cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth of silicides and interdiffusion in the Mo-Si system

Solid-solid diffusion couples assembled with disks of Mo and Si were annealed at selected temperatures, over the temperature range from 900 °C to 1350 °C, for the development of diffusion structure and determination of interdiffusion coefficients for the silicides of Mo. Layers of MoSi2 and Mo5Si3 were observed to form in the diffusion zone; the MoSi2 layer was one to two orders of magnitude larger in thickness than the Mo5Si3 layer. The MoSo2 layer developed a columnar microstructure with evidence of texture and preferential growth of grains in the direction of diffusion. The Si-to-Mo ratio, determined by microprobe analysis across the thickness of the MoSi2 layer, varied within the approximate range from 1.9 to 2.0. From the concentration profiles, integrated interdiffusion coefficients as well as energies of activation for interdiffusion were determined for the silicide layers. On the basis of the observed stoichiometric range for the MoSi2 phase, average values of the interdiffusion coefficients were also estimated. Relations are derived between the growth-rate constant and the integrated interdiffusion coefficient for the MoSi2 phase. The evaluated activation energies for interdiffusion in the MoSi2 and Mo5Si3 phases are 130±20 and 210±10 kJ/mol, respectively.
The role of control processes and structural constraints in models of memory and social judgment

Six experiments examining a recent model of memory and social judgment are reported. In particular, the theoretical concept of a Work Space is examined in terms of both its structural properties and a variety of control processes that govern its operation. In Experiment 1, subjects were given information about a stimulus person and told that they would later be asked to recall it as well as possible. The length of the actual delay before recall and the length of the anticipated delay were factorially varied. Under short delay conditions, subjects anticipating a short delay recalled more of the information than those anticipating a long delay. The reverse was true under actual long delay conditions. Other results suggest that the anticipated length of the delay has an effect on processes related to both encoding and storage/retrieval. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrate that, relative to no delay conditions, a long actual delay or a long anticipated delay produces polarization in social judgments. Both of these results are predicted by the model. Experiments 4–6 examine the effect of interpolated cognitive activity on memory and social judgment. As predicted by the model, relatively complicated cognitive activity leads to lower levels of recall and a greater polarization of judgments than less complicated intervening cognitive activity. It is argued that all of these results can be accounted for by the concept of a Work Space as a temporary repository devoted to the current information processing activities of the subject. It is thought that such a concept must be kept theoretically distinct from long-term memory. Implications of the results for models of memory and social judgment are discussed.
Surface Stabilization Of Inp Using Cds Thin Films

A chemical bath deposition process was used to grow thin (25–200 A) films of cadmium sulfide on (100) InP from an aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide, cadmium sulfate, and thiourea at 75–85 °C. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that ˜30 A films are amorphous, while thicker films exhibit a cubic polycrystalline microstructure, with a preferred orientation in the [110] direction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows the CdS treatment both removes the native oxides of InP and forms a stabilizing layer which protects the substrate from re-oxidation. Quasistatic capacitance-voltage response of MIS capacitors on InP, with a CdS layer between the insulator and substrate, exhibits well defined regions of accumulation, depletion, and inversion, indicating a high-quality interface region. An experimental Cmin/Cox , value of 0.28 was obtained, compared to the theoretical value of 0.07. The density of interface states (Dit) was reduced from 1012 to 1011 eV−1cm−2 after CdS treatment when calculated by the high-low method. InP MISFETs fabricated using CdS interlayers showed greatly enhanced device performance over untreated MISFETs.
Bubbles and crashes: Gradient dynamics in financial markets

Abstract Fund managers respond to the payoff gradient by continuously adjusting leverage in our analytic and simulation models. The base model has a stable equilibrium with classic properties. However, bubbles and crashes occur in extended models incorporating an endogenous market risk premium based on investors’ historical losses and constant-gain learning. When losses have been small for a long time, asset prices inflate as fund managers increase leverage. Then slight losses can trigger a crash, as a widening risk premium accelerates deleveraging and asset price declines.
Plate Damage Detection Using Vibration-Based and Static Deformation-Based Approaches

Damage detection is important for sensing and analyzing the degradation of structures, and can effectively avoid potential catastrophic failures. Among the numerous studies in literature, most emphasis was given to the damage detection based on vibration response signals for simple beam structures. In this paper, the feasibility of roughness method for plates was investigated using both vibration-based data and static deformation data. Two detection methods, namely, roughness method and fractal dimension method, were used to analyze the data. Both types of data were obtained for aluminum plates using finite element simulation. It was found that both methods were able to detect the damage and locate its position precisely with the two types of signals. The effectiveness of damage detection using static deformation data was further demonstrated by experimenting with a cracked cantilever beam. A computer vision camera efficiently and automatically collected the static deformation data, and this approach showed great potential compared with the expensive and time-consuming collection process for vibration response data such as mode shapes.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Simplifying the teaching of integer programming

