cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assistive Teleoperation of Robot Arms via Automatic Time-Optimal Mode Switching

Assistive robotic arms are increasingly enabling users with upper extremity disabilities to perform activities of daily living on their own. However, the increased capability and dexterity of the arms also makes them harder to control with simple, low-dimensional interfaces like joy-sticks and sip-and-puff interfaces. A common technique to control a high-dimensional system like an arm with a low-dimensional input like a joystick is through switching between multiple control modes. However, our interviews with daily users of the Kinova JACO arm identified mode switching as a key problem, both in terms of time and cognitive load. We further confirmed objectively that mode switching consumes about 17.4% of execution time even for able-bodied users controlling the JACO. Our key insight is that using even a simple model of mode switching, like time optimality, and a simple intervention, like automatically switching modes, significantly improves user satisfaction.
436 RANDOMIZED AND OPEN-LABEL CLINICAL TRIALS OF HUMAN BOTULISM IMMUNE GLOBULIN INTRAVENOUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFANT BOTULISM.

Infant botulism is the most common form of human botulism in the United States. In contrast to foodborne and wound botulism, infant botulism results from intra-intestinal production of botulinum toxin following ingestion and germination of Clostridium botulinum spores. In 1989 the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) undertook development of the orphan drug Human Botulism Immune Globulin (BIG-IV) for the treatment of infant botulism. In 1991 BIG-IV Lot 1 was made by plasmapheresis of CDHS staff and other volunteers previously immunized with botulinum toxoid. BIG-IV was evaluated in a statewide, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RCT) 1992-97 and in a subsequent national open-label study while licensure requirements were being met. RCT patients were enrolled within 72 hours of hospital admission based on clinical criteria; the placebo was identically-packaged, licensed normal human intravenous immune globulin (IGIV). Treatment consisted of a single intravenous infusion of 50 mg/kg of product. The primary efficacy outcome variable was reduction of length and associated cost of hospital stay. Safety was assessed by comparing adverse event rates. Results 122 patients with eventual laboratory-confirmed infant botulism were enrolled during the 5-year statewide RCT (59 BIG-IV, 63 placebo). No adverse event occurred significantly more frequently in treated patients than in control patients, and no bronchospasm, anaphylaxis or deaths occurred in either group. Treatment with BIG-IV reduced mean per-patient hospital stay by 3.1 weeks, from 5.7 to 2.5 weeks (P≤0.0001) and reduced associated mean per-patient hospital costs by $84,600, from approximately $156,200 to approximately $71,600 (2004 dollars). Treatment with BIG-IV also significantly shortened length of ICU stay by ≥60% (P≤0.01), duration of mechanical ventilation by ≥70% (P≤0.001), duration of tube feedings by ≥60% (P=0.001) and mean adverse events by ≥40% (P=0.05). With nationwide open-label BIG-IV distribution since 1998, mean hospital stay of ≥430 patients was further reduced to 2.2 weeks. Aggregate avoided hospital stay for these ≥430 patients totaled 25.0 patient-years and aggregate avoided hospital costs totaled more than $39,500,000. Conclusion BIG-IV is safe and effective treatment for infant botulism and in late 2003 was licensed by the U.S. FDA; CDHS is distributing it nationwide as a public service medicine.
Vitamin D Deficiency Following Bariatric Surgery

A 46-year-old female who underwent bariatric surgery 4 years ago presented in clinic for an evaluation of vitamin D deficiency, hyperparathyroidism, and bone loss. The surgery was a biliopancreatic diversion, a procedure in which the small bowel was resected and the terminal ilium connected to a short section of proximal duodenum. Following the procedure, the patient achieved a 160-pound weight loss. However, 6 months later, the patient developed severe vitamin D deficiency that did not respond to vitamin D repletion (50,000 IU of vitamin D given once a week followed by 50,000 IU of vitamin D per month). A bone mineral density (BMD) scan performed 2 years following the surgery showed osteopenia, particularly in the spine and right trochanter. Laboratory values at that time showed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration to be low (18 ng/mL) in spite of vitamin D supplementation and parathyroid hormone (PTH) to be elevated to 71 pg/mL (laboratory range: 10–65 pg/mL). In the year prior to her presentation, she began having irregular menstruations and was determined to be in menopause by elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). She also began experiencing bone pain in her right hip and shin. Her daily medication regimen at presentation included a multivitamin, which included the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, 600 mg of calcium citrate t.i.d., and zinc supplements. She continued to receive a 50,000 IU dose of vitamin D each month.
Microbial Forensic Investigation of the Anthrax-Letter Attacks

