cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mastery of mothering skills and satisfaction with associated health services: an ethnocultural comparison.

In this paper, I examine the mastery of mothering skills and satisfaction with associated health services in women who had recently given birth in Montreal (n = 33). I compare experience between women of two distinct ethnocultural groups: Anglophone Euro-Canadian and Anglophone Afro-Caribbean. The overall aim is to discern differentials in the mastery of mothering skills and associated satisfaction with maternal and child health services. The study is framed by neo-Weberian social theory suggesting that modernization and bureaucratization increasingly eviscerate everyday skills and knowledge. These processes also lead to changes regarding what is considered credible ‘authoritative knowledge.’ I found that older Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed the greatest skill deficits. They attempted to redress these deficits through consultation of professionally authored books, medical Web sites and health professionals. Older Anglophone Euro-Canadians saw these resources as sources of ‘authoritative knowledge.’ They also expressed dissatisfaction with related health services. In contrast, Anglophone Afro-Caribbeans and younger lower-income Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed satisfaction with their skills. This derived from widespread previous experience with children and more extensive and readily available kith and kin networks. These were considered sources of ‘authoritative knowledge’ in this group. This group expressed less dissatisfaction with health services, as they did not need, or expect, these services to redress skill deficits.
Effects of aircraft and flight parameters on energy-efficient profile descents in time-based metered traffic

Concepts to save fuel while preserving airport capacity by combining time based metering with profile descent procedures were developed. A computer algorithm is developed to provide the flight crew with the information needed to fly from an entry fix to a metering fix and arrive there at a predetermined time, altitude, and airspeed. The flight from the metering fix to an aim point near the airport was calculated. The flight path is divided into several descent and deceleration segments. Descents are performed at constant Mach numbers or calibrated airspeed, whereas decelerations occur at constant altitude. The time and distance associated with each segment are calculated from point mass equations of motion for a clean configuration with idle thrust. Wind and nonstandard atmospheric properties have a large effect on the flight path. It is found that uncertainty in the descent Mach number has a large effect on the predicted flight time. Of the possible combinations of Mach number and calibrated airspeed for a descent, only small changes were observed in the fuel consumed.
Binding parameters and thermodynamics of the interaction of the human cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase accessory protein, UL44, with DNA: implications for the processivity mechanism

The mechanisms of processivity factors of herpesvirus DNA polymerases remain poorly understood. The proposed processivity factor for human cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase is a DNA-binding protein, UL44. Previous findings, including the crystal structure of UL44, have led to the hypothesis that UL44 binds DNA as a dimer via lysine residues. To understand how UL44 interacts with DNA, we used filter-binding and electrophoretic mobility shift assays and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis of binding to oligonucleotides. UL44 bound directly to double-stranded DNA as short as 12 bp, with apparent dissociation constants in the nanomolar range for DNAs >18 bp, suggesting a minimum DNA length for UL44 interaction. UL44 also bound single-stranded DNA, albeit with lower affinity, and for either single- or double-stranded DNA, there was no apparent sequence specificity. ITC analysis revealed that UL44 binds to duplex DNA as a dimer. Binding was endothermic, indicating an entropically driven process, likely due to release of bound ions. Consistent with this hypothesis, analysis of the relationship between binding and ionic strength indicated that, on average, 4 +/- 1 monovalent ions are released in the interaction of each monomer of UL44 with DNA. The results taken together reveal interesting implications for how UL44 may mediate processivity.
Mentoring an undergraduate research student in the structural and nonstructural properties of drugs

Research at a small campus of a university can be challenging with undergraduate science majors who have only completed one year of biology and chemistry and who leave the campus after their second year. There are time issues in regards to both the instructor and the student's schedule, and the knowledge of the student requires that the student works with a mentor instead of alone. The purpose of the research described in this article was to investigate, with an undergraduate, the structural and nonstructural properties of drugs through a study of the research literature. Examination of 31 drugs provided the initial structural characteristics to be investigated. Further literature research of 5000 drugs emphasized the importance of the nonstructural characteristics of drugs. This article describes the structural and nonstructural characteristics and explains their significance in drug research.
Uniaxial Stress Deformation Experiment for Validation of 3-D Dislocation Dynamics Simulations

An apparatus has been developed for performing compression deformation experiments on oriented metallic single crystals to provide data for validation of 3-D dislocation dynamics simulations. The experiment is performed under conditions that allow unconstrained motion of the upper and lower compression platen, and thus a relatively uniform state of axial stress is maintained during the deformation. Experiments have been performed on high-purity Mo single crystal and polycrystalline Cu. Various aspects of the experimental procedures and results are presented. Possible usages of the experimental data for the validation of 3-D dislocation dynamics simulations are discussed.
A new type of flicker noise in microwave MOSFETs

Abstract Signetics SD 200 microwave n -channel MOSFETs show a type of flicker noise in the 4–30 MHz frequency range for which the product of the noise resistance R n and the transconductance g m is practically independent of operating conditions. Since this conflicts drastically with Klaassen's theory of flicker noise in MOSFETs, which is backed up by considerable experimental evidence, it is concluded that this represents a new type of flicker noise.
The effects of lowered extracellular sodium on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced currents of Muller (glial) cells of the skate retina.

