cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selenium accumulation and selenium tolerance of salt grass from soils with elevated concentrations of Se and salinity

Biomass production, selenium accumulation, and the role of the bioextraction of selenium by salt grass (Distichlis spicata L.) in soils with elevated concentrations of Se and salinity at Kesterson, California, were studied. Salt grass contributed more than 80% vegetative coverage and 90% dry weight in the grassland communities where the soil Se concentrations were 100 times (1000 to 3000 micrograms kg-1) higher than the Se concentrations found in soils of the control sites. No evidence for evolution of Se tolerance was found in the salt grass populations. The successful colonization of salt grass in the soil with elevated Se and salinity is attributable to the presence of high concentrations of soil sulfate. Salt grass accumulated less Se than other salt-tolerant plant species existing in the same area, and no predation of animals and insects on salt grass has been noticed. Salt grass can transpire substantial amounts of volatile Se through its plant tissue. Under field conditions, a 1-m2 salt grass plot may produce 180 micrograms volatile selenium per day. However, no reduction of soil Se concentration in the salt grass habitat was detected over a period of 1 year. A long-term monitoring of Se status is needed in order tomore » make predictions of the effectiveness of efforts to clean up Se-contaminated soils through the use of native plant species.« less
Optimal packetization scheme for embedded multimedia bitstreams using genetic algorithms

The problem of packetizing embedded multimedia bitstreams into fixed-size packets is investigated and an optimal packetization scheme using a genetic algorithm is presented. In the proposed method, each individual packetization instance is represented by a decision sequence and mapped to a chromosome. A steady-state genetic algorithm is applied to search for the optimal chromosome that minimizes the distortion between the original and the reconstructed media. In addition, we propose a fast method to calculate the fitness value based on the distortion associated with each chromosome to speed up the evolution process. The computer simulation results show that our proposed packetization scheme has high compression efficiency and provides error resiliency to packet losses with a relatively fast speed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 16, 77–84, 2006
Trends in Undergraduate Economics Degrees: A 1996-97 Update.

By examining trends in undergraduate economics degrees awarded in the United States since World War II, Robert Margo and I (1996) discovered that, despite periodic cycles, the proportion of degrees awarded in economics has remained fairly steady at an average of about 2.2 percent of total degrees. Prior to the last few years, there had been two substantial drops in economics majors since World War II--during the Korean War and in the early 1970s. In both cases, the numbers rebounded. Because of this mean-reversion phenomenon, we cautioned against alarm over the consecutive 10 percent declines in economics degrees awarded in 1993 and 1994. Subsequently available data on undergraduate degrees awarded in 1995 and 1996 revealed a third consecutive decline of almost 10 percent in 1995 (Siegfried 1997). In just three years, a sample of 172 colleges and universities had lost 32 percent of their economics majors. The 1996 data suggested that self-correcting mechanisms were taking hold, however, as the slide finally moderated, to about 2 percent that year. Although I did not conduct a full-scale survey for 1997, 111 of the 172 colleges and universities in my earlier sample responded to the American Economic Association's Universal Academic Questionnaire (UAQ) in fall 1997. That questionnaire asked for the number of men and women awarded undergraduate economics degrees between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997 (the "1997" year). Thus I now have a seven-year panel on undergraduate economics degrees awarded at 111 institutions (Table 1). Economics degrees at the 111 institutions reporting 1997 data track the larger sample of 172 institutions closely from 1991 though 1996, with the exception of 1993. Respondents to the UAQ experienced a more severe decline in 1993 than did nonrespondents, but they recovered the following year. The degree series from the 111 respondents for 1997 and the 61 nonrespondents track quite closely from 1994 to 1996, however, suggesting that the smaller sample is reliable. (The data on M.A. public and "other bachelor's" private categories are derived from relatively small samples and should therefore be used with caution.) Following declines of 14, 9, and 10 percent annually for 1992, 1994, and 1995, the number of degrees in the sample of 111 colleges and universities declined further by 3 percent in 1996 (Table 2). The 1997 numbers, however, finally show
Hemipelvectomy for severe decubitus ulcers in patients with previous spinal cord injury.

