cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Qualitative analysis for social scientists: Integrative mechanisms: diagrams, memo sequences, writing

This chapter will address other means for integrating the entire final analysis: namely, integrative diagrams, memo sequences, and writing itself. First, however, three preliminary points need to be made. To begin with, the operational diagrams, and perhaps other operational graphic devices, help directly to integrate clusters of analyses , but only indirectly the final analysis . These diagrams, however, may contribute to filling out the more general integrative diagrams drawn from time to time. The sorting of memos likewise will usually contribute directly to the integration of analytic clusters but, especially near the close of the research project, may also contribute quite directly to the total analysis. Memo sorting does this latter by clarifying the current integrative diagram, whether early or late in the project, and by clarifying for the researcher what the total analysis is and ought to be. It can do the latter even with the use of integrative diagrams. As for coding: This makes a contribution to integrating both analytic clusters and the total analysis. Coding results are incorporated into the memos, and besides there is a recoding of old data along with coding of new data from time to time, as those procedures are deemed necessary because holes in the current analysis become apparent. In addition, the coding contributes to conceptual density, which in it itself is a part of the final total integration. It is true that integration can be made without much conceptual density (the multiple linkage of many categories, all linked with a core category or categories), but then recollect that this would leave the analysis very thin. (See Chapter 1.)
USING MIXED METHODS TO EXPLORE RESILIENCE, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, AND RE-SUSPENSION AMONG YOUTH IN A COMMUNITY-BASED ALTERNATIVE-TO-SUSPENSION PROGRAM

The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to examine resilience, social connectedness, and re-suspension rates among youth in a community-based alternative-to-suspension program. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 102 youth participants using a baseline and post measure of resilience and social connectedness. Additional suspension data were gathered three months after participation in the program. Qualitative data were collected from a nested sample of 15 youth who participated in interviews at the middle and high school levels. Findings demonstrate a significant program effect in resilience and social connectedness; however, inconclusive results were associated with re-suspension. Quantitative and qualitative converged around the valuable role the program played in promoting youth efficacy and positive connections with adults and peers. Implications for understanding the role community-based organizations (CBOs) play in the lives of suspended youth are discussed.
Bar and Line Graph Comprehension: An Interaction of Top‐Down and Bottom‐Up Processes

This experiment investigated the effect of format (line vs. bar), viewers' familiarity with variables, and viewers' graphicacy (graphical literacy) skills on the comprehension of multivariate (three variable) data presented in graphs. Fifty-five undergraduates provided written descriptions of data for a set of 14 line or bar graphs, half of which depicted variables familiar to the population and half of which depicted variables unfamiliar to the population. Participants then took a test of graphicacy skills. As predicted, the format influenced viewers' interpretations of data. Specifically, viewers were more likely to describe x-y interactions when viewing line graphs than when viewing bar graphs, and they were more likely to describe main effects and "z-y" (the variable in the legend) interactions when viewing bar graphs than when viewing line graphs. Familiarity of data presented and individuals' graphicacy skills interacted with the influence of graph format. Specifically, viewers were most likely to generate inferences only when they had high graphicacy skills, the data were familiar and thus the information inferred was expected, and the format supported those inferences. Implications for multivariate data display are discussed.
CARP, a cardiac ankyrin repeat protein, is downstream in the Nkx2-5 homeobox gene pathway

