cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Online Reinforcement Learning Approach for User-Optimal Parking Searching Strategy Exploiting Unique Problem Property and Network Topology

This paper investigates the idea of introducing learning algorithms into parking guidance and information systems that employ a central server, in order to provide estimated optimal parking searching strategies to travelers. The parking searching process on a network with uncertain parking availability can naturally be modeled as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Such an MDP with full information can easily be solved by dynamic programming approaches. However, the probabilities of finding parking are difficult to define and calculate. Learning algorithms are suitable for addressing this issue. We propose an algorithm based on Q-learning, where a unique property of the parking searching MDP and the topology of the underlying transportation network are incorporated and utilized to improve its performance. This modification allows us to reduce the size of the learning problem dramatically, and thus the amount of data required to learn the optimal strategy. Numerical experiments conducted on a toy network with fixed parking probabilities show that the proposed learning algorithm outperforms the original Q-learning algorithm and three greedy heuristics in terms of the quality of the approximated optimal solution as well as the amount of training data required. Our numerical experiments on a real network with time-dependent underlying probabilities show that effective searching strategies can be achieved by the proposed algorithm, even though the learning algorithms treat the parking probabilities as constant during each exploration-exploitation cycle. The results again demonstrate that the proposed modified Q-learning algorithm significantly outperforms the original Q-learning with the same amount of training data. The results also provide insights into how the length and the split of the exploration-exploitation cycle affect the effectiveness of the proposed learning algorithm.
Design and Fabrication of Tubular Shape Memory Alloy Actuators for Active Catheters

There is a growing trend in medicine toward minimally invasive surgery, and with it comes an increasing need for precise miniature instruments to achieve accurate positioning for complex procedures. Catheter-based surgeries in particular suffer from a lack of active steering of the interventional device. We present a new actuator made by laser machining shape memory alloy (SMA) tubes for use in an active steerable catheter. Using finite element analysis and experimental verification, we have designed an SMA actuator cut from 1.27 mm diameter NiTi tubing that exhibits good fatigue properties and can produce forces up to 2 N at 20% elongation. In this paper, we describe the design and testing of the actuator, as well as its characterization to verify its mechanical properties
Tropomodulin and tropomyosin mediate lens cell actin cytoskeleton reorganization in vitro.

PURPOSE. To determine the role of the actin cytoskeleton regulatory proteins tropomyosin and tropomodulin (Tmod) in the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton during lens epithelial cell differentiation. METHODS. Primary cultures of chick lens epithelial cells were allowed to differentiate in vitro to form lentoid bodies. Localization of F-actin, Tmod, and tropomyosin were determined by immunofluorescent staining followed by confocal microscopy. Tropomyosin and Tmod isoform expression was determined by immunoprecipitation and western blot analysis. RESULTS. In undifferentiated epithelial cells F-actin was organized in polygonal arrays of stress fibers and was also associated with the adherens belt. In contrast, F-actin in differentiated cells was predominantly associated with membranes in a reticular or fibrillar pattern and was organized in curvilinear fibrils in the cytoplasm. Tmod was not detected in the undifferentiated epithelial cells but was expressed upon cell differentiation and assembled into F-actin and non-F-actin structures. Tmod isoforms expressed in the lens cell cultures were identical with those expressed in the embryonic chick lens fiber cells. Tropomyosin was associated with the polygonal arrays of stress fibers in the undifferentiated epithelial cells and was recruited to cortical F-actin at the cell periphery during differentiation. This occurred coincident with a shift in tropomyosin isoform expression. CONCLUSIONS. Expression and sequential assembly of low-molecular-weight tropomyosin and Tmod into the cortical actin cytoskeleton of differentiated lens cells may help to reorganize the actin cytoskeleton during morphogenetic differentiation. Moreover, lens epithelial cell differentiation may include the generation of novel Tmod-containing, non-F-actin cytoskeletal structures.
Use of Cheese Whey for Vitamin B12 Production II. Cobalt, Precursor, and Aeration Levels

Within the limits of this study, it was found that 5 ppm of cobalt was adequate to give good levels of vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 precursor 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole was found to be adequate at 10 ppm in the absence of aeration. In the presence of aeration, a zero level of precursor was found to be most desirable. The analysis of variance showed aeration to be highly significant, and the aeration and precursor interaction to be significant. No other significant effects were observed.
Evolutionary Sequence of Spacetime/intrinsic Spacetime and Associated Sequence of Geometries in a Metric Force Field. Part III.

