Mud Volcanoes - A New Class of Sites for Geological and Astrobiological Exploration of Mars

Mud volcanoes provide a unique low-temperature window into the Earth s subsurface - including the deep biosphere - and may prove to be significant sources of atmospheric methane. The identification of analogous features on Mars would provide an important new class of sites for geological and astrobiological exploration. We report new work suggesting that features in Acidalia Planitia are most consistent with their being mud volcanoes

Free Vibrations of Multilayer Anisotropic Cylindrical Shells

A theoretical analysis is presented for determining the free vibra tional characteristics of thin-walled, circular cylindrical shells with layers of anisotropic elastic material arbitrarily laminated either sym metrically or unsymmetrically about the shell middle surface. An arbitrarily laminated, anisotropic version of Love's first-approximation shell theory is used to formulate the coupled equations of motion. An exact solution with a classical checkerboard nodal pattern is found for the case of a shell with specially orthotropic layers arbitrarily laminated and with freely supported ends. For a boron/epoxy composite cylinder, the significant effect of omitting bending-stretching coupling is demonstrated and various lamination arrangements are investigated. Also, a general solution is presented for the axisymmetric modes of an arbitrarily laminated anisotropic shell. Finally, an approximate solution, using a combination of two helical-nodal-pattern modes, is obtained for the unsymmetric modes of the same general class of shell with a supported boundary condition.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Quasi-Two-Body Decays of Nonstrange Baryons

We examine the decays of nonstrange baryons to the final states $\Delta\pi$, $N\rho$, $N\eta$, $N\eta^\prime$, $N\omega$, $N1/2^+(1440)\pi$, and $\Delta3/2^+(1600)\pi$, in a relativized pair-creation($^3P_0$) model which has been developed in a previous study of the $N\pi$ decays of the same baryon states. As it is our goal to provide a guide for the possible discovery of new baryon states at CEBAF and elsewhere, we examine the decays of resonances which have already been seen in the partial-wave analyses, along with those of states which are predicted by the quark model but which remain undiscovered. The level of agreement between our calculation and the available widths from the partial-wave analyses is encouraging.Comment: 41 pages, CEBAF-TH-93-1

A Bovine Pericardium Rigid Prosthesis For Left Ventricle Restoration: 12 Years Of Follow-up [prótese Rígida De Pericárdio Bovino Para Remodelamento Ventricular Esquerdo: 12 Anos De Seguimento]