To identify the molecular pathways that guide cardiac ventricular chamber specification, maturation and morphogenesis, we have sought to characterize factors that regulate the expression of the ventricular myosin light chain-2 gene, one of the earliest markers of ventricular regionalization during mammalian cardiogenesis. Previously, our laboratory identified a 28 bp HF-la/MEF-2 element in the MLC-2v promoter region, which confers cardiac ventricular chamber-specific gene expression during murine cardiogenesis, and showed that the ubiquitous transcription factor YB-1 binds to the HF-la site in conjunction with a co-factor. In a search for interacting co-factors, a nuclear ankyrin-like repeat protein CARP (cardiac ankyrin repeat protein) was isolated from a rat neonatal heart cDNA library by yeast two-hybrid screening, using YB-1 as the bait. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST-CARP pulldown studies reveal that CARP forms a physical complex with YB-1 in cardiac myocytes and immunostaining shows that endogenous CARP is localized in the cardiac myocyte nucleus. Co-transfection assays indicate that CARP can negatively regulate an HF-1-TK minimal promoter in an HF-1 sequence-dependent manner in cardiac myocytes, and CARP displays a transcriptional inhibitory activity when fused to a GAL4 DNA-binding domain in both cardiac and noncardiac cell context. Northern analysis revealed that carp mRNA is highly enriched in the adult heart, with only trace levels in skeletal muscle. During murine embryogenesis, endogenous carp expression was first clearly detected as early as E8.5 specifically in heart and is regulated temporally and spatially in the myocardium. Nkx2-5, the murine homologue of Drosophila gene tinman was previously shown to be required for heart tube looping morphogenesis and ventricular chamber-specific myosin light chain-2 expression during mammalian heart development. In Nkx2-5(−/−)embryos, carp expression was found to be significantly and selectively reduced as assessed by both whole-mount in situ hybridizations and RNase protection assays, suggesting that carp is downstream of the homeobox gene Nkx2-5 in the cardiac regulatory network. Co-transfection assays using a dominant negative mutant Nkx2-5 construct with CARP promoter-luciferase reporter constructs in cardiac myocytes confirms that Nkx2-5 either directly or indirectly regulates carp at the transcriptional level. Finally, a carp promoter-lacZ transgene, which displays cardiac-specific expression in wild-type and Nkx2-5(+/−) background, was also significantly reduced in Nkx2-5(−/−) embryos, indicating that Nkx2-5 either directly or indirectly regulates carp promoter activity during in vivo cardiogenesis as well as in cultured cardiac myocytes. Thus, CARP is a YB-1 associated factor and represents the first identified cardiac-restricted downstream regulatory gene in the homeobox gene Nkx2-5 pathway and may serve as a negative regulator of HF-1-dependent pathways for ventricular muscle gene expression.
Longitudinal Associations From Neurobehavioral Disinhibition to Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior in Boys: Direct and Mediated Effects Through Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Abstract Purpose This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) in childhood, mediated by alcohol use, portends risky sexual behavior (number of sexual partners) in midadolescence. Methods Participants were 410 adolescent boys. Neurobehavioral disinhibition was assessed at 11.3 years of age. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use on a typical drinking occasion were assessed at 13.4 years of age at first follow-up, and sexual behavior at 16.0 years at second follow-up. Results Quantity of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion, but not frequency of alcohol use, mediated the relation between ND and number of sexual partners. Conclusions These findings indicate that number of sexual partners in midadolescence is predicted by individual differences in boys' psychological self-regulation during childhood and moderate alcohol consumption in early adolescence, and that ND may be a potential target for multi-outcome public health interventions.
Effect of heavy metals on the ferrous iron oxidizing ability of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Abstract The effect of mercury and some other heavy metals on the ferrous iron oxidizing ability of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was studied using redox potential measurement, UV-VIS and atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. Results obtained suggest that the presence of some cations (e.g. Hg(II), Ag(I), Pb(II) and Cd(II) at a concentration level of 10 mg/l), inhibits the microbial oxidation of Fe(II). The presence of 10 mg/l of As(III), Mn(II), Sn(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) and anions such as Cl− and NO−3 did not have an observable effect on Fe(II) oxidizing activity of the bacteria. Our results also suggest that Hg(II) inhibits the microbial oxidation of Fe(II) in an uncompetitive mechanism, suggesting that it may bind with the enzyme-Fe(II) complex. In the presence of 10 mg/l Hg(II), microbial oxidation of Fe(II) is likely to be controlled by the rate of diffusion of Fe(II) into the periplasmic space of the T. ferrooxidans cells.
Glycoenzymes: an unusual type of glycoprotein structure for a glucoamylase

Abstract Glucoamylase, (1→4)(1→6)-α- d -glucan glucohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.3), hydrolyzes starch and glycogen completely to d -glucose and is used industrially in the manufacture of d -glucose from starch. The enzyme is elaborated by many types of fungi and occurs in two isoenzymic forms (glucoamylase I and glucoamylase II) in extracts from certain fungi. The isoenzymes from Aspergillus niger are glycoenzymes containing d -mannose, d -glucose, and d -galactose as integral structural components. New data from experiments on reductive alkaline β-elimination and from methylation analyses show that the carbohydrate chains of glucoamylase I are linked O -glycosidically from d -mannose residues to l -serine or l -threonine residues of the protein moiety. In this enzyme, the carbohydrate residues are present as 20 single d -mannose residues, 11 disaccharides components having the structure 2- O - d -mannopyranosyl- d -mannose, 8 trisaccharides, and 5 tetrasaccharides composed of various combinations of d -mannose, d -glucose, and d -galactose residues joined by (1→3) and (1→6) glycosidic linkages. Such an array of carbohydrate chains in a glycoprotein is unusual, and may account for some of the unique properties exhibited by glucoamylase.
Nonanalytic magnetic response of Fermi and non-Fermi liquids

We study the nonanalytic behavior of the static spin susceptibility of two-dimensional fermions as a function of temperature and magnetic field. For a generic Fermi liquid, ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{s}(T,H)=\mathrm{const}+{c}_{1}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{max}{T,{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}\ensuremath{\mid}H\ensuremath{\mid}}$, where ${c}_{1}$ is shown to be expressed via complicated combinations of the Landau parameters, rather than via the backscattering amplitude, contrary to the case of the specific heat. Near a ferromagnetic quantum critical point, the field dependence acquires a universal form ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{s}^{\ensuremath{-}1}(H)=\mathrm{const}\ensuremath{-}{c}_{2}{\ensuremath{\mid}H\ensuremath{\mid}}^{3∕2}$, with ${c}_{2}g0$. This behavior implies a first-order transition into a ferromagnetic state. We establish a criterion for such a transition to win over the transition into an incommensurate phase.
Pheochromocytoma Presenting as Exacerbation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology

