cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer-enhanced robotic telesurgery. Initial experience in foregut surgery.

Background: A new type of computer-enhanced telemanipulator device for "robotic" laparoscopic surgery was recently approved. We prospectively evaluated the initial patients undergoing procedures with this new device at our institution. Methods: Patient demographics, operative indications, port placement, operative time, robot time, complications, and hospital stay were recorded. Follow-up evaluation was appropriate for the individual procedure. Results: Initially, 35 cases were managed. There were 22 anti-reflux procedures, 9 Heller myotomies, 1 pyloroplasty, 1 distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, 1 esophagectomy with intrathoracic anastomosis, and 1 diagnostic laparoscopy. The operative times ranged from 88 to 458 min. The robot use times were between 16 and 185 min. There were no device-related complications. Conclusions: Computer-enhanced robotic telesurgery is a safe and effective treatment method for a variety of diseases of the proximal gastrointestinal tract. Further study is needed to determine the benefits of this approach as compared with current technology.
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF MEASURING ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR WITH AN AIRBORNE LASER ABSORPTION SPECTROMETER

The Laser Absorption Spectrometer (LAS) is an airborne instrument that is capable of remotely measuring several important atmospheric constituents. The instrument design concept is also feasible for operation from earth orbiting altitudes, as part of a shuttle pay load. The LAS utilizes two carbon dioxide lasers and two heterodyne receivers tuned to a selected wavelength pair, and operates in a differential absorption mode. One laser is tuned to an absorption line of a molecular specie of interest, and the other laser is tuned to a nearby wavelength that is not affected by variable atmospheric constituents. The two laser transmitter/receiver combinations are oriented in a nadir viewing configuration, and the differential transmission is determined. The instrument is designed to be installed in a twin-engine Beechcraft and operates through an open port in the belly of the aircraft. The LAS has been used for the last 3 years to measure atmospheric ozone. An extensive series of test flights over the Los Angeles Basin and over Southeastern Virginia, some in conjunction with other instrument aircraft, have demonstrated that the LAS performs accurate remote measurement of tropospheric ozone burdens. By choosing the proper set of wavelengths, this
The Patient with Liver Disease for Non-hepatic Surgery

It has been estimated that approximately 5–10 % of all patients with cirrhosis of the liver will undergo surgery other than liver transplantation during the last 2 years of life [1]. These patients pose a substantial perioperative challenge to the anesthesiologist, and careful attention to the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management is required. The myriad manifestations of liver disease and its high operative risk imply that surgery should never be taken lightly in this group of patients. Alternative nonsurgical therapies should be considered whenever appropriate, and the risks and benefits of all surgical and nonsurgical options should be discussed with the patient or their surrogate in depth.
Integrated Omics: Tools, Advances, and Future Approaches

With the rapid adoption of high-throughput omic approaches to analyze biological samples such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, each analysis can generate tera- to peta-byte sized data files on a daily basis. These data file sizes, together with differences in nomenclature among these data types, make the integration of these multi-dimensional omics data into biologically meaningful context challenging. Variously named as integrated omics, multi-omics, poly-omics, trans-omics, pan-omics, or shortened to just 'omics', the challenges include differences in data cleaning, normalization, biomolecule identification, data dimensionality reduction, biological contextualization, statistical validation, data storage and handling, sharing, and data archiving. The ultimate goal is towards the holistic realization of a 'systems biology' understanding of the biological question in hand. Commonly used approaches in these efforts are currently limited by the 3 i's - integration, interpretation, and insights. Post integration, these very large datasets aim to yield unprecedented views of cellular systems at exquisite resolution for transformative insights into processes, events, and diseases through various computational and informatics frameworks. With the continued reduction in costs and processing time for sample analyses, and increasing types of omics datasets generated such as glycomics, lipidomics, microbiomics, and phenomics, an increasing number of scientists in this interdisciplinary domain of bioinformatics face these challenges. We discuss recent approaches, existing tools, and potential caveats in the integration of omics datasets for development of standardized analytical pipelines that could be adopted by the global omics research community.
Exercise Stress Testing

Non-invasive evaluation of myocardial ischemia remains a priority in cardiology. The preferred initial non-invasive test is exercise electrocardiography (ECG) in patients who are able to exercise to an adequate workload (of at least 85% of age-adjusted maximal predicted heart rate and five metabolic equivalents) because of its high accessibility and its low cost. It allows for a physiologic assessment of functional capacity, symptoms and hemodynamics. When compared to pharmacologic stress testing, exercise is associated with less extensive hepatic and gastrointestinal tracer uptake, which significantly improves image quality [1]. However, for several reasons plain exercise ECG may not be adequate and in such conditions it should be combined with an imaging modality (Table 9.1) to increase the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis.
Computational Design of Synthetic Enzymes

