cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pluralism, Pragmatism and Self-knowledge

In his recent book-length study of the current state of the philosophy of the social sciences, Patrick Baert takes aim at the usual methodological understanding of the field, an understanding that unites and limits many naturalist and nonnaturalist approaches alike. If the social sciences were instead inspired by pragmatism, they would aim at "self-knowledge," the end exhibited in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and, perhaps surprisingly, also in the work of pragmatists such as John Dewey. Such knowledge examines the deep cultural presuppositions of our practices, and in doing so "expands the scope of human possibilities" (pp. 8-9). Other philosophers who might appear to have affinities with pragmatism, such as critical theorists of various kinds, have not rid themselves of the pervasive influence of the spectator theory of knowledge and thus fail to consistently take the pragmatic turn. Social science, Baert tells us, ought to finally rid itself of the "ontological fallacy" and see that "there is nothing essential to the social that compels us to use a particular methodology" (p. 154). Instead, pragmatism teaches us to focus on the aims of research and in this way to take more seriously self-knowledge as an important and distinctive cognitive interest. In my remarks, I want to focus on these claims about the aims of a pragmatic social science. While Baert's overall aim of articulating a nonnaturalist conception of social science is deeply appealing, it is often at odds with his own commitment to methodological pluralism. While "self-referential knowledge" is one legitimate aim of a social science, it cannot be its sole or even preeminent aim. As the pragmatists themselves have cogently argued, there are many forms of practical success and many different kinds of practical knowledge. Practically oriented social science need not exclude causal and functional analyses to the extent that the social facts that they identify help us not just achieve our ends instrumentally, but also to identify, realize and transform our highest ideals. Thus, despite his own
Turbine: A Distributed-memory Dataflow Engine for High Performance Many-task Applications

Efficiently utilizing the rapidly increasing concurrency of multi-petaflop computing systems is a significant programming challenge. One approach is to structure applications with an upper layer of many loosely coupled coarse-grained tasks, each comprising a tightly-coupled parallel function or program. “Many-task” programming models such as functional parallel dataflow may be used at the upper layer to generate massive numbers of tasks, each of which generates significant tightly coupled parallelism at the lower level through multithreading, message passing, and/or partitioned global address spaces. At large scales, however, the management of task distribution, data dependencies, and intertask data movement is a significant performance challenge. In this work, we describe Turbine, a new highly scalable and distributed many-task dataflow engine. Turbine executes a generalized many-task intermediate representation with automated self-distribution and is scalable to multi-petaflop infrastructures. We present here the architecture of Turbine and its performance on highly concurrent systems.
New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus in an Adult with an Atypical Presentation of Cat-Scratch Disease: Successful Treatment with High-Dose Corticosteroids

New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is defined as a sudden onset of refractory status epilepticus in patients who do not have a history of epilepsy. It is a neurologic emergency, and determining the underlying etiology is an important factor for effectively managing and predicting the prognosis of NORSE. We describe the case of a 28-year-old woman who was hospitalized with NORSE secondary to an unknown etiology. She did not respond to traditional anticonvulsant therapy, including benzodiazepines, fosphenytoin, propofol, and levetiracetam. The patient was placed on continuous electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring and was treated further with multiple antiepileptics, which were titrated aggressively based on EEG readings and therapeutic drug levels; despite this treatment, EEG monitoring revealed continued seizures. Thus, high-dose corticosteroids were started for seizure control. Her workup included computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head, a lumbar puncture, toxicology screening, and extensive testing for multiple infectious and inflammatory etiologies. The patient's history revealed recent exposure to a new cat. Serologic results were positive for Bartonella henselae, and she was diagnosed with cat-scratch disease (CSD). She did not have the typical presentation of symptoms of lymphadenopathy, however, which is common in CSD. Doxycycline 100 mg and rifampin 300 mg twice daily were added to the patient's anticonvulsant and corticosteroid therapy. She was hospitalized for a total of 26 days and discharged with only minor neurologic impairment (short-term memory deficits and minor cognitive problems). The patient was discharged receiving antiepileptics, antibiotics, and a corticosteroid taper. To our knowledge, this is the first clinically known case of NORSE secondary to CSD without typical CSD symptoms in the adult population. The patient failed to respond to traditional anticonvulsant therapy alone. With the addition of high-dose corticosteroids to aggressive anticonvulsant therapy, seizure control was achieved. Further studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of high-dose corticosteroid and anticonvulsant therapy followed by antibiotics in patients with NORSE secondary to CSD.
AUV Single Beacon Range-Only SLAM with a SOG Filter

