cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anomalous Electronic Transport in Boron Carbides

The boron carbides are composed of icosahedral units, B12 and B11C1, linked together by strong intericosahedral bonds (1). The intericosahedral linkages are direct boron-boron bonds as well as a distribution of three-center boron bonds and covalent structural units which frequently contain carbon. In particular, these intericosahedral structural units are thought to be carbon-boron-carbon (CBC) chains (1), CCC chains (2), and B4 parallelpiped structures (3). With such distributions of icosahedral and inter icosahedral compositions, boron carbides, B1−xCx, exist as a single phase material over a significant range of carbon concentrations: 0.1 < x < 0.2. We have examined the electronic transport properties of the boron carbides within this single-phase region. Our results are inconsistent with conventional analyses of both itinerant and hopping transport. Most striking are Seebeck coefficients which are both large and rapidly increasing functions of temperature despite thermally activated dc conductivities. We can understand these results as manifesting the hopping of small bipolaronic holes between carbon-containing icosahedra that are inequivalent in energy and electron-lattice coupling strength. Under hydrostatic pressures up to ~ 25 kbar, the dc conductivities increase with pressure. This “anomalous” behavior for hopping conduction reflects the distinctive structure and bonding of these materials.
Characterization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine-Related Consultations in an Academic Drug Information Service.

Purpose:To characterize requests received through an academic drug information consultation service related to complementary and alternative medicines.Methods:A retrospective review and descriptive...
Prevention of mammary carcinogenesis by short-term estrogen and progestin treatments.

Introduction Women who have undergone a full-term pregnancy before the age of 20 have one-half the risk of developing breast cancer compared with women who have never gone through a full-term pregnancy. This protective effect is observed universally among women of all ethnic groups. Parity in rats and mice also protects them against chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis.
Numerical Analysis of Erosion and Sediment Control Using Lake-Shore Extensions in Lake Charles

CFD simulations in Lake Charles were conducted to investigate the hydrodynamics and sediment transport in Lake Charles water system, assisting the design optimization of a lake-shore extension project. The extensions not only aim to create addition lands for recreation, but also to serve as flow/erosion control and sediment reduction structures. In the simulation model, 2D depth-averaged shallow-water equation set as well as the scalar transport equation are solved. The particle settling effect is included in the transport equation. In addition to the unsteady distribution of sediment concentration, the distribution of the mass of deposited sediments on the seabed is also calculated, and used as an indicator for the severeness of sedimentation in the area. The wind effect is included in the model, and a hurricane is simulated to study its effects on the designed structures. The present shore-line was surveyed and the depth of the lake was measured using a GPS depth finding system to ensure the accuracy of the simulation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The Analytic Geometry of Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory

Two-dimensional conformal field theory is formulated as analytic geometry on the universal moduli space of Riemann surfaces.
Clindamycin Effects on Experimental Ocular Toxoplasmosis in the Rabbit

The effect of treating experimental toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis with clindamycin (7-chlorolincomycin) phosphate was evaluated in 14 rabbits. Clinical improvement was evident in 71.4% of the treated eyes but in only 28.6% of the untreated eyes. Toxoplasma organisms could not be isolated from treated eyes but could be isolated from 78.6% of the untreated eyes. Histopathologic examination showed normal retinal architecture was preserved in three fourths of the treated eyes and inflammatory changes were only mild to moderate. In contrast, more than two thirds of the untreated eyes showed marked to severe retinochoroiditis with complete disruption of the normal retinal architecture and severe tissue destruction. These data indicate that clindamycin is effective in the treatment of experimental toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in rabbits. Investigation of the potential value of this antibiotic for the treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis in humans should be pursued.
The relationship of a coal fired power plant to the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the sediment of Cayuga Lake

The influence of Milliken Station, a coal-fired power plant, on the distribution of PAH in the sediment of Cayuga Lake was investigated. Except for a small, confined area near the stacks, the Milliken power plant was found to have no discernible effect on PAH levels in Cayuga Lake. It is believed that stack emissions are either masked by other sources or are atmospherically transported and deposited elsewhere. The highest PAH levels measured were found in marinas or areas of the lake receiving urban runoff. Concentrations found in these areas were, in several cases, an order of magnitude greater than those fround elsewhere on the lake. PAH concentrations for most of the Cayuga Lake sediment were typical of levels reported for other rural northeastern lakes including some in remote areas. Region wide atmospheric deposition appears to be the prime source of PAH entering Cayuga Lake. The PAH carcinogens, 3-methyl-cholantrene and 7,12 dimethylbenzanthracene were not detected in any sediments nor where any nitrogen heterocyclic PAIL PAH inputs from local sources were found to decline in concentration very rapidly with distance from their sources.
A rapid, reliable method to isolate high quality endothelial RNA from small spatially-defined locations.