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the microbial forensic investigations of the anthrax-letter attack in the United States in 2001. The anthrax-letter attack represented a defining moment that has dramatically shaped the biodefense infrastructure and research efforts. Spores of Bacillus anthracis contained in or on letters mailed from a New Jersey location infected 22 persons, killing 5. The responsible strain was identified as a laboratory strain that was used commonly for research and development of vaccines and therapeutics. The Federal Bureau of Investigation developed a strain repository of all known sources of the Ames strain. Distinctive morphological variants were observed among colonies grown from the spore-containing letters. DNA was isolated from each variant and then whole genome sequenced to identify the genetic basis for these phenotypes. Four polymerase chain reaction-based assays for detecting the four different variants were developed and then used to screen the Ames strain repository. Only cultures derived from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases spore stock RMR-1029 contained all four mutants associated with the morphological variants. The FBI concluded that the letter spores were derived from this source. The microbial forensics of the Amerithrax investigation relied heavily on genetics and comparative genomics to provide invaluable investigative leads, which suggested that (i) the strain of B. anthracis used in the attack was more likely obtained from a laboratory source than from the environment and (ii) that a B. anthracis spore preparation known as RMR1029 at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, was a potential source or at least a direct lineage source from which the spores in the letters originated.
Optimal self-protection in two periods: On the role of endogenous saving

Self-protection is a costly investment to reduce the probability of loss. This paper studies optimal self-protection in a two-period model with endogenous saving. In a setting with a binary loss we show that prudence is negatively associated with the optimal level of self-protection, consistent with results obtained in single-period models. We provide intuition for this finding with the help of a recent approach based on stochastic dominance. Furthermore, we determine the effect of interest rate risk on optimal self-protection and study a model in which a decision-maker engages in advance effort to increase the probability of facing a better risky situation. All our results suggest that the understanding of advance self-protection crucially hinges on whether the decision-maker also uses saving to optimize intertemporal consumption utility. If so, the fact that self-protection expenditures are upfront turns out to be irrelevant.
Ambient noise tomography across Mount St. Helens using a dense seismic array

We investigated upper crustal structure with data from a dense seismic array deployed around Mount St. Helens for two weeks in the summer of 2014. Inter-station cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise data from the array were obtained and clear fundamental mode Rayleigh waves were observed between 2.5 and 5 s periods. In addition, higher-mode signals were observed around 2 s period. Frequency-time analysis was applied to measure fundamental mode Rayleigh wave phase velocities, which were used to invert for 2-D phase velocity maps. An azimuth-dependent travel time correction was implemented to mitigate potential biases introduced due to an inhomogeneous noise source distribution. Reliable phase velocity maps were only obtained between 3 and 4 s periods due to limitations imposed by the array aperture and higher-mode contamination. The phase velocity tomography results, which are sensitive to structure shallower than 6 km depth, reveal a ~10-15% low-velocity anomaly centered beneath the volcanic edifice and peripheral high-velocity anomalies that likely correspond to cooled igneous intrusions. We suggest that the low-velocity anomaly reflects the high porosity mixture of lava and ash deposits near the surface of the edifice, a highly fractured magmatic conduit and hydrothermal system beneath the volcano, and possibly a small contribution from silicate melt.
On the Existence and Nature of Multi-Business Firms: Double Specialization and Neighboring Businesses

We propose a theory of the scope of the firm, and offer supporting evidence. The theory suggests that multi-business firms exist because they allow better deployment of factors that, because of sub-additive transactions costs, cannot be traded in fractions or rented for short periods. It predicts that the businesses making up multi-business firms are “neighbors” in a two senses: their service needs are correlated and factors specialized to one business are also productive in the other. We then look at a sample of acquisitions and document three regularities. First, input intensities of targets change to more closely resemble those of their acquirers. Second, the performance of targets improve but does not catch up to that of their acquirers. Third, acquirers tend to select targets in industries that are similar to their own.
Safe online navigation of convex potentials in spaces with convex obstacles

Consider a convex set of which we remove an arbitrary number of disjoints convex sets — the obstacles — and a convex function whose minimum is the agent's goal. A solution to this problem under some geometric conditions [1] is to construct a Rimon-Koditschek artificial potential. Then, an agent that navigates along the negative gradient of that potential is ensured to reach the desired goal while avoiding the obstacles for almost every initial configuration. To build such potential, the agent needs exact information about the obstacles and the function he is trying to minimize. In this work, we generalize the results in [1] to stochastic settings, where the information available is not deterministic but comes from a probability distribution. In particular, we show that if the agent follows a stochastic approximation of the negative gradient of the Rimon-Koditschek artificial potential, convergence to the desired destination and obstacle avoidance is guaranteed with probability one for all initial positions under the same geometrical conditions than in the deterministic case. Numerical examples explore the practical value of these theoretical results.
A new modulation technique for Doppler compensation in frequency-dispersive channels

