cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatocyte-like cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells using small molecules: implications of a transcriptomic study

Hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold great promise in toxicological applications as well as in regenerative medicine. Previous efforts on hepatocyte differentiation have mostly relied on the use of growth factors (GFs) to recapitulate developmental signals under in vitro conditions. Recently, the use of small molecules (SMs) has emerged as an attractive tool to induce cell fate transition due to its superiority in terms of both quality and cost. However, HLCs derived using SMs have not been well characterized, especially on the transcriptome level. HLCs were differentiated from human iPSCs using a protocol that only involves SMs and characterized by transcriptomic analysis using whole genome microarrays. HLCs derived using the SM protocol (HLC_SM) displayed specific hepatic marker expression and demonstrated key hepatic functions. Transcriptomic analysis of the SM-driven differentiation defined a hepatocyte differentiation track and characterized the expression of some key marker genes in major stages of hepatocyte differentiation. In addition, HLC_SM were scored with CellNet, a bioinformatics tool quantifying how closely engineered cell populations resemble their target cell type, and compared to primary human hepatocytes (PHHs), adult liver tissue, fetal liver tissue, HLCs differentiated using GFs (HLC_GF), and commercially available HLCs. Similar to HLC_GF, HLC_SM displayed a mixed phenotype of fetal and adult hepatocytes and had relatively low expression of metabolic enzymes, transporters, and nuclear receptors compared to PHHs. Finally, the differentially expressed genes in HLC_SM compared to HLC_GF and to PHHs were analyzed to identify pathways and upstream transcription regulators which could potentially be manipulated to improve the differentiation of HLCs. Overall, the present study demonstrated the usefulness of the SM-based hepatocyte differentiation method, offered new insights into the molecular basis of hepatogenesis and associated gene regulation, and suggested ways for further improvements in hepatocyte differentiation in order to obtain more mature HLCs that could be used in toxicological studies.
Alternative Approaches to Quality-Adjusted Life-Year Estimation Within Standard Cost-Effectiveness Models: Literature Review, Feasibility Assessment, and Impact Evaluation.

Abstract Objectives The quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) has been long debated, but alternative estimation approaches have not been comprehensively evaluated. Our objective was to identify alternatives, characterize them by implementation feasibility, and evaluate the impact of implementing feasible options in cost-effectiveness models developed for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review reports. Methods We conducted a literature review combining keywords relating to QALYs, methodology alternatives, and cost-effectiveness in PubMed, EconLit, Web of Science, and MEDLINE. Articles that discussed alternatives to the conventional QALY were included. Alternatives were characterized by type, data availability, calculation burden, and overall implementation feasibility. The subset of feasible alternatives, that is, sufficient data and methodology compatible with incorporation into common modeling approaches, were evaluated according to impact on incremental QALYs, incremental net monetary benefit (iNMB), intervention rankings, and proportion of interventions with a positive iNMB. Results We identified 28 articles discussing 9 alternatives. Feasible alternatives were using patient preference (PP) data; equity weighting according to baseline utility, fair innings, or proportional QALY shortfall; and the equal value of life-years-gained approach. All alternatives affected the incremental QALY and iNMB outcomes, rankings, and proportion of interventions with a positive iNMB. The PP alternative had the largest and most consistent impact. The PP impact on the proportion of interventions with a positive iNMB, was in the negative direction. Conclusions Our work is the first comprehensive evaluation of proposed alternatives to the conventional QALY. We found robust literature but few options that were feasible to be implemented in current healthcare decision-making processes.
Sarcoid Heart Disease: an Update on Diagnosis and Management

The purpose of this review is to provide an update on cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) and to discuss the current recommendations and progress in diagnosis and management of this disease. Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Cardiac involvement is seen in at least 25% and is associated with poor prognosis. Manifestations of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) can vary from presence of silent myocardial granulomas, which may lead to sudden death, to symptomatic conduction abnormalities, ventricular arrhythmias, and heart failure. We discuss newer imaging modalities such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography in conjunction with clinical criteria increasingly used for diagnosing and prognosticating patients with CS. Immunosuppression (primarily corticosteroids) is recommended for treatment of CS; however, its efficacy has never been proven in prospective randomized studies. The role of imaging to guide the use of immunotherapy is unknown. Cardiac sarcoidosis continues to challenge clinicians due to its protean presentations, lack of diagnostic standards, and data for risk stratification and treatment. There is a need for prospective, randomized controlled trials to understand how best to diagnose and treat cardiac sarcoidosis.
Anticipatory Ethics and the Role of Uncertainty.

