cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fabrication and magnetic control of alginate-based rolling microrobots

Advances in microrobotics for biological applications are often limited due to their complex manufacturing processes, which often utilize cytotoxic materials, as well as limitations in the ability to manipulate these small devices wirelessly. In an effort to overcome these challenges, we investigated a facile method for generating biocompatible hydrogel based robots that are capable of being manipulated using an externally generated magnetic field. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the fabrication and autonomous control of loaded-alginate microspheres, which we term artificial cells. In order to generate these microparticles, we employed a centrifuge-based method in which microspheres were rapidly ejected from a nozzle tip. Specifically, we used two mixtures of sodium alginate; one containing iron oxide nanoparticles and the other containing mammalian cells. This mixture was loaded into a needle that was fixed on top of a microtube containing calcium chloride, and then briefly centrifuged to generate hundreds of Janus microspheres. The fabricated microparticles were then magnetically actuated with a rotating magnetic field, generated using electromagnetic coils, prompting the particles to roll across a glass substrate. Also, using vision-based feedback control, a single artificial cell was manipulated to autonomously move in a programmed pattern.
The Respiratory Cycle: A Three-Gas System

Publisher Summary The biology of nitric oxide (NO) is defined by the interactions of NO with hemoglobin (Hb). Specifically, the addition reaction in which NO purportedly binds irreversibly to unliganded hemes in Hb, and the oxidation reaction in which nitrate and methemoglobin are produced from the interaction of NO with oxyhemoglobin, have been widely viewed as the principal fates of NO in vivo. These reaction pathways, however, are difficult to reconcile with the activity of NO as endothelium-derived relaxing factor and, if dominant, dictate that NO consumption would far exceed production in vivo, in violation of a mass-balance constraint. This chapter reviews recent work from laboratories showing that NO addition and oxidation reactions, as operationally defined, are of secondary importance under physiological conditions. Instead, Hb recruits alternative reaction pathways with NO that preserve its bioactivity. The data shows that Hb conserves its NO while dispensing it selectively to maximize O2 delivery in the respiratory cycle.
Renal Macrophages and Dendritic Cells in SLE Nephritis

The purpose of the study was to review the characteristics of renal macrophages and dendritic cells during homeostasis and disease, with a particular focus on lupus nephritis. Resident renal macrophages derive from embryonic sources and are long-lived and self-renewing; they are also replaced from the bone marrow with age. The unique characteristics of macrophages in each tissue are imposed by the microenvironment and reinforced by epigenetic modifications. In acute renal injury, inflammatory macrophages are rapidly recruited and then replaced by those with a wound healing/resolution phenotype. In lupus nephritis, dendritic cells infiltrate the kidneys and function to present antigen and organize tertiary lymphoid structures that amplify inflammation. In addition, both infiltrating and resident macrophages contribute to ongoing injury. These cells have a mixed inflammatory and alternatively activated phenotype that may reflect failed resolution, potentially leading to tissue fibrosis and irreversible damage. A further understanding of the renal inflammatory cells that mediate tissue injury and fibrosis should lead to new therapies to help preserve renal function in patients with lupus nephritis.
Reducing the Consequences of Acute Stress on Memory Retrieval

Psychological stress has been shown to impair episodic memory retrieval. Implicated in this memory impairment is the physiological stress response, which interferes with retrieval-related neural processing. An important next step in research is to determine how to improve post-stress memory accessibility. In this review, we first consider methodological differences in studies that have examined stress and memory, as they lend insight into the conditions under which stress does and does not impede retrieval. Motivated by these variations in methodology, we advocate for two potential approaches to intervention. One approach is to employ evidence-based techniques that reduce the physiological stress response. A second approach is to target the processes that occur during initial learning to promote the formation of highly accessible memories. Thus, this review serves to both critically evaluate the methods used to examine the effects of stress on memory retrieval and encourage research on interventions for stress-related memory impairment.
Psychoanalytic Theory and Marriage

Of the major treatment orientations, psychoanalysis has shown the least interest in the study and treatment of marital discord. There is considerable ambivalence within that therapeutic community about the extent to which practitioners should be concerned with current interpersonal relationships of patients. Paradoxically, in spite of this ambivalence, psychoanalytic theory is probably the most influential contemporary theoretical system affecting the treatment of interpersonal difficulties. This is because of the pervasiveness of psychoanalytic concepts among mental health practitioners, particularly among psychiatrists and psychiatric social workers.
Evaluation and Treatment of Isolated Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms

Iliac artery aneurysms are found unilateral or bilaterally with equal frequency and are more common in older males; the majority of these cases are associated to abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The pathogenesis of iliac artery aneurysms is similar to that of AAA, and most are diagnosed incidentally in asymptomatic patients. The natural history of iliac artery aneurysms is to progressively enlarge and rupture. Untreated, small (<3 cm) isolated iliac artery aneurysms are estimated to grow at a rate of about 0.5–1.1 mm/year, but may expand at a faster pace (over 2.6 mm/year) when larger than 3 cm. The risk of rupture of iliac artery aneurysm can approach 75% when they reach 5 cm in diameter. Open repair offers the greatest assurance of a lasting repair and is ideal in patients that are at low risk and/or young, although the short-term morbidity may be greater. Patients who are at high risk for open repair, technically difficult to access (obese or reoperations), and/or relatively older are best served with an endoluminal approach.
Arc Measurement of Some Ar ii Optical Transition Probabilities

Wall-stabilized arc measurements employing the generalized Fowler–Milne diagnostic technique have been carried out in argon at atmospheric pressure. Transition probabilities are reported for all lines of the 4s–4p and 3d–4p Ar ii arrays lying below 7200 A.
Thermal State of the Gas Hydrate Reservoir

The stability of gas hydrate is dependent on pressure (P), temperature (7), and the solubility of gas (e. g., Handa, 1990; Zatsepina and Buffett, 1997) as a function of pressure and temperature in the system. As illustrated in Chapter 1, the stability of hydrate is more susceptible to changes in temperature than pressure. Measurements that constrain thermal regimes in hydrate reservoirs therefore provide fundamental information about one of the most basic parameters controlling the stability of the deposits.
Increasing Chemistry Content Engagement by Implementing Polymer Infusion into Gatekeeper Chemistry Courses

Mastery of core chemistry content is a degree requirement for several STEM majors. Gatekeeper courses, like general and physical chemistry, have a history of weeding out struggling students, and often underrepresented groups underperform. While gatekeeper courses ensure students are prepared for STEM degrees, it is essential they do not create undue obstacles or dampen interest in STEM. This article describes the implementation and evaluation of efforts to infuse polymer science into a two-semester sequence of general and physical chemistry courses. Survey and focus group data revealed positive feedback from students. Also, improved student mastery of polymer concepts and knowledge was demonstrated in pre- and postassessments. Ultimately, these initial efforts provided students with additional foundational skills and increased engagement with chemistry content.
Personal Strivings to Understand Anxiety Disorders: Social Anxiety as an Exemplar:

People with anxiety disorders tend to make decisions on the basis of avoiding threat rather than obtaining rewards. Despite a robust literature examining approach-avoidance motivation, less is know...
In pursuit of advanced materials from single-source precursors based on metal carbonyls

In this perspective, the development of single-source precursors and their relative advantages over multiple source approaches for the synthesis of metal pnictide solid state materials is explored. Particular efforts in the selective production of iron phosphide materials for catalytic applications are discussed, especially directed towards the hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions of water splitting.
Inositol monophosphatase 1 as a novel interacting partner of RAGE in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lethal disease characterized by progressive pulmonary vascular remodeling. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays an important role...
Strain Engineering of 2D Materials: Issues and Opportunities at the Interface

Triggered by the growing needs of developing semiconductor devices at ever-decreasing scales, strain engineering of 2D materials has recently seen a surge of interest. The goal of this principle is to exploit mechanical strain to tune the electronic and photonic performance of 2D materials and to ultimately achieve high-performance 2D-material-based devices. Although strain engineering has been well studied for traditional semiconductor materials and is now routinely used in their manufacturing, recent experiments on strain engineering of 2D materials have shown new opportunities for fundamental physics and exciting applications, along with new challenges, due to the atomic nature of 2D materials. Here, recent advances in the application of mechanical strain into 2D materials are reviewed. These developments are categorized by the deformation modes of the 2D material-substrate system: in-plane mode and out-of-plane mode. Recent state-of-the-art characterization of the interface mechanics for these 2D material-substrate systems is also summarized. These advances highlight how the strain or strain-coupled applications of 2D materials rely on the interfacial properties, essentially shear and adhesion, and finally offer direct guidelines for deterministic design of mechanical strains into 2D materials for ultrathin semiconductor applications.
How Can We Solve Our Problems? (Science, Technology, and Society)

More often than not, science fiction movies involve crisis management. A serious problem arises—alien invaders, natural disasters, or unforeseen consequences of some new technology, to name just a few—and a solution must be found urgently. The solution requires the best scientific minds and the latest technology, often preceded or followed up by military intervention. Indeed, much of real science is devoted to problem-solving. Natural curiosity, in response to puzzling observations, leads to all sorts of interesting questions about how the world works. The goal of basic research is to answer these fundamental questions, while applied research is aimed at solving specific, practical problems. But there are problems of a different sort, not all of which are solvable by science or technology.
Expression of the genes for insulin-like growth factors and their receptors in bone during skeletal growth

