cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of NIR and red fluorescent wavelengths on animal imaging and biological effects of targeting molecules on cancer cells

A65 The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) is overexpressed in many human cancers making it an interesting target for cancer diagnostics. In this study, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was fluorescently labeled with either Cy5.5, a red dye, or IRDye® 800CW, a near-infrared dye (NIR). These conjugates were delivered intravenously at 1 nmol dye equivalence to mice with high EGFr expression (MDA-MB-468) or low EGFr expression (MDA-MB-435) human breast cancer xenografts. Targeting specificity was shown with the indiscriminate uptake of free dye and loss of specific uptake of EGF-dye conjugates following preadministration of C225, an antibody against the EGFr. The targeting of each EGF-dye conjugate was measured using the ratio of the signal in the tumor region to that of the background region. EGF-IRDye® 800CW had a higher tumor to background ratio (TBR) than EGF-Cy5.5 due to a reduction in the autofluorescence associated with NIR excitation. Both targeted dyes had higher TBRs than free dye or the C225 pre-blocked animals. Immunohistochemical staining for total EGFr and EGFr-phos showed that when EGF-dye conjugates were delivered to the xenografts, in the presence or absence of C225 blocking, EGFr expression was upregulated and the receptors were activated. Xenografts receiving free dye had a lower level of EGFr expression and showed less activated receptors. These findings relate the importance of determining the biological effects of the imaging conjugates on the disease as well as finding the optimal fluorescent dye to maximize target to background ratio.
ISIS observations of auroral particles and large-scale Birkeland currents

The relationships between primary and secondary auroral particle distributions (5eV to 15 keV) and the large-scale Birkeland currents are investigated. Observations of electrons and positive ions taken simultaneously with single component magnetic perturbations on the ISIS-2 satellite are used to compare and contrast these relationships in the pre- and post- midnight local time sectors. The various regions of the large-scale Birkeland current system do not appear to be uniquely related to particular regions of auroral particle distributions although some repeatable systematics are observed in regions of upward directed current. Little evidence exists in either local time sector for direct detection of the current carriers associated with the downward current.
Rapid accumulation and turnover of soil carbon in a re-establishing forest

Present understanding of the global carbon cycle is limited by uncertainty over soil-carbon dynamics. The clearing of the world's forests, mainly for agricultural uses, releases large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere (up to 2 x 1015 gyr-1), much of which arises from the cultivation driving an accelerated decomposition of soil organic matter. Although the effects of cultivation on soil carbon are well studied, studies of soil-carbon recovery after cultivation are limited. Here we present a four-decade-long field study of carbon accumulation by pine ecosystems established on previously cultivated soils in South Carolina, USA. Newly accumulated carbon is tracked by its distinctive 14C signature, acquired around the onset of forest growth from thermonuclear bomb testing that nearly doubled atmospheric 14CO2 in the 1960s. Field data combined with model simulations indicate that the young aggrading forest rapidly incorporated bomb radiocarbon into the forest floor and the upper 60 cm of underlying mineral soil. By the 1990s, however, carbon accumulated only in forest biomass, forest floor, and the upper 7.5 cm of the mineral soil. Although the forest was a strong carbon sink, trees accounted for about 80%, the forest floor 20%, and mineral soil <1%, of the carbon accretion. Despite high carbon inputs to the mineral soil, carbon sequestration was limited by rapid decomposition, facilitated by the coarse soil texture and low-activity clay mineralogy.
Transitions between subclasses of bullying and victimization when entering middle school

We examined the effects of depressive symptoms, antisocial attitudes, and perspective-taking empathy on patterns of bullying and victimization during the transition from late elementary (4th grade to 5th grade) to middle school (6th grade) among 1,077 students who participated in the Youth Matters (YM) bullying prevention trial. Latent transition analysis was used to establish classes of bullying, victimization, bully-victimization, and uninvolvement. The intervention had a positive impact on children as they moved from elementary to middle school. More students in the YM group transitioned from the involved statuses to the uninvolved status than students in the control group during the move to middle school. Elementary school bullies with higher levels of depressive symptoms were less likely than other students to move to an uninvolved status in the first year of middle school. Students who held greater antisocial attitudes were more likely to be a member of the bully-victim status than the uninvolved status during the move to middle school. Perspective-taking empathy, however, was not a significant predictor of status change during the transition to middle school. Implications for school-based prevention programs during the move to middle school are noted.
Experimental and theoretical investigation of the high‐pressure, undrained response of a cohesionless sand

