cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High resolution three-dimensional cine phase contrast MRI of small intracranial aneurysms using a stack of stars k-space trajectory

Purpose: To develop a method for targeted volumetric, three directional cine phase contrast (PC) imaging with high spatial resolution in clinically feasible scan times. Materials and Methods: A hybrid radial-Cartesian k-space trajectory is used for cardiac gated, volumetric imaging with three directional velocity encoding. Imaging times are reduced by radial undersampling and temporal viewsharing. Phase contrast angiograms are displayed in a new approach that addresses the concern of signal drop out in regions of slow flow. The feasibility of the PC stack of stars (SOS) trajectory was demonstrated with an in vivo study capturing 14 small intracranial aneurysms (2–10 mm). Aneurysm measures from six aneurysms also imaged with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were compared with linear regression with those from the PC SOS images. Results: All aneurysms were identified on the phase contrast angiograms. The geometric measures from PC SOS and DSA were in good agreement (linear regression: slope = 0.89, intercept = 0.35, R∧2 = 0.88). Conclusion: PC SOS is a promising method for obtaining volumetric angiograms and cine phase contrast velocity measurements in three dimensions. Acquired spatial resolutions of 0.4 × 0.4 × (0.7–1.0) mm make this method especially promising for studying flow in small intracranial aneurysms. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:518-527. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Undercooling of molten silicon

Droplets of uncoated molten Si(0.4-0.8 mm diameter) have been undercooled 250 C. Ge droplets of similar size have been undercooled 280 C in a B2O3 flux. The observed nucleation onset temperatures of both Si and Ge droplets are at or below the predicted amorphous phase melting temperatures T(al). The solidified structures were polycrystalline. The nucleation frequency I, calculated from the Si data (20,000/cu cm s at 240 + or - 20 C undercooling), should be an upper limit of the homogeneous nucleation frequency of the crystal phase, since it has not been established that nucleation was homogeneous in these experiments. However, this limiting I for Si indicates that homogeneous nucleation of crystal would not become appreciable in laser pulsing experiments until the liquid Si is undercooled to well below T(al).
Abnormal Expression of Differentiation Related Proteins and Proteoglycan Core Proteins in the Urothelium of Patients With Interstitial Cystitis

Purpose: Expression of the proteoglycan core proteins biglycan, decorin, perlecan and syndecan-1, and differentiation related markers of keratins 18 and 20 were examined to determine the origins of the loss of the glycosaminoglycan layer and investigate more fully the altered differentiation of the urothelium in interstitial cystitis.Materials and Methods: Formalin fixed biopsies from 27 patients with interstitial cystitis and 5 controls were immunohistochemically labeled for the described proteins and scored using a modification of previous scoring for other markers. Inflammation was scored from hematoxylin and eosin stained slides. By combining previous with new data, cluster analysis showed the relationships among the markers and samples.Results: Interstitial cystitis specimens clustered into 4 groups, ranging from most biomarkers abnormal to most biomarkers normal, but all clustered separately from normal controls. One group of interstitial cystitis specimens mainly showed aberrant expression of E-cad...
The effect of fluid pressure on oxygen isotope exchange between feldspar and water

The rate of oxygen isotope exchange between adularia and 2 M KCl solution has been measured at 650°C at pressures from 125 to 4000 bar. Isotropie diffusion coefficients calculated from these data show a positive dependence on the fluid pressure. This dependence is opposite to the predicted effect of hydrostatic pressure and is attributed to the activity of ‘water’ (H2O, H+ or OH−) in the feldspar.
Has Digital Clay Finally Arrived

ABSTRACTNew Stylus Based Polygonal Modeling software being developed for the entertainment design industry may be able to augment or potentially replace the automotive design industry's traditional use of styling clay in early 3D conceptualizing phases of their design process. Within the University of Cincinnati's (UC) School of Design, and in conjunction with the Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC), the Autodesk's Mudbox software program was tested in terms of its usability and output quality, effectiveness in form exploration and development, the effort and time required to generate design iterations, and refinement and final execution. Results were evaluated by analyzing the Autodesk Mudbox flow, and the resulting tangible models fabricated with 3D printing technologies. A pilot project was executed, in which a vehicle was modeled in order to evaluate the ease and limitations of these new software programs’ ability to intuitively create and control surface continuity across expressively complex forms develo...
Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury: Early Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, and Recovery

This review article represents the proceedings from the translational research symposium presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology/American Federation for Medical Research (FASEB/AFMR) meeting in May 2007 in Washington, DC. This research symposium consisted of four talks, which are individually summarized below. The first talk gave a general overview of the biomarkers in the setting of acute kidney injury (AKI), along with some data from clinical biomarker studies. The second talk discussed the preclinical studies of the emerging biomarkers in the area of AKI. The third talk discussed the biomarkers of AKI after deceased kidney transplantation, which is a unique model of kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury. The final talk discussed the role of circulating stem cells in renal tubule regeneration after ischemic injury and if they have potential for biomarkers of recovery or therapeutic intervention.
Fluorescence detection of tumors: studies on the early diagnosis of microscopic lesions in preclinical and clinical studies

