cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies of Glutamate and GABA in Autism: Implications for Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance Theory

One popular major theory of neurotransmitter dysfunction is an imbalance in excitation and inhibition (EI theory).The EI imbalance theory is thought to impact widely across neural circuits mediating language, social, and cognitive functions, and could potentially explain some aspects of the autism phenotype. Evidence from genetic and molecular studies provide support for abnormal suppression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) function and an overabundance of glutamatergic transmission as potential mechanisms of this hyperexcitability. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a potentially exciting neuroimaging tool allowing in vivo estimation of glutamate and GABA neurotransmitters in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We reviewed all available published studies of ASD reporting 1H-MRS measurement of glutamate, GABA, or both neurotransmitters. Glutamate results across studies are equivocal, with nearly equal numbers of studies reporting increases or decreases in autism. However, the age of the individuals studied appears to relate to the direction of the findings, suggesting that future longitudinal studies of glutamate should be conducted. Although fewer GABA-specific studies have been published, all have reported decreases in autism. Overall, from 1H-MRS studies alone, support for the glutamate side of the EI imbalance theory is tenuous, but this is an indication of serious limitations in the 1H-MRS literature. For GABA dysfunction, the GABA findings to date are consistent for reduced concentration in autism; however, there are only a few published 1H-MRS studies of GABA in autism, all from studies with a small number of subjects. More studies, particularly longitudinal developmental studies across both child and adult development, are needed.
A prospective investigation of appraisals as mediators of the link between interparental conflict and child adjustment

This longitudinal study tested the role of children's appraisals of threat and self-blame as mediators of the association between interparental conflict and child adjustment in a sample of 298 Welsh children ages 11 to 12 years. Exposure to higher levels of interparental conflict at Time 1 predicted greater perceived threat and self-blame at Time 2, after accounting for the effects of Time 1 adjustment and appraisals on later appraisals. Perceived threat in turn was associated with increased internalizing problems at Time 2, and self-blame was associated with higher externalizing problems. The pattern of results was largely consistent for child and parent reports of conflict and for boys and girls, though some gender differences were found in associations between appraisals and adjustment.
Pressure effect on inverse temperature transitions: biological implications

Abstract Elastic protein-based polymers of the form poly [ f x (VPGXG), f v (VPGVG)], where f x and f v are mole fractions with f x + f v =1, exhibit inverse temperature transitions in the form of a phase separation in which folding and aggregation of polymer chains into more-ordered states of the condensed (coacervate) phase occurs on raising the temperature. When X = Trp, Phe or Tyr, an increase in pressure causes a substantial increase in the temperature of the transition. The data are interpreted to indicate that water molecules surrounding the aromatic side chains of Trp(W), Phe(F) or Tyr(Y) occupy less volume than water molecules in bulk water. The calculated volume change for poly[0.8(GVGVP), 0.2(GFGVP)], for example, on going from coacervate phase, where hydrophobic associations have largely eliminated waters of hydrophobic hydration, to be dispersed in water where the hydrophobic moieties are surrounded by water is 80 cm 3 /mol of mean pentamers or some 400 cm 3 /mol of (GFGVP). The results provide an understanding of the source of pressure effects in biological systems and for the capacity to design materials capable of exhibiting baromechanical transduction.
Incentive-based approaches in marine conservation: Applications for sea turtles

Conservation practitioners are increasingly turning to incentive-based approaches to encourage local resource users to change behaviors that impact biodiversity and natural habitat. We assess the design and performance of marine conservation interventions with varying types of incentives through an analysis of case studies from around the world. Here we focus on seven examples that are particularly relevant to designing incentives for sea turtle conservation. Four of the cases are focused on sea turtle conservation, and the others contain elements that may be applied to turtle projects. Many more opportunities exist for interventions that combine the strengths of these approaches, such as performance-based agreements that provide funds for education or alternative livelihood development, and leasing fishing rights to reduce bycatch.
Asthma in medicaid managed care enrollees residing in New York City: Results from a post-world trade center disaster survey

The collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, released a substantial amount of respiratory irritants into the air. To assess the asthma status of Medicaid managed care enrollees who may have been exposed, the New York State Department of Health, Office of Managed Care, conducted a mail survey among enrollees residing in New York City. All enrollees, aged 5–56 with persistent asthma before September 11, 2001, were surveyed during summer 2002. Administrative health service utilization data from the Medicaid Encounter Data System were used to validate and supplement survey responses. A total of 3.664 enrollees responded. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to examine factors associated with self-reported worsened asthma post September 11, 2001, and with emergency department/inpatient hospitalizations related to asthma from September 11, 2001, through December 31, 2001. Forty-five percent of survey respondents reported worsened asthma post 9/11. Respondents who reported worsened asthma were significantly more likely to have utilized health services for asthma than those who reported stable or improved asthma. Residence in both lower Manhattan (adjusted OR=2.28) and Western Brooklyn (adjusted OR=2.40) were associated with self-reported worsened asthma. However, only residents of Western Brooklyn had an elevated odds ratio for emergency department/inpatient hospitalizations with diagnoses of asthma post 9/11 (adjusted OR=1.52). Worsened asthma was reported by a significant proportion of this low-income, largely minority population and was associated with the location of residence. Results from this study provide guidance to health care organizations in the development of plans to ensure the health of people with asthma during disaster situations.
Diagnosis and Monitoring of Clostridium difficile Infections with the Polymerase Chain Reaction

