cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Final Corruption of Human Embryology

The history of science records certain events which have seriously impeded the search for truth. That is what science is: the search for truth. Sometimes the truth is obscured due to lack of information, or the means by which to measure; but, at other times, due to deliberate falsehoods. Alexander Kohn said it precisely: "The whole edifice of science is built upon honesty".
Routine endometrial sampling of asymptomatic premenopausal women shedding normal endometrial cells in Papanicolaou tests is not cost effective.

BACKGROUND. Following The Bethesda System 2001 (TBS 2001) recommendation to report normal endometrial cells (nEMC) in women ages ≥40 years, studies have shown that endometrial (EM) sampling has increased, but detection of significant EM pathology has not increased. The cost implications of this increased EM sampling have not been specifically addressed. The aim of this study was to assess the cost effectiveness of EM sampling in women ages ≥40 years with nEMC in their Papanicolaou tests. METHODS. The authors reviewed 499 cases at a large academic women's hospital where nEMC had been reported in Papanicolaou tests followed by EM tissue sampling. Relevant clinical information was obtained from cytopathology and surgical pathology reports. Data on costs of EM sampling were obtained from business offices. RESULTS. Of 1049 women ages ≥40 years who were shedding nEMC, 499 (48%) had follow-up EM sampling. In follow-up EM sampling, 6 cases of significant pathology (atypical complex EM hyperplasia or adenocarcinoma) were detected. Asymptomatic women totaled 350, and the total cost for EM sampling of asymptomatic patients shedding nEMC was estimated at $107,272. Three of the asymptomatic patients had significant EM pathology, but all 3 were postmenopausal. Three additional premenopausal patients with significant pathology were symptomatic with vaginal bleeding. CONCLUSIONS. No asymptomatic premenopausal patients shedding nEMC either before or after Day 12 of their menstrual cycle were found to have significant EM pathology in this large study of almost 500 women with nEMC in their Papanicolaou tests. The total costs, when projected nationally, for EM sampling in asymptomatic premenopausal women were highly significant. Educational discussions with clinicians in this community are underway to reduce the number of women who undergo EM sampling after Papanicolaou test findings of nEMC. Routine EM sampling of asymptomatic premenopausal women with nEMC in Papanicolaou tests is not cost-effective. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Derailer: interactive security analysis for web applications

Derailer is an interactive tool for finding security bugs in web applications. Using symbolic execution, it enumerates the ways in which application data might be exposed. The user is asked to examine these exposures and classify the conditions under which they occur as security-related or not; in so doing, the user effectively constructs a specification of the application's security policy. The tool then highlights exposures missing security checks, which tend to be security bugs.We have tested Derailer's scalability on several large open-source Ruby on Rails applications. We have also applied it to a large number of student projects (designed with different security policies in mind), exposing a variety of security bugs that eluded human reviewers.
Ernst Cassirer, Theoretical Biology, and the Clever Hans Phenomenon

Biology, understood in turn-of-the-century Germany to include psychology, held a central but enigmatic place in the philosopher Ernst Cassirer's work. From his earliest studies with Hermann Cohen through his long engagement with the theoretical biology of Jakob von Uexkull and Adolf Meyer-Abich, Cassirer consistently used the history and practice of biology to examine and delineate a set of characteristic tensions between the natural and cultural sciences. This paper examines Cassirer's treatment of this theme by addressing two contrasting interpretations he gave — in his Philosophy of Symbolic Forms (1929) and in his Essay on Man (1944) — to the benchmark case from empirical psychology of the “talking” horse “Clever Hans.” The original case involved the horse's ability to signal answers to remarkably complex questions by stamping its hooves, an ability that ultimately appeared to rest on a capacity to detect extremely minute unintentional movement cues in its auditors as it reached the appropriate answer. Due to both Cassirer's shifting description of the case within his philosophy and the case's inherent polyvalence, Cassirer's remarks provide a useful window onto the social, epistemological, and stylistic meaning of his “unified” philosophy of human culture and science.
775-3 Altered Vascular Biomechanical Properties Precede Angiographically Detectable Disease in Early Atherosclerosis of LDL Receptor Deficiency

