cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collision-free path planning for robots using B-splines and simulated annealing

This thesis describes a technique to obtain an optimal collision-free path for an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and/or robot in two and three dimensions by synthesizing a B-spline curve under geometric and intrinsic constraints. The problem is formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem and solved by using simulated annealing. A two-link planar manipulator is included to show that the B-spline curve can also be synthesized by adding kinematic characteristics of the robot. A cost function, which includes obstacle proximity, excessive arc length, uneven parametric distribution and, possibly, link proximity costs, is developed for the simulated annealing algorithm. Three possible cases for the orientation of the moving object are explored: (a) fixed orientation, (b) orientation as another independent variable, and (c) orientation given by the slope of the curve. To demonstrate the robustness of the technique, several examples are presented. Objects are modeled as ellipsoid type shapes. The procedure to obtain the describing parameters of the ellipsoid is also presented.
Extramedullary breast relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia controlled with a second allogeneic/autologous hematopoietic cell transplant

Relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the breast is uncommon and often precedes systemic relapse, resulting in poor survival. We report the development of breast involvement of ALL in a 20-year-old woman 32 months after a related allogeneic peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplantation (PBHCT) in first remission. This extramedullary relapse occurred in the continuous presence of complete donor chimerism. After systemic re-induction chemotherapy and a second PBHCT using donor cells that had been cryopreserved at first transplant, our patient has remained in second complete remission for more than 44 months.
RNA sequencing of an nsdC mutant reveals global regulation of secondary metabolic gene clusters in Aspergillus flavus

The filamentous fungus, Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) is an opportunistic pathogen capable of invading a number of crops and contaminating them with toxic secondary metabolites such as aflatoxins. Characterizing the molecular mechanisms governing growth and development of this organism is vital for developing safe and effective strategies for reducing crop contamination. The transcription factor nsdC has been identified as being required for normal asexual development and aflatoxin production in A. flavus. Building on a previous study using a large (L)-sclerotial morphotype A. flavus nsdC mutant we observed alterations in conidiophore development and loss of sclerotial and aflatoxin production using a nsdC mutant of a small (S)-sclerotial morphotype, that normally produces aflatoxin and sclerotia in quantities much higher than the l-morphotype. RNA sequencing analysis of the nsdC knockout mutant and isogenic control strain identified a number of differentially expressed genes related to development and production of secondary metabolites, including aflatoxin, penicillin and aflatrem. Further, RNA-seq data indicating down regulation of aflatrem biosynthetic gene expression in the nsdC mutant correlated with HPLC analyses showing a decrease in aflatrem levels. The current study expands the role of nsdC as a globally acting transcription factor that is a critical regulator of both asexual reproduction and secondary metabolism in A. flavus.
American Literature and the Free Market, 1945-2000

Acknowledgements Introduction: the economic fiction 1. Freedom from you 2. Frank O'Hara and free choice 3. William Burroughs' virtual mind 4. Blood money: sovereignty and exchange in Kathy Acker 5. 'You Can't See Me': rap, money, and the first person Conclusion: the invisible world Bibliography Notes Index.
Linear Potentials and Galactic Rotation Curves - Representative Fitting

We present a simple, closed form expression for the potential of an axisymmetric disk of stars interacting through gravitational potentials of the form $V(r)=-\beta /r+\gamma r/2$, the potential associated with fundamental sources in the conformal invariant fourth order theory of gravity which has recently been advanced by Mannheim and Kazanas as a candidate alternative to the standard second order Einstein theory. Using the model we obtain a reasonable fit to some representative galactic rotation curve data without the need for any non-luminous or dark matter. Our study suggests that the observed flatness of rotation curves might only be an intermediate phenomenon rather than an asymptotic one.
Small low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle System identification by Error Filtering Online Learning (EFOL) enhanced least squares method

This paper presents the results of system identification (system ID) of a small fixed-wing low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The system ID estimates the aerodynamic coefficients of the linear longitudinal equations of motion using batch least squares enhanced with an Error Filtering Online Learning (EFOL) scheme. EFOL estimates the state derivatives using filtering without taking the derivative, making the least squares more robust. Thus, this method of system ID only requires flight data of the states and not the state derivatives. This is advantageous due to the limitations of low-cost sensors including GPS-aided INS systems. The derivation and benefits of least squares with EFOL are briefly described here in. The main contribution of this paper is the identification of the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients for the linear longitudinal model of the UAV. The error between the flight data and the model response are also presented. The identified model shows good correlation to the training data. The model predicts well the short period flight characteristics of the fixed-wing UAV but does not fully capture the long period dynamics. Solutions to this issue are presented and discussed.
A probabilistic model of rainfall-triggered shallow landslides in hollows: A long-term analysis

