cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AIRS hyper-spectral measurements for climate research : Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide effects

[1] Mid-tropospheric temperature soundings over tropical oceans by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, using 4.3 micron CO2 R-branch and P-branch channels independently measure about 260 K with one Kelvin semi-annual variability. The difference between the soundings, which cancels seasonal variability, has increased over the past two years by 47 ± 9 mK/year. This trend is explained by the increase of 2.2 ± 0.4 ppmv/year and 0.6 ± 0.2 ppbv/year in the abundance of CO2 and N2O, respectively, which results in a 35 mK/year trend. The ability to achieve closure at this level with only two years of AIRS data is very encouraging for measurements of other trends of atmospheric temperatures relevant to climate research. AIRS covers the 3.7 to 15.4 micron region with spectral resolution of λ/Δλ = 1200. AIRS was launched into a polar 705 km altitude orbit on the EOS Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002, and has an expected on-orbit lifetime of seven years.
NATIONALIZING HISTORY AND THE CHALLENGE OF DISCORDANT TEMPORALITIES1

Christopher Hill's National History and the World of Nations reminds us of the conjunctural moment of an emerging world market in the latter half of the nineteenth century and the promise it offered for vitalizing a “world history” yet to be written. More importantly, it supplies the silhouette of a radically different interpretive approach, formed by the force of a centrifugal perspective that—through its concentration on how France, the United States, and Japan were simultaneously motivated to construct representations of self-identity in national narratives—converged to disclose the possibility of a wider world no longer held hostage to the geopolitical category of the “West.” Hill's account shows that the impulse behind the formation of national history employed different strategies to imagine a singular linear historical narrative of national identity that aimed both to remove the spectacle of coexisting, different, multiple temporalities and to weld large and regionally disparate populations into a single people who, in a new time, would be instructed to recognize themselves in the nation's story. In Hill's reckoning, national history in France, the United States, and Japan appears simply as another name for historical necessity that sought, through processes of naturalization and nationalization, to overcome the unstable and uneven relationship between state and capital but that failed to conceal the deeper reality of determinations demanded by the relations of capital at the local and international levels.
The learning matrix: cataloging resources with rich metadata

Effective searching of a digital library requires that the library keep rich metadata about each of its resources. Entering complex metadata efficiently, accurately, and consistently can be confusing and time consuming. A demonstration of the Learning Matrix's Cataloging Tool, a web-based solution for creating metadata while uploading resources to the digital library, will be presented.
Guayule extractables: Influence of extraction conditions on yield and composition

The yield and composition of the resin extracted from guayule will depend upon the choice of extraction medium. Water-soluble components, primarily polysaccharides, are entrained by solvent when the shrub is first deresinated with acetone (sequential extraction). Entrainment of water-soluble components does not occur when rubber and resin are both removed with a solvent such as the acetone-pentane azeotrope (simultaneous extraction). As a consequence, resin yield is substantially (68%) higher with sequential extraction. Resin from simultaneous extraction contains no detectable ash. While resin composition, including the levels of sesquiterpene esters, triterpene keto alcohols, and triglycerides, varies with the conditions of extraction, the total content of species bearing chemically reactive groups such as carbonyl shows little change (1.2–1.3 mmol g−1). This suggests that the water-soluble material in resin from sequential extraction contains components suitable for commercially valuable derivatization. Rubber yield and molecular weight are unaffected by the choice of extraction medium.
Development of a codominant CAPS marker for allelic selection between canary yellow and red watermelon based on SNP in lycopene β-cyclase ( LCYB ) gene

Flesh color of watermelon is an agronomically important trait that is predominantly determined by a network of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, which also contributes to the nutritional value of the fruit through the health-promoting function of carotenoids. We have identified a key gene, lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB) that may determine canary yellow and red flesh color of watermelon and developed a zero-distance molecular marker that identifies a critical single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that distinguishes different alleles of the LCYB gene. Analysis of the flesh color inheritance in segregating populations indicated that a single gene determines the color difference between canary yellow and red flesh in watermelon. The sequence comparison of full-length cDNA of LCYB, which was isolated using degenerate PCR and RACE, identified three SNPs in the coding region of LCYB between canary yellow and red. These SNPs showed perfect co-segregation with flesh color phenotypes. One of the SNPs introduces an amino acid replacement of evolutionarily conserved Phe226 to Val, which may impair the catalytic function of LCYB. This SNP was used to develop a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker, which perfectly cosegregated with flesh color phenotype. Our results strongly suggest that LCYB may be the genetic determinant for canary yellow or red flesh color and our CAPS marker will allow breeders to economically distinguish between canary yellow and red watermelon fruit color at the seedling stage.
Expanding the annotation of zebrafish microRNAs based on small RNA sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRs) are short non-coding RNAs that fine-tune the regulation of gene expression to coordinate a wide range of biological processes. Because of their role in the regulation of gene expression, miRs are essential players in development by acting on cell fate determination and progression towards cell differentiation and are increasingly relevant to human health and disease. Although the zebrafish Danio rerio is a major model for studies of development, genetics, physiology, evolution, and human biology, the annotation of zebrafish miR-producing genes remains limited. In the present work, we report deep sequencing data of zebrafish small RNAs from brain, heart, testis, and ovary. Results provide evidence for the expression of 56 un-annotated mir genes and 248 un-annotated mature strands, increasing the number of zebrafish mir genes over those already deposited in miRBase by 16% and the number of mature sequences by 63%. We also describe the existence of three pairs of mirror-mir genes and two mirtron genes, genetic features previously undescribed in non-mammalian vertebrates. This report provides information that substantially increases our knowledge of the zebrafish miRNome and will benefit the entire miR community.
Changes in pigment concentrations associated with sunburn browning of five apple cultivars. II. Phenolics

