cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reinforcement Planning: RL for optimal planners

Search based planners such as A* and Dijkstra's algorithm are proven methods for guiding today's robotic systems. Although such planners are typically based upon a coarse approximation of reality, they are nonetheless valuable due to their ability to reason about the future, and to generalize to previously unseen scenarios. However, encoding the desired behavior of a system into the underlying cost function used by the planner can be a tedious and error-prone task. We introduce Reinforcement Planning, which extends gradient based reinforcement learning algorithms to automatically learn useful surrogate cost functions for optimal planners. Reinforcement Planning presents several advantages over other learning approaches to planning in that it is not limited by the expertise of a human demonstrator, and that it acknowledges the domain of the planner is a simplified model of the world. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in learning to solve a noisy physical simulation of the well-known “marble maze” toy.
Restoring Barrier Function to Acid Damaged Bladder by Intravesical Chondroitin Sulfate

Purpose: Chondroitin sulfate (Stellar Pharmaceuticals, London, Ontario, Canada), which is less expensive and more inert than heparinoids, hyaluronan or pentosan polysulfate, has been introduced to restore the barrier function lost due to epithelial dysfunction in interstitial cystitis cases. To our knowledge chondroitin sulfate binding to damaged bladder as a function of the urinary pH range, its efficacy in restoring the bladder permeability barrier and the capacity of the damaged bladder to bind chondroitin sulfate have not been determined previously.Materials and Methods: Chondroitin sulfate binding to bladder urothelium was investigated quantitatively using chondroitin sulfate highly labeled with Texas Red® and quantitative fluorescence microscopy in a mouse model of urothelial acid damage. The efficacy of restoring barrier function was determined using the passage of intravesically instilled 86Rb, a potassium ion mimetic, through the urothelium into the bloodstream in a rat model of bladder damage. T...
The mechanism of the photochemical reactions of SO2 with C2H2 and CO excited within the SO2(3B1) ← SO2(X̃1A1) “forbidden” band

Abstract In light of the recent observations of the pressure saturation effect on the phosphorescence lifetimes of SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) molecules, we have examined the data from the SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) photochemical reactions carried out in the presence of high pressures of CO and C 2 H 2 . It is shown that a simple mechanism involving only one excited state of sulfur dioxide, SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ), explains well all of the experimental data. The following rate constants (torr −1 s −1 ) for SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) are derived: SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ), explains well as of the experimental data. The following rate constans (torr −1 s −1 ) for SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) are derived: SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) + CO → SO + CO 2 (2a), k 2a = 1.4 × 10 2 ; SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) + C 2 H 2 → CO + other products (4a), k 4a = 8.4 × 10 4 ; SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) + C 2 H 2 → SO 2 + C 2 H 2 (4b), k 4b = 4.3 × 10 5 . The postulate of Kelley and co-workers that the photolysis of SO 2 C 2 H 2 added gas mixtures excited within the SO 2 ( 3 B 1 ) ← SO 2 (X 1 A 1 ) band involves the reactions of three different excited states of SO 2 , two different triplet states and one excited singlet state, appears to be incorrect.
Finite Element Analysis for Five Transmission Lines in Multilayer Dielectric Media

Development of very high speed integrated circuits is currently of great interests for today technologies. This paper presents the quasi-TEM approach for the accurate parameters extraction of multiconductor transmission lines interconnect in single, two, and three-layered dielectric region using the finite element method (FEM). We illustrate that FEM is as accurate and effective for modeling multilayered multiconductor transmission lines in strongly inhomogeneous media. We mainly focus on designing of five-conductor transmission lines embedded in single-, two-, three-, and four-layered dielectric media. We compute the capacitance matrices for these configurations. Also, we determine the quasi-TEM spectral for the potential distribution of the multiconductor transmission lines in multilayer dielectric media.
Vagal denervation and atrial fibrillation inducibility: Epicardial fat pad ablation does not have long-term effects

Background Major epicardial fat pads contain cardiac ganglionated plexi of the autonomic, predominantly vagal nerves. Vagal denervation may improve the success rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. Objectives The purpose of this study was to elucidate the long-term effects of fat pad ablation on the electrophysiologic characteristics of the atrium and AF inducibility. Methods Six mongrel dogs were studied. Cervical vagal stimulation was applied to determine effects on the sinus node, AV node, atrial effective refractory period (AERP), and AF inducibility. AERP and AF inducibility were evaluated at both the right atrial and left atrial appendages and at the right atrial and left atrial free walls. Radiofrequency energy was delivered epicardially to the entire areas of two major fat pads: right pulmonary vein fat pad and inferior vena cava-left atrium fat pad. Cervical vagal stimulation then was applied to confirm the acute effects of fat pad ablation. The same evaluation was repeated 4 weeks later. Results The effects of vagal stimulation on the sinus node, AV node, and AERP were significantly eliminated immediately after fat pad ablation. However, these denervation effects disappeared after 4 weeks. At baseline, AF inducibility was increased by vagal stimulation (right atrial appendage: 72% ± 31% vs 4.8% ± 12%; right atrial free wall: 75% ± 31% vs 0.0% ± 0.0%; left atrial appendage: 60% ± 29% vs 0.0% ± 0.0%; left atrial free wall: 65% ± 42% vs 0.0% ± 0.0%). Fat pad ablation significantly reduced this vagal stimulation effect (8.3% ± 20%, 10% ± 22%, 17% ± 29%, and 25% ± 29%, respectively). However, similar to baseline, AF inducibility was strongly augmented by vagal stimulation 4 weeks after fat pad ablation (96% ± 10%, 100% ± 0.0%, 100% ± 0.0%, and 95% ± 11%, respectively). Conclusion Radiofrequency fat pad ablation may not achieve long-term suppression of AF induction in this canine model.
Solitary meningocerebral metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a case report.

