cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A distributed behavioral-based technique for multi-agent sensory & event-driven autonomous formation and navigation

Many complex systems, such as multi-agent modeling and simulation which are crucial in military applications, necessitate concurrent task planning and decision making. These applications include battlefield modeling and simulation for soldier virtual training. In general these systems are implemented on automated systems with distributed architectures on heterogeneous operating systems and hardware platforms. In this paper we present an autonomous multi agent path planning system with agents-in-formation constraints in a distributed computing environment. Here a given agent, an entity with behaviors, exchanges sensory positioning feedback information over the network with other agents that are running on separate networked distributed computing nodes than the one the given agent is running on. Hence the agents do not have complete knowledge of the environment, but only a limited one. That is, in keeping with the agent formation constraint, the agents have knowledge only of the agents' information residing on the distributed memory of the computing node the agents are running on. The agents exchange agents' positioning sensory information of the rest of the agents they are interacting with, over a distributed network. Here agents autonomous trajectory planning is achieved for each agent to reach its destination via an unstructured distributed environment filled with dynamic obstacles and other agents. One focus is on the agents achieving their goals under real time formation constraints. We propose a multi-threaded architecture to achieve light-weight concurrency and multi-agent cooperative concurrency, as they allow separation between address space and thread control. Additionally, a threads-based architecture benefits from non-blocking system calls. Finally, experimental results are presented to show the potential of the proposed method for multi-agent distributed path planning.
Temperatures and concentrations in heated plumes

Abstract Volume concentrations and excess temperatures in plumes are shown to have the same distributions when normalized with respect to the values at the emission orifice. An expression is derived for calculating the dilution D , defined as the common ratio (source value)/ (plume value) for volume concentration or excess temperature. It is shown that volume and mass concentration distributions are not similar in general, but that the discrepancy is small beyond the jet region. Use of the ambient temperature instead of the true plume temperature to convert from mass to volume concentration will introduce an error of less than 5 per cent beyond the jet region.
A study of the structural phase transitions in AlF3: X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman scattering investigations of the lattice dynamics and phonon spectrum

The cubic-rhombohedral phase transition at 450 degrees C of AlF3 is studied by DSC, X-ray powder diffraction and Raman scattering. It is demonstrated that the transition is of first order with a hysteresis of about 6 degrees. It is established by X-ray powder diffraction patterns that the room temperature space group is R3c. A temperature study of the Raman scattering spectra (that confirms the above conclusion) evidences the presence of two soft modes. It is shown from group theory that the transition can be imputed to the condensation of the R5 mode of the cubic Brillouin zone and the attribution of the Raman lines is deduced on the basis of the compatibility diagram between the cubic and rhombohedral symmetries. The frequencies of the Raman lines are used to adjust the parameters of a rigid ion model and to calculate the phonon spectrum in the cubic phase. The calculated phonon density of states appears to be strongly dependent on the soft phonon frequency.
Assessment of Liver Allograft Function by Hyaluronic Acid and Endothelin Levels

Abstract Background. Sinusoidal endothelial cells are considered the primary site of preservation–reperfusion injury occurring during cold storage and reperfusion. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and endothelin-1 (ET) are markers of endothelial cell integrity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlation between these markers and early graft function following liver transplantation. Materials and Methods. Blood samples were collected from 85 adult orthotopic liver transplant recipients at the following time points: before surgery, just before reperfusion, first and last 20 cc of caval effluent, 30, 60, and 120 min after reperfusion, and on postoperative day (POD) 1. Levels of both HA and ET were measured by sandwich enzyme-binding assay. HA uptake was also defined for every sample as the ratio of the actual measurement to the value obtained just before reperfusion. Results. Patients with severe liver disease displayed significantly higher pretransplant HA and ET levels compared with those of less advanced illness. Poor early graft function (PEGF) was defined as peak enzyme levels on the first three PODs higher than 2500 U/L and prothrombin time longer than 16 s on POD 2. Patients with PEGF ( n = 9) showed significantly lower HA uptake than patients with good graft function ( n = 76) at 60 and 120 min after reperfusion. There was also a significant difference in the average uptake values measured in the last 20 cc of caval effluent between the two groups. We could not find any difference in ET levels between these two groups. Conclusions. Perioperative HA uptake measurement may be an additional marker to evaluate early graft function.
Compartment syndrome: An unusual complication of the lithotomy position

The compartment syndrome is a rare complication of surgery in the lithotomy position, but one that may result in neurovascular damage and permanent disability. Herein, we present a case of bilateral three-compartment syndrome following urethroplasty in the dorsolithotomy position, with review of the literature and discussion of the causes and possible means to prevent this complication.
An Application of the Articulation Index to Hearing Aid Fitting

The application of the articulation index (Al) model to the fitting of linear amplification was evaluated for 12 subjects with sensorineural hearing loss. Comparisons were made of amplification cha...
Neuronatin mRNA in PC12 cells: downregulation by nerve growth factor.