SUMMARY Key in predicting stability in sands during dynamic events is gaining a fundamental understanding of the physics of its deformation and failure at high pressures. In this paper are reported results of an experimental investigation into the high-pressure (up to 700 MPa) mechanical response of Quikrete sand. During all triaxial compression tests, the material exhibited hardening up to failure while both compressibility and dilatancy regimes of the volumetric response were observed. Furthermore, the transition from compressibility to dilatancy was found to be highly dependent on confining pressure. By performing triaxial compression tests with several creep stages followed by unloading–reloading cycles, the time influence of the overall response was detected. Using the experimental data, a new model that captures both compressibility and dilatancy has been developed. Comparison between model predictions and data showed that the proposed model describes well the main characteristics of the high-pressure response of sand. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modoc Viral Infections in the Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus

The pathogenesis of Modoc virus and its mechanism of transmission were investigated in Peromyscus maniculatus gambeli (deer mouse) as a model to understand the natural history of this virus. Animals were readily infected by the intranasal or subcutaneous route of inoculation. Virus could be detected by direct isolation techniques in many organs and body fluids during the first 7 to 9 days after intranasal inoculation. Increases in viral titers were detectable first in lungs and then the spleen, salivary-submaxillary glands, and lymph nodes. Viremias were low titered and ephemeral. Virus was recovered from urine and throat swabs 4 to 6 days and 4 to 7 days after inoculation, respectively. Serum dilution neutralization, hemagglutination inhibition, or complement fixation antibodies were detected in sera of some animals 13 days after infection and in all animals after 20 days. Antibodies persisted for the 168-day period of observation. Persistent viral infection was demonstrable by in vitro culturing of lungs or pooled lungs, salivary glands, and kidneys from 14 of 69 mice that were sacrificed from 1 to 6 months after intranasal inoculation. Attempts to demonstrate horizontal or vertical transmission of Modoc virus among mice were generally unsuccessful. Female deer mice infected with virus before mating passed maternal antibodies to their young.
Thermal radiation effects on the combustion behavior of porous char particles

The effects of thermal radiation on the pseudosteady state and transient behavior of porous char particles exposed to an oxygen containing environment are investigated. The numerical simulation results show that particles that do not interchange radiant energy with their environment are characterized by wider ambient temperature regions where multiple steady states exist, higher combustion rates, and lower burning times
Preparation of n-type InP substrates by Vertical Boat growth

N-type InP substrates have been manufactured using Vertical Boat (VB) Technique. In this paper, we will report improvement in etch-pit density (EPD) distribution for 2-inch S-doped, 2-inch-Sn-doped and 4-inch S-doped VB InP substrates in comparison to VCZ (SEI's proprietary Vapor pressure controlled Czochralski) InP substrates. EPD of 2-inch S-doped VB InP substrate is lower than SEI's standard EPD specification 500 cm−2 from seed-end to tail-end. Etch-pit densities are drastically reduced compared to those of VCZ with carrier concentration ranging from 3E18 cm−3 to 4E18 cm−3. The VB technique enables a decrease in slip-line defects of S-doped InP with low carrier concentration range. Average lot size of 2-inch S-doped VB InP is almost 1.4 times larger than that of VCZ InP. 4-inch S-doped VB substrates and 2-inch Sn-doped VB substrates are also manufactured using the VB technique.
Practical methods for the axenic culture of the free-living nematodes Turbatrix aceti and Caenorhabditis briggsae.

1. 1. Media are described which are suitable for the axenic culture of large numbers of the free-living nematodes, Turbatrix aceti and Caenorhabditis briggsae. 2. 2. T. aceti grows to a population of over 250,000 worms/ml in 18 days at 30°C in a defined basal medium to which is added acetic acid (4%), myoglobin or hemoglobin (500 μ/ml) and cholesterol or other sterols (50 μ/ml). For convenience, a mixture of cholesterol, β-sitosterol and ergosterol is used. 3. 3. C. briggsae grows consistently to over 50,000 worms/ml in 8 days at 20°C in the same medium, but without the acetic acid and with the replacement of the amino acids by 4% soy-peptone. Cytochrome c can substitute for myoglobin or hemoglobin.
Length of operative procedures: reamed femoral intramedullary nailing performed with and without a fracture table.

Objectives: To determine whether performing reamed intramedullary nailing of the femur without the use of a fracture table decreases the length of operation. Design: Retrospective. Setting: Level 1 trauma center, Nashville, Tennessee. Patients/Participants: Consecutively treated patients with fractures of the femoral shaft were treated with intramedullary nails from June 1986 to March 1996. Intervention: Reamed intramedullary nailing of the femoral shaft was performed with the use of a fracture table or with the leg draped free on a radiolucent table. Main Outcome Measurements: Length of anesthesia time, prep and drape time (from the point the anesthetized patient is turned over to the surgeons until incision), and intramedullary nailing time (from incision until end of surgery) for reamed intramedullary nailing of the femoral shaft performed with and without the use of a fracture table were compared. Results: Univariate analysis showed statistically significant decreases in the length of prep and drape time, operative time, and anesthetic time when fractures were treated without the use of a fracture table. Multivariate analysis showed that use of a fracture table prolongs prep and drape time (plus twenty minutes), operative time (plus seventeen minutes), and anesthesia time (plus seventy-three minutes) when the covariates of age, sex, fracture location, learning curve, position of the patient, nail brand, and number of distal bolts are controlled. Conclusions: Reamed intramedullary nailing of the femoral shaft performed without the use of a fracture table is significantly faster than when the procedure is performed with a fracture table.
Building Institutional Legitiimacy: The Role of Procedural Justice