Graphical analysis of the geometry of a curved �three-dimensional� absolute intrinsic metric space, (an absolute intrinsic Riemannian metric space) φM3, which is curved onto the absolute time/absolute intrinsic time �dimensions� (along the vertical), as a curved hyper-surface, and projects a flat three-dimensional proper intrinsic metric space φE'3 underlying its outward manifestation namely, the flat proper physical Euclidean 3-space φE'3, both as flat hyper-surfaces along the horizontal, isolated in part one of this paper, is done. Two absolute intrinsic tensor equations, one of which is of the divergenceless form of Einstein free-space field equations and the other which is a tensorial statement of local Euclidean invariance on φM3, are derived. Simultaneous (algebraic) solution of the equations yields the absolute intrinsic metric tensor and absolute intrinsic Ricci tensor of absolute intrinsic Riemann geometry on the curved absolute intrinsic metric space φM3, in terms of an isolated absolute intrinsic curvature parameter. Relations for absolute intrinsic coordinate projections into the underlying flat proper intrinsic space are derived. A superposition procedure that yields resultant absolute intrinsic metric tensor and resultant absolute intrinsic Ricci tensor, as well as resultant absolute intrinsic coordinate projection relations when two or a larger number of absolute intrinsic Riemannian metric spaces co-exist, are developed. Finally the fact that a curved �three-dimensional� absolute intrinsic metric space φM3 is perfectly isotropic (that is, all directions are perfectly the same) and is consequently contracted to a �onedimensional� absolute intrinsic metric space denoted by φρ, which is curved onto the absolute time/absolute intrinsic time �dimensions� along the vertical and that the underlying projective three-dimensional flat proper intrinsic metric space φE'3 is perfectly isotropic and is consequently contracted to a straight line one-dimensional isotropic proper intrinsic metric space φρ' along the horizontal, with respect to observers in the physical proper Euclidean 3-space φE'3 that overlies φρ', are deduced.
Chapter 6 – Mercury in the Ocean

Publisher Summary The total amount of mercury in the oceans of the world is approximately 68 million metric tons. The largest natural sources of mercury in the environment are degassing of the earth's crust, emissions from volcanoes, erosion or leaching from cinnabar (HgS) deposits, and evaporation from natural bodies of water. Natural emissions of mercury amount to about 2,700–6,000 metric tons/year. Anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the environment are as high as 30,000 metric tons/year. Anthropogenic releases to the land are in the range of 1,600–15,000 metric tons/year, most of which is from direct releases. Anthropogenic releases of mercury to marine and fresh waters may amount to 600–8,800 metric tons/year and are mostly from direct releases from industrial and domestic activities. The flux of particulate mercury to the coastal ocean amounts to about 1,000 tons/year. Most of the particulate mercury is un-reactive and is deposited rapidly in coastal sediments. Concentrations of mercury in coastal waters and estuaries generally are much higher than those in the open ocean. Concentrations in relatively uncontaminated coastal and estuarine waters are as high as 20 ng/L. British estuaries contain up to about 19 ng/L dissolved mercury.
Analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Regulon Controlled by the Sensor Kinase KinB and Sigma Factor RpoN

Alginate overproduction by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, also known as mucoidy, is associated with chronic endobronchial infections in cystic fibrosis. Alginate biosynthesis is initiated by the extracytoplasmic function sigma factor (σ(22); AlgU/AlgT). In the wild-type (wt) nonmucoid strains, such as PAO1, AlgU is sequestered to the cytoplasmic membrane by the anti-sigma factor MucA that inhibits alginate production. One mechanism underlying the conversion to mucoidy is mutation of mucA. However, the mucoid conversion can occur in wt mucA strains via the degradation of MucA by activated intramembrane proteases AlgW and/or MucP. Previously, we reported that the deletion of the sensor kinase KinB in PAO1 induces an AlgW-dependent proteolysis of MucA, resulting in alginate overproduction. This type of mucoid induction requires the alternate sigma factor RpoN (σ(54)). To determine the RpoN-dependent KinB regulon, microarray and proteomic analyses were performed on a mucoid kinB mutant and an isogenic nonmucoid kinB rpoN double mutant. In the kinB mutant of PAO1, RpoN controlled the expression of approximately 20% of the genome. In addition to alginate biosynthetic and regulatory genes, KinB and RpoN also control a large number of genes including those involved in carbohydrate metabolism, quorum sensing, iron regulation, rhamnolipid production, and motility. In an acute pneumonia murine infection model, BALB/c mice exhibited increased survival when challenged with the kinB mutant relative to survival with PAO1 challenge. Together, these data strongly suggest that KinB regulates virulence factors important for the development of acute pneumonia and conversion to mucoidy.
Comprehensive analysis of dynamic elastic response feet: Seattle ankle/lite foot versus SACH foot

This study evaluated biomechanical and metabolic performance differences between two prosthetic foot designs in light of their mechanical properties. Ten unilateral below-knee amputee subjects, at least 1 year after amputation, capable of walking and running, were studied. Differences in heel and forefoot compliance explained differences in gait events and alignment. Increased efficiency of pushoff in the Seattle Ankle/Lite Foot exists as evidenced by the decrease loading on the opposite limb during double support and a less shortened step length on the sound side compared to the SACH foot. The natural frequency of oscillation for the prosthetic feet was determined to be too high to provide energy storage and release synchronized with kinematic requirements because neither metabolic cost savings nor differences in metabolic efficiency were found. Comfortable walking speed and the nadir of metabolic rate and efficiency are not different. Via accelerometer measurement, it was found that the more compliant and lossy SACH foot heel was less likely to transmit high frequency vibration.
The Personal-Emotional Social Adjustment of English-Language Learners to a Community College