Background: Myocardial infarction might result in dilated left ventricle and numerous techniques have been described to restore the original left ventricle shape and identify tools for late survival assessment. The aim of this study is to compare our experience with a modified Dor procedure using a rigid prosthesis to the septal anterior ventricular exclusion procedure (SAVE) for left ventricle restoration. The EuroScore index for prediction of late follow up survival was evaluated. Methods: We evaluated 80 patients who underwent left ventricle restoration between 1999 to 2007 and eight patients were excluded with incomplete data. A modified Dor procedure with rigid prosthesis (MD group) was performed on 53 patients and 19 underwent the septal anterior ventricular exclusion procedure (SAVE group). The patients were classified according their left ventricle shape as type I, II or III. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard ratio regressions analysis were performed to assess survival after both techniques and expected surgical mortality using EuroScore index ranking after 12 years of follow up. Results: The operative mortality was comparable in both groups ranked by EuroScore index. The groups were comparable for all clinical data, except the MD group had more patients using intra-aortic balloon pumps before surgery, (5.7% vs. 0; P<0.01). Kaplan Meier analysis by left ventricle shape showed comparable survival for all patients, with slightly higher survival for type I. Kaplan Meier analysis of all death showed equivalent survival curves for both techniques after 12 years of follow up (71.5 ± 12.3 vs. 46.6 ±20.5 years; P=0.08). Kaplan Meier analysis of EuroScore index for all patients showed a difference between the three ranked categories, i.e., 0 to 10%, 11 to 49% and higher than 50% expected surgical mortality after 12 years of follow up (70.9 ± 16.2 vs. 67.5 ± 12.7 vs. 53.0 ± 15.5; P=0.003). Conclusion: The MD procedure showed consistent ejection fraction improvements after long term follow up. Survival was comparable for all ventricular types and for the MD and SAVE procedures. The EuroScore index is a useful index for late survival assessment of ventricular restoration techniques.262164172Cooley, D.A., Hallman, G.L., Henly, W.S., Left ventricular aneurysm due to myocardial infarctionexperience with 37 patients undergoing aneurysmectomy (1964) Arch Surg, 88, pp. 114-121Jatene, A.D., Left ventricular aneurysmectomy. Resection or reconstruction (1985) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 89 (3), pp. 321-331Dor, V., Saab, M., Coste, P., Kornaszewska, M., Montiglio, F., Left ventricular aneurysm: A new surgical approach (1989) Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 37 (1), pp. 11-19Dor, V., Sabatier, M., di Donato, M., Montiglio, F., Toso, A., Maioli, M., Efficacy of endoventricular patch plasty in large postinfarction akinetic scar and severe left ventricular dysfunction: Comparison with a series of large dyskinetic scars (1998) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 116 (1), pp. 50-59Braile, D.M., Mustafa, R.M., Ardito, R.V., Zaiantchick, M., Coelho, W.M., (1991) Correction of the Left Ventricle Geometry with Semi Rigid Bovine Pericardial Prosthesis Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 6 (2), pp. 109-115Isomura, T., Horii, T., Suma, H., Buckberg, G.D., Septal anterior ventricular exclusion operation (Pacopexy) for ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: Treat form not disease (2006) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 29 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S245-S250. , RESTORE GroupJones, R.H., Velazquez, E.J., Michler, R.E., Sopko, G., Oh, J.K., O'Connor, C.M., Coronary bypass surgery with or without surgical ventricular reconstruction (2009) N Engl J Med, 360 (17), pp. 1705-1717di Donato, M., Castelvecchio, S., Kukulski, T., Bussadori, C., Giacomazzi, F., Frigiola, A., Surgical ventricular restoration: Left ventricular shape influence on cardiac function, clinical status, and survival (2009) Ann Thorac Surg, 87 (2), pp. 455-461Najafi, M., Sheikhvatan, M., Montazeri, A., Sheikhfathollahi, M., Predictors of quality of life among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (2008) Acta Cardiol, 63 (6), pp. 713-721Messaoudi, N., de Cocker, J., Stockman, B.A., Bossaert, L.L., Rodrigus, I.E., Is EuroSCORE useful in the prediction of extended intensive care unit stay after cardiac surgery? (2009) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 36 (1), pp. 35-39Santarpino, G., Onorati, F., Rubino, A.S., Abdalla, K., Caroleo, S., Santangelo, E., Preoperative intraaortic balloon pumping improves outcomes for high-risk patients in routine coronary artery bypass graft surgery (2009) Ann Thorac Surg, 87 (2), pp. 481-488Nashef, S.A., Roques, F., Michel, P., Gauducheau, E., Lemeshow, S., Salamon, R., European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE) (1999) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 16 (1), pp. 9-13Dor, V., Sabatier, M., di Donato, M., Maioli, M., Toso, A., Montiglio, F., Late hemodynamic results after left ventricular patch repair associated with coronary grafting in patients with postinfarction akinetic or dyskinetic aneurysm of the left ventricle (1995) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 110 (5), pp. 1291-1299Athanasuleas, C.L., Buckberg, G.D., Stanley, A.W., Siler, W., Dor, V., Didonato, M., RESTORE Group. Surgical ventricular restoration: The RESTORE Group experience (2004) Heart Fail Rev, 9 (4), pp. 287-297Salati, M., di Biasi, P., Paje, A., Santoli, C., Left ventricular geometry after endoventriculoplasty (1993) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 7 (11), pp. 574-578Buckberg, G.D., Coghlan, H.C., Torrent-Guasp, F., The structure and function of the helical heart and its buttress wrapping. VI. Geometric Concepts of Heart Failure and Use For Structural Correction (2001) Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 13 (4), pp. 386-401di Donato, M., Sabatier, M., Dor, V., Gensini, G.F., Toso, A., Maioli, M., Effects of the Dor procedure on left ventricular dimension and shape and geometric correlates of mitral regurgitation one year after surgery (2001) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 121 (1), pp. 91-96Suma, H., Horii, T., Isomura, T., Buckberg, G., A new concept of ventricular restoration for nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (2006) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 29 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S207-S212. , RESTORE GroupForm versus disease: Optimizing geometry during ventricular restoration (2006) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 29 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S238-S244. , RESTORE GroupKieser, T.M., The left ventricle: To reconstruct or not: Lessons from the STICH trial (2009) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 138 (3), p. 784Suma, H., Isomura, T., Horii, T., Buckberg, G., Role of site selection for left ventriculoplasty to treat idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (2004) Heart Fail Rev, 9 (4), pp. 329-336. , RESTORE GroupDancini, J.L., Rodrigues, J.J., Santos, J.S., Pinto, R.F.A., Burgos, F.J.C., Conforti, C.A., Left ventricular aneurysmectomy: Late followup (1996) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 1 (11), pp. 23-29Almeida, R.M.S., Lima, J.D., Bastos, L.C., Carvalho, C.T., Loures, D.R., Endoventricular circular patch plasty with septal exclusion: Initial experience (2000) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 4 (15), pp. 302-307Campagnucci, V.P., Rivetti, L.A., Pinto e Silva, A.M.R., Gandra, S.M.A., Pereira, W.L., Aneurismectomia de ventrículo esquerdo com o coração batendo ininterruptamente: Resultados imediatos (2006) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 21 (1), pp. 55-61Herrera, C.B., Insalralde, A., Brandi, A.C., Santos, C.A., Herrera, D.D., Soares, M.J.F., Correção de aneurisma de ventrículo esquerdo em paciente chagásico empregando prótese de pericárdio bovino (2000) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 15 (1), pp. 72-74Sgarbi, C.J., Ardito, R.V., Santos, R.C., Bogdan, R.A.B., Arruda Jr., F.V., Silva, E.M., Correção cirúrgica do aneurisma de ventrículo esquerdo: Comparação entre as técnicas de sutura linear e reconstrução geométrica (2000) Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc, 15 (4), pp. 293-301Versteegh, M.I., Lamb, H.J., Bax, J.J., Curiel, F.B., van der Wall, E.E., de Roos, A., MRI evaluation of left ventricular function in anterior LV aneurysms before and after surgical resection (2003) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 23 (4), pp. 609-613Use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in surgical ventricular restoration (2006) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 29 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S216-S224. , Buckberg GD;RESTORE GroupWalker, J.C., Guccione, J.M., Jiang, Y., Zhang, P., Wallace, A.W., Hsu, E.W., Helical myofiber orientation after myocardial infarction and left ventricular surgical restoration in sheep (2005) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 129 (2), pp. 382-39

