cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teams that Work Together, Stay Together: Resiliency of Entrepreneurial Teams

In this paper, we extend our previous research by investigating the stability of start-up teams and its impact on reaching operating status. Using the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED), we analyze a nationally representative cohort of nascent entrepreneurs over three observation periods. We measure start-up team stability based on team members being added, replaced, or dropped. We also track team gender and racial composition over time. Confirming our previous findings about the role of homophily, we find active start-up teams to be relatively stable in their gender and racial composition. Further, we show that stable start-up teams are slightly more likely to achieve operational status.
Experimental eosinophilia. IX. Effects of immunosuppressive agents on eosinophil cell responses.

Abstract Experiments were designed to study the mechanism of eosinophilia developing within a few hours after primary antigen exposure in the guinea pig. X-irradiation, chloramphenicol, and colloidal thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) were given to suppress different components of the immune response. Of these agents the efficacy of x-ray and chloramphenicol treatment procedures in suppressing antibody formation after secondary antigenic stimulation was demonstrated. Eosinophil cell infiltrations into lymph nodes regional to subcutaneous foot pad sites of injected bovine gamma globulin and of corresponding soluble antigen-antibody complexes were quantitated in fixed tissue specimens at 6 and 24 hour intervals after administration. Significant differences were not observed in mean cell counts between untreated animals, those given Thorotrast for reticuloendothelial system (RES) blockade, or those treated with cytotoxic and effective immunosuppressive agents. These results favor some explanation of the eosinophilia not dependent upon an invoked antigen-antibody reaction. A pattern of prolonged eosinophil cell responses was demonstrated in guinea pigs given Thorotrast for RES cell blockade and functional impairment. It is suggested that the eosinotactic effects of foreign species of gamma globulins may be a function of their state of molecular aggregation.
Quality Indicators for the Care of Ischemic Heart Disease in Vulnerable Elders

Advanced age remains a strong, independent predictor of mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD), even when controlling for other risk factors.
CHRONICLE: A Two-Stage Density-Based Clustering Algorithm for Dynamic Networks

Information networks, such as social networks and that extracted from bibliographic data, are changing dynamically over time. It is crucial to discover time-evolving communities in dynamic networks. In this paper, we study the problem of finding time-evolving communities such that each community freely forms, evolves, and dissolves for any time period. Although the previous t -partite graph based methods are quite effective for discovering such communities from large-scale dynamic networks, they have some weak points such as finding only stable clusters of single path type and not being scalable w.r.t. the time period. We propose CHRONICLE , an efficient clustering algorithm that discovers not only clusters of single path type but also clusters of path group type. In order to find clusters of both types and also control the dynamicity of clusters, CHRONICLE performs the two-stage density-based clustering, which performs the 2nd-stage density-based clustering for the t -partite graph constructed from the 1st-stage density-based clustering result for each timestamp network. For a given data set, CHRONICLE finds all clusters in a fixed time by using a fixed amount of memory, regardless of the number of clusters and the length of clusters. Experimental results using real data sets show that CHRONICLE finds a wider range of clusters in a shorter time with a much smaller amount of memory than the previous method.
Optimization of printed circuit board design using distributed decision-making systems

Organizations in today's business environment often participate in short term alliances to manufacture sophisticated products. There are often a large number of potential designs for such products and no elementary technique for creating an optimal design. As a result, it is often necessary to utilize some form of computer algorithm to obtain a nearly optimal design. A variety of such algorithms exist including generic ones such as random search and genetic algorithms as well as application-specific algorithms. Any optimization algorithm will require information from a number of databases maintained by the individual companies in the alliance. Hence, the optimization is distributed over a wide area network of computers. The paper examines optimization algorithms which may be used to design printed circuit boards in this distributed manufacturing environment.
HighEfficiency LowVoltage DCDC Conversion for Portable Applications

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Pulse-Width-Modulated DC-DC Converter Converter Miniaturization Circuit Techniques for High Efficiency Example Design Physical Design Considerations Alternatives to Switching Regulators Conclusion This chapter contains sections titled: References ]]>
PICASSO-CENA: combined active-passive sensing from space

Clouds and aerosols affect the Earth's radiation budget by scattering incoming solar radiation back to space and absorbing outgoing thermal radiation. Current uncertainties in the nature and magnitude of these effects limit our understanding of the climate system and the potential for global climate change. PICASSO-CENA is a recently approved mission within NASA's ESSP program which will obtain new measurements of clouds and aerosols to improve predictions of climate change and its impacts. PICASSO-CENA will fly in near formation with the already planned EOS PM satellite to provide a coincident set of data on aerosol and cloud properties, radiative fluxes, and atmospheric state essential for accurate quantification of aerosol and cloud radiative effects. The PICASSO-CENA payload consists of a two-wavelength polarization-sensitive lidar and three co-aligned passive instruments. Data from these four instruments will be used to measure the vertical distributions of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere, as well as optical and physical properties of aerosols and clouds which influence the Earth's radiation budget. Data from PICASSO-CENA and from EOS PM will be combined to provide improved determinations of surface and atmospheric radiative fluxes. PICASSO-CENA is being developed as a partnership between NASA and the French space agency CNES, and is planned to launch in early 2003.
Synthesis and Alkali Metal Ion Binding Properties of Two Rigid Sterochemical Isomers of Calix[6]arene Bis-crown-4