[1] The long-term temporal evolution of soil thickness in hollows depends on the processes controlling the rates of colluvium accumulation and erosion. Accumulation is due to soil creep and mass-wasting processes from the adjacent slopes, while erosion of colluvial deposits is mainly due to debris flow and landsliding. An analysis of the long-term evolution of colluvial deposits is developed through a stochastic model of soil mass balance at a point accounting for colluvium infilling, expressed as a deterministic function of the deposit thickness, and soil erosion by shallow landslides, modeled as a random (Poisson) process. Landsliding is related to the characteristics of the triggering precipitation through an infinite-slope stability analysis, a kinematic model of hollow response to rainfall, and the intensity-duration-frequency curves characterizing the regime of extreme precipitation. This analysis provides a probabilistic representation of the long-term dynamics at a point of colluvium thickness as a function of the timescale of hollow infilling and of the frequency of triggering rainfalls. The model is solved both numerically and (under simplified conditions) analytically, showing the existence of different regimes in the temporal evolution of soil thickness. In the case of steep slopes (i.e., with slope angles, β, greater than the soil repose angle, ϕ) the hollow can be either in a supply-limited state or in event-limited conditions, depending on whether the dynamics are limited by the supply of sediment from the adjacent slopes or by the occurrence of rainstorms able to trigger landslides. Nevertheless, since the likelihood of landslide occurrence increases with increasing values of deposit thickness, colluvium accretion always leads to conditions favorable to landsliding. Vice versa, in the case of gentle slopes (i.e., β < ϕ) the probability of landsliding decreases with increasing values of soil thickness, and event-limited conditions may evolve into unconditionally stable states.
Doing Planning and Task Performance in Second Language Acquisition: An Ethnomethodological Respecification

We use insights and methods from ethnomethodological conversation analysis and discursive psychology to develop an account of embodied word and grammar searches as socially distributed planning practices. These practices, which were produced by three intermediate learners of Italian as a Foreign Language (IFL), occurred massively in natural data that were gathered during a 3-week period from a third-semester IFL course at a university in the United States. We develop a behavioral analysis of these data that shows: (1) what participants do during planning talk and how they do such talk and (2) whether they actually do what they planned to do.
DNA analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi NCH-1, the first northcentral U.S. human Lyme disease isolate.

The DNA of the first northcentral United States human Lyme disease isolate, Borrellia burgdorferi NCH-1, was characterized and compared with the DNAs of nine other B. burgdorferi isolates. Strain NCH-1 was isolated in August 1989 from a human skin biopsy specimen. DNA was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and restriction endonuclease analysis. Contour-clamped homogeneous electric field pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of in situ-lysed cells was performed to compare the plasmid profiles of the various isolates. The plasmid profile of isolate NCH-1, which included five plasmids of approximately 69, 42, 38, 32, and 23 kb, could be distinguished from those of the other isolates examined. The DNA profile of NCH-1 was most similar to those of strain 297 (human cerebrospinal fluid isolate, Connecticut) and strain PAL (human erythema migrans isolate, New York) and most dissimilar from those of strain P/Gau (human erythema migrans isolate, Germany) and strain IPF (Ixodes persulcatus tick isolate, Japan). These results indicate that genetic diversity exists among B. burgdorferi strains isolated from different geographical areas.
Rorty's pragmatism and bioethics.

In spite of the routine acknowledgement of Richard Rorty’s ubiquitous influence, those who have invoked his name en route to advancing their case for a pragmatist bioethics have not given us a very clear picture of exactly how Rorty’s work might actually contribute to methodological discussion in this field. I try to provide such an account here. Given the impressive depth and scope of Rorty’s work during the past two decades, I make no pretense of presenting either a comprehensive or novel interpretation of his project. My primary aim here is simply to sketch what I take to be the implications of Rorty’s neopragmatism for our methodological debates within bioethics. I conclude that the yield of Rorty’s pragmatism for current methodological debates in bioethics is primarily negative, knocking the props out from under any pretensions to foundations and universal principles of right and wrong. His “professorial pragmatism” and philosophical trash disposal efforts would clearly sweep away some approaches bas...
Mutagen formation in a model beef boiling system. III. Purification and identification of three heterocyclic amine mutagens-carcinogens

Abstract An extensively boiled supernatant2 (S2) fraction from beef round steak contains two major Salmonella frameshift mutagens, designated as HPLC peaks A and B. These same mutagens arise, but in different proportions, when S2 is boiled with creatine phosphate (CP), and they are produced in much greater quantities from a boiled mixture of S2 + L‐tryptophan (Trp) + CP + FeSO4 (S2 ∗). A third mutagen, peak C, is also generated in the S2 ∗ mixture. Mutagen peaks A, B, and C were purified to homogeneity and shown by their absorption spectra, mass fragmentation patterns, and other data to be 2‐amino‐3‐methylimidazo[4,5‐f]quinoline (IQ), 3‐amino‐l‐methyl‐5H‐pyrido[4,3‐b]‐indole (Trp‐P‐2), and 3‐amino‐l,4‐dimethyl‐5H‐pyrido[4,3‐b]indole (Trp‐P‐1), respectively. This is the first demonstration that IQ, Trp‐P‐2, and Trp‐P‐1 can form under aqueous conditions at 100°C from reactions between low molecular wt precursors that are present in meat juice. Further simplification of and studies with the S2 fraction of be...
Three-dimensional elastostatics of a layer and a layered medium

