cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide approaches in the study of microRNA biology

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of ∼21-23 nucleotide long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have critical roles in diverse biological processes that encompass development, proliferation, apoptosis, stress response, and fat metabolism. miRNAs recognize their target mRNA transcripts by partial sequence complementarity and collectively have been estimated to regulate the majority of human genes. Consequently, misregulation of miRNAs or disruption of their target sites in genes has been implicated in a variety of human diseases ranging from cancer metastasis to neurological disorders. With the development and availability of genomic technologies and computational approaches, the field of miRNA biology has advanced tremendously over the last decade. Here we review the genome-wide approaches that have allowed for the discovery of new miRNAs, the characterization of their targets, and a systems-level view of their impact.
Breakdown of the silk glands of Galleria mellonella—Acid phosphatase in involuting glands

Abstract The silk glands of larvae of Galleria mellonella and Malacosoma americana contain sedimentable enzymes digesting paranitrophenyl phosphate, sodium-β-glycerophosphate, and naphthol phosphates at pH 5·0. These enzymes increase significantly in amount, but do not alter in distribution, as the larva pupates.
SU-E-I-48: The Behavior of AEC in Scan Regions Outside the Localizer Radiograph FOV: An In Phantom Study of CT Systems From Four Vendors

Purpose: This review of scanners from 4 major manufacturers examines the clinical impact of performing CT scans that extend into areas of the body that were not acquired in the CT localizer radiograph. Methods: Anthropomorphic chest and abdomen phantoms were positioned together on the tables of CT scanners from 4 different vendors. All of the scanners offered an Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) option with both lateral and axial tube current modulation. A localizer radiograph was taken covering the entire extent of both phantoms and then the scanner's Chest-Abdomen-Pelvis (CAP) study was performed with the clinical AEC settings employed and the scan and reconstruction range extending from the superior portion of the chest phantom through the inferior portion of the abdomen phantom. A new study was then initiated with a localizer radiograph extending the length of the chest phantom (not covering the abdomen phantom). The same CAP protocol and AEC settings were then used to scan and reconstruct the entire length of both phantoms. Scan parameters at specific locations in the abdomen phantom from both studies were investigated using the information contained in the DICOM metadata of the reconstructed images. Results: The AEC systems on all scanners utilized different tube currentmore » settings in the abdomen phantom for the scan completed without the full localizer radiograph. The AEC system behavior was also scanner dependent with the default manual tube current, the maximum tube current and the tube current at the last known position observed as outcomes. Conclusion: The behavior of the AEC systems of CT scanners in regions not covered by the localizer radiograph is vendor dependent. To ensure optimal image quality and radiation exposure it is important to include the entire planned scan region in the localizer radiograph.« less
Maternal Exposure to Fine Particulate Pollution During Narrow Gestational Periods and Newborn Health in Harris County, Texas

It remains unclear when the fetus is most susceptible to the effects of particulate air pollution. We conducted a population-based study in a large urban area to evaluate associations between preterm birth (PTB) and fetal growth and exposures to fine particles (PM2.5) during narrow periods of gestation. We identified 177,816 births during 2005–2007 among mothers who resided in Harris County, Texas at the time of delivery. We created three mutually exclusive categories of mildly (33–36 completed weeks of gestation), moderately (29–32 weeks of gestation), and severely (20–28 weeks of gestation) PTB, and among full term infants, we identified those who were born small for their gestational age. Using routine air monitoring data, we generated county-level daily time series of estimated ambient air levels of PM2.5 and then computed exposure metrics during every 4 weeks of a mother’s pregnancy. We evaluated associations in each 4-week period using multiple logistic regression. A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy significantly increased the odds of mildly, moderately and severely PTB by 16, 71 and 73 %, respectively. Associations were stronger when infants with birth defects were excluded. Our findings indicate an association between PM2.5 and PTB, with stronger associations for moderately and severely PTB infants. Efforts should continue to implement stricter air quality standards and improve ambient air quality.
A possible role for pituitary function in the age-dependent regulation of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity.

Abstract A single injection of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), as well as that of glucagon, into rat fetuses evokes the premature appearance of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), an enzyme whose initial appearance normally occurs shortly after birth. TAT activity is detectable in fetal liver after 2.5 hours, peaks at approximately 4 hours and is maintained at adult levels for at least another 2 hours. In contrast, the induction of this enzyme by the above-mentioned stimuli in liver of sexually mature rats is spontaneous and transient. Alterations in temporal expression of enzyme induction may be a general reflection of hormonal fluctuations which accompany development and aging.
Informed consent in pediatric neurology.