Hibbing and Theiss-Morse (1995: 158, 161) present legislatures as ‘easily the most vulnerable institution[s]’ because of the public's ‘lack of appreciation for the messiness inherent in democratic processes.’ Their finding, along with the evidence of the popularity of national high courts, implies that one possible source of support for courts might emanate from something particular about judicial procedures. However, empirical support for the idea that procedural justice leads to judicial legitimacy has been mixed. This article tests two alternative hypotheses: (1) the perception that judicial procedures are fair leads to support for courts, and (2) the perception that judicial procedures should be legalistic leads to support for courts. Findings hint that judiciaries might be more popular than legislatures because over time, those who support legalistic processes do not expect to be satisfied with the substance of judicial rulings, and therefore, their support does not diminish in the face of disappoint...
Darier's sign in mastocytosis.

![Figure][1] A 39-year-old man with a 10-year history of pruritus, chronic watery diarrhea, and diffuse, hyperpigmented skin papules underwent skin biopsy, which showed numerous superficial mast cells by CD117+ immunohistochemistry. A serum tryptase level was 417 ng/mL (reference range, 2-10
Experimentally produced pseudotachylite-like veins in gabbro

Abstract Thin veins of mobile microcrystalline particles (50–500 A in size) have been produced experimentally during catastrophic failure of gabbroic rocks under rapidly applied stresses in the range 2.0–4.0 GPa. Optically the veins contain crushed fragments of minerals in an isotropic groundmass and are locally brown in color, particularly where they cross pyroxene crystals. In appearance they resemble some pseudotachylite veins. Transmission electron microscopy has been used to characterize the microstructure of the grains and document their crystalline structure.
On a nonlinear hyperbolic variational equation: I. Global existence of weak solutions

We study the nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equation, (u t+uux)x=1/2u x 2 . This partial differential equation is the canonical asymptotic equation for weakly nonlinear solutions of a class of hyperbolic equations derived from variational principles. In particular, it describes waves in a massive director field of a nematic liquid crystal. Global smooth solutions of the partial differential equation do not exist, since their derivatives blow up in finite time, while weak solutions are not unique. We therefore define two distinct classes of admissible weak solutions, which we call dissipative and conservative solutions. We prove the global existence of each type of admissible weak solution, provided that the derivative of the initial data has bounded variation and compact support. These solutions remain continuous, despite the fact that their derivatives blow up. There are no a priori estimates on the second derivatives in any L p space, so the existence of weak solutions cannot be deduced by using Sobolev-type arguments. Instead, we prove existence by establishing detailed estimates on the blowup singularity for explicit approximate solutions of the partial differential equation. We also describe the qualitative properties of the partial differential equation, including a comparison with the Burgers equation for inviscid fluids and a number of illustrative examples of explicit solutions. We show that conservative weak solutions are obtained as a limit of solutions obtained by the regularized method of characteristics, and we prove that the large-time asymptotic behavior of dissipative solutions is a special piecewise linear solution which we call a kink-wave.
National space test centers - Lewis Research Center Facilities

The Lewis Research Center, NASA, presently has a number of test facilities that constitute a significant national space test resource. It is expected this capability will continue to find wide application in work involving this country's future in space. Testing from basic research to applied technology, to systems development, to ground support will be performed, supporting such activities as Space Station Freedom, the Space Exploration Initiative, Mission to Planet Earth, and many others. The major space test facilities at both Cleveland and Lewis' Plum Brook Station are described. Primary emphasis is on space propulsion facilities; other facilities of importance in space power and microgravity are also included.
Active life expectancy of Americans with diabetes: risks of heart disease, obesity, and inactivity.

Abstract Aims Few researchers have studied whether diabetes itself is responsible for high rates of disability or mortality, or if factors associated with diabetes contribute importantly. We estimated associations of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and physical inactivity with life expectancy (LE), the proportion of life with disability (DLE), and disability in the last year of life. Methods Data were from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1999-2011 and 1986, African American and white women and men ages 55+, n = 1,980, 17,352 person-years). Activities of daily living defined disability. Multinomial logistic Markov models estimated disability transition probabilities adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and the health factors. Microsimulation measured outcomes. Results White women and men exemplify results. LE was, for women: 3.5 years less with diabetes than without (95% confidence interval, 3.1–4.0), 11.1 less (10.3–12.0) adding heart disease, 21.9 less with all factors (15.3–28.5), all p Conclusions Much of the disability and mortality with diabetes was due to heart disease, obesity, and inactivity, risks that can be modified by health behaviors and medical care.
Flow induced vibration and noise by a pair of tandem cylinders due to buffeting

