cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CV Uniformity measurements

Abstract Ion implantation's unique contributions to FET processing are excellent uniformity and repeatability at low dose. These could be verified on product wafers but were difficult to measure on monitor wafers. This paper presents an MOS technique that integrates the CV curve directly to obtain part of the implanted dose — the partial dose. This technique is fast and insensitive to measurement noise and dot-diameter variation. It uses standard MOS wafers and processing. Neither photo-defined dots nor special substrates are required. Presently the integral CdV technique for partial dose is used in several FET lines to measure both implant repeatability and uniformity.
Extinction of premixed flames by stretch and radiative loss

The extinction of laminar premixed flames by stretch and radiative loss is studied for the model problem of counterflow opposed-jet combustion by using the matched asymptotic expansion technique for the highly temperature sensitive processes of radiative heat loss and large-activation-energy reaction kinetics. Explicit expressions for the critical Damkoehler number at extinction are derived and the influence of upstream vs downstream heat losses assessed. Results show that stretch exerts a much stronger influence than radiative loss on flame extinction.
Why are some modes of acquisition more profitable? A study of the credit card industry

A key challenge in financial services marketing is attracting good customers to the firm. For most financial services firms, including credit card firms, a good customer is also a profitable customer. Managers would like to use marketing tactics that attract the most profitable customers while closely monitoring and perhaps limiting expenditures on marketing tactics that tend to attract relatively less profitable customers. Therefore, managers need to understand the relative effectiveness of different modes of new account acquisition and the impact that the various modes of acquisition may have on overall account profitability. To date, there have been very few studies that have calculated individual level customer profitability and then investigated the relationship between new customer acquisition source and customer profitability. That is, how do modes of acquisition differ in their ability to attract profitable customers? We answer this question using a proprietary and novel data set from the credit card industry. Of the four modes of acquisition used in this industry, we find that Internet and direct mail efforts generate more profitable customers than telemarketing and direct selling. We provide possible explanations for these findings. Our work adds to the growing literature in customer relationship management and our results have important managerial implications for resource allocation among acquisition strategies.
Radical Relevance: Toward a Scholarship of the Whole Left

Radical Relevance: Toward a Scholarship of the Whole Left Laura Gray-Rosendale and Steven Rosendale. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005. These are hard days for the left. Having ruled the roost for sixty years, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, they are now m disarray-short on both leadership and program. This fragmentation of the left is of wide critical concern and a central theme of this book. The authors, Laura Gray-Rosendale and Steven Rosendale, professors at Northern Arizona University, describe their goal as "an effort to rethink the left," seeking "a scholarship of the whole left." But alas, they never define just what "the left" is and what it is to the left of. Their thirteen collected essays presuppose a dissatisfaction with our contemporary left. Just what is responsible for that condition? Checking several sources for a "left" definition, I come up "with this: those who desire to reform or to overthrow the established order. Isn't that what the right wants to do too? One part of most definitions ties m nicely with our book title: those holding more radical views than other members. In recent times, that definition best fits Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took office in 1932 and held it for four terms. His New Deal was precisely that. Why has it become, in some aspects, an old deal in the twenty-first century? Is today's new deal being advocated by the conservative Republicans rather than the onceradical Democrats? Times can change faster than names or labels. So what will we have if we get, to use the authors' phrase, the whole left? They dodge this crucial question, saying that "it would be futile to attempt a detailed synthesis here" (vu). Why so? They do give a good reason for the diminishment of the left in America: the homogenization of national political discourse under the twoparty system, exemplified and exacerbated by the aftermath of the much-disputed 2000 presidential election. The thirteen essays vary in length, depth, and relevance. Five center on the need to expand the established triad of race, class, and gender. They want to accommodate new pressing issues that have not been related to the central triad, such as ethnicity, environment, and disability. The authors do not present a cogent plan for doing this and end up with "Left Pipe Dreams." Crucial questions go unanswered. Why, for example, has the leftist community failed to address adequately Native Americans' needs and experiences? And why has the left failed to give serious attention to pressing environment issues? If we are to remain relevant in 2005, metaphors like sustainability, conservation, preservation, and survival must emerge. …
Grain growth in anisotropic systems: comparison of effects of energy and mobility

Grain growth in systems of anisotropic grain boundary energy and mobility is investigated by computer simulations in a two-dimensional textured polycrystalline system. The energy and mobility are allowed to depend on both grain boundary inclination and misorientation. Mobility anisotropy alone does not significantly change the growth kinetics or statistical distributions of misorientation, grain size and number of grain edges, even though grain shapes evolve in a self-dissimilar fashion where the aspect ratio of grains and inclination distribution of grain boundaries are time dependent. Energy anisotropy, however, causes significant deviation of grain growth kinetics, misorientation and edge-distributions from the ones observed in isotropic systems. Moreover, misorientation distribution is skewed towards low energy (special) boundaries. Size distributions are similar in all cases. Mobility anisotropy influences grain growth kinetics only when energy is also anisotropic. Variation of misorientation distribution with time plays the key role in determining the grain growth behavior.
Temporal aspects of starfish oocyte maturation and 1-methyladenine metabolism in vitro

