cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wright's shifting balance theory: an experimental study

Experimental confirmation of Wright's shifting balance theory of evolution, one of the most comprehensive theories of adaptive evolution, is presented. The theory is regarded by many as a cornerstone of modern evolutionary thought, but there has been little direct empirical evidence supporting it. Some of its underlying assumptions are viewed as contradictory, and the existence and efficacy of the theory's fundamental adaptive process, interdemic selection, is the focus of controversy. Interdemic selection was imposed on large arrays of laboratory populations of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum in the manner described by Wright: the differential dispersion of individuals from demes of high fitness into demes of low fitness. A significant increase in average fitness was observed in the experimental arrays when compared to control populations with equivalent but random migration rates. The response was not proportional to the selection differential: The largest response occurred with interdemic selection every two generations rather than every generation or every three generations. The results indicate that the interdemic phase of Wright's shifting balance theory can increase average fitness and suggest that gene interactions are involved in the observed response.
Large-field scanning laser ablation system

A large-field scanning imaging system has been developed to perform imaging ablation using 308-nm excimer laser light. A 1 x Dysonlike lens images a portion of the mask onto a portion of the substrate to be ablated. The lens has a field of 12 mm and a numerical aperture of 0.05, providing a resolution of about 6 μm. A mirror system comprising a roof and a plane mirror, with all three surfaces mutually orthogonal, ensures that the mask and the substrate have identical orientations. A common stage is used to hold the mask and the substrate. The stage is scanned in a serpentine manner to transfer the entire image. The illuminated region is diamond-shaped, and adjacent scans overlap by half its width to ensure uniformity. Illumination uniformity is provided by a light tunnel in the illumination system. Alignment is performed by optically combining images of mask marks and substrate marks formed by a pair of microscope objectives, one viewing the mask and the other viewing the substrate. The substrate is leveled, focused, and registered relative to the image of the mask by a stage with six degrees of freedom.
Delayed judgment speech-sound discrimination and /r/ or /s/ articulation status and improvement.

A delayed judgment test of speech-sound discrimination was correlated with measures of articulation status and articulation improvement with training in two groups of subjects, an /r/ group and an ...
Neutrally buoyant diapirs: A model for Venus coronae

Coronae are typically circular features, 100–600 km in diameter, characterized by a deformed annular ring that is often topographically high. The central region may be raised or depressed relative to the ambient elevation. Previous studies have proposed an evolutionary progression beginning with dome-shaped features which have radiating extensional rifts, followed by plateau-shaped features which have both concentric deformation and radial extension, ending with the classic corona as described above. Previous dynamical calculations of a rising and spreading diapir simulated the evolution from dome to plateau-shaped topography, but could not account for the raised rim or depressed central topography of some coronae. We demonstrate that these features can be modeled by a diapir that spreads laterally at a depth of neutral buoyancy.
ASPECTS OF SUPERSTRING QUANTUM COSMOLOGY

We consider the quantum cosmology of a D-dimensional Universe using the point-like field theory effective action of closed bosonic strings. We find that in order to apply the Hartle-Hawking boundary condition, the Universe must have a product topology (like R × Sn × Sm). This rules out four-dimensional theories (unless they are supplemented by extra internal degrees of freedom). We also explain how the Universe evolves from the Euclidean regime (where the space and time are on equal footing) to a macroscopic Lorentzian space Mn+1 and a compact space Km. We find that by demanding the compactified space to be Ricci flat and of the order of Planck scale, we are led uniquely to the conditions D = 10, n = 3, m = 6. We also study the behavior of the gauge coupling constant with time and calculate its asymptotic value.
Gaseous Exchange of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons across the Air−Water Interface of Southern Chesapeake Bay†

The gas exchange fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) across the air−water interface of southern Chesapeake Bay were calculated using a modified two-film exchange model. Sampling covered the period January 1994−June 1995 for five sites on the southern Chesapeake Bay ranging from rural to urban and highly industrialized. Simultaneous air and water samples were collected, and the atmospheric gas phase and surface water dissolved phase analyzed via GC/MS for 17 PAHs. The instantaneous gas flux was calculated for each compound using Henry's law constants, diffusivities, and hydrological and meteorological parameters. The direction and magnitude of gas transfer were found to be controlled by water temperature and gas-phase concentrations. Fluxes were determined to vary in direction and magnitude both spatially and temporally across the air−water interface of southern Chesapeake Bay. The range of gas exchange is of the same order as atmospheric wet and dry depositional fluxes to southern Chesapeake...
Ergonomic Concerns of Pregnant Workers: An Exploration of Existing Research:

