cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hyperelastic constitutive modeling of hydrogels based on primary deformation modes and validation under 3D stress states

Abstract In isotropic linear elasticity, a constitutive model calibrated using a single deformation mode (e.g., compression or tension or shear) is sufficient to describe a complex three-dimensional (3D) stress state. Such an approach, however, is likely inadequate for modeling hydrogels, which exhibit a nonlinear stress-strain response that varies significantly between deformation modes and is also sensitive to microstructure via gel concentration. In this study, a combined experimental and constitutive modeling framework is proposed for the development and validation of concentration-dependent 3D hyperelastic models for hydrogels. Agarose hydrogel in a concentration range of 0.4–4% w/v is chosen as the model material. Uniaxial compression, uniaxial tension, and simple shear (three primary deformation modes) experiments are conducted. The small strain elastic modulus-gel concentration relationships obtained from experiments are compared with those predicted by the molecular theory of rigid polymer networks (Jones-Marques theory) to identify the concentration range in which entropic elastic (hyperelastic) response dominates. In this range (1.5–4% w/v), four hyperelastic constitutive models are fit to the combined compression-tension-shear stress-strain data: Mooney-Rivlin, three-parameter generalized Rivlin, Gent, and Gent-Gent models. It is demonstrated that the generalized Rivlin model offers the best overall accuracy, and the variation of its model parameters with gel concentration is consistent with the Jones-Marques theory. The resulting concentration-dependent Extended Generalized Rivlin model is employed in finite element simulations of the non-homogeneous 3D stress state of wedge indentation. Simulated load versus depth and strain field predictions show very good agreement with experimental wedge indentation results. Finally, it is shown that a hyperelastic model calibrated using only a single deformation mode yields poor results for other primary and 3D deformations, and thus multiple primary deformation modes (preferably all three) should be considered.
Estimating and Forecasting Volatility Using Leverage Effect

This research provides a theoretical foundation for our previous empirical finding that leverage effect has a role in estimating and forecasting volatility. This empirics is also related to earlier econometric studies of news impact curves (Engle and Ng, Chen and Ghysels). Our new theoretical development is based on the concept of projection on stable subspaces of semi-martingales. We show that this projection provides a framework for forecasting (across time periods) that is internally consistent with the semi-martingale model which is used for the intra-day high frequency asymptotics. The paper shows that the approach provides improved estimation and forecasting both theoretically, in simulation, and in data.
Chapter 15: The Worldwide Digital Divide and Access to Healthcare Technology

In the twenty-first century, vast improvements in the quality and availability of telecommunication services have improved our lives beyond what we could have imagined just 50 years ago. We communicate, work, and can purchase almost anything we desire. Medicine has kept pace with these improvements; patients can now access their health records, order prescriptions, and access websites providing medical information.
Traumatic Rupture of the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris Muscle Belly in a Circus Rigger

Closed traumatic rupture of forearm flexor muscles has been reported rarely. Previous reports have included ruptures of the flexor digitorum profundus, flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor pollicis longus, flexor carpi radialis, pronator quadratus and the palmaris longus. We report a patient with a closed traumatic rupture through the muscle belly of the flexor carpi ulnaris and summarise the published literature on ruptures involving the forearm flexor muscles. Overall, conservative treatment can result in excellent outcomes. Early surgical intervention is recommended in patients with nerve involvement and compartment syndrome and delayed reconstruction may be considered for patients with functional deficits.
A Systematic Replication of Teaching Children With Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Correct Responding to False-Belief Tasks

Behavioral research has demonstrated that children with autism spectrum disorder can be taught to recognize the false beliefs of others using video modeling (e.g., Charlop-Christy & Daneshvar Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 5(1), 12-21, 2003; LeBlanc et al. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36(2), 253-257, 2003). The current study extended such research by teaching three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities to respond appropriately to false-belief tasks using behavioral intervention strategies conducted in the natural environment with people in their enviornment. We used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline across-participants design to evaluate the use of multiple-exemplar training, prompting, and reinforcement for training correct responses with two false-belief tasks: the hide-and-seek task and the M&Ms task. We also conducted a pre/posttest of an untrained false-belief task, the Sally-Anne task. All participants learned to pass the hide-and-seek task and the M&Ms task and improved on their performance on the Sally-Anne task during the posttest.
Event-related potentials to rare visual targets and negative symptom severity in a transdiagnostic psychiatric sample.