Informed consent remains an important but unpopular topic among physicians. It has the ring of a bothersome legal technicality coupled with a time-consuming, procedural requirement that must be obtained principally to satisfy external agencies and avoid malpractice suits. In fact, consent always has been an essential element in the physician-patient relationship, more important as an ethical duty than as a legal requirement, and continues to represent the most important forum of communication between patients and physicians. To explicate informed consent in pediatric neurology, this article begins with an account of consent in adult medical practice with competent patients. Then consent in incompetent patients is discussed and the standards of surrogate decisionmaking are defined. Next, the complex situation of consent in pediatrics is considered and the concept of assent and dissent of children and how it differs from consent and refusal in adults is introduced. Legal issues of consent are presented and how to resolve conflicts of assent, consent, and refusal between children and parents is discussed. Then, overriding parental refusals of treatment and consent issues in genetic testing are mentioned. Finally, there is a discussion of consent and assent by children for participation in clinical research studies.
Cheating Following Success and Failure in Heavy and Moderate Social Drinkers

Two groups of American undergraduates (moderate and heavy social drinkers) completed a matrix task and received either positive or negative feedback on their performance. Following this they were given a maze task, which was designed so that cheating could be detected. Heavy drinkers cheated more than moderate drinkers under success conditions (positive feedback). Heavy drinkers who received positive feedback also cheated more than heavy drinkers who received negative feedback. The results are interpreted in terms of self-handicapping theory.
Social skills acquisition: A closer look at foreign students on college campuses and factors influencing their level of social difficulty in social situations

This study investigated the level of difficulty foreign students encountered in social situations when in a host culture. The roles of age, academic classification, cultural similarity, and network patterns on the level of social difficulty were investigated. Results indicated that graduate and undergraduate foreign students differed in the degree of social difficulty they experienced in host cultures. However, the two groups did not differ in their network composition of host people classified as best friend (i.e., intimate relationships). Some support was found for hypothesized relationships between masculinity‐femininity and power distance dimensions of cultural similarity and social difficulty. The nature of the relationship indicated that when foreign students are from cultures that are similar to the host culture, they experience lower levels of social difficulty. This effect was not true for the other two dimensions (i.e., individualistic‐collectivistic and uncertainty avoidance).
DIMINISHED GLUCOSE TRANSPORT IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE : DYNAMIC PET STUDIES

Dynamic positron emission tomography with (18F)fluorodeoxyglucose was used in six patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and seven healthy age-matched control subjects to estimate the kinetic parameters K1*, k2*, and k3* that describe glucose transport and phosphorylation. A high-resolution tomograph was used to acquire brain uptake data in one tomographic plane, and a radial artery catheter connected to a plastic scintillator was used to acquire arterial input data. A nonlinear iterative least-squares fitting procedure that included terms for the vascular fraction and time delay to the peripheral sampling site was used to fit a three-compartment model to the brain data. Regions studied included frontal, temporal, occipital, and the entire cortex and subcortical white matter. The values obtained for the individual rate constants and regional CMRglc (rCMRglc; calculated using regional values of the rate constants) were higher than those reported previously. A significant (p less than 0.05) decrease was found in K1* in frontal and temporal cortex in the AD patients compared with the controls, with values of 0.157 and 0.161 ml/g/min in frontal and temporal cortex, respectively, of controls and 0.127 and 0.126 ml/g/min in frontal and temporal cortex of the AD patients. rCMRglc was also significantly (p less than 0.02)more » lower in the AD patients than controls in all cortical brain regions. Lower values of k3* were found in all brain regions in the AD patients, although these were not statistically significant. These findings provide evidence of an in vivo abnormality of forward glucose transport in AD.« less
Mild and moderate-to-severe COPD in nonsmokers: distinct demographic profiles.

Study objective To investigate the risk of COPD among nonsmokers. Design Case-control study, logistic regression analysis. Setting Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 1988 to 1994. Participants Community residents 18 to 80 years of age, of white, black, or Mexican-American ethnicity. Nonsmokers included never-smokers and former smokers with a Measurements COPD (FEV 1 /FVC 1 ≥ 80% predicted) or moderate to severe (FEV 1 23 to 79% predicted). Results Among 13,995 examinees, 51.3 ± 0.4% were female, mean age was 42.2 ± 0.4 years, 48.7 ± 0.9% were nonsmokers, 8.8 ± 0.3% had mild COPD, and 4.1 ± 0.3% had moderate-to-severe COPD [± SE]. One fourth of mild and moderate-to-severe cases were nonsmokers. Among 7,526 nonsmokers, 4.7 ± 0.3% had mild COPD (n = 403; age, 60.9 ± 1.3 years) and were mostly female (82.5%), while 1.9 ± 0.3% had moderate-to-severe COPD (n = 92, age 39.3 ± 1.3) and were mostly male (88.1%). Few nonsmokers with COPD (12.1 ± 2.4%) had a previous diagnosis of chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Among nonsmokers, physician-diagnosed asthma increased the risk of mild and especially of moderate-to-severe COPD. Independently of asthma, risk of mild COPD in nonsmokers increased with age (doubling every 12 years), before age 60 was lower among men than women, and was inversely associated with current exposure to tobacco smoke at home and at work. In contrast, the risk of moderate-to-severe COPD in nonsmokers was markedly associated with male gender, peaked in middle age, and was inversely associated with nonwhite ethnicity. COPD risks did not vary by minimal smoking history, longest-held occupation, urban residence, income, allergies, thyroid disease, or Helicobacter pylori antibody. Conclusions Among nonsmokers, mild and moderate-to-severe COPD are associated with asthma but otherwise have distinct demographic profiles, suggesting that moderate-to-severe disease is not a mere progression of mild COPD.
What should be done with a dilated bile duct