A new modulation technique for the time-frequency dispersive channel is considered. The waveform construction, called Frequency-Domain Multiplexing with a Frequency-Domain Cyclic Prefix (FDM-FDCP) efficiently corrects for the Doppler spread introduced by the channel. The mathematical foundations behind this construction are described and efficient algorithms presented to modulate and demodulate information symbols. It is found that for channels with a high Doppler spread and a low delay spread, the construction can sustain good performance in terms of low SER and minimal overhead, whereas OFDM is strictly worse. This shows that, in rapidly time-varying time-frequency dispersive channels, general time-frequency signaling schemes (FDM-FDCP being an example) may outperform OFDM or other waveform constructions designed for multipath channels with low mobility.
Modeling Social Resilience in Communities

One of the primary challenges of modeling the social resilience of communities is that resilience may depend on a number of multidomain factors, ranging from ecological to political. In addition, the impacts and interactions of the relevant factors may not be fully understood. There is also the challenge of representing the intricate behaviors of the social actors, both individuals and groups, in order to model their responses to perturbations in the environment and to internal changes. In light of these challenges, current works tend to make a number of simplifying assumptions. In this paper, we propose a computational framework to formulate multiple resilience functions, each modeling a particular hypothesis about the system’s resilience. One of our key contributions is the ability to use social theories to compose these individual resilience functions into an umbrella resilience function, while providing qualitative analysis. We validate our framework by modeling the resilience of a fishing community in Somalia over the period of 1999–2012, as it underwent a series of dramatic ecological, political, and economic changes. We formulated resilience functions to computationally model the competing support for the community’s traditional occupation of fishing and alternatively for taking up piracy on the high seas. We then provide an overall resilience function by combining these individual resilience functions using social theories such as the social norm theory and risk theory.
Pastors’ Friendships, Part 1: Project Overview and an Exploration of the Pedestal Effect:

This is the first of two reports of a study exploring the expectation that pastors would be discouraged from forming close friendships by a “pedestal effect,” norms of propriety, and antifraterniza...
Dynamics of Dystrophin's Actin-Binding Domain

Abstract We have used pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance, calorimetry, and molecular dynamics simulations to examine the structural mechanism of binding for dystrophin’s N-terminal actin-binding domain (ABD1) and compare it to utrophin’s ABD1. Like other members of the spectrin superfamily, dystrophin’s ABD1 consists of two calponin-homology (CH) domains, CH1 and CH2. Several mutations within dystrophin’s ABD1 are associated with the development of severe degenerative muscle disorders Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies, highlighting the importance of understanding its structural biology. To investigate structural changes within dystrophin ABD1 upon binding to actin, we labeled the protein with spin probes and measured changes in inter-CH domain distance using double-electron electron resonance. Previous studies on the homologous protein utrophin showed that actin binding induces a complete structural opening of the CH domains, resulting in a highly ordered ABD1-actin complex. In this study, double-electron electron resonance shows that dystrophin ABD1 also undergoes a conformational opening upon binding F-actin, but this change is less complete and significantly more structurally disordered than observed for utrophin. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we identified a hinge in the linker region between the two CH domains that grants conformational flexibility to ABD1. The conformational dynamics of both dystrophin’s and utrophin’s ABD1 showed that compact conformations driven by hydrophobic interactions are preferred and that extended conformations are energetically accessible through a flat free-energy surface. Considering that the binding free energy of ABD1 to actin is on the order of 6–7 kcal/mole, our data are compatible with a mechanism in which binding to actin is largely dictated by specific interactions with CH1, but fine tuning of the binding affinity is achieved by the overlap between conformational ensembles of ABD1 free and bound to actin.
The Effect of Apotransferrin on Iron Release From Caco-2 Cells, an Intestinal Epithelial Cell Line

The Caco-2 cell line grown in bicameral chambers was used to study the effect of transferrin in the basal chamber on the transepithelial transport of iron. We have shown that when iron was offered as59Fe on the apical surface of the Caco-2 cells, transport of 59Fe into the basal chamber was stimulated by 50 μmol/L apotransferrin. Here, we examined the effect on59Fe transport of lower concentrations of apotransferrin, as well as the effects on transport of ovo-, cobalt-, and ferri-transferrin and of iron chelators with an affinity for iron greater than that of transferrin. The stimulation of 59Fe transport was more sensitive to the presence of apotransferrin with a Km of 0.078 ± 0.008 μmol/L compared with ferri-transferrin with a Km of 1.24 ± 0.39 μmol/L ( P < .006). 59Fe transport was less sensitive to diethylenetriaminopenta-acetic acid (DTPA) than apotransferrin with Kms of 1.52 ± 0.70. The chelator nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) exhibited no stimulation of59Fe transport. Analysis of laser scanning confocal micrographs showed that apotransferrin labeled with Texas Red is internalized by Caco-2 cells from the basal side and localizes in distinct vesicles above the nucleus. The sensitivity of apotransferrin in stimulating Fe transport suggests a unique interaction of apotransferrin with the basal surface of the intestinal epithelium.
Phonological and Orthographic Processing: Separate but Equal?

