cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemistry of Ti-poor spinels, ilmenites and rutiles from peridotite and eclogite xenoliths

Abstract Electron microprobe analyses are given for Ti-poor spinels from ten lherzolite and six harzburgite nodules. One of the spinels in a lherzolite from Lashaine volcano falls into the iron-rich trend of the alkali pyroxenite suite. All the others, plus about thirty analyses from the literature, fall in a fairly narrow band from (Mg2Fe62)(Al14Cr2) to (Mg3Fe52)(Fe13Al1Cr14). This band is almost identical with the bands for podiform deposits in alpine-type ultramafics and for inclusions in basalts, and is distinct from bands for Archaean rocks and for layered basic intrusions. The Cr-rich spinels from the kimberlites tend to derive from lherzolites rather than harzburgites, and the principal correlation with high Cr-content of the spinel is with absence of Ca-rich pyroxene rather than with presence of garnet. There is a good positive correlation between Cr (Cr + Al) for coexisting spinel and pyroxene. When rutile coexists, Ti is high in the spinel. The Jackson chromite-olivine thermometer yields temperatures from 1000 to 2280°C with an unreasonably high mean value of 1550°C. Picroilmenites from a dunite and a glimmerite from Bultfontein contain, respectively, MgO 7.3–9.0 Cr2O3 1.8–2.0 and 10.1–12.0, 1.7–1.9 wt.%. The dunite also contains disseminated magnetite crystals with TiO2 9.0 Al2O3 0.8 Cr2O3 17.2 MgO 5.8. The ilmenite-pyroxene thermometer of A. T. Anderson yields temperatures in the range 900–1200°C for ilmenites currently available in the literature, mostly from intergrowths. Rutiles from eclogites have low Cr2O3 (0. 0n wt.%) while those from lherzolites and a glimmerite have 1.6 to 7.2 wt.%. The Fe2O3 content ranges from 0.2 to 2.6 wt.%, the higher values suggesting temperatures of at least 1000°C.
Spatially Resolved Site Selective Optical Spectroscopy on Nd Doped GaN Epitaxial Layers

Due to its favorable electronic and thermal properties GaN has been considered as a rare-earth host material for solid state amplifier and laser applications. To this end, we performed spatially resolved combined excitation emission spectroscopy (CEES) on Nd ions which were in-situ-doped into GaN epitaxial films grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) on c-plane sapphire substrate. For a wide range of concentration (up to 8at%) we find in the emission a dominant incorporation site, which can be identified with good certainty as a substitutional ‘Ga’ site. Energy levels and electron-phonon coupling to a localized mode can be identified. For the majority site, confocal spectral imaging under selective excitation show changes in emission intensity, excitation and emission wavelength on a submicron length scale suggesting spatial inhomogeneities in terms of Nd3+ ion concentration.
HU Induced Perturbation to the Structure and Dynamics of Flexible DNA Substrate Construct

Many proteins modulate the structure and dynamics of the bacterial chromosome. One of the most abundant of such proteins is HU (Heat_Unstable) protein, a member of the DNABII family of DNA-binding proteins. An architectural protein, HU introduces sharp bends (120-160 degrees) into the DNA upon binding in a site-specific manner. DNA bending induced by these proteins is important for transcriptional regulation, initiation of replication, Mu transposition, base excision repair, recombination, and negative supercoiling in bacteria. HU exhibits a strong preference for various distortions in DNA, such as nicks, gaps, cruciforms, and sticky ends, all of which share a common motif of a flexible junction. There is little structural or dynamical information related to the perturbation of these DNA motifs upon HU binding. Characterization of HU binding to these motifs provides insight into HU's role in the regulation of DNA structure and also gives insight into the general mode of site-specific recognition and binding for non-sequence-specific DNA binding proteins found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We have employed various fluorescence spectroscopic techniques to address this problem. Through the use of fluorescence anisotropy we have determined the dissociation constant in solution for HU binding to DNA overhang constructs to be 0.3 nM, which is a 1000-fold lower than binding to duplex DNA. The stoichiometry of HU binding specifically to these substrates is one-to-one, while non-specific binding generally leads to larger protein to DNA ratios in bound complexes. Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) results are indicative of protein-induced bending of the DNA substrate at the duplex/single strand junction and in the single stand region upon HU binding. We further explore the mechanism of HU-induced bending, structural recognition and binding through the use of FRET mapping techniques and time-resolved fluorescence methods.
Henry E. Sigerist: from the social production of disease to medical management and scientific socialism.

