the same retinal cells, indicating that ρ subunits are the sole components of GABA C receptors. In contrast, the propensity of GABA A receptor and ρ subunits to form multimeric structures and their coexistence in retinal cells suggests that GABA C receptors might be heterooligomers of ρ and GABA A receptor subunits. This review will summarize our current understanding of the molecular composition of GABA C receptors based upon studies of subunit assembly.
Femtosecond Resonance Raman Investigation of Four Univalent Bipyridinium Radicals

Femtosecond time-resolved resonance Raman scattering (RRS) spectroscopy is used to investigate four bipyridinium radicals: methylviologen monocation MV+, benzylviologen monocation BV+, 4,4‘-bipyridinium-N,N‘-di(propylsulfonate) monoanion BPDPS-, and N,N‘-ethylene-2,2‘-bipyridinium monocation EB+. Time resolution of the dynamics of the four radicals using the 379.6 nm laser of 350 fs pulse duration is carried out by a pump and probe technique using the time-dependent transient intensity of Stokes and anti-Stokes RRS of the C−C stretching mode. It is found that the lifetime of the electronic excited state B3u is less than 350 fs and the vibrational relaxation rates in the electronic ground state are some 2−5 ps. The possible vibrational relaxation mechanisms including the radical structure and charge effect on the vibrational relaxation are discussed. Assignments of some in-plane stretching vibrational modes for BV+ and BPDPS- are tentatively made on the basis of the similarity of their molecular skeletons...
Mycobacterium smegmatis RqlH defines a novel clade of bacterial RecQ-like DNA helicases with ATP-dependent 3′–5′ translocase and duplex unwinding activities

The Escherichia coli RecQ DNA helicase participates in a pathway of DNA repair that operates in parallel to the recombination pathway driven by the multisubunit helicase–nuclease machine RecBCD. The model mycobacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis executes homologous recombination in the absence of its helicase–nuclease machine AdnAB, though it lacks a homolog of E. coli RecQ. Here, we identify and characterize M. smegmatis RqlH, a RecQ-like helicase with a distinctive domain structure. The 691-amino acid RqlH polypeptide consists of a RecQ-like ATPase domain (amino acids 1–346) and tetracysteine zinc-binding domain (amino acids 435–499), separated by an RqlH-specific linker. RqlH lacks the C-terminal HRDC domain found in E. coli RecQ. Rather, the RqlH C-domain resembles bacterial ComF proteins and includes a phosphoribosyltransferase-like module. We show that RqlH is a DNA-dependent ATPase/dATPase that translocates 3′–5′ on single-stranded DNA and has 3′–5′ helicase activity. These functions inhere to RqlH-(1–505), a monomeric motor unit comprising the ATPase, linker and zinc-binding domains. RqlH homologs are distributed widely among bacterial taxa. The mycobacteria that encode RqlH lack a classical RecQ, though many other Actinobacteria have both RqlH and RecQ. Whereas E. coli K12 encodes RecQ but lacks a homolog of RqlH, other strains of E. coli have both RqlH and RecQ.
Failure of the Jatene procedure in a patient with D-transposition and intact ventricular septum.

Abstract Anatomical correction by arterial "switch" procedure was performed in a patient with transposition of the great arteries, intact ventricular septum, and left ventricular hypertension due to distal pulmonary stenosis. The patient died from left ventricular failure. The reasons for the failure of this procedure are discussed.
Authors, Audiences, and Texts

prior content, nor is it the report of what some fully self-conscious author had al? ready thought. A text is not a sign which refers to some already settled signified which effectively transcends it. In Derrida (1976, pp. 69), "the original absence of the subject of writing is also the absence of the thing or the referent. " In fact, the notion of a text is itself called into question. The text, for Derrida (1979, pp. 83-84), is "no longer a finished corpus of writing, some content enclosed in a book or its margins, but a differential network, a fabric of traces referring end? lessly to something other than itself, to other differential traces." For Barthes, the text is a tissue of citations flowing from countless cultural sources. Reading, and not the inscribing by an author of his previous thought, is the genuine locus of writing. As Barthes (1972, p. 15) says:
Polarization of red system CN lines in sunspots

The relative intensities of the Zeeman components of molecular spectral lines are not necessarily symmetric in a strong magnetic field. This leads to non-zero net polarization for molecular lines formed in sunspots. The effect is particularly striking for lines of the (0, 0) band of the red system of CN.
Religious commitment and positive mood as information about meaning in life

