cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual-slot antennas for microwave tissue heating: Parametric design analysis and experimental validation

Purpose: Design and validate an efficient dual-slot coaxial microwave ablation antenna that produces an approximately spherical heating pattern to match the shape of most abdominal and pulmonary tumor targets.Methods: A dual-slot antenna geometry was utilized for this study. Permutations of the antenna geometry using proximal and distal slot widths from 1 to 10 mm separated by 1–20 mm were analyzed using finite-element electromagnetic simulations. From this series, the most optimal antenna geometry was selected using a two-term sigmoidal objective function to minimize antenna reflection coefficient and maximize the diameter-to-length aspect ratio of heat generation. Sensitivities to variations in tissue properties and insertion depth were also evaluated in numerical models. The most optimal dual-slot geometry of the parametric analysis was then fabricated from semirigid coaxial cable. Antenna reflection coefficients at various insertion depths were recorded in ex vivo bovine livers and compared to numerical results. Ablation zones were then created by applying 50 W for 2–10 min in simulations and ex vivo livers. Mean zone diameter, length, aspect ratio, and reflection coefficients before and after heating were then compared to a conventional monopole antenna using ANOVA with post-hoc t-tests. Statistical significance was indicated for P < 0.05.Results: Antenna performance was highly sensitive to dual-slot geometry. The best-performing designs utilized a proximal slot width of 1 mm, distal slot width of 4 mm ± 1 mm and separation of 8 mm ± 1 mm. These designs were characterized by an active choking mechanism that focused heating to the distal tip of the antenna. A dual-band resonance was observed in the most optimal design, with a minimum reflection coefficient of −20.9 dB at 2.45 and 1.25 GHz. Total operating bandwidth was greater than 1 GHz, but the desired heating pattern was achieved only near 2.45 GHz. As a result, antenna performance was robust to changes in insertion depth and variations in relative permittivity of the surrounding tissue medium. In both simulations and ex vivo liver, the dual-slot antenna created ablations greater in diameter than a coaxial monopole (35 mm ± 2 mm versus 31 mm ± 2 mm; P < 0.05), while also shorter in length (49 mm ± 2 mm versus 60 mm ± 6 mm; P < 0.001) after 10 min. Similar results were obtained after 2 and 5 min as well.Conclusions: Dual-slot antennas can produce more spherical ablation zones while retaining low reflection coefficients. These benefits are obtained without adding to the antenna diameter. Further evaluation for clinical microwave ablation appears warranted.
The cough headache syndrome : treatment

Symonds [1] performed four lumbar punctures (LPs) or pneumoencephalograms (PEGs) on 21 patients with the benign cough headache syndrome. One of these patients, a 38-year-old woman, developed a typical LP headache, but her cough headache syndrome remitted for 3 weeks only to recur. After a PEG, she had no further cough headaches. Another of Symonds' patients with Paget's disease of the skull with basilar impression also ceased having headache after PEG. Rooke [3] reported that 28 LPs were performed on 93 patients with the benign syndrome; one patient dramatically stopped having headache after the procedure. I now report my experience with both LP and indomethacin in the treatment of this condition. Between 1978 …
Long-term trends in paleointensity: The contribution of DSDP/ODP submarine basaltic glass collections

Abstract The Deep Sea Drilling Project and the Ocean Drilling Program have been collecting fresh appearing submarine basaltic glass from the world’s oceans for over three decades. This glass has proved nearly ideal for estimating paleointensity variations of the Earth’s magnetic field. We compile here data for 726 paleointensity experiments from six publications on paleointensity using DSDP/ODP glass. We also include new data for an additional 225 specimens. These were obtained through the so-called “IZZI” paleointensity experiment of [Tauxe, L., Staudigel, H., 2004. Strength of the geomagnetic field in the cretaceous normal superchron: new data from submarine basaltic glass of the troodos ophiolite. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 5 (2), Q02H06, doi:10.1029/2003GC000635 ] whereby infield-zerofield steps are alternated with the zerofield-infield steps to enhance quality assessment of the resulting data. The entire collection of data from 951 experiments was prepared for uploading to the MagIC data base ( http://earthref.org ), including original measurements, interpretations, and useful metadata. Excellent results were obtained throughout the depth ( > 1400 mbsf) and age (0–160 Ma) range sampled. DSDP/ODP glass data are compared with published paleointensity data meeting minimal acceptance criteria from the time interval 1–160 Ma. Paleolatitudes were estimated for all cooling units in a self-consistent manner for use in calculating virtual axial dipole moments. We conclude: (1) There is about a 20% difference in mean values between the SBG and the lava flow data ( 48 ± 36 and 57 ± 29 ZAm2 respectively). The difference is caused by the fact that there are more higher values in the lava flow data than in the SBG data set rather than a difference in the minimum values. Lava flows cooling over a periods of days to months can account for the discrepancy. (2) The positive relationship between polarity interval length and average paleofield intensity first hypothesized by [Cox, A.V., 1968. Lengths of geomagnetic polarity intervals. J. Geophys. Res. 73, 3247–3260] is supported by data compiled here. The Brunhes data (for which we have only a minimum estimate for polarity interval length) are consistent with a long polarity interval, suggesting that instead of racing toward reversal [Hulot, G., Eymin, C., Langlais, B., Mandea, M., Olsen, N., 2002. Small-scale structure of the geodynamo inferred from oersted and magsat satellite data. Nature 416, 620–623], we could instead be in the midst of a long stable polarity interval. (3) Because the average value appears to be a function of polarity interval length, it is probably not useful to calculate a mean value. Nonetheless, it appears that most of the time (apart from the Brunhes and the longest polarity intervals), the average dipole moment is substantially less than the present day value as suggested by [Juarez, T., Tauxe, L., Gee, J.S., Pick, T., 1998. The intensity of the earth’s magnetic field over the past 160 million years. Nature 394, 878–881].
Numerical Modeling of Keyhole Dynamics in Laser Welding

