cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Temperature on Specific Daily Metabolic Demand and Growth Scope of Sub-Adult and Adult Smallmouth Bass

ABSTRACT Specific daily metabolic demand (MET) and growth scope were determined for sub-adult (older juvenile) and adult smallmouth bass over the temperature range of 18–30°C. MET generally increased with increasing temperature and decreased with increasing fish weight, following patterns typically observed for fishes. Growth scope for sub-adult and adult smallmouth bass reached a maximum at 22°C and declined rapidly at higher temperatures to just 20% of maximum at 30°C. Sustained periods in which water temperatures substantially exceed 22°C are expected to lead to restrictions in growth scope for older juvenile and adult smallmouth bass, resulting in diminished growth rates, size, and fecundity.
Photodissociation of ICN in a brute-force field: detection of the () product

Abstract This Letter presents evidence of orientation and selective dissociation of ICN. In an electric field up to 56 kV/cm, a supersonically cooled molecular beam of ICN was oriented through the electrostatic interaction between the permanent dipole moment and the field. The yield of I ∗ showed a strong preference for parallel excitation. Analysis of this effect indicated that at 266 nm, the absorption was dominated by a parallel transition, while at 250 nm, it may contain a perpendicular component. This conclusion is in accord with our previous results on the CN fragment, and reports from other theoretical and experimental efforts. Although qualitative, this work demonstrates the feasibility and applications of this orientation technique.
Sol-Gel Synthesis of Protoenstatite

Protoenstatite, a high-temperature polymorph of enstatite (MgSiO3), is generally not stable at room temperature, and is difficult to synthesize. Using a recently developed, hydrogen peroxide-assisted, sol-gel synthesis, protoenstatite was synthesized in a form that was stable at room temperature. Its crystallization was strongly dependent on processing conditions, particularly on the manner in which the xerogel was formed and fired. Xerogels prepared by evaporation, sprav-drying and freeze-drying were compared by XRD, HTXRD, BET, TG/DTA, and 29Si NMR methods. When samples were prepared by evaporation or spray-drying, the result was a mixture of polymorphs. Only the freeze-dried precursor yielded protoenstatite at a lower temperature and within a shorter time than any previously reported.
Chronic in vivo nerve electrical recordings of Aplysia californica using a boron-doped polycrystalline diamond electrode

Abstract Custom diamond electrodes for in vivo, passive electrical nerve recording were developed and implanted in an intact, freely behaving Aplysia californica. A diamond electrode may have advantages for electrical recording because of its chemical stability, higher signal-to-noise ratio, and reduced biological fouling relative to traditional nerve-recording electrode materials. For example, thin stainless steel electrodes used for chronic extracellular recording in Aplysia typically last on the order of seven days in vivo. We have developed a first-generation diamond electrode with a flexible lead to withstand the complicated movements of Aplysia and to enable direct comparison with implanted stainless steel electrodes. Boron-doped polycrystalline diamond was grown onto tungsten wire substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The wires were pre-shaped into a hook (for nerve recording) or a loop (for a ground wire) and masked for selective growth on only 2–3 mm of the wire. After diamond growth, the uncoated portion of the wire substrates was removed and the intact diamond-coated hook or loop attached to a stainless steel electrical lead with conductive epoxy. After epoxy curing, these electrodes were insulated and implanted in the animal. The diamond and stainless steel electrodes were attached extracellularly to buccal nerve 2, a primary nerve for the feeding behavior of A. californica. The two electrodes were implanted adjacent to each other so that the recordings would be nearly synchronous. In vivo recordings were successfully obtained on a diamond hook electrode during a feeding behavior for up to 9 days after the implantation. The electrode remained intact for a total of 28 days in the animal and upon retrieval.
System-based approach for an advanced drug delivery platform

Present study is looking at the problem of integrating drug delivery microcapsule, a bio-sensor, and a control mechanism into a biomedical drug delivery system. A wide range of medical practices from cancer therapy to gastroenterological treatments can benefit from such novel bio-system. Drug release in our drug delivery system is achieved by electrochemically actuating an array of polymeric valves on a set of drug reservoirs. The valves are bi-layer structures, made in the shape of a flap hinged on one side to a valve seat, and consisting of thin films of evaporated gold and electrochemically deposited polypyrrole (PPy). These thin PPy(DBS) bi-layer flaps cover access holes of underlying chambers micromachined in a silicon substrate. Chromium and polyimide layers are applied to implement "differential adhesion" to obtain a voltage induced deflection of the bilayer away from the drug reservoir. The Cr is an adhesion-promoting layer, which is used to strongly bind the gold layer down to the substrate, whereas the gold adheres weakly to polyimide. Drug actives (dry or wet) were pre-stored in the chambers and their release is achieved upon the application of a small bias (~ 1V). Negative voltage causes cation adsorption and volume change in PPy film. This translates into the bending of the PPy/Au bi-layer actuator and release of the drug from reservoirs. This design of the drug delivery module is miniaturized to the dimensions of 200μm valve diameter. Galvanostatic and potentiostatic PPy deposition methods were compared, and potentiostatic deposition method yields film of more uniform thickness. PPy deposition experiments with various pyrrole and NaDBS concentrations were also performed. Glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase (GOx) embedded in the PPy matrix during elechtrochemical deposition was manufactured and successfully tested. Multiple-drug pulsatile release and continuous linear release patterns can be implemented by controlling the operation of an array of valves. Varying amounts of drugs, together with more complex controlling strategies would allow creation of more complex drug delivery patterns.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Post–Myocardial Infarction Repair: Remarkable Opportunities and Challenges

