cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving the design of maintenance studies for bipolar disorder.

AbstractBackground:In contrast to the trial design of acute mania studies, there is no standard design for bipolar maintenance studies. Over the past 15 years, the design of monotherapy maintenance studies in bipolar disorder has evolved significantly, but recent study designs continue to differ in important ways.Scope:We reviewed the design of recent controlled bipolar maintenance studies, using PubMed, from August 2006 to August 2009, examining the strengths and weaknesses of different study design features.Findings:Design differences are sufficiently important that the disparate results across maintenance studies may reflect either true differences in medication efficacy or the effects of these design differences on outcome. Design elements such as recent episode polarity, stabilization criteria, using enriched versus nonenriched samples, length of stabilization before randomization, length of experimental phase, and recurrence outcome criteria are critical factors that differ widely across studies and...
On the validity of validity scales : The importance of defensive responding in the prediction of institutional misconduct

This study examined the effects of defensive responding on the prediction of institutional misconduct among male inmates (N 349) who completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses demonstrated significant main effects for the Antisocial Features (ANT) scale as well as main effects for the Positive Impression Management (PIM) scale in some instances. Significant ANT PIM interactions also were evident, particularly when examining recommended cut scores on these scales. These results demonstrate the predictive validity of ANT with prisoners and reinforce the importance of context when considering whether validity scales are in fact valid.
Studies on the role of phospholipids in the triglyceride cycle. I. Phospholipid synthesis in liver and plasma of ethionine-treated rats.

A single administration ofdl-ethionine to rats was found to initiate a rapid accumulation of triglyceride in the liver while plasma and liver phospholipid (PL) levels decreased. As measured by the incorporation of intravenous NaH2P32O4 at several time intervals after a single administration of ethionine, the drug decreased the specific activity (SA) of liver and plasma phospholipid phosphorus (PLP). At early time intervals after the injection of ethionine this occurred to a greater extent in the plasma than in the liver. Hence, the relative specific activity (RSA) of plasma to liver PLP was decreased initially by ethionine. As a measure of the exchange of PL between plasma and liver, this change in the RSA indicates decreased mobilization of PL from the liver to the plasma following ethionine inhibition of PL synthesis by the liver. Subsequently, the RSA increased, that is, an increased mobilization of PL occurred under conditions of fasting several hours after ethionine administration. Thus, it appeared that remobilization of liver PL tends to occur following the hepatic triglyceride accumulation brought about by inhibition of PL synthesis in the liver. However, remobilization of liver PL occurred also in male rats given ethionine and in fasted rats which did not show accumulation of hepatic triglyceride. These data suggest that phospholipid turnover and transport play an active role in the triglyceride cycle which is activated by fasting and during the recovery phase following ethionine administration.
Cerebrospinal fluid sulfatide is decreased in subjects with incipient dementia

We recently noted a profound decline in brain sulfatides (ST) in subjects who died with incipient dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Herein, we measured ST levels in cerebrospinal fluid in cognitively normal elderly and in subjects with mild cognitive impairment due to incipient demenia of the Alzheimer type. There was a significant decrease in cerebrospinal fluid ST and in the ST to phosphatidylinositol ratio in MCI subjects. The ST to phosphatidylinositol ratio accurately differentiated very mildly impaired subjects from controls on an individual basis. The cerebrospinal fluid ST to phosphatidylinositol ratio may be a very useful biomarker for the earliest clinical stage of Alzheimer's disease.
Effect of H2 dilution on the surface composition of plasma-deposited silicon films from SiH4

Abstract The surface composition of silicon films deposited from SiH 4 , Ar, and H 2 plasmas was studied using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with emphasis on the effects of H 2 dilution. In the absence of H 2 , the surface is primarily covered with SiH 3 and SiH 2 . With heavy H 2 dilution, the surface is predominantly monohydride terminated with infrared absorption frequencies consistent with the presence of SiH on Si (100) and Si (111) surfaces.
A novel on-board state-of-charge estimation method for aged Li-ion batteries based on model adaptive extended Kalman filter

Abstract A battery management system needs to have an accurate inline estimation of SOC for each individual cell in the battery pack. This estimation process poses challenges after substantial battery aging. This article presents a novel method based on model adaptive extended Kalman filter (MAEKF) to estimate SOC for Li-ion batteries. Sensitivity analysis of the electrical model verifies that the accuracy of SOC estimated by EKF is sensitive to resistors used in the cell's electrical model. In order to get the best estimation, values of resistors are obtained in an optimization process in the MAEKF. This method uses the fact of two sudden changes in the cell's voltage derivative with respect to time while discharging current is constant. These two points are assumed as reference points in which their SOC can be determined from cell's chemistry. The optimization algorithm uses the derivative of the cell's measured terminal voltage to allocate SOC of 92% and 15% for two reference points in the Vcell equation and updates cell's electrical model. The algorithm's process is fast and computationally inexpensive, making on-board estimation practical. The obtained results demonstrate that by using this method the estimated SOC error for aged Li-ion cells does not exceed 4%.
Etanercept for the treatment of refractory pyoderma gangrenosum: a brief series.

