cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discretionary Lane Change Decision Making using Reinforcement Learning with Model-Based Exploration

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) techniques have been used to solve a discretionary lane change decision-making problem and are showing promising results. However, since the input information for the discretionary lane change problem is continuous and can be in high dimension, it is an open challenge for DRL to optimize the exploration-exploitation trade-off. Conventional model-less exploration methods lack a systematic way to incorporate additional engineering or model-based knowledge of our application into consideration and as a result, the training can be inefficient and may dwell on a policy, e.g. lane change strategy that is impractical. In previous related work, many used the rule-based safety check policy to guide the exploration and collect input information data. However, it is not guaranteed to get the optimal policy and the performance is dependent on the safety check policy selected. In this paper, we developed an explicit statistical aggregated environment model using a conditional variational auto-encoder and a model-based exploration strategy leveraging it. The agent is guided to explore with surprise-based intrinsic reward derived from the environment model. The result is compared with annealing epsilon-greedy exploration and with rule-based safety check exploration. We demonstrate that the performance of the developed model-based exploration method is comparable with the best rule-based safety check exploration and much better than the epsilon-greedy exploration.
The End of the World, The Future of the Earth: Bioplurality and the Politics of Human Extinction

Using a comparative study of two social movements working against mass extinction, this essay examines how potential human extinction rhetorically creates connections between human life and other f...
Percutaneous Mechanical Pulmonary Thrombectomy in a Patient With Pulmonary Embolism as a First Presentation of COVID-19

There has been a high incidence of thromboembolic diseases in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. We present a case of a healthy 32-year-old male with no past medical history who presented with shortness of breath, tested positive for COVID-19, and was found to have a large acute saddle pulmonary embolism.
Dynamic and nonlinear metamaterials: from terahertz to magnetic resonance imaging

Electromagnetic (EM) metamaterials represent an important class of artificial materials composed of arrays of subwavelength unit-cell structures, which are also known as meta-atoms, with engineered effective optical properties, such as effective permittivity and permeability. Metamaterials provide a powerful platform to implement dynamic and nonlinear electromagnetic materials. Specifically, the effective permittivity and permeability can be tailored and reconfigured to construct metamaterial devices by modulating or actuating the constituent meta-atoms. By leveraging microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, active metamaterial devices, such as modulators, absorbers, and tunable waveplates, may be implemented. We developed myriad functional terahertz (THz) metamaterial devices based on MEMS actuators and optical excitation to manipulate the THz waves towards practical applications. In addition to far-field radiation, metamaterials exhibit extraordinary near-field properties yielding the capacity to tailor electric and magnetic field distributions. We studied the electron emission and nonlinear resonance response in THz metamaterials due to the electric-field enhancement effect. Furthermore, intelligent magnetic metamaterials for boosting the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been developed. We employed the nonlinear response in metamaterials consisting sub-wavelength helical resonators and varactor-loaded split ring resonators to selectively enhance the magnetic field, thereby improving the SNR of MRI. Future practical applications of metamaterials will be explored and discussed.
Age differences in trajectories of depressive, anxiety, and burnout symptoms in a population with a high likelihood of persistent occupational distress.

Objectives Work in occupations with higher levels of occupational stress can bring mental health costs. Many older adults worldwide are continuing to work past traditional retirement age, raising the question whether older adults experience depression, anxiety, or burnout at the same or greater levels as younger workers, and whether there are differences by age in these levels over time. Design/setting/participants Longitudinal survey of 1161 currently employed US clergy followed every 6-12 months for up to 66 months. Measurements Depression was measured with the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). Anxiety was measured using the anxiety component of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Burnout symptoms were assessed using the three components of the Maslach Burnout Inventory: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and sense of personal accomplishment (PA). Results Older participants had lower scores of depression, anxiety, EE, and DP and higher levels of PA over time compared to younger adults. Levels of EE decreased for older working adults, while not significantly changing over time for those younger. DP symptoms decreased over time among those 55 years or older but increased among those 25-54 years. Conclusions Older working adults may have higher levels of resilience and be able to balance personal life with their occupation as well as may engage in certain behaviors that increase social support and, for clergy, spiritual well-being that may decrease stress in a way that allows these older adults to appear to tolerate working longer without poorer mental health outcomes.
The devil finds leisure

In 1976, James Baldwin’s The Devil Finds Work is published, a scathingly telling piece of cinematic critique at the height of exploitation and the ongoing efforts of the Black Liberation Movement (...
Single-Shot Transient Absorption of Nascent Perovskite Nanocrystals

Perovskite nanocrystals are measured with single-shot transient absorption during synthesis. The lineshape indicates that carriers in nascent nanocrystals become trapped at the surface, inducing internal electric fields. The evolving lineshape reports surface passivation during synthesis.
COVID-19 and Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Report of Eight Cases