We review the standard model for de novo computational design of enzymes, which primarily focuses on the development of an active-site geometry, composed of protein functional groups in orientations optimized to stabilize the transition state, for a novel chemical reaction not found in nature. Its emphasis is placed on the structure and energetics of the active site embedded in an accommodating protein that serves as a physical support that shields the reaction chemistry from solvent, which is typically improved upon by laboratory-directed evolution. We also provide a review of design strategies that move beyond the standard model, by placing more emphasis on the designed enzyme as a whole catalytic construct. Starting with complete de novo enzyme design examples, we consider additional design factors such as entropy of individual residues, correlated motion between side chains (mutual information), dynamical correlations of the enzyme motions that could aid the reaction, reorganization energy, and electric fields as ways to exploit the entire protein scaffold to improve upon the catalytic rate, thereby providing directed evolution with better starting sequences for increasing biocatalytic performance.
Characterization of Stress Corrosion Cracking Initiation Precursors in Cold-Worked Alloy 690 Using Advanced High-Resolution Microscopy

Although highly cold-worked UNS N06690 has been shown to be susceptible to stress corrosion crack growth in pressurized water reactor primary water, it is unclear whether cold-work promotes stress ...
Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Nonnative Accent: A Pilot Study

Purpose Considering the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) global influence and continued emphasis on heightening multicultural receptivity, a major consideration for ASHA is to ...
Review On Insulation And Reliability Of Dry-type Transformer

the traditional insulation design and manufacturing process of the dry-type transformer still have the defects, and the hidden danger caused is a serious threat to the long-term safe operation of the transformer. In this paper, the insulation mode of the traditional dry-type transformer and the application of the new insulating material of high-strength silicon rubber are analyzed. The concept of the main backup multi-insulation design in the combined insulation is put forward, and the solid insulation system of the dry-type transformer is strengthened by the precise design and the defect-free manufacture. The safety and the reliability of the dry-type transformer are substantially improved, the contradiction of the insulation safety and the energy-saving design is solved, and the performance of the dry-type transformer is improved by a new step.
Tabu Search for Efficient Service Function Chain Provisioning in Fog Networks

Fog computing places computation/storage resources at the network edge to overcome delay limitations associated with cloud computing. Namely, fog-based services can provide more responsive relay and caching and alleviate loads at core cloud datacenters. Meanwhile, technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV) are virtualizing atomic network functions and allowing provides to build customized service function chains (SFC). Hence combining NFV with fog computing allows providers to share critical edge resources across clients and achieve much more flexible service designs. However, few efforts have looked at SFC provisioning in fog domains. Hence this paper presents one of the first studies in this area, detailing a Tabu search for virtual function placement and heuristic routing schemes with load balancing for efficient resource utilization. Results show reduced processing and propagation times, and lower energy consumption versus cloud-based methods.
A Stochastic Subgradient Method for Distributionally Robust Non-Convex Learning.

We consider a distributionally robust formulation of stochastic optimization problems arising in statistical learning, where robustness is with respect to uncertainty in the underlying data distribution. Our formulation builds on risk-averse optimization techniques and the theory of coherent risk measures. It uses semi-deviation risk for quantifying uncertainty, allowing us to compute solutions that are robust against perturbations in the population data distribution. We consider a large family of loss functions that can be non-convex and non-smooth and develop an efficient stochastic subgradient method. We prove that it converges to a point satisfying the optimality conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first method with rigorous convergence guarantees in the context of non-convex non-smooth distributionally robust stochastic optimization. Our method can achieve any desired level of robustness with little extra computational cost compared to population risk minimization. We also illustrate the performance of our algorithm on real datasets arising in convex and non-convex supervised learning problems.
A Biographical Novel of the Spanish Civil War: Lydie Salvayre's Pas pleurer (2014)