Abstract Objectives Negative psychiatric symptoms are often resistant to treatments, regardless of the disorder in which they appear. One model for a cause of negative symptoms is impairment in higher-order cognition. The current study examined how particular bottom-up and top-down mechanisms of selective attention relate to severity of negative symptoms across a transdiagnostic psychiatric sample. Methods The sample consisted of 130 participants: 25 schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, 26 bipolar disorders, 18 unipolar depression, and 61 nonpsychiatric controls. The relationships between attentional event-related potentials following rare visual targets (i.e., N1, N2b, P2a, and P3b) and severity of the negative symptom domains of anhedonia, avolition, and blunted affect were evaluated using frequentist and Bayesian analyses. Results P3b and N2b mean amplitudes were inversely related to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-Negative Symptom Factor severity score across the entire sample. Subsequent regression analyses showed a significant negative transdiagnostic relationship between P3b amplitude and blunted affect severity. Conclusions Results indicate that negative symptoms, and particularly blunted affect, may have a stronger association with deficits in top-down mechanisms of selective attention. Significance This suggests that people with greater severity of blunted affect, independent of diagnosis, do not allocate sufficient cognitive resources when engaging in activities requiring selective attention.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Early Language Difficulties among U.S. Children.

Objective: Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is a serious public health concern with the potential to interfere with various components of healthy child development. Even so, there has been limited nationally representative research investigating these connections. The current study examines the relationship between ETS and language difficulties among toddlers and preschool-aged children in the United States. Method: Data are derived from the 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health and facilitate strategic comparisons between different forms of ETS—namely, children who live with family members who smoke vs. children whose family members smoke inside the housing unit. Results: The findings reveal a robust association between family members smoking inside the housing unit and both receptive and expressive language difficulties, but only among male children. After adjusting for covariates, smoking inside the housing unit is associated with a 182% increase in the rate of early composite language difficulties among male children. These associations persist even when compared to male children who live with smoking family members who do not smoke inside the housing unit. Conclusions: The findings suggest a need for interventions designed to reduce ETS in households with young children and increase targeted language skill training for vulnerable children in an effort to enhance child development and well-being. To maximize this effort, we advocate for interdisciplinary teams, including medical and public health practitioners, educators, and researchers, to work together to develop and implement evidence-based strategies to limit ETS in homes and facilitate healthy language development among young children.
In vitro rehardening and staining effects of silver diamine fluoride with and without mucin on early enamel caries lesions.

PURPOSE To evaluate the rehardening ability of SDF and its individual components, silver, and fluoride ions, on early enamel caries lesions using artificial saliva with and without mucin. METHODS Early caries lesions were created in human permanent enamel specimens. The specimens (n=36 per group) were then treated with a single application of: SDF (38%), SDF followed by application of potassium iodide (SDF+KI), potassium fluoride (KF); fluoride control, 44,800 ppm (F), silver nitrate (AgNO3); silver control, 253,900 ppm (Ag), or deionized water (DIW). Immediately, the specimens were subjected to 4 days of continuous remineralization with or without mucin (n=18 per subgroup). Changes in Vickers surface microhardness from lesion baseline (ΔVHN) were calculated. Data were analyzed using two-way (intervention vs. rehardening models) ANOVA. RESULTS In both rehardening models (with or without mucin), SDF (ΔVHN data; mean ± standard deviation; with/without mucin: 26± 19/3± 11) was significantly less effective in rehardening promotion than SDF+KI (37± 12/39± 16) and KF (40± 17/41± 29; P≤ 0.0332). Compared to AgNO3 (9± 9/18± 15) and DIW (3± 7/12± 9), SDF was more effective in the presence of mucin (P≤ 0.001) but not in its absence, similar to DIW (P= 0.1117); less effective vs. AgNO3 (P= 0.0061). The presence of mucin significantly increased the rehardening ability of SDF (P< 0.0001). However, mucin did not affect the extent of rehardening in the other groups (P≥ 0.082). SDF+KI and KF were superior in their ability in rehardening promotion than AgNO3 and DIW in both rehardening models (P< 0.0001). In both rehardening models, ΔL* values from baseline to post-rehardening show that applying KI after SDF significantly lessened the dark staining caused by SDF (P< 0.0001). Under the present in vitro conditions, SDF does not appear to enhance surface rehardening of early enamel caries lesions. The co-presence of mucin during rehardening enhanced the efficacy of SDF which warrants further investigation. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Silver diamine fluoride + potassium iodide may be a viable option in rehardening of early enamel caries lesions.
A 310 nW Temperature Sensor Achieving 9.8 mK Resolution using a DFLL-based Readout Circuit

This paper reports a high-performance, low-power temperature sensor suitable for wireless IoT devices/RFID tags. The system utilizes a mostly digital approach to achieve energy-efficient, sub-μW operation with a resistor-based temperature sensor. A sampled, incomplete-settling, switched-capacitor-based Wheatstone bridge is read out using a digital frequency-locked loop (DFLL) while harnessing the quasi-periodic limit cycles to reduce in-band noise. Implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process, it consumes 310 nW and achieves 9.8 mK resolution in a 10 ms conversion time. This results in a 297 fJ∙K2 figure-of-merit (FoM) and low energy (3.1 nJ/meas.).
Auditors’ Influence on Clients’ Accounting Estimates

