cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New age controls on initiation and timing of foreland belt thrusting in the Clark Mountains, southern California

New geochronologic data from the Clark Mountain area, eastern California, better define the regional development of the Cordilleran magmatic arc and the timing of hinterland and foreland deformation at this latitude. The new ages show that Sevier belt thrusting started in the Clark Mountain thrust complex in Late Jurassic time. This is consistent with other studies that suggest a similar age of initiation of the Sevier belt in areas to the north. The Clark Mountain thrust complex is located at the intersection of the Mesozoic magmatic arc and the east Sierran and Sevier thrust belts. New U-Pb zircon ages for granitic rocks establish the timing of deformation within the thrust complex. The Pachalka thrust, structurally the highest fault in the complex, carries plutonic rocks eastward above Cambrian rocks. Hanging-wall and footwall rocks are mylonitic near the thrust. Hanging-wall plutonic rocks, previously considered Precambrian, are dated at 146 62 Ma and thus are Late Jurassic. Folds kinematically related to thrusting in footwall metasedimentary rocks are overturned eastward and cut by the Pachalka pluton dated at 142 ± 7 Ma. This brackets thrusting and related deformation in structurally high levels of the complex to be latest Jurassic. The Ivanpah and Striped Mountain plutons in the Ivan-pah Mountains have been dated at 147 ± 7 Ma and 141 ± 11 Ma, respectively. These plutons are cut by the Keaney-Mollusk Mine and Morning Star Mine thrusts, which are in turn cut by the middle to late Cretaceous Teutonia batholith. These data indicate that these thrusts are early to middle Cretaceous in age.
Prolactin induces yawning and the stretch-yawning syndrome in young adult male rats.

Abstract Herein we report that subcutaneous injection of low doses of ovine prolactin (oPRL) induce yawning in young adult male rats. The most effective dose of oPRL in evoking yawning was 0.25 μg/kg body weight (5.2 yawns/60 min at 1000 hr vs 0.3 in control animals). Doses of 0.025, 0.05, 2.5, 25, and 250 μg/kg were less effective. Interestingly, yawning in response to oPRL changes over the course of one circadian cycle with highest frequency at 1600 hr (11 yawns/80 min vs 2 yawns/80 min in animals injected with boiled oPRL). The onset of yawning in most oPRL-treated rats began approximately 40 min after oPRL injection, whereas with apomorphine the latency to the response was about 10 min. These results indicate that oPRL in addition to other hypophysial peptides such as ACTH and MSH can stimulate yawning. It is proposed that PRL after initial activation of the nigrostriatal dopamine system secondarily induces yawning by inhibition of this system via an autoreceptor-mediated negative feedback mechanism. This may explain the long latency to the response.
Semiautonomous FTS Observation System for Remote Sensing of Stratospheric and Tropospheric Gases

A solar-viewing Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at Thule, Greenland (76.58N, 68.88W, 225 m MSL), has been in operation as part of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change [NDACC; formerly the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC)] since 1999. Observations have been made, on average, 77 days yr 21 during the 8 months, excluding polar night. The semiautonomous operation of the instrument, including its associated optical, cryogenic, and control systems, is of primary importance to acquiring long-term data records efficiently and is herein described. Discussed in this paper are the data processing and spectra analysis methodology that are used to convert the measured interferograms into geophysical data products. Vertical profile retrievals derived from the high-resolution solar absorption spectra use the optimal estimation method. Total column amounts then represent the integration of these vertical profiles. As an example of this process, results are presented for daily average total column amounts of HF, HCl, ClONO2, and CCl2F2 from 2001 through 2007. The means of unperturbed summertime observations are used in a preliminary study of their annual trends.
Virtual network reconfiguration in optical cloud substrates

This paper studies reconfiguration design for cloud-based virtual network services mapped over optical substrates. A novel scheme is proposed to improve resource efficiency and its results are analyzed versus some existing strategies.
Synthesis and properties of optically active organomolybdenum compounds

Abstract The reaction of an optically active cyclopentadienyl salt, formed from the asymmetric reduction of 6-methyl-6-phenylfulvene, with Mo(CO)6 followed by treatment with N-methyl-N-nitroso-p-toluenesulfonamide, yields an optically active organomolybdenum complex. Thermally induced substitution of a carbon monoxide ligand by trimethyl- or triphenylphosphine produces products with two chiral centers.
SU-C-BRF-06: Impact of Temporal Probability in 4D Dose Calculation for Lung Cancer Treatment Planning

