cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methylation patterns in cell‐free plasma DNA reflect removal of the primary tumor and drug treatment of breast cancer patients

Abnormal DNA methylation is a feature of most types of cancer, which is reflected in cell-free circulating DNA in plasma. It is, however, unknown whether surgical removal of the tumor and subsequent therapy induces changes in plasma DNA methylation, which can be used to monitor treatment. In this pilot study, methylation in cell-free plasma DNA of 20 breast cancer patients was determined by the previously developed MethDet-56 technique. Samples at three time points were analyzed—before surgery (baseline), after surgery (to evaluate the effects of resection) and after surgery on tamoxifen therapy (to determine the effects of treatment). Methylation patterns of healthy controls were used as a reference for all comparisons. Seven promoters were differentially methylated (p < 0.05) in at least one comparison; three changed after surgery; another one changed after beginning of tamoxifen treatment; and four were differentially methylated in baseline versus combined treatment samples. Increased methylation of PR PROX, MDGI, PAX 5 and RARβ2 at baseline (presurgery) diminished toward the healthy controls with the lowest methylation in the combined treatment group. Surgery alone decreased methylation in PAX 5 and RARβ2, whereas tamoxifen treatment changed methylation only in the B promoter of ESR1. Methylation patterns in cell-free plasma DNA change after surgery and tamoxifen treatment, most significantly—after combined treatment. The baseline (presurgery) patterns become similar to those of healthy controls, suggesting that methylation patterns in cell-free plasma DNA may be used to monitor treatment.
Bronsted acid catalyzed dehydration of neat supercritical tert-butanol in a capillary micro-reactor

Dehydration of supercritical t-butanol to yield 2-methyl-propene was observed to occur rapidly and in high yield at elevated pressures without addition of a catalyst. A capillary micro-reactor was used to carry out the reaction at pressures up to 3.1 kbar. The products were characterized in situ using FTIR and NMR and confirmed using GC-MS. The dehydration reaction is proposed to occur by a self-catalyzed Bronsted acid mechanism. An addition driving force for the reaction was the phase separation of the 2-methyl-propene product. Self-catalyzed dehydration of t-butanol is a limiting factor for operations in supercritical t-butanol, but it implies the t-butanol may be employed as a self-neutralizing catalyst under these conditions.
The Evaluation of H 106 Continuous Sampling Plans under the Assumption of Worst Conditions

Abstract Dodge-type continuous sampling plans are used to screen mass produced items so that long run quality requirements will be met. The choice of a particular Dodge-type plan is often based on the plan's aoql, the long run proportion of defectives that remains in the output after inspection under the assumption that the production process is in a “state of statistical control.” Another measure by which a plan can be evaluated is the uaoql, the long run proportion of defectives remaining under the assumption that the production process operates in the worst possible way relative to the plan. This paper presents five graphs that can be used to provide uaoql values for a large number of h 106 plans. The linear program used to calculate these graphs is also included.
Learning new uses of technology while on an audit engagement: Contextualizing general models to advance pragmatic understanding

Abstract While most technology acceptance studies focus on initial adoption and use, an emerging stream of literature focuses on post-adoption behavior (Jasperson et al., 2005). This study adds to that stream by conceptualizing a model of the post-adoption process based upon the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003) and refined based upon work in effort expectancy and social influence (Loraas and Diaz, 2009; Schepers and Wetzels, 2007). The general model is then stylized to the auditing context and an experiment is conducted to test the efficacy of the proposed model. Inline with expectations, effort expectancy influences how an intern auditor thinks about learning a new feature of a technology. Specifically, when the technology is deemed difficult to learn, attitude, anticipatory affect, time budget pressure and social influence are important. However, when technology is easy to learn only self-efficacy and negative anticipated affect are enacted.
Paraffin dehydrocyclization. Part 8. Conversion of n-octane with mono and bifunctional Pt-Al2O3 catalysts at 100 psig

Abstract Pt monofunctional and bifunctional catalysts produce a common set of products apart from the C 8 -aromatic and i-C 8 -alkane distributions at low conversions. The difference between the two types of catalysts therefore is essentially that of the rate and selectivity of producing aromatics vs. C 1 C 7 products. Overall, the bifunctional pathway provides both the most rapid and the most selective pathway for the formation of aromatics from n -alkanes. The bifunctional pathway provides a nearly equilibrium distribution of methyl heptanes whereas the monofunctional platinum pathway produces predominantly the isomers allowed from hydrogenolysis of alkylcyclopentanes formed by the five-carbon ring cyclization of the n -alkane. The non-acidic Pt catalyst produces aromatics by direct six-carbon ring formation. The acidic catalyst produces essentially a mixture of C 8 -aromatics that is near the thermodynamic equilibrium mixture, presumably because of isomerization reactions that proceed by metal catalyzed cyclization and by acid catalysed cyclization.
Improvement of skills for solving‐ ill‐defined problems