The generation of noise by vortex buffeting on a pair of cylinders in tandem in unsteady high-Reynolds-number flow is investigated analytically. The derivation of the governing equations is outlined, and numerical results for several initial vortex configurations are presented in extensive graphs and characterized in detail. Particular attention is given to the possibility of chaotic vortex motion, and it is shown that chaotic motion does not occur when there are three vortices but does appear when there are four.
Notch sensitivity of graphite/epoxy fabric laminates

Abstract The notch sensitivity of graphite/epoxy fabric laminates was experimentally investigated by conducting tensile tests on specimens made from woven fabric prepreg and those of similar construction made from unidirectional tape prepreg. Generally, the fabric laminates exhibited notch sensitive behavior similar to that of their counterpart tape laminates. The Mar-Lin equation was used successfully to correlate the fracture stress of notched fabric laminates, as it has been for tape laminates when delamination is not important. However, the fabric laminates do not exhibit failure due to splitting as is often seen in tape laminates. This increases resistance to fracture and results in higher notched fracture stresses for some fabric laminates.
Novel ortho ester-based, pH-sensitive cationic lipid for gene delivery in vitro and in vivo.

AbstractContext: Cationic lipoplexes are less toxic than viral gene vectors and more convenient to prepare but their efficiencies of gene delivery are generally lower.Objective: To develop ortho ester-based, pH-sensitive lipoplexes for efficient gene delivery both in cultured cells and in vivo.Materials and methods: A novel cationic and acid-labile lipid (DOC) containing a cationic headgroup and a cholesterol-derived lipid tail joined together by an acid-labile ortho ester linker was designed and synthesized. DOC was formulated into liposomes with the conical helper lipid DOPE, and then into lipoplexes with plasmid DNA encoding a luciferase reporter gene. The physicochemical properties of the lipoplexes (size, surface charge and pH-sensitivity) were characterized. Gene delivery by DOC/DOPE/DNA lipoplexes was also evaluated in CV-1 cells and in CD-1 mice following intratracheal injection. Lipoplexes consisting of the acid-stable cationic lipid DC-Chol were characterized as a control.Results: DOC formed cat...
Breakdown of the Chiral Luttinger Liquid in One Dimension

We have developed a fermionic boot-strap method to solve a class of chiral one dimensional fermion model which cannot be tackled by bosonization. Using this scheme, we show that Luttinger liquid behavior in a gas of four interacting chiral Majorana fermions is highly sensitive to the velocity degeneracy. Upon changing the velocity of a one chiral fermion, a sharp bound (or anti-bound) state splits off from the original Luttinger liquid continuum, cutting off the X-ray singularity to form a broad incoherent excitation with a lifetime that grows linearly with frequency.
Verification of Extratropical Cyclones within the NCEP Operational Models. Part II: The Short-Range Ensemble Forecast System

Abstract This paper verifies the strengths and positions of extratropical cyclones around North America and the adjacent oceans within the Short Range Ensemble Forecast (SREF) system at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) during the 2004–07 cool seasons (October–March). The SREF mean for cyclone position and central pressure has a smaller error than the various subgroups within SREF and the operational North American Mesoscale (NAM) model in many regions on average, but not the operational Global Forecast System (GFS) for many forecast times. Inclusion of six additional Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model members into SREF during the 2006–07 cool season did not improve the SREF mean predictions. The SREF has slightly more probabilistic skill over the eastern United States and western Atlantic than the western portions of the domain for cyclone central pressure. The SREF also has slightly greater probabilistic skill than the combined GFS and NAM for central pressure, which is ...
Effect of lesion blurring on observer performance in AFC experiments using chest CT images

The goal was to analyze the influence of blurring of artificial lesions on observer performance during AFC experiments in chest CT images. Lesion images were generated by scanning Teflon rods of multiple sizes (3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", and 1/2") in a General Electric VCT scanner. Images were reconstructed using Bone and Detail reconstruction algorithms and cropped for use in AFC experiments. Three sets of artificial lesions (simple disks) were generated mathematically at the same sizes as the Teflon lesions, with two of the sets blurred with 3x3 and 5x5 averaging kernels. All lesions were scaled to have the same maximum intensity. Approximately 180 normal chest CT images (both Bone and Detail algorithm) were collected under IRB exemption for use in 2-AFC experiments. Two observers conducted AFC experiments using the Teflon lesions with the appropriate CT images, and using the artificial lesions in both sets of CT images. A performance metric was calculated that allowed comparison of experimental results. For Bone algorithm images, the Teflon and un-blurred lesions produced equivalent performance. Performance was significantly worse using the blurred lesions. For the Detail algorithm images, un-blurred lesion performance was significantly better than with the Teflon lesion. The performance using the 3x3-blurred lesions was the closest to the Teflon lesion performance, though it was slightly worse. Using these results, it is possible to design artificial lesions of any size for use in AFC experiments that will result in observer performance equivalent to that when using lesions derived from physical phantoms.
Local and non-local native topologies reveal the underlying folding landscape of proteins