This paper is concerned with the determination of the distribution of stresses and displacements in an infinite three-dimensional, linear, elastic, isotropic, homogeneous layer subjected to concentrated body forces acting upon an arbitrary internal point.
Functional MRI of Global and Local Processing in Children

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine developmental change in hemispheric biases for globally and locally directed analysis of hierarchical forms. In a previous reaction time (RT) study, which presented hierarchical stimuli to the visual hemifields, children 7 to 14 years of age demonstrated an emerging pattern of hemispheric differences. Initially children analyzed local elements more slowly, without a strongly lateralized advantage for local or global level processing. With age, children's development was marked by a left hemisphere advantage for local level processing that resembled an adult's and a trend toward a right hemisphere advantage for global. In the current study, 20 children 12 to 14 years old were imaged during attend-global and attend-local conditions to determine whether the developmental change in cognitive measures corresponded to a change in distribution of functional activation. Children formed two groups based on their RT performance, immature-bilateral (IB) or mature-lateralized (ML). The volume of task-related activation within lateral temporo-occipital regions of interest was compared for global and local conditions between the two groups. The IB children showed greater activation overall for local level processing, comparable activation across the two hemispheres for the global condition, and a trend of right greater than left hemisphere activation for local. In contrast, the ML children displayed right greater than left hemisphere activation during global analysis and the opposite during local processing. Importantly these patterns of functional activation mirror the profiles of RT performance. Together they demonstrate a shift from undifferentiated, bilateral processing toward hemispheric lateralization.
Magnitude scales of line lengths

A comparison was made of magnitude estimation and magnitude production methods of scaling line lengths. Magnitude estimates gave functions with exponents significantly less than one, and which were affected by the size and presence or absence of the standard during judgment. Magnitude production scales were more regular in form, were not affected by attributes of the standard, and had slopes of approximately one.
Synthesis, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding, and antinociceptive properties of 2-exo-2-(2'-substituted 5'-pyridinyl)-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes. Epibatidine analogues.

A number of 2‘,3‘-disubstituted epibatidine analogues were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for potency at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and in vivo for antinociception activity in the tail-flick and hot-plate models of acute pain and for their ability to affect core body temperature. Compounds that possessed electron-withdrawing groups (F, Cl, Br, and I) in both the 2‘- and the 3‘-positions showed affinities at the nAChR similar to epibatidine. However, in vivo efficacy did not correlate with affinity. 2-exo-(3‘-Amino-2‘-chloro-5‘-pyridinyl)-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (2i), an epibatidine analogue possessing an electron-releasing amino group in the 3‘-position, produced the highest affinity. Compound 2i was also the most selective epibatidine analogue with a Ki of 0.001 nM at αβ nAChRs, which is 26 times greater than that of epibatidine, and a αβ/α7 Ki ratio of 14 000, twice that of epibatidine. In vivo testing revealed that this compound potently inhibited nicotine-induced antinociception...
Predominant role of sterol response element binding proteins (SREBP) lipogenic pathways in hepatic steatosis in the murine intragastric ethanol feeding model.

Background/Aims Alcohol-induced fatty liver is associated with induction of sterol response element binding proteins (SREBPs), transcription factors which regulate expression of genes of lipid synthesis. The contribution of SREBP-1c to alcohol-induced fatty liver and injury was studied. Methods Wild type and SREBP1c null mice were fed alcohol or control diet by intragastric infusion for 4 weeks. H&E and TUNEL staining, real-time PCR, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting were applied to analyze alcohol-induced liver injury. Results ALT, plasma homocysteine, liver cholesterol, and TUNEL positive hepatocytes were increased in alcohol-fed mice as compared to control in both genotypes. Liver triglycerides were increased 4-fold in alcohol-fed wild type mice (87.2±7.5 vs. control 22.3±3.1mg/g liver) but 1.8-fold in alcohol-fed null mice (27.9±4 vs. control 14.5±3.8mg/g liver). SREBP-2 and HMG CoA reductase were higher in the null than in wild type. Betaine feeding prevented partially the alcohol-induced changes of hepatic lipids and injury in both genotypes. mRNA of Insig-1 was reduced in both genotypes fed alcohol. No change was detected for the SREBP cleavage-activating protein (Scap) or S1P in either genotype fed alcohol. Conclusions The predominant mechanism of hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the intragastric alcohol fed mouse requires the participation of SREBP-1c. SREBP-2 regulated cholesterol accumulation still occurs.
Linear rank tests with right censored data

SUMMARY Linear rank statistics are developed for tests on regression coefficients with censored data. These statistics arise as score statistics based on the marginal probability of a generalized rank vector. The observed Fisher information provides a variance estimator generally, while in certain special cases a permutation approach to variance estimation is also possible. The
A state-selected study of the reaction H2+ (ν0′) + H2(ν0″ = 0) → H3+ + H