Toxigenic Clostridium difficile is the etiologic agent of pseudomembranous colitis. We have developed an assay system for the rapid direct detection of toxigenic C. difficile in human stool samples. After DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification is undertaken with primers targeting specific sequences in the C. difficile 16S rRNA gene. Next, toxigenic strains of C. difficile are distinguished from nontoxigenic strains by PCR amplification of toxin A and/or B gene sequences. This study included 12 patients with C. difficile colitis, seven of whom had clinical relapses after discontinuation of vancomycin therapy. We detected toxigenic C. difficile in stools from four (57%) of these seven patients before relapse--at a time when no toxin B was detectable in stools and results of anaerobic culture were negative. The PCR assay is 100-fold more sensitive than anaerobic culture methods. The course of the infection in one patient (both during and after therapy) was monitored by the PCR technique. The multigene analysis approach permitted the detection of colonization with a nontoxigenic strain when this patient's relapses had cleared. This clinically applicable assay allows earlier detection of infection with toxigenic C. difficile. The result is more timely therapeutic intervention.
Unbiased, scalable sampling of closed kinematic chains

This paper presents a Monte Carlo technique for sampling configurations of a kinematic chain according to a specified probability density while accounting for loop closure constraints. A key contribution is a method for sampling sub-loops in unbiased fashion using analytical inverse kinematics techniques. Sub-loops are then iterated across the chain to produce samples for the entire chain. The method is demonstrated to scale well to high-dimensional chains (>200DOFs) and is applied to flexible 2D chains, protein molecules, and robots with multiple closed-chains.
Modeling of CO2 Gas Excitation Under CO2 Laser Irradiation

Lasers especially multiple laser beams demonstrate unique advantages as energy sources in diamond synthesis. However, the fundamental mechanisms involved in the laser-assisted processes are not Well understood. In a reported amazingly-fast multiple laser coating technique, CO2 gas is claimed as the sole precursor or secondary precursor, which remains poorly understood and unverified. The absorption coefficient changes under the irradiation of the multiple lasers are one of the keys to resolve the mysteries of multiple laser beam coating processes. This study investigates the optical absorption in CO2 gas at the CO2 laser wavelength. This resonance absorption process is modeled as an inverse process of the lasing transitions of CO2 lasers. The well-established CO2 vibrational-rotational energy structures are used as the basis for the calculations with the Boltzmann distribution for equilibrium states and the three-temperature model for non-equilibrium states. Based on the population distribution, our predictions of CO2 absorption coefficient changes as the function of temperature are in agreement with the published data.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
High school off-campus lunch policies and adolescent motor vehicle crash risks

Abstract Purpose To examine differences in motor vehicle crash involvement for teenagers in communities with and without school policies enabling teens to drive off campus during lunchtime. Methods Comparison of lunchtime motor vehicle crashes involving teen drivers in two North Carolina counties having open-lunch policies with a third county without an open-lunch policy. We also compare crash rates during the before-school period and at all times of the day in the three counties. Data were analyzed by computing rate ratios of teens' involvement in a crash during the three time periods and comparing them among the three counties. Results Crash rates over the lunch hours were significantly higher for teenagers in the counties with open-lunch policies, despite these counties having no elevated crash risk during other time periods. This resulted in a relative risk of lunchtime crash involvement of 3.10 and 2.98 (95% CI 1.97–4.89 and 1.87–4.74, respectively) compared with the county without an open-lunch policy. Number of vehicle occupants also increased during the lunch hours in the counties with open-lunch policies. Conclusions Open-lunch policies contribute to motor vehicle crashes in teenagers and encourage a situation where there are multiple occupants per vehicle, a known risk factor for teenage motor vehicle crashes.
Compensating on-chip transmission line losses for a high-sensitivity microwave sensor

The sensitivity of the microwave sensor proposed in [C. Song, P. Wang, A radio frequency device for measurement of minute dielectric property changes in microfluidic channels, Appl. Phys. Lett. 94 (2009) 023901] is determined by the level of parasitic signal cancellation and the coupling between microwave field and the material under test (MUT). In this work, we demonstrate that the cancellation level can be greatly improved through adjusting the thickness of the λ/4 section of the hybrid. As a result, the sensor sensitivity can be significantly improved. We also show that the sensor sensitivity can be further improved by using transmission lines that have stronger couplings. Furthermore, the fabrication and testing processes of the on-chip sensor are described.
Examining the roles of government policy on innovation