Due to Plaxco, Simons, Baker and others, it is now well known that the two-state single domain protein folding rate is fairly well predicted from knowledge of the topology of the native structure. Plaxco et al found that the folding rates of two-state proteins correlate with the average degree to which native contacts are 'local' within the chain sequence: fast-folders usually have mostly local structures. Here, we dissected the native topology further by focusing on non-local and local contacts using lower and upper bounds of allowable sequence separation in computing the average contact order. We analyzed non-local and local contacts of 82 two-state proteins whose experimental folding rates span over six orders of magnitude. We observed that both the number of non-local contacts and the average sequence separation of non-local contacts (non-local CO) are both negatively correlated with the folding rate, showing that the non-local contacts dominate the barrier-crossing process. Surprisingly, the local contact orders of the proteins also correlate with the folding rates. However, this correlation shows a strong positive trend indicating the role of a diffusive search in the denatured basin.
Reinforcement Learning of Informed Initial Policies for Decentralized Planning

Decentralized partially observable Markov decision processes (Dec-POMDPs) offer a formal model for planning in cooperative multiagent systems where agents operate with noisy sensors and actuators, as well as local information. Prevalent solution techniques are centralized and model based—limitations that we address by distributed reinforcement learning (RL). We particularly favor alternate learning, where agents alternately learn best responses to each other, which appears to outperform concurrent RL. However, alternate learning requires an initial policy. We propose two principled approaches to generating informed initial policies: a naive approach that lays the foundation for a more sophisticated approach. We empirically demonstrate that the refined approach produces near-optimal solutions in many challenging benchmark settings, staking a claim to being an efficient (and realistic) approximate solver in its own right. Furthermore, alternate best response learning seeded with such policies quickly learns high-quality policies as well.
Aromatic Ring-Flipping in Supercooled Water: Implications for NMR-Based Structural Biology of Proteins

We have characterized, for the first time, motional modes of a protein dissolved in supercooled water: the flipping kinetics of phenylalanyl and tyrosinyl rings of the 6 kDa protein BPTI have been investigated by NMR at temperatures between −3 and −16.5 °C. At T = −15 °C, the ring-flipping rate constants of Tyr 23, Tyr 35, and Phe 45 are smaller than 2 s-1, i.e., flip-broadening of aromatic NMR lines is reduced beyond detection and averaging of NOEs through ring-flipping is abolished. This allows neat detection of distinct NOE sets for the individual aromatic 1H spins. In contrast, the rings of Phe 4, Tyr 10, Tyr 21, Phe 22, and Phe 33 are flipping rapidly on the chemical shift time scale with rate constants being in the range from approximately 102 to 105 s-1 even at T = −15 °C. Line width measurements in 2D [1H,1H]-NOESY showed that flipping of the Phe 4 and Phe 33 rings is, however, slowed to an extent that the onset of associated line broadening in the fast exchange limit is registered. The reduced r...
Ventricular fibrillation precipitated by carotid sinus pressure: case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Carotid sinus pressure (CSP) is used often for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Despite its low incidence of attendant complications CSP can cause fatal arrhythmias. A case report of VT and VF resulting from CSP is presented and the literature is reviewed. The mechanism is unknown, but it is suggested that increased vagal tone and possible vagal-mediated catecholamine release may stimulate ventricular ectopic foci with the subsequent production of tachyarrhythmias. Knowledge of the potential complications of CSP and the ability to treat them is necessary to safeguard patient safety.
Shrinkage prediction of seed-voxel brain connectivity using resting state fMRI.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is used to investigate synchronous activations in spatially distinct regions of the brain, which are thought to reflect functional systems supporting cognitive processes. Analyses are often performed using seed-based correlation analysis, allowing researchers to explore functional connectivity between data in a seed region and the rest of the brain. Using scan–rescan rs-fMRI data, we investigate how well the subject-specific seed-based correlation map from the second replication of the study can be predicted using data from the first replication. We show that one can dramatically improve prediction of subject-specific connectivity by borrowing strength from the group correlation map computed using all other subjects in the study. Even more surprisingly, we found that the group correlation map provided a better prediction of a subject's connectivity than the individual's own data. While further discussion and experimentation are required to understand how this can be used in practice, results indicate that shrinkage-based methods that borrow strength from the population mean should play a role in rs-fMRI data analysis.
Interference Modeling and Capacity Analysis for Microfluidic Molecular Communication Channels