Abstract This paper presents a solution to the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) problem of an AUV which uses range-only measurements towards a single beacon. It simultaneously estimates the beacon (a priori unknown) and AUV (a priori known) positions. Conventional EKF-SLAM methods cannot deal with this problem since the resultant probability density function (pdf) of the beacon-position is severely non-Gaussian during the initialization. Particle filters can do the job but, depending on the size of the space where the beacon lays, a significant number of particles may be required to populate the solution domain, making difficult to achieve real-time performance. In this paper we present a filter which represents the joint pdf of the robot and beacon positions as a Multivariate Gaussian Mixture which has the potential to represent an arbitrary pdf with a number of Gaussian 'particles' significantly smaller than the one that would be necessary if conventional particles were used instead. In our method, each particle contains a full EKF over vehicle position/velocity and the beacon position. The method is applied to locate a sub-sea panel and home to it autonomously in order to establish visual contact to later launch a visual servoing based docking task. The method is demonstrated through real-time Hardware-in-the-loop experiments (HIL) where the robot follows an observable trajectory.
Leading Inquiry in Schools: Examining Mental Models of Data-Informed Practice

In order to learn more about the ways in which educators in various roles construe “data” and “data use,” we conducted a study in a small school district in central Texas, collecting survey data from n=154 educators in August 2012. Analyses revealed that while all educators reported using some form of evidence to inform practice, the terms used to describe that evidence varied. Further, more teacher participants attached mixed connotations to the terms, as compared to district leaders and campus leaders. Teachers whose survey responses suggested broader, more improvement-oriented mental models of data use reported slightly higher levels of commitment to data-informed practice. We review models of data-rich collaborative inquiry that provide approaches similar to “data-driven decision making” but which may avoid accountability- and compliance-laden language that appears to heighten anxiety among some teachers.
Particle theories with minimum observable length and open string theory

Abstract We investigate a class of particle theories that have minimum observable length. Among them we find the theory equivalent to the open bosonic string theory. For this theory, starting from a reparameterization invariant and non-local action with respect to a world-line parameter, we derive the Virasoro constraint and the Veneziano amplitude. The possible relation to other attempts to introduce a fundamental length scale into particle theory is also discussed.
Nonadrenal female pseudohermaphrodism

Summary Two cases have been reported of infantswho were considered to be female pseudohermaphrodites of nonadrenal origin. The diagnosis was proved at post mortem in one case and suggested at laparotomy in the other but not proved by biopsy. Both infants had associated renal tract anomalies which led to renal insufficiency and signs suggestive of Addisonian crisis. Clinically this combination of female pseudohermaphrodism and salt-losing nephritis may be distinguished from mixed adrenal disease by the signs of urinary tract involvement and normal hormonal excretion. Of the two other cases of nonadrenal female pseudohermaphrodism reported in the literature, one was similar to the two patients reported herein and the other had a different configuration of the external genitals.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for the diagnosis of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma: a single-center experience.

Objectives: Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas (ACP) is an aggressive variant of ductal adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to describe a single-center experience with the use of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with or without fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for the diagnosis of ACP. Methods: The cytology and surgical pathology databases were searched for a diagnosis of ACP between 1992 and 2008. Demographic, clinical, surgical, radiographic, pathological, and EUS data were abstracted. Results: Thirteen patients with ACP were identified, which represented 0.8% of all pancreatic cancers diagnosed during the study period. Six of 13 patients had EUS. Features of these 6 tumors: median diameter of 42 mm (range, 20-100 mm), hypoechoic (n = 6), solid (n = 3) or mixed solid and cystic (n = 3), heterogeneous (n = 5) or homogeneous (n = 1), and well defined (n = 2) or poorly defined (n = 4) borders. Five underwent EUS-FNA of a pancreatic mass, and cytology demonstrated ACP in 4 and ductal adenocarcinoma in 1. The diagnosis of ACP was confirmed after surgical resection in 2 of these 5, including one in whom cytology demonstrated only adenocarcinoma. The sixth patient had EUS without FNA, and surgical pathology after distal pancreatectomy found ACP. Conclusions: Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas has variable endosonographic features. Endoscopic ultrasound-FNA may assist in the cytological diagnosis of these tumors.
Magnetic Modeling For Highly Permeable Bodies With Remanent Magnetization

A numerical method is given for the solution of the 3D magnetostatic problem for a rb i t ra r i ly shaped bodies wi th h igh s u s c e p t i b i l i t y , including remanent magnet iza t ion . The in tegra l equa t ion i s so lved us ing the method of f in i te e lements and a modified version of Pohanka's (1988) a lgor i thm for the magne tos ta t i c case . Some theore t i ca l examples a re cons ide red and demagnetization factors are shown. These methods p romise to be essen t ia l in in te rp re t ing the magne t ic f i e ld over a reas conta in ing h igh ly magnet ic ob jec t s , such as l a n d f i l l s w i t h b u r i a l s i n s t e e l d r u m s .
Environmental Impact of Runoff from Highway Construction and Repair Materials: Project Overview

A study was conducted to identify the possible effects of highway construction and repair (C&R) materials on the quality of surface water and groundwater near the highway environment. The scope involved the development of a validated methodology to assess such effects in three phases. Phases 1 and 2 involved a survey of C&R materials, laboratory testing of the chemical and toxicological characteristics of a selected number of these materials, development and validation of a laboratory testing-based screening and evaluation methodology for highway C&R materials, and development of a mathematical model to simulate the fate and transport of water quality constituents, including toxicity, along surface and subsurface pathways in the highway environment. Phase 3 focused on 10 tasks designed to confirm the evaluation methodology, test various hypotheses of the model development, develop additional leaching and sorption data, compare ecotoxicological testing procedures developed during the project with standard Environmental Protection Agency procedures, refine laboratory protocols, enhance the model, and investigate the availability of field data for model testing.
Relation of serum ascorbic acid to mortality among US adults.

