cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Hypoglossal Nerve Upper Airway Stimulation among Patients with Isolated Retropalatal Collapse.

ObjectiveTo examine whether patients with isolated retropalatal collapse perform as well as others following implantation with an upper airway stimulation (UAS) device.Study DesignRetrospective rev...
Does Primary Care Provider Supply Influence Medicaid Acceptability

Background:Following the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansions, access to care improved through elevated coverage rates among the low-income population. In Michigan, a major factor contributing to improved access among low-income patients was increased Medicaid acceptance in primary care setting
Longitudinal effects of utilising photography on the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments amongst dental hygiene students.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the longitudinal effects of feedback involving photography and self-assessment on the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments and ergonomic scores amongst dental hygiene students. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved an experimental design. Data collection took place over 4 months, divided into weeks 1-4 and after 3 months. At weeks 1 through 4 and 3 months, all participants completed ergonomic self-evaluations, using a Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument. At week 1, week 4 and 3 months, all participants were photographed, and in weeks 2 and 3, only participants in the training group were photographed and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' photographs were evaluated by three faculty raters. RESULTS A mixed-design ANOVA of Kappa coefficient values between student and rater scores measured the effects of the feedback with photography on the accuracy of student self-assessments. A main effect for group was not found to be significant (F(1,30) = 2.90, P = .101). A mixed-design ANOVA measured the effects of the feedback with photography on the ergonomic scores. No significant main effects were found (F(1,120) = 1.55, P = .216). CONCLUSION Although self-assessment utilising photographs resulted in initial improvements in the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments and ergonomic scores after 4 weeks, both ergonomic accuracy and scores significantly decreased after 3 months. Improvement in ergonomic accuracy and scores may be sustained by the continual facilitated use of photographs and self-assessment by dental and dental hygiene educators.
Non-physiologic Bioreactor Processing Conditions for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Conventional methods of seeding decellularized heart valves for heart valve tissue engineering have led to inconsistent results in interstitial cellular repopulation, particularly of the distal valve leaflet, and notably distinct from documented re-endothelialization. The use of bioreactor conditioning mimicking physiologic parameters has been well explored but cellular infiltration remains challenging. Non-characteristic, non-physiologic conditioning parameters within a bioreactor, such as hypoxia and cyclic chamber pressure, may be used to increase the cellular infiltration leading to increased recellularization. To investigate the effects of novel and perhaps non-intuitive bioreactor conditioning parameters, ovine aortic heart valves were seeded with mesenchymal stem cells and cultured in one of four environments: hypoxia and high cyclic pressures (120 mmHg), normoxia and high cyclic pressures, hypoxia and negative cyclic pressures (− 20 mmHg), and normoxia and negative cyclic pressures. Analysis included measurements of cellular density, cell phenotype, and biochemical concentrations. The results revealed that the bioreactor conditioning parameters influenced the degree of recellularization. Groups that implemented hypoxic conditioning exhibited increased cellular infiltration into the valve leaflet tissue compared to normoxic conditioning, while pressure conditioning did not have a significant effect of recellularization. Protein expression across all groups was similar, exhibiting a stem cell and valve interstitial cell phenotype. Biochemical analysis of the extracellular matrix was similar between all groups. These results suggest the use of non-physiologic bioreactor conditioning parameters can increase in vitro recellularization of tissue engineered heart valve leaflets. Particularly, hypoxic culture was found to increase the cellular infiltration. Therefore, bioreactor conditioning of tissue engineered constructs need not always mimic physiologic conditions, and it is worth investigating novel or uncharacteristic culture conditions as they may benefit aspects of tissue culture.
Student Partnerships in Service Learning: Assessing the Impact

Partnership with student leaders is an evolving practice that engages peer leaders to work with service learning faculty, administrators, and community partners to administer the service learning experience. This study identifies ways in which service learning associates differ from their undergraduate peers by comparing their responses to questions about goals, values, and careers on the HERI College Senior Survey to those of their undergraduate peers. The study uses a second survey, of former service learning associates one to five years after graduation, to assess the long-term impact that former student leaders attribute to their experience. This study finds that student leaders differ significantly from their peers at graduation in values and career goals, and those values do not change one to five years after graduation. Alumni report that the peer leadership program shaped their career pathways, and that the experience was fundamental to their college career.
Analytical grade C-phycocyanin obtained by a single-step purification process

Abstract C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a phycobiliprotein that can be used as a natural blue dye in the food and cosmetic industries, as a biomarker or as an agent in medical treatments, depending on its purity grade. Here we described for the first time a single-step purification process of C-PC extracted from the wet biomass of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis LEB-52 using ion exchange chromatography with pH gradient elution. Different conditions varying the elution buffers and volumes, the loading pH and the addition of salt in the elution buffer were studied. The chromatographic condition that resulted in high recovery and purity consisted in equilibration and washing with 0.025 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer pH 6.5 and elution combining a step with 0.08 mol/L NaCl in 0.025 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer pH 6.5 and a pH gradient elution with 0.05 mol/L citrate buffer pH 6.2–3.0. This process resulted in C-PC with purities of 4.2 and 3.5 with recoveries of 32.6 and 49.5 %, respectively, in one purification step.
The Association Between Affect and Sleep in Adolescents With and Without FGIDs.