Objective:The following case report and discussion is intended to increase awareness of the difficulties in diagnosing pheochromocytoma when a primary psychiatric diagnosis is first suspected.Method:The case of a middle-aged combat veteran who was admitted with agitation and flashbacks is presented. Episodes of hypertension were initially believed to be related to agitation or alcohol withdrawal. When the hypertensive episodes persisted, further evaluation revealed a pheochromocytoma. In three years' follow-up since removal of the tumor, the patient has shown considerable improvement in the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Conclusions:Pheochromocytoma should be considered in patients with psychiatric disorders if a pattern of hypertensive episodes persists or worsens. The case highlights the importance of medical evaluation in patients presenting with psychiatric complaints.
Et Tu, Bare Metal Stent?

When performing percutaneous coronary revascularization, physicians nearly always supplement balloon angioplasty with a stent.1 This decision is based on evidence that stent implantation enhances the procedural success and durability of angioplasty. Benefits of stenting, compared with balloon angioplasty, include a reduction in the incidence of lesion recurrence, manifested as reduced need for repeat revascularization and lower rates of periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI).2–5 The major shortcoming of bare metal stents (BMS) is that ≈20% of native vessel and 30% of saphenous vein graft patients develop angiographic restenosis from neointimal hyperplasia. About half of these patients will have clinical restenosis and require repeat revascularization. In contrast to the favorable results of stents in de novo lesions, stenting of in-stent restenotic lesions with BMS results in more restenosis. Before the drug-eluting stent (DES) era, of multiple therapies investigated, only intracoronary brachytherapy was effective in preventing recurrent in-stent restenosis.6,7 Article p 2391 Fortunately, the DES was developed to suppress neointimal hyperplasia, and several randomized, double-blind, clinical trials demonstrated the ability of DES to substantially reduce the incidence of in-stent restenosis.8–10 Within a short time after commercialization, DES nearly replaced BMS in the United States, and the number of patients requiring repeat revascularization fell substantially.1 As clinical restenosis became infrequent, another potential and untoward event related to stents became more exposed—namely, stent thrombosis. This disorder can cause abrupt coronary occlusion and frequently clinically manifests as acute MI or death. Although stent thrombosis was common during the early years of BMS use, improvements in the technique of stent implantation and the administration of both aspirin and a thienopyridine (dual antiplatelet therapy) reduced the incidence of acute stent thrombosis to clinically acceptable levels.11,12 More recently, …
Single- vs double-lung transplantation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis since the implementation of lung allocation based on medical need.

Importance Outcomes of single- and double-lung transplantation have not been rigorously assessed since the allocation of donor lungs according to medical need as quantified by the Lung Allocation Score, which began in 2005. Objective To compare outcomes in single- and double-lung transplant recipients since the Lung Allocation Score was implemented. Design, Setting, and Participants In this exploratory analysis, adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who underwent lung transplantation in the United States between May 4, 2005, and December 31, 2012, were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing thoracic registry, with follow-up to December 31, 2012. Posttransplantation graft survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis. Propensity scores were used to control for treatment selection bias. A multivariable flexible parametric prognostic model was used to characterize the time-varying hazard associated with single- vs double-lung transplantation. Exposure Single- or double-lung transplantation. Main Outcomes and Measures Composite of posttransplant death and graft failure (retransplantation). Results Patients with IPF (n = 4134, of whom 2010 underwent single-lung and 2124 underwent double-lung transplantation) or COPD (n = 3174, of whom 1299 underwent single-lung and 1875 underwent double-lung transplantation) were identified as having undergone lung transplantation since May 2005. Median follow-up was 23.5 months. Of the patients with IPF, 1380 (33.4%) died and 115 (2.8%) underwent retransplantation; of the patients with COPD, 1138 (34.0%) died and 59 (1.9%) underwent retransplantation. After confounders were controlled for with propensity score analysis, double-lung transplants were associated with better graft survival in patients with IPF (adjusted median survival, 65.2 months [interquartile range {IQR}, 21.4-91.3 months] vs 50.4 months [IQR, 17.0-87.5 months];P Conclusions and Relevance In an exploratory analysis of registry data since implementation of a medical need–based lung allocation system, double-lung transplantation was associated with better graft survival than single-lung transplantation in patients with IPF. In patients with COPD, there was no survival difference between single- and double-lung transplant recipients at 5 years.
Resource Inequalities and Litigation Outcomes in the Philippine Supreme Court

Comparative analysis of litigation outcomes has been restricted to advanced industrialized democracies. I extend the analysis to a developing country--the Philippines. The models of litigation outcomes for the United States and Great Britain suggest that courts favor the claims advanced by those with greater resources. Although income disparity is generally greater in developing nations, decisions of the Philippine Supreme Court suggest the opposite outcome--those with the least resources fare better. I argue that concerns for stability, legitimacy, and development in nonindustrialized systems lead to biases for those within society who have less. Courts in Third World nations can use their policy-making function to redistribute resources, at least within some components of their docket.
NAND Flash Scaling Beyond 20nm