This article focuses on the biographical novel, Pas pleurer (2014) and the author Lydie Salvayre’s development of two diametrically opposed experiences of the Spanish civil war. Pas pleurer deploys the author’s parallel engagement with Montse, Salvayre’s mother, and with Georges Bernanos through a reading and commentary of the polemical essay, Les Grands Cimetieres sous la lune. Biographical material provides the ground for intersecting narratives: on the one hand, the Bernanos intertext with its keen analysis of the complicity of secular and religious institutions to maintain control of Spain through terrorism and violence reverberates throughout and finds its echo in the tragic story of Montse’s older brother Jose. Set against this is the adolescent Montse’s encounter with the dramatic social revolution underway in the Catalan city and her life-altering experience of passionate love, the memory of which remains intact and luminous despite age and disease. Examining both n arratives highlights the act of resistance at the heart of the novel and captured by its title. Cet article prend pour objet le roman biographique Pas pleurer (2014) de Lydie Salvayre ou l’auteure elabore deux grands axes narratifs paralleles qui jaillissent des temoignages de la guerre civile espagnole: d’un cote le temoignage choc de Georges Bernanos dans son essai polemique Les Grands Cimetieres sous la lune ou il expose avec acuite la complicite des institutions seculaires et religieuses dans leur volonte meurtriere de controler la population par la terreur et la violence, et de l’autre celui de la mere Montse qui decouvre en meme temps la ville catalane republicaine et l’eblouissement de l’amour passionnel, temoignage dont le souvenir resiste aux effets devastateurs du temps et de la maladie. L’analyse des deux axes narratifs permet de faire ressortir l’acte de resistance au coeur du roman et capte par son titre.
Familial Predisposition and Differences in Radiographic Patterns in Spontaneous Nonaneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from an intracranial aneurysmal rupture is the most common nontraumatic etiology for SAH, but up to 15% of patients with SAH have no identifiable source. Objective To assess familial predisposition to spontaneous nonaneurysmal SAH (naSAH) and to evaluate whether family history affects the severity of presentation and prognosis of this condition. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of all spontaneous SAH with negative digital subtraction angiography from 2004 to 2018. Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with first- or second-degree relatives with intracranial aneurysms and patients with no family history. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to study patient presentation, radiographic patterns of hemorrhage, and clinical outcome. Results A total of 100 patients met the inclusion criteria. There were no individuals with family history of naSAH. A total of 15 patients (15%) had at least one family member with an intracranial aneurysm, of which 12 (12%) presented as SAH. Patients without family history had a higher percentage of perimesencephalic presentation, whereas those with family history had a higher percentage of nonperimesencephalic SAH presentation (47% vs 13%, odds ratio [OR] 0.17 [95% CI 0.04, 0.81]). Conclusion We found a high rate of family history of intracranial aneurysms in patients who presented with naSAH. Although there was no difference in clinical outcome in patients with and without family history, there appears to be a higher percentage of nonperimesencephalic radiographic patterns of SAH in those with family history, suggesting possible different etiologies of these hemorrhages.
Mechanics of 2D Materials-Based Cellular Kirigami Structures: A Computational Study

We develop a generic coarse-grained potential for a general group of 2D materials to study the mechanical performance of 2D materials-based cellular kirigami structures for understanding of the relation between the mechanical properties and structure pattern as well as the material component. By patterning the structure lattice cell, the mechanical properties of 2D materials-based structures show a very wide range from almost zero to those of the pristine 2D materials by orders of magnitude. Moreover, results indicate that there are two distinct stress–strain stages associated with density, J-shape non-linear and linear elasticity. Results also indicate that hole-in structures show better ductility performance than no-hole structures. In addition, the material effect on mechanical performance of 2D materials-based cellular kirigami is significant, exemplified by the graphene-based structure outperforming those made of other 2D materials. Overall, this study provides a computational basis for designing future kirigami structures with outstanding properties and functions.
Assessment of Antenna Element Designs for Radiative Near-Field Wireless Power Transfer

Various antenna designs are investigated for the application of radiative near field wireless power transfer. These antennas are designed at 2.4 GHz for fair comparison based on the E-field in the radiative near field region. Simulation results show that the meander antenna is optimal for wireless power transfer in this region.
A Rare Case of Familial Neurogenic Diabetes Insipidus in a 22-Year-Old Man.

Objective Diabetes insipidus (DI) can be classified into 2 types: central/neurogenic DI and nephrogenic DI. Most cases of central DI occur after brain surgery, trauma, tumor, or infection. Here we report a rare case of familial central DI due to a heterozygous AVP gene mutation. Methods A case of familial neurogenic DI has been described with thorough clinical, laboratory, and genetic workup. PubMed and Google scholar databases were used for literature discussion. Results A 22-year-old man presented with polyuria and polydipsia. He drank about 4 gallons of water everyday and urinated large volumes very frequently. His physical examination was unremarkable. After 2 hours of water-deprivation, his serum sodium level was 147 mmol/L, serum osmolality was 302 mOsm/kg with concurrent urine osmolality of 78 mOsm/kg, vasopressin level was <0.8 pg/mL, and copeptin level was <2.8 pmol/L, suggesting neurogenic DI. His brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed the absence of the posterior pituitary bright spot but a normal anterior pituitary gland. Genetic analysis revealed a nonfunctional heterozygous mutation in the AVP gene. Further questioning revealed that his mother also had the disease and that he had been treated with desmopressin as a child; however, it was later self-stopped. The patient was reinitiated on desmopressin, which improved his symptoms. Conclusion Genetic mutations in the AVP gene represent a very rare etiology of DI, and patients with DI respond well to desmopressin treatment.
Aging on the Autism Spectrum: Self-care Practices and Reported Impact on Well-Being

