cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Economic and Ethical Considerations in Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization

New devices for catheter-based coronary revascularization provide substantial economic and ethical challenges. It is important for new technologies to undergo rigorous evaluation, and for the outcome assessment to include long-term follow-up. The outcome should include medical resource use and economic end points, as well as the traditional clinical measures, so that the cost-effectiveness of new technology can be assessed. Society must strike a balance between uncontrolled proliferation of new technology and the stifling of innovation by restrictive regulatory and reimbursement policies. The clinical investigator and interventional cardiologist must be aware of the potential of new technology to pose ethical dilemmas, and establish checks and balances to protect against abuses.
Photopatternable Conductive PDMS Materials for Microfabrication

Conductive photodefinable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites that provide both high electrical conductivity and photopatternability have been developed. The photosensitive composite materials, which consist of a photosensitive component, a conductive filler, and a PDMS pre-polymer, can be used as a negative photoresist or a positive photoresist with an additional curing agent. A standard photolithographic approach has been used to fabricate conductive elastomeric microstructures. Feature sizes of 60 µm in the positive photoresist and 10 µm in the negative photoresist have been successfully achieved. Moreover, as the conductive filler, silver powders significantly improve the electrical conductivity of the PDMS polymer, but also provide enhanced mechanical and thermal properties as well as interesting biological properties. The combined electrical, mechanical, thermal, and biological properties along with photopatternability make the PDMS-Ag composite an excellent processable and structural material for various microfabrication applications.
The design of flexible robotic manipulators with optimal arm geometries fabricated from composite laminates with optimal material properties

The fabrication of lightweight robot arms in composite mate rials and the ability of robotic devices to dissipate residual vibrations at the termination of a maneuver have both been highlighted as key research problems in a recent report pub lished by the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assess ment. Both problems are addressed here. We develop a method for optimally configuring the geometry and the mate rial fabrication parameters of hollow box members for robo tic manipulators constructed with composite laminates. We do it by integrating a formulation for laminated beams with a recent approach for predicting the damping characteristics of laminates before incorporating this general theory into an optimization algorithm, which permits general constraint conditions to be imposed on the solution procedure.To illustrate the proposed design methodology, we give an example of an industrial manipulator with flexible links that describes three-dimensional motion. We make a comparative study of the initial ro...
Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the refractive index of LiF

Abstract The refractive index of LiF increases linearly with pressure to 7 kbars, contrary to recent date reported in the literature.
Myocyte vascular endothelial growth factor is required for exercise-induced skeletal muscle angiogenesis.

We have previously shown, using a Cre-LoxP strategy, that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is required for the development and maintenance of skeletal muscle capillarity in sedentary adult...
Ultrafast Electronic Dynamics in Unipolar n-Doped InGaAs–GaAs Self-Assembled Quantum Dots

The dynamics of electron capture and relaxation in an n-doped quantum-dot (QD) infrared detector structure are studied directly in the time domain using ultrafast intraband-pump-interband-probe differential transmission spectroscopy. Femtosecond midinfrared pulses are used to excite electrons from the doped QDs into the conduction band continuum, and the complete electron distribution functions are monitored as a function of time using an interband probe. Because only electrons are excited and no holes are present, the electron-hole scattering which dominates the relaxation in bipolar systems is not present, and the measurement yields the electron dynamics exclusively. Excitation-dependent electron capture times were measured from 40 to <10 ps with increasing pump intensity. Intradot inter-level relaxation times were observed to be ~100 ps, driven by Auger-type electron-electron scattering. Nanosecond-scale dynamics in the n=1 state were also observed and attributed to transport effects. Our results indicate that the phonon bottleneck in the QDs is circumvented by Auger scattering; nevertheless, the electron dynamics in the unipolar device are found to be slower than those observed in bipolar systems, which confirms the significance of the holes in the carrier relaxation in bipolar devices. The results also support the improved operation of QD infrared photodetectors relative to quantum-well-based devices
Aflatoxin Toxicity Reduction in Feed by Enhanced Binding to Surface-Modified Clay Additives