OBJECTIVE Adolescents with chronic pain associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) experience negative impacts on their health behaviors (i.e., sleep) and are at risk for a range of problems related to negative affect, which may serve to exacerbate one another in a reciprocal fashion. This study aimed to determine if the strength of the relationship between affect and sleep differs across community adolescents and adolescents with FGIDs. It was hypothesized that shorter sleep durations would be associated with more negative affect and longer sleep durations would be associated with more positive affect, and that group membership would moderate these relationships. METHODS Twenty-five adolescents with FGIDs were compared with 25 matched peers to examine the differential association between affect and total sleep time (TST). Models were estimated using SAS PROC MIXED for inter- and intraindividual differences. RESULTS Models predicting TST revealed a significant three-way interaction among weekday, group status, and negative affect. Simple slopes indicated that when negative affect is one standard deviation below the child's own average on weekends, participants with FGIDs obtained significantly more sleep than those in the comparison group (β = 47.67, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS The findings of the present study show that when adolescents with FGIDs have lower negative affect on the weekend, when demands are likely reduced, they are able to obtain more TST. These findings confirm that unique relationships exist between negative affect and sleep duration for youth with FGIDs, and their interaction may hold value in understanding and addressing these targets.
Pattern of bone marrow lipid composition measures along the vertebral column: A descriptive study of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.

Abstract Background There is evidence that the extent of vertebral bone marrow adiposity increases caudally along the vertebral column in children and adolescents. However, no studies have examined the lipid composition of bone marrow along the vertebral column, which may uniquely influence bone acquisition and metabolism during growth independent of the amount of bone marrow adipose tissue. The goal of this study was to characterize the pattern of lipid composition index measures from the thoracic to lumbar spine (T11-L4) among a sample of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) undergoing routine orthopedic surgical care for scoliosis correction. Methods Adolescents between 14 and 18 years of age, with a confirmed diagnosis of AIS, and undergoing routine posterior spinal fusion surgery at our institution were initially included for this descriptive study. The surgery yielded transpedicular vertebral body marrow samples from T11 through L4; 11 participants had bone marrow samples from T11 through L2 and 4 of the 11 participants had marrow samples from T11 through L4. Lipid composition index measures, including the saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated index, were measured using a targeted lipidomics technique. Linear regression equation for the slope (m) and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was computed to assess the pattern of lipid composition index measures along the vertebral column from T11 to L2 (n = 11) and extended analysis to L4. Exploratory analyses were performed to examine the association between the pattern of lipid composition measures (individual slopes) and physical characteristics for T11-L2. Results For T11-L2, the slope of the saturated index was near 0 (r = 0.08; P = 0.92), whereas the slopes of the unsaturated indices were approximately opposite of one another: the monounsaturated index exhibited a −0.55 change (r = 0.58; P = 0.42) per vertebra and the polyunsaturated index exhibited a 0.52 change (r = 0.72; P = 0.28) per vertebra in the caudal direction from T11-L2. For T11-L4, there were modest changes in slope for the saturated (m = 0.12; r = 0.30; P = 0.57) and monounsaturated (m = −0.68; r = 0.74; P = 0.09) indices, while the polyunsaturated index slope remained similar (m = 0.56; r = 0.89; P = 0.02). Age, sex, height, body mass, and BMI were not associated with the pattern of any of the lipid composition index measures. Conclusions Study findings in this small sample of individuals with AIS suggest that the bone marrow saturated index may be relatively stable across T11-L4, while the monounsaturated index may decrease by 0.55–0.68% per vertebra and the polyunsaturated index may increase by 0.52–0.56% per vertebra in the caudal direction.
Elixir: A 128-bit Stream Cipher Protocol for Lightweight IoT Devices

Over time, the Internet of Things (loT) has turned out to be most prevalent in the field of research and its applications. However, IoT devices are resource constraints and thus, require lightweight and secure ciphering protocols. This paper proposes a new lightweight stream cipher algorithm named as ‘Elixer’, based upon classical 128-bit non-linear feedback shift register technique. This stream cipher is based on static and dynamic substitution-boxes with shift operations and results in an output keystream. Confusion and diffusion properties are added with the help of substitution and transposition techniques respectively. In the core design of Elixir, there are eight static $\mathbf{6\ x\ 8}$ s-boxes and two dynamic s-boxes. The correctness of the proposed stream cipher is tested according to NIST randomness standards and Stream tests. Elixir is designed to be implemented easily and efficiently for both Hardware and Software implementations.
Why people choose negative expected return assets – an empirical examination of a utility theoretic explanation

