cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wine Grape Cultivar Trial Performance in 2009

To assess the regional adaptation of wine grape cultivars in Iowa, a trial was established in 2003 through an Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) specialty crops grant awarded to the Iowa Wine Growers Association (IWGA). The trial was designed to evaluate up to 20 cultivars or advanced selections at four Iowa State University (ISU) farms representing different geographic, climatic, and soil conditions: Horticulture Research Station (HRS), Ames; the Armstrong Research Farm (ARF), Lewis; the Southeast Research Farm (SERF), Crawfordsville; and the Northeast Research Farm (NERF), Nashua. The SERF and NERF plantings also included the 15 cultivars being evaluated in the 2002 grape cultivar by management system trial. This report summarizes the results for the 2009 growing season.
Quasispecies reconstruction based on vertex coloring algorithms

The viral quasispecies represent a set of related variants in a virus population (e.g. from an infected patient) that contain similar mutations due to the rapid and mutation-prone replications in viruses. The characterization of viral quasispecies in a highly divergent virus population is of great interest in biomedical research, in particular, to identify virulent and drug-resistant mutations in viral genomes for diagnosis of infectious diseases and targeted drug design. In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have been widely used for deep sequencing of virus populations, in an attempt to characterize low abundant viral quasispecies containing specific mutations associated with virulence or drug-resistance. However, because of the short length of NGS reads, it remains a challenge to reconstruct viral quasispecies from NGS sequencing data. In this paper, we formulate the viral quasispecies reconstruction as the vertex coloring problem on a read conflict graph, and then apply heuristic algorithms to solve it. We compared our new algorithms with one existing software tool on three simulated datasets for HIV quasispecies reconstruction. The results showed our methods can improve the accuracy on the inference of the identities and quantities of viral quansispecies in a virus population.
A precipitin reaction between humanserum and fish hemoglobins

Abstract o 1. A precipitin reaction in agar gel (method of Ouchterlony) was noted between normalhuman serum and certain fish hemoglobins. 2. Evidence was accumulated that the reactant in human serum is the albumin fraction 3. The reaction exhibited considerable specificity in that about half the fish hemoglobins testedprecipitated with human serum and half did not
Metabolism of the neurotoxin in MPTP by human liver monoamine oxidase B

The neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was oxidized to dihydropyridine MPDP+ and pyridine MPP+ by preparations of monoamine oxidase B (MAO B), including pure human liver MAO B:monoclonal antibody complex, Km,app values for MPTP and benzylamine, a preferred MAO B substrate, were 316 and 64 microM, respectively. 4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (PTP), the nor derivative of MPTP, was also a substrate (Km,app = 221 microM). MPDP+, MPTP, and MPP+, but not PTP, were found to be irreversible inhibitors of MAO B. Our studies support the hypothesis that MPTP is oxidized in primate brain by MAO B to MPDP+, which is then converted to MPP+, a major metabolite found in the substantia nigra.
Regulation of the activity of the low density lipoprotein receptor in human fibroblasts

Abstract A specific receptor on the surface of cultured human fibroblasts binds plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) with high affinity, and thereby initiates a cellular process by which the LDL is internalized and degraded within lysosomes and its cholesterol component is made available for cellular membrane synthesis. Current studies demonstrate that the activity of this LDL receptor is under feedback regulation. Prior incubation of fibroblast monolayers with cholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, or LDL progressively reduced the ability of the cells to bind 125 I-labeled LDL at the high affinity site. A series of kinetic studies indicated that this reduction in binding was due to a decrease in the number of LDL receptors. From measurements of the rate of decline in 125 I-LDL binding activity after administration of cycloheximide, the LDL receptor was calculated to have a half-life of about 25 hr. LDL appeared to reduce 125 I-LDL-binding activity by suppressing the synthesis of receptor molecules. Thus cultured human fibroblasts regulate their intracellular cholesterol content by regulating the activity of the LDL receptor, which in turn controls the rate of cellular entry of cholesterol derived from plasma LDL contained within the culture medium.
Behavioral treatments for obesity: Eating habits revisited

An assumption implicit in behavioral treatments for obesity is that subjects engage in prescribed behavior change strategies and that these changes mediate the observed weight loss. Numerous investigations of this important issue have yielded distinctly contradictory results that may be related to the variations in assessment formats utilized. This study attempted to clarify this important and confusing area by providing assessment of each subject's eating habits from three distinct perspectives (self-report questionnaires, therapist ratings, spouse ratings). the three eating habit assessment formats evidenced equally strong and positive associations with weight loss in addition to showing considerable shared variance as predictors of weight loss. These findings are interpreted as providing support for the importance of modifying obese patients' eating and exercise habits.
Theory of Light Scattering by an Isotropic System Composed of Anisotropic Units with Application to the Porod–Kratky Chain