The impact of the interference on the molecular communication (MC) between a transmitter and receiver pair which are connected through a microfluidic channel containing fluid flow is investigated. The interference modeling and the capacity analysis is performed based on the microfluidic channel geometry, the flow velocity, and the distance. During the analysis, time-scale of biological oscillators is specifically targeted, which is in the range of several minutes to a few hours. The signal-to-interference and noise ratio is shown to be constant with respect to the location of the interfering transmitter. The capacity of the MC link between the designated transmitter and the corresponding receiver is shown to be upper bounded by 1 bit/per channel use when exposed to a single interfering transmitter. For the multiple, i.e., N , transmitters, the decay of pairwise MC capacity is also studied as a factor of N . Finally, placement of the two transmitter and receiver pairs on the opposite sides of the microfluidic channel is studied. Three different microfluidic interference channel configurations, i.e., both-sided interference (microfluidic X channel), one-sided interference (microfluidic Z channel), and interference-free, are proposed based on the distance of the receiver from the interfering transmitter, microfluidic channel cross section, and the fluid flow velocity. For large-scale integration of chemical analysis systems on a microfluidic chip, the provided information-theoretic analysis and the capacity expressions for the MIC can be utilized to analyze the throughput of the chip, which can lead to improvement in efficiency and optimization of the design.
Poverty and Economic Growth in Egypt, 1995-2000

After a decade of slow economic growth Egypt's rate of growth recovered in the late 1990s, averaging more than five percent a year. But the effect of this growth on poverty patterns has not been systematically examined using consistent, comparable household datasets. In this paper, the authors use the rich set of unit-level data from the most recent Egyptian household surveys (1995-96 and 1999-2000) to assess changes in poverty and inequality between 1995 and 2000. Their analysis is based on household-specific poverty lines that account for the differences in regional prices, as well as differences in the consumption preferences and size and age composition of poor households. The results show that average household expenditures rose in the second half of the 1990s and the poverty rate fell from 20 percent to less than 17 percent. But, in addition to the ongoing divide in the urban-rural standard of living, a new geographical/regional divide emerged in the late 1990s. Poverty was found predominantly among less-educated individuals, particularly those working in agriculture and construction, and among seasonal and occasional workers. These groups could suffer the most from the slowing economic growth evident after 1999-2000.
Effect of the Molecular Weight and Density of Ambient Gas on Shock Wave in Laser-Assisted Nanostructuring

This paper presents the results from molecular dynamics simulations that are performed to explore the properties of the shock wave during laser-assisted near field surface nanostructuring. A quasi-three dimensional model is constructed to study systems consisting of over 2 million atoms. This work includes studies on the velocity as well as pressure evolution of shock wave front with respect to different solid/gas molecular mass ratios and different ambient gas densities. The limitation on shock wave formation under the same laser fluence is also investigated. The results show that lower ratio of the solid/gas molecular weight weakens the strength of the shock wave during the nanostructuring process. Additionally, the formation and attenuation of the shock wave under different ambient gas conditions is studied in substantial detail.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A real-time predictive controller for automatic voltage regulation of a synchronous generator

Abstract The use of a predictive controller in automatic voltage regulation (AVR) of a synchronous generator is proposed for real-time control purposes. The controller consists of a fast-time linearized 2nd-order model of an alternator and control logic. The fast-time model is used to predict the time response of the controlled system (generator voltage output), and the control logic is responsible for choosing the necessary input to the controlled system. The principles of time-optimal control and linear regulator are used in controller design. The effectiveness of such a controller is examined by digital simulation study for the response of a synchronous machine, connected to an infinite bus under various input and initial conditions. The effects on the stability of the overall system are analysed.
Parsing expression grammars: a recognition-based syntactic foundation

For decades we have been using Chomsky's generative system of grammars, particularly context-free grammars (CFGs) and regular expressions (REs), to express the syntax of programming languages and protocols. The power of generative grammars to express ambiguity is crucial to their original purpose of modelling natural languages, but this very power makes it unnecessarily difficult both to express and to parse machine-oriented languages using CFGs. Parsing Expression Grammars (PEGs) provide an alternative, recognition-based formal foundation for describing machine-oriented syntax, which solves the ambiguity problem by not introducing ambiguity in the first place. Where CFGs express nondeterministic choice between alternatives, PEGs instead use prioritized choice. PEGs address frequently felt expressiveness limitations of CFGs and REs, simplifying syntax definitions and making it unnecessary to separate their lexical and hierarchical components. A linear-time parser can be built for any PEG, avoiding both the complexity and fickleness of LR parsers and the inefficiency of generalized CFG parsing. While PEGs provide a rich set of operators for constructing grammars, they are reducible to two minimal recognition schemas developed around 1970, TS/TDPL and gTS/GTDPL, which are here proven equivalent in effective recognition power.
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) impacts patient with cancer who are currently receiving chemotherapy. Risk factors identifying patients most likely to suffer from CINV are summarized. The pathophysiology of CINV is reviewed to provide rationale for recommending combination antiemetic therapy to optimally control CINV. The three phases of CINV, acute, delayed and anticipatory, are discussed including treatment recommendations for each phase. Studies assessing effective antiemetic regimen for control of acute CINV are summarized providing rationale for recommendations for the use of 5HT3-receptor antagonists in this population. Control of delayed CINV is controversial. Use of combinations of metoclopramide/dexamethasone is considered standard care. However, specific subsets of patients benefit from prolonged administration of 5HT3-receptor antagonists. Increased cost of 5HT3-receptor antagonists compared to traditional antiemetics is offset by increased efficacy and decreased adverse effects...
We'll Take Care of All Your Problems

