cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modified Failure Mechanism of Silicon through Excess Electrons and Holes

Electron and hole carriers are ubiquitous in quantum devices, while their effects on the mechanical properties of devices remain unclear. Here we use silicon (Si) as the prototype material and employ density functional theory to illustrate how electrons and holes influence its deformation and failure mechanism. First, we found that electrons and holes weaken the bonds in single-crystal Si, reducing the intrinsic yield strength. Then, the nanotwinned Si was deformed under ideal shear deformation to illustrate the interaction between carriers and microstructures. At neutral state, the nanotwinned Si experiences a structure recovery during shear deformation, whereas the bonds along twin boundaries (TBs) break with both excess electrons and holes. This arises from the injected carriers that are attracted by TBs, weakening the electrostatic interactions between bonded Si atoms near TBs. Our findings provide important information on the modified mechanical properties of Si with both excess electrons and holes.
Controlled Rest on the Flight Deck: Profile of Use, Challenges, and Best Practices

Managing fatigue in 24/7 operations is complex; fatigue and performance degradation can have health and safety consequences for the workers and can have economic and community consequences. We will present new findings on sleep, circadian misalignment, and performance in operational personnel. The presentations will shed light on how sleep and circadian misalignment affect workers' performance, safety, and health across multiple operations, and their application in fatigue risk management.As part of this symposium, I will discuss how pilots can use short naps (controlled rest) as a countermeasure to elevated sleepiness in-flight. My presentation will describe how and when controlled rest is used operationally and outline best practice guidelines for maximizing the benefits while managing the associated risks.
Reproductive coercion and intimate partner violence among rural women in Côte d'Ivoire : a cross-sectional study : original research article

A growing body of U.S.-based research demonstrates that reproductive coercion is an important consideration regarding the negative health impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, less work on IPV and reproductive coercion has been done in West African settings. Cross-sectional data of 981 women who participated in the baseline survey of a randomized-controlled trial in rural, Cote d'Ivoire in October 2010 were analyzed for specific reports of reproductive coercion. Half (49.8%) of all women reported lifetime physical or sexual IPV, and nearly 1 in 5 (18.6%) reported experiencing reproductive coercion. In the final adjusted analyses, lifetime IPV was associated with a 3.7 increase in odds of reporting reproductive coercion (95% CI: 2.4 - 5.8) compared to women who did not report such victimization. Study findings underscore the importance of reducing IPV in order to improve reproductive health among women in rural Cote d'Ivoire. Un nombre croissant de recherches aux Etats-Unis demontre que la coercition en matiere de reproduction est un facteur important en ce qui concerne les impacts negatifs sur la sante de la violence du partenaire intime (VPI). Cependant, moins de travail sur le VPI et de coercition de la reproduction a ete fait dans les parametres Afrique de l'Ouest. Les donnees transversales de 981 femmes qui ont participe a l'enquete de base d'un essai randomise controle dans les regions rurales, la Cote d'Ivoire en Octobre 2010 ont ete analyses pour les rapports specifiques de contrainte en matiere de reproduction. La moitie (49, 8%) de toutes les femmes vivant rapporte VPI physique ou sexuelle, et pres de 1 sur 5 (18, 6%) ont declare avoir subi la contrainte de reproduction. Dans les analyses ajustees finales, la duree de vie VPI a ete associee a une augmentation de 3,7 dans les cotes de la coercition rapports de reproduction (IC a 95%: 2.4 a 5.8) comparativement aux femmes qui ne ont pas declare cette victimisation. Resultats de l'etude soulignent l'importance de reduire VPI afin d'ameliorer la sante de la reproduction chez les femmes en milieu rural en Cote d'Ivoire.
Precoat Filtration Equations for Flat And Cylindrical Septa

To minimize precoat or diatomite filtration costs, a number of pilot-plant tests must be completed to determine the hydraulic characteristics of filter cakes that result when body feed rates are sufficient to produce a linear pressure drop to volume-of-filtrate relationship. A recently proposed theory of constant rate precoat filtration reduces the number of pilot-plant tests that must be made.
Bid Markup Calculation by Crew-Day Method

A method for the calculation of bid markup to be used by contractors is developed which relates to the capacity of a firm during a given time period and to its particular financial goals. Capacity is measured for these purposes by normally available crew-time in a calendar period rather than in dollars, thus acknowledging the variation in dollar production achievable by one crew doing various types of work. It is demonstrated that setting markup by straight percent methods can fail to produce desired financial goals.
Profile Analysis of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test Standardization Sample

A normative typology was developed and applied using multivariate profile analysis of subtest scores of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) standardization sample. Multistage cluster a...
Periorbital and Orbital Cellulitis in Children