Coronary artery disease with associated myocardial infarction continues to be a major cause of death and morbidity around the world, despite significant advances in therapy. Patients who have large myocardial infarctions are at highest risk for progressive heart failure and death, and cell-based therapies offer new hope for these patients. A recently discovered cell source for cardiac repair has emerged as a result of a breakthrough reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The iPSCs can proliferate indefinitely in culture and can differentiate into cardiac lineages, including cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and cardiac progenitors. Thus, large quantities of desired cell products can be generated without being limited by cellular senescence. The iPSCs can be obtained from patients to allow autologous therapy or, alternatively, banks of human leukocyte antigen diverse iPSCs are possible for allogeneic therapy. Preclinical animal studies using a variety of cell preparations generated from iPSCs have shown evidence of cardiac repair. Methodology for the production of clinical grade products from human iPSCs is in place. Ongoing studies for the safety of various iPSC preparations with regard to the risk of tumor formation, immune rejection, induction of arrhythmias, and formation of stable cardiac grafts are needed as the field advances toward the first-in-man trials of iPSCs after myocardial infarction.
An Examination of the Construct of Perceived Value for the Prediction of Golf Travelers’ Intentions to Revisit

The construct of perceived value has been identified in the marketing literature as one of the most important measures for gaining competitive edge and has been argued to be the most important indicator of repurchase intentions. Yet, in the field of tourism, repurchase intentions and consumer loyalty are often predicted solely by measures of consumer satisfaction and/or service quality. One market in need of repurchase intention research is the golf traveler market. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement and utilization of the construct of golf travelers’ perceived value. Results suggest that current measures of perceived value may be inappropriate and do not capture the construct of perceived value of a service. These findings indicate that theoretical development of perceived value is in need of further research and understanding. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.
Audit Committees in Central Banks

This paper reviews the tasks and design of audit committees, increasingly recommended as a way to strengthen financial accountability and good central bank governance. It outlines the motivations for the establishment of audit committees in commercial corporations and public sector entities, and explains how audit committees interact with other governance bodies within a central bank. The paper focuses on the functions of an audit committee, since the terminology of the governance structure is often country-specific. It summarizes operational issues to consider in designing an effective audit committee and discusses the implications for central bank legislation.
Discussion of Underwater Options and the Dynamics of Executive Pay‐to‐Performance Sensitivities

Hall and Knox present a thorough descriptive analysis of executive pay-toperformance sensitivities (PPS). Using a detailed database of executive stock and option holdings, they examine the responsiveness of PPS to changes in stock price. Hall and Knox first present calculations of the elasticity of PPS with respect to stock price changes, showing that this elasticity is larger for stock price declines, for executives with a high proportion of options, and for executives with high percentages of options underwater. They go on to examine how companies and executives respond to stock-price-induced changes in PPS. The results indicate that companies tend to offset stockprice-induced declines in PPS but augment stock-price-induced increases in PPS. Executives also offset stock-price-induced declines in PPS, but, in contrast to the company response, they do little augmenting or offsetting of stock-price-induced increases in PPS. Further analysis reveals that the primary mechanism used by companies to offset stock-price-induced declines in PPS is larger option grants. A final empirical test examines company stock grants for evidence of relative performance evaluation. Several features of the study demonstrate the thoroughness of the authors' computations of pay-to-performance sensitivity. First, the database used in
Energy storage effect and retrieval in manganese doped zinc silicate

Abstract It is shown that a significant amount of energy can be stored at room temperature for long periods in the manganese activated zinc silicates upon excitation by short wavelength UV photons (>3.65eV), and X-ray radiation. The stored energy can be stimulated by long wavelength photons (infrared and red) resulting in visible green emission. This effect has potential application in high energy radiation detection and imaging.
Hyperfiction: To Have or Not to Have, That Is the Question