Abstract We have measured the total cross sections of the title reaction as a function of the vibrational state of H 2 + · ν 0 ′ = 0–4, using a newly constructed tandem photoionization mass spectrometer. The measured relative total cross sections for ν 0 ′ = 0 and 3 at the center-of-mass energies of 0.25 and 1 eV are found to be in agreement with the “trajectory surface hopping” calculation of Stine and Muckerman.
What do the biodiversity experiments tell us about consequences of plant species loss in the real world

Summary Experiments where the diversity of species assemblage is manipulated are sometimes used to predict the consequences of species loss from real communities. However, their design corresponds to a random selection of the lost species. There are three main factors that limit species richness: harshness of the environment, competitive exclusion, and species pool limitation. Species loss is usually caused by increasing effects of these factors. In the first two cases, the species that are excluded are highly non-random subsets of the potential species set, and consequently, the predictions based on random selection of the lost species might be misleading. The data show that the least productive species are those being recently excluded from temperate grasslands and consequently, species loss is not connected with decline of productivity. The concurrent species loss in many communities, however, means also a reduction of the available diaspore pool on a landscape scale, and could result in increased species pool limitation in other communities.
Attenuated nef DNA vaccine construct induces cellular immune response: role in HIV-1 multiprotein vaccine

HIV-1 positive patients generate Nef-specific CTL response, indicating that Nef is a potent immunogen. However, Nef is also known to down regulate the expression of CD4 and MHC-I molecules, thereby protecting virally infected target cells. We compared the immunogenicity of non-functional nef vaccine constructs to wild type functional nef as potential immunogen. Mice were immunized with different nef constructs and assessed for their ability to induce cellular immune responses. Evaluation of T cell immune responses in mice showed that non-functional nef vaccine constructs are capable of inducing a significant T cell immune response measured by IFN-gamma ELISPOT. Further epitope mapping studies indicate that one of our attenuated constructs, Nef R-38, has multiple CTL epitopes spanning throughout the gene. Our results indicate that functionally attenuated Nef antigen might be a better candidate for future multiprotein HIV-1 vaccine.
Atheroprotective Vaccination with MHC-II Restricted Peptides from ApoB-100

Background: Subsets of CD4+ T-cells have been proposed to serve differential roles in the development of atherosclerosis. Some T-cell types are atherogenic (T-helper type 1), while others are thought to be protective (regulatory T-cells). Lineage commitment toward one type of helper T-cell versus another is strongly influenced by the inflammatory context in which antigens are recognized. Immunization of atherosclerosis-prone mice with low density lipoprotein (LDL) or its oxidized derivative (ox-LDL) is known to be atheroprotective. However, the antigen specificity of the T-cells induced by vaccination and the mechanism of protection are not known.Methods: Identification of two peptide fragments (ApoB3501-3516 and ApoB978-993) from murine ApoB-100 was facilitated using I-Ab prediction models, and their binding to I-Ab determined. Utilizing a vaccination scheme based on complete and incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (1x CFA + 4x IFA), we immunized Apoe-/- mice with ApoB3501-3516 or ApoB978-993 emulsified in CFA once and subsequently boosted in IFA four times over 15 weeks. Spleens, lymph nodes and aortas were harvested and evaluated by flow cytometry and real time RT-PCR. Total atherosclerotic plaque burden was determined by aortic pinning and by aortic root histology.Results: Mice immunized with ApoB3501-3516 or ApoB978-993 demonstrated 40% reduction in overall plaque burden when compared to adjuvant only control mice. Aortic root frozen sections from ApoB3501-3516 immunized mice showed a >60% reduction in aortic sinus plaque development. Aortas from both ApoB3501-3516 and ApoB978-993 immunized mice contained significantly more mRNA for IL-10. Both antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2c titers were elevated in ApoB3501-3516 or ApoB978-993 immunized mice, suggesting helper T-cell immune activity after immunization.Conclusion: Our data show that MHC Class II restricted ApoB-100 peptides can be atheroprotective, potentially through a mechanism involving elevated IL-10.
The Double-Anchoring Theory of Lightness Perception: A Comment on Bressan (2006)

Recently, a double-anchoring theory (DAT) of lightness perception was proposed (P. Bressan, 2006), which offers explanations for all the data explained by the original anchoring theory (A. Gilchrist et al., 1999), as well as a number of additional lightness phenomena. Consequently, DAT can account for an unprecedented range of empirical results, potentially explaining everything from the basic simultaneous contrast display to subtle variations of the Gelb effect. In this comment, the authors raised 4 concerns that demonstrate serious theoretical and empirical difficulties for DAT.
A Primal-Dual Algorithm for Higher-Order Multilabel Markov Random Fields