The teaching of integer programming can be greatly simplified by taking a direct approach to each integer programming problem and letting the computer do the real work. The technique consists of considering all possible solutions (when possible) or a random sample of between 104 and 109solutions when complete enumeration is impossible. The computer merely checks all these feasible solutions and stores and then prints the optimum. This approach always works. It leads to a fast, efficiently obtained answer. The only question is, how good is the answer obtained by the random sample (Monte Carlo) technique? The author claims that the tails of the sampling distributions of the feasible solutions of practical integer programming problems are always thick enough to guarantee obtaining a solution that is almost equal to the true, but unknown, theoretical optimum. This claim is backed up by the generation of hundreds of such sampling distributions. Students are thus afforded the opportunity of solving very complex...
Contractile performance, mitochondrial function and blood flow distribution in porcine heart with induced coronary collateral circulation.

Progressive stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery in young pigs was surgically induced over eight weeks and was accompanied by the development of coronary collateral circulation originating from the right coronary artery. The antero-apical left ventricular myocardium dependent on this induced collateral blood supply became hypokinetic compared with the other regions of the left ventricle in the same hearts, and compared with the same region in different hearts, where the native ciruculation exists. Regional myocardial mechanics determined as fractional systolic shortening was 12.5±1.5% in normal regions, 0.7±2.4% in collateral-dependent myocardium, and in acutely ischemic myocardium was −2.0±1.3%, indicative of systolic lengthening. The rate of state 3 respiration of isolated mitochondria was depressed by 20% in collateral regions and by 64% in acutely ischemic regions relative to values obtained in mitochondria from respective normal myocardium (300 natoms of oxygen/min/mg mitochondria protein). Regional myocardial blood flow determined by 15 μ radionuclide labelled spheres revealed subendocardial hypoperfusion of 0.34±0.11 ml/min/g tissue in the collateral-dependent regions compared to 1.06±0.26 ml/min/g tissue in the normal regions. Transmural ischemia was observed (<0.10 ml/min/g tissue) in regions subjected to acute coronary artery ligation. Light microscopy revealed patchy fibrotic lesions predominately associated with the subendocardial half of of the collateral dependent myocardial wall. Accordingly, the hypokinesia of collateral-dependent myocardium is more likely the result of blood flow abnormalities and loss of contractile elements than from mitochondrial dysfunction.
Protein synthesis in salivary glands of Drosophila melanogaster: relation to chromosome puffs.

The salivary glands and other tissues from Drosophila melanogaster were dissected at various times throughout the prepupal period, as well as after heat shocks and ecdysterone treatments, and the proteins labelled by incubating the isolated tissues with [35S]methionine were separated by electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel. The labelled band patterns from salivary gland, as seen on the autoradiograph of the gel, showed striking variations, in a manner remarkably similar to variations in puff patterns during the same prepupal period. In proteins from Malpighian tubes, the pattern of bands varied to a lesser extent and in brain only a few components were modified. Heat shock brought about the appearance of a number of new bands, while others were reduced in intensity. This effect was observed with all the tissues examined, salivary glands, brain and Malpighian tubes, as well as wing imaginal discs, tissue lacking polytene chromosomes. The six most heavily labelled bands induced by heat shock represent about 30%, and one component alone represents over 15%, of the total label in the sample, as seen in salivary glands, brain and Malpighian tubes. The synthesis of RNA at puff sites was investigated after heat shock by [3H]uridine labelling. By correlating the amount of [3H]uridine in some puffs with the level of [35S]methionine in some bands a tentative relation is suggested in a few instances. The effect of ecdysterone treatment was also studied in the salivary glands. Changes in a number of protein bands were noticed, though they were much less pronounced than those following heat shock.
Radiated seismic energy and earthquake source duration variations from teleseismic source time functions for shallow subduction zone thrust earthquakes

[1] Earthquake source time functions deconvolved from teleseismic broadband P wave recordings are used to examine rupture variations for 417 underthrusting earthquakes located on the interplate interface in circum-Pacific subduction zones. Moment-scaled duration of significant moment release varies with depth, with longer-duration events occurring in the shallowest 20 km of the megathrusts. The source time functions are also used to estimate radiated seismic energy. Two estimates are obtained: a simple scaled triangle substitution for the moment release history provides a minimum estimate, while integration of the time function shape provides an estimate limited only by the bandwidth of the teleseismic deconvolutions. While these energy calculations underestimate total energy, they enable systematic comparisons of rupture process within and between subduction zones. We do not find significant depth dependence for radiated energy overall, but some regions do show mild trends of increasing energy/seismic moment ratios (E/Mo) with increasing source depth that correspond to rupture duration variations in those regions. The observations of longer rupture duration at shallow depth with moderate E/Mo may be due to heterogeneous friction and structural features on the shallow plate interface. INDEX TERMS: 7215 Seismology: Earthquake parameters; 7230 Seismology: Seismicity and seismotectonics; 8164 Tectonophysics: Stresses—crust and lithosphere; KEYWORDS: radiated energy, shallow subduction, source parameters
Ecological controls on the evolutionary recovery of post-Paleozoic crinoids