The growth of microscopic tumor lesions at or beyond treatment field lesions poses major problems in the diagnosis and curative treatment of numerous cancers. Early detection techniques which clearly define the extent of condemned or field spread of disease may improve the primary treatment of the disease. In vivo fluorescence photometry is a non-imaging technique which digitally displays relative fluorescence values in volts. The sensitivity of the instrument has allowed the detection of micrometastases in both pre-clinical and clinical studies using drug doses that are 80-90 lower than those used therapeutically. This technique is now being applied in preliminary experiments to the hamster cheek pouch models to (1) discern varying grades of dysplasia; (2) levels of uptake of the drug in normal growing and quiescent tumors. Results will be shown in two models in which this technique has shown to be efficacious preclinically in the Pollard rat adenocarcinoma model in which micrometastases in the lymph node have been detected, and preliminary studies involving the hamster cheek pouch model in which the pouch is painted with 9, 10 dimethyl-1, 2-benzanthracene (DMBA) for initiation and promotion of tumors. Clinically results will be shown in which fluorescence detection, confirmed by biopsy and histopathological examination, was capable of detecting the existence of micrometastatic involvement of less than 100 cells.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Electrocardiogram attenuation of QRS complexes in association with Takotsubo syndrome.

The interesting case report by Rojas-Marte et al. [1], published ahead of print in the Journal on July 31, 2014, about a 31 year-old womanwho suffered Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), complicated by cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock, following an overdose of ibuprofen and diphenhydramine, and was treated successfully with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, providesmewith the opportunity to bring to the attention of the authors a newly described association of TTS with early transient electrocardiogram (ECG) attenuation of the QRS complexes (ATTQRS) [2,3]. Perusal of the 3 ECGs recorded upon admission, at ~1 hour, and at 36 hours later, reveals ATTQRS in the limb leads which are evident by comparison between the ECG #3 and ECGs, #1 and #2. Also transient ATTQRS with subsequent restoration of the amplitude of the QRS complexes was shown in the precordial leads (particularly V3 – V5), evident by comparisons of the 3 ECGs [1]. These ATTQRS, which may have a role in the diagnosis of TTS, have been attributed to the ensuing myocardial edema, as detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging [2,3]. I would be grateful to the authors if they could provide a comparison of the 3 ECGs, with a possibly available ECG prior to the inception of TTS, or subsequent ECGs recorded during hospitalization or at follow-up.
Bone marrow colony-stimulating factor: renal influence on serum titers.

The serum titer of colony-stimulating factor which stimulates in vitro growth of bone marrow cells to form colonies of granulocytic and mononuclear cells is elevated 18 hr following bilateral ureteral ligation and unilateral or bilateral nephrectomy in mice. Following unilateral ureteral ligation, there is a moderate elevation of colony-stimulating activity at 3 and 7 days. These results suggest that the titer of serum colony-stimulating factor is dependent in part on renal clearance of the factor.
High Extraction Efficiency of Spontaneous Emission from Slabs of Photonic Crystals

A thin slab of two-dimensional photonic crystal is shown to alter drastically the radiation pattern of spontaneous emission. More specifically, by eliminating all guided modes at the transition frequencies, spontaneous emission can be coupled entirely to free space modes, resulting in a greatly enhanced extraction efficiency. Such structures might provide a solution to the long-standing problem of poor light extraction from high refractive-index semiconductors in light-emitting diodes.
Space-Time Spectral Analysis of Rotary Vector Series

Abstract The analogy between space-time spectra and rotary spectra is discussed. The space-time spectra can be interpreted as the rotary spectra of a wave vector. These spectra are combined to resolve a rotary vector into clockwise and anticlockwise components as well as progressive and retrogressive components. The space-time rotary spectrum analysis is useful for a statistical identification of traveling vortices.
Remote sensing of LAI-FPAR fluctuations and Synchrotron EXAFS-XANES studies of metal absorption under stress

The fluctuations of leaf area index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) as reported by the MODIS 8-day product MOD15A2 over a section of Harriman State Park, New York were studied with reference to another nearby local park. The area selected for study, a seven km square grid with one km resolution, is known for its biodiversity. Time series data points were generated using the sums of the grid's 49 pixel measurements for each of the 46 entries that make up the annual time series. A quadratic relation has been observed that suggests that LAI/FPAR is proportional to FPAR if FPAR is considered as the forcing parameter via chlorophyll (a, b, c, d and f), in an application model for the study of biodiversity. The LAI annual time series from 2000 to 2009 follows the corresponding FPAR annual time series as expected, but with different proportionality ratios in different seasons. The fractal analysis results of the time series data suggest that the LAI sequences have a lower fractal dimension (~1.35) than those of the FPAR sequences (~1.55), consistent with the idea that biological systems are capable of regulating fluctuation. The regression of LAI sequence fractal dimension versus FPAR sequence fractal dimension exhibits an R-square of about 0.7 (N =10). The observed regression outlier for the year 2009 could be indicative of the presence of additional factors. Synchrotron EXAFS and XANES investigations of leaf samples reveal data consistent with metal absorption under stress. Further studies of absorption under stress using remote sensing data are warranted.
Kant or Cassirer: A study in complementarity