Purpose: To evaluate dosimetric uncertainty in 4D dose calculation for lung cancer patients using three different temporal probabilities. Methods: The impact of temporal probability, defined as the fraction of time a patient spends in each respiratory amplitude, was evaluated in nine lung cancer patients. For each patient, 4D dose was computed using 4DCT and three temporal probability distributions: 1) uniform distribution, 2) sinusoidal distribution, and 3) patient-specific distribution. To calculate 4D dose, the dose for each of 10 binned CTs was first computed using the same planning parameters as those used in the breath-hold CT. Next, deformable image registration was used to deform the dose of each binned CT to the breathhold CT using the deformation map between each binned CT and the breathhold CT. Finally, 4D dose volume was computed by summing the 10 deformed doses using corresponding temporal probabilities. In this study, 4D dose calculated from patient-specific temporal probabilities was used as the ground truth. Dosimetric comparison included: 1) 3D gamma (3% dose difference, 3mm distance to agreement tolerance), 2) mean tumor dose (MTD), 3) mean lung dose (MLD), and 4) lung V20. Results: For all patients, both uniform and sinusoidal dose distributions were found to have an average gamma passing rate >99% for both lung and PTV volume. Compared with 4D dose calculated using the patient respiratory trace, uniform distribution and sinusoidal distribution showed a percentage difference on average of -0.1±0.6% and -0.2±0.4% in MTD, -0.2±2.0% and -0.2±1.3% in MLD, 0.9±2.8% and -0.7±1.8% in lung V20, respectively. Conclusion: Both uniformly and sinusoidally-distributed temporal probabilities can be used to approximate 4D dose calculation. The dosimetric difference among the three temporal probability distributions is not clinically significant. This research is supported by Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc
Determination of particle size by the minima and maxima in the angular dependence of the scattered light. Range of validity of the method

Abstract The range of validity of the method of determining particle size by the angular location of the minima and maxima in light scattering intensity is explored, and the results are presented in the form of 2% and 10% error contour charts. The method is valid over a greater region of the m - α domain than is the Rayleigh-Gans theory for intensity functions.
Reactivity of the Metallocarboxylates Cp(NO)(PPh3)ReCO2-M+ toward Excess Carbon Dioxide: Degradation to a Bimetallic μ-[η1-C(Re):η1-O,O‘(Re‘)] Carbon Dioxide Complex Cp(NO)(PPh3)ReCO2Re(NO)(CO)(PPh3)(η1-C5H5)

The rhenium η1-C carboxylate Cp(PPh3)(NO)ReCO2- (1Li+ or 1K+) undergoes an unusual reductive disproportionation sequence in the presence of excess CO2 that generates a new Re2(μ2-η3-CO2) complex Cp(PPh3)(NO)ReCO2Re(CO)(NO)(PPh3)(η1-Cp) (2) plus CO32-. The overall stoichiometry entails 3 equiv of CO2 plus 2 equiv of Cp(PPh3)(NO)ReLi transforming to ligated CO2 and CO (i.e., 2) plus CO32-. Three procedures were used to generate 2: treating (a) Cp(PPh3)(NO)ReLi with excess CO2, (b) 1K+ with excess CO2, and (c) 1K+ with Cp(PPh3)(NO)Re(CO)BF4. The results of this study are consistent with the intermediacy of an undetected metalloanhydride Cp(PPh3)(NO)ReC(O)OC(O)Re(NO)(PPh3)Cp (8), which upon a subsequent η5→η1 Cp ring shift on one rhenium center affords 2. This product undergoes different solvolysis reactions in the presence of methanol and triethylsilanol. The former gives 2 equiv of the methyl ester Cp(NO)(PPh3)ReCO2CH3 (6), whereas the latter replaces the η1-Cp group with a silanolate to give the previousl...
Incorporation of Lysine- and Lysine Dipeptides into αs1-Casein by Ca2+-independent Microbial Transglutaminase

Ca2 +-independent microbial transglutaminase of a variant of Streptoverticillium mobaraense was compared with Ca2+ -dependent guinea pig liver transglutaminase as a tool for incorporating lysine or lysine dipeptides into a food protein. The microbial enzyme was able to incorporate up to ca. 12 mol lysine into a mole of citra- conylated αsl-casein. Twenty two lysine dipeptides could be the substrate for incorporation catalyzed by the enzyme. The microbial enzyme showed much higher incorporation of lysine or lysine dipeptides than the guinea pig liver enzyme, which was attributed to the higher themostability of the microbial enzyme.
The Role of Cytosolic Calcium in Chronic Adaptation to Phosphate Depletion in Opossum Kidney Cells

Chronic dietary phosphate restriction is associated with up-regulation of sodium-dependent phosphate (Na/Pi) cotransport by renal proximal tubular epithelial cells in association with increases in Na/Pi cotransporter mRNA and protein. We investigated whether changes in cytosolic calcium mediate this adaptive response in opossum kidney cells, a continuous line of renal epithelial cells. After 24 h of phosphate depletion, steady-state cytosolic calcium levels were increased; this increase was observed at physiologic levels of phosphate restriction and was prevented by the calcium channel blocker verapamil. Chronic phosphate depletion was also associated with parallel increases in Na/Pi cotransport activity, Na/Pi cotransporter mRNA, and Na/Pi cotransporter protein, all of which were blocked in verapamil-treated cells. Actinomycin D, at a dose that prevented the increase in NaPi-4 mRNA during phosphate depletion, also prevented the increase in Na/Pi cotransport activity. Incubation with the calcium ionophore ionomycin or A23187 reproduced the increase in Na/Pi cotransporter mRNA in phosphate-replete cells. Conversely, chelation of cytosolic calcium by quin-2/AM prevented the increase in Na/Pi cotransporter mRNA in phosphate-depleted cells. The effect of an increase in cytosolic calcium was specific for the Na/Pi cotransporter as mRNA levels for the sodium-dependent glucose transporter were not affected. Our observations suggest that chronic phosphate restriction increases steady-state cytosolic calcium, which, in turn, increases transcription of Na/Pi cotransporter mRNA, thereby stimulating Na/Pi cotransport activity.
White and Mexican Heritage Elders' Crime Victimization Perspectives

