cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fully Scaled 0.5 Micron CMOS Technology Using Variable Shaped Electron Beam Lithography

Over the past several years, CMOS technology has been continuously driven to achieve enhanced performance and higher density. The resulting reduction in semiconductor dimensions has surpasssed the limits attainable by the most advanced optical lithography tools. As a result, the utilization of electron beam lithography direct writing techniques to satisfy VLSI patterning requirements has increased significantly. In principle, variable shaped electron beam systems are capable of writing linewidths down to at least 0.1 micron. However, the successful application of sub-micron scaling principles to device fabrication involves an integration of tool capability and resist process control. In order to achieve the realization of improved CMOS device performance and circuit density, sub-micron ground rules (line width control and overlay) must be satisfied over the full chip. This paper reports on a high performance, fully scaled 0.5 micron CMOS technology developed for VLSI appli-cations. Significant gains in both density and performance at reduced power supply levels are realized over previously reported 1.0 micron technology. The details of the integrated lithography strategy used to achieve these results are presented.
The Role of Neuropsychological Assessment in Relation to Other Types of Assessment with Children

Neuropsychological assessment represents an important aspect in the overall evaluation of the child with neurological disorder. The efficacy of neuropsychological findings, however, can be greatly enhanced by a better understanding of the interrelationship between neuropsychological testing and other aspects of the neurological and psychological evaluation. With recent advances in neurodiagnostics, particularly in the area of brain imaging and related assessment techniques, there is a greater abundance of clinical information that must be integrated with neuropsychological findings. This has resulted in further overlap between specialty areas in the clinical neurosciences and has furthered the need for one specialty to understand the significance of findings in the others. To that end, this chapter will attempt to relate and contrast neuropsychological test findings with other assessment practices.
When Seeing Isn't Believing: How Math Can Guide Our Interpretation of Measurements and Experiments

Mathematical thought experiments probe the meaning and pitfalls of experimental measurements and demonstrate that caution is in order when measuring heterogeneity.
The First Necessity of Progress

The United States spends almost twice as much of its gross domestic product on health care as other industrialized nations around the world, and this amount continues to rise. In return, outcomes achieved are disappointing, exemplified by a life expectancy that is 1.8 years less than average.[1][1]
Signaling by a Conserved Quorum Sensing Pathway Contributes to Growth Ex Vivo and Oropharyngeal Colonization of Human Pathogen Group A Streptococcus

Bacterial virulence factor production is a highly coordinated process. The temporal pattern of bacterial gene expression varies in different host anatomic sites to overcome niche-specific challenges. The human pathogen group A streptococcus (GAS) produces a potent secreted protease, SpeB, that is crucial for pathogenesis. Recently, we discovered that a quorum sensing pathway comprised of a leaderless short peptide, SpeB-inducing peptide (SIP), and a cytosolic global regulator, RopB, controls speB expression in concert with bacterial population density. The SIP signaling pathway is active in vivo and contributes significantly to GAS invasive infections. In the current study, we investigated the role of the SIP signaling pathway in GAS-host interactions during oropharyngeal colonization. The SIP signaling pathway is functional during growth ex vivo in human saliva. SIP-mediated speB expression plays a crucial role in GAS colonization of the mouse oropharynx. GAS employs a distinct pattern of SpeB production during growth ex vivo in saliva that includes a transient burst of speB expression during early stages of growth coupled with sustained levels of secreted SpeB protein. SpeB production aids GAS survival by degrading LL37, an abundant human antimicrobial peptide. We found that SIP signaling occurs during growth in human blood ex vivo. Moreover, the SIP signaling pathway is critical for GAS survival in blood. SIP-dependent speB regulation is functional in strains of diverse emm types, indicating that SIP signaling is a conserved virulence regulatory mechanism. Our discoveries have implications for future translational studies.
Rapid Sample Preparation for Alpha Spectroscopy with Ultrafiltration Membranes

This contribution describes a rapid, fieldable alpha spectroscopy sample preparation technique that minimizes consumables and decreases the nuclear forensics timeline. Functional ultrafiltration membranes are presented that selectively concentrate uranium directly from pH 6 groundwater and serve as the alpha spectroscopy substrate. Membranes were prepared by ultraviolet grafting of uranium-selective polymer chains from the membrane surface. Membranes were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy before and after modification to support functionalization. Membrane performance was evaluated using uranium-233 or depleted uranium in both deionized and simulated groundwater at pH 6. Functionalized membranes achieved peak energy resolutions of 31 ± 2 keV and recoveries of 81 ± 4% when prepared directly from pH 6 simulated groundwater. For simulated groundwater spiked with depleted uranium, baseline energy resolution was achieved for both isotopes (uranium-238 and uranium-234). The porous, uranium-selective substrate designs can process liters per hour of uranium-contaminated groundwater using low-pressure (<150 kPa) filtration and a 45 mm diameter membrane filter, leading to a high-throughput, one-step concentration, purification, and sample mounting process.
Bone Sarcoma Imaging

