cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Wear of the Pivot Bearing in the Gyro C1E3 Pump.

To estimate the lifetime of the pivot bearing system of the sealless centrifugal Gyro C1E3 pump, pivot bearing wear phenomena of the C1E3 were studied. The pivot bearing system consisted of a male and female pivot made of ceramics and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), respectively. First, many pumping tests were performed with the C1E3 under various pumping conditions, and the effects of impeller position and fluid on wear were analyzed. Through these preliminary tests, it was found that the wear progress of the pivot bearing consisted of initial wear and stationary wear. Most of this initial wear is caused by the plastic deformation of the polyethylene female pivot. It also was observed that bovine blood was almost comparable to water in its effect on the stationary wear rate at the same rotational speed. Based on these results, a long-term pumping test was performed with the C1E3, and initial and stationary wear rates were determined. At the same time, the maximal loosening distance (LDmax) (permissible total wear) of the C1E3 was determined experimentally from hemolytic and hydraulic performance perspectives. By using experimentally determined parameters the lifetime of the pivot bearing system of the C1E3 pump was estimated for various pumping conditions. The lifetime of the pivot bearing system of the C1E3 was typically 10 years for right ventricular assist, 8 years for left ventricular assist, and 5 years for cardiopulmonary bypass.
Of secretaries to princes

: An enduring issue of public administration is the ability of our political leadership to implement an agenda and to master events. This question has acquired new urgency in Canada and the United States with the publicity given to personnel problems in the offices of the prime minister and leader of the opposition, and with the role of the White House staff in the Iran-Contra affair. Using examples drawn from the author's past position as principal secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau, the article argues that: (a) it is possible to prevent the urgent from overwhelming the important but only if a strategic plan is adopted; (b) to implement such a strategic plan it is necessary to have a highly competent, partisan personal staff; but (c) we are in danger in Canada of blurring the lines between a partisan Prime Minister's Office and our tradition of a neutral public service. Such a blurring will impede the attempt to develop a strategic prime ministership. Sommaire: Nos chefs politiques peuvent-ils mettre en oeuvre un programme politi-que et exercer un controe sur les evenements? Cette question, qui revient constamment en administration publique, a pris une acuite particuliere au Canada et aux EtatsUnis depuis la publicite qui a ete donnee aux problees de personnel dans le cabinet du premier ministre et dans les bureaux du chef de l'opposition, et au role qu'a joue le personnel de la Maison Blanche dans le scandale de l'Irangate. Utilisant des exemples tires de son experience alors qu'il etait secretaire principal aupres du premier ministre Trudeau, l'auteur soutient: (a) qu'on peut eviter de faire passer les questions urgentes avant les questions importantes si on adopte un plan strategique; (b) qu'il est necessaire pour mettre en oeuvre ce plan strategique de s'entourer d'un personnel competent et partisan, mais (c) qu'au Canada, nous courons le risque que la ligne de demarcation entre un cabinet du Premier ministre necessairement partisan et une Fonction publique neutre, comme le veut la tradition, soit floue. La confusion qui en decoulerait nuirait au developpement de fonctions strategiques au bureau du premier ministre.
Numerical Study of the Tool Rake Angle Effect on the Material Flow in Friction Stir Welding Process

Minimizing consumed energy in friction stir welding (FSW) is one of the prominent considerations in the process development. Modifications of the FSW tool geometry might be categorized as the initial attempt to achieve a minimum FSW effort. Advanced tool pin and shoulder features as well as a low-conductive backing plate, high-conductive FSW tools equipped with cooling fins, and single or multi-step welding processes are all carried out to achieve a flawless weld with reduced welding effort. The outcomes of these attempts are considerable, primarily when the tool pin traditional designs are replaced with threaded, Trifiute or Trivex geometries. Nevertheless, the problem remains as to how an inclined tool affects the material flow characteristics and the loads applied to the tool. It is experimentally proven that a positive rake angle facilitates the traverse motion of the FSW tool; however, few computational evidences were provided. In this study, numerical material flow and heat transfer analysis are carried out for the presumed tool rake angle ranging from −4° to 4°. Afterwards, the effects of the tool rake angle to the dynamic pressure distribution, strain-rates, and velocity profiles are numerically computed. Furthermore, coefficients of drag, lift, and side force and moment applied to the tool from the visco-plastic material region are computed for each of the tool rake angles. Eventually, this paper confirms that the rake angle dramatically affects the magnitude of the loads applied to the FSW tool, and the developed advanced numerical model might be used to find optimum tool rake angle for other aluminum alloys.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Latin America and the geographical priorities of multinational agro-industries