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of locus of control and other predictors on personal-emotional and social adjustment to community college in English-language-learner students. Results indicated that locus of control was significantly associated with both social adjustment and personal-emotional adjustment. Students with more external locus of control showed better adjustment to college. Stress and being first in the family to attend college significantly predicted personal-emotional adjustment, while having precollege friends attending the same college was significantly related to social adjustment. Implications for research and service programs are discussed.
Why do honey bees have dialects

The indication of distance in the honey bee dance-the number of meters signified by each waggle-varies by more than a factor of ten among geographic races. Experiments in which artificial swarms were offered a choice of nest boxes indicate that A. m. carnica, the long-distance German race, clearly prefers larger and more distant cavities than the intermediate-dialect Italian race, ligustica. From these results on preferred dispersal distance and cavity size, combined with a general trend among the many races of honey bee toward dialects adapted for indicating longer distances occurring in colder latitudes, I propose that the dialect is probably an adaptation to each race's typical foraging range. That range is in large part a necessary consequence of population size, which in turn is determined by the thermal load imposed on clusters by winters in different climates.
Numerical solution of a singular integral equation in random rough surface scattering theory

Abstract A one-dimensional singular integral equation which appeared in a previous paper on random rough surface scattering theory ( J. Math. Phys. 13 , 1903 (1972) is solved numerically using quadratic splines. Its solution yields an approximation to the coherent (specular) scattered intensity for plane wave incidence on the surface. This approximate scattered intensity is plotted versus the Rayleigh factor Σ = κ 0 σ cos θ i , where κ i is the wavenumber of the incident plane wave, σ is the surface root mean square height, and θ i is the angle of the incident plane wave. For values of Σ > 1 this approximation yields more coherent intensity than the Kirchhoff approximation.
Luteinizing hormone receptor expression in leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata.

Abstract Background: Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata has been attributed to estrogen stimulation and is seen only rarely in postmenopausal women. In such cases, pathogenesis is uncertain. Case: Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata tumors were resected from a postmenopausal woman. She was receiving tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer and had bilateral ovarian Brenner tumors. Estrogen and progesterone receptors were detected. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that LH receptors were present. Conclusion: Luteinizing hormone receptors were identified in leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata in one woman. Levels of FSH and LH increase after menopause, and immunohistochemical analysis showed the presence of LH receptors, so gonadotropin rather than estrogen stimulation might have contributed to development of leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata in this uncommon case.
Communications media and current-events knowledge among college students

A sample of 863 U.S. college students enrolled at a large Midwestern university were polled in an effort to ascertain what media sources a representative sample of college students might utilize most extensively; to gauge their actual knowledge of current events; and, finally, to compare responses obtained with reported types of media exposure.
Elastic properties of charge-density-wave conductors: ac-dc electric field coupling.

We have measured Young's modulus $Y$ and internal friction $\ensuremath{\delta}$ of the charge-density-wave (CDW) conductors Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ and Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$, in the presence of combined ac and dc electric fields. In the pinned CDW state, the elastic properties are sensitive to even small ac-field amplitudes. In the sliding-CDW state, sharp harmonic and subharmonic anomalies are observed in $Y$ and $\ensuremath{\delta}$; these coincide with Shapiro-type interference in the electronic response. Our experiments demonstrate that internal degrees of freedom (incoherence) of the CDW condensate are intimately tied to the dc- and ac-field-induced elastic anomalies.
Sustainable commute in a car-dominant city: Factors affecting alternative mode choices among university students

Abstract This paper studies university students’ commute and housing behaviors using samples from Los Angeles, a place notorious for car dependence and dominance. It finds that being embedded in this place does not make university students drive alone more than their peers in other places. Being multimodal and having a discounted transit pass increase the odds of alternative modes while holding a parking permit reduces the odds of these modes. Commute distance is positively related to carpool and telecommuting. Gender, status (undergraduate vs. gradate) and age are significantly correlated to biking, walking or public transit. Students living alone are more likely to commute by driving alone than other students. Having friends and classmates living nearby increases the odds of taking public transit. Due to data constraints, this study cannot prove whether there is any correlation between information contagion and the effects of living alone and having friends and classmates living nearby on alternative mode choice. But it proposes that the issue be worthwhile of further investigations. Base on the above, the paper recommends a comprehensive travel demand management program, utilization of information contagion effects of students and promotion of multimodal commute to better promote alternative mode of commute among university students.
Portal architecture: A differential guide to fatty infiltration of the liver on computed tomography