Phenotypic heterogeneity of the endothelium has important implications for cell sourcing for cardiovascular tissue engineered devices and is fundamental to many cardiovascular diseases. A critical first step to identifying genetic regulators associated with particular endothelial phenotypes is reliable isolation of pure RNA from the cell subpopulations of interest. We present here a rapid method for the isolation of endothelial RNA from small spatially-defined locations, illustrated for two sides of the porcine aortic valve. Endothelial cells were retrieved from fresh tissue by freezing them to a glass substrate, from which they were lysed in guanidine thiocyanate buffer for RNA isolation. Valve endothelial cells isolated by this technique stained positively for CD31 and von Willebrand factor, consistent with an endothelial phenotype, with no evidence of contamination by α-smooth muscle actin-positive valve interstitial cells or CD45-positive leukocytes. RNA integrity was excellent in 80% of the samples, with over 100 ng of total RNA typically obtained from each side of the valve. This rapid method yields high quality pure endothelial RNA in sufficient quantities for amplification and subsequent use in device-, cell-, and location-specific transcriptional profiling by microarray technologies, and thus facilitates studies of spatial gene regulation.
From Assets to School Outcomes How Finances Shape Children's Perceived Possibilities and Intentions

People do not always take action to attain their desired possible selves--after all, whether consciously or nonconsciously, taking current action makes sense if there is an open path toward attaining the desired self, but not if paths are closed. Following this logic, children from families with fewer assets may lower their expectations for school success and plan to engage in less effort in school. To test this hypothesis, we examined the impact of experimentally manipulating mind-set about college as either "closed" (expensive) or "open" (can be paid for with need-based financial aid) among low-income early adolescents. Adolescents assigned to an open-path condition expected higher grades than those assigned to a closed-path condition (Study 1, n= 48, predominantly Hispanic and Latino seventh graders) and planned to spend more time on homework than those assigned to a no-prime control condition (Study 2, n= 48, predominantly African American seventh graders).
Determination of radial force and coefficient of friction with a self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve stent

An experimental and analytical approach were performed to study the biomechanics of a self-expanding, nitinol transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) stent device deployed in porcine heart tissue. The radial force, pullout force, and coefficient of friction (COF) were quantified, and the interacting device tissue response was investigated. The preliminary data generated from this study may provide a useful measure for determining an adequate valve oversize in aiding against device migration.
Anencephaly and Spina Bifida: a Possible Example of Cytoplasmic Inheritance in Man

ANENCEPHALY, spina bifida and related midline neurological defects are among the commonest severe congenital malformations in man for which a specific aetiology is still unknown. The deformities frequently occur together or in close relatives and, although their prevalence rates vary widely in different populations1 and have shown impressive secular trends within populations2, the rates are highly correlated, a fact which suggests a common aetiology. There is a well established recurrence risk of 4–5 per cent following the birth of the first affected child in a sibship, and for this reason a genetic aetiology has long been considered likely. No evidence for increased parental consanguinity has been found, and polygenic inheritance has in the past usually been accepted as the most satisfactory explanation for the known facts3. In 1968, however, Yen and MacMahon concluded that the recurrence risk for anencephaly and spina bificla could not be genetically determined because in none of 105 twin pairs taken from their own studies and other consecutive series in the literature was concordance for either deformity observed4. Furthermore, these authors noted that the recurrence risk for maternal half-siblings appeared to be as great as that for full siblings, an observation which they felt was inconsistent with genetic determination. As an alternative hypothesis, Yen and MacMahon suggested that the recurrence risk, variation in population frequencies and observed secular trends may all be attributable to an unidentified environmental factor. The twin data are, however, as difficult to reconcile with environmental causation as they are with either monogenic or polygenic Mendelian inheritance, because individual variation in the observed response to external teratogenie influences, be they environmental or maternal, must also arise, at least in part, from genetic differences in exposed foetuses. In either case, a high concordance rate might be expected among identical twins.
Organisation of the 5S RNA genes in flax

Abstract The 5S RNA genes of flax [Linum usitatissimum] are arranged as tandem arrays of a 0.35 - 0.37kb repeating sequence. The 5S DNA is extensively methylated at CCGG and CCGG. In contrast to the rDNA, the 5S DNA sequences exhibit both length and sequence heterogeneity. The number of copies of this sequence varies between 117,000 and 49,600 per 2C nucleus in different lines of flax, and does not correlate with the number of rRNA genes.
Sponge heterotrophic capacity and bacterial community structure in high‐ and low‐microbial abundance sponges