Background Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare ulcerative inflammatory condition of unknown etiology. Therapy for PG involves local wound care along with topical and systemic anti-inflammatory and other immunodulatory agents. Etanercept is one such immunomodulator with activity against the inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept in the treatment of PG ulcers. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on seven patients with 11 refractory PG ulcers treated with subcutaneous injections of etanercept (25–50 mg twice weekly). Results All seven patients with PG responded well to etanercept. Eight of the 11 ulcers (73%) completely healed with the mean time of (12.5 weeks), while the other three ulcers had marked reduction in size (within 8–18 weeks). Etanercept was well tolerated. No serious side-effects were reported. Only one patient discontinued the drug secondary to side-effects. Conclusion Etanercept is an alternative treatment option for patients with refractory ulcers due to PG.
LOW-ENERGY 4He+ SCATTERING FROM DEUTERIUM ADSORBED ON STEPPED Pd(331)

We have taken angle-resolved data for the scattering of low-energy ( Pd ledge atoms. A strong quasielastic scattering signal of 4He+ from D (4He+/D) was observed at a forward-scattering angle of θ= 25° and an incidence angle of α= 76° from the (331) normal. The results agree with shadow-cone calculations of scattering first from Pd ledge atoms followed by a second event, 4He+/D. The resultant adsorption geometry shows D to reside in the quasi-threefold ledge site on the surface directly above the bulk fcc octahedral void. These results are consistent with the previous 4He+ scattering study of the geometrically related Pd(110)-D(ads) system.
Generalized scaling of permeabilities: Validation and effect of support scale

The permeabilities and dispersivities of geologic media are known to vary with the scale of observation. Particularly well documented is the consistent increase in apparent longitudinal dispersivity with the mean travel distance of a tracer. This has been previously interpreted by the author to imply that the permeabilities of many geologic media scale, on the average, according to the power-law semivariogram γ(s)=c ν s where c is a constant and s is distance. Tracer test data support this conclusion indirectly at least over scales from 10 cm to 3,500 m. The present paper cites evidence for such behavior over scales from 10 cm to 45 km based directly on permeability and transmissivity data
Reduction of kink effect in thin-film SOI MOSFETs

Numerical simulation is used to show that potential and electric field distribution within thin, fully depleted SOI devices is quite different from that observed within thicker, partially depleted devices. Reduction of drain electric field and of source potential barrier brings about a dramatic decrease of kink effect. >
Linear optimal control for tracking a single fluorescent particle in a confocal microscope

We study the problem of localizing and tracking in a confocal laser scanning microscope a single fluorescent particle diffusing in three dimensions. The position of the particle is estimated from a collection of intensity measure- ments using a novel analytical algorithm. This estimator is then combined with a tracking algorithm based on a linear quadratic Gaussian controller to steer the detection volume of the microscope and follow the molecule. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through numerical simula- tions. These results indicate that, in such a system, tracking in three dimensions of a particle moving with a diffusion constant larger than 1 µm 2 /s is possible without the need for additional sensors or lasers.
Patterns of Protein Synthesis and Tolerance of Anoxia in Root Tips of Maize Seedlings Acclimated to a Low-Oxygen Environment, and Identification of Proteins by Mass Spectrometry

Tolerance of anoxia in maize root tips is greatly improved when seedlings are pretreated with 2 to 4 h of hypoxia. We describe the patterns of protein synthesis during hypoxic acclimation and anoxia. We quantified the incorporation of [35S]methionine into total protein and 262 individual proteins under different oxygen tensions. Proteins synthesized most rapidly under normoxic conditions continued to account for most of the proteins synthesized during hypoxic acclimation, while the production of a very few proteins was selectively enhanced. When acclimated root tips were placed under anoxia, protein synthesis was depressed and no “new” proteins were detected. We present evidence that protein synthesis during acclimation, but not during subsequent anoxia, is crucial for acclimation. The complex and quantitative changes in protein synthesis during acclimation necessitate identification of large numbers of individual proteins. We show that mass spectrometry can be effectively used to identify plant proteins arrayed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of the 48 protein spots analyzed, 46 were identified by matching to the protein database. We describe the expression of proteins involved in a wide range of cellular functions, including previously reported anaerobic proteins, and discuss their possible roles in adaptation of plants to low-oxygen stress.
1/f noise and radiation effects in MOS devices

