cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intracavity Tip And Tilt Adaptive Control Experiments

With recent advances in miniature high performance tip and tilt mirror components (see details in another paper presented in this seminar), it is feasible to dynamically compensate for angular misalignment of intracavity optical components. The control system described in this paper seeks to maximize output power. The 2-axis active mirror mount is operated in a spiral scan mode searching for the optimum alignment in 2 dimensions. Data (frame) updating rates of 20 frames per second have been achieved by using a small 2" diameter beryllium mirror driven by a pair of "shaker motors." Extensions of this and similar approaches to different practical applications will be discussed together with preliminary experimental results.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Teachable Moment: Google Earth Takes Us There.

The only true voyage of discovery … would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things PastProfessors of earth science and French may at first glance...
Monitoring the degradation of a thermally aged EPDM terpolymer by 1H NMR relaxation measurements of solvent swelled samples

Abstract 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation times were investigated as a method for monitoring the degradation of polymeric materials. The properties of an ethylene–propylene–diene (EPDM) terpolymer, oven aged at 140°C, were first characterized by traditional mechanical and solution measurements including ultimate tensile elongation, tensile strength, tensile modulus, gel fraction, solvent uptake and density. The elongation and density results provided a characteristic lifetime for this material at 140°C. The other measurements demonstrated that the EPDM terpolymer undergoes predominately chain scission during the early stages of the degradation process and predominately cross-linking during the latter stages. 1 H NMR spin–spin relaxation times, T 2 , of the solid polymer were insensitive to the degree of aging until the polymer was very heavily cross-linked after long exposure times. The 1 H NMR T 2 s of the polymer swelled in deutero-chloroform were as sensitive to aging as any of the classical measurements cited above. The NMR measurements have the advantage of being rapid, requiring minimal amounts of sample and being applicable for unconventional sample forms such as films, foams and powders.
Associations between muscle-related cytokines and selected patient outcomes in the ICU.

Introduction:Systemic cytokines produced by contracting skeletal muscles may affect the onset and severity of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness after critical illness.Aims:The purpose of this research was to determine the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-15, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) among patients receiving mechanical ventilation for >48 hr and examine the relationships of these myokines to outcomes of patient delirium, muscle strength, activities of daily living (ADLs), duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay.Methods:In this exploratory, repeated-measures interventional study, the 36 participants received 20 min of once-daily in-bed or out-of-bed activity using an established early progressive mobility protocol after physiologic stability had been demonstrated for >4 hr in the ICU. Blood samples were drawn on 3 consecutive days, beginning on the day of study enrollment, for serum cytokine quantification.Results:IL-8, IL-15, and TNF-α were highly variable and ...
Genetic and clonal diversity of two cattail species, Typha latifolia and T. angustifolia (Typhaceae), from Ukraine.

Genetic and clonal diversity vary between two closely related cattail species (Typha angustifolia and T. latifolia) from Ukraine. This diversity was calculated from microsatellite data. Forty-eight percent of the total variation was partitioned between species, which formed distinct clusters in a dendrogram with no indication of hybrid populations. Typha angustifolia had higher heterozygosity at the species (H e s = 0.66) and population (H e p = 0.49) levels than did T. latifolia (H e s = 0.37 and H e p = 0.29, respectively). The higher number of alleles in T. angustifolia may be indicative of larger effective population sizes due to its higher seed production. Clonal diversity of T. angustifolia was lower than that of T. latifolia (N g /N r = 0.40 and 0.61, Simpson's D = 0.82 and 0.94, respectively). Correlations between clonal and genetic diversity were higher for T. latifolia than T. angustifolia, suggesting that the importance of factors and their interactions affecting this relationship are different for the two species. Latitudinal and longitudinal trends were not observed in either species despite the large sampling area. Population differentiation was relatively high with F S T of 0.24 and 0.29 for T. angustifolia and T. latifolia, respectively. Weak isolation by distance was observed for T. latifolia but not for T. angustifolia.
A New Marriage Squeeze for Black Women: The Role of Racial Intermarriage by Black Men

Recent declines in the rate of marriage among Black women have been accompanied by substantial increases in rates of interracial marriage, especially between Black men and non-Black women. Explanations for the retreat from marriage among Black women have focused on deficits in the quantity and quality of available partners, and the role of racial intermarriage largely has been ignored. This study examines the impact of interracial marriage by Black men on the marriage prospects of Black women. First, our analysis of data from the 1990 Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) reveals that intermarried Black men are selective of those with the highest levels of education, income, and occupational prestige. Second, multilevel analyses, using both the IPUMS and Panel Study of Income Dynamics, show that the level of intermarriage in metropolitan areas is significantly related to the marital behaviors of Black women. Local rates of intermarriage among Black men reduce the likelihood that Black women currently will be married and that they will make the transition to marriage. These effects are especially acute for highly educated Black women whose marriage markets are defined by those Black men who are most likely to intermarry. Finally, our analyses indicate that intermarriage affects the marital prospects of Black women by negatively affecting the pool of economically attractive marriage partners in the metropolitan area.
Multiple image potential effects in a simple model of the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM)

