cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformal Dual Basis Functions on Curvilinear Quadrilaterals for Calderon Preconditioning of Surface Integral Equations

We present an implementation of the Calderon Multiplicative Preconditioner in the context of conformal quadrilateral discretizations of surface scattering problems. Conformal rooftop basis functions that are traditionally defined on pairs of quadratic quadrilateral elements [1] are augmented n this work by defining a set of conformal “dual” basis functions. The conformal dual basis functions are defined for each edge in the surface mesh and have their support on all conformal elements that share the edge and its two end nodes. As such, the dual basis functions flow across multiple elements in the general direction of the common edge. Similar to the Buffa-Christiansen basis functions [2], due to their expanded support, the proposed dual basis functions of curvilinear quadrilaterals span multiple elements around each edge, care must be taken to properly define each dual basis function across the mesh. A similar approach was recently presented in [3] using barycentric representation on bilinear quadrilaterals. Here, we implement the proposed dual basis functions on bi-quadratic quadrilateral elements and demonstrate the efficacy of the approach for accelerating the electric field integral equation (EFIE) representations of surface scattering problems. Thanks to the quasi-orthogonality of dual bases and the conventional rooftop bases, the Gram projection matrix is well-conditioned and the proposed Calderon Multiplicative Preconditioning of curvilinear geometry formulations leads to significant savings in the iterative solutions of the EFIE for geometries that have been known to cause convergence issues. As an example, the computed monostatic radar cross section (RCS) of a 10-inch-long ogive geometry is shown in Fig. 1 below for 9GHz. The mesh used in this example had 1,150 bi-quadratic quadrilaterals, leading to 2,300 unknowns. The conventional EFIE formulation took 650 iterations to converge in 11.8 seconds, whereas the proposed Calderon Preconditioner converged in 121 iterations, taking only 8.1 seconds for a residual of 10−6 on an Intel i7 processor using the conjugate gradient squared (CGS) iterative solver. As seen, albeit the increased computational cost per iteration, the overall savings provided by Calderon preconditioner is significant. When the same geometry is solved at a much lower frequency of 1.18GHz, the conventional moment method matrix became ill conditioned and did not converge after 5,000 iterations and 340 seconds, however, the proposed Calderon preconditioned approach converged in 266 iterations that took 4.82 seconds.
Patterns of Chronic Conditions and Their Association With Visual Impairment and Health Care Use.

Importance Visual impairment and visual disorders often co-occur with other chronic conditions. Understanding patterns of multimorbidity is important for reducing health care use and improving health outcomes. Objective To identify chronic condition patterns and their association with visual impairment and health care use in a nationally representative sample. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used National Health Interview Survey data for 387 780 individuals aged 18 years and older, representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized US population, from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2014. Statistical analysis was performed from June to November 2018. Exposures Participants were classified in subgroups with different combinations of self-reported chronic conditions using latent class analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures Self-reported visual impairment, emergency department visit, and hospitalization use in the previous 12 months. Results Among the 387 780 individuals included in the study, 51.8% were female, 77.6% were white, and the mean (SD) age was 46.2 (18.0) years. Latent class analysis identified 5 different classes, with 70.5% of the participants belonging to the healthy group. The other 4 groups represented various degrees and patterns of multimorbidity. The hypertensive group (19.6%) had a high prevalence of hypertension (62.6%), the respiratory conditions group (4.4%) had a high prevalence of emphysema (47.7%) and asthma (45.6%), the heart disease group (3.6%) had high prevalence of coronary heart disease (69.8%), and the severely impaired group (1.8%) had higher prevalence of most conditions compared with the other groups. In the adjusted analysis, compared with the healthy group, participants in all 4 disease groups had elevated risk of visual impairment: heart condition group (odds ratio [OR], 3.19; 95% CI, 2.92-3.48), hypertensive group (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 3.10-3.48), respiratory condition group (OR, 3.87; 95% CI, 3.56-4.20), and severely impaired group (OR, 10.19; 95% CI, 9.20-11.28). All 4 disease groups had elevated risk of reporting emergency department use and hospitalization. For the severely impaired group, the OR for emergency department use was 9.39 (95% CI, 8.53-10.34), and the OR for hospitalization was 10.80 (95% CI, 9.80-11.92). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, individuals in all 4 multimorbidity groups had an elevated risk of visual impairment and health care use compared with the healthy group. Characteristics of high-risk groups identified by this study may help in the development and implementation of interventions to avert the more serious consequences of having multiple chronic conditions.
Getting People with Serious Mental Illnesses on Track: Insights from the Health-Based Model of Desistance

Scholarship from the life-course paradigm has produced much evidence on the crime-reducing benefits of turning points such as securing a good job or developing a stable, positive relationship. Buil...
Forward Genetics in Cryptosporidium Enabled by Complete in Vitro Development in Stem Cell-Derived Intestinal Epithelium

