cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Whole Genome Human Chromosome Physical Mapping

This entry reviews the types of physical map that can be constructed, the methods used to construct them and their most likely current use. In particular, the emphasis is on the construction of genomic restriction maps and ordering overlapping libraries using top-down mapping approaches to enable de novo genome sequencing and for gap filling in sequencing projects. Also explored is the use of these approaches in functional studies. Keywords: Alu Repeat; Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC); Cloneless Library; Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH); Expressed Sequence Tag (EST); Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH); Inter-Alu PCR; Jumping Libraries; Kpn Repeat; Linking Libraries; Locus; Long Interspersed Repeat Elements (LINEs); Multiplex Analysis; P1-derived Artificial Chromosomes (PAC); Polonies; Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR); Polymorphism Link-up; Pulsed Field Gel (PFG) Electrophoresis; Radiation Hybrid Maps; RARE (RecA-assisted Restriction Endonuclease) Cleavage; Retroposons; Sequence-tagged Restriction Site (STAR); Sequence-tagged Site (STS); Short Interspersed Repeat Elements (SINEs); Yeast Artificial Chromosome (YAC)
Parallel interference cancellation techniques for synchronous carrier interferometry/MC-CDMA uplink [4G cellular systems]

In this paper, we investigate the performance of various parallel interference cancellation (PIC) techniques for a synchronous carrier interferometry/MC-CDMA uplink. Specifically, we compare the performance of the system with conventional PIC, TPIC (PIC with threshold) and block-PIC. While TPIC does not offer any performance gain relative to conventional PIC, a significant improvement in performance and capacity is seen with block-PIC relative to conventional PIC (at the cost of a slight increase in complexity). We demonstrate that the block-PIC method provides the best performance with a BER of 10/sup -3/ at 12 dB which is 1 dB off the single user performance.
Velocity-dependent capillary pressure in theory for variably-saturated liquid infiltration into porous media

[1] Standard theory for liquid infiltration into porous media cannot explain saturation overshoot at an infiltration front. Based on a recent generalization of the Green-Ampt approach, a new theory for variably-saturated flow is presented that assumes that capillary pressure does not only depend on liquid content but also on the flow velocity. The Eulerian expression for the nonequilibrium capillary pressure is rotationally invariant and attempts to capture the conjecture that dynamic effects are more pronounced if flow is associated with moving fluid-fluid interfaces which cause a dynamic contact angle. The new theory correctly predicts how overshoot depends on the downstream and upstream liquid contents as well as on grain size. The theory also yields the hydrostatic pressure distribution in the liquid and allows for liquid contents exceeding the saturated liquid content of the main imbibition curve that may occur for overshoot.
Dysuria Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Background: Dysuria following prostate radiation therapy is a common toxicity that adversely affects patients’ quality of life and may be difficult to manage. Methods: 204 patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) from 2007 to 2010 for localized prostate carcinoma with a minimum follow up of three years were included in this retrospective review of prospectively collected data. All patients were treated to 35-36.25Gy in 5 fractions delivered with robotic SBRT with real time fiducial tracking. Dysuria and other lower urinary tract symptoms were assessed via Question 4b (Pain or burning on urination) of the Expanded Prostate Index Composite (EPIC)-26 and the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Score at baseline and at routine follow up. Results: 204 patients (82 low-, 105 intermediate-, and 17 high risk according to the D’Amico classification) at a median age of 69 years (range 48-91) received SBRT for their localized prostate cancer with a median follow up of 47 months. Bother associated with dysuria significantly increased from a baseline of 12% to a maximum of 43% at one month (p<0.0001). There were two distinct peaks of moderate to severe dysuria bother at 1 month and at 6-12 months, with 9% of patients experiencing a late transient dysuria flare. While a low level of dysuria was seen through the first two years of follow-up, it returned to below baseline by two years (p=0.91). The median baseline AUA score of 7.5 significantly increased to 11 at 1 month (p<0.0001) and returned to 7 at 3 months (p= 0.54). Patients with dysuria had a statistically higher AUA score at baseline and at all follow-ups up to 30 months. Dysuria significantly correlated with dose and AUA score on multivariate analysis. Frequency and strain significantly correlated with dysuria on stepwise multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The rate and severity of dysuria following SBRT is comparable to patients treated with other radiation modalities.
Detectors and Generators of Electromagnetic Radiation

This chapter discusses a number of solid state (mostly semiconductor) detectors and generators of electromagnetic radiation. The absorption of photons by both intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors is considered first and leads to a discussion of photoconductive and photovoltaic devices. Several important applications of intrinsic photoconductivity (e.g., photography) are treated briefly. Spontaneous photon emission in semiconductors is considered as the basis for p-n junction luminescence in light-emitting diodes. A general discussion of photon amplification by stimulated emission is provided as background for a description of three- and four-level lasers (e.g., ruby). Finally, stimulated emission in semiconductor junction lasers concludes the chapter.
Flight evaluation of advanced controls and displays for transition and landing on the NASA V/STOL systems research aircraft

