cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiative Properties of Multilayer Thin Films With Positive and Negative Refractive Indexes

In 1968, Veselago [1] predicted that there could still be propagating waves in a medium that had simultaneously negative permittivity e and permeability μ, because the product of e and μ would be positive. However, to ensure energy conservation, he concluded that the refractive index must use the negative square root of the product of e and μ (i.e., n = eμ). A consequence is certain unusual optical features in negative-index media. The electric field vector E , magnetic field vector H and wave vector k are a left-handed triplet, the basis for calling materials with simultaneously negative e and μ “left-handed materials” (LHMs). LHMs would have novel optical properties. Light at non-normal incidence would bend to the side opposite that in a normal RHM; positive lenses would become negative; a flat slab could focus. The phase velocity of an electromagnetic wave would be opposite to the direction of energy flux, resulting in a reversed Doppler effect. Photons would have negative momentum and apply tension to the interface upon reflection. Recently, this kind of material has been demonstrated experimentally to exist. Shelby et al. [2] measured the scattering angle of the transmitted beam through a prism manufactured from a composite material consisting of a two-dimensional array of copper wires and split ring resonators and showed that the effective refractive index of the material is negative at microwave frequencies. Recent theoretical studies also showed that some photonic crystals might have negative-refraction properties in the near infrared spectral region [3].Copyright © 2002 by ASME
“Always Use Protection”: Communication Boys Receive About Sex From Parents, Peers, and the Media

Although parents are often thought to be the primary communicators of sexual information, studies have found that many adolescent boys report receiving little or no parental communication about sex. Instead, boys report learning about sex mostly from their peers and the media. However, little is known about the content of these communications, from any source. Using a sample of 286 male undergraduates, this study employed a mixed-method approach to examine the amount and content of sex-related communication boys received from their parents, peers, and the media. Results indicated that adolescent boys report receiving less sexual communication from their parents than from peers and the media. In terms of content, parental messages focused on abstinence and contraception while peer and media messages were significantly more sex-positive. Analyses of ethnic group variation showed that African American adolescents reported receiving the most parental communication and Asian American boys reported the least, with further variability in the content of the messages. Findings also document considerable diversity of message content, both within and across source, highlighting the utility of comparative and multi-method approaches.
Export promotion: the role of transportation subsidies

An important objective of recent General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/World Trade Organization (WTO) rounds of trade negotiations has been to urge member countries to adopt trade policies that are more transparent in their effects. One example in this regard has been the move towards tariffication of non‐tariff barriers in an effort to make the price effects of trade barriers more readily discernible. This goal remains largely unfulfilled, as many countries continue to implement barriers that are often complicated and “disguised” in their effects. Instead of adopting direct export subsidies, for example, some countries subsidize the use of a specialized input into the production of a final product. While the effect of this subsidization is similar to a direct export subsidy, the effects are not transparent in that the subsidy applies to an input and the effect that the subsidy has on trade depends on the importance of the input in the cost of producing the final product. Furthermore, there is often no way of calculating the effects of these disguised barriers in a straightforward manner.
Intra-abdominal Complications of Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease characterized by non-caseating granulomas in the absence of other autoimmune processes, infectious diseases, or foreign agents. The etiology of sarcoidosis is not completely understood. Several organ systems can be affected, of which the most frequently involved include the lungs and lymph nodes. Intra-abdominal sarcoidosis is less common, but can be found in the absence of pulmonary or lymphatic disease. Intra-abdominal sarcoidosis is most often asymptomatic. However, long-standing unrecognized disease can result in life-threatening complications. The identification, monitoring and prevention of these complications will be discussed, with emphasis on both clinical and histological presentations of intra-abdominal sarcoidosis.
Energy-absorbent composites featuring embedded shape memory alloys

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires, were integrated within E-glass composite beams. The fiber volume fraction of the SMA material was 10 percent. Several baseline beams were also fabricated. Both the baseline and SMA reinforced composite beams were tested to failure in tension. The SMA reinforced beams were tested in both the martensite phase (room temperature) as well as the austenite phase (75 deg C). The test results indicated that SMA reinforced composites can offer significant increase in the strain-energy absorption prior to failure thereby improving the fracture toughness and crashworthiness for such systems. Significant increase in damping was also observed for the SMA reinforced composite when the wires were transformed from the martensite to the austenite phase by resistive heating.
GABA in brain tissue of paroxysmal (px) chick.