Despite being a frequent cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, Cryptosporidium research has lagged due to a lack of facile culture methods. Here, we describe a platform for complete life cycle development and long-term growth of C. parvum in vitro using “air-liquid interface” (ALI) cultures derived from intestinal epithelial stem cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that differentiating epithelial cells grown under ALI conditions undergo profound changes in metabolism and development that enable complete development of the parasite life cycle in vitro. ALI cultures supported parasite expansion >100-fold and led to the production of viable oocysts that were transmissible in vitro and to mice. Transgenic parasite lines created using CRISPR/Cas9 were used to complete a genetic cross in vitro, demonstrating conventional meiosis and Mendelian segregation. ALI culture provides an accessible model that will enable innovative studies into Cryptosporidium biology and host interactions.
PASTA: PARP activity screening and inhibitor testing assay.

Summary Small-molecule inhibitors have been instrumental in uncovering the biological importance of poly-ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs), a family of enzymes involved in wide-ranging aspects of cell biology. However, few PARP inhibitors are tested against the entire family of PARPs. This makes it impossible to confidently assess the role of a single PARP in cellular processes using small molecules. Here, we detail a PARP activity screening and inhibitor testing assay (PASTA) for determining relative selectivity of PARP inhibitors. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kirby et al. (2018) .
Teaching introductory statistics to blind students

The challenges of learning statistics, particularly distributions and their characteristics, can be potentially monumental for vision impaired and blind students. The authors provide some practical advice for teaching these students.
Burn Fat, Live Longer

Endocrine signals from germline stem cells control fat metabolism in the worm, thus affecting the animal's life span.
The Professor as Teacher: Allan Bloom, Wayne Booth, and the Tradition of Teaching at the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago has long emphasized teaching as a valued skill and has developed a specific faculty image which includes a moral component focused on the “intellectual search for truth and the transmission of intellectual values” (Murphy & Bruckner, 1976, p. 68). This concept of morality stands in opposition to relativist theories popular elsewhere in the United States and has been remarkably consistent at Chicago throughout its history. Faculty in various disciplines, as well as those of differing philosophical or political beliefs, share a commitment to teaching as moral inculcation as well as an information transfer. Through the writings of Allan Bloom and Wayne Booth, as well as historical documents from the University, the Chicago model of pedagogical morality is explored and discussed.
Groundwater response to changing water‐use practices in sloping aquifers using convolution of transient response functions

[1] This study examines the impact of a sloping base on the movement of transients through groundwater systems. Dimensionless variables and regression of model results are employed to develop functions relating the transient change in saturated thickness to the distance upgradient and downgradient from recharge or withdrawal. Convolution of these transient response functions (made possible due to linearity of partial differential equations in the model) enables computation of changes in saturated thickness over recharge/withdrawal that varies over space and time. Establishing the criteria and form of these functions led to the discovery of fundamental underlying properties: upgradient and downgradient responses may be scaled to achieve a symmetrical relationship, expressions are developed to compute change in saturated thickness at the location of water use, and downgradient response at large times form a S-shaped curve that effectively adds a diffusive component to the average velocity of the kinematic wave approximation, where the hydraulic gradient is equal to the bed slope. Hydrogeologic data for three study regions in the High Plains Aquifer are summarized, and model results are presented for changes in saturated thickness. The transient response functions are used to reconstruct and interpret groundwater response to historical water-use practices and to predict future changes in saturated thickness for a series of hypothetical alternative water-use scenarios. Depressions in groundwater elevation are observed both upgradient and downgradient from areas of high water use; however, these depressions preferentially move downgradient over time and may continue to spread downgradient far into the future. This approach quantifies and provides understanding of the impacts of changes in natural and anthropogenic hydrologic forcings on aquifer systems.
Identification of domains of the v-crk oncogene product sufficient for association with phosphotyrosine-containing proteins.

Abstract The oncogene product of the avian sarcoma virus CT10, P47gag-crk, contains the SH2, SH2', and SH3 domains and binds proteins in a phosphotyrosine (ptyr)-dependent manner. In this study, we have determined the region of P47gag-crk essential for binding to ptyr-containing proteins. Mutant P47gag-crk proteins expressed in Escherichia coli that have the intact SH2 and SH2' regions retained the capacity to bind ptyr-containing proteins obtained from cells transformed by crk and src. The deletion of SH2 resulted in the loss of binding activity. Other mutants that have altered SH2 or SH2' bound few, if any, of the ptyr-containing proteins. Those mutants that bound ptyr-containing proteins associated with tyrosine kinase activity. We also found that polypeptides containing SH2, SH2', and SH3 of p60v-src and p60c-src associated with ptyr-containing proteins from crk-transformed cells. Thus, the SH2 and SH2' domains of P47gag-crk are responsible for their binding to ptyr-containing proteins.
Editorial: Hydrothermal microbial ecosystems