Flight experiments were conducted on Ames Research Center's V/STOL Systems Research Aircraft (VSRA) to assess the influence of advanced control modes and head-up displays (HUD's) on flying qualities for precision approach and landing operations. Evaluations were made for decelerating approaches to hover followed by a vertical landing and for slow landings for four control/display mode combinations: the basic YAV-8B stability augmentation system; attitude command for pitch, roll, and yaw; flightpath/acceleration command with translational rate command in the hover; and height-rate damping with translational-rate command. Head-up displays used in conjunction with these control modes provided flightpath tracking/pursuit guidance and deceleration commands for the decelerating approach and a mixed horizontal and vertical presentation for precision hover and landing. Flying qualities were established and control usage and bandwidth were documented for candidate control modes and displays for the approach and vertical landing. Minimally satisfactory bandwidths were determined for the translational-rate command system. Test pilot and engineer teams from the Naval Air Warfare Center, the Boeing Military Airplane Group, Lockheed Martin, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce, and the British Defense Research Agency participated in the program along with NASA research pilots from the Ames and Lewis Research Centers. The results, in conjunction with related ground-based simulation data, indicate that the flightpath/longitudinal acceleration command response type in conjunction with pursuit tracking and deceleration guidance on the HUD would be essential for operation to instrument minimums significantly lower than the minimums for the AV-8B. It would also be a superior mode for performing slow landings where precise control to an austere landing area such as a narrow road is demanded. The translational-rate command system would reduce pilot workload for demanding vertical landing tasks aboard ship and in confined land-based sites.
Principal Arcs and Their Associated Metal Deposits

Principal arcs are relatively narrow, well-defined zones of volcanic and plu-tonic igneous activity that occur above intermediate to steeply dipping subduction zones. These important metallogenic elements are characterized by the formation Cu, Fe, Mo, Au, and Ag deposits that exhibit a close time-space association with calc-alkaline magmatism. In fact, principal arcs and their metal deposits provide the most compelling evidence for direct causative relationships between purely plate tectonic events (i.e., subduction) and magmato-metallogenic events. In the early 1970’s this concept became known as “geostiir, but the initial enthusiasm of its proponents had to be tempered when it became clear that processes of magma generation in arc systems were complex, and involved a broader range of potential source materials than originally realized
The Vacuum Energy Crisis

Even empty space has energy, but understanding its magnitude is a major puzzle. A cyclic series of big bangs has been proposed as a solution; anthropic selection offers another explanation
Decays of the Tau Lepton

Previous measurements of the branching fractions of the tau lepton result in a discrepancy between the inclusive branching fraction and the sum of the exclusive branching fractions to final states containing one charged particle. The sum of the exclusive branching fractions is significantly smaller than the inclusive branching fraction. In this analysis, the branching fractions for all the major decay modes are measured simultaneously with the sum of the branching fractions constrained to be one. The branching fractions are measured using an unbiased sample of tau decays, with little background, selected from 207 pb/sup -1/ of data accumulated with the Mark II detector at the PEP e/sup +/e/sup -/ storage ring. The sample is selected using the decay products of one member of the ..gamma../sup +/..gamma../sup -/ pair produced in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation to identify the event and then including the opposite member of the pair in the sample. The sample is divided into subgroups according to charged and neutral particle multiplicity, and charged particle identification. The branching fractions are simultaneously measured using an unfold technique and a maximum likelihood fit. The results of this analysis indicate that the discrepancy found in previous experiments is possibly due to twomore » sources. First, the leptonic branching fractions measured in this analysis are about one standard deviation higher than the world average. The measured leptonic branching fractions correspond to a tau lifetime of (3.0 +- 0.2) x 10/sup -13/ s. Secondly, the total branching fraction to one charged hadron plus at least one neutral particle is measured to be (7 +- 3)% higher than the branching fraction expected from a combination of previous measurements and theoretical predictions. It is shown that decay modes involving the eta are not expected to contribute more than 3% to this excess.« less
Technical note: Validation of a handheld meter for measuring β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in plasma and serum from dairy cows