Theory of Light Scattering by an Isotropic System Composed of Anisotropic Units with Application to the Porod–Kratky Chain
Comparative cognitive science and the Japanese influence in primatology

Review of Primate Origins of Human Cognition and Behavior by Tetsuro Matsuzawa. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag, 2001, xxi + 587 pp, 248 fig., 4 in color, $119.00.
Listening time and the short-term perceptual deprivation effect

College students listened to randomly generated “melodies” until they felt they were “finished” listening. Preceding each melody, there was a perceptual deprivation interval (silence) of 1, 14, 28, or 53 sec. Results indicate a direct relationship between duration of deprivation and listening time. Sensory adaptation interpretations were discussed and discarded. Results are interpreted in terms of arousal level notions.
A framework for corroborating answers from multiple web sources

Search engines are increasingly efficient at identifying the best sources for any given keyword query, and are often able to identify the answer within the sources. Unfortunately, many web sources are not trustworthy, because of erroneous, misleading, biased, or outdated information. In many cases, users are not satisfied with the results from any single source. In this paper, we propose a framework to aggregate query results from different sources in order to save users the hassle of individually checking query-related web sites to corroborate answers. To return the best answers to the users, we assign a score to each individual answer by taking into account the number, relevance and originality of the sources reporting the answer, as well as the prominence of the answer within the sources, and aggregate the scores of similar answers. We conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative experiments of our corroboration techniques on queries extracted from the TREC Question Answering track and from a log of real web search engine queries. Our results show that taking into account the quality of web pages and answers extracted from the pages in a corroborative way results in the identification of a correct answer for a majority of queries.
Renewable pH cross-sensitive potentiometric heparin sensors with incorporated electrically charged H+ ionophores.

Polymer membrane-based potentiometric sensors have been developed earlier to provide a rapid and direct method of analysis for polyions such as heparin, a natural anticoagulant administered to prevent thrombus formation during cardiovascular surgery. These heparin sensors are irreversible, requiring a membrane renewal procedure between measurements which currently prevents the sensors from being used for continuous monitoring of blood heparin. A newly developed heparin sensor is shown here to allow an alternate and more practical method of membrane renewal. The electrically charged H+ ionophore 5-(octadecanoyloxy)-2-(4-nitrophenylazo)phenol (ETH 2412) is incorporated as an additional ionophore into a heparin-sensing membrane. This membrane will respond to pH only at low H+ concentrations, while sample anions are coextracted with H+ ions into the membrane at physiological pH. In buffered samples at physiological pH, the sensors will therefore respond to heparin via an ion-exchange mechanism with chloride a...
An efficient method for the conversion of alkylmercuric halides into olefins

Abstract Photolysis of an alkylmercuric halide in the presence of diphenyl-diselenide yields the corresponding alkylphenylselenium intermediate, which can be converted into an olefin on treatment with sodium periodate.
What's Ahead for the U.S. Food-Processing Industry? Discussion

This session comes at an important time, given the demographic, economic, and technical changes impacting on the food-processing industry and the consequent implications for firm and public policy. The papers are timely and needed in this era of dynamic change we are now experiencing. The common link between the papers and the subject of the session is the uncertainty and instability in the processing industry in the present and the future as a result of these forces of change. It is always difficult to compress the knowledge and information the authors possess into the time frame allotted for their papers. Nonetheless, we would have preferred much less history and description of trends and more analysis of "what's ahead," the subject of this session. It is our view that markets are more fragmented than ever before, and thus it is more difficult for businesses to track trends; but it is more important that they do so. The fragmenting marketplace creates problems but also opportunities, since product needs will become increasingly more specialized. What is important is not what has happened but being right about what is going to happen. Connor et al. rightly point out the increased demand for convenience foods and FAFH as a result of more working wives. They note that these consumers tend to protect their time more than their money, but this generalization will apply to some of the subgroups we will discuss.
Paleogeographic implications of an erosional remnant of Paleogene rocks southwest of the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone, southern Coast Ranges, California