Editor-in-chief Isabel Beichl describes how computational scientists and engineers can help improve their current IT situations.
Effects of ionizing and displacive irradiation on several perovskite-structure oxides

Abstract Synthetic single crystals of CaTiO 3 , SrTiO 3 , BaTiO 3 , KNbO 3 , and KTaO 3 were irradiated by 800 keV Kr + ions over a range of temperature from 20 to 900 K. The dose required for amorphization was monitored by selected-area electron diffraction. All of the compounds were found to become amorphous over the temperature range investigated, although a significant variation was observed in the critical amorphization temperature, i.e., the temperature above which amorphization was not induced. This variation is related to chemical differences through a combination of factors, including bonding variations and the ratio of electronic-to-nuclear energy loss. Some of the perovskite-structure compounds undergo one or more instantaneous displacive phase transitions; however, these structural changes were not found to significantly affect the amorphization dose in these experiments.
Adaptive inverse control of unmodeled stable SISO and MIMO linear systems

Adaptive-signal-processing techniques have been employed with great success in such applications as: system identification, channel equalization, statistical prediction and noise/echo cancellation. From a mathematical point of view, there is little difference between these applications and the types of operations required by control systems to control a dynamical system. This paper presents an approach to control systems called adaptive inverse control in which adaptive-signal-processing techniques are used throughout. Adaptive inverse control comprises three simultaneous processes. The plant is automatically modeled using adaptive system identification techniques. The dynamic response of the system is adaptively controlled using the resulting model and methods related to channel equalization. Adaptive disturbance canceling is performed using methods similar to noise canceling. The method applies directly to stable single-input single-output (SISO) and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) plants, and does not require an a priori model of the system. If the plant is unstable, it must first be stabilized using conventional feedback. This implies that at least a rudimentary model need be made if the plant is unstable. Once the plant is stabilized, adaptive inverse control may be applied to the stabilized system. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The results of aneuploidy screening in 276 couples undergoing assisted reproductive techniques

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy screening (PGD-AS) using sequential in situ hybridization was applied for aneuploidy testing in 276 couples with 282 ART cycles. Patients with advanced maternal age (AMA, n = 147), recurrent implantation failure (RIF, n = 48), repeated early spontaneous abortion (RSA, n = 32) and abnormal gamete cell morphology (AGCM, n = 55) including macrocephal sperm forms or cytoplasmic granular oocytes were included. Embryo biopsy was performed on day 3 in a calcium-magnesium-free medium by using a noncontact diode laser system. After fixation and enzymatic treatment, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was carried out on 1147 blastomeres with specific probes for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21 and 22 for AMA group, 13, 18, 21, X and Y for AGCM group and 13, 16, 18, 21, 22, X and Y for RIF and RSA groups respectively. The overall chromosomal abnormality rate in analyzed embryos was 40.9%, with no significant difference between AMA, RIF and RSA groups (p > 0.05). However, AGCM group presented a higher rate of chromosomal aneuploidies (57.4%) than the other three groups (p < 0.01). A total of 84% biopsied embryos presented cleavage in 24 h and embryo transfer was realized in 278 cycles. In four cycles, no chromosomally normal embryo was found for embryo transfer. A total of 88 pregnancies (31.6%) were achieved, 19.3% resulted in abortion and 63 healthy births were obtained, with a total of 93 babies born. Aneuploidy testing in couples with poor prognosis undergoing ART cycles is a useful tool to increase the chance of ART success. Furthermore, abnormal gamete cell morphology should be considered one of the major indications for PGD in ART programs as high aneuploidy rates were observed in this group.
Did Futures Markets Stabilise US Grain Prices

Though economists are divided over whether, in practice, futures markets reduce spot price volatility, observers of nascent nineteenth century US futures markets essentially praised the stabilising effects of this financial innovation. Indeed, such praise is understandable, particularly if, as the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and others assert, “violent” spot price fluctuations were common prior to, but not after, the 1870s; the same decade that grain trade historians typically associate with the birth of the modern futures contract. And whereas these events may be unrelated, the claim is intriguing because it requires that nineteenth century futures prices fulfil their price discovery function, a property that many modern futures markets do not possess. This paper explores what role, if any, the advent of futures trading may have had on spot price volatility. I corroborate the CBOT's assertion regarding diminished spot price volatility around the 1870s and show that early futures prices did indeed fulfil their price discovery function. Moreover, I address two alternative hypotheses that relate the decline in spot price volatility to the Civil War. Ultimately, I maintain that the evolution of futures markets is the principal proximate reason why commodity spot price volatility diminished.
Intersection carbon monoxide modeling

