prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: How does the conduction gap depend on the strain direction?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 1: \section{Introduction}

In spite of being an attractive material with excellent electronic properties \cite{ahcn09},  practical applications of graphene as in conventional semiconductor devices are still questionable due to its gapless nature  In particular, the ON/OFF current ratio is low while the saturation of current is poor in pristine graphene transistors \cite{schw10}  Many efforts of bandgap engineering in graphene \cite{yhan07,khar11,lher13,jbai10,zhan09} have been made to solve these issues  The pioneer technique proposed \cite{yhan07} is to cut 2D graphene sheets into 1D narrow nanoribons  In 2D graphene sheets, some options as Bernal-stacking of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride substrate \cite{khar11}, nitrogen-doped graphene \cite{lher13}, graphene nanomesh lattice \cite{jbai10,berr13} and Bernal-stacking bilayer graphene \cite{zhan09} have been explored  However, the possibility to open a sizable bandgap in graphene as large as those of standard semiconductors is still very unlikely  In particular, it requires a very good control of lattice geometry and edge disorder in narrow graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) \cite{quer08} and in graphene nanomesh lattices \cite{hung13}, while the bandgap opening in bilayer graphene by a perpendicular electric field may not be large enough for realistic applications \cite{fior09}  Other methods should be further verified by experiments 

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=2 8in]{Fig01 pdf}
\caption{Schematic of unstrained/strained graphene junctions investigated in this work }
\label{fig_sim1}
\end{figure}

On the other hand, graphene was experimentally demonstrated to be able to sustain a much larger strain than conventional semiconductors, making it a promising candidate for flexible electronics (see in a recent review \cite{shar13})  Indeed, strain engineering has been suggested to be an alternative approach to modulating efficiently the electronic properties of graphene nanomaterials  In particular, the bandgap has periodic oscillations in the armchair GNRs \cite{ylu210} while the spin polarization at the ribbon edges (and also the bandgap) can be modulated by the strain in the zigzag cases  In 2D graphene sheets, a finite gap can open under large strains, otherwise, it may remain close to zero but the Dirac points are displaced \cite{cocc10,per209,pere09,huan10}  Many interesting electrical, optical, and magnetic properties induced by strain in graphene have been also explored, e g  see in \cite{bunc07,pere09,kuma12,per010,pell10,guin10,tlow10,zhai11} 

Besides, local strain is a good option to improve the electrical performance of graphene devices \cite{pere09,ylu010,fuji10,juan11,baha13}  For instance, it has been shown to enhance the ON current in a GNR tunneling FET \cite{ylu010} and to fortify the transport gap in GNR strained junctions \cite{baha13}  In a recent work \cite{hung14}, we have investigated the effects of uniaxial strain on the transport in 2D unstrained/strained graphene junctions and found that due to the strain-induced shift of Dirac points, a significant conduction gap of a few hundreds meV can open with a small strain of a few percent  This type of strained junction was then demonstrated to be an excellent candidate to improve the electronic operation of graphene transistors  It hence motivates us to further investigate the properties of this conduction gap so as to optimize the performance of graphene devices  On the one hand, the effects of strain should be, in principle, dependent on its applied direction  On the other hand, because the appearance of conduction gap is a consequence of the shift of Dirac points along the $k_y$-axis, it is predicted that this gap should also depend on the transport direction  Note that here, Oy (Ox) - axis is assumed to be perpendicular (parallel) to the transport direction  The effects of both strain and transport directions will be clarified systematically in the current work 

\section{Model and calculations}

In this work, the $\pi$-orbital tight binding model constructed in \cite{per209} is used to investigate the electronic transport through the graphene strained junctions schematized in Fig  1  The Hamiltonian is ${H_{tb}} = \sum\nolimits_{nm} {{t_{nm}}c_n^\dag {c_m}}$ where $t_{nm}$ is the hopping energy between nearest neighbor \emph{n}th and \emph{m}th atoms  The application of a uniaxial strain of angle $\theta$ causes the following changes in the $C-C$ bond vectors:
\begin{eqnarray}
 {{\vec r}_{nm}}\left( \sigma \right) &=& \left\{ {1 + {M_s}\left( \sigma, \theta \right)} \right\}{{\vec r}_{nm}}\left( 0 \right) \\
 {M_s}\left( \sigma, \theta \right) &=& \sigma \left[ {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}}
 {{{\cos }^2}\theta  - \gamma {{\sin }^2}\theta }&{\left( {1 + \gamma } \right)\sin \theta \cos \theta }\\
 {\left( {1 + \gamma } \right)\sin \theta \cos \theta }&{{{\sin }^2}\theta  - \gamma {{\cos }^2}\theta }
 \end{array}} \right] \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
where $\sigma$ represents the strain and $\gamma \simeq 0 165$ is the Poisson ratio \cite{blak70}  The hopping parameters are defined as $t_{nm} \left( \sigma \right) = t_0 \exp\left[-3 37\left(r_{nm} \left( \sigma \right) /r_0 - 1\right)\right]$, where the hopping energy $t_0 = -2 7$ $eV$ and the bond length $r_{nm} \left( 0 \right) \equiv r_0 = 0 142$ $nm$ in the unstrained case  Therefore, there are three different hoping parameters $t_{1,2,3}$ corresponding to three bond vectors ${\vec r}_{1,2,3}$, respectively, in the strained graphene part of the structure (see Fig  1)  Here, we assume a 1D profile of applied strain, i e , the strain tensor is a function of position along the transport direction Ox while it is constant along the Oy-axis  The transport direction, $\phi$, and strain direction, $\theta$, are determined as schematized in Fig  1  Based on this tight binding model, two methods described below can be used to investigate the conduction gap of the considered strained junctions 

\textbf{Green's function calculations } First, we split the graphene sheet into the smallest possible unit cells periodically repeated along the Ox/Oy directions with the indices $p/q$, respectively (similarly, see the details in \cite{hung12})  The tight-binding Hamiltonian can therefore be expressed in the following form:
\begin{eqnarray}
{H_{tb}} = \sum\limits_{p,q} {\left( {{H_{p,q}} + \sum\limits_{{p_1},{q_1}} {{H_{p,q \to p_1,q_1}}} } \right)}
\end{eqnarray}
where $H_{p,q}$ is the Hamiltonian of cell $\{p,q\}$, and $H_{p,q \to p_1,q_1}$ denotes the coupling of cell $\{p,q\}$ to its nearest neighbor cell $\{p_1,q_1\}$  We then Fourier transform the operators in Eq  (2) as follows:
\begin{eqnarray}
 {c_{p,q}} = \frac{1}{{\sqrt {{M_{cell}}} }}\sum\limits_{{\kappa_y}} {{e^{i{q\kappa_y}}}} {{\hat c}_{p,{\kappa_y}}},
\end{eqnarray}
where $M_{cell}$ is the number of unit cells and $\kappa_y \equiv k_y L_y$ with the size $L_y$ of unit cells along the Oy direction  The Hamiltonian (2) is finally rewritten as a sum of $\kappa_y$-dependent 1D-components:
\begin{eqnarray}
{H_{tb}} &=& \sum\limits_{{\kappa_y}} {\hat H\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)} \\
\hat H\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) &=& \sum\limits_p {{{\hat H}_{p \to p - 1}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) + {{\hat H}_p}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) + {{\hat H}_{p \to p + 1}}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
With this Hamiltonian form, the Green's function formalism can be easily applied to compute transport quantities in the graphene strained junction with different transport directions  In particular, the conductance at zero temperature is determined as:
\begin{eqnarray}
 \mathcal{G} \left( \epsilon \right) = \frac{{e^2 W}}{{\pi h L_y}}\int\limits_{BZ} {d{\kappa_y} \mathcal{T}\left( {\epsilon, {\kappa_y}} \right)}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\mathcal{T}\left( {\epsilon,{\kappa_y}} \right)$ is the transmission probability computed from the Green's functions  The integration over $\kappa_y$ is performed in the whole first Brillouin zone  As in ref  \cite{hung13}, the gap of conductance (conduction gap) is then measured from the obtained data of conductance 

\textbf{Bandstructure analyses } To determine the conduction gap of strained junctions, we find that another simple way based on the analysis of graphene bandstructures could be efficiently used  It is described as follows  Since the conductance is computed from Eq  (5), the appearance of conduction gap is essentially governed by the gaps of transmission probability, which is determined from the energy gaps in the unstrained and strained graphene sections  These energy gaps can be defined directly from the graphene bandstructures  Therefore, our calculation has two steps, similar to that in \cite{hung14}  From the graphene bandstructures obtained using the tight-binding Hamiltonian above, we first look for the energy gaps $E_{unstrain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ and $E_{strain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ for a given $\kappa_y$ of two graphene sections  The maximum of these energy gaps determines the gap $E_{junc}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ of transmission probability through the junction  Finally, the conduction gap $E_{cond gap}$ is obtained by looking for the minimum value of $E_{junc}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ when varying $\kappa_y$ in the whole Brillouin zone 

In particular, the energy bands of strained graphene are given by
\begin{eqnarray}
 E\left( {\vec k} \right) =  \pm \left| {{t_1}{e^{i\vec k{{\vec a}_1}}} + {t_2}{e^{i\vec k{{\vec a}_2}}} + {t_3}} \right|
\end{eqnarray}
where the plus/minus sign corresponds to the conduction/valence bands, respectively  For a given direction $\phi$ of transport, in principle, the vectors $\vec L_{x,y}$ defining the sizes of unit cell along the Ox and Oy directions, respectively, can be always expressed as ${\vec L_x} = {n_1}{\vec a_1} + {n_2}{\vec a_2}$ and ${\vec L_y} = {m_1}{\vec a_1} + {m_2}{\vec a_2}$ with $\cos \phi = \frac{{{{\vec L}_x}\vec L_x^0}}{{{L_x}L_x^0}}$ and $\sin \phi = \frac{{{{\vec L}_x}\vec L_y^0}}{{{L_x}L_y^0}}$ while $\vec L_{x,y}^0 = {\vec a_1} \pm {\vec a_2}$  Note that $n_{1,2}$ and $m_{1,2}$ are integers while $\frac{{{m_1}}}{{{m_2}}} =  - \frac{{{n_1} + 2{n_2}}}{{{n_2} + 2{n_1}}}$, i e , ${\vec L_{x}} {\vec L_{y}} = 0$  In other words, we have the following expressions
\begin{eqnarray}
{{{\vec a}_1} = \frac{{ - {m_2}{{\vec L}_x} + {n_2}{{\vec L}_y}}}{{{n_2}{m_1} - {n_1}{m_2}}};\,\,\,{{\vec a}_2} = \frac{{{m_1}{{\vec L}_x} - {n_1}{{\vec L}_y}}}{{{n_2}{m_1} - {n_1}{m_2}}}}
\end{eqnarray}
On this basis, the energy bands can be rewritten in terms of $\kappa_{x, y} = \vec k \vec L_{x,y} \left( { \equiv {k_{x,y}}{L_{x,y}}} \right)$ by substituting Eqs  (7) into Eq  (6)  This new form of energy bands is finally used to compute the conduction gap of strained junctions 

As a simple example, in the case of $\phi = 0$ (armchair direction), we calculate the conduction gap as follows  First, Eq  (6) is rewritten in the form
\begin{eqnarray}
 E_{\phi = 0}\left( {\vec \kappa} \right) =  \pm \left| {{t_1}{e^{i\kappa_y/2}} + {t_2}{e^{ - i\kappa_y/2}} + {t_3}{e^{ - i\kappa_x/2}}} \right|
\end{eqnarray}
with the vectors $\vec L_{x,y} \equiv \vec L_{x,y}^0$  Using this new form, the energy gap of strained graphene for a given $\kappa_y$ is determined as
\begin{equation}
{E_{strain}^{gap}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) = 2 \left| {\sqrt {{{\left( {{t_1} - {t_2}} \right)}^2} + 4{t_1}{t_2}{{\cos }^2}\frac{{{\kappa_y}}}{2}}  + {t_3}} \right|
\end{equation}
while ${E_{unstrain}^{gap}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ is given by the same formula with $t_1$ = $t_2$ = $t_3$ $\equiv$ $t_0$  The gap of transmission probability through the junction is then determined as ${E_{junc}^{gap}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) = \max \left[ {E_{unstrain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right),E_{strain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)} \right]$ and, finally, the conduction gap is given by ${E_{cond gap}} = \min \left[ {E_{junc}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)} \right]$ for $\kappa_y$ in the whole Brillouin zone 

We would like to notice that the Green's function calculations and the banstructure analyses give the same results of conduction gap in the junctions where the transition region between unstrained and strained graphene sections is long enough, i e , larger than about 5 to 6 nm  In the case of short length, as discussed in \cite{baha13,hung14}, this transition zone can have significant effects on the transmission between propagating states beyond the energy gaps and hence can slightly enlarge the gap of conductance, compared to the results obtained from the bandstructure calculations 