Abstract Two studies examined the role of religious commitment in moderating the relationship between positive affect (PA) and meaning in life. In Study 1, Sample 1, religiosity was found to moderate the relationship between naturally occurring PA and meaning in life, showing that high levels of religiosity attenuated the effects of PA on meaning in life. In Study 1, Sample 2, religiosity similarly moderated the effects of induced mood on meaning in life. In addition, this pattern of results was shown to be unique to meaning in life compared to another life domain (life satisfaction). In Study 2, subliminally priming Christians with positive religious words (e.g., “Heaven”) was further shown to weaken the association between PA and meaning in life, whereas subliminal primes of negative religious words (e.g., “hell”) weakened the association between religious commitment and meaning in life. A competition of cues model is proposed to account for these effects.
KINETICS OF REDUCTION OF CINNAMALDEHYDE BY MEANS OF HYDRIDO- AND DEUTERIDOCOBALT TETRACARBONYL

The reaction of HCo(CO)4 (HT) or DCo(CO)4 (DT) with excess cinnamaldehyde (CA) in methylcyclohexane (RH) at 22.2° and under 1 atm of CO follows pseudo-first-order kinetics in HT or DT with an inverse isotopic effect of 0.54. Identified products of the reaction are hydrocinnamaldehyde (HCA) and styrene (STY). The STY is believed to be an artifact of the thermal decomposition of the true product PhCH2CH2C( (DOUBLE BOND) O)Co(CO)4 (X) or its isomer. Reduction of the carbon-carbon double bond in CA is effected by hydrogen from both the cobalt compound and RH. It is proposed that the reaction involves a free-radical chain mechanism in which the rate of the slow step is proportional to [CA], the initial molar concentration of CA raised to a power of 1.5− 1.8. Additionally the rate of conversion of CA to HCA and X meets the criteria of a homocompetitive reaction with [CA], [HCA], and [STY] simple functions of t0.5 (where t is reaction time) for use of DT or (in a single case) a function of (t0.5 + t) for use of HT. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 473–481, 1997.
New drugs for the management of hypertension

Die neueren Substanzen in der Hypertoniebehandlung sind Abkommlinge von Rauwolfia und Veratrum, Hydralazin und den Ganglienblockern Hexamethonium und Pentolinium. Diese Substanzen wirken symptomatisch und nicht kausal und haben in wirksamer Dosis viele unangenehme und sogar gefahrliche Nebenwirkungen. Wenn der Arzt einen Patienten zur Behandlung auswahlen will, so hat er das Risiko einer nichtbehandelten Hypertonie gegen die Nachteile der Behandlung — wie Kosten, Muhsamkeit und Nebenreaktion — abzuwagen. Die Nachteile der blutdrucksenkenden Substanzen sollten ihn jedoch nicht von ihrer Verwendung abschrecken, wenn sie indiziert sind, sind sie doch so auserordentlich wirksam bei richtiger Anwendung. Die endgultige Losung der Hypertoniebehandlung ist noch nicht gefunden; aber die neuen blutdrucksenkenden Mittel lassen hoffen, das vielleicht in nicht zu ferner Zeit die Hypertonie aufhoren wird, eine Geisel der Menschheit zu sein.
The Frail Hero and Virile History: Gender and the Politics of Culture in Colonial Bengal

Demonstrating the centrality of gender in the formation of a national identity, Indira Chowdhury opens up fresh ways to scrutinizing the links between nationalism and Indian modernity, examining how indigenous cultural forms are constructed for a modern political identity. This book is intended for postgraduate students and scholars of nationalism, gender politics and the social history of colonial era.
Elastic and inelastic scattering of heavy ions

Abstract The elastic and inelastic scattering of heavy ions from nuclei are considered in terms of a generalized optical model. Amplitudes for the single excitation of target or projectile are evaluated in distorted waves approximation, while amplitudes for more complicated excitations, such as double excitation or mutual excitation of both nuclei, are computed using the derivative relations of Austern and Blair. For the special case of double excitation the results of the Austern and Blair theory are compared with the predictions of a coupled Schrodinger equations calculation. Spectroscopic information derived from these analyses is in good agreement with previous analyses.
Risk Stratification in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Is Two-Dimensional Echocardiographic Strain Ready for Prime Time?