Mathematical models and the associated numerical techniques have been developed to study the following cases: (1) the formation and collapse of a keyhole, (2) the formation of porosity and its control strategies, (3) laser welding with filler metals, and (4) the escape of zinc vapor in laser welding of galvanized steel. The simulation results show that the formation of porosity in the weld is caused by two competing mechanisms: one is the solidification rate of the molten metal and the other is the speed that molten metal backfills the keyhole after laser energy is terminated. The models have demonstrated that porosity can be reduced or eliminated by adding filler metals, controlling laser tailing power, or applying an electromagnetic force during keyhole collapse process. It is found that a uniform composition of weld pool is difficult to achieve by filler metals due to very rapid solidification of the weld pool in laser welding, as compared to that in gas metal arc welding.
Effects of dietary carbohydrate, fat, and protein on norepinephrine turnover in rats

To investigate effects of diet composition on rates of norepinephrine (NE) turnover in sympathetically innervated organs, weaning rats were fed for 2 to 21/2 weeks diets varying in carbohydrate (74.2% to 7.4% of total metabolizable energy) and fat (5.2% to 72.0%), or diets varying in protein (9.9% to 39.6%) and carbohydrate (77.8% to 48.1%). Changing the proportions of carbohydrate and fat in the diet, while maintaining similar intakes of energy and all other essential nutrients did not affect rates of NE turnover in heart, white adipose tissue (WAT), liver or pancreas and only minimally affected NE turnover in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT). Decreasing the proportion of protein in the diet from 39.6% to 9.9% accelerated rats of NE turnover in heart (52%), IBAT (20%), WAT (42%), and liver (37%). When rats fed a diet containing 19.8% protein were also given a 10%(wt/vol) sucrose solution to drink for three days, their rates of NE turnover increased in heart (45%), IBAT (17%), liver (71%), and pancreas (55%). This response to sucrose depended on the protein content of the diet, since rats fed a 9.9% protein diet in which rates of NE turnover was already accelerated had no further increase in NE turnover when given the sucrose solution to drink. These data demonstrate that diet composition can affect activity of the sympathetic nervous system, as indicated by changes in rates of NE turnover. Changing the proportion of protein in the diet was more effective in altering NE turnover than changing the proportion of carbohydrate or fat.
Introduction To "Electrical Disturbances Apparently Of Extraterrestrial Origin"

Mysterious static reported by K.G. Jansky, held to differ from cosmic ray. Direction is unchanging. Recorded and tested for more than a year to identify it as from Earth's galaxy. Its intensity is low. Only delicate receivable able to register - no evidence of intestellar signaling.
Optimum Stratified Sampling Using Prior Information

Abstract The question of how the well-known Neyman stratified allocation result generalizes when it is formally assumed that there is prior information concerning the unknown stratum means is dealt with here. This prior information is taken to be expressible in the form of a multivariate normal prior distribution. Several methods of assessing prior distributions are discussed. The allocation for stratified sampling is shown to be a special case of a more general allocation problem. A computational algorithm is presented for this more general problem of finding the allocation of sampling effort which minimizes the posterior variance of any given linear combination of unknown normal process means subject to a budget constraint. A feature of the solution is that for limited budgets one may rely solely on his prior information concerning some strata, sampling only in a subset of the strata. Finally, several applications are briefly described including a “non-Bayesian” solution to a particular problem of alloc...
The Effect of Carrier Gas in Gate Oxidation on the Gate Oxide Integrity of Thick Gate Oxide for UMOSFETs

The effect of carrier gas on the gate oxide integrity (GOI) of thick gate oxide (400 A) for U-trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors UMOSFETs was investigated. Ar or N 2 were selected as the carrier gases during gate oxidation, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to identify the nitrogen depth profile. It was observed that GOI of the 400 A gate oxide grown at 1175°C can be improved by using Ar as the carrier gas instead of N 2 due to the fact that N 2 interacts with the Si surface during high-temperature oxidation.
Chlamydia in pregnancy: a randomized trial of azithromycin and erythromycin.

