cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maintenance and break of immune tolerance against human factor VIII in a new transgenic hemophilic mouse model

Replacement of the missing factor VIII (FVIII) is the current standard of care for patients with hemophilia A. However, the short half-life of FVIII makes frequent treatment necessary. Current efforts focus on the development of longer-acting FVIII concentrates by introducing chemical and genetic modifications to the protein. Any modification of the FVIII protein, however, risks increasing its immunogenic potential to induce neutralizing antibodies (FVIII inhibitors), and this is one of the major complications in current therapy. It would be highly desirable to identify candidates with a high risk for increased immunogenicity before entering clinical development to minimize the risk of exposing patients to such altered FVIII proteins. In the present study, we describe a transgenic mouse line that expresses a human F8 cDNA. This mouse is immunologically tolerant to therapeutic doses of native human FVIII but is able to mount an antibody response when challenged with a modified FVIII protein that possesses altered immunogenic properties. In this situation, immunologic tolerance breaks down and antibodies develop that recognize both the modified and the native human FVIII. The applicability of this new model for preclinical immunogenicity assessment of new FVIII molecules and its potential use for basic research are discussed.
The C17,20-lyase, 17α-hydroxylase and aromatase activity in rat ovarian granulosa cells stimulated in vivo by gonadotropins

Abstract Immature hypophysectomized rats were injected with PMS; some groups received hCG 48h later. The C17,20-lyase activity in the granulosa cells removed from the large preovulatory follicles was estimated by the amount of labelled acetic acid produced from 21 (14C)progesterone or 17-hydroxyprogesterone. 17α-hydroxylase and aromatase activity were measured by the tritium exchange method. Although the granulosa cells contained lyase, it was considerably less than their hydroxylase activity. The remaining tissue, consisting of small follicles and hypertrophied thecal and interstitial tissue, had a great deal more lyase and hydroxylase activity than did the granulosa cells. The results are consistent with the view that granulosa cells can produce estrogen from progesterone and do not require androgen precursors from the theca and/or interstitium.
The Effects of Modern Navagation on Driver Distraction

This study simulated modern in car navigation with video mapping cues and a low fidelity driving simulator. Forty one participants performed a simulated driving task while either free driving or navigating in conjunction with a standard additional task assessing their spare attentional capacity. The results showed that more lane deviations were made during the navigation than the non navigation task. These findings indicate the greater workload levels associated with the use of video navigation devices. These findings have major implications for driver safety and telematic systems design.
2 GHz controllable power amplifier in standard CMOS process for short-range wireless applications

The authors present the design and implementation of a broadband radiofrequency power amplifier in a standard CMOS technology for short-range wireless applications. The amplifier is implemented in ...
A 28.6dBm 65nm Class-E PA with Envelope Restoration by Pulse-Width and Pulse-Position Modulation

This paper introduces a Class-E PA that overcomes the various limitations using pulse-width and pulse-position modulation (PWPM).
A New Type of Major-Power Relationship: Seeking a Durable Foundation for U.S.-China Ties

This essay considers recent calls for a new major-power relationship between the U.S. and China and examines concrete steps that both countries could take to pursue such a relationship.
A continuum of dimensional separability.

Recent studies of children’s perception may be interpreted in terms of a developmental continuum from integrality to separability in the perception of multidimensional variation. Two experiments examined the existence of such a continuum in adult perception. The first experiment indicated that there are dimensional combinations that are neither clearly integral nor separable for adults. Rather, such a combination results in performance patterns intermediate between those found with integral and separable dimensions. The second experiment tested one conceptualization of a continuum of dimensional separability in a speeded classification task. By this conceptualization, the perceived structures of multidimensional variation are orderable by thedegree to which the component dimensions are differentiated. Consistent with this view, performances with three-dimensional combinations are shown to be differentially dependent on dimensional and wholistic relations. The importance of the joint consideration of developmental and adult issues in the perception of multidimensional variation is briefly discussed.
Incidentally Discovered Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Diagnostic Strategies and Treatment

Delay in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer until after thyroidectomy is relatively common and leads to suboptimal treatment.
What kind of attention is necessary for fear reduction? An empirical test of the emotional processing model

Attention to feared stimuli is believed to facilitate the process of exposure-based fear reduction. However, researchers have disagreed about the importance of cognitive focus during exposure and empirical investigations have yielded inconsistent results. This study was an attempt to clarify the role of visual and cognitive attention to feared stimuli during exposure. Seventy-two spider-fearful participants focused visually on either a fear-relevant or irrelevant stimulus, while also focusing cognitively on either of these stimuli during a brief exposure session. Participants who processed fear-relevant information visually and cognitively showed the most efficient and greatest reduction on behavioral approach task ratings than the other three groups, whose patterns of reduction were highly similar. The group that focused on fear-relevant information in both modalities also reported a significantly greater degree of perceived fear reduction than the other three groups.
Anatomic relationships of infracoccygeal sacropexy (posterior intravaginal slingplasty) trocar insertion.