The paper considers Ernst' Cassirer's standpoint with reference to Euclidean geometry and the complementarity principle of quantum theory, interpreted as a choice between a causal description and a space — time description. The acceptance of the complementarity principle by Cassirer not only lands him off the Kantian path slightly, but it also leads him to some contradictions and incompatibilities within his own system of thought. 1. Accepting complementarity, Cassirer cannot still hold that there is an infinite hierarchy of objective levels as he does towards the end of hisDeterminismus; and 2. accepting complementarity, Cassirer cannot still hold on to the observability principle of Leibniz.
High temporal resolution of extreme rainfall rate variability and the acoustic classification of rainfall

[1] The underwater sound generated by raindrop splashes on a water surface is loud and unique allowing detection, classification and quantification of rainfall. One of the advantages of the acoustic measurement is that the listening area, an effective catchment area, is proportional to the depth of the hydrophone and can be orders of magnitude greater than other in situ rain gauges. This feature allows high temporal resolution of the rainfall measurement. A series of rain events with extremely high rainfall rates, over 100 mm/hr, is examined acoustically. Rapid onset and cessation of rainfall intensity are detected within the convective cells of these storms with maximum 5-s resolution values exceeding 1000 mm/hr. The probability distribution functions (pdf) for rainfall rate occurrence and water volume using the longer temporal resolutions typical of other instruments do not include these extreme values. The variance of sound intensity within different acoustic frequency bands can be used as an aid to classify rainfall type. Objective acoustic classification algorithms are proposed. Within each rainfall classification the relationship between sound intensity and rainfall rate is nearly linear. The reflectivity factor, Z, also has a linear relationship with rainfall rate, R, for each rainfall classification.
Contrasting responses of mean and extreme snowfall to climate change

Snowfall is an important element of the climate system, and one that is expected to change in a warming climate. Both mean snowfall and the intensity distribution of snowfall are important, with heavy snowfall events having particularly large economic and human impacts. Simulations with climate models indicate that annual mean snowfall declines with warming in most regions but increases in regions with very low surface temperatures. The response of heavy snowfall events to a changing climate, however, is unclear. Here I show that in simulations with climate models under a scenario of high emissions of greenhouse gases, by the late twenty-first century there are smaller fractional changes in the intensities of daily snowfall extremes than in mean snowfall over many Northern Hemisphere land regions. For example, for monthly climatological temperatures just below freezing and surface elevations below 1,000 metres, the 99.99th percentile of daily snowfall decreases by 8% in the multimodel median, compared to a 65% reduction in mean snowfall. Both mean and extreme snowfall must decrease for a sufficiently large warming, but the climatological temperature above which snowfall extremes decrease with warming in the simulations is as high as -9 °C, compared to -14 °C for mean snowfall. These results are supported by a physically based theory that is consistent with the observed rain-snow transition. According to the theory, snowfall extremes occur near an optimal temperature that is insensitive to climate warming, and this results in smaller fractional changes for higher percentiles of daily snowfall. The simulated changes in snowfall that I find would influence surface snow and its hazards; these changes also suggest that it may be difficult to detect a regional climate-change signal in snowfall extremes.
The Role of Visual Working Memory in Attentive Tracking of Unique Objects.

When tracking moving objects in space humans usually attend to the objects' spatial locations and update this information over time. To what extent do surface features assist attentive tracking? In this study we asked participants to track identical or uniquely colored objects. Tracking was enhanced when objects were unique in color. The benefit was greater when the distance between distractors and targets was smaller, but was eliminated when the objects changed colors 1 to 4 times per second, even though at any instant they were always uniquely colored. In addition, tracking uniquely colored objects impaired a secondary color-memory task more than tracking identical objects, and holding several colors in working memory eliminated the advantage of tracking uniquely colored objects. Contrary to previous studies showing that feature information is poorly retained during tracking, these findings indicate that surface properties are stored in visual working memory to facilitate tracking performance.
Very virulent Marek's disease viruses: importance and control

The emergence of viral strains of increased virulence has been associated with increased Marek's disease losses in certain vaccinated flocks. Methods are described for the isolation and typing of these strains, and for their control by means of improved vaccines.
Induction of G-quadruplex DNA structure by Zn(II) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin

G-quadruplexes (GQ) are formed by the association of guanine-rich stretches of DNA. Certain small molecules can influence kinetics and thermodynamics of this association. Understanding the mechanism of ligand-assisted GQ folding is necessary for the design of more efficient cancer therapeutics. The oligonucleotide d(TAGGG)(2) forms parallel bimolecular GQ in the presence of ≥66 mM K(+); GQs are not formed under Na(+), Li(+) or low K(+) conditions. The thermodynamic parameters for GQ folding at 60 μM oligonucleotide and 100 mM KCl are ΔH = -35 ± 2 kcal mol(-1) and ΔG(310) = -1.4 kcal mol(-1). Quadruplex [d(TAGGG)(2)](2) binds 2-3 K(+) ions with K(d) of 0.5 ± 0.2 mM. Our work addresses the question of whether metal free 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP4) and its Zn(II), Cu(II), and Pt(II) derivatives are capable of facilitating GQ folding of d(TAGGG)(2) from single stranded, or binding to preformed GQ, using UV-vis and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. ZnTMPyP4 is unique among other porphyrins in its ability to induce GQ structure of d(TAGGG)(2), which also requires at least a low amount of potassium. ZnTMPyP4 binds with 2:1 stoichiometry possibly in an end-stacking mode with a ~10(6) M(-1) binding constant, determined through UV-vis and ITC titrations. This process is entropically driven and has ΔG(298) of -8.0 kcal mol(-1). TMPyP4 binds with 3:1 stoichiometry and K(a) of ~10(6) M(-1). ZnTMPyP4 and TMPyP4 are efficient stabilizers of [d(TAGGG)(2)](2) displaying ΔT(1/2) of 13.5 and 13.8 °C, respectively, at 1:2 GQ to porphyrin ratio; CuTMPyP4 shows a much weaker effect (ΔT(1/2) = 4.7 °C) and PtTMPyP4 is weakly destabilizing (ΔT(1/2) = -2.9 °C). The selectivity of ZnTMPyP4 for GQ versus dsDNA is comparable to that of TMPyP4. The ability of ZnTMPyP4 to bind and stabilize GQ, to induce GQ formation, and speed up its folding may suggest an important biological activity for this molecule.
Estimating the Timing of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in a Breast-Feeding Population in Kinshasa, Zaire

Breast-fed infants born to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected mothers in Kinshasa, Zaire, were monitored a mean of 18 months. HIV infection in infants was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), HIV culture, or ELISA. PCR test results for HIV DNA on venous blood drawn from children ages 0-2 days and 3-5 months were used to estimate proportions of mother-to-child transmission and transmission risks during the intrauterine, intrapartum/early postpartum, and late postpartum periods. Among 69 HIV-infected children (26% of the cohort), 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14%-35%) were estimated to have had intrauterine, 65% (CI, 53%-76%) intrapartum/early postpartum, and 12% (CI, 5%-22%) late postpartum transmission. The estimated risks for intrauterine, intrapartum/early postpartum, and late postpartum infection, respectively, were 6% (16/261; CI, 4%-10%), 18% (45/245; CI, 14%-24%), and 4% (8/189; CI, 2%-8%). These results support earlier studies indicating that most transmission occurs during labor and delivery or in the early postpartum period and that the risk of HIV transmission through breast-feeding during the postpartum period is substantial.
Heroic Virtue and the Limits of Democracy in John Ford's The Searchers

The American imagination has always been captivated by the drama of the frontier, where a civilization is eked out among the brutal forces of nature by a few heroic individuals' force of strength and resolute courage. It seems mysterious why we, accustomed to the comforts of civil life and no longer precariously dependent on a few heroic souls, spend so much time employing the benefits of modern civilization, such as art and technology, in an effort to reconstruct the moments when civilization seemed so fragile. The success of the frontier in the American imagination may point to a partial failure in our own founding. Although we celebrate our triumph over the rude forces of nature by our common contribution to the social compact, our preoccupation with the frontier in literature and film suggests that we may doubt whether those achievements are in fact the products of our own virtue. John Ford's The Searchers offers a probing treatment of the tension between the virtues that are necessary to a successful...
Experimental Pulmonary Edema Following Rapid Carotid Infusion: Mechanism and Therapy

The mechanism and therapy of acute pulmonary edema are studied in animals with rapid intracarotid infusion of saline solution toward the brain. Sympatholytic drugs and heparin have a marked beneficial action and prevent the occurrence of pulmonary edema.
Eocene palynomorphs from the black diamond mines regional preserve, contra costa county, California

Abstract Palynomorphs from Eocene coaly deposits of the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in California are described. Thirty‐two species of spores and pollen are recognized and two of them, Graminidites scabratus and Arecipites antiochus, are regarded as new. The encountered specimens are characterized by 26% spores, 32% gymnosperm pollen, 41% angiosperm pollen, and 1% foraminifers. The climate is considered to be humid and warm. The depositional environment was a coastal brackish‐water swamp, and age is regarded to be the Middle Eocene.
Organic intermediates in the anaerobic biodegradation of coal to methane under laboratory conditions

Organic intermediates in coal fluids produced by anaerobic biodegradation of geopolymers in coal play a key role in the production of methane in natural gas reservoirs. Laboratory biodegradation experiments on sub-bituminous coal from Texas, USA, were conducted using bioreactors to examine the organic intermediates relevant to methane production. Production of methane in the bioreactors was linked to acetate accumulation in bioreactor fluid. Long chain fatty acids, alkanes (C19–C36) and various low molecular weight aromatics, including phenols, also accumulated in the bioreactor fluid and appear to be the primary intermediates in the biodegradation pathway from coal-derived geopolymers to acetate and methane.
Encapsulation of a highly sensitive EPR active oxygen probe into sonochemically prepared microspheres.