^H w ENRY E. SIGERIST DID MORE THAN ANY OTHER individual to establish, promote, and popularize the history of medicine in America. He made the history of medicine relevant to contemporary concerns and greatly broadened its appeal beyond the small company of scholars, collectors, and amateur "gentlemen" physicians who had been interested in the field (Miller 1980). As professor of the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins, he made the history of medicine "more comprehensive, more comprehensible, more significant in human and social terms" (Stevenson 1958). Here, I will be concerned with Sigerist's analysis of the social production of disease and its relation to his proposals for the reform of medical care. Sigerist's work on the history of disease has more radical implications than much of his more overtly political writing on the sociology of medicine and medical care organization. Sigerist articulated two, largely distinct, positions in relation to the politics of health and disease. On the one hand, his work on the history of disease suggested that the incidence of disease was generated by social and economic conditions, and therefore had to be addressed by social and economic reorganization, promoted in part by a "people's war" for health; on the other hand, much of Sigerist's active political and sociological work concentrated on the more limited (if still ambitious) goal of changing the organization, delivery, and financing of health services. Sigerist's dual vision of the physician's role-as participant
Compatible Blends of Zein and Polyvinylpyrrolidone

Blends of zein and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were compared based on their tensile properties, thermal properties and morphology. Zein was blended with polyvinylpyrrolidone of varying molecular weights (10, 55, and 1,300 kDa) and films were cast from ethanol solutions. Films cast using the higher molecular weight polymers showed an improvement in tensile strength, up to a 24% increase, compared to control. Differential scanning calorimetry data for the blends showed single Tm and Tg values of an intermediate value between those of zein and PVP control samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images show no obvious inhomogeneities, and confocal fluorescence microscopy showed no decreased uniformity in the PVP/zein films compared to control. Electrospun fibers of the zein/PVP blends were also obtained. These findings suggest that zein and polyvinylpyrrolidone combine to form a compatible blend, the first such blend of zein with a synthetic polymer.
Urinary amino acid excretion by patients with β-thalassemia

Twenty-four hour urinary amino acid excretion has been studied in patients with beta-thalassemia (four adult major, two adult intermedia, and three children major). beta-Aminoisobutyric acid was found to be increased (14-fold on the average) in patients with beta-thalassemia without evidence for increase in the excretion of most other amino acids. No correlation of beta-aminoisobutyric acid excretion with the hematological status of the patient was found. Elevated taurine excretion (2-fold) was also noted in the adult patients with beta-thalassemia. Greatly increased excretion of beta-aminoisobutyric acid appears to correlate with a poor prognosis and may reflect generalized tissue catabolism rather than being a specific indicator of ineffective erythropoiesis.
Presence of 1,2,3,4-dibenzopyrene in cigarette smoke.

IN an investigation of the neutral fraction of cigarette smoke tar for the presence of carcinogenic hydrocarbons1, the fluorescence spectra given by various chromatographic fractions were obtained. One of these (spectrum h) has been found to be identical with the spectrum given by a sample of pure 1,2,3,4-dibenzopyrene, which has since become available for reference.
Kink pair interactions

Abstract Constant pressure partition functions are used to study the statistical mechanical behaviour of kink pairs, using an interaction energy function from continuum elasticity theory. The general conclusions reached earlier by Brailsford using a different analysis and an artificial interaction energy function are corroborated.
Functional perturbation of classical natural killer and innate lymphoid cells in the oral mucosa during SIV infection

Despite the fact that the majority of human pathogens are transmitted across mucosal surfaces, including the oral mucosae, oral immunity is poorly understood. Furthermore, because the normal flora of the oral cavity is vast and significantly diverse, host immunity must balance a complex system of tolerance and pathogen recognition. Due to the rapid recognition and response to pathogens, the innate immune system, including natural killer (NK) cells, likely plays a critical role in mediating this balance. Because logistical and ethical restraints limit access to significant quantities of human mucosal tissues, nonhuman primate models offer one of the best opportunities to study mucosal NK cells. In this study we have identified both classical NK cells, as well as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in tonsillar and buccal tissues and oral-draining lymph nodes. Identified by mutually exclusive expression of NKG2A and NKp44, NK cells and ILCs in the oral mucosa are generally phenotypically and functionally analogous to their gut counterparts. NKG2A+ NK cells were more cytotoxic while NKp44+ ILCs produced copious amounts of IL-17 and TNF-α. However, in contrast to gut, oral NK cells and ILCs both produced large quantities of IFN-γ and the beta-chemokine, MIP-1β. Also in contrast to what we have previously found in gut tissues of SIV-infected macaques, we found no reduction in NK cells during chronic SIV infection, but rather an expansion of ILCs in oral-draining lymph nodes and tonsils. These data suggest that the lentivirus-induced depletion of the NK cell/ILC compartment in the gut may be absent in the oral mucosa, but the inherent differences and SIV-induced alterations are likely to have significant impact on preventing oral opportunistic infections in lentiviral disease. Furthermore, these data extend our understanding of the oral innate immune system in general and could aid future studies evaluating the regulation of both normal oral flora and limiting transmission
The Phylogenetic Affinities of Trachylepis Sulcata Nigra and the Intraspecific Evolution of Coastal Melanism in the Western Rock Skink