Analysis of morphological characters of a global sample of post-Paleozoic crinoid echinoderms shows that this group underwent a rapid diversification after the extinction at the end of the Permian to reach maximal morphological disparity by the Late Triassic, which is essentially the same evolutionary pattern seen during the group's early Paleozoic radiation. The accelerated morphological diversification of a single class implies that, even if clades surviving from the Paleozoic represented ecological incumbents that hindered the origin of new higher taxa, species within individual higher taxa rapidly exploited available ecological opportunities in the Mesozoic.
Identifying Sources of Nitrogen to Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Utilizing the Nitrogen Isotope Signature of Macroalgae

Sewage effluent, storm runoff, discharge from polluted rivers, and inputs of groundwater have all been suggested as potential sources of land derived nutrients into Hanalei Bay, Kauai. We determine...
Early-Stage Evolution of Electrons Emitted From Metal Target Surface During Ultrashort Laser Ablation in Vacuum

The early-stage evolution of electrons emitted from a metal target surface during ultrashort laser ablation in vacuum has been studied using a physics-based model. This kind of research work has been rarely reported in literature. In the model, the target heat transfer process is simulated by solving the two-temperature heat transfer equations, based on which the photoemission and thermionic emission of electrons from the target surface are calculated. The early-stage evolution of emitted electrons is described by solving the electron mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations, coupled with the Poisson’s equation that governs the developed electric field. The study shows that a relatively very high free electron density can be developed near the target surface, and the front of emitted electrons propagates very fast into the vacuum. The developed electric field strongly affects the evolution of emitted electrons. Using the physics-based model, the temporal variation and the spatial distribution of the emitted electron number density, and velocity will be studied and discussed. The early-stage evolution of the emitted electrons may affect the possible subsequent hydrodynamic motion in the target, and the resulted plasma formation and material removal (laser ablation) processes. Therefore, this study provides very useful information for the understanding of ultrashort laser-material interaction, laser-induced plasma, laser ablation (machining), and other relevant processes.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Results from coronary angioplasty and implications for the future.

Abstract Coronary dilation can be done with a primary success rate of 80% to 90%, provided it is done by an experienced angiographer, and with an expectation of long-term patency of 75% to 80%. Coronary surgeons should remain on standby, however, because 5% of the interventions necessitate emergency bypass grafting.
Distributed fast marching methods

Fast Marching represents a very efficient technique for solving the front propagation problems which can be formulated as boundary value partial differential equations |∇T(x, y)| = 1/F(x, y) on Ω, with Dirichlet boundary condition T(x, y) = 0 on ∂Ω. We show that the problem of computing the distance map across a smooth sampling domain can be posed in the form of such a partial differential equation, called Eikonal Equation and outline the Fast Marching approach towards approximating its solution. To prevent the Eikonal Equation from becoming non-differentiable, the Fast Marching Methods consider only numerical schemes which guarantee a correct upwind direction and a correct approximation of the viscosity solution.Fast Marching Methods are a necessary step in Level Set Methods, which are widely used today in scientific computing. The classical Fast Marching Methods, based on finite differences, proposed by Osher and Sethian, are theoretically optimal in terms of operation count: the algorithm's complexity is closer to the optimum of O(NlogN), where N represents the number of grid points. Since Fast Marching Methods are typically sequential, they are an obstacle to the deployment of Level Set Methods on parallel computers. By distributing the entire domain on multiple processors, we do not have to consider huge amount of grid points per processor. Hence, it is not necessary to use a special data structure, i.e. heap sort tree, like in the classical Fast Marching Methods to keep track of exact causal relationships between grid points. We maintain a looser relationship and update all visited points by using a double chained list.In this poster, we present several parallel implementations of the Fast Marching Methods for the Eikonal equation combining Fast Sweeping with Fast Marching, in such a way that allows fast convergence. We will illustrate the power of these approaches on a series of benchmarks which include the study of the convergence and the error estimates, and show the monotonicity and stability properties of the algorithms. For obtaining all the numerical results, the simulations are done using the LONI resources.
Natural and induced antisera specific for pulmonary macrophages.

