cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved Sensitivity of Colorimetric Compared to Chemiluminescence ELISAs for Cytokine Assays

Cytokines are often measured using ELISAs and chemiluminescence (CMIL) is reported to exhibit increased sensitivity compared to colorimetric (COL) assays. CMIL also has a wider dynamic detection range. We sought to directly compare ELISAs for measuring human TNF and IL-8 using CMIL or COL. CMIL substrates with glow fluorescence were obtained from 4 different commercial sources while the COL substrate was TMB. ELISAs for TNF and IL-8 were run under identical conditions and the standard curve extended from 0.5 to 4000 pg/ML. The COL substrate demonstrated a sigmoid shaped curve when plotted on a log-linear scale while the CMIL continued to increase up to the highest concentration. Both substrates were modeled most accurately by a 4 parameter equation with R values > 0.99. The standard curves for both the IL-8 and TNF demonstrated a lower limit of detection (LLD) for the COL comparable to the CMIL detection system. To precisely define the LLD quadruplicate blanks were run and the mean plus 4 standard deviations were used. By these criteria, the COL assay routinely had a LLD of < 1.5 pg/ML which was better than any of the CMIL substrates. Our data demonstrate the COL assays have the same or better sensitivity than CMIL and are significantly less expensive.
A Parameter for Forecasting Tornadoes Associated with Landfalling Tropical Cyclones

AbstractThe authors develop a statistical guidance product, the tropical cyclone tornado parameter (TCTP), for forecasting the probability of one or more tornadoes during a 6-h period that are associated with landfalling tropical cyclones affecting the coastal Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast. TCTP is designed to aid forecasters in a time-limited environment. TCTP provides a “quick look” at regions where forecasters can then conduct detailed analyses. The pool of potential predictors included tornado reports and tropical cyclone data between 2000 and 2008, as well as storm environmental parameters. The original pool of 28 potential predictors is reduced to six using stepwise regression and logistic regression. These six predictors are 0–3-km wind shear, 0–3-km storm relative helicity, azimuth angle of the tornado report from the tropical cyclone, distance from the cyclone’s center, time of day, and 950–1000-hPa convective available potential energy. Mean Brier scores and Brier skill scores a...
The effect of grain size on yield stress and work hardening in Cu3Au

Abstract The grain size effects on stress-strain behaviour and development of dislocation microstructure during tensile deformation were investigated in ordered and disordered Cu 3 Au. Both ordered and disordered Cu 3 Au obey the Hall-Petch relationship σ = σ 0 + κ y d − 1 2 with a higher Hall-Petch slope in ordered Cu 3 Au than in disordered Cu 3 Au. The grain size dependence of work hardening rate in ordered Cu 3 Au persists up to high strains whereas in disordered Cu 3 Au, above about 15% strain, the work hardening rate becomes almost independent of grain size. Both ordered and disordered Cu 3 Au exhibit planar glide and in both cases a well defined cell structure is not developed at high strains. The results are explained on the basis of Ashby's concept of superposition of geometrically necessary dislocations and statistically stored dislocations controlling the work hardening in polycrystalline materials.
Is terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase a somatic mutagen in lymphocytes

AN enzyme able to add deoxyribonucleotides to the ends of DNA primers has been identified in calf thymus by Bollum and his colleagues and named terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase1–4. Chang5 has indicated that the enzyme is a specialised constituent of thymus cells and is not present in any other organ of several animal species. The enzyme is located in the lymphocyte fraction of the thymus (Silverstone, Parkman, McCaffrey and Baltimore, unpublished results). Recently, we found an enzyme with the properties of a terminal transferase in circulating lymphoblasts of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ref. 6 and McCaffrey, Harrison, and Baltimore, unpublished results).
Pediatric cardiology: A brief historical perspective

Pediatric cardiology's past covers 50 centuries. Most if its accomplishments have occurred in the last 50 years. In a limited sense, it is a story of four questions about the heart: How is it formed? How is it malformed? How can it be studied? How can it be fixed? Although not all the answers have been provided, we have come close to doing so in the first three-quarters of the 20th century, and will doubtless get even closer in the final quarter. For pediatric cardiologists and their surgeon colleagues will persist until Puck's prayer is answered:
Author's Reply and Comments on the Arithmetic Codes Generated by A = (r - 1)p 2

This correspondence is not only a reply to Gritsenko's remarks but also a brief comment on the results found in both papers by Gritsenko [1] and Neumann and Rao.2
Neutralization of electrically active aluminum in recrystallized silicon-on-sapphire films