The ecological and evolutionary forces that shape interactions between marine sponges and their symbiotic microbiota remain poorly understood. Considerable work has been done to characterize the sponge microbiome, and this research has shown that there are two distinct types of sponges: those with high microbial abundances (HMA) and those with low microbial abundances (LMA). There is no clear evolutionary driver for this distinction, and we have only a limited understanding of how HMA or LMA status affects host phenotypes (e.g. feeding behavior, capacity for nutrient cycling). We had two primary goals with the present study. First, we used a variety of microscopic techniques to compare aspects of host biology (e.g. choanocyte chamber morphology and density) in the context of symbiont status. Secondly, we used molecular approaches to uncover components of ecological structure of bacterial communities in HMA versus LMA sponges (e.g. species richness, evenness). We found that choanocyte chamber density is greater in LMA sponges than in HMA sponges. We also found distinct patterns of organization for bacterial communities in HMA and LMA sponges, although environmental factors, to a lesser degree, also influence community structure in the Floridian sponges we examined. These results suggest that the large bacterial communities found in HMA sponges may allow the host to decrease their heterotrophy versus that of LMA sponges with minimal bacterial communities.
Transcriptional accessibility for genes of multiple tissues and hematopoietic lineages is hierarchically controlled during early hematopoiesis

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) maintain hematopoiesis by giving rise to all types of blood cells. Recent reports suggest that HSCs also possess the potential to generate nonhematopoietic tissues. To evaluate the underlying mechanisms in the commitment of HSCs into multitissue and multihematopoietic lineages, we performed oligonucleotide array analyses targeting for prospectively purified HSCs, multipotent progenitors (MPPs), common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs), and common myeloid progenitors (CMPs). Here we show that HSCs coexpress multiple nonhematopoietic genes as well as hematopoietic genes; MPPs coexpress myeloid and lymphoid genes; CMPs coexpress myeloerythroid, but not lymphoid genes, whereas CLPs coexpress T-, B-, and natural killer–lymphoid, but not myeloid, genes. Thus, the stepwise decrease in transcriptional accessibility for multilineage-affiliated genes may represent progressive restriction of developmental potentials in early hematopoiesis. These data support the hypothesis that stem cells possess a wide-open chromatin structure to maintain their multipotentiality, which is progressively quenched as they go down a particular pathway of differentiation.
A numerical study of hypersonic propulsion/airframe integration problem

A numerical analysis procedure useful in the propulsion-airframe integration problem has been established. Flow around a generic hypersonic vehicle forebody is solved using Parabolized Navier-Stokes equations and Thin Layer Navier-Stokes equations. Forebody cross sectional geometry corresponds to a two-ellipse configuration. Effect of forebody geometry on the flow structure, especially at the engine inlet location, is analyzed.
Response to Comment on "A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere"

Catling speculates that the exobase of early Earth was hot and that the ancient nonthermal escape rate was more than 1000 times the present rate. However, low oxygen and high carbon dioxide on early Earth yields a cold exobase, and nonthermal escape rates are limited and cannot balance the volcanic outgassing of hydrogen.
A component selection algorithm for high-performance pipelines

Author(s): Bakshi, Smita; Gajski, Daniel D. | Abstract: The use of a realistic component library with multiple implementations of operators, results in cost efficient designs; slow components can then be used on non-critical paths and the more expensive components on only the critical paths. This report presents a cost-optimized algorithm for selecting components and pipelining a data flow graph, given a multiple-implementation library, and throughput and latency constraints. Results on several DSP examples indicate the importance of component selection as a parameter in design space exploration.
Fault Tolerant Scalable Coordinated Control of Agent Formations with Arbitrary Trajectories

A one step ahead optimization based control of autonomous agents that modifies our earlier work, to enhance network scalability is proposed. As in our earlier work, each agent is modeled as a double integrator. The goal is to force the agents to converge to a formation specified by their desired relative positions, and moving with arbitrary velocity trajectories. The earlier work had the property that in face of the arrival of a new agent the control laws of only the agents this new arrival attached it self to needed to be adjusted. However, this required that the largest possible network that may result be anticipated a priori, causing potentially sluggish responses when in a given epoch the network is much smaller than the largest anticipated size. In this paper we propose a new law that removes this difficulty.
Urethral ‘recurrence’ found 14 years after radical cystectomy

We report a case of transitional cell urethral cancer diagnosed 14 years after radical cystectomy. Traditionally, in the postcystectomy setting, these cancers have been referred to as 'recurrences'. We review the biological models for the oncogenesis of these cancers and propose that they are typically a result of a field cancerization effect, rather than being derived from the same clone responsible for the original urothelial tumor.
Efficiency Assessment of Parallel Workloads on Virtualized Resources

In cloud computing, virtual containers on physical resources are provisioned to requesting users. Resource providers may pack as many containers as possible onto each of their physical machines, or may pack specific types and quantities of virtual containers based on user or system QoS objectives. Such elastic provisioning schemes for resource sharing may present major challenges to scientific parallel applications that require task synchronization during execution. Such elastic schemes may also inadvertently lower utilization of computing resources. In this paper, we describe the elasticity constraint effect and ripple effect that cause a negative impact to application response time and system utilization. We quantify the impact using real workload traces through simulation. Then, we demonstrate that some resource scheduling techniques can be effective in mitigating the impacts. We find that a tradeoff is needed among the elasticity of virtual containers, the complexity of scheduling algorithms, and the response time of applications.
A generalized Griffith criterion for crack propagation