The clinical and laboratory data on 87 cases of orbital and periorbital cellulitis were reviewed. Two distinct clinical presentations were encountered. One group of 45 patients had no history of trauma or apparent focus of infection. Blood cultures on these patients were positive in 34%. Haemophilus influenzae accounted for 82% of the positive blood cultures. This group of patients shares common features with children who have facial cellulitis due to H. influenzae type b. The second group consisted of 42 patients with adjacent soft tissue focus of infection. There was only one positive blood culture in this group. Staphylococcus aureus and/or group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus were isolated from conjunctival or wound exudate in the majority of these patients. Thirteen patients with orbital cellulitis were encountered among the 87 cases. These patients were older and had a higher incidence of demonstrable sinus disease when compared with the overall group. The pathophysiology of orbital and periorbital cellulitis is reviewed and an approach to the management of these disorders is formulated.
The QCD Phase Transition: From the Microscopic Mechanism to Signals Talk at Renconres de Moriond - 97

This talk consists of two very different parts: the first one deals with non-perturbative QCD and physics of the chiral restoration, the second with rather low-key (and still unfinished) work aiming at obtaining EOS and other properties of hot/dense hadronic matter from data on heavy ion collisions. The microscopic mechanism for chiral restoration phase transition is a transition from randomly placed tunneling events (instantons) at low T to a set of strongly correlated tunneling-anti-tunneling events (known as instanton - anti-instanton molecules) at high T. Many features of the transition can be explained in this simple picture, especially the critical line and its dependence on quark masses. This scenario predicts qualitative change of the basic quark-quark interactions around the phase transition line, with some states (such as pion-sigma ones) probably surviving even at $T>T_c$. In the second half of the talk we discuss experimental data on collective flow in heavy ion collision, its hydro-based description and relation to equation of state (EOS). A distinct feature of the QCD phase transition region is high degree of ``softness'', (small ratio pressure/energy density). We present some preliminary results indicated that it is indeed needed to explain the radial flow at SPS energies.
Antitermination and absence of processing of the leftward transcript of coliphage lambda in the RNAase III-deficient host.

We have analyzed the 5′-proximal RNA segment of the lambda leftward RNA transcript, which is synthesized in the presence of the phage-specified gene N regulatory product. Wild-type Escherichia coli and strains which are essentially isogenic except for the mutation that causes ribonuclease III deficiency were used as hosts. Our studies indicate that in the RNAase III-deficient host, the N -mediated RNA transcript can be isolated as an intact RNA species which includes at its 5′-proximal end the gene N RNA initiated at the leftward promoter ( p L ). However, in the wild-type and parental (RNAase III + ) hosts, the p L -initiated gene N RNA segment was completely missing from the N -mediated RNA transcript. These results indicate that the N -mediated RNA transcript is synthesized as a continuous RNA species initiated at p L , a finding that is consistent with the proposal that transcription initiated at p L is allowed to proceed, in the presence of the N product, beyond the termination signal to the left of gene N (antitermination model). In wild-type hosts, it appears that the p L -gene N RNA segment is then rapidly processed, possibly by RNAase III, from the N -mediated RNA. These findings account for the previous difficulties in the identification in vivo of this RNA at the 5′-proximal end of the N -mediated RNA transcript.
Ammonia-induced brain swelling and neurotoxicity in an organotypic slice model

Abstract Objectives: Acute liver failure (ALF) produces cerebral dysfunction and edema, mediated in part by elevated ammonia concentrations, often leading to coma and death. The pathophysiology of cerebral edema in ALF is incompletely understood. In vitro models of the cerebral effects of ALF have predominately consisted of dissociated astrocyte cultures or acute brain slices. We describe a stable long-term culture model incorporating both neural and glial elements in a three-dimensional tissue structure offering significant advantages to the study of astrocytic-neuronal interactions in the pathophysiology of cerebral edema and dysfunction in ALF. Methods: We utilized chronic organotypic slice cultures from mouse forebrain, applying ammonium acetate in iso-osmolar fashion for 72 hours. Imaging of slice thickness to assess for tissue swelling was accomplished in living slices with optical coherence tomography, and confocal microscopy of fluorescence immunochemical and histochemical staining served to asses...
Statistical shape modeling of proximal femoral shape deformities in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease and slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