Purpose: To examine the relation between serum ascorbic acid (SAA), a marker of dietary intake (including supplements), and cause-specific mortality.Subjects and Methods: We analyzed data from a probability sample of 8,453 Americans age ≥30 years at baseline enrolled in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II), who were followed for mortality endpoints. We calculated relative hazard ratios as measures of disease association comparing the mortality rates in three biologically relevant SAA categories.Results: Participants with normal to high SAA levels had a marginally significant 21% to 25% decreased risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) (p for trend = 0.09) and a 25% to 29% decreased risk of all-cause mortality (p for trend <0.001) compared to participants with low levels. Because we determined that gender modified the association between SAA levels and cancer death, we analyzed these associations stratified by gender. Among men, normal to high SAA levels were associate...
A treatable multifocal motor neuropathy with antibodies to GM1 ganglioside.

We report 2 patients with a treatable, immune-mediated motor polyneuropathy associated with antibodies to defined neural antigens. In these patients asymmetrical weakness developed in one arm and progressed over 2 to 3 years to involve the other arm, legs, and trunk. Both patients were initially diagnosed as having lower motor neuron forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, repeated electrophysiological testing eventually showed multifocal conduction blocks in motor but not sensory fibers compatible with patchy selective demyelination. Serum testing by thin-layer chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that both patients had high titers of antibody directed against GM1 and other gangliosides. Initial therapeutic trials of prednisone (100 mg daily for 4 to 6 months) and plasmapheresis were unsuccessful. Treatment with cyclophosphamide, however, was followed by Marchked improvement in strength in both patients.
Informatics tools and medical communication: patient perspectives of "knowledge coupling" in primary care.

The use of various "informatics tools" for routine patient care promises to radically alter the ways whereby medical knowledge and information are processed and applied. In so doing, it can also change the nature of the information exchange and relational communication that occurs between patients and caregivers. This investigation examines how patients view "knowledge coupling" (KC) tools as they are routinely used in a "coupler-centered" family practice (CCP). How do patients view these tools as influencing information exchange and their relationship with caregivers? Based upon close- and open-ended questions of a random sample of patients in the CCP, this study found that most respondents viewed KC informatics tools as elevating the information exchange that occurs between patients and caregivers-increasing the extent to which patients are "heard and understood" by caregivers and come to "know and understand" what is ailing them. Many respondents report being empowered by the use of the tools, and havi...
A Note on Inventory Replenishment Policy for Increasing Demand

We propose a hybrid heuristic method to solve the problem of determining the timing and size of replenishments in order to minimize the total replenishment and inventory holding costs in the case of a deterministic demand pattern having a linear trend. The method obtains the optimal solutions in the two examples most widely used in this journal.
Human CD34+ hematopoietic cells transduced by retrovirus-mediated interferon alpha gene maintains regeneration capacity and engraftment in NOD/SCID mice

To achieve long-term expression of human interferon alpha-5 (IFNalpha) gene in the bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic microenvironment, replication-deficient retroviral vector LSN-IFNalpha was used to deliver the IFNalpha gene into human BM CD34+ cells. After fibronectin-facilitated transduction, a fraction of CD34+ cells was plated in methylcellulose medium with or without G418 to assess transduction efficiency and the effect of IFNalpha gene transfer on colony formation. Colony-forming assay in the presence of G418 (400 microg/mL) revealed that 41% CFU-GM colonies are G418 resistant after infection with LSN-IFNalpha retrovirus. There was no significant difference in CFU-GM/BFU-E colony formation among IFNalpha gene-transduced CD34+ cells, control vector (LXSN) transduced-CD34+ cells and nontransduced CD34+ cells. Another portion of CD34+ cells was grown in liquid medium to measure IFNalpha production. RIA revealed that IFNalpha gene-transduced CD34+ cells produced 72.2 +/- 15.4 U/mL (10(6) cells/24 hours) of IFNalpha compared with 8.3 +/- 2.1 U/mL and 4.3 +/- 1.2 U/mL in LXSN-transduced or nontransduced CD34+ cells, respectively. The remaining portion of transduced CD34+ cells was transplanted into immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice to allow analysis of long-term expression of IFNalpha. Transplantation of 1x10(6) CD34+ cells into sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice showed that IFNalpha and neo(r) mRNA were detectable in engrafted mouse BM cells for up to 6 months. We conclude that continual local expression of IFNalpha in transduced CD34+ cells does not impair either CD34+ cell growth and differentiation or engraftment and long-term survival in NOD/SCID mice.
Precursory Seismic Activation and Critical-point Phenomena