A small tract of heretofore-unrecognized Paleogene rocks lies about 30 km northeast of Santa Maria and 1 km southwest of the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone near upper Pine Creek. This poorly exposed assemblage of rocks is less than 50 m thick, lies unconformably on regionally distributed Upper Cretaceous submarine-fan deposits, and consists of three units: fossiliferous lower Eocene mudstone, Oligocene(?) conglomerate, and basaltic andesite that has a radiometric age of 26.6 ± 0.5 Ma. Both the sedimentary and igneous constituents in the Paleogene sequence are unlike those of known sequences on either side of the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone. Conventional paleogeographic restorations need to be modified to accommodate the conditions of deposition and emplacement represented by the three rock units. The Paleogene sedimentary rocks near upper Pine Creek presumably are remnants of formerly widespread early Eocene bathyal deposits and locally distributed Oligocene(?) fluvial deposits southwest of the fault zone. The 26.6 Ma basaltic andesite, however, may not have extended much beyond its present outcrops. Although the history, nature, and amount of pre-Miocene slip along the Sur-Nacimiento fault zone are not resolved, an episode of Oligocene(?) displacement is required by the contrast in thicknesses; depositional patterns, and paleobathymetry of the juxtaposed rock sequences.
Strength and growth in a plantation economy

Fogel and Engerman's self-conscious application of economic theory to historical data is extremely useful in clarifying the market relationships operative in the antebellum Southern economy. What is missing in their study is an appreciation of the explanatory limits of the theory they have employed. They have paid a high price in attempting to stretch the capabilities of neoclassical theory into domains beyond its scope. In particular this takes the form of an implicit assumption that if market efficiency is attained, modernization is within reach.
Gastric polyposis due to multiple hyperplastic adenomatous polyps

Four cases of gastric polyposis in which the multiple polyps were hyperplastic adenomatous polyps are presented with endoscopic and histologic description. The multiple hyperplastic adenomatous polyps in our cases showed more diffuse involvement of specific regions of the stomach than is usual with papillary adenomatous polyps. Hyperplastic adenomatous polyps have a low potential for malignancy, and it is suggested that they may be followed by periodic observation rather than fulguration or removal.
Superoxide Electrochemistry in an Ionic Liquid

The superoxide ion (O2•-) has been generated electrochemically from oxygen dissolved in two different solvent systems: (1) acetonitrile with tetraethylammonium perchlorate (TEAP) as the supporting electrolyte at elevated pressure and (2) in a room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][HFP]), at atmospheric pressure. A high-pressure electrochemical cell with a quasi reference electrode was developed for elevated pressure tests. Increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in the first system increased the rate of superoxide generation because of the increased solubility of oxygen according to Henry's law. The subsequent addition of gaseous carbon dioxide enhances the rate of oxygen reduction in both systems but inhibits the reverse (oxidation) reaction of O2•- to O2. This later observation is consistent with the irreversible formation of a peroxydicarbonate ion, as has been postulated by others.
Lung response to coarse PM: Bioassay in mice

Particulate matter (PM) elicits inflammatory and toxic responses in the lung specific to its constituents, which can vary by region, time, and particle size. To identify the mechanism of toxicity in PM collected in a rural area in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California, we studied coarse particles of 2.5-10 mum diameter (PM(2.5)-PM(10)). Potential pro-inflammatory and toxic effects of PM(2.5)-PM(10) in the lung were investigated using intratracheally instilled mice. We determined total and differential cell profiles and inflammatory chemokines in lung lavage fluid, and biomarkers of toxicity resulting from coarse PM exposure. Responses of the mice were readily observed with total doses of 25-50 mug of PM per mouse. Changes in pro-inflammatory cellular profiles and chemokines showed both dose and time responses; peak responses were observed 24 h after PM instillation, with recovery as early as 48 h. Furthermore, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-2) profiles following PM exposures were correlated to levels of measured macrophages and neutrophils recovered from lung lavage fluid of PM-treated animals. Our data suggest that pro-inflammatory effects observed from coarse PM collected during the summer months from California's hot and dry Central Valley are driven largely by the insoluble components of the PM mixture, and are not caused by endotoxin.
Use of edrophonium chloride (tensilon) to detect early digitalis toxicity.

Abstract Edrophonium chloride (Tensilon), a short-acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, was given to 30 patients at various stages of digitalization. The results are similar to those reported with carotid sinus stimulation. Although slowing of the ventricular rate after edrophonium was most marked in patients close to full digitalization, this response is too variable to be used as a guide to digitalization. Edrophonium increased the incidence of variable and fixed coupled premature ventricular beats in patients with digitalis intoxication but not in other patients. A plan is presented for the diagnosis of digitalis intoxication that involves the use of vagal stimulation by carotid sinus stimulation and administration of edrophonium.
Effects of audio-visual information and mode of speech on listener perceptions of alaryngeal speakers.

There is minimal research on listener perceptions of an individual with a laryngectomy (IWL) based on audio-visual information. The aim of this research was to provide preliminary insight into whether listeners have different perceptions of an individual with a laryngectomy based on mode of presentation (audio-only vs. audio-visual) and mode of speech (tracheoesophageal, oesophageal, electrolaryngeal, normal). Thirty-four naive listeners were randomly presented with a standard reading passage produced by one typical speaker from each mode of speech in both audio-only and audio-visual presentation mode. Listeners used a visual analogue scale (10 cm line) to indicate their perceptions of each speaker's personality. A significant effect for mode of speech was present. There was no significant difference in listener perceptions between mode of presentation using individual ratings. However, principal component analysis showed ratings were more favourable in the audio-visual mode. Results of this study suggest...
Macrophage inhibitor factor (MIF) in cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases.

Macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) activity in the sera of patients with mycosis fungoides, Sezary syndrome, and cutaneous lymphoma was observed in the sera of eight of the ten patients with stage II (infiltrative) mycosis fungoides, but in only one of the eight patients with stage I and in neither of the two patients with stage III mycosis fungoides. Two of the three patients with Sezary syndrome had MIF in the serum. No MIF was observed in cutaneous lymphoma. These data support the concept that Sezary syndrome and mycosis fungoides are T-cell diseases, and transitional, prelymphomatous diseases.
A mass-limited Sn target irradiated by dual laser pulses for an EUVL source

We present efforts to mitigate debris from laser-produced Sn plasma by introducing a low energy pre-pulse while keeping high in-band conversion efficiency from laser to 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. The basic idea is to separate the processes of plasma production and 13.5 nm EUV light generation. A low energy pre-pulse is introduced to create a pre-plume; the main pulse then heats up the pre-plume to the optimum temperature for efficient 13.5 nm EUV light generation. Much lower ion energy and nearly the same conversion efficiency were simultaneously observed from plasma driven by a dual-pulse as compared with that of a single pulse. Thin Sn coating were investigated as a form of mass-limited target. It was found that the higher ion energy normally accompanying the use of a mass-limited Sn target is effectively maintained under 100 eV by using the dual pulse irradiation technique. A Sn coating as thin as 30 nm could generate almost the same conversion efficiency as that obtained with a single pulse and a massive target. It was noted that less gas is required to mitigate ions with lower energy when dual pulses are used. This research enables an efficient, clean, and high-speed mass-limited target supply based on pure Sn for a high volume manufacturing (HVM) EUVL source.
Crystallization and preliminary X‐ray crystallographic analysis of Aart, a designed six‐­finger zinc‐finger peptide, bound to DNA

Crystals of a designed six-finger zinc-finger protein, Aart, bound to a 22-base-pair duplex DNA containing a consensus binding site have been obtained. Crystals grew by hanging-drop vapor diffusion from solutions containing polyethylene glycol 4000 as the precipitating agent. The irregularly shaped crystals belong to space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 41.95, b = 71.76, c = 74.73 A, α = 100.87, β = 96.22, γ = 106.33°. There are most likely to be two protein–DNA complexes in the asymmetric unit. A complete native data set has been collected from a high-energy synchrotron source to a resolution of 2.95 A at 100 K, with an R merge of 9.3%.
SCOREM: statistical consolidation of redundant expression measures

Many platforms for genome-wide analysis of gene expression contain ‘redundant’ measures for the same gene. For example, the most highly utilized platforms for gene expression microarrays, Affymetrix GeneChip® arrays, have as many as ten or more probe sets for some genes. Occasionally, individual probe sets for the same gene report different trends in expression across experimental conditions, a situation that must be resolved in order to accurately interpret the data. We developed an algorithm, SCOREM, for determining the level of agreement between such probe sets, utilizing a statistical test of concordance, Kendall's W coefficient of concordance, and a graph-searching algorithm for the identification of concordant probe sets. We also present methods for consolidating concordant groups into a single value for its corresponding gene and for post hoc analysis of discordant groups. By combining statistical consolidation with sequence analysis, SCOREM possesses the unique ability to identify biologically meaningful discordant behaviors, including differing behaviors in alternate RNA isoforms and tissue-specific patterns of expression. When consolidating concordant behaviors, SCOREM outperforms other methods in detecting both differential expression and overrepresented functional categories.
Propagation of surface waves on a laterally heterogeneous earth: asymptotic solution of the two-dimensional wave equation

SUMMARY The two-dimensional wave equation is used to represent the propagation of surface waves on a laterally heterogeneous earth. Assuming sufficiently smooth variations in earth structure, expressions for the wavefield potentials and their associated displacement spectra are derived up to second-order scattering interactions. Up to first-order scattering, these expressions are shown to be equivalent to the results obtained from the coupling of normal modes along a common dispersion branch. The second-order scattering wavefield appears as a negatively phase-shifted perturbation which acts to decrease the apparent phase velocity of the arriving wavelet. Synthetic experiments demonstrate that significant bias in earth structure inversions may be introduced by neglecting such effects.
Short-term storage of repetitions of two items