A case of a solitary meningocerebral metastasis from an esophageal carcinoma is described and the rarity of such an occurrence, as compared with cerebral metastases from other organs, is stressed. A possible metastatic pathway from the esophagus to the brain through the vertebral veins is postulated. Cancer 42:2461–2465, 1978.
An evolutionary approach to constructive induction for link discovery

This paper presents a genetic programming-based symbolic regression approach to the construction of relational features in link analysis applications. Specifically, we consider the problems of predicting, classifying and annotating friends relations in friends networks, based upon features constructed from network structure and user profile data. We first document a data model for the blog service LiveJournal, and define a set of machine learning problems such as predicting existing links and estimating inter-pair distance. Next, we explain how the problem of classifying a user pair in a social network, as directly connected or not, poses the problem of selecting and constructing relevant features. We use genetic programming to construct features, represented by multiple symbol trees with base features as their leaves. In this manner, the genetic program selects and constructs features that may not have been originally considered, but possess better predictive properties than the base features. Finally, we present classification results and compare these results with those of the control and similar approaches.
Factor Analysis for Ocean Remote Sensing

In the petroleum industry, stacking, one of the principal steps of conventional seismic signal processing, plays an important role in enhancing events and cancelling random and coherent noises by utilizing the predesigned redundancy in the seismic data. This paper demonstrates that by applying an alternative technique, Factor Analysis, to the same dataset, better subsurface image of the earth can be obtained. Contrary to stacking, it takes into consideration the scaling of the latent signal and makes explicit use of the second order statistics, obtaining higher Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Moreover, Factor Analysis is compared with Principal Component Analysis and Independent Component Analysis in processing the synthetic Marmousi dataset.
Salinas - An implicit finite element structural dynamics code developed for massively parallel platforms

As computational needs for structural finite element analysis increase, a robust implicit structural dynamics code is needed which can handle millions of degrees of freedom in the model and produce results with quick turn around time. A parallel code is needed to avoid limitations of serial platforms. Salinas is an implicit structural dynamics code specifically designed for massively parallel platforms. It computes the structural response of very large complex structures and provides solutions faster than any existing serial machine. This paper gives a current status of Salinas and uses demonstration problems to show Salinas' performance.
Model development in OpenFOAM to predict spillway jet regimes

Hydropower is the most important renewable energy source. Though hydropower provides abundant benefits, dams have also altered natural flow conditions affecting fish habitat. Elevated total dissolved gas (TDG) can result in gas bubble disease in affected fish. TDG production depends on the gas volume fraction and bubble depth in the tailrace, which are a function of spillway jet regimes. This paper presents a model developed in OpenFOAM to predict spillway jet regimes. The model utilizes the volume of fluid method to capture the dynamic free surface. A Large Eddy Simulation model, together with Detached Eddy Simulation, was used for turbulence closure. The model adequately reproduced jet regimes observed in a reduced-scale laboratory model. Differences in jet regimes predicted at reduced and prototype scales were observed. Results suggest that turbulence, not scaled in the laboratory model, plays an important role in the flow characteristics downstream of spillways.
Establishment of prototropic equilibrium in the lowest excited singlet state of 1-isoquinolone

Abstract In concentrated sulfuric acid (≈5 M), the proton-transfer reaction of 1-isoquinolone attains equilibrium within the lifetime of the excited state. One consequence is that our knowledge of the role of water in the reaction is limited.
The equivalent radius of a narrow conducting strip

By means of a simple and direct analytical procedure, it is confirmed that the equivalent radius of a narrow conducting strip is one-fourth its width. The analysis proceeds from the integral equation for the surface current density induced on a conducting cylinder of general cross section and its incorporates knowledge of the current density induced on a narrow strip. Explicit expressions are given for the total axial current induced on the narrow strip and for its echo width.
Scanning electron microscope examination of epithelial cells infected with enveloped viruses