—In this paper we relate the behavior of seismicity prior to a characteristic earthquake to the excitation in proximity to a spinodal instability. We illustrate the spinodal instability as the upper limit of superheated water prior to a steam explosion. We draw an analogy between the steam explosion and a characteristic earthquake, and show that the power-law activation associated with the spinodal instability is essentially identical to the power-law increase in Benioff strain observed prior to characteristic earthquakes. We find that theory and actual data give very similar results.
A-B-A-B-A block amphiphiles. Balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic segmentation.

Six penta-block amphiphiles of the general structure A-B-A-B-A or B-A-B-A-B (where A = a hydrophilic ether and B = a hydrophobic carbon chain) were synthesized and examined via water solubilities, surface activities, cloud points, and self-diffusion coefficients (the latter obtained by Fourier transform pulsed gradient spin−echo NMR, abbreviated PGSE-NMR). It was found that segmentation can have a dramatic effect upon solute properties, including solubility, propensity to self-assemble, aggregation number, and cooperativity. These data are relevant to biological systems where segmentation is a widespread phenomenon.
Fetal Isoenzyme Expression of Heterotransplanted HeLa Cells in Nude Mice

The nude mouse has been successfully employed for the propagation of human tumors, without the need for immunosuppression. In light of the limited data on embryonic gene expression in such tumors, we undertook a study of fetal isoenzyme expression during tumor growth. HeLa TCRC-1 which has been shown to produce the placental Regan isoenzyme was used in these studies. The isoenzyme produced by these cells in culture is initially replaced by an isoenzyme referred to as chorionic. In the later stages of tumor growth, the so-called oncoamniotic (FL) isoenzyme then becomes the dominant enzyme form. The chorionic isoenzyme is produced by the early chorionic membranes of the developing conceptus, while the oncoamniotic (FL) isoenzyme is most similar to that found in the fetal human intestine. The alteration in the expression of fetal isoenzymes in tumors growing in the nude mouse is similar to that seen in the immunosuppressed rat and hamster host animals, indicating that the phenomenon is not related to immunosuppression per se.
The influence of transmutation, void swelling, and flux/spectra uncertainties on the electrical properties of copper and copper alloys

Abstract A comparison of the predicted and measured electrical conductivities of MARZ copper and two copper alloys irradiated in FFTF shows that the calculated transmutation rates agree within 15% with those required to produce the observed changes. It also appears that the contribution of transmutants and void swelling to conductivity changes are directly additive. Of the three models studied, Euken's model has been found to best describe the contribution of void swelling to conductivity loss.
A New Network Management System with Ontology-Supported Multi-agent Techniques

This paper presents a new network management system with ontology-supported multi-agent techniques. This technique derived from the ontology combining with related free software -- Ethereal and Cacti which stored the operating information of network management perfectly into the backend database; furthermore, from the view of the fundamental functions of information agents, the system could sketch the four main components of network management systems with the technique of graphic monitoring multi-agent, which the system architecture consisted of an interface agent, a proxy agent, a monitoring agent, and a search agent. The experimental outcomes of the system prototype proved that the techniques implemented in this paper could not only precisely recognize error alarms but also indeed reduce the recovery time to 61% of traditional processing time for network troubleshooting.
Cultivation of rat granulosa cells in a serum-free chemically defined medium — a useful model to study lipoprotein metabolism