The phylogenetic affinities of the melanistic subspecies Trachylepis sulcata nigra have never been investigated, and it was unclear if this subspecies represented a locally adapted population or a distinct species. Sequences from the nuclear marker RAG-1 (1149 bp), two novel rapidly-evolving nuclear markers KIF24 and EXPH5 (554 bp and 941 bp respectively), and the mitochondrial gene ND2 (1056 bp) were analysed from 84 individuals of T. s. sulcata and two individuals of T. s. nigra. Additionally, the range of T. s. nigra was estimated using museum records, and correlations between environmental variables and the occurrence of melanism were explored. Molecular analyses depict T. s. nigra as nested within a strongly monophyletic T. s. sulcata, suggesting this population is not genetically isolated or distinct. We therefore recommend T. s. nigra be synonymized with T. s. sulcata. The best predictor of melanism along the coastline in this population is a high number of fog days per year, a finding consistent w...
Analyzing Mechanical Responses of Microstructures From Optical Heating

Optical microswitches are being developed for use in communication and security systems because of their small size and fast response time. However, as the intensity of the light incident on the microswitches increases, the thermal and mechanical responses of the reflective surfaces are becoming a concern. It is important to dissipate heat adequately and to minimize any deformation on the reflective surfaces. To understand the mechanical responses of these microswitches, a set of microstructures have been fabricated and tested to evaluate how the surfaces deform when irradiated with a high-intensity laser beam. To evaluate and further investigate the experimental findings, the coupled physical analysis tool, Calagio, has been applied to simulate the mechanical behavior of these test structures when they are optically heated. Code prediction of the surface displacement will be compared against measurement. Our main objective is to assess the existing material models and our code predictive capability so that it will be used to qualify the performance of micro-switches being developed.© 2006 ASME
Stabilization of the Thermal Decomposition of Poly(Propylene Carbonate) Through Copper Ion Incorporation and Use in Self-Patterning

Incorporation of copper ions into poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) films cast from γ-butyrolactone (GBL), trichloroethylene (TCE) or methylene chloride (MeCl) solutions containing a photo-acid generator is shown to stabilize the PPC from thermal decomposition. Copper ions were introduced into the PPC mixtures by bringing the polymer mixture into contact with copper metal. The metal was oxidized and dissolved into the PPC mixture. The dissolved copper interferes with the decomposition mechanism of PPC, raising its decomposition temperature. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that copper ions make PPC more stable by up to 50°C. Spectroscopic analysis indicates that copper ions may stabilize terminal carboxylic acid groups, inhibiting PPC decomposition. The change in thermal stability based on PPC exposure to patterned copper substrates was used to provide a self-aligned patterning method for PPC on copper traces without the need for an additional photopatterning registration step. Thermal decomposition of PPC is then used to create air isolation regions around the copper traces. The spatial resolution of the self-patterning PPC process is limited by the lateral diffusion of the copper ions within the PPC. The concentration profiles of copper within the PPC, patterning resolution, and temperature effects on the PPC decomposition have been studied.
Effects of Starvation in Rats on Serum Levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, Thyrotropin, Growth Hormone and Prolactin; Response to LH-Releasing Hormone and Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats averaging 300 g each were subjected to complete food removal for 7 days (acutely starved), 7 days complete food removal followed by 2 weeks of ¼ ad libitum food intake (chronically starved), 7 days complete food removal and 2 weeks of ¼ ad libitum intake followed by ad libitum feeding for 7 days (refed), or fed ad libitum throughout (controls). Serum LH, FSH, TSH, PRL, and GH levels were measured by radioimmunoassays for each group of rats. The in vivo response to the combination of synthetic LHRH and TRH also was tested in each group. Circulating LH, TSH, GH, and PRL were significantly depressed in acutely and chronically starved rats, and FSH was lowered only in acutely starved rats. After 7 days of refeeding, serum levels of LH and FSH were significantly greater than in ad libitum fed controls, PRL returned to control levels, and TSH and GH increased but were still below control levels. After LHRH + TRH injection serum LH and TSH were increased significantly in all groups...
Embryology and anomalies of the external ear

The embryology of the ear provides insight into the fundamentals of surgical reconstruction and support to the concepts that guide our approaches to complete excision of redundant elements. The external ear develops from ectodermal and mesodermal elements of the first and second branchial arches. Anomalies of the ear may therefore reflect abnormal development of other first and second arch structures. Accurate recognition of syndromic ear anomalies also allows for the potential detection of other systemic conditions. The authors discuss the embryology of the auricle; external auditory canal; dysmorphogenesis of the auricle; auricular pits, cysts, and sinuses; microtia; anomalies of the antihelical cartilage; protruding ears; cryptotia, anomalies of the external auditory canal; and syndromic ear anomalies.
Bandwidth limitations of phase-conjugate arrays used for multipath focusing