Pregnant women, though typically numbering one million a year in the United States workforce, are often neglected by the ergonomic community. This claim is supported by considering available literature from a variety of sources including peer reviewed ergonomic journals, ergonomics text books, general web searches, cites pulled from seminal research articles, and reviews of the NIOSH and OSHA WebPages. Results show that only a few researchers have attempted to go beyond back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome concerns to consider other ergonomic factors affecting pregnant women. More information concerning the health of the fetus is available than the health and well-being of the pregnant women. Much of the research that focuses on pregnant women separate from their fetuses is nearly a decade old, leaving a tremendous gap in current research. Clearly additional and varied research considering both long and short term effects of ergonomic stressors on pregnant women are warranted.
Mutual‐information‐based image to patient re‐registration using intraoperative ultrasound in image‐guided neurosurgery

An image-based re-registration scheme has been developed and evaluated that uses fiducial registration as a starting point to maximize the normalized mutual information (nMI) between intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) and preoperative magnetic resonance images (pMR). We show that this scheme significantly (p⪡0.001) reduces tumor boundary misalignment between iUS pre-durotomy and pMR from an average of 2.5 mm to 1.0 mm in six resection surgeries. The corrected tumor alignment before dural opening provides a more accurate reference for assessing subsequent intraoperative tumor displacement, which is important for brain shift compensation as surgery progresses. In addition, we report the translational and rotational capture ranges necessary for successful convergence of the nMI registration technique (5.9 mm and 5.2 deg, respectively). The proposed scheme is automatic, sufficiently robust, and computationally efficient (<2 min), and holds promise for routine clinical use in the operating room during image-guided neurosurgical procedures.
Submersion criticality safety of fast spectrum space reactors : Potential spectral shift absorbers

Abstract Compact, fast spectrum, nuclear reactors are being considered to support NASA's future space exploration sometime in the next decade. In order to secure launch approval, these reactors should remain sufficiently subcritical when submerged in seawater or wet sand and subsequently flooded, following a launch abort accident. In such an accident, the neutron spectrum in the reactor is thermalized, typically increasing reactivity, and potentially making the reactor supercritical. Incorporating “Spectral Shift Absorbers” (or SSAs), which have significantly higher absorption cross-sections for thermal versus fast neutrons, could offset the reactivity increase. It has always been the assertion that the worst-case submersion accident involves a fully flooded reactor; however, this work shows that, depending on the type and amount of SSA in the reactor, a submerged but unflooded reactor could be more reactive. A screening of the existing nuclear database for potential SSAs yielded 28 elements and nuclides, which are examined in detail as additives to a representative homogenous space reactor core by varying the SSA-to-U235 atom ratio. The effect of placing a thin coating of different SSA materials on the outside surface of the reactor core is also investigated. Nine SSAs (boron-10, cadmium, cadmium-113, samarium-149, europium-151, gadolinium, gadolinium-155, gadolinium-157, and iridium) are recommended for further consideration in actual space reactor designs.
Prevention of nephrolithiasis

The high incidence of recurrence after an initial stone event underscores the need for an effective medical prophylactic program. Dietary modification and drug therapies have long been advocated to reduce the likelihood of stone recurrence. While the efficacy of a high fluid intake has been validate
The stability of the magnetostrophic approximation I: Taylor state solutions

Abstract The problem of numerically simulating a rapidly rotating, strong field dynamically consistent MHD dynamo is considered, and the advantages of using the magnetostrophic approximation in lieu of the momentum equation are discussed strictly in terms of lengthening the allowable time step for a given numerical method. One possible magnetostrophic state, the Taylor state, is investigated, and both the Taylor constraint and the Taylor algorithm are extended to include a family of volumes of revolution not previously studied. The Taylor algorithm is here found to be stable in the sense that it gives a good approximation to a solution of the full system as long as the equation governing the geostrophic velocity is well-posed. Conditions under which this equation becomes ill-posed and the Taylor state ends are discussed.
Fluid Shifts and Other Factors Affecting Plasma Protein Binding of Prednisolone by Equilibrium Dialysis

The effects of drug stability, radioactive tracer purity, buffer composition, protein concentration, and fluid shifts on the nonlinear plasma protein binding of prednisolone were examined by equilibrium dialysis. Prednisolone exhibits a concentration-dependent degradation; however, the limited extent of this does not affect protein binding. Impure tritiated prednisolone used as a tracer produces incorrect, low fractional binding values with the binding parameters generated for transcortin affected more than those for albumin. Isotonic sodium phosphate and Krebs original Ringer phosphate buffers yield similar fractional binding of prednisolone and identical protein binding parameters. Fractional binding of the steroid decreases with total plasma protein concentration, but the association constants remain constant over a twofold dilution of plasma proteins. Further dilution increases these parameters. A time-dependent colloidal osmotic fluid shift during dialysis causes dilution of plasma protein concentrations and diminished drug binding. Theoretical simulations show that the osmotic fluid shifts produce the largest changes in fractional binding for compounds that are bound by low-capacity proteins with low association constants (K < 106 M−1). A mathematical equation was developed to correct bound drug concentrations and fraction bound for protein dilution caused by this effect. The fluid shifts can be prevented by the addition of dextran (mol. wt. 70,000) to the dialysis buffer in a concentration of 55% of the total protein concentration. Multiple factors can diminish the nonlinear prednisolone binding as artifacts during equilibrium dialysis, but the changes are relatively modest.
P03-14 Development of a tool to improve screening rates for cardiometabolic risk factors associated with mental illness