The title of this volume is The varieties of orthographic knowledge I: Theoretical and developmental issues. The authors have met this charge so well that the reader may be overwhelmed by the varieties of orthographic knowledge and despairing of any hope for consensus. Yet there are at least three points of consensus among the authors. First, in studying reading, phonological processing skill has been over-emphasized at the expense of orthographic processing skill. Second, orthographic processing can be operationalized and assessed separately from phonological processing. Third, although orthographic and phonological processing can be dissociated statistically, they are conceptually intertwined.
An Application of Meta-Analysis in Food Safety Consumer Research To Evaluate Consumer Behaviors and Practices

Meta-analysis provides a structured method for combining results from several studies and accounting for and differentiating between study variables. Numerous food safety consumer research studies often focus on specific behaviors among different subpopulations but fail to provide a holistic picture of consumer behavior. Combining information from several studies provides a broader understanding of differences and trends among demographic subpopulations, and thus, helps in developing effective risk communication messages. In the illustrated example, raw/undercooked ground beef consumption and hygienic practices were evaluated according to gender, ethnicity, and age. Percentages of people engaging in each of the above behaviors (referred to as effect sizes) were combined using weighted averages of these percentages. Several measures, including sampling errors, random variance between studies, sample sizes of studies, and homogeneity of findings across studies, were used in the meta-analysis. The statistica...
A Review of Hydrologic and Water Quality Models Used for Simulation of Agricultural Pollution

Abstract Nonpoint source simulation programs are part of a category of loading models which describe primarily formation of runoff and generation of pollutants from a source area. They can be divided into continuous simulation models or event oriented models. They also can be based on the distribution parameter or lumped parameter concept. In scope, they range from small field size application models to mostly deterministic, process-oriented, large watershed models. The available models range from simple application of the long term form of the Universal Soil Loss Equation, to medium complexity models that use a simple hydrological component, to multiple parameter-multicomponent models requiring a large computer memory and considerable amount of field data for calibration. Models have been developed to simulate hydrology, erosion and sediment process, nutrient (fertilizer) losses, and transport of organic chemicals from agricultural watersheds. From a large number of models that have been developed in the United States in the last ten years, this paper focuses on those that are in practical use and/or have been used by practitioners for managing nonpoint pollution from agricultural operations.
Multi-Lead Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD) for In-Situ Health Monitoring of Ceramic Matrix Composites

The method of direct current potential drop (DCPD) can be utilized as an effective, and convenient approach for in-situ damage detection, and as a non-destructive evaluation technique. We present the results from use of a multiprobe DCPD technique for in-situ damage detection in loading of a SiC/SiC composite. It is shown that in three different modes of loading (monotonic, fatigue, and cyclic load-unload), the sensing capabilities of DCPD technique compares well to the techniques of modal acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC). It was also found that DCPD technique provides a far earlier warning of failure under fatigue loading than the other two methods. In addition, we show that strategically placed multiple voltage leads on the specimen surface provides a promising way of qualitatively determining the crack initiation site. Therefore, the use of multiple lead DCPD method, together with other techniques, provides a viable option for sensing damage in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) with complex geometries, and for applications at higher temperatures.Copyright © 2018 by ASME
Ideas, Monopoly and Income Inequality

Both entrepreneurial income inequality and profit concentration increased since 1980. Could changes in ways to generate new ideas be the reason? Increasing innovation, or the rate at which entrepreneurs generate new ideas, can concentrate profits, and has been proposed as a plausible source of increasing inequality. We show that it is hard to reconcile profit and income dynamics. We then explore an alternative: a model with firms innovating and interacting by learning ideas from each other can explain changes in inequality and growth equally well. Increasing inequality is now related to less interactions across firms.
NETSeq reveals heterogeneous nucleotide incorporation by RNA polymerase I.