Abstract A classical electrostatic model is used to calculate the multiple image potential barrier reduction for an electron tunnelling between a metal surface and a spherical tip electrode. The tip electrode is modelled by a sphere or a hemisphere embedded in a plane and the metal surface is taken to be planar and grounded. The electrostatic potential in the region between the two electrodes is calculated for both the high symmetry (axial) case and the general (off-axis) case in terms of a multipolar expansion and a direct numerical method. The implications of the anisotropic barrier reduction by the multiple image potential for both magnitude of the tunnelling current and the lateral current distribution arising from the angular anisotropy on the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope are discussed.
Monitoring drilling of advanced composites, drill wear, and exit hole delamination using wave-based acoustic emission

An experimental investigation was performed to study drill wear and its effect on acoustic emission and drilled hole exit delamination for both carbide and PCD drills when drilling in advanced composites (AS4/PEEK). Drilling conditions were selected to minimize exit hole delamination for the carbide drill and a series on 80 holes were drilled with both carbide and PCD drills. Acoustic emission signals were acquired and flank wear width were measured after every fifth hole. Carbide drill material was found to wear more than the PCD drill. Exit hole delamination increases with tool wear for both carbide and PCD drills as shown from measurements and SEM micrograph images of drilled holes. The average acoustic emission (AE) energy per event as well as total AE energy were found to decrease with tool wear. The results show that acoustic emission could be used successfully for real-time monitoring and prediction of drill wear and exit hole delamination.
Generation of even and odd coherent states in a competitive two-photon process

Abstract The generation of even and odd coherent states, eigenstates of the annihilation operator squared â 2 but not of â , is shown to result from the long-time evolution of the competition between a two-photon parametric process and two-photon absorption assuming the initial field state is either the vacuum or the single photon state.
Effects of Foliar Fungicide and Insecticide Applications on Soybean in Ohio

Abstract Mid-season applications of Quadris with and without Warrior insecticide were evaluated in 2004 and 2005, and Headline, Folicur, Domark, or Headline plus Folicur were evaluated in 2006, 200...
Electron impact excitation and ionization of helium near 60 eV

Abstract Double excitation levels and negative ion resonance have been observed in the electron impact excitation spectrum and the ionization cross section of He.
SEP topographies elicited by innocuous and noxious sural nerve stimulation. II. Effects of stimulus intensity on topographic pattern and amplitude

Abstract The effects of innocuous and noxious sural nerve stimulation on the SEP scalp topography were examined in 15 human subjects. This analysis focused on the 6 stable periods (i.e., consecutive time points where the topography did not change) that were identified in the companion paper (Dowman 1994). Stable period 1 (SP1: 58–90 msec post stimulus), SP4 (178–222 msec) and SP5 (223–277 msec) showed amplitude-stimulus intensity relationships that are similar to those of neurons involved in the sensory-discriminative aspects of innocuous somatosensation. The SP1 topographic pattern showed little or no change across the innocuous and noxious stimulus levels, which together with the amplitude data suggests that SP1 is largely generated by neurons involved in innocuous somatosensation. The SP4 topographic pattern did not change appreciably across the innocuous and noxious stimulus levels, but its aplitude decreased with increasing noxious stimulation. These data suggest that SP4 is generated by neurons involved in innocuous somatosensation and that noxious inputs inhibit these cells. There were differences in the SP5 topographic patterns evoked at the innocuous and the noxious stimulus levels, which suggest SP5 also receives a contribution from neurons involved in noxious somatosensation. SP3 (135–157 msec) and SP6 (282–339 msec) are probably generated by neurons involved in noxious somatosensation. The topographic patterns of both were different at innocuous and noxious levels. SP3's amplitude-stimulus intensity function suggests that it is generated by neurons that respond to noxious inputs in a non-graded fashion. The amplitude and offset latency of SP6 increased with increasing noxious stimulation, which suggests that SP6 is generated by neurons that respond to noxious inputs in a graded fashion.
The application of homodyne spectroscopy to the study of low-frequency microturbulence in the TEXT tokamak

The wave propagation direction of microturbulence in a tokamak plasma has been accurately measured by application of a new homodyne spectroscopy technique. This method has been used in conjunction with a collective far-infrared laser scattering experiment on TEXT. The low-frequency density fluctuations are observed to propagate primarily in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, however, the broadband spectra also possess an appreciable level of fluctuations traveling in the ion drift direction. Application of the homodyne spectroscopy technique represents an inexpensive and easily implemented alternative to the more technically demanding heterodyne schemes available in the far-infrared.
Analysis of linear distributed parameter systems via double Fourier series