Graph cuts method such as α-expansion [4] and fusion moves [22] have been successful at solving many optimization problems in computer vision. Higher-order Markov Random Fields (MRF's), which are important for numerous applications, have proven to be very difficult, especially for multilabel MRF's (i.e. more than 2 labels). In this paper we propose a new primal-dual energy minimization method for arbitrary higher-order multilabel MRF's. Primal-dual methods provide guaranteed approximation bounds, and can exploit information in the dual variables to improve their efficiency. Our algorithm generalizes the PD3 [19] technique for first-order MRFs, and relies on a variant of max-flow that can exactly optimize certain higher-order binary MRF's [14]. We provide approximation bounds similar to PD3 [19], and the method is fast in practice. It can optimize non-submodular MRF's, and additionally can in- corporate problem-specific knowledge in the form of fusion proposals. We compare experimentally against the existing approaches that can efficiently handle these difficult energy functions [6, 10, 11]. For higher-order denoising and stereo MRF's, we produce lower energy while running significantly faster.
Clifford theory and Galois theory, I

Abstract We combine Galois theory with crossed products by letting grading groups act on ground fields. We show that Clifford theory for suitable normal subgroups preserves such actions.
Reprogramming Cells for Brain Repair

At present there are no clinical therapies that can repair traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or degenerative brain disease. While redundancy and rewiring of surviving circuits can recover some lost function, the brain and spinal column lack sufficient endogenous stem cells to replace lost neurons or their supporting glia. In contrast, pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that exogenous transplants can have remarkable efficacy for brain repair in animal models. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can provide paracrine factors that repair damage caused by ischemic injury, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) grafts give dramatic functional recovery from spinal cord injury. These studies have progressed to clinical trials, including human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived OPCs for spinal cord repair. However, ESC-derived allografts are less than optimal, and we need to identify a more appropriate donor graft population. The cell reprogramming field has developed the ability to trans-differentiate somatic cells into distinct cell types, a technology that has the potential to generate autologous neurons and glia which address the histocompatibility concerns of allografts and the tumorigenicity concerns of ESC-derived grafts. Further clarifying how cell reprogramming works may lead to more efficient direct reprogram approaches, and possibly in vivo reprogramming, in order to promote brain and spinal cord repair.
Superconducting properties of magnetron sputtered high T/sub c/ thin films containing oxide compounds of yttrium, bismuth, or thallium

The authors have used multiple-source magnetron sputtering to prepare thin films of Y-Ba-Cu-O, Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O, and Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O on
Effects of anisotropic scattering on electronic transport properties

The role of anisotropic scattering in transport properties is studied within the framework of the anisotropic relaxation time. The concept of the relaxation time is introduced in a rigorous way, without approximation. Its physical meaning and its connection with linear response theory is discussed. The manner in which electron-impurity scattering and electronphonon scattering influence the relaxation time is considered as well as the role of such anisotropies in the de Haas-van Alphen effect, Hall effect, deviations from Mathiessen's rule, and magnetoresistance. Examples are taken from recent experimental and theoretical work. Some common pitfalls surrounding the use of the anisotropic relaxation time are pointed out.
Temperature and biotic crises in the marine realm

Climatic change has been a prominent cause of marine mass extinction, but areal restriction of seafloor during global regression has not. Late Eocene and Pliocene-Pleistocene cooling, for example, caused major extinctions, but profound global Oligocene and Pleistocene regressions had little or no direct effect on benthic diversity. Recurrent themes of pre-Cenozoic marine crises suggest that global temperature change also served as a major, and perhaps dominant, agent of extinction in these events: (1) Mass extinctions have frequently been concentrated in the tropics, which seem to have become a refrigerated trap from which there has been no escape; biotas previously occupying high latitudes have shifted equatorward, to replace disappearing tropical biotas. (2) Some crises were not instantaneous but followed protracted and pulsatile temporal patterns, as would be predicted for complex, global climatic crises. (3) Several mass extinctions coincided with recognized intervals of climatic cooling.
Numerical simulations of spectral phase and spectral distance behavior as scalar descriptors of multispectral data

Multispectral imaging is the acquisition of images of the same view with multiple contrast mechanisms. Each voxel is a vector, each element of the vector being the value at that location for a particular spectral channel. We refer to this vector space as the feature space. Scalar measures computed from the feature space have been shown to improve visualization of objects. A wide variety of choices for the scalar measures are available. We used simulations to examine two simple scalar measures: spectral distance (SD) and spectral phase (SP). We assumed that we had two tissue compartments: background and lesion. The tissue characteristics in each compartment were described by Gaussian distributions with different means and variance of one. We used the mean background value as the reference point in the feature space. We compared SD and SP in terms of dependence on absolute locations of the spectral channels, correlation between spectral channels, and the number of spectral channels used (dimension). Each model was characterized by the L2 and L-infinity norms of the input signal-difference-to-noise ratio (SDNR) and the resulting SDNR. SP produced peak SDNR values which exceeded SD values. However, SP had a lower average SDNR value across the examined parameters. SP demonstrated a complex dependence on the correlation coefficient. For low SDNR in the input channels, formation of SD and SP images decreased the SDNR. The minimum additional SDNR depended on both the dimensionality of the model and the SDNR of the primary channel.
Leukotriene A4 hydrolase activity of human airway epithelial cells

Abstract Human tracheal epithelial cells were incubated with LTA4 and metabolic products were identified in extracted supernatants by high pressure liquid chromatography, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In the presence of epithelial cells, LTA4 was converted to LTB4, but not to LTC4 or LTD4. Maximum LTB4 was released at an LTA4 concentration of 3 μM and had occurred by 30 min. LTB4 release was increased in the presence of albumin, but was not affected by extracellular calcium or A23187. This LTA4 hydrolase activity had a slower time course and could not be clearly inactivated by repeated exposure to substrate as is the case for previously described LTA4 hydrolase enzymes. This hydrolase appears to have novel biochemical characteristics.
Report of a family with cancer family syndrome.