Aim To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Methods We report eight cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in COVID-19 who presented to our institution in New Jersey, USA. COVID-19 was diagnosed by nasopharyngeal swab reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The patients' electronic medical records were reviewed. Data on patients' age, sex, ethnicity, laboratory values, glycosylated hemoglobin level, oral antihyperglycemic agents (OHAs), insulin, and clinical outcomes were collected. Results The median age of the patient was 42.5 years, and seven were males and one was female. Out of eight patients, five had type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), two had undiagnosed DM, and one had type 1 DM. Median value of initial glucose on presentation was 454 mg/dL. Median value of HbA1c on presentation was 11.4% and of anion gap was 26.5 mEq/L. Four patients had large ketonemia, one patient had moderate ketonemia, and three patients had small ketonemia. All the patients were started on standard treatment protocol for DKA with intravenous fluids and IV insulin infusion. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was seen in four patients, and one patient required renal replacement therapy. Out of eight patients, three required mechanical ventilation, and the same three patients died. Conclusion Our case series shows that COVID-19 infection can precipitate DKA in patients with known diabetes mellitus patients or as a first manifestation in undiagnosed DM patients; COVID-19 with DKA is associated with substantial mortality. Further studies are needed to characterize poor risk factors associated with mortality in these patients.
Atypical food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome in children: is IgE sensitization an issue longitudinally?

Background Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is a clinically well-characterised, non-Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy syndrome, yet its rare atypical presentation remains poorly understood. Objective Aim of this study was to present the 10-year experience of a referral centre highlighting the atypical FPIES cases and their long-term outcome. Methods FPIES cases were prospectively evaluated longitudinally in respect of food outgrowth and developing other allergic diseases with or without concomitant IgE sensitisation. Results One hundred subjects out of a total of 14,188 referrals (0.7%) were identified. At presentation, 15 patients were found sensitised to the offending food. Fish was the most frequent eliciting food, followed by cow's milk and egg. Tolerance acquisition was earlier for cow's milk, followed by egg and fish, while found not to be protracted in atypical cases. Resolution was not achieved in half of the fish subjects during the 10-year follow-up time. Sensitisation to food was not related to infantile eczema or culprit food, but was related to sensitisation to aeroallergens. In the long-term evaluation, persistence of the FPIES or aeroallergen sensitisation was significantly associated with an increased hazard risk of developing early asthma symptoms. Conclusion Sensitisation to food was related neither to eczema or culprit food nor to tolerance acquisition but rather to the development of allergic asthma through aeroallergen sensitisation. In addition to an IgE profile at an early age, FPIES persistence may also trigger mechanisms switching FPIES cases to a T-helper 2 cells immune response later in life, predisposing to atopic respiratory symptoms; albeit further research is required.
Support Recovery for Sparse Multidimensional Phase Retrieval

We consider the sparse phase retrieval problem of recovering a sparse signal $\mathbf {x}$ in $\mathbb {R}^d$ from intensity-only measurements in dimension $d \geq 2$ . Sparse phase retrieval can often be equivalently formulated as the problem of recovering a signal from its autocorrelation, which is in turn directly related to the combinatorial problem of recovering a set from its pairwise differences. In one spatial dimension, this problem is well studied and known as the turnpike problem . In this work, we present MISTR (Multidimensional Intersection Sparse supporT Recovery), an algorithm which exploits this formulation to recover the support of a multidimensional signal from magnitude-only measurements. MISTR takes advantage of the structure of multiple dimensions to provably achieve the same accuracy as the best one-dimensional algorithms in dramatically less time. We prove theoretically that MISTR correctly recovers the support of signals distributed as a Gaussian point process with high probability as long as sparsity is at most $\mathcal {O}(n^{d\theta })$ for any $\theta , where $n^d$ represents pixel size in a fixed image window. In the case that magnitude measurements are corrupted by noise, we provide a thresholding scheme with theoretical guarantees for sparsity at most $\mathcal {O}(n^{d\theta })$ for $\theta that obviates the need for MISTR to explicitly handle noisy autocorrelation data. Detailed and reproducible numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm, showing that in practice MISTR enjoys time complexity which is nearly linear in the size of the input.
Zinc and Zinc Transport and Sequestration Proteins in the Brain in the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

Multiple studies over the past 25 years have demonstrated alterations of zinc (Zn) in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), although the potential fole of these alterations in the pathogenesis of AD remains unclear. The following examines normal and abnormal roles of Zn and Zn transport (ZIP and ZnT) proteins in brain and the potential effects of their alterations in the pathogenesis of AD.
Las Antillas, nuevamente, «entre imperios» y de cómo enfrentarse al insularismo racialista para alcanzar el objetivo de una confederación regional

