cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constrained price, address, or logit brand demand models: An econometric comparison in the Boston fluid milk market

This article estimates a general linear demand model for three fluid milk brands. It finds perverse signs and complementarity among these substitutes. We develop three constrained models to eliminate perverse signs: a price conduct constraint in the linear model that links private label and Garelick pricing, a generalized Mills address model, and the logit model. Statistical tests indicate that each of the three constrained models produces acceptable substitution patterns and that none is preferred to the other two. On nonstatistical grounds, however, the Mills and price-constrained models perform best. This is the first empirical study of the Mills address model of private-label pricing. Finally, we demonstrate that estimated price-reaction functions and the corresponding total elasticities, which capture only strategic non-collusive interaction in these Nash Bertrand models, provide interesting insight into competition among brands. EconLit citation: L670, L130.] © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 149–166, 2005.
SEX AND STATUS OF MODELS

This research investigated the effects of sex and status of models on the acquisition of counseling behaviors by beginning students in counseling. Video tape was employed in both the presentation of M to the Ss, and in obtaining the criterion measure. The specific counseling behaviors (modeling tapes) were developed during the course of the research, and the criterion measure is reflective of those behaviors. The research task was to measure the effects of the sex and status variables of the Ms on the imitation by Ss of the modeled behaviors.
Impact of Protease Inhibitor-Containing Combination Antiretroviral Therapies on Height and Weight Growth in HIV-Infected Children

Objective. To examine beneficial or detrimental effects of protease inhibitor (PI)-containing antiretroviral regimens on height and weight growth in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods. A prospective cohort study was conducted of 906 HIV-infected children, from pediatric research clinics in the United States, who were between 3 months and 18 years of age and who had height and weight assessed in 1995 (before introduction of PIs in this population) and at least once more through 1999. Changes in age- and gender-adjusted height and weight growth associated with PI use were assessed. Results. Compared with a healthy reference population, children were more affected in height (mean z score: −0.90 [18th percentile]) than in weight (mean z score: −0.42 [34th percentile]) at baseline (1995). Two thirds of children received at least 1 PI during 1996 to 1999. In the multivariate mixed effects regression models adjusted for baseline log 10 CD4 cell count, baseline age, gender, and race/ethnicity, the use of PIs was associated with per-year gains of 0.13 z scores in height and 0.05 z scores in weight relative to the expected growth with non–PI-containing regimens (eg, after 1 year of PI use, a representative 6-year-old boy in our study would be approximately 0.7 cm taller and 0.1 kg heavier than if he had not received PIs). No significant differential effects of PIs on height or weight growth according to specific agents or children9s sociodemographic or clinical characteristics were found. Conclusions. Although the use of PI-containing regimens was not associated with growth retardation, it was associated with only small annual increments in height and weight growth in HIV-infected children.
Vesicular and conductive mechanisms of nucleotide release.

Extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides promote a vast range of physiological responses, via activation of cell surface purinergic receptors. Virtually all tissues and cell types exhibit regulated release of ATP, which, in many cases, is accompanied by the release of uridine nucleotides. Given the relevance of extracellular nucleotide/nucleoside-evoked responses, understanding how ATP and other nucleotides are released from cells is an important physiological question. By facilitating the entry of cytosolic nucleotides into the secretory pathway, recently identified vesicular nucleotide and nucleotide–sugar transporters contribute to the exocytotic release of ATP and UDP-sugars not only from endocrine/exocrine tissues, but also from cell types in which secretory granules have not been biochemically characterized. In addition, plasma membrane connexin hemichannels, pannexin channels, and less-well molecularly defined ATP conducting anion channels have been shown to contribute to the release of ATP (and UTP) under a variety of conditions.
Correct high-level robot control from structured English

The Linear Temporal Logic MissiOn Planning (LTLMoP) toolkit is a software package designed to generate a controller that guarantees a robot satisfies a task specification written by the user in structured English. The controller can be implemented on either a simulated or physical robot. This video illustrates the use of LTLMoP to generate a correct-by-construction robot controller. Here, an Aldebaran Nao humanoid robot carries out tasks as a worker in a simplified grocery store scenario.
Life Insurance Lapse Behavior

Life insurance policy lapses are detrimental to issuing insurers when lapses substantially deviate from insurer expectations. The extant literature has proposed and tested, using macroeconomic data, several hypotheses regarding lapse determinants. While macroeconomic data are useful in providing a general test of lapse determinants, the use of aggregate data precludes an analysis of microeconomic factors that may drive the lapse decision. We develop and test a microeconomic model of voluntary life insurance lapse behavior and provide some of the first evidence regarding household factors related to life insurance lapses. Our findings support and extend the prior evidence regarding lapse determinants. Consistent with the emergency fund hypothesis we find that voluntary lapses are related to large income shocks, and consistent with the policy replacement hypothesis we find that the decision to lapse a life insurance policy is directly related to the purchase of a different life insurance policy. We also fin...
How the Teaching Artist Can Change the Dynamics of Teaching and Learning