Double Fourier series is used to approximate functions of two independent variables and then applied for the analysis of linear distributed parameter systems. Properties of Fourier series are first briefly discussed, and the operational matrix of integration and product are used to reduce the dynamical equation of a linear distributed system to a set of simultaneous linear algebraic equations. The method is computationally very attractive, and applications are demonstrated through illustrative examples.
The gene for fibroblast activation protein α (FAP), a putative cell surface-bound serine protease expressed in cancer stroma and wound healing, maps to chromosome band 2q23

The human fibroblast activation protein {alpha} (FAP{alpha}) is an inducible cell surface glycoprotein of M{sub r} 95,000 recognized by a number of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including the prototype mAb F19. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that FAP{alpha} expression in vivo is tightly regulated, with transient expression in some fetal mesenchymal tissues but absence of expression in most normal adult tissues. Reexpression of FAP{alpha} is observed in the reactive stromal fibroblasts of several common types of epithelial cancers, including >90% of breast, colorectal, and lung carcinomas and healing wounds. Cloning and sequence analysis of an FAP{alpha}-specific cDNA has revealed that the molecule is encoded by a novel gene, FAP, which shows sequence similarity to members of the serine protease family of integral membrane proteins, namely dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV, also known as lymphocyte activation antigen, CD26, or adenosine dearoinase binding protein) and DPPX, a DPPIV-related molecule of unknown function. 15 refs., 1 fig.
Physics Opportunities with Relativistic Heavy Ion Accelerators

The physics motivation for a relativistic heavy ion collider with energies of 100 GeV/amu x 100 GeV/amu for nuclei of A-200 are (1) this will allow the production in the laboratory of a new state of matter - the quark gluon plasma, (2) the study of such interactions will provide an experimental test of statistical quantum chromodynamics (QCD), i.e., a look at the properties of the QCD vacuum at large distances, (3) such reactions will simulate the conditions of the early universe, and (4) such a collider will allow us to delve into the unknown. If history is any guide then it is clear that any time one can increase an important physics parameter by a factor of 10 (and in this case a factor of 100 over what is presently being done) then do it. At present the Bevalac at Berkeley is the premier facility for the study of heavy ions with a center of mass capability of 1 GeV/amu x 1 GeV/amu. In the near term this capability will be increased at the AGS at BNL (6 GeV/amu x 6 GeV/amu) and at the CERN SPS (10 GeV/amu x 10 GeV/amu). 5 figs.
Incivility Spiral in Mentoring Relationships: Reconceptualizing Negative Mentoring as Deviant Workplace Behavior

The authors apply affecive events theory to explore the mediating role of negative affect between different types of mentor’s negative mentoring behavior and the frequency of proteges instigating incivility against their mentors. Results of mediation analyses employing bootstrapping throw some light on the possibility of an incivility spiral in negative mentoring relationships. Specifically, the authors find signficance for the mediating role of negative affect between mentor’s distancing behavior and frequency of proteges instigating incivility against mentors. Furthermore, mentor’s manipulative behavior was found to be positively associated with instigated incivility by proteges. Findings of the study guide a discussion on human resource development (HRD) professionals’ strategic role in addressing the occurrence of incivility spirals in mentoring relationships.
Characterization of arginase activity from mouse epidermis and its relation to ornithine decarboxylase induction by the tumor-promoting agent, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

Abstract Arginase, which catalyzes the cleavage of l -arginine to urea and ornithine, was detected in both soluble and particulate fractions of mouse epidermis. In a typical experiment, about 75 and 25% of the total arginase activity was associated with the soluble (100 000 × g supernatant) and the washed particulate fraction, respectively. Both soluble and particulate enzymes required the presence of divalent Mn 2+ for activity. Arginase activity was increased by about 50% in the particulate fraction, but not in the soluble fraction, by preheating the fractions at either 50 or 55°C in the presence of 15 mM MnCl 2 . Enzyme activity in both fractions, in the absence of 15 mM MnCl 2 , dropped precipitously during heating. A comparison of the nature of arginases in the soluble and particulate fractions revealed similar K m values (13 mM) and pH optima (9.5) and identical heat denaturation curves. Application of 10 nmol of 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to mouse skin did not increase arginase activity in either fraction over a period of 24 h. In contrast, there was a large increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in the soluble fraction 4.5 h after treatment. Mouse epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity was much less than arginase activity and was predominantly localized in the soluble fraction. These results indicate that the normal level of arginase activity is not a limiting factor for the stimulation of polyamine biosynthesis by TPA. High arginase activity in mouse epidermis may play a role in providing ornithine for polyamine biosynthesis and in the production of glutamate and proline as well as in the production of keratinous proteins.
Patient-Specific Dose Adjustment in the Cancer Clinical Trial Setting