The apical surface structure of virus infected epithelial cells (MDBK and MDCK) was examined in the SEM. Cells were infected with related enveloped viruses (influenza, Sendai, and vesicular stomatitis) under conditions of productive, nonproductive, and persistent infections. Fewer microvilli were seen in persistent infections with Sendai virus and the standard virus infected cells appeared to be normal. Extensive morphological changes, stunting of microvilli or budding effects, were noted in productive infections with influenza virus (WSN) and a reduction in the relative number of microvilli in a nonproductive infection with the PR8 strain. Although budding occurs on the basal lateral surface of VSV infected cells, morphological alterations were evident on the apical surface unlike that seen in influenza and Sendai virus infections.
Information Theoretic Capacity Bounds for Protected SATCOM

Fast frequency hopped spread-spectrum is used in military satellite communication systems for providing resilience to different types of jamming. Most analyses focus either on the worst case jamming to obtain performance metrics such as Bit Error Rate (BER), or use specific waveforms and evaluate system performance by means of simulations. Recently there has been a growing interest in using Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) and tune the modulation and coding to specific jamming scenarios, in order to maximize system throughput. This paper provides information theoretic bounds for such systems with wide-band and pulse jammers. Developing these bounds also provide insight into how to construct waveforms which maximize system capacity, while providing the desired jamming resistance. Since fast frequency hopped spread-spectrum systems also typically use Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), there is synchronization overhead. So, information theoretic bounds for capacity, where the transmitter and receiver are not perfectly carrier phase synchronized are also developed. These bounds will prove useful in determining the "best" system capacity, which can then be compared with the actual throughput achieved by a specific waveform.
Putting Space and Time in Ricardian Climate Change Impact Studies: Agriculture in the U.S. Great Plains, 1969–1992

Abstract The “Ricardian” technique for projecting climate change impacts on agriculture has generated an unusual amount of critical attention. Ricardian climate sensitivities are typically viewed as the necessary and static result of exclusively local economic and biophysical conditions. In this paper, six spatial econometric models are estimated to explore how human-environment relationships associated with climate sensitivities have varied over space and time in the Great Plains, 1969–1992. Results indicate that spatial effects, such as extra-local communication processes and proximity to and regulation of Ogallala irrigation water, are important influences on climate sensitivities. Projected climate change impacts also vary significantly with the scale, location, and time of analysis. Under a hypothetical climate change, at the county scale, land values would decline (by up to one-third) in the western counties, but increase (by up to one-half) in the eastern counties. In some cases, the projected impa...
Vapocoolant Spray Is Equally Effective as EMLA Cream in Reducing Immunization Pain in School-aged Children

Background. Untreated immunization pain causes undue distress and contributes to underimmunization through physician, and possibly parental, resistance to multiple simultaneous injections. Objective. To compare the efficacies of two pain management methods in reducing immediate immunization injection pain and distress in school-aged children. Design. A randomized, controlled clinical trial of eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream and vapocoolant spray. Patients. Children aged 4 to 6 years and scheduled to receive diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) during health supervision visits. Interventions. Enrolled children were randomized to one of three treatment groups: 1) EMLA cream + distraction; 2) vapocoolant spray + distraction; or 3) distraction alone (control). The specific pharmacologic pain control interventions consisted of EMLA cream (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine [Astra Pharmaceutical Products, Inc, Westborough, MA] $15.00/patient; applied 60 minutes before injection) and vapocoolant spray (Fluori-Methane [Gebauer Company, Cleveland, OH] $0.50/patient; applied via spray-saturated cotton ball for 15 seconds immediately before injection). Main Outcome Measures. The blinded investigator (BI) measured (by edited videotape) cry duration and the number of pain behaviors using the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress. Pain visual analog scales (linear and faces scales) were completed by the child, parent, nurse, and the BI. Results. Sixty-two children, aged 4.5 ± 0.4 years (mean ± SD) were randomized. The three treatment groups had similar subject characteristics. All pain measures and cry duration were similar for EMLA and vapocoolant spray. Both EMLA and spray were significantly better than control. Results for spray vs control: cry duration (seconds): 8.5 ± 21.0 vs 38.6 ± 50.5; number of pain behaviors: 1.2 ± 1.9 vs. 3.1 ± 2.1; child-scored faces scale: 2.0 ± 2.4 vs. 4.1 ± 2.3; parent-scored faces scale: 1.6 ± 1.6 vs. 3.0 ± 1.7; nurse-scored faces scale: 1.6 ± 1.2 vs. 3.1 ± 1.4; and BI-scored faces scale: 1.0 ± 1.5 vs. 2.4 ± 1.4. Conclusions. When combined with distraction, vapocoolant spray significantly reduces immediate injection pain compared with distraction alone, and is equally effective as, less expensive, and faster-acting than EMLA cream. As an effective, inexpensive, and convenient pain control method, vapocoolant spray may help overcome physician and parent resistance to multiple injections that leads to missed opportunities to immunize.
A generalized discount structure and some dominance rules for selecting the price-break EOQ

Abstract This paper introduces a generalized discount structure that combines the features of incremental and all-units quantity discount policies. General properties of the EOQ model under this discount structure are studied, and dominance rules for comparing order quantity intervals under either type of discount policy are established. In addition, procedures for developing an iso-cost function and the minimal feasible set for optimal order quantity are proposed.
Spatial contrast sensitivity in albino and pigmented rats