An examination of the complex and powerful and potentially liberating dynamic that teaching artists, particularly arts specialists, engage between TA, students, and institution.
Palolo and un: distinct clades in the genus Palola (Eunicidae, Polychaeta)

The annual swarming of epitokes of the eunicid polychaete Palola viridis has great cultural significance in Samoa and other Indo-Pacific locations. Palola spp. occur worldwide in warm shallow-water environments, but not all populations appear to swarm. Morphological distinctions among Palola species are subtle but, based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial markers, two species groups can be distinguished, each containing numerous subclades. The objectives of this study were to determine the position of P. viridis in the phylogeny of the genus, to assess the species’ genetic distinctness and to describe P. viridis epitokes morphologically. We sequenced epitokes from Samoa (locally known as palolo) and Vanuatu (un) for two mitochondrial markers and performed phylogenetic analyses in combination with previously published sequences. The samples from Samoa and Vanuatu formed a common clade in species group B. We suggest that swarming is restricted to this species group, although probably not to a single species.
Bislug Flow in Circular and Square Cross-Sectional Microchannels

Liquid-liquid slug or bislug flow can occur in any cross sectional capillary tube that is wetting and has a low Bond number. When two immiscible fluids are in contact in a capillary tube forming three fluid-fluid interfaces, spontaneous flow may occur due to a pressure imbalance across the menisci. Flow traverses the tube towards the liquid with the higher surface tension. Bislug flow in both prewet and non-prewet channels has been investigated. The bislug velocity in the prewet channels is faster than those in the dry. The velocity increase can be attributed to the decrease in the energy loss associated with the moving contact line. There is a dramatic increase in flow velocity in prewet square channels where the fluid is wicked into the corners. This wicking action decreases the perimeter length of the advancing contact line thereby minimizing energy dissipation.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Lipid content and fatty acid composition of heart and muscle of the BIO 82.62 cardiomyopathic hamster

Microscopic and analytical studies of the lipids in the heart and muscle of the BIO 82.62 myopathic hamsters and agematched normal animals at the average ages of 33, 67, and 108 days were performed. Microscopic examinations did not show increased lipid depositions in the hearts of the diseased animals as was found in the BIO 14.6 strain. No consistent differences in the lipid content of the cardiomyopathic hamsters (BIO 82.62) and age-matched controls were observed in the three age groups except in the cholesterol content of muscle. Cholesterol increased significantly (P<0.01) in the 67 and 108 day old animals. This increase elevated the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of triglycerides showed that the cardiomyopathic hamsters store more saturated fatty acids in both heart and muscle than do their normal counterparts. The abundance of more saturated fatty acids may imply that either the desaturation mechanism is altered in the diseased animals or that unsaturated fatty acids are preferentially utilized in other processes.
Becoming a Learning Organization: New Directions in Science Education Research at the National Science Foundation

The Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate at the National Science Foundation has been examining its role in supporting the development of new approaches to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. This article explores what it means to be scientifically literate, what it takes to become a learning organization, how the EHR Directorate is working towards becoming such an organization through rigorous self-study, and how EHR can best manage its large portfolio of awards that support investigations in STEM education to enhance their collective value to researchers, policymakers and educators. Several elements of the self-study process are described, and the implications for the Directorate as well as for the field of researchers in science education are explored.
An experimental analysis of impacts of uncertainty and irreversibility on willingness-to-pay

Several empirical studies demonstrated large discrepancies between willingness-to-accept and willingness-to-pay measures. This paper uses an experimental method to determine the extent to which uncertainty about the value of the environmental improvement and the irreversibility of the decision affects the willingness-to-pay to preserve an endangered species. The results show that risk preferences, uncertainty about environmental improvements, and irreversibility significantly influence the willingness-to-pay measure. These results have implications for design and implementation of contingent valuation surveys.
Assessment of uncertainties in the response of the African monsoon precipitation to land use change simulated by a regional model