Current methods for imaging the biliary tree include ultrasound, CT, MRI, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Bile duct abnormalities may be identified during evaluation of patient symptoms or laboratory abnormalities, or incidentally during imaging for another problem. Biliary dilatation, when identified, may be separated into obstructive or nonobstructive causes. Clinical presentation should guide decisions on which, if any, additional investigations are necessary. Choledocholithiasis is the most common cause of obstructive dilatation and frequently requires decompression. Nonobstructive causes include cystic dilatation, aging, and possibly post-cholecystectomy state. Data are limited regarding the yield of further investigations in patients with incidentally identified modest ductal dilatation without symptoms or laboratory abnormalities. Additional investigations are more likely to identify clinically relevant findings in patients with more pronounced dilatation. EUS is highly accurate, low-invasive, and useful in this setting, whereas ERC should be reserved for cases likely to require therapeutic intervention.
Development of ion beam sputtering techniques for actinide target preparation

Abstract Ion beam sputtering is a routine method for the preparation of thin films used as targets because it allows the use of a minimum quantity of starting material, and losses are much lower than most other vacuum deposition techniques. Work is underway in the Isotope Research Materials Laboratory (IRML) at ORNL to develop the techniques that will make the preparation of actinide targets up to 100 μg/cm2 by ion beam sputtering a routinely available service from IRML. The preparation of the actinide material in a form suitable for sputtering is a key to this technique, as is designing a sputtering system that allows the flexibility required for custom-ordered target production. At present, development work is being conducted on low-activity actinides in a bench-top system. The system will then be installed in a hood or glove box approved for radioactive materials handling where processing of radium, actinium, and plutonium isotopes among others will be performed.
Overview of new treatments for breast cancer

Progress in the treatment of breast cancer developed along multiple directions of research during the last decade. The concept of dose-intensity was addressed through retrospective analyses and prospective randomized trials. It was confirmed that dose-intensity correlates with higher response rates, but the effect of dose-intensive treatments on survival still needs to be established. Several new cytotoxic drugs have appeared during the last several years. Taxol, navelbine, and anthrapyrazole CI-941 have been found to have major efficacy against breast cancer, with response rates exceeding 50%. Amonafide, lonidamine, and elliptinium analogs were also shown to be effective, although to a lesser degree. Antiestrogen analogs, new aromatase inhibitors, and LHRH analogs are recent developments that are changing the face of hormonal therapy. Monoclonal antibodies are being developed and evaluated for tumor imaging applications and as vehicles for specific antitumor agents (cytotoxics, radioisotopes, and toxins). Expanding knowledge about the basic biology of breast cancer has led to the identification of growth factors and their receptors, which may be exploited for therapeutic purposes in the not too distant future.
Unusual charge configurations in transcription factors of the basic RNA polymerase II initiation complex.

Abstract A systematic analysis of the primary sequences of the polymerase II initiation complex has revealed unusual charge features in the TFII family proteins. In particular, the proteins TFIIA alpha, TFIIE alpha, and TFIIF carry multiple charge clusters and hyper charge runs, sequence features occurring in < 4% of all (available) eukaryotic proteins. Possible implications for these charge structures are discussed in relation to the assembly and function of the polymerase II transcriptional complex.
Monte Carlo aided design of an improved well-type ionization chamber for low energy brachytherapy sources

The determination of the air kerma strength of a brachytherapy seed is necessary for effective treatment planning. Well-type ionization chambers are used on site at therapy clinics to determine the air kerma strength of seeds. In this work, an improved well-type ionization chamber for low energy, low dose rate brachytherapy sources is designed using Monte Carlo transport calculations to aid in the design process. The design improvements are the elimination of the air density induced over-response effect seen in other air-communicating chambers for low energy photon sources, and a larger signal strength (response or current) for {sup 103}Pd and {sup 125}I based seeds. A prototype well chamber based on the Monte Carlo aided design but using graphite coated acrylic walls rather than the design basis air equivalent plastic (C-552) walls was constructed and experimentally evaluated. The prototype chamber produced an 85% stronger signal when measuring a commonly used {sup 103}Pd seed and a 26% stronger signal when measuring a commonly used {sup 125}I seed when compared to another commonly used well chamber. The normalized P{sub TP} corrected chamber response is, at most, 1.3% and 2.4% over unity for air densities/pressures corresponding to an elevation of 3048 m (10 000 feet)more » above sea level for the commonly used {sup 103}Pd and {sup 125}I based seeds respectively. Comparing calculated and measured chamber responses for common {sup 103}Pd and {sup 125}I based brachytherapy seeds show agreement within 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively. We conclude that Monte Carlo transport calculations accurately model the response of this new well chamber and in general can be used to predict the response of well chambers. The prototype chamber built in this work responds as predicted by the Monte Carlo calculations.« less
Accessing intermediate ferroelectric switching regimes with time-resolved transmission electron microscopy