Abstract Spatial contrast sensitivity functions were measured for hooded and albino rats in behavioral tasks in which the animals were required to discriminate sinusoidal luminance gratings from homogeneous fields of the same average luminance. The maximal spatial resolution for the hooded rat was 1.2 c/deg. while that for the albino rats was 0.34 to 0.43 c/deg. The contrast sensitivity functions for the rat show no falloff in sensitivity at low (down to 0.12 c/deg) spatial frequencies. Measurements made at several different luminance levels indicate that threshold spatial acuity for the hooded rat changes very little over a five log unit range in luminance.
Ion motion and electrochemistry in nanostructures

Ionic motion and electrochemistry in bulk materials and at their surfaces have long been studied for their relevance in several areas of science and technology, ranging from ionic conductors to batteries to fuel cells. The ability to engineer materials at the nanometer scale, however, has made these concepts even more relevant. This is due to the large surface-tovolume ratios typical of nanostructures. This implies, for instance, that chemical reactivity and defect motion at surfaces or interfaces are enhanced or may be fundamentally different compared to their bulk counterparts. In addition, nominally modest voltages or differences in chemical potential when applied across nanoscale distances can produce large electric fields and diffusive forces. While all of this may complicate the interpretation of experimental results, it also presents us with new opportunities for materials engineering. In this article, we will briefly review the current research status of several systems where ionic motion and electrochemical effects are of particular importance. These include resistive switching systems, oxide heterostructures, ferroelectric materials, and ionic liquids. We will report on experimental results and also emphasize open questions regarding their interpretation. We will conclude by discussing future research directions in the field.
Fractal Geometry of Silica Condensation Polymers

The fractal dimension, $D$, of branched silica polymers is measured by small-angle x-ray scattering. $D$ is independent of branching ratio and does not change during the course of polymerization to a gel.
Diazepam administered prior to coronary artery occlusion increases latency to ventricular fibrillation.

Abstract Few studies have addressed the antiarrhythmic potential of pretreatment with diazepam in acute myocardial infarction. Thus, the effect of diazepam pretreatment prior to coronary artery occlusion was examined in conscious pigs. Animals were instrumented with aortic catheters to measure arterial pressure, a pulmonary artery catheter for drug administration, and a snare around the left anterior descending coronary artery for permanent occlusion one week later. Diazepam (1 mg/kg iv bolus) or vehicle was administered 10 minutes prior to occlusion. Eight of 14 animals receiving diazepam (57%) and 13 of 22 receiving vehicle animals (59%) developed ventricular fibrillation following coronary occlusion. However, the latency to ventricular fibrillation was significantly shorter (7±1 min) in animals receiving vehicle compared to animals receiving diazepam (11±1 min). Significant increases in heart rate were seen up to 5 hours after coronary occlusion only in animals receiving vehicle. The results indicate that diazepam pretreatment can increase ventricular fibrillation latency and prevent heart rate increases following acute myocardial infarction.
Assembly of double-stranded RNA viruses: bacteriophage ø6 and yeast virus L-A

Abstract Double-stranded RNA viruses have a virion-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity which is involved in such critical steps of viral assembly as genome packaging and minus strand synthesis. In vitro studies of a bacterial dsRNA virus, o6, and a yeast virus, L-A, have shed light on capsid formation as well as on the protein/RNA interactions and packaging of the viral genomes. In the o6 system, an empty dodecahedral polymerase complex (procapsid) composed of four protein species is formed without the help of other viral proteins or RNA. This particle packages positive sense viral RNA genome segments in an ATP dependent reaction. The presence of all rNTPs allows the synthesis of complementary (-) strands within the particle. Self-assembly of an additional protein shell (composed of protein P8) around this particle takes place in the presence of Ca2+ ions. In vivo, these nucleocapsids obtain an envelope while still residing in the cell cytoplasm. L-A, in contrast, is not known to make a prohead structure. The Pol domain of L-A's Gag-Pol fusion protein is necessary for packaging of the (+) strand RNA and probably actually binds to the (+) strand packaging site (a stem-loop with a protruding A) insuring its packaging while the Gag domain primes polymerization of the coat protein. N-Acetylation of Gag by the host MAK3 N-acetyltransferase is necessary for proper assembly, and the ratio of Gag-Pol/Gag, determined by the efficiency of - 1 ribosomal frameshifting, is critical for propagation of the M1 satellite dsRNA.
Narrative medicine in surgical education.