1. The effects of external sodium on GABA-induced chloride currents were examined with whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings obtained from enzymatically dissociated solitary Muller cells in culture. Our goal was to determine whether a sodium-dependent GABA uptake mechanism influences the GABAa-mediated responses of skate Muller cells. 2. At low concentrations of GABA (0.01 to 0.5µM), removal of sodium from the external solution resulted in a marked increase in the ligand-gated currents mediated by activation of GABAa receptors. The enhancement by lowered sodium was greatest at hyperpolarizing potentials and decreased progressively as the cell was depolarized. 3. The reversal potential for the GABA-induced response was not significantly altered by the removal of sodium, suggesting that sodium ions did not directly contribute to the GABAa-mediated current. 4. Lowering external sodium had no effect on the currents induced by the GABAa-agonist muscimol, consistent with its much lower affinity for the GABA transport carrier. 5. Application of the GABA uptake blocker nipecotic acid also abolished the effects of lowered sodium. 6. These findings suggest that the effects of lowered external sodium resulted from a decrease in the uptake of GABA into the Muller cells, thus raising the effective concentration of GABA acting upon the GABAa receptors.
Psychostimulant-Induced Fos Protein Expression in the Thalamic Paraventricular Nucleus

Lesions of glutamatergic afferents to the nucleus accumbens have been reported to block psychostimulant-induced behavioral sensitization. However, thalamic glutamatergic projections to the nucleus accumbens have received little attention in the context of psychostimulant actions. We examined the effects of acute amphetamine and cocaine administration on expression of Fos protein in the thalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVT), which provides glutamatergic inputs to the nucleus accumbens and also receives dopaminergic afferents. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical studies revealed that both psychostimulants dose-dependently increased PVT Fos expression. PVT neurons retrogradely labeled from the nucleus accumbens were among the PVT cells that showed a Fos response to amphetamine. D2 family dopamine agonists, including low doses of the D3-preferring agonist 7-OH-DPAT, increased the numbers of Fos-like-immunoreactive neurons in the PVT. Conversely, the effects of cocaine and amphetamine on PVT Fos expression were blocked by pretreatment with the dopamine D2/3 antagonist raclopride. Because PVT neurons express D3 but not other dopamine receptor transcripts, it appears that psychostimulants induce Fos in PVT neurons through a D3 dopamine receptor. We suggest that the PVT may be an important part of an extended circuit subserving both the arousing properties and reinforcing aspects of psychostimulants.
Nanotribological characterization system by AFM based controlled pushing

Using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probe as a nanomanipulator, nano scale objects, especially nanoparticles, are pushed on substrates for understanding the object-substrate friction behavior in any environment. Two nanoparticle friction characterization methods are proposed in this paper: (1) Sliding the particle on the substrate while it is bonded on a microfabricated cantilever, (2) Nanorobotic pushing of the particle with the sharp tip of a microfabricated AFM cantilever. Modeling of these methods are realized and experiments are conducted for the latter method using a piezoresistive AFM cantilever. 500 nm radius gold-coated latex particles are pushed on a silicon substrate. Preliminary results show that different frictional behavior such as sliding, rolling, and rotation can be observed, and frictional coefficients can be measured using these techniques at the nano scale.
Optimization of interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction solar cells: Tailoring hetero-interface band structures while maintaining surface passivation

Interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) solar cells have the potential for high open circuit voltage (VOC) due to the surface passivation and heterojunction contacts, and high short circuit current density (JSC) due to all back contact design. Intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) buffer layer at the rear surface improve the surface passivation hence VOC and JSC, but degrade fill factor (FF) from an “S” shape J–V curve. Two-dimensional (2D) simulation using “Sentaurus device” demonstrates that the low FF is related to the valence band offset (energy barrier) at the hetero-interface. Three approaches to the buffer layer are suggested to improve the FF: (1) reduced thickness, (2) increased conductivity, and/or (3) reduced band gap. Experimental IBC-SHJ solar cells with reduced buffer thickness ( 23% are possible on planar devices with optimized pitch dimensions and achievable surface passivation, and 26% with light trapping. This work provides criterion to design IBC-SHJ solar cell structures and optimize cell performance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience.