Abstract Objective: To determine side effect profiles and cure rates of azithromycin compared with erythromycin in the treatment of chlamydial cervicitis complicating pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant patients with positive DNA antigen assays for Chlamydia trachomatis were randomized to either azithromycin, 1 g oral slurry in a single dose, or erythromycin, 500 mg every 6 hours for 7 days. Repeat assays were planned for 3 weeks after therapy. Side effects, compliance, and treatment efficacy were assessed. Results: One hundred six women were enrolled, and eighty-five women completed the protocol. Significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects were noted in the azithromycin group than in the erythromycin group (11.9% versus 58.1%, P ≤ .01). Enhanced compliance was noted with azithromycin, because it was given in a single observed dose. Similar treatment efficacy was noted between azithromycin and erythromycin (88.1% versus 93.0%, P > .05). Conclusion: Compared with erythromycin, azithromycin is associated with significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects in pregnancy. This association, along with the ease of administration and similar efficacy, suggests that azithromycin should be considered for the initial treatment of chlamydial cervicitis in pregnancy.
Core Management Principles in Rheumatoid Arthritis to Help Guide Managed Care Professionals

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects approximately 1% of the population. Initial symptoms include joint swelling, stiffness, and tenderness, which are all causes of disability. The diagnosis of RA is based on patient history of joint pain and stiffness, the documentation of symmetric polyarticular joint synovitis, and laboratory measures including radiographs, inflammatory markers, and autoantibodies. As the disease progresses, synovial inflammation leads to cartilage damage, bone erosions, and joint destruction, the major causes of long-term disability. RA is associated with many comorbidities and complications, including cardiovascular disease, which is responsible for higher rates of mortality among patients compared with the general population. Over the past 2 decades, advances in the development of synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologic agents for RA have markedly changed treatment goals and management strategies.
Copper(I) complexes of heterocyclic thiourea ligands

Abstract The coordination of heterocyclic thiourea ligands (L = N-(2-pyridyl)-N′-phenylthiourea (1), N-(2-pyridyl)-N′-methylthiourea (2), N-(3-pyridyl)-N′-phenylthiourea (3), N-(3-pyridyl)-N′-methylthiourea (4), N-(4-pyridyl)-N′-phenylthiourea (5), N-(2-pyrimidyl)-N′-phenylthiourea (6), N-(2-pyrimidyl)-N′-methylthiourea (7), N-(2-thiazolyl)-N′-methylthiourea (8), N-(2-benzothiazolyl)-N′-methylthiourea (9), N,N′-bis(2-pyridyl)thiourea (10) and N,N′-bis(3-pyridyl)thiourea (11)) with CuX (X = Cl, Br, I, NO3) has been investigated. CuX:L product stoichiometries of 1:1–1:5 were found, with 1:1 being most common. X-ray structures of four 3-coordinate mononuclear CuXL2 complexes (CuCl(6)2, CuCl(7)2, CuBr(6)2, and CuBr(9)2) are reported. In contrast, CuBr(1)2 is a 1D sulfur-bridged polymer. CuIL structures (L = 7, 8) are 1D chains with corner-sharing Cu2(μ-I)2 and Cu2(μ-S)2 units, and CuCl(10) is a 2D network having μ-Cl and N-/S-bridging L. Two [CuL2]NO3 structures are reported: a mononuclear 4-coordinate copper complex with chelating ligands (L = 10) and a 1D link-chain with N-/S-bridging L (L = 3). Two ligand oxidative cyclizations were encountered during crystallization. CuI crystallized with 6 to produce zigzag ladder polymer [(CuI)2(12)]·½CH3CN (12 = N-(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzo[d]thiazol-2-amine) and CuNO3 crystallized with 10 to form [Cu2(NO3)(13)2(MeCN)]NO3 (13 = dipyridyltetraazathiapentalene).
Tracing the roots of cancer evolution.

Summary: By comparing the genomes of progenitor cells and mature cells of lymphoid and myeloid lineages in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Damm and colleagues confirmed that CLL originates from preleukemic CD34+ progenitor cells and identified early CLL mutations that are associated with these progenitor cells. Moreover, they discovered that deregulation of B-cell receptor signaling may be one of the hallmarks of CLL, particularly in tumors with EGR2 mutations. Cancer Discov; 4(9); 995–7. ©2014 AACR . See related article by Damm et al., [p. 1088][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/4/1088?iss=9
Rescuing Children and Policing Families: Adoption Policy in Weimar and Nazi Germany

When the First World War ended, Germany experienced an unprecedented period of political revolution, economic turmoil, and social upheaval. Among the myriad problems facing the nation was one concern that cut across party lines and prompted attention at both the national and local levels. Lawmakers, doctors, clergy, and ordinary Germans across the political spectrum agreed that the breakdown of the family had weakened the nation, contributed to military defeat, worsened economic misery, and exacerbated societal conflict. High divorce and illegitimacy rates together with an alarmingly low birth rate created a picture of families in crisis. The belief was widespread that only by creating policies that strengthened families would Germany stand a chance of regaining its historical strength. Because both Weimar and National Socialist policymakers saw the family as essential to rejuvenating the battered nation, the interwar era witnessed a wide variety of family-directed policies. Social welfare, unemployment benefits, health insurance, and maternity benefits were just the beginning of a series of programs designed to strengthen Germany and support families. While state programs targeted many different groups within society, children stood out as especially worthy recipients. Policymakers in both the Weimar and National Socialist eras recognized that children, the most vulnerable members of society and the nation's future, required special attention.
Current collapse induced in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs by short-term DC bias stress