The use of handheld meters for cow-side tests for β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations in whole blood has become common. The aim of this study was to compare serum BHB (sBHB) and plasma BHB (pBHB) concentrations analyzed using either a "gold standard" enzymatic laboratory method (LM; Randox Laboratories Ltd., Antrim, UK; cat. no. RB1007) or a handheld meter (PX; Precision Xtra, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Alameda, CA). Results from 374 (187 serum and 187 plasma) samples taken from Holstein cows from 11 d before (52 samples) to 5 d after parturition (137 samples) were used for the analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using the MIXED, REG, and LOGISTIC procedures of SAS (v9.4; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). A linear mixed model with repeated measures was fitted for LM and PX. Regression and correlation analyses were completed to estimate the relationship and agreement between the 2 methods. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate agreement between LM and PX. Cross-validation by randomly splitting the data in model-building and validation sets was performed to estimate and validate the equation that predicted the LM results using PX. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of PX at different threshold levels. The CCC was 0.74 for pBHB and 0.68 for sBHB. The 95% confidence interval of agreement of the Bland-Altman plot encompassed 96% of the difference between LM and PX for pBHB and 95% for sBHB. The mean difference for pBHB was -0.50±0.25mmol, and that for sBHB was -0.63±0.41mmol. The highest Se and Sp for PX were achieved when the threshold for ketosis was set to 1.8mmol/L for pBHB and 2.1mmol/L for sBHB. The area under the ROC curve was 0.97 for pBHB and 0.96 for sBHB. The negative bias shown by the Bland-Altman plots suggested that PX yielded higher pBHB and sBHB concentrations than the LM. However, the excellent test characteristics and area under the ROC curve close to 1 indicated that PX at the adjusted thresholds was able to accurately classify between samples <1.2mmol/L and those ≥1.2mmol/L based on the gold standard test.
Don't Blame the Weather: Federal Natural Disaster Aid and Public Corruption

Previous research using data on convictions for corruption-related crimes from the Public Integrity Section (PIN) of the Department of Justice points to a positive correlation between the amount of corruption in a state and the amount of federal funds provided to the state for natural disaster relief. We take a closer look at the relation between public corruption and disaster assistance using more detailed data on corruption convictions for an expanded time period. Our analysis provides little support for the hypothesis that the provision of federal disaster aid increases public corruption. It suggests instead that prior evidence of such a linkage arises from an unexplained correlation during the 1990’s between disaster aid and convictions of postal employees for crimes such as stealing mail. Convictions for postal service crimes appear to account for a large fraction of the total federal convictions reported by PIN, which could have far reaching implications given that the PIN data have been used so extensively in the corruption literature.
The uptake and accumulation of proteins by the cell nucleus.

Evidence has recently been obtained suggesting that the accumulation of specific endogenous proteins by the nucleus is due both to facilitated transport across the envelope and intranuclear binding. Using recombinant DNA methodology, polypeptide domains containing the signals required for nuclear accumulation have been identified in several karyophilic proteins.
Organizational Economics in Agriculture Policy Analysis

The ongoing industrialization of U.S. agriculture encompasses important changes in farm production practices, in the organization of farm input and output markets, and in the mix of activities carried out by farm operators. These shifts raise important issues for the role of government in the sector and for the design of research and data programs to support public-policy analysis. Basic frameworks of organizational economics—in particular, concepts from principal-agent models, organizational design, and transaction costs— have direct applications in addressing these issues. 1 While organizational economics has been used in some areas of policy analysis, the concepts are underutilized in other areas. “Industrialization” encompasses four important organizational shifts, to more differentiated food products; to more explicitly coordinated production and marketing channels, such as contracts; to expanded use by farmers of leasing arrangements, alliances, and service purchases; and to increased farm sizes. These shifts are the most prominent organizational responses to an underlying collection of causal forces at play, including the mechanical, chemical, and biological innovations that drove twentieth century advances in agricultural productivity, as well as more recent information and biotechnology advances. The forces underlying agricultural industrialization affect the design and impact of, and support for, various public policies in agriculture. Policy has long encompassed commodity programs designed to support farm household incomes and manage supplies; market
The Regulation of Televised Violence

A comparison of government action in the areas of broadcast violence and sexually offensive materials can provide the basis for stricter control of that televised violence. The Federal Communications Commission has been reluctant to deal with violence, citing First Amendment considerations, but historically has shown little such concern in the regulation of “sexually offensive” materials. Precedents and arguments are offered and examined and the stricter control of violent and aggressive program content is urged.
The Norton–Simon hypothesis: designing more effective and less toxic chemotherapeutic regimens

Successful treatment of bacterial infections is largely a result of our ability to exploit the biochemical differences between bacteria and human cells so as to achieve toxic drug concentrations in the former while sparing the latter. Unfortunately, such high selectivity is at present elusive in the chemotherapy of human cancers. Hence, great effort is required to determine dose schedules that maximize the benefit/toxicity ratio, particularly for multiple agent regimens. Extensive clinical experience has taught us that trial-and-error, in the absence of guiding principles, is inefficient in this regard. Seeking guiding principles, we used clinical and laboratory observations to derive a phenomenological law relating the effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy on tumor size to the growth dynamics of the tumor.
Species composition, distribution, and abundance of oligochaetes in the Kanawha River, West Virginia

