cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Localization using a Particle Filter and Magnetic Induction Transmissions: Theory and Experiments in Air

Localization is a key ability for robot navigation and collision avoidance. The advent of technologies such as GPS have led to many improvements in terrestrial navigation. Unfortunately traditional electromagnetic (EM) communications propagate poorly through lossy media such as underwater and underground. Therefore, localization remains a challenging problem in such environments, necessitating other approaches such as acoustics and magnetic induction (MI). This paper investigates estimating the relative location of a pair of MI triaxial coil antennas in air, as a preliminary step to underwater applications. By measuring the voltages induced in the receiving antenna when the transmitting antenna's coils are turned on sequentially, the distance between the antennas can be computed. Then, with knowledge of the current velocities of the antennas, we can apply a particle filter to generate an estimate of the location of the transmitting antenna with respect to the receiving one. The theory is supported by simulations and later verified through a series of experiments.
Plasma PIK3CA Mutation Testing in Advanced Breast Cancer Patients for Personalized Medicine: A Value Proposition.

BACKGROUND Even though endocrine therapy is often initially successful in treating advanced breast cancer, most patients inevitably face disease progression. In advanced hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, activation of the PI3K downstream pathway is a critical feature of the mechanism of endocrine resistance. A significant recent advance in treating HR+ advanced breast cancer has been the recent introduction of PI3K inhibitor (PI3Ki) for the treatment of patients with HR+, HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer that harbors PIK3CA mutations. A value proposition concept was applied to assess the potential benefits of cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing to identify patients who might respond to PI3Ki treatment. CONTENT By applying the framework of the value proposition to >35 publications, in addition to recommendations from professional organizations, it was evident that robust clinical evidence exists to support the role of ctDNA PIK3CA mutation evaluation in identifying patients with advanced breast cancer who could benefit from PI3Ki treatment. SUMMARY Detection of PIK3CA gene mutations in HR+HER2- advanced breast cancer patients allows for the identification of patients who might benefit from more effective personalized treatment with molecularly targeted drugs.
2008 – ADULT HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL CLONALITY IS DETERMINED BY EMBRYONIC MACROPHAGE SENSING OF CALRETICULIN

In development local signals induce hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) emergence, trafficking, and division. Using a brainbow color barcoding system, we previously found that zebrafish produce 20-30 HSCs in the embryonic aorta. Using spinning disk confocal microscopy, we imaged runx1+23:mCherry+ HSPCs in the fetal niche and found surprising interactions with mpeg1:GFP+ primitive macrophages. At any one time, 20-30% of HSPCs contacted macrophages and were either fully engulfed or had a piece of cytoplasm removed. Using the transgenic cell cycle marker FUCCI, we found 65% of HSPCs in G2M phase engaged with macrophages. To evaluate HSC clonality, we depleted macrophages in brainbow embryos and raised fish to adulthood. Embryonic macrophage depletion via the irf8 morpholino or clodronate liposomes significantly reduced the number of HSC clones in adulthood with an average of 14 clones vs 24.6 in controls (p = 0.0002). To better characterize the interaction between macrophages and HSPCs we performed few-cell proteomics. This identified 166 peptides enriched in macrophages which had recently engaged HSPCs, including three isoforms of calreticulin (calr). Normally ER bound, calr may become surface bound during stress, where it acts as a ‘come-eat-me’ signal. Antibody staining confirms surface calr on HSPCs and scRNA-seq identifies expression of lrp1ab, the canonical calr receptor, specifically in recently-engaged macrophages. Morpholino knockdown of calr isoforms reduces macrophage-HSPC interactions by up to 2-fold (p = 0.0008), and HSPCs overexpressing a non-ER bound form of calr are 4-fold more likely to engage macrophages (p
Considerations of the effects of commonly investigated drugs for COVID-19 in the cholesterol synthesis pathway.

The management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) consists in providing supportive care. Although SARS-CoV-2 and its effect on the host have been extensively characterized, access to effective ...
Main Directions of Integrated Development of Rural Areas of Russia