Clinical trials of new anticancer therapies are critically important tools in the search for more effective cancer treatments. According to the current paradigm for the clinical evaluation of new cancer therapies, (A) the dose of a therapeutic agent is not adjusted to accommodate individual patient differences, and (B) the exploration of a working-dose of new cancer therapies is mainly restricted to phase I trials. Rogatko et al. proposed that (A′) the dose should be finetuned using patient-specific attributes, and (B′) the search for the optimal dose should be extended beyond phase I and into phases II and III. In this paper, we discuss how phase I design methods can be used to update the working dose for phases II and III and how finetuning the dose may involve the utilization of patient-specific attributes to obtain a personalized treatment regimen. As a result, we expect that more patients will be treated with potentially therapeutic doses of promising agents and fewer patients will have to experience the detrimental effects of a toxic dose.
Remodeling dynamics in the Alveolar Process in Skeletally Mature Dogs

Bone turnover rates can be altered by metabolic and mechanical demands. Due to the difference in the pattern of loading, we hypothesized that there are differences in bone remodeling rates between the maxillary and mandibular alveolar processes. Furthermore, in a canine model, the alveolar process of teeth that lack contact (e.g., second premolars) would have a different turnover rate than bone supporting teeth with functional contact (e.g., first molars). Six skeletally mature male dogs were given a pair of calcein labels. After sacrifice, specimens representing the anterior and posterior locations of both jaws were prepared for examination by histomorphometric methods to evaluate the bone volume/total volume (BV/TV; %), bone volume (mm2), mineral apposition rate (MAR; microm/day), and bone formation rate (BFR; %/year) in the alveolar process. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in the BV/TV within the jaws. The bone volume within the alveolar process of the mandible was 2.8-fold greater than in the maxilla. The MAR was not significantly different between the jaws and anteroposterior locations. However, the BFR was significantly (P<0.0001) greater in the mandible than in the maxilla. The anterior location had higher (P=0.002) remodeling than the posterior location in the maxilla but not in the mandible. While there was a greater bone mass and increased remodeling in the mandible, no remodeling gradient in the coronal-apical direction was apparent in the alveolar process. Bone adaptation probably involves a complex interplay of bone turnover, mass, and architecture.
Intraventricular and Subarachnoid Hemorrhages With a Subfalcine Hernia tion in a Full-Term Infant Sonographic Findings

This case stud presents ultasound findings of a full-term neonate wMth severe perinatal asphyxia. Serial examinations revealed multiple brain abnormalities including grade ill and grade IV intraventricular hemorrhags subarachnoid hemorrhages, and a subfalcie herniation.
Permanent Magnet toroid power inductor with increased saturation current

This paper presents a power inductor with toroid core that utilizes a Permanent Magnet (PM) in its gap (PMTPI) in order to increase saturation current while keeping the same size and inductance. After discussing the PMTPI structure, the results of ANSYS®/Maxwell® physical model simulation results for a design example are presented. The design example considered in this paper is for a toroid-core power inductor with dimensions of 12.5mm × 12.5mm × 6.5mm and inductance of ~592nH. The saturation current is increased from 14A in the conventional design to 28A in the proposed design.
QUANTITATION OF HUMAN PROTHROMBIN BY RADIOIMMUNO-ASSAY (RIA)

The purpose of this study was to develop a quantitative method for factor II antigen in human plasma utilizing the sensitivity and precision of RIA. Factor II was isolated by chromatographic technique and shared a single band on electrophoresis. I125 tagged factor II was prepared by a standard chloramine-T oxidation and sodium metabisulfite reduction. Antigen levels were then determined by classical double antibody radioimmunoassay. A dose response curve was generated by adding known amounts of normal human plasma to human barium sulfate-absorbed oxalated plasma. A straight line relationship existed between 15 to 140% coagulant activity (CA) and 7 to 50 μg/ml antigen content. Plasma factor II antigen in 20 normals was 29.63 ± 4.6 lag/μl (mean ± S.D.). Eight patients with induced vitamin K deficiency revealed normal antigen levels (30.13) and reduced CA (20) whereas three patients with severe hepatocellular disease were found to have reduced antigen and CA levels (6.7 μg/ml and 40% activity). The use of the RIA for measuring prothrombin protein in conjunction with coagulation factor assays could have clinical application in studying the mechanism of action of vitamin K, the developmental aspects of factor II production and activation, and in understanding acquired coagulopathies.
A Verb-Centric Approach for Relationship Extraction in Biomedical Text