DNA sequence motifs that affect RNA polymerase transcription elongation are well studied in prokaryotic organisms and contribute directly to regulation of gene expression. Despite significant work on the regulation of eukaryotic transcription, the effect of DNA template sequence on RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcription elongation remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of DNA sequence motifs on Pol I transcription elongation kinetics in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, we characterized how the spy rho-independent terminator motif from Escherichia coli directly affects Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol I activity, demonstrating evolutionary conservation of sequence-specific effects on transcription. The insight gained from this analysis led to the identification of a homologous sequence in the ribosomal DNA of S. cerevisiae. We then used native elongating transcript sequencing (NETSeq) to determine whether Pol I encounters pause-inducing sequences in vivo. We found hundreds of positions within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) that reproducibly induce pausing in vivo. We also observed significantly lower Pol I occupancy at G residues in the rDNA, independent of other sequence context, indicating differential nucleotide incorporation rates for Pol I in vivo. These data demonstrate that DNA template sequence elements directly influence Pol I transcription elongation. Furthermore, we have developed the necessary experimental and analytical methods to investigate these perturbations in living cells going forward.
Utilizing the Affinity Research Group Model in a Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program

In this paper, we describe how we integrated the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model into a 10-week summer research experience for undergraduates (REU) over the last three years. Each summer, ten REU students participated in: an annual two-day team-building orientation; a four day long ramp-up session to learn about REU projects and the skill sets they would need to master; weekly meetings with graduate and faculty mentors to define objectives, deliverables, and progress; and weekly skill development workshops to learn how to conduct research, prepare for future endeavors, and present oneself in professional settings. A total of seven faculty and twelve graduate students participated in ARG model process meetings to ensure students received comparable experiences and facilitated professional development activities. We provide an overview of our REU ARG model experience and reflect on improvements based on faculty mentor, graduate mentor, and undergraduate researchers' experiences.
Removal of BTA Adsorbed on Cu: A Feasibility Study Using the Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCMD) Technique

In the formation of copper interconnects by Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP), benzotriazole (BTA) is used as a copper corrosion inhibitor in barrier CMP slurries and post-CMP cleaning formulations. Removal of BTA adsorbed on copper is important for the overall success of copper CMP process. In this study, adsorption/uptake of BTA and its removal from copper surface was investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring capability (QCMD). Adsorption of BTA was carried out from a series of BTA solutions (20, 50, 100, 200 ppm) in tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Following the uptake step, removal of BTA by TMAH and acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) solutions maintained at pH 10 were studied in-situ. TMAH solutions remove some physisorbed BTA, while AHA is able to completely remove BTA.
Board monitoring, director connections, and credit quality☆

Abstract Firms with poor board monitoring effectiveness receive lower credit ratings and larger credit spreads. I identify these effects by using director deaths as exogenous shocks to monitoring effectiveness. These effects are especially pronounced when firms are highly levered. Incremental decreases in monitoring effectiveness impact credit quality the most when a majority of the board members become co-opted by management and when firms are more likely to increase corporate risk.
The Thirty Year Genocide: Turkey’s Destruction of Its Christian Minorities: by Benny Morris and Dror Ze’evi, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2019, 672 pp., $35.00 (hardcover), ISBN-13 978-0674916456

This volume by Benny Morris and Dror Ze’evi covers three dark pages in Anatolian history: the massacres of Armenians in 1894–1896, the Armenian genocide of 1915–1916, and the ethnic cleansing of Gr...
IS INDONESIA LOSING THE SOUL OF ITS DEMOCRACY

This paper describes 11 year dynamics and trends of Indonesian democracy, specifically, aspects of Civil Liberty, Political Rights, and Democratic Institutions, through the results of Indonesia Democracy Index’s (IDI) annual assessment. IDI is an assessment of provincial democracy. Its calculation is based on events occurring throughout the year; it is an attempt to capture democracy from the ground up; a depiction of democracy as it is practiced in everyday life at the institutional as well as at behavioral level. The results indicate complex dynamics and trends where issues of civil liberty, political rights and democratic institutions intertwine to shape political reality on the ground. Discrepancies of performances between IDI’s indicators of democracy indicate a certain paradox in Indonesian democracy as it is practiced at the provincial level. On one hand, the space for civil liberty is open and the citizens are freely and enthusiastically express themselves; and on the other hand, democratic institutions are lacking in capacity and cannot respond adequately to the democratic demands arising from the opening up of civil liberty. More than a decade long abject performance of provincial parliaments across Indonesia in performing its legislative roles (i.e. initiating legislation and giving public policy recommendation to the executives) have no doubt contributed to dissatisfactions express in many public complaints and demonstrations throughout Indonesia. This lack of parliamentary capacity across Indonesia translates into the absence of representation.
Moiré excitons in defective van der Waals heterostructures.