Using a theoretical extension of the Friedman and Savage (1948) utility function developed in Bhattacharyya (2003), we predict that for assets with negative expected returns, such as state lottery games, expected return will be a declining and convex function of skewness. That is, lottery players trade-off expected return for skewness. Using two samples of lottery game data, we find that our theoretical conclusions are supported by the empirical results. The findings obtained here not only contribute to the literature on why individuals may participate in unfair gambles, the framework could be extended to an analysis of the stock market where higher returns cannot be solely explained by risk (variance).
Librator, a platform for optimized sequence editing, design, and expression of influenza virus proteins

Artificial mutagenesis and chimeric/mosaic protein engineering have laid the foundation for antigenic characterization and universal vaccine design for influenza viruses. However, many methods used for influenza research and vaccine development require sequence editing and protein expression, limiting their applicability and the progress of related research to specialists. Rapid tools allowing even novice influenza researchers to properly analyze and visualize influenza protein sequences with accurate nomenclature are needed to expand the research field. To address this need, we developed Librator, a system for analyzing and designing protein sequences of influenza virus Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). With the graphical user interface (GUI) and built-in sequence editing functions of Librator, biologists can easily analyze influenza sequences and phylogenies, automatically port sequences to visualize structures, then readily mutate target residues and design sequences for antigen probes and chimeric/mosaic proteins efficiently and accurately. This system provides optimized fragment design for Gibson Assembly of HA and NA expression constructs based on peptide conservation of all historical HA and NA sequences, ensuring fragments are reusable and compatible, allowing for significant reagent savings. Use of Librator will significantly facilitate influenza research and vaccine antigen design.
Machine Learning vs. Human Performance in the Realtime Acoustic Detection of Drones

Usage of drones has increased substantially in both recreation and commercial applications and is projected to proliferate in the near future. As this demand rises, the threat they pose to both privacy and safety also increases. Delivering contraband and unauthorized surveillance are new risks that accompany the growth in this technology. Prisons and other commercial settings where venue managers are concerned about public safety need cost-effective detection solutions in light of their increasingly strained budgets. Hence, there arises a need to design a drone detection system that is low cost, easy to maintain, and without the need for expensive real-time human monitoring and supervision. To this end, this paper presents a low-cost drone detection system, which employs a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm, making use of acoustic features. The Mel Frequency Cepstral Co-efficients (MFCC) derived from audio signatures are fed as features to the CNN, which then predicts the presence of a drone. We compare field test results with an earlier Support Vector Machine (SVM) detection algorithm. Using the CNN yielded a decrease in the false positives and an increase in the correct detection rate. Previous tests showed that the SVM was particularly susceptible to false alarms for lawn equipment and helicopters, which were significantly improved when using the CNN. Also, in order to determine how well such a system compared to human performance and also explore including the end-user in the detection loop, a human performance experiment was conducted. With a sample of 35 participants, the human classification accuracy was 92.47%. These preliminary results clearly indicate that humans are very good at identifying drone's acoustic signatures from other sounds and can augment the CNN's performance.
AddTag, a two-step approach with supporting software package that facilitates CRISPR/Cas-mediated precision genome editing

CRISPR/Cas-induced genome editing is a powerful tool for genetic engineering, however, targeting constraints limit which loci are editable with this method. Since the length of a DNA sequence impacts the likelihood it overlaps a unique target site, precision editing of small genomic features with CRISPR/Cas remains an obstacle. We introduce a two-step genome editing strategy that virtually eliminates CRISPR/Cas targeting constraints and facilitates precision genome editing of elements as short as a single base-pair at virtually any locus in any organism that supports CRISPR/Cas-induced genome editing. Our two-step approach first replaces the locus of interest with an "AddTag" sequence, which is subsequently replaced with any engineered sequence, and thus circumvents the need for direct overlap with a unique CRISPR/Cas target site. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by editing transcription factor binding sites within Candida albicans that could not be targeted directly using the traditional gene-editing approach. We also demonstrate the utility of the AddTag approach for combinatorial genome editing and gene complementation analysis, and we present a software package that automates the design of AddTag editing.
It is time for TEG in pediatric trauma: unveiling meaningful alterations in children who undergo massive transfusion.