To study the effect of early atherosclerosis on vascular biomechanical properties, thoracic aortas from 9 spontaneously hypercholesterolemic rabbits with LDL receptor deficiency simulating human familial hypercholesterolemia (Group I; total cholesterol = 441 ± 178 mg/dl) and those from 13 normolipemic rabbits (Group II; total cholesterol = 100 ± 33 mg/dl) were freshly harvested after angiography and intravascular ultrasound imaging. Residual strain was evaluated by measuring the inner circumference of the aortic rings at closed and open configurations. Results Intravascular ultrasound of Group I showed minimal circumferential plaques, with l10% cross-sectional area stenosis, and angiography revealed no discernible stenoses. Compared to normal thoracic aortas from Group II, the residual strain was significantly increased in the LOL receptor deficient animals (18.0 ± 6.4% vs. 5.2 ± 0.02% in normal aortas; p l 0.001). Furthermore, the atherosclerotic aortas had nonuniform, irregular cross-sections, whereas the normal aortas had uniform, horseshoe shapes upon radial sectioning. Histology of Group I confirmed the presence of minimal atherosclerosis and mild to moderate intimal calcification, whereas Group II had no histologic evidence of atherosclerosis. We conclude that (1) Early atherosclerosis in LOL-receptor deficient rabbits, undetectable by angiography and minimal by intravascular ultrasound imaging and histology, is associated with markedly increased circumferential residual strain (more than three-fold) compared to normal vessels; and (2) alterations in vascular biomechanics may play an important role in arterial wall remodeling, even in the earliest phases of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that the clinical benefit previously demonstrated with lipid-lowering agents may be partially due to favorable alterations of the biomechanical properties of the diseased arterial wall in addition to regression or prevention of atherosclerosis. Perhaps more uniform circumferential distribution of residual strain (vs. compliance mismatch) conferred by lipid reduction prevents high circumferential stress regions and subsequent plaque rupture.
Noncanonical PAR3 activation by factor Xa identifies a novel pathway for Tie2 activation and stabilization of vascular integrity

Endothelial barrier protective effects of activated protein C (APC) require the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), protease-activated receptor (PAR) 1, and PAR3. In contrast, PAR1 and PAR3 activation by thrombin results in barrier disruption. Noncanonical PAR1 and PAR3 activation by APC vs canonical activation by thrombin provides an explanation for the functional selectivity of these proteases. Here we found that factor Xa (FXa) activated PAR1 at canonical Arg41 similar to thrombin but cleaved PAR3 at noncanonical Arg41 similar to APC. This unique PAR1-PAR3 activation profile permitted the identification of noncanonical PAR3 activation as a novel activation pathway for barrier protective tunica intima endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (Tie2). APC, FXa, and the noncanonical PAR3 tethered-ligand peptide induced prolonged activation of Tie2, whereas thrombin and the canonical PAR3 tethered-ligand peptide did not. Tie2 activation by FXa required PAR3 and EPCR. FXa and the noncanonical PAR3 tethered-ligand peptide induced Tie2- and PAR3-dependent upregulation of tight-junction-associated protein zona occludens 1 (ZO-1), translocation of ZO-1 to cell-cell borders, and the formation of typical ZO-1 honeycomb patterns that are indicative of tight-junction stabilization. These data provide intriguing novel insights into the diversification of functional selectivity of protease signaling achievable by canonical and noncanonical PAR activation, such as the activation of vascular-protective Tie2 by noncanonical PAR3 activation.
Money laundering and income tax evasion: the determination of optimal audits and inspections to detect abnormal prices in international trade

Presents a statistical auditing system which gives a methodology for statistical analysis of international trade prices. Discusses how this can help governments and international lending agencies, or internationally trading firms, determine the optimal level of audits and physical inspections of cargoes in order to detect abnormally priced imports and exports, using a cost ‐ benefit approach. Applies a computer program to analyse transactions in any commodity between the USA and any other country, and describes the data set and methodology for determining upper and lower bound prices, using the inter‐quartile range as the benchmark for determining abnormality. Presents results from earlier studies and gives an example of how the proposed statistical auditing system can be used.
TU‐D‐L100J‐01: Partial Volume Correction of Lung Nodules Using PET/CT

Purpose: Partial voluming in PETimaging leads to underestimation in activity concentration. The aim of this abstract is to correct for partial volume artifacts in PET/CT scans. Method and Materials: A Jaszczak phantom with hollow spheres of varying sizes (4.95 – 31.27 mm inner diameter (ID)) was filled with F‐18 water using 3 different sphere‐to‐background ratios (SBR), ranging from 3:1 to 10:1. For each SBR, several acquisitions were conducted. All PET data was reconstructed using OSEM (2 iterations, 21 subsets). Regions were drawn on the CTimages to obtain accurate sphere volume and location. A software tool was written to correct for partial voluming by incorporating the sphere size and the non‐stationary response function of the scanner. The original maximum (OM), original average (OA), corrected maximum (CM), and corrected average (CA) activity concentrations (AC) were measured and compared. Results: For all SBRs, spheres larger than 19 mm the measured OM and OA AC were 111 and 77% of the true value, respectively. Following correction, these values changed to 128 (CM) and 102% (CA), respectively. For the smallest sphere size (4.95 mm), the measured OM and OA AC were both 20% of the true value. Following correction, these values changed to 121 (CM) and 104% (CA) of the true value. The CM, however, did vary between 83 and 176% of the true AC. An analytical relationship between the lesion size (obtained from CT) and the amount of correction needed to recover the true AC based on the multiple acquisitions was generated. Conclusions: To determine the true AC of a lesion from a PET/CT scan, the corrected average is more accurate than the original maximum, and should be used for clinical assessment.
Analysis of power losses in voltage source converter with new generation IGBTs

