cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase stability and property evolution of biphasic Ti–Ni–Sn alloys for use in thermoelectric applications

Thermoelectric properties and phase evolution have been studied in biphasic Ti–Ni–Sn materials containing full-Heusler TiNi2Sn embedded within half-Heusler thermoelectric TiNiSn. Materials, prepared by levitation induction melting followed by annealing, were of the nominal starting composition of TiNi1+xSn, with x between 0.00 and 0.25. Phases and microstructure were determined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and optical and electron microscopy. The full-Heusler phase is observed to be semi-coherent with the half-Heusler majority phase. Differential thermal analysis was performed to determine melting temperatures of the end-member compounds. The thermal conductivity is reduced with the introduction of a dispersed, full-Heusler phase within the half-Heusler material. This leads to an increased thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, from 0.35 for the stoichiometric compound to 0.44 for TiNi1.15Sn. Beyond x = 0.15 ZT decreases due to a rise in thermal conductivity. Density functional theory calculations usi...
Carotid bifurcation: MR imaging. Work in progress.

To devise and implement an in-plane magnetic resonance angiography examination of the carotid bifurcation capable of producing high-resolution images, the authors examined 19 normal carotid arteries and 14 patients with angiographically documented disease with two flow-correction techniques: a three-gradient, velocity-refocused technique with spin-echo (SE) and gradient-echo sequences, and a four-gradient velocity- and acceleration-corrected SE technique. With use of three equal gradients in the read direction, velocity-related phase changes were minimized by placing the dephasing gradient after the 180 degree pulse and near the read gradient. Acceleration effects were minimized through the use of short echo times and cardiac gating. Both velocity- and acceleration-produced phase changes were corrected with the four-gradient scheme but at the expense of some limitations in spatial resolution. Both techniques consistently produced satisfactory images of the carotid bifurcation in healthy individuals. Howev...
Characteristics of Methadone Maintenance Patients with Chronic Pain

Chronic pain patients who have limited access to opioids may be redirected to methadone maintenance centers for management of their pain. Unfortunately, little information exists on the incidence and characteristics of methadone maintenance patients with chronic pain. The aim of this study was to survey individuals at methadone maintenance centers in order to determine the prevalence of chronic pain and to explore differences between patients with and without pain in this treatment setting. Of 248 participants interviewed at three centers, 152 (61.3%) reported chronic pain. Compared with patients without pain, those with pain reported significantly more health problems (P < 0.001), more psychiatric disturbance (P < 0.05), more prescription and nonprescription medication use (P < 0.001), and greater belief that they were undertreated (P < 0.001); 44% of those with pain believed that opioids prescribed for their pain had led to an addiction problem. Most of the methadone maintenance patients stated that they had always required some substance (alcohol or opioids) to feel normal. These results raise many questions about chronic-pain treatment policies and resources for persons with a history of substance abuse. Further investigations are needed to define the needs of this population and to improve their access to effective pain management.
Familial occurrence of chromosome 7/12 translocation

A new balanced autosomal translocation, t(7;12) (p12;p13), was found in a high genetic risk family in which the mother is a translocation carrier. She had 12 pregnancies, six of which were terminated during the first trimester by spontaneous abortions. Among the six live births, three children inherited the translocation from their mother and were phenotypically normal. The father and three other children had normal karyotypes.
On the rate of convergence of two minimax algorithms

We show that the sequences of function values constructed by two versions of a minimax algorithm converge linearly to the minimum values. Both versions use the Pshenichnyi-Pironneau-Polak search direction subprocedure; the first uses an exact line search to determine the stepsize, while the second one uses an Armijo-type stepsize rule. The proofs depend on a second-order sufficiency condition, but not on strict complementary slackness. Minimax problems in which each function appearing in the max is a composition of a twice continuously differentiable function with a linear function typically do not satisfy second-order sufficiency conditions. Nevertheless, we show that, on such minimax problems, the two algorithms do converge linearly when the outer functions are convex and strict complementary slackness holds at the solutions.
Interactivity and presence of three eHealth interventions

A number of researchers have identified interactivity and presence as potentially important attributes of eHealth applications, because they are believed to influence users to interact with systems in ways that increase commitment, learning, and other desirable responses. This paper reports on the development of brief scales to assess the two concepts, and on use of them with participants in six conditions of a large-scale trial of interventions for breast cancer patients. Overall, the Internet scored very low on both measures. Versions of an integrated system of services (CHESS) scored higher, particularly as conditions added features to different versions of the system. Interventions involving a human Cancer Information Mentor scored highest, though even the Mentor was perceived as more interactive and having more presence when combined with the integrated eHealth system.
A comparison of rheology, dielectric response, and calorimetry within indane-based glass-formers