Accounting estimates are susceptible to managerial errors and bias, thereby generating audit risk. Quantifying and understanding the determinants and consequences of auditors’ influence on clients’ accounting estimates is therefore important. Using a novel econometric technique, we estimate annual measures of auditors’ influence on clients’ tax reserves – a complex and subjective account pervasive across industries. Influence varies across audit offices and within audit offices over time. Influence is smaller (larger) in busier audit offices, offices in geographic areas with greater mutual trust, and offices where clients draw employees from a higher-quality workforce (offices with growth in tax non-audit services and more task-specific expertise in auditing tax reserves). We find greater auditor influence is associated with more relevant tax reserves, fewer SEC comment letters related to tax reserves, and fewer tax-related restatements. Our finding that greater auditor influence is beneficial to clients informs auditors, audit committees, regulators, and financial statement users.
Comparison of all-grating fiber and enhanced backscatter fiber for distributed strain sensing

We investigate the limits of distributed strain sensing using all-grating fiber. We find that the sensing range is limited by the oft-neglected autocorrelation of the impulse response in addition to the Born approximation. Enhanced backscatter fiber increases the sensing range at the cost of spatial resolution and measurement speed.
Retrotrapezoid nucleus and central chemoreception

The ‘distributed chemoreception theory’ attributes the central chemoreflex (the stimulation of breathing by CNS acidification) to the cumulative effects of pH on multiple classes of respiratory neurons as well as on their tonic sources of drive. Opinions differ as to how many classes of pH-sensitive neurons contribute to the central chemoreflex but the number of candidates is high and growing fast. The ‘specialized chemoreceptor theory’, endorsed here, attributes the chemoreflex to a limited number of specialized neurons. These neurons (the central chemoreceptors) would drive a respiratory pattern generator that is not or minimally activated by acidification. In this review we first describe the properties of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and argue that this nucleus may contain the most important central chemoreceptors. Next, we subject the assumptions that underlie the distributed chemoreception theory to a critical analysis. We propose several explanations for the apparent contradiction between the two competing theories of central chemoreception. We attribute much of the current controversy to premature extrapolations of the effects of acidification on neurons recorded in vitro (chemosensitivity) and to a semantic confusion between chemosensitivity and chemoreception (the mechanism by which CO2 or pH activates breathing in vivo).
Topics in Quantum Computers

I provide an introduction to quantum computers, describing how they might be realized using language accessible to a solid state physicist. A listing of the minimal requirements for creating a quantum computer is given. I also discuss several recent developments in the area of quantum error correction, a subject of importance not only to quantum computation, but also to some aspects of the foundations of quantum theory.
Mergers and Acquisitions: Cases, Materials, and Problems

Recent financial scandals, such as those surrounding WorldCom, Tyco and Enron, have kindled greater interest and attention on the topic of this new casebook: the law of mergers and acquisitions. Recognizing the increasing importance of this subject within the modern law school curriculum, the goal of this new casebook is to introduce the topics covered in the law of mergers and acquisitions in terms that are accessible to the uninitiated law student. In both the selection and editing of the cases and other materials to be included in this casebook, the guiding principle has been to present the material in such a manner as to enable the student to master the fundamental principles of the law of mergers and acquisitions and to appreciate the public policies that underlie this legal framework. The other, closely related objective of this casebook is to present the relevant legal principles of mergers and acquisitions in such a manner as to allow the law student to be able to hit the ground running when they graduate and enter the practice of business law, which I presume will include M&A transactions. As part of this effort, the casebook endeavors to instill in the law student a sense of what it takes to be a good business lawyer in the modern practice of law in a transactional setting. This new casebook underscores the role of the lawyer as transaction planner by making extensive use of problems, which require the student to work through the terms of various federal and state statutes in order to understand what must be done to validly consummate an acquisition and why the law imposes these requirements. As part of this focus, the text emphasizes the increasing importance of fiduciary duty law over the past twenty years and its all-important role in guiding the transaction planner. Finally, these themes are developed in the context of M&A activity both on Wall Street, and just as importantly, on Main Street. That is to say, this casebook emphasizes not only the type of high profile M&A transaction that the law student is likely to read about on the front pages of the WALL STREET JOURNAL, but also provides comprehensive treatment of the sale of a closely held business, which is the type of transaction that forms the basis of M&A practice for many, many of today's transactional lawyers.
Why Is Inter-Dealer Trading So Pervasive In Financial Markets?