Hypertext has been an advantage of multi‐media presentations since its inception. A click on a hypertext word or phrase can open a window for definitions, show motion segments on demand, serve as an external program call, provide photographs and sound segments, or simply provide the user with an alternative path of action. These options spark life in applications from encyclopedias to scientific demonstrations. However, it is companies like Eastgage Systems in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that are using hypertext as the fundamental structure for hyperfiction.
The paleoenvironment ofKenyapithecus at Fort Ternan

Abstract The fossil locality of Fort Ternan, Kenya, preserves the remains of the middle Miocene hominoidKenyapithecus wickeri, and a reconstruction of the paleoenvironment of this site offers important information about the range of habitats available to this species. Bovids are the most abundant mammals at Fort Ternan. Understanding their habitat preferences provides a basis for reconstructing the paleoenvironment. I present here a study of the morphology of the bovid hind limb that demonstrates a functional linkage between several femoral characters and habitat type as these features relate to locomotion. The majority of bovids living today in savannas are highly cursorial. These species possess a laterally expanded femoral head that limits hind limb movements to the parasagittal plane, and an elliptically shaped patellar groove that provides a large moment arm for the muscles of extension. Forest bovids have a more spherically shaped femoral head that facilitates a high degree of hip abduction and axial rotation. This morphology aids locomotion across the complexly structured substrate of the forest floor. Bovids from broken cover or woodland habitats display intermediate morphologies. A discriminant function analysis that uses the femoral characters to predict habitat type demonstrates a statistically significant separation among a large sample of extant bovids from forest, woodland, and savanna. This study provides a sound basis for interpreting the locomotor adaptations of fossil bovids. The bovids from Fort Ternan display a set of intermediate morphologies most similar to those of extant woodland bovids. The Chinji Formation of Pakistan contains the middle Miocene hominoidSivapithecus and a parallel analysis of the fossil bovids from these sediments shows that they are most similar to extant forest bovids. This contrast in paleoenvironments suggests thatKenyapithecus andSivapithecus may have lived in different paleoecological settings. Establishing the relationship between the dietary and locomotor adaptations of these two species and the specific nature of their paleoenvironments has important implications for understanding the course of later hominoid evolution.
Up-regulation of cell surface Toll-like receptors on circulating γδ T-cells following burn injury

Burn injury is associated with profound inflammation and activation of the innate immune system involving gammadelta T-cells. Similarly, Toll-like receptors (TLR) are associated with activation of the innate immune response; however, it is unclear whether TLR expression is altered in gammadelta T-cells after major burn injury. To study this, male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to burn injury (25% TBSA) and 1 or 7 days thereafter, blood and spleen cells were isolated and subjected to FACs analysis for TLRs and other phenotypic markers (gammadelta TCR, alphabeta TCR, CD69, CD120b). A marked increase in the number of circulating gammadelta T-cells was observed at 24h post-burn (14% vs. 4%) and a higher percentage of these cells expressed TLR-2. TLR-4 expression was also increased post-burn, but to a lesser degree. These changes in TLR expression were not associated with altered CD69 or CD120b expression in gammadelta T-cells. The mobilization of, and increased TLR expression in, gammadelta T-cells was transient, as phenotypic changes were not evident at 7 days post-burn or in gammadelta T-cells from the circulation or spleen. The increases in TLR expression were not observed in alphabeta T-cells after burn injury. In conclusion, 24h after burn injury mobilization of gammadelta T-cells with increased TLR expression was observed. This finding suggests that this unique T-cell population is critical in the innate immune response to injury, possibly through the recognition of danger signals by TLRs.
Ombuin 3-sulphate from Flaveria chloraefolia

Abstract One novel flavonoid sulphate ester and two known non-sulphated flavonoids were isolated from the leaves of Flaveria chloraefolia . The novel sulphated conjugate is 7,4′-dimethylquercetin (ombuin) 3-sulphate, and the known compounds are 6-methoxyquercetin and its 3-glucoside. The structure of ombuin 3-sulphate was established by UV spectroscopy, acid hydrolysis followed by EIMS of the aglycone, as well as enzymatic synthesis.
Age‐associated stereoselective alterations in hexobarbital metabolism

This clinical investigation was designed to study the influence of age on stereoselective drug disposition using hexobarbital as a model marker. The disposition of hexobarbital enantiomers was investigated in 10 young and 10 elderly, healthy male volunteers. Mean oral clearance (+/- SD) of d-hexobarbital (1.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.3 ml/min/kg; P greater than 0.05) did not differ significantly between the young and elderly subjects, respectively. However, despite wide intersubject variability, l-hexobarbital mean oral clearance (+/- SD) was approximately twofold greater in the young than in the elderly subjects (16.9 +/- 11.9 vs. 8.2 +/- 3.2 ml/min/kg; P less than 0.05). This resulted in a significantly greater enantiomeric oral clearance ratio in the young when compared with the elderly subjects (8.3 +/- 3.4 vs. 4.7 +/- 1.4; P less than 0.01). No significant difference (P greater than 0.05) in pharmacologic response after hexobarbital administration was found between the two groups. Demonstration of an age-related preferential decline in metabolism of one enantiomer over another has not been reported previously for any racemic drug in animals or humans.
Health Risk Communication at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