Fatty infiltration of the liver, like fatty lesions elsewhere in the body, typically appears as low-density areas on computed tomography (CT). Fatty infiltration of the liver should be considered in the differential diagnosis of homogeneous low-density hepatic lesions regardless of distribution or size. As a physiologic rather than anatomic change, fatty infiltration of the liver characteristically leaves the portal venous architecture unaltered. Although fatty infiltration of the liver typically presents with complete or near complete involvement, other unusual patterns may be encountered. In these atypical cases, recognition of the normal portal structures on CT aids in correct diagnosis.
A Bayesian analysis of dual autoradiographic images

We present a Bayesian bivariate image model and apply it to a study that was designed to investigate the relationship between hypoxia and angiogenesis in an animal tumor model. Two radiolabeled tracers (one measuring angiogenesis, the other measuring hypoxia) were simultaneously injected into the animals, the tumors were removed and autoradiographic images of the tracer concentrations were obtained. We model correlation between tracers with a mixture of bivariate normal distributions and the spatial correlation inherent in the images by means of the Potts model. Although the Potts model is typically used for image segmentation, we use it solely as a device to account for spatial correlation. The number of classes in the model is assumed unknown and is estimated via reversible jump MCMC, marginalizing over the number of classes for posterior inference. We present the model and estimation method using set theory notation which will assist us in introducing a novel reallocation scheme used in the reversible jump proposals. We also estimate the spatial regularization parameter in the Potts model prior. Via simulation studies, we show that it is necessary to account for both the spatial correlation and the correlation between the two tracers.
Preservation of rates of convergence under mappings

For appropriate metrics characterizing various modes of stochastic convergence, it is shown that rates of convergence are preserved by a large class of functions. For example, the extensions of a Lipschitz function on a separable metric space S to the space of all probability measures on S with the Prohorov metric and to the space of all S-valued random variables with the usual metric associated with convergence in probability inherit the Lipschitz property. Consequently, just as with the continuous mapping theorem associated with ordinary convergence, new rate of convergence theorems can sometimes be obtained from old ones by applying appropriate mappings.
Control of gastric acid hypersecretion in the management of patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

During the last 5 years important advances have occurred in the control of gastric acid hypersecretion in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES). The increased availability of potent gastric acid antisecretory agents such as histamine H2-receptor antagonists and more recently the H+K(+)-ATPase inhibitors such as omeprazole and lansoprazole have made it possible to medically control acid secretion in all patients. Increased understanding of the variation in antisecretory drug dosage between individual patients has led to identification of criteria to ensure effective antisecretory control and to the recognition of subgroups of patients who require special monitoring. Effective regimens for parenteral antisecretory control during surgery have been established. The importance of parathyroidectomy in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type I with ZES and the possible usefulness of highly selective vagotomy have been investigated. We review here the new data that led to increased understanding in each of these areas from our studies and studies by others.
CHARGED PARTICLE IRRADIATION OF CHORDOMA AND CHONDROSARCOMA OF THE BASE OF SKULL AND CERVICAL SPINE: THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY EXPERIENCE

Forty-five consecutive patients with chordoma or chondrosarcoma at the base of skull or cervical spine were treated at the University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (UCLBL) and University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco (UCSF) between November 1977 and October 1986. All patients had undergone a subtotal surgical resection. Twenty-three patients were treated definitively with charged particles, 13 patients were treated with photons and particles, and 9 patients were treated for recurrent disease. Total doses ranged from 36 to 80 Gray equivalent (GyE). Thirty-three patients are alive with a minimum followup of 1 year. The actuarial survival and local control for all patients at 5 years is 62% and 59%, respectively. Patients treated for primary disease had a 78% actuarial local control rate at 2 years, whereas the rate for patients with recurrent disease was 33%. Patients with smaller visible tumor volumes (less than 20 cc) had a significantly better local control rate than patients with larger tumor volumes (80% vs 33% actuarial rate at 5 years). Patients with chondrosarcoma had the highest local control rate, as did patients treated with particles alone. Complications included 3 patients with unilateral visual loss, two patients who became blind, and 4 patients with radiation injury to the brainstem.
Biochemical Changes in Myofibrillar Protein Isolates Exposed to Three Oxidizing Systems

The objective of the study was to compare three different oxidizing systems commonly present in muscle foods for their influence on the biochemical properties of muscle proteins. Myofibrillar protein isolate (MPI) prepared from pork serratus ventralis muscle was suspended (30 mg protein/mL) in 15 mM piperazine-N,N-bis(2-ethane sulfonic acid) buffer (pH 6.0). Oxidation was induced by incubating the protein suspension at 4 degrees C for 24 h with (i) a hydroxyl radical-generating system (HRGS: 10 microM FeCl3, 0.1 mM ascorbic acid, and 0.05-5.0 mM H2O2), (ii) a lipid-oxidizing system (LOS: 0.05-5.0 mM linoleic acid and 3750 units of lipoxidase/mL), or (iii) a metmyoglobin-oxidizing system (MOS: 0.05-0.5 mM metmyoglobin). Changes in oxidized MPI were measured as Ca- and K-ATPase activities, formation of protein carbonyls and 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), loss of protein thermal stability, and protein aggregation. The three oxidizing matrixes induced complex MPI changes; for example, the Ca- and K-ATPase activities were altered mainly by low-concentration oxidants, but the changes were unique for each oxidizing system. The carbonyl content in MOS-treated MPI was the highest, while the TBARS production, changes in thermal properties, and loss of the myosin heavy chain were the greatest in HRGS-treated MPIs. Overall, the hydroxyl radical-producing medium appeared to be the most oxidative to myofibrillar proteins under the experimental conditions employed in the study.
Theory of Viscoplastic Lubrication: Part 1—Basic Relationships