Changes in pigment concentrations associated with sunburn were studied by taking peel disks from the sunburned area (SB-2), the area around the sunburned area (halo), the area around the halo (OH), and the center of the sun-exposed side of non-sunburned (NB) ‘Fuji’, ‘Gala’, ‘Delicious’, ‘Golden Delicious’, and ‘Granny Smith’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh). Idaein concentrations in the red cultivars (i.e. ‘Fuji’, ‘Gala’, and ‘Delicious’) decreased from NB to OH to halo to SB-2. Total quercetin glycosides increased from OH to halo to SB-2 in all cultivars except ‘Delicious.’ Chlorogenic acid (CA) concentrations were typically highest in the SB-2 peel and lowest in NB, except in ‘Granny Smith’ where no CA was detected in any peel type.
Eccentricity of the geomagnetic dipole caused by lopsided inner core growth

The axis of the geomagnetic field is offset eastwards from Earth’s centre by more than 500 km. Simulations of Earth’s geomagnetic field using a numerical dynamo model show that lopsided growth of the inner core, with faster solidification occurring in one hemisphere, could cause the offset.
Local hemostasis during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using biodegradable hydrogels: Initial porcine results

Background and Purpose: Despite the advance of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, significant technical limitations remain with regard to control of bleeding and closure of the collecting system. An attractive approach on the horizon for local hemostatic and wound control is the use of local tissue sealants. To date, sealants remain largely derived from natural biologic products and are difficult to apply laparoscopically with precise local control. In this study, we examined the novel strategy of forming occlusive tissue-adherent hydrogels utilizing a synthetic biodegradable polyethylene glycol-lactide copolymer (PEG-lactide) as an in situ occlusive barrier for hemostasis and wound control. Specifically, the objects of this study were to determine if PEG-lactide hydrogels could be formed intraperitoneally on renal tissue, to test the adhesiveness of the hydrogels to injured renal parenchyma, and to evaluate the ability of adherent hydrogel barriers to limit renal parenchymal bleeding and collecting system...
Analytic Review: Treatment of Coronary Artery Spasm and Variant Angina

Coronary artery spasm is an abnormal constriction of the conductive arteries that produces myocardial ischemia in the absence of any marked increase in heart rate or blood pressure. Ischemia is a transient phenomenon and is promptly reversed spontaneously or by nitroglycerine. The so-called "hallmark of spasm"—ST segment elevation—is evidence for severe myocardial ischemia rather than conclusive evidence for coronary artery spasm. Any process that transiently or permanently restricts coronary blood flow (e.g., transient occlusion by thrombus) will produce similar electrocardiogram (EKG) abnormalities.Most patients with symptoms and EKG changes related to coronary artery spasm respond to sublingual nitrates. Thus, their use for relief of the acute ischemic episode remains the initial treatment of choice. When symptoms are moderate in severity or unacceptably controlled in frequency using nitrates alone, other pharmacologic measures are needed.When spasm is superimposed upon hemodynamically important athero...
MO-FF-A2-04: Pulsed Reduced Dose-Rate Radiotherapy On a Helical Tomotherapy Unit

Purpose/Background: Pulsed reduced dose‐rateradiotherapy (PRDR) re‐irradiation has the potential to reduce late normal tissue toxicity while yielding nearly identical tumoricidal effect. A typical method using a conventional linac is to deliver a series of 20cGy pulses separated by 3‐minute intervals to give an average dose‐rate of 6.67cGy/min. Dissimilarly, PRDR done via helical tomotherapy would not require an interlude if the sub‐fraction time is approximately 3 minutes, since the top of the PTV will have had a 3‐minute “rest” by the time the bottom is finished. However, intrinsic MLC leaf open time (LOT) limitations in tomotherapy deteriorate plan quality and deliverability when attempting to deliver very low doses ( 3% in those plans where average LOT is <70msec, which falls into the high‐error region in the MLC latency curve. The combination of small jaw‐width (1cm), low MF (1.5) and large pitch (0.86), as well as using directional blocks gives clinically acceptable results in dose distribution, beam‐on time, and delivery accuracy (<3%). Conclusion: With a careful selection of planning parameters, PRDR re‐irradiation is deliverable in an efficient fashion on a tomotherapy unit.
Addendum to the paper: Boundary layer dynamics of a decaying vortex core