This study examined the role of intensive mindfulness training on changes in day-to-day experiential processing, psychological symptoms, resilience, and well-being in two groups of community adults (N = 69). Using both quasi-experimental and longitudinal methods, the study found that intensive training, operationalized as 10–12 hours of formal mindfulness practice per day for 1 month, was significantly related to increases in training-specific experiential processing capacities, namely trait mindfulness and decentering (reperceiving), in comparison to pre–post-training wait-list controls. In both training groups combined, mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance increased over the pre-training to 1-month follow-up period. Intensive mindfulness training was also related to declines in anxiety and enhanced both subjective well-being and self-compassion from pre-training to follow-up in the two training groups. Finally, increases in trait mindfulness and acceptance were related to improvements in psychologic...
tie-dyed1 Functions Non-Cell-Autonomously to Control Carbohydrate Accumulation in Maize Leaves

The tie-dyed1 (tdy1) mutant of maize (Zea mays) produces chlorotic, anthocyanin-accumulating regions in leaves due to the hyperaccumulation of carbohydrates. Based on the nonclonal pattern, we propose that the accumulation of sucrose (Suc) or another sugar induces the tdy1 phenotype. The boundaries of regions expressing the tdy1 phenotype frequently occur at lateral veins. This suggests that lateral veins act to limit the expansion of tdy1 phenotypic regions by transporting Suc out of the tissue. Double mutant studies between tdy1 and chloroplast-impaired mutants demonstrate that functional chloroplasts are needed to generate the Suc that induces the tdy1 phenotype. However, we also found that albino cells can express the tdy1 phenotype and overaccumulate Suc imported from neighboring green tissues. To characterize the site and mode of action of Tdy1, we performed a clonal mosaic analysis. In the transverse dimension, we localized the function of Tdy1 to the innermost leaf layer. Additionally, we determined that if this layer lacks Tdy1, Suc can accumulate, move into adjacent genetically wild-type layers, and induce tdy1 phenotypic expression. In the lateral dimension, we observed that a tdy1 phenotypic region did not reach the mosaic sector boundary, suggesting that wild-type Tdy1 acts non-cell autonomously and exerts a short-range compensatory effect on neighboring mutant tissue. A model proposing that Tdy1 functions in the vasculature to sense high concentrations of sugar, up-regulate Suc transport into veins, and promote tissue differentiation and function is discussed.
Clinical Applications of PET in Brain Tumors

Malignant gliomas and metastatic tumors are the most common brain tumors. Neuroimaging plays a significant role clinically. In low-grade tumors, neuroimaging is needed to evaluate recurrent disease and to monitor anaplastic transformation into high-grade tumors. In high-grade and metastatic tumors, the imaging challenge is to distinguish between recurrent tumor and treatment-induced changes such as radiation necrosis. The current clinical gold standard, MRI, provides superior structural detail but poor specificity in identifying viable tumors in brain treated with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. (18)F-FDG PET identifies anaplastic transformation and has prognostic value. The sensitivity and specificity of (18)F-FDG in evaluating recurrent tumor and treatment-induced changes can be improved significantly by co-registration with MRI and potentially by delayed imaging 3-8 h after injection. Amino acid PET tracers are more sensitive than (18)F-FDG in imaging recurrent tumors and in particular recurrent low-grade tumors. They are also promising in differentiating between recurrent tumors and treatment-induced changes.
The Interaction Chronograph as an Instrument for Objective Measurement of Interaction Patterns During Interviews

(1956). The Interaction Chronograph as an Instrument for Objective Measurement of Interaction Patterns During Interviews. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 347-367.
Reliability effects of X-ray lithography exposures on submicron-channel MOSFETs

Submicron-channel-length n- and p-channel MOSFETs subjected to channel hot-carrier stressing were investigated. The reliability of devices with and without exposure to simulated X-ray lithography processing steps was compared. No significant differences were observed between the sample groups. As expected, the increase in Delta V/sub TH/ correlated with a decrease in the drawn channel length. Even at the shortest channel lengths, however, the shifts are quite small under more realistic bias conditions (smaller drain biases under DC and AC stressing). >
PicXAA-R: Efficient structural alignment of multiple RNA sequences using a greedy approach