GaN HEMTs grown by MOCVD and by MBE were subjected to short term bias-stress. Current collapse was found to be induced in most of the devices after stress, apparently caused by the generation or activation of trapping centers.
S49G and R389G polymorphisms of the β1-adrenergic receptor influence signaling via the cAMP-PKA and ERK pathways

Two functionally important β1-adrenergic receptor (β1AR) polymorphisms have been identified. The R389G polymorphism influences coupling to the Gs-cAMP pathway. R389-β1ARs display enhanced activatio...
The fungal dining habit: a biomechanical perspective

Invasive hyphal growth allows filamentous fungi to insinuate themselves in the solid materials that serve as their food sources. Hyphae overcome the mechanical resistance of plant and animal tissues, and other substances through the secretion of digestive enzymes and the exertion of force. This force is derived from the osmotically-generated turgor pressure within the hypha and is governed by wall loosening at the growing apex. This article offers a concise description of the biomechanics of this process.
Person‐Centered Emotional Support and Gender Attributions in Computer‐Mediated Communication

Without physical appearance, identification in computer-mediated communication is relatively ambiguous and may depend on verbal cues such as usernames, content, and/or style. This is important when gender-linked differences exist in the effects of messages, as in emotional support. This study examined gender attribution for online support providers with male, female, or ambiguous usernames, who provided highly person-centered (HPC) or low person-centered (LPC) messages. Participants attributed gender to helpers with gender-ambiguous names based on HPC versus LPC messages. Female participants preferred HPC helpers over LPC helpers. Unexpectedly, men preferred HPC messages from male and gender-ambiguous helpers more than they did when HPC messages came from females. Implications follow about computer-mediated emotional support and theories of computer-mediated communication and social influence.
The implications of climate change on residential water use: a micro-scale analysis of Portland (OR), USA

Social and behavioral research is crucial for securing environmental sustainability and improving human living environments. Although the majority of people now live in urban areas, we have limited empirical evidence of the anticipated behavioral response to climate change. Using empirical data on daily household residential water use and temperature, our research examines the implications of future climate conditions on water conservation behavior in 501 households within the Portland (OR) metropolitan region. We ask whether and how much change in ambient temperatures impact residential household water use, while controlling for taxlot characteristics. Based on our results, we develop a spatially explicit description about the changes in future water use for the study region using a downscaled future climate scenario. The results suggest that behavioral responses are mediated by an interaction of household structural attributes, and magnitude and temporal variability of weather parameters. These findings have implications for the way natural resource managers and planning bureaus prepare for and adapt to future consequences of climate change.
Evaluation of nanosilicate filled poly (vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate) and epoxy coatings

Abstract The corrosion protection, mechanical and thermal properties of nanoclay filled epoxy and poly (vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate) (VYHH) resins have been studied. Nanoclay was incorporated into VYHH at 0%, 0.5% and 1.5%wt loadings, and into epoxy at 0% and 1.5% loadings. Steel substrates were prepared and coated with each of the prepared coatings. Some of the samples were submerged in a tank containing 5% NaCl solution and tested periodically using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to study the effect of the nanoclay on the corrosion protection of the coatings. Films were cast from each system to be used to evaluate the mechanical performance of the coatings. Notched and unnotched samples were cut from the films and some were submerged in the 5%NaCl solution while some were left unsubmerged as controlled samples. EIS measurements showed that VYHH/0.5%nanoclay provided superior barrier protection. The nanoclay filled epoxy exhibited increased barrier properties after 21 days. The tearing energy of the neat VYHH coating decrease by 27% after submersion, while the nano coatings showed a slight increase. The neat epoxy showed no change in the tearing energy after submersion, while that of the nano coating was increased by 14% after submersion. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the nano coatings have improved the thermal barrier properties compared to the neat.
A Unique Old-Growth Ponderosa Pine Forest in Northern Arizona

ABSTRACT Old-growth ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests are uncommon in the Southwest, and only one old-growth forest (the Gus Pearson Natural Area [GPNA]) has been researched in the ponderosa pine belt surrounding the city of Flagstaff in northern Arizona. The purpose of this study was to measure soil characteristics, current and pre-Euro-American settlement (1885) tree structure, and understory plant composition in a 6-ha remnant old-growth forest on volcanic, red cinder soils. Soil bulk density was extremely low (0.21 Mg/m3) in this forest because of high volumetric contents of cinders >2 mm diameter. As a result, volumetric soil moisture, organic C, and total N contents were low, with June gravimetric moisture (0–15 cm) averaging <1%. Despite these seemingly inhospitable soils, the reconstructed ponderosa pine presettlement density of 183/ha is among the highest reported for northern Arizona. Current density of live presettlement-origin trees also is high (104/ha), including 36 trees/ha that esta...
Berliners’ Models of Heart Disease Causation