The following acknowledgements were inadvertently omitted in the article by Raymond and Rao (Tellus 30, 458-467) entitled “Boundary layer dynamics of a decaying vortex core”. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1979.tb00927.x
Effects of pH and aeration on γ-poly(glutamic acid) formation by Bacillus licheniformis in controlled batch fermentor cultures

Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 9945A was grown on Medium E in batch fermentations in which the pH was maintained at 5.5., 6.5, 7.4, and 8.25. The effects of pH on cell growth, carbon source utilization, and gamma-polyglutamic acid (gamma-PGA) production, molecular weight, and polymer stereochemistry were determined. The gamma-PGA yield was highest (15 g/L, 96 h growth time) at pH 6.5. The increase in gamma-PGA formation at pH 6.5 corresponded with a relatively high specific production rate at high gamma-PGA concentration (0.09 h(-1), approximately 15 g/L gamma-PGA). In contrast, the specific gamma-PGA production rates at fermentor pH values of 5.5 and 7.4 decreased significantly for gamma-PGA fermentor yields > approximately 5 g/L. Interestingly, alteration of the medium pH had little to no significant effects on the product quality as measured by stereochemical composition and molecular weight. While glutamate and glycerol utilization were similar as a function of pH, citrate consumption increased at pH 6.5, indicating that the formation of gamma-PGA from citrate at pH 6.5 was of increased importance. The effect of aeration was evaluated by increasing the agitation speed (250 to 800 rpm) and aeration rate (0.5 to 2.0 L/min) at pH 6.5, the pH of maximal gamma-PGA production. Increased aeration resulted in doubling of the cell dry weights (2 to 4 g/L), increasing gamma-PGA yields (6.3 to 23 g/L by 48 h) and increasing in the maximum gamma-PGA-specific production rate (0.09 to 0.11 h(-1)). Other effects of increased agitation included a rapid depletion of glutamate and citrate (by 50 h) and a decrease in product molecular weight. Despite the increase in agitation and aeration, oxygen limitation of the culture was not avoided, because the partial pressure decreased to <1.0% by 29 h.
Human apolipoprotein E accelerates microtubule polymerization in vitro

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a 34-kDa protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that has recently been identified in neuronal cytoplasm. In cultured neurons, the two major isoforms of apoE (E3 and E4) differentially affect neurite extension, microtubule formation, and the ratio of polymerized to depolymerized tubulin. We therefore examined the effects of apoE3 and apoE4 on microtubule assembly in vitro. ApoE3 and apoE4 equally accelerated microtubule polymerization under conditions of slow microtubule assembly. Controls comprising apolipoprotein A1, bovine serum albumin, trypsin inhibitor, and boiled apoE had no effect, demonstrating specificity of the apoE effect. The ability of both apoE isoforms to accelerate microtubule assembly in vitro suggests that isoform-specific differences in neurite extension may result from differences in the uptake, intracytoplasmic transport, or metabolism of these isoforms.
Investigation of smart inspection of critical layer reticles using additional designer data to determine defect significance

With expected implementation of low k1 lithography on 193nm scanners for 65nm node wafer production, high resolution defect inspection will be needed to insure reticle quality and reticle manufacture process monitoring. Reticle cost and reticle defectivity are both increasing with each shrink to the next node. Simultaneously, system on chip (SoC) designs are increasing in which a large area of the exposure field typically contains dummy patterns and other features which are not electrically active. Knowing which defects will electrically impact device yield and performance can improve reticle manufacturing yield and cycle time -- resulting in lower reticle costs. This investigation examines the feasibility of using additional design data layers for die-to-database reticle inspection to determine in real time the relevance of a reticle defect by its location in the device (Smart InspectionTM). The impact to data preparation and inspection throughput is evaluated. The current prototype algorithm is built on the XPA and XPE die-to-database algorithms for chrome-on-glass and EPSM reticles, respectively. The algorithms implement variable sensitivity based on the additional design data regions. During defect review the defects are intelligently binned into the different predetermined design regions. Tests show the new Smart Inspection algorithm provides the capability of using higher than normal sensitivity in critical regions while reducing sensitivity in less critical regions to filter total defect counts and allow for the review of just defects that matter. Performance characterization of a variable sensitivity Smart Inspection algorithm is discussed in addition to the filtering of the total defect count during review to show the defects that matter to device performance. Using seven critical layer production reticles from a system on chip device we examine the applications of Smart Inspection by layer including active, poly, contact, metal and via layers. Data volume for additional data layers show little impact to inspection data prep time. The total area of the reticle where defects do not matter is as high as 70% on some layers. Review capabilities will be examined for various applications such as reviewing defects in the various regions such as SRAM, dummy pattern, and redundant contact/via specified regions. Lastly, the economics of Smart Inspection will be modeled using the collected knowledge of the applications from the production reticle characterized in this investigation.
Deuteron Stripping by Heavy Nuclei