\section{Results and discussion}

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3 0in]{Fig02 pdf}
\caption{Dependence of graphene bandgap (in the unit of eV) on the applied strain and its direction: tensile (a) and compressive (b)  The radius from the central point indicates the strain strength ranging from 0 (center) to 30 $\%$ (edge of maps) while the graphene lattice is superimposed to show visibly the strain direction  The orange circle corresponds to the strains of $\sigma = 23 \%$ }
\label{fig_sim2}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3 4in]{Fig03 pdf}
\caption{Conductance ($G_0 = e^2W/hL_y$) as a function of energy in graphene strained junctions for $\sigma = 4 \%$ with different strain directions  The transport along the armchair direction ($\phi = 0$) is considered  The data obtained in a uniformly strained graphene is displayed for the comparison }
\label{fig_sim6}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5 8in]{Fig04 pdf}
\caption{Local density of states (left panels) and corresponding transmission coefficient (right panels) for three different wave-vectors $k_y$ obtained in an unstrained/strained graphene junction of $\sigma = 4 \%$, and $\theta \equiv \phi = 0$  On the top is a schematic of graphene bandedges illustrating the strain-induced shift of Dirac points along the $k_y$-direction }
\label{fig_sim4}
\end{figure*}
\begin{figure*}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5 6in]{Fig05 pdf}
\caption{Maps of conduction gap in unstrained/strained graphene junctions: tensile (a,c) and compressive cases (b,d)  The transport is along the armchair $\phi = 0$ (a,b) and zigzag $\phi = 30^\circ$ directions (c,d)  The strain strength ranges from 0 (center) to 6 $\%$ (edge of maps) in all cases }
\label{fig_sim4}
\end{figure*}
First, we re-examine the formation of the bandgap of graphene under a uniaxial strain  From Eq  (9), it is shown that a strain-induced finite-bandgap appears only if ${E_{strain}^{gap}}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right) > 0$ for all $k_y$ in the first Brillouin zone, i e , ${k _y} \in \left[ { - \frac{\pi}{L_y}, \frac{\pi}{L_y}} \right]$, otherwise, the bandgap remains zero  Hence, the condition for the bandgap to be finite is either
\begin{equation*}
 \left| {{t_1} - {t_2}} \right| > \left| {{t_3}} \right|\,\,\,\,\,{\rm{OR}}\,\,\,\,\,\left| {{t_3}} \right| > \left| {{t_1} + {t_2}} \right|
\end{equation*}
and the corresponding values of bandgap are
\begin{equation*}
 {E_{gap}} = 2\left( {\left| {{t_1} - {t_2}} \right| - \left| {{t_3}} \right|} \right)\,\,\,\,\,{\rm{OR}}\,\,\,\,\,2\left( {\left| {{t_3}} \right| - \left| {{t_1} + {t_2}} \right|} \right)
\end{equation*}
This result was actually reported in \cite{per209,hase06}  We remind as displayed in Fig  2(a) that a finite bandgap opens only for strain larger than $\sim 23 \%$ and the zigzag (not armchair) is the preferred direction for bandgap opening under a tensile strain \cite{per209}  We extend our investigation to the case of compressive strain and find  (see in Fig  2(b)) that (i) the same gap threshold of $\sigma \simeq 23 \%$ is observed but (ii) the preferred direction to open the gap under a compressive strain is the armchair, not the zigzag as the case of tensile strain  This implies that the properties of graphene bandstructure at low energy should be qualitatively the same when applying strains of $\left\{ {\sigma ,\theta } \right\}$ and of $\left\{ {-\sigma ,\theta + 90^\circ} \right\}$  This feature can be understood by considering, for example, strains of $\left\{ {\sigma , \theta = 0} \right\}$ and of $\left\{ {-\sigma , \theta = 90^\circ} \right\}$  Indeed, these strains result in the same qualitative changes on the bond-lengths, i e , an increased bond-length $r_3$ and reduced bond-lengths $r_{1,2}$  However, for the same strain strength, because of the exponential dependence of hoping energies on the bond-lengths, the compressive strain generally induces a larger bandgap than the tensile one, as can be seen when comparing the data displayed in Figs  2(a) and 2(b)  To conclude, we would like to emphasize that a large strain is necessary to open a bandgap in graphene  This could be an issue for practical applications, compared to the use of graphene strained junctions explored in \cite{hung14} 

We now go to explore the properties of conduction gap in the graphene strained junctions  In Fig  3, we display the conductance as a function of energy computed from Eq  (5) using the Green's function technique  As discussed above, a small strain of a few percent (e g , 4 $\%$ here) can not change the gapless character of graphene, i e , there is no gap of conductance in the case of uniformly strained graphene  However, similar to that reported in \cite{hung14}, a significant conduction-gap of a few hundreds meV can open in the unstrained/strained graphene junctions  The appearance of this conduction gap, as mentioned previously, is due to the strain-induced shift of Dirac points and is explained as follows  Actually, the strain causes the lattice deformation and can result in the deformation of graphene bandstructure  Therefore, the bandedges as a function of wave-vector $k_y$ in unstrained and strained graphene can be illustrated schematically as in the top panel of Fig  4  As one can see, the shift of Dirac points leads to the situation where there is no value of $\kappa_y$, for which the energy gaps $E_{unstrain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ and $E_{strain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ are simultaneously equal to zero  This means that the transmission probability always shows a finite gap for any $\kappa_y$  For instance, the energy gap is zero (or small) in the unstrained (resp  strained) graphene section but finite in the strained (resp  unstrained) one in the vicinity of Dirac point $k_y = K_{unstrain}$ (resp  $K_{strain}$)  Accordingly, as illustrated in the pictures of LDOS in the left panels of Fig  4 and confirmed in the corresponding transmissions in the right panels, clear gaps of transmission are still obtained  Far from these values of $k_y$, $E_{unstrain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ and $E_{strain}^{gap}\left( {{\kappa_y}} \right)$ are both finite (e g , see the LDOS plotted for $k_y = K_{gap}$) and hence a finite gap of transmission also occurs  On this basis, a finite gap of conductance is achieved  More important, Fig  3 shows that besides the strength of strain, the strain effect is also strongly dependent on the applied direction  For instance, the conduction gap takes the values of $\sim$ 295, 172 and 323 meV for $\theta = 0$, $30^\circ$ and $90^\circ$, respectively 

Below, we will discuss the properties of the conduction gap with respect to the strain, its applied direction, and the direction of transport  Note that due to the lattice symmetry, the transport directions $\phi$ and $\phi + 60^\circ$ are equivalent while the applied strain of angle $\theta$ is identical to that of $\theta + 180^\circ$  Hence, the data obtained for $\phi$ ranging from $-30^\circ$ to $30^\circ$ and $\theta  \in \left[ {0^\circ ,180^\circ } \right]$ covers the properties of conduction gap in all possible cases 

In Fig  5, we present the maps of conduction gap with respect to the strain and its applied direction in two particular cases: the transport is either along the armchair ($\phi = 0$) or the zigzag ($\phi = 30^\circ$) directions  Both tensile and compressive strains are considered  Let us first discuss the results obtained in the armchair case  Figs  5(a,b) show that (i) a large conduction gap up to about 500 meV can open with a strain of 6 $\%$ and (ii) again the conduction gap is strongly $\theta$-dependent, in particular, its peaks occur at $\theta = 0$ or $90^\circ$ while the gap is zero at $\theta \approx 47^\circ$ and $133^\circ$ for tensile strain and at $\theta \approx 43^\circ$ and $137^\circ$ for compressive strain  In principle, the conduction gap is larger if the shift of Dirac points in the $\kappa_y$-axis is larger, as discussed above about Figs  3-4  We notice that the strain-induced shifts can be different for the six Dirac points of graphene \cite{kitt12} and the gap is zero when there is any Dirac point observed at the same $\kappa_y$ in the two graphene sections  From Eq  (9), we find that the Dirac points are determined by the following equations:
\begin{eqnarray*}
  {\cos}\frac{\kappa_y}{2} &=& \pm \frac{1}{2}\sqrt{\frac{{t_3^2 - {{\left( {{t_1} - {t_2}} \right)}^2}}}{{{t_1}{t_2}}}}, \\
  \cos \frac{{\kappa_x}}{2} &=& \frac{{{t_1} + {t_2}}}{{\left| {{t_3}} \right|}}\cos \frac{{\kappa_y}}{2},\,\,\,\sin \frac{{\kappa_x}}{2} = \frac{{{t_2} - {t_1}}}{{\left| {{t_3}} \right|}}\sin \frac{{\kappa_y}}{2},
\end{eqnarray*}
which simplify into ${\cos}\frac{\kappa_y}{2} = \pm \frac{1}{2}$ and, respectively, $\cos \left( {\frac{{{\kappa _x}}}{2}} \right) = \mp 1$ in the unstrained case  Hence, the zero conduction gap is obtained if
\begin{equation*}
  \frac{{t_3^2 - {{\left( {{t_1} - {t_2}} \right)}^2}}}{{4{t_1}{t_2}}} = \frac{1}{4}
\end{equation*}
Additionally, it is observed that the effects of a strain $\{\sigma,\theta\}$ are qualitatively similar to those of a strain $\{-\sigma,\theta+90^\circ\}$, i e , the peaks and zero values of conduction gap are obtained at the same $\theta$ in these two situations  To understand this, we analyze the strain matrix $M_s \left(\sigma,\theta\right)$ and find that in the case of small strains studied here, there is an approximate relationship between the bond lengths under these two strains, given by \[{r \left( \sigma, \theta \right)} - {r \left( -\sigma, \theta + 90^\circ\right)} \simeq \sigma \left( {1 - \gamma } \right) r_0,\] which is $\theta$-independent for all \emph{C-C} bond vectors  It implies that there is a fixed ratio between the hopping energies $t_i \left( \sigma, \theta \right)$ and $t_i \left( -\sigma, \theta + 90^\circ\right)$ and hence there is the similar shift of Dirac points in these two cases 
\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3 4in]{Fig06 pdf}
\caption{Map showing the dependence of conduction gap on the directions ($\theta,\phi$) for $\sigma = 4 \%$  The top is a diagram illustrating the rotation of Dirac points in the \emph{k}-space with the change in the transport direction $\phi$ }
\label{fig_sim6}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5 5in]{Fig07 pdf}
\caption{Maps of conduction gap obtained in tensile/compressive strained junctions  The transport along the armchair/zigzag directions is considered in (a,b)/(c,d), respectively  The strains $\sigma_c = -2 \%$ and $\sigma_t = 2 \%$ are applied in (a,c) while $\sigma_c = -1 \%$ and $\sigma_t = 3 \%$ in (b,d) }
\label{fig_sim4}
\end{figure*}

We now go to analyze the properties of conduction gap shown in Figs  5(c,d) where the transport is along the zigzag direction $\phi = 30^\circ$  In fact, the conduction gap in this case can reach a value as high as that of the case of $\phi = 0$ but has different $\theta$-dependence  In particular, the conduction gap has peaks at $\theta \approx 47^\circ$ and $133^\circ$ for tensile strain and at $\theta \approx 43^\circ$ and $137^\circ$ for compressive strain, where it is zero in the case of $\phi = 0$  It is also equal to zero at $\theta = 0$ and $\theta = 90^\circ$ where the peaks of conduction gap occur in the latter case of $\phi = 0$  The relationship between these two transport directions can be explained as follows  On the one hand, based on the analyses above for $\phi = 0$, we find that for a given strength of strain, a maximum shift of Dirac points along the $k_y$-axis corresponds to a minimum along the $k_x$-one and vice versa when varying the strain direction $\theta$  On the other hand, as schematized in the top of Fig  6 below, the change in the transport direction results in the rotation of the first Brillouin zone, i e , the $k_x$ (resp  $k_y$) axis in the case of $\phi = 30^\circ$ is identical to the $k_y$ (resp  $k_x$) axis in the case of $\phi = 0$  These two features explain essentially the opposite $\theta$-dependence of conduction gap for $\phi = 30^\circ$, compared to the case of $\phi = 0$ as mentioned  Again, we found the same qualitative behavior of conduction gap when applying the strains of $\{\sigma,\theta\}$ and $\{-\sigma,\theta+90^\circ\}$ 