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death in pediatric trauma patients. In adults, goal-directed thrombelastography (TEG) has been shown to reduce mortality when used to guide massive transfusion (MT) resuscitation. There remains a paucity of data on the utility of TEG in directing resuscitation of pediatric trauma patients. We hypothesize that abnormalities on admission TEG will differ in pediatric trauma patients who undergo MT, compared to those who do not. Pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) who were highest level trauma activations at two trauma centers from 2015 to 2018 were analyzed. We included patients who had admission TEGs and excluded those who did not. Patients were stratified into two groups: those who received MT (> 40 cc/kg total blood product within 6 h of admission) and those who did not. We defined TEG abnormalities based on each institution’s normative values and compared TEG abnormalities between the groups. Of 117 children included, 39 had MT. MT patients had higher injury severity scores (30 vs. 23, p = 0.0004), lactates levels (7.0 vs. 3.5, p < 0.001), base deficit levels ( − 12.2 vs. − 5.8, p < 0.001), and INR values (1.8 vs. 1.3, p < 0.001). MT patients had significantly shortened alpha-angles (35.9% vs. 15.4%, p = 0.023), maximum amplitude (MA) values (43.6% vs. 10.3%, p < 0.001), and significantly lower platelet counts (165 vs. 281, p < 0.001) compared to those who did not receive MT. There was no difference in the trends in R-time, LY30 (lysis or shutdown), or fibrinogen concentration between the groups. Logistic regression identified a decreased MA as a significant predictor for MT [OR 3.68 (CI 1.29–10.52)] Pediatric trauma patients who undergo MT are more likely to have lower alpha-angles and MA values, as well as lower platelet counts. These findings support the use of TEG to identify hemorrhaging pediatric trauma patients, who may benefit from cryoprecipitate and/or platelet transfusions. TEG provides real-time information on coagulation status, which may expedite the delivery of specific blood products during trauma resuscitation. Type of study: Retrospective comparative study.
Rethinking Linguistic Relativity

Rethinking Linguistic Relativity. John J. Gumperz and Stephen C. Levinson. eds. Studies in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Language, 17. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 488 pp.
Dynamics of Multibody Systems: FINITE-ELEMENT FORMULATION

In the classical finite-element formulation for beams and plates, infinitesimal rotations are used as nodal coordinates. As a result, beams and plates are not considered as isoparametric elements . Rigid body motion of these non-isoparametric elements does not result in zero strains and exact modeling of the rigid body inertia using these elements cannot be obtained. In this chapter, a formulation for the large reference displacement and small deformation analysis of deformable bodies using nonisoparametric finite elements is presented. This formulation, in which infinitesimal rotations are used as nodal coordinates, leads to exact modeling of the rigid body dynamics and results in zero strains under an arbitrary rigid body motion. It is crucial in this formulation that the assumed displacement field of the element can describe an arbitrary rigid body translation. Using this property and an intermediate element coordinate system , a concept similar to the parallel axis theorem used in rigid body dynamics can be applied to obtain an exact modeling of the rigid body inertia for deformable bodies that have complex geometrical shapes. To develop a finite-element formulation for deformable bodies in multibody systems, the assumed displacement field of the finite element is first discussed and some important concepts that are fundamental in understanding large rotation problems in particular and the dynamics of constrained deformable bodies in general are introduced. In Section 2, the gross rigid body motion of the finite element is described using a set of reference coordinates that describe the gross rigid body translational and rotational displacements of a selected deformable body reference.
Constrained image representation using multi-transforms

A technique is presented to represent images employing two or more mutually non-orthogonal transforms. First, the image is divided into smaller non-overlapping subimages. Then, each subimage is resolved into two dimensional (2-D) subsignals such that each of the subsignals is compactly represented in a particular transform domain. This leads to an efficient representation of the subimage by superimposing the dominant coefficients corresponding to each subsignal. The residual error, which is the difference between the original subimage and the reconstructed subimage is properly formulated. An adaptive algorithm in conjunction with a strategy is developed to minimize this error for a fixed number of transform coefficients. The feasibility of the method is established through a synthetic image example. It is also shown that the DCT-Haar combination offers a percentage reduction of up to 15.0 to 17.0% in the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for the test images as compared to the DCT alone. >
The Smart(Phone) Way to Collect Survey Data

The use of mobile technologies has grown immensely over the past decade. This increase has not gone unnoticed by survey researchers who see mobile technology as a new way to engage with potential respondents. However, survey design for mobile technologies has not been fully vetted yet. Using a randomized experiment, this article tests what combination of survey inputs, length, and paging maximizes survey completes and data quality for mobile survey respondents.
HIV Related Beliefs, Knowledge and Behaviors of Ninth and Eleventh Grade Public School Students

Abstract A survey of HIV-related knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors was administered to 2,307 students enrolled in the public schools in grades nine and eleven. The sample was almost evenly divided between females and males. Results indicate that students know that the HIV is transmitted primarily by an exchange of bodily fluids from an infected person to one who is not, unprotected sexual intercourse sharing of IV needles, and from an infected mother to her unborn offspring. There is confusion about transmission by insect bites, safety of the blood supply, and how one might be tested for HIV positivity. Respondents' attitudes also were confused While the large majority believed that schools should deliver information about HIV and that HIV sero-positive students should be allowed to attend public schools, many people were reluctant to be in the same classroom with those students. Students surveyed were not engaging in the at risk behavior of IV drug use and sharing of needles, but significant numbers were...
I'd Like to Thank the Academy: Eminem, Duncan Kennedy, and the Limits of Critique