Advances in biomedical technology and research have resulted in a large number of research findings, which are primarily published in unstructured text such as journal articles. Text mining techniques have been thus employed to extract knowledge from such data. In this article we focus on the task of identifying and extracting relations between bio-entities such as green tea and breast cancer. Unlike previous work that employs heuristics such as co-occurrence patterns and handcrafted syntactic rules, we propose a verb-centric algorithm. This algorithm identifies and extracts the main verb(s) in a sentence, therefore, it does not require the usage of predefined rules or patterns. Using the main verb(s) it then extracts the two involved entities of a relationship. The biomedical entities are identified using a dependence parse tree by applying syntactic and linguistic features such as preposition phrases and semantic role analysis. The proposed verb-centric approach can effectively handle complex sentence structures such as clauses and conjunctive sentences. We evaluate the algorithm on several data sets and achieve an average F-score of 0.905, which is significantly higher than that of previous work.
Hazard evaluation with microcosms

An environmental hazard evaluation procedure requires (1) an understanding of structure and function of the “receiving” ecosystem (2) the concentration of chemical (or other stress) that will cause adverse biological effects, and (3) the expected environmental concentration of the chemical (or a description of the physical conditions). The evaluation and information gathering procedures should be carried to the point where the accuracy of the information is sufficient to permit a knowledgeable decision about the hazard. The utility and role of microcosm evidence in determining hazard and in monitoring situations where a calculated risk has been taken are discussed. Particular emphasis has been placed on the time factor.
Prediction of hip joint centre location from external landmarks

Abstract The approaches to predicting the hip joint centre (HJC) location of Tylkowski's group and Andriacchi's group were evaluated for accuracy and validity in children and adults of both sexes. Using Tylkowski's approach, we found that the three-dimensional (3-D) HJC location in adults (expressed as a percentage of the distance between the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS)) was 30% distal, 14% medial, and 22% posterior to the ASIS, and predicted the HJC location to within 3.3 cm of the true location with 95% certainty. Using Andriacchi's approach, we found that the HJC was located in the frontal plane distal and lateral to the midpoint of a line between the ASIS and pubic symphysis, and varied from 2.2 cm distal and 0.78 cm lateral in girls to 4.6 cm distal and 1.7 cm lateral in men. A more accurate method of estimating the 3-D HJC location combined a modification of Andriacchi's approach (estimating frontal plane location of HJC) with a modification of Tylkowski's approach (estimating HJC location posterior to a frontal plane), and could predict the HJC location in adults to within 2.6 cm of the true location with 95% certainty.
Unusual palmoplantar blistering in the setting of hemodialysis: a case report and review of the dermatoses associated with hemodialysis

We describe a 70-year-old White female on maintenance high-flux hemodialysis for chronic renal insufficiency with an abrupt onset of asymptomatic palmoplantar blisters. The lesions were tense, noninflamed and 0.2-1.0 cm in dimension. Concomitant photo-distributed blistering of the dorsal hands and forearms was not present. A cutaneous biopsy demonstrated nonspecific histological and direct immunofluorescent findings. Serum indirect immunofluorescence and tissue cultures for bacteria, fungi and viruses were negative. Fecal porphyrins were normal but an elevated plasma uroporphyrin level of 17.0 microg/dL (normal: < 1.0 microg/dL) was observed. The duration of each hemodialysis treatment, which the patient had continued to receive three times per week, was changed from 2 to 2.5 h. Within 2 weeks no new blisters occurred. Within 6 weeks complete clinical and biochemical remission was noted. During this time course no topical steroid or antifungal therapy was employed nor was the patient's oral medication regimen altered.
Further factor-analytic investigation of the Thorne femininity study.

The responses of 512 undergraduate women to 198 items of the Thorne Femininity Study were factor analyzed in order to isolate the dimensions of femininity represented among the items of this instrument. The procedure used isolated 11 orthogonal factors that accounted for 21.1% of the total variance. Three additional samples of women were tested (total N = 222) and compared to the college age samples on the 11 factors. The various samples differed in many systematic and statistically significant ways. Suggestions were made as to the possibility of developing new items to measure some aspects of femininity not represented completely among the items analyzed.
Stochastic calculations of the fast decay of the hydrated electron in the presence of scavengers—tests of model consistency

Abstract An excellent test of the efficacy of computer codes simulating the nanosecond diffusion and interaction of radiation-produced radicals is their ability to predict a broad range of data—for example time-dependent yields with and without scavengers. Using a Monte-Carlo transport code for the radiation-production of radicals in liquid water, together with a stochastic calculation of their interaction and decay, we investigate this point. Consistent use of these techniques yields, without adjustable parameters, the shape and absolute magnitude of the time decay of the hydrated electron in pure water, and also the measured time decay in the presence of both hydroxyl and hydrogen ion scavengers.
Health effects of experiences of sexual violence for women with abusive partners