Species composition, distribution, and abundance of oligochaetes in the Kanawha River, West Virginia, were investigated. Eighteen taxa of oligochaetes including 7 tubificids, 8 naidids, and representatives of the families Enchytraeidae, Lumbriculidae, and Aelosomatidae were collected. While most of the species collected are cosmopolitan, Pristina synclites and Stephensoniana sp. previously reported only from Asia and Africa were collected in the Kanawha. Other peculiarities of the Kanawha oligochaete fauna included the common occurrence of specimens of Limnodrilus cervix and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri with atypical penis sheaths. The dominant and most widely distributed of the Kanawha River oligochaetes were immature tubificids lacking capilliform chaetae, Branchiura sowerbyi, Dero cf. obtusa, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, and Aulodrilus pigueti.
Co‐occurrence statistics of tropical tropopause layer cirrus with lower cloud layers as derived from CloudSat and CALIPSO data

[1] Radar and lidar data collected by instruments aboard the CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites are used to demonstrate statistics of the spatial variability of tropical tropopause layer (TTL) cirrus, along with their tendency to occur with or without lower clouds, during the period July 2006 through June 2007. This time period included a mild El Nino event. TTL cirrus occurrence patterns contain maxima over the tropical convective areas of South America, of Africa, and of the west Pacific. It is demonstrated from co-occurrence statistics that TTL cirrus events and general lower cloud events are nominally independent in a zonal average; however, tendencies toward co-occurrence between TTL cirrus and lower clouds that appear in specific base height and geometrical thickness bins do exist. Nominally independent of clouds based below 3 km, TTL cirrus become increasingly less likely to occur with lower cloud layers of increasing base height than they are to occur generally. The independence of TTL cirrus from clouds based in the boundary layer is due to the ubiquitous, unconnected co-occurrence of TTL cirrus with thin trade cumulus clouds. However, we find that TTL cirrus are more likely to occur with low-based clouds of moderate depth (3–10 km) than they are generally and less likely to occur with deep (thicker than 10 km), low-based clouds than they are generally. Results are used in commenting generally on the TTL cirrus maintenance and formation hypotheses of Hartman et al. (2001) and of Garret et al. (2006).
Moods and Attitude Judgments: A Comment on Fishbein and Middlestadt

Fishbein and Middlestadt (F & M; 1995) proposed that all “noncognitive” influences on attitude change are mediated through changes in beliefs and their evaluative implications. This proposal is evaluated in light of recent research into different processes underlying mood effects on attitude judgments. Whereas some process assumptions (mood congruent recall and mood-induced differences in processing style) are compatible with F & M's proposal, other influences cannot be traced to changes in belief structure. Instead, individuals’ mood at the time of judgment may itself serve as a source of information, resulting in direct influences on evaluative judgments.
Correlation of Cloud Points in CO2 + Fluorinated Polymer Systems

We demonstrate the application of a compressible lattice model to the correlation of cloud point behavior in CO2 + fluorinated polymer systems. The model uses two adjustable parameters that are temperature, pressure, and molecular weight independent and is able to correlate cloud point behavior within experimental uncertainty (AAD of ∼2 %). We infer from the values of the parameters obtained that weak complexes exist in these systems, and these complexes have an appreciable effect on cloud point behavior. However, the model cannot separate the effects of complex formation from free volume effects since the enthalpy of association apparently follows the same trends as the free volume of the polymer in these systems.
Measuring high school students' attitudes toward computing

Many projects throughout the United States are underway that seek to increase the appeal of technology as a field of study. To better understand the impacts of such projects, validated instruments are needed which measure students' attitudes and beliefs in both computer science and information technology. This paper describes the development and validation of two assessment instruments. One measures attitudes and beliefs about computer science; the other measures attitudes and beliefs about information technology. The questions that comprise these instruments are identical with the exception of the use of the terms "computer science" and "information technology". Both instruments sought to measure five constructs: confidence, interest, gender, usefulness, and professional. Based on the results of factor analyses, high school students are able to distinguish among these constructs in computer science but not in information technology. This raises questions as to what high school students understand about field of information technology
Significant themes in 19th-century literature

Abstract External factors such as author gender, author nationality, and date of publication can affect both the choice of literary themes in novels and the expression of those themes, but the extent of this association is difficult to quantify. In this work, we apply statistical methods to identify and extract hundreds of topics (themes) from a corpus of 19th-century British, Irish, and American fiction. We use these topics as a measurable, data-driven proxy for literary themes and assess how external factors may predict fluctuations in the use of themes and the individual word choices within themes. We use topics not only to measure these associations but also to evaluate whether this evidence is statistically significant.
Studies on the Synthesis of the Apoptolidins

Abstract A comprehensive account of the development of a synthetic strategy leading to the apoptolidinones A and D is provided. Key transformations include diastereoselective aldol reactions under substrate control and an intramolecular Suzuki cross‐coupling leading to the formation of a 20‐membered macrolactone. Finally, C27 glycosylation of the synthetic aglycone is achieved using whole cells of the apoptolidin‐ producing microorganism. Overall, this work demonstrates the synthetic power of chemical synthesis in combination with whole cell‐assisted glycosylation to access complex natural products and their derivatives.
Site and type of mutations in the factor VIII gene in patients and carriers of haemophilia A.

