cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strained SixGe1−x-Ge-Si core-double-shell nanowire heterostructures for simultaneous hole and electron mobility enhancement

We report the growth, structural, and electrical characterization of epitaxial, strained SixGe1−x-Ge-Si core-double-shell nanowire heterostructures designed to provide quantum confinement of holes and electrons in the compressively strained Ge and tensile-strained Si shells, respectively. The growth utilizes the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism for the SixGe1−x core, followed by a sequence of in-situ ultra-high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition for the epitaxial Ge and Si shell growth. Using a combination of micro-Raman spectroscopy on individual nanowires and lattice dynamic theory, we determine a large compressive (tensile) hydrostatic strain of up to −0.9% (0.67%) in the Ge (Si) shell. We demonstrate p- and n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors using SixGe1−x-Ge-Si core-double-shell nanowires as channel and observe a 500% (20%) enhancement of the average hole (electron) mobility compared to control devices using Si nanowires, due to an increased hole (electron) mobility in the compressively strained Ge (tensile strained Si) shell. An analysis of the hole transport provides the valence band offset in the core-double-shell nanowire heterostructures.
Is There Still a Role for Digoxin in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation

A number of recent observational analyses have assessed clinical outcomes associated with digoxin use in patients with atrial fibrillation. In this review, we review these data and provide suggestions on the contemporary use of digoxin in patients with atrial fibrillation as supported by the recent evidence. Observational data from clinical trials and registries have provided variable results on the safety and efficacy of chronic digoxin use in patients with atrial fibrillation. In general, results have been consistent with an associated increase in adverse clinical outcomes with digoxin use in atrial fibrillation patients without heart failure. In atrial fibrillation patients with heart failure, while the weight of evidence suggested an associated risk with digoxin therapy, the results are inconsistent. In patients with atrial fibrillation without heart failure, digoxin should generally be avoided. In atrial fibrillation patients with heart failure, digoxin should generally be reserved for patients that do not achieve adequate rate control or are not tolerant of other rate control therapies.
Association of Chemotherapy for Solid Tumors With Development of Therapy-Related Myelodysplastic Syndrome or Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Modern Era.

Importance Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia (tMDS/AML) is a rare, usually fatal complication of chemotherapy, including certain alkylating agents, topoisomerase II inhibitors, and platinum compounds. With the introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents, expanded indications for established agents, and increased neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy, tMDS/AML risks in the modern age are poorly understood. Objectives To quantify tMDS/AML risk after chemotherapy for solid cancer among United States adults since 2000 and correlate tMDS/AML risk patterns with chemotherapy treatment practices. Design, Setting, and Participants A population-based cohort study was conducted using cancer registries from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and Medicare claims. Risk analyses included 1619 tMDS/AML cases among 700 612 adults (age, 20-84 years) who were diagnosed with first primary solid cancer during 2000 to 2013 (followed up through 2014), received initial chemotherapy, and survived 1 year or longer, as reported to SEER. Descriptive analyses were conducted of SEER records linked with Medicare claims for chemotherapy in 165 820 older adults (age, 66-84 years) receiving initial chemotherapy for a first primary solid cancer in 2000-2013. Data analysis was conducted from October 2017 to April 2018. Exposures Receipt of initial chemotherapy for solid cancer. Main Outcomes and Measures Second primary tMDS/AML. Results Based on 1619 tMDS/AML cases in the SEER database (mean [SD] age, 64.3 [12.2] years; 1148 [70.9%] female), tMDS/AML risks were statistically significantly elevated after chemotherapy for 22 of 23 solid cancers (all except colon). Relative risks ranged from 1.5 to greater than 10 and excess absolute risks from 1.4 to greater than 15 cases per 10 000 person-years compared with the general population. Overall survival following tMDS/AML diagnosis was poor (1270 of 1619 patients [78.4%] died; median overall survival, 7 months). For patients treated with chemotherapy at the present time, approximately three-quarters of tMDS/AML cases expected to occur within the next 5 years will be attributable to chemotherapy. In the SEER-Medicare database, use of known leukemogenic agents, particularly platinum compounds, in initial chemotherapy increased substantially since 2000, most notably for gastrointestinal tract cancers (esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum; 10% in 2000-2001 to 81% during 2012-2013). Conclusions and Relevance Large-scale, United States population-based data demonstrate excess tMDS/AML risks following chemotherapy for nearly all solid tumor types, consistent with expanded use of known leukemogenic agents in the 21st century. Continued efforts to reduce treatment-related adverse events, particularly for solid cancer patients with favorable prognosis, are needed.
The Challenge of Big Data and Data Science

Big data and data science are transforming the world in ways that spawn new concerns for social scientists, such as the impacts of the internet on citizens and the media, the repercussions of smart...
Diversity of Phytophthora, Pythium, and Phytopythium Species in Recycled Irrigation Water in a Container Nursery