Abstract Research has shown that government policies and regulations can promote or hinder innovation. Policies and regulations that are stringent and focused can potentially stimulate significant and fundamental changes in product and process technology. However, policies and regulations can create obstacles and restrictions that sometimes pose a hindrance to innovation. Thus, while a number of innovation diffusion policies have been practiced in an incremental and ad hoc manner in many developed and developing countries, absent a set of research propositions, little empirical work has been well-positioned to investigate the effectiveness of these policies. In reviewing the existing literature on policy and innovation, it is possible to propose several research propositions regarding the role of government policy in promoting and sustaining innovation through the mediating factors, namely, the firm's willingness, capacity, and opportunity to change. In addition, the current state of the field on the theory and practice of innovation offers the opportunity to suggest propositions for investigating how government policies impact two different types of innovation, namely incremental and radical innovations. These research propositions offer implications for the policy makers and managers in general.
Keoxifene (LY 156758) inhibits follicle-stimulating hormone induced differentiation of cultured rat granulosa cells.

Abstract The direct effects of keoxifene (LY 156758), a benzothiphenederived antiestrogen, on granulosa cell differentiation were examined in vitro using primary cultures of rat granulosa cells. The effect of keoxifene on FSH-stimulated aromatase activity was biphasic in pattern, enhancing at lower concentrations (up to 10−8 M), and inhibiting at higher concentrations ( > 10 −6 M . Keoxifene inhibited FSH-stimulated progestin production in a dose-dependent fashion with an IC50 of 5×10−8 M. FSH-induced LH receptors were also inhibited by keoxifene with an IC50 of 5×10−7 M. These findings suggest that keoxifene has direct pharmacologic actions at the ovarian level. In contrast to the earlier reported estrogenic actions of triphenylethylene antiestrogens at the ovarian level, the benzothiphene-derived antiestrogens may be clinically more useful in the management of estrogen-dependent malignancies.
Intoxication- and Withdrawal-Dependent Expression of Central and Peripheral Cytokines Following Initial Ethanol Exposure

Background Evidence has emerged demonstrating that ethanol (EtOH) influences cytokine expression within the central nervous system, although most studies have examined long-term exposure. Thus, the cytokine response to an acute EtOH challenge was investigated, in order to characterize profiles of cytokine changes following acute exposure. Methods Rats pups were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 2-g/kg EtOH, and IL-1 mRNA and protein were assessed 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes post injection (Experiment 1). In Experiments 2 to 5, the expression of several cytokines was examined in adult male rats during acute intoxication (3 hours after 4-g/kg EtOH), as well as withdrawal (18 hours post injection), after i.p. or intragastric (i.g.) EtOH administration. Results Early in ontogeny, acute EtOH significantly decreased brain IL-1 mRNA and protein. Subsequently, when adult rats were examined, significant and temporally dynamic alterations in central and peripheral cytokines were observed following acute i.p. EtOH exposure (4 g/kg). Although cytokine- and region-dependent central IL-6 expression was generally increased and tumor necrosis factor alpha decreased during intoxication, IL-1 expression exhibited increases during withdrawal. In the periphery, acute i.p. EtOH elevated expression of all cytokines, with the response growing in magnitude as the time post injection increased. Following acute i.g. EtOH (4 g/kg), intoxication-related increases in IL-6 expression were again observed in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), although to a lesser extent. Long-term, voluntary, intermittent EtOH consumption resulted in tolerance to the effects of an i.g. EtOH challenge (4 g/kg) on PVN IL-6 expression, whereas these same elevations in IL-6 expression were still seen in the amygdala in rats with a history of moderate EtOH intake. Treatment with minocycline did not significantly attenuate i.p. or i.g. EtOH-induced changes in central cytokine expression. Conclusions Together, these studies provide a foundation for understanding fluctuations in central and peripheral cytokines following acute EtOH as potential contributors to the constellation of neural and behavioral alterations observed during EtOH intoxication and withdrawal.
Microring resonators on side-polished optical fiber

A novel fiber optical device based on microring resonators fabricated on side-polished fiber is proposed. The compact size and light weight device structure can be useful for various fiber-optic sensors, fixed and tunable wavelength filters, and intensity modulators. Since the device is directly fabricated on the optical fiber, many issues associated with fiber-to-chip coupling and attachment can be avoided. A preliminary experiment using polymer microring resonators made by two-photon polymerization has proved this new device concept.
Retention of High School Economics Knowledge and the Effect of the California State Mandate