I have described areas for which ATSDR has responsibilities that we see as involving risk communication. I conclude by indicating, based on our professional experience and from meetings with the public where we have presented health information, what we consider to be five elements required of successful risk communication. The first element we suggest is the credibility of the source. If you have no credibility, no matter how accurate, how truthful, how up-to-date, how important, how dramatic your message is, you are not going to be heard. So you start with credibility. The quality of the message is the second building block of successful risk communication. By quality of the message, I mean whether it is accurate, truthful, up-to-date, and based on current scientific knowledge. The third element is the degree of involvement of the receiver of the message in the shaping of the message. If the receiver has not been involved in the process, then the likelihood of successful risk communication is going to be diminished. Get the receivers involved up front. That means, in the case of community health studies, get those persons involved in the community who have been most concerned about the health issues. To the extent possible, involve community leaders, citizen groups, physicians, the news media, and concerned individual citizens in the design, conduct, and evaluation of community health surveys and studies. The fourth element is the quality of the delivery. If you present the message in government jargon and do not speak with, but to, the audience, you are going to find difficulties in successful communication.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Statistical mechanics of the (2+1)-dimensional black hole.

The presence of a horizon breaks the gauge invariance of (2+1)-dimensional general relativity, leading to the appearance of new physical states at the horizon. I show that the entropy of the (2+1)-dimensional black hole can be obtained as the logarithm of the number of these microscopic states.
Hydraulic performance analysis of a multiple injection-extraction well system

Investigating the hydraulic performance of the flow field created by a multiple injection extraction well system for groundwater remediation requires the design of novel strategies for tracer testing and efficient modeling. In this work, we report on tracer tests conducted in a well system comprising two injection and two extraction wells designed for an in situ bioremediation of uranium at Oak Ridge, TN, about 2 years after the start of operation. The domain of the flow field can be divided into an inner cell, an outer cell, and transition zones. To characterize advective dispersive transport, two tracer tests were performed with the injection of bromide solution. The system was operated as during groundwater remediation, and the tracer was partially recirculated. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) were measured in the extraction wells and the multi-level sampling (MLS) ports. The methods of transfer function and temporal moments were implemented to analyze the BTCs. By jointly evaluating the temporal moments of the BTCs in the extraction wells, we can conveniently estimate the recirculating flow fractions in different zones. This approach does not require the detailed characterization of the flow field. The parameters of transfer functions fitted at the MLS wells indicate the flow field maymore » have changed over the tracer test period. This observation indicates that bioremediation influences the flow field even when the well pumping rates are kept constant, which suggests that aquifer characterization may need to be repeated during bioremediation. The methods of transfer functions and temporal moments with tracer tests are flexible, economical, and well-suited to evaluate the performance of the system during long periods of remediation.« less
Coordination schemes in distributed simulation of relativistic particle transport

In distributed simulation, overheads of coordinating operations across computing nodes could counteract the benefit of having extra machines. Meanwhile, some scientific applications such as relativistic particle transport exhibit strong data dependency among events. This paper proposed several coordination schemes to reduce communication frequency and volume, overlap computation and communication operations, and arrange event simulation speculatively. Performance gains are expected.
Regulation of neurite growth in purified retina neuronal cultures: effects of PNPF, a substratum-bound, neurite-promoting factor.