Abstract We report dynamics data on a family of indane glass-forming liquids. Although structural variations make the glass transition vary over a 77 K range, the fragility and width of the relaxation time distribution from oscillatory shear measurements are quite similar for all 14 indanes studied. In contrast, the measured width of the primary relaxation time distribution from dielectric measurements varies considerably for different indanes. The temperature dependence of relaxation time can be described using either Vogel–Fulcher or dynamic scaling, but only the latter allows both mechanical and dielectric data sets to have the same divergence temperature. The consequences of this observation for the thermodynamic significance of such a divergence temperature are discussed.
Abstract 215: Mechanisms of p53 activation by NIAM, nuclear interactor of ARF and MDM2

Nuclear interactor of ARF and Mdm2, NIAM, is a novel regulator of the ARF-Mdm2-p53 tumor suppressor pathway. It collaborates with ARF, promotes p53 transcriptional activity, and is negatively regulated by Mdm2-mediated ubiquitination and proteasome degradation. How NIAM activates p53 is not known, however its ability to do so in ARF-null cells reveals it is an ARF-independent process. Our preliminary data suggest that NIAM could activate p53 by either competing Mdm2 away from p53-Mdm2 complexes and/or by inducing lysine 120 acetylation of p53 via the Tip60 acetyltransferase. p53 acetylation at K120 is known to be regulated by two different histone acetyltransferases, Tip60 and MOF, and to promote the specific upregulation of apoptotic genes by p53. Our preliminary data show that NIAM interacts with Tip60 and strongly promotes p53 acetylation of K120, suggesting a functional NIAM-Tip60 interaction in vivo. Tip60 is an established chromatin modifying protein that influences chromatin structure and cancer gene expression. Consistent with these characteristics of Tip60, we discovered that NIAM is a chromatin-associated protein that binds to transcriptionally active regions of the genome. Other findings connect Tip60 and NIAM. Tip60 acts through p53, ARF and Myc to control transcription and promote the DNA damage checkpoint response. We found that NIAM, like Tip60, localizes to sites of DNA repair in response to DNA damage and it is already established that the absence of either protein leads to chromosomal instability. These compelling observations link NIAM with chromatin regulation and DNA damage repair, potentially via Tip60 signaling, all of which are important for the maintenance of chromosomal stability and prevention of cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 215. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-215
Evaluation of Some Adjuvants for Improving Glyphosate Efficacy

Glyphosate is the most common non-selective post-emergence herbicide used under diverse conditions. The efficacy of foliar applied herbicides is greatly influenced by adjuvants, but not all adjuvants have a synergistic effect. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using weed species of Echinochola crus-galli, Panicum maximum, Bidens pilosa, and Abutilon theophrasti to evaluate glyphosate efficacy by tank mixing with 0.5 % of Blaze®, Condition®, Improve®, and Induce®. Glyphosate at 0, 0.14, 0.28, and 0.56 kg ae/ha alone and with adjuvants was sprayed at the 4 leaf stage of weeds. Surface tension and contact angle were measured under lab conditions. Adjuvants increased the activity of glyphosate by 15–29 % compared to glyphosate alone. Among the weed species, higher mortality was observed in P. maximum and B. pilosa followed by E. crus-galli and lowest in A. theophrasti. On mortality of grass and broadleaf weed species, significant differences were observed by tank mixing glyphosate with different adjuvants. Lowest Contact Angle (CA) and Surface Tension (ST) were recorded when glyphosate (Rodeo®, with no surfactant) was mixed with Improve and Blaze surfactants, which was significantly lower than glyphosate formulation pre-mixed with surfactant (Roundup UltraMax®). In the case of Condition, the relative decrease in CA was less than ST when added to glyphosate, compared to Improve and Blaze. Lower ST and CA of glyphosate tank mixed with Improve and Blaze correlated with improved weed mortality in the activity study.
Self-Assembly of Platinum Nanoparticles of Various Size and Shape†

The addition of dodecanethiol to a polydisperse platinum colloidal aqueous solution capped with acrylic acid leads to self-assembled monolayers which not only contain various sizes, but also various shapes of nanoparticles. Assembled monolayers arranged in hcp arrays are achieved for mixed shape samples. In the case of the assembly of cubic nanoparticles, cubic closest packing is achieved when the size difference between the nanoparticles is less than 25% (or between 6 and 8 nm). The ccp array is disrupted when the size difference is between 25 and 60% or there is a mixture of shapes. Finally, size segregation is seen in regions where the size difference is more than 60% with the resultant assembly being hcp no matter what the shape.
Comparative toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents

Abstract Comparative toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was assessed using the Stanford Toxicity Index consisting of weighted symptoms, laboratory abnormalities and hospitalizations in 2976 consecutively enrolled rheumatoid arthritis patients from eight data bank centers with 27,936 patients-yeras of observation. Scores ranged from 1.77 (SE 0.20) for aspirin to 5.94 (SE 0.92) for meclofenamate, with many differences between drugs being 2- to 3-fold and highly statistically significant. Results are consistent with our prior data, persist when assessed by several different scoring algorithms, are consistent across data bank centers and are consistent with data of others. There are major and reproducible differences in the overall toxicity of different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Prenatal screening for open neural tube defects

The era of prenatal screening for serious birth defects began in the 1970s with the discovery that amniotic fluid and maternal serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were increased in pregnancies affected by fetal open neural tube defects. Since then, prenatal screening has become a part of routine obstetric care. In this article, the use of AFP in prenatal screening for open neural tube defects is discussed in the context of the laboratory and the laboratory's interactions with the practicing obstetrician.
Mallory body induction in drug‐primed mouse liver

The aim of this study was to determine the various factors that are involved in the induction of Mallory body (MB) formation. A model was developed where MB formation was induced by refeeding either of the drugs griseofulvin or diethyl 1,4-dihydro-1,4,6-trimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate (DDC). Mice were fed the drugs for 5 months, followed by withdrawal of the drugs for 1 month (drug-primed livers). The drugs were refed for 1,3,5,7, or 11 days. Early MBs first appeared as small, enlarged aggregates of filaments in the perinuclear or pericanalicular location on the third day of refeeding. Mature MBs appeared on the fifth day of refeeding. MBs reached maximum concentration on day 5 of refeeding. Western blots showed a progressive increase in the cytokeratin proteins (CK49 and CK55) and actin while refeeding the drugs. Liver cell regeneration, as indicated by the percent of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive nuclei, increased on the third day of refeeding. However, there was no correlation between the frequency of MBs and the percent of PCNA-positive nuclei. It is concluded that MB formation is not related to the liver cell regeneration response to injury but rather involves a separate regulation pathway. The MBs were heavily ubiquitinated and were associated with increased ubiquitin-protein conjugates as indicated by Western blotting, suggesting that ubiquitinization of cytokeratin protein are involved in the formation of MB aggregation.
Integrated modeling of PET and DTI information based on conformal brain mapping

Recent advances in imaging technologies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) have accelerated brain research in many aspects. In order to better understand the synergy of the many processes involved in normal brain function, integrated modeling and analysis of MRI, PET, and DTI is highly desirable. Unfortunately, the current state-of-art computational tools fall short in offering a comprehensive computational framework that is accurate and mathematically rigorous. In this paper we present a framework which is based on conformal parameterization of a brain from high-resolution structural MRI data to a canonical spherical domain. This model allows natural integration of information from co-registered PET as well as DTI data and lays the foundation for a quantitative analysis of the relationship between diverse data sets. Consequently, the system can be designed to provide a software environment able to facilitate statistical detection of abnormal functional brain patterns in patients with a large number of neurological disorders.
Risk Assessment for future CO2 Sequestration Projects Based CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery in the U.S.

Abstract This paper is the first of a series that attempts to assess the possible health and safety risks associated with large scale CO2 sequestration in deep brine reservoirs. The approach is based on analysis of available data on the operational track record from CO2 transportation and injection associated with enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) in the US. This paper is particularly concerned with identification of the main business risks facing a company engaged in geological sequestration. Such risks include both the operational risks of capturing, compressing, transporting and injecting CO2, as well as the risk of accidental, rapid CO2 release from wells (including an analysis of blow out data from CO2 injection wells, worked over wells as well as abandoned wells). Observations of the outcomes from accidents in real pipelines and CO2 injection wells in CO2-EOR projects provide the most concrete basis to predict the future safety of the above ground operations of CO2 sequestration in deep brine reservoirs.
Cloud optical property retrievals from layered-cloud radiances derived from AVHRR data

This paper describes a new methodology forcomputing cloud optical properties from the newcloud remote sensing algorithms ofNOAAINESDIS. The recently enhanced cloudremote sensing algorithms of NOAAINESDISdescribed by Stowe et al (1998) and Davis et al(1998) compute cloud amounts and the radiancestatistics for each AVHRR channel for each layerof each cloud type. The ultimate aim of this studyto produce a multi-year cloud propertyclimatology based on the AVHRR data recordsimilar to the AVHRR Pathfinder reprocessingeffort (Stowe and Jacobowitz, 1998) whosecloud products were limited to total cloudamount and to total cloud radiances.The goal of this study is to demonstratetechniques that can be used to estimate cloudoptical properties from the layered-cloudradiances including the cloud optical depth, theparticle effective radius and the cloud toppressure. Currently, CLAVR computes the firsttwo moments of the radiance distribution for theensemble of pixels of each layer and each cloudtype over a 1° equal-area grid-cell. Using theensemble radiance statistics to perform retrievalsis a factor of N times faster than the standardpixel by pixel retrieval approach where N is thenumber of pixels of any one cloud type in a grid-cell. This increase in computational speed iscrucial to this study since the ultimate outcomewill be cloud property climatology for theapproximately 20-year AVHRR data-record.To illustrate the type of information produced bythe current CLAVR processing system, Fig 1shows a sample AVHRR image of the channel 4
Bayesian non-parametric models for regional prevalence estimation