Accurate and efficient structural alignment of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has grasped more and more attentions as recent studies unveiled the significance of ncRNAs in living organisms. While the Sankoff style structural alignment algorithms cannot efficiently serve for multiple sequences, mostly progressive schemes are used to reduce the complexity. However, this idea tends to propagate the early stage errors throughout the entire process, thereby degrading the quality of the final alignment. For multiple protein sequence alignment, we have recently proposed PicXAA which constructs an accurate alignment in a non-progressive fashion. Here, we propose PicXAA-R as an extension to PicXAA for greedy structural alignment of ncRNAs. PicXAA-R efficiently grasps both folding information within each sequence and local similarities between sequences. It uses a set of probabilistic consistency transformations to improve the posterior base-pairing and base alignment probabilities using the information of all sequences in the alignment. Using a graph-based scheme, we greedily build up the structural alignment from sequence regions with high base-pairing and base alignment probabilities. Several experiments on datasets with different characteristics confirm that PicXAA-R is one of the fastest algorithms for structural alignment of multiple RNAs and it consistently yields accurate alignment results, especially for datasets with locally similar sequences. PicXAA-R source code is freely available at: http://www.ece.tamu.edu/~bjyoon/picxaa/ .
Temporal decay of the blockade of carbachol drinking by atropine

Abstract If atropine and carbachol are simultaneously injected into two cholinergic drinking sites in rat brain, the atropine inhibits the carbachol elicited drinking. Atropine was injected into one cholinergic drinking site and carbachol into a second such site, 1, 2, 6 or 24 hr later. Atropine blockade of carbachol drinking decayed considerably during the 24 hr. However, some residual inhibition did remain at the end of this period.
The Flat Earth Society: a rose by any other name?

In the current issue of Human Reproduction van Dorp et al. (2013) provide us with seminal evidence about a serum marker that purportedly informs us about current and future ovarian function. Current dogma attributes to this marker the ability to determine the number of primordial follicles remaining in the ovary. The findings in this publication force us to reconsider this long-held view. I congratulate the authors for testing hypotheses that challenge current dogma. I also applaud the authors for employing scientifically accurate terminology in their report.
Estimating clock uncertainty for efficient duty-cycling in sensor networks

Radio duty cycling has received significant attention in sensor networking literature, particularly in the form of protocols for medium access control and topology management. While many protocols have claimed to achieve significant duty-cycling benefits in theory and simulation, these benefits have often not translated into practice. The dominant factor that prevents the optimal usage of the radio in real deployment settings is time uncertainty between sensor nodes which results in overhead in the form of long packet preambles, guard bands, and excessive control packets for synchronization. This paper proposes an uncertainty-driven approach to duty-cycling, where a model of long-term clock drift is used to minimize the duty-cycling overhead. First, we use long-term empirical measurements to evaluate and analyze in-depth the interplay between three key parameters that influence long-term synchronization: synchronization rate, history of past synchronization beacons, and the estimation scheme. Second, we use this measurement-based study to design a rate-adaptive, energy-efficient long-term time synchronization algorithm that can adapt to changing clock drift and environmental conditions, while achieving application-specific precision with very high probability. Finally, we integrate our uncertainty-driven time synchronization scheme with the BMAC medium access control protocol, and demonstrate one to two orders of magnitude reduction in transmission energy consumption with negligible impact on packet loss rate.
THE ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT FOR T‐CELLS IN THE INDUCTION OF IGM‐SECRETING CELLS, IN VITRO

Anti-rabbit thymocyte antibody can totally inhibit the induction of IgM production that ordinarily is observed whem lymphoid cells are incubated, in virto, in the absence of added antigen. Univalent as well as bivalent antithymocyte antibody preparations were inhibitory when added to cells before the induction of immunoglobulin production had occurred but not afterwards. Spleen cells that had been treated with antithymocyte antibody and then cultured with thymocytes for 72 hours exhibited an enhanced inducttion of immunoglobulin production. Untreated spleen cells also showed this property, although both untreated lymph node cells and lymph node cells treated with antithymocyte antiboyd did not respond to thymocytes. The enhancement of the induction of immunoglobulin production by lipopolysaccharide was found to be T-cell dependent as judged from studies using antithymocyte antibody.
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia secondary to vascular compression in a patient with multiple sclerosis: a case report

Introduction Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is an uncommon, painful syndrome, characterized by paroxysms of pain in the sensory distribution of the 9th cranial nerve. Idiopathic glossopharyngeal neuralgia may be due to compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve by adjacent vessels, while secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia is associated with identifiable lesions affecting the glossopharyngeal nerve at different levels of its neuroanatomic pathway. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is rare in the general population, but is more common in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Do humans optimally exploit redundancy to control step variability in walking