Abstract We have developed a chemically defined, serum-free medium for the culture of rat granulosa cells. This medium contains Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium/Ham's nutrient F12 (DME:F12) (1:1) plus insulin (2 μg/ml), hydrocortisone (100 ng/ml), transferrin (5 μg/ml) and fibronectin (2 μg/cm 2 ). Granulosa cells grown in this medium have an absolute requirement for added cholesterol-rich lipoproteins for steroidogenesis. When cells are cultured in basal medium, progestin production is low; when cells are cultured in the presence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or dibutyryl cAMP ((Bu) 2 cAMP), progestin secretion is increased 10–100-fold. Both heterologous and homologous lipoproteins synergistically increased the effects of (Bu) 2 cAMP or FSH: e.g., addition to the medium of human (h)-HDL 3 produced a significant increase in both basal (approx. 15-fold) and (Bu) 2 cAMP-stimulated (approx. 1000–2000-fold) progestin production. LDL were less effective than HDL at equivalent concentrations of lipoprotein cholesterol. FSH invoked changes similar to that of (Bu) 2 cAMP, although the magnitude of the FSH-induced change was less dramatic than that seen with (Bu) 2 cAMP. The effect of h-HDL 3 and h-LDL on both basal and hormone-stimulated progestin production was concentration- and time-dependent. The maximum effect of h-HDL 3 was achieved at a protein concentration of 500 μg/ml, with an ED 50 of approx. 90 μg/ml. In contrast, h-LDL was most effective at a concentration of 30–40 μg protein/ml. Likewise, rat (r-)HDL and r-LDL supported steroidogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner. Maximal responses to all additions were observed after 72 h of treatment. Granulosa cells secreted 20α-hydroxypregn-4-ene-3-one as the predominant steroid in response to (Bu) 2 cAMP. However, with the addition of h-HDL 3 , the major secreted product was progesterone. In conclusion, rat granulosa cells maintained in the described serum-free medium are exquisitely sensitive to supplied cholesterol-rich lipoproteins. When cultured in the presence of both lipoproteins and stimulatory agents, they produce from 1000–2000-times the progestins made by comparable cells maintained in medium alone. This responsiveness of the cells to both lipoprotein and hormone stimulation makes them uniquely suitable for studies involving the uptake and metabolism of lipoproteins during steroidogenesis.
Mevalonic acid kinase in Euglena gracilis.

The isolation and partial purification of mevalonic acid kinase from Euglena gracilis is described. The product of the reaction MVA-5-P has been characterized by paper chromatography. The apparent Km values for l-mevalonic acid, ATP, and Mg 2+ are 3 × 10 −5 m, 6 × 10 −3 m, and 9 × 10 −3 m, respectively. A concentration of 1 × 10 −3 m p -hydroxymercuribenzoate completely inactivates the enzyme. A distribution study has shown that mevalonic acid kinase is present in most higher plants and the algae Euglena gracilis and Chlamydomonas. No enzymatic activity could be detected in several species of photosynthetic bacteria or blue-green algae.
The Bottomn-Left Bin-Packing Heuristic: An Efficient Implementation

We study implementations of the bottom-left heuristic for two-dimensional bin-packing. To pack N rectangles into an infinite vertical strip of fixed width, the strategy considered here places each rectangle in turn as low as possible in the strip in a left-justified position. For reasons of simplicity and good performance, the bottom-left heuristic has long been a favorite in practical applications; however, the best implementations found so far require a number of steps O(N3). In this paper, we present an implementation of the bottom-left heuristic which requires linear space and quadratic time. The algorithm is fairly practical, and we believe that even for relatively small values of N, it gives the most efficient implementation of the heuristic, to date. It proceeds by first determining all the possible locations where the next rectangle can fit, then selecting the lowest of them. It is optimal among all the algorithms based on this exhaustive strategy, and its generality makes it adaptable to different packing heuristics.
Regulation of mRNA Decay: Decapping Goes Solo

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Badis et al. demonstrate that autoregulated destabilization of the RPS28B mRNA is mediated by Edc3p interaction with an Rps28p/3'UTR mRNP complex. Subsequent recruitment of Dcp1p/Dcp2p to the complex appears to ensure rapid, deadenylation-independent decapping of the mRNA.
Noninvasive assessment of changes in myocardial perfusion and ventricular performance following exercise training.

Abstract Seventeen coronary patients (CAD) underwent thallium (TI-201) treadmill and radionuclide (RNV) ejection fraction supine bicycle testing before and after 5.6 ± 1.6 (X ± SD) months of an exercise program. Thallium data were assessed both using analog images and a computerized circumferential profile technique. Patients exercised on the treadmill to a higher workload after the exercise program, but achieved a similar pressure-rate product. When interpreting the analog thallium images, only 50% agreement was obtained for the assessment of changes in myocardial perfusion (pre/post-training). The computer technique, however, had low inter-intraobserver variability (6%) and better agreement (90.5%). Using the circumferential profile method, five patients improved (a total of 11 regions) and one patient worsened (with two regions). Before the exercise program, the ejection fraction (EF) response to supine bike exercise was normal (an increase greater than 11%) in four, flat in seven, and severely abnormal (a decrease of more than 4%) in six patients. After the exercise program, even though achieving similar or higher pressure-rate products, six patients improved their EF response, nine did not change, and two worsened. Of the five patients who improved their thallium images, one improved his EF response, two remained normal, and two did not change. One patient worsened both his thallium study and the EF response after the exercise program. Changes in thallium exercise images and the EF response to supine exercise occurred in our patients after an exercise program, but were not always concordant. Indeed, of five patients with exercise-induced ischemic ST changes before and after training, the EF response improved in three whereas myocardial perfusion was unchanged. Reasons for this lack of agreement are discussed, and have been considered in the planning of a randomized trial of the effects of an exercise program on myocardial perfusion and function.
Knowledge acquisition for temporal-abstraction mechanisms

