cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What's Nature Got to Do with It?:

My congressional representative called a town hall meeting recently on the topic of global warming. He invited a panel of promi nent local environmentalists from which he wanted an agenda that he could take back to Washington. The first presenter was truly amazing-he trekked/kayaked/swam across the Arctic Circle measuring ice melt and pub licizing the rapid changes occurring due to warming temperatures. The analytic frame of fered by the rest of the invited experts was, however, disappointing: Although we were spoken to as the prime agents of change ("It's up to us!"), we were addressed solely as individualized consumers. Just as in Al Gore's Live Earth messages, I am being asked to change my light bulbs, soften my foot on the gas pedal (preferably on a Prius), and buy $20,000 solar panels for my home. The only place I was asked to engage socially with others was in the checkout line at Home De pot. I was depressed as much about the po lar cap melting as by this depoliticized dis course, similar to the one that drove the movement into the ground years earlier. Its resurgence, at least in this forum, views us not as political agents, but as consumers who should engage in social relations mediated primarily by commodities. If you want to stop the destruction of the planet, buy green! My district's remarkable African Ameri can/Muslim/anti-war representative cajoled us to think about the connections between climate change and income inequality, or anything that might mobilize others, such as his working-class African American con stituents from the North side. But the experts insisted that a saved planet will be good for everyone, especially the resource-poor com munities who will have even less to protect them from the coming deluge. Questions on the choices of U.S. industry and state policy makers that have fueled voracious petrole umand coal-based production were an The Recurring Dark Ages: Ecological Stress, Climate Changes, and System Transfor mation, by Sing C. Chew. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2006. 293pp. $80.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780759104518.
Collinear meta-acousto-optics and its application to tunable filters

In earlier work, noncollinear acousto-optic (AO) interaction has been analyzed in an acoustic metamaterial modeled by a simple dispersion relation. Here we investigate nominally collinear AO interaction in an acoustic metamaterial. We show that phase matching between the undiffracted and diffracted orders, not normally achievable in collinear conventional AO (CAO), can be satisfied using the dispersive acoustic behavior in meta-acousto-optics (MAO). We develop a theory for detailed analysis of collinear interaction between light and CW and multi-frequency (pulsed) acoustic waves in acoustic metamaterials. Application of collinear MAO to AO tunable filters is also investigated.
Differences and similarities in cardenolide contents of queen and monarch butterflies in florida and their ecological and evolutionary implications.

Florida queen butterflies are highly variable in cardenolide content and, in three populations studied, contained less cardenolide than did a sample of sympatric Florida monarchs. The possibility that queens stored a more potent set of cardenolides from their host plants (and therefore were as well protected as monarchs, even at lower concentrations) is refuted by Chromatographic analysis of wild butterflies, as well as controlled laboratory rearings. It therefore appears that, with respect to cardenolides, monarchs are better defended than are queens. Consequently, cardenolides are unlikely to explain the apparent shift in Florida viceroy mimicry away from resemblance of the monarch, toward mimicry of the queen. Other hypotheses to explain this mimetic phenomenon are suggested. Adult monarchs exhibit significant negative correlations between the concentration of cardenolide stored in their tissues and both body size and weight, whereas queens show no such correlations. The implications of these results for the study of “metabolic costs” of allelochemic storage are discussed. Chromatographic evidence is provided that monarchs do breed in south Florida during the winter months and that the likely host plant employed by the population studied wasAsclepias curassavica. This represents the first practical application of cardenolide “fingerprinting” to identify the larval host plants of wild danaid butterflies.
On stabilization and the existence of coprime factorizations

Shows that any transfer function matrix whose elements belong to the quotient field of H/sub infinity /, and which is stabilizable, has a matrix fraction representation over H/sub infinity / which is coprime in the sense that a matrix Bezout identity can be satisfied. >
A further test of the inverted-U hypothesis relating achievement anxiety and academic test performance.

The assumption that the inverted-U hypothesis, which shows performance as a function of activation level, mediates the relationship between achievement anxiety and academic test performance was tested by comparing Achievement Anxiety Test scores of 75 male and female college students with a self-report measure of activation taken prior to a classroom examination. Results supported the predicted relationship between achievement anxiety reaction type and academic performance (rho less than .05), but only partially supported the inverted-U hypothesis posited to account for this relationship. Results were further interpreted as suggesting that examinees experience two general types of arousal in the testing situationōne type that enhances performance and one that impedes performance. Further implications of the results were discussed.
Rapid radioimmunoassay for diagnosing acute tubular necrosis

A previously described method for recovering a proximal renal tubular epithelial antigen (HRTE-1) from normal human kidney was modified by using ion-exchange and immunoaffinity chromatography in order
Exact analytical partition function and energy levels for a Heisenberg ring of N=6 spin 1/2 sites