Abstract 1. An investigation was made of GABA in whole brain and brain regions of paroxysmal ( px ) chicks. 2. Whole brain levels of GABA were higher ( P px chicks than in normal siblings by day 10 post-hatching. 3. GABA in brain areas containing degeneration of auditory and vestibular nuclei and tracts was also found to be higher ( P px chicks. 4. These data indicate that a dysfunction of the GABA pathway occurs early in the px syndrome, possibly as a causative factor.
Chromatin effector Pygo2 regulates mammary tumor initiation and heterogeneity in MMTV-Wnt1 mice

Little is known about chromatin mechanisms that regulate tumor-initiating cells that are proposed to be responsible for tumor recurrence and relapse. We have previously shown that Pygopus 2 (Pygo2), a chromatin effector and context-dependent Wnt signaling coactivator, regulates mammary gland development by expanding epithelial stem/progenitor cells. However, the role of Pygo2 in mammary tumorigenesis in vivo remains to be addressed. In this study, we show that epithelia-specific ablation of Pygo2 in MMTV-Wnt1 transgenic mice results in delayed mammary ductal elongation, but the hyperbranching phenotype, aberrant accumulation of stem/progenitor-like cells, and canonical Wnt signaling output are largely unaffected. Chronic loss of Pygo2 significantly delays mammary tumor onset in MMTV-Wnt1 females, whereas acute deletion of Pygo2 in MMTV-Wnt1 tumor cells leads to a significant decrease in their tumor-initiating capability upon transplantation. Finally, we provide evidence supporting a role for Pygo2 in modulating the lineage potential of MMTV-Wnt1 tumor initiating cells. Collectively, our results suggest that Pygo2 acts at a step downstream of mammary stem cell accumulation to facilitate transformation, and that it regulates the tumor initiating capacity and lineage preference of the already transformed mammary cells, in MMTV-Wnt1 mice. These findings offer valuable insights into our understanding of the molecular basis of heterogeneity within breast tumors.
Projected Needs of Health Manpower in Saudi Arabia, 1974-90.

Summary Although our projections are not completely accurate, due to inadequate data and crude methods of approximation, three conclusions are inescapable: 1 The nation should give priority to planning new schools for health administrators and rural health workers, and to generally expanding present schools for paramedicals. 2 Plans should proceed rapidly for the two new medical schools. 3 A Health Manpower plan based on census information and special studies should be developed over the next 2 years. This plan should have input from all concerned ministries. (The Ministry of Health has regarded a proposal from University Associate ‘a group of Harvard, Johns Hopkins and A.U.B. professors' for technical cooperation in health services planning.)
Evidence of sewage-driven eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Florida's Indian River Lagoon

Abstract Nutrient pollution is a primary driver of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (HABs) in estuaries and coastal waters worldwide. In 2011–2012, 20 sites evenly distributed throughout the 251-km long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) were assessed during three sampling events for dissolved nutrients (DIN, SRP, TDN, TDP) and chlorophyll a. Benthic macroalgae were also analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and C:N:P contents to identify potential nutrient sources and gauge the type and degree of N and P limitation. The mean DIN and SRP concentrations throughout the IRL were high, averaging 4.24 ± 0.45 and 0.68 ± 0.06 μM, respectively, explaining the widespread occurrence of HABs during the study. High TDN concentrations (up to 152 μM) and TDN:TDP ratios (>100:1) in the poorly flushed northern IRL, Mosquito Lagoon and Banana River segments reflected the accumulation and cycling of N-rich groundwater inputs that produce P-limitation. These enriched nutrient conditions were associated with unprecedented chlorophyll a concentrations (>100 μg/L), dominated by Resultor sp. O. Moestrup in the Banana River in 2011 and Aureoumbra lagunensis D.A. Stockwell, DeYoe, Hargraves and P.W. Johnson in the Mosquito Lagoon and northern IRL in 2012. C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios in macroalgae averaged 15.9, 698.9, and 40.6, throughout the IRL, respectively; significantly higher C:P and N:P ratios in the northern IRL segments suggested strong P-limitation in these N-enriched waters. Macroalgae δ15N values were enriched throughout the IRL (+6.3‰) and similar to values reported for macroalgae from other sewage-polluted coastal waters. Because point-source sewage inputs to the IRL were largely eliminated through the IRL Act of 1990, these results suggest that non-point source N enrichment from septic tanks (∼300,000) represents a significant and largely ignored N-source to the IRL. The high degree of sewage N contamination of the IRL, combined with recent HABs, including toxic ecotypes of the red macroalga Gracilaria tikvahiae McLachlan, seagrass loss, and wildlife mortality, indicates a critical need for improved sewage collection and treatment, including nutrient removal.
Isolation of equine muscle carbonic anhydrase in crystalline form

Abstract A relatively simple procedure for the isolation of equine muscle carbonic anhydrase (CA-III) in crystalline form has been developed. An important aspect of the method, which should find ready application to this enzyme from other species, is the alkylation of the readily reactive cysteine residues prior to starting the fractionation.
Co-cultured transformed and untransformed C3H 10T 1 2 cells: Preferential killing of transformed cells by low dose rate irradiation