At the start of the 21st century the peoples of the Antilles once again find themselves as minor actors in a process of global geopolitical restructuring where the Caribbean is a scenario of major relevance. A new period “between empires” is coming into focus with the retreat of the United States and the rise in the influence of China in the region. This work is a broad reflection that, at the intersection of history, cultural studies and macropolitics, reclaims the legacy of the 19th century project for the creation of the Antillean Confederation to posit a possible realignment of forces at the regional level that would favor the possibility of breaking with the insularism complex, the culture of racialism and half a millennium of political subjection to foreign powers.
Axial Force and Efficiency Tests of Fixed Center Variable Speed Belt Drive

An investigation of how the axial force varies with the centerline force at different speed ratios, speeds, and loads, and how the drive's transmission efficiency is affected by these related forces is described. The tests, intended to provide a preliminary performance and controls characterization for a variable speed belt drive continuously variable transmission (CVT), consisted of the design and construction of an experimental test rig geometrically similar to the CVT, and operation of that rig at selected speed ratios and power levels. Data are presented which show: how axial forces exerted on the driver and driven sheaves vary with the centerline force at constant values of speed ratio, speed, and output power; how the transmission efficiency varies with centerline force and how it is also a function of the V belt coefficient; and the axial forces on both sheaves as normalized functions of the traction coefficient.
Safety and motherhood in the chemistry research lab

As more and more women enter the workforce, issues regarding childbearing and caretaking have become more prominent. Challenges women face with the timing of pregnancy, finding affordable childcare, and meeting the multitude of demands inherent with raising children are starting to be addressed by many employers. In the university setting, structural and cultural factors pose barriers, yet also provide almost unheard-of flexibility. While some of these challenges are being addressed by employers, funding agencies, and communities, one area of particular concern is safety for women chemists. The hazards of working with chemicals during pregnancy and breast-feeding are unique to chemistry, and there is no easy fix. This chapter will review the safety concerns for women chemists, strategies women faculty have used to address safety challenges, current policies and strategies for dealing with safety challenges, and recommendations for departments and administrators.
Enhanced shedding of cytomegalovirus in semen of human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive homosexual men.

Site-specific shedding of cytomegalovirus (CMV) was assessed in a longitudinal study of homosexual and bisexual men. At initial testing, CMV was cultured from the semen of 33% (19 of 58) of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic men who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the time of entry into the study, whereas it was cultured from the semen of 17% (10 of 58) of the men who were HIV seronegative. CMV was isolated much more frequently from semen than from urine or throat washing specimens, and it was rarely recovered from stool or blood, regardless of the subject9s HIV serostatus. CMV was cultured from the semen of 31% (16 of 52) of the men relatively early after seroconversion to HIV (mean, 12.8 months). CMV was persistently isolated from the semen of a greater proportion of the HIV-seropositive men than from the semen of the HIV-seronegative men during a 4.5-year follow-up period (52 of 110 - [47%] and 15 of 58 [26%] men, respectively). There was an increased relative risk for shedding of CMV in semen in association with decreased CD4+ cell numbers and increased levels of serum immunoglobulin A. However, there was no association of CMV shedding with an increased risk for the development of AIDS.
Burst Detector Sensitivity: Past, Present and Future

I compare the burst detection sensitivity of CGRO’s BATSE, Swift’s BAT, the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) and EXIST as a function of a burst’s spectrum and duration. A detector’s overall burst sensitivity depends on its energy sensitivity and set of accumulations times Δt; these two factors shape the detected burst population. For example, relative to BATSE, the BAT’s softer energy band decreases the detection rate of short, hard bursts, while the BAT’s longer accumulation times increase the detection rate of long, soft bursts. Consequently, Swift is detecting long, low fluence bursts (2–3× fainter than BATSE).
Using volatile witnesses to extend the applicability of available copy protocols

This paper presents a new replication control protocol tailored to environments where network partitions can only occur at a few well-defined partition points and are always the results of a gateway failure. The protocol implements the same 'write all read-one' rule as the available copy (AC) protocol. Unlike the AC protocol, this protocol divides servers holding copies into local servers that can communicate directly with each other and non-local servers that communicate with other servers through one or more gateways. While replicas stored on local servers are assumed to remain up to date as long as their server remains operational, replicas stored on non-local servers are required to maintain one or more volatile witnesses on the same LAN segment as the local servers and need to interrogate one of these witnesses before answering any user request. >
Carrier interferometry pulse shaping for dispersion compensation