The papers in the “Hydrothermal Vent” research topic cover a range of microbiological research in deep and shallow hydrothermal environments, from high temperature “black smokers,” to diffuse flow habitats and episodically discharging subsurface fluids, to the hydrothermal plumes. Together they provide a snapshot of current research interests in a field that has evolved rapidly since the discovery of hydrothermal vents in 1977.
Reducibility of Co at the La0.8Sr0.2CoO3/(La0.5Sr0.5)2CoO4 hetero-interface at elevated temperatures

The fast kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at oxide hetero-structures made of La0.8Sr0.2CoO3 and (La0.5Sr0.5)2CoO4 (LSC113/214) attracted great interest to enable high performance cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells. The aim of this work is to uncover the underlying mechanism of fast ORR kinetics at the LSC113/214 system from a defect chemistry and electronic structure perspective. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with depth profiling was used to compare the reducibility of the Co cation and the valence band offset in the LSC113/214 multilayer (ML) and in single phase LSC113 and LSC214 films. At 250 °C, the Co 2p core-level photoelectron spectra showed the presence of Co2+ across the ML interfaces in both the LSC113 and LSC214 layers. While this is similar to the Co valence state of LSC113 single phase films, it is contrary to the single phase LSC214 films which had only the higher oxidation state of cobalt, Co3+. The greater reducibility of Co in LSC214 in the ML structure compared to that of Co in the LSC214 single phase film was attributed to electron donation and transfer of oxygen vacancies from LSC113 across the interfaces, and it is one mechanism to enhance the oxygen reduction activity at the LSC113/214 hetero-structure.
Low-Temperature Direct CVD Oxides to Thermal Oxide Wafer Bonding in Silicon Layer Transfer

The bonding strength of low-pressure chemical vapor deposition and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) oxides to thermal oxide is studied. Prior to bonding, all CVD oxide wafers are subjected to careful surface preparation including densification, chemical-mechanical polishing, activation, and post-bond annealing to ensure high-quality bonding. All wafers show surface roughness and wafer bow suitable for bonding after the surface preparations. It is found that bonding strength increases upon annealing and saturates beyond 2 h of annealing for the temperature range of 200-300°C. Tetraethyl orthosilicate source PECVD oxide is found to exhibit suitable bonding properties and can be used in applications such as silicon layer transfer.
"Click-functional" block copolymers provide precise surface functionality via spin coating.

There are few existing methods for the quantitative functionalization of surfaces, especially for polymeric substrates. We demonstrate that alkyne end-functional diblock copolymers can be used to provide precise areal densities of reactive functionality on both hard (e.g., glass and silicon oxide) and soft (i.e., polymeric) substrates. Alkyne functionality is extremely versatile because the resultant functional surfaces are reactive toward azide functional molecules by Sharpless click chemistry. Spin-coated films of α-alkyne-ω-Br-poly(tert-butylacrylate-b-methylmethacrylate) (poly(tBA-MMA)) spontaneously self-assemble on the aforementioned substrates to present a surface monolayer of PtBA with a thickness in the range of 1 to 9 nm. The PMMA block physisorbs to provide multivalent anchoring onto hard substrates and is fixed onto polymer surfaces by interpenetration with the substrate polymer. The areal density of alkyne functional groups is precisely controlled by adjusting the thickness of the block copol...
Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) belongs to a group of recessively inherited disorders characterized by progressive ataxia and oculomotor apraxia. Included in this group are AT, ataxia-telangiectasia–like disorder (ATLD), ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA 1), ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA 2), and the recently described AOA3. Common to this group is the underlying cellular defect in the recognition and repair of double-strand or single-strand DNA breaks. Clinical and laboratory features allow one to distinguish between these various disorders. In this report, we describe a child with early onset progressive ataxia, oculomotor apraxia, ocular telangiectasia, and white-matter changes by magnetic resonance imaging, which appears to be yet another novel form of AOA. We designate this condition as AOA-WM to call attention to the central demyelination seen in this variety of ataxia with oculomotor apraxia.
Slope Perception from Monoscopic Field Images: Applications to Mobile Robot Navigation

When remotely navigating a mobile robot, operators must estimate the slope of local terrain in order to avoid areas that are too steep to climb or that slope so steeply downward that the operator would lose control of the rover. Although many rovers are equipped with sensor systems to aid the operator in this task, it is sometimes necessary to estimate slopes from two-dimensional images, either when planning operations or when the operator wishes to monitor the results of a sensor system. This experiment compares the operator's estimates of the slope in Martian terrain with the actual slope determined from three-dimensional data. The ten participants overestimated the slope of the indicated regions by an average of 19° (SD 16°). An analytic model of the error, based on psychophysical analysis, accurately predicts the average magnitude of the errors. Implementation of this model eliminates an average amount of participant error. However, the large estimate variance within and between participants and images still poses a challenge for accurate slope estimation.
Reponse attributes and anxiety (drive) in paired associate learning