Theoretical angular distributions for the proton groups following bombardment of ${\mathrm{Pb}}^{206}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{209}$ by deuterons with energies less than 10 Mev are compared with experimental measurements of Stokes. Both theoretical and experimental angular distributions show peaking in the backwards direction, characteristic where Coulomb effects dominate the stripping. The theoretical curves fall off faster than the experimentally measured distributions, which show a tendency to level off in the region $\ensuremath{\Theta}g140\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. The insensitiveness of the stripping integral to the value of the cutoff radius parameter is demonstrated by numerical calculations.
Cyclosporin partitions into phospholipid vesicles and disrupts membrane architecture

Abstract Cyclosporin is a fungal metabolite demonstrating potent immunosuppressive activity both in vitro and in vivo, but the mechanism of action is poorly understood. Using [ 3 H]dihydrocyclosporin C ([ 3 H]CsC) we observed significant binding by mononuclear cells, erythrocytes and phosphatidyl choline (PC) vesicles which was reversible by the addition of excess CsA. Trypsin, pronase or heat treatments demonstrated that B cells and adherent cells express a protease-sensitive membrane binding site not observed on T cells. The nature of the interaction between CsA and the PC vesicles was studied using the membrane surface probe 1-anilino-8-naphthyl sulfonic acid (ANS − ). ANS − -induced fluorescence was reduced by 24% in the presence of 4.75×10 −7 M CsA indicating that CsA displaces ANS − from the PC vesicles. CsA also effected a shift in the phase transition temperature of PC vesicles from 23°C to 19°C. Finally, the rate of concanavalin A (Con A)-induced cap formation by T lymphocytes was approximately doubled in the presence of 2.6×10 −5 M CsA. These data demonstrate that CsA partitions into phospholipid vesicle membranes and the plasmalemma of mononuclear cells resulting in an increased membrane fluidity.
Novel Neural Network based Self-Tuning PID Controller Which Uses Pattern Recognition Technique

The proposed neuromorphic adaptive PID controller tuner processes in real-time the temporal error patterns, and produces the updated controller parameters.
Robust low dimensional kernel correlation feature spaces that generalize to unseen datasets

In this paper we demonstrate the subspace generalization power of the kernel correlation feature analysis (KCFA) method for extracting a low dimensional subspace that has the ability to represent new unseen datasets. Examining the portability of this algorithm across different datasets is an important practical aspect of real-world face recognition applications where the technology cannot be dataset-dependant. In most face recognition literature, algorithms are demonstrated on datasets by training on one portion of the dataset and testing on the remainder. Generally, the testing subjects' dataset partially or totally overlap the training subjects' dataset however with disjoint images captured from different sessions. Thus, some of the expected facial variations and the people's faces are modeled in the training set. In this paper we describe how we efficiently build a compact feature subspace using kernel correlation filter analysis on the generic training set of the FRGC dataset and use that basis for recognition on a different dataset. The KCFA feature subspace has a total dimension that corresponds to the number of training subjects; we chose to vary this number to include up to all of 222 available in the FRGC generic dataset. We test the built subspace produced by KCFA by projecting other well-known face datasets upon it. We show that this feature subspace has good representation and discrimination to unseen datasets and produces good verification and identification rates compared to other subspace and dimensionality reduction methods such as PCA (when trained on the same FRGC generic dataset). Its efficiency, lower dimensionality and discriminative power make it more practical and powerful than PCA as a robust lower dimensionality reduction method for modeling faces and facial variations.
Determination and application of vision standards in industry

Job-related vision standards benefit both employee and employer. By comparing employees' vision to specific job requirements, workers can be better placed into positions commensurate with their visual abilities. For a company without a vision care program, a project was undertaken to determine visual standards, and the need for vision care services for employees to better meet these standards. The critical factors for performing specific visual tasks for 40 job classifications were identified through direct observation and measurement, and through worker interviews. Additionally, a sample of employees was screened to determine plant population characteristics, and to determine what percentage of employees met the newly formed standards. This study can serve as a model for the application of visual standards to the workplace and is pertinent, as "reduced vision" is increasingly defined by government as a disability.
Excited state distortion in photochromic ruthenium sulfoxide complexes.