The fiber-optic channel introduces a number of linear and non-linear effects including dispersion (e.g., chromatic dispersion), attenuation, four wave mixing, and self phase modulation. As DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) systems grow in bit rates per channel and numbers of channels, sensitivity to these effects increases. A recently-proposed, far-reaching solution to counter many channel effects is based on Carrier Interferometry (CI) ultrashort pulses. Specifically, at the transmitter, the Frequency Shifted Feedback Cavity (FSFC) is used to generate an ultra short CI pulse via the superpositioning of N equally spaced frequency components. This ultra short pulse is transmitted over the fiber to the receiver side, where the CI pulse is decomposed into its N frequency components. This enables (1) the cancellation of channel effects such as dispersion via the application of different phases to different frequency components; and (2) the use of low-speed (inexpensive) electronic components. Via dispersion compensation, guard time between adjacent pulses is greatly diminished, leading directly to higher data rates per channel. In this work, we demonstrate the robustness of the proposed CI fiber-optic system to errors in dispersion compensation, suggesting that even when the proposed CI system can not perfectly account for dispersion, it can still achieve excellent performances. This, in turn, indicates that even with imperfect dispersion compensation, guard intervals at the transmit side are still unnecessary in CI systems.
The mechanism by which MEK/ERK regulates JNK and p38 activity in polyamine depleted IEC-6 cells during apoptosis

Polyamine-depletion inhibited apoptosis by activating ERK1/2, while, preventing JNK1/2 activation. MKP-1 knockdown by SiRNA increased ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 phosphorylation and apoptosis. Therefore, we predicted that polyamines might regulate MKP1 via MEK/ERK and thereby apoptosis. We examined the role of MEK/ERK in the regulation of MKP1 and JNK, and p38 activities and apoptosis. Inhibition of MKP-1 activity with a pharmacological inhibitor, sanguinarine (SA), increased JNK1/2, p38, and ERK1/2 activities without causing apoptosis. However, pre-activation of these kinases by SA significantly increased camptothecin (CPT)-induced apoptosis suggesting different roles for MAPKs during survival and apoptosis. Inhibition of MEK1 activity prevented the expression of MKP-1 protein and augmented CPT-induced apoptosis, which correlated with increased activities of JNK1/2, caspases, and DNA fragmentation. Polyamine depleted cells had higher levels of MKP-1 protein and decreased JNK1/2 activity and apoptosis. Inhibition of MEK1 prevented MKP-1 expression and increased JNK1/2 and apoptosis. Phospho-JNK1/2, phospho-ERK2, MKP-1, and the catalytic subunit of PP2Ac formed a complex in response to TNF/CPT. Inactivation of PP2Ac had no effect on the association of MKP-1 and JNK1. However, inhibition of MKP-1 activity decreased the formation of the MKP-1, PP2Ac and JNK complex. Following inhibition by SA, MKP-1 localized in the cytoplasm, while basal and CPT-induced MKP-1 remained in the nuclear fraction. These results suggest that nuclear MKP-1 translocates to the cytoplasm, binds phosphorylated JNK and p38 resulting in dephosphorylation and decreased activity. Thus, MEK/ERK activity controls the levels of MKP-1 and, thereby, regulates JNK activity in polyamine-depleted cells.
Why dat now? : Linguistic-anthropological contributions to the explanation of sociolinguistic icons and change

One way to renew conversation between linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics is to bring concepts of linguistic ideology to the explanation of the iconization of specific sociolinguistic variables and associated sociolinguistic change. Sociolinguists such as Eckert (2000) and Milroy (2004) have made provocative efforts to incorporate linguistic-anthropological concepts into sociolinguistic explanation. What is still lacking is a full explanation of why specific linguistic variables emerge from the flow of speech and social life to become sociolinguistic icons or emblems and set off relatively rapid or intense changes. This article brings Joseph Errington's (19 8 5) use of the concept of pragmatic salience to bear on insights gleaned from vanguard sociolinguistic and linguistic-anthropological work. Drawing on empirical examples from a spectrum of studies, a model is sketched from these elements to suggest an account of how an ideological bent directs linguistic change.
Loess mantle spatial variability and soil horizonation, southern Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Loess is an important Quaternary sediment that records evidence of landscape instability in sediment source areas and landscape stability in accumulation areas. In Wisconsin, USA loess mantles glaciogenic deposits dating to the last glaciation, but the landscape distribution and effects of the loess mantle on soil formation have received very little attention. This study investigates the influence of glacial landforms on the spatial pattern of loess thickness and how the presence or absence of a loess mantle overlying glaciogenic sediments has influenced soil profile morphology, namely thickness and nature of horizonation. Loess thickness follows systematic trends along hillslopes, with slope percentage explaining most loess thickness variation between summit and backslope positions. In the presence of a loess mantle, solum and Bt horizon thickness is proportional to the thickness of the loess mantle in well-drained profiles. In the absence of a loess mantle, landscape and sediment characteristics that control permeability and water throughflow appear to be the most important determinants of profile characteristics. The loess mantle modulates soil formation above the lithologic discontinuity with sandy calcareous glacial sediments by controlling soil water behavior and having physical and chemical characteristics conducive to transformation to soil genetic horizons.
Investigations on the CNS sites of action of the discriminative stimulus effects of arecoline and nicotine.