Making conjectures about future consequences of a technology is an exercise in trying to reduce various forms of uncertainty. Both to produce and reason about these conjectures requires understanding their potential limitations. In other words, we need systematic ways of considering uncertainty associated with given conjectures for downstream consequences. In this work, we frame the task of considering future consequences as an anticipatory ethics problem, where the goal is to develop scenarios that reflect plausible outcomes and their ethical implications following a technology's introduction into society. In order to shed light on how various forms of uncertainty might inform how we reason about a resulting scenario, we provide a characterization of the types of uncertainty that arise in a potential scenario-building process.
Patient Preparation for FDG PET with an Emphasis on Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Melanoma: What Matters (and What Doesn’t)

Imaging modalities such as F-18 FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI have become important diagnostic tools in the evaluation, diagnosis, staging, and restaging of soft tissue sarcoma and melanoma. With the use of F-18 fluorodeoxy-glucose (“FDG”), which is a radioactive analog to glucose, these modalities can provide information about the metabolic function of an organ system, or of tissues within a specific region of interest. In order to get the most unaltered metabolic status, several guidelines have been developed by societies, such as EANM and SNMMI, which aim to help obtain optimal functionality and clarity of F-18 FDG PET/CT and PET/MR images.
Reimaging an AIDS free generation: Examining youth and young adults’ personal agency and its association with HIV testing

Abstract Exploring youth and young adult’s agency may be a way to increase HIV testing and help end the HIV epidemic. We used data from the National Survey of Teens and Young Adults (15–24) on HIV/AIDS (N = 1,437). Data were collected from September 21-October 1, 2012. The sample included 748 girls and 689 boys; and the mean age is 20 years (SD: 3.02). Youth and young adults completed a 40-question survey on attitudes and knowledge about HIV. Using a multivariable logistic regression analysis, study findings suggest that focusing on protective health behaviors like the role youth can play in ending the epidemic and hearing about an AIDS-free generation were both associated with an increase in HIV testing. Our study finds that enhancing the role and influence of personal agency can inform HIV prevention and intervention programs that are specific to youth.
An Anatomic Curiosity: A Sliver of a Liver in an Unusual Location

A 48-year-old woman underwent preoperative cardiac testing prior to gastric bypass. She was incidentally found to have a right atrial mass on transthoracic echocardiography. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed this finding. She underwent excision of the mass. Tissue pathology revealed ectopic hepatic tissue. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Quantitative Study on Error Sensitivity in Ultrasound Probe Calibration with Hybrid Tracking

Three-dimensional (3D) freehand ultrasound (US) imaging enabled by the external tracking system requires an accurate calibration process to transform the tracked motion information from the markers to the US frames. The previously proposed phantomless calibration method can be further improved using both optical tracking and image-based tracking. This study provides a quantitative analysis on the error sensitivity before implementing the image-based tracking during the calibration process. A linear relationship was found between the perturbation in imaging plane motion estimation and the error caused in the calibration solution. The error to perturbation ratio was within 0.5 in most cases and can reach up to around 0.9 in some poor cases. The overall analysis showed a good error tolerance for the hybrid tracking enabled US probe calibration.
Feasibility study of cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis as a competency assessment tool for ultrasound-guided venous access procedures

Typically, physician training programs use a self-reported case-log competency assessment that does not measure procedure success or objectively assess competency. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis could provide objective assessments of competency and progress over the training period. Our study objective was to determine the feasibility of CUSUM analysis to assess competency of ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous (USG-PIV) line placement in pediatric anesthesiology fellows. We applied a CUSUM analysis to assess competency in USG-PIV placement in three consecutive pediatric anesthesia fellowship classes. After a didactic and hands-on training session, fellows placed a USG-PIV line and self-reported the outcomes via a web-based application. Fellows were deemed competent if the CUSUM curve crossed two consecutive boundary lines from above. Twenty-nine fellows reported 1,388 USG-PIV attempts, with 74% success. Most fellows (26/29; 90%) achieved competency by the end of the fellowship. Two fellows identified in the mid-year CUSUM as not progressing towards competency achieved competency after targeted interventions. Fellows achieving competency (11/29 vs 25/29; odds ratio, 15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98 to 113.56; P = 0.01) and attempts needed to achieve competency (19 vs 11; mean difference, 8.5; 95% CI, 3.3 to 13.7; P = 0.002) were significantly lower in younger patients and significantly higher in older patients. Our study showed that CUSUM can be used to assess competence in USG-PIV procedures performed by pediatric anesthesia fellows and to identify learners not progressing toward competency in procedural skills. Ultrasound-guided venous access required more attempts to achieve competency in younger patients.
Improving Problem Solving Performance by Example Guided Reformulation