Neuronatin was recently cloned from neonatal rat brain (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 201 (1994) 1227–1234). In subsequent studies, we noted that neuronatin mRNA was brain-specific and that there were two alternatively spliced forms, α and β (Brain Res., 690 (1995) 92–98). Furthermore, on sequencing the human neuronatin gene, it was determined that the α-form was encoded by three exons, and the β-form was encoded by the first and third exons only (Genomics, 33 (1996) 292–297). The middle exon was spliced out in the β-form. The human neuronatin gene is located in single copy on chromosome 20q11.2-12 (Brain Res., 723 (1996) 8–22). These studies called for an understanding of the function of this gene. Therefore, we studied the expression of neuronatin in PC12 cells, an established model of neuronal growth and differentiation. Neuronatin mRNA expression was found to be abundant in undifferentiated PC12 cells. Treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF), resulting in neuronal differentiation, was associated with a downregulation of neuronatin mRNA expression. Removal of NGF was associated with a return of neuronatin mRNA levels towards baseline. These effects appear to be specific for NGF as they were not seen with transforming growth factor, epidermal growth factor, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or dexamethasone. Although, basic fibroblast growth factor also reduced neuronatin mRNA levels, the effect was less pronounced than with NGF. The NGF-induced decrease in neuronatin mRNA occurred even in the presence of protein and RNA syntheses inhibitors. Of the two spliced forms, only the α-form was expressed in PC12 cells. In conclusion, we report the presence of neuronatin mRNA in PC12 cells, and that NGF downregulates its expression. These findings provide a basis for investigating the role of neuronatin in neuronal growth and differentiation.
Role of "third-look" laparotomy in the guidance of ovarian cancer treatment.

Abstract Twenty-seven patients with Stage III epithelial ovarian carcinoma received a "third-look" celiotomy. Each patient received a minimum of an additional 12 courses of chemotherapy after persistent tumor had been documented at a "second-look" procedure. Twelve of the twenty-seven patients have died. No tumor-associated deaths occurred in patients with grade 1 neoplasms. Of the patients with microscopic disease at the second-look procedure who came to third-look laparotomy, none had died secondary to tumor growth. The survival time of patients with microscopic disease at third-look is greater than that of patients with macroscopic disease ( P = 0.0009). In patients who had effective tumor reductive surgery performed at second-look, the third-look findings were highly predictive as to survival. Long-term chemotherapy had a significant incidence of related mortality. Four of the twenty-seven patients died as a direct result of the chemotherapeutic toxicity. The patients receiving melphalan for at least 24 courses appeared to be at greatest risk, with 23% dying from either aplastic bone marrow changes or leukemia. The morbidity associated with third-look laparotomy was not excessive. Many factors need careful review prior to planning a third-look laparotomy. This retrospective study demonstrates that patients with either a grade 1 neoplasm or only microscopic disease at the second-look procedure do well regardless of the third-look findings.
Optimal CO 2 mitigation under damage risk valuation

Most integrated assessment models used to estimate the long-term economic loss from current carbon emissions, and to evaluate climate policy, are deterministic. By including the risk of damage in these models, research now shows that estimates of the optimal rate of emissions abatement and carbon taxation are double the levels obtained by using the standard formulation.
AIDS ATTITUDES AND ATTITUDES TOWARD CARING FOR DYING PATIENTS

This article reports on a survey of nursing staff working in AIDS residential health care facilities. More than two - thirds of respondents expressed non - punitive attitudes towards AIDS. Certified nursing assistants were more likely to report negative attitudes toward caring for dying patients than registered nurses. In general, respondents who had less punitive AIDS attitudes also reported less negative attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Nursing staff in AIDS residential facilities may benefit from further training that addresses issues involved in working with AIDS patients and caring for dying patients.
Hybridization between subunits of triose phosphate isomerase isozymes from different subcellular compartments of higher plants

Hybrid enzymes composed of subunits of oligomeric isozymes present in different subcellular compartments have never been observed in vivo, even though their precursors are commonly synthesized in the same cytosol. To investigate this problem, we examined in plants the dimeric enzyme triose phosphate isomerase, which is present as two nuclear-coded isozymes, one in the plastids and the other in the cytosol. We dissociated both purified isozymes from several unrelated species into subunits, and then reassociated the unlike subunits into active hybrid enzymes. Since such hybrid enzymes are not observed in vivo, but can be formed in vitro, a specific mechanism must prevent either their formation or their accumulation in the cell. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
Calcium Release from Acidic Stores Modulate Fluid and Protein Secretion in the Salivary Gland