The temporal relation between hormone uptake, metabolism, and reinitiation of meiosis was investigated following in vitro incubation of immature starfish oocytes with the maturation inducing hormone 1-methyladenine (1-MA) and/or 3H-1-methyladenine (3H-1-MA). Oocyte incorporation of the radioactive marker occurred in a dose dependent fashion and in excess of that required for maturation. Uptake and metabolism of the hormone by oocytes took place at subthreshold doses of 1-MA as well as maturation inducing doses. Oocytes also concentrated radioactivity following incubation with physiologic doses of 3H-1-MA. Chromatographic analysis of oocyte radioactivity indicated that greater than 90% of the hormone incorporated by the oocytes existed as a single metabolite and this percentage remained constant over a 6-hour time period. Metabolite was also isolated from the culture media and the quantity in the media increased with increased duration of incubation. After six hours, the metabolite accounted for 28% of the total culture media radioactivity. Determination of the rate of release of 3H-marker from preloaded oocytes indicated that release was insufficient to account for the levels of metabolite found in the culture media. Such results suggest that at least a portion of 1-MA metabolism occurred to the exterior of the cell membrane. Oocyte uptake as well as release of incorporated radioactivity were both suppressed by incubation at 0°C. However, at 0°C the proportion of oocyte incorporated radioactivity isolated as metabolite was similar to that following incubation at 22°C. The high and constant level of metabolism of incorporated hormone by oocytes, as well as the continued metabolism despite suppression of uptake suggests that a close association exists, possibly at the level of the oocyte cell membrane, between 1-MA uptake and formation of metabolite in the starfish oocyte.
Recovering Genetic Regulatory Networks by Integrating Multiple Data Sources

This paper proposes a novel algorithm for inferring genetic regulatory networks by exploiting the knowledge of gene expressions, DNA sequences and binding sites. The integration of multiple data sources helps to improve both the specificity and the sensitivity of network inference. The transcription factors of a target gene are determined by applying the reversible jump Markov chain Monte-Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm to the linear regression model. The scheme is simulated on yeast data and the results provide insight on the regulation mechanism associated with environmental changes.
BREEDING SYSTEM, POLLINATION, AND POLLINATOR LIMITATION IN A PERENNIAL HERB, AMIANTHIUM MUSCAETOXICUM (LILIACEAE)

A B S T R A C T Observations of insects on Amianthium muscaetoxicum suggested that at least 16 species can serve as pollinators, although the chief pollinators appear to be beetles. Five species from three coleopteran-families appear to be the most important pollinators. Experimental manipulations su-ggest that Amianthium is nearly self-incompatible and that fecundity and fruit set levels are at least partly pollinator limited. Outcrossed plants have higher fruit set and fertility levels than unmanipulated plants, and unmanipulated plants display higher levels than self-pollinated plants. Self-pollinated plants produce a-few very small seeds, of which only a small percentage are viable. Fruit set levels in unmanipulated plants in one population were consistent over a 2-yr period. THE REGULATION of abundance in a plant population is accomplished through the patterns of mortality and the constraints on reproduction. These constraints on reproduction may include physical conditions that are unfavorable for reproduction (Rabotnov,1969, in Harper, 1977), limited energetic or nutritional resources for fruits and seeds (Primack and Lloyd,
Freon Consumption: Implications for Atmospheric Ozone

Freons are a potential source of stratospheric chlorine and may indirectly cause serious reductions in the concentration of ozone. The reduction could be as large as 3 percent by 1980, or 16 percent by 2000, if Freon consumption were to grow at 10 percent per year. Even if Freon use were terminated as early as 1990, it could leave a significant effect which might endure for several hundred years.
L-DOPA and reserpine: effects on evoked potentials in basal ganglia of freely moving rats.