Major mental illness is associated with premature mortality, primarily from cardiovascular disease. Modifiable risk factors include obesity, smoking, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension, all prevalent in this population, and commonly underrecognized and undertreated. Public health guidelines for screening and interventions to lower risk have reduced cardiovascular mortality in the general population, but these improvements have not extended to mentally ill populations. Recent recommendations to screen in this population have come from psychiatric professional groups, and in relation to regulatory warnings on potential adverse drug effects. However, recent studies suggest low levels of monitoring, both pre- and post-guidelines and warnings. Public health interest is now directed at improving screening in this population. One of the barriers to increasing screening is limited awareness among mental health professionals of the details of existing public health guidelines that define specific risk thresholds, diagnostic values and treatment targets for adiposity, blood pressure, plasma glucose and plasma lipids levels. Quality assurance/quality improvement (QA/QI) tools to facilitate screening include data collection forms that educate about risk parameters and organize patient data in a manner that helps to track risk over time. This presentation will describe a specific QA/QI tool for screening and monitoring cardiometabolic risk in the mentally ill, based on published guidelines from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the European Society for Cardiology (ESC). Cardiometabolic screening, along with treatment approaches and interventions to reduce risk, offers an established public health approach to lower morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations.
Beyond Just Keeping Hands on the Wheel: Towards Visual Interpretation of Driver Hand Motion Patterns

Observing hand activity in the car provides a rich set of patterns relating to vehicle maneuvering, secondary tasks, driver distraction, and driver intent inference. This work strives to develop a vision-based framework for analyzing such patterns in real-time. First, hands are detected and tracked from a monocular camera. This provides position information of the left and right hands with no intrusion over long, naturalistic drives. Second, the motion trajectories are studied in settings of activity recognition, prediction, and higher-level semantic categorization.
A method for predicting the volume of an ileo-anal pouch

Functional outcome following restorative proctocolectomy depends, in part, on the volume of the pouch. This study investigates the relationship between the length of ileum and volume of saline required to distend the ileum to a set pressure, and the possibility of predicting the volume of an ileoanal pouch using these measurements. Measurements were made on the ileum of 8 mongrel dogs. There was a linear relationship between the length of ileum and volume of saline infused to produce an intraluminal pressure of 20 mmHg (r=0.94-0.99). However, the capacity of ileum varied widely from animal to animal (100 cc of saline filled 15.5 cm to 43 cm of ileum). Twenty-four pouches (15J, 9S) were constructed from segments of ileum of known capacity. The capacity of a J pouch was 1.7±0.11 times greater than the capacity of the original length of bowel and an S pouch had a capacity 2.14±0.25 times greater. These changes in capacity are similar to a theoretical calculation of change in volume of ileum after pouch construction. This technique is a simple, quick method of predicting the volume of an ileo-anal pouch which will be useful in a clinical trial to compare function of pouches of different volumes.
Part One: For the Motion. All TEVAR Patients Must Be Followed Lifelong by Annual CTA/MRA

Since the first thoracic endograft was placed in 1994 for descending thoracic aneurysm disease,1 multicentre trials2e4 and comparative analyses5 have confirmed reduced early morbidity and mortality over its open counterpart.6 As such, thoracic endovascular repair [TEVAR] is now an accepted treatment for descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (DTA) in the elderly and high risk populations.7,8 These techniques have been successfully adapted for the treatment of other thoracic aortic conditions such as dissection9,10 and blunt injury,11,12 bringing a younger cohort of patients and with it, concerns regarding its long term durability and efficacy. If we can extrapolate from the infrarenal EVAR experience, early reductions in morbidity and mortality may be coupled with an increased need for reinterventions and an uncertainty in long term prevention of aortic related death.13 Similarly, there is no evidence that TEVAR in descending thoracic aneurysmal disease is superior to its open counterpart for long term outcomes.6 This paucity of convincing long term data and the high need for reintervention has led to recommendations for lifelong surveillance.7,8
Analytic sequential methods for detecting network intrusions

In this paper, we propose new sequential methods for detecting port-scan attackers which routinely perform random "portscans" of IP addresses to find vulnerable servers to compromise. In addition to rigorously control the probability of falsely implicating benign remote hosts as malicious, our method performs significantly faster than other current solutions. Moreover, our method guarantees that the maximum amount of observational time is bounded. In contrast to the previous most effective method, Threshold Random Walk Algorithm, which is explicit and analytical in nature, our proposed algorithm involve parameters to be determined by numerical methods. We have introduced computational techniques such as iterative minimax optimization for quick determination of the parameters of the new detection algorithm. A framework of multi-valued decision for detecting portscanners and DoS attacks is also proposed.
Maximizing Walking Step Length for a Near Omni-Directional Hexapod Robot