Correct choice of the more frequent of two items presented in random sequence appears to be a function of the absolute, rather than the relative difference in number of repetitions of the items. When the absolute difference was held constant at one or five repetitions, proportions of correct choices remained constant as sequence length increased (and relative difference decreased), and was greater for an absolute difference of five than one. This suggests that such choice may depend on evaluation of the relative values of independent short-term traces for each item.
Dynamic simulation of operating variables in flotation columns

Abstract Contributions to better control of flotation columns may come from improvements in different areas: measurements, dynamic and functional models, control strategies and control algorithms. Lack of process knowledge, specifically on transient behaviour and interaction among variables, generally leads to low quality conventional distributed control and partially inhibits further improvements. In this work, discrete multivariate dynamic models of operating variables were experimentally obtained in a pilot column and then arranged to build a dynamic simulator prototype, for the air-water system. The main strategy was to use low order dynamic models between every independent and dependent variable, and to combine them linearly to predict the evolution of each variable of interest, by solving a set of difference equations. Given an initial steady state (i.e. feed flowrate, wash water flowrate, openings of tailing and air valves, froth depth, gas holdup and bias), the program running in a PC computer, predicts the transient behaviour of the froth depth, the gas holdup and the bias, under any disturbance introduced in the independent variables over time. The program provides a friendly user interface to follow on-line the trends on screen and to recreate the whole experience later on from data previously stored in hard disk during the experiment. Comparison of predicted and experimental responses under different disturbances showed the effectiveness of the simulator following the general trends, and where further work to include extreme nonlinear effects has to be done. The integration of dynamic process models and control algorithms in a computer program has proved to be very useful in evaluating control strategies.
Post Copper CMP Hybrid Clean Process for Advanced BEOL Technology

A “hybrid” post Cu CMP cleaning process that combines acidic and basic clean in sequence is developed and implemented. The new process demonstrates the strengths of both acidic and basic cleans and achieves a more than 60% reduction in CMP defects, such as polish residues, foreign materials, slurry abrasives, scratches, and hollow metal, relative to an all-basic clean process. It also eliminates the circular ring defects that occur intermittently during roller brush cleans. TXRF scans confirm the reduction of AlOx defects when using the hybrid clean process. XPS spectra show similar Cu surface oxidation states between the basic and hybrid clean processes. As revealed by XRD analysis, surface Cu oxide is dissolved into aqueous solution by the acidic clean chemical. The formation mechanism of circular ring defects and the key to their elimination is discussed.
Inhibition of Wnt16 in human acute lymphoblastoid leukemia cells containing the t(1;19) translocation induces apoptosis

Inhibition of Wnt16 in human acute lymphoblastoid leukemia cells containing the t(1;19) translocation induces apoptosis
The preschool teacher-child dyad: Sex differences in verbal interaction.

CHERRY, LOUISE. The Preschool Teacher-Child Dyad: Sex Diferences in Verbal Interaction. CHMLD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 532-535. This study describes differences in the quantity and style of female preschool teachers' dyadic verbal interaction with the girls and boys in their classes. 16 hours of spontaneous speech of 4 female preschool teachers and 38 girls and boys was tape recorded in 2 classroom situations, then transcribed and analyzed. The results showed that teachers verbally interacted more, verbally initiated more, and used more attentional-marked utterances in speech with boys than with girls. Teachers used more verbal acknowledgments in speech with girls as compared with boys. There were no sex differences in the fluency (length or reciprocity) of teacher-child verbal interaction or in the rate of teacher initiation of interaction.
Cerebral arteriolar damage by arachidonic acid and prostaglandin G2

Application of arachidonic acid or prostaglandin G(2) to the brain surface of anesthetized cats induced cerebral arteriolar damage. Scavengers of free oxygen radicals inhibited this damage. Prostaglandin H(2), prostaglandin E(2), and 11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid did not produce arteriolar damage. It appears that increased prostaglandin synthesis produces cerebral vascular damage by generating free oxygen radicals.
The human condition: an immunological perspective.

Despite enormous progress in basic research, there are many gaps in understanding human immunity. Here we describe how new investigational tools and computational methods promise to improve the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of the many diseases with components from the immune system.
A case of spermatic cord teratoma in low-stage testicular cancer managed by surveillance