An extensive comparison of the 1/f noise and radiation response of MOS devices is presented. Variations in the room-temperature 1/f noise of unirradiated transistors in the linear regime of device operation correlate strongly with variations in postirradiation threshold-voltage shifts due to oxide trap charge. A simple number fluctuation model has been developed to semi-quantitatively account for this correlation. The 1/f noise of irradiated n-channel MOS transistors increases during irradiation with increasing oxide-trap charge and decreases during postirradiation positive-bias annealing with decreasing oxide-trap charge. No such correlation is found between low-frequency 1/f noise and interface-trap charge. The noise of irradiated p-channel MOS transistors also increases during irradiation, but in contrast to the n-channel response, the p-channel transistor noise magnitude increases during positive-bias annealing with decreasing oxide-trap charge. A qualitative model involving the electrostatic charging and discharging of border traps, as well as accompanying changes in trap energy, is developed to account for this difference in n- and p-channel postirradiation annealing response. The correlation between the low-frequency 1/f noise of unirradiated devices and their postirradiation oxide-trap charge suggests noise measurements can be used as a nondestructive screen of oxide trap charge related failures in discrete MOS devices and for small scale circuits in which critical transistors can be isolated. It also suggests that process techniques developed to reduce radiation-induced-hole trapping in MOS devices can be applied to reduce the low-frequency 1/f noise of MOS circuits and devices. In particular, reducing the number of oxygen vacancies and vacancy complexes in the SiO/sub 2/ can significantly reduce the 1/f noise of MOS devices both in and outside a radiation environment. >
Assessing Science Inquiry Skills Using Trialogues

Trialogue-based tasks can be used to gather evidence that may be difficult to obtain using traditional assessment approaches, such as embedded questions. However, more research needs to be done in order to create valid, fair, and reliable conversation tasks that can be used for assessment purposes. This paper describes ongoing efforts at developing and evaluating trialogues for assessing students’ science inquiry skills.
EFFECTS OF LARGE INFUSIONS OF HETEROLOGOUS SERUM PROTEINS ON THE SERUM PROTEIN METABOLISM OF RABBITS

Infusions of heterologous serum proteins large enough to replace the entire normal catabolic loss of the corresponding autologous proteins in the recipient rabbits caused increased rates of plasma protein catabolism, an increase in the size of the plasma protein pool and normal or even slightly increased rates of plasma protein synthesis. The principal proteins in these infusions were catabolized at rates similar to those for corresponding homologous proteins. The most marked hyperproteinemias which developed were caused principally by increases in the host's own globulin and to a lesser extent by the presence of foreign protein in the circulation.
A linear sampling approach to inverse elastic scattering in piecewise-homogeneous domains

The focus of this study is a 3D inverse scattering problem underlying non-invasive reconstruction of piecewise-homogeneous (PH) defects in a layered semi-infinite solid from near-field, surface elastic waveforms. The solution approach revolves around the use of Green's function for the layered reference domain and a generalization of the linear sampling method to deal with the featured class of PH configurations. For a rigorous treatment of the full-waveform integral equation that is used as a basis for obstacle reconstruction, the developments include an extension of the Holmgren's uniqueness theorem to piecewise-homogeneous domains and an in-depth analysis of the situation when the sampling point is outside the support of the obstacle that employs the method of topological sensitivity. Owing to the ill-posed nature of the featured integral equation, a stable approximate solution is sought via Tikhonov regularization. A set of numerical examples is included to demonstrate the feasibility of 3D obstacle reconstruction when the defects are buried in a multi-layered elastic solid.
Model-Driven Performance Analysis Methodology for Distributed Software Systems

A key enabler of the recently popularized, assembly-centric development approach for distributed real-time software systems is QoS-enabled middleware, which provides reusable building blocks in the form of design patterns that codify solutions to commonly recurring problems. These patterns can be customized by choosing an appropriate set of configuration parameters. The configuration options of the patterns exert a strong influence on system performance, which is of paramount importance in many distributed software systems. Despite this considerable influence, currently there is a lack of significant research to analyze performance of middleware at design time, where performance issues can be resolved at a much earlier stage of the application life cycle and with substantially less costs. The present project seeks to develop a performance analysis methodology for design-time performance analysis for distributed software systems implemented using middleware patterns and their compositions. The methodology is illustrated on a producer/consumer system implemented using the active object (AO) pattern in middleware. Finally, broader impacts of the methodology for middleware specialization are also described.
The efficacy of focal laser therapy in radiation-induced macular edema.