Next, we investigate the conduction gap with respect to different transport directions $\phi$  We display a ($\theta,\phi$)-map of conduction gap for $\sigma = 4 \%$ in Fig  6 and, in the top, an additional diagram illustrating the rotation of Dirac points in the $k-$space with the change in the transport direction  It is clearly shown that (i) a similar scale of conduction gap is obtained for all different transport directions, (ii) there is a smooth and continuous shift of $E_{cond gap}-\theta$ behavior when varying $\phi$, and (iii) the same behavior of $E_{cond gap}$ is also observed when comparing the two transport directions of $\phi$ and $\phi+30^\circ$, similarly to the comparison above between $\phi = 0^\circ$ and $30^\circ$  The data plotted in Fig  6 additionally shows that $E_{cond gap}$ takes the same value in both cases of $\{\phi,\theta\}$ and $\{-\phi,-\theta\}$ with a remark that the strains of $-\theta$ and $180^\circ-\theta$ are identical  Moreover, the values of $\theta$ and $\phi$, for which the conduction gap has a peak or is equal to zero, have an almost linear relationship  In particular, the relationship for conduction gap peaks is approximately given by $\theta = \theta_A - \eta_s \phi$  For tensile strains, $\eta_s$ takes the values of $\sim 1 5667$ and $1 4333$ for $\theta_A = 0$ and $90^\circ$, respectively  On the opposite, it is about $1 4333$ and $1 5667$ for $\theta_A = 0$ and $90^\circ$, respectively, for compressive strain cases  All these features are consequences of the rotation of Dirac points in the $k$-space with respect to the transport direction $\phi$ as illustrated in the diagram on the top and the lattice symmetry of graphene 

Finally, we investigate other junctions based on compressive and tensile strained graphene sections  The idea is that in this type of strained junction, the shifts of Dirac points are different in two graphene sections of different strains, which offers the possibilities to use smaller strains to achieve a similar conduction gap, compared to the case of unstrained/strained junction  In Fig  7, we display the maps of conduction gap with respect to the directions of compressive ($\theta_c$) and tensile ($\theta_t$) strains in two cases of transport direction $\phi = 0$ (armchair) and $30^\circ$ (zigzag) for given strain strengths  Indeed, as seen in Fig  7(a,b), with smaller strains $\left\{ {{\sigma _c},{\sigma _t}} \right\} = \left\{ { - 2\% ,2\% } \right\}$ or $\left\{ { - 1\% ,3\% } \right\}$, similar conduction gap of about 310 meV can be achieved (see Figs  7(a,b)) while it requires a strain of 4 $\%$ in the unstrained/strained junctions discussed above  However, since the shift of Dirac points is strongly dependent on the direction of applied strains and the transport direction, the properties of conduction gap are more complicated than in the latter case  In particular, our calculations show that the preferred transport directions to achieve a large conduction gap are close to the armchair one  Otherwise, the conduction gap is generally smaller, similarly to the data for $\phi = 30^\circ$ compared to $\phi = 0$, as shown in Fig  7  Additionally, it is shown that the preferred directions of applied strains in the case of $\phi = 0$ are close to ${\theta _c} \equiv {\theta _t} = 0$ or $90^\circ$ 

\section{Conclusion}

Based on the tight binding calculations, we have investigated the effects of uniaxial strain on the transport properties of graphene strained junctions and discuss systematically the possibilities of achieving a large conduction gap with respect to the strain, its applied direction and the transport direction  It has been shown that due to the strain-induced deformation of graphene lattice and hence of graphene bandstructure, a finite conduction gap higher than 500 meV can be achieved for a strain of only 6 $\%$  Moreover, as a consequence of the shift of Dirac points along the $k_y$-axis, the conduction gap is strongly dependent not only on the strain strength but also on the direction of applied strain and the transport direction  A full picture of these properties of conduction gap has been presented and explained  The study hence could be a good guide for the use of this type of unstrained/strained graphene junction in electronic applications 

\textbf{\textit{Acknowledgment }} This research in Hanoi is funded by Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under grant number 103 02-1012 42  We also acknowledges the French ANR for financial support under the projects NANOSIM-GRAPHENE (Grant no  ANR-09-NANO-016) and MIGRAQUEL (Grant no  ANR-10-BLAN-0304) 