Pulmonary macrophages of mice and hamsters but not rats have antigens on their surfaces which were absent from resident peritoneal macrophages, BCG stimulated pertioneal macrophages, and macrophages in other tissues. Antibodies to these antigens were found in the normal sera of rabbits from a variety of sources, and higher titers were induced by inoculation of rabbits with pulmonary macrophages. After absorption with peripheral blood cells and peritoneal macrophages, a highly specific anti-pulmonary macrophage serum was produced. Although usually absent in normal guinea pig sera, this antibody was induced in guinea pigs. To identify a specific antigen in mice, cell surface proteins of pulmonary and peritoneal macrophages were labelled with125I, disassociated by the detergent NP-40, and reacted with either specific guinea pig anti-mouse pulmonary macrophage serum or normal guinea pig serum. The precipitated surface proteins were identified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Specific pulmonary macrophage antigen had a molecular weight of 110,000. It was identified with specific antibody (but not with normal guinea pig serum) only on pulmonary macrophages. It was always absent from peritoneal macrophages. Proteins which precipitated in a non-specific fashion and were common to both pulmonary and peritoneal macrophages had molecular weights of 150,000–160,000, 70,000, and 32,000–40,0000. These proteins were detected with both the specific antiserum and normal guinea pig serum.
Maximum a posteriori approach to object recognition with distributed sensors

The maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation concept is applied to the problem of object recognition with several distributed sensors. It is shown that in binary object recognition the MAP object recognition also minimizes the mean-square error. Simulation results show that the performance of the MAP object recognition is, in general, at least as good as the best performance by the sensors used. >
Sampling fish assemblages in forested floodplain wetlands

– Four quantitative (area-standardized electrofishing, trap nets, small-mesh [1.3 and 2-cm bar mesh] gill nets, large-mesh [2.5 and 5-cm bar mesh] gill nets) and two qualitative (non-standardized electrofishing, dip netting) sampling techniques were concurrently used to capture larval to adult fish in forested wetland habitats on seasonally inundated floodplains of two Alabama (USA) streams. Standardized area electrofishing appeared to be the best sampling technique for collecting and quantifying species because of high catch rate, broad species and size coverage, and rapid sampling. Electrofishing accounted for most fish (47 and 57% of pooled catch), almost all taxa, and a broad range of fish sizes. Large-mesh gill nets captured few fish (2% and 8%), a distinct subset of the species present, and the largest fish. Light traps were the most efficient and taxa-comprehensive sampling technique for larval fish. Light traps captured the vast majority of the pooled larval fish catch, including 6 of 7 families recorded at the sites. Larval fish dip netting captured larval fish of most families known to be present but in low numbers. For surveys of species composition and rapid bioassessments, nonstandardized electrofishing and larval fish dip netting appear adequate. For intensive research studies, the combination of area electrofishing, large-mesh (and in some cases small-mesh) gill nets, and light traps provide thorough and comprehensive data on wetland fish assemblages.
CONDITION-SPECIFIC COMPETITION IN CONTAINER MOSQUITOES: THE ROLE OF NONCOMPETING LIFE-HISTORY STAGES

Condition-specific competition, wherein competitive superiority varies with the abiotic environment, can determine species' distributions in a spatially heterogeneous environment. We investigated this phenomenon with two competing container-dwelling mosquitoes. We tested the hypothesis that habitat drying alters the outcome of interspecific competition, predicting that the competitive impact of Aedes albopictus on Aedes aegypti would be severe in wetter environments, but greatly reduced in drier environments. We tested these predictions in a laboratory experiment within cages, with aquatic larvae residing in water-filled cups within the cage, and adults emerging within the cage and ovipositing on the cups. We raised each species alone or with the competitor. Environmental treatments were fluctuating (water in cups evaporated to 50% of the original volume and then cups were refilled), and drying (water in cups evaporated completely and cups remained dry for two weeks before refilling). There was a significant interaction between treatment and species combination for adult populations of both species. Interspecific competition was highly asymmetrical. In the wetter fluctuating environment, interspecific competition had a large negative effect on A. aegypti, but in the drying environment, interspecific competition had a large negative effect on A. albopictus, and relatively little impact on A. aegypti. The main cause of the shift in competitive advantage appeared to be a greater increase in egg mortality for A. albopictus under dry conditions, compared to A. aegypti. Thus, mortality impinging on noncompeting life cycle stages can alter the population level impact of interspecific competition. The hypothesis that dry conditions shift competitive advantage away from A. albopictus is supported in this experiment.
‘As glad a father as ever was King’: The Reformation counterfactuals of Henry VIII's children

The frustrations of Henry VIII in his search for a male heir are well documented in historical research and in popular culture, with everything from soap operas to mnemonics tracing his destructive relationships with his six wives (The Tudors and the ever-unsettling ‘divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived’). Such attention is justified, as Henry's decision to break away from the Roman Catholic Church in his quest for his first divorce was the catalyst for decades of religious and political strife, domestically and internationally. But what if his first son had lived? What if one of his daughters had been a boy instead? This essay puts forward several counterfactual situations based on the sex and health of Henry's male and female children that could have had profound implications for English policy and the monarchy, and explores a facet of counterfactual research – biological chance – that has previously been underrepresented. An earlier version of this essay was handwritten and presented...
Image and instrumentality in a Xavante politics of existential recognition: The public outreach work of EtÉnhiritipa Pimentel Barbosa