Cone and 1,2,3-alternate stereochemical isomers of 37,40-diallyloxy-(38,42),(39,41)-bis-crown-4 calix[6]arene, 3 and 4 were isolated in moderate yields by bridging the dialkylated calix[6]arene 2 with triethylene glycol di-p-tosylate. The alkali metal complex stoichiometries, association constants, and ion selectivities of 3 and 4 were studied by 1H NMR titration experiments, liquid−liquid extraction, electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Good agreement between the gas-phase and solution-phase studies regarding these metal binding properties was observed. Both conformers formed 1:1 complexes with all alkali metal ions but were structurally preorganized such that each exhibited a strong preference for the larger cesium ion as evidenced by the “deep-cavity” cesium complex of host 4, wherein π-metal interactions helped to stabilize the complex. The Cs+/Na+ selectivity factor for 4 was found to be 1500, while that of 3 was only 140.
A theoretical model of a liquid metal ion source

Abstract We have developed a model of liquid metal ion source (LMIS) operation which gives a consistent picture of three different aspects of LMI sources: (i) the shape and size of the ion emitting region; (ii) the mechanism of ion formation; (iii) properties of the ion beam such as angular intensity and energy spread. We find that the emitting region takes the shape of a jet-like protrusion on the end of a Taylor cone with ion emission from an area only a few tens of A across, in agreement with recent TEM pictures by Sudraud. This is consistent with ion formation predominantly by field evaporation. Calculated angular intensities and current-voltage characteristics based on our fluid dynamic jet-like protrusion model agree well with experiment. The formation of doubly charged ions is attributed to post-ionization of field evaporated singly charged ions and we calculate an apex field strength of about 2.0 V A−1 for a Ga source. The ion energy spread is mainly due to space charge effects, it is known to be reduced for doubly charged ions in agreement with this post-ionization mechanism.
Inhibitor of antibiotics in bacteriologic agar.

SummaryA series of antibiotics have been tested for in vitro activity in various media. A component in routine bacteriologic agar, not present in agarose and which is blocked by addition of protamine or toluidine blue has been found to interfere with diffusion of the polymyxins, aminoglycoside and some other antibiotics. This is thought to be due to acidic sulfate groups present in bacteriologic agar. The relation of this effect to possible in vivo binding to tissue components and their significance for antimicrobial sensitivity tests has been briefly discussed.Addendum An enhancement of infectivity of respiratory syncytial virus by diethylaminoethyl dextran was recently described by Nomura (Nomura, S., Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 128, 163, 1968). This agent (mol. wt. 2 × 106, Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) was tested in bacteriologic agar to determine whether or not it would increase the size of zones of inhibition of polymyxin B. A marked enhancing effect was found with as little as 0.03 mg per ml. Concen...
Conformational motion and disorder in aliphatic nylons The case of nylon 6.6

On the basis of thermal analysis it is suggested that the crystals of aliphatic nylons exhibit conformational disorder above the glass transition. The disorder begins gradually at about room temperature and is evidenced by an increase of the heat capacity to values higher than that of the melt. The specific case of nylon 6.6 is investigated by thermal analysis and x-ray diffraction. The onset of conformational disorder can be clearly separated from premelting. It is shown that the Brill transition, as defined by the merging of the two main peaks in the x-ray diffraction pattern, occurs gradually and is thermal-history-dependent. The transition is not a first-order one, it is only an incidental thermal effect, associated with a packing change in the crystal. In solution-crystallized (sc) samples this change is related to a distinct endothermic peak, while in melt-crystallized (mc) samples it is related to a broad endotherm.
Water absorption by acrylic-based latex blend films and its effect on their properties

The absorption of moisture, from liquid as well as gaseous states of water, is known to strongly influence the properties of many polymeric materials. In this article, we examine the unusually high affinity for water of acrylic-based latex blend films, which lose their transparency and turn white upon water absorption. Composed of rubbery and glassy phases at room temperature, these blends absorb significant amounts of water, which results in only a minor plasticization of the glassy component. When redried at elevated temperatures, the blend films return to their original transparent state but remain white and opaque when freeze-dried at −70°C. Scanning electron micrographs of the freeze-fractured surfaces of wet samples exhibit micron-sized holes that suggest clusters of water inside the bulk of the films. A qualitative model associates these water clusters to residual surfactant inside the samples that is left behind after the drying of original latices. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1407–1419, 1999
Nixon's Resignation and Death Rates: Individual/Systems Interaction in America