This paper introduced the structure of new generation IGBTs(Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), such as Trench-Gate + Field Stop(FS) IGBT of Infineon, and Soft-Punch-Through(SPT) and Soft-Punch-Through-Plus(SPT+) IGBT of ABB. It also compared the characteristics. Then this paper calculated and discussed the power losses of voltage source converter(VSC) with these new generation IGBTs. The results showed that using new generation IGBTs can lead to relatively low power losses.
Segmental Multicystic Kidney and Ipsilateral Duplication Anomalies

AbstractPurpose: We characterize segmental multicystic dysplasia, in which there is a duplex collecting system with multicystic changes in the upper pole.Materials and Methods: Three neonates with an abdominal mass and/or prenatal diagnosis of a multicystic kidney were evaluated. Postnatal ultrasound showed a classic multicystic kidney and small ipsilateral orthotopic ureterocele in all cases. All patients had ipsilateral grade V lower pole reflux and a renal scan showed functioning lower pole systems.Results: One patient underwent bilateral ureteroneocystostomy and another underwent upper pole nephrectomy. There has been reduction in the size of the segmental multicystic kidney in 2 patients and decrease in reflux grade in 2 (followup 2 to 5 years).Conclusions: Newborns with an apparent multicystic kidney should undergo a voiding cystourethrogram and renal scan to confirm the diagnosis. Segmental multicystic kidney can be followed nonoperatively in most cases because the cysts tend to involute.
Prolonged Grief Symptoms and Growth in the First 2 Years of Bereavement Evidence for a Nonlinear Association

Bereavement can be a significant life stressor that precipitates both negative and constructive changes. The primary aim of this study was to examine the nature of the association between prolonged...
Behavioral Approach System (BAS)-Relevant Cognitive Styles in Individuals with High Versus Moderate BAS Sensitivity: A Behavioral High-Risk Design

This study used a behavioral high-risk design to evaluate cognitive styles relevant to the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) among individuals at high (n = 171) versus low (n = 119) risk of first onset of bipolar disorder based on BAS sensitivity, a known risk factor for bipolar disorder. Cognitive styles in high-BAS participants paralleled those implicated in bipolar disorder. Linear regressions indicated that individuals with high BAS sensitivity exhibited greater levels of goal striving, positive overgeneralization, rumination on positive affect, depressive brooding, perfectionism, and hypomanic personality. Furthermore, of the cognitive styles, emotion-focused rumination on positive affect mediated the association between BAS sensitivity and current levels of hypomanic symptoms. These results provide evidence that individuals at risk for the development of bipolar disorder have higher levels of BAS-relevant cognitive styles and hypomanic personality than do individuals with lower risk, indicating that these styles are not simply markers of prior (hypo)manic episodes.
Double-heterostructure AlGaAs/GaAs lasers grown on the mesas of trenched Si substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

The growth and device characteristics of stripe Al/sub 0.26/Ga/sub 0.74/As/GaAs double-heterostructure lasers grown on mesas of trenched Si by MBE is reported. The TE and TM modes lase at different injection levels depending on the laser stripe width. This behaviour is attributed to the variation of the residual thermal stress present in the laser structures as a function of stripe width. By comparing the polarisations of the laser radiations from a narrow and broad stripe laser, it is found that a narrow mesa is effective in reducing the residual thermal stress.
Fluency, Accuracy, and Gender Predict Developmental Trajectories of Arithmetic Strategies.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are different growth trajectories of arithmetic strategies and whether these trajectories result in different achievement outcomes. Longitudinal data were collected on 240 students who began the study as 2nd graders. In the 1st year of the study, the 2nd-grade students were assessed on fluency and accuracy on simple arithmetic problems. During the fall of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, they were assessed on strategies for complex (multiple-digit) arithmetic. They were assessed on mathematics competency at the end of 4th grade. Growth mixture modeling was used to assess developmental trajectories in arithmetic strategies; the roles of fluency, accuracy, and gender in the development of latent class; and the impact of latent class on 4th-grade mathematics competency. The data indicated 2 latent classes of growth trajectories for correct cognitive strategy use and for attempted manipulative strategy use. Three latent classes were needed to explain the development of attempted cognitive strategy use. Fluency appeared to have the most significant impact on the growth rate, whereas accuracy and gender tended to influence the initial level of performance. Not all children transitioned away from manipulatives easily. A small latent class of children slightly increased their use of manipulatives over the course of the study, with the girls in this group being less likely than boys to abandon manipulatives. Finally, what appears to be the normal developmental trajectory for strategies was not found to serve many children well in regard to later mathematics achievement
HgTe-CdTe superlattice subband dispersion