We report the effect of steam oxidation at 875° C on the electrical resistivity, crystalline quality (measured by ion channeling), and Al concentration (measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry) in 0.25 μm thick, Si-implanted and recrystallized, Si-on-sapphire films. After a deep Si implantation (180 keV, 1.4×l015 Si/cm2) at room temperature, and solid-phase epitaxial regrowth from the non-amorphized, 0.03 μm thick surface region, the initially undoped SOS films become doped p-type, and their resistivity decreases from (1−5)xl014 ficm to 0.5 Ωcm. The doping is due to electrically active Al, released from the A12O3 by the Si implantation, and present in the recrystallized films at a concentration of ≃2×l016 Al/cm3 . After a 75 min steam oxidation at 875 °C, which consumes 0.06 Μm of Si, the resistivity of the recrystallized films increases to over 40 Ωcm, but the Al concentration is unchanged. The oxidation also uncovers higher quality material below the non-recrystallized surface layer. A semi-quantitative model is proposed to explain the electrical data, based on the diffusion of oxygen from the Si/SiO2 interface into the SOS film during oxidation, and the formation of Al-O-Si neutral complexes. Data on the stability of the high-resistivity films against high-temperature annealing or re-amorphization and annealing is given.
SHG In Langmuir/Blodgett Nonlinear Film Coated Fibers

ABSTRACT A method to produce guided wave second harmonic generation (SHG) in coated multimode optical fibers is described and analyzed. The fiber cores are coated with a highly nonlinear hemicyanine dye by the Langmuir/Blodgett technique. This technique allows precise control over the film thickness to one monolayer (-3 nm). Deposition ratio data indicate that the deposition forms a noncentrosymmetric (Z-type) film. The SHG signal increases as a function of the film thickness for up to 80 monolayers (-240 nm) of dye.Analysis for calculating the propagation constants and energy distributions of the fundamental and harmonic modes is used to determine the requirements for phase matching in the composite fiber-film system. For most cases of interest the effective index of refraction for a given film mode in the coated region may be closely approximated by the propagation constant in a planar waveguide of equal thickness. The conditions for phase matching and selective excitation of modes for improved SHG efficiency are proposed.Efficient SHG in coated fibers could prove useful in frequency doubling of lasers. They would be more compatible with fiber optic communications systems than currently used single crystal and channel waveguide doublers. In addition, demonstration of SHG suggests that other second order nonlinear effects (i.e. linear electro-optic effect, parametric amplification) may be produced in a Langmuir/Blodgett (L/B) nonlinear film coated fiber system.
Comparison of CF4 and SF6 based plasmas for ECR etching of isotopically enriched 10boron films

Abstract Isotopically enriched 10boron films have been successfully etched in an Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) etching tool using CF4 and SF6 based plasmas. Comparisons between the two are made with regard to etch rate, selectivity to the underlying Si device structure, and morphology of the 10boron post-etching. Our present film etching development is expected to be critical for the fabrication of next generation thermal neutron solid state detectors based on 10boron.
Cosmologies of the ancient Mediterranean world

Cosmology is concerned with the order of the universe and seeks to provide an account, not only of that order, but also of the mind or reason behind it. In antiquity, the cosmos was usually understood religiously, such that the cosmologies of the ancient Mediterranean world were either religious in nature or constituted a reaction to a religiously conceived understanding of the structures of the universe. The oldest form in which ancient cosmologies occur is myth, which, owing to its elasticity as a form, enabled them to be appropriated, adapted and used by different groups. In addition, different cosmologies co-existed within the same ancient culture, each having an authoritative status. This article provides an introductory overview of these cosmological myths and argues that a comparative approach is the most fruitful way to study them. Emphasis is given to certain prominent cosmological topics, including theogony (the genesis of the divine) or the relationship of the divine to the cosmos, cosmogony (the genesis of the cosmos), and anthropogony (the origin of humans within the cosmos). Although these myths vary greatly in terms of content and how they envision the origin of the cosmos, many of them depict death as part of the structure of the universe. Kosmologie het te doen met die orde van die heelal en wil rekenskap gee van hierdie orde en ook van die bewussyn daaragter. In die antieke tyd is die kosmos gewoonlik godsdienstig verstaan, met die gevolg dat die kosmologiee van die antieke Mediterreense wereld of ’n godsdienstige aard gehad het of bestaan het uit ’n reaksie op ’n godsdienstig-geskepte begrip van die strukture van die heelal. Mites was die oudste vorm waarin antieke kosmologiee voorkom wat vanwee hulle plooibaarheid dit bewerk het dat hierdie kosmologiee deur verskillende groepe toegeeien, aangepas en gebruik kon word. Hierbenewens het verskillende kosmologiee in die antieke kultuur langs mekaar bestaan – elkeen met sy eie gesagstatus. Hierdie artikel bied ’n inleidende oorsig oor hierdie kosmologiese mites en redeneer dat ’n vergelykende benadering die mees geskikte vir die bestudering van hierdie mites is. Daar word op sekere prominente kosmologiese temas gefokus, waaronder teogonie (die ontstaan van die goddelike) of die verhouding tussen die goddelike en die kosmos, kosmogonie (die ontstaan van die kosmos), en antroponogie (die ontstaan van die mens binne die kosmos). Alhoewel hierdie mites grootliks verskil in terme van inhoud en hoe dit die ontstaan van die kosmos visualiseer, word die dood as deel van die opbou van die heelal deur baie van hulle uitgebeeld.
Neurophysin Biosynthesis: Conversion of a Putative Precursor During Axonal Transport