This paper introduces a method that improves the performance of a problem solver by reformulating its domain theory into one in which functionally relevant features are explicit in the syntax. This method, in contrast to previous reformulation methods, employs sets of training examples to constrain and direct the reformulation process. The use of examples offers two advantages over purely deductive approaches: First, the examples identify the exact part of the domain theory to be reformulated. Second, a proof with examples is much simpler to construct than a general proof because it is fully instantiated. The method exploits the fact that what is relevant to a goal is syntactically explicit in successful solutions to that goal. The method first takes as input a set of training examples that “exercise” an important part of the domain theory and then applies the problem solver to explain the examples in terms of a relevant goal. Next, the set of explanations is “clustered” into cases and then generalized using the induction over explanations method, forming a set of general explanations. Finally, these general explanations are reformulated into new domain theory rules. We illustrate the method in the domain of chess. We reformulate a simple declarative encoding of legal-move to produce a new domain theory that can generate the legal moves in a tenth of the time required by the original theory. We also show how the reformulated theory can more efficiently describe the important knight-fork feature.
Electron transfer activation of the Diels-Alder reaction

Abstract The Diels-Alder cycloaddition of anthracene to tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) is quantitatively compared to alkylmetal insertion under the same reaction conditions. In both systems, the observation of transient charge transfer (CT) absorption bands is related to the presence of 1:1 electron donor-acceptor complexes of anthracene (Ar) and alkylmetal (RM) donors with the TCNE acceptor. The activation free energies ΔG‡ for anthracene cycloaddition and alkylmetal insertion are found to be equal to the energies of ion-pair formation, i.e. [Ar+TCNE−] and RM+TCNE−], which are evaluated from the CT transition energies hνCT. Indeed, the differences in the rates of alkylmetal insertion and anthracene cycloaddition by a factor of more than 109, are shown quantitatively to arise from the differences in ion-pair solvation ΔGs. The same differences in ΔGs also apply quantitatively to the free ions, [Ar+] and [RM+], independently derived from the electrochemical and iron(III) oxidations of alkylmetals and aromatic compounds, respectively, by outer- sphere electron transfer. The charge transfer formulation of the activation process but provides a unifying basis for comparing such diverse processes as Diels-Alder cycloadditions and organometal cleavages, when a common electron-deficient acceptor is employed. The relationship to the concerted mechanisms of the Diels-Alder reaction is discussed.
Clearing-factor lipase in obese hyperglycaemic mice (ob/ob).

Abstract 1. Clearing-factor lipase was assayed in acetone–ether-dried powders of heart and epididymal fat-pads of lean and genetically obese mice (ob/ob). In both tissues the enzyme activity in the adult was higher in the obese mice. 2. In heart the enzyme activity was unchanged from 8 to 48 weeks of age in lean mice, but in obese mice it increased between 8 and 12 weeks of age and remained elevated. 3. Starvation produced changes in the heart clearing-factor lipase activity in obese, but not lean, mice. 4. The clearing-factor lipase activity of epididymal fat-pads decreased rapidly during 24h starvation in both lean and obese mice, but the activity in the obese mice remained higher than that in lean mice. 5. Plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were determined in both lean and obese mice. Triglyceride concentrations were not greatly different, but the obese mice were hypercholesterolaemic. Plasma cholesterol concentrations were not correlated with changes in clearing-factor lipase activity.
A Simple active attack against TCP

This paper describes an active attack against the Transport Control Protocol (TCP) which allows a cracker to redirect the TCP stream through his machine thereby permitting him to bypass the protection offered by such a system as a one-time password [SKEY] or ticketing authentication [Kerberos]. The TCP connection is vulnerable to anyone with a TCP packet sniffer and generator located on the path followed by the connection. Some schemes to detect this attack are presented as well as some methods of prevention and some interesting details of the TCP protocol behaviors.
Implementing Mathematics Reform: The Challenge Within

A qualitative case study research was conducted to investigate the process of evaluation and implementation of a Standard-based textbook by two seventh grade middle school mathematics teachers over a period of two years. The data suggested that teachers' mathematical knowledge was the greatest influence on how they evaluated and implemented the textbook. This mathematical knowledge manifested itself in how the teachers planned their instruction, interacted with students, and used the textbook in their classes.
Olive oil prevents benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]-induced colon carcinogenesis through altered B(a)P metabolism and decreased oxidative damage in ApcMin mouse model

Colon cancer ranks third in cancer-related mortalities in the United States. Many studies have investigated factors that contribute to colon cancer in which dietary and environmental factors have been shown to play an integral role in the etiology of this disease. Specifically, human dietary intake of environmental carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has generated interest in looking at how it exerts its effects in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the preventative effects of olive oil on benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]-induced colon carcinogenesis in adult Apc(Min) mice. Mice were assigned to a control (n=8) or treatment group (n=8) consisting of 25, 50 and 100-μg B(a)P/kg body weight (bw) dissolved in tricaprylin [B(a)P-only group] or olive oil daily via oral gavage for 60 days. Our studies showed that Apc(Min) mice exposed to B(a)P developed a significantly higher number (P<0.05) of larger dysplastic adenomas compared to those exposed to B(a)P + olive oil. Treatment of mice with B(a)P and olive oil significantly altered (P<0.05) the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes in both the colon and liver tissues. However, only GST activity was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the liver of mice treated with 50- and 100-μg B(a)P/kg bw + olive oil. Lastly, olive oil promoted rapid detoxification of B(a)P by decreasing its organic metabolite concentrations and also decreasing the extent of DNA damage to colon and liver tissues (P<0.05). These results suggest that olive oil has a protective effect against B(a)P-induced colon tumors.
Fan is to monoid as scheme is to ring: a generalization of the notion of a fan