Abstract Using a method which combines reduction due to translational symmetry and elimination of degenerate states from smaller subspaces, the 64×64 Hamiltonian matrix of a Heisenberg ring of N=6 spin 1/2 atoms can be reduced to submatrices that are no larger than 3×3. This reduction makes possible the calculation of the exact eigenenergies E(k) of the system and subsequently the derivation of the partition function in an exact analytical form. The results are in perfect agreement with those obtained numerically by other authors.
Distributed cut detection in sensor networks

We propose a distributed algorithm to detect ?cuts? in sensor networks, i.e., the failure of a set of nodes that separates the networks into two or more components. The algorithm consists of a simple iterative scheme in which every node updates a scalar state by communicating with its nearest neighbors. In the absence of cuts, the states converge to values that are equal to potentials in a fictitious electrical network. When a set of nodes gets separated from a special node, that we call a ?source node?, their states converge to 0 because ?current is extracted? from the component but none is injected. These trends are used by every node to detect if a cut has occurred that has rendered it disconnected from the source. Although the algorithm is iterative and involves only local communication, its convergence rate is quite fast and is independent of the size of the network.
Normal and Abnormal Heme Biosynthesis. 1. Synthesis and Metabolism of Di- and Monocarboxylic Porphyrinogens Related to Coproporphyrinogen-III and Harderoporphyrinogen: A Model for the Active Site of Coproporphyrinogen Oxidase

Coproporphyrinogen oxidase (copro'gen oxidase), which catalyses the conversion of coproporphyrinogen-III via a monovinylic intermediate to protoporphyrinogen-IX, is one of the least well understood enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway. To develop a model for the substrate recognition and binding recognition for this enzyme, a series of substrate analogues were prepared with two alkyl substituents on positions 13 and 17 in place of the usual propionate residues. Although the required substrate probes are porphyrinogens (hexahydroporphyrins), the corresponding porphyrin methyl esters were initialy synthesized via a,c-biladiene intermediates. These were hydrolyzed and reduced with 3% sodium amalgam to give the unstable porphyrinogens needed for the biochemical investigations. These modified structures were metabolized by avian preparations of copro'gen oxidase to give monovinylic products, but the second propionate residue was not further metabolized. In three cases, the metabolites were isolated and fur...
1 MHz bandwidth true NMR SQUID amplifier

We have developed an integrated dc SQUID magnetometer with additional positive feedback (APF) for low frequency true NMR applications. The APF scheme allows direct coupled read out from the SQUID to room temperature electronics and eliminates the need for the conventional modulation scheme, thereby greatly simplifying the flux-locked loop electronics. We have configured our SQUID system for the specific needs of sensitive NMR measurements which include large bandwidth and high slew rate. We have achieved a bandwidth of 1.2 MHz and a slew rate greater than 105Φ0/s for frequencies above 10 kHz.
Geometry-based semantic ID for persistent and interoperable reference in feature-based parametric modeling

In current feature-based parametric design systems, the reusability principle is not fully supported as it was expected. Unpredictability and ambiguity of models often happen during design modification within one system as well as among different systems. This reference deficiency significantly reduces the power of feature-based parametric modeling, where geometry re-evaluation generates unexpected shapes. In this paper, a sufficient condition of B-Rep variance based on geometry continuity in parametric complex Euclidean (P^pC^3) space is proposed. Shape and relation parameters are differentiated in P^pC^3, thus parametric family can be defined. A semantic id scheme based on continuity of geometry is developed to solve the problem of naming persistency and to improve interoperability of CAD feature modeling. Hierarchical namespaces localize entity creation and identification. All geometric and topological entities are referred uniformly based on surface ids, and topology semantics is retained in id itself.
Anomalous electrical resistivity in the superconducting state of CeRu2

We observed the development of a resistive anomaly in the magnetic fieldH and temperatureT dependences of the electrical resistivity ρ of polycrystalline CeRu2. The transition into this resistive region, which is observed in the superconducting state well below the upper critical fieldH c2(T), is hysteretic in bothT andH. The intermediate field interval where ρ=0 corresponds to the field region in which an irreversible anomaly is observed in the magnetization curvesM(H). In some regions of theH-T plane, the resistivity exhibits transient behavior that could be due to flux jumps. The anomaly is very sensitive to the transport current density and appears to be due to a decrease and subsequent increase of fluxoid pinning asH c2(T) is approached from within the mixed state.
Direct recovering of Nth order surface structure using unified optical flow field