The main problems of the development of rural areas of Russia are considered. Particular attention is focused on the issues of employment, poverty, housing, high-quality potable water, network gas, and road network development, since today almost one-third of villages and hamlets are in transport isolation. The state of the social sphere is analyzed. An assessment of the implementation of the state program for the integrated development of rural areas is given, and directions for its improvement are proposed. The findings on the typology of the subjects of the Russian Federation and municipalities with account for socioeconomic and environmental indicators can serve as a basis for a more efficient distribution of state support. The importance of scientific support for the integrated development of rural areas is emphasized. This article is based on a paper presented at a meeting of the RAS Presidium on December 22, 2020.
Increased intracellular Cl- concentration in pulmonary arterial myocytes is associated with chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Chloride channels play an important role in regulating smooth muscle contraction and proliferation, and contribute to the enhanced constriction of pulmonary arteries (PAs) in pulmonary hypertension...
Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is developing as a framework that can inform educational interventions designed to facilitate individual and collective action to protect health, yet EHL measurement poses several challenges. While some studies have measured environmental health knowledge resulting from interventions, few have incorporated skills and self-efficacy. In this study, a process-focused EHL instrument was developed, using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument as a model and tailoring it for the context of private well contamination with toxic metals. Forty-seven (47) participants, including undergraduate students and residents of communities with contaminated well water, piloted a prototype EHL instrument alongside NVS. Results suggested a moderate degree of correlation between NVS and the EHL prototype, and significant differences in scores were observed between students and residents. Responses to a self-efficacy survey, tailored for drinking water contaminated with arsenic, revealed significant differences between students and residents on items related to cost and distance. In response to open-ended questions, participants identified a range of potential environmental contaminants in drinking water and deemed varied information sources as reliable. This study highlights differences in knowledge and self-efficacy among students and residents and raises questions about the adequacy of EHL assessments that mimic formal education approaches.
Software Metrics: Paradigms and Processes

Computer science and software engineering have no precise, well understood, standardized and accepted metrics. In this paper problems in obtaining software metrics will be discussed, and the relationship to statistics will be emphasized. Important advances in software metrics could come about thru the synergystic relationship between statistics and software engineering. A significant challenge to software metrics researchers is to stay within the traditional scientific paradigm of hypothesis, evaluation, criticism and review in the face of intense demands for software metrics.
Produktionspolitik und Massenherstellung

Es ist eine bekannte Tatsache, das die Massenherstellung viel billiger ist als die Einzel- oder Serienfertigung. Der Grund dafur ist, das (schon wegen der Hohe der Ausstosmenge) sich Fliesbander, Spezialmaschinen und oft Automaten einsetzen lassen, die vom technisch-wirtschaftlichen Standpunkt aus gesehen viel besser ausgenutzt werden als die Anlagen der Einzel- oder Serienfertigung. Die Einzelfertigung benutzt Universalmaschinen, die sich zwar auf verschiedene Erzeugnisse umstellen lassen, aber den Aufgaben weniger gut angepast sind und daher nicht mit gleicher Wirtschaftlichkeit wie die Spezialmaschinen arbeiten. Auserdem ist die menschliche Leistungsfahigkeit bei Fliesbandfertigung vom Willen und von der Lust der Arbeiter unabhangig. Im Kraftfahrzeugbau z. B. wird der Mensch gewissermasen ein Teil der Maschinenorganisation, und er hat beinahe keinen Einflus auf die betriebliche Wirtschaftlichkeit, da eine mangelhafte Erledigung der anvertrauten Aufgaben sofort bemerkt wird und der Arbeiter umgehend ersetzt werden kann. Die Spezialmaschinen und die sorgfaltig aufgestellten Produktionsanlagen (Strasen) sind jedoch sehr teuer und lohnen sich nur dann, wenn sie voll oder fast restlos ausgenutzt sind.
Ibn Si-na (980–1037)

ʔibn Sīnā was a 10th-century Persian philosopher, theologian, scientist, and linguist. He was born in a.d. 980 in Xarmayθen, near Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan. He was, along with Averroes, one of the two most original Philosophers of the Muslim world and a leading scientist. His writings include kitāb ʔal- sifāʔ (‘The book healing’) and ʔal-qānuwn fiy ʔal-tʕ-ib (‘The canon of medicine’), two of the most comprehensive treatises on human knowledge ever written by a single individual. As a linguist, he wrote Lisān ʔal-ʕ arab (‘The language of the Arabs’), which is lost, and Risālat ʔasbāb ħuduwΘ ʔal-ħuruwf (‘Treatise on the causes of the occurrence of letters’). ʔibn Sīnā died in Hamadān in (1037).
Retail Proximity and Residential Values or Do Nearby Stores Really Run Down Property Values

Common knowledge tells us that locating retail sites near houses will run down the house's value. This common knowledge has lead to highly segregated land use patterns and automobile dependency. But, does locating near a store really adversely affect residential values. In this study we find that it is true for only very short distances - about 200 to 300 feet. After that, for about a quarter of a mile, proximity to stores - contrary to popular wisdom - actually increases residential value.
An Electron Microscopy Analysis of a Simple Metal/Ceramic Interface

The study of metal-ceramic interfaces is of fundamental importance in materials science because of the many technological applications for devices fabricated with both metal and ceramic components. For example, MOS devices, metal-ceramic seals, refractory metal alloy coatings to cite only a few. Notwithstanding its importance, the direct study of interfacial structure of metal-ceramic composites by transmission electron microscopy is difficult due to specimen preparation problems. However, some insights into the structures may be obtained through the more indirect but conventional path of forming the ceramic phase in a metal matrix by a precipitation reaction. In the present study high purity tantalum-carbon alloys were prepared and quenched in ultra-high vacuum and aged to produce large precipitates of the stable Ta2C carbide phase. In addition to determining the orientation relationship, diffraction contrast analysis and lattice fringe imaging techniques were employed to characterize the interface structures.
Serious Leisure in the Home: Professional Quilters Negotiate Family Space