Abstract The role of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF) in mediating the discriminative stimulus (DS) effects of nicotine and arecoline was assessed. In rats trained to discriminate nicotine (1.14 mg/kg) from saline, peripherally administered nicotine generalized to injection of nicotine, but not arecoline, directly into the DH and MRF. The stimulus effect of centrally administered nicotine was antagonized by peripherally administered mecamylamine, but not atropine. Response rate decreases were also observed after nicotine injection into either central site. In rats trained to discriminate arecoline (1.74 mg/kg) from saline, peripherally administered arecoline did not generalize to the direct injection of arecoline into the DH and MRF. However, a decrease in response rates was observed after arecoline injection into either site. Thus, the DH and MRF are important in mediating the DS effects of nicotine but not arecoline.
Bayesian Confidence Limits for the Reliability of Cascade Exponential Subsystems

The problem treated here is that of deriving exact Bayesian confidence intervals for the reliability of a cascade system consisting of N independent subsystems each having an exponential distribution of life with a failure rate which is estimated from life test data. The posterior probability density function of the system reliability is derived in closed form, using the method of the Mellin integral transform. The posterior distribution function is obtained, yielding Bayesian confidence limits on the total system reliability. These results, which are believed to be new for N > 3, have an immediate application to problems of reliability evaluation and test planning.
Remote-controlled stepper-motor-activated cryogenic valve: design, development, and testing

The successful operation of many space-based systems requires reliable cryogen handling capabilities. Propulsion systems and remote sensor cooling systems that must contain and transfer cryogenic fluids must do so repeatedly and reliably over an extended system lifetime. For maximum utility, these space-based cryogen handling systems must be capable of both programmed control and remote-site control. One critical component of a cryogenic transfer system is a remote-controlled valve. The Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University has developed a stepper-motor- activated cryogenic valve for NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center under contract NASA5-29422. This valve is flight- certified and has proven to be very reliable and rugged. Helium leak rates of less than 1 X 10-8 sccs at 4 degrees K are consistently obtained after 3000 open-and- close cycles of the valve. This report describes the unique design of the valve and the special material used for the seat and stem to achieve these results.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Airway responsiveness in isolated perfused rat lungs: effect of thoracic irradiation

Abstract We developed techniques for assessing airway reactivity in isolated perfused rat lungs by measuring the lung mechanics changes produced by injection of ACh into the pulmonary circulation. Lung resistance ( Rl ) and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) changed in a dose-response fashion after ACh. We used the preparation to examine the effect of thoracic irradiation on airway responsiveness and pulmonary inflammation. Groups of rats were studied after sham irradiation or 24h or 72h after a single dose of 1500 rads. Thoracic irradiation did not alter baseline lung mechanics, but did increase the responsiveness of rat lungs to ACh 72h after radiation. Radiation was not associated with an increase in neutrophils in lung lavage, airways or peripheral lung tissue. We conclude that thoracic irradiation alters airways reactivity without causing overt pulmonary inflammation, and that isolated perfused lungs can be useful for measurement of airway reactivity.
Synthetic Scotophobin in Goldfish: Specificity and Effect on Learning

Synthetic rat scotophobin was injected intracranially into common goldfish (Carassius auratus) which were then trained to avoid light or dark. The substance interacts with the learning process in goldfish in an apparently specific way, facilitating the acquisition of dark avoidance, a task homologous with that acquired by rats from which the natural peptide was isolated, while inhibiting acquisition of light avoidance.
Sexual Dimorphism in Development of Kidney Damage in Aging Fischer-344 Rats

Abstract Background Aging kidneys exhibit slowly developing injury and women are usually protected compared with men, in association with maintained renal nitric oxide. Objectives Our purpose was to test 2 hypotheses: (1) that aging intact Fischer-344 (F344) female rats exhibit less glomerular damage than similarly aged males, and (2) that loss of female ovarian hormones would lead to greater structural injury and dysregulation of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) system in aging F344 rat kidneys. Methods We compared renal injury in F344 rats in intact, ovariectomized, and ovariectomized with estrogen replaced young (6 month) and old (24 month) female rats with young and old intact male rats and measured renal protein abundance of NOS isoforms and oxidative stress. Results There was no difference in age-dependent glomerular damage between young or old intact male and female F344 rats, and neither ovariectomy nor estrogen replacement affected renal injury; however, tubulointerstitial injury was greater in old males than in old females. These data suggest that ovarian hormones do not influence these aspects of kidney aging in F344 rats and that the greater tubulointerstitial injury is caused by male sex. Old males had greater kidney cortex NOS3 abundance than females, and NOS1 abundance (alpha and beta isoforms) was increased in old males compared with both young males and old females. NOS abundance was preserved with age in intact females, ovariectomy did not reduce NOS1 or NOS3 protein abundance, and estrogen replacement did not uniformly elevate NOS proteins, suggesting that estrogens are not primary regulators of renal NOS abundance in this strain. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-dependent superoxide production and nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity were increased in aging male rat kidneys compared with females, which could compromise renal nitric oxide production and/or bioavailability. Conclusions The kidney damage expressed in aging F344 rats is fairly mild and is not related to loss of renal cortex NOS3 or NOS1 alpha.
Data base design for natural language medical data

