cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histopathologic and ultrastructural findings in certain genodermatoses

Abstract Skin histology and ultrastructure have become diagnostically crucial in relatively few genetic diseases with major or prominent skin manifestations. In some diseases, these morphologic evaluations have increased our understanding of the disease process and provided a basis for interpretation of biochemical and physiologic studies. This review aims at illustrating some of the prominent accomplishments of histologic and, especially, ultrastructural studies in selected genetic diseases. The most widely studied disease group is the epidermolysis bullosa group in which histology and ultrastructure have provided the basis for currently used classifications of the diseases within the group. 1,2 The histologic and ultrastructural findings have also suggested hypotheses concerning the nature of the primary defects in several of these diseases, thus focusing investigations at the physiologic and/or biochemical level. The ichthyoses have been a disappointment from a histologic and ultrastructural point of view, with the exception of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, in which striking alterations have been noted, although they have yet to lead to a clearer understanding of the nature of the primary defect in the disease.
Attachment theory, relational spirituality, and varieties of evangelicals

In her book When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God, T.M. Luhrmann (2012) offers a fascinating and insightful anthropological account of American evangelic...
An Inverse Scattering Transform for the Davey-Stewartson II Equations, III

Abstract The Cauchy problem of the Davey-Stewartson II equations is solved by the method of an inverse scattering transform. Results of existence and uniqueness of global solutions, regularity, spatial, and long time decay are obtained.
A stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase, NbSACPD-C, is critical for ovule development in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Summary Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SACPD) activity is essential for production of the major unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in plant lipids. We report here the characterization of three SACPD genes from Nicotiana benthamiana, NbSACPD-A, -B, and -C. All three genes share high similarity to AtSSI2/FAB2 (Suppressor of Salicylic acid-Insensitivity2/Fatty Acid Biosynthesis2), the primary SACPD isoform in Arabidopsis. Knocking down the expression of individual or combinations of NbSACPDs by an artificial microRNA approach resulted in significantly reduced accumulation of 18C UFAs and elevated levels of 18:0-FA (Fatty acids) in leaves, indicating that all three genes participated in fatty acid desaturation. The triple knockdown (KD) plants displayed severe growth phenotypes, including spontaneous cell death and dwarfing. While no vegetative morphologic abnormality was observed in NbSACPD-A, -B, or -C KD plants, strikingly, NbSACPD-C KD plants produced small fruits with aborted ovules. Reciprocal crosses with wild-type and NbSACPD-C KD plants revealed that knocking down NbSACPD-C expression caused female, but not male, sterility. Furthermore, arrested ovule development and significantly altered lipid composition in ovaries were observed in NbSACPD-C KD plants, consistent with the predominant NbSACPD-C expression in ovules. The ovule development defect was fully complemented by coexpressing an amiRNA-resistant NbSACPD-C variant in the NbSACPD-C KD background, further supporting a specific requirement for NbSACPD-C in female fertility. Our results thus indicated that NbSACPD-C plays a critical role maintaining membrane lipid composition in ovule development for female fertility in N. benthamiana, complementing and extending prior understanding on the well-demonstrated roles of SACPDs in biotic and abiotic stresses.
Applications of theory of simultaneous diagonalization of several Hermitian forms

Abstract In this paper sets of necessary and sufficient conditions for simultaneous reducibility to diagonal forms of two or more prescribed Hermitian forms are summarized and the procedure for computation of the required transformation outlined, with a view towards applying these results in various problems of electronics. Application of the results to Foster-type canonic synthesis of networks containing positive and negative resistors, inductors and capacitors is discussed. The theory is also applied towards a solution of a certain problem occurring in the Anderson-Duffin parallel addition of matrices. Furthermore, other possible applications are discussed, and examples included, wherever these serve to illustrate better the procedure.
Integration of physics/chemistry into teaching of electronic devices in undergraduate engineering technology programs

Summary form only given. In the light of industry and teaching experiences, a total often engineering technology programs were appraised for the purpose of making recommendation for continuous program improvement. Programs in which basic courses such as physics, chemistry, and electronic devises are taught by traditional sequential methods may not always help students recognize the relationship of physics/chemistry as it applies to electronic material and devices. This paper proposes a pedagogical method of collaborative curricular that will integrate specific course contents in physics/chemistry into teaching in electronic devices, enhance content-based application approach to teaching, as well as help in guiding undergraduate research projects for the engineering technology students.
Equilibria in Water–Alcohol Mixtures

IN order to describe accurately the kinetics of nucleophilic substitutions carried out under alkaline conditions in aqueous alcoholic solutions, in which both hydroxy and alkoxy groups are introduced, it is necessary to know the equilibrium constant (K) of the reaction: in order to calculate the respective concentrations of the two ions.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