Since the initial clinical description 50 years ago, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) still remains the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young patients. Currently, 5 conventional risk markers (ie, family history of sudden death due to HCM, syncope, abnormal blood pressure response to exercise, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia [NSVT] on Holter monitoring, and maximal left ventricular [LV] wall thickness $ 30 mm) can be used to select high-risk patients who will most likely benefit from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention of sudden death. For patients deemed to be high risk, the ICD has been shown to be effective in terminating lethal ventricular tachyarrythmias. As a result, the translation of these primary prevention risk factors into clinical practice has affected the lives of a substantial number of patients with HCM by providing them with necessary lifesaving therapy. Nevertheless, the current risk-stratification strategy has a number of limitations, including the low positive predictive values for the individual risk factors (15%-30%) and the difficulties inherent in determining how many risk factors are enough to constitute high-risk status in an individual patient. As a result of these imperfections, sudden death occasionally occurs among patients with clinically identified HCM with no evidence of increased risk. Thus, novel clinical markers are necessary to help enhance risk-stratification decision making, particularly with regard to recommendations for ICD therapy among patients in whom risk may still remain ambiguous even after assessment with the conventional markers. So what does the future hold for improving on our current riskstratification strategy in patients with HCM? An answer to this question first requires a closer look into the possible mechanisms responsible for promoting adverse events in this disease, in particular a greater appreciation for the abnormal myocardial substrate that defines HCM. In this regard, the histopathologic hallmarks of HCM include myocyte hypertrophy and disarray, and an expanded extracellular collagen matrix, which is primarily the result of structurally abnormal intramyocardial arteries that lead to microvascular ischemia, myocyte death, and repair in the form of replacement fibrosis. This abnormal myocardial substrate is thought to provide a nidus for the generation of potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias—the predominant mechanism of sudden death in this disease. Indeed, postmortem studies in patients with HCM who have died suddenly have shown that fibrosis comprises an average of 15% of the hypertrophied ventricular septum, 8-fold greater than in patients
Method to impact in vivo rabbit femoral cartilage with blows of quantifiable stress.

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique by which a known stress could be applied uniformly across the femoral cartilage of a rabbit as a model for the development of post-traumatic arthritis. A system to impact the cartilage was designed that consisted of an apparatus to deliver a blow of quantifiable force, a method to apply the stress uniformly over the impact area, and a way to accurately measure the impact area. The knee joints of cadaveric New Zealand White rabbits were surgically exposed with the knee flexed so that the distal femoral articular surface was perpendicular to an impactor. With the knee fixed in, position, a cup containing polymethylmethacrylate bone cement was applied to create an exact contour of the femoral surface, and the cement was allowed to cure. The form was then rested on the rabbit knee, and a drop tower, released a weight of known mass from a known height onto an impactor (instrumented with strain gauges to measure the compressive force) that was attached to the cup. The area of the impacted surface was determined and, with the measured force, was used to calculate an accurate estimate of the impact stress. This method can be performed under sterile conditions, and therefore it is well suited for survival experiments in which the long-term effects of impact to cartilage will be studied.
Consequences to Federal Programs When the Logic-Modeling Process Is Not Followed With Fidelity

The Office of Management and Budget has recommended the termination of numerous federal programs, citing a lack of program results as the primary reason for this decision. In response to this recommendation, several federal agencies have turned to logic modeling to demonstrate that programs are on the path to results accountability. However, approaches to logic modeling in some agencies have not followed the strategies that evaluators recommend as necessary to lead to a high quality logic model. Models of poor quality are unlikely to contribute to improved program accountability or better program results. In this article, the author assesses the quality of the logic-modeling approach taken by one agency to illustrate how a flawed approach to logic modeling may lead to incorrect conclusions about programs and about the benefits of logic models. As a result of this analysis, the author questions the conditions under which capacity building should be considered and whether the field of evaluation needs to be...
Are pelvic radiographs needed in assault victims

To determine the incidence of acute pelvic fractures in patients with a history of being assaulted. Retrospective review by two musculoskeletal radiologists of 357 consecutive patients in a 12-month period, (308 males, 49 females). Two hundred seventy-six patients also had pelvic CT scans done at the same time. There were no acute pelvic fractures in this group. One patient had a 12th rib fracture and two other patients had a total of three lumbar spine transverse process fractures at the L1, L2, and L5 levels. Pelvic radiographs are not needed as part of standard protocols for patients who present with a history of being assaulted.
Coordination of Three Signaling Enzymes by AKAP79, a Mammalian Scaffold Protein

Multivalent binding proteins, such as the yeast scaffold protein Sterile-5, coordinate the location of kinases by serving as platforms for the assembly of signaling units. Similarly, in mammalian cells the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and phosphatase 2B [calcineurin (CaN)] are complexed by an A kinase anchoring protein, AKAP79. Deletion analysis and binding studies demonstrate that a third enzyme, protein kinase C (PKC), binds AKAP79 at a site distinct from those bound by PKA or CaN. The subcellular distributions of PKC and AKAP79 were similar in neurons. Thus, AKAP79 appears to function as a scaffold protein for three multifunctional enzymes.
Anonymity and continuous social choice