We assessed the incidence of sexual violence, physical violence, physical health symptoms, gynecological symptoms, and risk behaviors for contracting an STD or HIV infection in women who had used a shelter for women with abusive partners. In addition, we investigated the relationships between sexual violence and the frequency of physical health symptoms, including specific gynecological symptoms. Results indicated that one fourth of the women interviewed had experienced sexual violence and nearly two thirds of the women had experienced physical violence in the past 6 months. The incidence of physical health symptoms, gynecological symptoms, and risk behaviors for exposure to STDs and HIV infection are presented. The correlations among sexual violence, physical violence, and experiences of physical health symptoms are also reported. This study is particularly valuable because previous research has not documented the relationship between sexual violence and physical health symptoms.
TDS Study of Potassium Adsorption on Al(111) and fivefold Al-Pd-Mn

We have used thermal desorption spectroscopy to carry out a comparative study of potassium adsorption on Al(111) and on the fivefold Al-Pd-Mn surface. Potassium adsorption on the quasicrystal was found to be different than on Al(111). The potassium monolayer desorbed from fivefold Al-Pd-Mn at lower temperatures than from Al(111). Potassium is known to form a dense monolayer on Al(111), with an ideal coverage of 0.33, but for the monolayer on fivefold Al Pd Mn we find that the saturation coverage is only one twelfth.
Congressional considerations and urban characteristics in the selection of empowerment zones and enterprise communities

This study examines the benefit hypothesis from distributive theory to test the assumption that the Department of Housing and Urban Development selected cities for an empowerment zone or enterprise...
Stability Analysis and Stabilization of Randomly Switched Systems

This article is concerned with stability analysis and stabilization of randomly switched systems with control inputs. The switching signal is modeled as a jump stochastic process independent of the system state; it selects, at each instant of time, the active subsystem from a family of deterministic systems. Three different types of switching signals are considered: the first is a jump stochastic process that satisfies a statistically slow switching condition; the second and the third are jump stochastic processes with independent identically distributed values at jump times together with exponential and uniform holding times, respectively. For each of the three cases we first establish sufficient conditions for stochastic stability of the switched system when the subsystems do not possess control inputs; not every subsystem is required to be stable in the latter two cases. Thereafter we design feedback controllers when the subsystems are affine in control and are not all zero-input stable, with the control space being general subsets of Ropfm. Our analysis results and universal formulae for feedback stabilization of nonlinear systems for the corresponding control spaces constitute the primary tools for control design
Defining the learning curve for laparoscopic splenectomy for immune thrombocytopenia purpura

Abstract Background The current study was undertaken to define the learning curve for laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Methods The data of 50 patients who underwent LS for ITP between March 1996 and February 2003 were reviewed. Patients were divided into sequential groups of 10. Operative time, estimated blood loss, conversion to open procedure, length of stay (LOS), time to oral intake, complications, and mortality rates were analyzed. Results The mean OR time in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th groups of 10 were significantly shorter than the 1st and 2nd groups of 10. There were no significant differences in estimated blood loss, LOS, or time to oral intake between the groups. Three conversions to open splenectomy occurred; one each in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th groups of 10. Complications were evenly distributed between groups. There were no deaths. Conclusion The learning curve for LS in patients with ITP is a minimum of 20 cases.
Rapid Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasitic Protozoa, with a Focus on Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica is an invasive intestinal pathogenic parasitic protozoan that causes amebiasis. It must be distinguished from Entamoeba dispar and E. moshkovskii, nonpathogenic commensal parasites of the human gut lumen that are morphologically identical to E. histolytica. Detection of specific E. histolytica antigens in stools is a fast, sensitive technique that should be considered as the method of choice. Stool real-time PCR is a highly sensitive and specific technique but its high cost make it unsuitable for use in endemic areas where there are economic constraints. Serology is an important component of the diagnosis of intestinal and especially extraintestinal amebiasis as it is a sensitive test that complements the detection of the parasite antigens or DNA. Circulating Gal/GalNac lectin antigens can be detected in the serum of patients with untreated amoebic liver abscess. On the horizon are multiplex real-time PCR assays which permit the identification of multiple enteropathogens with high sensitivity and specificity.
Competition Between Microfinance NGOs: Evidence from Kiva

Summary This paper investigates empirically the effect of competition between microfinance NGOs seeking subsidized capital from individual social investors. Although NGO behavior in competitive environments is often subject to controversy, there is little formal empirical evidence to illustrate theoretical findings and inform policy. Using data from Kiva, an online peer-to-peer (P2P) microfinance platform, we find that competition has a sizable negative impact on projects’ funding speed and that the effect is stronger between close substitutes. This is important because competition for subsidized capital implies organizational pressures similar to those faced when NGOs compete for donations.
Artificial neural network as a solution to predict 3-D workspace distortion in real-time