Abstract We describe three general temporal-abstraction mechanisms needed for managing time-stamped data: point temporal abstraction (a mechanism for abstracting several parameter values into one class); temporal inference (a mechanism for inferring sound logical conclusions over a single interval or two meeting intervals); and temporal interpolation (a mechanism for bridging non-meeting temporal intervals). Making explicit the knowledge required for temporal abstractions supports the acquisition of problem-solving knowledge needed for planning, plan execution, problem identification and plan revision. These mechanisms are implemented in the RESUME system, and will be used in the context of our ongoing PROTEGE-II project, whose goal is to generate knowledge-based systems automatically, as well as the appropriate knowledge-acquisition tools, custom-tailored to acquire the specific domain and task knowledge needed by the specific problem-solving method chosen for the task.
Further results on disturbance attenuation for multiple input multiple output nonlinear systems

The problems of disturbance attenuation and almost disturbance decoupling play a central role in control theory. In this paper, by employing a recently discovered structural decomposition of multiple input multiple output nonlinear systems and the backstepping procedures that were developed based on the structure of the decomposed system, we show that these two problems can be solved for a larger class of nonlinear systems.
Extent of intermixing among framework units in silicate glasses and melts

One aspect of the inherent disorder in silicate glasses and melts is the intermixing among framework units, which has important implications to the macroscopic properties of silicate magmas. We present experimental evidence of extensive mixing of these framework units in silicate glasses including aluminosilicate and borosilicate glasses from oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which shows remarkable similarity to predictions from ab initio molecular orbital calculations. We quantify the extent of framework disorder by introducing the degree of interdispersion (P) ranging from complete phase separation to random distribution for borosilicate glasses and the degree of Al avoidance (Q) for aluminosilicate glasses. Boron-11 triple quantum magic angle spinning NMR results show that the fraction of the boroxol ring group increases with increasing boron content in binary borosilicate glasses, affecting the corresponding configurational enthalpy. We demonstrate that a more complete description of the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of silicate glasses can be successfully derived from detailed information on the degree of framework disorder.
Stanley Hoffmann: Three brief essays

In a famous essay, Isaiah Berlin contrasted two intellectual styles, that of the fox, who knows many small things, and that of the hedgehog, who ‘knows one big thing’ – who has one big idea or works within one theoretical tradition. Stanley Hoffmann's work reflects both styles. In his descriptive work he is a fox, who knows many things. In his discussions of ethics, he is a hedgehog who knows one big thing: that an ethical dimension is inherent in cogent interpretation. As a critic of American foreign policy, Hoffmann has combined these styles, arguing that the United States is too prone to lecture others rather than to engage in the give-and-take of bargaining. And he has always emphasized the layered and complex nature of world politics.
Impairment of thymus‐derived lymphoid cell function in patients with basal cell carcinoma

The host-tumor relationships in 34 patients with basal cell carcinoma was investigated by characterizing thymus-derived (T) and bone marrow-derived (B) lymphoid subpopulations in the blood by cell surface markers and lymphoid function in vitro by proliferative responses to mitogenic and antigenic stimulation. Results were correlated with tumor stage. In patients with tumor present, the data demonstrate significantly (P less than .02) decreased responsiveness of T cells to the lectin mitogens phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A, and further demonstrate significantly decreased responsiveness of T cells to antigens (P less than .001 for Candida antigen, P less than .05 for Staphylococcal filtrate and Streptococcal varidase). In patients who were grossly disease free after resection of tumors, there was no significant difference in these responses from normal. These results document, for the first time, impaired T-cell function in patients with basal cell carcinoma and suggest that the functional impairment is tumor induced.
Targeted Photodynamic Therapy

Background and Objectives: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging modality for the treatment of various neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathologies. Study Design/Materials and Methods: PDT usually occurs when reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from light-activated chemicals (photosensitizer, PS) destroy the target. For non-dermatologic applications the PS are delivered systemically and accumulate, at different concentrations, in most organs. Results and Conclusion: Typically there is a modest enhanced accumulation of the PS in tumor tissues, providing a first level of selectivity. Additional selectivity is provided by the confined illumination of the target area with the appropriate wavelength of light. For the treatment of pathologies in complex anatomical sites, such as in the peritoneal cavity, where restricted illumination is difficult; improved targeting of the PS is necessary to prevent damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. This article will focus on targeted PDT. Lasers Surg. Med. 38:522–531, 2006. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A rotation- and flip-invariant algorithm for representing spatial continuity information of geographic images in content-based image retrieval

This research proposes a rotation- and flip-invariant algorithm for representing spatial continuity information in high-resolution geographic images for content based image retrieval (CBIR). Starting with variogram concept, the new visual property representation, in the form of a numeric index vector, consists of a set of semi-variances at selected lags and directions, based on three well-justified principles: (1) capture the basic shape of sample variogram, (2) represent the spatial continuity anisotropy, and (3) make the representation rotation- and flip-invariant. The algorithm goes through two tests. The first test confirms that it can indeed align the image representations based on spatial continuity information of objects within images by re-ordering the semi-variances accordingly. In the second test, the algorithm is applied to retrieve seven types of typical geographic entities from an Erie County orthophoto database. The retrieval results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new algorithm in CBIR, as assessed by retrieval precision.
University of Hawaii adaptive optics system: I. General approach