Summary Introduction The current understanding of morphological deformities of the hip such as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), Legg–Calve–Perthes disease (LCPD), and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is based on two-dimensional metrics, primarily involving the femoral head, that only partially describe the complex skeletal morphology. Objective This study aimed to improve the three-dimensional (3-D) understanding of shape variations during normal growth, and in LCPD and SCFE, through statistical shape modeling. Design Thirty-two patients with asymptomatic, LCPD, and SCFE hips, determined from physical and radiographic examinations, were scanned using 3-D computed tomography (CT) at a voxel size of (0.5–0.9 mm) 2 in-plane and 0.63 mm slice thickness. Statistical shape modeling was performed on segmented proximal femoral surfaces to determine modes of variation and shape variables quantifying 3-D shape. In addition, conventional variables were determined for all femora. Results Proximal femur shape was described by eight modes of variation and corresponding shape variables. Statistical shape variables were distinct with age and revealed coordinated, growth-associated differences in neck length-to-width ratio, femoral head medialization, and trochanter protrusion. After size and age-based shape adjustment, diseased proximal femora were characterized by shape variables distinct from those of asymptomatic hips. The shape variables defined morphology in health and disease, and were correlated with certain conventional variables of shape, including neck-shaft angle, head diameter, and neck diameter. Conclusion 3-D quantitative analyses of proximal femoral bone shape during growth and in disease are useful for furthering the understanding of normal and abnormal shape deviations which affect cartilage biomechanics and risk of developing osteoarthritis.
Induction of fetal hemoglobin by propionic and butyric acid derivatives: correlations between chemical structure and potency of Hb F induction.

Abstract ABSTRACT Short-chain fatty acids (C2-C9) induce fetal hemoglobin synthesis in primary cell cultures, primates, and patients. We carried out experiments to test whether relationships exist between chemical structure and the Hb F-inducing potential of several short-chain fatty acid derivatives. BFUe cultures were performed in the presence of propionic and butyric congeners, covering the full spectrum of substitutions of these molecules, including polar and non-polar groups, esters, and double bonds. We found that the fetal hemoglobin inducibility is related to the chemical structure of the inducing compound. This structure–activity relation depends on the length of carbon chain, the nature of the substitutions, and the position of more potent substitutions on the carbon chain. It appears that substitutions enhancing the inducibility of these compounds are (with decreasing potency): methyl > phenyl > hydroxy ⪢ amino groups. Placement of these substitutions at a position distal to the carboxyl group enhances γ-globin inducibility. Presence of the carboxyl group is prerequisite for γ-globin inducibility.
Rationale of therapy in the patient with acute myocardial infarction and life-threatening arrhythmias: A focus on bretylium

Experimental evidence suggests a number of pathologic and electrophysiologic mechanisms that may help initiate ventricular arrhythmias accompanying myocardial ischemia and infarction. Early and late phase events are associated with reentry or an enhancement of focal mechanisms, or both. These can initiate ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), or both. The presence of distinct mechanisms that may initiate and maintain life-threatening dysrhythmias early in myocardial ischemia suggest different pharmacologic approaches for their prevention or suppression. Another consideration concerns patients subjected to coronary artery angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy and the development of arrhythmias associated with reperfusion of the once ischemic myocardium. The electrophysiologic mechanisms associated with reperfusion arrhythmias are unknown, and little is known about appropriate therapy for each episode of cardiac dysrhythmia. Ventricular extrasystoles or VT usually precedes VF. These premonitory arrhythmias are poor criteria for the institution of antiarrhythmic drug therapy, because VF develops within 1 to 10 minutes after the appearance of the rhythmic disturbances. Some authorities suggest that all patients with acute myocardial infarction should receive prophylactic antiarrhythmic therapy, because warning arrhythmias either do not occur at all or provide insufficient time to intervene pharmacologically. Many of the new class I antiarrhythmic agents effectively reduce the frequency of premature ventricular depolarizations, but lack specific antifibrillatory activity. However, the recent introduction of bretylium into clinical cardiology opens a new approach to preventing life-threatening ventricular dysrhythmias. Along with other members of class III, bretylium exerts different cardiac electrophysiologic effects than do the other 3 classes of drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Experiments as reforms

Newspapers, magazines, and television news reports recently have presented features indicating that police departments throughout the United States have adopted arrest as the primary mode of intervention in cases of misdemeanor wife abuse. There have been several recent societal events that have motivated the police to move in that direction, the most significant of which may be the research results reported by Sherman and Berk. But those results are not convincing enough to a critical reviewer to provide the kind of anchoring one expects in a force motivating national change. That failure to convince stems from problems of external validity, aberrations that occurred in the execution of the research, questionable statistical interpretations, and a failure to consider a broad array of related social effects produced by the arrest process.
The IGF-I axis in kidney and skeletal muscle of potassium deficient rats