Abstract Griffith's criterion for crack propagation is generalized to consider penny-shaped cracks in a spatially uniform, but otherwise arbitrary, state of stress. A further generalization incorporates the effect of interfacial friction for cracks closed in normal compression. Various criteria for crack propagation are discussed in terms of recent experimental evidence for process zones in which the region around a crack tip is seen to be permeated by smaller microcracks.
Progress in commercial wavelength-stabilized high-brightness diode sources suitable for pumping Yb-doped fiber lasers

We report on the performance of a 100 W, 105μm, 0.17 NA (filled) fiber-coupled module operating at 976 nm. Volume holographic (Bragg) gratings are used to stabilize the emission spectrum to a 0.2 nm linewidth and wavelengthtemperature coefficient below 0.01nm/°C with virtually no penalty to the operating power or efficiency of the device. The typical fiber coupling efficiency for this design is >90%, enabling a rated operating efficiency of ~50%, the highest reported for a 100W/105μm-class diode pump module (wavelength stabilized or otherwise).
Roles of trinucleotide-repeat RNA in neurological disease and degeneration

A large number of human diseases are caused by expansion of repeat sequences – typically trinucleotide repeats – within the respective disease genes. The abnormally expanded sequence can lead to a variety of effects on the gene: sometimes the gene is silenced, but in many cases the expanded repeat sequences confer toxicity to the mRNA and, in the case of polyglutamine diseases, to the encoded protein. This article highlights mechanisms by which the mRNAs with abnormally expanded repeats can confer toxicity leading to neuronal dysfunction and loss. Greater understanding of these mechanisms will provide the foundation for therapeutic advances for this set of human disorders.
School-Aged Children With Phonologic Disorders: Coexistence With Other Speech/Language Disorders

Subjects in grades 1–12 with phonologic disorders were identified and categorized into either Residual or Delayed groups. Group selection was based on a subject rating system of communicative defectiveness and number and type of phonologic errors. The subjects’ performance was compared with that of normal individuals on a number of speech and language parameters. The results indicated that voice disorders, deficits in expressive language, and hearing problems occurred in persons exhibiting phonologic disorders with a higher frequency than in the normal individuals.
Non-Rutherford scattering of protons by light elements

Abstract The use of H + beams with a few MeV of energy allows the analyst to probe much deeper into a sample than would be possible with a similar helium beam. The price one pays for this greater depth is a loss of mass resolution. For the light elements (lithium to neon) being discussed here, there is an additional problem and benefit: the scattering cross section, in several instances, deviates significantly from the Rutherford formula; very often this deviation enhances the sensitivity of the analysis. This paper reviews the available experimental cross section data for lithium to neon and discusses one method of modeling these cross sections.
The effect of ischemia on nerve conduction

Abstract There has been some discrepancy in the literature regarding the effects of ischemia on peripheral nerve conduction: Are the more slowly conducting fibers or the more rapidly conducting fibers more sensitive to an ischemic environment? A technique of studying the compound action potential (AP) from more than one segment of the in vivo canine tibial-sciatic nerve is described. The neuromuscular complex (terminal nerve fibers, synapse, or muscle) was most sensitive to ischemia. The more slowly conducting nerve fibers were more sensitive to ischemia than the more rapidly conducting fibers, as shown by the earlier deterioration of the slower AP compared with the faster AP along the total nerve segment. But when the proximal and distal segments of this total nerve segment were compared, the more rapidly conducting proximal nerve fibers closer to the central nervous system were more sensitive to ischemia than the more slowly conducting distal nerve fibers. Therefore it was hypothesized that both the higher velocity and the greater sensitivity to ischemia of the proximal nerve segments are related to the mutual neural environment of closely packed, adjacent nerve fibers before they branch from their trunk.
Diffusion of methane and other alkanes in metal-organic frameworks for natural gas storage

Diffusion of methane, ethane, propane and n-butane was studied within the micropores of several metal organic frameworks (MOFs) of varying topologies, including the MOFs PCN-14, NU-125, NU-1100 and DUT-49. Diffusion coefficients of the pure components, as well as methane/ethane, methane/ propane and methane/butane binary mixtures, were calculated using molecular dynamics simulations to understand the effect of the longer alkanes on uptake of natural gas in MOB. The calculated self diffusion coefficients of all four components are on the order of 10(-8) m(2)/s. The diffusion coefficients of the pure components decrease as a function of chain length in all of the MOFs studied and show different behaviour as a function of loading in different MOB. The self-diffusivities follow the trend DPCN-14 NU-125 approximate to NU-1100 > DUT-49. By comparing the diffusion of pure methane and methane mixtures vvith the higher alkancs, it is observed that the diffusivity of methane is unaffected by the presence of the higher alkanes in the MOFs considered, indicating that the diffusion path of methane is not blocked by the higher alkanes present in natural gas.more » (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.« less
Immediate Angioplasty for Acute Myocardial Infarction