BiFeO3 (BFO) is one of the most widely studied magneto-electric multiferroics. The magneto-electric coupling in BiFeO3, which allows for the control of the ferroelectric and magnetic domain structures via applied electric fields, can be used to incorporate BiFeO3 into novel spintronics devices and sensors. Before BiFeO3 can be integrated into such devices, however, a better understanding of the dynamics of ferroelectric switching, particularly in the vicinity of extended defects, is needed. We use in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate the response of ferroelectric domains within BiFeO3 thin films to applied electric fields at high temporal and spatial resolution. This technique is well suited to imaging the observed intermediate ferroelectric switching regimes, which occur on a time- and length-scale that are too fine to study via conventional scanning-probe techniques. Additionally, the spatial resolution of transmission electron microscopy allows for the direct study of the dynam...
Go Figure: A Path through Fictionalism

There is the following predicament. One, we find ourselves uttering sentences that seem on the face of it to be committed to so-and-so's – sentences that could not be true unless so-and-so's existed. But, two, we do not believe that so-and-so's exist. 1 What is someone caught up in The Predicament (as let's call it) supposed to do? The official standard menu of options was given by Quine in Word and Object. Our choices are three: (1) show how the commitment can be paraphrased away – thus Quine himself on chances. (2) stop uttering the problematic sentences – thus Quine on glints. (3) give up one's resistance to the commitment -thus Quine on sets. Those who reject these options are subjected by Quine to some pretty withering criticism: "I deplore the philosophical double talk, which would repudiate an ontology while simultaneously enjoying its benefits" (242).
Potato late blight in tubers—The role of foliar phosphonate applications in suppressing pre-harvest tuber infections

Abstract Several phosphonate biopesticides were evaluated in three field trials over 2 years for efficacy in suppressing tuber infections caused by Phytophthora infestans . Tuber disease was assessed at harvest and (for two trials) after 2 months in storage; foliar disease was assessed during the growing season. The phosphonates were dipotassium phosphonate–dipotassium phosphate; mono- and dipotassium phosphorous acid, potassium phosphite; mono- and dibasic sodium, potassium and ammonium phosphites; and aluminum tris O -ethyl phosphonate. Each phosphonate was applied at weekly intervals to the foliage. Additionally some phosphonates were applied in combination with, or in alternation with a conventional fungicide. Although tuber blight was highly variable in these small plots, tubers from plots treated with phosphonates generally had less tuber blight relative to tubers from plots treated with chlorothalonil. The effect on tuber blight was particularly visible after 2 months in storage. All phosphonates applied alone or in combination with chlorothalonil suppressed foliar disease.
Interactions among emergent relations during equivalence class formation.

The interactions among symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence tests during the formation of 3-member equivalence classes were studied with 14 college students. After training AB and BC, a test with BA, CB, AC, and CA was conducted concurrently. Failure led to serial testing with probes for CA equivalence, BA symmetry, CA equivalence, CB symmetry, CA equivalence, AC transitivity, and CA equivalence. For five subjects, equivalence tests were passed immediately once BA and CB symmetry as well as AC transitivity had been induced. Thus, symmetry and transitivity were precursors for successful performance on equivalence tests. The conjoint function of symmetry and transitivity was assessed with the equivalence probes. As the equivalence probes were passed immediately, the presence of symmetry alone and transitivity alone were sufficient for their conjoint function without additional intervention. For different subjects, transitivity alone and symmetry were induced either directly with BA, CB, or AC probes or i...
Myelin proteins in Wallerian degeneration of the optic nerve1)

Summary The development of changes in the protein spectrum of the rabbit optic nerve undergoing Wallerian degeneration was studied and compared with the time sequence of the previously established changes occurring in the lipid composition of the degenerating nerve. The myelin protein spectrum remained essentially unchanged till 32 days after enueleation to show a decrease of the relative content of basic myelin proteins accompanied by increased percentages of the Wolfgram protein during the forthcoming development of Wallerian degeneration. The occurrence of changes in the myelin protein spectrum was significantly delayed in comparison with the onset of enhanced esterification of myelin cholesterol, and thus the latter process, and not the hydrolysis of basic protein is considered as an early event, weakening the molecular structure of the myelin membrane that might initiate the demyelinating process.
Numerical solution of integral equations in a space of distributions