The population aging on the Autism Spectrum (AS) faces disproportionate physical and mental health comorbidities. This research describes self-care practices, including physical activity (PA), nutrition, and spirituality, and the impact of these practices on the health and well-being of older adults on the AS. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 30) with older adults (age 50+ years) on the AS on the following topics: health, employment, relationships, and services/supports. Data were analyzed using Dedoose software and a constant comparative method. Participants described self-reported health benefits of their PA. Participants who engaged with organizations reported receiving instrumental support and fulfillment. Several themes emerged regarding socialization and routines in self-care in older adults on the AS, which may inform interventions.
Oxidized Phospholipids in Control of Endothelial Barrier Function: Mechanisms and Implication in Lung Injury

Earlier studies investigating the pathogenesis of chronic vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis described pro-inflammatory and vascular barrier disruptive effects of lipid oxidation products accumulated in the sites of vascular lesion and atherosclerotic plaque. However, accumulating evidence including studies from our group suggests potent barrier protective and anti-inflammatory properties of certain oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) in the lung vascular endothelium. Among these OxPLs, oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachdonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (OxPAPC) causes sustained enhancement of lung endothelial cell (EC) basal barrier properties and protects against vascular permeability induced by a wide variety of agonists ranging from bacterial pathogens and their cell wall components, endotoxins, thrombin, mechanical insults, and inflammatory cytokines. On the other hand, truncated OxPLs cause acute endothelial barrier disruption and potentiate inflammation. It appears that multiple signaling mechanisms triggering cytoskeletal remodeling are involved in OxPLs-mediated regulation of EC barrier. The promising vascular barrier protective and anti-inflammatory properties exhibited by OxPAPC and its particular components that have been established in the cellular and animal models of sepsis and acute lung injury has prompted consideration of OxPAPC as a prototype therapeutic molecule. In this review, we will summarize signaling and cytoskeletal mechanisms involved in OxPLs-mediated damage, rescue, and restoration of endothelial barrier in various pathophysiological settings and discuss a future potential of OxPAPC in treating lung disorders associated with endothelial barrier dysfunction.
Microvesicular Transfer of MicroRNA in Tumor Microenvironment

In recent years, the knowledge about control of tumor microenvironment has increased and emerged as an important player in tumorigenesis. The role of normal stromal cells in the tumor cells initiation and development has brought our vision to the forefront of cell-to-cell communication. In this chapter, we focus on the novel mechanism of communication between stromal and tumor cells, which is based on the exchange of microvesicles. We describe several, ever-growing pieces of evidence that microvesicles transfer messages through their lipid, protein, or nucleic acid contents. microRNA exchange is emerging as a key player in this communication. A better understanding of this sophisticated method of communication between normal and cancerous cells may lead to developing novel, innovative innovative approaches for cancer diagnostics and personalized therapy.
Regulating from Nowhere: Domestic Environmental Law and the Nation-State Subject

Using the examples of invasive species and transpacific air pollution, this essay outlines challenges to U.S. domestic environmental law and policy posed by global dimensions of sociolegal and biophysical systems. As will be seen, the deep interconnectivity of such systems suggests that significant determinants of environmental sustainability will always remain outside the predictive and protective capacities of U.S. regulators, even with respect to matters that conventionally have been regarded as primarily domestic environmental problems. This irreducible interdependency in turn suggests an underappreciated shortcoming of the risk-assessment/cost-benefit analysis paradigm that currently dominates the United States environmental policymaking discussion: By implying that the normativity of national environmental policy can be determined by empirical assessment of individual welfare consequences, such a paradigm fails to promote an ethos of national subjectivity, in which nation-states such as the United States recognize themselves as responsible actors on the global stage, standing in relations of moral and political obligation with other sovereigns, other generations, and other communities of life. Such an ethos, this essay concludes, is essential to successful environmental governance, whether or not nominally domestic in orientation.
Optical differential 16-ary Jones-vector shift keying

The transceiver design of differential 16-ary Jones-vector-shift-keying (D16JSK) using multilevel detection is presented. The sensitivity of D16JSK is compared to that of polarization-division-multiplexed DQPSK. The transmission performance of D16JSK is studied by simulation.
Adenosine 3',5-Monophosphatedependent Phosphorylation of a Specific Protein in Synaptic Membrane Fractions from Rat Cerebrum