Recycling of irrigation water increases disease risks due to spread of waterborne oomycete plant pathogens such as Phytophthora, Pythium, and Phytopythium. A comprehensive metabarcoding study was c...
Persuasive Puffery

Sellers often make claims about product strengths without providing evidence. Even though such claims are mere puffery, we show that they can be credible because talking up any one strength comes at the implicit trade-off of not talking up another potential strength. Puffery pulls in some buyers who value product attributes that are talked up or emphasized while pushing away other buyers who infer that the attributes they value are relative weaknesses. When the initial probability of making a sale is low, there are more potential buyers to pull in than to push away, so puffery is persuasive overall. This persuasiveness requires that buyers have some privacy about their preferences so that the seller does not completely pander to them. More generally, the results show how comparative cheap talk by an expert to a decision maker can be credible and persuasive in standard discrete choice models used throughout marketing, economics, and other disciplines.
Optimal Timing and Methodology of Umbilical Cord Clamping in Preterm Infants: a Review

We examine current recommendations for the timing of umbilical cord clamping in term and preterm infants and review available literature in support of these recommendations. Additionally, we explore potential barriers to practice change and identify opportunities for ongoing research. Available literature supports the practice of delayed cord clamping (DCC) in neonates, with clear benefits over immediate cord clamping (ICC) when comparing both short- and longer-term outcomes. Additional studies suggest similar benefits may be conferred by the practice of umbilical cord milking (UCM). Despite recommendation updates, significant variability in practice surrounding the timing of umbilical cord clamping persists. DCC and UCM show definite advantages over ICC. Perceived risks associated with either practice may lead to decreased adherence to current practice recommendations. Additional studies comparing these two practices are warranted and might help to further delineate best practice guidelines or potentially identify populations better suited to one method vs the other. Further education regarding the benefits of DCC and UCM are needed to improve recommendation adherence.
Silicene, Siloxene, or Silicane? Revealing the Structure and Optical Properties of Silicon Nanosheets Derived from Calcium Disilicide

Si-nanosheets (Si-NSs) have recently attracted considerable attention due to their potential as next-generation materials for electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and catalytic applications. Eve...
Jennings v. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Title IX, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sexual Harassment

=968834. 273 30 F.3d 524 (4th Cir. 1994). Although the case did not specifically involve summary judgment, the court’s reasoning supports this argument. 274 Beiner, Let the Jury Decide, supra note 272; Beiner, The Misuse of Summary Judgment, supra note 272, at 75; Medina, supra note 272, at 317, 357-62. 275 Although not all of the following scholars have chosen to focus their work on sexual harassment or the courtroom forum specifically, as opposed to any type of legal setting, their arguments regarding the power of storytelling support this proposition. See, e.g., Beiner, Using Evidence of Women’s Stories in Sexual Harassment Cases, supra note 206; Richard Delgado, Storytelling for Oppositionists and Others: A Plea for Narrative, 87 MICH. L. REV. 2411, 2412-13 (1989) (exploring the power of legal storytelling by “outgroup” members to challenge the status quo); Leslie Espinoza Garvey, The Race Card: Dealing with Domestic Violence in Courts, 11 AM. U. J. GENDER SOC. POL’Y & L. 287, 303-04 (2003) (discussing the use of “Narrative to be Better Lawyers” and in doing so explaining how “[s]tories allow lawyers and clients to communicate about outsider experience”); Robert L. Hayman, Jr. & Nancy Levit, The Tales of White Folk: Doctrine, Narrative, and the Reconstruction of Racial Reality, 84 CAL. L. REV. 377, 398 (1996) (reviewing Richard Delgado, The Rodrigo Chronicles: Conversations about America and Race) (examining “the use of storytelling as a method of doctrinal critique”); Minna J. Kotkin, Book Review, 55 J. OF LEGAL EDUC. 613, 618 (2005) (reviewing BEINER, GENDER MYTHS V. WORKING REALITIES: USING SOCIAL SCIENCE TO REFORMULATE SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAW, supra note 272) (“[A]s fewer cases are heard in DEANNA.DOC 7/1/2007 11:01 PM 1314 JOURNAL OF LAW AND POLICY courts should act with special caution when faced with summary judgment motions in sexual harassment cases. In dismissing a colorable claim on summary judgment and neglecting to address the Beardsley opinion, the Jennings court failed to exercise such caution. In light of warnings about the problems manifested by the intersection of gender and summary judgment, the Jennings court should have allowed the case to proceed to trial.
Early noncardiovascular organ failure and mortality in the cardiac intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND Noncardiac organ failure has been associated with worse outcomes among a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) population. HYPOTHESIS We hypothesized that early organ failure based on the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score would be associated with mortality in CICU patients. METHODS Adult CICU patients from 2007 to 2015 were reviewed. Organ failure was defined as any SOFA organ subscore ≥3 on the first CICU day. Organ failure was evaluated as a predictor of hospital mortality and postdischarge survival after adjustment for illness severity and comorbidities. RESULTS We included 10 004 patients with a mean age of 67 ± 15 years (37% female). Admission diagnoses included acute coronary syndrome in 43%, heart failure in 46%, cardiac arrest in 12%, and cardiogenic shock in 11%. Organ failure was present in 31%, including multiorgan failure in 12%. Hospital mortality was higher in patients with organ failure (22% vs 3%, adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 2.5-3.7, P < .001). After adjustment, each failing organ system predicted twofold higher odds of hospital mortality (adjusted OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-2.1, P < .001). Mortality risk was highest with cardiovascular, coagulation and liver failure. Among hospital survivors, organ failure was associated with higher adjusted postdischarge mortality risk (P < .001); multiorgan failure did not confer added long-term mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS Early noncardiovascular organ failure, especially multiorgan failure, is associated with increased hospital mortality in CICU patients, and this risk continues after hospital discharge, emphasizing the need to promote early recognition of organ failure in CICU patients.
Van der Waals metallic alloy contacts for multifunctional devices