During the past 10 to 15 years, pathological and arteriographic studies have shown that Q-wave myocardial infarction is usually caused by an occlusive coronary arterial thrombus. Investigations have also shown that thrombolytic therapy can restore antegrade flow in the occluded artery, reduce the size of the infarct, and improve survival. Initially, thrombolytic agents were infused directly into the occluded coronary artery during cardiac catheterization, but later studies showed that intravenous administration offered similar efficacy without the delay, the need for angiographic equipment and skilled personnel, or the morbidity and mortality associated with emergency catheterization. Thus, effective therapy for evolving myocardial . . .
The effects of trout on epibenthic odonate naiads in stream pools

SUMMARY 1 In a southern Califomian stream naiads of a lestid damselfly (Archilestes grandis Rambur) were much less abundant, moved less, exhibited fewer conspicuous behaviours, were more likely to occur in refuge areas, and had different diets in pools containing versus pools lacking rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Richardson). To determine if trout were responsible for these patterns, we removed trout from some stream pools and added them to pools lacking trout, with unmanipulated trout and troutless pools acting as controls. 2 The abundance and emergence of A. grandis were drastically reduced, and the proportion of lestid populations in refuge areas greatly increased, when trout were added to pools; however, the removal of trout had less drastic effects on lestid abundance and distribution, Aeshna walkeri (Kennedy) was also more abundant in pools lacking than in pools containing trout. 3 Trout manipulations affected lestid behaviour, with swimming being observed only in troutless pools and movement tending to be greater in pools lacking rather than containing trout. 4 One week after manipulations started, the number of prey items per lestid gut was higher in troutless control than in trout addition pools. Ostracods and chironomids were more abundant, and mayflies were less abundant, in the diets of lestids from pools lacking versus containing trout. Comparisons of the environmental abundances of prey taxa and lestid diet composition indicated that lestid selectivities for Caenis were higher, and those for Paraleptophlebia, ostracods, and Eubrianax lower, in trout than in troutless pools. 5 Although similar at the beginning of manipulations, head widths of lestids in troutless control pools were greater than those in trout addition pools after 3 weeks.
Prevalence and Resolution of Anemia with Paraesophageal Hernia Repair

Paraesophageal hernias may produce a variety of clinical sequelae including anemia and esophagogastric ulcerations or erosions. We examined the prevalence of anemia in patients with paraesophageal hernias and frequency of anemia resolution with hernia repair. Patients undergoing paraesophageal hernia repairs from July 1996 to September 2010 were included. Data gathered included age, gender, type of hernia, presence of symptomatic anemia, presence of esophagogastric ulcer/erosion, type of repair, and anemia resolution. One hundred eighty-three patients underwent paraesophageal hernia repair; of these, 68 (37 %) were anemic. Of these anemic patients, 39 (57 %) were symptomatic from their anemia or specifically referred for anemia, and 20 (29 %) had esophagogastric ulceration/erosion. Fifty-eight had documented follow-up. Overall, of these, 35 (60 %) had resolution of their anemia. Seventy percent of symptomatic patients had resolution of their anemia, compared to 48 % of asymptomatic patients (p = 0.1). Of patients with esophagogastric ulceration/erosion, 85 % were symptomatic and 88 % had resolution of anemia, compared to 50 % of patients without ulceration/erosion (p = 0.015). Anemia was a common finding in patients with paraesophageal hernia and most patients were symptomatic because of their anemia. Those patients with esophageal or gastric ulceration/erosion were very likely to have symptomatic anemia, and, interestingly, these patients were more likely to have their anemia resolve with paraesophageal hernia repair.
Early extubation following major tracheal surgery in select children

Major airway surgery in children has traditionally consisted of a period of endotracheal intubation after the procedure for a period of 1-2 weeks to ensure stability of the repair. Recent literature has supported a trend toward decreasing this time period to prevent the consequences of leaving a foreign body in the airway and the morbidity associated with the use of sedation and narcotics in children. We present a series of five select children from our institution that underwent major tracheal surgery and were successfully extubated early in their postoperative course; four on postoperative day number 1. This demonstrates the feasibility of this approach in select patients.
A “carbonshed” assessment of small- vs. large-scale CCS deployment in the continental US