Land use and land cover (LULC) over Africa have changed substantially over the last 60 years and this change has been proposed to affect monsoon circulation and precipitation. This study examines the uncertainties of model simulated response in the African monsoon system and Sahel precipitation due to LULC change using a set of regional model simulations with different combinations of land surface and cumulus parameterization schemes. Although the magnitude of the response covers a broad range of values, most of the simulations show a decline in Sahel precipitation due to the expansion of pasture and croplands at the expense of trees and shrubs and an increase in surface air temperature. The relationship between the model responses to LULC change and the climatologists of the control simulations is also examined. Simulations that are climatologically too dry or too wet compared to observations and reanalyses have weak response to land use change because they are in moisture or energy limited regimes respectively. The ones that lie in between have stronger response to the LULC changes, showing a more significant role in land–atmosphere interactions. Much of the change in precipitation is related to changes in circulation, particularly to the response of the intensity and latitudinal position of the African Easterly Jet, which varies with the changes in meridional surface temperature gradients. The study highlights the need for measurements of the surface fluxes across the meridional cross-section of the Sahel to evaluate models and thereby allowing human impacts such as land use change on the monsoon to be projected more realistically.
Dispersion of Sound in Several Gases, and its Relation to the Frequency of Molecular Collisions

Dispersion of Sound in Several Gases, and its Relation to the Frequency of Molecular Collisions
Race in the “Decade of the Brain”

Despite NIMH efforts to facilitate the study of women and minorities in federally funded schizophrenia research, there is a significant lack of information about race differences in brain morphology and neuropsychological function in schizophrenia. A review of three major psychiatric journals between 1994 and 1996 revealed that only 14 (2.8%) of 502 schizophrenia articles reported the results of race analyses. Only 84 (16.7%) even reported the racial composition of the study sample. The study of race differences in schizophrenia, although fraught with methodological complexity and social/political tension, is necessary to prevent inappropriate generalization of research results across racial groups.
Intracellular Pathogens and Antigen Presentation—New Challenges with Legionella Pneumophila

Abstract In this issue of Immunity , Neild and Roy (2003) examine the intracellular life of Legionella pneumophila in dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages, as well as the presentation of its antigens to CD4 T cells. Legionella is a particularly interesting bacterium because of the peculiarities inherent in its intracellular sojourn in phagocytes: it resides in an unusual vesicle characterized by ribosomes studded along its walls (Horwitz, 1983). In this compartment, Legionella proteins encoded by the dot gene inhibit phagosome-lysosome fusion and endosomal acidification, yielding a vesicular structure conducive to the multiplication of Legionella , poor in lysosomal contents, and in MHC molecules.
Sa1480 Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Botulinum Toxin Injection for the Treatment of Colon Outlet Obstruction With Hypertensive Internal Anal Sphincter

were divided into 4 quartiles of 25 procedures each. There was a non-significant trend towards increase in the diagnostic yield of the final cytopathology over the 4 quartiles. The diagnostic yield of ROSE as well as the agreement between ROSE and final cytopathology was similar across the 4 quartiles. There was a non-significant trend towards a decrease in the duration of procedure over time. The median number of passes remained the same over the time period. (Table 1). Conclusion: While echoendosonographer and cytopathologist performance improves over time with case volume, these data suggest that a multi-disciplinary team can deliver a high diagnostic yield from inception, provided that the individual team members have sufficient training and experience in other settings. Institutions wishing to establish a multi-disciplinary EUS-FNA program may see high performance early-on provided that team members are individually experienced.
RNAi silencing of brain klotho potentiates cold-induced elevation of blood pressure via the endothelin pathway

Klotho is a recently identified antiaging gene. Brain endothelin-1 (ET1) is important in the regulation of blood pressure (BP). We hypothesized that silence of brain klotho potentiates cold-induced elevation of BP via the endothelin pathway. To silence brain klotho, we constructed adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying rat klotho small interference hairpin RNA (KL-shRNA). AAV carrying ET1-shRNA was used to silence brain ET1. Scrambled shRNA was used as Control-shRNA. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 rats/group) received KL-shRNA, KL-shRNA plus ET1-shRNA, and Control-shRNA, respectively, via intracerebroventricular injection. BP was monitored daily using a telemetry system. All animals were exposed to a moderate cold environment (5°C) at 12 days after gene delivery. KL-shRNA significantly increased BP by 9 days of exposure to cold, while BP in the Control-shRNA group remained unchanged. ET1-shRNA abolished KL-shRNA-induced elevation of BP during cold exposure. Interestingly, KL-shRNA increased brain ET1 expression and plasma norepinephrine level, suggesting that silencing of brain klotho increased ET1 production and the sympathetic nervous activity. The KL-shRNA-induced increase in sympathetic nervous activity was mediated by ET1 because it could be abolished by silencing of ET1. These results demonstrated that silencing of brain klotho potentiated and expedited cold-induced elevation of BP by upregulation of ET1 and the subsequent activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Tool wear mechanism in continuous cutting of hardened tool steels