Abstract To develop effective programs for training people to handle commonly encountered problems, it is necessary to recognize that such problems are typically. ill defined and require additional goal specification. Most current programs have developed from information processing or from Deweyan theories of problem solving. However, neither theory has methods for dealing with ill‐defined problems. Current programs are therefore limited in their application to real‐life situations. Solving ill‐defined problems can be described in terms of two interacting processes: identifying the properties of the goal, and simultaneously attempting to find procedures for accomplishing the goal. Within this framework, goal specification is supported by the inference of goal properties from analogous problems and from unsuccessful procedures. This description of how people solve ill‐defined problems was used to develop a number of implications for training programs aimed at improving problem‐solving abilities.
Ion acceleration at the equatorward edge of the cusp: Low altitude observations of patchy merging

Controversy continues unabated concerning the detection of signatures of merging at low altitudes. One phenomenon required by nearly all models of merging is the acceleration of ions in the merging region by about the Alfven velocity. We report the observation of spatially discrete patches of precipitating accelerated ions at the equatorward edge of the cusp. These regions of accelerated bulk flow velocity, which occur at or near the transition between boundary layer and cusp proper, are spatially distinct from the overall energy-latitude dispersion in the main cusp and are best fitted by Maxwellian distributions with convection velocities of 450-640 km/s; such velocities are 200–300 km/s faster than in the main cusp ion distribution. The acceleration cannot be attributed to electrostatic potentials, for the electron distributions in the patchy ion regions are also accelerated. Based on an initial survey of 13 such events, occurrence of distinctly separate accelerated ion patches appears to be primarily or exclusively a southward Bz phenomenon.
Comparing Virtue, Consequentialist, and Deontological Ethics-Based Corporate Social Responsibility: Mitigating Microfinance Risk in Institutional Voids

Due to the nature of lending practices and support services offered to the poor in developing countries, portfolio risk is a growing concern for the microfinance industry. Though previous research highlights the importance of risk for microfinance organizations, not much is known about how microfinance organizations can mitigate risks incurred from providing loans to the poor in developing countries. Further, though many microfinance organizations practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) to help create economic and social wealth in developing countries, the impact of such CSR practices remains an underdeveloped area of inquiry. We use a normative ethics lens to develop an ethics-based CSR theory that differentiates between three forms of ethics-based CSR—virtue, consequentialist, and deontological. We argue that while all three forms can help mitigate risk, virtue ethics-based CSR is potentially the most useful form of CSR toward mitigating microfinance portfolio risk. We test our hypotheses using a sample of microfinance organizations from across the world. Our findings suggest that virtue ethics-based CSR is not just an important philosophical paradigm; it can actually help mitigate microfinance portfolio risk when implemented in practice.
Hybrid analogs for the production of porous calcium phosphate scaffolds

Abstract A polymer–inorganic sol mixture has been used to develop interconnected and highly porous calcium phosphate networks. The inorganic sol was developed by reacting triethyl phosphite and calcium nitrate. The sol was directly added to an aqueous solution of PVA with molecular weights between 40,500 and 155,000 g/mol. This mixture was electrospun at a voltage of 20 kV to produce fibers, whose diameter was less than 1 μm. This electrospun structure was calcined at 600 °C obtain to a highly interconnected sub-micron fibrous network (fiber size ∼ 200 nm) of calcium phosphate. The crystal size is on the order of 30 nm. Micropores could be introduced in each of the fibers by controlling the polymer molecular weight and the sol volume fraction. Such structures can have many potential uses in the repair and treatment of bone defects and in drug delivery.
Description of bulk inversion asymmetry in the effective-bond-orbital model

We have extended the effective-bond-orbital model (EBOM) method [Y. C. Chang, Phys. Rev. B 37, 8215 (1988)] to include the effects of the bulk inversion asymmetry (BIA) present in zinc blendes. This is accomplished without adding to the number of basis states or extending the range of interaction. We have also investigated a variant form of the EBOM proposed in the original formulation that offers improved zone-center behavior, but may also generate spurious solutions in heterostructure calculations due to poor description of bulk zone-boundary band structure. We offer suggestions for avoiding this problem so that this variant form of EBOM may be used safely. In general, we find that the addition of BIA effects in EBOM results in improved descriptions of zone-center band structure, but also in a loss of accuracy far from the Brillouin-zone center. We illustrate the use of the BIA extension with band-structure calculations for bulk GaSb. We show that the spin splitting predicted by the extended EBOM method for an AlSb/GaSb superlattice is in good agreement with k·p calculations that include BIA effects.
The Crisis Response to a School-Based Hostage Event: A Case Study.