The IGF-I axis in kidney and skeletal muscle of potassium deficient rats. Potassium deficiency in the rat results in growth retardation, muscle wasting and renal hypertrophy. This study tests the thesis that K deficiency leads to tissue distinct changes in the local IGF-I system and cell sensitivity to IGF-I that favors renal enlargement on the one hand and impaired muscle growth on the other. In rats after eight days of K deficiency, compared to pair-fed control rats, food utilization and muscle and body wt gain were attenuated while the kidneys enlarged. In muscle GH receptor and IGF-I gene expression, IGF-I peptide and IGF binding protein-5 (IGFBP) levels were decreased. Together with reduced food utilization, these changes may contribute to the attenuated muscle growth. In the enlarged kidneys despite a fall in IGF-I mRNA level, IGF-I peptide concentration was increased more than twofold. This increase in IGF-I could be caused by the increase in kidney IGFBP-1 gene and protein expression and the decrease in kidney IGF-I degrading activity noted in K deficiency. Treatment with IGF-I failed to induce body or muscle growth, but induced a further increase in kidney size and enlargement of the spleen. Thus, in K deficiency the spontaneous increase in IGF-I levels in the kidney that is IGF-I sensitive may well be a cause of the renal hypertrophy.
Haptics-Based Apps for Middle School Students with Visual Impairments

Twenty haptics-based computer applications (apps) have been created to utilize a low-cost, force feedback haptic device, the Novint Falcon, to provide students with tactile and kinesthetic sensations while learning about math and science. These low-cost apps, developed specifically for students with visual impairments (yet practical for all students), add to the accessible resources available for math and science. This article outlines the motivation, development, and testing of these PC-based applications that incorporate computer haptics, auditory cues, and high-contrast visuals. Included is a brief overview of two of the apps, one with science content and one with math content, in order to provide the reader with some insight into the student experience. The results of testing six of the apps in classroom settings show that the device and software are feasible for teachers to implement and significant learning gains can be achieved for students who use them. Student attitudes toward the apps were positive, implying that not only are the apps useful in the classroom, but engaging as well.
Avoidance of filial cannibalism by sexual and clonal forms ofPoeciliopsis (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

Abstract Few studies have investigated the innate tendencies of newborn fish to avoid cannibalism by parents. Parental avoidance by neonates of viviparous fish in the genusPoeciliopsiswas examined. Hybridization betweenP. monacha, a cannibalistic species, andP. lucida, a non-cannibalistic species, produced the clonally reproducing, all-female form,P. monacha-lucida. Naturally occurring clones ofP. monacha-lucidatend to be intermediate with respect to cannibalism. Neonates ofP. lucidadid not avoid their female parent, whereas neonates of the cannibalistic forms,P. monachaandP. monacha-lucida, clearly did. Examination of several laboratory-synthesizedP. monacha-lucidastrains revealed that differences between clones in their innate avoidance behaviour were fixed from genetic variance that existed in theirP. monachasexual ancestors. Parental avoidance increased with size at birth, which might represent a successful anti-cannibalism strategy in nature.
Brucellosis (Mediterranean fever, Gibralter fever, Malta fever, Cyprus fever, undulant fever, typhomalarial fever).

This series is based on the Infectious Diseases section of the web site Refugee Health ∼ Immigrant Health, available on the World Wide Web at http://www.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/Refugee_Health.htm. The site was developed through a contract with the Texas Department of Health as part of an ongoing effort to improve the health of refugees and immigrants.
The category effect in visual search depends on physical rather than conceptual differences

Is a target letter (digit) more readily detected in a digit (letter) background because of conceptual-level differences between letters and digits or because of physical-level differences? When letters and digits were matched on physical features, both for the target set and the background set, no letter vs. digit category effect was found. With physical differences eliminated, search was faster and more accurate for letter than for digit targets and distractors, presumably because of the greater familiarity of letters. Presenting the same characters in normal and mirrorreversed orientation, which also minimized featural differences between categories, produced only a small normal vs. reversed category effect. In a normal background, a reversed target lost much more from its unfamiliarity than it gained from mismatching the background. The present results indicate that the category effect vanishes when only conceptual level differences are present.
Comparison of Structures of Surfaces Prepared in High Vacuum by Cleaving and by Ion Bombardment and Annealing

A comparison has been made for a bismuth telluride crystal of the structure of (0001) surfaces produced by cleaving in high vacuum, with similar surfaces prepared by the ion-bombardment and annealing technique. The low-energy electron-diffraction patterns of the two surfaces were found to be similar and of approximately the same intensities. Only integral order beams were present. It is concluded that both methods produce essentially clean surfaces with the same atomic arrangements, in the case of this crystal.
Introduction to symposium—charting fault lines in US agrifood systems: what can we contribute?