Abstract Continuity of social choice is reformulated in terms of the quotient topology on profiles of individual preferences induced by the equivalence class corresponding to anonymity. It is shown that Chichilnisky's impossibility continues to hold.
Mass Spectrometric Studies of Sulfur Compounds: The Alpha and Beta Substituted Naphthylthiaalkanes

The mass spectra of fifteen members of the alpha and beta substituted naphthylthiaalkanes with a molecular weight range of 202 to 300 are reported. The data areused to illustrate the process of correlation and delineation of fragmentation routes in a class of compounds to benefit mass spectroscopists. Spectra from low, medium, and high resolution instruments are employed, showing the necessity and usefulness of multiple approaches in obtaining a complete understanding of the pathways involved. Application of low ionization voltage, metastable ion data, doubly charged ions, and high resolution mass spectrometry is described to arrive at an outline of the major fragmentation routes in a given class of compounds. For unknown compounds in their class, the analyst can readily make an identification from the predicted mass spectrum by utilizing this information.
Better to Complicate, Rather than Homogenize, Urban Nightlife: A Response to Grazian

Grazian (2009) challenges a prominent narrative that claims urban nightlife is a democratized and social-capital-enriching "third space" of social life. For Grazian, urban nightlife is, instead, characterized by (1) race and class divisions, (2) gender inequities and the exploitation of women, and (3) exclusivity rather than inclusiveness or solidarity. Grazian makes a brief and compelling case. It is one I agree with to a certain point. However, in this essay, I present two major concerns with his argument.
A New Method for Charge Transfer Calculations for Fast Ion-Atom Collisions

Conventional coupled state approaches to ion-atom collisions are unitary, i. e. (P?c,P?c) = 1. However in a target centered basis the true wavefunction?, should have the property that (P?, P?)? 1 for finite times, as ionization channels are open and the electron should have some probability of leaving the target region. I present work performed by our group at Texas A&M and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a new integral equation which has this feature correctly incorperated. This new treatment is especially warranted in charge transfer processes between ions of widely different charge. The results of the method are compared to experiment. The effects of antisymmetry are discussed.
Climate change report calls for iterative risk management framework

[1] Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems, a 12 May report by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) reaffirms. The report includes a series of recommended steps to respond to those risks. In addition, the report urges an iterative risk management framework that can adapt to new information and changing circumstances and concerns about the risks. “Each additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted commits us to further change and greater risks. In the judgment of the [NRC] Committee on America's Climate Choices, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts,” the report states.
The neonatal resuscitation program: current recommendations and a look at the future.

The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) consists of an algorithm and curriculum to train healthcare professionals to facilitate newborn infants’ transition to extrauterine life and to provide a standardized approach to the care of infants who require more invasive support and resuscitation. This review discusses the most recent update of the NRP algorithm and recommended guidelines for the care of newly born infants. Current challenges in training and assessment as well as the importance of ergonomics in the optimization of human performance are discussed. Finally, it is recommended that in order to ensure high-performing resuscitation teams, members should be selected and retained based on objective performance criteria and frequent participation in realistic simulated clinical scenarios.
Altruism and egoism: prosocial motivations for helping depend on relationship context

Findings from the current study suggest that the link between helping and empathic concern—a hypothesized motivator of altruistic behavior—may be more pronounced in the context of kinship relationships than among strangers. Participants expressed their willingness to help a kin-member or stranger in specific need situations. Putative mediators of helping (empathic concern, general negative affect, perceptions of oneness) were measured. Empathic concern appeared to partially mediate effects of relationship context on willingness to help. Moreover, while controlling for egoistic motivators (negative affect, oneness), empathic concern was linked to participants' willingness to help a kin-member but not a stranger. Findings suggest that factors motivating prosocial action in close relationships may be different from those that motivate helping among strangers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct and correlated responses to selection for milk yield: Results and conclusions of regional project NC-2, "improvement of dairy cattle through breeding, with emphasis on selection"