A foot path planning algorithm is presented for a robot with six limbs symmetrically located on the faces of its hexagonal body, enabling it to walk at a constant height with an alternating tripod gait. The symmetry results in near omni-directional locomotion capability, so the algorithm is formulated for walking in any direction and at any height. The approach is to determine the maximum length foot path through each limb’s workspace and then modify those foot paths based upon static stability analysis. The stability analysis is conducted in two phases to ensure stability without excessively reducing step length. Compared to an optimization approach, the algorithm yields foot paths within 9.1% of the maximal foot paths for all directions and heights. Unlike the optimization approach, the developed algorithm is computationally efficient enough to be implemented in realtime.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Trophic capacity of experimentally lengthened gustatory axons

Long nerve stumps will maintain end-organs for a longer period of time than short nerve stumps. However, longer maintenance might result not from a longer nerve stump per se but from uncontrolled factors such as less interference with the target's blood supply when transecting a nerve far from its target. To control for the site of nerve transection and to evaluate the trophic capacity of lengthened axons, we extended the gerbil's (Meriones unguiculatus) IXth nerve (glossopharyngeal) by splicing in a 5.0 mm segment of the superior laryngeal nerve. Thus, when assessing nerve stump-length dependency 3-5 months later, both the control regenerated nerve and the lengthened experimental nerve could be transected at the same site on the IXth nerve trunk. The peak magnitude of the summated taste discharges of the experimentally lengthened IXth nerve declined at a rate exactly predicted by an earlier study of nerve stump-length dependency. We conclude that maintenance of synaptic transmission depends upon taste axon stump-length and not upon factors uncontrolled in conventional experimental designs of stump-length dependency which transect nerves at different locations. Control regenerated and experimentally lengthened nerves maintained similar numbers of taste buds. Thus, neither the added burden of maintaining longer axons nor the presence of Schwann cells of the superior laryngeal nerve splice degraded the IXth nerve's trophic performance.
Influence of Watershed Urbanization on Fine Sediment and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Characteristics in Tennessee Ridge and Valley Streams

Benthic macroinvertebrates and sediments were sampled in second- to fourth-order Tennessee Ridge and Valley streams and evaluated relative to urban land use and natural riparian cover. Site-specifi...
Pharmacologic Treatment of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

The first goal of therapy is to assess hemodynamic stability in a patient presenting with evidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and, second, to maintain hemodynamic stability using crystalloids or packed red blood cells. The diagnosis of the cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding should be performed using endoscopic techniques, which should be performed early. Therapy directed at treating the cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding should be initiated at the time of endoscopy. Pharmacologic management should be based on the prevention of ulcer rebleeding and should be initiated at the time of endoscopic diagnosis. Surgery should be considered only in cases when endoscopic and pharmacologic treatments are deemed a failure.
Bacteriophage Infection Dynamics: Multiple Host Binding Sites

We construct a stochastic model of bacteriophage parasitism of a host bacteria that accounts for demographic stochasticity of host and parasite and allows for multiple bacteriophage adsorption to host. We analyze the associated deterministic model, identifying the basic reproductive number for phage proliferation, showing that host and phage persist when it exceeds unity, and establishing that the distribution of adsorbed phage on a host is binomial with slowly evolving mean. Not surprisingly, extinction of the parasite or both host and parasite can occur for the stochastic model.
Early prenatal androgenization results in diminished ovarian reserve in adult female rhesus monkeys

BACKGROUND Early prenatal androgenization (PA) accelerates follicle differentiation and impairs embryogenesis in adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) undergoing FSH therapy for IVF. To determine whether androgen excess in utero affects follicle development over time, this study examines whether PA exposure, beginning at gestational days 40-44 (early treated) or 100-115 (late treated), alters the decline in serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels with age in adult female rhesus monkeys and perturbs their ovarian response to recombinant human FSH (rhFSH) therapy for IVF. METHODS Thirteen normal (control), 11 early-treated and 6 late-treated PA adult female monkeys had serum AMH levels measured at random times of the menstrual cycle or anovulatory period. Using some of the same animals, basal serum AMH, gonadotrophins and steroids were also measured in six normal, five early-treated and three late-treated PA female monkeys undergoing FSH therapy for IVF during late-reproductive life (>17 years); serum AMH also was measured on day of HCG administration and at oocyte retrieval. RESULTS Serum AMH levels in early-treated PA females declined with age to levels that were significantly lower than those of normal (P < or = 0.05) and late-treated PA females (P < or = 0.025) by late-reproductive life. Serum AMH levels positively predicted numbers of total/mature oocytes retrieved, with early-treated PA females having the lowest serum AMH levels, fewest oocytes retrieved and lowest percentage of females with fertilized oocytes that cleaved. CONCLUSIONS Based on these animals, early PA appears to program an exaggerated decline in ovarian reserve with age, suggesting that epigenetically induced hormonal factors during fetal development may influence the cohort size of ovarian follicles after birth.
Inherent reactor power controller for a metal-fueled ALMR