Abstract Economic theory indicates that the firm avoids an intensification of competition by moves into new geographical areas. Competition, however, has intensified in the markets for food and drinks in developed countries due to stagnation of per capita consumption, in volume, over the last years. Entry of new second-tier firms and new source-countries, as well as rivalry between retailers and processors, has accentuated competition throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Paradoxically, this situation has lead large firms to increase cross-investments within the OECD area rather than to the search for new geographical markets. Despite its unsaturated markets for simple foodstuffs, Latin America's share of agro-industrial foreign investment has stagnated or even fallen in the poorer regional economies. Mexico is an exception due to the anticipation of the passing of NAFTA. However, the geographical priorities of multinationals may change due to less favourable profit-making conditions in the home-countries. New trade policies and the expansion of modern retailing in several Latin American countries may facilitate this shift.
Distal thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass: A surgical alternative

Our experience indicates that the DTA-FA bypass is an acceptable alternative inflow procedure when more commonly used procedures are not feasible. In particular, it is suitable for patients who have undergone prior abdominal surgery or irradiation that makes additional abdominal surgery difficult or undesirable and for patients whose previous inflow operations have failed.
The state of HTTP declarative security in online banking websites

The banking industry is grappling with the problem of malware infections in clients. The exploitation of web vulnerabilities in a bank's website can expose online monetary transactions to fraud. Vulnerabilities such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), clickjacking, MIME sniffing and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) allow information in one session to be stolen from another. However, browser security can play a critical role in preventing successful exploitation. Web malware poses a serious threat to the security of online banking and browsers remain the main attack vector for exploitation. The banking industry is grappling with the problem of malware infections in clients. Preventive measures are being devised to thwart attacks. One of the latest developments has been the inclusion of a declarative security mechanism in HTTP response headers to control the state of browsers. Aditya Sood and Richard Enbody of Michigan State University examine how well declarative security is being managed and implemented in this domain.
Hypo-osmotic stress induces calcium-dependent actin reorganization in articular chondrocytes

Abstract Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hypo-osmotically induced calcium (Ca 2+ ) transients on the organization of the actin cytoskeleton in articular chondrocytes. The secondary hypothesis tested was that actin restructuring following hypo-osmotic stress is mediated by gelsolin. Methods : Isolated porcine chondrocytes were exposed to hypo-osmotic stress, and [Ca 2+ ] i was monitored using laser scanning microscopy. Calcium transients were monitored using fluorescent ratiometric imaging. The intracellular distribution of actin was examined using fluorescent immunohistochemistry and transient transfection with the pEGFP–actin plasmid. The intracellular distribution of gelsolin was investigated using fluorescent immunohistochemistry. Results : Osmotic stress induced transient increases in [Ca 2+ ] i caused reorganization of intracellular actin through a mechanism that required Ca 2+ in the extracellular media. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that gelsolin was colocalized with F-actin immediately following hypo-osmotic stress but dissociated over time. Conclusion : These results indicate that hypo-osmotic stress induces a gelsolin-mediated reorganization of actin through a transient increase in [Ca 2+ ] i .
Survey of sexual concerns among organ transplant recipients

This study identified frequency of sexual dysfunction, degree of satisfaction with sexual relationship, differences in sexual function, overall satisfaction and life quality, and desire for and receipt of instruction regarding sexual dysfunction in kidney, pancreas/kidney, and liver transplant recipients. Of the 768 adult recipients surveyed by mailed questionnaire, 39% responded. Intimate relationships were reported by 69.9%; 66.7% indicated satisfaction with their relationship. Twenty-six percent were not sexually active. Transplant groups did not differ significantly regarding satisfaction, sexual function, or quality of life. Satisfaction groups differed significantly regarding intimacy and expected future life and health quality. Frequency of intercourse, desire, orgasm, erection dysfunctions, and the acceptance of partners' advances related to relationship satisfaction. Sixty-seven percent received no instruction concerning sexuality or fertility. Education efforts could validate and support sexual ...
Sleep and epilepsy.

Summary: Epileptic mechanisms in the brain are subject to long-duration, time-ordered neuromodulatory processes controlled by endogenous oscillators which are responsible for appropriately phased modulation of various normal physiological processes, including the 24-h sleep/wakefulness cycle and the ultradian 100-min cycle of rapid eye movement/non-rapid eye movement sleep. Both focal and generalized types of epileptiform activity in humans are subject to biorhythmic modulation, and the various modulation patterns observed are in accord with a model which explains these patterns as a consequence of the interaction of two endogenous modulatory processes: one with a period of about 24 h, the other with a period of about 100 min. Differences in the phase angle between the two cyclic processes, determined by time of sleep onset, explain the various modulatory patterns observed. The mechanisms involved in the genesis and elaboration of electrical epileptiform activity in animal models are examined in relation to known processes involved in the physiology of sleep, and compared with data derived from long-term studies of the time distribution of epileptic events in humans. In infantile spasms, clinical seizure activity and the ictal and interictal EEG patterns in relationship to the phases of the sleep cycle, the significant defects in the quality and quantity of sleep in this disorder, and the changes that take place in all of these when seizures are abolished by effective treatment, suggest that pontine mechanisms responsible for the sleep cycle may be involved in the elaboration of infantile spasms and hypsarrhythmia.
Stable Hydrocarbon Diffusion Flames in a Weightless Environment