Abstract Co-cultured C3H 10T 1 2 cells, in which transformed cells were grown as discrete colonies on top of density-inhibited monolayers of untransformed cells, were used to determine the potential usefulness of a short term assay system for the study of differential radiation effects as they may apply to cell populations with differing turnover rates, but in close physical contact. Mixed cultures were exposed to either an acute dose of 20 Gy of Cs-137 gamma rays, or a dose of 72 Gy delivered at a low dose rate of 0.34 Gy per hour. These treatments resulted in approximately equal levels of damage to the untransformed monolayers. At 10-day intervals after treatment, representative flasks from each dose group were examined for evidence of degeneration, and subsequent regrowth, if any, of the transformed colonies and untransformed monolayers. For comparable amounts of visible damage to the untransformed monolayers, the low dose rate irradiation was more effective at delaying regrowth of, or even eradicating, transformed colonies. These results are consistent with expectations based on previous results in which dose-rate or dose fractionation isoeffect curves were compared for these two cell types, grown independently in plateau phase cultures.
Essential fatty acid deficiency and lipid metabolism of the developing brain

Abstract EFA deficiency was produced not by feeding a fat free diet but by feeding a diet high in oleic but low in linoleic acid content. The competition from oleic acid, but not from saturated acids, in the utilization of linoleic acid resulted in EFA deficiency. When such a diet is given from the second week of pregnancy, the progeny develop AFA deficiency in the brain as indicated by increased ratio of triene/tetraene in the brain lipid components as well as subcellular fractions. Male rats show a higher deficiency state than females. The lipid/protein ratio was decreased in microsomes and myelin EPG showed an unusually low amount of odd chain fatty acids. The biosynthetic pathways leading to this abnormally low amount are under investigation.
Rapid Photoelectric Determination of Carotenoid in Milk Fat

Summary Churn 100 ml. samples of cream by shaking; wash the fat with cold water, melt, and centrifuge clear. Transfer 3 ml. to a precision tube absorption cell and warm to about 75° C. to produce a clear solution. Determine the light absorption for blue light in a photoelectric colorimeter and calculate the carotenoid content in mg. per liter of melted fat with the aid of a calibration curve obtained with pure carotene dissolved in cotton seed oil.
Mood: experimental analysis in a laboratory setting.

Abstract Thirty-two hospitalized alcoholic and normal volunteer subjects reported their mood while working on an instrumental, button-pressing task under different schedules of reinforcement. Mood reliably changed as a function of the amount of money reinforcement, independently of variations in response rates. The findings point to the importance of amount of reinforcement for altering mood rather than overt behavioral output.
On the Chatyrko–Hattori solution of de Groot's question

Abstract Let Z n = ( [ 0 , 1 ] n × ( 0 , 1 ] ) ∪ ( ∂ ( [ 0 , 1 ] n ) × { 0 } ) . De Groot asked: Is c m p Z n ⩾ n for every n? It is known that the answer is yes for n = 1 and 2. V.A. Chatyrko and Y. Hattori [Fund. Math. 172 (2002) 107–115] showed that the answer is no for n ⩾ 5 . It is shown that the answer is also no for n = 4 . The question is unresolved for n = 3 .
Single-molecule studies of DNA replisome function.

Fast and accurate replication of DNA is accomplished by the interactions of multiple proteins in the dynamic DNA replisome. The DNA replisome effectively coordinates the leading and lagging strand synthesis of DNA. These complex, yet elegantly organized, molecular machines have been studied extensively by kinetic and structural methods to provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of DNA replication. Owing to averaging of observables, unique dynamic information of the biochemical pathways and reactions are concealed in conventional ensemble methods. However, recent advances in the rapidly expanding field of single-molecule analyses to study single biomolecules offer opportunities to probe and understand the dynamic processes involved in large biomolecular complexes such as replisomes. This review will focus on the recent developments in the biochemistry and biophysics of DNA replication employing single-molecule techniques and the insights provided by these methods towards a better understanding of the intricate mechanisms of DNA replication.
Maternal obesity induces gut inflammation and impairs gut epithelial barrier function in nonobese diabetic mice

Impairment of gut epithelial barrier function is a key predisposing factor for inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes (T1D) and related autoimmune diseases. We hypothesized that maternal obesity induces gut inflammation and impairs epithelial barrier function in the offspring of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. Four-week-old female NOD/ShiLtJ mice were fed with a control diet (CON; 10% energy from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% energy from fat) for 8 weeks to induce obesity and then mated. During pregnancy and lactation, mice were maintained in their respective diets. After weaning, all offspring were fed the CON diet. At 16 weeks of age, female offspring were subjected to in vivo intestinal permeability test, and then ileum was sampled for biochemical analyses. Inflammasome mediators, activated caspase-1 and mature forms of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 were enhanced in offspring of obese mothers, which was associated with elevated serum tumor necrosis factor α level and inflammatory mediators. Consistently, abundance of oxidative stress markers including catalase, peroxiredoxin-4 and superoxide dismutase 1 was heightened in offspring ileum (P<.05). Furthermore, offspring from obese mothers had a higher intestinal permeability. Morphologically, maternal obesity reduced villi/crypt ratio in the ileum of offspring gut. In conclusion, maternal obesity induced inflammation and impaired gut barrier function in offspring of NOD mice. The enhanced gut permeability in HFD offspring might predispose them to the development of T1D and other gut permeability-associated diseases.
The Application of Explosive Welding to Turbine Components