[35S]Cysteine injected adjacent to the supraoptic nucleus of the rat is rapidly incorporated into a 20,000-dalton protein that, in time, is converted to a 12,000-dalton labeled protein, neurophysin. This putative precursor of neurophysin appears to be synthesized in the supraoptic nucleus and transformed to neurophysin and related peptides during axonal transport to the neurohypophysis.
A report on some tetranychid mites (Acari: Prostigmata) from Yemen

Abstract Ten genera with one new subgenus and 17 species from Yemen are described and illustrated. Thirteen of these species are new: Bryobia tuttlei, B. pseudorubrioculus, Pseudobryobia abbatielloi, Beerella yemenensis, Paraplonobia dactyloni, Neopetrobia hilariae, Eutetranychus pruni, E. ricinus, E. sanaae, E. transverstriatus, Mixonychus neoacaciae, Oligonychus dactyloni, and O. oenotherae. Bryobia (Septobia) bakeri is newly recorded from this country. Four other undetermined species (all females) are described and figured: Eotetranychus sp. ex Hilaria sp., E. sp. ex Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav., Oligonychus sp. ex Convolvulus arvensis L., and O. sp. ex Hilaria sp. Four known species are briefly redescribed and illustrated in order to provide the first comprehensive report of the spider mite fauna of Yemen.
Deflection behavior of concrete beams reinforced with PVA micro-fibers

Abstract This paper presents experimental and theoretical investigations on the stress–strain and load–deflection behavior of Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) microfiber reinforced concrete composites. The actual stress–strain relationships in both compression and tension were established by performing a series of compression and tension tests on PVA micro-fibers reinforced concrete specimens. The proposed deflection model was developed by using the well known moment–curvature and conjugate beam methods. Comparisons with the experimental data indicated that the model can be efficiently used to predict the load–deflection behavior of the microfiber reinforced concrete beams. Flexural results indicated that the addition of PVA micro-fibers significantly increases toughness and ductility.
The quantitative relationship between small impact crater morphology and regolith depth

Abstract Small impact craters (∼10–300 m) that encounter a strength transition in the target (like a regolith over bedrock) have unique morphologies. Previous studies have used these morphologies as indicators of regolith depth. This paper reports on several new analyses that expand our understanding of the quantitative relationship between small crater morphology and target layering. I describe three practical situations where the application of the updated method is ambiguous because the specific relationship between the target layering and the crater morphology has never been analyzed. In order to resolve the ambiguity, I report on new analyses of computer models and lunar data that demonstrate how the dimensions of the crater shape relate to layer depth. I also analyze the boundary conditions under which the crater-layering relationship will enable determination of layering depth. Finally, in light of the greater understanding of the crater-layering relationship, I discuss the possible application of this method to Mars.
A case of ALK-associated non-small-cell lung cancer with evidence of omental metastasis 6 years after initial presentation

SUMMARY We report a case of a never-smoker male originally diagnosed with stage IIIb non-small-cell lung cancer that then presented with metastatic disease (EGFR/KRAS wild-type and ALK-positive) confined to the omentum 6 years later. Early metastasis to a variety of internal organs is common in the course of disease. Gastrointestinal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer is relatively rare and is typically found in the gastric or small bowel regions. Metastasis to the omentum is commonly seen with certain gynecologic cancer, but has not yet been well documented in pulmonary malignancies. Increasing use of molecular markers has altered the diagnosis, management and possible long-term prognosis of various subcategories of lung cancer. ALK-associated mutations have been found in a small minority of patients and its presence requires the use of novel therapeutics and, possibly, more prolonged surveillance for late metastasis.
Specificity and development of innervation pattern of Xenopus pectoralis muscle.

SUMMARY Multielectrode recordings were used to identify and measure the axonal inputs to each end plate on contiguous surface fibers covering about 25% of the Xenopus pectoralis muscle in mature and developing animals. The mature innervation pattern was remarkably precise. Individual axons tended to innervate fibers of similar input resistance ( Rin) in compact motor units restricted to only a portion of the region studied. Motor units comprising fibers of similar Rin overlapped mainly near their borders. Most fibers had two end plates. In more than 80% of these fibers, both end plates received input from the same axon. In 57%, this was the only input to both end plates. This implies a powerful mechanism for excluding or eliminating inputs from other axons. About 16% of the mature junctions showed focal polyneuronal innervation, with the weaker end plate potential component often less than 1 mV in noncurarized preparations. However, we have no evidence that the weaker inputs were being eliminated. During development, motor units became more compact, which was associated with synapse elimination; but from the earliest times studied, soon after metamorphosis when many fibers were adding second end plates, a majority of those that had two end plates were innervated at both sites by the same axon. 8 1996 John Wiley &
Stress modeling of pipelines strengthened with advanced composites materials

Fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) have established a strong position as an effective mean for the repair and rehabilitation of infrastructure. However, the use of FRP in the repair and rehabilitation of pipelines is a new concept that has the potential to improve the way we repair pipelines. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of using FRPC and to provide stress expressions on the interaction between the different stresses exerted on pipe walls and the effects of FRPC sheets on the circumferential stresses of damaged pipe walls. The effects of three different FRPC sheets: Glass FRP (GFRP), Aramid FRP (AFRP), and Carbon FRP (CFRP) on the performance of pipe walls will be compared analytically. Results show that carbon fiber composites perform better than glass or aramid in improving the ultimate internal pressure capacity of pipes, and therefore, significantly enhance the strength, durability, and corrosive properties.
IGF-I elicits growth of human intestinal smooth muscle cells by activation of PI3K, PDK-1, and p70S6 kinase

Endogenous IGF-I regulates growth of human intestinal smooth muscle cells by jointly activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and ERK1/2. The 70-kDa ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6 kinase) is a k...
Functional plasticity before the cradle: a review of neural functional imaging in the human fetus.

Abstract The organization of the brain is highly plastic in fetal life. Establishment of healthy neural functional systems during the fetal period is essential to normal growth and development. Across the last several decades, remarkable progress has been made in understanding the development of human fetal functional brain systems. This is largely due to advances in imaging methodologies. Fetal neuroimaging began in the 1950–1970's with fetal electroencephalography (EEG) applied during labor. Later, in the 1980's, magnetoencephalography (MEG) emerged as an effective approach for investigating fetal brain function. Most recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has arisen as an additional powerful approach for examining fetal brain function. This review will discuss major developmental findings from fetal imaging studies such as the maturation of prenatal sensory system functions, functional hemispheric asymmetry, and sensory-driven neurodevelopment. We describe how with improved imaging and analysis techniques, functional imaging of the fetus has the potential to assess the earliest point of neural maturation and provide insight into the patterning and sequence of normal and abnormal brain development.
Data, tools, & innovation: trending applications in US cities

This workshop will feature new data tools for cities, for both researchers and policymakers. The workshop will be held in the Policy Analysis Laboratory (PAL Lab), where multiple screens will allow participants to see data and visualization simultaneously. The focus of the workshop will be on data that is relevant for communities and digital government.
Note on the relativistic harmonic oscillator

Abstract The relativistic harmonic oscillator is solved by an inverse fractional power series as has been done for the simple pendulum.The striking similarity of these two kinds of non-linear motion is thus demonstrated.The entire analysis is amply dealt with, without resort to elliptic integrals.
Pressure dependence of gadolinium carbonate complexation in seawater

The influence of pressure on Gd carbonate complexation has been investigated at t = 25 °C and P = 1–600 atm. in synthetic seawater using a tributyl phosphate solvent extraction technique. The pressure dependencies of Gd carbonate stability constants appropriate to seawater (t = 25°C and S = 35) can be described as follows: logCO3swβ1(Gd) = 5.19t1.30 × 10−3(P − 1) ; logCO3swβ2(Gd) ∼- 9.17−1.5 × 10−3(P − 1) ; logCO3swβ1(Gd) = 1.58–3.73 × 10−4(P − 1) , where Lswβn(Gd) = [GdLn][Gd3+]−1[L]T−n, [] and []T represent free and total concentrations of indicated species (molal scale), and P is pressure in atmospheres. In seawater with a total alkalinity of 2.4 mmol/kg and total CO2 of 2.1 mmol/kg, the fraction of total Gd present as free Gd3+ increases by a factor of approximately five or more as pressure increases from 1 atm. to 500 atm. at 2°C. Gadolinium speciation calculations indicate that changes in [CO32−]T and pH are dominant factors controlling the distribution of Gd species in upper oceanic column (0–1000 m depth). Below 1000 m water depth, the effect of pressure on Gd carbonate complexation exerts a major influence on the distribution of Gd species.
Publishing corruption discussion: Predatory journalism

Dr Spock is a brilliant young vascular surgeon who is up for tenure next year. He has been warned by the chair of surgery that he needs to increase his list of publications to assure passage. He has recently had a paper reviewed by one of the top journals in his specialty, Journal X-special , with several suggestions for revision. He received an e-mail request for manuscript submission from a newly minted, open access, Journal of Vascular Disease Therapy , which promises a quick and likely favorable response for a fee. What should be done? A.Send the paper to another peer reviewed journal with the suggested revisions. B.Resubmit the paper to Journal X-special. C.Submit to the online journal as is to save time. D.Submit to the online journal and another regular journal. E.Look for another job.
Evictions in the Welfare State - an Unintended Consequence of the Swedish Policy?:

Despite a remarkable improvement in the general welfare of the Swedish population since the 1960s, the rate of housing evictions has rapidly increased in the same period This paper presents an analysis of factors associated with the growth in the eviction rate The main hypothesis models eviction rate growth as the unintended effect of Swedish housing policy, otherwise viewed as highly successful We also speculate about the relationship between homelessness and the evictions, suggesting that for Sweden the eviction rate and the prevalence of homelessness are negatively connected, i e. a high eviction rate is associated with a small number of homeless individuals. Data from two time periods, 1915-37 and 1950-81, are analyzed using ARIMA time series The period 1976-80 is, in addition, analyzed with pooled cross-section, time-series analysis.
Some aspects of dynamics of bubbly liquids

The formulation of dynamics of a liquid containing gas bubbles or vapor bubbles is presented. It is applied to sound waves and one-dimensional flow problems.
The population challenge in Africa and the prospects for the African Development Bank's intervention.

: The paper advocates that unchecked population growth may lead to serious social and economic burdens in developing countries in general, and particularly in Africa. This position does not stem from the neo-Malthusian perspective according to which population is mainly responsible for economic stagnation, nor does it derives from the «developmentalist» approach which perceives population as a neutral variable and development as the «best contraceptive». The theoretical stand advocated here is that population and development are intimately linked and strongly influence each other. Therefore, an attempt to foster economic growth and hopefully improve the standard of living of the people without taking into consideration the population factor would be as illusory as an attempt to control population without involving economic variables. Based on this epistemological perspective, prospects for the ADB's intervention in population sector have been assessed and suggestions for its sector policy made. Resume: Le document preconise que la croissance demographique non maitrisee peut imposer de lourdes contraintes sociales et economiques sur les pays en voie de developpement en general et l'Afrique en particulier. Cette attitude ne resulte pas de la perspective neo-malthusienne selon laquelle la population est principalement responsable de la stagnation economique, ni de l'approche « developpementaliste » qui percoit la population comme une variable neutre et developpement comme le « meilleur contraceptif ». Le point de vue theorique exprime ici est que population et developpement sont intimement lies et exercent une grande influence l'une sur l'autre. En consequence, une action visant a promouvoir la croissance economique et ameliorer, peut-Ctre, le niveau de vie des populations sans tenir compte du facteur demographique serait aussi illusoire qu'une action visant la regulation de la population sans prendre en consideration les variables economiques. Sur la base de cette perspective epistemologique, les perspectives pour l'intervention de la BAD dans le secteur de la population ont ete evaluees et des recommandations faites pour sa politique sectorielle.
Fairness issues in a computer-based architectural licensure examination

Abstract A series of field trials were carried out to address test design and fairness issues related to the development of a computer-based performance assessment of problem solving in an architectural context. Examinees were given design problems consisting of a set of specifications and code requirements and were then expected to construct solutions on the computer using a set of provided computer tools. For the field trial, these solutions were evaluated by expert architects, but in the operational system solutions are automatically scored by the computer. Although a number of different issues were addressed in the field trials, this report focuses on fairness issues. One aspect of fairness, whether examinees with relatively little computer experience are disadvantaged on the computer-delivered examination, does not appear to be a major problem. A more complex fairness issue relates to the need to create tasks that are sufficiently comparable so that it is a matter of indifference to examinees which particular set of tasks they receive. Tasks intended to measure the same skills should be of comparable difficulty and highly correlated. For some types of design problems, both standards could be met; for other problem types, tasks were of comparable difficulty, but not highly correlated; and for still other problem types, tasks were neither of comparable difficulty nor highly correlated. Uncovering the possible reasons for these inconsistencies was a crucial step in setting the final test specifications for the operational examination.
Collecting IT scholarship: the need for identification and access

Over the years there have been various discussions about IT research and scholarship and the need for an IT research agenda for the discipline to emerge as a true academic discipline. Professors in IT programs have been being achieving rank and status advancement and have therefore must have been doing peer-reviewed publishing of acceptable research. Where is it? What is it about? How does an interested graduate student read IT literature?Currently, a student will discuss interests with advisors and read relevant papers from related disciplines. Their research is published in related publications and IT contributes to the academic growth of a related discipline. We must collect IT scholarship and make it accessible as a body to our students and ourselves.
Pediatric benzodiazepine ingestion resulting in hospitalization.

AbstractObjective: To characterize the clinical findings in children hospitalized for benzodiazepine ingestion. Method: Retrospective case series in two urban children's hospitals, with no intervention. Suicide attempts and polypharmacy ingestions were excluded. Results: Forty-six children (67% male) with a mean age of 36 months (range 14-127 months) were hospitalized from January 1987 through September 1994. Lorazepam was most frequently ingested (13/41 identified drugs, 32%). The most prevalent symptoms were ataxia (87%), lethargy (57%), coma (Glasgow coma score < 15, 35%; Reed coma score ± 0, 22%), and respiratory depression (9%). Duration of symptoms was less than 24 hours in 88% of patients. Isolated ataxia occurred in eight patients; in five of these patients, benzodiazepine ingestion was unsuspected by the physicians. Three parents intentionally administered the benzodiazepine to their child. Only 50% of 32 toxicology screens were positive for benzodiazepines. One child required endotracheal intuba...
Effective compliant substrate for low-dislocation relaxed SiGe growth