Measurement of direct and correlated responses to single-trait selection for milk yield was the major objective of regional project NC-2. The NC-2 Technical Committee included representatives from Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the USDA. All representatives, except Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska, maintained a selection line formed by using AI sires selected for high estimated transmitting abilities for milk and a second line that served as some type of a control. Stations varied in criteria for selection of bulls for control lines. Farms were managed similarly, including feeding and management of selection and control lines as one herd, random mating within line, and restricted culling policies. Selection for milk yield effectively increased milk production. All selection lines increased milk and net income per lactation more than control lines. Realized gains matched or exceeded gains expected from estimates of breeding values. Yields of milk components increased, but component percentages decreased appreciably for selection lines. Reproduction of nulliparous animals was not affected, but days open for lactating selection cows increased in some of the individual projects. Selected cows tended to have larger health costs, specifically for mammary treatment. Udder and conformation traits did not deteriorate for selection lines, although control lines with selection of sires on genetic evaluations for type received higher type scores. There should be few reservations about undesirable responses correlated with selection for milk yield.
Simulation of a voltage-controlled filter

A new technique for voltage-controlled filtering is presented in this work. The results to be expected from the technique are analyzed by simulation since the filter can be described analytically only through approximations. The filtering technique is based on a linear system with periodically operated synchronous switches. A hardware model of the filter was built and the digital simulation outputs are compared with those obtained with the hardware. Filtering performances in the simulation and in the hardware were in close agreement. Though only Butterworth filters were considered, the method is expected to have much broader appli cations.
A Study of Solvent Effects in the Solvolysis of Propargyl Chloroformate

The specific rates of solvolysis of propargyl chloroformate (1) are analyzed in 22 solvents of widely varying nucleophilicity and ionizing power values at 25.0 °C using the extended Grunwald-Winstein equation. Sensitivities to solvent nucleophilicity (l) of 1.37 and to solvent ionizing power (m) of 0.47 suggest a bimolecular process with the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate. A plot of the rates of solvolysis of 1 against those previously reported for phenyl chloroformate (2) results in a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.996, a slope of 0.86, and an F-test value of 2161. The unequivocal correlation between these two substrates attest that the stepwise association-dissociation (A(N) + D(N)) mechanism previously proposed for 2 is also operative in 1.
Condensation flame of acetylene decomposition

Abstract Acetylene decomposition flame propagation was numerically analyzed and was found to be the result of the condensation reaction. Condensation processes provide reaction heat and act as a driving force for C 2 H 2 flame propagation. The kinetic model reasonably predicts the level of burning velocity of the acetylene decomposition flame. The model does not demonstrate the relatively strong positive pressure dependence of burning velocity as was observed experimentally in the work of Cummings et al. [Proc. Combust. Inst. 8 (1962) 503–510]. Heat-release kinetics demonstrates a two-stage process. The first stage corresponds to heat release due to benzene formation, and the second stage of heat release corresponds to soot inception and carbonization processes. It was demonstrated that the burning velocity is sensitive to the surface growing rate constant. The use of a simplified form of presentation of the surface growing process [P.R. Lindstedt, in: Soot Formation in Combustion: Mechanisms and Models, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/New York, 1994, pp. 417–441] represents positive thermal feedback in the heat generation in a flame reaction zone.
Factor Analysis of Clustered Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescence Obesity Is the Predominant Correlate of Risk Among Youth

Background— Clustering of cardiovascular (CV) risks begins in childhood, yet studies of the factor structure underlying this clustering have focused on adults. The increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes and the growing importance of metabolic syndrome among adolescents make assessment of CV risk clustering even more urgent in this age group. Methods and Results— Exploratory factor analysis (principal components analysis) was performed with data from 1578 healthy seventh to 12th graders from the Princeton School District Study, a school-based study in Cincinnati, Ohio. Measured CV risks included cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting insulin and glucose, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fibrinogen, and blood pressure. Factor analysis yielded 4 uncorrelated factors (adiposity [BMI, waist, fibrinogen, insulin], cholesterol [LDL and total cholesterol], carbohydrate-metabolic [glucose, insulin, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides], and blood pressure [systolic and diastolic blood pressure]). These ...
Deconvolution and the seismic theory of inverse scattering

Abstract In the seismic theory of inverse scattering, the problem is to infer the shape, size, and constitutive properties of reflectors from scattering measurements recorded at or near the earth's surface. Specifically, the geophysical inverse scattering problem is concerned with the identification of the elastic parameters associated with a linear three-dimensional wave equation, which is an approximate model for the propagation of seismic waves. For the three-dimensional acoustic wave model with ideal conditions e.g., noise-free data and no limitations on array aperture and temporal bandwidth, formal solutions exist (See Gel'fand and Levitan (1951); Agranovich and Marchenko (1963); Moses (1956); Newton (1980); and Silvia and Weglein (1981)). When these ideal conditions are not met, as is the case in the actual seismic reflection experiment, some type of regularization technique must be used in order to stabilize the inversion of a certain matrix equation. This paper discusses the seismic signal processing technique of deconvolution and how it relates to the formal theory of inverse scattering.
An economic appraisal of the Spanish national hydrological plan 1