Abstract Prior research on the fear of crime among the elderly has shown that elders are more afraid of being a victim of crime than are younger persons and that such fears may vary depending upon where people reside. This study compares the level of fear of criminal victimization of elders living in three adjacent southwestern communities. White elders live in an age-restricted community within two of the studied communities. The third community is not age-restricted, and the elders who reside there are primarily of Mexican heritage. This study found that Mexican heritage elders expressed more fears associated with crime and victimization than did white elders. In studying gender differences, this study found no significant differences between the expressed level of fear of crime between male and female respondents. Nonetheless, most elders will undertake a variety of reasonable measures to protect themselves when they are home or go out, a finding that is consistent with previous research that studied w...
Land surface insulation response to snow depth variability

[1] The existing literature on heat diffusion through a snow-covered land surface deals primarily with snow cover presence or duration; however, the insulation property of a snowpack can vary substantially owing to the changes in snow thickness. Using SNTHERM, a one-dimensional snowpack energy and mass balance model, we have isolated the heat diffusion response to varying initial snow depths, including snow-free conditions, and assessed the magnitude of associated temperature and insulative energy flux anomalies within the entire snowpack-soil column system. A clear and substantial land surface insulative response to snow depth is identified over hourly, intraseasonal, and interannual time scales. The overall snow-soil system warms with increasing snow depth, but the surface snow layer cools slightly, generating decreased ground heat flux and increased sensible heat flux responses. This land surface thermal response is attributable to the increased insulative capacity of deeper snowpacks, which makes the underlying soil less responsive to solar radiation and air temperature fluctuations, and facilitates sustained warming by the bottom soil layer boundary. Furthermore, the overall effect of increasing snow depth due to insulation is comparable in magnitude to the effect of snow presence versus snow absence due to albedo.
Outer fractions in quadratic Jordan algebras

Abstract Using new techniques of Zelmanov, C. Martinez improved on work of Jacobson, McCrimmon, and Parvathi to give a necessary and sufficient Ore-type condition for an arbitrary linear Jordan algebra (with no 2- or 3-torsion) to have an algebra of fractions. In this paper we extend to quadratic algebras the concept of algebras of outer fractions with respect to an Ore monad, and describe necessary and sufficient Ore-type conditions for the embedding in such an algebra of fractions. The details of the actual embedding will appear in a subsequent paper.
Magazine readership profiles and depictions of African Americans in magazine advertisements

This study examines representation and portrayal of African Americans in magazine ads in light of readership profiles. General‐readership and primarily African American‐readership magazines were selected to represent women's, men's, business, and general interests. African Americans were underrepresented in general‐readership magazine ads relative to their readership levels while no underrepresentation was evident for European Americans. Both African Americans and European Americans were either proportionately represented or overrepresented relative to their respective readership levels in African American‐readership magazines. No racial biases were evident in ad role portrayals in either general‐or African American‐readership magazines. Efforts to increase representation of African Americans in magazine ads would serve both marketing interests and social concerns.
THE STRUCTURE OF RUSSIAN IMPERIAL HISTORY

Path dependency is most valuable tool for understanding Russian history since 1480, which coincides with the ending of the “Mongol yoke,” Moscow's annexation of northwest Russia, formerly controlled by Novgorod, and the introduction of new method for financing the cavalry—the core of new service class. The cavalry had to hold off formidable adversaries (first Lithuania, then the Crimean Tatars, then the Livonians, the Poles, the Swedes, and the Ottomans) for Muscovy to retain its independence. Russia in 1480 was poor country lacking subsurface mineral resources and with very poor climate and soil for the support of agriculture. These basic problems inspired autocratic power and by 1515 an ideology was in place justifying it. Religion, literature, and law were employed to support the autocracy. A variant of caste society was created to support the army. This made up the substance of the first service-class revolution in which all resources (human and intellectual) were mobilized to support garrison state. After 1667 the external threats to Muscovy diminished, but the service class kept its privileges, especially the land fund and the peasant-serfs. Russia faced major foreign threats again in 1700 and in the 1920s and 1930s. Those threats precipitated the second and third service-class revolutions. The second and third service-class revolutions broadly paralleled the first. Reinvigorated service classes were created with state institutions to support them. As society became more complex, so did the service classes and their privileges. Ideologies (Russian Orthodoxy and then Marxism-Leninism) were converted into devices to support the infallible autocratic ruler and his elites. Almost the entire population was bound to state service, either directly, working to support the service state, or paying taxes. The church and clergy were harnessed first by Peter's Holy Synod and then Stalin's Department 5 of the Secret Police after he revived the church during World War II. Writers and artists were also put into uniform, until they finally rebelled—but the arts retained their civic functions, first supporting the regime, and then criticizing it. Finally, law retained its traditional programmatic functions in regimes themselves beholden to no law. As the foreign threats diminished, the service classes lost their function, but the elite servicemen kept their privileges as the service states disintegrated and the service classes lost their collective elan. Both the Russian Empire (in 1917) and then the Soviet Empire (in 1991) collapsed almost without whimper.
Diffusion of aromatic hydrocarbons in silicalite/HZSM-5