Two studies are reported in which death rates were examined to determine the impact of Richard Nixon's resignation as a cultural/environmental event. As hypothesized, in the first study a significant dip in the number of deaths occurred in Atlanta, Georgia in the week immediately following the resignation. An examination of subpopulations indicated that the phenomenon was strongest among those individuals who had no obvious familial support system. In the second study, analysis of death rates for the entire state of Wisconsin indicated that the effect was strongest among circulatory deaths for males and neoplasmic deaths (tumor-related deaths) for females. The results are interpreted in terms of a stress hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, significant cultural events will be accompanied by emotional reactions, including stress reactions, and we may expect alterations in behavior to accompany these emotional reactions. In this instance, the behavior is death.
Exercise training: therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Eleven patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease completed an 18-week program of exercise training with subjective and objective improvement. Increased activities of daily living were noted by these patients and substantiated by analysis of exercise diaries. Resting and exercise heart rate decreased, and maximum tolerated work load increased significantly in all patients. Alterations of physiologic measurements produced by ventilation/perfusion abnormalities or infection invalidated VEO2 as a gauge of successful training; these factors did not limit successful training.
Courses for the Masses

Massively open online courses (MOOCs) promise free, high-quality, university-course content to anyone with Internet access, but in reality, they're no substitute for credit-bearing university courses.
On functional approximation with normalized Gaussian units

Feedforward neural networks with a single hidden layer using normalized gaussian units are studied. It is proved that such neural networks are capable of universal approximation in a satisfactory sense. Then, a hybrid learning rule as per Moody and Darken that combines unsupervised learning of hidden units and supervised learning of output units is considered. By using the method of ordinary differential equations for adaptive algorithms (ODE method) it is shown that the asymptotic properties of the learning rule may be studied in terms of an autonomous cascade of dynamical systems. Some recent results from Hirsch about cascades are used to show the asymptotic stability of the learning rule.
Surface air temperature response to increasing global industrial productivity: A beneficial greenhouse effect?

Comparisons of trends of global industrial productivity, Northern Hemispheric and United States annual mean temperatures, U.S. annual and summer mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures, and U.S. cloud cover suggest that the net result of the CO2/trace gas greenhouse effect and certain biologically-modulated negative feedbacks related to cloud characteristics may be a moderate increase in nighttime minimum temperatures with no change in daytime maximum values. Such a response, if verified by further studies, would likely be desirable, for it would reduce low temperature stresses on biological and mechanical systems, significantly amplify many of the positive botanical effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment, and produce few, if any, deleterious climatic effects. In a word, it may well be beneficial.
Short-term atrazine exposure causes behavioral deficits and disrupts monoaminergic systems in male C57BL/6 mice

Excessive exposure to the widely used herbicide atrazine (ATR) affects several organ systems, including the brain, where neurochemical alterations reflective of dopamine (DA) circuitry perturbation have been reported. The present study aimed to investigate effects of short-term oral exposure to a dose-range (0, 5, 25, 125, or 250 mg/kg) of ATR on behavioral, neurochemical, and molecular indices of toxicity in adult male C57BL/6 mice. The experimental paradigm included open field, pole and grip tests (day 4), novel object recognition (NOR) and forced swim test (FST; day 9), followed by tissue collection 4h post dosing on day 10. After 4 days of exposure, ATR decreased locomotor activity (≥125 mg/kg). On day 9, ATR-exposed mice exhibited dose-dependent decreased performance in the NOR test (≥25 mg/kg) and spent more time swimming and less time immobile during the FST (≥125 mg/kg). Neurochemically, short-term ATR exposure increased striatal DA and DA turnover (its metabolite homovanillic acid [HVA] and the HVA/DA ratio; ≥125 mg/kg). In addition, ATR exposure increased the levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the striatum (≥125 mg/kg) and it also increased DA turnover (≥125 mg/kg), 5-HIAA (125 mg/kg), and norepinephrine (≥125 mg/kg) levels in the prefrontal cortex. In the hippocampus, the only effect of ATR was to increase the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG; 250 mg/kg). At the molecular level, the expression of key striatal (protein) or nigral (mRNA) markers associated with nigrostriatal DA function, such as tyrosine hydroxylase, DA transporter, vesicular monoamine transporter 2, and DA receptors, was not affected by ATR. These results indicate that short-term ATR exposure targets multiple monoamine pathways at the neurochemical level, including in the striatum, and induces behavioral abnormalities suggestive of impaired motor and cognitive functions and increased anxiety. Impaired performance in the NOR behavioral test was the most sensitive endpoint affected by ATR; this should be taken into consideration for future low-dose ATR studies and for the assessment of risk associated with overexposure to this herbicide.
A 3.3-V CMOS adaptive analog video line driver with low distortion performance

An analog line driver for video applications is presented. Utilizing a class-AB error amplifier structure, the design achieved 1.2-V peak-to-peak output swing with better than 42-dB linearity for frequencies up to 5 MHz. An adaptive tuning scheme for output impedance matching using peak detection is used to provide uniform performance across line impedance variations. The circuit is designed in AMI 0.5-/spl mu/m CMOS technology and has a tuning range of 70-180 /spl Omega/ with a power consumption of about 26.4 mW at 75-/spl Omega/ load.
Revealing nuclear pions using electron scattering