Purpose Narrative medicine is a patient-centered approach to the practice of medicine that rescues the patients' stories and integrates what is important to them into decisions regarding their health care. Our hypothesis is that narrative understanding enhances the patient–provider relationship and contributes to optimizing patient care. We propose to use written narrative reflection to capture and measure the general competencies of systems-based practice, practice-based learning, communication skills, and professionalism. Development/Methods The development of this narrative-based project is based on a pilot study that we conducted at our institution with third-year surgical clerkship students. In the pilot, students produced in-depth narrative write-ups on a patient they had had the opportunity to “know.” We plan a similar approach for surgical resident education. After a brief discussion of narrative medicine during our scheduled didactic conference, the residents are asked to initiate a written narrative reflection on a patient of their choosing. The narratives will be collected 1 week later. Our plan is to repeat this assessment quarterly so that 4 narratives will be generated annually from internship through the chief resident year. Evaluation The narratives will be analyzed for content and recurring themes that capture the resident's communication skills, professionalism, as well as self-critique (practice-based learning) and value attributed to health-care teams (systems-based practice). Outcome Measures After completion of the narratives, a 5-point Likert response survey will be given to the residents to assess their experience and the perceived value of written reflection. The written narratives will become part of the resident's ongoing portfolio. Implementation/Experience to Date Feedback from the medical student pilot study was favorable. When asked in a follow-up questionnaire, most students reported the experience to be valuable and recommended the use of narrative reflection in medical education. To assess the feasibility of this approach in surgical residency, we introduced the concept of narrative reflection to our residents during surgery grand rounds. Thirty-three narratives were collected 1 week later. Conclusion/Next Steps This preliminary experience suggests that acquisition of resident-authored narrative reflection is feasible during surgical residency. Use of this narrative-based approach in surgical resident education has the potential to capture and measure the general competencies of systems-based practice, practice-based learning, communication skills, and professionalism.
Gas dispersion near a cubical model building. Part I. Mean concentration measurements

Abstract The dispersion of effluent plumes emitted on or in the near-wake region ( x/H ⪕ 5.0 ) of a cubical model building has been examined. The model study was performed in a wind tunnel with a simulated neutrally stratified shear layer. Mean concentration measurements were made on the model building for three different roof vent locations and three different building orientations. A full-scale measurement was conducted in the near-wake region for central roof vent release. The concentration level on the lee face of a model building is greatly reduced by the presence of a sharp edge on the model. The optimum location for the intake vent on the building, for equal vent exhaust to vent intake distance, is a position away from the downwind direction and where it cannot “see” the exhaust vent. Orientation of the building at an angle of 45° results in a secondary peak concentration on the building and in the near-wake region.
Mutilating shredder/chipper hand injuries.

Outdoor recreational and vocational hand injuries occur with a predictable seasonal fluctuation and regional variation. An increasing demand in less urban areas for efficient yard and garden waste removal, combined with the availability of more affordable shredder/chipper machines, has increased their utilization. Potential hazards have been well recognized, but, not surprisingly, this behavior pattern has concomitantly introduced another characteristic syndrome of self-inflicted operator injury most prevalent in the fall and spring months. The seriousness of the possible upper extremity mutilation caused by these devices cannot be understated, as invariably, complex reconstruction modalities are essential to restore a useful hand. Language: en
Ecological tradeoffs in non-native plant management

Abstract Controlling non-native plants in natural areas should, ideally, not only reduce target species’ abundance, but also benefit broader management objectives such as conserving native species, improving wildlife habitat, and maintaining ecosystem function. In this context, the effectiveness and non-target impacts of control strategies, such as broadleaf herbicides, must be weighed against the impacts of non-native plants themselves. We undertook this relative assessment for Centaurea stoebe, one of the most widespread and heavily managed non-native plant species in the Intermountain West, USA. While effectiveness and plant community impacts of herbicide treatment for C. stoebe have been assessed, field-based experiments quantifying community-level impacts of C. stoebe are rare. In a three-year experiment in sagebrush–grassland communities of southwest Montana, USA, we found that the broadleaf herbicide, picloram, was highly effective at reducing C. stoebe, but also caused a significant loss of native forb cover and a significant increase in non-native grass cover, primarily Bromus tectorum. There was a significant increase in native forb cover in response to manual removal of C. stoebe, which would seem to indicate C. stoebe had been suppressing native forbs. However, there was an equivalent increase in native forb cover with no treatment. In some communities, C. stoebe appears to have a negligible effect on native forb and grass cover and richness. Depending on management objectives, the loss of native forb cover and potential secondary invasion may outweigh the benefits of reduced target non-native plant abundance; thus, highlighting an ecological tradeoff of non-native plant management in natural areas.
The competitive effects of metallic ions on citrate oxidation. II.