Inherent power control for metal-fueled ALMR (advanced liquid metal reactor) designs involves using reactivity thermal feedback effects to control reactor power. Using classical control design techniques, a control system for normal load following maneuvers was designed for a pool-type ALMR. This design provides active control of power removal in the balance of the plant, direct control of selected primary and intermediate loop temperatures, and passive control of reactor power. The inherent stability of the strong, fast reactivity feedback effects brings heat production in the core into balance with the heat removal system temperatures, which are controlled to meet power demand. A simulation of the control system successfully responded to a 10% step change in power demand by charging power at an acceptable rate without causing large temperature fluctuations or exceeding thermal limits. >
Functional properties of a metabotropic glutamate receptor at dendritic synapses of ON bipolar cells in the amphibian retina

Perforated patch-voltage and current-clamp recordings were obtained from ON bipolar cells in the amphibian retinal slice preparation. The currents produced by the photoreceptor transmitter were compared to the currents produced by selective metabotropic glutamate agonists: L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4, APB) and IS,3R 1-amino-1,3 cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (1S, 3R ACPD). Both agonists produced currents that were very similar to that produced by the photoreceptor transmitter in terms of conductance and reversal potential. The similarities suggest that the metabotropic glutamate receptors are functionally localized to the synaptic region of ON bipolar dendrites. The synaptic conductance rarely exceeded the non-synaptic conductance. The mean input resistance of ON bipolar neurons was 770 M omega in the light and 1.2 G omega in the dark. The average light-regulated synaptic conductance was 57% of the non-synaptic conductance. The L-AP4 regulated conductance averaged 77% of the non-synaptic conductance, while the 1S, 3R ACPD regulated conductance averaged 95% of the non-synaptic conductance. This balance between synaptic and non-synaptic conductance indicates that the synapse will not shunt the cell and the conductance ratio serves to maximize incremental gain at the photoreceptor to ON bipolar synapse. This conductance mechanism makes the ON bipolar cell well equipped to relay rod signals.
Determinants of regional myocardial acidosis during cardiac surgery

Abstract Background Intraoperative regional myocardial acidosis (RMA) during cardiac surgery has been shown to be reflective of regional myocardial ischemia and an independent predictor of adverse postoperative outcomes. This study identifies the determinants of intraoperative RMA. Methods Intramyocardial tissue pH 37C in the anterior and posterior LV walls was measured in 641 adult patients during cardiac surgery. RMA at two intraoperative periods was quantified as integrated mean pH 37C 37C Results Independent determinants of RMA during AC were preoperative New York Heart Association class III/IV ( P = .007), current smoker ( P = .0088), pH 37C P P = .0001). Independent determinants of RMA at end of CPB were ASA class IV/V ( P = .0042), pH 37C P = .035), pH 37C P = .001), and total duration of CPB ≥ 212 minutes ( P = .001). Conclusions RMA during cardiac surgery is determined by patient risk factors, the magnitude of preceding regional myocardial acidosis, and the duration of CPB.
Inhibition of Selenium Metabolism in the Oral Pathogen Treponema denticola

In this report we provide evidence that the antimicrobial action of stannous salts and a gold drug, auranofin, against Treponema denticola is mediated through inhibition of the metabolism of selenium for synthesis of selenoproteins.
Are Dynamically Inefficient Equilibria Learnable

We consider the stability under adaptive learning dynamics of steady state equilibria in Diamond’s (1965) overlapping generations growth model with capital and money. Interior steady state equilibria of this model can be either dynamically inefficient or dynamically efficient. We show that a necessary condition for an equilibrium of this model to be stable under adaptive learning is that the equilibrium is dynamically efficient. In other words, adaptive learning can be used as a selection criterion to exclude dynamically inefficient equilibria. We also provide conditions under which a dynamically efficient equilibrium of this model involving the use of both capital and money will be stable under adaptive learning dynamics.
Trace Elements in Nutrition

Trace elements other than iron only recently have gained importance in infant nutrition. Zinc and copper are two of the most essential trace elements. Zinc is a constituent of more than 100 metalloenzymes and plays an important role in growth, reproduction, tissue repair, and cellular immunity. Copper is a component of several metalloenzymes and is required for oxidative metabolism. Nutritional deficiencies of zinc now are recognized as being fairly prevalent throughout the world. Symptomatic zinc deficiency among infants can be attributed to several factors. It can be secondary to low zinc concentration in breast milk, low stores (as in prematurity), malabsorption (as in acrodermatitis enteropathica), or absence or inadequate amount in parenteral nutrition.
p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase is stimulated by both angiotensin II and angiotensin III in cultured rat astrocytes.