(1955). WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY? Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 309-317.
Studies of the chick edema factor. II. Isolation of a toxic substance

A crystalline halogen containing material producing chick edema symptoms at 0.1 part per million in the diet has been isolated from a sample of triolein which was toxic to monkeys. This material is similar to that reported by Harmanet al. (4) but differs somewhat in ultraviolet speetral properties.
Allocation of Responsibility for Child Safety

A study was carried out to explore how people allocated responsibility for child safety during the use of or exposure to a product. Thirty-three subjects assigned safety responsibility for twenty-five different products to the manufacturer, the retailer, the parent and the child. The age of the child was varied from 2 to 18, and different combinations of the products were considered for the different ages. Forty percent of the total responsibility for child safety was assigned to the manufacturers of the products and 12 percent was assigned to retailers. These allocations did not vary as a function of the age of the child. Responsibility assigned to the child increased linearly from 6 percent to 40 percent from ages 2 to 18, and the responsibility assigned to parent decreased linearly from 42 percent to 10 percent across the child age categories. At early adolescence, approximately age 13, children begin to be allocated more responsibility for their own safety than their parents. These findings indicate t...
Immature animals have higher cellular density in the healing anterior cruciate ligament than adolescent or adult animals

There has been recent interest in the biologic stimulation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) healing. However, the effect of age on the ability of ligaments to heal has not yet been defined. In this study, we hypothesized that skeletal maturity would significantly affect the cellular and vascular repopulation rate of an ACL wound site. Skeletally Immature (open physes), Adolescent (closing physes), and Adult (closed physes) Yucatan minipigs underwent bilateral ACL transection and suture repair using a collagen-platelet composite. The response to repair was evaluated histologically at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. All three groups of animals had completely populated the ACL wound site with fibroblasts at 1 week. The Immature animals had a higher cellular density in the wound site than the Adult animals at weeks 2 and 4. Cells in the Immature ligament wounds were larger and more ovoid than in the Adult wounds. There were no significant differences in the vascular density in the wound site. Animal age had a significant effect on the density of cells populating the ACL wound site. Whether this observed cellular difference has an effect on the later biomechanical function of the repaired ACL requires further study.
"Representation" in the chimpanzee.

Recent research said to demonstrate that chimpanzees have a “representational symbolic function” can be more parsimoniously interpreted in terms of fundamental processes of conditioning.
Presto: Multi-Media Distributed Network for Collaborative Work in Command and Control:

The human factors requirements are discussed in terms of support for individuals in a distributed C2 network and interactions to do collaborative work. PRESTO provides access to an orbiting Global Infosphere, a multi-source, multi-media data base on operational conditions and events. The system should facilitate development of shared situation awareness and coordinated actions. The approach to user interface is a concept of “Active View.” The content of each active view is defined by operational tasks and area of responsibility. The diversity of users requires a diversity of active views, each constructed to fit the characteristics of each application.The challenge to human factors is to develop an architecture of collaborative activities which can be mapped into PRESTO's software architecture and modules. These activities can be divided into single multi-media workstation, individual's active views in integrated multi-media format, collaborative transactions between workstations, and data integration int...
Reflect And Improve: Instructional Development Through A Teaching Journal

This article recommends the teaching journal as a method of instructional improvement. Drawing on teacher education literature, the article reviews the concept of reflective teaching and then describes uses of the teaching journal for college instructors in descriptive, comparative, and critical dimensions. Teaching journals can improve the teaching not only of beginners but also of experienced instructors.
"Milwaukee shoulder"--association of microspheroids containing hydroxyapatite crystals, active collagenase, and neutral protease with rotator cuff defects. I. Clinical aspects.

Four women, aged 63 to 90 years old, presented with mildly painful shoulders of decreased mobility or stability. Radiographic evidence of a complete tear of the fibrous rotator cuff was present in 7 of 8 shoulder joints. Microspheroids containing hydroxyapatite crystals were seen by scanning electronmicroscopy in 12 of 13 synovial fluid samples. All synovial fluids showed activated collagenase and neutral protease activity. This constellation of findings represents a heretofore undescribed syndrome which we have designated "Milwaukee shoulder."
Towards objectively quantifying sensory hypersensitivity: A pilot study of the “Ariana effect”