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have shown great potential for electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, their development is limited by a large Schottky barrier at the contacts because of the strong Fermi-level pinning at the metal-semiconductor interface. Here, we demonstrate that 2D metallic Mo1−x W x Te2 alloy, bonded to the 2D semiconductor channel MoTe2 via van der Waals (vdW) force, can alleviate the Fermi-level pinning at the contacts. By using asymmetric contacts consisting of low work function Ti and high work function Mo1−x W x Te2 alloy, ambipolar transistors were created, showing superior transport for both electrons and holes. The MoTe2 transistor with asymmetric contacts is unidirectional and shows prominent rectifying behavior. Moreover, this asymmetric contact scheme breaks the mirror symmetry of the built-in potential profile within the channel, which enables the device to serve as an efficient solar cell and a sensitive photodetector with low dark current. This work uncovers the great potential of 2D metallic contacts for device applications and offers a new route toward tailoring 2D electronics and photonics in the future.
WHAT'S YOUR STATUS? RESUSCITATING A DYING DISCUSSION IN PSYCHIATRY

Abstract Although the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1991 required that all Medicare/Medicaid-certified institutions inform patients about their right to refuse life sustaining treatments like CPR, the medical literature consistently documents a deficit in code status assessment and documentation for patients admitted to the hospital (1). A 2011 study showed that only 9.3% of over 11000 patients had a code status documented within 24 hours of admission to a medical floor (2). While the literature is limited, this deficit appears to be even greater in psychiatric units: a study of about 600 psychiatric and medical inpatients found the rates of code status documentation among psychiatric patients was significantly lower compared to patients admitted to the medical floor (65 vs 96%, p
Chapter 16 – Network Interactions

In the previous chapters in this unit, we learned about different methods to record and perturb neuronal activity. These experimental methods allow us to simultaneously record neuronal activity from several locations. Such recordings are the basis for the study of network interactions. Simultaneous recordings can reveal how different sites in the brain interact with each other. For example, if one brain area drives the activity in another area, we expect that the recorded signals from the two locations are correlated. Thus, by analyzing how similar two signals are, we can unravel what is called the functional connectivity between the two recording sites. One limitation of functional connectivity is that it does not reveal the direction of the interaction between two locations. To establish directionality, different methods referred to as measures of effective connectivity need to be used. They quantify the interaction between two simultaneously recorded activity traces, and provide the direction of the interaction. Notably, the presence of functional or effective connectivity does not require the existence of underlying, direct structural connection between the two locations. In this chapter, we will introduce the main metrics of functional and effective connectivity. The toolboxes “ Graph Theory” and “ Time and Frequency” are recommended in preparation for this chapter. This chapter contains some sections that require more mathematical background than the remainder of the book and are marked by an asterisk.
Complete Rupture of the Triceps Tendon and Ulnar Collateral Ligament of the Elbow in a 13-Year-Old Football Player: A Case Report.

Introduction With the increasing number of children and adolescents participating in sports, pathologies once reserved for high-level athletes are now emerging in this younger population. Distal triceps tendon tears represent an injury infrequently seen even among older, skeletally mature athletes. We report a case of distal triceps tendon tear with concomitant ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury in a skeletally-immature football player. Case report This is a rare case of traumatic triceps tendon tear with UCL injury in a 13-year-old male football player during a fall and hyperextension of his elbow. Management included surgical treatment of the triceps tear with suture anchors in double row technique. The concomitant UCL injury was treated conservatively. Conclusion This case suggests that this type of injury can occur in young athletes, but good prognosis can be expected with prompt management. Surgical repair of a functionally deficient triceps tendon tear and conservative management of associated UCL injury can result in returntoplay within 6 months.
Camus, Mauriac et l’épuration (1944-1945)