Abstract Objective The purpose of the study was to determine whether focal laser therapy improves or prevents deterioration of visual acuity in radiation-induced macular edema. Design Retrospective review. Participants The chart review of 19 patients. Intervention Comparison of 19 patients with radiation-induced macular edema secondary to radioactive scleral plaque application for choroidal melanoma managed by focal laser therapy with a matched group of 23 similar patients followed by observation. Results Doubling of the visual angle occurred in 68% of all cases with 2 years of follow-up. At 6 months, 8 of 19 (42%) treated but no observed cases experienced ≥ 1 Snellen line improvement in visual acuity ( P = 0.005, Fischer's exact test), and the visual angle was halved in 3 of 19 (16%) treated but no observed cases at 6 months ( P = 0.069). Resolution of macular edema occurred at 6 months in 5 of 19 (26%) treated and 1 of 23 (4%) observed cases ( P = 0.21). No significant difference in visual acuity between the two groups was present after 2 years. Conclusions Progressive visual loss secondary to radiation-induced macular edema is rapid and severe. Focal laser therapy may modestly improve visual acuity and promote resolution of macular edema at 6 months, but benefit from single treatment is not sustained at 2 years.
Neutron Damage in Single Crystal Aluminum Oxide

Synthetic aluminum oxide crystals were irradiated with fast neutrons to a dose of 1.8 × 1020 nvt and examined by. transmission electron microscopy. As-irradiated crystals contained damage on a fine scale, revealed by diffraction contrast, and showed a 28% increase in Knoop diamond hardness compared with unirradiated material. Annealing above 600° C decreased the hardness and caused the small defect clusters to grow, forming dislocation loops on [100] planes with 1/3(101) Burgers vectors. High temperature annealing caused the loops to interact to give dislocation segments. These tended to align with the (100) and (1120) directions, and some of them had 1/3(101) Burgers vectors. Grown-in dislocations also began to climb but showed evidence of impurity pinning. Isolated platelike precipitates on [101] planes were observed in samples annealed at high temperatures. Possible effects of the observed damage on physical properties are considered; there is qualitative agreement between predictions and existing data.
Essential thrombocythemia: a review of diagnostic and pathologic features.

Abstract Context.—Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder (CMPD) characterized predominately by thrombocytosis and abnormal megakaryocyte proliferation. The current diagnostic criteria require a combination of clinical, histologic, and cytogenetic data. The diagnosis relies largely on exclusion of other causes of thrombocytosis. Objective.—Describe historical, clinical, and laboratory features of ET in order to understand, clarify, and more accurately diagnose this entity. Data Sources.—Review contemporary and historical literature on ET and other causes of thrombocytosis. Conclusions.—ET is a relatively indolent and often asymptomatic CMPD that is characterized primarily by a sustained elevation in platelets ≥600 × 103/μL (≥600 × 109/L), proliferating enlarged and hyperlobated megakaryocytes, and minimal to absent bone marrow fibrosis. Significant changes and revisions to the diagnostic requirements and criteria for ET have occurred during the last 30 years. Recently, a mu...
Trauma and Critical Care

The 12-month period from November 1996 to October 1997 was an exciting and vibrant one for scientific investigation in the area of trauma and critical care. The published peer-reviewed studies and the presentations at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the 83rd Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons illustrated the great variety of topics encompassed by the fields of trauma surgery and surgical critical care. This review covers reports of basic and clinical investigations in the following areas: 1) injury prevention; 2) safe, effective diagnosis and optimal management of specific traumatic injuries; 3) issues in resuscitation and the ongoing search for early, clinically applicable signs of hypoperfusion; 4) the controversy over use of the pulmonary artery catheter in critically ill patients; and 5) the prevention and treatment of common problems seen in the surgical intensive care unit.
A tail strength measure for assessing the overall univariate significance in a dataset.

SUMMARY We propose an overall measure of significance for a set of hypothesis tests. The ‘tail strength’ is a simple function of the p-values computed for each of the tests. This measure is useful, for example, in assessing the overall univariate strength of a large set of features in microarray and other genomic and biomedical studies. It also has a simple relationship to the false discovery rate of the collection of tests. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the tail strength measure, and illustrate its use on a number of real datasets.
The Air Cure Town: Commodifying Mountain Air in Alpine Central Europe

Does air have value? In the first volume of Capital, Marx suggested it did not: “A thing can be a use-value, without having value,” he explained. “This is the case whenever its utility to man is not due to labour. Such are air, virgin soil, natural meadows, &c.” Because it has no value, understood by Marx in this context to mean labor value, air cannot be a commodity: “Commodities come into the world in the shape of use-values, articles, or goods, such as iron, linen, corn, &c. This is their plain, homely, bodily form. They are, however, commodities, only because they are something two fold, both object of utility, and, at the same time, depositories of value.” Marx's materialist focus on human labor and industrial production made it hard for him to imagine air as a commodity—at least when he published the first volume of Capital in 1867.
Power Electronics for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