In this note the author discusses the need for better air quality mobile source models near roadways and intersections. To develop the improved models, a better understanding of emissions and their relation to ambient concentrations is necessary. The database for the modal model indicates that vehicles do have different emission levels for different engine operating modes. If the modal approach is used information is needed on traffic signal phasing, queue lengths, delay times, acceleration rates, deceleration rates, capacity, etc. Dispersion estimates using current air quality models may be inaccurate because the models do not take into account intersecting traffic streams, multiple buildings of varying setbacks, height, and spacing.
ROA-Brick Topology for Low-Skew Rotary Resonant Clock Network Design

This paper presents a topology-based solution for a low-skew rotary oscillator array (ROA) clock distribution network design. An ROA-brick structure is proposed that limits the traveling wave oscillation to only two uniform ring rotation directions in the ROA-brick: all the rings in clockwise (CW) direction or all the rings in counter CW direction. An ROA built from the ROA-bricks has the following advantages: 1) similar to the ROA-brick, only two uniform ring rotation directions are feasible in the ROA; 2) the same phase tapping points of all the rings in the ROA are identifiable; and 3) these same phase tapping points of the ROA are independent from the two possible rotation directions. It is mathematically proved that the ROA-brick is the only ROA structure, which can limit the ring rotation direction combinations so as to guarantee the generation of same phase clock signals. The proposed brick-based ROA clock generation and distribution networks are designed for ISPD 10 clock benchmarks demonstrating the gigahertz operation with the low-skew clock generation and distributions through HSPICE.
Subcutaneous masses of the scalp and forehead: diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration

We report our cytologic findings and clinical correlations in benign (N = 2) and malignant (N = 16) subcutaneous masses of the scalp (N = 15) and forehead (N = 3), studied by fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Diagnoses were divided in 3 groups: (1) Scalp plasmacytoma (as a manifestation of multiple myeloma) (6 cases) was the most frequent diagnosis. In one patient it was the presenting manifestation of the disease. (2) Miscellaneous malignancies included 8 carcinomas, 1 melanoma, and 1 malignant lymphoma. The scalp or forehead mass was the initial presentation and FNA was the initial diagnostic approach in five patients. (3) A single case each of pilar-type keratinous cyst and hematoma were the only benign masses encountered. In conclusion, a significant number of subcutaneous masses of the scalp or forehead represent metastatic or systemic malignancies, and they may be the initial manifestation of the disease. Rapid and accurate diagnosis by FNA provides guidelines for appropriate therapy, especially in those patients who present with advanced disease.
Mutagenesis and transformation of C3H 10T12 cells treated with ethyl methanesulfonate

Abstract Survival, mutagenesis and transformation were measured in mouse embryo C3H 10 T 1 2 cells following treatment with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Ouabain-resistant cells and transformed cells were isolated, and reconstruction experiments were carried out to determine the optimum conditions for the measurement of mutation and transformation frequencies. Survival was measured by plating efficiency; mutagenesis was measured in terms of the induction of cells able to form colonies in the presence of ouabain; and transformation was measured by the induction of cells forming either morphologically altered colonies on a monolayer of contact-inhibited cells or of cells capable of forming colonies in semi-solid media. When confluent monolayers were incubated for 4 h after treatment with EMS, to allow excision repair before the resumption of DNA synthesis, survival as well as the frequencies of both mutation and transformation increased. When this repair (or holding) period was extended to 24 h, the frequencies of mutation and transformation both decreased as compared to the 4-h holding period. Thus, the holding periods affect the frequencies of EMS-induced mutagenesis and transformation similarly.
Financing Long-term Care: A Proposal by the American College of Physicians and the American Geriatrics Society

THE United States is poised on an ethical precipice as it deliberates health system reform. As the debate continues about revolutionary changes in the organization and financing of health care, the following dilemma arises: can the long-term care needs of the chronically ill and disabled be included, without dooming the reform itself to political and financial failure? In 1991, the United States spent $59.9 billion on nursing home care (about 8% of total health care expenditures)1and $9.8 billion (1% of national health spending) on formal home health services (services provided by non-facility-based agencies). The reluctance to include long-term care in health system reform stems not from the magnitude of present expenditures, but rather from the anticipation of rapidly rising expenditures in the foreseeable future. Home health care is the fastest growing component of personal health care spending, having risen sevenfold in the last decade and 29% from 1990