Context 3: consumption influences mercury: Topics by WorldWideScience org
Sample records for consumption influences mercury
Epidemiologic confirmation that fruit consumption influences mercury exposure in riparian communities in the Brazilian Amazon
Sousa Passos, Carlos Jose; Mergler, Donna; Fillion, Myriam; Lemire, Melanie; Mertens, Frederic; Guimaraes, Jean Remy Davee; Philibert, Aline
Since deforestation has recently been associated with increased mercury load in the Amazon, the problem of mercury exposure is now much more widespread than initially thought  A previous exploratory study suggested that fruit consumption may reduce mercury exposure  The objectives of the study were to determine the effects of fruit consumption on the relation between fish consumption and bioindicators of mercury (Hg) exposure in Amazonian fish-eating communities  A cross-sectional dietary survey based on a 7-day recall of fish and fruit consumption frequency was conducted within 13 riparian communities from the Tapajos River, Brazilian Amazon  Hair samples were collected from 449 persons, and blood samples were collected from a subset of 225, for total and inorganic mercury determination by atomic absorption spectrometry  On average, participants consumed 6 6 fish meals/week and ate 11 fruits/week  The average blood Hg (BHg) was 57 1Â±36 3 Î¼g/L (median: 55 1 Î¼g/L), and the average hair-Hg (HHg) was 16 8Â±10 3 Î¼g/g (median: 15 7 Î¼g/g)  There was a positive relation between fish consumption and BHg (r=0 48; P 2 =36 0%) and HHg levels (fish: Î²=1 2, P 2 =21 0%)  ANCOVA models showed that for the same number of fish meals, persons consuming fruits more frequently had significantly lower blood and HHg concentrations  For low fruit consumers, each fish meal contributed 9 8 Î¼g/L Hg increase in blood compared to only 3 3 Î¼g/L Hg increase for the high fruit consumers  In conclusion, fruit consumption may provide a protective effect for Hg exposure in Amazonian riparians  Prevention strategies that seek to maintain fish consumption while reducing Hg exposure in fish-eating communities should be pursued
Influence of mercury bioaccessibility on exposure assessment associated with consumption of cooked predatory fish in Spain 
Torres-Escribano, Silvia; Ruiz, Antonio; Barrios, Laura; VÃ©lez, Dinoraz; Montoro, Rosa
Predatory fish tend to accumulate high levels of mercury (Hg)  Food safety assessment of these fish has been carried out on the raw product  However, the evaluation of the risk from Hg concentrations in raw fish might be modified if cooking and bioaccessibility (the contaminant fraction that solubilises from its matrix during gastrointestinal digestion and becomes available for intestinal absorption) were taken into account  Data on Hg bioaccessibility in raw predatory fish sold in Spain are scarce and no research on Hg bioaccessibility in cooked fish is available  The aim of the present study was to evaluate Hg bioaccessibility in various kinds of cooked predatory fish sold in Spain to estimate their health risk  Both Hg and bioaccessible Hg concentrations were analysed in raw and cooked fish (swordfish, tope shark, bonito and tuna)  There were no changes in Hg concentrations during cooking  However, Hg bioaccessibility decreased significantly after cooking (42 Â± 26% in raw fish and 26 Â± 16% in cooked fish), thus reducing in swordfish and tope shark the Hg concentration to which the human organism would be exposed  In future, cooking and bioaccessibility should be considered in risk assessment of Hg concentrations in predatory fish  Copyright Â© 2011 Society of Chemical Industry 
Intake of mercury through fish consumption
Sarmani, S B ; Kiprawi, A Z ; Ismail, R B ; Hassan, R B ; Wood, A K ; Rahman, S A 
Fish has been known as a source of non-occupational mercury exposure to fish consuming population groups, and this is shown by the high hair mercury levels  In this study, hair samples collected from fishermen and their families, and commercial marine fishes were analyzed for mercury and methylmercury by neutron activation and gas chromatography  The results showed a correlation between hair mercury levels and fish consumption patterns  The levels of mercury found in this study were similar to those reported by other workers for fish consuming population groups worldwide  (author)
Fish consumption limit for mercury compounds
Abbas Esmaili-Sari
Full Text Available Background and objectives: Methyl mercury can carry out harmful effects on the reproductive, respiratory, and nervous system of human  Moreover, mercury is known as the most toxic heavy metal in nature  Fish and seafood consumption is the major MeHg exposure route for human  The present study tries to cover researches which have been conducted on mercury levels in 21 species of fish from Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea and Anzali Wetland during the past 6 years, and in addition to stating mercury level, it provides recommendations about the restriction of monthly fish consumption for each species separately  Material and methods: Fish samples were transferred to the laboratory and stored in refrigerator under -20oC until they were dissected  Afterwards, the muscle tissues were separated and dried  The dried samples were ground and changed into a homogenous powder and then the mercury concentration rate has been determined by advanced mercury analyzer, model 254  Results: In general, mercury contamination in fishes caught from Anzali Wetland was much more than fishes from Caspian Sea  Also, from among all studied fishes, oriental sole (Euryglossa orientalis, caught from Persian Gulf, allocated the most mercury level to itself with the rate of 5 61ml per kg , therefore, it exercises a severe consumption restriction for pregnant women and vulnerable groups  Conclusion: Based on the calculations, about 50% of fishes, mostly with short food chain, can be easily consumed during the year  However, with regard to Oriental sole (Euryglossa orientalis and shark (Carcharhinus dussumieri, caught from Persian Gulf, special consideration should be taken in their consumption  On the other hand, careful planning should be made for the high rate of fish consumption among fishing community 
Hair Mercury Concentrations and Fish Consumption Patterns in Florida Residents
Adam M  Schaefer
Full Text Available Mercury exposure through the consumption of fish and shellfish represents a significant public health concern in the United States  Recent research has demonstrated higher seafood consumption and subsequent increased risk of methylmercury exposure among subpopulations living in coastal areas  The identification of high concentrations of total mercury in blood and skin among resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL, a coastal estuary in Florida, alerted us to a potential public health hazard in the contiguous human population  Therefore, we analyzed hair mercury concentrations of residents living along the IRL and ascertained their sources and patterns of seafood consumption  The total mean mercury concentration for 135 residents was 1 53 Â± 1 89 Âµg/g  The concentration of hair mercury among males (2 02 Â± 2 38 Âµg/g was significantly higher than that for females (0 96 Â± 0 74 Âµg/g (p < 0 01  Log transformed hair mercury concentration was significantly associated with the frequency of total seafood consumption (p < 0 01  Individuals who reported consuming seafood once a day or more were 3 71 (95% CI 0 84â€“16 38 times more likely to have a total hair mercury concentration over 1 0 Âµg/g, which corresponds approximately to the U S  EPA reference dose, compared to those who consumed seafood once a week or less  Hair mercury concentration was also significantly higher among individuals who obtained all or most of their seafood from local recreational sources (p < 0 01  The elevated human mercury concentrations mirror the elevated concentrations observed in resident dolphins in the same geographical region  The current study is one of the first to apply the concept of a sentinel animal to a contiguous human population 
Fish consumption and bioindicators of inorganic mercury exposure
Sousa Passos, Carlos Jose; Mergler, Donna; Lemire, Melanie; Fillion, Myriam; Guimaraes, Jean Remy Davee
Background: The direct and close relationship between fish consumption and blood and hair mercury (Hg) levels is well known, but the influence of fish consumption on inorganic mercury in blood (B-IHg) and in urine (U-Hg) is unclear  Objective: Examine the relationship between fish consumption, total, inorganic and organic blood Hg levels and urinary Hg concentration  Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 171 persons from 7 riparian communities on the Tapajos River (Brazilian Amazon), with no history of inorganic Hg exposure from occupation or dental amalgams  During the rising water season in 2004, participants responded to a dietary survey, based on a seven-day recall of fish and fruit consumption frequency, and socio-demographic information was recorded  Blood and urine samples were collected  Total, organic and inorganic Hg in blood as well as U-Hg were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry  Results: On average, participants consumed 7 4 fish meals/week and 8 8 fruits/week  Blood total Hg averaged 38 6 Â± 21 7 Î¼g/L, and the average percentage of B-IHg was 13 8%  Average organic Hg (MeHg) was 33 6 Â± 19 4 Î¼g/L, B-IHg was 5 0 Â± 2 6 Î¼g/L, while average U-Hg was 7 5 Â± 6 9 Î¼g/L, with 19 9% of participants presenting U-Hg levels above 10 Î¼g/L  B-IHg was highly significantly related to the number of meals of carnivorous fish, but no relation was observed with non-carnivorous fish; it was negatively related to fruit consumption, increased with age, was higher among those who were born in the Tapajos region, and varied with community  U-Hg was also significantly related to carnivorous but not non-carnivorous fish consumption, showed a tendency towards a negative relation with fruit consumption, was higher among men compared to women and higher among those born in the region  U-Hg was strongly related to I-Hg, blood methyl Hg (B-MeHg) and blood total Hg (B-THg)  The Odds Ratio (OR) for U-Hg above 10 Î¼g/L for those who ate > 4 carnivorous fish
Methyl mercury exposure in Swedish women with high fish consumption
Bjoernberg, Karolin Ask [Division of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm (Sweden); Vahter, Marie [Division of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm (Sweden); Grawe, Kierstin Petersson [Toxicology Division, National Food Administration, Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala (Sweden); Berglund, Marika [Division of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm (Sweden)]  E-mail: Marika Berglund@imm ki se
We studied the exposure to methyl mercury (MeHg) in 127 Swedish women of childbearing age with high consumption of various types of fish, using total mercury (T-Hg) in hair and MeHg in blood as biomarkers  Fish consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), including detailed information about consumption of different fish species, reflecting average intake during 1 year  We also determined inorganic mercury (I-Hg) in blood, and selenium (Se) in serum  The average total fish consumption, as reported in the food frequency questionnaire, was approximately 4 times/week (range 1 6-19 times/week)  Fish species potentially high in MeHg, included in the Swedish dietary advisories, was consumed by 79% of the women  About 10% consumed such species more than once a week, i e , more than what is recommended  Other fish species potentially high in MeHg, not included in the Swedish dietary advisories, was consumed by 54% of the women  Eleven percent never consumed fish species potentially high in MeHg  T-Hg in hair (median 0 70 mg/kg; range 0 08-6 6 mg/kg) was associated with MeHg in blood (median 1 7 {mu}g/L; range 0 30-14 {mu}g/L; r {sub s}=0 78; p<0 001)  Hair T-Hg, blood MeHg and serum Se (median 70 {mu}g/L; range 46-154 {mu}g/L) increased with increasing total fish consumption (r {sub s}=0 32; p<0 001, r {sub s}=0 37; p<0 001 and r {sub s}=0 35; p=0 002, respectively)  I-Hg in blood (median 0 24 {mu}g/L; range 0 01-1 6 {mu}g/L) increased with increasing number of dental amalgam fillings  We found no statistical significant associations between the various mercury species measured and the Se concentration in serum  Hair mercury levels exceeded the levels corresponding to the EPA reference dose (RfD) of 0 1 {mu}g MeHg/kg b w  per day in 20% of the women  Thus, there seems to be no margin of safety for neurodevelopmental effects in fetus, for women with high fish consumption unless they decrease their intake of certain fish species 
Bjoernberg, Karolin Ask; Vahter, Marie; Grawe, Kierstin Petersson; Berglund, Marika
We studied the exposure to methyl mercury (MeHg) in 127 Swedish women of childbearing age with high consumption of various types of fish, using total mercury (T-Hg) in hair and MeHg in blood as biomarkers  Fish consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), including detailed information about consumption of different fish species, reflecting average intake during 1 year  We also determined inorganic mercury (I-Hg) in blood, and selenium (Se) in serum  The average total fish consumption, as reported in the food frequency questionnaire, was approximately 4 times/week (range 1 6-19 times/week)  Fish species potentially high in MeHg, included in the Swedish dietary advisories, was consumed by 79% of the women  About 10% consumed such species more than once a week, i e , more than what is recommended  Other fish species potentially high in MeHg, not included in the Swedish dietary advisories, was consumed by 54% of the women  Eleven percent never consumed fish species potentially high in MeHg  T-Hg in hair (median 0 70 mg/kg; range 0 08-6 6 mg/kg) was associated with MeHg in blood (median 1 7 Î¼g/L; range 0 30-14 Î¼g/L; r s =0 78; p s =0 32; p s =0 37; p s =0 35; p=0 002, respectively)  I-Hg in blood (median 0 24 Î¼g/L; range 0 01-1 6 Î¼g/L) increased with increasing number of dental amalgam fillings  We found no statistical significant associations between the various mercury species measured and the Se concentration in serum  Hair mercury levels exceeded the levels corresponding to the EPA reference dose (RfD) of 0 1 Î¼g MeHg/kg b w  per day in 20% of the women  Thus, there seems to be no margin of safety for neurodevelopmental effects in fetus, for women with high fish consumption unless they decrease their intake of certain fish species
Fish Consumption and Mercury Exposure among Louisiana Recreational Anglers
Lincoln, Rebecca A; Shine, James P; Chesney, Edward J
Background: Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure assessments among average fish consumers in the U S  may underestimate exposures among U S  subpopulations with high intakes of regionally specific fish  Objectives: We examined relationships between fish consumption, estimated mercury (Hg) intake      , and measured Hg exposure among one such potentially highly-exposed group, recreational anglers in Louisiana USA  Methods: We surveyed 534 anglers in 2006 using interviews at boat launches and fishing tournaments combined with an internet-based survey method  Hair samples from 402 of these anglers were       collected and analyzed for total Hg  Questionnaires provided information on species-specific fish consumption over 3 months prior to the survey  Results: Anglers' median hair-Hg concentration was 0 81 Âµg/g (n=398; range: 0 02-10 7 Âµg/g), with 40% of participants above 1 Âµg/g, the level that approximately   
Umbilical cord blood and placental mercury, selenium and selenoprotein expression in relation to maternal fish consumption
Gilman, Christy L ; Soon, Reni; Sauvage, Lynnae; Ralston, Nicholas V C ; Berry, Marla J 
Seafood is an important source of nutrients for fetal neurodevelopment  Most individuals are exposed to the toxic element mercury through seafood  Due to the neurotoxic effects of mercury, United States government agencies recommend no more than 340 g (12 oz) per week of seafood consumption during pregnancy  However, recent studies have shown that selenium, also abundant in seafood, can have protective effects against mercury toxicity  In this study, we analyzed mercury and selenium levels an   
Factors that negatively influence consumption of traditionally    
Factors that negatively influence consumption of traditionally fermented milk     in various countries of sub-Saharan Africa and a number of health benefits to human     influence consumption of Mursik, a traditionally fermented milk product fromÂ    
Mercury exposure as a function of fish consumption in two Asian communities in coastal Virginia, USA 
Xu, Xiaoyu; Newman, Michael C
Fish consumption and associated mercury exposure were explored for two Asian-dominated church communities in coastal Virginia and compared with that of two non-Asian church communities  Seafood-consumption rates for the Chinese (36 9Â g/person/day) and Vietnamese (52 7Â g/person/day) church communities were greater than the general United States fish-consumption rate (12 8Â g/person/day)  Correspondingly, hair mercury concentrations for people from the Chinese (0 52Â Âµg/g) and the Vietnamese church (1 46Â Âµg/g) were greater than the overall level for United States women (0 20Â Âµg/g) but lower than the published World Health Organization exposure threshold (14Â Âµg/g)  A conventional regression model indicated a positive relationship between seafood consumption rates and hair mercury concentrations suggesting the importance of mercury exposure through seafood consumption  The annual-average daily methylmercury intake rate for the studied communities calculated by Monte Carlo simulations followed the sequence: Vietnamese communityÂ >Â Chinese communityÂ >Â non-Asian communities  Regardless, their daily methylmercury intake rates were all lower than the United States Environmental Protection Agency reference dose of 0 1Â Âµg/kg body weight-day  In conclusion, fish-consumption patterns differed among communities, which resulted in different levels of mercury exposure  The greater seafood and mercury ingestion rates of studied Asian groups compared with non-Asian groups suggest the need for specific seafood consumption advice for ethnic communities in the United States  Otherwise the health benefits from fish consumption could be perceived as trivial compared with the ill-defined risk of mercury exposure 
Feather growth influences blood mercury level of young songbirds 
Condon, Anne M; Cristol, Daniel A
Dynamics of mercury in feathers and blood of free-living songbirds is poorly understood  Nestling eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) living along the mercury-contaminated South River (Virginia, USA) had blood mercury levels an order of magnitude lower than their parents (nestling: 0 09 +/- 0 06 mg/kg [mean +/- standard deviation], n = 156; adult: 1 21 +/- 0 57 mg/kg, n = 86)  To test whether this low blood mercury was the result of mercury sequestration in rapidly growing feathers, we repeatedly sampled free-living juveniles throughout the period of feather growth and molt  Mean blood mercury concentrations increased to 0 52 +/- 0 36 mg/kg (n = 44) after the completion of feather growth  Some individuals had reached adult blood mercury levels within three months of leaving the nest, but levels dropped to 0 20 +/- 0 09 mg/kg (n = 11) once the autumn molt had begun  Most studies of mercury contamination in juvenile birds have focused on recently hatched young with thousands of rapidly growing feathers  However, the highest risk period for mercury intoxication in young birds may be during the vulnerable period after fledging, when feathers no longer serve as a buffer against dietary mercury  We found that nestling blood mercury levels were not indicative of the extent of contamination because a large portion of the ingested mercury ended up in feathers  The present study demonstrates unequivocally that in songbirds blood mercury level is influenced strongly by the growth and molt of feathers 
High mercury seafood consumption associated with fatigue at specialty medical clinics on Long Island, NY
Shivam Kothari
Full Text Available We investigated the association between seafood consumption and symptoms related to potential mercury toxicity in patients presenting to specialty medical clinics at Stony Brook Medical Center on Long Island, New York  We surveyed 118 patients from Aprilâ€“August 2012 about their seafood consumption patterns, specifically how frequently they were eating each type of fish, to assess mercury exposure  We also asked about symptoms associated with mercury toxicity including depression, fatigue, balance difficulties, or tingling around the mouth  Of the 118 adults surveyed, 14 consumed high mercury seafood (tuna steak, marlin, swordfish, or shark at least weekly  This group was more likely to suffer from fatigue than other patients (pÂ =Â 0 02  Logistic regression confirmed this association of fatigue with frequent high mercury fish consumption in both unadjusted analysis (ORÂ =Â 5 53; 95% CI: 1 40â€“21 90 and analysis adjusted for age, race, sex, income, and clinic type (ORÂ =Â 7 89; 95% CI: 1 63â€“38 15  No associations were observed between fish intake and depression, balance difficulties, or tingling around the mouth  Findings suggest that fatigue may be associated with eating high mercury fish but sample size is small  Larg



ground_truth: Peaks occur at certain strain directions, while the gap is zero at others.

prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: What did the court in In re Ferguson conclude about the transformation prong of the Bilski test?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 2: Xpp-pdf support utility
Xpp-pdf support utility
PATENT, TRADEMARK
& COPYRIGHT !
Reproduced with permission from BNA’s Patent,Trademark 11/20/09, 11/20/2009  Copyright ஽ 2009 by The Bu-reau of National Affairs, Inc  (800-372-1033) http://www bna com As the patent community anticipates a decision by the U S  Supreme Court on subject matter patentability, recent rulings by the Federal Circuit and the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences suggest strategies for preparing method patent applications that will sur- vive the Federal Circuit’s ‘‘machine-or-transformation’’ test 
The Changing Landscape of Method Claims in the Wake of In re Bilski:What We Can Learn from Recent Decisions of Federal Courts and the Board ofPatent Appeals rulings on software-based and other business methodpatent applications 
On review before the high court is the en banc ruling ‘‘Pure’’ business methods are out  Algorithms by the U S  Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit1 are out  Machines and data transformations that, in order to be eligible for patent protection, an in- ventive method must either be tied to a machine or re- While the patent community waits for the Supreme cite a transformation of an article 2 This ‘‘machine-or- Court’s decision in Bilski v  Kappos, No  08-964 (U S 
transformation’’ test replaced the Freeman-Walter- argued Nov  9, 2009) (79 PTCJ 33, 11/13/09), patent ap- Abele3 test and the ‘‘useful, concrete and tangible plicants seeking to write patentable claims are stuckwith trying to conform to the lower courts’ most recent 1 In re Bilski, 545 F 3d 943, 88 USPQ2d 1385 (Fed  Cir 
2008) (en banc) (77 PTCJ 4, 11/7/08) 
2 ‘‘The machine-or-transformation test is a two-branched Adriana Suringa Luedke and Bridget M  Hay- inquiry; an applicant may show that a process claim satisfies den are lawyers at Dorsey & Whitney, Min- § 101 either by showing that his claim is tied to a particular neapolis  Luedke can be reached at machine, or by showing that his claim transforms an article ’’ leudke adriana@dorsey com  Hayden can be reached at hayden bridget@dorsey com  3 In re Freeman, 573 F 2d 1237, 197 USPQ 464 (C C P A 
1978); In re Walter, 618 F 2d 758, 205 USPQ 397 (C C P A 
COPYRIGHT ஽ 2009 BY THE BUREAU OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS, INC 
result’’ inquiry advocated in State Street,4 each of gregating, and selling real estate property and claims which had been applied by the Federal Circuit and its reciting a method of performing tax-deferred real estate predecessor court in various cases, and both of which property exchanges were not statutory under Section 101  Since no machine was recited, the only issue be- In this article, we examine the 2008 decision of the fore the court was whether the claims met the ‘‘trans- Federal Circuit, federal district court decisions, and de- formation’’ prong of the Bilski test 13 The court held cisions of Patent and Trademark Office’s Board of that the claims ‘‘involve[d] only the transformation or Patent Appeals and Interferences  Based upon the out- manipulation of legal obligations and relationships’’ comes in these cases, we offer guidance as to what is that did not qualify under Bilski 14 patent-eligible under 35 U S C  § 101, strategies for pre- Concerning the recitation of the ‘‘creation of deed- senting methods in patent applications and claiming shares’’ in some of the claims, the court found that the these methods, and possible ‘‘fixes’’ for applications deedshares themselves were not physical objects, but drafted pre-Bilski that must now withstand scrutiny un- only represented intangible legal ownership interests in der the new machine-or-transformation test 
property 15 Therefore, the creation of deedshares wasnot sufficient to establish patent eligibility under Bil- A number of recent federal court and board decisions have applied the patent eligibility test set forth in Bilski, implemented step to an otherwise obvious method was not sufficient to avoid invalidity of the claim  In KingPharmeuticals Inc  v  Eon Labs Inc ,17 the district court held invalid claims to a method of increasing the oral Several cases have addressed (and rejected) claims bioavailability of metaxalone because the claims were obvious over the prior art asserted by the accused in- In In re Ferguson,6 the Federal Circuit reviewed the board’s rejection of claims directed to a method of mar- Two dependent claims added a step of informing the keting a product and a ‘‘paradigm’’ for marketing soft- patient of certain results, which the patentee argued ware as nonstatutory subject matter under Section was not obvious  The court rejected this argument, con- 101 7 The appellate court affirmed the board’s rejection, cluding that ‘‘[b]ecause the food effect is an inherent concluding that the method claims were neither tied to property of the prior art and, therefore, unpatentable, a particular machine or apparatus nor did they trans- then informing a patient of that inherent property is form a particular article into a different state or thing 8 The court defined a machine broadly as ‘‘a concrete The court also commented that the added step of in- thing, consisting of parts, or of certain devices or com- forming the patient did not meet the patent eligibility binations of devices,’’ which did not include the ‘‘shared standard set forth in Bilski because the step did not re- marketing force’’ to which the method claims were quire use of a machine or transform the metaxalone into a different state or thing 19 Notably, this conclusion The claims directed to a ‘‘paradigm’’ were non- runs counter to the Supreme Court’s instruction that statutory because the claims did not fall within any of claims are to be examined ‘‘as a whole’’ and not dis- the four statutory categories (machines, manufactures, sected into old and new elements and that are evaluated compositions of matter and processes)  Concerning the two closest possible categories, the court concluded Recent board decisions have been consistent with the that the claimed paradigm was not a process, because holdings of the federal courts  For example, in Ex parte no act or series of acts was required, and was not a Roberts,21 the board found ineligible under Section 101 manufacture, because it was not a tangible article re- a ‘‘method of creating a real estate investment instru- sulting from a process of manufacture 10 Concerning ment adapted for performing tax-deferred exchanges’’ the recitation of a ‘‘marketing company’’ in the para- because the claim did not satisfy either the machine or digm claims, the court concluded that the patent appli- cants did ‘‘no more than provide an abstract idea—a Similarly, in Ex parte Haworth,23 a method for ‘‘at- business model for an intangible marketing com- tempting to collect payments from customers having delinquent accounts concurrently with a partner that In Fort Properties Inc  v  American Master Lease owns the delinquent accounts’’ was found to be patent LLC,12 the California district court held that claims re- ineligible because the claim wording was ‘‘broad in that citing a series of transactions involving acquiring, ag- 1980); In re Abele, 684 F 2d 902, 214 USPQ 682 (C C P A 
4 State Street Bank & Trust Co  v  Signature Financial 16 See Ex parte Roberts , 2009-004444 at 4-5 (B P A I  June Group, 149 F 3d 1368, 1370, 47 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed  Cir  1998) 19, 2009) (holding a ‘‘method of creating a real estate invest- ment instrument adapted for performing tax-deferred ex- changes’’ patent ineligible as not passing the machine-or- 7 The court accepted the board’s definition of ‘‘paradigm’’ 17 593 F  Supp 2d 501 (E D N Y  2009) 
to mean ‘‘a pattern, example or model ’’ Id  at 1362 
20 See Diamond v  Diehr, 450 U S  175, 188 (1981) 
21 No  2009-004444 (B P A I  June 19, 2009) 
12 2009 WL 249205, *5 (C D  Cal  Jan  22, 2009) 
23 No  2009-000350 (B P A I  July 30, 2009) 
it refers generally to extending an offer, receiving an machine  Accordingly, the process claims       are not acceptance, and paying a commission’’ and did not in- voke, recite or limit the method of implementation us-ing any particular machine or apparatus 24 The court also evaluated similar claims that recited the use of a ‘‘comparator’’ to perform the recited pixel- B  Software Claims Not Expressly Tied to a ‘Particular by-pixel comparison and held that this recitation also did not mandate a machine 29 While the court acknowl-edged that software was offered as one ‘‘option,’’ the Other cases have addressed software methods where court concluded that the claimed function of the com- the claim language was either not expressly tied to com- parator could also be performed in one’s mind or on pa- puter hardware components or the ties to computer per such that a machine was not required  The court components were somewhat ambiguous  In several further noted that, even though the ‘‘comparator’’ was cases, courts have rejected the recitation of generic defined as a ‘‘device,’’ ‘‘the use of the term ‘device’ is computer components as sufficient to satisfy the ‘‘ma- not synonymous with machine ’’30 As a result, none of chine’’ prong of the Bilski test  A number of these deci- the claims at issue met the ‘‘machine’’ prong of the Bil- sions also addressed the ‘‘transformation’’ prong of the Concerning the ‘‘transformation’’ prong, the court re- In Research Corporation Technology Inc  v  Mi- lied in particular upon the Abele decision in expanding crosoft Corp ,25 the district court considered the patent the requirements of this test by requiring that the eligibility of method claims in six patents directed to claimed transformation process be both ‘‘(1) limited to methods of halftoning of gray scale images by using a transformation of specific data, and 2) limited to a vi- pixel-by-pixel comparison of the image against a blue sual depiction representing specific objects or sub- noise mask  Relying on the Federal Circuit’s Bilski stances ’’31 It then concluded that a number of the analysis as well as a decision of its predecessor court, patent claims did not meet the second prong of this ex- In re Abele,26 the judge concluded that a number of the panded test because the claims did not ‘‘require any vi- sual depiction or subsequent display’’ even though the transformation test set forth in Bilski 27 claimed method did transform specific image data 32 Concerning the ‘‘machine’’ prong, the district court The district court also found other claims patent- found that the pixel-by-pixel comparison recited in the eligible under Section 101 because these claims recited claims did not require the use of a machine, but could the use of the comparison data ‘‘to produce a halftoned ‘‘dictate[d] a transformation of specific data, and [were] be done on a sheet of paper using a pen  The com- further limited to a visual depiction which represents parison uses formulas and numbers to generate a bi- specific objects ’’33 Thus, the patent eligibility of the nary value to determine the placement of a dot at a claims turned on whether the claims recited the use of location  Formulas and numbers not tied to a particu- the transformed data to generate a display 
lar machine cannot be patented, under the machine In DealerTrack Inc  v  Huber,34 the district court prong, even with a field-of-use limitation because granted a summary judgment of invalidity under § 101 they represent fundamental principles, and to do so of patent claims directed to ‘‘a computer aided method’’ would preempt the entire field  The patent claims      
of managing a credit application reciting the following do not mandate the use of a machine to achieve their algorithmic and algebraic ends  Simply because adigital apparatus such as a computer, calculator, or [A] receiving credit application data from a remote the like could assist with this comparison does not render it patent eligible material  RCT’s argument [B] selectively forwarding the credit application data that a pixel by its nature is electronic and therefore to remote funding source terminal devices; necessitates a machine is a post solution argumentand the Court rejects it  The claim construction specifies that the comparison is of a value to a mask 29 The term ‘‘comparator’’ was construed by the court to be (or set of values) to determine whether the dot is a ‘‘device (or collection of operations, as in software) that com- turned on at a specific location  This process does pares an input number (called the operand) to a number pre- not require a particular machine  The Bilski test is stored in the comparator (called the threshold) and produces clear: the process claims must be tied to a particular as output a binary value (such as ‘‘0,’’ zero) if the input is alge-braically less than the threshold [the result of comparing anoperand against a fixed threshold and setting an operand less 24 Id  at 9-10  See also, e g , Ex parte Farnes, 2009-002770 than the threshold to one value and an operand greater than (B P A I  June 2, 2009) (rejecting a method claim for develop- or equal to the threshold to another value], and produces the ing a solution to a customer experience issue including steps opposite binary value (such as ‘‘1,’’ one) if the input is algebra- of: ‘‘identifying a target customer,’’ ‘‘defining a current cus- ically greater than or equal to the threshold ’’ Id  at *17 (em- tomer experience,’’ ‘‘summarizing values and benefits’’ to pro- vide to the customer, and ‘‘identifying metrics for measuring success’’); Ex parte Salinkas, 2009-002768 (B P A I  May 18, 31 Id  at *9  Notably, Bilski concluded that the Abele visual 2009) (finding patent ineligible a method of launching a depiction was ‘‘sufficient’’ to establish transformation (545 knowledge network involving ‘‘selecting an executive spon- F 3d at 963), while the Research Corporation court went fur- sor,’’ ‘‘forming a core team of experts,’’ and ‘‘providing pre- ther by making visual depiction ‘‘required’’ to establish trans- 25 2009 WL 2413623 (D  Ariz  July 28, 2009) (78 PTCJ 432, 26 684 F 2d 902, 214 USPQ 682 (C C P A  1982) 