The natural language of clinical reporting exhibits the properties of a sublanguage, having a grammar and vocabulary greatly restricted in comparison to the language as a whole. This paper presents a CODASYL-type (network) data base schema for natural language medical records based on the structures and relationships identified in such material through computerized language processing. While the schema described is special to the medical sublanguage, the methods of analysis and of schema design are applicable to natural language material in other subject areas.
Formation of Oriented Membrane Multilayers of Na/K-ATPase

The isolated membrane-bound enzyme retains its ouabain-sensitive ATP hydrolysis activity, and produces ATP-dependent Na/sup +/ and K/sup +/ fluxes when incorporated into phospholipid vesicles. The ultimate goal of this work is to determine its low resolution structure using both X-ray and neutron diffraction. A number of methods were used to impart lamellar stacking order to highly purified pig Na/K-ATPase membranes. Upon partial dehydration, x-ray diffraction from Na/K-ATPase membrane multilayers at 98% relative humidity yielded discrete reflections of 118 A periodicity, diffracting to 1/14.8 A/sup -1/, additionally, continuous diffraction to 1/10 A/sup -1/ was obtained. Subjecting the membrane multilayers to high magnetic fields improved the quality of the lamellar diffraction dramatically. Neutron diffraction studies of the partially dehydrated Na/K-ATPase membrane multilayers detected a mosaic spread of 2/sup 0/ when the samples were subjected to a magnetic field of 5 Tesla perpendicular to the membrane surface; the reflections were narrower than the camera line width; hence, the lattice disorder has also decreased significantly, although only four orders were measured.
Pressure dependence of the c-axis resistivity of graphite.

The c-axis resistivity of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite has been measured from 2 to 300 K under hydrostatic pressures of up to 40 kbar. A resistivity peak near 40 K, typical for this type of graphite at ambient pressure, rapidly diminishes with increasing pressure but does not shift its position with respect to temperature. This observation suggests that the origin of the resistivity peak is not in a strong electron-phonon interaction but is associated with a particular structural matrix of these artificially produced graphites. A model is proposed, based on tunneling between microcrystallites, which accounts for the peculiar temperature and pressure dependence of the resistivity.
Apparent loss of calcium-activated potassium current in internally perfused snail neurons is due to accumulation of free intracellular calcium

Internal perfusion ofHelix neurons with a solution containing potassium aspartate, MgCl2, ATP, and HEPES causes the calcium-activated potassium current (IK(Ca)) evoked by depolarizing voltage steps to decrease with time. When internal free Ca++ is strongly buffered to 10−7m by including 0.5mm EGTA and 0.225mm CaCl2 in the internal solution,IK(Ca) remains constant for up to 3 hours of perfusion. In cells whereIK(Ca) is small at the start of perfusion, perfusion with the strongly buffered 10−7m free Ca++ solution produces increases inIK(Ca) which ultimately saturate. In cells perfused with solutions buffered to 10−6m free Ca++,IK(Ca) is low and does not change with perfusion. These results lead us to conclude thatIK(Ca) is stable in perfusedHelix neurons and that the apparent loss ofIK(Ca) seen initially with perfusion is due to accumulation of cytoplasmic calcium. Since the calcium current (ICa) provides the Ca++ which activatesIK(Ca) during a depolarizing pulse,ICa is also stable in perfused cells when free intracellular Ca++ is buffered.
Gene transfer of RANTES elicits autoimmune renal injury in MRL-Faslpr mice

Infiltrating macrophages and T cells are instrumental in autoimmune kidney destruction of MRL-Fas lpr mice. We report that the β-chemokine RANTES, a chemoattractant for macrophages and T cells, is up-regulated in the MRL- Fas lpr kidney prior to injury, but not normal kidneys (MRL-++, C3H-++) and increases with progressive injury. Furthermore, we establish an association between RANTES expression in the kidney and renal damage using a gene transfer approach. Tubular epithelial cells genetically modified to secrete RANTES infused under the renal capsule incites interstitial nephritis in MRL- Fas lpr , but not MRL-++ or C3H-++ mice. RANTES recruits predominantly macrophages (Mo) and CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. In contrast, gene transfer of CSF-1, another molecule up-regulated simultaneously with RANTES in MRL- Fas lpr kidneys, promotes the influx of Mo, CD4 + T cells and the unique double-negative (DN) T cells (CD4 - ,CD8 - ), which are prominent in diseased MRL- Fas lpr kidneys. Thus, RANTES and CSF-1 recruit distinct T cell populations into the MRL- Fas lpr kidney. In addition, delivery of RANTES and CSF-1 into the kidney of MRL- Fas lpr mice causes an additive increase in pathology. We suggest that the complementary recruitment of T cell populations by RANTES (CD4, CD8) and CSF-1 (CD4, DN) promotes autoimmune nephritis in MRL- Fas lpr mice.
Characterization of ‘Sun II’ oat monosomics through C-banding and identification of eight new ‘Sun II’ monosomics