With the advent of prevailing mobile devices in our daily lives, the densities of nonvolatile memory, especially NAND Flash suitable for mobile devices become higher and higher, and Flash memory applications will be constantly increased in the future due to their non-volatility and high capacity. Therefore it is very meaningful and important to summarize where NAND Flash memory technology is now, what kinds of challenges have to be overcome, and what the promising candidates will be in the future. In this paper, we present the major scaling issues and performance requirements for NAND Flash with advancing technology nodes, and we also show directions for new emerging technologies beyond 20 nm technology node.
Characterizing the impact of mental disorders on HIV patient length of stay and total charges

There are over one million people in the United States living with HIV/AIDS, 20% of whom are undiagnosed, increasing the risk of transmission and the burden on the healthcare system. Those with comorbid diseases may be particularly vulnerable. This paper studies the impact of comorbidities, with a particular focus on mental disorders, on HIV patient outcomes as measured by patient length of stay (LOS) and total charges. Generalized linear models (gamma models) allowing heteroscedasticity are developed to characterize the effects of selected comorbidities on HIV patient outcomes in the adult 2006 National Inpatient Sample. Comorbid HIV patients experience different LOS and total charges. In particular, having mental disorders resulted in a decrease in both LOS (19%) and total charges (15%) for HIV patients. To characterize the role of individual mental disorders, principal component and cluster analyses on ICD-9 codes are used to study the impact of mental disorder, and eight conditions are found to be mos...
Probabilistic seismic demand analysis using advanced ground motion intensity measures

One of the objectives in performance-based earthquake engineering is to quantify the seismic reliability of a structure at a site. For that purpose, probabilistic seismic demand analysis (PSDA) is used as a tool to estimate the mean annual frequency of exceeding a specified value of a structural demand parameter (e.g. interstorey drift). This paper compares and contrasts the use, in PSDA, of certain advanced scalar versus vector and conventional scalar ground motion intensity measures (IMs). One of the benefits of using a well-chosen IM is that more accurate evaluations of seismic performance are achieved without the need to perform detailed ground motion record selection for the nonlinear dynamic structural analyses involved in PSDA (e.g. record selection with respect to seismic parameters such as earthquake magnitude, source-to-site distance, and ground motion epsilon). For structural demands that are dominated by a first mode of vibration, using inelastic spectral displacement (Sdi) can be advantageous relative to the conventionally used elastic spectral acceleration (Sa) and the vector IM consisting of Sa and epsilon (e). This paper demonstrates that this is true for ordinary and for near-source pulse-like earthquake records. The latter ground motions cannot be adequately characterized by either Sa alone or the vector of Sa and e. For structural demands with significant higher-mode contributions (under either of the two types of ground motions), even Sdi (alone) is not sufficient, so an advanced scalar IM that additionally incorporates higher modes is used. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tetronic®-based composite hydrogel scaffolds seeded with rat bladder smooth muscle cells for urinary bladder tissue engineering applications

Natural hydrogels such as collagen offer desirable properties for tissue engineering, including cell adhesion sites, but their low mechanical strength is not suitable for bladder tissue regeneration. In contrast, synthetic hydrogels such as poly (ethylene glycol) allow tuning of mechanical properties, but do not elicit protein adsorption or cell adhesion. For this reason, we explored the use of composite hydrogel blends composed of Tetronic (BASF) 1107-acrylate (T1107A) in combination with extracellular matrix moieties collagen and hyaluronic acid seeded with bladder smooth muscle cells (BSMC). This composite hydrogel supported BSMC growth and distribution throughout the construct. When compared to the control (acellular) hydrogels, mechanical properties (peak stress, peak strain, and elastic modulus) of the cellular hydrogels were significantly greater. When compared to the 7-day time point after BSMC seeding, results of mechanical testing at the 14-day time point indicated a significant increase in both...
Community-acquired bacteremia at a teaching versus a nonteaching hospital: Impact of acute severity of illness on 30-day mortality *