Excitons can be trapped by moire potentials in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, forming ordered arrays of quantum dots. Excitons can also be trapped by defect potentials as single photon emitters. While the moire and defect potentials in vdW heterostructures have been studied separately, their interplay remains largely unexplored. Here, we perform first-principles calculations to elucidate the interplay of the two potentials in determining the optoelectronic properties of twisted MoS2/WS2 heterobilayers. The binding energy, charge density, localization, and hybridization of the moire excitons can be modulated by the competition and cooperation of the two potentials. Their interplay can also be tuned by vertical electric fields, which can either de-trap the excitons or strongly localize them. One can further tailor the interplay of the two potentials via defect engineering to create one-dimensional exciton lattices with tunable orientations. Our work establishes defect engineering as a promising strategy to realize on-demand optoelectronic responses.
Elevated glutathione levels confer cellular sensitization to cisplatin toxicity

2324 Cisplatin (CDDP) has been recognized as an important antitumor agent since its introduction into clinical trials about three decades ago. However, many patients eventually relapse and develop resistance, representing a major limitation of platinum-based chemotherapy. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed to account for the resistance to cisplatin; and numerous studies have demonstrated that exposing cultured cells to cisplatin led to the development of CDDP resistance with concomitant increased of glutathione (GSH) levels and elevated expression of the rate-limiting enzyme of its biosynthesis, gamma glutamylcysteine synthetase (g-GCS) which consists of a heavy (catalytic) subunit (g-GCSh) and a light (regulatory) subunit. These observations led to the supposition that elevated GSH levels are associated with CDDP resistance. However, we found that elevated GSH levels (1.5- to 3.9-fold) in three g-GCSh-transfected human small cell lung cancer cell lines (SCLC) and two g-GCSh transfected rat hepatoma cell lines all exhibited elevated sensitivities to cisplatin (4.2- to 10-fold reduction in IC50). All the transfected cells exhibited elevated rates of CDDP transport due to upregulation of copper transporter (hCtr1); whereas expression of copper exporters ATP7A and ATP7B were only marginally increased. hCtr1 and ATP7A and ATP7B have been demonstrated to be cisplatin importer and exporters, respectively. Upregulation of hCtr1 in the transfected cells were not due to reduced reactive oxygene species (ROS)levels by elevated GSH expression, because SCLC cells treated with catalase which reduces intracellular ROS levels did not upregulate hCtr1 expression. Our results suggest that increased GSH levels per se are not responsible for cisplatin resistance is the drug-treated cell lines as previously thought. Rather, it may reflect a stress response phenomenon, because g-GCSh is a stress response gene.
The Topological Properties of Structural Components

Topological properties are those geometric properties which do not change under continuous deformation. Those aspects of interest for structural components are global properties related to the connectivity, and measurable by serial sectioning. These include the number of separate parts, and the connectivity, defined as the number of linearly independent closed paths which cannot be shrunk to a point entirely within a component. This property will be discussed for connected components which are finitely embedded in E3(Euclidean 3-space). These restrictions allow the application of the Euler equations wherein the characteristic of polyhedral coverings is related to the connectivity. The Euler equations depend explicitly upon the dimensionality, n≤3. Thus the dimensionality of any structural component under consideration must be defined.
Information is not enough: the place of statistics in the doctor-patient relationship.

The hero of Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych is a man of “incorruptible honesty,” who prides himself on his work as an examining magistrate: Ivan Ilych never abused his power; he tried on the contrary to soften its expression, but the consciousness of it and of the possibility of softening its effect supplied the chief interest and attraction of his office. In his work itself...he very soon acquired a method of eliminating all considerations irrelevant to the legal aspect of the case, and reducing even the most complicated case to a form in which it would be presented on paper only in its externals, completely excluding his personal opinion of the matter, while above all observing every prescribed formality.1
A Defense of the Integrationist Test as a Replacement for the Special Defense of Insanity

This article, written for a symposium on “Criminal Law and the Excuses,” defends the “Integrationist” approach to analysis of the exculpatory effect of mental disability that I developed in Chapter Two of my book, Minding Justice: Laws that Deprive People with Mental Disability of Life and Liberty. The book argues that the special nature of the insanity defense should be reconsidered now that modern criminal law, in particular the Model Penal Code, has subjectivized affirmative defenses such as self-defense and duress for people who are not mentally ill. More specifically, the claim is that these latter defenses capture the universe of people who should be excused due to mental illness, a claim which, if accepted, means that people with mental illness can be integrated into the culpability framework that applies to people who are not mentally ill and need no longer be handled through an independent excuse doctrine. Since the book was published in 2006, several commentators, including Richard Bonnie, Michael Corrado, Paul Litton, Matt Matravers, Stephen Morse, and Susan Rozelle, have registered objections to it. These criticisms can be organized under three general categories: the Integrationist Test is under-theorized; it fails to exculpate offenders who clearly should be excused; and it suffers from implementation difficulties. This article responds to these objections.
Assessing change in early intervention programs for children with autism