A model for the pionic components of nuclear wave functions is obtained from light front dynamical calculations of binding energies and densities. The pionic effects are small enough to be consistent with measured nuclear dimuon production data and with the nucleon sea. But the pion effects are large enough to predict substantial nuclear enhancement of the cross section for longitudinally polarized virtual photons for the kinematics accessible at Jefferson Laboratory.
Mass and energy balance analyses of a downdraft gasifier

Abstract An empirical stoichiometric equation has been developed for wood chip gasification in a commercial-scale moving bed downdraft gasifier. The equation is based on an analysis of experimental overall and elemental material balance data obtained with the gasifier. A thermodynamic analysis of the gasifier has also been performed, based on the resultant empirical stoichiometric equation. The first-law and second-law thermodynamic efficiencies of the gasifier have been evaluated for four different operating modes at three different output temperatures. The resultant empirical stoichiometry is in agreement with the means of the experimental data within one standard deviation. The highest first-law and second-law thermodynamic efficiencies have been obtained when all products are considered useable; they are 90% and 62%, respectively. The lowest first-law and second-law efficiencies have been obtained when cool dry gas is considered as the only useable product; they are 72% and 53%, respectively. The heat loss from the system to the surroundings has been estimated to be 10% of the energy input; this corresponds to a loss of 7% of the available energy input. The available energy dissipation in the system, due to the various irreversibilities of the gasification process, has been evaluated to be 31% of the available energy input. This dissipation is not recoverable and reflects the nature of the process.
Pharmacodynamics and tolerability of high-dose, prolonged infusion carbapenems in adults with cystic fibrosis – A review of 3 cases

Abstract Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease marked by repeated acute pulmonary exacerbations of infections, often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia. As antibiotic susceptibility declines, dose optimization must be considered to provide adequate pharmacodynamic exposure. We report three cases of CF exacerbations in adults caused by multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa and B. cepacia. Each case required dosing strategies greater than currently recognized in package inserts: meropenem 3000 mg every 8 h (3-hour infusion) and doripenem 2000 mg every 8 h (4-hour infusion). Pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated that targeted pharmacodynamic exposures were achieved against most of the organisms, resulting in clinical improvements despite laboratory reported resistance. The high-dose, prolonged infusion regimens were well tolerated demonstrating that pharmacodynamically optimized carbapenem regimens may be used safely and effectively in patients with limited conventional treatment options.
p21Waf1/Cip1 and the prevention of oxidative stress.

pulmonary dysfunction resulting from acute oxygen toxicity is due at least in part to the death of lung epithelial cells. Pulmonary epithelial cells are essential to the maintenance of the alveolar-capillary barrier, and compromise may lead to leakage of fluid and proteins in the airways and alveoli
Treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with epidural steroid injections: a retrospective outcome study.

Abstract Delport EG, Cucuzzella AR, Marley JK, Pruitt CM, Fisher JR. Treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with epidural steroid injections: a retrospective outcome study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:479–84. Objective To determine patient satisfaction, relief of pain, frequency of injections, change of function, and subsequent surgical rate in patients who received epidural steroid injections (ESIs) for the diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Design Retrospective review conducted using a standard set of questions asked over the telephone, 6 to 36 months after the patient received an ESI. Setting An outpatient spine center. Participants One hundred forty patients at or over the age of 55 years diagnosed with LSS who received ESI(s). Intervention Transforaminal or caudal fluoroscopically guided ESIs with 60 to 100mg of triamcinalone in combination with local anesthetic or normal saline. Main outcome measures Duration and amount of pain relief, change in functional status, patient satisfaction, and surgical rate, assessed by a 5-item questionnaire. Results Of the 140 participants, 32% reported more than 2 months of pain relief, 39% reported less than 2 months of pain relief, and 29% reported no relief from the injection(s). Twenty percent subsequently had surgery. Fifty-three percent reported improvement in their functional abilities. Seventy-four percent where at least somewhat satisfied with ESI as a form of treatment. Conclusions ESI is a reasonable treatment for LSS, providing one third of our patient population with sustained relief and more than half with sustained improvement in function.
Doping of PbTe with Group-III elements: An ionic lattice approach

It is shown that donor or acceptor behavior for a Group-III element in PbTe depends on the balance between the energy needed to promote the $s$-level electrons of the element above the top of the valence band of the host crystal (donor action) and the lattice energy gained as a result of the increased charge and smaller radius of the impurity. The lattice energy for the element in its donor and acceptor state is calculated on the basis of an ionic host-lattice model which enables one to take into account lattice distortions. The calculations predict that Tl and Ga should act as acceptors and In and Al as donors. They also predict that, with the exception of Al, the major fraction of these elements will remain electrically inactive.
THE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND FOR THE EXPORTS OF A SINGLE COUNTRY — A RECONSIDERATION