An effective compliant substrate was fabricated for the growth of high-quality relaxed SiGe templates, by synthesizing a 20% B2O3 concentration borosilicate glass (BSG) in the silicon on insulator wafers. Substrates with 5%, 10%, and 20% B2O3 were used for 150 nm Si0.75Ge0.25 epitaxy. Double-axis x-ray diffraction measurements determined the relaxation and composition of the Si1−xGex layers. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the lattice of the SiGe epilayer and the Si substrate, dislocation density, and distribution. Raman spectroscopy was combined with step etch to study the samples. The strain sharing effect of the 20% BSG substrate was demonstrated. Thus, we concluded that this compliant substrate is a highly promising candidate for the growth of low-dislocation relaxed SiGe layers.
Is the New Europe a Good Substitute for the Old One?26

NATO has long provided a military framework for mutual defense against external aggressors. It may not do so much longer. At least since the 1990s, NATO has also provided for united efforts to punish rogue leaders or bring peace to war-torn regions. This contribution of NATO may also be in danger. Collective defense and peace enforcement are valuable resources and ones that would be difficult to replace—or to rebuild. In order to pursue either collective defense or peace enforcement, NATO members have certain military obligations toward one another. Newer NATO members felt these pressures quite keenly after joining in 1999. During the run-up to the Iraq war, however, the government of the United States made a considered judgment to downgrade those obligations—to trade away pressure on the newer NATO members to upgrade their military capabilities and competencies—in exchange for displays of political loyalty to Washington in the United Nations and elsewhere.27 In this essay the argument is made that this trade was a bad idea. The states at the heart of “New Europe”—the generally pro-US states that joined NATO during its 1999 enlargement—are not yet the kind of partners that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has publicly imagined them to be. Certainly, they are no substitute for the “old” NATO alliance. Although NATO will probably continue to exist in some form whatever path is chosen, a politically cohesive and militarily effective NATO may well be on its way out. This author would argue that the Bush Administration has asked at once too much and too little of these states. It asked too little when it downgraded an older demand, shared widely across NATO's membership, that the new NATO members be able to make a real military contribution to the Alliance. It asked too much when it pressured politicians …
The Czechoslovak Special Services and Their American Adversary during the Cold War

U.S. intelligence officials in early postwar Czechoslovakia had access to some of the Czechoslovak government's highest-ranking individuals and plenty of time to prepare for the looming confrontation with the Czechoslovak Communist Party. Yet the Communist takeover in February 1948 took them by surprise and undermined their networks. This article discusses the activities of four Czechoslovak security and intelligence agencies to demonstrate that the scale of the U.S. failure in Prague in 1945â1948 was far greater than often assumed, especially if one considers the substandard size and quality of Czechoslovakia's Communist-dominated special services after the war.
Power: a metric for evaluating watermarking algorithms

An important parameter in evaluating data hiding methods is hiding capacity (Cohen et al., 1999) i.e. the amount of data that a certain algorithm can "hide" until reaching allowable distortion limits. One fundamental difference between watermarking (Cox et al., 1997; 1999) and generic data hiding resides exactly in the main applicability and descriptions of the two domains. In the digital framework, watermarking algorithms that make use of information hiding techniques have been developed and hiding capacity was naturally used as a metric in evaluating their power to hide information. Whereas the maximal amount of information that a certain algorithm can "hide" (while keeping the data within allowable distortion bounds) is certainly related to the ability to assert ownership in court, it is not directly measuring its power of persuasion, in part also because it does not consider directly the existence and power of watermarking attacks. We show why, due to its particularities, watermarking requires a different metric, more closely related to its ultimate purpose, claiming ownership in a court of law. We define one suitable metric (watermarking power) and show how it relates to derivates of hiding capacity. We prove that there are cases where considering hiding capacity is sub-optimal as a metric in evaluating watermarking methods whereas the metric of watermarking power delivers good results.
Single oral loading dose of propafenone for pharmacological cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation

The efficacy and safety of the single dose oral loading regimen of propafenone for pharmacological cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AFib) was evaluated by analyzing the trials on the subject identified through a comprehensive literature search. Most of the trials used a single dose of 600 mg for oral loading. The success rates ranged from 56% to 83%, depending on the duration of AFib and follow-up after drug administration. The conversion time ranged from 110 +/- 59 to 287 +/- 352 min, depending on the duration of observation after drug administration. The single dose oral loading regimen of propafenone was significantly more efficacious than placebo in the first 8 h after administration but not at 24 h. Compared with the intravenous regimen, the oral regimen resulted in fewer conversions in the first 2 h, but both regimens were equally efficacious afterward. The oral propafenone regimen was as efficacious as the single dose oral loading regimen of flecainide but was superior to those of quinidine and amiodarone. The adverse effects reported were transient arrhythmia, reversible QRS-complex widening, transient hypotension and mild noncardiac side effects. The transient arrhythmias were chiefly at the time of conversion and included appearance of atrial flutter, bradycardia, pauses and junctional rhythm. No life-threatening proarrhythmic adverse effects were reported. The single oral loading dose of propafenone appears to be highly effective for conversion of recent-onset AFib, with a relatively rapid effect within 2 to 3 h and freedom from serious adverse effects.
High Intake of Dietary Sugar Enhances Bisphenol A (BPA) Disruption and Reveals Ribosome-Mediated Pathways of Toxicity