Following the collapse of socialism and subsequent German reunification, cardiac mortality rose unexpectedly in the former East Germany; although rates improved by mid-decade, a West/East health gradient persisted. Psychosocial stress from regime change, postsocialism, was one hypothesis proposed to explain the health transition. Absent from the scholarly conversation were individuals’ own assessments of their illness experiences in this time of social upheaval. I hypothesized that such data might illuminate processes linking illness and social change. I analyzed illness narratives of East and West Berliners with heart disease, attending to subjective notions of causation. Both groups cited nonmodifiable and modifiable risk factors; half of the East Berliners incorporated additional material that referenced processes associated with postsocialism. I propose that ethnographic investigations of illness experiences can contribute to the development of more culturally relevant, comprehensive hypotheses of non...
Loose Lips and Silver Tongues, or, Projecting Sexual Orientation Through Speech

The notion that an individual's sexual orientation can be ascertained through distinctive speech patterns abounds in popular culture. This article reviews the small but growing body of literature examining whether sexual orientation is conveyed and perceived through speech. These studies show some individuals speak in a way that conveys their sexual orientation to naive listeners. Contrary to many popular-culture stereotypes, the phonetic parameters that convey gay, lesbian, or bisexual identities are not whole-sale approximation of opposite sex norms, nor does the perception of sexual orientation through speech appear to involve the simple perception of the sex typicality of a talker's voice. In addition to reviewing these studies, this article discusses their implications for research on language acquisition, language processing, and sociolinguistics.
The Process and Causes of Fledging in a Cavity‐Nesting Passerine Bird, the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

Little is known about the process or causes of fledging or nest-leaving in passerine birds because researchers can rarely predict when fledging will occur in a given nest. We used continuous videotaping of nests to both document the process of fledging in the house wren, Troglodytes aedon, a small, cavity-nesting songbird, and test hypotheses as to what might cause fledging to begin. Fledging began any time from 14 to 19 d after hatching commenced. Slower-developing broods fledged later than faster-developing broods. Fledging typically began within 5 h of sunrise and over 80% of all nestlings fledged before noon. All nestlings fledged on the same day at 65% of nests and over two consecutive days in most other nests. We found no evidence that fledging was triggered by changes in parental behaviour. Parental rate of food delivery to nestlings did not decline during a 3-h period leading up to the first fledging, nor was the rate of feeding just prior to the first fledging lower than the rate at the same time the day before. Moreover, parents did not slow the rate of food delivery to nests after part of the brood had fledged. Hatching is asynchronous in our study population which creates a marked age/size hierarchy within broods. At most nests, the first nestling to fledge was the most well-developed nestling in the brood or nearly so (as measured by feather length). This suggests that fledging typically begins when the most well-developed nestlings in the brood reach some threshold size. However, at about one-fifth of nests, the first nestling to fledge was only moderate in size. At these nests, severe competition for food may have caused smaller, less competitive nestlings to fledge first to increase their access to food. We found no strong support for the suggestion that the oldest nestlings delay fledging until their least-developed nestmate reaches some minimum size, although further experimental work on this question is warranted.
Identification of a Group B Streptococcal Fibronectin Binding Protein, SfbA, That Contributes to Invasion of Brain Endothelium and Development of Meningitis

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is currently the leading cause of neonatal meningitis. This is due to its ability to survive and multiply in the bloodstream and interact with specialized human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC), which constitute the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The exact mechanism(s) of GBS-BBB penetration is still largely unknown. We and others have shown that GBS interacts with components of the extracellular matrix. In this study, we demonstrate that GBS of representative serotypes binds immobilized and cell surface fibronectin and identify a putative fibronectin binding protein, streptococcal fibronectin binding protein A (SfbA). Allelic replacement of sfbA in the GBS chromosome resulted in a significant decrease in ability to bind fibronection and invade hBMEC compared with the wild-type (WT) parental strain. Expression of SfbA in the noninvasive strain Lactococcus lactis was sufficient to promote fibronectin binding and hBMEC invasion. Furthermore, the addition of an antifibronectin antibody or an RGD peptide that blocks fibronectin binding to integrins significantly reduced invasion of the WT but not the sfbA-deficient mutant strain, demonstrating the importance of an SfbA-fibronectin-integrin interaction for GBS cellular invasion. Using a murine model of GBS meningitis, we also observed that WT GBS penetrated the brain and established meningitis more frequently than did the ΔsfbA mutant strain. Our data suggest that GBS SfbA plays an important role in bacterial interaction with BBB endothelium and the pathogenesis of streptococcal meningitis.
Laparoscopic Ladd Procedure for Correction of Pediatric Malrotation: Initial Experience