Haemophilia A is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by reduced or absent FVIII (FVIII) protein caused by mutations in the FVIII gene. We have used Southern blotting and chemical mismatch analysis (CMA) to identify the mutations causing haemophilia A in 59 local or referred patients or carriers of haemophilia A. Southern blot analysis of 87 families with FVIII : C < 5% identified 31 as positive for the intron 22 inversion. Analysis of 19 of the inversion-negative families and a further nine families with mild or moderate haemophilia A by CMA resulted in the identification of a heterogeneous spectrum of mutations in the FVIII gene comprising 21 single base-pair substitutions and nine deletions. Seventeen of the base-pair substitutions are missense, two nonsense, and two are splice-site mutations. Two patients were found to have compound mutations with two mutations identified on a single X chromosome. Six of the point mutations and six of the deletions have not been reported previously in the haemophilia A mutation database. Unusually, a missense mutation, as well as deletion and splice-site mutations, was found to be associated with exon-skipping events.
Isolation and structure of constanolactones A and B, new cyclopropyl hydroxy-eicosanoids from the temperate red alga constantinea simplex

Two new cyclopropyl and lactone containing eicosanoids, constanolactone A and B, were isolated as synthetic diacetate derivatives from the temperate red alga Constantinea simplex and their structures determined by spectroscopic means. A hydrolysis product of one of these helped to define the lactone size in these new eicosanoids. The co-occurrence of three known 12-lipoxygenase metabolites, 12-S-HETE, 12-S-HEPE, and 12-oxododeca-5(Z), 8(E), 10(E)-trienoic acid, supports a 12-1ipoxygenase origin for the new compounds.
Divalent cations in cerebral impedance and cell membrane morphology

Abstract Electrical impedance of cerebral cortex was measured at 1.0 kHz with low current levels (10 −13 A per square micron of electrode surface). Changes in impedance were observed after topical application of calcium and magnesium solutions. These modifications were further evaluated by asphyxiation, and by dehydration with intravenous urea. Asphyxiation of untreated cortex caused an initial fall in resistance and raised capacitance rapidly followed by raised resistance and reduced capacitance. Repeated topical application of small amounts of calcium solutions induced a progressive rise in resistance, typically between 20 and 30% of baseline values 10–20 KΩ. This increased impedance reached a plateau after 30–50 min, and further application of calcium was without effect. By contrast with untreated cortex, asphyxiation was followed by a rapid fall in resistance to values around baseline levels. This impedance curve was thus biphasic, with an inverse relationship between the size of the calcium-induced rise and the ensuing fall during asphyxiation. On the other hand, magnesium ions in equivalent amounts exerted only minor effects on cortical impedance, and subsequent asphyxiation produced a large impedance increase, as in untreated cortex. However, magnesium ions produced effects similar to calcium in normal and asphyxiated cortex, if the cortex was first dehydrated with intravenous urea, and even though urea alone was without major effects on impedance. Prior dehydration with urea had no effect on the course of impedance changes produced by calcium. These findings are interpreted in terms of conductance of impedance measuring currents mainly through an extracellular space containing a hydrated network of macromolecules that blend with similar external coats on cell membrane, and which bear numerous cationic binding sites. Evidence is presented in electron micrographs prepared with aldehyde fixation that excess calcium ions narrow intercellular spaces and that these changes reverse with asphyxiation. No such narrowing was induced by urea. On the other hand, magnesium ions were associated with much augmented intercellular spaces. It is proposed that conductance in the extracellular space is determined by the state of its structural elements, including interdependent factors such as hydration and divalent cation binding, as well as by changes in its cross-sectional area. The preeminent role of calcium ions in altering tissue impedance is discussed in relation to membrane excitation, with competitive binding of calcium and hydrogen ions to anionic macromolecular sites. Evidence relating these results to information storage at the neuronal surface is discussed.
Selectively self-assembling graphene nanoribbons with shaped iron oxide nanoparticles

Nanoflower and nanoplate-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNPs) were attached onto graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Raman spectra of FeNP–GNRs reveal red-shifted G-bands along with greatly reduced D-band intensity, indicating a surface-smooth and electron-doped assembly on GNR. Distinctive decorative patterns are associated with unique sizes, shapes, and crystallinities of FeNPs. FeNP-nanoflowers are predominately attached around the edges of the GNRs; whereas multilayer GNRs are sandwich-stacked with FeNP-nanoplates. With the attachment of IgG antibodies, FeNP–GNRs–IgG depict distinguishable aggregation features, which have potential advantages as biosensors to target tumor cells with over-expressed folic acid.
Trends in the growth of stoichiometric single crystals