Abstract The endogenous phosphorylation of protein in various membranous subcellular fractions from rat cerebrum has been studied in vitro. The endogenous phosphorylation of one minor protein component of synaptic membrane fractions showed a marked dependence upon the presence of added adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP). The apparent molecular weight of this phosphoprotein was approximately 100,000. Under the experimental conditions used, the selective stimulation of phosphorylation of a membrane protein by cyclic AMP was observed only in those subcellular fractions enriched in synaptic membranes. The results support other evidence suggesting that certain types of synaptic transmission may involve cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of a specific protein constituent of synaptic membranes.
An interpretation of negation in feature structure descriptions

Feature structures are informational elements that have been used in several linguistic theories and in computational systems for natural language processing. A logical calculus has been developed and used as a description language for feature structures. In the present work, a framework in three-valued logic is suggested for defining the semantics of a feature structure description language, allowing for a more complete set of logical operators. In particular, an interpretation of the negation and implication operators is examined within this framework. We extend this approach to interpret descriptions that involve existence (or nonexistence) of values for attributes. A definition of augmented feature structures is proposed, and one particular interpretation of the description language with a negation operator is described. A sound and complete proof system is presented for the logic thus obtained and its computational aspects studied.
The mechanism of cyanide intoxication and its antagonism

The mechanism of cyanide intoxication has been attributed to the inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, thereby decreasing the tissue utilization of oxygen. One mechanism of cyanide antagonism is by sequestering cyanide with methaemoglobin to form cyanmethaemoglobin and another mechanism is detoxifying with a sulphur donor to thiocyanate. Questions have been raised with regard to these classical mechanisms. Oxygen with nitrite-thiosulphate antagonizes the lethal effects of cyanide. Theoretically, increased oxygen should serve no useful purpose, as it is the tissue utilization of oxygen which is inhibited. In the nitrite-thiosulphate antidotal combination, the proposal is made that the predominate antidotal action of nitrite is a vasogenic action, rather than methaemoglobin formation, because when methaemoglobin formation is inhibited by methylene blue the protective action of sodium nitrite persists. This suggests that methaemoglobin formation plays only a small part, if any, in the therapeutic antagonism of the lethal effects of cyanide. The roles and implications of sodium thiosulphate and non-rhodanese substrates in the detoxification mechanism are compared. Lastly, a new approach to cyanide antagonism has been initiated which involves the erythrocyte encapsulation of thiosulphate and sulphurtransferase as an antidote and prophylaxis against cyanide.
Economic implications for fusion derived from ESECOM study

The main conclusion of the ESECOM study is that commercial fusion power plants have the potential to be economically competitive with present and future alternatives, while at the same time promising significant environmental and safety advantages, if designed properly. Furthermore, a range of fusion reactor approaches was identified which appears to meet these economic, safety and environmental goals. Economic competitiveness is not automatic, but depends on achieving enhanced plasma and engineering performance, such as high beta with low transport losses, efficient current drive and improved high-field coils. The main design characteristics leading to lower cost of electricity are a high degree of safety assurance, compactness, improved coils, and advanced energy conversion coupled with the use of advanced fuels.
Differing sensitivities of gallbladder and pancreas to cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ) in man.

Abstract The responses of gallbladder and exocrine pancreas to cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ) in five healthy volunteers were examined. Five cholecystectomized patients were also studied to validate our method for detecting gallbladder contraction. During steady state intraduodenal perfusion of normal saline containing polyethylene glycol, total outputs of bile acids and trypsin were determined for 1-hr periods (basal), then after CCK-PZ was given intravenously in sequentially increasing doses (0.0039, 0.0078, 0.0156, 0.0310, 0.0625, 0.125, and 0.250 Crick-Harper-Raper unit per kg per min). In health, gallbladder contraction (peak bile acid output) occurred at 0.0625, whereas stimulation of trypsin secretion commenced at 0.0078-an 8-fold lower dose. Thereafter, trypsin outputs increased exponentially until maximal secretion was established at 0.125. After chole cystectomy, CCK-PZ had no effect on bile acid output, whereas trypsin output was augmented to the same degrees as in health. These studies indicate that, in health, the pancreas is more sensitive than the gallbladder to CCK-PZ.
The backpack run test: a model for a fair and occupationally relevant military fitness test.