Following DeMeyer, Ford & Miranda [DFM93], we define a topology on a fan by declaring open sets to be its subfans. Then, like Kato [Kat94], we make our fans into monoided spaces by associating a sheaf of monoids to each fan. (Our sheaf of monoids differs from Kato's.) Observing that this new monoided space is locally isomorphic to the spectrum of some monoid in the same sort of way a scheme is locally isomorphic to the spectrum of some ring, we define any monoided space that is locally isomorphic to the spectra of monoids to be a (generalized) fan. The monoid algebra functor can then be used to associate a scheme to such a fan. If we use the monoid algebra functor over some base field k, the resultant scheme is a normal variety if and only if it is a toric variety.
Switching Costs, Dynamic Uncertainty, and Buyer-Seller Relationships

We analyze strategic relationships between buyers and sellers in markets with switching costs and dynamic uncertainty by investigating the scenario wherein a representative buyer trades with two foreign sellers located in the same foreign country. We show that, under exchange rate uncertainty, switching costs may lead to switching equilibria where both sellers co-exist in the market with the buyer, or no-switching equilibria where either seller captures the market. The presence of exchange rate uncertainty facilitates competition by allowing the sellers to co-exist in the market with the buyer. However, if the level of uncertainty is beyond a threshold, the only viable equilibria are those where one of the sellers captures the market. Further, depending on the level of exchange rate uncertainty and the sellers' variable costs, switching costs may either raise or lower the level of prices in long-term contracts between the buyer and the sellers.
Giant cell (reparative) granuloma of the orbit.

Abstract Clinically and histologically, there exists considerable controversy as to what constitutes a giant cell tumor. There is an increasing awareness that the term giant cell tumor should not be used indiscriminately in describing lesions of the mandible, maxilla, and facial bones which contain multinucleated giant cells. 1,2 This paper reports a rare case of giant cell reparative granuloma of the orbit. The differentiation between giant cell reparative granuloma and true giant cell tumor is discussed and a description of the visual symptomatology associated with these lesions of the sphenoid bone is presented. These tumors must be removed completely to prevent recurrence.
A Combinatorial Approach To Discover New Chelators for Optical Metal Ion Sensing

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of metal-binding indicators with diverse optical responses on exposure to various heavy metal ions. A combinatorial approach, based on azo coupling of diazonium salts with either phenolic compounds or aromatic amines, generated a library of azo dyes. Each reaction mixture, containing the product(s) of azo coupling, was incubated with a series of solutions, each containing a different heavy metal ion. The absorbance and, in some cases, fluorescence spectra of the resulting complexes were recorded. The metal chelates showed extensive diversity in their UV-visible absorbance spectra upon binding to selected metal ions. Of the azo dyes prepared, the terdentate dyes were particularly useful, providing distinct spectral responses to three or more metal ions in a panel of seven.
Selection of Film Clips and Development of a Video for the Investigation of Sexual Decision Making among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Experimental research on sexual decision making is limited, despite the public health importance of such work. We describe formative work conducted in advance of an experimental study designed to evaluate the effects of alcohol intoxication and sexual arousal on risky sexual decision making among men who have sex with men. In Study 1, we describe the procedures for selecting and validating erotic film clips (to be used for the experimental manipulation of arousal). In Study 2, we describe the tailoring of two interactive role-play videos to be used to measure risk perception and communication skills in an analog risky sex situation. Together, these studies illustrate a method for creating experimental stimuli to investigate sexual decision making in a laboratory setting. Research using this approach will support experimental research that affords a stronger basis for drawing causal inferences regarding sexual decision making.
Damping loss in a cascade of fluttering phased aerofoils

A study is made of the aerodynamic damping in a cascade of oscillating aerofoils in subsonic compressible flow with the system mode described by a constant interblade phasing predicted by Lane (9). The integral downwash equation is obtained as an extension of Possio's equation for an isolated aerofoil. Procedures for a practical solution of the equation have allowed the aerodynamic reactions and damping derivatives to be evaluated with a digital computer after minimisation of the critical flutter velocity with respect to interbiade phase angle. The effect of aerodynamic lag in separation conditions as a function of reduced frequency and chordwise location is compared with results without separation.
Bifunctional Solid Catalysts for the Selective Conversion of Fructose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