We developed a flexible non-parametric Bayesian model for regional disease-prevalence estimation based on cross-sectional data that are obtained from several subpopulations or clusters such as villages, cities, or herds. The subpopulation prevalences are modeled with a mixture distribution that allows for zero prevalence. The distribution of prevalences among diseased subpopulations is modeled as a mixture of finite Polya trees. Inferences can be obtained for (1) the proportion of diseased subpopulations in a region, (2) the distribution of regional prevalences, (3) the mean and median prevalence in the region, (4) the prevalence of any sampled subpopulation, and (5) predictive distributions of prevalences for regional subpopulations not included in the study, including the predictive probability of zero prevalence. We focus on prevalence estimation using data from a single diagnostic test, but we also briefly discuss the scenario where two conditionally dependent (or independent) diagnostic tests are use...
The Diminishing Role of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

This study provides an update of patterns in transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) rates in the United States and the extent of TURP-detected prostate cancer incidence rates. Analyses are based on data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, and the U.S. Census Bureau for the years 1996 through 2006. TURP procedure rates were 6, 14, and 18 times greater in men aged 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and ≥80 years compared with men aged 50 to 59, respectively. During 1996–2006, the estimated annual percentage change in TURP rates was −10.5 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] −14.1 to −6.7) for ages 50 to 59, −7.4 (95% CI −9.2 to −5.6) for ages 60 to 69, −6.2 (95% CI −7.6 to −4.8) for ages 70 to 79, and −7.7 (95% CI −9.5 to −5.8) for ages ≥80 years. TURP-detected prostate cancer incidence rates were 2, 7, and 17 times greater in men aged 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and ≥80 years compared with men aged 50 to 59, respectively. The estimated annual percentage change in trend was −17.8 (−20.6, −15.0) for ages 50 to 59, −14.8 (−16.6, −13.0) for ages 60 to 69, −10.8 (−12.0, −9.7) for ages 70 to 79, and −8.2 (−10.0, −6.5) for ages ≥80 years. Trends in prostate cancer incidence rates peaked in 2002 and decreased thereafter. Some of the decreasing trend in rates among older age groups is because of a decrease in TURPs and consequently a decrease in incidental TURP-detected cases. TURP procedure rates and incidental TURP-detected prostate cancer incidence rates have declined and will likely continue to decline in the future.
Preparing Effective Grant Applications

A successful research career hinges as much on a scientist’s ability to secure funding as it does on the scientist’s skills at the bench, in the clinic, or in statistical analyses. Much postgraduate training focuses on the later elements and gives short shrift to the earlier ones. This article attempts to fill that gap by discussing a pivotal element of the funding process: preparing effective grant applications. In addition to discussing the fundamental features of the pivotal sections of a standard National Institutes of Health (NIH) R-series application (see “Types of Grant Programs” on the Web site of the NIH Office of Extramural Research for a complete list of NIH-sponsored grant programs1), the sections below outline measures preliminary to the actual grant writing process, rhetorical perspectives and tactics useful to grant writers, the NIH grant application review and scoring process, and the importance of revision and resubmission. Grant applications (hereafter I often use the common shorthand “grant” to mean “grant application”) are, of course, judged not only on the text, tables, and figures reviewed by the funding agency but also on everything that stands behind the document: the ideas, the researchers and their collective experience, and the researchers’ host institutions. A successful grant must persuade reviewers that all of these bases have been covered and that the probability of delivering fruitful findings is high. Thus, a necessary preliminary step in planning any research project is to secure the enthusiastic support of department heads, deans, and managers. Demonstrating that the proposed research has institutional support (in the form of researcher time, support staff, physical space, access to necessary equipment, etc) reassures reviewers that the research will be nurtured in a propitious environment. Second, assembling the best team possible to prepare the grant and to accomplish the work is imperative. This …
Multimaterial Fibers for Generating Structured Nanoparticles

We present a pathway to the fabrication of structured spherical nanoparticles that leverages the scalability of fiber fabrication technology and an in-fiber Playteau-Rayleigh capillary instability. Thermal treatment of multi-material fibers post-drawing produces spherical nanoparticles.
The Clinical Characteristics of New Daily Persistent Headache