Background. Normally one habituates rapidly to steady, faint sensations. People with sensory hypersensitivity (SH), by contrast, continue to attend to such stimuli and find them noxious. SH is common in Tourette syndrome (TS) and autism, and methods to quantify SH may lead to better understanding of these disorders. In an attempt to objectively quantify SH severity, the authors tested whether a choice reaction time (CRT) task was a sensitive enough measure to detect significant distraction from a steady tactile stimulus, and to detect significantly greater distraction in subjects with more severe SH. Methods. Nineteen ambulatory adult volunteers with varying scores on the Adult Sensory Questionnaire (ASQ), a clinical measure of SH, completed a CRT task in the alternating presence and absence of tactile stimulation. Results. Tactile stimulation interfered with attention (i.e., produced longer reaction times), and this effect was significantly greater in participants with more SH (higher ASQ scores). Accuracy on the CRT was high in blocks with and without stimulation. Habituation within stimulation blocks was not detected. Conclusion. This approach can detect distraction from a cognitive task by a steady, faint tactile stimulus that does not degrade response accuracy. The method was also sensitive to the hypothesized enhancement of this effect by SH. These results support the potential utility of this approach to quantifying SH, and suggest possible refinements for future studies.
Metallocene-Mediated Asymmetric Coordination Polymerization of Polar Vinyl Monomers to Optically Active, Stereoregular Polymers

Asymmetric coordination polymerization of 13 acrylamide and methacrylate monomers of four different classes has been investigated using chiral ansa-zirconocenium ester enolate catalyst (S,S)-(EBI)Z...
Reliability of social dominance in guinea pigs

The structure and reliability of social dominance relationships among four male and four female juvenile guinea pigs were assessed by a pairwise testing procedure. Two series of dominance tests, each requiring 7 days, were separated by an 8-day interval. The guinea pigs were housed individually for the duration of the experiment. Dominance hierarchies were determined by ranking the animals according to the total number of opponents they dominated in each test series. The hierarchies emerging from each series of tests were linear. Females were, with one exception, dominant over males. Reliability of the dominance structure was indexed by a high rank-order correlation between the hierarchies measured in each session.
A novel RF emitter localization method through phase information

Localization of unknown radio frequency (RF) transmitters is useful for a variety of applications such as clutter cancelation, cognitive radio, cognitive radar, bistatic and multistatic radar. Current methods for localization include triangulation through phase difference, amplitude and time of arrival measurements. However, all these methods have their drawbacks. The received signal strength (RSS) based RF localization can have a degraded performance if a directional transmit antenna is employed or due to the effects of multipath on the received signal power. Time of arrival (TOA) and time difference of arrival (TDOA) based RF localization algorithms require the presence of features in the signal as a time reference. When such a feature is not captured by the receivers TOA and TDOA based algorithms produce ambiguous or imprecise results. In this paper, we propose a new method for RF localization which uses phase estimation and antenna patterns when traditional methods do not work well. Specifically, by exploiting the phase information captured at multiple receivers and the received antenna beam pattern, we can find the ellipses where the antenna beam patterns intersect and search the RF location within the intersect area. A Probabilistic Data Association (PDA) model is then employed to find a composite localization among all possible location candidates. Simulation results over multi-path environment confirms the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. A short treatment of moving transmitters is also provided.
EFFECT OF REACTION TEMPERATURE ON THE SELECTIVITY OF OXIDATIVE METHANE COUPLING OVER LEAD-OXIDE

In the oxidative coupling of methane over lead oxide, reaction temperature is a critical variable which determines the reaction pathway of methyl intermediates on the surface. Low temperature favors oxidation to carbon oxides, while high temperature favors desorption as methyl radicals.
WE‐D‐211A‐02: Modeling and Error Analysis of the Clinical Process in Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To evaluate use of Petri nets industrial system modeling tool for error pathway analysis and error prevention in radiation therapy (RT). Materials and Methods: Petri nets are a common and easily accessible tool for modeling state and event based systems. A Petri net includes “state‐like” objects and “event‐like” objects and the dependencies between the objects. The complete system is represented as a graph consisting of places (states) and transitions (state changes due to occurring events) that are connected by directed arcs. The places on the net can contain any number of mobile elements of the system, referred to as tokens. These tokens are moved from place to place by the “firing” of the transition representing an event in the system. A transition does not have to fire immediately when a token is added to an input place. It may instead have a deterministic or stochastic time delay. Petri nets with randomness in the transitions are called Stochastic Petri Nets. This representation would allow thorough analysis of the system activities. We designed a Petri net representation of our clinical workflow and represented events as transitions and cause for the events as the states. We have collected more than 1000 events through our electronic error reporting software and used Petri Nets to analyze the data. Results: We could identify the fault events and their propagation through the system. We could estimate the corresponding failure probabilities at different stages and their impact on the treatment process. In addition, we can investigate the effects of workflow alteration and patient load on the system performance, and identify optimal system design schemes. Conclusions: The proposed Petri Net approach can achieve early failure detection as well as facilitate event quantification. This can be used for the improvement of patient care and processes in RT.
EFFECTS OF "NEUTRAL HYPNOSIS" ON A CONDITIONED PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