Animal feeding studies have demonstrated that clay additives, such as bentonites, can bind aflatoxins in ingested feed and reduce or eliminate the toxicity. Bentonite deposits are found throughout the world and mostly consist of expandable smectite minerals, such as montmorillonite. The surfaces of smectite minerals can be treated with organic compounds to create surface-modified clays that more readily bind some contaminants than the untreated clay. Montmorillonites treated with organic cations, such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) and phenyltrimethylammonium (PTMA), more effectively remove organic contaminants, such as benzene and toluene, from water than untreated clay. Similarly, montmorillonite treated with PTMA (Kd = 24,100) retained more aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) from aqueous corn flour than untreated montmorillonite (Kd = 944). Feed additives that reduced aflatoxin toxicity in animal feeding studies adsorbed more AfB1 from aqueous corn flour than feed additives that were less effective. The organic cations HDTMA and PTMA are considered toxic and would not be suitable for clay additives used in feed or food, but other non-toxic or nutrient compounds can be used to prepare surface-modified clays. Montmorillonite (SWy) treated with choline (Kd = 13,800) and carnitine (Kd = 3960) adsorbed much more AfB1 from aqueous corn flour than the untreated clay (Kd = 944). A choline-treated clay prepared from a reduced-charge, high-charge montmorillonite (Kd = 20,100) adsorbed more AfB1 than the choline-treated high-charge montmorillonite (Kd = 1340) or the untreated montmorillonite (Kd = 293). Surface-modified clay additives prepared using low-charge smectites and nutrient or non-toxic organic compounds might be used to more effectively bind aflatoxins in contaminated feed or food and prevent toxicity.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy with field rotation-a time-varying fractionation study

This paper proposes a novel mathematical approach to the beam selection problem in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning. The approach allows more beams to be used over the course of therapy while limiting the number of beams required in any one session. In the proposed field rotation method, several sets of beams are interchanged throughout the treatment to allow a wider selection of beam angles than would be possible with fixed beam orientations. The choice of beamlet intensities and the number of identical fractions for each set are determined by a mixed integer linear program that controls jointly for the distribution per fraction and the cumulative dose distribution delivered to targets and critical structures. Trials showed the method allowed substantial increases in the dose objective and/or sparing of normal tissues while maintaining cumulative and fraction size limits. Trials for a head and neck site showed gains of 25%–35% in the objective (average tumor dose) and for a thoracic site gains were 7%–13%, depending on how strict the fraction size limits were set. The objective did not rise for a prostate site significantly, but the tolerance limits on normal tissues could be strengthened with the use of multiple beam sets.
The epigenesis of regional specificity

Chomskyian claims of a genetically hard-wired and cognitively autonomous “universal grammar” are being promoted by generative linguistics as facts about language to the present day. The related doctrine of an evolutionary discontinuity in language emergence, however, is based on misconceptions about the notions of homology and preadaptation. The obvious lack of equivalence between symbolic communicative capacities in existing nonhuman primates and human language does not preclude common roots. Normal and disordered language development is strongly influenced by the genome, but there is no evidence for the existence of specific genes underlying “universal grammar.” In the mature brain, stages of language processing can be distinguished and “first-pass” syntactic analyses appear to precede semantic decoding. However, this partial seriality – as well as behavioral and clinical dissociations between lexical and functional categories – can be best described, not in terms of serially activated and discrete modules, but in terms of classes of cell assemblies that differ in their distributional properties. Whereas cell assemblies involved in semantic interpretation (“content word” assemblies) are widely distributed and are generally less vulnerable to focal lesion, those involved in structural decoding (functor assemblies) are primarily distributed within the left perisylvian cortices and are selectively vulnerable to left perisylvian lesion. These distributional differences are explained in terms of the perceptuomotor components involved in the acquisition of relevant representations. The emerging “motivated” or “toposemantic” brain regional specificity can only be accommodated with “soft” and maturational versions of modularity. The failure to reproduce double dissociations in current connectionist models is due to overly simple neuroscientific assumptions, notably that of overall equipotentiality. Linguistic models should not be expected to be “implemented” in the brain, but need to be constrained by neuroscientific evidence on how biological brains function.
Massive infection and loss of CD4+ T cells occurs in the intestinal tract of neonatal rhesus macaques in acute SIV infection

Rapid, profound, and selective depletion of memory CD4+ T cells has now been confirmed to occur in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)–infected adult macaques and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected humans. Within days of infection, marked depletion of memory CD4+ T cells occurs primarily in mucosal tissues, the major reservoir for memory CD4+ T cells in adults. However, HIV infection in neonates often results in higher viral loads and rapid disease progression, despite the paucity of memory CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood. Here, we examined the immunophenotype of CD4+ T cells in normal and SIV-infected neonatal macaques to determine the distribution of naive and memory T-cell subsets in tissues. We demonstrate that, similar to adults, neonates have abundant memory CD4+ T cells in the intestinal tract and spleen and that these are selectively infected and depleted in primary SIV infection. Within 12 days of SIV infection, activated (CD69+), central memory (CD95+CD28+) CD4+ T cells are marked and persistently depleted in the intestine and other tissues of neonates compared with controls. The results in dicate that “activated” central memory CD4+ T cells are the major target for early SIV infection and CD4+ T cell depletion in neonatal macaques.
Reading Cinephilia in Kikar Ha‐Halomot/Desperado Square, viewing the local and transnational in Sangam/confluence