This work explores the bandwidth limitations of phase-conjugate arrays used as a multiple access technique in an indoor, multipath-rich environment. A single, phase-conjugating array with two sets of complex coefficients was used to create separate communications channels to receivers located approximately one half wavelength apart and operating at the same frequency. Results are presented showing the variation in the multipath enhanced spatial focusing across the bandwidth of the signals. Our results indicate that, with a four-element transmit array, the isolation between the two channels was measured to be about 10 dB over a bandwidth of 15 MHz.
Breakdown of conventional factorization for isolated photon cross sections.

Using {ital e{sup +}e{sup -} {r_arrow} {gamma} + X} as an example, we show that the conventional factorization theorem of perturbative QCD breaks down for isolated photon cross sections in a specific part of phase space. Implications are discussed.
Patterns of Tongue Contact in Normal and Lisping Speakers

The accuracy of traditional articulatory descriptions of /s/ productions by normal and lisping speakers was tested. Three groups of children (normal speakers, frontal lispers, and lateral lispers) ...
Multistage parallel-serial time averaging filters

Abstract Here, a new time averaging circuit design, the “parallel filter” is presented, which can reduce the time jitter, introduced in time measurements using counters of large dimensions. This parallel filter could be considered as a single stage unit circuit which can be repeated an arbitrary number of times in series, thus providing a parallel-serial filter type as a result. The main advantages of such a filter over a serial one are much less electronic gate jitter and time delay for the same amount of total time uncertainty reduction.
Some issues associated with migration, health status and the use of health services

Abstract In comparison with other areas of Medical Sociology, the study of the various effects of migration on health and health-related behavior has remained largely unexplored, despite the magnitude of the processes involved and the fact that migration now probably constitutes the most important vehicle of social change confronting any society. This paper attempts to accomplish two main tasks. Firstly, a range of methodological and conceptual issues associated with the study of migration and utilization behavior are considered. Secondly, a distinction is drawn between two main types of migration and various health status and utilization outcomes. It is clear that considerably more conceptual and methodological refinement is needed before further work is undertaken on the relationship between migration on the one hand, and health status and/or utilization behavior on the other. To this end, hypotheses have been outlined for future empirical testing. While the pertinence of the various issues considered are illustrated with reference to the utilization of health services, they are also seen as having ramifications in such fields as education, welfare, deviance and research methodology.
Universal design for online courses: Addressing the needs of non-traditional learners

Online courses offer access to higher educational opportunity for “non-traditional” learners. Non-traditional students include students who live in rural or remote areas, students who are culturally or linguistically diverse, students with disabilities and adult learners who return to college to gain certifications and degrees. These students can benefit from online courses that take into account their backgrounds, learning needs and preferences. Universal design principles provide a framework that addresses diversity in the classroom. This paper describes how instructors can employ instructional strategies based on universal design guidelines and create environments that support non-traditional learners.
Efficient clustering-based source code plagiarism detection using PIY

Vast amounts of information available online make plagiarism increasingly easy to commit, and this is particularly true of source code. The traditional approach of detecting copied work in a course setting is manual inspection. This is not only tedious but also typically misses code plagiarized from outside sources or even from an earlier offering of the course. Systems to automatically detect source code plagiarism exist but tend to focus on small submission sets. One such system that has become the standard in automated source code plagiarism detection is measure of software similarity (MOSS) Schleimer et al. in proceedings of the 2003 ACM SIGMOD international conference on management of data, ACM, San Diego, 2003. In this work, we present an approach called program it yourself (PIY) which is empirically shown to outperform MOSS in detection accuracy. By utilizing parallel processing and data clustering, PIY is also capable of maintaining detection accuracy and reasonable runtimes even when using extremely large data repositories.
Path selection based acceleration of conditionals in CGRAs

Coarse Grain Reconfigurable Arrays (CGRAs) are promising accelerators capable of achieving high performance at low power consumption. While CGRAs can efficiently accelerate loop kernels, accelerating loops with control flow (loops with if-then-else structures) is quite challenging. Existing techniques use predication to handle control flow execution -- in which they execute operations from both the paths, but commit only the result of operations from the path taken by branch at run time. However, this results in inefficient resource usage and therefore poor mapping and lower acceleration. The state-of-the-art dual issue scheme fetches instructions from both the paths, but executes only the ones from the correct path but this scheme has an overhead in instruction fetch bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a solution in which after resolving the branching condition, we fetch and execute instructions only from the path taken by branch. Experimental results show that our solution achieves 34.6% better performance and 52.1% lower energy consumption on an average compared to state of the art dual issue scheme.
Distribution of Protein I, a Synapse-Specific Phosphoprotein, and Adenylate Cyclase in the Rat Spinal Cord