Imaging studies are invaluable in the diagnosis, staging, and evaluation of response to treatment of bone sarcomas. At MD Anderson Cancer Center, the most essential initial imaging studies performed for diagnosis and staging are plain film radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively. To answer specific questions, these studies are often augmented by other imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), skeletal scintigraphy, positron emission tomography (PET) with fused CT (PET/CT), and ultrasonography. After treatment, plain radiography, MRI, and PET/CT may be used to evaluate tumor response. One ­cannot overemphasize the importance of these modalities in the comprehensive evaluation of patients with bone sarcomas. Accurate characterization of the primary lesion is key to the diagnosis, while precise identification of local, regional, and distant disease is critical to staging and treatment.
Analysis of The Nucleotide Sequence Diversity of the Lassa Virus and Augmenting its Phylogenetic Tree

Lassa Virus (LASV) is the etiological catalyst for Lassa fever, an acute hemorrhagic disease with a mortality rate of 15%. Many aspects of the Lassa virus are not understood, like the causation of deafness in ⅓ of surviving patients or why symptoms are benign for 80% of those infected with the virus. Ambiguities like these suggest that there might exist some genomic heterogeneity among infecting viruses and demonstrate a need to quantify and analyze polymorphisms within LASV. Patterns that emerge from phylogenetic trees can be used to assess the structure of a population while also providing insights to the genetic makeup. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a more streamlined means of calculating nucleotide diversity within a subpopulation of Lassa virus strains and to augment a phylogenetic tree of the Lassa Virus glycoprotein precursor (GPC) segment. A total of 25 partial and complete data sequences of LASV strains were obtained from the Genbank Archives. During phase one of this investiga...
Spatio-temporal violent event prediction using Gaussian process regression

Large volume, data-driven violent conflict research is now possible using publicly available data sets. This work analyzes the predictive ability of data-derived Gaussian process models compared to a generalized linear model. Societal violence is a highly nonlinear process and the available data sets have high dimensionality that yield observation totals in the hundreds of thousands to millions. These challenges make machine learning modeling difficult without significant dimensionality reduction. We develop a computationally intensive Gaussian process modeling approach that exploits the size and complexity of the violent conflict dataset to identify appropriate basis vectors for the model. We develop our models using gridded monthly violent event counts for sub-Saharan Africa from 1980 to 2012. Our resulting Gaussian process models modestly improve the accuracy and predictive ability of existing generalized linear models. Despite this improvement, the accurate prediction of violence in sub-Saharan Africa at a relatively fine resolution spatial grid of 1 $$^\circ$$ latitude/longitude remains a challenging problem.
Do current smokers use more cigarettes and become more dependent on nicotine because of psychological distress after a natural disaster

Natural disasters increase nicotine dependence and cigarette consumption, but the exact mechanisms and conditions responsible for this increase are relatively unclear. This study explored whether posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms were pathways to increased nicotine dependence and cigarette consumption after disaster exposure using a representative sample of current smokers who were living in New Orleans at the time Hurricane Katrina struck (n = 175), and a comparison sample of smokers from Memphis (n = 222) who were not directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We assessed whether nicotine dependence and daily cigarette consumption differed by city and evaluated potential mediators and moderators of this association using conditional process analysis. Results showed that though nicotine dependence (B = 0.46, SE = 0.20, p = .02) and average daily cigarette consumption (B = 2.19, SE = 0.80, p = .01) were higher among New Orleans than Memphis smokers 27 months after Hurricane Katrina, hurricane exposure did not indirectly affect nicotine dependence and average daily cigarette consumption through increases in posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Smokers who are exposed to disasters may not be increasing their cigarette use and their dependency on nicotine because of post-disaster psychological distress. Future studies should investigate other mechanisms and conditions to explain post-disaster changes in smoking behavior.
Degradation kinetics of hexachlorobenzene over zero-valent magnesium/graphite in protic solvent system and modeling of degradation pathways using density functional theory.

Abstract Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), like many chlorinated organic compounds, has accumulated in the environment from agricultural and industrial activity. Because of its health risks and adverse impact on various ecosystems, remediation of this contaminant is of vital concern. The objective of this study is to evaluate the proficiency of activated magnesium metal in a protic solvent system to accomplish reductive dechlorination of HCB. Experimental results were compared with those predicted by quantum chemical calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). Multivariate analysis detected complete degradation of HCB within 30 min at room temperature, the reaction having a rate constant of 0.222 min−1. Dechlorination was hypothesized to proceed via an ionic mechanism; the main dechlorination pathways of HCB in 1:1 ethanol:ethyl lactate were HCB → PCBz → 1,2,4,5-TCB; 1,2,3,5-TCB → 1,2,4-TriCB; 1,3,5-TriCB → 1,4-DiCB; 1,3-DiCB. The direct relationship between the decreasing number of Cl substituents and dechlorination reaction kinetics agrees with the ΔG values predicted by the computational model. This methodology shows promise for the development of a practical and sustainable field application for the remediation of other chlorinated aromatic compounds.
An Evolving Feminist Leadership Model for Art Education