Diffusion of benzene and the xylene isomers in silicalite/HZSM-5 has been studied by a wide range of different experimental techniques. The available data are reviewed in an attempt to draw general conclusions concerning the intracrystalline diffusion process. The results for benzene are remarkably consistent, and the conformity between transport and tracer diffusion and between single crystal membrane and ZLC and frequency response data suggests that diffusion is essentially isotropic with no significant difference between the self and “corrected” transport diffusivity. The situation is more complex for p-xylene which shows clear evidence of non-isotropic behavior and a significant difference between tracer and transport diffusivities.
Stable differentiation of a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line by sodium butyrate is associated with multidrug resistance

Colorectal cancers are often composed of cell types representing various differentiated cell lineages, however little is known concerning the relationship of differentiation and drug resistance in these cancers. The present study was performed to develop and characterize a stable, differentiated clone of the human colon cancer cell line LS174T and to characterize the drug resistance of this cell line in relation to its undifferentiated parental cell line. LS174T cell line was treated with the differentiating agent sodium butyrate (0.5 mM) for 30 days, then recultured in standard medium. Foci of flat-appearing cells appeared and were isolated using cloning rings, and subcloned. One subclone was designated LS174T-D. The LS174T-D clone maintains a stable, differentiated phenotype in standard culture conditions in the absence of sodium butyrate. It is characterized by the formation of a polarized monolayer with dome formation and the presence of prominent apical microvilli and tight junctions. This cell line demonstrated reduced growth in soft agar and nude mice compared with the parental cell line. LS174T-D cells expressed immunoreactive intestinal mucin antigens and brush border enzymes dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (DAP)-IV and aminopeptidase. The activities of DAP-IV and aminopeptidase were increased 5.6-fold and 3.4-fold, respectively, in LS174T-D compared with parental cells. Proliferation assays demonstrated that, compared with the parental cell line, LS174T-D cells were more resistant to doxorubicin (93-fold), cisplatin (23-fold), 5-fluorouracil (12-fold), 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (31-fold), and methotrexate (12.5-fold). Intracellular uptake of (3H)-5-fluorodeoxyuridine did not differ significantly in the differentiated and undifferentiated cell lines. Levels of mdr-1 p-glycoprotein measured by Western blot and RNA Northern blot assays were also similarly low in both cell lines. However, total glutathione content and glutathione-S-transferase activities were increased in LS174T-D cells by sixfold and threefold, respectively, compared with parental cells. Depletion of glutathione by pretreatment with DL-buthionine sulfoximine reversed LS174T-D resistance to cisplatin. Long-term treatment with sodium butyrate induces or selects for colon cancer cells with features of enterocytic differentiation. This stably differentiated cell line is associated with glutathione-mediated multidrug resistance, and provides a model for further studies of differentiation in normal and cancerous colon.
Genomic structure and functional characterization of NBPhox (PMX2B), a homeodomain protein specific to catecholaminergic cells that is involved in second messenger-mediated transcriptional activation.

Homeodomain proteins play essential roles in basic processes during embryogenesis and development. NBPhox, a vertebrate paired-like homeodomain protein specific to catecholaminergic cells, may have a fundamental role in determining and maintaining the catecholaminergic phenotype. Here we describe the human and mouse genomic structures and the functional characterization of NBPhox. The genomic structure of NBPhox is highly conserved at the nucleotide level between human and mouse and is also quite similar to that of other paired-like homeodomain proteins, Arix/Phox2a, CRX, OTX1, and OTX2. The human NBPhox gene (HGMW-approved symbol PMX2B) maps to chromosomal region 5p12-p13. When the NBPhox expression plasmid was introduced into PC12h cells, the transcription from the promoter of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene was slightly stimulated. However, NBPhox substantially enhances second messenger-mediated activation of the DBH promoter by forskolin and/or phorbol ester. Furthermore, we found that NBPhox can also enhance second messenger-mediated activation of the c-fos promoter and several enhancers, including cyclic AMP-response element, the binding site for activator protein 1, and serum-response element. Our findings provide strong evidence that a homeodomain protein is involved in the activation of several genetic regulatory elements responsive to second messenger-mediated signals. These data suggest that this family of proteins may be involved in determining and maintaining a cell-specific phenotype through regulation of certain genes responsive to second messenger-mediated signals.
Incorporation of a laser range scanner into an image-guided surgical system