Abstract Precision hard turning provides an alternative to grinding in some finishing applications. Rapid tool wear, however, remains an impediment to the process being economically viable. This experimental study investigates microstructural aspects of cubic boron nitride (CBN) tool wear in finish hard turning. Results indicate the following: (1) carbide sizes of the workpiece have significant effects on tool wear; (2) the flank wear rate can be correlated with mean carbide diameter of the workpiece; (3) the wear resistance increases monotonically with decreasing CBN grain size; (4) in finish turning with low CBN content tools, the governing wear mechanisms is fine scale attrition by microfracture and fatigue. A powder metallurgy M50 bar hard turned using an ultrafine CBN grain tool shows flank wear less than 45 μM VBmax after 6.2 km cutting distance; this wear rate equals 3.1 μm/km, over an order of magnitude lower than when machining conventional M50 under identical conditions. The surface finish is better than 80 nm Ra.
Differences in Talker Recognition by Preschoolers and Adults.

Abstract Talker variability in speech influences language processing from infancy through adulthood and is inextricably embedded in the very cues that identify speech sounds. Yet little is known about developmental changes in the processing of talker information. On one account, children have not yet learned to separate speech sound variability from talker-varying cues in speech, making them more sensitive than adults to talker variation. A different account is that children are less developed than adults at recognizing speech sounds and at recognizing talkers, and development involves protracted tuning of both recognition systems. The current research presented preschoolers and adults ( N = 180) with voices linked to two distinct cartoon characters. After exposure, participants heard each talker and selected which character was speaking. Consistent with the protracted tuning hypothesis, children were much less accurate than adults when talkers were matched on age, gender, and dialect (Experiments 1–3), even when prosody differed (Experiment 5). Children were highly accurate when voices differed in gender (Experiment 2) or age (mother vs. daughter; Experiment 6), suggesting that greater acoustic dissimilarity facilitated encoding. Implications for speech sound processing are discussed, as are the roles of language knowledge and the nature of talker perceptual space in talker encoding.
Diuretic renography in the assessment of urinary tract dilatation in children.

We present our experience with diuretic renography in the evaluation of dilation of the urinary tract in 27 children. The usefulness of this method along with its pitfalls are discussed.
Relationships between body temperature and performance traits in heat-stressed rats

Abstract Male Sprague Dawley rats ( n = 38 ) were allocated to thermoneutral, diurnal heat stress or constant heat stress treatments during pre-pubertal and post-pubertal ages. Analyses of internal body temperature and performance traits suggest animals respond differently in diurnal versus constant heat stress conditions. Greater fluctuations in average daily internal body temperature during diurnal heat stress may mediate partial recovery from heat stress, and hence, better performance than during constant heat stress. Correlation coefficients indicate early measures of internal body temperature can be used to gauge subsequent performance in similar environmental conditions.
The C2 Domains of Otoferlin, Dysferlin, and Myoferlin Alter the Packing of Lipid Bilayers

Ferlins are large multi-C2 domain membrane proteins involved in membrane fusion and fission events. In this study, we investigate the effects of binding of the C2 domains of otoferlin, dysferlin, and myoferlin on the structure of lipid bilayers. Fluorescence measurements indicate that multi-C2 domain constructs of myoferlin, dysferlin, and otoferlin change the lipid packing of both small unilamellar vesicles and giant plasma membrane vesicles. The activities of these proteins were enhanced in the presence of calcium and required negatively charged lipids like phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylglycerol for activity. Experiments with individual domains uncovered functional differences between the C2A domain of otoferlin and those of dysferlin and myoferlin, and truncation studies suggest that the effects of each subsequent C2 domain on lipid ordering appear to be additive. Finally, we demonstrate that the activities of these proteins on membranes are insensitive to high salt concentrations, suggesting a nonelectrostatic component to the interaction between ferlin C2 domains and lipid bilayers. Together, the data indicate that dysferlin, otoferlin, and myoferlin do not merely passively adsorb to membranes but actively sculpt lipid bilayers, which would result in highly curved or distorted membrane regions that could facilitate membrane fusion, membrane fission, or recruitment of other membrane-trafficking proteins.
ADIOS Visualization Schema: A First Step Towards Improving Interdisciplinary Collaboration in High Performance Computing

Scientific communities have benefitted from a significant increase of available computing and storage resources in the last few decades. For science projects that have access to leadership scale computing resources, the capacity to produce data has been growing exponentially. Teams working on such projects must now include, in addition to the traditional application scientists, experts in various disciplines including applied mathematicians for development of algorithms, visualization specialists for large data, and I/O specialists. Sharing of knowledge and data is becoming a requirement for scientific discovery, providing useful mechanisms to facilitate this sharing is a key challenge for e-Science. Our hypothesis is that in order to decrease the time to solution for application scientists we need to lower the barrier of entry into related computing fields. We aim at improving users' experience when interacting with a vast software ecosystem and/or huge amount of data, while maintaining focus on their primary research field. In this context we present our approach to bridge the gap between the application scientists and the visualization experts through a visualization schema as a first step and proof of concept for a new way to look at interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists dealing with big data. The key to our approach is recognizing that our users are scientists who mostly work as islands. They tend to work in very specialized environment but occasionally have to collaborate with other researchers in order to take full advantage of computing innovations and get insight from big data. We present an example of identifying the connecting elements between one of such relationships and offer a liaison schema to facilitate their collaboration.
Opioid System Diversity in Developing Neurons, Astroglia and Oligodendroglia in the Subventricular Zone and Striatum: Impact on Gliogenesis In Vivo