A series of photochromic ruthenium sulfoxide complexes of the form [Ru(bpy)2(OSOR)]+, where bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine and OSOR is 2-(benzylsulfinyl)benzoate (OSOBn), 2-(napthalen-2-yl-methylsulfinyl)-benzoate (OSONap), or 2-(pentafluorophenylmethanesulfinyl)benzoate (OSOBnF5), have been synthesized and characterized. In aggregate, the data are consistent with phototriggered isomerization of the sulfoxide from S-bonded to O-bonded. The S-bonded complexes feature 3MLCT absorption maxima at 388 nm (R = BnF5), 396 nm (R = Bn), and 400 nm (R = Nap). Upon charge transfer excitation the S-bonded peak diminishes concomitant with new peaks growing in at ∼350 and ∼495 nm. Spectroscopic and electrochemical data suggest that the electronic character of the substituent on the sulfur affects the properties of the S-bonded complexes, but not the O-bonded complexes. The isomerization is reversible in methanol solutions and, in the absence of light, thermally reverts to the S-bonded isomer with biexponential kinetics. The qu...
Speeding Multicast by Acknowledgment Reduction Technique (SMART) Enabling Robustness of QoE to the Number of Users

We introduce a novel feedback protocol, called SMART, for wireless broadcast networks that use linear network coding. We consider transmission of packets from a single source to many receivers over a single-hop broadcast erasure channel with heterogeneous links. We propose a predictive model to minimize feedback as well as extraneous data transmissions by the source. In addition, we use the method of types to provide a lower bound for the expected total transmission time, and use simulations to show that our protocol operates close to this lower bound. We show that with SMART, counter to conventional wisdom, the average user's QoE improves slightly as the number of users increases. We demonstrate that SMART's algorithmic simplicity enables multicast transmissions that on average take fewer than 2 feedback rounds to complete. We show the favorable scalability of our technique with the number of users, which enables reliable quality of experience. We also show the robustness of this scheme to uncertainty in the number of receiving nodes, and packet erasure probability, as well as to partial loss of the feedback. Furthermore, we show that SMART performs nearly as well as an omniscient transmitter that requires no feedback.
Corneal Epithelial Testing Strategies for Safety Evaluation of Ophthalmic Formulations

The toxicity of an ophthalmic formulation was tested both in vivo and in vitro. Initial tests on transformed human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) cells in monolayer cultures resulted in adverse effects on cell morphology. The adverse effects were unexpected since the formulation caused no damage to the cornea in vivo. These results suggested HCE-T monolayers do not adequately model the intact corneal epithelium. Therefore, further in vitro studies were conducted to investigate reversibility of morphologic changes, proliferation, cell viability, and effects on corneal epithelial barrier function. These tests showed that the formulation had no adverse effects on cell viability and proliferation. Multilayered cultures of HCE-T cells at an air interface provide a morphologic and physiologic model more relevant to the in vivo cornea. This study demonstrates the importance of selecting appropriate models when conducting in vitro toxicity studies so that potentially effective ophthalmic formulations are not rejected based on false positive in vitro endpoints.
Form class and the determinants of association

Summary The data presented in this study provide a comparison of the relative frequency of paradigmatic and syntagmatic associates to stimuli of four form classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. From a sample of 100 associations to 600 stimulus words selected to form a roughly rectilinear distribution with respect to frequency of usage, associations to 253 nouns, 118 adjectives, 101 verbs, and 32 adverbs were coded into paradigmatic or syntagmatic classes. Nouns yield associates that could be syntagmatic with respect to the stimulus only about 21% of the time. Verbs and adjectives produced syntagmatic associations 48% and 50% of the time respectively, while adverbs produced syntagmatic associates 73% of the time. There was a negative correlation between frequency of usage and frequency of syntagmatic associates for adjectives (—.40) but no correlation for the other form classes. Some indication was given that where syntagmatic associates do occur to nouns, these are less likely to be determined by sequences in ordinary English utterances than the syntagmatic associates to other form classes. The syntagmatic associates to nouns are more markedly concentrated in the primary than in the other form classes. Some indication was also given that the associates to high-frequency adjectives are likely to be schematically determined. There is a very high correlation (.889) between frequency of usage of adjective stimuli and the frequency of occurrence of a contrast (the opposite) as an associate.
Going Native: A Report from the Taxing Edge of Academic Accounting

I confess to an inexhaustible fascination with the social structure of academic accounting. Although I do not go out of my way to find its curios, I do not want to miss an opportunity to report wha...
Expression of purified mitochondrial poly(A) polymerase of hepatomas by an endogenous primer from liver

Abstract Mitochondrial poly(A) polymerase solubilized from rat liver and Morris hepatomas 3924A and 7777 was purified by phosphocellulose and DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. Purification resulted in the dissociation of a factor necessary for enzyme activity. Evidence is presented to show that the factor is an endogenous primer consisting of a mixture of low molecular weight polyribonucleotides. Addition of the liver primer increases the low activity of the hepatoma enzymes and, with saturating quantities of the primer, the specific activity of the hepatoma enzyme approaches that of the liver enzyme. It is concluded that the reason for the relative lack of mitochondrial poly(A) polymerase activity in the two poorly differentiated hepatomas is partly due to decreased level of this enzyme in the tumors, but largely due to the nonavailability of the primer-binding sites on the solubilized enzyme and to occupation of the available binding sites with an inefficient primer.
Investigation of the high-p T strange baryon anomalies at RHIC