Laser range scanners provide rapid and accurate non-contact methods for acquiring 3D surface data, offering many advntages over other techniques currently available during surgery. The range scanner was incorporated into our image-guided surgery system to augment registration and deformation compensation. A rigid body, embedded with IR diodes, was attached to the scanner for tracking in physical space with an optical localization system. The relationship between the scanner's coordinate system and the tracked rigid body was determined using a calibration phantom. Tracking of the scanner using the calibration phantom resulted in an error of 1.4±0.8 mm. Once tracked, data acquired intraoperatively from the range scanner data is registered with preoperative tomographic volumes using the Iterative Closest Point algorithm. Sensitivity studies were performed to ensure that this algorithm effectively reached a global minimum. In cases where tissue deformation is significant, rigid registrations can lead to inaccuracy during surgical navigation. Methods of non-rigid compensation may be necessary, and an initial study using a linearly elastic finite element model is presented. Differences between intraoperative and preoperative surfaces after rigid registration are used to formulate boundary conditions, and the resulting displacement field deforms the preoperative image volume. To test this protocol, a phantom was built, consisting of fiducial points and a silicone liver model. Range scan and CT data were captured both before and after deforming the organ. The pre-deformed images, after registration and modeling, were compared to post-deformation, although there is a noticeable improvement by implementing the finite element model. To improve accuracy, more elaborate surface registration and deformation compensation strategies will be investigated. To improve accuracy, more elaborate surface registration and deformation compensation strategies will be investigated. The ragne scanner is an innovative, uncumbersome, and relatively inexpensive method of collecting intraoperative data. It has been integrated into our image-guided surgical system and software with virtually no overhead.
Particle focusing in microfluidic devices

Focusing particles (both biological and synthetic) into a tight stream is usually a necessary step prior to counting, detecting, and sorting them. The various particle focusing approaches in microfluidic devices may be conveniently classified as sheath flow focusing and sheathless focusing. Sheath flow focusers use one or more sheath fluids to pinch the particle suspension and thus focus the suspended particles. Sheathless focusers typically rely on a force to manipulate particles laterally to their equilibrium positions. This force can be either externally applied or internally induced by channel topology. Therefore, the sheathless particle focusing methods may be further classified as active or passive by the nature of the forces involved. The aim of this article is to introduce and discuss the recent developments in both sheath flow and sheathless particle focusing approaches in microfluidic devices.
Peer Reviewed Article The Dramaturgy of Dialect

(2009). Peer Reviewed Article The Dramaturgy of Dialect. Voice and Speech Review: Vol. 6, Moving Voice, pp. 413-424.
The Effects of Anterior Hypothalamic Lesions on Short-Day Responses in Siberian Hamsters Given Timed Melatonin Infusions

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is an area of dense 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin binding in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) that is suggestive of a possible role in the reception and/or relaying of melatonin (MEL) signals. Indeed, in pinealectomized male Siberian hamsters given short day (SD) MEL signals (long-duration MEL infusions), lesions of the SCN (SCNx) block testicular regression and decreases in body and fat pad masses seen in identically treated hamsters with sham lesions (SCNs). In similar studies using Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), anterior hypothalamic lesions (AHx), but not SCNx, blocked SD MEL signal-induced gonadal regression despite the similarity in the 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin binding pattern between the two species. The discrepancy between the ability of SCNx to block the reception of SD MEL signals between the two species is puzzling, given the similarity in the reproductive status of the Syrian and Siberian hamsters to systemically administered and timed MEL infusions. One possible way of reconciling the differences between these studies was that ancillary damage to areas neighboring the SCN, including the AH, may have occurred in our attempt to achieve complete SCNx in Siberian hamsters. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to challenge AHx Siberian hamsters with SD MEL signals. Adult male hamsters were pinealectomized, fitted with subcutaneous catheters, and given daily timed infusions of MEL for 5 or 10 h (long day-like and short day-like, respectively) or the saline vehicle for 6 wk following bilateral electrolytic, or sham (AHs) lesions of the AH. Hamsters receiving 10 h MEL infusions that lacked evidence of anatomical or functional damage to the SCN showed SD-like gonadal regression, decreases in body and fat pad mass, and food intake similar to that observed in AHs animals. In contrast, 10 h MEL-infused SCNx hamsters did not exhibit SD-like responses, a finding confirming our previous report. These data suggest that interspecies differences exist between Syrian and Siberian hamsters in central nervous system sites and pathways involved in the reception/transmission of SD MEL signals.
Cosmetic Isotope Analyses Applied to River Longitudinal Profile Evolution: Problems and Interpretations