It is widely accepted that humans and animals minimize energetic cost while walking. While such principles predict average behavior, they do not explain the variability observed in walking. For robust performance, walking movements must adapt at each step, not just on average. Here, we propose an analytical framework that reconciles issues of optimality, redundancy, and stochasticity. For human treadmill walking, we defined a goal function to formulate a precise mathematical definition of one possible control strategy: maintain constant speed at each stride. We recorded stride times and stride lengths from healthy subjects walking at five speeds. The specified goal function yielded a decomposition of stride-to-stride variations into new gait variables explicitly related to achieving the hypothesized strategy. Subjects exhibited greatly decreased variability for goal-relevant gait fluctuations directly related to achieving this strategy, but far greater variability for goal-irrelevant fluctuations. More importantly, humans immediately corrected goal-relevant deviations at each successive stride, while allowing goal-irrelevant deviations to persist across multiple strides. To demonstrate that this was not the only strategy people could have used to successfully accomplish the task, we created three surrogate data sets. Each tested a specific alternative hypothesis that subjects used a different strategy that made no reference to the hypothesized goal function. Humans did not adopt any of these viable alternative strategies. Finally, we developed a sequence of stochastic control models of stride-to-stride variability for walking, based on the Minimum Intervention Principle. We demonstrate that healthy humans are not precisely “optimal,” but instead consistently slightly over-correct small deviations in walking speed at each stride. Our results reveal a new governing principle for regulating stride-to-stride fluctuations in human walking that acts independently of, but in parallel with, minimizing energetic cost. Thus, humans exploit task redundancies to achieve robust control while minimizing effort and allowing potentially beneficial motor variability.
Haptic rendering of parametric surfaces using a feedback stabilized extremal distance tracking algorithm

An extremal distance tracking algorithm is presented for convex parametric curves and surfaces undergoing rigid body motion. The geometric extremization problem is differentiated with respect to time to produce a dynamical system that incorporates dependence on both surface shape and rigid body motion. Extremization then takes place by integrating these dynamical equations, but with a feedback controller in place to stabilize the solution. A controller design using feedback linearization is developed that simultaneously accounts for surface shape and motion while asymptotically achieving (and maintaining) the extremal pair. Collision detection then takes place in a framework fully analogous to that used for multibody simulation. Local stability results are extended to provide global stability for body shapes composed of pieced-together convex parametric surface patches using a switching algorithm.
Evaluation and Assessment Issues in the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This article discusses the availability and appropriateness of various assessment techniques for diagnosing ADHD. In terms of the interview/history, the necessity and viability of using formal structured, semi structured, computerized and informal interviews for making an ADHD diagnosis are critiqued. The pros and cons of the various questionnaires frequently used to diagnose ADHD are addressed. The conundrum raised by multiple informants who often disagree is discussed, as are the effects of age and gender. The contributions of the medical and neurological examinations to the diagnosis of ADHD are considered. The utility of a neuropsychological assessment and of continuous performance testing to diagnosis is critiqued. Finally the lack of need for laboratory tests and the lack of necessity of neurological workup, specifically EEG and imaging, are argued.
The molecular pathology of chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

The first consistent karyotypic abnormality found to be associated with neoplastic disease was the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome (Nowell & Hungerford, 1960). Furthermore, the best-studied example of translocation-mediated gene activation occurs in leukaemia patients bearing this abnormality (reviewed by Kurzrock et al, 1988). In these individuals, the Ph translocation (t(9;22)(q34;q11)) results in transposition of the ABL proto-oncogene from chromosome 9q34 to 22q11, where it is fused with part of the BCR gene. It is now known that as a result of the Ph translocation, p160BCR and p145ABL (the normal BCR and ABL gene products) are replaced by p210BCR-ABL. This aberrant protein constitutes the molecular fingerprint of CML. The enhanced tyrosine phosphokinase enzymatic activity (a property possessed by some growth factor receptors and transformation-inducing oncogenes) of p210BCR-ABL implicates a direct role for this molecule in the pathogenesis of CML. Because the Ph translocation is present in the early chronic phase, the union of the BCR and ABL genes is probably involved in the initiation of the leukaemic process. The secondary molecular forces driving progression of CML to blast crisis are however unknown, and may differ from patient to patient. Approximately 10% of CML patients lack a Ph chromosome. One-half of these individuals have bcr rearrangement and express p210BCR-ABL. Ph + and Ph - bcr + (p210 +) CML are identical and should be treated the same. Molecular follow-up of diploid bcr + CML patients is essential for detection of persistent malignancy after therapy. The presence of a specific marker—the BCR-ABL message—permits the development of new diagnostic approaches for CML. For instance, detection of a BCR-ABL message with the use of the highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction, a technique capable of detecting up to one leukaemia cell amongst one million normal cells, yields important information about minimal residual disease. Finally, the use of therapy directed against the BCR-ABL product may be a worthwhile strategy which deserves investigation, and may prompt a new era of tumour-specific treatment.
Robust decision trees: removing outliers from databases