The effect of generalized drive (measured by the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale), meaningful-ness, and similarity was examined in a paired associate learning task. Learning was analyzed in two stages, a response-learning (RL) and an associative-matching (AM) stage. The task varied in intralist response similarity and interlist response meaningfulness. Contrary to expectation, the interaction between anxiety and response similarity was not significant. Under conditions of high meaningfulness, low similarity had a facilitatory effect on RL and AM. The results were not predicted by the Taylor-Spence drive theory.
Musculoskeletal Function Assessment instrument: criterion and construct validity.

The Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (MFA) instrument, a health status instrument with 100 self-reported health items; was designed for use with the broad range of patients with musculoskeletal disorders of the extremities commonly seen in clinical practice. In this paper, we report on its criterion and construct validity. Criterion validity was tested against physicians' ratings of patient functioning (e.g., upper functioning, lower functioning, daily activities, recreational functioning, emotional adjustment, and overall functioning) and standard clinical measures (e.g., grip strength, walking speed, fine motor skills, knee and elbow strength, and range of motion). Significant correlations (p ⩽ 0.05) between its scores, physicians' ratings, and clinical measures support the MFA's criterion validity. Construct validity was demonstrated against existing measures of health status (e.g., measures of lower and upper mobility, activity level and satisfaction, health status, social support, pain, emotional status, and quality of life), in accordance with clinical hypotheses about the effect of musculokeletal disorders on functioning (e.g., type and number of problems, severity of illness or injury, and comorbidites) and by an analysis of demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, education, income, health insurance, and employment) against the MFA scores. Discriminant construct validity was supported in an analysis of MFA scores by patient disease groups (p ⩽ 0.01).
A prototype SECS message service for communication in the semiconductor manufacturing environment

The authors describe the SECS message service (SMS), a bidirectional protocol that can be used to transfer SECS formatted messages over an ISO-compatible network. SECS is the current protocol standard for communications in the semiconductor manufacturing manufacturing environment. SMS represents a first effort that provides for the migration of communication methodologies in the semiconductor manufacturing environment into the ISO arena. SMS incorporates desirable features of the SECS protocol into an OSI application layer environment, thus achieving advantages of both environments. The SMS protocol provides four services to the end user: MESSAGE provides for the transfer of SECS formatted messages, CONNECT provides for the establishment of virtual circuit connections between applications in a SMS ISO environment, DISCONNECT provides for the graceful ending of such operations in which no data are lost, and ABORT provides for the abrupt termination of such connections in which data may be lost. The SMS design process has produced the additional result of a methodology for incorporation of desirable features of a non-ISO protocol into an ISO-compatible system. >
Building a Constructivist Practice: A Longitudinal Study of Beginning History Teachers.

This longitudinal interpretative case study examined the constructivist beliefs and related practices of four secondary history teachers from their teacher preparation through their first year in the classroom. The results of this study showed that issues of classroom control were major barriers for the implementation of constructivist-oriented practices. However, contrary to some previous studies, learning to teach in transmission-oriented contexts did not result in the diminishing of the teachers' constructivist beliefs and in some ways affirmed their constructivist beliefs. Furthermore, the teachers expressed that a lack of practical tools hindered their ability to better and more frequently use constructivist-oriented practices in their classrooms.
Ontogeny of circadian and light regulation of melatonin release in Xenopus laevis embryos.

Abstract The retinal photoreceptors of Xenopus laevis contain a circadian clock that controls the synthesis and release of melatonin, resulting in high levels during the night and low levels during the day. Light is also an important regulator of melatonin synthesis and acts directly to acutely suppress melatonin synthesis during the day and indirectly to entrain the circadian clock. We examined the development of circadian and light regulation of melatonin release in Xenopus retinas and pineal glands. Pineal glands are capable of making measurable melatonin in culture soon after they evaginate from the diencephalon at stage 26. In cyclic light, the melatonin rhythms are robust, with higher overall levels and greater amplitudes than in constant darkness. However, the rhythm of melatonin release damps strongly and quickly toward baseline in constant darkness. Similar results are observed in older (stage 47) embryos, indicating that cyclic light has a positive effect on melatonin synthesis in this tissue. Optic vesicles dissected at stage 26 do not release melatonin in culture until the second or third day. It is weakly rhythmic in cyclic light, but in constant dark it is released at constitutively high levels throughout the day. By stage 41, the eyes release melatonin rhythmically in both cyclic light and constant darkness with similar amplitude. Our results show that Xenopus embryos develop a functional, photoresponsive circadian clock in the eye within the first few days of life and that rhythmic melatonin release from the pineal gland at comparable stages is highly dependent on a light–dark cycle.
Electron and positron response to atomic defects in solids: A theoretical study of the monovacancy and divacancy in aluminum