A report of the history and management of colonic cancer in two brothers with Cancer Family Syndrome is presented. An analysis is made of the prevalence of colonic and endometrial cancer in this family. The risk to the progeny of affected and unaffected individuals is discussed, and recommendations for screening for early signs of cancer are offered.
Class of Fibonacci-Daubechies-4-Haar wavelets with applicability to ECG denoising

The presented paper introduces a new class of wavelets that includes the simplest Haar wavelet (Daubechies-2) as well as the Daubechies-4 wavelet. This class is shown to have several properties similar to the Daubechies wavelets. In application, the new class of wavelets has been shown to effectively denoise ECG signals. In addition, the paper introduces a new polynomial soft threshold technique for denoising through wavelet shrinkage. The polynomial soft threshold technique is able to represent a wide class of polynomial behaviors, including classical soft thresholding.
Interplay of surface chemical composition and film thickness on graphoepitaxial assembly of asymmetric block copolymers

We study the assembly of PMMA cylinder forming poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) in three different geometries: planar surface, and chemically homogeneous and heterogeneous graphoepitaxy as a function of film thickness and surface chemical composition. On planar surfaces, perpendicular orientation can be achieved by controlling the thickness of the block copolymer (BCP) on surfaces weakly preferential to either block, while on nonpreferential surfaces, perpendicular orientation is independent of thickness within 0.8d0–1.8d0 range. In chemically homogeneous trenches, lateral alignment of domains is effectively controlled by having a chemical composition that is weakly preferential to either block, rather than perfectly nonpreferential wetting condition. By defining these boundary conditions, the nucleation of the domains can be induced primarily from the side walls rather than from the trench bottom. However, in chemically heterogeneous graphoepitaxial geometry, the BCP domains are aligned along the trench walls in both perfectly nonpreferential and weakly preferential conditions. In both the homogeneous and heterogeneous approaches, the thickness is critical for perpendicular orientation on weakly preferential surfaces. These findings affirm that graphoepitaxial assembly behavior of asymmetric BCP is governed by the interplay of surface wetting characteristics and the thickness of BCP.
Tissue-specific expression of inhibin/activin subunit and follistatin mRNAs in mid- to late-gestational age human fetal testis and epididymis

Inhibin/activin subunit (α, βA, and βB) immunoreactive protein localization patterns and cell type specific inhibit α-subunit mRNA expression have been examined in early-to midgestational age human fetal testes. The scarcity of available third trimester human fetal tissue has, however, prevented a complete examination throughout the gestational period and the cell specific expression of follistatin and βA- and βB-subunit mRNAs are currently unknown at any gestational age. In the present study, this gap is filled and report mRNA expression patterns of inhibin/activin subunits in mid- and late-gestational age (21–33 wk) human fetal testes and testicular duct system. We also report the first examination of follistatin mRNA signals in the human fetal gonad is also reported. Inhibin/activin α-subunit mRNA signal is present in both tubular and interstitial cells, and βB-subunit mRNA is expressed in seminiferous tubules, in mid- and late-gestational age human fetal testes. Inhibin/activin βA-subunit mRNA was detected in the interstitial cells of remarkably well preserved mid (21 and 22 wk) and late (29 wk) gestational age testis, and is the only activin-system factor mRNA also expressed in tissue of the duct system of the testis (smooth muscle cells of the epididymis). Follistatin mRNA signal was equal to background levels in testicular and duct tissues at all ages examined. These cell specific expression patterns suggest prominent and possibly differential roles for the inhibins and activins, unopposed by gonadal follistatin, in the human fetal male reproductive system.
Use of Gizzard Weights to Determine Total Length and Weight of Threadfin Shad Eaten by Predators

Abstract Threadfin shad gizzard weights were used to determine the total length and total weight of threadfin shad. It was found that a high degree of correlation existed among the parameters tested and that the best relationship was between body weight to gizzard weight empty. Using this information it is possible to estimate the weights of threadfin shad eaten by predatory fish.
Hydrolysis of sucrose octa-acetate: qualitative differences in taster and demistaster avoidance phenotypes