Stoichiometry problems in binary or more complex compounds can impair the electric, ferroelectric, magnetic, optical and other characteristics in these single crystals. For many compounds of interest, congruent melting compositions have been detected which are non-stoichiometric thereby giving rise to unwanted effects like thermodynamic instabilities, precipitates, intrinsic impurities and deviations from unity of the segregation coefficient of cations. To eliminate or significantly reduce these defects, specific growth techniques were considered and introduced. Traditional growth methods combining the advantage of flux-growth techniques assisted by specific chemical control of stoichiometry were explored. Specific examples of near-stoichiometric YVO 4 and LiNbO 3 growth are discussed, and future trends for the growth of stoichiometric single crystals considered.
Abstract 1046: Differential interactions between c-Src and c-Met mediate resistance to c-Src inhibitors

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Cancers of the head and neck are difficult to treat because both the therapy and the tumor impact essential functions such as speech and swallowing and they can also significantly alter facial appearance. One promising molecular target for which new agents have been developed is the Src family kinases (SFKs). SFK inhibition in cancer cells leads to an universal abrogation of invasion but a variable and weak effects on apoptosis and proliferation. The pathways downstream of c-Src promoting survival are not well-characterized. Because cancer therapy that both decreases invasion and induces significant apoptosis would be ideal for head and neck cancers, we sought to characterize the mechanisms of resistance to SFK inhibition in Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). SFKs were inhibited in a panel of oral cancer cell lines and the effects on subsequent survival and signaling were measured. The interactions between c-Src and c-Met were evaluated using immunoprecitation and their intrinsic kinase activity by in vitro kinase assay. Cytotoxicity was measured using an MTT assay and the Chou-Talalay combination index calculated. The in vivo effects of c-Met and SFK inhibitors were assessed using an orthotopic model of oral cancer. SFK inhibition resulted in c-Met inhibition in cell lines that were sensitive to SFK inhibitors, but not in resistant cell lines. Isolated c-Met act as a c-Src substrate in both sensitive and resistant cells, whereas distinct difference exists in c-Src and c-Met interaction in intact sensitive and resistant cells. The epidermal growth factor receptor contributed to c-Met activation in resistant cells whereas in sensitive cells c-Met acts as a direct downstream target for c-Src. We demonstrated the biological consequences of this mechanism in vitro with synergistic cytotoxicity and enhanced apoptosis when SFK and c-Met inhibitors were combined. Likewise, the combination resulted in decreased tumor size in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrate that sustained c-Met activation can mediate resistance to SFK inhibition. The differences between c-Src and c-Met signaling in sensitive and resistant cells are not due to intrinsic structural changes in c-Src or c-Met, but rather to distinct interactions within the intact cells. The synergistic cytotoxic effects of SFK and c-Met inhibition may be important for the treatment of head and neck cancers and should be tested in future clinical trials. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1046. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1046
Light-induced hyperfine Ga 69 shifts in semi-insulating GaAs observed by optically polarized NMR

We report the observation of $^{69}\mathrm{Ga}$ NMR light induced hyperfine shifts at $6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ in semi-insulating $\mathrm{GaAs}$ detected by optically polarized nuclear magnetic resonance in a magnetic field of $4.7\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$. The main features of the observed shift are a systematic change in the absolute shift value as the irradiation time is increased, and the sign of the hyperfine shift changes with polarization. The shift dependence on irradiation time can be understood as a combination of the hyperfine interaction of localized electrons with the surrounding nuclear spins and nuclear spin diffusion.
Sternberg's canal: fact or fiction?

BackgroundSternberg's (lateral craniopharyngeal) canal was originally described in anatomic studies as a membranous space in the lateral wall of the sphenoid sinus. The canal has been etiologically...
A Review: The Use of Growing Rods to Treat Scoliosis in Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disorder that compromises motor strength and function and typically manifests in childhood. Patients with significant involvement will often develop scoliosis of neuromuscular origin as young children. In the past, brace treatment was of minimal benefit in halting curve progression and frequently added to respiratory compromise. Early spinal fusion surgery would limit trunk or sitting height and impair normal lung development. The strategy of using the growing rod distraction technique to permit longitudinal spinal growth while managing the spinal deformity has emerged as a viable means of managing scoliosis and spinal deformity in this challenging patient population.
Renal, vesical, and prostatic calculi associated with ochronosis.