Assessing the efficacy of any intervention can be a difficult task. In the case of children with autism who require comprehensive and long-lasting interventions, the task becomes even more difficult. In this paper, intervention studies based on comprehensive interventions for young children with autism are reviewed and examined in reference to elements that are essential to a well-designed treatment study, e.g., randomization/matching procedures, and outcome measures. Given the complexity of these comprehensive intervention programs, and the few data available on interventions with clear empirical validation, a plea is made for studies to consider the active ingredients or component parts of an intervention, e.g., number of hours, type of setting, and teaching approach. Suggestions are further made for improving future studies, including more rigorous designs, and measuring change.
16 μm Infrared Hot Electron Transistor

We have demonstrated a bound to continuum state GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs infrared hot electron transistor which has a peak response at λp = 16.3 μm. An excellent photo-current transfer ratio of αp= 0.12 and very low dark current transfer ratio of αd = 7.2×10-5 is achieved at a temperature of T = 60 K.
Pion Interferometry in AU+AU Collisions at the AGS

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations have been studied using the BNLE866 Forward Spectrometer in 11.6 A.GeV/c Au + Au collisions. The data were analyzed using three-dimensional correlation parameterizations to study transverse momentum-dependent source parameters. The freeze-out time and the duration of emission were derived from the source radii parameters.
Optimizing Language Instruction: Matters of Explicitness, Practice, and Cue Learning

Input exposure is essential for nonprimary language learning, but the importance of explicit instruction and corrective feedback continues to be debated. If instruction is required, how might it be optimized in terms of its nature and timing? In this study, 65 Spanish-English bilinguals were introduced to Latin through an interactive computer program designed to promote initial learning of thematic role assignment by drawing learners’ attention to efficient input processing strategies when new, informative morphosyntactic cues to thematic role assignment were set up in competition with more familiar but potentially misleading cues. Participants in 4 experimental groups completed input-based, task-essential practice with interpreting agent/patient roles in Latin sentencesandreceivedfeedbackthroughoutthepracticesession.Twoofthegroupsadditionally received prepractice explanation of how thematic roles are assigned in Latin via morphosyntactic cues. Groups also varied systematically in whether they received less or more explicit feedback during practice. Results suggest that practice and less explicit feedback were sufficient to trigger improvement in the ability to interpret Latin case
Where the Twain Shall Meet: Kitte Mil Ve Mahi: Where the Twain Shall Meet. Produced by Ajay Bhardwaj, edited by Sachindra Bisht. DVD, color, 70 minutes, 2005. Punjabi with English subtitles. Distributed by India Foundation for the Arts. Rabba Hun Kee Kariye. Thus Departed Our Neighbors. Produced by Ajay Bhardwaj, edited by Tenzin Kunchok. DVD, color, 65 minutes, 2007.

Although ostensibly about two different themes, these two documentaries by Ajay Bhardwaj reveal the way in which the Partition of Imperial India in 1947 continues to shape the lives and memories of...
Dynamic Systems Theories

Dynamic systems is a recent theoretical approach to the study of development. In its contemporary formulation, the theory grows directly from advances in understanding complex and nonlinear systems in physics and mathematics, but it also follows a long and rich tradition of systems thinking in biology and psychology. The term dynamic systems, in its most generic form, means simply systems of elements that change over time. The more technical use, dynamical systems, refers to a class of mathematical equations that describe time-based systems with particular properties. Keywords: Dynamic systems theory; infant reaching; methodology; research design; skill acquisition
A dynamic programming approach to robotic swarm navigation using relay markers

This work presents a dynamic programming based search and acquires method for application to robotic swarms. The method provides local rules of motion for swarm members that adhere to a global principle for both searching and converging on a stationary target in an unknown and complex environment via the use of immobile relay markers. By serving as approximations of the cost-to-go during the acquire phase, the marker locations direct the global motion of the swarm. This work presents those rules during a search phase, a dynamic programming phase, and an acquire phase which adhere to the principle of optimality. A simulation of a swarm locating a stationary target in a two-dimensional maze demonstrates the effectiveness of the method.
Restoration of Active Transport in an Mg2+-Adenosine Triphosphatase-Deficient Mutant of Escherichia coli

A neomycin-resistant mutant of Escherichia coli, NR70, lacking membrane-bound Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.3) activity has been isolated. Both whole cells and membrane vesicles exhibit a reduced ability to accumulate amino acids and sugars. Other membrane-related functions such as oxygen consumption, the in vivo hydrolysis of o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactoside, and the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system did not exhibit reduced activities in NR70. Amino acid transport could be partially restored by the addition of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The results suggest that a role of the Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase may be to participate in the coupling of energy derived from the electron transport chain to other processes such as transport.
Application of H-infinity theory to robot manipulator control