Autonomic input to salivary glands controls the rate of salivary flow by regulating the activities of ion channels and transporters that induce fluid and protein secretion. This control is achieved by signaling complexes that generate the complex patterns of cytosolic Ca2+ observed in acinar cells. Most work to date in these cells has focused on canonical intracellular Ca2+ release channels resident on the endoplasmic reticulum. In the current study we identified acidic organelles as an additional releasable Ca2+ store in mouse parotid salivary gland. The large, protein-containing secretory granules were found to be the major subcellular acidic organelle. However, the role that acidic Ca2+ stores play in these cells in the triggering or globalization of receptor mediated Ca2+ signals has not yet been investigated. Treatment with bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of vacuolar-type H+-ATPase, altered the amplitude and kinetics of Ca2+ dynamics evoked by low level muscarinic receptor activation but not by stronger stimulations. In contrast bafilomycin treatment nearly abolished protein exocytosis regardless of stimulation intensity. In addition, using acinar cell clusters prepared from mouse salivary gland in combination with flash photolysis and high-speed fluorescence imaging we demonstrated that caged-nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) functions as a highly potent Ca2+ mobilizing messenger that initiates or sensitizes agonist-stimulated Ca2+ signals in these cells. Consistent with a role for NAADP-mediated signaling in acinar cell function, treatment with the NAADP inhibitor BZ194 altered agonist evoked Ca2+ signals similar to bafilomycin treatment. This work implicates neurotransmitter-evoked rises in NAADP as a signaling pathway relevant for salivary gland function and identifies a potential target for augmenting function for patients suffering reduced saliva formation.
Transport of dsRNA into Cells by the Transmembrane Protein SID-1

RNA interference (RNAi) spreads systemically in plants and nematodes to silence gene expression distant from the site of initiation. We previously identified a gene, sid-1, essential for systemic but not cell-autonomous RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we demonstrate that SID-1 is a multispan transmembrane protein that sensitizes Drosophila cells to soaking RNAi with a potency that is dependent on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) length. Further analyses revealed that SID-1 enables passive cellular uptake of dsRNA. These data indicate that systemic RNAi in C. elegans involves SID-1-mediated intercellular transport of dsRNA.
Cryotherapy and other newer techniques.

Cryotherapy is the application of extreme cold for the treatment of disease. Its use dates back to the 1850s with iced saline and was described by James Arnott for treatment of breast and cervical cancer [1–3]. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, gastric freezing using a closed-circuit balloon filled with cold (20C) absolute alcohol was used for treatment of bleeding esophageal varices and peptic ulcers [4–6]. It has been used in a myriad of ways in virtually all disciplines of medicine, including the treatment of skin cancer; cervical dysplasia; breast cancer; liver cancer; prostate cancer; and for various dental, otolaryngeal, and pulmonary lesions. Recently, its use has re-emerged in the field of gastroenterology for esophageal mucosal ablation, hemostasis of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and in a case report for the palliation of a gastric neoplasm [7]. There are two types of endoscopic spray cryotherapy devices being tested for the treatment of GI lesions. There is a high-pressure device using nitrous oxide gas under pressure and a low-pressure device using liquid nitrogen at ambient pressure. Both devices use specially designed catheters passed through the biopsy channel of an upper endoscope. The former has been used primarily for hemostasis in the stomach and for the palliation of a gastric neoplasm [7]. The low-pressure device has been tested extensively for the purposes of mucosal ablation in the esophagus and will be the focus of this article because of its projected application for ablation of Barrett’s mucosa.
Temperature distributions in hyperthermia by electromagnetic induction: a theoretical model for the thorax.

Steady‐state temperature solutions to the bioheat equation are presented for magnetic induction heating of a thoracic model consisting of a spherical tumor embedded in lungtissue which is layered by muscle and fatty tissue. Analytical solutions are presented for each of the tissue regions along with their numerical evaluations over a range of physical characteristics, including surface cooling effects. A strong dependence of tumor temperature on size and blood perfusion rate is shown to exist and can be used to optimize treatment parameters. Tendencies of the chest muscles and overlaying fatty tissue to overheat, particularly in the case of an obese patient, are discussed along with the alleviating influence of surface cooling. Healthy lungtissue, on the other hand, is shown to be safe from any significant damage in such a heating situation. Transient times required for tumors to achieve thermal equilibrium are computed and shown to depend strongly on tumor size and, to a lesser extent, on blood perfusion rate. Finally, the overall results obtained from the model are compared with available clinical data and are found to be in line with those observations.
Synthesis of α,α-difluoroketones: Novel synthesis of α,α-difluoroketones from α,α-difluoroacylsilanes

Abstract α,α-Difluoroketones, targets of interest as potential transition state mimics and enzyme inhibitors, have been synthesized from the corresponding α,α-difluoroacylsilanes by treatment with diazoalkanes.
Enterochromaffin-like cells and gastric argyrophil carcinoidosis.