A la Liberation, tandis que Camus demande, dans Combat, une epuration « courte », « bien faite » et « limitee » dans le temps qui aboutisse a l’execution des pires criminels collaborateurs, Mauriac, quoique resistant lui-meme, y est essentiellement oppose parce qu’il devine que cette epuration va etre synonyme de parodie de justice. Ce dernier va ainsi chercher a obtenir la grâce d’ecrivains qui se sont, selon lui, fourvoyes en collaborant mais ne meritent pas la mort. Des janvier 1945, Camus aura rejoint le point de vue de Mauriac et concedera en 1948 que son aine avait raison de privilegier la clemence a la rigueur, la charite a la peine capitale. Notre etude va developper l’evolution de ces deux autorites morales sur la question de la justice a l’ete et l’automne 1944, une evolution qui n’a pas ete lineaire, meme pour Mauriac, et qui va aboutir au ralliement de l’editeur en chef de Combat a la « philosophie de la clemence » de l’editorialiste du Figaro.
Loss Averse Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice

Loss aversion is the tendency of people to strongly prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains. This paper studies how a loss averse investor with Kőszegi et al. (2006) reference-dependent preferences, selects portfolios and prices assets. Returns falling below the investor's target return - his return floor - are regarded as losses. It is shown that the first-order lower partial moment - LPM1- is the natural measure of the risk of loss for such an investor. Two such loss averse investors with different target returns can hold exactly the same efficient portfolio, but the risk of that portfolio will be different for each investor. Loss averse investors face, not one, but an uncountable number of efficient frontiers, all of which are convex but only one of which is linear. The portfolios that reside on these frontiers collectively form the portfolio efficient set. All portfolios in the efficient set are informationally equivalent in the sense that investors holding different efficient portfolio will nevertheless agree on the relative riskiness of individual securities. One implication is that, if a risk-free security exists, every portfolio in the efficient set contains a combination of the risk-free security and the same risky portfolio. This risky portfolio held in common by all loss averse investors is defined as the market portfolio. It is shown that a market portfolio will exist in any capital market equilibrium based on a generalized risk measure derived from a single-factor beta pricing model. Not only does two-fund separation hold but, perhaps surprisingly, the market portfolio is the tangency portfolio of the (unique) linear efficient frontier.
Developing Faculty Identity as a Community Engaged Scholar: An Unexamined Barrier to Promoting the Public Mission

Incongruence, or incompatibility, of faculty values and beliefs with stated or perceived institutional mission increases the likelihood that innovations in support of the public mission will ultimately fail. Faculty at research universities frequently enter academia with the professional identity as a researcher, not a teacher, which is reinforced by the structures and rewards of institutions. Even when faculty or staff value and report an interest in participating in community engagement, organization-level factors such as structure, leadership, and rewards can serve as “engagement demotivators” to community service. This chapter focuses on North American research universities and explores faculty identity with respect to community engagement and the extent to which faculty–institution compatibility influences public mission engagement. The chapter concludes with recommendations related to the role of: faculty belonging in being fully committed to community engagement, the promotion structure in community engagement, and professional learning programs in promoting the community engagement and the public mission.
Preparing Yourself for Intubation

Placing an airway is one of the most critical procedures that is performed in the ED and ICU. Unlike intubations that occur in controlled settings such as the operating room, emergent airways are much more difficult and require a careful plan of attack. Plan for success but prepare for failure: Following this rule will always allow you to be two steps ahead of the process. Do not ever think you are too good to not need a plan. Be smart, your patient will thank you.
Tumor morphology and location associate with immune cell composition in pleomorphic sarcoma.

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare group of mesenchymal malignancies that account for approximately 1% of adult human cancer. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is one of the most common subtypes of adult STS. Clinical stratification of UPS patients has not evolved for decades and continues to rely on tumor-centric metrics including tumor size and depth. Our understanding of how the tumor microenvironment correlates to these clinicopathologic parameters remains limited. Here, we performed single-cell flow cytometric immune-based profiling of 15 freshly resected UPS tumors and integrated this analysis with clinical, histopathologic, and outcomes data using both a prospective and retrospective cohort of UPS patients. We uncovered a correlation between physiologic and anatomic properties of UPS tumors and the composition of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Specifically, we identified an inverse correlation between tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells and UPS tumor size; and a positive correlation between tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells and overall survival. Moreover, we demonstrate an association between anatomical location (deep or superficial) and frequency of CD4 + PD1hi infiltrating T cells in UPS tumors. Our study provides an immune-based analysis of the tumor microenvironment in UPS patients and describes the different composition of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes based on size and tumor depth.
Experimental Transmission of Necrotizing Hepatopancreatitis Bacteria to Post-Larval Litopeneaus Vannamei