Intraperitoneal injection of reserpine in rats induces a syndrome which resembles the symptoms of parkinsonism, consisting of akinesia, rigidity, and occasionally, tremor4,6,7,11,15. The syndrome is correlated with a depletion of monoamines from the striatum, pallidum, and substantia nigraT, 11. Intraperitoneal administration of LDOPA, the metabolic precursor of dopamine, to reserpinized rats elevates the levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia a,4 and abolishes the 'reserpine syndrome '~,1°,15. Administration of L-DOPA without prior injection of reserpine has been reported to increase locomotor activity in rats 11. These observations indicate that a close relationship exists between mechanisms underlying the central integration of motor activity and intracerebral levels of dopamine 7,1°. Despite many pharmacological studies on monoamines and the striatum, there are few studies concerning the electrophysiological events induced in the striatum in animals treated with these agents 2,~6. The present study represents an initial attempt to elucidate the synaptic effects of dopamine in these cerebral structures. Responses evoked by click stimuli were recorded simultaneously from the caudate nucleus (CN), globus pallidus (GP), and substantia nigra (SN) in the awake freely moving animal. Responses to click stimulation have been recorded previously from the CN 1,s,14 but not from the remaining structures. The responses were recorded monopolarly with chronically implanted stainless steel semi-microelectrodes of 60 #m diameter and a reference electrode implanted in the frontal sinuses. Electrodes were placed using stereotaxic coordinates derived from the atlas of K(inig and Klippe112 and the placements were verified histologically in all animals. The evoked potentials were displayed on a storage oscilloscope, averaged on line with an FT 1070 computer, and recorded with an X-Y plotter. The experiments were carried out on 16 Holtzman rats weighing 250-350 g, divided into two groups: (1) those which received L-DOPA first and reserpine later; and (2) those which received reserpine first and L-DOPA later. Each animal served as its own control; that is, control recordings were taken prior to the
Robotic palliation for unresectable pancreatic cancer and distal cholangiocarcinoma

Optimizing quality of life is a major goal for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer and distal cholangiocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to assess the value of robotic surgery for palliation in these patients.
Long-term effects of preweaning isolation from littermates in rats.

Male Wistar rats who were isolated from littermates on 12th postnatal day were weaned on 21st day and housed individually till adulthood. Comparison groups consisted of rats isolated only after weaning, and rats housed with littermates before and after weaning. In adulthood, reaction to handling, “social preference,” resting heart rate, heart rate response to an “airblast,” heart rate response to a strange rat introduced to home cage, and gastric ulceration after immobilization were tested. The “prewean isolates” were significantly different from the comparison groups in the reaction to handling, social preference, and in the immediate heart rate change following the introduction of an “intruder.” The “prewean isolates” were more reactive to handling, preferred to be near a single adult rat, and showed less cardioacceleratory responses to “intrusion” than the comparison groups. The results indicate that the altered early social relationships produced by reduction of litter size to a single pup during the “socialization” period before weaning can have distinct long-term effects on behavior, social preference, and physiologic response in adult rats.
The impact of call-back and arbitrage on the accounting rate regime

Abstract Call-back operators have secured a profitable arbitrage opportunity created by the disparity between actual and tariffed costs of international calling and the failure of accounting rates to reflect declining costs. Without operating agreements and often without legal authorization these operators provide callers in high cost areas with outbound calling capability that appears to originate from areas with lower costs. Technological innovation and entrepreneurial craftiness make it all but impossible for nations to prohibit call-back services. This article will examine callback and other arbitrage services with an eye toward assessing whether and how the current accounting rate regime will collapse.
Analysis of a membrane/distillation column hydrid process

Abstract Distillation of low relative volatility mixtures is highly energy intensive and can require tray numbers greater than 150. Two design methods for a hybrid process are given to minimize the tray number in a distillation column that contains a membrane unit: the minimum area method and the Smoker's equation method. The Smoker's equation method is used to study the effect of different membrane variables on the tray number. The optimal position of the membrane unit on the distillation column is close to the feed to the distillation column. The number of trays in the distillation column does not decrease indefinitely with an increase in the membrane surface area due to the decreased selectivity. Maximum reduction in tray number of the distillation column occurs when the ration of the membrane feed rate to the membrane area is close to 0.1 mol/m2 s. An analytical expression for optimal placement of a membrane unit on a distillation column is given for a special case using the minimum area method. Finally, simulations were performed to prove that both methods are equally valid.
The effects of the shook swarm technique on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony productivity and honey quality

SummaryThe productivity of honey bee colonies and the quality of hive products may be greatly influenced by colony management. In beekeeping, shaking of the worker bees together with the queen into a clean empty hive is known as the shook swarm technique. In this study, the shook swarm technique was compared to standard beekeeping methods in relation to colony productivity and honey quality, including adult worker bee population, wax production, comb area, brood area and honey yield. In addition, the honey was examined to determine the content of water, proline, hydroxymethylfurfural, glucose, fructose, sucrose, diastase, electrical conductivity, invert sugar, fructose/glucose ratio, maltose, vitamin C and potassium. The naphthalene and pesticide contents were also measured. Shook swarm group colonies were smaller than those of the control group in terms of worker bee population, brood area and honey yield (P 0.05) and greater in terms of wax production (P<0.01). ...
Intramitochondrial yolk-crystals of frog oocytes. II. Expulsion of intramitochondrial yolk-crystals to form single-membrane bound hexagonal crystalloids