Abstract 1. 1. Mn ++ (3 × 10 −3 M ) activates the oxidation of citrate by a washed and dialyzed mitochondrial preparation obtained from rabbit kidney cortex. Cu ++ , at a concentration of 3 × 10 −8 M , did not catalyze this reaction, nor inhibit the reaction when added after the addition of Mn ++ , but almost completely inhibited the oxidation when added to the mitochondria before the addition of Mn ++ . This inhibition with Cu ++ , as with Mg ++ , appeared to be competitive. Similar results were obtained with Zn ++ . 2. 2. Na + (up to 3 × 10 −2 M ) added to the enzyme system already containing Mn ++ , increased citrate oxidation. Higher concentrations of Na + were markedly inhibitory. As with other metals, the addition of Na + (3 × 10 −6 −3 × 10 −2 M ) to the tissue, prior to the addition of 3 × 10 −3 M Mn ++ resulted in inhibition of O 2 uptake. 3. 3. When K + (3 × 10 −4 −3 × 10 −2 M ) was added after the addition of Mn ++ , there was an inhibition in every case, whereas the addition of K + before the addition of Mn ++ , resulted in an increased O 2 uptake, over that with Mn ++ alone. 4. 4. The competitive inhibitory effects between Mg ++ and Mn ++ were traced to the α-ketoglutarate oxidase in the mitochondrial preparation. 5. 5. With an enzyme extract of E. coli , Mn ++ inhibits the dissimilation of pyruvate to acetate and formate when added to the enzyme system before the addition of Mg ++ .
Neurotubule assembly at substoichiometric nucleotide levels using a GTP regenerating system.

Abstract Tubulin derived from cold depolymerized bovine microtubules has been gel filtered to obtain a tubulin preparation with only 3% of the tubulin dimers containing exchangeable [ 3 H]-guanine nucleotide. In the presence of acetyl-P and bacterial acetate kinase, this preparation polymerizes to form microtubules which are morphologically indistinguishable from microtubules formed in the presence of excess GTP. The extent of microtubule formation at substoichiometric nucleotide levels using the GTP regenerating system exceeds the extent of assembly obtained with excess GTP. It is concluded that the exchangeable guanine nucleotide site can be virtually unoccupied in intact neurotubules and this finding indicates that GDP can “catalyze” tubule assembly in the presence of a GTP regenerating system.
Erlang loss models for the static deployment of ambulances

How should one allocate a fleet of ambulances to fixed bases with the goal of keeping response times to calls as small as possible? We present two new models for this problem, both of which are based on the Erlang loss formula. The first model is stylized, and shows that allocating ambulances in proportion to the offered load is not necessarily optimal and can often be substantially improved upon. The second model can be used to screen potential allocations to try to identify top candidates for further investigation. Computational experiments on the first model provide insights on how we should modify ambulance allocations in response to different levels of offered load. Computational experiments on the second model compare this model with the so-called A-hypercube model and show that the our model has comparable, and in many cases, better performance in terms of the accuracy of the estimates of performance measures. Thus, our models can be used as pre-screening tools to identify promising ambulance allocations and these promising ambulance allocations can subsequently be evaluated carefully through simulation.
On the required complexity of vehicle dynamic models for use in simulation-based highway design☆

Abstract Introduction This paper presents the results of a comprehensive project whose goal is to identify roadway design practices that maximize the margin of safety between the friction supply and friction demand. This study is motivated by the concern for increased accident rates on curves with steep downgrades, geometries that contain features that interact in all three dimensions — planar curves, grade, and superelevation. This complexity makes the prediction of vehicle skidding quite difficult, particularly for simple simulation models that have historically been used for road geometry design guidance. Method To obtain estimates of friction margin, this study considers a range of vehicle models, including: a point-mass model used by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design policy, a steady-state “bicycle model” formulation that considers only per-axle forces, a transient formulation of the bicycle model commonly used in vehicle stability control systems, and finally, a full multi-body simulation (CarSim and TruckSim) regularly used in the automotive industry for high-fidelity vehicle behavior prediction. The presence of skidding – the friction demand exceeding supply – was calculated for each model considering a wide range of vehicles and road situations. Results The results indicate that the most complicated vehicle models are generally unnecessary for predicting skidding events. However, there are specific maneuvers, namely braking events within lane changes and curves, which consistently predict the worst-case friction margins across all models. This suggests that any vehicle model used for roadway safety analysis should include the effects of combined cornering and braking. Practical Implications The point-mass model typically used by highway design professionals may not be appropriate to predict vehicle behavior on high-speed curves during braking in low-friction situations. However, engineers can use the results of this study to help select the appropriate vehicle dynamic model complexity to use in the highway design process.
The self across the senses: an fMRI study of self-face and self-voice recognition

There is evidence that the right hemisphere is involved in processing self-related stimuli. Previous brain imaging research has found a network of right-lateralized brain regions that preferentially respond to seeing one's own face rather than a familiar other. Given that the self is an abstract multimodal concept, we tested whether these brain regions would also discriminate the sound of one's own voice compared to a friend's voice. Participants were shown photographs of their own face and friend's face, and also listened to recordings of their own voice and a friend's voice during fMRI scanning. Consistent with previous studies, seeing one's own face activated regions in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior parietal lobe and inferior occipital cortex in the right hemisphere. In addition, listening to one's voice also showed increased activity in the right IFG. These data suggest that the right IFG is concerned with processing self-related stimuli across multiple sensory modalities and that it may contribute to an abstract self-representation.
Impressions of Milgram's obedient teachers: situational cues inform inferences about motives and traits.