Results from RHIC have shown that there is an enhanced baryon/meson ratio in the intermediate transverse momentum range (2<pT<6 GeV/c) in Au+Au collisions at both \(\sqrt{s_{NN}}\) =130 and 200 GeV. This was initially demonstrated by measurements of the p/π- ratio which was then extended in pT by the Λ/K0S ratio. The data were successfully described by models utilising different hadronization mechanisms: those having recombination of quarks and others having an interplay between flow, jet quenching and incorporating baryon junction loops. The strange particle data from the first Au+Au run at \(\sqrt{s_{NN}}\) =200 GeV gave tantalising hints that the observed enhancement of baryons compared to mesons was diminished by a pT of 6 GeV/c, but a lack of statistics in this range made a definitive statement impossible. Here we present an extended analysis of identified strange baryons and mesons in Au+Au collisions at \(\sqrt{s_{NN}}\) =200 GeV using data obtained by the STAR experiment from the 2004 running period. The increase in statistics extends the measurement of Λ hyperons out to at least 7 GeV/c and K0S mesons out to 9 GeV/c. This data allows us to place limits on the range where in-vacuum fragmentation functions are applicable and the effect of baryon dominance is reduced. We also discuss the prospects for making these measurements using multiply-strange baryons and mesons (Ω and ϕ).
An operational two level photoresist technology

Of the many multilevel resist technologies, the two level technique devised by B.J. Lin (1) of IBM is potentially one of the most attractive from a production standpoint, due to its simplicity. This paper will briefly review the technique, and discuss the development of a production-oriented technology based on two level resist (TLR). Like all multilevel resist techniques, the TLR system involves the transfer of a pattern imaged in a thin layer into a thick underlayer (in this case, positive photoresist and PMMA). Here, the transfer is accomplished using a blanket deep UV exposure and subsequent wet development of the PMMA. This paper will discuss the design, construction and use of a deep UV blanket exposure system capable of a throughput in excess of 200 three-inch Wafers per hour. This blanket exposure tool employs a unique cadmium arc lamp source developed specifically for this application. The exposure-development characteristics of PMMA using this cadmium arc lamp exposure system will also be covered. The PMMA development chemistry used provides good resolution, short development times and is compatible with automated equipment. The utility of the technology will be illustrated by examples which demonstrate improved linewidth control over that achieved using only conventional positive resist.
[11C]Dimebon, radiosynthesis and lipophilicity of a new potential PET agent for imaging of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease

Abstract [11C]Dimebon (2-[11C]methyl-8-methyl-5-(2-(6-methylpyridin-3-yl)ethyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole), a new potential PET agent for imaging of Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, was prepared by N-[11C]methylation of desmethyl-Domebon precursor with [11C]CH3OTf and purified with a semi-preparative HPLC method in 30–40% decay corrected radiochemical yield and 222–296 GBq/μmol specific activity at EOB. The measured lipophilicity coefficient (Log P) value of [11C]Dimebon was 2.53.
An Overview of Practical Approaches for Handling Missing Data in Clinical Trials

For a variety of reasons including poorly designed case report forms (CRFs), incomplete or invalid CRF data entries, and premature treatment or study discontinuations, missing data is a common phenomenon in controlled clinical trials. With the widely accepted use of the intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis dataset as the primary analysis dataset for the analysis of controlled clinical trial data, the presence of missing data could lead to complicated data analysis strategies and subsequently to controversy in the interpretation of trial results. In this article, we review the mechanisms of missing data and some common approaches to analyzing missing data with an emphasis on study dropouts. We discuss the importance of understanding the reasons for study dropouts with ways to assess the mechanisms of missingness. Finally, we discuss the results of a comparative Monte Carlo investigation of the performance characteristics of commonly utilized statistical methods for the analysis of clinical trial data with dropouts. The methods investigated include the mixed effects model for repeated measurements (MMRM), weighted and unweighted generalized estimating equations (GEE) method for the available case data, multiple-imputation-based GEE (MI-GEE), complete case (CC) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and last observation carried forward (LOCF) ANCOVA. Simulation experiments for the repeated measures model with missing at random (MAR) dropout, under varying dropout rates and intrasubject correlation, show that the LOCF, ANCOVA, and weighted GEE methods perform poorly in terms of percent relative bias for estimating a difference in means effect, while the MI-GEE and weighted GEE methods both have less power for rejecting a zero difference in means hypothesis.
Hydrodynamic stability of unidirectional shear flow of linear and branched polymeric melts