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are important regulators of skeletal growth. To determine whether the capacity to produce and respond to these growth factors changes during skeletal development, we measured the protein and mRNA levels for IGF-I, IGF-II, and their receptors (IGF-IR and IGF-IIR, respectively) in the tibia and femur of rats before and up to 28 mo after birth. The mRNA levels remained high during fetal development but fell after birth, reaching a nadir by 3-6 wk. This fall was most pronounced for IGF-II and IGF-IIR mRNA and least pronounced for IGF-I mRNA. However, after 6 wk, both IGF-I and IGF-IR mRNA levels recovered toward the levels observed at birth. In the prenatal bones, the signals for the mRNAs of IGF-II and IGF-IIR were stronger than the signals for the mRNAs of IGF-I and IGF-IR, although the content of IGF-I was three- to fivefold greater than that of IGF-II. IGF-II levels fell postnatally, whereas the IGF-I content rose after birth such that the ratio IGF-I/IGF-II continued to increase with age. We conclude that, during development, rat bone changes its capacity to produce and respond to IGFs with a progressive trend toward the dominance of IGF-I.
Two-way bilingual education programs and sense of belonging: perspectives from middle school students

This exploratory study examined the experiences of middle school students in an urban two-way bilingual education (TWBE) program. Through the lens of students’ sense of belonging, the study examine...
Common-pool resources and population genomics in Iceland, Estonia, and Tonga.

This paper addresses the application of the ethical concept of trust and the legal and political concept of public trust to population genomics projects in Iceland, Estonia, and Tonga. Focusing on trust and public trust, the paper explores analogies between the genomics projects and the treatment of other common-pool resources, making use of the notion of trust as an ethical demand, derived from the works of Emmanuel Levinas and Knud Eljer Logstrup. The paper discusses the degree to which the ethical demands for trust and public trust have been established and maintained in the three national population genomics projects.
Stochastic modeling of subglacial topography exposes uncertainty in water routing at Jakobshavn Glacier

Subglacial topography is an important feature in numerous ice-sheet analyses and can drive the routing of water at the bed. Bed topography is primarily measured with ice-penetrating radar. Significant gaps, however, remain in data coverage that require interpolation. Topographic interpolations are typically made with kriging, as well as with mass conservation, where ice flow dynamics are used to constrain bed geometry. However, these techniques generate bed topography that is unrealistically smooth at small scales, which biases subglacial water flowpath models and makes it difficult to rigorously quantify uncertainty in subglacial drainage patterns. To address this challenge, we adapt a geostatistical simulation method with probabilistic modeling to stochastically simulate bed topography such that the interpolated topography retains the spatial statistics of the ice-penetrating radar data. We use this method to simulate subglacial topography using mass conservation topography as a secondary constraint. We apply a water routing model to each of these realizations. Our results show that many of the flowpaths significantly change with each topographic realization, demonstrating that geostatistical simulation can be useful for assessing confidence in subglacial flowpaths.
Merry Season’s Controversy

Discussion of the infamous "Christmas Controversy" – the legality of religious symbols in holiday displays on public land. This issue is examined both from the viewpoint of an attorney and a scholar of religion: From a legal point of view, the article examines the holdings of three major Supreme Court cases which have addressed this issue. From the viewpoint of religious scholarship, the article examined the relevant sociology of religion, which is also an important factor in accounting for why, in spite of settled precedents, this issue remains controversial.
The Informational Efficiency of the Corporate Bond Market: An Intraday Analysis

Using a unique dataset based on daily and hourly high-yield bond transaction prices, we find the informational efficiency of corporate bond prices is similar to that of the underlying stocks. We find that stocks do not lead bonds in reflecting firm-specific information. We further examine price behavior around earnings news and find that information is quickly incorporated into both bond and stock prices, even at short return horizons. Finally, we find that measures of market quality are no poorer for the bonds in our sample than for the underlying stocks.
The First Amendment Structure for Speakers and Speech

A noticeable trend in the Roberts Court’s free speech decisions is heightened attention to the dimensions of the First Amendment. From holding false factual statements, violent video games, and animal cruelty depictions are covered by the First Amendment, to determining that a legislator’s vote, the government’s acceptance of a monument, and a law school’s refusal to allow access to military recruiters are not, the Court has highlighted the importance of evaluating both the scope of the First Amendment and the appropriate attribution of communicative efforts. But the Court has failed to announce an overarching structural framework for resolving these prefatory coverage and attribution issues, instead compartmentalizing speech and speaker concerns into separate doctrinal strands.This Article illustrates the interrelationship of these speech and speaker issues and their amenability to a structural framework based upon historical traditions and contemporary communicative utility. Linguistic communications presumptively fall within First Amendment coverage except when historically treated as outside the guarantee’s scope or when traditionally viewed as attributable to the government or polity. The presumption, though, is reversed for nonlinguistic communicative attempts; founding-era traditions indicating the form’s predominant expressiveness are necessary to presume coverage. Yet even communicative efforts outside the First Amendment’s presumptive scope may be covered based on contemporary insights regarding the expressive value of the communicative effort when compared to its associated harms.The Supreme Court’s doctrine supporting this coverage structure reveals both the salience of originalism in determining the First Amendment’s baseline scope and the implausibility of a single unifying free expression theory. The fundamental question of First Amendment coverage is informed by a combination of historical practices and contemporary insights. These traditions and attitudes have not developed from an integrative force, but through our nation’s experiences and an ongoing dialectic in which different visions of the core purposes of the First Amendment have been proposed, debated, and absorbed within the American expressive commitment.
Association of self-reported financial burden with quality of life and oncologic outcomes in head and neck cancer.