Although quilting has become more popular in the USA since its re-emergence in 1976, with 15 per cent of households participating at the time of writing, quilting is still thought by many to be a frivolous, quaint or silly feminized activity. Those who quilt professionally, or for profit have difficulty legitimating their efforts as ‘real work’. Our focus is on one aspect of the quilting industry — professional quilters — and their negotiation of legitimacy for quilting work that is done in the home. We conduct secondary qualitative data analysis of 147 interviews of mostly women professional quilters from the Quilters' Save Our Stories Oral History Project. Professional quilters have more legitimacy and more claim to home-based resources such as time and space than do amateur quilters but their work is still devalued as a gendered activity in the home. Despite achieving objective indicators of professional success (e.g., money, prizes and international recognition), professional quilters still have difficulty defending their home-based employment activities and acquiring resources to carry it out.
Shining a Light on a Malfeasant Superpower

Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions. By Joy Gordon. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010. 376 pp., $39.95 hardcover (ISBN 978-0-674-03571-3). On August 6, 1990, amid the uncertainty and optimism of the end of the Cold War, the United Nations Security Council voted 13–0 (Yemen and Cuba abstained) to impose sanctions upon Iraq and demanded that Saddam Hussein withdraw his forces from Kuwait. Resolution 661 is very short, occupying less than a full page in the archive of Council action. But by imposing comprehensive sanctions, that resolution—and the subsidiary organ of the Council it created, the “661 Committee”—had an outsized impact. To be sure, the sanctions evolved over their lifetime. Following Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait in 1991, their objectives changed to demand that Saddam disarm and allow weapons inspectors. In 1995, Iraq was permitted some imports according to an “oil-for-food” formula, the procedures for which were refined on several occasions. An elaborate oversight apparatus emerged, including a force to suppress maritime smuggling, numerous inspection mechanisms and agencies, and an Office within the Secretariat. Despite these changes, prior to its repeal in 2003, the Iraq embargo was perhaps best known for its unintended humanitarian consequences—the view that sanctions may put “political gain” ahead of “civilian pain” (as per Weiss, Cortright, Lopez, and Minear 1997). For more than a decade, Joy Gordon has been a critic of sanctions. Her main contribution has been to utilize normative theories, such as the just war tradition, to evaluate the ethics and morality of sanctions. Invisible War brings this body of work to a crescendo.1 Here, Gordon's singular focus is the United States’ role in crafting and administering the embargo, which she describes as the “cruelest sanctions in the history of international governance” (p. 1). Following the devastation of the 1991 war, she relates how the …
Player Positioning in the Four-Legged League

As RoboCup continues its march towards the day when robots play soccer against people, the focus of researchers' efforts is slowly shifting from low-level systems (vision, motion, self-localization, etc) to high-level systems such as strategy and cooperation. In the Four-Legged League (recently renamed to the Standard Platform League), teams are still struggling with this transition. While the level of play has consistently risen each year, teams continue to remain focused on low-level tasks. Surprisingly few of the 24 Four-Legged teams that competed at RoboCup 2007 were able to self-position at the beginning of the game, despite penalties incurred for not doing so. Things considered to be standard in `real' soccer --- positioning, passing, overall strategies --- are still, after 10 years of research, far from a given within the league, and are arguably in their infancy compared to other RoboCup leagues (Small-Sized, Mid-Sized, Simulation). Conversely, for the top teams, many of these low-level systems have been pushed far enough that there is little to be gained in soccer performance from further low-level system work. In this paper we present a robust and successful player positioning system for the Four-Legged League.
Neuronal development and migration in explant cultures of the adult canary forebrain

The vocal control nucleus (HVc) of the songbird forebrain undergoes neurogenesis in adulthood, as ventricular zone precursor cells divide, and their daughter cells migrate into the subjacent forebrain and differentiate into neurons. A procedure is now described by which the migration and development of these new neurons can be directly observed in vitro, in explant cultures of the adult canary forebrain. Cultured explants have yielded extensive outgrowth of new neurons from 2 neurogenic regions of the adult songbird brain: the HVc and its adjacent dorsomediocaudal neostriatum. Immunocytochemically identified neurons were determined by 3H-thymidine autoradiography to have been newly generated in vivo, in the days preceding explantation. These cells were immunoreactive for a variety of neuron-selective antigens, including MAP-1B, MAP-2, neuron-specific enolase, synaptic vesicle protein-2, N-CAM, and the tetanus toxin and A2B5 ligands. Combined immunostaining and autoradiography of cultures derived from HVcs exposed to 3H-thymidine in vivo revealed a population of newly generated, MAP-2/3H-thymidine-positive neurons. The neurons identified in these adult explant outgrowths comprised new, recently generated postmitotic cells which had arisen in the neostriatal ventricular zone and were in the early stages of their parenchymal migration at the time of tissue explantation. Accordingly, nonneurogenic control regions, including the anterior hyperstriatum, cerebellum, and optic tectum, did not display neuronal outgrowth in culture. Only forebrain regions exhibiting neurogenesis in vivo manifested neuronal outgrowth and maturation in vitro.
Factor structure of paediatric timed motor examination and its relationship with IQ.