The objective of the present experiment was to determine whether hypnosis without explicit suggestion of analgesia would diminish physiological responses to an operationally defined painful shock stimulus. Muscle tension (EMG) was significantly lower during hypnosis than pre- or posthypnosis. Pulse rate remained stable throughout all conditions. Also, the question of whether a tone paired with shock might acquire some unique property because of that association was investigated. It was found that EMG response to the tone alone was significantly greater than to the tone-shock combination, in prehypnosis and posthypnosis, but not during hypnosis.
Determination of unlabeled and14C-radiolabeled drug candidates in biological fluids using LC-MS-MS—Issues and challenges

The ability of MS-MS to monitor single isotopic species of an analyte may be disadvantageous in cases where the determination of the total concentration of all isotopic species of the analyte is required. This is the case, for example, when a14C-radiolabeled drug is administered to animals or human subjects in typical ADME studies. A number of issues and challenges connected with the determination of total and individual concentrations of12C-and14C-labeled drug in plasma using LC-MS-MS in support of human ADME studies are illustrated using as an example compound l (MK-677), a growth hormone secretagogue, recently evaluated in our laboratories. Due to a significant contribution (>60%) of the unlabeled12C-species to the MS-MS response at the14C-channel, the contributions from12C-I had to be subtracted from the MS-MS response at the14C-channel in order to determine individual concentrations of14C-I. The determination of individual concentrations of14C-I and12C-I was desired to assess the absence of an isotope effect in the disposition of isotopically labeled species. The assay in human plasma was validated in the concentration range of 0.1 to 100 ng mL−1 for the total concentration of14C-I and12C-I, and in the range of 0.0965 to 96.5 ng mL−1 for the unlabeled12C-I. For the14C-labeledI alone, the assay was validated in the concentration range of 0.175 to 3.5 ng mL−1 that was equivalent to the 5 to 100 ng mL−1 range of labeled14C-I used in the study. The strategies for the analysis of biological samples following administration of14C-labeled drugs using LC-MS-MS and the details of assay validation are presented.
Electric-field induced restructuring of water at a platinum-water interface: A molecular dynamics computer simulation.

We performed four molecular dynamics simulations of water lamina embedded between two Pt(100) walls. The Pt surfaces were uncharged in the first simulation. In the other three simulations the charge densities $\left(\ensuremath{\sigma}\right)$ had the values of 8.85, 26.55, and 35.4 \ensuremath{\mu}C/c${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ on the left wall and values opposite in sign on the right wall. When $\ensuremath{\sigma}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$ or 8.85 \ensuremath{\mu}C/c${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$, the adsorbed water layer had all its oxygens in the atop position and every surface site was covered by a water molecule. When $\ensuremath{\sigma}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}26.55$ \ensuremath{\mu}C/c${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$, the adsorbed water layer split into a bilayer. At $\ensuremath{\sigma}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}35.4$ \ensuremath{\mu}C/c${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ water between the two Pt(100) surfaces freezes into a crystal structure with domains of a distorted cubic ice.
Adrenarche: A Survey of Rodents, Domestic Animals, and Primates

The concentrations of the adrenal steroids dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS), and Δ4-androstenedione (Δ4-A) have been measured by RIA before and after sexual maturation in plasma of rodents, domestic animals, and primates to determine whether these species exhibit an adrenarchal process comparable to man. The average concentrations of DHA and DHAS were less than 60 ng/dl and 5 μg/dl, respectively, in plasma of sexually mature rodents and domestic animals, and a significant increase in the plasma DHA level after sexual maturation was seen only in the rabbit and dog. The concentrations of DHA, DHAS, and Δ4-A in 21 rhesus monkeys from 0–3 yr of age were 2021 ± 235 ng/dl (mean ± SE), 357 ± 60 μg/dl, and 107 ± 9 ng/dl, respectively, and did not increase during sexual maturation. By contrast, DHA, DHAS, and Δ4-A levels in plasma of chimpanzees were 5.9-fold, 3.3-fold, and 4.8-fold greater, respectively, in 7- to 22- compared to 0- to 3-yr-old animals. Temporally, the increase i...
Syntactic analysis by digital computer

This paper provides an account of the Shadow language that is used to describe syntax and of a corresponding subroutine that enables a computer to perform syntactic analysis. The input to this subroutine consists of a string to be analyzed and a description of the syntax that is to be used. The syntax is expressed in the Shadow language. The output consists of a trace table that expresses the results of the syntactic analysis in a tabular form. Several versions of the subroutine and some associated programs have been in use now for over three years. The present account of the language and the subroutine contains a summary of material that has been described previously in unpublished reports and also some additional discussion of the work in relation to the more general questions of problem-oriented languages and string transformations.
Are human hemoglobin variants distributed randomly among the positions