In this Case Study, Subramanian et al. present a patient who underwent orchiectomy for low-stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumor of the testis. The patient opted for management by surveillance, and subsequently developed a recurrent teratoma of the spermatic cord. The case illustrates the importance of combining imaging and tumor marker measurement in surveillance protocols. Background A 25-year-old male presented to his local urologist with new-onset right testicular pain and swelling detected on self examination. A scrotal ultrasound scan showed a right testicular mass, suspicious for neoplasm. Serum levels of α-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin were found to be elevated at 920.2 µg/l and 637.4 U/l, respectively. The patient underwent right inguinal orchiectomy and was diagnosed with nonseminomatous germ cell tumor of the right testis, composed of yolk sac tumor, teratoma, and embryonal carcinoma with no evidence of metastatic disease. He opted to remain under surveillance rather than undergo primary chemotherapy or retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for his clinical stage I disease. Serologic relapse at 4 months after orchiectomy was successfully treated with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy. Investigations Surveillance comprised regular clinic visits, measurement of serum levels of α-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin and lactate dehydrogenase, chest X-ray and CT of the abdomen and pelvis. Pathology of the testicular mass was reviewed. Diagnosis A 1.7 cm nodule anterior to the right psoas muscle suspicious for metastatic disease that was seen on CT 16 months after orchiectomy was pathologically confirmed as recurrent mature teratoma in the spermatic cord. Additionally, one of eleven interaortocaval lymph nodes showed evidence of teratoma. Management Bilateral nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection with complete excision of the right spermatic cord was performed. The patient has since remained disease-free, with normal levels of serum tumor markers and no evidence of metastasis on chest X-ray and abdominal CT.
Studies of the Plasma Droplet Accelerator Scheme

In the plasma droplet accelerator scheme, proposed by R. Palmer, a sequence of liquid micro-spheres generated by a jet printer are ionized by an incoming intense laser. The hope is that the micro-spheres now acting as conducting balls will allow efficient coupling of the incoming laser radiation into an accelerating mode. Motivated by this we have carried out 2D, particle simulations in order to answer some of the plasma physics questions hitherto unaddressed. In particular we find that at least for laser intensities exceeding vo/c=0.03 (~1013w/cm2 for a CO2 laser), the incident laser light is rather efficiently absorbed in a hot electron distribution. Up to 70% of the incident energy can be absorbed by these electrons which rapidly expand and fill the vacuum space between the microspheres with a low density plasma. These results indicate that it is advisable to stay clear of plasma formation and thus put on an upper limit on the maximum surface fields that can be tolerated in the droplet-accelerator scheme.
A convenient nomenclature for fused β‐lactams

A new nomenclature is proposed which provides a convenient stereo-description of diverse types of fused β-lactams appearing in the literature in recent years.
Gibbs sampling for time-delay-and amplitude estimation in underwater acoustics

Multipath arrivals at a receiving sensor are frequently encountered in many signal-processing areas, including sonar, radar, and communication problems. In underwater acoustics, numerous approaches to source localization, geoacoustic inversion, and tomography rely on accurate multipath arrival extraction. A novel method for estimation of time delays and amplitudes of arrivals with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation is presented here. MAP estimation is optimal if appropriate statistical models are selected for the data; implementation, requiring maximization of a multidimensional function, is computationally demanding. Gibbs sampling is proposed as an efficient means for estimating necessary posterior probability distributions, bypassing analytical calculations. The Gibbs sampler includes as unknowns time delays, amplitudes, noise variance, and number of arrivals. Through Monte Carlo simulations, the method is shown to have a performance very close to that of analytical MAP estimation. The method is also shown to be superior to expectation-maximization, which is often applied to time-delay estimation. The Gibbs sampling approach is demonstrated to be more informative than other time-delay estimation methods, providing complete posterior distributions compared to just point estimates; the distributions capture the uncertainty in the problem, presenting likely values of the unknowns that are different from simple point estimates.
Guidelines for the determination of brain death in infants and children: an update of the 1987 task force recommendations-executive summary

OBJECTIVE: To review and revise the 1987 pediatric brain death guidelines. METHODS: Relevant literature was reviewed. Recommendations were developed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) system. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) Determination of brain death in term newborns, infants, and children is a clinical diagnosis based on the absence of neurologic function with a known irreversible cause of coma. Because of insufficient data in the literature, recommendations for preterm infants 30 days to 18 years) is recommended. The first examination determines the child has met the accepted neurologic examination criteria for brain death. The second examination confirms brain death based on an unchanged and irreversible condition. Assessment of neurologic function after cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other severe acute brain injuries should be deferred for 24 hours or longer if there are concerns or inconsistencies in the examination. (4) Apnea testing to support the diagnosis of brain death must be performed safely and requires documentation of an arterial PaCO(2) 20mmHg above the baseline and ≥60mmHg with no respiratory effort during the testing period. If the apnea test cannot be safely completed, an ancillary study should be performed. (5) Ancillary studies (electroencephalogram and radionuclide cerebral blood flow) are not required to establish brain death and are not a substitute for the neurologic examination. Ancillary studies may be used to assist the clinician in making the diagnosis of brain death (a) when components of the examination or apnea testing cannot be completed safely due to the underlying medical condition of the patient; (b) if there is uncertainty about the results of the neurologic examination; (c) if a medication effect may be present; or (d) to reduce the interexamination observation period. When ancillary studies are used, a second clinical examination and apnea test should be performed, and components that can be completed must remain consistent with brain death. In this instance, the observation interval may be shortened, and the second neurologic examination and apnea test (or all components that are able to be completed safely) can be performed at any time thereafter. (6) Death is declared when these above criteria are fulfilled. ANN NEUROL 2012; Language: en
Force prediction and tracking for image-guided robotic system using neural network approach