Electron microscopic examination of thin sections of bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) ovarian oocytes has revealed the presence of “hexagonal crystalloids” within the peripheral cytoplasm in all sizes of oocytes. Hexagonal crystalloids are composed of a plate-like hexagonal crystal with 74 A major periodicities bounded by a single unit membrane. The lattice spacings and the overall size and morphology of these crystals are very similar to those of the yolk-crystals found within mitochondria in these same cells; direct images of approximately equivalent intersections through the crystals within the two different organelles give very similar optical transforms, thus further indicating that these crystals are identical. Both intramitochondrial yolk-crystals and hexagonal crystalloids are similarly present within ovarian oocytes of the green frog (R. clamitans); these yolk-crystals have major periodicities of 74±2 A (n = 42) which are identical to those of the bullfrog crystals. The double location of these crystalline elements can be explained by observations interpreted as showing that some of the intramitochondrial yolk-crystals appear to be extruded from their parent mitochondria by passage from the intracristal space through the expanded neck of the crista and into an out-pocketing of the outer mitochondrial membrane; it is postulated that a subsequent fusion of the outer mitochondrial membrane behind the protruding crystal would create two separate bodies: a single-membrane limited extra-mitochondrial yolk-crystal that is structurally equivalent to a hexagonal crystalloid, and a parent mitochondrion with intact membrane systems. The formation of hexagonal crystalloids from intramitochondrial yolk-crystals in green frogs appears to take place by means of the same hypothesized process of “extrusion ex mitochondria”.
A New Minimal Replicon of Bacillus anthracis Plasmid pXO1

An 8,883-bp mini-pXO1 plasmid containing a replicon from Bacillus anthracis pXO1 (181.6 kb) was identified by making large deletions in the original plasmid using a newly developed Cre-loxP system. Portions of the truncated mini-pXO1 were cloned into an Escherichia coli vector unable to replicate in B. anthracis. A 5.95-kb region encompassing three putative genes was identified as the minimal pXO1 fragment required for replication of the resulting recombinant shuttle plasmid (named pMR) in B. anthracis. Deletion analysis showed that the only genes essential for replication were the pXO1-14 and pXO1-16 genes, which are transcribed in opposite directions and encode predicted proteins of 66.5 and 67.1 kDa, respectively. The ORF14 protein contains a helix-turn-helix motif, while the ORF16 upstream region contains attributes of a theta-replicating plasmid origin of replication (Ori), namely, an exclusively A+T-containing segment, five 9-bp direct repeats, an inverted repeat, and a sigma(A)-dependent promoter for the putative replication initiator Rep protein (ORF16). Spontaneous mutations generated in the ORF14, ORF16, and Ori regions of pMR during PCR amplification produced a temperature-sensitive plasmid that is unable to replicate in B. anthracis at 37 degrees C. The efficacy of transformation of plasmid-free B. anthracis Ames and Sterne strains by the original pMR was approximately 10(3) CFU/microg, while Bacillus cereus strains 569 and ATCC 10987 were transformed with efficiencies of 10(4) and 10(2) CFU/microg, respectively. Around 95% of B. anthracis cells retained pMR after one round of sporulation and germination.
Nuclear masses from a unified macroscopic-microscopic model

We calculate ground-state masses for 4678 nuclei ranging from /sup 16/O to /sup 318/122 by means of an improved version of the macroscopic-microscopic model employed in our 1981 mass calculation, which uses a Yukawa-plus-exponential model for the macroscopic term and a folded-Yukawa single-particle potential as starting point for the microscopic term. Some of the new features now incorporated are a new model for the average pairing strength, the solution of the microscopic pairing equations by use of the Lipkin-Nogami method with approximate particle-number conservation, the use of experimental mass uncertainties in determining the model parameters, and an estimation of the theoretical error of the model by application of the maximum-likelihood method. Only five parameters are determined from least-squares fitting to the nuclear masses; the other constants in the model are taken from previous work with no adjustment. The resulting theoretical error in the calculated ground-state masses fo 1593 nuclei ranging from /sup 16/O to /sup 263/106 is 0.832 MeV. We also extend the calculation to some additional nuclei in the heavy and superheavy region that were not considered in 1981. The present calculation represents an interim report on a project in which we plan to make further improvements and extendmore » the region of nuclei considered to the neutron and proton drip lines. copyright 1988 Academic Press, Inc.« less
Use of an HBV-DNA hybridization assay in the evaluation of equivocal hepatitis B virus tests in solid organ donors

Context—Serological markers for the hepatitis B virus are routinely used in the evaluation of potential organ donors. However, serological tests can be associated with significant false or equivocal results and may not be indicative of the true risk of hepatitis B infection. Studies have recently questioned the significance of an isolated hepatitis B core antibody test in evaluating the suitability of solid organs for transplantation. The ability to detect hepatitis B virus DNA may prove useful when the diagnosis of hepatitis B infection is in doubt.
Efficacy of CPITN sextant scores for detection of periodontitis disease activity