Abstract There are two different approaches for estimation of structure and/or motion of objects from image sequences in the computer vision community today. One is the optical flow approach, and the other is the feature correspondence approach. There are many difficulties and limitations encountered with the feature correspondence method, while the optical flow method requires a substantial amount of extra calculations if the optical flow is to be computed as an intermediate step. Direct methods have been developed, that use the optical flow approach, but avoid computing the full optical flow field as an intermediate step for recovering structure and motion. The unified optical flow field (UOFF) theory was recently established. It is an extension of the optical flow formulations to the temporal-spatial domain. In this paper, a direct method is developed to reconstruct the curved surface structure characterized by an N -degree polynomial equation based on the UOFF. It is a direct method since it also directly recovers surface structure, without computing the quantities in the UOFF. However, it is different from the direct method in that it is based on the theoretical framework of the unified spatial-and-temporal optical field instead of the optical flow field determined. Hence, the structure is recovered from a given pair of stereo images instead of from a monocular image sequence. Two computer simulations: a sphere which is a second-order surface and an unbounded α-shaped surface which is a third-order one are presented. The fairly good results demonstrate the effectiveness of our direct method using the UOFF. Some numerical consideration and error analysis are also included. Compared with the existing techniques of the direct method where only the first-order surface can be recovered, the new method has made significant progress in the recovery of curved structure.
Monitoring of Commitment, Blocking, and Continuation of Nutrient Germination of Individual Bacillus subtilis Spores

ABSTRACT Short exposures of Bacillus spores to nutrient germinants can commit spores to germinate when germinants are removed or their binding to the spores9 nutrient germinant receptors (GRs) is inhibited. Bacillus subtilis spores were exposed to germinants for various periods, followed by germinant removal to prevent further commitment. Release of spore dipicolinic acid (DPA) was then measured by differential interference contrast microscopy to monitor germination of multiple individual spores, and spores did not release DPA after 1 to 2 min of germinant exposure until ∼7 min after germinant removal. With longer germinant exposures, percentages of committed spores with times for completion of DPA release ( T release ) greater than the time of germinant removal ( T b ) increased, while the time T lag − T b , where T lag represents the time when rapid DPA release began, was decreased but rapid DPA release times (Δ T release = T release − T lag ) were increased; Factors affecting average T release values and the percentages of committed spores were germinant exposure time, germinant concentration, sporulation conditions, and spore heat activation, as previously shown for commitment of spore populations. Surprisingly, germination of spores given a 2nd short germinant exposure 30 to 45 min after a 1st exposure of the same duration was significantly higher than after the 1st exposure, but the number of spores that germinated in the 2nd germinant exposure decreased as the interval between germinant exposures increased up to 12 h. The latter results indicate that spores have some memory, albeit transient, of their previous exposure to nutrient germinants.
Investigation of HIL interfaces in nonlinear load studies

We report on the power hardware in the loop (PHIL) interfaces with respect to a nonlinear load. The stability criteria can be affected by systems which contain highly nonlinear loads thus this paper looks into the behavior of such a system. For the power interface of the HIL, five different methods are used and the buck converter is considered as the nonlinear load which serves as the hardware under test (HUT). Two important characteristics of the PHIL are stability and accuracy which are tested on the system. In this paper four configurations are discussed for the buck converter as the HUT which results in different stability and accuracy of the output voltage. The output voltage errors of the five methods are compared in this paper. All of the analysis is done with Matlab/Simulink.
Good gay females and babies' daddies: Black lesbian community norms and the acceptability of pregnancy

Communities have different norms and expectations regarding pregnancy and parenting and these norms affect individual reproductive behaviour. Using grounded theory, this paper examines sexual and gender norms that have implications for pregnancy, mothering and parenting within a community of young Black lesbians. In this community, pregnancy and parenting experiences affect participants' sexual and gender identities through the community discourse on appropriate motherhood. Identity is negotiated and contested vis-a-vis pregnancy and parenting. Using social categorisation theory as a lens into participants' pregnancy and parenting experiences, we show how normative discourse in this community ties appropriate reproductive behaviour to gendered bodies and, by extension, how pregnancy and parenting have implications for participants' developing gender identities.
Platelet and monoclonal antibody binding to fibrinogen adsorbed on glow‐discharge‐deposited polymers

The state of fibrinogen adsorbed on untreated and glow-discharge-treated surfaces was examined by measuring platelet adhesion, monoclonal antibody (mAb) binding, the amount of fibrinogen adsorbed, and the amount of adsorbed fibrinogen which could be eluted with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) glow-discharge-treated polymers have a lower surface free energy (in air) and retain a larger fraction of adsorbed fibrinogen than untreated surfaces after SDS elution. Platelet adhesion was lowest on the TFE-treated surfaces which retain the highest amounts of fibrinogen after SDS elution. Fibrinogen may undergo unfolding or spreading on the TFE-treated surfaces to minimize interfacial free energy (in water) and maximize protein–;surface interactions. When it is adsorbed on the TFE-treated surfaces, fibrinogen evidently assumes a state which somehow prevents its recognition and binding by platelet receptors. Monoclonal antibodies that bind to the three regions in fibrinogen thought to be involved in platelet adhesion were therefore used to detect changes in adsorbed fibrinogen. These regions and the antibodies which bind to them are: the COOH-terminal of the γ-chain, mAb M1; the RGD peptide sequence at Aα 95–98, mAb R1; the RDG sequence at Aα 572–575, mAb R2. For fibrinogen adsorbed on the untreated or TFE-treated surfaces, M1 and R2 binding was relatively high compared to background, while R1 binding was low. However, the amount of binding of each mAb to fibrinogen adsorbed on the TFE-treated surfaces was equal to or greater than fibrinogen adsorbed to the untreated surfaces. Therefore, antibody-detectable changes in the platelet binding regions of adsorbed fibrinogen that might have been caused by conformational or orientational rearrangements were not observed for the TFE-treated surfaces. The data suggest that the tight binding of fibrinogen on a surface may directly affect the ability of the fibrinogen to interact with the platelet receptors—i.e., that fibrinogen must be loosely held to facilitate maximal interaction with platelet receptors. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Bio-inspired crack self-healing of SiC/spinel nanocomposite