During the past two decades there has been increased public, professional, and legislative interest in school crisis prevention and intervention. It is recommended that comprehensive crisis teams be established at the school, district, and community levels. A case study was conducted in which interviews were utilized to facilitate an increased understanding of the experiences of state crisis team members responding to a school-based crisis event and how crisis teams attempted a coordinated response. Data analysis revealed several themes related to the importance of knowing the school system, having prior crisis-related training, the need for role flexibility, expectations related to the response, personal impact of the response, and the need for self-care. School mental health professionals and crisis response teams can consider these themes and ways to address concerns related to these themes to improve crisis response efforts.
Cerebral Atrophy and Hypoperfusion Improve during Treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Nineteen patients with sudden onset of impaired recent memory, cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and other signs of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) were treated and examined prospectively for 3 months. Serial studies included histories, neurological examinations, cognitive capacity screening examinations (CCSE), computed tomography (CT) scans, and measurements of regional CBF. Patients were detoxified and withdrawn from sedatives before CBF measurements were examined. Treatment included alcohol withdrawal, nutritious diet, and 300 mg thiamine daily. Before treatment CCSE scores and blood flow values of both white and gray matter were reduced, particularly within both temporoparietal regions. After treatment of compliant patients (n = 10), white and gray matter blood flow increased concurrently with improved CCSE scores. Abnormal eye signs, ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and performance of activities of daily living also improved. Cerebral atrophy and ventricular enlargement measured by CT decreased. Early recognition and treatment of WKS in compliant patients permit rapid reversals of cognitive and neurological impairments associated with increased blood flow of gray and white matter and improvements of brain atrophy measured by CT scanning.
Monolithic integration of GaN electronic amplifiers with LiNbO/sub 3/ optical modulators

We report a monolithic integration technology which combines electronic drive circuitry and detectors directly with modulators capable of amplitude and phase modulation. Here, monolithic integration of GaN electronic amplifier having excellent high frequency and high power capabilities with LiN modulators is presented.
A time-dependent analysis of spatial information encoding in the rat hippocampus

Abstract The place fields of rat hippocampal pyramidal cells evolve over time as the animal moves through its environment. To study the nature of this evolution we use an inhomogeneous gamma probability model and analyze the properties of place cell spike trains in non-overlapping windows. Although the locations and heights of the fields evolve over time for 27 of the 35 place cells studied, the temporal parameter was essentially unchanged. This result suggests that adaptive estimation methods may be useful to characterize the dynamics of hippocampal place cells for behavioral tasks executed in novel and non-novel environments.
Toward an improved immunoglobulin analysis by gel electrophoresis and electrofocusing

The analysis of immunoglobulin by gel electrophoretic methods is presently burdened with two problems: the incapacity of conventional buffer systems to spread the polyclonal immunoglobulin pattern across the entire separation path length in gel electrophoresis, and the appearance of distinct bands in the conventional electrofocusing patterns, instead of he continuum of zones — which would be expected form a polyclonal mixture of “charge isomers” and which is indeed obtained in gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal serum immunoglobulin differ from one another predominantly in net charge (i.e., they are “charge isomers”). The operative pH of gel electrophoresis was therefore optimized. The acidic side of he isoelectric operative pH of 5.32, a discontinuous (multiphase) buffer system was found which was capable of stacking all immunoglobulin in a lyophilized preparation. In order to provide a magnified view immunoglobulin heterogeneity, the immunoglobulin mixture was fractionated into 26 groups of charge isomers using preparative isotachophoresis. When subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in resolving gels operative at pH 4.85, 0°C, the isotachophoretic fractions spread between relative mobility values of 0.4 to 0.9 in the electrophoresis pattern, i.e., their sum total covered the entire separation path. Under these conditions, isotachophoretic fractions also revealed immunoglobulin oligomers. The number of oligomeric forms increased from increased from the leading (most basic) to the trailing (most acidic) immunoglobulin components within the stack. In polyacrylamide gel electrofocusing of the isotachophoretic fractions of immunoglobulin, using pI-renge 6–9 ampholine, addition of a 0.01 M mixture of amino acids to the carrier ampholytes, and 20h or more electrofocusing time at 20 V/cm of gel, 0°C, polyclonal immunoglobulin patterns appeared continuous. Electrofocusing patterns of those isotachophoretic fractions of immunoglobulin which contained oilgomeric forms (as revealed by gel electrophoresis ) exhibited one or two major bands against the continuous background of stainable components. Monoclonal immunoglobulin produced distinct major bands under the same comditions. Thus, either polyacrylamide gel electrofocusing in the pI-range 6–9 or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a buffer system operative at pH 4.85 appear promising for the development of a clinically practical and artifact-free electrophoresis analysis for specific oligoclonal immunoglobulin.
Using GLIDER for Knowledge Discovery in Climate Science to Visualize, Analyze and Mine Satellite Imagery