In recent years, developments in the explosive welding process have demonstrated that the process has many areas of application in the turbine field. This is a result of the process’s capability to weld a wide variety of the metals and alloys which are being utilized in turbines as well as recent applications of the process to fabricate complex shapes and structures which are often encountered in turbine components. This paper describes the successful application of explosive welding to actual turbine components as well as areas in which the process has potential for application in the future. Applications included in the paper include the repair of damaged bearings and shafts, application of protective claddings to selected areas, fabrication of complex channelled structures, and the welding of laminated structures.Copyright © 1974 by ASME
Resources on foster care and adoption in Britain

Abstract Examination of material from other countries can help to identify useful service delivery patterns, to indicate the extent to which problems and proposed solutions in foster care and adoption are unique or similar across different countries and to identify factors that may be related to similarities and differences. Important sources of information from Britain are noted in this article.
Structural and functional characterization of redox Mn and Co sites in AlPO materials and their role in alkane oxidation catalysis

energy occurred concurrently and at similar rates, indicating excellent agreement between these techniques. No H2 Oo r CO 2 were detected during treatment in H2 or CO, respectively, indicating that reduction from Me 3+ to Me 2+ occurred by introduction of protons. These protons are fully removed by treatment in O2 to 773 K, and O2-H2 redox cycles involving reversible proton formation suggest that cations reside within AlPO framework positions, in which protons reside as charge balancing cations at Me 2+ -O-P bridges. H2 consumption rates measured during H2-TPR could be accurately described by Arrhenius-type behavior, and H2/Me ratios showed that only a fraction of all Me cations undergo reversible redox cycles. This fraction was 0.86 for MnAPO-18 (atomic Mn/P ) 0.05); it decreased from 0.68 to 0.40 for MnAPO-5 as Mn/P ratios increased from 0.028 to 0.10. For CoAPO-18 with 0.028 Co/P and CoAPO-5 with 0.40 Co/P, the fractions of redox sites were 0.64 and 0.40, respectively. UV-visible spectra showed no detectable Me 3+ features after thermal treatment in H2. Thus, cations that do not undergo redox cycles remain as permanently divalent cations throughout O2-H2 cycles. The redox-active fraction also decreased during repeated H 2-O2 redox cycles above 773 K, indicating that redox cations convert into permanently divalent sites. This conversion coincides with the evolution of H2O during H2 treatments above 773 K. These findings together with the effects of Me/P ratio on the redox fraction are consistent with a mechanism in which OH groups at divalent framework cation sites recombine to form H2O and an oxygen vacancy. Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone formation rates during liquid-phase cyclohexane oxidation with O2 on MnAPO-5 samples increased linearly with the number of redox-active sites, suggesting that elementary steps of cyclohexane oxidation involve cycling between Me 2+ and Me 3+ , and require cation sites able to reversibly form charge balancing cationic species.
European League Against Rheumatism/European Vasculitis Study Group recommendations for the management of vasculitis.

Purpose of reviewTo discuss the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations in the management of primary systemic vasculitis.Recent findingsImportant developments in the classification and treatment of systemic vasculitis have led the European League Against Rheumatism to publish recommendati
CD56 Negative Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma of the Orbit Mimicking Orbital Cellulitis

ABSTRACTIntroduction: To report a case of Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma of the orbit mimicking orbital cellulitis.Case Description: A 52-year-old healthy male presented to our institution after 3 months of treatment for sinusitis with antibiotics and steroids. The patient was transferred due to the presence of an “orbital abscess” on CT with orbital signs that not responding to antibiotics. Clinical examination was significant for decreased vision in the affected orbit of 20/50, a trace RAPD OS, elevated IOP of 30 OS, proptosis and grossly decreased motility with diplopia, periorbital edema and chemosis. Dilated funded exam was unremarkable. CT imaging demonstrated a left sided pan-sinusitis, a medial “orbital process” with proptosis and erosion of the cribiform plate. The patient was taken for an emergent orbital exploration for histopathologic diagnosis. Intraorbital and sinus biopsy was consistent with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, with extension into the skull base and left orbital space. The patient...
Permeation of steroids through human skin