The results of band-structure calculations for (001) and (111) HgTe-CdTe superlattices using a multiband tight-binding model are presented. The band structures of superlattices in the semiconducting and semimetallic regimes are found for directions both parallel and perpendicular to the growth direction. The tight-binding model automatically incorporates the correct space-group symmetry of the superlattice. Band mixing, band crossings or anticrossings, degeneracies, and spin splittings are therefore correctly produced. For semiconducting superlattices the strain-induced reversal of light- and heavy-hole subbands depends on growth orientation as well as layer thicknesses. The light-hole subband, as defined by the effective mass in the growth direction, is found to be higher than the heavy-hole subband for the (001) 50-A\r{}--40-A\r{} superlattice by 9.2 meV, but lower for the (111) superlattice with similar layer thicknesses. This feature is somewhat sensitive to the precise deformation potentials and bulk valence-band parameters assumed in the calculation. The semi- metallic superlattice which had been the subject of magnetoabsorption experiments is studied in detail. In agreement with the calculation of Wu and McGill, it is found that the inclusion of strain significantly distorts the valence-band-edge band structure, implying that a reappraisal of the 40-meV HgTe-CdTe valence-band-offset determination is needed. It is found that the stress opens up a gap at the Brillouin-zone center, but that the superlattice is still semimetallic due to a stress-induced indirect valence-band maximum with energy above that of the conduction-band minimum. The conduction-band-minimum wave function has a large interfacial component. The relative magnitude of the amplitude of this component increases approximately with the inverse square root of the energy of the state.
Anatomically sound, simplified approach to repair of “complete” atrioventricular septal defect

Background. There are few congenital anomalies of the heart that have benefited more from thorough anatomic analysis than the complex anomaly known as atrioventricular septal defect in the setting of common atrioventricular junction. Recent advances in understanding the anatomy of this lesion have led to alternative methods of repairing these defects. Methods. The medical records of 21 consecutive patients undergoing repair of complete atrioventricular septal defect have been reviewed. Nine of these patients had a standard one- or two-patch repair, and 12 had direct closure of the ventricular element of the defect. Results. Direct closure resulted in significantly shorter pump and cross-clamp times. Follow-up for an average of 34 months suggests that when direct closure can be performed, the results are comparable with those of the more standard technique. Conclusions. Our initial success with this approach is encouraging; however, longer follow-up is required to establish whether it will be broadly applicable.
Noncycling Tumor Cells: Mitogenic Response to Antilymphocytic Serum

After continuous labeling with tritiated thymidine for a period several times the cell generation time, some ELD ascites cells remained unlabeled. Despite continued exposure to tritiated thymidine, unlabeled mitoses appeared promptly after administration of mouse antilymphocytic serum. Immunosuppression released some noncycling G(2) tumor cells into mitosis.
The gap between births intended and births achieved in 22 European countries, 2004–07

Using data from the 2004 and 2007 waves of the European Social Survey (ESS), we find that for every 100 births intended, about 60 births occur, on average, across 22 countries. This shortfall in fertility masks substantial heterogeneity between subgroups within the populations surveyed. Motherhood status, age, partnership status, and the strength of fertility intentions moderate the relationship between women's childbearing plans and births measured at the country level. Individual-level analyses using data from three countries included in the 2005 and 2008 waves of the Generations and Gender Survey are consistent with our country-level analyses. We demonstrate that repeat cross-sectional data can be used to analyse the correspondence between childbearing plans and births when longitudinal data are lacking.
Understanding Factors that Affect the Adoption of Ergonomic Interventions among Ems Workers

The primary goal of this study was to understand the adoption of specific voluntarily used ergonomic interventions aimed at the musculoskeletal needs of EMS workers. According to previous research in the areas of information technology, acceptance and diffusion of innovation, worker's perceptions and attitudes impact the adoption of an intervention. Prior research identified the lateral transfer of patients as a frequently performed strenuous task performed by EMS workers. The intervention introduced is a transfer-board, designed and biomechanically validated to assist with these lateral transfers. In the current study EMS workers were surveyed to determine which factors most closely correlated with their intention to use the transfer-board. The data suggest that the perception that it is easy to use, the patient is safer while using the transfer-board, the transfer-board is compatible with other pieces of equipment and the smoothness of the patient transfer when using the transfer-board are all factors t...
Collaboration and coordination in process-centered software development environments: a review of the literature

Process-Centered Software Development Environments are systems that provide automated support for software development activities. Such environments mediate the eorts of potentially large groups of developers working on a common project. This mediation is based on runtime support for actual work performance based on formal representations of work. In the present work, we survey and assess the contributions of the software pro- cess literature under the perspective of support for collaboration and coordination. A broad range of alternative approaches to various aspects of representation and runtime support are identified, based on the analysis of an expressive number of systems. The identified functionality can serve both as a guide for the evaluation and selection of systems of this kind as well as a roadmap for the development of new, improved systems.
Individuals and the evolution of biological and cultural systems

