High-breakdown-voltage AlInAs/GaInAs junction-modulated HEMT's(JHEMT's) with regrown ohmic contacts by MOCVD

A technology for increasing both the two-terminal gate-drain breakdown and subsequently the three-terminal-off-state breakdown of AlInAs/GaInAs high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) to record values without substantial impact on other parameters is presented. The breakdown in these structures is dependent on the multiplication of electrons injected from the source (channel current) and the gate (gate leakage) into the channel. In addition, holes are generated by high fields at the drain and are injected back into the gate and source electrodes. These phenomena can be suppressed by increasing the gate barrier height and alleviating the fields at the drain. Both have been achieved by incorporating a p⁺-2DEG junction as the gate that modulates the 2DEG gas and by utilizing selective regrowth of the source and drain regions by MOCVD. The 1-μm-gate-length devices fabricated have two-terminal gate-drain and three-terminal-off-state breakdown voltages of 31 V and 28 V, respectively     

Autoimmune diabetes induced by the beta-cell toxin STZ. Immunity to the 60-kDa heat shock protein and to insulin

Administered at a suitably low dose, the toxin streptozotocin (STZ) can trigger an autoimmune process leading to destruction of the beta-cells of the pancreatic islets. In this study, we examined specific immunological reactions in mice before and during the development of STZ-induced autoimmune diabetes. We now report that the development of spontaneous autoantibodies to insulin can serve as a marker of susceptibility to a low dose of STZ. Susceptible male mice of the C57BL/KsJ strain manifested such anti-insulin antibodies, and resistant female mice did not. Administration of a low dose of STZ (five daily doses each of 30 mg/kg) induced transient hyperglycemia approximately 20-30 days later, which temporarily remitted but was followed by intractable diabetes approximately 2.5 months later. The diabetogenic process triggered by the low dose of STZ was associated with an increase in the level of anti-insulin antibodies bearing the Dana and Micha (DM) idiotype, later followed by the appearance of anti-idiotypic antibodies that peaked before the onset of diabetes. Antibodies and T-cells reactive to hsp60 (heat shock protein) were triggered by the low-dose STZ administration and persisted throughout the period that preceded clinical diabetes. T-cells reactive to the p277 peptide of hsp60 were also observed. Finally, active immunization to hsp60 caused transient hyperglycemia by itself and also aggravated the hyperglycemia induced by low-dose STZ. Thus, autoantibodies to insulin can indicate susceptibility to a toxic trigger of diabetes, and a low dose of a toxin can activate the insulin and hsp60 autoimmunity that has been detected previously in the spontaneous autoimmune diabetes of NOD strain mice.     

Geographic variations in the composition of ivory of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare the inclination of the occlusal plane with occlusal guidance as a contributing factor to masticatory movement. METHODS: Masticatory movements of 41 young adults were measured using a 3-D mandibular movement analysing system. The inclination of the occlusal plane was measured in the sagittal plane using a 3-D digitizer. The contribution of the occlusal guidance and the inclination of the occlusal plane to the direction of the masticatory path of closure was evaluated at various closing levels. RESULTS: The masticatory path of closure outside the intercuspal range was influenced mainly by the inclination of the occlusal plane, and the masticatory path of closure near the intercuspal range was only influenced by occlusal guidance. The so-called gliding type masticatory pattern was observed predominantly in subjects with a posteriorly inclined occlusal plane. In contrast, a chopping type masticatory pattern was observed predominantly in subjects with an anteriorly inclined occlusal plane. CONCLUSIONS: The contribution of the inclination of the occlusal plane to masticatory movement was greater than that of occlusal guidance throughout the closing phase except near the intercuspal range.     

Gender differences in FFM accumulation and architectural characteristics of muscle

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the existence and role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in otitis media with effusion (OME). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. METHODS: The levels of two major TGF-beta isoforms, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2, in the middle ear effusions (MEEs) of 44 children were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunospecific assays (ELISAs). Forty-eight MEEs were separated into three clinically relevant groups (i.e., serous, mucoid, and purulent), and TGF-beta levels were correlated with clinical parameters of disease for these MEEs. RESULTS: Both TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 were present in the samples. Mean levels of TGF-beta1 (920.36 +/- 437.75 pg/mg total protein) were generally 100-fold greater than those of TGF-beta2 (9.65 +/- 11.19 pg/mg total protein). TGF-beta1 levels were elevated in association with a history of previous tympanostomy tube placements (TTPs) (P = .029) and mucoid effusions (P = .042). TGF-beta2 levels were elevated in association with a history of previous TTPs (P = .100) and chronic (i.e., serous or mucoid) effusions (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: TGF-beta1 is present in the MEEs of children with OME. Furthermore, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 levels were elevated differentially in the presence of chronic disease indicators in OME, suggesting that these isoforms may have differing roles in the inflammatory processes that characterize OME.     