The responses of chick embryo retina neurons to the substratum-bound, neurite-promoting factor “PNPF” were studied using glia-free, purified neuronal monolayers. Polyornithine-coated dishes were exposed before cell seeding to either serum-containing culture medium (PNPF(−) substratum) or to the same medium supplemented with 25% rat schwannoma conditioned medium, a source of PNPF (PNPF(+) substratum). The dishes were thoroughly rinsed before receiving a suspension of 8 day chick embryo neural retina cells in serum-free medium. The presence of PNPF on the substratum determined a dramatic increase in the relative frequency of neurite-bearing cells in the cultures. After 6 hours in vitro PNPF(+) cultures contained 45% neurite-bearing cells, as compared with 5–7% on PNPN(−) substrata. At 72 hours those values increased to 60% on PNPF(+) and to 40% on PNPF(−) substrata. PNPF(+) cultures also showed longer and/or more highly branched neurites, resulting in the formation of complex neurite networks. Moreover, a cell type characterized by the presence of a very long neurite could be seen on PNPF(+) but not on PNPF(−) substrata. Six hour cultures were used to analyze in more detail the response of retinal neurons to PNPF. Addition of fetal calf serum to the medium determined a concentration-dependent inhibition of neurite formation on PNPF(+) substrata. On the other hand, pretreatment of PNPF(+) substrata with concanavalin A also blocked the neurite-promoting effect of the factor. This concentration-dependent inhibitory effect of concanavalin A could be eliminated by the specific sugar α-methyl-D-mannoside. Wheat germ agglutinin, another lectin known to react with PNPF, did not cause any reduction in the neurite-promoting activity of this factor. Wheat germ agglutinin showed neurite-promoting properties of its own in control experiments using PNPF(−) substrata. The results indicate that the target spectrum of PNPF is broader than it was originally thought. Together with other reports from the literature, they also support the perception of neurite development as a cellular activity subject to complex regulatory mechanisms.
CHRONIC CORTICAL ELECTRODES FOR SMALL ANIMAL STUDIES.

Abstract A method is described for the fabrication of nylon insulated silver ball electrodes and for surgical implantation of five electrodes in the skull of the albino rat. This electrode implant is satisfactory for longitudinal studies on cerebral cortical activity. A sample of tracing obtained by this method is presented. Rats equipped with these electrodes have been maintained for periods up to 1 year.
Bronchial Carcinoid Tumor Metastatic to the Breast

We report a case of bronchial carcinoid that initially manifested as metastatic tumor in the breast. An exhaustive search for the primary tumor yielded the finding of a large right lung mass. Subsequent histopathologic examination of the resected lung and breast tissues confirmed the lung cancer as a primary tumor and the breast tumor as metastatic disease.
Cytopathology reports from fine needle aspirations of the thyroid gland: can they be improved?

Many endocrinologists are dissatisfied with the cytopathology reports from thyroidal aspirates and unsure of how to proceed with the management of their patients. Endocrinologists and cytopathologists should have a symbiotic or complementary professional relationship if patients are going to be well served. The endocrinologist has responsibilities to the pathologist and vice versa. If the endocrinologist performs the thyroidal fine needle aspirations (FNAs), he or she must provide the pathologist with adequate specimens (in terms of quantity or number of cells) that are well smeared so that cells are well preserved and accurate cytologic diagnosis may be rendered. Also, pertinent clinical history and reasonable differential diagnoses should be stated. The pathologist has responsibilities to the endocrinologist. He or she should strive constantly to provide a clear and definite diagnosis. Cytologic reports must be in a "clinical language." By this I mean a language the clinician can understand. The patholo...
Stimulus size and acuity in information processing

Ten subjects served in a speeded-recognition task wherein letter targets were varied from.143 deg to 2.14 deg of visual angle in height. Identification latencies were found to decrease on the order of 40 msec for both blocked and randomized presentations of sizes as target size increased. Beyond a size of approximately.75 deg of visual angle, reaction time became asymptotic, and blocked presentation of target size was judged to be faster than randomized. These results were interpreted to support the view that a percept in the visual system develops gradually over time, permitting gross figure-ground differentiation very early in processing, but discrimination of fine detail only later. Implications of these results for human-factors applications are discussed.
O serogroup specific real time PCR assays for the detection and identification of nine clinically relevant non-O157 STECs

Abstract TaqMan™ real time PCR assays were designed for each of the non-O157 STEC O serogroups most commonly associated with human illness: O26, O45, O91, O103, O111, O113, O121, O128, and O145. The nine RT-PCR assays can be run as single assays when a known pathogen is of concern, or multiplexed in three reactions, to quickly screen for the most clinically relevant O serogroups. All assays included an internal amplification control constructed from the green fluorescent protein gene as an indicator of PCR inhibition. Of 103 strains tested, the inclusive tests accurately identified the O serogroup for 101 strains. The exclusive tests for each assay yielded no false positives for over 120 Escherichia coli strains and 23 non-E. coli bacteria tested. Furthermore, the RT-PCR assays were tested by inoculating four food matrices, milk, apple juice, lettuce, and ground beef, at ≤30 CFU/25 g or mL. Following a 24 h selective enrichment, the RT-PCR assays detected STECs in all foods except for one ground beef sample inoculated with O111, and all apple juice samples inoculated with O113. The assays could also detect each O serogroup in human stool specimens inoculated with STECs at 1000 CFU/0.5 g of stool following 24 h enrichment.
Free electron lasers with short Rayleith length

Abstract To decrease power loading on cavity mirrors, a Gaussian mode with a very short Rayleigh length could be employed. We study the physics of the FEL interaction while shortening the Rayleigh length in the FEL oscillator. The results can be applied to the Industrial Laser Consortium's UV FEL and to high average power FELs in general.
Gender and sexual diversity in schools, by Elizabeth Meyer