The distribution of human hemoglobin variants has previously been studied by Vogel (1972) who concluded that the distribution was random although no statistical analysis was presented. This work points out that there are four biases in the data, one in the manner in which the number of variants is counted, another in the method by which they are detected and which favors charge changes, a third in the fact that for a few codons the same amino acid replacement may be brought about by two or three single nucleotide replacements, and a fourth in the non-random sampling procedure which favors variants producing clinical symptoms. Nevertheless, the distribution of beta hemoglobin variants is confirmed to be random as Vogel suggests. The alpha hemoglobin variants are distinctly non-randomly distributed, the best fit requiring that 69 of the alpha positions be considered invariable. The above biases could account for this result but other considerations combine to suggest the following: 1, about half of all alterations of alpha hemoglobin will not survive to sampling whereas nearly all beta variants can; 2, deleterious mutants that survive to sampling but are destined to be eliminated by selection are more likely to be observed in beta than in alpha hemoglobin; and 3, mutations destined to go to fixation are more likely to occur in beta than in alpha hemoglobin.
Oblique vortex shedding from a circular cylinder in linear shear flow

Abstract Three-dimensional numerical simulations of linearly sheared flow past a circular cylinder have been performed for a shear parameter β of 0.02 and a mean Reynolds number of 131.5. Cylinders of aspect ratio (L/D) 24 and 48 have been considered. A second-order accurate finite volume scheme is used to integrate the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. Present computations confirm both qualitatively and quantitatively, the aspects of cellular shedding as reported by several investigators through experimental studies. Cell dimensions varied between three and seven cylinder diameters. The non-dimensional frequencies of these cells are observed to be lower than those given by parallel shedding correlations at the equivalent Reynolds numbers. Shedding of vortices are observed to be oblique with dislocations appearing in time. Detailed distributions of vorticity and velocity components are presented to describe the flow. A near wake readjustment of the axial flow has been identified to be the main cause of lowering of the frequencies and sustenance of finite widths of coherent shear layers along the span.
The Temporal Effects of Parental Divorce on Youth Substance Use

This article examines how the parental divorce process affects youth substance use at various stages relative to the divorce. With child-fixed-effect models and a baseline period that is long before the divorce, the estimates rely on within-child changes over time. Youth are more likely to use alcohol 2-4 years before a parental divorce. After the divorce, youth have an increased risk of using alcohol and marijuana, with the effect for marijuana being 12.1 percentage points in the two years right after the divorce (p = .010). The magnitudes of the effects persist as time passes from the divorce.
A Fully Intraocular High-Density Self-Calibrating Epiretinal Prosthesis

This paper presents a fully intraocular self-calibrating epiretinal prosthesis with 512 independent channels in 65 nm CMOS. A novel digital calibration technique matches the biphasic currents of each channel independently while the calibration circuitry is shared among every 4 channels. Dual-band telemetry for power and data with on-chip rectifier and clock recovery reduces the number of off-chip components. The rectifier utilizes unidirectional switches to prevent reverse conduction loss in the power transistors and achieves an efficiency > 80%. The data telemetry implements a phase-shift keying (PSK) modulation scheme and supports data rates up to 20 Mb/s. The system occupies an area of 4.5 ×3.1 mm2. It features a pixel size of 0.0169 mm2 and arbitrary waveform generation per channel. In vitro measurements performed on a Pt/Ir concentric bipolar electrode in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) are presented. A statistical measurement over 40 channels from 5 different chips shows a current mismatch with μ = 1.12 μA and σ = 0.53 μA. The chip is integrated with flexible MEMS origami coils and parylene substrate to provide a fully intraocular implant.
Which Is the Graft of Choice for the Right Coronary and Posterior Descending Arteries? Comparison of the Right Internal Mammary Artery and the Right Gastroepiploic Artery

Background The graft of choice for the left anterior descending coronary artery is the left internal mammary artery because of superior long-term patency. However, controversy exists regarding the graft of choice for the right coronary artery and for the posterior descending branch. Methods and Results Two types of pedicled arterial grafts were used for the right coronary and the posterior descending arteries in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery between January 1991 and September 1994. Group A comprised 114 patients with a right internal mammary artery (RIMA) graft, and group B consisted of 127 patients with an in situ right gastroepiploic artery (R-GEA) graft. Mean age was 56.9 years in group A and 63.3 years in group B; 7.9% (9 of 114) and 33.9% (43 of 127) were diabetics in groups A and B, respectively. Overall mortality was 2.6% (3 deaths) for group A and 3.9% (5 deaths) for group B (P=NS). However, the prevalence of perioperative myocardial infarction in the right coronary artery distributi...
Science writing workshops for AIDS vaccine researchers in Africa