I am not usually a rap fan, but when I first viewed the video for The Real Slim Shady late at night during my second year of law school, I was immediately intrigued. The rapper Eminem—g-name: Marshall Mathers—appears before a chorus line of runty young white men with blonde gladiator haircuts decked out in superhero costumes. As his doppelgangers dance behind him, Eminem derides his rap industry imitators and gives the finger (literally and figuratively) to cultural critics who dismiss his music as inauthentic and focused on the bottom line. In the end, Eminem asserts his authenticity and embraces his own duality: he is a businessman and an artist. In so doing, he takes his position before his doppelgangers as the real Slim Shady. When I settled in to write this review of the 2004 reissue of Duncan Kennedy’s Legal Education and the Reproduction of Hierarchy: A Polemic Against the System,2 I again thought of Eminem and his chorus line of Eminem clones. In the music video playing in my mind, Duncan Kennedy replaced Marshall Mathers as the complicated, brilliant auteur. Behind him was a phalanx of denim-jacketed white middle-aged men with beards and dark glasses. As befits a professor who is known for being irreverently hip, my Kennedy clones were remarkably rhythmic.
Evidence for carbon sequestration by agricultural liming

[i] Agricultural lime can be a source or a sink for CO 2 , depending on whether reaction occurs with strong acids or carbonic acid. Here we examine the impact of liming on global warming potential by comparing the sum of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ to carbonate alkalinity in soil solutions beneath unmanaged vegetation versus limed row crops, and of streams and rivers in agricultural versus forested watersheds, mainly in southern Michigan. Soil solutions sampled by tension indicated that lime can act as either a source or a sink for CO 2 . However, infiltrating waters tended to indicate net CO 2 uptake, as did tile drainage waters and streams draining agricultural watersheds. As nitrate concentrations increased in infiltrating waters, lime switched from a net CO 2 sink to a source, implying nitrification as a major acidifying process. Dissolution of lime may sequester CO 2 equal to roughly 25-50% of its C content, in contrast to the prevailing assumption that all of the carbon in lime becomes CO 2 . The ∼30 Tg/yr of agricultural lime applied in the United States could thus sequester up to 1.9 Tg C/yr, about 15% of the annual change in the U.S. CO 2 emissions (12 Tg C/yr for 2002-2003). The implications of liming for atmospheric CO 2 stabilization should be considered in strategies to mitigate global climate change.
Recent Publications in Natural History

Principal Review: Darwin, Charles. The Illustrated origin of species. Abridged and introduced by Richard E. Leakey. Consultants W. F. Bynum and J. A. Barrett
HEIGHTENED TEST ANXIETY AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ANXIOUS RESPONSES TO HIGH-STAKES TESTING

This study explored differences in test anxiety on high-stakes standardized achievement testing and low-stakes testing among elementary school children. This is the first study to directly examine differences in young students’ reported test anxiety between No Child Left Behind (NCLB) achievement testing and classroom testing. Three hundred thirty-five students in Grades 3 through 5 participated in the study. Students completed assessments of test anxiety following NCLB testing and typical classroom testing. Students reported significantly more overall test anxiety in relation to high-stakes testing versus classroom testing on two measures of test anxiety, effect sizes r = −.21 and r = −.10. Students also reported significantly more cognitive (r = −.20) and physiological (r = −.24) symptoms of test anxiety in relation to high-stakes testing. This study adds to the test anxiety literature by demonstrating that students experience heightened anxiety in response to NCLB testing.
Children of working poor families in California: the effects of insurance status on access and utilization of primary health care.

Abstract We examined the effects of health insurance on access and utilization of health care among children of working poor families. These children experience strong access barriers yet have not been studied systematically. 1,492 children in California under 19 years old who had workforce participating parents and a subset of full-time year round working families earning below 200% of poverty were examined from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey. Thirty-two percent of children of working poor families were uninsured in California compared with 26% nationwide. Difficulties in accessing a regular care source and obtaining after-hour care were markedly higher in California. Full-time year round work did not increase insurance coverage and worsened access to a regular source of care. Uninsured children in California were far more likely than insured children to face access barriers and less likely to see a physician in the previous year. Between privately and publicly insured children, the gap in acc...
Comments on Asymptotic Weak Inelastic Production in a Diffraction Model

A high-energy small-angle eikonal model suggested previously for a diffraction regime in inelastic $\mathrm{ep}$ scattering is reviewed and applied to weak (neutrino-induced) inelastic production. In neutrino production channels, the observed trend for dominance of ${N}^{*}$ (plus associated mesons) over $\ensuremath{\rho}$-type events is qualitatively contained in the model. A reasonable estimate of the linear rise with neutrino energy of $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\nu}p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+\mathrm{hadrons})$ is discussed, especially from general considerations.
Mechanisms of ionospheric mass escape