Rural sociologists, other researchers, and agrifood activists have made significant contributions to illuminating many fundamental social and ecological contradictions in the contemporary conventional agrifood system. Yet, conventional agriculture and food systems appear to persist and to develop in problematic directions, apparently unabated by economic, environmental and social challenges. These continuities have important implications for critical projects aimed at building alternative agrifood systems, as well as projects focused on risk management and refinement of dominant structures. For example, fossil fuel availability has long been identified as an Achilles’ heel of conventional agriculture, and yet we now observe high input monocultural production expanding rapidly in spite of—and in response to—energy supply constraints. The erosion of state engagement in the regulation of agricultural technology and food safety may have been tempered by processes of re-regulation (including certification and commercial standards), yet the proliferation of market-based governance mechanisms would seem to depoliticize an important class of social problems and arguably absolve the state of its responsibilities to ensure public welfare and social justice. Although constraints on labor supply and criticism regarding the status of immigrant farmworkers may be relaxed through (elusive) immigration reform, this potential is deeply constrained both by inaction in the federal policy arena and a resurgence of xenophobic policies in some localities. The Land Grant University and public sector research and extension have been in a decadeslong protracted ‘crisis’ linked to a need to more clearly connect public expenditures with public purposes, yet the mode of public sector engagement in agrifood innovation systems has not been fundamentally altered. In light of the resilience of contemporary conventional agrifood systems (i.e., capacity to absorb shocks, internalize challenges, and retain core characteristics), we are motivated to ask what we regard as a set of fundamental questions. Are there limits to the conventional model of agrifood provision and consumption? At what point and through what processes will the resilience of agrifood systems be exhausted? Alternatively, how are conventional agrifood structures and problematic social relations maintained, and their resilience sustained? As Buttel posed the question, ‘‘What are the forces and processes that enable the social and ecological reproduction of the unsustainability of agriculture?’’ (2006, 218). Lastly, we want to raise the possibility that the continuity we ascribe to the system is mythical, and we have potentially failed to recognize transformations—what systems thinkers would call a ‘‘new equilibrium.’’ In invoking the concepts of resilience, tipping points, non-linearities (i.e., discontinuities), and multiple equilibria, we join many other contemporary analysts engaged in analysis of systems (and risk being tarred as followers-on).
Pulsed Electric Field Pretreatment of Switchgrass and Wood Chip Species for Biofuel Production

In biomass-to-fuel conversion, the biomass needs to be pretreated so that the cellulose in the plant fibers is exposed for conversion of the lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals. In this study, we report on the design and fabrication of a pulsed electric field (PEF) system for pretreatment of wood chip and switchgrass samples. Wood chip samples were given 1000 and 2000 pulses of 1 kV/cm, and 1000, 2000, and 5000 pulses of 10 kV/cm with a pulse width of 100 μs and frequency of 3 Hz. Switchgrass samples were given 1000, 2000, and 5000 pulses of 2.5, 5, 8, and 10 kV/cm with a pulse width of 100 μs and frequency of 3 Hz. The uptake of a colored dye neutral red C15H17ClN4 (MW ∼ 289) in untreated and PEF treated samples was studied to quantify the effect of PEF treatment on diffusion in plant tissues. Wood chip samples treated at 1 kV/cm showed a dye uptake similar to that of untreated wood chip samples. The switchgrass samples were resistant to change in the structure at low field strengths up to 5 k...
Advancing Age and 30‐Day Adverse Outcomes After Nonemergent General Surgeries

Objectives: To determine whether 30-day postoperative mortality, complications, failure-to-rescue (FTR) rates, and postoperative length of stay increase with advancing age. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Participants: Individuals undergoing nonemergent major general surgeries between 2005 and 2008 were studied (N = 165,600). Measurements: Postoperative outcomes of interest were complications occurring within 30 days of the index operation, return to the operating room within 30 days, FTR after a postoperative complication, postsurgical length of stay, and 30-day mortality. Results: Postoperative mortality, overall morbidity, and each type of postoperative complication increased with increasing age. Rates of FTR after each type of postoperative complication also increased with age. Mortality in individuals aged 80 and older after renal insufficiency (43.3%), stroke (36.5%), myocardial infarction (MI) (35.6%), and pulmonary complications (25�39%) were particularly high. Median postoperative length of stay increased with age after surgical site infection, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, return to the operating room, and overall morbidity but not after venous thromboembolism, stroke, MI, renal insufficiency, failure to wean from the ventilator, or reintubation. Conclusion: Thirty-day mortality and complication and FTR rates increase with age after nonemergent general surgeries. Individuals aged 80 and older have especially high mortality after renal, cardiovascular, and pulmonary complications. Surgeons need to be more selective with advancing age regarding who will benefit from the surgical intervention.
Type 3 deiodinase in hypoxia: to cool or to kill?

Type 3 deiodinase (D3) inactivates thyroid hormones. Simonides et al. (2008) now report that hypoxia-induced D3 activation leads to reduction of 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3) and oxygen consumption, suggesting that D3 activation is a component of cellular responses to hypoxia and supporting the idea of cell-specific regulation of thyroid hormone levels by deiodinases.
Disentangling immigrant status in mental health: Psychological protective and risk factors among Latino and Asian American immigrants.