: The longitudinal and transverse distributions of the synapse-specific phosphoprotein Protein I and adenylate cyclase in the rat spinal cord were studied. Protein I was found to be enriched in all cervical and midlumbar (L3-L5) segments, and sparse in midthoracic and sacral segments. Adenylate cyclase activity was high in all cervical and lumbosacral segments, and low in mid-thoracic segments. Cross-sectionally, both Protein I and adenylate cyclase were more enriched in the dorsal half than in the ventral half in the various segments studied. The similar topographical distributions of Protein 1 and adenylate cyclase in the spinal cord support the idea that adenylate cyclase may be intimately associated with Protein I in the nervous system, and could thereby regulate the state of in vivo phosphorylation of Protein I through formation of cyclic AMP.
A local mechanism for differential velocity detection.

Abstract Differential velocity detection in the fovea was used to probe the properties of a local motion mechanism. Human observers can detect differences in velocity of less than 5% even for a 200 msec target duration. This precision is not based on variations in the distance traversed by the target or in the total target duration. The relevant timing signal for velocity is the detection of a difference in stimulus onset time at spatially separate points. This onset asynchrony detection is shown to be very precise for small spatial separations. Discontinuous stimuli (apparent motion) are adequate substitutes for continuous motion in velocity judgments provided that the spatial interval between target presentations is less than 20 min arc.
Detecting coughing episodes passively from acoustic signals in a home environment: demo abstract

We demonstrate a passive cough monitoring system for in-home environments using acoustic sensors. Our system does not need the users to wear any device. It also works under the presence of typical sounds that may be common in a home environment.
The physical basis of ventilator-induced lung injury

Although mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-saving intervention for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), it can aggravate or cause lung injury, known as ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The biophysical characteristics of heterogeneously injured ARDS lungs increase the parenchymal stress associated with breathing, which is further aggravated by MV. Cells, in particular those lining the capillaries, airways and alveoli, transform this strain into chemical signals (mechanotransduction). The interaction of reparative and injurious mechanotransductive pathways leads to VILI. Several attempts have been made to identify clinical surrogate measures of lung stress/strain (e.g., density changes in chest computed tomography, lower and upper inflection points of the pressure–volume curve, plateau pressure and inflammatory cytokine levels) that could be used to titrate MV. However, uncertainty about the topographical distribution of stress relative to that of the susceptibility of the cel...
The effects of cells on oxygen transfer coefficients. II: Analysis of enhancement mechanisms

Abstract Several experimenters have found higher k L values in fermentation broths than in cell-free liquids with the same rheology, surface tension etc. This has been variously described as chemical enhancement due to uptake of oxygen by cells, direct uptake by cells of oxygen from the gas phase and a hydrodynamic effect that is equally important with dead cells or inert particles. The hydrodynamic effect is described here as a consequence of drag on cells adsorbed at a bubble interface. This forces the interface to move, increasing both the cell capture efficiency (the “snowball” effect) and the mass transfer coefficient. The effect is dominant in bubble-aerated systems: chemical enhancement and direct uptake are negligible because the upper half of the bubble, from where most of the oxygen is transferred, has few adsorbed cells. Much of the available data comes from surface-aerated systems where k L is lower, cell accumulation at the interface is greater and chemical enhancement is significant, particularly at high cell concentrations where oxygen uptake by cells is not zero order in oxygen concentration.
Human Motor Cortex: Sensory Input Data from Single Neuron Recordings

Recordings were made from single neurons in the hand area of the human motor cortex while peripheral physiologic stimuli were applied. Such cells responded only to active and passive hand movements. Tactile and autditory (click) stimuli were itneffective. The majority of cells were activated only by movements of the contralateral hand, but a significant number (4 of 16) could be excited if a given movement was made by either hand. Of the cells responding to active movement, some showed an increased discharge before onset of the voluntary action. Such cells were excited by the same movement executed passively, a result that indicates sensory feedback from receptors activated by that movement.
A rapid dual organ rat carcinogenesis bioassay for evaluating the chemoprevention of breast and colon cancer