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the distances of the major bony, vascular, neurologic, and visceral structures to the path of the infracoccygeal sacropexy trocar and to determine the point of trocar entry into the vagina. Study design Infracoccygeal sacropexy trocars were inserted bilaterally into 6 fresh frozen cadavers. Dissection was performed and the maximal length of the vagina, ischiorectal fossa, and pararectal spaces were measured bilaterally. Mean distances with 95% CIs to important anatomic structures were made from fixed points along the trocar's path. Results The path of the trocar began dorsal and lateral to the anus, passed through the ischiorectal fossa, iliococcygeus muscle, into the pararectal space, and into the posteriolateral vagina. Along this course, the mean distance (95% CI) to the pudendal vessels at the exit of Alcock's canal was 2.8 cm (2.1 to 3.4 cm) and rectum was 0.5 cm (0.2 to 0.9 cm). The closest inferior rectal vessel was 0.1 cm (0 to 0.3 cm). In the pararectal space, the mean distance to the ischial spine was 2.6 cm (1.7 to 3.5 cm). In 12 of 12 trocar passages, the inferior rectal branches of the pudendal artery and the rectum were within 1 cm or less of the trocar. The mean distance of trocar entry into the vagina was only 4.8 cm (4.3 to 5.4 cm) proximal to the hymenal ring compared with a mean total vaginal length of 8.7 cm (8.0 to 9.3 cm). Conclusion This anatomic study suggests that the rectum and the inferior rectal branches of the pudendal neurovascular bundle may be at risk of injury during infracoccygeal sacropexy trocar placement. Additionally, this procedure appears to provide support to the mid-posterior vaginal wall, not the vaginal apex.
Social capital and neighborhood stability: An empirical investigation

Abstract There is a growing consensus among urban analysts that inner‐city neighborhoods suffer from a lack of social capital. Because these areas do not have a strong social infrastructure in place to support successful revitalization efforts, urban policy recommendations now call for developing social capital in the worst‐off parts of our cities. However, this consensus has been reached without any empirical analysis of the effect of social capital on urban neighborhoods. Moreover, there have been few, if any, efforts to show how to measure social capital at a neighborhood level. This article proposes a social capital model of neighborhood change that measures social capital as a function of two constitutive elements: sociocultural milieu and institutional infrastructure. In addition, we present a theoretical model to show how social capital affects neighborhood stability and an empirical analysis that provides evidence of the positive effect social capital has on neighborhood stability.
A system based on metal alkyl species that forms chemically bound organic overlayers on hydroxylated planar surfaces

We report the growth of chemically-bound organic overlayers on planar hydroxylated oxide surfaces, oxidized silicon and glass, using dimethyl-zinc plus alkane-thiols. Infrared spectroscopy of the layers indicates that they are similar in density and ordering to self-assembled octadecyl-trichlorosilane layers. Similar reactions can also be used to grow multilayer structures. When multilayers are grown, significant smoothing of the surface is noted. The strategies reported here lend themselves to the production of nanocomposite materials consisting of alternating layers of organic and inorganic material.
Preferential adsorption of plasma proteins onto apolar polyurethane microdomains

Abstract Adsorbed proteins mediate interactions between synthetic biomaterials and physiologic environments. Segmented polyurethane elastomers are extensively used in biomedical devices such as catheters, blood pump bladders, and vascular grafts. Microphase separation in these materials has been correlated with biocompatibility, however, whether separate microdomains exist at aqueous polyurethane surfaces is unknown. Using high-voltage transmission and low-voltage scanning electron microscopy, 10–30 nm soft segment microdomains were imaged at the surface of a hydrated polybutadiene-polyurethane, within the nanometer level surface sensitivity of the instrumentation. Subsequently, two different colloidal gold labeling techniques were used to determine if the distribution of fibronectin, fibrinogen, and albumin, adsorbed from single protein solutions, were influenced by the microdomain morphology. Both immunogold labeling and a novel technique of labeling with unconjugated colloidal gold, which provides very high spatial precision, showed that all three proteins preferentially adsorb to the apolar polybutadiene soft segment microdomains. Thus, protein adsorption is influenced by surface microenvironments of comparable size to the protein itself. This suggests that the phase-separated microstructure of polyurethanes may organize the biological-material interface.
The week at a glance: cross-language cross-document information extraction and translation