Abstract Crack self-healing behavior of SiC/spinel nanocomposite, obtained from talc, aluminum and graphite powders was evaluated as a function of time, temperature and the environment atmosphere. The mechanism that was involved in the crack-healing was investigated and the outcome revealed both physical and chemical phenomena are involved in the healing process. In the presence of oxygen at high temperatures, SiC reacts with oxygen to form SiO 2 which is accompanied with about 80% volume expansion. On the other hand, the formed silica reacts with the matrix and produces some transition compounds which can rebond crack walls together. The results showed that cracks can be completely healed after heat treatment at 1545 °C in static air for only 1 min.
Ordinate Scale Expansion for the Precise Wavenumber Measurement of Broad Infrared Absorption Bands

The current capability of high resolution, high wave-number accuracy infrared instruments offers the potential for conveniently studying very subtle (one or two cm−1) band displacements as a function of structure or solvent (1). For measurements of tenths of cm−1 accuracy, it has formerly been necessary to calibrate the instrument carefully, using the known locations of the rotational bands of various light gases (2) and also to know the repeat-ability of the instrument to allow for errors in temperature variation, mechanical linkages, etc. The built-in accuracy of some of the newer instruments makes this procedure unnecessary.
Association between HSV1 seropositivity and obesity: data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 2007-2008.

Background Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is among the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in the United States and worldwide. HSV has a high incidence of undetected cases. In addition, there is no treatment, and there is a lack of knowledge why disparities among populations exist. Research studies suggest that fat tissue may participate in body's immune responses, and the impact of obesity on susceptibility to HSV1 infection is not clear. The purpose of this study was to examine whether obesity is a risk factor for HSV1 infection using a large sample from the general population.
The study of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs.

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this article are to (1) identify key methodological issues related to investigating the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs, (2) highlight opportunities and challenges that these issues pose, and (3) provide suggestions to address these challenges and opportunities from a social and administrative pharmacy perspective. Methods Through a review of existing literature and consultation with research colleagues, we identified 3 broad issues regarding the study of DTCA for prescription drugs: (1) the importance of problem formulation, (2) the role of health behavior and decision-making perspectives, and (3) data collection and data analysis challenges and opportunities. Based upon our findings, we developed recommendations for future research in this area. Results Clear problem formulation will be instructive for prioritizing research needs and for determining the role that health behavior and decision-making perspectives can serve in DTCA research. In addition, it appears that cluster bias, nonlinear relationships, mediating/moderating effects, time effects, acquiescent response, and case mix are particularly salient challenges for the DTCA research domain. Conclusions We suggest that problem formulation, selection of sound theories upon which to base research, and data collection and data analysis challenges are key methodological issues related to investigating the effects of DTCA for prescription drugs.
Detection Limits for Time-Resolved Coherent Two-Dimensional Vibrational Spectroscopy

Coherent two-dimensional vibrational spectroscopy is performed using doubly vibrationally enhanced four-wave mixing in dilute solutions of carbon disulfide using an ultrafast (< or = 1 ps) laser pulse system. The nonresonant electronic background and singly resonant coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering contributions are suppressed by delaying the excitation pulses. With this suppression, we measured detection limits of 8 x 10(-5) M CS2 in bromochloromethane.
Magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial CrO2 (100) thin films

CrO2 thin films fabricated on single crystal TiO2 (100) substrates by vapor phase transport grow with strongly textured growth characteristics and strong preferential orientation of the crystallites. We have used magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and alternating gradient force magnetometry (AGFM) to study the in-plane magnetic anisotropy. Both the coercive field, HC, and remnant magnetization Mr/Ms show strong twofold in-plane symmetry and the results, vs. angle, fit a coherent rotation model of domain reversal. We verify that the magnetic easy axis is along the c-axis of the crystal and the first order anisotropy constant, K1, is estimated to be about (2.3±0.2)×105 erg/cm3, consistent with the previous results. Near Tc, there are strong indications that the contributions to the magnetic anisotropy are strongly altered.
Adolescents, Unintended Pregnancy, and Abortion: The Struggle for a Compassionate Social Policy