Abstract An experimental investigation of stable laminar ethylene and propylene diffusion flames burning on a nozzle in weightlessness was performed at the NASA-Lewis 2.2 Second Drop Tower. For a range of low flow conditions, visual evidence indicated that the flames reaction zone was burning over a wide range of combustion rates; however, for the purposes of correlating flame length the stoichiometric burning rate appeared adequate. It was found that if Re is the ambient pure fuel Reynolds number based on nozzle radius, Sc is the ambient pure fuel Schmidt number, and c, is the mole fraction of fuel burning stoichiometrically in air, the ratio of flame length to nozzle radius was predicted and experimentally verified to be proportional to Sc1/2 Re ln1/2 (1/(1−c8)).
Geocoding and Linking Data from Population-based Surveillance and the US Census to Evaluate the Impact of Median Household Income on the Epidemiology of Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections

The emergence of drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae poses new clinical challenges and may also reflect a change in the epidemiology of S. pneumoniae infections. A variety of studies have shown that drug-resistant S. pneumoniae infections are linked to antimicrobial use. It has been hypothesized that persons of high socioeconomic status are at increased risk for a drug-resistant infection because of greater access to antimicrobial drugs. To assess whether median household income is associated with increased risk of penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae infections, the authors geocoded and linked data from population-based surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease with data from the 1990 US Census. Among invasive pneumococcal isolates from Atlanta, Georgia, in 1994, increasing proportions of penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates were associated with higher median household incomes (chi2 for trend, 15.17; p=0.002). Despite higher rates of invasive pneumococcal disease among blacks and persons who resided within lower median household income areas, white patients in areas with higher median household income had a higher risk of being infected with strains that were not susceptible to penicillin (Wilcoxon rank sum, Z=2.66, p=0.008). These findings demonstrated the utility of geocoding and US Census data in describing the epidemiology of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae and also provided more evidence that socioeconomic factors may influence the development of drug resistance.
Skeletal muscle satellite cells appear during late chicken embryogenesis.

The emergence of avian satellite cells during development has been studied using markers that distinguish adult from fetal cells. Previous studies by us have shown that myogenic cultures from fetal (Embryonic Day 10) and adult (12–16 weeks) chicken pectoralis muscle (PM) each regulate expression of the embryonic isoform of fast myosin heavy chain (MHC) differently. In fetal cultures, embryonic MHC is coexpressed with a ventricular MHC in both myocytes (differentiated myoblasts) and myotubes. In contrast, myocytes and newly formed myotubes in adult cultures express ventricular but not embryonic MHC. In the current study, the appearance of myocytes and myotubes which express ventricular but not embryonic MHC was used to determine when adult myoblasts first emerge during avian development. By examining patterns of MHC expression in mass and clonal cultures prepared from embryonic and posthatch chicken skeletal muscle using double-label immunofluorescence with isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies, we show that a significant number of myocytes and myotubes which stain for ventricular but not embryonic MHC are first seen in cultures derived from PM during fetal development (Embryonic Day 18) and comprise the majority, if not all, of the myoblasts present at hatching and beyond. These results suggest that adult type myoblasts become dominant in late embryogenesis. We also show that satellite cell cultures derived from adult slow muscle give results similar to those of cultures derived from adult fast muscle. Cultures derived from Embryonic Day 10 hindlimb form myocytes and myotubes that coexpress ventricular and embryonic MHCs in a manner similar to cells of the Embryonic Day 10 PM. Thus, adult and fetal expression patterns of ventricular and embryonic MHCs are correlated with developmental age but not muscle fiber type.
The differential operator approach to linear system analysis and design

Abstract The time domain, state-space approach to control systems analysis and design has dominated the control literature since the early 1960 's. More recently, however, there has been a resurgent interest in frequency domain methods. This is due in large part to the development of an alternative (to the state-space approach) time domain technique, namely the differential operator approach for the analysis and synthesis of linear multivariable systems. More specifically, a significant number of investigators have now noted and employed the fact that the ( p x m ) transfer matrix, T(s), of a linear, time-invariant, multivariable system can be factored as R ( s ) P -1 R ( s ) [ or P -1 Q ( s ) Q ( s )]. with R(s) and P R (s) [P Q (s) and Q(s)] relatively right (left) prime polynomial matrices in the Laplace operator's and P R ( s ) [ P Q ( s )] column (row) proper. Furthermore, such a factorization directly implies a minimal (i.e. both controllable and observable) time domain realization of T(s) in “differential operator form”, namely P R ( D ) z ( t ) = u ( t ); y ( t ) = R ( D ) z ( t ) [ or P Q ( D ) y ( t ) = Q ( D ) u ( t )], where P R ( D ) and R ( D ) [ P Q ( D ) and Q ( D )] are polynomial matrices in the differential operator D = d / dt , with P R ( D ) [ P Q ( D )] nonsingular. It might be noted that a differential operator description of the dynamical behavior of a physical system often follows as a direct result of applying well-known physical laws to describe the performance of the system. The primary purpose of this paper is to delineate and unify a number of the more important differential operator techniques which have recently been developed and to compare them to analogous, but perhaps more familiar state-space procedures.
Worker Voices, Elite Representations: Rewriting the Labor History of Late Imperial Russia