AIM Brain systems supporting higher cognitive and motor control develop in a parallel manner, dependent on functional integrity and maturation of related regions, suggesting neighbouring neural circuitry. Concurrent examination of motor and cognitive control can provide a window into neurological development. However, identification of performance-based measures that do not correlate with IQ has been a challenge.
Distance nonincreasing retraction on a complete open manifold of nonnegative sectional curvature

We construct a distance nonincreasing deformation retraction from a complete open manifold of nonnegative sectional curvature to a soul. Using this retraction, we prove that any two souls are isometric and also obtain a lower bound on the injectivity radius of such manifolds.
Hemodynamic and plasma atrial natriuretic peptide responses to acute digitalis therapy in patients with normal and impaired left ventricular function.

Background: Digitalis has a long history in the treatment of heart failure but its effects on cardiac hemodynamics and neurohormonal modulation are not well characterized. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the hemodynamic responses to acute digitalis administration in patients with normal and impaired left ventricular function (LVD). Methods and Results: Thirty patients were enrolled in the study, 20 with LVD (LVEF-22±8%) and 10 control subjects (LVEF-77±10%). Hemodynamics and plasma ANP concentrations were measured supine and with leg elevation before and after digitalis. In patients with normal ventricular function, the hemodynamic stress of leg elevation in the pre-digitalis state resulted in significant (P<0.05) increases in PAWP and MPAP. Digitalis administration in the supine position produced reductions in heart rate, PAWP, MPAP and CI; SVR was increased. In LVD patients leg elevation further increased PAWP, RAP and MPAP. Digitalis in the supine position, however, reduced RAP, MPAP and PAWP and increased CI. These improved hemodynamics were preserved during the stress of leg elevation. Leg elevation following digitalis resulted in increased ANP concentrations despite decreased cardiac filling pressures. Conclusions: Acute digitalis administration results in hemodynamic improvement in LVD patients which may in part result from digitalis stimulated release of myocardial ANP under conditions of hemodynamic stress.
A bottom-up methodology for integrating underwater video and acoustic mapping for seafloor substrate classification

A method that links acoustic mapping data to underwater video observations of seafloor substrate is described for use in defining fish habitat. Three study areas in the Aleutian Islands were acoustically mapped using sidescan and multibeam sonar. The sidescan sonar data were used to compute average reflectivity (hardness) and seafloor complexity. The multibeam depth data were used to determine local slope, rugosity (seafloor roughness) and relative height. Underwater video was collected from three to four transects in each of the three study areas. The underwater video was used to classify the seafloor into nine observed primary and secondary substrate classes. A statistical relationship between the observed (video) and the remotely sensed (acoustic) seafloor characteristics was estimated using a classification tree. The best classification tree utilized rugosity, reflectivity and complexity data and produced misclassification rates of less than 25% overall. Mean grain size of sediment samples was not strongly related to the acoustic data. Error rates were highest for those substrate classes with the smallest number of data points. The results highlight the need for adequate sample sizes and coverage of all potential substrate types when groundtruthing acoustic maps.
LATERAL EYE-MOVEMENT CONSISTENCY IS RELATED TO ACADEMIC APTITUDE

Stimmary.-Individuals who move their eyes consistently in one direction in response to reflective questions (ns = 22, 23) score significantly higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than those who are inconsistent in direction of eyemovement (ns = 14, 7). The results suggest that degree of cerebral lateralization is related to academic aptitude. The hypothesis that there is a relationship between laterality and intellectual functioning in man has had a peculiar history. Although little evidence has been marshalled to support the hypothesis since it was first proposed by Orton (1937), it still survives. According to the hypothesis, inconsistency in eye, hand, and foot preference, known 'traditionally as "crossed dominance," is an indication of incomplete cerebral dominance, which is implicated in certain learning disabilities such as the dyslexias. In a recent lengthy rebuttal, Crinella, Beck, and Robinson (1971) argue that "there is no biological rationale" for suggesting that incongruity in lateral preference is related to cerebral dominance and they summarize data showing little correlation between unilateral preferences and intellectual performance. It now appears, however, that another aspect of human laterality, lateral eye-movement, may be more intimately related to the functional organization of the brain, and to intellectual performance, than is unilateral preference. In this paper, we report data relating consistency of lateral eye-movement to performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Individuals usually move their eyes either to the right or to the left before answering a question requiring reflection. It has recently been suggested by Bakan (1969, 1971; Bakan & Svorad, 1969) that lateral eye-movement is related to the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres in man. According to Bakan, lateral eye-movements indicate activation of the hemisphere contralateral to the direction of movement. Evidence for this hypothesis comes from studies (Kinsbourne, 1972; Kocel, Galin, & Ornscein, 1972) in which verbal questions, expected to engage the left hemisphere (Milner, 1967; Weinstein, 1962), tended to elicit more right-movements than spatial questions, which are thought to engage the right hemisphere (Corkin, 1965; Durnford & Kimura, 1971). Bakan also proposes that different patterns of eye-movement are related to individual differences in cerebral organization. Those individuals who consistently look to the left are thought to depend more on the right-hemisphere of the brain, while the left hemisphere is said to be more important for persons who 'The authors thank A. Etaugh for his critical reading of the manuscript, T. Hallmann, J. Tanker and J. Harunan for their assistance in the use of television facilities and G. Collins for his assistance in dara collection.
Reversible effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on human erythrocyte membrane adenosine triphosphatase.