New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a subtype of chronic daily headache. The literature on NDPH is scant and its true aetiology is unknown. A retrospective chart review was carried out from a computerized database at the Jefferson Headache Centre from August 1997 to May 2000 to identify patients with NDPH using the Silberstein et al. criteria. Forty women and 16 men were identified. Age of onset ranged from 12 to 78 years. The peak age of onset was the second and third decade in women and the fifth decade in men. Eighty-two per cent of patients were able to pinpoint the exact day their headache started. Onset occurred in relation to an infection or flu-like illness in 30%. A prior headache history was found in 38% of patients. A family history of headache was documented in 29%. The duration of daily headache ranged from 1.5 h to 24 h; 79% were continuous. Nausea occurred in 68% of patients, photophobia in 66%, phonophobia in 61%, and lightheadedness in 55%. Laboratory testing and neuroimaging in all patients was normal except for Epstein-Barr virus antibody titres, which were positive in 71% of seven patients tested, representing past infection. NDPH appears to be a female-predominant disorder, marked by a continuous daily headache with associated migrainous symptoms. Over 80% of patients could state the exact date their headache began. One-third of patients developed NDPH with a flu-like illness.
How Does Individual Recognition Evolve? Comparing Responses to Identity Information in Polistes Species with and Without Individual Recognition

A wide range of complex social behaviors are facilitated by the recognition of individual conspecifics. Individual recognition requires sufficient phenotypic variation to provide identity information as well as receivers that process and respond to identity information. Understanding how a complex trait such as individual recognition evolves requires that we consider how each component has evolved. Previous comparative studies have examined phenotypic variability in senders and receiver learning abilities, although little work has compared receiver responses to identity information among related species with and without individual recognition. Here, we compare responses to identity information in two Polistes paper wasps: P. fuscatus, which visually recognizes individuals, and P. metricus, which does not normally show evidence of individual recognition. Although the species differ in individual recognition, the results of this study show that receiver responses to experimentally manipulated identity information are surprisingly similar in both species. Receivers direct less aggression toward identifiable individuals than unidentifiable individuals. Therefore, the responses necessary for individual recognition may pre-date its evolution in the P. fuscatus lineage. Additionally, our data demonstrate the apparent binary differences in a complex behavior between the two species, such as individual recognition, likely involve incremental differences along a number of axes.
Regional cerebral blood flow pattern in subcortical propagation of focal seizures in newborn monkeys.

The propagation of penicillin-induced focal seizures from the face-hand area of the right precentral gyrus was determined in 15 newborn monkeys by the carbon 14 antipyrine method for regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). With the electroencephalographic spikes confined to the right hemisphere, the rCBF increase remained in the right sensorimotor cortex. With EEG spikes on the right and concomitant muscular contractions in the left face, the rCBF incrase extended to the right putamen, globus pallidus, and, in 1 instance, the substantia nigra. With EEG spikes appearing bilaterally but the clinical expression remaining in the left face, the rCBF increase extended more fully into the right substantia nigra, VL, VPL, VPM of the thalamus, pontine nucleus, and the left simple and paramedian lobules of the cerebellu. With bilateral EEG spikes and the muscular contractions progressing from the face to the left hand, the rCBF increase extended into the right caudate, subthalamic nucleus, red nucleus, CM of the thalamus, and the left cerebellar nuclei (n. dentatus, n. interpositus).
Developmentally regulated gene expression in Artemia: Histone gene expression in newly hatched larvae

The synthesis of histones and presence of histone mRNA sequences in embryos and larvae of the brine shrimp, Artemia, were investigated. Radiolabeling of proteins synthesized in vivo followed by electrophoretic and fluorographic analysis confirmed the prediction that histone synthesis is coordinated with the wave of DNA replication in newly hatched larvae. No histone synthesis occurs during development of encysted embryos. Hybridization of cloned Artemia histone gene DNA to total cell RNA indicated that dormant encysted embryos do not contain “masked” messenger RNA.
Identifying Identity: A Semantic History

Today we could hardly do without the word identity in talking about immigration and ethnicity. Those who write on these matters use it casually; they assume the reader will know what they mean. And readers seem to feel that they do-at least there has been no clamor for clarification of the term. But if pinned down, most of us would find it difficult to explain just what we do mean by identity. Its very obviousness seems to defy elucidation: identity is what a thing is! How is one supposed to go beyond that in explaining it? But adding a modifier complicates matters, for how are we to understand identity in such expressions as "ethnic identity," "Jewish identity," or "American identity"? This is a question to which the existing writings on ethnicity do not provide a satisfactory answer. There are helpful discussions, to be sure, but none seems altogether adequate, at least not from the historian's viewpoint. The historically minded inquirer who gains familiarity with the literature, however, soon makes an arresting discovery-identity is a new term, as well as being an elusive and ubiquitous one. It came into use as a popular socialscience term only in the 1950s. The contrast between its handling in two standard reference works dramatizes its novelty. The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, published in 1968, carries a substantial article on "Identity, Psychosocial," and another on "Identification, Political." The original Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, published in the early 1930s, carries no entry at all for identity, and the entry headed "Identification" deals with fingerprinting and other techniques of criminal investigation. '
Multiplexed DNA detection using spectrally encoded porous SiO2 photonic crystal particles