Day 15 specific pathogen free Post-Larval Pacific White Shrimp, Litopeneaus vannamei, were infected with Necrotizing Hepatopancreatitis bacteria (NHPB) by per os exposure. This is the first documented report of controlled post larval (PL) infection and mortality with NHPB.
Implications of climate change on wind erosion of agricultural lands in the Columbia plateau

Abstract Climate change may impact soil health and productivity as a result of accelerated or decelerated rates of erosion. Previous studies suggest a greater risk of wind erosion on arid and semi-arid lands due to loss of biomass under a future warmer climate. There have been no studies conducted to assess the impact of climate change on wind erosion in the Columbia Plateau of the Pacific Northwest United States where wind erosion of agricultural lands can cause exceedance of national air quality standards. The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) was used to assess wind erosion and PM10 (particulate matter ≤10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) emissions under a future climate projected by downscaling 18 Global Climate Models (GCM) for a conservative emissions pathway. Wind erosion simulations were conducted at Lacrosse and Lind, WA and Moro, OR on a winter wheat-summer fallow (WW-SF) rotation and at Lind on an additional winter wheat-camelina-summer fallow (WW-Cam-SF) rotation. Each rotation was subject to conservation or conventional tillage practices for a baseline (1970–1999) and mid-21st century climate (2035–2064). A significant increase in temperature and nominal increases in precipitation were projected by an ensemble of climate models for the Columbia Plateau by the mid-21st century. Soil and PM10 losses were 25–84% lower for a mid-21st century climate, due in part to greater biomass production associated with CO2 fertilization and warmer temperatures. The reduction in soil and PM10 loss is projected to be more apparent for conservation tillage practices in the future. Soil and PM10 losses were greater from a WW-Cam-SF rotation than WW-SF rotation when conservation tillage practices were employed during the fallow phase of the rotations. Despite accounting for differences in the length of each rotation, annual soil and PM10 losses remained higher for the WW-Cam-SF rotation than the WW-SF rotation. Soil and PM10 losses were more variable across years during 1970–1999 than 2035–2064; however, small and inconsistent differences in the coefficient of variation in soil loss between 1970–1999 and 2035–2064 suggest similarity in climate extremes which govern wind erosion.
Loop catheters for atrial fibrillation mapping and radiofrequency ablation

Summary form only received as follows: Chronic atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common arrhythmia in humans and can be found in 0.3-0.4% of the adult population. The prevalence of this rhythm disorder increases with age from 2-4% in people over the age of sixty to 11.6% in those over the age of seventy-five. Afib is also very common in patients with overt congestive failure, where its prevalence is as high as 40%. Many medical complications are associated with Afib including loss of the "atrial kick" and impaired autonomic control over the heart rate during exercise and rest. The most catastrophic complication associated with Afib is embolic stroke, which may be incapacitating or fatal. In fact, Afib has been identified in over 50% of all instances of systemic thromboembolism from the heart. Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the final and perhaps most challenging frontier in electrophysiology. It is the most arrhythmia in humans and causes a significant morbidity. Pharmacological therapy for Afib has proven to be very disappointing and at times results in proarrhythmia in certain patient populations. The development of an effective surgical approach to cure Afib has provided the impetus for the development of a catheter-based approach for the ablation of Afib. In recent years several centers have engaged in such development. Although none of the new technologies have been tested for safety and efficacy on humans, significant animal experience has been presented. This presentation summarizes the current state-of-the-art technology and defines the design requirements and safety considerations for a catheter-based system for the ablation of Afib.
Good vs complementary genes for parasite resistance and the evolution of mate choice.

Background Female mate choice may be adaptive when males exhibit heritable genetic variation at loci encoding resistance to infectious disease. The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis predicts that females should assess the genetic quality of males by monitoring traits that indicate health and vigor (condition-dependent choice, or CD). Alternatively, some females may employ a more direct method of screening and select mates based on the dissimilarity of alleles at the major histocompatibility loci (we refer to this as opposites-attract, or OA). Empirical studies suggest that both forms of mate choice exist, but little is known about the potential for natural selection to shape the two strategies in nature.
Mifepristone for Medical Abortion

Three years after its approval for use in the U.S., mifepristone is becoming an option for women choosing to terminate a pregnancy. Whether they provide abortion services, women's health care providers need to be able to answer women's questions about abortion. Unintended pregnancy is a common problem faced by women in their reproductive years. Nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended and approximately 43 percent of American women are estimated to have had an abortion by the age of 45. Becoming familiar with mifepristone will enable nurses to answer patients’ questions and concerns and provide abortion-related counseling and care.
Program Evaluation and Clinical Sociology

Chapters with straightforward titles such as this often start out with straightforward definitions of terms. I rarely find such definitions helpful. They are either common sense and therefore unnecessary or very technical and therefore counterintuitive.
Inbound waves in the solar corona: A direct indicator of Alfvén surface location