Work on the production of texts in English describing instances of a particular event type from multiple news sources will be described. A system has been developed which extracts events, such as meetings, from texts in English, Russian, Spanish, and Japanese. The extraction is currently carried out using only ontological information. The results of a set of such extractions were combined to produce a table of event instances, date stamped, with links back to the original documents. The original documents can then be summarized and translated by the system on demand.By using techniques from information retrieval, information extraction, summarization, and machine translation, in a multi-lingual environlment, new documents can be produced which provide "at a glance" access to news ell events from multiple sources.The paper concludes with a discussion of the key resources which need to be developed to enhance the accuracy and coverage of the techniques used in our experiment.
Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Agarose Gels Modeled by a Fractional Derivative Model

The complex modulus (E*) and elastic modulus (E') of agarose gels (2% to 4%) are measured with a dynamic mechanical analyzer in frequency sweep shear sandwich mode between 0.1 and 20 Hz. The data showed that E* and E' increase with frequency according to a power law which can be described by a fractional derivative model to characterize the dynamic viscoelasticity of the gel. The functions between the model parameters including storage modulus coefficient (H) and the power law exponent (beta) and the agarose concentration are established. A molecular basis for the application of the fractional derivative model to gel polymers is also discussed. Such an approach can be useful in tissue culture studies employing dynamic pressurization or for validation of magnetic resonance elastography.
Quantum and transport lifetimes of a two-dimensional hole gas in the presence of spin–orbit interaction

We present a simple theoretical approach for evaluating the spin-dependent carrier distribution as well as quantum and transport lifetimes in a two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) in the presence of spin–orbit interaction (SOI) induced by the Rashba effect. For low temperatures and over a wide range of the sample parameters, the SOI can enhance the mobility of the sample system and the quantum and transport lifetimes of a 2DHG due to background-impurity scattering do not differ significantly between different spin branches. These are mainly due to the unique features of the hole-impurity scattering in the presence of the SOI. A small difference of the quantum lifetimes in different spin branches has been observed experimentally in spin-split two-dimensional electron gas systems. Our results indicate that this interesting observation can be made in spin-split 2DHGs as well. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Large size as an antipredator defense in an insect

Abstract Although large size is considered an evolved antipredator defense for some vertebrates and shellfish, large size is generally not considered an adaptive defensive trait in insects. Here we propose that large size in chemically defended grasshoppers has evolved as a beneficial antipredator trait. The lubber grasshoppers Romalea microptera and Taeniopoda eques are the largest grasshoppers in North America north of Mexico. These closely related species escape most vertebrate predation by possessing powerful predator-deterrent toxins and by nocturnal roosting. We hypothesize that escape from vertebrate predation allowed lubbers to evolve a larger body size, increased fecundity and provided many other benefits, including defense against invertebrate predators. To test the hypotheses that large lubber size reduces predation, we conducted feeding trials with wolf spiders (Honga carolinensis), assassin bugs (Arilus cristatus), preying mantids (Tenodera aridifolia), fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), frogs (...
Dynamic and Equilibrium Phase Behavior in the C12E5–Abietic Acid–H2O System

Abstract Previous research has investigated the removal of representative flux residues (abietic acid (AA) in isopropyl alcohol (IPA)) from printed wiring assemblies using aqueous solutions of a nonionic surfactant (pentaethylene glycol mono-n-dodecyl ether (C12E5)). To optimize cleaning with this surfactant, greater understanding of the equilibrium and dynamic phase behavior in the AA-C12E5-H2O system is required. In this research, partial ternary phase diagrams were developed at 60 and 45°C (above the binary cloud point). Increasing the AA content of the system caused isotropic surfactant (L2) and lamellar liquid crystalline (La) phases to form at lower temperatures than in the binary C12E5–H2O system. As the temperature increased, the solubility of AA in the L2 phase increased considerably, while the AA content of the La phase was not affected as strongly. The dynamic phase behavior resulting from contact of micellar C12E5solutions with AA or AA/IPA particles at 24°C (below the binary cloud point) and 45°C was also observed. When AA or AA/IPA particles were contacted with 4.1 × 10−3MC12E5solutions, the surfactant and water penetrated into the particles to create isotropic liquid aggregates. When particles were contacted with more concentrated micellar C12E5solutions (0.25M), a new concentrated surfactant phase surrounded the particles and solubilized the AA.
Vascular and endovascular surgeon: the vascular specialist for the 21st century and beyond.