Pointing out the difficulty of recovering authentic representations of worker voices in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russia, this review essay examines two recent books and their contribution to labor history. Reginald Zelnik's Law and Disorder on the Narova River (1995) tries to depend upon a brief worker memoir to retell an 1872 strike in a textile factory. But worker voices prove rare and elliptical, making difficult Zelnik's ambition to have workers tell their own story. The plot is arresting nonetheless. Contrary to stereotype, peasant textile workers at Kreenholm were among the first of Russia's radicalized workers. State officials, too, failed to fulfill their expected roles; instead of oppression and collusion with entrepreneurs, some local authorities extended sympathy and support to strikers. A second book, Workers and Intelligentsia in Late Imperial Russia (1999) reviewed here, considers "Realities, Representations, and Reflections" of the connection between Russia's proletariat and the intelligentsia. Although many of the authors attempt to demonstrate the vibrant dialog between these two social orders, the evidence adduced often leaves open how independent Russia's workers were, and to what extent their narratives may be used to reconstruct the labor history of the last decades of tsarism.
Neolysurus: a new genus in the Clathraceae.

Neolysurus arcipulvinus gen. et sp. nov. from Costa Rica is described and illustrated. The tubular construction of the stipe and arms of this fungus places it in the Lysuroid series of the Clathraceae. It superficially resembles taxa referred to Colus and Lysurus. Neolysurus is unique in having a long stipe, terminating in arms or columns that branch and interconnect to support a cushion-shaped, olive green gleba. The glebal cushion is divided into polygonal compartments by a fine pinkish white, solid mesh. The hymenium is continuous between the mesh. This mesh structure with a continuous hymenium is not found in any other genus of the Clathraceae.
Amnesia induced by stimulation of the amygdala is attenuated by hexamethonium.

Bilateral subseizure stimulation of the amygdala given immediately following training in an inhibitory avoidance task produced retrograde amnesia. Hexamethonium (3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg), a peripherally acting nicotinic cholinergic antagonist, attenuated the retention deficits induced by amygdala stimulation if the drug was given 30 min prior to, but not immediately following training. Hexamethonium had no effect in normal unoperated animals, but did produce a retention defecit in operated control (nonstimulated) animals if it was given immediately following training (3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg). The results suggest that memory deficits induced by electrical stimulation of the amygdala are associated with, or perhaps mediated in some way by peripheral autonomic function.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in triplets of African-American descent

Despite the prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in African Americans, the disorder maybe often overlooked as a diagnosis in the absence of overt signs of hemolysis in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia. We present a case report of anemia and prolonged hyperbilirubinemia due to G6PD deficiency in the absence of hemolysis in dichorionic, triamniotic, preterm triplets of African-American descent.
Light bodies: exploring interactions with responsive lights

"Light bodies" are mobile and portable, hand-held lights that respond to audio and vibration input. The motivation to build these devices is grounded in a historical reinterpretation of street lighting. Before fixed infrastructure illuminated cities at night, people carried lanterns with them to make their presence known. Using this as our starting point, we asked how we might engage people in more actively shaping the lightscapes which surround them. We prototyped a first iteration of sound and vibration responsive, LED-based coloured lights that we placed in three different settings including a choreographed dance performance, an outdoor public installation and an audio-visual event. We report on our experiences with these preliminary investigations.
Long-term follow-up of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis undergoing pancreaticoduodenal surgery.

Adenomatous polyps and adenocarcinomas of the periampullary region are the most common upper gastrointestinal neoplasms encountered in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients. Tumors arising from the liver, biliary tract, and pancreas have also been reported. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical outcome of FAP patients after pancreaticoduodenal surgery for periampullary neoplasms. Of the 61 individuals participating in our prospective FAP registry, 8 underwent surgical resection of periampullary neoplasms between 1987 and 1998. The charts of these individuals were reviewed for clinical indications, type of pancreaticoduodenal surgery, postoperative complications, and outcome. Of the 8 patients identified, 7 had pancreaticoduodenectomy and 1 had duodenotomy with ampullectomy. The indications for surgery were periampullary cancer (3), severe dysplasia within a duodenal villous tumor (4), and solid-pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas (1). At the time of pancreaticoduodenal surgery, patients ranged in age from 29-65 years, and all but one had undergone colorectal surgery, on average 16 years beforehand. Pancreatic ascites after a pylorus-sparing pancreaticoduodenectomy was the only surgical complication. At a median follow-up of 70.5 months (range 37-162), 2 patients had died, neither from their periampullary neoplasm. The patient treated by local excision subsequently developed gastric cancer arising from a polyp and went on to gastrectomy. Another patient developed confluent benign jejunal adenomas just beyond the gastroenteric anastomosis almost 12 years after pancreaticoduodenectomy for severe dysplasia of a duodenal villous adenoma. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a safe and appropriate surgical option for FAP patients with duodenal villous tumors containing severe dysplasia or carcinoma. Postoperative morbidity was minimal and there was no perioperative mortality. Good long-term prognosis can be expected in completely resected patients although subsequent proliferative and/or neoplastic lesions may still be detected in the gastrointestinal tract with prolonged follow-up.
Chimeric papillomavirus virus-like particles induce a murine self-antigen-specific protective and therapeutic antitumor immune response.