In contemporary brachytherapy procedure, needle placement at desired location is challenging due to a variety of reasons. We have designed a robot-assisted brachytherapy system to improve needle placement and seed delivery. In this paper, we have used neural network (NN) for predicting insertion force during prostate brachytherapy. The NN controller computes control inputs required for optimizing the robotic system. To verify efficacy of the control system we used in-vivo motion and force measurements during actual brachytherapy needle insertion while radioactive seeds were implanted in the prostate gland, as a real-time controller input signal. Both force prediction and force tracking processes are investigated. Information about insertion force values are used to adjust other insertion parameters like insertion velocity or acceleration in order to minimize the insertion force.
Religion, Spirituality, and the Practice of Medicine

Physicians are confronted with new information from the popular media, peer-reviewed journals, and their patients regarding the association of religious and spiritual factors with health outcomes. Although religion and spirituality have become more visible within health care, there are considerable ethical issues raised when physicians incorporate these dimensions into their care. Spiritualities are responsive to patient needs by offering beliefs, stories, and practices that facilitate the creation of a personally meaningful world, a constructed “reality” in the face of illness, disability, or death. It is largely through narrative that physicians incorporate into the health care encounter the spiritualities that are central to their patients’ lived experience of illness and health.
Ballistic electron transport in semiconductor heterostructures and its analogies in electromagnetic propagation in general dielectrics

A comprehensive set of analogies between ballistic electron wave propagation in semiconductors (arbitrary kinetic energy and effective mass) and electromagnetic propagation in general dielectrics (arbitrary permittivity and permeability) is established. The expressions for electron wave propagation, reflection, and refraction are developed and shown to have the same functional form as in electromagnetics, if analogous definitions of electron wave phase and amplitude refractive indexes are used. The reflectivity characteristics such as total internal reflection (critical angle) and zero reflectivity (Brewster angle) are analyzed as a function of material parameters for both general dielectrics and semiconductor materials. The critical angle and Brewster angle results are then applied to electron wave propagation in Ga/sub 1-x/Al/sub x/As, where it is shown that all interfaces in this material will have both a critical angle and a Brewster angle due to differing effective masses across the interface. >
From Gutenberg to Gigabytes: Scholarly Communication in the Age of Cyberspace

G utenberg's invention of the movable type printing press in the mid-fifteenth century brought a revolution in written communications.' The printing press made possible the production of a larger number of manuscript copies, in a more consistent form, and at a far lower cost than possible by professional copyists. Within 30 years of its invention, the printing press was in use throughout Europe and with the publication of the "Gutenberg" bible in 1456, the basis was established for the development of the modern publishing industry. Gutenberg's invention increased dramatically the potential for the diffusion of knowledge and information. In turn, by increasing the speed and breadth of scholarly communication, the printing press increased the rate at which knowledge was created. More scholars and scientists were able to learn about and to respond to ideas and research results and to do so faster. The creation of the internet in 1983 and particularly the advent of the World Wide Web with its graphic interface provides the basis for another revolution in communications, one that will rival if not exceed that spawned by Gutenberg. The ramifications of the Web have been the subject of considerable attention in both the popular and the scholarly press. The present article explores the implications of the Web for scholarly communication and particularly for scholarly journals.2 The
Speaker identification with whispered speech based on modified LFCC parameters and feature mapping

Much research recently in speaker recognition has been devoted to robustness due to microphone and channel effects. However, changes in vocal effort, especially whispered speech, present significant challenges in maintaining system performance. Due to the absence of any periodic excitation in whisper, the spectral structure in whisper and neutral speech will differ. Therefore, performance of speaker ID systems, trained mainly with high energy voiced phonemes, degrades when tested with whisper. This study considers a front-end feature compensation method for whispered speech to improve speaker recognition using a neutral trained system. First, an alternative feature vector with linear frequency cepstral coefficients (LFCC) is introduced based on spectral analysis from both speech modes. Next, for the first time a feature mapping is proposed for reducing whisper/neutral mismatch in speaker ID. Feature mapping is applied on a frame-by-frame basis between two speaker independent GMMs (Gaussian Mixture Models) of whispered and neutral speech. Text independent closed set speaker ID results show an absolute 20% improvement in accuracy when compared with a traditional MFCC feature based system. This result confirms a viable approach to improving speaker ID performance between neutral and whispered speech conditions.
Ligand-field effects for the 3p photoelectron spectra of Cr2O3