Article 43 of the Spanish Water Law (revised text, Legislative Decree 1/2001 of 20 July) lays down the obligation for the planning of national water resources to be approved by law. This mandate was fulfilled on 6 July 2001, with the publication of the law of the National Hydrological Plan (Law 10/2001, 5 July, of the National Hydrological Plan, hereinafter referred to as the NHP). The application of this law has important implications from an economic point of view, given its large budget (at least €4.2 billion, corresponding to the official budgeted amount), and the economic forces it will unleash if it is completed. It will also have serious repercussions for the Ebro basin and the catchment basins that will receive the diverted waters. The NHP, and all the corresponding studies and documentation, offer numerous interesting perspectives for economic analysis, from methodological and conceptual aspects to empirical consider ations. Its analysis from an economic policy viewpoint has fostered numerous con...
The search for lupus biomarkers

Few biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been validated and employed for making clinical decisions. The lack of reliable, specific biomarkers for SLE hampers the proper clinical management of patients with SLE and impedes the development of new lupus therapeutics. This void has led to renewed enthusiasm for identifying biomarkers that precisely and specifically reflect the pathophysiological and clinical changes of SLE. Several laboratory markers have shown early promise as biomarkers for lupus susceptibility, diagnosis and monitoring. These include polymorphisms and copy-number variations of complement C4 and Fcgamma receptor genes (disease susceptibility), cell-bound complement C4d (diagnosis and/or disease activity), CD27(high) plasma cells (disease activity), 'interferon signature' (disease activity) and anti-C1q and anti-NMDA (disease activity and organ involvement). Although these and other promising candidate biomarkers have been identified, they still need to be validated through rigorous, large-scale multicentre studies. This article briefly reviews the historical aspects of lupus biomarkers and summarises current efforts to advance the field.
Neuropsychologic Findings in Hypoxemic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• As part of a six-center clinical trial of the effectiveness of continuousvnocturnal oxygen in the management of hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we performed detailed neuropsychologic assessments of these patients prior to their beginning treatment. The 203 patients (age, 65 years; Pao2, 51 mm Hg; forced expiratory volume in 1 s, 0.74 L) performed significantly worse than controls on virtually all neuropsychologic tests. Moderate to severe test impairment suggestive of cerebral dysfunction was found in 42% of the patients, as compared with 14% of controls. Higher cognitive functions (abstracting ability, complex perceptual-motor integration) were most severely affected, although half the patients also showed decrements in motor speed, strength, and coordination. Low-order significant inverse correlations were found between neuropsychologic impairment and Pao2, resting arterial oxygen saturation and hemoglobin levels and maximum work. It is concluded that cerebral disturbance is common in hypoxemic COPD and may be related in part to decreased availability of oxygen to the brain. (Arch Intern Med1982;142:1470-1476)
Identification of disease genes by positional cloning

Positional cloning or reverse genetics is a combination of techniques that has been extraordinarily successful in finding the genes that cause many inherited disorders, including some that affect the cardiovascular system. This approach consists of finding a DNA marker that cosegregates with the disorder and then using the tools of molecular biology to examine systematically the DNA in the vicinity of such a marker until the gene is identified. In addition to the availability of preclinical diagnostic tests for individuals at risk, the identification of such genes might also provide the basis for targeted drug design. In the longer term, with the emerging technologies for the delivery of genes into cells, finding the genes that cause inherited disorders raises the possibility of eventual therapeutic intervention.
Developing genetic programming techniques for the design of compliant mechanisms

Compliant mechanisms achieve desired force and displacement characteristics through elastic deformation of their structure. Current research in the synthesis of compliant mechanism topology has pursued multiobjective optimization using gradient-based search methods. This paper will explore the use of a random-guided search method for multiobjective optimization of compliant mechanisms through genetic programming techniques. The combination of genetic algorithms and compliant mechanisms is an effective and interesting combination of two biologically inspired engineering design areas. This paper will describe and demonstrate the successful use of genetic programming to create a general design tool for topological synthesis of compliant mechanisms. Features that exploit the implementation of genetic algorithms to compliant mechanism design, such as multiple criteria specification, multiple-design parameter variation, and final selections from a family of solutions will be presented and discussed. Finally, the use of this design tool will be demonstrated on several familiar examples for validation and discussion.
Gendered literacy: An integrated conceptual model