The permeabilities of many steroids through human skin have been previously measured and reported in the literature. Analysis of these data reveals that significant discrepancies exist between the measurements of Scheuplein et al.1 and those of other groups. Six of the 14 steroids which were examined by Scheuplein et al., aldosterone, corticosterone, estradiol, hydrocortisone, progesterone, and testosterone, have also been examined by other groups. For each of these steroids, the permeability measurements of Scheuplein et al. are lower than those reported by other groups by factors of between 5.0 and 77. Eight independent measurements of the permeability of estradiol are in good agreement with one another, but are greater than the value reported by Scheuplein et al. by factors of between 11 and 20. Several possible sources of experimental error, including the variability of the skin samples, the differences in the experimental temperature, the establishment of steady‐state conditions, the use of radiolabeled drugs, and the skin preparation technique, have been considered and do not appear to account for the magnitude of the observed discrepancies nor for the fact that the data of Scheuplein et al. are consistently lower than those reported by other groups.
The metacarpal index in normal children

The metacarpal index (MCI), a radiographic measure of the slenderness of the metacarpals used in screening for the Marfan syndrome, was measured in 185 normal children ranging from two to 18 years of age. The MCI increased from lower values in early childhood to the adult range by approximately 10 to 11 years.
Transluminal Angioplasty, Thrombolysis, and Stenting for Extracranial and Intracranial Cerebral Vascular Disease

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, alone or in conjunction with thrombolysis and/or stenting, is now being performed in selected cases for hemodynamically significant stenosis (> 70%), involving both extracranial and intracranial cerebral vascular lesions. In the majority of cases, atherosclerosis was the major cause for symptomatic narrowing, although other causes included fibromuscular dysplasia, cerebral arteritis, postsurgical intimal hyperplasia, and acute arterial dissection. In some cases, direct intraarterial thrombolysis and angioplasty successfully restored perfusion to completely occluded blood vessels to the brain, and in other cases acute vessel closure or dissection of extracranial vessels was successfully managed with stent deployment. Since 1981, 325 patients, ranging in age from 9–78 years old, have been successfully treated by these techniques: 143 (44%) cases involved the anterior cerebral circulation; and 182 (56%) cases, the posterior cerebral circulation. Complications included 17 (5.2%) strokes (of which 4 [1.2%] died), and 23 (7.1%) cases of transient cerebral ischemia. Radiological follow-up demonstrated 24 (7.4%) cases of restenosis. This study indicates the feasibility of angioplasty as a treatment alternative, in conjunction with thrombolysis and intravascular stenting, for extracranial and intracranial obstructive cerebral vascular disorders and may also provide an interventional pathway in the treatment of acute stroke patients.
Conceptual and empirical relationships between temporal measures of fluency and oral English proficiency with implications for automated scoring

Information provided by examination of the skills that underlie holistic scores can be used not only as supporting evidence for the validity of inferences associated with performance tests but also as a way to improve the scoring rubrics, descriptors, and benchmarks associated with scoring scales. As fluency is considered a critical, perhaps foundational, component of speaking proficiency, temporal measures of fluency are expected to be strongly related to holistic ratings of speech quality.This study examines the relationships among selected temporal measures of fluency and holistic scores on a semi-direct measure of oral English proficiency. The spoken responses of 150 respondents to one item on the Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT) were analyzed for selected temporal measures of fluency. The examinees represented three first language backgrounds (Chinese, Hindi, and English) and the range of scores on the OEPT scale. While strong and moderate correlations between OEPT scores and speech rate, speech ...
Novel Pd–In catalysts for alcohols electrooxidation in alkaline media

Abstract Novel unsupported Pd–In catalysts with varied Pd:In ratio were synthesized by the sacrificial support method (SSM). Catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and BET techniques. The electrochemical activity for the oxidation reactions of methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol was evaluated in alkaline media. High surface area in the range of 40 m 2 g − 1 was determined for all catalysts. The observed mass activity of PdIn 3 for the oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol was significantly higher of any reported in the literature, making this material a state-of-the-art catalyst.
Functionalization of Silicon Surfaces for Device Applications

Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in functionalizing silicon surfaces, avoiding the ubiquitous oxide overlayer utilized in most integrated circuits based upon silicon. While silicon is clearly the backbone material of the microelectronics industry, an understanding of its surface chemistry still remains in preliminary stages. The native oxide overlayer on silicon chips has served admirably well for most microelectronic applications but as the features on integrated circuits become increasingly small, the ability to tailor the interfacial properties of the surface is extremely desirable. As the well known Moore’s law describes, the number of devices on an integrated circuit has been increasing exponentially since the early 1960’s, approximately doubling every year to 18 months. The smallest feature on a Pentium processor chip is now about 300 nm, and both industry and academia look to make even tinier surface features and devices as the state-of-the-art moves from ultra-to giga-scale integration, with over 10 to 100 million transistors per chip. Because the surface properties of these nanoscale devices will have crucial effects on their performance, new surface terminations and the chemical tools to access them are required. Integrated circuit technology on silicon wafers, developed primarily by the microelectronics industry, has benefited not only computer manufacturers and users, but a host of other industries and research areas. Silicon devices are now utilized for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microfluidics and micrototal analytical systems (μ-TAS), biosensors and other bioanalytical applications, micro-optics and micro-reactors, for example. Each of these applications requires different interfacial characteristics, and thus the need for very general chemical approaches is substantially broadened. In the case of silicon-based devices that will contact biological fluids or samples, a simple oxide overlayer is highly unstable at the usual pH’s encountered (> pH 7), corroding rapidly under ambient conditions. A method to stabilize the surface, keeping the underlying electronic properties intact and enabling the attachment of specific binding elements for recognition events, for instance, is necessary. In order to respond to these requirements, we and others are pursuing the development of the chemical tools for functionalization of silicon surfaces utilizing organometallic chemistry. Through production of an organic monolayer on the surface of bulk silicon bound through stable silicon-carbon bonds, as shown in figure 1, we can tap into the vast repertoire of chemical transformations available through organic chemistry, permitting precise modulation of surface properties. The anticipated result of this approach is a simple set of reactions to create any stabilized surface upon demand. Through further chemistry, these surfaces can be built upon, leading to increasingly sophisticated interfaces for a wide range of applications. There are, in fact, three technologically important variations of
Quantitative visualization and detection of skin cancer using dynamic thermal imaging.

In 2010 approximately 68,720 melanomas will be diagnosed in the US alone, with around 8,650 resulting in death 1. To date, the only effective treatment for melanoma remains surgical excision, therefore, the key to extended survival is early detection 2,3. Considering the large numbers of patients diagnosed every year and the limitations in accessing specialized care quickly, the development of objective in vivo diagnostic instruments to aid the diagnosis is essential. New techniques to detect skin cancer, especially non-invasive diagnostic tools, are being explored in numerous laboratories. Along with the surgical methods, techniques such as digital photography, dermoscopy, multispectral imaging systems (MelaFind), laser-based systems (confocal scanning laser microscopy, laser doppler perfusion imaging, optical coherence tomography), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, are being tested. Each technique offers unique advantages and disadvantages, many of which pose a compromise between effectiveness and accuracy versus ease of use and cost considerations. Details about these techniques and comparisons are available in the literature 4. Infrared (IR) imaging was shown to be a useful method to diagnose the signs of certain diseases by measuring the local skin temperature. There is a large body of evidence showing that disease or deviation from normal functioning are accompanied by changes of the temperature of the body, which again affect the temperature of the skin 5,6. Accurate data about the temperature of the human body and skin can provide a wealth of information on the processes responsible for heat generation and thermoregulation, in particular the deviation from normal conditions, often caused by disease. However, IR imaging has not been widely recognized in medicine due to the premature use of the technology 7,8 several decades ago, when temperature measurement accuracy and the spatial resolution were inadequate and sophisticated image processing tools were unavailable. This situation changed dramatically in the late 1990s-2000s. Advances in IR instrumentation, implementation of digital image processing algorithms and dynamic IR imaging, which enables scientists to analyze not only the spatial, but also the temporal thermal behavior of the skin 9, allowed breakthroughs in the field. In our research, we explore the feasibility of IR imaging, combined with theoretical and experimental studies, as a cost effective, non-invasive, in vivo optical measurement technique for tumor detection, with emphasis on the screening and early detection of melanoma 10-13. In this study, we show data obtained in a patient study in which patients that possess a pigmented lesion with a clinical indication for biopsy are selected for imaging. We compared the difference in thermal responses between healthy and malignant tissue and compared our data with biopsy results. We concluded that the increased metabolic activity of the melanoma lesion can be detected by dynamic infrared imaging.
Integrated recirculating optical hybrid silicon buffers

We present our work on fully integrated hybrid silicon optical buffers capable of holding 40 byte packets at 40 Gb/s. These devices consist of low loss silicon waveguides and cascaded amplifiers to overcome passive losses in a 1.1 m long delay line. Since cascading multiple gain elements leads to ASE (noise) accumulation, reshaping elements in the form of saturable absorbers are integrated in the delay. Noise filtering in the buffer is investigated by simulating the eye diagram for a delay line with 1R regenerators and comparing it to that of a 2R regenerator. Finally, preliminary experimental data from the optical buffer is shown.
Developing game-playing agents that adapt to user strategies: A case study

This paper describes the development of a novel web-delivered computer game, Boundary, where human players vie against each other or computer agents that use adaptive learning to modify playing strategies. The novelty presents challenges in game development both in terms of game playability and enjoyment as well as designing intelligent computer game players. An adaptive artificial intelligent agent was developed by creating several basic AI agents, each of which employs a unique, simple strategy. The adaptive agent classifies its opponent's play during the game by simulating what moves each simple strategy would make and identifying the strategy that produces the closest approximation to the opponent's actions. During development, through computer-computer simulations, the relative strengths of each strategy versus the others were determined. Thus, once an opponent's moves are matched to the closest known strategy, the best counter-strategy can be selected by the computer agent. Our hypotheses are that 1) humans will quickly learn how to counter the static AI strategies, 2) humans will have more difficulty learning how to counter the adaptive AI, and 3) human players will judge the adaptive player as more challenging. This paper describes human subject experiments to test those hypotheses.
Isolation of the Bα and Bβ mating-type loci of Schizophyllum commune