High-power ultrasound (20 kHz) was used to encapsulate a solution of perchlorotriphenylmethyl triester (PTM-TE, a stable organic free radical) dissolved in hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) into a polymerized shell of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The size distribution of the microspheres was between 0.5 and 3 μm with a maximum at approximately 1.2 μm. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of PTM-TE consists of a single, sharp line which is sensitive to the surrounding concentration of oxygen. It was found that the technique of encapsulating a solution of PTM-TE dissolved in HMDS into the BSA microspheres resulted in an overall loss of EPR signal intensity from the washed suspension of microspheres. However, the encapsulated PTM-TE/HMDS solution remained sensitive to the partial pressure of oxygen in the surrounding environment. The microspheres were found to be useful for determining the partial pressure of oxygen in the muscle and tumor tissue of mice.
Verbal and Operant Responses of Young Children to Vocal versus Instrumental Song Performances

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of the presence or absence of lyrics in children s musical selections on two types of young children's responses to music. Of additional interest were differences in responses due to subjects' ages and genders. Two studies were designed to compare responses to recorded lullabies with the melodies performed either by a woman singing the lyrics or by a solo instrument. In Study 1, a pictographic rating scale was used to obtain like-dislike responses to 10 music excerpts from 40 children, ages 4 and 5 years. Results of a three-way repeated-measures ANOVA indicated no significant differences due to the main effects of performance medium, age, or gender, with no significant interactions. Subjects for Study 2 were 51 preschool and kindergarten children. Each child individually listened to two pieces with lyrics and two without lyrics for as long as he or she chose, up to the compute duration of each piece. Time spent listening was recorded to the neare...
Chromosome Movement in Mitosis Requires Microtubule Anchorage at Spindle Poles

Anchorage of microtubule minus ends at spindle poles has been proposed to bear the load of poleward forces exerted by kinetochore-associated motors so that chromosomes move toward the poles rather than the poles toward the chromosomes. To test this hypothesis, we monitored chromosome movement during mitosis after perturbation of nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) and the human homologue of the KIN C motor family (HSET), two noncentrosomal proteins involved in spindle pole organization in animal cells. Perturbation of NuMA alone disrupts spindle pole organization and delays anaphase onset, but does not alter the velocity of oscillatory chromosome movement in prometaphase. Perturbation of HSET alone increases the duration of prometaphase, but does not alter the velocity of chromosome movement in prometaphase or anaphase. In contrast, simultaneous perturbation of both HSET and NuMA severely suppresses directed chromosome movement in prometaphase. Chromosomes coalesce near the center of these cells on bi-oriented spindles that lack organized poles. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy verify microtubule attachment to sister kinetochores, but this attachment fails to generate proper tension across sister kinetochores. These results demonstrate that anchorage of microtubule minus ends at spindle poles mediated by overlapping mechanisms involving both NuMA and HSET is essential for chromosome movement during mitosis.
On the probability density function of signal intensity in free-space optical communications systems impaired by pointing jitter and turbulence

Expressions for the probability density function (pdf) of optical signal intensity in an optical communication channel impaired by motion-induced beam jitter and turbulence are derived. It is assumed that the optical beam possesses a Gaussian profile, generated by a pulsed laser, and that the beam scintillation is governed by either log-normal distribution for weak turbulence or K distribution for moderate to strong turbulence in the saturation region. For extreme propagation distances or very strong turbulence, a negative exponential pdf is used to model turbulence. For the aforementioned beam scintillation statistics, approximate pdf's for the signal intensity are also obtained and the conditions for which these approximations seem to be valid are also discussed.
Sensitivity of the water cycle over the Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent to parameterized physics in a regional model

A regional model was used to simulate the water cycle over the Indian Ocean (IO) and Maritime Continent (MC). Sixteen 92 day simulations were performed using different combinations of eight cumulus parameterization schemes and three planetary boundary-layer (PBL) parameterization schemes. The strength of the water cycle in the IO and MC, measured by its domain mean precipitation and precipitable water, differs substantially among the simulations. The large spread of water cycle strength is mainly toward dry biases in comparison to global data assimilation products. The simulated water cycle, its spread, and biases differ between the IO and MC. Influences of PBL schemes can penetrate into the upper troposphere and those by cumulus schemes into the boundary layer. Dry biases in the simulations are produced mainly because of feedbacks among erroneously low diabatic heating peaks, shallow moisture convergence layers, dry lower troposphere, and weak surface evaporation. There is no single type of parameterization scheme that can be identified to be the main sources of the dry biases. It is the combination of errors from three types of parameterization schemes, namely, cumulus, PBL, and microphysics, that makes the simulated water cycle unrealistic. The lesson learned is that the tropical water cycle can be better simulated only by improving parameterization schemes of different processes all together as a package.
SynKu: Exploring the Production of Sensory Objects