One country's exports of a particular commodity are usually imperfect substitutes for similar exports from other countries. Consequently, the price elasticity of export demand involves unknown cross elasticities between sub-groups of the commodity. However, there are constraints on the relative magnitudes of all the sub-group elasticities. These make it possible to assess the degree to which the whole commodity elasticity divided by the market share is an over-estimate of the export elasticity.
Comparison of the spatial and temporal expression of supernatant malate dehydrogenase in Barbus hybrids (Cypriniformes, teleostei)

The tissue specificity and ontogeny of supernatant malate dehydrogenase (s-MDH) are reported for the tiger barb, cherry barb, and their reciprocal hybrids. The tissue distribution of s-MDH isozymes in Barbus is consistent with the patterns reported in other teleosts. The expression of the Mdh-B locus is correlated with the initial muscle contractions of the developing embryos. It is suggested that the state of muscle cell differentiation may be the stimulus necessary for the expression of this locus in Barbus. Expression of maternal and paternal alleles at the B locus are synchronously delayed in reciprocal hybrids, as compared to their expression intraspecifically.
Intra-arterial stroke thrombolysis and carotid stenting: methods for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

HERE HAS RECENTLY been an increase in interest concerning the endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular disease on the part of individuals who previously were unlikely to lavish as much attention on this field, including cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and neurologists. Perhaps this is a consequence of increasing acceptance of the techniques or increased positive outcomes on the part of the patients undergoing these procedures. Not only are there numerous highly publicized cases in which patients with strokes are brought back to a normal baseline using intraarterial thrombolytic therapy, but also in the realm of cerebrovascular disease carotid stenting has garnered significant attention. Carotid stenting has become popular not only as a technical procedure but also as a topic of political discussion. As a technical procedure, carotid stenting is easily performed by practitioners with differing degrees of training and from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. As a political topic, the same issues contribute to numerous heated debates with topics ranging from propriety of therapy, patient selection, and tool use to name but a few. Although the procedure is easy to perform, we lack the necessary long-term knowledge regarding the population that ideally could benefit from carotid stenting, and there are enough variables existing regarding the technical stenting procedure in which conflicting opinions and dogmatic stances are possible. For the purposes of our larger topic of discussion, endovascular treatment of acute and chronic cerebrovascular ischemic states, carotid stenting overlaps topically with vertebral artery stenting, skull base stenting, intracranial stenting, and other endovascular revascularizations of the cerebrovascular tree such as thrombolysis and thrombofragmentation. This article is composed of 3 sections: the first addresses carotid stenting, the second endovascular acute stroke therapies, and the third briefly discusses developing therapies in stroke treatment.
Measurement of transverse relaxation times of J‐coupled metabolites in the human visual cortex at 4 T

Accurate quantification of 1H NMR spectra often requires knowledge of the relaxation times to correct for signal losses due to relaxation and saturation. In human brain, T2 values for singlets such as N-acetylaspartate, creatine, and choline have been reported, but few T2 values are available for J-coupled spin systems. The purpose of this study was to measure the T2 relaxation times of J-coupled metabolites in the human occipital lobe using the LASER sequence. Spectra were acquired at multiple echo times and were analyzed with an LCModel using basis sets simulated at each echo time. Separate basis spectra were used for resonances of protons belonging to the same molecule but having very different T2 values (e.g., two separate basis spectra were used for the singlet and multiplet signal in N-acetylaspartate). The T2 values for the N-acetylaspartate multiplet (149 ± 12 ms), glutamate (125 ± 10 ms), myo-inositol (139 ± 20 ms), and taurine (196 ± 28 ms) were successfully measured in the human visual cortex at 4 T. These measured T2 relaxation times have enabled the accurate and absolute quantification of cerebral metabolites at longer echo times. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Preferences of female rhesus monkeys (Macaca Mulatta) for infantile coloration

While developmental researchers have long noted that infants of many mammalian species, including primates, have characteristic physical features, such as a distinctive coat or skin color, and some authors have further suggested that these features serve to elicit caretaking and solicitous behavior, few systematic investigations of the actual salience of such features for adult conspecifics have been carried out to date. The present series of 3 studies sought to determine whether natal coat and/or facial skin coloration might provide desirable visual stimulation for rhesus monkey adult females. In these studies the faces and/or fur of 6-month-old rhesus monkeys were dyed to simulate the normal coloration of rhesus monkey neonates. Adult females varying in parity and rearing history were then tested for their relative preference between these infantile-colored 6-month-olds and both normally colored 6-month-olds and other differentially colored control stimulus monkeys. Results indicated that regardless of parity or rearing history the adult female subjects exhibited consistent preferences for the stimulus animals with neonatal-like reddish-pink facial skin coloration.
Fast-Scanning Far-infrared Fabry-Perot Interferometer.

A scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer for use in the far ir (100 μm < λ < 2 mm) has been developed capable of scanning a free spectral range in a few milliseconds. A commercial loudspeaker was used as a drive, and mirrors were fabricated from electroformed copper mesh. Primary limitations of the instrument were due to vibrations of the interferometer frame.
The effects of plasma pretreatment and storage time on silicon fusion bonding

This research investigates the effect of storage time on the bond strength of plasma activated Si wafers by studying the surface characteristics and chemistry of the wafers at each of the various processing levels. Initially pairs of silicon (100) wafers were plasma activated using O2 in a reactive ion etch chamber. The wafers were stored for various time intervals before bonding in a substrate bonder. Different surface characteristics like the growth of the oxide layer, surface roughness, etc. were compared and profiled with respect to storage time, before bonding the wafers. An optimized plasma activation and bonding recipe was proposed. After a final thermal anneal, near infrared imagery was employed in order to optically assess the bond quality of the wafer stack. Conducting tensile tests on dies diced from the wafer stack quantized the bond strength between the wafers. The chemistry involved during the plasma activation, bonding, and thermal annealing were investigated thoroughly. Interesting phenomenon such as the increase in the bond strength of wafers stored for more than a specific amount of time was analyzed. Finally a closer look was taken at the interface layer of the wafer stack through scanning electron microscopy, and the formation of a silicon dioxide layer at the interface was confirmed.
HIF‐1α Is a Regulator of Galectin‐3 Expression in the Intervertebral Disc

The regulation of galectin-3 expression in skeletal tissues is not completely understood. Our studies indicate that HIF-1α regulates galectin-3 expression by interacting with hypoxia regulatory elements in the promoter region. Finally, we show that galectin-3 serves a prosurvival role in the intervertebral disc. Introduction: Earlier reports indicated that galectin-3 (gal-3) is highly expressed in the epiphyseal growth plate cartilage and the intervertebral disc. Because these skeletal tissues have a limited vascular supply and the cells reside in a low O2 environment, we determined if the oxemic status modulates gal-3 expression. Materials and Methods: Cells were cultured in normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (2% O2), and gal-3 expression and promoter activity were evaluated. Interaction of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α with the gal-3 promoter was confirmed by gel shift and site-directed mutagenesis. Results: There was minimal oxygen-dependent change in HIF-1α levels and no change in gal-3 expression and promoter activity in nucleus pulposus cells. In contrast, hypoxia induced gal-3 mRNA, protein, and promoter activity in HeLa cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from HIF-1α wildtype but not HIF-1–null mice. To evaluate the importance of HIF-1 in regulation of gal-3 expression, we overexpressed HIF-1α or constitutively active-HIF-1α in null MEF. An increase in gal-3 promoter activity was observed in both normoxia and hypoxia. Similarly, suppression of HIF-1α in nucleus pulposus cells, and wildtype MEF, using siRNA and pharmacological inhibitors resulted in suppression of gal-3 promoter activity and mRNA levels. Analysis of the gal-3 promoter indicated that it contained two hypoxia response elements (HREs). Gel-shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed that there was binding of HIF-1α to the gal-3 HRE. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis of HRE completely blocked hypoxic induction of gal-3 promoter activity. In nucleus pulposus cells, suppression of gal-3 expression promoted FasL-mediated apoptosis. Conclusions: Together, these studies showed that gal-3 is a HIF-1–regulated lectin that plays an important role in nucleus pulposus cell survival.
On fundamentals of Rayleigh-Taylor turbulent mixing

We analyze symmetries, invariants, scaling and spectra of turbulent mixing induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The properties of this unsteady, anisotropic, and inhomogeneous turbulent process are found to depart from canonical Kolmogorov scenario. Time- and scale-invariance of the rate of momentum loss leads to non-dissipative momentum transfer between the scales, to 1/2 and 3/2 power-law scale dependencies of the velocity and Reynolds number respectively, and to spectra distinct from Kolmogorov. Turbulent mixing exhibits more order compared to isotropic turbulence, and its viscous and dissipation scales are set by the flow acceleration.
Effective removal of co-purified inhibitors from extracted DNA samples using synchronous coefficient of drag alteration (SCODA) technology