Satellite remote sensing provides an essential source of information for monitoring the earth's atmosphere and climate. Thematic information derived from satellite imagery is applicable to a wide variety of applications at local, regional and global scales. Extracting thematic information using satellite imagery is a non-trivial task that usually requires preprocessing data by applying operations for radiometric and geometric corrections. Analysts need the ability to interactively apply different image enhancement operations to digitally enhance imagery, in order to identify subtle information that might be otherwise missed. Advanced algorithms are needed to allow users to analyze imagery and extract thematic information without having to alter the original data through geographic projections. The Globally Leveraged Integrated Data Explorer for Research (GLIDER) is an easy to use tool for visualization, analysis and mining of satellite imagery. Users can visualize and analyze satellite imagery in its native sensor view, which is an important capability since geographic projections can result in loss of information. A full suite of image processing, pattern recognition and data mining algorithms is provided for image enhancement and analysis. Analysis results and imagery can then be displayed simultaneously and compared using a 3-D globe display that supports image overlays and Web map service (WMS) layers. Examples will be shown to illustrate how GLIDER provides views and tools to facilitate knowledge discovery from satellite imagery.
Effects of centrifugal and coriolis forces on chimney convection during alloy solidification

Abstract Nonlinear natural convection in cylindrical chimneys within a mushy layer during solidification of a binary alloy is investigated under a high-gravity environment, where the rotation axis is inclined at an angle γ to the high-gravity vector. These chimneys produce freckles in the final form of the solidified materials. Freckles are imperfections that reduce the quality of the solidified materials. Asymptotic and scaling analyses are applied to weakly nonaxisymmetric convection in the chimneys. Three important nondimensional parameters are the solutal Rayleigh number R , the centrifugal acceleration parameter A and the Coriolis parameter T . It is found that, for some moderate values of the rotation rate and sinγ ≠ 0, axial convection in the chimneys decreases rapidly with increasing A above some azimuthally dependent axial level. This level can also depend on the radii of the chimneys and on γ and T . The axial convection also decreases with increasing T in certain range which depends on γ, T and R . The Coriolis effect is destabilizing for T outside this range of values, but it is less destabilizing for γ = γ 0 > 180° as compared with those cases with inclined angle (γ 0 − 180°).
Molecular evolutionary characterization of an Activator (Ac)-like transposable element sequence from pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (Poaceae).

We present data on the evolution of the Ac/Ds family of transposable elements in select grasses (Poaceae). A defective Ac-like element was cloned from a DNA library of the grass Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet) and its entire 4531 bp sequence has been determined. When the pearl millet Ac-like sequence is aligned with the maize Ac sequence, it is found that there is approximately 70% DNA similarity in the central region spanning most of maize Ac exon II and all of exon III. In addition, there are two smaller regions of similarity at the Ac terminii. Besides these three major structural similarities, Pennisetum Ac has two large regions, one 5′ and one 3′, that show little similarity to Zea Ac. Furthermore, most of the sequences corresponding to intron II in maize Ac are absent in pearl millet Ac. Kimura's evolutionary distance between the central region of maize and pearl millet Ac sequences is estimated to be 0.429±0.020 nucleotide substitutions per site. This value is not significantly different from the average number of synonymous substitutions for coding regions of the Adh1 gene between maize and pearl millet, which is 0.395±0.051 nucleotide substitutions per site. If we assume Ac and Adh1 divergence times are equivalent between maize and pearl millet, then the above calculations suggest Ac-like sequences have probably not been strongly constrained by natural selection. Conserved DNA and amino acid sequence motifs are also examined. The level of DNA sequence divergence between maize and pearl millet Ac sequences, the estimated date when maize and pearl millet diverged (25–40 million years ago), coupled with their reproductive isolation/lack of current genetic exchange, all support the theory that Ac-like sequences have not been recently introduced into pearl millet from maize. Instead, Ac-like sequences were probably present in the progenitor of maize and pearl millet and have thus existed in the grasses for at least 25 million years.
On second fundamental forms of projective varieties

The projective second fundamental form at a generic smooth pointx of a subvarietyX n of projective space ℂℙ n+a may be considered as a linear system of quadratic forms |II| x on the tangent spaceT x X. We prove this system is subject to certain restrictions (4.1), including a bound on the dimension of the singular locus of any quadric in the system |II| x . (The only previously known restriction was that ifX is smooth, the singular locus of the entire system must be empty). One consequence of (4.1) is that smooth subvarieties with 2(a−1)<n are such that their third and all higher fundamental forms are zero (4.14). This says that the infinitesimal invariants of such varieties are of the same nature as the invariants of hypersurfaces, giving further evidence towards the principle (e.g. [H]) that smooth subvarieties of small codimension should behave like hypersurfaces. Further restrictions on the second fundamental form occur when one has more information about the variety. In this paper we discuss additional restrictions when the variety contains a linear space (2.3) and when the variety is a complete intersection (6.1). These rank restrictions should prove useful both in enhancing our understanding of smooth subvarieties of small codimension, and in bounding from below the dimensions of singularities of varieties for which local information is more readily available than global information.
An Eulerian transport/transformation/removal model for so2 and sulfate—II. Model calculation of SOx transport in the eastern United States