New York, Springer, 2010, 152 pp., US$29.95 (paperback), ISBN 978‐9400704879 In the wake of teenage suicides and issues of school‐based bullying and harassment, Elizabeth Meyer provides an easy‐to‐...
Women in geography in the 21st century. Introductory Remarks: Structure, Agency, and Women Geographers in Academia at the End of the Long Twentieth Century

This paper provides an introduction to the set of articles presented in the focus section Women in Geography in the 21st Century. The paper argues that feminist geographers should view their professional biographies in a structure-agency context. Such a theoretical perspective views events that are commonly thought to be unique and attributable to individual merit or foible as the outcome instead of interactions between actors and social structures. Creating genuinely equal opportunities in geography departments for women and others who are different from the able-bodied, middle-class, white heterosexual male model of “the geographer” depends upon challenges to and transformations of the structures which bear on the discipline, rather than solely upon individual initiative.
Graft selection for aortic root replacement in complex active endocarditis: does it matter?

Background Endocarditis affecting the aortic valve, with abscess formation and root destruction, remains a challenge to treat. Aortic root homografts have been advocated because of a perceived lower risk of infective complications than with other root replacement grafts. However, the theoretical advantage of homografts has not been re-evaluated in the modern era. This report is based on an examination of our results for all aortic root replacements in complex, active endocarditis affecting the aortic valve. Methods From 2000 to 2010, 134 patients (70.9% male; mean age 58.3 ± 14.8 years) at our institution underwent aortic root replacement for active endocarditis. Ninety of the patients (67.2%) had a previously implanted prosthetic aortic valve. Our findings for these patients included one or more of the following: abscess (n = 110, 82.1%), valve vegetation (n = 98, 73.1%), and pseudoaneurysm or rupture or both (n = 62, 46.3%). We retrospectively reviewed data for the patients from hospital records and the social security data base. Results A mechanical composite graft (MC) was used in 43 of the patients (32.1%), a non-homograft biologic valve conduit (BC) in 55 patients (41.0%), and a homograft (HG) valve in 36 patients (26.9%). There was no significant difference among the groups in the incidence of major complications or in-hospital mortality. During a mean follow-up of 32.1 ± 29.4 months, the rates of readmission, reinfection, and reoperation were similar for the three groups. The mean 5-year survival in the study was 58 ± 9% for the MC group, 62 ± 7% for the BC group, and 58 ± 9% for the HG group, respectively ( p = 0.48). Conclusions Aortic root replacement in the presence of complex active infection is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We report that the rates of major complications and late mortality were similar among MC, BC, and HG groups in our study.
DOCUMENTS: an interactive online solution to four documentation problems

An adequate delivery system for user documentation addresses the problems of easy access, versatile publication, convenient administration, and good document quality. At the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center the DOCUMENT program helps solve these problems by providing a high level of service through strategies that can readily be exported to other contexts. Dividing machine-readable documents into keyword windows permits fully online, subject-oriented access to all passages. An adaptive, three-tier user interface extends flexible viewing control to novices and experts alike. DOCUMENT also supports online subject, title, and date catalogs, and provides on-demand output of hardcopy and microfiche. Several other document delivery systems are compared with DOCUMENT, and all have more rigid human interfaces, more structural display units for text, or more cumbersome output options.
Ion Pair Formation During Activation of the NaChBac Voltage Sensor

S4 transmembrane segments of voltage-gated ion channels move outward upon depolarization initiating a conformational change that opens the pore. Formation of ion pairs between gating-charge-carrying arginine residues in S4 and negatively charged amino acid residues in neighboring transmembrane segments is an essential feature of the sliding helix model of gating (Catterall, 1986; Guy and Seetharamulu, 1986; Yarov-Yarovoy et al., PNAS, 2006). We studied NaChBac mutants in which E70 in the S2 segment and the fourth gating charge of S4 (R4) were replaced with cysteines. As previously reported for D60:R3 (DeCaen et al. PNAS, 2008), activation of the E70C:R4C reduced INa irreversibly but had no effect on WT or single mutants. Application of the reducing agent β-mercaptoethanol restored INa, suggesting reversal of disulfide bond formation between E70 and R4. The voltage dependence of disulfide locking matched the voltage dependence of activation (V1/2 ≈ -75 mV). Fast deactivation was blocked, and the loss of current upon repolarization was slowed to the rate of inactivation (≈330ms). Evidently, depolarization drives movement of the S4 segment that allows disulfide locking of R4C and E70C, and this activated state of the voltage sensor signals opening of the pore and then inactivation of the channel. These data suggest that gating charge R4 forms an ion pair with E70 during activation and that the side chains of these residues approach within ∼2 A, as required for rapid formation of disulfide bonds in the E70C:R4C mutant. This new molecular interaction allows further refinement of the ROSETTA sliding helix model of gating (see adjacent poster by Yarov-Yarovoy et al). Supported by NIH Grants T32 GM07270 (PGD) and R01 NS157561 (WAC).
Effects of microenvironment on the dynamics of spider-mite populations