Power electronic conversion units will serve as a key enabling technology for assisting in the continued growth of grid-scale energy storage. This paper presents existing and future power electronic conversion systems and components that aid the interconnection of grid-scale energy storage or utilize storage to minimize grid disruption at all voltage classes including transmission, distribution, and future grid architectures such as the microgrid. New R&D solutions to aid the interconnection process including efforts in bidirectional charger design and potentially solid-state transformers (SSTs) are emphasized. The role of energy storage to support microgrid research and growth, while highlighting power electronic behavior within this environment, is considered. Last, an example that bridges the microgrid and energy storage theme is given through the design and operation of a direct current (dc) electric vehicle (battery) charging station. When appropriate, manufacturer solutions and success stories of utilizing latest battery technologies interfaced via power electronic solutions at the utility scale are provided.
Fluid flow in loops driven by freshwater and heat fluxes

Thermohaline convection in a salt water loop is discussed. Fluid temperature is affected by relaxation on the loop surface and fluid salinity by a freshwater flux through the loop surface. In addition, other boundary conditions on salinity, such as the equivalent virtual salt flux or salinity relaxation condition, are examined and the dynamic role of diffusion in thermohaline convection is analysed. Both analytical and numerical analyses indicate that the system behaviour depends sensitively on the nature of the salinity boundary condition. For the saline-only loop model, analysis indicates that perturbations are advected by the mean flow, and flow stability is independent of the strength of the boundary forcing. In the full thermohaline loop problem, the virtual salt flux formulation accurately mirrors the freshwater flux results when the system is in the thermal mode. However, these formulations can differ substantially when the system is in the haline mode, especially in the strongly forced, weakly diffusive limit. For both types of loop configuration, salinity profiles governed by freshwater flux have scales determined by the internal parameters, while virtual salt flux profiles necessarily reflect the lengthscales of applied boundary conditions. Negative salinities can also appear under virtual salt flux owing to the inaccuracies inherent in the approximation, while freshwater flux ensures positive-definite salinity values. Our analysis supports the use of the physically more accurate freshwater flux boundary conditions when simulating thermohaline circulation.
Building a new media platform for local storytelling and civic engagement in ethnically diverse neighborhoods

This article describes a research-driven initiative to develop a hyper-local news website to promote civic engagement in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Utilizing Communication Infrastructure Theory’s elucidation of the contribution of an integrated local storytelling network to civic engagement, multi-method research was conducted to identify gaps and opportunities in the extant storytelling network – comprising residents, local media and community organizations – that shape the study area’s current engagement patterns. Empirical findings point to a web-based local storytelling platform as a promising mechanism for facilitating engagement and inter-group interaction. The implications of these findings for developing research-driven communication interventions to enhance civic engagement in other diverse neighborhoods are discussed.
An eight channel analog-FFT based 450MS/s hybrid filter bank ADC with improved SNDR for multi-band signals in 40nm CMOS

We present a fully integrated hybrid filter bank ADC based on an analog-FFT geared for baseband signal processing in wireless receivers. The design consists of an 8-point A-FFT for an analysis filter bank, a VGA bank and a sub-ADC bank in the analog domain, and an inverse VGA bank, calibration and inverse FFT for the synthesis filter in the digital domain. The proposed structure enables the signals in each channel of the 450MHz wide band system to be separately digitized using the full dynamic range of the ADC. The prototype is implemented in TSMC's 40nm CMOS GP process. A hybrid filter bank ADC does not have a constant average noise floor and is best used when both large and small signals are present. After calibration, the reconstructed signal with an asymmetric (40dB difference) two tone input, i.e., one large at 1MHz and one small at 225.05MHz shows 55.7dB of image rejection. The SNDR of the smaller signal improves by 6.0dB in comparison to a non-channelized ADC. The total power consumption for both the analog and digital sections is 90.4mW. As far as we are aware this is the first integrated implementation of the full hybrid filter bank principle.
Myocardial Imaging for Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

Rest and stress myocardial perfusion imaging, described nearly 4 decades ago ([1][1]), is now performed in >9 million people annually in the United States ([2][2]). The procedure provides clinically useful data regardless of whether the tracer is a monovalent cation such as potassium, thallium, or
Eye growth and myopia development

The aim of this article is to present an updated unifying theory of the mechanisms underlying eye growth and myopia development. A series of model simulation programs were developed to illustrate the mechanism of eye growth regulation and myopia development. Two fundamental processes are presumed to govern the relationship between physiological optics and eye growth: genetically pre-programmed signaling and blur feedback. Cornea/lens is considered to have only a genetically pre-programmed component, whereas eye growth is considered to have both a genetically pre-programmed and a blur feedback component. Moreover, based on the Incremental Retinal-Defocus Theory (IRDT), the rate of change of blur size provides the direction for blur-driven regulation. The various factors affecting eye growth are shown in 5 simulations: (1 - unregulated eye growth): blur feedback is rendered ineffective, as in the case of form deprivation, so there is only genetically pre-programmed eye growth, generally resulting in myopia; (2 - regulated eye growth): blur feedback regulation demonstrates the emmetropization process, with abnormally excessive or reduced eye growth leading to myopia and hyperopia, respectively; (3 - repeated near-far viewing): simulation of large-to-small change in blur size as seen in the accommodative stimulus/response function, and via IRDT as well as nearwork-induced transient myopia (NITM), leading to the development of myopia; (4 - neurochemical bulk flow and diffusion): release of dopamine from the inner plexiform layer of the retina, and the subsequent diffusion and relay of neurochemical cascade show that a decrease in dopamine results in a reduction of proteoglycan synthesis rate, which leads to myopia; (5 - Simulink model): model of genetically pre-programmed signaling and blur feedback components that allows for different input functions to simulate experimental manipulations that result in hyperopia, emmetropia, and myopia. These model simulation programs (available upon request) can provide a useful tutorial for the general scientist and serve as a quantitative tool for researchers in eye growth and myopia.
Improving the structural quality and electrical resistance of SrTiO3 thin films on Si (001) via a two-step anneal