The feasibility of H-infinity control theory for robot manipulator control is investigated. Given a model of manipulator dynamics, a control methodology is developed which utilizes an inner loop linearizing decoupling feedback control and an H-infinity outer loop compensator. A methodology for handling model simplifications in the linearizing feedback loop is also developed. An example control design is presented along with simulation results. Robust tracking of trajectories is shown, given bounds on model parameters. >
Biomass as Alternative Energy Source

The potential for biomass utilization as a source of fuel, petrochemicals and petroleum-sparing substances is reviewed. The choices for cultivating biomass, utilizing it directly as an energy source, and converting it to fuels are considered against the background of the principal metabolic pathways. Engineering options for the production of biomass derived fuels include the direct use of photosynthetic materials, the photosynthetic production of hydrogen, the fermentation of organic matter, and thermochemical conversions. It is concluded that biomass offers a feasible renewable energy source which can make a significant future contribution to the U.S. energy economy. Process economics, however, prevent the widespread use of such systems. Improvements in bioconversion efficiencies and reductions in harvesting and handling costs are needed to improve the economic situation.
A navigation theory for round-trip reconnaissance missions to venus and mars

Abstract A self-contained navigation scheme is described and analysed for the case of an unmanned spaceship launched from Earth and established in a free-fall solar orbit that passes within a few thousand miles of another planet and subsequently returns to Earth. A statistical study of the navigation errors and the micro-rocket fuel requirements is made, using a three-dimensional model of the solar system. Several different trajectories are subjected to a systematic study to determine the optimum times at which positional checks and velocity corrections should be made in order to minimize both the amount of fuel required and the errors in passing distance at the target planet and miss distance upon return to Earth.
Fundamentals of Glass-to-Metal Bonding: VI, Reaction Between Metallic Iron and Molten Sodium Disilicate

Molten sodium disilicate was found to react with iron powder in vacuum in the temperature range 935° to 1000°C. Under these conditions Fe reacted with Na2O in the glass to form Na gas and essentially FeO in the glass.
Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture in Thailand: A Governance Perspective

This paper examines the feasibility of official institutional programs for sustainable agriculture in Thailand during the last decade. In Thailand, both popular and official attention was paid to sustainable agriculture well before the Asian economic crisis occurred in 1997. However, the policy implementation of sustainable agriculture programs began only after the turn of the millennium, and the processes and outcomes have not been adequately studied from a feasibility standpoint. This paper aims to fill the gap by employing a ‘sustainable governance’ perspective for examining the programs of three main official institutions promoting sustainable agriculture in Thailand. It is concluded that the social impacts of public sustainable agricultural interventions in the past decade remain limited for the estimated 5 million small-scale farmer households in Thailand.
Using Web 2.0 (and Beyond?) in Space Flight Operations Control Centers

Word processing was one of the earliest uses for small workstations, but we quickly learned that desktop computers were far more than e-typewriters. Similarly, "Web 2.0" capabilities, particularly advanced search engines, chats, wikis, blogs, social networking, and the like, offer tools that could significantly improve our efficiency at managing the avalanche of information and decisions needed to operate space vehicles in realtime. However, could does not necessarily equal should. We must wield two-edged swords carefully to avoid stabbing ourselves. This paper examines some Web 2.0 tools, with an emphasis on social media, and suggests which ones might be useful or harmful in real-time space operations co rnotl environments, based on the author s experience as a Payload Crew Communicator (PAYCOM) at Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) for the International Space Station (ISS) and on discussions with other space flight operations control organizations and centers. There is also some discussion of an offering or two that may come from beyond the current cyber-horizon.
Biosynthesis of reovirus-specified polypeptides: Expression of reovirus S1-encoded σ1 NS protein in transfected and infected cells as measured with serotype specific polyclonal antibody

Abstract Polyclonal monospecific antibody was prepared against the reovirus serotype 1 Lang strain nonstructural σ1NS protein encoded by the S1 gene. The antibody was serotype-specific. The σ1NS protein of reovirus serotype 1, but not reovirus serotype 3, was recognized by the polyclonal antibody in both immunoprecipitation and Western immunoblot assays. The σ NS protein expressed in vector-transfected COS cells was indistinguishable by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses from the authentic σ1NS protein synthesized in virus-infected mouse L or monkey COS cells. The temporal appearance of σ1NS protein in virus-infected cells was similar to that of the other reovirus proteins. Both σ1NS and σ1, the two S1 gene products, were observed in the cytoplasm of COS cells by immunofluorescent microscopy, although their staining patterns were distinct from each other. However, σlNS, but not of σ the other reovirion structural proteins, was also detected in the nucleoli of COS cells. These results suggest that σ1NS, like σ1, is a serotype-specific reovirus protein, but unlike of σ1 localized in part to the cell nucleus.