The relevance of enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells in gastric pathobiology has generated considerable interest particularly since the recent description of a pathological state characterized as gastric argyrophilic carcinoidosis. the morphological and bio-functional properties of these cells are distinct from other gastric endocrine cells. It is probable that ECL cells have a major role in the regulation of parietal cell function. Other possible functions may include a trophic regulatory influence. of particular interest is the recent observation that agents which result in profound and sustained acid inhibition may cause ECL cell hyperplasia. This phenomenon has also been noted in human disease states in which a significant decrease in acid section is evident (pernicious anemia/ atrophic gastritis). in patients with gastrinomas of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type I group, therapeutically induced acid inhibition may result in gastric ECL hyperplasia and even neoplasia (gastric carcinoid or ECLoma). S...
Understanding and Respect Between "Traditionalists" and Newcomers:

In this editorial "traditionalists" is used with the special denotation of those whose educational training and viewpoint are cast basically in terms of the classroom or attendance unit or local sc...
COMMENTARY. long-term antibacterial effects and physical properties of a chlorhexidine-containing glass ionomer cement

The atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) was developed about a decade ago to be implemented in less-developed places, where access to dental care is limited. This technique consists of the removal of the decalcified tooth tissue using hand instruments and restoration of the cavity preparation with an adhesive restorative material. For obvious reasons, glass ionomers (GICs) have been the restorative material of choice. GICs were developed in the 70s as a hybrid formulation of the aluminosilicate powder from silicates and the polyacrylic acid liquid from polycarboxylates. Its most attractive characteristics are the chemical bonding to the tooth structure and the ability to release fluoride. However, it has been shown that the inherent amount of fluoride contained in the material is released shortly after insertion, and recharging it with fluoride is imperative. For this reason, and because of some evidence questioning the clinical effect that GICs have on carious dentin, which is often left in the ART technique, chlorhexidine and other components have lately been added to their compositions. Chlorhexidine is a known antibacterial agent currently available in dentifrices, solutions, gels, and varnishes.
Synthetic Mimics of Small Mammalian Cell Surface Receptors

Receptors on the surface of mammalian cells promote the uptake of cell-impermeable ligands by receptor-mediated endocytosis. To mimic this process, we synthesized small molecules designed to project anti-dinitrophenyl antibody-binding motifs from the surface of living Jurkat lymphocytes. These synthetic receptors comprise N-alkyl derivatives of 3beta-cholesterylamine as the plasma membrane anchor linked to 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) and structurally similar fluorescent 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD) headgroups. Insertion of two beta-alanine subunits between a DNP derivative and 3beta-cholesterylamine yielded a receptor that avidly associates with cell surfaces (cellular t(1/2) approximately 20 h). When added to Jurkat cells at 10 microM, this receptor enhanced uptake of an anti-DNP IgG ligand by approximately 200-fold in magnitude and approximately 400-fold in rate within 4 h (ligand internalization t(1/2) approximately 95 min at 37 degrees C). This non-natural receptor mimics many natural receptors by dynamically cycling between plasma membranes and intracellular endosomes (recycling t(1/2) approximately 3 min), targeting of protein ligands to proposed cholesterol and sphingolipid-enriched lipid raft membrane microdomains, and delivery of protein ligands to late endosomes/lysosomes. Quantitative dithionite quenching of fluorescent extracellular NBD headgroups demonstrated that other 3beta-cholesterylamine derivatives bearing fewer beta-alanines in the linker region or N-acyl derivatives of 3beta-cholesterylamine were less effective receptors due to more extensive trafficking to internal membranes. Synthetic cell surface receptors have potential applications as cellular probes, tools for drug delivery, and methods to deplete therapeutically important extracellular ligands.
The Purification of Horse Heart Cytochrome c by Ion Exchange Chromatography

While enormous changes have occurred in the past decade in the field of analytical chemistry, the curriculum for undergraduate Quantitative Analysis has changed very little. This paper describes a ...
Mechanisms of Leukocyte Production and Release VIII Eosinophil and Neutrophil Kinetics in Rats

Eosinophil and neutrophil kinetics were compared in normal rats and in rats subjected to repeated leukocyte, particularly eosinophil, removal following a single injection of tritiated thymidine. Analysis of neutrophil labelling in normal rats provided data on neutrophil production which were in agreement with results of similar studies in dogs and in humans. Some phases of neutrophil life cycles (e.g., maturation time), appeared to be shorter than those of other animals. Labelled mature neutrophils were seen in the bone marrow as early as 16 hours after isotope administration. In normal rats eosinophil myelocyte turnover and maturation time were estimated as 3 days and 8–12 hours respectively. Labelled eosinophils were seen in the circulation 2 days after isotope injection. The turnover time of mature marrow eosinophils was approximated as 19 hours and that of circulating eosinophils as 4.5 days with a tissue life of 2–4 days. Rats subjected to leukocytapheresis seemed to exhibit a general acceleration of granulocytopoiesis, as indicated by a shortening of cell generation times and possibly also of maturation times.
Abstract 1810: Mechanistic studies of the dual Akt and JNK inhibitor Chaetoglobosin K: Effect on downstream pathways and AP-1 proteins in tumorigenic cells