An evolving feminist leadership model for art education, designed by the authors, is discussed with an explanation of how criteria of coherence, completeness, and appropriateness were used for anal...
Clinical Outcomes of Transcatheter vs Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis

Background: Chronic liver disease increases cardiac surgical risk, with 30-day mortality ranging from 9% to 52% in patients with Child-Pugh class A and C, respectively. Data comparing the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with liver disease are limited. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for relevant studies and assessed risk of bias using the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) Cochrane Collaboration tool. Results: Five observational studies with 359 TAVR and 1,872 SAVR patients were included in the analysis. Overall, patients undergoing TAVR had a statistically insignificant lower rate of in-hospital mortality (7.2% vs 18.1%; odds ratio [OR] 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25, 1.82; I2=61%) than patients receiving SAVR. In propensity score-matched cohorts, patients undergoing TAVR had lower rates of in-hospital mortality (7.3% vs 13.2%; OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.27, 0.98; I2=13%), blood transfusion (27.4% vs 51.1%; OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.21, 0.60; I2=31%), and hospital length of stay (10.9 vs 15.7 days; mean difference -6.32; 95% CI -10.28, -2.36; I2=83%) than patients having SAVR. No significant differences between the 2 interventions were detected in the proportion of patients discharged home (65.3% vs 53.9%; OR 1.3; 95% CI 0.56, 3.05; I2=67%), acute kidney injury (10.4% vs 17.1%; OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.29, 1.07; I2= 0%), or mean cost of hospitalization ($250,386 vs $257,464; standardized mean difference -0.07; 95% CI -0.29, 0.14; I2=0%). Conclusion: In patients with chronic liver disease, TAVR may be associated with lower rates of in-hospital mortality, blood transfusion, and hospital length of stay compared with SAVR.
Using a deep convolutional neural network to predict 2017 ozone concentrations, 24 hours in advance

Abstract In this study, we use a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to develop a model that predicts ozone concentrations 24 h in advance. We have evaluated the model for 21 continuous ambient monitoring stations (CAMS) across Texas. The inputs for the CNN model consist of meteorology (e.g., wind field, temperature) and air pollution concentrations (NO x and ozone) from the previous day. The model is trained for predicting next-day, 24-hour ozone concentrations. We acquired meteorological and air pollution data from 2014 to 2017 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). For 19 of the 21 stations in the study, results show that the yearly index of agreement (IOA) is above 0.85, confirming the acceptable accuracy of the CNN model. The results also show the model performed well, even for stations with varying monthly trends of ozone concentrations (specifically CAMS-012, located in El-Paso, and CAMS-013, located in Fort Worth, both with IOA=0.89). In addition, to ensure that the model was robust, we tested it on stations where fewer meteorological variables are monitored. Although these stations have fewer input features, their performance is similar to that of other stations. However, despite its success at capturing daily trends, the model mostly underpredicts the daily maximum ozone, which provides a direction for future study and improvement. As this model predicts ozone concentrations 24 h in advance with greater accuracy and computationally fewer resources, it can serve as an early warning system for individuals susceptible to ozone and those engaging in outdoor activities.
Antimicrobial Resistance Prediction for Gram-Negative Bacteria via Game Theory-Based Feature Evaluation

The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria drives the need for advanced methods to identify antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) genes in bacterial pathogens. With the availability of whole genome sequences, best-hit methods can be used to identify AMR genes by differentiating unknown sequences with known AMR sequences in existing online repositories. Nevertheless, these methods may not perform well when identifying resistance genes with sequences having low sequence identity with known sequences. We present a machine learning approach that uses protein sequences, with sequence identity ranging between 10% and 90%, as an alternative to conventional DNA sequence alignment-based approaches to identify putative AMR genes in Gram-negative bacteria. By using game theory to choose which protein characteristics to use in our machine learning model, we can predict AMR protein sequences for Gram-negative bacteria with an accuracy ranging from 93% to 99%. In order to obtain similar classification results, identity thresholds as low as 53% were required when using BLASTp.
Consumers' Perception of Urban Farming—An Exploratory Study