This paper studies whether two-stage trading mechanisms that involve inter-dealer trading after a customer-dealer trade improve welfare over the one-shot settings traditionally analyzed in the market microstructure literature. A main finding of the paper is that two-stage trading dominates one-shot trading for large order flows, assuming a single-price mechanism is used in the inter-dealer stage. In contrast, when inter-dealer trading is run as a limit-order book, only small outside orders benefit. Moreover, we find that the customers generally favor two-stage trading when the dispersion in ex ante dealer inventories is small. These conclusions are shown to be robust whether the dealer inventory is public knowledge or not. In both forms of inter-dealer trading, price competition is negatively affected if there are adverse selection problems between the customer and the dealers. This suggests that inter-dealer markets will occur in single-price settings with large orders, provided the order flow does not carry an excessive amount of private information.
TREE-TUNDRA COMPETITIVE HIERARCHIES, SOIL FERTILITY GRADIENTS, AND TREELINE ELEVATION IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA

The position of treeline has been attributed to climatic factors affecting trees, and some studies mention soils. No studies, however, examine treeline as a limit for tundra vegetation; the treeline is also the tundra-line. The position of treeline on an elevation gradient is examined in relation to soil fertility. Soils were sampled at 25 treeline sites and analyzed for organic fraction, total nitrogen fraction, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium. Mean values of N, P, K, organic fraction, and soil depth all are greatest in forest interior samples and least at the tundra samples. Regressions of site elevation on the soil variables show that elevation is negatively related to all variables except phosphorus, but significantly related only to potassium. We applied the centrifugal model of plant community organization and propose that for this ecotone the gradient in biomass is discontinuous and the abruptness of change varies with elevation, moisture, mineral nutrients, nitrogen, disturbance, ...
Meta-classification: Combining multimodal classifiers

Combining multiple classifiers is of particular interest in multimedia applications. Each modality in multimedia data can be analyzed individually, and combining multiple pieces of evidence can usually improve classification accuracy. However, most combination strategies used in previous studies implement some ad hoc designs, and ignore the varying “expertise” of specialized individual modality classifiers in recognizing a category under particular circumstances. In this paper we present a combination framework called “meta-classification”, which models the problem of combining classifiers as a classification problem itself. We apply the technique on a wearable “experience collection” system, which unobtrusively records the wearer’s conversation, recognizes the face of the dialogue partner, and remember his/her voice. When the system sees the same person’s face or hears the same voice, it can then use a summary of the last conversation to remind the wearer. To identify a person correctly from a mixture of audio and video streams, classification judgments from multiple modalities must be effectively combined. Experimental results show that combining different face recognizers and speaker identification aspects using the meta-classification strategy can dramatically improve classification accuracy, and is more effective than a fixed probability-based strategy. Other work in labeling weather news broadcasts showed that meta-classification is a general framework that can be applied to any application that needs to combine multiple classifiers without much modification.
Human Rights in the Constitutional Law of the United States

In the period since the end of the Second World War, there has emerged what never before existed: a truly global morality. Some of that morality - the morality of human rights - has become entrenched in the constitutional law of the United States. This book explicates the morality of human rights and elaborates three internationally recognized human rights that are embedded in US constitutional law: the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment; the right to moral equality; and the right to religious and moral freedom. The implications of one or more of these rights for three great constitutional controversies - capital punishment, same-sex marriage and abortion - are discussed in-depth. Along the way, Michael J. Perry addresses the question of the proper role of the Supreme Court of the United States in adjudicating these controversies.
The Study of Microbial Adaptation by Long-Term Experimental Evolution

Experimental evolution, the research approach discussed in this chapter, permits study of the fundamental processes of adaptation that underlie microbial evolution under controlled laboratory conditions. Long-term evolution experiments with microbes have displayed numerous elements of the complexity of natural systems and have therefore permitted the study of fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, physiology, and genetics. This chapter focuses on a few long-term, open-ended studies as well as other relevant experiments that best illustrate specific problems. Despite many excellent studies using fungal and viral models, the chapter is focused primarily on bacterial systems with occasional mention of viral systems. Specific topics under consideration include the dynamics of adaptation, the genetic and physiological bases of fitness, causes of specialization and functional losses, evolution of mutation rates, and models of the evolution of virulence. At the end of the chapter, the author addresses prospects for future experiments to study the evolution of pathogens. The author refers repeatedly to two longterm experiments throughout this chapter. The first involves the long-term experimental evolution of 12 populations of Escherichia coli B, originally founded by Richard Lenski in 1988. The second experiment of this review was derived from this first one. The chapter discusses selected examples in which the mechanisms and consequences of genetic adaptation were discovered. The evidence that important steps in microbial evolution have been driven significantly, and perhaps mostly, by interspecies recombination continues to grow.
p53-Independent and -Dependent Requirements for E1B-55K in Adenovirus Type 5 Replication