Abstract Background: Few studies have focused recently on the epidemiology of community-acquired bacteremia (CAB) and there have been few comparisons of CAB in teaching versus nonteaching hospitals. Objectives: To compare the clinical characteristics, acute severity of illness, and 30-day mortality of patients with CAB admitted to a teaching and a nonteaching hospital and to define predictors of 30-day mortality among patients with CAB that would be identifiable at the time of admission to the hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study of CAB at a teaching hospital (n = 174 episodes) compared to a community nonteaching hospital (n = 74 episodes) during 1995. Data collected included demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, sources of CAB, and antimicrobial therapy. Acute severity of illness on admission was measured by using the acute physiology score component of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III system (APS APACHE III). Main Outcome Measure: Status, dead or alive, 30 days after admission for CAB. Results: At the nonteaching hospital, patients were older but, on average, significantly less acutely ill (as measured by the admission APS APACHE III score) than were those at the teaching hospital. In contrast, patients with HIV infection, posttransplantation, or on hemodialysis were identified only at the teaching hospital. Overall, organisms causing CAB at both hospitals were similar except that Staphylococcus aureus CAB occurred significantly more often at the teaching hospital and Escherichia coli CAB occurred more often at the nonteaching hospital. There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality in patients with CAB between the teaching hospital (19.3%) and the nonteaching hospital (16.7%; P =.63). APS APACHE III score on admission identified episodes of CAB with a low- and a high-risk for 30-day mortality at both hospitals. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were APACHE III score on admission ( P P =.012). Conclusions: Among patients with CAB, acute severity of illness on admission was the most important predictor of 30-day mortality at both hospitals. Even though patients with CAB were, on average, more severely ill at the time of admission to the teaching hospital, 30-day mortality rates were not significantly different between the two hospitals because deaths correlated with high APS APACHE III scores at both facilities. The APS APACHE III score on admission provides important prognostic information among patients with CAB. (AJIC Am J Infect Control 2001;29:13-9)
Neural-net computing and the intelligent control of systems

In this article, we are concerned with neural-nets which can learn to control systems in accordance with a guiding intent, and can also learn how to formulate that control strategy or intent. The overall task of systems control is viewed as being carried out by four components, these being the predictive monitoring net, the control action generator net, the objective function net and the optimization net. This approach and perspective are described and illustrated in this article. In our examples, we show that systems identification can indeed be achieved in the presence of noise and that optimal control can be formulated in a learning mode, by neural nets.
Genetic Diversity of Lettuce for Resistance to Bacterial Leaf Spot Caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians

Abstract Lettuce plants were artificially inoculated with three isolates of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians in field and greenhouse evaluations for genetic variation in resistance to bacterial l...
Minimum times and memories needed to compute the values of a function

A deterministic sequential device receives one input symbol at a time, prints output symbols from left to right on an output tape, and halts for some input sequences. Such a device can be used to compute some representation of the value of a function when some representation of the argument of the function is supplied as input. Lower bounds to the times-required to find the values of the function and to averages of those times follow, even if the device is very powerful. The bounds can be attained by sufficiently powerful devices (which may not be finitely describable) and can be approached by finite-state machines when the appropriate representations of the range and the domain are chosen. A speedup theorem permits almost all values to be computed more rapidly, but does not reduce the average time to find a value. A universal three-state automaton computes the values of any properly represented function taking at most twice the average time required by the best computer for that function.
Phase-space factors for double- β decay

A complete and improved calculation of phase-space factors for $2\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$ and $0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay is presented. The calculation makes use of exact Dirac wave functions with finite nuclear size and electron screening and includes lifetimes, single and summed electron spectra, and angular electron correlations.
A performance comparison of associated Legendre projections

The associated Legendre projection provides a means for accelerating the dynamical core of a global weather or climate model. Therefore, the goal is to determine the fastest possible projection algorithm, of which this paper compares six: the standard method, which computes the projection using a forward and backward associated Legendre transform; the direct method, which uses a single projection matrix when this approach results in fewer operations; the fast multipole method; the weighted orthogonal complement method; the seminaive method; and a projection based on transforms proposed by Mohlenkamp. Timing results indicate that all the projections behave like O(N3) algorithms up to at least N=200 spectral truncation. For this range of resolutions, the weighted orthogonal complement has the lowest operation count, best cache utilization, and best overall timings.
Synthesis and crystal structure of two new cerium rhodium oxides: Ce2/3−xRh3+2O4 (x∼0.12) with Ce mixed valency and Ce4+Rh3+2O5

The new compounds Ce{sub 2/3-x}Rh{sub 2}O{sub 4} (x{approx}0.11-0.14) and CeRh{sub 2}O{sub 5} have been prepared. Their structures were determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Electrical and magnetic properties were also evaluated. Based on the structural analysis and physical properties, oxidation states for CeRh{sub 2}O{sub 5} can be assigned as Ce{sup 4+}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 5}. A small variation in x was detected for Ce{sub 2/3-x}Rh{sub 2}O{sub 4} indicating a formula ranging from Ce{sup 3.64+}{sub 0.55}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 4} to Ce{sup 3.81+}{sub 0.525}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 4}. - Graphical abstract: The new compounds Ce{sub 2/3-x}Rh{sub 2}O{sub 4} (x{approx}0.11-0.14) and CeRh{sub 2}O{sub 5} have been prepared and their structures were determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Electrical and magnetic properties were also evaluated. Highlights: > The new compounds CeRh{sub 2}O{sub 5} and Ce{sub 2/3-x}Rh{sub 2}O{sub 4} (x{approx}0.11-0.14) have been prepared. > Their structures were determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. > Valence picture is Ce{sup 4+}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 5} and Ce{sup 3.64+}{sub 0.55}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 4} to Ce{sup 3.81+}{sub 0.525}Rh{sup 3+}{sub 2}O{sub 4}.
Visual results after surgery for monocular juvenile cataracts of undetermined onset.