AbstractContext: Previously we showed that angiotensin (Ang) II and Ang III induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in rat astrocytes. Objectives: To determine whether these peptides induce p38 MAP kinase in astrocytes. Materials and methods: We used brainstem astrocytes as a model system to determine whether Ang II and Ang III induce p38 MAP kinase protein phosphorylation. Results: Treatment of astrocytes with increasing concentrations of both peptides caused a dose-dependent increase in p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation. The effect of Ang II and Ang III was maximal at 10 nM and 100 nM concentrations, respectively. The effects of the peptides were rapid occurring within minutes of treatment. There was a significant difference in the ability of the peptides to induce p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation. The ability of Ang II to induce p38 MAP kinase was almost twice than that of Ang III, suggesting that Ang II was more potent than Ang III in this effect. Ang AT1 receptor ...
ON THE APPLICABILITY OF FIXED POINT THEORY TO THE BEHAVIOR OF COUPLED CORE WALLS

The performance-based design of coupled core wall systems offers a number of advantages over conventional strength-based methods in terms of constructability and structural performance. Under large seismic loads, the expected degradation of the coupling beams in coupled wall structures results in an evolution of the lateral force resisting system from a coupled wall system to a system of linked cantilever wall piers. The present study focuses on the performance of the eventually obtained linked wall pier systems and defines their performance in a novel way: as the minimization of transmissibility of horizontal ground motion. In this paper, fixed point theory (FPT) is used to establish initial design values for the coupling beams required to optimize the dynamic response of the linked wall pier system. An initial parametric study of the application of FPT to optimizing the behavior of linked wall piers is presented. The resulting optimized wall systems are compared with practically obtainable, rigid and un...
Achieving Optimal Outcomes After Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose The most favorable outcome that can be achieved after radical prostatectomy is complete tumor resection without recurrence and full recovery of continence and potency. Risks of erectile dysfunction, incontinence, and disease recurrence are well described, but in isolation, do not adequately inform patients of the possibility of becoming cancer-free while at the same time returning to their preoperative functional state. We sought to determine the frequency of optimal outcomes after radical prostatectomy and the time to such outcomes. Patients and Methods Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy performed at a tertiary referral center between July 1998 and July 2003 for clinical stage T1 to T3 prostate cancer were identified. Patients were excluded if they were incontinent or impotent preoperatively, or if they had received radiotherapy or neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy previously. Six hundred forty-seven patients were analyzed for time to recovery of full continence and potency witho...
Testing of Roadside Vegetation for Highway Runoff Pollutant Removal

A field monitoring program was begun in 1991 to test the ability of grassed swales to remove pollutants from highway runoff. The two swales monitored had different slopes, traffic volumes, and vegetation heights, all of which can affect pollutant removal. One had a check dam, which proved to significantly influence pollutant removal. Also, the pollutant-removal ability of a short buffer strip was examined. Pollutants monitored included total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and total zinc. Manual and automatic sampling techniques were used to monitor runoff. The results suggest that properly designed short buffer strips and swales with check dams can remove pollutants from highway runoff.
The challenges of developing a changing world

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has been active for a decade and is currently being reviewed by the National Research Council. Public and political perception is that the USGCRP inhibits industrial and agricultural development. Today, however, global change research has made it possible to manage sustained development in a way that recognizes climate change. By adopting several policy actions and refocusing some of its research, USGCRP could encourage sustained development.
Mapping properties of the elliptic maximal function

We prove that the elliptic maximal function maps the Sobolev space W4,eta(R2) into L4(R2) for all eta > 1/6. The main ingredients of the proof are an analysis of the intersectiQn properties of elliptic annuli and a combinatorial method of Kolasa and Wolff.
Mechanisms associated with the high adsorption of dibenzo-p-dioxin from water by smectite clays.

Clay minerals may be an important unrecognized sorptive phase for dioxins in soils and clay deposits. Smectites, especially Cs-saponite, effectively adsorbed dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD) from water, reaching 0.8% (wt/wt). Adsorption was promoted by exchangeable cations with low hydration energies, and negative charge in the smectite arising from the tetrahedral siloxane sheets. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that as DD loading increased to ≥8000 mg/kg the clay basal spacing increased abruptly from 12.3 to 15.2 A demonstrating DD intercalation. The 12.3 A spacing provides an interlayer distance that closely matches the molecular thickness of DD. In this configuration DD is essentially dehydrated as it interacts with the opposing hydrophobic siloxane sheets and with coplanar Cs+ via one of the dioxin ring oxygens. Ab initio calculations suggest that geometrical structures form at higher loadings in which intercalated DD molecules adopt a butterfly geometry sandwiched between dehydrated interlayer Cs+ and ...
Effects of Parenteral Hydration in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Preliminary Study

