This paper introduces an experimental "decision pathways" survey technique that builds on insights from behavioral decision theory. The approach presents respondents with a set of linked questions ...that encourage the deliberate construction of expressed values in the course of selecting a preferred resource-management alternative. By selecting one pathway and avoiding others, important information is revealed about respondents' key trade-offs and about their reasoning processes. A general discussion of the approach is followed by the results of a 1994 survey in Ontario, Canada, of public support for a range of forest vegetation-management alternatives.
We measure the star formation rates (SFRs) of massive (\(M_{\star}>10^{10.1}M_{\odot}\)) early-type galaxies (ETGs) in a sample of 11 high-redshift (\(1.0 < z < 1.5\)) galaxy clusters drawn from the ...IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS). We identify ETGs visually from Hubble Space Telescope imaging and select likely cluster members as having either an appropriate spectroscopic redshift or red sequence color. Mid-infrared SFRs are measured using Spitzer 24 \(\mu\)m data for isolated cluster galaxies for which contamination by neighbors, and active galactic nuclei, can be ruled out. Cluster ETGs show enhanced specific star formation rates (sSFRs) compared to cluster galaxies in the local Universe, but have sSFRs more than four times lower than that of field ETGs at \(1 < z < 1.5\). Relative to the late-type cluster population, isolated ETGs show substantially quenched mean SFRs, yet still contribute 12% of the overall star formation activity measured in \(1 < z < 1.5\) clusters. We find that new ETGs are likely being formed in ISCS clusters; the fraction of cluster galaxies identified as ETGs increases from 34% to 56% from \(z \sim 1.5 \rightarrow 1.25\). While the fraction of cluster ETGs that are highly star-forming (\(\textrm{SFR}\geq26\ M_{\odot}\) yr\(^{-1}\)) drops from 27% to 10% over the same period, their sSFRs are roughly constant. All these factors taken together suggest that, particularly at \(z\gtrsim1.25\), the events that created these distant cluster ETGs\(-\)likely mergers, at least among the most massive\(-\)were both recent and gas-rich.
An ultrasound-based molecular imaging technique capable of detecting endothelial cell markers of inflammation may allow early, non-invasive assessment of vascular disease. Clinical application of ...targeted, acoustically- active microbubbles requires optimization of microbubble-endothelial adhesion strength to maximize image signal-to-noise ratio, as well as the ability to discern the degree of inflammation along a continuum of dysfunction. Accordingly, we hypothesized that adhesion of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)-targeted microbubbles is dependent on the degree of endothelial inflammation, and that microbubbles multi-targeted to both ICAM-1 (via anti- ICAM-1 antibodies) and selectins (via sialyl Lewis super(x)) demonstrate greater adhesion strength than microbubbles targeted to either inflammatory marker alone. In a radial flow chamber, microbubbles were perfused across endothelial cells activated with interleukin-1beta to four different levels of inflammation, as assessed by quantitative ICAM-1 expression. ICAM-1-targeted microbubble adhesion strength increased with increasing degree of inflammation, with a relationship that was both positive and linear (r > 0.99). Microbubble adhesion strength was significantly higher for the multi-targeted microbubbles than either of the single-targeted microbubbles. These data thus demonstrate that multi-targeting of contrast microbubbles may offer improved adhesion characteristics, allowing for greater sensitivity to inflammation. Furthermore, the adhesion strength of targeted microbubbles is linearly dependent on the degree of inflammation, suggesting that targeted ultrasound imaging may offer differentiation between various degrees of endothelial dysfunction, and thus detect not only the presence, but also the severity of inflammatory disease processes.
The differential diagnosis of odynophagia in patients with malignant disorders usually includes esophagitis due to herpes, Candida, or gastroesophageal reflux. Two cases and a review of the ...literature are presented that illustrate that leukemic infiltration of the esophagus and necrosis of the esophageal mucosa following chemotherapy should be considered in addition to the more commonly recognized causes. Esophagoscopy with biopsy and brushing for fungal stains is essential for the correct diagnosis since the various causes for odynophagia may be clinically and radiographically indistinguishable.
To examine physicians' ability to estimate the lateral spread of freeze (LSF) of a cryosurgical iceball using three techniques.
A nonrandomized control trial of in vitro nitrous oxide cryosurgical ...procedures.
Primary care residency training programs.
A convenience sample of 80 resident and faculty physicians from four family practice residency programs and one obstetrics and gynecology residency program.
After performing cryosurgery with standard naked-eye and colposcopic-assisted techniques, subjects used a new experimental cryosurgical iceball gauge (CIG) to estimate the LSF during cryotherapy.
LSF estimations reported physicians were compared simultaneously with those measured by an observer.
The mean (+/- SD) LSF estimation errors at the termination of freeze were as follows: 2.62 +/- 2.42 mm for the colposcopy technique, 2.00 +/- 2.16 mm for the naked-eye method, and 1.28 +/- 0.87 mm for the CIG technique. The range of maximum error was 6.5 to 11 mm for the colposcopic technique, 5.5 to 12.5 mm for the naked-eye method, and 3.0 to 4.0 mm for the CIG technique.
Overestimation of the LSF, which increases the risk of undertreatment and residual disease, was more common than underestimation. The CIG minimized perceptual error and provided the best cryosurgical precision.
The branched-chain amino acid transaminases （BCATs） have a crucial role in metabolism of the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These enzymes catalyze the last step of ...synthesis and the initial step of degradation of these amino acids. Although the biosynthetic pathways of branched chain amino acids in plants have been extensively investigated and a number of genes have been characterized, their catabolism in plants is not yet completely understood. We previously characterized the branched chain amino acid transaminase gene family in tomato, revealing both the subcellular localization and kinetic properties of the enzymes encoded by six genes. Here, we examined possible functions of the enzymes during fruit development. We further characterized transgenic plants differing in the expression of branched chain amino acid transaminases I and 3, evaluating the rates of respiration in fruits deficient in BCAT1 and the levels of volatiles in lines overexpressing either BCAT1 or BCAT3. We qua
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