Abstract Background Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently have pressure ulcers. Surgery is sometimes needed to close them. In rare cases, hemipelvectomy is warranted for extremely severe complications. Methods We conducted a retrospective study using national Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) computer data sets to identify clinical features of SCI patients who underwent hemipelvectomy for life-threatening septic complications of decubitus ulcers. Results Among the approximately 4 million patients receiving care in the DVA system, more than 40,000 patients were treated on an inpatient basis for SCI during the search period (fiscal years 1989 to 1998). They represent approximately 20% of the total national patient pool. There were 56 patients who supposedly had undergone hemipelvectomy. Chart review eliminated cases that did not meet our inclusion criteria, resulting in 8 evaluable cases. All had complete SCI due to trauma and later developed severe pressure sores with pelvic osteomyelitis or life-threatening soft tissue infection. Conclusions This series is the largest reported to date. The surgery involved significant blood loss (mean 2.6 L). Reoperations and complications were common. The mortality rate was 25%, but the survivors were all markedly improved by the surgery. Some of the complications appeared to be related more to the SCI than to the pelvic sepsis or surgery, suggesting that meticulous perioperative care may be valuable in reducing the complication rate in SCI patients undergoing this radical operation for very severe sequelae of pressure ulcers.
Use of fresh amnion as a burn dressing

Thirty-seven children with second and third degree burns dressed with amnion were compared to seventy-three children treated with Furacin (Eaton Labs, Norwich, N.Y.) dressing. Amnion was found to be as easy to use as Furacin. Fewer split thickness skin grafts were needed in amnion treated children and these patients required fewer days of hospitalization. Bacterial culture data suggests that amnion is as good as and possibly superior to nitrofurazone in decreasing the number of organisms on the burn wound. No adverse reactions to amnion were noted. The use of amnion is supported by this preliminary study and is deserving of further investigation and clinical use.
Myelin, Myelination, and Corresponding Magnetic Resonance Imaging Changes

Accurate diagnosis of white matter diseases requires a thorough understanding of white matter maturation. These maturational changes are complex and require knowledge of the histologic background and time course of development. This article reviews the in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) appearance of myelination with emphasis on the appearance of different regions of the brain using various pulse sequences at different developmental time points. The appearance of white matter, using the MR pulse sequences that have been shown to be most useful during the stages of myelination, is also discussed.
Ensuring the Safety of Neonates

Carrie Steele, RN, MSN, NNP-BC, CPNP-AC, is a neonatal nurse practitioner, CHOP Newborn Care at Holy Redeemer and the Associate Program Director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. I n To Err is Human, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that approximately 98,000 Americans die each year because of medical errors (IOM, 1999). These alarming statistics changed the landscape for those working in the healthcare field and initiated a discussion on the need for improved patient safety. The IOM’s followup report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, was equally significant (IOM, 2001). This report was a call to action to make the health care system safer, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable for all Americans. As a result, thousands of continuous quality improvement projects have been initiated in hospitals across the United States in an effort to improve patient safety and quality of care. For those working with neonates, these efforts begin with the very first breath. This In Focus Series includes four articles that address neonatal safety and quality of care from birth to admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Rationalization of gold ball bond shear strengths

Bond shear testing is becoming an indispensable tool for wirebonder machine set-up and bonding process monitoring. The lower acceptable limits, however, are defined based on historical data. This paper establishes the theoretical and statistical correlation between bond size, wire grain size, strain hardening and ultimate tensile strengths of the gold wire in relation to the Mode 1 (through the gold ball) shear strengths. Results of the study showed that the ball shear strength is strongly correlated with the bond aspect ratio which is the ratio of the ball diameter to the bond height. This parameter is easily obtainable from an automated vision inspection system and could provide initial information on the quality of the bond. The study also showed that the gold ball undergoes strain or work hardening during bonding. Bond shear strengths predicted from this work hardening conforms well with the actual data. >
Comparison study of tunneling models for Schottky field effect transistors and the effect of Schottky barrier lowering

An Airy function transfer matrix tunneling model and the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) tunneling model have been compared in the application to Schottky field effect transistors (SFETs) with and without the incorporation of Schottky barrier lowering (SBL). Model calculations have shown that the WKB model can predict tunneling current through a Schottky barrier with reasonable accuracy when SBL is excluded. It is also shown that the WKB model can mimic the total current behavior in an SFET when SBL is included and when thermal current is excluded. In both cases, though, the actual physical behavior of the SFET is misrepresented, and so it is finally shown that in the design cases of interest (low Schottky barrier heights), thermal current dominates the total on-state current in SFETs
Observational health services studies using nationwide administrative datasets: understanding strengths and limitations of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).