Abstract We present a model for rapidly costing and mapping out the cheapest option for organizing infrastructure to transport and store the CO2 emissions that might be captured in United States if carbon capture and storage (CCS) is deployed. We present the organization of transport infrastructure in terms of carbonsheds, regions in which it is cheaper to transport and store CO2 internally than to send the CO2 to other regions. We use our carbonshed framework to evaluate the effect of economies of scale on transport and storage. This is analyzed as the difference between developing small- vs. large-scale CCS systems on a national level, including how the potential depletion of CO2 reservoirs over time could impact costs born by coal power plants that capture CO2. We find that the average value of transport and storage when sources cooperate to reduce transport costs is roughly $10/ton, with costs decreasing as more storage reservoir options are included, and increasing as storage resources are depleted. Our depletion analysis indicates that large, centralized reservoirs could form the backbone of a major carbon storage system in the United States. Policymakers and industry planners could rapidly advance large-scale storage networks by skipping fragmented early networks and moving to large-scale systems at a relatively minor cost of $0–2/ton if 1.5 Gt/year are captured from existing power plants by emphasizing cooperation or integrated planning and optimization.
Compact and Cost-Effective Lensless Telemedicine Microscopy for Global Health Applications

We demonstrate a telemedicine microscopy platform which operates based on lens free digital holography. It utilizes an incoherent light-source and an opto-electronic sensor-array to record lens free holograms of micro-objects within a sample, which are then rapidly processed using custom-developed algorithms to provide microscopic images of the samples without the use of any lenses, lasers or other bulky optical/mechanical components. This holographic-microscope achieves sub-cellular resolution over a field-of-view of ~24 mm2 which is >20 fold larger than a typical 10X objective-lens field-of-view. We implemented this lens free microscopy platform on a compact stand-alone unit (~46 grams with dimensions of ~4.2 x 4.2 x 5.8 cm) as well as on a commercially-available cell-phone which is modified with a light-weight attachment (~38 grams). The imaging performance of these lens free telemedicine-microscopes is demonstrated using several micro-objects including blood cells and water-borne parasites.
Organ asymmetries as correlates of other anomalies

Fetuses with deviations in the normal left versus right weight relationships of the paired viscera were examined for correlation with particular malformations, syndromes, or other common factors. Alterations of the normal pattern were observed among cases with cytogenetic anomalies, diaphragmatic hernia, renal duplication, dyshydramnios, and single umbilical artery. A reversal of the left versus right weight pattern was found in the adrenals of cases with hepatic situs inversus but not in those with heterotaxic cardiac lesions. Recipient twins in the twin-twin transfusion syndrome had reduced left lung weights, presumably because of inhibition of lung growth by the enlarged heart. The side of umbilical artery absence did not predict either the nature or complexity of associated malformations. However, it is suggestive that there is discordance between the side of the missing artery and unilateral renal abnormality and that there is preferential absence of the right or left artery, depending on the karyotype.
A heuristic test-pattern generator for programmable logic arrays

This paper describes a heuristic method for generating test patterns for Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs). Exploiting the regular structure of PLAs, both random and deterministic test-pattern generation techniques are combined to achieve coverage of crosspoint defects. Patterns to select or deselect product terms are generated through direct inspection of an array; test paths to an observable output are established by successive, rapidly converging assignmemnts of primary input values. Results obtained with a PL/I program implementation of the method are described; these results demonstrate that the method developed is both effective and computationally inexpensive.
Using nanoscale and mesoscale anisotropy to engineer the optical response of three-dimensional plasmonic metamaterials

The geometry of periodic plasmonic nanostructures in three dimensions can be exploited to give tailored optical properties. Here, the authors study the role of anisotropy on the nano- and mesoscale to provide a framework for designing the optical response of metamaterials formed from plasmonic building blocks.
Evolution of the density for a chaotic map

Abstract For the discrete-time map xt+11 = 4xt(1−xt) an exact, explicit expression is given for the time-dependent density rt (x) evolving from a uniform initial density on (0,1). As t → ∞, rt(x) approaches the known invariant density r(x) = 1/[π x(1−x) ] .
Guidelines for Monitoring the Scientific Competence of Preventive Intervention Research Centers: An Exercise in the Sociology of Scientific Validity

Advisingfunders of applied social science on how to optimize the validity ofsuch research requires an implicit or explicit "sociology of scientific validity. " While such a sociology is not yet for...
Superantigen Disruption of CD8+ T and B lymphocyte Homeostasis

Superantigens (SAgs) activate TH cells and induce their differentiation into cytokine-producing effector cells. Supranormal cytokine production is characteristic of SAg-induced polyclonal TH activation. Study of this interaction has focused upon TH cell function to the relative exclusion of other lymphocyte populations. SAgs also impact cells dependent upon TH cells for their differentiation and disrupt the normal homeostasis of the immune system. In this report, several changes in lymphocyte biology that result from SAg activation of TH cells are described. SCID mice, reconstituted with the SAg-expressing cells of DBA/2J mice, were employed as secondary recipients of SAg-reactive TH cells. Significant increases in serum IgM and IgG2a production were noted after the transfer of SAg-reactive It cells. Both B and CD8 T lymphocyte numbers increased with those of CD8 T cells surpassing levels found in normal mice. These results illustrate the ability of the TH-SAg interaction to disrupt B and CD8+ T lymphocyte homeostasis.
A Novel Widely Tunable Detector with Wavelength Tracking