The adenovirus type 5 mutant dl1520 was engineered previously to be completely defective for E1B-55K functions. Recently, this mutant (also known as ONYX-015) has been suggested to replicate preferentially in p53− and some p53+ tumor cell lines but to be attenuated in primary cultured cells (C. Heise, A. Sampson-Johannes, A. Williams, F. McCormick, D. D. F. Hoff, and D. H. Kirn, Nat. Med. 3:639–645, 1997). It has been suggested that dl1520 might be used as a “magic bullet” that could selectively lyse tumor cells without harm to normal tissues. However, we report here that dl1520 replication is independent of p53 genotype and occurs efficiently in some primary cultured human cells, indicating that the mutant virus does not possess a tumor selectivity. Although it was not the sole host range determinant, p53 function did reduce dl1520 replication when analyzed in a cell line expressing temperature-sensitive p53 (H1299-tsp53) (K. L. Fries, W. E. Miller, and N. Raab-Traub, J. Virol. 70:8653–8659, 1996). As found earlier for other E1B-55K mutants in HeLa cells (Y. Ho, R. Galos, and J. Williams, Virology 122:109–124, 1982), dl1520 replication was temperature dependent in H1299 cells. When p53 function was restored at low temperature in H1299-tsp53 cells, it imposed a modest defect in viral DNA replication and accumulation of late viral cytoplasmic mRNA. However, in both H1299 and H1299-tsp53 cells, the defect in late viral protein synthesis appeared to be much greater than could be accounted for by the modest defects in late viral mRNA levels. We therefore propose that in addition to countering p53 function and modulating viral and cellular mRNA nuclear transport, E1B-55K also stimulates late viral mRNA translation.
Characteristics and Variability of the Sea Ice Cover

Mesoscale and large scale characteristics and interannual variability of the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice cover are described and evaluated using geophysical data derived from visible, infrared, and microwave sensors. Thirty years of satellite data were used to assess global, hemispherical, and regional trends and to gain insights into the changing sea ice cover in the two hemispheres. The extent of the sea ice cover in the Arctic is shown to be declining at −4%/decade, whereas in the Antarctic, it has been increasing unexpectedly at 1%/decade. The most intriguing result, however, is the rapid decline in the Arctic perennial ice cover area of about −13%/decade and possible connection with greenhouse gas warming. Equally intriguing is the relative stability of the Antarctic sea ice cover and associated effects of the ozone hole, the Southern Oscillation and the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave.
A rotating ring-disk stripping technique used to study electroplating of Sn-Pb from methane sulfonic acid solutions

A rotating ring-disk stripping technique has been used to analyze Sn-Pb alloys plated from methane sulfonic acid solutions with and without a proprietary additive and to construct associated current-potential curves. The deposition of both pure Sn and pure Pb was polarized by the additive, but the polarization was much greater for Pb. For alloys plated without the additive, the potential dependence of the partial currents iSn and iPb was essentially the same as that of the pure metals. The alloy compositions were very different from the solution ratios Sn(II):Pb(II) and could be either tin-rich or lead-rich compared to the solution. In the presence of the additive, on the other hand, the alloy compositions approximated the solution compositions of the metal ions; both Pb and Sn deposition were polarized in the alloy compared to deposition of the pure metals, but the extent of polarization caused by the codepositing metal was much greater for Sn. The electrodissolution of Sn-Pb alloys in HCI shows a complex oscillatory behavior, which is produced by the selective dissolution of Sn but which may also be sustained by the formation and redissolution of sparingly soluble surface films. The oscillatory behavior disappears at low dissolution current and low rotation rate, which favor a higher surface concentration of the dissolving metals. Composition determinations are essentially the same under conditions with and without oscillations.
Theoretical analysis of focus wedge mark for best-focus determination in photolithography

The focus wedge mark (FWM), a periodic array of wedge shaped marks, is a tool used to determine the best-focus position in photolithography. Here, we develop a one-dimensional physical model for the FWM and analyze the focus dependence of the wedge length under coherent imaging conditions. The amplification factor of the FWM, which describes the superiority of the FWM compared to measurements based on line and space marks, is determined by the geometrical magnification of the wedge. We show that around the exposure dose energy typically used in lithography the amplification factor is much higher than the geometrical magnification. Numerical lithography simulations confirm that the focus sensitivity of the FWM is much higher than that of a line and space pattern.
Theory for vesicle—vesicle and vesicle-plasmalemma interactions

A theory for predicting the approach velocity of a vesicle diffusing toward another vesicle or plasmalemma membrane is presented. This theory takes account of the shift between retarded and nonretarded van der Waals forces of attraction, the electrostatic forces of repulsion, and a spatially varying diffusion coefficient that considers the changing viscous resistance as the intervening fluid gap narrows. Velocities are calculated as a function of gap distance by substituting the above-mentioned forces, which are found by differentiation of existing expressions for free energy of interaction, in a quasi-steady equation of motion. Calculations are presented which show that it is necessary to have a correct hydrodynamic description of the process in order to obtain accurate velocities. It is shown that a critical spacing dependent on cation concentration exists, where the velocity of approach becomes zero due to the presence of a secondary minimum. For a Ca2+ concentration of 5 × 10−2 M, a Na+ concentration of 0.1 M, and a pH of 7.4, this distance is found to be less than 20 A for a 700-A phosphatidylserine vesicle approaching a plasmalemma and 25–30 A for a vesicle approaching an identical vesicle. These results are used to explain why fused or aggregated vesicles are seen less frequently than isolated vesicles in the central cytoplasmic region of mammalian endothelial cells in electron micrographic studies.
Collimated sputtering of titanium liner films to control resistance of high-aspect-ratio contacts (Abstract Only)