Machine workspace distortion is a time-variant nonlinear process. The authors present an artificial neural network based hybrid model for computer numerical control (CNC) machine system 3-D errors monitoring and distorted workspace tracking. The goal is to improve machining quality in real time. Analytical and learning approaches are used in parallel to solve this problem. An artificial neural network is a particularly useful modeling methodology for a system whose underlying property is too complicated to be modeled using classical methods. In many aspects, including fault and noise tolerant capability, a neural network approach outperforms the classical methods. Another main advantage of the neural network is the representation of the entire workspace with a single model. A multi-sensory system is incorporated with the model for real-time system monitoring and data acquisition. This research provides a feasible and robust model for a feedback control system to perform real-time machining accuracy improvement and quality control for prismatic workpieces. >
A multi-dimensional evidence-based candidate gene prioritization approach for complex diseases–schizophrenia as a case

Motivation: During the past decade, we have seen an exponential growth of vast amounts of genetic data generated for complex disease studies. Currently, across a variety of complex biological problems, there is a strong trend towards the integration of data from multiple sources. So far, candidate gene prioritization approaches have been designed for specific purposes, by utilizing only some of the available sources of genetic studies, or by using a simple weight scheme. Specifically to psychiatric disorders, there has been no prioritization approach that fully utilizes all major sources of experimental data. Results: Here we present a multi-dimensional evidence-based candidate gene prioritization approach for complex diseases and demonstrate it in schizophrenia. In this approach, we first collect and curate genetic studies for schizophrenia from four major categories: association studies, linkage analyses, gene expression and literature search. Genes in these data sets are initially scored by category-specific scoring methods. Then, an optimal weight matrix is searched by a two-step procedure (core genes and unbiased P-values in independent genome-wide association studies). Finally, genes are prioritized by their combined scores using the optimal weight matrix. Our evaluation suggests this approach generates prioritized candidate genes that are promising for further analysis or replication. The approach can be applied to other complex diseases. Availability: The collected data, prioritized candidate genes, and gene prioritization tools are freely available at http://bioinfo.mc.vanderbilt.edu/SZGR/. Contact: zhongming.zhao@vanderbilt.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Is a Myocardial Infarction More Likely to Result From a Mild Coronary Lesion or an Ischemia-Producing One?

Predicting which coronary angiographic lesion is most likely ultimately to cause a myocardial infarction (MI) remains a challenge. For many years, some have argued that mild coronary lesions (<50% diameter stenosis) are responsible for the majority of MIs. This belief helped to propel the vulnerable plaque revolution, whereby a multitude of invasive techniques were extensively studied in hopes of finding a method for detecting which mild stenosis was going to rupture and result in MI. However, data continue to emerge which suggest that more severe, and likely ischemia-producing lesions, are the most “vulnerable” lesion subset and are more likely to cause a subsequent myocardial infarction. Article see p 545 A number of small retrospective studies evaluating patients with prior coronary angiograms suggested that mild coronary stenoses were responsible for most MIs.1,2,3 For example, Little and colleagues evaluated the coronary angiograms performed within 1 month of an MI in 29 patients who had a previous coronary angiogram performed days to more than 6 years prior to the MI.3 In two thirds of the cases, the most severe stenosis in the culprit artery on the baseline angiogram was <50%, and in all but one, it was <70%. However, this study and others were limited not only by their retrospective nature and small size, but also by the variable follow-up between the baseline angiogram and the MI, which in some cases was as long as 11 years. Moreover, these data were at odds with results from an analysis by Alderman and colleagues comparing baseline stenosis severity with occlusion rates at 5-year follow-up angiography in patients in the Coronary Artery Surgery Study.4 Of the 430 nonbypassed segments with lesions between 5 and 49%, there was a 2% occlusion rate at 5 years compared with a 24% rate …
Obesity and cancer: at the crossroads of cellular metabolism and proliferation.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The mechanisms underlying this association include but are not limited to increased systemic inflammation, an anabolic hormonal milieu, and adipocyte-cancer crosstalk, aberrant stimuli that conspire to promote neoplastic transformation. Cellular proliferation is uncoupled from nutrient availability in malignant cells, promoting tumor progression. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the obesity-cancer connection will lead to the development of novel metabolism-based agents for cancer prevention and treatment.
Efficient reprogramming of human cord blood CD34+ cells into induced pluripotent stem cells with OCT4 and SOX2 alone.

The reprogramming of cord blood (CB) cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has potential applications in regenerative medicine by converting CB banks into iPSC banks for allogeneic cell replacement therapy. Therefore, further investigation into novel approaches for efficient reprogramming is necessary. Here, we show that the lentiviral expression of OCT4 together with SOX2 (OS) driven by a strong spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) promoter in a single vector can convert 2% of CB CD34+ cells into iPSCs without additional reprogramming factors. Reprogramming efficiency was found to be critically dependent upon expression levels of OS. To generate transgene-free iPSCs, we developed an improved episomal vector with a woodchuck post-transcriptional regulatory element (Wpre) that increases transgene expression by 50%. With this vector, we successfully generated transgene-free iPSCs using OS alone. In conclusion, high-level expression of OS alone is sufficient for efficient reprogramming of CB CD34+ cells into iPSCs. This report is the first to describe the generation of transgene-free iPSCs with the use of OCT4 and SOX2 alone. These findings have important implications for the clinical applications of iPSCs.
Acute nonobstructive pyelonephritis requiring nephrectomy.