The authors extend the literature on the efficacy of high school economics instruction in two directions. First, they assess how much economic knowledge that California students acquired in their compulsory high school course is retained on their entering college. Second, using as a control group some college students from the state of Washington, where there is no mandate for high school economics instruction, the authors evaluate the impact of California's high school economics mandate on students’ economic literacy when they enter college. The testing instrument is the Test of Economic Literacy (TEL).
Cerebral Hypoperfusion Increases Estrogen Receptor Abundance in the Ovine Fetal Brain and Pituitary

Background/Aims: Estrogen is an important component of fetal neuroendocrine function in late-gestation fetal sheep; however, little is known about the regulation of estrogen recepto
Fitness Trade-Offs in blaTEM Evolution

bla(TEM-1) expression results in penicillin resistance, whereas expression of many bla(TEM-1) descendants, called extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), results simultaneously in resistance to penicillins and extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Despite the expanded resistance phenotypes conferred by many ESBLs, bla(TEM-1) is still the most abundant bla(TEM) allele in many microbial populations. This study examines the fitness effects of the two amino acid substitutions, R164S and E240K, that have occurred repeatedly among ESBL bla(TEM-1) descendants. Using a single-nucleotide polymorphism-specific real-time quantitative PCR method, we analyzed the fitness of strains expressing bla(TEM-1), bla(TEM-10), and bla(TEM-12). Our results show that bacteria expressing the ancestral bla(TEM-1) allele have a fitness advantage over those expressing either bla(TEM-10) or bla(TEM-12) when exposed to ampicillin. This observation, combined with the fact that penicillins are the most prevalent antimicrobials prescribed worldwide, may explain why bla(TEM-1) has persisted as the most frequently encountered bla(TEM) allele in bacterial populations.
Clinical assessment of spectral modulation detection for adult cochlear implant recipients: A non-language based measure of performance outcomes

Spectral modulation detection (SMD) provides a psychoacoustic estimate of spectral resolution. The SMD threshold for an implanted ear is highly correlated with speech understanding and is thus a non-linguistic, psychoacoustic index of speech understanding. This measure, however, is time and equipment intensive and thus not practical for clinical use. Thus the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effi cacy of a quick SMD task with the following three study aims: (1) to investigate the correlation between the long psychoacoustic, and quick SMD tasks, (2) to determine the test/retest variability of the quick SMD task, and (3) to evaluate the relationship between the quick SMD task and speech understanding. Design: This study included a within-subjects, repeated-measures design. Study sample: Seventy-six adult cochlear implant recipients participated. Results: The results were as follows: (1) there was a signifi cant correlation between the long psychoacoustic, and quick SMD tasks, (2) the test-retest variability of the quick SMD task was highly signifi cant and, (3) there was a signifi cant positive correlation between the quick SMD task and monosyllabic word recognition. Conclusions: The results of this study represent the direct clinical translation of a research-proven task of SMD into a quick, clinically feasible format.
Quantitative analysis of crystallization and skin formation during isothermal solvent removal from semicrystalline polymers

Abstract A mathematical model was developed to predict the isothermal drying kinetics of semicrystalline polymer films. The model considers the mechanism of semicrystalline polymer drying that was proposed by us based on experimental studies. Experimental studies have indicated an increase in the degree of crystallinity of semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) during drying, which slows down the rate of diffusion of the solvent remaining in the polymer film. The model considers the crystallization kinetics and the changes in the polymer degree of crystallinity produced in semicrystalline polymers during solvent removal. The model also takes into account rubbery–glassy transition and skin formation during solvent removal and its effect on the drying kinetics. Model predictions include polymer film thickness, skin thickness, rate of solvent removal and degree of crystallinity of the polymer as functions of time. These predictions were compared with experimental results for drying of PVA films and good agreement was observed between the model predictions and the experimental data.
Anomalous diffusion of vapors through solid polymers. Part II: Anomalous sorption

Sorption of vapors in polymer membranes in the vicinity of and below the glass transition temperatures do not follow the Fickian (classical) diffusion. The reasons have been attributed to the molecular relaxation which affects both diffusivities and solubilities. A time- and memory-dependent diffusion coefficient has been evaluated in Part I, in a form which is analogous to the treatment in the rheology of such materials. Together with a time-dependent solubility, the conservation equation for the sorption process has been solved. Two special cases are considered, where the relaxation times are short and where they are long. The results explain the anomalous behavior observed in the experiments. Comparison with the experiments has been made.
Hydrogen bond dynamics probed with ultrafast infrared heterodyne-detected multidimensional vibrational stimulated echoes.