This is a commentary on article Pitts SR, Pines JM, Handrigan MT, Kellermann AL. National trends in emergency department occupancy, 2001 to 2008: effect of inpatient admissions versus emergency department practice intensity. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(6):679-686. McCaig LF, Burt CW. Understanding and interpreting the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: key questions and answers. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(6):716-721.
Genetic analyses of longitudinal phenotype data: a comparison of univariate methods and a multivariate approach

We explored three approaches to heritability and linkage analyses of longitudinal total cholesterol levels (CHOL) in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 simulated data without knowing the answers. The first two were univariate approaches and used 1) baseline measure at exam one or 2) summary measures such as mean and slope from multiple exams. The third method was a multivariate approach that directly models multiple measurements on a subject. A variance components model (SOLAR) was employed in the univariate approaches. A mixed regression model with polynomials was employed in the multivariate approach and implemented in SAS/IML. Using the baseline measure at exam 1, we detected all baseline or slope genes contributing a substantial amount (0.08) of variance (LOD > 3). Compared to the baseline measure, the mean measures yielded slightly higher LOD at the slope genes, and a lower LOD at the baseline genes. The slope measure produced a somewhat lower LOD for the slope gene than did the mean measure. Descriptive information on the pattern of changes in gene effects with age was estimated for three linked loci by the third approach. We found simple univariate methods may be effective to detect genes affecting longitudinal phenotypes but may not fully reveal temporal trends in gene effects. The relative efficiency of the univariate methods to detect genes depends heavily on the underlying model. Compared with the univariate approaches, the multivariate approach provided more information on temporal trends in gene effects at the cost of more complicated modelling and more intense computations.
Pulmonary Lesions in Mice Inoculated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Hemolysin and Lipopolysaccharide

Non-Swiss albino (CFI) male mice were used as a model to study the effects of specific toxic components of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniaeon the respiratory system. Mice were divided into five groups often each and were inoculated by the intranasal route with whole-cell Actinobacilluspleuropneumoniaeserotype I, cell-free culture supernatant fluid (CFCSF) containing hemolysin protein, purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS), heat-treated CFCSF, or phosphate-buffered saline solution. Pulmonary lesions were evaluated at 6 and 12 hours after inoculation. Mice inoculated with whole cells, CFCSF, and LPS developed severe purulent bronchiolitis and alveoli tis. Focal pulmonary necrosis was also observed in these three groups but was most consistent in the CFCSF-inoculated mice. Ultrastructurally, lungs from mice inoculated with whole cells, LPS, and CFCSF were characterized by severe degenerative changes in type I and type II pneumocytes. Alveolar spaces contained cellular debris and fibrin. Endothelial cells were swollen, and selected pulmonary capillaries were occluded with platelets and fibrin. Infiltrating neutrophils were often swollen, vacuolated, and degranulated. Although inoc­ ulation with relatively large numbers of A. pleuropneumoniae are required to kill mice, the mouse lung appears quite sensitive to the toxic components produced by these bacteria. The elaboration of these two toxic com­ ponents by A. pleuropneumoniae may be responsible for the characteristic pulmonary inflammatory and necrotic lesions observed in infected swine.
Update in preoperative risk assessment in vascular surgery patients

Multiple clinical factors and now serum biomarkers may aid with risk stratification in vascular surgical patients. Herein, we review and update the clinical risk models, biomarker data, and currently used noninvasive cardiac stress tests. We also review the most recent American Heart Association guideline changes, and suggest a pathway for risk stratification.
A fable from vector valley [electromagnetism theory]

Aimed at students in courses on vector calculus, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics, this article attempts to express vector concepts in physical terms, make them intuitively understandable, simplify their use, develop some understanding and at the same time hold the students' attention. A discussion of Gauss' law is also presented.
Permian Trace Fossils of Western Wyoming and Adjacent Areas: ABSTRACT

Burrows are common to abundant in much of the Permian Phosphoria Formation and correlative units in western Wyoming and adjacent states. Surface traces are rare. Coarse phosphorite units are characterized by straight, full-relief traces with fine-grained fillings. They are commonly horizontal but some are vertical. Sandstones contain burrows varying greatly in orientation and regularity. Carbonate rocks and certain cherty units typically contain burrows similar to those of modern crustaceans; the burrows are filled with skeletal material, fine-grained carbonate rock, phosphorite, or chert. End_Page 669------------------------------ Absence of primary sedimentary structures in certain units is probably due to bioturbation. Units with high concentrations of burrows near the top suggest rapid deposition. Straight vertical burrows in certain marine sandstones may be insect burrows in barrier-island environments. Cylindrical, irregular chert nodules are characteristic of most carbonate units. Some nodules are isolated but others coalesce into beds. The carbonate matrix in many places has flow structures around the chert nodules suggesting relatively early lithification of the chert. Some cherty beds contain irregularly cylindrical carbonate bodies. The cylindrical bodies, both chert and carbonate rock, are interpreted as burrow fillings. Burrows filled with material coarser and more permeable than the host sediments were sites of chertification. In beds in which the opposite conditions prevailed, the interburrow material was silicified. Because large burrows with coarse-grained fillings are abundant and in many places penetrate less permeable sediments, they may have functioned as important fl id conduits during early diagenesis. End_of_Article - Last_Page 670------------
Functional dependencies in a relational database and propositional logic