Recently, it has been suggested that anthropologists could more effectively build scientific theories of cultural evolution by reference to biology rather than social science. In this way, the evolution of cultures might be more usefully viewed as an anolog to the evolution of species. In systematic biology, however, the nature of species continues to be the subject of a long-standing duality of thought. This duality is analogous to the longstanding conflict in anthropology over the nature of culture. We argue, by analogy to Michael Ghiselin’s work on species, that a culture is an individual, not a class, and that cultures, like other individual entities, evolve. This view is highly concordant with concepts of culture formulated in earlier decades of this century. It has also been the philosophical orientation of American archaeology for approximately the last 25 years. We conclude that both biology and anthropology have an equal potential of contributing to a general evolutionary theory.
An Efficient Procedure for the Projection of a Given Field onto Hierarchical Vector Basis Functions of Arbitrary Order

In contrast to interpolatory basis functions, the projection of a given field onto hierarchical vector basis functions is rather difficult and could be costly if not done with some effort at efficiency. The lack of any interpolatory points for the hierarchal basis functions is the underlying reason for the necessity of a more involved method compared to that for interpolatory basis functions. We present a method to project an arbitrary given field onto hierarchical vector basis functions that is an extension of a projection method proposed in an earlier paper by Webb. The main improvements of the new procedure are its ability to project a given field residing in a volume onto the vector basis functions of an arbitrary order as well as its ability to handle an arbitrary geometrical element mapping scheme that enables the use of tetrahedrons with curvilinear faces. The procedure is efficient in that it projects the field by solving a series of small and easily manageable systems of equations. Moreover, the ...
The path analysis method of eliminating preferred stimuli (PAMEPS) as a means to determine foam preferences for lagers in European judges based upon image assessment

Abstract Judges rated images of lagers at different stages of consumption displaying various levels of head and lacing. Judges expressed their preference for one of four beer images at each of three stages of consumption. In so doing, judges created a virtual beer “preference path”. Judges then repeated the process as if the exact beer preference path they favored was unavailable, but any of the other 64 possible combinations was available. Judges continued to repeat this procedure until they had selected their top the five beer preference paths. We call this technique the “path analysis method of eliminating preferred stimuli”, or the PAMEPS approach, which allows simultaneous determination of preference among and within stages of consumption. Sampling of Belgian, Finnish, Irish, and Scottish populations reveals no preferences for foam images among stages of beer consumption, but suggest that within different stages of consumption there exist preferences for specific foam types at different geographic localities.
Patient-specific vascular models for endovascular and open operative procedures

Abstract Object : Treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and large base of the brain tumors is difficult partly because the surgeon must form a mental model of the lesion and its vascular supply. In planning treatment, it is important to localize supplying arteries, arteries of passage, and draining veins. This report provides an overview of software that offers the surgeon and interventional radiologist a detailed, three-dimensional (3D) map of each patient's vasculature. A feature of our approach is that it defines vascular connectivity relationships so that one can estimate “safe” points of arterial occlusion. Methods : Vessels are extracted from 3D image data and symbolically linked to form vascular trees that represent blood flow patterns. These vessel representations can then be viewed in 3D in a program that allows the user to color-code connected groups of vessels or to selectively turn them “off” to either simulate catheter passage or to avoid obscuration. The 3D image data can also be aligned with digital subtraction angiograms (DSA) obtained from the same patient, in order to help the interpretation of the 2D image data by supplementing it with 3D information. Conclusions : Computer-assisted, three-dimensional visualizations of complex vascular anatomy can be helpful to the surgeon and interventional radiologist. Such programs can provide critical information not readily available by traditional techniques.
Planar Heterojunctions Made On MBE Grown Mercury Cadmium Telluride Using Low Energy Ion Sputtering

Planar heterojunctions were fabricated on mercury cadmium telluride layers grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. P-type (111)B Hgi_,Cd,Te having an x value gradually increasing to the surface have been grown. The sputtering technique has been used to form the junctions. For the first time, electrical and optical characterizations of a representative junction are presented in this report. The resistance-area product at zero bias and at 80 K is 2.4X103 ohm-cm 2 for x=0.27. The spectral response of this device shows that two junctions, one with x=0.27 and the other with x=0.33, exist. However, Responsivities as high as 7.2 A/W at 80 K were recorded due to the electrically reflecting boundary on the p-type surface.
Linear accelerator neutron source for neutron scattering

Abstract This paper explores various aspects of the use of a pulsed linear electron accelerator as a source for neutron-scattering research. Neutron production and moderation is discussed. Comparisons are made between the source strengths and neutron-scattering capability of steady-state reactors and some pulsed-accelerator sources. Design considerations of spectrometers for the pulsed-source application are discussed. A brief description is provided of a potential neutron-scattering facility based upon an electron linear-accelerator source.
The myelodysplastic syndromes: Diagnosis, molecular biology and risk assessment