The dependence of ionospheric O+ escape flux on electromagnetic energy flux and electron precipitation into the ionosphere is derived for a hypothetical ambipolar pick-up process, powered the relative motion of plasmas and neutral upper atmosphere, and by electron precipitation, at heights where the ions are magnetized but influenced by photo-ionization, collisions with gas atoms, ambipolar and centrifugal acceleration. Ion pick-up by the convection electric field produces "ring-beam" or toroidal velocity distributions, as inferred from direct plasma measurements, from observations of the associated waves, and from the spectra of incoherent radar echoes. Ring-beams are unstable to plasma wave growth, resulting in rapid relaxation via transverse velocity diffusion, into transversely accelerated ion populations. Ion escape is substantially facilitated by the ambipolar potential, but is only weakly affected by centrifugal acceleration. If, as cited simulations suggest, ion ring beams relax into non-thermal velocity distributions with characteristic speed equal to the local ion-neutral flow speed, a generalized "Jeans escape" calculation shows that the escape flux of ionospheric O+ increases with Poynting flux and with precipitating electron density in rough agreement with observations.
Late-stage coarsening of adlayers by dynamic cluster coalescence

Abstract We consider the late stages of adlayer coarsening when this process is dominated by cluster diffusion and coalescence. The growth rate of the average cluster size can be directly related to the cluster diffusion coefficient of individual clusters. The distribution of cluster sizes and the spatial correlations between clusters are examined as a function of coverage and cluster diffusion rate using Monte Carlo simulations. We also show how the Smoluchowski equation can give an approximate closed-form solution for the cluster size distribution during coarsening by coalescence. The coarsening of adlayers by cluster coalescence in a model that includes local inter-cluster interactions is also examined.
A study of defect measurement techniques and corresponding effects on the lithographic process window for a 193-nm EPSM photomask

Photomasks with small dense features and high mask error enhancement factor (MEEF) lithography processes require stringent reticle quality control. The ability to quickly and accurately measure reticle defects on a high-resolution inspection system and to simulate their impact on wafer printing are key components in ensuring photomask quality. This paper discusses the correlation of measurements made with UV and DUV-based inspection systems; simulation performed with a 193nm aerial image review tool and aerial image simulation software. Ease-of-use is discussed for each technique. Data accuracy is compared to measurements performed by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) on mask and wafer. Tests show that the inspection system can quickly and accurately determine sizes of most defects. The study also indicates that the simulation techniques can accurately tract the lithographic results, and can be used to reduce or eliminate the use of test wafers and expensive lithography and wafer metrology time. The outcome of this study leads to better defect dispositioning by providing techniques to determine the size and printability of reticle defects.
Polymeric Optical Waveguides

Summary The challenges for introducing optical waveguides into the high performance computer packaging environment are formidable. Polymers may be well suited for meeting this challenge. In this work, progress was shown using an epoxy material vT hich has been fabricated into ridge waveguides which exhibit low propagation loss (0.3 dB/cm at 1.3 jum), high environmental stability (low sensitivity to moisture), have smooth walls (100 nm sidewall roughness), and high temperature stability (275°C). Further work needs to be done on improving the materials set, especially in the area of high temperature stability. This problem is being pursued at this as well as many other laboratories. In addition, low loss, high density optical wiring structures such as sharp corner bends and waveguide intersections were fabricated. References 1. P.K. Tien, R. Ulrich, and RJ. Martin, Appl. Phys. Lett., 14, 291 (1969).2. Two excellent texts reviewing the subject matter are:a) H. Nishihara, M. Haruna, and T. Suhara, Optical Integrated Circuits (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1989).
High developmental rates of vitrified bovine oocytes following parthenogenetic activation, in vitro fertilization, and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Successful cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes would provide a steady source of materials for nuclear transfer and in vitro embryo production. Our goal was to develop an effective vitrification protocol to cryopreserve bovine oocytes for research and practice of parthenogenetic activation, in vitro fertilization, and nuclear transfer. Bovine oocytes matured in vitro were placed in 4% ethylene glycol (EG) in TCM 199 plus 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS) at 398C for 12‐15 min, and then transferred to a vitrification solution (35% EG, 5% polyvinyl-pyrrolidone, 0.4 M trehalose in TCM 199 and 20% FBS). Oocytes were vitrified in microdrops on a precooled (21508C) metal surface (solid-surface vitrification). The vitrified microdrops were stored in liquid nitrogen and were either immediately thawed or were thawed after storage for 2‐3 wk. Surviving oocytes were subjected to 1) parthenogenetic activation, 2) in vitro fertilization, or 3) nuclear transfer with cultured adult fibroblast cells. Treated oocytes were cultured in KSOM containing BSA or FBS for 9 to 10 days. Embryo development rates were recorded daily and morphologically high-quality blastocysts were cryopreserved for nuclear transfer-derived embryos at Day 7 or Day 8 of culture. Immediate survival of vitrified/thawed oocytes varied between 77% and 86%. Cleavage and blastocyst development rates of vitrified oocytes following in vitro fertilization or activation were lower than those of the controls. For nuclear transfer, however, vitrified oocytes supported embryonic development as equally well as fresh oocytes. fertilization, IVF/ART, oocyte development
Effect of buprenorphine on CYP3A activity in rat and human liver microsomes.