Introduction: Malrotation without midgut volvulus can cause chronic, intermittent symptoms and produce potentially disastrous consequences if left untreated. Upper gastrointestinal x-ray series (UGI) in such patients often suggest a rotational anomaly but may not be completely diagnostic. Methods: Thirteen children, aged 3 months to 14 years, suspected of having malrotation without volvulus based on preoperative symptoms and UGI, underwent laparoscopic exploration by a single surgeon over a 21 month period. Results: Ten of 13 (77%) were confirmed to have malrotation and underwent laparoscopic correction. Operative time ranged from 80 to 209 minutes (mean, 134 minutes) with minimal blood loss. Feedings were started within 24 hours in 6 (60%) and within 72 hours in the remaining 4 (40%). Full feedings were tolerated by postoperative day (POD) 4 in all patients. Hospital stay ranged from 1 to 4 days (mean, 2.8 days). Two of the three children with negative laparoscopies were discharged by POD 1. Followup has...
Social capital and volunteerism in virtual communities: the case of the Internet Chess Club

Considers the theory of social capital and volunteerism in an online gaming community, the Internet Chess Club (ICC). We discuss how increased social capital provides broad classes of benefits to the participants of the network and suggest how volunteerism can be expected to increase the social capital of a network. We present survey data collected from 62 members of ICC to examine how different types of online volunteers are recruited and work in a successful virtual community. We show that ICC volunteers encourage and enable intense interaction for the benefit of all the membership subgroups. That is, volunteers create social capital and serve as a key asset of the ICC business model; they strengthen both the ICC core business tenets and improve the software features it can offer to members, thereby providing the key to one virtual community's business success.
27.3: A Decoupling Driving Scheme for Low Voltage Stress in Driving a Large‐Area High‐Resolution Electrowetting Display

To reduce voltage stress on TFT backplane of electrowetting displays, this paper develops a decoupling driving scheme to diminish the induced voltage stress and allow AC common to reduce the required output voltage from driver IC. Satisfactory results can be obtained on a largest area and highest resolution electrowetting display.
Abstract 18870: Adjudicated versus “Administrative” Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Introduction: The proportion of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is reported to be as high as 40%-60% based on administrative data, but these estimates have not been clinically validated. Methods: We evaluated 1752 consecutive patients who received outpatient care during the first quarter of 2012 for an encounter ICD-9 code of 402.X1, 404.X1, 404.X3, or 428.XX. Medical records were reviewed for HF symptoms, signs, and treatment; last reported ejection fraction (EF); all previous EF documentations; and special causes of HF (congenital heart disease or specific cardiomyopathies). We classified confirmed HF cases not due to special causes into 3 mutually exclusive categories: (1) HFpEF: current EF >40% without any previous EF ≤40%; (2) HF with recovered EF (HFrecEF): current EF >40% but previous EF ≤40%; and (3) HF with reduced EF (HFrEF): current EF ≤40%. Results: HF was confirmed in 1652 cases (94.3%). Among these, 321 had HFpEF (19.4%; 95%CI 17.6-21.4); 268 had HFrecEF (16.2%; 95%CI 14.5-18.1); and 992 had HFrEF (60.0%; 95%CI 57.7-62.4); the remaining 71 cases (4.3%) had HF due to special causes. In comparison, the proportion of HFpEF on the basis of ICD codes and last EF without further adjudication would have been 39.0%. Patient characteristics are summarized in Table 1. After 2 years of follow up, age- and gender- adjusted mortality was 10.2% in HFrEF, 8.6% in HFpEF, and 4.4% in HFrecEF patients (stratified log-rank P=0.005), Fig. 1 . Conclusions: The proportion of clinically verified HFpEF is considerably lower compared to estimates from administrative data. Many patients with preserved EF actually represent HFrecEF, which has a more favorable prognosis.
Approaching Many-Body Localization from Disordered Luttinger Liquids via the Functional Renormalization Group

We study the interplay of interactions and disorder in a one-dimensional fermion lattice coupled adiabatically to infinite reservoirs. We employ both the functional renormalization group (FRG) as well as matrix product state techniques, which serve as an accurate benchmark for small systems. Using the FRG, we compute the length- and temperature-dependence of the conductance averaged over ${10}^{4}$ samples for lattices as large as ${10}^{5}$ sites. We identify regimes in which non-Ohmic power law behavior can be observed and demonstrate that the corresponding exponents can be understood by adapting earlier predictions obtained perturbatively for disordered Luttinger liquids. In the presence of both disorder and isolated impurities, the conductance has a universal single-parameter scaling form. This lays the groundwork for an application of the functional renormalization group to the realm of many-body localization.
Directly measuring the coupling of solvent intermolecular modes to photoinduced chemical reaction

Resonant pump off-resonant probe OKE spectroscopy was performed to study the coupling of solvent molecular modes to the electronic excitation of the solute. The intermolecular solvent modes of a range of polar and polarizable solvent including chloroform and acetonitrile respond differently to the electronic excitation of Coumarin 153.
Digital RF