Consistently low contact resistance is critical to performance and reliability of CMOS devices. Shrinking cell sizes have driven contact dimensions to increasingly higher aspect ratios. Previous technologies have used conventionally sputtered Ti/TiN contact liner films to provide good metallurgical bonding and electrical conductivity between silicide—clad diffusions and tungsten contact studs. However, for high aspect-ratio contacts, step coverage of conventional PVD Ti may not be adequate. It has bcen shown that step coverage may be enhanced through the use of a collimator. A collimator is a honeycomb-like device suspended between the target and wafer. This device screens sputtered species which travel in paths with angles of incidence non-normal to the wafer surface. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a 200 mm collimated titanium process for the IBM 16 Mb-DRAM. The 16-Mb device employs TiSi2-clad diffusions which are passivated with a doped glass. Contacts are patterned and etched through the glass to open the diffusions. The contact dimensions are nominally O.6-m in diameter by 1 .2-sm deep. Following etching, a Ti/TiN bilayer is deposited onto the wafer and CVD tungsten is deposited and planarized to form the contact stud. In the 16-Mb development program Ti coverage of the bottom of the contact was found to be critical to a robust process. Titanium is known to be highly reactive and is thought to consume native oxides and RIE residuals on the suicide surface. For contact dimensions currently under consideration, step coverage of conventional PVD films was typically < 10% . Step coverage of 15-40% has been demonstrated with collimation. Comparison of contact resistance data from wafers processed with collimated and conventionally deposited liner films shows a profound improvement with coffimation. Mean contact resistance for wafers with the conventional PVD liner process is typically greater than 100 ohms, with collimation, the resistance is typically less than 5 ohms. The presentation will also summarize a large database that has been generated on process stability, collimator lifetime and particulate performance.
A THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE FLUOROHYDROXY BORANES BFN(OH)3‐N

Abstract The stepwise hydrolysis of boron trifluoride, BF 3 , to boric acid, B(OH) 3 , is studied with ab initio molecular orbital theory. Restricted Hartree—Fock geometries computed with the 3-21G basis set for BF 3 , BF 2 OH, BF(OH) 2 , and B(OH) 3 are in satisfactory accord with experimental structures although BF and BO bondlengths are systematically over-estimated. The overall hydrolysis reaction is computed ab initio to be endothermic by 16.9 kcal mol −1 at STP, with the energy change occurring primarily at the Hartee—Fock with smaller contributions from the correlation and vibrational energies. Each of the three hydrolysis steps contributes approximately equally to the overall endothermicity.
Music technology usage in music therapy: A survey of practice

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine (a) how many music therapists use music technology in their clinical work, (b) trends regarding music technology usage related to gender, age, and/or geographical location, (c) how music therapists acquire knowledge and/or training in music technology, (d) barriers to using music technology in clinical work, (e) types of music technology music therapists currently use, and (f) why music therapists do or do not use music technology in their clinical practice. Participants ( N = 600) completed a 27-question survey with a 95% completion rate. The return rates for participants by country were: (a) US 27%, (b) Australia 6%, (c) Canada 9%, and (d) UK 9%. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data were conducted. A majority of the music therapists surveyed (71%, n = 443) reported using music technology in the clinical setting. Differences in technology usage were found according to age and gender of the participants. Most of the participants reported to be self-taught (61%, n = 464). Results of this study indicated that more training in music technology related to clinical practice is needed, with attention given to ways to make more technology accessible to a variety of learners.
Digital Simulation of a Pneumatic Pressure Regulator

A dynamic, lumped parameter, numerical mathematical model of a pneumatic pressure regulator was developed to digitally predict the pressure/time response of a regulator. The purpose of this study is to provide a greater understanding of regulator operation and to serve as a useful tool in the design stages of regulator development. The regulator studied was a high pressure, piston pressure sensing unit that had a conical poppet valve that regulates gas flow. A model was developed that allowed the piston and poppet the freedom to move independently, travel together or collide. Comparing transient, theoretical predictions of the pressure/time response to experimentally determined results, the theoretical results were determined to be very accurate.
Retinal cryopexy stimulates traction retinal detachment formation in the presence of an ocular wound.