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous group of neoplastic clonal stem cell diseases characterized by dysplastic morphological features and clinical bone marrow failure. The FAB (French-American-British) system served as the gold standard for MDS classification for more than two decades. The WHO classification, built on the backbone of FAB classification, is an attempt to further improve the prognostic value of MDS classification as well as establish its clinical utility as a tool to select different treatments. In this article we review the epidemiology, pathogenesis, molecular biology, diagnosis and classification of MDS. We highlight the major differences between the FAB classification and the WHO MDS classification. We discuss in more detail the experience of using the new WHO classification since its publication and review the studies that tried to validate the prognostic value of the new classification or apply it to predict clinical responses to various treatments.
Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of CdS and Atomic Layer Deposition of CdTe Films for HgCdTe Surface Passivation

HgCdTe narrow-bandgap materials are used in the fabrication of infrared detectors and focal-plane arrays. Many of these advanced devices require complex structures to be processed into them. Passivation of planar detectors is typically done with vacuum-evaporated CdTe or related II–VI materials. New advanced detector topology necessitates the use of low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) for improved conformal coverage. Preliminary studies on LPCVD of CdS and ALD of CdTe were carried out and characterized for conformal coverage. The effects of CdS and CdTe films on HgCdTe minority-carrier lifetime are also studied at 300 K and 77 K.
The post-translational chemistry and molecular packing of mineralizing tendon collagens

Using cross-linking stereochemistry as indicators, the molecular environment of two collagens in the turkey leg Achilles tendon were compared. The tendon from one year old turkeys was dissected into nonmineralized, fully mineralized and transitionally mineralized portions. Amino acid composition and cyanogen bromide peptide mapping of these portions indicated that the collagens were essentially type I throughout. The fully mineralized compartment had a lysine hydroxylation level similar to turkey or mammalian bone collagen. The non-and transitionally mineralized collagens had a significantly higher lysine hydroxylation, typical of tendon or ligament. However, unlike mammalian tendon, the collagen cross-links were essentially derived from the carboxy-terminal ends of the molecules. The predominant cross-link in this portion was pyridinoline having a high content of 0.95± 0.09 res/mole of collagen. The cross-links in the fully mineralized collagen were also essentially derived from carboxy-terminal aldehyde...
Attributions of Change and Self-Efficacy in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Medication and Psychotherapy for Problem Drinking

The current study examines participants' attributions of change in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of problem drinkers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption. Participants were assigned to 12 weeks of naltrexone or placebo, which was paired with either combined motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy (MBSCT) along with an enhanced medication management intervention or enhanced medication management only. Upon treatment completion, a questionnaire assessed participants' attributions of change along with their self-efficacy in their ability to maintain treatment gains. Participants differed in strength of attributions of change and self-efficacy according to both their therapy condition and their hypothesized medication condition. Specifically, those in the MBSCT condition who hypothesized that they received placebo displayed greater confidence in continuing changes without medication compared with the other groups. How treatment condition and attributions of change relate to self-efficacy for long-term maintenance of treatment gains are discussed.
Free amino acids in congestive heart failure.

Free amino acids were quantitatively analyzed in cardiac muscle and plasma of dogs with chronic congestive heart failure produced by progressive pulmonary artery stenosis. Right ventricular systolic pressure increased from 32 to 89 mmHg and right ventricular end diastolic pressure from 3 to 15 mmHg following chronic constriction of the pulmonary artery. The ratio of right to left ventricular weight approximately doubled (30% vs. 63%) while percent dry weight (21%) did not change in failing hearts. The concentration of plasma and left ventricular amino acids were the same in control and experimental animals. The total free amino acid pool of the failing right ventricle appeared to increase and a significant alteration was seen in methionine concentration (0.111 ± 0.047 vs. 0.523 ± 0.081 μmol/g dry weight). A large change was found in the concentration of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) in right ventricles (32.8 ± 3.4 vs. 126 ± 10 μmol/g dry weight) while the same compound was not altered in left ventricles. Myocardial free amino acid metabolism, as judged by endogenous concentrations, was not greatly influenced by chronic heart failure although failing right ventricles seemed to have an expanded pool. Specifically, the large increase in taurine concentration, which was confined to the failing right ventricle, may have functional significance since this compound has been linked to cellular calcium ion movement.
Virus-Induced Immunosuppression in Chickens

Reovirus and infectious bursal disease virus are among the naturally occurring viruses that cause immunosuppression in chickens. Both viruses cause necrotic lesions in the bursa of Fabricius and may destroy B cells. This may explain their ability to cause humoral immune suppression. The mechanism(s) of virus-induced suppression of cellular immunity is not well understood. Both viruses inhibit the mitogenic response of T cells in chickens. We have noted that this inhibition may be mediated by inhibitory cytokines such as transforming growth factor-beta and nitric oxide produced by activated macrophages. Preliminary studies have indicated that pretreatment of chickens with an immunomodulator, acemannan, reduced the reovirus-induced inhibition of T cells.
Assessing data sources for state-level occupational fatality rates: Oregon, 2003–2007