An equivalence is shown between functional dependency statements of a relational database, where "→" has the meaning of "determines," and implicational statements of propositional logic, where"⇒" has the meaning of "implies." Specifically, it is shown that a dependency statement is a consequence of a set of dependency statements if the corresponding implicational statement is a consequence of the corresponding set of implicational statements. The database designer can take advantage of this equivalence to reduce problems of interest to him to simpler problems in propositional logic. A detailed algorithm is presented for such an application. Two proofs of the equivalence are presented: a "syntactic" proof and a "semantic" proof. The syntactic proof proceeds in several steps. It is shown that 1) Armstrong's Dependency Axioms are complete for dependency statements in the usual logical sense that they are strong enough to prove every consequence, and that 2) Armstrong's Axioms are also complete for implicational statements in propositional logic. The equivalence then follows from 1) and 2). The other proof proceeds by considering appropriate semantic interpretations for the propositional variables. The Delobel-Casey Relational Database Decomposition Theorems, which heretofore have seemed somewhat fortuitous, are immediate and natural corollaries of the equivalence. Furthermore, a counterexample is demonstrated, which shows that what seems to be a mild extension of the equivalence fails.
Hepatocarcinogenesis in female Sprague-Dawley rats following discontinuous treatment with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

In this study, we investigated the time course of promotion of tumors and putatively preneoplastic altered hepatic foci in the livers of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-initiated female Sprague-Dawley rats. These rats had been treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) under different dosing regimens, but we used the same administered biweekly dose of 1.75 mg/kg of body weight. Animals were treated continuously for up to 60 weeks, or continuously for 30 weeks, followed by cessation of treatment for up to 30 weeks. In addition, TCDD treatment in these groups was begun either 2 or 18 weeks after initiation with DEN. Liver tumors were only observed in animals after 60 weeks on the study and were increased by continuous TCDD treatment, relative to controls. The incidence of hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma combined, in animals treated with TCDD for 30 weeks followed by no TCDD treatment for 30 weeks (17%), was lower than in animals receiving either TCDD (79%) or vehicle control (corn oil) alone (55%) for 60 weeks. The lower liver
Maps to Spaces in the Genus of Infinite Quaternionic Projective Space

Spaces in the genus of infinite quaternionic projective space which admit essential maps from infinite complex projective space are classified. In these cases the sets of homotopy classes of maps are described explicitly. These results strengthen the classical theorem of McGibbon and Rector on maximal torus admissibility for spaces in the genus of infinite quaternionic projective space. An interpretation of these results in the context of Adams-Wilkerson embedding in integral K -theory is also given.
The effect of a lymphotoxic factor in the sera of patients with multiple sclerosis and acute leukemia on the metabolism of normal and leukemic lymphocytes.

Abstract A factor found in the sera of some multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during exacerbations has been shown to have a toxic effect on the normal, mature lymphocyte. This study was designed to investigate the effect of this lymphotoxic factor (LTF) on leukemic lymphocytes. Leukocyte preparations from the peripheral blood of 16 patients with acute leukemia of lymphoid type were incubated in Eagle's medium with a 20 per cent concentration of autologous, normal homologous, or MS sera in the presence of specific radioactive substrates. Incorporation of uridine-5- 3 H was used as a measure of RNA (ribonucleic acid) synthesis. In the majority of leukemic cell preparations incubated with MS sera, the average rate of uridine incorporation was less than 40 per cent of controls. The cells from patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphosarcomacell leukemia were equally sensitive to the lymphotoxic factor. There was preliminary evidence of an endogenous factor depressing uridine incorporation in 5 patients whose leukemic lymphocytes, incubated in autologous sera, showed decreased RNA synthesis. Sera from 4 of these patients were available for further testing against normal lymphocytes. Four sera from 3 of these patients depressed RNA synthesis by normal lymphocytes, or prevented the phytohemagglutinin-induced stimulation of RNA synthesis. These studies suggest that the LTF in some MS sera is also toxic for the leukemic lymphocyte. Furthermore, some patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphosarcoma-cell leukemia produce a similar factor that has activity against both normal lymphocytes and their own neoplastic cells.
Novel thiols of prokaryotes.