Monosomics are a powerful tool for genetic mapping in allopolyploid plant species such as oat (Avena sativa L., 2n=6x=42). A C-banded karyotype of the oat cultivar Sun II was compared with previously described oat karyotypes and was used to identify the missing chromosome in each line of Sun II aneuploids. These included new aneuploids, isolated among derivatives of oat haploids obtained from Sun II oat×maize crosses, along with the original Sun II aneuploid set which had been obtained by cytological screening of a Sun II population for spontaneous aneuploids. Eight new Sun II monosomics were identified among the derivatives of haploids from the oat×maize crosses, to give a total of 18 unique Sun II monosomic/nullisomic lines. All seven C-genome chromosomes are represented by Sun II monosomics. Chromosomes 13, 14 and 17 are not represented by Sun II aneuploids but are found in the Kanota monosomic series. Therefore, monosomics of some form are now available for all 21 oat chromosomes. A reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 3C and 14, found in a portion of the original set of Sun II monosomic lines, was also described. No new translocations were detected in the Sun II×maize crosses.
Using Academic Courses to Generate Data for Use in Evidence Based Library Planning

Abstract The Auraria Library, which serves the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Community College of Denver, collaborated with several academic courses on its campus to investigate some aspects of Participatory Action Research and Service Learning. The goal was to have students (the largest library user group) formulate questions, analyze data and provide suggestions that would help the library make evidence based decisions. The projects would provide student produced information that would be used to renovate the library. Unexpected benefits included the valuable relationships that developed between the Auraria Library, students and teaching faculty.
Perfusion of the Subfoveal Choriocapillaris Affects Visual Recovery After Submacular Surgery in Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome

Purpose To determine the relationship between the visual result and perfusion of the subfoveal choriocapillaris after surgical excision of subfoveal neovascularization in presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. Methods We reviewed the records of 38 eyes of 37 patients with gradable postoperative fluorescein angiograms and color photographs after surgical excision of a subfoveal neovascular membrane in presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. The postoperative photographs and fluorescein angiograms were graded in a masked fashion for the presence of perfusion of the subfoveal choriocapillaris. We used preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuities to determine the correlation between postoperative perfusion of the subfoveal choriocapillaris and both final visual acuity and visual improvement after surgery. Results After surgery, the subfoveal choriocapillaris was perfused in 24 of the 38 eyes (63%) and nonperfused in 14 (37%). Best-corrected visual acuity improved by at least 2 Snellen lines in 17 of the 24 perfused eyes (71%) and two of the 14 nonperfused eyes (14%) ( P = .0089). Best-corrected visual acuity of 20/100 or better was achieved in 18 of the perfused eyes (75%) and four nonperfused eyes (29%) ( P = .0076). Conclusion Both final visual acuity and improvement in visual acuity were correlated with postoperative perfusion of the subfoveal choriocapillaris in patients with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. Development of techniques to maintain or reestablish perfusion of the subfoveal choriocapillaris after surgery may improve visual outcome in these eyes.
EFFECT OF FEEDING REGIMEN AND AMBIENT LIGHT EXPOSURE PATTERNS ON WEIGHT GAIN IN THE NEONATAL PIG. † 1873

EFFECT OF FEEDING REGIMEN AND AMBIENT LIGHT EXPOSURE PATTERNS ON WEIGHT GAIN IN THE NEONATAL PIG. † 1873
Adoptive immunotherapy--the Food and Drug Administration and you: a regulatory framework for manipulated cellular products.

Correspondence to: Michele Keane-Moore, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-1448, USA. In 1997 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a new regulatory framework for human cellular and tissue-based products, including hematopoietic stem cells, in two documents entitled Reinventing the regulation of human tissue [1] and A proposed approach to the regulation of cellular and tissue-based products [2]. The proposed framework provided a tiered approach to the regulation of cellular and tissuebased products, now referred to as human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps). The regulatory framework focused on three general areas:
Semaphorin-neuropilin interactions underlying sympathetic axon responses to class III semaphorins

Neuropilin-1 and neuropilin-2 show specificity in binding to different class III semaphorins, including Sema III, Sema E, and Sema IV, suggesting that the specificity of action of these semaphorins is dictated by the complement of neuropilins expressed by responsive neurons. In support of this, we show that sympathetic axons coexpress neuropilin-1 and -2, that their responses to Sema III, Sema E, and Sema IV are affected in predicted ways by antibodies to neuropilin-1, and that neuropilin-1 and -2 can form homo- and heterooligomers through an interaction involving at least partly the neuropilin MAM (meprin, A5, mu) domain. These results support the idea that in sympathetic axons, the Sema III signal is mediated predominantly by neuropilin-1 oligomers, the Sema IV signal by neuropilin-2 oligomers, and the Sema E signal by neuropilin-1 and -2, either as homo- or heterooligomers.
Magnetic polaron contribution to donor bound exciton in Cd1−xMnxSe