The use of chimeric virus-like particles represents a new strategy for delivering tumor antigens to the immune system for the initiation of antitumor immune responses. Immunization of DBA/2 mice with the P1A peptide derived from the P815 tumor-associated antigen P1A induced specific T-cell tolerance, resulting in progression of a regressor P815 cell line in all animals. However, immunization with a human papillomavirus type 16 L1 virus-like particle containing the P1A peptide in the absence of adjuvant induced a protective immune response in mice against a lethal tumor challenge with a progressor P815 tumor cell line. Additionally, we demonstrated that these chimeric virus-like particles could be used therapeutically to suppress the growth of established tumors, resulting in a significant survival advantage for chimeric virus-like particle-treated mice compared with untreated control mice. Chimeric virus-like particles can thus be used as a universal delivery vehicle for both tolerizing and antigenic peptides to induce a strong protective and therapeutic antigen-specific antitumor immune response. J. Cell. Biochem. 73:145–152, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Nonverbal Communication Between Patients and Medical Practitioners

Proper health care necessitates face-to-face interaction between health providers and their patients. This direct contact is important for two sets of reasons: the provider must assess the special quality and intensity of the patient's symptoms, emotions and pain; and the provider must create positive expectations, provide emotional support, and enlist the patient's cooperation with treatment. Regarding medical diagnosis, patients are often unable or unwilling to describe precisely and completely what is wrong with them. Regarding medical treatment, a number of factors make kind words and verbal prognoses from practitioners insufficient to communicate the expectations essential to “placebo” effects and the sense of commitment known to be therapeutic to a distraught patient. Effective nonverbal communication—through touch, facial expression, voice tone, etc.—is essential for successful patient-practitioner interaction. Major aspects of nonverbal communication that are of direct relevance to health care have been studied scientifically but have not yet been systematically utilized. Promising areas of application are reviewed in this paper.
Minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRT): procedure improvements and dynamic MRT

Minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRT or MRTD) is the primary performance test for tactical military infrared (IR) sensors. It is a lab measurement that may be related to discrimination task performance in the field. Also, a theoretical model exists for deriving the MRT of a particular sensor, where the model is used in sensor design evaluation and trades. The model includes both the human and the sensor/display in the overall system performance and can be considered a visual acuity test of a human looking through the IR imager. Both the model and test are validated for first and second generation forward looking IR sensors. The test procedure has been incorrectly applied to undersampled staring array imagers that are becoming more common today. Additionally, it lacks stringent controllability in the procedures, which hampers test repeatability. As a result, multiple measurements are typically performed and the results averaged. This is usually without regard to statistical requirements for estimating values from distributed data. Improvements to the MRT testing procedure are investigated in this research. Data is reported that supports the use of improved techniques. The first improvement is to standardize the sensor and display configuration procedures. A process for standardization is presented and applied to a mid-wave IR imaging sensor. The currently accepted procedure for the static MRT test is accompanied by errors for undersampled staring array imagers. Thus, the second improvement suggested is to utilize dynamic MRT (DMRT) testing for undersampled IR imaging systems. Two motivations for the study presented here are to minimize the uncertainty associated with MRT testing and to improve the characterization of undersampled imagers. These two goals are achieved by the suggested improvements. The resulting DMRTs are compared with modeled MRTs and static MRTs.
Monophyletic origin of brood care in damselfishes

The absence of a pelagic larval stage and brood care has evolved very few times in coral reef fishes. Damselfishes, a widely represented group with more than 380 species, includes only three such species, the monotypic Acanthochromis polyacanthus, and the two Altrichthys species, Altrichthys azurelineatus and Altrichthys curatus. In a recent study, Cooper et al. provided a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for the damselfish family, based on mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, with more than 100 species that included all extant genera (Cooper et al., 2009). A. polyacanthus and sequences from formalin-preserved tissue of A. curatus did not cluster together, indicating that brood care may have evolved independently twice in damselfishes. Here, we use mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers from fresh specimens of both Altrichthys species. We found that Altrichthys and Acanthochromis are closest relatives, which suggests that brood care may have evolved only once in damselfishes. Due to the limited geographic range of Altrichthys (western Philippines) and the abundant presence of Acanthochromis in that region, we also suggest that brood care may have originated in that region.
Exciplex and radical ion intermediates in the photochemical reaction of 9-cyanophenanthrene with 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene

Abstract The photochemical reaction of 9-cyanophenanthrene and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, first reported by Mizuno, Pac and Sakurai, has been reinvestigated. The formation of a [2+2]-cycloadduct via a singlet exciplex is the exclusive reaction in the nonpolar solvents benzene and ethyl acetate. Photochemical behavior in polar solvents is far more complicated than previously reported. Mechanisms consistent with the effects of solvent polarity, methanol concentration, methanol deuteration, and light intensity upon product yields are proposed. Formation of a 9-cyanophenthrene anion radical and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene cation radical is the primary photoinitiated process in polar solvent. The cation radical can undergo deprotonation to yield an allyl radical or nucleophilic attack by methanol to yield a methoxyalkyl radical. Covalent bonding of these radicals and the 9-cyanophenanthrene anion radical gives rise to the acyclic adducts obtained in polar solvents. The anion radical can also be protonated, leading ultimately to the formation of 9,10-dihydro-9-cyanophenanthrene.
Structure and thermotropic properties of 1-stearoyl-2-acetyl-phosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

The structural and thermotropic properties of 1-stearoyl-2-acetyl-phosphatidylcholine (C(18):C(2)-PC) were studied as a function of hydration. A combination of differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction techniques have been used to investigate the phase behavior of C(18):C(2)-PC. At low hydration (e.g., 20% H2O), the differential scanning calorimetry heating curve shows a single reversible endothermic transition at 44.6 degrees C with transition enthalpy delta H = 6.4 kcal/mol. The x-ray diffraction pattern at -8 degrees C shows a lamellar structure with a small bilayer periodicity d = 46.3 A and two wide angle reflections at 4.3 and 3.95 A, characteristic of a tilted chain, L beta' bilayer gel structure. Above the main transition temperature, a liquid crystalline L alpha phase is observed with d = 53.3 A. Electron density profiles at 20% hydration suggest that C(18):C(2)-PC forms a fully interdigitated bilayer at -8 degrees C and a noninterdigitated, liquid crystalline phase above its transition temperature (T > Tm). Between 30 and 50% hydration, on heating C(18):C(2)-PC converts from a highly ordered, fully interdigitated gel phase (L beta') to a less ordered, interdigitated gel phase (L beta), which on further heating converts to a noninterdigitated liquid crystalline L alpha phase. However, the fully hydrated (> 60% H2O) C(18):C(2)-PC, after incubation at 0 degrees C, displays three endothermic transitions at 8.9 degrees C (transition I, delta H = 1.6 kcal/mol), 18.0 degrees C (transition II), and 20.1 degrees C (transition III, delta HII+III = 4.8 kcal/mol). X-ray diffraction at -8 degrees C again showed a lamellar gel phase (L beta') with a small periodicity d = 52.3 A. At 14 degrees C a less ordered, lamellar gel phase (L beta) is observed with d = 60.5 A. However, above the transition III, a broad, diffuse reflection is observed at approximately 39 A, consistent with the presence of a micellar phase. The following scheme is proposed for structural changes of fully hydrated C(18):C(2)-PC, occurring with temperature: L beta' (interdigitated)-->L beta (interdigitated)-->L alpha(noninterdigitated)-->Micelles. Thus, at low temperature C(18):C(2)-PC forms a bilayer gel phase (L beta') at all hydrations, whereas above the main transition temperature it forms a bilayer liquid crystalline phase L alpha at low hydrations and a micellar phase at high hydrations (> 60 wt% water).
Acquisition, discriminative stimulus control, and retention of increases/decreases in blood pressure of normotensive human subjects.

Abstract The aims of this study of 24 normotensive subjects were: to compare a free-operant with a discrete-trials training format; to determine the most effective training procedure by comparing instrumental conditioning with instructional set and a control; to see if both increases and decreases in blood pressure could be brought under discriminative control, and to examine the maintenance of acquired self-control of blood pressure. A 2 X 3 design was employed in which two trial formats (free operant and discrete trials) were factorially compared with three training conditions (instrumental conditioning, instructional set, and control). Instrumental conditioning was found superior to both the instructional set and control conditions in producing increases and decreases in mean diastolic blood pressure. The free-operant format led to a greater degree of learned BP control in that subjects were able to increase and decrease their blood pressure by 10% to 15% of basal value and to maintain the blood-pressure operant after contingent auditory feedback/reinforcement was removed. Training was discontinued when subjects in the other five groups failed to reach criterion after 10 consecutive acquisition sessions.
Global notes: how many babies were ever born in the world? What is the hope for future?