The relationship between environmental variables (chiefly temperature and humidity) and the population dynamics of spider mites is reviewed. Both direct effects on the spider mites and indirect effects operating through effects on spider mite natural enemies (mainly phytoseiid mites) are discussed. Factors determining the environmental conditions actually experienced by spider mites (microenvironment) are presented.
The UDHR and the physician's role

Upon the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) medical professionals should pay attention to the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The rights outlined in the UDHR include the traditional province of civil and political rights as well as the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of an individual and his or her family including food clothing housing medical care and necessary social services. The health profession should work to improve standards of living for those who are disenfranchised. Socioeconomic status is directly related to health status with inequities in the distribution of wealth affecting morbidity and mortality. The global polarization of wealth and its effect upon health are best reflected in the US the worlds wealthiest country. Until societies confront the disparity of wealth both between and within countries basic human needs will remain unmet and health for all will not be attained.
Vortex lattice melting, pinning and kinetics

The phenomenology of the high Tc superconductors is discussed both at the level of the thermodynamics of melting of the Abrikosov flux lattice and in terms of the melting and kinetics of the flux lattice for a pinned system. We review results on 3D melting obtained by a Monte Carlo simulation approach in which the 2D “pancake” vortices are treated as statistical variables. We discuss pinning in the context of the strong pinning regime in which the vortex density given in terms of the applied field B is small compared to that represented by an effective field Bpin measuring the pinning center density. We introduce a new criterion for the unfreezing of a vortex glass on increase of magnetic field or temperature, in the strong pinning, small field limit. We model this limit in terms of a single flux line interacting with a columnar pin. This model is studied both analytically and by computer simulation. By applying a tilt potential, we study the kinetics of the vortex motion in an external current and show that the resulting current-voltage characteristic follows a basic vortex glass-like scaling relation in the vicinity of the depinning transition.
Interferon as an Antiviral and Anti-tumor Therapeutic Agent

Clinical trials of the antiviral action of interferon have shown an effect on the replication of several viruses including varicella zoster, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus and hepatitis B. These studies indicate that administration early in the course of infection, or in some clinical circumstances, prophylactic administration, is likely to result in viral inhibition. The studies of interferon efficacy in topical application, as in prevention of recurrent herpes simplex keratitis, have shown limited efficacy except with very high doses. These studies are being pursued with more concentrated preparations of interferon. The evaluation of interferon in human malignancy is just beginning, but some encouraging results have been obtained in open trials of the drug in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, osteogenic sarcoma, and other diseases. With newer methods for the production of interferon, it may be possible to evaluate its antiviral and anti-tumor effects in carefully controlled studies with larger numbers of subjects.
Aphid Transmission of a Cucumber Mosaic Virus from Cherry

A virus obtained from sweet cherry reacted with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) antiserum and resembled CMV in virus-vector relationships and lack of vector specificity. Cucumber was not a good virus host plant for aphid transmission studies, but lima bean was satisfactory both as a virus source plant and as a test plant. The virus was transmitted by 10 of 12 aphid species tested, including 4 species which were not previously known to transmit CMV. Aphid transmission was more frequent with acquisition probes of 10—60 second’s duration than with longer acquisition periods. The virus was retained less than 1 hour by feeding aphids.
The effect of antibiotics on the growth of Legionella pneumophila in guinea-pig alveolar phagocytes infected in vivo by an aerosol

Summary The likely efficacy of four antibiotics of possible use in the treatment of Legionnaires' disease was assessed in terms of their capacity to inhibit the replication of Legionella pneumophila within guinea-pig alveolar macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) compared with their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in vitro . All the antibiotics used had similar MIC values with regard to L. pneumophila (0·032–0·062 mg/l), but differences of up to 100 fold in the concentration required to eliminate viable intracellular organisms were observed. The most effective antibiotics were found to be rifampicin and ciprofloxacin. These eliminated viable L. pneumophila from alveolar macrophages and PMN at concentrations of 0·005 and 0·01 mg/l respectively, whereas erythromycin and gentamicin required higher concentrations of 0·1 and 0·5 mg/l respectively. It is suggested that assays performed in cultures of relevant cells may provide useful additional means of assessing antibiotic efficacy against intracellular pathogens and help to explain discrepancies otherwise observed between in vitro and in vivo findings.
Bin-ary: detecting the state of organic trash to prevent insalubrity