Finding and removing outliers is an important problem in data mining. Errors in large databases can be extremely common, so an important property of a data mining algorithm is robustness with respect to errors in the database. Most sophisticated methods in machine learning address this problem to some extent, but not fully, and can be improved by addressing the problem more directly. In this paper we examine C4.5, a decision tree algorithm that is already quite robust - few algorithms have been shown to consistently achieve higher accuracy. C4.5 incorporates a pruning scheme that partially addresses the outlier removal problem. In our ROBUST-C4.5 algorithm we extend the pruning method to fully remove the effect of outliers, and this results in improvement on many databases.
A Homologically Persistent Skeleton is a Fast and Robust Descriptor of Interest Points in 2D Images

2D images often contain irregular salient features and interest points with non-integer coordinates. Our skeletonization problem for such a noisy sparse cloud is to summarize the topology of a given 2D cloud across all scales in the form of a graph, which can be used for combining local features into a more powerful object-wide descriptor.
Dynamic response of glass under low-velocity impact and high strain-rate SHPB compression loading

Abstract In this research, the dynamic response and energy absorption characteristics of four different types of commercially available glass have been investigated experimentally. Soda lime, starphire, borosilicate, and fused silica were characterized using a Dynatup 8250 drop weight impact test system, and a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB). In the low-velocity punch-shear experiments, similar trend has been observed for all glass types, while starphire and borosilicate exhibited the highest total energy absorption. High strain-rate SHPB compression tests were carried out on cylindrical glass samples at two different strain-rates. Borosilicate showed higher failure strain, compressive strength, and energy absorption compared to the other glass types. The SHPB compression results indicated high dependency of mechanical behavior of glass materials to strain-rate. The effects of surface flaws on dynamic mechanical behavior of borosilicate glass under SHPB compression loading were also investigated.
New Ways Forward for Political Science

Scholars of genocide have always been dubious of the privileged status science has claimed for itself. It was science, after all, that posited a biological basis for human intelligence and ability;...
New kinetic model for the nanocrystalline anatase-to-rutile transformation revealing rate dependence on number of particles

Existing kinetic models are unable to describe published experimental data for the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation in nanocrystalline samples. A new kinetic model is proposed that combines interface nucleation at certain contact areas between two anatase particles and formation and growth of rutile nuclei. Kinetic equations, incorporating mass-balance considerations, derived for this "interface nucleation and constant growth" model fit the experimental data of Gribb and Banfield (1997) fairly well. Results confirm that the transformation is second order with respect to the number of particles of anatase. Over shorter reaction times, the net transformation rate is determined by the rate of nucleation, which is initiated from rutile-like structural elements in the contact area. The activation energy of 165.6+ or -1.1 kJ/mol for rutile nucleation within nanocrystalline anatase particles is much lower than values previously measured for rutile nucleation in coarse anatase samples (>330 kJ/mol). Nuclei growth proceeds at a constant rate with a very small activation barrier. Over longer reaction times, the net transformation rate is determined both by nucleation and nuclei growth. Results quantitatively explain the origin of the size dependence of phase transformation rates in this system.
The Static and Dynamic Behavior of MEMS Arches Under Electrostatic Actuation

In this paper, we investigate theoretically and experimentally the static and dynamic behaviors of electrostatically actuated clamped-clamped micromachined arches when excited by a DC load superimposed to an AC harmonic load. A Galerkin based reduced-order model is used to discretize the distributed-parameter model of the considered shallow arch. The natural frequencies of the arch are calculated for various values of DC voltages and initial rises of the arch. The forced vibration response of the arch to a combined DC and AC harmonic load is determined when excited near its fundamental natural frequency. For small DC and AC loads, a perturbation technique (the method of multiple scales) is also used. For large DC and AC, the reduced-order model equations are integrated numerically with time to get the arch dynamic response. The results show various nonlinear scenarios of transitions to snap-through and dynamic pull-in. The effect of rise is shown to have significant effect on the dynamical behavior of the MEMS arch. Experimental work is conducted to test polysilicon curved microbeam when excited by DC and AC loads. Experimental results on primary resonance and dynamic pull-in are shown and compared with the theoretical results.© 2009 ASME
Endometriosis and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