Background There is a paucity of data on financial toxicity among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients with HNSCC surveyed at an outpatient oncology clinic. Results The sample included 202 patients with HNSCC with a mean age of 59.6 years (SD 10.0). There were 53 patients (26%) with self-reported financial burden. Education of high school or less was a significant predictor of self-reported financial burden (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.03-6.14, p = 0.042). Patients reporting financial burden had significantly worse physical (p = 0.003), mental (p = 0.003), and functional (p = 0.036) health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patients reporting financial burden appeared to have lower 5-year overall survival (74.3% vs. 83.9%, p = 0.165), but this association did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Financial burden or toxicity may affect approximately a quarter of patients with HNSCC and appears to be associated with worse HRQOL outcomes.
Stimulus Control: The Sought or Unsought Influence of the Objects We Tend To

Does the mere presence of the things we have tended to influence our actions systematically, in ways that escape our awareness? For example, while entering a tool shed, does perceiving objects that we once tended to (e.g., tools, musical instruments) influence how we then execute a simple action (e.g., flicking the shed´s light switch)? Ancient traditions (e.g., feng shui) and contemporary approaches to action production (e.g., continuous flow and cascade models) hypothesize that the answer is yes. Although relevant to several fields (e.g., motor cognition, social cognition), for various reasons this hypothesis cannot be tested by traditional choiceresponse time interference paradigms, which involve more complex processes than our tool shed scenario. Using new paradigms that resemble detection tasks, three studies demonstrated that "very incidental" actionrelated distracters systematically interfere with simple, repeated actions that involve minimal response selection and decision-making processes. In Study 2, incidental musical notation interfered more with the simple actions of expert sight-readers than with the same actions of non-musicians. A similar pattern of effects was obtained with a fully experimental design. The implications for theories of action production, environmentally-driven automaticity, and social cognition are discussed.
Microstructural and strength stability of CVD SiC fibers in argon environments

The room temperature tensile strength and microstructure of three types of commercially available chemically vapor deposited silicon carbide fibers were measured after 1, 10, and 100 hour heat treatments under argon pressures of 0.1 to 310 MPa at temperatures to 2100 C. Two types of fiber had carbon-rich surface coatings and the other contained no coating. All three fiber types showed strength degradation beyond 1400 C. Time and temperature of exposure had greater influence on strength degradation than argon pressure. Recrystallization and growth of near stoichiometric SiC grains appears to be the dominant mechanism for the strength degradation.
Highly efficient sum-frequency generation (SFG) in reverse-proton-exchanged (RPE) waveguides in LiNbO/sub 3/ as a means of single-photon detection at communication wavelengths

In this paper a detection scheme based on SFG in reverse-proton-exchange PPLN waveguides is presented.
Muslims in the West after 9/11: Religion, Politics and Law

Introduction Jocelyne Cesari Part 1: Overview: Muslims in Europe and the US 1. Securitization of Islam in Europe Jocelyne Cesari 2. Muslims in America Jane Smith Part 2: Anti-Terrorism and International Constraints 3. The War on Terror and the Muslims in the West Mahmood Monshipouri 4. Bush's Political Fundamentalism and the "War" against Militant Islam: The US-European Divide Dirk Nabers 5. The Liberal Roots of the American Empire Michael C. Desch Part 3: Influence of International Constraints on Politics, Law and Religion in the West 6. Welcoming Muslims into the Nation: Tolerance Politics and Integration in Germany Frank Peter 7. Shari'a and the Future of Secular Europe Jocelyne Cesari 8. American Muslims at the Dawn of the 21st Century: Hope and Pessimism in the Drive for Civic and Political Inclusion Louise Cainkar 9. The Concept of the Muslim Enemy in the Public Discourse Reim Spielhaus and Yasemin Schooman 10. Islamic Radicalism in Europe Farhad Khosrokhavar
Lipoplex structures and their distinct cellular pathways.