▪ Abstract Glutathione metabolism is associated with oxygenic cyanobacteria and the oxygen-utilizing purple bacteria, but is absent in many other prokaryotes. This review focuses on novel thiols found in those bacteria lacking glutathione. Included are glutathione amide and its perthiol, produced by phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria and apparently involved in their sulfide metabolism. Among archaebacteria, coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid) and coenzyme B (7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate) play central roles in the anaerobic production of CH4 and associated energy conversion by methanogens, whereas the major thiol in the aerobic phototrophic halobacteria is γ-glutamylcysteine. The highly aerobic actinomycetes produce mycothiol, a conjugate of N-acetylcysteine with a pseudodisaccharide of glucosamine and myo-inositol, AcCys-GlcNα(1 → 1)Ins, which appears to play an antioxidant role similar to glutathione. Ergothioneine, also produced by actinomycetes, remains a mystery despite many years of...
Skull Morphometry of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Gulf of Mexico

Skull morphometry of 206 stranded juvenile and adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Texas and Florida were examined. Juveniles differed significantly from adults in both Texas and Florida populations. Sexual dimorphism was present in skulls from Texas but not from Florida. Regional differences in females from Texas and Florida were apparent, especially in braincase height, whereas male bottlenose dolphins did not differ between regions. Females could be distinguished accurately to region (90% classification success) using skull morphometry. Cranial morphometrics of T. truncatus are concrete values that may aid in identification of a type specimen for each population. Furthermore, these results can be used as a standard for Tursiops in the Gulf of Mexico.
XXXIX. Researches in acoustics.—No. V

(1874). LVIII. Researches in acoustics.—No. V. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 48, No. 320, pp. 445-452.
The Dynamic Response of Wood‐Frame Shear Walls with Viscoelastic Dampers

Abstract Results are presented of an experimental investigation, the objectives of which were to evaluate and compare the performance of conventional plywood shear walls with walls that include viscoelastic (VE) dampers. Cyclic tests were conducted on conventional walls and walls with VE dampers; five different damper configurations were tested. The walls with the VE dampers showed an increase in the total energy dissipation and an increase in the effective stiffness, relative to the conventional wall, with increases in energy dissipation as high as 59 percent. Tests demonstrated that the sheathing‐to‐stud and corner dampers can easily be installed within the confines of the wall and can be utilized without impacting the design, construction, or finishing of the shear wall. The results demonstrate that addition of the viscoelastic dampers significantly enhanced the dynamic performance of the walls by increasing the energy dissipation capacity and providing a constant source of energy dissipation.
Weak precongruence, a new model of device compliance

Weak precongruence is a formal property that improves upon the previously-reported congruent weak conformance. Both properties capture the desired relationship between a specification model and its implementation, but congruent weak conformance required both models to be initially stable. Weak precongruence relaxes this requirement, allowing instabilities in either model as long as those instabilities are shared by the other. By treating instability more accurately, weak precongruence displays a greater similarity to Milner's classical property of observational equivalence. Like congruent weak conformance, weak precongruence tolerates unspecified behavior in the unreachable state space, provides greater flexibility in design than previous properties, and can be useful for validating transformational systems, such as logic synthesis and hardware description language translation systems. This paper presents weak precongruence in terms of six formal laws, and discusses the intuitive notions governing them
Worldwide trends in research on the San Andreas Fault System

This paper deals with the bibliometric study of the research concerning the San Andreas Fault System (SAFS), an extraordinary example of a complex boundary between the North of America and the Pacific plates that can be seen, followed and studied on land for hundreds of kilometers through California, in the USA. The bibliometric analysis discussed here considers the time span of 23 years, from 1991 to 2013. The bibliographic databases taken as a reference are the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) accessed via Web of Science Core Collection. After having selected the proper search terms to fix the query and extracting the useful information from the two Web of Science (WoS) databases, we performed the analysis of the outputs paying attention to the document typology and languages, journals, subject categories, authors, articles, countries, institutions, and keywords. The results of this study can (1) contribute to see how the research on SAFS has changed over the time and suggest clues about the future investigation trends, (2) help scientists or institutions to build a research network and find strategic partners, (3) suggest scientists and institutions the dissemination strategies, and (4) provide helpful information to researchers wishing to embark on work in this area.
Precipitation of Extractives onto Kraft Pulps during Black Liquor Recycling in Extended Delignification Process

Abstract Our objective was to study the extractives content and the bleachability of batch extended delignified kraft pulps during the black liquor recycling. Extractives accumulated in the black liquor during the black liquor recycling. Some of the extractives in the black liquor precipitated on the pulps in the pretreatment stage, which affected the bleachability of pulps. For softwood, after 5 stages of black liquor recycling, the extractive content of the kraft pulps increased by up to 4 times and the final brightness decreased up to 2.4% ISO. The amount of extractives precipitating on the pulps strongly depended on the final pH of the pretreatment black liquor, which was determined by the operating conditions such as sulfidity, alkali charge, and pretreatment temperature. High alkalinity and low pretreatment temperature was the most efficient combination to minimize extractives from precipitating, and to maintain high bleachability of the kraft pulps. For hardwood, large amounts of extractives precip...
Best Practices in Providing Nontraditional Students With Both Academic and Financial Support