This analysis of one Xavante group's innovative projects to represent Xavante culture to nonindigenous audiences reveals multiple and complex perceptions of instrumentalities as well as political goals. Unlike many contemporary Native (Amazonian and other) groups that use aspects of their culture to attract support and achieve concrete political goals, local objectives are relatively abstract and future oriented, having to do with public “image” and “existential recognition.” Analysis illustrates that local ideas about indigenous cultural displays aimed primarily at nonindigenous audiences, including “identity politics” and apparently straightforward cultural commodification, may not neatly correspond with anthropologists' or other outsiders' expectations. Overly narrow interpretive foci may cause anthropologists to overlook the potential for multiple and complex objectives and a diversity of locally significant dimensions.
Pathologic changes noted in rats fed D&C Red No. 9 for two years

Abstract Two hundred and fifty 3-week-old Osborne-Mendel rats divided into 5 groups of 50 rats each, each group equally divided by sex, were started on a two-year feeding experiment on DC however, pigmentation of the renal tubular epithelium occurred only in rats on these two feeding levels. At 0.05% and 0.01% there were no gross or microscopic pathologic changes attributable to D&C Red No. 9.
Fuelling Calorie Intake Decline: Household-Level Evidence from Rural India

Summary In India, average calorie intake has declined even as real monthly expenditure has increased. Since cross sectional evidence suggests a positive relationship between the two variables, the trend emerges as a major puzzle. Using household-level data from four recent rounds of National Sample Survey data on consumption expenditure and a novel instrumental variable estimation strategy we find that rising expenditure on non-food items is one of the factors that has led to the calorie intake decline. We provide causal evidence for such a food budget squeeze in the case of one type of non-food item, viz. expenditures on cooking fuel.
Political instability, country risk and probability of default

Two political risk variables (level of demaocracy and political instability) are created and included in a probit model of rescheduling. Both the coefficient estimates and the forecasting performance strongly support the importance of including quantified proxies of political events in the assessment of overall country exposure faced by international lenders. An inverse relationship between rescheduling probabilities for a given country and its level of democracy is found, while a direct relationship is established between the rescheduling probabilities and the level of political instability.
Women and Substance Abuse: Critical Issues in Treatment Design

The status of women who abuse drugs is briefly reviewed and important considerations for treatment design are proposed. General concerns stress the importance of a well formulated treatment philoso...
High-throughput 3-D cell-based proliferation and cytotoxicity assays for drug screening and bioprocess development

We have designed, built and tested a three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture system on modified microplates for high-throughput, real-time, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. In this 3-D culture system, cells expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were cultured in nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibrous scaffolds. Compared to 2-D cultures in conventional microplates, 3-D cultures gave more than 10-fold higher fluorescence signals with significantly increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), thus extending the application of conventional fluorescence microplate readers for online monitoring of culture fluorescence. The 3-D system was successfully used to demonstrate the effects of fetal bovine serum, fibronectin coating of PET fibers, and cytotoxicity of dexamethasone on recombinant murine embryonic stem D3 cells. The dosage effects of 5-fluorouracil and gemcitabine on high-density colon cancer HT-29 cells were also tested. These studies demonstrated that the 3-D culture microplate system with EGFP expressing cells can be used as a high-throughput system in drug discovery and bioprocess development.
Some current concepts of cochlear mechanics.

The development of the current concepts is reviewed in historical perspective. Helmholtz's hypothesis of basilar-membrane resonance was partially confirmed and partially defeated by Bekesy's experiments on models and postmortem cochlear preparations. He discovered that sound was propagated in the cochlea in the form of traveling waves which reached a flat maximum at a frequency-dependent location. Mathematical theory explained this type of sound propagation as a special case of surface waves. Johnstone and his coworkers discovered that the maximum of cochlear vibration in living animals was much sharper than postmortem, and more recently Khanna and Johnstone independently determined the maximum to be nearly as sharp as the tuning curves of the inner hair cells and the auditory-nerve fibers. These findings, together with the work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on alligator lizards, have led to new concepts of cochlear mechanics which include hypothesized micromechanical processes in the organ of Corti. These concepts deal not only with the sharpness of basilar-membrane tuning but also with the details of the basilar-membrane amplitude and phase characteristics, as well as with the hair cell and neural tuning curves and response phases. They suggest that some sharpening of the tuning curves occurs between the basilar membrane and hair-cell responses. Such sharpening has been demonstrated in lizards, but in the mammalian ear, the relation is less clear.
Concomitant psychotropic medication use during treatment of schizophrenia patients: longitudinal results from the CATIE study.