Our purpose in this investigation was to develop and validate a theoretical model for a backpack run test based on how fast one can run 2 miles while wearing a backpack. Using actual unloaded (no backpack) 2-mile-run test data from 59 male service academy cadets, we calculated the average oxygen cost during the run, the equivalent cost if wearing additional weight, and the corresponding estimated run time with the backpack. The correlations between body weight and loaded (backpack weight = 30 kg) run times (r = 0.55 [p 0.05], respectively) demonstrate that the bias against heavier runners is eliminated with the backpack run. Given that the backpack run test requires only standard-issue equipment, demonstrates clear occupational and health-related fitness relevance, predicts no apparent body-size bias, and measures work- and health-related components of fitness, we recommend that the military services consider the present data when developing or modifying tests of physical fitness.
Biomedical photoacoustic imaging sensor based on orbital angular momentum multiplexing

We numerically demonstrated a novel optical measurement system using orbital angular momentum based photoacoustic tomography (PAT) to achieve high-resolution remote image sensing, by means of sparsity-constrained image reconstruction algorithm with MIMO signal processing.
Quasistationarity in a Branching Model of Division-Within-Division

Many biological processes include branching phenomena, which may be called division-within-division. Examples are gene amplification in cancer cells and elsewhere, plasmid dynamics in bacteria, and proliferation of viral particles in host cells. In some cases, the loss of “smaller” particles from the “large” ones leads to extinction of the latter. The logical question is then to ask about the distribution of the nonextinct particles, which mathematically leads to the consideration of quasistationarity, ie. stationarity of the process conditional on nonabsorption.
Vibration-free movement of deformable beams by robot manipulator

Passive approaches for vibration-free handling of deformable beams are investigated. Dynamic equations are formulated. Trajectory plannings of the end-effector which lead to a small vibration of the beam in three-motion patterns are specified. Since vibrations cannot be totally eliminated, another passive approach, which uses a rubber pad in parallel with a spring installed on the fingers of the end-effector, is suggested. To understand the effectiveness of this passive approach, damped vibration and optimal damping are studied. Two experiments are conducted to verify the above methods. >
Recursive dynamics and optimal control techniques for human motion planning

We present an efficient optimal control based approach to simulate dynamically correct human movements. We model virtual humans as a kinematic chain consisting of serial, closed loop, and tree-structures. To overcome the complexity limitations of the classical Lagrangian formulation and to include knowledge from biomechanical studies, we have developed a minimum-torque motion planning method. This new method is based on the use of optimal control theory within a recursive dynamics framework. Our dynamic motion planning methodology achieves high efficiency regardless of the figure topology. As opposed to a Lagrangian formulation, it obviates the need for the reformulation of the dynamic equations for different structured articulated figures. We then use a quasi-Newton method based nonlinear programming technique to solve our minimal torque-based human motion planning problem. This method achieves superlinear convergence. We use the screw theoretical method to compute analytically the necessary gradient of the motion and force. This provides a better conditioned optimization computation and allows the robust and efficient implementation of our method. Cubic spline functions have been used to make the search space for an optimal solution finite. We demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed method based on a variety of human motion tasks involving open and closed loop kinematic chains. Our models are built using parameters chosen from an anthropomorphic database. The results demonstrate that our approach generates natural looking and physically correct human motions.
Formal specification and verification of a jvm and its bytecode verifier

How do we know that a bytecode-verified Java program will run safely? This dissertation addresses the question by building a precise model of the JVM and its bytecode verifier. We also built a "small" machine and its bytecode verifier to demonstrate an approach to solving this problem. We proved that for any program on the small machine that has been vetted by the small bytecode verifier, then that program will run safely on the small machine. We created substantial libraries of ACL2 definitions and lemmas towards specifying and proving that the JVM safely executes verified programs. The fundamental problem is to connect the abstract execution of the bytecode verifier with the concrete execution of the JVM. These diverge in two ways: (1) the bytecode verifier executes on more abstract states and (2) its execution of INVOKE-family and BRANCH-family instructions differs from their execution by the JVM. Our contribution was identification of a critical "on-track" property that, despite these divergences between the bytecode verifier and the JVM, enables one to use the success of bytecode verification to predict the safety of concrete execution. The second difficulty is that the official specification describes many "procedural" aspects of the bytecode verification process. These aspects obscure the checks conducted by the bytecode verifier. We introduce an alternative bytecode verifier without such "procedural" aspects. We use the new bytecode verifier as a stepping stone for proving that the official bytecode verifier is effective. Following this methodology allowed us to prove, on our "small" machine, that executions of bytecode-verified programs never overflow the operand stack. We note that significant effort is required in order to extend this result from our "small" machine to the full JVM. We have formulated appropriate stronger notions of "safe" execution for programs on the full JVM. We introduced an alternative bytecode verifier. We proved the “reduction theorem” that relates the official bytecode verifier with the alternative bytecode verifier. We completed proofs of several thousand lemmas towards proving the "safe" execution of bytecode-verified programs on the full JVM. Our results are organized into supporting lemma libraries.
The effects of the mating system on the evolution of migration in a spatially heterogeneous population