BACKGROUND: This study assesses state-level data sources for numerators and denominators in occupational fatality rates. Data from Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation, 2003-2007, are used to assess numerators, and to produce fatality rates using different data sources for denominators. METHODS: Data sources for state-level occupational fatalities and the employed population are described. A statistical test for interrater reliability is applied in the comparison to Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data. Odds ratios are calculated in the presentation of incident rates by age. RESULTS: Comparison of occupational fatality data sources demonstrates substantial differences. Acquiring appropriate state-level denominator data are limited, particularly for stratified groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although not decisive, occupational fatality rates may help confirm areas of concern to guide necessary field work. This assessment of data sources and identification of several priority areas of concern in Oregon may help state researchers direct their own efforts to target priorities for effective interventions. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Role of hospitalists in an offsite alternate care center (ACC) for pandemic flu.

Recent concerns about an influenza pandemic have highlighted the need to plan for offsite Alternate Care Centers (ACCs). The likelihood of a successful response to patient surges will depend on the local health systems' ability to prepare well in advance of an influenza pandemic. Our health system has worked closely with our state's medical biodefense network to plan the establishment of an ACC for an influenza pandemic. As hospitalists have expanded their roles in their local health systems, they are poised to play a major role in planning for the next influenza pandemic. Hospitalists should work with their health system's administration in developing an ACC plan. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:546–549. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Silicone putty diagnostic casts for edentulous patients wearing complete dentures

A diagnostic articulation of silicone putty casts is proposed as a visual aid in the formulation of a treatment plan for dental implant patients, to evaluate arch form, jaw relationship, and interarch space.
Reaction times for user behavior models in microblogging online social networks

Online Social Networks (OSNs) have, in recent years, emerged as a new way to communicate, diffuse information, coordinate people, establish relationships, among other possibilities. In this context, being able to understand and predict how users behave and developing appropriate models is a key problem to work with OSNs, concerning from marketing campaigns to social movements, for example. Twitter, for instance, was a heavily explored tool in Obama's 2012 election. In this paper, we explore Obama's Twitter network and model its users behavior, applying a stochastic multi-agent based simulation to reproduce the observed data. We study the effects of different time discretizations when applying a first order Markov Model to learn the user behavior and determine that, for Obama's egocentric network, users present a short reaction time to received messages.
Environmental influences on fatty acid composition of membranes from autoimmune MRL lpr/lpr mice.

We analyzed fatty acid make up of cells and organs from autoimmune and immunologically normal mice to determine whether intrinsic differences in composition might be associated with an inflammatory phenotype. Macrophages (MO) isolated from 4–6-week-old MRL lpr/lpr mice were cultured with phorbol ester (PMA), fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and medium control to determine whether these cell signals might induce membrane fatty acid changes. Individual phospholipid analysis showed 8.4- and 5.1-fold increases in phosphatidylcholine arachidonate (20:4) mole % over baseline values following culture with FGF-1 and FGF-2, respectively. Unfractionated analysis on kidney and liver extracts from 4–6 week MRL lpr/lpr, 16–20 week lpr and 12–20 week MRL ±/± mice demonstrated no significant intrastrain fatty acid differences. Higher levels of 20:4 in 4–6 week lpr mice were noted compared to 16–20 week lpr or +/+ mice in kidney, and liver samples (P < 0.05). It is possible that membrane changes precipitated by microenvironmental cytokine concentrations may contribute to the expression of autoimmune disease in this model.
Landau-Placzek ratio of KBr single crystals—I

Abstract The Mandel'shtam-Brillouin and Gross scattering was measured for a series of purified KBr crystals. The ratio I G 2I MB , which for a pure, perfect crystal would be the Landau-Placzek ratio, was found to vary with the type of reactive gas treatment used in the final purification. With these crystals both the longitudinal and mixed mode bands were observed with θ and φ equal to 90°. The ratio I L I M was in agreement with calculated intensity ratios and the Δμ for these bands gave C11 + C12 = 41.6 GPa and C44 = 5.18 GPa.
Variable transmission output coupler and tuner for ring laser systems.

Operation and characteristics of a novel variable transmission output coupler for ring laser systems are reported. It also provides tuning of the laser wavelength with negligible deviation of the output beam. The transmission coefficient can be changed continuously from 0 to ≳80%. The tuning capability is from the ultraviolet to the near infrared and depends only on the material of the prisms. No optical coatings are used, and all beams enter and exit the coupler at Brewster angle with minimal loss.
The NanoCytometer: Screening Cells Based on Cell Size

Determination of cell size is crucial in many biomedical applications. Here, we show how resistive-pulse sensing and artificial pores can be used to detect and measure cell size accurately. Cell size is determined by measuring the change in resistance when an individual cell passes through the pore. As a proof-of-principle, we show that we are able to measure the change in size when cells undergo apoptosis.
A novel endocytic recycling signal that distinguishes the membrane trafficking of naturally occurring opioid receptors.