34 2009 WL 2020761 (C D  Cal  July 7, 2009) (78 PTCJ 341, PATENT, TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT JOURNAL [C] forwarding funding decision data from at least tation of ‘over the Internet’ suffices to tie a process one of the remote funding source terminal de- claim to a particular machine’’ and concluded that it vices to the remote application entry and display The internet continues to exist despite the addition [D] wherein the selectively forwarding the credit ap- or subtraction of any particular piece of hardware  It may be supposed that the internet itself, rather than [E] sending at least a portion of a credit application any underlying computer or set of computers, is the to more than one of said remote funding sources ‘‘machine’’ to which plaintiff refers  Yet the internet is an abstraction  If every computer user in the world [F] sending at least a portion of a credit application unplugged from the internet, the internet would to more than one of said remote funding sources cease to exist, although every molecule of every ma- sequentially until a finding [sic ] source returns a chine remained in place  One can touch a computer or a network cable, but one cannot touch ‘‘the inter- [G] sending       a credit application       after a prede- Additionally, the court found that the recitation of the [H] sending the credit application from a first remote internet in this case merely constituted ‘‘insignificant funding source to a second remote funding extra-solution activity’’ and therefore did not qualify as a ‘‘particular machine’’ under Bilski 41 ‘‘[T]ossing in In concluding that the claim did not satisfy the Bilski references to internet commerce’’ was not sufficient to machine-or-transformation test, the court held that the render ‘‘a mental process for collecting data and weigh- claimed central processor, remote application and dis- ing values’’ patent-eligible 42 Additionally, ‘‘limiting’’ play device, and remote funding source terminal device the claim to use over the Internet was not a meaningful could be ‘‘any device’’ and did not constitute a ‘‘’par- limitation, such that the claims ‘‘broadly preempt the ticular machine’ within the meaning of Bilski ’’35 The fundamental mental process of fraud detection using court relied upon several board decisions to support its associations between credit cards ’’43 premise that ‘‘claims reciting the use of general purpose processors or computers do not satisfy the test ’’36 claim,44 notwithstanding the Federal Circuit’s holding In Cybersource Corp  v  Retail Decisions Inc ,37 the in In re Beauregard,45 the district court concluded that district court held claims for ‘‘a method for verifying the ‘‘there is at present no legal doctrine creating a special validity of a credit card transaction over the Internet’’ ‘‘Beauregard claim’’ that would exempt the claim from and ‘‘a computer readable medium containing program the analysis of Bilski ’’ Moreover, ‘‘[s]imply appending instructions for detecting fraud in a credit card transac- ‘A computer readable media including program instruc- tion       over the Internet’’ invalid under § 101 based tions’ to an otherwise non-statutory process claim is in- upon the court’s interpretation of Bilski 
sufficient to make it statutory ’’46 Consequently, this Concerning the method claim, the court considered claim also failed the Bilski test 
both the ‘‘transformation’’ and ‘‘machine’’ prongs of the In at least one instance, the U S  International Trade Bilski test  In concluding that there was no transforma- Commission has interpreted the ‘‘machine’’ prong of tion, the court focused on the intangibility of the ma- Bilski less stringently than did the district courts in the nipulated data  According to the court, transformation cases discussed above  In In the Matter of Certain Video is limited to transformation of a physical article or sub- Game Machines and Related Three-Dimensional Point- stance  Accordingly, the method claim did not qualify ing Devices,47 the accused infringer filed a motion for because the data representing credit cards did not rep- summary judgment alleging that the asserted claims resent tangible articles but instead an intangible series impermissibly sought to patent a mathematical algo- of rights and obligations existing between the account rithm  According to the movant, the recitations of a ‘‘3D pointing device,’’ ‘‘handheld device,’’ or ‘‘free space Concerning whether the claimed method was tied to pointing device’’ were not sufficient to tie the claims to a particular machine, the court assessed whether ‘‘reci- a particular machine, but served ‘‘only to limit the field-of-use of the claimed mathematical algorithm and [did] not otherwise impart patentability on the claimed math- Id  at *3  The court relied upon the holdings in Ex parte Gutta, No  2008-3000 at 5-6 (B P A I  Jan  15, 2009) (stating In denying the motion for summary judgment, the ‘‘[t]he recitation in the preamble of ‘[a] computerized method ITC first noted that, ‘‘[w]hile the ultimate determination performed by a data processor’ adds nothing more than a gen- of whether the asserted claims are patentable under eral purpose computer that is associated with the steps of the § 101 is a question of law, the Federal Circuit has ac- process in an unspecified manner ’’); Ex parte Nawathe, No 
2007-3360, 2009 WL 327520, *4 (B P A I  Feb  9, 2009) (finding‘‘the computerized recitation purports to a general purpose processor [], as opposed to a particular computer specifically programmed for executing the steps of the claimed method ’’); and Ex parte Cornea-Hasegan, No  2008-4742 at 9-10 (B P A I 
Jan  13, 2009) (indicating the appellant does not dispute ‘‘the recitation of a processor does not limit the process steps to any 44 Claims having this format are called ‘‘Beauregard’’ specific machine or apparatus ’’)  The court also cited Cyber- claims and were found to not be barred by the traditional source Corp  v  Retail Decisions Inc , (discussed below), in sup- printed matter rule in In re Beauregard, 53 F 3d 1583, 1584, 35 port of its interpretation of the required ‘‘particular machine ’’ 37 620 F  Supp  2d 1068, 92 USPQ2d 1011 (N D  Cal  2009) 47 2009 WL 1070801 (U S I T C  2009) 
knowledged that ‘there may be cases in which the legal given a dataset of feature vectors associated with the question as to patentable subject matter may turn on subsidiary factual issues’ ’’ (citation omitted)  In con- for each binary partition under consideration, rank- struing the claims, the tribunal found that there was a ing features using two-category feature ranking; and genuine dispute as to whether the claimed ‘‘devices’’represented a ‘‘particular machine’’ under the Bilski while the predetermined number of features has not test and whether the claimed ‘‘two-dimensional rota- yet been selected: picking a binary partition p; tional transform’’ was merely a mathematical calcula- selecting a feature based on the ranking for binary tion or instead meant ‘‘changing the mathematical rep- resentation of a two-dimensional quantity from oneframe of reference to a differently-oriented frame of ref- adding the selected feature to an output list if not al- erence’’ as asserted by the patentee  Additionally, the ready present in the output list and removing the se- dispute over the meaning of the claimed ‘‘two- lected feature from further consideration for the bi- dimensional rotational transform’’ also raised a dis- puted issue as to whether this element recited a trans- Notably, while the independent claim failed the formation that would qualify under the ‘‘transforma- machine-or-transformation test, its dependent claim tion’’ prong of Bilski  Given these disputed issues, the was eligible because it recited, ‘‘further comprising us- ITC concluded that it was inappropriate to grant sum- ing the selected features in training a classifier for clas- mary judgment as to the patent eligibility of the claims 
sifying data into categories ’’ In view of the specifica- A similar conclusion was reached in Versata Soft- tion, the board indicated that the ‘‘classifier’’ was a par- ware Inc  v  Sun Microsystems Inc ,48 in which the dis- ticular machine ‘‘in that it performs a particular data trict court denied the defendant’s motion for summary classification function that is beyond mere general pur- judgment of invalidity under Section 101 based upon pose computing ’’53 The board also concluded that the the Bilski court’s refusal ‘‘to adopt a broad exclusion claim ‘‘transforms a particular article into a different over software or any other such category of subject state or thing, namely by transforming an untrained matter beyond the exclusion of claims drawn to funda- classifier into a trained classifier ’’54 In Ex parte Casati,55 the board reversed the examin- Less stringent ‘‘machine’’ prong analyses are also er’s Section 101 rejection of a method claim reciting: found at the board level  For example, in Ex parteSchrader,50 the board held patent-eligible under Bilski A method of analyzing data and making predictions, reading process execution data from logs for a busi- A method for obtaining feedback from consumers re- ceiving an advertisement from an ad provided by anad provider through an interactive channel, the collecting the process execution data and storing the process execution data in a memory defining a ware-house; creating a feedback panel including at least one feed-back response concerning said advertisement; and analyzing the process execution data; generatingprediction models in response to the analyzing; and providing said feedback panel to said consumers, using the prediction models to predict an occurrence said feedback panel being activated by a consumer to of an exception in the business process 
provide said feedback response concerning said ad-vertisement to said ad provider through said interac- In this case, giving consideration to the specification, which ‘‘unequivocally describes the data warehouse aspart of the overall system apparatus, and subsequent Here, the board found ‘‘interactive channel’’ to be descriptions describe the memory/warehouse device in part of an ‘‘overall patent eligible system of appara- terms of machine executable functions,’’ the board con- tuses’’ when viewed in the context of the specification, cluded that ‘‘one of ordinary skill in the art would un- which included ‘‘the Internet and World Wide Web, In- derstand that the claimed storing of process execution teractive Television, and self service devices, such as In- data in a memory defining a warehouse constitutes formation Kiosks and Automated Teller Machines ’’51 patent-eligible subject matter under § 101 because the In another recent decision, Ex parte Forman,52 the memory/warehouse element ties the claims to a particu- board found a ‘‘computer-implemented feature selec- tion method’’ including a ‘‘classifier’’ eligible under Other recent board decisions have reached the oppo- Section 101 because it satisfied both the machine and transformation prong  Here, the ‘‘classifier’’ was recitedin a dependent claim, in which its independent claim re-cited: 53 Id  at 13 
54 Id  See also Ex parte Busche, No  2008-004750 (B P A I 
A computer-implemented feature selection method May 28, 2009) (holding a process claim and a computer pro- for selecting a predetermined number of features for gram product claim, each reciting training a machine, ‘‘are di- a set of binary partitions over a set of categories rected to machines that have such structure as may be adaptedby training ’’) 55 No  2009-005786 (B P A I  July 31, 2009) 
48 2009 WL 1084412, *1 (E D  Tex  March 31, 2009) 
56 Id  at 7  See also Ex parte Dickerson, No  2009-001172 at 49 Citing Bilski, 545 F 3d at 959 n  23 
16 (B P A I  July 9, 2009) (holding claims that ‘‘recite a comput- 50 No  2009-009098 (B P A I  Aug  31, 2009) 
erized method which includes a step of outputting information from a computer       are tied to a particular machine or appa- 52 No  2008-005348 (B P A I  Aug  17, 2009) 
PATENT, TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT JOURNAL implemented methods ineligible under the Bilski test transformation test applied to this type of claim 63 because the claims failed to tie the method steps to any Then, applying the Bilski test, the board concluded that concrete parts, devices, or combinations of devices  For the claim did not qualify  According to the board, the example, in Ex parte Holtz,57 the board found ineligible under Section 101 a ‘‘method for comparing file tree de-scriptions’’ because the claim ‘‘obtains data (a file struc- does not transform physical subject matter and is not ture), compares data (file structures), generates a tied to a particular machine        Limiting the claims change log, and optimizes the change log without tying to computer readable media does not add any practi- these steps to any concrete parts, devices, or combina- cal limitation to the scope of the claim  Such a field- tions of devices’’ and the ‘‘file structures’’ did not repre- of-use limitation is insufficient to render an other- Similarly, in Ex parte Gutta,58 the board held ineli- gible under § 101 a ‘‘method for identifying one or moremean items for a plurality of items       having a sym- II  The Current Scope of Patent Eligibility bolic value of a symbolic attribute,’’ concluding that the These recent cases establish that some types of meth- claim ‘‘computes a variance and selects a mean item ods are clearly patent-eligible under Section 101, others without tying these steps to any concrete parts, devices, clearly are not eligible, and yet others may be depend- or combinations of devices’’ and ‘‘symbolic values are ing on how they are described and claimed 
neither physical objects nor do they represent physicalobjects ’’ First, the eligibility of system and apparatus claims is largely unaffected by the Bilski decision, with the ca- In contrast to the district court’s decision in Cyber- veat that such claims may be more closely scrutinized source Corp , discussed supra, in a recent board deci- for compliance with Diamond v  Diehr and Gottschalk sion, Ex parte Bodin,59 ‘‘a computer program product’’ v  Benson, which prohibit patenting of a claim directed was found to be patent-eligible subject matter as being to ‘‘laws of nature, natural phenomena, [or] abstract embodied in a ‘‘computer readable medium ’’ Here, the board considered whether the phrase ‘‘recorded on the Also, methods that are performed at least in part by a recording medium’’ as it is recited in the body of the machine qualify for patent eligibility under Section 101 