Hydrogen bond dynamics are explicated with exceptional detail using multidimensional IR vibrational echo correlation spectroscopy with full phase information. Probing the hydroxyl stretch of methanol-OD oligomers in CCl4, the dynamics of the evolving hydrogen bonded network are measured with ultrashort (<50 fs) pulses. The data along with detailed model calcns. demonstrate that vibrational relaxation leads to selective hydrogen bond breaking on the red side of the spectrum (strongest hydrogen bonds) and the prodn. of singly hydrogen bonded photoproducts. [on SciFinder(R)]
Spartan/C1orf124, a Reader of PCNA Ubiquitylation and a Regulator of UV-Induced DNA Damage Response

PCNA is a key component of DNA replication and repair machineries. DNA damage-induced PCNA ubiquitylation serves as a molecular mark to orchestrate postreplication repair. Here, we have identified and characterized Spartan, a protein that specifically recognizes ubiquitylated PCNA and plays an important role in cellular resistance to UV radiation. In vitro, Spartan engages ubiquitylated PCNA via both a PIP box and a UBZ domain. In cells, Spartan is recruited to sites of UV damage in a manner dependent upon the PIP box, the UBZ domain, and PCNA ubiquitylation. Furthermore, Spartan colocalizes and interacts with Rad18, the E3 ubiquitin ligase that modifies PCNA. Surprisingly, while Spartan is recruited by ubiquitylated PCNA, knockdown of Spartan compromised chromatin association of Rad18, monoubiquitylation of PCNA, and localization of Pol η to UV damage. Thus, as a “reader” of ubiquitylated PCNA, Spartan promotes an unexpected feed-forward loop to enhance PCNA ubiquitylation and translesion DNA synthesis.
Global synchronization in coupled map lattices

This paper presents a global synchronization theorem for coupled map lattices. Roughly speaking the theorem states that the coupled map lattice x/sub n+1/=AF(x/sub n/) synchronizes if A has an eigenvalue 1 of multiplicity 1 corresponding to the synchronization manifold and the other eigenvalues of A are close to zero. Examples of coupled map lattices of logistic maps are used to illustrate the result. In particular, we give global results regarding synchronization in coupled map lattices for which previously only numerical evidence and local results were available. We show that (1) globally coupled maps synchronize if the coupling is large enough, (2) randomly coupled maps are synchronized if the number of couplings for each map is large enough and (3) coupled maps connected on a graph will synchronize if the ratio between the largest and the smallest nonzero eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix of the graph is small.
QUANTUM LATTICE-GAS MODEL FOR THE DIFFUSION EQUATION

Presented is a factorized quantum lattice-gas algorithm to model the diffusion equation. It is a minimal model with two qubits per node of a one-dimensional lattice and it is suitable for implementation on a large array of small quantum computers interconnected by nearest-neighbor classical communication channels. The quantum lattice-gas system is described at the mesoscopic scale by a lattice-Boltzmann equation whose collision term is unconditionally stable and obeys the principle of detailed balance. An analytical treatment of the model is given to predict a macroscopic effective field theory. The numerical simulations are in excellent agreement with the analytical results. In particular, numerical simulations confirm the value of the analytically calculated diffusion constant. The algorithm is time-explicit with numerical convergence that is first-order accurate in time and second-order accurate in space.
Computer-based design of optimal efficiency series-resonant converters above resonance

Power losses in series-resonant converters (SRCs) operated above resonance are examined to develop design guidelines for producing SRCs with high operating efficiencies. Expressions are developed as functions of the design variables for losses in the transistor switches, antiparallel diodes, and the resonant capacitor. Using these independent design variables as arguments, performance functions (such as operating efficiency and component stress) are found. Based on predictions of the performance functions, suggested design strategies are presented for maximizing operating efficiency, minimizing component stress, or satisfying some combination of these two performance functions. >
The Physical Therapy and Society Summit (PASS) Meeting: Observations and Opportunities

The construct of delivering high-quality and cost-effective health care is in flux, and the profession must strategically plan how to meet the needs of society. In 2006, the House of Delegates of the American Physical Therapy Association passed a motion to convene a summit on “how physical therapists can meet current, evolving, and future societal health care needs.” The Physical Therapy and Society Summit (PASS) meeting on February 27‐28, 2009, in Leesburg, Virginia, sent a clear message that for physical therapists to be effective and thrive in the health care environment of the future, a paradigm shift is required. During the PASS meeting, participants reframed our traditional focus on the physical therapist and the patient/client (consumer) to one in which physical therapists are an integral part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary health care team with the health care consumer as its focus. The PASS Steering Committee recognized that some of the opportunities that surfaced during the PASS meeting may be disruptive or may not be within the profession’s present strategic or tactical plans. Thus, adopting a framework that helps to establish the need for change that is provocative and potentially disruptive to our present care delivery, yet prioritizes opportunities, is a critical and essential step. Each of us in the physical therapy profession must take on post‐PASS roles and responsibilities to accomplish the systemic change that is so intimately intertwined with our destiny. This article offers a perspective of the dynamic dialogue and suggestions that emerged from the PASS event, providing further opportunities for discussion and action within our profession.
Representation and estimation for harmonizable type processes