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global scientific and advocacy organisation dedicated to ensuring an AIDS vaccine for use worldwide. In Africa, IAVI partners with seven research centres who conduct vaccine trials and studies. This research requires extensive medical and scientific writing support, for regulatory submissions and for the publication of data. IAVI and its African partners publish widely in international peer-reviewed publications; however, African authors are underrepresented as first authors. To address this disparity, IAVI created and honed a series of science writing workshops that so far has reached 85 investigators.
Making Connections: A Model for On-Line Interaction

The overuse of visual imagery and the redundancy of information in traditional and new communication media have desensitized our society, resulting in an emotional bankruptcy. The World Wide Web communication medium, with its highly visual interface and virtual environments, perpetuates and aggravates this situation. The “new designers” of the twenty-first century must partner with technology experts, content specialists and common users to reinvigorate imagination and rekindle emotions. To this end, we can identify and extract the six essential ingredients of engagement from the traditional performing arts, communication and design theory and recast them to support new media that are both visually stimulating and emotionally provocative.
An exploration of sensorless manipulation

An autonomous robotic manipulator can reduce uncertainty in the locations of objects in either of two ways: by sensing, or by motion strategies. This paper explores the use of motion strategies to eliminate uncertainty, without the use of sensors. The approach is demonstrated within the context of a simple method to orient planar objects. A randomly oriented object is dropped into a tray. When the tray is tilted, the object can slide into walls, along walls, and into corners, sometimes with the effect of reducing the number of possible orientations. For some objects a sequence of tilting operations exists that leaves the object's orientation completely determined. The paper describes an automatic planner that constructs such a tilting program, using a simple model of the mechanics of sliding. The planner has been implemented, the resulting programs have been executed using a tray attached to an industrial manipulator, and sometimes the programs work. The paper also explores the issue of sensorless manipulation, tray-tilting in particular, within the context of a formal framework first described by Lozano-Perez, Mason, and Taylor [1984]. It is observed that sensorless motion strategies perform conditional actions using mechanical decisions in place of environmental inquiries.
Superpett 3000 time-of-flight PET tomograph: optimization of factors affecting quantitation

In positron-emission tomography (PET), to certify that the observed radioactivity in the organ of interest represents the true underlying radioactivity concentration, an experimental/theoretical treatment of factors such as scatter, randoms, reconstruction parameters, recovery coefficients and the cross-calibration procedure is required. Dual isotope experiments used to check the overall tomograph performance are described. It is found that the inclusion of a real-time calibration tube standard in the tomograph field-of-view during scanning compensates for any temporal variation in the machine sensitivity and provides a built-in dead time correction. Reconstruction parameters and recovery coefficients were optimized through phantom experiments. It is shown that results similar to other head and whole body scanners have been achieved. >
Classification and Phylogenetic Analysis of the cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Regulatory Subunit Family

The members of the PKA regulatory subunit family (PKA-R family) were analyzed by multiple sequence alignment and clustering based on phylogenetic tree construction. According to the phylogenetic trees generated from multiple sequence alignment of the complete sequences, the PKA-R family was divided into four subfamilies (types I to IV). Members of each subfamily were exclusively from animals (types I and II), fungi (type III), and alveolates (type IV). Application of the same methodology to the cAMP-binding domains, and subsequently to the region delimited by β-strands 6 and 7 of the crystal structures of bovine RIα and rat RIIβ (the phosphate-binding cassette; PBC), proved that this highly conserved region was enough to classify unequivocally the members of the PKA-R family. A single signature sequence, F–G–E–[LIV]–A–L–[LIMV]–x(3)–[PV]–R–[ANQV]–A, corresponding to the PBC was identified which is characteristic of the PKA-R family and is sufficient to distinguish it from other members of the cyclic nucleotide-binding protein superfamily. Specific determinants for the A and B domains of each R-subunit type were also identified. Conserved residues defining the signature motif are important for interaction with cAMP or for positioning the residues that directly interact with cAMP. Conversely, residues that define subfamilies or domain types are not conserved and are mostly located on the loop that connects α-helix B′ and β strand 7.
Biology in Bloom: Implementing Bloom's Taxonomy to Enhance Student Learning in Biology

We developed the Blooming Biology Tool (BBT), an assessment tool based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, to assist science faculty in better aligning their assessments with their teaching activities and to help students enhance their study skills and metacognition. The work presented here shows how assessment tools, such as the BBT, can be used to guide and enhance teaching and student learning in a discipline-specific manner in postsecondary education. The BBT was first designed and extensively tested for a study in which we ranked almost 600 science questions from college life science exams and standardized tests. The BBT was then implemented in three different collegiate settings. Implementation of the BBT helped us to adjust our teaching to better enhance our students’ current mastery of the material, design questions at higher cognitive skills levels, and assist students in studying for college-level exams and in writing study questions at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. From this work we also created a suite of complementary tools that can assist biology faculty in creating classroom materials and exams at the appropriate level of Bloom’s Taxonomy and students to successfully develop and answer questions that require higher-order cognitive skills.
Construction and analyses of tetrameric forms of yeast NAD+-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase.