Consider Jane and Sarah, two 15 year-olds facing unintended preg nancy. Jane and her boyfriend have been sexually active for 6 months without using birth control. Her pe riod is late, a home pregnancy test is positive, and an exam by her physi cian confirms that she is pregnant. Jane lives with her mother; her par ents are divorced. She sees both par ents as supportive, but does not want to discuss her pregnancy with either parent because both have health and financial problems. After talking with her aunt and boyfriend, she decides to seek an abortion. Sa rah's story is different. She has been sexually abused by her father for 2 years. Her father and mother both abuse alcohol, and her father beats her mother. When Sarah's period is late, she discusses her options with several friends and confirms the pregnancy by seeing her physician. She then seeks an abortion. How should our society regulate access to abortion for Jane, Sarah, and approximately 250,000 other adolescent women who are legal minors and face unintended preg
Data and storage structures for interactive graphics

This is a tutorial paper that shows the relationship between the data structure and the rest of an interactive graphics system. The distinction between data structures and storage structures is emphasized, as is the problem of data structure segmentation. The implementation of typical graphical applications is described, along with analysis of various trade-off decisions. Finally, some high-level data structure specification languages are discussed.
Implementation of Targeted Medication Education for Improved Patient Satisfaction

Professional Issues Poster Presentation Design An intervention study on staff attitudes and beliefs with the use of a reliable and valid tool was conducted with nursing staff. Labor and delivery and postpartum nurses from a large midwestern urban hospital responded to the Breastfeeding Beliefs, Bottle Feeding Beliefs, and Breastfeeding Attitudes Attitude Survey at baseline and following intervention. Following the initial survey, staff were provided with a 5-hour educational intervention “Bridges to Breastfeeding” provided by members of the Illinois Department of Health, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children program and breastfeeding advocates.
MPromDb update 2010: an integrated resource for annotation and visualization of mammalian gene promoters and ChIP-seq experimental data

MPromDb (Mammalian Promoter Database) is a curated database that strives to annotate gene promoters identified from ChIP-seq results with the goal of providing an integrated resource for mammalian transcriptional regulation and epigenetics. We analyzed 507 million uniquely aligned RNAP-II ChIP-seq reads from 26 different data sets that include six human cell-types and 10 distinct mouse cell/tissues. The updated MPromDb version consists of computationally predicted (novel) and known active RNAP-II promoters (42,893 human and 48,366 mouse promoters) from various data sets freely available at NCBI GEO database. We found that 36% and 40% of protein-coding genes have alternative promoters in human and mouse genomes and ∼40% of promoters are tissue/cell specific. The identified RNAP-II promoters were annotated using various known and novel gene models. Additionally, for novel promoters we looked into other evidences-GenBank mRNAs, spliced ESTs, CAGE promoter tags and mRNA-seq reads. Users can search the database based on gene id/symbol, or by specific tissue/cell type and filter results based on any combination of tissue/cell specificity, Known/Novel, CpG/NonCpG, and protein-coding/non-coding gene promoters. We have also integrated GBrowse genome browser with MPromDb for visualization of ChIP-seq profiles and to display the annotations. The current release of MPromDb can be accessed at http://bioinformatics.wistar.upenn.edu/MPromDb/.
From Rights to Claims: The Role of Civil Society in Making Rights Real for Vulnerable Workers

This article examines the contextual factors driving legal mobilization of workers in the United States through an analysis of national origin discrimination charges under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (2000–2005). Consistent with previous studies, this analysis confirms that high unemployment levels and weak labor protections promote legal mobilization. The findings also highlight the positive role that civil society may play in promoting claims-making. I argue that nongovernmental organizations fill the gap in places where organized labor is weak, and may help support claims-making particularly in places with a larger vulnerable workforce. The article concludes by offering suggestions for a renewed sociolegal research agenda that examines the role of 501c(3) civil society organizations for the legal mobilization of an increasingly non-unionized and immigrant workforce.
Between Chaos and Structure: Interpreting Lexical Data Through a Theoretical Lens

In this paper, we explore the inherent tension between corpus data and linguistic theory that aims to model it, with particular reference to the dynamic and variable nature of the lexicon. We explore the process through which modeling of the data is accomplished, presenting itself as a sequence of conflicting stages of discovery. First-stage data analysis informs the model, whereas the seeming chaos of organic data inevitably violates our theoretical assumptions. But in the end, it is restrictions apparent in the data that call for postulating structure within a revised theoretical model. We show the complete cycle using two case studies and discuss the implications.
Schottky barriers on phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon: The effects of tunneling

A systematic investigation of the transport properties of PtSi on phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) interfaces is presented. The transition from rectifying Schottky barriers to Ohmic contacts is observed as the doping level is increased. The barrier heights of PtSi on a-Si:H versus doping concentration and applied bias are measured with use of internal photoemission. In addition, the activation energy, ideality factor, flat-band voltage, and reverse-bias current-voltage characteristics are also determined. The results are analyzed in terms of the theory for thermionic-field-emission tunneling through the barrier. The agreement indicates that tunneling is extremely important for barriers on all but the lowest-doped a-Si:H at room temperature. While a change \ensuremath{\sim}0.6 eV of the effective barrier height is observed, the analysis indicates that the actual barrier height is independent of doping despite a change in the Fermi level of \ensuremath{\sim}0.4 eV. No evidence for the lowering of the barrier due to phosphorus-induced donor levels is found. The origin of the barrier formation and evolution of the electrical characteristics of the contact as a function of doping are discussed.
Evaluation and management of benign esophageal strictures.