• Pigmented rabbits were treated with retinal cryopexy applied to 180° of the peripheral inferior retina in one eye, and then a 6-mm full-thickness circumferential wound was made in both eyes 3 mm posterior to the superior limbus. The wounds were sutured, and only eyes with minimal vitreous hemorrhage and no retinal breaks were included in the study. Eyes were then examined with indirect ophthalmoscopy on postoperative days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Of eyes that received cryopexy and an ocular wound (n = 13), the retina in three became totally detached between postoperative days 14 and 28; seven eyes had traction retinal detachment first noted on postoperative day 14 that did not become total by postoperative day 28; and two retinas remained attached, but showed folds suggesting the presence of epiretinal membranes. One retina remained attached without folding. In eyes that received only an ocular wound (n = 13), the retina in one showed folds, and in 12 eyes it remained attached with no evidence of epiretinal membrane formation. Retinas treated with cryopexy alone (n = 4) remained attached without folds. On postoperative day 28, the rabbits were killed, and, after fixation, eyes were examined grossly and by light and electron microscopy. Examination confirmed the presence of vitreous and epiretinal cellular membranes in eyes with retinal detachment. These data suggest that in the presence of an ocular wound, retinal cryopexy, which has previously been shown to cause extensive breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier, stimulates the formation of intraocular cellular membranes and traction retinal detachment.
Elucidation of signaling and functional activities of an orphan GPCR, GPR81

GPR81 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has a high degree of homology to the nicotinic acid receptor GPR109A. GPR81 expression is highly enriched and specific in adipocytes. However, the function and signaling properties of GPR81 are unknown because of the lack of natural or synthetic ligands. Using chimeric G proteins that convert Gi-coupled receptors to Gq-mediated inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, we show that GPR81 can constitutively increase IP accumulation in HEK293 cells and suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway. We also constructed a chimeric receptor that expresses the extracellular domains of cysteinyl leukotriene 2 receptor (CysLT2R) and the intracellular domains of GPR81. We show that the CysLT2R ligand, leukotriene D4 (LTD4), is able to activate this chimeric receptor through activation of the Gi pathway. In addition, LTD4 is able to inhibit lipolysis in adipocytes expressing this chimeric receptor. These results suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway and that activation of the receptor may regulate adipocyte function and metabolism. Hence, targeting GPR81 may lead to the development of a novel and effective therapy for dyslipidemia and a better side effect profile than nicotinic acid.
Rapid upward transport of mid-crustal mylonitic gneisses in the footwall of a Miocene detachment fault, Whipple Mountains, southeastern California

Mylonitic gneisses of upper greenschist to middle amphibolite facies grade are exposed below the Whipple detachment fault in the Whipple Mountains metamorphic core complex. Fabric and microstructural analyses of the thick (>3.5 km) mylonitic sequence indicate that it represents an intracrustal zone of non-coaxial laminar flow with a predominant sense of northeastward shear. The top of this shear zone is the Whipple mylonitic front, the abruptly gradational (locally within several meters) upper limit of pervasive ductile strain between a distinctive sequence of non-mylonitized crystalline rocks and their lower, mylonitized equivalents. Mylonitization of Oligo-Miocene age (26±5 Ma) is estimated to have occurred at depths of 16±4 km (4.4±1.1 kb) and at temperatures between 460–535 °C. Fission track and40Ar/39Ar age determinations from the mylonitic rocks collectively document their rapid cooling from above 450 °C to below 200 °C between 20 and 18 Ma ago. Rapid cooling is attributed to post-20 Ma uplift of mylonitic gneisses in the footwall of an evolving low-angle detachment fault system of extensional origin. The NE-rooting Whipple fault system and the mylonites are kinematically coordinated (same sense and direction of shear), but the faults of the system appear to have cut across the mylonites several million years after their formation.
The Aging Heart and Post-Infarction Left Ventricular Remodeling

Aging is a risk factor for heart failure, which is a leading cause of death world-wide. Elderly patients are more likely than young patients to experience a myocardial infarction (MI) and are more likely to develop heart failure following MI. The poor clinical outcome of aging in cardiovascular disease is recapitulated on the cellular level. Increase in stress exposure and shifts in signaling pathways with age change the biology of cardiomyocytes. The progressive accumulation of metabolic waste and damaged organelles in cardiomyocytes blocks the intracellular recycling process of autophagy and increases the cell's propensity toward apoptosis. Additionally, the decreased cardiomyocyte renewal capacity in the elderly, due to reduction in cellular division and impaired stem cell function, leads to further cardiac dysfunction and maladaptive responses to disease or stress. We review the cellular and molecular aspects of post-infarction remodeling in the aged heart, and relate them to the clinical problem of post-infarction remodeling in elderly patients.
Superdrawn filaments of polypropylene