Accumulating evidence, obtained largely in vitro, indicates that opioids regulate the genesis of neurons and glia and their precursors in the nervous system. Despite this evidence, few studies have assessed opioid receptor expression in identified cells within germinal zones or examined opioid effects on gliogenesis in vivo. To address this question, the role of opioids was explored in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and/or striatum of 2-5-day-old and/or adult ICR mice. The results showed that subpopulations of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in the SVZ and striatum differentially express mu-, delta-, and/or kappa-receptor immunoreactivity in a cell type-specific and developmentally regulated manner. In addition, DNA synthesis was assessed by examining 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation into glial and nonglial precursors. Morphine (a preferential mu-agonist) significantly decreased the number of BrdU-labeled GFAP(+) cells compared with controls or mice co-treated with naltrexone plus morphine. Alternatively, in S100beta(+) cells, morphine did not significantly decrease BrdU incorporation; however, significant differences were noted between mice treated with morphine and those treated with morphine plus naltrexone. Most cells were GFAP(-)/S100beta(-). When BrdU incorporation was assessed within the total population (glia and nonglia), morphine had no net effect, but naltrexone alone markedly increased BrdU incorporation. This finding suggests that DNA synthesis in GFAP(-)/S100beta(-) cells is tonically suppressed by endogenous opioids. Assuming that S100beta and GFAP, respectively, distinguish among younger and older astroglia, this implies that astroglial replication becomes increasingly sensitive to morphine during maturation, and suggests that opioids differentially regulate the development of distinct subpopulations of glia and glial precursors.
Use of yeast nuclear DNA sequences to define the mitochondrial RNA polymerase promoter in vitro.

Abstract We have extended an earlier observation that the TATA box for the nuclear GAL10 gene serves as a promoter for the mitochondrial RNA polymerase in in vitro transcription reactions (C. S. Winkley, M. J. Keller, and J. A. Jaehning, J. Biol. Chem. 260:14214-14223, 1985). In this work, we demonstrate that other nuclear genes also have upstream sequences that function in vitro as mitochondrial RNA polymerase promoters. These genes include the GAL7 and MEL1 genes, which are regulated in concert with the GAL10 gene, the sigma repetitive element, and the 2 microns plasmid origin of replication. We used in vitro transcription reactions to test a large number of nuclear DNA sequences that contain critical mitochondrial promoter sequences as defined by Biswas et al. (T. K. Biswas, J. C. Edwards, M. Rabinowitz, and G. S. Getz, J. Biol. Chem. 262:13690-13696, 1987). The results of these experiments allowed us to extend the definition of essential promoter elements. This extended sequence, -ACTATAAACGatcATAG-, was frequently found in the upstream regulatory regions of nuclear genes. On the basis of these observations, we hypothesized that either (i) a catalytic RNA polymerase related to the mitochondrial enzyme functions in the nucleus of the yeast cell or (ii) a DNA sequence recognition factor is shared by the two genetic compartments. By using cells deficient in the catalytic core of the mitochondrial RNA polymerase (rpo41-) and sensitive assays for transcripts initiating from the nuclear promoter sequences, we have conclusively ruled out a role for the catalytic RNA polymerase in synthesizing transcripts from all of the nuclear sequences analyzed. The possibility that a DNA sequence recognition factor functions in both the nucleus and the mitochondria remains to be tested.
Self-Intoxication with Morphine Obtained from an Infusion Pump*