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound to which human populations are ubiquitously exposed. Epidemiological data suggest BPA exposure might be associated with higher rates of diabetes and reproductive anomalies. Health concerns also include transgenerational consequences, but these mechanisms are crudely defined. Similarly, little is known about synergistic interactions between BPA and other substances. Here we show that acute and chronic exposure to BPA causes genome-wide modulation of several functionally coherent genetic pathways in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In particular, BPA exposure causes massive downregulation of testis-specific genes and upregulation of ribosome-associated genes widely expressed across tissues. In addition, it causes the modulation of transposable elements that are specific to the ribosomal DNA loci, suggesting that nucleolar stress might contribute to BPA toxicity. The upregulation of ribosome-associated genes and the impairment of testis-specific gene expression are significantly enhanced upon BPA exposure with a high-sugar diet. Our results suggest that BPA and dietary sugar might functionally interact, with consequences to regulatory programs in both reproductive and somatic tissues.
Supporting Live Student Projects: Lessons Learned from the Small Project Support Center at Radford University

Live projects are enabling a new generation of software engineering education by engaging students in software development projects that inject realism into the students' coursework. The educational benefits of incorporating live projects to solve real problems for real clients are well documented, but the challenges of supporting the students, clients, and deliverables are largely unaddressed. Radford University created the Small Project Support Center to meet these challenges and facilitate additional learning opportunities that students gain by working on live projects. This paper presents our experiences with a 360-degree view of the center, the operational challenges, and the many benefits that the center provides. The paper concludes with a summary of lessons learned and our plans to enhance and sustain the Small Project Support Center.
Retracing Evolution of Red Fluorescence in GFP-Like Proteins from Faviina Corals

Proteins of the green fluorescent protein family represent a convenient experimental model to study evolution of novelty at the molecular level. Here, we focus on the origin of Kaede-like red fluorescent proteins characteristic of the corals of the Faviina suborder. We demonstrate, using an original approach involving resurrection and analysis of the library of possible evolutionary intermediates, that it takes on the order of 12 mutations, some of which strongly interact epistatically, to fully recapitulate the evolution of a red fluorescent phenotype from the ancestral green. Five of the identified mutations would not have been found without the help of ancestral reconstruction, because the corresponding site states are shared between extant red and green proteins due to their recent descent from a dual-function common ancestor. Seven of the 12 mutations affect residues that are not in close contact with the chromophore and thus must exert their effect indirectly through adjustments of the overall protein fold; the relevance of these mutations could not have been anticipated from the purely theoretical analysis of the protein's structure. Our results introduce a powerful experimental approach for comparative analysis of functional specificity in protein families even in the cases of pronounced epistasis, provide foundation for the detailed studies of evolutionary trajectories leading to novelty and complexity, and will help rational modification of existing fluorescent labels.
Indications and patient selection for cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Cytoreductive surgery combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy has provided unprecedented results in the management of peritoneal-based neoplasms. Prognostic factors leading to a survival advantage when this treatment modality is employed have been identified. A steep learning curve has been described as well. Therefore, knowledgeable indication setting and proper selection of patients to whom this combined treatment can be offered is warranted in order to obtain the best results at the lowest possible toxicity. J. Surg. Oncol. 2009;100:287–292. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Identifying deficiencies of standard accretion disc theory: lessons from a mean-field approach

Turbulent viscosity is frequently used in accretion disc theory to replace the microphysical viscosity in order to accommodate the observational need for instabilities in discs that lead to enhanced transport. However, simply replacing the microphysical transport coefficient by a single turbulent transport coefficient hides the fact that the procedure should formally arise as part of a closure in which the hydrodynamic or magnetohydrodynamic equations are averaged, and correlations of turbulent fluctuations are replaced by transport coefficients. Here we show how a mean-field approach leads quite naturally to two transport coefficients, not one, that govern mass and angular momentum transport. In particular, we highlight that the conventional approach suffers from a seemingly inconsistent neglect of turbulent diffusion in the surface density equation. We constrain these new transport coefficients for specific cases of inward, outward and zero net mass transport. In addition, we find that one of the new transport terms can lead to oscillations in the mean surface density which then requires a constant or small inverse Rossby number for discs to maintain a monotonic power-law surface density.
A long‐term record of carbon exchange in a boreal black spruce forest: means, responses to interannual variability, and decadal trends