Purpose Most patients with cancer develop decreased oral intake and dehydration before death. This study aimed to determine the effect of parenteral hydration on overall symptom control in terminally ill cancer patients with dehydration. Patients and Methods Patients with clinical evidence of mild to moderate dehydration and a liquid oral intake less than 1,000 mL/day were randomly assigned to receive either parenteral hydration with 1,000 mL (treatment group) or placebo with 100 mL normal saline administered over 4 hours for 2 days. Patients were evaluated for target symptoms (hallucinations, myoclonus, fatigue, and sedation), global well-being, and overall benefit. Results Twenty-seven patients randomly assigned to the treatment group had improvement in 53 (73%) of their 73 target symptoms versus 33 (49%) of 67 target symptoms in the placebo group (n22; P .005). Fifteen (83%) of 18 and 15 (83%) of 18 patients had improved myoclonus and sedation after hydration versus eight (47%) of 17 and five (33%) of 15 patients after placebo (P .035 and P .005, respectively). There were no significant differences of improvement in hallucinations or fatigue between groups. When blinded to treatment, patients (17 [63%] of 77) and investigators (20 [74%] of 27) perceived hydration as effective compared with placebo in nine (41%) of 22 patients (P .78) and 12 (54%) of 22 investigators (P .15), respectively. The intensity of pain and swelling at the injection site were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion Parenteral hydration decreased symptoms of dehydration in terminally ill cancer patients who had decreased fluid intake. Hydration was well tolerated, and a placebo effect was observed. Studies with larger samples and a longer follow-up period are justified. J Clin Oncol 23:2366-2371. © 2005 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Precision assembly with a magnetically levitated wrist

A magnetically levitated six-degree-of-freedom fine motion wrist design based on the prototype magic wrist described by R.H. Hollis et al. (1991) is introduced. Its use for automated assembly, where delicate accommodating motion and precise positioning is required, is discussed. The new wrist is smaller than the prototypes and has several improved features. Parts positioning and assembly strategies are discussed in general, with emphasis on the classic peg-in-hole problem. Results from insertion of a round peg into a close-fitting chamfered hole using the wrist programmed to emulate a remote center compliance are reported. It is found that higher insertion speeds can be maintained with much lower insertion forces and risks of wedging or jamming. >
The use of the Rey 15-Item Test and recognition trial to evaluate noncredible effort after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury

The Rey 15-Item Test (FIT) is a performance validity test commonly used in adult neuropsychological assessment. FIT classification statistics across studies have been variable, so a recognition trial was created to enhance the measure (Boone, K. B., Salazar, X., Lu, P., Warner-Chacon, K., & Razani, J. (2002). The Rey 15-Item recognition trial: A technique to enhance sensitivity of the Rey 15-Item Memorization Test. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 24(5), 561-573.). The current study assessed the utility of the FIT and recognition trial in a pediatric mild traumatic brain injury sample (N = 319, M = 14.57 years). All participants were administered the FIT and recognition trial as part of an abbreviated clinical neuropsychological evaluation. Failure on the Medical Symptom Validity Test was used as the criterion for noncredible effort. Fifteen percent of the sample met the criterion. The traditional adult cutoff score of <9 on the FIT recall trial yielded excellent specificity (98%), but very poor sensitivity (12%). When the recognition trial was utilized, a total score of <26 resulted in the best combined cutoff score (sensitivity = 55%, specificity = 91%). Results indicate that the FIT with recognition trial may be useful in the assessment of noncredible effort with children and adolescents, at least among relatively high-functioning populations.
SPRINT Trial Results: Latest News in Hypertension Management

We thank the editors of Hypertension for the invitation to discuss aspects of the recently published Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01206062) main results.1 This commentary focuses on generalizability of the findings and what is known about serious adverse effects that may be related to the SPRINT intervention. SPRINT compared the effects of antihypertensive treatment with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) target of <120 mm Hg (intensive treatment) versus <140 mm Hg (standard treatment) in 9361 hypertensive adults ≥50 years of age who had an average SBP of 130–180 mm Hg (the acceptable upper limit decreasing as the number of pretrial antihypertensive medications increased) and were at additional risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).2 SPRINT was designed to recruit study participants with an average CVD risk of ≈2% per year, equivalent to a Framingham 10-year CVD risk score of 20%. The main finding in SPRINT was that a primary composite outcome of myocardial infarction, non–myocardial infarction acute coronary syndrome, stroke, acute decompensated heart failure, and CVD death was reduced by ≈25% in the intensive treatment group compared with the standard treatment group. Similarly, all-cause mortality was reduced by ≈27% in the intensive treatment group. During follow-up, the mean SBP was 121.5 mm Hg in the intensive treatment group and 134.6 mm Hg in the standard treatment group.1 Although many classes of medications were available, emphasis was placed on using classes with the best outcomes in large clinical trials: thiazide-type diuretics, calcium channels blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Other agents, including spironolactone, amiloride, β-blockers, vasodilators, or α-receptor blockers, could be added if necessary. The mean numbers of antihypertensive medications were 2.8 and 1.8 in the intensive treatment and standard treatment groups, respectively. On balance, the intensive intervention was well tolerated. The trial …
In situ phase transformation of Laves phase from Chi-phase in Mo-containing Fe–Cr–Ni alloys