We have previously shown that the anti-tumorigenic indolylcytochalasin Chaetoglobosin K (ChK) concomitantly down-regulates Akt and JNK activation in ras-transformed cells. This dual inhibition was found not be regulated by Rac1, a Rho protein that is involved in both signaling pathways, or MKK4, an upstream kinase of JNK. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the effect of ChK on the activation of downstream mediators of the PI3K/Akt (including mdm2), and JNK (including the activator protein-1 (AP-1) proteins and stat3) signaling pathways; 2) whether the upstream mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MKK7) is involved in ChK9s effect on JNK. The AP-1 transcription factor complex, composed of proteins of the JUN, FOS, and ATF families, has become a promising therapeutic target due to the proposed role of AP-1 activation in tumorigenesis. In these studies, ras-transformed rat liver epithelial cells were grown to confluence and treated with either ChK (5μM or 10μM) or vehicle (DMSO) for 24 hours. Cell proteins were extracted and separated using SDS-PAGE. Western blot analysis was performed using phosphorylation site-specific antibodies to monitor changes in MKK7, c-JUN, ATF-2, mdm2, and stat3 protein activation levels. The results of these studies indicate that ChK treatment decreased c-JUN and ATF-2 phosphorylation, but had no effect on stat3 phosphorylation. Additionally, ChK treatment decreased mdm2 phosphorylation. ChK did not alter MKK7 activation levels and, taking into consideration its lack of effect on MKK4, suggest ChK does not inhibit JNK via its archetypical MAPK signaling pathway. These studies indicate ChK may serve as a small molecule inhibitor of the AP-1 pathway proteins, as well as the Akt/mdm2 pathway. This data further supports ChK9s potential as a unique targeted tumor therapy. This project was funded by NIH grant 1R15CA135415 Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1810. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1810
Prooxidative and antioxidative effects of phospholipids on milk fat

The effects of dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPE) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPC) on milk fat oxidation was examined at 50°C and 95°C under various conditions by monitoring oxygen uptake and fatty acid composition. DPE strongly inhibited milk fat oxidation both at 50°C and 95°C in the absence of water. DPC was less effective than DPE. In aqueous systems, the reverse was observed. DPE accelerated milk fat oxidation at both 50°C and 95°C. DPC accelerated the oxidation at 50°C, but inhibited it at 95°C. The free amino group in DPE may be responsible for its inhibiting effect in the dry system. The accelerating activity of DPE in the aqueous system is probably due to the formation of a more dispersed structure with better oxygen accessibility.
On the importance of modeling temporal information in music tag annotation

Music is an art form in which sounds are organized in time; however, current approaches for determining similarity and classification largely ignore temporal information. This paper presents an approach to automatic tagging which incorporates temporal aspects of music directly into the statistical models, unlike the typical bag-of-frames paradigm in traditional music information retrieval techniques. Vector quantization on song segments leads to a vocabulary of acoustic segment models. An unsupervised, iterative process that cycles between Viterbi decoding and Baum-Welch estimation builds transcripts of this vocabulary. Latent semantic analysis converts the song transcriptions into a vector for subsequent classification using a support vector machine for each tag. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs better in 15 of the 18 tags. Further analysis demonstrates an ability to capture local timbral characteristics as well as sequential arrangements of acoustic segment models.
A technique for fabricating a hinged mandibular complete dental prosthesis with swing lock for a patient with microstomia

Microstomia is defined as an acquired or congenital condition involving a reduction of the oral aperture severe enough to compromise esthetics, nutrition, and quality of life. This clinical report describes a technique for fabricating a mandibular swing-lock complete denture with a hinge for a patient with muscular dystrophy. A hinge in the midline allowed the denture to collapse. The collapsed denture could then be inserted into the mouth and locked into position. A sectional impression technique was used and the custom hinge was designed on the cobalt-chromium metal framework of the complete denture. The protocol presented can provide a viable treatment option for edentulous patients with microstomia.
Design of a soft and autonomous biomimetic micro-robotic fish

This paper discusses the design of a flexible micro robotic fish that takes advantage of the energy saving feature of fish. The body of the fish is made of soft material with embedded electromagnets. It has a flexure link made of polyimide. Carbon-fiber reinforced composite material sandwiches the flexible link at four locations, allowing the four rigid links to be connected by a flexure joint. Nd-Fe-B magnets and planar coils are secured to the top of the composite material. The entire structure, including Li-ion battery and electronics, is embedded within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheets. It is then cut into the shape of a fish. The propagating muscle activity pattern is achieved by activating the electromagnets that correspond to each muscle group. The fish has polyvinylidene-fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) piezoelectric polymer sensors on its surface to measure the local flow pressure. When it senses vortices, the fish automatically turns off the actuator so that its body wave can be passively generated by interaction with the oncoming flow of water. The power generated for positive work can be stored as elastic energy and then used for negative work, thus saving energy. The system is driven at its natural frequency to minimize energy consumption. Future generations of this microbotic fish could be deployed for underwater oil exploration and environmental monitoring.
Children's Environmental Health