Abstract A study was made on the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on human erythrocyte membrane ATPase. The ATPase was activated by low concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate and was inhibited by the detergent above 0.4 mM. At optimum concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate the membrane ATPase was stimulated about two-fold by either Na + or K + alone. This stimulation was not affected by ouabain. The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate was abolished by a preincubation at 50° for 5 min. Tracer studies indicated that within the range tested less than 1% of sodium dodecyl sulfate in the medium was bound to the membrane fragments. Heating at 50° did not dissociate the bound sodium dodecyl sulfate. The evidence indicated that the reversible alteration of membrane ATPase characteristics by sodium dodecyl sulfate was not simply due to the binding and unbinding of the detergent molecules to the enzyme system.
Factors associated with one-year retention in a community college

This study sought to evaluate preenrollment variables as predictors of one-year retention of first-time students in a community college. The purpose was to use information that is typically available when a student begins his or her college program and determine if this information can help identify students who are more likely to drop out within their first year. Based on a logistic regression model to select predictors of retention, the lower the high school GPA, the greater the chance the student will drop out. Over and above this, additional risk is associated with the age range 20–24, attending part-time, and being an ethnic minority other than Asian. When all or some of these are operating, it may be necessary to enhance these students' chances with special programs or services.
Comments on “The Source of the Midwinter Suppression in Storminess over the North Pacific”

AbstractIn a recent paper, Penny et al. employed feature tracking to investigate why there is a relative minimum in storminess during winter within the Pacific storm track. They concluded that reduced upstream seeding, especially seeding from northern Asia, is the main “source” of the midwinter suppression of the Pacific storm track. Results presented here show that during midwinter months when upstream seeding is as strong as that in spring/fall, the Pacific storm track is not significantly stronger than average and is still much weaker than that in spring/fall, suggesting that the strength of upstream seeding cannot be the primary cause of the midwinter suppression of Pacific storm-track activity.
Comparison of target organs of carcinogenicity for mutagenic and non-mutagenic chemicals

Abstract A comparison of target organs for mutagens and non-mutagens is presented for 351 rodent carcinogens in the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) with mutagenicity evaluations in Salmonella. Results are consistent with the hypotheses that in high-dose rodent tests mitogenesis is important in the carcinogenic response for mutagens and non-mutagens alike, and that mutagens have a multiplicative interaction for carcinogenicity because they can both damage DNA directly and cause cell division at high-doses. These hypotheses would lead one to expect several results that are found in the analysis: First , a high proportion of both mutagens and non-mutagens induce tumors in rodent bioassays at the MTD. Second , mutagens compared to non-mutagens are: (a) more likely to be carcinogenic; (b) more likely to induce tumors at multiple target sites; and (c) more likely to be carcinogenic in two species. Among carcinogens that induce tumors at multiple sites in both rats and mice, 81% are mutagens; in comparison, among carcinogens that are positive at only a single target site in one species and are negative in the other, 42% are mutagens. Since tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics would not be expected to differ systematically between mutagens and non-mutagens, one would not expect systematic differences in the particular organs in which tumors are induced. Results do not support the idea that mutagens and non-mutagens induce tumors in different target organs. Both mutagens and non-mutagens induce tumors in a wide variety of sites, and most organs are target sites for both. Moreover, the same tend to be the most common sites for both: 79% or more both mutagenic and non-mutagenic carcinogens are positive in each species in at least one of the 8 most frequent target sites: liver, lung mammary gland, stomach, vascular system, kidney, hematopoietic system and urinary bladder. Species differences are discussed as well as results for particular target organs: liver, Zymbal's gland and kidney.
The effect of visual cues provided by computerised aphasia treatment