Abstract An in situ phase transformation of the Chi (χ) phase to the Laves phase was observed in a Fe–Cr–Ni–Mo model alloy. The morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the χ and Laves phases, and their orientation relationship with the matrix austenite phase were investigated. The resulted Laves phase has larger lattice mismatch with the matrix phase than the χ phase, leading to the increase of local strain fields and the formation of dislocations. This finding is helpful to understand the precipitation behavior of the intermetallic phases in the Mo-containing austenitic stainless steels.
For British Eyes Only? The DA-Notice System and Its Implications for U.S. Media Law

The British government relies on two mechanisms to control the press: the Official Secrets Act, which criminalizes the dissemination of certain government information, and the DA-Notice System. The DA-Notice System, a regulatory framework that is legally unenforceable yet mostly followed, establishes organizing principles around which British journalists structure their reporting about national security. The DA-Notice System has surprisingly survived for over 100 years, coexisting alongside the thematically similar, substantively different, and at times contradictory Official Secrets Act. But recent changes in the geopolitical climate, data dumps by WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden, and a rapidly evolving media landscape threaten this coexistence. This Note focuses on the operations and applications of the DA-Notice System, an underappreciated enforcement mechanism, against the backdrop of the Official Secrets Act, the linchpin of the United Kingdom’s information-controlling legislation. First, this Note argues that the DA-Notice System in its current form is ultimately unsustainable in the United Kingdom. Though the DA-Notice System theoretically benefits both the government and the media in its ability to supplement the Official Secrets Act, it is undermined by the U.K. government’s frequent resort to other legal remedies - even in the face of compliance with the DA-Notice System. Along these lines, this Note recognizes the additional external factors facing the DA-Notice System that threaten its viability. Second, this Note maps the ways in which elements of a similar system might unofficially exist already in the United States, a country with fundamentally different press ideals. This Note assesses the ways in which the increasingly contentious government-press relationship in the United States may stand to benefit from further developing its own regulatory framework, learning from the strengths and weaknesses of the DA-Notice System.
Discrimination and Prejudice as Weapons in Group Conflict

Explanations for discrimination and prejudice are best sought in the general body of sociological, anthropological, and psychological theory about human behavior. In the development of our knowledge, the relationship has been reciprocal: the study of minority-majority relations has been a valuable approach to many social scientific problems; at the same time, the advances in the sciences of human behavior have made possible, and imperative, the reformulation of our explanations of intergroup hostility. One-factor explanations or the perspectives of one discipline are clearly inadequate.
Robotic insects

The Harvard Microrobotics Lab seeks to elucidate how to apply biological principles to the creation of robust, agile, inexpensive robotic insects. However, biological inspiration alone is not sufficient to create robots that mimic the agile locomotion of their arthropod analogs. This is particularly true as the characteristic size of the robot is decreased: to create high performance articulated robotic insects, we must explore novel manufacturing paradigms, new forms of actuation and sensing, and alternative control strategies for under-actuated, nonlinear, computationally-limited systems. This talk will highlight this research aimed at creating a flying robotic insect the size of a housefly.
196. Aktive bakterielle Endokarditis und ihre Klappenkomplikationen -Chirurgische Ergebnisse bei 225 Patienten

225 Patienten wurden wegen aktiver bakterieller Endokarditis oder der Klappenkomplikationen operiert. Die Fruhmortalitat betrug 12%. Bei 16 Patienten kam es zur Prothesendehiszenz - davon uberlebten 6 Patienten die notfall masige Reoperation und 7 Patienten verstarben -, eine Indikation zu ausgedehnter Resektion des erkrankten Gewebes. Das mittlere Operationsalter betrug 43 Jahre. Auf Grund der vorliegenden Daten darf angenommen werden, das die Mortalitat durch eine kombinierte klappenchirurgische- und Coronararterien-Operation - falls indiziert-weiter gesenkt werden kann.
Bidirectional Electrical Dissecting Algorithm for Power Source and Power Flow Path in Power Network

The ramose electrical dissection relationships and bidirectional electrical dissecting algorithm are presented to solve various electrical dissecting problems.They can be effectively used to acquire electrical supply and demand for power sources and power flow paths in a power network.This approach is based on analyzing the existing united electrical dissection relationships between power source and power flow path in a power network to obtain the primary electrical dissecting parameters,and then based on the ramose electrical dissection relationships to obtain the full electrical dissecting parameters.Example and verification results prove the correctness of the proposed bidirectional electrical dissecting method.