This society has a rich tradition in academic vascular surgery, and our annual meetings and postgraduate courses have always defined the latest standards in surgical and, more recently, in endovascular treatment of vascular disease. As one of the most distinguished regional vascular surgery societies, we provide a forum for scientific and social interchange between our members located in 12 states of a large and prominent geographic region of the United States, which includes 32 medical schools and 24 approved vascular surgery fellowships (Fig 1). The list of our past presidents includes giants of our profession (Table I), and I am delighted to have here so many previous presidents, including the founding president of the Midwestern Vascular Surgery Society, first editor of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, the 95-years-young D. Emerick Szilagyi, from Detroit, Michigan. Our society, founded in 1976 by our first three presidents, among others, has a great history. And no society has a better archivist than Jack Pfeiffer. For each annual meeting, he magically delivers a new edition of a special program book of the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society. Our society is likely the only one which presents to every member such a beautifully printed hard-cover history book of the organization, coauthored by Pfeiffer and past president
Structure of the porcine LH-and FSH-releasing Hormone.: I. The proposed amino acid sequence0110 0

AbstractThe complete amino acid sequence of porcine LH- and FSH-releasing hormone has been provisionally determined by the use on a micro-scale of the combined Edman-dansyl procedure coupled with the selective tritiation method for C-terminal analysis. These procedures were used directly on the digestion products of LH-RH with chymotrypsin and thermolysin, without separation of the fragments. Additional data were provided by high resolution mass spectral fragmentation of LH-RH. On the basis of these results, we propose the following decapeptide sequence for LH-RH: (pyro)Glu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2.
Myelin glycoprotein P0 is expressed at early stages of chicken and rat embryogenesis

Although previous studies suggest that P0 is expressed only in myelinating Schwann cells, monoclonal antibody 1E8 reacts with P0, yet also stains early Schwann cell precursors and non-myelinating Schwann cells (Bhattacharyya et al.: Neuron 7:831-844, 1991). We therefore characterized the 1E8 epitope and analyzed P0 mRNA expression during development. Immunoblot analyses of P0 fusion proteins and of deglycosylated P0 indicated that the 1E8 epitope is polypeptide. Northern blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses revealed that P0 is encoded by a single mRNA that is expressed in chicken embryos as early as E4 and in rat embryos as early as E14. These data indicate that the antigen recognized by 1E8 in early chicken embryos is P0 and that, during development of both chickens and rats, P0 mRNA is expressed long before myelination.
Geometry, stability and properties of metallo-carbohederenes

Abstract The geometry, electronic structure and the stability of the newly discovered metallo-carbohedrene Ti8C12 (met-car) has been investigated using the density functional methods. We show that the structure of Ti8C12 is a caged structure with a binding energy of 6.7 eV/atom. This unusual stability is derived from the C2 and the TiC bonds which decorate the structure. The density of states at the Fermi energy is low and these states are formed from a strong hybridization between the Ti d and the carbon sp-states. We also investigate alternate cubic structure containing Ti and C atoms and show that these fragments of the bulk carbide structure have binding energies per atom comparable to the met-cars. These structures were however not observed in original experiments but have been observed in some of the recent experiments. Conditions favoring the formation of met-cars or the cubic structures are examined.
Understanding the physics limitations of PFNA — the nanosecond pulsed fast neutron analysis

Abstract The PFNA was conceived by Sawa, Gozani and Ryge, in late 1987 as a means to achieve the highest possible sensitivity for detecting small amounts of explosives concealed in luggage. This could be attained because 1) all the elements present in explosives, i.e., O,N,C (and H, indirectly) can be measured via the (n,n′γ) process with fast neutrons, 2) using nanosecond pulses of neutrons and the time-of-flight (TOF) technique, a full direct imaging of the elements and hence all present materials can be obtained, and 3) the TOF assures the best signal to background ratio, as the signal-stimulated γ-rays are measured before the background — neutron interacting in the detector environment — arrives. The PFNA technology has made great strides since the autumn of 1987. It enables the detection of narcotics, explosives, many hazardous materials and most dutiable goods carried in trucks and containers.
Training sequence design for joint channel and I/Q imbalance parameter estimation in mobile SC-FDE transceivers

In our previous work [1], digital baseband compensation of joint Tx/Rx I/Q imbalance in mobile SC-FDE transceivers was investigated. In this sequel, the training sequence design for joint channel and I/Q imbalance parameter estimation in mobile SC-FDE transceivers is discussed in greater detail.
Response to: "Is there a link between longer operating times and increased risk?" and "Papers regarding operative times and complications can be misleading".

Sirs: Thank you very much for your letters to the editor.1,2 We hope we can help clarify and address some of the concerns raised. Our study actually did address many of these concerns using multivariate logistic regression and risk adjustment. This method simultaneously analyzes the effect of multiple independent variables on a dependent variable in relation to one another. Logistic regression aims to find which of the independent variables (ie, operative time, age, BMI, sex, smoking status) has a true relationship to the observed outcome (postoperative complication) and to adjust the reported effect of the variable of interest by weighing the influence of the other variables. Essentially, by using this model, we were able to adjust for confounders of operative time. Thus, we did in fact control for the confounders and addressed the patient characteristics and various procedures statistically. There are some flaws in our data, including some aberrant operative times, which were subject to errors based on what was reported by nurses, time outs, and surgical reports. …
Inflammation and Lipid Signaling in the Etiology of Insulin Resistance