The use of cosmogenic isotopes to determine surface exposure ages has grown rapidly in recent years. The extent to which cosmogenic nuclides can distinguish between mechanistic hypotheses of landscape evolution is an important issue in geomorphology. We present a case study to determine whether surface exposure dating techniques can elucidate the role knickpoint propagation plays in longitudinal profile evolution. Cosmogenically produced 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 3He and 21Ne were measured in olivines collected from 5·2 Ma basalt flows on Kauai, Hawaii. Several obstacles had to be overcome prior to the measurement of In situ-produced radionuclides, including removal of meteoric 10Be from the olivine grains. Discrepancies between the radionuclide and noble gas data may suggest limits for exposure dating. Approximate surface exposure ages calculated from the nuclide concentrations indicate that large boulders may remain in the Hawaiian valley below the knickpoint for hundreds of thousands of years. The ages of samples collected above the knickpoint are consistent with estimates of erosion based on the preservation of palaeosurfaces. Although the exposure ages can neither confirm nor reject the nickpoint hypothesis, boulder ages downstream of the knickpoint are consistent with a wave of incision passing upvalley. The long residence time off the coarse material in the valley bottom further suggests that knickpoint propagation beneath a boulder pile is necessary for incision of the bedrock underlying the boulders to occur. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
College-age twins: university admission policies / twin research: birth weight and neuromotor performance; transfusion syndrome markers; vanishing twins and fetal sex determination; mz twin discordance for wilson's disease / media: big at birth; planned separation of conjoined twins; x factor twins; Cinema: the identical.

There is a lack of research findings addressing the unique college admissions issues faced by twins and other multiples. The advantages and disadvantage twins face, as reported by college administrators, twins and families are reviewed. Next, recent research addressing twins’ birth weight and neuromotor performance, transfusion syndrome markers, the vanishing twin syndrome and monozygotic (MZ) twin discordance for Wilson's disease is described. News items concerning the birth of unusually large twins, the planned separation of conjoined twins, twin participants in the X Factor games and a film, The Identical , are also summarized.
The retained surgical specimen, an unappreciated retained foreign object.

Abstract A retained foreign object is a preventable surgical error and has typically been considered a surgical instrument, needle, or sponge. A new retained surgical object is a retained surgical specimen (RSS). This case study outlines the nature of the RSS, the paradigm shift that has led to this becoming a new healthcare error, and steps to prevent this new type of retained object from occurring.
How Often Do Providers Discuss Asthma Action Plans With Children? Analysis of Transcripts of Medical Visits

Objective. To examine how often providers discussed asthma action plans with children and their caregivers and child, clinical, and provider characteristics that were associated with those discussions. Method. This was a cross-sectional analysis of audio-recorded visits between 35 general pediatric providers and 260 children (8-16 years old) with asthma and their caregivers. The visits were transcribed into text. The transcripts were coded for discussions about written asthma action plans. Results. Providers discussed written asthma action plans with 21.0% of children and caregivers. Providers were significantly more likely to discuss asthma action plans when the child was enrolled in Medicaid, the visit was asthma related, the visit was longer, the provider was not White, or more provider education. Conclusion. In our sample, providers rarely discussed action plans with children and their caregivers. Providers should discuss asthma action plans with every child with persistent asthma and their caregivers...
The Efficacy of Spinal Decompression via DRX3000 Combined with a Spinal Mobilization and a Lumbar Stabilization Exercise Program for Patients with Discogenic Low Back Pain

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of motorized spinal decompression using the DRX3000 system (Axiom Worldwide, Tampa, FL, USA) combined with spinal mobilization as well as lumbar stabilization exercises on patients with discogenic low back pain (LBP). [Subjects] A total of 30 adults with discogenic LBP (mean age, 34.06 ± 6.41 years; age range, 28-48 years; 14 males, 16 females) volunteered to participate in this study. [Methods] A 4-week course of spinal decompression treatment combined with motorized flexion-distraction mobilization and lumbar stabilization exercises were administered to the participants for 6 days per week for the first two weeks, and four times per week for two additional weeks. The entire treatment consisted of 20 visits over a 4-week period. Comparisons of changes in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and straight leg raise (SLR) test at pre-intervention, after 10 treatment sessions, and at discharge (after 20 treatment sessions) were analyzed. [Results] There were significant improvements in the outcome measures of ODI score and SLR test after 10 and 20 sessions of spinal decompression treatment combined with spinal mobilization and lumbar stabilization exercises as compared with the pre-intervention. [Conclusion] Spinal decompression treatment combined with spinal mobilization and lumbar stabilization exercises significantly improved the clinical outcome measures of ODI score and SLR test in patients with LBP secondary to intervertebral disc herniation.
Parent-of-Origin Effects on Gene Expression and DNA Methylation in the Maize Endosperm