Abstract The basic integral equation of random fields estimation theory is of the form (1) Rh = f , where R is a linear integral operator which is an isomorphism between the spaces H − α and H α . Here H α ( D ) is the Sobolev space and H − α is the dual space of distributions with support in D = cl D (closure of D ),α⩾0 and D is the domain of signal processing. Convergence of the least squares method and a projection method for solving (1) is established. The basis functions which describe the correct singularity in the approximate solutions are suggested.
On the Coevolution of Theory and Language and the Nature of Successful Inquiry

Insofar as empirical inquiry involves the coevolution of descriptive language and theoretical commitments, a satisfactory model of empirical knowledge should describe the coordinated evolution of both language and theory. But since we do not know what conceptual resources we might need to express our future theories or to provide our best future faithful descriptions of the world, we do not now know even what the space of future descriptive options might be. One strategy for addressing this shifting-resource problem is to track the predictive and linguistic dispositions of inquirers rather than to track their theories and conceptual resources directly. Sender-predictor games, a variant of Skyrms–Lewis sender-receiver games, provide very simple models for the coordinated coevolution of predictive and linguistic dispositions. Such models explain how it is possible for (1) predictive and descriptive dispositions of inquirers to coevolve, (2) term-wise incommensurable, but nevertheless descriptively faithful languages, to sequentially evolve, and (3) a sort of underdetermination to occur where inquirers might satisfy their descriptive and predictive aims by revising their linguistic dispositions, their theoretical dispositions, or both. Such models also provide an elementary characterization of what it might mean for descriptions of the world to be faithful and hence for empirical inquiry to be successful. In doing so they provide a relatively weak, but perfectly clear, endogenous account of epistemic norms.
Determination of Optimal Sample Size for Quantification of β-Cell Area, Amyloid Area and β-Cell Apoptosis in Isolated Islets

Culture of isolated rodent islets is widely used in diabetes research to assess different endpoints, including outcomes requiring histochemical staining. As islet yields during isolation are limited, we determined the number of islets required to obtain reliable data by histology. We found that mean values for insulin-positive β-cell area/islet area, thioflavin S-positive amyloid area/islet area and β-cell apoptosis do not vary markedly when more than 30 islets are examined. Measurement variability declines as more islets are quantified, so that the variability of the coefficient of variation (CV) in human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) transgenic islets for β-cell area/islet area, amyloid area/islet area and β-cell apoptosis are 13.20% ± 1.52%, 10.03% ± 1.76% and 6.78% ± 1.53%, respectively (non-transgenic: 7.65% ± 1.17% β-cell area/islet area and 8.93% ± 1.56% β-cell apoptosis). Increasing the number of islets beyond 30 had marginal effects on the CV. Using 30 islets, 6 hIAPP-transgenic preparations are required to detect treatment effects of 14% for β-cell area/islet area, 30% for amyloid area/islet area and 23% for β-cell apoptosis (non-transgenic: 9% for β-cell area/islet area and 45% for β-cell apoptosis). This information will be of value in the design of studies using isolated islets to examine β cells and islet amyloid.
Oral but Not Parenteral Interleukin (IL)-12 Redirects T Helper 2 (Th2)-type Responses to an Oral Vaccine Without Altering Mucosal IgA Responses

Our past studies have shown that the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT) induces T helper type 2 (Th2) responses with systemic IgG1, IgE and mucosal secretory IgA (S-IgA) antibodies (Abs). In this study, recombinant murine IL-12 (rmIL-12) was given either parenterally or orally to mice orally immunized with tetanus toxoid (TT) and CT to determine whether this cytokine could redirect the CT-induced Th2-type responses and what effect this shift would have on S-IgA Ab responses. Intraperitoneal administration of rmIL-12 shifted TT-specific responses toward Th1-type and resulted in CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ and IL-2 with markedly reduced levels of Th2-type cytokines. This cytokine profile was accompanied by increased delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and shifts in serum IgG1 to IgG2a and IgG3 anti-TT Ab responses. Further, serum IgE and S-IgA Ab responses were markedly reduced by parenteral IL-12. When IL-12 complexed to liposomes was given orally both shifts to IgG2a and IgG3 and low IgE Abs again occurred concomitant with enhanced serum IFN-γ and DTH responses. Interestingly, oral rmIL-12 did not result in significant levels of serum IL-12 nor altered S-IgA Ab responses and resulted in higher levels of some Th2-type cytokines both in vitro and in vivo when compared with parenteral IL-12. Our results show that the shifts in systemic immune responses with intact S-IgA Abs which occur after oral delivery of IL-12-liposomes are due to cytokine effects in the Peyer's patches and suggest new strategies for the targeted manipulation of Th1- and Th2-type responses to mucosal vaccines.
Nanoscale germanium MOS Dielectrics-part I: germanium oxynitrides

