Energy Deposition of Energetic Silicon Atoms Within a Silicon Lattice

The energy dependence of the ionization produced in silicon by recoiling silicon atoms was measured in the 4–54-keV energy interval. It is found that the fraction of the recoil energy that is dissipated as ionization follows an E1/2 dependence which agrees well with the predictions of the theory of Lindhard et al. [Mat. Fys. Medd. 33, 10 (1963)]

Quasiparticle Trapping in Microwave Kinetic Inductance Strip Detectors

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are thin-film, superconducting resonators, which are attractive for making large detector arrays due to their natural frequency domain multiplexing at GHz frequencies. For X-ray to IR wavelengths, MKIDs can provide high-resolution energy and timing information for each incoming photon. By fabricating strip detectors consisting of a rectangular absorber coupled to MKIDs at each end, high quantum efficiency and spatial resolution can be obtained. A similar geometry is being pursued for phonon sensing in a WIMP dark matter detector. Various materials have been tested including tantalum, tin, and aluminum for the absorbing strip, and aluminum, titanium, and aluminum manganese for the MKID. Initial Ta/Al X-ray devices have shown energy resolutions as good as 62 eV at 6 keV. A Ta/Al UV strip detector with an energy resolution of 0.8 eV at 4.9 eV has been demonstrated, but we find the coupling of the MKIDs to the absorbers is unreliable for these thinner devices. We report on progress probing the thicknesses at which the absorber/MKID coupling begins to degrade by using a resonator to inject quasiparticles directly into the absorber. In order to eliminate the absorber/MKID interface, a modified design for implanted AlMn/Al UV strip detectors was developed, and results showing good transmission of quasiparticles from the absorber to MKID in these devices are presented

Effect of Carelink, an Internet-Based Insulin Pump Monitoring System, on Glycemic Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective : To determine whether use of the internet-based Carelink system improved glycemic control in children on insulin pump therapy. Research Design and Methods - We reviewed records of 146 children treated with insulin pump therapy between the years 2004-2007, and compared glycemic control and diabetes self-care measures associated with Carelink use. Forty percent of the patients resided one hour or more from our clinic. Results: Patients who used the Carelink software and website showed significant improvement in HbA1c levels following use (8.0 ± 0.1 (SE) vs 7.7 ± 0.1 (SE), p=0.002). They uploaded data from their pump and glucometer 2.2 ± 1.8 times per month over 0.8 ± 0.4 (SD) years. Patients who had no access to Carelink software and were followed in a conventional manner showed no change in HbA1c ( 8.0 ± 0.1 (SE) vs 8.1 ± 0.1 (SE), p=0.27) during the study period. These patients did not differ significantly from Carelink users in diabetes self care behaviors. Patients who had Carelink access but did not use it had a higher HbA1c level at the onset and did not change over the study period (HbA1c 8.9 ± 0.2 (SE) vs 8.9 ± 0.3 (SE), p=0.76). These patients differed significantly from Carelink users in self-care behaviors, but not in the frequency of blood glucose monitoring. Patients in a rural location benefited equally as compared to patients who lived within one hour of our clinic. Conclusions: The Carelink software program is a powerful tool that can be used by diabetes care providers and parents to manage insulin pump therapy in children and to improve glycemic control, especially in states with a large rural population