Inflammation and lipid signaling are intertwined modulators of homeostasis and immunity. In addition to the extensively studied eicosanoids and inositol phospholipids, emerging studies indicate that many other lipid species act to positively and negatively regulate inflammatory responses. Conversely, inflammatory signaling can significantly alter lipid metabolism in the liver, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and macrophage in the context of infection, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Here, we review recent findings related to this interconnected network from the perspective of immunity and metabolic disease.
Herding Contracts and Pastoral Mobility in the Far North Region of Cameroon

In the last four decades there has been a shift in livestock ownership in African pastoral systems from impoverished pastoralists to absentee owners who contract hired herders to take care of their animals. This increase in herding contracts has been held responsible for major changes, including constraints on pastoral mobility and breakdown of rangeland management institutions. In a longitudinal study of pastoral mobility and management of common-pool grazing resources in the Far North Region of Cameroon, we examined the impact of herding contracts on pastoral mobility and management of common-pool grazing resources. Our analyses indicate that there are no major differences in mobility patterns between herds under contract (HUC) and independent herds (IH), and that absentee owners are as committed to the ethos and practice of open access as independent herders. We end with a discussion of the critical role of absentee owners in the mobile pastoral system.
Theories on the Mechanics of Tires and Their Applications to Shimmy Analysis

Some theories on tire mechanics and wheel shimmy are discussed and their results compared in an effort to clarify uncertainties as to the validity of the theories. Of particular interest is the comparison of the stretched string and the point contact theories of the mechanics of tires. Contrary to conclusions of some previous investigations, it is found that either of these fundamental, linear theories will predict the shimmy characteristics of wheeled systems if the parameters involved are properly chosen. Nonelastic effects and tire slippage can be and should be included in either theory if further improvement is desired. A simple but important correlation between certain of the parameters of these two basic tire mechanics theories is also demonstrated. The theories are compared with each other and with experimental data.
A model of the demand for medical and health services in Peninsular Malaysia

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of the demand for medical services in Peninsular Malaysia. After elaborating a theoretical model of household demand for medical care in Section II an econometric model is specified and estimated in Sections III, IV, and V. The results indicate that total medical demand, as measured by the absolute volume of outpatient and inpatient consumption, is highly inelastic to the cash price and to the cost in time of utilization. Total medical demand is also inelastic with respect to income. Yet consumers are clearly responsive to the relative prices of alternative sources of medical care. Consumers are also sensitive to the way in which the time of utilization is spent, with high travel and treatment time causing reduced demand for services.
Men's masculinity and attractiveness predict their female partners' reported orgasm frequency and timing

It has been hypothesized that female orgasm evolved to facilitate recruitment of high-quality genes for offspring. Supporting evidence indicates that female orgasm promotes conception, although this may be mediated by the timing of female orgasm in relation to male ejaculation. This hypothesis also predicts that women will achieve orgasm more frequently when copulating with high-quality males, but limited data exist to support this prediction. We therefore explored relationships between the timing and frequency of women's orgasms and putative markers of the genetic quality of their mates, including measures of attractiveness, facial symmetry, dominance, and masculinity. We found that women reported more frequent and earlier-timed orgasms when mated to masculine and dominant men—those with high scores on a principal component characterized by high objectively-measured facial masculinity, observer-rated facial masculinity, partner-rated masculinity, and partner-rated dominance. Women reported more frequent orgasm during or after male ejaculation when mated to attractive men—those with high scores on a principal component characterized by high observer-rated and self-rated attractiveness. Putative measures of men's genetic quality did not predict their mates' orgasms from self-masturbation or from non-coital partnered sexual behavior. Overall, these results appear to support a role for female orgasm in sire choice.
Animality and Agency: A Kantian Approach to Abortion

This paper situates abortion in the context of women’s duties to themselves. I argue that the fundamental Kantian requirement to respect oneself as a rational being, combined with Kant’s view of our animal nature, form the basis for a view of pregnancy and abortion that focuses on women’s agency and characters without diminishing the importance of their bodies and emotions. The Kantian view of abortion that emerges takes abortion to be morally problematic, but sometimes permissible, and sometimes even required. After sketching Kant’s account of duties to oneself, I discuss the challenges pregnancy poses to women’s agency. I then argue that abortion is morally problematic because it is antagonistic to an important subset of morally useful emotions that we have self-regarding duties to protect and cultivate; thus, there is a rebuttable deliberative presumption against maxims of abortion for inclination-based ends. I close by considering objections.
The distribution of intracranial forces in acute and chronic hydrocephalus