Solid catalysts based on SBA-15 silica were designed for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The catalysts incorporate thioether groups that may promote the tautomerization of fructose to its furanose form, as well as sulfonic acid groups to catalyze its dehydration. The materials were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption/desorption, and solid-state 13C and 29Si CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. Functional groups incorporated into mesoporous silica by co-condensation are more robust under the reaction conditions (water at 180 °C) than those grafted onto a non-porous silica. The bifunctional mesoporous catalyst achieved a selectivity for HMF of 74% at 66% fructose conversion.
Limitations of built-in electric field enhancement of minority carrier current collection in GaAs backwall schottky barrier solar cells

Abstract Analyses of a variety of semiconductor doping profiles for a variety of conditions for backwall Schottky barrier solar cells lead to the conclusion that the best current response will occur for a doping profile which contains a region of exponentially varying profile sandwiched by two regions of constant doping. The main advantage of this profile is not to increase the current density collected by the Schottky barrier but to broaden the range of semiconductor thicknesses which will yield maximum results. Unfortunately, this advantage rapidly disappears for shorter minority carrier diffusion lengths, as expected in such solar cells, leading to the conclusion that a frontwall Schottky barrier solar cell is probably the best choice after all.
Reoperative ureteral reimplantation: Strategies for management

Ureteral reimplantation is a procedure commonly performed by both urologists and pediatric surgeons. Although the vast majority are successful, there are some patients in whom technical considerations or bladder/ureteral abnormalities militate against success. We review our experience in 19 patients with multiple failed reimplants. The reasons for their failure, the investigations required to document such, and the management of these difficult problems will be discussed. In our hands, 95% of these patients ultimately became reflux-free and nonobstructed.
Kinetics of pressure-induced phase separation in polystyrene + acetone solutions at high pressures

Abstract The kinetics of pressure-induced phase separation in solutions of polystyrene (Mw = 129,200; PDI = 1.02) in acetone has been studied using time- and angle-resolved light scattering. A series of controlled pressure quench experiments with different quench depths were conducted at different polymer concentrations (4.0%, 5.0%, 8.2% and 11.4% by mass) to determine the binodal and spinodal boundaries and consequently the polymer critical concentration. The results show that the solution with a polymer concentration 11.4 wt% undergoes phase separation by spinodal decomposition mechanism for both the shallow and deep quenches as characterized by a maximum in the angular distribution of the scattered light intensity profiles. Phase separation in solutions at lower polymer concentrations (4.0, 5.0 and 8.2 wt%) proceeds by nucleation and growth mechanism for shallow quenches, but by spinodal decomposition for deeper quenches. These results have been used to map-out the metastable gap and identify the critical polymer concentration where the spinodal and binodal envelops merge. The time scale of new phase formation and growth as (accessed) from the time evolution of scattered light intensities is observed to be relatively short. The late stage of phase separation is entered within seconds after a pressure quench is applied. For the systems undergoing spinodal decomposition, the characteristic wave number q m corresponding to the scattered light intensity maximum I m was analyzed by power–law scaling according to q m ∼ t − α and I m ∼ t β . The results show β ≈ 2 α . The domain size is observed to grow from 4 μm to 10 μm within 2 s for critical quench, but about 9 s for off-critical quenches. The domain growth displays elements of self-similarity.
American Board of Emergency Medicine Longitudinal Study of Emergency Physicians.

Abstract Study objective: The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Longitudinal Study of Emergency Physicians (LSEP) was initiated to describe the development of a new medical specialty through the continuing study of the lives of representative emergency physicians. The study is designed to gather data periodically over many years to come. The primary purpose of this article is to provide a baseline for the information obtained and the methods used to develop the ABEM LSEP. Methods: Stratified, random sampling was used to select emergency physicians who represent different stages in the development of the specialty. Major data collections are conducted using a comprehensive questionnaire in 5-year intervals. Practice profiles were developed and analyzed. Homogeneous scales were created in 9 survey categories and analyzed. Results: The survey was returned by 95% (958/1,008) of the emergency physicians. They are primarily middle-aged, family- and community-oriented, satisfied with their careers, and find that work stress is not a serious problem. Those who are trained in emergency medicine are the most likely to be involved in academic emergency medicine. Conclusion: The LSEP is a broad-reaching investigation of emergency physicians. Over time the study will describe (1) the individuals who move the specialty forward at different stages in the growth of the specialty, (2) the realities of practice in the specialty, (3) the relationship of the specialty to the personal lives and well-being of the specialty physicians, and (4) the changes seen in these factors over time. [Reinhart MA, Munger BS, Rund DA: American Board of Emergency Medicine Longitudinal Study of Emergency Physicians. Ann Emerg Med January 1999;33:22-32.]
Image size control in next generation lithography masks