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist available in France as an alternative to methadone in the treatment of opiate-dependent individuals. Twenty deaths have been reported in patients who have ingested buprenorphine in combination with benzodiazepines. Since buprenorphine and many benzodiazepines are CYP3A substrates, the effect of buprenorphine on CYP3A activity was examined in order to assess the likelihood of a pharmacokinetic interaction. The formation of 6β-hydroxytestosterone was measured in dexamethasone-induced rat liver microsomes and in human liver microsomes under control conditions and in the presence of buprenorphine. Buprenorphine was found to be a weak inhibitor of CYP3A with a 50% decrease in enzyme activity occurring at a concentration of 118 μM (IC50) in human liver microsomes. IC50 was 0.3 μM for ketoconazole in the same system. Since the IC50 for buprenorphine is roughly 2000 times higher than typical plasma concentrations, this drug is unlikely to cause clinically significant inhibition of CYP3A in patients. Excessive CNS depression due to the combination of buprenorphine and benzodiazepines is most likely due to additive or synergistic pharmacologic effect unrelated to a pharmacokinetic interaction between the drugs.
LARGE-SCALE PATTERNS OF MOLT ACTIVATION IN THE FLIGHT FEATHERS OF TWO ALBATROSS SPECIES

Abstract Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and the closely-related Black-footed Albatross (P. nigripes) replace 20%–90% of their 35–41 wing flight feathers every year. Large-scale molt patterns (patterns between rather than within molt series) account for 77% of the variation in the number of flight feathers replaced. We identified four molt series: series A—the five outer primaries; series B—the five inner primaries plus four outer secondaries; series C—the middle secondaries; and series D—the inner secondaries. A fifth molt series may lie between series C and D. Each year, series A and D initiate molt, but series B and C may or may not initiate molt. The result is four “annual molt patterns”: ABCD, ABD, ACD, and AD. Temporally overlapping waves of molt never occur within series A or B, but about one third of the time they occur within series C and D. Multiple, spatially defined waves of molt (replaced feathers separated by unreplaced feathers) never occur within series A, but occur about two th...
Eccentric Rheometry for Viscoelastic Characterization of Small, Soft, Anisotropic, and Irregularly Shaped Biopolymer Gels and Tissue Biopsies

Quantification of the physical properties of tissue biopsies and cell-remodeled hydrogels is critical for understanding tissue development and pathophysiological tissue remodeling. However, due to the low modulus, small size, irregular shape, and anisotropy of samples from these materials, accurate viscoelastic characterization using standard rheometric methods is problematic. The goal of this work is to utilize image analysis to extend rotational rheometry to these samples. In this method, the sample is offset to increase the torque generated; a custom clear glass geometry, right angle prism, and camera are used to determine the exact shape and location of the sample relative to the axis of rotation for calculation of the sample shear modulus, G′. Values of G′ for standard polydimethylsiloxane gels tested in centered and eccentric configurations were not statistically different (respectively 137 ± 37 kPa and 126 ± 8 kPa, p = 0.58), indicating accuracy of the method. Additionally, G′ values from circular and irregularly shaped collagen gels yielded equivalent results (31 ± 1.8 Pa and 31 ± 5.1 Pa, p = 0.29). A blood clot and a lipid plaque sample recovered from human patients (G′ ~ 4 kPa) were successfully tested with this method demonstrating applicability to clinical diagnostics.
Brave New World of human-rights DNA collection

Noncriminal DNA databases may serve a societal role in identifying victims of crime and human trafficking. However, how do we safeguard personal privacy of innocent victims and family members?
Office hysteroscopy: a valuable but under-utilized technique.