claims was the same as ‘‘recorded on a computer- Thus, for example, some computer-implemented and readable medium ’’ Acknowledging the differences be- software-related inventions remain patentable as long tween a statutory claim to a data structure stored on a as they are properly described and claimed as being computer readable medium compared to a nonstatutory performed by a computer or computer components 
claim to a data structure that referred to ideas reflected The tie to a machine, however, cannot merely be im- in nonstatutory processes, the board stated: ‘‘[w]hen plicit based upon the description and context of the ap- functional descriptive material is recorded on some plication or general language in the preamble of the computer-readable medium, it becomes structurally claim  Instead, the use of a machine to perform one or and functionally interrelated to the medium and will be more of the claimed functions must be expressly de- statutory in most cases since use of technology permits scribed in the body of the claim so as to be a meaning- the function of the descriptive material to be real- ful limitation on the claim  If a method claim can be read in such a way that all functions can be performed Similarly, in Ex parte Azuma,61 a claim to a ‘‘com- by a human, it will likely not pass the machine prong of puter program product       comprising: a computer us- able medium’’ was found to be directed to statutory The ‘‘Interim Examination Instructions for Evaluat- subject matter under § 101 because the language ‘‘com- ing Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U S C  § 101’’ re- puter usable medium’’ referred to tangible storage me- cently issued by the Patent and Trademark Office con- dia, such as a server, floppy drive, main memory and firm that the recitation of a general purpose computer hard disk as disclosed by appellant’s specification, and is sufficient to satisfy Section 101 where the general did not ‘‘implicate the use of a carrier wave ’’ purpose computer is ‘‘programmed to perform the pro- In an older decision, Ex parte Cornea-Hasegan,62 cess steps,       in effect, becom[ing] a special purpose however, the Board seemingly came to the opposite conclusion, holding that a claim reciting ‘‘a computer Concerning data transformation, there seems to be readable media including program instructions which agreement of the Federal Circuit and at least one dis- when executed by a processor cause the processor to trict court that a method that is both limited to transfor- perform’’ a series of steps was not patent-eligible under mation of specific data and limited to a visual depiction Bilski  The board first determined that ‘‘analysis of a representing specific objects or substances qualifies un- ‘manufacture’ claim and a ‘process’ claim is the sameunder 63 Id  at 11 
57 No  2008-004440 at 12-13 (B P A I  Aug  24, 2009) 
65 Diamond v  Diehr, 450 U S  175, 185, 205 USPQ 488 58 No  2008-004366 at 10-11 (B P A I  Aug  10, 2009) 
(1980); Gottschalk v  Benson, 409 U S  63, 67, 175 USPQ 673 59 No  2009-002913 (B P A I  Aug  5, 2009) 
60 Id  at 10 (comparing In re Lowry, 32 F 3d 1579, 1583-84, 66 ‘‘Interim Examination Instructions for Evaluating Sub- 32 USPQ2d 1031 (Fed  Cir  1994) to In re Warmerdam, 33 F 3d ject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U S C  § 101,’’ U S  Patent and 1354, 1361-62, 31 USPQ2d 1754 (Fed  Cir  1994)) 
Trademark Office, Aug  24, 2009, at 6 (78 PTCJ 530, 8/28/09) 
61 No  2009-003902 at 10 (B P A I  Sept  14, 2009) 
The authors’ recent experiences with examiners suggest that 62 No  2008-004742 (B P A I  Jan  13, 2009) 
the examiners are following these instructions 
der Section 101 67 Thus, claims analogous to those in In Concerning claims directed to computer program re Abele68 in which ‘‘data clearly represented physical products, one district court has held that appending ‘‘A and tangible objects, namely the structure of bones, or- computer readable media including program instruc- gans, and other body tissues [so as to recite] the trans- tions’’ to an otherwise non-statutory process claim is in- formation of that raw data into a particular visual depic- sufficient to make it statutory 72 The board has also tion of a physical object on a display’’ are patent- held ineligible claims to ‘‘a computer readable me- dia ’’73 The board has, however, also upheld the eligibil-ity of ‘‘a computer program product’’ as being embod- ied in a computer readable medium 74 Given these in- Bilski has had a significant impact in eliminating consistent decisions, the patent eligibility of claims in patent protection for inventions that are performed en- tirely by humans or can be interpreted as such if read Concerning claims directed to generalized computer broadly  This includes claims that describe processes processing functions, several Board decisions suggest for creating or manipulating legal and financial docu- that, absent a tie to a concrete real-world application, ments and relationships  In this area in particular, many such claims are likely to be deemed an ‘‘algorithm’’ un- pending applications filed prior to Bilski are no longer der Benson and therefore held to be non-statutory  75 patent-eligible, and many issued patents are no longer Any recitation of a specific field of use for the claimed valid  This retroactive impact of the Bilski decision is process or use of the outcome of such processes are troubling, given the investment in these patents and ap- also more likely to be found ‘‘field-of-use’’ or ‘‘post- plications, which have now been rendered essentially solution activity’’ limitations insufficient to render the worthless despite the suggestion in the Federal Circuit’s claim patent-eligible  Thus, the more tied a claimed pro- earlier State Street decision, now overruled, that such cess is to tangible results or particular applications (not claims qualified for patent protection 
just fields of use), the more likely it is to qualify under Inventions that do not fit within the four statutory categories are also not patent-eligible  The Federal Cir-cuit and the board have rejected claims directed to ‘‘a III  Presenting and Claiming Methods in Patent signal,’’ ‘‘a paradigm,’’ ‘‘a user interface’’ and ‘‘a corr-elator’’ on the basis that these items did not qualify as a ‘‘machine, manufacture, composition of matter or pro- Several strategies for describing and claiming meth- cess’’ under § 101  70 There is also an increasing focus ods or processes in patent applications may avoid or on the tangibility of the claimed invention in that, to minimize potential Section 101 problems 
qualify as a ‘‘machine’’ or ‘‘manufacture’’ under Section First, the description provided in a patent application should include well-defined steps or functions associ-ated with method or process  For example, when the claims include ‘‘initiating’’ method steps, a description Remaining areas of uncertainty concerning the scope of well-defined physical steps or functions for initiating of Section 101 include (1) what qualifies under Bilski as should be provided, and a concrete item, machine, de- a ‘‘transformation of an article or data,’’ (2) whether vice, or component that is responsible for the initiating claims to computer programs (Beauregard claims) function should be identified  For claiming ‘‘identify- qualify, and (3) whether internal computer processing ing’’ method steps, provide specific parameters for functionality not tied to a specific application or tan- making the identification, such as according to a speci- fied measurement 76 Where data is involved, the source Concerning data transformation, other than Abele- and type of data should be specified 
style claims discussed above, what qualifies as a data or Also, drawings should be provided that depict the article transformation remains unclear  Claims that concrete item, device, component or combination have been held not to meet the transformation prong in- thereof, and each method or process step or function clude claims directed to the creation or manipulation of should be linked expressly to at least one item, device data representing an intangible series of rights and ob- or component in the drawings that performs the step or ligations (e g , credit card data) and claims directed to function  Broadening language indicating that other the transformation or manipulation of legal obligations components may also be used to perform the function and relationships  Beyond these specific examples, it is may also be included to avoid an unduly narrow inter- difficult to predict what will or will not qualify as a data or article transformation under Bilski 
The claims should affirmatively claim the device, ma- chine or component performing each step or function 
67 In re Bilski, 545 F 3d at 963; Research Corporation Tech- For computer or software-related inventions, the de- nologies, 2009 WL 2413623 at *9 
scription should specify that the software functionality 68 The claimed process involved graphically displaying vari- ances of data from average values wherein the data was X-rayattenuation data produced in a two dimensional field by a com- 72 Cybersource Corp , 620 F  Supp  2d at 1080 
puted tomography scanner  See In re Bilski, 545 F 3d at 962- 73 Cornea-Hasegan, No  2008-004742 
74 Ex parte Bodin, No  2009-002913 (B P A I  Aug  5, 2009) 
69 In re Bilski, 545 F 3d at 963 
75 E g , Ex parte Greene, No  2008-004073 (B P A I  Apr  24, 70 In re Nuijten 500 F 3d 1346, 1357, 84 USPQ2d 1495 (Fed 
2009); Daughtrey, No  2008-000202; Ex parte Arning, No 
Cir  2007) (74 PTCJ 631, 9/28/07) (signal); In re Ferguson, 558 2008-003008 (B P A I  Mar  30, 2009); Cybersource Corp , 620 F 3d 1359, 1366, 90 USPQ2d 1035 (Fed  Cir  2009) (77 PTCJ F  Supp 2d at 1080 (concerning claim 2) 
489, 3/13/09) (paradigm); Ex parte Daughtrey, No  2008- 76 See Brief of American Bar Association as Amicus Curiae 000202 (B P A I  Apr  8, 2009) (user interface); Ex parte Laba- Supporting Respondent, Bilski v  Kappos, No  08-964, ABA die, No  2008-004310 (B P A I  May 6, 2009) (correlator) 
Amicus Br  at 12-13 (U S  amicus brief filed Oct  2, 2009) (78 71 E g , Nuijten, 500 F 3d at 1356-7 
PATENT, TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT JOURNAL is performed by a computer or computer components 
patent or published application, the option of importing Specificity as to the type of computer component per- subject matter into the specification is limited to ‘‘non- forming each function may be helpful in establishing essential’’ subject matter  In other words, the specifica- eligibility under the Bilski test 
tion can only be amended to disclose a machine for per-forming process steps as long as one skilled in the art IV  Fixing Pre-Bilski Applications to Meet the New would recognize from the original disclosure that the process is implemented by a machine  The key in mak- For patent applications filed prior to the Bilski deci- ing this type of amendment is avoiding (or overcoming) sion, it can be challenging to meet the new require- a rejection under 35 U S C  § 112, para  1, for lack of ments for patent eligibility, particularly when no ma- chine or transformations were expressly described in If incorporation by reference is not an option, a patent applicant may submit evidence, such as a decla- In some cases, there may be sufficient explicit de- ration by the inventor or a duly qualified technical ex- scription of a machine, e g , a computer, such that the pert, demonstrating that one skilled in the art would un- machine can be added into the body of the claims  For derstand the disclosed method to be one performed by example, patent applications for computer-related in- a machine  Unlike attorney argument, which can be dis- ventions sometimes contain a generic description of regarded, such evidence must be considered by the ex- computers that are used to perform the claimed method, and such a generic description may be suffi- One other option is to reformat the claims  Since Bil- cient to impart patent eligibility to the claims when the ski ostensibly does not apply to system and apparatus general-purpose computer is programmed to become a claims, in some instances it may be possible for an ap- plicant to convert his method claims into system claims For patent applications lacking in an explicit descrip- to avoid application of the Bilski test  This strategy, tion of any machine, however, the application may in- however, is unlikely to succeed where the patent speci- corporate by reference patents or publications that can fication does not describe such a system for implement- be used to bolster the specification and provide support ing the method and therefore does not provide the req- for the requisite claim amendments  When an applica- uisite disclosure of the claimed invention under Section tion incorporates by reference a U S  patent or pub- lished U S  patent application, any description from the incorporated references, whether or not the subject The future of the Bilski machine-or-transformation matter is ‘‘essential’’ to support the claims, may be im- test now rests with the Supreme Court  Regardless of ported into the specification  This option may enable the outcome of the appeal, however, it is clear that the importation of the requisite description of a machine, scope of statutory subject matter under Section 101 has which can then also be recited in the claims 77 When been narrowed  The Supreme Court now has a chance the document incorporated by reference is not a U S 
to clarify what has been excluded; it may even reject ormodify the Bilski machine-or-transformation test  How 77 Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, Eighth Ed , Rev 
this will affect the development and protection of cur- 7/2008, at § 608 01(P); see also 37 C F R  § 1 57 
rent and future technologies remains to be seen 
Source: http://www dorsey com/files/upload/luedke_bna_patent_journal_nov09 pdf
(resolução 404 2012 retificação 19062012)
RESOLUÇÃO Nº 404 , DE 12 DE JUNHO DE 2012 Dispõe sobre padronização dos procedimentos administrativos na lavratura de Auto de Infração, na expedição de notificação de autuação e de notificação de penalidade de multa e de advertência, por infração de responsabilidade de proprietário e de condutor de veículo e da identificação de condutor infrator, e dá outras providências 
Cheloidi e cicatrici ipertrofiche in dermatologia
a cura del dr  Antonio Del Sorbo - Specialista in Dermatologia e Venereologia antoniodelsorbo@libero it I Cheloidi di Alibert A volte una ferita anche apparentemente banale, guarisce lasciando una cicatrice voluminosa, rossastra e soprattutto antiestetica  I cheloidi sono cicatrici abnormi che possono far seguito a intervento chirurgico (es: tiroide, mammella, etc) e questo u