Efforts begun at Ohio State to address the interspections of finance and academics benefit all students, but especially nontraditional students with complex life circumstances. These efforts have centered on keeping students out of the financial aid office and in the classroom, and on designing programs and services that address financial and academic concerns in an integrated way.
Nanoscale silicon MOSFETs: A theoretical study

We have carried out extensive numerical modeling of double-gate, nanoscale silicon n-metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) with ultrathin, intrinsic channels connecting bulk, highly doped electrodes. Our model takes into account two most important factors limiting the device performance as the gate length is reduced, namely the gate field screening by source and drain, and quantum mechanical tunneling from source to drain. The results show that the devices with small but plausible values of gate oxide thickness t/sub ox/ and channel thickness t (both of the order of 2 nm) may retain high ON current, good saturation and acceptable subthreshold slope even if the gate length L is as small as /spl sim/5 nm, with voltage gain above unity all the way down to L/spl ap/2 nm (channel length L/sub c/=L+2t/sub ox//spl ap/5 nm). However, as soon as L is decreased below /spl sim/10 nm, specific power (per unit channel width) starts to grow rapidly. Even more importantly, threshold voltage becomes an extremely sensitive function of L,t, and t/sub ox/, creating serious problems for reproducible device fabrication.
Mixing of Buoyant Surface Jet over Sloping Bottom

The mean characteristics of a buoyant surface jet discharged horizontally over sloping bottom was investigated through a set of systematic experiments. It was found that the mean characteristics of the buoyant surface jet do not vary monotonically with the source densimetric Froude number due to the formation of large scale eddies, and buoyant spread. An empirical relationship between normalized separation depth and source densimetric Froude number is presented and a possible mechanism explaining the dynamics off the detachment point is suggested. A simple integral model is developed for the momentum-dominated region. The results of this model are used in conjunction with experimental results to show that the shape of similarity profile in the momentum-dominated region is a function of the bottom slope and discharge aspect ratio.
Ecological soundings

Research is a basic element of good sanctuary management. The kinds of research necessary to deal with management problems include: survey and assessment, characterization, monitoring, experimental work, and modeling. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the largest, deepest, and ecologically speaking, perhaps the most complex region for which NOAA's Marine Sanctuary Program has research and management responsibilities. Monterey Bay is also home to a unique grouping of institutions, which taken together, comprise a powerful and growing synergy for the evolution of research technology and methods. The Bay's proximity to Silicon Valley and its long tradition of classical marine research are both strongly evident factors in this evolutionary process. Examples of new technologies that have significant applicability to sanctuary research requirements everywhere are outlined. >
Developmental Delays in Executive Function from 3 to 5 Years of Age Predict Kindergarten Academic Readiness

Substantial evidence has established that individual differences in executive function (EF) in early childhood are uniquely predictive of children's academic readiness at school entry. The current study tested whether growth trajectories of EF across the early childhood period could be used to identify a subset of children who were at pronounced risk for academic impairment in kindergarten. Using data that were collected at the age 3, 4, and 5 home assessments in the Family Life Project ( N = 1,120), growth mixture models were used to identify 9% of children who exhibited impaired EF performance (i.e., persistently low levels of EF that did not show expected improvements across time). Compared to children who exhibited typical trajectories of EF, the delayed group exhibited substantial impairments in multiple indicators of academic readiness in kindergarten (Cohen's ds = 0.9-2.7; odds ratios = 9.8-23.8). Although reduced in magnitude following control for a range of socioeconomic and cognitive (general intelligence screener, receptive vocabulary) covariates, moderate-sized group differences remained (Cohen's ds = 0.2-2.4; odds ratios = 3.9-5.4). Results are discussed with respect to the use of repeated measures of EF as a method of early identification, as well as the resulting translational implications of doing so.
Actinomycotic liver abscess. Case report and literature review.

A 28-year-old male with hepatic actinomycosis presented with several months of anorexia, weight loss, fever, night sweats, and mild right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness. Despite normal liver function tests, hepatic involvement was demonstrated by imaging studies. A liver biopsy and ultrasound-guided aspirate were, however, unrewarding. Laparotomy was, therefore, necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis. The patient was then successfully treated with intravenous penicillin followed by oral clindamycin. This case is presented to illustrate the diagnostic difficulties that may be encountered in such patients with hepatic actinomycosis.
Health effects of environmental DDT exposure: An epidemiological and serum proteomic study