Abstract The relationship between CPITN sextant scores and periodontitis recurrence at individual tooth sites was evaluated in a longitudinal study in 83 treated adult periodontitis patients receiving systematic 3-month maintenance care. At baseline and semi-annual examinations over 36 months. CPITN scores were assigned to each dentition sextant using probing depths and gingival index scores, and relative periodomal attachment level was assessed at individual tooth sites using an occlusal reference stent. Periodontitis recurrence was defined as any periodontal site exhibiting either a probing depth increase of ≥3 mm from baseline, or a probing depth increase of s 1 mm from baseline together with a loss of relative periodontal attachment of ≥2 mm from baseline. 49 (59.0%) subjects developed periodontitis recurrence in 147 (29.8%) sextants at 181 (2.2%) individual periodontal sites during the 36-month study period. Baseline CPITN scores of 4 were more common in disease-active subjects than clinically-stable subjects (p= 0.003. /-test), and were associated with a statistically significant 1.66 relative risk of periodonlitis recurrence within 36 months. CPITN sextant scores of 3 or 4 showed low specificity and low positive predictive values as indicators of periodontitis recurrence at s= 1 individual sites within the affected sextant. In comparison, low CPITN sextant scores (0-2) provided high specificity (96.2-100%). high positive predictive values (99.5-100%), and a summary odds ratio of 24.2 as an indicator of clinical stability at all periodontal sites within a given dentition sextant. Changes in sextant scores for CPITN over 6-month periods showed no relationship with periodontitis recurrence at individual periodontal sites. This study suggests that while CPITN is inadequate for detection of periodontitis recurrence, low CPITN scores provide rapid presumptive identification of clinically-stable sextants in adult periodontitis patients on maintenance care.
Parity in partition identities

This paper considers a variety of parity questions connected with classical partition identities of Euler, Rogers, Ramanujan and Gordon. We begin by restricting the partitions in the Rogers-Ramanujan-Gordon identities to those wherein even parts appear an even number of times. We then take up questions involving sequences of alternating parity in the parts of partitions. This latter study leads to: (1) a bi-basic q-binomial theorem and q-binomial series, (2) a new interpretation of the Rogers-Ramanujan identities, and (3) a new natural interpretation of the fifth-order mock theta functions f0(q) along with a new proof of the Hecke-type series representation.
Hitting the sustainability sweet spot: having it all

Purpose – Corporations and their leaders are coming under increasing pressure to achieve “sustainability.” Sustainable enterprises minimize harmful environmental impacts, are socially responsible, and create shareholder value.Design/methodology/approach – Using secondary data, we compared the financial performance of recognized sustainability leaders to that of a carefully selected matched set of competitors.Findings – The authors find that, on average, sustainability leaders outperform their competitors. However, this is true and only two out of three cases.Research limitations/implications – While the authors utilized a relatively small sample with data that covers only a three‐year period, the use of secondary data from two different databases reduces concerns about common method bias. The clear implication of this analysis is that a commitment to sustainability does not harm financial performance and may, in fact, enhance performance.Practical implications – The authors conclude with a set of recommen...
Fluorescence Spectral Properties of the Anticancer Drug Topotecan by Steady-State and Frequency Domain Fluorometry with One-Photon and Multi-Photon Excitation

Abstract— Topotecan is an antitumor agent with activity against a variety of cancers. We examined the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectral properties of topote-can with one-and two-photon excitation. Topotecan was found to display a high two-photon cross section near 20 GM for wavelengths within the fundamental output of a Ti: sapphire laser, 800–880 nm. In frozen solution the anisotropies of topotecan are near the theoretical maxima for one-photon and two-photon excitation with colinear electronic transitions. The intensity and anisotropy decays of topotecan fluorescence were found to be homogeneous (single exponentials) in phosphate-buffered saline and propylene glycol. The steady-state and time-resolved data indicate that topotecan binds to a double-helical DNA oligomer d(AT)10 resulting in increased anisotropies and multiexponential intensity and anisotropy decays. Subnanosecond components in the anisotropy decay of the DNA-topotecan complex suggest loose binding of the drug to DNA. Loose binding of topotecan to DNA is also revealed by accessibility of topotecan to collisional quenching by iodide.
Reproducing and synthesizing colour in computer graphic

Abstract The use of colour display devices in computer graphics is explored. First, some principles of colour science are reviewed. Next, RGB and NTSC monitors, the two most common colour reproduction media used in computer graphics, are discussed. Finally, some of the colour synthesis problems encountered in reproducing colour collections, doing proper anti-aliasing, and making synthetic images are addressed.
Teaching polymorphism with elementary design patterns