Abstract A set of equations has been derived to describe the distribution of intracranial pressure and tension during the development of acute obstructive hydrocephalus. Theoretical predictions correlate with clinical and pathological observations. Biomechanical and experimental considerations indicate that in the first few hours after acute outflow obstruction, the ventricles expand at the expense of easily-displaced intracranial fluid compartments, and destructively high brain tension is concentrated in periventricular areas. Once displaceable fluids are exhausted, the rigidity of the skull becomes the dominant factor. If the skull is rigid, brain tension drops to very low values, intracranial pressure becomes uniform, and ventricular expansion is essentially halted. If the skull is soft and plastic, as in an infant, brain tension remains high and ventricular expansion continues, though its course may eventually be modified by pressure changes and by the geometric factors illustrated in Fig. 4. Experimentally, this formulation seems accurate for adult mammals. The clinical course of infants with hydrocephalus is well known; but Epstein, Hochwald and Ransohoff (1973) have recently shown that restrictive head bandaging will prevent skull expansion and limit neurological damage in infants as well. There is little reason to suppose that the mechanical forces in normal-pressure hydrocephalus are substantially different, despite the presence of free communication between the ventricular system and the lumber subarchnoid space.
Effects of source coherence on low coherence interferometric imaging

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an important imaging technique for medical applications. In this work we report our results on imaging of periodontal tissue. Our OCT system utilizes an erbium doped fiber amplifier emitting near 1.55 /spl mu/m as the source. The coherence length of the source can be varied by more than a factor of 5 by varying the current of the pump laser used in the amplifier. This allows an easy adjustment and a trade-off study of depth of penetration and resolution. The output power of the source can also be varied to allow high penetration depth. Measurement and analysis of the signal to noise of our system and images of periodontal tissue are presented.
Bench-shelf system dynamic characteristics and their effects on equipment and contents

Economic losses during past earthquakes are strongly associated with damage and failure to nonstructural equipment and contents. Among the vast types of nonstructural elements, one important category, is scientific equipment in biological or chemical laboratories, These equipment are often mounted on heavy ceramic bench-tops of bench-shelf systems, which in turn may amplify the dynamic motions imposed. To investigate the seismic response of these types of systems, a series of shake table and field experiments were conducted considering different representative bench and shelf-mounted equipment and contents. Results from shake table experiments indicate that these equipment are generally sliding-dominated. In addition, the bench-shelf system is observed to be very stiff and when lightly loaded, has a fundamental frequency between 10 and 16 Hz. An approximate 50% reduction in the first and second fundamental frequencies is observed considering practical loading conditions. Insight into a broader range of system response is provided by conducting eigenvalue and time history analyses. Non-linear regression through the numerical data indicate acceleration amplification ratios Ω range from 2.6 to 1.4 and from 4.3 to 1.6, for fixed-fixed and pinned-pinned conditions, respectively. Both the experimental and numerical results support the importance of determining the potential dynamic amplification of motion in the context of accurately determining the maximum sliding displacement of support equipment and contents.
Implicit Multicast Routing Protocol

This paper describes the IMcast (implicit multicast) routing protocol, developed to address several problems that are responsible for the slow deployment of IP multicast. We focus on transparent integration with legacy routers and in improving the efficiency of the routing tree. IMcast packets carry unicast addresses in the destination field of IPv4 header and multicast addresses on a separate header. As a result, one can integrate IMcast routers into the Internet without changes to existing routers. The address space for multicast connections is separate and independent of unicast addresses. IMcast builds and maintains shortest path trees from the sender to the receivers. The performance of its control plane scales well. IMcast can also be used as an automatic tunneling protocol to connect existing islands of IP multicast in the Internet. The routing tree construction algorithm has been validated with an implementation
Explorations in statistics: power

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This fifth installment of Explorations in Statistics revisits power, a c...
Starting with complex primitives pays off: complicate locally, simplify globally

In setting up a formal system to specify a grammar formalism, the conventional (mathematical) wisdom is to start with primitives (basic primitive structures) as simple as possible, and then introduce various operations for constructing more complex structures. An alternate approach is to start with complex (more complicated) primitives, which directly capture some crucial linguistic properties and then introduce some general operations for composing these complex structures. These two approaches provide different domains of locality, i.e., domains over which various types of linguistic dependencies can be specified. The latter approach, characterized as complicate locally, simplify globally(CLSG), pushes non-local dependencies to become local, i.e., they arise in the basic primitive structures to start with. The CLSG approach has led to some new insights into syntactic description, semantic composition, language generation, statistical processing, and psycholinguistic phenomena, all these with possible relevance to the cognitive architecture of language. In this paper, we will describe these results in an introductory manner making use of the framework of lexicalized tree-adjoining grammar (LTAG), a key example of the CLSG approach, thereby describing the interplay between formal analysis on the one hand and linguistic and processing issues on the other hand. © 2003 Cognitive Science Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Runtime support for parallelizing data mining algorithms