A 36-year-old Caucasian male was found unresponsive by his wife. He had white foam around his mouth and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. He had a history of back pain and was treated with intrathecal morphine because of his previous addiction to oral opiate medications. Because of crimping of the pump catheter, it was replaced 4 days before his death. Toxicological findings included urine screen positive for amitriptyline, nortriptyline, opiates, hydrocodone metabolites, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, caffeine, nicotine, and metabolite. Drug concentrations were as follows: blood, 0.260 mg/L amitriptyline, 0.160 mg/L nortriptyline, 0.460 mg/L unconjugated morphine, and 0.624 mg/L total morphine; vitreous humor, 0.034 mg/L unconjugated morphine and 0.080 mg/L total morphine; and cerebrospinal fluid, 0.099 mg/L unconjugated morphine and 0.095 mg/L total morphine. Shortly after death, the volume of the residual pump reservoir was only 8 mL instead of the expected 17 mL. Testing by the FDA showed that the pump was functional. The residual content of the pump accounted for only 230 mg instead of the expected 488 mg. The high blood-morphine concentrations did not correlate with the intrathecal infusion dose. The symptoms were consistent with opiate overdose, possibly by injection of morphine withdrawn from the pump reservoir. The cause of death was determined to be fatal morphine self-intoxication, and the manner of death was accidental. This case is intended to alert regulatory agencies, pain management health professionals, pathologists, and toxicologists to the abuse potential of one of the newer analgesic-delivery systems.
A Framework for Multi-Task Formation Control of Nonholonomic Robotic Systems

In practical applications, multi-robot systems may have to simultaneously deal with several tasks: collision-free maneuvers in dynamic environments; tracking certain desired trajectories; forming suitable patterns or geometrical shapes, and/or varying the pattern when necessary. The proposed formation control scheme in this paper addresses these issues. First a dynamic model for a nonholonomic robot prototype is developed. Tracking control is then realized by employing input-output feedback linearization. To achieve typical complex formation missions, a two-layer hierarchical architecture is proposed. At the upper layer, a null-space method is utilized to prioritize the tasks of the robot team and to generate reference trajectories for formation control. In the lower layer, the control scheme for each individual robot guarantees asymptotic tracking of the desired trajectories. Numerical simulations of a realistic case study illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Electrical energy production from forest detritus in a forested wetland using microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has shown great potential for harvesting energy from waste organic materials. Here, we explored the potential of MFC-based electricity generation from forest detritus, a large untapped biomass pool. Electricity generation from in situ MFCs and relevant environmental parameters (i.e., carbon sources and concentrations, temperature, water depth) in a seasonally flooded freshwater cypress-tupelo wetland were monitored intensively for two flooding periods. Current outputs ranged from 0 to 1.27 mA (mean of 0.40 mA for flooding period) and were highly sensitive to environmental changes, showing seasonal and diel dependences. Excluding the influence of heavy storms, drought, or wetland icing, current output was highly temperature-dependent dielly. Seasonally, current output gradually increased in the first 3–4 months (limited by temperature) and decreased slightly during the last 1–2 months (probably limited by carbon and nutrients) of both flooding periods. Litter extract of baldcypress (Taxodium distictum) with lower C/N ratio and aromatic content showed greater stable current outputs (0.57 mA) based on 50 mg l � 1 biological oxygen demand compared to extracts of water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), suggesting that the current output of in situ MFCs could depend on the vegetation within a wetland. Our study highlights the potential application of MFC in generating green and sustainable electricity from forest biomass for powering remote sensors in wetland ecosystems.
Utilitarianism and Personal Identity

Soulignant la necessite d'une definition de la personne et de l'identite personnelle au fondement des theories morales, l'A. critique l'approche reductionniste du concept de personne developpee par D. Parfit, dans son ouvrage intitule «Reasons and persons» (1984), comme l'arriere-plan metaphysique de l'utilitarisme. Examinant le critere psychologique de l'identite personnelle, ainsi que les versions moderee et extreme du reductionnisme, l'A. confronte le principe utilitariste de la distribution a la possibilite de la production de biens holistes fonctions, d'une part, et montre que les deux versions du reductionnisme posent probleme du point de vue de l'unite metaphysique de la personne et de la conception pragmatique de soi, d'autre part
Effect of heating on the optical loss in the As-Se glass fiber

The increase in the optical loss of the IR-transmitting arsenic-selenide glass fiber in the temperature range of 150/spl deg/C /spl ges/T/spl ges/ 20/spl deg/C was investigated. Between the wavelength region of 1.3 and 8 /spl mu/m, there is a small increase in the loss in which the contribution of free-carrier absorption is small. At high temperature T=150/spl deg/C and /spl lambda//spl ges/8 /spl mu/m, both the free-carrier and multiphonon absorption contributed to the total loss. From a practical perspective, the As-Se fiber loss increases only slightly under normal operating temperatures and so can still be used for many applications.
Learning distributed control for modular robots

We propose to automate controller design for distributed modular robots. In this paper, we present some initial experiments with learning distributed controllers for synthesizing compliant locomotion gaits for modular, self-reconfigurable robots. We use both centralized and distributed policy search and find that the learning approach is promising, as locomotion tasks are learnt well. We also find that the additive nature of the robotic platforms can help speed up learning if we increase the robot size incrementally.
Z-axis conductive adhesive for TAB and fine pitch interconnects