Polymorphism is often treated as an advanced topic by educators. Many feel that if statements are in some sense more "fundamental" to computing. On the contrary, polymorphism is both fundamental to object programming and is an elementary topic that can be easily understood by students. Previous papers [1] have shown how role-play exercises can remind students that they already have a deep understanding of dynamic polymorphism. The question then becomes how do we find effective teaching techniques to present this topic when we move from the level of metaphor to that of programming. A few elementary patterns [2] can be used to teach this topic even before the student is introduced to ad-hoc selection with if statements. Teaching these patterns early has the added benefit that they are pervasive in the Java libraries, so understanding them eases the student's later work.
Improved system for rating tornados

The U.S. National Weather Service will now use an Enhanced Fujita scale to rate tornadoes, the agency announced on 2 February. The new scale, which replaces the original one developed in 1971, uses additional indicators and degrees of damage to provide a better correlation between damage and wind speed.
The vascular complications of polycythemia

Abstract Study of ninety-eight cases of polycythemia vera and thirty-five cases of relative polycythemia reveals that erythromelalgia, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, occlusive disease of the peripheral arteries, cerebral hemorrhage of thrombosis, intraabdominal vascular thrombosis, phlebitis, and vasomotor neurosis occur in about a third of the cases. Recognition of the relationships is mmportant diagnostically and therapeutically.
Tissue-engineered trachea for airway reconstruction.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Scaffold-free cartilage has been used to engineer biocompatible and mechanically stable neotracheas in vivo. The purpose of this animal study was to determine if neotracheal constructs, implanted paratracheally, could successfully be used for segmental tracheal reconstruction. Study Design: Animal study. Methods: Culture-expanded auricular rabbit chondrocytes were used to engineer scaffold-free cartilage sheets. Cartilage and a strap muscle flap were wrapped around a tube and implanted paratracheally. At 12 to 14 weeks postimplantation neotracheas were used to reconstruct 20 mm tracheal defects. Surgical technique was modified several times in an attempt to decrease the amount of neotracheal obstruction and fibrosis. In one of the six rabbits, neotrachea with its intact strap muscle flap was dropped into the defect followed by an end-to-end anastomosis; in two animals the muscle flap was partially, and in one rabbit completely removed. In two animals the muscle flap was partially removed, the tube reinserted, and the construct reimplanted for 5 weeks to allow formation of a fibrous lining over the exposed cartilage followed by tracheal reconstruction. Results: All implants developed into vascularized and mechanically sound neotracheas. Following reconstruction, none of the animals showed immediate signs of respiratory distress; however, one died after 24 hours due to extensive endotracheal muscle flap edema, whereas rabbits who had undergone partial or complete muscle flap removal survived up to 39 days before developing cicatricial stenosis. Conclusions: Tissue-engineered neotracheas proved to have excellent biocompatibility and stability to function under physiologic conditions, but lacked adequate endotracheal lining resulting in neotracheal stenosis. Laryngoscope, 2009
A GPU parallelized spectral method for elliptic equations in rectangular domains

We design and implement a polynomial-based spectral method on graphic processing units (GPUs). The key to success lies in the seamless integration of the matrix diagonalization technique and the new generation CUDA tools. The method is applicable to elliptic equations in rectangular domains with general boundary condition. We show remarkable speedups of up to 15 times in the 2-D case and more than 35 times in the 3-D case.
Using anisotropic compression to melt a vortex lattice in a Bose–Einstein condensate

Abstract In highly rotating samples of Bose–Einstein condensed, magnetically trapped gas, a very regular triangular lattice of vortices forms. By driving large-amplitude surface waves around the sample, we can apply a shape distortion which looks, in the frame rotating with the effective rigid body of the lattice, like a gradually increasing uniaxial compression. The individual vortices are relatively unaffected by the compression, but the lattice structure melts, eliminating the long-range order.
An empirical investigation of strategic investment decision models

Numerous authors have argued for the need to study the process of strategic decision making. In the present study a judgement capturing methodology is employed, to identify the specific structures of decision models and simplification heuristics in a series of strategic investment decisions. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Triplet state properties of tryptophan residues in complexes of mutated Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding proteins with single-stranded polynucleotides.