Something very special happened at the turn of the last century. It didnt get nearly as much news coverage as the millennium bug, but its impact will be experienced by most people on earth. In fact, it was a low key phenomenon that received attention only from few technologists. This phenomenon was the ability to reliably scale a CMOS transistor below a certain size, so it could digitally switch at RF frequency rate. This is when "Digital RF" was born. This opened new doors to how wireless communication could be implemented - reliably and expensively. The RF circuits finally entered the physics of Moores Law. This is nothing short of a paradigm change of RF radio design, benefits of which will be enjoyed by billions of people worldwide instead of privileged millions. In this presentation, I will describe in the rationale behind this new paradigm. I will overview how Texas Instruments has manifested Digital RF in its Digital Radio Processor (DRP) technology.
Hereditary Defect in Platelet Function in Rats

Hemostatic parameters of fawn-hooded (FH) rats with an inherited hemorrhagic diathesis were compared with those of normal rats. Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, plasma factor VIII, plasma fibrinogen, and platelet count and volume were normal. Bleeding time (BT) in FH rats was over 15 min vs. 1-8 min in controls, and platelet retention in glass-bead columns was reduced. Transfusion of platelet concentrates from normal rats corrected the BT of thrombocytopenic FH rats, but FH rat platelets did not shorten the BT of thrombocytopenic controls. ADP-induced aggregation, measured turbidimetrically in heparinized FH platelet-rich plasma, was normal. Connective tissue did not aggregate platelets of FH rats and released a subnormal amount of 14C-serotonin. In comparison with control platelets washed FH platelets aggregated by thrombin released virtually no ATP and ADP. Platelets, 10,11 of normal rats contained 4.49 µmoles ATP, 0.98 µmoles ADP, and 0.88 µmoles serotonin compared with only about one-half as much ATP and ADP and one-third as much serotonin in platelets of FH rats. These low values suggest the absence of the platelet, "release pool" rather than a defective release mechanism. The hemorrhagic diathesis seen in the FH rats resembles the platelet defect with storage pool deficiency observed in man.2
Electrochemical Method for the Early Detection of Urinary-tract Infections

A method for detecting the presence of bacteria in urine based on measuring a change in potential between two electrodes was tested in a clinical microbiology laboratory. Initial tests were conducted with 13 bacteria commonly associated with urinary-tract infections; all of the test organisms were detected within 2--9 hours. A linear relationship was established between inoculum size and the time an increase in voltage was observed on a strip-chart recorder. No response was seen with sterile urine, but urine samples inoculated with Escherichia produced the expected positive response. One hundred twenty-eight urine specimens from hospitalized persons were simultaneously tested by the electrochemical detection method (ECDM) and by conventional bacteriologic procedures. Ninety-four per cent of 49 positive samples with counts of 10(5) organisms per ml. or more were detected within 4 hours and 100% at 10 hours with the ECDM. Twenty-nine specimens with counts less than 10(5) cells per ml. were detected in 3.5 to 9 hours; two samples (8%) in this group were positive within 4 hours. Fifty samples were negative for bacterial growth, and no increase in voltage was found with these samples.
Professional Discretion and the Predictive Validity of a Juvenile Risk Assessment Instrument: Exploring the Overlooked Principle of Effective Correctional Classification

The ability for professionals to override the results of an actuarial risk assessment tool is an essential part of effective correctional risk classification; however, little is known about how this important function affects the predictive validity of these tools. Using data from a statewide sample of juveniles from Ohio, this study examined the impact of professional adjustments on the predictive validity of a juvenile risk assessment instrument. This study found that the original and adjusted risk levels were significant predictors of recidivism, but the original risk levels were stronger predictors of recidivism than the adjusted risk levels that accounted for overrides.
Isotropic rotation vs. shear relaxation in supercooled liquids with globular cage molecules

The temperature dependence of the rotational dynamics of P4Se3 molecules in the glass-forming molecular liquid P5Se3 is studied using two-dimensional (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Unlike typical molecular glass-forming liquids, the constituent molecules in the P5Se3 liquid perform rapid isotropic rotation without significant translational diffusion in the supercooled regime and this rotational process shows a decoupling in time scale from shear relaxation by nearly six orders of magnitude at the glass transition. This dynamical behavior of liquid-like rotation and localized translation appears to be universal to glass-forming liquids with high-symmetry globular molecules that are characterized by an underlying thermodynamically stable plastic crystal phase.
Akt isoform-dependent regulation of ATP-Binding cassette A1 expression by apolipoprotein E

We previously reported that apolipoprotein E (apoE) upregulates ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) transcription through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Here we demonstrate that treatment of murine macrophages with human apoE3 enhanced Akt phosphorylation, and upregulated ABCA1 protein and mRNA expression. Inhibition of PI3K weakened apoE3-induced Akt phosphorylation, and ABCA1 protein and mRNA increase. In contrast, inhibition of Akt only diminished apoE-induced ABCA1 protein but not the mRNA level. Suppression of protein synthesis did not erase the ability of apoE3 to increase ABCA1 protein level. Further, apoE3 increased the resistance of ABCA1 protein to calpain-mediated degradation without affecting calpain activity. Treatment of macrophages with apoE3 selectively enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt1 and Akt2, but not Akt3. Knockdown of Akt1 or Akt2 increased and decreased ABCA1 protein level, respectively; while overexpression of these Akt isoenzymes caused changes in ABCA1 protein level opposite to those induced by knockdown of the corresponding Akt. These data imply that apoE3 guards against calpain-mediated ABCA1 degradation through Akt2.
Excited-state intermolecular proton transfer In molecular jet-cooled 1-naphthol/H 2 and 1-naphthol/NH 3 clusters