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to remind gynecologists of the indications for office hysteroscopy as well as to provide an update on equipment, techniques, and reimbursements.Recent findingsOffice hysteroscopy is a technique that has been available for over three decades. Whereas nea
The Ocruranus–Eohalobia group of small shelly fossils from the Lower Cambrian of Yunnan

Lower Cambrian phosphorite samples from Maotianshan, Yunnan Province, South China, yielded a variety of small shelly fossils. Sclerites of the second pre-trilobite faunal assemblage of Meishucun, the Paragbborilus-Siphogonuchites–Lapworthella association of Nemakit–Daldynian to Tommotian age, were dominant. They comprise previously unknown spine-bearing specimens of Ocruranus finial Liu, 1979, and new morphotypes of Eohalobia diandongensis Jiang, 1982. Well-preserved sclerites reveal a laminated, composite fine structure with marginal, incremental growth. Each lamella consists of radial series of minute growth elements. The shells are phosphatically preserved, but micropetrographic evidence from drill-core samples indicates calcium carbonate as primary shell material. In the light of this new evidence, Ocruranus–Eohalobia group fossils are interpreted as parts of coeloscleritophoran scleritomes.
"Dual Graph" and "Random Chemistry" Methods for Cascading Failure Analysis

This paper describes two new approaches to cascading failure analysis in power systems that can combine large amounts of data about cascading blackouts to produce information about the ways that cascades may propagate. In the first, we evaluate methods for representing cascading failure information in the form of a graph. We refer to these graphs as “dual graphs” because the vertices are the transmission lines (the physical links), rather than the more conventional approach of representing power system buses as vertices. Examples of these ideas using the IEEE 30 bus system indicate that the “dual graph” methods can provide useful insight into how cascades propagate. In the second part of the paper we describe a random chemistry algorithm that can search through the enormous space of possible combinations of potential component outages to efficiently find large collections of the most dangerous combinations. This method was applied to a power grid with 2896 transmission branches, and provides insight into component outages that are notably more likely than others to trigger a cascading failure. In the conclusions we discuss potential uses of these methods for power systems planning and operations.
Elastic and viscoelastic properties of the human pubic symphysis joint: effects of lateral impact loading

The human pelvis is susceptible to severe injury in vehicle side impacts owing to its close proximity to the intruding door and unnatural loading through the greater trochanter. Whereas fractures of the pelvic bones are diagnosed with routine radiographs (x-rays) and computerized tomography (CT scans), non-displaced damage to the soft tissues of pubic symphysis joints may go undetected. If present, trauma-induced joint laxity may cause pelvic instability, which has been associated with pelvic pain in non-traumatic cases. In this study, mechanical properties of cadaveric pubic symphysis joints from twelve normal and eight laterally impacted pelves were compared, Axial stiffness and creep responses of these isolated symphyses were measured in tension and compression (perpendicular to the joint), Bending stiffness was determined in four primary directions followed by a tension-to-failure test. Loading rate and direction correlated significantly (p<0.05) with stiffness and tensile strength of the unimpacted joints, more so than donor age or gender. The impacted joints had significantly lower stiffness in tension (p <0.04), compression (p<0.003), and posterior bending (p<0.03), and more creep under a compressive step load (p<0.008) than the unimpacted specimens. Tensile strength was reduced following impact, however, not significantly. We concluded that the symphysis joints from the impacted pelves had greater laxity, which may correlate with post-traumatic pelvic pain in some motor vehicle crash occupants.
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES OF MONOMETHYLHYDRAZINE TOXICITY IN THE CAT

ABSTRACT The toxicity of monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) administered intraperitoneally in the cat was studied by reference to behavioral and neurophysiological indices. The acute lethal toxicity value (LD50) for MMH was established at 15 mg/kg, and the convulsive toxicity value (CD50) at 7 m/kg. Doses of 18, 9, and 5 mg/kg were then studied systematically in an effort to classify lethal, convulsive, and subconvulsive symptoms. For these doses, a preconvulsive syndrome was described involving recurrent and sustained symptoms, including vomiting, panting, rapid respiration, viscous salivation, hyperactivity, and subcortical seizure activity. The onset latency of these symptoms was directly related to dose. Several lines of evidence suggested at least a partial independence between biochemical and neurophysiological events responsible, on one hand, for convulsions and, on the other, for this preconvulsive syndrome. Convulsions were specifically delayed or prevented in animals trained to suppress movement through...
Effects of recurrent ischemia on myocardial high energy phosphate content in canine hearts.

Successive ischemic episodes are commonly seen in clinical and experimental cardiology. Although prolonged abnormalities of the canine myocardium have been described following a single ischemic episode, it is not known whether myocardial injury is cumulative following multiple ischemic episodes. Dogs were subjected to three 15-min left anterior descending coronary artery occlusions, each followed by 30 min of reperfusion.In vivo biopsies were obtained for biochemical analysis before and during the first occlusion and 30 min into each reperfusion period. ATP and creatine phosphate (CP) fell in the endocardium during occlusion by 24% and by 69% respectively (both p<.0001). While CP recovered during each reperfusion period, ATP remained significantly depressed. Loss of membrane-permeable purine nucleotide synthesis precursors occurred with the first reperfusion period but not with the second and third reperfusion periods. Therefore, reperfusion following one 15-min coronary occlusion is associated with severe depression of myocardial high energy phosphates; however, two additional occlusions do not cause a further decrease of these substances when intermittent reperfusion is allowed for 30 min.