Individuals with chronic aphasia and apraxia can benefit from computerized treatment. However, given the variability among those individuals, treatment programs need to be customized to address specific deficits and needs. The current study examined whether visual cues provided by a computer program could enhance speech comprehension and verbal expression. Two participants practiced naming functionally relevant items in two conditions: auditory-visual and auditory-only. Both participants made more rapid and consistent improvements in the auditory-visual than in the auditory-only cueing condition. More research is necessary to investigate how the visual processing skills affect the ability to utilize visual cues for speech practice.
The Speaker's Discretion Conference Committee Appointments in the 97th through 106th Congresses

House rules allow the Speaker to choose any conferees he wishes, suggesting he might use conference delegations to advance partisan goals. In practice, the Speaker nearly always selects members of the bill’s jurisdictional committee(s). The authors propose a theory of conferee selection that endogenizes both partisan goals and committee participation. They argue that the Speaker’s incentives lead him to appoint committee members, but he anticipates cases in which they would produce an outcome unfavorable to the majority party. In these cases, the Speaker appoints other conferees in addition to those from the jurisdictional committee, thereby “packing” the delegation in favor of the majority party position. The authors derive and test hypotheses regarding when the Speaker packs conference delegations, and what delegations look like when packed. The tests support the theory.
Recombinant expression and catalytic analysis of rapid and slow acetylator Syrian hamster chimeric NAT2 alleles.

Polymorphic aromatic amine N-acetyltransferase (NAT2) catalyzes the N-acetylation of aromatic amines and the metabolic activation of N-hydroxyarylamines (via O-acetylation) and N-hydroxy-N-acetylarylamines (via N,O-acetylation) to electrophilic intermediates that mutate DNA. Acetylation capacity in humans and other mammalian species such as Syrian hamsters is subject to a genetic polymorphism. NAT2 is regulated by a single gene (NAT2) containing a single coding exon of 870 bp. Syrian hamster slow acetylator differs from the rapid acetylator NAT2 coding region by three nucleotide substitutions at T36C, A633G, and C727T. We measured expression of immunoreactive NAT2 protein and aromatic amine N-acetylation, N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetylation and N-hydroxy-N-acetylarylamine N,O-acetylation by recombinant NAT2 proteins expressed from alleles containing all combinations of the T36C, A633G, and C727T substitutions. The C727T substitution, which creates an opal stop codon in slow acetylator NAT2, was the sole mutation responsible for substantial reduction in expression of a truncated NAT2 protein with reduced capacity for the deactivation of aromatic amines (N-acetylation) and the metabolic activation of N-hydroxyarylamines (O-acetylation) and N-hydroxy-N-acetylarylamines (N,O-acetylation). The reductions in aromatic amine N-acetylation correlated very highly with the reductions in metabolic activation of the corresponding N-hydroxyarylamines and N-hydroxy-N-acetylarylamines.
Extremely large signal enhancement in an Erbium Chloride Silicate single-crystal nanowire

We study the signal enhancement at 1.53 μm in a high Erbium concentration, long lifetime single-crystal Erbium Chloride Silicate (ECS) nanowire. 644 dB/cm signal enhancement is measured from a single ECS nanowire via pump-probe method.
Application of imaging-derived parameters to dosimetry of intravascular brachytherapy sources: perturbation effects of residual plaque burden.

The dosimetric effect of geometric and material heterogeneities on intravascular brachytherapydose delivery has been studied recently. Residual plaque within the coronary vessel appears to have an impact on the uniform delivery of radiationdose to the arterial tissue. In this study, we have examined the effect of residual plaque burden and post-PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) plaque configuration on the dose to the arterial wall from clinical intravascular brachytherapy β-emitting sources containing 32 P and 90 Sr/ 90 Y . Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNP4B code were performed for these catheter-based sources with residual plaque burden ranging between 25% and 50%. The residual plaque burden values were derived from post-PCI data provided in several recent clinical studies. Dose calculations were performed for three different values of plaque density (1.45 g cm−3, 2.20 g cm−3, and 3.1 g cm−3) and three different plaque morphologies for the same residual plaque burden. The dose perturbation factor (DPF), defined as the ratio of dose at 2 mm radial distance for a given case to the dose at the same radial distance in homogeneous water medium, was determined for each of the three different plaque densities. The range of DPF values was 0.81–1.01, 0.62–0.99, and 0.41–0.97 for different plaque densities for the 32 P source. Corresponding DPF values for the 90 Sr/ 90 Y source were 0.90–1.01, 0.84–1.01, and 0.62–1.01. The results indicate the need for accurate assessment of post-PCI clinical measurements such as minimal lumen diameter and residual plaque burden and incorporation of these values into dose calculations.
Study of the droplet spray characteristics of a subsonic wind tunnel