With recent technological advances, shared memory parallel machines have become more scalable, and offer large main memories and high bus bandwidths. They are emerging as good platforms for data warehousing and data mining. In this paper, we focus on shared memory parallelization of data mining algorithms. We have developed a series of techniques for parallelization of data mining algorithms, including full replication, full locking, fixed locking, optimized full locking, and cache-sensitive locking. Unlike previous work on shared memory parallelization of specific data mining algorithms, all of our techniques apply to a large number of common data mining algorithms. In addition, we propose a reduction-object based interface for specifying a data mining algorithm. We show how our runtime system can apply any of the technique we have developed starting from a common specification of the algorithm.
Not-Quite-American Chestnuts: Engaging Poststructural Epistemologies in NatureSociety Research

This article presents a research design that examines how the production of a not-quite-American chestnut articulates across multiple axes of difference. The chestnut was rendered virtually extinct by an invasive blight in the early 1900s, but plant breeders have now produced blight-resistant trees that are 15/16 ‘American’ and 1/16 ‘Chinese.’ Using a series of moments across space-time, I suggest a way to study the species as a gathering together of multiple realities rather than a fixed and coherent entity. More broadly, this article advocates for research strategies that address the messy relations within and between species without recourse to totalizing explanations or mere description. I also contend that critical geographers emphasizing multiple socioecological realities have a responsibility to explore the ontological politics of these realities and to consider what types of worlds our own scholarship helps to enact.
Protective Effects of Ethnic Identity on Mexican American College Students’ Psychological Well-Being:

The current study investigated whether different ethnic identity components moderate the associations between acculturative stress and psychological adjustment among Mexican American college studen...
The kinetics of in vivo sister chromatid exchange induction in mouse bone marrow cells by alkylating agents: Cyclophosphamide

Administration of cyclophosphamide (5, 10, 20 and 25 mg/kg body weight) to male CD-I mice 2 hr after subcutaneous implantation of a 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) pellet (55 mg) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in bone marrow cells. Treatment with cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg body weight) at the time of BrdUrd implantation and 2, 6.5, and 13 hr post-BrdUrd implantation resulted in the induction of approximately 19 SCE/cell indicating that the bone marrow SCE response was independent of the time of administration. Treatment with cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg body weight) at 26, 19, 13, and 6 hr prior to BrdUrd implantation resulted in baseline SCE (3.3 SCE/cell) at 26 hr with an increasing number of SCE/cell with decreasing time prior to BrdUrd implantation. These results compare favorably with those obtained by Kram et al [1981] with mitomycin C (MMC) using a similar protocol. The time-dependent induction of SCE is qualitatively similar for CP and MMC, both of which are bifunctional alkylating agents metabolically activated by oxidation and reduction, respectively, and suggests that these two compounds may induce SCE by a similar mechanism.
What is the effect on cardiovascular events of reducing hyperuricemia with allopurinol? An evidence-based review

Introduction: High levels of uric acid (UA) have been associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease, but its role as an independent risk factor is the subject of debate. Treating hyperuricemia may be useful in reducing CV risk. Objective: To review the evidence on the effect of treatment with allopurinol in patients with hyperuricemia on reducing CV events. Methods: We searched medical databases for randomized controlled trials (RCT), cohort studies (CS) and case-control studies (CCS), meta-analyses, systematic reviews and guidelines, published between January 2002 and December 2013 in Portuguese and English. Level of evidence (LE) and strength of recommendation were graded according to the definitions used by the European Society of Cardiology. Results: Out of 46 articles, one RCT, three CS and one CCS were included. In the RCT, treatment with allopurinol decreased CV events in patients with moderate chronic renal failure by 71% compared to controls (LE B). In one CS, patients treated with high doses had a greater reduction in CV events compared to low doses (LE B). The other two CS, in patients with heart failure (HF), found similar benefits in patients treated with high doses of allopurinol (LE B). In the CCS, in patients with HF and a history of gout, treatment with allopurinol reduced HF admission and all-cause mortality (LE B). Discussion and Conclusions: Prolonged treatment with high doses of allopurinol may be associated with a reduction in morbidity and mortality in high CV risk populations (class of recommendation IIa). More studies evaluating the effect of therapy with allopurinol in reducing CV events in patients with and without risk are needed. © 2014 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Using Brownian bridges to assess potential interactions between bald eagles and electrical hazards within the upper Chesapeake Bay