Seventeen of 216 operations I performed for juvenile cataract were in patients between 1 and 5¼ years of age who had monocular cataract of unknown origin and unknown time of onset. In 14 of them final visual acuities were 20/50 or better. In an additional eight children in whom the age at onset of the cataract could not be determined with certainty, but in whom microphthalmos suggested that it was congenital, the visual results were uniformly poor. Surgery for a monocular cataract of undetermined onset in a young child without microphthalmos may carry an excellent prognosis.
Patterning stem cells: What we learn from the feather regeneration model

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in a well organized spatial pattern. How adult stem cells regenerate and pattern themselves are mostly unknown. Chicken feather is a good model for studying regeneration because feathers undergo repetitive molting and regeneration under physiological conditions. The epithelial cells are laid out in an exquisite hierarchical branching pattern, down to single cell. It is a highly sensitive assay because any perturbation of the patterning process can be revealed in this high resolution
Variation in Pesticide Tolerance of Tadpoles among and within Species of Ranidae and Patterns of Amphibian Decline

: There is significant variation among and within amphibian species with respect to reports of population decline; declining species are often found in environments that are physiograpically similar to environments where the same species is thriving. Because variability exists among organisms in their sensitivity to environmental stressors, it is important to determine the degree of this variation when undertaking conservation efforts. We conducted both lethal (time-to-death) and sublethal (activity change) assays to determine the degree of variation in the sensitivity of tadpoles to a pesticide, carbaryl, at three hierarchical levels: among ranid species, among several populations of a single ranid species ( Rana sphenocephala), and within populations of R. sphenocephala. We observed significant variation in time to death among the nine ranid species and among the 10 R. sphenocephala populations we tested. Four out of eight R. sphenocephala populations exhibited significantly different times to death among families. The magnitude of the activity change in response to exposure to sublethal carbaryl levels was significantly different among species and within R. sphenocephala populations. Chemical contamination, at lethal or sublethal levels, can alter natural regulatory processes such as juvenile recruitment in amphibian populations and should be considered a contributing cause of declines in amphibian populations. Resumen: Existe una variacion significativa entre y dentro de especies de anfibios con respecto a los reportes de disminuciones poblacionales; las especies en disminucion son frecuentemente encontradas en ambientes que son fisiograficamente similares a ambientes donde las mismas especies estan prosperando. Debido a que la variabilidad existe entre organismos en lo referente a su sensibilidad a estresores ambientales, es importante determinar el grado de esta variacion cuando se lleven a cabo esfuerzos de conservacion. Nosotros llevamos a cabo ensayos tanto letales (tiempo de muerte) como subletales (cambios de actividad) para determinar el grado de variacion en la sensibilidad de renacuajos a un pesticida, carbaryl, en tres niveles jerarquicos: entre especies de ranidos, entre diversas poblaciones de una sola especie de ranido ( Rana sphenocephala) y dentro de poblaciones de R. sphenocephala. Observamos diferencias significativas en tiempo de muerte entre las nueve especies de ranidos y entre las 10 poblaciones de R. sphenocephala evaluadas. Cuatro de ocho poblaciones de R. sphenocephala exhibieron tiempos de muerte significativamente diferentes entre familias. La magnitud del cambio de actividad al ser expuestas a niveles subletales de carbaryl fue significativamente diferente entre especies y dentro de poblaciones de R. sphenocephala. La contaminacion quimica, a niveles letales y subletales, puede alterar los procesos reguladores naturales (por ejemplo el reclutamiento de juveniles) en poblaciones de anfibios y deberia ser considerado como una causa que contribuye a la disminucion de poblaciones de anfibios.
First-class synchronization barriers

Our purpose is to promote a second-class mechanism --- the synchronization barrier --- to a first-class value. We introduce the synchron, a novel synchronization mechanism that enables the coordination of a dynamically varying set of concurrent threads that share access to a first-class synchronization token. We demonstrate how synchrons can be used to modularly manage resources in cases where existing techniques are either inapplicable or non-modular. In particular, synchronized lazy aggregates enable the first space-efficient aggregate data decomposition of a wide range of algorithms. We also introduce explicit-demand graph reduction, a new semantic framework that we have developed to describe concurrency and explain the meaning of a synchron rendezvous.
Characteristics of Stem Cells from Human Neuroblastoma Cell Lines and in Tumors