A particle-based multiplexed DNA assay based on encoded porous SiO2 photonic crystal disks is demonstrated. A “spectral barcode” is generated by electrochemical etch of a single-crystal silicon wafer using a programmed current−time waveform. A lithographic procedure is used to isolate cylindrical microparticles 25 μm in diameter and 10 μm thick, which are then oxidized, modified with a silane linker, and conjugated to various amino-functionalized oligonucleotide probes via cyanuric chloride. It is shown that the particles can be decoded based on their reflectivity spectra and that a multiple analyte assay can be performed in a single sample with a modified fluorescence microscope. The homogeneity of the reflectivity and fluorescence spectra, both within and across the microparticles, is also reported.
Complex dielectric constant measurement of samples of various cross sections using a microwave impedance bridge

A microwave impedance bridge covering from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz used for measuring complex dielectric constants over a wide temperature range is described. This apparatus is suited for materials formed into solid posts having different cross sections. The effective diameters for use in the analysis of circular, elliptical, or rectangular cross‐section posts are presented. The effective diameters are applied to determine the complex dielectric constant of rectangular‐shaped conducting polymer film. The frequency and temperature dependence of the dielectric constant and conductivity are presented, and compared with those obtained using a microwave cavity perturbation technique at 6.5 GHz. The bridge results are well suited for independent determination of the depolarization factor of a rectangular post for use in analysis of results of the cavity perturbation method.
Free Radical-Induced Tandem Base Damage in DNA Oligomers

A new tandem base lesion has been identified in two DNA oligomers, namely d(GpT) and d(CpGpTpA), exposed to X-irradiation in deoxygenated aqueous solution. In this lesion the C6 carbon atom of thymine is hydroxylated and a covalent link is formed between the C5 carbon atom of thymine and the C8 carbon atom of the adjacent guanine base. In addition, further evidence in the form of mass spectrometric data is presented confirming the structures of previously reported tandem base lesions that are produced by ionizing radiation in the presence of oxygen. New data is presented on the prevalence of a previously reported tandem base lesion in which the methyl carbon atom of thymine is covalently linked to the C8 carbon atom of the adjacent guanine base. The free radical-initiated processes by which tandem base damages are generated are discussed. To date four different radiation-induced tandem base lesion have been identified. The evidence suggests that tandem base damage is a significant component of free radical-induced DNA damage.
Page segmentation using texture analysis

We propose a new texture-based language-free page segmentation algorithm which automatically extracts the text, halftone, and line-drawing regions from input greyscale document images. This approach utilizes a neural network to train a set of masks which is optimal for discriminating the three main texture classes in the page segmentation problem: halftone, background, and text and line-drawing regions. The text and line-drawing regions are further discriminated based on connectivity analysis. We have applied the algorithm to successfully segment English and Chinese document images. We also demonstrate that the masks can perform language separation (English/Chinese) when appropriately trained.
Race in Commodity Exchange and Consumption: Separate but Equal

Abstract The movement of blacks from the status of a slave to that of a consumer had tremendous social and geographic consequences. Slaves were not possessors of money and did not engage in the commodity circuit. Emancipation elevated blacks to wage laborers and consumers. The commodity circuit produced social relations that were problematic for race relations in the postbellum South. The geographical and social solution to this problem was neither integration nor exclusion of blacks from the commodity circuit, but segregation. While the model of consumption may be white, the way of capitalism is not to deny anyone access to the commodity circuit. Exclusion would have provided too rigid a boundary for the commodity circuit. The Plessy decision satisfied the structural imperative of capital to expand consumption while also retaining race as a social marker. It provided for the right amount of inclusion and exclusion in the commodity circuit, reducing just enough of the racial obstacle to expand the sphere ...
Groundwater–surface water interactions in a lowland watershed: source contribution to stream flow