The tenuous supersonic solar wind that streams from the top of the corona passes through a natural boundary—the Alfven surface—that marks the causal disconnection of individual packets of plasma and magnetic flux from the Sun itself. The Alfven surface is the locus where the radial motion of the accelerating solar wind passes the radial Alfven speed, and therefore any displacement of material cannot carry information back down into the corona. It is thus the natural outer boundary of the solar corona and the inner boundary of interplanetary space. Using a new and unique motion analysis to separate inbound and outbound motions in synoptic visible-light image sequences from the COR2 coronagraph on board the STEREO-A spacecraft, we have identified inbound wave motion in the outer corona beyond 6 solar radii for the first time and used it to determine that the Alfven surface is at least 12 solar radii from the Sun over the polar coronal holes and 15 solar radii in the streamer belt, well beyond the distance planned for NASA's upcoming Solar Probe Plus mission. To our knowledge, this is the first measurement of inbound waves in the outer solar corona and the first direct measurement of lower bounds for the Alfven surface.
Hydration structure of a collagen peptide.

Abstract Background: The collagen triple helix is a unique protein motif defined by the supercoiling of three polypeptide chains in a polyproline II conformation. It is a major domain of all collagen proteins and is also reported to exist in proteins with host defense function and in several membrane proteins. The triple-helical domain has distinctive properties. Collagen requires a high proportion of the post-translationally modified imino acid 4-hydroxyproline and water to stabilize its conformation and assembly. The crystal structure of a collagen-like peptide determined to 1.85 a showed that these two features may be related. Results A detailed analysis of the hydration structure of the collagen-like peptide is presented. The water molecules around the carbonyl and hydroxyprolyl groups show distinctive geometries. There are repetitive patterns of water bridges that link oxygen atoms within a single peptide chain, between different chains and between different triple helices. Overall, the water molecules are organized in a semi-clathrate-like structure that surrounds and interconnects triple helices in the crystal lattice. Hydroxyprolyl groups play a crucial role in the assembly. Conclusion The roles of hydroxyproline and hydration are strongly interrelated in the structure of the collagen triple helix. The specific, repetitive water bridges observed in this structure buttress the triple-helical conformation. The extensively ordered hydration structure offers a good model for the interpretation of the experimental results on collagen stability and assembly.
Opioid peptide receptor studies. 14. Stereochemistry determines agonist efficacy and intrinsic efficacy in the [35S]GTP-?-S functional binding assay

Previous data obtained with the cloned rat μ opioid receptor demonstrated that stereochemistry affects the four parameters of the ligand-receptor interaction: potency (ED50), efficacy (maximal stimulation), intrinsic efficacy (effect as a function of receptor occupation), and binding affinity. This study evaluated the activities of structurally diverse opioid receptor ligands in the [35S]GTP-γ-S binding assay, comparing the relationship between receptor binding, activation, efficacy, and intrinsic efficacy. The data, obtained with cloned rat μ receptors, demonstrated that an analgetic, (−)-5-m-hydroxyphenyl-2-methylmorphan (NIH8508), and its (+)-isomer (NIH8509), behave as partial agonists, but had different intrinsic efficacy in the [35S]GTP-γ-S binding assay. Replacement of the methyl group with the phenethyl group on the piperidine nitrogen of NIH8508 and NIH8509 [(1R,5S)-AH019 and (1S,5R)-AH019] increased affinity for the μ receptor and eliminated any agonist effect, supporting the hypothesis that certain structural features make these compounds antagonists. These study also show that all of the fully efficacious μ agonists studied here had high levels of intrinsic efficacy, producing a 50% response at about 10% receptor occupancy. Comparison of the binding Ki in competitively inhibiting [125I]IOXY binding to the functional Ki for opioid antagonists [Ki(IOXY)/Ki(GTP-γ-S)] provides more detailed evidence that the [35S]GTP-γ-S binding assay can be used to reliably determine apparent functional antagonist Ki values in addition to agonist ED50, efficacy and intrinsic efficacy. Synapse 39:64–69, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hydrogen bonding of the 2′ OH in RNA