In this paper, nanoscale germanium (Ge) oxynitride dielectrics are investigated for Ge MOS device applications. The synthesizing methodology and physical properties of these oxynitride films have been examined first. Basic electrical characteristics have been acquired on metal-gated MOS capacitors with Ge oxynitride dielectric on substrates with different dopant types and crystal orientations. Using an optimized oxidation and nitridation recipe, high-quality Ge MOS capacitors with a minimal frequency dispersion and capacitance-voltage hysteresis have been demonstrated. In addition, the Ge oxynitride dielectric-substrate interface has also been analyzed with the combined low-frequency-high-frequency capacitance method that revealed a substantial reduction of interface trap density after the forming gas anneal. An asymmetric interface trap density distribution within the Ge bandgap has been mapped out, which might explain the inferior n-channel Ge MOSFETs with oxynitride dielectric. An abnormality in the general gate leakage behavior has been observed and found to originate from a transient charge-trapping effect
Multiresolution time-domain algorithm using CDF biorthogonal wavelets

A new approach to the multiresolution time-domain (MRTD) algorithm is presented in this paper by introducing a field expansion in terms of biorthogonal scaling and wavelet functions. Particular focus is placed on the Cohen-Daubechies-Feauveau (CDF) biorthogonal-wavelet class, although the methodology is appropriate for general biorthogonal wavelets. The computational efficiency and numerical dispersion of the MRTD algorithm are addressed, considering several CDF biorthogonal wavelets, as well as other wavelet families. The advantages of the biorthogonal MRTD method are presented, with emphasis on numerical issues.
Weitzenbock Identities and Variational Formulations in Nanophotonics and Micromagnetics

Pairs of nonidentical variational formulations with identical Euler-Lagrange equations but nonidentical natural boundary conditions, are examined with a view to nanoscale applications
Endovascular Repair of Juxtarenal Aneurysms Real-World Experience

50% of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms are not candidates for endovascular repair (EVAR) with the use of the currently commercially available devices because of unfavorable anatomy. 2 This includes patients with short or angulated necks, aneurysmal extension into either internal iliac artery or complex aneurysmal involvement of the juxtarenal, paravisceral, and thoracoabdominal aorta. A number of advanced endograft technologies have been developed to extend the use of EVAR in circumstances of complex anatomy, eg, fenestrated EVAR. The feasibility of such techniques has been established, and a number of centers have begun to accumulate clinical experience. But, as in the early days of EVAR, enthusiasm and optimism for these techniques has not been matched by evidence, which is essential before the techniques can be advocated for day-today clinical practice. The biggest hurdle to develop evidence arises from the fact that fenestrated EVAR and similar advanced techniques can be applied to a relatively small number of patients in each of the centers using them; therefore, it takes a long time to establish a substantial cohort even in the busiest of the centers. A collaborative project is ideal to develop a database of advanced techniques that is large enough to allow conclusions to be drawn in a shorter span of time. The aim of GLOBALSTAR Registry Collaborators project is to provide an investigative vehicle to provide evidence to characterize the applicability of advanced endovascular techniques to clinical practice.3 Article see p 2707
Infrared Reflection-Absorption Studies of Thin Films at Grazing Incidence:

Infrared spectra of thin films (<200 A) on metals have been observed with Fourier Transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR) by improvements to the grazing incidence reflection methods proposed by Greenler. Theoretical extensions to the reflectivity ratio, (R − R0)/R0, for a number of metals have been made and indicate the optimal conditions for each experiment. Grazing incidence reflection measurements of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films (thickness 180 A) have been made on silver-, aluminum-, copper-, and chromium-coated substrates. Although the reflectivity ratio maximizes at an angle which deviates a few degrees from pure grazing, filling factor considerations and optimal optical fields show both experimentally and theoretically that operating some ten degrees away from grazing gives better signal-to-noise spectra for reasonable accumulation times. Furthermore, a shift in the maximum of the reflectivity ratio curve is observed from one metal to another, and a comparison between silver and chromium is used to illustrate this effect on the observed IR spectra.
Experimental Validation of a Shear Stud Connection between Steel Girders and a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Deck in the Transverse Direction

A fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) deck-to-girder connection was evaluated for fatigue resistance and residual capacity in the transverse direction. The connection consisted of three shear studs cast into a trapezoidal cell of a FRP sandwich deck. Steel spirals were positioned around each shear stud to aid in grout confinement. Test fixturing consisted of multiple girders and tie downs to induce realistic loading of the connection due to wheel loads. The connection was fatigued according to AASHTO LRFD Specifications for 10.5 million cycles (75 year design life) and tested for residual capacity. The connection survived fatigue testing without failure. The haunch exhibited minimal debonding and cracking. Connection capacity after one lifetime of fatigue cycles exceeded strength limit state requirements.
Lateralization of two-transient stimuli.

