Nonparametric simulation-based statistics for detecting linkage in general pedigrees

We present here four nonparametric statistics for linkage analysis that test whether pairs of affected relatives share marker alleles more often than expected. These statistics are based on simulating the null distribution of a given statistic conditional on the unaffecteds' marker genotypes. Each statistic uses a different measure of marker sharing: the SimAPM statistic uses the simulation-based affected-pedigree-member measure based on identity-by-state (IBS) sharing. The SimKIN (kinship) measure is 1.0 for identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing, 0.0 for no IBD status sharing, and the kinship coefficient when the IBD status is ambiguous. The simulation-based IBD (SimIBD) statistic uses a recursive algorithm to determine the probability of two affecteds sharing a specific allele IBD. The SimISO statistic is identical to SimIBD, except that it also measures marker similarity between unaffected pairs. We evaluated our statistics on data simulated under different two-locus disease models, comparing our results to those obtained with several other nonparametric statistics. Use of IBD information produces dramatic increases in power over the SimAPM method, which uses only IBS information. The power of our best statistic in most cases meets or exceeds the power of the other nonparametric statistics. Furthermore, our statistics perform comparisons between all affected relative pairs within general pedigrees and are not restricted to sib pairs or nuclear families.     

Carpal tunnel surgery outcomes in workers: effect of workers' compensation status

One hundred thirteen workers' compensation and 53 non-workers' compensation patients who had undergone open carpal tunnel release were queried about job status and the presence or absence of residual symptoms of numbness, pain, or nocturnal awakening an average of 42 months postoperatively. Thirty-nine non-workers' compensation subjects were at their original jobs as compared to only 53 workers' compensation subjects. Seventeen of the workers' compensation subjects were unemployed versus two non-workers' compensation subjects. These differences were significant. Of patients changing jobs, 39 workers' compensation subjects and 2 non-workers' compensation subjects attributed their job change to symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Residual symptoms were significantly more common in workers' compensation compared to non-workers' compensation subjects, with 92 of the former and 26 of the latter subjects reporting some residual symptoms.     

Heat Capacity and Thermodynamic Properties of Poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) from 2.5 to 620 K

Heat capacities and thermodynamic properties of a number of poly(chlorotrifluoToethylene) samples subjected to various thermal treatments, to achieve crystallinities ranging from approximately 10 to 90%, have been studied from 2.5 to 370 K by automated adiabatic calorimetiy and from 250 to 620 K by differential scanning calorimetry. Small heat capacity discontinuities in the temperature range from 320 to 350 K were observed in all samples with crystallinities greater than 40%. Spontaneous adiabatic temperature drifts associated with these anomalies were prasitive (exothermic) for quenched samples and negative (endothermic) for annealed samples. Therefore these anomalies were believed to be associated with a relaxation phenomenon similar to that of a glass transition. For highly quenched low crystallinity films, a much larger heat capacity discontinuity of greater than 15% was observed, amidst a crystallization exotherm. In addition to the above phenomena, annealing of the sample at any temperature between 240 to 400 K would produce a shift in the population distribution of crystallites from reorganization or melting and recrystallization. As a result, the apparent heat capacity became somewhat lowered at the annealing temperature and somewhat raised at about 20 K above the annealing temperature.     

Measuring the activation energy of thiol desorption using lateral force microscopy

Thermal stability of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is important for applications in various surface science applications. As a model material, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) on template stripped gold surfaces was investigated to determine the effect of temperature on the change of lateral force signal using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Friction force signals were obtained at various temperatures in order to determine whether it was possible to correlate the friction signal with desorption of the thiol molecule from the surface. Samples were heated for up to 10 h ranging from 40 to 80 °C in air and scanned every hour. A kinetic model was introduced to correlate the lateral force signal to the activation energy of desorption of the SAM from gold surface with heating. The activation energy of the detachment using this technique is 25.4 kcal/mol, which is consistent with other more complex techniques.     