Various types of biological samples present challenges for extraction of DNA suitable for subsequent molecular analyses. Commonly used extraction methods, such as silica membrane columns and phenol-chloroform, while highly successful may still fail to provide a sufficiently pure DNA extract with some samples. Synchronous coefficient of drag alteration (SCODA), implemented in Boreal Genomics' Aurora Nucleic Acid Extraction System (Boreal Genomics, Vancouver, BC), is a new technology that offers the potential to remove inhibitors effectively while simultaneously concentrating DNA. In this initial study, SCODA was tested for its ability to remove various concentrations of forensically and medically relevant polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors naturally found in tissue, hair, blood, plant, and soil samples. SCODA was used to purify and concentrate DNA from intentionally contaminated DNA samples containing known concentrations of hematin, humic acid, melanin, and tannic acid. The internal positive control (IPC) provided in the Quantifiler™ Human DNA Quantification Kit (Life Technologies, Foster City, CA) and short tandem repeat (STR) profiling (AmpFlSTR® Identifiler® Plus PCR Amplification Kit; Life Technologies, Foster City, CA) were used to measure inhibition effects and hence purification. SCODA methodology yielded overall higher efficiency of purification of highly contaminated samples compared with the QIAquick® PCR Purification Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). SCODA-purified DNA yielded no cycle shift of the IPC for each sample and yielded greater allele percentage recovery and relative fluorescence unit values compared with the QIAquick® purification method. The Aurora provided an automated, minimal-step approach to successfully remove inhibitors and concentrate DNA from challenged samples.
Smokers with adequate oral hygiene habits who visit the dentist at least twice a year have a greater prevalence and severity of periodontal disease at mandibular molar teeth than never-smokers with similar oral health practices

Summary Subjects Sixty smokers (20 females) and 60 never-smokers (23 females) 0689 were recruited from a dental school patient pool in Thailand. Periodontal diseases were assessed at mandibular molar teeth by measuring periodontal parameters that included gingival bleeding, loss of keratinized gingiva, pocket formation, attachment loss, furcation involvement, and tooth mobility. Exposure Smoking at least 10 cigarettes/day for at least 15 years.0689 Main outcome measure Periodontal disease prevalence and severity at 0689 mandibular molar teeth. Main results The main findings for this study are depicted in Table 0689 6. Gingival bleeding and loss of keratinized gingiva were similar in smokers and never-smokers. However, smokers had a greater number of teeth with gingival recession, periodontal pocket formation, clinical attachment loss, furcation involvement, and tooth mobility than never-smokers ( P ). Seventy-three percent of the smokers versus 20% of the never-smokers exhibited furcation involvement ( P ).
Space-Charge in the Relativistic Magnetron†

ABSTRACT Three relativistic solutions for the space-charge behaviour in a magnetron at high energies are calculated. At energies bordering on the classical region, a perturbation form of result is obtained by noting the series solution for the classical case, the Hull cut-off relation entering as a parameter. Then with the relativistic cut-off as a parameter, separate series are developed for the intermediate and extreme relativistic domains.
Strip Searches in the Supreme Court — Prisons and Public Health

George Annas reviews the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision upholding the constitutionality of routine strip searches of people arrested of any crime. Annas discusses the justices' use of flawed public health and medical arguments to justify their decision.
Structural and magnetic properties of iron(II) complexes with 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene (HAT)

Reactions of Fe(II) salts with the ligand 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene (HAT) led to the isolation and characterization of four new compounds: [Fe3(HAT)(H2O)12](SO4)3·3.3H2O (1), [Fe2(HAT)(SO4)(H2O)5](SO4)·2H2O·CH3OH (2), [Fe2(HAT)(SO4)(H2O)5](SO4)·3H2O (3), and [Fe3Cl5(HAT)(CH3OH)4(H2O)]Cl (4). Compound 1 crystallizes as a trinuclear cluster in which HAT acts as a tris-chelating ligand. Compounds 2 and 3 are two polymorphs of an infinite one-dimensional structure in which the Fe atoms are coordinated to HAT and then connected into the chain through bridging sulfate anions. Compound 4 exhibits a similar chain structure, but with bridging chloride ligands. The magnetic behavior of the new compounds is indicative of weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe(II) centers through the HAT ligand.
Effect of sirolimus withdrawal in patients with deteriorating renal function.

Sirolimus has been an important addition to immunosuppressive regimens utilized in kidney transplantation. However, sirolimus can potentiate calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) nephrotoxicity by some still uncertain mechanisms. Studies have demonstrated that withdrawal of a CNI under sirolimus immunosuppression can improve renal function. However, it has yet to be demonstrated that withdrawal of sirolimus from such a regimen can also improve renal function and reverse progressive functional deterioration. We studied 17 patients who developed deterioration of renal function while on a CNI and sirolimus. Once an established deterioration in renal function was noted, sirolimus was withdrawn from the regimen and replaced with mycophenolate mofetil. Out of 17 patients with a negative slope in 1/cr, 15 demonstrated a positive treatment effect (change to a positive slope). On aggregate, renal function improved by 18% (creatinine 2.75–2.24 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol improved, as did hematocrit values after withdrawal. The majority of patients on a CNI and sirolimus regimen who experience deterioration in renal function demonstrate improvement in renal function after withdrawal of sirolimus. This strategy may be particularly useful in those patients where CNI withdrawal is considered to be of high immunologic or metabolic risk.
Context-dependent planktivory: interacting effects of turbidity and predation risk on adaptive foraging