In this study of the precedence effect in binaural hearing, subjects adjusted the interaural delay of a wideband acoustic pointer to match the perceived intracranial position of transient test stimuli presented over headphones. The test stimuli had leading and lagging components (either brief noise bursts or clicks), each with its own interaural delay. In some test conditions, the leading and lagging stimuli were coherent copies of one another, whereas in others, they were independent samples of noise. The duration of the stimuli and the delay from the leading component to the lagging component were also varied. All the stimulus conditions showed a moderate or strong precedence effect (i.e., covariation of perceived lateral position of the composite two-transient stimulus with the interaural delay of the leading component). Predictions of the lateralization data are presented for variants of models based on temporal weighting and/or bandpass correlation. In one model variant, the binaural stimuli are temporally weighted to emphasize the onset and then subjected to bandpass correlation analysis. In another variant, it is assumed that the onset mechanism provides a rough estimate of the initial interaural delay that guides a slower and more focused bandpass correlation analysis. The accuracies of these two model’s predictions were equivalent and superior to those of models that either represent leading and lagging cues equally (bandpass correlation with no onset effect) or do not represent lagging cues at all (a complete precedence effect). The results of these analyses show the need for both a strong onset effect and for bandpass correlation analysis and suggest two modeling approaches for achieving that goal.
A Qualitative Study of Technology Integration into Culture and Sustainability in Schools

Despite overall increased access to technology both in and out of the classroom, technology is often still not being used to support learning and instruction in a meaningful manner. Teachers need to be helped to change the way they teach rather than just how to use computers. The TeachUp! Program was designed by Digital Opportunity Trust to improve the use of technology in day-to-day teaching activities through the use of interns who are present in the schools as a continuous support system and who provide an informal professional development. Interns examine types of technology available and how it can be utilized as a part of the design and implementation of the curriculum to extend the existing student knowledge and learning. Purposive samples from two school districts in southern Mississippi were selected to be interviewed on their perceptions of the integration of TeachUp! technology empowerment into the ongoing culture and operation of the schools, long-term systematic change, and improvement in education outcomes. According to the respondents, the TeachUp! Program has had a major sustaining effect on the respective school systems in these areas. The climate of the learning environment has evolved into a true 21st century learning organization with an increase in the use of technology.
Transforms for the motion compensation residual

The Discrete-Cosine-Transform (DCT) is the most widely used transform in image and video compression. Its use in image compression is often justified by the notion that it is the statistically optimal transform for first-order Markov signals, which have been used to model images. In standard video codecs, the motion-compensation residual (MC-residual) is also compressed with the DCT. The MC-residual may, however, possess different characteristics from an image. Hence, the question that arises is if other transforms can be developed that can perform better on the MC-residual than the DCT. Inspired by recent research on direction-adaptive image transforms, we provide an adaptive auto-covariance characterization for the MC-residual that shows some statistical differences between the MC-residual and the image. Based on this characterization, we propose a set of block transforms. Experimental results indicate that these transforms can improve the compression efficiency of the MC-residual.
Endogenous IL-10 Attenuates Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity: Role of Dendritic Cells

Sterile inflammation is associated with tissue injury and organ failure. Recent studies indicate that certain endogenous cytokines and immune cells may limit tissue injury by reducing immune-mediated inflammatory responses. Cisplatin is a commonly used anticancer chemotherapeutic agent but causes acute kidney injury and dysfunction. In a recent study, we showed that renal dendritic cells attenuate cisplatin-induced kidney injury by reducing inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effect of endogenous IL-10 and dendritic cell IL-10 in cisplatin-mediated kidney injury. Cisplatin treatment caused increases in renal IL-10R1 expression and STAT3 phosphorylation. In response to cisplatin treatment, IL-10 knockout mice showed more rapid and greater increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine compared with wild-type mice, indicating that endogenous IL-10 ameliorates kidney injury in cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Renal infiltration of IFN-γ-producing neutrophils was markedly increased in IL-10 knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. However, IFN-γ neutralization had no impact on renal dysfunction, suggesting IFN-γ-independent mechanisms of tissue injury in cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Renal dendritic cells showed high expression of IL-10 in response to cisplatin treatment. We further investigated the effect of dendritic cell-derived IL-10 in cisplatin nephrotoxicity using a conditional cell ablation approach. Mixed bone marrow chimeric mice lacking IL-10 in dendritic cells showed moderately greater renal dysfunction than chimeric mice positive for IL-10 in dendritic cells. These data demonstrate that endogenous IL-10 reduces cisplatin nephrotoxicity and associated inflammation. Moreover, IL-10 produced by dendritic cells themselves accounts for a portion of the protective effect of dendritic cells in cisplatin nephrotoxicity.
Differential wax-wane focus servo.