Cationic liposomes (CLs) are used as non-viral vectors in worldwide clinical trials of gene therapy. Among other advantages, CL-DNA complexes have the ability to transfer very large genes into cells. However, since the understanding of their mechanisms of action is still incomplete, their transfection efficiencies remain low compared to those of viruses. We describe recent studies which have started to unravel the relationship between the distinct structures and physicochemical properties of CL-DNA complexes and their transfection efficiency by combining several techniques: synchrotron X-ray diffraction for structure determination, laser-scanning confocal microscopy to probe the interactions of CL-DNA particles with cells, and luciferase reporter-gene expression assays to measure transfection efficiencies in mammalian cells. Most CL-DNA complexes form a multilayered structure with DNA sandwiched between the cationic lipids (lamellar complexes, L(alpha)(C)). Much more rarely, an inverted hexagonal structure (H(II)(C)) with single DNA strands encapsulated in lipid tubules is observed. An important recent insight is that the membrane charge density sigma(M) of the CL-vector, rather than, for example, the charge of the cationic lipid, is a universal parameter governing the transfection efficiency of L(alpha)(C) complexes. This has led to a new model of the intracellular release of L(alpha)(C) complexes, through activated fusion with endosomal membranes. In contrast to L(alpha)(C) complexes, H(II)(C) complexes exhibit no dependence on sigma(M), since their structure leads to a distinctly different mechanism of cell entry. Surface-functionalized complexes with poly(ethyleneglycol)-lipids (PEG-lipids), potentially suitable for transfection in vivo, have also been investigated, and the novel aspects of these complexes are discussed.
Geographic variations in health care workforce training in the US: the case of registered nurses.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, registered nurses (RNs) are trained through 1 of 3 educational pathways: a diploma course, an associate's degree, or a baccalaureate degree in nursing. A national consensus has emerged that the proportion of RNs who are baccalaureate trained should be substantially increased. Yet, achieving that goal may be difficult in areas where college graduates are unlikely to reside. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the level of training of the hospital RN workforce varies geographically, along with the education of the local general workforce. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross sectional, ecological study. SUBJECTS: Hospital nurses who participated in the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses in 2004 (N=16,567). MEASURES: RN training was measured as Diploma, Associates degree, or Baccalaureate degree or above. County-level general workforce quality was assessed as the adult college graduation rate. Counties were divided into US population quartiles, with the highest quartile (Q4) having >29.3% college graduates, and the lowest quartile (Q1) having <16.93% college graduates. RESULTS: Hospital RNs have a higher level of training in counties where the general population is better educated. For example, in Q4, 55.2% of hospital RNs are baccalaureate trained; in Q3, 50.2%; in Q2, 45.2%; and in Q1, 34.9% (P<0.001 for all pairwise comparisons). The association between RN training and general workforce education is found in cities, towns, and rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide, there are substantial geographic variations in the training of hospital RNs. Educational segregation (the tendency for educated people to cluster geographically) may make it more difficult to achieve a baccalaureate degree in nursing-rich nursing workforce in some areas of the United States. Further work is needed to assess whether educational segregation similarly influences the distribution of other health-care professionals, and whether it leads to variations in the local quality of care.
Classic biological control of olive fruit fly in California, USA: release and recovery of introduced parasitoids

The establishment of olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) in California, USA instigated a classical biological program. This study reports the release and recovery of two solitary larval endoparasitoids, Psyttalia humilis Silvestri and Psyttalia lounsburyi (Silvestri) imported from sub-Saharan Africa, and released in five coastal and three inland counties in California, USA. Both parasitoid species were recovered post-release within the same fruit season and dispersed up to 1,500 m from a release location. P. lounsburyi was recovered post-release the following fruit seasons at numerous sites, and up to 945 days after the last release at one site. It is now established in California coastal regions, but not at the inland release sites. We discuss ecological factors and aspects of parasitoid biology that could improve or impede the permanent establishment of olive fruit fly parasitoids in California.
What Do Physician Extenders in a General Surgery Residency Really Do

Objective The 80-hour workweek has forced surgical training programs to employ physician extenders to reduce work hours and improve the educational environment. The purpose of our study was to document objectively the specific workload provided by physician extenders and to evaluate any objective or subjective benefit provided to the residency program. Method Over 4 consecutive months, all orders written by 2 physician extenders associated exclusively with the general surgery residency program at our institution were reviewed. They were categorized as daytime or evening orders and were subdivided into admission, routine preoperative and postoperative, acute care, daily laboratories, pain medications, Pro re nata (PRN), wound care, and discharge orders. Acute care issues and PRN orders were individually examined and subdivided. The appropriateness, total volume, and the orders for each category were totaled and reviewed. Results Overall, 3101 total orders (1128 daytime and 1973 nighttime) were reviewed in a 4-month time period. On average, physician extenders at night wrote 35 orders per shift, compared with only 18.8 orders during the day. During the night, admission orders totaled 547 (27.7%), preoperative orders 442 (22%), acute care issues 324 (16.4%), PRN orders 239 (12%), and pain medication and PRN sleeping pills 156 (8%). During the day, routine postoperative orders totaled 305 (27%), daily laboratories 184 (16%), and discharge orders 253 (22%). Conclusion Physician extenders wrote appropriate orders and reduced resident workload. Educational opportunities increased because fewer residents left conference for acute patient care issues, and 1 fewer resident was absent during the day secondary to 1 less resident being sent home postcall. Performance on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) increased dramatically for a focused group of residents. As the expense of each extender is approximately $90,000, justification to administration is dependent on the institutional support and efficiency of the residency program. A clear simple outcome is that by improving standing orders and clinical pathways, and by using an electronic medical record system, noneducational work hours can be reduced significantly.
Ion-channel laser