Population studies evoke interesting questions. The news of the arrival of the 300 millionth baby in the US in the month of October a year ago1 raised intriguing questions for many. Being neonatologists, we are accustomed to welcome the newborns no matter how small; so we join the celebrations. Others, demographers in particular, have been thinking of some puzzling questions such as the meaning of the population trends and the effects on national economies. Do we know how many babies have been born in the world since the dawn of human existence? That one is, of course, an instinctive thought of a neonatologist and leads to additional queries: when did the human species start its existence? Finally, what is the relevance of population studies to the progress of a nation or the human species?
Histologic criteria for diagnosing primary cutaneous malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma accounts for the largest number of deaths attributed to skin cancer. It also provides the most diagnostic challenges for the histopathologist. This article, attempts to describe the histologic features most closely associated with the various growth patterns of the most common subtypes of melanoma. While it has been shown repeatedly that histologic subtypes likely provide clinicians and patients with minimal to no prognostic information, it is useful to separate these entities in order to elucidate the varied histologic features seen within the class of tumors known as melanoma. The discussion centers around a checklist of changes seen at the microscope that are associated with this diagnosis. The goal of this chapter is to provide the reader with one perspective on the series of changes that are used in order to establish (or exclude) a diagnosis of melanoma. There is a comprehensive literature that critically evaluates histologic parameters associated with this collection of tumors and relates them to prognostic information, and no attempt will be made to correlate the histologic change with prognostic information. This will be discussed in another chapter in this volume. Similarly, more esoteric subtypes of melanoma are characterized by histologic features that differ from the common types of melanoma and will be addressed in another chapter.
Towards Antiferromagnetic Metal Spintronics

Spintronics in ferromagnetic systems is built on a complementary set of phenomena in which the magnetic configuration of the system influences its transport properties and vice versa. Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and spin transfer phenomena are typical examples of such interconnections found in ferromagnetic (F) multilayers. Recently, MacDonald and co-workers predicted that corresponding effects ought to occur in antiferromagnetic (AFM) multilayers where F components are replaced by AFMs. First, it was predicted that resistance of an AFM spin valve-here two AFM layers are separated by a nonmagnetic (N) spacer-could depend upon the relative orientations of magnetic moments in the two AFM layers (antiferromagnetic GMR). Second, injection of a strong enough current density into an antiferromagnet was predicted to affect its magnetic state; in particular, they predicted current-driven variations in exchange bias in F/AFM metal pairs. These new AFM effects may potentially lead to a new all-antiferromagnetic spintronics where antiferromagnets are used in place of ferromagnets. We and others have recently provided experimental evidence of current-driven effects on exchange bias at F/AFM interfaces. This talk will focus upon our experiments which demonstrated for the first time that the exchange bias is affected by an electrical current of high density (~1012 A/m2) flowing across the F/AFM interface. We find that, depending on the polarity of the current, the strength of the exchange bias can either increase or decrease. To explain our findings we exploit the theoretical prediction that the current mediates the transfer of spin angular momentum to AFM metal and generates a torque on its magnetic moments. Such a current-mediated variation of exchange bias could be used to control the magnetic state of spin-valve devices, e.g., in magnetic memory applications. I will also discuss our search for antiferromagnetic GMR in systems containing two AFMs separated by a non-magnetic (N) metal spacer.
Measurements of the Dust Temperature in the Dispersion Relation of the Dust Acoustic Wave

Over the past 15 years, the dust acoustic wave has been a subject of intense study, and, in recent years, thermal effects in the dust acoustic wave have emerged as a new area of investigation. This paper presents preliminary measurements of the kinetic dust temperature using the dispersion relation of this wave mode as a function of the neutral gas pressure. It is found that dust temperature is significantly larger than the other plasma components and decreases with increasing neutral gas pressure.
Strained GaSb/AlAsSb quantum wells for p-channel field-effect transistors

Abstract Quantum wells of GaSb were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates. The buffer layer and barrier layers consisted of relaxed AlAs x Sb 1− x . The composition of the AlAs x Sb 1− x was varied to produce compressive biaxial strains in the GaSb. The confinement and strain in the GaSb quantum wells lift the degeneracy in the valence band, resulting in lower in-plane effective mass and higher mobility. A three-fold enhancement of mobility was achieved, with room-temperature mobilities as high as 1350 cm 2 /V s and 77 K values as high as 10,400 cm 2 /V s for strains near 1%. These quantum wells should be suitable for high-performance p-channel field-effect transistors for complementary circuits operating at extremely low power.
Same-day discharge is feasible and safe in patients undergoing minimally invasive staging for gynecologic malignancies.

Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of same-day discharge of patients undergoing minimally invasive comprehensive surgical staging for endometrial and cervical cancer. Study Design We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients from January 2008 to December 2011 undergoing comprehensive staging for endometrial or cervical cancer by traditional laparoscopy or robotic-assisted laparoscopy and intended for same-day discharge. Patients accomplishing same-day discharge were compared with those who required admission. Clinical and demographic data, perioperative outcomes, and postoperative patient contacts within 6 weeks were collected. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with admission and unscheduled patient contacts within 2 weeks of surgery. Results A total of 141 patients were identified. One hundred eighteen patients (83.7%) underwent same-day discharge and 23 (16.3%) required overnight admission. The variables that significantly predicted overnight admission were severe pain in the postanesthesia care unit (odds ratio [OR], 6.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74–26.6; P = .006), delayed ability to tolerate oral intake (OR, 9.3; 95% CI, 2.25–38.6, P = .002), traditional laparoscopic vs robotic-assisted surgical approach (OR, 9.05; 95% CI, 2.34–35.1; P = .001), and surgery start time at 2:00 pm or later (OR, 36.8; 95% CI, 6.19–219.3; P P = .48). No variables significantly predicted unscheduled patient contact within 2 weeks of surgery at P Conclusion Same-day discharge for patients undergoing laparoscopic or robotic-assisted laparoscopic staging for endometrial or cervical cancer is feasible and safe. There are low complication rates and few readmissions or unscheduled patient contacts within 2 weeks of surgery.
Proton pump inhibitor and histamine 2 receptor antagonist use and vitamin B12 deficiency.

years’ supply of H2RAs (without any PPI use), and 21 749 (83.8%) had not received prescriptions for either PPIs or H2RAs. Among patients without vitamin B12 deficiency, 13 210 (7.2%) were dispense da2o rmore years’ supply of PPIs, 5897 (3.2%) were dispense da2o r more years’ supply of H2RAs (without any PPI use), and 165 092 (89.6%) had not received prescriptions for either PPIs or H2RAs. Bot ha2o rmore years’ supply of PPIs (OR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.58-1.73]) an da2o rmore years’ supply of H2RAs (OR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.17-1.34]) were associated with an increased risk for vitamin B12 deficiency. Doses more than 1.5 PPI pills/d were more strongly associated with vitamin B12 deficiency (OR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.77-2.15]) than were doses less than 0.75 pills/d (OR, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.48-1.78]; P = .007 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Previous and current gastric acid inhibitor use was significantly associated with the presence of vitamin B12 deficiency. These findings should be considered when balancing the risks and benefits of using these medications.
Sensitivity Analyses for Sparse-Data Problems—Using Weakly Informative Bayesian Priors

Epidemiologic studies often must cope with sparse-data problems due to small sample sizes or to reduction in effective sample size due to the study of very uncommon (or common) exposures1 or highly correlated variables.2 However, determining the presence and impact of sparse data in a given study is not as clear as one might believe. In studies with only a few categorical variables, the researcher may be able to identify the presence of sparse data by observing the sample size within cells of contingency tables.3 However, as data become more complex, this approach becomes untenable. In a regression model with a large number of covariates, researchers should be concerned about the potential impact of data sparseness. One way to quantify the impact of sparse data on parameter estimates is with a sensitivity analysis in which the observed data are augmented with a small amount of additional data (for instance, a few additional exposed cases and controls). Quantifying the degree of change in the parameter estimates that results from the addition of a small amount of additional information represents an informal assessment of the impact of sparse data. If the data are sparse, model estimates will be sensitive to this additional information. If the data are not sparse, model estimates will be robust to the added information. A method for testing the sensitivity of particular model parameters to sparse data is a natural complement to existing methods for evaluating systematic errors due to confounding, measurement error, and selection bias.4–7 Augmenting the observed data with a small amount of additional information is easily accomplished with Bayesian analysis. To this end, we propose the use of a weakly informative prior. Recent advancements in Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques make this approach easy to use in day-to-day regression analyses. We provide two examples (one as an eAppendix, http://links.lww.com/EDE/A650) of odds ratios obtained from conditional logistic regression models, which are notoriously susceptible to sparse-data problems.
Human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family.

There exist four fundamentally different classes of membrane-bound transport proteins: ion channels; transporters; aquaporins; and ATP-powered pumps. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are an example of ATP-dependent pumps. ABC transporters are ubiquitous membrane-bound proteins, present in all prokaryotes, as well as plants, fungi, yeast and animals. These pumps can move substrates in (influx) or out (efflux) of cells. In mammals, ABC transporters are expressed predominantly in the liver, intestine, blood-brain barrier, blood-testis barrier, placenta and kidney. ABC proteins transport a number of endogenous substrates, including inorganic anions, metal ions, peptides, amino acids, sugars and a large number of hydrophobic compounds and metabolites across the plasma membrane, and also across intracellular membranes. The human genome contains 49 ABC genes, arranged in eight subfamilies and named via divergent evolution. That ABC genes are important is underscored by the fact that mutations in at least I I of these genes are already known to cause severe inherited diseases (eg cystic fibrosis and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy [X-ALD]). ABC transporters also participate in the movement of most drugs and their metabolites across cell surface and cellular organelle membranes; thus, defects in these genes can be important in terms of cancer therapy, pharmacokinetics and innumerable pharmacogenetic disorders.