A finite difference, two-dimensional potential flow solver, and a three-dimensio nal particle trajectory code have been written to compute water droplet trajectories in a subsonic incompressible flow wind tunnel. This method was used to study the spray cloud in the test section of a two-dimensional wind tunnel resulting from the injection of a distribution of water droplets in the settling chamber ahead of the inlet. The results of this computational study showed that the trajectories of the larger water droplets were affected by the droplet inertia and gravity more dramatically than that for the smaller particles. The calculated liquid water content across the test section indicated a high concentration near the tunnel centerline. The largest droplets were present at the test section only in the center one-third of the wind tunnel, whereas the smaller droplets spanned almost the entire test section width. This resulted in a computed droplet size distribution skewed toward the larger droplets in comparison with the initial Langmuir-D distribution. The distribution of particle sizes and concentrations required at the droplet injection point in the settling chamber for a Langmuir-D distribution of uniform liquid water content in the center third of the test section was computed.
Estradiol Represses Prolactin-Induced Expression of Na+/Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide in Liver Cells through Estrogen Receptor-α and Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 5a

Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (ntcp) mediates the uptake of bile salts from plasma across the basolateral domain of the hepatocyte. We have demonstrated that ntcp expression can be induced by prolactin (PRL) and placental lactogen via the PRL receptor and signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat)5a pathway. However, elevated levels of placental lactogen do not increase the expression of ntcp in pregnant rats. Because plasma estradiol (E2) levels are also elevated in pregnancy, we investigated the inhibitory effects of E2 on PRL-induced ntcp activation. E2 treatment inhibited the PRL-induced increase in liver ntcp mRNA to the same levels as in rats treated with E2 alone. Estrogen receptor-α (ERα) mRNA and protein expression in liver were increased 2.6-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively, in pregnancy relative to controls. In HepG2 cells, E2 repressed PRL-induced ntcp reporter gene expression in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of cotransfected ERα. The ERα antagonist ICI 18...
The differentiation of fluorescamine-modified kinins by gel electrophoresis☆

Abstract A technically simple procedure has been found for the identification and differentiation of bradykinin, leukokinin-H, and lysyl-containing analogs of bradykinin. By reacting the kinins with fluorescamine and thus altering the charges, the modified kinins may be separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. At pH 4.2 fluorescamine-modified (FM) bradykinin may be separated from FM-leukokinin-H and from FM-Lys-bradykinin and FM-Met-Lys-bradykinin. Similarly at pH 9.8, FM-Lys-bradykinin and FM-Met-Lys-bradykinin can be separated from FM-bradykinin and FM-leukokinin-H. FM-Lysyl-bradykinin and FM-Met-Lys-bradykinin are not separable at either pH. This procedure may prove to be extremely useful in the identification and purification of kinin peptides.
Loss of appetite for alcohol and alcoholic beverages produced in rats by treatment with thyroid preparations.

SELF-SELECTION experiments have shown that homeostasis of an organism is maintained not only by the physiological regulators as described by Claude Bernard (1) and Walter Cannon (2), but also by behavioral regulators that are manifested in the activities of the total organism (3). In the normal organism both forms of regulation operate toward the maintenance of homeostasis and when one form of regulation ceases to function the other takes over. For example, after the physiological regulator for sodium metabolism has been eliminated by removal of the adrenal glands and life is threatened by the excessive loss of sodium in the urine, the animal eats or drinks more salt, enough to compensate for the loss. Many other instances of this kind could be cited. In the common laboratory rat appetite has proved to be such a reliable guide to dietary needs that it can be used as a tool for the study of the nutritive value of food-stuffs and of the factors involved in their utilization as well as an indicator of the sp...
Diseases of the Newborn

THE relatively high death rates that still prevail during early infancy are the cause of much concern throughout the country. The infant mortality during the first year of life for the United State...
Distinguished Lecturer Program [AP-S Distinguished Lecturer Program]

A complete listing of the abstracts for all of the Distinguished Lecturers' (DL) presentations, as well as biographical information about the Distinguished Lecturers and their contact information, are available on the Distinguished Lecturer program Web site. The Distinguished Lecturer Program Handbook is also available on the Web site. It gives more detailed information about the Distinguished Lecturer program.
Luminescence of lead molybdate and lead tungstate. II. discussion

A model is developed for the green-yellow emitting centre in PbMoO4 and PbWO4 in terms of an excited state which can be visualized as Pb3+-XO3−4, i.e. an electron localized at XO and an electron-hole at one of the surrounding Pb2+ ions. The different levels of the triplet excited state arise from splitting due to the small tetragonal distortion and spin-orbit interaction. Moreover, hyperfine interaction induces an additional splitting if the lead ion of the centre has a nuclear spin (207Pb, I = ½). In this way the four-level scheme, obtained empirically can be qualitatively understood. Hence, the two components of the emission are connected with the presence of two different kinds of lead isotopes: 207Pb with I = ½ and 204Pb, 206Pb, and 208Pb, with I = 0. The blue emission of PbWO4 can be ascribed to a charge transfer transition within the tungstate anion, as in the alkaline-earth scheelites.
Unexplained transport resistances for low-loaded fuel-cell catalyst layers