Basic flow relationships are developed for three typical non-Newtonian lubricant models: the pseudo-plastic model, the circular viscoplastic model, and the ideal viscoplastic model. It is found that the conventional no-slip boundary conditions are inadequate to fully treat the latter two models. Conclusions regarding the appropriate boundary conditions for any viscoplastic model and the form of the resulting Reynolds equations are presented
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering immunoassays using a rotated capture substrate.

A rapid, sensitive format for immunosorbent assays has been developed to meet the increasing levels of performance (i.e., reduction of incubation times and detection limits) demanded in the medical, veterinary, and bioterrorism prevention arenas. This paper introduces the concept of a rotating capture substrate as a facile means to increase the flux of antigen and label to the solid-phase surface and thereby reduce assay time. To this end, a sandwich-type assay is carried out that couples the specificity of antibody−antigen interactions with the high sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection. To investigate this strategy, polyclonal anti-rabbit IgG was immobilized on a gold capture substrate via a thiolate coupling agent. The capture substrate, capable of controlled rotation, was then immersed in a sample solution containing rabbit IgG, which served as a model analyte. After binding the target IgG, the substrates were immersed and rotated in an extrinsic Raman label (ERL) labeling solutio...
Viewpoint on Emv2, the onlhy endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia virus of C57BL/6 mice

Here I comment on the articles by Lee and colleagues (Retrovirology 2011, 8:82) and Lee and Cho (Retrovirology 2012, 9:23) dealing with an endogenous ecotropic mouse leukemia virus found in C57BL mice.
A Stub Generator for Multilanguage RPC in Heterogeneous Environments

A stub generator for marshalling the arguments and results of remote procedure calls in heterogeneous environments is presented. The stub generator is itself language and machine independent, and derives all its knowledge of source languages and machine types from a set of language and machine specifications. These specifications can be paired in any combination to accommodate interlanguage calls between differing machines.
Lymphoblastoid cell lines from normal persons and those with nonmalignant diseases.

INVESTIGATORS throughout the world have established in the last 5 years probably more than 600 human hematopoietic cell lines [ 1, 2, 5, 10, 131. Almost all of these cell lines have been derived from cells of the peripheral blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and tumor tissue of patients with various hematopoietic diseases. The purpose of this paper is to confirm reports of the relative ease with which cell lines from the leukocytes of the peripheral blood of individuals without malignant disease can be established [B, 91. There are no absolute or even adequate criteria for judging the normalcy or malignancy of a cultured cell. If such criteria were available, it seems reasonable to believe that most cells would present a spectrum of benign and malignant characteristics. With these reservations, the term normal cell lines can be used in reference to lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from normal individuals and from patients with nonhematological malignancies and nonmalignant diseases. For present pur-
Age of Epiphyseal Closure in Tamarins and Marmosets

Estimates of the chronological age for animals of unknown age provideuseful information for medical, demographic, and evolutionary studies.Skeletal development, as indicated by epiphyseal closure, can be used toestimate an animal’s chronological age or specify its stage of develop-ment. Many studies of Primate skeletal development have used animalsof unknown age, with the order of epiphyseal closure providing a rela-tive age for each animal. This study examines the age of epiphyseal clo-sure at 22 epiphyseal sites using animals of known age at death in threecalitrichid species (
[1]Ferrocenophanes with phosphorous and arsenic as the bridging atoms: Synthesis and some reactions. A new route to ferrocenyllithium reagents

Abstract (1,1′-Ferrocenediyl)phenyl-phosphine and -arsine and (1,1′-ferrocenediyl)-methylphosphine have been prepared by the reaction of 1,1′-dilithioferrocene-tetramethylenediamine with the respective RPCl2 and PhAsCl2. They react at the Group V bridging atom with sulfur and with reactive metal carbonyl species without disruption of the ferrocenophane system. Organolithium reagents reacts with these compounds to open the ring and give 1-lithio-1′-phosphino- or arsino-ferrocenes. Some reactions of these new lithium reagents are reported.
Accelerating technology transfer: thinking about organizational pronoia