Background― Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecologic disease associated with systemic chronic inflammation, heightened oxidative stress, and atherogenic lipid profile that may increase women’s risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods and Results― We examined the prospective association between laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and subsequent CHD among 116 430 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (1989–2009). Participants with a history of heart disease and stroke were excluded. When compared with women without endometriosis, women with laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis had a higher risk of myocardial infarction (relative risk, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–1.98), angiographically confirmed angina (1.91; 1.59–2.29), coronary artery bypass graft surgery/coronary angioplasty procedure/stent (1.35; 1.08–1.69), or any of these CHD end points combined (1.62; 1.39–1.89), independent of potential demographic, anthropometric, family history, reproductive, and lifestyle confounders. Relative risk for the combined CHD end point was highest among women aged ≤40 years (3.08; 2.02–4.70) and decreased as age increased (40 55 years, 0.98; 0.56–1.72; P value, test for heterogeneity=0.001). Having had a hysterectomy/oophorectomy was associated with higher risk of combined CHD compared with not having had a hysterectomy/oophorectomy (1.51; 1.34–1.71). A percentage of 42 of the association between endometriosis and CHD could be explained by greater frequency of hysterectomy/oophorectomy and earlier age at surgery after endometriosis diagnosis. Conclusions― In this large, prospective cohort, laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis was associated with increased risk of CHD. The association was strongest among young women. Hysterectomy/oophorectomy was associated with higher risk of CHD and could partially explain the association between endometriosis and CHD.
Enhancement of Depth Estimation Techniques With Amplitude Analysis

Depth estimation has been used widely as a tool for rapid interpretion of large-scale potential-field data in applications such as mapping basement relief. Nearly all of these techniques rely on the analysis of the local shape of the anomalous field in determining the depth and location of the subsurface sources. These methods focus on the phase information at the expense of the amplitude of the data. Consequently, these methods often produce a large number of solutions and interpretation of the result is difficult. We develop a method for enhancing these techniques by incorporating amplitude information back into the depth estimation process. The method statistically identifies significant source solutions from the estimation based on their relative source strengths, and discards false solutions due to noise and spray effects. The result is a subset of solutions that is more amenable for direct interpretation. We illustrate this new approach by applying it to the solution of the Euler and extended Euler deconvolutions. We demonstrate the improvement using magnetic data from the Bishop model, and present a field dataset from petroleum exploration.
Causes of false-positive thallium-201 images in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

In the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, thallium-201 scintigraphy can provide false-positive results. We studied 179 patients with no previous coronary artery bypass surgery who in 1980 had had thallium stress testing and coronary angiography within 3 months of the radionuclide study. Twenty-two patients were identified with 24 segmental defects in thallium distribution in regions supplied by normal coronary arteries. Two patients had primary myocardial disease, 2 had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 6 had left ventricular hypertrophy, and 12 had no cardiac abnormality. In a 1983 review of 18 of the 22 patients with false-positive results for coronary artery disease, 8 regions in 6 patients were still considered abnormal. The difference reflected the evolution of interpretation techniques. Identifiable causes of false-positive thallium scans included primary myocardial disease, left ventricular hypertrophy secondary to aortic stenosis, and perhaps hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. When these diseases are suspected, another method of diagnosing coronary artery disease should be used. Interpretation of the study using corroborative defects in multiple views will improve diagnostic accuracy.
Monitoring and Analysis on Antibody Level among Children aged 1 ～ 10 years after Routine Immunization with Measles Vaccine in Yuxi City

[Objective]To evaluate the antibody level among children aged 1 ～10 years after routine immunization with measles vaccine(MV),provide the scientific evidence for making related immunization strategy of measles elimination in future.[Methods]1686children aged 1 ～10 years were sampled with probability proportionate to size sampling(PPS),and the serum levels of measles IgG antibody were tested.[Results]The antibody positive rate of measles was 91.28%,protection rate was 73.13%,and the geometric mean titer(GMT) was 1:551.30.There were significant differences in the antibody positive rate of measles,protection rate and GMT among children in different residential environment groups,different dosage and times of vaccination groups,different age groups and different counties.There were significant differences in protection rate and GMT between boys and girls,but the difference in the antibody positive rate of measles was not significant.[Conclusion]The levels of measles antibody among children aged 1 ～ 10 years in Yuxi city were high,but there was immunization weak link in floating children.Full implementation of MV routine immunization among floating children has important significance in measles elimination.
Research Development on Pharmacological Action in Gastrodia elata blume and Gastrodia elata polysaccharide

Gastrodia elata blume and Gastrodia elata polysaccharide are both the main chemical constituents and the main material basis for pharmacological action in Gastrodia elata bl. Gastrodia elata blume and Gastrodia elata polysaccharide have widely used in clinical application with the treatment of nervous system,cardiovascular system and immune system diseases,and have no obvious toxic side effect. This article would have briefly reviewed pharmacological action and inherent mechanism on Gastrodia elata blume and Gastrodia elata polysaccharide.
Impact of interconnect variability on circuit performance in advanced technology nodes