In this study we evaluated the effect of dietary administration of a high fat, low fiber diet (HRD) with or without 2% phytic acid (PA) on the development of mammary cancer and/or colon cancer in rats exposed to methylnitrosourea (MNU), azoxymethane (AOM) or MNU + AOM. The rats were fed a HRD alone or a HRD + 2% PA. At the end of week 2, the rats were given either a s.c. injection of MNU (50 mg/kg body wt) or one of normal saline (vehicle). At the end of weeks 3 and 4, the rats were given either a s.c. injection of AOM (15 mg/kg body wt per week) or one of normal saline (vehicle). Nine weeks after the injection of MNU or saline, 10 rats from each group were sacrificed and the mammary tumor incidence and the number of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were compared between different groups. The administration of different diets was continued for an additional 21 weeks and the mammary tumor and colon tumor incidence between different groups were compared. Results showed that rats injected with MNU alone did not develop ACF or colon tumors while those injected with AOM alone did not develop mammary tumors. Linear regression analysis of the number of ACF at 11 weeks versus colonic tumor incidence at 32 weeks, and the linear regression analysis of mammary tumor incidence at 11 weeks versus mammary tumor incidence at 32 weeks, both showed good linear correlation. These results demonstrate the potential value of the short term dual organ carcinogenesis bioassay for screening chemopreventive agents for their relative ability to inhibit the development of mammary cancer and/or colon cancer while on high risk diet.
Nanofabrication with ultrafast lasers at critical intensity

A principal challenge facing nanotechnology is consistently producing well-defined features much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. We find that the remarkably sharp threshold for femtosecond laser-induced material damage enables nanomachining with unprecedented precision and versatility, allowing highly reproducible machining of structures with nanoscale features. Using this methodology, we demonstrate, in glass, surface trenches that are only tens of nanometers in width but micron in depth, sub-surface channels that are hundreds nanometers in diameter, tens of microns deep, and hundreds microns in length, and 3D microstructures such as cantilevers. Furthermore, we demonstrate reproducible nanometer scale features in mixed and amorphous materials that differ significantly from glass, such as gold and onion cells. This technique is versatile, not material specific, and has potentially broad applications for MEMS construction and design, high density microelectronics, nanofluidics, material science, and optical memory.
Linear Regression in Genetic Association Studies

In genomic research phenotype transformations are commonly used as a straightforward way to reach normality of the model outcome. Many researchers still believe it to be necessary for proper inference. Using regression simulations, we show that phenotype transformations are typically not needed and, when used in phenotype with heteroscedasticity, result in inflated Type I error rates. We further explain that important is to address a combination of rare variant genotypes and heteroscedasticity. Incorrectly estimated parameter variability or incorrect choice of the distribution of the underlying test statistic provide spurious detection of associations. We conclude that it is a combination of heteroscedasticity, minor allele frequency, sample size, and to a much lesser extent the error distribution, that matter for proper statistical inference.
Determination of dicumarol metabolites in bile of rats

After intravenous administration of dicumarol-14C to rats, the bile excreted over the next 24 hr contained from 32 to 46% of the administered radioactivity. At least three primary metabolites and a small amount of unchanged dicumarol were present in the bile. Over 91% of the primary metabolites was converted to dicumarol and 7-hydroxydicumarol by hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase. Some primary metabolites were hydrolyzed simply by acidification to pH 3 or by treatment under the acidic conditions utilized in the enzymatic hydrolysis. The three primary metabolites contain carboxylic acid groups, as indicated by their electrophoretic mobility-pH profiles, and some are simple glucuronides of dicumarol and 7-hydroxydicumarol. The possibility that others are derivatives of these compounds in which a coumarin lactone ring is opened cannot be ruled out. When the metabolites released by either acidification or enzymatic hydrolysis were chromatographed in n-butanol-3 M ammonia, artifacts were produced, presumably as a result of decomposition of 7-hydroxydicumarol. The question is raised whether a previously reported metabolite (B055) is an artifact.
Approximate temperature distribution for a diffuse, highly reflecting material.

The application of a 'two-flux' technique is considered for determining the reflective characteristics and approximate temperature distribution in highly backscattering materials characterized by a very small absorption coefficient. With respect to the transmitted internal radiation fields, the internal radiative emission is assumed to be negligible. A comparison of theory and experiment is presented.
The sea lamprey UNC5 receptors: cDNA cloning, phylogenetic analysis and expression in reticulospinal neurons at larval and adult stages of development

UNC5 receptors mediate repulsive signaling of netrin on neurons. Although only one UNC5 receptor has been identified in invertebrates, four members of the UNC5 family have been identified in gnathostomes. Lampreys, together with mixynes, belong to the oldest branch of extant vertebrates, and their phylogenetic position near to the vertebrate root makes them an interesting model for understanding molecular evolution. Here, we cloned three sea lamprey UNC5 (UNC5L) receptors, and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the first two duplications of the ancestral UNC5 gene occurred before the separation of jawless and jawed vertebrates. UNC5 receptors play important roles during early development, but expression studies have also suggested that UNC5 receptors play roles in the mature nervous system. Here, we report the expression of the different UNC5L receptor transcripts in identified reticulospinal neurons of mature larval or adult sea lampreys detected by in situ hybridization in wholemounted brain preparations. In addition, an extensive expression of the UNC5 receptors was also observed in most brain regions of the adult lamprey. An increase in the types of identifiable reticulospinal neurons expressing the UNC5L receptors was observed in adults compared with larvae. Expression of UNC5 receptors at late developmental stages appears to be a shared characteristic of lampreys and mammals. In larvae, expression of UNC5L receptors was observed in reticulospinal neurons that when axotomized are known to be “bad regenerators.” Results in lampreys and mammals suggest that the UNC5-Netrin axonal guidance system may play a role in limiting axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:4141–4156, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Live/Real Time Three-Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography in the Evaluation of Post Traumatic Acquired Thoracic Aortic Coarctation