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prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: What was the conclusion of the study?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 4:  This can make locating appropriately matched donor blood more difficult  Although blood supplies in the United States are very safe, particularly relative to the past and to other areas of the world, there remains an increased risk of exposure to such blood-borne infections as hepatitis  Additionally, the body is not able to get rid of the excess iron that accompanies each transfusion  An additional medication called desferoxamine is administered, usually five nights per week over a period of several hours, using an automatic pump that can be used during sleep or taken anywhere the person goes  This medication is able to bind to the excess iron, which can then be eliminated through urine  If desferoxamine is not used regularly or is unavailable, iron overload can develop and cause tissue damage and organ damage and failure  The heart, liver, and endocrine organs are particularly vulnerable  Desferoxamine itself may rarely produce allergic or toxic side effects, including hearing damage  Signs of desferoxamine toxicity are screened for and generally develop in individuals who overuse the medication when body iron levels are sufficiently low  Overall, however, transfusion and desferoxamine therapy have increased the life expectancy of individuals with the most severe types of beta thalassemia major to the 4th or 5th decade  This can be expected to improve with time and increased developments in treatment, as well as for those with more mild forms of the disease 
New treatments offer additional options for some individuals with beta thalassemia major  There are various medications that target the production of red blood cells (i e  erythropoeitin) or fetal hemoglobin (i e  hydroxyurea and butyrate)  Their effectiveness in ameliorating the severity of beta thalassemia is currently being investigated  Another promising new treatment is bone marrow transplantation, in which the bone marrow of an affected individual is replaced with the bone marrow of an unaffected donor  If successful, this treatment can provide a cure  However, there is an approximately 10-15% chance the procedure could be unsuccessful (i e  the thalassemia returns); result in complications (i e  graft-versus-host disease); or result in death  The risk for specific individuals depends on current health status, age, and other factors  Because of the risks involved and the fact that beta thalassemia is a treatable condition, transplant physicians require a brother or sister donor who has an identically matched tissue type, called HLA type  HLA type refers to the unique set of proteins present on each individual's cells, which allows the immune system to recognize "self" from "foreign " HLA type is genetically determined, so there is a 25% chance for two siblings to be a match  Transplant physicians and researchers are also investigating ways to improve the safety and effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation  Using newborn sibling umbilical cord blood—the blood from the placenta that is otherwise discarded after birth but contains cells that can go on to make bone marrow—seems to provide a safer and perhaps more effective source of donor cells  Donors and recipients may not have to be perfect HLA matches for a successful transplant using cord blood cells  Trials are also underway to determine the effectiveness of "partial transplants," in which a safer transplant procedure is used to replace only a percentage of the affected individual's bone marrow  Other possible treatments on the horizon may include gene therapy techniques aimed at increasing the amount of normal hemoglobin the body is able to make 
Hemoglobin H disease is a relatively mild form of thalassemia that may go unrecognized  It is not generally considered a condition that will reduce one's life expectancy  Education is an important part of managing the health of an individual with hemoglobin H disease  It is important to be able to recognize the signs of severe anemia that require medical attention  It is also important to be aware of the medications, chemicals, and other exposures to avoid due to the theoretical risk they pose of causing a severe anemia event  When severe anemia occurs, it is treated with blood transfusion therapy  For individuals with hemoglobin H disease, this is rarely required  For those with the hemoglobin H/Constant Spring form of the disease, the need for transfusions may be intermittent or ongoing, perhaps on a monthly basis and requiring desferoxamine treatment  Individuals with this more severe form of the disease may also have an increased chance of requiring removal of an enlarged and/or overactive spleen 
Anemia — A blood condition in which the level of hemoglobin or the number of red blood cells falls below normal values  Common symptoms include paleness, fatigue, and shortness of breath 
Bilirubin — A yellow pigment that is the end result of hemoglobin breakdown  This pigment is metabolized in the liver and excreted from the body through the bile  Bloodstream levels are normally low; however, extensive red cell destruction leads to excessive bilirubin formation and jaundice 
Bone marrow — A spongy tissue located in the hollow centers of certain bones, such as the skull and hip bones  Bone marrow is the site of blood cell generation 
Bone marrow transplantation — A medical procedure used to treat some diseases that arise from defective blood cell formation in the bone marrow  Healthy bone marrow is extracted from a donor to replace the marrow in an ailing individual  Proteins on the surface of bone marrow cells must be identical or very closely matched between a donor and the recipient 
Desferoxamine — The primary drug used in iron chelation therapy  It aids in counteracting the life-threatening buildup of iron in the body associated with long-term blood transfusions 
Globin — One of the component protein molecules found in hemoglobin  Normal adult hemoglobin has a pair each of alpha-globin and beta-globin molecules 
Heme — The iron-containing molecule in hemoglobin that serves as the site for oxygen binding 
Hemoglobin — Protein-iron compound in the blood that carries oxygen to the cells and carries carbon dioxide away from the cells 
Hemoglobin A — Normal adult hemoglobin that contains a heme molecule, two alpha-globin molecules, and two beta-globin molecules 
Hemoglobin electrophoresis — A laboratory test that separates molecules based on their size, shape, or electrical charge 
Hepatomegaly — An abnormally large liver 
HLA type — Refers to the unique set of proteins called human leukocyte antigens  These proteins are present on each individual's cell and allow the immune system to recognize 'self' from 'foreign'  HLA type is particularly important in organ and tissue transplantation 
Hydroxyurea — A drug that has been shown to induce production of fetal hemoglobin  Fetal hemoglobin has a pair of gamma-globin molecules in place of the typical beta-globins of adult hemoglobin  Higher-than-normal levels of fetal hemoglobin can ameliorate some of the symptoms of thalassemia 
Iron overload — A side effect of frequent blood transfusions in which the body accumulates abnormally high levels of iron  Iron deposits can form in organs, particularly the heart, and cause life-threatening damage 
Jaundice — Yellowing of the skin or eyes due to excess of bilirubin in the blood 
Mutation — A permanent change in the genetic material that may alter a trait or characteristic of an individual, or manifest as disease, and can be transmitted to offspring 
Placenta — The organ responsible for oxygen and nutrition exchange between a pregnant mother and her developing baby 
Red blood cell — Hemoglobin-containing blood cells that transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues  In the tissues, the red blood cells exchange their oxygen for carbon dioxide, which is brought back to the lungs to be exhaled 
Screening — Process through which carriers of a trait may be identified within a population 
Splenomegaly — Enlargement of the spleen 
Because alpha thalassemia major is most often a condition that is fatal in the prenatal or newborn period, treatment has previously been focused on identifying affected pregnancies in order to provide appropriate management to reduce potential maternal complications  Pregnancy termination provides one form of management  Increased prenatal surveillance and early treatment of maternal complications is an approach that is appropriate for mothers who wish to continue their pregnancy with the knowledge that the baby will most likely not survive  In recent years, there have been a handful of infants with this condition who have survived long-term  Most of these infants received experimental treatment including transfusions before birth, early delivery, and even bone marrow transplantation before birth, although the latter procedure has not yet been successful  For those infants that survive to delivery, there seems to be an increased risk of developmental problems and physical effects, particularly heart and genital malformations  Otherwise, their medical outlook is similar to a child with beta thalassemia major, with the important exception that ongoing, life-long blood transfusions begin right at birth 
As discussed above, the prognosis for individuals with the most serious types of thalassemia has improved drastically in the last several years following recent medical advances in transfusion, chemo-, and transplantation therapy  Advances continue and promise to improve the life expectancy and quality of life further for affected individuals 
"First Known Heart Attack Associated With Beta-thalassemia Major Reported " Heart Disease Weekly February 22, 2004: 10 
"Novel Alpha-thalassemia Mutations Identified " Hematology Week January 26, 2004: 19 
Children's Blood Foundation  333 East 38th St , Room 830, New York, NY 10016-2745  (212) 297-4336  cfg@nyh med cornell edu 
Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Inc  129-09 26th Ave  #203, Flushing, NY 11354  (800) 522-7222 or (718) 321-2873  http://www thalassemia org 
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation  1275 Mamaroneck Ave , White Plains, NY 10605  (888) 663-4637  resourcecenter@modimes org  http://www modimes org 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute  PO Box 30105, Bethseda, MD 20824-0105  (301) 592-8573  nhlbiinfo@rover nhlbi nih gov  http://www nhlbi nih gov 
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)  PO Box 8923, New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923  (203) 746-6518 or (800) 999-6673  Fax: (203) 746-6481  http://www rarediseases org 
Bojanowski J  "Alpha Thalassemia Major: The Possibility of Long-Term Survival " Pamphlet from the Northern California Comprehensive Thalassemia Center  (1999) 
Children's Hospital Oakland, Northern California Comprehensive Thalassemia Center website  http://www thalassemia com 
Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Inc  website  http://www thalassemia org/gohome html 
Joint Center for Sickle Cell and Thalassemic Disorders website  http://cancer mgh harvard edu/medOnc/sickle htm 
[thal″ah-se´me-ah]
a heterogeneous group of hereditary hemolytic anemias marked by a decreased rate of synthesis of one or more hemoglobin polypeptide chains, classified according to the chain involved (α, β, δ); the two major categories are α- and β-thalassemia 
α-thalassemia (alpha-thalassemia) that caused by diminished synthesis of alpha chains of hemoglobin  The homozygous form is incompatible with life, the stillborn infant displaying severe hydrops fetalis  The heterozygous form may be asymptomatic or marked by mild anemia 
β-thalassemia (beta-thalassemia) that caused by diminished synthesis of beta chains of hemoglobin  The homozygous form is called t  major and the heterozygous form is called t  minor 
thalassemia ma´jor the homozygous form of β-thalassemia, in which hemoglobin A is completely absent; it appears in the newborn period and is marked by hemolytic, hypochromic, microcytic anemia; hepatosplenomegaly; skeletal deformation; mongoloid facies; and cardiac enlargement 
thalassemia mi´nor the heterozygous form of β-thalassemia; it is usually asymptomatic, but there may be mild anemia 
sickle cell–thalassemia a hereditary anemia involving simultaneous heterozygosity for hemoglobin S and thalassemia 
thal·as·se·mi·a
, thalassanemia (thal'ă-sē'mē-ă, thă-las-ă-nē'mē-ă),
Any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin metabolism in which there is impaired synthesis of one or more of the polypeptide chains of globin; several genetic types exist, and the corresponding clinical picture may vary from barely detectable hematologic abnormality to severe and fatal anemia 
[G  thalassa, the sea, + haima, blood]
/thal·as·se·mia/ (thal″ah-se´me-ah) a heterogeneous group of hereditary hemolytic anemias marked by a decreased rate of synthesis of one or more hemoglobin polypeptide chains, classified according to the chain involved (α, β, δ); the two major categories are α- and β-thalassemia 
α-thalassemia that caused by diminished synthesis of alpha chains of hemoglobin  The homozygous form is incompatible with life, the stillborn infant displaying severe hydrops fetalis  The heterozygous form may be asymptomatic or marked by mild anemia 
β-thalassemia that caused by diminished synthesis of beta chains of hemoglobin  The homozygous form is called t  major and the heterozygous form is called t  minor 
thalassemia ma´jor the homozygous form of &#x03B2;, in which hemoglobin A is completely absent; it appears in the newborn period and is marked by hemolytic, hypochromic, microcytic anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, skeletal deformation, mongoloid facies, and cardiac enlargement 
thalassemia mi´nor the heterozygous form of &#x03B2;, usually asymptomatic, although there is sometimes mild anemia 
(thăl′ə-sē′mē-ə)
An inherited form of anemia occurring chiefly among people of Mediterranean descent, caused by faulty synthesis of part of the hemoglobin molecule  Also called Mediterranean anemia 
thal′as·se′mic adj 
[thal′əsē′mē·ə]
Etymology: Gk, thalassa, sea, a + haima, without blood
production and hemolytic anemia characterized by microcytic, hypochromic red blood cells  Thalassemia is caused by inherited deficiency of alpha- or beta-globin synthesis  See also hemochromatosis, hemosiderosis 
Beta thalassemia, clinical thalassemia, Cooley's anemia, Mediterranean anemia, thalassemia major Hematology A group of genetic diseases by underproduction of hemoglobin due to mutations in the beta globin gene, which is more common in Mediterraneans Heredity Parents are carriers–heterozygotes; one in 4 children is homozygous for the mutation and thus has full-blown disease Clinical See Anemia  Cf Sickle cell anemia 
α-thalassemia
Hemoglobin Barts Hematology An inherited condition caused by a defect in the synthesis of the Hb α chain; Hb Barts hemoglobinopathy is characterized by the presence of 4 gamma chains; it is more common in southeast Asians; the most severe form of alpha thalassemia causes stillbirth due to hydrops fetalis Heredity Parents are carriers–heterozygotes; one in 4 children is homozygous for the mutation and thus has full-blown disease Clinical Pallor, fatiguability, FTT, fever, infections, diarrhea Management Transfusions
Thalassemia major Hematology A hemoglobinopathy caused by a defect in the synthesis of Hb β chain Clinical Pallor, fatigability, FTT, fever due to infections, diarrhea, bone deformities, hepatosplenomegaly Management Transfusions, but iron overload can damage the heart, liver, and endocrine systems, ergo iron chelation–early use of deferiprone, deferoxamine ↓ transfusion-related iron overload and may protect against DM, cardiac disease, early death
δ-thalassemia
Hematology A condition characterized by a defect of Hb A2–α2δ2; because Hb A2 comprises only 3% of the circulating Hb, even its complete absence; δ-thalassemia has little clinical or hematologic impact
γ-thalassemia
Hematology A condition characterized by a defect of gamma–γ Hb chains found in Hb F–α2γ2; because Hb F is present primarily in the fetus and newborns, it is rarely seen outside of the neonatal period, but may cause transient neonatal hemolytic anemia 
, thalassanemia (thal'ă-sē'mē-ă, -ă-să-nē'mē-ă)
Any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin metabolism in which there is impaired synthesis of one or more of the polypeptide chains of globin; several genetic types exist, and the corresponding clinical picture may vary from barely detectable hematologic abnormality to severe and fatal anemia  People of Mediterranean, extraction are more often affected than others by this type of anemia 
Synonym(s): thalassaemia, thalassanaemia 
Any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin metabolism with impaired synthesis of one or more polypeptide chains of globin; several genetic types exist 
<a href="https://medical-dictionary thefreedictionary com/Thalassaemia+minor">thalassemia</a>
Barts hemoglobin
beta hemoglobinopathy
beta-delta thalassemia
beta-thalassaemia
Bite Cell
black gallstone
I know of a couple, totally unrelated and unbeknownst to them, who are silent carriers of Thalassaemia minor 
Pakistan: Genetic factor: All in the genes
But, unfortunately, when one person with thalassaemia minor carrier happens to marry another with the same diagnosis, there is a strong possibility that their child would be thalassaemia major, as happened in the case of Taneja 
' My life depends upon a monthly blood transfusion '
0] thalassaemia demonstrates variable severity, ranging from a condition similar to [beta] thalassaemia minor to something approaching thalassaemia major 
A retrospective review of homozygous haemoglobin E patients
Thal, Alan P 
thalame
thalamencephalic
thalamencephalon
thalamic
thalamic fasciculus
thalamic nucleus
thalamic pain syndrome
thalamic peduncle
thalamic radiation
thalamo-
thalamocoele
thalamocortical
thalamocortical fibers
thalamogeniculate artery
thalamolenticular
thalamoperforating artery
thalamostriate radiation
thalamotuberal artery
Thalassaemia minor
thalassaemiaor Cooley's disease
thalassemic facies
thalasso-
Thalassobacter
Thalassobacter utilis
thalassoplankton
thalassoposia
thalidomide neuropathy
Thalidomider
thallium poisoning
Thalarctos
THALAS
Thalasaemia
Thalassaemia Association of Malaysia
thalassaemia major
Thalassaemias
thalassaemic
thalassanaemia
Thalassemia Action Group
Thalassemia Clinical Research Network
thalassemia syndrome



ground_truth: The conclusion was that fruit consumption may provide a protective effect for mercury exposure in Amazonian riparians.