This paper describes SynKu, a mobile application that merges audio and image processing with human interpretation to speculate on the production of sensory objects. Sensory objects are representations of sensory phenomena interpreted and used by both people and software. We discuss how the SynKu application enables us to explore how algorithms help to change and legitimate the reconstruction of sensory phenomena across self-tracking platforms.
Deformation Fields in Woven Composite Plates Under Impact

The deformation fields and kinematics of woven composite material systems due to impact loads are analyzed and characterized for various structural parameters. Target plates comprised of woven composites with 3D preforms are considered. The analysis examines fully consolidated as well as cellular systems and simulates actual experiments. Solution of the nonlinear dynamic/contact problem was obtained by a meso-mechanics based finite element model. The results quantify experimental observations, which reveal distinct behavior under impact among nonporous and porous systems. It was found that wave propagation effects at incident energies in the order of 500 J are significant and lead to penetration at the impact face. Localized shear damage in the 3D woven system precede penetration in both the nonporous and the porous systems. The porous system is capable of dissipating more energy prior to penetration due to containment of local damage, which emanates from the void boundaries, within subsurface locations.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Domains in the SPT5 Protein That Modulate Its Transcriptional Regulatory Properties

SPT5 and its binding partner SPT4 regulate transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II. SPT4 and SPT5 are involved in both 5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB)-mediated transcriptional inhibition and the activation of transcriptional elongation by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat protein. Recent data suggest that P-TEFb, which is composed of CDK9 and cyclin T1, is also critical in regulating transcriptional elongation by SPT4 and SPT5. In this study, we analyze the domains of SPT5 that regulate transcriptional elongation in the presence of either DRB or the HIV-1 Tat protein. We demonstrate that SPT5 domains that bind SPT4 and RNA polymerase II, in addition to a region in the C terminus of SPT5 that contains multiple heptad repeats and is designated CTR1, are critical for in vitro transcriptional repression by DRB and activation by the Tat protein. Furthermore, the SPT5 CTR1 domain is a substrate for P-TEFb phosphorylation. These results suggest that C-terminal repeats in SPT5, like those in the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain, are sites for P-TEFb phosphorylation and function in modulating its transcriptional elongation properties.
Courtship of young males is ubiquitous in Drosophila melanogaster

In eightDrosophila melanogaster stocks, males which are only a few hours old stimulate courtship which is qualitatively and, in many of the stocks, quantitatively indistinguishable from the courtship elicited by virgin females. Although the sex appeal of young males and the extent to which it declines as the males become sexually mature vary somewhat from stock to stock, homosexual courtship appears to be characteristic of the species.
Hauser-Feshbach calculation of the Cf-252 spontaneous-fission neutron spectrum

The neutron spectrum from $^{252}\mathrm{Cf}$ spontaneous fission has been calculated using the Hauser-Feshbach formalism. Details of the excitation energy and spin distributions have been included for 40 fission fragments chosen in a manner to average over the mass distribution and over pairing-energy effects. No arbitrary parameters were introduced into the calculation to produce a fit to the data. The results of the calculation are in good agreement with experimental data.RADIOACTIVITY, FISSION $^{252}\mathrm{Cf}(\mathrm{sf})$; calculated neutron spectrum; Hauser-Feshbach calculation.
Completions of inverse M-matrix patterns

Abstract A list of positions in an n × n real matrix that includes all diagonal positions (a pattern) is said to have inverse M-completion if every partial inverse M-matrix that specifies exactly these positions can be completed to an inverse M-matrix. Johnson and Smith (C.R. Johnson, R.L. Smith, Linear Algebra and its Applications 241–243 (1996) 655–667) characterize the positionally symmetric patterns that have inverse M-completion as those patterns whose graphs are block-clique. In this paper the restriction of positional symmetry is removed: A pattern has inverse M-completion if and only if the digraph G of the pattern has the properties (a) the induced subdigraph of a cycle is a clique, and (b) if G contains both arc (i, j) and a path of length > 1 between i and j then the induced subdigraph of the path is a clique. Furthermore, any irreducible pattern with inverse M-completion is positionally symmetric and has a block-clique digraph. Any pattern is permutation similar to a block-lower-triangular pattern with irreducible diagonal blocks, and such a pattern has inverse M-completion if and only if (i) the pattern-digraph of each diagonal block is block-clique, (ii) each subdiagonal block contains at most one position, and (iii) the pattern-digraph of the block structure has no alternate path to a single arc.
An accurate and precise high-performance liquid chromatography method for the rapid quantification of the novel HIV integrase inhibitor raltegravir in human blood plasma after solid phase extraction.