Abstract Most high-technology-based organizations rely on rapid transfer of technology and effective product innovation processes for competitive survival and profits. The concept of organizational pronoia is offered as a sustaining basis for adapting organizations and accelerating technology transfer processes. A continuum of organizational paranoia and pronoia , a typology of technology-transfer-related strategies and designs, and conceptual models of organizational adaptation, are proposed for future testing. Implications that might interest scholars, as well as practitioners, are also discussed.
Microdosimetric Analysis of Proton Induced Reactions in Silicon and Gallium Arsenide

Microdosimetric comparisions of volumes of silicon and gallium arsenide exposed to protons of 25 to 300 MeV have been performed using a computer simulation. Significant differences between silicon and gallium arsenide are seen in the energy-deposition spectra. The effect of the surrounding material, the energy and mass spectra of the recoiling nuclei, and the effect of scaling are also presented and discussed.
ASSESSING UNEXPECTED DIFFERENTIAL ITEM PERFORMANCE OF FEMALE CANDIDATES ON SAT AND TSWE FORMS ADMINISTERED IN DECEMBER 1977: AN APPLICATION OF THE STANDARDIZATION APPROACH1

A new approach to assessing unexpected differential item performance (item bias or item fairness) is developed and applied to the item responses of males and females to SAT/TSWE items administered operationally in December 1977. While the main body of the report describes the particulars of the present application and delineates the essential features of the approach, a technical appendix describes the standardization approach in detail. The primary goal of the standardization approach is to control for differences in subpopulation ability before making comparisons between subpopulation performance on test items. By so doing, it removes the contaminating effects of ability differences from the assessment of item fairness. Of the total of 195 items studied, the standardization approach identified only a handful as meriting careful review for possible content bias. Of these few, only one item exhibited a clearly unacceptable degree of unexpected differential item performance between males and females that could be attributed to content bias.
Morphologic Evaluation and Actin Filament Distribution in Porcine Embryos Produced In Vitro and In Vivo

Porcine embryos produced in vitro have a small number of cells and low viability. The present study was conducted to examine the morphological characteristics and the relationship between actin filament organization and morphology of porcine embryos produced in vitro and in vivo. In vitro-derived embryos were produced by in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and in vitro development. In vivo-derived embryos were collected from inseminated gilts on Days 2-6 after estrus. In experiment 1, in vitro-derived embryos (</= 8-cell stage) collected 12-48 h after IVF were separately fixed, stained by orcein, and examined under phase contrast microscopy. It was found that 27% of 2-cell, 74% of 3-cell, 51% of 4-cell, and 74% of 5- to 8-cell-stage embryos were abnormal in morphology. Morphological anomalies included fragmentation (no nucleus in one or more than one blastomere) and/or binucleation (two nuclei in one or more than one blastomere). In experiment 2, actin filament distribution of the embryos at 2-cell to blastocyst stages that were produced in vivo and in vitro were stained by rhodamine-phalloidin and examined by confocal microscopy. Actin filaments were distributed in all in vivo-derived embryos at the cell cortex, and at the joints of cells and perinucleus in 2- to 8-cell-stage embryos and in some cells of morulae and blastocysts. Actin filaments were also distributed in the cortex and at the joints of cells of all in vitro-produced embryos. However, only 20% of in vitro-produced embryos at 2- to 8-cell stages had perinuclear actin filaments in all blastomeres. Most in vitro-produced embryos had fewer perinuclear actin filaments or did not have perinuclear actin filaments in some blastomeres. Fragmentation and binucleate blastomeres were not observed in in vivo-derived embryos. In vivo-derived Day 5 (136.5 +/- 60.4 nuclei per blastocyst) and Day 6 (164.5 +/- 51.9 nuclei per blastocyst) blastocysts had significantly (p < 0.001) more cells than in vitro-produced Day 6 blastocysts (37. 3 +/- 11.7 nuclei per blastocyst). In experiment 3, when cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of microfilament polymerization, was included in the culture medium, it prevented 2- to 4-cell-stage embryos from developing to the blastocyst stage. These results indicate that abnormal actin filament distribution is one possible reason for abnormal embryo cleavage and small cell numbers in pig embryos produced in vitro. Culture conditions that mediate normal actin filament distribution may result in an improvement in embryo quality.
On $${SL(2, \mathbb R)}$$ Valued Smooth Proximal Cocycles and Cocycles with Positive Lyapunov Exponents Over Irrational Rotation Flows

Consider the class of Cr-smooth \({SL(2, \mathbb R)}\) valued cocycles, based on the rotation flow on the two torus with irrational rotation number α. We show that in this class, (i) cocycles with positive Lyapunov exponents are dense and (ii) cocycles that are either uniformly hyperbolic or proximal are generic, if α satisfies the following Liouville type condition: \(\left|\alpha-\frac{p_n}{q_n}\right| \leq C {\rm exp} (-q^{r+1+\kappa}_{n})\), where C > 0 and \({0 < \kappa <1 }\) are some constants and \({\frac{P_n}{q_n}}\) is some sequence of irreducible fractions.
Boundary conditions in simulations of cardiac propagating action potentials

Novel boundary conditions (BCs) which terminate propagating action potentials (PAPs) in matched impedance are described. Steady-state PAPs are stored and reused, obviating simulation of long cables to allow PAPs to approach steady state. These BCs help avoid misleading results and reduce computer time, allowing detailed representation of cardiac structures. >
Acceleration of norepinephrine synthesis in the rat submaxillary gland in vivo during sympathetic nerve stimulation.