The term “gendered literacy” is appearing with increasing frequency in both the education and library and information science literatures but has not yet been fully defined. This poster treats the concept of gendered literacy within Western cultures and discusses the importance of children's literacy in a rapidly changing reading and information environment, especially in light of the apparent gender gap in reading favoring girls. The poster also presents a cohesive literature-based model for gendered literacy. Although previous research has addressed gendered literacy from a variety of perspectives, it has not yet provided an integrated conceptual model.
NMR chemical shift reagents in structural determination of lipid derivatives: III. Methyl ricinoleate and methyl 12-hydroxystearate

Chemical shift reagents (CSR) can substantially increase the amount of structural information obtainable from NMR studies of saturated and unsaturated lipid derivatives. It is theoretically possible to obtain even more information from CSR studies of unsaturated lipid derivatives by introducing additional CSR-active functional groups into those molecules through derivatization of their double bonds. However additional CSR coordination sites complicate spectral interpretation, because they increase the number of signals that overlap. Therefore two model compounds were investigated to test the feasibility of attempting other CSR analyses of polyfunctional molecules of unknown structure. This paper describes successful CSR studies of methyl ricinoleate and methyl 12-hydroxystearate. A series of complementary interpretive techniques was used to assign proton signals in spectra obtained during incremental Eu(fod)3 addition studies with these compounds. Individual proton signals can be observed and assigned for all the protons in methyl ricinoleate, except those on carbons 5, 6 and 7. Information obtained for methyl 12-hydroxystearate is less specific. Signals are observed for all protons in methyl 12-hydroxystearate, although in some cases several proton signals overlap.
An analysis of a reported occupational exposure to infrared radiation.

(1978). An analysis of a reported occupational exposure to infrared radiation. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal: Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 63-69.
Density and Biomass of Native Northern Pike Populations in Relation to Basin-Scale Characteristics of North-Central Minnesota Lakes

Abstract Habitat and ecological constraints that influence populations of northern pike Esox lucius at the scale of the lake basin were determined for 16 north-central Minnesota lakes that varied in size, depth, and chemical productivity. The density and biomass of northern pike greater than 350 mm total length were highly variable among lakes (3.2–59.0 fish/ha, 3.6–33.6 kg/ha). Densities of large northern pike were very low; fish longer than 600 mm averaged only 1.6 fish/ ha. Northern pike populations were more closely linked to lake morphometry than to differences in other ecological factors, such as water productivity, exploitation, or the relative abundance of prey fish. For northern pike exceeding 350 mm, numbers and mass were most strongly related to littoral and optimum thermal habitat; percent littoral area was the most important variable explaining the density differences. Literature values from other geographic areas tended to support the importance of littoral habitat except when recruitment wa...
The reality and importance of founder speciation in evolution

A founder event occurs when a new population is established from a small number of individuals drawn from a large ancestral population. Mayr proposed that genetic drift in an isolated founder population could alter the selective forces in an epistatic system, an observation supported by recent studies. Carson argued that a period of relaxed selection could occur when a founder population is in an open ecological niche, allowing rapid population growth after the founder event. Selectable genetic variation can actually increase during this founder-flush phase due to recombination, enhanced survival of advantageous mutations, and the conversion of non-additive genetic variance into additive variance in an epistatic system, another empirically confirmed prediction. Templeton combined the theories of Mayr and Carson with population genetic models to predict the conditions under which founder events can contribute to speciation, and these predictions are strongly confirmed by the empirical literature. Much of the criticism of founder speciation is based upon equating founder speciation to an adaptive peak shift opposed by selection. However, Mayr, Carson and Templeton all modeled a positive interaction of selection and drift, and Templeton showed that founder speciation is incompatible with peak-shift conditions. Although rare, founder speciation can have a disproportionate importance in adaptive innovation and radiation, and examples are given to show that "rare" does not mean "unimportant" in evolution. Founder speciation also interacts with other speciation mechanisms such that a speciation event is not a one-dimensional process due to either selection alone or drift alone.
Utility of Biomarkers and Imaging in the Development of Drugs for the Treatment of Coronary Atherosclerosis