We present a decadal (1994-2004) record of carbon dioxide flux in a 160-year-old black spruce forest/veneer bog complex in central Manitoba, Canada. The ecosystem shifted from a source (+41 g Cm -2, 1995) to a sink (-21 g C m -2, 2004) of CO 2 over the decade, with an average net carbon balance near zero. Annual mean temperatures increased 1-2° during the period, consistent with the decadal trend across the North American boreal biome. We found that ecosystem carbon exchange responded strongly to air temperature, moisture status, potential evapotranspiration, and summertime solar radiation. The seasonal cycle of ecosystem respiration significantly lagged that of photosynthesis, limited by the rate of soil thaw and the slow drainage of the soil column. Factors acting over long time scales, especially water table depth, strongly influenced the carbon budget on annual time scales. Net uptake was enhanced and respiration inhibited by multiple years of rainfall in excess of evaporative demand. Contrary to expectations, we observed no correlation between longer growing seasons and net uptake, possibly because of offsetting increases in ecosystem respiration. The results indicate that the interactions between soil thaw and water table depth provide critical controls on carbon exchange in boreal forests underlain by peat, on seasonal to decadal time scales, and these factors must be simulated in terrestrial biosphere models to predict response of these regions to future climate. © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Ferroelectric Control of Magnetic Anisotropy

We demonstrate unambiguous evidence of the electric field control of magnetic anisotropy in a wedge-shaped Co film of varying thickness. A copolymer ferroelectric of 70% vinylidene fluoride with 30% trifluoroethylene, P(VDF-TrFE) overlays the Co wedge, providing a large switchable electric field. As the ferroelectric polarization is switched from up to down, the magnetic anisotropy of the Co films changes by as much as 50%. At the lowest Co thickness the magnetic anisotropy switches from out-of-plane to in-plane as the ferroelectric polarization changes from up to down, enabling us to rotate the magnetization through a large angle at constant magnetic field merely by switching the ferroelectric polarization. The large mismatch in the stiffness coefficients between the polymer ferroelectric and metallic ferromagnet excludes typical magnetoelectric strain coupling; rather, the magnetic changes arise from the large electric field at the ferroelectric/ferromagnet interface.
A DOUBLE ADAPTOR METHOD FOR IMPROVED SHOTGUN LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION

The efficiency of shotgun DNA sequencing depends to a great extent on the quality of the random-subclone libraries used. We here describe a novel "double adaptor" strategy for efficient construction of high-quality shotgun libraries. In this method, randomly sheared and end-repaired fragments are ligated to oligonucleotide adaptors creating 12-base overhangs. Nonphosphorylated oligonucleotides are used, which prevents formation of adaptor dimers and ensures efficient ligation of insert to adaptor. The vector is prepared from a modified M13 vector, by KpnI/PstI digestion followed by ligation to oligonucleotides with ends complementary to the overhangs created in the digest. These adaptors create 5'-overhangs complementary to those on the inserts. Following annealing of insert to vector, the DNA is directly used for transformation without a ligation step. This protocol is robust and shows three- to fivefold higher yield of clones compared to previous protocols. No chimeric clones can be detected and the background of clones without an insert is <1%. The procedure is rapid and shows potential for automation.
Resource allocation and planning for program management

Much of the project scheduling literature treats task durations as deterministic. In reality, however, task durations are subject to considerable uncertainty and that uncertainty can be influenced by the resources assigned. The purpose of this paper is to provide the means for program managers (who may have responsibility for multiple projects) to optimally allocate resources from common resource pools to individual tasks on several competing projects. Instead of the traditional use of schedules, we develop control policies in the form of planned resource allocation to tasks that capture the uncertainty associated with task durations and the impact of resource allocation on those durations. We develop a solution procedure for the model and illustrate the ideas in an example.
American Business, Public Policy, Case-Studies, and Political Theory

Case-Studies of the policy-making process constitute one of the more important methods of political science analysis. Beginning with Schattschneider, Herring, and others in the 1930's, case-studies have been conducted on a great variety of decisions. They have varied in subject-matter and format, in scope and rigor, but they form a distinguishable body of literature which continues to grow year by year. The most recent addition, a book-length study by Raymond Bauer and his associates, stands with Robert A. Dahl's prize-winning Who Governs? (New Haven 1961) as the best yet to appear. With its publication a new level of sophistication has been reached. The standards of research its authors have set will indeed be difficult to uphold in the future. American Business and Public Policy is an analysis of political relationships within the context of a single, well-defined issue—foreign trade. It is an analysis of business attitudes, strategies, communications and, through these, business relationships in politics. The analysis makes use of the best behavioral research techniques without losing sight of the rich context of policies, traditions, and institutions. Thus, it does not, in Dahl's words, exchange relevance for rigor; rather it is standing proof that the two—relevance and rigor—are not mutually exclusive goals.