Abstract In nembutal-anesthetized rats, the sympathetic nerves to the submaxillary gland were stimulated electrically during simultaneous intravenous infusion of tyrosine-C14 and dopa-H3. Stimulation resulted in a four- to five-fold increase in norepinephrine synthesis from tyrosine-C14 but not from dopa-H3. Endogenous norepinephrine content and tyrosine specific activity were not significantly altered. The results suggest an impulse-induced acceleration of norepinephrine synthesis in the adrenergic neurone. Synthesis is apparently stimulated at or before the tyrosine hydroxylation step, although there are no changes in the content of tyrosine hydroxylase. The rate of norepinephrine synthesis might be controlled by tyrosine transport, product inhibition, endogenous inhibitors or cofactors of tyrosine hydroxylase.
Crime minimisation and racial bias: what can we learn from police search data?*

Is variation by motorist race in the success rate of searches informative about racial bias if police are motivated by crime minimisation rather than success-rate maximisation? We show that the basic idea of extracting information from 'hit rates' may still be valid, provided one can verify some simple restrictions on the joint distribution of criminality by race. We also extend these results to the case where the police minimise the rate of unpunished crime.
Changes in arterial subfractions with aging and atherosclerosis.

Abstract We studied the effect of age in rhesus monkeys and of short- and long-term hyperlipemia in squirrel monkeys on the composition of subfractions of the aortic intima plus inner media which were separated by differential and density gradient centrifugation. We have described a method for separation of the microsomes into 6 subfractions on Ficoll gradients, as well as a procedure for quantifying those vesicles by light scattering. The microsome subfractions from the plasma membrane had high sphingomyelin: phospholipid and free cholesterol: phospholipid ratios, but little cholesterol ester. With age or short-term hyperlipemia, some of the first changes in the aortic intima plus inner media were increases in the concentrations of sphingomyelin and free cholesterol. These changes in intact arterial tissue were paralleled by increases in the quantity of light scattering, free cholesterol, and phospholipid (per unit weight of tissue or tissue DNA) in those microsomal subfractions with properties of the plasma membrane. With advanced atherosclerosis much of the increase in lipid was in the 3 · IO 6 g · min supernatant. Most of the cholesterol esters in the atherosclerotic tissue were in the supernatant fraction, and cholesterol esters did not increase significantly in the purified plasma membrane fractions. We conclude that a prominent change with aging and early atherogenesis is a proliferation of plasma membrane.
The hunt for HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

Currently, there are three distinct mechanistic classes of antiretrovirals: inhibitors of the HIV- 1 reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes and inhibitors of HIV entry, including receptor and coreceptor binding and cell fusion. A new drug class that inhibits the HIV-1 integrase enzyme (IN) is in development and may soon be available in the clinic. IN is an attractive drug target because it is essential for a stable and productive HIV-1 infection and there is no mammalian homologue of IN. Inhibitors of integrase enzyme (INI) block the integration of viral double-stranded DNA into the host cell's chromosomal DNA. HIV-1 integration has many potential steps that can be inhibited and several new compounds that target specific integration steps have been identified by drug developers. Recently, two INIs, GS-9137 and MK-0518, demonstrated promising early clinical trial results and have been advanced into later stage trials. In this review, we describe how IN facilitates HIV-1 integration, the needed enzyme c...
Neuropeptide discovery in Ixodoidea: An in silico investigation using publicly accessible expressed sequence tags

The Ixodoidea (ticks) are important vectors in the transmission of many human diseases; for example, the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis is the major vector in the transmission of Lyme disease, the most frequently reported vector-borne illness in the United States. The development of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for ixodoidean cDNA libraries, and their public deposition, has generated a rich resource for protein discovery in members of this taxon, thereby providing an opportunity for better understanding the physiology and behavior of these disease vectors. Here, in silico searches of publicly accessible ESTs were conducted to identify transcripts encoding putative ixodoidean neuropeptide precursors, with the mature peptides contained within them predicted using online peptide processing programs and homology to known arthropod sequences. In total, 37 putative neuropeptide-encoding ESTs were identified from three ixodoidean species: I. scapularis (29 ESTs), Rhipicephalus microplus (seven ESTs) and Amblyomma americanum (one EST). Among those identified from I. scapularis were ones predicted to encode isoforms of corazonin, crustacean hyperglycemic hormone/ion transport peptide, diuretic hormone (both calcitonin- and corticotropin-releasing factor-like), FMRFamide-related peptide (both short neuropeptide F and sulfakinin subfamilies) orcokinin, proctolin, pyrokinin/periviscerokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide, SIFamide, and tachykinin-related peptide. Collectively, 80 distinct ixodoidean neuropeptides were characterized from the identified precursors. These results not only expand greatly the number of known/predicted ixodoidean neuropeptides, but also provide a strong foundation for future molecular and physiological investigations of peptidergic control in this important group of disease-transmitting arthropods.
A survey of primary care physicians’ perceptions and needs regarding the precepting of medical students in their offices