The impact of deep-sea fisheries and implementation of the UNGA Resolutions 61/105 and 64/72. Report of an international scientific workshop

The scientific workshop to review fisheries management, held in Lisbon in May 2011, brought together 22 scientists and fisheries experts from around the world to consider the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions on high seas bottom fisheries: what progress has been made and what the outstanding issues are. This report summarises the workshop conclusions, identifying examples of good practice and making recommendations in areas where it was agreed that the current management measures fall short of their target

Signatures of Superfluidity in Dilute Fermi Gases near a Feshbach Resonance

We present a brief account of the most salient properties of vortices in dilute atomic Fermi superfluids near a Feshbach resonance.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, and jltp.cls. Several typos and a couple of inaccuracies have been correcte

Self-similar Approximants of the Permeability in Heterogeneous Porous Media from Moment Equation Expansions

We use a mathematical technique, the self-similar functional renormalization, to construct formulas for the average conductivity that apply for large heterogeneity, based on perturbative expansions in powers of a small parameter, usually the log-variance $\sigma_Y^2$ of the local conductivity. Using perturbation expansions up to third order and fourth order in $\sigma_Y^2$ obtained from the moment equation approach, we construct the general functional dependence of the transport variables in the regime where $\sigma_Y^2$ is of order 1 and larger than 1. Comparison with available numerical simulations give encouraging results and show that the proposed method provides significant improvements over available expansions.Comment: Latex, 14 pages + 5 ps figure