Abstract Photoluminescence spectra associated with the donor bound exciton has been studied in Cd 1-x Mn x Se as a function of composition ( x = .10, .05, and 0.0) and temperature in zero magnetic field. In comparison with the previously studied neutral donor, the bound exciton shows a large enhancement in its binding energy and broadening, attributed to the exchange interaction with the Mn ++ -ion 3d electrons. In particular, a transition from a bound polaron to a fluctuation dominated regime is in evidence for x = .10 in this multiparticle system.
Racial differences in prevalence of phobic disorders.

Few community-based field studies have examined racial differences in the prevalence of phobia disorders. Using data from two sites of a large epidemiologic survey, this study investigates risk factors associated with the one-month prevalence of phobia disorders from 2340 black and 3936 white respon
Planning and Philosophy: The Anthropology of Action

Value neutrality is a problem that has perplexed planners and other policy scientists for a long time. Richard Klosterman has attempted to resolve this problem in a recent series of articles in planning journals. His effort is ambitious and interesting; and it evidently has general appeal. Part of this appeal can be seen in similar work addressing these issues in parallel ways in associated areas. Moreover, these concerns reach beyond the applications in the planning and policy sciences into the fundamental roots of the social sciences. The argument is instructive, for it points to deeper difficulties about the logic of evaluation that, in turn, raise problems about description and explanation of action, particularly the intentionality of action These problems are explored by means of a planning fable. The exploration raises pervasive doubts about the possibility of finding effective procedures for settling disputes in planning and policy making; and, beyond that, about the status of the social sciences a...
Mean-Value Calculations for Projected Multiple Scattering

The multiple-scattering theories of Moli\`ere and Snyder-Scott are compared and the equivalence of the mathematical development stated. Using the preferable single-scattering probability of the Moli\`ere theory, results are quoted of interest to experimenters. Several mean-value quantities are given: mean arithmetic angle, median angle, half-width, $\frac{1}{e}$ width, angle $\frac{1}{{P}_{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\frac{1}{2}}}$ related to the zero-angle amplitude, and mean arithmetic angle with a cutoff at 4 times the mean. These quantities are given for both the projected tangent angle and projected chord angle distributions, in the form of linear relationships between the square of the angle divided by $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ and the logarithm of $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, where $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ is the mean number of scatterings undergone by the particle in question. The linear relationships are good to 1 percent for $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ from ${10}^{2}$ to ${10}^{5}$. Information is also given on smoothed-out distributions, and on an estimate of the error for the cut-off arithmetic mean angle. The scattering constant $K$ is given for several methods of measurement, for Ilford G-5 emulsions.
Final report for the DARPA/NSF interdisciplinary study on human-robot interaction

As part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/National Science Foundation study on human-robot interaction (HRI), over sixty representatives from academia, government, and industry participated in an interdisciplinary workshop, which allowed roboticists to interact with psychologists, sociologists, cognitive scientists, communication experts and human-computer interaction specialists to discuss common interests in the field of HRI, and to establish a dialogue across the disciplines for future collaborations. We include initial work that was done in preparation for the workshop, links to keynote and other presentations, and a summary of the findings, outcomes, and recommendations that were generated by the participants. Findings of the study include-the need for more extensive interdisciplinary interaction, identification of basic taxonomies and research issues, social informatics, establishment of a small number of common application domains, and field experience for members of the HRI community. An overall conclusion of the workshop was expressed as the following-HRI is a cross-disciplinary area, which poses barriers to meaningful research, synthesis, and technology transfer. The vocabularies, experiences, methodologies, and metrics of the communities are sufficiently different that cross-disciplinary research is unlikely to happen without sustained funding and an infrastructure to establish a new HRI community.
Bacterial Adherence to Extended Wear Soft Contact Lenses

The authors studied the adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to extended wear soft contact lenses (EWSCLs) with and without focal deposits using both a radiolabeling technique and electron microscopy. P. aeruginosa showed significant adherence to contact lenses in vitro. In contrast, S. aureus failed to show significant adherence to contact lenses in vitro (i.e., the radioactive uptake was not significantly above background). The extent of adherence of Pseudomonas was proportional to the number of focal deposits on the lenses. Results of electron microscopic examination showed the bacteria to be adherent primarily to large focal deposits (greater than or equal to 150 microns). There was no pseudomonal adherence to the small focal deposits (less than or equal to 50 microns) and little adherence to the areas in between the focal deposits. The authors hypothesize that worn lenses, especially those with large focal deposits, serve as a vehicle for the transport of P. aeruginosa to the cornea. This hypothesis could be a partial explanation for the high incidence of keratitis caused by P. aeruginosa in EWSCL patients.