We report a young patient with post traumatic acquired thoracic aortic coarctation in whom three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) demonstrated incremental value over two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE). 3DTTE showed (1) en face views of the obstruction site that showed a markedly narrowed, roughly circular orifice measuring 0.33 cm(2) in area, (2) echogenic tissue encroaching on the graft lumen consistent with fibrosis/thrombus, and (3) no graft protrusion into the aortic lumen, only hypermobility of the medial portion of the graft. These important findings were not detected by 2DTTE.
A facile nanoparticle immunoassay for cancer biomarker discovery.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) scatter light intensely at or near their surface plasmon wavelength region. Using AuNPs coupled with dynamic light scattering (DLS) detection, we developed a facile nanoparticle immunoassay for serum protein biomarker detection and analysis. A serum sample was first mixed with a citrate-protected AuNP solution. Proteins from the serum were adsorbed to the AuNPs to form a protein corona on the nanoparticle surface. An antibody solution was then added to the assay solution to analyze the target proteins of interest that are present in the protein corona. The protein corona formation and the subsequent binding of antibody to the target proteins in the protein corona were detected by DLS. Using this simple assay, we discovered multiple molecular aberrations associated with prostate cancer from both mice and human blood serum samples. From the mice serum study, we observed difference in the size of the protein corona and mouse IgG level between different mice groups (i.e., mice with aggressive or less aggressive prostate cancer, and normal healthy controls). Furthermore, it was found from both the mice model and the human serum sample study that the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, a protein that is associated with tumor angiogenesis) adsorbed to the AuNPs is decreased in cancer samples compared to non-cancerous or less malignant cancer samples. The molecular aberrations observed from this study may become new biomarkers for prostate cancer detection. The nanoparticle immunoassay reported here can be used as a convenient and general tool to screen and analyze serum proteins and to discover new biomarkers associated with cancer and other human diseases.
Intervention analysis of the antidumping investigation on wooden bedroom furniture imports from China.

In recent years, the annual imports of wooden bedroom furniture by the United States have been over five billion dollars, with more than two billion dollars of that coming from China. This trend le...
Advances in the TAU performance system

To address the increasing complexity in parallel and distributed systems and software, advances in performance technology towards more robust tools and broader, more portable implementations are needed. In doing so, new challenges for performance instrumentation, measurement, analysis, and visualization arise to address evolving requirements for how performance phenomena is observed and how performance data is used. This paper presents recent advances in the TAU performance system in four areas where improvements in performance technology are important: instrumentation control, performance mapping, performance interaction and steering, and performance databases. In the area of instrumentation control, we are concerned with the removal of instrumentation in cases of high measurement overhead. Our approach applies rule-based analysis of performance data in an iterative instrumentation process. Work on performance mapping focuses on measuring performance with respect to dynamic calling paths when the static callgraph cannot be determined prior to execution. We describe an online performance data access, analysis, and visualization system that will form the basis of a large-scale performance interaction and steering system. Finally, we describe our approach to the management of performance data in a database framework that supports multi-experiment analysis.
A fully synchronized, pipelined, and re-configurable 50 Mb SRAM on 90 nm CMOS technology for logic applications

A 50 Mb SRAM chip is designed and fabricated on an industry leading 90 nm CMOS technology that features a 1 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ SRAM cell and 50 nm gate length transistors with strained silicon. The SRAM chip is formed with 100/spl times/512 Kb subarrays that have 2.5 GHz nominal operating frequency, 75% area efficiency, and fully synchronized internal timing along with efficient local power-down feature. And the design can be easily re-configured to form large high-density on-die cache memory for high-speed logic applications such as CPUs.
Testing the Masters Hypothesis in Commodity Futures Markets