Children are among the populations most vulnerable to environmental pollutants. Their susceptibility is due to several factors: the fact that children are rapidly growing and developing, metabolic differences between children and adults that may cause them to eliminate toxicants more slowly, their activity level and size, which increase absorbed dose, children's involuntary close association with adults, for example a smoking parent, and their unique exposures, such as to breast milk. Toxicants greatly affecting children's health include lead, pesticides, tobacco smoke, indoor air pollution from biomass burning, and outdoor air pollution, especially from traffic sources.
3D Slit Scanning with Planar Constraints

We present a planarity constraint and a novel three-dimensional (3D) point reconstruction algorithm for a multiview laser range slit scanner. The constraint is based on the fact that all observed points on a projected laser line lie on the same plane of laser light in 3D. The parameters of the plane of laser light linearly parametrize a homography between a pair of images of the laser points. This homography can be recovered from point correspondences derived from epipolar geometry. The use of the planar constraint reduces outliers in the reconstruction and allows for the reconstruction of points seen in only one view. We derive an optimal reconstruction of points subject to the planar constraint and compare the accuracy to the suboptimal approach in prior work. We also construct a catadioptric stereo rig with high quality optical components to remove error due to camera synchronization and non-uniform laser projection. The reconstruction results are compared to prior work that uses inexpensive optics and two cameras.
Symptoms of late-life depression: frequency and change during treatment.

Objective The authors determined the symptoms frequently present in older patients with major depression that showed the greatest change during treatment and that best correlated with an independent measure of improvement (the Clinical Global Impression scale [CGI]). Methods Subjects included 728 patients over the age of 60 years with major depression who were selected for entry into a clinical trial. Authors determined the frequency of symptoms on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D) and the effect size of symptom change during treatment. Results Nine symptoms were identified that were frequent, showed the greatest change during treatment, and best correlated with CGI. The items included depressed mood; loss of interest in work and activities; psychic anxiety; somatic symptoms, general (decreased energy); somatic anxiety; guilt; middle insomnia; late insomnia; and suicidal ideation. These nine items accounted for 92% of the variance in the 17-item Ham-D score, correlated with the CGI at a level similar to the 17-item Ham-D, and were at least as sensitive as the 17-item Ham-D for detecting drug–placebo differences. A comparison with five other similar approaches in non-geriatric samples suggested that the symptoms identified were relatively similar in both age-groups. Conclusions Symptoms frequent in patients with late-life depression are similar to those in mixed-aged samples. Nine of the Ham-D items appear most useful for assessment of change during treatment.
Accessory Scrotum Located on the Distal Penile Shaft

CASE REPORT An 8-year-old white boy presented for evaluation of a penile lesion that had been present since birth. He had previously been circumcised. Examination revealed a large bilobate structure with a normal rugated scrotal appearance attached to the left side of an otherwise normal phallus (see figure). There was also a normally placed scrotum that contained descended testicles. Abdominal, pelvic and scrotal ultrasound showed normal kidneys and bladder. The structure was empty. Cystourethroscopy at surgery revealed no communication with the urinary tract. The lesion was excised around its irregular base and plastic repair of the skin defect on the phallic shaR was performed. Histological examination revealed connective tissue intermingled with smooth muscle fibers, suggestive of tunica dartos and consistent with scrotal tissue.
Genetic and phenotypic characterization of roller mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT Eighty-eight mutants of C. elegans that display a roller phenotype (a helically twisted body) have been isolated and characterized genetically and phenotypically. The mutations are located in 14 different genes. Most genes contain a number of alleles. Their distribution among the chromosomes appears nonrandom, with seven of the genes being located on linkage group 11, some very closely linked. The phenotypes of the mutants suggest that there are five different classes of genes, each class representing a set of similar phenotypic effects: Left Roller (four genes), Right Roller (one gene), Left Squat (one gene), Right Squat (two genes) and Left Dumpy Roller (six genes). The classes of mutants differ with respect to a number of characteristics that include the developmental stages affected and the types of aberrations observed in cuticle structure. A variety of gene interactions were found, arguing that these genes are involved in a common developmental process. The presence of alterations in cuticle morphology strongly suggests that these genes are active in the formation of the nematode cuticle.
Sex Typing of Jobs in Hiring: Evidence from Japan

Using unique data on employers' pre-hire preferences, this article examines the effect of sex typing on the gender gap in offered wages and training. Previous studies using post-hire data have not been able to focus directly on the effects of employer behavior, distinct from employee preferences. By analyzing gender-designated job requisitions for the entry-level labor market in a Japanese city, this study investigates employers' pre-hire decisions about the wage level and on-the-job training that accompany the sex typing of jobs. Results show that employers' sex typing excludes women in advance from jobs that provide higher wages and longer training.
Antibiotics and the Intraoral Abscess