We report on the optimization of structural and electrical properties of SrTiO3 thin films grown on Si (001) by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. Using a dual buffer layer template, 46-nm-thick films grown at high temperatures (850 °C) resulted in a layer-by-layer growth mode and a good crystalline quality with rocking curve full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the 002 SrTiO3 peak of nearly 0.6°, which was reduced to 0.4° by increasing the film thickness to 120 nm. A high temperature post-deposition anneal was employed to further reduce the rocking curve FWHM down to 0.2° while preserving a smooth film surface morphology. The low sheet resistance of as-grown and post-growth annealed samples was increased by five orders of magnitude exceeding 107 Ω/◻ using a lower temperature anneal in dry air. This two-step annealing method provides an easy and effective way to improve the crystalline quality of SrTiO3 thin films on Si, providing a path towards the development of electrically insulating, wafer scale virtual perovskite substrates.
The role of activating solution concentration on alkali–silica reaction in alkali-activated fly ash concrete

To enable commercial use of alkali-activated fly ash concrete, its durability must be better understood. Alkali–silica reaction is a primary concern since highly alkaline solutions are generally used for activation. This study investigated the effect of NaOH activating solution concentration on pore solution alkalinity and subsequent alkali–silica reaction in alkali-activated fly ash concrete. It was found that pore solution alkalinity increased with increasing activating solution NaOH concentration, and this effect was amplified at concentrations above an optimum, defined as the concentration that resulted in the highest mortar compressive strength. Expansion of concrete prisms containing highly reactive fine aggregate and activating solution concentrations above the optimum concentration was approximately three times that of concrete with optimum activating solution concentrations, but only about 5% of the expansion observed in the ordinary portland cement control. The low expansion may be attributed to the low calcium levels in the alkali-activated fly ash concrete.
Detection of ferrocenemethanol and molecular oxygen based on electrogenerated chemiluminescence quenching at a bipolar electrode.

Small molecules, such as ferrocenemethanol (FcMeOH) and O2, that are capable of quenching the Ru(bpy)32+ excited state via energy or electron transfer can be quantitatively detected in a bipolar electrochemical cell based on the attenuation of steady-state electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL). FcMeOH quenches ECL generated by the Ru(bpy)32+ oxalate coreactant system, exhibiting a linear dependence on [FcMeOH] with a Stern–Volmer slope of 921 M–1, corresponding to a quenching rate constant of 2 × 109 M–1 s–1. We used the bipolar ECL quenching platform to measure dissolved O2 and validated the results using a standard Clark electrode. The detection limit for local [O2] measured using ECL quenching was found to be 300 ppb. This work opens up the possibility of utilizing ECL quenching at bipolar electrodes for a wide range of applications.
Are the curli proteins CsgE and CsgF intrinsically disordered

Curli are a type of proteinaceous cell surface filament produced by enteric bacteria such as Escherichia and Salmonella that facilitate cell adhesion and invasion, bio-film formation, and environmental persistence. Curli assembly involves 6 proteins encoded by the curli specific genes A, B, C, E, F, and G. Although CsgA is the major structural component of curli, CsgE, and CsgF, are thought to play important chaperone like functions in the assembly of CsgA into curli. Given that some proteins with chaperone like function have been observed to contain disordered regions, sequence analysis and circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to investigate the possibility that structures of CsgE and CsgF were also disordered. Sequence analysis based on charge and hydrophobicity, as well as using the disorder prediction software PONDR, indicates that both proteins have significant regions of disorder. The secondary structure and unfolding, of CsgE and CsgF, analyzed using circular dichroism spectroscopy suggests that both proteins lack a well defined and stable structure. These observations support the hypothesis that the curli assembly proteins CsgE and CsgF are disordered proteins containing intrinsically disordered regions.
Epidemiological characteristics of intestinal infectious diseases in Yichang City, 2005-2013

Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics and the incidence trends of intestinal infectious diseases between2005 and 2013 and provide scientific evidence for the disease interventions in Yichang. Methods Epidemiological distributions of intestinal infectious diseases were analyzed by descriptive methods. We test the differences between regions with Chi-square test and this method was also to test the differences between males and females. Results 7 types intestinal infectious diseases were reported between 2005 and 2013. The average annual incidence was 162.39 per 100, 000 and the average annual mortality was0.02 per 100, 000. There were statistical differences between different counties(χ2=1713.094, P0.01), and the incidences of plains were higher than those of mountain regions. The intestinal infectious diseases had significant differences between seasonal fluctuations, and there were two peaks of incidence in May to June and November to December, accounting for 24.17% and 22.87%,respectively. The males to females ratio was 1.41: 1, and different age groups had significantly statistical differences(χ2=206.37,P0.001) in terms of the incidence. The incidences of the top 3 intestinal infectious diseases were hand-foot-mouth disease, other infectious diarrhea and dysentery, accounting for 42.58%, 34.24% and 15.65%, respectively. The highest incidence occurred in the group 0-5 old, accounting for 64.70%. Conclusion The overall trend of intestinal infectious diseases in Yichang showed a fluctuant rise. Therefore, it is necessary for us to take further prevention measures.
Thin Layer Chromatographic Method for the Detection of Uric Acid: Collaborative Study

A collaborative study has been completed on an improved method for the detection and confirmation of uric acid from bird and insect excreta. The proposed method involves the lithium carbonate solubilization of the suspect excreta material, followed by butanol-methanol-water-acetic acid thin layer chromatography, and trisodium phosphate-phosphotungstic acid color development. The collaborative tests resulted in 100% detection of uric acid standard at the 50 ng level and 75% detection at the 20-25 ng level. No false positives were reported during tests of compounds similar to uric acid. The proposed method has been adopted official first action; the present official final action method, 44.161, will be retained for screening purposes.
Implementation of the who Multicentre Growth Reference Study in the United States

The World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MRGS) North American site was Davis, California. For the longitudinal cohort (0–24 months), 208 infants were enrolled between...
Implementing media literacy training for social work programs at HBCUs: A literary analysis of barriers and opportunities

ABSTRACTThe image of the social work profession in the media is problematic for many reasons. Social work and its practitioners are often depicted as incompetent, ineffective, and unnecessary. Despite the necessity of the services provided to the public by social workers, public opinion of the profession remains low. To reverse the current trend, social work programs, particularly those at historically Black colleges and universities, can begin to provide media literacy training and media awareness within the curriculum to assist future social workers in stemming the tide of negative coverage and portrayals of the profession in the media. Using the media diffusion of information theory as an overview, this literary analysis provides a historical view of the profession and highlights current trends in social work practice, education, and media training.
Integrating Testers into DevOps

Testing is a crucial part of DevOps. When moving to continuous delivery, you don't want to optimize your process to ship bugs faster. You want to ship quality features as fast as possible. This means that in a DevOps process, there is no place for long stabilization phases where all development is halted. Instead testers work together with developers. This chapter details how testers can be the most effective by using the specific testing features of Visual Studio Team Services. You'll first look into manual testing and then explore the topic of automated tests.
Veteran Status, Sociodemographic Characteristics, and Healthcare Factors Associated with Visiting a Mental Health Professional