We describe a differential wax–wane focus servo technique for use in optical data storage. A combination of scalar diffraction modeling and experiment is used to quantify performance. Our results indicate that the differential technique is superior to the single-detector wax–wane technique with respect to gain, linearity, and lock-on range. We present modeling results that show the effects of aberrations and detector misalignment. The differential system was found to be robust. It can also reject many common pattern noise effects such as tracking cross talk, which was reduced from 0.7 μm in a single channel to <0.1 μm in the optimized differential channel.
Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses to Alphavirus Replicon Vaccines Expressing Cytomegalovirus pp65, IE1, and gB Proteins

Development of vaccines against cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important public health priority. We used a propagation-defective, single-cycle RNA replicon vector system derived from an attenuated strain of an alphavirus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, to produce virus-like replicon particles (VRP) expressing various combinations of pp65, IE1, or gB proteins of human CMV. Protein expression in VRP-infected cells was highest with single-promoter replicons expressing pp65, IE1, a pp65/IE1 fusion protein, or the extracellular domain of gB and with double-promoter replicons expressing pp65 and IE1. Protein expression was lower with double- and triple-promoter replicons expressing gB, especially the full-length form of gB. BALB/c mice immunized with VRP expressing gB developed high titers of neutralizing antibody to CMV, and mice immunized with VRP expressing pp65, IE1, or a pp65/IE1 fusion protein developed robust antigen-specific T-cell responses as measured by gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Three overlapping immunodominant pp65 peptides contained a nine-amino-acid sequence (LGPISGHVL) that matches the consensus binding motif for a major histocompatibility complex H2-D(d) T-cell epitope. These data provide the basis for further development and clinical evaluation of an alphavirus replicon vaccine for CMV expressing the pp65, IE1, and gB proteins.
An Improved Transient Model of Tool Temperatures in Metal Cutting

A model for predicting cutting tool temperatures under transient conditions is presented. The model of Stephenson et al. [10] is extended to include the initial transient response to the tool temperature and nonuniform heat flux distributions. The main goal in this paper is to be able to accurately predict the initial transient tool temperature response, or temperatures in interrupted cutting for cases where the cutting time is short. A method to predict the true transient energy partitioning instead of quasi-steady energy partitioning (Stephenson et al., [10]), without seeking the full numerical analysis, has been developed. In this paper, the transient energy partitioning is obtained through a fixed-point iteration process by modifying the quasi-steady energy partitioning method presented by Loewen and Shaw [11]. The predicted transient tool temperatures are compared quantitatively to the experimental data. Utilizing a semi-empirical correlation for heat flux distribution along the tool-chip interface, the temperature distribution is calculated and compared qualitatively to existing experimental data.
Pressure-transient analysis for fractured wells producing at constant pressure

Past solutions to many well-test problems considered the wells to be produced at a constant rate. It has become apparent that there are many cases in which constant-pressure production is more common. Gas wells, geothermal wells, and even oil wells are operated at constant pressure during most of their producing life. Constant-pressure well-test data for fractured wells are commonly analyzed using type-curve-matching techniques that may result in nonunique solutions. By the use of a semianalytic model, a set of correlations has been developed that reduces the nonuniqueness problem, as well as accounts for well-test data in which the well is produced at high rates. When applied to high-flow-rate wells, this technique uses the bilinear flow period to determine an apparent fracture conductivity for constant-pressure drawdown or buildup tests. These apparent values can be corrected to true conductivities by the use of correlations presented in this study. These relationships were derived through computer simulation of a wide range of possible situations. In summary, this paper presents for the first time a technique that analyzes buildup and drawdown data from wells produced at constant pressure with turbulent flow in the fracture. Two example applications, one for buildup and one for drawdown, aremore » included to demonstrate the use of these techniques.« less
The Transparency of Mind

In philosophical inquiry into the mind, the metaphor of ‘transparency’ has been attractive to many who are otherwise in deep disagreement. It has thereby come to have a variety of different and mutually incompatible connotations. The mind is said to be transparent to itself, our perceptual experiences are said to be transparent to the world, and our beliefs are said to be transparent to – a great many different things. The first goal of this essay is to sort out the different uses of the notion of transparency in the context of the philosophy of mind. The remainder of the essay will then be devoted to examining so-called Transparency theories of self-knowledge, or how we know our own minds. This type of theory has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years, but its prospects hinge on answers to unresolved questions concerning the epistemological details of the account and the scope of its ambitions.
The Dynamics of Sensemaking, Knowledge, and Expertise in Collaborative, Boundary-Spanning Design

This ethnographic study investigates how a project group deals with the contradiction between distributed knowledge in boundary-spanning collaborative processes and the expectation that software systems will provide unified, codified knowledge. Group and individual activities were observed over a period of 18 months, to examine the ways knowledge was presented, recognized, shared, or otherwise managed during joint design of business process and IT systems change. The study explores how knowledge and expertise were translated across organizational boundaries, and identifies four stages in the development of group understanding of how to manage sensemaking and expertise across knowledge boundaries: focus on defining shared goals; acknowledging and sharing tacit knowledge about organizational practice; identifying external influences; and explicit knowledge generation.