Yeast NAD+-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is an octameric enzyme composed of four heterodimers of regulatory IDH1 and catalytic IDH2 subunits. The crystal structure suggested that the interactions between tetramers in the octamer are restricted to defined regions in IDH1 subunits from each tetramer. Using truncation and mutagenesis, we constructed three tetrameric forms of IDH. Truncation of five residues from the amino terminus of IDH1 did not alter the octameric form of the enzyme, but this truncation with an IDH1 G15D or IDH1 D168K residue substitution produced tetrameric enzymes as assessed by sedimentation velocity ultracentrifugation. The IDH1 G15D substitution in the absence of any truncation of IDH1 was subsequently found to be sufficient for production of a tetrameric enzyme. The tetrameric forms of IDH exhibited ∼50% reductions in Vmax and in cooperativity with respect to isocitrate relative to those of the wild-type enzyme, but they retained the property of allosteric activation by AMP...
Instrumentation of a Vertical High Shear Mixer with a Motor Slip Monitoring Device

AbstractThe main impeller shaft of a vertical high shear mixer was instrumented with a device which measures motor slip and displays its output in percent horsepower. Response was proportional to mixer load. A warm-up period was required to minimize variability in output. High speed impeller operation showed more consistency in response than low speed impeller operation. During the granulation process of the different test systems, a typical response profile showed a change in percent horsepower as the binder solution was added followed by a plateauing at about the proposed optimum mixing time. Additional studies to correlate this observation with granulation physical and compression characteristics are necessary
Physiological noise reduction for arterial spin labeling functional MRI

Three methods for the reduction of physiological noise in arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are presented and compared. The methods are based upon a general linear model of the ASL measurement process and on a previously described retrospective image-based method (RETROICOR) for physiological noise reduction in blood oxygenation level dependent fMRI. In the first method, the contribution of physiological noise to the interleaved control and tag images that comprise the ASL time series are assumed to be equal, while in the second method this assumption is not made. For the third method, it is assumed that physiological noise primarily impacts the perfusion time series obtained from the filtered subtraction of the control and tag images. The methods were evaluated using studies of functional activity in the visual cortex and the hippocampal region. The first and second methods significantly improved statistical performance in both brain regions, whereas the third method did not provide a significant gain. The second method provided significantly better performance than the first method in the hippocampal region, whereas the differences between methods were less pronounced in visual cortex. The improved performance of the second method in the hippocampal region appears to reflect the relatively greater effect of cardiac fluctuations in this brain region. The proposed methods should be particularly useful for ASL studies of cognitive processes where the intrinsic signal to noise ratio is typically lower than for studies of primary sensory regions.
Adaptive smoothing respecting feature directions

Accurate extraction of the image feature directions is essential to image smoothing and other image processing tasks. We show that the gradient-based feature direction extraction method can be very erroneous. The gradient is too local, and it cannot detect oscillations. We have developed two new methods: the Hessian method, an approach using higher order differentiations, and the Gabor (1946) method, an approach using space-frequency analysis.
The oral health of homeless adolescents and young adults and determinants of oral health: preliminary findings

A survey was administered to 55 homeless adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 28 years who presented for care at a community health center in Seattle, Washington in 2005. Forty-five valid surveys were analyzed. The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with self-reported oral health. The most common self-reported dental problem was sensitive teeth (52.6%), followed by discolored teeth (48.6%), toothache (38.5%), or a broken tooth (37.8%). Dental problems were associated with lower self-reported oral health, while non-high school graduates, mixed race youths, and methamphetamine users had significantly higher self-reported oral health. Among homeless youths, addressing dental problems with direct dental care may improve self-perceived oral health. The relationships between methamphetamine use and education level, on the one hand, and self-reported oral health, on the other, are complex and may be modified by age.
Using answer set programming to model multi-agent scenarios involving agents' knowledge about other's knowledge

One of the most challenging aspects of reasoning, planning, and acting in a multi-agent domain is reasoning about what the agents know about the knowledge of their fellows, and to take it into account when planning and acting. In the past this has been done using modal and dynamic epistemic logics. In this paper we explore the use of answer set programming (ASP), and reasoning about action techniques for this purpose. These approaches present a number of theoretical and practical advantages. From the theoretical perspective, ASP's property of non-monotonicity (and several other features) allow us to express causality in an elegant fashion. From the practical perspective, recent implementations of ASP solvers have become very efficient, outperforming several other systems in recent SAT competitions. Finally, the use of ASP and reasoning about action techniques allows for the adaptation of a large body of research developed for single-agent to multi-agent domains. We begin our discussion by showing how ASP can be used to find Kripke models of a modal theory. We then illustrate how both the muddy children, and the sum-and-product problems can be represented and solved using these concepts. We describe and implement a new kind of action, which we call "ask-and-truthfully-answer," and show how this action brings forth a new dimension to the muddy children problem.
The Construction of Work in Artificial Intelligence