Abstract A case report of a patient with ochronosis and simultaneously occurring renal, vesical, and prostatic calculi is presented. Literature review suggests an increased incidence of urinary calculi in this syndrome, yet .stone composition in such cases is not remarkable.
The Behavior of Congressmen in a Committee Setting: A Research Report

THIS ARTICLE REPORTS the use of a quantitative, small-group research technique. The focus of the research is on the congressional sub-committee. The methodological aim is to determine the contribution such a technique can make to the study of legislative behavi'or. Substantively, the study is an expansion of Ralph Huitt's initial investigation of the function of congressional hearings and the roles played by various committee members. In order to do justice to the material, it has been necessary to deal with several separate sets of questions. The overall strategy of the report, then, is: (1) to spotlight the bases for choosing the hypotheses that guided the research; (2) describe the methodology employed; (3) analyze several other lines of research on the committee process; (4) present the findings of the two-part research project here reported; and (5) suggest the specific value of the additi'on of this methodological tool to the growing repertoire that political scientists have been using to investigate the operation of the political system.
Finite-temperature string theory and twisted tori.

We show that the introduction of a finite temperature into string theory is mathematically equivalent to compactifying the timelike coordinate on a twisted torus of radius ..beta../2..pi.. = 1/2..pi..kT, the reciprocal of the temperature. We derive a general formula for the one-loop vacuum amplitude ..lambda..(..beta..) of a string theory compactified on a twisted torus that is manifestly modular invariant and is almost as easy to apply as in the compactification of a string theory on an ordinary torus. The connection with statistical mechanics is made through the formula lnZ(..beta..) = -..beta..V..lambda..(..beta..) where Z(..beta..) is the partition function and V the volume of the system. We discuss how the function sigma(E) which counts the number of string states of total energy E and plays a central role in the microcanonical ensemble can be computed by taking the inverse Laplace transform of Z(..beta..) and we give estimates of sigma(E) for low and high energy densities by this method. We study the effect of finite temperature on the effective potentials for different parameters which determine a string theory's compactification. As supersymmetry is broken at finite temperature these potentials are nontrivial. We study the effect of finite temperature on the Wilson loop mechanism formore » gauge symmetry breaking and find that for a supersymmetric theory compactified on a torus finite-temperature effects favor the trivial vacuum. Also the effective potential for the radius R of the torus becomes modified so as to be minimum at R = 0 or R = infinity. The introduction of interactions and curvature effects into our formalism is discussed.« less
Fine Bruhat Intersections for Reductive Monoids

This paper concerns Bruhat intersections for a reductive monoid M. A comparison is made to the known results for Bruhat intersections for a reductive group G.
Properties of tantalum oxide thin film for solid electrolyte

Abstract Tantalum oxide thin films were prepared by RF ion-plating and RF sputtering. Protonic conductivities of the films varied from 10 −5 to 10 −10 S/cm with the condition of deposition. The high ionic conductive film has low packing density and shows strong O-H absorption. It was concluded that the adsorbed water gives much influence to the protonic conduction.
Inactivation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in lean ground beef by gamma irradiation.

In this study the radiation resistance of 40 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates which contained various combinations of the shiga toxin 1 (stx1), shiga toxin 2 (stx2), intimin (eae), and hemolysin (ehx) genes were determined. The STEC were suspended in lean ground beef and irradiated at 4 °C. D10 values, the radiation dose needed to reduce 1 log (90%) of a microorganism, ranged from 0.16 to 0.48 kGy, with a mean of 0.31 kGy for the 40 isolates. Isolates associated with illness outbreaks had a mean D10 of 0.27 kGy, while non-outbreak isolates had a mean D10 of 0.36 kGy (p 0.05). The presence (0.30 kGy) or absence (0.35 kGy) of ehx had no affect on D10 (p > 0.05). However, the mean D10 of isolates lacking eae (0.37 kGy) were significantly higher than those containing eae (0.27 kGy) (p 0.05). It may be possible to use some of the STEC isolates which lacked eae, ehx, or both (D10 > 0.30) as avirulent surrogates in food irradiation research. The data presented in this study provides risk assessors data for metagenomic analysis as well as food and radiation processors with valuable information to control of STEC in meat.
Plausible theories and the development of scientific theory. The case of aging research.

The field of aging research, for various reasons, has probably had more "plausible theory" that has gotten attention than occurs in more traditional fields of research. Examples of such theories are provided along with some of the disconfirming evidence.
DIFFERENTIAL INHIBITION BY CASTANOSPERMINE OF VARIOUS INSECT DISACCHARIDASES