The opening sequence of Benny Torati's Kikar Ha‐Halomot/Desperado Square (2000) shows a sparse and dusty landscape dotted with ramshackle houses. On an unpaved road, Yisrael‐the‐Indian, an aficiona...
Nissen fundoplication has a vagolytic effect on the lower esophageal sphincter

Background: Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is an increasingly utilized option for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, many questions remain as to the mechanism by which this operation prevents GERD in those without hiatal hernias or incompetent lower esophageal sphincters (LES). It is known that these patients experience reflux due to excess transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESR), inappropriate and short-lived relaxation of the LES and crural diaphragm. The purpose of this study was to determine if Nissen fundoplication affects the neural pathways involved in the TLESR reflex. Methods: Five dogs were anesthetized and intubated. Both vagal nerves and the right phrenic nerve were isolated. A continuous water perfusion manometric catheter was situated at the LES. The nerves were then electrically stimulated and the resultant pressure at the LES measured at baseline, and during and after an open Nissen fundoplication. Results: The mean LES pressures before dissection, after esophago-gastric mobilization, and after fundoplication were 47 ± 13 mmHg, 21 ± 9 mmHg, and 14 ± 4 mmHg, respectively. All differences were significant. There was no change noted in LES pressure with stimulation of either or both of the phrenic nerves without concomitant vagal stimulation. Conclusion: Nissen fundoplication may prevent GERD in those without a hiatal hernia or incompetent LES by disrupting the efferent vagal fibers to the LES. Such fibers mediate TLESR which are responsible for GERD in these patients.
Non-linear spin fluctuations and phase transitions in itinerant electron magnets: CMR manganites

Abstract We present a review analyzing the effects of coupling of transverse magnons with longitudinal spin fluctuations in isotropic itinerant ferro- and antiferromagnets. It is shown that this coupling essentially changes the spectrum of longitudinal fluctuations. At low-temperatures their spectrum is dominated by the linear Landau relaxation, is purely quasielastic and described by a broad central peak of a paramagnon type. On approaching the critical temperature non-linear magnetic relaxation due to mode–mode couplings can dominate and lead to a rapid increase of the central peak and to a new mechanism of magnetic phase transitions governed by non-linear spin fluctuations. The formalism is applied to the CMR manganites where the observed quasielastic fluctuations can be viewed as non-linear spin-lattice fluctuations strongly affected by magnons.
Geometric Clutch model version 3: the role of the inner and outer arm dyneins in the ciliary beat.

The Geometric Clutch model of ciliary and flagellar beating uses the transverse force (t-force) that develops between the outer doublets of the axoneme as the regulator for activating and deactivating the dynein motors and organizing the flagellar beat. The version of the model described here adds detail to the formulations used in the two previous versions as follows: (1) In place of two opposing sets of dyneins, the new model has four sets of dyneins, corresponding to two sets on each side of the axoneme acting in series. (2) The four sets of dyneins are each subdivided into two ranks representing inner and outer arm dyneins. (3) The force produced by each dynein is governed by a force-velocity relationship that is independently specified for the inner and outer arms. Consistent with the original model, the new version of the Geometric Clutch model can simulate both the effective and recovery stroke phases of the ciliary beat using a single uniform algorithm. In addition, the new version can operate with the outer arms disabled. Under this condition, the simulation exhibits a beat pattern similar to the original but the beat frequency is reduced to approximately one third. These results are contingent on using force-velocity relationships for the inner and outer arms similar to those described by Brokaw [1999: Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 42:134–148], where the inner arms contribute most of the driving force at low shear velocities. This constitutes the first examination of the effects of the force-velocity characteristics of dynein on a cilia-like beat in a theoretical framework. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 52:242–254, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reliable evaluation of neural networks

Abstract The setting is a neural network receiving random inputs. These may be thought of as providing data for evaluation trials. The inputs may be the same as the inputs used on the training trials that produced the network. The main result is an explicit bound on the probability that the average output in the evaluation trials differs from the expected long-range output.
The One-Electron Oxidation of an Azazirconacyclobutene in the Presence of B(C6F5)3

Erker has used B(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}){sub 3} to generate active olefin polymerization catalysts by opening zirconacycles. In an effort to extend this work a heteroatom-substituted zirconacycle was treated with B(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}){sub 3}. The result is a partial oxidation to a radical cation. A typical {sup 1}H NMR of the heteroatom-substituted zirconacycle after the addition of B(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}){sub 3}. One set of phenyl resonances has broadened to the point of disappearance: The t-Bu signal has broadened substantially: the other phenyl resonances did not broaden significantly; the chemical shifts remain unchanged. Less broadening is observed when smaller amounts of B(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}){sub 3} are added. There is no immediate change in the {sup 19}F NMR of the B(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}){sub 3}. Such selective broadening has been seen in the {sup 1}H NMR spectrum of partially oxidized chlorophyll a and explained by electron exchange with the corresponding radical cation.
On the output stabilization of nonlinear/uncertain systems