Solder are used extensively in both die-attach and component attach in the first and second levels of electronic packaging. With the commercialization of VLSI and ULSI devices, both levels of fabrication have encountered difficulties in both manufacturability and reliability. These problems are analyzed and a novel solution of Z-axis, 'stress-free', and thermally conductive adhesives are introduced. The adhesive system has been engineered to simulate all the desirable characteristics of soldering such as fast 'curing' speed (milliseconds), ambient storage, low thermal and low electrical contact resistances, and reworkability. The drawbacks of solders, such as fatigue failures, stress-induced failures, and bridging, are avoided. All of these basic properties and some of the applications are discussed. >
Estimating the Price Elasticity of Demand for Different Levels of Alcohol Consumption among Young Adults

Understanding the effect of higher alcohol prices on alcohol demand according to one’s level of alcohol consumption is crucial while evaluating the effectiveness of using alcohol taxes as an alcoho...
Monitoring of hemostasis in cardiac surgical patients: impact of point-of-care testing on blood loss and transfusion outcomes

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are at increased risk for excessive perioperative blood loss requiring transfusion of blood products. Strategies to optimize administration of heparin and protamine and the assessment of their effects on coagulation are evolving in cardiac surgical patients. Two recent evaluations have focused on the use of multiple point-of-care (POC) coagulation assays for patient-specific adjustment of heparin and protamine dosage. These studies indicate that blood loss and transfusion requirements in cardiac surgical patients may be reduced with more accurate control of heparin anticoagulation and its reversal. Blood component administration in patients with excessive post-CPB bleeding is generally empiric in part, related to turnaround times of laboratory-based tests. Methods are now available for rapid, POC assessment of coagulation to allow appropriate, targeted therapy for acquired hemostatic abnormalities. Recent studies indicate that a rapid evaluation of thrombocytopenia and coagulation factor deficiencies with POC tests can facilitate the optimal administration of pharmacologic and transfusion-based therapy in patients who exhibit excessive bleeding after CPB. POC tests that assess platelet function have been developed, and their use may facilitate identification of which patients at risk for excessive blood loss may respond to pharmacologic interventions such as desmopressin acetate or antifibrinolytic agents.
Best Practices for Online Business Education

This integrative review of literature on online educational best practices is intended to provide a quick reference for those interested in designing online business courses and programs. Primarily American in its perspective, this review may be helpful for business schools seeking optimal online course designs that foster quality learning experiences comparable in outcomes to traditional methods. Paramount in this review is the emphasis on consistency, cohesiveness, and assessment.
Interneurons in the mouse visual thalamus maintain a high degree of retinal convergence throughout postnatal development.

Background: The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the mouse thalamus has emerged as a powerful experimental system for understanding the refinement of developing sensory connections. Interestingly, many of the basic tenets for such developmental remodeling (for example, pruning of connections to form precise sensory maps) fail to take into account a fundamental aspect of sensory organization, cell-type specific wiring. To date, studies have focused on thalamocortical relay neurons and little is known about the development of retinal connections onto the other principal cell type of dLGN, intrinsic interneurons. Here, we used a transgenic mouse line in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) is expressed within dLGN interneurons (GAD67-GFP), making it possible to visualize them in acutely prepared thalamic slices in order to examine their morphology and functional patterns of connectivity throughout postnatal life. Findings: GFP-expressing interneurons were evenly distributed throughout dLGN and had highly complex and widespread dendritic processes that often crossed eye-specific borders. Estimates of retinal convergence derived from excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude by stimulus intensity plots revealed that unlike relay cells, interneurons recorded throughout the first 5 weeks of life, maintain a large number (approximately eight to ten) of retinal inputs. Conclusions: The lack of pruning onto interneurons suggests that the activity-dependent refinement of retinal connections in dLGN is cell-type specific. The high degree of retinal convergence onto interneurons may be necessary for these cells to provide both widespread and local forms of inhibition in dLGN.
Investigation of the Double Superconducting Transition and Low-Temperature Specific Heat of Pr(Os 1-x Ru x ) 4 Sb 12

The double superconducting transition in PrOs4Sb12, first observed in specific heat C(T) measurements on single crystal samples, was studied by means of specific heat measurements on PrOs4Sb12 crystals that had been subjected to applied magnetic fields, substitution of up to 4 Ru for Os, and annealing. The double superconducting transitions of a batch of single crystals were measured before and after annealing for 5 days at 500°C, to remove strains and promote homogeniety, with no observed change. Measurements of C(T) near Tc for PrOs4Sb12 in several magnetic fields are also presented, detailing the evolution of the double transition up to 1 T. Samples of Pr(Os1-x Rux)Sb12 with 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.04 also appear to display a double superconducting transition in specific heat. In addition, samples with the smallest Ru concentration measured (x = 0.01) may even display a more isotropic type of superconductivity than pure PrOs4Sb12 (x = 0).
Bridging the gap: combining somatic and psychological interventions.