The harmonizable type class contains Karhunen processes and Cramer classes, and if it has some (complex) measure or bimeasure /spl mu/, then the process is called (strongly) harmonizable or weakly harmonizable respectively. Finally if /spl mu/ concentrates on the diagonal so that it becomes a positive bounded measure /spl mu/~, the process is (weakly or Khintchine) stationary, and /spl mu/~is called the spectral distribution function, and in the general case, /spl mu/ is termed a bispectral distribution. The harmonizable-type processes are considered in this paper.
The Longitudinal Study of Advanced L2 Capacities edited by ORTEGA, LOURDES, & HEIDI BYRNES

The article reviews the book "The Longitudinal Study of Advanced L2 Capacities," edited by Lourdes Ortega and Heidi Byrnes.
Electric-field and temperature dependencies of TDDB degradation in Cu/Low-K damascene structures

The electric field and temperature dependencies of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) degradation in Cu/low-k damascene structures are investigated using Cu/SiOC and Cu/SiCN damascene structures. A field-dependent activation energy analysis of TDDB lifetimes demonstrates that there are multiple TDDB degradation mechanisms for a Cu/SiOC structure and that the dominant TDDB degradation mechanism is dependent on the electric field. Under higher electric fields, the SiCN film used as a Cu barrier dielectric (BD) is the main cause of the TDDB failure. As the electric field decreases, the degradation of the inter-level dielectric (ILD) or ILD/BD interface has an impact on TDDB failure. Furthermore, it was found that the field-dependency of Ea reflects the dominant TDDB degradation mechanism and is an important factor in determining a TDDB degradation model that can predict an accurate TDDB lifetime.
Advances in the support of respiratory failure: putting all the evidence together

Considerable progress has been made recently in the understanding of how best to accomplish safe and effective ventilation of patients with acute lung injury. Mechanical and nonmechanical factors contribute to causation of ventilator-associated lung injury. Intervention timing helps determine the therapeutic efficacy and outcome, and the stage and severity of the disease process may determine the patient's vulnerability as well as an intervention's value. Reducing oxygen consumption and ventilatory demands are key to a successful strategy for respiratory support of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Results from major clinical trials can be understood against the background of the complex physiology of ventilator-induced lung injury.
A Case for Integrated Parenthood

This paper makes a case for an integrated family, and more specifically for the formal, legally recognized statuses of husband/wife and parent/child. In general, children do better both in the short and long term if they live with married parents and if they are biological or adopted children of these parents. Children are particularly affected by the stability and permanence of their relationships, although they are famously resilient. Under any circumstances, parental warmth affects children significantly and positively. One of the more dramatic ways to see the influence of parental relationships involves mixed race marriages because they tend to be of shorter duration. The mixed race case, where children do fine only so long as their parents stay together, reveals the importance of community as well as intentions of parents for children’s outcomes. Community includes the formal community denoted by legal status, the family’s religious community (especially important for African-American families), and the peer community, which particularly influences older children. Stable marriages may provide a kind of buffer for fathers, who on their own may prefer sons to daughters.
Equus hemionus onager (Persian wild ass, Onager)

Classification of the fourth row, particularly the fourth pair (here called subtelocentrics) is difficult with the limited material available. Delicate satellites on the short arms of the second pair in the fourth row (autosome No, 20) are seen occasionally.
White-light Diffraction Tomography (WDT) of Live Cells

White-light diffraction tomography is introduced as a new tomographic imaging technique that combines quantitative phase imaging with white-light, inverse scattering, and deconvolution. We show 3D and 4D imaging of unlabeled live cells using WDT.
Corrugated Flute Filter Media Packaging Reduces Combustion Turbine Intake Air Filter System Size by 40

Gas turbine output and mass flow have increased significantly over the years. The current generation of self cleaning air filter systems are large and complex, occupying a great deal of space, and requiring significant amounts of field assembly. A new filter technology developed for gas turbine intake air systems allows for the same high efficiency self cleaning performance to be achieved with a system that has a 40% smaller three dimensional footprint. This new corrugated flute filter media packaging technology not only reduces the size of the intake filter system, but can also reduce the complexity of the installation, shorten field installation time, and reduce the total cost of shipping by up to 50%. The key to this size reduction is a new way to package the filter media that allows for twice the airflow per filter at the same initial pressure loss and filtration efficiency as the current industry standard self cleaning filter systems. This paper will discuss the benefits of corrugated flute filter media packaging, and highlight the size reduction possible in the self cleaning air intake system. The resulting advantages are documented through laboratory and field experience.© 2004 ASME
Molecular diagnosis of mycoplasma-like organisms (MLOs) in plants

Worldwide, yellows diseases impact plants important in human nutrition, the natural environment, and the culture and commerce of humans. Since the presumed pathogens, mycoplasma-like organisms (MLOs), have not been isolated in pure culture in vitro, their study must proceed by other experimental approaches. In a study of disease affecting grapevines in Europe and North America, polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and restriction analyses of PCR-amplified DNA were used to detect and differentiate strains of MLOs associated with grapevine yellows. MLOs were detected both in naturally diseased grapevines and in experimentally inoculated host plants. The data indicated an unexpected genomic diversity among grapevine-infecting MLOs, and supported their classification with MLOs in the aster yellows, X-disease, and elm yellows groups. The presence of diverse MLOs in grapevines provokes consideration that these MLOs may be present in overlapping geographic ranges and that multiple MLO infections may occur in individual plants, increasing the complexity of grapevine yellows epidemiology and control and the significance of sensitive MLO detection in planting stock and phytosanitary-regulated germplasm.
Acute, unintentional pediatric brodifacoum ingestions.