P offer a variety of benefits to the society such as increased crop production and decreased insect infestations. However, when used improperly, pesticides have the potential for causing harm. Approximately, 10,000-20,000 physiciandiagnosed pesticide poisonings occur each year among US agricultural workers. Although banned in the US in 1973, DDT, an organochlorine pesticide finds its way into the food chain as it is used in many parts of the world. The purpose of the study was to examine the health effects of DDT in a predominantly African American population who were exposed to highest levels of DDT in the US by consumption of DDTcontaminated fish. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 234 African Americans. Logistic Regression was used to calculate risk of morbidity from consumption of DDTcontaminated fish. Serum proteomic study included 21 breast cancer cases and 29 controls. Protein expression data was obtained by 2D DIGE analysis. Differentially expressed DIGE spots were excised for protein identification. Spots were digested with trypsin and the peptides were identified by QTOF LC/MS/MS or MALDI TOF analysis. Results: A non-significant increase in risk for hypertension in those who consumed DDT contaminated fish was observed (OR 1.672; 95% CI 0.324-8.628). Serum proteomic study yielded significantly increased levels of fibrinogen gamma in exposed individuals. Gamma fibrinogen is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease. Future efforts will focus on validation of gamma fibrinogen in DDT exposed individuals. Funded by Susan G. Komen for the cure.
Abstract 4176: MicroRNA-193b is growth-inhibitory in Ewing sarcoma, and represses ErbB4.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Ewing sarcoma, the second most common cancer of bone and soft tissue in adolescents and young adults, is an aggressive malignancy with poor long-term outcome. Ewing sarcoma is driven primarily by the EWS/Fli-1 fusion oncoprotein, which arises from the recurrent t(11,22) translocation. Our laboratory has been interested in identifying microRNAs (miRs) with growth-modulating properties in Ewing sarcoma, manipulation of which could potentially be used for novel therapies, as shown in preclinical studies for other cancers. We have previously shown that replacement of select miRs, normally repressed by EWS/Fli1, can inhibit the growth of Ewing sarcoma cells. To identify additional, and more potent, miRs with growth-suppressive properties in EWS, we have performed a phenotype-based, secondary miniscreen in Ewing sarcoma cell lines. This screen, using transfection of miR mimics into the EWS cell lines A673 and SK-ES-1, followed by growth assays as read-out, identified miR-193b as a strong candidate growth suppressive miR in Ewing sarcoma. Subsequent cloning and stable overexpression of endogenous miR-193b verified the growth suppressive phenotype. Examination of candidate targets further identified ErbB4 as potently repressed upon miR-193b overexpression. ErbB4 has recently been shown to play a key role in Ewing sarcoma, specifically as a driver of metastasis and as a mediator of resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy, key biological parameters that define high-risk disease. With the need for therapy expansion in pediatric EWS, miR-193b replacement, through ErbB4 inhibition, may be a way to help control high-risk disease. Citation Format: Colin Moore, Paul Jedlicka. MicroRNA-193b is growth-inhibitory in Ewing sarcoma, and represses ErbB4. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4176. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4176
The organization of perceived space

Perceptions tend often to be proportional to proximal stimuli with reduced conditions of observation and proportional to distal stimuli under multicue conditions. Two explanations of this phenomena are examined. One, termed the core context hypothesis, postulates that the response to the proximal stimulus (the core) is modified by distance information (the context). The second, termed invariance hypotheses, postulates an interaction between two or more perceptions, one of which is often perceived distance. In order for invariance hypotheses to be valid it is necessary that a perceived distance occur under reduced cues of distance. It is asserted that perceived distance under these conditions is supplied by observer tendencies termed the specific distance and equidistance tendency. Perceptual interactions occur in situations other than those relevent to invariance hypotheses and the evidence for perceptual interactions is discussed in relation to perceived motion, perceived depth from exocentric cues, the adjacency principle, and other phenomena. It is suggested that the analysis of many perceptions in terms of perceptual interactions is parsimonious in that the effect of the independent perception, e.g., perceived distance, upon the dependent perception, e.g., perceived size, motion, or depth, is the same regardless of the cues by which the particular value of the independent perception is achieved.
Model-Based Prediction in Autoregression

In order to construct prediction intervals without the cumbersome—and typically unjustifiable—assumption of Gaussianity, some form of resampling is necessary. The regression set-up has been well-studied in the literature but time series prediction faces additional difficulties. The paper at hand focuses on time series that can be modeled as linear, nonlinear or nonparametric autoregressions, and develops a coherent methodology for the construction of bootstrap prediction intervals. Forward and backward bootstrap methods using predictive and fitted residuals are introduced and compared. We present detailed algorithms for these different models and show that the bootstrap intervals manage to capture both sources of variability, namely the innovation error as well as estimation error. In simulations, we compare the prediction intervals associated with different methods in terms of their achieved coverage level and length of interval.
Formalism and Patent Claim Drafting: The Status of De Facto Independent Claims Under the Fourth Paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112