Using data from a nationally representative study of the community-dwelling U.S. population, we estimated the percentage of male veterans who visited a mental health professional in the past year, compared it to an estimate from non-veteran males, and examined factors associated with visiting a mental health professional. We found that 10.5% of male veterans visited a mental health professional in the past year, compared to only 5.6% of male non-veterans. In the regression models, veteran status, sociodemographic factors, and healthcare utilization were independently associated with visiting a mental health professional. These findings demonstrate the importance of using nationally representative data to assess the mental healthcare needs of veterans.
A Phase II, Open Label Study of AT-101 in Combination with Rituximab in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells express high-levels of Bcl-2 and related anti-apoptotic proteins that collectively can enhance leukemia-cell survival and drug-resistance. AT-101 is an orally active BH3-mimetic that can inhibit the anti-apoptotic activity of Bcl-2-family-member proteins (e.g. Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Mcl-1) and induce CLL cells to undergo apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that AT-101 also can enhance the cytotoxicity of rituximab for CLL cells in vitro . As such we conducted a phase 2 trial to evaluate the safety and activity of AT-101 when used together with rituximab to treat 12 patients who had relapsed/refractory CLL. Patients received AT-101, at 30 mg/d, for 21 or 28 days during each of three 28-day cycles. Rituximab was administered at 375 mg/m2 for 12 doses (total dose = 4,500 mg/m2) on days 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 22, 29, 31, 33, 40, 57, 59, 61. The first dose of rituximab was given over two days to minimize infusion-related adverse events. The patients’ median age was 61.5 years (range 43–81). Nine patients were high risk and 3 were intermediate risk based on the modified Rai classification and had received a median of 2 prior regimens (range 1–8). Six patients had leukemia cells that expressed ZAP-70 and/or unmutated immunoglobulin variable region genes and 4 patients had either 11q deletions or complex cytogenetics. Six patients interrupted treatment due to adverse events, most of which were transient and without residual complications. Grade 1–2 gastrointestinal effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting) occurred in 11 patients, 2 of whom had grade 3/4 ileus. Six patients experienced treatment-associated fatigue (grade 1–2 in 5 and grade 3 in one). Other than ileus and fatigue the only grade 3/4 event noted was neutropenia. One patient without neutropenia died while undergoing treatment from community-acquired bacterial pneumonia[j1]. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that the average C max of AT-101 was 565 ng/ml (280 – 805 ng/ml) at a T max of 3.1 hours (1.7 – 5.6 hrs.). Correlative science studies performed on leukemia cells isolated at various times after treatment demonstrated leukemia-cell apoptosis in vivo, with maximum levels seen at times when we observed peak drug levels of AT-101. Eight patients had completed the study and had full response evaluation at the time of this abstract’s submission. The overall response rate was 38% [CRu (2); PR (1); SD (3); PD (2)]. Four of eight patients (50%) had significant reductions in leukemia cell counts and splenomegaly and 5 of 8 (63%) had reductions in lymphadenopathy. AT-101 in combination with Rituximab has apparent activity in patients with relapsed-refractory high-risk CLL. Additional enrollment is planned using alternate AT-101 schedules in an attempt to increase peak plasma concentrations (and potentially activity) and reduce GI toxicity.
Thermal Interaction of Particle and Radiation

The interaction between nanoparticles and radiation holds great interest in nanomedicine, introducing such possibilities as selective cell targeting by nanoparticles to create highly localized thermal cell damage. The evolution of the thermal fields in the particle depends on an interplay of heat generation and thermal diffusion governed by material properties. This chapter first describes the thermodynamic model used and then focuses on the heating and cooling kinetics of nanoparticles by short and ultrashort laser pulses in the femtosecond, picosecond, and nanosecond regimes. The time-dependent simulations and detailed analyses are carried out for heating of nanoparticles, including biological particles. This chapter contains material adapted from our publications listed at the end of the chapter. A detailed list of references and reviews on a given topic of this chapter can be found in those original papers.
The leading two loop divergences of the non-leptonic weak chiral Lagrangian

We calculate the leading divergences at NNLO for the octet part of the non-leptonic weak sector of chiral perturbation theory, using renormalization group methods. The role of counterterms which vanish at the equation of motion and their use to simplify the calculation is shown explicitly. The obtained counterterm Lagrangian can be employed to calculate the chiral double log contributions of quantities in this sector, most notably the ${K \to \pi \pi}$ amplitude. The double log contribution of the latter is discussed in a separate paper.
Automated low-contrast pattern recognition algorithm for magnetic resonance image quality assessment:

Purpose Low contrast (LC) detectability is a common test criterion for diagnostic radiologic quality control (QC) programs. Automation of this test is desirable in order to reduce human variability and to speed up analysis. However, automation is challenging due to the complexity of the human visual perception system and the ability to create algorithms that mimic this response. This paper describes the development and testing of an automated LC detection algorithm for use in the analysis of magnetic resonance (MR) images of the American College of Radiology (ACR) QC phantom. Methods The detection algorithm includes fuzzy logic decision processes and various edge detection methods to quantify LC detectability. Algorithm performance was first evaluated using a single LC phantom MR image with the addition of incremental zero mean Gaussian noise resulting in a total of 200 images. A c-statistic was calculated to determine the role of CNR to indicate when the algorithm would detect ten spokes. To evaluate inter-rater agreement between experienced observers and the algorithm, a blinded observer study was performed on 196 LC phantom images acquired from nine clinical MR scanners. The nine scanners included two MR manufacturers and two field strengths (1.5 T, 3.0 T). Inter-rater and algorithm-rater agreement was quantified using Krippendorff's alpha. Results For the Gaussian noise added data, CNR ranged from 0.519 to 11.7 with CNR being considered an excellent discriminator of algorithm performance (c-statistic = 0.9777). Reviewer scoring of the clinical phantom data resulted in an inter-rater agreement of 0.673 with the agreement between observers and algorithm equal to 0.652, both of which indicate significant agreement. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the detection of LC test patterns for MR imaging QC programs can be successfully developed and that their response can model the human visual detection system of expert MR QC readers.
Feedback Control in Striated Muscle Dynamics

Abstract A new system model has accurately depicted striated muscle behavior. Recent investigations indicate that this model should be modified to include local ultrastructure feedbacK control of sarcomere functions. This modification seems justified by otherwise unexplained published data. It is also suggested by preliminary results from a new experiment described herein.