Abstract A three-dimensional, time dependent Eulerian transport/transformation/removal model for SO x , which has previously been described is applied to the eastern United States. Simulation results for a 72-h simulation using 4 July 1974 meteorological data consisting of 24-h averaged SO 2 and sulfate contours, deposition contours, reaction rate contours, and diurnal SO 2 and sulfate ground level profiles are presented and discussed. Substantial spatial and temporal variations in the distributions of SO 2 and sulfate are predicted and results indicate that relatively detailed vertical resolution is necessary in studying the regional transport of SO x . The presented results illustrate the model's capability to simulate the interactions between emissions, transport, chemistry and surface removal.
The Recursive Paradigm: Suppose We Already Knew

The recursive paradigm is a central theme in discrete mathematics. Through examples, this paper explains the paradigm and provides some ideas for approaching the material with students. Repeated use of the phrase “Suppose We Already Knew” and the acronym SWAK help drive the paradigm home.
Self-reported maternal smoking during pregnancy by source in Utah, 2003-2007.

BACKGROUND Maternal self-report is the most common method for assessment of past cigarette exposure to assess birth defect risk. This study compared maternal smoking prior to and during pregnancy based on self-reports obtained from the medical records abstracted for the Utah Birth Defect Network (UBDN), the birth certificate, and the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). The study also investigated how the different sources for maternal smoking data affect estimates in an empirical study. METHODS A total of 1774 case and 618 control mothers who had participated in the NBDPS and whose live born infants were delivered between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2007, were included in this study. Among the case mothers, we compared data from all three sources, whereas for control mothers only two data sources were available for comparison (i.e., birth certificate and CATI). RESULTS Smoking prevalence was highest in the CATI. Compared to the CATI, data from the UBDN had a higher sensitivity (61.3%) and better agreement (kappa = 0.63) than birth certificates (51.8%; kappa = 0.56). Adjusted odds ratios for all and specific birth defects (i.e., holoprosencephaly, hydrocephalus, anophthalmia/microphthalmia, anotia/microtia, total anomalous pulmonary venous return/partial anomalous pulmonary venous return [TAPVR/PAPVR], heterotaxy, and gastroschisis) were different between the birth certificate and CATI. The change in the effect estimates between the two sources ranged from 19% to 56%. CONCLUSIONS Based on our findings, maternal smoking exposure from interview data was shown to be of higher quality with less misclassification compared to data obtained from medical records or birth certificates. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A simple method for estimating basin-scale groundwater discharge by vegetation in the basin and range province of Arizona using remote sensing information and geographic information systems

Abstract Groundwater is a vital water resource in the arid to semi-arid southwestern United States. Accurate accounting of inflows to and outflows from the groundwater system is necessary to effectively manage this shared resource, including the important outflow component of groundwater discharge by vegetation. A simple method for estimating basin-scale groundwater discharge by vegetation is presented that uses remote sensing data from satellites, geographic information systems (GIS) land cover and stream location information, and a regression equation developed within the Southern Arizona study area relating the Enhanced Vegetation Index from the MODIS sensors on the Terra satellite to measured evapotranspiration. Results computed for 16-day composited satellite passes over the study area during the 2000 through 2007 time period demonstrate a sinusoidal pattern of annual groundwater discharge by vegetation with median values ranging from around 0.3 mm per day in the cooler winter months to around 1.5 mm per day during summer. Maximum estimated annual volume of groundwater discharge by vegetation was between 1.4 and 1.9 billion m 3 per year with an annual average of 1.6 billion m 3 . A simplified accounting of the contribution of precipitation to vegetation greenness was developed whereby monthly precipitation data were subtracted from computed vegetation discharge values, resulting in estimates of minimum groundwater discharge by vegetation. Basin-scale estimates of minimum and maximum groundwater discharge by vegetation produced by this simple method are useful bounding values for groundwater budgets and groundwater flow models, and the method may be applicable to other areas with similar vegetation types.
Reverse engineering: the architecture of biological networks.