One of the most effective means of minimizing mortalities of large raptors from collisions with hazards is to locate hazards away from major activity centers. A reliable means of delineating bird activity centers on the landscape has been a significant impediment to progress in proactive infrastructure planning. We used Brownian bridge movement modeling to develop a population-wide, utilization probability surface for bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) within the upper Chesapeake Bay. We used locations (n = 320,304) for individuals (n = 63) tracked with global positioning system (GPS) satellite transmitters between 2007 and 2011 in the analysis. We intersected the electrical network on the probability surface within Aberdeen Proving Ground, a 350-km2 military installation to identify overlap between power lines and eagle activity centers. We also overlaid locations of eagle mortalities attributed to the lines (n = 67) on the installation to assess the relationship between mortality rates and utilization probabilities. Areas of high bald eagle use were relatively rare on the landscape with only 0.1% and 5% of the area accounting for 10% and 30% of estimated utilization. Most electric lines were along roads and distributed away from eagle activity centers, with only 0.3% of lines located within areas with the highest estimated eagle use. Eagle mortalities were highly skewed to lines that overlapped with eagle activity centers. Eagle mortality rates (birds/100 km/yr) were 42 times higher along lines associated with the highest 10% of eagle use compared to lines associated with the lowest 10% use, suggesting that estimated utilization may be an effective proxy for mortality risk associated with electric line hazards. The majority (71.9%) of high-use bald eagle areas delineated within the study area have no existing electric lines. Utilization probabilities may be a potential tool for site-specific infrastructure planning. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.
Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits Predisposing to Nephropathy: Hypertension

Blood pressure and hypertension have significant genetic underpinnings that may be age-dependent. The age-dependency, significant contributions from environmental factors such as diet and exercise, and inherent moment-to-moment variability complicate the identification of the genes contributing to the development of hypertension. Although genetic abnormalities may have moderate effects, the physiologic pathways involving these genes have redundant compensating mechanisms to bring the system back into equilibrium. This has the effect of reducing or completely masking the initial genetic defects, one of the hypothesized reasons for the small genetic effects found by the recent genome-wide association studies. This review article discusses the concept of initiators versus compensators in the context of finding genes related to hypertension development. A brief review is provided of some key genes found to be associated with hypertension, including the genes identified from the nine genome-wide association studies published to date.
Association between resistance to vancomycin and death in cases of Enterococcus faecium bacteremia.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the association between resistance to vancomycin and mortality among hospitalized patients with Enterococcus faecium bacteremia. We compared outcomes for patients infected with vancomycin-resistant versus vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium among 69 patients with bacteremia defined according to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system. The univariate odds ratio (OR) for death associated with vancomycin resistance was 2.1 (P=.172). After controlling for severity of illness, we found that vancomycin resistance was not associated with mortality (OR, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-6.12; P= .39). Vancomycin resistance does not independently increase mortality among patients with E. faecium bacteremia.
Predictors of Abortion Counseling Receipt and Helpfulness in the United States

Background: Little is known about women’s expectations, needs, and experiences with abortion counseling and the factors that influence their experiences. Methods: This study sought to investigate individual- and facility-level factors that influenced women’s reports of receiving abortion counseling and the helpfulness of counseling. Data were drawn from quantitative interviews with 718 patients recruited from 30 abortion facilities, and 27 interviews with facility informants in the United States. Findings: Sixty-eight percent of participants reported receiving counseling; reports varied by facility. Almost all participants who reported receiving counseling described counseling as helpful: 40% extremely, 28% quite, 17% moderately, 10% a little, and 4% not at all. Nearly all (99%) reported that their counselor communicated support for whatever decision they made. No individual-level factors predicted counseling receipt or helpfulness. Facility informant reports that it is their role to counsel patients about emotional issues was positively associated with women’s reports of counseling receipt (p < .001). Women at facilities subject to laws requiring provision of specific information and/or state-approved, written materials had lesser odds of finding counseling helpful, compared with women at facilities not subject to such laws (p < .01). Conclusions: Legal mandates that regulate abortion counseling do not seem to be helpful to women. More research is needed to understand the effects of abortion counseling and whether policies regulating counseling have a deleterious effect on women.
Single-crystalline Silicon on Quartz (SOQ) Wafer by Ultra-low Temperature (100 C) Wafer Bonding and Thinning Approaches

Single-crystalline silicon films have been prepared on synthetic quartz (fused quartz or quartz glass) substrates by ultra-low temperature wafer bonding and thinning approaches. The wafer surfaces treated only by RCA1 process showed a relative low initial bonding energy of 0.17 J/m 2 . Though the bonding strength can be raised to 14 J/m 2 after 350 C annealing for 4 h, the severe warpage of bonded wafer led to the poor total thickness variation (TTV) of SOQ wafers (TTV > 10 m) after thinning. However, if the wafer surfaces treated with RCA1 process, and followed by O2 plasma treatment for 15 sec, the initial bonding energy can be raised to 0.83 J/m 2 . After the bonded wafer annealed at 100C for 16 hrs, the bonding strength increased rapidly to 13.3 J/m 2 with still a low warpage of 2.5 m. The SOQ wafers fabricated by the ultra-low temperature bonding, lapping and polishing showed relative good TTV of less than 4 m.