SUMMARY. Patients with progressive or solid food dysphagia should be evaluated for the presence of an esophageal stricture. Barium esophagram and endoscopy can define strictures as benign or malignant. The majority of benign strictures are acid-related. Benign strictures are best managed by esophageal dilation with acid-suppressing medications if a peptic stricture is suspected. If dysphagia recurs, repeat dilation should be performed. There are a variety of interventions for refractory strictures which include injection of intralesional corticosteroids, temporary placement of self-expanding plastic stents and surgery.
Magic-angle spinning 29Si NMR study of short-range order in a-Si

The magic-angle spinning $^{29}\mathrm{Si}$ NMR of annealed rf-sputter-deposited amorphous silicon was measured as a function of annealing temperature up to crystallization. The NMR peak width is observed to narrow significantly with little change in peak position. A comparison with Raman-scattering and neutron-diffraction results indicates that the distribution of NMR chemical shifts is modified by variations of the electronic density of states with bond-angle distribution.
ACETATE IS A CHEMOATTRACTANT FOR THE COLONIAL GREEN ALGA ASTREPHOMENE GUBERNACULIFERA (CHLOROPHYCEAE)1

Astrephomene gubernaculifera Pocock is capable of growth on sodium acetate, even in the absence of light. From an evolutionary standpoint, it would be beneficial for this motile heterotrophic organism to be able to sense and swim to such an energy source. We used three assays to test for chemoattraction of A. gubernaculifera. In each case, there was strong chemoattraction to acetate. Propionate, a molecule structurally similar to acetate, also elicited a strong chemoattraction response, even though it was incapable of supporting growth in the dark in this strain. This implies that chemoattraction in A. gubernaculifera is based on a receptor-mediated signaling response. Video analysis of colonies exhibiting the attraction response indicated that most of them remained motile in the vicinity of the acetate. This rules out the simplest possible model for accumulation in which colonies stop when they encounter increased acetate concentrations. We also tested a variety of other organic molecules for their ability to chemoattract A. gubernaculifera. Of the 11 sugars, 18 amino acids, and three other organic molecules tested, only the amino acid phenylalanine elicited chemoattraction.
A role for focal adhesion kinase in phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy of rat ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Abstract A variety of agonists including phenylephrine (PE) induce hypertrophy in neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes. Here we report that signals provided by extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) augment the PE-induced hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes and provide evidence that ECM-dependent signaling is mediated in part by the protein tyrosine kinase, focaladhesion kinase (FAK). Addition of PE to cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes stimulated sarcomeric organization, increased cell size, and induced atrial natriuretic factor in cardiomyocytes plated on the ECM protein laminin or fibronectin. In contrast, cardiomyocytes plated on the non-adhesive substrate gelatin exhibited a reduced capacity to undergo these PE-stimulated hypertrophic changes. In cardiomyocytes cultured on ECM, PE stimulated a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion proteins including FAK, paxillin, and p130 Crk-associated substrate and subsequent formation of peripheral focal complexes. Inhibition of the PE-induced hypertrophic response by genistein and herbimycin-A indicated a requirement for protein tyrosine kinases in PE signaling. To determine whether activation of FAK is required for PE-induced hypertrophy, a dominant-interfering mutant form of FAK, termed FRNK (FAK-relatednon-kinase), was ectopically expressed in cardiomyocytes using a replication-defective adenovirus expression system. FRNK expression attenuated PE-stimulated hypertrophy as assessed by cell size, sarcomeric organization, and induction of atrial natriuretic factor. These data indicate that the signal transduction pathways leading to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy are strongly influenced by and/or dependent upon an integrin-mediated signaling process requiring FAK.
Making Meaning in Student Teaching

Using Kegan's (1982, 1994) theory of constructive developmentalism, this study focused on the way in which the teacher candidates defined success in student teaching. The candidates differed in their personal epistemologies or what Kegan (1982) called orders of consciousness, which referred to the different ways an individual made meaning of everyday events and relationships. One of the teacher candidates defined success through the lens of external opinions and feedback from her cooperating teachers and university supervisors, whereas the other drew upon her own internal beliefs. The difference in their constructions of success reflected the variance in these candidates’ orders of consciousness: one student operated from a perspective in which external feedback and relationships defined the self, and the other was evolving toward an epistemology based on her self-authored interpretation of events and relationships. The findings of this study have implications for the way teacher educators supervise and s...
The coadsorption of hydrogen and potassium on Ir(111)

The adsorption of gas-phase atomic hydrogen on potassium-precovered Ir(111) surfaces was investigated. Even very low coverages of potassium adatoms strongly inhibit the dissociative adsorption of molecular hydrogen. However, using gas-phase atomic hydrogen allows us to overcome the activation barrier for dissociative hydrogen adsorption. In addition, abstraction of hydrogen adatoms by impinging atomic hydrogen occurs. The probabilities and cross-sections for both reactions and the maximum number of hydrogen adsorption sites are derived and compared to data obtained on other surfaces. Furthermore, a kinetic isotope effect in the desorption of hydrogen and deuterium was observed. Implications of these results with respect to the potassium-hydrogen interaction are discussed.
Processing of 45 s nucleolar RNA.