The indolizidine alkaloid, castanospermine (1,6,7,8-tetrahy- droxy-octahydroindolizidine--a stereocbemical mimic of glucose found in the Australian legume Castanospermum australe), differentially inhibited cello- biose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, and trehalose hydrolyzing enzymes from a broad taxonomic spectrum of insects (19 species from 12 different families). It was a potent inhibitor of cellobiase activity of all insects tested (50% in- hibition at _<3.2  10 -5 M castanospermine). With one exception, it also inhibited lactase activity of all insects examined. Only in the sap-feeding Homoptera did castanospermine inhibit all disaccharidase activities assayed. Trehalase activity of the Lepidoptera and Diptera was generally inhibited by castanospermine, whereas inhibition of trehalase activity of the Coleoptera by castanospermine was exiguous or not detectable. Castanospermine was a significant feeding deterrent towards pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum, with an EDs0 of 1 x 10 -4 M in artificial diets. Two compounds stereochemically related to castanospermine, deoxynojirimycin and 6-epicastanospermine, were each slightly active at deterring the feeding of green peach aphids, Myzus persicae, (EDso = 2.5  10 .3 M) and greenbugs, Schizaphis graminum (EDso = 5  10 -3 M), respectively. Among the insects studied there was no distinct relationship between enzyme inhibition and adaptation to host plants containing castanospermine or other toxic alkaloids.
Evidence for the duplex theory of tactile texture perception

Three experiments are reported bearing on Katz's hypothesis that tactile texture perception is mediated by vibrational cues in the case of fine textures and by spatial cues in the case of coarse textures. Psychophysical responses when abrasive surfaces moved across the skin were compared with those obtained during static touch, which does not provide vibrational cues. Experiment 1 used two-interval forced-choice procedures to measure discrimination of surfaces. Fine surfaces that were readily discriminated when moved across the skin became indistinguishable in the absence of movement; coarse surfaces, however, were equally discriminable in moving and stationary conditions. This was shown not to result from any inherently greater difficulty of fine-texture discrimination. Experiments 2 and 3 used free magnitude estimation to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the effect of movement on texture (roughness) perception. Without movement, perception was seriously degraded (the psychophysical magnitude function was flattened) for textures with element sizes below 100 microns; above this point, however, the elimination of movement produced an overall decrease in roughness, but not in the slope of the magnitude function. Thus, two components of stimulation (presumably vibrational and spatial) contribute to texture perception, as Katz maintained; mechanisms for responding to the latter appear to be engaged at texture element sizes down to 100 microns, a surprisingly small value.
Impact of Fairness and Heterogeneity on Delays in Large-scale Content Delivery Networks

We consider multi-class queueing systems where the per class service rates depend on the network state, fairness criterion, and is constrained to be in a symmetric polymatroid capacity region. We develop new comparison results leading to explicit bounds on the mean service time under various fairness criteria and possibly heterogeneous loads. We then study large-scale systems with growing numbers of service classes n (e.g., files), heterogenous servers m and polymatroid capacity resulting from a random bipartite graph modeling service availability (e.g., placement of files across servers). This models, for example, a large scale content delivery network (CDN) supporting parallel servicing of a download request. For an appropriate asymptotic regime, we show that the system's capacity region is uniformly close to a symmetric polymatroid -- i.e., heterogeneity in servers' capacity and file placement disappears. Combining our comparison results and the asymptotic 'symmetry' in large systems, we study performance robustness to heterogeneity in per class loads and fairness criteria. Roughly, if each class can be served by cn = ω(log n) servers, the load per class does not exceed θn = o (min(n/log n, cn)), and average server utilization is bounded by λ E[D(n)] ≤ K θn/cn 1/λ log (1/1--λ}\right), where K is a constant. Thus, large, randomly configured CDNs with a logarithmic number of file copies are robust to substantial load and server heterogeneities for a class of fairness criteria.
Animal models of psychopathology: the establishment, maintenance, attenuation, and persistence of head-banging by pigeons.

Abstract Investigators of animal models of psychopathology have typically introduced experimental conditions so that an animal’s behavior progressively deviates from a baseline of routine laboratory behavior toward a pattern which resembles human psychopathological behavior in some form of S, then R relation. The present experiments report consequential contingency procedures for bringing head-to-wall head-banging by an animal under experimental control and analysis. The first two experiments examined the establishment and maintenance by reinforcement of head-banging by pigeons. The final two experiments examined the occurrence of head-banging, under conditions of extinction and limited reinforcement, when an alternative behavior, i.e., key-pecking, was reinforced under a variety of reinforcement schedules. Extinguished and infrequently reinforced head-banging was found to recur under a variety of conditions including the reinforcement of the more “normal” alternative behavior. To the extent that human patterns are governed by similar functional relations, the data may be of relevance in the analysis of the maintenance, attenuation, and recurrence of human patterns designated as pathological. Further, the permanent elimination of a disturbing pattern may be difficult, and the recurrence of a disturbing pattern might properly be considered a likely and “normal” outcome of basic behavioral processes.
Heterosexual attraction in dogs

The time spent by male dogs near females and females near males was measured when females were in estrus and not in estrus. In Experiment 1, five males spent 35% of their time near the cages of four estrous females and less than 1% of their time near the same females when they were not in estrus. In Experiment 2, females spent 7.5% of their time near caged males when they were in estrus and less than 1% of their time near males when they were not in estrus. The differential response of males and estrous females to each other seems to result from differences in the normal mating pattern of each sex.