A major reason for the departure of core level X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of transition metal cations in oxides from the predictions of atomic models is shown to arise from ligand field splittings in the initial state of photoemission. This splitting often leads to a change in the spatial degeneracy of the initial state but the consequences of this for XPS have not been explicitly identified in prior work. Further changes arise from ligand field splittings in the core-hole final states. Results are reported for non-empirical, cluster model many body wavefunctions for the $3p$ XPS of ${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}.$ The agreement of the theoretical cluster model XPS with experiment is considerably improved over the pure atomic model. Furthermore, the treatment allows screening of the core hole through changes in the covalent character of the cluster orbitals. This is quite different from the usual description of screening in oxides within the framework of charge transfer configurations and it offers new insights into the role of charge transfer for satellite structure.
Blood Pressure Lowering and Acute Perihematomal Brain Edema After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

See related article, p 1292. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common and often fatal subtype of stroke that produces severe neurological deficits in survivors.1 There are still no proven therapeutic interventions for ICH, but there has been much interest in the potential use of acutely reducing blood pressure to limit hematoma expansion. A key factor affecting ICH outcome is hematoma size, and hematoma expansion occurs in about one third of patients with ICH.2 This has led to 3 clinical trials: Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial (INTERACT), Antihypertensive Treatment of Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage (ATACH), and The Intracerebral Hemorrhage Acutely Decreasing Arterial Pressure Trial (ICH ADAPT).3–5 INTERACT 2 reported last year6 and suggested an improvement in outcome although this did not reach statistical significance. Understanding the importance of those results requires determination of whether acute blood pressure reductions may have detrimental and beneficial effects in patients with ICH. In this …
Management practices adopted by top Kentucky milk-production herds

Dairy producers often make decisions based on what other producers in their region are doing. The objective of this research was to summarize management practices adopted by Kentucky Holstein herds with rolling herd average milk production >10,000 kg per cow (n = 23) using records obtained from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association. Interviews were conducted on farm and over the phone. The most common management practices adopted by these producers were regular forage testing (100%), regular use of veterinary services for reproductive management (100%), fans or sprinklers or both (91%), AI for genetic improvement of lactating cows (86%), AI on heifers (87%), annual ration balancing (87%), annual hoof trimming (86%), sexed semen (74%), separate far-off and close-up dry cows (70%), and using proven AI sires (62.8%). The most common mastitis-prevention methods used were drying teats before attaching milking units (100%), treating all quarters at dry-off (100%), predipping (95%), postdipping (95%), wearing gloves in the parlor (83%), and using automatic take offs (83%). When asked to identify the management practice that contributed the most to their milk-production level, the most frequently cited reasons
Noise in SiGe HBT RF Technology: Physics, Modeling, and Circuit Implications

This paper presents an overview of the physics, modeling, and circuit implications of RF broad-band noise, low-frequency noise, and oscillator phase noise in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) RF technology. The ability to simultaneously achieve high cutoff frequency (f/sub T/), low base resistance (r/sub b/), and high current gain (/spl beta/) using Si processing underlies the low levels of low-frequency 1/f noise, RF noise, and phase noise of SiGe HBTs. We first examine the RF noise sources in SiGe HBTs and the RF noise parameters as a function of SiGe profile design, transistor biasing, sizing, and operating frequency, and then show a low-noise amplifier design example to bridge the gap between device and circuit level understandings. We then examine the low-frequency noise in SiGe HBTs and develop a methodology to determine the highest tolerable low-frequency 1/f noise for a given RF application. The upconversion of 1/f noise, base resistance thermal noise, and shot noises to phase noise is examined using circuit simulations, which show that the phase noise corner frequency in SiGe HBT oscillators is typically much smaller than the 1/f corner frequency measured under dc biasing. The implications of SiGe profile design, transistor sizing, biasing, and technology scaling are examined for all three types of noises.
Correlation of Oxygen and Recombination Centers on a Microscale in Asgrown Czochralski Silicon Crystals

Quantitative microprofiles of the interstitial oxygen concentration and of the excess carrier lifetime, with a spacial resolution of about 20 µm, were obtained in as-grown dislocationfree CZ-Si crystals employing a double laser absorption technique. It was found that maxima (minima) in oxygen concentration along the crystal growth direction coincide with minima (maxima) of the lifetime. It was further found that the relation between changes in oxygen concentration and in lifetime varies in the radial direction indicating that “as-grown” oxygen precipitates are involved in lifetime limiting processes.