δ and μ opioid receptors are homologous G protein-coupled receptors that are differentially sorted between divergent degradative and recycling membrane pathways following agonist-induced endocytosis. Whereas δ opioid receptors are selectively sorted to lysosomes, μ opioid receptors recycle rapidly to the plasma membrane by a process that has been proposed to occur via bulk membrane flow. We have observed that μ opioid receptors do not recycle by default and have defined a specific sequence present in the cytoplasmic tail of the cloned μ opioid receptor that is both necessary and sufficient for rapid recycling of internalized receptors. This sequence is completely distinct from a sequence shown previously to be required for recycling of the β2 adrenergic receptor yet is functionally interchangeable when tested in chimeric mutant receptors. These results indicate that signal-dependent recycling is a more common property of G protein-coupled receptors than previously appreciated and demonstrate that such a modular recycling signal distinguishes the regulation of homologous receptors that are naturally co-expressed.
NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation of r(CCGCUGCGG)2 Reveal a Dynamic UU Internal Loop Found in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

The NMR structure of an RNA with a copy of the 5'CUG/3'GUC motif found in the triplet repeating disorder myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is disclosed. The lowest energy conformation of the UU pair is a single-hydrogen bond structure; however, the UU protons undergo exchange indicating structural dynamics. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the single hydrogen bond structure is the most populated one but the UU pair interconverts among zero, one, and two hydrogen bond pairs. These studies have implications for the recognition of the DM1 RNA by small molecules and proteins.
Process Modelling with Cooperative Agents

Concurrency Control is the ability to allow concurrent access of multiple independent agents while still maintaining the overall consistency of the database. We discuss the notion of Cooperation Control, which gives a dbms, the ability to allow cooperation of multiple cooperating agents, without corrupting the consistency of the database. Specifically, there is the need for allowing cooperating agents to cooperate while preventing independent agents from interfering with each other. In this paper, we use the Marvel system to construct and investigate cooperative scenarios.
Genomic structure of a cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain gene from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

We report the cloning and sequencing of genomic DNA encoding a cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In a contiguous stretch of 35,103 bp of DNA from the left arm of linkage group I, we have found a gene that is predicted to encode a protein of 4,568 amino acids. This gene is composed of 15 exons and 14 relatively short introns, and it has significant homology of the other dynein heavy chains in the databases. The deduced molecular mass of the derived polypeptide is 512,624 Da. As with other dynein heavy chains that have been sequenced to date, it contains four GXXGXGK(S/T) motifs that form part of the consensus sequence for nucleotide triphosphate-binding domains. Comparison of axonemal and cytoplasmic dynein heavy chains shows that regions of homology among all dyneins are clustered in the carboxyl terminal two-thirds of the polypeptide, whereas the amino terminal one-third of the heavy chains may contain domains that specify functions that differ between axonemal and cytoplasmic forms of the dynein heavy chain. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Site-specific mutagenicity of stereochemically defined 1,N2-deoxyguanosine adducts of trans-4-hydroxynonenal in mammalian cells

Trans-4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) is a toxic compound produced endogenously during lipid peroxidation. HNE is a potent electrophile that is reactive with both proteins and nucleic acids. HNE preferentially reacts with deoxyguanosine to form four stereoisomeric HNE-deoxyguanosine (HNE-dG) adducts: (6R, 8S, 11R), (6S, 8R, 11S), (6R, 8S, 11S), and (6S, 8R, 11R). These adducts were synthesized into 12-mer oligodeoxynucleotides, inserted into a DNA shuttle vector and evaluated for the ability of each stereoisomer to induce mutagenesis when replicated through mammalian cells. The resultant mutagenicity of these adducts was related to their stereochemistry, in that two of the HNE-dG adducts, (6R, 8S, 11R) and (6S, 8R, 11S), were significantly more mutagenic than the (6R, 8S, 11S) and (6S, 8R, 11R) HNE-dG adducts. These data conclusively demonstrate that HNE-derived DNA adducts can be mutagenic in mammalian cells and their ability to cause mutations is dictated by their stereochemistry. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 42:68–74, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dominions and site-fixed aggressive behavior in breeding male Leucorrhinia intacta (Odonata: Libellulidae)

We report aggressive spacing behavior in male dragonflies, Leucorrhinia intacta, that is characterized by variations in the probability of chasing conspecific male intruders within a defined area around a male's perch. The chase probability depends on the total intruder pressure and the behavior and distance of the intruder from the perched male (Fig. 2). This nonexclusive, site-fixed area has been called a dominion.