The adaptive optics system being developed to sharpen images produced by telescopes at Mauna Kea is discussed. An approach based on new components developed and optimized for astronomical applications is described. The approach is limited to low-order wavefront compensation and is used for image stabilization. Avalanche photodiodes were used as sensors and reference stars were employed for sensing wavefront errors in a novel sensing technique based on wavefront curvature measurements. The instrument is described and expected performance is discussed.
Note on unit tangent vector computation for homotopy curve tracking on a hypercube

Probability-one homotopy methods are a class of methods for solving nonlinear systems of equations that are globally convergent from an arbitrary starting point. The essence of all such algorithms is the construction of an appropriate homotopy map @r"a(@l, x) and subsequent tracking of some smooth curve @c in the zero set of the homotopy map. Tracking a homotopy curve involves finding the unit tangent vector at different points along the zero curve, which amounts to calculating the kernel of the n x (n + 1) Jacobian matrix D@r"a(@l, x). While computing the tangent vector is just one part of the curve tracking algorithm, it can require a significant percentage of the total tracking time. This note presents computational results showing the performance of several different parallel orthogonal factorization/triangular system solving algorithms for the tangent vector computation on a hypercube.
Differential Effects of Murine and Human Factor X on Adenovirus Transduction via Cell-surface Heparan Sulfate

Serum coagulation factor X (FX) is proposed to play a major role in adenovirus tropism, promoting transduction by bridging the virus to cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). Both murine FX and human FX increased transduction by Ad.CMVfLuc, an adenovirus vector, in murine hepatocyte-like cells and human hepatocarcinoma cells. In contrast, only hFX increased transduction of several non-hepatic cancer cell lines and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Not only was mFX unable to promote transduction in these cells, it competitively blocked hFX-enhanced transduction. Competition and HSPG digestion experiments suggested mFX- and hFX-enhanced transduction in hepatocyte-derived cells, and hFX-enhanced transduction in epithelial cancer cells were dependent on HSPGs. Ad·hFX-mediated transduction of CHO mutants unable to produce HSPGs was also curtailed. Hepatocyte-derived cells expressed substantially more HSPGs than the cancer cell lines. Dose-response curves and heparin-Sepharose binding suggested Ad·hFX has greater affinity for HSPGs than does Ad·mFX. In coagulation factor-depleted mice hFX also had enhanced ability, compared with mFX, to reconstitute hepatic adenovirus transduction. The results suggest that differences in Ad·hFX and Ad·mFX affinity to HSPGs may result in differences in their ability to enhance adenovirus transduction of many cells. These findings may have implications for murine models of adenovirus vector targeting.
Sensitivity calculations in PDF particle methods

In combustion modeling, it is desirable to know how sensitive the predictions are to certain parameters in the model formulation. In this study, we develop a method for accurate and efficient sensitivity calculation in PDF modeling of turbulent combustion. This method enables the calculation of the sensitivities for each particle in PDF particle methods. These particle-level sensitivities are very revealing. They allow one to examine the particles with the largest sensitivities, and the corresponding compositions reveal the sensitive region of composition space. By ensemble averaging the particle sensitivities, sensitivities of mean (and conditional mean) quantities can be extracted. The method is applied to the PDF calculations of the oxidation of diluted hydrogen in a partially stirred reactor (PaSR) using three different mixing models. It is demonstrated that the method is capable of accurately calculating the sensitivities at the particle level. The study also illustrates the qualitatively different behavior of the three mixing models as revealed by both the particle composition and the particle sensitivities. The sensitivities of mean (and conditional mean) quantities reveal the controlling processes in a PaSR. They confirm that when combustion is controlled by mixing, the combustion is insensitive to chemistry; when the system is close to global extinction, the combustion is extremely sensitive both to mixing and to chemistry.
Specificity of Fowl and Mammalian Antigonadotropic Sera.

SummarySheep antigonadotropic rabbit serum, aspecific in nature, although effective in inhibiting the gonadotropic action of extracts of mammalian tissues and fluids did not prevent the typical effect of gonadotropic extracts made from chicken hypophyses. Chicken antigonadotropic rabbit serum, while inhibiting the gonadotropic action of chicken pituitary glands, was ineffective against gonadotropic extracts of sheep pituitary glands. The possible relationship of these experiments are discussed in regard to the nature of the antihormone mechanism.
Stimulus and response generalization: A stochastic model relating generalization to distance in psychological space