Abstract Approximately one-half of the 45 s RNA precursor to mammalian ribosomal RNA is discarded during maturation in the nucleolus. Several intermediate size molecules are formed which have approximate sedimentation coefficients of 41, 36, 32, 24 and 20 s. These intermediates have been characterized by estimating their molecular weight and measuring the number of methyl groups present relative to the total number of bases in the molecule. The 41 s RNA appears to be a precursor to both 28 and 18 s RNA, while 32 s RNA is precursor to 28 s, and 20 s RNA is precursor to 18 s. The present data suggest that 36 s and 24 s molecules may be generated when the order of cleavage steps is altered, although their possible role in normal processing cannot be completely excluded.
Combining transtracheal catheter oxygenation and needle-based Seldinger cricothyrotomy into a single, sequential procedure

Abstract Background Needle-based cricothyrotomy is a common procedure for emergency department patients requiring an emergent surgical airway. Percutaneous transtracheal jet ventilation is well studied to provide oxygenation. We propose to combine these procedures into a novel, single, and sequential procedure. Methods This study was a prospective manikin/human cadaver procedural feasibility study performed at a medical education center. Forty-eight emergency medicine attending physicians and fellows performed the procedure on a single TraumaMan (Simulab Corporation, Seattle, WA), and 26 were randomly selected to perform the procedure on fresh, unfixed human cadavers. The procedure is as follows: 15 gauge/6F catheter-over-needle punctures cricothyroid membrane, needle is removed, and Enk oxygen flow modulator is attached to the catheter (start to oxygenation). The Enk set is detached, a guide wire introduced, and Seldinger cricothyrotomy is performed (oxygenation to cricothyrotomy). Start-to-oxygenation, oxygenation-to-cricothyrotomy, and start-to-cricothyrotomy times were recorded. Manikin procedures were verified by direct visualization, and cadaver procedures were verified by video laryngoscopy. Results All attempts were included in data analysis, and there was a 100% first-pass success rate. For the manikin trials, median start-to-oxygenation, oxygenation-to-cricothyrotomy, and start-to-cricothyrotomy times with interquartile ranges were 11 (8.5-13), 48 (42-57), and 59 (53-69) seconds, respectively. For the cadaver trials, median start-to-oxygenation, oxygenation-to-cricothyrotomy, and start-to-cricothyrotomy times with interquartile ranges were 12 (10-15), 59 (47-76), and 71 (61-94) seconds, respectively. Student t tests showed significant differences in start-to-oxygenation and oxygenation-to-cricothyrotomy times ( P Conclusion Percutaneous transtracheal jet ventilation and needle-based Seldinger cricothyrotomy can be performed by emergency medicine physicians, and a single, sequential procedure may significantly reduce time to oxygenation for patients already undergoing surgical cricothyrotomy.
Oral urea therapy in children with sickle cell anemia

The role of oral urea therapy in the prevention of the painful episodes of sickle cell anemia was evaluated in 11 children. No hematologic or clinical benefits could be observed during the period of study which averaged 7.8 months (range 11 days to 16 months). The average number of painful crises was 2.7 per patient per year prior to therapy and 2.4 per patient during therapy. The children averaged 1.1 hospital admissions per year prior to therapy and 2.1 admissions per year while on therapy. These studies fail to demonstrate any benefit from the use of oral urea in the treatment of patients with sickle cell anemia.
A limit theorem for perturbed operator semigroups with applications to random evolutions

Abstract Let U(t) and S(t) be strongly continuous contraction semigroups on a Banach space L with infinitesimal operators A and B, respectively. Suppose the closure of A + αB generates a semigroup Tα(t). The behavior of Tα(t) as α goes to infinity is examined. In particular, suppose S(t) converges strongly to P. If the closure of PA generates a semigroup T(t) on R (P), then Tα(t) goes to T(t) on R (P). If PA = 0 and if BVf = −f for fe N (P), conditions are given that imply Tα(αt) converges on R (P) to a semigroup generated by the closure of PAVA. The results are used to obtain new and known limit theorems for random evolutions, which in turn give approximation theorems for diffusion processes.
Religion and Educational Ideals in Contemporary Taiwan