Cellular heterogeneity is a hallmark of human neuroblastoma tumors and cell lines. Within a single neuroblastoma are cells from distinct neural crest lineages whose relative abundance is significant for prognosis. We postulate that a self-renewing multipotent tumor stem cell, which gives rise to diverse cell lineages, is the malignant progenitor of this cancer. To test this hypothesis, we have established 22 cloned, phenotypically homogeneous populations of the three major cell types from 17 neuroblastoma cell lines. In vitro, malignant neuroblastoma stem cells, termed I-type (intermediate type), have distinct morphologic, biochemical, differentiative, and tumorigenic properties. I-type cells express features of both neuroblastic (N) cells (scant cytoplasm, neuritic processes, neurofilaments, pseudoganglia, and granin and neurotransmitter enzyme expression) and substrate-adherent (S) cells (extensive cytoplasm and vimentin and CD44 expression). Moreover, they show bidirectional differentiation to either N or S cells when induced by specific agents. I-type cells are significantly more malignant than N- or S-type cells, with four- to five-fold greater plating efficiencies in soft agar and six-fold higher tumorigenicity in athymic mice. Differences in malignant potential are unrelated to N-myc amplification/ overexpression or the ability to digest and migrate through the extracellular matrix. Immunocytochemical analyses of a small series of tumors reveal that frequency of cells coexpressing N and S cell markers correlates with poor prognosis. Thus, I-type stem cells may be instrumental in the genesis and growth of tumors in the patient. Their unique biology deserves attention and further investigation.
Formula for calculating partial cross-sections for nuclear reactions of nuclei with E >= 200-MeV/nucleon in hydrogen targets

In this paper we describe a new formula for calculating the partial cross sections for the production of secondary fragments with energy \ensuremath{\gtrsim}200 MeV/nucleon in hydrogen targets. This formula and the systematics of these cross sections are based on fragmentation studies using 42 beams of 12 separate nuclei between Z=6 and 28. This has resulted in the measurement of more than 100 secondary elemental cross sections and over 300 secondary isotopic cross sections. The systematics of these cross sections allow us to write the cross section formula as a product of three essentially independent terms, one which describes the elemental cross sections, another the isotopic cross sections, and a third term describing the energy dependence. Overall, this formula, which is considerably simpler than earlier semiempirical formulations, is able to predict the cross sections in hydrogen for Z=4--28, A=7--60 nuclei above \ensuremath{\sim}200 MeV/nucleon to an accuracy \ensuremath{\sim}10% or better---a substantial improvement over earlier formulations.
Invited talk: 2.5D and 3D technology advancements for systems

Silicon interposer packaging and thin die stacking technologies with through-silicon-vias (TSV's) can improve performance, increase bandwidth, improve power efficiency, and reduce costs for systems applications. Proper system architecture and designs are critical to achieve these system benefits using silicon interposer packaging (2.5D) and 3-dimensional (3D) die stacking technologies. 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous multi-chip integration technologies have numerous challenges but through advancements they each can provide significant system benefits when compared to traditional packaging integration solutions. Portable electronics such as smart phones, sensors and bio-medical systems can benefit from “technology miniaturization” with increasing function in product generations, improved power efficiency, lower cost and high volume scale up capability associated with this small size and wafer or panel level processing. Large systems can also benefit from 2.5D and 3D technologies by taking advantage of close proximity computing, higher bandwidth with low latency, and power efficiencies to achieve higher performance and lower energy per operation.
Flame-fusion growth of SrTiO3

Exact growth conditions for reproducible production of SrTiO3 crystals of optical quality by the flame-fusion method have been defined. The overflow problem could be solved by precise adjustment of the SrCO3 excess in the starting powder to the SrO evaporation. The thickness of the molten layer is nonuniform and varies from 0.4 mm in the center to 1.4 mm at the periphery. The crystals are characterized by their dislocation densities, lattice constant and EPR spectra.
Rapid determination of biosynthetic pathways using fractional isotope enrichment and high-resolution dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced NMR.

Carbon-13 NMR has traditionally been a method of choice for the determination of metabolic pathways. Through fractional labeling, 13C spectra allow the identification of fragments incorporated as a unit into a biosynthesized molecule. The low sensitivity of 13C spectroscopy is an impediment to such studies, especially if compounded with an often limited availability of biosynthesized molecules. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can increase the signal-to-noise ratio in magnetic resonance by several orders of magnitude, and in combination with high-resolution spectroscopy has the potential to increase the reach of this technique for metabolic profiling. Here, we present an application of high-resolution DNP enhanced NMR to the study of the biosynthetic pathways for membrane lipids. We show that fatty acid methyl esters are readily hyperpolarized in organic solvent. The resulting spectra resolve the various structural features of the chains, including atoms near the termini, as well as unsaturated and cyclopropyl groups. Peak patterns observed in fractionally labeled samples are explained by the way feed molecules are incorporated into fatty acid chains during synthesis. Differences in multiplet intensity between samples made from glucose and acetate feedstock mixtures further reveal metabolic preferences for these precursors in the biosynthesis of the product. In addition to the present study of lipid biosynthesis, high-resolution DNP-NMR of fractionally 13C-labeled metabolites may present itself for the rapid determination of biosynthetic pathways in various biomedical applications, especially in cases of limited availability of the products of interest. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the equivalence of expressions for inverting the 3-dimensional zodiacal light brightness integral