Abstract In this study, the linear stability of homogeneous shear flow of polymer melts has been investigated by using a prototypical reptation-based model, namely, the Pompom model [1]. The hydrodynamic stability characteristics of the flow have been determined by using an eigenvalue analysis. Particular attention has been paid to accurate determination of the discrete and continuous eigenvalues as well as identification and isolation of the spurious eigenvalues. Specifically, it has been shown that the eigenspectrum for the Pompom model has four continuous spectra, three of which are associated with the orientation tensor, S, i.e., one regular and two branch-cuts. One spectrum arises as a result of the stretch, λ evolution equation, which always occurs as the leftmost spectrum. The discrete modes are classified as centered and non-centered eigenvalues, depending on their imaginary parts. It is shown that there is only one pair of non-centered eigenvalues (a non-centered eigenvalue possesses σi ≠ −α/2, where σi denotes the imaginary part of the eigenvalue and α denotes the wavenumber in the streamwise direction). For large deformations rates, the real parts of these eigenvalues decay in a similar fashion as the Gorodstov–Leonov eigenvalue pair [2], observed in planar flows of the Upper Convected Maxwell model (UCM). The number of centered eigenvalues however, depends strongly on the choice of parameters. We observe that the leading eigenvalues always belong to the right-most continuous mode (branch-cut), which possess highly singular eigenfunctions. Although, the flow is linearly stable when a maximum in the shear stress versus shear rate curve is not observed, the ballooning of the right most eigenspectrum that arises due to the singular nature of its eigenfunctions could lead to erroneous determination of onset conditions for the instability.
A model for unsteady analysis of preform drawing

A model is introduced for analyzing diameter variations occurring in glass fibers drawn from preforms. The heat transfer is shown to be radiation-dominated, and approximate expressions for radiative exchange are developed. The expressions are used in the one-dimensional governing equations for extensional flows to derive a set of linearized disturbance equation as an eigenvalue problem. The sensitivity to an oscillatory take-up rate is also studied as a boundary-value problem. Calculated amplitudes of final diameter perturbations are found to agree well with experimental values.
Application of the Tsai–Wu Quadratic Multiaxial Failure Criterion to Bovine Trabecular Bone

As a first step toward development of a multiaxial failure criterion for human trabecular bone, the Tsai-Wu quadratic failure criterion was modified as a function of apparent density and applied to bovine tibial trabecular bone. Previous data from uniaxial compressive, tensile, and torsion tests (n = 139 total) were combined with those from new triaxial tests (n = 17) to calibrate and then verify the criterion. Combinations of axial compression and radial pressure were used to produce the triaxial compressive stress states. All tests were performed with minimal end artifacts in the principal material coordinate system of the trabecular network. Results indicated that the stress interaction term F12 exhibited a strong nonlinear dependence on apparent density (r2 > 0.99), ranging from -0.126 MPa-2 at low densities (0.29 g/cm3) to 0.005 MPa-2 at high densities (0.63 g/cm3). After calibration and when used to predict behavior of new-specimens without any curve-fitting, the Tsai-Wu criterion had a mean (+/- SD) error of -32.6 +/- 10.6 percent. Except for the highest density triaxial specimens, most (15/17 specimens) failed at axial stresses close to their predicted uniaxial values, and some reinforcement for transverse loading was observed. We conclude that the Tsai-Wu quadratic criterion, as formulated here, is at best only a reasonable predictor of the multiaxial failure behavior of trabecular bone, and further work is required before it can be confidently applied to human bone.
Initial patterns of care with oral targeted therapies for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Objectives To characterize the contemporary use of oral-targeted therapies (ie, sunitinib, sorafenib) among patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to assess the factors associated with short-term and sequential treatment. Methods We used an administrative claims database of privately insured patients to evaluate oral-targeted therapy use among patients with RCC from 2006 to 2007. After identifying patients with RCC who had received sunitinib and/or sorafenib, we determined the prevalence of patients treated with short-term and/or sequential therapy. We performed bivariate and multivariate analyses to estimate the associations between the patient characteristics and receipt of short-term and/or sequential treatment regimens. Results We identified 938 patients with RCC who had initially been treated with sunitinib (n = 554) or sorafenib (n = 384). In this group, 36% and 23% of patients had received short-term or sequential therapy, respectively. Most patients (61%) who had received sequential therapy had undergone short-term treatment with ≥1 drugs, with second-line sorafenib more likely to be given as short-term therapy than sunitinib (63% vs 34%, P Conclusions Short-term and sequential oral targeted therapy use was relatively prevalent among patients with RCC. For patients treated with sunitinib and sorafenib, the patterns of short-term use varied by the sequence of medications, suggesting differences in the effectiveness or tolerability of each regimen. These findings highlight the need for future studies to characterize the “real-world” clinical outcomes and economic effect associated with these treatment courses.
Computer Talk: Long-Distance Conversations by Computer

In the light of previous studies of features of spoken and written language, this study examined the opening months of an informal computer conversation among novice computer users who had not previously known each other. To establish the sequence of conversational utterances in the absence of physical and temporal proximity, participants used personal names and lexical referents. Linguistic features often found in oral conversation—indicators of personal involvement, disfluencies, and representations of paralinguistic elements—occurred frequently in this corpus. The graphic representation of normally oral language features may account in part for the participants' sense of intimacy and community with one another.
A Banded Smith-Waterman FPGA Accelerator for Mercury BLASTP