Urban agriculture offers the opportunity to provide fresh, local food to urban communities. However, urban agriculture can only be successfully embedded in urban areas if consumers perceive urban farming positively and accept urban farms in their community. Success of urban agriculture is rooted in positive perception of those living close by, and the perception strongly affects acceptance of farming within individuals’ direct proximity. This research investigates perception and acceptance of urban agriculture by means of a qualitative, exploratory field study with N=19 residents from a major metropolitan area in the southwest U.S. Specifically, the concept mapping procedure was used, where respondents are free to write down all the associations that come to mind when presented with a stimulus, such as, “urban farming.” When applying concept mapping, participants are asked to recall associations and then directly link them to each other displaying their knowledge structure, i.e., perception. Data were analyzed using content analysis and semantic network analysis. Consumers’ perception of urban farming is related to the following categories: environment, society, economy, and food and attributes. The number of positive associations is much higher than the number of negative associations signaling that consumers would be likely to accept farming in close proximity to where they live. Furthermore, our findings show that individuals’ perceptions can differ greatly in terms of what they associate with urban farming and how they evaluate it. While some only think of a few things, others have well-developed knowledge structures. Overall, investigating consumers’ perception helps designing strategies towards developing successful urban farming.
Neural Identification for Control

We present a new method for learning control law that stabilizes an unknown nonlinear dynamical system at an equilibrium point. We formulate a system identification task in a self-supervised learning setting that jointly learns a controller and corresponding stable closed-loop dynamics hypothesis. The input-output behavior of the unknown dynamical system under random control inputs is used as the supervising signal to train the neural network-based system model and the controller. The proposed method relies on the Lyapunov stability theory to generate a stable closed-loop dynamics hypothesis and corresponding control law. We demonstrate our method on various nonlinear control problems such as n-link pendulum balancing and trajectory tracking, pendulum on cart balancing, and wheeled vehicle path following.
Pre-season fire management planning: the use of Potential Operational Delineations to prepare for wildland fire events

US fire scientists are developing Potential Wildfire Operational Delineations, also known as ‘PODs’, as a pre-fire season planning tool to promote safe and effective wildland fire response, strengthen risk management approaches in fire management and better align fire management objectives. PODs are a collaborative planning approach based on spatial analytics to identify potential wildfire control lines and assess the desirability of fire before ignition. They offer the opportunity to apply risk management principles with partners before the compressed timeframe of incident response. We sought to understand the potential utility of PODs and factors that may affect their use through semistructured interviews with personnel on several national forests. Interviewees said PODs offer a promising shift in the wildland fire management dynamic, particularly by facilitating proactive communication and coordination about wildfire response. Successfully employing PODs will require leadership commitment, stakeholder and partner engagement and interdisciplinary staff involvement. Our work offers insights for national forests and other jurisdictions where managers are looking to strengthen coordination and strategic approaches for wildland fire response by utilising pre-season collaboration and data analytics.
Mesoscale Simulations of Dry Sand

There is an interest in producing accurate and reliable computer simulations to predict the dynamic behavior of heterogeneous materials and to use these simulations to gain further insight into experimental results. In so doing, a more complete understanding of the multiple-length scale involved in heterogeneous material compaction can be obtained. In this work, planar shock impact experiments were simulated using two different hydrocode formulations: iSALE and CTH. The simulations, which were based on a Georgia Tech experimental setup, consisted of a flyer of varying thickness impacting dry sand over a range of impact. Particle velocity traces obtained from the computer simulations were compared to VISAR and PDV measurements obtained from experiments. The mesoscale simulations compare well with the dynamic behavior of dry sand. Improvements on these simulations with the inclusion of these mesoscale phenomena are presented and discussed.
Amiloride intercalates into DNA and inhibits DNA topoisomerase II.

Abstract Amiloride is capable of inhibiting DNA synthesis in mammalian cells in culture. Recent evidence indicates that the enzyme, DNA topoisomerase II, is probably required for DNA synthesis to occur in situ. In experiments to determine the mechanism of inhibition of DNA synthesis by amiloride, we observed that amiloride inhibited both the catalytic activity of purified DNA topoisomerase II in vitro and DNA topoisomerase II-dependent cell functions in vivo. Many compounds capable of inhibiting DNA topoisomerase II are DNA intercalators. Thus, we performed studies to determine if and how amiloride bound to DNA. Results indicated that amiloride 1) shifted the thermal denaturation profile of DNA, 2) increased the viscosity of linear DNA, and 3) unwound circular DNA, all behavior consistent with a DNA intercalation mechanism. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative measurements of amiloride fluorescence indicated that amiloride (a) bound reversibly to purified DNA under conditions of physiologic ionic strength, and (b) bound to purified nuclei in a highly cooperative manner. Lastly, amiloride did not promote the cleavage of DNA in the presence of DNA topoisomerase II, indicating that the mechanism by which amiloride inhibited DNA topoisomerase II was not through the stabilization of a "cleavable complex" formed between DNA topoisomerase II, DNA, and amiloride. The ability of amiloride to intercalate with DNA and inhibit topoisomerase II is consistent with the proposed planar, hydrogen-bonded, tricyclic nature of amiloride's most stable conformation. Thus, DNA and DNA topoisomerase II must be considered as new cellular targets of amiloride action.
SI for free: machine learning of interconnect coupling delay and transition effects