We adopt a control theory approach to reverse engineer the complexity of a known system—the bacterial heat shock response. Using a computational dynamic model, we explore the organization of the he...
Jacalin, an IgA-binding lectin, inhibits differentiation of human B cells by both a direct effect and by activating T-suppressor cells

Abstract Jacalin, a lectin extracted from the seeds of Artocarpus intergifolia (jackfruit), has been reported to bind specifically to IgA while inducing B-cell polyclonal immunoglobulin secretion. We confirmed that Jacalin only binds to IgA and not to IgG or IgM and extended these findings by showing that it does not bind to IgE. Addition of Jacalin to either unfractioned peripheral blood lymphocytes or purified B cells failed to induce immunoglobulin synthesis; indeed immunoglobulin production was diminished in the presence of jacalin. We found that Jacalin directly inhibited the induction of immunoglobulin synthesis from B cells in the presence of T-cell replacing factor. Cell lines making IgG, IgM, and IgA were inhibited by jacalin. Furthermore, T cells incubated with jacalin also inhibited immunoglobulin production by stimulated B cells. Under these conditions jacalin was found to be a potent mitogen for T cells but to induce little or no activation of B cells. Jacalin appears to be a potent T-cell mitogen which can induce suppressor T cells for Ig production. It also has a direct inhibitory effect on B-cell Ig production.
Inorganic nanoparticle-based contrast agents for molecular imaging

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) including semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), iron oxide NPs and gold NPs have been developed as contrast agents for diagnostics by molecular imaging. Compared with traditional contrast agents, NPs offer several advantages: their optical and magnetic properties can be tailored by engineering the composition, structure, size and shape; their surfaces can be modified with ligands to target specific biomarkers of disease; the contrast enhancement provided can be equivalent to millions of molecular counterparts; and they can be integrated with a combination of different functions for multimodal imaging. Here, we review recent advances in the development of contrast agents based on inorganic NPs for molecular imaging, and also touch on contrast enhancement, surface modification, tissue targeting, clearance and toxicity. As research efforts intensify, contrast agents based on inorganic NPs that are highly sensitive, target-specific and safe to use are expected to enter clinical applications in the near future.
New spin-on oxycarbosilane low-k dielectric materials with exceptional mechanical properties

Bridged oxycarbosilane monomers are excellent precursors for the formation of spin on porous low-k materials using sacrificial pore generators. The measured Young's modulus numbers for the as-synthesized thin films without any post porosity toughening are the highest by far of any that we have observed for porous films generated using the sacrificial porogen route. For a given dielectric constant, the Young's modulus of these oxycarbosilane films are 4-5 times higher than available organosilicates and at least 2 times higher than UV treated organosilicate materials.
Concentration of toroidal magnetic field in the solar tachocline by η-quenching

We show that if the turbulent magnetic diffusivity used in solar dynamos is assumed to be "quenched" by increasing toroidal fields, much larger amplitude and more concentrated toroidal fields can be induced by differential rotation from an assumed poloidal field than if there is no quenching. This amplification and concentration mechanism is weakened and bounded by j × B feedbacks on the differential rotation. Nevertheless, it is strong enough to contribute to the creation of ~100 kG toroidal fields near the base of the convection zone, perhaps in conjunction with the "exploding flux tube" process. Such high fields are necessary for sunspots to occur in low solar latitudes.
An Assessment of the Uncertainties in Ocean Surface Turbulent Fluxes in 11 Reanalysis, Satellite-Derived, and Combined Global Datasets

AbstractOcean surface turbulent fluxes play an important role in the energy and water cycles of the atmosphere–ocean coupled system, and several flux products have become available in recent years. Here, turbulent fluxes from 6 widely used reanalyses, 4 satellite-derived flux products, and 2 combined product are evaluated by comparison with direct covariance latent heat (LH) and sensible heat (SH) fluxes and inertial-dissipation wind stresses measured from 12 cruises over the tropics and mid- and high latitudes. The biases range from −3.0 to 20.2 W m−2 for LH flux, from −1.4 to 6.0 W m−2 for SH flux, and from −7.6 to 7.9 × 10−3 N m−2 for wind stress. These biases are small for moderate wind speeds but diverge for strong wind speeds (>10 m s−1). The total flux biases are then further evaluated by dividing them into uncertainties due to errors in the bulk variables and the residual uncertainty. The bulk-variable-caused uncertainty dominates many products’ SH flux and wind stress biases. The biases in the bu...
Short-Channel Effects in Independent-Gate FinFETs

A physics-based model is used to examine short-channel effects (SCEs) in undoped nanoscale independent-gate FinFETs, e.g., the MIGFET (L. Mathew, , Proc. IEEE Internat. SOI Conf., p. 187, 2004). Predicted current-voltage characteristics of MIGFETs in the single-gate mode show that the SCEs (threshold-voltage rolloff, subthreshold-swing degradation, and drain-induced barrier lowering) are actually less severe than those of the device in the double-gate mode. Insightful explanations of the results are given
Strain improvement of Rhizopus oryzae for production of l(+)-lactic acid and glucoamylase

Thirty-eight l(+)-lactic acid-overproducing mutants were isolated by mutagenizing a parent strain of Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 395 with u.v. and/or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Three mutants, 1N1, 3N4 and 3N6, were found to yield significantly more l(+)-lactic acid in a rice medium than the parent strain. Of the mutants examined, only mutant 3N4 produced more glucoamylase than the parent strain.
An Approximate Statistical Analysis of the Widrow LMS Algorithm with Application to Narrow-Band Interference Rejection