With the increasing bandwidth demands for future communication systems, cost-effectiveness becomes an ever more important consideration in both device and system technologies. Systems using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) have been demonstrated to lead to a significant increase in transmission bandwidths and novel all-optical self-routing schemes1. If low cost WDM devices can be realized, then WDM systems can be more widely implemented for local area networks and fiber-to-the-curb applications. Towards this goal, we present a widely tunable and potentially low cost detector.
Issues in Assessing and Regulating Particulate Exposures in Occupational Environments

Abstract Exposures are regulated for only a few of the many chemicals currently produced in the occupational environment. Regulation of particulate exposures should include an improved generic particulate exposure limit (GPEL) set to protect the health of the respiratory system by preventing overload of the lung respiratory clearance system and its auxiliary effects. Development of the GPEL should use human respiratory dose models that can incorporate the effects of overload kinetics on particle clearance, use exposure data collected with size-selective samplers, and account for differences in worker physiology and breathing rates. A systematic method of screening occupational dusts for local respiratory system toxicity beyond that produced by dust overload is needed. Such a toxicity screen could be used to reduce the default GPEL proportionate to the hazard. Work is also needed to assess the validity of the equal additivity assumption of toxicity implied by using the default GPEL for complex dust mixtures.
Transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum: results of mustard and senning operations in 123 consecutive patients.

The results of Mustard and Senning operations were reviewed in 123 consecutive patients operated on for d-transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum. From 1972 to 1978, 66 patients had a Mustard operation at a mean age at operation of 15.5 months. The mean duration of the follow-up period was 43.5 months; 82% had a postoperative cardiac catheterization. From 1978 to 1980, 57 patients underwent a Senning operation at a mean age at operation of 6.6 months; the mean follow-up period was 13.6 months, and 75% had a postoperative catheterization. Within 30 days of operation, seven (11%) patients in the Mustard group died, and five (8%) died later while three (5%) in the Senning group died early and two (4%) died late. Pulmonary venous obstruction developed in four (6%) patients in the Mustard group, all requiring reoperation. Six (11%) in the Senning group had pulmonary venous obstruction; four (7%) had a reoperation. Systemic venous obstruction occurred in 32 patients in the Mustard group; reoperation was required in 11 (17%). Seven patients in the Senning group had systemic venous obstruction and three (5%) required reoperation. No patient in either group required reoperation for intracardiac shunts. One patient from each group died with sick sinus syndrome. Only two patients had transient right ventricular failure, both after the Senning repair. No patient in either group had tricuspid regurgitation. Recognizing the limitations inherent in comparing operations performed during separate time periods, the improvement in early operative mortality with the Senning operation makes it the intraatrial baffle procedure of choice for d-transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum at our institution. Additionally, the use of autologous tissue with the Senning technique may prevent the progression of late baffle obstruction observed in some patients years after the Mustard operation. Until the long-term results are known, however, choice of operation is based on surgical preference.
Orders of strong unicity constants

Abstract Given f ϵ C ( I ), the growth of the strong unicity constant M n ( f ) for changing dimension is considered. Under appropriate hypotheses it is shown that 2 n + 1 ⩽ M n ( f ) ⩽ βn 2 . Furthermore, relationships between certain Lebesgue constants and M n ( f ) are established.
Synergism of Candida albicans and delta toxin producing staphylococcus aureus on mouse mortality and morbidity: Protection by indomethacin

Abstract Twelve Staphylococcus aureus strains, six positive and six negative for δ-toxin production, were studied for synergistic effects on mouse mortality and morbidity when combined with Candida albicans and inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.). S. aureus strains producing δ-toxin were found to exhibit a relatively great synergistic decrease (between near 10 3 –10 5 -fold) in LD 50 (dose necessary to kill 50% of exposed animals in five days) when combined with a nonlethal dose of C. albicans and injected i.p. S. aureus strains which did not produce δ showed less of a synergistic effect with C. albicans (10–10 2 -fold drop in LD 50 ). A synergistic effect on mortality could also be produced when animals were dually injected with C. albicans and sterile growth filtrates from the δ-toxin producing strains or the purified δ-toxin. The lethal agent in the culture filtrate was, like δ-toxin, sensitive to lecithin and insensitive to heat. Indomethacin protected animals from the C. albicans -filtrate induced death. Blood measurements made following i. p. injection of δ-toxin and C. albicans revealed chemistry changes indicative of shock, kidney and liver damage; δ-toxin alone caused no significant chemistry changes whereas C. albicans alone caused some blood chemistry changes but liver and kidney damage was not indicated. No synergism on mortality was found between C. albicans and purified α-toxin or toxic shock syndrome toxin-1.
Agonists, partial agonists, antagonists, inverse agonists and agonist/antagonists?