Abstract The high resolution PMR spectra of single and double stranded RNA and transfer RNA all exhibit resonances from exchangeable protons at about 6.8 ppm. This resonance at 6.8 ppm can be assigned to the 2′ OH since (i) resonances from all other exchangeable protons are otherwise accounted for, (ii) the resonance position is the same (±0.2 ppm) in all RNA indicating that it is from a proton in the backbone, (iii) the resonance is only observed from RNA at low temperature, and (iv) the resonance shifts upfield with the addition of dimethylsulfoxide to samples originally in water such that the extrapolation of the resonance position to neat dimethylsulfoxide is about 5.6 ppm which is approximately the resonance position of the 2′ OH proton of mononucleosides in dimethylsulfoxide. The 2′ OH is hydrogen bonded since the resonance position in RNA is shifted more than one ppm downfield from that of the mononucleoside in dimethylsulfoxide and the rate of exchange of the 2′ OH is considerably slower in RNA than in the monomer units. Examination of the PMR of mononucleosides in water dimethylsulfoxide mixtures, where the exchange is slow, shows that the resonance position of the 2′ OH hydrogen bonded to water is about 6.5 ppm. These PMR results indicate that the 2′ OH proton is hydrogen bonded to water. Examination of molecular models of RNA indicate a bound water molecule which can function as the acceptor of the 2′ OH hydrogen bond is properly situated to act as the donor in a hydrogen bond to the 3′ phosphate. The existence of this hydrogen bonding helps to explain some of the differences in conformation and thermal stability of RNA and DNA.
Modular approach to higher-power avalanche-diode oscillators

Three Xband avalanche-diode iris mounts of identical design were cascaded to form a composite oscillator structure. It has been experimentally established that highly efficient power addition can be obtained with this scheme. Matching the individual diode characteristics and spacing between the diodes are not too critical.
Common Proteins Bind mRNAs Encoding Erythropoietin, Tyrosine Hydroxylase, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor☆

Abstract The hypoxia-inducible genes erythropoietin (Epo), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are regulated post-transcriptionally by proteins binding to specific regions located in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of their mRNAs. To determine whether trans -factors binding to this region in all three of these RNAs are similar, we generated riboprobes containing the 3′ UTR of erythropoietin, tyrosine hydroxylase, and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA and assayed them by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and UV cross-linking experiments. Each riboprobe formed similar shifted protein complexes using human hepatoma cell (Hep3B) cytoplasmic lysates in the EMSA. Hep3B proteins bound to each probe could be cross-competed by the specific unlabeled Epo, TH, or VEGF riboprobes. By contrast, a non-specific 3′ UTR riboprobe did not compete for binding with the Epo, TH, or VEGF RNA shifted protein complexes. UV cross-linking studies revealed proteins of similar molecular weights for the Epo, TH, and VEGF RNA shifted protein complexes. Taken together, these results suggest a common post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism for hypoxia-inducible genes.
Modeling of Silicon Deposition Yield at Low Temperature by ArF Excimer Laser Photolysis of Disilane

Non-thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) such as laser-enhanced photo-CVD of Si at low temperatures is important for Si-based heterostructures and doping superlattices. Growth kinetic models must be developed to allow these processes to be fully exploited. Intrinsic Si epitaxial layers were deposited at low substrate temperatures of 250-350°C using the 193 nm output of an ArF excimer laser to directly dissociate Si2H6. The intrinsic film deposition rate can be described by a kinetic model that considers the gas phase reactions of the primary photolysis products and diffusion ofsilicon-bearing molecules to the growth surface. With the laser beam tangential to the substrate surface, growth rates as a function of beam-to-substrate distance have been characterized and indicate that very little gas phase reaction occurs for the dominant Si growth precursor. In order for intrinsic film deposition to result solely from Si2H6 photolysis products, a sticking coefficient ≥0.6 must be assigned to the dominant growth precursor in order to fit the observed yield of Si deposited in the films, indicating that the dominant growth precursor in 193 nm Si2H6 photolysis is perhaps H2SiSiH2.
Review of Output-Based Error Estimation and Mesh Adaptation in Computational Fluid Dynamics

Error estimation and control are critical ingredients for improving the reliability of computational simulations. Adjoint-based techniques can be used to both estimate the error in chosen solution outputs and to provide local indicators for adaptive refinement. This article reviews recent work on these techniques for computational fluid dynamics applications in aerospace engineering. The definition of the adjoint as the sensitivity of an output to residual source perturbations is used to derive both the adjoint equation, in fully discrete and variational formulations, and the adjoint-weighted residual method for error estimation. Assumptions and approximations made in the calculations are discussed. Presentation of the discrete and variational formulations enables a side-by-side comparison of recent work in output-error estimation using the finite volume method and the finite element method. Techniques for adapting meshes using output-error indicators are also reviewed. Recent adaptive results from a variety of laminar and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes applications show the power of output-based adaptive methods for improving the robustness of computational fluid dynamics computations. However, challenges and areas of additional future research remain, including computable error bounds and robust mesh adaptation mechanics.
Suffering and the Social Construction of Illness: The Delegitimation of Illness Experience in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The author examines suffering engendered by the socially constituted nature of illness through the delegitimation of illness experience in chronic fatigue syndrome. Cultural meanings of physical and mental illness are shown to be reflected in interactions with others to construct an illness reality in which chronic fatigue syndrome is defined as either nonexistent or psychosomatic. Disconfirmation of the subjective experience of illness leads to suffering arising from the threatened stigma of psychological disorder, the alienation resulting from a decision to keep the illness secret, and the shame of being wrong in one's definition of reality. Patients also develop strategies for contesting the definition of chronic fatigue syndrome as “not real.” Delegitimation merits further exploration as a category for experience-near analysis of suffering in medical anthropology.
Evidence for impaired reproduction in white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) from contaminated areas off Southern California