Disposition of docosahexaenoic acid-paclitaxel, a novel taxane, in blood: in vitro and clinical pharmacokinetic studies

PURPOSE: Docosahexaenoic acid-paclitaxel is as an inert prodrug composed of the natural fatty acid DHA covalently linked to the C2'-position of paclitaxel (M. O. Bradley et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 7: 3229-3238, 2001). Here, we examined the role of protein binding as a determinant of the pharmacokinetic behavior of DHA-paclitaxel. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The blood distribution of DHA-paclitaxel was studied in vitro using equilibrium dialysis and in 23 cancer patients receiving the drug as a 2-h i.v. infusion (dose, 200-1100 mg/m(2)). RESULTS: In vitro, DHA-paclitaxel was found to bind extensively to human plasma (99.6 +/- 0.057%). The binding was concentration independent (P = 0.63), indicating a nonspecific, nonsaturable process. The fraction of unbound paclitaxel increased from 0.052 +/- 0.0018 to 0.055 +/- 0.0036 (relative increase, 6.25%; P = 0.011) with an increase in DHA-paclitaxel concentration (0-1000 microg/ml), suggesting weakly competitive drug displacement from protein-binding sites. The mean (+/- SD) area under the curve of unbound paclitaxel increased nonlinearly with dose from 0.089 +/- 0.029 microg.h/ml (at 660 mg/m(2)) to 0.624 +/- 0.216 microg.h/ml (at 1100 mg/m(2)), and was associated with the dose-limiting neutropenia in a maximum-effect model (R(2) = 0.624). A comparative analysis indicates that exposure to Cremophor EL and unbound paclitaxel after DHA-paclitaxel (at 1100 mg/m(2)) is similar to that achieved with paclitaxel on clinically relevant dose schedules. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive binding to plasma proteins may explain, in part, the unique pharmacokinetic profile of DHA-paclitaxel described previously with a small volume of distribution ( approximately 4 liters) and slow systemic clearance ( approximately 0.11 liters/h)

Residual cognitive deficits 50 years after lead poisoning during childhood

The long term neurobehavioural consequences of childhood lead poisoning are not known. In this study adult subjects with a documented history of lead poisoning before age 4 and matched controls were examined with an abbreviated battery of neuropsychological tests including measures of attention, reasoning, memory, motor speed, and current mood. The subjects exposed to lead were inferior to controls on almost all of the cognitive tasks. This pattern of widespread deficits resembles that found in children evaluated at the time of acute exposure to lead rather than the more circumscribed pattern typically seen in adults exposed to lead. Despite having completed as many years of schooling as controls, the subjects exposed to lead were lower in lifetime occupational status. Within the exposed group, performance on the neuropsychological battery and occupational status were related, consistent with the presumed impact of limitations in neuropsychological functioning on everyday life. The results suggest that many subjects exposed to lead suffered acute encephalopathy in childhood which resolved into a chronic subclinical encephalopathy with associated cognitive dysfunction still evident in adulthood. These findings lend support to efforts to limit exposure to lead in childhood

Evaluation of Public Health Response to Hurricanes Finds North Carolina Better Prepared for Public Health Emergencies

Reviews of state public health preparedness improvements have been primarily limited to measuring funds expenditures and achievement of cooperative agreement benchmarks. Such reviews fail to assess states' actual capacity for meeting the challenges they may face during an emergency, as evidenced by activities undertaken during the various phases of a disaster. This article examines North Carolina's public health preparedness and response performance during two hurricanes, Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003, as well as capacity building activities in the intervening years. North Carolina created new infrastructures, enhanced laboratory capacity, and strengthened communications after Hurricane Floyd. These activities facilitated implementation of functional capabilities through effective centralized communication, command and control incident management, and a rapid needs assessment and medical surveillance during Hurricane Isabel. North Carolina continues to implement these capabilities in public health emergencies. Measuring and implementing functional capabilities during exercises or real events facilitates achievement of preparedness performance standards, goals, and objectives