The relationship between religion and educational ideals in Taiwan is explored using the Taiwan Social Change Survey (1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005). Religion seems to influence the overall level of educational ideals. Both before and after controls, Taiwanese Protestants have the highest educational ideals for both boys and girls; the nonreligious have the second highest ideals. Members of the new religious movement Yi-Guan-Dao and Catholics have the lowest ideals, while folk religionists/Taoists and Buddhists are in the middle and not significantly different from each other. We discuss possible mechanisms of influence and how our findings speak to the available literature on religion and education in the United States and elsewhere.
ORCA A Sea-of-gates Place and Route System

Sea-of-gates is becoming an important design style for Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The sea-of-gates technology offers more flexible placement and routing options not available in gate arrays. Very few systems are available today that can automatically layout sea-of-gates and none of these systems effectively use the features available in sea-of-gates architecture. ORCA is a place and route system for sea-of-gates, whose objective is to produce the highest density layout by fully exploiting the inherent features of this new design style. The ORCA system starts with a module generator which preprocesses memory arrays and other logic with a regular structure to form high density macros. The remaining logic is clustered together to form flexible macros, which we call porous. The porous macro-cells allow global routing to pass through the macro instead of detouring around its perimeter. The porous macros are dynamically shaped and resized by interaction with global wiring analysis. Finally, a general channelless area router has been developed to address the multiple layers of interconnect and routing areas which will be dominantly over-the-cell. Due to the large size of the problem (e.g. 100,000 gates), the placement and routing algorithms are hierarchical.
Digitalis intoxication in premature infants.

During a previous study of the dosage of digoxin in healthy premature infants 13 infants developed electrocardiographic evidence of intoxication. The present report is an analysis of the toxic manifestations. There appeared to be a heightened susceptibility to digitalis toxicity during the first 72 hours of life. Toxicity was induced most often by a digitalizing dose of 75 mcg. per kilogram of digoxin, but was also encountered at lower dosages. Depression of sinoatrial rhythmicity, ectopic supraventricular beats and rhythms, and atrioventricular block were the most common manifestations. Reduction of the heart rate to less than 100 beats per minute or prolongation of the P-R interval appeared to portend the development of intoxication. These findings underscore the necessity for careful electrocardiographic monitoring of digitalization procedures in young infants.
In vivo diffusion tensor imaging of the human optic chiasm at sub-millimeter resolution.

Abstract In this work we report findings from an in vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study of the human optic chiasm at sub-millimeter voxel resolution. Data were collected at 3 T using a diffusion-weighted radial-FSE sequence, which provides images free from typical magnetic susceptibility artifacts. The general DTI features observed in the optic chiasm region were consistent across subjects. They included a central area with high anisotropy and highest diffusivity in a predominately right/left direction corresponding to the decussation of nasal hemiretinae fibers, surrounded by a band of low anisotropy reflecting heterogeneous orientation of fibers within the voxel, and a lateral area with high anisotropy and highest diffusivity in a predominately anterior/posterior direction corresponding to temporal hemiretinae fibers that do not cross. Animal studies indicate that there is a significant dorsal–ventral reorganization of the retinotopic distribution of fibers along the optic pathways. We found that diffusion ellipsoids in the central portion of the optic chiasm show considerable planar anisotropy in the coronal plane indicating fiber crossings in the superior/inferior direction, rather than strictly right/left. This architectural feature of the chiasm suggests that dorso–ventral reorganization of fibers in the optic pathways also occurs in humans. We have shown that by collecting sub-millimeter resolution data, DTI can be used to investigate fine details of small and complex white matter structures, in vivo , with a clinical scanner. High spatial resolution, however, is necessary in the slice direction as well as in-plane to reduce the CSF contribution to the signal and to increase fiber coherence within voxels.
Refractive-index dependence of pulsed-laser-induced damage

A parametric study of the threshold for pulsed-laser-induced damage with refractive index for surfaces and thin films of several transparent optical materials is reported. An empirical analysis of the experimental results obtained using 1.06-μm radiation in ~40-nsec pulses, together with other published data, yields, to first order, a 1/(n2 − 1) dependence for the threshold optical electric field. The proposed scaling law describes quite well the variation of damage threshold for optical surfaces ranging in refractive index from 1.38 to 2.49. Similar agreement is noted for homogeneous thin films deposited on a fused silica substrate; however, deviations are noted for inhomogeneous films.
Vapor-phase bioreactors : Avoiding problems through better design and operation

Vapor-phase bioreactors are an efficient method to treat air contaminated with volatile organic compounds. To ensure stable long term performance, several design and operating factors must be considered. Common problems include nutrient limitations, biomass clogging, inactive biomass, low moisture content and reductions in pH. Based on several bioreactor studies, the underlying cause of each of these problems is identified, monitoring requirements are outlined and a range of appropriate response actions are presented. These solutions range from modification of bioreactor design and operation (e.g., step feed configuration and directionally switching operation) to the use of alternative types of microorganisms (e.g., fungi).