Large-scale protein sequence comparison is an important but compute-intensive task in molecular biology. The popular BLASTP software for this task has become a bottleneck for proteomic database search. One third of this software's time is spent executing the Smith-Waterman dynamic programming algorithm. This work describes a novel FPGA design for banded Smith-Waterman, an algorithmic variant tuned to the needs of BLASTP. This design has been implemented in Mercury BLASTP, our FPGA-accelerated version of the BLASTP algorithm. We show that Mercury BLASTP runs 6-16 times faster than software BLASTP on a modern CPU while delivering 99% identical results.
CAUDAL VENOUS RETURN THROUGH A LEFT AZYGOS VEIN IN A DOG

The Clinical, radiologic and echocardiographic findings in a one-year old dog with mild subvalvular aortic stenosis and aberrant caudal vena circulation are described. Aberrant systemic venous return to the right side of the heart usually has little clinical significance, but the unusual features in survey radiographs, contrast angiograms and contrast echocardiograms constitute the reasons for this report.
Communicate, educate: tackling misconceptions to boost vaccine uptake

History shows that vaccination campaigns can be successful, with the elimination of the human virus smallpox and the animal virus rinderpest from natural circulation [1,2]. This year more success stories in the fight against infectious diseases were reported with poliovirus brought to the brink of eradication in Africa [3], the elimination of rubella virus from the Americas [4] and the running of a successful vaccine trial against Ebola virus, something which is likely to help in the fight to get to zero cases in West Africa [5]. Currently, the WHO lists 26 human diseases for which vaccines are available and half of these protect against viruses [6]. Developed countries, such as the USA, UK or Germany, recommend routine vaccinations against 14–16 of these infections [7–9], with the remaining being used on demand as ‘travel vaccines’. After the introduction of these vaccines there was a dramatic reduction in both the spread of infections and deaths caused by the diseases. Currently, adhering to prescribed immunization schedules is the most effective means of decreasing infection rates further and this in turn could lead to eradicating these viral diseases. Unfortunately, elimination from natural circulation seems like wishful thinking given the resurgence of some vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years. This raises the question, why do vaccine-preventable diseases reappear in some parts areas of a country when efficacious vaccines are widely available and commonly used? Two major factors appear to facilitate the re-establishment of infections in some communities. First, available vaccine statistics focus on primary doses received, however, most vaccines, such as the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine, require booster doses to achieve the required seroconversion rates necessary to ensure herd immunity. While national vaccination rates appear to be relatively stable over recent decades the numbers of individuals receiving boosters are often not collected meaning that there are more susceptibles in populations than published figures might suggest. Second, significant variations exist in vaccine uptake and some regions fall well below the herd immunity threshold, whereas other regions are well above this level. This dichotomy in
Characterization of the mmsAB-araD1 (gguABC) Genes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The soilborne bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a Gram-negative plant pathogen that is found in a wide range of environments around the world (for a review, see reference 8). In its saprophytic state, Agrobacterium depends on—and competes for—a wide variety of sugars as well as other nutrients that may be available in the soil. In this report, we present experiments that help us understand the role played by the chvE-gguABC operon in such processes. Specifically, the activities of mutants deficient in gguA, gguB, and gguC support the hypothesis that the first two of these genes encode proteins involved in sugar uptake, while the GguC protein is involved in an arabinose metabolic pathway that also involves the activity of an arabinose dehydrogenase encoded at gene locus Atu1113.
The Internet enterprise

In this paper we present our vision of the Internet enterprise: a highly interoperable, virtual enterprise infrastructure for individuals, small businesses, and large corporations. In the Internet enterprise (IE), any service provider can enable its business to be programmatically accessible on the Internet (becomes an e-service). Enabled by a scalable brokering service and an inter-organizational workflow facility, e-services offered by autonomous service providers could be composed into an "Internet workflow". This paper describes this vision through an architecture that treats e-services as workflow participants in Internet-wide workflow automation applications. We present the architecture and implementation of three core components that enable the Internet Enterprise. These are: (1) BizBuilder, an e-service framework, (2) Sangam, a scalable, hierarchical brokering community based on UDDI, and (3) a dynamic workflow engine that uses e-services as entities, to create and enact workflow models. Collectively, these three components empower the Internet as a "public enterprise", where virtually any person or organization can design workflow models, and hence create new businesses, using available, competing e-services.
Curvature maps for local shape comparison

The ability to identify similarities between shapes is important for applications such as medical diagnosis, object registration and alignment, and shape retrieval. In this paper we present a method, the curvature map that uses surface curvature properties in a region around a point to create a unique signature for that point. These signatures can then be compared to determine the similarity of one point to another. To gather curvature information around a point we explore two techniques, rings (which use the local topology of the mesh) and geodesic fans (which trace geodesies along the mesh from the point). We explore a variety of comparison functions and provide experimental evidence for which ones provide the best discriminatory power. We show that curvature maps are both more robust and provide better discrimination than simply comparing the curvature at individual points.