Abstract The quantification of the HIV integrase inhibitor raltegravir in blood plasma is described using solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with an accurate high-performance liquid chromatography assay with ultraviolet (UV) detection. The method was validated over the range of 20–10,000 ng/mL using simple sample preparation and chromatography. The SPE method was optimized to be selective and highly efficient. The buffer’s ionic strength and pH were optimized for retaining RAL and the internal standard on the column, the percentage of methanol was optimized in the cleaning step to remove unwanted plasma contaminants, and the type and amount of acid was optimized for complete elution of the compounds. This method has no interference with other potentially co-administered antiretrovirals or common drugs. Average recoveries for the extraction method were consistently high: 90% for raltegravir and 90% for the internal standard diazepam. This method was found to be accurate and precise. Within day (n = 6) and between day (n = 18) accuracies ranged from 97.5 to 104.4%. Within-day (n = 6) and between-day (n = 18) precision ranged from 1.4 to 3.8%, and from 2.4 to 7.9%, respectively. This is the first published method to use simple UV technology and reliable SPE extraction methodology for the quantification of raltegravir in human plasma. This method can be easily implemented in most bioanalytical laboratories.
Postsynthetic diazeniumdiolate formation and NO release from MOFs

Two different metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been modified with nitric oxide (NO) through covalent postsynthetic modification (PSM) to form diazeniumdiolate-functionalized and releasing MOFs.
Laparoscopic Transgastric Pancreatic Débridement

Open operative debridement has been the traditional approach to patients with pancreatic necrosis. Recently, improved understanding of the disease natural history coupled with significant advances in minimally invasive interventional techniques (both endoscopic and laparoscopic) have led clinicians to apply these minimally invasive interventions to pancreatic debridement. This report details one such minimally invasive approach—laparoscopic transgastric pancreatic necrosectomy. A thorough understanding of this complex and heterogeneous disease process is necessary to select patients properly for the most appropriate therapeutic approach.
Community contextual predictors of endoscopic colorectal cancer screening in the USA: spatial multilevel regression analysis

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and endoscopic screening can both detect and prevent cancer, but utilization is suboptimal and varies across geographic regions. We use multilevel regression to examine the various predictors of individuals' decisions to utilize endoscopic CRC screening. Study subjects are a 100% population cohort of Medicare beneficiaries identified in 2001 and followed through 2005. The outcome variable is a binary indicator of any sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy use over this period. We analyze each state separately and map the findings for all states together to reveal patterns in the observed heterogeneity across states.
Trusted foundry: the path to advanced SiGe technology

The trusted foundry program offers a path for government agencies and their contractors to design and fabricate circuits in IBM's stateside facilities that assure against loss of confidentiality. This paper will outline the method of engaging with IBM on a trusted foundry program and then describe the advanced technologies and services offered to government agencies under the IBM trusted foundry agreement, focusing on silicon germanium capabilities.
Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots Using Optimal Control of Finite State Automata

This paper presents a novel approach to autonomous intelligent navigation of mobile robotic platforms, which is based on the concept of language-theoretic discrete-event supervisory control. The proposed algorithm combines real-time sensor data and model-based information on motion dynamics into a probabilistic finite state automaton model to dynamically compute a time-varying supervisory algorithm. The performance and robustness of the autonomous intelligent navigation algorithm have been experimentally validated on Segway RMP robotic platforms.
New insights and new approaches toward the study of age-related macular degeneration

Human populations within technologically advanced countries are enjoying ever-increasing life spans. The average life span in the United States now extends well into the seventh decade of life. This average is in striking contrast to that of ≈50 years in 1900. Unfortunately, the benefit of a longer life span for many individuals is accompanied by an increased incidence of age-related diseases. The example that is addressed in this commentary is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which presents itself in the retina and choroidal layers of the eye. The retina, an extension of the brain, forms the inner lining of the posterior eyeball. The choroid is the pigmented, vascular layer exterior to the retina and just underneath the “white” layer of the eye called the sclera. AMD is now the major cause of untreatable loss of vision in technologically advanced countries (1–3). AMD affects a region of the human retina called the macula, which lies in the central axis of vision. The macula is a region ≈6 mm in diameter; at its center, there lies a depression called the fovea, which contains a population of photoreceptor cells of sufficient density to resolve individual letters in fine print. Therefore, it is this region of our retina that is used for reading and, because of the prevalence of cone photoreceptor cells, it is the region that initiates color vision. Reading is often the primary recreational activity during the “golden years” of life and sadly, this activity is severely impaired or lost in an expanding component of our population over the age of 65. Because the life span of humans continues to increase as a function of improved nutrition and increased awareness of environmental factors, AMD is expected to nearly double in the next 25 years (4). To place this in perspective, ≈35% of …
Small‐angle X‐ray scattering investigation of carbon nanotube‐reinforced polyacrylonitrile fibers during deformation