Objective To assess the interest, perceptions, and needs of primary care physicians with regard to office-based precepting of medical students. Design Random survey. Setting The New England region of the United States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut). Participants Family physicians, general internists and paediatricians. Main outcome measures These included: (1) practice and preceptor demographics; (2) Likert scale agreement or disagreement with various positive and negative perceptions about precepting students; rating (from unimportant to necessary) of potential benefits from medical schools associated with the support of precepting in the office setting, and (3) comparisons among physician groups to determine differences in perceptions and needs. Results There is a high level of interest in precepting regardless of primary care specialty, practice structure, payment mechanism, or precepting experience. Negative impacts included decreased productivity and increased length of the day by a median of 60 minutes. Positive impacts included keeping one’s own knowledge up-to-date and enhanced enjoyment of practice. Benefits such as academic appointments, continuing medical education credits, faculty development, computer linkages for clinical information and medical library access are rated highly. Monetary payment, whether as a modest honorarium or as compensation for lost time/income, was felt to be important by half of our sample. Conclusion A significant interest in precepting medical students on a regular basis is expressed by primary care physicians in the ambulatory medicine setting. The results of this survey can be used by medical schools to address negative perceptions and to develop appropriate benefits packages to recruit and retain these primary care preceptors.
Effects of androgens on burst forming units (BFU-E) in normal rabbit bone marrows

Abstract The mechanism of action of androgenic steroids on erythropoiesis is not well understood. In order to assess whether the site of action of androgens is on the early erythroid committed stem cell compartment, the in vitro effects of testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) and 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT) on the so-called erythropoietic burst forming unit (BFU-E) in normal rabbit bone marrows were studied. Even though all of the steroids studied increased the number of BFU-E in the presece of Ep, 5β-DHT was the most potent in stimulating BFU-E. Testosterone was moderately effective in increasing BFU-E. Even though 5α-DHT produced a significant increase in BFU-E, it was the least effective of the 3 steroids studied. Preincubation (2 hrs) of normal rabbit bone marrow cells with testosterone followed by removal of T from the culture system resulted in a significant increase in BFU-E when compared with that of non-treated marrow cells in the presence of Ep. These data suggest that testosterone and 5β-DHT and possibly 5α-DHT act on an early uncommitted stem cell, perhaps the CFU-S, to increase the numbers of erythroid committed stem cells to eventually cause an increase in erythropoiesis in combination with Ep.
Multiple goal non-cooperative conflicts under uncertainty: A fuzzy set approach

Abstract This paper investigates strategy selection for a participant in a two-party non-cooperative conflict which involves both uncertainty and multiple goals. Uncertainty arises from the players not knowing the utility functions. Multiple objectives appear as the result of the payoff being a vector of prizes and the players attempt to attain various goals for each prize separately. The main objective is to present a fuzzy set/fuzzy programming solution concept to the conflict situation. In doing so, we compare a Bayesian player to one that employs fuzzy set techniques. We point out some of the advantages of the fuzzy set method. The necessary computations in the fuzzy set method are explained in detail through an example.
TLSMD web server for the generation of multi-group TLS models

The TLSMD web server extracts information about dynamic properties of a protein based on information derived from a single-crystal structure. It does so by analyzing the spatial distribution of individual atomic thermal parameters present in an input structural model. The server partitions the protein structure into multiple, contiguous chain segments, each segment corresponding to one group in a multi-group description of the protein's overall dynamic motion. For each polypeptide chain of the input protein, the analysis generates the optimal partition into two segments, three segments, … up to 20 segments. Each such partition is optimal in the sense that it is the best approximation of the overall spatial distribution of input thermal parameters in terms of N chain segments, each acting as a rigid group undergoing TLS (translation/libration/screw) motion. This multi-group TLS model may be used as a starting point for further crystallographic refinement, or as the basis for analyzing inter-domain and other large-scale motions implied by the crystal structure.
Micromechanical finite element modeling of moisture damage in bituminous composite materials

Abstract This study numerically investigates the effect of moisture presence on the microscale and macroscale responses of bituminous composite materials such as Asphalt Concrete (AC). A micromechanical modeling framework based on the Finite Element (FE) method was developed. The microstructure of the material was characterized using the non-destructive X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) technique. Images obtained from X-ray CT scans were used to generate FE-based micromechanical models. A computationally efficient hydro-micromechanical framework that bridges the microscale features of AC materials to the corresponding macroscale linear viscoelastic properties was presented. The micromechanical model provides a micromechanical based approach for quantifying the contribution of cohesive and adhesive damage to the overall material response of particulate composite in the presence of moisture.