Mask image size variation is a major contributor to the total image size budget. To understand the source and contribution of various errors, we have characterized the image size variations on next generation lithography masks. CD control experiments initiated on x-ray masks are now being extended to other NGL technologies through the application of similar patterns, measurement strategy, and error budget partitioning. A systematic measurement methodology has been used to partition the variations into known components. Long-range variations have been found to be the dominant error, and in x- ray masks, are typically membrane edge effects and cross-mask bow. The membrane effects have been shown to be primarily driven by temperature differences during the post-expose bake (PEB) of the chemically amplified resist. To further understand the source of these temperature variations, the x- ray and SCALPEL mask PEB have been modeled through a finite- difference model. Key contributors to controlling bake temperature uniformity have been identified.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
MEASUREMENT OF FORWARD JETS AT RHIC

We present first measurements of forward jet production from p↑ + p collisions at GeV, including transverse single spin asymmetries. These asymmetries are expected to be sensitive to spin-correlated transverse momentum in the initial state, which is particularly interesting because it is related to orbital angular momentum in the proton.
How Safe are Ocular Drugs in Pediatrics

In comparison with that of adults, the smaller body mass of children raises questions of dosage. In addition, manifestations of ocular drug toxicity are different in some respects. The ocular drugs causing serious adverse ocular or systemic side effects in children include glaucoma medications, corticosteroids, phenylephrine, and the anticholinergic cycloplegics. The reported complications from using these medications in children will be briefly reviewed, and strategies for minimizing the risk of their adverse effects will be suggested, including a discussion of dosages and techniques of administration.
Effects of stratospheric lapse rate on thunderstorm cloud-top structure in a three-dimensional numerical simulation. I - Some basic results of comparative experiments

The effects of stratospheric temperature lapse rate on cloud top height/temperature structure for strongly sheared, mature, isolated midlatitude thunderstorms are investigated by performing three different experiments with an anelastic, three-dimensional model: (1) with an assumed stratospheric lapse rate of 0 K/km (i.e., the isothermal case), (2) with 3 K/km, and (3) with -3 K/km (i.e., the case of inversion). Kinematic storm structure is very similar in all three cases, especially in the troposphere; a strong quasi-steady updraft evolves and splits into a dominant cyclonic overshooting right-mover and a weaker, anticyclonic left-mover that does not reach the tropopause.
Rehabilitating the Importance of the Non-cognitive: An Interview with Michèle Lamont

In spring of 2006, Michele Lamont, Professor of Sociology and African and African-American Studies at Harvard University, was invited to give a lecture for the New Sociological Imagination Lecture Series, organized by the New School for Social Research. This lecture concerned her book Cream Rising: How Peer Review Finds and Defines Excellence in the Social Sciences and the Humanities, which is to be published by Harvard University Press in 2008. Drawing on 81 interviews with panelists serving on five multidisciplinary fellowship competitions in the social sciences and the humanities, the book analyzes (1) the meaning panelists give to academic excellence—including whether they believe in it or not; (2) how excellence is recognized (both through formal criteria of evaluation, such as originality and significance, but also through more evanescent signals such as the display of cultural capital and the proper use of theory); (3) how excellence is combined with other criteria pertaining to interdisciplinarity and diversity (geographic, institutional, disciplinary, racial, and gender diversity) to push proposals over the proverbial line or to promote or criticize proposals. In her talk, she analyzed the customary rules that panelists say they follow, and which allow them to believe that the evaluation process is fair, and that Cream Rises. In the interview below, we asked her to discuss how procedural fairness actually operates in panels and reflect on many other aspects of the phenomenon that she analyzes.
Spray cooling heat transfer: Technology overview and assessment of future challenges for micro-gravity application

Abstract Advanced on-board flight systems for future NASA space exploration programs consist of components such as laser-diode arrays (LDA’s) and multi-chip modules (MCM’s). Thermal management of these systems require high heat flux cooling capability (⩾100 W/cm 2 ), tight temperature control (approx. ±2 °C), reliable start-up (on demand) and long term stability. Traditional multiphase thermal control technologies for space flight (e.g., loop heat pipes, capillary pumped loops, etc.) satisfy the temperature control, start-up and stability requirements, but their heat flux removal capabilities are limited. Spray cooling can provide high heat fluxes in excess of 100 W/cm 2 using fluorinerts and over 1000 W/cm 2 with water while allowing tight temperature control at low coolant fluid flow rates. Spray cooling has been flight proven in an open loop configuration through the Space shuttle’s flash evaporator system (FES). However, several closed system issues require investigation to further advance the technology to a technology readiness level (TRL) appropriate for closed system space flight application. This paper provides a discussion of the current status of spray cooling technology as well as NASA’s goals, current direction, and challenges associated with the implementation and practice of this technology in the micro-gravity environment.
Recent Developments in Political Geography, I*