Verbal explanations for the evolution of migration and dispersal often invoke inbreeding depression as an important force. Experimental work on plant populations indicates that while inbreeding depression may favor increased migration rates, adaptation to local environments may reduce the advantage to migrants. We formalize and test this hypothesis using a two-locus genetic model that incorporates lowered fitness in offspring produced by self-fertilization, and habitat differentiation. We also use the model to address questions about the general theory of genetic modifiers and the modifier reduction principle. We find that even under conditions when migration would increase the mean fitness of a population, migration may not be favored. This result is due to the associations that develop between genotypes at a locus subject to overdominant selection and at a neutral locus controlling the migration rate. Thus, it appears that, in this model, the forces of local adaptation, which favor a reduction in the migration rate, overwhelm those of inbreeding depression, which may favor dispersal.
Conformational flexibility of soluble cellulose oligomers: chain length and temperature dependence.

Structures, dynamics, and stabilities of different sized cellulosic oligomers need to be considered when designing enzymatic cocktails for the conversion of biomass to biofuels since they can be both productive substrates and inhibitors of the overall process. In the present work, the conformational variability, hydrogen bonding, and mechanical properties of short, soluble cellulose chains are investigated as a function of chain length. Cellulose oligomers consisting 2, 4, and 6 β-d-glucose units are examined in explicit solvent using replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) which provides a rigorous evaluation of the relative stabilities of different conformations and their temperature dependencies. This application of REMD to oligosaccharides in solution also allows evaluation of the quality of the force-field and its suitability for sampling carbohydrates efficiently. Simulation results are analyzed in synergy with polymer theory and compared to known measurements of oligomers and crystals. As the ch...
State behavior of preterm infants as a function of development, individual and sex differences

Behavioral state was rated 22 times in the course of a standard neurobehavioral maturity assessment for preterm infants ranging from 32 weeks postconceptional age to term. The test items were presented in an invariant sequence and weekly changes were assessed in the infants' response to this identical sequence of events. Highly significant age changes were seen: Sleep decreased and awake states increased; crying increased most markedly with consequent decreases in alert inactivity and drowsiness. Even though highly significant age changes occurred in crying, alert inactivity, and drowsiness, infants tended to show highly stable individual differences in these states over time. The number of state changes and the incidence of mixed states were significantly self-consistent but did not change with development. At 34 weeks postconceptional age, significant sex differences were found in four out of six state categories. Females slept less and were awake and in the state of drowsiness more often. Males were more frequently in the state of waking activity.
Density functional theory for a model quantum dot: Beyond the local-density approximation

We study both static and transport properties of model quantum dots, employing density functional theory as well as (numerically) exact methods. For the lattice model under consideration the accuracy of the local-density approximation generally is poor. For weak interaction, however, accurate results are achieved within the optimized effective potential method, while for intermediate interaction strengths a method combining the exact diagonalization of small clusters with density functional theory is very successful. Results obtained from the latter approach yield very good agreement with density matrix renormalization group studies, where the full Hamiltonian consisting of the dot and the attached leads has to be diagonalized. Furthermore we address the question of whether static density functional theory is able to predict the exact linear conductance through the dot correctly---with, in general, a negative answer.
Hybrid Localization of Microrobotic Endoscopic Capsule Inside Small Intestine by Data Fusion of Vision and RF Sensors

Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) offers a noninvasive investigation of the entire small intestine, which other conventional wired endoscopic instruments can barely reach. As a critical component of the capsule endoscopic examination, physicians need to keep track of the 3D trajectory that the capsule has traveled inside the lower abdomen to identify the positions of the intestinal abnormalities after they are found by the video source. However, existing commercially available radio frequency (RF)-based localization systems can only provide inaccurate and discontinuous position estimation of the WCE due to nonhomogeneity of body tissues and highly complicated distribution of the intestinal tube. In this paper, we present a hybrid localization technique, which takes advantage of data fusion of multiple sensors inside the WCE, to enhance the positioning accuracy and construct the 3-D trajectory of the WCE. The proposed hybrid technique extracts motion information of the WCE from the image sequences captured by the capsule's embedded visual sensor and combines it with the RF signal emitted by the wireless capsule, to simultaneously localize the WCE and mapping the path traveled by the WCE. Experimental results show that the proposed hybrid algorithm is able to reduce the average localization error from 6.8 cm to <;2.3 cm of the existing RF localization systems and a 3-D map can be precisely constructed to represent the position of the WCE inside small intestine.
Statistical assessment of optical phase fluctuations through turbulent mixing layers