This study aimed to disentangle the psychological mechanisms underlying immigrant status by testing a model of psychological protective and risk factors to predict the mental health prevalence rates among Latino and Asian American immigrants based on secondary analysis of the National Latino and Asian American Study. The first research question examined differences on the set of protective and risk factors between immigrants and their U.S.-born counterparts and found that immigrants reported higher levels of ethnic identity, family cohesion, native language proficiency, and limited English proficiency than their U.S.-born counterparts. The second research question examined the effect of the protective and risk factors on prevalence rates of depressive, anxiety, and substance-related disorders and found that social networking served as a protective factor. Discrimination, acculturative stress, and family conflict were risk factors on the mental health for both ethnic groups. Clinical implications and directions for future research are provided.
Biostratigraphic and tectonic implications of 40Ar-39Ar dates of ash layers from the northeast Gulf of Alaska

Ash layers from Deep Sea Drilling Project site 178 in the northeast Pacific Ocean have been dated by the 40 Ar- 39 Ar stepwise heating technique to resolve published discrepancies concerning the length of time explosive volcanism has affected the eastern Aleutian arc and Alaskan Peninsula. The results of the investigation indicate that the record of ash-fall deposition at site 178 extends back at least 6.5 m.y. Assuming that 6.5 m.y. ago marks the onset of renewed calc-alkalic volcanism of the volcanic arc, proposed models of continuous and discontinuous motion between the Pacific and North American lithospheric plates can be evaluated. If appreciable time elapsed between the onset of subduction and the onset of arc volcanism, the 6.5-m.y. record of ash-fall deposition in the north-east Pacific is most compatible with models of continuous plate motion throughout late Cenozoic time.
Developmental and TGF-β-mediated regulation of Ank mRNA expression in cartilage and bone

Abstract Objectives Ank encodes a transmembrane protein that is involved in pyrophosphate (PPi) transport and mutations in the Ank gene have been associated with pathological mineralization in cartilage and bone. To understand how Ank works in normal skeletal development it is also important to know which cells within the developing skeleton express Ank. To this end, we examined the expression pattern of Ank mRNA during mouse embryonic development as well as in mouse hind limb joints with emphasis on the period when articular cartilage forms. Since it was previously shown that TGF-β regulates PPi transport in cells in culture, we also tested the hypothesis that TGF-β regulates Ank expression. Methods The localization of Ank mRNA was determined by radioactive in situ hybridization in E15.5 and E17.5 mouse embryos as well as in 1 and 3 week post-natal mice. Ank expression was compared to that of other cartilage markers. In situ hybridization and semi-quantitative RT-PCR were used to determine the effects of TGF-β on Ank expression in metatarsal organ cultures. Results Ank expression was detected at high levels at sites of both endochondral and intramembranous bone development. In endochondral bones, expression was detected in a subset of hypertrophic cells at ossification centers. Expression was also detected in osteogenic/chondrogenic cells of the perichondrium/periosteum lining the metaphysis, an area associated with the formation and extension of the bone collar. High levels of expression were also detected in non-mineralized tissues of the skeletal system including tendons and the superficial layer of the articular cartilage. Treatment with TGF-β resulted in an approximately four-fold induction of Ank mRNA in prehypertrophic chondrocytes and perichondrium of metatarsal cultures. Conclusions The expression pattern of Ank suggests an important role both in inhibiting and regulating mineralization in the developing skeletal system. In addition, TGF-β1 is able to mediate Ank mRNA expression in chondrocytes suggesting a possible role for TGF-β and Ank in the regulation of normal mineralization. Copyright 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .
Behavior of a pyrogenic silica in simple electrolytes

Adsorption of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions on a nonporous pyrogenic silica was determined by potentiometric titration in LiCl, KCl, and CsCl electrolytes over the pH range 1.8–9.0. No evidence of hydrogen ion adsorption was found. The sequence of counterion adsorption was Cs+ > K+ > Li+. An attempt was made to increase the extent of surface hydration of this silica by treatment in aqueous solution. This product had the same properties as untreated silica, except for slightly lower charge densities above pH 6. This difference was attributed to adsorption of impurities during treatment rather than to any significant effect of hydration state. Charge densities were found to be somewhat higher than those reported for precipitated silica, but much lower than those reported for microporous silica. Differential capacitance curves indicate the counterions for precipitated silica to be further away from the surface. It is suggested that Cs+, classed as a structure breaker in aqueous solution, is better able than Li+ to penetrate any structured water phase existing at the silica surface, in accordance with observed adsorbabilities.
OOPS: a toolkit supporting mediation techniques for resolving ambiguity in recognition-based interfaces