Structural changes during deformation in solution- and gel-spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers with multi- and single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and vapor-grown carbon nanofibers were investigated using synchrotron X-ray scattering. Previously published wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) results showed that CNTs deform under load, alter the response of the PAN matrix to stress, and thus enhance the performance of the composite. In this article, we find that the elongated scattering entities that give rise to the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in solution-spun fibers are the diffuse matrix-void interfaces that follow the Porod's law, and in gel-spun fibers these are similar to fractals. The observed smaller fraction of voids in the gel-spun fibers accounts for the significant increase in the strength of this fiber. The degree of orientation of the surfaces of the voids is in complete agreement with those of the crystalline domains observed in WAXS, and increases reversibly upon stretching in the same way as those of the crystalline domains indicating that the voids are integral parts of the polymer matrix and are surrounded by the crystalline domains in the fibrils. The solution-spun composite fibers have a larger fraction of the smaller (<10 nm) voids than the corresponding control PAN fibers. Furthermore, the size distribution of the voids during elongation changes greatly in the solution spun PAN fiber, but not so in its composites. The scattered intensity, and therefore the volume fraction of the voids, decreases considerably above the glass transition temperature (T g ) of polymer. Implications of these observations on the interactions between the nanotubes and the polymer are discussed.
The Effect of Calcium Co-Doping on Praseodymium Doped LSO

Cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO:Ce) is a well-known scintillator whose high density (7.4 g/cc), high light yield ( ~ 6 times that of BGO), and fast decay time ( ~ 43 ns) make it especially well suited for use in Positron Emission Tomography. Recent work suggests that divalent calcium co-doping eliminates many of the shallow electron traps, thus facilitating fast energy transfer to the Ce3+ luminescence centers and shortening the scintillation decay time to ~ 30 ns. Here we report preliminary observations of the effect of Ca2+ co-doping on the crystal growth, photoluminescence, and scintillation properties of LSO:Pr. Single crystals with Pr concentrations ranging from 0.05% to 0.2% and Ca2+ concentrations up to 0.2% were grown via the Czochralski technique. Absorption, emission, and excitation spectra revealed the numerous 5d-4f and 4f-4f transitions characteristic of trivalent Pr. The main optical absorption due to Ca2+ occurs in the far UV, similar to previous observations of LSO:Ce, but with a more intense tail extending through the visible region. Consequently, 4f to 5d optical excitation ( ~ 260 nm) is greatly reduced in Ca co-doped samples, and the related 5d to 4f emission ( ~ 400 nm) is largely absent. Optical excitation ( ~ 450-500 nm) of the red ( ~ 610 nm) emission appears to be unaffected, for the most part, by the presence of Ca2+. The scintillation decay of LSO:Pr is the sum of two exponential components with time constants of 7-8 and 26-29 ns, similar to previous reports. The addition of Ca2+ appears to relatively enhance the shorter component while reducing the longer one, although one or more additional slow components appear.
MBE Growth of Oxides for III–N MOSFETs

Reproducible fabrication of high performance metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) from compound semiconductors will require both good interfacial electrical characteristics and good thermal stability. While dielectrics such as SiO2, AIN, and GdGaOx have demonstrated low to moderate interface state densities, questions remain about their thermal stability and reliability, particularly for use in high power or high temperature widebandgap devices. In this paper we will compare the utility of two potential gate dielectric materials: GdOx and GaOx. GdOx has been found to produce layers with excellent surface morphologies as evidenced by surface roughness of less than I nm. Stoichiometric films can be easily obtained over a range of deposition conditions, though deposition temperatures of 500°C appear to offer the optimum interfacial electrical quality. By contrast GaOx films are quite rough, polycrystalline and show poor thermal stability. Further they exhibit a range of stoichiometries depending upon deposition temperature, Ga flux and oxygen flux. This paper will describe the relationship between deposition conditions and film characteristics for both materials, and will present electrical characterization of capacitors fabricated from GdOx on Si.
An Information Theoretic Approach to Quantifying Evolutionary Functional Trends

The accumulation of genomic and proteomic data of many organisms presents an opportunity to analyze entire phylogenetic trees in a systematic, quantified manner. The Universal Tree of Life, constructed by genomic data, provides an evolutionary context for proteomic data of individual organisms. Using proteomic information mapped to biological functions, we survey the Tree of Life for evolutionary trends, where trends are low p-value linear regressions of relative protein diversity against an evolutionary timeline. These trends provide quantified perspectives across evolution that would be otherwise difficult to discern from the large amount of available bioinformatic data. We analyzed 22, 762 functions across 167 proteomes for approximately 3.8 million information content calculations. Of particular interest is the rise of protein-protein interactions along the path of mammalian evolution. Of general interest are the numerous uncovered trends that open the door to future queries of focused scope.