The ‘Masters Hypothesis’ is the claim that long-only index investment was a major driver of the 2007–2008 spike in commodity futures prices and energy futures prices in particular. Index position data compiled by the CFTC are carefully compared. In the energy markets, index position estimates based on agricultural markets are shown to contain considerable error relative to the CFTC's Index Investment Data (IID). Fama–MacBeth tests using the CFTC's quarterly IID find very little evidence that index positions influence returns or volatility in 19 commodity futures markets. Granger causality and long-horizon regression tests also show no causal links between daily returns or volatility in the crude oil and natural gas futures markets and the positions for two large energy exchange-traded index funds. Overall, the empirical results of this study offer no support for the Masters Hypothesis.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of anemia screening before erythropoietin in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Abstract The treatment efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) can be limited by deficiencies of iron, folate, or vitamin B 12 , by hyperparathyroidism, or by aluminum intoxication. Since EPO costs are significant, this study attempted to determine the cost-effectiveness of performing a panel of screening tests for anemia before starting EPO. Anemia screening was performed prospectively in 48 new-onset ESRD patients at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center before EPO treatment was started. Serum iron, transferrin, folate, vitamin B12, parathyroid hormone, and aluminum levels were determined, and transferrin saturation (Tfsat) was calculated at the first dialysis session. At presentation for dialysis, the mean hematocrit was 0.264 ± 0.036 and the mean blood urea nitrogen was 32 ± 2 mmol/L. Eighteen patients (37.5%) had a serum iron level lower than 7 μmol/L, suggesting iron deficiency. Twenty-five patients (52%) had Tfsat less than 0.20, consistent with overt iron deficiency. No patient was found to be vitamin B 12 deficient, to be aluminum intoxicated, or to have significant hyperparathyroidism. One patient had folate deficiency. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed assuming that (1) EPO would be given at an average starting dose of 6,000 U/wk at a cost of $14/2,000 U of EPO; (2) that without screening 1 month would elapse before a poor response was identified; and (3) that the failure to treat aluminum intoxication and hyperparathyroidism or to replete iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiency would significantly impair the response to EPO. The Tfsat screen had a cost-effectiveness ratio of 0.2019, saving approximately $5.00 in EPO use for each dollar of test administration. All other screens had cost-effectiveness ratios greater than 1.0, indicating that their testing costs exceeded dollar savings in EPO use. In conclusion, iron deficiency is common in anemic patients starting dialysis, but other causes of anemia are not. It is imperative that current clinical practices be influenced by cost-effectiveness considerations. Given the cost of laboratory screens, and the relative ineffectiveness of the other screens examined here to identify factors known to impair the response to EPO, anemia screening before initiating EPO therapy should be limited to tests to identify iron deficiency.
Human Capital in Family Businesses: Focusing on the Individual Level

This article focuses on the construct of human capital in family businesses. It makes three key contributions. First, it furthers our understanding of human capital in family businesses by identifying the underlying dimensions of human capital, involving not only knowledge, skills and abilities but also individual attitudes and motivation. Second, the article puts forward the conditions under which family businesses can achieve and sustain over time an alignment of interests between individual human capital and organizational goals. These conditions will vary depending on whether the external environment is static or dynamic. Third, the article heeds the call, shared by strategic management scholars, to focus on the individual level as well as on the (predominant) group- and organizational-level constructs.
Patterns of use of hemostatic agents in patients undergoing major surgery.

Abstract Background Although a number of prohemostatic agents that are applied intraoperatively have been introduced to minimize bleeding, little is known about the patterns of use and the factors that influence use. We examined the use of hemostatic agents in patients undergoing major surgery. Methods All patients who underwent major general, gynecologic, urologic, cardiothoracic, or orthopedic surgery from 2000–2010 who were recorded in the Perspective database were analyzed. Results Among 3,633,799 patients, hemostatic agents were used in 30.3% (n = 1,102,267). The use of hemostatic agents increased from 28.5% in 2000 to 35.2% in 2010. Over the same period, the rates of transfusion declined for pancreatectomy (−14.4%), liver resection (−15.0%), gastrectomy (−11.7%), prostatectomy (−6.6%), nephrectomy (−4.6%), hip arthroplasty (−10.4%), and knee arthroplasty (−6.6%). Over the same time period, the transfusion rate increased for colectomy (6.0%), hysterectomy (3.7%), coronary artery bypass graft (8.4%), valvuloplasty (4.2%), lung resection (1.9%), and spine surgery (1.6%). Transfusion remained relatively stable for thyroidectomy (0.2%). Conclusions The use of hemostatic agents has increased rapidly even for surgeries associated with a small risk of transfusion and bleeding complications. In addition to patient characteristics, surgeon and hospital factors exerted substantial influence on the allocation of hemostatic agents.
Towards effective evaluation of digital community information systems

Digital Community Information Systems (CIS) are increasing in both size and scale. These systems help people obtain community information (CI) for the myriad situations that arise in everyday life. As these systems migrate to the online environment, increasing complexities and scale provide the impetus for improvements in system design. System re-design, however, relies on the effective evaluation of digital CIS. Despite the plethora of evaluation frameworks from the systems, organizational, and information retrieval fields, minimal research has directly addressed the issue of digital CIS evaluation. Following a selective review of digital CIS and evaluation approaches, a layered evaluation framework is proposed to guide the evaluation of digital CIS.