In advanced technology nodes, incremental delay due to coupling is a serious concern. Design companies spend significant resources on static timing analysis (STA) tool licenses with signal integrity (SI) enabled. The runtime of the STA tools in SI mode is typically large due to complex algorithms and iterative calculation of timing windows to accurately determine aggressor and victim alignments, as well as delay and slew estimations. In this work, we develop machine learning-based predictors of timing in SI mode based on timing reports from non-SI mode. Timing analysis in non-SI mode is faster and the license costs can be several times less than those of SI mode. We determine electrical and logic structure parameters that affect the incremental arc delay/slew and path delay (i.e., the difference in arrival times at the clock pin of the launch flip-flop and the D pin of the capture flip-flop) in SI mode, and develop models that can predict these SI-aware delays. We report worst-case error of 7.0ps and average error of 0.7ps for our models to predict incremental transition time, worst-case error of 5.2ps and average error of 1.2ps for our models to predict incremental delay, and worst-case error of 8.2ps and average error of 1.7ps for our models to predict path delay, in 28nm FDSOI technology. We also demonstrate that our models are robust across designs and signoff constraints at a particular technology node.
Tangled Up in Brown

The author defends the opinion of the Court in Brown v. Board of Education as an example of the judicial process properly applied. In particular, he rejects the critique of Brown as weakly reasoned or as premised on a misapplication or misunderstanding of the facts, including sociological facts, or the law. He sums up his discussion as follows, "The doctrine that emerges from Brown is narrow, but it resolves the case and does so on what ought to be relatively non-controversial principles of equal protection. Thus although Brown may not contain much law, it does contain precisely the amount necessary to resolve the problem presented to the Court. To sum up, the Court, operating from a morally justifiable sense of injustice, got the facts right, the law right, and arrived at the correct result."
Entanglement of photons due to nonlinear optical response of quantum wells

We show that many-body correlations among excitons originating from the Pauli exclusion principle in a quantum well embedded inside a microcavity provide a possibility to produce pairs of entangled photons by ultrashort laser pulses with a yield of $\sim 10^{-2}$. The quantum-field theoretical two-particle density matrix in second quantization is used to calculate entanglement for arbitrary emission angles. %At time scales where the heavy-light hole splitting is resolved the resonances corresponding to different two-exciton %states develop, which allow for a simple kinematic theory relating the %states of the outgoing photons with the respective two-exciton states. Largest response can be expected at symmetric emission angles for resonances with the heavy-heavy and light-light two-exciton states with remarkably nontrivial dependence of entanglement on the emission angles and on the ellipticity parameters of the excitation. We show that the angle dependence can be tailored by means of the microcavity. Interestingly, the emitted entangled 2-photon states are always in a triplet state.
Comment on: Protecting Life in the Milky Way: Metals Keep the GRBs Away by Stanek et al

Stanek et al. (astro-ph/0604113) have noted that the four low-redshift long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LSB) observed to date all occurred in faint, metal-poor galaxies. Given this selection, they argue that it is improbable that there has been a substantial population of Milky Way galaxy bursts sufficiently recently to affect life on Earth. This argument ignores the heterogeneity of stellar populations in the Milky Way, with evidence for continuing mergers with low-metallicity dwarf galaxies; observational analysis that points to LSBs being hosted by such galaxies undergoing interaction; and the existence of a likely recent GRB remnant in our galaxy.
Sustainable ecotourism in Amazonia: evaluation of six sites in southeastern Peru.

It is widely assumed that ecotourism offers sustainable development opportunities in under-developed countries, but little is known about the variables contributing to differential sustainability of multiple ecotourism ventures within a geographic region. This investigation compared differences among rainforest ecotourism sites in Tambopata, Amazonian Peru. These rainforest lodges act as stewards of the surrounding habitat. Different histories and philosophies regarding tourism resulted in varied levels of economic, social and ecological sustainability. This study quantitatively examines the differential sustainability of multiple ecotourism sites in a small geographic region. Tourism in Tambopata has a potential for sustainability of local communities and natural resources. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The plasma proteins in disease.

Publisher Summary Normal human blood plasma contains an extremely complex mixture of proteins that includes simple proteins, lipoproteins, glycoproteins, and numerous other distinct protein components. The composition of the plasma in disease appears to be even more complex. The studies on plasma proteins in disease are carried out largely by neutral-salt precipitation and by electrophoretic analysis. Other methods, such as immunochemical techniques and ultracentrifugation, are also used. These procedures yield crude fractional separations, which are reproducible when applied by standardized technique and often helpful as first approximations but cannot satisfactorily resolve the plasma proteins. However, over the years, considerable progress in the characterization of the proteins in normal human plasma has been noticed because of improved chemical, electrophoretic, and immunochemical methods and by refinements in amino acid analyses. This chapter summarizes significant data made available by these recent developments. Some disorders, such as multiple myeloma, nephrosis, cirrhosis, kala azar, and lymphogranuloma venereum, exhibit marked disturbances in plasma proteins. Systematic surveys of the plasma proteins in a great variety of other disorders, however, indicate that many diseases are not accompanied by any significant alteration in the plasma protein pattern.
MODE OF REPLICATION OF PSEUDORABIES VIRUS DNA.