The research investigated impressions formed of a “teacher” who obeyed an experimenter by delivering painful electric shocks to an innocent person (S. Milgram, 1963, 1974). Three findings emerged across different methodologies and different levels of experimenter-induced coercion. First, contrary to conventional wisdom, perceivers both recognized and appreciated situational forces, such as the experimenter’s orders that prompted the aggression. Second, perceivers’ explanations of the teacher’s behavior focused on the motive of obedience (i.e., wanting to appease the experimenter) rather than on hurtful (or evil) motivation. Despite this overall pattern, perceptions of hurtful versus helpful motivation varied as a function of information regarding the level of coercion applied by the experimenter. Finally, theoretically important relationships were revealed among perceptions of situations, motives, and traits. In particular, situational cues (such as aspects of the experimenter’s behavior) signaled the nature of the teacher’s motives, which in turn informed inferences of the teacher’s traits. Overall, the findings pose problems for the lay dispositionism perspective but fit well with multiple inference models of dispositional inference.
regT can modulate gingipain activity and response to oxidative stress in Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Recombinant VimA protein can interact with the gingipains and several other proteins that may play a role in its biogenesis in Porphyromonas gingivalis. In silico analysis of PG2096, a hypothetical protein that was shown to interact with VimA, suggests that it may have environmental stress resistance properties. To further evaluate the role(s) of PG2096, the predicted open reading frame was PCR amplified from P. gingivalis W83 and insertionally inactivated using the ermF-ermAM antibiotic-resistance cassette. One randomly chosen PG2096-defective mutant created by allelic exchange and designated FLL205 was further characterized. Under normal growth conditions at 37 °C, Arg-X and Lys-X gingipain activities in FLL205 were reduced by approximately 35 % and 21 %, respectively, compared to the wild-type strain. However, during prolonged growth at an elevated temperature of 42 °C, Arg-X activity was increased by more than 40 % in FLL205 in comparison to the wild-type strain. In addition, the PG2096-defective mutant was more resistant to oxidative stress when treated with 0.25 mM hydrogen peroxide. Taken together these results suggest that the PG2096 gene, designated regT (regulator of gingipain activity at elevated temperatures), may be involved in regulating gingipain activity at elevated temperatures and be important in oxidative stress resistance in P. gingivalis.
The orbit of Phoebe from Earthbased and Voyager observations

This article presents the results of a fit of a numerically integrated orbit for the Saturnian satellite Phoebe to Earthbased astrometric observations (from 1904 to 1996) and imaging data acquired by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its encounter with Saturn. The primary results are the epoch state vector for the integration and a set of mean orbital elements which approximately represent the orbit. An assessment of the quality of the fit and the accuracy of the orbit is also provided.
Use of anti-reset windup in integral control based learning and repetitive control

Anti-reset windup is an important tool in the practical implementation of integral controllers. Integral control can have poor performance due to windup of the integral during transient periods when the actuator is operating at its saturation limit. Anti-reset windup speeds up the departure from the saturation limit by stopping the build up of the integral during saturation. The most basic form of learning and repetitive control makes use of integral control concepts applied in the repetition domain. Therefore, this paper studies the use of anti-reset windup concepts in learning control. The integral is operating in repetitions, but the system dynamics are in time, making the application nonstandard. Various forms of anti-reset windup are developed for use in learning and repetitive control, and shown to improve performance of the learning process, especially when one does not know enough about the system to obtain well behaved learning transients. Anti-reset windup is also shown to be helpful in situations where the desired trajectory is not feasible, and in situations where the initial conditions are systematically in error, such as in a robot subject to gravity disturbance. >
18F-labeled lower fluoroalkanes; Reactor-produced gaseous physiological tracers

Abstract Rapid high-yield syntheses of the four gaseous monofluoroalkanes, CH 3 F, C 2 H 5 F, n -C 3 H 7 F and i -C 3 H 7 F, labeled with 18 F are described. The method involves silver (I) oxide catalyzed nucleophilic substitution of 18 F − for iodide in the respective iodoalkanes, using acetonitrile as solvent at 120°C. The 18 F − was made in a nuclear reactor by irradiation of Li 2 CO 3 , which was subsequently decomposed with H + form ion exchange resin. The resulting aqueous 18 F − was rotary-evaporated to dryness after addition of tetraethylammonium hydroxide. Ostwald solubility coefficients of the gases were determined radiometrically at 37°C in water, 0.9% saline, plasma, blood and paraffin oil. The aqueous solubilities are all near unity, while the values for oil rise from 1 to 12 in the series CH 3 F 2 H 5 F i -C 3 H 7 F n -C 3 H 7 F. Whole- body washout kinetics following equilibration with the 18 F gases showed that fluoromethane and fluoroethane, at least, are not metabolized in the rat. The possible utility of 18 F-fluoromethane and other 18 F gases and vapors in studies of lung-function and blood-flow is discussed.
Characterization of a swelling-activated anion conductance in homozygous typing cell hepatoma cells.