The B mating type of the basidiomycete fungus, Schizophyllum commune is determined by two, tightly linked, multi-specificity (also called multi-allelic) loci: Bα and Bβ. A plasmid library was used in DNA-mediated transformation to obtain transformants that displayed B-directed development. Plasmids that conferred Bα1 and Bβ1 mating-type specificities were rescued from the transformants. Fragments of DNA from each plasmid hybridized to genomic DNA from the strain used to make the plasmid library; however, they did not hybridize, or hybridized only weakly, to genomic DNA from strains with mating-type specificities different from Bα1 or Bβ1. The cloned fragments are presumed to correspond to active regions of each B mating-type locus.
Analysis of amines in petroleum

An analytical method for differentiation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines using exhaustive trifluoroacetylation prior to GC/MS has been developed. Using the conditions described in the report, most primary amines add two and secondary amines add one trifluoroacetyl group. In general, tertiary amines do not react. GC retention indices and relative GC/MS total ion current response factors for 102 trifluoroacetyl derivatives are reported. Examples of the application of the method to petroleum and coal liquid products are provided. Because of the limited thermal stability of the derivatives of primary amines, the method is applicable only to distillates boiling below 370 °C (700 °F).
Biochemical Changes in the Pancreases of Chicks Fed Raw Soybeans and Soybean Meal

Abstract THE morphological studies on the tissues of animals fed raw soybean meal indicate that all tissues were normal except pancreas which was hypertrophic (Booth et al., 1960). A recent report from Goldberg and Guggenheim (1964) suggests the direct action of antibiotics in reducing the pancreatic hypertrophy and changes in the enzymes of pancreases of rats fed raw soybeans. The change in the pancreatic enzyme levels due to feeding raw soybeans to chicks have also been observed by Pubols et al. (1964). Haines and Lyman (1961) observed no changes in protease or lipase activity in the pancreases of rats fed raw or heated soybeans. The present investigation was undertaken, therefore, to examine the biochemical changes associated with the pancreases of chicks fed raw soybeans unsupplemented and supplemented with antibiotics and methionine. Three lots of chicks, each consisting of 120 Cobb strain White Rock cockerels, were fed diets containing soybean meal, raw . . .
Subjective Cognitive Complaints and Longitudinal Changes in Memory and Brain Function

Objective Subjective cognitive complaints are often used in the diagnosis of memory and other cognitive impairment. This study examined whether cognitive complaints are associated with longitudinal changes in cognition and cross-sectional differences in regional brain function during memory performance in 98 participants with a mean age of 75. Method The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) assessed cognitive complaints and mixed effects regression models were used to determine whether mean CFQ scores predicted rates of change in cognitive function over a period of 11.5 years. Results Higher CFQ scores, reflecting increased subjective complaints, were associated with steeper rates of decline in immediate and delayed recall on the California Verbal Learning Test. Voxel-based regression analysis was used to determine the cross-sectional relationship between CFQ scores and regional cerebral blood flow measured by PET during a resting condition and during verbal and figural memory tasks. Higher levels of cognitive complaints were associated with increased activity in insular, lingual and cerebellar areas during memory tasks. Conclusions These findings offer some support for the validity of subjective cognitive complaints as markers of age related changes in memory and brain activity.
Virulence of Trichomonas vaginalis after freeze-preservation for 2 years in liquid nitrogen vapor

Abstract Axenically cultivated Trichomonas vaginalis (strain C-1:NIH) were freeze-preserved in the presence of 5% dimethyl sulfoxide, then stored at −170 °C in vapor above liquid nitrogen. After 2 years samples of trichomonads were thawed and subcultured serially for a short interval, and their progeny were tested for virulence in mice. No significant difference was found between these organisms and ones tested before freezing. The possibility that the virulence observed had been lost in the immediate survivors of freeze-preservation and regained in the progeny actually tested is discussed.
The Social Context of Evaluative Research: A Case Study.