Biomarkers and imaging trials have often been used as guideposts in the development of drugs for atherosclerosis. This article explores the role of biomarkers and imaging trials in the development of 4 drugs: rimonabant, torcetrapib, ezetimibe, and niacin. Rimonabant, a selective cannabinoid-1 receptor, causes weight loss and exerts favourable effects on lipid biomarkers. An intracoronary ultrasound study showed no effect for the primary but significant benefit for the secondary end point. A large clinical outcomes trial was halted when it became apparent that the drug caused serious psychiatric side effects, including suicide. Torcetrapib, a cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor, lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and induces a marked increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, a large clinical outcomes trial was halted very prematurely due to a 58% increase in all-cause mortality. Neutral imaging studies were reported later. Ezetimibe lowers low density lipoprotein cholesterol but did not reduce carotid intima-media thickness, and there is as yet no clinical trial evidence that it reduces cardiovascular events after a decade on the market. Niacin exerts favourable effects on lipid biomarkers and has shown regression of atherosclerosis in small carotid imaging trials, but did not reduce events in a recent clinical trial that was stopped early due to a lack of efficacy. In summary, favourable effects on lipid biomarkers often do not translate into clinical benefit, and imaging trials, which focus on a narrow measurement of atherosclerosis, are also often not helpful.
Survival of infants with severe congenital heart disease

The records of all infants (170) who presented with severe cardiac distress due to congenital heart defects in the years 1963 to 1968 were analyzed to provide current prognostic figures for this group. With the exception of one year during this 6 year period, the number of patients and the survival rate steadily increased. The over-all survival rate was 44 per cent, and during the last 3 years it was 51 per cent. The chance for successful definitive surgical correction was estimated to be nearly 60 per cent for the surviving group of patients.
Mechanisms of tyrosine hydroxylase regulation during pregnancy: evidence for protein dephosphorylation during the prolactin surges.

This study examined tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the stalk-median eminence (SME) and TH messenger RNA (mRNA) signal levels in the arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus during early, middle, and late pregnancy and related these to circulating levels of ovarian steroids. In addition, this study evaluated the intracellular mechanism(s) which contributes to the semicircadian rhythm in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuronal activity during early pregnancy. The catalytic activity of TH in the SME was determined from the in vitro rate of 3,4,dihydroxyphenylalanine accumulation after inhibiting DOPA decarboxylase with brocresine. TH mRNA signal levels were evaluated by in situ hybridization. TH mRNA signal levels in the arcuate nuclei were 30% lower at 1000 h on day 20 of pregnancy as compared to days 7 and 11, whereas TH activity in the SME at 1000 h was not significantly different on days 7, 11, 16, and 20. Serum PRL levels were low (3–6 ng/ml) and unchanged at 1000 h on days 7, 11, 16, and 20. Circulat...
Stability Studies of Nucleic Acid-Binding Fab Isolated from Combinatorial Bacteriophage Display Libraries☆

This study examined the global stability and activity properties of recombinant DNA-binding antibody fragments that were obtained from a bacteriophage combinatorial display library. The goal of this study was to determine whether the combinatorial approach of heavy and light chain assembly in E. coli and subsequent affinity selection preferentially selects for antibody fragments with unusual structural stabilities. Specifically, the binding properties and stability of recombinant antibody fragments with or without a C-terminal His tag to temperature, pH, and guanidine-HCI were examined. Both Fab exhibited almost identical Kd (120-130, 140-170, and 450-560 nM) and maximal fluorescence quenching (20-25%) values for binding to (dT)20, (dT)15, and (dT)10, respectively. Thermal denaturation data obtained by CD spectroscopy demonstrated that both Fab possessed structural properties comparable to well-folded proteins with defined tertiary structures which were stable below 70 degrees C (Tm 73 degrees C). These results were confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry. Both Fab exhibited the same rate of irreversible thermal inactivation (0.061-0.069 min-1) at 75 degrees C and could be reversibly renatured from guanidine-HCI and pH extremes. Crystallization trials with one recombinant DNA-binding Fab yielded diffraction quality crystals also suggesting a well-defined tertiary structure.
OO/C++ reconstruction model based on GEANT3

An OO reconstruction model providing access to a GEANT3 geometry has been developed within the ROOT framework. The model includes classes to store GEANT3 simulated detector response (digits) and tools supporting navigation from digits to the geometry and vice versa.
Factors influencing the magnitude of cartel overcharges: An empirical analysis of food-industry cartels

Using overcharge estimates for 395 cartel episodes from the 18th to the 21st century, we evaluate the impact of cartel characteristics on the size of overcharges imposed by cartels across several geographic regions and antitrust law regimes. The results of our study have important policy implications. We find that the average overcharge imposed by cartels in our sample is 19 percent with the median of 16 percent of the selling price. Food industry cartels achieve lower overcharges than domestic cartels. Longer cartel episodes generate higher levels of overcharges. Cartels that were found or pled guilty achieve approximately the same levels of overcharges as legal cartels. [JEL classifications: L1, L2, L4, L6]. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 17–33, 2007.