The label placed on a drug influences its ultimate use. But interpretation ofin-vivo data has complicated the simple receptor theory of agonists and antagonists for certain classes of drugs.Terry Kenakin argues that clarification of such data — described in an extremely complex system — at a molecular level, will either obviate the need for terms such as inverse agonist or agonist/antagonist, or result in the rewriting of the classical receptor theory.
Controlled-potential coulometric determination of Americium

Abstract Controlled-potential coulometry has been studied as a means for the precise and accurate determination of americium. Americium is chemically oxidized to the hexavalent state, and then coulometrically reduced from americium(VI) to americium-(V) at a platinum electrode controlled at 1.05 V vs . S.C.E. The results of repetitive analysis of standard solutions prepared from high-purity americium-243 dioxide agree within a few tenths percent with standard values for 0.4–1.3 mg of americium.
Response Speeds, Functions, and Predictability in Mail Surveys

The response to business reply envelopes and first class stamped return envelopes was compared. Although response rates were significantly different, the speed of responses, in terms of how long it took respondents to answer, was not. A study of the question of predictability based on early returns revealed serious problems with a prediction technique offered in the literature.
Compensating for image placement errors induced during the fabrication and chucking of EUVL masks

With the stringent requirements on image placement (IP) errors in the sub-65-nm regime, all sources of mask distortion during fabrication and usage must be minimized or corrected. For extreme ultraviolet lithography, the nonflatness of the mask is critical as well, due to the nontelecentric illumination during exposure. This paper outlines a procedure to predict the IP errors induced on the mask during the fabrication processing, e-beam tool chucking, and exposure tool chucking. Finite element (FE) models are used to simulate the out-of-plane and in-plane distortions at each load step. The FE results are compiled to produce a set of Correction Tables that can be implemented during e-beam writing to compensate for these distortions and significantly increase IP accuracy. A previous version of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the European Mask and Lithography Conference (EMLC), SPIE, 6533, 653314 (2007). The paper has been updated, retitled, and published here as a result of winning the Best Paper Award at the EMLC.
Fast strain wave induced magnetization changes in long cobalt bars: Domain motion versus coherent rotation

A high frequency (88 MHz) traveling strain wave on a piezoelectric substrate is shown to change the magnetization direction in 40 μm wide Co bars with an aspect ratio of 103. The rapidly alternating strain wave rotates the magnetization away from the long axis into the short axis direction, via magnetoelastic coupling. Strain-induced magnetization changes have previously been demonstrated in ferroelectric/ferromagnetic heterostructures, with excellent fidelity between the ferromagnet and the ferroelectric domains, but these experiments were limited to essentially dc frequencies. Both magneto-optical Kerr effect and polarized neutron reflectivity confirm that the traveling strain wave does rotate the magnetization away from the long axis direction and both yield quantitatively similar values for the rotated magnetization. An investigation of the behavior of short axis magnetization with increasing strain wave amplitude on a series of samples with variable edge roughness suggests that the magnetization reorientation that is seen proceeds solely via coherent rotation. Polarized neutron reflectivity data provide direct experimental evidence for this model. This is consistent with expectations that domain wall motion cannot track the rapidly varying strain.
Minimal spectrum of long-wave perturbations - Is linear growth correct only in the nonlinear regime?

Very high resolution two-dimensional simulations are used to test the generation and growth of the so-called 'minimal' k exp 4 power spectrum which develops from initial conditions which have power only on small scales, such as might result from some process in the early universe. It is confirmed that the amplitude of minimal long-wave power grows proportionally to a exp 4, not a-squared, where a is the scale factor of the expanding universe. It reverts to a-squared only after the short-wave modes are effectively saturated, and by that time an effective long-wave power law closer to k-cubed is found. Small-scale perturbations may result in much more long-wave power than has been generally assumed.
Operating experience with UNIVAC SYSTEMS

In December 1951, at the joint AIEE/IRE Computer Conference held in Philadelphia, several papers were given which discussed the performance of a single UNIVAC SYSTEM∗ during its first eight months of operation. Although only eight months have passed since that performance summary was given, a much greater effective length of time has passed because three more UNIVAC SYSTEMS have been put into operation since then, and their records together with those of the first system constitute many more months of operation. This paper, therefore, forms an extension of the earlier paper in which we have the good fortune of being able to confirm a number of the predictions and estimates mentioned in the earlier work.
Update on Nutrition for Preterm and Full-Term Infants

Child health and development are contingent on sound nutrition during the neonatal period. The nutritional needs of all infants include adequate intake of fluid and energy; a balance among proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; and proper vitamin and mineral intake. Preterm infants have similar nutritional requirements but demand more frequent assessment of nutritional health and ongoing adjustment of nutritional intake throughout the neonatal period to ensure appropriate growth and development. Evidence-based nursing practice calls for an update on the specific nutritional requirements of infants, special nutritional needs of preterm infants, and the most recent changes in the composition of infant formula.