Evaluation takes place in a social context that influences research design, selection of variables, the written report, and the timing of its release. There are also consequences for program implem...
Predictors of Body Shape Dissatisfaction in College-Educated African- & Euro-American Women

Abstract A higher prevalence of overweight exists among African-American women that may be attributed, in part, to less dissatisfaction with their body shapes and sizes than Euro-American females. The present study identified predictors of body shape dissatisfaction Subjects had at least obtained a college degree (age=25–40; n=80). A 34-item Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) was used to assess body shape dissatisfaction. The majority (82%) was of normal weight (BMI 19–25). Approximately 60% of the African-American were classified as having no body shape concern (BSQ score
Developing Economic Indexes for the Quebec Hog/Pork Industry

The Quebec hog/pork industry has grown significantly over the last 25 years. Explanations of this growth in the literature have centered on government policies, expansion of profitable market opportunities, and reforms in marketing institutions. A coincident index model that trends with total hog slaughters in Quebec is estimated using a dynamic factor model. It implicitly defines a variable that measures the overall state of economic activity in the Quebec hog/pork industry. The results show that reforms in hog marketing institutions are strongly correlated with the economic expansion of the industry. A leading economic index also forecasts the growth of the coincident index using leading variables. The overall statistical performance of the leading coincident index is disappointing, but the growth in American inventories of frozen pork meat is shown to have useful predictive value. La filiere porcine quebecoise a connu une croissance significative lors des 25 dernieres annees. Plusieurs raisons ont ete avancees dans la litterature pour expliquer cette croissance: politiques gouvernementales, reformes dans les institutions de mise en marche et l'apparition de nouveaux debouches pour les produits porcins quebecois. Ce travail construit un indice coincidant qui suit la tendance des abattages de porcs en utilisant un modele de facteurs dynamiques. Cet indice mesure l'etat economique de la filiere porcine quebecoise. Les resultats demontrent que les reformes institutionnelles reliees a la mise en marche des porcs vivants sont fortement correlees avec l'expansion economique de la filiere. Un indice economique avance est propose pour predire l'activiteeconomique future de la filiere en utilisant des indicateurs avances. La performance generale de cet indice est decevante; mais l'utilisation de la croissance des inventaires americains de viande porcine congelee ameliore la formulation de previsions.
Effects of carbon on air entrainment in fly ash concrete : The role of soot and carbon black

The most important commercial outlet for coal ash is in the concrete industry as a partial replacement for Portland cement. In many concrete mixtures careful control of air entrainment is required, but the presence of solid carbon disrupts the air entrainment process. An earlier study focused on the fundamental role of carbons, which were found to adsorb air-entraining admixtures, the specialty surfactants used in concrete mixtures, rendering them less active for their primary function as stabilizing agents for air bubbles. The present paper focuses on the specific sorptive behavior of carbon black, which is used as a pigment in some concrete formulations and also serves as a convenient model substance for soot, which may be present in fly ash from coal combustion. The paper also describes microscopic examination of several commercial fly ash samples for the possible presence of soot. The results show that eight commercial carbon blacks interact strongly with the air-entraining admixtures, the degree of i...
Transgender patients: implications for emergency department policy and practice.

August 2005 31:4 young woman trauma patient has arrived in the A department (ED). When her clothes are cut off, her breasts and male genitalia are apparent. Will the care she receives be inf luenced by this discovery? Ideally, gender expression and identity should not make a difference in health providers’ care delivery. But in reality, negative attitudes and lack of knowledge can compromise the care of transgender (TG) patients. What if she were your child? Would you want her to be treated, as any other patient, with dignity and respect? What if she is subjected to ridicule and shame, with inappropriate examinations or inadequate treatment? ‘‘Transgender’’ is an umbrella term for several distinct but related groups, which include cross-dressers, gendervariant individuals, and transsexuals (TS). Transsexuals often express the feeling of being ‘‘trapped inside the wrong body,’’ and they may undergo medical and surgical treatments (sexual reassignment/transition) to align their outer appearance with their gender identity. ‘‘Gender identity’’ refers to the internal sense of feeling male or female, regardless of biologic sex, and it may be firmly expressed by even very young children. Some TG persons do not completely identify with either gender. Gender expression and gender identity are unrelated to sexual orientation. Transgender people may define themselves as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Public policy and legislation affecting TG status and rights vary. To date, six states, 62 cities, and 10 counties have passed laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. Eight states have transgenderinclusive hate crime laws. However, most health insurance policies specifically exclude all procedures related to being TS. In fact, transsexual people are routinely denied health policy coverage solely because they are TS. Even those who
Effectiveness of a verbal reinforcer subsequent to satiation in preschool children

Satiation implies a loss of meaning or reduction in the effectiveness of a stimulus following its continued repetition. It was hypothesized that satiation should reduce the effectiveness of a verbal reinforcer. Ss were assigned randomly to treatment groups in a 2 by 2 by 5 factorial design. During a baseline phase, Ss in a free-operant task dropped marbles into either of two holes, and a low preference side was determined for each S. Each S then continually repeated aloud “good” (a positive reinforcer) or “plant” (a neutral word) for 20, 15, 10, 5, or 0 sec. In the conditioning phase, each S was verbally reinforced by E (“good” or “plant”) for each marble-drop response made to his low-preference side. Analysis of variance showed a significant main effect for duration of repetition (p <.01).