A relativistic electron beam propagating through a plasma in the ion-focused regime exhibits an electromagnetic instability with peak growth rate near a resonant frequency {omega}{similar to}2{gamma}{sup 2}{omega}{sub {beta}}. Growth is enhanced by optical guiding in the ion channel, which acts as a dielectric waveguide, with fiber parameter {ital V}{similar to}1({ital I}/{ital I}{sub {ital A}}){sup 1/2}. A 1D theory for a laser making use of this instability is formulated, scaling laws are derived, and numerical examples are given. Possible experimental evidence is noted.
Sessile droplet de-pinning: new life for gravimetric data.

Abstract Using three different types of surfaces as exemplars, we report a gravimetric method as a viable tool for studying the de-pinning process. Namely, the de-pin time, τ d (the time required for a horizontal sessile droplet to de-pin at the triple phase line on a given substrate), is estimated without using a time consuming and expensive video imaging system. This is made possible by deciphering the non-linear portion of mass vs time data of an evaporating sessile droplet. Typical gravimetric glass-substrate evaporative mass loss vs time data has two regimes: a long, linear regime followed by a short, non-linear regime. Traditionally, researchers extract only the evaporation rate of a droplet from the linear regime but discard (by truncating the data) or ignore (thus deriving no information from) the non-linear regime. The origin of the linear to non-linear transition, found almost universally in gravimetric data, persists unremarked upon. By constructing three very different types of surfaces and comparing gravimetric data with video imaging data taken simultaneously, we report the transition is correlated to the onset of the de-pinning event in each case. This realization enables us to measure the de-pin time, τ d , with gravimetric data only; i.e., without the video system, gathering more information from gravimetric data than previously considered. The method has application in estimating the de-pin time of a droplet deposited on a substrate that yields poor top-view contrast for videography, such as a water droplets on silicon wafers or glass substrates. Finally, gravimetric data is more accurate for evaporation modeling when substrate/droplet interaction areas are not circular.
RFIC Design Methodology: Functional Verification

Full-chip functional verification for RF-A/MS (analog mixed-signal) applications is not only new as a "design methodology process" to some design organizations; but, is fast becoming a "must have" verification as a final tape-out simulation sign-off. Today's wireless industry, due to tight schedule demands and short product life-cycles, requires that a RFIC development group deliver "1st pass functional silicon." Then, when functional RFIC silicon is produced, minor design changes (minimal mask-layer changes) needed to meet performance specifications can be accommodated within a wireless product schedule.
1H dynamic nuclear polarization in supercritical ethylene at 1.4 T.

(1)H dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has been measured in supercritical ethylene in the pressure range 60-300 bar in an external field of 1.4 T. A single-cell sapphire tube was used as a high-pressure cell, and powdered 1,3-bisdiphenylene-2-phenyl allyl (BDPA) free radicals were added and distributed at the wall of the cell. At all pressures the dominant DNP mechanism was a positive Overhauser enhancement, caused by proton-electron contact interactions at the fluid/solid radical interface. The observed enhancements varied from 12 at 60 bar to 17 at 300 bar. Besides the Overhauser enhancement, small solid state and thermal mixing enhancements also were observed, indicating that part of the ethylene was adsorbed at the radical surface for a prolonged time. The impacts of the experimental conditions on the Overhauser enhancement factors are discussed, and enhancements of at least 40-60 are estimated when the EPR saturation factor and the leakage factor become maximal. These data indicate that DNP-enhanced NMR has the potential of extending the impact of NMR in research areas involving supercritical fluids.
Access to and Use of $4 Generic Programs in Medicare

BACKGROUND Although four-dollar programs ($4 per 30-day supply for selected generic drugs) have become important options for seniors to obtain affordable medications, little is known about access to these programs and the characteristics of those who use them.
Process analysis: a tool in understanding ambiguity in diagnostic problems in Rorschach.

Summary Process analysis of Rorschach material was defined, illustrated, and used to delineate differences between the nature of data obtained in different varieties of diagnostic assay. It was suggested that failure to take into account distinct differences in sources for data contributed to confusion about diagnostic decisions among different disciplines. The Rorschach experience may allow symbol formation to take place, whereas, in interview techniques, symbolic inferences are made from a subject's answers to questions about formal adaptivity. Identification of the processes that surround a subject's conscious reactions to the formation of a symbol may sharpen our awareness about a subject's inner state. Optimal use of both psychiatric and projective data should include a clear understanding of the differences in the nature of the materials obtained and their sources. Attention to these parameters may improve our decisions and predictions.
Computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of indeterminate pulmonary pathology: efficacy of obtaining a diagnostic sample in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients.