Pseudorabies (Pr) virus DNA is double-stranded: its buoyant density in cesium chloride is that expected of double-stranded DNA with the same content of guanine and cytosine (73 moles %); furthermore, this DNA does not react with formaldehyde and its buoyant density shows the expected increase after heat denaturation. Pr virus DNA replicates in a semiconservative manner.
Lipid-protein interaction in monolayers. Effect of conformation of poly-l-lysine on stearic acid monolayers

Surface pressures and surface potentials of stearic acid monolayers were measured at various pH values in the presence and absence of poly-L-lysine in the subsolution. The presence of poly-L-lysine strikingly influences the state of stearic acid monolayers. Surface potential measurements indicated that the maximum interaction between poly-L-lysine and stearic acid monolayers occurred between pH 10 and 11. Poly-L-lysine solutions exhibited surface activity in the same pH range. Air bubbles covered with poly-L-lysine films showed maximum stability at pH 11. These results indicate that in the pH range 10–11, where coil-to-helix transition occurs in solution, poly-L-lysine has partial or complete helical conformation which causes the slowest rate of drainage of water in bubble lamellae, and which also exhibits surface activity and hence, increases the interaction of poly-L-lysine with stearic acid monolayers. The implications of these findings for lipid-protein associations in biomembranes are discussed.
Broken halos and shattered horns: overcoming the biasing effects of prior expectations through objective information disclosure

In three studies the authors seek to extend prior research by examining the simultaneous effects of positive (halos) and negative (horns) health-related inferences. How the provision of objective point-of-purchase nutrition information moderates the effects of these pre-existing health halo and health horn effects on food evaluations and choices is considered. In Study 1 predictions addressing the interaction between a recently mandated objective nutrition disclosure and initial product category healthfulness perceptions are proposed and supported. Study 2 extends findings from this initial online experiment to a more realistic retail environment, and Study 3 addresses how different presentation exposure contexts (on a package compared to a nutrition poster) affects evaluations and how evaluations related to the information disclosure are linked. Since the USDA recently required retailers to provide nutrition information at the point-of-purchase for beef and poultry products, these results have important implications for consumers, producers, retailers, and policy makers.
Graphics processing unit accelerated three-dimensional model for the simulation of pulsed low-temperature plasmas

A 3-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision simulation that is fully implemented on a graphics processing unit (GPU) is described and used to determine low-temperature plasma characteristics at high reduced electric field, E/n, in nitrogen gas. Details of implementation on the GPU using the NVIDIA Compute Unified Device Architecture framework are discussed with respect to efficient code execution. The software is capable of tracking around 10 × 106 particles with dynamic weighting and a total mesh size larger than 108 cells. Verification of the simulation is performed by comparing the electron energy distribution function and plasma transport parameters to known Boltzmann Equation (BE) solvers. Under the assumption of a uniform electric field and neglecting the build-up of positive ion space charge, the simulation agrees well with the BE solvers. The model is utilized to calculate plasma characteristics of a pulsed, parallel plate discharge. A photoionization model provides the simulation with additional electrons after the initial seeded electron density has drifted towards the anode. Comparison of the performance benefits between the GPU-implementation versus a CPU-implementation is considered, and a speed-up factor of 13 for a 3D relaxation Poisson solver is obtained. Furthermore, a factor 60 speed-up is realized for parallelization of the electron processes.
Stability of artificially-drained lowlands: A theoretical assessment

Abstract Environmental impacts of land development in low-lying wetlands of the northeastern North Carolina coastal plain are linked to artificial drainage systems which dramatically increase drainage density. The hydrologic regime is dramatically altered, affecting the entire ecosystem. A qualitative stability analysis of the partially-specified surface hydrologic system shows that it is at most metastable. The rate at which channels degrade and lose water-carrying capacity after alteration of the network is the key determinant of stability. Artificailly-drained wetlands appear to be metastable, with rapid channel degradation following ditch and canal construction, but data are limited. In many cases maintenance of man-made channels may eliminate the possibility of readjustment to a new hydrologic equilibrium.
Location of the Channel of the Reentry Circuit in Patient with Ventricular Tachycardia Remote after Myocardial Infarction