Objective: This study is a post hoc analysis of additions of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedative/hypnotics in treatment of patients randomized to antipsychotic treatment in the CATIE study, which recruited a chronic, "real world" schizophrenia sample and followed patients for up to eighteen months. We examined baseline predictors of initiation, time until initiation, and duration of treatment with antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedative/hypnotics in CATIE study participants. Methods: Psychotropic medication use by 1,449 CATIE study participants was documented at each study visit. Baseline demographic and clinical predictors of initiation, of time to initiation, and of duration of treatment of Concomitant Psychotropic Medications (CPMs) in each category (antidepressant, anxiolytic, and sedative/hypnotics) were identified through multiple regression analyses. Results: Initiation of new CPMs post baseline by CATIE clinicians was moderately frequent, with 14.6% of patients receiving antidepressants,...
Trace Metal Mineral Equilibria in Lake Erie Sediments

Abstract The thermodynamic tendency of metal phosphate and carbonate mineral phases to precipitate in Lake Erie sediments has been calculated by means of an ion-pair model of the interstitial water chemistry. The calculations suggest that detrital calcite, aragonite, and dolomite should be dissolving in the sediments, but that iron and manganese carbonates should be precipitating. Regenerated phosphate should be reacting with calcium, iron, manganese, and lead to form authigenic mineral phases and be removed from solution. Whitlockite, Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , and not hydrozylapatite, Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH, is the predicted primary controlling phase for phosphate, although apatites are supersaturated and may be precipitating. Zinc and cadmium are apparently controlled by other mechanisms, perhaps as sulfide phases, mixed mineral phases, adsorption, and/or ion exchange equilibria.
Higher concentrations of chlorides and other contaminants found in many U.S. well networks

Higher concentrations of chlorides and other contaminants found in many U.S. well networks A new analysis of 56 well networks that represent many major U.S. aquifers and urban and agricultural land use areas has found that in 66% of the networks there was a statistically significant increase in concentration of at least one of three indicators of water quality: chlorides, dissolved solids, and nitrates. The analysis, by the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program ( NAWQA), which was released on 30 April, compared samples of groundwater collected from wells during 1988–2000 with corresponding samples collected from 2001–2010. The analysis found statistically significant increases of chloride concentrations in 43% of the networks, with the largest median decadal increases in well networks in the upper Illinois River Basin and in the New England coastal basins, while the largest median decadal decrease was in the upper Snake River Basin in the Pacific Northwest. The analysis also found statistically significant increases of dissolved solids concentrations in 41% of the well networks and increases of nitrate concentrations in 23%.
Risk of Unintentional Overdose with Non-Prescription Acetaminophen Products

Background There is increasing concern over the risk of consumer unintentional misuse of non-prescription (a.k.a. ‘over-the-counter’) medications containing acetaminophen, which could lead to acute liver failure.
Blocking vascular endothelial growth factor with soluble Flt‐1 improves the chondrogenic potential of mouse skeletal muscle–derived stem cells

Objective To investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulation and the effect of blocking VEGF with its antagonist, soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1), on chondrogenesis, using muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) isolated from mouse skeletal muscle. Methods The direct effect of VEGF on the in vitro chondrogenic ability of mouse MDSCs was tested using a pellet culture system, followed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histologic analyses. Next, the effect of VEGF on chondrogenesis within the synovial joint was tested, using genetically engineered MDSCs implanted into rat osteochondral defects. In this model, MDSCs transduced with a retroviral vector to express bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) were coimplanted with MDSCs transduced to express either VEGF or sFlt-1 (a VEGF antagonist) to provide a gain- and loss-of-function experimental design. Histologic scoring was used to compare cartilage formation among the treatment groups. Results Hyaline-like cartilage matrix production was observed in both VEGF-treated and VEGF-blocked (sFlt-1–treated) pellet cultures, but quantitative PCR revealed that sFlt-1 treatment improved the expression of chondrogenic genes in MDSCs that were stimulated to undergo chondrogenic differentiation with BMP-4 and transforming growth factor β3 (TGFβ3). In vivo testing of articular cartilage repair showed that VEGF-transduced MDSCs caused an arthritic change in the knee joint, and sFlt-1 improved the MDSC-mediated repair of articular cartilage, compared with BMP-4 alone. Conclusion Soluble Flt-1 gene therapy improved the BMP-4– and TGFβ3-induced chondrogenic gene expression of MDSCs in vitro and improved the persistence of articular cartilage repair by preventing vascularization and bone invasion into the repaired articular cartilage.
Digital microfluidics for bioassays and drug delivery