A formalism for self-consistently calculating the response of electrons and positrons to atomic defects in solids is presented. The formalism can be used with either the Green's-function or supercell method for calculating defect characteristics, and is of general applicability. With the use of this formalism and the self-consistent pseudopotential scheme within a supercell, the electronic structure and positron states and annihilation characteristics associated with the monovacancy and divacancy in aluminum have been studied. The sensitivity of the calculated monovacancy electronic structure and formation energy to the type of ionic pseudopotential used is also examined. Finally, the possibilities for using positron-annihilation spectroscopy to study the electronic structure of vacancylike defects are considered.
Color perception under chromatic adaptation: “Supersensitivity” with dim backgrounds

The amounts of 540 nm light and 660 nm light that when mixed result in a yellow (neither reddish nor greenish) percept remain in constant ratio, regardless of the total retinal illumance level of the mixture. A similar result holds if the mixture is superimposed upon a very dim 660 nm adapting field, except that a larger proportion of 540 nm light is required than in the dark (contrary to an effect of receptor desensitization, which would result in a smaller proportion of 540 nm light). Mixtures of 460 and 579 nm lights that give yellow/blue equilibrium percepts show the same effect: under very dim 579 nm adaptation, a larger proportion of 460 nm light is required than in the dark. These results cannot be accounted for by cone sensitivity reduction nor by a postreceptoral restoring effect; they reveal an additional mechanism of adaptation.
RFID AND THE INNOVATION CYCLE

In this paper, several “disruptive” technologies are considered and the paths they have taken from the early innovation phase to full implementation are traced. The technologies include: refrigeration; the automobile and highway system; incandescent lighting; the television; and, the personal computer. Each technology is traced through several steps leading from the early innovation to wide adoption. Then the same steps are applied to RFID, placing it in this historical context and speculating on the possible future adoption and impact of this technology.
Role of α2-adrenergic receptors in hypertension*

This is a brief review of a series of experiments conducted over the past two decades, exploring the role of the alpha2-adrenergic receptors (alpha2-AR) in salt-induced hypertension. The data suggest that salt loading alters the activity of central alpha2-AR, resulting in a hypertensive hyperadrenergic state. Studies to separate the role of each alpha2-AR subtype (alpha2A, alpha2B, and alpha2C) have used genetically engineered mice with disrupted genes for each subtype, or gene treatment in rats with antisense-oligodeoxynucleotides targeting a specific gene sequence. Taken together, the results of these studies indicate that the alpha2A-AR is centrally predominant and exerts a tonic sympathoinhibitory function, whereas peripherally it has a vasoconstrictive effect; the alpha2B-AR is responsible for the central hypertensive sympathoexcitatory response to salt, but is not expressed on vascular wall structures; and the alpha2C-AR seems to have no hemodynamic function.
A pattern language for user assistance

USER ASSISTANCE HAS COME A LONG WAY from mere stand-alone help files. We now find abundant instances of its being consistently woven into applications and, thus, the user’s experience; it is no longer a document separated from the user’s task. Accordingly, user-assistance designers need a design language that deals with user context and system interactions more directly—more in line with the way user-interface designers have come to work. An approach that has gained popularity with user-interface designers is that of pattern language as a way to derive and describe design solutions. This article introduces pattern language concepts and shows how they can be applied to user assistance to provide a common language for discussing design strategies that integrate user assistance and user experience.
Leucine interference in the production of water-soluble red Monascus pigments

The formation of soluble Monascus red pigments is strongly positively and negatively regulated by different amino acids. Leucine, valine, lysine, and methionine had strong negative effects on pigment formation. Leucine supported poor pigment formation when used as sole nitrogen source in fermentations, yet it neither repressed pigment synthase(s) nor inhibited its action. The new pigments derived from the hydrophobic leucine were more hydrophilic than the conventional red pigments (lacking an amino acid side-chain) and were extracellularly produced. Therefore, the low level of red pigments produced when leucine was the nitrogen source was not due to feed-back regulation by cell-bound leucine pigments. The negative effect of leucine was caused by enhanced decay of pigment synthase(s). The enhanced decay was not due simply to de novo synthesis of a leucine-induced protease.
Defining mental illnesses: can values and objectivity get along?