The border position of geography between the natural and the social sciences is fairly generally recognized. Concerned primarily with differences in the different areas of the world, geography studies both natural and cultural features. In some universities, it is included among the natural sciences, in others among the social sciences. In England and America, geographers have particularly cultivated that portion of their field which leads naturally into economics, i.e., economic geography. Much less attention has been paid to the relations with history, although various geographers and historians have studied what has variously been called historical geography or geographic history. Even less have geographers in the English-speaking countries concerned themselves with that portion of their subject which bears upon the political areas of the world. The territorial problems of the war and postwar period, however, stimulated activity in this field both in England and America, the most notable product of which is Bowman's The New World, consisting in large part of the materials gathered for the American Commission to the Peace Conference.
Improved anti-proliferative effect of doxorubicin-containing polymer nanoparticles upon surface modification with cationic groups

Polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) possessing a high density of drug payload have been successfully stabilized against aggregation in biological buffers after amine modification, which renders these PNPs positively charged. The resulting charge-stabilized PNPs retain their original narrow particle size distributions and well-defined spherical morphologies. This stabilization allows these PNPs to have an improved anti-proliferative effect on MDA-MB-231-Br human breast cancer cells compared to non-functionalized PNPs. As a non-cytotoxic control, similar surface-modified PNPs containing cholesterol in place of doxorubicin did not inhibit cell proliferation, indicating that the induced cytotoxic response was solely due to the doxorubicin release from the PNPs.
New analysis reexamines the value of cancer care in the United States compared to Western Europe.

Despite sharp increases in spending on cancer treatment since 1970 in the United States compared to Western Europe, US cancer mortality rates have decreased only modestly. This has raised questions about the additional value of US cancer care derived from this additional spending. We calculated the number of US cancer deaths averted, compared to the situation in Western Europe, between 1982 and 2010 for twelve cancer types. We also assessed the value of US cancer care, compared to that in Western Europe, by estimating the ratio of additional spending on cancer to the number of quality-adjusted life-years saved. Compared to Western Europe, for three of the four costliest US cancers—breast, colorectal, and prostate—there were approximately 67,000, 265,000, and 60,000 averted US deaths, respectively, and for lung cancer there were roughly 1,120,000 excess deaths in the study period. The ratio of incremental cost to quality-adjusted life-years saved equaled $402,000 for breast cancer, $110,000 for colorectal ...
Intelligence modulates neural responses to probabilistic feedback: A functional link between cognitive skills and risk attitudes

The nature of the relationship between cognitive skills and economic preferences - in particular risk aversion and impatience – remains a key question in economics and psychology. Here we investigate the functional relationship between intelligence (IQ) and preferences for risk, by examining subject’s evaluation of probabilistic feedback during a simple economic decision task. Combining neural imaging with behavioral modeling of experience-based decision making, we identify a distinct pattern of neural and behavioral responses linking higher IQs to richer mental models of reward contingencies: Higher IQs correlate with smaller neural reinforcement learning signals after unpredictable losses, but not after unpredictable gains. Our results signify a link between intelligence and choice behavior that extends beyond the ex ante comparison of decision options to include ex post evaluation of decision outcomes. These findings suggest that correlations between intelligence and preferences may be rooted in a unitary process of how decision outcomes are experienced.
Moving Beyond Hunger and Nutrition: A Systematic Review of the Evidence Linking Food Insecurity and Mental Health in Developing Countries

Food insecurity is a significant problem in the developing world, and one that is likely to increase given the current global food crisis spurred by rising oil prices, conversion of food to biofuels, and reduced harvests in the wake of natural disasters. The impacts of food insecurity on nutrition status, growth, and development are well substantiated; less is known about the non-nutritional impacts of food insecurity, such as its effects on mental health. This systematic review assesses current findings regarding the impacts of food insecurity on mental health in developing countries. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are considered. The results of the search reveal that little work has examined these issues directly, and serious methodological flaws are present in many of the existing studies. Gaps in the literature, implications, and research priorities are discussed.
Surface and bulk equilibrium structures of silicon-germanium alloys from Monte Carlo simulations.