Although technology is often viewed as value-free, an anthropological perspective suggests that technological tools embody values and assumptions of their builders. Drawing upon extended field rese...
Analysis of Arc-Electrode Capacitive Sensors for Characterization of Dielectric Cylindrical Rods

An arc-electrode capacitive sensor has been developed for quantitative characterization of permittivity of cylindrical dielectric rods. The material property of the cylindrical test piece can be inversely determined from the sensor output capacitance based on a theoretical model. For the modeling process, the electrostatic Green's function due to a point source exterior to a dielectric rod is derived. The sensor output capacitance is numerically calculated using the method of moments (MoM), in which the integral equation is set up based on the electrostatic Green's function. Numerical calculations on sensor configuration optimization are performed. Calculations also demonstrate the quantitative relationship between the sensor output capacitance and the test-piece dielectric and structural properties. Capacitance measurements on different dielectric rods with different sensor configurations have been performed to verify the validity of the numerical model. Very good agreement (to within 3%) between theoretical calculations and measurement results is observed.
Requirements Engineering in a Mobile Setting: How Travelers with a Cognitive Impairment Ask for and Use Help

A requirements-gathering study of getting-lost behavior is described. Two matched groups of subjects, one with and one without acquired cognitive impairments, were asked to navigate a walking route. Two foils were introduced to induce problems in route following. A phone helper was available to assist with problem solving. Both quantitative and qualitative results are reported.
The economics of supported employment: What new data tell us

This paper reviews the literature on the economics of supported employment. By comparing results from research conducted prior to, and after, 2000, several important findings were identified. The first was that individuals with disabilities fare better financially from working in the community than in sheltered workshops, regardless of their disability. This is especially true given that the relative wages earned by supported employees have increased 31.2% since the 1980s while the wages earned by sheltered employees have decreased 40.6% during the same period. Further, supported employment appears to be more cost-effective than sheltered workshops over the entire "employment cycle" and returns a net benefit to taxpayers.
Toward a Theory of Organizational Creativity

In this article we develop a theoretical framework for understanding creativity in complex social settings. We define organizational creativity as the creation of a valuable, useful new product, service, idea, procedure, or process by individuals working together in a complex social system. The starting point for our theoretical development is provided by the interactionist model of creative behavior developed by Woodman and Schoenfeldt (1989). This model and supporting literature on creative behavior and organizational innovation are used to develop an interactional framework for organizational creativity. The theoretical framework is summarized by three propositions that can effectively guide the development of testable hypotheses.
Adolescent online safety: the "moral" of the story

Adolescence is characterized by heightened risk-taking and independence from parents; these tendencies seem to be magnified by the opportunities afforded through online interactions. Drawing on Kohlberg's Cognitive Moral Development (CMD) theory, we conduct a qualitative study of 12 parent-adolescent dyads that examines the interplay between parenting behaviors and adolescent moral development. We show an association between adolescent moral judgment and online behavior, and we illustrate how parenting style and mediation strategies influence the teen's moral growth and decision making about online behaviors. We also note that parental mediation strategies are moderated by parents' digital literacy: reduced digital literacy is associated with more restrictive or indulgent strategies; while more digitally competent parents are more likely to monitor and mediate their teen's behaviors as they engage online. We also found that experience, not restriction, facilitates the teen's moral growth.
Neuronal injury in simian immunodeficiency virus and other animal models of neuroAIDS.

The success of antiretroviral therapy has reduced the incidence of severe neurological complication resulting from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, increased patient survival has been associated with an increased prevalence of protracted forms of HIV encephalitis leading to moderate cognitive impairment. NeuroAIDS remains a great challenge to patients, their families, and our society. Thus development of preclinical models that will be suitable for testing promising new compounds with neurotrophic and neuroprotective capabilities is of critical importance. The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaque is the premiere model to study HIV neuropathogenesis. This model was central to the seminal work of Dr. Opendra “Bill” Narayan. Similar to patients with HIV encephalitis, in the SIV model there is injury to the synaptodendritic structure of excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory calbindin-immunoreactive interneurons. This article, which is part of a special issue of the Journal of NeuroVirology in honor of Dr. Bill Narayan, discusses the most important neurodegenerative features in preclinical models of neuroAIDS and their potential for treatment development.