Abstract Purpose We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of computed tomography (CT)–guided percutaneous lung biopsy of pulmonary nodules with indeterminate radiologic characteristics in patients at risk for malignant and nonmalignant processes such as infection or inflammation. Patients and Methods From January 2003 to September 2008, 262 patients (mean age, 59 years; range, 18-92 years) with pulmonary nodules or a mass of uncertain etiology and with indeterminate radiologic characteristics underwent CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy. Patients with discordant clinical history and imaging findings or immunocompromised patients at risk for both etiologies were included. Specimens were submitted for both cytology and microbiology. Results Of the entire cohort, 166 patients (63.4%) had a nonmalignant process, and 96 patients (36.6%) had a malignancy. CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy established a diagnosis in 166 patients (63.4%). Of the 166 patients with a nonmalignant etiology and 96 patients with malignancy, it provided a definitive diagnosis in 91 patients (54.8%) and 75 patients (78.1%), respectively, a difference that was statistically significant ( P = .0001). Overall diagnostic efficacy between immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients was comparable ( P = .2); however, detection of infection or inflammation in individual groups was lower compared with detection of malignancy ( P = .002 and P = .06, respectively). Conclusion CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy in patients who are clinically at risk for both nonmalignant and malignant processes continues to be a challenge. Although CT-guided percutaneous biopsy can establish an accurate diagnosis in a large majority of patients with malignancy, it is significantly less sensitive for infectious or inflammatory processes.
Invited. Brain edema development after MRI‐guided focused ultrasound treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate a potential technique for image-guided minimally invasive neurosurgical interventions. Focused ultrasound (FUS) delivers thermal energy without an invasive probe, penetrating the dura mater, entering through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space, or harming intervening brain tissue. We applied continuous on-line monitoring by MRI to demonstrate the effect of the thermal intervention on the brain tissue. For this, seven rabbits had a part of their skull removed to create access for the FUS beam into the brain through an acoustic window of 11 mm in diameter. Dura was left intact and skin was sutured. One week later, the rabbits were sonicated for 3 seconds with 21 W acoustic power, and the FUS focus was visualized with a temperature-sensitive T1-weighted MRI pulse sequence. The tissue reaction was documented over 7 days with T2-weighted images of the brain. The initial area of the central low signal intensity in the axial plane was .4 ± .3 mm2, and for the bright hyperintensity surrounding the lesion, it was 2.3 ± .6 mm2 (n = 7). In the coronal plane, the corresponding values were .4 ± .1 mm2 and 3.4 ± .9 mm2 (n = 5). The developing brain edema culminated 48 hours later and thereafter diminished during the next 5 days. Histology revealed a central necrosis in the white matter surrounded by edematous tissue with inflammatory cells. In summary, the image-guided thermal ablation technique described here produced a relatively small lesion in the white matter at the targeted location. This was accomplished without opening the dura or the need for a stereotactical device. MRI allowed on-line monitoring of the lesion setting and the deposition of thermal energy and demonstrated the tissue damage after the thermal injury.
Factors Associated with Insulin and Narcotic Independence after Islet Autotransplantation in Patients with Severe Chronic Pancreatitis

Background For patients who suffer from severe chronic pancreatitis, total pancreatectomy can alleviate pain, and islet autotransplantation (IAT) might preserve endocrine function and circumvent the complications of diabetes. Factors that determine success after this operation have not been clearly defined. Study design From 2000 to 2004, 45 total or subtotal pancreatectomies with IAT were performed. Patient characteristics, narcotic usage and insulin requirements were recorded at routine followup. Narcotic usage was standardized by conversion to morphine equivalents (MEs). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to determine factors associated with insulin and narcotic independence. Results Forty-five patients (30 women, 15 men), with a mean age of 39 years (range 16 to 62 years) underwent total or completion (n=41) or subtotal (n=4) pancreatectomies with IAT. Forty percent of patients were insulin free after a mean followup of 18months (range 1 to 46months). Factors associated in univariate analyses with insulin independence included female gender (p=0.004), lower body weight (kg) (p=0.04), more islet equivalents per kg body weight (IEQ/kg) transfused ( 5months followup (n=32), 23 (72%) are narcotic free, with a substantial decrease in ME usage (p=0.01). Conclusions The likelihood of glycemic control after IAT is related to both patient characteristics and islet cell mass. Based on these data, more islet cells may be required for insulin independence than previously thought.
Matrix Microarchitecture and Myosin II Determine Adhesion in 3D Matrices