The technologically important alloy of silicon and germanium is known to have no long-range order in the bulk. Whether there is any short-range order in the bulk and the nature of the structure of the surface and near-surface regions remains the subject of some debate. We present a method of Monte Carlo simulation that is effective for studying the equilibrium structural properties of the bulk and strained-superlattice alloys. The simulations of the bulk alloy indicate that there is no short-range order and that the Si-Ge alloy is a true random alloy at room temperature and above. The surfaces of these alloys experience segregation of germanium to the surface, with no long-range order observed in the slightly silicon-rich subsurface layers, in agreement with recent experiments.
Reviewing The Assault on Progress: Technology and Time in American Literature

A review of J Adams Johns (2008). The Assault on Progress: Technology and Time in American Literature. Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-1625-9 (Hardcover), ISBN 0-81...
The effect of antibiotic stress on protein synthesis in the establishment of lysogeny of Plectonema boryanum

Evidence for the establishment of lysogeny in Plectonema boryanum by LPP-1D and LPP-2 phycoviruses after treatment of the alga with chloramphenicol is presented. Mitomycin C induction and viral neutralization were applied to confirm lysogeny. Infection of antibiotic-treated cells by LPP-1 virus failed to establish lysogeny indicating that LPP-1 is a virulent phycovirus while LPP-1D and LPP-2 are temperate viruses.
Analysis of multicomponent organic mixtures in aqueous media by pyrolysis

Abstract For general characterization of industrial and municipal wastes in waterways, a direct pyrographic approach has merit. The approach is based on high temperature pyrolysis of the water sample followed by immediate gas chromatographic separation of the resulting organic fragments. The amounts of these separated fragments are then measured with a hydrogen flame ionization detector. Through mathematical treatment utilizing all pyrographic peaks, the recorded pyrogram can be interpreted in terms of concentrations of the original organic components. Application of the technique to solutions containing a total of 100 ppm glycerol, dl -valine, and hexanoic acid in various ratios gave a standard deviation of 1.7 ppm. The sensitivity of the technique is sufficient to detect oil pollution levels of less than 10 ppm.
Lessons From San Francisco: Health Impact Assessments Have Advanced Political Conditions For Improving Population Health

Health impact assessment is a structured decision support tool used to systematically characterize the anticipated health effects, both adverse and beneficial, of societal decisions. In San Francisco, the use of health impact assessments has not only produced evidence to inform health policy decision making but has also contributed to the political conditions needed to achieve optimal population health. Health impact assessments have helped increase public awareness of the determinants of health, routine monitoring of these determinants, cooperation among institutions, health-protective laws and regulations, and organizational networks for health advocacy and accountability. Drawing on more than a decade of local experience, we identify the direct and indirect effects of the assessments on the politics of governance as well as on health. We demonstrate that health impact assessment is both an analytic tool and a process that helps build the social institutions that can improve health.
Striped states in weakly trapped ultracold Bose gases with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

The striped state of ultracold bosons with Rashba spin-orbit coupling in a homogeneous infinite system has, as we show, a constant particle flow, which in a finite-size system would accumulate particles at the boundaries; it is thus not a physical steady state of the system. We propose, as a variational ansatz, a condensate wave function for a weakly trapped system which behaves similarly to the striped state near the center, but does not have particle flow at the boundaries. This state has a line of unquantized coreless vortices. We show, by minimizing the total energy, that our modified striped state has lower energy than the conventional striped state and it is thus a physically appropriate starting point to analyze striped states in finite systems.
Optic Nerve Disorders

Diseases of the optic nerve are difficult to assess, as tissue diagnosis is usually unavailable. Therefore, various subjective functional tests are relied upon to achieve a differential diagnosis. This article reviews clinical scenarios wherein ultrasonographic imaging provides a readily accessible and inexpensive means for diagnosing and monitoring optic nerve disorders.
The Open Runtime Platform: a flexible high‐performance managed runtime environment

The Open Runtime Platform (ORP) is a high-performance managed runtime environment (MRTE) that features exact generational garbage collection, fast thread synchronization, and multiple coexisting just-in-time compilers (JITs). ORP was designed for flexibility in order to support experiments in dynamic compilation, garbage collection, synchronization, and other technologies. It can be built to run either Java or Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) applications, to run under the Windows or Linux operating systems, and to run on the IA-32 or Itanium processor family (IPF) architectures. Achieving high performance in a MRTE presents many challenges, particularly when flexibility is a major goal. First, to enable the use of different garbage collectors and JITs, each component must be isolated from the rest of the environment through a well-defined software interface. Without careful attention, this isolation could easily harm performance. Second, MRTEs have correctness and safety requirements that traditional languages such as C++ lack. These requirements, including null pointer checks, array bounds checks, and type checks, impose additional runtime overhead. Finally, the dynamic nature of MRTEs makes some traditional compiler optimizations, such as devirtualization of method calls, more difficult to implement or more limited in applicability. To get full performance, JITs and the core virtual machine (VM) must cooperate to reduce or eliminate (where possible) these MRTE-specific overheads. In this paper, we describe the structure of ORP in detail, paying particular attention to how it supports flexibility while preserving high performance. We describe the interfaces between the garbage collector, the JIT, and the core VM; how these interfaces enable multiple garbage collectors and JITs without sacrificing performance; and how they allow the JIT and the core VM to reduce or eliminate MRTE-specific performance issues. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.