This paper considers the problem of stabilizing a class of dynamical systems with matched bounded nonlinearities/uncertainties. Stabilization is accomplished via feedback of the output, solely. The feedback stabilizing control is switching in nature and guarantees that the system is not only globally uniformly asymptotically stable but that the norm of the state vector decays exponentially to zero. A continuous version of this control is also offered as well as an illustrative example.
Effects of tropomyosin internal deletion Δ23Tm on isometric tension and the cross‐bridge kinetics in bovine myocardium

Tropomyosin (Tm) spans seven actin monomers and contains seven quasi-repeating, loosely similar regions, 1–7. Deletion of regions 2–3 decreases the in vitro sliding speed of synthetic filaments of actin-Tm-Troponin (Tn), and weakens Tm binding to the actin-myosin subfragment 1 (S1) complex (acto-S1). The thin filament was selectively removed from bovine myocardium by gelsolin, and the actin filament was reconstituted, followed by further reconstitution with Tm and Tn. In this reconstitution, full-length Tm (control) was compared with Tm internal deletion mutant Δ23Tm, which lacks residues 47–123 (regions 2–3). The effects of phosphate, MgATP, MgADP and Ca2+ were studied in Tm-reconstituted myocardium and Δ23Tm-reconstituted myocardium at pH 7.00 and 25 °C. In Δ23Tm, both isometric tension and stiffness were about 40 % of the control. The Hill factor with Δ23Tm, deduced from the pCa-tension plot, was 1.4 times that of the control, but the Ca2+ sensitivity was the same. Sinusoidal analysis indicated that the cross-bridge number in force-generating states was not decreased with Δ23Tm. We conclude that the thin filament cooperativity is increased with Δ23Tm, presumably because of the increased density of the Ca2+-binding sites. We further conclude that tension per cross-bridge is 40 % of control and stiffness per cross-bridge is 40 % of control in Δ23Tm. These results are consistent with the idea that Tm modifies the actin-myosin interface so as to increase the stereospecific interaction between moieties of actin and myosin. In Δ23Tm, the interface may not have a perfect stereospecific match so that the tension- and stiffness-generating capacity is greatly diminished.
Material Issues in Real Device Application of Multi-function Hard Mask Process

We have studied the applicability of MFHM (Multi-Functional Hard Mask) processl. MFHM is very usefill in terms of cost reduction and process simplicity compared to a-carbon process. ln our study, MFHM/SOC (Spin on Carbon) showed a good etch selectivity at L/S (Photoresist/MFHM/SOC ≈ 1.4/7) and C/H (Photoresist/MFHM/SOC &asymp l/1.4/10) if Si content is higher than 35wt%. Dry rework process is applicable for removal of a11 films and wet process is also possible for removal ti11 MFHM. However, footing of photoresist profile on MFHM is problematic. We have studied to know exact mechanism of footing and to find its solution. The introduction of inter-1ayer between photoresist and MFHM will be short-term solution. Defbet related to material is another issue in integration. Defect level is still high compared to a-carbon process but is not unbearable. Several approaches to solve footing and defect will be discussed in this paper.
Extracellular Potentials Related to Intracellular Action Potentials in the Dog Purkinje System

Simultaneous extracellular and intracellular recordings of normal action potentials, action potentials initiated at a time when the membrane was partially depolarized (by premature beats or elevated extracellular potassium), and action potentials at reduced temperature were made for Purkinje strands from the left ventricle of the dog with a 50µ tungsten extracellur electrode and a special guarded intracellular microelectrode. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the extracellular wave form was proportional to the maximum rate of rise of the intracellular action potential, and the duration of the extracellular wave form was proportional of the duration of the upstroke of the intracellular potential. Wave forms of extracellular potentials were computed from the recorded intracellular potentials with an equation which included the effects of membrane currents away from the point of observation. The computed wave forms accurately reproduced the recorded extracellular wave forms in all cases, and the wave forms were not directly porportional to the second spatial derivative or the second temporal derivative of the intracellular potential. Extracellular potentials are shown to be directly related to the spatial distribution of the intracellular potential and as such are a sensitive index of propagation and a source of information of the kind previously thought to be obtainable only with an intracllular electrode.
IL-17 is essential for host defense against cutaneous Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of skin and soft tissue infections, and rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant strains are creating a serious public health concern. If immune-based therapies are to be an alternative to antibiotics, greater understanding is needed of the protective immune response against S. aureus infection in the skin. Although neutrophil recruitment is required for immunity against S. aureus, a role for T cells has been suggested. Here, we used a mouse model of S. aureus cutaneous infection to investigate the contribution of T cells to host defense. We found that mice deficient in γδ but not αβ T cells had substantially larger skin lesions with higher bacterial counts and impaired neutrophil recruitment compared with WT mice. This neutrophil recruitment was dependent upon epidermal Vγ5+ γδ T cell production of IL-17, but not IL-21 and IL-22. Furthermore, IL-17 induction required IL-1, TLR2, and IL-23 and was critical for host defense, since IL-17R–deficient mice had a phenotype similar to that of γδ T cell–deficient mice. Importantly, γδ T cell–deficient mice inoculated with S. aureus and treated with a single dose of recombinant IL-17 had lesion sizes and bacterial counts resembling those of WT mice, demonstrating that IL-17 could restore the impaired immunity in these mice. Our study defines what we believe to be a novel role for IL-17–producing epidermal γδ T cells in innate immunity against S. aureus cutaneous infection.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of multi-constituent superlattice coatings