The identification of phytoplankton pigments from absorption spectra

The absorption spectra of photosynthetic algae are characterized by a continuous envelope, which is a result of the overlapping spectra of the indivual pigments. This feature makes it difficult to estimate the contribution of each pigment to the total absorption spectra. Derivative analysis is an objective tool for isolating absorption peaks in phytoplankton. Theoretically, electrons and ions of interacting molecules can be regarded as simple harmonic oscillators in an electromagnetic field, which result in a Lorentzian shape. However, when measured by an optical spectrophotometer the signal is transformed into a Gaussian curve. Thus, a combination of both types of curve provides a realistic approach to the decomposition of absorption spectra. In this study derivative analysis is performed on absorption spectra in order to prove that the method can be successfully used to identify the individual absorption spectra of component pigments. The spectra used are modelled phytoplankton, spectrophotometric measurements of algal cultures and samples from natural waters. A combination of Gaussian-Lorentzian shaped curves, centred on the identified peaks, were compared with the original spectra and showed good agreement.     

Effects of backwashing on the prosobranch snail Potamopyrgus jenkinsi Smith in granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorbers

Granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorbers are often the penultimate stage of surface water treatment and provide ideal habitats for invertebrates. Proliferation of chlorine-resistant invertebrates in GAC adsorbers may lead to their efflux into distribution systems, possibly resulting in contamination of customers' tap water. GAC adsorber sampling and laboratory experiments were undertaken to determine the effects of routine backwashing on GAC adsorber populations of the chlorine-resistant snail Potamopyrgus jenkinsi at a water treatment works. GAC adsorber sampling results suggested that routine backwashing altered the spatial distribution of snails, but not their overall abundance. In small-scale glass columns 40-50% of the smallest (0.3-0.6 mm shell height) juvenile snails were removed by a GAC backwash bed expansion of 30-40%; however, bed expansions of greater than 20% were not possible in the GAC adsorbers.     

Characterization of transparent conducting oxide thin films deposited on ceramic substrates

In this work, we investigate the optical and electrical properties of various transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films deposited on insulating ceramics for emerging optoelectronic applications. Thin films investigated include indium tin oxide (ITO), ruthenium oxide (RuO₂), and iridium oxide (IrO₂) on Al₂O₃ ceramic substrates. The conducting films have been deposited by various techniques including RF magnetron sputtering and low-cost spray pyrolysis. The morphological characteristics of the films were carried out using high magnification optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical and electrical characterization was carried out by optical absorbance/transmittance, van der Pauw, current-voltage (I-V), and Hall effect measurements. The results are presented in this paper.     

Turnover Intentions and Voluntary Turnover: The Moderating Roles of Self-Monitoring, Locus of Control, Proactive Personality, and Risk Aversion.

This article explores moderators of the relationship between turnover intentions and turnover behavior to better explain why some employees translate intentions into behavior and other employees do not. Individual differences in self-monitoring, locus of control, proactive personality, and risk aversion were examined. Results indicate that self-monitoring and risk aversion moderate the intentions-turnover link. Specifically, the relationship between turnover intentions and turnover is stronger for low self-monitors and those lower in risk aversion. Locus of control moderated the relationship in 1 of 2 samples such that the relationship was stronger for those with an internal locus of control. Proactive personality, however, did not directly moderate the relationship between intentions and turnover behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward spontaneous interaction with the Perceptive Workbench

Until now, we have interacted with computers mostly by using wire-based devices. Typically, the wires limit the distance of movement and inhibit freedom of orientation. In addition, most interactions are indirect. The user moves a device as an analog for the action created in the display space. We envision an untethered interface that accepts gestures directly and can accept any objects we choose as interactors. We discuss methods for producing more seamless interaction between the physical and virtual environments through the Perceptive Workbench. We applied the system to an augmented reality game and a terrain navigating system. The Perceptive Workbench can reconstruct 3D virtual representations of previously unseen real-world objects placed on its surface. In addition, the Perceptive Workbench identifies and tracks such objects as they are manipulated on the desk's surface and allows the user to interact with the augmented environment through 2D and 3D gestures