RP-HPLC binding domains of proteins

Procedures have been developed to identify the chromatographic binding domains of horse heart cytochrome c (Cyt c) and bovine growth hormone (bGH) during their interaction with reversed-phase sorbent materials. The procedure involves adsorption of the protein solute to the chromatographic sorbent, followed by proteolytic cleavage. Comparison of the proteolytic map obtained for Cyt c and bGH in free solution with the corresponding map obtained when these proteins are adsorbed to the chromatographic sorbent revealed significant differences in the digestion pattern. Following characterization of the peptides generated in both maps, the results indicated that specific regions on the surface of both Cyt c and bGH are inaccessible to tryptic cleavage when adsorbed to the hydrophobic surface of both a C-4 and a C-18 sorbent. Based on the assumption that the region of the protein surface that is in contact with the sorbent remains intact and bound to the sorbent during the digestion step, while the protein surface that is exposed to the solvent is accessible to proteolysis, the regions that were inaccessible to tryptic digestion were found to correspond to hydrophobic domains on the protein surface. These results also suggest that the three-dimensional structures of these proteins remain largely intact upon adsorption to the hydrophobic surface.     

SURF1, encoding a factor involved in the biogenesis of cytochrome c oxidase, is mutated in Leigh syndrome

A drug with cationic characteristics such as procaine can be conveyed in a Carbomer hydrogel in two different ways: (i) in the form of salt in solution in the aqueous phase, and (ii) in the base form salified with the same polymer. Introduction of the drug into the hydrogel with different concentrations of polymer produced, in both cases, a reduction in viscosity in relation to drug concentration. The gels with procaine salified with the polymer showed greater viscosity. The drug release rate, in general, diminished with the increase in polymer concentration. Nevertheless, when this concentration was maintained, there was no variation in release rate when the viscosity produced as a consequence of drug concentration was changed. Gels with procaine salified with the carboxyvinylic polymer had a faster release rate than those with procaine in the hydrochloride form dissolved in the aqueous phase. These results have also been confirmed by a simulated absorption test.     

Comments on “Learning convergence in the cerebellar modelarticulation controller”

The commenter refers to the paper by Wong-Sideris (ibid. vol.3, p.115-21 (1992)) claiming that the original Albus CMAC (or binary CMAC) is capable of learning an arbitrary multivariate lookup table, the linear optimization process is strictly positive definite, and that the basis functions are linearly independent, given sufficient training data. In recent work by Brown et al. (1994), however, it has been proved that the multivariate binary CMAC is unable to learn certain multivariate lookup tables and the number of such orthogonal functions increases exponentially as the generalization parameter is increased. A simple 2D orthogonal function is presented as a counterexample to the original theory. It is also demonstrated that the basis functions are-always linearly dependent, both for the univariate and the multivariate case, and hence the linear optimization process is only positive semi-definite and there always exists an infinite number of possible optimal weight vectors.     

2DEG base hot electron transistors fabricated using MBE and in situion beam lithography

A vertical hot electron transistor incorporating a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) base has been fabricated in the GaAs-AlGaAs materials system. The difficulties caused by the need to form selective ohmic contacts to the different conducting layers have been overcome using a combination of in situ focused ion beam (FIB) isolation and molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) regrowth. This has allowed a high yield of working devices to be achieved with a typical common emitter current gain of h_FE=6 at low temperatures     

Developing an expert law tutor

This paper outlines the development considerations which led to the construction of a prototype “expert law tutor”. This is a system which models the competencies of the trained law teacher and is intended primarily for use as an interactive student‐directed multidimensional learning tool. The aim is to computerize those activities which might be encountered in a real‐life tutorial exercise—research, reasoning, problem solving and advising, testing, diagnosis and feedback. The paper takes a liberal view of what constitutes an expert system. The terminology expert system is retained but is defined broadly, perhaps contrary to convention, to encompass not only an advisory component or a diagnostic tool but other tutorial functions. To highlight this difference reference is made to an “expert law tutor”. It is the “expertise” of the human law tutor which is called upon. For this reason the system includes a hypertext library or information component and an multiple choice assessment component as well as a legal adviser. Providing “expert” tutor feedback is a key element in the dialogue between system and student. The prototype system was developed using (inter alia) a rule‐based expert system shell and an object‐oriented hypertext tool, and the paper comments on the features of these development tools.