BackgroundBrodifacoum is the major rodenticide used in the United States today. It is similar to warfarin but has more potent and prolonged effects. Large overdoses and chronic intoxication have been associated with significant coagulopathies and death. Currently, the management of acute unintention
BREEDING SYSTEM POLYMORPHISM IN A HETEROSTYLOUS SPECIES.

Heterostylous breeding systems have been the subject of continued interest since the work of Hildebrand (1866, 1871, 1887) and Darwin (1865, 1877) revealed the association of floral heteromorphism with an incompatibility system enforcing outcrossing. However, little is known of the selective factors that favor the development of heterostyly, or the selective forces which act to cause modifications of heteromorphic breeding systems. The evolutionary relationship of distyly and tristyly where they occur together in the same family has remained unclear. In Oxalis section Corniculatae, where both reproductive systems occur together, the derivation of distyly from tristyly has been suggested (Ornduff, 1972). The occurrence of distylous and tristylous populations of Oxalis alpina (section Ioenoxalis), a species of the southwestern United States, Mexico and Guatemala, suggested that studies of this species could provide further information on the evolutionary relationship of distyly and tristyly, and indicate how changes in heterostylous breeding systems have occurred. In trimorphic populations of Oxalis alpina the stigmas of one floral form occupy the lowest position in the flower, and the two sets of anthers occupy the middle and upper positions (Fig. 1). In a second floral
Absence of Stereodirecting Participation by 2-O-Alkoxycarbonylmethyl Ethers in 4,6-O-Benzylidene-Directed Mannosylation

The preparation of a series of mannopyranosyl donors carrying 2-O-(2-oxoalkyl) ethers and their use in glycosylation reactions are described. The formation of cyclic products with the simple 2-O-phenacyl ether and with the 2-O-(t-butoxycarbonylmethyl) ether establishes the stereoelectronic feasibility of participation in such systems. The high β-selectivities observed with the bis-trifluoromethyl phenacyl ether indicate that participation can be suppressed through the introduction of electron-withdrawing substituents. The high β-selectivities and absence of cyclic products observed with the 2-O-(methoxycarbonylmethyl) ether exclude the effective participation of esters through six-membered cyclic intermediates in this series. The results are discussed in terms of the conformation of cyclic dioxenium ions (E,E-, E,Z-, or Z,Z-) and in the context of “neighboring group” participation by nonvicinal esters in glycosylation. Methods for the deprotection of the 2-O-phenacyl and 2-O-(methoxycarbonylmethyl) ethers...
Carotid Body Tumors

Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are the most common type of paraganglioma found in the neck. CBTs are slow-growing tumors that characteristically splay the carotid bifurcation and can encapsulate the external or internal carotid artery. Clinically, CBTs usually present as an asymptomatic anterior neck mass. In larger tumors, they can be associated with neck fullness, pain, dysphagia, odynophagia, hoarseness, and stridor. CBTs are typically classified into three groups that related to the difficulty of resection using the Shamblin classification. CBTs are frequently diagnosed by clinical examination or found incidentally on imaging studies. Color-flow duplex is the ideal initial diagnostic test for CBTs. CBTs appear as a characteristically well-defined hypoechoic mass that splays the carotid bifurcation and is hypervascular. Cross-sectional studies, such as CT angiography (CTA) or MRA, are increasingly used to determine the relationship of the tumor with the artery bifurcation and the likely location of the cranial nerves. CBTs classically receive their blood supply from the external carotid artery through multiple small branches of the ascending pharyngeal artery. Difficulty of resection of these tumors is determined by their size and involvement with adjacent structures. Occasionally, preoperative embolization of the ascending pharyngeal artery can be performed for large tumors; however, this may lead to increased inflammation when surgery is delayed more than 1–2 days. Resection of these tumors may require reconstruction of the internal carotid artery with either patch or interposition graft (saphenous vein). Complications include bleeding, cranial nerve injury (as high as 20–25%), and loss of the baroreceptor reflex. Stroke is a rare complication of this surgery.
Piracy in the Golden Age, 1690–1730: Lessons for Today