Abstract Superlattice nitride coatings with four different layer constituents, i.e., ZrN, MoN, NbN and AlN, were synthesized using an unbalanced closed-field magnetron sputtering coater. At small superlattice modulation periods, both MoN and AlN layers adapted to the cubic B1 structure due to a template effect, and the coatings exhibited a strong (2 0 0) preferred orientation. Increasing the modulation period above a critical value led to the formation of hexagonal MoN and AlN layers with diminishing (2 0 0) preferred orientation. These microstructure changes were reflected in the coating mechanical properties. Relatively high hardness and Young's modulus values were obtained at small modulation periods, which decreased dramatically above the critical modulation period. The effects of substrate bias on the layer crystallographic structure, coating preferred orientation and mechanical properties were similar to those of the modulation period.
Memory access optimizations in instruction-set simulators

Design of programmable processors and embedded applications requires instruction-set simulators for early exploration and validation of candidate architectures. Interpretive simulators are widely used in embedded systems design. One of the key performance bottlenecks in interpretive simulation is the instruction and data memory access translation between host and target machines. The simulators must maintain and update the status of the simulated processor including memory and register values. A major challenge in the simulation is to efficiently map the target address space to the host address space. This paper presents two optimization techniques that aggressively utilize the spatial locality of the instruction and data accesses in interpretive simulation: signature based address mapping for optimizing general memory accesses; and incremental instruction fetch for optimizing instruction accesses. To demonstrate the utility of this approach we applied these techniques on SimpleScalar simulator, and obtained up to 30% performance improvement. Our techniques complement the recently proposed optimizations (JIT-CCS [1] and IS-CS [2]) and further improve the performance (up to 89%) on ARM7 and Sparc processors.
Controlled Clinical Comparison of Plastic and Glass Bottles of BacT/ALERT FA Medium for Culturing Organisms from Blood of Adult Patients

A new, clear-plastic nonvented aerobic FA bottle, designed to prevent breakage, has been developed for the BacT/ALERT blood culture system. We assessed the new plastic FA bottle by comparing its performance with that of the current glass FA bottle for recovery of microorganisms and time to detection of growth in blood samples obtained for culture from adult patients with suspected bloodstream infections. We conclude that the BacT/ALERT plastic and glass FA bottles are comparable for recovery of microorganisms and that the safety advantage of plastic bottles can be achieved without compromising performance.
Early Intensive Postural and Movement Training Advances Head Control in Very Young Infants

Background Daily experiences are thought to play an important role in motor development during infancy. There are limited studies on the effect of postural and movement experiences on head control. Objective The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of postural and movement experiences on head control through a comprehensive set of measurements beginning when infants were 1 month old. Design This was a prospective, longitudinal, 2-cohort study. Methods Twenty-two full-term infants who were healthy were randomly assigned to either a training group or a control group. Infants were observed every other week from 1 to 4 months of age. Head control was assessed using a standardized developmental assessment tool, the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP), as well as behavioral coding and kinematics of infants' head postures and movements in a supported sitting position. Caregivers performed at least 20 minutes of daily postural and movement activities (training group), or social interaction (control group) for 4 weeks. Results The training group had higher TIMP scores on head control–related items during the training period and after training stopped compared with the control group. Starting from the during training phase, the training group infants had their heads in a vertical and midline position longer compared with the control group infants. After training stopped, the training group infants actively moved their heads forward more often and for larger distances. Limitations The experiences outside daily training were not monitored, and the results may be specific to the experimental setup for infants with typical development. Conclusions Young infants are able to take advantage of postural and movement experiences to rapidly advance their head control as early as 4 to 6 weeks of postnatal life. Infant positioning, caregiver handling, and caregiver-infant interactions were likely contributing factors. This database of comprehensive measures may be useful in future trials focused on head control in infants with special needs.
Cell cycle control of chorion gene amplification