Imprinting describes the differential expression of alleles based on their parent of origin. Deep sequencing of RNAs from maize (Zea mays) endosperm and embryo tissue 14 d after pollination was used to identify imprinted genes among a set of ~12,000 genes that were expressed and contained sequence polymorphisms between the B73 and Mo17 genotypes. The analysis of parent-of-origin patterns of expression resulted in the identification of 100 putative imprinted genes in maize endosperm, including 54 maternally expressed genes (MEGs) and 46 paternally expressed genes (PEGs). Three of these genes have been previously identified as imprinted, while the remaining 97 genes represent novel imprinted maize genes. A genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation identified regions with reduced endosperm DNA methylation in, or near, 19 of the 100 imprinted genes. The reduced levels of DNA methylation in endosperm are caused by hypomethylation of the maternal allele for both MEGs and PEGs in all cases tested. Many of the imprinted genes with reduced DNA methylation levels also show endosperm-specific expression patterns. The imprinted maize genes were compared with imprinted genes identified in genome-wide screens of rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis thaliana, and at least 10 examples of conserved imprinting between maize and each of the other species were identified.
Wiresizing with buffer placement and sizing for power-delay tradeoffs

With the increasing influence of the resistive effects of interconnects on the performance of VLSI systems, a greater stress is being laid on careful interconnect design. One prominent technique is the approach of sizing wires for long interconnects to achieve the desired speed and power characteristics. It has also been suggested that one may appropriately insert repeaters for significant delay reductions. This paper unifies these approaches to optimizing an interconnect by placing a prespecified number of buffers (drivers and repeaters) using a dynamic programming procedure and then performing simultaneous wire and buffer sizing using a sensitivity-based heuristic. Experimental results are presented to prove the utility and performance of the approach.
Wafer-mapping of hot carrier lifetime due to physical stress effects (MOSFET)

It is pointed out that wafer-mapping of physical stresses by X-ray diffraction of a silicided CMOS process shows regions of both very high and low stress levels. The regions of high stress consistently have increased subthreshold slopes and are much more sensitive to hot-carrier induced threshold voltage shifts. Hot carrier lifetime variations over two orders of magnitude are explicitly shown to correlate with the physical stress level within a given highly stressed wafer. To optimally deliver maximum device performance with high reliability, it is essential that physical stress levels be measured, understood, and minimized. >
Meta-Analysis of Prospective Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Intracoronary Versus Intravenous Abciximab in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Abciximab is a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor that has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). An earlier study reported better efficacy with intracoronary (IC) compared to intravenous (IV) administration, but this finding has not been duplicated in other studies, thus leaving a great deal of uncertainty as to the most efficacious route of administration. To investigate if IC abciximab compared to IV administration decreases mortality and major adverse cardiac events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who undergo pPCI, a meta-analysis was performed consisting only of prospective randomized controlled trials. Subgroup analysis was performed to investigate the source of difference in efficacy between the 2 strategies. A meta-analysis of 4 trials including 1,148 subjects revealed that IC abciximab significantly reduced mortality compared to IV administration (1.5% vs 3.6%, odds ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.95, p = 0.04). Major adverse cardiac events were also reduced in a subgroup in which <30% of patients received aspiration thrombectomy (6.1% vs 16.2%, odds ratio 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.61, p = 0.0004). In conclusion, the totality of the data available from relatively small but high-quality studies shows a significant mortality reduction associated using IC abciximab for pPCI compared to IV abciximab. IC abciximab in the setting of pPCI for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction may be beneficial for patients with higher risk profiles.
Flexibility in assessment of prey cues: frog-eating bats and frog calls.

Predators use cues associated with their prey to assess prey quality and to avoid consuming poisonous prey. Considerable attention has been given to predators’ use of aposematic cues to assess prey quality, but little is known about predators that eavesdrop on prey cues that are not intended for them. Here we investigate the prey-cue/prey-quality associations of a predator that eavesdrops on the sexual advertisement signals of its prey. Stability is expected in prey-cue/prey-quality associations when mistakes in prey assessment are lethal. Conversely, flexibility is possible when mistakes are less costly. Predators that must respond to temporal and spatial fluctuations in prey availability should be more flexible in their assessment of prey quality. Given these predictions, we examined flexibility in the ability of wild-caught bats to reverse preycue/prey-quality associations for a preferred prey and a poisonous one. We found that the predatory bat, Trachops cirrhosus, has a heretofore undescribed ability to reverse its evaluations of the cues that signal preferred prey.
Selective Sequential Zero-Base Budgeting Procedures Based on Total Factor Productivity Indicators

The authors' purpose in this paper is to develop productivity-based sequential budgeting procedures designed to expedite identification of major problem areas in bugetary performance, as well as to reduce the costs associated with comprehensive zero-base analyses. The concept of total factor productivity is reviewed and its relations to ordinary and zero-based budgeting are discussed in detail. An outline for a selective sequential analysis based on monitoring of three key indicators of a implicitly budgeted total factor productivity; b revenue growth; and c profitability; is suggested. It is argued that this approach is instrumental in promoting a more systematic performance analysis, which is capable of revealing hidden efficiency shortfalls and is potentially cost and time saving. Additionally, this type of productivity-based budgeting is shown via use of an actual application to provide all the informational inputs for a full-fledged analysis of expected budgetary distribution of productivity gains among various categories of employees, shareholders and customers.
Ultrafast Structural Dynamics Inside Planar Phospholipid Multibilayer Model Cell Membranes Measured with 2D IR Spectroscopy