Purpose: Previous study reported the voltage of local bipolar electrogram in the healthy region of the ventricle was larger than 1.5 mV, damaged region was less than 1.5 mV, and scar region was less than 0.5 mV. The aim of this study was to assess the voltage of the local bipolar electrogram of the channel. Methods: 36 consecutive patients underwent radiofrequency ablation because of sustained monomorphic OMI-VT were studied. Electroanatomical mapping was performed during VT if VT was hemodynamically tolerable (VT mapping) and during sinus rhythm (SR) if non-tolerable (SR mapping). Definition of the channel was following, (1) recording mid-diastolic potentials and radiofrequency application at that site terminates VT in VT mapping, and (2) in SR mapping recording delayed potentials with good pacemap or delayed potentials changing into mid-diastolic potential during VT. Results: Channels could be identified in 15 of 18 in VT mapping and 10 of 20 in SR mapping. Bipolar voltage of the channel was 0.35±0.24 mV in VT mapping, 0.28±0.17 mV in SR mapping and 0.32±0.22 mV in all cases. Conclusions: Bipolar voltage of the channel of OMI-VT is 0.32 mV, this suggests channels are located inside the so called scar region. Detailed mapping inside scar region is necessary to pinpoint the channel.
Marriage and Family Therapy Research: Ethical Issues and Guidelines.

Research in the field of marriage and family therapy is unique because it involves multiple family members, therapy, and highly sensitive information. In order to ensure that appropriate and accurate research is conducted, it is essential to follow ethical practices. The AAMFT Code of Ethics and general ethical standards for research are synthesized to form 10 basic guidelines. These guidelines cover the research process, including risk assessment, review, informed consent, the use of deception, comparison groups, confidentiality, dual relationships, collecting and reporting information, and researcher bias.
Viral infections in relation to age, atopy, and season of admission among children hospitalized for wheezing.

Abstract Background Viral respiratory tract infections and atopy are associated with attacks of wheezing during childhood. However, information about the relationship between viral infections and atopy among children whose attacks of wheezing lead to hospitalization is unclear. Objective To evaluate the prevalence of viral respiratory tract pathogens among infants and children hospitalized for wheezing and to analyze the results in relation to the patient's age, atopic characteristics, and season of admission. Methods This was a case-control study of children (age 2 months to 18 years) admitted for wheezing to the University of Virginia Medical Center over a period of 12 months. Children without wheezing were enrolled as controls. Nasal secretions were evaluated for viral pathogens by using cultures, PCR tests, and antigen detection. Total IgE and specific IgE antibody to common aeroallergens was measured in serum. Results Seventy percent of children hospitalized for wheezing before age 3 years (n=79) were admitted between December and March, whereas 46% of children age 3 to 18 years (n=54) were hospitalized between September and November. Among children younger than 3 years, viral pathogens were detected in 84% (66/79) of wheezing children and 55% (42/77) of controls ( P P P P Conclusions Viral infections were the dominant risk factor for wheezing among children hospitalized before 3 years of age. By comparison, a large majority of the wheezing children age 3 to 18 years had striking atopic characteristics that may be critical as a risk factor for hospitalization and an adverse response to viral infections, especially infections caused by rhinovirus.
Tumor targeting with radiolabeled antibodies in a human carcinoembryonic antigen transgenic mouse model

Mice transgenic for the carcinoembryonic (CEA) gene were used to study the biodistribution and tumor targeting of a radioiodinated monoclonal antibody (MAb), T84.66. The specificity of antibody uptake in tumors was assessed in mice bearing a CEA-transfected syngeneic tumor as well as the antigen-negative parental tumor. With high CEA-expressing tumors, the percent injected dose per gram (%ID/g) approached 30% at 48 hr. Tumor uptake in antigen-positive tumors was 5-8-fold higher than that observed in the antigen-negative parental tumors. Only antigen-positive tumors were visualized by immunoscintigraphy. The tumor targeting obtained in athymic nude mice bearing human tumor xenografts was similar to that observed with CEA-expressing murine tumors implanted in either athymic nude or transgenic mice. The degree of localization of CEA-transfected murine tumors was related with the level of antigen expression. Circulating antigen-radio-antibody complexes were not detected while blood clearance of radio-antibody was similar between transgenic and non-transgenic mice. With the exception of the large bowel, the distribution of radioiodinated MAb in normal tissues was similar in both CEA transgenic and non-transgenic mice. Increased localization of intact antibody was observed in the large bowel from transgenic mice, suggesting specific targeting to antigen-positive normal tissues. These results suggest that the CEA transgenic mouse model will be useful in the development of antibodies for radio-immunodetection and treatment of carcinomas expressing CEA.
Predictability by Somatic Cell Counts Related to Prevalence of Intrammary Infection Within Herds