Liver cell volume and intracellular ion concentrations are maintained within a narrow physiologic range by regulated changes in membrane ion permeability. These studies of homozygous HTC hepatoma cells, a model liver cell line, evaluate the relationship between cell volume and membrane ion permeability, and assess the possibility that cell swelling allows the efflux of the intracellular osmolite taurine through the opening of a conductive pathway. Cell swelling induced by exposure to hypotonic solutions (203 mOsm) caused a rapid increase in cell volume, followed by recovery toward basal values. Volume recovery was inhibited by Cl- depletion or by exposure to the putative Cl- channel blocker 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropyl-amino) benzoic acid (NPPB) (25 μmol/L). Swelling increased the efflux rates of 36Cl (181% +/- 15%, P < .01) and 125I (310% +/- 21%, P < .01). In whole cell patch clamp recordings, cell swelling induced by 1) exposure to hypotonic solution or 2) intracellular perfusion with hypertonic sucrose-containing solutions activated an anion-selective current which was outwardly rectified and showed time-dependent inactivation at depolarizing potentials. The current density at -80 mV increased proportionally with increases in the transmembrane osmotic gradient from basal values of -1 pA/pF to maximal values of 70 pA/pF with 100 mmol/L sucrose in the pipette. Basal taurine permeability was low, but cell swelling increased the efflux of [1,2-3H]taurine to 1,587% +/- 172% of basal levels (P < .05). Intracellular perfusion with hypertonic solutions activated currents carried by anionic taurine, with an estimated taurine/Cl- permeability ratio of .88 +/- .17 for whole cell currents. These studies demonstrate that the HTC membrane anion permeability is closely coupled to changes in cell volume, and that the recovery from swelling depends upon activation of anion-selective conductance pathways permeable to both Cl- and taurine. (Hepatology 1997 Feb;25(2):403-10)
Carotid endarterectomy in patients with intracranial vascular disease: Short-term risk and long-term outcome

Abstract To determine the influence of angiographically identifiable intracranial vascular lesions on the outcome of carotid endarterectomy, 597 patients from our carotid surgery registry who had had complete angiographic evaluation were divided into two groups: (1) significant intracranial disease identified by angiography (N = 134) and no significant intracranial disease identified by angiography (N = 463). The short- and long-term outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in the two groups were compared. Perioperative stroke morbidity (intracranial disease 1.9%, no intracranial disease 1.8%) and mortality (intracranial disease 0.5%, no intracranial disease 0.7%) were acceptable and not statistically different ( p > 0.7). Late stroke prevention was nearly identical in the two groups, with 3-, 5-, and 10-year life-table of stroke-free rates of 93%, 87%, and 79%, respectively, versus 92%, 90%, and 85%, respectively, in the intracranial disease and no intracranial disease groups ( p = 0.75). The incidence of recurrent transient ischemic attack was 9.7% in the intracranial disease group and 6.5% in the no intracranial disease group ( p = 0.22). In the clinical population studied in the described method, angiographically identifiable intracranial vascular disease did not appear to have a statistically demonstrable influence on the short-term or long-term prognosis after carotid endarterectomy. (J Vasc Surg 1989;10:432–8.)
Status of slow extraction of high intensity protons from Brookhaven's AGS

The Brookhaven AGS third integer resonant extraction system allows the AGS to provide high quality, high intensity 25.5 GeV/c proton beams simultaneously to four target stations and as many as 8 experiments. With the increasing intensities (over 7/spl times/10/sup 13/ protons/pulse) and associated longer spill periods (2.4 to 3 seconds long), we continue to run with low losses and high quality low modulation continuous current beams. We have an active program of high energy physics experiments, including the high precision measurement of the muons magnetic moment and the discovery of the rare Kaon decay, K/sup +/ /spl rarr/ /spl pi/ + /spl nu//spl nu/~. This program is continuing into the future with the rare symmetry violating process experiments currently being designed to operate at the AGS. In this paper we present results from operation of high intensity slow extraction, the problems we encounter, and our solutions to those problems.
Ubiquitously Supervised Subspace Learning

In this paper, our contributions to the subspace learning problem are two-fold. We first justify that most popular subspace learning algorithms, unsupervised or supervised, can be unitedly explained as instances of a ubiquitously supervised prototype. They all essentially minimize the intraclass compactness and at the same time maximize the interclass separability, yet with specialized labeling approaches, such as ground truth, self-labeling, neighborhood propagation, and local subspace approximation. Then, enlightened by this ubiquitously supervised philosophy, we present two categories of novel algorithms for subspace learning, namely, misalignment-robust and semi-supervised subspace learning. The first category is tailored to computer vision applications for improving algorithmic robustness to image misalignments, including image translation, rotation and scaling. The second category naturally integrates the label information from both ground truth and other approaches for unsupervised algorithms. Extensive face recognition experiments on the CMU PIE and FRGC ver1.0 databases demonstrate that the misalignment-robust version algorithms consistently bring encouraging accuracy improvements over the counterparts without considering image misalignments, and also show the advantages of semi-supervised subspace learning over only supervised or unsupervised scheme.