Sensitivity tests were administered to determine the effectiveness of several antibiotics in the management of the oral abscess. Cultures were taken from 13 patients who were diagnosed as having either a periodontal or periapical abscess. Results revealed the following 1. The most effective antibiotic was Chloromycetin. Yet it was felt that its medical contraindications far outweigh its use by the dental practitioner. 2. Tetracycline was the least effective antibiotic. 3. Penicillin, because of its high potency against microorganisms of the dental abscess, should be considered the drug of choice. Its use, however, must be restricted to patients who give a negative history to allergies and/or asthma; when such a history is positive, erythromycin should be used. 4. Appropriate culture and sensitivity tests should be performed to determine the susceptibility of the causative organism(s) to the drug of choice.
Early versus late hormonal therapy for prostate cancer

Hormonal therapy remains the critical therapeutic option for men with advanced prostate cancer. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the appropriate choice/timing and actual benefits of hormonal therapy in various situations. This article reviews the relevant studies of immediate versus deferred hormonal therapy in patients with prostate cancer. The evidence from the data supports that early treatment is beneficial to many patients. Significant survival benefit of early hormonal therapy has been observed among patients with asymptomatic metastatic disease, node-positive but clinically localized disease after radical prostatectomy and lymphadenectomy, and advanced local/regional disease during and after radiotherapy.
Ecology and Phenotypic Variation of Leitneria floridana (Leitneriaceae) in Disjunct Native Habitats

ABSTRACT Leitneria floridana is a rare woody species with a disjunct distribution in the southeastern and south-central United States. Although the distribution of L. floridana is well established, little is known about the comparative biology of its disjunct populations or the factors contributing to its rarity. We studied populations of L. floridana in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida to characterize and compare population density, habitat, ecophysiology, morphology, and growth. Our results show that plants of the Missouri provenance are the most unique phenotypically, plants in Texas are the fastest growing, and plants in Arkansas seem particularly adapted to shade. We found that L. floridana grows in chemically and physically diverse soils and under a broad range of insolation. Soil moisture content appears to be the most important environmental factor governing the occurrence of L. floridana, with soil moisture and distribution density positively correlated.
Behavioral norms for condensed moral vignettes

Moral judgment is an evaluation of the actions and character of a person made with respect to societal norms. Although many types of vignettes have been used in previous studies on moral beliefs and judgment, what is missing is a set of standardized common vignettes based in real life. The goal of this study was to provide researchers with stimuli that have values on several dimensions pertaining to moral judgment and whose underlying components are known. These values will allow researchers to select stimuli based on standardized ratings rather than on the results of pilot studies, while avoiding the limitations of the classic, abstract moral scenarios. Our study was composed of three phases, (i) collecting and shortening the vignettes, (ii) obtaining ratings of the vignettes on several dimensions including emotional intensity, degree of social norm violation, and level of harm or benefit caused and (iii) determining the underlying components of the vignettes by performing a factor analysis. We found three components that accounted for most of the variance: norm violation, social affect and intention. The resulting vignettes can be used in future parametric studies on moral judgment in behavioral, neuropsychological and functional imaging experiments.
Unknown rewards in finite-horizon domains

"Human computation" is a recent approach that extracts information from large numbers of Web users. reCAPTCHA is a human computation project that improves the process of digitizing books by getting humans to read words that are difficult for OCR algorithms to read (von Ahn et al., 2008). In this paper, we address an interesting strategic control problem inspired by the reCAPTCHA project: given a large set of words to transcribe within a time deadline, how can we choose the difficulty level such that we maximize the probability of successfully transcribing a document on time? Our approach is inspired by previous work on timed, zero-sum games, as we face an analogous timed policy decision on the choice of words to present to users. However, our Web-based word transcribing domain is particularly challenging as the reward of the actions is not known; i.e., there is no knowledge if the spelling provided by a human is actually correct. We contribute an approach to solve this problem by checking a small fraction of the answers at execution time, obtaining an estimate of the cumulative reward. We present experimental results showing how the number of samples and time between samples affects the probability of success. We also investigate the choice of aggressive or conservative actions with regard to the bounds produced by sampling. We successfully apply our algorithm to real data gathered by the reCAPTCHA project.
Pinus taeda clones and soil nutrient availability: effects of soil organic matter incorporation and fertilization on biomass partitioning and leaf physiology