By shaping species interactions, adaptive phenotypic plasticity can profoundly influence ecosystems. Predicting such outcomes has proven difficult, however, owing in part to the dependence of plasticity on the environmental context. Of particular relevance are environmental factors that affect sensory performance in organisms in ways that alter the tradeoffs associated with adaptive phenotypic responses. We explored the influence of turbidity, which simultaneously and differentially affects the sensory performance of consumers at multiple trophic levels, on the indirect effect of a top predator (piscivorous fish) on a basal prey resource (zooplankton) that is mediated through changes in the plastic foraging behavior of an intermediate consumer (zooplanktivorous fish). We first generated theoretical predictions of the adaptive foraging response of a zooplanktivore across wide gradients of turbidity and predation risk by a piscivore. Our model predicted that predation risk can change the negative relationship between intermediate consumer foraging and turbidity into a humped-shaped (unimodal) one in which foraging is low in both clear and highly turbid conditions due to foraging-related risk and visual constraints, respectively. Consequently, the positive trait-mediated indirect effect (TMIE) of the top predator on the basal resource is predicted to peak at low turbidity and decline thereafter until it reaches an asymptote of zero at intermediate turbidity levels (when foraging equals that which is predicted when the top predator is absent). We used field observations and a laboratory experiment to test our model predictions. In support, we found humped-shaped relationships between planktivory and turbidity for several zooplanktivorous fishes from diverse freshwater ecosystems with predation risk. Further, our experiment demonstrated that predation risk reduced zooplanktivory by yellow perch (Perca flavescens) at a low turbidity, but had no effect on consumption at an intermediate turbidity. Together, our theoretical and empirical findings show how the environmental context can govern the strength of TMIEs by influencing consumer sensory performance and how these effects can become realized in nature over wide environmental gradients. Additionally, our hump-shaped foraging curve represents an important departure from the conventional view of turbidity's effect on planktivorous fishes, thus potentially requiring a reconceptualization of turbidity's impact on aquatic food-web interactions.
Stability of viscoelastic shear flows subjected to steady or oscillatory transverse flow

Experiments and theory show that hydrodynamic instabilities can arise during flow of viscoelastic liquids in curved geometries. A recent study has found that a relatively weak steady transverse flow can delay the onset of instability in the circular Couette geometry until the azimuthal Weissenberg number Weθ is significantly higher than without axial flow. In this work we investigate the effect of superposition of a time-periodic axial Couette flow on the viscoelastic circular Couette and Dean flow instabilities. The analysis, carried out for the upper-convected Maxwell and Oldroyd-B fluids, generally shows increased stability compared to when there is no axial flow. However, we also find that the system shows instability – synchronous resonance – for some values of the axial Weissenberg number, Wez and forcing frequency ω. In particular, instability can be induced not only when ω is of the order of the inverse relaxation time of the fluid but also when it is much smaller. Scaling arguments and numerical results indicate that the high-ω, low-Wez regime is essentially equivalent to Wez=0 in the steady case, implying no stabilization. At high values of ω and Wez, scaling analysis shows that the flow will always be stable. Numerical results are in agreement with these conclusions. Consistent with previous results on parametrically forced systems, we find that the zero-frequency limit is singular. In this limit, the disturbances display quiescent intervals punctuated by periods of large transient growth and subsequent decay.This study also presents linear and nonlinear stability results for the addition of steady axial Couette and Poiseuille flows to viscoelastic instabilities in azimuthal Dean flows. It is shown that, for high Wez, the qualitative effect of adding a steady axial flow is similar to that in the circular Couette geometry, with a linear relationship between the critical Weθ and Wez. For low Wez, we find that the flow is stabilized, unlike in the circular Couette flow where the critical value of Weθ decreases at low Wez. Further, weakly nonlinear analysis shows that the criticality of the bifurcation depends on the value of Wez and the solvent viscosity, S. Finally, we also show the presence of a codimension-2 Takens–Bogdanov bifurcation point in the linear stability curve of Dean flow. This point represents a transition from one mechanism of instability to another.
Fungal volatile organic compounds and their role in ecosystems

All odorants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), i.e., low molecular weight compounds that easily evaporate at normal temperatures and pressure. Fungal VOCs are relatively understudied compared to VOCs of bacterial, plant, or synthetic origin. Much of the research to date on fungal VOCs has focused on their food and flavor properties, their use as indirect indicators of fungal growth in agriculture, or their role as semiochemicals for insects. In addition, research into fungal volatiles has also taken place to monitor spoilage, for purposes of chemotaxonomy, for use in biofilters and for biodiesel, to detect plant and animal disease, for “mycofumigation,” and with respect to plant health. As methods for the analysis of gas phase molecules have improved, it has become apparent that fungal VOC are more chemically varied and more biologically active than has generally been realized. In particular, there is increasing data that show that fungal VOCs frequently mediate interactions between organisms within and across different ecological niches. The goal of this mini review is to orchestrate data on fungal VOCs obtained from disparate disciplines as well as to draw attention to the ecological importance of fungal VOCs in signaling between different species. Technologies and approaches that are common in one area of research are often unknown in others, and the study of fungal VOCs would benefit from more cross talk between subdisciplines.