Abstract Recognition technologies are being used extensively in both commercial and research systems. Recognizers are still error-prone however, and this results in performance problems and brittle dialogues, creating barriers to the acceptance and usefulness of recognition systems. Better interfaces to systems using recognition, which can help to reduce the burden of recognition errors, are difficult to build because of lack of knowledge about the ambiguity inherent in recognition. We present a survey of the design of correction techniques in interfaces which make use of recognizers. Based on this survey, we have created a user interface toolkit, OOPS (organized option pruning system) (Mankoff et al., Proceedings of ACM CHI 2000 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2000, pp. 368–375). OOPS consists of a library of reusable error correction, or mediation , techniques drawn from the survey, combined with necessary architectural extensions to model and to provide structured support for ambiguity at the input event level of a GUI toolkit. The resulting infrastructure makes it easier for application developers to support error handling, thus helping to reduce the negative effects of recognition errors, and allowing us to explore new types of interfaces for dealing with ambiguity.
Instrumental variables in factor analysis

The factor analysis model is rewritten as a system of linear structural relations with errors in variables. The method of instrumental variables is applied to this revised form of the model to obtain estimates of the factor loading matrix. The relation between this method and interbattery analysis, proportional profile analysis, and canonical factor analysis is pointed out. In addition, an estimation procedure based on replicated sampling different from proportional profile analysis is given.
Density Expansion for Transport Coefficients: Long-Wavelength versus Fermi Surface Nonanalyticities

The expansion of the conductivity in $2$- $d$ quantum Lorentz models in terms of the scatterer density $n$ is considered. We show that nonanalyticities in the density expansion due to scattering processes with small and large momentum transfers, respectively, have different functional forms. Some of the latter are not logarithmic, but rather of power-law nature, in sharp contrast to the $3$- $d$ case. In a $2$- $d$ model with point-like scatterers we find that the leading nonanalytic correction to the Boltzmann conductivity, apart from the frequency dependent weak-localization term, is of order ${n}^{3/2}$.
Genetic modifiers of EGFR dependence in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Lung adenocarcinomas harboring activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) represent a common molecular subset of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. EGFR mutations predict sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and thus represent a dependency in NSCLCs harboring these alterations, but the genetic basis of EGFR dependence is not fully understood. Here, we applied an unbiased, ORF-based screen to identify genetic modifiers of EGFR dependence in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells. This approach identified 18 kinase and kinase-related genes whose overexpression can substitute for EGFR in EGFR-dependent PC9 cells, and these genes include seven of nine Src family kinase genes, FGFR1, FGFR2, ITK, NTRK1, NTRK2, MOS, MST1R, and RAF1. A subset of these genes can complement loss of EGFR activity across multiple EGFR-dependent models. Unbiased gene-expression profiling of cells overexpressing EGFR bypass genes, together with targeted validation studies, reveals EGFR-independent activation of the MEK-ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathways. Combined inhibition of PI3K-mTOR and MEK restores EGFR dependence in cells expressing each of the 18 EGFR bypass genes. Together, these data uncover a broad spectrum of kinases capable of overcoming dependence on EGFR and underscore their convergence on the PI3K-AKT and MEK-ERK signaling axes in sustaining EGFR-independent survival.
Multiple time-stepping scheme for the discrete element analysis of colloidal particles

Abstract Due to the existence of double-layer repulsive, van der Waals attractive and mechanical forces between colloidal particles such as clay particles and fine-grained ceramic powders, the variation of net force between two particles with particle separation is highly nonlinear. Dynamic numerical simulation techniques such as the discrete element method (DEM) require that the time step be small enough to represent the largest frequency in the system. This poses difficulty in the analysis of a colloidal system where the values of interparticle stiffness may vary over a broad range. An approximate time-stepping method that is suitable for the analysis of a colloidal system is developed from the multiple time-step (MTS) molecular dynamics (MD). In addition, to capture the nonlinear variation in force–displacement relation, a velocity control strategy is employed. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by applying it to the discrete element analysis of a clay suspension. It is shown that the MTS scheme presented here is about 3–6 times faster than the regular time-stepping scheme.
The Interactive IND/NDA:

The Interactive Investigational New Drug/New Drug Application (IND/NDA) process is an innovation in the review and approval process pioneered in the Pilot Drug Evaluation Division of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a collaborative arrangement between the sponsor and reviewing division whereby much of the adversarial nature of the review is eliminated and efficiency of review is increased. The key to the process is the close and often informal interactions between the sponsor and FDA, early input by agency staff and the advisory committee on the soundness of the clinical development plan, and the fostering of scientist-to-scientist communications. The Interactive IND/NDA is a positive step in industry/agency relations and represents an improvement in the review and approval process.
Retrospective review of resorbable plate fixation in pediatric craniofacial surgery: long-term outcome.