The combined effects of intensive management and planting of improved seedlings have led to large increases in productivity on intensively managed pine forests in the southeastern United States. To best match clones to particular site conditions, an understanding of how specific clones respond to changes in nutrition in terms of biomass partitioning, leaf physiology and biochemistry will be necessary. This study measured the response of biomass partitioning, light-saturated net photosynthesis (A(Sat)) and photosynthetic capacity to a range in soil fertility and fertilization between two contrasting Pinus taeda L. clone ideotypes: a 'narrow crown' clone (NC) that allocates more resources to stem growth and a 'broad crown' clone (BC) that allocates more resources to leaf area (LA). Under field conditions, we found consistent clone by environment (i.e., varying nutrient regimes) interactions in biomass as well as leaf physiology. Nutrient limitations induced by logging residue incorporation resulted in a 25% loss in stem growth in BC, while NC showed no response. We postulated that the decrease in BC was due to the differences in canopy architecture leading to a reduced canopy CO(2) assimilation, as well as to increased belowground maintenance costs associated with fine-root production. In contrast, N and P additions resulted in a 21% greater increase in stem volume in NC relative to BC. Fertilization increased A(Sat) temporarily in both clones, but A(Sat) eventually decreased below control levels by the end of the study. Although we found a clone by fertilization interaction in leaf physiology, the greatest genotype by environment interaction was found in the LA that appeared to have a greater influence than A(Sat) on growth. This research demonstrates the potential importance of selecting appropriate clonal material and silvicultural prescription when implementing site-specific silviculture to maximize productivity in intensively managed southern pine forests.
Central projections of the sciatic, saphenous, median, and ulnar nerves of the rat demonstrated by transganglionic transport of choleragenoid-HRP (B-HRP) and wheat germ agglutinin-HRP (WGA-HRP)

The central projections of the rat sciatic, saphenous, median, and ulnar nerves were labeled by injecting each nerve with 0.05 mg B-HRP, or 0.5 mg WGA-HRP, or a mixture of both. The B-HRP labeled large dorsal root ganglion cells (30-50 microns) and, correspondingly, 98% of axons labeled in a rootlet were meyelinated; although all sizes of myelinated axons were labeled, a greater proportion fell in the large ranges (2-6.5 microns axon diameter) than in the small ranges (0.5-2 microns). Primary afferents labeled with B-HRP were distributed in laminae I, III, IV, and V of the dorsal horn and extended into the intermediate grey and the ventral horn; Clarke's column and the respective dorsal column nuclei were also densely labeled. Motoneurons of the nerve were densely labeled by B-HRP, including extensive regions of their dendritic trees. In contrast, WGA-HRP labeled small dorsal root ganglion cells (15-25 microns) and in the dorsal rootlets, 84% of the labeled axons were nonmyelinated; the small population of labeled myelinated afferents mainly fell within the smaller ranges (0.5-2.0 microns). Terminal fields of WGA-HRP labeled afferents were restricted to the superficial dorsal horn (laminae I-III), and to limited regions in the dorsal column nuclei. Sciatic nerve projections traced by labeling with B-HRP alone or in combination with WGA-HRP were more extensive than previously described when using either native HRP or WGA-HRP. Afferents to the dorsal horn extended from L1-S1, to Clarke's nucleus from T8-L1, to the ventral horn from L2-L5, and extended throughout the medial and dorsal region of the gracilie nucleus. Motoneurons were found from L4-L6. Using the same tracers, saphenous projections extended in the superficial dorsal horn from caudal L1 to rostral L4, in the deep dorsal horn to mid L4 and along the length of the central part of the gracilie nucleus. The median nerve projected to the internal basilar nucleus from C1-C6, the dorsal horn from C3-T2, Clarke's nucleus from T1-T6, the external cuneate nucleus, and a large central area throughout the length of the cuneate nucleus. Motoneurons were located in dorsolateral and ventrolateral nuclear groups from C4 through C8. The ulnar nerve projections were less extensive but also included the internal basilar nucleus from C1-C6, the medial region of the dorsal horn from C4-T1, Clarke's nucleus from T1-T6, the external cuneate nucleus, and the medial part of the cuneate nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
eCAD: a knowledge-based course engineering system

Colleges and universities have increasingly migrated towards utilizing the World Wide Web to convey at least a part and, in many cases, their entire curricular offering. Despite this trend, there is inadequate support for the professors responsible for restructuring the courses they have refined over a career in the classroom for delivery via the Web. Teachers who are expert in their subject area and masters of their craft when in a classroom find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to relearn how to teach in a new environment with little or no support. The process of planning and developing a course for delivery in an online environment is, in many significant aspects, analogous to the processes required to develop a software system. Both situations require the developer to manage resources through a series of steps with the goal of designing a product that effectively utilizes the computer to solve a problem. The procedures and tools used in software engineering to manage software system development, therefore, offer promise for developing online courses. Computer aided software engineering (CASE) tools are of special interest by virtue of the support afforded the development process through computerization. This paper offers an architectural overview of a knowledge-based, course engineering system: eCAD (electronic Course Analysis & Design). The requirements for the system, the manner in which those criteria were developed and validated, and system design are detailed. A working prototype is also presented.