Over-replication of two clusters of chorion genes in Drosophila ovarian follicle cells is essential for rapid eggshell biosynthesis. The relationship of this amplification to the follicle cell cycles has remained unclear. To investigate the regulation of amplification, we developed a technique to detect amplifying chorion genes in individual follicle cells using BrdU incorporation and FISH. Amplification occurs in two developmental phases. One of the gene clusters begins to amplify periodically during S phases of follicle cell endocycles. Subsequently, after endocycles have ceased, both clusters amplify continuously during the remainder of oogenesis. In contrast to the early phase, late amplification commences synchronously among follicle cells. The pattern of Cyclin E expression mirrors these two phases. We present evidence that Cyclin E is required positively for amplification. We suggest that Cyclin E also acts negatively to inhibit refiring of most origins within a cycle, and that specific factors at chorion origins allow them to escape this negative rereplication control. Our findings suggest that chorion amplification is a model for understanding metazoan replicons and the controls that restrict replication to once per cell cycle.
Growth of noncrystallographic dendrites

First time experimental evidence is presented for the steady state growth of dendrites away from their normal crystallographic growth directions. The evidence is shown for transparent dendrites in the succinonitrile system, which are induced to grow along wetting surfaces. A method for the quantitative characterization of the tips of such dendrites is described and the differences in the secondary arm formation between off-axis and regular dendrites are recorded. The scientific and technological implications of this finding are examined.
Enhancing multicore reliability through wear compensation in online assignment and scheduling

System reliability is a crucial concern especially in multicore systems which tend to have high power density and hence temperature. Existing reliability-aware methods are either slow and non-adaptive (offline techniques) or do not use task assignment and scheduling to compensate for uneven core wear states (online techniques). In this article, we present a dynamically-activated task assignment and scheduling algorithm based on theoretical results that explicitly optimizes system lifetime. We also propose a data distillation method that dramatically reduces the size of the thermal profiles to make full system reliability analysis viable online. Simulation results show that our algorithm results in between 27--291% improvement to system lifetime compared to existing techniques for four-core systems.
Nanosecond (Gigahertz) and Microsecond (Megahertz) pulsed electric field interactions with cell membranes

High-intensity nanosecond pulsed electric fields permeabilize cell membranes, restructure phospholipid bilayers, cause intracellular calcium release, depolarize mitochondrial membranes, and induce apoptosis. Molecular simulations reveal the mechanism for the electric field-driven reorganization of phospholipid head groups and water molecules that results in the formation of membrane-spanning water bridges and conductive pores. Progress has been made in taking nanosecond electric pulses to the clinic for the treatment of skin cancers and other lesions, but a deeper understanding of the underlying biophysical phenomena will facilitate the application of this technology in cancer therapeutics through non-thermal, minimally scarring tumor ablation.
Magnetic recording-head positioning at very high track densities using a microactuator-based, two-stage servo system

The storage capacities and areal densities found in magnetic disk drives are increasing very rapidly. Data is recorded in ever-narrower tracks which must be followed with extreme precision. Also, the advent of portable applications exposes these smaller drives to higher levels of vibration and shock. A description is given of the many factors which contribute to recording track misregistration (TMR) in today's drives. The mechanics of the drive and actuator and the architecture of the servo control system are also described. A projection is made for the TMR sensitivities and control system at an areal density of 10 Gb/in/sup 2/, having roughly 25000 tracks/in. A two-stage servo may be needed to achieve such track densities. This would comprise a high bandwidth microactuator for rapid position corrections of the recording head, coupled with a conventional actuator. The characteristics of such a microactuator are discussed, and operational examples of fabricated electroplated microactuators, driven electrostatically, are shown. The mechanical behavior of the devices and some of the factors which would affect their implementation are also described. >
Effects of high fiber ingredients on the performance, metabolizable energy and fiber digestibility of broiler and layer chicks

Abstract An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding various fiber contents on the performance of chickens bred for egg or meat production from 1 to 21 d of age. The lower fiber diet was based on a traditional corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and the higher fiber diet was formulated by the addition of 60 g/kg of both dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and wheat bran in the first period of feeding and 80 g/kg of both DDGS and wheat bran in the second period of feeding to the corn-SBM base. The diets were isocaloric and were formulated to meet or exceed NRC requirements. Two lines of male chicks, Ross 308 broilers and Hy-Line W36 layers, were randomly assigned to cages with 11 replicates of 8 chicks for each of the 4 treatments. The evaluation criteria consisted of average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed efficiency (FE), nitrogen corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) and neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) digestibility. The higher dietary fiber diet significantly reduced broiler ADG (P≤0.01) for the 1–12 d and 1–21 d periods but had no effect on layer chick ADG, resulting in a significant interaction. Increasing dietary fiber did not have significant effects on ADFI for the 1–12 d and 1–21 d periods. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was higher in layer chicks than broiler chicks regardless of the diet (P≤0.01), and higher dietary fiber concentration resulted in increased ileal (P≤0.01) and total (P≤0.02) aNDF digestibility, across both lines. Apparent metabolizable energy was not different (P=0.96) between lines or dietary fiber content. These results suggest that layer chicks are able to better utilize feed ingredients rich in fiber content compared to broiler chicks, possibly due to decreased ADFI and increased fiber utilization.
Knowldege-Based System for Distribution System Outage Locating Using Comprehensive Information