The prediction of the World Health Organization that, by 2020, major depression will be second only to ischemic heart disease as a cause of disability highlights the importance of pursuing novel treatment approaches to this intractable psychiatric problem. In their article in Biological Psychiatry, Brakemeier et al. (1) illustrate the implementation of one novel approach by using talk therapy to prolong the robust but shortlived antidepressant effects of a somatic therapy for severe depression. Although research efforts regarding pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic approaches have recently been attracting growing attention, far less attention has been paid to combining treatment modalities to achieve a synergistic effect. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective and rapidly acting treatment of severe major depressive disorder with initial success rates commonly reported in the range of 60%–90% (2). However, relapse rates are notoriously high, and the field continues to strive for evidenced-based guidelines to sustain the antidepressant effect of ECT. To date, recommendations for immediate follow-up care have focused exclusively on continued medication, timing and combination of medications, and various schedules of continuation and maintenance ECT. Thinking outside the proverbial “somatic” box, Brakemeier et al. note that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has an evidenced-based reputation for sustaining antidepressant response. In the treatment of acute depression, CBT is as effective as antidepressant medication, and evidence exists for its prophylactic effects in reducing relapse in chronic depression (3). Studies have shown that CBT and related talk therapies can be beneficial to depressed patients who show only a partial response to medication (4) and when
Career Interrupted For What Reason? Job Interruptions And Their Wage Effects

This paper examines whether controlling for the type of career interruption has different effects on men’s and women’s wages. One argument for the persistence of the gender wage gap is that previously researchers have used poor measures of experience to estimate men’s and women’s wages. This paper extends the career interruption literature by estimating men’s and women’s wages including controls for both the type and timing of interruptions. Findings show similar wage effects for men’s and women’s wages while controlling for the type of interruption. These results are consistent with the basic human capital model, but are inconsistent with previous empirical research.
The influence of staff and resident immunization rates on influenza-like illness outbreaks in nursing homes.

Objective To evaluate the influence of immunization rates on the likelihood of influenza-like illness (ILI) clusters in nursing facilities. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting Nursing facilities in a single for-profit chain (N = 301). Participants Nursing home residents and staff in each facility. Measurements Resident and staff influenza immunization rates during the 2004–2005 influenza season, indicator of ILI cluster in facility defined as 3+ ILI cases reported within 72 hours in close proximity within the facility, hospitalization and mortality rates for facilities reporting ILI clusters, indicator of confirmatory laboratory testing for ILI cases in facility. Results Staff (median = 38%) and resident (median = 85%) rates of immunization did not independently predict the likelihood of an outbreak but jointly were strong predictors. For example, facilities having greater than 55% of staff and greater than 89% of residents immunized were almost 60% less likely to have an ILI cluster (odds ratio [OR]: 0.410; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.89) compared to all others. Facilities with higher proportions of Medicaid-funded residents were less likely to have an outbreak. Each 1% increase in the proportion of residents with Medicaid was associated with a 2.5% decrease in the risk of a cluster (OR: 0.975; 95% CI: 0.956, 0.995). Bed size and staff size did not significantly influence the likelihood of an outbreak. Among facilities with outbreaks, higher vaccination rates did not predict lower rates of hospitalizations or deaths. Approximately two thirds of all ILI clusters had laboratory testing to confirm the diagnosis of influenza. Three quarters of the facilities in which outbreaks occurred and for which confirmatory tests were performed (50/67, 74.6%) had 1+ cases positively identified as influenza. Conclusion Both staff and residents must have high rates of vaccination to substantially alter the rate and impact of influenza outbreaks in nursing facilities.
Liquid encapsulated Czochralski growth of low dislocation GaAs

The availability of high-quality, large-diameter GaAs substrates is key to the successful development and production of high-speed GaAs devices and high-efficiency GaAs solar cells. The liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) technique has provided a means for producing large-diameter GaAs. Progress in improving the LEC growth process which has resulted in 3-inch GaAs crystals with exceptionally low dislocation densities and reduced propensity for twinning is reported. Undoped, semi-insulating GaAs ingots were grown in a Melbourn high-pressure LEC system. The effects of seed perfection, seed necking, cone angle, melt stoichiometry, ambient pressure, thickness of the B2O3 encapsulating layer, and diameter control on the dislocation density were investigated. The material was characterized by preferential etching and X-ray topography. It is shown that 3-inch diameter substrates can be produced with dislocation densities as low as 6000 per sq cm through proper selection and control of growth parameters. Also, the incidence of twinning can be reduced significantly by growing from slightly As-rich melts.