Mass-resolved excitation/ionization spectroscopy and excitation/emission spectroscopy are used to investigate the proton transfer reaction in the excited singlet state of the jet-cooled 1-naphthol (NH3)n and 1-naphthol (H2O)n. Results indicate no proton transfer for 1-naphthol(NH3)12 and 1-naphthol(H2O)n and proton transfer for 1-naphthol(NH3)n (n≥4) clusters, which is consistent with other reports,1-3 However, 1-naphthol(NH3)3 exists in multiple conformations, as evidenced by the changes of the peak intensities around the electronic origin with the variations of the second-color energy in the mass-resolved excitation/ionization spectra (Fig.1).
Characteristic temperatures of hypervelocity dust impact plasmas

The effective ion and electron temperatures of dust impact generated plasma clouds are measured experimentally as a function of impact speed in the range of 4–20 km/s. The measurements are performed in an experimental setup that resembles the detection of dust particles by electric field or plasma wave antennas on spacecraft. The spacecraft is modeled as a conductive plate and a cylindrical antenna connected to voltage follower electronics is used to measure the collected charge. The setup is bombarded with dust particles using the University of Colorado IMPACT dust accelerator facility. The effective ion and electron temperatures are determined from the variation of the impact signals with an applied bias voltage. The results show that the temperatures of the electrons remain at around or below 5 eV over the investigated impact speed range. The characteristic ion temperature is about 5 eV at 4 km/s; however, it increases with increasing impact speed to > 10 eV at 20 km/s. Given that the floating potentials of spacecraft and antennas are on the order of a few volts, the findings suggest that any model for the interpretation of dust impact signals should take into account the effects of a finite temperatures.
Bond Polarizability Model for Sum Frequency Generation at the Al2O3(0001)-H2O Interface

Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) is a powerful, surface-specific vibrational probe ideally suited to studying buried interfaces; however, insight from theory is often necessary to explain the microscopic origins of the spectral features. To calculate the SFG spectrum at an insulating solid/liquid interface, we develop a flexible polarizability model that takes local dipole interactions into account, rather than assuming additive polarizabilities. We use this model to calculate bond dipoles and polarizabilities that reflect the local geometry of the interface. We apply our method to the Al2O3(0001)–H2O interface, where we reproduce the experimental spectrum and show the two H stretching peaks come from solvent and surface modes separately, not from H2O molecules with different coordination numbers as previously thought. Our work therefore emphasizes the importance of treating both surface and solvent at the same level of theory for accurate spectroscopic calculations.
Inspiring trust in outsourced integrated circuit fabrication

The fabrication of integrated circuits (ICs) is typically outsourced to an external semiconductor foundry to reduce cost. However, this can come at the expense of trust. How can a designer ensure the integrity of the ICs fabricated by an external foundry? The talk will discuss a new approach for inspiring trust in outsourced IC fabrication by complementing the untrusted (outsourced) with an IC fabricated at a low-end but trusted foundry. This approach is referred to as split fabrication. We present two different ways in which split fabrication can be used to enhance security: logic obfuscation and verifiable ASICs.
Community structure along elevation gradients in headwater regions of longleaf pine savannas

Savanna community structure has been described mostly at the regionallevel worldwide. Quantitative descriptions of vegetation patterns andrelationships with substrate characteristics at more localized scales havereceived less attention. Our primary objective was to examine the distributionsof herbs and shrubs/trees along local topographic gradients in headwaterregions of longleaf pine savannas in the southeastern United States. We alsoexamined whether herb patterns were structurally similar to those ofshrubs/trees along the same topographic gradients and whether patterns werecorrelated with edaphic factors. Abundance data were collected within quadratsplaced along transects from upslope savannas through mid-slope seepage bogsintolower-slope shrub/tree zones within Louisiana and Florida. β-flexiblecluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling were used to delineateherbaceous species communities. Ordination was performed separately onshrub/tree abundance data. The herb-based classifications were also used todelineate shrub/tree communities, providing an indirect means of comparingherb to shrub/tree distributions. In Louisiana, three herbaceouscommunitieswere sharply delineated along elevation gradients of several meters and werestrongly correleated with soil moisture. In Florida, three similar herbaceouscommunities were less discrete along elevation gradients of <1 meter.In both regions, shrub/tree distributions were much broader and appearedless sensitive than herbs to changes in environmental gradients. Coefficientsofvariation indicated that, in general, herbaceous species were more narrowlydistributed than shrubs/trees along localized elevation gradients in bothLouisiana and Florida. Alterations of fire regimes (fire suppression,dormant-season fires) may have resulted in expanded distributions ofshrubs/trees, but not herbs.