The ultrafast dynamics in the interior of planar aligned multibilayers of 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (dilauroylphosphatidylcholine, DLPC) are investigated using 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy. The nonpolar and water insoluble vibrational dynamics probe, tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)6), is located in the alkane interior of the membranes. The 2D IR experiments conducted on the antisymmetric CO stretching mode measure spectral diffusion caused by the structural dynamics of the membrane from ∼200 fs to ∼200 ps as a function of the number of water molecules hydrating the head groups and as a function of cholesterol content for a fixed hydration level. FT-IR studies of the lipid bilayers and the model liquids, hexadecane and bis(2-ethylhexyl) succinate, indicate that as the number of hydrating water molecules increases from 2 to 16, there are structural changes in the membrane that partition some of the W(CO)6 into the ester region of DLPC. However, the 2D IR measurements, which are made sole...
Hybrid discriminative/class-specific classifiers for narrowband signals

The class-specific (CS) method of signal classification operates by computing low-dimensional feature sets defined for each signal class of interest. By computing separate feature sets tailored to each class, i.e., CS features, the CS method avoids estimating probability distributions in a high-dimension feature space common to all classes. Building a CS classifier amounts to designing feature extraction modules for each class of interest. In this paper we present the design of three CS modules used to form a CS classifier for narrowband signals of finite duration. A general module for narrowband signals based on a narrowband tracker is described. The only assumptions this module makes regarding the time evolution of the signal spectrum are: (1) one or more narrowband lines are present, and (2) the lines wandered either not at all, e.g., CW signal, or with a purpose, e.g., swept FM signal. The other two modules are suited for specific classes of waveforms and assume some a priori knowledge of the signal is available from training data. For in situ training, the tracker-based module can be used to detect as yet unobserved waveforms and classify them into general categories, for example short CW, long CW, fast FM, slow FM, etc. Waveform-specific class-models can then be designed using these waveforms for training. Classification results are presented comparing the performance of a probabilistic conventional classifier with that of a CS classifier built from general modules and a CS classifier built from waveform-specific modules. Results are also presented for hybrid discriminative/generative versions of the classifiers to illustrate the performance gains attainable in using a hybrid over a generative classifier alone.
Multi-Input Multi-Output Free Space Optical Satellite Communication Links

Very high-speed data links from fast-moving mobile terminals to satellites are attractive in many military applications. In order to provide such high-speed data rates we consider a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) free space optical (FSO) system for the earth-to-satellite link. In this case the signal is transmitted via closely-spaced multiple transmit apertures and the receiver consists of multiple apertures. Mobility of the transmit platform will introduce beam pointing errors which will degrade the system performance. In this paper we determine the capacity of this MIMO FSO system in the presence of beam pointing errors for a set of typical operating parameters.
Alpha-particle emission from contaminants in counter materials

Energy spectra of surface activities from thorium and uranium contaminants have been investigated for typical counter materials. Soft-tempered stainless steel with a rate of 1.2 ± 0.1 α-particles emitted per 100 cm2 in one hour was found better than other stainless steel and far better than brass and aluminum. Energy spectra provide information about the contaminating activity and about its depth profile. Thorium, uranium and 210Pb contamination was also observed for thin sources of other materials including isotopically enriched materials.
A Four-Legged Social Robot Based on a Smartphone

This paper presents a simple four-legged robot platform that can transform a smartphone or tablet into an autonomous walking social robot. Smartphones are already designed to be easy to interact with and to assist humans in everyday activities. They are also equipped with impressive computational resources and powerful sensors. As such they can serve as a powerful controller for a robot. By giving them four legs they have the added abilities to walk about our environments and express themselves using posture and body language. An example of such a four-legged robot is described in this paper along with a preliminary exploration of its capabilities as a social robot. Simple walking and posturing are demonstrated in ways that show how such a robot can better play the role of companion or assistant in the office or home. The platform is designed and built using inexpensive off-the-shelf components and can serve as an affordable development system for students and practitioners who wish to study social robotics.
Getting Your IACUC Proposal Approved

Before the use of animals in any type of study can be done, the investigator must formulate and submit a proposal to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). A self-regulating entity, the IACUC is a part of any institution that uses laboratory animals for research or instructional purposes and oversees all aspects of an institution’s animal care and use. The IACUC protocol is an important element in establishing a research project for the principal investigator (PI) and his/her lab members as well as the institution under which the laboratory resides. In keeping with federal regulations, under the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act passed by Congress in 1966 (Public Law 89–544 Act of August 24, 1966. National Agriculture Library. United States Department of Agriculture. http://awic.nal.usda.gov/public-law-89-544-act-august-24-1966. Accessed 13 Jan 2013), this ensures the safety and humane handling of animals during your research. A properly reviewed and approved protocol will give your project merit and will help you focus on your project’s rationale and validity. Many IACUCs will have a specific application form to fill out. Here we provide a step-by-step introduction to writing, revising, and achieving approval of an IACUC protocol for research involving the use of laboratory animals. Where appropriate, examples from our own approved IACUC protocols are given.