Objective: To determine the long-term efficacy of resorbable plate fixation in pediatric patients undergoing craniofacial surgery for congenital anomalies, traumatic deformities, or skull base tumors. Design: Retrospective case review. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 57 consecutive cases using resorbable plates and screws for craniofacial fixation in patients younger than 18 years were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: The status of bone healing postoperatively (anatomical union, malunion, delayed union, or nonunion) and any complications or adverse effects (hardware visibility or palpability, plate extrusion, or infection) were noted. Results: In midfacial and upper face procedures (54 patients) anatomical union and uncomplicated bone healing occurred in 52 (96%) of the patients. In this same group, complications (plate extrusion) occurred in 2 patients (3.7%) and were resolved using conservative treatment without untoward sequelae. These outcomes are comparable to results using metal osteosynthesis in similar situations. Costs of resorbable hardware are similar to existing metal fixation systems. Conclusions: Our data support the use of bioresorbable plate fixation in pediatric craniofacial surgery as a means of avoiding the potential and well-documented problems with rigid metal fixation. Indications include fractures and segmental repositioning in low-stress nonload-bearing areas of the middle and upper craniofacial skeleton. Although there is an initial learning curve in using this technology, we believe the benefits are well worth the effort and represent a major advance in pediatric craniofacial surgery.
Efficient Fair Division: Help the Worst off or Avoid Envy?

Two or more players rank a set of indivisible items from best to worst. An efficient allocation of items is characterized, which may satisfy such properties as maximin, Borda maximin, and envy-avoidance. Whereas the two maximin properties are in conflict with envy-avoidance, there is always an efficient allocation that does not ensure envy, but it may not be maximin or Borda maximin. Computer calculations show that maximin allocations lead to envy quite often, but Borda maximin allocations do so only rarely. Implications of the theoretical findings for real-world fair-division problems are discussed.
Stability of Furosemide in Aqueous Systems

A stability-indicating assay for furosemide based on high-pressure liquid chromatography was developed. The method is sensitive, accurate, and precise. The standard deviation based on six injections of the standard solution was +/- 1.37%. This method was used to study furosemide stability in various aqueous solutions and dosage forms. Stability tests were conducted at room temperature as well as at higher temperatures (45, 65, and 85 degrees) at various pH values and with different vehicles. Some decomposition products were identified.
Natural Regeneration Processes in Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)

Big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata Nuttall (Asteraceae), is the dominant plant species of large portions of semiarid western North America. However, much of historical big sagebrush vegetation has been removed or modified. Thus, regeneration is recognized as an important component for land management. Limited knowledge about key regeneration processes, however, represents an obstacle to identifying successful management practices and to gaining greater insight into the consequences of increasing disturbance frequency and global change. Therefore, our objective is to synthesize knowledge about natural big sagebrush regeneration. We identified and characterized the controls of big sagebrush seed production, germination, and establishment. The largest knowledge gaps and associated research needs include quiescence and dormancy of embryos and seedlings; variation in seed production and germination percentages; wet-thermal time model of germination; responses to frost events (including freezing/thawing of soils), CO2 concentration, and nutrients in combination with water availability; suitability of microsite vs. site conditions; competitive ability as well as seedling growth responses; and differences among subspecies and ecoregions. Potential impacts of climate change on big sagebrush regeneration could include that temperature increases may not have a large direct influence on regeneration due to the broad temperature optimum for regeneration, whereas indirect effects could include selection for populations with less stringent seed dormancy. Drier conditions will have direct negative effects on germination and seedling survival and could also lead to lighter seeds, which lowers germination success further. The short seed dispersal distance of big sagebrush may limit its tracking of suitable climate; whereas, the low competitive ability of big sagebrush seedlings may limit successful competition with species that track climate. An improved understanding of the ecology of big sagebrush regeneration should benefit resource management activities and increase the ability of land managers to anticipate global change impacts.
Vacation patterns of French and English Canadians

Abstract The objective of the study reported here was to identify whether or not French and English Canadians differed in their vacation patterns and, if so, to investigate the relative influence of culture compared to socioeconomics antecedents upon those differences. Six vacation travel characteristics were investigated under separate subhypotheses: availability of vacation time and use of that time for vacation trips; number of weeks of vacation time during the previous 12 months; number of vacation trips taken during the previous 12 months; and length, distance, and cost of respondents' most recent vacation trips.
Considering an Informational Role for a Futures Market

This study compares how well current spot prices predict future spot prices for a variety of commodities in a non-futures market environment and examines how the predictive power of the price system is altered after the initiation of futures trading. The results indicate a positive association between the inability of a non-futures market price system to predict the future spot price and the subsequent development of a futures market. The claim that traders can earn a return on information collection after the introduction of a futures price into the pricing system is supported for some, but not all, commodities.
On the relative cost of sampling for join selectivity estimation

We compare the cost of estimating the selectivity of a “star join” using sampling procedure t-cross to the cost of simply computing the join and obtaining the exact answer. Our bounds and approximations for the relative cost of sampling show how this cost depends on the size of the input relations, the number of input relations, and the precision criterion used by the estimation procedure. We also demonstrate the deleterious effect of dangling tuples and the mixed effect of data skew on the relative cost of sampling. These results provide insight into when sampling should or should not be used for join selectivity estimation.