This paper presents a knowledge-based system (KBS) designed to locate distribution system outages using comprehensive data from customer trouble calls, a wireless automated meter reading (AMR) system, and distribution supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). The algorithm uses the on-demand read capability of a wireless AMR system, which allows the utility to communicate directly with the meter controllers. The algorithm of the developed KBS has two major parts: an outage escalation procedure and meter-polling procedure. The escalation procedure involves searching for the outage region according to the comprehensive outage information. The meter-polling procedure includes designing the meter-polling schema and confirming the outage locations based on the meter polling results. The algorithm was designed to handle both single outage and multiple outage situations. The expert system shell, G2, was used as the development tool.
Review of Type 2 Diabetes Management Interventions for Addressing Emotional Well-Being in Latinos:

Purpose The purpose of this article is (1) to investigate if type 2 diabetes management programs with Latino participants address emotional well-being in addition to the standard diabetes self-care behaviors and (2) to describe the approaches taken to improve psychological and diabetes management outcomes. Methods Online article and research databases, Internet searches, and review of article citations were used to identify relevant articles published 1995-2008. Type 2 diabetes management interventions with a psychological (emotion or cognitive) component or outcome measure and Latino sample were selected. Articles were limited to randomized clinical/controlled trials and pre-post comparative studies. Results Thirteen interventions met the inclusion criteria for this review. Eight studies included emotion outcome measures, and 13 included at least one cognitive outcome measure. One study was specifically designed to improve emotional well-being. This study was not targeted for Latinos but did include Latino participants. A specialized depression case manager and collaborative care model showed significant improvements in depression and mental functioning. Psychological improvements were also found in those studies that assessed cognitive outcomes and were based on cognitive theories. The most frequent cognitive outcomes assessed were diabetes knowledge, problem solving, and self-efficacy. Conclusions Few type 2 diabetes interventions address emotional well-being in Latinos. More attention has been directed toward designing culturally sensitive community-based programs for improving behavior and physical outcomes. Because some Latino groups believe that negative emotions cause diabetes and because depression and anxiety are associated with poor self-management, programs should address emotional well-being as an important aspect of diabetes management.
Efficient high dimensional maximum entropy modeling via symmetric partition functions

Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling is a popular choice for sequence analysis in applications such as natural language processing, where the sequences are embedded in discrete, tractably-sized spaces. We consider the problem of applying MaxEnt to distributions over paths in continuous spaces of high dimensionality—a problem for which inference is generally intractable. Our main contribution is to show that this intractability can be avoided as long as the constrained features possess a certain kind of low dimensional structure. In this case, we show that the associated partition function is symmetric and that this symmetry can be exploited to compute the partition function efficiently in a compressed form. Empirical results are given showing an application of our method to learning models of high-dimensional human motion capture data.
Bedsharing Promotes Breastfeeding

Objective. Because breastfeeding is thought to be protective against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), environmental or child care factors that promote breastfeeding might reduce infant vulnerability to SIDS. The effect of mother-infant bedsharing on nocturnal breastfeeding behavior was studied in 20 routinely bedsharing and 15 routinely solitary sleeping Latino mother-infant pairs when the infants were 3 to 4 months old. Methodology. All pairs were healthy and exclusively breastfeeding at night. The videotape portion of all-night laboratory polysomnographic studies was used for the analyses. For each pair, an adaptation night was followed by one night each of bedsharing and solitary sleeping. Results. The most important finding is that when tested in their usual sleeping conditions, routinely bedsharing infants breastfed approximately three times longer during the night than infants who routinely slept separately: this reflected a two-fold increase in the number of breastfeeding episodes and 39% longer episodes. Breastfeeding was also facilitated on the bedsharing night relative to the solitary night within the routinely bedsharing group: the number and total duration of breastfeeding episodes were significantly larger on the bedsharing night. Conclusions. We suggest that, by increasing breastfeeding, bedsharing might be protective against SIDS, at least in some contexts. Furthermore, maternal reproductive physiology could be impacted because nursing frequency affects ovulation. This is the first study to directly measure nocturnal breastfeeding behavior in any cultural group.
Racial-Group Differences in IQ in the Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study: A Reply to Levin and Lynn