The Widrow LMS algorithm is considered for the implementation of an adaptive prewhitening filter in a direct-sequence (DS) spread-spectrum receiver. Exact expressions for the steady-state tapweight covariance matrix and resulting average excess mean square error are developed for the real LMS algorithm when the input contains a random binary sequence (used to model a pseudonoise spreading sequence). It is shown here that the output samples of the adaptive filter possess approximately Gaussian statistics under the conditions of slow convergence and a large number of filter taps. Using this approximation, expressions for the resulting bit error rate (BER) when the adaptive algorithm is used to suppress a fading gone jammer are developed, and numerical results obtained from these expressions are compared to simulation results for the DS receiver.
Beloved: America's Grammar Book

KARLA FC HOLLOWAY is the James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University, where she is also Professor of Law and Professor of Women’s Studies. Her books include Legal Fictions: Constituting Race, Composing Literature (2014), Private Bodies, Public Texts: Race, Gender, and a Cultural Bioethics (2011), and BookMarks: Reading in Black and White: A Memoir (2006). When the music entered the window . . . [b]oth women heard it at the same time. . . . [W]here the yard met the road, they saw the rapt faces of thirty neighborhood women. Some had their eyes closed; others looked at the hot, cloudless sky. Sethe opened the door and reached for Beloved’s hand. Together they stood in the doorway. For Sethe it was as though the Clearing had come to her with all its heat and simmering leaves, where the voices of women searched for the right combination, the key, the code, the sound that broke the back of words. Building voice upon voice until they found it, and when they did it was a wave of sound wide enough to sound deep water and knock the pods off chestnut trees. It broke over Sethe and she trembled like the baptized in its wash.
Preliminary Investigations on the Action of Pepsin on Human Pituitary Growth Hormone

A slight modification of the original procedure for the isolation of human pituitary growth hormone has been described. The purity of the preparation was further examined by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose, zone electrophoresis on starch, and electrodialysis. The hormone was found to be stable in a pH 7.0 solution at 100°C and in 10 M urea at 25°C. Digestion with pepsin to an extent of 40 per cent did not diminish the biological activities of the hormone. Bioassays of an active core derived from such digests exhibited essentially the same specific growth-stimulating activity in the hypophysectomized rat and crop sac stimulation in the pigeon. It was concluded that the integrity of the protein is not required for the activity of human growth hormone.
Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization: Molecular Probes for Diagnosis of Pediatric Neoplastic Diseases

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become an important tool for diagnosing neoplasia in children. With probes designed to identify specific chromosomes and chromosomal regions, FISH is commonly used to detect the specific chromosomal abnormalities associated with hematologic diseases and solid tumors. Variations of FISH currently being investigated, such as comparative genomic hybridization, multicolor FISH, and microchip arrays, will probably result in additional uses of FISH in both research and clinical cytogenetic laboratories. Although FISH has disadvantages when compared with conventional cytogenetics and molecular methods, FISH will continue to be important in analyzing chromosomal abnormalities of tumors in children.
A simple method of computing hip axis length using fan-beam densitometry and anthropometric measurements.

Abstract Hip axis length (HAL), a simple measure obtained from dual X-ray absorptiometry DXA scans of the proximal femur, predicts hip fracture, independent of bone mineral density and age. Owing to a magnification error associated with newer fan-beam DXA, automatic calculation of HAL, which is available in pencil-beam DXA, is inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to model HAL, measured from a pencil-beam DXA, as a function of HAL from a fan-beam DXA combined with other anthropometric measures. Proximal femur scans were performed using pencil- and fan-beam DXA in 21 women (ages 24–60). Height, weight, hip circumference, subject thickness, height of the greater trochanter and anterior superior iliac spine from the scanning table, and HAL as measured by a ruler from the scan printouts were recorded. Anthropometric measurements were taken by two researchers; all but the greater trochanter were reproducible ( r ≥ 0.92). A simple linear model using the manual measurement of HAL from the fan-beam scan, height, weight, body mass index and hip circumference was able to predict HAL measured using the pencil-beam DXA with a high degree of accuracy ( R 2 ≥ 0.96). The fan-beam-acquired values of HAL using our model are nonbiased and accurate estimates of the "gold standard" pencil-beam method. This model may provide researchers and clinicians with a simple method of calculating HAL using fan-beam DXA.
Farms: Lost in the Maize

A fictional case study involving a farmer growing genetically modified crops without informing his neighbors.
Using polarization to separate reflection components

A technique is presented which utilizes the polarization properties of reflected light to separate specular and diffuse components of reflection. This technique works for both dielectric and metal surfaces, regardless of the color of the illuminating light source or the color detail on the object surface. In addition to separating out diffuse and specular components of reflection, the technique can also identify whether certain image regions correspond to a dielectric or metal object surface. Extensive experimentation is presented for a variety of dielectric and metal surfaces, both polished and rough, using a point light source. >
Hypotension in transgenic mice overexpressing human bradykinin B2 receptor.