Somatic cells were counted and bacteria identified for milk samples from 719 lactating dairy cows in 12 commercial herds. These pooled data were used to look at the accuracy of alternative thresholds of somatic cell counts as indicators of intramammary infection. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictability positive and negative at alternative cell count thresholds were calculated. There was an increase of incidence of infection associated with increased cell count. Raising the cell count threshold increased predictability positive and specificity and decreased sensitivity and predictability negative. Also, the effect of prevalence of infection on predictabilities was examined for the pooled data on sensitivity and specificity at a cell count threshold of 400,000 cells/ml. As prevalence of infection increased, predictability of a positive test result also increased, but predictability negative decreased. Differences in accuracy of somatic cell count as a predictor of infection at varying prevalences of infection suggest that test results should be interpreted for individual herds.
Gender, Experience and Attributions to the Computer:

This study was conducted to examine descriptive references to the computer for differences in interactive styles when reporting success and failure experiences while working with a computer. Some c...
Organische Phosphorverbindungen. XXVII Die direkte Synthese von Tetramethylphosphoniumhalogeniden

The reaction of methyl chloride and methyl bromide with white phosphorus is studied under a variety of conditions, and the conditions giving a high yield of tetramethylphosphonium chloride and bromide are established. Thermal decomposition of [(CH3)4P]+Cl− gives (CH3)3P and CH3Cl, and alkaline decomposition of [(C4H9)3(C12H25)P]+Cl− gives C4H10 and (C4H9)2(C12H25)PO.
Development of a new translational and rotational slides prediction model in Langhe hills (north-western Italy) and its application to the 2011 March landslide event

This study outlines the relationship between antecedent precipitations and activation of the translational rock-block slides (TRBSs). This type of landslide has the peculiarity to involve wide sectors of the sedimentary bedrock, and it is emblematic in the Langhe area, in the southern hilly part of Piemonte in the Tertiary Piemonte Basin. The Langhe hills are particularly renowned for the cultivation of valuable vineyards, and therefore, constitute a place of important economic and tourist interest. Furthermore, the high density of structures and infrastructures in this area exposes a number of elements to the activity of these large landslides. In order to minimize human and economic losses, it is particularly important to establish a warning system capable of providing announcement of activation of TRBSs with sufficient advance. In this direction, the Environmental Protection Agency of Piemonte (ARPA Piemonte) developed a precipitation–threshold-based model. The model is set up on an extensive collection of historical data about the landslides movements (since 1917) and the related complete meteorological dataset. The regional weather gauge network and the forecasted precipitation amount, including snow melt’s contribution, provide input data to the model. Output model can be tested by observations derived by the regional landslides monitoring network consisting of inclinometers and groundwater gauges managed by ARPA Piemonte.
An experimental study of boiling on a wicked surface

An open horizontal heat pipe consisting of a condenser, an adiabatic section, and an evaporator is used to study boiling of R-11 on a surface covered with a porous wick. Porous metal wicks having two different thicknesses and with and without channels cut in their surfaces are examined. For these types of surfaces the heat flux increases very dramatically with increases in excess temperature once boiling is initiated. At an excess temperature of a few degrees Kelvin this rapid increase in heat flux stops and a more gradual increase is observed. It is postulated that this represents a transition from what is termed nucleate boiling where the evaporator surface beneath the wick is exposed primarily to liquid and film boiling which results when a vapor film blankets the surface. The experimental results illustrate that the performance of the evaporator can be improved significantly by cutting channels in the porous wick. In this study the heat flux at which the transition from what is termed nucleate boiling to film boiling was increased by 200% by cutting channels in the evaporator wick.
Microearthquakes on and near the East Pacific Rise, 9°–10°N

Records from a seismic network deployed as part of an active tomography experiment at 9°30′N on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) provide an opportunity to characterize local microearthquake activity over an 8-day period. With the exception of the region around the 9°03′ overlapping spreading center (OSC), no events were located on the rise axis. One microearthquake, located from P and S-wave arrival times, lies adjacent to the network, 18 km to the west of the rise axis. Five more events, located from P-wave and T-phase data, are to the south of the network. Three cluster around the western arm of the 9°03′ OSC, while two are located 25–30 km to the east of the OSC. The seismic moments of the microearthquakes range from 5 × 1019 to 4 × 1020 dyn cm, several orders of magnitude larger than those reported in other studies of shallow events along the axis of the EPR. These results suggest that overlapping spreading centers may be the loci of substantial microearthquake activity and that at this location the normal faults that form on the young flanks of the EPR are active off-axis to distances of at least 20 km.
Switchable holograms for displays and telecommunications

Holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals are materials used to make switchable holograms exhibiting electrically controllable diffraction efficiency. Such devices form the building blocks for several applications in displays and telecommunications. Several demanding requirements are placed on switchable holograms for these applications, such as high diffraction efficiency, wide on/off dynamic range, polarization sensitivity control, low switching voltage and power consumption, high speed, uniformity and reliability, low cost, and manufacturability. One phenomenon affecting overall performance is polymer shrinkage. We focus on the effects of this on polarization dependence, index modulation, and chirp. Experimental and theoretical results are presented.