The fourth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 sets forth the formal requirements for a dependent patent claim: a dependent claim must refer to a previous claim, further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, and be construed as to incorporate by reference all of the subject matter of the referenced claim. In effect, the statute provides a definition for dependent claim. However, there is no definition for independent claim and claim drafters routinely utilize shorthand references to previous claims in their independent claims. Although such claims reference a previous claim, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the United States Patent and Trademark Office has permitted such claims to be construed as independent, establishing what this article defines as de facto independent claims. The use of de facto independent claims appeared to be an innocuous practice, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit invalidated a claim having a shorthand reference to a previous claim in Pfizer, Inc. v. Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. The invalidated claim was drawn to Pfizer’s blockbuster drug Lipitor®, illustrating the potential consequence for an improperly drafted claim. This article reviews the history and jurisprudence of the fourth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 and proposes a definition for independent claim that can be appended the rule on patent claims in the Code of Federal Regulations. The proposed definition effectively eliminates the use of de facto independent claims and provides patent examiners and judges with a means for consistent and predictable claim construction.
Design and Implementation of Hydropower Dispatching Automation System Platform For Cascade Reservoirs

A hydropower dispatching automation system platform for cascade reservoirs is introduced systematically.The application of this platform is described from data integration,component integration,and centralized management of background.This platform with service-oriented software architecture reduces the coupling relationship between the business and achieves the integration of application modules.Through the data service middleware,it provides unified data access interface,shielding the data storage difference of various systems to achieve integration of data resources.And it also provides Web interface to centralized monitor and configure system background operation programs,achieving their centralized maintenance and management.
Optimization of saturation-recovery dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI acquisition protocol: monte carlo simulation approach demonstrated with gadolinium MR renography

Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is widely used for the measurement of tissue perfusion and to assess organ function. MR renography, which is acquired using a DCE sequence, can measure renal perfusion, filtration and concentrating ability. Optimization of the DCE acquisition protocol is important for the minimization of the error propagation from the acquired signals to the estimated parameters, thus improving the precision of the parameters. Critical to the optimization of contrast-enhanced T1 -weighted protocols is the balance of the T1 -shortening effect across the range of gadolinium (Gd) contrast concentration in the tissue of interest. In this study, we demonstrate a Monte Carlo simulation approach for the optimization of DCE MRI, in which a saturation-recovery T1 -weighted gradient echo sequence is simulated and the impact of injected dose (D) and time delay (TD, for saturation recovery) is tested. The results show that high D and/or high TD cause saturation of the peak arterial signals and lead to an overestimation of renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). However, the use of low TD (e.g. 100 ms) and low D leads to similar errors in RPF and GFR, because of the Rician bias in the pre-contrast arterial signals. Our patient study including 22 human subjects compared TD values of 100 and 300 ms after the injection of 4 mL of Gd contrast for MR renography. At TD = 100 ms, we computed an RPF value of 157.2 ± 51.7 mL/min and a GFR of 33.3 ± 11.6 mL/min. These results were all significantly higher than the parameter estimates at TD = 300 ms: RPF = 143.4 ± 48.8 mL/min (p = 0.0006) and GFR = 30.2 ± 11.5 mL/min (p = 0.0015). In conclusion, appropriate optimization of the DCE MRI protocol using simulation can effectively improve the precision and, potentially, the accuracy of the measured parameters. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bounds on decentralized concave optimization in energy harvesting wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have increasingly become the viable means of distributed sensing and control for a wide array of applications. The energy-sensitive sensor nodes in these systems are often augmented by an energy harvesting device, allowing for continuous operation. The drawback, however, is that the availability of communication resources is uncertain. Decentralized optimization is a common technique implemented to coordinate such a disparate collection of devices. Most decomposition methods involve iterative updates where public information about joint constraints or objectives must be shared. Recent work in distributed optimization has provided some new insights on the performance of optimization in such a distributed network. For perfect and unlimited communication, the convergence of the optimization performs as good as a centralized controller. However, limited communication introduces delays and quantization errors which affect solution convergence, especially for algorithms utilizing multi-hop updates. In this paper, we analyze the effect of deterministic delays and quantization errors on the convergence of decentralized optimization in an energy harvesting wireless sensor network. The corresponding utility maximization problem is being solved through a combination of dual decomposition and alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). The convergence bound on the associated dual function update exhibits a square law uncertainty with respect to the maximum allowable communication delay and quantization noise variance.
Neo-Adjuvant M-VAC (Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, Cisplatin) chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic cervical and vaginal cancer

Based on previous reports of an approximate 70 % response rate to M-VAC chemotherapy in patients with metastatic gynecological malignancies (Long, 1990 and 1991), we administered Neo-Adjuvant M-VAC chemotherapy to patients with locally advanced or metastatic cervical and vaginal cancer.