Abstract The etiology of racial differences in intelligence and achievement is one of the most heated areas of social science research. In this article, we respond to criticisms by Levin and Lynn of our 1992 follow-up study of IQ and achievement in a simple of transracial adoptees and their families, in particular to their assertion that our results provide strong support for a genetic etiology underlying racial differences in measured intelligence. In that follow-up, as well as in publications from the original study (Scarr & Weinberg, 1976, 1977), we argued for beneficial effects on transracial adoptees' IQs and achievements due to being raised in white, upper-middle-class homes. In this article, we address a number of issues raised in Levin's and Lynn's critiques, including the magnitude of adoptee racial-group differences in IQ and achievement, the inclusion of white and Asian/Indian adoptee groups in such analyses, the confounding of important early environmental influences with race differences, the confusion of within-group and between-group influences on IQ, the regional U.S. differences in African-American norms for IQ and achievement, the effects of renormed IQ tests on adoptee group differences, and the nature of the available evidence regarding a genetic hypothesis for racial differences in intelligence. We argue that, contrary to Levin's and Lynn's assertions, results from the Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study provide little or no conclusive evidence for genetic influences underlying racial differences in intelligence and achievement.
The Mechanics of Machining at the Microscale: Assessment of the Current State of the Science

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature, mostly of the last 10-15 years, that is enhancing our understanding of the mechanics of the rapidly growing field of micromachining. The paper focuses on the mechanics of the process, discussing both experimental and modeling studies, and includes some work that, while not directly focused on micromachining, provides important insights to the field. Experimental work includes the size effect and minimum chip thickness effect, elastic-plastic deformation, and microstructure effects in micromachining. Modeling studies include molecular dynamics methods, finite element methods, mechanistic modeling work, and the emerging field of multiscale modeling. Some comments on future needs and directions are also offered.
A review of microwave relaxation in polycrystalline ferrites

The microwave losses in polycrystalline ferrites can be separated into two parts: those associated with resonance (inhomogeneous linebroadening and two magnon processes) and intrinsic losses. In recent years, both types have been studied in great detail. The near-resonance relaxation can be quantitatively explained by anisotropy and/or porosity scattering if the secondary scattering among spin-waves and spin-wave relaxation are taken into account. The off-resonance relaxation is found to be quite sensitive to the polycrystal microstructure. Several mechanisms, including transit time limited relaxation and magnetostrictive phonon scattering, appear to be important, but the understanding of the basic loss processes is far from complete.
Age-related lesions in laboratory-confined raccoons (Procyon lotor) inoculated with the agent of chronic wasting disease of mule deer.

This communication documents age-associated pathologic changes and final observations on experimental transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) by the intracerebral route to raccoons (Procyon lotor). Four kits were inoculated intracerebrally with a brain suspension from mule deer with CWD. Two uninoculated kits served as controls. One CWD-inoculated raccoon was humanely killed at 38 months after inoculation, and 1 control animal died at 68 months after inoculation. Both animals had lesions that were unrelated to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Six years after inoculation, none of the 3 remaining CWD-inoculated raccoons had shown clinical signs of neurologic disorder, and the experiment was terminated. Spongiform encephalopathy was not observed by light microscopy, and the presence of abnormal prion protein (PrPd) was not detected by either immunohistochemistry or Western blot techniques. Age- related lesions observed in these raccoons included islet-cell pancreatic amyloidosis (5/6), cystic e...
Attention to Food Insecurity in Clinical Practice: Continuing Medical Education Development

Objective: Food insecurity is a predominantly economic condition that poses numerous risks to children's health and development. For many children, the doctor's office is a place of regular contact outside the home. Knowledge of indicators of food insecurity allows health providers to identify patients at risk and to provide an appropriate intervention. However, food insecurity is not routinely included in health providers' training. Target Audience: Pediatric and family practice physicians and nurse practitioners, and other allied health providers. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: Professional practice gaps identified in surveys of Oregon health providers (n1⁄4186) and literature were: understanding the health impacts of food insecurity; failure to screen; and, failure to offer safety-net resources. Course content and format were reviewed by local and national experts, and is certified through the American Medical Association for continuing medical education credit (CME). Description: The online course provides a review research on health consequences of food insecurity with a goal of increasing health provider rates of awareness and monitoring of this condition in the pediatric population. Evaluation: A post-course exam score of 75% is required for receipt of CME. Course ratings include content, quality, and relevance to practice. Course registrants are asked to indicate whether they would make a change in their practice, and to describe that change. Conclusions and Implications: Course content, quality, and relevance to practice were evaluated favorably. Of 415 registrants in 2014, 273 (66%) said they would make one or more of the following changes: improve screening practices, display/distribute resources, increased sensitivity to problems, and train students and staff. Funding:Oregon State University Extension, Professional and Non-Credit Education.