Complexes of point-mutated E. coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein (Eco SSB) with homopolynucleotides have been investigated by optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR) of the triplet state of tryptophan (Trp) residues. Investigation of the individual sublevel kinetics of the lowest triplet state of Trp residues 40 and 54 in the poly (dT) complex of Eco SSB-W88F,W135F (a mutant protein whose Trp residues at positions 88 and 135 have been substituted by Phe) shows that Trp 54 is the most affected residue upon stacking with thymine bases, confirming previous results based on SSB mutants having single Trp----Phe substitutions. (Zang, L. H., A. H. Maki, J. B. Murphy, and J. W. Chase. 1987. Biophys. J. 52:867–872). The Tx sublevel of Trp 54 shows a fourfold increase in the decay rate constant, as well as an increase in its populating rate constant by selective spin-orbit coupling. The two nonradiative sublevels show no change in lifetime, relative to unstacked Trp. For Trp 40, a weaker perturbation of Tx by thymine results in a sublevel lifetime about one-half that of normal Trp. Trp54 displays a 2[E]transition of negative polarity in the double mutant SSB complex with Poly (dT), but gives a vanishingly weak [D] - [E] signal, thus implying that the steady-state sublevel populations of Tx and Tz are nearly equal in this residue. Poly (5-BrU) induces the largest red-shift of the Eco SSB-W88F,W135F Trp phosphorescence 0,0-band of all polynucleotides investigated. Its phosphorescence decay fits well to two exponential components of 1.02 and 0.12 s, with no contribution from long-lived Trp residues. This behavior provides convincing evidence that both Trp 40 and 54 are perturbed by stacking with brominated uridine. The observed decrease in the Trp [D] values further confirms the stacking of the Trp residues with 5-BrU. Wave-length-selected ODMR experiments conducted on the [D[ + [E] transition of Eco SSB-W88F,W135F complexed with poly(5HgU) indicate the presence of multiple heavy atom-perturbed sites. Measurements made on poly (5-HgU) which each of its 4 Trp residues has been replaced in turn by Phe demonstrate that Trp 40 and 54 are the only Trp residues undergoing stacking with nucleotide bases, as previously proposed.
High-performance microprocessor packaging in the year 2000: technical and economic barriers and alternatives

By the year 2000, computers capable of >1000 MIPs and operating at >500 MHz are on the horizon. As the microprocessor becomes more powerful, major technical and economic challenges in packaging technologies are evident. In this paper, we trace the emergence of the microprocessor by examining the technical and economical drivers. It is seen that specialized material processes and designs are required to package a high-performance microprocessor. Low-cost materials with low dielectric constant and high electrical and thermal conductivity metallization are required to meet these objectives. As microprocessor architectures migrate towards closely-coupled CPU/cache requiring more than one VLSI, the multichip module is emerging/re-emerging as a requirement.
Gauged N = 4 supergravity theory with a new scalar potential.

Abstract We gauge SU(2) ⊗ SU(2) in the SO(4) supergravity theory. The scalar potential is unbounded from below, and its critical point defines a cosmological constant that can be set to any value, positive or negative, except zero. In the case of positive cosmological constant all four supersymmetries are spontaneously broken.
Sentencing Convicted Felons in the United States: A Bayesian Analysis Using Multilevel Covariates

Imprisonment levels vary widely across the United States, with some state imprisonment rates six times higher than others. Imposition of prison sentences also varies between counties within states, with previous research suggesting that covariates such as crime rate, unemployment level, racial composition, political conservatism, geographic region, and sentencing policies account for some of this variation. Other studies, using court data on individual felons, demonstrate how type of offense, demographics, criminal history, and case characteristics affect sentence severity. This article considers the effects of both county-level and individual-level covariates on whether a convicted felon receives a prison sentence rather than a jail or non-custodial sentence. We analyze felony court case processing data from May 1998 for 39 of the nation's most populous urban counties using a Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model. By adopting a Bayesian approach, we are able to overcome a number of challenges. The model allows individual-level effects to vary by county, but relates these effects across counties using county-level covariates. We account for missing data using imputation via additional Gibbs sampling steps when estimating the model. Finally, we use posterior samples to construct novel predictor effect plots to aid communication of results to criminal justice policy-makers.
Extreme preformation in alpine Polygonum viviparum: an architectural and Developmental Analysis