Filaments of polypropylene having remarkably high strength and modulus have been prepared by the two-stage drawing process of Clark and Scott (4). In the first stage, un-oriented extruded billet is rapidly drawn to the natural draw ratio of ca 7X in hot silicone oil. The second stage of draw, a post neck draw process termed superdrawing, requires a slow rate of draw at carefully controlled temperatures to achieve maximum property values; the optimum conditions appear to be close to 4 percent/min at 130°C, The highest mechanical properties obtained were a Young's modulus of 22 GPa (240 gdtex, 3 × 106 psi) and a tensile strength of 0.93 GPa (10 gdtex, 1.3 = 105 psi) with an elongation to break of 7 percent. The filaments show a distinctive dead bend lack of recovery, WAXS data indicate high orientation of the molecules. SAXS data show no scattering to a resolution of 40 nm which is interpreted in terms of a continuous crystal matrix in the superdrawn filament. SEM micrographs of fractured filaments reveal a morphology of large fibrils of lath like habit with a thickness of ca. 0.1 μm. A series of experiments relating mechanical properties to the rate and temperature of superdrawing is interpreted in terms of two competing mechanisms; shearing displacement of microfibrils and unfolding of chain-fold blocks. Models are offered to explain the observed mechanical and physical property changes on superdrawing.
The separate and combined effects of focusing information and videotape self-confrontation feedback

Abstract Non-assertive women participated in an assertiveness training analogue study designed to assess the relative contribution of therapist focusing comments and videotape self-confrontation feedback. Therapy subjects received either a behavior rehearsal treatment and (1) no additional treatment components, (2) therapist focusing comments, (3) videotape playbacks, (4) both videotape playbacks and therapist focusing comments. A fifth group received only pre- and post-assessment on the dependent measures. On the self-report measure all treatment groups improved as compared with the assessment only group. Additionally, the therapist focusing groups were more assertive than the non-focusing groups. On the behavioral measure all four treatment groups were more assertive than the assessment only group but these groups did not differ among themselves.
Minority carrier transport length in electrodeposited Cu2O for heterojunction solar cells

The minority carrier transport length (L) is a critical parameter limiting the performance of inexpensive Cu2O-ZnO photovoltaic devices. In this work, this length is determined for electrochemically deposited Cu2O by linking the optical carrier generation profile from front and back incident-photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements to a one dimensional carrier transport model. A transport length of ~ 400 nm is estimated. This critical length explains the losses typically presented by these devices. The consequences of this L on device design with the aim of improving solar cell performance are described.
A review of the use of tanning beds as a dermatological treatment.

Introduction In-office phototherapy is an effective treatment for many dermatologic conditions, however, many patients are unable to adhere to the rigorous travel and time commitments sometimes needed. Tanning bed facilities are nearly ubiquitous in modern society and could represent a more convenient means to obtain ultraviolet (UV) exposure when office phototherapy is not feasible. The purpose of this study was to review available evidence on the use of tanning facilities as a treatment for dermatologic conditions.
Identification of a novel gene linked to parkin via a bi-directional promoter.

Abstract Mutations of the parkin gene on chromosome 6q25-27 are the predominant genetic cause of early-onset and autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism. Parkin is a multi-domain protein with ubiquitin–protein E3 ligase activity that has a role in the proteasome-mediated degradation of target substrates. Although the parkin gene contains an expanded intron/exon structure and spans more than 1.3 Mb, we have identified a novel transcript that initiates 204 bp upstream of parkin and spans over 0.6 Mb, antisense to parkin. We have tentatively named this novel gene Parkin co-regulated gene, or PACRG. A 35 bp site of bi-directional transcription activation within the common promoter was mapped using dual-luciferase assays. This region appeared to be responsible for the majority of transcription regulation of both genes, and comparison of the mouse and human sequences revealed conserved transcription factor-binding sites. A 15 bp interval within the activation region, containing a non-canonical myc-binding site, bound nuclear protein derived from human substantia nigra. Database analysis identified highly conserved homologs of PACRG encoded by the mouse and Drosophila genomes, and Northern analysis demonstrated that PACRG and parkin were co-expressed in many tissues, including brain, heart and muscle. Western analysis revealed a protein of the predicted size, approximately 30 kDa, which was expressed in mouse and human brain. Although PACRG protein lacks known functional domains, in silico prediction suggests a potential link to the ubiquitin/proteasome system.
Soft magnetic materials: Nanocrystalline alloys from amorphous precursors

A novel class of nanocrystalline composite alloys has been developed from amorphous precursors. Their composition bears close resemblance to the metallic glasses developed during the 1970–80s. In contrast to metallic glasses, these materials offer superb structural stability at high temperatures, increased saturation magnetization, low coercivity, low magnetostriction, and high permeability. This article compares and contrasts the magnetic and structural properties, processing characteristics, and utility of nanocrystalline and amorphous alloys.