The lower coastal plain of the Southeast USA is undergoing rapid urbanisation as a result of population growth. Land use change has been shown to affect watershed hydrology by altering stream flow and, ultimately, impairing water quality and ecologic health. However, because few long-term studies have focused on groundwater–surface water interactions in lowland watersheds, it is difficult to establish what the effect of development might be in the coastal plain region. The objective of this study was to use an innovative improvement to end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) to identify time sequences of hydrologic processes affecting storm flow. Hydrologic and major ion chemical data from groundwater, soil water, precipitation and stream sites were collected over a 2-year period at a watershed located in USDA Forest Service's Santee Experimental Forest near Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Stream flow was ephemeral and highly dependent on evapotranspiration rates and rainfall amount and intensity. Hydrograph separation for a series of storm events using EMMA allowed us to identify precipitation, riparian groundwater and streambed groundwater as main sources to stream flow, although source contribution varied as a function of antecedent soil moisture condition. Precipitation, as runoff, dominated stream flow during all storm events while riparian and streambed groundwater contributions varied and were mainly dependent on antecedent soil moisture condition. Sensitivity analyses examined the influence of 10% and 50% increases in analyte concentration on EMMA calculations and found that contribution estimates were very sensitive to changes in chemistry. This study has implications on the type of methodology used in traditional forms of EMMA research, particularly in the recognition and use of median end-member water chemistry in hydrograph separation techniques. Potential effects of urban development on important hydrologic processes (groundwater recharge, interflow, runoff, etc.) that influence stream flow in these lowland watersheds were qualitatively examined. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploiting the Head and Neck Cancer Oncogenome: Widespread PI3K-mTOR Pathway Alterations and Novel Molecular Targets

Summary: Two studies published in this issue of Cancer Discovery describe the emerging mutational landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and their genomic and epigenetic alterations, thus identifying novel actionable cancer drivers and predictive biomarkers for targeted therapies. Most genomic alterations in HNSCC converge in a handful of molecular pathways, resulting in cell-cycle deregulation, genomic instability, cell differentiation defects, and persistent mitogenic signaling, the latter involving aberrant phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mTOR pathway activation, thereby rendering HNSCC responsive to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. Cancer Discov; 3(7); 722–5. ©2013 AACR. See related article by Lui et al., [p. 761][1] See related article by Pickering et al., [p. 770][2] [1]: /lookup/volpage/3/761?iss=7 [2]: /lookup/volpage/3/770?iss=7
Quantifying Individual Variation in the Propensity to Attribute Incentive Salience to Reward Cues

If reward-associated cues acquire the properties of incentive stimuli they can come to powerfully control behavior, and potentially promote maladaptive behavior. Pavlovian incentive stimuli are defined as stimuli that have three fundamental properties: they are attractive, they are themselves desired, and they can spur instrumental actions. We have found, however, that there is considerable individual variation in the extent to which animals attribute Pavlovian incentive motivational properties (‘‘incentive salience’’) to reward cues. The purpose of this paper was to develop criteria for identifying and classifying individuals based on their propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. To do this, we conducted a meta-analysis of a large sample of rats (N=1,878) subjected to a classic Pavlovian conditioning procedure. We then used the propensity of animals to approach a cue predictive of reward (one index of the extent to which the cue was attributed with incentive salience), to characterize two behavioral phenotypes in this population: animals that approached the cue (‘‘sign-trackers’’) vs. others that approached the location of reward delivery (‘‘goal-trackers’’). This variation in Pavlovian approach behavior predicted other behavioral indices of the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. Thus, the procedures reported here should be useful for making comparisons across studies and for assessing individual variation in incentive salience attribution in small samples of the population, or even for classifying single animals.
Focus on Diagnosis: Screening for von Willebrand Factor Disease

1. Wendy Mortimore, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY The mother of a 7-year-old girl was diagnosed recently as having von Willebrand factor disease. The girl has had two prolonged nosebleeds this winter, and her mother requests testing. What tests can be used to screen for this condition? von Willebrand factor disease (vWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. It typically is transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion and has an estimated prevalence in the United States of 1%. The disorder results from a decreased quantity or activity of von Willebrand factor (vWF), a protein essential for primary platelet hemostasis and fibrin clot formation. Clinical manifestations range from an asymptomatic state to mild disease with epistaxis, easy bruising, or menorrhagia to severe disease with life-threatening bleeding. Screening patients for vWD is difficult because of the disease’s heterogeneity, multiple subtypes, and broad spectrum of severity. In addition, there is a wide physiologic range of vWF concentrations, which do not always correlate with disease severity. A typical vWD panel, which is necessary to make a definitive diagnosis, includes measurement of vWF antigen concentrations, ristocetin cofactor for functional testing of vWF activity, and factor VIII values. This panel is too costly ($400 at the University of Rochester) and labor-intensive for routine screening. In addition, the widely fluctuating concentrations necessitate that the panel be repeated up to three times in a suspected …
Flexible Integration? Mandatory and Minimum Participation Rules

Should a subset of the EU-members be allowed to form "inner clubs" and enhance cooperation, or should integration proceed at the same speed for all? While flexible cooperation allows members to participate if and only if they benefit, it also generates a free-rider problem if potential members choose to opt out. The analysis shows that flexible cooperation is better only if the heterogeneity is large and the externality small, but rigid cooperation will be the political equilibrium too often. Flexibility and rigidity can be combined by (i) mandatory participation rules, where participation is voluntary unless a super-majority requires everyone to participate, and (ii) minimum participation rules, where inner clubs must be sufficiently large. The combination of mandatory and minimum participation rules may implement the best possible mechanism.
Do the hamstrings and adductors contribute to excessive internal rotation of the hip in persons with cerebral palsy