Bin-ary is a self-contained gas detector that analyzes organic trash odor compounds and releases subtle burst of scent when bad odor is detected. The prototype is meant to be used as a plugin to make trash bins and dumpsters smarter and prevent insalubrity in cities and villages.
Qualitative Studies in Special Education

An overview of the many types of studies that fall into the qualitative design genre is provided. Strategies that qualitative researchers use to establish the authors' studies as credible and trustworthy are listed and defined. So that readers will recognize the important contribution qualitative studies have made in the field of special education, a range of well-known and lesser known examples of qualitative research are reviewed. The quality indicators that are important in conducting and evaluating qualitative research are identified. Finally, as an example of the evidence that can be produced using qualitative methods, the authors provide a summary of how 3 studies have provided important information that can be used to inform policy and practice.
Judge-Jury Agreement in Criminal Cases: A Partial Replication of Kalven & Zeisel's The American Jury

This study uses a new criminal case data set to partially replicate Kalven and Zeisel's classic study of judge-jury agreement. The data show essentially the same rate of judge-jury agreement as did Kalven and Zeisel for cases tried almost 50 years ago. This study also explores judge-jury agreement as a function of evidentiary strength (as reported by both judges and juries), evidentiary complexity (as reported by both judges and juries), legal complexity (as reported by judges), and locale. Regardless of which adjudicator's view of evidentiary strength is used, judges tend to convict more than juries in cases of "middle" evidentiary strength. Judges tend to acquit more than juries in cases in which judges regard the evidence favoring the prosecution as weak. Judges tend to convict more than juries in cases in which judges regard the evidence favoring the prosecution as strong. Rates of adjudicator agreement are thus partly a function of which adjudicator's view of evidentiary strength is used, a result not available to Kalven and Zeisel, who were limited to judges' views of the evidence. We find little evidence that evidentiary complexity or legal complexity help explain rates of judge-jury disagreement. Rather, the data support Kalven-Zeisel's explanation that judges have a lower conviction threshold than juries. Local variation exists among the sites studied. The influences of juror race, sex, and education are also considered.
Review of the evidence base for treatment of childhood psychopathology: externalizing disorders.

This article reviews the empirical literature on psychosocial, psychopharmacological, and adjunctive treatments for children between the ages of 6 and 12 with internalizing disorders. The aim of this review was to identify interventions that have potential to prevent substance use disorders in adolescence by treating internalizing disorders in childhood. Results suggest that a variety of behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and pharmacological interventions are effective in reducing symptoms of childhood depression, phobias, and anxiety disorders. None of the studies reviewed included substance abuse outcomes. Thus, little can be said about the relationship between early treatment and the prevention of later substance use. The importance of evaluating the generalizability of research-supported interventions to community settings is highlighted and recommendations for future research are offered.
Corporoplasty using pericardium allograft (tutoplast) with complex penile prosthesis surgery

Penile prosthesis implantation can be challenging for such presentations as penile fibrosis and prosthesis erosion and conditions in which the corporal body is severely damaged or deficient. The technical complexity of some repairs and the infections associated with synthetic graft materials will sometimes pose limitations to using these materials. We offer a new role for Tutoplast processed pericardial allograft for complex corporoplasty during penile prosthesis surgery.
Proton-induced x-ray emission analysis of turquoise artefacts from Salado Platform Mound sites in the Tonto Basin of central Arizona

During the Classic period (AD 1280–1450), prehistoric native Americans used turquoise for adornment, pigment and rituals at the Salado Platform Mound communities of the Tonto Basin in central Arizona. These rare, but valued, artefacts were obtained through social and trade connections to settlements and resource zones in adjoining and distant areas. We systematically examine the chemical signatures of turquoise artefacts to assess differences in access to turquoise sources between two large, competing Platform Mound communities (Cline Terrace Mound and Schoolhouse Point Mound) and determine whether they shared the same trade network. PIXE (proton-induced x-ray emission) is used to non-destructively characterize the chemical signatures of the turquoise artefacts; x-ray diffraction is used on a subset of artefacts to precisely identify mineralogical variability within copper-based blue-green minerals. Examples of multiple and mixed phases are further examined. These controlled chemical and mineralogical studies are used to guide the PIXE analysis of the larger dataset and to assess differences in source accessibility between the Cline Terrace and Schoolhouse Point Platform Mounds. Results indicate differential access to turquoise sources, similar to obsidian and decorated ceramics, and further delineate the regional social networks of this prehistoric culture.
Privatization: reinventing public mental health services.

(1993). Privatization: Reinventing Public Mental Health Services. Harvard Review of Psychiatry: Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 249-250.