Summary form only give. This presentation will focus on the development of microscale and nanoscale platform technologies for the interrogation and manipulation of biological and physiological activities. One platform we are developing can generate micro and nanoscale droplets/particles/vesicles by controlling amphiphilic interfaces in microfluidic devices. I utilize self-assembly forces in nature to design nanoscale structures that interface biological components with physical transducers that interrogate their activities or allow external manipulation. Through the design of microfluidic channel networks, droplet arrays present a novel method for controlling biochemistry and self-assembly at picoliter to femtoliter volumes, approaching the level of cellular activities. Nanoscale features can be designed into these vesicles that mimic biological functions such as molecular recognition, protein synthesis, and molecular transport. Based on the materials delivered, droplets can then form polymer nanoparticles (e.g. photopolymerization), lipid bilayer vesicles, and multilayer drug particles. Applications that we are pursuing include smart vesicles for targeted imaging and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, synthetic antibodies by molecular imprint polymer nanoparticles, protein crystallization, quantum dot synthesis in droplet microreactors, combinatorial cell-based assays, and cell-encapsulation for combinatorial assays and tissue engineering.
Genetic variability among populations of Fusicladium species from different host trees and geographic locations in the USA

Peach and almond scab caused by Venturia carpophila and pecan scab caused by Fusicladium effusum result in yield loss, downgrading of fruit, defoliation and subsequent decline of an orchard. To understand the levels of genetic diversity and divergence of pathogens from different hosts and locations 51 isolates were genotyped and analyzed using 10 RAPD and 5 UP-PCR markers, including 18 isolates of V. carpophila from peach trees in the southeastern United States, 12 isolates of V. carpophila from almond trees in California, and 21 isolates of F. effusum (a related species) from pecan trees in the southeastern United States. The combined marker results showed a low incidence of polymorphisms among the peach isolates (4.2 % of markers), but a higher incidence of polymorphisms among the almond isolates (42.0 %) and the pecan isolates (61.0 %). The Dice coefficient of similarity ranged from 0.932 to 1.000 for the peach V. carpophila isolates, 0.214 to 0.976 for the almond V. carpophila isolates, and 0.528 to 0.920 for the pecan F. effusum isolates. UPGMA bootstrap values indicated that UP-PCR data were slightly more robust and, based on the combined data, the UPGMA bootstrap analysis (1,000 runs) gave a high node value (100 %) differentiating all the isolates of V. carpophila from F. effusum and a moderate node value differentiating the peach and almond isolates of V. carpophila (68 %). The results suggest some divergence between the V. carpophila populations of almond trees in California and peach tree populations in the southeastern United States, and different levels of genetic diversity within the two populations.
Optical design of ARIES: the new near-infrared science instrument for the adaptive f/15 Multiple Mirror Telescope

Steward Observatory is building a deformable f/15 secondary mirror that will compensate for atmospheric turbulence for the 6.5m Multiple Mirror Telescope conversion. With the proposed adaptive optics system, this new telescope is expected to resolve diffraction limited images, approximately an order of magnitude better than present seeing. This improved visibility with a larger light collecting area and low thermal background requires a new science instrument, diffraction limited for the 1 to 5 micrometers region. This science instrument, presently in its early manufacturing stages, consists of four cameras, low resolution spectroscopy with grisms, high resolution spectroscopy with a cross-dispersed Echelle grating and an atmospheric dispersion corrector. The cameras will provide simultaneous slit viewing, differential imaging and two pixel sampling over the full wavelength band. Each camera will operate with a 1024 X 1024 HgCdTe array optimized for the spectral region of the camera. An IR tip/tilt sensor is also incorporated into the instrument that will relay natural guide star motion to the adaptive secondary in a closed-loop approach. This paper is an optical design instrument overview.
Knowledge, skill, and education in the new global economy

Abstract This paper deals with three main topics. The first is the nature of post-industrial, service-based economies in which human capital has special importance. In the new global economy, sharp distinctions between services and goods become more difficult to draw, as exemplified by computer software, perhaps the purest embodiment so far of a knowledge-based industry in which human and organizational capital account for nearly all value added. Where does this intangible capital come from? That is the subject of the second section of the paper, which discusses the meanings attached to knowledge, skill and other components of human capital, sketching out a view emphasizing tacit know-how and the lessons of experience. This sets the stage for a third section outlining a number of implications for higher education.
Kinematic evaluation of two snow-shovel designs

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine how different shovel designs affect trunk motion during snow shoveling. A shovel having a straight shaft and a shovel having a bent shaft were evaluated across three levels of task asymmetry. The primary dependent variables were measures of lumbar kinematics in three directions with respect to the spine (sagittal, rotational, and frontal) recorded with a lumbar motion monitor. Ratings of perceived discomfort and measures of heart rate were also collected. In a laboratory experiment, 12 participants were required to stimulate snow shoveling in three different directions with each shovel. Results showed that the bent shovel significantly reduced the lumbar velocity and acceleration in the sagittal plane without affecting motion in the rotational or frontal planes. Most sagittal and rotational motion parameters increased significantly as throwing direction became more asymmetric. The discomfort ratings indicated that the low back, arms, and wrist were the body regions most severely affected by the task, with some evidence of differences between the two shovel designs. Relevance to industry The use of a bent-handled shovel will reduce lumbar sagittal flexion without increasing side bending and twisting during snow-shoveling work. However, the use of multiple shovel designs during snow removal may be needed to reduce discomfort of the upper extremities.
Rectal cancer: the sphincter-sparing approach