Children with cerebral palsy frequently walk with excessive internal rotation of the hip. Spastic medial hamstrings or adductors are presumed to contribute to the excessive internal rotation in some patients; however, the capacity of these muscles to produce internal rotation during walking in individuals with cerebral palsy has not been adequately investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the hip rotation moment arms of the medial hamstrings and adductors in persons who walk with a crouched, internally-rotated gait. Highly accurate computer models of three subjects with cerebral palsy were created from magnetic resonance images. These subject-specific models were used in conjunction with joint kinematics obtained from gait analysis to calculate the rotational moment arms of the muscles at body positions corresponding to each subject's internally-rotated gait. Analysis of the models revealed that the medial hamstrings, adductor brevis, and gracilis had negligible or external rotation moment arms throughout the gait cycle in all three subjects. The adductor longus had an internal rotation moment arm in two of the subjects, but the moment arm was small (<4 mm) in each case. These findings indicate that neither the medial hamstrings nor the adductor brevis, adductor longus, or gracilis are likely to be important contributors to excessive internal rotation of the hip. This suggests that these muscles should not be lengthened to treat excessive internal rotation of the hip and that other factors are more likely to cause internally-rotated gait in these patients.
Adaptation kinetics in bacterial chemotaxis.

Cells of Escherichia coli, tethered to glass by a single flagellum, were subjected to constant flow of a medium containing the attractant alpha-methyl-DL-aspartate. The concentration of this chemical was varied with a programmable mixing apparatus over a range spanning the dissociation constant of the chemoreceptor at rates comparable to those experienced by cells swimming in spatial gradients. When an exponentially increasing ramp was turned on (a ramp that increases the chemoreceptor occupancy linearly), the rotational bias of the cells (the fraction of time spent spinning counterclockwise) changed rapidly to a higher stable level, which persisted for the duration of the ramp. The change in bias increased with ramp rate, i.e., with the time rate of change of chemoreceptor occupancy. This behavior can be accounted for by a model for adaptation involving proportional control, in which the flagellar motors respond to an error signal proportional to the difference between the current occupancy and the occupancy averaged over the recent past. Distributions of clockwise and counterclockwise rotation intervals were found to be exponential. This result cannot be explained by a response regular model in which transitions between rotational states are generated by threshold crossings of a regular subject to statistical fluctuation; this mechanism generates distributions with far too many long events. However, the data can be fit by a model in which transitions between rotational states are governed by first-order rate constants. The error signal acts as a bias regulator, controlling the values of these constants.
Spinal extension exercises prevent natural progression of kyphosis.

Introduction The angle of kyphosis increases with age with the most rapid increase occurring between 50 and 60 years. The progression of kyphosis was prevented in women ages 50–59 years who performed extension exercises three times a week for one year.
Two-photon microscopy reveals that cortical blood flow reverses direction at the first branch that lies downstream from a localized photothrombotic clot

Using two-photon microscopy, we quantify changes in blood flow after photothrombotic occlusion of individual blood vessels in rat neocortex, and find that flow reverses direction at the first branch that lies downstream from localized clots.
Use of the phenylalanine:tyrosine ratio to test newborns for phenylketonuria in a large public health screening programme

Objective—To assess the benefits of using the phenylalanine:tyrosine ratio to screen newborns for phenylketonuria (PKU). Setting—Data were collected from all newborns in California during a ten month period (n = 404 381). Methods—Dried blood spot specimens were analysed at nine laboratories. To assure that the results reported from multiple sites were matched accurately, an automated methodology was chosen that included sample processing,analysis,telecommunications, reporting, and information technology. Phenylalanine and tyrosine concentrations were measured independently by continuous flow fluorometry, for which precision, recovery, detection limits, carryover, chemical specificity, reportable range, and number of repeats are reported. Results—In this study, 37% of the newborns were tested at less than 24 hours of age. For this population, using a phenylalanine only cut oV of 200 µmol/l,there were 48 recalled infants per case of classic PKU. Using the phenylalanine:tyrosine ratio with a cut oV of 1.50, screen positives could be reported with phenylalanine as low as 150 µmol/l and with only 12 recalls per case. Conclusions—The phenylalanine:tyrosine ratio can be measured accurately at multiple laboratories using two channel chemical analyses. Having applied the methods to the routine clinical screening of a large population, it was confirmed that the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the PKU screening test are higher when the phenylalanine:tyrosine ratio is incorporated into the cut oV than when the cut oV is based on the phenylalanine concentration alone. (J Med Screen 2000;7:131‐135)