Abstract A case of severe acute nonobstructive pyelonephritis in a nondiabetic requiring nephrectomy is reported. The most unusual feature of the pyelonephritis was the spread of the inflammatory process despite intense antibiotic therapy.
PAC-Bayesian approach for minimization of phoneme error rate

We describe a new approach for phoneme recognition which aims at minimizing the phoneme error rate. Building on structured prediction techniques, we formulate the phoneme recognizer as a linear combination of feature functions. We state a PAC-Bayesian generalization bound, which gives an upper-bound on the expected phoneme error rate in terms of the empirical phoneme error rate. Our algorithm is derived by finding the gradient of the PAC-Bayesian bound and minimizing it by stochastic gradient descent. The resulting algorithm is iterative and easy to implement. Experiments on the TIMIT corpus show that our method achieves the lowest phoneme error rate compared to other discriminative and generative models with the same expressive power.
Microvasculitis and ischemia in diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy

Objective: To determine whether microscopic vasculitis explains the clinical and pathologic features of diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy (DLSRPN). Background: DLSRPN is usually attributed to metabolic derangement or ischemic injury, but microscopic vasculitis as the sole cause needs consideration. Methods: We prospectively studied the clinical, laboratory, and EMG features as well as the pathology of distal cutaneous nerve biopsy specimens of patients with DLSRPN. Results: Study of DLSRPN nerve biopsy specimens (n = 33) compared with those from healthy controls (n = 14) and those with diabetic polyneuropathy (n = 21) provided strong evidence for ischemic injury (axonal degeneration, multifocal fiber loss, focal perineurial necrosis and thickening, injury neuroma, neovascularization, and swollen fibers with accumulated organelles), which we attribute to microscopic vasculitis (epineurial vascular and perivascular inflammation, vessel wall necrosis, and evidence of previous bleeding). Segmental demyelination was significantly associated with multifocal fiber loss. Conclusions: 1) This severe, debilitating neuropathy begins with symptoms unilaterally and focally in the leg, thigh, or buttock and spreads to involve the other regions of the same and then opposite side and is due to multifocal involvement of lumbosacral roots, plexus, and peripheral nerve (i.e., diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy). 2) Motor, sensory, and autonomic fibers are all involved. 3) Ischemic injury explains the clinical features and pathologic abnormalities of nerve. 4) The proximate cause of the ischemic injury appears to be microscopic vasculitis. 5) The segmental demyelination is probably secondary to ischemic axonal dystrophy, thus providing a unifying hypothesis for both axonal degeneration and segmental demyelination.
Adaptive Resolution ADC Array for an Implantable Neural Sensor

This paper describes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) array for an implantable neural sensor which digitizes neural signals sensed by a microelectrode array. The ADC array consists of 96 variable resolution ADC base cells. The resolution of each ADC cell in the array is varied according to neural data content of the signal from the corresponding electrode. The resolution adaptation algorithm is essentially to periodically recalibrate the required resolution and this is done without requiring any additional ADC cells. The adaptation implementation and results are described. The base ADC cell is implemented using a successive approximation charge redistribution architecture. The choice of architecture and circuit design are presented. The base ADC has been implemented in 0.13 μm CMOS as a 100 kS/s SAR ADC whose resolution can be varied from 3 to 8 bits with corresponding power consumption of 0.23 μW to 0.90 μW achieving an ENOB of 7.8 at the 8-bit setting. The energy per conversion step figure of merit is 48 fJ/step at the 8-bit setting. Resolution adaptation reduces power consumption by a factor of 2.3 for typical motor neuron signals while maintaining an effective 7.8-bit resolution across all channels.
Use of room temperature bias sputtering to decrease intergranular coupling in magnetic media deposited on polymeric substrates

CoCrPt thin films sputter-deposited on polymeric substrates without explicit heating were investigated as a function of substrate bias. The coercivity and the coercive squareness in the CoCrPt films were strongly dependent on bias voltage. A significant reduction in the coercive squareness S/sup */ from a value near unity was observed with increasing bias voltage, implying a decrease in the degree of intergranular exchange coupling. With the addition of explicit substrate heating, S/sup */ was further reduced, and was associated with a significant improvement of coercivity. This paper presents a possible approach to achieve media with acceptably low exchange coupling deposited at temperatures well below the glass transition temperature of polymeric substrates.