There is considerable skepticism regarding sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer, and 40% to 60% APR rates are reported in many prospective studies. Despite radical surgery, 20% positive margin rates are frequently reported. Rectal carcinoma responds to preoperative chemoradiation therapy with a 10% to 15% pathologic complete response rate. Preoperative therapy offers an opportunity to reduce the positive margin rate and to reduce the APR rate. Because there is significant tumor regression with preoperative therapy, distal margins of less 1 cm are acceptable and do not result in suture line recurrence. APR rate of less than 10% is feasible and better chemotherapy with radiation therapy will reduce the APR to less than 5%.
Forward flight effects on mixer nozzle design and noise considerations for STOL externally blown flap systems

Experimental data of the peak axial-velocity decay in a moving airstream are presented for several types of nozzles. The nozzles include a six-tube mixer nozzle of a type considered for reduction of jet-flap interaction noise for externally-blown-flap STOL aircraft. The effect of secondary flow on the core flow velocity decay of a bypass nozzle is also discussed. Tentative correlation equations are suggested for the configurations evaluated. Recommendations for minimizing forward velocity effects on velocity decay and jet-flap interaction noise are made.
Effects of tumor bearing and protein depletion on wound breaking strength in the rat

Investigations into the effects of tumor bearing and protein depletion on wound breaking strength (WBS), serum protein content, and scar collagen production were performed in the rat. Animals were fed either regular diet (RD) or protein-depleted diets (PD) prior to or following wounding. Animals fed PD postwounding consistently lost weight, had reduced WBS, lower serum proteins, and reduced scar [3H]hydroxyproline content at 14 and 21 days whether they were on RD or PD diets prewounding. Animals fed PD prewounding and RD following wounding approached control values of WBS and scar [3H]hydroxyproline content by 21 days. Tumor bearing (TB) animals on RD manifested weight loss, reduced WBS, and hypoproteinemia by Day 21, compared to non-tumor (NTB) animals on RD but fed to pair the carcass weight of TB animals. In order to achieve comparable reductions in WBS and serum albumin levels seen in TB animals, we imposed severe metabolic restrictions on NTB animals by PD diets. This eventuated in weight loss two times greater than the TB animals as well as hypoproteinemia. Reductions in WBS were accompanied by wound compliance changes suggesting decreased compliance in TB animals.
Towards optimization of arylamides as novel, potent, and brain-penetrant antiprion lead compounds

The prion diseases caused by PrPSc, an alternatively folded form of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), are rapidly progressive, fatal, and untreatable neurodegenerative syndromes. We employed HTS ELISA assays to identify compounds that lower the level of PrPSc in prion-infected mouse neuroblastoma (ScN2a-cl3) cells and identified a series of arylamides. SAR studies indicated that small amides with one aromatic, or heteroaromatic ring, on each side of the amide bond are of modest potency. Of note, benzamide (7), with an EC50 of 2200 nM, was one of only a few arylamide hits with a piperazine group on its aniline moiety. The basic piperazine nitrogen can be protonated at physiologic pH, improving solubility, and therefore we wanted to exploit this feature in our search for a drug candidate. An SAR campaign resulted in several key analogs, including a set with biaryl groups introduced on the carbonyl side for improved potency. Several of these biaryl analogs have submicromolar potency, with the most potent analog 17 having an EC50 = 22 nM. More importantly, 17 and several biarylamides (20, 24, 26, 27) were able to traverse the BBB and displayed excellent drug levels in the brains of mice following oral dosing. These biarylamides may represent good starting points for further lead optimization for the identification of potential drug candidates for the treatment of prion diseases.
The bioassay of pitressin and antidiuretic substances in blood and urine.

ATHOUGH many methods have been proposed for the assay of the antidiuretic hormone of the neurohypophysis, a simple, precise procedure is still not available (vanDyke, 1952). The present report is concerned with a procedure which meets the requirements for simplicity and the precision essential for relatively accurate bioassays. The method is based on the observation that when rats are given a gavage of saline which is repeated one hour later, the volume of urine excreted after the second gavage is essentially linear on time for sixty minutes. Accordingly, the volume excreted during an early portion of the sixty minute interval bears a constant relation to that excreted at the end of that interval so that the ratio of the former to the latter can be utilized as an expression of the diuresis. method Male albino rats, weighing from 140 to 225 grams, were used after a preliminary fast of approximately 16 hours during which time the animals were permitted access to water.