Preformation, the initiation of organs one or more years prior to maturation and function, is reported to be common and crucial for plant survival in arctic and alpine environments, yet the phenomenon is remarkably little studied. In order to understand the role of preformation in the ecology and evolution of tundra species, this investigation takes a developmental and architectural approach to the analysis of plant growth and reproduction in the alpine perennial Polygonum viviparum L. Analyses show that the extent and duration of preformation in P. viviparum are extraordinary. Four years are required for each leaf and inflorescence to progress from initiation to functional and structural maturity. This single salient feature of development has profound consequences for basic architecture, dynamics of resource allocation, and the timing of plant responses to environmental variation. As a consequence of the protracted duration of leaf and inflorescence development, five cohorts of primordia, initiated in successive years, are borne simultaneously by an individual plant. In the year prior to maturation leaves reach 30% of their maximum size, and the maximum potential reproductive output of each inflorescence is determined. Thus, developmental processes that affect final morphology and resource allocation occur at least 1 yr before functional maturity. From the developmental and architectural models constructed for P. viviparum, a 1-yr delay in measurable plant responses to environmental variation is predicted. The models also apply generally to arctic and alpine species and provide a mechanistic explanation for observed patterns of productivity at the community and ecosystem scale. Development of arctic and alpine plants is characterized by preformation (Sorenson, 1941; Bliss, 1962; Billings and Mooney, 1968), the initiation of organs one or more years prior to maturation and function. Preformation facilitates the rapid emergence and maturation of leaves and reproductive structures at the onset of a growing season and is considered to be critically important in the tundra, where the annual cycle of growth and development often must be completed within 8‐10 wk, less than one-half of the time available in more temperate regions (Billings and Mooney, 1968). Beyond the observation that some organs are preformed, however, few data are available on the developmental or architectural patterns of any arctic or alpine species or on the extent and duration of organ growth and morphogenesis during preformation. Sorensen’s (1941) analysis of the wintering stage of Greenland’s arctic tundra species remains the primary reference for preformation in arctic species. While this work is monumental in scope, with descriptions of 181 species in 84 genera, it is necessarily limited in detail and documentation, and contains little developmental analysis. The literature on alpine species is even more sparse. Mark (1965, 1968, 1970) studied 100 species (in 37 genera) of 1
Use of Outer Surface Protein Repeat Regions for Improved Genotyping of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is an important nosocomial pathogen, but little is known of its epidemiology. Accurate, reproducible typing systems would greatly improve epidemiologic investigations of S. epidermidis. The sequence-based typing technique most recently evaluated, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), often lacks discrimination and can be expensive. PCR and sequence-based analyses of the serine-aspartate repeat region of sdrG (Fbe) and the repeat region of the accumulation-associated protein gene (aap) were evaluated for the ability to discriminate among previously well-characterized S. epidermidis clinical isolates. Forty-eight strains were investigated, with sdrG found in 100% and aap found in 79% of all strains tested. Both genes demonstrated PCR product size and nucleotide sequence variation. Each system by itself gave an index of discrimination similar in value to that of MLST (0.924 and 0.953 compared to 0.96), but discrimination was further improved when combinations of the three systems were used. We conclude that typing systems using amino acid and nucleotide repeat regions of the S. epidermidis surface proteins SdrG and Aap show promise as typing tools and should be investigated using a larger panel of clinically relevant isolates.
The stereotyped task engagement process: The role of interest and achievement motivation.

Competence-based stereotypes can negatively affect women's performance in math and science (referred to as stereotype threat), presumably leading to lower motivation. The authors examined the effects of stereotype threat on interest, a motivational path not necessarily mediated by performance. They predicted that working on a computer science task in the context of math-gender stereotypes would negatively affect undergraduate women's task interest, particularly for those higher in achievement motivation who were hypothesized to hold performance-avoidance goals in response to the threat. Compared with when the stereotype was nullified, while under stereotype threat an assigned performance-avoidance (vs. -approach) goal was associated with lower interest for women higher in achievement motivation (Study 1), and women higher (vs. lower) in achievement motivation were more likely to spontaneously adopt performance-avoidance goals (Study 2). The motivational influence of performance-avoidance goals under stereotype threat was primarily mediated by task absorption (Study 3). Implications for the stereotyped task engagement process (Smith, 2004) are discussed.
REIRRADIATION OF LOCALLY RECURRENT NASOPHARYNX CANCER WITH EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT BRACHYTHERAPY

Purpose To determine survival rates of patients with locally recurrent nasopharynx cancer (LRNPC) treated with modern therapeutic modalities. Methods and Materials From July 1996 to March 2008, 29 patients were reirradiated for LRNPC. Thirteen patients received combined-modality treatment (CMT), consisting of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by intracavitary brachytherapy, whereas 16 received EBRT alone. The median age was 50 years, 59% were male, 38% were Asian, 69% had World Health Organization Class III histology, and 86% were treated for their first recurrence. Nine, 6, 8, and 6 patients had recurrent Stage I, II, III, and IV disease, respectively. Patients in the EBRT-alone group had more advanced disease. Median time to reirradiation was 3.9 years. In total, 93% underwent imaging with positron emission tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging before reirradiation, 83% received intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and 93% received chemotherapy, which was platinum-based in 85% of cases. Results The median follow-up for all patients was 45 months and for surviving patients was 54 months. Five-year actuarial local control, event-free survival, and overall survival rates were 52%, 44%, and 60%, respectively. No difference was observed between patients treated with EBRT or CMT. Overall survival was superior in patients who achieved local control (p = 0.0003). The incidence of late Grade ≥3 events in patients re-treated with EBRT alone was significantly increased compared with those receiving CMT (73% vs. 8%; p = 0.005). Conclusions In this modern reirradiation series of patients with LRNPC, favorable overall survival compared with historical series was achieved. Patients treated with CMT experienced significantly fewer severe late effects compared with those treated with EBRT.
Access Network Design for Optical Flow Switching

In this work, we consider access network design for the Optical Flow Switching (OFS) transport architecture [1]-[3]. Our work addresses the all-optical physical layer of the data plane in the context of tree-based networks. We consider the advantages and disadvantages of passive and active components - including optical amplifiers - and ultimately integrate these building blocks in the most economically attractive fashion for the required number of users.