Bradykinin binds to its receptor at target organs and exerts a wide spectrum of biological activities including vasodilation, smooth muscle contraction and relaxation, pain, and inflammation. To gain a better insight into the physiological function of this potent vasoactive peptide, we created transgenic mice that harbor the human bradykinin B2 receptor transgene under the control of the Rous sarcoma virus 3'-LTR promoter (RSV-cHBKR). Expression of HBKR in these transgenic mice was identified in the aorta, brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, uterus, and prostate gland by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction Southern blot analysis. Two transgenic mouse lines expressing the human B2 receptor resulted in a significant reduction of blood pressure (84.2 +/- 0.6 mm Hg, n = 28; 76.9 +/- 0.8 mm Hg, n = 24; P < .001) compared with the control littermates (96.9 +/- 0.4 mm Hg, n = 52). Administration of Hoe 140, a bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist, restored the blood pressure of the transgenic mice to normal levels within 1 hour, and the effect diminished within 4 hours. The transgenic mice displayed enhanced blood pressure-lowering effect induced by a bolus intra-aortic injection of kinin and showed increased response in kinin-induced uterine smooth muscle contractility compared with control littermates. These studies show that overexpression of human bradykinin B2 receptor causes a sustained reduction of blood pressure in transgenic mice. They also suggest that the B2 receptor-mediated signal transduction pathway plays a role in blood pressure regulation.
Treatment of uterine fibroid tumors in a nude mouse model using high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of uterine fibroid tumors in a nude mouse model. Study Design: A total of 60 female athymic nude mice were inoculated subcutaneously with 3 to 5 × 10 6 ELT-3 cells, a uterine fibroid tumor cell line. Tumor size was monitored with transcutaneous caliper measurements. The high-intensity focused ultrasound probe was a concave, single-element, high-power transducer that operated at a frequency of 3.5 MHz. The tumors were treated for 30 to 60 seconds using a high-intensity focused ultrasonic intensity of 2000 W/cm 2 , depending on the tumor size. Results: A single high-intensity focused ultrasonic treatment resulted in an average reduction in tumor volume of 91% within 1 month of the treatment. Histologic analysis of tumors treated with high-intensity focused ultrasound showed coagulation necrosis and nuclear fragmentation of tumor cells. Conclusion: High-intensity focused ultrasound effectively reduced uterine fibroid tumor size in a nude mouse model. Further studies are needed to assess the in situ response of uterine fibroids to high-intensity focused ultrasonic treatment. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183:6-11.)
Segmentation based image coding using fractals and the human visual system

A new segmentation-based image coding technique which performs segmentation based on roughness of textural regions and on properties of the human visual system (HVS) is presented. The image is segmented into texturally homogeneous region with respect to the degree of roughness as perceived by the HVS. The fractal dimension is used to measure the roughness of the textural regions. The segmentation is accomplished by thresholding the fractal dimension so that textural regions are classified into several classes. Three texture classes are chosen: perceived constant intensity, smooth texture, and rough texture. An image coding system with high compression and good image quality is achieved by developing an efficient coding technique for each texture class. >
The RAM Network in Pathogenic Fungi

The regulation of Ace2 and morphogenesis (RAM) network is a protein kinase signaling pathway conserved among eukaryotes from yeasts to humans. Among fungi, the RAM network has been most extensively studied in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has been shown to regulate a range of cellular processes, including daughter cell-specific gene expression, cell cycle regulation, cell separation, mating, polarized growth, maintenance of cell wall integrity, and stress signaling. Increasing numbers of recent studies on the role of the RAM network in pathogenic fungal species have revealed that this network also plays an important role in the biology and pathogenesis of these organisms. In addition to providing a brief overview of the RAM network in S. cerevisiae, we summarize recent developments in the understanding of RAM network function in the human fungal pathogens Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Pneumocystis spp.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Nonagenarians

Background The feasibility of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in nonagenarians on a national level is largely unknown. We undertook this study to determine the outcomes of open and endovascular AAA repair in this population on a national level. Methods A retrospective review of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database was conducted to determine all patients 90 years and older who underwent either an open or endovascular repair of a nonruptured AAA from 1997 to 2008. Preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications in the inpatient setting were recorded. The primary end point was mortality. Secondary end points were postoperative neurologic, cardiac, and respiratory complications. This group was then compared with all adult patients less than 90 years old (age, 18–89) who had undergone repair of a nonruptured AAA during this same period. Results Four hundred twenty-three patients 90 years and older underwent repair of a nonruptured AAA (compared with 52,370 Conclusions Open repair of AAA's in nonagenarians is associated with significantly high perioperative mortality, whereas endovascular repair is feasible with acceptable perioperative mortality. This mortality, although significantly higher than that obtained for endovascular repair in patients