Summary Background Reports of adhesions in cells growing in 3D vary widely—from nonexistent to very large and elongated—and are often in apparent conflict, due largely to our minimal understanding of the underlying mechanisms that determine 3D cell phenotype. We address this problem directly by systematically identifying mechanisms that determine adhesion in 3D matrices and, from our observations, develop principles widely applicable across 2D and 3D substrates. Results We demonstrate that nonmuscle myosin II activity guides adhesion phenotype in 3D as it does in 2D; however, in contrast to 2D, decreasing bulk matrix stiffness does not necessarily inhibit the formation of elongated adhesions. Even in soft 3D matrices, cells can form large adhesions in areas with appropriate local matrix fiber alignment. We further show that fiber orientation, apart from influencing local stiffness, modulates the available adhesive area and thereby determines adhesion size. Conclusions Thus adhesion in 3D is determined by both myosin activity and the immediate microenvironment of each adhesion, as defined by the local matrix architecture. Important parameters include not only the resistance of the fiber to pulling (i.e., stiffness) but also the orientation and diameter of the fiber itself. These principles not only clarify conflicts in the literature and point to adhesion modulating factors other than stiffness, but also have important implications for tissue engineering and studies of tumor cell invasion.
Traits Underlying the Capacity of Ant Colonies to Adapt to Disturbance and Stress Regimes

How do groups of social agents organize themselves to cope with stress and disturbances? We address this question by looking at ant colonies. We review the suites of traits that allowantspeciestoadapttodifferentdisturbanceandstressregimes,andchangesinthese regimes. Low temperatures and low nest site and food resource availability are important stresses that affect ant abundance and distribution. Large-scale habitat disturbances, such as fire, grazing and mining, and small-scale disturbances that more directly affect individual colonies, such as predation, parasitism and disease, also affect ant abundance and distribution. We use functional groups to study the social and individual traits underlying different responses to temperature stress, large-scale habitat disturbance and competition from other ants. Specific individual and colony traits, such as colony size, queen number and worker specialization, seem to underlie adaptation to various stress and disturbance regimes. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social Efficiency: Rules for Designing Social Networks and Social Media [Social Sciences]

Online social networks and social media are displacing traditional centrally organized media. More significantly, social media now represent the largest area of new information technology (IT) investment in many industries [1] and Gov 2.0 is well underway [2]. Companies and government see these new social media tools as ways to deliver better customer services, create better designs more cheaply, and provide better oversight and regulation.
Synthesis, characterization, and dye sorption ability of carbon nanotube–biochar nanocomposites

Abstract Innovative technologies incorporating engineered nanoparticles into biochar production systems could improve the functions of biochar for many applications including soil fertility enhancement, carbon sequestration and wastewater treatment. In this study, hybrid multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT)-coated biochars were synthesized by dip-coating biomass in varying concentrations of carboxyl-functionalized CNT solutions (0.01% and 1% by weight) prior to slow pyrolysis. Untreated hickory and bagasse biochars (HC and BC, respectively) and CNT–biochar composites (HC–CNT and BC–CNT, respectively) were characterized, and the methylene blue (MB) sorption ability of the resulting chars was evaluated in batch sorption experiments. The addition of CNTs significantly enhanced the physiochemical properties of the biochars with HC–CNT-1% and BC–CNT-1% exhibiting the greatest thermal stabilities, surface areas (351 and 390 m2 g−1, respectively), and pore volumes (0.14 and 0.22 cc g−1, respectively). Sorption kinetic and isotherm data showed that, among the biochars examined, BC–CNT-1% had the highest MB sorption capacity (6.2 mg g−1). While increased pH (up to ∼7), promoted the uptake of MB by all the biochars, whether coated or not, increasing ionic strength decreased the uptake of MB by all biochars tested. These findings suggest that electrostatic attraction was the dominant mechanisms for the sorption of MB onto the chars, though diffusion controlled its rate. Hybridized CNT–biochar nanocomposite can thus be considered a promising, inexpensive sorbent material for removing dyes and organic pollutants from aqueous systems.
Proteolysis of somatic type histones in transforming rat spermatid chromatin

Abstract Elongated rat spermatid nuclei have been isolated on the basis of their resistance to sonication in 0.32 M sucrose containing 1.5 mM CaCl2. Chemical analyses indicate that approx. 35% of the DNA in these nuclei is associated with somatic type histones, while the remainder represents sperm histone-DNA complex. In contrast to nuclei of somatic cells, when elongated spermatid nuclei are incubated under appropriate conditions, somatic type histones but not sperm histone are rapidly degraded. Differential extraction of elongated spermatid nuclei with 5 mM HCl and then with various concentrations of NaCl followed by 0.2 M HCl has revealed that they contain two kinds of proteases. The protease in the 5 mM HCl extract is acrosin (EC 4.3.21.10). Rapid degradation of somatic type histones is, however, observable upon incubation of elongated spermatid nuclei which have been treated with 5 mM HCl and are therefore free of acrosin or upon incubation of elongated spermatid chromatin where the majority of acrosin is removed, suggesting that the observed proteolysis of somatic type histone is not due to acrosin. Proteases which may represent the enzymes responsible for the histone degradation are extractable from acrosin-free spermatid nuclei with NaCl (0.9 M) and by subsequent treatment of the salt-extracted nuclei with 0.2 M HCl. The proteases in the NaCl and the 0.2 M HCl extract possess identical properties and appear to be the same enyzyme which may exist in spermatid chromatin in two different forms.