Calcium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide were used to hydrolyse sucrose octa-acetate (SOA) as a means of evaluating the taster (Soaa) and demitaster (Soac) allelic phenotypes of the genetic locus Soa. The SWR/J (taster) inbred strain and the B6.SW Soaa (taster) congenic strain were demonstrated to cease avoiding upon nearly complete hydrolysis of 10(-5) M SOA with calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide and of 10(-4) M SOA with calcium hydroxide. The BALB/cByJ, C3HeB/FeJ and DBA/2J (demitaster) inbred strains were demonstrated to cease avoiding after only a partial hydrolysis of 10(-3) M SOA using calcium hydroxide. It is suggested that specificity for the number or placement of the acetates of SOA underlies the difference between the taster and demitaster phenotypes.
Carbon Nanotube Microwell Array for Sensitive Electrochemiluminescent Detection of Cancer Biomarker Proteins

This paper describes fabrication of a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor array featuring capture-antibody-decorated single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) forests residing in the bottoms of 10-μL wells with hydrophobic polymer walls. Silica nanoparticles containing [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and secondary antibodies (RuBPY–silica–Ab2) are employed in this system for highly sensitive two-analyte detection. Antibodies to prostate specific antigen (PSA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were attached to the same RuBPY–silica–Ab2 particle. The array was fabricated by forming the wells on a conductive pyrolytic graphite chip (1 in. × 1 in.) with a single connection to a potentiostat to achieve ECL. The sandwich immunoassay protocol employs antibodies attached to SWCNTs in the wells to capture analyte proteins. Then RuBPY-silica-Ab2 is added to bind to the captured proteins. ECL is initiated in the microwells by electrochemical oxidation of tripropyl amine (TprA), which generates excited state [Ru(bpy)3]2+ in the 100-nm p...
A geometric multiscale finite element method for the dynamic analysis of heterogeneous solids

Abstract This paper presents a geom etric multiscale finite element formulation developed for predicting the response of heterogeneous materials and structures. The method is based on multi-node elements whose shape functions are computed numerically by means of an auxiliary fine scale discretization of the element itself. The elements explicitly resolve the geometry of heterogeneities occurring at sub-elemental length scales, and ensure compatibility across the element boundaries. The local auxiliary mesh is only used at the elemental level to compute the shape functions and does not need to be retained as part of macroscale simulations. The formulation of 2D and 3D elements is illustrated through examples where error estimates are conducted, and which illustrate the effectiveness of the method for the static and dynamic analyses of solids with local heterogeneities.
Relationships among Informal Learning Environments, Teaching Procedures and Scientific Reasoning Ability.

Informal learning experiences have risen to the forefront of science education as being beneficial to students' learning. However, it is not clear in what ways such experiences may be beneficial to students; nor how informal learning experiences may interface with classroom science instruction. This study aims to acquire a better understanding of these issues by investigating one aspect of science learning, scientific reasoning ability, with respect to the students' informal learning experiences and classroom science instruction. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate possible differences in students' scientific reasoning abilities relative to their informal learning environments (impoverished, enriched), classroom teaching experiences (non-inquiry, inquiry) and the interaction of these variables. The results of two-way ANOVAs indicated that informal learning environments and classroom science teaching procedures showed significant main effects on students' scientific reasoning abiliti...
Advances in local student modeling using informal fuzzy reasoning

Abstract This paper presents an approach to local student modeling in mathematics intelligent tutors. A knowledge representation is developed that stores separately the semantic and structural information needed to represent math word problems. Based on this representation, and the assignment of weights to semantic labels for problem sets, the student is allowed considerable flexibility in the development of solutions. The technique used in matching student solutions to acceptable solutions is based on imprecision or fuzziness, i.e. exact matches to stored solutions are not required. Moreover, this imprecise approach, together with a “collapsing” of the tree of all possible solutions, substantially reduces storage and search requirements, addressing some combinatorial explosion and speed problems of modeling. This method can support a variety of instructional strategies.
PROTEIN SYNTHESIS DURING DEVELOPMENT: CONTROL THROUGH MESSENGER RNA.

Utilization of long-lived messenger RNA appears to be the exception rather than the rule in cells which are differentiating and synthesizing large amounts of specialized product at the same time. The fact that polyribosomes synthesize protein after RNA synthesis is turned off by actinomycin D is used to demonstrate messenger RNA of long half-life. The data suggest that most tissues examined have short-lived messenger RNA9s, but the ocular lens can synthesize protein after an incubation of 24 hours in 40 µg of actinomycin D per milliliter. A common basis for the presence of long-lived messenger RNA in the cells of the lens, the feather, and in reticulocytes is discussed.
Solid state reactions in organic crystals at very high pressure

Abstract Studies have been made of the chemical reactivity of organic solids to pressures of 350 kilobars. The products have been recovered in milligram quantities and have been, in some degree, characterized. The systems studied include, acenaphthalene, a hydrocarbon which is quite reactive at one atmosphere, pentacene, a relatively unreactive hydrocarbon, and electron donor acceptor complexes of tetracyanoethylene with several hydrocarbon donors. At 90 kilobars acenaphthalene polymerizes to a material which is very much like the thermal product made at one atmosphere and 100°C in the melt. At 255 kilobars acenaphthalene (or thermally produced polyacenaphthalene) reacts to form a highly insoluble polymer with a somewhat different infrared spectrum from the lower pressure polymer. Pentacene reacts at 350 kilobars to form a product with distinctly altered electronic and infrared spectra as well as modified sublimation properties. It appears that it undergoes transpolymerization to a new kind of product. The mechanism of polyacene reaction is considered and a model proposed which accounts for the varying reactivity of different polyacenes. The electron donor-acceptor complexes of tetracyanoethylene react at 90 kilobars to form large and apparently complex polymers.
Studies with an adrenal inhibitor in adrenal carcinoma.