This chapter reviews the history of the so-called Golden Age of piracy, which lasted from ca. 1690 to 1730 and occurred primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Seas. Many pirates during this time had previously been commissioned as privateers or agents of national governments charged with attacking and plundering the merchant ships of enemy countries, thereby blurring the line between piracy and warfare. When hostilities ceased, however, many privateers continued their activities as outright pirates. An important lesson from the Golden Age is that national enforcement efforts seem to have been quite effective in ending the threat. We contend that this is because international trade at the time was monopolized by England and France, and so enforcement had more of the character of a private good than a public good. Also, accepted law enforcement practices at the time allowed harsher and speedier punishment of pirates as compared to today.
Capacity planning for long-term care networks

ABSTRACTWe study the problem of capacity planning for long-term care services, which is important not only for the elderly and disabled who cannot adequately care for themselves but also for long-term care providers and health policymakers. Patients with long-term care needs usually have to transfer between different settings such as nursing homes and home- and community-based services. We model patient flows among these settings using an open migration network and formulate the planning of the capacity needed to provide long-term care with a newsvendor-type model. We explore the structural properties of the model and identify the most influential factors, such as the penalty cost for capacity shortage and transition rates between different care settings, in making capacity decisions. With the model developed, capacity decisions for long-term care service networks can be made more systematically with full consideration of different patient flow patterns and budget constraints. The research will be especia...
Pancreatic involvement by mesenchymal chondrosarcoma harboring the HEY1-NCOA2 gene fusion

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MC) is an aggressive small, round, blue cell tumor with chondrogenic differentiation that typically arises in bony sites. Approximately, a third of these tumors develop in extraskeletal sites such as the meninges, and somatic soft tissue. The MCs are well-circumscribed, lobulated masses, with focal calcification. Histologically, 2 distinct populations of neoplastic cells characterize MC: sheets of primitive small, round, blue cells surrounding islands of well-developed hyaline cartilage with mature chondrocytes in lacunae. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas by primary or metastatic MC is a relatively rare occurrence. We identified 8 patients with MC in our departmental archives from 1990 to 2015, two of which had pancreatic involvement. The patients were young women who developed masses in the distal pancreas. Molecular testing demonstrated that both tumors harbored the recently described HEY1-NCOA2 gene fusion. These cases illustrate that pancreatic involvement can occur in MC, and the demonstration of HEY1-NCOA2 fusion can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis.
Hip abductor strength and lower extremity running related injury in distance runners: A systematic review

Abstract Objectives Determine the association between hip abduction strength and lower extremity running related injury in distance runners. Design Systematic review. Methods Prospective longitudinal and cross sectional studies that quantified hip abduction strength and provided diagnosis of running related injury in distance runners were included and assessed for quality. Effect size was calculated for between group differences in hip abduction strength. Results Of the 1841 articles returned in the initial search, 11 studies matched all inclusion criteria. Studies were grouped according to injury: iliotibial band syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome, tibial stress fracture, and Achilles tendinopathy, and examined for strength differences between injured and non-injured groups. Meaningful differences were found in the studies examining iliotibial band syndrome. Three of five iliotibial band syndrome articles found weakness in runners with iliotibial band syndrome; two were of strong methodological rigor and both of those found a relationship between weakness and injury. Other results did not form associative or predictive relationships between weakness and injury in distance runners. Conclusions Hip abduction weakness evaluated by hand held dynamometer may be associated with iliotibial band syndrome in distance runners as suggested by several cross sectional studies but is unclear as a significant factor for the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome, tibial stress fracture or Achilles tendinopathy according to the current literature. Future studies are needed with consistent methodology and inclusion of all distance running populations to determine the significance of hip abduction strength in relationship to lower extremity injury.
ES7, encoding a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase, functions in nitrogen metabolism and impacts leaf senescence in rice.

Abstract Glutamate synthase (GOGAT) is a key enzyme for nitrogen metabolism and ammonium assimilation in plants. In this study, an early senescence 7 ( es7 ) mutant was identified and characterized. The leaves of the es7 mutant begin to senesce at the tillering stage about 60 day after sowing, and become increasingly senescent as the plants develop at the heading stage. When es7 plants are grown under photorespiration-suppressed conditions (high CO 2 ), the senescence phenotype and chlorophyll content are rescued. qRT-PCR analysis showed that senescence- associated genes were up-regulated significantly in es7 . A map-based cloning strategy was used to identify ES7 , which encodes a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase (Fd-GOGAT). ES7 was expressed constitutively, and the ES7 protein was localized in chloroplast. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that several genes related to nitrogen metabolism were differentially expressed in es7 . Further, we also demonstrated that chlorophyll synthesis-associated genes were significantly down-regulated in es7 . In addition, when seedlings are grown under increasing nitrogen concentrations (NH 4 NO 3 ) for 15 days, the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were significantly lower in es7 . Our results demonstrated that ES7 is involved in nitrogen metabolism, effects chlorophyll synthesis, and may also associated with photorespiration, impacting leaf senescence in rice.