For next-generation polymer-electrolyte fuel cells, material solutions are being sought to decrease the cost of the cell components, and, in particular, the amount of catalyst, without sacrificing performance and lifetime. However, as recently shown, this cannot be achieved in practice due most likely to limitations caused by the ionomer thin-film surrounding the catalyst sites, where confinement and substrate interactions dominate and result in increased mass-transport limitations. Mitigation of this issue is paramount to the future commercial viability of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells.
The benefits and costs of strong patent protection: a contribution to the current debate

Abstract Today's conventional wisdom is that strong patent rights are conducive to economic progress. Yet not long ago students of the patent system took a more nuanced position, arguing that often strong patents were not necessary to induce invention, and entailed significant economic costs. Several empirical studies have supported this position. However, the current advocacy invokes theories of the positive benefits of patents that were repressed in the earlier more negative analyses. This essay reviews these theories, and the empirical evidence that might bear on them. The authors conclude that there is reason for concern that the present movement towards stronger patent protection may hinder rather than stimulate technological and economic progress.
Effects of imidacloprid on development, mobility, and survival of first instars of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The effect of imidacloprid on mortality and ecdysis of 1st instars of Diaprepes abbreviatus L. was determined using contact and oral exposure bioassays. The effect of contact exposure to imidacloprid on 1st-instar mobility was determined with and without a soil substrate. Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine possible systemic effects of different rates of imidacloprid applied as a soil drench on larval mortality and on root protection of container-grown citrus seedlings. When larvae were fed treated carrot or artificial diet at doses of 212.5 ppm, imidacloprid reduced feeding, which contributed to slower larval development and reduced ecdysis. Imidacloprid also affected larval mobility and development by contact exposure at doses >100 ppm. Larval mobility was impaired significantly in soil treated with imidacloprid at doses >6 micrograms/g of soil. In moistened soil, larval movement was significantly impaired at 6 micrograms/g of soil. Mortality caused by imidacloprid was slow for either mode of entry but was 6 times faster by oral than by contact exposure. When exposure to doses of imidacloprid was followed by periods without exposure to the chemical, larvae were able to recover. When imidacloprid was applied as a soil drench to container-grown citrus trees at 200 ppm, no larvae survived in the soil, suggesting death from starvation before reaching plant roots or death after feeding, on roots containing imidacloprid.
Numerical analysis of displacements in a tracta coupling

Derivative operators are developed so that the Fisher–Paul dual-number version of the Uicker–Denavit– Hartenberg iteration scheme for computing displacements in spatial mechanisms can be applied to the Tracta coupling. The constant-velocity input-output characteristic of the Tracta coupling is shown and the intermediate-joint displacements are investigated.
Security mutation testing of the FileZilla FTP server

Security has become a priority for software development and many security testing techniques have been developed over the years. Benchmarks based on real-world systems, however, are in great demand for evaluating the vulnerability detection capability of these techniques. To develop such a benchmark, this paper presents an approach to security mutation analysis of FileZilla Server, a popular FTP server implementation as a case study. In the existing mutation testing research, mutants are created through syntactic changes. Such syntactic changes may not result in meaningful security vulnerabilities in security-intensive software. Our approach creates security mutants by considering the causes and consequences of vulnerabilities. The causes of vulnerabilities include design-level (e.g., incorrect policy enforcement) and implementation-level defects (such programming errors as buffer overflow and unsafe function calls). The consequences of vulnerabilities refer to various potential attacks, such as spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege (STRIDE). Using this approach, we have created 30 distinct mutants for FileZilla Server. They have been applied to the evaluation of two security testing methods that use attack trees and attack nets as threat models for test generation. The results show that, while these testing methods can kill most of the mutants, they have an important limitation -- they cannot detect the vulnerabilities that are not captured by the threat models.
Thermodynamically coupled heat and mass flows in a reaction-transport system with external resistances

Abstract Considerable work has been published on mathematically coupled nonlinear differential equations by neglecting thermodynamic coupling between heat and mass flows in reaction-transport systems. The thermodynamic coupling refers that a flow occurs without or against its primary thermodynamic driving force, which may be a gradient of temperature, or chemical potential, or reaction affinity. This study presents the modeling of thermodynamically coupled heat and mass flows of two components in a reaction-transport system with external heat and mass transfer resistances. The modeling equations are based on the linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics approach by assuming that the system is in the vicinity of global equilibrium. The modeling equations lead to unique definitions of thermodynamic coupling (cross) coefficients between heat and mass flows in terms of kinetic parameters and transport coefficients. These newly defined parameters need to be determined to describe coupled reaction-transport systems. Some representative numerical solutions obtained by MATLAB illustrate the effect of thermodynamic coupling coefficients on the change of temperature and mass concentrations in time and space.