ABSTRACT The production of steroids in a case of widely disseminated adrenal carcinoma was studied with SU-4885. There was a striking decrease of both C19- and C21-11-oxygenated steroids in the urine with a concomitant increase in the corresponding 11-deoxy derivatives. The results support the view that the tumor and its metastases were responsive to ACTH and that there was increased steroid production during treatment with SU-4885. The isolation and characterization by partial synthesis of pregnane-3α, 17α, 20α, 21-tetrol and its 20β epimer (reduced derivatives of Reichstein's substance S) are reported. The isolation of pregnane-3α, 11β, 17α, 20α-tetrol but not of 11-ketopregnane-3α, 17α, 20α-triol from the urine of a patient with adrenal carcinoma is noted.
Single molecule observations of the adsorption sites of methyl isocyanide on Pt(111) by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy.

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to directly investigate the local structure of methyl isocyanide (CNCH3) adsorbed on Pt(111). At low coverages, CNCH3 is preferentially adsorbed at on-top sites, in agreement with earlier deductions based on vibrational spectroscopy. When dosed at low coverages at 50 K, the molecules tend to adsorb near other CNCH3 molecules with preferred distances of a and a, where a = 2.78 A is the lattice constant of Pt. Annealing the surface to 120 K, however, results in a more uniform separation of the molecules. At higher coverages, the CNCH3 molecules are observed to occupy both on-top and two-fold bridge sites. On the basis of STM image analysis, CNCH3 forms an ordered layer of (2 × 3) periodicity at 0.33 ML. Additional details on the structures of CNCH3 adsorbed at the on-top and two-fold bridge sites are provided by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At a coverage that saturates the first layer (0.33 ML), the occupation ratio for the on-top and two-fo...
Effect of polyethylene glycol 3350 and lactulose on colonic and orocecal transit time in children with chronic constipation

Effect of polyethylene glycol 3350 and lactulose on colonic and orocecal transit time in children with chronic constipation
Thermodynamic Data on Oxides at Elevated Temperatures

An extensive compilation of data on the free energy of formation of oxides is presented in graphic form. From these curves it is possible to obtain the free energy of most ceramic oxides in the temperature range 0° to 2400° C.
Leishmania donovani: Regulated changes in the level of expression of the surface 3′-nucleotidase/nuclease

Leishmania donovani promastigotes have previously been shown to possess a surface membrane bound 3′-nucleotidase/nuclease (3′-N'ase) capable of hydrolyzing both nucleic acids and 3′-ribonucleotides. The specific activity of the 3′-N'ase was increased following transfer of the parasites to fresh, nutrient-replete media or to media lacking purines and/or inorganic phosphate (Pi). In nutrient-replete media, the enzyme activity was transiently elevated during the lag and early logarithmic phases of the growth curve; enzyme activity fell as the cells continued into late log and stationary phases. Purine- and Pi-starved cells exhibited significantly greater levels of 3′-N'ase activity than nutrient-replete cells. These levels remained elevated as long as the organisms were maintained in the deficient media. Nutrient-replete and purine-starved 125I surface-labeled parasites displayed differences in electrophoretic patterns. Upon purine starvation, incorporation of radiolabel was increased in proteins which migrated with apparent molecular weights of 70, 43, and 40 kDa. Comigration, in both one- and two-dimensional systems, of 3′-N'ase activity with the radiolabeled 43-kDa band demonstrated that this band was the catalytically active protein. Peptide mapping of the 70-, 43-, and 40-kDa proteins failed to demonstrate similarities in peptide sequence consistent with either a degradation or a precursor/product relationship. Treatment of the 43- and 40-kDa peptides with N-Glycanase indicated that they were differentially glycosylated. The cumulative results of these studies indicated that L. donovani can respond to altered culture conditions by the differential expression of surface proteins. In particular, the differential expression of the protein responsible for 3′-N'ase activity is consistent with the role of this enzyme in purine acquisition.
Optimal light storage in atomic vapor

We study procedures for the optimization of efficiency of light storage and retrieval based on the dynamic form of electromagnetically induced transparency in hot Rb vapor. We present a detailed analysis of two recently demonstrated optimization protocols: a time-reversal-based iteration procedure, which finds the optimal input signal pulse shape for any given control field, and a procedure based on the calculation of an optimal control field for any given signal pulse shape. We verify that the two procedures are mutually consistent and that they both independently achieve the maximum memory efficiency for any given optical depth. We observe good agreement with theoretical predictions for moderate optical depths $(l25)$, while at higher optical depths the experimental efficiency falls below the theoretically predicted values. We identify possible effects responsible for this reduction in memory efficiency.