A comparative analysis of marine mammal tracheas

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Company of Biologists for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Experimental Biology 217 (2014): 1154-1166, doi:10.1242/​jeb.093146.In 1940, Scholander suggested that stiffened upper airways remained open and received air from highly compressible alveoli during marine mammal diving. There are little data available on the structural and functional adaptations of the marine mammal respiratory system. The aim of this research was to investigate the anatomical (gross) and structural (compliance) characteristics of excised marine mammal tracheas. Here we defined different types of tracheal structures, categorizing pinniped tracheas by varying degrees of continuity of cartilage (categories 1-4) and cetacean tracheas by varying compliance values (categories 5A and 5B). Some tracheas fell into more than one category, along their length, for example, the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) demonstrated complete rings cranially, and as the trachea progressed caudally tracheal rings changed morphology. Dolphins and porpoises had less stiff, more compliant spiraling rings while beaked whales had very stiff, less compliant spiraling rings. The pressure-volume (P-V) relationships of isolated tracheas from different species were measured to assess structural differences between species. These findings lend evidence for pressure-induced collapse and re-inflation of lungs, perhaps influencing variability in dive depth or ventilation rates of the species investigated.This project was supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research (award number N00014-10-1-0059).2014-12-0

Applications for protein sequence–function evolution data: mRNA/protein expression analysis and coding SNP scoring tools

The vast amount of protein sequence data now available, together with accumulating experimental knowledge of protein function, enables modeling of protein sequence and function evolution. The PANTHER database was designed to model evolutionary sequence–function relationships on a large scale. There are a number of applications for these data, and we have implemented web services that address three of them. The first is a protein classification service. Proteins can be classified, using only their amino acid sequences, to evolutionary groups at both the family and subfamily levels. Specific subfamilies, and often families, are further classified when possible according to their functions, including molecular function and the biological processes and pathways they participate in. The second application, then, is an expression data analysis service, where functional classification information can help find biological patterns in the data obtained from genome-wide experiments. The third application is a coding single-nucleotide polymorphism scoring service. In this case, information about evolutionarily related proteins is used to assess the likelihood of a deleterious effect on protein function arising from a single substitution at a specific amino acid position in the protein. All three web services are available at

Relation of delayed recovery of myocardial function after takotsubo cardiomyopathy to subsequent quality of life

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) has generally been regarded as a relatively transient disorder, characterized by reversible regional left ventricular systolic dysfunction. However, most patients with TTC experience prolonged lassitude or dyspnea after acute attacks. Although this might reflect continued emotional stress, myocardial inflammation and accentuated brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) release persist for at least 3 months. We therefore tested the hypotheses that this continued inflammation is associated with (1) persistent contractile dysfunction and (2) consequent impairment of quality of life. Echocardiographic parameters (global longitudinal strain [GLS], longitudinal strain rate [LSR], and peak apical twist [AT]) were compared acutely and after 3 months in 36 female patients with TTC and 19 age-matched female controls. Furthermore, correlations were sought between putative functional anomalies, inflammatory markers (T2 score on cardiovascular magnetic resonance, plasma NT-proBNP, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels), and the physical composite component of SF36 score (SF36-PCS). In TTC cases, left ventricular ejection fraction returned to normal within 3 months. GLS, LSR, and AT improved significantly over 3-month recovery, but GLS remained reduced compared to controls even at follow-up (-17.9 ± 3.1% vs -20.0 ± 1.8%, p = 0.003). Impaired GLS at 3 months was associated with both persistent NT-proBNP elevation (p = 0.03) and reduced SF36-PCS at ≥3 months (p = 0.04). In conclusion, despite normalization of left ventricular ejection fraction, GLS remains impaired for at least 3 months, possibly as a result of residual myocardial inflammation. Furthermore, perception of impaired physical exercise capacity ≥3 months after TTC may be explained by persistent myocardial dysfunction

Characterization of SuperCDMS 1-inch Ge Detectors

The newly commissioned SuperCDMS Soudan experiment aims to search for WIMP dark matter with a sensitivity to cross sections of 5×10^(−45)cm^2 and larger (90% CL upper limit). This goal is facilitated by a new set of germanium detectors, 2.5 times more massive than the ones used in the CDMS-II experiment, and with a different athermal phonon sensor layout that eliminates radial degeneracy in position reconstruction of high radius events. We present characterization data on these detectors, as well as improved techniques for correcting position-dependent variations in pulse shape across the detector. These improvements provide surface-event discrimination sufficient for a reach of 5×10^(−45)cm^2