Background The creation of each edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of psychiatry has proven enormously controversial. The current effort to revise the ‘bible’ of disorder definitions for the field of mental health is no exception. The controversy around DSM-5 reached a crescendo with the announcement from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that the institute would focus efforts on the development of their own psychiatric nosology, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) (NIMH, 2013).
Efficient Methodologies for 3-D TCAD Modeling of Emerging Devices and Circuits

Over the past decade, 3-D process simulation, which is central to the 3-D Technology Computer-Aided Design (3-D TCAD) approach, has severely limited the scope and applicability of TCAD to circuits with a small number of field-effect transistors, owing to its prohibitively high computational costs for large layouts. Due to rapidly changing process recipes and shorter production cycles in the industry, design-time optimization and iterative layout-3-D TCAD exploration for yield-critical or yield-characterizing circuits, such as static random-access memories (SRAMs), ring oscillators, and others, is currently impossible in a practical time frame. In this paper, we architect a novel layout/process/device-independent TCAD methodology in the Sentaurus tool suite to overcome the process simulation barrier for accurate 3-D TCAD structure generation. We adopt an automated structure synthesis (SS) approach, thereby bypassing the need for repetitive 3-D process simulations for different layouts or different versions of the same layout. Results for 32-nm bulk process simulations versus SS and 32-nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) hardware measurements versus corresponding synthesized structures indicate that the method is an excellent substitute to 3-D process simulation of large layouts, with extremely favorable time and memory scaling behavior. Finally, the robustness and scalability of the proposed abstractions are highlighted through the synthesis of 22-nm SOI 6T FinFET SRAMs and ring oscillator structures.
Lidar shows air at its most empty

In the past few weeks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration atmospheric scientists have used lidar instruments trained on some of the cleanest air on Earth to measure what may be the global background concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere. The observations are part of an effort to determine if air at its most clear still contains sufficient numbers of aerosol particles to allow a planned satellite-based lidar to use them to track upper atmospheric winds all over the world.
Neurotransmitters and receptors: clinical implications.

Abstract 1. With the advent of new techniques such as the radioreceptor binding assay, significant advances have been made in the field of psychopharmacology during the past seven years. 2. In this paper we discuss some of these contributions regarding our understanding about the nature of different psychopathological conditions such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
A role for electrotonic coupling in the striatum in the expression of dopamine receptor-mediated stereotypies.

Stimulation of dopamine (DA) receptors in the striatum evokes a number of alterations in motor behavior in rats, as well as causing several alterations in cellular physiology, including changes in membrane potential, cell excitability, afferent drive, and electrotonic coupling. One cellular property that is potently modulated by DA stimulation is electrotonic coupling, a process shown to subserve motor pattern generation. To examine whether electrotonic coupling plays a role in mediating a specific set of DA receptor-mediated motor behaviors, we tested the effects of two inhibitors of gap junction conductance, carbenoxolone (CARB) and anandamide (AEA), on apomorphine (APO)-induced motor responses. We then used intra-striatal infusions of CARB to determine the role of electrotonic coupling specifically in the ventral striatum in the expression of APO-induced behaviors. APO (2.5–3.0 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased motor activity (a composite score) and the frequencies of oral and sniffing stereotypies. APO also disrupted grooming initiation and completion. APO-induced oral stereotypies were selectively blocked by systemic administration of CARB (7.0, 35.0 mg/kg). Moreover, although CARB alone disrupted the initiation and completion of grooming sequences, it also partially normalized APO-induced disruptions in grooming. AEA (0.5, 1.5 mg/kg) also blocked APO-induced oral stereotypies at the higher dose, but differed from CARB in that it did not restore normal grooming behaviors but, instead, appeared to “release” locomotion. Bilateral infusion of carbenoxolone (50 pmol) into the ventral striatum also blocked the oral stereotypies induced by systemic APO. We conclude from these and previous experiments that gap junctions play an important role in normal motor behavior, and furthermore that disruption of motor behavior in the form of oral and sniffing stereotypies associated with systemic APO administration may be a consequence of this heightened electrotonic coupling in the striatum. These results may be relevant to diseases and pharmacotherapies associated with disruptions of motor and possibly cognitive sequencing.
MAGNET II: a metropolitan area network based on asynchronous time sharing

MAGNET II is a testbed for integrated networks. It was designed and implemented based on requirements of real-time network management and control. Quality-of-service requirements explicitly appear in the design specifications of the network on the media access level. Switching is based on the concept of asynchronous time sharing. The core of the network distinguishes between three traffic classes. The quality of service of these classes is monitored and controlled by the traffic-control architecture of the network. Monitoring is supported by observation units distributed throughout the system. The main network resources, switching bandwidth, communication bandwidth, and buffer space, are observable and controllable. >
Cephalometric Measurement of Upper Airway Length Correlates With the Presence and Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Purpose The purpose of this study was to measure upper airway length (UAL) on lateral cephalograms and to assess its relationship with the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Materials and Methods Using a case-control study design, the investigators enrolled a sample of cases defined as adult subjects with OSA and controls who were adult patients with skeletal Class II malocclusions. The primary predictor variable was UAL. Other variables were demographic and cephalometric parameters. The respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was used to measure disease severity in cases. Bivariate analyses were computed to evaluate the associations between predictor and outcome variables. Multiple regression analyses were used to provide adjusted measures of association, controlling for the effects of confounders/effect modifiers. Diagnostic test characteristics were computed for threshold airway lengths. P ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. Results The sample consisted of 96 cases with OSA (76 males) and 56 controls without OSA (36 males). OSA subjects were older, were predominately male, and had higher body mass indexes and longer and narrower airways (P Conclusion Increased upper airway length was correlated with the presence and severity of OSA in this sample of adult patients.
Antiangiogenic therapy for high-grade gliomas: current concepts and limitations