Thousands of tons of contaminants were dumped into the coastal waters off Los Angeles in the last 40 years. Contaminant exposure has been implicated in the declines in catches of several sport and commercial fishes. Laboratory spawning studies demonstrated that white croaker (Sciaenidae: Genyonemus lineatus) inhabiting contaminated areas near Los Angeles had higher chlorinated hydrocarbon body burdens, greater early oocyte destruction and preovulatory atresia, lower batch fecundities, and lower fertilization rates than fish from a reference area 80 km away.
Effects of very weak magnetic fields on radical pair reformation

We can expect that biological responses to very weak ELF electromagnetic fields will be masked by thermal noise. However, the spin of electrons bound to biologically important molecules is not strongly coupled to the thermal bath, and the effects of the precession of those spins by external magnetic fields is not bounded by thermal noise. Hence, the known role of spin orientation in the recombination of radical pairs (RP) may constitute a mechanism for the biological effects of very weak fields. That recombination will generally take place only if the valence electrons in the two radicals are in a singlet state and the effect of the magnetic field is manifest through differential spin precessions that affect the occupation of that state. Because the spin relaxation times are of the order of microseconds, any effects must be largely independent of frequency up to values of a few megahertz. Using exact calculations on an appropriately general model system, we show that one can expect small, but significant, modifications of the recombination rate by a 50 microT field only under a narrow range of circumstances: the cage time during which the two elements are together must be exceptionally long--of the order of 50 ns or longer; the hyperfine field of either radical must not be so great as to generate a precession period greater than the cage containment time; and the characteristic recombination time of the radical pair in the singlet state must be about equal to the containment time. Thus, even under such singularly favorable conditions, fields as small as 5 microT (50 milligauss) cannot change the recombination rate by as much as 1%. Hence, we conclude that environmental magnetic fields much weaker than the earth's field cannot be expected to affect biology significantly by modifying radical pair recombination probabilities.
Mapping the Middle East from Within: (Counter‐)Cartographies of an Imperialist Construction

Abstract: The “Middle East” is a readily accepted geographical category throughout much of the world. However, within this ambiguous geographic entity, both the term and the idea of the “Middle East” are often rejected as western-imperialist constructs. Through a critical examination of an extensive sample of maps produced within several Arab states of the “Middle East”, I found that the regional designation “Middle East” is nearly nonexistent, while the Arab Homeland is unequivocally a more common regional category. However, the “Middle East” did occasionally appear in a few maps. This paper provides an explanatory examination of the normative cartographic discourses in this region, and more focused analysis of the atypical maps of the “Middle East”. My analyses render unique insights into how the “Middle East” is both contested and re-created from within a western-imperialist defined region.
Electric-field-enhanced laser-induced plasma spectroscopy of jet-cooled silicon trimer

Abstract Electric-field-enhanced laser-induced plasma spectroscopy is used as a relatively simple and general approach to a mapping of electronic states and internal mode structure in small silicon clusters, primarily silicon trimer. Gas phase emission spectra obtained for the trimer correlate well with and extend data obtained in gas phase negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy and in matrix isolation absorption spectroscopy. Transitions are observed from an upper state, the analog of that observed in matrix absorption to both the ground (X) and low-lying A state (0.45 eV). The observed emission from the two band systems suggests that the features are associated primarily with short progressions in upper (≈310±25 cm −1 ) and lower state (≈370±25 cm −1 for X state and ≈ 480±25 cm −1 for A state) symmetric stretch or symmetric strench—bend combination frequencies. Some indication of upper and lower state bending mode structure is also obtained. Comparisons are made with ab initio calculations.
Sugarcane Leaf Nutrient Concentrations: With or Without Midrib Tissue

Abstract The literature on sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum spp.) leaf-nutrient composition usually reports values either with (W) or without (WO) the midrib tissue, but not for both. The removal of the midrib adds an extra step to the sampling process. The effects of sampling time (May and October) and method (W and WO midrib) on leaf-blade nutrient concentration of cultivar CP 78-1628 were investigated on a Margate sand (siliceous, hyperthermic Mollic Psammaquents) in a split-plot randomized complete block design. The presence of the midrib resulted in decreased concentrations of nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) in the leaf sample to varying degrees, but increased concentration of potassium (K). Simple correlation coefficients between samples analyzed W and WO the midrib were ≥0.75 for P, Ca, Mg, and Mn in May. The percent-errors of predicting WO midrib values from W midrib values were greater than 20 when tested with publis...