A mathematical model is developed in an attempt to relate errors in multiple stimulus-response situations to psychological inter-stimulus and inter response distances. The fundamental assumptions are (a) that the stimulus and response confusions go on independently of each other, (b) that the probability of a stimulus confusion is an exponential decay function of the psychological distance between the stimuli, and (c) that the probability of a response confusion is an exponential decay function of the psychological distance between the responses. The problem of the operational definition of psychological distance is considered in some detail.
Optimum and near optimum feature selection for multivariate data

Abstract In designing pattern classification systems for a small number of training samples, investigators have quoted that there exists an optimal number of features one can use. This number is a function of the number of training samples and the probability structure of the data. A recursive algorithm is given for selecting a near optimal feature set for classifying a data set consisting of two classes described by two equiprobable multivariate normal densities with a common covariance matrix. We compare this near optimal feature selection algorithm with the optimal exhaustive search algorithm and discuss examples for both algorithms.
Effect of grain size on the elastic properties of nanocrystalline α-iron

Abstract The effect of grain size on the elastic properties of nanocrystalline α-iron is reported using atomistic simulations. A softening of the elastic properties is observed for grain sizes ranging from 12 nm down to 6 nm. The decrease in the Young’s and shear moduli with decreasing grain size is in agreement with experimental data and matches an analytical model based on the rule of mixtures for composite materials.
Application of Threshold-bias Independent Analysis to Eye-tracking and FROC Data

Rationale and Objectives Studies of medical image interpretation have focused on either assessing radiologists' performance using, for example, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) paradigm, or assessing the interpretive process by analyzing their eye-tracking (ET) data. Analysis of ET data has not benefited from threshold-bias independent figures of merit (FOMs) analogous to the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The aim was to demonstrate the feasibility of such FOMs and to measure the agreement between FOMs derived from free-response ROC (FROC) and ET data. Methods Eight expert breast radiologists interpreted a case set of 120 two-view mammograms while eye-position data and FROC data were continuously collected during the interpretation interval. Regions that attract prolonged (>800 ms) visual attention were considered to be virtual marks, and ratings based on the dwell and approach-rate (inverse of time-to-hit) were assigned to them. The virtual ratings were used to define threshold-bias independent FOMs in a manner analogous to the area under the trapezoidal alternative FROC (AFROC) curve (0 = worst, 1 = best). Agreement at the case level (0.5 = chance, 1 = perfect) was measured using the jackknife and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the FOMs and agreement were estimated using the bootstrap. Results The AFROC mark-ratings' FOM was largest at 0.734 (CI 0.65–0.81) followed by the dwell at 0.460 (0.34–0.59) and then by the approach-rate FOM 0.336 (0.25–0.46). The differences between the FROC mark-ratings' FOM and the perceptual FOMs were significant ( P P = .008). Conclusions Leveraging current methods developed for analyzing observer performance data could complement current ways of analyzing ET data and lead to new insights.
Serpentinization and alteration in an olivine cumulate from the Stillwater Complex, Southwestern Montana

Some of the olivine cumulates of the Ultramafic zone of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, are progressively altered to serpentine minerals and thompsonite. Lizardite and chrysotile developed in the cumulus olivine and postcumulus pyroxenes; thompsonite developed in postcumulus plagioclase. The detailed mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry indicate that olivine and plagioclase react to form the alteration products, except for H2O, without changes in the bulk composition of the rocks.
The Kinetic Mechanism of Phosphomevalonate Kinase

Phosphomevalonate kinase catalyzes an essential step in the so-called mevalonate pathway, which appears to be the sole pathway for the biosynthesis of sterols and other isoprenoids in mammals and archea. Despite the well documented importance of this pathway in the cause and prevention of human disease and that it is the biosynthetic root of an enormous diverse class of metabolites, the mechanism of phosphomevalonate kinase from any organism is not yet well characterized. The first structure of a phosphomevalonate kinase from Streptococcus pneumoniae was solved recently. The enzyme exhibits an atypical P-loop that is a conserved defining feature of the GHMP kinase superfamily. In this study, the kinetic mechanism of the S. pneumoniae enzyme is characterized in the forward and reverse directions using a combination of classical initial-rate methods including alternate substrate inhibition using ADPbetaS. The inhibition patterns strongly support that in either direction the substrates bind randomly to the enzyme prior to chemistry, a random sequential bi-bi mechanism. The kinetic constants are as follows: k(cat(forward)) = 3.4 s(-1), K(i(ATP)) = 137 microm, K(m(ATP)) = 74 microm, K(i(pmev)) = 7.7 microm, K(m(pmev)) = 4.2 microm; k(cat(reverse)) = 3.9 s(-1), K(i(ADP)) = 410 microm, K(m(ADP)) = 350 microm, K(i(ppmev)) = 14 microm, K(m(ppmev)) = 12 microm, where pmev and ppmev represent phosphomevalonate and diphosphomevalonate, respectively.
Complexity and integration in the control of inner-eardevelopment

A report on the Sixth Molecular Biology of Hearing and Deafness Conference, Hinxton, UK, 11-14 July 2007.