Interconnects are one of the main bottlenecks to circuit performance, with increasing importance in advanced technology nodes. With increased sensitivity of circuit delay to interconnect parasitics, we study the impact of process variation on interconnects. Based on GDSII-level layouts, we accurately study sources of systematic variability and quantify their repercussions on circuit performance in the ITRS 11 nm technology node. Additionally, we compare three lithography schemes and study their impact on interconnect capacitance and interconnect resistance. Consequently, we study the influence of interconnect RC on circuit performance. The study shows that, in multi-gate transistor technology, wire capacitance is less important in determining circuit delay, thus increasing tolerance of the circuit performance to the overlay variation in the litho-etch-litho-etch (LELE) lithography. We compare the LELE patterning with the self-aligned-double-patterning (SADP), and show that it is more resistant to variability. We also show how the self-aligned-quadruple-patterning (SAQP) patterning impacts interconnect variability.
Multisensory perceptual learning is dependent upon task difficulty

There has been a growing interest in developing behavioral tasks to enhance temporal acuity as recent findings have demonstrated changes in temporal processing in a number of clinical conditions. Prior research has demonstrated that perceptual training can enhance temporal acuity both within and across different sensory modalities. Although certain forms of unisensory perceptual learning have been shown to be dependent upon task difficulty, this relationship has not been explored for multisensory learning. The present study sought to determine the effects of task difficulty on multisensory perceptual learning. Prior to and following a single training session, participants completed a simultaneity judgment (SJ) task, which required them to judge whether a visual stimulus (flash) and auditory stimulus (beep) presented in synchrony or at various stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) occurred synchronously or asynchronously. During the training session, participants completed the same SJ task but received feedback regarding the accuracy of their responses. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three levels of difficulty during training: easy, moderate, and hard, which were distinguished based on the SOAs used during training. We report that only the most difficult (i.e., hard) training protocol enhanced temporal acuity. We conclude that perceptual training protocols for enhancing multisensory temporal acuity may be optimized by employing audiovisual stimuli for which it is difficult to discriminate temporal synchrony from asynchrony.
Communicating Uncertainty in Surgical Pathology Reports A Survey of Staff Physicians and Residents at an Academic Medical Center

In order to document perceptions of text comments appearing in surgical pathology reports, questionnaires were distributed to 4 groups of caregivers: university staff pathologists, resident pathologists, faculty clinicians (other than pathologists), and resident clinicians at a teaching hospital. Results of this pilot study showed a wide degree of variability existed within each group of surgical pathology report users, with respect to percent confidence assigned to various phrases, commonly used to express diagnostic uncertainty, appearing often as free-text comments in surgical pathology reports. The unavailability of immunohistochemistry tests, or ambiguous immunohistochemistry test results, was especially problematic. With respect to modes of communication between the surgical pathology laboratory and its service users, clinicians indicated they preferred to use tumor boards/interdisciplinary conferences, face-to-face meetings, and phone calls to clarify their interpretations of a pathologist's diagnoses, as compared with simply reading free-text comments. On the other hand, surgical pathologists rely heavily on their use of the comment portion of a surgical pathology report to clarify, modify, or expand on the diagnoses they render. The majority of clinicians stated that they "always" read the free-text comment portion of a surgical pathology report, whereas some acknowledged they do not always read it. Pathology residents had significantly less confidence in the ability of a free-text comment on a surgical pathology report to clarify a diagnosis (χ2 = 46.36, P < .0001). Pathology departments should consider standardizing definitions and weighting the words and phrases they use in their free-text comment sections of surgical pathology reports.
Constructing min-cost single failure immune recovery trees: Computational complexity and approximation algorithms

In this paper, we study the problem of constructing min-cost single-link/node failure immune recovery trees for two-edge/vertex connected networks. We prove its NP-hardness, and present a general framework of efficient approximation algorithms for solving this problem. Based on this framework, we present two realizations: 1) for link failure protection, our realization has an approximation ratio of 2 and O(nlog n(m +nlogn)) running time if different links have different costs, or an approximation ratio of 1.5 and a linear running time if all links have the same cost; 2) for node failure protection, our realization has an approximation ratio of 2 and O(n3m) running time if different links have different costs, or an approximation ratio of 5/3 and a linear running time if all links have the same cost.
Emergent Self-Similarity in Complex Biological Systems Due to Strong Disorder

We report on the dynamics of large complexes in the bacterial cytoplasm and an unexpected self-similarity that is observed over a wide range of time scales. The observed step-size distribution is well approximated by a Laplace distribution, independent of the lag time. We propose that this behavior is universal and demonstrate that in the strong quenched disorder limit of a class of transport problems, a limiting behavior is observed that is closely related to generalized extreme value theory (GEV). The model naturally describes many features of the observed motion including viscoelasticity and weak ergodicity breaking. We believe this mechanism could be widely applicable to describing a range of transport phenomena in cell biology and that strong quenched disorder may lead to emergent self-similarity in other biological systems by a similar mechanism.