Glioblastoma (GBM) is associated with a high degree of angiogenesis. Therefore, antiangiogenic therapy could have a role in the treatment of this tumor. The currently available treatment approaches acting against angiogenesis are mainly directed toward three pathways: VEGF pathway, VEGF-independent pathways and inhibition of vascular endothelial cell migration. It has been demonstrated that antiangiogenic therapy can produce a rapid radiological response and a decrease of brain edema, without significantly influencing survival. Future studies should consider that: animal models are inadequate and cells used for animal models (mainly U87) are deeply different from patient GBM cells; GBM cells may become resistant to antiangiogenic therapy and some cells may be resistant to antiangiogenic therapy ab initio; and angiogenesis in the peritumor tissue has been poorly investigated. Therefore, the ideal target of angiogenesis is probably yet to be identified.
Flash heating leads to low frictional strength of crustal rocks at earthquake slip rates

The sliding resistance of faults during earthquakes is a critical unknown in earthquake physics. The friction coefficient of rocks at slow slip rates in the laboratory ranges from 0.6 to 0.85, consistent with measurements of high stresses in Earth's crust. Here, we demonstrate that at fast, seismic slip rates, an extraordinary reduction in the friction coefficient of crustal silicate rocks results from intense "flash" heating of microscopic asperity contacts and the resulting degradation of their shear strengths. Values of the friction coefficient due to flash heating could explain the lack of an observed heat flow anomaly along some active faults such as the San Andreas Fault. Nearly pure velocity-weakening friction due to flash heating could explain how earthquake ruptures propagate as self-healing slip pulses.
Neuroregulators and the reinforcement of smoking: Towards a biobehavioral explanation

Abstract This paper examines findings on the neuroregulatory effects of nicotine in an effort to formulate a unified hypothesis that can explain the remarkable persistence of smoking behavior. Because nicotine alters the bioavailability of several behaviorally active neuroregulators, including acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, beta-endorphin, and vasopressin, we propose that nicotine is “used” by smokers to produce temporary improvements in performance or affect. Under this formulation, a potentially large number of exteroceptive and interoceptive cues unrelated to the nicotine-dependence cycle may serve as discriminative stimuli for smoking, over and above smoking to terminate or avoid withdrawal. The rapid action of nicotine, and its diverse neuroregulatory effects, render it particularly effective as a “coping response” to the demands of daily living. Of special interest in this regard is a biphasic pattern of arousal/alertness during smoking followed by calming/tension-reduction after smoking, which may result from cholinergic/catecholaminergic activation followed by cholinergic blockade or betaendorphin release. Apparently smokers can adjust nicotine intake to enhance these effects selectively, which may add considerably to the appeal of smoking.
Leukocyte and Lymphocyte Cyclic AMP Responses In Atopic Eczema

Lymphocytes from subjects with mild and severe atopic eczema were compared with normal control subjects in regard to their cAMP (3';5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate) responses to a variety of stimulatory agents. Individuals in the severe eczema group were shown to have a significant diminution in their unstimulated lymphocyte cAMP levels and absolute cAMP responses to 0.5 mM theophylline, 0.5 mM theophyline + 1 micronM epinephrine, 10 mM isoproternol, 1 mM isoproterenol, 10 mM salbutamol, and 3 micron M PGE1. Individuals with mild eczema had a reduced response to 0.5 mM theophylline. The severe eczema groups also differed in a number of these responses from a group of 5 subjects with severe psoriasis. Mixed leukocyte cAMP responses to 10 mM isoproterenol also were examined and found to be diminished in individuals with eczema.
Ultrastructural characterization of eubacteria residing within leaf cavities of symbiotic and cyanobiont-freeAzolla mexicana

The occurrence and ultrastructure of eubacteria within leaf cavities of symbiotic and cyanobiont-freeAzolla mexicana were examined with transmission electron microscopy. Bacteria were observed in all leaf cavities of bothAzolla cultures, showing increasing numbers concomitant with leaf age. In symbioticAzolla mexicana two ultrastructurally distinct types of bacteria were found; a helical bacterium and a slightly curved, rod-shaped bacterium. Both had typical Gram-negative cell wall ultrastructure. The helical bacteria comprised 60% of the total population in young leaf cavities (1–5) and 74–80% of the population in older cavities. The mode of cell division for the rod-shaped bacterium was binary fission. In cyanobiont-freeAzolla mexicana at least three distinct types of bacteria were observed; two were ultrastructurally similar to, if not identical, with the types present in symbioticAzolla mexicana.
Metal-support interaction effects of silver catalysts during ethylene oxidation