A lateral shearing interferometer is used to measure the slope of perturbed wavefronts after propagating through turbulent shear flows. This provides a two-dimensional flow visualization technique which is nonintrusive. The slope measurements are used to reconstruct the phase of the turbulence-corrupted wave front. Experiments were performed on a plane shear mixing layer of helium and nitrogen gas at fixed velocities, for five locations in the flow development. The two gases, having a density ratio of approximately seven, provide an effective means of simulating compressible shear layers. Statistical autocorrelation functions and structure functions are computed on the reconstructed phase maps. The autocorrelation function results indicate that the turbulence-induced phase fluctuations are not wide-sense stationary. The structure functions exhibit statistical homogeneity, indicating the phase fluctuation are stationary in first increments. However, the turbulence-corrupted phase is not isotropic. A five-thirds power law is shown to fit one-dimensional, orthogonal slices of the structure function, with scaling coefficients related to the location in the flow.
Overcoming MAC Overhead Using Packet-Size Dependent Channel Widths

Abstract : In this paper, we propose to reduce the MAC overheads in random access protocols by partitioning the channel spectrum used into a narrow channel and a wide channel. The narrow channel is used for transmitting the short packets (approximately 100 bytes long) and the wide channel is used for transmitting the longer packets. We intend to use multiple radios, one each for the different channel partitions. Narrow width channels have a reduced capacity, which lowers the maximum transmission rate achievable on these channels. As a result the channel wastage due to the rate-independent MAC overhead can be reduced. We propose a protocol called WiSP (channel Width Selection based on Packet size) to estimate the appropriate channel widths depending on the relative traffic load involving short and long packets in the network. We evaluate our protocol using extensive simulations and demonstrate its effectiveness in achieving higher throughputs. We propose our algorithm to complement frame aggregation (which is an existing approach for minimizing MAC overheads). We show that there are scenarios during which the frame aggregation can perform poorly, and show that our proposed algorithm can provide a good performance even in those situations.
Formulas for the Four-Terminal Network Parameters of Uniform Ladder Networks

In the treatment of the over-all behavior of a smooth transmission line, or uniform ladder network, one frequently wishes to deal with the commonly termed A-B-C-D parameters rather than the propagation function, to which the former are related by hyperbolic functions, and the characteristic impedances. However, the latter are the functions which are simply related to the network components. The A-B-C-D parameters may be given as powerseries expansions of the variable ?, where ?2= Z T Y T and Z T and Y T are the respective total series impedance and shunt admittance. For the smooth line these are infinite series; but they are terminating series for the ladder network, the number of terms and the coefficients of the terms being functions of the number (M) of elementary ? or T sections of which the network is composed. Formulas for these coefficients are developed and they are given in several alternate forms. Also included are recurrence formulas and some relations among the coefficients of the different parameters. One form for the coefficients is particularly interesting because it shows that each coefficient for the ladder network is the corresponding smoothline coefficient multiplied by a polynomial consisting of unity plus a polynomial in nonzero powers of 1/M2. This puts in evidence the manner in which the two coefficients approach each other as M increases; and also leads to easily computable upper and lower bounds of the ladder-network coefficients, which may provide useful estimates of their magnitudes.
The mass-mobility correlation redux: The conformational landscape of anhydrous biomolecules

Structural separations on the basis of gas-phase ion mobility-mass spectrometry are increasingly used for the analysis of complex biological samples. As a tool to elucidate biomolecular structure, ion mobility-mass spectrometry methods are unique in that direct molecular structural information is obtained for all resolved species, largely irrespective of the complexity of the sample. Computational approaches are used to interpret and discern structural details consistent with the empirical results. To a first approximation, correlations of mobility with mass allow for qualitative identification of the molecular class to which a particular species belongs. These correlations allow simultaneous characterization of different classes of biomolecules, which provides a means for combining omics measurements, such as lipidomics, proteomics, glycomics, and metabolomics, in the same analysis. Examination of the correlation of fine structure reveals that specific structural motifs, chemical functionality, chemical connectivity, and composition may also be determined, depending on the specific biomolecular class. Mapping the coarse and fine structure in ion mobility-mass spectrometry conformation space measurements provides an atlas for interpretation and discovery in complicated spectra.
Highly purified splenic nerve vesicles: Early post-mortem effects on ultrastructure

Electron microscopic analyses of whole pellet depths confirm the claim that large dense-core vesicles (750A) can be isolated from bovine splenic nerve at a routine purity of 80–90%. After a minimal 10 min post-mortem delay at the slaughterhouse, essentially all vesicles in cold control preparations possess a homogeneous, finely granular, electron-dense matrix. This appearance is maintained after brief incubation with ATP at 30 °C, even though a newly discovered ATP-insensitive norepinephrine (NE) pool (20%) is rapidly and completely lost. Subsequent depletion of the remaining NE (80%) in the slower ATP-sensitive pool is paralleled by proportional decrements in vesicle matrix density.