Abstract In the research notes of this Journal, both Schuerman (1979, henceforth Paper I) and Buitrago (1979, henceforth Paper II) independently derived expressions for the general 1 , mathematical inversion of the zodiacal light brightness integral. In this communication, it is shown that the expressions are equivalent, differing only in the choice of reference systems.
Exploiting logical structures in replicated databases

We proposed replica control protocols where the synchronization cost is reduced by exploiting the structural information of the underlying system. We first show that distributed mutual exclusion can be achieved efficiently if a logical structure is imposed of the underlying network system. We then argue that solutions to the problem of mutual exclusion can be extended to solve the problem of replica control in a distributed database
The Regional Impact of Monetary Policy

Introduction, 269. — I. Changes in free reserves, 269. — II. Commercial. bank portfolio policy, 276. — III. Policy implications, 280.
Nanocluster model of photothermal assay: application for high-sensitive monitoring of nicotine-induced changes in metabolism, apoptosis, and necrosis at a cellular level.

This study evaluates the capability of a photothermal (PT) assay to monitor the impact of nicotine on pancreatic cancer cells (AR42J). The specific PT response is closely proportional to nicotine concentrations at concentration range 1nM to 100 µM, while at high concentrations of nicotine ranging from 1 mM to 50 mM, PT response shows dramatic decrease. According to the theoretical model, the mechanism of the PT assay is associated with metabolic and apoptotic-related shrinking of local cellular absorbing nanoscale zones caused by increased local absorption at low nicotine doses, while high doses of nicotine lead to apoptotic release of absorbing component (cytochrome c) into the intracellular space, and necrotic swelling of organelles, thereby causing a decrease in local absorption. This model is verified with conventional imaging and with Annexin-V Propidium iodide kits. The PT assay, in addition to its high sensitivity (3 orders of magnitude better than conventional assay), shows the potential to distinguish between various functional states of cells that are associated with changes in metabolism, early and late stages of apoptosis, and necrosis. Comparison of PT responses of pancreatic tumor cells AR42J with isolated primary pancreatic acinar cells and HepG2 cells shows a universal nature of PT assay.
Hyperspectral fluorescence microfluidic (HFM) microscopy

We present an imaging system that collects hyperspectral images of cells travelling through a microfluidic channel. Using a single monochrome camera and a linear variable bandpass filter (LVF), the system captures a bright field image and a set of hyperspectral fluorescence images for each cell. While the bandwidth of the LVF is 20 nm, we have demonstrated that we can determine the peak wavelength of a fluorescent object’s emission spectrum with an accuracy of below 3 nm. In addition, we have used this system to capture fluorescence spectra of individual spatially resolved cellular organelles and to spectrally resolve multiple fluorophores in individual cells.
Utility of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of parathyroid adenomas for localization before minimally invasive parathyroidectomy.

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and measurement of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the aspirate (FNA/PTH) as a preoperati...
A Role for Phosphorylation of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors in Defining Calcium Signals Induced by Peptide Agonists in Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Stimulation of pancreatic acinar cells with acetylcholine (ACh) and cholecystokinin (CCK) results in an elevation of cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]c) through activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3R). The global temporal pattern of the [Ca2+]c changes produced by ACh or CCK stimulation differs significantly. The hypothesis was tested that CCK stimulation results in a protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of InsP3R and this event contributes to the generation of agonist-specific [Ca2+]c signals. Physiological concentrations of CCK evoked phosphorylation of the type III InsP3R, which was blocked by pharmacological inhibition of PKA. Imaging of fura-2-loaded acinar cells revealed that the rate of [Ca2+]c rise during CCK-evoked oscillations slows with each subsequent oscillation, consistent with a developing modulation of release, whereas the kinetics of ACh-evoked oscillations remain constant. Stimulation of cells with ACh following activation of PKA resulted in a slowing of the ACh-evoked [Ca2+]c rise, which now resembled a time-matched CCK response. PKA activation also resulted in a slowing of [Ca2+]c increases elicited by photolysis of caged InsP3. Targeted, PKA-mediated phosphorylation of type III InsP3R is involved in a physiological CCK response, as disruption of the targeting of PKA with the peptide HT31 resulted in marked changes in the CCK-evoked [Ca2+]c signal but had no effect on ACh-evoked responses. Stimulation of cells with bombesin, which evokes [Ca2+]c oscillations indistinguishable from those produced by CCK, also results in PKA-mediated phosphorylation of type III InsP3R. Thus, we conclude that PKA-mediated phosphorylation of type III InsP3R is a general mechanism by which the patterns of [Ca2+]c oscillations are shaped in pancreatic acinar cells.
DYNAMIC SYMMETRY AS APPLIED TO POTTERY1

A presentation of the fundamental principles of dynamic symmetry including an explanation of its mathematics and an analysis of Greek vases. The application of dynamic symmetry as applied to the designing of Greek vases is given.
Transient response of hybrid bistable optical devices

The response of a hybrid bistable optical device to step inputs of light was studied experimentally. The results confirm theoretical predictions concerning the dependence of switching time on the applied light increment. For the first time the phenomenon of ’’critical slowing down’’ is observed directly.