Abstract The role of metal-support interaction has been systematically investigated for the epoxidation of ethylene over silver, supported on doped aluminas of different electronic properties. The supports were prepared by doping α-alumina with germanium oxide and magnesium oxide, thereby transforming them into n-type or p-type semiconductors, respectively. It was found that catalysts which were supported on p-type semiconducting carriers (magnesium oxide-doped) exhibit enhanced activity and selectivity to ethylene oxide formation. The opposite behavior is caused by doping with germanium oxide. The results are explained in terms of electronic interactions between the silver crystallites and the support which alter the work function of electrons at the surface of the metal. In the light of theories concerning the mechanism of silver-catalyzed ethylene-oxidation reactions, these results are consistent with the rate-controlling step as a surface reaction which involves electron transfer from the intermediate complex to the catalyst surface.
Theoretical training and problem detection in a computerized database retrieval task

Subjects attempted to find problems in computerized database query commands. Procedural subjects were trained merely by acquainting them with correct command procedures. Theoretical subjects were given additional instruction in the theory underlying the command procedures. The problems to be detected were either slips or mistakes, and were embedded in database queries that were either orderly or scrambled. The procedural group's sensitivity to errors was lower for scrambled queries than for orderly ones. In contrast, the theoretical group's sensitivity was just as good for scrambled queries as for orderly ones. Surprisingly, when the commands were orderly, theoretical subjects were no more sensitive to errors than procedural subjects were. Sensitivity and bias data suggested that training affected problem detection strategies by modifying mental models. Bias changes implied the existence of multiple stages in problem detection.
Pressure-Tunable GC Columns with Electronic Pressure Control

High-precision selectivity tuning is achieved by the use of a series-coupled (tandem) ensemble of a nonpolar and a polar capillary GC column with adjustable pressure at the junction point between the columns. Changing the junction pressure results in a differential change in the holdup times for the two columns. This results in a change in the fractional contribution that each column makes to the overall separation selectivity. An electronic pressure controller is used to obtain greater control and improved tuning precision. With an available tuning range extending from less than 0.60 to greater than 0.85 for the fractional contribution of the nonpolar column, 37 unique, digitally selectable elution patterns are obtained. High-precision tuning is required since fractional contribution changes as small as 0.5% can significantly degrade resolution. With this system, resolution increments of 0.2 or less are achieved for typical critical component pairs.
Better blood pressure control is not causally linked to intradialytic hypotension

To the Editor: The title of the study by Davenport et al.1 seems to imply a causal link between achieving blood pressure (BP) targets during dialysis and increasing the frequency of intradialytic hypotension (IDH). The authors point out that an important cause of both IDH and lower predialysis BP may be underlying cardiac disease. It appears that the same facts may explain some of their observations.
Is there a high incidence of hysterectomy and other nonbladder surgeries before and after onset of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome?

Objective The objective of the study was to compare with controls the incidence of nonbladder pelvic surgeries in the months before and after the onset of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Study Design The design of the study used an existing database from a retrospective case-control study of 312 incident IC/BPS cases and matched controls plus a longitudinal study of the cases that examined lifetime approximated annual incidence of surgeries with that in the months before and after the onset of IC/BPS. Results In cases, in the month before the onset of IC/BPS, the approximated annual incidence of nonbladder pelvic surgeries was 15 times higher and of hysterectomy 25 times higher than the incidences of previous years and similarly higher than controls. This rate declined to preindex levels over the first 2 years of IC/BPS. Conclusion There may be a very high incidence of nonbladder surgeries just before IC/BPS onset that decreases to historical levels over the first years of the syndrome.
Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in water from US Lake Ontario tributaries between 2004 and 2008

Abstract Research on the environmental fate and transport of PCBs in Lake Ontario basin depends, among other aspects, on the availability of representative data sets for upstream sources, but data are lacking for most US Lake Ontario tributaries. In this study, water samples were collected between September 2004 and October 2008 from five tributaries and were analyzed for 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) with high-resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) following EPA Method 1668A. Total PCB concentrations ranged between 0.31 and 42.75 ng L−1. Congeners between Di and Hexa PCBs accounted between 70 and 99% of the total PCB. The tributary with highest PCB concentrations presented similar pattern and percentage levels to Aroclor 1242. Total average loads for the sampling events ranged between 1.85 g d−1 and 59.08 g d−1. PCB concentrations were evaluated against other variables and other studies (including different matrices) to better understand their transport. The methodology used is reliable to assess PCB contamination in surface water.